Naiya Sushi! Naiya!

Let's keep this simple. Naiya Sushi is amazing. You should go.
Prices are about the same as any other Japanese-Thai restaurants but the potent and elegantly balanced flavors make this little gem stand out from all the others-- even my original go-to place in Tradition, FL: Sake Too. The spicy tuna is so fresh and formed. When you start chewing, you get that nice little kick; then, it's gone and you want more. The volcano rolls are wonderfully robust and filling. One of these rolls is likely to appease any appetite. The roll that really stood out was the Red Lady. I believe this one is special to the house but it's so simple, it's classic! The Red Lady roll is basically a California Roll with a nice piece of Tuna set atop like a perfect-fit hat. So well-rounded and light yet satisfying!
As for the Thai food, Alex and I ordered Fried Tofu (pure genius!) that was served with sweet and sour sauce, as well as the Pineapple Fried Rice (No chicken, just extra veggies). For the Fried Tofu, you have to eat it to believe the delicious savory treat this is-- just like a chicken nugget but more light. For the Pineapple Fried Rice-- a divine mountain of food. This dish holds it's own and, even with two people, will send you home with leftovers. Sorry it didn't make it into picture-form. It was just too good-- and I was too hungry!-- to stop and take a picture before diving in.
The icing to this delicious meal was a glass of Takara. Takara is a plum wine (I've finally found a wine I enjoy!) and it's sweet without being overwhelming. The alcohol is very faint but just present enough to balance out the existing sweetness. I seriously enjoyed this so much, Alex and I went to Total Wine afterwards and found a bottle-- only $7! It is now on the future special-occasion drink list.

Takara Wine

Spicy Tuna Roll
(what was left by the time I remembered to take a picture)

Fried Tofu

Sandridge (from left:) Volcano Roll, Red Lady, Sushi & Sashimi,
Chef's Samplers (Seaweed &, I think, some sort of dried crab/octopus thingy)

Volcano Roll & Red Lady = Heaven:
a little of heavy and a little bit of light.

Sushi & Sashimi

Mostly Vegan-- Mostly.

I was going to finish writing a post on flatulence and how I've been having some pretty stinky ones since I made the switch to veganism. It does take time for the body to adjust but I'd say a week of gassing my boyfriend is enough to determine two things: (1) he's a keeper for leaving the room but still willing to come back and kiss me and (2) something needs to be done so I don't kill him or anyone else. I was going to discuss how and why the body produces -ahem- flatulency but after today's overwhelming hunger and exhaustion-- and boredom of tofu-- I've determined that I'm going to try for a mostly vegan lifestyle.

It's pretty much what I've been doing for the longest time, just with less eggs, chocolate, and fish. Not too hard after this past week but eggs are much too yummy to ban from my breakfast forever. Vegan pancakes are awesome but tofu scramble can't entirely replace the yumminess of eggs. So there will be eggs, just not every morning like it used to be. I need the variety in my diet and, being a person who loves food, I just can't say no all the time to my perky, little, unfertilized embryo. So hello again to Freddies and Eggies in a Basket!

After a Google search on veganism I found this NYTimes article on how common it is for people to be vegans most of the week or month but then they have a day or so for them to not be vegan. Still a lovely effort towards more veggies in my opinion. 

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/21/why-im-not-a-vegan/?ref=veganism

Oh, and in case you were wondering, mint teas and real mint/extract help a little with the stinkies. 

Going Vegan

Going vegan is not that difficult-- as long as you get to buy all of your own groceries. The moment other people and being on the go become involved, it gets complicated. My biggest problems are: eating over Alex's house (his family hasn't even adjusted to support him being vegetarian so vegan is absolutely a challenge there) and breakfast. 

Ill have a vegan breakfast but ill still feel hungry if its not oatmeal. I definitely need to have more food an hour later or something with significant protein to help offset the absence of eggs. To be entirely honest, I do miss eggs. 

