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Katie, the Black Swan

What do Black Swans eat?

I just know that’s what y’all were wondering on Oscar night, wasn’t it?

Not so much? Well, just in case you did wonder, I’ve got your answer. According to answers.com, the black swan is a vegetarian. (Natalie Portman is a vegetarian, too!) When my friend threw an Oscars costume party on Sunday night (I went as a black swan), here’s what I decided to bring along with me:

pbb

……………………………….Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

So there you go. Black swans eat chocolate and peanut butter. Or, this chocolate-covered black swan did, at least.

kt

I know, I know: I’m boring, going as a black swan, when that’s what all the other girls did too. (Well, we did have a few queens, and one boxer.) Normally, I like to be unique and creative, but I took ballet as a little kid, and so the thought of dressing up again in a tutu was just too exciting. Before leaving, I made sure to have some healthy food:

stroganoff

High-Protein Mushroom Stroganoff

Over yumlicious barley flakes. And yes that is a snowflake bowl. I’m odd cool like that.

Question of the Day:

What activities did you do as a little kid?

Or, if you were like my sister and me, maybe a better question would be: “What activities didn’t you do?!” We played basketball, softball, soccer, tennis, and , and we took art lessons, piano lessons, Spanish lessons, ice skating, and did girls scouts. Often, my mom would pick us up from one activity and we’d eat dinner in the car on the way to the next. It wasn’t our mom who pushed us into all of this; I was the one who wanted to try everything… Kinda like how I feel now, every time I enter the nut-butter aisle at Whole Foods! 😉

Published on March 3, 2011

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81 Comments

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  1. Jennifer JCD says

    You make a lovely black swan, supposing you don’t go all crazy. That film was brilliant, by the way.

    I hwar you with all the activities as a kid. Our parents limited us to two at a time – one sport and Scouts or Girl Guides. As I got older I did three, but one of them was complementing the other. I participate in ringette, softball, swimming, ballet, tae kwon do, springboard diving, soccer, Girl Guides and Scouts. Obviously not all at the same time, but it always seemed like I was doing something every day! Now I stick to ballet lessons, teaching Brownies, and teaching my little cousin how to swim. That keeps me busy enough.

  2. abby says

    katieeeee! you make a GORGEOUS swan! sooo sooo pretty :). actually, i think you even look a little like natalie portman.
    is it just me?
    what shampoo do you use?
    anyway, i was like you as a kid too. maybe not quite as busy, but i did do soccer, tee ball, art lessons, and ice skating for sure! 🙂
    -abby

      • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

        Abby, you are the BEST boost for self-confidence, ya know that? I’d LOVE to look like Natalie Portman; she is gorgeous and always glowing (must be the vegetarian thing, right? hehe or now maybe the preggers thing!) 🙂
        As for the tutu… I actually didn’t get any photos of just me (without my friends in the photos). And I try not to post my friends’ photos for privacy reasons. So sadly for you (or maybe happily, since I looked silly), no tutu photos.

  3. Kari says

    Haha. I’m that same way about the nut butter aisle at Whole Foods. Most aisles actually. Sometimes I fear I won’t live long enough to try all the deliciousness I see around me.

  4. Jordan (Ciao Cow) says

    I was one of those children who participated in a ton of activities. I think basketball is the only mainstream sport I didn’t play, and I even did synchronized swimming for a short while. However, in high school, I was much more focused and only did dance. I haven’t seen Black Swan yet, but I’m hoping to soon!

  5. Carrie (Moves 'N Munchies) says

    Im like you- what didnt i do? I did horse riding, swimming, baseball, basketball, soccer, dance, ballet, softball, skiing, running club, tap dance!– pretty much every single sport on the planet.. HUGE athlete family o’er HURR!

    you are such a beautiful black swan!!! and seriously you have such nice hair

  6. radioactivegan says

    I tried a lot of stuff once, and realized I didn’t care for any of it much .. the only things I stuck with for any appreciable amount of time (longer than a season, anyway) – girl scouts, piano lessons, and academic team. which might explain my general aversion to exercise now …

  7. Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table says

    I think I need to see that movie again. My friend and I got up and walked out in silence after it ended, not knowing what to think!

    When I was a kid I was pretty lucky – Mom let me try everything under the sun. Horseback, ballet, tap, figure skating, basketball, etc. Softball was the only think I stuck with. I still play today!

  8. rebecca lustig says

    What a lovely, and less crazy (ha), black swan!

