Venice [Europe 2012: The forgotten blog posts]

All of those romantic things you’ve heard about Venice are probably true.

I took this. It's actually this beautiful. No filters, no photoshop (except the words).

1. Beautiful views across the water
2. It's more fun to get lost in small alleyways than it is to know where you are. The island's not big enough to be truly lost.
3. AMAZING food
4. Grandiose architecture
5. Small tables set up for dinner in Plaza San Marcos
6. Great sex (wait, you hadn't heard that?)

One thing is not-so-true:

The Gondolas aren't romantic because you have to pay 80 EURO. That was about $120 when we were in Europe last summer (2012). And I’m all for getting spoiled, but that was more than our room cost for the night, and the ride is only 40 minutes. The other option would be to split a ride with another couple: because nothing says romantic like being on the water with total strangers who are trying to ignore you from the other side of the boat.

I can be content with the water bus.

I'll come back for you when I'm rich, Gondolas!

Pisa [Europe 2012: The forgotten blog posts]

You know what feels more productive than working today? Updating my blog about our trip to Europe last summer. Because I never finished writing about some of the best parts! Plus now Pinterest lets you pin things toa map, which is super cool. So, thus I start the first installment of Europe 2012: The forgotten blog posts.

*******

How iconic is the leaning tower of Pisa, when you think about traveling the world? To me, it’s one of my first memories of thinking “I want to see that.” I was probably in middle school I guess? I remember being fascinated by the story that Galileo dropped cannon balls off the side of it to prove gravity worked evenly on everything. You mean to tell me that something Galileo stood on is still standing (though tilted) today??

[The train ride from Rome was fine, except that the train car we chose didn’t have a working bathroom and I forgot to “go before we left.” My mother’s words haunted me for the last thirty minutes as I did everything short of dancing around the car to not wet myself. That might have been the most uncomfortable half-hour of my life, despite the comfy chairs and beautiful Italian countryside rolling by. To make matters worse, you had to PAY FOR the bathrooms in the Pisa train station (not uncommon in Europe, mind you) and I didn’t have any change. When I finally did get some change, I wound up hurriedly dropping my dime into the turnstile for — and then walking into — the MEN’S BATHROOM. Luckily the two restrooms were connected by a custodian’s closet, which was miraculously open, and the poor custodian cleaning the bathrooms — who spoke little, if any, English — frantically waved me through. Talk about a comedy of errors.]

So. Pisa. Yes.

The bus to the tower is just a normal city bus, so we had to figure that out. The herd of dazed tourists wandering from the station helped. We rode this crazily-driven bus through the tiny city (luckily with EMPTY bladders), trying not to fall on each other, until finally the driver yelled a few Italian words and we all decided that this must be the stop, even though there was no tower and no signs suggesting a tower.

So we walked. And walked a little more. I feel like it was at least a mile. B can attest that I’m a terrible judge of distance, but I distinctly remember wondering if we would ever see this tower.

We did, of course, and it was SO. COOL. The tower’s white façade against that day’s clear, blue skies was breathtaking, and it looked just like the photos! It was like seeing a celebrity on the street. I’d seen this tower so often in photos it had become like a myth. Seeing it in person, examining the foundation, realizing that a 4-degree tilt really does matter when something is 180 feet tall… it was just awesome.

And then we took silly photos. :D

We're going places, baby!

One of the best things about traveling is the different forms of transportation. For example, I rode to this coffee shop on a motorbike taxi! Thailand has SO MANY quirky options. I'm always just tickled to take a tuk-tuk.

Let's see what we've got here:

1. Tuk-tuks! Tuk-tuks are practically the official vehicle of Thailand. (If you haven't seen one, it's basically a motorcycle that has been retrofitted to have a back seat. The driver is in the middle and a covered bench seat straddles the back wheel, and two wheels on either side were added so that it won't fall over, dumping it's cargo into the swarm of traffic in Bangkok.) It's open-air and loud, hence where (I'm assuming) it got its name. They're relatively agile in traffic, which means you can sometimes get places quicker. Not good for long-long distances, unless you've got time to kill. Good for stealing tipsy kisses as you tend to smush into any companion with you in the back. Or, at least, I did ;)

