Where have I been??

So it's been a crazy few weeks. I am about 3 weeks away from finally graduating from college, and I couldn't be more excited. I haven't spent more than a few minutes in my kitchen lately, so no new recipes or pictures today, but I promise some in the very near future.

I did, however, have a lovely experience at Pure Food and Wine, a raw restaurant in NYC. It was absolutely fantastic! I went with a group of friends, and all 6 of us decided to get the chef's tasting. I have pictures, so look for that post, along with a recipe from their cookbook that I've made.

But today's post is about the Kreativ Blogger award I was nominated for a few weeks ago and completely overlooked. I was nominated by the very lovely Raw Vegan Foodie, a blog that I admire and read frequently. She's got some lovely recipes, so take a minute to peruse her pictures and recipes.

Anyway, being nominated means:
1. I must share with you seven things that I love.
2. I must nominate seven other bloggers for the Award.

So...things I love.

First is definitely my family. I have the most incredible parents, who are always there to provide support and love me consistently, no matter what I'm doing or going through. They also inspire me by their knowledge and also their constant committment to be the best caring individuals they can be.

Second is my friends. I truly think I have some of the greatest friends in the world. Most of us have been friends since we graduated from high school some odd 12 years ago, and they always manage to entertain me and keep me laughing.

Thirdly, I love food. I love everything to do with food. I love to eat it, I love to cook it, I love to photograph it - I just love it. I could literally spend hours combing through cookbooks and recipes, jotting down notes and ideas for new recipes. If I'm feeling incredibly stressed, nothing calms me down quite like cooking.

Fourth, I love my job. I've been working in Child Welfare in the abuse unit, and I haven't loved a job quite like this. There are days that I wonder why I like it so much, but for the most part, I enjoy my part in keeping kids safe.

The fifth thing I love is sun and warm weather. Seriously. I don't know if it's because I was born in California or if I'm just a sun baby, but I absolutely adore the sunshine. I even love those hot muggy days when you walk outside and you almost can't catch you're breath, it's that hot.

Sixth on my list is probably traveling. Having grown up as a missionary kid, I had some wonderful opportunities to live and travel in different countries. As an adult, I still try to use my passport as often as possible.

And the seventh thing that I love is honestly just my life. I turned 31 this year, which wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it may be. I'm blessed with so many different opportunites, and I'm surrounded by some of the greatest people in the world. I don't think I've ever felt as comfortable with myself as I have these past few years.

Alright, and now that I've been sappy enough, it's time to nominate 7 bloggers that inspire me, and this task was probably harder than the 7 things I love! I just checked my bloglines and my food blogs list totals almost 250! So picking out just 7 that inspire me was a tough job.

A blog I've been reading for quite some time is Green and Crunchy. Her family has finally transitioned to all raw vegan, which is incredible given that she has 5 lovely children she also homeschools. She's got some great kid-friendly ideas for feeding your children raw-style.

Raw Epicurean is a beautiful website, and not only has some great recipes, but is also chock-full of great information.

Everybody Likes Sandwiches is a blog that's been on my list for years. She's spunky and has great style and I love reading her blog for fantastic ideas.

Another great blog is Straight from the Farm. It's a blog after my own heart, eating fresh and local produce. Her photography is awesome and it's very inspiring to read.

I must have dozens of recipes printed out from Adventures of Raw Goddess Heathy. Even if you're not a raw foodist, as I aspire to be at some point, she's got some great healthy raw recipes that you shouldn't miss out on.

Rawmazing is another great blog from a raw foodist. She's got some really tasty cracker and bread recipes that are on my list of things to try.

And finally, the Urban Vegan is another one of my must clicks. Great recipes, but also lots of great information about saving money and being green-friendly.

Well, that's all she wrote! This post was supposed to have pictures in it, but my photo software wasn't working at the moment, so I skipped them.

Have a great rest of the weekend!