Babs Begins

2012-01-14T18:07:00.005-05:00

One word. SORE. I guess that's what I get for upping the gym from lazy to committed. I walked/ran my way to 40ks this week and had two pump sessions. I'm proud of the effort.

I've been housing some smoothies (even though Melbourne hasn't realised it's summer yet)

Enjoying tomatoes from the garden (a teeny, tiny tomato)

And giving Lululemon all the funds in my bank account

And eating tempeh sandwiches prepared by the hubby

Time to find something exciting to do for Sunday.

-B

Back on the (fake)Rock

2012-01-08T05:28:00.005-05:00

We spent our Friday night climbing indoors in the city, and I loved every minute (even when I had to sit through the safety lessons). Climbing is one of my favourite things to do, and I plan to do a lot more of in 2012. All the time off means my hand strength is non-existent, but you have to start somewhere. I only did three routes before I was done (13,12,13).

Saturday I spent the morning in pump (with the Aussie and the SIL). The Aussie has gone to it a few times, but this was his first time in Oz doing it. He pushed through like a champion. We *may* have napped after pump (an earned nap, right?). It was only 20mins but it was glorious. In the afternoon I watched the Aussie and his brother play some cricket. It was a 20/20, which means SHORT (woot, woot).

Teeny, tiny cricketers ;)

After a thrilling cricket game (seriously can cricket ever be thrilling?), we went for some food (Thai), including dessert (chocolate shop) (definitely the highlight of the day).

Today we slept until 11 (so wonderful), went for a walk around the lake, and then I went to the gym and the Aussie hit some golf balls. When I got home from the gym I went on a cooking spree--protein balls, bean burgers, broc and rice dish, and choc pudding (made from avocado).

The protein balls need to be re-created. I used 1 sm banana, 1/4 cup of applesauce, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, 1/4 cup crushed almonds, 1/4 cup peanut butter, 1/4 cup raisins, 1 scoop protein powder, 1 cup oat flour and some oats. I mashed everything together and then rolled them into balls.

The burgers are dry ... really, really dry, so that recipe will not be shared.

My meals lately have looked like this ...

Um, I like veg nuggets (in case you couldn't tell), but I do want to start limiting the fake meat.

Can I say I'm ready for Friday before it's even Monday?

Off to zzz,

B

PUM*P

2012-01-03T05:31:00.007-05:00

A little time off of pump = inability to lift your arm (I exaggerate only a *tad*). Tonight I spent the evening with the SIL hating the shoulder track ... seriously Les (can I call you Les? sure I can, because you torture me) why do you tease us with a shoulder track that makes me swear it's going to end and then ... it's bar time?

The up part was using my lovely little Christmas gift (thanks Aussie!)

I also did a delicious repeat of the watermelon juice (watermelon, ice and blend, blend, blend)

Hey, who's that stealing my juice?!

Can I just say I love summer? I love summer :) A lovely little summer-inspired salad creation with veggie nuggets and loads of corn.

Off to zzz so I can gym it up in the am,

B

Hello 2012

2012-01-02T02:24:00.006-05:00

The end of 2011 was incredibly relaxing. We spent it surrounded by family, laying by a pool, and eating perfectly roasted veggies. I could not ask for more. Now it's time to kick off 2012 on the right foot. This year is going to be filled with lots of qualifying stuff so I can practice over here. I swear I won't be a professional student, although I do feel like it's never ending. But instead of focusing on all the stuff I have to do that is less-than-fun, I want to focus on enjoying each day. It isn't easy to appreciate all the small things that make your life great.

Today my little things were ...

a watermelon smoothie that tasted sweet as can be

and tomato plants that are growing heavy with little tomatoes :)

I'm heading into 2012 knowing it will be hard work, knowing I am not in the exact place I wanted to be from a career & fitness perspective, but also believing that it can be the year that it all changes.

Hang your inspiration board and follow your dreams ... 2012 is going to be year to remember.

Off to pack for the gym tomorrow,
B

Focus on the Positive

2011-09-18T06:11:00.004-04:00

After a day of the blues, I was excited to start changing my mindset. It's easy to fall into the trap of "poor me." I'm exhausted by school and the prospect of not practising in AU for so long. My skin and I are fighting, and it's getting ugly. The scale is heading in the wrong direction. Motivation left me like a baby daddy running from responsibility. Oh wait, I'm *supposed* to be over the blues ;)

I decided the only way to fight the blues was to do something (anything) that would make me feel good about myself. Today I did just that.

I re-created a childhood favorite--a twist (bacon/egg/cheese sandwich)

Enter--tempeh, nutritional yeast and spinach as the replacements

I'm a super-star wife, so I made the Aussie a healthy twist to go for his away cricket game. He inhaled it.

I also spent several hours knee-deep in constitutional law, which wasn't fun but I felt better getting things started.

And the sure fire way to beat the blues is to get your butt kicked by the new release of bodypump. I *may* not be able to lift my arms to the keyboard tomorrow, but my blues are gone :)

Here's to a good week!

-B

Life Update

2011-08-27T00:23:00.008-04:00

School is taking over my life, which I kinda hate (a lot). I just want to be done with it already, but I have awhile to go until I'm certified over here. Our friends from the States came to visit and we took them on a little hike to a place about 90 minutes from the apartment called Hanging Rock.

While there I managed to catch an in-flight picture of the lovely Rosella

I know, I know you're impressed with my photography skills. Try not to be too jealous . . . haha.

In other bird news, the Aussie saved a bird that knocked himself out on the window at the in-laws. My MIL likes her house clean, really clean. It seems to be a hazard for birds.

On the decorating front, I hung my first painting. And I do mean *I* because I was the one that was able to get the wire to sit on the screw. Okay, perhaps the Aussie deserves a bit of credit because he did put in the screw.

The painting was done by the Aussie's great-uncle and bought as a wedding gift from the in-laws. LOVE IT!

In eats, we've been devouring tempeh sammies ever since we found this recipe

**Drool**

Back to the grind,

Eyes shutting

2011-08-02T07:05:00.003-04:00

It's 9pm on this end but my eyes feel like it's 3am. I plan to be asleep within the hour for an early, killer session of bodypump. I am still painfully sore from Monday's session, so let's hope I can walk after tomorrow.

The work people loved Katie's chickpea blondies, which was good, and also the cookies. Yippy for healthy, sneaky food

My highlights for the day including feasting on sourdough bread w. pumpkin and sweet potato soup and staring at my lovely flowers from the Aussie :)

The flowers went from this . . .

To this . . .

Bed is calling,

B

Whoah Two Days In Row

2011-08-01T06:25:00.006-04:00

Who am I? Posting two days in a row is not the usual now-a-days, but after I ran home (okay, trammed home more like it) to do my lectures, I found out that none are up until tomorrow.

I'm not sure if work is ready for Choc Covered Katie's blondies made from this . . .

So I made another dish of Choc Covered Katie's, her healthy oat flour choc chip cookies. So good I got a bellyache from too many spoonfuls.

Let's hope the work peeps like them (if they make it out of the house). In other news, the alarm went off at 5:40am today and we actually got up. I felt great all day. It's amazing how the gym gives you the happies :)

Off to my heated bed (my MIL rocks for getting us a heated blanket),

B

Sick of School

2011-07-31T03:30:00.006-04:00

Aside from work and school and work and school, there hasn't been much going on in my life. The past few weeks I have slept until 7:30am, worked 8:30-5pm, tram ride home, 2 hours of lectures, blogreading ;) and bed. With the 7:30 rise that means there hasn't been any gym happening. The Aussie and I have been lacking in the motivation dept., but we're hoping Aug 1 will bring it back :) I always feel so much better after a solid session at the gym, especially Bodypump.

In the past weeks I have gone to an awards ceremony for the Aussie's work . .

My feet started to hate me, so I had to free them :)

We had a delicious meal with the SIL and BIL at the Burmese House.
Eggplant dish:

Coconut rice I wanted to be buried in:

Fermented tea leaf salad that I dream about:

And lots of unpictured roti was enjoyed. They make the best fermented tea leaf salad and coconut rice and roti and okay I love it all.

The Aussie has fallen in love with overnight oats. He's been making his with strawberries, nuts, oats, rice milk, protein powder, raisins, and chia seeds.

Pre-soak:

Post-soak:

I realized I like my oats crunchy, so I make my mix and add a bit of rice milk right before I inhale it. I put nuts, oats, chia seeds, protein powder and PEANUT BUTTER. Ohhh so tasty.

It's Sunday, which means we're in the kitchen. I'm off to make some soup, while the Aussie prepares a curry :)

Let's make this a great week!

-B

Another Weekend Goooooone

2011-07-10T05:31:00.006-04:00

This weekend was unproductive, which is never a good thing. In went for a few drinks with some people for work, but the Aussie had a full-on session with his brother, which meant Saturday he spent a solid chunk of his day praying to the porcelian gods ;) I, therefore, didn't do much either. I *may* have spent some time harassing him to go somewhere, but he was really in no state. So glad he only drinks more than a few a couple times a year. On the brightside he did manage to win at the casino :) which means I got a pressie . . .

Why hello Blackberry, welcome to my life :) Ps. That's the Aussie's man-hand.

I also did a bit of baking this weekend. One (I'm looking at you coconut cookie!) was a complete failure, and one wasn't too bad.

Not so bad mixed berry muffins . . .

After the baking session I spent some time with chickpeas. Geez, it takes awhile to take the "skins" off each pea.

I used Angela's recipe but it didn't blow me away. I will keep trying flavor combinations though, because I'm sure I can make a hummus I adore (for a fraction of the store-bought prices)

We also watched a girlie flick that left a lot to be desired--Beastly. I know, know an Olsen twin was in it so I should have known, but so was Dougie MD ;)

Now it's time to get ready for another week (which will include starting classes again, oh-the-joy). Let's hope Friday comes very quickly.

-B

Watermelon Smoothies and Oreo Balls

2011-07-04T04:18:00.004-04:00

Health is all about some good and some bad, right? Watermelon smoothies are super healthy & oreo balls are, well, not.

I started my day with the healthy . . .

And I'm about to end it with the not :)

I'm taking these bad balls to my sister-in-laws for dessert. Easy peasy to make--vegan cream cheese + oreos + blend = wow!

Also, it should be noted that I actually made it to bodypump on a Monday . . . no small achievement, because it's certainly been awhile since I had the 5:30am wake-up call. Too bad it won't cancel out the oreo balls ;)

Off to dinner,

B

Productive Weekend

2011-07-03T05:39:00.009-04:00

It's been a busy time on this side of the world. I've been getting things organized so I can take classes to get my practising certificate, because I'm dying to practice! I really love the law, and can't wait to use my J.D. :) It will be a bit of a process, but you can't fight city hall, as the saying goes. I'll just be grateful that I have a temporary job in the meantime (which may or may not end Aug 1).

In other news, we FINALLY got a vacuum, which got an intense first-run today by the lovely Aussie . . .

Despite the holding-it-like-gun stance, the Aussie is quite domesticated ;) I also was inspired by Angela to make a high-protein breakfast salad. It's a base of quinoa with fresh fruit (I decided on strawberries), nuts (walnuts for me!), and liquid sweetner (maple syrup). I kicked it up a notch with grated coconut. I tasted a sample and it was delish, so hopefully it will be all soaked up in goey maple syrup and fruit juice by tomorrow.

I also made an easy and healthy dish of broccoli, brown rice and "cheesy sauce" (made with nutritional yeast, seasonings, and veggie broth)

I had the most foodgasmic dessert last week that must be shared (and recreated)--banana soft-serve, raw cookie dough, and a dipping sauce of melted choc chips on the side. So intensely good. It killed my sweet tooth for the week :) Definitely not healthy, but healthier than cows milk icecream ;)

This weekend we went to the Queen Victoria Market. I love that place. We *may* have bitten off more than we can chew (literally) with one of our purchases . . .

You're looking at 10 kilos of clementines! I may OD on vitamin C.

Time to veg before bed. Early morning tomorrow--my fabulous sister-in-law is waking up at the crack of dawn to go to bodypump with me and then preparing us dinner later! I won the sister-in-law lottery :)

-B

Mixer Makes Me Happy

2011-06-18T04:58:00.010-04:00

Sorry for being MIA this past week. It's hard to fit in work, gym, and blogging. Plus, most weeknights are pretty boring so not too much to write about.

This week I did find an awesome place near work to get my Greek fix (falafal wrap, I love you!)

I *may* have gone here twice this past week. Shame on me! Especially because I had leftovers to eat. I also got caught snapping pictures :(

I tried to snap some pictures of the food place from the alley before I entered. He turned after the flash :(

The guy definitely asked if I was snapping pictures of him. I did an ackward laugh.

The weekend has been going well. We woke-up for a 9am Bodypump session that left my arms feeling like noodles and my chest in pain :) The Aussie prepared the amazing peanut butter protein milkshake for us.

The Aussie has lots of work to do, so he did some.

I *may* have had a shower and nap. OH HOW GLORIOUS! No pictures, but imagine a fluffy pillow and lots of blankets :)

After the nap the Aussie broke-in the new mixer to make chocolate chip cookies

Peeeeerfect, pretty bottoms . . .

