The Healthy Everythingtarian

Twas’ quite an elegant foodie affair on this day, thy 19th of January, 2010.

To begin thy morning, I awoketh and defrostedeth Kath’s Whole Wheat Yogurt Pancakes.  Then, I went about slicing 1/2 of a banana before laying thy pancakes with said banana, peanut butter, a wee sprinkle of cinnamon and a drizzle of thy pure and true, maple syrup.

The whole breakfast affair was quite lovely.

For morning tea, I filled my cuppeth over with Bigelow Vanilla Caramel tea then set beforth a spread of Ak-Mak crackers and thy holiest of all cheeses – Sartori Raspberry Bellavitano (of the Wisconsin variety, naturally)!

In case you cannot possibly read thy packaging, it states,“A unique Parmesan taste with creamy Cheddar texture soaked in New Glarus Raspberry Tart Ale.” Delightful.

For thy third course of thy day, I chose a lovely leftover plastic container of Sweet Potato + Parsnip Pancakes with tons of salt.  My tastebuds have been cravingeth thy NaCl like whoa, which according to Mama Everythingtarian, means her little one is deficient in thy potassium…

Ahhh…the sweet splendour of a juicy, sweet orange!

Ahhh…the horrid letdown of curry-roasted cashews!  I expected thy nuts to be quite tasty, but thy opposite was quite true.

Upon arriving back at thy Everythingtarian Estate, I took a cue from my personal pick for the next Cheetah Girl and started thy oven up to 400 degrees.  While said cheetahs were roasting in a lovely bath of coconut oil + salt, I concocted a garden fresh salad (sorry for the horridly lit, bad photographing)…

• cheetahs
• two handfuls spinach
• carrot sticks
• 1/2 sliced cucumber
• 1 Amy’s California veggie burger
• cilantro pesto hummus
• salsa

To end this lovely multi-course affair, I found it only appropriate to end thy day with a tub.  Unfortunately, twas’ not the whole tub, although I would have quite enjoyed such a thing.

And now, after this 7-course day, I shall blog, yoga and then perhaps watch thy movie, “Happy-Go-Lucky” and finish the day off with a night cap (ahem, cup of tea).

Cheers!

And happy birthday to thy sweet dear Madeline!

Saturday January 16, 2010

4:21am: What the hell is that rattling?  Oh my gosh…someone is trying to rob me before kidnapping me and slicing my body into bite-sized pieces!  My worst nightmare come true!  Wait a second…what is that moaning?  NO. WAY. (covers ears)  Who the $#*& hell is bumping uglies at four o’clock in the friggin’ morning?!?!

5:21am: (stares at the ceiling) I hate people.

5:45am: (audible stomach grumbles are heard) Peanut butter toast, orange and two cups of coffee will have to suffice as I read blogs and continue on my freelancing writing ON A SATURDAY MORNING AT 6am (!!!).

9:00am: How the hell did I manage to fall asleep for another hour after drinking two cups of coffee?

11:00am: I am going to eat my hand off if I don’t get food soon.  Whew! Thankfully, Natalie put together a brunch for all of us co-workers to exchange Christmas gifts and eat to our hearts delight. Oooh, is that a mimosa…?

11:45am: I din’t think I wiked am or murooms, but I am toally diggin’ this egg souffay…(with food in mouth).

12:35pm: (Beverly Hills 90210 playing in background) I had no idea Kelly became addicted to coke, Valerie was inappropriately propositioned by her marketing teacher and Brandon delivered a baby in an elevator?  Impressive rich kids.

12:41pm: (tearing off tissue paper) Yesssss…I am now an official GLEEK!

3:47pm: Holly, if you go to the gym, I will let you drive the mile there, and you can just walk on incline today.  Okay Holly, fine. You have yourself a deal.

4:34pm: Speed? 3.2 mph.  Incline? 12.  Time? 45 minutes.  TV?  Office Space.  Check, check, check and check.

5:45pm: Hmmm…what do I want for dinner?

5:45:12pm: I know! I was too lazy forgot to make the Sweet Potato and Parsnip Pancakes earlier this week…

6:15pm: My kitchen sink may be clogged with bits of carrot, parsnip and onion, but these are good.  Real good.  And vegan too?  Terry Walters, dayum girl!

6:31pm: Chocolate…chocolate, where for art thou chocolate?

6:32pm: Come here you lil’ Russian Nutella M&Ms (insert witch cackle here)!

