Beth's Super Awesome Blog

Short-cut Peanut Butter Rice Pudding

2012-01-30T10:15:00.001-07:00

Hope everyone had an awesome weekend! Mine was relaxing, but not nearly long enough...

I did get a bit of a sweet tooth craving on Friday night, but I didn't have anything in the cupboard pre-made that I could satisfy it with. I did find some cooked brown rice in the fridge though, so I figured I'd start there! And to my surprise, my concoction turned out DELICIOUS and I'm totally going to make it again.

Beth's Short-cut Peanut Butter Rice Pudding (vegan)
serves 1
Ingredients
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 to 1 cup of soy or almond milk
1 tbsp maple syrup (or other sweetener - honey, brown sugar, etc)
1 tbsp peanut butter (preferably no sugar added)
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 cup vanilla soy yogurt
honey (for drizzling - optional)
slivered almonds (or other nuts - optional)

Directions
In a small saucepan, add rice, soymilk, maple syrup, and peanut butter - warm over medium-high heat, and stir well so that everything is blended.

Heat everything through, then add cornstarch and mix well until thickened.

Dump rice mixture into a bowl or mug and top with the vanilla soy yogurt, drizzle with honey, and sprinkle with almonds.

Enjoy!

I also had the chance to make some vegan muffins over the weekend too - apple & raisin with brown sugar baked on top. They were delish! It was from a really simple recipe in How it All Vegan, my favorite cookbook on the planet. You'll have to check out the book from the library (or heck, just buy it) for that recipe! :)

African Curried Coconut Soup with Chickpeas

2012-01-25T13:09:00.000-07:00

Kinda crazy that my new blog is called "Chickpeas & Hulahoops", and today's recipe includes chickpeas! OK, I guess it's not THAT crazy.
Unfortunately it doesn't contain any hulahoops though.

Anyway, my friend Megalops (that's her derby name kids, don't worry) made this recipe for a potluck a few weeks ago. It was SO GOOD I begged her to send me the recipe. Although this picture hardly does it justice (hey, I had to take it at work 'cause I forgot to take one right after I made it), it still was scrumptious!!

African Curried Coconut Soup with Chickpeas
yield: Makes 4 servings
Adapted from the Epicurious recipe

    2 tablespoons coconut oil (or canola)
    1 medium onion (about 6 ounces), chopped
    1 medium red bell pepper (about 6 ounces), chopped
    1 jalapeño chili, seeded and finely chopped
    2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
    3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (original recipe only called for 2, but I would've liked it with a bit more liquid)
    1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or black-eyed peas if you'd prefer. I actually think I could have done with a bit less chickpeas - it was a bit overwhelming using almost 2 cups worth. So maybe only use a 1/2 a can first and see how it looks - you can always add more later!)
    1 cup diced tomatoes, canned (you can just use 1 15oz can of this - I wish I had!)
    1 teaspoon mild curry powder
    1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
    Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
    3/4 cup cooked white or brown rice (optional - add it for a more hearty meal, or omit it for a lighter one)
    2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
    2 tablespoons agave nectar or honey (optional - I like my curry a bit sweet!)
----------
In a medium stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and chili; cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.

Add the broth, chickpeas, tomatoes, curry powder, salt, and black pepper; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve warm.

And there you have it! John and I ate the leftovers for 2-days - it's great the next day! It's also a perfect hearty soul-warming soup on a very cold winter's day.
Yumyumyum....

Another, Blog? Girl, you CRAZY!!

2012-01-24T13:33:00.003-07:00

Why yes, yes I am.

My derby wife (I may have mentioned her before), and I have started a new blog, called Chickpeas & Hulahoops.

The name was kind of a fluke, but we'll post about how we came up with that. :)

The whole idea is something we've been working on for a while, and it has finally come to fruition! We're just going to post silly stuff, and be ourselves. So it'll be a lot like this blog, but with even more FUNNY.

Please check it out and show some love!
http://www.chickpeasandhulahoops.com/blog/

A bit of a stinky Monday, but I can make it work.

2012-01-23T16:25:00.000-07:00

This morning started off great - Stacey and I did a 20 minute run, and hashed out relationship stuff, gave some advice, and started our day right!

Then I got into work and things kinda went downhill from there... I won't get into the boring details, but there was some arguing with certain family members, anger and crying, and a whole crap-load of frustration. It's been bringing me down all day, which bugs me that I let it do that - but I guess it happens.

Sigh.

Anyway, I told my awesome derby wife Quentin (Megan), about my shithole of a morning, and here's what she had to say:

"Sorry to hear you are having a shitty morning. How about a picture of a delicious strawberry to cheer you up?" (see attachment):

That's why I love this girl. :)

After that, I tried to remind myself of good things so that I could stop wallowing in my own frustrations. I reminded myself that John and I had a fantastic weekend, and welcomed a good friend back into town. We got to see a TON of awesome friends, sleep in, and relax.

I'm also down 11 pounds. Oh yeah, I may have mentioned that. ;)

Also, I'm going to do a recap of all of the money I HAVEN'T spent this month due to my spending fast. I've been keeping a chart for everything that I wanted to buy (but didn't), or things that I in general just had to say "no" to. It's been helping to give me a visual of how much money I could have spent, and how well I'm doing so far. I don't want to give away the surprise, but it's a pretty significant sum! It makes me happy and mad all at the same time because I never realized how much I was spending every month on things that I don't need!

Anyway, that's all for now. I hope your week is off to a good start! Just remember, don't let those shitty things get you down. I swear, when I think of it - there are way more good things in my life than those sucky things that seem to wash out everything else when they happen.

Also, Kendra and I are going to a free yoga class tonight. See? Just keeps getting better.

There you are, optimism! I missed you. ;)

Boys don't make passes at girls who wear GLASSES

2012-01-19T16:42:00.000-07:00

...what a crock! ;)

I don't wear my glasses nearly as much as I should, and I don't like sticking contacts in my eyeballs unless I absolutely have to (snowboarding).

I was just thinking of Marilyn Monroe's character in "How to Marry a Millionaire" (which she's hilarious in, by the way - you must see it). She never wears her glasses because, as she claims: "You know what they say about girls that wear glasses..." - as the saying goes, "Boys don't make passes at girls that wear glasses". So silly, isn't it?

Anyway, she spends the film running into walls and even gets onto the wrong plane at one point! Good for her though, because that's when she meets a man that wears glasses that tells her: "Are you kidding! I think you look better with them on!"

Not that I'm saying you should require a man's validation of course, but it was still pretty cute.

I'm trying to figure out how I can get myself to wear my glasses more, and I think finding a more fashionable pair would help. I think my glasses are kind of boring - they don't make any kind of fashion statement, and all they seem to do is block the eye makeup that I take such time every day to put on! Lame-o.

This is Taza from the blog Rockstar Diaries! Her blog is super cute (as is her little girl), and she has an amazing sense of fashion. I just LOVE her glasses - they are my favorite by far!

This is another one of my favorite fashion bloggers - Andrea from Blonde Bedhead. These girls find the best glasses, I'm tellin' ya! They're not just there for function - they wear them as a fashion statement! Love it!

The rest of these pics I found on www.weheartit.com (because that's what I do)!

As you can see, I'm kind of in love with the big thick-framed glasses right now. They seem to be all the rage, but I just love how they really stand out! Super fun and cute.

I know what John would say.... "You hipster". Ah well, sometimes I just don't listen to John. :)

And I love love LOVE this photo of Amy Poehler that I found on Girls with Glasses!! Super cute website by the way, you must check it out.

Now I just have to figure out a way to get myself a new pair! Hmmmm....
PS - for the record - a lot of boys DO make passes at girls that wear glasses (and think they look super cute in 'em)!

I'm down 11 pounds!!

2012-01-18T16:11:00.000-07:00

I know I shouldn't be factoring in weight so much, but when I got on the scale this morning & saw the number, I had to do a little happy dance. :) Turns out, eating healthy, watching your portion sizes, and exercising actually WORKS! Woohoo!

That's all for today. Just had to share. Only 29 pounds to go! I truly don't mind if that comes off slowly, as long as it comes off (and stays off). Happy happy me!

My Weekend & Vegan Broccoli & Potato Soup!

2012-01-16T13:39:00.000-07:00

Hope you all had an amazing weekend!

I went to a free boot camp on Saturday morning and almost died (yes, I swear - it was the hardest workout I've ever done), then I got to have some quality time with my friend Katy. We all went to an art gallery for an open house, and see my friend Marco's band play - again for FREE! I love all the free stuff I'm finding so far! ;)

I loved this girl's work - it was really beautiful!

There was another artist there that we really loved - he did all kinds of portraits (very design-like), and they were very colorful. I was a little intimidated to take pictures of them though since we were standing there talking to him! Ha!

My friend Marco (on the drums) plays for a band called Doubters. I'm not sure if that link worked, but it should go to their Facebook page! They were really awesome - very 90's alternative rock, and made me think of early Thermals stuff. I enjoyed the show a ton, and you should go check 'em out sometime if you're ever in the Denver area!!

Katy & I were tappin' our feets and boppin' around the whole time! They really got us going!

Sunday I had book club (no pics unfortunately), but it was a lovely time!

That night I decided to use up some ingredients that I had in the fridge, and came up with one of my new favorite recipes! I have been crazy about soups lately (probably the cold weather & all).

Vegan Broccoli & Potato Soup
Makes about 6 servings

Ingredients
1 head of broccoli (just the florets), or about 1 1/2 cups frozen
1 medium baked potato* (diced)
1/2 a medium yellow onion, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 a package of Firm Tofu (pressed with a paper towel to remove extra moisture, and cut into large chunks)
1 cup Soymilk (or Almond milk), unsweetened
3/4 cup cooked brown rice
4 cups (approximately) low-sodium Vegetable Broth
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
2 tbsp Braggs liquid amino acids (or Tahini / Soy Sauce)
Salt & pepper to taste
Olive oil
Whole wheat bread (optional - for croutons)

Instructions
Place a large pot over medium-high heat, and add olive oil. Add the onions & the garlic, cooking for about 2-4 minutes, until slightly clear.

Add the broccoli, and cook stirring for about 1 minute. Add the vegetable broth, nutritional yeast, Braggs, brown rice, and baked potato. Cover & simmer for about 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the tofu in your food processor or blender. When the soup is done simmering, scoop out part of the chunky stuff (very little liquid), and add to the food processor on top of the tofu. Blend until smooth, place in a large bowl, and set aside. Add the rest of the chunks into the food processor (you'll have some broth left in the pot), and blend well - then return everything (including the bowl you set aside) to the pot.

Turn stove on medium heat, and add the soymilk, and the salt & pepper. Keep an eye on it, as sometimes soymilk can bubble over - just keep it medium to low & simmer for another 5 minutes or so.

If desired, cut whole wheat bread into cubes and place on a cookie sheet. Spray with spray oil (Butter-flavored is best), and sprinkle with garlic salt. Pop into the oven at 450 degrees for about 5-6 minutes (or until slightly brown). They might still be a little squishy, but John and I liked them that way!

*You may not have a baked potato lying around, but I had this leftover from earlier in the week - that's why this recipe is so great for leftovers! But just as a tip, baked potatoes are GREAT meal starters for vegetarians / vegans. You can make a bunch on a Sunday to start your week, just leave 'em in the foil and stick 'em in the fridge.

I love to heat up some of Amy's Vegetarian Chili and dump it over top of a potato, or do a Mexican-style theme with beans, brown rice, Daiya "cheddar" shreds, tomatoes, hot sauce, and shredded lettuce. Sometimes when I'm being really lazy I will make a can of vegan cream-of-mushroom soup, add a little cornstarch to thicken it, and slop it over a baked potato like a gravy! It's SO GOOD and great on a cold winter's day!

They are also great thickeners for soup (as you can see!). An added bonus: potatoes are a good source of vitamin B6, vitamin C, copper, potassium, manganese, and dietary fiber - and for the thrifty vegan, you can't go much cheaper than potatoes! Win-win! :)

My own beautiful breakfast (and the Joy of Books!)

2012-01-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

This morning it was snowy and cold here in Denver, but somehow Stacey & I managed to get up and go for a jog! It was actually so beautiful and quiet out at 6am - the snow was falling in big fat flakes, and there was no one around. It was so peaceful! We tried out our Yak Trax for the first time (the little strappy things you put over your shoes so that you don't slip), and they worked amazingly. I guess now we have no excuse to miss running when it's snowing now huh? Haha!

After being inspired by the photographs from yesterday, I snapped some pictures of my breakfast this morning. I had oatmeal with almond milk, blueberries, and a little bit of honey (and a sprinkling of coconut). And of course a cup of steaming hot green tea!

I made the mistake of putting a little bit of blackstrap molasses on top of my oatmeal too, and spent some time trying to scoop it off. Not the best taste in the world, but it's a great source of iron. It tasted pretty awful on my oatmeal though!

This is the snow we woke up to this morning! Yesterday it had to have been about 60 degrees, and now it's a winter wonderland! That's what it's like living in Colorado, that's for sure. It's supposed to warm up again by this weekend, so I'm hoping that the snow will be melted so that I can go outside & skate around! Ha!

And check it out!! I even had time to work on some Sudoku puzzles this morning. I realized that I already had lunch from yesterday at work (my dad took me out for a salad instead), so I had some time to myself. Pretty rad!

I remembered I got some pretty awesome pictures of our morning-after-new-year's celebration as well. John & I were up in Breckenridge with our friends Bill & Geneva. After a night of partying, we woke up late to a beautiful sunny day. We walked down to a little breakfast place and got some delicious breakfast burritos, and coffee. It was lovely!

"Uhm, excuse me? I believe I ordered the LARGE cappuccino? Holy cow. Look at the size of this thing! It's like Campbell's Cup o'ccino!" If you don't know what that's from, please go out & rent So I Married an Axe Murderer right now. You will thank me for it!

Awww... John's all tuckered out! Haha! That's his hungover face.

I think the above photo is one of my new favorites. Just a great moment, and I love the lighting! :)

On a completely different note, I just watched a video that my friend Denny posted on Facebook, called "The Joy of Books". It's just wonderful!

Honestly, I'm a bit sad about the booming Nooks and Kindles out there. Sure they're ridiculously convenient, but there is something about holding a REAL book, turning a page, smelling the paper - it's just wonderful. I hope that the world can still appreciate books even with the new technologies out there!

