After a much needed break from the land of blogging, I’m feeling ready to peek my head out and tread carefully into the sea I got swept up and carried off in almost a year ago.
I can make no promises as to the frequency of posts at this time. I haven’t even turned my camera on in well over a week. But I believe that I’m back and if you’re still peeking in even after I locked the blog down, know that there is more Mama’s Weeds craziness in store for all of us in the days and weeks to come.
A very wise woman once said, blogging is fun, but life is real.
Indeed Mama Pea. Indeed.
Blogging, at least to the extent that I have taken it with two posts a day most days, as well as all the other duties that come along with being active in the blogging community, is time consuming to say the least. As life changes and evolves, the needs of my family as well as my own needs change and evolve too. Time is a pretty hot commodity around here, and while I’ve enjoyed finding the time to blog regularly this spring, summer and fall – our new house and the start of a new year have made it abundantly clear that there is suddenly less time to go around.
I started Mama’s Weeds for so many reasons. I was excited to share my recipes and ideas in the kitchen with my friends and family. I wanted to write about all the great books I’ve read that have made such a difference in my life and have aided me in my personal journey to health and wellness. I also wanted to write about all the ways I fit regular exercise into my hectic life as a wife and homeschooling mother of two.
The blog has taught me so much and has enriched my life on so many levels. Thanks to putting some pressure on myself to post twice a day, every day, for nearly the last 8 months and to keep me from boring myself to tears, the challenges of coming up with new posts so frequently has allowed me to stretch my creative writing legs and in turn, has allowed me discover a new passion that I didn’t even realize I had. I’ve had so much fun writing, learning more about food, cooking, health, exercise and even a little about photography too. I’ve made a lot of new friends, gotten so many great ideas and found so many new sources of inspiration and motivation. It’s been a lot of fun documenting the food and health related events in our lives these past 8 months and has been a real trip sharing part of my life over the world wide web.
I’m not going to completely pull the plug on Mama’s Weeds, but I do need to take a hiatus from regular blogging for the time being. I’ve got to shift my focus and limited spare time and energy on the needs of all the people in my real life that I care so much about.
If you’re looking to find me in cyberspace, I’ll still be hanging out with my homeboy Matt over at Health Blog Helper. That gig is a little less demanding. I’ll be around the blogosphere a bit too – keeping up with my fellow bloggers, leaving ridiculous comments as needed and as time allows. I wouldn’t be completely surprised to see a new post pop up on here from time to time either. I’ll still be cooking and running after all! When I find myself with some extra time, a fantastic new recipe, a funny picture on my camera or story to share – I’ll be back!
Tonight I had a welcome distraction and was able to escape for a few hours from the boxes and unpacking and kids-going-stir-crazy madness. With a girlfriend in from out of town for the holidays, my three best girls and I left men and children behind and to head out and paint the town red. Or something. Really we just went out to eat but that doesn’t sound nearly as exciting.
We hit up the tea bar at the fancy schmancy Wegmans on the east side of town where our friend Tara works, to wait for her while she finished her shift. Tara gave us a little tea demonstration and sampling of a few of the wide assortments of teas they offer including a white tea, green tea and herbal tea.
Plus a couple of tea-inspired chai and green cookies!
Tara hooked us up!
After tea sampling, it was time for dinner at an Asian restaurant that would suit meat eaters and vegetarians alike.
We ordered edamame pods for an appetizer.
And a Thai cucumber salad that made it’s way around the table for sampling as well.
Plus a little Riesling too, because, well, yeah. Because.
Lots of chatting and girl talk was to be had.
I ordered a Japanese miso soup that was just ok.
Obligatory group shot!
Our third and final destination would have been to The Cheesecake Factory for a little dessert.
A Snicker’s cheesecake, a Godiva chocolate cheesecake (my pick!) and a warm apple crisp served with ice cream.
All three desserts were out of this world! So rich, we couldn’t even finish them and I brought what was left over home to share with the family that I deserted for the evening.
