Getting back

Today was a full day.  A wedding prep extravaganza kind of a day. 

Items now crossed off the to-do list:

  • meeting with our pastor (for pre-marriage classes)
  • invitation finalizing & printing
  • (more) ring shopping (we finally got our wedding bands!)
  • hair appointment-ing (no clue what I’m going to do with the mop I am rocking right now, but hopefully she’s got some ideas)
  • closing my solo bank account (joint bank accounts, what, WHAT!)
  • laundry
  • gym time
  • re-packing for yet another trip (back to New York this time!)

That was thrilling for you to read about, I’m sure.

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It all started with the good stuff.  Berries and greek yog.  I’m going through pounds and pounds of fresh fruit this summa, and I lurrrve it. 

I snappled (snack + apple) my way ‘til noon.

For lunch I had a salad beast.

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Red was the theme, as you can see by the kidney beans, tomatoes, and dried cranz.  Also buried beneath the carrots was home grown lettuce.  Yup, home grown.  Have you met my mom’s garden yet? 

I know I showed some of her goods a while ago when I was posting on her composting, but since the fruit of her labor (pun intended) is now real, here’s a quick peek.

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Zucchini, oregano, lemon thyme, tomatoes, chives, mint, parsley, romaine lettuce, mixed lettuce, strawberries, and SO much more.  I can’t wait until the day when I can test my green thumb…until then, my mom’s garden is like my personal CSA.

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Romaine.  Spring greens.  Strawberries. [They’ve already grown to double the size seen here since taking this photo]

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You know you’re living the good life when you are picking your lunch straight from the vine.

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After my fiber baby was birthed (ew?), it was time for dessert.

Kyle and I shared a Wow Baking Co. cookie for dessert (I use the word “shared” very loosely since Kyle had 99% of the cookie).

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He is a peanut butter fiend, though, so it was only appropriate that the master be the official taste-tester of the peanut butter cookie.

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Goodness peanut buttery gracious.  One bite was all I needed to feel like I was indulging.  Kyle gave it 5 stars (though his rating system is unknown even to me, I think this is a good mark).

After lunch we got down to business.  My exercise has been infrequent and unmotivated to say the least, and I’ve been using our traveling schedule as an excuse.  However, now that we are back in the Bay Area for a few days, there is no reason why work outs should be skipped.  Given my waning fitness status, who do you think I turned to?  The one and only, Jillian Michaels.

I was sweating like a Mexican soccer fan (World Cup reference anyone?).  No worries, they made it to the next round.  Barely.

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I was brought back to life thanks to a Guava Goddess Kombucha, and then it was time to get crackin’ on dinner. 

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Chop chop chop.

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Boil boil boil.

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Squash + zucch + bell pepps + brocc + sesame oil =

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Sizzle sizzle sizzle.

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All together now…

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So simple, and yet, so tasty.  Summer veggies at their finest if I do say so myself. 

But let’s not forget about the side dishes…

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I don’t know if it’s possible to have a meal without bread.  Last night’s loaf was gone before the sunset, so this time we wised up and got a fatty loaf.

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Obviously I did my fair share of damage on this one as well.  Hummus may run through my veins, but it’s the carbs that I live for. 

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In addition to the veg/pasta and bread duo, I decided to make a little somethin’ somethin’ extra on the side.  You see, my family had a Caesar salad, and since I don’t do dairy (and didn’t want to be behind in the number of courses), I sliced some tomatoes for my own side salad.

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I topped the tomatoes with the above sample I received from Bragg’s.  Since all our belongings (including kitchen staples) are in storage until we move into our new apartment, I’ve been S.O.L. in terms of having my usual cooking goodies on hand.  

Good thing my girl K hooked it up and told me about these free samples.  Patricia Bragg has no idea how much of a hold her liquid aminos have over me.  I’m a lifetime user for sure.  And for all of you who want to know what Bragg’s liquid aminos taste like…you MUST try it.  It’s hard to describe since it’s similar to soy sauce, but not really.  Basically, it tastes like liquid aminos.  Sorry for the ridiculously unhelpful description.  But it’s good, trust me.  I also have Bragg’s apple cider vinegar and it’s another winner.

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I went back for seconds, and by the time I was done, the zucchini and squash must have expanded to ten times their original size because I felt like I was about to birth twins.  Sexy, huh.

My blogging may be spotty for the next few days as I am in NYC for a friend’s wedding.  Lots of reuniting with friends, restaurants, and bars on the agenda.

😀

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Comments (0)

  1. Judy

    Congrats on the wedding planning! Enjoy every minute of it! Wish you guys the best of luck!

  2. ksgoodeats

    Always looking out for ya, boo-boo! I still haven’t tried my Bragg’s sample (bad blogger, I know) but I’m looking forward to it!

