This morning I woke up a little hazy from last night’s escapades, but made do with a strong pot of coffee and a good breakfast. I ate in parts: Peach Chobani Greek [...]]]> What a good day.  I slept in, saw friends, ate well… what could be better? More hours in the day, but alas.

This morning I woke up a little hazy from last night’s escapades, but made do with a strong pot of coffee and a good breakfast. I ate in parts: Peach Chobani Greek yogurt, sweet potato cranberry coconut muffin, Honeybell orange.

After taking my sweet time getting ready and lazing around, I met Caitlin for lunch at Sacred Chow, an organic vegan (and Kosher) cafe downton.

We both got the Souper Hero Combo (soup + 1/2 sandwich); I got a bowl of Sweet Potato and Cassava Soup with dill and Orange Blackstrap Seitan (orange-molasses seitan w/ red-hot onions and Thai ginger bbq sauce on a whole wheat baguette).

This was so good.  My babysitter used to use cassava in her soups and I forgot how much I love it! The sandwich was quite hearty as well, and left my mouth burning (in a good way!).

We also hit up the In God We Trust sample sale, where I fell in love with this beret.  I’ve never been a “beret person”, but this was too cute to pass up!

Caitlin and I parted ways, and I met my friend Levi to see the new Mel Gibson movie, Edge of Darkness.  I really liked it! It reminded me a lot of Michael Clayton, with more blood.  We snacked on gummies in the theater.

I had big plans to do some work while using the bike at the gym, but it was 7:15 by the time I got home and I was just ready to wind down the day.  No biggie, but I really need to start being smarter about cross and strength training… I feel like I’ve taken a sort of lackadaisical approach to this half-marathon I’m supposedly training for. I have a 7 mile run scheduled for tomorrow but my knee still hurts from Thursday’s… if it gives me trouble in the morning, I’m just going to run myself over to the gym and get on that bike instead.

So, in place of gym tales, I present you with a tasty treat:

Sweet Potato Falafel Salad

I’ve been thinking of ways to recreated One Lucky Duck’s Falafel Salad at home without a dehydrator or pricey ingredients.  I’d planned on making a sweet potato version of baked falafel with chickpeas, but lo and behold: no chickpeas in the pantry! I made do with black beans instead, and it turned out mighty fine if I do say so myself.

Sweet Potato “Falafel”

Inspired by this recipe

• 1 handful parsley or cilantro, chopped
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 sweet potato baked or microwaved until fully cooked, mashed
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/2 cup cooked black beans
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• salt
• garnishes: paprika, sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 375.  Mix first 6 ingredients together, gently mashing beans with a fork.  Season with salt, to taste.

Coat baking sheet with cooking spray.  Form balls out of 1 tbsp worth of sweet potato mixture and sprinkle with sesame seeds and paprika. Bake for 30 minutes, turning once.

Makes about 12 balls.

Tahini Sauce

• 1/2 cup sesame tahini
• 1/2 cup water
• juice of 1/4 lemon
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp agave nectar
• salt to taste

Mix ingredients together in a bowl. Lick spoon.

Raw “Tabouli”

• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/3 head of cauliflower (about 2 handfuls)
• 1 handful parsley/cilantro

Pulse cauliflower in food processor until finely chopped. Pulse in red pepper. Pulse in parsley until the mixture resembles confetti.

Not a bad alternative, I’d say! My version is on the left… and doesn’t cost $17.

For dessert, I made strawberry banana soft serve with chocolate chips.  However, I got a little impatient and didn’t wait for the fruit to fully freeze; it ended up being more of a smoothie!

It’s 10:30, but I really want to get some work done before I go to bed, so I’m going to shower, make the bed, and read 100 pages or so.  Big plans for a Saturday night at home!

Good morning, ducklings! The alarm rang bright and early this morning and I stumbled out, eyes-a-burnin’, to make this bowl of oats.

Yesterday, I met my friend Kalle for lunch at Hummus Place. We [...]]]> Good morning! It is strange to be up at such a ghastly hour, but I start my new internship today.  I didn’t blog last night because Ari and I went to a Bikram yoga night class, and got home late and exhausted.

Yesterday, I met my friend Kalle for lunch at Hummus Place. We each got the special, which comes with one appetizer (we both got falafel) and a choice of hummus for $7.95.