Why does a night out with your best gal pals make life feel so much easier for a little while? I totally needed this tonight. Another bite of that cheesecake wouldn’t hurt right about now either – good thing it’s in my fridge.
I’m feeling a lot of pressure from this juicer giveaway – this isn’t going to be easy. I want to give a juicer to everyone! If you still want a chance to win my old juicer, you’ve got until tonight to leave a comment on yesterday’s post.
I’m still squealing with delight over foam-less juice. Foam didn’t really bother me before, but I think it looks much more appetizing with out it.
Today’s vegetable juice contained a large beet, a carrot, a cucumber, 1/2 head of romaine lettuce, an apple and a lemon. The apple gives it the perfect amount of sweetness.
I spotted this sticker at the bottom of the dishwasher this morning. It must have come off the juicer when it was washed yesterday.
I didn’t think the shoot looked that big though. Really? My hand can fit in there? I don’t believe it.
Well believe it. It fits. Took a bit of finger maneuvering but oh yeah, I got it in there. Guess I can still juice my hand with the new juicer after all.
Thank goodness I’ve never seen a sticker that says “Do Not Put Head In Microwave”. I have no question that my head would fit though. It’s pretty big. (Both my head and the microwave.)
After pushing the limits of my juicer’s safety features and wondering if a picture of my head on the rotating plate of the microwave would be funny, I busted out the crock pot to get a jump start on dinner.
Who wants refried beans?
3 cups of dried pinto beans, sorted and rinsed (I’m using a combo of pinto, red and pink beans today because I only had a quarter bag of pintos)
8 cups of water
1/4 c diced jalapeno peppers (I used jarred)
1 or 2 gloves of garlic
1 – 2 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
dash of salt
The crock pot is set to high, I’ll stir it occassionally and and will probably move it to low in about 4 – 5 hours to be mashed once they soften up. I think we’ll do burritos for dinner tonight!
For breakfast today I crossed chia pudding with fruit cereal to make breakfast pudding.
Two diced bananas, a tsp of unsweetened cocoa powder, a tablespoon or so of chia seeds with unsweetened chocolate almond milk. Stirred together and placed in the fridge for about 20 minutes so the chia seeds could do their gel thang.
Check it out! The spoon stands right up! The wonder of chia seed gel.
This was ok. I sort of wish I’d have mashed the banana because I felt like I was transported via time machine to a picnic in the 80’s eating that weird jello dessert with chunks of fruit in it. Not the best, but I do think this has some potential.
I feel like I’ve had a bunch of time this morning. What’s up with that? Oh yeah, no work out! Geez man, look at all the things I could do with my time if I didn’t run most mornings! That probably explains though why I haven’t juiced my hand yet. Running keeps me out of trouble.
It is wet and miserable out this morning. I had planned to go to the gym but I got wrapped up in something I was working on and before I knew it my time to exercise was fading fast. I knew it would be quicker to just run outside here, but the cold and wind and rain made it less than appealing. I sucked it up, put on my running tights and my rain coat and headed out for a 4 mile run.
It wasn’t as bad as I expected. In fact, I was feeling so good toward the end I took the detour that turns my 4 mile run into a 5 mile run and was home in just over 40 minutes.
Today’s run came with a photographer at the end.
Here she comes
Running down the street
She gets the funniest looks from
Everyone she meets!
The funniest looks? Yeah, that’s about right.
I look thrilled, don’t I?
Well I WAS thrilled because my wet and cold run was over and it was time to get out something new and shiny.
Behold.
This thing is amazingly fast, and the vegetable shoot is amazingly big, I didn’t have cut or chop any vegetables. I peeled my lemon but beyond that, everything went in as-is. I made juice this morning in about a quarter of the time as usual!
And look! No foam!
The foam magically stays in the bucket after you pour the juice out. I think this feature alone makes the juicer worth it’s weight in gold.
The Breville is definitely louder than my beloved Acme juicer but the kids still slept through it. Clean up was about the same.
So yes, it’s true. I’m giving my old juicer away. To one of you! I am a lover of recycling and passing on items to a new home. I would much rather give this juicer to someone who really wants it rather than donate it to Goodwill.
