I worked from home today because of a major toothache that caused a sore throat and ear pain. I usually eat breakfast and lunch at work so I really didn’t have much food in the house, especially because it is nearing the end of the week!
I honestly wasn’t feeling breakfast at all (so much pain) and stuck to tea after tea all morning. Around noon I was starting to get hungry though. I had canned soup that I could have easily heated up but I’ve been reading about how bad BPA is for us, especially for women and our fertility (call me crazy or paranoid except not really because it’s fact) so I decided to get creative in the kitchen instead of busting out the can opener.
I whipped up a broccoli soup that was so yummy, I’ll be making a bigger batch to freeze in the near future. I used ingredients I happened to have on hand and this recipe as my muse.
The cumin and lime give this soup such a nice flavor with just the right amount of kick. Plus, all of the vitamins and antioxidants in the broccoli really did have me feeling better; not to mention the garlic, carrots, and nutrient power-house lentils that were also in there.
I now present you with my Get-Better Broccoli Soup (which is both vegan and gluten free #hey)
The random ingredients I had to work with… (frozen homemade veggie broth FTW)
Sauteed garlic and carrots
Added lentils and veg broth
Add cumin, lime juice, and frozen broccoli; boil, simmer, blend!
Blend together (I used an immersion blender but a regular blender would work too)
Serve, sip, and get better!
** Note this blog went through a rebrand and is now veg vibes; which aligns better with the direction I organically gravitated towards. It’s all about your vibe.**
My grandparents were in town this weekend and we spent a cozy, rainy weekend catching up. I am very much a family girl so I love when my grandma and grandpa come down to visit! They drove down from Reno on Friday and met me at work for lunch.
Me and G-Dub with the Ice Cream sandwich Android
Nuget Android!
Missing an arm 😦
After work we went to my friend’s house to watch their cutie toddler. It wasn’t your typical night but I think my grandparents enjoyed spending time with a little one, especially because he is at such a fun age! Plus, he seemed to really like my grandpa and sat contently on his lap for half hour watching a movie with us.
Saturday morning was lazy and rainy. A favorite combo of mine! I made bacon (rare in my house!), scrambled eggs with spinach and cheese, toast, and coffee and tea. There really is something about cooking for your loved ones and sharing a meal together. 🙂
After breakfast we went up to my mom’s so Mike and my grandpa could help put together a new shelf she just got. In typical fashion, the girls hung around while the boys assembled the shelf. Then it was time for lunch at a local favorite, Franklin Street Cafe. My mom and I spilt a salad and I ordered a cup of the chicken tortilla soup.
On our way back to our house, we saw an Open House in the neighborhood. Checking out houses/condos is a fun, quick thing to do; especially with how outrageous prices are in the Bay Area! Every time, it’s like wait, how much!?
Then it was back to our house to learn a new game called Phase 10. About half way through the game we decided to Door Dash Sam’s BBQ, a South Bay gem! We all ordered the Carolina pulled pork platter with various sides. For me, the day’s eats included a lot of meat (bacon, chicken, pulled pork….) but that’s how it goes sometimes.
After we finished dinner and our game (Mike won, #standard), we watched a documentary on Netflix and called it a night. The next morning we went to Willow Glenn for breakfast at Crepevine, where my grandma and I spilt the French toast. Lots of splities in this family.
My grandparents left shortly after breakfast and Mike and I promptly crawled right back in bed. He napped on and off while I watched Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason …Mike’s commentary included at no additional charge;)
I’ve seen the first Bridget Jones but not the second… The sequel wasn’t as good (in my opinion) but I still love how ridiculous Bridget Jones is. I’m looking forward to seeing the third movie soon!
It was still raining outside after the movie but Mike and I decided to go hot tubbing anyway. And to our pleasant surprise, our pool was still heated! We spent the afternoon swimming and hot tubbing in the rain and it was sooo much fun and a great Sunday activity.
After our dip, we grabbed quick slices of pizza and then went for happy hour at our FAVORITE restaurant OCK. A few hours later we made vegan Thai veggie wraps for dinner with peanut sauce. We’ve made these in the past but this time, we piled all of the vegetables on a plate and wrapped them as we went. I didn’t know if the wraps would be enough for dinner but it turned out that they were perfect! I think taking the time to make each wrap and then eat it, slowed down dinner which meant our brains had time to tell us we were full before over-eating. At least that’s what I read happens… hehe
Tune in next week for another weekend recap. I know you can hardly wait 😉
** Note this blog went through a rebrand and is now veg vibes; which aligns better with the direction I organically gravitated towards. It’s all about your vibe.**
Both books are a collections of anecdotes; though the subjects are pretty different. Overall, I enjoyed Live Fast Die Hot more because I thought it was really funny. Jenny is neurotic and self-absorbed but in all of the best ways. For me, it wasn’t a great read before bed, but as soon as I started reading it during the day/on my commute, I devoured it.
