Life Update

How’s it fellow food lovers? I’m doing fantastic at the moment. I woke up especially to write a post this morning, because I do acknowledge that it’s been quite some time since I’ve done so. What’d I tell ya (I don’t know what’s with all of these colloquial contractions…)?

Over the past few days, my computer and I have not made much contact, other than to check for quotes from the people doing our wedding services and send emails to said service people. Otherwise, my computer has been mostly dominated by my mother, who has been a skype hound since Gigantor and family are scheduled to come out… TODAY! I’m super excited. I can’t wait until they get here to experience this beautiful country with me.

Over the past few days, all we’ve been doing is shopping/running errands, eating, walking, cooking, and eating. I’ve pretty much been a not-so-lean, mean, cooking machine. The not-so-lean is due to the cooking part. I’m ok with it… I find it so ironic that I spent so much time obsessing over my weight and exercise regime before I got here, only to find out that my mentality would completely shift when I got here. I should’ve known… It’s a little backward, but hey, c‘est la vie.

Like I said, I’ve been cooking up a storm since I’ve been here because there are currently 7 mouths to feed in this house, and SAM has given Mumsy and I full reign of the kitchen. Some of my recent creations intermingled with fun times are as follows:

Tomato basil soup a la Mama with a salad beast OTS

Wimpy coffee with a side of cream (AKA poor man's cappuccino)

The coffee didn't quite cut it, so an espresso was in order

Mashed pumpkin and sweet potatoes, sloppy Joe sans bread, and salad. Yumm-ay.

Real cappuccino. Nothing beats it.

Don't we look so happy?

Sauteed chicken pieces and Bearnaise sauce for smothering

Just some roasted veg, also smothered with buttery wine and tarragon sauce

Crispy rice, specially made for my love.

Movie madness. Saw Lincoln Lawyer. Loved it. Immensely.

Sliced skirt steak with red wine gravy OTS.

Steak, green beans, and salad

Another amazing thing that has (or will soon) come into my life is the Thermo Mix. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this amazing gadget, it’s pretty much a Vita Mix on steroids. It cooks everything, and the ONLY things it doesn’t do is roast, toast, and scramble. My lovely cousin-to-be (well, not really, she’s just a family friend who’s related to a cousin-to-be, but my family-to be has known her family for forever and they consider… you get the picture. Portuguese people…).

Anyway, as I was saying. My lovely cousin-to-be sells this divine contraption and surprised me at my bachelorette party by giving me the cookbooks! I am so excited to get it and make all of the yummy dishes! I’ve actually been obsessing over the thing. I’ve read every recipe in all three cookbooks and found myself walking through the fruit and nut shop yesterday thinking about all of the beans, seeds, and nuts I could be grinding into flour with my machine…

The time to say “I do” is drawing closer every day, and I am getting more and more excited by the second. I really can’t wait. I still don’t know where I’m going for my honeymoon, nor do I know where we’ll be living afterward. Although it is a little nerve-wracking, it’s such a thrilling feeling. I can’t wait to share with you all how it pans out!

Until next time (whenever that may be), stay healthy, happy, and think on this:

Reunited and It Feels So Good

You know you love that Peaches and Herb reference...

With sore butts and severe jet-lag, Mama and Mons are here, finally. I’m so happy they arrived safely and without major incident.

Family #2 and I went to pick them up from the airport yesterday afternoon. The flight was delayed, so we had time for…COFFEE! Photos were taken with my cell phone, which is currently in my fiancé’s possession (because he is in the process of getting a new one), who is currently out of town on an impromptu business trip. Translation: You won’t be seeing any pictures of the delightful event. Apologies. 

We got the coffee from a place called Wimpy. Yes, Wimpy. Since I like my coffee to have a bit of a punch, asking someone if they want “Wimpy coffee” always makes me giggle. I ordered a Mega Coffee, AKA a coffee in a cup the size of my head. Within about 3 minutes flat, I had slurped the whole thing down.

When Mama and Mons walked through the arrival gate and warm hugs and kisses were exchanged. Boy, did I miss them. We returned home and simple, yet delectable Portuguese fare of chicken and rice packed with vegetables was on the menu.

This morning, I woke up bright and early. Within two minutes of opening my eyes, my mom’s head pokes in the doorway and says, “Are you up yet?” Yes mom. I’m up. I think she has psychic powers. Ahh, back to old times. And by “old,” I mean two weeks ago…

Apparently, the jet lag had her up at the butt crack of dawn, meaning her veins were already coursing with copious amounts of caffeine. I played catch-up by quickly draining 2 cups of piping hot Italian coffee, and we bundled up to go for an early-morning walk. It was lovely. There’s nothing like starting your day off with a brisk walk in the crisp winter air.

All day today (save for some housekeeping duties involving my husband-to-be and the priest who’ll be marrying us), I’ve been glued to mi madre. We are back to our old routine of shopping, cooking, and eating, and I’m loving it.

Diner tonight:salad, sauteed chicken breast, Brussels sprouts, and avocado. Easy, but oh, so UH-MAY-ZING.