2. Open-backed trucks. This is the preferred method of travel in Chiang Mai. I've seen a few in Bangkok, but they seem to be half of the car fleet in CM. It's a truck with a covered (and occasionally tricked-out!) bed, with benches down the sides, over the wheel wells. Oh, and there isn't a tailgate, so hang on! Ten people can fit in one of these, and the driver can stop to pick up more people at anytime during the route. As with almost all transport in Thailand, negotiate your price before you get on/in. We rode a couple of these up to Wat Doi Suthep. Take one to the zoo, and then there's another line waiting to ferry people up the mountain to the temple. It's an established routine, and we haggled hard on the price but couldn't get them to budge - they got smart and printed signs with pricing for individuals, or if you can get a group of 10 they'll cut you a deal (you can band together with other temple-goers).

3. Moto-taxis. Literally a motorcycle taxi! Negotiate a price and hop on. I've seen girls sitting side-saddle if wearing a skirt, so don't let that stop you! Good for one person. Bad for more than one person. Very fun! (Just don't tell your mother that you don't get a helmet.) (Hi, mom!) (Calm down, it was only four blocks and we only drove on the wrong side of the road twice!) In Bangkok the drivers wear orange vests and hang out at popular street corners. Motorbikes are awesome in the cities because they don't wait I traffic at lights, they weave their way to the front of the line and then take off ten seconds before the light changes. Good if you're in a hurry!

4. Water buses. There are 15+ docks along the river through Bangkok that serve as stops for the public water bus system (I think this might also be called water taxi, but it's much more like a bus). It costs 15 baht, or about 50 cents to go as far as you want. These boats are loooong and hold a lot of people. There are seats and benches, but stand at the railing and you can get a poorman's tour of the sights. I rode this today from Khaosan Road (sp?) down to the main dock without issue, but had to switch to the south route to get to my final destination and that boat was no where to be seen for a good 20 minutes. (I wound up befriending a couple of Australians who were staying at the Chatrium Hotel - close enough to the stop I wanted - which runs a free water shuttle from the Central Pier to the hotel, and hitchhiked with them. So if you're in a pinch, I'd say go for it.)

5. River ferries. Operate in tandem but independently from the water buses. These boats just hop from one bank to the other, back and forth all day long. Sometimes they are at the same piers, but more often than not they're separate. To get to a pier, take the smallest possible alley that will get you from the street to the water. Bonus points if it's somewhere that looks like you shouldn't be there. 

6. Regular taxis. Negotiate your price first or insist they run the meter. Cab drivers seem to be really honest, compared to other places we've been. One company's cars are painted pink! 

7. The Skytrain. This has an official acronym but I don't know what it is or what it stands for (that's what Britton is for in my life.) It works like mass transit. You pay a rate based on your destination, and I never tried to get off at a different stop, so I can't vouch for sure that you'd be ok, but my thought would be that as long as you exit before your original plan you'd be fine (but maybe not after, as that would potentially cost more). This is also a good way to see the city without paying a fortune since it's above everything.

8. Subway. There is a subway. I didn't use it. Guess I didn't need it? 

9. There are regular buses, too, but I don't speak Thai. So I don't know the routes. I'm sorry. :( I'll try to learn Thai next time I come to Thailand. Anthropology-major fail. 

I don't have pics of all of those because we used Britton's phone for photos. So here's a too-dark photo of Bangkok's 2013 Car Free day logo!

Chiang Mai cooking class: OMG YUM

Before you ask: yes. I will gladly attempt to cook the following dishes again for you, and Britton will, too! (That's right - you read "Britton" and "cook" in the same sentence!)

A cooking class in Chiang Mai was highly recommended by several people before we left for Thailand, so I signed us up for an all-day class at Baan Thai Cookery School. 

This - so far - has been the highlight of our trip! Between the two of us we learned how to cook 10 dishes, and we got to keep a cookbook that explains the ingredients and has all the recipes, plus the recipes for several other dishes we didn't make. 

The school is a cute, open-air building tucked in a very backpacker-friendly part of Chiang Mai. Britton and I now affectionately refer to this area as Gringoland because it reminds us so much of Quito's Plaza Fosch (which is unofficially called Gringolandia).

