Sick Blog: Ice Packs, Steve Carell, and a Tiara.

Since last Saturday, I haven't really left this house/yard. I think that my walking pneumonia is creeping back up on me, and I'm literally guzzling water and tea by the gallon. So, I'm sitting here with a tattered piece of paper on the cork board to my right- a piece of paper with lots of wonderful blogging ideas that have come to me throughout the past few month... but I'm too BLAH to act on any of them at the moment.

Not only do I want this dog, but I'm really liking the ice pack. Mines blue.

Tonight, I plan on making another orange juice soy shake for myself, curling up and watching the Office. And I must tell you- I am rather emotional about the Office, what with Michael leaving and all, so I will also likely be crying this evening.

I'm tearing up. I'm thinking about the Dundees. And the fact that they sang him the 525,600 minutes song. But with different numbers.

Also, since being sick means that I watch TV ,( I never watch TV. I actually hate that I'm watching TV. But there's nothing else to do. And reading just doesn't work when I'm sick) I watched Maid in Manhattan today on some network. And there were ads on about the royal wedding. And I've officially gone from not caring to being wooed into the whole ordeal. So. I will watch. With tea.

In other news, there's a huge spider staying in our bedroom, which means I have been sleeping on the couch. It's not ideal, but neither is THIS creeping around your toes.

Normally, Brett would be here to capture him and put him (spiders are always male) outdoors, but alas- he is out in New York working a job. Reason #23989 why I miss my husband.

That's him. I was worried you wouldn't click on the link, and I didn't want you getting away. This picture makes him look much less terrifying than he actually is, just in case you were thinking that I was being a big baby.

That's all.  Check out 'Blogs I Love' for some healthy blogs. I'll be back as soon as I feel better.

She Got Married, Too: Ana



I love reading about other couples. I love getting a

sneak peak into their lives and seeing how they make their situation work. Some would say that I'm nosy. Which I'm fine with. Because enough people were open enough to take me up on this guest poster series and answer with honesty, heart, and humor.

Enjoy :)

Name: Ana and the Mister F

Ages: 24 and 30

We live in: San Francisco Bay Area

Do you blog? (Where can we find you?) About what? My blog is http://my-newlywedlife.blogspot.com/ and is more like a journal of this new phase of my life. Being a newlywed is great! I talk about the process of getting married, living FAR away from home (I’m from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), new recipes (especially Brazilian recipes), photos that we take (and we take LOTS of them), decorating a new house from scratch, and all the little things in life that makes us so happy.

What do YOU do? I used to be an English teacher in Brazil. I’ve been working as a nanny, but I’m trying to make my way back into the classroom.

What does HE/SHE do? He’s a software engineer. You can ask my husband anything about technology! He rocks!

How long have you been married? A month and a half.

How did you meet? Long story. He went to Brazil on vacation with his friends. We happened to be at the same nightclub one night and a random guy introduced us. We still have no idea who the guy is.

What do you argue about the most? We argue a lot about which sport is better: football or soccer???

Do you have kids? If not, are you planning on them anytime soon? No kids yet. We are making our way up to parenthood. Our plants are still alive. Next step: dog. Or maybe a fish, since we’re gone most of the day. And if we are good with those, then we’ll see…

Who cooks the most? I cook the most, since Mr. F is not done with work until almost 7pm. He makes excellent barbecue though.

Who cleans the most? Both of us. If I tell him that something needs to be cleaned, then we share the tasks and just do it!

What is your favorite date to go on together? To have a nice dinner together and then watch a movie drinking some wine. We’re very low-key. Or we go somewhere nice to take pictures. I mean… we go somewhere and take pictures. We take so many that it doesn’t really matter where we go.

Where do you see yourselves in five years? We see ourselves in this same house. We’ll have a kid, a dog and a fish. We’ll be taking trips to Brazil every now and then. We’ll be speaking Portuguese and eating bratwurst while watching the Green Bay Packers play. As long as we have each other, I’m sure we’ll be doing fine.

What is one thing about married life that took some adjusting or getting used to?

Maybe the finances? Before, I had my salary and could spend with anything I wanted. Now I have to stop and think about what I’m buying, since there are other bills to pay.

