going green

i'm going green.

okay, i already am.

i'm pretty much obsessed with vegetables and salads.

mom bought a juicer.

she made us some vegetable juices last week.

i covet.

steven and i don't really need one right now.

erin found a good recipe for a green smoothie.

i normally put a handful of spinach and sometimes put in some carrots or cucumbers too, but today it was all veggies. well, and half of an apple for some sweetness.

it was good. really good.

i hate cake...or do i?

if you know me, you know i pretty much HATE cake.  
i'm sure you have a question or two about that.


Q. did i have a wedding cake?  
A. yes. chocolate with raspberry filling. fondant with swiss dots and real cascading flowers {from our lovely florist.}
{photos of that beautiful thing will come in the mail soon from our lovely photographer.}


Q. did i eat any of it?
A.  yes/no.  yes--we "cut the cake" and i had my first bite of cake as mrs. hopper while steven had his.  no--that's the only bite i had.


Q. did you enjoy it?
A.  yes. my bite was a little cake and a lot of filling, so it was nice and moist and good.


Q. so, what did you eat if you didn't have cake?
A. we had a bunch of different kinds of cheesecakes at the reception. i had raspberry.


Q. why do you hate cake?
A. i hate the "cakiness" of it. and i hate frosting. and it's just not good enough for me to eat.


Q. but, haven't you been to the sweet tooth fairy and had a cupcake there?  and enjoyed it?
A. yes. i have. and yes. i enjoyed it. but, it wasn't really a cupcake. {remember? see here.} but, as previously explained, there's really only one kind of cake i like, and that is carrot cake. because it is so super moist and dense that it is like bread. carrot raisin bread is even better {like at mimi's cafe. yum.} so, at the sweet tooth fairy, they have pumpkin cupcakes in the fall. but it's just a pumpkin muffin or pumpkin bread in a cupcake tin with frosting on it.  they also have other flavors like it that are a bread or muffin with frosting on it. in fact, i called them out on it {me: isn't this just a muffin...with frosting on it?} and they said that a cupcake has frosting, a muffin doesn't.  hmm, alright. i'll take it. and their frosting is so good. not normal crisco/shortening/buttercream/canned {sick} frosting, but real cream cheese frosting. yum.


Q. alright, so you like some of the sweet tooth fairy's cupcakes because they are actually just muffins/bread with really good frosting on them. so what's up with the picture up there, huh? what's up with the bundt cake?
A.  okay, okay. at our arizona reception, steven's mom ordered a million little bundt cakes, called bundtinis, from nothing bundt cakes. {arizona, california, and utah locations--no fear. we're covered in all three "homes."}  pretty much a bundtini is a mini bundt cake, or a cupcake.  but here's the thing with bundt cakes--they are suuuuuper moist, and not cakey at all.  i never really eat bundt cake, just because it's never really there for me to eat and i never make 'em.  but at our reception, i think i had 6 of those little bundtinis.  a bunch of different flavors.  red velvet was so good. so cool and moist. and the cream cheese frosting--delicious. i highly recommend it.


Q. you're crazy, h.hopp.  are you going to eat cake now?
A. no. i still hate it.  but i'll have a super moist bundtini from nothing bundt cakes if the occasion arises. or a muffin/bread "cupcake" from the sweet tooth fairy.


confession: steven and i were buying paint at home depot on monday, which is conveniently located catty corner from the sweet tooth fairy.  we stopped at the mcdonald's in front of it to pick up a red box and i said, oh look there's the sweet tooth fairy.  he suggested we try it out.  so we did.  and i didn't get a muffin/bread one.  i got chocolate peanut butter. and it was good. but it was too cakey for me.  so, again, i say it was good, but i didn't really enjoy it.  
oh and confession 2: one of the 2nd grade teachers on my team got me a sweet tooth fairy cupcake as an end of school little thank you/i'll miss you over summer treat. strawberry. with real strawberries in the frosting and a chocolate dipped strawberry slice on top.  i ate it at lunch with the rest of my team.  same thing. it was good, but just too cakey. so i mixed it all up with the frosting to moisten it up and it was better. pretty good. but in the words of steven, "not my favorite."