    As a kid I took piano lessons and then dabbled in dance classes, tennis lessons and swim team. I was really into voice & theater for a while though!

    Have a great day, pretty girl

  9. Andrea says

    Katie,
    Do you tell your friends what the stuff you bring to parties to share is? Or do you just set it on the table and avoid the 20 questions? It seems like when I go to dinner parties, and I bring my dish, everyone is so curious – but then when I tell them it’s vegan (which, why wouldn’t it be? yet they ask me EVERY time! :-p), they turn their nose up at it…and eat their “real” food (irritating and borderline rude to call vegan food not real, but that’s another topic/comment/story, haha).

    Anyway, just wondering what you told your friends about your babies! 🙂

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Hey Andrea!
      At first, when I started making things for my friends, I would just put it down and not say anything. Only AFTER they said they liked something would I admit to them that it was healthy and vegan. Then they can’t take their words back! 😉 I still do this sometimes, like when I serve something sugar-free or something with tofu. But by now, I’ve conditioned my friends to KNOW that vegan and healthy food can taste good! So they actually are constantly asking me now for recipes, because they want healthy foods that taste yummy. Even the boys are ok eating healthy foods when I make them, because a long time ago I tricked them into admitting they liked healthy food before they knew it was healthy ;).
      On a different note, I wrote something about fitting in/parties here:
      https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2010/12/21/surviving-the-holidays-on-a-special-diet/

  10. Kat @ Cupcake Kat says

    You are a beautiful swan
    I did so many things as a kid! Including swimming, ballet, karate, a variety of art classes, acting, figure skating, and singing. As I got older I did some more sports. I still figure skate but I also am involved in a lot of other things!

  11. Megan (Braise The Roof) says

    Costume parties make me so happy. Well, costumes in general. I dressed up in a Hawaiian costume for my race this past weekend- it made the whole thing so much more fun! Those chocolate PB balls look amazing!

  12. holly @ Couch Potato Athlete says

    When I was a kid I played lots of sports in school — but I wasn’t very good. Basketball, Volleyball, Track (I was pretty good at the long jump!) but other than that I loved to play tennis (aka hit the ball back and forth not caring if it is in bounds or not).

    Natalie is a Vegan I think — she was on an episode of Top Chef and the challenge was making her vegan meals. She is so cute!

  13. Tulika says

    I totally feel ya on the 1049204 activities as a kid…girl scouts, ballet, tennis, piano just to name a few!! I really couldn’t actually tell you if it was because I wanted to or because my parents wanted to keep me busy 🙂

    (If you haven’t heard this enough) you look sooo pretty!! Love your hair, too!

    PS I think I’m going to make something similar to your mushroom stroganoff tonight. Looking at that picture made me crave mushrooms, lol.

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      You are such a sweetheart!! No, I can’t hear compliments enough, because I am so self-conscious (read: terrified!) of posting photos of myself, so it’s really nice to get reassurance. Thank you bunches (of bananas!) :).

  14. Parita @ myinnershakti says

    I personally think the black swan idea was creative, however you looked too pretty to be a black swan!! Growing up I played baseball (no, not softball) in an all girls league 🙂 , I took swimming lessons at the YMCA for years, and I took Indian classical dance classes.

  15. Hela says

    I love tutus!! I do have a pink layered skirt which looks kinda like one and it is one of my favorites 🙂
    I was doing quite a lot of activities, too, but I sticked to piano and gymnastics (full time) for years and I still play the piano. As for sports… I have nearly tried all kinds of sports after giving up on gymnastics and even at the gym I´m attending so many different classes!
    And before I forget: I have been making breakfast pizzerts lately- amazing!! Also today I was baking cupcakes from “vegan cupcakes take over the world”, so yummi 🙂

      • Hela says

        that´s why I have it 🙂 you were talking about it once, so I put it on my birthday wish list 😉 I made the golden vanilla cupcakes, though I used half the amount of sugar (I am not really into that super sweet stuff) and freshly ground whole wheat flour. For the topping, I chose the chocolate ganache. Absolutely delicious! I can´t wait to surprise my friends tmro, I won´t tell them they are vegan 😀 Ha!

  16. hippierunner says

    YUM! The Black Swan in the movie (Natalie Portman) ate grapefruit in the first scene but I am sure that had she had some of your Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls, she would’ve been much happier! 😉

  17. Maryea @ Happy Healthy Mama says

    I’m like you, I did a little bit of everything growing up: dance, gymnastics, basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, soccer, track, piano, clarinet…the list goes on. I think trying a little bit of everything helped me figure out what I loved.

