Banana Cabana

Hey friends!  WOW thanks so much for entering my give-away and for giving me some legit soup recommendations!  I really need to get a crock-pot too…hmmmm..Anways here’s the winner:

True Random Number Generator

Min: 1

Max: 54

Result: 8

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Which means….missyrayn is the winner!!

Congrats!!  Please e-mail me your address so I can get you your prize right away   Be back later with the latest hap’s! xoxo

Hey there!!  I’m so touched by your beautiful comments on my last post.  Thank you all so, so much again for your thoughtfulness and support.  It means a lot to me to have your friendship during a painful time.   

Not much to report on the home front, except that I did start school this week!  So far, I’m enrolled in:

• Anatomy/Physiology II
• Food/Nutrition with lab

These 2 are pretty tough and time-intensive so far, so I have to decide whether or not to take one more class online.  Oh decisions!!

I tried to get a wide shot of breakfast to show off the new curtains that my mom hung for us when she was out here!  We ordered them off of Overstock, they are a chocolate brown color, and we love them.  We have a gorgeous, huge window, but it was weird that everyone could basically see inside our apartment from the street!  Yeow!

My schedule allows me to be at home for lunch, which I highly prefer!  It would be difficult to make my Hummus-Turkey Bacon-Lettuce and Tomato sandwich at school

Good ol’ Boston, as expected, is gettin’ frigid.  While I’m not entirely ecstatic about this drop in temperature, it does give me the opportunity to sport some of my Christmas presents. 

The infamous long black jacket (I call it a sleeping bag!!) and Ugg snow boots!!  Thanks parents!  just want to be clear that I didn’t want to post this photo, but my momz did request to see my new jacket

Another winter style that I’m newly obsessed with is- SOUP!!  It sounds weird, I know…but I never ate soup in Southern California.  The warmer weather just wasn’t conducive to craving a warm, filling meal.  However, after moving to a colder climate, I’ve crossed over to eating it at least 4 times a week.  Crazy!

Last night, I tried a new-to-me product, V8 Vegetable Blend soup.  I got this product to review for the blog, but was not paid in any way to test it.  You can check out it’s great nutritional info and other flavors here!

My Review:  The soup was really easy to make, just heat and serve!  Upon opening, it smelled just like V8 tomato juice, which I loved as a kid!  I was happily surprised by the amount of veggies in the soup, as I expected more of a blended texture.  It tasted great, a little salty, but otherwise a good mix of veggies, herbs and spices!  I really liked the texture and thickness of the soup, I totally hate watery soups!  All in all, I would recommend this product to purchase, especially for someone on-the-go.  It doesn’t need to be refrigerated, so you can keep it on the shelf until you need it at work or school!

Dessert was just as enjoyable…

OMG amazing..my ONLY complaint is the $5 price tag!! :-/

And now for the good stuff…Would you like to try the v8 soup for yourself!??

Just leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite kind of soup, and you will be entered to win this awesome V8 Prize Pack- which includes:

• Campbell’s V8 Garden Vegetable Blend soup
• A Campbell’s V8 Soup Health Journal and vegetable shaped pens to keep track of your servings
• A Flip and Tumble shopping bag to stock up on vegetables
• A Pedometer – to count your steps!

I will randomly pick a winner on Sunday, January 31, so hit me up with your fave soup variety to win some cool stuff!!  Happy Thursday friends!

Hey there!!  I hope everyone is doing well, and all my friends and family back home are surviving the torrential downpour!  It may be cold in Boston, but I think it’s the first time in a while that the weather is more mellow here than in California

In place of a regular, food-filled post I just wanted to leave a short and sweet Happy Birthday shout-out in honor of my dad.

I’ve posted about my pops a few times, on his birthday and Father’s day- he passed away when I was 16, and I miss him more than anything.  We had so much fun together, he was a total history nerd, and I know he would love to come to Boston and go on the Freedom Trail

My dad was born in Spain, and his best friend from childhood and he traveled around Europe by train after college.  I am so lucky to have some awesome photographs of my dad from those trips, can’t wait to get them framed!

It’s always tough, but January is especially hard for me.  As I linked to that old post, I re-read all of the comments and love from my lovely blogger friends and readers.  I cannot tell you guys what your friendship and love mean to me, but for someone that doesn’t share a lot with people or get emotional in *real life*…I can tell you that I am so deeply touched.

Happy birthday Dad!!!  (sorry I’m a little late, typical right?! ;D)

Hey friends!!  What’s goin’ on?  I’ve been back in Boston for about a week now, still getting settled and all that good stuff!  Readjusting to the frigid temp’s hasn’t been too bad, it’s about the same temperature that it was when I left.  Soo…I just throw on THREE jackets when I leave, and I’m good!!

My girlfriend from home came to visit, so we had a blasty exploring Boston and sightseeing.

