Wow. This past week has been just crazy! We’re in week thirteen out of sixteen for the semester, and work is just piling up. I haven’t really had the chance to sit down and bang out all the essays or projects because I’ve been so busy outside of school and work: this past weekend was my grandma’s 80th birthday party, I’m babysitting all day on Wednesday, and Thursday is Thanksgiving!

I’m not complaining (I had a great time on Saturday and I’m so looking forward to the next couple of days), just giving excuses as to why I missed both Thankful Thursday and Friday Food Finds!

So, because I don’t have any study abroad recaps or recipes to post, I thought I’d catch up with both of those things. (Plus, I have a fun food survey at the end of the post, courtesy of Jessie Loves to Run and then Eating 4 Balance. 🙂 )

Thankful Thursday Tuesday

1. I have to say, one of the things I am most thankful for is sleep. It’s amazing what a good 8-9 hours can do for my mood! I typically hate sleeping in – I always feel like I’m wasting part of the day – but sometimes staying in bed for a few extra hours on a Sunday morning or resting on the couch in the afternoon feels awfully nice, especially if your puppy curls up with you. 🙂

2. Chocolate.

Enough said. 🙂

3. This past week we have been experiencing some amazing weather for November in Michigan. It has been mild, not too windy, and quite sunny lately, and I’m loving it! The beautiful weather is definitely something to be thankful for, especially because I know what’s coming in a few weeks….

Blech.

4. White noise. My neighbors in the apartment complex up at school play awful club/rap music from about 4-6 pm and then 10 pm – 2 am every night. Those are my prime study and sleep times, and it is terrible being woken up by bad music and nasty lyrics (yes, I can hear the lyrics! That’s how loud it is…) at 1:26 am. During the study times, I put on my headphones and play this video over and over again.

It’s such relaxing background noise, and I can still study when it’s playing. At night, I turn my box fan up to its second setting, which pretty much cancels out all other noise.

5. Finally, I am thankful for good movies. My family and I saw Lincoln this past weekend, and it was very good. I love movies in which you can tell the director, cast, producer(s), and everyone else involved put a lot of time and thought into. This was one of them. If you’re a history buff or in the mood for a good movie, I highly recommend this one!

What is your favorite good movie?

It’s a hard decision for me, but I love The King’s Speech, Away We Go, and Pride & Prejudice (either the long BBC version or the Joe Wright one). As far as not so good movies go, I love Love Actually and Elf. They’re both so funny and I love them both, but the reason I don’t count them as “good” is because they probably didn’t have as much time and thought put into them as the others. 😉

Right, so, here’s what last week’s Friday Food Finds (courtesy of Madison!) would have looked like…

And, as always: To any bloggers whose photos I use that do not want me to do so, please email me to let me know! livliveslife (at) gmail (dot) com!

As it turns out, I had starred a whole bunch of good stuff in my Google Reader since the last time I did Friday Food Finds! I don’t have new or fun any finds from the stores, so I’ll just stick to sharing others’ amazing recipes.

First up, some fantastic ideas for Thanksgiving side dishes:

This Lightened Up Green Bean Casserole from How Sweet Eats looks and sounds just incredible. It seems like one of those dishes you wouldn’t even think would be light. I mean, just look at it!

Next up is yet another recipe from Averie Cooks: Baked Parsnip Fries. I don’t think I have ever tried a parsnip, but I’ve always wanted to. Turning them into healthy fries is a perfect excuse to, don’t you think?

A final side dish that I bookmarked was this Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower Parmesan Gratin from Running to the Kitchen. It looks so healthy and cheesy…I wish I could eat it now!

Now onto the desserts… 😉

Obviously, because of my egg allergy, I’ve never been able to eat pumpkin pie. Many of the egg-free/vegan recipes I’ve found have bizarre ingredients in them that dissuade me from ever trying them. Because of that, this Voluptuous Pumpkin Pie from Post Punk Kitchen definitely caught my eye! How amazing does that look? And check out the ingredient list: we have almost everything in our kitchen right now!