    You were a gorgeous black swan! 🙂

  18. Anja says

    Oh I´ve seen this movie about three weeks ago and it was sooo awsome!! But I think you make a very pretty Black Swan as well! And I would love to see you in a tutu 😀
    I actually started doing ballet when I was 4…and now, 13 years later, I´m still doing it. And I also do tap dancing…and when I was younger I used to play the piano and the cello…but I´ve always prefered dancing so I just sticked with that 😉

    Oh and your mushroom stroganoff looks really incredible…I get hungry just by looking at this yummy pictures!! 🙂

  19. Stacey (The Home-Cooked Vegan) says

    I’ve been wanting to see Black Swan! It looks really good, and I love Natalie Portman, she is so adorable 🙂
    I used to play t-ball and cheerlead. My sister played soccor and did ballet. I don’t think I liked being on a team when I was younger, I much preferred to play alone. I loved going outside and doing things! If I ever got into trouble my mom would make me stay in. That’s the worst kind of punishment when you are a kid!

  20. Disturbed says

    Katie, you are just so gorgeous. You could easily be the black swan,
    I think I am going to have to try that mushroom thing soon. It looks amazing.

    As for activities. It depends really on what time in my life you look at. I am only 15, so I guess still a kid. I have tried several things though-mainly athletic. Softball, soccer, basketball, horseback riding, ballet, tap, jazz, etc. I did some art camps during the summer as well.
    Now though I am not really doing anything except my appts with therapist and psychologist. I would love to be playing softball right now and/or riding horses. So relaxing.

  21. Renée says

    Agh I still haven’t seen Black Swan yet, I really want to though!

    I was definitely NOT a sporty kid, I preferred solitary activities, like music lessons and art classes. I did sign up to play softball though when I was 7 and quit on the morning of our first game 😀

  22. Amanda says

    Black Swans sure are vegos! I mentioned it to my husband when we were watching a pair down the river near our house last week. Plant matter is all they eat.

    From the age of 3 I was put into dance classes – wasn’t much else to do for the non-sport types in a country town…then at 12 years old I fell through a rotten stage and crushed a tendon in my ankle and at 17 fell *off* a stage (lol, don’t laugh!) and stuffed it again…so that was the end of that! I managed some Boxing after that and a lot of Walking, but I’ll never be able to do anything high-impact on it again.

    Living somewhere where thre are loads of Black Swans means that when I do see white ones, they look a bit odd to me! 😀

      • Hela says

        white swans get really angry, while having cygnets… we made the mistake of coming to close to them, once, and got attacked by furious swans!! it was so frightening!

  23. Namaste Gurl says

    Mmmm, I certainly didn’t do the activities I do know, when I was a wee one. I loved to do laundry, oddly enough, and play in the park! Usual, normal activities for a kids, no? 🙂

  24. Moni'sMeals says

    what a cute idea! I also went to a party, but we should of dressed up. 🙂

    I love the sounds of these Black Swan Babies! my fav combo is pb and chocolate.

  25. Emma (Sweet Tooth Runner) says

    If I haven’t said it a billion times already, you are SO DARN GORGEOUS Katie!! Holy Moly I wish I could steal your FACE it is so PRETTY!! Natalie Portman has some SERIOUS competition in Texas! 😉

    I wish I could live in the WF nut butter aisle…or in the chocolate aisle…my ultimate fantasy is that they put them NEXT to each other. That would be HEAVEN 🙂

    P.S. I am going to make those balls RIGHT now!!

  26. bitt says

    Cute ideas. Are those black eggs for the black swan? Or am I taking it too far here.

    I did some ballet when I was a kid but mostly art classes.

  27. chelsey @ clean eating chelsey says

    You look gorgeous! I would have taken the easy way out too! 🙂

    When I was younger, we were involved in a lot of activities as well. I think it was good for us not to have too much down time because well, that’s when kids get in trouble the most!!!

  28. Suezilla says

    Katie, I love your blog! I have made your tofu peanut butter frosting 3 times in the last week…I was wondering if you have a vitamix, or if you use your magic bullet for everything, especially in making your own flours?