    I’m pretty jeal of your mom’s garden! We can’t grow ANYTHING it seems like. We get the most deforemed peppers, “carrots” (more like fetus carrots), and some decent tomatoes. Oh but the zuc grows like crazy.

    Well done with the to do list! Impressive!!

  3. Holly

    holy food porn woman. your last week or so of eats has been insane – your WF intake has been (a) impressive, (b) gorgeous and (c) insanely jealous (of you to me). okay, this comment isn’t making any sense, but whatevs!

    i am SO HAPPY you moved to santa monica! my BFF and her fiancee are moving their soon after she is done with her clinicals for school, so obvs i will be in your neighborhood! this makes me so excited. i want to eat WF with you erryday.

    and yay for a fun july! i am totes jealous of all your fabulous travel, rest and FUN! enjoy your thursday my dear 🙂

  4. rebecca lustig

    the salad beast is gorgeous.

    xo bec

  5. samantha

    that garden! your momma must work HARD to get all that stuff that beautifully grown. jealous. i killed a basil plant (accidentally) after having it for 3 weeks…

    yay fun plans coming up, and WEDDING!

  6. beautyandafeast

    Those vegetables look so good. And yes, please include a World Cup reference multi-daily (I don’t know if that’s actually a word.)!
    -Kati

  7. Gena

    Hahaha. Gorgeous food. And I must say, your posts contain more comments about food babies and birthing than anyone I know. Perhaps you should switch from RN to midwifery?

    On that note, I’m off to nurse my own food baby from lunch 😉

  8. Gabriela @ Une Vie Saine

    Way to go with that to-do list- you’ve been a busy girl! The strawbs from your mom’s garden look delicious, I wish I had my own homegrown stash! Hope you’re having a great week, have fun at the wedding!

  9. Jenn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog)

    I don’t feel a meal is complete without bread, either! That looks sooo good!

    Jenn

  10. BroccoliHut

    Kudos on rocking your to-do list today!
    Loving all the colors in your dinner.

  11. Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga)

    i just posted today about kombucha and how WFs pulled it. good thing i am going to get a scoby tonite to make my own. I will hook you up w/ it when you’re local if you need some bacteria in your world 🙂

  12. Brynne

    Bragg’s = <3

  13. MarathonVal

    Those strawberries look heavenly… nothing like fresh, homegrown strawberries! I’m incredibly jealous… I can’t get them homegrown here and when I do buy them they are about $18 a lb 😉

    Have fun with all of the wedding planning excitement!!

  14. carolinebee

    OMG yummm! I’m still totally scared of liquid amino’s, the name sounds too scientific or something..freaks me out 😀 Have fun in NY and good luck with the planning girl!

  15. Candace

    Sesame oil is the best, I used some the other day w/ whole wheat pasta too. I am soo jealous of your mom’s garden, it is beautiful. Have fun in NYC!

  16. julie

    haha oh my god i’ve been eating raw tomatoes with garlic powder and braggs like it’s my job lately! i thought i was such a weirdo/rabbit hahaha glad i’m not the only one.

    umm did you read that in some whole foods they took kombuchs off the shelves because of the high alchy content??

    have fun in the cit cit citaaaaay girlfran 🙂

  17. elise

    Duh. Totes mentioned it in my WF post.

  18. elise

    pretty tragic if you ask me 🙁

  19. Sherah

    Your mom’s garden is awesome! Mmm, I miss my old garden so much. It IS the best to be able to pick your salad out of the back yard. You just can’t find a decent tomato in a grocery store, at least not up here in Seattle. A yard…someday…sighhhh!

  20. Erica

    Everything looks amazing! I came across your blog from reading Gena’s Choosing Raw blog… At any rate, your mom’s garden looks so…like a garden should look. I started my first garden this year and the bugs and critters love my crops, so I wondered, being a hippie, if you had any tips on natural pest control?

    Thanks. I look forward to reading more…
    E

  21. Maggie

    Duuuuuude. My Whole Foods (NC) took ALL the Kombucha off the shelves because they claimed that it contained higher levels of alcohol than stated on the labels!!!! WHhhhhaat??? They made it sound like a whole Whole Foods decision, but I can’t imagine the entire cooperation is cutting ‘bucha loose.

  22. Maggie

    Okay. I just read that you are aware of this abomination in a previous comment. Sorry. You may have to mail me a case.

  23. elise

    Yeah, it WAS the whole Whole Foods Corporation. SO SAD!!!

  24. elise

    My mom used to use a weird concoction to keep deer away from her flowers and it contained raw eggs, garlic and red peppers. Weird, I know, but it worked…no idea if it works for critters, though. Thanks for reading!

  25. Ethel

    your meals with bread are like my meals with rice….glorious!