Thursday, December 30, 2010

Decades Ago….



Oh my, can you believe there are only 2 days left in 2010?  Today, I had a bit of an edification when I realized that it's been an entire decade since Y2k!  I still remember that New Years Eve.  I sat at home with my mom and my sister (my dad was away) and we had all freaked ourselves out to think that the world would end at midnight.  Okay maybe that was just me, but regardless, our family did stock up on candles and canned goods.  

At midnight, obviously the apocalypse did not occur, but I do remember hearing a loud bang at 12:01 and thinking we were all goners.  My mom tried hard not to laugh as she told me it was just the neighbors setting off fireworks. 

Today was yet another long day. Will this week ever end? 

I decided to change things up with breakfast by making a small bowl of berries, yogurt and granola. 


And toasting a slice of Whole Wheat Bread with my favorite toppings- Almond Butter, Pumpkin Butter, and Mashed Banana with Cinnamon.

Change will do you good and this did me great!

I worked in the office again all morning and dug into my packed lunch around noon.

Everything Salad- Tomatoes, Cucumber, Squash, Tomatoes, Asparagus, Mandrin Oranges, Radish and Tofu

I finished up work while eating this at my desk and then headed out for the rest of the afternoon for some meetings on the other side of town.

Apparently, I had forgot to account for the traffic today because I spent more time in my car than the actual meetings.  I'm guessing the pending holiday has something to do with that?

 When I got home for the evening, I did some packing for our trip and then eventually got dinner going.  For quite some time, I have been craving tomato soup.  I do love a good bowl of tomato soup, but only when I am able to doctor it up to my standards.

First, I begin with (in my opinion) the very best canned tomato soup out there.


Then, I add some base to thicken it up and add more flavor. 

I am SO INTO this stuff.  I literally could eat this entire jar and every time I use it, I end up eating spoons  by itself.  I probably could too as this sofrito has zero calories and fat.  It's really such a great ingredient to add to any soup, sauce, bean, chili, or stew. 

I also forgot to picture but I will mention the splash of coconut milk that goes into the pot for a slight touch of sweetness and creaminess.  

Lastly, goes into a boat load of chopped broccoli.  

Now that is how you make a hearty tomato soup from a can. 


To go with the soup, I heated up this little gem. 


I really hit the jackpot in the Trader Joe's frozen aisle during my last visit.  Since I can't have mozzarella, I picked off the cheese on my half and added it to Toly's side but there really wasn't a lot on there to begin with. 

 Finally, I roasted some asparagus and called this dinner delicious!

Dinner these days seem to come more often from a box or a can and that is due mainly to the fact that I don't have my own kitchen or ingredients to prepare the usual fare every night.  I do the best I can under the circumstance but I really can not wait to have my own kitchen again.  I miss cooking like I use to.  Soon, very soon. :) 

Goodnight friends. 


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14 comments:

  1. Dinner looks delicious to me! I can't wait to see your house when it's done!

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  2. Puff pastry pizza?! Oh Trader Joe's is simply amazing.

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  3. That is so funny! I remember feeling the same way when it hit 2000. I was actually in London cheerleading in their New Year's parade...I think that scared my Mom a LOT. Beautiful lunchy salad- the addition of Mandrin Oranges is so fun. I've never heard of that cooking base...I want to try it now!

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  4. I know how you feel about the kitchen, cheers to having your own kitchen again soon!

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  5. You know, even without a kitchen of your own you're coming up with some pretty awesome meals :) Happy new year!

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  6. y2k. omg what a blast from the past. we all survived. and now we all blog and have blogger tech issues. from one tech glitch to the next, here's to an awesome 2011 for you!

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  7. i used to have a jar of sofrito when i lived in NYC but haven't bought one in a while. i need to rectify that - it is so good!

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  8. I love Trader Joe's frozen section. I will only buy frozen meals at that store. My favorite is the Mandarin Orange Chicken by Trader Mings. :-)

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  9. great trick to beef up soup! i will do that next time for sure!

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  10. Your soup looks so hearty and delicious! I would never have thought to add broccoli to tomato soup!

    Too funny about the Y2K memories! I never really thought anything would happen, but my mom kept me at home that night instead of letting me go to a party in fear of the "crazies out there"! Our neighbors were hilarious though...bought one of those huge storm shelters and FILLED it up with food stuffs and "survival necessities"

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  11. The weekend is finally here - time to celebrate!

    I CANNOT believe it's been ten years since Y2K. I remember it like it was just yesterday. Good Lord - how time flies!!

    Wishing you the very, VERY best in 2011, Lauren!

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  12. What you just said about a whole decade going by since Y2K totally freaked me out. I remember that night so clearly! I painted my nails silver and wore a sparkly tee shirt from Gap.

    You're doing really well for yourself considering you don't have a kitchen! Everything still looks so colorful and delicious.

    Happy 2011, lady!

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  13. happy new year, darling! did you get my christmas package by any chance? :)

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  14. I'm so excited for the day that you will have your own kitchen again! When Ryan and I first got married, we had to live in dorm rooms in Philadelphia for about 5 weeks. It was so hard! But you continue to make your meals shine with flavor and nutrition. You are amazing, my dear. I hope you had a lovely New Years. Thank you for sharing with me tonight. I hope you have a wonderful Sunday.

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