Study Date with Victoria went well. This test has less information than my previous two, so it’s hard to know how prepared I am!
Here are my lovely iPhone glamour snacks: an apple and a decaf cappuccino – lotsa foam!
Around 5:00 – when it was starting to get DARK!! – Victoria and I both needed to go to Trader Joe’s for some groceries. [Actually I was planning on EarthFare, but TJ’s seemed like a fun pit stop and I’m glad I went!
Once I was home, though, it was after 6 and I was hungry! The fancy dinner I had planned would take over an hour, so I swapped dinners with tomorrow night and opted for a quick Mexican feast tonight.
Bean + Pepper Quesadillas!
We NEVER get tortillas anymore because we have a flow of wholesome breads, but at TJ’s tonight – for only $2.29 – I "splurged" on some.
I cooked some bell pepper and about 3/4 a cup of black beans with cumin, chili powder and garlic powder
And then topped on about 1/3 a cup of cheese
His + Hers. They are kissing!
On a skillet, pressed with another skillet….
=
With some TJ’s Euro yogurt and Big Papi sauce for dipping!
I LOVE this yogurt for a chance up from Greek (which is my truest love). It’s tangy and thin but still doesn’t have that gross yogurty taste.
I also whipped up some romaine salads
[My lens looks blurry 🙁 ]
Topped with some of this new TJ’s find: White Bean + Basil hummus. SOO GOOD. Like pesto hummus!
And lastly, a mocktail made with club soda and some Kiwi POM, which I liked a lot. It was fruitier than regular POM.
What’s with the haze on these photos???
With dinner we watched An Inconvenient Truth, which was so moving. My gosh, I knew the earth was in danger, but I didn’t know it was that serious. Both this movie and Food, Inc they answer> the question WHY. No one is going to change their lazy habits because someone tells them to. They will only change if they see a need to change. Both movies have powerful messages that reach the curious entertainment-seeking public. We need more movies that explain why it is so important to do the right thing.
After the movie my stomach was actually growling! I made a snack of yogurt + Mix My Granola + pumpkin butter + a small piece of one of VeggieGirl‘s Brownie Points Outsiders. YUM!
Happy Birthday To My Dad!!!
Off to read + study + snuggle!
Stacey says
Yay for snuggling 🙂 You almost had the exact same dinner as me! Except we made that mix on top of a bed of blue corn tortilla chips 😀 I saw Food, Inc. and am now going to take it to class to show to the other students..it’s a message worth sharing…FOR SURE!
Estela @ Weekly Bite says
Hi Kath,
Quesadillas are my favorite quick dinner!!!
Erika says
Kath, Next time you are at TJ’s I’d recommend the 3-Layer Hummus…It’s my absolute FAV and there’s a green Cilantro hummus in the mix! Fabulous! I’m interested to try that White Bean and Basil 🙂 Right now I have TJ’s horseradish hummus which has a zing to it!
Allie (Live Laugh Eat) says
We have identical TJ’s shopping baskets!! I really like those tortillas and LOVE Euro yogurt (esp the price!!).
Bec says
those Quesadillas look amazing Kath 🙂 Good luck with the test!
Jess says
I love the extra foam latte- that’s the only way to get them. I always ask for extra foam because it makes it SOOOO good! Yum!
Jessie (Vegan-minded) says
I am obsessed with T.J’s White Bean Hummus! That stuff is amazing. 🙂
Jenna says
Yayy, happy birthday to your dad!!!
This whole getting dark thing at 5 is already depressing. Woof 🙁 Great eats though. Your dinner looks fabulous!
Amelia says
Ooo the TJs hummus sounds great. I find a fun new product every time I go shopping there! 🙂
Food Makes Fun Fuel says
Happy birthday to your dad! I don’t know that Ive ever made my own quesadilla but I’d love to try
Jen(eatmovelove) says
Happy Birthday KERF’s Dad!! I have to try this quesidilla thing – gosh I don’t even know how to spell that …! Uh, I love your TV by the way hahah…’An Inconvenient Truth’ is much for informative than the episode of ‘Desparate Housewives’ I’m watching now (hanging my head in shame…). Great Blog! Love it.
Heather @ Health, Happiness, and Hope says
Glad studying went well! And loving this simple dinner. It’s been so long since I’ve made quesadillas, but they sound SO good right now!
