Let’s take a step back. A weekatarian is someone who only eats meat on the weekend but, during the week, is a vegetarian. I encourage you to give it a try via the following, if only for a few weeks! Besides, who doesn’t love a challenge, right?
Commit: Watch some of the documentaries I’ve mentioned on this blog (Forks Over Knives, Vegucated and Cowspiracy, to name a few) and get angry! Get angry about how animals are being treated or how our government doesn’t care about our health or how agriculture is destroying the planet. I promise you, if you’re angry about even one of these things, it will make committing to this cause a lot easier.
Prepare: Go online and on Pinterest to find veg recipes that look good to you. Make a list of all the ingredients you will need and then go shopping! (Don’t be scared to buy new spices and herbs that you haven’t tried before – smoked paprika is my new go-to.)
Execute: This is simple, just don’t eat meat during the week! You are armed with a new attitude (of wanting a better life for yourself, the animals, the globe, or all three) and a kitchen full of ingredients to start cooking your non-meat meals.
Re-commit: You might not need this step but it’s possible that on Thursday night, when that slice of pepperoni pizza is calling your name and you don’t think you’ll be satisfied until you eat it, you have to re-commit. I’ve found adding spice (chili flakes on my pizza) gives me that little something extra when I feel like eating meat. Besides, being a weekatarian means you still get meat on the weekends, remember? Surely you can hold off for a few more days. Just think of all the good you’re doing for your girl, Planet Earth.
Dive Deeper: This step could also be optional for you and one I am flirting with taking. Instead of just giving up meat during the week, also give up cheese and other dairy products. This will be particularly hard for me because I love a good splash of half and half in my morning coffee and a piece of fruit with a few slices of cheese is a popular snack for me but the more I learn about a diet that is mostly plant based and how good it is, the more animal products I am prepared to give up.
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 **
As mentioned in my post about our weekend in Washington, I came home less impressed with the food when I traveled to New York City over the summer.
Towards the end of August, my mom, grandma and I took a girls’ trip to the Big Apple. We flew east on a Wednesday and came home that Sunday. My mom and I went to New York a few years ago but it was a short trip so I was excited to be there longer and to show my grandma around.
As to be expected, the food at SFO and on the flight to New York weren’t anything to write home (or blog!) about. We arrived at our hotel in Tribeca around 11pm ET and, being that we were in the city that supposedly never sleeps, I didn’t think it would be much trouble to find a place to eat so late. Sadly, I was mistaken. After a walk around the block we realized there weren’t many eateries in the area. We also had a suspicion that our hotel wasn’t located in best neighborhood and it was probably better to stay in for the night*
Despite the hotels sketchy location, it was really nice. We somehow booked with VIP lounge status, which was conveniently located right across the hall from us. The lounge had rooftop access, snazzy chairs and tables to dine (or social media lurk) at, free snacks, waters and sodas throughout the day, plus complimentary breakfast in the morning, and fresh baked cookies in the afternoon. Not mad about it!
On our first night, since we couldn’t find anywhere to eat, we ended up ordering room service and eating it right there in the lounge. In theory, I can end this post here because this was actually (disappointingly!) the best meal we had in NYC…! We ordered a salad and spaghetti to split 3 ways with a side of bread. Full, but mildly disappointed in our first night of the trip, we went to bed right after in anticipation of the next day ahead.
On Thursday we woke up early, grabbed a quick breakfast at the lounge, and headed out into the crowded, congested, annoying, amazing streets of New York City!
Our first stop was Gramercy Park via Starbucks for iced teas because of the heat and humidity. We walked to Chelsea Market after for some exploring (and more iced tea!) and then to Tortilla Flats for lunch. All three of us love Mexican food so I thought Tortilla Flats would be a hit. The restaurant was cool and I’m glad we went but I think living in California and having access to authentic Mexican food sets a standard that the east coast just can’t compete with. I got the cheese enchiladas with rice and beans; it was too greasy for my taste and lacked flavor but we chatted with the owner and got free shots of tequila so overall not a complete waste. 😉
Outside of Gramercy Park
All of the shops in Chelsea Market
Tortilla Flats!
