Better late than never

Trio Yogurt Bowl with Edible Flowers and Spicy Cinnamon. On the side is Pumpkin Spinach Smoothie and a Raw Pecan Cinnamon Roll.

Hello, good afternoon? I'm sorry for being quiet late on my morning post...I was up till a terrible hour last night making sweet potato gnocchi and soaking grains. My hands are official orange and my fingers are numb! I did manage to go to Whole Foods and pick up some buckwheat groats that I am so excited to introduce to my breakfasts this week...will be featured soon! Any good recipes? They are currently "dehydrating" in the sun outside. I got some raw cinnamon rolls for the farmer's market and they are divine..I couldn't wait for dessert tonight obviously :)

On to the questions! I really had a blast answering every one's questions, they were all so diverse and creative, got me really thinking. I hope to do more in the future, enjoy!

Lexi asked "Do you prefer oats over oat bran? or vice-versa?" and "what's your favorite type of jelly/jam?" I really love oat bran because of the memories it holds. The first week I went vegetarian I freaked out and thought "How am I going to get protein in the morning?". Silly me, I didn't acknowledge the fact that eggs, yogurt and hemp milk had enough protein to sustain. But when I found out that oat bran had some compared to regular oats I was so excited. Funny story but now I do love mixing them 50/50 to get the creamy and grainy texture they both provide. My favorite type of jelly would be local classic boysenberry preserves. I'm really old school when it comes to jarred things, the ones I was given as a child really made an impression on me. But now that I'm more health conscience I try to find the same boysenberry kind but with cane sugar or pectin.

Baby Vanilla asked "How did you do the ''sweet and salty'' taste for the Pumpkin oatmeal?" I love mixing flavors together that should not go. Most of my concoctions don't end up on my blog because of it. So when I accidentally threw some salt in my oats before adding the pumpkin in I decided to just go with it. I thought about how kettle corn is sweet but salty which really inspired me. I find maple and salt really balance each other out beautifully too. Just add a bit of sea salt in your oats before adding some sweetness really draws out other flavors and makes them more intense...like the pumpkin!

Veggie Girl asked "Who is your favorite designer?" My favorite clothing designer? I'm a Marc Jacobs girl for life. I remember my first purchase of his...a beautiful silk and red blouse for my graduation, and since then I still wear it. Never goes out of style, always classic. I also love Alexander Wang's purses, aka the grayish lavender Rocco and vintage Channel. As for day to day designer I wear a mix of thrift and vintage clothes so I just go by what I like at the time...I mostly wear what I make. And hands down my favorite food "designer" is Simply Breakfast.

Maya asked "What sparked your interest in cooking and creativity in the kitchen?" To be completely honest, a year ago, the only thing I could make was Mac n' Cheese and I lived off of packs of almonds and Boca burgers. I grew up around amazing chefs, my parents, who made always tried to make me apart of their cooking. I learned much from them but when I was in school I really lost interest in it all together. When I finally moved out on my own I realized that I couldn't live any longer on the boring foods I was making. I decided to read cook books instead of TV on the weekends, reading food blogs instead of fashion ones and I guess it just perpetuated into a passion. Something obviously clicked. Now its the only way to live...cooking healthy and creativity really is a lifestyle.

Eliza asked "Where have you traveled to, and where to you wish to travel?" I've been American bound my whole life..haven't had that out of the country experience yet. I can say I have explored around the USA a bit and found some beautiful places. I am currently saving though for a Europe trip that hopefully will include a visit to Greece and Italy. I've always wanted to go to Greece since I was little, so it would be pretty spectacular if I could go. I also would love to visit India because I'm fascinated with the culture and the food, I feel that the country itself has influenced so much of the world that I would love to see the main source of these colors and curries!

Mayapamela asked "How did you make your vanilla whipped kabocha?"
So simple! I just took three thick chunks of kabocha, brown rice vanilla protein powder, unsweetened vanilla hemp milk and some water and blended it for a few minutes. Skin and all! Try it between gram crackers...tastes like marshmallows!

Katharina asked "What's your dream job? And what are your 3 favorite things?" My dream job would be to design food displays for magazines or window displays in New York. I love the mix of fashion, food and interior design..when they come together to tell a story through photography that is art to me. My three favorite things? That's a tough one! Currently I love scenic road trips with vanilla chai lattes, floral petite dresses and cuddling with my puppy in her red knit sweater while it rains outside.

Leslie asked "Are you in school now? What are your dreams and goals for the future? Do you live close enough to me that we could meet in person?" I'm not in school anymore. I was being trained in cake design but stopped in the fall to focus on figuring out what I really want to do. My goal right now is to put my efforts into one thing instead of a trillion...I can't seem to stick to one thing. My dreams would include lots of traveling preferably backpacking, increasing my skills as a cook and mastering the complete balance in my life. I'm living for the chance to give back to the world voluntarily somehow most of all. I'm slowly getting to inner completeness but I have a few things I really am working on still. But I feel no one is going to find complete happiness in this world so I just try my best. To meet up? I would be honored :)

Neela asked "What are the most exotic spices that you add to your oatmeals?" I am in awe of all Indian spices so I have added garam masala and maple syrup together and drizzled it on my oats before. I found that caramelized bananas and the syrup go together beautifully. You must try it!

I really hope I didn't miss any one's questions if I did please let me know. Thanks to everyone that commented and the ones who read all this. Once again, these questions really made me think about how much my blog has become a huge part of my life..and I want to thank everyone who supports my blog because your feedback really inspires me to push boundaries and try new things. Thank you a million! I'm off to put my "chef hat" back on and make some cinnamon rolls...xoxo.