If you could give an engaged couple any advice (assuming they asked for it), what would it be?

Brides-to-be (and grooms), please don’t freak out during the wedding planning process! Remember that there are two people that love each other and want to be together. That’s all that matters.

I *think* Ana and I stumbled into each other via 20sb...is that right, Ana? Her story fascinates me (how they met?!), and I love the fearlessness in her.  Please check out her blog, and also come join in and tweettweet with us!

Ana on Twitter

Emma on Twitter

Eating Well on Sixty: 4/22-4/28

I could easily spend an entire paycheck at the store each week. Sometimes I make excuses to go to Whole Foods when I really don't need to. Luckily, Brett is quite good at knowing when we really do need to, and when I'm just having WF hallucinations. (That alone probably saves us close to $1000 each year).But now that new school bills are looming in the very near future, it's time to get serious. And since I couldn't find many $60 meal plans that were healthy, delicious and vegetarian, I decided that I would create my own. Armed with three $20 bills, we will eat. And we will eat well.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend! I was (and still am) kind of under the weather. Allergies/head cold (As amazing as my job is, I'm pretty sure that the only downside of hanging out with kids under 6 means I'm around more runny noses than usual)=Easter Sunday with Indian take- out (Aloo Palak & Aloo Chole are my buddies).  Thanks, tax return ;)


This week, we spent $44 at the store...not too shabby, eh? And this, my friends, is what we're eating:

Breakfast

-homemade frozen banana pancakes (I add in 1 mashed banana to batter) with fruit
-egg white scramble with tomato and  basil, english muffin

-oatmeal with raisins and walnuts, egg white omelet

Lunch

Most days, leftovers from dinner will be eaten the next day as lunch. Other days, these are what I rotate in:

-baby green salad with green peppers, tofu

-tofurkey deli slices (buy on sale and freeze! this is a treat!) on homemade rustic bread, fruit, slice of cheese, carrots or celery

Dinner
Friday

-Pizza on homemade dough, salad

Saturday

-Black Bean Chili with Rustic Bread and grapes

Sunday

-Take Out from THIS amazing place...if you're local, try it! The dine in experience is not the most thrilling, but the food is incredible.

Monday

-Lemony Baked Tofu with spinach couscous and salad.

(I got the tofu recipe from this cookbook, which is now one of my absolute favorites. Highly recommend it!)

Tuesday

-Pasta with salad

 Wednesday

-Tomato/Basil/Mozzarella Grilled Sandwich on rustic bread, steamed zucchini, salad

Thursday

-Slow Cooker Coconut Veggie/Chickpea Curry over jasmine rice, salad and cantaloupe

Snacks/Treats

-popcorn with parmesan cheese and spices

-greek yogurt with grapes

-homemade flax banana bread with cucumber slices
-mini smoothies with frozen fruit

Last Week

I hope you're eating well this week, and if you want to know what we've been eating in weeks past, check out the ''Last Week'' link on each Eating Well Post.  There's about four weeks worth of ideas so far, and I'm just getting started! If you post your healthy meal plan, please share your link in the comment section...I'd love to see it!

Happy Eating!

What the ____ is Tempeh!?

I don't swear. I'm perfect. That's why there's the blank spot. See?

Actually. I do swear. And while this post has nothing to do with profanity, I just wanted to let you all know that while I do not smoke and only drink on rare occasion (in serious moderation- I'm talkin' half of one margarita and I'm ready for a bedtime story), one of my not so admirable qualities is that I do use bad words. (Not in front of kids/teachers/bosses/blog readers or Roo... Melon, yes.) I am trying very hard to stop.

So don't let the gingham header fool you. (It is sweet though, isn't it?!)

I can swear.

Anyway.

On to Tempeh.

I just want to share a little bit about some protein that we often incorporate into our weekly menus.

The Three T's: Tempeh, Tofu, and TVP

Tempeh

Tempeh is fermented soybean. It is sold in many stores in a rectangular, plasticular package. Some varieties include flax, 3 grain, veggie, and there's probably many more. We go for the 3 grain around here. It has a very nutty, rich taste. We love it.

