Bobo's Oat Bars

We're currently in Massachusetts and spent the last two days at the Whole Foods North Atlantic Region All Access show. This is a show exclusively for Whole Foods Market employees to come, check out products that are newer to the store, and eat eat eat! As a result, we ended up leaving with quite a few snacks of our own. One was this Original flavor Bobo's Oat Bar! Needing a quick, healthy breakfast this morning before we get on the road, I grabbed this and it was delicious! The first three ingredients are oats, brown rice syrup and Earth Balance. They are vegan, wheat free, and really tasty! Not too sweet, which is always a plus. This version is also nut and coconut free (my personal allergies). What a great snack!

Red Lentil

I am currently in Massachusetts, which is very exciting as I haven't been here in about a decade. It is also exciting because this is a work trip, which means that we've acquired business in Massachusetts (and the rest of New England). Love it!

Last night, after a long day of work, we headed to Red Lentil  in Watertown and had a wonderful dinner. As you may know, I LOVE any meal that can be described as a "macrobiotic plate" (or "bowl") and when I saw one on the menu at Red Lentil, I had to order it. The macro plate consisted of pinto beans with sea vegetables, brown rice, seasonal veggies, plum sauce, and your choice of seitan, tofu, or tempeh. I chose tempeh (Dan actually ordered the same thing) and loved this delicious plate of flavorful, healthy veggies and protein. The squashes, sweet potatoes, and carrots were grilled, which is something I hadn't expected, but really enjoyed. This was a great meal! I finished off with a banana, raspberry, mango smoothie for just enough sweetness (I also asked for some added cinnamon). If you are ever in Watertown, head over to Red Lentil for some super tasty, fresh food!

Living in a Modern Way

While in Southern California for Expo West back in March, we had almost a full day off to enjoy. It was Dan and I, as usual, but we were also with two of our employees for the Expo. The whole group of us met upon arrival at the airport and then headed off. We had lunch at Seed Bistro, went for a walk along the beach, and then headed to LACMA for the sole purpose of viewing the exhibit California Design, 1930-1965: Living in a Modern Way. The exhibit had a collection of modern furniture, automobiles, photos, clothing, and other design that was marvelous to behold. The centerpiece of the design was the full Eames House living room, which has been transported in it's entirety to the museum, all  1,864 items. Having never visited the Eames House (it is currently undergoing restoration, which is why the living room pieces could be temporarily removed), it was really wonderful to see the items amongst which Charles and Ray made their home. If you are a fan of modern design, or just like beautiful, clean design, I recommend that you visit this exhibit! It is going until the beginning of June.

(Photo: A Saul Bass-designed restaurant doggie bag that I particularly liked.)

Chickoo Fruit

I'm back from India! Truly, it was the most magical place that I have ever been and I am already planning to return in 2014. If you want, take a peek at my photos here!

While in India, I tried a few new foods, but my favorite was the Chickoo fruit, also known as the Sapotta (in South/Central America, I believe). The chickoo is like a magical, super sweet combination of a date and a pile of brown sugar. I found them in the US in very small quantities fresh at my local Indian market and also frozen or canned (in syrup). I haven't tried them frozen yet, but have a hot tip that they're awesome blended with non-dairy milk. I didn't buy the canned because they were in syrup and that sounded like something I wouldn't eat. The fresh were delicious, but seem like they'll be challenging to find on a regular basis (there were like 10 total at the store), so we'll see how much of a staple they become. I think the chickoo fruit will be a great once-in-a-while treat! If you see them, pick one up, break or cut it open, scoop out the inside, and don't eat the seed (someone in India told us that the fruit, when broken open as above, looks like Krishna's eyes... I like it).