Have I mentioned my favorite restaurant ever in the whole entire world is right here in St. Louis? I haven’t? Well, consider it mentioned. PuraVegan is indeed my favorite restaurant ever, and if you know me at all you won’t be surprised that they serve mostly raw, 100% vegan, über-healthy food.

But before you stop reading and head to McDonald’s, hold up a second. It’s actually tasty food, too! And I’ve brought several friends and family members (even my carnivore father) along for a meal and they hold up my opinion. I’m personally a fan of the stellar raw noodles they make from zucchini, yellow squash, and sweet potatoes, but they also have great raw deserts, wraps, salads – even burgers.

So if you’d like to dabble in raw/vegan food with limited effort on your part, head on down to PuraVegan! I think you’ll be glad you did.

Their website: http://www.puravegan.com

Snow, Snow, and Snow—this weather is not only for St. Louis, but also for most of the states in the middle part of the United States.

Last Thursday, we got a serious snow, the depth of the snow reached my knees, and I couldn’t walk easily even though I wore snow boots. It looks so dangerous to walk and drive. I didn’t have internet for 72 hours at my apartment after the snow. However, it was a blessing in disguise. My friend and I got a chance to make a snowman after it snowed. Even though the weather was so cold outside, I felt so excited to make a snowman with my friend because I’ve never made one. Not like in St. Louis, where there is a lot of snow in the winter, in my home country, Taiwan, we only have a snow on the highest mountain, it’s hard to touch snow and play it.

My friend and I made a hat for the snowman, we were just like kids. Also, we used a carrot and soybeans to be the snowman’s nose and eye. Isn’t it adorable? Actually, the cold weather made my friend’s and my hands freezing, but we still felt excited to make our snowman, since it was so much fun. After a half hour, we made a very cute snowman finally, but it looks like a puppy. We named him Carben ( Carrot+ Soybean). You might ask me why there is a lot of food on the snowman. Let me tell you, it’s because I’m a dietitian, and my classmate is becoming a dietitian, too. Does it make sense?

In the last minutes, we put our name on the snowman, to show it was made by us. I really like my first snowman, because it was my first time to make one, and I made it with my friend. I’m hoping you’ll like it.

By the way, we put our snowman (Carben) closer to Fontbonne, so don’t forget to say Hi to this snowman if you see him. Hoping you’ll have a good winter. Happy snowing!

It has been six weeks since I have been home, and I made my way back to Springfield, IL ,Sunday for the Super Bowl. I am not the type to get homesick because I am always so busy and I can admit that I was a week before Sunday. My brother and sisters had so much to tell me I barely got to watch some blacked out football game. My boyfriend, Andrew, came home with me to join the Hogan chaos. The first half of the football game we were all eating bowls and bowls of the delicious homemade chili. We had the option of white chicken chili or regular old fashion heartwarming chili. I couldn’t get enough of both. We were cheering and laughing all the way through Beyonce’s spectacular performance. Then by second half we were all quiet, almost sleeping because of all the food we indulged in. I’m glad I was able to spend some time with my family. It was well needed.

Last weekend, there was a big event called “Taste of St. Louis” at Soldier’s Memorial in downtown St. Louis. It’s a really meaningful annual event that not only included delicious food, but also offers cultural art and outside music, which let customers feel relaxed on weekends. The following four parts are the interesting activities to me:

Part 1: Food Testing- It’s the biggest reason I went there with my friends. For we (customers) just had to pay a little money, then we can eat many delicious food that were made by different famous restaurants in St. Louis metropolis area. Take one of my friends for example, she spent $2 to get  ribs from Pappy’s, and I only spent $5 to buy a sirloin beef sandwich from Ruth’s restaurant. I really liked this event because I can try many different kinds of international food at the cheapest price, such as $ 4 for a bowl of Pad-Thai, $3 for a slice of cheesecake, $5 for a sushi roll.

Part 2: The Culture of Wine- in Taste of St. Louis, the No. 1 popular event is for food, and the No.2 popular event is for a lot of wine. You can buy “wine tickets” to taste all the wines in this event, and they also will tell you the story and the background of this wine you tasted. I was so amazed the exhibits are of wine is more than I can imagine it.

