Hungry for Comfort

Carne asada french fries. Freshly baked mac and cheese. Chocolate covered pretzels. These foods, paired with the comfort of my faith, family, and friends, can generally help me overcome just about anything.

Those close to me know that I somehow end up in charge of a lot of things. I'm a control freak. Just kidding. But really, it's not necessarily by position, but I always choose to be a leader; I choose to take responsibility for the well-being of those around me. Whether it's spearheading a project, or  simply recommending an awesome restaurant, ensuring that others have a positive experience has always been a priority of mine. 
 

And as a leader, when a bad situation unfolds "on your watch," no matter the circumstances, you can't help but feel partially responsible. In seeking comfort, I am often reminded that hindsight is 20/20; the shoulda-woulda-couldas are always clear upon reassessment and the only thing to do is move forward. 

But you know what? I'm tired of it. I'm sick of reactive action. I'm sick of the conversations and remedies that only occur as a result of trauma. To start creating pure, positive change, we need to stop letting good work be tainted by the bad situation that prompted it. Our paradigm needs to shift, making kindness and compassion a lifestyle, not just a tool used to fix problems. 

This brings me back to those carne asada french fries -- what are we seeking when we turn to comfort food?
- Familiarity
- Warmth
- Control
- Security
- Gratification.
These are the things that are lacking when we're not filled with enough faith, hope, and love.

We were all put on this world for a purpose. I also believe that we were not meant to live in isolation from one another. We're here to connect with and comfort others -- strengthening family and friendships and building strong communities. Make a conscious effort to feed those around you with the living comfort food of familiarity, affirmation, and support:
- call a friend to see how they're doing
- volunteer to help out a neighbor
- take the time to smile and thank your bus driver or waitress.

Your kindness and compassion can go much further than you'd think, making someone even more joyfully full than a personal box of carne asada fries.


With love,

Tiffany R.

Dining at Tiffany's

Others eat #Unprocessed, too! -- Clean Eating/Paleo Style

Introduction 

Hello! You just walked in for the second half of the October #unprocessed challenge, in which I join over 6,000 people to eat only whole, unprocessed foods for one month!

I've been eating very delicious, unprocessed foods lately, but of course I'm not perfect -- I have some deliberate exceptions that I have partaken in. It has been challenging, but it's totally doable!

"Autumn Cakes": Sweet potato, shrimp + fresh-squeeze orange juice, chard stems, garlic, cinnamon, cayenne, pepper

Garnished with chard leaves!

Deliberate Exception: Anything my mom cooks, like her specialty pancit (Filipino, stir-fry noodles). Processed foods include the noodles, soy sauce, & fish cakes. Other than that, my mom makes everything from scratch! Go mom!

You can join too, either by finishing up the rest October, or starting your 30 days today!

Scroll through this textbook to read the full introduction.

If you're on your mobile device, flip it on its side for easier viewing! :)

I can tell you that since I started eating unprocessed foods, I feel much healthier and I've seen a noticeable difference in my body figure! Let me know if you're joining me and we can be #unprocessed buddies. I might even send you fun texts like this one from the other day:

If you're in San Diego, I'm happy to share #unprocessed goodies with you! Take the pledge!

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If you're like most people in my life, you won't take my word for it and will probably ignore me.  :''(

So, I invited some guests over to help me convince you!

A Gym-Owner,  A Manufacturing Engineer, A Newlywed, A Master of Food, A Fitspirational Friend, & An Aspiring Personal Trainer.

In America, there is a dangerous dichotomy in which people are very body image-obsessed but at the same time, our country has become increasingly overweight. Because of this, many fad "diets" pop up here and there, with varying levels of effectiveness, health benefits, and sometimes even safety.

First of all, I don't like the term "diet." It connotes eating naked salads for lunch, and being very miserable. And I don't very much like having naked people or misery at Tiffany's. ;)

 

So, I wanted to invite people to the table that don't necessary "diet," but stick to choices and eating styles that involve nourishing themselves with good food!

Now, I'm on Instagram ALL the time, and like me, I notice that Instragram users often post pictures of their most glorious meals. Some hashtags that keep popping up under the most vibrant of these photos are #eatclean or #cleaneating and #paleo.

So, I took some time to investigate of the Eat Clean/Clean Eating and Paleo styles of dining.

Here are my findings: both of these eating styles involve choosing to eat whole, natural, and -- you guessed it -- unprocessed foods! Who knew?

