just another meatless monday

Hey, friends!

Just got my annual "September Head Cold." Bummer.  I try so hard to avoid getting sick.  I gargle with salt water, get intimate with the Netti Pot, avoid sugar and caffeine, and all the rest of the tricks in the book at the first hint of illness.  This time around, I took it to a whole other level and slept in a different bedroom than my husband for the past week (he got sick earlier) and did everything I could to eliminate the trail of terror that is  bacteria around the house.  But, this time, the sickies got the best of me.  I'm especially bummed out because I'm 7 months pregnant (SURPRISE!) and I really wanted to avoid a cold and/or the flu but it just was not in the cards.

I'm sharing a recipe for one of my favorite homemade, meatless soups: Ginger Carrot Soup from Eat.Live.Run (http://www.eatliverun.com/carrot-ginger-soup/)  This soup is filling, full of vitamins, low on fat and high on flavor.  Plus, it is super easy to make.

Follow the above link to read more about this easy, delightful recipe.

A few tips:

• I never have shallots in the house so I often make this soup without and it still tastes great.  
• Use a 1 lb bag of organic baby carrots to avoid chopping and peeling
• Freeze your ginger root (it makes it so much easier to grate)
• Add a dollop of Greek Yogurt to add some extra protein
• Use an electric wand blender to avoid transferring to a blender, thus saving you on dishes

Sorry for the lack of flair, peeps.  Cut the sick, pregnant lady a little bit of slack, ok? :)

Enjoy!

heat wave.

Well, it's like 105 here in Wisconsin today and it's pretty much going to be that ridiculous for the rest of the week (so I hear.)  If you're anything like me, this heat makes you want to do three things:

*Spend all day in a pool or lake

*Eat lots and lots of  frozen treats

*NOTHING

I can't get you to a pool or help you shirk out on responsiblities and real life for a few days so you can enjoy some Bravo re-runs in the AC, but I can give you some direction on responsible choices for frozen treats.

Check out the below link to Eat THIS, Not That and then head to the grocery store.  I love this featurette in Men's Health. And ladies, just because this article is from a men's magazine doesn't mean we can't be healthy and buff while enjoying frozen bliss on a stick :)  There are a lot of trade-offs to satisfy any sweet tooth so check it out and hit the frozen foods section!

Eat THIS, Not THAT: Frozen Treats Edition

Keep your cool, folks.  Keep your cool.

black bean brownies (bau da bau) oh!

 Guess I haven't updated this blog IN OVER SIX MONTHS!  My bad, guys.    I feel bad that I've been neglectful but then I look back on the past six months (which have flown by at a neck-breaking pace) and honestly, it's a miracle I even remembered my log-in info in the crazy wonderful chaos that has been my life.

Anyway, how about I make it up to you with chocolatey, fudgey, relatively healthy brownies?!

I learned about the deliciousness that is a black bean brownie after my sister gave them rave reviews a few weeks ago.  My sister passed the recipe onto me after trying them for herself and giving them her stamp of approval.  I trust my sister's taste especially when it comes to sweets because girlfriend knows her sweets.  In my opinion, these brownies do not disappoint but I highly encourage you to try them for yourself. 

Bonus:  It's safe to lick the batter bowl since there are no raw eggs required! 

Black Bean Brownies

Ingredients:

*1 box standard brownie mix (I used Betty Crocker's Fudge Brownie Mix, Family Size)

*1 15 oz can of black beans (I like Busch's Lower Sodium Black Beans)
*Water
*Nuts (optional)
*Chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

*Drain and rinse the black beans; put back into the can (rinse can before placing beans back in)

*Add water to can of beans up to the brim

*Use a food processor or, my fave, the Magic Bullet and puree the bean and water mixture.  You cannot over-puree the beans.  You don't want any lumps in the puree especially if you're going to try and pass these off as regular brownies.  A big chunk of bean would really ruin the illusion.

*Beat together in a bowl your black bean puree and the box of dry brownie mix--do not add eggs, do not add oil, do not collect $200, do not pass go.

*Bake as instructed for your pan size and desired thickness according to the box.  I sprinkled chocolate chips on my brownies to try and get my husband warm up to eating them.  It worked :)  He put up a fight but finally gave in...and liked them.

*Cut, cool, and enjoy!

