March Detox. Sort Of.

I do these detox-y things from time to time. Usually when I've been eating particularly terribly (I can live on bread, cheese, beer, and sweets for weeks at a time). This is one of those times. I've been in a funk. I've been stressed. I've been eating almost zero vegetables.

Ick.

Thing is, detox food isn't always work-friendly. In fact, last year's meals were somewhat time-intensive and difficult to transport. (Well, aside from just eating whole fruits and veggies, which -- at least for me -- gets old fast.) So, if I'm going to do this thing right, I'm going to do it with my schedule in mind.

Today, I'm kick-starting the whole thing. I don't have any exercise scheduled (Mondays and Fridays are my rest days), so I don't have the usual caloric (carbohydrate) demands. The plan: Drink my breakfast, lunch, and eat a sensible, well-balanced dinner. Simple foods, whole foods, and nixing salt and refined sugars, when possible.

BREAKFAST: Milk & Honey Smoothie

What you'll need . . .

• 1 cup almond milk
• 2 teaspoons honey (or maple syrup)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup uncooked rolled oats
• Dash (or 3) of cinnamon

Method . . .

1. Blend away.
2. Sip slowly.
3. Enjoy.

This smoothie is so crazy simple, but it's INCREDIBLE. I think tomorrow I may add a scoop of unsweetened cocoa powder. Maybe on a harder workout day, a scoop of peanut butter.

LUNCH #1: Vegetable Broth


What you'll need . . .

• 8 cups water
• Sweet potatoes
• Radishes
• Green peppers
• Garlic
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Really, any kind of vegetable you have around.
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon roasted coriander

Method . . .

1. The measuring is dependent on how strong your want your broth to taste, I'd say I had between 3 and 4 cups of veggies. What you use is up to you and what you have on hand.
2. Bring water to a boil. Then add the veggies, paprika, and coriander (or other spices, just no salt). Simmer -- covered -- for 20 minutes.
3. Then take out 2/3 of the veggies and blend in a food processor or blender until smooth. Discard the other veggies and mix in the puree for a nice, thick broth.
4. I'm drinking 1-1/2 cups for lunch #1 around 11:00 AM.
5. TIP: A "normal" Ball jar holds 1-1/2 cups of liquid.

I'm eating lunch #2 around 2:00 PM. This time, it's another 1-1/2 cups of the broth (there's enough left for tomorrow, too) and a Greek yogurt, pomegranate flavor. I'll also be drinking some freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. All the while, I'm drinking unlimited amounts of water and herbal tea.

For dinner tonight, I'm planning to eat a large serving of broccoli with brown rice (or wheat berries). A splash of sesame oil and low-sodium soy sauce for flavor. I'll need another snack in there, hopefully with a bit of protein.

Maybe a sweet potato brownie as a nightcap (recipe for that tomorrow!). I mean, there's always room for dessert.


Basically, I'm not fasting. I wanted to eat very simply today. I'm not advising you do this yourself. But these recipes are tasty and can be a great compliment to your daily diet. (Plus, that vegetable broth would be a great base for vegetarian/vegan soups!) I do suggest if you want to try a detox that you detox with food. Tomorrow, I'll be eating a lot more, I'm still formulating what would be best -- how long I'll do this, too -- since I'm also officially starting half marathon training.

More tomorrow! Do you ever detox? Or fast? Or go through periods of time where you like to eat as simply as possible? I'd love your suggestions on doing this while also maintaining an active lifestyle and working.

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Weekend Things

Thanks again to everyone who participated in the first monthly blogger "open mic" -- it was a lot of fun! If you haven't yet checked out the performances/etc., you can do so on this page. Your comments were much appreciated. I'm super critical of myself -- especially of my voice, for some odd reason -- so to know it wasn't absolutely heinous . . . well . . . is nice.

Friday afternoon, Stephen and I headed out to the country with my mom and dad to look at a house. We're not totally sure that we're moving (we'd have to sell our house to make it work -- yikes!), but we definitely fell in love with what we saw. Including the surrounding area.