Part 3: Chef Live Show- It was so amazing that visitors can see a live chef show in this event, so we saw chefs were cooking in the open kitchen and some TV was reporting on them. Isn’t it neat?

Part 4: Outside music and games-They also offers live bands to make the public feel relaxed. Moreover, the sponsor of this event offers some interesting games to let you get some souvenirs to go back your home. Moreover, there are a few car companies offer a chance to let you get a new car few months later. I’m hoping I’ll be the lucky Penny to get a free car.

Although the weather was so cold last weekend, we still had a good time in Taste of St. Louis because we ate a lot of delicious food with using a little money. It was really a beautiful food culture day.

SHESA is having a social this Thursday, September 20, from 11:45 to 12:45 in the AMC (first floor of Medaille). Despite the fact that we’re already a few weeks in, this event is to kick-start the new school year. Pizza, veggies, fruit, chips, cupcakes, and drinks will be served for FREE. Who doesn’t like free food? This is not the first official meeting. The point of the social is to chat and distribute a quick survey. This will tell the officers which day is the best  meeting day. We’d like to cater to everyone’s schedules as much as possible.

For those of you who don’t know what SHESA is, it stands for Student Human Environmental Sciences Association. It’s a club that combines all the HES majors: dietetics, family and consumer sciences, early childhood, and fashion merchandising (that’s me!). We participate in a variety of community outreach events, such as making casseroles and collecting clothing for local shelters. We also get involved on campus by hosting guest speakers and sponsoring craft or food booths during fall, Christmas, and spring events.

SHESA is always open to new ideas and curious as to what people are willing to help with. For anyone interested in SHESA, the social this Thursday in the AMC gives students the chance to give such suggestions. I know schedules get busy with everyone’s classes and activities, so it’s totally fine to just stop by for a few minutes. Hope to see many there!

Hi all! I am new to the Fontbonne University blogging community so an introduction is only appropriate.

My name is Kelia, pronounced “Kayla.” A lot of people, teachers included, know me as “Kayla,” but freak out when they see my name on paper. So don’t worry if when you read my name on paper you wonder who the heck that person is. It happens to the best of them. Once you get over the weird spelling, I think it means we are friends.

First thing first, I am a senior! This is my last semester of college. Last. Semester. How insane is that?! Unbelievable. Three point five years have never gone so fast in my life. If there were a mantra that should be scribed all over every notebook/agenda/wall of incoming freshman, it’s this: Life goes too fast. Appreciate it, have fun, worry less, smile more. Just because you are a college student does not mean you should adopt the stress level of Obama. This is something I wish I would have tuned in on. Have fun while you can and study when you should.

I am majoring in Fine Arts with a concentration in Graphic Design. I love art. Every type. I love to create. I will probably be writing a lot about this. Expect to see musings about my art classes, which are: Painting with Tim Liddy, Life Size Painting with Victor Wang, Senior Project with Tim Liddy, Digital Imaging with Denise Shilling, and Wood Working with Mark Douglas. If you have no idea who these professors are, go find them and introduce yourself. It’s not everyday you get to hang around actual, real life, thriving Artists. The Art Professors of Fontbonne University are incredibly talented and profoundly caring. They create art, and they sell art. Some of the works are in New York, Europe and Hong Kong. They are kind of a big deal. Shake their hands, ask them questions, be their friend.

The other class: Kitchen Survival: Cook Well, Eat Well, Live Well (the special topics course.) Because of the awesome dedicated semester topic of Foodology, this cooking class was offered and I could not resist. I love food, I love to cook and bake and I love to be healthy. Best class ever. I will most definitely be writing about the creations from this class.

I am from Kentucky. I was born in Ohio as a 3 month early premi. I live in Northern Kentucky when I am not in ST. Louis attending school. My family lives about 7 minutes from Cincinnati Ohio, where I plan on landing a job. Expect to read about me missing my family, friends and my amazing boyfriend of 3 years and 7 months. Hey, long distance relationships suck, so every month counts.