Free shots of tequilaaaa
Next we did a bunch of touristy things including finding Carrie Bradshaw’s “apartment,” the Friends building, and grabbing cupcakes at Magnolia’s Bakery, as featured on Sex in the City. I’ve been to NYC three times and every time**, I’ve gotten a cupcake here! Sometimes there is a reason things are touristy (because they’re good!).
The “Friends” building
Magnolia’s
Outside Carrie Bradshaw’s
After enjoying our cupcakes in a nearby park, we stopped at The Spotted Pig for a drink. Our drinks were insanely overpriced (as to be expected in New York) and, in my opinion, horrible (!) but we were still in Greenwich Village, which is by far my favorite NYC neighborhood so the location (location, location, location!) made up for it.
Girls’ (walking) tour of Greenwich Village!
After lunch, cupcakes and drinks it was time for a walk to work off all of those calories. We walked the 1.5 miles back to our hotel where we relaxed for a while before going to a Broadway show. We saw BEAUTIFUL The Carole King Musical and it was ah-mazing! Before the show we split a margarita pizza in Times Square and after, we met the star of the show, Chilina Kennedy.
Meet and greet with the cast
The next day we had a carriage ride through central park scheduled first thing in the morning, so after a quick breakfast at the hotel we were on our way. The carriage ride was (also) expensive but I think worth doing if you’re in New York City. We explored Central Park after, seeing the memorial for John Lennon, and a few other things while walking to the upper east side for lunch. Word to the wise, do NOT go to Madison Avenue hungry and without a designated eating spot. We ended up at a place called EAT and I should have Yelped it before because all of the one star reviews are spot on. I ended up ordering a $20 Cesar salad that came with romaine lettuce and dressing and that’s it! Not even a single crouton or sliver of parm…
Us and our horse, Cody
At EAT (but don’t eat here!)
Money bags
Unimpressed with lunch, we moved on to the museums. We explored the Metropolitan Museum and The Guggenheim (and when I say “explored” I mean walk by and take a few pictures) with more iced beverages in hand! It was so hot, having something to drink was a necessity while walking around. I splurged for an iced mocha (usually sticking with iced coffee) while my grandma and mom got lemonades. We also bought a few bags of those famous NYC roasted nuts to snack on while walking and, let me just say, well worth the $9 spent.
Exploring Central Park and neighboring areas
I had made reservations at Serendipity months before our trip for dinner on Friday night and regretted it. The food was sub par and their legendary frozen hot chocolate wasn’t anything special. Beyond that, the restaurant is tacky (in my opinion) and the service was terrible… Oh, well. At least we’ve tried it.
Overall though, day two turned out to be another disappointing day, food wise. (If you don’t count the roasted nuts!)
HUGE menus
The “famous” frozen hot chocolate
On our final day in New York, we had essentially done everything we planned to do so, last minute, decided to take a harbor tour.
After another breakfast at the hotel, we took the subway to Times Square with the intention to walk to the harbor from there to catch the 12pm tour. We were doing great on timing …until I realized I had accidentally lead us in the exact opposite direction of where we needed to be going. We could have quickly turned around and hustled to the harbor, but there was another tour leaving at 2pm so we took our time righting the wrong.
Which turned out to be a good decision because we were able to visit the New York City Public Library, something that I wanted to see but didn’t want to go out of the way for it (on purpose). The library is as beautiful and grand as you expect. The security guard gave us a map (a map of the library!) and pointed out where Carrie B. was supposed to get married in the SATC movie (can you tell I’m a fan?). Interesting side note: he also had to check my backpack and my grandma’s purse as we were leaving to be sure we didn’t take any books! I guess there is a demand for NYC library books online… who would have thought?
After exploring the library we walked to the harbor where we had a quick lunch before the tour. I didn’t expect this meal to be anything special, which could be why it didn’t disappoint. (Expectations! …they’ll get ya every time.) We ate at a small concession stand nearby that basically sold “theme park food;” burgers, chicken tenders, fries, etc. I ordered a veggie burger (because I much rather not know where my soy beans are coming from than my meat!) and split an order of fries with my grandma and mom. As mentioned, my burger wasn’t that bad and kept me full during the 3 hour harbor tour.
