Vegas has taught me to kill spiders.
It’s not what you think.
Vegas and I are total opposites in some ways. She loves living things, I can’t stand them. She brought 2 dogs and 2 birds to this marriage. I brought a house plant.
She captures bugs in the house and releases them safely outside. I scream like a girl and beg her to smash them. Until now.
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The family workouts continue!
There’s something especially satisfying about making your loved ones hurt.
We’re wrapping up some loose ends this week in Atlanta. I’m still enjoying my time at home and loving mom’s new digs.
We had a fun workout yesterday in her gym. She said I worked her harder than any of the trainers she’s worked with. Mwhahahah! Here’s what we did:
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If I ever move again, it’ll be too soon.
Fully aware I just cursed myself.
We are FINALLY done with moving my mom. It took 2 weeks and 3 storage units to move out of the house we grew up in. In 24 hours, mom’s new apartment went from this:
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Two bloggers go food shopping…
I can’t even narrow down the punchlines.
Lucie and I had a food shopping adventure to the Pacific Beach Farmer’s Market and then to Whole Foods. We were actually quite well-behaved! Even between the two of us we spent less than $100* in Whole Paycheck Foods.
*That’s unheard of for me – just ask Vegas.
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Anyone remember The Martha Stewart Show?
Or am I showing age? LOL!
Martha used to talk about “today’s good thing” on her show each day. My mom and I thought this was hilarious. So did Snoop.
This weekend I went shopping. Nothing fit. I can’t zip dresses over my back. It was not a fun trip… but I got what I wanted. I’m do want to keep growing and competing… but it’s still hard to swallow.
What does this have to do with today’s good thing? Nothing other than a) I got what I wanted and b) I’m focusing on good things today rather than wallowing.
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People turn their noses up at the word “cleanse.”
Yet they embrace the McDonald’s…
This cleanse is my favorite because you can eat. Don’t get me wrong, I do miss peanut butter and meat. However, judging from the way my body has responded, I needed the break. I’ll refrain from the TMI, but let’s just say I’m definitely cleaner!
The other awesome thing about this cleanse is the creativity it inspires. Check out of some the fun stuff I’ve made in the past few days!
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It’s a sunshine-y day!!!
Hey, we’re supposed to start the week on a positive. #cheese
This weekend was beautiful and sunny in Atlanta. I spent Saturday morning working out, then did some shopping. I purchased fresh eggs from the farmers market before heading to Fresh Market for some goodies:
I really love the wraps and the lentil hummus! Hatch chilies aren’t new to me, but I was thrilled that they were grilling them fresh outside the store to sell. Score! They went really well with the shrimp I bought (pre-cooked and tails removed – I can’t stomach doing those myself just yet).
Then I got dressed to watch two of my favorite people get married.
Admittedly, I was a little anxious about the reception. Open bar, lots of tasty reception food… and cake. I mustered all my motivation and commitment.
I knew I wouldn’t last without my own treats, so I came prepared.
Bring your own food to a wedding?! Why not? I made a quick turkey salad with my hatch chilies, parsley, and tomato. That was tossed in a sauce of nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, cumin, and smoked paprika. I also brought some green bean chips, a chocolate calcium disk, and kombucha. The kombucha was awesome to have so I felt like I had a “drink.”
Confession: I took a teeny cake sample. It was worth it. So there.
Isn’t the bride gorgeous?!
Sunday there was more marvelous with a great workout followed by a trip to Whole Paycheck Foods. On bike.
It was supposed to help with self-control… but really it translated to weighted cardio on the ride home. It’s 6.5 miles round trip! The need for kabocha is not to be denied!
See that beer in the middle? It’s a pumpkin beer. I’m afraid it will all be gone by the time I can drink it after my competition, so I asked the beer man (Max) to recommend the very best.
I purchased a single and it will remain in my fridge until mid-November. Wish me luck.
I’ve been tagged by a few people for the Sunshine Award. Thank you!!!
The last one I saw was from Janetha… based on the first question alone, I knew I had to answer. 🙂
1. Do you believe in aliens? Why or why not.
I don’t know… I’ll say yes. Because who are we to think we’re all that’s out there?!
2. If you could do ANYTHING in the world and have that be your career and your skills, paycheck, or anything else was not an object… what would you do?
I’d travel. That my one day get boring, but being able to explore and experience the world without the chains of time or monetary needs is my idea of heaven.
Like that time I ended up in Chile by accident and found myself on board a US Navy ship…
3. What is your earliest childhood memory?
That’s tough… I don’t remember? Maybe dancing around the living room to old records at Christmas time with my dad.
4. What’s for dinner tonight?
How about last night? That’s what I have a picture of. 😉 It was one of my new wraps spread with salsa and topped with shrimp, broccoli slaw, and a little local #yolkporn.
5. What was the most fabulous vacation you have ever been on in your entire life?
Italy. 2 weeks traveling to small towns on a self-guided food and wine extravaganza. I almost didn’t come home.
Often I wonder why I did.
At the tartufo festival in Alba, Italy
6. If you HAD to give up one of your senses (touch, taste, sight, hearing, or smell) which would it be?
NOT taste or smell! Maybe hearing? It seems like that’s the easiest one to accommodate for, especially if you’re able to hear prior.