6:33pm: What are the Russkies thinking?  Where is my beloved artificial RED 40 and BLUE 1 (scowls)?!?!?!

8:46pm: I’ll just watch Man on Wire before doing the dishes, washing my face and going to bed…

Sunday January 17, 2010

5:30am: What the hell?  Why are all the lights on?  Why do my teeth feel grimy, and why…

5:31am: Eff. Holly = 0, Watching Movies at Night = 532.

5:32am: Why does the universe make it so hard for me to wake up on-time when I actually need to be at work but then proceed to wake me up two days in a row on the weekend before the sun is up?!?!?!

5:35am: I guess more blog reading, freelance writing and eating breakfast before dawn will have to do.  Hmmm…I bet those sweet potato-parsnip latkes from last night would taste great with some cinnamon and maple syrup…

7:31am: Yes, I can finally do something! The co-op is open – GROCERY SHOPPING TIME!!!

8:13am: Thanks you stupid cashier lady for packing one bag with all glass jars + cans while the other one with just produce.  Now, I can enjoy the sweet smell of salsa that is currently spilled over EVERYTHING in my bag because it broke due to it being way too heavy.  Aren’t you supposed to know how the pack groceries in a GROCERY STORE?!?!?!

8:14am: Holly…breathe.  Don’t say what you just thought in your head out loud.  Take the replacement salsa and leave.

8:45am: Sweet fruit bowl of love…come to mama!

10:30am: Hmmm…groceries put away, bathroom cleaned, freelance writing making progress, thank you cards in progress, kitchen cleaned, dishes done…wait, it’s only 10:30am?!?!

10:31am: I guess this waking up early thing does have its advantages.

10:45am: (silently following a 25-minute yoga for hamstrings podcast)

11:30am: Is it too early for my third meal of the day already?

11:31am: I totally forgot how awesome divider plates are!  Butternut squash + pepperjack cheese + spinach wrap in compartment #1, carrots + homemade cilantro pesto hummus in compartment #2 and curry-roasted cashews in #3!  I kinda like feeling like I am eight years old again…

12:49pm: Hmmm…do I really want to hit ‘Publish?’  I might have to actually go to the laundromat and do laundry, much less worry about being committed to a mental institution once readers find out actually how crazy I am.

12:50pm: Maybe a piece of dark chocolate will help delay laundry…

12:55pm: Publish!

(updated)

12:57pm: Maybe if I keep having to update my blog timestamps, I won’t ever have to do laundry!

(updated)

12:58pm: Didn’t I just write a post about making decisions, accepting them and sticking with them?

12:59pm: Yes Holly, yes you did.

So, I didn’t blog yesterday.

After working at my full-time job, and then at my part-time job, I had three choices upon arriving back home:

1. go to bed
2. blog
3. catch-up on freelance writing

I chose #3, alongside five bags of PopChips for good measure. Yes…five.

Plus, quite honestly, I did not feel like blogging.  True fact. For some reason, I got very introspective around lunchtime and spent the day thinking about deep philosophical things.  Every once in awhile this happens to me.  I shed my layer of humor and general light-heartedness for some profound soul searching.  I didn’t come up with much other than BBQ is definitely my favorite flavor of PopChips.

But really, I am getting ahead of myself here.

Let’s start at the beginning…with Pumpkin Cranberry Oatmeal!

1/3 cup oats
1/3 cup water + 1/3 cup organic skim milk
1/3 cup pumpkin
drizzle of agave
cinnamon, nutmeg + ginger
sprinkle of dried cranberries
spoonful AB

Lunch was courtesy of Ms. Angharad and her recipe for Mulligatawny Soup…aka spiced Indian stew!

Loads of veggies + curry powder = LOVE.

Snackage continued through the afternoon yesterday…

…that would be trail mix (cranberries, walnuts + sunflower seeds) as well as banana + DCD PB.

And continued until I got home and found this box of deliciousness at my doorstep!

I won Erika’s PopChips giveaway, and boy, am I ever glad I did.  These bags pictured above are not representative of all the flavors of PopChips but merely representative of the ones I inhaled last night.  Again, look above, five bags were consumed.

Then I found this gem of amazingness also on my doorstep…

Thank you SO MUCH to Emily and the fabulous people at French Meadow (based in Minnesota…woowoo!) for sending me all these fabulous goods.  We have two sizes of sprouted grain tortillas, cinnamon raisin sprouted bagels, two kinds of sprouted grain bread and hemp bagels.  I am in love.