Anyway - on to the snowy day! Hope yours is a great one!

Breakfast is Beautiful

2012-01-10T11:32:00.000-07:00

I think mornings are my most favorite part of the day. You're just beginning new again, the sun is coming up, you're rubbing the sleep from your eyes & stretching, you have no idea what today will bring, and you get to enjoy the first meal of the day.

I love breakfast foods. LOVE them. I love eggs over-easy, eggs benedict. I love tofu scrambles with lots of vegetables. I love toast with fresh strawberries, and a cup of tea. I love a steaming hot cup of coffee with an english muffin. I love pancakes & waffles with fresh fruit. I love a traditional English breakfast (vegetarian-style), with baked beans, toast, and fake sausage links.

I love waking up after a good night of sleep, early enough to prepare myself for the day. I love hearing the birds sing, seeing low beams of sunlight stream through the window. I love a warm shower and putting on my fuzzy slippers to shuffle into the kitchen and make myself a freshly-squeezed juice. I love seeing the darkness turn into light.

I have really been digging all of the breakfast photography that I've been seeing lately too! I think since I've been cooking more, I've been appreciating food photography a lot - but the breakfast ones really stand out to me. I think it's the lighting that does it - it reminds me of all of those feelings that I have when I'm starting the day!

I actually wish that I could get myself up even earlier than I usually do to enjoy a leisurely breakfast. What's funny though is that most days of the week I'm up about 3-hours before I need to leave the house so that I can workout, have a shower, make & eat my breakfast, and make & pack my lunch for work (then clean everything up) - without having to rush.

The only thing that would make it better is if I had enough time to sit down and read some of my book while enjoying breakfast, or work on a crossword puzzle / sudoku puzzle or something! :)

Sometimes something as simple as a cup of tea with toast & jelly really hits the spot!

When I was doing my search for the above images (all found on www.weheartit.com - of course!), a lot of pictures came up for one of my most favorite movies of all time - Breakfast at Tiffany's, starring the wonderfully elegant Audrey Hepburn.

I almost forgot how much I love this movie, and I'm going to have to watch it again soon! I absolutely love the character of Holly Golightly - she's strange, and loveable, and so scared of falling in love. I think one of my favorite lines comes near the end of the movie... the whole time she's calling (the love interest) Fred, because she says "you remind me of my brother, Fred. May I call you Fred?" - even though his name is Paul. At the end of the film, he's had enough. "My name is not, nor has it ever been Fred! My name is Paul! Paul Varjack, and I love you!"

Sigh, love it!

Wake up, Miss Golightly! Time for breakfast! :) Oh, how I adore that eyemask. Absolutely hilarious.

If you're into breakfast time as much as I am, I encourage you to check out the blog Simply Breakfast. She takes beautiful photographs of her morning-time meals, and I just love looking at them every day! Here are a couple of them just to give you an idea...

Her lighting and compositions are just lovely, and I get some great ideas of new recipes to make from her pictures!

If you're the type of person that always wakes up late, and is rushing out the door for work - I encourage you to try and take a little more time for yourself. It's so wonderful to start your day relaxed and to have the time to mentally and physically prepare for whatever your day may bring.

Happy mornings to you! :)

First weekend of Spending Fast

2012-01-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

I had every intention to take a bunch of pictures this weekend to illustrate this post, but guess what - I didn't. And I didn't even think of it until afterward! Gosh, I've been slacking on that lately, haven't I? I promise - new pics will come soon. :)

ANYhew - I thought I'd fill you all in on how my first weekend without spending any money went! It went GREAT! I didn't spend a dime, and I still had a wonderful weekend.

Friday night I met up with my mom & sister for a movie. My mom insisted on paying, and although I hate having her pay for things, she wouldn't take "no" for an answer (god BLESS her!) - haha! We saw "The Artist", which I thought was absolutely wonderful. I'd never seen the lead actors in an American film before, but I guess they've been very popular in their perspective countries! It's a silent film, but the acting and story were wonderful - and the music helped illustrate the story perfectly too. I would highly recommend it!

Did I mention both leading actors are absolutely ADORABLE?? I didn't? Well, they totally are. Just gorgeous. :)

Saturday morning I went with Cat to audition to sing the National Anthem at the Denver Roller Dolls bouts. I figure one of my New Year's Resolutions is to sing more, so why the heck not? I was the first to perform, so that was a little nerve racking (on top of the fact that I'm still getting over a cold), but I guess I did pretty well! I heard back yesterday, and I'm going to be singing at the 1st Bank Center in Broomfield in July!! HOLY CRAP!! I almost peed myself. Here are the details:

Saturday, July 21, 2012, home team double header
Denver Roller Dolls Green Barrettes vs. Rocky Mountain Roller Girls Sugar Kill Gang
& the Denver Roller Dolls Shotgun Betties vs. Denver Roller Dolls Bad Apples

I'm so totally stoked. I was so excited thinking about it that I could barely get to sleep last night! Then I remembered it's not until JULY, so I calmed down a bit. :) You can get tickets through Ticketmaster (just search "Denver Roller Dolls"), and remember parking is $10 per car.

After that I hung out with Megan and her pup, Grace - we walked to the dog park, chatted, and let Grace romp with the other dogs. It was great to catch up, and play with the doggies!

I came home & cleaned like a mad woman (living room & half of the kitchen - CHECK!)

Saturday night I met up with the gang at Wynkoop for beer & pool. I didn't have anything to drink except water, and the 1 beer that my pool-playing teammate Sean bought for me as a reward for losing the game with dignity! Haha! I could easily have gone without the beer, but I didn't want to turn him down. It felt good knowing that I would have been fine just having water though!

Sunday John and I hit Whole Foods and got stocked up on all kinds of healthy foods for the week. We spent most of our time in produce, and our cart was pretty much full by the time we hit the other sections! I was totally thrilled. I love when most of what we buy comes from the produce section!

Afterward I met up with my mom for lunch (again, she insisted on treating me since we don't get to do it very often which was very sweet). It was delicious, and sticking to my healthy-eating I only had 1 cup of coffee, and I didn't clean my plate. Woohoo!

When I got home I started cleaning again. Finished the kitchen, cleaned the hallway, my half of the office (went through drawers & got rid of stuff too!), did 4 loads of laundry, and cleaned my bathroom from top to bottom! I don't know how I got so motivated, but it was pretty awesome when I was all done! I guess it's true - when you're not spending money, you do have a lot of extra time on your hands.

After this weekend I felt a lot more confident about how I'm going to do this Spending Fast. I know it's going to be really difficult at times (especially with saying "no" to things - I struggle with that all the time!), but I feel like if I can make it a whole weekend without spending money, I can totally do this. Weekends are always the hardest for me because I tend to find "errands" to run (usually meaning shopping in one way or another), like going to Target or Ross for something I don't really need. So I probably will be finding much more time to tackle other things on my New Year's Resolution list during those times!! YEAH!!

At the end of the day, I enjoyed a juice (made from fresh fruits & veggies that John and I bought earlier in the day), and a nice warm cup of Peach Detox tea.

All-in-all, it was a wonderful weekend, and the first one in a very long time that I haven't spent a dime (and was much happier for it). :) Let's see how I do this next weekend without my mom buying me movie & lunch! Haha!

All photos either from Google Image search, or www.weheartit.com

Yay! Life is good!

2012-01-06T11:43:00.001-07:00

I've been working hard the last 10 days to really get on eating right, and making good choices with food. Eating a little less, choosing tea over coffee, etc - just making those little changes that make big differences. I did get sick just after the new year, and I'm only now starting to feel better so I haven't been doing any workouts in order to recover. However it looks as though my body has been responding to the little changes!!

My tummy pooch is starting to shrink, and I'm already feeling lighter. I had to weigh myself this morning, and even though I really don't want base it on a number, I had to at least check. I'm down 6 POUNDS!! WOOHOO!! That felt great, and gave me an extra boost of motivation to keep me going!

On top of that, the past 2 days of my Spending Fast have been fantastic. I went to dinner at a friend's place last night, and so far not a dime has been spent for anything at all. It's a little victory since I still have 364 days to go, but it's a start! This weekend will be harder (weekends are ALWAYS harder to avoid spending), but I'm ready for it!

YAY! LIFE! :D

And then she saved (RE-DO!)

2012-01-04T17:10:00.000-07:00

Everyone gets a re-do in life, right? At least once or twice? Shoot, if I'm talking about losing weight, I've gotten about 10 re-do's! ;)

Anyway, life has hit me in the face again with reality, and it's time to have a look at things all over again. Remember that time when I decided to do a Spending Diet? I think that lasted about 2 or 3 months tops. It was very hard, and I struggled with it - and eventually lost all motivation.

And guess where I am now. $600 farther in debt than I was last year. Where the hell did that money go? I dunno - shopping in NYC with my sister? Countless dinners & lunches in restaurants? Christmas gifts? Yep, all of the above (and then some). So much for that idea.

Luckily, I get a do-over.

This time, however, I won't be dieting with my money. I'll be FASTING.

Holy shit - this is going to SUCK!

I'm ready to take it on though. Yes, I'm sure I'll whine and feel like I'm missing out on life. I'm sure I'll be grumpy from time to time. It'll be scary and challenging and may even put strain on some of my relationships. But if this is what it takes to be debt-free, then 1-year doesn't seem like that much.

Starting NOW I will not spend any money on things that aren't essential. I've revised my list from the last time, and here goes:

WHAT I HAVE TO SPEND MONEY ON:
RENT

UTILITIES

CELL PHONE

FOOD - grocery store or farmer's market bought only, in-season fruits and veggies and only when I run out of stuff in cupboards. It's very important to me to still stay healthy though, so if I need to buy less to get better quality (ie - organic), then I will do so.

HEALTH INSURANCE / doctor co-pays / medicine (when needed)

CAR PAYMENT

GAS (as little as possible – bike / scoot / carpool / walk whenever you can)

TOILETRIES (minimal) – toilet paper, paper towels, boxed hair dye (super cheap), shampoo / conditioner, cotton balls, q-tips, razors, body lotion, makeup base. Only the bare minimum, generic brands, and what I absolutely need.

WHAT I WILL NOT SPEND MONEY ON:
Gifts (sorry friends and family... homemade crafts or re-gifting will be happening)

Coffee at coffee shops (oh man, this will be a hard one. I don't do it much, but every now & then a soy latte really hits the spot. I'm going to have to learn how to make my own!)

Clothes, shoes, jewelery (I hope a lot of people are up for clothing exchanges this year!)

Thrift shopping (yes it’s cheap, but it’s still spending - and I'll miss it!)

New make-up (not including base – sorry, that’s an essential. I have a ton of eyeliner, eye shadows, blush & lipstick to last me a lifetime though. Time to use up what I've got!)

Eating out (this is a big one!!) – breakfasts / lunches / dinners

Happy hours (another big one) – I can attend, but soda water will be my drink of choice!

Movies

Furniture / Decorative house stuff

Haircuts (I can probably keep up on these myself with trims)

Books & music (God BLESS the library)

Wine / Beer / Liquor Stores (this is a luxury, not a necessity!!)

---------------------
Why am I doing this to myself, do you ask? I think this link pretty much describes my feelings perfectly. I have ALWAYS considered myself an independent person, but I have never in my life been debt-free. Okay, I was debt-free before I hit college, but I digress.

I want to be able to take care of myself. I want to be able to spend MY heard-earned money, and never have to work hard just to pay things off. I want to feel secure financially, and not burst into tears when something costs $20 more than I expected it to, or every time my damn car tags come in once a year costing me $85 (yes, I forget about it every single year).

I always used to think that life is too short not to live spontaneously. I feel like I can still live that way to an extent without digging myself deeper into a hole. And just giving up that careless attitude for only ONE YEAR will get me closer to living truly free than I ever have been before.

And that's pretty awesome.

So please wish me luck!! I'll keep up posts on this blog about my progress and tag it with "she saved" so that they're easy to find.

I'm puttin' on my big-girl pants right now!

Well hello, 2012!

2012-01-03T11:47:00.000-07:00

Hope you all had an amazing New Year's! Mine was spent with some good friends, lots of homemade tacos, and too much champagne. But we had a really fun time. :)

Unfortunately I'm starting off the new year SICK, which is a total bummer as I have been gearing up to start this year off right! However I'm still managing to keep on eating healthfully (including plenty of soup and teas), but the workouts have come to a brief halt though until my body can fight off the sludge that's nestled in my chest. Uck.

John has already purchased a pull-up bar / workout bench system thingy (it has a name, I just can't remember it), that apparently worked really well for him in the past when his roommate had one before. He also downloaded the INSANITY workouts, so he's getting on top of things too! I'm so proud.

I'm also starting up roller derby again next week which will definitely be a shock to my system. I prepared by getting a huge bag of Epsom salts for post-practice sore-muscle soaks (that I'm sure will be much needed)! It'll be great to get back into shape again though, and I can't wait to see all of my girls. It's been a little over 4 MONTHS since I've played the game - holy crap!! I hope I still remember everything!

All-in-all, I'm really looking forward to everything that this year will bring. I have a very positive outlook right now, and I'm really excited to start making things happen. I'm looking forward to tackling my list of "things to accomplish", and it's going to be really fun to see where those things will take me.

Wishing you all the best in 2012! Happy New Year! :)

photo from www.weheartit.com

New Year's Resolutions for 2012!!

2011-12-28T11:09:00.001-07:00

After totally kicking some ASS with last year's resolutions, I decided to start with a brand-spankin' new list to ring in 2012. I feel totally ready & pumped to take it on, and I am really excited to see where this year will take me. This list is a bit shorter than last year, but I also have some bigger goals to accomplish. So on that note, here we goooooo!

Things I want to accomplish in 2012:

- Lose 40 pounds (and keep it off!)

- Exercise at least 5x a week

- Not purchase any cheese or dairy from the grocery store all year (no butter, cream cheese, or anything like that either – unless it’s vegan, and I absolutely require it like for a recipe or something. Yes, this means that every once in a while I can have it when I go out to dinner, but I'm going to avoid it at all costs!)

- Visit my grandma in Erie

- Find a new job that I love

- Find a way to SING more! On stage, with a choir, karaoke, open mic – I don’t care, but I want to do it a lot more!