This juicer is old and has been well loved, but it still works like a champ and pumps out the green goodness like nobody’s business. Maybe it can do for you what it did for me – it can be a way to see if juicing is for you without having to make a major purchase first. I will happily send this off to someone who really wants it!
Please understand that I have NO INSTRUCTIONS for this juicer. It’s the Acme Supreme Juicerator 5001 and you could probably find the instructions online with a little digging. I will be available by email to answer any questions because there are a few little tips I’ve picked up along the way. It’s easy to figure out and use though.
One more thing. Did I say this juicer is OLD? I think I did. There are no safety features that keep you from slicing off your finger. Plain old common sense will keep you safe but please understand that I am NOT responsible if you juice your own finger!
If you missed my demonstration of this fact last week, you can watch it here:
If you win, you’ll get all the juicer parts seen here!
I double checked with Zak’s aunt Ellen, the person who gave me this juicer back in July. She confirmed she does not want it back and was happy to let me pass it on. I told her if she changes her mind she is free to enter my giveaway, but I think it’s safe to assume Ellen is not going to be any sort of competition.
So! If you are lover of second hand things like me and want to give juicing a whirl – leave a comment on this post! I’ll decide on a winner Thursday night and will be prepared to ship it out to you on Friday, October 9th. I really want this to go to someone who truly wants it and will use it – so if you want it – make it known loud and clear! I’m not sure yet if I’ll decide a winner based on the creativity of your entry, something that makes me laugh or a passionate comment that brings a tear to my eye! If only two people enter I might just randomly pick a name out of my juicer hat. I haven’t decided yet!
If you’re curious about juicing, this is your chance to try it for free! Do you want it? Then now’s the time! Tell me that you do!
No, not a new kind of tile for your bathroom floor. Guess again.
Nope, not fish eggs. Last chance.
YES! Chia pudding! You got it!
How did I make chia pudding? OK I won’t make you guess, I’ll just tell you:
2 Tbsp of chia seeds
1/2 c unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 tsp agave
Stirred and popped into the fridge for about 4 hours. I’ve seen chia pudding around and it’s been on my list of things to try ever since I won a 3 lb bag of chia seeds from Averie’s giveaway a few weeks ago. Averie posted four chia seed recipes this morning and that was it. Today was chia seed pudding day.
I put this together before we left this morning and it was a great snack to come home to this afternoon! It was sweet (thank you agave), creamy (thank you almond milk) and the texture was very pudding like (thank you soaked chia seeds). Chia pudding will now be making regular appearances in my house. (Thank you Averie.)
While I was enjoying my chia pudding, I was also pre-heating the oven to 375 to get ready to bake some spaghetti squash.
While my spaghetti squash was baking, I spent a little time drooling over my new toy.
Yes, that’s right. A brand new Breville. In MY kitchen. How did it get there? Well let me tell you a little story.
Once a upon a time a girl has a blog. She blogs about making juice over and over and over again. The girl goes with her mother to Toronto and while in Toronto the girl and the mother watch the Jack La Lanne Power Juicer infomercial over and over and over again.
The girl and Jack La Lanne team up and are finally able to convince the mother it’s time to start juicing. The mother compares the Jack La Lanne juicer to the juicer which the girl wanted to buy until a juicer from the 1970’sfell into her lap. The mother decides to buy the juicer of the girls dreams, the Breville. The Breville is purchased by the mother the following afternoon.
The mother juices with the Breville and loves it, but then stumbles upon a different juicer she wants instead. Given that the Breville has been used and cannot be returned, the mother offers the Breville to the girl at a bargain price which the girl cannot refuse. The girl thanks the mother for being so generous. The girl jumps up and down. The girl loves juice and she loves her mother too.
The End.
As our story was coming to it’s close (45 minutes or so later) the squash was ready! So was the tomato sauce.
Squash “noodles” scraped gently from their shell and into a bowl, topped with veggie-full tomato sauce and some Parmesan cheese.
Without sauce, spaghetti squash tastes like squash. With tomato sauce, you’re too busy scarfing it down to remember that you’re not eating pasta.
