couscous...my new favorite!

i bought a box of Near East garlic and herb couscous a while ago, but had yet to make it, even thought it only takes 10 minutes..literally. so when i came home from the gym, i was home alone, and decided to try it. i thought i would add some chopped dates to it, just b/c i have a bag in the fridge and don't want them to go to waste, ( which was also a brilliant idea and made it so much better!). salt,pepper, and some chopped green onion! OMG! AMAZING! i love it. so so good. im glad, and it will be a stable food of mine from here on out!:)

photo practice:)

i love like, real wood kitchen utensils/plates/platters/bowls. i've been wanting to get a medium/large size dark wood cutting board ever since iv'e been practicing my food photography. i actually found a wood square plate at target for like 7 dollers. which is pretty affordable. eventually i will get a bigger one, but this will do for now.

easter sneak peak...

my sister and i decided we are gonna do easter baskets for eachother. well, it was actually my idea. i saw this really cute basket at target, which is not even an "easter" basket at all. it was found in like the small, floral isle. i love it! i want it for myself. :) heres just a little shot of it. around easter im sure will take some of it all filled with chocolate:)

filled chocolate cupcakes!!

my sister was begging me to make the chocolate cake mix we've had in the pantry forever today. i love cupcakes and think they are so cute, so i decided to make them. i was just going to dust them with powdered sugar, but decided to make homemade cream cheese frosting. i had never made frosting before, but it was suprisingly easy! i added a little lemon zest to it, just to lighten it up. i like cream chesse with a little lemon flavor. they were really good, and will definately remember these the next time i need to bring a dessert:)

tortellini and spinach soup.

i felt like making soup for lunch, and i was craving tortellini soup. i wasn't going to make any because i thought we didn't have any vegetable broth. but we did! so i found a recipe that used chopped spinach. it was so easy and actually really good. it will totally be a staple soup!

;)

heart pasta salad & roasted veggies:)

i had the day off today and i felt like finally cooking my heart shaped pasta! i kinda looked up some recipes for pasta salad, but just kinda added whatever i had on hand in the fridge. it was just the pasta, olives, fresh basil, sun dried tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice, and a little italian dressing. salt & pepper, chill, and eat.:)

i also roasted some baby carrots and red potatoes.addicting and totally healthy!

homemade LaraBars:)

i've been wanting to make homemade LaraBars for a while.i love the real ones so much, but they can get expen$ive. i made mine with dates cashews and cranberries. i brought it to work for a snack and it was actually really good. definately gonna be making them more often and experimenting with flavors!

blueberry waffles

so this morning i was craving waffles and syrup. i had frozen berry waffles that were high in fiber and vegan;)i spread mine with peanut butter instead of butter. its so much better/better for you, andddd it ups the protein, which is always a plus. a drizzle of maple syrup and a shake of powdered sugar, and you have... perfection.:) i literally cleaned my plate.lol

me:)

me. Toni Anne Lovato. i just recently moved to canyon lake, in southern california. about 30 min. from my old house.i've been a vegetarian for 10 1/2 months now and love every minute of it. first mainly for health reasons, but the vegan book SKINNY BITCH got me interested in vegan too. although i am not a vegan, i do love vegan food/meals and want to incorporate more vegan food/products into my life.

food/ photography/ and vegetarian

breakfast: fiber one raisen bran cereal w/blueberries and SILK! soymilk:)

photography is one of my dreams and passions. i really want to get into fashion photography or like photo editing or just to be in the fashion enviroment at/around photoshoots. i also have a passion for food. healthy food at that. so i've decided a new project for myself. for my love of food photography aswell...im going to try my hardest to take photos of the food i eat throughout the day. you have to a a certain lighting for good photos, especially when working with food. so they might tend to be mainly breakfast or lunch/snack foods, due to the natural light. but this is a good way to practice my skills and enjoy as well!:)

heart shaped pasta....GENIUS! ;)

so the other day i was at a health food store by my house, and... as i was looking through the various pasta shapes, down at the bottom there it was.a bag of tiny little heart shaped pasta!! ok, if you konw me...hah you know I HAD TO HAVE THEM! and i don't even eat pasta really.lol. so i have yet to cook them, but i definately will and enjoy every bite:)

VALENTINE'S DAY :)

i don't have a valentine for this year, but thats ok. i have my health and my friends and family.hahaha lame, but its true. anyway, i made some cute chocolate covered pink strawberry and chocolate marshmallows on a stick. very valentine-y and very cute! I AM GUILTY THOUGH!! I HAD ONE OR TWO STICKS!! MARSHMALLOWS AR EN'T VEGGIE!! A VEGETARIAN SIN!!AHHHH. BUT IM GOING TO SURVIVE, AND I DON'T EAT THEM OFTEN AT ALL. although i heard there were vegan marshmallows out there somewhere. i'll have to look into that!