~ summer in january ~

This past Friday I received a pretty blue package in the mail....

My beautiful new Esther Williams bathing suit from Modcloth!  I ripped open the package in the car on the way to rehearsal and then had to wait four hours until I was home and could try it on - it fits like a glove!  I cannot wait until the first beach trip of the summer.

Now if only warm weather was right around the corner....

xoxo,

Eliza

~ living vegan 02 ~

So here it is!  The first recipe in my Living Vegan series...

Tofu, Peas, and Roasted Vegetables

This simple recipe could be a lunch or dinner and it's my favorite quick meal.  Got vegetables?  Got tofu?  Got an oven?  You're pretty much set!

Some vegan cooking basics:

Tofu is one of those things that soaks up any flavor that you marinate it in.  I like to use low sodium soy sauce, garlic, and black pepper, but try anything you like!  Tofu is a good experimental food.

01. Start by preparing the roasted vegetables and preheating the oven to 350 or 375, depending on how hot your oven gets.  I used potatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrots, but you can really use any vegetable that doesn't fall apart when roasted.  Beets, carrots, any kind of potato, brussel sprouts, and asparagus work really well.  

02. cut the vegetables into equally sized chunks, throw them into a good sized roasting pan (large enough so that the veggies aren't crowded), drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on them, add some black pepper, and toss until they're well coated.  

03.  While the oven is preheating, open up a package of firm tofu, drain out the liquid, and slice it into as many pieces as you like (for one person, I usually use two pieces).  Fold a few paper towels over the pieces of tofu and gently press down to squeeze the liquid out.  Now, get a bowl or plate and mix the marinade (no measurements here - just use common sense.  I always accidentally use too much, but save the excess for drizzling over the peas before you eat!), and place the pieces of tofu into it.  Once a few minutes have passed, flip the tofu over to coat the other side and then let them be until you're ready to cook them.

04.  If you are cooking beans or peas to go along with the meal, go ahead and get started on them now!  It's a general rule that store bought beans/peas take a shorter amount of time to cook than if they're homegrown or purchased from a farmer's market.  

05.  When the oven is preheated (and it most likely will be by now) go ahead and stick the roasting pan and veggies in.  I like to let them cook for 10-15 minutes, then toss them with a spatula so they can roast on the other side.

06.  When the roasted veggies are done or close to being done, heat up a pan on the stove (I like to start out on high heat and then turn it down to medium high), and add a bit of light olive oil (too much oil = slippery tofu).  When the pan is heated, place the tofu in it, let the pieces brown on one side and then flip them over.  

Et voila!  When you've fixed your place, take some of that tofu marinade and drizzle it over the peas/bean, and you have a perfect meal!

Try it out and let me know what you think!  And I'd love to hear how you marinate your tofu.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ little things ~

I can't wait until summer.  I know, I know...it's only day three of this semester.  But it also happens to be wickedly cold here, which makes me want 100 degree weather, beach trips, a glass of lemonade with a little umbrella, and adorable bathing suits even more.  But until then, here are some little things I'm loving about life.

01. a beautiful sunset that makes me believe this cold weather will end eventually

02. some beautifully dressed beach goers 

03.  trying out some summer hairstyles in the hopes that Mother Nature will take the hint

04. scoring my dream bathing suit during Modcloth's huge sale

{I can't wait until it arrives!!!!}

05. and finally, some motivation to study

Stay warm wherever you are!  And remember, soon we will all be complaining about how hot it is.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ living vegan ~

Here's the first post (hopefully one of many) on eating (mostly) vegan in the south!  You might think that's a pretty hard thing to do, and rightfully so, since much of a southern diet consists of mac and cheese, fried chicken, peas cooked with meat, buttermilk biscuits, etc., etc.  But trust me, it's possible.

Growing up vegetarian, I learned from an early age to check labels and ask about ingredients at restaurants.  But a dairy allergy took me by surprise (and royally pissed me off)!  So here I am, three years after completely cutting ALL dairy out of my diet, and I'm going to show you some of my favorite vegan recipes and dairy-free products.

Side note: if you too are going through diet reformation, don't think of yourself as a "picky eater" but rather a "thoughtful eater."  And feel free to correct anyone who mislabels you.