Right away, I dug into an AB+J sammie on a hemp bagel.  Again, love.

I worked last night at the PT job, contemplated some more and then came home to work on a freelance project.  I went to bed at midnight (ugh), got up at 7am (not so bad) and devoured the best breakfast sandwich I have ever made.

You can quote me on that.

French Meadow Hemp Bagel
1 Sunshine Breakfast veggie patty
2 oz. Edelweiss Aged White Cheddar
1 egg

Did you notice the yolk polking its way out the top?  GLORIOUS.

Confession: The past couple days I have been a little indulgent with my eating.  The Candy Cane Hershey Kiss obsession is getting out of hand, and I have found myself emotionally eating somewhat (*ahem* five bags of PopChips).  I am saying this because it leads me to a lil’ seriousness from yours truly…

I am not Wonder Woman. I cannot do it all.

Between my full-time job, part-time job, freelance gigs on the side, trying to pay off the credit cards, blogging, working out, eating right, maintaining some semblence of a social life, keeping in contact with family + friends and trying to do all the million little things, I am busy.  Really busy.

It eventually gets to the point where something’s gotta give (and it’s not going to be my waistline).

I can’t give my full attention to everything and expect it to be my best, which is truly what I expect of myself. So, as much as I love reading all your blogs and attempting to write humorous comments to brighten your day, I just can’t keep up.  Life is meant to be lived…like in the outside world, not just in the blog world of healthy living.

I don’t ever want anyone to EVER feel pressured like they have to read my blog or have to comment, and in return, I cannot pressure myself to do that.  Honestly, if I could make somewhat of a living off of blogging, I would happily spend my days reading and responding to all of you – bloggers and non-bloggers.  But until then, I will comment and read as much as I can but am going to focus on maintaining a balance with everything else I’ve got going on in my life.

If you take one thing away from my rambling, remember there is a whole world to explore (and it’s not the World Wide Web). That’s not to say blogging/reading/commenting/etc. isn’t fabulous (I can’t imagine life without it!) but know there is so much more out there to enjoy, explore, live, dance, laugh and drink.  Oops, did I say that last one?

Maybe this rant is more for me than any of you, but it is what it is .

LOVE YOU ALL!

AND PLEASE DONATE!!! We are at $385, and we need $1000 by Christmas.  Por favor!

…for the weekend!  My weekend started out fabulously last night, but more on that later!  First things first people.  Yesterday morning, I was running late, which almost always happens on Friday mornings .  So it was a quickie breakfast of 1.25 cups Kashi GoLean Crunch Honey Almond Flax (one of my Faves!) with 1 cup vanilla soymilk and a medium banana (1/2 sliced in the bowl, the other 1/2 eaten plain).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For lunch today, I decided to take my hour (plus some) and squeeze in a run!  I love that I have the flexibility to do this at work, so I try to take advantage of it at least once a week.  Pre-run I fueled up with the last of my Tarjay trail mix (pecans, yogurt raisins, goji berries, cranberries & raspberries).  Two days ago, I would have bought this mix again in a heartbeat, but I looked at the ingredients list more carefully yesterday and realized the dried fruit was sweetened – no need for that!

The 4.5 mile run was AWESOME!  The weather was perfect, the temperature was perfect, the timing was perfect – it was one of those days when the stars align, and it all just works!  I showered quickly (I belong to the fitness club just next door – very convenient) then headed back to work to enjoy…

a good ol’ PB+J sandwich, roasted root veggies (sweet potato + parsnip) from last night and a giant pickle (courtesy of a co-worker).  It was good!  Unfortunately, I ran out of my beloved TJ’s almond butter so I borrowed some JIF Natural from my friend – not my fave.  After having raw  nut butters with just nuts and/or salt, these taste sooo sweet and almost artificial.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After lunch, I was still yearning for a lil’ somethin’ somethin’ because I burned those cals midday with the run, so I snuck a Quaker Oatmeal Raisin granola bar from another co-worker (thanks Angie!) and had it with a nice cuppa Celestial Seasonings Sweet Coconut Thai Chai decaf tea.  Later in the day, I had the usual plain yogurt/granola/berries combo – hit the spot as always!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then came by far the best part of the day….dinner out to eat (sorry TSL Challenge!) with one of my college besties Jess at the Cheeky Monkey Deli in St. Paul.  Jess and I had been planning to go here for months, pretty much because we saw this and knew we had to have it….