The tour was a great last day activity for us. It was nice to get a history of Manhattan and see the Statue of Liberty – plus some other cool sights that we likely wouldn’t have seen – all the while sitting down and enjoying the breeze! We walked back to Times Square to get on the subway to go to the hotel but, by this point, we were hungry again. Having had bad luck with NYC eateries so far, we decided to eat dinner at Chevy’s in Time Square. Typically I much rather dine at a hole in the wall than a chain restaurant, especially when traveling, but honestly, I just wanted something I knew I was going to like at that point. So, another round of cheese enchiladas it was!
We got back to our hotel and a friend from college met me for a drink on the rooftop of our hotel. It was so good to see her and another great thing about traveling; having the opportunity to see old friends and make new memories.
Overall, our trip was great but not because of the food! It was so much fun to experience New York City again with my mom and grandma. I truly do love that city and recommend going if you ever get the chance to, just don’t expect every meal to be as amazing as the city.
Stay tuned and eat your greens.
*Later, my friend who lives in NYC confirmed that we definitely should not have been walking around that area late at night.
**For your viewing pleasure, a picture of the first time I visited New York/Magnolia’s …Back when bleached blonde hair, fake nails, and dangling earrings were all.the.range.
** 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 February Mike’s mom told me about saving vegetable scraps in your freezer to make broth. I love anything veg and homemade so as soon as we got home, I dedicated a big zip-lock bag in my freezer for the ends of carrots, tops of bell peppers, outer layers of onions, and any other vegetable pieces that would otherwise go in the trash.
My bag filled up within a couple months but it sat there – frozen and dormant – until tonight! I finally cut up a few onions that were on the verge, some celery and garlic that I had on hand, and started to make my veg broth. While I was in my kitchen, putting things away and taking in the savory smells of my scraps boiling, I started thinking about a post to show what food I have in my kitchen on a random Monday.
So, here we are… Below are pictures (upstaged and not the greatest…) of what is currently in my kitchen.
Starting from the top left and moving clock-wise:
Do you see all of that tea we have? (Shelves 1 and 4- 9!) My boyfriend is clearly an addict 😉 We also have our spices, oils, and pastas stored here.
Our cabinet is tiny so I think it looks like we have more food than we actually do (or I’m in denial and have a problem buying/stocking up on organic noshes). On the top shelf we have our flour, sugar, etc. – things we don’t use very often. On the middle shelf we have snacks and treats (in the basket) like crackers, bars, and popcorn + all of our “extras” we keep on hand like salsa, mustard, and olive oil spray. On the last shelf we store “everyday” items like granola, soups, dried onions (SO good on salads), etc. (Note, I am using the pasta sauce for dinner tomorrow hence it’s front and center location.)
An overall snap of our refrigerator. I know it looks like I haven’t gone shopping in a while but that isn’t the case at all. I just went to the farmers market and Trader Joe’s yesterday – expect most of the food I buy for the week is stored in the drawers. #vegetables #fruit (You will also spot hummus, eggs, almond milk and half&half, which are regular guests in our fridge among a few other random things like the apple cider, that I’m pretty sure has been there since last Thanksgiving.)
Our veg drawer. This week we have peppers, spinach, onions, mushrooms (brown paper bag), carrots, celery, sprouts and broccoli (both stored in the blue glass containers to keep fresh longer).
[Fruit drawer not photographed] Since it’s winter, we aren’t eating too much fruit but apples are a stable and tangerines are good for a boost of vitamin C during flu season.
What we buy and have is the house doesn’t vary a lot from week to week. We have our staples and rotate through them. Although, most weekends we eat out a lot and get more … experimental.
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 celebrated my birthday a little later this year with a weekend getaway to Monterey Bay. Growing up in the Bay Area I’ve taken many day trips to Monterey to visit the aquarium, eat at Bubba Gumps, and then grab a cookie at the Nestle Toll House bakery before going home. But now that I’m older the aquarium (sadly) is less exciting, Bubba Gumps is just another chain restaurant and, most of the time, I would rather “use” my carbs on a beer than a cookie.
Suffice to say, my relationship with Monterey has changed over the years.
Mike and I have gone down a few times to ride our bikes along a path leading to Cannery Row. We also stayed at Hotel 1110 two years ago for my birthday, where we went on an incredible hike followed by a food crawl (our standard).
