Arrgggh and Yum!

Veggie Girl guessed right, we were pirates:

Pirates wore purple corsets, right?

There were sword fights with each other:

And anyone else who would play along:

plunger vs. sword

And then there was brunch at Macrina Bakery:

Baked eggs with mushrooms, tomato sauce, and lots of ROSEMARY! Served with roasted potatoes and a mixed green salad. There were also cappuccinos and an apple/cranberry/pecan pastry involved in the morning feast. The pastry was devoured by 3 hungry girls before cameras were thought of.

I think if I had to pick a favorite meal, it would be brunch. Its like breakfast except bigger! And its totally acceptable to have dessert after brunch (cheesecake anyone?) if you aren’t completely stuffed. Any other brunch fans??

Halloween Weekend in Seattle

Over the weekend I went to go visit my best friend Danielle who is now living in Seattle.

I. Love. Seattle. I decided I was going to live there when I went with my family at age 17. I was mesmerized by the gigantic trees, mountains, clean lakes, good coffee, fresh seafood, lack of humidity, etc. Seattle is awesome. Now my best friend lives there, so I guess that’s the next best thing to actually living there because I get to visit!!

The first morning I was there, we ran 5 miles around Lake Washington, which was gorgeous! Danielle is training for the Thanksgiving half marathon in Seattle, and I am training for the one in Atlanta.

After our run, we made breakfast:

Magic Bullet smoothie (pre-blended) with cottage cheese, spinach, flax, frozen strawberries and raspberries, milk, and agave. The mix of ingredient was 100% her idea as she has been reading food blogs and getting crazy ideas . I was skeptical about the cottage cheese in a smoothie at first, but it was awesome. Also, I really want a Magic Bullet!!

The finished smoothie in a bowl with cranberry pecan granola. Yum!

After breakfast, we went on a hike up Mount Si.

me at the top!!

Danielle is excited at the top, too

The trail was a little over 2 miles to the top of the mountain (we did the “little Mt. Si”). We celebrated at the top by sharing some homemade pumpkin chocolate chip cookies:

There will be a part 2 that includes more good food and some Halloween shenanigans. Any guesses on what my costume was?? Hint: I got in a few sword fights that night

Also, what is your favorite city?

 

Camping + Meat and Potatoes my way

This past Saturday, I went with some of my favorite people up to Amicalola Falls to camp out and enjoy fall in North Georgia.

It could not have been a more gorgeous setting.

the top of the falls

view of surrounding mountains

 

the bottom of the falls

our cute little campsite

roasting chicken sausages

Some people bring hot dogs camping, I bring organic apple chicken sausages. After roasting, we put them in whole wheat buns with honey dijon mustard. Yum.

Now that I’m back, I made another delicious fall meal. This time using an oven.

After I put my plate together, I realized I had a pretty traditional American meat and potatoes type meal. But instead of buttery mashed potatoes, I had a baked sweet potato. And instead of meatloaf (eww) or steak, I had pork tenderloin basted in honey dijon mustard served on top of arugula. I also made some roasted cauliflower with olive oil, salt, and pepper. So I guess this is my gourmet-ish (I try my best) version of meat and potatoes

[Tip for non-cauliflower eaters: I know, I know... it's kind of weird and doesn't taste like much when its raw or steamed. You must try it roasted in the oven!! (400 degrees for about 20 minutes). Olive oil and pepper are key and add lemon zest if you have fresh lemons!!!]

The best bites of the meal include a little piece of pork + arugula + sweet potato. Killer flavor combo!!! Pork goes really well with arugula and the sweet potato is a great complement to both. 

