Routinely BUSY Mondays..plus J.O.B Searching!!!

Today was a very busy day for Amerie and I. Every Monday is our cleaning day....I get up, eat breakfast and then clean the bathroom while my littlest one is still sound asleep. Then she helps me dust, vacuum, take the trash out and rearrange the toys in her bedroom...putting away old toys and bring out "new" toys for her bedroom, her drawer in my bedroom and her car bag..and clean anything else such as her highchair, laundry, etc. But today, after cleaning, I focused solely on searching and applying for jobs so Amerie, unfortunately, had to play on her own today..but she did a wonderful job..I gave her a couple of "new" things to play with it and she was good to go....


So for breakfast this morning I had the all-loving oatmeal..but of course, I can't just eat it plain! I have to dress up my oatmeal, so this time I had, what I call, Tropical Heaven. I cooked up 1/2 cup of whole oats, ground in a food processor for a minute (I like the texture better) in a little less than recommended water. Then I stirred in someflax, brown sugar and some of my crushed pineapple. Poured it in a bowl, topped it with the rest of my pineapple, some banana slices and sprinkled with shredded coconut and chopped cashew nuts. Then to really top it off, I stepped out my norm and poured some cold soy milk on top....it covered my oatmeal, but man was it good! (Amerie had some oatmeal as well, a side of raspberry yogurt and a fruit salad consisting of pineapple, bananas and some blueberries. My daughter loves hot and cold cereal..so she ate all her oatmeal and I fixed 1/2 cup for her too!!)

Oh by the way..this is Amerie chowing down on breakfast!!!

For my snack I had my favorite mixed berry and grape salad covered in Limoncello! I first learned about this Italian favorite off of EveryDay Italian with Giada when she made a simple Mixed Berry Salad with Limoncello and mint. Ever since I turned 21 I have discovered my love for alcohol..wine, liquors, mixed drinks...even beer! NO, I'm not an alcoholic..I just love the flavor it adds and compliments to foods. Being a food freak, geek and complete addict, I have a palate to try new things including new drinks and I love it. But if you haven't discovered Limoncello then you're in for a surprise. This Lemon Liquor is super sweet and super potent. Taking a sip you will find it very very sweet with a hint of lemon and an automatic punch of 100% vodka flavor that leads and follows! It's way too sweet for me to drink straight, but I do love it in cold and hot tea. It automatically sweetens and gives a great lemon flavor. But you definitely have to use it in moderation. Using too much can make things taste bitter, so I just drizzle a little on my mixed berry salad, stir to coat and enjoy. Unfortunately, I didn't have any mint, but it was absoluetly refreshing!!


Since I was having such a busy day Amerie and I enjoyed a quick cook of Amy's Lentils soup and some crackers. Nothing better than some soup and crackers sometimes...even on a hot day!


Then dinner I had a Spinach and Red Cabbage Salad with Orange and Toasted almonds...a recipe I got from one of the many vegan cookbooks I have rented and practically copied onto my computer thus far. It was pretty good, except the orange just wasn't sweet or juicy enough. I guess oranges are of poor quality right now since they're not in season. Oh well! My daughter enjoyed a little side salad of her own along with her "ro-ro" or rice and popcorn shrimp. Oh my daughter is also addicted to rice....and I mean eat it all up and all over addicted!! But hey she's got asian in her like her momma; what do ya expect!!! And my husband enjoyed his one and only favorite vegan recipe of Garlic Ginger Broccoli which he practically makes me cook once or twice a week, along with his popcorn shrimp.

Today was a busy day...but I feel accomplished..l I just hope it was worth it....Let's just pray I get a job soon!!!