Bringing tofu back?
Heyyyyyy 😀 HAPPY SUNDAY! How are you? I am bueno- we’re having a blasty in Tucson 😀
I promised shenanigans…
There ya go 😉
We had a pretty busy day yesterday, so here’s a boatload of pics from the extravaganza 😀
We slept in (glorious!) and the madre made a meaty egg feast for everyone else, and some sauteed veggies for me.
The veggies were perfect, but I kept staring at the Funfetti Bundt that nana made- it was making googly eyes at me 😉
So the pilot and I split a piece with our bfast 😀
Funfetti, how I love thee.
We hit up the gym for back, biceps and abs (a little cardio), and then I munched a little fruit when we got back to the casa.
Next, the pilot and I met his friend Robbie at another one of our Tucson favorites: OREGANO’S!!! (Home of the pizookie! Pizookie! Pizooooookie!)
The portions, much like the menu, are GIGANTIC.
I was a pleasantly difficult customer –as I always try to make up my own meal as politely as possible with a smile on my face- and ordered what became the best salad I’ve ever had at a restaurant.
The Oreganos’ favorite (with roasted red peppers, sundried tomatoes, kalamata olives, goat cheese instead of feta, no raisins, no pinenuts, and grilled shrimp instead of chicken, no dressing).
This was the JUNIOR size!
They even put the goat cheese on the side for me 😀 
I killed it while the boys devoured their stuffed mushrooms and pan pizza.
It was a foodgasmic glory 🙂
After our feast, we came back to my mom’s, took showers, got ready, chilled for a little while and then went to my dad’s house to see my nana, dad, stepmom, little bros and their two dogs (we brought Bella with us to see her friends).
My stepmom, who is a fabulous hostess, set out a beautiful spread of snackies.
Veggies and hummus:
Fruit and dip:
Olive tapenade, crackers and cheese
And the best whole grain, freshly made cookies I’ve ever had. Ever.
I had two along with my veggies, hummus and fruit. They were still warm… amazing 😀
We sat on the patio where my dad had built a fire, snacked and chatted for a few hours. It was wonderful!
After my dadoo’s, we met up with everyone to go shopping at Foothills Mall.
I got a few things 😉
Since there’s a Sushi Garden attached to the mall, we all ate there since the pilot and my brothers wanted sushi.
After last week’s sushi disaster, I wasn’t really feeling like sushi.
So I had some seaweed salad:
Squid salad:
Miso soup:
And edamame:
As you guys know, I don’t usually choose to eat soy since most soy products are highly-processed. Lately, I’ve been craving it like you wouldn’t believe. The tofu in the miso soup was so buttery and fabulous, so I’m thinking about adding tofu back into my like in moderation, because I really do love it. I’ll talk a little more about this next week when I get back from vacay 😀
Well the pilot and I are getting ready to hit up Sabino Canyon for a 9 miler, and then going to see my great-grandparents. For lunch, we’re going to check out an awesome vegetarian restaurant 🙂
See you tonight!
xoxo,
Gina
Congrats to all of the lovely ladies who ran the Disney Marathon this morning!!! <3 Especially my twinnie friends, Caitlin, Meghann and The FBGs!
50 Comments
Leave a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I just wrote about soy too… wondering what everyone’s thoughts were about it. I’m on the fence whether it is good or bad!
Looks like ya’ll are having a blast!
Enjoy the Sabina Canyon. Wow I want the bundt cake, tasty!!
The Nana’s cake looks so cute!!!
…and im hungry. That salad looks AMAZING!
What great eats!!
I am a huge tofu fan so can’t wait to see what you come up with adding it back into your diet! Soy in moderation has excellent health benefits IMO and according to my readings. All your meals this weekend look SO good…the salads, roasted veggies, edamame & miso…yum!
i think soy is perfectly fine to eat. i’ll be looking forward to your post next week about it!
I love when a restaurant serves a big salad with tons of variety 😀 Very hard to find…
And I <3 tofu. I agree that it's highly processed but I think if you buy non-GMO then it's certainly not bad for you!
Looks/sounds like you are having a fab time! And delicious eats too 😉
Funfetti…so not nutritious…so good…so worth the splurge!
So many good eats! I love goat cheese, and really any kind of cheese 🙂
Funfetti bundt cake?! I had no idea that you could do that!
I think you’re pregnant!! ‘Cause u look pretty extrict w/ur diet and ur cravin it like crazy, could it b? Well, all the food u have eaten looks delicious and i never order salads we go out to eat and when i do the produce is just disgusting-tasting. Well have fun and b safe!!!
i meant to say ‘strict’…
Tofu is pretty minimally processed. I used to get it at the farmer’s market when I lived on the west coast. If you’re craving it go for it. Good for you with the funfetti, you gotta splurge sometimes, especially on vacation!
funfetti is the best! Glad you are having so much fun 🙂
That funfetti cake looks amazing!! Sounds like you’re having such a good time, yay 😀
Oreganos looks delishhh!
Your stepmom looks like a great hostess!
Have fun today! Can’t wait to hear about the vegetarian restaurant!!
Jenn
hey gina, traveled to Tucson this summer, loved it! enjoy sabino canyon, had a great time there. what a great way to get in a good workout -with amazing scenery!
looks like you are havingn a fab time on your trip!
I’ve never been a fan of tofu. I honestly can say that I hate it. if it’s cooked in anything I order in a restaurant I pick every morsel of it out!
