Weekend Highlights
I tried dates. I see Heather from Kiss My Broccoli always eatin’ them and she has pretty darn good taste in food so I decided to pick some up. I hate anything resembling a raisin. I don’t do dried fruit and I certainly would have never bought a package of dates if I hadn’t been seeing it on some of my favorite blogs lately.
The verdict… they’re good and not as gross as raisins. A little sweet and not too chewy. I wouldn’t crave them or anything, but they don’t make me gag which is a plus in my book!
I took Pepper to canine charm school. Yeah, he may be a cutie, but don’t let those sweet little eyes and adorable big ears fool you. This little guy is sweet as can be one second and a monster the next! We finally decided enough was enough and enrolled him in training classes. We had orientation on Saturday and the trainer brought her dog to show us some commands for us to work on until out first class on Saturday.
Let’s just say her dog was an absolute angel and if Pepper turns out half as good as that dog then it’s money well spent! He definitely needs a little more socialization too so it will be good for him.
I made the best sandwich ever. Using this recipe from Vegan YumYum, I made a batch of smokey miso tofu which is incredible! I toasted a couple of slice of Ezekiel bread, added avocado to both sides, some tomatoes and a few slices of tofu. So good! It was my first time using liquid smoke and it gives such an amazing smokey flavor and pairs so nicely with miso.
I made eggplant dengaku. I saw this recipe in Appetite for Reduction and was on a miso kick so decided to give it a try. It’s a delicious and easy side to make when you want something quick. here is a similar recipe if you want to try it yourself. I paired mine with a baked potato and greek yogurt for dinner and it really hit the spot.
I hope you all had a great weekend full of fun and good food! What was the highlight of the weekend for you?
i completely agree about dates! they look disgusting, but they taste a lot better than raisins. i picked up a couple at whole foods and am going to try them with nut butter as a snack.
i’ve been on the road (in virginia and nashville) from last friday to this past friday, so just being home, relaxing, and planning my grocery list was great for me! i also got an email about a perfect job opportunity.
hope your week is wonderful!
Ooh.. I should try them with almond butter! Thanks for the idea.
It so nice to get back into your routine once you get back from a road trip. Planning grocery lists are always good too. I think I get way too excited making lists.
Congratulations on the job offer! How exciting! I hope you have an amazing week as well :]
i’ve also wanted to try dates… only after seeing them on so many blogs! i heard they are pretty yum when packed with nut butter.
That’s what I hear.. definitely going to try it tomorrow!
I rarely eat dates alone, but they’re really great stuffed with almond butter (and chocolate chips) or thrown in a blender with almonds and oats, and molded into cookie dough balls
Actually, they make a pretty great binder for raw pie crusts and other raw desserts. Or you could always throw them into a smoothie 
The highlight of my weekend was hitting up the mall and doing some shopping. I’m more of a food buyer than a clothes buyer, but it was a nice change to finally be in the mood for some shopping
I just ate one with almond butter and it was really, really good!
I totally forgot that raw pie crusts use these often! I’m getting ideas now :]
I’m always spending my money on food rather than clothes too so it is nice when you get that hankerin’ for clothes shopping!
I love most dried fruits, especially with cereals and yogurt in the mornin’.
I wish I did! I think it’s the texture that I don’t like.. plus it seems like you have to chew forever! Haha.
I love cereal and yogurt together! I have that as a snack all the time.
The highlight of my weekend was attending the Phillies – Braves game yesterday and the Phils CRUSHED Atlanta. Bad. It was insanely hot in our seats but we survived and had a good time.
How much fun! I’ve always wanted to go to a baseball game.
It has been really hot here as well. I like warm weather but this is a wee bit much for me.
How old is Pepper? I don’t know if you followed my mis-adventures with our dog Calvin last summer, but basically he was the world’s worst puppy. He ran away, didn’t obey commands, chewed up half our house, gnawed on your hands or face or whatever he could reach, terrorized other dogs with his boundless energy and enthusiasm. He was a sweet dog, he just had no self control or focus! I would like to think that our training and working with him helped, but I’m pretty sure he just grew our of the terrible puppy phase. He’s still a little wild and a little crazy, and he still runs away sometimes, and we still have to hide our flip-flops, but mostly he is sweet and obedient and an excellent addition to our family. And it only took a year of hair-pulling to get here!
What I mean to say is, good luck with Pepper and whatever you do, don’t lose hope!
Pepper is three so he should be past that stage. We adopted him from the shelter when he was one and just chalked up his bad behavior by not knowing what his home life was before he came to us. We kept using that as an excuse for every bad thing he did and when he tried to attack a puppy a couple of weeks ago we knew enough was enough.
I was just happy to find a trainer that specializes in positive reinforcement rather than punishment/dominance over your dog. I think the socialization with other pups will really help him out too.
you can make a date puree and use it as a one for one sugar sub. i’ve tried it in cookies. they turn out a little cakier, but totally delicious.
Ooh.. thanks for the tip! Cakier is fine with me :]
Awww Pepper is adorable! You’ll have to keep us updated on how the training goes. I think that once things settle down over here i may try and find some classes for my dog Walter. He’s pretty good but when he gets around other dogs he gets so excited that rules go out the window. Lol.
Dates kind of scare my face. I may try one some day. Haha.
That’s exactly how he is! He just gets so excited that he can’t focus on anything. When he gets around other dogs though he lunges, growls and tries to attack them :\
They scared me too! Put almond/peanut butter on them.. tastes amazing!
Hopefully canine school will help Pepper! I know how it is to have an unruly, yet innocent looking, dog. The horns hold up the halo, right?
Haha! You got that right!
hahahha I love this “i wouldn’t crave them but they didn’t make me gag or anything”. That would sooo be me. In fact, I don’t think I have had a date in years. I am not even sure if I like them or not!
Hahaha! I wasn’t sure else how to explain them.
I tried them with almond butter and it makes them so much better. Alone they’re a little weird, but not too bad.
I am surprised you hadn’t tried dates up until now. For me they are the perfect sweet treats. I am not a big fan of raisins either.
I hadn’t tried them because I assumed they’d be just like raisins. I have one in the mornings now with almond butter and it’s so good!
i want to steal your pup!
He’s been so bad lately I might just give him to ya! haha :]
I HATE raisins too, but I love dates. I keep them in the fridge in a tupperware and like them with nut butter as pre run fuel. Nut butter makes them awesome, because I don’t LOVE them plain, but with nut butter, they taste like marshmallows
They are kinda marshmallowy with almond butter! That combo is so amazing and it really does make them more tasty.