This time around we stayed at Monterey Plaza Hotel and Spa and had a great, very grown up (so different from my trips as a kid!) weekend.
We left Friday night after work and, while listening to Adele’s new album and driving south on 101, got a flat tire. I’ve had flat tires before but never on the freeway. This was actually an awakening experience that made me realize how helpless I would have been if I wasn’t with Mike. Luckily Mike knows how to change a flat (there’s something sexy about watching your man change a tire, right?!) and we were on the road again within a half hour. …Going a slow 55mph with the spare on our last stretch of the journey.
After we dropped off our bags in the room (haven already eaten dinner at home) we headed down to the bar for a drink. Our hotel was right on the water and outside there was a fire pit with couches around it; here we sat and sipped our drinks (wine for me, a Manhattan for Mike). Sadly they turned off the fire shortly after we got there but since it wasn’t too cold we decided to stay outside chatting and listening to the waves crash. I’m a sucker for ocean views, long conversations and Mike soooooo the 3 combined made for an exceptional evening.
After we finished our drinks, I was hungry and everything in the hotel was closed except …room service! We went back to our room and ordered a $12 side of fries (!!!), appropriately eating them in bed in our pajamas.
On Saturday morning Mike surprised me with Manresa pumpkin bread for breakfast and, after sleeping in, I lazily indulged in coffee and (more) carbs (in bed). The life!
After our splurge breakfast we decided to go to the gym which was AMAZING. (A sentence I never expected to write.) The Vista Blue Spa is the most indulgent place I’ve been to and I thoroughly loved every minute of it. …even working out. The spa has a small gym with big windows overlooking the ocean, a rooftop hot tub, steam room and lounge chairs to relax in, and services from pedicures to massages.
When we got there we spent a little over a hour working out/enjoying the view. We were the only ones in the gym for most of the time and it was actually a lot of fun chatting in between reps. (Plus, I got Mike to do a few sun salutations with me!) After our workout we went to change into our bathing suits and grab a quick bite to eat before our appointment for the couples bubbly package!
In between the spa and our hotel there is a cute little patio with a cafe where we grabbed a salad and wrap. It was a really nice day so we ate outside on a bench near the beach. Recently we’ve naturally fallen into a “weekatarian” lifestyle. Meaning we don’t eat meat during the week. Even though it was the weekend, I stuck with a meat free Cesar salad. Nevertheless, this was still an indulgence because of that creamy dressing and little nutritional value in the romaine but it hit the spot for a light lunch before heading back to the spa.
Since our appointment wasn’t until 2pm, we were able to enjoy the rooftop hot tub and catch a few rays while reading for a bit. Around 1:45 we checked in for our package, that included a 45 minute bath with champagne and chocolate covered strawberries followed by a 80 minute (!) massage. But first, we were sent to our respective lounges.
The female lounge was dimly lit with strawberry spa water, fruit, nuts, and organic tea. It was slightly awkward for me to be just sitting in the room with other women who were all strangers and I instantly became aware of how reliant I am on my cell phone as a social crutch. But, with no Instagram or Facebook to busy my fingers, I just sat there trying to figure out the relationships between the other women waiting in the lounge. (Were they friends? Sisters? Strangers with less social anxiety than me?) After about 10 minutes someone called my name and lead me and Mike (who had easily made conversation with the other guys in the lounge) to the room where our bath was.
Forty five minutes later and we were back in our lounges waiting to be taken to the massage portion of our package. I settled in more this time and felt relaxed as a sipped my spa water and waited. A short while later we were on our way to the massages where we 100% bliss-ed out for the next 80 minutes.
We left the spa completely relaxed and ready for happy hour! There was a place with good reviews within walking distance called Chart House. We ordered drinks (more wine for me and another Manhattan for Mike) and split coconut shrimp and a trio of hummus. I joke that my blood might actually have hummus in it with the amount I consume. I #love hummus and this batch did not disappoint. There were scoops of regular, edamame, and roasted red bell pepper hummus served with pita and fried plantain chips. I was a little hesitant about the plantain chips at first but they turned out to be really good with the hummus.
