As I mentioned yesterday, we left bright and early (6:30 to be exact) to head back to LA. And as painful as it was to get up at 5 to work out before hitting the road, it turned out to be WELL WORTH it.
That’s the scene we avoided (source).
The grapevine was snowing the entire time we were driving through, and just after we made it out, highway patrol blocked it off. Our friends were just a couple of hours behind us and had to be re-routed to the 101. And they were the “lucky” ones! 30 miles of the I-5 were closed for 23 hours and many many cars (that weren’t able to turn around to find an alternate route) were simply stranded in the traffic overnight. Some people ditched their cars to find a motel (apparently the 7-11 nearby was hit up in a major way), but some people had to sleep in their cars for the night, occasionally turning on the engine to prevent them from freezing. Holy crap we were lucky!!!
It’s open now, but I think the snow is supposed to return later tonight. Yikes. I thought I moved to Southern California to get away from the snow? Maybe our next car will have four wheel drive.
Kyle and I went to WF for dinner and to stock up on groceries for the week.
Golden beets, kale, snap peas, and tofu. The marinade for the tofu included green onions, no oil balsamic, wasabi and basil. I was apprehensive about the basil in this dish. It sounded odd to me. But then I tried a sample in the store and liked it, so I decided to give it a shot. I liked it, but it wasn’t as good as most of Whole Foods’ other dishes. The lack of oil made the tofu a bit dry and other than the beets (which I loved), the rest of the ingredients were pretty bland. Plus, every once in a while I got a bite with a big chunk of basil and that wasn’t so great.
I also had seitan and butternut squash fries, though, which were both stellar.
Sliced into fry shapes, sprayed with PAM, and baked on 375 for 35 minutes (with 45 seconds of broil at the very end to give them a crispy exterior).
Yummmmm.
Followed by an incredible dessert of PB/carob chip toast.
And now I’m preparing to return to my real life – complete with job, responsibility, and the likes. Bummer. I suppose it had to come eventually.
P.S. Thanks to everyone’s encouraging and uplifting responses to my last post. You never cease to impress me with your overwhelming support. I love the optimism and positivity these kinds of posts create for the IBS community. And if you haven’t entered the giveaway you still have time.
You are lucky! My parents were going to try to make it to Stockton yesterday, but had to stop just outside of Valencia – they chose to stop because of the snow, which was a good thing since they closed the highway shortly after. Crazy! They only made it to Sacramento today by taking an alternate route. They have a long day tomorrow, but will be in Oregon by the end of the day!
this is the second time i’ve heard about the “broil for crispy sweet potato fries” tip. how come i never knew?!?
oh i love using the broiler! definitely give it a try. since its on the top, it makes your food golden and crispy. but just be careful because different ovens vary. my nyc oven could broil taters for a few minutes, but my oven now takes like 60 seconds and after that its seconds away from burning down the house (or worse, charring my food).
i gotta put pam on mine next time! they werent crispy las time I made them.. so pam will do the trick it seems!
butternut squash fries 🙂 I’ll be making some soon!
WF is awesome for pre-made meals. It can be expensive, like the price of going out to eat at a restaurant but it’s so goooood! I like the “chicken” curry (made from non-GMO soy).
Hey Elise!
I was just wondering..
Do butternut squash fries come out somewhat sweet?
Also, what taste difference is there between carob and regular unsweetened chocolate chips?
Yes, the butternut fries are pretty sweet. As for the taste difference between carob and chocolate…hmmm…it’s hard to describe. They don’t taste similar really. Carob is sweeter. I don’t really like chocolate as much, so it’s been a while since I’ve had it, but I think chocolate is more bitter. I prefer the sweetness of carob.
i love that curry “chiken” too – they make it from gardein “meat” so i really think i should try and make it myself.