Also, I just signed up for Pile on the Miles 2009! Since I am training for the Atlanta Half Marathon on Thanksgiving, I will definitely be upping my mileage in November anyway. Now not only do I have the race to motivate me, but now there is a competition. Watch out other bloggers! It’s on

 

 

1000 Awesome Things

I recently stumbled across a blog called 1000 Awesome Things. Each post is dedicated to something that the blogger thinks makes life awesome. He started at 1000 and is counting down until one. Its a very fun and uplifting blog. Here are some of my favorites:

• #996 Living with someone who doesn’t mind killing spiders
• #995 Building a stack of pancakes that look just like the front of the box
• #885 Paying for something in exact change
• #874 The Five Second Rule
• #870 Getting the milk to cereal ratio just right
• #654 Peeling of that thin plastic film off of new electronics

And here are some things that I think are awesome that haven’t been listed yet:

Eating the ice cream that sticks to the top of the carton when you first open it. For some reason, it is more fun to eat than the ice cream in the container…its fresh, soft, and AWESOME!

The moment after you finish a good run. The accomplishment of finishing your run + the endorphin rush that makes you happy to be sweaty and smelly = AWESOME!

Letting your feet sink into the wet sand at the beach. Because you are on vacation and you have nothing better to do. Plus it feels cool. AWESOME!

When avocados are on sale for a dollar each.  Avocados are one of my favorite foods, but they are cost more than most fruits and veggies. $1.69 each?! I ain’t made of money, honey. Saving that 69 cents per avocado each feels AWESOME!

A new comment e-mail in your inbox. Someone reads my blog! AWESOME!

What do you think is awesome??

Getting Ready for Fall

I’m still sort of in denial that summer is over and cold weather is coming. I usually love fall weather, but when the temperature suddenly drops from 70s to the 40s AND it rains…..I am not happy. Plus, October is usually an extension of summer in Georgia. Its not supposed to get cold yet!

Despite the fact that there was FROST on my car this morning, it ended up being a beautiful day. I went running in the afternoon when it was sunny and the temperature reached the high 50s and then went to Earthfare to get some groceries. When I spotted some fresh apple and cherry stuffed chicken breasts (made with free-range chickens from local farms), I knew that is what I was having for dinner.

The chicken breast was filled with dried apples and cherries and cinnamon and lightly covered in bread crumbs. I baked it in the oven with some asparagus, then threw everything over some baby spinach.

After I took the picture, I drizzled some balsamic vinegar over everything. Delish.

It wouldn’t be fall if I didn’t make something with pumpkin in it! After dinner I decided to make some pumpkin muffins.

THIS IS WHY I LIKE FALL

 

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins with Pepitas (adapted from this recipe by chef in you )

• 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
• 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons water
• lots of cinnamon and all spice (I don’t like measuring)
• pinch of salt 
• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• handful of pepitas (aka hulled pumpkin seeds)

The correct method to make these would be to sift together all the dry ingredients, then mix together the wet ingredients, then add dry to wet and stir. I kinda just put everything in a bowl and mixed. I’m lazy and I don’t like doing extra dishes. They turned out fine. Just be careful not to over mix if you try my method. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes (or until you can stick a knife in the center of a muffin and have it come out clean). Makes 6 muffins.

What is your favorite fall food?

Fresh Food from the Street: Istanbul Part 2

One great thing about every county I’ve been to outside of America is the abundance of fresh produce! Yeah, we can go to farmer’s markets and special grocery stores in the states, but in other countries, they sell fresh local fruits and veggies on every street!

plums

pomegranates!!

apples

The pomegranates were EVERYWHERE in Istanbul! My friends and I finally bought one the third day I was there:

Can you imagine what it would be like to walk around New York or Boston and be able to buy a fresh pomegranate from a street vendor?

Unfortunately, due to Americanization of the whole freakin world, there are McDonalds and Burger Kings across from these wonderful fresh produce stands. There was even a Starbucks!!! The Turks are famous for their coffee, but there is still a demand for a commercialized coffee brand. *Sigh*

In addition to the produce stands, there were also a lot of other charming food vendors:

corn stand

roasted chestnuts

And my favorite:

stuffed mussels!

Mussels stuffed with rice with secret spices (well, secret to me b/c i don’t speak Turkish and couldn’t ask what they were…) served with fresh lemon. Two for one lira (less than a dollar).

The Turkish boys we were hanging out with told us that they like to hit up the mussel stands after they have been drinking at the bars for some late night munchies. In my college town, we have hot dog stands for that. So drunk American college kids eat hot dogs, and drunk Turks eat stuffed mussels. I found this fascinating. And delicious.

me and my stuffed mussel. yum.

