that's what I love about sunday...

I'm sitting here listening to country music (I'm one of very few people I know who like it, and I really like it), trying to convince myself that Sunday is going great. The weather is absolutely beautiful but I'm stuck inside working on homework for the upcoming week. I'm currently in the middle of writing 3 separate, although equally difficult papers, and then I still have some reading and drawing to do. As much as I love savoring the last relaxing day of the weekend, mí tarea is certainly putting a damper on it, but that's life I suppose. For now I'm going to focus on the positive, like taking a break to catch up on food blogs and update my own. Now that is what I call a good time :).

Friday didn't end up being all bad. For instance, dinner, a large piece of fresh Chilean salmon shipped express from the Southern coast. Oh my gosh, the best piece of raw fish I have ever had, I'm not even kidding. I also had a lot of green veggies alongside it, steamed broccoli, roasted asparagus, and chopped celery. My body felt so good after all of this and definitely started my weekend off right, despite the week's rough end.

Guess who tried Cottage Cheese Oats on Saturday morning?! I did! I'm sure you could tell how excited and anxious I've been to take the "plunge." Haha, I've been afraid of cottage cheese for most of my life due to the chunky texture and slightly off smell but I knew my fellow foodies would not steer me in the wrong direction so I put my faith in them and decided to put my prejudices aside and go for it. And I liked it! They only sell the cottage cheese with the curds in it, which I tried not to think about because I just hate the way that sounds. For "taste safety" reasons, I added some chopped apple to the basic banana to distract me and even more flax and cinnamon than usual. It added a similar creaminess that my yogurt usually took care of while keeping me full for, basically, ever. This packs quite the yummy protein punch!

Saturday's lunch was packed-to-go because I had class all afternoon. Yeah, class, ALL afternoon ;). My seminar class was meeting together and it fortunately ended up being really interesting, we discussed Art & Literature during the Chilean dictatorship. I had an incredible piece of Spinach, Corn, Pepper, and Salmon Quiche with a Carrot & Tomato salad... and then didn't take a picture. Sorry! Afterwards my friends and I went to Starbucks to chat which turned into a deep 3 hour conversation over Nonfat Cappucinos. I haven't seen a few people in so long since we have such different schedules so we got a chance to catch up and unwind. When I finally came home again my host-mom had made a not veg-friendly meal so we threw together a random platter for me in about 10 minutes: Lettuce & Carrots salad, White beans, Green beans, and Toast with a pat of Smart Balance (ish) butter. Delish!

I was done eating for the day but late last night my friends invited me out to Etniko, a japanese fusion bar. It was ultra-modern and had a sleek ambience, and, by the time we got there, a DJ and lightshow. So much for a low-key night, haha. I've been quite safe with my drinking habits so I decided to branch out a bit and try something new. Well, my simple, not fruity drink turned into 2 shots of tequila alongside ginger ale. I misunderstood when the waiter explained it to me O:) oops. But, alas, I figured I might as well, and while the table worked there way through a authentic Chilean Pisco Sour, classic Vodka Tonic, and "SATC" Martini, I paced myself through. I ended up not ordering food but the others had yet to eat so here's a glimpse of what we got-

Vegetable Tempura, a Special Salmon Avocado Tempura roll, good ol' standby California Roll, and a Dragon Roll. The first was a mistake on the waiter's part so we ended up getting free surprise and well, my friend Tim just wanted to be featured eating his Special roll, doesn't it look great?! I picked a bit and what I did taste was divine but enjoyed the food's presentation, the music, and the company more than anything. It was a great time and I didn't end up getting home until about 4 am this morning. It wasn't as much of a crazy night as it seems though, early morning returns are pretty standard according to South American nightlife. Of course, I'm still adjusting... so, I'm exhausted today, not hung-over though. I drank more but, like I said, I paced myself :).

For breakfast this morning I had some plain toast and some Green Tea to wake me up. I obviously slept in a but and you'd think I'd be starving after a night of dancing but my appetite was quite low. Weird. Anyway, I got some research and reading done and then before I knew it it was time for lunch. Time flies when you're having fun ;). As usual, Sunday lunch featured a new Chilean dish, Humitas, a boiled corn leaf filled with seasoned ground corn. I ate it alongside the traditional Tomato & Onion salad. Really delicious and flavorful, and very similar to a Mexican Tamale, although not nearly as creative with ingredients, this was exactly the kind of brain fuel I needed for the thrilling day I have ahead of me. Speaking of, I should really stop procrastinating and get back to work. Hope everyone had and continues to have (it's not over yet) a fantastic weekend! See you soon with the Pastel de Papas receta!