The instructors were all about our age, and super nice. We sat on the floor at a table with seven classmates from around the world: Maryland, South Africa, Holland, Brazil, and Melbourne, Australia. Everyone was very friendly and eager to learn, like us!

First we walked a few blocks to a fruit/veggie market to learn about the ingredients. We got to smell and touch three different kinds of eggplant, none of which I've seen in the states; three kinds of basil, all of which I knew by different names; three kinds of ginger, only one of which I recognized; two floppy types of mushrooms; raw tumeric, which is supposed to be a natural relief from mosquito bites (must buy in bulk when I get home!); plus lemon grass, limes, and lots of little, spicy peppers. And mango! 

While at the market we got a smoothie, and boy do I feel American saying this next sentence, but: I was amazed at how much fruit went in to this smoothie. One-and-a-half bananas, half a papaya, and the juice of at least a dozen little oranges.  And then ice, and then blend. No yogurt, no protein powder, no nothin' except fruit and ice. So fresh! So yummy! So simple!

We made our way back to the school, ingredients in tow, and "suited up!" in aprons and handkerchiefs. 

First dish: Stir Fry

Ellen: Pad Thai!

Britton: Cashews with chicken

Second dish:

Ellen: (spicy!) papaya salad

Britton: (not spicy!) spring rolls

Third dish: Soups

E: Seafood in coconut milk

B: Chicken in coconut milk

Fourth dish: Curry!

E: Green curry

B: Panaeng curry

Fifth dish: dessert!

E: mango w/ sticky rice (aka, mango over rice cooked in ALL THE SUGAR)

B: deep-fried banana

So... Who's coming over for dinner and photos? :)

Elephants!

Ten things I learned about elephants while at Elephant Nature Park, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

1) Trunks have up to 140,000 muscles in them, primarily used for insisting you give him that watermelon. 

2) An elephant that looks pregnant might just be fat. 

3) In unnatural situations (I.e, forced breeding), a female's hip can be broken during mating. 

4) Elephants have a more developed brain (frontal cortex?) that can experience emotions like humans or dolphins do. 

5) A four-year-old elephant whose mom just had a baby will act out, similar to a human four-year-old (I may know one that fits this description...) :)

6) In the wild, elephants travel in family herds. When several unrelated elephants are in the same place, they'll form their own family. Sounds like college!

7) Elephants loooove the water. But they don't actually need to be scrubbed for 20 minutes by tourists. 

8) When an elephant moves, you move. 

9) At 5 weeks old a baby elephant is strong enough (or big enough) to push a grown man around, and its mother is hungry and pushes the little bugger out of the way to eat. 

10) There are only 2,500-4,500 Asian elephants left in the wild. And many being mistreated. And many being saved. Be nice to elephants!

Thailand: the first 48

In one word: challenging. In two words: challenging & great.

Challenging because I do not speak one word of Thai. And granted, I knew this going in, and many people here know some English. But a few of the things we've needed to accomplish have been just slightly more difficult because we didn't know Thai, or the person we were talking to didn't know enough English. For example, ordering food has been a series of pointing and hoping and using Britton's phone, where he had the genius idea to find photos of common foods - egg, chicken, pork, etc. - so we could point to those in moments of confusion. 

Giving directions to our lodging is a feat. We have addresses written down (in English) but can't help with directions much since we don't know how to do anything but point and tap and say things in English. Luckily drivers have been very patient and/or knowledgeable about where they are going. While we were scanning for the hostel street, the tuk-tuk driver had the good mind to slow down AND drive on the left side of the road. Which is the correct side over here. But still was very strange at the time. :) 

The great parts, however, are really great. I arrived in Bangkok very late Saturday - around 11:30 - and the next morning we had to be back at the airport by 8am to get to Chiang Mai. Our host, Mac, is a US ex-pat, and has been wonderful, if a little on the chatty side. He gave us great concil on taking a taxi instead of trying to navigate the skytrain, and his wife (who I haven't met but have spoken to on the phone) arranged for one to meet us at the house at 7:30. 