 Per 4 oz serving, the grain tempeh has 20 g protein, 16 g carbohydrate, 11 g fat and 240 calories . One package costs us about $2.

I didn't like it the first time I cooked it. Then I did a little googling and found out that steaming it before preparing it makes it much tastier. So that's what we do.

Our favorite way to eat it is currently in BBQ form. I cut it into about 10 pieces, steam it, marinate it for 6 hours in a BBQ sauce, then cook it in a lightly oiled pan. We like to pair it with mac n' cheese, and an herb salad.

Tempeh freezes very well. For leftovers, store in covered containers and eat within a week.

{via}

http://www.vegweb.com/ is a great resource for lots of delicious tempeh recipes.

See our  Weekly Menu

Tofu

Tofu comes across as very uninspiring. It's sold in a white block, and it just reminds you of...boring. But here's the thing, anything chicken can do, tofu does. It's a blank slate, and you just have to know how to work with it.

Firm tofu, per 1/5 of package serving, it packs 70 calories, 7 g protein, 2 carbohydrate, and 3 g fat. One block of organic tofu costs us about $1.79.

We usually go with the firm variety, and the most important step in my book is pressing.You need to press (in most cases) because tofu is stored in water. I wrap the block in a dry dish towel, place it between two plates, and put a 5 lb object on top. I let it press for at least two hours before I start cooking with it. My favorite tofu recipe of the moment is definitely this:

If you only use part of the block, you can store the remaining tofu in a covered container, with water. Change the water each day, and consume within a week.

TVP

This is probably the protein we use the least often, because our local grocer doesn't always have it. If you live in an area where TVP isn't sold, you can get it online. But it's delicious, and it's quite easy to work with. T=Textured, V=Vegetable, P=Protein.  Per 1/4 cup serving, TVP has 12 g protein, 80 calories, 0 g fat, and 7 g carbohydrate. A 10 ounce bag of TVP is usually about $2. (If you live near a whole foods, you can buy it in bulk for even less money!) TVP is soaked in water before it's prepared, and it doubles in size once it drink the water. After that, you can treat it like you would ground beef (if you're not a vegetarian).  Our favorite TVP recipe of the moment? Sloppy Joe style. It's so easy, incredibly delicious, and perfect for lunches the next day. Try them!

We store dry TVP in containers in the fridge, and prepared TVP in covered containers. It keeps very well, and we usually eat leftovers within a few days.

{via}

I hope this helps just a bit if you've been meaning to try any of these three veg protein sources. If you have any questions, feel free to ask away!  I promise- I will not swear.

Lots of Friday (I'm watching Harry Potter tonight. With homemade pizza. <3 ) Love!

Blog Love with Pictures (and a hot tub).

I would run, but I'm sore. So I won't. Maybe I will. I'm tough.

I would post a fitness blog, but I'm not gonna do it. Because I'd rather eat this.

I'm going to. Wish me luck. My mumma is going to run with me on a new trail in Newburyport. And since she's on vacation, and I have this week mostly off- we're going to soak in the neighbors' hot tub afterwards. I am very. very. excited.

Roo...love. She'd like for you to visit this lovely lady.

This is our bathroom. Well. Part of it. Can you spot the item that was given to us as a gift- that I don't have the heart to give away? The Lettered Cottage is where I really want to be when it comes to design. Some day!

I love you for reading. Have a beautiful day, and if you have some wonderful food/fitness/dog/design blogs to share, please do!

She Got Married, Too: Heleen

I love reading about other couples. I love getting a

sneak peak into their lives and seeing how they make their situation work. Some would say that I'm nosy. Which I'm fine with. Because enough people were open enough to take me up on this guest poster series and answer with honesty, heart, and humor.

Enjoy :)

Names:
Heleen and Adam

Ages:
21 (Heleen) and 27 (Adam)

We live in:
A cozy apartment in Olympia, Washington

Do you blog? (Where can we find you?) About what?I blog about my crazy life, including being married to my wonderful husband, living in the military life with our cat and a little one on the way. You can find me at http://mychroniclesoflife.blogspot.com/

 

What do YOU do? I am a stay at home wife and soon to be stay at home mom. It has it's ups and downs, but I love the fact that I can focus on more important things.