- Pay off ANOTHER credit card

- Start a garden / growing my own herbs & food

- Rally the troops (my friends & family) and make a crazy huge donation to a charity (whether with food, money, supplies, or with our time). Preferably do this with at least 2 charities.

- Make more of an effort to dress more fashionably. (I sometimes fall into a pattern of being a bit too relaxed with my day-to-day wear since I can wear whatever I want to work. I want to look GOOD, which in turn will make me feel good!)

- Remind myself daily that what I choose to eat directly corresponds to how I feel, how I look, and the world around me.

- Run a 10k (without stopping)

- Take a vacation

Wishing you all a very happy & safe New Year's!! I hope it's EPIC!!

All images found by Google Image searches (except the ones that are my own!).

Post-Holiday (cookie) Blues

2011-12-28T10:38:00.000-07:00

As usual, I let myself get kinda outta control over the holiday season. I ate when I wasn't hungry, I ate more than I needed, I had 3 cookies when 1 would've been enough.... it goes on & on.

It almost didn't even feel like celebratory eating anymore... it just felt like gluttony! It got to the point where I don't think I was even enjoying what I was eating - I was just eating for the sake of eating. When it gets to that point, it's not a good thing.

As I've mentioned in the past, I've always yo-yo'd in my weight. For a woman of my height (5'6"), my age (30), and my body-type (larger-boned / hourglass shape), my weight should be right around 140-145, and stay right in that range. At this point I'm right around 182.

Sure, it's not like I passed the 200 pound mark. I'm thankful that I've never actually gone out and purchased clothing in larger sizes just so that I can keep getting larger. I'm even more grateful that with my body type I gain weight pretty evenly, so it isn't as noticeable as it is with some people.

But that doesn't mean it's okay. I'm carrying around 40 extra pounds that have no reason being there, and it doesn't feel good. Sure I'm not 150 pounds overweight or anything, but that doesn't make it any less acceptable to me. I want to open up my closet and feel good about anything I put on. I want to feel happy and sexy in my skin - not trying to hide it under a billowy top and stretchy pants. I want to feel confident and happy and not overweight.

I've been through this many times, as I'm sure a lot of you have! It never seems to stick. Quitting smoking seemed like the hardest thing on the planet to do - it took me at least 3-4 attempts, but I eventually kicked it. But my continuous struggle with overeating, unhealthy food cravings, sweets, etc. has made that look like a piece of cake (no pun intended). The fact that I could even stop eating meat and never look back - there's something to be said for that! It's obvious that I CAN do it, now it's just actually DOING it!

Anyway, I'm rambling. My point is, there's no better time to start than now. Sure, New Year's Eve is coming up. Sure I'll want to party. But why wait until the new year to get going? Gosh, I feel like a broken record. But I want to do this. I NEED to do this. I need to change my life forever and never gain the weight back again. I told myself that I would never hit the 180 mark again, but I did. And that's just not acceptable!

So I'm gettin' back on that good ol' saddle again. I have the ability, I have the resources, I have the know-how to do what I need to do. All I need now is a good dose of willpower, and the support of my family & friends.

And it never hurts to find outside motivation. Last night I watched Killer at Large - a documentary film that was released in 2008. I'd never heard of it before, but it was in the Netflix instant queue, so I thought I'd check it out. It was really REALLY good, and very eye-opening. It made me not want to support the junk food industry ever again, and also made me want to work twice as hard at avoiding them all together. It also made me not want to be grouped into being a typical "overweight American".

I want to change the world, and make it healthier. So I may as well start with ME! :)

Here's the trailer for Killer at Large too. I would highly recommend it! I hope that you all will work towards getting healthier and happier in the new year too. :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS, & all that jazz!!

2011-12-22T12:11:00.001-07:00

Hey gang!

The lack of post has been because of the bustling holiday season, so I'll leave you with some lovely photographs to wish you well.

I feel so lucky to have everything that I have and to be who I am. I think people get so wrapped up in their day-to-day lives that they start letting the little things get to them - and don't take a moment to step back and realize that they have SO MUCH that so many other people in the world aren't as fortunate to have. I know I'm guilty of it from time to time.

So what I wish for this holiday season is that you stop and take a moment to reflect. Think of everything you have - not things you do not have. Think of your family and friends. Think of love. And remember that you are lucky, and that you are blessed.

all photos from www.weheartit.com

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Amazing Pine Nut Brittle with Rosemary

2011-12-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

My friend Alyson and I had a holiday-cooking-and-jam-making session this past weekend! It was super fun, and we got to try out some new recipes, and use them as homemade Christmas gifts. :)

One of our FAVORITES was this brittle recipe that Alyson found online. It sounded so savory & decadent, and we jumped at the chance to make it (especially since I had an abnormally large back stock of pine nuts for some reason). It turned out SO amazing and SO ridiculously delicious (a wonderful blend of salty & sweet - so decadent), that I had to share the recipe!

Pine Nut Brittle with Rosemary

Makes enough for one big tin or about 6 little bags of treats
We actually doubled this recipe so that we could split it in half & share it! If you double the recipe you could probably fill about 6 large glass jars with brittle (it took up 1 large cookie sheet when we got it all flattened out).

INGREDIENTS
2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups pine nuts (I thought this was WAY too much. We used what it called for, but you may want to just add about 1/2 of this and see how it looks in the mixture when you have everything going.)
8 tablespoons (one stick) unsalted butter (I thought this was way too much too! I'd half it next time, and see how it goes.)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary (definitely use FRESH rosemary, not dried. I think this made a huge difference in ours!)
1 tablespoon finely ground sea salt or grey sea salt (same with this one - finely ground is essential, and the fact that it's sea salt makes the flavor so much better)

DIRECTIONS
Place the sugar in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat and stir with a wooden spoon until sugar begins to melt. (The directions said to start it on high heat then lower it, but we burned the sugar the first time around BIG time! Definitely keep your eye on it, 'cause if it burns, it's over! The 2nd time around we kept the heat at medium - it took a little longer, but it didn't burn.) Keep the heat on medium to medium-high and keep stirring just until the sugar is melted. Stop stirring (but keep a close eye on it!) and watch for it to turn a medium caramel color. About 10 minutes total.

Stir in pine nuts, and then butter. Allow pine nuts to cook for about two minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in half of the rosemary and half of the sea salt.

Turn the mixture out onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper (not wax paper - there is a big difference), and spread it evenly to the desired thickness with a wooden spoon or stiff rubber spatula. Sprinkle remaining rosemary and salt on top, while brittle is still warm.

Allow to cool completely--at least one hour--then break the brittle into pieces and store in an airtight container at room temperature. If your brittle isn't brittle enough to break into pieces, pop it in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes, until it hardens enough to snap easily. (we put it in the fridge for about 30 minutes, and it broke apart perfectly!)

It really was much easier than I thought it would be (except for the sugar-burning, of course), and it turned out to be something super gourmet-tasting. Really REALLY yummy. :)

On another random yet cute note - this is how I found Fudge sleeping the next day. Apparently he stretched out and decided to stay that way! He's so freakin' cute.

Hope you're all enjoying the holiday season, and Happy Hanukkah to all of my Jewish friends! :)
XO

Helpful Cooking Tips!

2011-12-13T15:36:00.000-07:00

I was just thinking of all of the little things I've learned along the way since I fell in love with cooking & baking. I was watching a friend of mine cook in the kitchen, and kept cringing at everything he was doing wrong! It was a lot of simple little things, all of which would've made his life a little easier - and made his food taste a little better.

So for my friend, and for you, here is some of what I've learned!

Beth's Cooking Tips

Proper food storage enhances the taste of your food.
Tomatoes should NEVER be stored in the refrigerator. The cold actually damages their cells, causing them to taste mealy.

On the other side, apples should ALWAYS be stored in the fridge. Sure, they'll be fine on the counter, but after a while they will taste mealy - if you store them in the fridge, they'll stay nice & crispy & juicy. However, be sure to not store apples in the same drawer as other veggies - they contain an enzyme that will actually cause certain fruits & veggies to wilt and wither faster.

I also store onions in the fridge, as it helps prevent my eyes from stinging when I chop them.

Storing leafy greens (lettuce, spinach, etc) in the crisper actually does help them stay healthy longer! Just be sure they are kept dry. Some people say to wash lettuce as soon as you get it and wrap it in paper towels for storing. I've tried this, and it doesn't seem to work for me. I find that keeping lettuce in it's original bag with the mouth of the bag left open and stored in the crisper helps it stay the freshest the longest.

Use vinegar instead of oil when cooking pasta.
I know your momma has always taught you to add olive oil to your boiling water to prevent noodles from sticking together, right? Your momma is WRONG, baby! I did this for the longest time, and it turns out it's a complete myth.

Personally, I like to add a splash of good ol' Apple Cider Vinegar to my cooking liquid instead. It has certainly been more helpful to prevent sticking than oil ever has! And on that note...

Soak your rice overnight before cooking.
I know this takes a bit of planning, but it has become a wonderful practice for me! Just add the proper amount of water in a pot to the amount of rice you want to cook (ALWAYS brown rice, people. C'mon now.) - so 2 cups of water to every 1 cup of rice.

Add a splash of Apple Cider Vinegar (this is seriously one of my most favorite kitchen staples), then cover the pot with a lid, and leave it alone for the night. The vinegar will actually help the rice to germinate.

In the morning, turn the heat on medium-high until it boils (you don't even have to dump out the water)! Lower the heat to simmer and it should only take about 30-ish minutes to cook (instead of the usual 45 mins to an hour without soaking). Allowing time for the soaking process really helps your body absorb the nutrients in the rice better, and it helps you to digest it. For more information on the health benefits, click here. On the same note...

Get raw, uncooked beans in bulk - and cook them yourself!
Again, this takes some planning, but after I did a little research on my own I realized this isn't as hard as it seems. This is a great website for instructions on how to cook all kinds of beans, and you can easily find a cooking chart (for using a regular pot instead of a pressure cooker) with soak time / cook times.

Cooking your own beans takes out the processing ingredients that are put into canned beans, including sodium (there is SO much sodium in canned beans - unless you buy salt-free), and cooking your own can aid with digestion and make them easier for your body to process - therefore making them even more nutritious. Also, when you buy beans in bulk you're buying hardly ANY packaging, therefore saving the world one little step at a time.

ALWAYS use a sharp knife.
I once saw a friend of mine attempting to saw through a head of lettuce with a butter knife. *facepalm.

Before you start chopping, slicing & dicing, be sure your knife is good & sharp. A dull knife will squash fruits & tomatoes, and you'll be more likely to have a slip and accidentally cut yourself. I like to run mine through a basic sharpener right before I get started - just be sure to wipe the blade with a clean dishtowel before you start a'choppin'!

WASH YOUR HANDS!
I guess I should have listed this one first, but ALWAYS wash your hands before you begin cooking. There are so many icky-sicky germs everywhere, and although this seems like common sense, you'd be surprised at how many "helpers" I get in the kitchen that say NO when I ask "have you washed your hands?"

Always check the yield of your recipe first thing!
I have made this mistake a LOT of times. I'm in the middle of cooking up a delicious casserole, and halfway through the recipe I realize, "Hmmm.... this doesn't look like it's going to make enough to feed the group of 8 that I'm cooking for..." I check the recipe yield, and it only makes enough to serve 4.

Dammit!!

Or in another scope (such as when making cookies or jam), you realize that the recipe yields 80 servings, and you're making WAY too much! No wonder those cookies used an entire package of butter... whoa.

Adjust the recipe according to your party size - either doubling or halving the recipe ingredients when necessary. Just don't forget halfway through cooking what you're doing though! I've totally done that too!

Cooking and baking both come down to science. But baking is REALLY a science (that I don't understand).
I am definitely more of a cooking-type person than a baking-type of person, but I'm definitely trying to change that. I've learned through trial & error in cooking what flavors work well together, and I can flub my way through things even when they seem like a disaster. However with baking? I just don't get the science of how it all works. Therefore my advice here is: when it comes to baking, follow the instructions exactly! That seems to prevent most of the screw-ups I've created in the baking world!

Go easy on the salt.
It's much easier to add a little more, rather than take out a little less.

When it comes to spices, go ahead & substitute.
I have never owned saffron. Nor will I probably EVER own it, since it costs more than its weight in gold. So needless to say, when a recipe calls for a spice like this or any other ridiculously specific "gourmet" seasoning that you have to go to a special store to buy - I substitute. Or just omit it, depending on what it is! Usually a quick Google search can give you some good ideas on spice substitution.

Wear an apron.
Now, I know this might sound silly. But after you have flour all down your shirt or gravy on your pants, you'll think twice! Also I love aprons because you can just wipe your hands right there on 'em. So convenient. You can find some really super cute ones here. Maybe not for the boys of the kitchen, but I kinda like this one for them. :)

Presentation is totally important.
I didn't used to think this was true, but now I'm a believer. It doesn't take much effort to make your plate pretty, and that extra dash of color can add some healthy vitamins to your meal. After all, they say the more colorful the meal on your plate - the more nutritious it is! Add some arugula or spinach under that fried egg, and a couple of sliced strawberries on the side. Garnish your soups with some sprigs of parsley or cilantro for a spicy soup. It's true that we first eat with our eyes, and if you make your food LOOK appealing, your mind will find it even more delicious.

HAVE FUN.
If you put love and joy into your cooking, then it will spread to those who you share it with. That is kind of my new motto! I love cooking and I enjoy doing it, I find it so relaxing, and it makes me happy. Nothing is more wonderful than sharing a dish with friends, and having them go back for seconds (best compliment to the chef ever). :) Remember, it doesn't matter if something doesn't turn out exactly the way you wanted it to. But the fact that you tried, and that you know how to fix it in the future - that's what matters! Practice makes perfect! And chances are, someone will still find it delicious. There have been many times where I make a recipe that I totally flubbed, and I have a handful of friends that end up going crazy for it.

That's all I got! :) I hope these tips come in helpful for you, and I'll probably do another installment of cooking tips as I think of them. It's always good to share what you know in case it helps someone else along down the line! Especially when it comes to learning to love cooking & baking - I think a big problem with our country is that people don't take pride in food anymore. We can buy just about anything pre-made, and we don't take the time in the kitchen to make food our own. I truly believe that solving the obesity crisis will start in the kitchen.

So grab up your spatula, and start cooking!

