Veselka and the Shoes that Zipper Around My Calves

I have big calves.  Seriously, they're big and muscle-y and I love them, but sometimes putting on boots can be the biggest hassle ever.  But look at these!  They fit and they make my legs look wonderful.

Aren't you excited to be back to awkward mirror pics?  Sweater (Diesel), shirt (Urban Outfitters), skirt (Cheap Monday), tights (H&M), boots (Aerosoles), hat (ASOS), socks (urban outfitters)

I bought them during a recent trip to NYC for my cousin's daughter's Baptism.  That outfit is not the one I wore to the ceremony, but it definitely shows off how the boots fit on my legs.  After the ceremony, we went to brunch at a place called Veselka in the Bowery.  The food is amazing, but most of it is not gluten-free friendly.  So I went with a vegan mushroom soup and eggs Benedict (which was served on toast because I, once again, forgot to be assertive).  Luckily, my allergy is not triggered by food touching, so that's okay.

This is the menu, which, as you can see, isn't very gluten- or wheat-free friendly

Vegan mushroom soup

Eggs Benedict.  You can kind of see the challah bread.

My cousin could not modify the menu too much, but that's okay.  Sometimes it takes a bit of digging and shopping around to find things you can eat (and wear!).

Sunday look forward to a post about no-bake cookies.  I have to cut out Tuesday blogging in favor of homework and having my life together.  Sorry!

Keep it yummy,
Jo

I Eat Meat Sometimes

The glorious thing about living in a city where there is literally some form of a grocery store on every corner is wonderful because if you are lacking an ingredient, then you can easily get it.  The downside?  No one buys food in advance.  So, for dinner Friday night while my parents shopped for food in Greenpoint to prepare for Christmas Eve, I had to run to the grocery store to get myself a meat product.  It was pretty weird buying only one thing, but I already have my staple foods at home: quinoa, rice, green beans, colored peppers, and leafy greens.  The meat product I chose: lamb.

Seared lamb chops, sauteed string beans, kale, and pepper, boiled quinoa stir-fried with soy sauce.

To me, the most delicious gluten-free meals are the ones that do not replace foods with substitutes.  My mother thought that this plate had too much food on it, but most of it was green and, using little oil, could be healthy.  Also, the more colors, the more nutrition you're getting and who doesn't love that?

Since this plate had so many different colors on it, I wore a single-pallet outfit to balance it out.  I love gray, white, and black, so I combined all the colors.  Matt suggested I buy these particular jeans because he thinks my legs look good in them and the design is pretty cool.  I have to agree with him.

Hat: Pins and  Needles, Coat: COOPERATIVE, Jeans: BDG, and Boots: Minnetonka

I think Matt is getting pretty good at taking pictures of me.

Since Christmas is just two days away, I want to wish you all a merry, delicious, and stylish Christmas!  Happy eating and spending time with friends and family!

My Christmas tree!

Keep it yummy, 

Jo

Stuffed Squash

Squash had not been a food commonly consumed in my house in NYC.  The only time I really ate pumpkins was in pie at Thanksgiving and that was about it.  Through the C.S.A. weekly box of vegetables, though, we received an acorn squash.  I had never seen one before and Andrew and Andrea were fans of roasting them and/or putting stuff in them.  So, I decided to use the "and" function.

Finished product!  Acorn squash stuffed with rice, scallions, carrots, colored bell peppers, and topped with Parmesan cheese

I wasn't expecting it to be so sweet on the inside, I was pretty proud of myself for preemptively adding spices like curry powder and turmeric to the rice to add some kick to the meal.  I admittedly added red pepper flakes which are quickly becoming my favorite flavoring.

With this meal, I would try to pair it with like colors.  I usually dislike yellow, but I have this one tank top from Free People that is to die for. I have a similar skirt that's corduroy with buttons from Forever21 and a BDG olive-green cardigan to match the colors of the squash skin and the scallions. I usually wear my Minnetonka moccasins as comfort-shoes, but sadly, I will have to retire them soon.  I'll probably just replace them with a similar pair from the same brand.

Keep it yummy,
Jo