Off to veg,

B

Green Smoothie get in my Beeeeeeeeeelly

2011-06-09T06:43:00.006-04:00

It's been a work-filled two days with lots of important things (okay, mainly photocopying . . . hehe). Gym slacking is still going on in our home :( The "system" isn't working too well. We'll see how I go tomorrow. I struck out on Wed, the Aussie failed today, but who knows what tomorrow holds ;)

I didn't blog yesterday nor did I smoothie-it-up, but today I'm doing both.

The Aussie enjoyed his . . .

After brekky I did something very American.

I got a venti (which was much smaller) iced black tea (which they called iced english breakfast), and I have to say I miss American Starbucks :( I didn't take a picture of the drink (bad blogger) but at least I did take a picture of the building ;)

The city was looking lovely today.

Tomorrow is FRIDAY and in Australia we celebrate the Queen's bday, so we're off Monday. Woot, Woot! Let's hope tomorrow's work day goes by quick, because the night will be spent with beer and friends :)

-B

Brown Rice On All Sides

2011-06-07T05:44:00.007-04:00

I wanted to get up this morning but **enter lameass excuse** Actually I have no excuse. I was lazy and I own my laziness. The Aussie has come up with a foolproof (well, perhaps not completely foolproof) plan; it assigns "responsibility" to one person each morning for getting the both of us up. I'm taking tomorrow :) My muscles need a cry, so I'll be getting up for Bodypump.

In good morning news, the amazing green master brought us another tasty creation--tons of rainbow chard, a lemon, two apples and orange juice into the blender.

Morning Aussie . . .

I also took a picture of morning Babs, but you're not ready for that picture yet (in fact, I don't think the Aussie is ready for that picture yet either . . . hehe).

At work we had morning tea, which meant I tossed a ton of pineapple and grapes into my belly :) along with a tasty tea. No pictures, because it would have been akcward ;)

I did, however, snap a picture of my lunch. I had to do it very discretely, which is difficult with an open-plan office.

Yep, I hunted down brown rice sushi. It was worth the hunt!

Brown rice made a dinner appearance too ;) Grains are good for you.

If you guessed it was Vegout, you would be correct. We are obsessed.

I washed it all down with a pressie from the father-in-law, who knows me so well.

Fancy cider . . . woot, woot. Although it isn't as good as the beloved mixed berry flavor.

Time to cuddle up with the heater or the Aussie, whichever is providing more warmth!

-B

Another day, Another dollar

2011-06-06T05:19:00.005-04:00

Day 2 at the job-e-o. Sadly, Mr. Lazy and I skipped the gym for snoozing, but we'll get there tomorrow. To make-up for our lackluster gyming the Aussie made a lean-mean-green-machine. Boy, was it green. He shoved a heap of spinach from the garden, 2 apples, and 2 kiwis into the blender, and out came . . .

For lunch I packed up a huge container of lettuce, an avocado, some hummus, and lots of watermelon chunks. I would have taken a picture, but I didn't want my co-workers to give strange looks. I did get a few comments about how healthy and delicious it looked though ;)

Health took a backseat at dinner, because we couldn't be bothered to cook. Enter leftover bread and dips . . .

I also *may* have dragged the Aussie out into the cold for a candy run **muahhaha**

Now it's time for make-up washing off and reading :) I hope you're all having a fabulously lazy evening like I am :)

-B

Green Overload

2011-06-05T05:52:00.006-04:00

Going up to see the in-laws is always a fun experience. The Aussie has the sweetest, best family ever. When we arrived we chatted and then checked out the garden.

Lots of greens springing up! It was very exciting to see how much they had grown.

After the garden tour we headed in the father-in-law's new truck to a lake.

We had to do a bit of scrambling down the rock, which was a bit difficult in my Toms ;) When we got home we tried several types of cider--Cinnamon & Vanilla, Strawberry, and our beloved Mixed Berry. With the cider, we chowed on Turkish bread and dips. Then the Aussie's fabulous mother prepared a delicious veg meal--pumpkin soup, roasted veggies, garlic broccolini, and mashed cauliflower. I had to roll into the living room after to watch AFL (eww!).

Today we chopped some wood and read. All-in-all a lovely weekend. And look what we came home with . . .

Since we got home a bit later than expected we relied on Vegout for dinner.

Panang curry, brown rice, and garlic roti.

Time for shower & book reading (The Girl Who Chased the Moon),

B

Pump it Out with Cups of Glory

2011-06-03T20:56:00.005-04:00

Last week I managed to make it to Bodypump 3 times, and was very proud of the effort. However, it messed up my routine because I went Sunday so couldn't go Monday. This week I went Wednesday and snoozed through Friday, so today I had the pleasure of dragging a sleepy Aussie out of bed to pump it out. I was definitely glad I made it, but a girl did seem to forget a little something called personal space. Seriously, I felt like I was squating right into her lap.

Pre-pump I whipped up a mud smoothie. Anytime raspberries and greens make smoothie love the result is one ugly but tasty baby. This one has rainbow chard from the Victoria Market, spinach, raspberries, and orange juice.

Post-pump the Aussie took blender duty. He made a healthy pb milkshake

It tastes like heaven :) So in love. Too bad bananas are a treat over here. Today we're heading to the in-laws, which is about 90 mins away. I'll be driving on the highway for the first time over here . . . ahhhh (that's what the Aussie is going to be screaming as I cruise down the road).

See ya tomorrow,

B

First Day Done

2011-06-03T06:33:00.006-04:00

I was very happy to hop into my mode of transportation this morning.

Hello Green-Lovely . . .

Hmm . . . you cost 7 dollars a day, really? I probably wont get a seat (ever)? I will have to fight for my arm space? I will have to hold a bar that I can barely reach? Well, you're not that lovely, not at all. Tram transportation is not ideal! But in a one-car house you don't have a lot of options. It's 8.6ks away, which may be a bit much to walk . . . in dress clothes and dress shoes.

I left early today to ensure I wasn't late. You cannot be late on your first day (or really ever).

A bit early for the 9am start. I *may* have walked up the block and down and back up and took a picture of my building ;) I was hoping no coworkers were nearby.

Finally it was a respectful time to enter (early but not overly early).

After working hard for my crust (apparently Aussies say "you earn a crust" or at least my Aussie does), I went for lunch. I work right around the corner from Lord of the Fries. Yes, THE Lord of the Fries that I have talked about multiple times. Yet, I chose sushi. I bet you thought I was going down the burger route, didn't you? I definitely thought about it, but figured I didn't need a burger for dinner and then lunch.

After a hard day at the office, I had a tennis date with the Aussie. He *may* have kicked my butt. Now it's time for movie watching and cuddling. Tomorrow we're off to the in-laws :)

-B

A Good Day

2011-06-02T05:45:00.006-04:00

The day started with a trip to Victoria's Market. A huge market with tons of fresh veggies. I scored some good loot :)

Then I decided to use this recipe to make some healthy breakfast bars with some added Sunwarrior protein :)

No flour, all-goodness. Hopefully the Aussie loves them.

After the breakfast bar baking, I got the phone call I had been waiting for . . . a call for a J-O-B :) I start bright and early tomorrow!

This called for a celebration . . . woot, woot. The Aussie and I opted to test another veg-friendly burger, Grilled, place to compare it to our beloved Lord of the Fries. Grilled lost.

I made a mushroom burger, and it was tasty but didn't compare to the Lord of the Fries. Plus it was much more expensive. Lose-Lose. But you live and learn ;) Lord of the Fries, sorry I ever cheated on you!

Better get to bed so I can pump it out in the am (my muscles will be crying, definitely crying)

-B

Will Walk for Bagels

2011-06-01T06:04:00.006-04:00

I walked into a bakery not long ago and asked if they had any bagels. The lady looked dumbfounded and said "baaaaaaagels" as if slowly saying it would help her understand, and then swiftly replied no. It was then that I would realize bagels were hard to come by.

Granted I haven't spend a ton of time checking everywhere for them, but I have kept my eyes peeled. Enter Glick's. It's a Jewish bakery about 2.5ks from my house, and I heard through the grapevine that they made incredible bagels. Very interesting.

I begged the Aussie to take me before we went camping a few weekends ago, but, much to our horror, they were closed on Saturday. Seriously? Surely Saturday is a huge bagel selling day, so I can only imagine it was closed for religious reasons. Well, this Sunday I finally had a chance to taste one of the glorious bagels, and, indeed, it was earth-shattering (I hadn't had a bagel in many months).

Today I wanted, no needed, a bagel. I walked 5ks for it :) It was worth every step. Especially because I now have a few in my freezer . . . muahahaha

In other news, I may actually not be an oatmeal lover, even with apple muffin topping :(

Today my bowl went from this . . .

To this . . .

Hmm. . . I may have to ease my way into oat loving.

Other eats included leftover soup.

And two undocumented bagel sandwiches ;)

Does anyone keep a journal? I've started to track what I need to do daily, what I eat, and what sweating I did. I think it's a good way to make sure you stay on track with your goals :)

Mine is pretty . . .

As for the sweating today, I slept in so it was a late session of bodypump, but geez did it tucker me out. I think I still felt weak from Sunday (whaaaaaaaat!) I pushed through though and felt better for it. I love seeing all the in shape people, it helps motivate me.

Off to do the dishes,

B

Oatmeal Overload

2011-05-31T05:49:00.007-04:00

When a girl has muffins what comes next--oats :) I am not an oatmeal lover, more like an oatmeal liker. However, when oatmeal gets its seksi on with a muffin, then I am an oatmeal lover.

Naked oatmeal . . .

Perhaps naked is the wrong wording. These oats had sliced apple, walnuts, cinnamon, and rice milk in them.

All dolled up . . .

Good texture + Good Flavor = Oatmeal Overload (aka the perfect bowl)!

In failure news, I attempted brown coconut rice in the rice cooker. It didn't cook properly. I even attempted to let it cook longer in hopes of saving it. No such luck. Enter the Aussie :) He was sweet enough to head down to pick up some rice from a local Indian place. Since he was already going there he *had* to pick-up roti too ;)

This was my first time attempting an Indian Dish. I used a few different recipes as guidelines but relied mostly on taste. The base was coconut milk, curry powder, garam masala (key to the success), salt, pepper, and cayenne. For the veggies, I used pumpkin (I told you we were obsessed) and peas. I also did a quick roasted cherry tomato side. Roasted tomatoes are so easy and delicious.

I'm taking my curry belly into bed to cuddle up with my latest book.

-B

Apple-Cinnamon Glory

2011-05-30T03:55:00.008-04:00

I needed to have a grab-and-go breakfast option for the Aussie to eat on the way to work. Enter Angela's Vegan Caramel Apple Muffins

I decided to make a few changes--coconut oil (instead of vegetable oil), added wheat germ (for a health kick), added chia seeds (for omegas), added walnuts to the batter (for yum factor). These muffins use brown sugar and some butter, but they rank way better than traditional muffins you'd buy at the store.

I *may* have over-filled the muffin tray, but that just makes for bigger-better muffins, right?

It also *may* have resulted in an ugly-deliciousness :)

But once the beauties were out of the pan they looked lovely.

Tonight was a repeat of the burrito bowl, because I tend to go crazy when I
find something I like (plus we had leftover quinoa salad that needed to be eaten, which we used instead of rice). I paired it with roasted pumpkin, because we're obsessed.

This morning I was sore from a Sunday evening bodypump session with the sister-in-law, so I opted for the snooze instead of the early morning workout. Which meant I had to drag myself there later.

At least I had nice views. I like Fall.

I also scored some awesome deals at the veggie market--2 dollars a bag!

Too bad I had to lug all the loot back from the gym :( I rocked the gym session. I ran 4k and walked 2k (plus the 5k round trip walk to the gym). I'm slowly building up the distance :)

Off to watch No Ordinary Family,

B

Sugar Coma

2011-05-28T21:52:00.008-04:00

We celebrated birthdays last night. But before we could leave I forced the Aussie to take our infamous heads together picture. I think every couple has a go-to picture position for self-snapped ones, and this is ours . . .

A group of seven of us headed down to the casino for a fancy-schmancy dinner.

I feasted on salad and home-made pasta (yum!). Then we were presented with this sparkling beauty . . .

Along with champagne . . .

I also *may* have drank several glasses of the best sparkling house white I've ever had. Over three hours we ate, drank and enjoyed each others company (Thanks to the in-laws for a fabulous night! They're the sweetest).

After we rolled (literally) ourselves out of Number 8, we headed to the in-laws' hotel for more cake and pressies. The brother-in-law and I share a bday, but rather than share a cake, we had three!

Everyone came to our apartment this morning for tea and a sugar coma! This has to be one of the prettiest cakes I've ever had for my bday.

If I never see a piece of cake again, it will be too soon! Now it's time to veg until I meet the sister-in-law for her first bodypump class. She doesn't know how sore she's going to be tomorrrow . . . muahaha. Who am I kidding, I'll be sore too.

-B

Banana Soft Serve

2011-05-27T07:32:00.007-04:00

Last night I had a fabulous dessert. We used the last of the cheapish bananas we had tracked down (4.99 kg instead of 12 kg). I quickly put the Aussie to work to "supervise" the mixing.

I was so impressed with how quickly it turned fluffy and delicious. Who would have thought a frozen banana could be so wonderful. I didn't invent the treat, but I certainly do enjoy it.

Look how beautiful it turned out . . .

I was even sweet and shared some with the Aussie ;) Perhaps a bit begrudgingly, but shared none-the-less.