Ooooooooh . . .

Ahhhhhhhhh . . .


Though we're trying to keep our cool about the whole thing, Stephen did say when we left the place: "I've never loved ANYTHING so much in my life." Excluding me, of course. Please keep your fingers crossed for us!

FRIDAY STYLE


Dress and shoes: Target
Jeans: Gap
Belt: Kohl's
Scarf: Borrowed from Stephen

So, that concludes my month with the 30 for 30. It was incredibly difficult for me, so I'll stick with my full wardrobe from now on. What it did force me to do, however, is think of my clothes in new and interesting ways. And get better at taking style photos of myself.

Too much better, if you ask me. Just look at that attitude!

Stay tuned for March detox information -- including two tasty recipes. I started today . . . and so far, so good! While you're at it, what did you do this weekend?

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Blogtastic "Open Mic" -- Here We Go!

Soooooooooooooo. As you'll see, I didn't end up singing a Radiohead song. I tried, but it wasn't pretty. In fact, I ended up recording this video at like 6:30 this morning. Ack! I'm not thrilled because I should have prepared better.

Next time. Next time.

The link list tool I usually use has gone to a charge system. Double ACK! So, if you'd like to share your "open mic" selection with the rest of us, please leave a comment with a link to your specific post. I'll hop on later today and list them in the post.

OPEN MIC -- FEBRUARY 2011

Steff @ Steff Says
Ashley @ (never home)maker
Jennifer @ Food for Todd
Chelsea @ zipped
Liz @ The Sixth Letter
Alex @ Piano Blog
Tamara @ love and be loved
Suki @ [super duper fantastic]
Hannah @ Running in Freedom
Melody @ Strut the Line

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Thursday Style

I enjoy my outfit today. It's much girlier than I usually dress, but it still feels like me. I can't help thinking about how I used to wear my Under Armor running tights as leggings in college. It wasn't for style as much as it was for comfort. Ithaca is COLD.

Now, there are so many different textures/colors. You younger ladies are lucky!

Dress: Old Navy (on sale! one of my last purchases before the no-new clothing challenge)
Cardigan and necklace: J. Crew (on sale!)
Leggings: The Gap (again -- on sale!)
Belt: Kohl's
Shoes: Target
That's all from me today. Tomorrow I'm posting my Blogtastic "Open Mic" entry. And good news! You all still have time to participate. Just check out Steff's great example -- though you don't need to sing. I'm recording tonight . . . and I'll be posting a list where you can add your link to the fun tomorrow.

<3

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This Week's Lunch

Last week I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch every single day. Then, a chocolate chip cookie. All bought on campus. Not a single veggie in sight. For dinners, I ate mostly pizza or cheese sandwiches. Then washed it all down with more sugar. A beer or two.

My name is Ashley M. And my diet is a problem.

It's definitely contributing to my funk, too. This week's plan is to . . .

• Add more fruits and veggies.
• Reduce my dairy intake (though, I'm sticking with one Greek yogurt a day -- I love it).
• Add more stuff like brown rice and wheat berries.
• But reduce my bread intake.
• Listen to my hunger cues to stop my tendency to mindlessly eat.
• Eliminate beverages that aren't water or herbal tea.

VERY VEGGIE SOUP

What you'll need . . .

• 5 cans (75 ounces or so) low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 to 2 cups of the following . . .
• chopped broccoli
• chopped mushrooms
• chopped white onion
• chopped carrots
• chopped celery
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon honey (or other sweetener)
• Bunch of uncooked soba noodles (optional)
• Chunks of homemade seitan (optional)

Method . . .

1. Pour the vegetable broth into a stock pot and bring to a boil.
2. Then toss in all the chopped veggies. I wrote 1 to 2 cups because I didn't keep great measure . . . but also because it's really up to you how much you use. You may want a soupier soup or a chunkier one. You may have more carrots than you do onions. It's all good.
3. Add in the sesame oil, soy sauce, and honey.
4. Simmer for 30 minutes.
5. In the last 5 minutes, add the soba noodles. Again, how much you add is up to you. We added a lot. Then turn off the heat and stir in some seitan chunks if you like.

