Some where in the span of the last half year – give or take a couple weeks – life went from sickly sweet and seemingly picture perfect to oh-so-insanely soap opera-ish that even Susan Lucci would have to change the channel because she can’t keep up.

Yes, once upon a time I used to watch All My Children.  So sue me.

I had to stop blogging because when the going gets tough, the tough just makes a salad.  And the tough can only blog about green juice and breakfast cookies and crudites with hummus lunches for so long before her readers start yawning and drooling into their keyboards.  Then before I know it, I’ll have a stack of bills on my desk from bored readers invoicing me for their new typing apparatus’s (apparati?  what’s the plural of apparatus?) to replace the ones said readers ruined after they dribbled puddles of saliva while falling asleep from reading about my vegetable monotony and posts full of run on sentences.

Here’s where I stop being annoyingly cryptic and overly dramatic and get to the point of this post.

So, as the new saying goes… when the going gets tough, the tough makes a salad.  But the tough can also tie on her sneakers and go for a run if she likes as well.  A girl always has option.  And after all, what better way to take full advantage of the feel good hormones evolution afforded each of us than to rub the sleep out of your eyes, throw on some non-cotton clothes and your (still relatively new!) Garmin 405 and hit the road jack?  It’s all about figuring out how to give that pituitary gland a good hard squeeze and allow some endorphins to ooze out into your blood stream for a cheap and natural pick-me-up.  Personally, I prefer to squeeze my pituitary gland around 6am when most of the creatures in this urban jungle are still sleeping.  Or, while the creatures in my very own urban habitat are still sleeping at the very least.

Given the going is still going a bit tough these days, the first thing on today’s to do list?

Squeeze pituary gland.

Check!

Sneaks on, garmin buckled to my wrist, off I went for a few butt-crack-of-dawn miles around town on a pseudo drug run to turn any frowns at least temporarily upside down.  All I know is that it’s a good thing running feels a lot more like a habit these days rather than a chore ’cause otherwise I’d probably be watching old episodes of All My Children on Hulu whilst simultaneously shushing and barking orders at my kids to Be Quiet and Fetch Mama Some Bonbons.

Another happiness tip?  Find pleasure in the little things.  And what little things pray tell am I finding pleasure in these days?  Why a spinach bed overflowing with fresh, backyard and organically grown spinach – that’s what!

Here’s a true story:

Ready for lunch one day last week, whole wheat tortillas in one hand, tub-o-Family Size Garlic Sabra in the other, visions of veggies wraps danced in my head – until I realized I was out of spinach, or greens of any kind for that matter.

Crap.

Ummm, out of greens in the fridge maybe… “out of greens” with the exception of the very green spinach flowing from the raised bed in my back yard, ready and waiting to be harvested.  Ohhhh yeaaaaaahhhhh forgot about those greens!

Tortillas and hummus tubs quickly cast aside to be replaced with plastic bowls and purple handled scissors as I skipped and squealed gleefully down my back steps and into my back yard.  It’s time to snip snip snip until her Daddy takes the scissors away.

Enter more skipping and squealing back up the steps, into the kitchen to get to work on a hummus wrap masterpiece magnificent enough to belong in a museum.

The Museum of My Mouth, that is.  MoMM?  How quaint.  And oh yes, there is a layer of hummus under Mount St. Veggie, I promise.

So, the moral of today’s true stories?  Implement some healthy habits into your life NOW, before the shit hits the fan, so that when the fecal matter does inevitably fly into some speedily rotating blades one day, you can more easily avoid being completely splattered from head to toes covered by running sneakers.  Who needs daytime drama and chocolate covered ice cream balls to escape your own personal soap opera?  Instead, you’ll be all set up to get up and get out and feel good after a few easy miles on a muggy Thursday morning at 6:36 AM.  You too can be making chirping noises as you bound down your back steps into your yard to load up on fresh spinach for a museum worthy hummus and veggie wrap instead of watering your garden with tears.

And if the shit never hits the fan?  No harm, no foul. Consider those healthy habits the Real Life insurance policy that you never had to file a claim on.

• When the Garmin Strikes Midnight
• Stay At Home Turkey Trot
• Stay at Home

So what did we do with ourselves today you’re surely wondering?

Why we took up the offer of a fellow homeschooling mama to blow this pop stand in favor of the YMCA and burn off some energy this afternoon.

Not me, mind you. I burned off a bunch of energy at 6 AM with my new running friends. These kids though? Yeah. They’ve got a ton energy to burn and let’s call a spade a spade: They are driving me nuts.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love them – but let’s face it. It’s winter. They’re kids. Our new yard is small and sort of boring. We miss our friends. It was time to herd some sheep and get the flock out of this house for a little while.

After some time in the padded room, I decided to write a children’s book.