All photos from www.weheartit.com

A round of Cute-Cute Boys!

2011-12-12T17:02:00.000-07:00

Nothing much to report today, so for the occasion it's time for a round of Cutie-Cute Boys!

I've already done a couple of installments of cute girlies here & here, so it's time to bring on the boys. I couldn't find many images of boys I actually found attractive (or over the age of 16) on the We Heart It site (one of my favorite image-search sites), so I thought I'd go with some of my favorite celebrity crushes, and the reasons why I find them so adorable. :)

The Funny Guys.
This goes for both the above pic (Flight of the Conchords - Jermaine & Bret!), and the below pic (Andy Samberg from SNL). How can you NOT love guys that are not only super cute, but that aren't afraid to make fun of themselves? These boys are fearless with making themselves look ridiculous in order to make you (and me) laugh like crazy. BIG time cuties, and added points for sense of humor!

The Nerdy Guy.
I'm kind of obsessed with the show "Criminal Minds". Matthew Gray-Gubler plays Dr. Reid on the show, and I gotta say - I've always had a big ol' crush on him! Probably partly because his character is so obliviously innocent, and also pretty much a genius savant at the same time. His hair is always messily adorable, and he's always coming up with the final piece to the puzzle. He's also a model in his spare time, so I guess other people haven't exactly glazed over his good-looks.

The Rockstar.
Sigh - Davey Havok - my first big time rockstar love!! I fell in love with the band AFI waaaayyyy late. I caught the video for "Miss Murder" while I was jogging on a treadmill in the workout room of a hotel in Oklahoma about 6 years ago. His face was just so lovely, and he was rocking my socks off all at the same time. I immediately went out & bought their album Decemberunderground, and realized that they had plenty more albums that were all equally amazing. Not only is his voice crazy-awesome, but he's vegan, straight edge, and cute to boot. Even crazier story? I saw him at my favorite vegetarian restaurant in Denver a few years ago. I don't usually get star struck, but that day I totally did.

The Pretty Face.
Cillian Murphy is an amazing actor (28 Days Later, Sunshine, Batman Begins, etc), and definitely NOT just a pretty face. He really is damn good at what he does. But he also has a damn pretty face! Maybe a bit feminine in a way, but oh-so-pretty. The first time I saw him in a film it was "28 Days Later". My friend Jen had seen it and said "I'm in love with the main character - he's so gorgeous". At the beginning of the movie half his hair was shaved off, he had a terrible scruffy beard, and I could not figure out what my friend was talking about! Then halfway through the movie, he shaves off his beard. Once I could actually see his face, I got it. :)

The Bad Boy.
OK I don't really know if Justin Theroux is actually a bad boy. But he's certainly been getting that rep since he left his wife for Jennifer Aniston. Now, I don't know the whole situation, but of course the media is having a field day with it! But what I do know is that I find this guy smokin' hot. A loooong time ago he was in Sex in the City (he actually played a cocky author that Carrie met super early in the first season, then the uhm...always-comes-too-early author guy in a later season), but I really went nuts for him when I saw him in "Charlies Angels: Full Throttle" as a gorgeous (totally ripped) Irish ex-boyfriend of Drew Barrymore's character. It's worth it just for the shirtless fight scene close to the end!

The Nice Guy.
I've never met Jason Schwartzman of course, but he seems like he'd be quite a nice guy. He always plays such quirky characters, and can be funny and heartbreaking all at the same time. I hear he's kind of short too, which only makes him even more cute.

The Super Cute Funny & Scottish Guy.
Yep, couldn't narrow down this one! ;) Ewan McGregor has been on my list for a while now, ever since back in high school when I watched "Trainspotting". He is another one of those actors that has a wide range of talent when it comes to playing different characters, with one difference. He can SING. I hated the move "Moulin Rouge", but I loved getting to hear him belt out some tunes - and I can't wait to see him play a flamboyantly gay man in "I Love You, Phillip Morris" which has been in my Netflix cue for ages. If you want to see him as probably one of the cutest (and worst) kidnappers ever, you should watch "A Life Less Ordinary". He sings in that one too!

So there ya go! I'm sure I could list more, but I like this list. I apparently have quite a varied taste when it comes to men! Luckily I have a super wonderful boy of my own as well. I'd say he's kind of my Ewan McGregor in a way. Well, he claims to not be able to sing, and he's not Scottish, but he does have Irish heritage, and he's damn funny and damn cute!! ;) Yeah, I think I'll keep him.

All photos from Google Image search.

Spaghetti Squash Alfredo - it's VEGAN!

2011-12-08T17:21:00.001-07:00

I made this up the other night, with the help of a friendly suggestion from my friend Cat. I was telling her I didn't know what I was going to make for a potluck on Tuesday night, but mentioned making some kind of Alfredo and dumping it over cooked spaghetti squash.

She says: "You know, there's a recipe out there saying you can make alfredo sauce with chickpeas."

Me: "WHA?? I totally have chickpeas!"

And the rest is history. ;)

I found a full recipe on how to make it here, but I didn't feel like following it exactly because I knew I didn't have all of the ingredients. So I did a lot of eyeballing & tasting, and guess what - it turned out AMAZING.

This is not only a great comfort-food recipe for all you vegans out there, but also totally low-carb, with some added protein comin' from the beans! GO ME!!

Vegan Spaghetti Squash Alfredo
1 spaghetti squash, quartered (& all the seeds scraped out)
Olive oil
About 8-10oz fresh spinach
1 can of cooked chickpeas / garbanzo beans (no salt added, preferably - drained)
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
Soymilk (unsweetened), or Almond milk, about 1/4 to 1/2 a cup
Vegan butter (optional), about 1-2 tbsp
Garlic Salt, about 1 tbsp
Nutmeg, about 1 tsp
Nutritional yeast (about 2-3 tbsp)
Boiling water

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Drizzle the spaghetti squash with the olive oil, and place flesh-side-down on a cookie sheet with a rimmed edge. Place in the oven & cook for about 40-50 minutes, or until tender.

Scrape the spaghetti squash out with a fork crosswise into a casserole dish (it will come out looking just like spaghetti! Just like the name, eh?). Toss the spinach in, and set aside.

In a food processor, dump in the chickpeas and a little splash of boiling water. Pulse until slightly smooth, then add in the rest of the ingredients on the list and continue to pulse. Season to taste (I was a little generous with the garlic salt). Don't add too much soymilk initially - see how thick you want it. It's best to have it a little runny at this point.

Dump everything over your squash, and mix well (you'll need to get it all the way to the bottom). Place in the oven for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees, or until bubbly. The sauce will thicken a bit after this!

VOILA!! A gorgeously delicious dish!! :)

This was great re-heated the next day too. I always love leftovers!

Enjoying the Holidays

2011-12-06T15:49:00.000-07:00

It's definitely Christmastime, and last weekend I REVELED in it! I finally perfected my icing recipe for my made-from-scratch sugar cookies (above) - aren't they just lovely? I brought them to work and they were gone within an hour. Woohoo!

It's probably a good thing they're out of the house now... John and I were getting fat on 'em.

We got a LOT of snow at the end of last week too - something like 7"! Ok, we've definitely had more, but it's been a while since we've gotten it this early down in the city. Personally, I love it - even though it has been pretty damn cold in the house. Last night it got down into sub-zero temperatures, and I found out which rooms of the house stay warm, and which rooms.... don't. Good thing I asked for new slippers for Christmas!

The one place you can be sure to find John this winter (unless he's up in the mountains snowboarding). This is basically where he was all day on Sunday while I was a cookie-making fiend!

I rented this book from the library at the end of November, and I just keep renewing it, I love it so much! All of the recipes are pretty darn easy to follow, and so far everything has turned out almost exactly like the pictures. Case in point....

Man, I need to get a piping bag! I actually made these using a ziplock bag with a hole in the end, and they turned out pretty well. More like "elf poop" rather than "kisses", but oh well. They're little meringue cookies, and they turned out AMAZING. They had to sit in the oven at 200 degrees for 3 1/2 HOURS, so that part kind of sucked, but they were totally worth it, and SO yummy.

The 3 1/2 hours of waiting for the cookies to bake gave John and I enough time to run to Target and get a little gift for Fudge. I don't think he likes it, but it's not really for his enjoyment - it's for ours. ;)

Hope you're enjoying the holiday season!

My Weight Loss Plan (Keep it Slow & Steady!)

2011-12-02T13:27:00.001-07:00

I’ve compiled my own special weight-loss plan out of a few different ones – including low-carb diets (which work, but don’t last - trust me, I’ve learned from experience), some of what I’ve learned from Weight Watchers (portion control, etc), and every other diet I’ve tried in my life.

This plan is designed for vegetarians, however I truly believe that eating meat is not a way to be healthy. If you DO eat meat, chose grass-fed organic, and limit the serving to once per day. You’ll reduce your carbon footprint, drop weight, and your cholesterol!

I’m not a doctor, or a health expert, and I’m not trying to be. This is just something I set up for myself to follow, that I feel like will be the right way for me to lose weight. I’ve been on many diet plans in my life, and not one of them has worked for me. Sure I lost weight, but every single time I gained it back. Tailoring a plan that is restricting but also allowing for real life and longevity is what is going to make this work for me. I love food, and I don't want to live my life giving up my favorite things. I don’t want to gain the weight back ever again, and this is how I will do it.

It may not cause me to lose 20 pounds a month, or drop weight quickly & drastically as some "diet plans" claim to do - in fact, it probably won't do that! But this is not about rapid weight loss - this is about PERMANENT weight loss, and the only way to do that is to keep it slow & steady over a longer period of time. It took me a long time to put on the weight, and it's going to take a long time to take it off. I don't mind so much about that as long as I keep it off, and in my opinion, slow & steady wins the race.

As always, please consult your physician before starting any diet / weight loss plan.*
*me covering my ass.

Beth’s Slow & Steady wins the Weight Loss Plan

Buy organic / local foods whenever possible.

NO refined sugars, refined carbohydrates (white anything – rice, bread, fried foods, tortillas, pasta, etc)

NO starchy vegetables (potatoes, yams), or high-fat fruits (avocado)**

ONE serving of “good carbs” per day (½ cup of brown rice, ½ cup whole wheat pasta, 1 slice of whole wheat bread, etc)

UNLIMITED vegetables, beans & legumes (eat as much as you want to feel full!)

1-2 fruits every other day (NOT every day!) – to limit fructose (sugar) intake

LIMIT alcohol to 1 glass of beer or 1 glass of wine 1-2 times per week. Choose red wine whenever possible. No fruit juice or soda. Don’t drink your calories!

UNLIMITED unsweetened tea & water. Coffee is okay once / week, with limited soymilk & natural sweetener (like honey or maple syrup).

NO cheese! No excuses! Eggs are okay, but try to limit your intake to 1-2 eggs, only once or twice per week.

NO oil! Use non-stick spray for cooking instead, and use water or vinegar in salad dressings instead of oil.

LIMIT salt / sodium intake.

ONE “Flexible Day” per week.
I don’t want to call this a “cheat day”, as that implies that you are free to make horrible choices the entire day. That is not a good way to have a long term plan if you think that way! You want a burger? Have one! But substitute a side salad or veggies instead of French fries. Dying for the fries? Get the burger without the bun! Want an enchilada smothered in cheese (my big weakness)? That’s great! Just order one instead of two, or get it a-la-carte. You want a plate of fettuccine alfredo? Awesome! Just limit your portion size. **This is also the day you can have your avocados and your potatoes!

Since exercise is so important, I’m going to workout no less than 5 times a week (6 whenever possible), with 1-2 days of rest (not in a row). This will be cardio mixed with strength training and flexibility (yoga mostly).

One thing I’m going to remind myself during this whole thing is that every day is a new start. I eat poorly & drink too much one night? Meh, it happens. I’ll probably feel like shit, but the next day is a new one – and it’s never too late to start again. Sure I might indulge a bit on vacation, but I can still make good choices while I’m away. And I can make good choices when I get back – that’s what matters.

This is what I will be using as my guidelines – I hope it helps you reach your goals too!
Feel free to follow my weight-loss adventures at this blog. :) Ignore the part about it being a 90 day challenge... this is for a lifetime, baby!

Well, hello December! How 'bout some Cutie-Cute Girlies?

2011-12-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, December has officially arrived! And what a morning - Denver is just getting pounded with snow, which I'm totally thrilled about. I LOVE SNOW. We've been having some pretty great weather lately, so it's actually really nice having a little change to welcome us into the new month!

No, I didn't take any of those photos - but they're gorgeous, aren't they!? Nothing makes me feel more smiley than seeing Christmas Lights tucked under a veil of snowflakes - I just adore this time of year.

To usher in the season, I'm doing another installment of Cutie-Cute Girlies!!

Aren't they just adorable / gorgeous / lovely? I love artistic photographs of ladies!

Don't worry, I will do an installment of Cutie-Cute Boys too. :)

Over the weekend (after Thanksgiving), I got a little excited about the upcoming Christmas season. Sooooo I got a little outta control and made like a bajillion Christmas cut-out sugar cookies. John has been eating all of them (no really, he eats like 5 every night), so I had to hide them from him! Haha!

The icing didn't turn out great (I kind of made up the recipe), but luckily I waited to do the rest. I'll definitely be using a recipe this time around! Now how to get John's fingers away from the icing...

OH - and we got our tree up too!! Isn't it adorable?? It's pretty small (only like 5' tall), but I bought it at Big Lots like 3 years ago for $20 and it's still kickin, so I can't really complain. John and I compiled our ornaments, and had a lot of fun decorating it.

Every year I buy myself a new Xmas ornament for the tree too. Something a little different and unique from anything else I have. Last year my family gave me a little bouncey Santa Claus that I LOVE, so this year I decided to go with a cute little glittery porcupine!

I found him at World Market (Cost Plus) - isn't he just ADORABLE?? I had to bring him home with me. I think I'm going to call him Theodore.

HAPPY DECEMBER, EVERYBODY!! :D

all photos from www.weheartit.com

My New Year's Resolutions (from 2011) - How I Did!

2011-11-30T14:57:00.000-07:00

Last year as my New Year's post, I made a list of all of my resolutions for the new year. Most were pretty realistic, some were challenging, and others were kind of silly - but I thought they were all great ones!