Yeah. The recipe is rather loose. But that's part of the fun. Turn it into a positive: It's extremely customizable and easy. I'd say that Stephen and I both have lunch for three days with it. If you're cooking for one, it should last you all week.


In other news, I think I've decided on my song for the Blogtastic "Open Mic" -- all I need to do is record.

It's going to be a lonnnnnnnng night.

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Hunter Mountain

We went to the Catskills this weekend. And I'm making progress on my happiness checklist.

Outside for hours? Check.
Picture taking? Also check.

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Taking Charge . . .

Thank you all for your support with the funk I seem to be going through. I sincerely appreciate your comments. More than I can express! I'm doing OK. I think we all go through periods of life. Everyday stresses . . . and more . . . just pile. They become heavy, though we do carry them for months (or more) without even realizing it, and before we know it -- BAM -- we're in this weird state of mind.

That happens to me, at least. And it's hard to shake.

My friend Marissa is the best, though. (That's us -- above -- a couple years ago.) She's currently living in Iowa, in her final semester before earing her MFA in writing. (We're so proud of her!). Anyway, she sent me an email last night with the invitation to do a "cross-country dump" of my troubles.

So, I emailed her EVERYTHING (and it was a really, really long email). There must be some truth to the whole writing and healing thing (only my fellow IC senior seminar folks will know what I'm referencing there!). It was extremely cathartic.

I feel somewhat lighter. At least for now. Thank you, Marissa. You're a wonderful friend!


TAKING CHARGE

I don't want to stay in this funk forever. Hell no. I'm realistic, though. I can't control my life. So much of it just happens. (My favorite song lyric ever is John Lennon's "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.") However, I can make a conscious effort to do what I can to improve things. In other words, I do have some control over my decisions. I just get bogged down with all my obligations -- I don't feel like I have time to make those decisions.

To get there, I need to first do some stuff to perk myself up. These things may seem silly, but they'll help. I know it. Consider them a jump-start.

1. Paint my nails. Get a haircut/color. Yeah. I'm a girl.
2. Read The Happiness Project in full this weekend.
3. Take photos. Not of food or blog-related ventures.
4. Bake something (or things) without documenting it (them).
5. Be outside. For HOURS. Running is excluded. Hiking is not.
6. Get back to the pool. Swim ASAP.
7. Visit some real-life friends soon (you know who you are!).
8. Temporarily break from Facebook -- which is a time AND self-comparison trap.
9. Enjoy some sparkling vino. In moderation, of course.
10. Find alone time. Even if only an hour.
11. Yes. Take a break from blogging.

Don't be scared about the blogging break. It's not a total break by any means. More of a "break from blogging as we now know it." I'm going to experiment with switching to some brief-text, photo-heavy posts for a while. Glimpses, if you will. The Blogtastic "Open Mic" is most definitely still on for next Friday!

Longer-range goals include:

1. Make more real-life friends. I've recently discovered that we're both quite isolated. We have a ton of friends, just not many who actually live in our hometown.
2. Keep up with the music. It's free therapy. Chorus has been awesome, and I can't wait for the next practice.
3. Spend more time thinking. Less time staring at my computer. This is a goal I've always had, but I'm ready to commit now. Along with thinking . . . I need to act on my thoughts.
4. Get back on track with my eating. I've been relying heavily on sugar to get me through these winter months. It can't be helping anything. A detox is overdue.
5. Become a more active participant in my life. I tend to just wish away each day until I have free time. It's getting me nowhere!

Finish this sentence: "I'm happiest when I . . . " Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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This is how I feel today . . .

Well, for the past several weeks, if we're being entirely honest. I was talking about it with Ashley a bit during lunch . . . and I've decided . . .

I'm officially in a funk.

Funk [fuhngk]: -noun meaning "a dejected mood." Yeah. That's me!