Down the Rabbit Hole was a decent read. It was very telling of Holly’s opinion on Hugh Hefner and I’m sure he wasn’t too happy with the book. I occasionally watched The Girls Next Door when it was still on TV and, reading the behind the scenes from Holly’s perspective, just goes to show you how fake “reality” TV is. Overall, I don’t think I would recommend this book (this is me being nit picky but I hate cliches in writing and this book is filled with them!) unless you’re looking for some dirt on the Playboy Mansion. That being said, I do like Holly Madison and respect her for writing about her experiences!
Next on my list is I’m Judging You: The Do-Better Manual. I am really looking forward to this read – especially given important movements like Black Lives Matter – and will write my thoughts on it as soon as I finish!
** Note this blog went through a rebrand and is now veg vibes; which aligns better with the direction I organically gravitated towards. It’s all about your vibe.**
Every year we celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving at our house with lots of food, drinks, and friends. (You can read about last year here.)
The only picture we took together!
The ladies
This year was probably the most stress free event we’ve had yet (though the bar is set pretty low considering we almost caught our house on fire four years ago… #allofthestress).
It was a gorgeous day yesterday, perfect for hanging out at our outdoor BBQ pit! Mike manned the grilled and made burgers with Keg spice (the seasoning from the Canadian steakhouse chain) and Canadian cheddar, while I made poutine (a Canadian staple). We found REAL cheese curds this year; which is a big deal for us because in the past, we’ve had to use sliced mozzarella and it just hasn’t been the same. Mike also made homemade gravy for the poutine.
We had an array of different Canadian chips and candies for people to snack on while the food was being made and, of course, Canadian beer, wine, and rye.
This year, Mike and I also made little cards with Canadian fun facts and trivia. I thought they turned out really cute and were hopefully interesting!
For dessert, Mike made Nanaimo bars. They are delicious with a TON of butter in them (are those synonymous?). Unfortunately I dropped the ball on pictures this year and didn’t get any of the dessert or food! There was just too much fun to be had. 😉
Owen wasn’t very entertained with our selfie
** Note this blog went through a rebrand and is now veg vibes; which aligns better with the direction I organically gravitated towards. It’s all about your vibe.**
In school, I was the student who was nice to substitute teachers. While a lot of my classmates took advantage of a free range day in class without the “real” teacher there, I dutifully obeyed whatever instructions the sub laid out for us.
Make no mistake, this did not earn me cool points with my peers. In fact, being “nice” has somewhat carried a negative connotation for me my whole life.
Recently, two friends remarked I was “like a dog, I was so loyal.” They didn’t mean any ill-intent by this comment but I was instantly taken back to my classroom days, helping substitute teachers figure out how to turn on the overhead projector (remember those?!) and getting mildly made fun of for being a teacher’s pet.
In all honestly, there were times when I tried to abandon my nice girl ways. Most of my friends were way cooler than I was. I joke now that I wasn’t a cool kid in school, I just somehow – gracefully – made friends with some key cool kids who wore the right clothes, made the right jokes, and didn’t seem to have the sensitive streak or emotional attachment that I did…
I’ve never really been able to flee too far from my nice-girl ways. But I’m starting to embrace this side. Some may see it as a sign of weakness but I disagree. To me, kindness is the greatest strength of all.
I think we are generally seeing a shift towards this realization in our Western culture. There are things like the Kind Campaign and a growing awareness surrounding bullying. I see my friends who are parents striving to teach their kids about compassion and being inclusive.
It just may be becoming cool to be kind; and for once I can say, I was ahead of the curve.
** Note this blog went through a rebrand and is now veg vibes; which aligns better with the direction I organically gravitated towards. It’s all about your vibe.**
Mike and I just got back from a great week visiting friends and family in the Toronto area. Instead of breaking down each day, moment by moment, I thought I would try something different and showcase the highlights of our stay instead!
Friday, 9/23/16:
We took the redeye to Toronto from SFO and I was able to sleep a lot longer than I thought I would! When I woke up and looked at the map/ETA, we only had 1/2 hour left until landing. Score!
Saturday, 9/24/16:
After breakfast with Mike’s parents, we napped for a bit. Then we headed to a beer and cheese tasting at a local garden store that was closing down for winter. Seems random but it was a lot of fun. We sampled some delicious cheeses and the store had really cute things to look at. They also had a photo booth that, of course, we participated in.