As 2012 is quickly approaching, I thought I'd asses how I did. And you know what? I did pretty darn well. :)

My 2011 Resolution "Results":
- Pass my skills test, and be recruited to an RMRG team so that I can bout for REALS! (CHECK)
- Visit my big sister in NYC (CHECK - twice this year! Yay!)
- Go vegan (& stay there) - Fail! Oh, well. I will always be me! :)
- Pay off a credit card (CHECK - just one, but hey, every little bit helps.)
- Discover something new about myself (YEP! It's almost daily, really.)
- Pick up a new hobby (I'd consider picking up drawing again a hobby!)
- Create my own custom recipe book (CHECK - I actually created it for my friends Katy & George as their wedding gift, so I guess the next thing to do is make a real one! Katy keeps telling me to do it...)
- Laugh a LOT (Always!)
- Ride my bike more (YEP - A LOT more! Been riding my bike to work almost every day!)
- Take a vacation (or 2) (CHECK)
- Have the most amazing 30th birthday party ever (CHECK - Roller Disco? Yep, AMAZING.)
- Learn how to tap dance (CHECK... well sort of!)
- Read a lot of books (YEP!)
- Contribute to a cause (YEP - in little ways, but yep.)
- Make my own Kombucha (YEP!!)
- See an old friend (YEP! Katie Keyrouse - TWICE in New York!)
- Take more photos (YEP!)
- Work harder at being Green / wasting less (YEP! Got a scooter, riding my bike more, am shutting off lights all the time, turning down the A/C & Heat, being more aware of my carbon footprint, etc)
- Get back into doing yoga regularly (WORKING ON IT - this is still a challenge for me.)
- Finish watching the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series (Getting there! On Season 6!)
- Create more (I THINK SO!)
- Do thoughtful things for my friends (I HOPE SO)
- Remind my family how much I love them (YEP - ALWAYS)
- Get another tattoo (STARTED - just not finished!)
- Make the world a better place (even just a little better) (I HOPE SO!)

How did you do on your new year's resolutions? I guess we still have a month to go before the year is up! There's still time, so get crackin'! :) Now I need to ponder about what my resolutions will be for next year...

photo from www.weheartit.com

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2011-11-28T12:42:00.000-07:00

Did everyone have an amazing Thanksgiving?? I sure as heckfire did! :)

I took a couple of extra days off work, and spent time with my fella and his sister Angela (in town visiting from Oklahoma). She's hilarious, by the way. Her and John were cracking me up ALL weekend.

Here's the spread from our Thanksgiving Day! Everything turned out AMAZING, and I think I'd make every single thing again. Here are a couple of my favorites:

Spaghetti Squash Casserole with Ricotta & Spinach

Not only was this ridiculously easy to make, but it was DELICIOUS, and made for some fantastic leftovers!

Sausage Pumpkin Cornbread Stuffing

Can you tell I like recipes from Real Simple Magazine? ;) This was another super easy one - I just substituted vegetarian italian sausage instead of the real stuff. It was a huge hit, and a great balance of sweet & savory. I loved that it was unique from the usual stuffing we have.

Double-down Tofurkey

The one on the right is actually Tofurkey Wellington, but personally I think the one on the left (which is just marinated Tofurkey) was the best. I just marinated it overnight in some soy sauce, red wine vinegar, maple syrup, crushed garlic, and hot pepper flakes. It was very tangy!

Oh, what a beautiful plate! :)

Some more pictures from the dinner....

After we indulged in all of the yummy delicious goodness, we all headed out for our usual post-dinner walk. I think it's a great tradition that our family has gotten into the habit of doing (and it prevents all of us from going into a complete food-coma afterward).

Jazz hands!

Parkour to you!

That's a snowball about to come at me!!

We are really a bunch of insane people, you know.

As is my way, I'm going to make a little list of what I'm thankful for this year. There may be some repeats from the last time around, but I don't really care. I'm probably thankful for it twice. ;)

Things I'm Thankful for (in no particular order):
- the roof over my head, the clothes on my back, the food on my plate.
- my wonderful family and friends.
- snow.
- police officers, firemen, emergency room doctors, and everyone else who works their butt off during the holidays to keep others safe.
- cookies. all of them.
- leftovers.
- seatbelts.
- Stuff You Should Know (the podcast).
- finally living in a place that has heat.
- flowers, trees, mountains, grass, rivers, oceans.
- farmer's markets.
- my bikes.
- roller derby.
- faith.
- love.
- hugs, high-fives, and handshakes.
- milkshakes.
- wine.
- Nikki's beautiful little boy, Nico.
- christmas lights.
- music.
- laughter.

That's all I can come up with right now, but I think that pretty much sums it up! ;)

I truly hope you and your families had a wonderful, beautiful, delicious Thanksgiving!
XO

A Visit to the Stanley Hotel (Estes Park, CO)

2011-11-22T11:35:00.000-07:00

John and I made a trek up to Estes Park, CO - hungover and sleepy the day after our Halloween party last month.

I'd been to the Stanley Hotel once before (probably 10+ years ago, before I moved to Colorado), but I didn't do a tour at the time, and I've always wanted to! Especially since I saw the Ghost Hunters episode where they did an investigation there... and of course, The Shining (about a million times).

It was a pretty rad tour, and really educational! I learned so much about the family who built it, their lifestyle, the history of the area - it was fascinating. Oh, and of course - all of the GHOSTLY claims!

He looks quite mischievous, doesn't he?

This is one of my favorite photos of the day - I loved the big ornate mirrors and the creepy portrait paintings in this hallway!

Close-up of us in the mirror. I'm such a nerd. ;)

The grand staircase. I didn't know that they filmed some of the hotel scenes from Dumb & Dumber here! The part where Jim Carrey races the girl up the stairs - yep, that's this staircase! I knew that when they pulled up to the hotel (in the Ferrari), and all the gift boxes fall out - that was out front of the hotel!

No, those aren't evil ghost-eyes on the right side of this picture - they're just light from an old-fashioned lamp!

John is a very scary ghost.

The infamous room 217! This is the room where Stephen King stayed, and inspired him to write "The Shining". Apparently he was so shocked with what happened to him while staying in this room, he pumped out the book in just a week!

According to our tour guide, a lot of activity happens on this staircase. She said that people often lose cell reception, or their phones shut off completely. I love this photo because of all the illuminated phones!

One of my most favorite photos of the day... I love that the people staying in the room below opened their door at just the right moment...

You may have to click on the photo above for a closer look, but it's up to you to see if I caught a ghost!!

A little prank with the doorway leading to the upstairs attic.

Going down?

Another one of my favoritest pictures of the day! :)

I LOVED this old-timey elevator handle - can you imagine this being how you got from floor to floor?

Oooooo - the basement. Spooky!

What a gorgeous hotel, huh? This is the main lobby. You don't see many places this grand these days, that's for sure! So beautiful!

What a breathtaking view!! I can see why the built the hotel here - it's so gorgeous!

Those aren't people down there (bride & groom) - they're scarecrows in pumpkin heads gettin' married. Ha!

Look at that! Isn't it amazing? I think the best word to describe it is "majestic". Really - it's such a beautiful place.

Some elk came by to say hello to us while we were leaving! I guess that'd be "goodbye", but whatevz. Pretty neato!

All-in-all I would highly recommend taking a tour. It was such a wonderful way to spend the afternoon, and the little town of Estes Park is absolutely charming!

I'm still getting caught up on all of my other pictures, and with Thanksgiving coming up, I've been a bit preoccupied! :) I'm out for the holiday for a good 5 days starting tomorrow (WOOHOO!!), so I hope you all have a VERY Happy Thanksgiving!!

XXOO

An English Breakfast

2011-11-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

I've always loved the way that the British do breakfast. Well, not with all the meat and blood sausages (*cringe*)! But I love tea, scones, heavy cream, baked beans and toast - YUM!

The other day I was at Cost Plus (World Market - whatever the heck they're calling it now), and I found this amazing scone mix! It's from a company called Sticky Fingers, and it's DIVINE. I'm normally a make-it-from-scratch kinda girl, but I thought I'd give this a try.

I got the Lemon Poppyseed kind (pictured), and a Cranberry one. I brought it up to the mountains with me over the weekend, and baked the Lemon Poppyseed scones for breakfast, and served them with Honey Noosa Yoghurt (my new favorite thing). If you don't know about Noosa, here is their website - the stuff is amazing, rich, creamy, OH so good, and probably another reason why I'm fat right now. ;)

You just add water to the scone mix, stir, bake, and enjoy. They came out light and fluffy and gorgeous - not dry at all! I am officially in love with this mix.

I made the Cranberry mix for breakfast this morning, and luckily remembered to grab another container of the Honey Noosa. I think next time I'll get a simpler flavoring for the scones, then try out the Strawberry-Rhubarb Noosa - it sounds amazing!

Oh - OH!! And how could I forget?? The limited edition Nutcracker Sweet tea from Celestial Seasonings is out again!! I LOVE this stuff - it has such a wonderful flavor to it (black tea with vanilla & spices). I can't get enough, and it went great with my scone this morning. :)

A Post-Holiday waistline.... Pre-Holidays!?

2011-11-14T11:20:00.000-07:00

I knew my weight was getting up on the higher end lately, but I didn't realize how much until recently...

... I had a very overdue doctor's appointment, which included a visit on the scale to get my weight. I cringed at the thought (I haven't gotten on a scale in probably a year), but stepped up, and waited for bad news.

It wasn't just bad news. It was the news that I've reached my highest weight so far in my 30-years of life. Yikes.

I've always been aware of health, and very into nutrition for healing, buying and supporting organic / local food companies, etc. I love fruits and vegetables - LOVE them - but I also love cheese, chocolate, pizza, ice cream... the list goes on & on.

I still jog 3x a week with Stacey, but that's just not enough considering I've probably been inhaling anywhere from 500-1,000 calories more per day than I should be!

I know that part of the reason is because I moved in with John. No, I don't blame him! But I think a lot of people hit this point in life when they move in with their significant other or get married. They kinda let themselves go a bit. I know I sure as hell did! I know John will love me no matter what, so why not have another helping of pasta? Why not stuff myself silly?

I'll tell you why.

I don't love myself right now. To be honest, I think it's been causing some problems in my life. Laziness, lack of motivation, stress, tiredness - they've all been around, and I know I've been ignoring them. I never minded a little bit of jiggle, but this has gone too far. I don't even like catching my reflection in the mirror when I'm getting dressed. I don't like this body.

And no, before you say anything, it's not just about getting thin. Yes, it would certainly be great to not have my jeans pinching, have my belts fit again, and to be able to snap my damn snowboarding pants shut. But it's more about being healthy and vibrant, and feeling good about myself. Feeling sexy and energetic and happy. That comes from within, and I don't like how I feel on the inside - and I think it's been showing on the outside.

The holidays make it really difficult to eat right, and normally I just give up around this time of year, and vow to get "back on track" with my new year's resolutions (as I'm sure most people do). But this year, I gotta start a little earlier. There's no damn way I'm turning down pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, but I'm going to be more careful with my portions / second helpings / alcohol consumption. It's amazing how quickly it all comes on, and how long it takes to make it go away again...

Sigh. Have any of you out there reached this point? Have you ever fallen into bad habits due to a relationship change? Any thoughts or advice?

Pretty Pretty Pictures

2011-11-10T17:15:00.000-07:00

Man, I'm way behind on photo editing, hence the reason why you still haven't seen my Halloween pics yet! Work has been busy, as usual this time of year. That's my excuse, and I'm stickin' to it!

So I decided to post some beautiful pictures that I found on one of my favorite sites We Heart It.

Enjoy the lovely images, and I'll be back with more to share soon! :)

Oh - and I'm in love - LOVE - with pixie cuts right now. Pretty face with no hair to get in the way of it - I love them!! Ever since I started growing my hair out I've been eying cute haircut pictures like this... maybe I wasn't meant to have long hair? ;) We'll see how long I last!

Supercut of Straight-Down shots in Movies

2011-11-03T17:15:00.000-06:00

I had to post this video!
I just found it on a random blog, and it's probably one of the coolest things I've ever seen. It's a mash-up of a bunch of movie scenes - but only straight down shots. It's fun to figure out which movie each clip is from, but also really amazing how powerful those shots made that section of the film - and how they're still just as powerful out of context (and mixed up with other ones).

Check it out! :)

Sweet Potato Tart

2011-11-01T16:08:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to make up a recipe that actually turned out pretty darn delicious! I just used whatever I could find in the cupboard and threw everything together. John and I ended up eating this for dinner, but I think it'd be much better as an appetizer instead.

Sweet Potato Tart
Serves about 4-6 people (as an appetizer)

INGREDIENTS
2 medium-sized sweet potatoes (peeled)
1/2 a stick of butter (this can be vegan too!)
1 puff pastry sheet
Honey
Goat cheese (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Remove pastry sheet from package, and lay flat on a sheet of parchment paper (on a cookie sheet). It helps if it's lightly floured. With your fingers, mush the pastry from the center working in a circle until it has expanded to a slightly larger size than it used to be. Bake according to package directions (I believe it's about 375-400 degrees for about 12 minutes).

Put a medium-sized pot of water on the stove to boil.

Meanwhile, slice up your peeled sweet potatoes about 1/4 of an inch thick, and add to the boiling water. Boil for about 5-10 minutes, or until slightly tender.

When you remove your puff pastry from the oven it should be just slightly browned. Smoosh slices of butter into the pastry (it will fall a bit, but that's okay!), and layer on the drained sweet potatoes. You may want to rinse them with cold water first since they will be hot!

Cook for about 15 minutes, then remove from the oven, and drizzle with honey. Return to the oven for about 5 more minutes.

Remove from oven and top with crumbled goat cheese. Slice into squares and enjoy!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! (And our Stanley Hotel tour)

2011-10-31T11:13:00.000-06:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! It needed to be said twice. :)

We threw a pretty EPIC Halloween party over the weekend - don't worry, pics are coming soon! John and I were pretty pooped on Sunday, but we still managed to get our butts off the couch and head up to Estes Park, CO to attend our tour of the infamous Stanley Hotel.

It really is a beautiful hotel - inside and out! It was fun learning all of the history too, and all of the ghost stories.

I just got these images from a Google search, but we did take a lot of pictures while we were there. We didn't see any ghosts, or get any kind of eerie feelings, so maybe they were all taking a break for the day. The tour guide said you pretty much can't stay one night there without hearing strange noises or being woken up in the middle of the night!

