Seriously if I hear that one more time I’m likely to shove a head of broccoli up someone’s you-know-what. Am I the only lucky vegetarian who gets pestered with this question all the time? It’s a little ridiculous to be honest. And normally if someone asks what I eat in a sincere way, as if they actually would like to know what it is like being vegetarian, I don’t mind. I’m actually glad to talk veggies with people. It’s the snide anti-hippie comments that drive me nuts. Snide comments or not, I have been very pleased with my new lifestyle choice. I don’t miss eating meat at all, actually. But then again, I was never a huge fan from the beginning.

So to answer this one very last time: name a vegetable. any vegetable. I eat it. Same with fruits. Add to that beans, nuts, tofu, pasta, rice, bread, eggs, cheese, soy milk, etc. etc. Anything that does not involve killing an animal. I eat it. I’d love to be able to give up dairy and eggs, but haven’t found (or sought out, okay I’m lazy) any suitable replacements as of yet.

Does it sound utterly torturous? Gosh I know right?

Let me brighten your Friday and make you drool a little.

How about some homemade pizza on Trader Joes Garlic Herb pizza dough. With asparagus, onions, olives, and mushrooms

The next night, take the veggies you have left, add some red bell pepper and sauté them.

Then make tacos using Trader Joes chicken-less fajitas, TJs wheat tortillas, lettuce and cheese.

The next night, make a batch of Chipotle rice (recipe to follow)

and add you leftovers from the night before (including the chicken-less fajitas), plus some guac. A burrito bol at home!

Lately I’ve been pretty pleased with the amount of time I’ve been able to spend in the kitchen. It seems the more I cook, the less overwhelmed I get. I’ve definitely been busy, and I’m branching out from my standard, sauteed zucchini, onions, and mushrooms with pasta. I’m trying out new combinations, making things that require more than one pan! (crazy I know. You would understand this if you did not have a dishwasher. Well or if your dishwasher’s name was Cale). And I actually enjoy it! It’s nice to eat something different. And this week I did a little celebration dance because we managed to use all our vegetables before they went bad. Score!

Also since a couple of you requested the Cilantro rice recipe from Chipotle, Cale and I again adapted Chipotlefan’s rice recipe (seriously for a fan site, they kind of get most of it wrong) to better match how they actually cook the rice at Chipotle.

Chipotle’s Cilantro Rice

1. Cook 1 cup of white basmati rice with two bay leaves in either a rice cooker or a pot with the appropriate amount of water. Our rice cooker has measurements on the side for how much water you should add, so I’m not quite sure what it would be in a pot.
2. Once the rice is done, take out the bay leaves and throw them away. This just adds flavor while the rice is cooking, but you do not eat bay leaves.
3. Mix into the rice the following: 3 tsp. finely chopped cilantro, 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, and the juice from 1/2 lemon. Mix well and let sit for a few minutes so that the flavors can meld.

And that, my friends, is it! You can adjust the salt to your personal tastes. I thought it was too salty; Cale thought it was not enough. But then again, I think the rice at Chipotle is too salty as well. So I guess I’m just crazy. edit: oh and just an FYI. Chipotle uses a bottle of mixed lemon/lime juice, but it’s mostly lemon juice. If you want you can add some lime juice as well.

I’m super excited because this weekend I’m gonna be on a boat with Alyssa, Jimaie, Morgan, Sarah, and Cait for Alyssa’s and Jimaie’s birthdays! Hooray for birthdays and boats! What are your plans this weekend?

A while back, Sarah Marie P made herself a frito boat, and I could not get it out of my mind. This is how I operate with food. I get something in my head, and I cannot get over it until that thing is in my belly. Even better if it’s repeated a couple of times.

So when I saw that cheesy, corn chip mess in a bowl, I had to have it. Luckily my husband is always up for unhealthy meals. I was convinced that there had to be a new way to create a frito boat. So I googled and, indeed, many people have had the same ideas. So I present: Frito Boat Casserole.

Step one: Fritos!

We layered in vegetarian chili, corn, chopped onions, chopped olives, and shredded some cheddar cheese on top. Put it in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Easy meal when you’re craving something entirely unhealthy.

yummmm

It’s also great with guacamole. Cale worked at Chipotle for a few years back in the day. So finally I had to insist he make me some of that guacamole goodness. This is a serious treat. The best ever.

avocados. I could eat a spoonful of that.

• 2 Hass Avocados (Cale and I would add an extra avocado the next time we make it)
• 1/2 of a Jalapeno pepper, seeded, and minced
• 1/4 of a red onion, finely chopped
• 2 heaping Tablespoons of Cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/4 of a lemon, juiced
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Combine all of the ingredients into a bowl, and mash together until smooth. Add additional lemon juice or salt to taste. For extra spicy guacamole, you can leave in the jalepeno seeds! (Credit: Chipotlefan, with some corrections)

Guacamole. Which belongs on everything, I think.

There’s a little peak at what we’ve been eating. I still rarely make appearances in the kitchen. Being a vegetarian has forced me be a little more creative in adding vegetables into meals. And really, my creativity has sort of reached a plateau. I need to get out my cookbooks and work with them more, but the effort of listing ingredients, going to the store to get said ingredients, and actually making the meals with these ingredients, really exhausts me with just the thought. Until then, I’ll just settle for sauteed vegetables because really, it doesn’t get much better than that when you’re hungry and tired.

There are a million things I want to do now that I think I’m finally over this illness. Thursday I got myself to the doctor, and with the diagnosis of bronchitis and a sinus infection, took my last day of antibiotics today. I’m still weaker than I’d like to be, but I’m hoping that with getting back to work tomorrow and forcing myself to get back into the routine of everyday life, I can start back up with cooking and exercising. This illness must have messed with my brain because I actually told Cale that I miss the gym. Me! I miss going to the gym. Hah. Then we can finally make our long-awaited trip to meet the little brother and sister this up-coming weekend. I’m sure I needed the extra rest, so the timing of getting sick worked out alright. But I’m ready to be better and back as an active participant in my life. It’s hard being at home, needing to rest, when really all you want to do is get out the mop and clean. Spending 24 hours a day in the house really shows you how dirty it is.

Flippin’ Fitness Winner: Congrats Sensibly Sassy! After setting up everyone with their scores in excel, Sarah was the random winner! Looks like her 30 days of exercise definitely helped her odds. Good job!