Wedding, Beach & Tennis

What a weekend.

It all started with a Friday wedding.

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Ok, actually it all started with a really awesome breakfast.

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Oats topped in a perfectly fried egg and avocado.

Kyle came home from work early, so I got to eat lunch with him, which was a nice change in routine.

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I had Amy’s golden lentil soup.  It was stellar!  I have already gone to the store to get another can, that’s how much I loved it.  I think this is now the best Amy’s soup I’ve ever tried.

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On the side I had carrots and hummus.

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I got a shipment of Sabra hummus a few days ago.  And by shipment I mean SHIPMENT!!!  Holy crap did they ever hook me up.  I have enough guacamole, hummus, salsa, and yogurt dip to last me until 2013.  But, since it’s me, it’ll probably only last me until next month.  We shall see…

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The wedding had hummus too!  The apps included pita chips (Stacy’s!! love!!), hummus, veggies, and three kinds of hummus.

I knew the guy who was planning the food, so he clearly had my vegan interests in the back of his mind.  So nice awesome to have options.  There were skewers with tomatoes and mozzarella as well as pesto shrimp that people really seemed to enjoy too.

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Couple shot.

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The dinner was buffet style…veggie highlights included the massive spinach salad and the curry vegetables.

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Even labeled as vegan!  The “spicy” rating deterred me at first, but I’m glad I still took a decent amount because it was delicious!  The perfect level of heat.

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The appetizers were still out, so I grabbed more veggies and hummus too. 🙂

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As you can see there was also a rice dish that was made with black beans and coconut milk.  It was soft and creamy – complementing the veggies so well.

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After the speeches and dances, it was time for dessert.

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Can you tell what this line-up is about??  Probably not (no thanks to my shoddy iPhone camera work).

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Menchie’s!!!  They had tons of flavors – red velvet, grasshopper, chocolate, vanilla, swirl, sorbet, etc.  And then a whole line up of toppings – berries, candy bars, sprinkles, etc.

So cool! Definitely better than cake in my opinion.  And seemingly everyone else’s too – it was a MAD rush for the fro yo!  Kyle and I split it, although I only had a few bites.  The portions were monstrous.  I felt bad because it seemed like a lot went to waste.

We danced well into the night, then walked home to see the final bit of the opening ceremony.

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I snacked on these addicting little buggers before passing out.  Lesser Evil veggie krinkle sticks taste like a combo of veggie chips and pop chips and snapeas.  They are totally delicious.  I made the mistake of letting Kyle sample them and he quickly took over.

The best part is the stats.  They are made with real veggies (like spinach, broccoli, potato, & corn) as well as whole grains (like wheat, barley, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, and white corn).  Totally awesome.

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The next day we got up early (who knows why) to get some stuff done in the morning.

I had toast with Earth Balance – the last of my home-made loaf.  I’ll have to make more soon.

[For those who keep asking I use a Sunbeam breadmaker and I love it.  I make the basic whole wheat loaves all the time and they turn out fantastic.  I haven’t had the same kind of success with my gluten free loaves though.]

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For lunch I grabbed a vegan pizza from the co-op (since we were doing our weekly grocery run anyway).

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The carrots on the side made it a little more well rounded.  I had 3 of the 4 slices.

After lunch we met up with our amigos to rehash the previous night.

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We lounged on the beach for a few hours.  The boys played football (which is apparently illegal now) while the girls chatted and watched a lifeguard rescue mission (successful).

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We all went home to shower and then re-convened for dinner in Westwood.

Kyle has been to The Glendon before, but this was my first trip.

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We got a few drinks and a few starters.  I had a few of the garlic fries (I picked the garlic free ones).

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Left: my Healing Hippy salad with kale, spinach, grilled corn, cherry tomatoes, almonds, balsamic dijon vinaigrette.  I added avocado after I saw how badly it needed an ingredient boost.

Right: Kyle’s vegetarian pizza.

We watched the Olympics, got more drinks, and eventually headed back to a friend’s apartment to continue the Olympics viewing.

