I have a lot of red dishes.
Posted: June 30, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast, Delish Dinners, Mid-Day Yummies | Tags: banana, coconut, fruit cereal, raw chocolate cake, salad, veggie burgers 23 Comments »Hello lovies! First, I want to say thank you for all your congrats on my speedy run! I was so excited about it, and all of your comments added fuel to the enjoyment of my accomplishment. You are all so great. Stay tuned tomorrow for my newest athletic challenge…
I also loved hearing about the foods you deem beautiful. I think fruit was the winner, but also a lot of veggie/bread/pasta lovers out there. Food is beautiful.
Okay, on to the food I ate hoy. Breakfast rocked my socks.
Raw chocolate cake crumbles, ½ a frozen banana (mashed), coconut
I ate my fruits and veggies for lunch. Part one…
Broccoli slaw, cucumber, carrot, edamame, veri veri teriyaki soy vay
(ß this stuff is awesome!)
Part two…
More fruit cereal! Apple, ½ banana, handful of frozen berries, walnuts, almonds, flax, vanilla soy milk
And for dinner, I finally made some veggie burgers! I have wanted to make my own for (literally) a year, and today was the day.
Click for the recipe. So easy and so good. I ate mine on a slice of millet bread with bbq sauce, avocado, homegrown tomatoes(!), and spinach
And that’s a wrap! Here’s to another fabulous summer day.
***
I want to answer your questions! If you have anything you’ve ever wondered about this cake lover (food related or otherwise) – leave a comment! I would love to add a Q & A page to my blog. 1, 2, 3…go!
Beautiful Food
Posted: June 30, 2010 Filed under: Uncategorized 38 Comments »Sometimes my food is weird. Sometimes my food is delicious. Sometimes it’s ugly. Today, it was beautiful…
I think fruit is always gorgeous. Especially in the morning sunlight.
Today’s fruit mix was apple, banana, mango, blackberry, coconut, walnuts, almonds and cinnamon with vanilla soy milk. It was beautiful and the taste did not disappoint either. Actually, breakfast is rarely disappointing.
See? Beauty.
You know who doesn’t think breakfast is beautiful?
This guy.
Meeker is not a morning person. I most certainly am. This was the first time we had eaten breakfast together in years, and while he prefers silence for the first hour of his day, I prefer to antagonize him with mindless chatter and by whipping out my camera. In fact, when I took this picture, he had just finished saying: Take your finger off the trigger. Now. (The trigger being the camera button – apparently this picture was just as painful as if I had a gun in my hand).
After Meeker forgave me for the breakfast table shenanigans, we went to the dog park. It was so warm and wonderful. We walked IN the river for most of the time we were there, and we returned home muddy, wet and smiling. Oh, and hungry.
Lunch was beautiful meal number two…
I think vegetables and eggs are pretty. Even in a close up…
Yup, food is beautiful.
Even something as simple as coffee can be beautiful. It doesn’t hurt that brown is one of my favorite colors. Yes, brown. It’s a favorite.
Normally, I like my morning coffee black. No cream, no sugar. But if I’m looking for an afternoon pick-me-up, I almost always add (soy) milk and stevia.
Another beautifully simple thing? Coffee ice cubes. When they melt, they don’t dilute your wonderful coffee concoction. Delightful, no? Just pour the leftovers from the coffee pot into ice cube trays and store in your freezer. Easy peasy.
Dinner was just as lovely…
Turkey meatballs on top of cucumber, jicama and a lime juice + agave dressing…all sprinkled with chili powder
Okay, maybe meatballs are inherently beautiful, but anytime I can be outside eating dinner – it’s a beautiful thing.
And dessert is always beautiful. Even when it’s just scooped out of a carton.
What foods do you think are beautiful? For me, fruit always wins a foodie beauty contest, and dessert is a close second – no matter what it is.
Just do it.
Posted: June 29, 2010 Filed under: Delish Dinners, Mid-Day Yummies | Tags: burger, fries, running, salad 42 Comments »I DID IT!!!!
Remember when I set the seriously lofty goal of running 2 miles/sub 14:00 minutes?
Well, my friends, today was the day. In all honestly, I could have probably done it a month ago (thanks to Deane’s training program he wrote for me!) – but I was held back by FEAR. For the last month, just the thought of that goal made me exchange my running shoes for the yoga mat (or the spin bike, or the weights). I was petrified that I had set this goal, told YOU all about it, and then I might fail. So I just didn’t try. But today – I tricked myself into just doing it. It really was that simple…just do it. Thanks Nike.
Here is the self-deception strategy I employed…
- I put my gym clothes on to do errands (and packed my ipod and waterbottle) – but told myself I didn’t HAVE to go to the gym.
- I intentionally drove by the gym
- I pulled in the parking lot (still not planning on doing it…)
- Got out of the car and told myself to just get on the treadmill and walk
- After .20 miles on the treadmill, in a moment of bravery, I QUICKLY (that was the key) pumped up the pace to 6:58/mile – and told myself to JUST RUN ONE MILE.
- ¾ of the way through the 1st mile, I just kept chanting…you can do it, you can do it, you can do it
- I cranked up the music on my ipod, and did the damn thing.
