Some Soccer with a Side of Hit and Run

FOOD

Surprisingly, I only actually made one smoothie this week. The other mornings I hit up a smoothie place and bought them instead. Lazy, yes….

coconut water, banana, spinach, grapefruit, and grapes.

I made a big batch of chickpea and cauliflower curry in the rice cooker, so that was lunch for a few days. Super easy – 1 cup brown rice, 1 can coconut milk, 1 cup water, 1 can chickpeas (rinsed and drained), any frozen veggies you may have lying around, 1 tbsp ginger, and 2 tbsp red Thai curry powder. Mix it all in the rice cooker, add half a head of chopped cauliflower on top (don’t mix it in), and cook on the brown rice setting. Stir gently when it’s done – not too enthusiastically or you’ll mash the cauliflower.

Friday night was a girls vegan pizza evening! N, K, and I made pizza, drank wine, and hung out.

pesto, beet, apple, and KP's homemade vegan sausage. Other things too, like the arugula that was put on it after it cooked. — pesto, beet, apple, and KP’s homemade vegan sausage. Other things too, like the arugula that was put on it after it cooked.

the other pizza. Red sauce, zucchini, mushrooms, and more by the time it was put together.

FITNESS

Most days were runs, except for Wednesday. My eldest and I went to a body combat class at the gym. It was exhausting and exhilarating, and while tender for a few days, was completely excellent.

LIFE

It’s been a busy week, but a good one. This weekend has been especially whirlwind, but that’s okay.

Friday afternoon AC and I met up for happy hour at a brand new place in Norfolk called Torch Bistro. Cute place. Then it was off to NS’ house for pizza and wine. While I was there for the night, M had a LAN party. Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like….Local Area Network. Essentially, all of his friends come over, bring their own computers, and they get networked together and they play games. Benefit of having IT parents 🙂

hard at work making pizzas! I rolled out the dough, so my part was over.

requested snacks for M's party. Tons of Yerba Mate tea's and hippie snacks from Whole Foods. — requested snacks for M’s party. Tons of Yerba Mate tea’s and hippie snacks from Whole Foods.

When I got home Saturday (I spent the night at NS’ house), it was cleaning and reading. It was a gross day, so good for both activities.

The 80/20 Burger Bar in Norfolk put a Facebook invite out there for the Chelsea v. Arsenal game today at 11am. So D, AC, JC, and I met up at 11 and watched the game. It was a very fun time, and it ended 0-0. Doesn’t sound exciting, but it was – first half was massively frenetic, one of my favorite players got hauled off to the hospital with a suspected head injury, and in the end, all Chelsea had to do to hold on to the top spot was to not lose.

picked this up for D to prepare! He isn't a soccer nut like me, but he was going to represent Chelsea anyway! — picked this up for D to prepare! He isn’t a soccer nut like me, but he was going to represent Chelsea anyway!

us before heading out. It was an Arsenal heavy crowd, but that's okay. We're better :) — us before heading out. It was an Arsenal heavy crowd, but that’s okay. We’re better 🙂

After the game, D and I went out to the parking lot and he noticed that someone hit the back corner of my van. And after a quick look….that car had still parked next to us! The back left bumper area was all scraped up, and the front right of this Subaru had my van’s paint all over it! What kind of idiot hits a car and then parks next to it??

I went back into 80/20 and proceeded to ask everyone there if they drove a silver Subaru outback. No takers. We had to call the police, who logged it as a hit and run.

The rest of the afternoon was spent grocery shopping and now making dinner! Quite frankly, I’m exhausted and hoping to sneak off to bed around 8 🙂

And I leave you with this week’s morning pictures and cats!

sort of close together....so exciting that Bumble seems to be liking Ginny more... — sort of close together….so exciting that Bumble seems to be liking Ginny more…

no sense of the "hey, I'm trying to read here" from this one. Personal space? No such thing.... — no sense of the “hey, I’m trying to read here” from this one. Personal space? No such thing….

April 26, 2015

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Black Thumb, Be Gone!!!

FOOD

Okay, so the most exciting this of the past few days is the ability to eat food. Seriously, the evil belly demon reside in me through the weekend. TMI? Maybe. But it’s really just to explain the lack of food pics!

