Today at lunchtime I took Harley for a hike at our nearby park. Though I have a spoiled puppy who gets to go on daily outings the vast majority of days, today's park trip was definitely the highlight of her week. Why? Because we ran into a class trip of about 40 8-year olds all asking if they could pet her. Now, Harley is one of the friendliest dogs you'll ever meet and is excited to see anybody, but kids she especially goes nuts for. At one point there were about 20 little person hands touching her all at once, and I really wish I could have gotten a picture. She was just in heaven! I was cracking up. Today's Workout After yet another hardcore, dripping sweat kickboxing session yesterday, I decided to take it easy on my legs today. I headed to my usual gym to focus on ... [Read More]
Archives for February 2012
Artichoke Attempt
I think artichokes are so interesting and odd. Though I've ordered them at restaurants in a variety of ways and used jarred artichoke hearts countless times, I've never really cooked with fresh artichokes. At the farmer's market last weekend, I decided I'd nab one and try to cook this strange veggie. To help determine what parts I'm supposed to chop off, how to cook it, and which parts should actually go in my mouth, I turned to my Joy of Cooking: All About Vegetarian Cooking book and followed their instructions on how to prepare an artichoke. It didn't seem too hard. I would share the recipe and process on here with you if I were sure that I actually trimmed it properly or ate the right parts. But I'm totally not. The last step in prepping it was to scrape up a "thicket of fuzz" aka ... [Read More]
Show Yourself Some Love
Happy Valentine's Day! Although I do agree that today is a Hallmark holiday, I can't lie... I just love love. And how could I not be happy for a day when I find these on my doorstep? My hubby obviously put a smile on my face with those! I was thinking about it, and out of the years we've been together, we've been with each other for 3 Valentine's Days and apart for 3 Valentine's Days... Hmm, 50/50 isn't too bad, right?! Though my hot date tonight was volunteering with the doggies at the Humane Society, I did have a theme of chocolate going on today in celebration of the holiday. First, I made pancakes for lunch. Not just plain pancakes, chocolate chip pancakes.. with pumpkin! I even attempted to make them in heart shapes, because I'm cool like that. They came out ... [Read More]
Getting in the Zone
When I woke up this morning, I immediately felt muscle soreness (in my shoulder blades, glutes, and obliques to be exact!). Call me a weirdo, but I both hate and love this feeling. I wasn't sure if I should go to boxing tonight already feeling fatigued, but I decided to go for it. On my way there, my mind was drifting and I actually missed the exit for the gym. I had to loop back around the highway at the start of rush hour traffic and started thinking that maybe this was a sign that I shouldn't go. But I made it there, and boy, am I glad I did. The class was smaller than any others I've been to, which I liked. We partnered up and I immediately got in the zone - partly because I have a friendly competitive nature during workouts and like how a partner motivates me, partly because my ... [Read More]
At Home Workout & Vanilla Pumpkin Smoothie
I spent my afternoon wine tasting with a group of military wives at a winery in Escondido. The wife who set the whole get together up had a really good idea of making it a sort of Valentine's Day celebration. She had all the husbands tell her their nicknames for their wives, and then she painted the names onto wine glasses that we tasted with and got to keep. I also got a handwritten letter from Adam and a flower. So cute! The winery had a pretty backdrop: Not a bad way to spend part of my Sunday! Today's Workout I don't always like to hit up the gym to exercise, especially on weekends. This morning I decided to do a workout at home and came up with a total body routine. It took me around 20 minutes to complete this first part, and all you need is a set of light ... [Read More]
My Love for Farmers’ Markets
Today I ventured to the downtown farmer's market, the Littly Italy Mercato, with my friend Jackie. I just love it there. You can find everything from fruits and veggies to freshly baked bread, homemade dips, locally made cheese and olive oil. Sure, it's a bit more expensive than the apples you'd get at some food store, but I think it's well worth it. Because unlike a lot of the food people buy and have no idea where it's coming from (besides the "Product of Chile or ___" label), behind all the food at the farmer's market, there's a story. You meet the people that make the products, and a lot of the stuff there is organic. Today I met a guy who started a homemade granola company, and another who has his own peanut butter spread line (both of which are so delicious!). I adore the market for ... [Read More]