Well I feel better about cookies when they don’t contain days worth of saturated fat, and I feel REALLY good about cookies when they have wholesome, healthy ingredients.

Some of you may remember me making these Healthy Double Chocolate Chip Cookies last year. BOY are those puppies good.

These are essentially the same cookie, modified for a more peanut-buttery flavor. Delicious!

It’s hard to believe from tasting them that these cookies have no flour, no butter, and half the sugar of your average cookie recipe. Basically it’s a win-win situation.

Sadly, weekends mean nothing in bar exam land. Homework tonight and class tomorrow. Oh well! At least I have cookies.

Thanks for reading!

-Lauren

We ended up making a trip to the emergency vet clinic on Sunday because he splintered his nails trying to break out of the crate. He somehow managed to completely break the lock off and make his poor little paws bleed in an attempt to escape when we left him at home to go to church. It was so scary to come home to that! We aren’t going to leave him home alone anymore until we’re certain that he’ll be safe and happy on his own. Of course I know that we accepted these responsibilities when we adopted him, but there was no indication that he had these kinds of problems and we weren’t really anticipating this level of time and financial commitment. No matter, we’ll do whatever it takes! He’s a part of our family now and we’re certainly not giving up on him. We’re giving doggie daycare a try, which he seems to really enjoy. We even bought him a doggie ice cream when we picked him up today as a reward for being so good. This dog is spoiled.

ANYWAYS. Isn’t this a food blog? What? Who? Yup. Oops.

Breakfast: granola, strawberries, almond milk

That didn’t hold me over long AT ALL.

Morning Snack: KIND bar

Eaten while trying desperately to stay awake for the law of torts.

Lunch: leftover pasta with vegetables (mom’s cooking)

Afternoon Snack: Auntie Anne’s pretzel, PB and banana shared with Cynewulf

Did you know Auntie Anne’s makes a whole grain pretzel now?? Passed by and had to try it, but it was pretty disappointing. Nothing like the deliciousness of their original pretzel.

Dinner: pasta alfredo, green beans and potatoes

Dessert: ice cream

Forgot to take that last pic! Fail.

I certainly HOPE that everything starts to calm down and that I can chat with you guys more often. There’s not enough food love going on here.

Thanks for reading!

P.S.-Happy Loving Day!

I can already feel myself becoming one of those “crazy dog people” that spends way too much money and time on spoling their pup. I just want him to be happy and feel loved! I love all the adorable ways that he snuggles and falls asleep on us, and I find myself constantly taking pictures of him.

I also find myself taking pictures of my food. Fancy that! Good thing I have a blog.

The strawberries are so good this time of year! I had to go a couple stores to find organic ones, but it was well worth it.

Lunch: veggie burger, fries, seltzer water

We decided to walk to BurgerFi for lunch with Cynewulf. He did GREAT! Once he realized that we were staying put, he happily sat down and chilled while we ate. A brought some treats with me in my purse to keep him extra happy.

To eat I had a DELICIOUS veggie burger, and Jason ordered us a combo side of fries and onion rings. Everything was very tasty. We’ll definitely be back.

Dinner: garden salad, pizza, sweet tea

We met my family at an old favorite, Pizza Café, for dinner. Tasty meal as always.

I’m going to go ahead and say that YES we are eating out a lot. And NO I don’t feel badly about that. I hope to decrease our eating out as time goes on, but studying for the bar exam and dealing with everything else going on (moving, getting a new dog…) are taking precedence over meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking right now. Soon I hope to get into a groove and start cooking more like I used to. But for now I’m cutting myself a break.

Thanks for reading!

-Lauren

And by baby I mean adorable dog.

We have been wanting a dog for a LONG time, but our previous landlord didn’t allow pets. Now that we’ve moved into a dog-friendly area, there was nothing holding us back! Jason’s birthday was this past Saturday, and after bar review class we made a quick trip to Atlanta Pet Rescue, a local no-kill shelter for cats and dogs.