Photo booth fun
For dinner, we went to The Keg with family friends, Carole, Nikki, and Maria – a favorite tradition of mine! The food and company are always great but I didn’t snap any pictures… Next time.
Sunday, 9/25/16:
We spent the day reliving Mike’s childhood at Canada’s Wonderland. The park wasn’t too crowded so we spent most of the day on rides instead of in line. Big win.
At Wonderland!
After we got home, Mike and I walked to a nearby eatery called Turtle Jacks. I ordered the Greek salad and tomato soup. This wasn’t really a highlight of the day but since this blog is partially about eating healthy, I thought I would include it (plus, I remembered to take a picture…..).
Soup on a cold evening, so comforting.
Monday, 9/26/16:
We headed into the city for a Jays game with our good friends Melissa and Davin. The Blue Jays didn’t win 😦 but it was a good game nonetheless. And it is always so good to see Melissa and Davin.
Classic elevator pic
Selfie Us-ie at the game
Mike actually watching the game…
Tuesday, 9/27/16:
We stayed in the city and ventured to Toronto Island. There was a small farm on the island and we saw cows, pigs, chickens, peacocks, alpacas, donkeys, ponies, goats, and a few other animals. A part of me hates how much I love to see animals up close because I want them to be free and livin’ large in the wild but they were all soooo cute, I couldn’t get enough.
A miniature donkey in da house!
Pretty peacock
More soup for lunch 🙂
We also met Mike’s good friend Alex in Kensington Market, a cool little area of the city that reminded me of Haight and Ashbury (with less smoke shops and tattoo parlors).
Mike and I went to Oakville in the morning to rock climb and then met with Melissa and Davin again at Kerr Street Cafe. I have been wanting to try this cafe since I read about it on Oh She Glows and it didn’t disappoint. Like Angela, I ordered the Buddha Bowl. Noms.
On Wednesday evening, my good friend Jeff and his finance came over to Mike’s parents for dinner. Jeff and I met in college and he nows lives in Canada with his bride to be. It was really good to see him since we live so far away now and don’t get to hang out nearly as much as we used to. (Ahhh.. the crazy stories we have to tell.)
Any time spent with good company, good food, and wine is a highlight in my book.
Thursday, 9/29/16:
Mike and I spent the day in Niagara near the falls. We had a really good day together, walking around and exploring in the drizzle. We had a room there at the Sheraton (where I also stayed in New York) with a Falls view. It was a perfect cozy day spent with my man.
Started the day with Tim Hortons!
That view!!
Friday, 9/30/16:
Mike’s parents met us at Niagara Falls and we did the Hornblower Niagara Cruise, to see the massive waterfalls all up close and personal. It feels like you are right at the base when you are out there, which is two parts amazing, one part terrifying.
Photo cred: Mike
Selfie!
Drinks with a view 🙂
Saturday, 10/01/16:
On our last day we went into the city again and ate lunch at one of our favorite brew pubs, Mill Street Brewery. After lunch we did a sake tasting and walked around downtown for a bit, ending the day with a beer at Steam Whistle Brewery. A lot of drinking but also a lot of walking!
Beer flights
Sake!
We left to come home on Sunday morning and we’re already looking forward to Mike’s family visiting in December!
This week we are prepping for Canadian Thanksgiving celebration this Sunday – check in next week for a recap. 🙂
Stay tuned and eat your greens!
** Note this blog went through a rebrand and is now veg vibes; which aligns better with the direction I organically gravitated towards. It’s all about your vibe **
This year we celebrated Mike’s birthday at one of our favorite places, Squaw Valley in North lake Tahoe. It was a long weekend and on Saturday morning, after fueling up at our favorite local bagel shop, we set out on the 4 hour drive to Tahoe. We arrived around 12pm; just in time for lunch! Since check in at the resort wasn’t until 4pm, we decided to eat and then spend time on the lake kayaking.
We stopped at Tahoe Brewing Co. for lunch and split a flight of beer, chicken wings, and a hummus + avocado wrap. Typically I aim for one carb meal, one protein meal, and one combo meal (carb and protein meal) in a day. For me, this is the most effective way to maintain a healthy body weight while not feeling overloaded with restrictions. Of course, I’m also sure to load up on veggies whenever possible! Our wings and veg wrap was the perfect combo meal and kept me full for hours.
Unfortunately the lake was too choppy for us to kayak after lunch, so we opted for drinks poolside at the resort before our room was ready.