I won't tell you they taste exactly like traditional brownies but you certainly cannot taste the beans.  This recipe makes a deliciously, deceptively fudgey treat that will satisfy your sweet tooth without guilting you into 50 extra sit-ups for the day.

frozen yoga

it's a balmy -24 degrees in my corner of the world today--pretty chilly.  so, i thought i'd be clever and attempt to tie-in the frozen weather with a topic i've wanted to mention on this blog for a few weeks now: yoga.

ok.  i started dabbling in the yoga world a few weeks ago and i'll be real with you, no one was a bigger hater on yoga than  me.  when i work out, i like to get violent with it.  i like running and kicking and punching and sweating and hurting.  i don't like frou frou stretching and breathing and feeling good about the universe and listening to jazz (with a soft 'j') flute.

however, lately my favorite workouts have been a lot of just hurting and not so much running and kicking and punching and sweating.  since i like those things more than i hate stretching and breathing etc., my only option was to make friends with the enemy so i can be all chill and flexible and coordinated enough to get back to my rage place in my sweat dungeon.  enter yoga.

i thought a good compromise between my typical hate workouts and a more touchy-feely workout would be if i put jillian michaels on the job.  so far, i am not dissapointed.  yoga, to my surprise, is effective.  i'm more flexible.  my IT band isn't as problematic (i ran my first mile straight threw last week which is a big victory coming off my injury a few months ago.)

also to my surprise, yoga is tough, friends.  it is a serious workout and i deffinitely did not give it the credit it deserves. plus, you don't have to leave home and once you have the moves down, you can bust them out just about anywhere. and, practicing yoga makes it ok to go wandeirng around town in 'yoga pants' without just coming off as being too lazy for real pants. i mean, everyone else might still think you're just being lazy, but you'll know you're legit.

if you're looking for a way to stay warm and start limbering up just in time for valentine's day (ooooh la la!), click here on mind, body, green's beginning yoga website.  try out a couple of poses over the next few weeks and let me know how it goes (with the posing, not the v-day escapades  )

skinny dippin'

hummus: it's ridiculously delicious and, in my opinion, getting ridiculously higher in selling price these days.  i mean, essentially, it's just a bunch of mashed up chick peas which i can buy for 89 cents a can instead of $4 for a little tub.

i did some research on hummus.  i was happy to find out that it is also ridiculously easy to make.  i don't have a picture of the hummus i made because it's all gone already, but i do have the winning recipe :)

basic hummus

• 1 can no salt added garbanzo beans - rinsed
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2-3  tbs lemon juice based on your consistency preferences
• 3 tbs Fage 0% Greek Yogurt
• 1 tbs olive oil

i used the ever amazing "magic bullet" to smoothe up my hummus.  you may use a  blender or food processor if you're one of those fancy people that own one.  basically, just throw everything in your blending/mixing/mashing vessel and process till smooth. 

since chick peas are so mild in flavor, you can pretty much spice it anyway you want to.  the above recipe is extra garlicky because i love garlic.  i also put in some crushed red pepper for a little heat.  this stuff was great. hummus makes an excellent substitute for mayo on sandwiches, fatty dips for your veggies, and if you're like me, it's good straight-up: one tablespoon at a time.

this recipe made more than the standard small tub of hummus and took about 5 minutes start to finish.  it stored well for atleast 4 days...at which point, me and my husband had it polished off.  i'm not a mathematician, but i'm pretty sure this hummus cost me about 50% less than store bought and i got 100% more out of it.

if you have pita pockets lying around the house, cut them into triangles and brush with olive oil.  season with sea salt or any other spice you might like and throw those in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, flipping half-way through.  you'll have tasty little pita chips to go with your homemade hummus. :)

it's going to work out.

so...it's been about 6 weeks since we last talked.  i don't think you really missed me and to tell you the truth, i did not miss blogging...not even a little...not even if there was a fire (mad snaps if you know the theatrical reference, also, without googling it.) anyway, in the spirit of twenty twelve, i'm resurrecting this blog.

here's the quick and dirty:

• my leg...oh, my leg.  my leg is le screwed.  i scoffed at a 6 month recovery estimate. you see, they tried to make me go to rehab and i said, "OW OW OW."  my IT band is still a wet blanket and she's not going anywhere. she like, unpacked her bags and everything.  i can wear high heels again which is great BUT i've found i'd rather be able to bust out 3 miles without flinching again in my running kicks than walk two blocks in heels. it's all right, though.  it's going to work out.

• the holidays happened. i got hella fat. lack of exercise did not help. i'd feel worse about it if i had tried at all to show some restraint.  i guess i can't keep my inner paula deen on such a short leash because when she gets off the chain, bitch runs wild. it's all right, though.  it's going to work out.

so, basically, i have had no regular workout routine since halloween but i'm still eating like i was burning 500 calories a day.  makes sense.

it'd be cool if we could just pick up where we last left off.  i mean, i'm down with forgetting about the past two months of disappointment if you are.  i mean, come on, it's a new year and everything.  aren't we all supposed to be forgiving and optimistic and gearing up for our BEST YEAR EVAH!?!  i don't put stock in the theory that my life's trajectory can magically change at the stroke of midnight.  however, with persistence, perhaps i can nudge some things in different directions over the next 363 days or so.

it's going to work out.