I had seen our pup online before visiting and fell in love. But we wanted to go and look at all the dogs first before making any decisions. When we got to the shelter there were dozens of dogs in enclosures, jumping all over the place and barking at every person and dog to pass by. And then there was one little guy, silent and snuggled up in a ball in the corner amidst the noise and chaos. We observed him for a few minutes and were just amazed at his level of calm and contentment. A little while later we were being interviewed by an adoption counselor, and meeting little Bodie (that’s the name the shelter gave him) for the first time. It didn’t take long for us to fall head over heels. How could you not? He’s so darn cute!

This little dude was picked up by animal control and then given to the shelter last year. A family adopted him several months ago, but had to return him to the shelter a few weeks ago. I can’t imagine what he’s gone through, but I know that what he needs is just a permanent place to be loved and cared for. And that’s exactly what we’re going to give him.

Since he’s a true rescue, we don’t know his exact breed. The shelter guessed corgi blend, and we’re thinking that he’s probably a mix between Corgi and Chihuahua. He’s really small, which is exactly what we wanted.

It was so exciting taking him home. We named him Cynewulf (pronounced KIN-UH-WOOLF), after a great Anglo-Saxon poet that Jason and I studied together back in college. The name (if I remember correctly, but it’s been a long time since I last took Anglo-Saxon) means royal/kingly wolf. He looks more like a fox though!

We loved getting him shiny new tags with his new name. Such a happy day. 

I’m sure that every dog owner says this about their pet, but this dog is truly amazing. He is completely house trained and leash trained and has some of the best house manners I’ve ever seen in a dog. I’ve never owned a pup, but I’ve walked dogs and done pettsitting, and this dog is better behaved than any I’ve ever taken care of. He NEVER barks (literally, never, we’ve only heard one very quiet bark this whole time), never jumps, never nips, never humps…nothing. He’s pretty much a dream, which is what the volunteers at the shelter said about him. And he is SO warm and loving. It takes him about 5 seconds to warm up to a new person before he’s snuggling up with them. Snuggling is his favorite activity.

The only challenge we’ve had with Cynewulf is getting him to accept his crate. The shelter said he was crate trained, but when we brought him home it was obvious that he suffers from some major separation anxiety. He gets a little freaked out if I even walk into the other room. I don’t really blame him considering that he’s 7 years old and never had a permanent home! I would be anxious, too. Once he checks it out and sees that we’re not leaving, he’s fine. But the one time that we did crate him and leave, he whined and cried so much! It was so hard to leave him like that, but we got advice that we shouldn’t reward his whining by coming back inside or letting him out. Since then we’ve been trying to make him happy with his crate again, leaving the door open and giving him treats in the crate. So far, he much prefers the couch.

I’m so glad that we got Cynewulf just when we did. I’m sure some people are wondering why we got a new dog in the middle of studying for the bar exam, and the answer to that is that we got a new dog because we are studying for the bar exam! Animals are such wonderful companions, especially in stressful times, and having him around will force us to get fresh air to walk him around. He really is a lap dog, so he’s completely content to snuggle on the sofa for hours while we study. Doesn’t get much better than that.

If any dog owners have tips on things I should know, please comment! He’s a very easy dog but we are newbies so any advice is appreciated.

Thanks for reading!

-Lauren

I’m happy to say that I think I’ve found my comfort zone with this new way of eating. I no longer struggle to come up with something I can eat every meal (no more cheese and crackers for dinner), and most of the time I forget entirely that I’m not eating a mainstream diet.

At my 60 day update, I talked about how my biggest struggle was feeling restricted when eating out. I still have challenges with this but it has definitely improved.

For one thing, I’ve decided that for my personal preferences I’m not hugely concerned about cross-contamination (like using the same serving tongs for meat and then for my tofu) or accidentally eating a vegetable that was cooked with meat. I’m not going to order something that has chunks of ham in it or that says on the menu that it was fried in bacon fat, but I’m also not going to investigate every single thing I order. I understand why that’s important to some vegetarians and vegans, but for me it’s not. I also don’t give myself a hard time if I make an honest mistake. For example, I realized about a week after the fact that I happily at a big slice of the quiche lorraine that I made for our graduation/Mother’s Day brunch.

