Lovin’ My Crack Wrap

July 31st, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Lunch - (3 Comments)

As a family of four living on one income, part of my role as our Domestic Engineer is to be frugal and cut corners whenever I can.

Given that we love to read, I get the majority of the books we devour from the library. It saves us money, clutter – and saves me time too. One less book on the shelf is one less thing I have to dust.

Who am I kidding.  I never dust.  And I pay enough late fees to the library they could open a new branch in my name.

Days Like This

July 30th, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Healthy Habits - (4 Comments)

Yeah, there’ll be days like this.  Mom was right.

Cucumber Slices on Eyes

(why yes, that cucumber did come from the CSA share. thank you for noticing.)

Your Thoughts are Very Powerful

We all inevitably have times in our lives when we’re feeling less than stellar.  The next time you’re laying there with cucumber slices on your eyes because you’ve had a tough day – consider the fact that the thoughts that you think and the emotions that you feel are very closely tied.

Have you ever been somewhere completely harmless but are feeling just dreadful?

Brains for Breakfast

July 28th, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Morning Craziness - (3 Comments)

I didn’t come up with this, but I wish I would have.

Choose Real Food Plate

Found it here.

And a response.

Choose My Zombie Plate

Oh great, now I’m hungry.

(The real plate, in case you haven’t seen it.)

Have Salad – Will Travel

July 27th, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Healthy Habits - (Comments Off on Have Salad – Will Travel)

We just returned from a child-free vacation/mini-adventure.  Our travel itinerary included a wedding, an Ironman, plus two additional carefree days with zero parental responsibilities and a bunch of down time thanks to the generosity and support of some very loving and caring family members.

(did you hear the tires squealing as we tore ass out of the driveway before anyone could change their mind?)

So I’m back!  And here today with a few healthy travel tips before my brood returns and life returns to “normal”.

Pack Your Own Food

Preparing food from home can save you time, money and unknown food options while on the road.

Sea of People

July 24th, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Fitness - (4 Comments)

Zak and I are in Lake Placid today to cheer on a friend who’s participating in the 2011 Lake Placid Ironman.

Sea of People Lake Placid Ironman 2011

(click pic to enlarge!)

All those green and pink round things in the water are the athletes who were waiting to head out on their 2.4 mile swim at 7 AM this morning. (The men are in green, women in pink.) After their swim is a 112 mile bike ride and then a 26.2 mile run for dessert.

The coffee maker is cranky.

Cranky Coffee Pot

Coffee Maker cannot figure out why all these baking supplies are out at such an ungodly hour of the morning.

Coffee Maker is cranky and hot and does not like to be crowded.

But you see Coffee Maker, it’s all because of the zucchini from yesterday’s CSA pick up.

Zucchini

This zucchini is practically begging to made into Chocolate Zucchini Bread.

But zucchini bread means the oven has to be turned on.

It felt like I was on a mission trying to collect all the ingredients to make The Brendan Brazier Salad.

Good thing a salad mission is exactly my kind of mission.

I already had a bunch of the usual salad suspects on hand:

Not Salad Newcomers

Spinach, kale, a variety of greens (including arugula!) cucumber, avocado, beets, hemp seeds.

Whoops, I almost forgot the carrots!

Eat Me

Boy Carrots, you sure are bossy. And kind of rude.

These were the guys I had to hunt down.

Vega EFA oil

Dulse, Vega Antioxidant EPA oil blend and lentil sprouts.

In the Flesh

July 19th, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Good Reads - (7 Comments)

Want to know where I was last night?

Cool Sky

Well, photographically speaking – I’m at the bottom of that picture of a really cool sky.

Technically speaking, I was at a seminar given by a really cool guy.

The best selling author of Thrive and Thrive Fitness,

Thrive by Brendan Brazier Thrive Fitness by Brendan Brazier

vegan pro Ironman triathlete – none other than Brendan Brazier himself.

Brendan Brazier Seminar at Lori's Natural Foods

I know, right?

Brendan.

Brazier.

Brendan Brazier

(once upon a time I read Brendan’s first book Thrive and I loved his thoughts and ideas so much that I couldn’t shut up about it. 21 posts and counting. sheesh. no wonder I called him my boyfriend.)

Green Smoothie Revolution

July 18th, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Good Reads - (3 Comments)

I’m about to put Green Smoothie Revolution in the library book drop, but thought I’d write a little something about it first.

Green Smoothie Revolution by Victoria Boutenko

Written by Victoria Boutenko and published in 2009, Green Smoothie Revolution is a fairly quick read.

(it’s only about a half inch thick.)

The first 1/4 inch is ten short chapters filled with facts and information explaining why green leafy vegetables are the miracle food that they are.  The the other 1/4 inch is the 200 green smoothie recipes and a couple of case studies and personal anecdotes – from weight loss to simply feeling better after an increase in consumption of leafy greens.

The Pizza Show

July 17th, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Dinner Time - (1 Comments)

(with some behind-the-scenes extras.)

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls.  Tonight we’ve got quite the performance lined up!  Allow me to present to you the summer time rendition of:

The Homemade Vegetable Pizza Party Show!

(this is where you cup your hands around your mouth and do that faux screaming/crowd-goes-wild thing.)

The Yeasty Boys are our opening act.

Yeast Resting

(my trusty crusty easy pizza dough recipe at play here.)

My mozzarella likes to do The Shred.

Shredded Mozzarella

(i do typically opt for organic dairy, but I went the conventional route tonight.)