After getting my fix of chickpeas and tahini we took a Uber to Pacific Grove for dinner at a place called Jeninni Kitchen and Wine Bar. This place was a gem and I’m so happy we found it. Mike and I are a bit of atmosphere snobs, judging a eatery equally on the quality of the food and the ambiance of the restaurant. This place was trendy with a good selection of food and drinks. I ordered the chicken mac and cheese and Mike got a lamb burger with eggplant fries. Both dishes tasted fresh and delicious.
After dinner, we went back to the fire pit outside our hotel for a nightcap and then took a stroll down to Cannery Row (where there is already a Christmas tree up – too early!). We stopped at The C Restaurant + Bar to split a hot chocolate, which might have been a mistake because we both ended up feeling terrible after! (I should mention that we had previously been here after a bike ride and shared AMAZING appetizers so, I would still recommend this place if you’re in Monterey.)
On Sunday we woke up and Mike still wasn’t feeling well so we packed our things, checked out and walked to CVS for cough drops and theraflu. Having only had tea for breakfast, we were pretty hungry and stopped at Cannery Row Brewing Company for lunch but I wasn’t very impressed with the food (or possibly just wasn’t in the mood for pub style food).
Before we headed home (70 miles at 55mph on a spare!) we stopped back at the cafe for an iced latte (for me) and hot water (for theraflu for Mike). It was another gorgeous day in Monterey and having a coffee by the ocean was the perfect ending to the weekend. There really is something about being near the ocean, isn’t there?
** 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 **
If you want a real blast from the past, you can read all about our stay at Hotel 1110 on my old blog here.
Monday was particularly hard today because we spent the weekend away in Washington and had such a good time visiting our friends Morgan and Joe, who moved to Bellevue last year. Because life is so busy, Mike and I were finally able to make it up there for a visit (10 months later). We flew out Friday evening and, to tide us over for the flight, split a beer and a small order of potato skins at the airport. Yum, airport food. Said no one, ever.
We arrived in Seattle around 9pm, a little cold (California is in a serious drought and I haven’t experienced life under 70 degrees in a while…) but mostly just really excited to be there! MoJo got engaged this year (!) and Morgan just started a new job so there was a lot to catch up on.
Bellevue is this perfect little city (that amazingly isn’t too crowded or dirty) about 10 minutes from Seattle. We stopped at one of Morgan and Joe’s favorite restaurant Lot No. 3 before going back to their apartment. We started the night with drinks (wine for the ladies and beer for the men) while waiting for our table. I expected to be starving by this point but wasn’t actually too hungry when we sat down for dinner. Instead of ordering a full meal I stuck with veg sliders and a side of fries.
After dinner we headed to MoJo’s for a few brews and glasses of wine before bed. Which was after 2am… Which is really late for us now… ( Or, at least for me!)
The next morning was pretty lazy with a late wake up call and a decadent brunch. (My favorite kind of morning!) We went to the Hyatt for unlimited fresh squeezed orange juice(!), eggs Benedict and apple + almond waffles. The food was delicious even in the midst of a lightweight hangover (pun intended?).
After brunch we drove around Lake Washington to look at all of the nice houses that surround the area. (Bill Gates lives here, to give you an idea of the houses there…. $$$$$$$$$$$) After a short tour, I was in some serious need of caffeine so we made a pit stop at Cafe Cesura, a trendy little cafe. Hello, Washington!
I’m in the middle of a 30 day yoga challenge so before we headed out again Morgan and I did a quick yoga sesh. After we namaste’d, it was time to go WINE TASTING. We drove a few miles from Bellevue to Woodinville, which is a super cute little town with a lot different places to wine taste. Our first stop was a smaller place where we snagged a corner table and sipped on rosés, whites, and reds. Next we went to Mark Ryan, an open tasting room recommended to Morgan by a friend. This place had cool high ceilings and a more trendier vibe than our first tasting. I’m not a wine expert by any means (I order the cheapest glass on the menu!) but Morgan knows a lot about different flavors, grapes, etc.
Slightly buzzed we decided it was time for some quick appetizers at Purple Cafe. The menu here was amazing and, if it was later, I would have loved to eat dinner here. But since it was barely five, we stuck to small plates to share. We ordered a fig and goat cheese flat bread and an order of spicy prawns and frites. After we chowed down (and sobered up), we recognized this combination was a little strange but does it really matter when you’re on vacation? #no
When we got back to Bellevue, we headed to Earls for dinner. Mike and I had been to Earls a few years ago when we did a trip to B.C. and since most of the locations are in Canada, we were happy to be able to go back!