Sunday I had the best green juice. Earthy and cleansing, and was a great dose of nutrients and energy. And helped clean out my fridge, so that’s cool!

romaine, spinach, kale, cucumber, celery, and lemon.

I made tofu/potato tacos by request on Sunday – which made awesome leftovers at work on Monday!

tofu and potato mixture on rice and topped with lettuce. So good!

Sunday night was a really great meal that I was happy to eat. Snobby joes (lentil sloppy Joe’s from Veganomicon), mac no cheese, and roasted asparagus. It’s been interesting trying to make meals that R can eat now that she has braces!

Yesterday and today I cheated (ish) on the smoothie front and went to Tropical Smoothie cafe. My favorite is Pomegranate Plunge with no sweetener and the spinach and kale super pack.

FITNESS

All runs, every day. Well, maybe not EVERY day! Sunday and today, and that’s almost like it was every day 😉

Tomorrow is body combat with A. Should be interesting. Stay tuned.

LIFE

Oh, the weekend I’ve had.

I planted my first ever garden!!! I’ve historically had a black thumb – where I kill every plant I’ve ever had. My motto used to be “dead plants give room character”, so it should be interesting. I’m the bad vegan who loves nature, but doesn’t want it on me. So…another “stay tuned” moment. Will either be a life altering summer, or one where I give up on nurturing anything (other than my children, of course)….

before we actually put plants and seeds in it!

Although…I couldn’t figure out how to turn the water on to my hose. Seriously, I crawled all over the house and the garage to find it. D skyped me from DC and we have no clue. Checking in with the neighbors (and feeling like idiots), before calling a plumber. Honestly, pitfall of buying a house in the winter. Knowing how to turn crap back on when it gets warm again!

really, can't get it to work. What's wrong here!?! — really, can’t get it to work. What’s wrong here!?!

D was up in DC for the weekend – mainly to get Cherry Blossom pics for me, but they were all gone – so it was me and the kids. That was fun, because we all played in the dirt and pretended to be farmers.

Here’s what we have planted….

roma tomatoes
cherry tomatoes
red bell peppers
hot peppers
eggplant
zucchini
cucumber
bib lettuce
spinach
onions
carrots
beets
radishes
pumpkins

Now that I see the list, I think I bit off more than I can chew…..

Aside from that, I got a great deal on a patio set for the screened in porch. Bought it as Sears, picked it up, and proceeded to spend 2 hours putting it together. Just me, a glass of wine, and a freaking allen wrench. I think my fingertips are still shredded after a love seat, two chairs, and a table. Truth be told, when I’m home, I rarely leave this porch!

built the table first so I had a place to put my drink.... — built the table first so I had a place to put my drink….

me hanging out in the rain and not caring because it's a screened in porch! — me hanging out in the rain and not caring because it’s a screened in porch!

Otherwise, I have my two morning pictures, which are always on Twitter and Instagram. I love how R actually smiles showing her teeth now that she has braces!

April 21, 2015

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The Battle Bra

FOOD

Well, I don’t have a lot of food to share with you the past two days. Mainly because my insides wanted to be on my outside (meaning I think I had food poisoning or else I angered some digestive deity somewhere).

Some type of time bomb went off around 8 pm on Tuesday and didn’t leave until sometime this afternoon. As a result, I haven’t had much beyond water and tea.

my one meal. Tomato soup with some corn and peas. This was breakfast and lunch today.

FITNESS

Funny thing is I had a great run on Tuesday before the belly bomb went off. I have not done squat (or any squats) since.

I thought I was feeling okay enough yesterday to go for a run, so I got into my workout gear. That good feeling didn’t last long, and while I was changing into pajamas, D came in. Apparently he’s never noticed my sports bra today since he remarked that it looked like some type of battle bra. So now that’s what they will always be called. It sounds cooler 🙂

LIFE

Tuesday night was mainly spent curled up in a ball of discomfort while reading. Nothing fun to report there.

Wednesday was work and then catching up with a friend afterwards. She and I don’t spend nearly enough time together, but when we do, it’s like no time has passed at all. And that’s really cool.

D and R's Wednesday morning picture! — D and R’s Wednesday morning picture!