My earrings and scarf are both finds from the Grand Bazaar that I will talk about next. TGIF everybody!

Istanbul!! (Part 1)

 

Hagia Sophia. The view from our hostel.

 

I’m back from Istanbul, and I had a great time! I was a little bit wrong with what I expected their cuisine to be like….I promised lots of pictures of lentils and bulgur, but there isn’t very much of that. Here are the foods that seemed to be staples in Instanbul:

• Meat. Lots and lots of meat. Mainly lamb and beef. There was no pork because it is a Muslim country.
• Yogurt. They put yogurt on EVERYTHING!! I actually really enjoyed this. It’s very popular to severe meals with yogurt mixed with dill. They also have a cucumber and garlic yogurt soup and a yogurt drink that are both very common.
  

  yogurt, cucumber, and garlic soup

• Eggplant. Yummm! I love eggplant. I ate this a lot
• Olives. I hate olives in America. It took 3 days for my friend to convince me that they taste different in Turkey. She was right. They are not so bad. I especially liked their black olive spread that they would serve in olive oil with fresh bread.
• Tomatoes. Tomatoes are still in season in Turkey!!! I got to eat lots of fresh local tomatoes
• Tea. Not really a food, but they drink tea all day long! I really liked this.

The only thing Turkish people do not eat yogurt with is fruit. They also do not eat fruit or yogurt for breakfast. Here is a traditional Turkish breakfast:

Olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, a hard boiled egg, and Turkish cheese. Turkish cheese is delicious!!! It tastes a lot like feta in America, but it has more moisture and is saltier. In Turkey, they simply call it “Turkish white cheese.”

After I got home, I wanted more info on what exactly Turkish cheese is, and this is what I found:

White cheese, commonly known as Feta cheese in the West, is mainly produced in the Marmara Region, is consumed in abundance. It can be produced out of sheep or cow milk, but the production techniques may change according to region. White cheese needs 90 days to mature in salt water. High fat content white cheese is soft and smooth whereas low fat versions are harder. It is an essential part of Turkish breakfast and used in börek.

That makes a lot of sense….it tastes like feta, because it is! Just really fresh, higher fat feta that is matured in salt water. It’s really wonderful.

On to my first Turkish lunch:

 

homemade wraps

shaved chicken with carrots, lettuce, and a couple french fries

 

tomato and cucumber salad + yogurt with dill

 

all together

That’s all for now! Stay tuned for part 2.

Most Important Meal of the Day + Fun News

The most important meal of the day is breakfast, of course! I love breakfast food.

Breakfast #1: Oatmeal with banana, coconut, and almond butter. I think that coconut is one of my new favorite foods….

 

Breakfast #2: Some free multi-grain Nature’s Pride bread (thanks Foodbuzz!) with a pesto goat cheese spread and scrambled eggs.

 

Breakfast #3: I found this apple at a farmer’s market near my parent’s house. I forgot what it was called, but it is a cross between a granny smith and a golden delicious. It has the crunchy texture of a granny smith and sweetness of a golden delicious. I sprinkled cinnamon on it, drizzled some honey, and served with a spoonful of almond butter. I actually had this as a snack, but it could be a light breakfast.

What is your favorite kind of apple?? Mine was granny smith until I tried this one, whatever it was called….

 

Serve any of these with a big cup of hot tea. Currently, my favorite is Tazo Green Ginger:

“A dazzling blend with sweet, spicy ginger and a touch of pear.”  Yes, please!

And now for the fun news……

GUESS WHERE I AM GOING TOMORROW?!!

Yes, I am going to Istanbul, Turkey!! I have a friend over there working as an au pair, so I am going to visit. Expect lots of pictures of lentils and bulgur when I get back! See ya next week!