I'm starting to believe in this more and more each day, especially since eating #unprocessed is found across many styles of healthy dining, like Paleo/Clean Eating, that are recommended by many fitness-lovin' people:

Meet Raquel, A Gym-Owner

Tumbl'n and Slippin' into October #Unprocessed

Hi! First, two announcements!

1. I made mayonnaise! From scratch! It was wild! (We'll come back to this shortly).

2. I have a tumblr now! Follow me @diningattiffs!

Now I know it seems overkill to start a second blog, but that's the thing.. I realize that in my enthusiasm for each topic and post, I DO tend to get a bit overkill, writing very, VERY long posts on this website. Eventually, I will turn some of my more popular posts (like resume and cover letter writing) into downloadable PDFs, but for now, just expect to find lengthy posts on diningattiffanys.com. I put a lot of time and planning into each of these posts -- I truly want to be a helpful resource for my readers, so I keep it nice and thorough, letting all the flavors and textures develop into something I'm confident you can enjoy.

My tumblr will be the "microwaved" version of this website, with quick fixes of the Dining at Tiffany's experience! Check it out!

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So that was the Tumbl'n, let's talk about the Slippin'!

When I was in high school (roughly 6 years ago, wow!), this is pretty much what my lunch would consist of everyday:

1. A bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos. Often doused in lemon juice and salsa. We all walked around with red fingers back then.

"If you can read this, thank a teacher." or.. "bAcK 2 sChOoL!"

Thanks to everyone that attended my Virtual Birthday Party!! Along with my In Real Life festivities, it was nice to get notifications all week from my online party!

[Birthday weekend at Disneyland!]

With September coming to a close, Back To School time is in full gear, whether it be K-12, college, grad school, or even sending your own kids to school. The summer fun (and my birthday month of festivities) is winding down. With that, the { dinner conversation } tends to lead to the topic of education.

We'll start off with a scandalous and shocking reveal of a little secret that I rarely share.

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Backstory: Back when I was in college, I was part of a student-run organization called Alternative Breaks @ UCSD. Focusing on addressing social justice issues, we trained and sent out groups of students to serve communities in need during spring or summer break, with the intent to not only serve those communities, but learn a thing or two about living a life in service to others.





In my first year participating in the program, I served as a Site Leader, leading a group of students to plan and implement a volunteer trip to San Ignacio, Belize to do public health outreach -- a topic that I was (and am still) very passionate about.

[My Team: Alternative Breaks Belize 2009]

[These are students from one of the schools at which we volunteered. We taught them about healthy eating and disease prevention.]

[Showing off my pseudo-breakdancing skills in front of the Xunantunich Mayan Ruins. This was three years ago!]

A New Food Perspective for the New Year

I wrote this for a quarterly newsletter at work and I decided to share it here as well. Enjoy!



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A New Food Perspective for the New Year
By: Tiffany Rivera

Have you ever noticed that it costs just $1 to purchase a cheeseburger at a fast food restaurant or a bag of chips from the gas station? But at the grocery store or farmers market, that same dollar will only get you a head of lettuce or a few apples -- hardly enough to get your fill.

The striking price difference can make it tempting to stretch your budget by purchasing larger quantities of unhealthy food. But it is important to be aware that there is a very high cost involved in purchasing cheap food; consuming cheaper foods that are often high in fat and cholesterol (including fried food, salty snacks, and sugary drinks) is one of the main causes for life-threatening diseases like obesity and heart disease.

So for our health’s sake, it is well worth the price to invest in a more nutritious diet. A great way to maximize nutritional value is to buy and eat seasonal produce. Not only is it less expensive when in season, but it also carries the most nutrients and flavor when it is at its peak -- now that’s a great deal!

This season, enjoy delicious citrus fruits at their peak, including oranges, lemons, and grapefruit. Extra verdant during these next few months are nutrient-rich green veggies, like broccoli, swiss chard, collard greens, mustard greens, and spinach. So for the New Year, be sure to consider health first when making food choices!

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I sure will! I'm not the biggest fan of New Year's resolutions, but I do have some personal goals and dreams up my sleeve. ;). 2011 was a year full of milestones for me. I graduated college. I started my first grown-up job. I even ate all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ for the first time (hence the need to make healthier food choices)!

I look forward to sharing what 2012 at Tiffany's will be all about! Get excited for more delicious food, fun tips, and maybe even some dancing. What? Dancing? Just you wait and see!

I wish you all a very Happy New Year. Have a safe and fun time with your festivities and I'll see you in 2012!


With love,
Tiffany R.
Dining at Tiffany's

Unprocessed: Sweet Potato Rosemary Sauce recipe (vegan!)