I can't pinpoint exactly what brought it on, but I know it's from a combination of things, including my real-world job, my personal life, my creative pursuits, and my diet. (So, essentially e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.) The only thing that HAS been going well for me is running (excuse me while I find some wood to knock on!). But this stupid funk is even starting to impact that -- zapping my energy reserves.

I've been eating way more sugar, dairy, and breads lately.

I've been sleeping at least an hour longer per night.

I've been spacing out at all points during the day.

I've lost motivation to cook/bake/make stuff.

I keep daydreaming about the spring/summer. The future, in general.

I've been having a ton of trouble blogging.

I'm simply having trouble being happy!

Usually I slip into these sorts of moods this time of year. Damn you, February! I'm almost certain I suffer from a bit of the winter-time blues. There's got to be some truth in that disorder. However, it's been relatively sunny this year, and I've been soaking in my fair share when I've had the chance.

Still, my life/surroundings -- my everything -- feels stagnant.

I crave . . . Light. Color. Energy. Motion. Yeah -- I need to shed some layers and move. I need to learn something new. I need to go somewhere unfamiliar. I need to meet/share more time with people who hold enthusiasm and passion for life.

I had to get it out there. The first step is always admitting you have a problem right? So . . . thanks for reading!

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Random Thursday Stuff

#1: CAT LADY . . . I fear I'm becoming that crazy cat lady. You know -- that woman down the street who stares longingly into the distance as she brags about what her fur-babies (gag!) did that day. Many most of my friends seem to have babies and children around. Lots of photos of cute stuff their kids do and adorable outfits their kids wear.

We just have our cats. At least for now.

Anyway, this is Scully's new pose. She lays this way for hours on end, usually on the wood floor. Like she's training for a Guinness Book record or something. We may just need to time her one of these days.

#2: FOOD RUT . . . I've toyed with the idea of doing another Day in the Life of my Stomach series. I enjoyed it last year -- even learned some stuff about my habits that helped me. Thing is, what I eat on a daily basis is pretty boring. (Yes, I've tried new things -- like soy-glazed salmon -- but still!)

Take breakfast, for example.


Every day for the past couple weeks, I've munched on a bowl of Kashi's Autumn Wheat cereal. With almond milk. Sometimes with a dab of peanut butter on top. Sometimes with half a grapefruit, too. I even poured my Roasted Quinoa "Tea" over it once. (Tasted OK, but not great.).

I guess I'm happy in my food rut at the moment. In fact, when I tried to break out of it and try something new. (Specifically, a wheat-free, gluten-free bread recipe.) Well, disaster struck. I almost set fire to our kitchen. I would have snapped a photo . . . but I was too busy waving smoke out our back door.

This isn't to say I'm not lusting over some incredible eats. Here are the top recipes I'm eying at the moment:

DESSERTS:

Emily's Black Quinoa Blueberry Pudding
Ashley's Coconut-Almond-Chocolate Butter
Angela's No-Bake PB-Chocolate Crispies w/ PB "Fudge"
Sarah's Cookie Dough Dip
Heidi's Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookies

MEALS:

Helene's Salmon and Swiss Chard Quiche
Katie's Sunday Morning Baked Eggs
Deb's Baked Potato Soup
Joy's Ginger and Lentil Soup


#3: OPEN MIC . . . Just a reminder that the Blogtastic "Open Mic" is still set for next Friday, February 25th. Not sure how many people are going to take part -- but the more the merrier! We had a sign-up list that all of a sudden stopped working, so if you signed up . . . thank you. If not, it doesn't matter. On the 25th, we'll post a fresh list where you can link to your post.


#4: NO SHAMPOO . . . Last of random thoughts for today: The No-Shampoo Project. We wrote about Stephen's switch from shampoo to a more natural, eco- and scalp-friendly approach back in December. Next week, we're going to post how it's going. And I'm starting my own adventure with the process.

To be honest, I'm somewhat afraid. And if my hair turns into an absolute oil sponge, I'll have to switch back.