It’s so funny because ALL of my friends can easily sleep till noon or later!  I, on the other hand….always wake up by 8 am, probably because I’m so excited to eat breakfast…

Before she came, I had to attack this beast…

BAH isn’t unpacking the worst??  (Momz I swear it’s clean now )

For lunch, I took my friend over to Harvard so we could walk around and see Ivy League-ers in their natural habitat

We stopped at Crema Cafe for lunch, which is in the neighborhood, and often spotted in many-a-Boston blog, probably because it is amazing!!

I ordered the Sweet Potato sandwich, which was out of this world good!!  This sandwich contained my top favorite foods: including SP, hummus, sprouts, vinaigrette, avocado and green apple.  I know right!??!  I can’t wait for someone to visit so I can take them!

I ordered a latte before the sandwich, I’ve never had one with artistic foam!!  Love it.

After devouring, my friend and I wandered back in the cold.  It was hard to stay outside for too long, our faces would freeze off!!  We managed somehow, and I took her to Boston Common and around downtown Boston.

This is the graveyard where Ben Franklin is buried, cool!

Public Garden.

My friend went back to stay with her other friends here, so I had a chill night in the apartment.  Looks like it’s back to my homemade Mexican food until I can go back home!!  TJ’s Chipotle-Lime Chicken burgers are perfect for a quick Mexican food-fix.

Score!!  I found these in the bottom of the pantry….stale?  Perhaps…delicious?  Of course!!

I ate dinner and spent the night watching The Tudors on my Netflix “instant watch”.  That show is good!!  I mean, definitely not for the younglings (OH my B- she’s 19 now!!  Happy Birthday HG!!)  But it will definitely hold me over until the new Bach next week

Other than that, I’ve just been taking care of errands and organizing my life before school starts.  Lucky for me, it doesn’t start until Jan. 25, but of course I’m already stressed!  This semester I’m taking: Anatomy/Physiology II, Food/Nutrition with lab, and Human Growth/Development (psychology).  It will be tough, but at least I’m done with math!

Question: My roommate and I are trying to decorate our place, without breaking the bank!  We are yearning for some wall decor, i.e. framed pictures/posters/photos.  I was browsing on AllPosters (dot)com, but even the “cheap” framed vintage posters are about $40.  I know so many bloggers/readers out there share my affinity for sparsely-funded decorating, so if you have any ideas…or can paint a really awesome mural ;D  Please feel free to holla at me!!

Hope everyone is having a great week, stay warm, ciao!!

Hey ya’ll!!  So…I made it back to Boston safe and sound   My flight from home left at 8:30 this morning, so I was up bright and early…and got back here at about 5 pm.  Every time I fly, I can’t help but ponder how crazy it is that a huge machine can go into the air, and transport hundreds of people, thousands of miles, in mere hours!??  Isn’t it insane, or am I just a huge geek??  Rhetorical question, thanks

Fun fact:  My pictures at home are rarely in the spot where I actually eat!

My nonny took me to lunch at Ruby’s, just a generic, diner-type restaurant.  It was as delish as I remembered from my childhood!

I got a Gardenburger on a WW bun, avocado, lettuce, tomato.

Momz and I invited my Nonny to dinner for a last little family gathering.

Leftover tamales from a neighbor!  I had about half of one, it wasn’t that good but I cannot turn down Mexican food!

Grilled chicken, mini SP and Brussels sprouts.

For some reason, I have been craving s’mores for dessert!!  (I blame my momz for buying mini-marshmallows )

Microwave s’more with dark chocolate.

I got together with various friends throughout the weekend for coffee, frozen yogurt and dinner dates, so my pictures were really sporadic!  It was so nice to see old friends and catch up on their lives…I mean, via conversation rather than Facebook ;D

I had some nice alone time as well, and went down to the beach for a little bit.

Ahh, no place like home

As much I love home and the people there, I was just as excited to come back to Boston and continue my adventures here!!  Boston is fun, new, exciting, challenging, scary and familiar..all at the same time   Home will always be there for me, and I can’t wait to see what’s to come in Boston: version ‘010! 

I hope all of your lovely New Year’s are off to a great start!

xo

CB

Wow!  I was really touched by your sweet comments and welcome back to blogging   I didn’t know if I should expect cricket chirps if I posted again!

It rained ever so slightly in the past 2 days…OH man, nothing compared to Boston!

On Wednesday night, I went with my mom and stepdad to see Up in the Air, the new George Clooney flick.  It was good, not too long, but a little slow if anything.  There are still so many movies I want to see before I leave: Sherlock Holmes, Avatar, It’s Complicated…I gotta get to work on that!

After the movie, my stepdad kindly drove me to pick up sushi!  I don’t get take out or go out to eat very much in Boston, so it’s basically all I want to do while I’m home

My roommate recently introduced me to the Baked Salmon roll, omg it is soo amazing.  It is so flavorful and rich, I definitely only need one roll to fill up.

