Iced Coffee is Good For the Soul

It's almost Friday! After work today, I headed over to a local coffee shop owned and run by an adorable Italian man who calls everyone "honey" and makes the most delicious coffee right in front of you. 

Musings of a Foodie: Afternoon in the Valley

View from Hall Winery

Pulled pork sandwich on sourdough roll with creamy potato salad, Homestead Restaurant

View from the Artesa balcony

Virgin Mary statue, Artesa Winery

Dean & Deluca, Purveyors of Fine Food

Farmstead Restaurant

Iced vanilla latte & sea salted caramel, Dean & Deluca

Artesa Vineyards & Winery

Hall Winery 

Farmstead Restaurant

Dean & Deluca 

What I Ate

For some, Easter Break means going on holiday with family or taking a road trip with roommates. This year I'm spending my Easter weekend doing things for me. And while I do miss my family & friends, time to myself, to do exactly what I want is healthy & a necessary part of growing up. 

The cafeteria isn't open 24/7 like usual during these breaks, so while I have the option of walking over anytime from 11 A.M. and 6 P.M. I've been content making some meager meals for myself right in my own room. I'm a relatively simple person when it comes down to it. 

Every day starts with coffee, & I kept it simple this morning with just a little creamer. 

Around 2:30 P.M. I was hungry, so I whipped up a super easy tuna salad sandwich, which has been my go-to lately. A little scoop of mayo, a spoonful of relish, some salt & pepper & I'm good to go. I piled the salad onto some whole wheat bread. Simple & filling, not to mention healthy. 

 

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I've been craving my fresh greens again. While I initially didn't like the taste of this juice, it's grown on me & it's not only chock full of vitamins, but it's refreshing & has no sugar or artificial anything. 

I finally caved & trekked to the caf (which was actually a lovely walk since it's 60° outside) to get some vegetables and iced tea. I opted for spinach, hard boiled eggs, a little bacon, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, carrots & some cottage cheese. 

I finished off with some vanilla yogurt (which may have been a bad idea...after sitting out all day it was room temperature. Gross.) I topped it off with some granola, dried cranberries & almonds. 

What did you eat today?

Musings of a Foodie: Sushi Friday

Tonight is our last night in Fargo as we head back to school tomorrow afternoon. It's been a very low-key spring break & I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in an actual home with a family who has lovingly adopted me. 

Fridays during Lent are meat free, so sushi seemed like a good option. (Who am I kidding, sushi is a good option pretty much all the time, with very few exceptions). We had a 15% off coupon for this place on 45th street, so we hopped in the car and drove over. It was pretty decent sushi (considering we live in a state where the nearest large body of water is the Red River) & coupons are always appreciated, especially for broke college students. 

Rachel ordered the eel & avocado roll and crunchy roll which had tempura & avocado. 

I had the spicy salmon roll with cucumber & avocado.

Miso soup is my favorite. 

I am adding "exemplary third-wheeler" to my resume. 

And to top it all off, salmon sashimi because a few more months until I get hour old fresh fish can't come soon enough. 

If you're looking for a light Lenten meal in Fargo, try Samurai. Tonight was my first time going, but I'm generally a good judge of restaurants the first time around.  

Musings of a Foodie: Smashed Sandwiches

Sandwiches are some of my favorite things to eat. Any time of day, and pretty much any kind...sandwiches are one of those universal foods that result in instant comfort and deliciousness. The Italians have the panini, the French take pride in their croque-monsieur, and Mexico even has their version, the torta. Sandwiches can be as simple as plopping some jam or marmalade on a slab of Wonder Bread, or as elaborate as this bad boy. 

When my mother came home from the store and announced she was making "big sandwiches" for dinner, my mouth immediately started to water and my mood was lifted just a speck. I've been reading a lot of food posts (in case you couldn't tell) so I had to shoot some images of the process. 

Now, onto the recipes. 

Mixed Herb Pesto

1 cup Olive Oil

1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar

Salt & Pepper

1 bunch basil

1 bunch sage

1 bunch flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup green onion

Juice from 1 lemon

3 cloves garlic

Blend all ingredients in a food processor. 

Caprese Sandwich

1 loaf French or Sourdough (or any other kind of bread you like)

3 tomatoes

Enough sliced mozzerella to cover the loaf

Sprinkling of Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 Mixed Herb Pesto (or as much as you like) 

Salt & Pepper

Spread and stack as you wish.

Twisted Cuban Sandwich

1 loaf French or Sourdough (or any other kind of bread you like)

Sliced ham

Sliced roast beef

Sliced swiss cheese

Sliced dill pickles

2 tomatoes

1/2 Mixed Herb Pesto (or as much as you like) 

Salt & Pepper

Spread and stack as you wish. 

Are you a sandwich lover as well? What are some of your favorite sandwich recipes? Would you be interested in trying any of these?

Musings of a Foodie: Açaí Bowls

I love spontaneous outings, especially when food is involved. I am such a foodie, as you most likely know, and I am always looking to expand my horizons and discover new places. When I leave for college, my guess is that I won't have as much dinero in my wallet as I do now, and random trips downtown for a bite to eat will be seldom. I may be wrong, but this summer I have done my best to explore the culinary world a little more and document each moment. 

While Nektar Juice Bar hardly qualifies as a culinary must-try, I was craving something fresh and simple and called up my cousin for an early "dinner". Sometimes the standard won't cut it, and I crave something adventurous. This place recently opened and I'd been looking forward to trying it out. 

I ordered the Tropical Bowl and my cousin had the Banana Berry with Peanut Butter.

Food that is beautiful and tastes good is always best. 

The decor of this place is on point. I love the pop of color and polaroid-style artwork. 

It is a juice bar after all, and they are apparently known for their juice cleanses. We didn't try them, but the juices are neatly lined up in the fridge and sound amazing. 

Bananas, coconut and a touch of cocoa...mmm.

We thoroughly enjoyed our "meal."

I couldn't help shooting a hand selfie of this bad boy. I've never seen Boxed Water and it was a little pricy just for plain old water, but the packaging? Um, yes! 

The kitchen is in plain sight and the shelves are lined with baskets or fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs. No flash frozen anything here. 

The menu is fairly simple but they offer a good amount of items, so it's easy to find something that sounds good. 

I highly recommend Nektar, and while it is a bit different from Vitality Bowl, it's still a great place to grab a smoothie or bowl of goodness, and it's relatively cheap too, which is always a bonus. 

All the best, 

♥︎ Greta Elise