Tonight the Aussie is celebrating his brother's bday, and I'm left alone :( So it was movie/take-out kinda night.

I opted for The Romantics (so terrible!) and dinner from VegOut--chili tofu and curry tofu. Yum to the dinner and yuck to the movie. I really hate picking bad movies, and, sadly, I do it often.

Also I wanted to show a picture that I believe highlights my photography skills (try not to be too jealous)

The amount of blurry pictures I have on my computer is pitiful.

Ugh, now it's time to clean-up the monster-mess that is my kitchen from breakfast and lunch damage.

-B

Salsa That Will Make You Say OMG

2011-05-26T00:20:00.004-04:00

I have never been a fan of store-bought salsa, and often times I find myself less-than-thrilled with the version served at Mexican places. Enter the home-made salsa that will make even an onion-hater a fan. This isn't my recipe, but I got it from my mom who got it from a friend and I don't know where she got it from :) All I do know is that it puts a smile on my face and it's easy. **win-win** It's especially easy if you have a chopper (Hi, Aussie!)

Perfect Salsa

6-8 tomatoes diced
1 green bell pepper diced
3 jalapenos diced
1 med onion diced
1 tsp. pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
cilantro-diced
garlic diced

I have used this salsa to mix with quinoa for a quick and healthy snack. But the best way is definitely in a home-made veggie bowl (think Chiptotle but cheaper). I started with a wrap, and I would suggest a thinner wrap for a more crispy factor (mine was thin and only 70 calories). I sprayed it with a bit of oil and baked it on the oven until it was crispy.

Then just top with what you want.

No bowl is complete without a scope of guac **drools**

This meal is fast to prepare but still looks lovely on the plate. The Aussie and I kept saying how good it was in-between shoving large mouthfuls of said yumminess into our mouths. It.WILL.be.repeated.

Reading time on this end. The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet is definitely a good read so far.

-B

Burmese Rocks My World

2011-05-25T06:46:00.009-04:00

I've only had it twice, but it was love at first bite. Burmese, which is a combination of Thai and Indian flavors, is just plain tasty.

As I said I was craving, yearning, dreaming of the fermented tea leaf salad. After scouring the menu, I realized the Burmese House had no salad. But have no fear, the Aussie saved the meal. He asked if they could make it, and they actually said yes! Woot, woot.

Here's the beauty that is the fermented tea leaf salad (super crunchy!)

I went with the sour veggie curry, which I had never had (nor heard of), but it was lackluster. Perhaps I should have requested hot instead of medium.

The Aussie had the pumpkin curry, and probably should have requested
wuss-spice ;) He was almost in tears. Poor guy. The meals were served with coconut rice (I need, NEED, NEEEEEED to recreate coconut rice with brown rice and my mean-little-rice-cooker). We debated whether the coconut rice had bits of coconut in it or onion. I said coconut (of course) and the Aussie swears it was onion, his arch-nemesis.

The highlight of the meal was definitely the roti. This was much different than roti from an Indian place. It was thicker and chewier. The Aussie would like to add "almost crepe-like." He had crepes for the first time this past weekend (obsessed much . . . hehe).

All in all it was another great meal. Speaking of which, stay turned for a fabulous recipe for salsa so good an onion-hater will love it ;)

Also, I'd love to hear whether you thought it was onion or coconut in the rice :)

Peanut Butter Milkshake

2011-05-23T23:40:00.006-04:00

My fabulous sister-in-law took me for an incredible birthday brunch . . . So STUFFED! I can't think of eating again for . . . at least an hour ;) But I did mention a delicious healthy milkshake, and I shall deliver :)

This smoothie is so tasty you'll think you're eating a peanut butter milkshake, I promise.

The ingredients are simple . . .

I used frozen banana and unfrozen, rice milk, sunwarrior vanilla protein powder, peanut butter, some water and some ice. I did throw in some xanthum gum for thickness, but if you don't have it the milkshake will still be glorious ;)

Put them all into this . . .

Blend and enjoy. I enjoyed this sucker for lunch yesterday and boy did it put a smile on my face!

Time to clean a bit (sad but true--I am cleaning on my bday) then out for Burmese with the Aussie. I pray they have fermented tea leaf salad **puhlease, puhlease, puhlease**

-B

Birthday Camping

2011-05-23T01:56:00.008-04:00

Since my 25th birthday I have made an effort to go somewhere to celebrate another year. Some trips have been big like a seven-day cruise to Greece, Croatia, and Italy and some have been small. This was a small one. With all that went on this year, small was needed. Since I'm new to Victoria, I figured the best trip would be a camping trip. We decided on Queenscliff, which is about 1.5hrs from Melbourne.

Problem 1--the location. The Aussie picked a campground on right on the cliff. Sounds lovely, right? Well the views left something to be desired.

We *may* have been the only tent campers around. We still had fun exploring.

The weather was surprisingly rain-free, which hasn't been the case in Victoria for awhile (or so it seems). And the company was great :)

Time to clean the kitchen. Tomorrow I'll be sharing an amazing milkshake recipe that's healthy!

-B

9:37

2011-05-20T20:01:00.003-04:00

Hmm . . . I realized last night that age may have caught up with me when I looked at the clock . . .

Can you say party animal? Or would that be considered party pooper? Either way the evening out with the Aussie ended up with us home before ten. To be fair we did leave at 6:30ish and we had been up since 5:30am, but still. I remember when nights out didn't start until 11 or 12!

We went to . . .

It's on Chapel Street, so we walked.

I tried a new beer (passionfruit is a favorite of mine), which went down rather nicely . . .

I had a lovely view too . . .

After multiple drinks and good conversations we headed home.

Sadly, along the walk home I lost my earring. One large silver hoop is not a look I want to sport.

When we got home the Aussie attacked his anniversary treat.

I *may* have save him some dough, which resulted in this classic shot :)

We're off to Queenscliff for a camping adventure, and it will be an adventure since we left some of our stuff up at the in-laws.

-B

6 months

2011-05-19T21:34:00.005-04:00

Six months ago today I walked down the aisle smiling until my cheeks hurt and looking into the beautiful blue eyes of a man that made me believe in storybook endings.

I don't believe there is one way to fall in love, but I do believe in finding "your person." I wish more people talked about how incredibly wonderful love is. I have been with the Aussie for the past 4 1/2 years and at no point would I have described our relationship as hard work. We have dealt with long-distance, the stress of law school, the sorrow of death, job loss, and moves. Life may take some hard work, but I don't believe our relationship will ever be anything save effortless.

Words cannot express the love I feel for him. It's more than I could have ever dreamed. If you're in a relationship that is anything less than amazing--LEAVE. Your person is out there, and the longer you're with the wrong one, the longer you'll be without the right one. A relationship should make life easier, not harder.

In the road of life, you can decide who walks beside you, so make sure it's your person!

To the Aussie, I'll walk with you in this life & the next!

Lovely Day

2011-05-19T02:35:00.008-04:00

Although I had to drag myself out the door at 1pm, I'm so glad I did. It was a morning fail for gyming, and snoozing won yet again. This meant that I had to motivate myself to get to the gym in the later hours. It's a 5k round trip walk to the gym, but when the scenes look like this . . .

I did not mind at all. At the gym I tackled something new--the bike! I really want to get into spinning (tried it twice several years ago and hated it but I'm hoping 3 times a charm), but I want to start slow. Today I did just that with a nice 5k ride on the bike. I followed it with 10mins on the funky machine with the treadles (it feels like you're walking in sand). Since I knew I had to get a bit of a run in, I headed to the treadmill. I did 2ks in 1k increments, with walking in between. It was a tough run, and I have to remember this is just my first few steps on the journey to being a runner. I have to start small :)

After the gym I was craving something I have been craving for a the past 2 months. I have tried to buy one before but opted to forgo due to price. Today was the day. This is something most people, especially Americans, take for granted. In America they're so inexpensive it's ridiculous. Here in Australia they cost you more than sushi roll.

Here's the beauty . . .

He cost be 3 dollars. Shockingly expensive, yes. Darn tasty in a bowl of cereal, yes.

Will I be buying one anytime soon, NO! My wallet cannot afford those prices. But it was certainly enjoyed today.

As for the brekky bomb. The Aussie said it was okay, but it needs some work.

It looks tasty, so now I just need to get it to taste amazing :)

Movie time on this end,

B

Iron Fail

2011-05-18T06:25:00.007-04:00

Well I attempted the wifely duty . . . but didn't get far. I ironed 1 out of 3 shirts and the Aussie re-ironed it when he got home :( Along with the other 2

Good thing this wife is an excellent back rubber :)

I did make us a delish dinner . . . okay, okay I'm not going to win any Top Chef contests with dinner, but it was tasty.

Key to amazing sandwich--fresh bread. I literally picked this bread up as it got out of the oven.

It's slim-pickens for breakfast tomorrow, and I know we're heading to the gym in the am. I didn't want the Aussie to have a growling tummy all morning, but I also didn't want to dirty the kitchen. Enter the breakfast bomb :)

After the Aussie eats it tomorrow, I'll share the recipe (if it's recipe-worthy).

In non-food news, I just finished a good book--The Help. I have always had a love affair with books. I love the smell of bookstores & libraries and devouring books is one of my favorite pasttimes. The Help told the story of several ladies living in the South during the 60s, focusing on the experience of black maids serving white ladies. I found it well written, interesting, and a quick read. So much has changed since those times, I can't help but wonder how much more change will come in another 50ish years. I can only hope it will include some rights for animals.

Any amazing books that you've ready lately? Or easy-peasy one-man meals?

-B

6 am wake-up call

2011-05-17T01:49:00.009-04:00

After a fitfull sleep I had an early wake-up call.

Rewind . . . Monday morning we opted to snooze over gyming-it-up, so we did an evening session. I *finally* made it back to a bodypump class, and my muscles have been crying ever since. Bodypump pushes me more than I would push myself, especially with lifting.

Being a good housewife I had dinner ready for us after the gym, if ready could be described as take-out :) muahaha. We tried a new-to-us place called Vegout. Brown rice & pumpkin curry with two forks. I meant to take a picture of the food, but all I got was this . . .

My belly beat the camera. But I will have you know it was finger-licking good.

Back to the this morning, early wake-up call at 5:30am! Finally leave at a few minutes to 6. I wasn't feeling a run today, but that's exactly what I did :) I'm doing the walk/run method at the moment. Mentally it helps me do a better workout. I walked for a 1k, ran for 1.5k (9ish mins), walked for .5k, ran for 1.5k (9ish mins), walked for .5k, ran for 1k (6ish mins). I'm pretty proud of running for 24ish mins. This was only my 3rd run, and the 2 last week I only did 1k of running at a time.

After the gym, I headed to the store where I scooped up still-hot bread (OMG! so tasty) and grapes. Does anyone else turn grapes from this . . .

Into this . . .

Time for me to attempt a wifely duty I have never ever done.

Wish me luck :) or better yet wish Gabe's work shirts luck, because they're the ones that should be scared.

-B

Pick me, Pick me!

2011-05-15T22:54:00.006-04:00

As I continue the quest to find full-time employment, or any employment for that matter, I can't help but think "pick me" every time I apply for a job. I have always gone into a job giving 110% and miss the feeling of accomplishment that comes with working a long day. But I am determined to *try* to enjoy the freetime. Not an easy task when you're new to a city and don't want to spend $$ enjoying the freetime. Tonight, the enjoyment will come from going to body pump. I have been wanting to go for a week and keep putting it off. It's a really great workout, and I know I couldn't get myself to lift that long without a class environment

Adding to the ugly from the last post, I made another green creation. This time I only had one apple, but this poor little guy wasn't up to the task of masking the green. I have NEVER tasted anything so gag-inducing.

Needless to say, I couldn't choke it down. After one taste, I made this face . . .

I can't believe I posted that picture. I hope you got a laugh from it :)

Last night I spent some girlie time with my lovely sister-in-law. She's one of those people that brings happiness whenever she's around. We filled ourselves with soup, choc, tea, and gossip. With winter approaching (still weird to think of May/June/July as cold months), I think plenty of soup will be consumed. I love how easy soups are. The pumpkin soup is only made with pumpkin, veggie stock, garlic, onion, salt and pepper.

Back to begging, err applying, to jobs :)

the Pretty & the Ugly

2011-05-14T02:18:00.008-04:00

Hello, hello :)

The rain is never ending this weekend, which has made me lazy. Instead of heading to Body Pump this morning I pulled the covers up higher & snoozed a bit longer. Then I had the joy of getting the car tinted. I, personally, could care less if the car has a "tint" but someone, who shall remain nameless *the Aussie*, cares deeply. I finally caved and we went to get the tint. While the tinting was being done we got to ride around in a bright yellow taxi wannabe vehicle. I should have taken a picture. I have to get back into the picture taking mentality. It was nice to have the courtesy car to entertain us while ours was in the shop, even though we didn't get up to much.

As for the title of this blog . . .

The Pretty

This beauty had frozen watermelon and frozen raspberries (along with H2O and frozen H2O). It's so simple, so pretty, and so tasty! I perfect combo. I devoured this for a snack the other day. Very satisfying.

The Ugly

You may not believe this, but this Uglybeast tasted just like apple juice. This was inhaled for breakfast. The Aussie shoved rainbow chard, romaine, 2 small apples, ice and water into the blender to make this disgusting yet tasty drink. We were both worried this was going to taste horrible, but I was reminded, yet again, that green drinks are full of surprises. Hats off to the small little apples that rocked this drink. Those guys must have been choked full of flavor.