I really must stop procrastinating, but I created this recipe for my pledge to October #unprocessed 2011 with Eating Rules! Or maybe I'm just doing this late to encourage everyone to choose unprocessed foods beyond October! :) 

Pasta w/ Sweet Potato Rosemary Sauce 

A cozy, comforting meal to ring in the autumn weather and use in-season produce! 

INGREDIENTS

- 2 Sweet potatoes (washed)
- 2 tsp finely chopped rosemary

- 1/4 cup coconut milk (your new, vegan best friend! refrigerate it in an airtight container to use as a milk substitute for other sauces) 1 tbsp of olive oil 

- 1/4 cup water

- dash of cinnamon

- dash of coriander (can also use cumin or any spicy crushed herb like curry powder) 

- dash of cayenne pepper

- garlic salt (or a 1/2 a clove of finely minced and sauteed garlic. prep the garlic beforehand!)

salt & pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

i. Boil water if you're making pasta! 

1. Poke sweet potatoes with a fork 4-5 times to vent. Place sweet potatoes on top of a paper towel on a microwave-safe plate (place a paper towel on top as well if you're paranoid of potato explosions).

2. Microwave for 5 minutes. Flip potatoes over (be careful, they're hot!), and microwave for another 5 minutes.

3. Remove from microwave. Cut a slit in each potato, scoop out the sweet potato (discard the skin). 

4. Use a blender or food processor to mix together the sweet potato and coconut milk/water. Alternate to ensure that the mixture is moist enough to blend. Add olive oil whenever you feel like it (or omit it, I don't know if this really made a difference)

5. Once you've blended about half of it, add rosemary gradually (Also, add sauteed garlic now if you're using it). Add more water or coconut milk if the mixture becomes too dry. 

6. Blend until the mixture is completely smooth (and beautifully glistening! okay, maybe that's what the olive oil is for!) 

7. Transfer to a small saucepan and heat on medium. Stir in spices gradually (including garlic salt if you didn't use sauteed garlic). Stir for about 5 minutes or until you feel the flavors are well-incorporated.

8. Salt and pepper to taste and mix with pasta. 

I would recommend whole wheat fusilli, or any other pasta that grabs on to sauce well! Also, the rosemary is raw, which can be a little bitter, so make sure to blend the mixture until the rosemary only appears as little, green specks. Enjoy!

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With love,

Tiffany

Dining at Tiffany's

Phood and Filanthropy!

As an advocate of good food and philanthropy, I love this!

For the month of August, several food trucks and distinguished restaurants are donating a dollar to the Food 4 Kids Backpack program if you order one of their 'Food 4 Kids' dishes!

Notable selections are:
- Any lunch pizza from Cucina Urbana
- Cap'n Crunch Crab Cakes from the Two For the Road food truck
- Chocolate Pot Du Creme from Whisk n'ladle

Personally, I will participate by getting a 6-pack from Corner Cupcakes! Their food truck once had a stop outside of my apartment. The past tense of that last sentence makes me sad and I've been craving their delicious (and practically life-changing) cupcakes ever since they drove away. It was like having my very own college version of an ice cream truck come to the neighborhood every week!  Sprinkles (also participating with their Cinnamon Sugar flavor) moving in nearby was merely a band-aid solution for my loss, but I've seriously been thinking about Corner Cupcakes for months. So, I will finally venture out to find their truck in San Diego -- for the children (Greek reference, anyone?)!

Speaking of the children, here is an excerpt from the SD Food Bank website:

"Of the 3.1 million residents in San Diego County over 483,000 people live at or near the federal poverty level and face the threat of hunger. 273,000 are children. Hunger or "food insecurity" means households face times when they do not know if they will have enough food, or do not know how they will get their next meal."

Whenever we think of hunger and poverty, there is a tendency to conjure images of poor, developing countries in Africa, Latin America, or Asia. But the reality is that there are people in our local communities that suffer from hunger everyday, sometimes having to choose between paying for bills over food for their families. Some children in districts around San Diego come to school on Monday having eaten little to nothing since their school-subsidized lunch on Friday.

The Food 4 Kids Backpack program works with schools around the district to provide children suffering from hunger issues with a bag of food to discretely tuck into their backpacks for the weekend, with enough to last until they return to school.

In a country of supposed abundance, I think it's such an injustice for anyone to go hungry, so I fully support this cause!

So, help yourself to some delicious food in San Diego to help feed hungry children in your community.
For more info and a list of participating food vendors, visit:  http://sandiegofoodbank.org/events/DollarADish/.
Let me know if you participate!


With love,
Tiffany
Tidbits at Tiffany's