- 2 miles in 13:54
It was NOT EASY. Not even a little bit, but I just HAD to do it. I knew I could, I just left my fear in the car, and pumped it out. The last time I ran that quickly was at a cross country meet during my senior year of high school…7 years ago. (That’s really hard to believe.) But, I am SO proud of myself. Sure, it was only 2 miles, but I reached my goal and that feels good.
***
Okay, what did I eat to fuel me through this super-dooper run today?
Well, before that Punky and I went to the dog park, and I had some trail mix on the way. The dog park was so fun – it was a gorgeous day, and I love it when Punky can just run and run.
I took this picture of her in my rear view mirror on the way home – she’s so tired here. I love it.
Lunch
Spinach, carrots, celery, artichokes, nutritional yeast, hummus, balsamic vinegar
Monthly dinner with girls – Libby and Liz.
We ate at a place called The Counter – a make-your-own-burger joint. We started with fries…
Shoe-stringy and delicious.
Burger without a bun on lettuce with black beans, corn roasted red peppers and grilled onions.
It had been a while since I had beef burger, and it tasted really good. I probably ate about ½ before I was full.
Now I’m at home on the couch watching The Bachelorette – full of drama this week!! Adios amigos!
Fruity Morning
Posted: June 28, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast | Tags: apple, blackberries, coffee, flax, mango, milk, walnuts 14 Comments »Good Morning!
Let’s start it off with some fruit cereal and coffee.
Fruit cereal is one of my favorite things on Earth – there are endless combinations, and they are all delicious. Kind of like a Starbucks menu.
This morning’s mix: apple, blackberries, mango, walnuts, flax seed + vanilla soy milk
And I again wanted to say a humongous THANK YOU to you all for your sweet comments regarding my kitty Bellatrix. I still feel really sad about the whole ordeal, but I am grateful to have 2 other lovely pets to shower my love on right now. In fact, I need to hustle out the door and take Punky for a walk before it gets to be a scorcher out there…
Happy Monday!
Onward and Upward
Posted: June 27, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast | Tags: blackberries, cereal, coffee 12 Comments »Good Morning! I can’t tell you all how much I appreciated your comments and emails about losing my kitty yesterday! I was overwhelmed by your kindness – thank you, thank you, thank you. I was pretty gloomy yesterday, but I awoke this morning feeling refreshed and ready to move onward and upward.
I started with this…
Peanut Butter Bumpers, blackberries, soy milk
Y el café…
Homemade, but in a leftover Starbucks cup.
Now I’m off to church, then possible the puppy park after that. I hope you all have relaxing and fun Sundays – thank you again for all of your wonderful words yesterday.
2 Breakfasts, Lunch, a Wedding and a Funeral
Posted: June 26, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast, Delish Dinners, dessert, Mid-Day Yummies 34 Comments »Happy weekend! It’ cloudy and cool here, but I’m not really minding it. Yesterday was FULL to the brim, so it’s a nice excuse to lay low today.
I started early with a small breakfast…
Watermelon, trail mix, coffee
Almonds, walnuts, coconut, dried cranberries
Then I took Punky for a nice long walk, then went to another breakfast with a friend around 9 o’clock.
This is my friend Tracy who had brain surgery last year – now she’s living life and thriving out in Connecticut – so I hardly every get to see her! We’ve known each other since elementary school, so it was so nice to just sit and chat. She’s lovely.
I had another little breakfast of fruit and potatoes (which I dipped in ketchup and ate with my fingers like French fries).
After that it was off to yoga, then home to mow the lawn, eat lunch…
Taco salad – broccoli slaw, salsa, hummus, chips, sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast
…and then I had to rush to get ready for my friend Emily’s wedding!! It was a gorgeous ceremony –everything went beautifully. I got to see people I hadn’t seen in a while, and overall it was a fantastic night.
My friend Dawn who is in the Air Force – she’s such a stud.
I might as well call these girls my sisters since we’ve been friends since FIRST GRADE – lifelong love.
Dinner was delicious. I ordered the veggie option.
Spinach stuffed portobello mushroom, potatoes (so good!!) and asparagus
I also had cake…duh.
Actually I just licked the frosting off of two cupcakes. Yum. We danced, and danced, then made the two hour drive home.
At around midnight, we walked in the door and found our cat Bellatrix dead on the kitchen floor. Morbid, I know – but there’s no other way to say it. Describing the experience as traumatic doesn’t really cover it. We have no idea what happened to her…
I captured many of Bella’s daily moments on the blog – but I thought it would be nice to give my sweet kitty a little blog eulogy. A montage of Bellatrix moments.
She’s the one with light brown spots, and the smaller of the two cats…
Meeker and I (and the other animals!!) will miss our little snuggler so much!
Hair cut, dancing, and dinner fun
Posted: June 24, 2010 Filed under: Delish Dinners | Tags: apple, dancing, hair cut, omelet, peanut sauce, spring rolls 21 Comments »You all are too nice…your hilariously kind comments had me smiling and laughing all afternoon. Gracias for that. As for the hair cut, it was minimal.
