Longan + Goji Berries + Dragon Well Tea

Rating: 8/10

Longan fruit. Dried goji berries. Dragon Well tea leafs. Add hot water. And presto! Delicious, nutritious tea drink. Stole this concoction from my mother actually, she swears by this stuff. Longan has basically the same succulent texture of lychee but with a softer, less obnoxious taste. Goji is sweet and tart with a hint of bitter that fades into tea flavors. And really all teas tastes pretty much the same to me, so Dragon Well basically tastes like any other green tea. These three things combined make for amazing, smooth, richly flavored tea for a non-tea drinker as myself. It doesn't even have that icky bitter I despise in most teas. And I would say the actual tea leaf is what's most interchangeable here. I don't see why any other green tea won't do the trick too. Though Dragon Well does do that cool vertical floating leafs thing in water that's pretty entertaining to watch.

Young Coconut Meat + Yellow Cherry Tomatoes

Rating: 9/10

Coconut meat (scooped from a fresh young coconut I hacked to pieces for juice) eaten with yellow cherry tomatoes (ways more delectable than the red ones). The mild sweet, gelatinous coconut blends so smoothly with the juicy, sweet tartness of the tomatoes. Feel so rejuvenated eating this I can't even explain why. Yep, still on this vegetarian kick. Don't worry, not swearing off meat. Would never think of restricting what I can eat in the world. Omnivores for a reason, baby! And plan to take full advantage while I'm still young and healthy enough to enjoy food.

Nutrition:

• Asia Exotic Corp BL young coconut meat = 140 Calories, 2g fiber, 17% of daily Calcium
• Zima Seriously Sweet yellow cherry tomatoes (1 cup) = 70 Calories, 2g fiber, 80% of daily Vitamin C, 20% of daily Vitamin A

Total Calories = 210
Some fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Yay for digestion.

Fried Egg + Super Chop Salad

Rating: 10/10

Fried egg dripping in yolk tossed over a salad of baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, avocado, basil, mozzarella, garlic croutons, dried cranberries, almonds, pistachios, sunflower seeds, sautéed tofu, and thousand island dressing. Been totally obsessed with salad creations lately. Funny I've never been much into salads until I realized I can add anything I want into it and still call it a salad as long as it has some basic raw vegetables in the mix. So began my awesome salad journeys. First up, topping a super-salad with a crispy, yolky sunny-side up egg. So much taste and chew in this masterpiece. The key to deliciousness is really to chop it all up with a giant knife while in a giant bowl to get all the flavors mixing before tossing it with the dressing. Can't wait to try more new salad combos!


Nutrition:

• 2 cups of Earthbound Farm Organic Baby Spinach = 14 Calories, 2g fiber, 112% of daily Vitamin A, 28% of daily Vitamin C, 10% of daily Iron
• cup of Nature Sweet Cherry Tomatoes = 27 Calories, 2g fiber, 25% of daily Vitamin A, 32% of daily Vitamin C
• 1/2 Calavo Avocado =  140 Calories, 5g fiber, 15% of daily Folate, 13% of daily Vitamin C, 10% of daily Vitamin B6, 10% of daily Riboflavin
• sprig of Lucinda's Specialty Produce Basil = 1 Calorie
• thick slice of Formaggio Fresh Mozzarella = 160 Calories, 300mg Sodium, 30% of daily Calcium
• cup of Fresh Gourmet Seasoned Organic Croutons = 280 Calories, 560mg Sodium, 16% of daily Iron
• 3 spoonfuls of Kirkland Signature Fruit & Nuts = 150 Calories, 2g fiber, 11g sugar
• 2 spoonfuls of America's Choice Roasted Salted Sunflower Seeds = 170 Calories, 115mg Sodium, 3g fiber
• 1/2 block of Soonyeowon Soft Tofu sautéed = 270 Calories, 2g fiber, 32% of daily Iron, 20% of daily Calcium
• 6 spoonfuls of Walden Farms Thousand Island Dressing = 0 Calories, 870mg Sodium, 30% of daily Vitamin B12, 30% of daily Vitamin E
• fried egg = 95 Calories, 15% of daily Iron

Total Calories = 1,307
Not skimping on the Calories here. But totally worth it. Super nutritious and kept me full for half the day. A lot of Sodium though, no wonder I was so thirsty afterwards.