I’m going to call it: The Monkey and the Snorkeler Go Swimming

Is it possible we burned off a little too much energy? After I accepted my Children’s Lit award, we hit up Goodwill and the monkey fell asleep while we waited in the donation drop off line of 100 cars. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who had the idea to donate stuff today. It’s all about the tax breaks, baby. Well not for me it’s not! I just moved, peeps! I need to get this stuff out of my house! Here, you can have my receipt if you let me cut to the front of the line!

Oh great. Now she’s going to be raring to ring in the new year. Quick, someone set the clock ahead 3 hours! That’s the only way I’m going to stay up until “midnight”. I’m celebrating with my pillows and a little bit of drool tonight.

After sheep herding fun we came back to the sheep pen (do sheep live in pens? Or is that pigs? Bah. Details.) and I did my best to avoid cooking once again.

Not only am I not cooking, I’m not even making hummus! Blasphemy! Good thing Sabra hummus is so damn creamy and good. I’m jealous actually – what the heck do those Sabra scientists do to make it so flocking creamy?

I bought the roasted garlic variety (because you know, vampires) and holy garlic breath batman we loved this. In fact, “we” loved this so much “we” barely left me a tablespoon for faux-cooking tonight.

My sad little layer of hummus on my slice of toasted sesame Ezekiel bread.

Light on the hummus, heavy on the spinach. Isn’t that how that saying goes?

Wow. My last post of 2009. Do I know how to ring in the blog new year or what?

• Whensday?
• Thanksgiving is Officially Over
• Rest Day

It’s not Thanksgiving, but that doesn’t mean I can’t give some thought to all the things I’m thankful for these days.

I’m thankful for kids that are too big to fit down the laundry chute.

I’m grateful that the little one who I worry COULD possibly fit down there played at the downstairs laundry chute location that is three feet off the floor.

I’d like to give thanks for salad and what a portable meal it can be. Thank you Gladware for making lunch possible at my new home away from home, while taking a little unpacking break before heading home to get ready for an evening out.

I’m appreciative for holiday office parties that give me the night off from having to figure out what I’m going to make for dinner.

I’m especially thankful for small companies and trendy young business owners who do a great job of throwing parties at crazy art galleries.

I’m also grateful for open bar and more specifically, white wine.

Mama could really use a drink. It’s been a long week.

I’d like to give thanks for grazing stations full of dishes for omnivores and herbivores alike.

I am grateful for art gallery tours and the opportunity to do a little snickering over awkward art.

Today I am the most grateful for the best nights sleep I’ve had in well over a week, as well the abundance of time and energy available for a run this morning.

I’d like to give a BIG THANKS and shout out to my memory for remembering everything I learned from winter running last year. Thank you, Brain, for not making me spend the whole winter getting it figured out again this year.

Two layers YO! One layer on the bottom to wick away moisture and sweat, a lighter layer on top to keep some heat in and some cold air out.

Keep your iPod toasty warm by wearing it inside your coat.

And don’t forget that even if it’s 20 degrees outside…

dry pavement is the biggest factor in what it takes to have an enjoyable its-almost-winter morning run.

Thank you Running for the healthy dose of feel good hormones and allowing me to get totally lost in my thoughts for a full 35 minutes and 21 seconds.

I’m also thankful we’re out of coffee because it meant the man of the house would make juice instead of a pot of caffeine.

And lastly, I’m thankful for juice delivery services that allow me to get upstairs and sit at my desk while I get caught up on my virtual life.

When I asked him what was in it, he said “Everything”. From the looks and tastes of it (and from what I observed going into the juicer as I stood there taking pictures) it would be Tomato Carrot Beet Garlic Ginger Juice this morning – and it was awesome.

Have you put garlic in your juicer yet? Get on it! You can thank me later.

• More Adventures With Three
• Whensday?
• There’s Always a Silver Lining

Almost a month ago my sweet friend Cindy asked me if I might be interested in trying a recipe she created. I said “Sure!” and she sent the recipe to me, and that recipe has sat in my inbox all this time, patiently waiting for me to make good on my promise.

Well today is finally the day! Cranberry Orange Bites here we come!

I did a little tweaking of Cindy’s recipe, so check hers out for the original version.

Crust
1 C soaked, raw cashews
4-6 ripe large medjool dates (pitted)
1 Tbsp coconut oil

Cranberry Filling
1 C + 1/2 C whole, fresh cranberries, separated
2 Tbsp agave
1/2 C dried sweetened cranberries
1/2 C Orange Juice

Cindy’s original recipe calls for almonds but I was short on almonds so I used 1 cup of cashews instead. I let them soak in water all morning and drained them when I was ready to get started.

Soaked cashews went into the food processor with 5 medjool dates and a 1 Tbsp of coconut oil.

I scrounged out some muffins tins from the cupboard.

Yes, I care!