It made me really want to read The Shining by Steven King. I knew that the book was based by his experience at this hotel, but I didn't know how crazy of a circumstance it was. I guess he was teaching at a college at the time, and had writer's block. He stayed the night in Room 217 and had some pretty wacky dreams and experiences there. When he got home, he wrote The Shining in 7 DAYS. Wowza! I've always loved the movie by Stanley Krubrick, but I know he took a lot of creative license with the story. I would love to read the original and get my own take on it!

Tonight John and I are having our FIRST Halloween Trick-or-Treaters this evening, which I'm SO excited about. I think I'm going to throw on my Minnie Mouse costume that I bought for a party a couple of years ago just for fun. I can't really wear the costume I wore on Saturday - it's not really "kid appropriate". HA!

HAVE A WONDERFUL (and safe) HALLOWEEN!! :)

Pumpkin Pickin'

2011-10-24T13:56:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we all went to a big pumpkin patch / corn maze to have some fall-time-FUN!!

This post is mostly just for pictures, but as you can see, we had an awesome time. We ate fresh made potato ribbons, drank apple cider, ran around like children in the corn fields, and picked out the best pumpkins in the field (in my opinion)!

Kendra and her hubby came with us as well - it's super fun to have her in CO now!

The Shadow of the Wind

2011-10-21T16:07:00.000-06:00

I just finished reading this month's book club book - The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

It was an AMAZING read, and I'm so glad that we picked it out as our "Halloween" themed book. Although it wasn't particularly scary in a traditional way, it definitely had haunting scenes, and exciting / suspenseful moments throughout.

What I loved about this book went above and beyond what I expected - the characters were amazing (just wait 'till you meet Fermin, he's fantastic), and the story itself was peppered with short stories that all connected and wound themselves into the whole basis of the book. Every story that was told began to unravel the bigger mystery bit by bit until the shocking conclusion at the end.

The story follows Daniel - a young adolescent who works in his father's bookstore in Barcelona. He discovers a book called The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax, and makes it his life's mission to find what happened to the author and the rest of his books. A mysterious man is going around the world trying to find every one of Carax's books so that he can burn them, and Daniel will do anything it takes to find out why.

It's not only a mystery, but also a beautifully written and very poetic novel. It's a wonderful homage to the beauty of books and reading - and the way that stories suck you in and change you in the end. It talks about the importance of embracing life and living every moment fully. I'm not ashamed to say I totally cried at the end!

It's a pretty dense book (a lot of information you don't want to miss), but a very deep and wonderful story. I think the version I rented from the Denver library was just under 500 pages. So if you're taking a long journey, or if you want a great winter book to snuggle under the covers with, definitely pick this one up. You won't regret it!

Halloween isn't here yet, but I'm ready for THANKSGIVING!

2011-10-18T10:31:00.000-06:00

As I may have mentioned before, I'm a huge sucker for THANKSGIVING!!

Not only because I get 4 whole days off work (although, that's a big reason), but I love the food, the cooking, the drinking before noon, the family & friends, the smells of the warm house, the crisp air outside, the fall colors - oh, my - just about everything about it!

Since I'm so ridiculously excited about it already and it's not even Halloween, I have (as usual) started my menu REALLY freakin' early again this year. Here's what I've come up with this time around!

THANKSGIVING MENU 2011

Breakfast

Quick Sticky Buns (this is seriously the yummiest & easiest recipe ever!)

Appetizers / Snacks

Brie with fig preserves & caramelized pears (with crackers)

Coconut Curry Cashews & Maple Candied Walnuts

Side Dishes

Salad (Deb will help with this again - she's so good at making delicious salads!)

Spaghetti Squash Casserole with Ricotta & Spinach

Mashed Potatoes (classic-style)

Cranberry Sauce (Taryn always gets this job, because she's awesome at it!!)

Vegan Gravy (my favorite recipe - that's popular even with meat-eaters!)

Fake "Sausage" Pumpkin Cornbread Stuffing (obviously this recipe calls for real sausage, but that's not how I roll)

Stuffed or Roasted Mushrooms (my mom is taking this one over!)

Garlic-roasted Asparagus Spears

Biscuits & butter

Main Dishes

Chickpea Cutlets (this one is still a "maybe", as I've never tried it before, but I'm going to give it a shot sometime this week/weekend. It's from my Veganomicon cookbook, and looks a bit challenging, but it could be a nice change!)

Tofurkey Wellington

Turkey (John is going to tackle this sucker!)

Dessert

I was going to make Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie, but I think Taryn is going to take over with the pie-baking as well. She's just so darn good at it!

My little sister can't eat dairy, so most things are going to be vegan (except of course the obvious meat-stuff, and anything that literally says it contains cheese). But luckily that means she's good to go with about 80% of the menu which is rockin'! :)

I'm going to see what recipes Martha Stewart has come up with on her website too, as I'm always a big fan of what she creates!

John's sister Angela will be here visiting for the holiday too, so I'm excited to finally meet her in person. It's going to be a really fun (and LONG) weekend!! I totally can't wait.

What are your plans for Thanksgiving?? Are you as excited to cook as I am, or are you more of a watch-football-until-everything-is-ready type of person?

I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!! :D

All photos from www.weheartit.com.

OH, and how could I forget??

2011-10-13T12:04:00.000-06:00

One more quick post for today... (a bit of a background story)...

All summer I've been so bummed out that I can't afford to get a ski pass this season. In past years, I've always charged the amount to my credit card, then spent the winter paying it off. Then one year, I didn't get it paid off. Then the next year after that, I still didn't get it paid off.... and the debt just kept adding up.

Needless to say, I had to take responsibility. As you know I've been working my booty off with getting all of my debt paid off - which has included cutting spending wherever I can, and even taking on a part-time job on top of my full-time job. Last year I still ended up getting a 4-pack to Arapahoe Basin / Keystone resorts, but I knew that this year I had to be extra careful. So no snowboarding for me! SAD FACE but I'm a big girl, and there's always next year!

Yesterday was rough. I had a ridiculously stressful day at my day job, then I had to go straight from there to my part-time job. I got home late, hungry and exhausted. John was up waiting for me - as excited as a boy can be.

John: "I have something for you!"

Me: "Is that my early Christmas present that you have been peeing your pants to tell me about for the last month?"

John: "Yes. Open it. I can't take it anymore."

So I opened it, and burst into tears.

The boy got me a FRIGGIN' SKI PASS for the season!!! Not a dinky ol' 4-pack either - unlimited visits to Keystone, A-Basin, and Breck, as well as 10 passes to Beaver Creek and Vail. I had no words!! I hugged him and kissed him and thanked him endlessly. I have never gotten a gift like that EVER, and it meant so much to me. I quickly told him that there was no damn way I could afford to get him a gift even close to that in price, and of course he didn't expect one. Then I told him that I would love him even if I didn't get me anything at all for Christmas, and he said with a smile, "I know!"

Best. Boyfriend. EVER.

Dustin' off the snowboard tonight, baby! WOOHOOO!!!

Halloweenie!

2011-10-13T11:50:00.000-06:00

I'm LOVING this time of year, BIG TIME!!

Remember last year in this post when I talked about all of the fun ways I was celebrating Halloween in 2010? Well, here we go again for 2011!

Firstly - I rented pretty much every classic horror movie I could find. Friday the 13th, Halloween, Poltergeist, Aliens, The Lost Boys, The House on Haunted Hill, Nightmare on Elm Street. Some I've seen, some I haven't - so I'm getting all caught up! Last night I watched The Lost Boys, as it's been a while, and I had to revisit my favorite 80's vampire flick.

You know what's creepy too? I totally used to date a guy who looked exactly like Keifer Sutherland in this movie. It's really weird. And kind of awesome. Needless to say, he was a bit of a "bad boy". And kind of a dick. Maybe I actually DID date this character??

A bunch of my friends and I are headed to a big HUGE Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch this weekend out in the boonies, and I can't WAIT!! There's going to be hay rides, a petting zoo, mazes, (or maizes? I'm hilarious), pumpkin picking, and hot apple cider. LOVE IT!

Speaking of apple cider...

I stopped at the Market yesterday near my work, and picked up a steaming hot cup of apple cider to read our fantastic book club book "The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. It's a strange and eerie novel, but beautifully written, and I absolutely love the characters. I'm so excited to talk about this one at our next meeting!

Oh, and they give you a whole cinnamon stick with your cider when you get it at this place. Isn't that rad?

Coming soon (ie - next weekend) will be the Zombie Crawl, which I'm definitely attending - then the Zombie VS Vampires roller derby bout which I'm excited to watch! I've still been on a bit of a hiatus from derby (takin' a big ol' break), but I'm excited to cheer my girls on. :)

The weekend after that is HALLOWEEN of course! We're doing some pumpkin carving, then having our big party!! I'm so excited. On top of that, we're also going to drive up to Estes Park and check out the Stanley Hotel - the inspiration for Steven King's book The Shining.

I have actually been here once before, but I didn't get to take a tour unfortunately. This time around though, we got tickets to go on a "Ghost & History Tour" which I'm SO excited about! I love learning about historical locations (huge nerd right here), and ghosts too?? So fun!

Hopefully we can avoid this guy while we're there....

I need to keep working on getting my costume in order, which has been a bit of a challenge since I've been on such a serious budget. But hopefully I can make it work! I can't wait for you all to see it. :)

HAPPY MONTH-OF-HALLOWEEEN!! :D

Apple Pie & Sweet Potato Risotto

2011-10-10T11:39:00.000-06:00

Whew! After that last post, we need some happy happy fun time!

I had a great weekend. It was cold and very fall-like, but I got to spend a lot of time with friends, chill out, celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving for the first time, and COOK. Lots of good things!

On Sunday I hit up the Farmer's Market with Stacey. The Market only runs 'till the last weekend in October, so I intend to get in as much time as I possibly can before it's gone for the winter!

It was a slouchey-knitted hat kind of morning (luckily too - 'cause that meant I didn't need to style my hair). Ha! Yay for lazy-hat-wearing-weather! ;)

I picked up a BUNCH of apples while we were there, A) because I LOVE apples, and B) because I decided to make apple pie for the first time! I also got some locally made apple cider too that I can not get enough of. It's so delicious, and under "ingredients" on the carton it just says "apples". And that's the way it should be.

Once I got all of my goodies home, I started a' cookin'!
I pulled my recipe... (from the How it All Vegan cookbook of course - my favorite!)

....got all of my lovely apples unpacked and ready to go... then peeled & cored them, and chopped them up.

Like my fuzzy slippers? Haha! It was so darn cold in my house since I couldn't figure out how to turn the heat on all weekend. No, I don't know how to use a thermostat... I've lived in temperature-regulated apartments all my life! These "house" things are new to me!

Apples ready to be boiled!

The recipe is ridiculously simple, but really amazing. You'll have to get the cookbook for the full recipe, but it's basically cinnamon, apples, raisins, and the sweetener is maple syrup. Really simple, but really amazing! Oh, and some cornstarch to thicken with some of the leftover 'apple water' too.

Close-up!

How totally gorgeous is THAT??? I know - I rock. Ha! The only thing I didn't make was the pie crust though - I still don't have any patience for that. But I will soon I promise - it's really a big part of making pies, and I want to do it.

A very steamy shot. Again, showing how cold it was in the house!

After popping my super awesome (and almost healthy!) Farmer's Market Apple Pie into the oven, I got started on my Sweet Potato Risotto.

First off - I've never made risotto before. I guess it was a weekend of firsts for cooking! Anyway - I've always been terribly intimidated by it. I've heard that it's tedious work, a lot of room for error, and just a pain in the beedonk.

But it turns out - it was easy peasy!

I mean, sure it takes some time, patience, and a lot of stirring, but it's not like that is hard. I was thrilled with the way it came out and I'm TOTALLY going to make it again. This recipe is delicious, and I'm sure it would be great with any kind of vegetable.

Sweet Potato Risotto

from Real Simple (photo by Kan Kanbayashi)

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped

kosher salt and black pepper
2 small sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces) - optional! I made mine vegan, and just omitted this, and it still turned out delicious!
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

Directions
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the sweet potatoes and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute.
Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring frequently, until absorbed.
Measure 3½ cups of water. Add ¾ cup at a time and cook, stirring occasionally and waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding the next. It should take 25 to 30 minutes for all the water to be absorbed.
Stir in the Parmesan and oregano.

This is how mine looked in the early stages of the recipe... lookin' good!

I also made my favorite Vegan Gravy recipe (which you can find here), so needless to say the house smelled AMAZING with everything cooking. Another reason why I love this time of year!

I got to have my first celebration of Canadian Thanksgiving this year with my friend Anna, and a big group of folks. I was just thrilled to get to celebrate my favorite holiday twice in one year! Woohoo!

Anna made a traditional Canadian dish called Poutine.

It's basically just french fries, covered with cheese curds (she just used mozzarella cheese), and brown gravy.
If you haven't seen Hannah Hart doing the My Drunk Kitchen cooking of this awesomely indulgent recipe, you absolutely have to:

Yeah, how amazing does THAT look? Anyplace where a traditional recipe comes with potatoes, cheese & gravy is A-OK in my book. Canada ROCKS!

Anna was sweet enough to give me my own little bowl with my vegan gravy too. It was absolutely delicious!

After we spent the afternoon stuffing ourselves silly, I came home, took a nice hot bath (although not a very long one since I think I had a reaction to the bath salts I used, and it ended in a fit of coughs!), talked to my mom for a little while, and John since he's been in Chicago this weekend, then snuggled under a blanket with Fudge (the cat), watched about 4 episodes of "Firefly" (which I'm in LOVE with by the way), and enjoyed a nice quiet evening.

Sigh, I wish it had been longer!

Hope you all had a great weekend too!

Credit card companies SUCK

2011-10-06T11:19:00.001-06:00

There are people still out there that think that credit cards are so darn convenient and awesome. They're there when you need them in an emergency, right? You can pay it all back later! Well you know what? THEY SUCK!!

As you know, I've been working my ass off trying to get my credit card bills paid off, and get myself out of debt. Well, it seems easier said then done, because one step forward is always two steps back.