We had dinner at the property pub and then back to our room for gifts, scotch, and games! Mike’s actual birthday was on Sunday but I couldn’t contain myself and made him open his presents early. 😉
Opening presents fireside 🙂
On Sunday we rode our bikes to Olympic Village, where we did a little repeat afternoon from a few years ago and took a gondola up, up, up to the top of a mountain where there is a pool and hot tub (!). All day was like, hot tub, pool, drink, snack, rinse, repeat. 🙂
On our way up!
For dinner I took Mike to Six Peaks, one of our favorite fancy places to dine! Everyone is so friendly there and the food is ah-mazing; it’s hard not to have a great time. We started with a charcuterie board and then each ordered a filet mignon and shared side of truffle mashed potatoes and asparagus. They brought Mike dessert for his birthday that (we think) was banana pudding in a cookie-crust bowl with bananas, whip cream, and chocolate shavings on top. I don’t think we would have ordered it if we saw it on the menu but, like everything at Six Peaks, it was heaven.
Our view of the pools at dinner
Strong after-dinner selfie game
On Monday, Mike woke up early for a swim. I met him a bit later for tea and hot tubing! We spent a lazy morning alternating between the pool and hot tub. SO MUCH POOL TIME THIS WEEKEND.
Morning bliss!
Since we weren’t able to kayak on Saturday, we tried again before we left and luckily the water wasn’t as choppy! We spent a hour on beautiful lake Tahoe, kayaking together and taking it all in. One of my favorite things about mine and Mike’s relationship is how much we do together. He urges me to explore the world through activity (bike rides, hikes, kayaking, etc.), while accompanying me on my never-ending quest of healthy eating and compassionate living. I don’t think I could have picked a better partner!
After working up an appetite on the lake, we broke into our cheese, cracker, and prosciutto leftovers from dinner the night before. Then, still hungry and needing more food, we went to Rocker@Squaw and noshed on (more) wings and a veggie plater with hummus and Green Goddess dressing. NomNOM.
After lunch we stopped for a coffee and one last splurge at Dorinda’s Chocolates – best sea salt caramels in all the land!
As usual, our time at squaw did not disappoint! Now the countdown is on for when we return in December with Mike’s family. 🙂
Stay tuned and eat your greens!
** Note this blog went through a rebrand and is now veg vibes; which aligns better with the direction I organically gravitated towards. It’s all about your vibe **
“It’s supposed to throw you off balance. It’s yoga,” the instructor told the class as I clumsy struggled to stay in half moon. While trying to focus my attention on an imperfection in the hardwood – a classic yogi trick to help with balance, picking one spot and starring at it – I couldn’t help but relate the instructor’s words about yoga to life.
It’s supposed to throw you off balance…
Thinking about it more as we transitioned into warrior III, I knew I would be saving that mantra in my back pocket for some time. Now, when things feel a little shaky, I try to remind myself that a some instability is okay and normal. It helps us stretch and wiggle in new ways, and it also helps us get stronger.
………Just like a hardy bowl of homemade granola! amiright!?
I hate how most store-bought granolas are packed with sugar so I thought I would give it a go and make my own! (I used this video from WhatsUpMoms☀️ as a guide)
Let cool and then be super trendy and put into mason jar 😉
Stay tuned and eat your greens!
** Note this blog went through a rebrand and is now veg vibes; which aligns better with the direction I organically gravitated towards. It’s all about your vibe**
We spent the weekend camping in Yosemite and I’m already jonesing to go back. Aside from a quick drive through with my grandparents when I was younger, this was my first time spending the night in the majestic national forrest.
Every year our friend Ben (who we went to Tahoe with in February) plans a trip with a bunch of friends; meals are divided between everyone, wine and different beers to sample are shared, there are campfires and singing, a talent show, and even a custom made T shirt for that particular trip.
On our first night there was a meteor shower, so around 12am and we headed down the river’s edge and got cozy under the stars. I saw the brightest, biggest shooting star within the first 10 minutes we were there. It was spectacular (!) but the rest of the stargazing fell short in comparison… After 45 minutes or so (and no more huge shooting star sightings) we headed back to camp and called it a night. …or so we thought.
Both Mike and I had trouble sleeping the first night. Finally – at one point when we were both awake at the same time – we decided to go back out to the beach for some more meteor searching. The best time was supposed to be around 4am so we thought we would have better luck on our second round.
Instead of making it down to the sand again, we ended up folding our towels into makeshift pillows and laying on the bridge connecting the camp grounds to the beach. This was both very romantic and terrifying at the same time. My mind kept alternating between us sharing a rom com-esce moment – sweetly laying hand in hand on a bridge underneath the stars – and a horror movie with a predator bear on a killing rampage & two star gazing lovers making for a tasty appetizer. Yikes!
