Whew the GRE’s are officially ova!! Stick a fork in it, its done! 
My thoughts on how I did? I’m not exactly satisfied with the score and I’m still wavering between taking it again or just leaving it as is. I’m definitely more pro towards the latter as it involves not having to restudy and restress. I hardly got any sleep last nite- i need to learn to cope with stress better if I’m looking to go into the health field!!
In other news, not only am I done with the GREs but I’m also done with work! This summer I worked in a doctor’s office as a CNA and learned a lot about the ins and outs of health care. To show my appreciation to my boss and coworkers I went on a vegan baking frenzy this weekend.
Time Started: 9:30 AM
Time Completed: 4:30 PM
Sry Bella Mommy, the oven may or may not have been on from 10am-3pm…yipes lets just say while I did save some animals by making vegan goodies, I didn’t do too much as an eco-conscience individual with all that sucking of energy…eh some days you win some and you lose some
On the Menu was basically an entire tribute to Isa Moskowitz – this woman can do no wrong. (Author of Veganomicon, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar and one of geniuses over at ppk.com)
(adjustments made: I used lemon juice instead of ACV, 1/3 cup corn oil instead of margarine, and used extra cinnamon instead of allspice since i didn’t have any of these ingredients on hand)
To get six servings for the six gift bags, I made 2 loaves (i needed to double the recipe) and cut each into 3rds
THESE WERE THE MOST AMAZING BANANA BREAD IN THE WORLDDD!!! These were my first attempt at making vegan banana bread. In the past, when I wasn’t vegan I had my go to recipe for this bread, but I honestly couldn’t even tell the difference. These were moist, banana-y and dare I say even better? yes i dare.
(Adjustments made: i used soft tofu, sweetened applesauce, vanilla soy, and regular flour- again due to pantry limitations)
This is a LARGE recipe. It makes 40 small cookies but I made giant cookies and made around 18 so 3 per bag.
These were a BIG hit. Soooooo peanut buttery! They were like bites of gooey deliciousness. MmM Cookies w/ tofu in it? yes ma’am!
Mixed Berry East Coast Coffee Cake (from Vegan Brunch by Isa of course)
(Adjustments: cinnamon instead of nutmeg, lemon juice instead of ACV, and vanilla soy)
I needed to double the recipe to make larger portions. Mmmm adding berries to this traditional cake took it to the next level. The topping was also the perfect balance of sweetness- not too overpowering
Blueberry filled Lemon Muffins adjusted from Vegan Brunch by Isa
(Adjustments: i didnt have any poppy seeds on hand so had to omit it- big mistake, the flavor was a bit lacking and I decided to cut them half and turn them into blueberry muffin sandwiches to add a bit of blueberry sweetness- solution solved! plus it looks so prettyyy)
Peanut Butter Fudge from Kitteekake’s Blog
I wrapped it in wax paper and let them set into bars
All together now- minus the fudge
Alright bloggies, I apologize for using all this plastic wrap. I know horrible. I needed to wrap everything individually to keep it fresh and to split them into portions. I felt awful using all this but I make up for it in all the other 359 days of the year rite?
Whew that was a lot of baking. I’ve missed cooking! Bella C lets get together and start cooking again k? k...10 more days till our reunion for Senior year!!!
My coworkers and bosses enjoyed their gifts plus they treated me to vegan takeout from NYC’s vegan restaurant Wild Ginger. I got the teriyaki seitan with sugar snap peas lunch special which came with brown rice, a slice of kabocha (ee squashhhhh im excited for fall/winter squashes! Whose with me?) and a veggie spring roll. No picture but it was phenom!! This was my first experience with a NYC vegan restaurant- i know wth? how is that possible?- it was sooo delicious i’ve been dreaming about that seitan since that lunch!
Also on a side note, I need to- yes need to- tell you about this new fruit I discovered.
Mama Bella got me some of these the other day and I’m hooked. I think i’m eating them by the pound!
What is it you ask? Grapes? Nope…its Jabuticaba. It has a hard purple flesh that you pop in ur mouth, bite, and the fruity flesh pops out and throw out the skin. Super sweet and delicious! Each one tastes a bit different though, depending on when they were picked.
From Fruits Info.com
On the first day of the fruit picked, its flavour is like guava,
the second day it is like mangosteen,
the third day is lychee taste,
the fourth is passion fruit taste,
the fifth is sweetsop fruit;
the sixth up to the eighth is grape fruit nature of taste.”
Have you ever had a Jaboticaba? What’s the most unusual fruit you’ve ever had?
For all my vegans out there, when you do big projects like this do you usually bake vegan or regular? I was trying all these recipes for the first time so I needed to try them before sending out the final products so I had to make them vegan in order for me to taste test (and sneak bites/lick the bowl of course!) It would have been easier to make them nonvegan since some ingredients are easier to come by, but if I eat vegan, I believe that my gifts should be expressive of me as well. Plus they tasted so good, vegans and nonvegans alike should love em! (just dont tell them there’s tofu in the cookies! hehe)
Alrighty back to packing up my life! Michigan in 10 days!!
This is definitely not all of it. Why is it that I always go back with double the amount of stuff I bring home? I also need to learn to put more stuff into storage. I use like 1/16th of the stuff I pack home and then I end up buying so much more to bring back to Mich!! I am possibly the worst packer ever. I’m seeing a $50 overweight luggage fee coming my way 
Trying to convince myself, I do not need to bring my new yoga mat back to school with me when I have one already there (its just not pink, pretty and gorgeous lol) and that I might not need ALLLLL those shoes/clothes rite?…ummmm well lets see how much do I ‘need’ it…like at least “$50 dollars worth in fees need” rite?? hehe
Anyone wanna come pack for me? I’ll pay you in vegan treats.
All my Love,
Bella Lena
Wow! What an awesome employee you are!! All those tasty treats – yum! You kicked butt in the kitchen. Very impressed.
I’ve never heard/seen a jabuticaba. Sounds interesting. I’ll be on the lookout so I can them.
Good luck with the packing – I’d help but I’m a horrible packer too. ;(
I’ve been looking everywhere for jabuticaba!! Do you know where to get it in new york? Everything you baked looks amazing, too!