In dinner news, I have a new obsession. Not really new, since everytime I'm in Oz I fall in love with it.

My crush of the month (maybe year) is pumpkin. The batch I made the other night was the best ever.

This dinner included black beans, mushrooms, and peppers over brown rice with 1/4 of a large avocado for a flavor punch (I used a bit with each bite), and a side of earth-shattering roasted pumpkin. It's been extremely cheap over here lately--80 cents a kilo--so I've been a happy camper. However, I still can't afford bananas. They're still above 10 dollars a kilo. So, so sad. Oatmeal cannot be enjoyed without a banana.

Off to veg & blog-read & wait for the sun to appear,

B

She's Baaaaaaaaaack

2011-05-12T02:58:00.000-04:00

Hello, hello Blogger world :)

My blogging may have stopped, but my reading of blogs most certainly did not (okay . . . it may have been limited to when I had access to the internet). Over the past few months much has happened--a trip across the country, an extended stay in Pahrump (I bet you had to look up where it is . . . in case you're too lazy--Nevada), a move to Australia with the heaviest bags imaginable, a month-stay at the In-law resort in lovely Sedgwick, and FINALLY a move Melbourne.

Enough chat. How about some pictures?

New York in the freezing cold (the Aussie looking scared of the cold and his brother)

3D movie watching at the Kennedy Center

Bahammas cruise (so lovely & cheap!)

Waves in Miami

Grand Canyon (too cold to hike down)

Vegas (only an hour from Pahrump, but a world apart)

Muir Woods (outside San Fransisco)

Napa Valley (best winery was Leaping Frog)

Now I'm sitting in my Melbourne apartment with my fridge stocked with plants

Definitely stocked! I'm settling into Melbourne nicely, but trying desperately to get a job! All the traveling may seem extravagant for an unemployed new graduate, but a road trip was needed to get my car and other important stuff from the East Coast to my parents in Nevada, and it gave the Aussie a chance to see a bit of the States before we relocated to Australia. Needless to say, the upcoming trips for us will be the camping variety ;) Real world has definitely arrived.

I missed snapping pictures of creations and adventures, so I'm going to try this whole blogging daily (semi-daily) thing again :) So stay turned for fun from down under!

-B

Snap, Crackle & Pop

2011-01-03T15:40:00.004-05:00

With dandies laying around there really is only one thing you MUST create--vegan rice krispy treats. The treats are so easy to make with only 3 ingredients, and they tasted amazing. Dandies, I love you <3

Definitely drool worthy! I was even nice enough to share with a vegan co-worker. I would have shared with all my co-workers, but I inhaled too many to have enough to share with everyone :( Speaking of work, being on the 3rd shift definitely doesn't leave much "me" time. It's work, sleep, repeat mode.

It also has made me crave carby goodness, mostly in the form of bagels. Who am I kidding, I always crave carbs :)

And hashbrowns! The Aussie came up with the most basic way to create amazing hashbrowns. Using a peeler, peel the entire potato into slices. Toss the slices into a pan (medium heat) with a bit of cooking spray and cover to steam (add a bit of water during the cooking process to create more steam), and remember to mix the slices as they cook. Golden brown=done! All we added was a bit of ground black pepper and these potato peels were so stinkin' good.

Always be sure to balance the deliciousness of carbs with a salad or two ;)

Off to nap before work,

B

Christmas Sales, oh how I love thee

2010-12-28T19:59:00.005-05:00

The Aussie and I spent the day after Christmas in REI trying on backpacks. We ended up scoring a great deal, because they were over 60% off.

He has been scooping up other things in the past few days that we **needed** for the bags--a rain cover, a cover for airport travel. He is definitely the boy who needs all the toots & whistles. Speaking of toots & whistles, did you know that a car in the early 1940s-1950s had a slowcooker option. I kid you not. At least that's what I heard on the radio today. It's interesting what people feel they "need." Although, I wouldn't mind some stuffed peppers while I drove ;)

Things have been busy on this end with work. Basically 12 hours every day are reserved for working and driving to/from work. At least I've managed to keep up my sleeping hours. It isn't so bad sleeping during the day when the room is dark. On that note, I'm off to work!

-B

Sugar Overload . . . woot, woot

2010-12-26T12:13:00.007-05:00

If it's sweet, then I'm a fan. I inhaled a crazy amount of desserts the past few days.

Sticky Fingers choc chip cookie(s)

Vegan marble cheesecake (alll minnnne . . . ok, I shared) & coconut cupcake (the Aussie handled this one on his own)

Then the Aussie made vegan snickerdoodles (yum!)

Close-up yummy-e-ness

I also balanced it out with a bit of health in the form of a beautiful smoothie.

Christmas time seemed like a perfect time to hunt down some vegan marshmallows. Actually, it wasn't so much of a hunt as it was them falling into my lap when I went into Sticky Fingers. I was hesitant that they wouldn't taste like the marshmallows I grew-up on. I had no reason to fear. They were amazing. The brand was Dandies. I made a cup of cocoa with coconut milk.

Today I'll be hunting down good sales (inc at REI), but first it's time for brekky!I hope you're enjoying a fabulous Sunday :)

-B

Happy Holidays

2010-12-25T18:48:00.005-05:00

I've been a busy bee on this end--I started a job doing document review at a firm, I've been planning & plotting for upcoming adventures, and *sadly* I've been avoiding the gym. As for the last one, I do hope to begin a new healthy relationship with the gym. I do miss him and his many tvs ;) I'll be dragging the Aussie to the gym in the am. I'm working 10:30pm until 8:00am, so I'm going to attempt to make face time at the gym when I wake-up around 5pm this week.

The holidays have been a bit low key this year, because it's our first without any parent visits (either my family in Nevada or the Aussie's in Melbourne). We did put up our puny but adorable Christmas tree. The Aussie got this for us on our first Christmas in law school . . .

Food was done by the wonderful people at Everlasting Life. We bought vegan ham and vegan mac & cheese.

We bought enough to feed an army, so I do believe I'll be eating this meal over & over again (or at least I'll be force feeding the Aussie it)

We opened pressies . . .

Mostly, we just enjoyed each others company :) In life, it's important to focus on all the positive things you have & not the fact that you failed to buy a winning mega-millions ticket. Fear not, no one won, so 196 million is up for grabs on Tuesday.

**runs to the store to buy 100 err 2 tickets**

-B

Jet Lag Attack

2010-12-03T15:10:00.004-05:00

I don't remember ever getting hit this hard with jet lag, but here I am trying to keep my eyes open. I took an hour nap yesterday and went to bed at 8:30. But here I am trying to keep my eyes open. Hello, Jet lag!

Hopefully, it will be better tomorrow. Tomorrow I have my professionalism course as part of my bar admittance. I will happily forgo my Saturday to be admitted to the bar. Aside from that I don't have any big plans for the weekend, except of course fighting Mr. J. Lag. I hope you have more exciting plans. One thing that I must do is get some food in this house or else the Aussie may turn into a Trader Joe's frozen meal after over-consumption of them (thank god for Panang curry).

I *need* a mini-nap, but I wanted to share a bit of my honeymoon in Tonga. Tonga is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean (not too far from Fiji). We stayed off Tonga on an even smaller island called Fafa Island. It was less than a mile to walk around the entire island. With only 12 huts it was extremely secluded.

zzzz,

B

Miss Me?

2010-12-02T08:40:00.008-05:00

After 25 hours (roughly) I am finally sitting back in my room in Annapolis. I have a heap of mail to go through and a to-do list beating down my door, but I wanted to say hello to you first :)

Sorry for the lack of posting abroad, but the internet situation wasn't ideal and I was a busy bee. This was my 3rd time in Melbourne, and this time I definitely fell in love with the city. It's very artsy.

I also fell in love with the Aussie's parents property. They did an amazing job making it look spectacular for the wedding.

The weather was terrible for a few weekends before the wedding and the weekend after, but by a blessing we had lovely weather for the wedding day! I can't wait to share all the wedding fun with you.

Alright, time to be productive and face my to-do list,

B

Packed & Passed

2010-11-05T22:37:00.005-04:00

Best.News.Ever.

I found out today that I passed the Maryland bar examination. I DID NOT want to spend another two months studying 10hrs a day again, so I was over the moon. It also saves me the embarassing "no I didn't pass" when everyone asks me in Australia :) Happy, happy, happppppppppppy Babs.

In other news, we're T-minus 13 hours until we are on the road to Australia--the road being a rental car ride to pick-up the new Aussie wedding band, continue to the airport to drop off said rental car, hop on the plane to LA, hop on the plane to Auckland, hop on the plane to Melbourne. I know at this point you're jealous ;) But it ain't over yet! It ends with a 90 minute car ride to the Aussie's parents.

Bags are packed . . .

Okay, okay overpacked ;)

The snacks are plentiful--choc, raw macaroons, oatmeal with protein powder, fruit. Trashy magazines will be purchased (I'm looking at you In Touch).

See ya on the otherside of the world,

B

Is Gardein Lying? Because it sure tastes like chicken

2010-11-03T19:18:00.009-04:00

Lunch today was chinese. Orange chicken to be exact. But this orange chicken was cruelty-free :) It was low in calories and high in protein. It looked so much like real chicken that I had to triple check. The Aussie could not believe how chicken-e it tasted.

This was the Aussie man-sized portion. I had a 1/3 of this amount. The yellow chunk in the back is fresh pineapple--yum!

Today also involved picking this up . . .

Now, I hope I can get it to Australia this weekend with minimal struggle. The trip involves a stop in LA, Auckland, and finally a 90 minute drive from Melbourne to the Aussie's parents home.

Dinner was a favorite "fast food"

Multi-grain avocado and cucumber sushi, oh how I love thee.

Along with some amazing iced tea from the coffee shop in Wholefoods. Best.tea.ever.

Today I also did something pretty darn exciting. I booked a cruise to the Bahamas. I've never been, so I'm very excited. The Aussie's brother is coming to visit, so all three of us are going on a cruise at the end of January.

The picture is from http://www.miamicharters.com/2002/destinations/bahamas.asp.

It looks like heaven to me :) It was also really affordable--300 per person for 3 nights.

Off to shop for bridal party gifts,

B

In My Possession

2010-11-02T21:02:00.009-04:00

I *may* have quickly pulled my wedding band out of the box and put it on my finger today :) I'm excited, in case you couldn't tell. When they called to say it was finally in, I knew I had to pick it up ASAP :)

Can I get a woot, woot?

I also turned this . . .

Into green! 112 dollars of green to be exact.

In food news, I've been making lots of these . . .

Frozen raspberries, fresh pineapple, a bit of OJ, lots of H2O and ice creates a delicious smoothie with a gorgeous color.

The other day I made the Aussie a sunshine burger (no soy and very tasty)

Tonight dinner was an easy one--black beans, tri-peppers, avocado & brown rice.

The night is ending with a bit of this & that . . .

-B

Fall Color

2010-10-30T21:31:00.007-04:00

Summer is great, but give me fall over summer any day. Fall has the brisk coldness that you can almost smell. It has bright colored leaves covering the world in beauty. It encourages snuggling and hot tea. To me, it would be perfect if it weren't for darkness stealing too much daylight time. But we can't ask for perfection ;)

The Aussie & I spent this Saturday driving to Skyline drive (about 1hr & 40 mins west of Annapolis). It was the vision of fall.

We found a spot to hike, and opted for a 1.5 mile hike down, which meant a tortorous 1.5 mile hike up :( I was a bit sweaty by the end, but it was good to get the heart pumping (seriously it felt like it went STRAIGHT UP)

Of course the Aussie captured a picture of a flat straight, but I swear the hike was intense ;)

The Aussie looks hot, albeit a bit chilly!

The day may have ended with Cheeburger, Cheeburger (ahhh-mazing veg burgers).

One week until we are on a plane to Australia!

Off to cuddle on this lovely fall evening,

B

Drama . . . say what?

2010-10-29T21:10:00.009-04:00

I don't mind hearing about other people's drama. In fact sometimes I absolutely love it! However, in my own life I like to be sans drama. Today I failed. It began when I got a phone call from my mom about family drama & the possibility of some wedding crashers. No invite really means you're not invited! Then a few hours later I get a phone call from the Aussie saying the jewelry store called to say the fedex truck carrying his wedding ring was ROBBED and his ring was one of the stolen packages. I kid you not. Pure craziness. We leave in a week and his ring was custom-made, so I think he'll be getting a loaner. Not a huge deal, but still unneeded drama.

Funny enough I spent 2 days partying in Atlantic City for my bachelorette fun and managed to avoid the drama, but it attacked me on my ride back to Annapolis!

The AC celebrations were organized by my former college roommate and best friend . . .

She had decorations.

She had food.

She even baked a *special* cake.

We made bets about who would be the last one standing.

I lost :(

We drank many mixed drinks. FYI cherry vodka is incredible in zevia ;)

We dressed up ;) and played bachelorette games.

We ate good food. Hello, Mr. Veggieburger. I love you :)

One night I definitely ended up on stage with the band. It was a great time with great people.