Exercise: I love it! I love to run and have run competitively since 7th grade. I have been playing soccer since the age of 4. In high school I ran cross country and played varsity soccer at the same time all four years. I love the dedication and physical demands you ask of your body as an athlete. I found Fontbonne because I was recruited by a past cross country coach and fell in love with the school, the program and the area. I ran Cross Country and Track for 2 solid years, switched to soccer last year, and this year I am doin’ my own thing. I like to lift weights, I like to run, I like to sweat.

I am really excited to share my experiences as a last semester college Senior with everyone! Thanks for reading,

-Kelia

My gosh, I can’t believe I’m a sophomore already. I was just thinking about when I moved in last year into the dorms. I was so scared and excited all at the same time. Now walking in as a sophomore, I feel like I own the school. Ha Ha, not really. But I do feel like I have a better sense of what I’m doing.

So I feel like this dedicated semester course was meant for me: Foodology. Not only do I love food, but I want to have a career with it. Currently I’m a psychology major, but I wanted to specialize in the study of food behavior. I’m taking the Nutrition class and I love it! I find everything to be so interesting and homework to be fun. (Weird, right?) I decided that after I graduate and get a master’s in psychology, I want to go back to school and become a register dietitian. A lot of school, but a part of me is super excited for it.

I hope everyone’s semester is getting off to a great start!

Hi out there,

It’s been kind of a crazy week in the graduate SLP program. But then again, so what else is new? With spring break right around the corner, my to-do list has grown to (literally) two pages in length. Bleh. But it’s so worth it! I don’t want to do a lick of work for the entire week, so I’m in overdrive trying to get ahead. I’ll be spending a good part of the week at home in Maine, but I’m making it a point to back in the Lou in time for a concert that following weekend. There is an awesome venue on the Loop that I’ve been meaning to check out. It just so happens that one of my favorite bands will be playing there over spring break! I can’t wait. Every now and again I have to remember to embrace the city and really take advantage of my surroundings. I get lost in the shuffle of my responsibilities, so even seven months into being a St. Louisan, I am always finding new and exciting things to do. It helps that I have a friend who works for the River Front Times, the local paper that specifically highlights events going on in St. Louis. She just filled me in on Ironfork, which is a chef competition and restaurant showcase. Considering my “wish-list” on Urban Spoon is about twenty or so restaurants long, this will be a great way to get out there and try some samples! Man oh man, I sure do love eating my way through St. Louis It’s a GREAT city for foodies!

One thing that I think makes St. Louis a great place to live is the food. The bountiful, diverse, succulent… FOOD. I speak not just of restaurants, but of stores as well: as an admitted health nut and tree-hugger, I am delighted that my organic kombucha tea and chia seeds are simply a 7 minute Whole Foods trip away. And don’t get me started on the Soulard Farmer’s market!

Of course, the restaurants in St. Louis are nothing to scoff at either. I’m a big fan of Asian food, and I’m quite pleased with the selection at The Drunken Fish in the Central West End as well as at Thai Too in Webster. If you’re more of a meat and potatoes kind of person, I can secondhandedly vouch for that as well – when I was younger my parents and I would go out to eat at McGurk’s Irish Pub in Soulard or Citizen Kane’s in Kirkwood. And I can’t forget all the Italian food I’ve eaten on The Hill! Speaking of ethnic food, you can find all kinds of crazy eateries on South Grand Boulevard. I could go on and on! Whether you’re into the organic macrobiotic lifestyle or a die-hard carnivore, anyone can find something good to eat in the STL.

Being my first semester of college, this year I have many new things to be thankful for. A few of which are: My new friends, having the opportunity to attend a university, having a job I like, and the memories and friends made in high school. As always, I am thankful for my loud, crazy, lovable family, and all of my friends: old and new. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday (tied with Easter) –> both have materialistic reason along with reason relating to the point of the holidays.

I love Thanksgiving for the obvious: All the glorious food! My family is made up of some (surprisingly) good cooks, and when they all come together and make their best dishes, it makes for one happy, full family! Thanksgiving is made up of the best fall foods, not only turkey. I love stuffing, rolls, and pie. Along with much more.

I am excited for Thanksgiving break, even if it will be short lived because I will get to spend time with my family, take a break from school, and see old friends from high school.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!