We graduated from Texas A&M University on 08-08-08 with a Bachelor's of Science in Nutritional Sciences, Summa Cum Laude.Now, we're rushing to get ready to move this coming Friday to McMinnville, Oregon! It's been a blessing from God that we BOTH got job offers to Betty Lou's, Inc. and we will be working with each other! We will be doing quality control work(food quality/safety, record keeping, lab tests), nutrition labeling, and recipe/product development!
Our trip up there this past week was beautiful and inviting. The Portland Airport welcomed us nicely - they had natural, nutritious freeze-dried fruit and ABC Vegan cookies for sale. Cool! On our way down to McMinnville (1 hour southwest of Portland), we stopped into Blossoming Lotus Cafe (raw/vegan)! It was delicious and we will be sure to come back! We loved how it wasn't a vegan restaurant that served meat substitutes, but instead served creative, nutty, and nutritious vegan food!
For lunch, we enjoyed Blossoming Lotus' Live Pizza with a delicious buckwheat crust and fresh basil. We also shared the Live Wrap, which was so unique and flavorful and we definitely want to make one day! It contains: cilantro lime pate, tomatoes, cucumber, sprouts & avocado collard greens, with cashew sour crème.
We ordered a side of Garbonzo Lentil Soup, and splurged on dessert - a raw Apricot Date Bar and a raw Fudge (coconuty). Next time we will try their raw strawberry shortcake and their carrot cake! All of their drinks/smoothies sound refreshing - we tried the Berry Greens Mixed Berry Banana smoothie. And the nice thing about Blossoming Lotus- it is located inside a yoga studio, so it makes you want to take a yoga class before enjoying a nice vegan/raw meal!McMinnville, Oregon doesn't have any veg restaurants, but it does have a farmer's market, an awesome natural food store "Harvest Fresh Grocery", and a nice supermarket with lots of local/organic produce.
We bought some goodies:Heaven Scent Windmill Almond cookies-nutty shortbread cookies, good with a cup of hot tea.
Lundberg Farms Wild Rice Cakes - nutty! Might be good with avocado and nutritional yeast, or hummus on top.
Amy's Indian Spinach Tofu Wrap - very good and green! We love spinach and we felt like Popeye eating this delicious wrap! Only thing I'd recommend is for Amy's to cut down the sodium and to maybe add sauteed onions and more tofu in it for a nice meal.
The No Cookie Cookie - vegan cookies with no refined sugars. Very soft and flavorful! We tried Carob Mint...they also have Ginger Spice, Oatmeal Raisin, Chocolate Chip, Lemon Poppyseed, PB, and Island Coconut. They were reasonably priced, too!
Divine Mint Chocolate - 70% cocoa, fair trade, Andes mint flavor!
McMinnville, Oregon is a quaint and picturesque town that lies in the heart of the Willamette Valley, among wineries, farms, hills, and parks. It is 1 hour away from the coast and 1 hour away from the mountains! Flowers and beautiful trees everywhere, too. I don't know why we've stayed in Texas our whole lives!Here are some fun Oregon facts:
- State Bird: Western Meadowlark
- State Colors: Navy Blue & Gold
- State Flower: Oregon Grape
- State Motto: "Alis volat Propriis" (She flies with her own wings.)
- State Nickname: The Beaver State
- State Nut: Hazelnut (Oregon is the only state with an official state nut.)
- State Tree: Douglas Fir
I hope that we embrace Oregon, enjoy our jobs, and make wonderful memories here! Cheers to new opportunities and God bless, LK Sisters
7 comments:
Congratulations to the both of you! You must be so excited as well as proud of all your accomplishments. May God continue to bless you all as you begin a new journey in Oregon :)
Congrats on graduation and your new jobs in Oregon!! Looks like an awesome place to miss. As a representative of the state of Texas, we're sad to see you go. Beast of luck and can't wait to hear more about your new home!
Congrats on your graduation and best wishes to you at Betty Lou's!
I'm so excited for both of you! It's amazing that you get to stay together now that you've graduated... That job seriously sounds like a dream come true. I bet it will be so much fun! And you're lucky that Portland is so close, too, so you can be in vegan paradise practically whenever you're up for a small road trip!
Make sure to bundle up once you get to Oregon, because the cold comes as a big surprise after being spoiled by Texas! :)
Wow how exciting! Congratulations and best of luck to you on your new journey! Oregon, what a magical place to be. I look forward to more posts!
Congratulations to you both on your outstanding grades and new careers! Betty Lou's is lucky to have you. I bet Oregon will be a nice change from all this Texas heat.
Wow! Congratulations on your achievements! You must be very proud. =)
Keep us updated on how your job goes!
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