t-giving countdown: stress

as part of the countdown to t-giving 2011, today i'm talkin' 'bout stress, bay-bee.

let me first start off by saying this is my 4th draft of this installment. apparently, writing about stress was meant to be a purging, cathartic experience as evidenced by my paragraphs and paragraphs of ranting in prior drafts. i mean, yikes, girl.

in my opinion, stress over the holidays is caused by our own expectations.  we either expect too much or too little around the holidays not only of ourselves, but of each other.  the date of the calendar will not transform you into a terrific chef.  it will not suddenly make you a patient and understanding person. the date on the calendar also does not induce a pity party.  yet, we commonly have these expectations.

anyway,

common causes and cures (in my own estimation) of stress around t-giving

cause: travel

travel is unavoidable.  it's a necessary curse of spending time with your friends and family.  with the inclement and unpredictable weather in wisconsin in union with the morons on the roads, travel, especially during the holidays, well, it just sucks. 

cure: plan ahead. 

 all right.  over the holidays (at least in my case) people on average have to travel to at least 2+ destinations in one day.  i've found it helps to agree on a timeline for arrival and departure at each location prior to getting on the road.  my husband finds while this is helpful, the fact that i'm typically always running late due to a wardrobe malfunction, is not helpful.  so, this year especially, i commit to planning ahead so we can stick to a schedule and live by it. 

take into consideration road conditions and peak traffic hours when planning your arrivals and departures.  most likely, you'll hit the worst of it around 3:30-5:30 on thanksgiving. remember: just because it's thanksgiving doesn't mean that people will suddenly drive responsibly. also, no one will die if you miss the kickoff of the next game in the event of an unexpected delay. don't let the road rage bitter your slice of pumpkin pie at point b in your journey. 

cause: people

just because it's a holiday, it doesn't mean that your mom will stop nagging you about your short skirt.  it doesn't mean  that your g-pa will tone down his frank and hella non-p.c. views of everything in front of your new boyfriend.  you will not magically give a damn about anyone or anything you don't give a damn about the other 364 days a year. 

cure: suck it up, buttercup

ok, maybe this advice isn't the best.  would you prefer, "get over it?"  we all can think of someones name right off the top of our heads that will always be "THAT GUY" or "THAT GIRL" at a family function.  you know the type.  they will either be stand-offish, throwing a bitter pity party of one at the kid's table. or "THAT PERSON" will be super perky and fakey and touchy feely.  whatever the extreme may be, you can only control yourself.  so, if you're "THAT GUY" or "THAT GIRL" you're the only one who can make a decision to adjust your expectations and your attitude. friends and fam might frustrate you, but they always love you. so,  hey, grouch-a-saurus and debbie downer, family and friends are probably the only people that put up with your crazy ass.  and if you are not "one of those," don't let them rain on your parade.  hey, if they are miserable or annoying all the time, your tolerance should be built up to their crazy-asses by now.  show them some love no matter how hard you have to bite your tongue.

cause: cooking

this section might just be for the ladies as us ladies are typically the ones who take on this responsibility around the holidays.  i'm talking about the womanly instinct to contribute something of beautiful, tasty, deliciousness to the t-giving festivities.

cure: take the easy way out

i am super fortunate that my mom and my mom-in-law are way into handling the t-giving meal solo.  i get it. it's a point of pride.  every year i volunteer to help and bring something but every year it is rejected.  this is totally a blessing, people. don't feel bad if the moms cut you out of the equation.  they are doing you a favor. cooking for t-giving can be intimidating and women often over-commit to things outside their comfort zone and beyond their general skills and abilities for the sake of wowing people.

tip:under-promise, over-deliver.  i volunteer to bring an appetizer or a dessert.  those are easy to make, easy to transport, and people can live without them if you totally screw it up for some reason.

tip 2: don't make something you've never made before!  seriously.  it's all about the test-runs, folks.  if you don't want to be stressing over a sunken cake or a runny dip, try it before you serve it to other people. and by "try it" i don't mean make it the morning of.  this weekend is a good time to test drive any new recipes you think you might want to whip out on turkey day.  side dishes and main courses come with a lot of anxiety.  keep it simple and remember, it still counts as homemade if you open the can and put it in a fancy dish or heat it up out of the freezer :)

you can't go wrong with....

*biscotti-delicious cookie that is great for an after dinner snack with coffee.  easy to make or buy.  easy to transport.  easy to love.

*cream cheese bricks with crap on it--not literal crap but there's little jars of jelly, typically with spices you can buy that you just pour over a brick of cream cheese and invite guests to "dig in" with a ritz.  easy.

(that's the stuff i'm talking about)

*hummus with veggies and/or pita chips--yeah. no brainer.

that's my take on stress for the holidays.  if you don't like my advice, then talk to my friend carlos rossi.  i hear he's a pretty legit holiday helper :)