Deva (Voracious Vorilee) says
We had quesadillas for lunch – mine was stuffed with chicken and beans – they’re so good and quick to fix 🙂
Marissa says
I love whole wheat tortillas with beans and peppers! Yum!!
Joelle (The Pancake Girl) says
Aw, yay for trader joe’s, brownies, and snuggling!
lynn (The Actors Diet) says
i heart TJ’s. i can’t believe i grew up without one.
Morgan @ Life After Bagels says
Last night I had quesadillas I also bought wraps on sale . . . I figured out why they were on sale, they fell apart EVERYWHERE!
Marisa (Trim The Fat) says
Mmm…quesadillas are so good!
TJ’s is the best! Just tried their Beer Bread Mix tonight and it was great!
Lizzy says
Happy Birthday to your DAD! 🙂
amber says
happy Birthday DAD KERF! Maybe the focus was just off a bit due to it being darker tonight? What were you shooting in? You didn’t switch the switch on the lenses form Af to Mf by accident did you? I did that one time and I could not get any focus.
Kristen says
Yeah, I found Inconvenient Truth a helpful intro and it made me feel like I needed to read more about the issue. We all need to take action sooner rather than later! I’ve found a few good links: http://brighterplanet.com is one of them and they cater to bloggers!
Kati says
quesadillas are so quick and tasty! We made some today with a filling of sour cream, salsa, chicken, and cheese.
Erin says
A little random, but I’m almost positive I recognized your sister at The Pour House in Boston tonight! And those quesadillas look great!
Cynthia (It All Changes) says
I second the three layer hummus. I like to take a bit with all the layers when I eat veggies.
JessicaR says
Yum, that kiwi Pom mocktail looks delicious! 🙂
About An Inconvenient Truth… I don’t want to start a debate here since I know this is a touchy subject, but I urge you to research the topic beyond the borders of just this single documentary. Al Gore has stated that the science behind global warming (now mostly called climate change — definitely something quite different!) is a closed book and there is nothing to debate… yet debate and inquiry are the very essence of science!
Here is a good place to start… a very highly rated documentary called “The Great Global Warming Swindle”: http://www.amazon.com/Great-Global-Warming-Swindle-DVD/dp/B000WLUXZE
SweetiePotato says
I wish there was a Trader Joe’s in FL 🙁
Andee (LAEasyMeals) says
Love the TJ White Bean Hummus! I like spreading a layer of hummus on the TJ Brown rice tortilla, topped with shredded cheese and popped into the oven. So goood
Dinah Soar says
JessicaR–I concur..my thoughts exactly. There is no consensus concerning so called global warming, which, as you pointed out, is no longer being called global warming because it now appears the earth is cooling..so they’ve switched to climate change. While I agree we need to be good stewards of the earth and think about the implications and ramifications of our actions relative to that, we must also beware that a lot of this promotion and fear mongering is profit driven. For example, I’ve heard Al Gore is making a ton of money off of Global Warming..how?…. he owns the company that sells carbon off sets. This as everything is another case of ‘buyer beware’….beware what you buy in to.
As for starting a debate, we’d better be debating these kinds of issues. It is politically incorrect to be politically correct. The problem is both sides tune out each other, or are afraid of offending the other…and all too often people just get downright ugly and start name calling.
I figure if a thing is credible it can stand the scrutiny. If it can’t, something is amiss.
amy says
your dad and my dad have the same bdayyyyyyyyyy!
Emily Eats and Exercises says
I’m definitely going to copy your quesadillas idea. I have tons of bell peppers I need to use up – and those exact tortillas. Have a good snuggle.
Lele says
Those Trader Joe’s tortillas are my faaaaaaaaaave. It’s so easy for whole wheat tortillas to taste cardboardy, and those actually have FLAVA!
Kelly Turner says
happy belated birthday! i forgot we share it! sucks it fell on a Monday this year
great eats as always!
BroccoliHut says
What a fab dinner! I really must try that white bean hummus soon.
Happy bday to Papa KERF!
Anna says
I first tried TJs White Bean Hummus at a friend’s house and loved it so much I ended up writing down a list of all the ingredients so I could try and make it at home (the closest TJs being in the next city over). That stuff is awesome.
Jenn (www. j3nn.net ) says
Quesadillas sound SO good!
