Wordless Wednesday: Animal Prints

Get excited for two weeks of "Wordless Wednesday" posts featuring photos from my recent trip to the Roger Williams Park Zoo! We'll kick things off with this week's game of animal print inspired "Guess Who?" Next Wednesday I'll reveal the identity of each "mystery" animal. Wanna play? It will be embarrassingly easy!

Bermuda Shorts: Slow Roasted Tomatoes

* The "Bermuda Shorts" series is a space for short posts, simple recipes and amusing anecdotes.

I bought some tomatoes on Sunday. Actually, I bought LOTS of assorted cherry and Roma tomatoes. Simply because they were pretty! I spent hours scouring Pinterest for tomato recipes this week as a result. In that process I came across Smitten Kitchen's post for slow roasted tomatoes.

"What?" you ask, incredulously. "You turned on your oven for three hours during this heatwave?!"

Well, as Smitten Kitchen tells us, slow roasting the tomatoes won't add that much more heat to your already too hot kitchen.

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Servings: Will vary depending on your use Serving Size: ~ Points Plus*: 3 pts, whole tray
(adapted from Smitten Kitchen) 

Ingredients

Cooking spray
~2 cups Cherry Tomatoes, halved
~1/2 tbsp Olive oil
~1 tsp Garlic paste
~1/2 tsp Basil paste
~1 tsp Balsamic vinegar
Dash salt and pepper

Directions 

Preheat your oven to 225°, and prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray. Gently mix all of your ingredients in a bowl, then spread the tomatoes evenly on baking sheet. Bake tomatoes for 2.5 to 3 hours. Enjoy! They're delicious by themselves, with eggs, in wraps, and tossed with pasta.

Slow roasted tomatoes with tuna salad on a wrap

*PointsPlus values calculated using the Recipe Builder on the Weight Watchers website

Wordless Wednesday: Dog Days of Summer

I know that cats technically rule the interwebs, but my friends and I have some pretty awesome dogs.

Aaaand a hot dog. Get it?!

My Life. My Card. {My New Favorite Dessert}

I woke up early on my 30th birthday, and tiptoed out of the hotel room- I didn't want to wake my friends. I took the elevator to the rooftop deck of the Renaissance New Orleans Arts Hotel and watched the sunrise over a new city and a new decade. While sitting alone on that roof, I resolved to do more things that scare me in my thirties. So far I'm off to a decent start: I attended dance rehearsals for a flash mob (unfortunately, I didn't get to perform because I threw my back out the day before the big event); I have registered for my first 5k (I'm simply aiming to walk it, but will be thrilled if I run some of it!); I auditioned for a stint aboard my favorite food truck (this experience will get a post of its own, very soon!); and I'm actively sharing my thoughts, recipes and photos with people near and far here on this blog (thanks, readers, for all the encouragement!).

Sunrise (May 9th, 2013. New Orleans)

I'm a huge fan of new beginnings, but don't care much for endings- even the happy ones; I often put off finishing good books, for example, because I don't want them to end. Give me a sunrise over a sunset any day. Over the last few months I've been consumed with thoughts about what's to come in the years ahead, but haven't taken much time to reflect on the first twenty-nine years. For some reason, contemplating this fact has brought to mind the old American Express "My Life. My Card." ad campaign. Do you remember it? I loved this campaign. I decided filling out my own answers might be a fun and reflective exercise. I recommend giving it a go. Please share some of your own responses in the "Comments" section below if you're so inclined!


My name: Diana
       childhood ambition: Poet, artist, therapist, mother of 7
       fondest memory: Sunday afternoons spent sipping milkshakes with my mom and sister on the red vinyl stools at the lunch counter in our family's restaurant. My dad was one of the cooks, and the walls and tables were covered in giant collages of old family photos. I'm still chasing their mac & cheese, but the recipe died with my Great Uncle Kenny.  
       soundtrack: 90's alternative rock makes me happy
       retreat: My couch or Whale Bay Beach, Bermuda 
       wildest dream: I want to work with Mindy Kaling. On what? I dunno. Anything. That woman is smart AND hilarious!
       proudest moment: Receiving my college acceptance letter 
       biggest challenge: Convincing my dog that I'm the pack leader (the battle is ongoing)
       alarm clock: Phone calls from my dad on weekdays, "Walk me" whining from my dog on weekends
       perfect day: Simple. Delicious.
       first job: Babysitting
       indulgence: Food, glorious food!
       last purchase: Spinach and almond milk
       favorite movie: I prefer TV shows. "Friends" is my all time favorite series!
       inspiration: Happiness
My life will always be well seasoned.
My card is a "Buy 10 get 1 free" sandwich/taco/frozen yogurt punch card.

I'm feeling pretty good about thirty, and I am feeling really good about the dessert recipe that I'm about the share with you. Ready for it? Vegan Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream. I know, I know. This doesn't sound all that delicious. I promise it is, though. I can't get enough of this healthy frozen treat!

Vegan Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream

Servings: 1 Serving Size: It's all yours! Points Plus*: 3 pts
(adapted from Undressed Skeleton)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Unsweetened almond milk (or sweetened if you prefer)
1 tbsp PB2 (powdered peanut butter)
1/2 tbsp Chocolate PB2
1/2 Large banana, frozen

Directions:

Gather your ingredients. If you don't have PB2,  use 1.5 Tbsp of your favorite nut butter. Substitutions will, of course, change the Points Plus value of this recipe.

Put bananas in your food processor and pulse a few times before adding almond milk. The first time I made this for dessert I combined the bananas and milk at the same time, and milk splattered everywhere. If you are using a blender or larger food processor you might not run into this problem. Add the PB2 powders and continue blending until smooth. Mixture will be thick and creamy.

Transfer the mixture to a freezer safe bowl and freeze for 30 minutes to an hour. Stir every 15-20 minutes, to check consistency.

When the ice cream has a soft serve consistency, it's ready to be devoured- I mean, enjoyed!

Serving Suggestions:
I'd wager that folding in a couple of tablespoons of your favorite toppings would be delicious. I need need to add mini chocolate chips to my grocery shopping list so that I can give this idea a try.

*PointsPlus values calculated using the Recipe Builder on the Weight Watchers website

Wordless Wednesday: Happy 4th of July!

Thanks, Luke, for allowing me to (once again) share your photos!