We split the fava bean hummus (which also comes with a hard-boiled egg):

And the traditional Masabacha, with chick peas.

We chose whole wheat pita:

And made about 1000 of these little sandwiches.

I ended up eating three falafel balls and one pita, plus a lot of forkfuls of hummus.

A Kalle-date is not complete without a tasty treat.  We went to Tasti D-Lite (which has now been re-named and called The Lite Choice, but I’m boycotting that change) and I got a small cup with chocolate espresso, vanilla, and peanut butter chips.

Perfection.

Coincidentally, Ari and I have both recently become interested in Bikram (Hot) Yoga, and decided to go to an 8:15 class last night.  I’d never done it before, so I really didn’t know what to expect.  I figured eating a big meal right before probably wasn’t a good idea, so I had an apple with peanut butter around 8:15.

Many bloggers, including Gliding Calm, have been touting Bikram’s wonders of late.

Ari had practiced hot yoga a couple times before, and said that a lot of people get nauseous and/ or want to pass out.  When we got to class, the instructor told us that for beginners, our goal for the day was not to do the poses but just to stay in the room for the full 90 minutes.  I was sweating and had to step outside the room before class even started, which was not a good sign!

About five minutes into class, I was immediately streaming sweat from every inch of my body.  Considering that I’m self-conscious even going without makeup in public, this was quite a “test” to see how comfortable I am in my relationship!  I finally got over the sweating part and just relaxed, focusing on the poses.  I didn’t have to sit down and take a break once, and was able to do almost every pose (even the most advanced)! I’ve heard that people only think they’re more flexible in intense heat and can cause damage to their joints, but I felt great. I think I may have finally found my true exercise fit!

I chugged a coconut water after class:

About Bikram (from Wikipedia):

Bikram or hot or fire yoga is a series of yoga poses done in a heated room, which is usually maintained at a temperature of 105 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 40 degrees Celsius). A vigorous yoga session at this temperature promotes profuse sweating, which is to rid the body of toxins. It also makes the body very warm, and therefore more flexible.^[5]

Bikram yoga is a system of wellness, restoration and rejuvenation. The heated studio facilitates deeper stretching, prevents injury, relieves stress and tension and detoxifies the body. Bikram yoga was designed to systematically stimulate and restore health to every muscle, joint and organ of the body. Participants are guided through a series of 26 postures. The heart, lungs, blood circulation, muscles, brain activity and mental capacity are all affected by participating in the art of yoga. There are two descriptions of the 26 exercises and they are asanas (postures) and pranayama (breathing exercises), both of which rely on each other to deliver positive results. According to Bikram, many people only use up to 50 percent of their lung capacity, and just like any muscle, the lungs must be stretched and with time will be able to withstand holding more oxygen. When one is practicing the pranayama he or she will eventually be able to enhance oxygen conversion and absorption, as well as improve blood circulation. (Choudhury, 2007)

It is common for beginners to experience dizziness and nausea. Beginners may feel faint or pass out. It is encouraged to take breaks as needed if a participant is feeling lightheaded. (Advisement brochure at Bikram Yoga, Glen Allen, Virginia)

Blood circulation is affected immensely during Bikram Yoga, because of two processes called Extension and Compression. These two dynamics work together to deliver fresh oxygen to every joint, muscle, and organ within the human body. While performing a specific asana, the body is stretching or compressing a certain part of the body; thus, cutting off circulation temporarily. This restriction of circulation causes the heart to pump more blood in the reaction of the shortage. The pumping of excess, fresh blood is called extension. Once the asana is complete, and the individual comes out of the posture, then the new oxygenated blood is able to rejuvenate the arteries that were being compressed. It is said that because of the volume change and influx of fresh blood, any infection, bacteria, or toxin can be released.(Choudhury, 2007)

I was freezing when I got home (my friend Kalle reminded me that it’s important to wear layers… only sopping wet layers don’t help so much!) and although I didn’t feel hungry, I knew I needed to hydrate and restore my calorie deficit. I made a big salad:

• romaine
• tofu w/ s&p
• 2 leftover falafel balls
• leftover chickpea hummus from Hummus Palace
• tomatoes
• hot salsa
• Annie’s Lite Gingerly vinaigrette

Needless to say, I didn’t have a hard time sleeping last night.