this is long. as usual. and steven has been at work for 3 hours and still has 2 left.  and i am just writing thank yous and watching "so you think you can dance" on hulu. love that show. we need to hook up our cable before 7pm tomorrow!

and just in case you forgot what we looked like on our wedding day...

here you go.

sometimes when steven is gone, i just look at all of our pictures together, and engagement photos, and wedding photos, and honeymoon photos. just because he is so handsome. and he loves me so much. i think i love him more.

squash.

i have been thinking about this little squash post for awhile, and have even mentioned it's coming.

alas, the wait is over {if you were even waiting}.

it's fall.

and fall brings in some of my favorite things: winter squash and soup!

here's a sweet little picture of some of the things i have stocked in my pantry right now.

butternut squash, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, canned pumpkin, roasted red pepper & tomato soup, spicy black bean soup {not pictured: a pie pumpkin, so i can make my own pumpkin!}

i'll start with the soups: Pacific Natural Foods soups.

the roasted red pepper & tomato has been a long time favorite.

also good: butternut squash soup, cashew & carrot, and spicy black bean {tried for the first time yesterday--spicy, but so good! perfect to eat in small amounts to warm the heart & soul.}.  those are all of the ones i've tried--the others also look and sound delicious.

go buy some.

trader joes also makes these same soups-- also delish.

first stop:

pumpkin

i've expressed my true obsession with pumpkin many times.

pumpkin loves:

pumpkin pie yogurt

1/2 cup plain yogurt {unsweetened}

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

add a few drops of stevia {if you're into that. or just use sugar.}

sprinkle on some cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger {pumpkin pie spice.}

or just cinnamon.

pumpkin pie oatmeal

pumpkin pie crepes 

{see bottom here}

for those i just add my pumpkin pie yogurt on top {crepes} or mix it in {oatmeal--cook first then mix in and pop back in the microwave for a minute}

pumpkin chocolate chip bread & cookies

and of course...

pumpkin pie Golden Spoon

{get it with graham cracker or cheesecake or solo!!}

pumpkin pie

with fresh whipped cream

--bday, turkey day, and christmas!!--

i like to keep it special.

and maybe one other time.

{oh, and one year we went to cheesecake factory for my bday and i got a piece of pumpkin cheesecake---so good!!! it was like all of the goodness of pumpkin pie and cheesecake in one!}

next up:

spaghetti squash

a new favorite as of this year.

i have it 5 times a week.

just follow the cooking instructions on the sticker.

it really tastes like spaghetti!

so far i have mixed it with pasta sauce and teriyaki/asian/ginger sauce & dressing mixture.  i've also eaten it with a smidgen of butter, salt, & pepper. it has a really good taste on it's own, too!

buy it. make it. you won't regret it.

{less calories and so much better for you than actual pasta.

not to mention the health benefits of all in the winter squash family}

then:

butternut squash

i love making {or buying} butternut squash soup.

try this sweet recipe from ina garten, or this one looks really good too. 

the other day i tried to make butternut squash chips with this recipe, but i didn't get them dry enough, so it ended up turning out like a potato i sauteed in a pan {but sweeter and muuuuch healthier}. then i put the leftovers in a salad the next day. SO GOOD.

finally:

acorn squash

i've only had it once.

but tedi and i bought some for 68 cents each the other day. we're making them tonight!

halve 'em and stick 'em in the oven to roast at 350 for about 45 minutes.

i think it's good just like that, but people like to add brown sugar to it.

that's all for now.

send me your favorite recipes and tips for winter squash!

fall break 2010, pt. 1

this is probably one of the more unproductive days i've had.


