When I was a child, I only wanted to wear my two favourite outfits.
One of them was a neon pink and green spandex short and tank top combo and the other was a neon pink polka dot legging/skirt and t-shirt combo. Might I add, accessorized with a scrunchie, snap-on bracelet, and HIGH TOP kicks. I’ve always been pretty fashion forward. I bet my mom is laughing right now because she spent so many mornings trying to convince me that I couldn’t just wear the same thing everyday.
I guess I still don’t believe her, as I look down at the jeans I’ve been wearing for the past two weeks straight. :)
[Check out that pose]
I also go on major kicks with food. In 2009 and 2010, I ate so many Mary’s Crackers, now I can’t even bring myself to look at them. I’ve also had so much chocolate, I didn’t touch it for months.
Wait, that didn’t happen….obviously.
Anyways, here are the foods I’m loving lately. Ask me again in a month, and I’ll probably want nothing to do with them.
#1 Grapefruit
They’re incredibly juicy, healthy, flavourful, and in season to boot. Now is the time to give them another shot if you’ve been on the fence. Try the Rose or Ruby varieties- they tend to have a nice balance of sweet and tart flavours. I find the right grapefruit doesn’t need any sweetener!
Last weekend, I ate 3 grapefruit in the span of one day…it was glorious, if not mildly insane. I had juice all over my face like a 2 year old. Did I mention I used to hate grapefruit?
#2 Rawtella
Step aside Nutella, there is a new spread in town. A couple weekends ago, I had my first experience visiting Organic Garage. I laughed, I cried (over the bill mostly), and I stalked every inch of the store with a fine tooth comb. Let’s just say I’ll never be the same again.
Especially, after trying out this little gem…
Picture with me for a moment Nutella with a rich, deep coffee flavour. Only this kind is vegan and raw, made with organic raw hazelnuts, organic raw cacao nibs, coffee beans, raw coconut sugar.
As you can see it is now empty. :\
Please keep me away from Organic Garage. It’s clearly dangerous.
#3 Fresh Rosemary
Remember last summer when I told you that my outdoor potted rosemary plant was dying a slow, horrible death, despite my best intentions (read: over-watering and then neglecting for 2 months). I totally gave up on the plant by October and moved it into the garage for storage.
Well, you can imagine my surprise when I went into the garage last weekend and a friend pointed out that my rosemary plant was growing!!
IT’S ALIIIIIIIIIVEEEE! OH IT’S ALIIIVEEEEEE.
All it needed was a window in the garage and a bit of moisture from the air. Who knew?
Mind you, the parsley on the other hand, is not so low maintenance…it weeps for a better gardener.
I’ve been on a huge rosemary kick with my recipes lately, including this savoury nut butter that I made for the cookbook:
Oh man am I excited to share this recipe with you! It’s inspired by my favourite savoury spiced nut mix….and easily one of the best nut butters I’ve tasted in all my years.
I also made a luxurious vanilla macadamia-almond nut butter, that will blow your mind.
#4 Five Seed Rosemary and Garlic Crackers
Sticking with the rosemary theme, this box of crackers didn’t last more than a day or two in this house. They are like a corn chip in cracker form filled with goodies like flax, hemp, and sesame seeds.
#5 Millet
I’m using it in everything these days. That is, when I’m not burning it to a black crisp or over-cooking it, which is about every third attempt. Note to self: Find and buy a clip-on timer. Someone mentioned in the comments that I need a clip-on timer like they use in science labs. Where can I find one of these little gems?
#6 White Linen Collection Marinara Sauce
I’m so obsessed with this sauce, I contemplated dedicating an entire post to it. Kristi first introduced this sauce to me a year or two ago and I fell head over heels for this stuff. Then our Costco membership expired and I went without it for a year. Costco is now back in our lives and so is this magnificent sauce. I buy 5 bottles at a time when we go…not even joking! I’d tell you what foods it goes good with, but the easiest thing thing to tell you is what foods it doesn’t go good with.
Nothing.
Well, maybe grapefruit.
I was at Costco the other week and a lady was loading up her cart with this sauce. She said to me, “Have you tried this marinara sauce before?? It’s the BEST marinara I’ve ever tried! All of my Italian relatives buy it because it tastes so authentic.”
We were instantly best friends and then we stacked the bottles into our carts like crazy people.
As soon as tomato season hits, I’m going to try my best to replicate this sauce. Although, I’m not sure how close I will come as they use Italian tomatoes…
#7 Vanilla Beans….the cheaper way!
To those of you who told me that I can find vanilla beans at Costco for cheap…you will forever hold a special place in my heart.
You get about 10 beans for $15 here in Canada (I read they are $12 in the US!), which is the cheapest I’ve ever seen them. Best of all they are great quality and so far, nice and fresh.
[image source: The Kitchn]
Also note, thanks to a few readers, you can buy 54 vanilla beans on Amazon for $27!! However, I just found out they don’t ship to Canada.
As many of you have already noticed, I finally created my new winter header, just 18 days shy of spring! Miracles do happen. The real miracle will be if this thing isn’t still up by Labour Day. By the way, press control + F5 to refresh your page if you can’t see the new header.
Who says winter is only dark and gloomy?
True story: I almost pulled my groin while doing this photoshoot outside yesterday. The deck was covered in snow and I slipped while moving my tripod. Groin almost pulled. Thankfully it wasn’t, because I have a 5km race on Sunday! woot woot :)
Now tell me, what foods are YOU obsessing over lately? Spill the beans.








My rosemary plant just kicked the bucket this past month. I was really hoping it would’ve pulled through to spring but no such luck. too bad b/c I love that stuff.
