Harley is not a good running buddy. She sprints ahead then suddenly stops to smell flowers (or dog poop). She jerks herself from one side of me to the other. She feels the need to try to say "hi" to every canine and human being she sees. And even though she has a super high energy level, her running stamina is lower than mine (ha!). She's more of a sprinter. In ten minutes flat it goes from her pulling me to run obnoxiously fast, to her running by my side, to me pulling her to keep running. For a person who doesn't love running, it'd be more fitting for me to have a dog whose a great runner and pushes me. Instead, I'm the motivator! Nevertheless, between boxing all week and strength training my biceps and shoulders on Wednesday, pretty much my whole body is feeling achy today ... [Read More]
Archives for February 2012
Homemade Falafel for Dinner & Apple Chips for Dessert
This photo cracks me up: With a very anxious puppy on my hands this morning, I fit in a 20 minute lunchtime play session at the park with Little Miss Harley. After about 15 minutes of being a total lunatic, she collapsed in the shade. When our time was up and I tried to get her to go, this is what she did: Isn't her face hilarious? The park = heaven on earth for Harley. I didn't mind basking in the 80 degree sunshine for a bit either! Moving on to food, tonight for dinner I tried my hand at making falafel, a Middle Eastern chickpea patty that is typically deep fried. But come on now, is there deep frying in my kitchen, ever? Not going to happen friends! I've eaten some yummy falafel from street vendors in New York City late at night after many drinks (this may or may not have ... [Read More]
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Raisin Cookie for 1
In the mood for an oatmeal raisin cookie? Sure, you can go out and buy a store bought brand or head to a bakery. You could also make a whole batch at home. I don't know know about you, but when there are cookies just sitting around, I want to eat them. Instead of having that temptation in my kitchen, tonight I came up with a single portion, homemade version that contains more protein than fat to satisfy my oatmeal raisin yen. Eat it warm right out of the oven. Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Ingredients: 1/4 cup old fashioned oats, dry 2 TBSP whole wheat flour 1/4 cup vanilla soy milk 1 TSP light brown sugar 1 packet of Stevia sweetener 1 mini box of raisins (14 g) 1/4 TSP cinnamon 1/4 TSP vanilla extract 1 TSP semi-sweet chocolate chips 1/4 TSP baking ... [Read More]
Getting Out of My Comfort Zone
I've been feeling crazy busy lately and my Tuesday just flew by! Remember when I had dinner at a restaurant specializing in crepes and then said I was going to learn how to make them well myself? Well, that idea was temporarily put on hold when I spotted these bad boys next to the strawberries at the food store the other day: I've eaten a crepe every morning since I bought them, trying out new fruits and toppings each time. This morning's recipe was my favorite thus far. I ate it for breakfast, but it definitely could (or maybe should?!) be a dessert. Apple Pie Crepe for 1 1 Ready to use crepe (Melissa's) 1 medium Granny Smith apple, chopped 1/2 TSP ground cinnamon 1 TSP brown sugar (365 Organic) A bit of lemon juice to give it a zing (I squeezed juice from 1/2 of a small ... [Read More]
Super Bowl Fun
This morning I woke up feeling excited like a little kid on Christmas. (Ok, feeling like I still feel waking up on Christmas as a grown adult..) Because today is the SUPER BOWL! I'm going over to my friend Tiffany's place to watch the game and made a few snacks to bring with me: ...the homemade hummus pictured that I whipped up a bit ago. You can't tell from the picture, as hummus is not very visually pleasing, but I assure you this recipe is simple and delicious! I'm bringing celery, carrots, pretzel thins, and crackers to dip into it. ....And cheesecake stuffed strawberries! My friend Angi sent me this recipe recently and I figured the Super Bowl is the perfect occasion to try it out. I'm in a bit of a rush to walk Harley and head to Tiffany's for the game, but I will be ... [Read More]
The Power of Positivity: One Month Down
"I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well." -Diane Ackerman A long hike to the top of a mountain with Harley + soaking up the sun & reading poolside + banana chocolate chip oatmeal pancakes = one glorious Saturday so far! Last night I realized that February 3rd marks 1 month down of Adam being deployed. As most people in my situation would automatically think right after realizing they're only somewhere around 15% done with their spouse being overseas, I thought ...And at least five more months until he comes home. Immediately, I forced myself to dismiss this thought, and instead looked at it this way: ONE MONTH DOWN! WITHOUT A COMPLETE EMOTIONAL BREAKDOWN! OR CRYING MYSELF TO SLEEP! OR ... [Read More]