By the time I got home I was hungry again (that salad wasn’t the most filling), so I had the last slice of my vegan pizza.  And then hit the hay.

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The next morning was another early one.  What’s with me not being able to sleep in?

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Toast, fried eggs, iced tea with almond milk.

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Then we headed to UCLA for the Farmer’s Classic tennis finals.  It was home-town stud Querrey vs. a random dude from Lithuania named Berankis.

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We grabbed lunch at Whole Foods first.  A veggie sando with soy cheese, avo mustard, vegenaise, cucumber, tomato, & lettuce.  Plus Kettle’s (new) organic sea salt krinkle chips.

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The sandwich was delish.   I liked the chips okay, but I prefer the salt & vinegar ones (as well as the salt & pepper ones).

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Our seats were supposed to be in the 12th row, but we got upgraded to the 4th row once they saw Kyle in his UCLA Anderson shirt.  It pays to be an alum!

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It was SOOO hot.  I was covered from head to toe in sunscreen, but I was still sweating like Ms. Lohan in court.  Kyle forgot to apply sunscreen anywhere but his face, which meant he looked like this for much of the match.

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Sweet.

After Sam Querrey dominated, it was time for the doubles final.  That was much more fun because it was really close and exciting.

For dinner we went to my cousin’s house for dinner.

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She had made vegan (and gluten free) mac ‘n cheese with quinoa pasta and Daiya cheese.  Am I spoiled or WHAT!?!?!

It was delicious, and I even got to take home the leftovers. 🙂

We also had carrot cake for dessert – mine was separate with it’s own non-dairy frosting.  Heaven.

And that’s how the weekend went down!  Phew!

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Comments (36)

  1. Abby

    Hands down that’s the best wedding food I’ve ever seen. Seriously. I need new friends.

    And if I had access to a co-op or Whole Foods or those vegan restaurants you do, I would be broke (but extremely satisfied.) You get mad props from restraint 😉

  2. Jessie

    What a fun and such a non-traditional but awesome looking wedding. Love that they had frozen yogurt instead of the usual cake. Looks like y’all had such a great weekend with delicous meals. It’s so wonderful that your able to find so many GF meals around you, and your family doesn’t mind working around it. Too sweet.

    Have a great day girl!

  3. Jill in Chicago

    Ooh, that Amy’s soup does look awesome — I’ll have to try it. And what an awesome idea for fro-yo instead of wedding cake! I’m not engaged but I’m filing that idea away 🙂

    The Whole Foods Veggie sandwich looks good too — I’m not sure our WF has those but I’ll be on the lookout!

  4. Katie @ Peace Love & Oats

    um awesome weekend! I have to say I’m jealous! Haha I was sick half my weekend. And Menchies at a wedding?!?!? Sign me up!

  5. Elise (Post author)

    im semi-broke 🙂

  6. Elise (Post author)

    so clever right?

    my family is so great to me 🙂

  7. Elise (Post author)

    i know right????

  8. Elise (Post author)

    i had it made to order at the sandwich station/deli. its next to the burrito area/pizza ovens/sushi in our whole foods.

  9. Caralyn @ glutenfreehappytummy

    what a fun weekend! that wedding looks like it was a blast — and i LOVE the fro-yo bar! how creative!

  10. Lisa

    Holy hummus, that is amazing! I’m a little jealous of your weekend and food, it all looks awesome!!
    That is the best wedding eats I’ve ever seen!

  11. Brigid

    We were at UCLA on Sunday to go to the Fowler Museum. I thought the weather was beautiful. It was 109 in my hometown that day, so I guess it’s all relative.

  12. Elise (Post author)

    we must had just missed you! we walked over near the fowler museum…did you see all the lawn blocked off for real madrid?? i was hoping they’d come out before we headed to my cousin’s for dinner, but no such luck. it was definitely a nice day. im used to the santa monica coastal weather though, so any time i go inland (even just to westwood) its still so much warmer without that sea breeze.