I don’t, however, know what the weird, sawdust stuff they put on top is..??

Steamed veggies.

Standard breakfast: oatmeal, granola, banana, PB.

I think we can all agree that there is another Caroline whose food creation, artistry and skill FAR surpass my own!!  She made a faux-BLT the other day, and I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve been thinking about it for the past 3 days   Her secret weapon:  hummus!! 

HBLT with hummus, turkey bacon, lettuce and tomato- so.good.

Popchips on the side courtesy of the wonderful Popchips people, my favorite flavor- bbq!

It was nice to eat at home after going out the past few nights.  I had to make my Last Supper of 09 a good one!!

Grilled chicken, steamed Brussels, SP fries.

Dessert was to-die amazing…Momz and I picked up fancy baked goods from Bristol Farms- a lemon cupcake and triple chocolate cake, I had a third of each…

UM…no words.

I hope you had a festive, fun and safe New Year’s Eve!!  Wee, I can’t believe it’s 2010, so crazy.  I’m so, so happy I have this blog to chronicle all the ups and downs of 2009, as well as all the new friends I’ve made through blogging   Have a good one friends!

xo

CB

Well hello there friends…:D  Remember me!??  Oh I’ve missed you so!!!  Obviously I took an unintentional blog hiatus, I just needed time to focus on my life: personally, academically, emotionally..SOCIALLY!!  It’s hard to balance those various aspects of life, but I had to keep in mind that is IS my life, so I had to close the computer and figure it out.  

School got wicked crazy (HA I love how Boston people say that but I don’t think I’d ever dare say it loud)…so I rolled up my sleeves, dissected some sheep brains, studied my butt off and took a multitude of exams.  I wasn’t done until December 22, and was sooo ready to come home!!!  Last time I left you Boston was getting a crazy storm, unfortunately the same Nor’Easter that ruined poor Mara’s honeymoon!   My mom was scheduled to fly in that same weekend so we could spend the weekend together before flying home for Christmas- then her flight got cancelled, then my stepdad miraculously swung her another one, and amidst my tears and frustration…she made it out!!!!  We had the best time walking around in the snow, enjoying yummy food and a white almost-Christmastime in Boston.  We flew back home to CA last Wednesday morning, just in time for Christmas

Luckily in Boston I get to take full advantage of a cute winter wardrobe!  I think I sent this picture into my girl for her scarves/boots post  

Needless to say, I add (literally) 6 more layers before I head out the door!

My roomie and I also had a Christmas party- Ugly Sweater to be specific, with our girlfriends before we left.

We had an amazing spread of food- keeping a strict $50 dollar budget might I add!

Complete with some lights and decor…

And party ware I got at Marshall’s!

After a stressful weekend full of finals (thank goodness my momz came out!)

I came home to this little gem

And the joys of A) having a blender, and B) 68 degree weather!!!!  Smoothies are not even on the radar in Boston, let me tell ya…

Gotta rep my Boston love for all the haters out here in LA ;D

We also celebrated my Nonny’s birthday on Christmas Eve!!

I love her soo much, so happy I get to see her over the holiday

All in all, I’ve been having a blast at home.  I appreciate the time I get to spend with my friends and family a lot more, now that I know it’s a limited engagement.  I absolutely adore being in Boston and the friends I have out there, but this will most definitely always be home to me.

Thank you all so much for your kind words, love, support and friendship throughout the last year!  I can’t even believe the changes I’ve experienced since I started blogging, and my break was definitely a signal of change, rather than the END!!  I love you guys, and I’m glad to see you all endured another fun, healthy and safe holiday   I’ll be back, I swear!

XoXo

CB

Hi friends!!  So, I officially survived my first snowfall here in Boston!!  It was actually really fun, my roommate and I were peering out the window like little kids…we couldn’t believe it was really finally snowing!  You should have seen me trying to go out and walk around, I was slipping and sliding, arms flailing…I looked like Bambi learning how to walk….

I had a pretty mellow weekend, with my main plan being to visit my best friend’s mom…who was visiting her family in Plymouth, which is about an hour train ride away from me.  I love love taking the train…it’s so easy and convenient!

The train was nearly empty, so I took pictures + finished my math homework- yesss….

Her brother just bought his first house- isn’t it cute!?  I am in love with New England style houses, they are so classic and quaint…especially when they’re decorated for the holidays.  It was so nice to just hang out at a cozy house, instead of just being in the city!

She took me to lunch at this amazing restaurant in Plymouth, right on the water.

We split an appetizer of mussels- I recently discovered my love for them   Except these were super spicy, there was a huge pepper right in the middle of the plate!! Not my style…

For lunch, I had possibly the best salad of my life!! 