One of my favorite blogs out there is Courtney’s Sweet Tooth Sweet Life. I was so excited when I saw these Toffee Chocolate Crispy Cookies on there the other day. I love the idea of putting crispy rice cereal in cookies – the texture would be amazing! I’m definitely trying that next time I make CCC.

Finally, check out these fun little Vegan Coconut Chocolate Bounty Balls by Veggieful! Aren’t they cute! One of my favorite candy bars is Mounds; these are essentially Mounds bars, but with far fewer (and more pronounceable) ingredients. Yum!

I am so looking forward to having enough time over the holidays to try out some of these recipes! I hope you do too!

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Finally, for something a little fun and different, I thought I’d post this Fun Food Survey! I’d love it if you picked out a question or two and left a comment with your answer! 🙂

What foods reminds you of your childhood?

I remember being in second grade and eating a bowl of Lucky Charms for breakfast every morning. Because I was allergic to milk (and didn’t like the flavor or texture of rice milk on my cereal) I ate them dry. I wish I could still get away with that! 🙂 I also remember eating a lot of “grilled cheese” made with soy-based cheese.

What food brings back memories and why?

Saturday Morning Pancakes. I remember waking up on the weekends, so happy that everybody was home, and that we could eat pancakes then watch America’s Funniest Videos. (From what I recall, that was the morning routine!) My brother and I used to put syrup and sprinkles on our pancakes, and I remember when Ian and my cat, Whiskers, picking up any stray sprinkles off the floor after breakfast.

(source)

What is your favorite baked good?

I’d have to say cookies. They’re so versatile and sooooo delicious no matter what.

What are the top 5 things on your grocery list?

0% fat Greek yogurt, brown rice, sunflower seed butter, some sort of fruit (Granny Smith apples and raspberries are my favorite!), and some sort of vegetable (especially broccoli and spinach).

What is your favorite version of PBJ?

No peanut butter for me! But I do like sunflower seed butter with strawberry jelly. I actually like this combo on a rice cake better than a piece of bread, just because the rice cake is really crispy. Yum!

What was the best thing you ate today?

Probably the bowl of Special K Red Berry I had for breakfast. Sometimes you just can’t beat a simple bowl of cereal!

What is the best combo of banana + ____?

Hmm…I’d have to say banana + peaches or strawberries. The only way I can eat bananas is when they’re combined with one of those two fruits or mixed up in a fruit salad. Otherwise they make me gag. Isn’t that strange? Oh, or banana bread…..

What have you never eaten, but always wanted to try?

I’ve always wondered what scrambled eggs taste like. I’ve obviously never had them (because of my allergy), but I have never thought they looked or smelled good. So I’d like to try them to understand what their appeal is.

What flavor ice cream would you be, and the name the flavor?

Oh gosh. I’d say Chocolate Raspberry. Do they even make such a thing? Oh yeah, they do.

If I was an ice cream, I’d be all chocolate with chocolate chips and fresh raspberries. I think I’m chocolate because it’s sweet and complex, and raspberry because it’s tart, and if you get me on a bad day, I can be a bit tart, too. 😉

What is the “prettiest” food in your opinion?

Anything with berries. I just love their vibrant natural color. So pretty!

What have you not eaten in so long and want to have again?

Real, honest-to-goodness, box mix brownies. I love the allergy-friendly version I have, but during those four years when I was able to eat eggs in baked goods, I got a taste of eggy brownies and have since just craaaaaved them.

If you only could have the same exact breakfast for a week what would it be?

Healthy answer: 0% fat Greek yogurt + granola + fresh bluberries. I could live off that combo!
Unhealthy answer: an Asiago cheese bagel with butter. Oh man.

Can’t wait to see some of your answers! 🙂

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Well, I’ve gotta run – just three hours of work and a two hour drive stand between me and Thanksgiving break! Wahoo!

P.S. My Individual Apple Crumble recipe was featured in What Would Kathy Eat?‘s Healthy Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup! I’m so excited!