Category: food

January 2nd: Keep a Food Log for a Week

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It may seem simple but I’ve read a few things that say keeping a food log can help you keep a better diet. This is a great article from health.com.

Keeping a Food Log

I think this is a great thing to do at the beginning of the year because it might be something that I want to keep going throughout the year.

So here’s my log for the day… maybe a little more personally than I want to be… but if I’m ashamed or embarrassed by how much I eat, then I should probably be changing my habits anyway.

Morning: Banana/Strawberry Smoothie with MALK, vanilla yogurt and spinach.

Afternoon: Farmhouse Salad; spinach, arugula, iceberg lettuce, goat cheese, tomatoes, onions, chicken and walnuts with red wine vinaigrette.

Evening: Cheese bread and Tomato Bisque with Gouda.

I also drank two ciders.

I think I was more conservative today because I was going to be doing this log… but hopefully that will be the benefit!

June 10th: Go to New Denver Central Market

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Well, it is not really new anymore but definitely new to me.

I do not know what took me so long, because now that I have been there I just might be stopping in daily!

It is only 5 blocks from where I work and just an amazing assortment of things to eat, drink, take home, and buy as gifts. 

It was kind of hard to pick where to eat and then even more difficult to pick what to eat once I picked the place.


But the very last place, SK Provisions had pork tacos and I couldn’t resist…



Clearly, they were good…


The best part: once you got your food you could go sit out on the patio outside or in the “dining room” in the main area. And if you are with friends, everyone can pick their food of choice and then all meet up to eat together.

I will most definitely be back and if you are in Denver you should try it too!

May 27th: Make Homemade Pizza

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Mmmmm. Pizza. Ok, ok… I work in a pizza place so it is not usually my first go to when making dinner. But I was at the grocery store and came across this dough:


And figured today was a good day to knock this thing off my list. I thought about what toppings I wanted but decided to start simple and just go with cheese:


So first I assembled the dough in a pan with a little thickness on the edges to get some crust:


Added some sauce:


Parmesan cheese and mozzarella:



And then bakes at 425* F for 20 minutes:


Quite a delicious dinner and it only cost me 6$!


May 10th: Make Homemade Granola

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Well, this was not too much of a success. I kind of burnt it. Crazy thing is I only cooked it for 1/2 the time it said… I’ll have to watch it more closely next time. If anyone has any tips I am happy to hear them…

Here was my process…

Mix oats, walnuts, cinnamon, clove and pumpkin seeds:


Simmer honey (I got to use that local honey I bought yesterday!) coconut oil and vanilla:


Mix together and lay out on parchment lined tray:


Bake for thirty minutes, take out, stir and cook for 20 more minutes:


I only did the first 30 because it was already burning…

Mix cranberries and bananas together:


Let granola cool and then mix with fruit:


And there it is. A little too crisp but not horrible.

May 9th: Buy Local Honey

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Well, spring is here and so are my allergies! I never really had allergies until I moved to Colorado. Since I have moved here I have had to take some form of medicine to feel like a normal human being.

I have always heard that consuming local honey can help relieve allergy woes, so there was no better week than this week to buy some!

I went to Vitamin Cottage to get some and was not disappointed. I found a honey from Greeley, Colorado from Rice Family Honey. 

They have been open since 1924. After listening to the audio book from my last thing on my list, I have really enjoyed looking more into the history of Colorado and historic things. So this seemed like a perfect honey to buy.


The fun thing is, the visit to Vitamin Cottage and the purchase of honey is putting into motion other tasks on the list! Stay tuned for those… 🐝.

May 5th: Make Cookies from Scratch

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I remember when I was little I used to make cookies from scratch all the time! I used to love it and often my moms friends would ask me to make them some too! I was the neighborhood baker. 

It has been a while since I made cookies and I have to say it was quite reminiscful. Although I forgot that I used to make them in Florida and today (obviously) I made them in Denver… I forgot to change the recipe for altitude so they came out pretty flat, but they still taste delicious so that’s all that matters. 

My ingredients:


My mixtures:



In the oven:


And out of the oven:


I ate one… so now I have lots to take to work with me!

April 23rd: Learn to Cook a New Dish

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So I searched Pinterest and it did not take very long to find a recipe that sounded intriguing. 

Everyone should try this recipe for Brown Sugar Pineapple Chicken from Carlsbad Cravings website.

It was pretty sweet for me, so I added a good amount of extra sambal, Asian chili, and I absolutely loved it. 

Here’s my photo steps but check out the recipe link above for the full ingredients, step by step instructions, and all the details. I’m no professional chef but I think mine turned out pretty well. Also, I bought Archer Farms Basmati Rice for the first time. It comes in a bag you can throw in the microwave for just two minutes and it was delicious!




April 13th: Try a New Cheese

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Mmmmmm. Cheese. 😂🧀

The fine cheese selection at the market is hard to walk away from without spending $100. There are so many good choices.

I had most of them before so it was a pretty slim selection of picking something new. 

I chose Blue Stilton which is a blue cheese specifically imported from England. It is VERY blue and has a super distinct harshness to it. I liked it but definitely could not eat a lot of it. I am thinking I will make a walnut salad with it. 


This will not be the last new cheese I try this year! 😆

April 10th: Try a New Fruit

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It was pretty difficult to find a fruit at the market that I had not had before. I am sure there are tons of fruits out there that I have not had, but I knew finding them at traditional markets would be difficult.

Interestingly, I found passionfruit at Sprouts. And even though I have had passion fruit flavored things before I have never actually just eaten the fruit. 

First of all, I had to look up How to Eat Passionfruit. Thankful wikiHow had it down in steps.


I thought they were bigger…


And I thought it was more “meaty”. But it is really just a pulpy, juicy mixture with seeds.


It was much more tart than I expected but really delicious. Plus, who knew all these benefits:


I might be buying more passionfruit on a regular basis… even though I was $1.99 per piece…

March 22nd: Eat Bacon

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I know. I know. Should be like the easiest task to complete, right?

Except I am one of the few people, as I have commonly found people are astonished when they find out, that does not like bacon.

I have tried it lots of ways… and have just never had a taste for it.

People have called me unamerican for a hatred for such a beloved breakfast food but I still have an unbelievable time even eating food that has small traces of it on it.

That being said, when I was making my list for the year a friend urged, pleaded, even nearly begged that I add “eat bacon” to the list. So I did and today I tried… to no real advantage. Still do not like it. 

Regardless, let’s just read some Interesting Facts About Bacon.