Grapefruits are also a recent obsession over here along with making my own nut butters. I got a legit food processor for Christmas and have been loving playing around with the different kinds of butters I can now make and more importantly, not having to pay $8-9 for it!
i love this header! it’s march, but it snowed a TON here yesterday (new england) and i was in need of a lovely winter fruit and veg photo like that. thank you! also, i’m now sad that i threw away my rosemary tree- i was so happy to have it, and then i was sure i totally killed it. it was seriously dead. so i threw it out, believing that i just don’t have enough light in my house to keep it alive. i shouldn’t have been so quick! i’m so glad yours is proving us all wrong!
LOVE the new headers!!!!!! LOVe the persimmon!
my current favorite is amaranth :D and coconut butter
love the new header, and i got extremely cheap vanilla beans here – http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CPZSC8
about 54 beans for 27 dollars (before shipping). that’s like 55 cents a bean! the quality is the same as ones i’ve bought at whole foods. i’ve vacuum sealed them to keep them fresh.
i just checked and shipping is free! woohoo!
These all look delicious!! Have you thought about a rice cooker for your millet? I haven’t tried millet in mine yet, but it’s the only way I do rice & quinoa! Mine has a steamer basket so you I can shorten my cooking time. I can’t wait to try your mushroom & millet recipe! I’ve already converted my husband from frozen cardboard veggie burgers to yours!
My current obsessions are barley, butternut squash, coconut oil, arugula, parsley (which I used to hate!), chipotle peppers and the sauce they come in, and corn tortillas. Kind of random- haha!
YUM! Beautiful pictures of the veggies in the snow! I am so similar to you as far as eating habits go-I definitely cycle through foods and go through mini “addictions” as I call them. Good thing I’m obsessed with eating sweet potatoes, popcorn, carrot sticks, and pumpkin!
I’m dying to get my hands on that rawtella – sounds divine! I don’t like grapefruits, but I am really craving grapefruit juice for some reason. I really need to get myself a juicer!
Current flavor obsession: blueberry + pistachio. At the rate I’ve been eating through bags of frozen blueberries, I’m surprised my teeth haven’t been permanently stained blue! The rosemary made me think back to my childhood in Maine. Just before the first frost, the hardy rosemary would get moved to an enclosed porch. If my memory serves me well, I’m sure your garage smells fantastic!! Enjoy:)
Hi – love your site. Regarding the clip-on timer, you can get one at Lee Valley Tools (www.leevalley.com). It has both a clip-on feature and a magnet, so you can stick it on either way. Very useful!
http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?p=66570&cat=2,40733,44734
Thanks Kate, love lee valley
Ha! I eat the same foods over and over too! I ate hummus every day for a year and a half straight and now I can’t even think about eating the stuff! Which is so sad cuz it’s so good! :(
Great list! You can tell yourself that it took you that long to get to your new header because you were waiting for snow… it has been a very dry winter in Toronto and I am quite sad I didn’t take out my snowshoes at all! :( Not sure where to get the medical grade timers, but I bought mine from Homesense and love it. It is a bit snazzy because it also includes a thermometer I never use (but if I did meat or candies again, I am all set, hehe). ;)
I tried nut butters just after I began eating a vegan diet and hated them. Haven’t tried them since, except peanut butter, and I wasn’t a fan of that either. I’ve always like nutella, though, so maybe hazelnut butter would suit my picky taste buds?
Must try grapefruits, as well. I hate acid/sour foods, so I’ve always avoided them, but maybe it’s time for change.
I am obsessed with kale at the moment. I put it in just about everything, and since I’ve discovered green smoothies I make one almost every single morning.
And chocolate… when am I not obsessed with chocolate???
I used to hate grapefruit and now love it too :)
Also, that Rawtella sounds amazing!!!
I love the new header! I recently made my own nutella, and I have been obsessed with it! The Rawtella looks equally as amazing. Also, obsessed with roasting red peppers and adding them to sandwiches, chili, and pasta sauce. LOVE IT
Great post! I have recently rediscovered grapefruit, also. We have been eating it on weekends. I am not a big fan of citrus fruit because of the white pithy stuff, but I like grapefruit and Cuties (mandarin oranges).
I also have overcooked millet every time I’ve made it.
You should be able to find a clip-on timer in the kitchen accessories section of any store. I used to have one that I got at the grocery store, but it fell off and the clip broke. Do you have a timer function on your cell phone? You could use that, too.
My latest fun find was Mango Butter at Trader Joe’s. I finished the last of my pumpkin butter made from your recipe and needed something else. It’s delicious!
We absolutely love that marinara sauce as well. And in our Costco here, they have put out a Kirkland one just like it, with three bottles on a pack. Can’t remember the price but it’s much cheaper per bottle and identical to the white linen one! I also love that I can get pure vanilla extract for $7 in a HUGE bottle!
Right now peanut butter is my thing! And creating everything from scratch!
I am with you on the rosemary – I can’t get enough! that a fresh thyme. I think I’ll go make some nut butter with it right now, actually…
My new addition is also a major obsession – I finally got a Vitamix! Smoothies reached a whole new level this week. :)
I’ve also been eating my weight in grapefruit lately! I can’t seem to get enough avocado (I know, I know…totally out of season but I loooove it), and I also stumbled upon a recipe for roasted beets with tahini sauce that are aaammmmmaaaaazzziing!
Beets & Tahini sauce?? Please share!! Omg! Love me some beet!!
This is where the recipe came from:
http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-tahini-beets-140777
I obsess over vegan cooking blogs, clearly. :) I recently “re-tried” grapefruit and my husband and I can’t get enough of it either! He told me he had to stop himself from having 3 of them the other day too. I also can’t seem to add enough hot sauce to things lately. Any recommendations on one that you love?