It’s 2012, The Year of Blogging; The Year of Whole Foods

Whoa…has it really been…THREE MONTHS since my last blog post? Thank goodness Google remembers my password to WordPress for me- it’s been that long, ya’ll. It’s been so long I actually forgot the 6th anniversary- November 11- of this here Tuna Toast blog! I’m a bad blog mom, seriously.

The truth is, Social Media Killed This Blogger. You’ve heard the story before of people abandoning their blogs because Twitter and Facebook (and Smartphones) makes it so easy to instantly share a photo of something you ate or cooked with a short, neat little tidbit to explain the photo. Who wants to sit down and write long blog posts when you can talk about your amaaaazing chilaquiles in 140-character-or-less gems like, “OMG, amaaazing chilaquiles ya’ll!” What’s that sound? It must be Columbia University calling about my Pulitzer Prize.

Twice-baked yams stuffed with spicy black beans and tomatillo salsa; Mexican coleslaw made with colorful bell peppers, cilantro and a lime vinaigrette

Which brings me back to my blog. I do want to write more than just little blurbs on my Instagram feed (it’s tokyoastrogirl, if you’re interested!); convey more than just “liking” something by clicking a heart on my Pinterest board. I actually do write- but now that I’m in the destination/hospitality marketing/PR business, I write for others, not myself.

Baked blueberry oatmeal- oats, blueberries, milk, clarified butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, almonds

So listen here, folks: 2012 is The Year Of Blogging! It’s also, in our household, The Year Of Whole Foods. No, not the expensive grocery store chain (they don’t call it Whole Paycheck for nothin’). Whole foods, as in, foods in their original state. Unprocessed. Unrefined. Of course, this doesn’t mean we are eating entirely this way- I still need my bread and cheese. We’re just going to try and eat as many whole foods as possible…a first effort, so to speak. We generally eat healthily at home, but we do have our crazy moments when we have way too much wine (but wine is good for you, no?) which leads to snacking which leads to going to bed full which leads to dark circles under the eyes and “puffy face” which leads to low self-esteem which leads to starting the cycle all over again. Yikes- I’m tired just typing that! We’ll try to curb those habits this year.

Roasted carrots, celery and onion for Roasted Carrot Soup

I’ve included a few photos of the dishes I’ve made so far this year as examples. I didn’t take a pic of one of my favorite dishes- M Cafe de Chaya‘s Kale With Spicy Peanut Dressing. I was so excited to find the recipe online and made a big batch at home. It isn’t the prettiest dish, but currently it’s my favorite way to get obscene amounts of kale into my system. Who cares if it’s healthy- it’s downright addictive! The recipe is very good, except it makes too much dressing for two bunches of kale- I’d make five bunches and use that amount of dressing. Massaging the dressing (sounds funny, but it works) into the kale is also key. If you have a peanut allergy, you can use almond butter instead and it will be just as delicious. Wheat free people can use tamari instead of soy sauce, and if you don’t have brown rice vinegar, seasoned rice vinegar is fine. You can find the recipe here.

Seared rockfish, blackened broccoli and roasted carrot soup.

So that’s it for my official Return To Blogging and other thoughts for 2012. I hope you’ll join me!