The basics: 

Vegan vs. dairy-free.  Let me clear some things up for you.  I am strictly meat and dairy free, but I sometimes call my self vegan since it's easier to ask for vegan options at restaurants and you're less likely to accidentally order something with dairy, as vegans don't eat any products that come from animals.  The only animal products in my diet are eggs from my hormone/antibiotic-free, organically fed, well-treated, happy chickens (they all have names, but that's another story for another day), and honey from my mom's very healthy and happy beehives.  If I'm eating out, I try my best to avoid eggs, since I don't know where they come from or how the chickens were treated.

Food groups:  Obviously dairy products and meat are subtracted from the list, but protein, soy-based "dairy" products, vegetables, fruits, and grains remain.

So here's a rundown of what I eat:

Protein: mostly consists of tofu, almonds, and lots and lots of beans (all kinds!)

"Dairy" products: Silk soymilk (plain - the vanilla is tasty but sweeter than I prefer for everyday use), soy-free Earth Balance (since I have a diet heavy on soy and soy is heavy on estrogen, I like to cut it out when not 100% necessary - there's no difference in taste as far as EB is concerned!), Silk soy creamer (great in tea and coffee), So Delicious dairy-free ice cream (AMAZING.)

Vegetables: I like em all but I'm particular to beets, carrots, sweet potatoes and regular potatoes (yes I know.  Technically potatoes aren't considered vegetables, but for the sake of simplicity they will be categorized as such on here), peppers, onions, broccoli, any kind of beans or peas, lettuce, tomatoes (unless they're raw or I will push them to the other end of the table and probably run out of the room), cucumbers, celery, corn, collard greens (what self-respecting Southern gal wouldn't list collard greens?!), and any kind of olive.

Fuits: Same with vegetables - give me any kind of fruit and I will eat it.  Apples, bananas, oranges, pears, strawberries, grapes, pineapple, watermelon, cantaloupe, blueberries, peaches, etc, etc.

Grains: my main source of grain comes from homemade whole wheat bread, but I also eat whole wheat pasta, brown rice, oats, grits, and occasionally cornmeal.

So there it is!  My dietary rap sheet.  Next I'll be posting a few of my favorite breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert recipes.  Bon appetit!

{maybe Betty used butter instead of Earth Balance}

xoxo,
Eliza

~ suit up ~

My favorite piece of vintage is coincidentally the first piece I ever purchased.  A gray wool 1950s suit straight from vintage heaven.

When I bought it, there were a few small moth holes but they eventually got worse.  I spent the last few nights carefully repairing all the holes and now it's as good as new!

{one of the invisible patches - can you see it?}

After working at an event at a local museum, my mom and I went out to lunch and visited a few favorite thrift shops.  A perfect day!

{and a perfectly pink sunset}

Stay warm everyone!

xoxo,

Eliza

~ the stare down ~

Being someone who dresses mainly in clothing not from this decade, I'm used to getting really strange looks.  It used to bother me when I would feel really fantastic and then some 13 year old girl would look at me like I was some kind of victory rolled, red lipped, bullet bra-d alien.  But now I've learned to make each weird look put a pep in my step!  Who knows...maybe that 13 year old girl had a really bad past experience with someone dressed in vintage.  Or maybe she's just a massive brat.  Either way, no amount of eye rolls or raised eyebrows will make me pack up the vintage hats and retire the red lipstick!

{via The Kitsch Bitsch}

Here's my advice: next time a snotty teenager (or equally annoying person) gives you a judging look, try one of these very effective methods:

01. smile as big as you can, swish your hips when you walk, and stare them down as you go past.  You will look and feel fantastic.

02. Break out the maracas and dance around them until they're disoriented, then whip out a vintage hat and slap it on their head - now they look just as fabulous as you do.

03. Give em a taste of their own medicine and glare at them as you walk past.

So treat the weird looks as proof that whatever you're doing is working, because you are FABULOUS.



xoxo,

Eliza

~ 2014 ~

Usually new year's eve is spent sitting at home in my pjs, thinking about everything that really sucked about the last year.  Pessimistic, I know.  But last night, I switched things up a bit.  Shopping with my mom, two parties, lots of laughs, and movie night with friends!

{went for the barbie look last night}

{Jason Wu for target dress, target necklace, gap shoes}

After resting up from last night's festivities, my mom and I carried on a 5 year tradition of jumping into Wakulla Springs on new year's day.  Since the spring stays a constant 69 degrees, when the weather is cold, the water feels warm!

Getting out of the water was hell, but it was totally worth it!

Thank you to everyone for brightening my days, making me laugh, and letting me vent when I need to.  I love you all dearly.  Happy New Year!!

xoxo,

Eliza