Breakfast was procured from a small  stand in a busy alley around the corner from the 7-11 (which isn't difficult to do - 7-11s are everywhere!). The original woman we were going to buy from wasn't set up yet, so she motioned us over to her neighbor, who pointed at things and we pointed at things and then we got some food. Rice, fried chicken breast (the delicious kind, not the KFC kind), and a bag - yes, bag - of soup for 30baht, or about $1usd. We are LOVING the prices here!

We got to the airport just fine and on to our flight to Chiang Mai no issues. And as we disembarked from the airplane it hit me: the hot, humid mountain breeze. Which is when I realized I will be hot and humid and sweaty and sticky for the next eight days of my life. 

Such a great challenge. 

Chicken, rice, cucumber, cilantro, fish sauce(?) plus soup (not pictured) for $1.

What does it all meeeeeaaan??? (Sorry it's sideways - I'm typing on a phone!)

That's not very Paleo.

A few weeks ago, I ate a LOT of food at Blue Nile Ethiopian Cafe.

And sweet baby Jesus, it was so good. Go there, RIGHTNOW, if you haven't been. Or if you have. Lunch buffet is $8.50.

...why are you still reading this? I said go!

Anyway, Ethiopian food is also Not Very Paleo.

I've caught myself saying that a lot lately.

Mac 'n Cheese with hot dogs & bacon? Not very paleo. (But comforting!)
Lunchable with carrots? Halfway paleo. (But convenient!)
Brownies? You're funny. (Chocolate's paleo, so it counts, right?)
Beer? Nope. Not paleo. (But... Beer!)

My initial reaction is to mentally scold myself.
I can't believe you've caved... again!

Then I give up completely.
I got stung by a bee and can't go to the gym, might as well eat junk, too!

Then I start to justify current actions with previous actions.
Well, I used to eat this way all the time, and I didn't die then, so once or twice is better than every day, right?

Then I got tired of my attitude. And I don't mean tired of my "I-gave-up" attitude. I mean the attitude where I get down on myself for eating deliciousness. You know what? That lentil-and-mushroom thing was FANTASTIC and it made my day better because IT WAS FANTASTIC. AMAZING I SAY!

So that's it. I'm going to try my darndest to be OK with eating things. 

That does not equal a free pass to Cheeseburgerville. I've realized after keeping up with the paleo/clean eating for oh, let's say 75% of the last sixish weeks, that my body really prefers I stick with it. I've had pizza and chips and some whipped cream (not together, gross) and I can tell. I can feel my body talking to me, and I can feel that lethargy that sets in after eating whatever it was.

So. No more feeling guilty for eating something that I love. I just have to eat it less often. Life will hand me plenty of other stress than what I can muster up from eating something that's Not Very Paleo.

I got stung by a bee and it sucks.

Sometimes I regress to acting like a four-year-old. Often when I have a cold. I'm a big baby if my nose is stuffy.

I discovered on Sunday I also regress when I get stung by an insect. I'm assuming a bee, but I don't actually know. I know that IT HURT A LOT. And that my reaction was to repeat "Ow. OW. HELP, OWWWW" while trying to explain why I was freaking out. Then I just closed my eyes, held out my clenched hand and hoped that someone knew how to handle this. (Thanks, Tim for handling that!)

*pout face*

In a month, this week will be a blur. But for now, and for most of this week, I've been wallowing in ouchies and self pity. I got stung on my thumb — right on the tendon, that little jerk — and it has been swollen, itchy and sore for four days. I went to the doctor yesterday and she just said it was normal and I'd have to wait it out. The swelling has gone down a little today, but if I forget to take the antihistamines the itching comes back.

*pout face*

And I haven't gone to crossfit because 80% of the things we do involve pushing, pulling, gripping, swinging... all things that become very difficult if you can't actually hold on to anything. Even walking has been awkward, since leaving my hand at my side made it swell worse. I've been walking with my elbow bent, hand up by my shoulder like I'm looking for the absent towel after washing my hands.

Just....

*pout face.*

Normally I try to pull myself out of these funks. Stop dwelling on what I can't change; be positive; work through it. But frankly...

This. Sucks.

Zucchini: Shred It and Forget It. (Veggies #6.9)

I've discovered something.