I’m thrilled to have two of my best friends back with me again. 

Blood Buddies

 I can hardly wait for the rest of the clan to arrive on the 9^th of June! I don’t know if you’ll be able to handle it. It’s going to be marvelous/epic/FLIPPING awesome.

Family #2

Hi kidlets! This weekend has been an awesome one. On Saturday, we decided to have a family gathering and game night. I was super excited to spend some time with my new fam, who I have not seen in almost a year. Miguel’s family is really similar to mine, which means a good time is always guaranteed.

Everyone began arriving around 4:30 and kept trickling in until 6:30 PM. About as soon as everyone had completed a double-cheek kiss and said, “Hello! Oh, it’ so nice to see you,” they were smacking balls around on the pool table.

 Dinner was a characteristically low-key South African one.

Boerewors (South African sausage) rolls (like hotdogs, basically).

Unfortunately, since we got the sausages from the butcher, the ingredients are not anywhere to be found. Instead of chancing a gluten attack, I made my own delicious number.

Chicken roasted with tomato sauce and GF bread topped with that delicious tomato sauce.

I only ate about half of this meal because I had already eaten about a lb. of chips and cocktail peanuts...

Shortly after dinner, the game of pool was back on… until the ball monster showed up.

One of the cutest children ever created.

The rest of the night was spent catching up, playing an interesting and rather hilarious  game of Cranium, and watching a movie until the wee small hours of the morning. Cousins spent the night and we basically turned the living room into a refugee camp.

Camp

I felt like a kindergartner again having a giant sleepover with all of my friends. It was a blast of a time.

Look at that ridiculous pose.

Baby and auntie.

 The next morning, we woke up bright and late around 10 AM. I had a lovely light breakfast, because frankly, my main entrée and all of the snacks I ate the night before left me feeling like I had a brick in my stomach.

Grapefruit with dollops of smooth cottage cheese on top.

 I was asked if I would make lunch for everyone, and of course, excitedly obliged.

Pizza potato, hamburger topped with caramelized onions, and salad

Feasting.

 More pool followed lunch, and I soaked up the warm winter sun. By late afternoon, I was getting extremely sleepy, so I took advantage of the lazy afternoon and had a nice little nap. When I woke up, shockingly, I wasn’t thinking about food. Now that I think about it, I don’t remember the last time I wasn’t thinking about food when I woke up. It was actually a really good feeling. But, within the next hour, I started to get a little rumbly in my tumbly. This massive veggie-filled dinner followed.

Salad topped with hummus and butternut soup with plain yogurt on top.

 Continuing my rather relaxed day, I am currently watching another movie with my family.  Hm (*smiles to self*).  I have double the family I had before. Cool? I think so… Yep, I have a second family now.

I Made It

How’s it going everyone? I hope your weekend is off to a fabulous start.

Today marks the end of 4 years of exhaustion, fun times, hard work, and accomplishment. I am now officially a graduate of Stetson University! Yesterday, Biff and I spent the whole day enjoying each other’s company, eating entirely too much, and celebrating our upcoming graduation.

Sweet potato for breakfast. Loved it.

Biff and I at BJ's Brewhouse

Biff's salad. That avocado ended up on my pizza...

GF pizza with chicken, red onions, and basil

Biff and Babs

I was beyond happy with this pizza. Amazing.

Champagne glass courtesy Stetson University

Champagne toast with the friends

This morning, we woke up at 6 AM, got ourselves ready, packed up our things, and snapped some cutesy photos.

Then we traipsed across campus in our caps and gowns to wait an hour in a large gym next to people we’ve never seen before. 

Hot

I decided a live tweet session was in order. Check out the evidence on my twitter page- twitter.com/fitfoodlover.

I walked across that stage, shook our president’s hand and listened to what was (I’m sure) rehearsed words of encouragement, and went back to my seat. Shortly after receiving my paper that said, “This is not your diploma. Go pick it up immediately following the ceremony,” I headed to the potty room. While standing in the lobby, I decided it would be a great idea for the family to come out and take pictures before the rush.

After the long ceremony, Biff and I said our goodbyes (not final ones). 

Graduates!

Biff and I with Sabs, whose graduation was at 1:30.

Then I headed to De La Vega, the local gourmet Mexican restaurant. What a fantastic choice. Everyone was raving about the food. I was certainly not disappointed.

Nopalitos: char-grilled cactus with pineapple and cheese topped with roasted red peppers

Adopted grandmother/bestie. I'm sure going to miss her.

Mayan steak platter.

Salmon with avocado glaze.

Mango margarita and sangria. Lovely.

Love the fam.

Sisterly love

Most amazing flan ever. This is not a title that I just throw around... We Cubans don't joke about flan.

The rest of the day was spent taking my last drive back from Collegeville, napping, and working out with the family, and contemplating everything that’s been happening and everything that’s about to happen. Tomorrow begins the process. I have about a million things to do and I’m bursting at the seams. Incredibly, a week from now, I will be in the arms of the person I love most in the world. I can’t wait.