Green Craziness

September 29th, 2009 | Posted by Alison Spath in Dinner Time - (19 Comments)

Today is our homeschool away from home day. That means it’s our pack a lunch day too.

What’s in today’s fantastic basket of food fun?

Fantastic Basket

This was lunch for me and Maxine. Ava’s was with her at her homeschooling school of homeschooled kids where they chuck wood like a wood chuck would.

Before I reveal the contents of our basket, I better back up. When I started to make hummus this morning I threw in today’s romaine, cucumber, lemon, apple and ginger juice pulp straight in with the garbanzos like the food processor was my compost bucket.

Vegetable Pulp Crackers

September 28th, 2009 | Posted by Alison Spath in Breakfast - (29 Comments)

I’ve been a busy little bee this morning! (New header anyone?)

After some blog reading this morning I officially had produce dehydration on the brain. With dehydrating madness going on across the land, I knew today was the day to fill the house with the smell of hot fruit stank.

But first, a run! 5 ish miles in 40 ish minutes. I got caught in the rain for the last mile and a half but you’ll be glad to know that both me and the iPod survived.

Kid Magnet

September 27th, 2009 | Posted by Alison Spath in Breakfast - (15 Comments)

Today is going to be the most productive day in the history of productivity. I so declare it.

I need to keep Maxine occupied while I whiz around this house and get stuff done this morning – including mopping the kitchen floor and I need little feet OUT of the kitchen for at least a 15 – 20 minute stretch.

So where were we? Oh yes, the conclusion to my titillating cliff hanger from our shoe (mis)adventures from yesterday!

I let her purple crocs stew in that trash can for about a half hour, while I stewed on what I was going to do.

They were only $4 and they are almost too small. But I could hand them down to my girlfriend Sharon who also has two young daughters… they have a lot of life left in them! I hate to be so wasteful. But on the other hand I want Maxine to know that I say what I mean and I mean what I say!

I’m not sure this photo really does the feeling of spilled green juice justice.

Liquid Bronze

That glass was FULL moments before that picture was taken.

The only thing I can compare spilling about 8 oz of fresh vegetable juice to would be spilling a 4 oz bottle of expressed breast milk all over your desk and work clothes. M@ther#F*ckr%! How quickly you understand why they call it liquid gold. Something you worked so damn hard for and is now gone, you’ve got a mess to clean up, a baby who’s going without lunch (kidding) or a husband who’s going without breakfast (talking about the other kind of juice now).

It’s Juice Day

September 18th, 2009 | Posted by Alison in Breakfast - (18 Comments)

When I first started to consider vegetable juicing, Zak was skeptical. He didn’t understand what the point was or what was so great about it.

“Why not just eat a salad?” he asked.

Well sure, you could just eat a salad, but you’d have to eat A LOT of salad to reap all the benefits from the live enzymes and chlorophyll you get from a small glass of green juice. Or a big glass for that matter.

I was holding off buying a juicer because I felt some resistance and was not yet prepared to shell out big bucks on an experiment, but thank the heavens the juice gods smiled at us and the rest is history.

The Marathons are Over

September 16th, 2009 | Posted by Alison in Party Time - (26 Comments)

A whirlwind day yesterday with so much going on, thank you all for all the birthday wishes for my baby girl!

After Maxine opened her gifts from us in the morning I got started on her cake. I used a chocolate cake recipe I’ve used in the past.

Dark Chocolate Cake
2 c boiling water
1 c unsweetened cocoa powder
2 3/4 c flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c butter, softened
2 1/4 c white sugar
4 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Re-Runs

September 12th, 2009 | Posted by Alison in Motivation - (25 Comments)

With the girls with Aunt Ellen for the day, I spent yesterday chained to my desk. A forgotten pleasure.

Friday Salad

I unlocked the chains long enough to make a big salad mess. A far-from-forgotten pleasure. A re-run I’ll happily enjoy day after day.

Before the girls came home last night I ran to the marathon expo with my running partner Shawn. Well, we didn’t really run, we drove. You never can tell so I figure I better clarify.

This year I took advantage of the sneaker recycling program they offer and brought my old sneakers to donate to this “Re-Runs” Program.

Practical (Juice) Jokes

September 7th, 2009 | Posted by Alison in Morning Craziness - (8 Comments)

Oh vegetable juice, how I’ve missed thee! It’s been two days!

Thanks to Heather I’ve been adding beets to my Green Lemonade lately, which turns the juice beet red (literally) and is now more appropriately called Magenta Juice.

Brendan Brazier recommends in Thrive adding beet greens to your salads. Well if it’s good in a salad then it’s gotta be just as good in juice!

Beet Greens

Instead of just composting these beet greens like usual, today they were added to the mix. Into the juicer went beet greens, the beet at the end said greens, romaine, lemon, ginger and cucumber. I am out of apples so I threw in a couple of carrots for good measure.

Make Your Own Cereal, Take 2

September 4th, 2009 | Posted by Alison in Good Reads - (24 Comments)

I left my alarm set to 5:15 from yesterday and got up at the same time today. I got a ton done in just a short period of time. Amazing what happens when you will yourself to stay off your computer immediately upon rising. As soon as the sun came up I got dressed and headed out on my bike for a short ride.

I didn’t want to go too far or too long today given I ran for well over an hour yesterday. My official ride ended after 35 minutes but then I stopped at home to grab my back pack and wallet and rode a mile to the corner store to pick up a few things for another Thrive inspired breakfast this morning.