Zucchini doesn't have to be in chunky cubes or round slices for you to eat it!

There are two super simple ways I've been using zucchini for meals. The first is the yummiest, and least vegetable-y: zucchini pancakes! These aren't like batter pancakes, but more like the potato pancakes you might have had if you're a descendant from central/eastern Europe. I can make two of them fresh in the morning in just under 10 minutes, which is a lovely way to start my day. The recipe is from a great Paleo cookbook I'm borrowing, Practical Paleo. Super simple recipes. I've scaled this one waaaay down, as I do with most of the recipes in the book.

1/3 zucchini, shredded/julienne style (I use our cheese grater!)
1 medium egg
~1 tablespoon coconut flour
salt to taste
coconut oil or bacon grease (I figured out that if I cook 2-3 slices of bacon in the pan before the pancakes, it's just the right amount. Plus then I get to eat bacon!)

• Mix everything together. If the mixture is drippy-runny, add a little more flour. You should be able to scoop about half of it with just a fork if it's sticking together enough.
• Add oil to a pan over medium heat. Let it warm up, then drop zucchini mix by heaping spoonfuls. (Or just split the mix in half and drop that much.) Flatten in out a little so you have a flat circle. 
• Let them cook for about 5 minutes on each side. The flat sides will get nice and brown and crispy. If you like less crispy things, just don't cook them as long.

The second way to eat zucchini is even easier: as a noodle substitute. Just use a vegetable peeler (or the long, wide cheese grater option!) and shred down to the seeds. Then you can either steam them (~5mins) or throw them in the microwave with a favorite sauce (~3mins). So far I've only tried it with pesto. Yummmm.

Happy Eatings!

May 30, 2013

So, I'm actually writing this post on June 12. It's basically like time travel (hooray for technology!).

My 27th birthday was almost two weeks ago, and it came and went with very little pomp or circumstance. I've been busy with my new job and several other side projects. I kept forgetting my birthday was this week, or in a few days, or tomorrow, or today!

My new department bought cupcakes for the occasion from Baby Cakes in the River Market. So. Much. Yum. And I wore a cute new outfit, which is always a good day.

And I was also able to spontaneously meet up with friends at Manifesto for a DELICIOUS drink that was made with butternut squash. "Winter in Buenos Aires." Try it. (That's not a request.)

I still have several items to cross off my list. Not so sure I'll make it to see the Northern Lights in the next 36 months, but hopefully I'll be able to make a cake, cook a turkey, SKYDIVE, hang with my niece (and new nephew), and a few other things. I'd better get to it!

One of those moments

Just had one of those "how did I get here?" moments.

One of those moments you hear your parents or aunts and uncles say when you're a kid about how time flies. 

I'm sitting here, realizing that suddenly (seemingly) I have this awesome job and I pretty much got here myself which is something to really be proud of. 

Weird. 

When life gives you a roller coaster...

...you'd better hang on!

Life has this funny, mildly overwhelming way of sending you so many things at once that it's difficult to keep track.

Have you ever felt that way?

What am I asking, of course you have.

(Sidenote, I always tease my husband about how Reddit users will ask, "Am I the only one who... [does/makes whatever]" and the answer is always "NO." We're not alone in this big, inter-connected world. Someone is similar to you, and there are only two ways to wrap Super Nintendo control cords.)

Not the point.

The point is, life gets to you sometimes -- in good and bad ways -- and it's hard to reflect on it. Even when sad or bad things are happening, I try to step back and be grateful for the experience, for the opportunity to learn something. 

I started to cook and eat Paleo ("real," unprocessed food; no dairy, refined sugars, grains, or legumes). I did pretty well for the first week or so, but then I learned how quickly you can fall off any wagon. One little bite here or there and suddenly it's that I'm just "attempting" instead of "committing." Well, somehow I'd bet that won't yield the results I'd been dreaming of, especially considering the past weekend of entertaining guests and today's lunch with new co-workers. BUT. I have a menu and I'd like to stick to it! The food has been 80% delicious and 100% edible. So... fewer excuses to indulge and more voicing my food choices. Yeah.