Wow everything looks so good – the veggies, the cookies, that cake!! reminds me of a kind my Grandma used to make – yum :). Fun times – I’ve never had edamame before – are they like sugar snap peas?? I’m guessing that they wouldn’t be like processed soy …so better for you?? 😉
That salad looks GLORIOUS.
Seaweed salad is my FAVORITE! I order it whenever we go to an asian restaurant and I make everyone try a bit when they make a funny face at the food. Usually, I don’t have any left to eat myself! 😉 Sounds like a great day!
oh my gooosh that salad from Oregano’s looks AH-mazing!! And so do those whole grain choc chip cookies. Any chance you could post the recipe? 🙂
Gahh, Oregano’s! That brings back so many memories for me. My brother went to school at ASU, and that is by far my favorite restaurant in Tempe. We would always go there at least once or twice every time I visited!
if you can believe it, i just bought goat cheese today and made my first salad with it! FOOOOOOOOOOOOODGASMSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS all around…i thought i had died and gone to heaven! it’s so creamy and delicious, it took my salad to a whole new level!
♥ lindsey
I’ve wondered before why you don’t eat soy. I’m interested to read what you have to say about it!
No sure what kind of options you have where you live Gina, but a whole bunch of natural food co-ops around here have tofu that is as least processed as possible, so I can still make it for my man all the time 🙂 You can find some (like the Wildwood brand) that uses only filtered water, Nigari (the firming agent) and soy beans! That’s it! My grocery store has it in bulk and it’s freshly made somewhere close by which is great… it makes me happy that if I don’t use it right away it actually goes bad within 5 or 6 days… that’s the way it should be!
I think the big hype/scare about too much tofu right now actually stems more from the problem that all tofu that’s non-organic (unless labeled otherwise) is made from Genetically modified soy beans and we don’t know what kind of issues they cause (and are usually also hyper-processed like you said)… Good luck!
Hi Gina,
Looks like you are having a great time visiting family…awww, i miss seeing my family (maybe this summer, that is if i decide to go to india). Have loadsaa fun…u deserve it. 🙂
LOVE funfetti cake. It has always been a fave. 🙂
Funfetti! I love that! I haven’t had it in forever.. Looks like you are having a great time at home! enjoy!!! I LOVE your blog!
“pleasantly difficult customer” ohh i like that!
Great pics, thanks for sharing!
the funfetti cake looks fabulous 🙂 Nana’s are the best, aren’t they!
wow talk about a lot of good food in one post!!! I think soy can be okay in moderation, plus there is a big difference between eating organic tofu and edamame once in awhile vs eating soy milk yogurt and fake meat product (ew ew ew ew ew ew ew) everyday. There is worse things to eat than organic tofu once or twice a week but of course it is all about how everyone’s own body reacts no “right” answer.
I am glad you are having such a great time! The food there looks wonderful, even the classic funfetti, LOL! Even the squid salad looked great, and I haven’t had squid in years and years… Yum!!!
That salad looks incredibly tasty; it had me drooling and I just ate dinner. Several years ago we were stationed at Ft. Huachuca, AZ and we found ourselves at the Foothills Mall on several occasions. Tucson was much appreciated civilization, compared to our sad little town of Sierra Vista. Enjoy the rest of your vacation.
I love funfetti!
I have never had seaweed salad but have always wanted to try it. Any suggestions?
ahaha, just read the comment above about being pregnant, if it meant I was pregnant every time I craved something I would be like that old women who lived in a shoe….
I know what you mean about tofu! I generally avoid soy because I have thyroid issues, but I definitely enjoy a little tofu from time to time. 🙂 But, even better than tofu is seaweed salad! LOVE it!
Enjoy the rest of your time in Tucson!
oh my gosh I loveeee how you had to order off menu at Oregano’s and you did it like a champ. I am ALWAYS “that girl”. For some reason I hate doing it. I knowwww I’m supposed to own my decisions and be proud of them, but sometimes I feel like I’m just embarrassing my family/dinnermates and annoying the kitchen. Way to go girl, doing it with alacrity.
Yep, I think you are pregnant, too :). I was a little lax on my diet when I was…maybe this trip was to share some news to the family? 🙂
In any case, I am adding soy into my diet. I dont usually limit my protein intake, but I have been going more pescatarian (sp?) as I try to lose my last few pregnancy pounds. But I looooove me some tofu. Anyway, it all looks SO good. SOO) yummy. Even funfetti.
Gina I love seeing all your ‘exotic’ trips- well exotic for me seeing as its snowy and cold over in England. My Mum went on a school trip to AZ in October and loved it- only 4 days of rain a year?! I think, as long as you keep a balance on the amount of soy in your diet it will be fine, and ‘processed’ doesn’t have to be bad- if tofu is made with calcium carbonate as the firming agents you get so much calcium from eating it. But I’m lucky cos you can get unsweetened soya yogurt over here, and GM hasn’t raised its ugly head here nearly so much 😉
Ummm you may have just made my day b/c I LOVE OREGANOS!!! I’m originally from AZ and that maybe the #1 thing I miss is that dang pazookie! Oh and the guacatoni…the list of yuminess there goes on and on! I’m very very jealous at this moment!
Glad you had fun!
All of that food looks so delicious! I wish I could eat all of it haha
Oh yum – that salad looks immensely flavourful! Love how you change it up. I am not sure how that would go down in London, but maybe I should give it a try…
I just did a course in making tofu from scratch. Really interesting and cool – very wholesome, too. And all the amazing tofu byproducts are edible and nutritious as well. I love the Japanese culture that wastes nothing.
I grew up in Flagstaff, AZ and they have (had?) an Oreganos so this post makes me smile. I used to LOVE Oreganos!