I’d rather not hear half the shit that comes out of people’s mouths anyway… 😉
7. Would you rather always be super freezing cold or ridiculously overheating hot? (and no, you can’t have a warm blanket or AC to combat the issue!)
Bring on the heat! I hate being cold. I have Raynaud’s Disease and it’s uncomfortable and creepy when my fingers go white-purple.
8. Why did you start blogging?
My mom told me to. Seriously. I was reading a lot of blog and getting inspired to make all of this #strangebutgood stuff and my mom said “you should start a blog!” So I did!
This is not at all strange for us.
9. What was the last compliment you received and what was the last one you paid to someone?
Yesterday I Instagrammed a sneaky selfie from the gym and my girl Meg sent me the sweetest text that made my night:
“Wow girl you’re looking phenomenal. Be proud of yourself.”
That Pumpkin Pie Smoothie recipe is on the Instagram post. 😉
*Please don’t be offended, Zumba people. I just thought it was funny. I tried it at Blend and it was HARD for this white girl.*
I’m struggling through this prep and someone noticing progress that’s hard for me to see in myself feels really, really good.
I paid it forward by telling a girl in the elevator that the homemade (paleo!) fudge she was bringing up looked amazing. Then I tried to steal one.
10. What is your most favorite thing to eat?
I hate this question (sorry Janetha!). I love different foods for different reasons, and it depends on the mood!
Right now I’m digging the Pumpkin Pan-lette (remember when I did it with sweet potato?) I made Saturday morning. There’s no flour in it – the base is just pumpkin and egg whites. Like a pumpkin omelette, but cooked like a pancake. Pan-lette. Get it?
Whatever you call it, it is a fluffy cake of fall deliciousness. I topped with a peanut flour sauce, which we all know I’m addicted to.
For the sauce:
Combine all pancake ingredients into a medium bowl and stir until smooth. Pour into a prepared (I used PAM) skillet and cook as you would a pancakes (~2-3 mins on each side).
Note: I made this as one huge pancake, but I’d advise you to turn it into 2. It required some serious acrobatics and two spatulas to flip.
Meanwhile, stir together sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
Plate your pie-cakes, top with peanut butter syrup, and enjoy!
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Don’t forget to check out all the other marvelous in the world over at Katie’s link up!
The Sunshine rules say you have to come up with 10 questions and tag 10 people. Everyone and their brother has already done this… so I tag YOU!!! Choose one of the questions above and answer it below. Sharing is caring.
Would/have you ever brought your own food to a wedding?
Facebook may lead to eating disorders.
Last week it was narcissism, this week it’s eating disorders. Poor Facebook is taking a hit!
A new study that found that “51% of respondents felt more self-conscious about their physical appearance after looking at pictures of themselves on Facebook.” These Facebook users are checking out their friend’s photos, which leads them to be more critical of their own physiques.
I don’t know about this… you can compare yourself to other people just walking down the street.
Read the full article on Newser by clicking here.
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Want to know how to feel better? Eat some veggies!
Yesterday I asked you all to join me in the Green Giant Veg Pledge to add an additional cup of veggies to your daily eats. Jenn @ Peas and Crayons is also taking part in the challenge, so this month her What I Ate Wednesday theme is…
Check out my veggies below; then click here to see how everyone else incorporated extra servings.
Do you ever wake up starving? After Sunday’s jam-packed day of softball and plyometrics, I was in need of an extra-filling breakfast. I mixed this concoction and let it sit in the fridge to thicken (~15 mins) while I downed a glass of water and got the coffee started.
Those blackberries on top were incredible – the first perfect berries of the season!
In my oat bowl:
I failed to take a picture of the final result… but here’s what my veggie-centric lunch consisted of:
I am fully aware that gazpacho is easy to make yourself… but with my crazy schedule, Whole Foods’ soup had to happen. It was delicious with some red pepper flakes and avocado (unpictured) on top.
I devoured this with some spinach, broccoli slaw, and ak-mak crackers. These crackers were new to me – they were delicious and reminded me of Wasa crisps.
It was a snack-y sort of day – handfuls of this and that here and there. A few munchies:
KIND bars are my new addiction
Bowls of grapes and edamame
My two favorite drinks - coffee and kombucha
I was starving by dinner time. You know what that means…
All that remained were 2 strips of tempeh when I remembered to take a pic. My cousin and I hit up a local vegetarian spot called World Peace Cafe for dinner. It was my first time there, but certainly won’t be the last!
That tempeh was sitting on top of a huge salad with shredded beets, carrots, and tomatoes. On the left is a bowl that held a delicious mushroom–kale–lentil soup. The crumbs around to bowl belonged to a slice of rye toast. The tea pot in the background was filled with lemon-gnger tea.
We also split a piece of vegan chocolate-almond cake. It was divine.
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Adding veggies isn’t so hard… I think I could eat edamame all day long.
Did you incorporate an extra veggie serving to your day? If so, how?
Any thoughts on the Facebook story? Do you think it’s any worse than the millions of other way you can compare yourself to others?
