Good morning!
Last night was filled with email catch-up, unpacking, laundry, and finally the most recent Lie To Me episode! A nice mixture of work and play.
I realized that I forgot to show you a few of my favourite pictures of the trip! These pictures were taken by Eric on Friday night when he went out to explore the city.
I forgot to mention, but the Congress Hotel that we stayed at is supposedly haunted! I will verify that while I am not a ghost believer, I did hear the ghosts on Saturday night at 2am. It wasn’t pretty.
The gorgeous fountain near the hotel is below. At night they play classical music and the fountain changes colour according to the song. Eric and I went there one night and just sat by the bench and it was so romantic.
I love this picture below so much. It looks straight out of a movie or something.
And now for my first homemade breakfast in a week. I was waiting for this moment to get back in my kitchen. Nothing beats it. I can’t wait to start creating recipes again.
Eric was looking forward to his beloved Nature’s Path Raisin Bran cereal too! :) He has already had it twice since we got home. He says it is his ‘comfort food’, lol.
First things first, we lost an hour of sleep last night with the time change, so I needed to pull out all the stops today.
Meet my newest tea love:
This would be Samurai Chai Mate loose leaf tea from Teaopia. It tastes SO good. It basically tastes like Fall in a cup. A bit spicy, a bit cinnamon flavoured, and super comforting. I know you probably don’t want to hear the word Fall right now, but trust me when I say this is the perfect Fall tea. No sweetener or milk is required for it to taste amazing either.
The salesman told me that it has as much caffeine as coffee! I knew this would be a perfect tea for those mornings when I need an extra boost.
I definitely had tons of energy after drinking a cup! I am almost bouncing off the walls- but in a good way. ;)
I chose Pumpkin Pie Vegan Overnight Oats for the first breakfast at home. (PS- I have now added this recipe on my Recipes page, sorry I did not put it up last week).
Loved using my new wooden twig spoon from Anthropologie!
I topped the pumpkin VOO with some swag bag food- Barney Butter and cranberries.
Oh Barney, it has been WAY TOO LONG!!!!!!!!!
For some reason, I don’t remember coming across the Barney Butter in Chicago! It is probably best that I don’t have it in the house though….
Work beckons me. I think I am in the hole about 500 Glo bars at this point. Luckily I have the Samurai tea in me today. :)
As my dad always says, ‘Another Day, Another Dollar!’
Today is a ‘rest’ day off exercise for me. I missed my 10 mile long run while I was away on vacation so I am hoping to squeeze it in the next couple days.
Enjoy your day. :)
Those are some awesome pictures Eric captured. I love chicago at night! :D
For some reason the photos do not show up? I am sure they are fantastic though, and hope you have a good day! :)
Those pictures look awesome. :)
It always feels good to be back in your own kitchen after a long vacation.
Those oats look delicious!! I love the way cranberries just make food ‘pop’!! Hope you have a productive day being a busy bee!!
I finished Eat, Love, Pray this weekend and saw the movie last night with a friend who is actually from Italy. I thought the movie did a pretty good job of staying with the book. Bali was where I felt the movie deviated the most, but overall I enjoyed the movie. I think I picked up on little things in the movie because I read the book, but naturally I don’t know if that is really true. Julia Roberts was great! I hope you enjoy it.
Oh wow that fountain is so amazing! Also, nice run. Congrats on that mileage!
Were you able to pick up Pumpkin Butter from TJs? I didn’t see it your stock pile ;)
I don’t mind hearing the word “fall” here. It has been such a long, hot summer that I can’t wait for that cool, crisp air to come!
I love the new fork and spoon. Lovely!
Love those pictures! Haunted hotel is kinda creepy. I totally believe in ghosts so that would really freak me out! I know that feeling of being back in your own kitchen after being away. All your favorite foods and being able to make what you want, when you want it, and how you want it. Eating out is fun but its nice to have some control over your food too!
I really want to try Pumpkin Pie Oats but I can’t find canned pumpkin anywhere this time of the year. Yours looks SO good though. I’ll keep looking but I think I might need to wait a bit more until it’s the right season.
Good luck on your Glo Bars!
love that cup mug!
I love coming back from vacation and settling back into my normal routine. And then I constantly flip through my pictures feeling depressed. Story of my summer.
Gorgeous pictures of the city! Those oats look delicious- they are a must-try!
Um, so I’m drooling over that breakfast. :) and I love the spoon! I know you showed them earlier, but it looks super cool when put to use!
oooh that tea sounds perfect for those mornings when you need an extra ‘pick me up’ :)
You need to tell us your spooky stories! I love hearing about ghostly encounters (that others have, haha).
What’s Barney Butter?
Oh, today I made THREE of your recipes (with a few changes, b/c I can never just let a recipe “be”): healthy spelt chocolate cake, crackers, and “energize me” fruit dip….wow, they are all so yummy! :)
Love that twig spoon! Super cute- and the oats look tasty… as always! ;)
The congress hotel looks beautiful, such great pictures and colors. Fun!
Enjoy being back in the kitchen and back to your own tasty food.
Hi Angela! Just wanted to say, I really enjoy reading your blog. I’m not vegan, or even vegetarian, but I love your energy. It seems like you really try to make the most out of life. I have a side question also – have you reached the point with your bakery where it’s a genuine viable business? Have you started seeing profits yet? I just ask because I know a lot of small businesses take several years to start breaking even.