I have no comment about An Inconvenient Truth. 😐 Well, I do, but I agree with Jessica and Dinah Soar (lol, LOVE that nick) to do your own research. 🙂
Jenn
Fallon says
TJ’s white bean hummus is so good but be careful. Even though the expiration date isn’t for a while, this hummus tends to go bad within a few days of using it. I’ve bought it several times and I ALWAYS have to throw it away by the 3rd or 4th day once it been open. If it happens to you, just let them know at TJ’s what happen when you are there next. For me they just refund my money on the current purchase I make. It the only hummus that does it to me too.
Mama Pea says
Your GH should totally make tortillas…and pizza dough! You guys would make a killin’!!!
Chelsea says
Oh, lord, you may have started a debate in your comments, Kath! 😉
Well, I’m on your side. People who don’t believe global warming is real are naive. Look at how things have changed b/c of the Industrial Revolution. That’s what WE have done to our Earth, among many, many other things. I took a class on this last year and there’s no way to argue that global warming isn’t happening, in my mind. There’s natural cycles, yes, but we’ve directly changed that natural course and, eventually, humans will pay for it. And it drives me crazy that people don’t step up and do something to prevent further damage.
So glad you enjoyed the movie, though! And your dinner, as always, looks fab. 😉
Diana says
Happy birthday to your dad!
I actually watched Food Inc on saturday and though I’m not from the US I still bet we could make some changes too. It definitely made me think about where my food comes from.
christie @ honoring health says
I was actually thinking about making quesadilas yesterday but went for a wrap instead. I can’t eat gluten so I had to use a brown rice wrap and because of the texture, I bet they would crisp nicely for a quesadlia.
Katrina says
RE: your hazyness
If you’re using the 50mm f1/8, that is a very narrow focus lens. If you have the auto everything setting, it tends to focus on just a tiny bit and haze the rest. Set your camera to AV (aperature priority) and change your f stop to 2.2 or up 3.5 even for the shots with more “stuff” you want in focus. I have the same camera and tons of lenses. That little jewel takes some practice, but so worth it when it works.
ALSO, it is very possible that it is dirty. If you have a lens filter, that could be cloudy as well, especially if you keep it in the kitchen where steam can reach it. Even boiling water creates a steam that can leave a greasy film on something as sensitive as a lense. I highly highly recommend a LensPen. It’s is awesome and cheap at amazon. One end has a microfilm of charcoal that cleans without scratching and the other end has a fine brush to use before you clean. I never use wet cleaning for my lenses.
If these two things do not work, hopefully some other readers have some ideas 🙂
Jessica @ How Sweet It Is says
Bean and pepper quesadilla looks yummy!
Chelsea (Chelsea's Chew and Run Fun) says
I don’t want to get overtly political on a food blog, but I concur with your sentiment Kath. I think entertainment that reflects current issues and conflicts can serve as a wake-up call to many. Both films left me in a state of shock after viewing them.
I love your TJ’s scores! I know the “I need to eat now, slow-cooked meal will have to wait until tomorrow” feeling. I’m constantly switching up my menus due to that very reason.
VeggieGirl says
Love how you used the brownie in your snack! 😀
Happy birthday to your dear dad!!
Fleur says
hey Kath,
just discovered your blog; fantastic!
I live in the Netherlands and got sooo curious about Nuttzo.. but cannot get it here.
so…. I got brave and tried to make something like it at home, yum! You guys should try: just use 1/4 cup of each: cashews, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds , then add 1/8 cup of broken flaxseed and 1/8 cup flaxmeal, 3 teaspoons coarse salt, all nuts with skin on, roasted for 7 minutes in oven.
put everything in a kitchen machine (with knives) (or good blender works too I think), and blend for 10 minutes or so. Be patient! it will turn out lovely and creamy! then add 1/8 cup chunks of hazelnut, mix and eat! lovely!
look forward to your next posts!
Fleur
Paige(Running Around Normal) says
Quesadillas are a wonderfully quick dinner! Love them. I’m always jealous when people say they “swung by” a TJ. The enarest one to me is 2 hours away:( I can’t wait until Food, Inc. comes out. I want to see it!!
