Food Friends Fun

Beach Yoga 41st Street Beach, Ocean City.

Started my morning on the beach with Katy, Eileen and Gen for some beach yoga. The sun was shining, the weather was glorious and the flow was just what the doctor ordered. Went home and got some things done at the house that needed doing and then met Rochelle for our afternoon adventure. I had somewhat of a nervous breakdown the other day and Rochelle just so happened to witness it. So she played hookie from work and we had a girls day. We went for a later lunch in south Philly @ my favorite GREEN EGGS CAFE. We shared the epic duck pastrami sandwich with fries and a roasted peach and Gorgonzola cheese salad with almonds. Deeeeelightful. Then we bopped through shops in the Promenade (in Marlton) and ended with a trip to whole foods to stock up on healthy essentials. We are en route back to beach now to eat pizza and watch Game of Thrones. Thankful for good friends.

The Duck Pastrami sandwich, the french fries, and the homemade garlic dill pickle at Green Eggs Cafe are LIFE CHANGING.

Mesculan greens with grilled peaches, gorgonzola and almonds. MmMmMmMm.

SD bound

9:15am sweaty powerful vinyasa amazingness...shower, goodbyes + kisses to my parents, then in the car with Ro, Philly bound. Had an EPIC lunch @ my favorite (Eco-friendly and locally sustained) restaurant GREEN EGGS CAFE. Locally raised and butchered Duck Pastrami!!! With French fries!!!! And coffee!!!! Now, on the plane. San Diego here I come!

Ready for Round 2

WELL. Round 2. Here we go...

We hopped in the car and headed up to Philly yesterday to see Dads new doctor, Arati Desai, at the Hospital University of Pennsylvania. Let me begin by saying that Dr. Desai is AMAZING. She made us feel so comfortable and she really helped us to understand exactly what was going on. Dr.Desai actually brought up Dads' past two scans so that we could compare and contrast - and therefore better understand what exactly is going on. Before they thought that Dad's growth may have been a residual affect of the radiation he went through last year. BUT, this scan shows SIGNIFICANT growth within the past three months - which is definitely not a result of the radiation, but a progression of the disease. We knew that we weren't walking into good news -- Dad's vision, memory and mobility have been getting worse recently. His numbness is back and his shingles are bothering him again as well. As always though - he is a trooper, and rarely (if ever) complains. Dr.Desai discussed our plan of attack and helped us to understand the pro's and con's of this and that. She said that the upcoming weeks and months are going to be an extremely difficult battle -- but all of us, in our hearts of hearts, know that we are prepared to fight til the bitter end. She put him on steroids instantly to save that vision that he has less. The steroids will make him ravenous and heavy - but who gives a damn...more to hug! The steroids have helped instantly - helping with the pain that he feels from the numbness and shingles. In another week he will begin oral chemotherapy, via Temeador. We've been down this road before with this exact drug, so we have an idea of what to expect and what to prepare for. In the following months we may be looking at more Avastin infusions as well, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it. SO, the news was less than desirable - but we are ready to weather the storm. As is our way - we finished our day in Philly with a delicious meal (@ my favorite, Green Eggs Cafe in South Philly). The next few weeks we are going to enjoy endless amounts of family time -- filling our house with food, laughter, family and friends. Prayers, intentions, and positive vibrations are welcome and encouraged. We couldn't have done this the last time without you - and we hope to have you on "the team" once again. Love and Light everyone <3

Green Eggs Cafe has the most outstanding coffee in Philadelphia - and it's made even better by the small touches, like these super cute little raw sugar cubes.

I knew that Dad would need some cheering up after the bad news - so I ordered him "the Kitchen Sink", once of Green Eggs signature dishes. Served in a cast iron pan, it begins with sauteed potatoes, onions and peppers on the bottom, topped with scrambled eggs and cheddar cheese, finished off with biscuits and gravy!

As always, I had the outstanding Quinoa Porridge. I've recreated it myself, and it's definitely a breakfast of champions. Check out my rendition here.

The two love birds. <3

Green Eggs + Quinoa Porridge

Heart-Attack In A Skillet AKA "The Kitchen Sink", and Quinoa Porridge

@ Green Eggs Cafe

Drove up to Philly the other day to have brunch @ Green Eggs Cafe {1306 Dickinson Street, Philadelphia, PA}. It was goddamn delicious!! Homemade, amazing ingredients...and cooked with love. My friend, who was hungover, had "The Kitchen Sink" : Two eggs scrambled with cheese, our signature potato, peppers, and onions, topped with homemade jumbo biscuit and country sausage gravy in a cast

iron skillet , and I had the Quinoa Porridge : Agave nectar, cinnamon, cardamom, golden. raisins, cream, and

fresh berries. Everything was perfect. The restaurant is cute to boot, the service was great, and the presentation of the dishes were delightful. I love the idea of porridge, but the consistency of it always throws me off and makes me feel like I'm a senior-citizen who wears dentures. Ew. I loved the earthy texture of the Quinoa amoungst the cream. I loved how the tartness of the fresh berries cut the sweetness of the agave, and my tastebuds danced around to the presence of cardamom + golden raisins {two of my favorite ingredients in Indian cuisine}. I love love loved Green Eggs, and I look forward to a return trip.

I googled quinoa porridge recipes and found one...check it out, try it out, and enjoy!

Benefits of Quinoa:

It is gluten-free, high in calcium, iron, lysine, vitamin E and several B vitamins while also being low in fat and sodium. Not to mention, it is considered by some to be the perfect protein due to the presence of all 8 essential amino acids needed for tissue development in humans. Other grains can't even boast half of the protein of quinoa! Just four ounces (about 1/2 cup) per day provides a child with all their needed protein intake for one day.

Quinoa tastes great hot or cold. Cooked quinoa is excellent in soups, stews, salads, stir fries or casseroles. This impressive seed brings great texture and a nutty, delicate flavor to any dish. The good news for busy home cooks is that quinoa cooks very quickly, usually in 15 minutes or less, and can be infused with flavor as it cooks just like rice or couscous. Try cooking your quinoa in fruit juice or your favorite stock when serving as a side dish or dry roasting the seeds in the oven when throwing into a cold salad.

Quinoa Porridge

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup milk (skim or soy preferred)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
Dash of sea salt
1/4 cup raisins
1 tsp plain or vanilla yogurt
2 tsp agave nectar plus more to taste
Chopped fruit and nuts if desired

*Serves one hungry person or two people if you add toast and fruit.

Combine quinoa, water, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cardamom, salt and 1/4 cup of the milk in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of milk, cinnamon, cardamom and the raisins and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes or until it reaches a thick consistency. Add agave nectar and yogurt; stir to combine. Serve in a bowl or mug with some sliced or whole berries and an extra drizzle of agave nectar on top.

{http://www.examiner.com/cooking-in-philadelphia/keen-for-quinoa-porridge}