Off to catch up on my zzzs,

B

Turning into a Bunny

2010-10-26T19:05:00.004-04:00

Last night my eye went from fine to a hot mess in 2 minutes! I must have had an allergic reaction to something. My eye was red, uncomfortable, and half closed. I tried washing it and using eye drops, and eventually opted for just going to sleep. When I woke up in the morning it was STILL a mess! At this point I was getting a bit worried, but a few hours after waking it was finally back to normal.

I'm having a bachelorette extravaganza in Atlantic City tomorrow and Thursday, and I'm glad I don't have to go with one eye half closed ;) We're going to be going to a Halloween themed club night, so today was spent searching for an outfit.

This is the base . . .

I bought bunny ears and a tail to go with it :) I wanted to buy something I can wear on non-halloween nights, so this outfit was an easy decision.

In wedding related news, I'm still trying to find my hairstyle. Today I found Kendra's look and it may be the winner . . .

I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures and stories after AC :)

Off to spend time with the Aussie,

B

Mistakes Can Taste Good

2010-10-23T21:47:00.014-04:00

Last night I was in a rush to make dinner and put WAY TOO much xantham gum into the "cheese" sauce, and I thought the meal was destroyed. I furiously added water until it thinned a bit, but it was still really, really thick. Surprising it turned out fabulous when I added the shredded daiya cheese, rice, red pepper and broccoli. It was a repeat of the broccoli and rice dish I made last week, but with pepper added.

It was eaten quickly, but thoroughly enjoyed before the dance lesson.

Today was spent at the Renaissance Fair in Annapolis, MD. It was much more fun than we could have anticipated.

We saw glass blowing . . .

We played games . . .

Gabe won (as per usual) . . .

Wine tasting? Check.

Honey tasting? Yepper.

Live shows? Of course!

And jousting (I'm not sure how I feel about this because of the horses. I don't know if this is closer to a riding competition or horse and carriage treatment. I need to research it a bit).

A picture of what the area looked like . . .

All in all it was a lot of fun. I definitely recommend going to one if you have a chance.

In wedding news, we received our wedding guestbook. We are really pleased with how it turned out. We ordered it online through mixbook, and if you want a nice professional photobook definitely check them out.

After a long day it's time to veg on this end,

B

Sugarless, Flourless Cookies? Yes! Yes! Yes!

2010-10-22T14:42:00.008-04:00

Happy Friday :) Tonight I'll be dancing again with my soon-to-be-hubby for our last dance lesson. We've been practicing, so hopefully we'll be able to add some dazzle tonight. Our wedding song is Have I Told You Lately by Van Morrison (NOT the Rob Stewart cover) and we'll be doing the social Foxtrot.

Last night I was blog reading and I saw cookies I had to MAKE on Gabriela's blog (http://www.une-vie-saine.com/). They had an oats base with no sugar and no flour. I added coconut and replaced the honey with less than a 1/4 cup of agave. They are stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth delicious. The Aussie loved them too. They could be a good breakfast if you replace the choc chips with raisins.

Lunch was more gardein nuggets. I.am.addicted. I need to go a bit without them, since they are soy-based and I don't think you should go soy crazy.

What's that with the nugs? Well, that is a golden sweet potato. I've never seen them until today, so obviously my interest was peeked. They slice easier than sweet potatoes (a perk!) and the taste is a little different. It tastes like the potato and the sweet potato had a baby.

I didn't mind them, but I think I'll stick to my favs--the sweet potato :)

On the side was a basic tomato and cucumber salad with balsamic vinegar and sesame seeds.

For dessert the Aussie ended his meal with this . . .

And a few of the cookies ;)

Off to pick-up a health book,

B

Climbing up Walls

2010-10-21T21:37:00.006-04:00

Prior to law school I spent most nights at the climbing gym. From the moment I put on a harness I was ADDICTED. I took training classes--I learned how to set-up top ropes outdoors. I joined a climbing club. I was in love. But atlas, law school pushed climbing onto the back burner :( I was hoping to get back into it when I moved to Annapolis, but the closest gym is almost an hour away. When the Aussie said he had a dentist appointment near our old climbing gym I jumped at the chance to climb.

We did 5 routes and our hands are on fire!!! It was so much fun though. I will definitely be getting back to climbing full-time when we get to Australia.

What goes with climbing? Pizza, of course. We passed by ZPizza, which we loved in Williamsburg but it isn't near us now. We shared a Berkeley vegan.

At least lunch was a bit healthier ;)

Kale chips with hemp seeds & nutritional yeast . . .

Sugar snap peas, orange pepper, pinto beans with a sunshine burger mixed in and 2 "nuggets" . . .

Off to catch some zzzs,

B

Rainy Funk

2010-10-20T15:05:00.009-04:00

It's raining on this end, and it has put me in a bit of a funk. Does that ever happen to you? Funk being I slept in, haven't gone to the gym yet, and opted for a frozen pizza over cooking for lunch. I think it's natural to fall into a funk every now and again, but I like to keep my pity party in check. The way you see your life is often a reflection of your perspective--do you focus on how much you don't have or how much you do? I truly try to appreciate everything I have daily. For me, this focus on positive perspective keeps me sane. Today I will go to the gym, because I have the ability to use my limbs. Today I will be grateful for the roof over my head while it rains.

Funk aside, last night I had a fun little date night with the Aussie. We went to see Town, which was decent. Tuesdays are 6 dollar movie days (LOVE!). Dinner was literally shoveled into our mouths, because we were racing the clock (we wanted to get there a bit early to ensure good seats)

I love olives :) The salad rocked my world, and off course I enjoyed the sweet potato fries.

For lunch today the pizza choice was a new one . . .

I didn't notice the final direction was to place it under the broiler to melt the "cheese" so ours was unmelted, but still very tasty. I will definitely be buying it again the next time lazy strikes ;)

Along with the pizza we had sweet potato fries (because we're completely obsessed)

And a tomato, cucumber, avocado salad . . .

Time to be productive :)

B

Tasty Dinner

2010-10-18T20:34:00.005-04:00

Sometimes being good can feel bad ;) Tonight I combined broccoli, "cheese" sauce, and brown rice into a meal that tasted bad (read unhealthy) but was actually darn healthy. Veganomicon is an amazing cookbook, and is worth the investment for the "cheese" sauce alone! Cook the broccoli, cook the rice, make the "cheese" sauce and then combine it all :) For the finish, I baked it at 350 with some panko bread crumbs. Delish! I paired it with roasted pumpkin and a salad. The Aussie was in a food induced coma, and quickly layed claim on the leftovers.

I craved something sweet for dessert and made this little gem . . .

http://www.veganbaking.net/vegan-recipes/brownies-and-bars/chocolate-coconut-madness-bars.html

Off to read then bed,

B

Weekend Adventures

2010-10-17T19:14:00.010-04:00

This weekend was filled with dancing, Lebanese, wild horses, fights with campfire wood (the wood won), and a sunrise on the beach. In other words, it was glorious (speaking of glorious--some people are not fans of its overuse, I most certainly support its overuse, although I don't know why I love it so much).

Groupon--which is an awesome site with great coupons--had a cheap coupon for dancing a few weeks ago, so we snagged it up! We figured two dance lessons won't hurt, considering we have to do our "First Dance" in a few weeks (ahhh!). I didn't bring out the camera, because I didn't want to seem like a nut, but we did learn the steps for the social Foxtrot, along with swirls and an entrance. Now all we have to do is practice, practice, practice (especially me in my high heels)

Lebanese and the Aussie aren't best friends, in fact they barely know each other, so I got them to sit down together on Friday :)

Tabbouli and I are tight, really tight :) I also love hummus.

On Saturday we headed off to Assatague State Park to see wild horses. They heard we were eager to see them so they sent someone to great us ;)

After seeing the horses it was time for us (okay, okay the Aussie) to set-up camp.

The wind attacked us!

The Aussie tried to create a great fire . . .

But in the end, it was a dud. The wood wouldn't catch on fire :(

The morning sunrise made up for the lackluster fire . . .

It was a great weekend :)

Off to watch Sister Wives (don't judge me . . . hehe),

B

New Love Affair

2010-10-14T21:42:00.007-04:00

I'm not the type of girl that followed the whole rice cake hype. In fact I've only eaten a rice cake a few times in my life, but that has all changed. I just tried a kamut cake.

I hadn't heard of kamut, but after a little search I discovered that it's easier to digest than wheat, has more protein, and a high concentration of zinc (according to wikipedia . . . hehe)

I *may* have purchased kamut puffed cereal too. I have a reputation of going ape-wild when I find a new love :)

I wish I had a pre-destroy-the-wrapper picture, but I don't . . .

So tasty . . .

It was raining here today, so what's a girl to do in the rain? The answer is shop. Shop is surprisingly the answer for many questions ;) Upset? SHOP! Happy? SHOP! Celebrating? SHOP!

At the wedding this past weekend the bride had on a necklace that sparkled like something you'd see on the red carpet, and she said she got it at the mall. Brilliant idea! Enter Forever 21 jewelry that will be making an appearance at my wedding . . .

I also snapped a picture of the Aussie and I, while he was trying to be productive . . .

Dinner tonight was a Mexican salad--black beans (yes, I'm obsessed with these too), avocado, roasted red pepper, romaine, salsa, and mango.

I also found a great tasting green tea . . .

Off to bed I go,

B

Meeting Halfway

2010-10-13T19:57:00.008-04:00

Today I got in the car and drove to meet my best friend, Karen, at a park. We live a few hours away, so we decided it would be fun to meet in the middle. The middle happened to be North East, MD. I had never heard of it, but it turns out it's quite pretty.

We hiked 5 miles, and it was lovely. Until we were attacked by a snake. Okay, perhaps "attacked" is a tad drastic. He, being the snake, didn't really attack so much as stare us down with his beady eyes. Karen *may* have screamed, and I *may* have ran. I'd have to say the snake scared us more than we scared him.

After all that fear, err walking, I was ready for dinner. I needed food in a quick hurry, so the Aussie started the sweet potatoes when I was on the drive back, which made for a tasty, fast meal--sweet potato, black beans, olives, brown rice, quinoa, red peppers & salsa

The olives and red peppers really kicked this up a notch

I love finding new things to add flavor :)

Off to harass the Aussie,

B

I Want to Save You Money

2010-10-12T11:33:00.008-04:00

Do you have a Trader Joe's nearby? If yes, then you have access to a fabulous, cheap dinner.

The panang curry is incredible, but what's shocking is the price tag--$2.69.

I didn't get a picture of the curry before the Aussie start attacking it, but here's what an attacked version looks like . . .

For dinner I had one of my favorites--Wholefoods cucumber and avocado sushi.

I figured the Aussie's dinner was so cheap that I could splurge on mine . . . muahaha ;)

We also made a fruit smoothie--fresh organic strawberries, frozen pineapple, a bit of OJ, ice and water.

Off to cross things off my list,

B

20 Hours in the Car

2010-10-11T14:39:00.013-04:00

The Aussie & I spent (roughly) 20 hours in the car this weekend driving to and from Boston for our friends wedding. Usually the Aussie does the driving, but this time I took over for a good portion of it.

This is what happens when the Aussie has control of the camera . . .

On the way to Boston we stopped at a hole-in-the-wall type of place that had Caribbean vegan food. Obviously, we didn't just stumble across this little gem ;) I make a point of searching for vegan places when I roadtrip. Shandal's Vegetarian restaurant in Bridgeport, CT is all vegan and has 15 different dishes to choose from. You can pick 4 choices for 6 dollars or 6 choices for 8 dollars. They only take cash, and we only had enough cash for the 4 choices, but it was more than enough food.

My platter . . .

the Aussie's . . .

I think it's safe to say that I liked my choices . . .

While in Boston we went to the Otherside Cafe for brunch. The tofu scramble was really, REALLY flavorless but the vegan sausage was darn tasty!

I didn't really snap a lot of pictures at the wedding, but it was beautiful!

After a busy weekend I didn't feel like a fancy (ie time intensive) lunch, so I made mac & cheese from the box. This was by Amy's (love them!) and it was wheat pasta and fake cheese. The Aussie inhaled his portion, so I think he enjoyed it.

I also made an easy butternut squash soup (really easy because I bought the squash already cubed). I roasted the squash at 420 until soft, then combined the squash, 3 cups veggie broth, and 1/4 cup of coconut milk into a sauce pan over medium heat. I blended it all together with a handheld blender and heated it up.

During the car trip the Aussie and I started a list of to-dos before the Australia trip at the beginning of November and boy was that sucker loooooooong, so I'm off to tackle some of them :(

-B

Salad Inspiration

2010-10-07T18:39:00.006-04:00

I know the importance of eating your greens. I've read the China Study, Eat to Live, Thrive, and Kris Carr's blog; they all say pile the greens on. But until last night I had never had a kale salad. I have been making kale chips for awhile now. I have sauteed kale with onions & garlic (yum!), but the thought of raw kale, honestly, scared me a little. In part this is probably because most of the people eating kale salads mention massaging the kale for 15 mins with lemon juice. I can't even con the Aussie into giving ME a 15 minute massage. Surely, I deserve more massaging than some leafy green, right? Well, I finally caved and bought the high maintenance kale. I opted to only massage half his bootie and put the other half of the bunch into the oven for less labor intensive kale chips. I destemmed the kale and got to work. Rub, rub, rub. I glanced at the clock and realized only ONE little minute had passed. Back to work . . . rub, ugh, rub, ugh. I *may* have said "I hate you" a few times to the kale. After roughly 3-4 minutes I gave up and decided that I would probably enjoy the kale as is ;) Surprisingly, I actually did (and so did the Aussie). I used red kale, which has a nicer taste and texture, in my opinion. Maybe one day the kale will get a 15 min massage, so I can see if it makes that much difference (although it will be a day the Aussie is in charge of salad preparation . . . . muahahah)

If you feel inspired to create a salad with a kale base I definitely recommend adding avocado. It makes it very delish. Also, I grated my first beet :) Beet in a salad is really tasty, but it does turn your hands a reddish color.