Grilled salmon, goat cheese, walnuts, cranberries and lemon-poppyseed dressing.

After lunch we headed out so she could show me the town.  It.was.FREEZING. by the water!!

Nonetheless, I struck my best “Pilgrim-arriving at Plymouth Rock-pose”….:D

The Mayflower!!  (for my non-U.S. peeps- this town is where the “first” settlers in America landed and set up a city, so it’s an important place in American history!)

Plymouth Rock!!  LOL it is this tiny, little weeny of a rock- not quite the historic cliff side that I had in my imagination….

This is me and my friend’s mom with her little grand-nephew   Seriously, one of the best weekends in Boston so far.  I was really happy to get out of the city and enjoy the scenery outside Boston.  All my friends here told me it’s not Christmas without the white stuff, so it looks like it’s finally here!!

Have a great week friends, it seems like the weather is crazy everywhere- so be safe out there!!

Well hello my friends!  Happy Thanksgiving (a little late!!)  I had a great time reading all of your Thanksgiving extravaganza’s, and seeing all of your delicious feasts!  How bummed were you when that 4-day weekend was over??

Honestly…I was a little down that whole week, since I was unable to head home for Turkey Day- so it was pretty hard.  I didn’t think it would be a big deal to stay here, airfare was sooo $$, so I didn’t plan on going home.  Then, the actual day came…and I called my momz bawling that I wanted to be home   We shed some tearz together, decided we wouldn’t spend T-day apart again, and then both had a great day!

My roomies mom came to town, so it wasn’t like we were alone at all.  We ended up having the best day, lounged around, got Starbucks, and went out to the.most.amazing.meal at Sel de la Terre.  We decided that it would be fun to go out instead of cooking, and Boston is such a tourist-town, that tons of places are open on Thanksgiving with special pre-set menus.  You know I looked at the menu 50 times that week deciding what to get… ;D

Course 1:  Salad with shaved gouda, roasted delicata squash, raisins, fennel and pumpkin seeds

Course 2:  Who needs turk when you can have salmon!!  OMG this was possibly the best I’ve ever had…on top of roasted root veggies and parsnip puree.

Side:  Truffled mac n’ cheese.  Amaze.

Dessert:  Pumpkin pie, of course!!

Honestly this place was so amazing!!  I highly recommend it if you are in Boston, I can’t wait to go back.  It was really fun to go out to dinner for Thanksgiving, I mean, great food, no prep, no dishes= perfection!  It was nice and cozy inside, and actually way more crowded than I had expected. 

On Sunday, my roommate’s mom treated her and I to The Nutcracker!  This was the highlight of my weekend   It was performed by the Boston Ballet at the Opera House.  I used to perform in the Nutcracker every year of my childhood as I’m sure every young dancer did, so this was total nostalgia and absolutely gorgeous.

After Thanksgiving…it’s obviously- Christmastime!!!  So my roomie and I got to work on our tree

It’s a little guy, perfect size for our place.  I loooove Christmas and all the decor that comes with it, and I can’t head home until Dec. 22nd, so I’m glad our place will have some Christmas cheer for the whole month!

I hope you all had a great holiday weekend, and I apologize for being so MIA!  I’m finally on the downhill slope of a stressful two weeks, thank goodness!….Loves you all

CB

Ohhh you guys!!  I should have known I could count on you to perk me right up   Honestly though, I know so many of us are experiencing similar frustrations, and have experienced them…AND are super awesome and inspire me to NEVER stop learning! (seriously, this lady’s got mad letta’s after her name )  It is really helpful for an anxiety-laden person like myself to relate to and connect with supportive people who give great advice.  Blogging= perfecto…

I was back in the game at school today, at least all the work distracts me from any discouragement!?

Also, a delicious breakfast works wonders

Kashi waffles with LC, jam, egg whites and turkey bacon!! YUM.

Lunch: Turkey-pita sandwich.

My roommate and I hit up Starbucks about once or twice a week to study…I always hit up the usual skim latte, like always forever.

UNTIL…I just tried the Coffee Light Frappuccino on a whim- O.M.G.  In love!!!  It’s really refreshing and light, a good change from my usual!

We came home in the mood for some good eats- every night we say, “Ughhh I’m sick of all our food.”  I hate that!

So we bought a half-lb. of shrimp, jarred pesto and WW penne, cooked it all up with EVOO and cherry tomatoes + steamed broccoli.

Oh man, we were in heaven!  It’s amazing what a few spices/sauce/pizazz can do to jazz up a meal.  Yea my place setting did not change all day, it’s cool

IMe and the roomz- matchy rings!!  Love her.

Thank you all so much again for your support, I need to remember life is a journey, NOT a destination!!  Lol, hmm maybe I should plaster inspirational quotes all over my room??  Hope you all had a great weekend and are gearing up for another good one soon!

Ciao,

CB