 

What does HE/SHE do?My husband is an infantryman in the United States Army!

 

How long have you been married? We will be married for two years on April 17th!

 

What holds the two of you together?Patience, strength, and definitely LOVE for sure. Especially since Adam is in the Army, it brings a whole new world into the mix. We have to have patience with each other and we need to be strong. If we weren't each others whole world, things would be so much harder. It takes a lot of give and take, but we make it work.

 

What do you argue about the most?Honestly? The most stupid stuff ever. It's never about money, who does what, or will it ever be about our child. We argue about things that are pointless and should not be argued about.

 

Do you have kids? If not, are you planning on them anytime soon?We have a baby boy, who is currently still in the oven and will be here in June!

 

No kids? Dogs? Cats? They count. Names? Our orange tabby cat, Martin is a handful at the moment!

Who cooks the most?
I do, since Adam is at work all day.

Who cleans the most?I also do this the most since he is gone all day. Although sometimes he has random cleaning outbursts on weekends!

What was the biggest shocker of married life?I knew it would be hard, but sometimes I never knew it would be THIS hard. You really need to grow up a lot, especially at the ages we are.

Where do you see yourselves in five years?I see us still happily married, maybe in our own house with our cat and son, as happy as ever (just a bit older). In five years there could be another little one, but we will see!

If you could give an engaged couple any advice (assuming they asked for it), what would it be? That life is truly a roller coaster. There will be ups and downs; sometimes you will want to give up. Just take one day at a time and do not let anything get in the way of you two as a happy couple. Arguing is perfectly normal and if you think you argue too much, don't! Behind closed doors, everyone probably argues just as much as you. It is how you handle it that counts! All you need to do is focus on what is important to you and to keep each other happy.

Happy Belated Anniversary to Heleen and Adam! Thank you for sharing your story, and I cannot wait to see pictures of baby Liam! <3

If you're interested in guest blogging, get in touch!

Meet Justine

Meet Meghan

Eating Well on Sixty: 4/15-4/21

I could easily spend an entire paycheck at the store each week. Sometimes I make excuses to go to Whole Foods when I really don't need to. Luckily, Brett is quite good at knowing when we really do need to, and when I'm just having WF hallucinations. (That alone probably saves us close to $1000 each year).But now that new school bills are looming in the very near future, it's time to get serious. And since I couldn't find many $60 meal plans that were healthy, delicious and vegetarian, I decided that I would create my own. Armed with three $20 bills, we will eat. And we will eat well.

I'm late with this post again- we went away this weekend, so I didn't go shopping until Sunday.

This week, this is what we're eating:

Breakfast

-homemade frozen whole wheat blueberry pancakes with fruit
-egg white scramble with tomato and  basil, english muffin

-oatmeal with raisins and walnuts, egg white omelet
-apple cinnamon muffins with fruit

Lunch

Most days, leftovers from dinner will be eaten the next day as lunch. Other days, these are what I rotate in:

-TVP sloppy joes on rustic, veggies, and piece of fruit

-baby green salad with green peppers, tofu

-tofurkey deli slices (buy on sale and freeze! this is a treat!) on homemade rustic bread, fruit, slice of cheese, carrots or celery

Dinner
Friday

-Pizza on homemade dough, salad

Saturday

-Sweet Potato Chili with Rustic Bread and grapes

Sunday

-Boca Burgers *left from last week* on whole wheat buns, potato coins, mixed steamed veggies

Monday

-BBQ Tempeh *lots of tempeh in freezer from sale at Whole Foods!*, veggie mac n cheese, cucumber sticks

Tuesday

-Salad with Tofu Fish Sticks :)

Wednesday

-Teriyaki tempeh stir fried with bell peppers over brown rice, salad

Thursday

-Pasta with pomodoro sauce, salad

Snacks/Treats

-popcorn with parmesean cheese and spices

-greek yogurt with grapes
-apples and peanut butter
-mini smoothies with frozen fruit

Last Week

I'm incredibly nosy curious about what other people eat, so share your link if you post your meal plan!

xo

She Got Married, Too: Meghan

I love reading about other couples. I love getting a sneak peak into their lives and seeing how they make their situation work. Some would say that I'm nosy. Which I'm fine with. Because enough people were open enough to take me up on this guest poster series and answer with honesty, heart, and humor. Enjoy :)

Name: Meghan Phair

Ages: 21

We live in: San Antonio, TX

          

What do YOU do? At the moment I’m a stay at home mom, but I’m working towards getting my RN.