Caroline says
That is almost the exact menu I served last night! I find those wraps to be ideal for quesadilla making as they are a wee bit stiff. Also I too used hot sauce and a yogurtish substance (Icelandic Light sour cream) as a dipping sauce. Great way to cut the heat but still get that flavor punch!
AnnQ says
Yeah, Al Gore definitely made an eye-opening, startling movie!
Jessie says
Those quesadillas look yummy. I grew up in a meat and potatoes family and have a hard time imagining meals without meat. I love the ideas you come up with and inspire me to try the same.
Madeline @ Greens and Jeans says
An Inconvenient Truth really blew me away. I had an inkling that most of this was going on, but to see it all unfold in his presentation was very shocking. It makes me want to hug a polar bear.
Betsy says
As someone stated in an earlier comment, I too urge you to research the film you watched. What you find may surprise you!
becks says
An Inconvienent Truth is a movie, with a one sided view. ItKs called propoganda. Take the time to research the other side and then come to your own conclusion.
Jess says
What’s the other side? Keep polluting the earth and pretend like it’s not going to affect our children, grandchildren, etc.??
Sara says
Hi Kath,
You may have already answered this in a previous post, but I was just wondering what you put in your Mix-My-Granola? Just curious! 🙂
Have a great day!
Kath says
Re. Movie:
Guys, it’s not like I’m going to pour money into his company or something! I’m not going to go spend hours researching a movie that I watched for entertainment. But how can you possibly argue against reducing our footprint upon this earth? I’m curious to know why you guys are against his presentation. He did not point fingers at any particular companies (like Food Inc) – he just raised awareness of some of the environmental changes going on and how they correlated very strongly with temperature and Co2 increases. Like he said, the data was off the charts. Maybe he skewed that data somehow that I don’t know about, but since it’s for a good cause (earth preservation) I’d consider it the Buddhist act of Skillful Means.
That said, I am always a skeptical person and had he been trying to prove something against protecting the earth (which I feel is the right thing to do regardless of what any data says), I likely would have gone off to investigate myself. Since I don’t have time to spend researching this, if you guys would kindly point me to a few of these opposing arguments or summarize why an argument for reducing our carbon footprint would not be a good idea?
[Jessica, I’m going to see if that DVD is Netflixable]
Erin,
Oh fun! Did you say hello!?
Fallon,
Weird that it would go bad so quickly since it doesn’t seem to have many ingredients different from regular hummus. Maybe it’s the fresh basil on top??
Mama Pea,
Agreed!
Katrina,
I know all about AV setting and usually shoot between 2-4 🙂 But I do have a lens filter and took it off to clean. I think that might have been the problem. Thanks!
Fleur,
Sounds amazing! How creative. Does it crunch?
Sara,
My last two batches were made for me by the MMG team, but I like dried raspberries, chia seeds, and anything coconut or banana 🙂
Kath
Erin says
I didn’t say hello because she quickly passed my table on the way out, but she was probably wondering why I was staring so much!! : )
Jenna says
yummy mexican dinner! love the dessert 🙂
jenna
foxfire says
You might check out Not Evil, Just Wrong for the other side of the story on global warming. Hype in anything isn’t helpful!
http://www.noteviljustwrong.com/
Love your blog! It gives me lots of ideas and inspiration and best of all, makes me very aware of what I eat!
Lisa says
Kath, I don’t think anyone is arguing against reducing our earth’s footprint, at least that was my take from some of the critical comments. The crux of some of the questioning comments concerned how big of a problem climate change is. Your post indicated that you took from An Inconvenient Truth that the earth was in “serious danger,” and that is where some of us disagree. And absolutely yes, data can be skewed and manipulated, particularly to promote a cause. Here’s a good post from a meteorologist with concerns: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitalweathergang/2009/09/a_skeptical_perspective_on_glo.html.
kelly says
Those tacos look delicious! Exactly how I would want to make them 🙂
Diana says
Totally off topic, but is the picture with your dad at El Oriental de Cuba, in Jamaica Plain, MA? I used to live a block away from there, and when I saw the picture it looked totally familiar. I’m really enjoying your blog. You have inspired a new outlook on oatmeal. 🙂
Janna (Just Flourishing) says
mmm I love quesadillas!
In terms of the Inconvenient Truth debate. I totally agree with you. No matter which side of the debate you are on. Whether you think global warming is “real” or not, you can’t argue against treating the earth right. 🙂
Happy B-day to your dad!