A Healthy Perspective

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who commented on my last post. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to publicly admit my recent dietary slip-ups, but it felt good to write everything down to rationally examine my lifestyle rather than to just quietly be angry at myself for gaining weight and not eating how I should. I know how to eat healthy, but there are things preventing me from actually doing it, including stress…

Step one to a healthier lifestyle is to de-stress! There is a yoga studio I sometimes go to in Athens always makes me feel peaceful and helps me think clearly. Recently, my favorite yoga teacher, who founded the studio, moved out of state. There is kind of a neat story behind the studio — the studio is completely non-profit and run by amazing and dedicated volunteers, and to pay rent for the space, the teacher that founded it has been happily living in a trailer the past few years. There was an article written about him in a local newspaper, and I wanted to share a few quotes that I found inspiring:

On living in a trailer:

 My advice to people who want to live with 100 percent freedom is to drastically downsize. Too much of the time we make giant compromises all because we think we need a couch with a sofa and television, a refrigerator and a bathroom… But in reality, all you need is a yoga mat and your health. You can join the YMCA and turn Daily Groceries into your kitchen, Ciné into your living room. Your quality of life will go WAY up and you’ll be able to contribute to others in spirited ways.

(Daily Groceries is the local co-op that has local produce and organic food. Cine is the independent film theater in Athens.)

His life goals:

1. To be a one-person circus in which I ride my unicycle as an everyday means of transport,

2. To live to be extremely old while in amazing health,

3. To eat 80-100 percent raw foods (with an emphasis on local, organic vegetables),

4. To have tons of spare time and therefore be free to play around with children or anyone else who isn’t busy at the moment,

5. To shed all judgment (of other people) and thereby radiate a halo of acceptance in a 30 foot radius.

I think that he is absolutely right about how we tend to think that we need way more material things than we actually do. I’m not saying that we should all go live in trailers, but we should remember that a good quality of life comes from doing what you want rather than having what you want. 

Also, I am in love with his goals and feel that they are adaptable to everyone. Here are my interpretations of his life goals, and how I think we can all incorporate them into our daily lives.

1. If riding a unicycle makes you happy, then ride a unicycle. If not, do whatever else makes you happy even it it goes against societal norms and expectations.

2. Eat in a way that is good for your health and the environment. You don’t have to eat raw, but I would encourage everyone to support local farmers whenever possible and eat an abundance of vegetables. 

3. Enjoy the simple pleasures in life– play with children, pets, friends, etc; take long walks; meditate or pray; read often.

4. Live with a genuine love and acceptance for all people. 

Athens is losing a very interesting and unique guy. I will miss his yoga class. I will also miss seeing him riding his unicycle around Athens! If you want to read the rest of the article about him, click here.

I thought it was a very happy and inspiring article. Reading things like that help me put my life into perspective. Everyone has stopped reading by this point because I am being super cheesy, but if you are still here, check out some of my recent healthier eats:

Healthy veggie-full meal of the day:

A bowl full of roasted sweet potato, bell pepper, and broccoli tossed in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and rosemary. I also added some organic chicken sausage made with apples and chardonnay. It was very fall-ish and delicious.

Hope you all had a relaxing and healthy weekend!!

What do you do to de-stress?

Confessions: Weighty Issues

I do not normally talk about personal issues on my blog, and I especially try not to talk about my weight. But I’m feeling compelled to share some recent struggles, so here we go.

Confession: I did not gain the “freshman fifteen” in college, but I have already gained 10 pounds since I’ve graduated. Yikes!  This is pretty significant weight gain for my small frame.

Five of these pounds came on during my running injury so I thought that they would naturally come off after I started running again. Nope….I gained more!!

I don’t ever want to be the girl who freaks out over the number on the scale or whines about gaining a few vanity pounds. But the truth is, I don’t think that my lifestyle has been as healthy as it was in college, and that needs to change. 