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Hi Suezilla!
      I do have a Vita-mix, but honestly I use my Magic Bullet more often! I just love that it can go in the dishwasher :). I’ve never made my own flour, but I really should look into it! (But I do use the Vita for homemade coconut butter.)

  29. Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) says

    Your hair looks gorgeous!

    And so do those choc PB balls 🙂

    As a kid, I was very “over-programmed”, i.e. sports of ALL kinds, dance classes, art classes, foreign language classes, academic extra curricular classes, piano lessons, saxophone lessons, you name it, I was in it. I needed a blackberry to manage my calendar from about age 5 on. (kidding…kind of.)

    🙂

  30. Jess says

    🙂
    not much; I was a scout, and sang in choir, but other than soccer sports weren’t really my thing. not that they are now, you understand lol it’s nice to try a lot of things though; my girlfriend’s little bro is trying to play just about every sport they have at school.

  31. Christin@purplebirdblog says

    How are you gonna cut off the tutu in the picture?! I wanna see the tutu! TU-TU! TU-TU! 😀

  32. J3nn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) says

    You are a lovely black swan, Katie! 🙂 Maybe chocolate PB babies should be swan babies, hehe.

    I did a lot as a child and loved every minute of it. My favorites were riding bikes and swimming in the summer. It never seemed like a workout, it was just FUN!!

  33. Lyza M. says

    When I was a little kid, I played outside all day. 🙂 I had lots of neighbor kids all around me, with no reason to even wish for more activities. I remember if I wanted to have a pool party, all I’d have to do was cannonball in my kiddie pool in the back, and all the neighbor kids would hear the splash and come over to my house 🙂

    I never really wanted to try anything until middleschool, when suddenly all my best friends were doing their own activities. I felt a little lost, not really knowing what I wanted, when finally I found dance in 8th grade, and loved it. 🙂 Then, my little sister was in the same predicament. Dance wasn’t her forte, so she ended up taking piano. Well, then I wanted to take piano too–but I wasn’t allowed to because it was my little sister’s thing…I understood because, at the time, I tended to excel in everything, while she kind of would drift to the back, and it would have devastated her. But I’ve always longed to play piano ever since, and now she doesn’t even play, and I am always at our antique piano in our house. My mother ended up giving it to me, because I almost started crying when I heard we might sell it, and I had no idea I’d felt that way about the thing. I think maybe it’s partially because she feels guilty for depriving me of my lessons. Debt repaid 🙂

    That was very long! Oopsies 🙂

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Your mom was smart to let you each have your own thing! I was always so competitive with my sister, because we were both in EVERYthing together. But now that we’ve found our own things, I’m not competitive with her at all, and I can actually feel excited for her and proud of her when she excels in something :).
      Hey, and it’s never too late to start lessons, right? 😉

      • Lyza M. says

        I was never competitive with my sister–she wasn’t as agile as I was growing up (though now that we’ve aged, it’s completely reversed lol). I always feel proud of her too when she excels in things though, even though it seems to be ironically much more often than me now 😛 I only feel I’m so happy for her and proud to be her sister!

        And absolutely! It’s never too late 🙂 I’m glad my mom made that decision, no matter how sorry it may have seemed, I think it would have been a psychological let-down much, much more for my sister than it was for me.

  34. Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free says

    Tennis and dance were my main things-and singing. I wish I still danced, though! I was so good at it, but I had to choose between ballet and tennis….I chose tennis 🙂 I don’t regret it, but I wish there was more time in the day to do both!

    I want to see your tutu, Katie!!! I kept all my dance outfits…I wish I could fit into them!!!

    And Katie, OMG! I made those chocolate peanut butter balls as a crust for my bday banana cream pie tonight!!! SOOO GOOD!

  35. katie says

    hi katie!
    what a gorgeous swan you are!!

    as a little kid, i: played tennis, was a girl scout, went to youth group. i took piano for a year…. but i can’t read music so that didn’t turn out so well :/

    just thought i’d stop by and let you know i’m having a giveaway on my blog!
    http://www.whatkatiesbaking.com

  36. shannonmarie says

    Black Swan was my favorite nominated movie this year, but I didn’t wear the costume. My family actually dresses up for the awards every year. We put on old prom and bridesmaid dresses and strut our stuff on a red carpet. It’s too funny.

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Wow, your family sounds like SO much fun! I love that idea! I guess, the dressing-up part is my favorite, because the awards part can drag on for me, since I don’t know who a lot of the people are. (But it’s nice that they honor others in the industry, besides just the actors.)

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