Almond Butter

I think potlucks are one of the best things in the whole wide world!

Yesterday, my friends and I had a little get together and we each brought something to eat!
Here's a list of the dEEEE lish uhs food!

hors d'oeuvres: artichoke hearts and parmesan on toasted baguettes

• saffron rice with chicken roasted almonds, fried onions, and barberries with pita at the bottom (which was crispy and glorious!). Yogurt to top it!

• an amazing huge bowl of my favorite...FRUIT!

• tomato basil pasta with some garlic (i think next time, I will use angel hair pasta. this the time, the noodles were sort of...heavy-ish!)

• the best quinoa EVER with a guacamole-ish garnish (wanted to take some home so badly but did not want to borrow tupperware hehe)

• salad with tomatoes and kidney beans (I made this dressing with oranges--from my backyard!-- and olive oil...the recipe called for lemons. i used all the lemons on the tree...sooooooooo oranges were next!)
• carne asada fries
• rolls
  
• chocolate cake

whoa. HUGE list i know! but everything was so wonderful!
now. about the carne asada fries.
they looked so.good!
but, sadly, i did not eat them.
some of my friends know this about me, but i do not eat red meat!

so let me tell you the story...
my dad and i have extremely sensitive stomachs/digestive systems.
my mother often teases him about it and tells him a man should be able to eat anything and everything rawr!
hehe

i guess we just don't digest it well...
BUT we are having many discussions about what may lie at the foundation of this toilet problem.
currently, we think it's not just
red meat
but oily foods that sit heavy in the stomach
in general!

we both think we're on to something here.
my family...we never really ever ate fast food.
ordering of the pizza from pizza hut?
rare.

i guess another thing is that the asian diet is generally pretty healthy!
so when we eat something that we're not used to, we are a sprintin' to the porcelain throne!
gross, i know.
but it's a major factor of why i eat the way i do! (although i had to come to this conclusion with the help of my dad haha
BECAUSE i love the food i eat; i never thought of it as "oh, i eat this because i have to."
or "i have to eat this--it's my second choice though. i'd rather have a hot dog."
nope!
i would much rather have a fresh tasty beet with some cod! and fresh chives from my uncle's garden!

also.
to clarify: i am not vegetarian, vegan, or whatever!
i love fish!
chicken!

but the important important important thing is
the way
it
is
prepared!

example: if i had a oily, butter saturated piece of fried salmon,
yes, i'd be sick!

so.
that's just a bit of me!

Yesterday, I made some almond butter--which is sort of dangerous because i eat it on EVERYTHING.

a dollop on my overnight oats...

smeared on my banana with dark chocolate mmmm so good!



chicken, egg and kidney beans with rice! (NOT with my almond butter!)

This morning,
I had
apple chips
apples
cantaloupes
almonds
cashews
toast with eggs
and...


ALMOND BUTTER!

i can eat it straight out the trader joe's applesauce jar i cleaned by boiling!

chicken with a hard boiled egg and kidney beans and rice!

Alright, back to work!