However, I may have found a solution: tofu scramble! This morning I gave it a try and I wasn't disappointed. 

So I'm definitely still learning and I can't say I've managed to avoid meat products entirely: milk in the mashed potatoes at Alex's house, and chicken broth used to make the rice in my moms arroz con pollo. With some time and the opportunity to buy all my own groceries (like when Alex and I finally move in together in August!), Im sure this can work. I do love my veggies. 

Vegan-ism

Another -ism that pops up often for me? Veganism. I've stated before I am lactose-intolerant and I only eat eggs for breakfast and then ice cream and fish on occasion (of course not together). This often leads to the public suspicion that I am vegan, which is not a bad thing, but a curious one when I take into consideration the reactions to my answer. These range from confusion, misunderstanding, to disappointment.
The most recent one was disappointment and it got me to thinking: "why not try vegan?"
I spoke with Alex about the idea and he asked what kind of vegan I would want to be and I had to consider super veganism, and just plain vegan. I categorize super-veganism as no honey, no anything at all made from animals (this is not limited to food). As I am a person who enjoys the few quality items I do own, such as my leather purse, I will not be doing super veganism. Why would I want to cut out honey anyway? Honey is more often than not harvested from un-harmed bees and  when they are used for harvesting honey they are provided with substantial circumstances that allow for best health and reproduction. I say, go bee farmers! for helping the bees progress in their productiveness.
That said, it will be a little difficult to give up the occasional ice cream but there are so many delicious vegan ice cream options like coconut and soy milk ice cream. My biggest challenge though will be weening off the eggs. Eggs have been a part of my breakfast for quite some time and I've relied on them as a big source of my daily protein intake. I absolutely love the taste of them and they help me start my day.
I feel that giving veganism a try will give me a push to create new meals for breakfast and find even more sources of protein to get the day started.
So far today I've done good. I ate a whole wheat english muffin with peanut butter, raisins, a banana, and almond milk. An hour or so after I ate stir-fried mushrooms and spinach with almonds.
Unlike today's breakfast, which I had to follow up soon after with veggies, I know eating my fancy oatmeal will keep me full for quite a while. The problem is I don't want to rely on oatmeal every day. Perhaps I need to broaden my horizons for what can be eaten for breakfast. There's vegan pancakes and waffles but I dont want to be limited to wheat products or eggs substitutes. I want to eat real food-- food that comes from the earth. I'm thinking my research into pre-yoga drinks will be a big help with this.

That being said, I know you're all wondering how my new little angel is doing and he's doing wonderfully. He had flees when I first got him but I think a bath, and Colie's determination to hand-pick off each one, has done the trick. No scratching, and no sight of any icky bugs. Just to be safe, I'm still going to use the flea, ear mite, worm medicine that should be in the mail soon. Here's the cutie pie being just CUTE! And his big brother sleeping on a chair, being his adorable, fat kitty self.

Sunshine In the Sunshine State

Another lovely morning for yoga outside. I even got a cute tan line from my strappy top!

I've recently decided to just hold off on my attempts to find somewhere affordable to get certified and just work on my own personal practice. I have considered teaching some friends or just providing an open space to practice along-side me and I think I'd like to do that since I have so much free time. Anyone on my friends list, or even friends of friends, let me know if you're interested. Male, female, young, or old just bring a mat, towel, water bottle, and a desire to flow. I'm not looking to make it advanced since I'm not very advanced myself but its totally cool to do your own thing. 

I'm working on a playlist now and once I have that settled and I see who's interested I'll set this up.

On an sweet and cute-sie note, my father surprised me with a male Siamese kitten today and he is now the newest member of the Negron-Seavey family. His name is Rinpoche (yes, right out of Breakfast With Buddha--one of my favorite novels) and, true to the name, I'm sure I will have much to learn from him as be goes through potty training and other big adjustments like learning to be okay with Sheba, my parent's German Shepherd-Chow doggie.