Britton and I are both also in the process of starting a new job (me) or getting a new role at work (Britton) and we rarely see each other for more than a few hours at a time. We're still adjusting to being married, but we still want to come home to the other and just be together. Super wonderfulness.

Lots of other stuff is going on, too, (hence the roller coaster reference) and I'm happy to discuss if you're happy to listen.

Off to make Paleo pesto and maybe some zucchini pancakes. I like cooking.

Fun fact: "Roller coaster" in Spanish is "montaña rusa" or "Russian Mountain." What imagery!

Brussels Sprouts: Experimenting

I can't officially say that I like Brussels sprouts just yet. I've tried cooking them two nights in a row now, and they're just kinda... meh.

I've tried two preparations, both pretty similar.

Last night I cooked up some bacon in a skillet, then cooked the sprouts cut side down in the bacon grease. Bought some balsamic vinegar for dipping - should've been a home run, right?? But not quite. Still tasted ... meh.

Tonight I just halved them, tossed them in some olive oil and minced garlic, and let them cook for about 5 minutes. Then at the very end I sprinkled some parmesan mixed with oregano and thyme and tossed them around a bit more. Again, another combo that - for me - is almost guaranteed to be enjoyed, but I still didn't like the sprouts. Too... cabbage-y? They just didn't seem to have any specific flavor other than "blech." Not offensive enough for me to swear off of them forever. I'll still try some recipes. Especially because I still have, like, a pound of them left in the bag I bought from Costco.

So, veggie connoisseurs - what step am I missing? What makes that flavor fade into the delicious that most people seem to think surrounds a Brussels sprout?

On death and such

I've realized for most of my adult life how rare it is for someone my age to still have all four grandparents. And I've done my darndest to appreciate that, and experienced the stereotypical guilt that comes from realizing I haven't seen them in several weeks or months. I know that in this aspect of my life I am extremely fortunate.

However, because I am 26 and I haven't experienced any of this before, I feel really lost about it all. My grandpa ... well, when I visit him now I can see that he's the same Grandpa Pat, that he's there on the inside still but he can't always form the right words and he can't walk and it's all happening so fast.

And his heart is breaking.
And my heart is breaking.

And it can't be stopped. Dementia, old age, it's all a slow descent into ... ?

Two months ago he could scuffle around from his chair to the bathroom, he was having an entire conversation with me about where he grew up and the trouble he'd get in with his friends. He was eating Chinese food I had bought for him without much issue other than the occasional dropped cashew, and cashews are impossible to eat with a fork anyway, so who can really blame him for that? Nobody, that's who. Sure he was declining, but he was fine. He was just. fine.

But he wasn't. And he's not. And somewhere I know that that's true. But maybe if I just keep going back to visit, and make a point to let him get his words out, and tell him to try to skootch up in his wheelchair and to be nice to the nurses and to let him feed himself even if it's downright frustrating to let those apples fall off one more time, and figure out when he's doing physical therapy, surely there will be enough love and determination to fix it. To make him better so that we don't have to go through this anymore.

But even if it worked and there was enough love to pull him back and to fix him and to un-break his heart... that's not going to stop Death.

How does one keep living when there's no future to look forward to? What kind of mental shift does one have to go through to somehow be happy or at peace knowing that life from now on is this nursing home bed, and this flickering tv? That it's ending. And how does a loved one watch and participate?

Vegetable Conquest Follow-Through

It has dawned on me that I haven't been the best about continuing my conquest of the veggies.

Yes, I learned how to cook nearly 10 things but I haven't really integrated them into daily diets. That's like saying you're going to learn Italian and then only use it to say "we eat pizza!" (Wait, that was me, too...)

Anyway, a combination of things is motivating me into thinking a little healthier.

The first thing is that I am working out regularly which makes me feel good. I go to a CrossFit gym, usually 4 times each week. Those workouts have consistently worn me out and made me hurt, but I can feel the energy I have at 3pm when I would normally crash and consider coffee. I can feel the awesome muscle I have in my biceps! And abs! And other small changes have surprised me in the mirror - like, my underwear fits better. I realize how random and mildly inappropriate that might be to share, but tough tamales, it's the truth!