What does HE/SHE do?

My husband is an MP(Military Police Officer) in the Army.

How long have you been married?

3 years on April 15

What holds the two of you together?

The love we have for each other. No matter whats going on in our lives, we always remember that we love each other very much and that’s the most important thing.

What do you argue about the most?

Probably money.

Do you have kids? If not, are you planning on them anytime soon?

Yes, an 18 month old son, his name is Aiden. And we’re about to welcome a baby girl in about 3 weeks. We are naming her Rylee.

Who cooks the most?

I do!

Who cleans the most?

We both do an equal amount of cleaning I’d say.

What was the biggest shocker of married life?

Your on your own with all these bills and mom and dad aren’t there to help anymore!

Where do you see yourselves in five years?

Out of the military, living back on the east coast, hopefully in a house, and I’ll either have my LVN or RN, and my husband will be working on a police force.

If you could give an engaged couple any advice (assuming they asked for it), what would it be?

RUN! Haha no…I guess just always remember to listen to each other and not to give up the second things seem to be going downhill. The first year is always the hardest in marriage. If you can get through the first year, you can get through anything.

 Meghan and I went to high school together. We never exactly hung out during those four years, but thanks to Facebook, I've gotten to know her a bit better and she's a sweetheart. I think I'm beyond fascinated/humbled/impressed by her military life, and I was so glad when she said she would do a post! I know that there are some other military wives who read this, and I'd love to hear your stories as well- if you're interested in doing a guest post- come talk to me!

(do you see this baby? Is he not...ridiculously adorable?)

Eating Well on Sixty: 4/8-4/14

I could easily spend an entire paycheck at the store each week. Sometimes I make excuses to go to Whole Foods when I really don't need to. Luckily, Brett is quite good at knowing when we really do need to, and when I'm just having WF hallucinations. (That alone probably saves us close to $1000 each year).But now that new school bills are looming in the very near future, it's time to get serious. And since I couldn't find many $60 meal plans that were healthy, delicious and vegetarian, I decided that I would create my own. Armed with three $20 bills, we will eat. And we will eat well.

So I'm late with this post. We didn't eat at home this weekend- except for breakfast. Just bein' honest. We had a fun weekend, and it was wonderful! We ate veggie burgers at Fuddruckers, and..we...did not eat well! But that's the beauty of eating well 95% of the time, it's a super huge treat to go and get...a veggie burger and french fries! But any who.

As for money, it came to $63 (needed toothpaste).

This week, this is what we're eating:

Breakfast

--toast with peanut butter, banana, agave

-egg white scramble with tomato and  basil, english muffin
-oatmeal with raisins and walnuts, egg white omelet

Lunches

Most days, leftovers from dinner will be eaten the next day as lunch. Other days, these are what I rotate in:

-rice and beans with tomato, pepper, and crumbled veggie burger

-baby green salad with green peppers, tofu

-tofurkey deli slices (buy on sale and freeze! this is a treat!) on homemade rustic bread, fruit, slice of cheese, carrots or celery

Friday

-Pizza on homemade dough, salad

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

-Salad with pan cooked garlicky tofu

Tuesday

-Sweet Potato Chili with salad

Wednesday

-TAO (tomato/avocado/onion) Sandwiches on whole wheat rustic bread with veggie tofu spread, homemade (baked) potato 'chips', salad (delish.delish.delish.)

Thursday

-Teriyaki tempeh with grilled veggies over brown rice, salad

Snacks/Treats

-whole wheat bread with fruit spread
-greek yogurt with grapes
-apples and peanut butter
-mini smoothies with frozen fruit

Last Week