the snack that smiles back (lg15 11 of 12)

it's best to try and think positive at times like these. but even if bree survives the ceremony she's going to need a fair bit of deprogramming. in fact, i think i'm going to be in need of some deprogramming myself after spending nearly 12 hours straight at the computer today. i'm reminded of an interesting technique that sarah introduced in the bedside manner video.

anti-cult goldfish crackers (by skyisempty)

• 1 bag of pepperidge farm cheddar flavored goldfish crackers
  

purchase goldfish crackers from your local convenience store and feed them to either yourself or any other recent vicitims of mind control or brainwashing.



when accompanied by a soft scratching under the chin (such as one would pet a ferret) this technique has been shown to have startling results.

play with your food (lg15 7 of 12)

here's a fun snack that can double as a game too (as gemma taught us in her very first video nut kills man).



squirrel, nut, man (by gemmers19)

• 1 container of mixed nuts
• 1 willing squirrel
• 1 friend with a nut allergy

toss all ingredients together and see who kills whom first.



the fun never ends!

when life gives you lemons (lg15 4 of 12)

well since i'm stuck at home tied to my computer watching these videos all day, i decided bree's lemonade recipe from house arrest would be the perfect thing to make next.



lemonade (by lonelygirl15)

• several large ripe lemons
• sugar
• water

juice several large lemons until you have approximately.... oh who am i kidding. did you really think i would bother dirtying my juicer for one measley glass of lemonade??



a much simpler recipe is to just twist off the cap of a bottle of bolthouse farms mango lemonade, drink, and enjoy! a variation on this would be to pour the lemonade into a glass before drinking. delicious!

dishless dinner

here's an amazing, quick, and easy meal you can make when you're in a hurry. and the best part is you don't have to dirty a single dish in the process.



cold soba

• one container of pre-made soba from your local health food store or co-op

remove lid from container, insert fork, and enjoy!



soba is one of those fancy japanese imports that's all the rage in new york these days. it's actually a noodle made of buckwheat!



for dessert i had some lemon ginger soy frozen yogurt by whole soy & co (which i was tipped off to by my friend amy). there was a typo on the container though because it claimed there were actually four servings in there when clearly you're meant to eat the entire pint in one sitting.

isn't it amazing what sort of meals you can whip up without any cleanup??

tastes like chicken

here's a great dish introduced to me by my friend nicole about a month ago.



goat cheese cranberry quorn goodness (by nicole)

• 1 quorn cranberry & goat cheese chik'n cutlet

place cutlet on a pre-heated cookie sheet and bake for 18 minutes at 425°

i vary this recipe slightly by skipping the baking step and instead microwaving the cutlet on high for 2 minutes. although the quorn packaging warns that microwaving is not recommended, i'm convinced that if they truly meant that they wouldn't have gone so far as to provide microwave heating instructions on the box. besides which, i could stand to cut down on some of the B12 content in that goat cheese.



i paired the cutlet with a gorgonzola and walnut salad. i prepared this by purchasing a premade gorgonzola & walnut salad from trader joe's, removing the lid, and dumping it on my plate. i did however substitute annie's natural low fat gingerly vinaigrette for the balsamic provided since i simply don't understand the concept of a salad dressing with more than 10 grams of fat. pre-made salads like this are really fantastic as they eliminate all the pesky busy work like removing leaves of lettuce from the head and washing them. the time i save frees up the rest of my evening to concentrate on my more serious gastronomical masterworks. i was concerned for a brief moment that there only appeared to be one tomato in the salad when the packaging clearly advertised "gorgonzola cheese, walnuts, and grape tomatoes on salad greens," but thankfully i found the second tomato hiding in there as well.

breakfast for the busy gal

cooking while on the run can be tricky, but luckily i've perfected this quick and easy meal.



nature's path organic frosted toaster pastries are just like pop tarts, only less trashy and more expensive (therefore perfect for the hip urban dweller like myself). even though their nutritional info is nearly identical to that of actual pop tarts, their minimalist packaging and frou frou status tells me i'm clearly starting the day off right.

most recipes will call for you to remove the pastry from the pouch then warm it in your toaster at the lowest heat setting for one heating cycle. i've simplified this even further by omitting the toasting step and placing the pastry directly into my mouth (after removing the it from the pouch).



i also like to double the amount of pastries called for in the recipe. this makes clean up a snap (always important for a girl on the go) since there isn't a pesky second pastry to wrap up and put away.

think pink

sometimes i simply don't have time to practice my culinary arts. but anyone can still eat healthy with a quick trip to the corner deli.



diet cranberry ginger ale and a japanese red bean cake are rich with almost all of the major food groups.

the rice flour on the outside of the mochi is your serving of grains, fruit is obviously fulfilled by the cranberry in the ginger ale, and red beans count as both a vegetable and a meat believe it or not.

the only food group missing is dairy. so perhaps next time, i'll supplement this all pink picture of health with some individually packaged strawberry cream cheese spread (courtesy of dunkin donuts).