Because I’m getting up earlier and I don’t know what the lunch situation today will be (I’m going to try and pack something fast), I made Jim a little larger than usual:

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 coop vanilla protein powder
• 1/2 big banana
• 1 big scoop black raspberry preserves
• 1 T peanut butter
• cinnamon
• apricot eyes (tried this last night, Pearl!)/ Brazil nut nose/ raisin&craisin smile

Well kiddies, I’m off to fix my ‘do and hustle on over to the workplace.  Have a fabulous humpday!

Yesterday I had my leftover nabe [...]]]> Well hello! I’m back in the icy tundra and back to school-life (but only for 90 more days! Not that we’re counting over here). I’ve been a very bad blogger but I just needed a little break.  I did take pictures of everything though, so here we go!

Yesterday I had my leftover nabe for a snack/ lunch (snuch) around 4.

Ari and I met Kalle and Lisa in Manhatty for a beverage at Starbucks.  I got a tall chocolate banana Vivanno with skim milk.

My parents had a nice little gathering last night with scrumptious food and delicious conversation.

I had some of this Malbec that Ari and I brought over because my mom has been on a Malbec kick recently.  It was nice to have red for a change!

They called each other before dinner to coordinate their outfits.

My mom made a fabulous dessert… here’s a little teaser.

We had a yummy cheese and veggie spread. I ate almost an entire bowl of cherry tomatoes myself! The cheeses were Manchego (one of my favorites) and a goat/cow/sheep milk blend that was delicious on herbed Carr’s crackers.

My dad made a soup that was so good that I slurped it up without asking what it was.  He also made a loaf of oatmeal bread from The Fannie Farmer Baking Book (I sent this to Erin in pre-vegan time for Secret Santa).

We also had mushroom risotto, which I covered with a generous helping of shaved parmesan:

Along with some curried spinach.

On to the dessert!  Leslie was pretty excited.

So was Daddy-O.

Let’s be honest… who wouldn’t be excited about chocolate soufflé?

It was fantastically rich and dark. I had this, plus a little scraping from the bowl. We finished off two big soufflés between the 7 of us!

I stumbled upon some walnut brownies my mom had made earlier when I was clearing the dishes.  The thing about chocolate is once you start, it’s hard to justify stopping.

Our farewell breakfast (because I’m not melodramatic at all) was at the diner.

Yep, brunch specials again! Good morning, Mr. Mimosa.

Take a long look at this toast, because it might be a while before you see it again! I had two triangles and donated the rest to the Growing Man cause.

I got a”Florentine fritatta” : eggwhites, spinach, feta, tomato, pesto, with parmesan sprinkled on top.  I had about 80%, and 1/3 of the homefries.

We had lunch right before driving to the airport at my favorite falafel place, right near home.  I got the falafel platter, which comes with fresh falafel tomatoes, lettuce, and unbelievably tasty hummus as a dressing.

I split my pita with Ari.

I had a small pink lady apple in the car.

I treated myself to a skim latte and Lucky.  Ari just saw Push and thinks I look like Camilla Belle… we do both have dark hair!

I also had more brownie.  My mom packed me two, and I just ate them both at once while I was waiting at the gate. Sometimes when I have a treat like that I just need to eat it all in one sitting.

On the plane, I had a Silver Moon sandwich: goat cheese, tapenade, lettuce and cucumber on olive bread.

When I got back to my apartment in St. Paul, I had a bowl of nonfat yogurt with Fiber One and a small banana.

I came home to two surprises: 1) I got another parking ticket; there was a “snow emergency” and since I wasn’t here, I couldn’t move my car. Humbug.

2) Betty Ford is back!

He’s much bigger than this now, but just as cute. I missed this little guy.

I’m trying not to obsess too much about being back at school and not being home… the best way to do this is probably to just get right back into things.  I’m going to go to the gym tomorrow… I haven’t gone since Wednesday! It’s amazing how much of a difference four days without exercise makes. But, although I treated myself, I thoroughly enjoyed everything and don’t feel guilty for a single indulgence.

Anywho.  I missed you all, and I can’t wait to catch up on your weekends.  Bonne nuit!