When I wasn’t movie-montaging my life, I was concentrating on the sky. It ended up actually being later than we thought (around 5am – the things you don’t know when your phone isn’t attached to you!) so we didn’t see too many shooting stars but, nonetheless, there is just something about being surrounded by nature, isn’t there??
Our stargazing bridge
We went back to camp and were able to sleep for a few hours, waking up around 9:30am for a slow and delicious morning. I happily learned that there was coffee for sale at the general store nearby. We were staying at Housekeeping, which is almost glamping (oh hey!) with the showers, laundry facilities, a store and, most importantly, fresh brewed coffee on the premises. Mike and I took a stroll down to the store and filled up on caffeine while breakfast was being made. When we got back we had eggs, bacon, waffles, and fruit to fuel us for the day.
After breakfast we all went for a hike to lower Yosemite falls and let me just say, highlight of the trip! To get to the falls you “hike” – but really rock climb – up about a mile or so. The climb up itself was a lot of fun (especially since I’ve recently got back into rock climbing and felt like a little ninja up there, demonstrating all of my bouldering abilities) but nothing prepared me for the gorgeous scene that was waiting at the top.
Picture a rocky nook hidden in a waterfall’s stream with big boulders lazily laying all around and water pooling, making the area a swimming hole. A little rock oasis, tucked away. When the waterfall is at full power and – well, water is falling – this place is unreachable. But this past weekend the water was more trinkling than falling (a watertrinkle!) and we took full advantage.
Word to the wise, use a Go Pro, be sure to constantly wipe the thing down so water spots don’t ruin your pix! At least half of our pictures are blurry because we forgot to…
After a few hours in the water, we hiked back down to our camp site; just in time for lunch! Ben’s dad and stepmom had an amazing spread of homemade chicken pesto salad, assorted breads, hummus, chips, Mary’s Gone Crackers (my fav!), fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and cantaloupe. Yummmmmmy!
Next we went back down to the river, armed with rum and floaties.
The river!
We left the beach after an hour or so and went back to the campsite. It mine and Mike’s turn to cook for everyone. We made a salad and fajitas, which turned out to be great for vegetarians and meat eaters!
After dinner we were transported back to college and played a few rounds of beer pong. I learned that I’m still terrible at the game and Mike quickly replaced me as a partner… We ended the night with a few rounds of a new board game Mike has been playing (with a title that isn’t very PC).
The next morning we went to brunch at The Majestic Yosemite Hotel. I didn’t even know this existed and, to be honest, it was a little off-putting to see such a grand hotel in the middle of a national forrest… Don’t get me wrong, brunch was good but I couldn’t help but think do we really need couches, a flat screen TV, and a fireplace in Yosemite!?
Fun fact: I did learn the Obama’s recently stayed there by eavesdropping on a another table’s conversation with a waiter. I think I was literally craning my neck to hear more.
After brunch and packing everything up and said goodbye. Having taken our bikes but not having a chance to ride them, Mike and I decided to bike to the hike from the day before (rhymes!). It was as amazing the second time around as it was the first and a great way to end a fun weekend!
THAT view though
Can’t wait to get back there next year!
** Note this blog went through a rebrand and is now veg vibes; which aligns better with the direction I organically gravitated towards. It’s all about your vibe**
It’s another first of the month (how is it already August?!) which tends to bring on a new “challenge” for me. In June, I experimented with something different. I focused on my mind instead of my body and tried for a No Negative June.
Negativity is so easy, isn’t it? I’ve noticed how go-to gossip and complaining are (for me and likely many others) in conversation. To talk trash or gossip can easily become our social crutch when we feel we don’t have anything to say or are just getting to know someone. It takes more effort and thought to talk about something deeper than just complaining.
I still fall into this trap even after my No Negativity June. When I’m stuck in an awkward silence, I feel myself scrambling for a bit of recent gossip or a complaint forming on the tip of my tongue.
In the end though, I realize these conversations don’t add much value to my life or relationships. I want conversations that are both positive and that make me think harder or in new, brighter ways. I want depth and substance. I want them to be a reflection of my values and who I want to be.
It was effective to be conscious of this in June and I am really trying to maintain mindfulness here. It is important that my conversations – the stories I tell, the jokes I laugh at – and the information I absorb – the people I engage with, the news I read – serve me well.
Stay tuned and eat your greens.
** Note this blog went through a rebrand and is now veg vibes; which aligns better with the direction I organically gravitated towards. It’s all about your vibe**
VEG VIBES 