i woke up at 7.15am and get myself ready for yoga. last night and this morning.  my body is craving it.  it's been 2 years since i've practiced regularly--ever since i moved to utah in 2008 i've been slacking. but my david swenson ashtanga dvd is amazing.


just watch this little clip here to see how amazing he is.


anyway, i went to yoga. then i came home and had a sweet egg.


what's a sweet egg? well.  it's just a little creation i made. {scroll down to see what i DO.} 


then i showered, cleaned, got ready for the day, worked on some spelling, and went to pier 1 with tedi and katie.


um, can someone please buy me everything there?  peacock feathers, pillows, wall hooks, kitchen decor...i want it all!

and since then i've just been working on my spelling and being lazy.  pretty unproductive.


i talked to my mom this morning and she suggested i take a break today and tomorrow and saturday pump it all out.  DONE.
i'm going to golden spoon in a couple of hours. pumpkin pie.  love love love. 


and tomorrow the marigos {that's heidi marie, katie marie, and tedi marie} are going to mimi's cafe for breakfast. also a week and a half late bday celebration for tedi.
i love love love that place. and i love love love going out to breakfast. omelettes and toast. yum!

SWEET EGGS

basically it's the dip for french toast minus the toast.  

2 or 3 egg whites + 1/2 a yolk

[always] unsweetened almond milk {original or vanilla, whichever i pick up}

a drop or two of stevia

a tiny bit of plain unsweetened yogurt and lots of cinnamon.

mix it all up with a fork. 

pour it in a hot frying pan.

flip it when it looks like it needs to be flipped.

sometimes i add a tablespoon of mom's fresh ground whole wheat flour [k i guess it was freshly ground like a year ago]. and then it's like a crepe. and obviously the more flour you put in, the more pancakey it gets.  i save the flour for sundays.

yum! and then i put pumpkin yogurt on it.

[more about that in my upcoming squash post. be excited.]

pumpkin

one of my number one favorite things about fall is PUMPKIN.


pumpkin in my oatmeal? yum, it is good [if you do it right, like i do].
pumpkin whole wheat pancakes?  you bet, baby. homemade.
pumpkin bread? um, yes.
pumpkin chocolate chip cookies? i'll take 3.
pumpkin pie golden spoon? every night! [not really. like once a week.]
pumpkin pie? give me a fat slice hiding in fresh whipped cream, please.

 but pumpkin cupcakes? ew, no. 

I HATE CAKE, which means cupcakes, too.

i like one cake: carrot cake. because it has the consistency of a moist bread. because it is more a bread than cake.

and i LOVE pumpkin bread. [please, don't even think about giving me any of this yummy goodness.  as much as i love pumpkin and all of the goodness of it, you know i don't like eating dessert except for holidays and special family gatherings or other special occasions, unless it is golden spoon. always down.]

so today i came home from school [work] and there was this cute little chinese takeout box on my table tied with a tiffany's blue satin bow.

and then katie said, "oh tedi left those on our door for us!  now, i KNOW you hate cupcakes, but heidi.  this is the pumpkin chocolate chip cupcake with cream cheese frosting she was telling about.  IT IS SO GOOD! Just try it."

um, pumpkin?  yes. yes, i will try.

so i opened it up.  "girl, this is like PUMPKIN BREAD."

"yeah, it tastes like pumpkin chocolate chip bread!"

i cut it open the mini-size cupcake.

consistency of pumpkin bread.

IT WAS PUMPKIN BREAD!

with an identity crisis: cupcake.

thank goodness it wasn't!  it was SO GOOD!

and normally i HATE frosting, but cream cheese frosting was so good.

SO thank you tedi!  i love you! and thank you SWEET TOOTH FAIRY for making a cupcake that is not a cupcake.

the sunday late night post, 36th ed.

james danger had a play date with max (claire's turtle) tonight.

it was absolutely hilarious!

they were hiding in their shells.

i'll put a video on next time i hook up the camera.

katie's sister sent us these shirts a little bit ago.