In other salad inspiration, I have been eating a broccoli/carrot slaw from Trader Joe's. This stuff adds nutrients and some serious crunch factor. It doesn't have a strong flavor so you can throw it into any salad. I used it with a vegan caesar salad.

I'm heading to Boston in the morning for the weekend, so I'm not sure when I'll blog next. I hope you have an amazing weekend.

-B

Expensive Sauce--Worth It?

2010-10-07T10:04:00.005-04:00

The other day I was in Fresh Market (I love their dark choc covered almonds . . . yum!), and my eyes caught sight of a 9 dollar jar of spaghetti sauce. NINE DOLLARS! Granted, it was on sale, but it was still 7 dollars. My go-to sauce has been Ragu, probably in part because my mom had me addicted to the "crack" early in life. Seriously, Ragu traditional is the best sauce EVER! It has a *tiny* bit of parmesan cheese as the very last ingredient that I WISH they would omit, but I still buy it. I've tried other Ragus, other sauces and none compare. Ragu is almost always on sale for 2.50 a jar. Whenever I've tried other sauces they have always been under 5 dollars, so how does an expensive (in my opinion) sauce stack up against mine? To solve this puzzle I brought on the Aussie to help in a comparison test. He's picky with sauce, but mostly because he doesn't want bits of onions in his (Ragu traditional isn't chunky).

Here's the competition sauce (he looks scared to me) . . .

He should be ashamed of his price, considering he wasn't even organic!

I decided to go with a basic roasted eggplant and garlic bread recipe.

The sauce up-close . . .

The verdict was actually favorable for Rao. We both enjoyed the sauce--it had good flavor and texture. But it would need to "wow" a bit more to be worth the price. I did like that it was vegan though. To us it proved that price doesn't always make a better product.

We're going to be doing a review of waters next week.

Off to my final dress fitting. Ahh! I'll be back later today with a salad special--it involved red hands.

-B

Shopping Success

2010-10-06T15:34:00.008-04:00

I have been hunting, literally hunting, for the perfect wedding shoes. I've gone to Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Macy's, JC Penny, Bakers, Target, and probably a few others. I found ones that could have been *the one* but they didn't fit. Today my best friend suggested DSW. Genius idea!

I walked into shoe heaven, but the first stop was the purse section. I fell in love right away . . .

The picture makes it look bigger than it is; it's an adorable *tiny* purse to fill up with all my essentials for the big day--mostly lip gloss :)

I saw these shoes and just *knew* they were the ones, but I was cautious and checked out every other shoe too. In the end none compared to these . . .

I'm so relieved to have my shoes. Now I can go for my final dress fitting.

After shopping success, I went to the local vegan place (Everlasting Life) to grab lunch for the Aussie and I.

We shared it all . . .

Not sure what this veg dish was, but it was delish :)

Strawberry & Banana smoothie (made with Simply Orange)

Ok, ok . . . the shopping trip did include some "non-essential" stuff. These were in the clearance rack just begging me to please let me take them to their forever home ;) How could I say no?

These are vegan and gorgeous!

Off to spend my shopping high at the gym,

B

Chicken McNoCruelty

2010-10-06T10:05:00.007-04:00

Raise your hand if you don't like chicken nuggets. Hmm, I'm guessing there aren't many people with their hands raised, but if you *knew* what your "nugget" looked like before it got to your plate you might raise two hands!

Absolutely disgusting!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/04/mechanically-separated-meat-chicken-mcnugget-photo_n_749893.html

But you don't have to give up on your so-easy-to-make-dinner just yet, because Gardein has you covered. I have tried many Gardein products, and have almost always been happy (to the Gardein buffalo wings I have one thing to say: get some crispiness on your buffalo wing bum and I'll love you too).

The other night the Aussie and I headed to Wholefoods to scoop up some Gardein crispy tenders, but apparently others had the same idea and there was only a blank section in the freezer when we got there. Greedy thieves could have left us one stinkin' package. It ended up being a good thing that they were gone, because it meant we *had* to try the new Chiptotle Lime fingers. These suckers are much bigger than the crispy tenders and oh-so-good.

We did an easy-peasy dinner by pairing the fingers with sweet potato fries, roasted red pepper, mushrooms and squash.

I'd like to be able to say that Gardein kindly sent me coupons for me to try the new product, but it didn't happen. I spent my hard earned, err Aussie's hard earned cash on these fingers and I'll be doing again too ;)

Off to find some wedding shoes,

B

100

2010-10-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

I have been thinking about my one hundredth post for some time now, and decided to share some of my favorite things, including my go-to potluck recipe. I'd love to hear about some of your favorites!

Books
Fiction--The Smoke Jumper (Nicholas Evans)
Nonfiction--The China Study (T. Colin Campbell, PhD)
Cookbook--Veganomicon (Moskowitz & Romero)

Most Informative Blog
Kimberly Snyder (www.kimberlysnyder.net)

Best Egg Replacer
Chia Seeds & Water (I guess on the amount, but I googled it for all you craving exact amounts (I'm talking mostly to the very "precise" recipe follower in my house **cough, AUSSIE, cough**)--3 tablespoons of H2O/1 teaspoon chia for each "egg")

Must-See Movie
The General's Daughter

Best Fake Chicken Nugget
Gardein (I'll be posting about the new ones I recently tried soon, Chiptotle Lime)

Hottest Car
Audi R8

Wait a minute, how did a car get on this list? Oh yeah, the Aussie wanted to "add" something to the best list. You will never again see a car model mentioned on this blog ;)

Best DC hiking trail
Billy Goat Trail Section C

Must-Make Dessert
Irish Potatoes

This recipe is probably not an original (although a quick google search gave similar recipes but none matched), but it is a recipe I got from my mother and one that I have used to woo people at potlucks for years.

8 ounces of cream cheese (I use the toffuti cream cheese)
12 ounces of sweetened coconut
1 pound of powdered sugar
cinnamon & white granulated sugar for coating

You have to get your hands dirty--mix the cream cheese, coconut, and powdered sugar until it is a well combined. Feel free to use less sugar if you don't want them as sweet (I usually taste test multiple times to determine sweetness desired). Take a spoonful and roll it into a ball shape. Roll the ball into the mixture of cinnamon and sugar (you can make the mixture with more cinnamon for a more brown/potato appearance, if you like cinnamon a lot). Repeat until all "dough" is used. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Off to be productive (which hopefully includes a bit of facetime at the gym),

B

It's All in the Marketing

2010-10-04T13:34:00.010-04:00

I love making my smoothies with orange juice, not too much, but just enough to give it a wonderful taste. In the past I used fresh oranges, and I'll probably go back to them when summer time comes around again but in the meantime pass the OJ. I love getting an unpasteurized orange juice from a local Amish market, but I missed the market this week and had to get some at the grocery store. I usually opt for Simply Orange, but while I was in the juice section Tropicana Trop50 caught my eye. It has 50% less sugar than regular orange juice. I was intrigued, because the OJs I roll with have one ingredient--oranges. How did they take the sugar out of the orange? The first ingredient held the answer--filtered water. Oh, so Tropicana you would like me to pay the same price as Simply Orange for a watered down version? Can't I just buy Simply Orange and add water? Then again, if I did that I would miss out on the purevia (Hi Pepsi!) that you added. What a pity.

I do think that the Tropicana marketing department deserves a round of applause. Most people, so it seems, don't read the ingredients on things they buy so I'm sure the less sugar/calories will be enough for them to put it in the cart.

Cheers Tropicana!

My smoothie may have more sugar than Trop50, but I'm pretty sure mine is much more nutritious than watered-down OJ sweetened with purevia.

Let this be another reminder to READ THE LABELS!

Some run, I walk

2010-10-03T16:57:00.004-04:00

I would love to one day write about a long (over 10 miles) run, but atlas I'm not there yet (not even close). I can, however, walk. And walking is exactly what the Aussie & I did. He didn't know we were shooting for double-digits, but we were. We went to a great paved trail called the Baltimore & Annapolis trail (I believe it's roughly 15 miles in length).

A couple picture before we embark? Of course!

It took us 2:37 to cover the 10 miles (we walked 9 and ran 1). By the end my feet were screaming for mercy. The trail was filled with bikers, runners, and walkers. I love seeing people getting out on a lovely day. When we were about 1.5 miles from the car the skies turned grey and we feared the clouds. The rain gods were in our favor today, and we had a dry walk from beginning to end :)

I really liked the trail; it was wide and flat.

If my bike wasn't a rust-filled, flat tired punk, I might take him for a spin on the trail. But he is, so I won't.

Off to con, err convince, the Aussie to make a pineapple/strawberry smoothie for us,

B

First Blogger/Reader Meetup

2010-10-02T21:01:00.010-04:00

Even though I've been blogging since Dec, I still don't feel like a "blogger" although I do feel a bit closer today. Emily from thefrontburnerblog.com has recently moved to the area, and organized an awesome get together of bloggers and blogreaders. She chose an excellent location--Sweetgreen. They take the idea of "salad" up a notch. I went crazy with the toppings--seriously I had 8-10 toppings--and it was glorious.

My bowl of nutrition up-close-and-personal . . .

Emily is as sweet in-person as she seems on her blog, and it was great meeting other locals.

Group shot of all the girlies . . .

After the meetup, the Aussie & I headed to checkout more wedding bands, and I'm happy to report we both found the keeper :)

The Aussie went with a unique raw diamond band by Todd Reed.

His band will be thicker though.

We found my ring in Annapolis.

I know I'm wearing it the wrong way, but after you slip your ring on and off and on and off it starts to get harder to take off, so I opted to just put it on top. I also informed the Aussie that I'll need a matching one as a push gift ;) muahahah. But that won't be for a few more years.

No trip to DC is complete without a stop at Sticky Fingers, an all-vegan bakery! We shared a choc chip cookie, coconut cupcake, and a pb fudge cupcake. Can you say sugar coma?

I went to another Macy's to see if they had either shoe in my size, and they didn't :( But we did get a lovely dinner at Panera Bread. I did the you-choose-two with the bean soup & veggie sandwich.

It was definitely an eventful day. Time for me to unwind.

Off to watch some movie the Aussie picked out (redbox rocks!),

B

Date Night

2010-10-01T22:03:00.007-04:00

Tonight I spent the evening with the handsome Aussie in Annapolis. A co-worker told him of an awesome Thai restaurant in the area, and since we love Thai we HAD to go. Lemongrass definitely lived up to the hype, though the wait for the table was long and the service very slow.

After we put our names on the list, the girl suggested that we go across the street for a drink while we waited. We don't drink very often and when we do we don't drink very much, but we decided to head over to the Latin Quarter for a drink.

Corona is definitely my go-to beer, especially with the lime in it. That counts as a serving of fruit, right?

I decided to capture our "wild" night on the town with a lovely picture . . .

Sadly, often my picture taking adventures end with the Aussie's head chopped off. Poor guy.

Fiiiiiiiiiinally we received the much anticipated call that our table was ready. It seems as though many Thia restaurants have intimate seating, and this one was no different. By intimate I mean you're almost on top of the couple seated beside you. I felt rude listening to them talk about Australian lingo (funnily enough, they didn't seem to realize there was a live Australian right next to them. Perhaps they don't eavesdrop as aggressively as I do. Haha).

The wait, the seating, the service was not a problem when we tasted the food!
We always have to order the spring rolls, because the Aussie has a slight obsession with them . . .

Our mains . . .

It was a great date night filled with tons of food and wonderful conversation :)

In other news, I went shoe shopping for the perfect wedding shoes, and I found two that I fell in love with. Both are from Macy's but neither were in my size, so now I'm going to have to hunt down my size and figure out which one I love more

Off to catch some zzzs,

B

Rain Seeping In

2010-09-30T15:02:00.004-04:00

The rain has been non-stop today, and unfortunately our basement is quickly getting filled with water! Luckily, the guy who owns the house also lives here with us, so he's handling all the dirty work. I'm feeling much better today, and hope to be back to 100% by tomorrow.

The rain makes me lazy, so I haven't accomplished much today, but I did attempt to recreate Dreena's Supercharge Me cookies. I added a lot more coconut & used whole wheat pastry flour & choc peanut butter. I loved the texture of these suckers, and the protein kick. Plus the raw dough was pretty tasty too ;) I sent the Aussie into work with most of them or else I'd be stuffing my face right now.

Speaking of the Aussie, he almost always comes home for lunch & I try to have something yummy waiting for him. Today I baked corn tortillas in the oven to crisp them and then topped with refried beans, avocado, salsa, & lettuce. Absolutely delish!

The Aussie and I shared this platter. Easy but oh-so-good.

I hope you're having a great day!