I'm trying to pay off the highest interest balance first. Which is hard because the amount is barely inching down every month because I still have to pay the minimum balance on the other cards to avoid fees. So I'm only paying about $50-ish extra towards the high balance every month because that's all I can afford!

Next - one of my smaller "no interest" bills decided to surprise me with deferred interest charges today. What are deferred interest charges do you ask? OH, I'm SO glad you asked. They add up all of the damn interest that you weren't getting charged, then without telling you BAM!!! They tack it onto your account. Apparently you have a certain amount you have to have paid off by a certain time, otherwise they charge you ALL OF THAT BACK INTEREST AT ONCE!! It's complete bullshit. I thought I had my amount paid down, but then they said "Oh, you still owed $21 on that amount". So I got charged $200 of back interest. How does that make any fucking sense???

Sorry - I probably should have warned you that I'd be cursing a lot in this post.

Anyway - I called the company and because I have a good record he reduced it by half (as long as I got the $21 paid by today). It's still bullshit, but I guess it's better than nothing.

I just don't understand ANY OF THIS!! Our country is up to our neck in debt, but the credit card companies just keep making it worse!! I guess I can't put all of the blame on them since it's our fault that we're spending beyond our means, right? Maybe not... the price of living is so high right now, and to stay in competition we almost have to spend beyond our means. I dunno - I could philosophize about this forever, but in the end I've come to two conclusions.....

IF YOU DON'T HAVE A CREDIT CARD NOW - DON'T EVER GET ONE.
If you can't buy it, then you can't buy it. Simple as that.

IF YOU HAVE CREDIT CARDS - PAY THEM OFF AND CUT THEM UP.
That's my goal anyway.... if the fucking companies would LET ME!!

Ugh - needless to say I've been in angry frustrated tears today. I see my total number inching down little by little, then one day goes by and it jumps up by $200. It's unbelievably frustrating, and really does make me want to throw up my hands and say "fuck it - I'm just going to be in debt forever just like everyone else".

But I can't do that, because I've done that for ages and it always puts me back in the same place. I just don't know how to do this. It's taking so much of my energy, and I feel like I'm working towards the right things and the right goals, but it doesn't seem to be changing anything. The part-time job is helping a little with getting money towards my debt (I'm pretty much putting all of it towards that), but that's another frustrating thing in itself - I have to keep a second fucking job just to get my debt paid off!

Sigh.

That's all for today. Hopefully things will look better tomorrow...

*all images found on a google image search for "credit card evil". appropriate, eh?

"Over the Weekend" (with Butternut Squash Pasta)

2011-10-03T14:15:00.001-06:00

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!!

Mine actually turned out more relaxing (and productive) than I expected it to be, which was pretty darn awesome.

John and I hit up the Farmer's Market by us - it's all over for the year at the end of October! NOOOOOO!!!! I'm going to miss the market BIG time. I love fall / winter, but it'll be hard letting that go. Luckily there is an indoor market, but it isn't quite the same since, you know, nothing gets harvested in the winter. ;)

How totally gorgeous are these flowers? I just adore the colors of autumn...

John and his ever-fabulous sunglasses.

More flowers (of course) - sooooo pretty!

We spent all of our cash on fresh fruits & veggies, but we were both super tempted by the food stands! We pooled together our last $3 and got a mushroom, cheese, onion empinada with homemade spicy relish. It was delish!

Only downfall was that afterward my tummy hurt pretty badly... I think I'm having problems with cheese. See more below about that.

After the Farmer's Market, John and I did some cookin'. He made sausage-stuffed bacon-wrapped jalapenos (which I did NOT take pictures of, nor partake in - although they smelled heavenly). I made up my own creation since I had to use my butternut squash that's been sitting on the counter for a month!

Butternut Squash Pasta with Pine Nuts & Goat Cheese

INGREDIENTS

1 butternut squash, peeled & seeded, cut into 1/2 to 1" chunks

1/2 cup pine nuts

1 bag of pasta (any kind - I used bowtie)

Goat cheese

Butter / olive oil

Salt & pepper

Butternut squash soup (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Spread out your butternut squash chunks on a cookie sheet, and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil. Season with salt & pepper, and place in the oven at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes (this can be done ahead of time).

They should come out looking like this! Loverly!

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile lightly toast the pine nuts in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat (be VERY CAREFUL to not walk away while doing this - they burn so darn easily!).

In a small saucepan, melt some butter with some pre-made butternut squash soup. I just happened to have this in the fridge, so I decided to use it, but feel free to just use butter with a splash of soymilk and a little bit of flour to thicken. You really don't need much sauce for this recipe - it's really just to add flavor.

Drain pasta, and put into a bowl. Mix in the pine nuts and the butternut squash, as well as the "sauce". Season well with salt & pepper. Top with crumbled goat cheese.

This turned out SO delicious, and it will be a perfect meal on a cold winter's day. Of course it was about 80 degrees when I was having it, but whatevz. ;)

Again, after eating this, my tummy was doing flip-flops. I am pretty darn sure it was the cheese. I've been putting on a few pounds lately - mostly from over-eating and indulging in whatever the heck I want (ice cream, wine, pizza - not necessarily in that order). I am getting back into a bit of a health-kick for a little while, as my jeans are getting a bit tight!

Yes, my motivation is that I don't want to buy bigger pants. I think that's good enough!

Basic Survival Skills

2011-09-30T12:12:00.001-06:00

Last night John and I made a trek out to Boulder to attend a free Basic Survival Skills class at REI.

It was hosted by Ford Church - the founder of the Cottonwood Institute. It's a great program, by the way - it helps kids (and adults) get outdoors and explore nature and the world around us! From the website, it was founded "to inspire young people to initiate positive change in their schools, their communities, and the environment in order to strengthen their civic engagement, environmental stewardship, and leadership skills."

Pretty rad, huh? Like camp, but WAY better.

Anyhew, the class really just touched on the basics, but it was a great start for things to know if you ever get stuck in a sticky situation. Here is a VERY basic list of some of the things I learned.

1.) Be prepared before you even leave your home.
This seems pretty self-explanatory, right? You'd be surprised how many people do not leave prepared for their hike in the wilderness. Basically, have your map (and know how to read it), have your compass (and know how to use it), and ALWAYS tell someone where you're going.

2.) Always be ready in case of an emergency.

This means carrying things on your person (not necessarily in your bag, because it could always get lost or fall off a cliff - which has really happened!). Our instructor says that whenever he goes on a hike or when he's teaching a class, he always has a good knife on a string around his neck, with a matchless striker attached to it in case he needs to start a fire. Smart smart!!

3.) Shelter comes first.

If you're lost, and darkness is approaching, food and water are not your top priority. Staying warm is - and with temperatures dropping significantly in higher elevations at nightfall, well you better be ready! You need to keep your body away from the ground on some kind of bedding. You can do this with pine needles then covering yourself with them (it'll make a kind of "convection" of your body heat). He gave us examples of simple lean-to's and things like that as well.

4.) Remember the simple rule of 3's.
3 minutes without AIR
3 hours without SHELTER

3 days without WATER

3 weeks without FOOD

And yes, these are in order of priority.

We learned much more than that, but those are some of the bare-bones basics that we learned. I could go into more detail, but I didn't take full notes about everything! ;)

Some things that Ford suggested for us to always take with us in case of an emergency:

- 3 different ways to start a fire (ex: strike-anywhere matches in a waterproof container, a lighter, and a matchless striker)

- cottonballs rolled around in petroleum jelly (he said it's a great way to get a fire started - just light the cotton in the middle, and it will burn much longer when it catches the jelly on the outside)

- A good knife

- An army surplus rain jacket (for shelter as a tarp, and many other uses)

- a space wrap (I may be calling this the wrong thing, but it's the really shiny super thin silver sheet that reflects your own body heat. It can be used to signal for help by reflecting, or to hold in body warmth.)

- A flashlight or LED light (signaling for help - S.O.S.)

- heavy string / twine (for putting together a shelter)

It was a very informative meeting, and I'm really glad that we went! I really didn't know as much as I thought I did. How about that?

After the lecture, John and I headed out to find some grub. We ended up at the Walnut Brewery & Restaurant, and enjoyed a pretty fantastic meal!

We started with spinach & jalapeno cheese dip which was ridiculously good. John got the 2:00am Burger (topped with hash browns, cheese, bacon and a fried egg - oh, my!), and I got their homemade Veggie Burger.

Why, yes it's a heart attack on a plate. But it's SOOOO GOOOOD!

I really think this is one of the best in-restaurant veggie burgers I've ever had. SO HAPPY that they weren't trying to offer me another damn Boca Burger. Go for homemade!! :)

And yes, that's mayo on the side. Don't judge me.

We also shared a flight of their beers, John went with the Buffalo Gold, and I got their ROCKtoberfest which was deeeeelish!

All-in-all turned out to be a pretty great date with my fella. We learned stuff and we ate stuff, and it was pretty damn good!

Tomato, Asparagus, Mushroom Pizza - plus, Das Hustlehoff 5k!

2011-09-26T15:40:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite quick-meals to make is pizza with a big 13" tortilla instead of dough. It's like having a pre-made pizza crust around all the time! I like to buy the different flavors that they sell at the Farmer's market, but any kind will do. I can eat a whole one by myself, but if you're watching portions, you could easily split this with someone!

Tomato, Asparagus & Mushroom Pizza (personal-size)
- 1 13" tortilla
- 1/2 a heirloom tomato (sliced)
- 4-5 mushrooms (sliced)
- 4-5 stalks of asparagus (cut length-wise in half)
- tomato sauce (about 1/3 a cup)
- your choice of cheese (I used a mozzarella / provolone blend, with a little bit of asiago)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile, assemble your pizza! I use a spoon to spread out the sauce, then I do the cheese next, and the vegetable toppings last. Like so:

I like to arrange everything so it's pretty-like!

Next, season everything with a little bit of salt & pepper, and garlic salt if desired. I like to spray the top with oil as well.

Pop it in the oven and cook for about 5-10 minutes! When the edges start getting crispy, it's ready to go. Let it cool for a minute before cutting too - it makes it a little easier since the tortilla makes for a flimsy crust. Using a large spatula, carefully lift each piece and transfer to a plate. Enjoy!

Yep, I may have to have this again for dinner tonight! YUM!

On another non-food related note - Fall is definitely here! I loved the wind rustling through the leaves outside my work the other day that I took a pic while relaxing on my break...

More lovely fall pictures to come soon!

OH, and did I mention that Stacey & I finished our 5k last weekend??? Well we did!! It was for the Das Hustlehoff 5k in downtown Denver - for Oktoberfest. They encouraged people to come "in costume" so naturally, I did! What's funny is that I already owned that costume - I've had it under my bed for ages just in case I needed it. It came in handy after all!

I love these shots of us crossing the finish line together. We're so damn happy! We finished in 33 minutes 38 seconds - no walking. I was elated, and we already signed up for our next race! WE ROCK!! :)

Stacey & I celebrating with free beer after the race. I'm so proud of us!

Halloween PARTY - Decorating Ideas

2011-09-21T12:40:00.000-06:00

I know - not for another month... well more than a month. But I LOVE Halloween!

This year me and my fella are throwing a big party, which will be a ton of fun. I really want to go all out without spending a bunch of dough, so that means I'll need to get pretty crafty.

I found some great ideas on Martha Stewart's website (which about half of the pictures below are from). Any more ideas?? Anything would be helpful!

I think this is a fantastic idea - and so simple! All it would take is some black paper, a bit of time with scissors, and some tape. And it looks almost pretty if you ask me!

This idea would be awesome... if I still drank milk. Well, I do drink Almond and Soymilk, but those cartons probably wouldn't work quite as well. Darnit!

I kind of LOVE this idea. On Martha's website she wants you to make the "mirror" yourself, but I bet just cutting out paper eyes and sticking them to the bathroom mirror would work just as well.

I love the look of these fake ravens everywhere. The only thing is that fake birds can get pretty pricey. Maybe I could create a similar effect with cardboard birds??

This is great if most of the light for your party is coming from candles - any other light in the room wouldn't make the shadows. It's a neat idea though!

I think this is absolutely hilarious!!

I think my favorites in this one are the owls. You'll have to check out Martha's website on how to make 'em though!

I think these apple "shrunken heads" are a total riot. And pretty darn cheap to make too!

OH, and just so you know - this is who I'm thinking of being for Halloween. It's going to be quite a challenge, but I think I'm up for it! What's even more hilarious is that John might be going as the exact same person. Which is even more awesome. :)

Black Swan

2011-09-20T16:09:00.000-06:00

I finally watched "Black Swan" which I've been meaning to do since...oh, it came out in theaters?

I actually rented it from the library, so naturally it took about 3 months to come in. But it was worth the wait (and free no less)! ;)

This was definitely an intense film. Really beautifully shot, and Natalie Portman absolutely blew me away. I mean, this girl is amazing. And Mila Kunis was awesome too as her opposite! I was very impressed with everything about this film. It was dark, and strange and creepy - but really worth watching. Click here for a great review and interpretation of it!

You can really tell that these girls worked their asses off to portray experienced dancers too. And I didn't think that their bodies could get any tinier but they totally did. And muscular - WOW! I have heard that Natalie Portman was criticized because she used a body double in a couple of scenes. Gimme a BREAK people! This girl clearly worked unbelievably hard for this role, and so what if she used a double - she still did most of the work herself.

I still don't know how people can move their bodies the way that dancers do - or deal with the pain and stress of it all at the same time. Dancers are the most amazing (and most graceful) athletes on the planet!

Sunday Funday / Sister's Birthday / Book Club!

2011-09-19T16:43:00.000-06:00

Time to play a bit of catch-up! :)

A couple of weekends ago my friends all gathered for "Sunday Funday" in Wash Park. We used to do these pretty much every Sunday during the summer, but everyone has been so busy that our first of the summer kind of ended up being the last! Whoops!

We still had a great time - there were plenty of games to be played, and plenty of catching-up to do with everyone. It cooled off a lot at night too which was great!

Oh my gosh - I'm such a dork. Haha!

I kind of love this picture of Katy & George! Aren't they just gorgeous?

What a beautiful evening, and a great way to round out the summer!

This past weekend was quite fun in itself! Thursday was my little sister's birthday, so we met up in the morning before I had to go to work. We went to Watercourse (just one of our most favorite restaurants in Denver), and when the server found out it was Taryn's birthday, he brought her a little surprise!