Anybody want my old juicer? I smell a giveaway. Quite possibly the strangest giveaway of all time.
You know how they say that making plans to work out with someone is a great way to make you sure you go? That was definitely the case for me this morning. I had my alarm set for 5:15 to meet my running buddy Shawn at the gym and run on the indoor track at 6:00. I turned my alarm off and laid back down for just a second and the next thing I know my cell phone is ringing downstairs, it’s 5:45 and I’m stumbling around in the dark rubbing sleep out of my eyes and jamming my toe on the suitcase that I’ve yet to put away.
Ah, Tuesday.
But I made it! Thank God he called (Shawn, not God) to make sure I was up and still planning to go. I rode my bike despite the fact that was cold and dark. It’s only a mile and the waning moon lit the road until I got out of our neighborhood and the street lights lead the rest of the way.
We warmed up on the 150 m track for a few laps and then did intervals, sprinting once around and then two recovery laps. Five sets of intervals with a couple cool down laps at the end and before we knew it a half hour had passed. I normally hate running on the indoor track but it was bearable with a friend.
After our run we hit the weight room and I heard the Jillian Michaels on my shoulder whispering (screaming) “no resting between sets!” so after working the chest for one set of 10 I moved on to the lower body for a set of 10. This gives my chest muscles a chance to recover while I work my legs but my heart rate stays elevated. 3 sets each and then I moved on to arms and abs with the same approach and ended up spending about 15 minutes on resistance training all together.
By the time I left the sun was up and I was treated to a beautiful (but still chilly!) ride home.
I love riding my bike to and from the gym because of course it’s environmentally friendly but really I just love that it adds another 10 minutes to my work out without really feeling like it. Let’s be honest, that’s really the best part.
I came home to whip up a bowl of fruit cereal for breakfast.
Two small diced bananas and two chopped medjool dates, all tossed in ground flax seed and unsweetened cocoa powder, topped with sliced almonds and raw cacao nibs for some crunch. Today’s milk of choice was unsweetened chocolate almond milk.
I think I’ve shaken off my funk like a dog who just emerged from the river and is covering everyone in a 10 foot radius with cold water. You’re welcome! I guess a nice morning work out and a fruit centered breakfast pushes my reset button. Now I’ve got to find the put-your-suitcase-away button. When I find I should probably push it twice, just to be safe.
After a weekend of eating out and juice bar hopping I’ve come realize I’m missing a lot of juice creativity and possibility when I stick with the same old, same old green lemonade day after day. Today I swapped out romaine for carrot – WOO living on the wild side!
Well, if carrots are what I’ve got – love the one you’re with, right?
A very pretty spinach salad with apples, raw cashews and craisins tossed in miso dressing and rice vinegar.
Different than my standard giant salad but I still feel like I’m spinning my wheels in a food rut.
Dinner was a clean-out-the-fridge-and-do-the-best-you-can night.
I made a sweet potato sandwich. Random? Yes. Good? Sure. Eat this again? Not on purpose.
Zak’s old stand by meal is always tofu and veggie stir fry. That’s what would be going on in this picture, with a little mac and cheese action in the foreground too.
My helping of Zak’s corn, mushroom and tofu stir fry while slaving over a pot of Annie’s Mac and Cheese for the wildebeests.
I just finished burning my tongue on a cup of tea, to squelch that “I’m not hungry but I still want something to eat” after dinner feeling. My tongue is stinging but at least it worked and that feeling has passed. I think I’m feeling the after shocks of a weekend full of food fun.
I’ve felt like I’ve been walking around with my head in a cloud today. No work out. No meal plan. Lots of blah. I tried to snap myself out of it with my juice late morning but then it did was reminded me of how boring my at home juice is. I think that’s a Catch 22. Or better yet, a Juice 22.
Welp, here’s a very REAL LIFE post, that’s for sure.
Home Sweet Home from our little mother-daughter weekend away, I’m feeling unexpectedly reFreshed after just a little time off from my motherly responsibilities. Happy to return home and find everyone in one piece and no mismatched socks were used inappropriately while I was away.