The quiche that I made with bacon for my guests. 

Oops.

While I was kind of annoyed at myself for not being conscious of what I was eating, it’s really no big deal. The quiche was delicious and I’m not sorry I ate it. LOL.

I also went through a period of a couple weeks where I was deciding if I might start to eat fish (become a pescatarian). I did a lot of research about the sentience of fish and shellfish, and read about the environmental and health impacts involved. After doing my homework I knew there was no way I could in good conscience be a pescatarian. On top of everything else, the intelligence and personality of our beloved pet betta fish had a big part in me choosing not to eat animals, so it really would make no sense for me to eat fish. As always, I’m not saying that pescatarianism can’t be a great choice for some people, it’s just not the right choice for me. At our graduation dinner, however, I decided to have a crabcake.

The crab was local and delicious and I don’t regret that meal either. But in the future I won’t be eating seafood.

Jason has been really awesome about this transition, and he’s a great support system for me.

He actually talks me out of bad decisions when I’m having a weak moment, and is always more than happy to cook his own meat so that I don’t have to. He makes me a DELICIOUS tofu stir-fry that is one of my favorite meals now! He checks menus of places he wants to eat to make sure that they have a vegetarian option. He knows exactly why I made this decision and never makes me feel like my choices aren’t valid. I love him so much! He completely surprised me with his level of support. Now if only he would jump on board…

I’ve talked about the struggles a lot, I think I should talk about a BENEFIT that I’ve been enjoying. And that’s the way I feel! I used to get that “food coma” feeling (ya know, when you feel like your stomach has a boulder inside of it/you’re suddenly 8 months pregnant and all you want to do is take a nap or just moan in discomfort until it goes away) every single day. Unless I overdo it on a dairy-laden dessert or something like that, I almost NEVER get that feeling anymore. It’s SO NICE to walk away from a meal and feel full, not gross and uncomfortable. My digestion has seriously improved and I can’t even believe that I was okay with the gross way that I was feeling before. Food should make you feel GOOD, not make you feel sick!

I’m also PUMPED to try all of the vegetarian friendly restaurants we have nearby now that we’re in Atlanta. My list is long. I’ve already been reunited with an old favorite of mine, an awesome falafel place down the road that I seriously adore.

I think that about wraps it up! I could go on and on but I don’t want to bore you. I hope that I can start doing more recipe posts, and I would like to do a post specifically on where I get my protein. And maybe I’ll do another update at my one-year mark. Of course, questions and comments are always welcome.

Thanks for reading!

-Lauren

We started with breakfast at Rise-n-Dine, an old favorite of mine back when I lived here!

They play nonstop Beatles songs! My kind of place.

I got mini Nutella stuffed pancakes–delicious!

And a couple scrambled eggs on the side for protein.

After a filling breakfast we walked next door for some study time at Starbucks. Most of our studying for the bar exam is actually done online with the use of study software, so we can work from anywhere with wifi. My standby vanilla soy latte helped me along as the computer quizzed me on constitutional law.

After a couple hours of work we made a quick stop at Ikea (still have some furniture to pick up!) and then went back home to continue working. Lunch was a grilled hummus and cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread, strawberries, and these delicious kale and chia seed tortilla chips that I got from Costco.

Eaten on our new patio, which I LOVE!

Dinner was leftovers from yesterday’s graduation celebration! Veggie fajitas with rice and black beans.

Looking not quite as glamorous, but just as delicious, today.

Jason is diligently assembling some Ikea furniture as I type this. I should probably at least pretend to help him.

Thanks for reading!

-Lauren

(Don’t my dad and brother look exactly the same?? Scary.)

Jason and I skipped out of bar review class a little early today to head uptown for the graduation ceremony.