The second thing is the mildly cult-ish dietary encouragement that comes with CrossFit: The Paleo Diet. When I first heard about it I wrote it off as a little ridiculous. Atkins and South Beach and all the other super-fad diets had me skeptical. The gist of Paleo is to eat what would've been accessible during Paleolithic times - think caveman - so basically nothing that needs to be processed before you eat it. Lots of meat and veggies but no grains, sugar, or treated animal products like dairy.

But I love cheeeeese!

I was content with ignoring that part of CrossFit until my friend Amanda accepted a 45-day challenge to eat Paleo with a group from her gym. Seeing someone close to me attempt and be successful got me thinking a little more critically. I would like to lose a few extra inches, and she says she feels great on top of that, too.

The final thing is that Britton and I both lament about losing inches, or in his case slimming down the beer belly that is threatening to become a permanent fixture around his mid-section. I have pretty great self-esteem, so this isn't a "I really wanna lose three pounds!" situation. It's a realization that I look fine, but still have room to be thinner and healthier.

Here's the kicker though (and the thing that will probably always be the kicker to any diet I try): I'm not ambitious enough to go get the right ingredients and learn to cook in a brand new way. I just want meals made of things that are easy to access and prepare.

So. What to do then?

First step, starting ASAP: Substitute veggies whenever possible. Instead of spaghetti, spaghetti squash; instead of mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower. When at a restaurant, opt for the veggie side instead of fries or chips. Once I started analyzing what I was eating, I realized it's not very balanced. Pasta is our go-to dish and rice is a close second, neither of which is "allowed" in Paleo since they're processed before you eat them. And carbalicious. But yeah, empty calories for the most part.

Second step, starting soonish: Add veggies to a meal and eat them first. AKA, reduce calorie intake from less healthy foods and up the good calories, etc., from fruits & veggies. If I would normally eat 7 ravioli pieces without anything else, I should add a veggie (like asparagus - super simple!) and only cook 4 or 5 pieces.

Oh, and stop eating when I'm full. That's a tough one for me. Food just tastes so good!

Possible future steps: 

• Learn the basic substitutions for eating Paleo fo' realz
• Buy pre-made Paleo meals from a local company so that I know I have healthy options to grab & go in the house
• Cook meals (paleo or not) at home for the week so I don't get stuck ordering lunch from somewhere unhealthy.
• Convince husband to support a Paleo diet
• Figure out what I want to eat at restaurants before we get there so I'm not tempted to order my usual go-tos, such as biscuits & gravy or mac n cheese.

Ultimate goal is to look good in a swimsuit this summer. And by good I mean better than last year.

Help keep me honest! If you're eating food with me, ask me about what I'm eating or how things are progressing. I won't mind (but I might admit to veering away from these guidelines)!

-e

Sorry, we just bought a car.

Have you ever watched the BBC show "Top Gear?" It's hosted by three (British) funny-guys and they talk about cars, car parts, and how to drive cars. Somehow despite the incessant insistence on that topic, they are really entertaining! B loves it.

He also loves just about every car in it - Aston Martins, Ferraris, Nissans. It's been our little joke that he'll look over and say "WANT" while he reaches at the screen like a four-year-old to an ice cream cone. I usually then ask the price and he stops insisting quite so much. So, if you're ever in need of something to buy him...

Anyway, I'm rambling about this because I have a new come-back line to replace the question of price. Now I can simply ask him, "would you like to drive MY new car?" The reaction is about the same... because by "new" I really mean "old." We have officially bought my little Civic off of my parents.

So... that checkbox hit me right in the face! I'd forgotten that buying a car was on my list, probably because when I put it there I meant it in a much more buy-a-BRAND-NEW-car way. But seeing as Hondas tend to last forever and I only have 3.5 years left til 30 (gulp! - how did THAT happen?!) this is pretty much it! Another step towards competent adulthood. Give-or-take the fact that I filed my title papers on the last. possible. day. And that my car sat with the old plates for another 10 days after that (no, I didn't drive it). And that the "Maint. Req'd" light has been flashing when I turn the car on for the last month or so.

So, er, happy "new" car to me! Hopefully it lasts!