After dinner we went back to MoJo’s where we were planning on calling it a night until we googled a bar recommended to us from some frequent Seattle visitors and realized it wouldn’t be open the next day before our flight. So we headed back out for a nightcap at Zigzag, a speakeasy type bar with old school cocktails. I was already showered and in my pajamas when we decided to go and, typically, I would have wanted to stay in but since Sunday was our last day, I figured why not?! You can sleep on the weekdays, after all.
On Sundy, our flight wasn’t until 8pm so we still had an entire day left to explore the PNW. After another late-start morning, we walked to a nearby cafe for croissants and lattes. Mike and I split the chocolate + almond and ham + cheese croissants. One savory and one sweet to satisfy both of our cravings. And then we were off to explore Pike Place Market, a major tourist spot in Seattle. We walked around the farmer’s market while sampling chocolates and sipping on organic apple cider.
Since California hasn’t gotten the memo that it’s fall now, it was nice to enjoy some cooler weather and cozier activities. (We’re still swimming on the weekends at home.)
After Pike Place we went to Capitol Hill, which is the equivalent to the Castro in San Francisco for Seattle. It was fun to explore another new neighborhood and proves that visiting locals in the best way to travel. In sticking with the theme of local-favorites, we headed to Paseo (pronounced PAAAA-SSSSAAAAAAYY-OOOOOOOO, by us and probably only us) next. Word to the wise? IF YOU EVER VISIT SEATTLE YOU NEED TO GO TO PASEO! Mike and I split a Caribbean Roast and Paseo Press while Morgan and Joe stuck to veggie options and got the Onion Obsessed Sandwich and Tofu Delight. In between big bites, messy hands, and giant sauteed onion slices, the four of us raved about Paseo’s food the entire meal.
After our massive, marvelous, sandwiches, it was time to go to the airport. Washington was so much fun with some of the best food I’ve had this year! (Which reminded me of how underwhelmed I was with the food when I was in New York a few months ago… Stay tuned for the post!)
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 had our third annual Canadian Thanksgiving celebration this weekend (although Canadian Thanksgiving was actually last week) and, aside from a slight hangover this morning, everything was great!
My guy, Mike, is Canadian and I really love that our friends come out year after year to spend the day with us and enjoy some Great North favorites. (Even after an almost-house fire the first year….) We have a pretty nice BBQ pit area in our apartment complex, where we held Thanksgiving last year and again this year.
In September we met Mike’s mom and dad in Tahoe and they brought candies, chips, and decorations for the party. (Thanks, Barb and Dan!) Canada has flavored chips that aren’t sold in the states like dill pickle and ketchup. (I’m personally not a fan of the ketchup because I think they’re sweet, which, in my opinion, is weird for a potato chip but other people love them so, to each his own!) We had a wide variety of chips this year including – of course – dill and ketchup, as well as poutine, PEI roasted scalloped potatoes and Montreal smoked meat. We also had Smarties (my favorite!), CoffeeCrips, Wonder Bar, Aero, Mr. Big and Karamilk candies. (By the way, I never said this was the healthiest of celebrations but what’s life without a little indulgence now and again?)
For the main meal, we served burgers with maple bacon (SOOO good, and I’m not typically one of those people who believes bacon rules the world), poutine, KRAFT Dinner (mac n’ cheese) and nanaimo bars for dessert.
In the hours leading up to Canadian Thanksgiving the plan was to sous vide the burgers but we realized there was just too much water to heat up in time for this to be a success.So, last minute, we decided to grill the burgers instead. This was mine (and all of the ladies at the party!) cue to head back to our apartment and start cooking everything else. Making bacon, mac n’ cheese, gravy and 3 bags of fries in one tiny kitchen (in one 20 minute window) can be pretty stressful but I had a drink in my hand and my girls there ready to help out, so, in short, we handled it (#OliviaPope).