Okay, so what has changed to cause this weight gain:

1. I am working out a lot less. Yes, I can now run again, and I am doing pretty well getting back my previous endurance. But I was triathlon training for my last two years of college, which was a lot more exercise than I am doing now. Before triathlon club, I was doing workouts with the rowing team 5 days a week plus running on my own. Actually, this is the first time since before high school that I have not been involved in a competitive sport.
2. My days have no consistent schedule or structure. I thought college was crazy with different class and practice times everyday. But although my schedule was inconsistent, there was always structure — I had very specific windows of time when I had to schedule my meals. Now, I wait tables during normal meal times and have the rest of the day to myself. I’ve been snacking so much and not eating real meals, and this leaves me feeling unsatisfied. I eat more this way, and I also eat less healthfully. Some people can do the “5 or 6 meals a day” thing well. Its not for me.
3. My fridge is in my bedroom. Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous! Can you say night eating temptations??! But I have no choice, I’m living with boys, and the fridge is stuffed full and nasty. I must have my own in my room.
4. I spend a lot of time by myself. I used to live with my best friends. Now they moved, and I’m still here. It’s okay, I’m not too lonely, and I realize that this is a very transitional period in my life. My point is that I do a lot of mindless eating when I’m by myself. 
5. Post-grad depression? I miss college. A lot. And I don’t know what my next step is right now. I’m scared therefore I eat to not think about it.

Alright, I’ve identified some causes, and now I need a plan. This is what I will do:

1. Get a better career/life plan. I have sent out one internship application. That was a huge weight off my back. But I need to do more networking, work on my resume, and most importantly, decide if I need to apply for grad school. If I’m going to go, I want to go in January, and I need to apply ASAP! 
2. Keep exercising. I’m actually not going to change a thing here. I exercise regularly, and I do not need to workout like a crazy person to lose weight! There were times in college when I was probably overdoing it. I’m not going to go there again.
3. Stop snacking. Completely. I eat healthier meals and enjoy them more when I don’t snack during the day. That’s what I know works for me. Night snacking is also a very bad habit that I need to stop immediately. It doesn’t make me feel good before going to bed, and it makes me not hungry for breakfast.
4. Eat more veggies. I love vegetables! I have no excuse to not be eating enough of them, but I’ve been snacking too much to crave them. Salads and roasted veggies, here I come! I’ve missed you!
5. Control the sweets. Oh boy. I can’t give these up completely. What I need to do is buy pre-portioned desserts. (I’m sorry, environment! I will try to recycle the excess packaging!) Earlier this week I ate an entire pint of Ben and Jerry’s within 24 hours. This happens every time I buy ice cream, despite telling myself I will have self control. So now mini ice cream bars and individually wrapped dark chocolates will be my desserts.

NO MORE!! This is me eating ice cream my favorite way last summer...out of the carton.

 This is what I will not do:

1. Become obsessed with the scale. I will occasionally check my weight, but I will mainly judge my success on how I feel. I know what it feels like when I’m treating my body right, and that hasn’t been happening recently.
2. Feel guilty about “splurging.” Maintaining a healthy weight has nothing to do with that one night you enjoyed a decadent meal at a restaurant, had wine and cheese after dinner, went to get pizza with friends on a friday night, or needed to try a piece of homemade cake. Its all about eating healthy 80-90% of the time, and then you can (and should) enjoy yourself guilt-free the rest of the time. This philosophy has worked very well for me in the past. I would never exclude myself from a social situation because of fear of not being able to eat perfectly or deny myself of a treat that is really worth it (i.e. homemade chocolate cake!).
3. Negative self-talk. “I feel fat. I’m a terrible person for eating badly. All my clothes are too tight now and look terrible!” None of that. It makes things worse. If I need to, I will write it down, then tear it up.

Pheww! Sorry about writing a novel (are you still here?!), but it felt really good to write that all down. You all are probably thinking, “This stupid skinny girl is completely nuts/annoying for flipping out over 10 pounds.” But my worries are more about how I’m letting go of my  healthy habits that took so long to form. The weight gained is just the tangible evidence. Yes, I really did eat that much ice cream…the scale doesn’t lie; no more denial.

When I started writing this, I wasn’t sure if I was actually going to publish it or not. My blog is supposed to be about “celebrating good food and fitness,” not stressing out about it. But I appreciate when other bloggers are honest about their imperfections (let’s face it, nobody is perfect!), and I’m hoping you all can relate in some way. I know that most women have had times in their lives when they have not had the healthiest habits, and I would love to hear about your experiences and how you get yourself back on track. 

Thanks for reading,

Tyler