IIt's Sunday night and another weekend has flown by. Here are some snapshots of my last couple of days: Hiking around a nearby lake Racking my homemade wine again My first pro soccer game: the San Jose Earthquakes My hubby introduced me to an awesome sandwich shop called Ike's. I tried the Sometimes I'm a Vegetarian sandwich - grilled mushrooms, marinated artichoke hearts, pesto & provolone - on whole wheat bread and it was seriously delicious. Found a new beach spot with forests that back up to the sand A pineapple, orange, kale, spirulina & carrot green monster breakfast Plant shopping I bought the plant pictured above solely because it completely reminds me of Katniss Everdeen & The Hunger Games. The plant looks on fire just as she's ... [Read More]
Archives for May 2013
If You Can’t Change it, Change How you Think About It.
I'm a big believer in the power of attitude and positive thinking. While I've talked about how readjusting your outlook can make your life seem so much better when it comes to trivial things, I don't think I've really discussed how I handle it when more important things in my life are bothering me. I think that in being an optimist, sometimes I have a hard time admitting when something is really upsetting me. I always want to stay positive, but then I remember something I heard awhile back that has stuck with me: Positivity is NOT the denying or lack of negative thoughts. It's the recognition of sometimes having them and being honest with yourself about it, but then being able to discard those thoughts before they fill up so much space in your life that you have no room left to see all ... [Read More]
Pan Fried Sesame Chinese Noodles with Veggies
Happy hump day! My morning flew by, and now I'm taking a break from work to eat some lunch (breakfast for lunch today: protein pancakes with strawberries & honey) and share this dish with you: Sometimes I like a bit of burntness or crunch to my food - not just the usual crunchy pretzels or chips, but I intentionally do things like burn my sweet potato fries a bit. So when I nabbed soft Chinese noodles at the grocery store recently, I had the idea to pan fry them instead of just cooking them as directed. After cooking the noodles, I used just enough sesame oil to fry them until lightly browned, and then combined the pasta with sauteed portobello mushroom, red bell pepper, broccoli, yellow onion, garlic and sesame seeds. It added just the right amount of crunch to these normally very ... [Read More]
Hiking the Merry-Go-Round Trail at Mount Madonna County Park
Hope that everyone had a great weekend and Mother's Day! My hubby gave me flowers for being a wonderful canine mother. ;-) I was thinking a lot about my mom yesterday and how much I appreciate her. Even though we live on opposite coasts, we talk at least once a day and are really close. She was on vacation with my dad in Aruba the past several days, so I kept thinking it was strange not getting to call her and wish her a happy Mother's Day. I love my mama! Yesterday Adam, Harley and I went hiking at a new spot nearby, called Mount Madonna County Park. Adam and I were just recently talking about how neither of us have really seen Redwood trees before - because we're planning a trip up to Redwood forests very soon! - and we were pleasantly surprised when we got to the ... [Read More]
Ricotta Rigatoni with Zucchini, Tomato & Toasted Bread Crumbs
Boy does it feel like summertime here in the Bay Area! Today was a toasty 90 degrees... and I'm a little afraid for how hot it might be the actual summer. I'm just not made for hot weather! One of the reasons why I was crazy about San Diego was the usual 75 degree weather - ideal in my opinion - but I'll stop being a baby and find a way to deal with whatever heat comes my way this upcoming season. ;-) Earlier today I went to the Coyote Valley Family Farm Feast, an event that showcased locally grown food prepared by top chefs in the area. There were some really tasty food options offered, and I enjoyed two of the plates: a fava bean & radish salad, along with beet + goat cheese crostini. Both were awesome! Having attended an event with such a wonderful theme of highlighting the ... [Read More]
Lemon Cashew Cranberry Date Bars
Yesterday was one of those days when everything just goes well. First, I got a lot of things checked off my to-do list for work. Then my time at the gym was a tough, sweaty workout. I switched it up and tried the rowing machine for the first time to get more of an arm workout in and really liked it! I'm definitely going to add rowing into my repertoire of cardio exercises, especially when my legs are sore and need a bit of a break. Have I mentioned lately how I love trying out new types of exercise?! Last night I had a dinner date with a girlfriend of mine that I met living in San Diego, Tiffany. She was in town for work, so we had dinner together. I was excited to have see her and have some girl time -- I've been missing that since moving to the Bay Area and not having any good ... [Read More]