Weekends are typically more indulgent for me but, even so, I try not to swim in the deep end for too long. Every meal is an opportunity to make another (better!) decision and while I’m all for living in the moment and eating what is being served to fully be a part of the experience (what fun would it be to only eat salad at a pizza and cupcake party?!), I still try to make mostly sensible decisions.
A trick I use practically every time bread is a mealtime contender is to simply ditch the top bun (or slice) and add some extra lettuce instead! This slashes your carb intake in half and, honestly, I enjoy my burgers more this way. You can actually taste everything with equal portions in each bite instead of a double does of bun. ((It’s also helpful to use a plate when appetizers are being served (in this case, the chips and candy!) instead of grazing. This way you know how much you’re eating and don’t accidentally consume a whole bag of chips from fifty small handfuls.)) Another tip I love is nixing the ketchup (which usually has added sugar!) for a real live slice of tomato.
(Disclaimer: These picture were taken after a few drinks. My advance apologies for their sloppy vibe… We also tried to “hide” our wine in a box because I don’t know the rules for open bottles of alcohol at the BBQ pits.)
After everyone ate, we all hung out, kept the beer, whiskey, and wine flowing and listened to a mix of Bare Naked Ladies and Avril Lavigne (Canadian artists, if you didn’t know!). Mostly everyone left around 5:30pm and, since the party was outside with paper plates, cups and plastic silverware, we just threw everything in garage bags and headed home.
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 **
Hey. Hi. How ya doing? It’s been a while since I’ve visited this little blog-baby but I’m back now.
Let’s dive right into it, shall we?
Like a lot of people, I try to eat a relatively balanced diet. Meaning mostly good stuff (veggies, whole grains, fruit and lean meats) but not beating myself up about the occasional indulgence (a second glass of wine, a cookie after dinner). Everyday is a work in progress and that, my friends, is the point of this post.
Most days, I try to think about what I’ll be eating and make a good, solid effort to “balance it out.” For example, if I’m having pasta for dinner, a salad and a healthy (preferably low carbohydrate) breakfast would be ideal options. This was basically my day today. I knew I was having veggie lasagna for dinner so wanted to keep it light on the carbs during my other meals.
I started my day with an apple and peanut butter granola*, which, isn’t as “light on the carbs” as eggs would have been but it’s Monday, I needed to get to work, and granola was going to be faster. C‘est la vie.
For lunch I had a salad packed with veggies (cucumbers, carrots, corn, and soybeans), plus half an avocado. And then, a couple hours later, I was really hungry again but we are going out of town this weekend so I don’t have the essential ingredient I usually stock my kitchen with: my superstar, best-refrigerator-buddy, hummus! My go-to snack. The blended chickpea greatness that I love in every flavor. …I thought about whipping some up but I knew it would go bad by the time we leave and, did I mention, I was really hungry.
Sooooo, when in doubt, always open the cheese log, right!?
Well, typically, no. …especially on a night that I was already having lasagna. HOWEVER, my options were slim to none. SO, I opened the cheese, pulled out some crackers and BAM(!) my snack was pretty much the same flavor profile as my dinner would be. (Cheesy, carb-y GOODNESS!) C‘est la vie.
Usually I don’t really like eating like this but, hey, variety is the spice of life, right?
Wait, I think I’m just getting carried away with the cliches in this one……………………………….
C‘est la vie.
ANYWAY(!), my point is, tomorrow is a new day and ya know what? I get to try all over again to eat a balanced diet. Now, isn’t that something beautiful?
Until next time…
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 **
Sooooooooo… who doesn’t love a big bowl of PASTA!? Not only is it delicious but, for me, it’s the ultimate comfort food. Something about it is just so satisfying. I could eat pasta multiple times a week but because of the carbohydrates and sugar it contains, I don’t.
…Until I discovered The Great Northern Bean and it’s magical powers when added to my beloved pasta.
Mike usually cooks dinner on Sundays and one weekend, he came across a recipe that called for a can of Great Northern Beans to be added to ravioli. I have been obsessed ever since! Not only do the beans give a nice texture and added taste to the already near perfect pasta, but they also provide more protein and volume; which means you will be, and feel, fuller longer.