The blogger meet up at Fresh yesterday with Angela and the Oh She Glows readers (that sounds like the name of a band) was so much fun!
The menu was filled with so many fabulous choices it took forever for the 10 of us to decide on what to order.
Juice bars were everywhere in Toronto – at least compared to what’s available around here! (Read: Nada) Fresh was no exception and they had a huge array of fresh juice choices. I went with the Lung Lover which was comprised of pineapple, apple, ginger, lemon and cayenne. It was a hot beverage and it was strong and spicy! Apparently I like my juice just like I like my men.
Lots of chatting and camera passing ensued.
Angela brought us all Glo Bars to try and Kristin from the soon-to-be-launched Balance is Beauty blog brought us all her homemade macaroons!
More group shots – except this time with food!
I ordered their deluxe veggie burger made from almonds, grains, tofu and vegetables. It was absolutely one of the best homemade veggie burgers I’ve ever had. I’m totally inspired to try and recreate this sucker, or at the very least branch out and try some new veggie burger combinations here at home.
Served with cabbage salad, lettuce, tomato, sprouts, pickle and vegan mayo.
I snapped pictures of the delicious looking dishes to my right and left too.
On my right, Mel from Freshly Grated Nutmeg ordered the Tangled Thai that was made up shredded carrots, yellow beets and jicama.
To my left Angela ordered the beach bowl, which was red peppers, zucchini, sweet potato, sunflower sprouts and sun-dried tomatoes.
The food and company were both excellent, it was great chatting with so many like minded ladies!
The drive home was uneventful and seemed to go faster than the drive up. My mom and I really had a blast this weekend and I was so grateful to have an excuse for a little getaway!
After I got home I broke into the bag of Kristin’s macaroons. I only planned to eat one but it was so good I ate all three!
I also discovered that I must have left my Glo Bars on the table at the restaurant! I was so bummed – I was totally looking forward to trying Angela’s famous creations! But now I have a great excuse to buy some Glo Bars when Angela is ready to ship to the US.
Today has officially been declared a CATCH UP day, which means no official work out and I am chained to my desk until my children rise and force me out of my chair.
In honor of our Oh She Glows meet up, today has also been declared a Green Monster day.
Banana, spinach, flax and almond milk. Green goodness at my desk.
Up and at’em at 6:30 this morning, I got up to hit the huge hotel gym first thing.
(I made those people sign release waivers to be in the blog. Not.)
Look! I got to do a track work out this morning!
The fitness center I use in the winter is this small, decrepit hole of a gym. It’s very close to home and it meets my needs so I don’t really care, but when I get to use these state of the art treadmills it feels like such a treat!
I did a 4 mile interval work out today, alternating sprinting and recovery laps around my “track”. After a cool down, I called it a run.
After a shower, we hit the streets to find a place to have breakfast. Turns out there is a Run for the Cure 5K race going on this morning, we walked past throngs and throngs of people wearing PINK while on way to find a place to eat.
The restaurants on the main drag were littered with runners. We ventured down a less populated street and found this little restaurant called eggsmart.
I went wild and ordered a cup of organic (at a restaurant!!) coffee.
A veggie omelet with wheat toast, a side of potatoes and some fruit.
I thought “there’s no way I’m going to be able to eat of all this” but after a run and a then a walk, I apparently underestimated myself.
We walked back to the hotel after breakfast, just in time for the start of the race! The race started right outside our hotel, we got to watch the bobble of heads move down the pack like a wave.
Today’s blogger meet up is with Angela from Oh She Glows and 8 other OSG readers and bloggers – 10 of us all together. We’re meeting at a restaurant called Fresh, which from the menu alone looks amazing. I totally psyched to one else!
We’re not meeting up until 2:30 so I’m glad to have had a big breakfast to hold me over until then.
We’re off to check out and then wander the streets until this afternoon!
January 19, 2010 | Posted by Alison 
Categories: Uncategorized | 
Tags: | 
22 Comments »
Recent Comments