  13. BroccoliHut

    Frozen yogurt at a wedding?? Genius! I’m taking notes…

  14. Emily

    What a fun-filled weekend you two had!
    That has to be the best wedding food I’ve seen…well, ever! I never would have thought to serve froyo as a wedding dessert, but it’s brilliant! Especially since they were able to offer dairy-free options as well. I’m definitely going to remember that if (and when) I ever get married.
    And I’m beyond jealous of your hummus haul. My addiction is out of control. Mmm…enjoy! <3

  15. Hannah

    Oh my holy bucket, a froyo bar at a wedding?! I can’t even get froyo in Canberra!

    Which no longer matters because in 24 hours I’ll be on the plane to America and KRINKLE STICKS hurrah!

  16. Courtney

    I was going to ask you–do you get *Free* hummus from sabra now!? Like, they mail you free hummus!?? Totally my version of heaven…

    Courtney

  17. llya Welfeld

    Sometimes I just wish you were in my kitchen – living there – cooking for me. Where is that genie bottle?

  18. Elise (Post author)

    well….i hate to toot my own horn but the food at my wedding was the best ive ever had, period. 🙂

    http://www.hungryhungryhippie.com/husband-and-wife-part%C2%A03/
    (i had my own tofu and quinoa dish AND vegan cupcake – not bad right?)

  19. Elise (Post author)

    totally 🙂

  20. Emily

    Okay, you’re definitely right. The food at your wedding trumps anything I’ve ever seen! Not to mention, you looked absolutely gorgeous.
    If my wedding cake isn’t vegan, you can bet I’ll be stealing your cupcake idea. There’s no way I’m skipping dessert on my wedding day!

  21. Courtney

    OMG! Forget Whole Foods…your house is where its at, lol 🙂

  22. elaine c.

    why is it illegal to play football on the beach?
    that cheese pizza always looks SO good every time you post it!

  23. ethel

    LOVE ALL OF THIS!!! And quite honestly a little jeal. hehe.

    but the real question is, where did you get that bag of Lesser Evil? You know how I LOVE my snapeas….Mmmmm…I could eat them until my stomach hurt.

  24. Elise (Post author)

    i have no idea – its a new rule – i suppose too many people were getting hit with balls?? its a seasonal rule so i think it ends once the summer is over. still a lame rule though…

  25. Elise (Post author)

    🙂

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  27. Brigid

    Yeah, we did. When my husband found out it was for Real Madrid, we had to spend about 45 minutes standing outside hoping to catch a glimpse of them. We did — when they rode by on golf carts. Ha. That was my first trip to the UCLA campus, but it’s *gorgeous*. I am trying to convince my 16-year-old brother that he needs to attend college there.

  28. jess

    ok, first, egg and avocado on oatmeal? you never cease to amaze me with what you put on your oatmeal. i shouldn’t be surprised…

    second, love the dress you wore to the wedding. you look good in one shoulder dresses. and your cans look huge. must be the horizontal stripes.

    third, when i first skimmed this post and saw all the pictures of food, i thought that you ate all that food in one day. then i went back and reread and realized it was three days. but let’s be honest, you could have eaten all of that in three days.

    miss you. love you. xoxo

  29. Elise (Post author)

    dude, savory oats will blow your mind…just think of them as another carb vehcile to get the good stuff to your mouth. i have definitely gotten oats and earth balance wasted…

    my boobs wouldnt fit in ANY OTHER DRESS. so thats why i was wearing that one…but im glad you like the stripes 🙂

    and yes, obvs i could take this all down in a day but im trying to be more responsible now. exercise is (dare i say it) making a comeback. i dont wanna jinx it though.

  30. Elise (Post author)

    from the company 😉 ill see where you can find them in stores…

  31. Elise (Post author)

    yes!! he does. i mean im a little biased, but its a great school 🙂

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  33. Peggy

    We had an ice cream bar at our wedding and it was definitely a hit! Cold treats are always better than cake, in my opinion =) Sounds like you guys had a fun weekend!

  34. Elise (Post author)

    seriously, thats so freakin cool. i love creative and different things like that. i wish i’d had a hummus bar at my wedding, haha.

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