Before and after. I don’t know why the pictures turned out so gosh darn blurry. Dirty mirror? Oh well, you get the idea. It’s kind of hard to tell because my hair was curly before, but I got about 2 inches (of straw-like hair) taken off. I liked it long better, but it’s okay…hair grows.
After I got my hair cut, I ran errands and snacked on a shiny apple.
Then I came home, watched about 2 minutes of So You Think You Can Dance, and decided that I didn’t want to be sitting down, so I went to a dance class at 24 hour fitness. It was way out of my comfort zone, but I had a blast learning stumbling through some hip-hop steps and laughing at myself. I think I might even make a habit out of attending. Maybe my gangly, lanky body will learn some rhythm! It could be fun.
After dancing, I returned home craving 2 different things for dinner. Are you ready for random?
Yes, an omelet and spring rolls. Both delectable.
Spinach, artichoke hearts, basil, and hummus on top
Raw zucchini, carrots, and basil on the inside
Dipped in this peanut sauce…yum, yum.
Meeker has to work late, so I think I’ll go make him a pizza for when he returns later. Adios amigos! Happy almost Friday!!
Whirlwind
Posted: June 24, 2010 Filed under: Mid-Day Yummies | Tags: baseball, coors field, grilled chicken, potatoes, salad 17 Comments »The last 24 hours have been a whirlwind of fun! I left you all of with breakfast yesterday, then immediately went to spin class, went shopping, and then to a bachelorette party! This morning, I woke up early to clean my casa and then had Bible study in my formal living room (which I’m not sure I’ve ever even SAT in before – I felt like a grown-up and I liked it. Here’s the documentation…
Before I got picked up to go to the ROCKIES game for the bachelorette party – I grilled up this dinner. I didn’t want to be starving with a hot-dog-only option at the game.
Grilled chicken, green beans, potatoes
Coors Field! Wheeeeee – I love baseball games. Summer much?
It was the most exciting game ever – the Rockies beat the Red Sox in the bottom of the 9th with 2 home runs in a row. Phenom.
Me and the bride…we’ve known each other since preschool. People used to think we were twins when we were nuggets. Not as much now.
The crew. I’m in the red with the obligatory Coors Light – I was at Coors Field after all. After the game, downtown Denver was roaring with baseball pride, and we had fun romping around yelling “GO ROCKIES!” at strangers. A fun night.
Then this morning, after what felt like a couple minutes of sleep, I bounded out of bed to make my house tidy. Confession: one of my worst fears is having people think my house is dirty and gross.
The formal living room. Usually this room belongs to the kitties, but I locked them in the basement and took over this morning.
Food for the group.
No one ate anything, but I always like to have food (and coffee) available when people come over. It makes me more comfortable.
After they left, I had an Asian inspired salad…
Cabbage, broccoli slaw, grilled green beans, chicken, and a dressing of peanut butter + soy sauce + water
Yummers. Alright, I’m off to get my hair cut for the first time in 1.5 years! Eeeek.
Happy Thursday, friends.
Breakfast Parfait
Posted: June 23, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast | Tags: banana bliss, chia seed pudding, coffee 22 Comments »Good morning! I feel like I’ve been in a bit of breakfast rut, so I pulled out all the stops this morning.
Chia seed pudding + banana soft serve parfait and coffee
I was inspired by my last chia seed success to make this:
- ¼ cup walnuts, soaked in water and drained
- ¼ cup soy milk
- ¼ cup water
- ½ banana
- 1 tbs. dried coconut
- 1 tsp. ginger
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- Sprinkle of nutmeg
…all this went into the blender until smooth. Then I combined it with ¼ cup chia seeds, and stirred every 5 minutes (or so) until it had turned into pudding. I also added a splash more water towards the end because it was looking a little dry. Then just whipped some frozen bananas into banana bliss, and layered into the cup! Easy, peasy, lemon chia squeezy.
Breakfast beauties.
Also, today is my nephew Easton’s 2ndbirthday!
Happy birthday, little man! I hope you get to pet a kitty and eat some cake today!
Rollin’
Posted: June 22, 2010 Filed under: Delish Dinners | Tags: avocado, basil, carrots, spring rolls, zucchini 34 Comments »After spending the morning at the gym, and the afternoon at the pool, I came home to make spring rolls for dinner!
The first go-around with the rice paper was a major fail. The directions said to soak the rice paper wrappers TOGETHER to in boiling water for 15 minutes. Overkill. I checked on the soaking papers after about 5 minutes and they had already turned into a bowl of mush. So, I threw those out, and decided to soak the next batch individually in warm water. After about 30 seconds – they were the perfect texture to work with…
Zucchini, carrots, avocado, and basil
Rollin’…
Done!
Not perfect, but they stayed together, and they were scrumptious!
Served with a peanut dipping sauce:
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- 1 tbs. soy sauce
- Juice of one lime
- A few splashes of water
Make these! The whole process only took about 20 minutes (and that includes the silly rice paper catastrophe). So summery and yummery. Yes, yummery.
Ever had a cooking disaster? Do tell…