Nothing specific to ask today. How are you? Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Fab Finds: Unexpected Places

We did some shopping this weekend at The Christmas Tree Shops. Though we had been there before -- we hadn't delved into the food section much. Admittedly, I was more than apprehensive about buying food at a discount chain that carries everything from curtains to kitchen islands to diapers.

Here's some of our loot:

1 glass bread pan ($3.99)
3 springform pans ($3.99)
1 jar fancy peanut butter ($2.99)
2 bottles fancy mouthwash ($3.98)
1 gigantic bottle of pure vanilla ($1.99)
BRM brown rice flour ($2.69)
BRM bulgar wheat ($2.99)
BRM Scottish oats ($2.99)
BRM oat flour ($2.69)
BRM golden flax meal ($4.49)

TOTAL: $32.79

It may not seem outrageously impressive, but a set of 3 springform pans alone can cost between $10 and $25. A glass bread pan: $10 to $15. I've been eying the Kiss My Face mouth wash at Wegmans, but at around $8 per 16 ounces, buying full-price feels like more than a splurge. The peanut butter is at least a dollar and a half off (and perfect for cooking). And I don't know about you, but vanilla extract adds up after a while -- the bottle I bought is legit, too!

All that Bob's Redd Mill stuff can be found online for similar prices. I know that. But the shelves were stocked to the brims with it. Plus, no waiting for shipping! I'm still thrilled even just reviewing how we made out.

I feel another series on savings coming on . . .


After receiving our annual escrow statement, we found out we've got a hefty shortage to pay (not quite as bad as last year's horrifying fiasco -- but close!). Tax time is also going to be . . . fun. (We almost always have to pay in.) The microscope is coming out, and we're scrutinizing our spending on food, entertainment, and basically everything else.

Sigh . . .

We're everyday people. Dealing with a t.i.g.h.t. budget and not a lot of time to ourselves. We live in a modest house in a not-so fancy ZIP code. We drive not-new cars and still don't have a dishwasher. Our vacations take us camping, not cruising. Someone is always getting sick, something is always breaking, and more student loan bills (etc.) are constantly collecting in our mailbox.

Regardless, we're committed to living a fabulous, full life.

Do you have any questions about trimming the fat on your budget? Any less-is-more experiments you'd like to see us take on? Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Soy-Glazed Salmon

For whatever reason, I craved salmon on Saturday evening. Stephen didn't complain. And since I have decided to just go with trying fish when the mood strikes, we decided to pick up a couple fresh pieces at Wegmans.

Mine's the smaller one, of course.

We all know I'm not terribly familiar with cooking fish. I go with what I know. I've heard the phrase "soy-glazed salmon" more than a couple times in my life. So, when we got home, I got to work looking for a glaze recipe. I quickly found one made by Martha Stewart.

Then I tweaked it to match our preferences/in-house ingredients.


We prepared the brown rice first, since that takes almost an hour. Then, while the oven was preheating, I whisked together the glaze. I substituted sesame oil for olive oil at the last minute, and I think that was a tasty decision.

Also: I absolutely adore blood oranges, they're so pretty!


After 20 minutes, the fish was done baking. The aroma was certainly more intense than when we had the Orange-Cayenne Baked Tilapia several weeks ago. I had expected that. Along with the smell, something about salmon looks incredibly meat-y.

It was a lot to take in. So, I didn't go crazy trying to get fantastic photos.


I slathered my 3-ounce piece (which is pictured above, because I couldn't eat the entire 6 ounces -- even this small bit seemed like a ton) with some of The Peanut Butter Co's "The Heat is On" peanut butter whisked with a little almond milk.

I thought maybe it would help me dig in.


After lots of procrastination, it was time to eat. Yikes!

Just like last time, I kept asking Stephen if it was cooked properly. If it was done the whole way through. Thankfully, the peanut butter sauce DID help. It went extremely well with the soy glaze and fish.

Who knew?


Final impressions: Salmon is definitely fish. I tasted the sea while eating it. I'm still not totally enthusiastic about seafood, but I'm still willing to give it a few more tries.