Nutella & Banana Pressed Sandwich, anyone?

Now that is a foodgasm if I’ve ever seen one!  To balance out the nutritional profile of this meal a bit, Jess and I also split a salad: arugula, bacon, egg, red onion & blue cheese dressing.  It was good and had LOTS of arugula, which I loved.  This meal was definitely a Friday treat, but since I’ve been really good about eating at home and eating healthily, I honestly had NO qualms about enjoying this delish meal!

Later, us gals hit up the mall on this rainy Friday night and spent two hours browsing!  Jess is getting married in 3 weeks (ahhhh!) and naturally, we were on the lookout for rehearsal dinner attire, cute shoes, jewelry, dresses – the usual .  Unfortunately, I found nothing but this cuppa decaf coffee with skim milk and almond anise biscotti!

Whew – I was tired last night!  Even more tired knowing I needed to tackle 11 miles this morning!  As soon as the mall closed at 9pm, I skedaddled home and jumped in bed, which I know is super cool of me to go to bed at 9:30pm on a Friday night, haha!  This morning I woke up at 7:15am, went downstairs to make myself some breakfast/prerun fuel.  For the life of me, I couldn’t decide what to have (everything involved my precious empty jar of almond butter!) so I decided on some toasted Ezekiel bread with JIF Natural peanut butter, a sprinkle of coconut and banana.

Along with another cup of coconut chai tea…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now it’s off to finish up this post, get ready for the run (it’s cold and windy, argghhh!), run the 11 miles and then enjoy the rest of this Saturday!  Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

Happy Thursday everyone!

This day started out fabulously thanks to a new concoction of morning oats!  It might just be my new fave .

1/3 cup rolled oats + 1 tbsp. oat bran
water
1 medium banana
1 tsp. honey
LOTS of cinnamon
1.5 tbsp. raw almond butter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This breakfast held me over fabulous and was delicious – it was sweet, savory, filling and light all at the same time.  For snackie time…the steroid apple was back in the spotlight (literally, look at that sunlight!).  You may not be able to see it from the picture, but this apple was seriously ginormous!

By lunchtime, it was still uber-windy out but I braved the conditions and headed out for a nice 25 minute stroll.  I called my old college roomie Jamie and before I knew it, I was back at work and had chatted away for almost 1/2 hour.  Such a good time catching up – you will get to see more of her at our other college roommate’s wedding in June, which we are both in!

Lunch was another sammie (Arnold’s Sandwich Thin, mustard, spinach, cucumber, onion & 1 oz. fresh mozzarella) with about 1 cup cucumbers and 1/4 cup Tarjay trail mix.  It was a tasty, light lunch!

However, mid-afternoon I heard my body gurgle for more food.  Since it was only about 2 hours after lunch, I snacked on a baggie of Kashi GoLean Crunch Honey Almond Flax and cuppa my Celestial Seasonings Sweet Coconut Thai Chai tea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Later it was some Stonyfield Farms organic lowfat plain yogurt with a heaping cup of berries…always YUM!

 

By the end of the day, to tell you the truth, I was a bit pooped.  A 5-mile run was on the agenda today, but instead, I scooted my buns home, made dinner, started laundry and am now sitting on the floor blogging and applying for jobs.  As much as I want to beat myself up for not running (as many of us invariably do), I am trying to listen to my body and give it what it wants.  My muscles are fatigued and tight; I’m a bit mentally depleted – it’s time to take a break.

Cooking is a great relaxer!  I whipped up a quick spaghetti dinner: canned, diced tomatoes + tomato paste + Italian seasoning + onion + spinach over penne pasta with some goat cheese crumbles on top.  On the side, some roasted root veggies: sweet potatoes and parsnips in canola oil, balsamic vinegar and served with a drizzle of honey and more cinnamon.  Yummy, yummy, yummy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As some of you may know, the job I have right now is only temporary so between the possibility of Australia and applying for full-time, permanent job, hopefully something will come up for me!  I am at a definite crossroads right now (I mean, I cannot even tell you where I will be in 3 months!), but hey, that’s life!

I think it’s definitely going to be an early night tonight, and perhaps I will make it up for some A.M. yoga?  Don’t want to put too much pressure on Friday morning, so we’ll see what happens!  I am also starting a new book tonight called, “The Shack,” per the recommendation of my friend Ashley.  Anybody ever read it?  Let me know if you liked it!