-B

Sick & Dying

2010-09-29T16:59:00.003-04:00

I don't get sick often (as in perhaps once every other year), but when I do I am a huge baby. At the moment I have a stuffy nose & achy body, and you would think I was on my death bed. Speaking of bed, I have been in it allllll day. I was hoping to feel a bit better so I could put in a little face time at the gym, but it isn't looking good. The Aussie & I are supposed to go ring shopping tonight, but that isn't looking good either. I'm hungry, but can't taste anything. I want to move, but feel like pooh-on-a-stick. But fear not, there is a silverlining. Enter Susan Nichole. She makes adorable, stylish, affordable VEGAN handbags. She was doing a buy-one-get-one-free special, so I scooped up two bags for under $ 100.

The bags even came with a handbag holder, so the precious bag never has to touch the ground :) They look amazing.

Back to the bed I go,

B

Stalking, It's What I Do

2010-09-28T16:53:00.007-04:00

Today has been a pretty fabulous day of eats as I stalk the front door (waiting for my Susan Nichole handbags!). I made oatmeal with grilled banana for brekky. I definitely suggest grilling a banana for breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert. I think it would be great with toasted walnuts and a drizzle of choc (made from melted coconut oil and cocoa powder)

Lunch was an appetizer of carrots/honeycrisp apple slices. Honeycrisp apples are by far the best I have ever had. Be sure to buy organic to avoid wax and it's one of the fruits/veggies that are really terrible for pesticide content, if you don't buy organic.

The main was red quinoa, pepper, mushrooms, zucchini, tofu and a coconut sauce. It was a little bland. It was my first time cooking quinoa, and I used water but in hindsight I'd use veggie broth for more flavor. I'm trying to explore new grains, and quinoa definitely makes a nice meal.

For dessert I finally made the macaroons from Healthy Hoggin. WOW that rocked my world. Seriously run out and buy the ingredients to make these suckers.

I made a small batch--I used 8 ounces of coconut, in total--and it made 9 large 'roons. They are *close* to the amazingness that is OneLuckyDuck 'roons, but the texture wasn't as good (could be b/c I used the oven method).

Off to the gym,

B

My Eats

2010-09-24T20:36:00.005-04:00

I finally jumped on the bandwagon--the vegan overnight oats bandwagon that is. I first saw these on Ohsheglows.com. Basically you let the rolled oats chill all night in a dairy-free milk & protein powder bath. My oats had a bath of rice milk, sunwarrior vanilla protein, chia seeds, and agave. In the morning I added a bit of pure maple syrup & unsweetened coconut flakes.

The masterpiece . . .

The upclose action . . .

Most of the oats ended up in the Aussie's belly, but I did enjoy some of it ;)

For lunch I made a noodle-less, cheese-less lasagna. I wonder if you can still call it a lasagna when the only lasagna-e part was the method of assembly. Haha. I say you can ;)

Noodles? Nah, eggplant instead

Cheese? Sure, but it's made out of mashed cauliflower & nutritional yeast

Some added nutrition in the form of spinach? Of course!

The final product was delish

The only thing that could top lunch was a trip into Annapolis to share a vegan cupcake & Moe's burrito

In an attempt to have full disclosure, the cupcake was devoured first and the Aussie hogged more of it :(

Off to read Never Let Me Go,

B

From Pretty to Ugly

2010-09-23T14:35:00.007-04:00

Sometimes you need a bit of ugly in your life, especially when ugly comes from heaps of spinach. The Aussie made an amazing smoothie today--pineapple, oj, strawberries, banana, xantham gum, ice, water, and SPINACH.

It went from this color . . .

To this color . . .

Pineapple makes a smoothie taste so wonderful. My one problem was that the pineapple was in one big chunk. Seriously Wholefoods you can charge 5 dollars for pineapple but not slice it?

In addition to the smoothie the Aussie and I have a lovely salad-type creation--red pepper, yellow pepper, yellow tomato, avocado, brown rice, quinoa, pinto beans, and lime juice. It was delish.

Dessert was inspired by Julie (http://peanutbutterfingers.wordpress.com/)

That's a finger of dark choc dreams dipped into choc chips, and it was glorious.

Off to do wedding stuff (or watch trashy TV),

B

Beach at Sunrise

2010-09-22T15:21:00.003-04:00

The weekend was like a mini-vaca for the Aussie and I. We woke up before the sun on Sunday to watch it rise on the beach. Everyone should watch the sunrise at some point, especially on a beach.

We also went to my favorite local bookstore, which is owned by a lovely irish fellow, and I convinced the Aussie to buy me two books :) Never Let Me Go & The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

In food news, I've been having a few fruit smoothies--strawberries, bananna, orange juice & ice. Tonight will be the Aussie's first yoga experience, so he'll see how flexible or not-flexible he is.

Till Tomorrow,

B

Pasta Craving Satified Without Pasta

2010-09-17T23:23:00.007-04:00

The other night I was craving pasta, but ended up eating something else. I knew the craving would not go away unless it was appeased, but my typical pasta meal is not particularly healthy--white pasta, red sauce, lots of garlic bread and no veggies. Tonight I decided to trick the pasta monster by using my favorite pasta sauce (Ragu) to turn veggies into beauty. I did opt to keep with the garlic bread tradition, but went very light on the earthbalance, removed the insides of the bread and picked a wheat bread instead of a white.

For the veggies, I decided on eggplant, broccoli, and tomatoes.

After roasting . . .

And of course the glorious garlic pieces of heaven . . .

Next time you get a craving for something unhealthy, find a way to make it healthy :) Your tummy will thank-you.

In other news, I got a pair of new-to-me shoes from Plato's Closet. This place sells gently used clothes/shoes/handbags, and had many good deals. Fall weather is here,so start the fall shopping :)

We're off to the Jersey shore tomorrow, so I'll see you at the end of the weekend.

-B

Choking Down a Thick Smoothie

2010-09-17T13:33:00.008-04:00

I forgot to show you the inside of the glorious macaroon

I have also become a fan of chai tea. I never liked it before, but I craved it the other day when my friend had some at her house. Of course as soon as I got home I had to purchase some, because that's how I roll.

It is darn comforting.

Lunch was roasted red pepper & yukon gold potatoes with gardein chicken tenders. It was delish, though you can overcook the tenders (which I did).

For a lunch appetizer the Aussie made us a far-too-thick green smoothie (he added too much xantham gum).

The ingredients . . .

It was our first time using the protein powder in the smoothie, and it was pretty tasty.

A picture of the final product on the outside deck . . .

Off to FINALLY mail the wedding invitations :)

B

One Lucky Duck Rocks

2010-09-16T13:54:00.005-04:00

The feast from One Lucky Duck did include non-desserts

I had the caesar salad with the avocado. It was good, but I prefer my own caesar salad much more.

The absolutely best part of the One Lucky Duck experience was the blonde macaroons.

These are incredible. The text is chewy and amazing. The recipe has been changed, and they are now nut-free. If you ever get to One Lucky Duck you MUST try them.

In other news, I developed a new way to make the beloved kale chips. I mixed nutritional yeast, water, seasonings (garlic, sea salt, pepper, cayenne pepper) and a touch of xanthan gum, then poured it over the kale chips and massaged. It creates a much better chip, but without the calories of a cashew base that many bloggers use.

Off to try on contacts (b/c apparently I need them),

B

Say NO to Fur

2010-09-15T16:53:00.009-04:00

Yesterday was a 14 hour day filled with protesting with PETA, traffic, and delish food. I went up to New Jersey to see my best friend and to go with her to a PETA anti-fur protest. The fur industry is truly shocking--there are plenty of videos of what the fur industry is doing, and I think everyone should watch one to decide if it's something they can support. I helped paint bodies, because a few girls (the bestie included) went naked.

Here's a picture of us before we headed out. I was wearing a cute t-shirt that said "i am not a nugget" with a picture of an adorable baby chick.

Now to the food. When I arrived in New Jersey we went to an adorable little place that had falafel salads. It's pickled beets on top.

Dessert was sour apple water ice. It was tasty, but too sweet. I only got through the top portion.

It was definitely a dessert fest courtesy of One Lucky Duck. In case you don't know, One Lucky Duck is an all raw, vegan, organic place in NYC.

Raw almond buttercup icecream . . .

I thought it was going to be made-to-order but instead they grabbed it from the back. It was tasty, but not worth the 8 dollar price tag.

This is the caramel choc bar. It had a good texture, but wasn't sweet enough for me. The caramel flavor/texture didn't come through.

The star of the day was definitely the mallomar bar. The creamy fluff on top was incredible. I highly, HIGHLY recommend this fantastic treat.

One bite down! Look at that center :)

The raw choc chip cookies are good. I love the texture, though they do taste nuttier than the original version.

Tomorrow is the rest of the NYC festing :) And the most incredible raw thing I have ever eaten.

Till then,

B

Sugar Coma aka Vegfest

2010-09-12T12:40:00.009-04:00

The Aussie and I drove into the city yesterday for Vegfest. My best friend was down from NJ for the festival, so we got to hang out and EAT! There were tons of vendors, though I did find the walking areas to be rather congested. I wish they had chosen a bigger location (it was on George Washington University's campus).

I know I said I was avoiding white sugar and I am, but how can a girl resist when this vegan table of masterpieces is in front of her . . .

IMPOSSIBLE to resist. The Aussie and I couldn't decide, so we went with 4, yes 4, options--the peanut butter cheesecake (top left), the peanut butter bomb (bottom left), the oreo cake, and the caramel cheesecake.

I let the Aussie attack the oreo and caramel ones, while I face-planted into peanut butter love. These were made by a bakery in PA called Vegan Treats. They were almost too lovely to eat ;) Almost.

Knowing dessert would be intense, we opted for a raw lunch. We shared a raw pad thai and wild rice dish washed down with coconut water.

I also saw a rice krispy treat on a stick, which had to be purchased.

I definitely recommend finding out if your community does a vegfest, because it's a great chance to taste new things (I tried a new coconut water, vegan cheese sauce, pasta, and lots more).

Off to beg the Aussie to take me to the outlets,

B

Kale, oh how I love thee (in chip form)

2010-09-09T21:03:00.005-04:00

Kale is something I never had growing up, but it's big in the health community and it's darn tasty as a "chip." I don't have a dehydrator, but that doesn't stop me from making a mean kale chip. Today I made a batch with nutritional yeast, oil, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt & pepper.

In the bowl of deliciousness . . .

Baked up . . .

Close up . . .

A good tip is to use scissors to clip the kale from the stem. After I inhaled most of them, I begrudgingly shared with the Aussie.

I've blogged about the kale chips before, but I didn't use nutritional yeast and I must say nutrional yeast adds an intense yummy factor. I also used the red colored kale, instead of the intense dark green type. I think I prefered it better.

Sticky when overcooked

2010-09-08T20:08:00.005-04:00

Today I prepared a lovely dinner for the Aussie and I. For the appetizer we had greens with sliced strawberries and a balsamic glaze. This was my first time making a glaze, and I definitely overcooked it. It stuck to our teeth and was super thick. I had a difficult time getting it on the salad. But it did taste good, so I'll give it another try soon.

For the main I used a microwave bag from Wholefoods of quinoa & brown rice (super delish and easy) and added roasted veggies with black and pinto beans.

The roasted mushrooms were amazing.

Dessert was a raw cheesecake with a pecan crust. For the cheesecake part I used agave, coconut flakes, cashews, lemon juice, and coconut milk. The crust was pecans, dates, coconut flakes and water. Cheesecake is easy to make and I'm sure you can use a ton of different ingredients. I love that it has no sugar and no dairy :)

Off to watch Diary of a Wimpy Kid and drink tea,

B

Whitewater Kayaking

2010-09-07T15:34:00.004-04:00

The Aussie & I spent the weekend 4hrs away in Ohiopyle camping with another couple. We camped in a PA State Park and the campground was lovely, but our site was not. It was very tiny and uneven. Sleeping on a steep incline is not comfortable, in case you were wondering. The weather Saturday was 65, so we were nervous about the whitewater kayaking lesson we had scheduled, but it wasn't too bad. Whitewater kayaking is intense, and the Aussie fell in love. I really liked it too, although I did roll over going down a rapid which was scary. It's much more exciting than whitewater rafting.

Here's the waterfall we went over . . .

Ok, I kid :) We didn't go over this beast. We did go through Class II rapids, though.

In other news, I picked up a copy of Quantum Wellness by Kathy Freston and I decided to try the fast--basically giving up sugar, white flour, alcohol. I'll let you know how it goes.

Today's lunch (Kathy approved) was multigrain veggie sushi

Wholefoods makes awesome sushi.

Off to start stuffing the invitations,

B

VEGAN Caesar Salad

2010-09-02T07:42:00.002-04:00

Caesar salads are definitely something I used to love, but haven't
found a great vegan version, until now :)

The local healthy food store had a vegan dressing made with veganaise. I made the salad by using romaine, nutritional yeast, hemp protein seeds, croutons, and the star was fakin bacon :)

The tempeh bacon is so amazing in FBLTs, but it also added a great taste and crunch to the salad.

The Aussie inhaled the salad, so I think he enjoyed it too.

Off to be productive,

B

Dessert Queen

2010-09-01T19:25:00.004-04:00

My sweet tooth has turned into a monster. I've had dessert for the past 3 nights. I'm definitely not a dessert-every-day girl, though my mom did give us dessert often growing up. I'm not complaining though ;) and neither is the Aussie.