Soups! (Veggies #6.8)

I like soups so much that they get their own veggie sub-point and a blog entry all to themselves. Because they are just. That. Delicious.

I've attempted a couple of new soups recently since I have lots of fun new kitchen tools and vessels from the wedding registry.

What? Oh yeah - that wedding thing happened back in Nov.! Aaaaand it was basically perfect. Surrounded by friends, family, dancing the night away and waking up with that same guy that I still like after all this time! There isn't an emoticon big enough to really capture the happy that I have from the whole thing, so here's a photo instead.

I kinda like this guy :)

So. Soups. Yes. Counting this one as a veggie is kind of premature since I haven't quite made a soup explicitly with a veggie I wouldn't have otherwise tried. I made a super rich, cream-based mushroom soup back when it first got cold. This is where I discovered my love of cream-based anything. Ok, not really discovered, just solidified the knowledge of. If it's bad for me I probably love it.

Creamy, delicious
mushroom soup

The next recipe wasn't anything momentous either, other than the fact that it was almost entirely blended vegetables and I still wanted to eat it! It was a tomato soup in the crockpot: put a couple cans of tomatoes, some chopped carrots, celery, and onion and some broth in the crockpot and let those cook all day, then come home and blend it all together and add some cream and maybe some cheese, too? It was quite yummy (see statement in previous paragraph about cream-based anything!).

So, this most recent soup is actually a little farther out of the box. It was - gasp! - VEGAN. [duh duh DUHHHHHNNN] That's right - zero animal product, no cheese, no milk, no nothin' other than veggie-based food. AND IT'S DELICIOUS. [Erk, I just realized that we *did* add some feta when we ate it. It didn't add much though. Now if we had goat cheese, that'd be different!]

The recipe was pinned by Michelle Obama and is from the Oprah website, so it's not like it was going to be bad anyway. But other than being somewhat time consuming, it was really simple and tastes sweet but still hearty. The sweet potatoes really come through, helped by a few apricots I think. I've eaten it at least once for the last couple days and I'm not tired of it yet! (I'm also not finished yet, which gives you a hint as to how much it made!) The first night we ate it with some SUPER yummy burgers that B made with HIS new cast iron skillet. (That's right - not only did HE register for that bad boy, but he has now also USED it! I'm living this up!)

Here's the recipe. My little notes are in [brackets] this time.

Enjoy!
-e

Husband made some yummy burgers to go with.

Sweet Potato & Red Lentil Soup
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
1 cup red lentils, picked over and rinsed
½ cup dried apricots, quartered
¼ cup chopped onion or shallots
¼ to ½ tsp. Thai red chili paste [I left this out - Thai red chili paste was $5 for a teeny-tiny jar. If you can convince me it's worth it, I'll get it for next time, but it had better knock my heels off.]
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
¾ cup light coconut milk [that's only about 1/3 of a can. As I kept the soup warm on the stove I just added the rest in to keep it from getting too thick.]
½ tsp. salt, plus more to taste
½ tsp. ground black pepper
Chopped cilantro (optional) [didn't use it]
4 Tbsp. pomegranate juice or seeds (optional) [didn't use it, but would be interested to try it! I think the tart crunch of the seeds would be a good contrast to the sweet soup.] Edit: tried it. Liked it! Discovered Costco occasionally sells pomegranate seeds separately. Win.

Place sweet potatoes, lentils, apricots, onion, chili paste, and broth in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to low heat, cover, and simmer until lentils are falling apart, about 25 [20 for me] minutes. Let soup sit, uncovered, 10 minutes.

Add coconut milk. Using a blender, puree soup until smooth, in batches if necessary. Stir in salt and pepper, and add more if desired. [I barely needed the blender, everything was so tender after 30ish mins of simmering I could've mashed it with my spatula. But an immersion blender is waaaay more fun!]

To serve: Divide pureed soup among bowls, and top each with cilantro and pomegranate juice or seeds (if using). [If you're cool like me, you have a sweet soup-and-sandwich bowl/plate setup from your Gramma Barb!]

Source: http://www.oprah.com/food/Sweet-Potato-and-Red-Lentil-Bisque-Recipe#ixzz2HLNPYOpY