Kath says
Thanks for the info!
Diana,
YUP!! We ate there when we visited in July.
Kath
Kath says
Re. http://www.noteviljustwrong.com/
I was not impressed by that message. Just my opinion!
K
Wendy says
I’m joining in the conversation a little late, but I have a differing perspective that I wanted to share (in ref. to both movies)…
My family and my husband’s family both own and operate dairy farms, and my husband and I both hold degrees in Animal Science (one of mine is a master’s). As people intimately involved in agriculture, our main concern is what climate change legislation will do to our industry. It is already VERY difficult to make a living farming in the face of volatile grain prices, low milk/beef/pork prices and increasing energy costs. If we are forced to purchase “carbon credits” as some legislation suggests, we are in big trouble. Not just us farmers, but anyone who purchases food. Too much expense = farmers going out of business = less food = higher food prices = more starving people. Same goes for legislation that dictates how farmers can or can’t raise their crops and animals.
Modern farming techniques have allowed us to produce MORE food using LESS resources than ever before. To me, this is the essence of sustainability. Farmers, organic or not, MUST take good care of the Earth and her inhabitants in order to produce a safe, healthy, high-quality food supply for our ever-growing population.
I may be a little off topic here, but it’s something I’ve wanting to say for a while. As someone with a good deal of influence in the social media, your opinions, right, wrong or otherwise, make a big difference. Thanks for listening to and being respectful of those of us whose opinions differ from yours. 🙂
Kath says
Wendy,
You bring up a good point – what to do with those who rely on the “bad” practices (not saying dairy is bad, but indirectly through use of fuel, etc.) if we’re going to cut back on them. I think that’s when the gov’t needs to take ethics into consideration on all sides of the coin (and there are many 🙂 ). Everyone has to compromise a little, and no one should take 100% of the hit. It’s very tricky, which is why we have to elect the smartest of the smartest to figure it all out.
K
Christina says
Misinformation for the sake of proving a worthy point is still misinformation – I think people are intelligent enough to make decisions that will help protect the earth without scaring them into it. We all know data can be manipulated, and I don’t respect people who have to do that to make their point.
Also, those who say there is no debate about global warming are either lying or woefully misinformed. And even if there was concensus, concensus has nothing to do with science…just because many people believe something doesn’t neccessarily make it any more scientifically correct than if one person believed it (as illustrated throughout history in many cases i.e. – earth being flat, ice age forcasted in the 70’s, et al).
Having said that, I think some of the commenters on here are equating questioning Al Gore’s “facts” with saying we shouldn’t protect the earth, and that just isn’t the case. Most people who have issues with “Inconvenient Truth” don’t believe we SHOULDN’T protect the earth, and questioning the facts doesn’t make recycling, reducing your carbon footprint or cutting back on fossil fuel consumption any less worthy endeavors…it’s great that we do that, but we must merely do them for the right reasons. Government mandated climate change legislation is very expensive and can be costly to the livelihoods of many (as Wendy’s post pointed out), as well as taking money away from other things our country NEEDS to be spending money on NOW…and it’s all for a supposedly “probable” outcome that in the end cannot be anywhere close to accurately predicted.
Here’s a good article by author Michael Crichton that gives a much more detailed and scientific explanation than my oft-scattered brain could hope to convey 🙂
http://www.crichton-official.com/speech-ourenvironmentalfuture.html
I’m sure you had an idea of what you were starting when you posted about the movie – hope you don’t take any of the feedback as criticism, just our interjections into a healthy debate. 🙂
Kath says
Christina,
I do appreciate the debate! I guess my take-away from ICT wasn’t that the government should take over but that we as individuals have no excuse not to reduce our footprint in the small ways that add up. Use your car less, turn down the heat and the AC off, reduce, reuse, recycle, etc. I didn’t take away from the movie that we need to overhaul the country with legislation but rather our small efforts are much more important than just fluff to make you feel good. Just like with Food Inc, I already had an interest in eating local and the movie just refueled the drive for me to work harder at the thing I’d gotten lazy about. The same with ICT – it made me understand WHY it is so important to implement green practices and made me want to do more to make my footprint small. I do think the same goes for companies – everyone should start taking more responsibility and the small efforts here and there will add up. The good news it it seems the whole country is already headed in that direction lately.
K