It was a lovely ceremony, and the total opposite of my high school graduation. In my school we had no caps or gowns, no prayers or candles, no valedictorian speech, and not much pomp and circumstance in general (which was the point I guess). David’s graduation, since he went to a Catholic school, was a lot more formal and well…ceremonial. As much as I loved the way my school did graduation, I thought that the Catholic ceremony was a really beautiful way to send off the graduates. I found myself getting teary-eyed more than once.

I’m so proud of David! He overcame a lot of struggles this year and has shown himself to be a strong, smart, and resilient young man. I can’t believe that my baby brother is all grown up and going off to college. I used to change his diapers! No, really. It makes me feel OLD seeing my siblings grow so quickly. When my baby sister graduates high school, I’ll be 32! Geez. I’m an old lady.

After the ceremony we all headed to Pappasito’s, a deliciously fancier version of a Mexican restaurant.

Funny story. On my 17th birthday, when I decided that I was going to try vegetarianism, I asked my parents to take me to for a “last supper” to enjoy my favorite carnivorous meal before going meatless. Pappasito’s was the place I asked to go, and grilled quail was the object of my desire. I used to LOVE quail. Turns out it’s still on the menu all these years later!

No, I didn’t order it. But after telling him the story, Jason did! I think it was partly to taunt me. No luck here, Jason! No part of me wanted to eat those adorable little birdies (he ordered and devoured 3 of them!). Instead I got a fantastic veggie fajita dish, which were probably the best fajitas I’ve ever eaten. They came with fresh tortillas, cilantro rice, and black beans on the side.

We had a great time celebrating David with our friends and family.

Congrats little man!!! Your big sister is so proud of you and can’t wait to see all the awesome things you do next.

Thanks for reading!

-Lauren

Aside from studying, the move itself has been quite the task. Our apartment here in Atlanta is a pretty significant downsize from our townhouse in Virginia, and I don’t think I really anticipated the challenges that would come with that. We downsized on purpose because we felt like we had too much space before, but we didn’t realize how much we had grown into that space (aka bought junk to fill up that space). We’ve had to give away/throw away a lot of things to fit comfortably in our new place. Getting furniture into our unit was very interesting (thank goodness for dads and husbands!). I also forgot about the joys of communal living like hearing your upstairs neighbor walk around and using a parking garage for where you live. The process has been a bit frustrating, but I think in the end it will be a positive thing. I can already feel myself itching to buy a house though…not a good thing…

On a more positive note, we love the community we’re living in. It’s one of those multipurpose communities that has restaurants, shops, and apartments all in one center. For the first time in my life, I’m in walking distance of my favorite clothing store, an amazing coffee shop, a great dinner place, a drugstore, and pretty much anything else I would need. When Jason and I want to grab lunch, we just walk downstairs and across the street! Doesn’t get much more convenient than that. Plus the restaurants here are awesome.

And my mom has been nice enough to invite us over for dinner most nights, which is amazing because my new kitchen is far from cooking condition and I just haven’t had the time to do much about it. Last night at my family’s house mom made grilled chicken (mine was Quorn brand meatless), cabbage casserole, fresh rolls, and rice pilaf. Delicious stick-to-your-ribs food! And we even got leftovers to bring home.

The craziness is far from over, as tomorrow my little brother is graduating from high school! I hope I’ll have pictures to show you from the festivities. No iPhones involved, I promise.

Thanks for reading!

-Lauren

I’m very excited to be back “home” and can’t wait to see what’s in store for us here. This summer will certainly be interesting as we study full time for the Georgia Bar exam. Let me assure you, it is the farthest thing from fun that you could possible imagine.

We started our review course this week and have been so busy that we haven’t even touched most of our boxes from the move. Today was the first day we even had internet access! But as hectic as moving can be, it’s also full of fun new beginnings. Like a brand new kitchen and empty pantry to fill.

More updates to come soon!

-Lauren

I’ll miss you, Virginia. Thank you for letting me see your beautiful mountains, drink your delicious wine, pick your sweet apples, taste your extremely salty ham, smell your crisp air, learn your rich history, watch your white-tailed deer, laugh with your friendly people, and eat your great food. I will never forget the memories I have of you.

-Lauren

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