Yeah, that's a vegan sweet potato cinnamon roll. That's what I call a happy birthday!

On Sunday we had Book Club - we read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland last month. We also welcomed our newest member, Kendra! Check out her blog A Grimm Tale - she just moved to Denver, and we loved that she wanted to join our little club. She rocks!

This pic is blurry, but Lauren decided to dress very Alice in Wonderland -like for the meeting. It was totally adorable!

Nikki also brought her little one, Nico - who was just born in July! My mom couldn't stop asking about him - I think she was just thrilled to hold the little guy. He's so adorable!!

Adorable AND fashionable! :)

Remember those sweet potato cinnamon rolls I just mentioned from Taryn's birthday breakfast? Lauren brought some to Book Club. YUM!!! I can never get enough of those! All the other food was delicious too - I just wish I would've thought to take a picture before I started eating it. I have no willpower. ;)

There's Kendra - our newest member! YAY!

We sure do love talking about books!!

Hope you all had as wonderful a weekend as I did! :)

Anywhere in the world...

2011-09-16T10:52:00.000-06:00

If you had the choice to go anywhere in the world - where would you go?

My Dad has made a crazy generous offer to his daughters:

Name a place, and I'll take you - as long as I can come too.

Last year my little sister went with Daddy to Fiji and Tuvalu...

Where the heck would you go??
No, really - I need ideas. Please help.

I've been to Italy, France, Scotland, England - I'd really like to go back to those places again and experience them in new ways, but I'd also really like to have an adventure somewhere else...

Here are some of my ideas:

Alaska

I know what you're thinking - "you can go anywhere in the world and you want to go to ALASKA?" Yes, I do. Shut up. It looks beautiful, and I bet there's plenty of wonderful outdoorsy things you can do there!

Japan

There we go! Somewhere outside of the US of A. And on the other side of the world, no less! A completely different culture, a language I can't even begin to understand - and some of the most amazing sights to see. Definitely on the list.

Sweden / Denmark / Norway
Crap. My dad has already been to Sweden (and relatively recently too). I guess I'll have to find another place... unless he'd agree to go again?? I'd love to group together a trip to all 3 of these locations too since they're all attached. ;)

Machu Picchu
This would be one heck of a challenge (for both of us), but I'd love - LOVE - to make the trek up to Machu Picchu. This picture is enough for me.

The Bahamas
My dad has been here too - but not for a while. I might take this one off the list though... it would be an amazing choice, but I think I'd rather do this as a "romantic" vacation with my fella. ;)

Iceland
Oh, how I've always wanted to go to Iceland!! The volcanic pools, the northern lights, the beautiful scenery. It looks absolutely amazing. This is a big one on my list!

That's all I have right now! Right now Alaska & Iceland are the two that I'm really leaning towards... but we'll see. :)

Where would YOU go?

NYC Visit - Big Sister & the Big Apple!

2011-09-15T11:41:00.000-06:00

These photos are long overdue, and look at that, I'm finally posting 'em!

I visited my big sis in NY at the end of August, and we had an absolute blast. Here are the photos to prove just that!

Since my big sis now lives in Astoria, I first took a tour around the neighborhood with her BF, Rob. This is the public pool just down the street from them (I can't believe that it's FREE! Even our public pool isn't free!). Unfortunately I didn't get to make it to the pool, but it was still a pretty rad view of the city from there.

Rob took me to Amber's work, where we promptly went out for happy hour. My derby friend Queen Elizabitch just happened to be in town too for her birthday (AWESOME), so we all met up for drinks, then headed to a very special bookstore...

(Amber & I at the bookstore)

Where we met Hannah from MY DRUNK KITCHEN!!! I found out she was giving a talk there a while ago, and we decided to go and check it out. She's absolutely hilarious, and just as witty and friendly in person as she seems in her videos. I told her I wanted to be her best friend - to which she replied "Okay!" (if you haven't seen her videos, do yourself a favor, and click here. Start with Episode 1, and continue on. If you're not in a fit of giggles by the end, then you're probably a robot, and I must destroy you.)

"Let's make a pyramid! And I'll be the Pharoh. Why do I feel like such an angry Pharoh?"

Yeah, that was definitely a highlight. :)

The happy pyramid!

To save moolah, Amber & I made some breakfasts at home. Yeah, it was as good as it looks! Fake sausage patties, poached eggs, heirloom tomatoes from Rob's mom's garden, fresh spinach, and cottage cheese. YUM.

The next day, while we were walkin' down the street - I found a Boba Tea stand and freaked out. I haven't had Boba Tea in FOREVER, and I had to stop and get one! $3 later I slurped down my icy & refreshing coconut drink. I was so pleased, I had Amber snap a picture.

We then headed to the something something pier (crap - I can never remember the name!) and shopped around. It was amazing to me how buzzing it was - and what a super rad place!

I loved the contrast of boats & buildings - it was kind of strange but awesome at the same time. Amber said it made her remember that this was still an island!

This is what I like to call "Muppet Face". It runs in the family!

After wandering around a bit, we met up with my lovely friend Katie at her apartment! This is the view from her window - crazy cool, huh?

Katie used to be in our Book Club here in Denver, but she moved to NY a little while ago. Her husband travels a lot for his work, so they get to go to some amazing places! It was really wonderful to see her - she's such a breath of fresh air, and so much fun to talk to.

We decided to grab some drinks and a snack just down the street from Katie's apartment. Apparently this is the "oldest street in New York City" - they actually have it closed off to traffic, so all of the restaurants have picnic tables out front where everyone gathers. It reminded me so much of Italy - I loved it!

Delicious cheese platter, and a beer flight! I thought it was funny that the Colorado beer was Blue Moon - it's just so normal here, but not in New York! ;) I think my favorite was Magic Hat Brewing Company's #9 beer - which unfortunately is not available in Colorado yet. Dagnabit!

I wish I could spend every afternoon this way! We had a wonderful time!

After visiting with Katie, she had to run off to a conference call, so we had a look at the Brooklyn Bridge from the pier, then went on our merry way. I may have bought some pink Crocs too. Don't worry, they're the cute kind - and OH so comfortable!!

Amber had to run off for an audition, so I got to wander around for a bit. I had to stop at Times Square again, but it didn't bring about the thrill that it did the first time I was there. Sure it was still pretty amazing, but I found that the crowds of people just kind of annoyed me. There is so much more to New York than this, and I think what I love more is all of those little places that are less obvious and flashy! Although the flashy can be fun too. :)

This is the next day - Amber and I went for a jog in the morning by her apartment (around the track - it was fantastic, and so much fun to jog with my sister which I've NEVER done before!). We were getting ready to head to the train station for Long Island where Rob was performing in Hairspray so we stopped at this amazing Thai place just around the corner. It was SO GOOD!

And Hairspray was AWESOME. Really, I haven't seen a musical with performers that good in a really long time - that was not on Broadway! I was totally blown away. I didn't get pictures though - I just relaxed & enjoyed myself!

CONEY ISLAND TIME!!! I told Amber that the one thing I really wanted to do this visit was go to Coney Island. I love old carnivals, tacky gifts, weird people, old signs and advertisements - so naturally, I was in heaven. This is for the hot dog eating contest. Blech! Haha!

Mermaids everywhere! Yay!

Oh the tacky signs and all of the colors! So wonderful!

I tried to dress for the occasion - I think it worked out pretty well.

I thought this little mini-ride for the kids was hilarious. I think it was probably an 8 foot drop. So cute!

This guy looks like he's been holding up that burger for a while now...

Now that's some creative advertising!

After seeing the sights we hit the beach for a couple of hours. Amber brought some snacks, and we read our books and people watched. That's my idea of a relaxing & wonderful day.

Yeah, it was a great day!!

I just love this picture because of all of the sailboats!

I think this is one of my most favorite pictures from that day. SO weird - and totally fantastic!

It was so darn hot outside that I cooled off with a cherry slushie. Amber got a rainbow Italian Ice.

The aftermath.

I love that they still have all of the old Freak Show signs up!! I guess they still do them too, but we didn't want to pay to go. I related to the "Tattooed Girl" one - although I don't think I am quite tattooed enough to make a living off it.

Yeah, men are pretty strange. ;)

The next day Amber & I went out for brunch in downtown Astoria. Holy CRAP it was delicious! We went to Mexi Q - they had a bottomless mimosa brunch special which we were happy to indulge in! I got the Mexican eggs benedict - with sweet corn cakes, chipotle hollandaise, and smoked salmon. It was heavenly.

This was also the day that I did the most shopping! I bought boots, new yoga pants, and then the biggest hit - we headed downtown to H&M. Yeah, that's where my money went! Considering the fact that I spent about 1/3 of the money I usually spend when I go on trips, I was still pretty happy with myself. And I got some great stuff too.

This pic is kinda blurry, but on our way home from shopping it started pouring down rain. We decided to get groceries, and make dinner! I made shrimp alfredo with mushrooms, and Amber made the salad. It was so yummy. While the rain fell outside, we watched about 6 episodes of "Lost" which I'm now completely hooked on, thanks to Amber! It's really an amazing show - I can't believe I didn't start watching it sooner!

The next morning I headed back home to Denver. It was really a wonderful trip, and I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to go. I love my sister SO MUCH and I miss her like crazy - but it's visits like this one that help make it better.

Love you, big sis! XXOO

Slacker!!

2011-09-12T15:00:00.000-06:00

I've been slacking on posts lately - my apologies!

Life hit me like a big ol' sack of nuts, and I've been busy during regular time, and lazy during the little down time I've had.

I have been cooking up some great recipes that I haven't been taking any pictures of though! Yah, my camera has been taking a break as well. ;) Lazy lazy lazy.

Here's a recipe for you though - I made it for a cookout on Friday, and everyone devoured it! It sounds kind of weird, but it's one of my favorite recipes ever, handed down from my mom. Everyone else thought it sounded weird too.... until they went for seconds!

Mom's Seven-Layer Salad* (that's actually eight layers**)

*I highly recommend making this recipe with ALL of the ingredients listed. I don't usually recommend that (I am a big believer in "making it your way"), but this time, trust me. I'm not a big fan of celery, but every layer plays it's part! The quantities are where you can judge on your own, as you kind of have to eyeball it.

**My mom has been calling this a 7-layer for years, but I realized when I made it for the umpteenth time that she listed it incorrectly, and it's actually 8 layers! Ha! It makes it kind of funny, although John says that "sugar" doesn't count as a layer. Whatevz.
INGREDIENTS (bottom to top)
1st Layer: Iceberg Lettuce (I used about 1/2 a head, chopped)
2nd Layer: Green Peas (I used frozen ones, thawed)
3rd Layer: Celery, chopped
4th Layer: Green onions, chopped
5th Layer: Bacon (I used fake bacon), cooked and chopped into small pieces
6th Layer: Sugar (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
7th Layer: Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
8th Layer: Mayonnaise (use the full-fat kind, people)

DIRECTIONS
Layer everything in a large bowl (glass is best so that you can see all of the layers!), and be sure that when you serve it to get allllll the way to the bottom! Best to not add the mayo until just before serving, too. No need to add additional salad dressing either - the mayo is your dressing!

I also made some Banana Chocolate Chip Coconut Muffins based on a basic muffin recipe I found in How it All Vegan (my favorite cookbook EVER)! I'm not going to put the recipe here, because you should really do yourself a favor, and just buy the book! Or at least rent it from the library and try some stuff out.

I just love that even though we were out of eggs, I knew I could find a super easy go-to recipe in that book with whatever I had in the cupboard. Since it's all vegan, we didn't need no stinkin' eggs! ;)

More soon - I promise! XO

A year of only eating home-grown foods!

2011-09-07T10:21:00.000-06:00

I absolutely love these videos from Whole Foods!! I mentioned the first episode in this post, and this is another one in the Thrive short-video series called "GROW". This family decided to avoid grocery stores for an entire year, and only eat food that they can harvest from their own backyard.

It's wonderful, and inspiring - and I can't wait to get my garden started next year!! ;)

Autumn is coming soon...

2011-09-02T11:07:00.000-06:00

...I can just feel it in the air!!

I didn't realize it until last week when John and I were talking, but Fall is definitely my favorite of the seasons. Maybe I always wanted to just be a Spring or Summer person, and I never really accepted it! I love those seasons, but I always get excited when I know Fall is coming! So this morning when there was a chill in the air, I was thrilled. I put on my purple hoodie and headed out with a smile on my face.

Things I love about Autumn:
- wearing hoodies and sweaters again
- snuggling under a blanket
- being able to open the windows instead of running A/C
- THANKSGIVING (my favorite holiday!)
- the leaves changing colors
- apple season!
- I can start wearing boots & leggings again
- butternut squash soup
- pumpkins (and pumpkin carving)
- HALLOWEEN (yes, Thanksgiving is higher on the list!)
- hot spiced cider
- pumpkin spiced lattes!
- warming up by a fire
- toasting marshmallows
- long walks through crunchy leaves

Do you adore Fall as much as I do??

All photos from www.weheartit.com

Lovely Lovely Photographs!

2011-08-31T12:33:00.000-06:00

I was browsing around some of my favorite bloggies yesterday, and I came across the photographs of Krisatomic!

Not only are her illustrations utterly adorable, but I absolutely love her photographs. They're beautiful and usually simple in subject matter, but they all make me feel so happy and calm inside. They make me wish I had a nice camera to play around with! (I still love my new pink snapshot camera, but it's not quite the same).

I haven't played around with a professional camera in such a long time, and these photos totally inspire me. Here are just a few of my favorites:

This one really makes me want to have coffee (or tea!) in a garden somewhere!

I adore all photographs of windows and doors. I love the little things on the windowsill here too - I actually have a similar photo that I took a long time ago in college hanging on my wall at work. I love to see all of the little things I used to keep there! I feel like it's a little secret in the shot as to where you were at that point in your life. I love this one especially because of the rain outside!

Same goes for Breakfast shots too, by the way. :)

I love that you can see the little bumble bee!!

I'm pretty crazy about Farmer's Markets, so naturally I was drawn to this one. Here's my post about my local one!

What self-proclaimed foodie doesn't adore pictures of FOOD?

This one makes me feel calm without even having to go on vacation! I love it.

Please be sure to go to the Krisatomic blog to check out all of her amazing stuff!