MONDAY NIGHT
What is better than a Sticky Fingers brownie? A Sticky Fingers brownie with ICING! Amazingly delish, but definitely something you have to share or else you'll have a sugar tummy ache.

TUESDAY NIGHT
Sticky Fingers raw dough makes a mean cookie. No cookie is complete without a cuppa tea <3 LOVE

TONIGHT
This unemployed gal made my first phyllo creation. The recipe said use uncooked apples, but I opted to cook the apples on the stove with sugar and cinnamon. I definitely think you need to cook the apples first.

The Aussie & I have to be dessert-free for a bit or else you'll have to roll us down the aisle for the wedding. Speaking of the wedding, we received the invitations today. It makes it feel so much more real.

Off to work on the wedding website,

B

Remember me?

2010-08-26T22:13:00.008-04:00

I have been slacking in the blog department, though I have been reading tons of blogs. I don't have the excuse of being busy, because I'm unemployed and no longer a student.

In the no-blogging period, I have been enjoying summer. I love lima beans. They must not be baby limas, but the big suckers. I scooped up some fresh limas at the farmer's market . . .

Fresh is always, ALWAYS better. That's a beanloaf along with the limas. Basically mashed black beans, bread crumbs, roasted red pepper, and seasonings. I put a ketchup top on it--it's a mean beanloaf :)

I also went to Cheeburger, Cheeburger for the first time. Best. Fries. EVER!

They have so many toppings--guac, onion rings, salsa, roasted red pepper, and on & on. You can add as many as you desire. The veggie burger was so amazing, especially with the red pepper & guac :) I went 3 times in one week.

Off to help the boy pack for his boys weekend,

B

Airport Travel

2010-08-09T14:32:00.006-04:00

I'm sitting in the Airport loving Wifi. It makes the time more entertaining.

While riding to the airport the Aussie & I "enjoyed" a drink. The Aussie will gag a little when he reads the word enjoy :) The drink was a tad overpowering for us.

We had the green tea flavor the other day and it was much easier to swallow ;)

What is it about airports that make me want to eat my weight in sugar and carbs? Oh yeah, it's the Auntie Anne's in the air. To make matters worse the Aussie had a meeting today, so I was dropped off *really* early (as in 4hrs before I fly out).

Instead of inhaling sugar, I inhaled some California Tortilla in the form of black bean overload! I adore black beans. They are probably my favorite bean.

I would have taken a picture of the inside of the tacos, but they were messy. I exhibited extreme willpower by only eating a handful of the chips :) Their chips aren't worth the calorie bucket they come with.

What is worth the calorie bucket is this fabulous creation . . .

Up close Sticky Fingers brownie goodness . . .

These brownies rocked my world. I brought some to give to my parents, so they can see how awesome vegan brownies can be.

Off to scope up an unsweetened tea from Starbucks for the flight.

Living By The Water

2010-08-08T11:40:00.004-04:00

Annapolis is a lovely place to live. There is something to be said about the joy of living close to the water. Earlier this week the Aussie and I shared Chinese overlooking water at a local park. It was so relaxing. The other night we walked around town and snapped lots of pictures.

Sometimes it's fun to just explore your new neighborhood.

Once the Aussie gets back from riding his motorbike we're off to walk a paved 13 mile trail, then to ROOTS for "essentials" :)

I love weekends post-bar prep

Click, Click

2010-08-07T22:43:00.008-04:00

Just call me Ms. Photographer. I spent the day on a go-kart race track snapping pics of the Aussie and his friends racing. The go-karts were super fast, but karting isn't really my scene so I decided to be the one to capture the moment. After 50 or so pictures, I think I *captured* it.

Here's a picture of the Aussie overtaking someone to claim 2nd place.

We drove out to West Virginia for the racing, so of course I couldn't leave without at least a tiny hike. West Virginia is known for its outdoor beauty, at least in my opinion.

Uhh, wait a minute that didn't capture the beauty. And yes I am always disappointed when a hike crosses over a major road, but I guess it has to happen every now and again.

Ahh that's better.

On the way home we had one of my favorite vegan car ride treats . . .

Alrighty, this wanna-be photographer is exhausted. Off to capture some zzzs now :)

Food Version of Groundhog Day

2010-08-06T19:20:00.008-04:00

Remember the Groundhog Day movie, where the guy relives the same day over & over. Raise your hand if you're guilty of falling in love food and then eating over and over and over. **Raises hand** Currently the Aussie and I are eating lots of the beloved FBLTs and smoothies.

Here's the evidence . . .

You know what I find funny, when I started being a veghead I started liking vegan versions of things I never liked--such as mac and cheese and vegenaise. The FBLTs are amazing with a smear of the latter :)

Dinner also included some very, VERY sweet corn on the cob, which was taken off the cob. It's so much easier to eat that way.

And the highlight of the dinner was definitely this . . .

Vegan Raspberry Bread with an icing top. Wow incredible. I heated up a slice and topped it with Earthbalance. Yum-e

The Aussie is riding his motorbike like a bad-a** ;) but once he gets home I'm begging him to entertain me. I went from way too busy with bar studying to way too much free time. Good thing the Farmer's Market is there for me with there endless smoothies and great bread.

Expectations

2010-08-06T13:35:00.007-04:00

As time goes on I find myself more attracted to whole foods, as opposed to vegan meat replacements, but I was intrigued by the Gardein buffalo wings. I remember many college nights spent with my roomie at Applebees for the 1/2 price appetizers--boneless buffalo wings were devoured. I had heard mixed reviews, so I did not go in with overly high expectations. The sauce was great with a strong kick of heat, but the "wings" were a weird texture. I wish they were crunchy like their chicken-free nuggets. They weren't too bad on a sandwich though.

No sandwich is complete without a pile, err mountain, of sweet potato fries.

I tracked down a choc chip cookie larabar, and had high expectations. Cookie dough and I have a passionate love affair. Sadly, the larabar version and I do not. It tasted okay, but definitely not life changing.

Off to be productive. Who am I kidding, off to make love to a pineapple/raspberry smoothie. Muahahaha

Treasures

2010-08-06T10:29:00.005-04:00

I love finding a good deal, and summer is definitely the time to find fruit deals. I came across a huge container of mixed fruit for . . . wait for it . . . under 3 dollars. I was floored. Usually grocery stores sell a *teeny-tiny* container for the price of your left kidney in the black market. Obviously I plowed over the woman in front of me to make sure that I received this insanely discounted container, but then I saw it. 2.95, 2.95, 2.95 as far as the eye could see :) I was one happy camper with my fruit container in tow.

Here she is in all her glory . . .

I begrudgingly shared this treasure with the Aussie, who attacked it like he hadn't eaten since brekky ;)

Since I had saved so much on the fruit, I had extra funds to give to the Wholefoods money pit (ie hot bar). I debated between the bean tacos and the vegan pizza. Tacos won, but mostly because they came with plantains. This meal rocked! Especially the guac and salsa.

In other news, the invitations have been narrowed down to TWO choices, so hopefully I'll have an environmentally-friendly winner by the end of today. Woot, woot. FYI wedding planning is not fun, really it isn't. Do not believe the brides that said they loved it. They lie.

Off to track down some brekky.

FBLT

2010-08-05T20:31:00.000-04:00

Growing up I loved BLTs, but after I read about how wonderfully smart and amazing pigs are I certainly couldn't go on eating BLTs, so what's a girl to do? Enter fake bacon--smoked tempeh. I had my first FBLT with tempeh in May down in Myrtle Beach, so I decided to recreate it yesterday (and today) for the Aussie. He inhaled it and loved every bite. I used sprouted bread, veganaise, spinach, and tomato. I highly recommend trying it for yourself. Vegans and non-vegans alike can appreciate the taste :)

Smokin' tempeh sizzling away . . .

FBLT with homegrown cherry yellow tomatoes. Tasty!

I also inhaled an awesome smoothie--fresh pineapple, raspberries, ice, H2O.

Off to entertain the Aussie :) See ya in the AM

Vegan Curry Chicken Salad

2010-08-05T09:36:00.004-04:00

Gardein products are pretty incredible--low in calories and high in taste. During the ROOTS visit the other day I saw some pre-made vegan curry chicken salad, so of course I scooped some up. It made a great sandwich with sprouted bread and carrots on the side. Of course I needed more veggies, so I made an easy flavorful spinach smoothie--spinach, ice, and fresh oj. I think I shall call it GOJ.

Today I *WILL* be productive ;) or at least try to be. Off to save the world or perhaps just scoop up some brekky

A Cow Loving Yogurt Mess

2010-08-04T16:06:00.004-04:00

After seeing post after post of adorable bowls filled with yogurts and add-ins, I decided it was time to make one that the cow's would enjoy :) I went to an awesome store in Columbia, MD called ROOTS. They have everything a vegan dreams of--treats from Sticky Fingers, all types of non-dairy ice cream, a whole section devoted to raw treats, and lots of daiya cheese (by the way I had the chedder in my salad and it truly tastes just like chedder minus the guilt). ROOTS also had coconut yogurt, which inspired my yogurt mess. It was simple, but filling and tasty. Chia seeds, raw granola, and coconut yogurt all went into a bowl. I debated adding oats, but decided not to.

The raw granola was amazing. It has a crunchy texture and comes in BIG chunks. I think it would be great in a bowl with rice milk. It's from Living Intentions. I bought the Cacao Crunch flavor, but they had others that I will definitely be trying.

Here's a picture from the drool-feast that is the Sticky Fingers section of ROOTS. The Aussie and I shared the choc chip cookies the size of my face while listening to the girls sing yesterday. Definitely the best way to enjoy a concert.

Time to be productive. This room is still filled with things that need to be put away.

First Famous Encounter

2010-08-04T13:46:00.004-04:00

The Lilith Fair was amazing. Missy Higgins, who I have adored for years, played on the smaller stage and I was **this** close to her. She is incredibly talented. After she sang she came down and I was able to get a picture with her.

Before we went to the concert we went to an awesome vegan restraurant. The Aussie and I shared spinach dip, a Mexican-inspired salad, and a slice of peanut butter cheesecake. It was delish. We will definitely be back.

All in all it was a lovely evening. Right now I'm trying to pick out the wedding invitations. I want something environmentally friendly and stylish. Seems easy, right? Hopefully it will be ;)

Freeeeeeeeeeeedom

2010-08-03T12:27:00.002-04:00

I'm finally on the otherside of the bar exam, and let's hope I never have to sit for it again. We don't find out if we passed until November, so I have a long wait. I've moved up to Annapolis. It has been interesting attempting to fit all the stuff from our condo into a bedroom. We'll be here until mid Jan. so I'm trying to make the most of it.

The first weekend of freedom included lots of vegan eats from Everlasting Life (but I was too focused on the eating that I forgot to take pictures). We also did a fun 5.5 mile hike

I need to unpack, find amazing wedding invitations, plan the cross country trip for Jan, find a job, find a gym, and the list goes on. At least I don't have studying to do :)

Off to shower then heading to the Lilith Fair. I love rocking out to strong women.

Trapped in the Library

2010-07-17T17:19:00.004-04:00

Sorry for going MIA, but I promise in 2wks I will be back posting a ton. I take the MD bar exam on July 26th and 27th, so it's basically study nonstop :( I move up to Maryland on the 29th. Once I'm in Maryland I'll be near WHOLEFOODS! I'll be making lots of new vegan recipes and planning plenty of adventures. In the meantime feel free to send good vibes my way :)

French Toast Feast

2010-07-03T09:33:00.005-04:00

I can't believe it's already July 4th weekend. The Aussie is down and made me a french toast feast. Sadly, it was a little too doughy for us, but it looked pretty.

He also surprised me with an adorable mini hot pink ipod for running. I have a bigger ipod, but it isn't very runner-friendly. Speaking of running, I did the treadmill this week. It's much easier to run inside, but I'm going to stick mostly with the outside running. I ran on the treadmill for the entire 5k! A first ever. My time was 31:00, which is still fairly slow but I don't care :)

I'm back on the green smoothie bandwagon. I've been having a smoothie with spinach, apple, and lemon. Pretty darn tasty

I've also been eating gardien no-chicken tenders :) Better for my body and the chickens. I like pairing them with sweet potato fries and roasted pepper. I probably should have opted for a red pepper to add a bit of color to this meal, but it was darn tasty.

In dessert news, I made the Aussie homemade apricot shortbread cookies.

Off to be productive till the Aussie gets back from golf.

B

Still Alive barely

2010-06-28T22:01:00.005-04:00

My days have certainly not been blogworthy. It's basically been--wake-up, run/walk, brekky, lecture, summarize lecture notes, do practice questions, study, study, study. I will NOT miss bar prep one bit, and hope I never have to go through it again.

I did manage to make a blueberry smoothie the other day. I had a delish one when I was in Chicago over winter and attempted to re-create it, but it was bland. Though it did look pretty. Yet one more reason why you can't judge a book by its cover ;)

In sappy news, here's a picture of the brekky I made the Aussie before he left the other weekend. I wasn't going to take a picture, but he insisted :)

I always write little notes to him and leave them random places. I think it's important to do the tiny gestures of love. As for the brekky, it was our first time trying an organic mini watermelon. I was very excited, but it was very soggy. Definitely not the word you want to use while describing watermelon. It was too ripe. It's so hard to determine the ripeness of a melon.

In running news, my 1mile speed is down to 9:15. I still haven't run the whole 5k yet. But I will one day :)

Off to bed,

B