What's something new you've tried recently? Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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i [heart] you

Happy Valentine's Day! Foremost on my mind this holiday? Desserts! Last year, I layered together a no-bake, Chocolate-Peanut Butter Fudge-Tart for the two of us to enjoy. The year before that, I chilled our favorite Chocolate-Coconut Pie. This year, I wanted to bake something.

So, that's exactly what I did.

I picked up a set of three spring-form pans this weekend for $4.00. I suggest using a springform for this recipe if you want to display your cake in a pretty way. However, if all you're interested in is gobbling it up, any 9-incher will do. (TWSS?! Ah. No! OK. That's a really, really bad one.)

Note: Our cake only lasted a day and a half.


CHOCOLATE-CHERRY CAKE
(Print This Recipe!)

What you'll need . . .

• 1-1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup hazelnut (or other nut) meal
• 1/4 cup golden flax meal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup Earth Balance (or butter)
• 3/4 cup sugar (I use Florida Crystals)
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup almond milk (or regular milk)
• 3 tablespoons Bob's Red Mill egg replacer mixed with 9 tablespoons water (or 3 eggs)
• 3/4 pound pitted, frozen black cherries
• 1 to 2 tablespoons extra sugar

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the sides and bottom of your 9-inch springform cake pan. Add a pinch of flour to the pan to lightly coat where you buttered. Or you can also cut a circle of parchment for the bottom.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the 1/2 cup butter and 3/4 cup sugar. Then add in the egg replacer (mix it first with the water) and vanilla extract. Beat well until fluffy and well combined.
3. In your microwave (or on your stove-top) melt the chocolate and then add it to the wet ingredients along with the almond milk. Mix until well combined.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, hazelnut meal, flax meal, and baking powder. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet -- one half at a time. Stir until there are no lumps.
5. Batter will be relatively stiff. Put it in your cake pan and press down evenly (I used a piece of plastic wrap so it wouldn't stick to my hands).
6. Then press a single layer of frozen cherries into the top of the cake (I left 1/4" or so on the sides). Sprinkle with the 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar.
7. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes -- checking halfway through to pour out a bit of the cherry juice that will accumulate (it's OK if it seeps into the cake a bit). Cake is done when a toothpick inserted comes out with only a few crumbles on it.
8. Let cool for 15 minutes before cutting/removing from pan. Store in your fridge for up to 3 days, if it lasts that long.

I could have baked our cake for a few more minutes, which is why I suggest up to 50 minutes for a bake time. It was pretty gooey in the middle. I bet if you use fresh cherries, that would help. Frozen give off quite a bit of juice.

Either way, it tasted and looked incredible.


How will you celebrate/have you celebrated V-day? We still haven't made any plans. I imagine we'll do a work-night dinner date at some point this week. Not tonight, though. I have chorus!

Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Daily Mile Love

I know a lot of you already know about and use Daily Mile, but I wanted to do a post on it for those of you who aren't familiar. Basically, it's a site that lets you track your physical activity -- from running to hiking to swimming to rock climbing.

Everything is super organized on a fancy dashboard.

You can track your stats by week, month, and year! (I am a HUGE statistics geek.)


You can ever discover some fun facts about your training. Like you fastest or farthest run of all-time, total number of workouts, and even number of donuts burned.


It's also cool to see how many miles I've run since joining last year. 1,569 -- that's like running from Boston to New Orleans!


Best of all, you can link up with like-minded athletes and get support. This especially helped me when I was dealing with my knee injury. Gotta love a tight-knit online community!


And for all you bloggers out there -- you can get a nifty widget (like the one we have on the bottom of our site) with your latest workouts! I don't know about you, but I find it incredibly motivating.


So, if you haven't yet checked out Daily Mile (I'm on there as neverhomemaker), I definitely recommend you do. I used to track my running the old fashioned way . . . then Facebook had a handy application . . . but now I'm hooked. After I get in my workout, I immediately log it.

I like seeing my progress.
I like seeing patterns in my training.
I like seeing it all added up.
I LOVE getting/receiving support from other athletes.

How do you track your workouts? There's no right or wrong way to do it! Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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