I pretty much add a can of these (bean) babies to every pasta dish we have now. It is particularly handy towards the end of the week when you can use whatever veggies you have left. For example, a couple of weeks ago, I chopped a few cherry tomatoes, half of an orange bell pepper and some basil from our garden patio and mixed them with sauteed onions and a few frozen green beans. (I try to have something green every night for dinner and frozen green beans or peas have made this easy and achievable!) I added cooked ravioli and organic Great Northern Beans to the veggies and dinner was served.
I hope you try this pasta-hack for dinner soon!
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 **
Food relationships are a funny thing. Everyone has one because everyone needs to eat to live but they vary from person to person. (As, I suppose, all relationships do.) Some people don’t think twice about what they put in their mouth and others obsess over it. Some only eat ORGANIC while others are sustained on fast-food alone. There are millions of food blogs, videos, tips and tricks on why, how and what to eat (The Veg Voyage itself is definitely food focused) but, in the end, it’s up to each individual to figure out their food relationship.
Today, I have a healthier food relationship than I did in the past but I still think about food a lot more than the average person does… (based scientifically on my own personal pool of friends, of course;)
For most of my life, my relationship with food was eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full. I’m blessed because I’ve actually enjoyed healthy food my entire life. So, naturally preferring veggies to Big Macs (most of the time!) paired with not over-eating, left me healthy, anxiety-free and able to eat basically whatever I wanted. This way of life continued until one semester in college when I had the crazy idea to schedule my classes only twice a week instead of splitting them up over the five days. I was at school ALL day and, not wanting to be left hungry (or broke from eating out 3 meals a day, twice a week), I began planning my meals, coffee breaks, and even snacks. This snowballed and suddenly I was planning entire weeks’ worth of meals on Sunday evenings.
Like, every little thing I was ever going to eat.
Oh, and I don’t know if you know this but most of the time, when something is off-limits (which ALL food for me, UNLESS it was on my MEAL PLAN), it suddenly becomes the most desired thing you’ve ever thought about.
So, you know, I continued my meal planning every Sunday, “cheating” most days by having a bite of something that was not part.of.the.plan., feeling bad about it, and then starting the whole thing over again.
My planning amplified when I transferred to University where I felt out of my element. Scheduling everything I was going to eat morphed into an obsession (and to get real psychoanalytic on you, was probably a way I felt in control in a new environment).
Eventually, I broke free from my scheduling (along with not allowing myself to eat the same thing twice in a day but that’s an entirely different post…) and have mostly fallen back into the habit of eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full. I can’t tell you how nice it is to let food just be food. It isn’t this constant source of worry and anxiety the way it once was. I rarely feel bad about eating anything and concentrate on balancing things out instead of making them perfect.
Because really? what is a world without Jack in the Box tacos, amirite?!
Of course, I still have my circumstance-induced moments where I can feel myself turning towards food for the comfort of schedule and stability. For example, on vacations, I get antsy when I don’t know when we will be eating next. Should I eat all of my sandwich because we are having a late dinner or 1/2 because we are getting ice cream after this? There isn’t necessarily a schedule and sometimes that stresses me out.
No matter what though, everyday, I strive to make sure my relationship with food is healthy, balanced, is given proper attention and care, but is not all encompassing.
Time to make dinner!
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 **
I’ve discovered a new life diet hack… springs of spearmint! I am pretty good about eating healthy but sometimes, those sweet cravings hit me HARD, especially after lunch. And while I do believe in a treat now and again, a sugary dessert after lunch everyday isn’t doing anyone any favors.
I have been searching for years for something to satisfy my post-meal sweet cravings (sometimes iced tea works but today I already had a ton of coffee so didn’t want more caffeine). Simultaneously, I have been on the prowl for things to do with my out of control mint plant, that is growing like a wild beast on our patio and bombarding into poor Basil’s space. And then I read that chewing a few springs is good for you! So, after lunch, when I really wanted an ice cream the size of my head, I went out and grabbed some mint leaves to plop in my mouth and yaknowWHAT? it worked.
(By the way, I do realize I sound like one of those slightly annoying people who are just like yeah, I can totally have only one slice of pizza and stop there.)
Maybe today was a good day and a mint spring was enough – who knows if chocolate and candy bars are in tomorrow’s forecast? – but I’ll be taking it day by day, temptation by temptation, and choosing mint leaves most of the time but going for the Pazooki sometimes.
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 