Thursday was an early morning work meeting, and it was bring my daughter to work day! I am part of a project to build a revolutionary new school in my region, and we had a meeting yesterday downtown. It was at 830, but since R had an appt at 1030, I brought her with me (I checked first).

mommy n me at the downtime library to build a new school!

So – I got to have a mommy and me picture! Notice she’s actually showing her teeth in her smile? That’s because I told her she had to…since it would be her last morning picture before braces!

So yes – her 1030 appt was with the orthodontist. And, being the strange child she is, was totally excited for it. No fear nor apprehension of any kind. The process was painless, and she spent the entire afternoon exclaiming “braces are so neat!”.

all done! She gets the bottom teeth done in June.

Then we went to the movies to see Insurgent.

And while today she is still happy she did it, the mouth soreness has kicked in. I never had braces, but my sister did, and I seem to remember a lot of meals through straws….

today's morning picture! She got a ton of compliments today. No teasing (thankfully). — today’s morning picture! She got a ton of compliments today. No teasing (thankfully).

Otherwise, D is up in DC this weekend to see and take pics of the Cherry Blossoms peak (and possibly take in a Nat’s game!), and I have a houseful of kids (A and her friend from school are here).

As for me, it’s bedtime 🙂

my blogging partner in crime! Ginny crawled into my lap at the desk right before I started this post.

April 17, 2015

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Oh Spring, How I Love/Hate You

FOOD

So last week Wednesday was national empanada day! I wasn’t able to celebrate properly, so we had a delayed feast this weekend. I made empanadas, rice and beans, a cabbage salad, and a spicy green sauce. Not a hungry belly left!

Crissie’s Attempt to Recreate the Epcot Mexican Slaw

Ingredients

1/4 head green cabbage, shredded
1/4 head red cabbage, shredded
1/2 red onion, diced
1 cup corn kernels
1 roma tomato, diced small
1/3 cup lime juice
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sugar (or sweetener of choice – I used raw sugar)
1 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

mix everything together!
let sit in the fridge for 30 minutes to meld flavors

rolled out and cut dough circles, ready to go!

spicy green sauce ingredients before.... — spicy green sauce ingredients before….

DINNER! As a side note, D fell in love with the slaw at Epcot, and while I didn't recreate it exactly, I think it was pretty close...and was well received! — DINNER! As a side note, D fell in love with the slaw at Epcot, and while I didn’t recreate it exactly, I think it was pretty close…and was well received!

For breakfast yesterday, I may have gone a bit overboard on my smoothie, and ended up with two to-go cups! Lasted me half the day, so that was totally awesome.

Last night D and I went to run errands (IE – buying chaise lounges for the pool!) and we went out for Japanese food. After miso, yakisoba, edamame, and a veggie roll, I was beyond stuffed.

D thinks miso looks like brains.... — D thinks miso looks like brains….

Perhaps because I had such a big dinner, I haven’t had much of an appetite today. A simple stir fry of tofu, red onion, garlic, bell pepper, and coconut aminos has been enough so far.

FITNESS

I actually went to yoga on Sunday. I haven’t gone to a physical class since LC and I went in January to her studio. It’s not that I don’t love it and miss it – because both are true – but I think I’ve been a bit depressed about it. Here’s what I mean…

I really want to be a yoga teacher. Like, a lot. I’ve had this goal for years, and had finally committed to doing it. I spent the year socking money away, and was going to start my 9 month teacher training this past December. I was all set and excited and ready to go!

And then life got in the way. I had to take a serious look at if I could actually fit it into my life at this point, and the sad (but honest) answer was no. I went into a soft of yoga funk after that, and couldn’t bring myself to hit the studio. And then we bought a house, moved, and had all sorts of other things come up, so it started to be easy to not go. I’d log into Yogaglo and do some classes at home (or in the hotel), or do some simple sequences on my own, but hadn’t actually hit the studio.

It was time.

Unfortunately, I didn’t go to my normal studio and went to one I used to go to. I did that because 1 – they had a class at a time that suited my schedule better, and 2 – I think I have some trepidation of going to the studio where I failed to start yoga teacher training.