"i'm not short i'm fun size!"

it's the truth!

sooooo good.

SLAB pizza.

big slices on thin crust pizza.

i just reallllly wish they will put a whole wheat crust on the menu. they are adding a gluten-free one in the fall.

check it.

go.

it is so so good.

a friend took me there thursday and then i took katie friday.

and i walked in and said, "i'm back!!"

the owners work it and they are so friendly!

hope your sabbath was as fabulous as mine!!

a few notes

hello provo {friends & citizens},

farmers market starts this saturday, 15 may. 9am - 2pm at pioneer park (500 west 100 south).

i'll be there with a flower in my hair. well, maybe. but i will be there filling my bike basket with all sorts of greens, as there won't be much fruit until next month. but if there is, you better believe my basket will be full of that too.

***

hello provo {weather},

what's going on? you're beautiful a few days, you're gloomy and rainy and cold or snowy a few days. are you having a difficult time transitioning to spring? the tulips and daffodils weren't enough to woo you? or you just don't want the snow-capped mountains gone so you keep bringing it back every few days, is that it? just so you know, i'm not ok with this whole weather pattern. especially the 36 degrees and rain today--not cool {literally, yes it was cool. rather cold actually}. weatherman predicts 70s this weekend. will you promise?

***

hello scholastic warehouse,

i love you. 50% off all of your books? yes. and $25 off $100 spent? yes. hello classroom library. super cute books. and so many books to use for my lessons. love, love, love.

strawberries

love, love, love

strawberries.

so much that i ate too many and had a horrendous allergic reaction (hives) to them in 7th grade. that was a horrible year--no strawberries. then i tried them the next year and the body said they were once again welcome. hallelujah.

and mom has to put a cap on the amount of strawberries i eat when i'm at home.

sorry, mom.

so i bring to you a little video.

just click here.

it's only 1 minute and 45 seconds

and will change your life forever.

it's not to deter you from eating strawberries, no i would never do that, rather to deter you from eating unwashed [or unproperly washed] strawberries.

enjoy.

how do you do, 222?

things have been quite the crazy here.

{this is my g.ma's new favorite photograph. how cute is that?}

{one}

i didn't have school yesterday [which was fabulous].

so i spent the day i wanted to:

woke up early, went to the temple.

went to my meeting.

went on a run.

went to gurus {my favorite provo eatery}

with corrie and our new fabulous british friend jennie

who has been staying with us the past week. so sometimes i slip into a british accent. and think in a british accent. or i start saying things like "oh that's brill (or) mint"

and things like "oh he's a dish / dishy"

(but that i learned from miss erin. whom i miss terribly. and whom has a little baby girl i am dying to see. erin kendrick--please, let's save our money and go.)

oh, and did i mention she's a massage therapist and has offered to give us all free one-hour massages?

i think that will go very nicely with my long run today.

{two}

on friday's driving tour of provo [for g.ma] we were driving down university parkway by byu when we saw 2 deer prance across the road.

it was brill.

{yes, that was with a british accent}.

thursday while running,

2 deer pranced across the road.

then another 2 deer.

i ran with wide eyes and slowed down to watch them. and one went under a fence and the other couldn't figure it out and was staring at him like "uh, excuse me, bambi? there's a crazy girl running over here and you leave me here!?"

the two pictures above are courtesy of thomas mangelsen.

last weekend while in park city, we stopped into an art gallery with only his work.

pretty amazing. so real looking. all nature.

incredible shots. and i mean incredible.

{three}

miss dana emailed me this picture yesterday with this message:

remember when we cut this that one night? and then dad threw the other half under my bed?
yeah still there.

we wanted to leave our window open through the night over summer.

but since we live in a one-story home, we needed to have some sort of barrier so some crazy wouldn't try and break in.

so we went in the garage and sawed this pole in pieces. i'm sure it would have been quite amusing to watch since it was quite hilarious.

thank you for the picture, dana.

now please, go buy your camera and be a photographer.