Treat Yo'self

I was thinking it had been about six weeks since my last post, but YIKES--more than two months. I really need to set aside a set time on at least a weekly basis, so I remember to blog. I'm still struggling with meeting my responsibilities in the too-short time I have each day, but additionally, I'm now out of the habit and simply forget to blog.

I got a very cool birthday gift this year.  (My birthday was last week.)  I don't generally like my birthday or like gifts/cards at all--for many, many reasons.  However, my friend, Julie (a smart and stubborn woman) was determined to get me a gift. She knows me well enough to know I am a nightmare to shop for. I don't like waste at all; I don't want stuff taking up space around my house and serving no purpose; I don't like my friends spending money on me (it could be donated to a better cause than me); I boycott the majority of companies/businesses for ethical/moral reasons, so finding vegan, fair-trade, ethically-sourced, high-quality products from a company with tolerable business practices is an epic endeavor. Other than wasting her time and a nominal amount of money, she got me a gift without throwing me into paroxysms of guilt.

First, the packaging: She used a wicker basket (we are rabbit people, so we buy those by the ton from thrift stores) from her rabbit supply.  The cool-looking bow was made with twine that held together the hay bales she buys for the rabbits.  The wicker basket, now that it's empty, will make a wonderful hay-holder/toy for the rabbits.  The twine is used by my birds, who love to separate the strands and build with them.

Then, the gift: She gathered one of each kind of organic root vegetable (garlic, onion, leek, each type of potato, each type of sweet potato/yam, celeriac, rutabaga, turnip, parsnip, carrot, etc.) and a handful of other veggies.  It was fun, and pretty, and very useful.

The next day was my "kitchen day" (usually Sundays, when I make/prep the majority of the meals for the week), so I was anxious to make something delicious. I turned all of that into this root vegetable chili.  I followed this recipe loosely, but I obviously had different/additional ingredients and a ton of it, so I modified and tweaked until I was happy with it.  I ended up with an enormous quantity of soup--enough for a full family meal (with lunch leftovers) and a second full meal to freeze for later. It was absolutely wonderful.

My parents & parents-in-law also insist on giving me a little cash to treat myself with, and that is paying for another workout program. I was hoping Shaun T's T25 Delta would be out by now, but no sign of it yet. :(  I have spent the last two weeks evaluating programs and have settled on Body Beast.  I'm as excited as I can be for a workout that doesn't involve Shaun T!  :)  I like the promise that it will build ten pounds of lean muscle mass in 90 days. I'd be quite happy with five!

One of the most common questions I get from vegans and non-vegans is, "what do you eat?"  Let's see how well I do at sticking with this...I'm going to try to list out my Sunday meal prep results each week, to give an idea of what we eat.  I generally focus on getting the first part of the week's meals done. I don't so much worry about Fri-Sun., as I have more time and flexibility on non-work days and often have leftovers that I use to fill in some of those meals as well.  It won't be a full week's worth of meals, but at least a general idea.  This is somewhat complicated by the fact that I don't really have names for many of my meals (and many are simply thrown together with no recipe). Also, food photography isn't my forte, and I don't want to post pictures that make delicious food look ugly. I will provide recipes if they're available digitally.

Yesterday, I prepped the following meals

• "Mexican lasagna" (Spanish rice, seasoned black refried beans, tomatoes, Daiya;  topped with tortilla chips, salsa, sour cream)     
• Minestrone soup
• Red beans & rice
• Stir-fried veggies (broc., cauli., carrots, water chestnuts, peppers) in peanut sauce (I will serve over barley or quinoa):  The linked recipe includes the burgers that this peanut sauce was originally intended for. The burgers are delicious, and I make them often. The sauce is fantastic and very versatile, so I tend to make a big batch of it and use it as a marinade, topping for burgers, or mixed in with any pasta/grain/veggie combo. It's an easy way to make quick, amazing dishes with minimal effort.