Bad move. I really disliked the class. A lot. It didn’t feel balanced, and the instructor yelled out quite loudly. And talked about herself a lot. Basically, the class was not my speed, and I’m actually sorry I went. I didn’t want my first day back on the mat in a studio to be a bad experience. One the plus side, I think I’m ready to head back to my home studio.

Today was a muggy run between the storms. Thankfully it felt better than my run on Saturday, though my pace was a bit slower. Funny how that works 🙂

LIFE

Spring has sprung, the air is green, and I am sneezing at EVERYTHING.

I always get excited for Spring. It marks the end of Winter (and I HATE winter….I hate being cold more than almost anything else) and is a signal that days are going to get longer and warmer.

And then I start to see the pollen, and everything gets a thick covering of green. I throw open the windows to welcome in the warm air and light and revel in the day – and then spend the evening scrubbing the table tops and floors to make the green sheen go away.

And I sneeze. All the time.

I can’t wear contacts because my eyes burn and occasionally swell shut. Forget mascara!

And I am reminded that the only season I really need is summer. Things bloom without trying to kill me, the days are really warm and sunny, and there are no coating of green hell powder over everything.

So come on Spring, you’ve outlived your welcome. Bring on summer.

In the mean time, some random extra pics from the past week!

a girl and her lazy cat (that would be me and Bumble)

April 14, 2015

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Craving Boring

Okay, so I hope that this is the last long absence between blogs. I’ve had a lot of personal issues going on – that I’m not going to go into detail over – but needless to say, my energies have been focused elsewhere. I think about blogging often, and I’ve missed it. As things are hopefully stabling out here, my posting will go back to being much more consistent. Thanks for sticking with me!

FOOD

Well, two weeks of eats have been more than I can probably document, but I sure am going to try! Most of these have been on the road (as I’ve done a ton of traveling the past week).

if you have people in your life who struggle to think that a vegan meal can be hearty, comforting, and tasty - this is the book for you! TONS of family favorites come out of this tome in our house. — if you have people in your life who struggle to think that a vegan meal can be hearty, comforting, and tasty – this is the book for you! TONS of family favorites come out of this tome in our house.

here are all the ingredients stacked up for one of those! A delicious chili mac.

oatmeal (only bfast food you can ever get while traveling!)

one of my fav meals. Lentils, pita, hummus, olives, couscous, and tabbouleh

fakin BBQ chicken breast and a roasted corn salad

part of yesterday's breakfast - hopefully the last meal on the road for a long time! Began with a Lumi juice of lemon, beet, celery, and parsley — part of yesterday’s breakfast – hopefully the last meal on the road for a long time! Began with a Lumi juice of lemon, beet, celery, and parsley

followed by vegan and gluten-free buckwheat pancakes with berries

and finally, last night's dinner. Grilled portabella mushrooms and a teriyaki ramen and broccoli salad. — and finally, last night’s dinner. Grilled portabella mushrooms and a teriyaki ramen and broccoli salad.

FITNESS

I went for a run last night and it was just brutal. I struggled through the entire thing, and that was a very demoralizing feeling. I do feel like my fitness levels have dropped the past few months, and it’s time to focus on rebuilding base mileage and strength. It sounds weird, but I’m really looking forward to it! I have a lot of fitness related resources around me, so taking advantage of them shouldn’t be difficult for me as long as I make the time!

LIFE

The past several weeks have been a whirlwind of chaos, fear, sadness, stress, but with some happy times thrown in too. To but it bluntly, it’s been highly overwhelming. I don’t often put myself at the top of my to-do list, but that’s something I want to work on. Something that I need to work on. I need to understand that I can be there for others without sacrificing my own well being. So yeah, new goal for me!

We took a short trip this past week to Florida, which was mostly wonderful. It was a break (mentally and physically) I didn’t realize I needed. I will admit that I had some guilt too in going, but I’m mostly over that. I didn’t take too many pictures (D did that!), but I know that R and M had a great time, and that was the whole point anyway!

Today is my first full day back home. I’m doing meal planning, grocery shopping, garden planning (planting next weekend!), laundry, organizing, and a few other things I need to get done. And through it all, I’m so excited to do something routine and mundane! Yes, I’m craving boring! Not sure how long that will last, but for now, that’s my plan. I’m all “excited” out!.

So, I hope your Sunday is exactly what you want it to be!

April 12, 2015

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