I pressed a heaping tablespoon of the crust mix into each tin.

Next into the food processor went 1 cup of cranberries and 2 Tbsp of agave nectar to make a cranberry puree. Mixed in with the cranberry puree went the other 1/2 c of whole cranberries, 1/2 c of dried cranberries and 1/2 cup of orange juice.

As instructed, I preheated the oven to 300 and then turned it off as I placed the cranberry bites in for about 2 hours.

This cranberry orange bite recipe made 12 servings, 130 calories each.

While I had the food processor out, I figured I might as well put it to work.

Curried Chick Pea Sandwich Spread for lunch tomorrow, for both me and the Z Man.

Next up? Some Sun Dried Tomato Hummus, sampled with a couple (four) Kashi crackers – just to make sure it wasn’t poisonous.

And then I’m not sure exactly what came over me, but I was in the mood to do some experimenting and created my very own vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe. The crust from Cindy’s Cranberry Bites was so incredibly yummy I used it my source of inspiration for the cookies.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 C of raw cashews
6 medjool dates, pitted
1/3 C raw almonds
1 1/2 C rolled oats
1/2 C almond milk
1/2 C chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli and as far as I can tell from the ingredient list, they appear to be dairy free)

First, I made oat flour with 1 1/2 cups of rolled oats.

Look! Oat flour! Like magic! A big shout out to Mama Averie for this tip!

Empty the oats into a separate bowl and make a big wet ball of dough with cashews, dates and almond.

Mix well, add 1/2 c of almond milk and then gently fold in chocolate chips.

The cranberry bites had been in the oven for about an hour and a half at this point and I pulled them out and turned the oven back on to 375. 1 Tbsp Cookie dough balls scooped out and plopped onto coconut oil greased cookie sheets. Cooked for 9 – 11 minutes.

I ended up putting my cranberry bites back into the oven at 375 for a little while because I wanted the whole cranberries to break down just a little bit more. After 10 minutes I took them out and put them on a rack to cool their jets.

The cookies came out of the oven just in time for the cookie inspectors to arrive.

Ava Tested, Ava Approved.

Maxine was too busy chowing to give me any sort of hand signals to whether or not she liked them. The cookie disappeared though and hasn’t been seen since this picture was taken. I’ve notified the authorities.

Then the time came do a little cranberry bite profiling.

They totally rocked! Good job Cindy, Zak and I both loved them. The kids wouldn’t eat them but this is no surprise. I’m sure they just look a little too healthy. We loved how perfectly sweet and tangy they were!

The cookies turned out great too, especially considering I had no recipe and was flying by the seat of my cookie pants. I love that they have no refined sugar, but they could have been just a *little* sweeter. If I had to tweak them I would have added a 1/4 – 1/2 cup of agave nectar. The chocolate chips saved the sweetness day.

These cookies clocked in at just 83 calories each. 26 cookies were made from this recipe.

It’s been a fun afternoon food processor! We make a good team!

You did real good my giant Cuisinart. Now hit the showers – you are a total mess.

• When the Garmin Strikes Midnight
• We’re Off to Weigh the Wizard
• Two Lefts Don't Make a Right

Did you know that if you let your 5 year old play with an alarm clock that you found in a box of hand me down toys, said 5 year old will inadvertently set the alarm to go off at 5:13? And did you know that this certain 5 year old will completely sleep through that alarm when it goes off at 5:13 on a Sunday morning?

Did you know that if you lay in bed long enough and pretend to be sleeping through the alarm, your husband will eventually get up and turn it off. And if you say “Oh! Since you’re up…” you can convince him to help you make huge strides in the effort to pack up all of your worldly belongings in preparation for the move to a new house?

Did you know that the space in front there used to be full of bins of toys, clothes, boxes, along with the last of the baby items that now have found new homes? Be impressed with this picture. It looks a lot better.

Did you know that when it’s been months since you’ve had a breakfast cookie they taste incredible after a 7.5 mile Sunday morning run?

Did you know this chocolate breakfast contains 478 calories and was made with:

1/2 c rolled oats
1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 tbsp almond butter
1/2 smashed banana
1/4 c chocolate unsweetened almond milk
1 Tbsp of flax seed

Did you know that snacks on the road taste better when you’re dropping off household items to be donated?

Did you know that Ava’s new favorite song is Wannabe by the Spice Girls thanks to the discovery of this video on You Tube?

Did you know that not only do I own this CD, I still know all the words to this song? Did you know I found this CD today while cleaning in the basement and the whole family danced to this song over and over again in our car seats this afternoon?

Did you know we dropped the girls off at Zak’s mom’s house for a peaceful afternoon to get more packing done?

Did you know I forgot to get the mail yesterday and was happy to see my new Health magazine waiting for me this afternoon?

Did you know that I had a hummus sandwich with steamed veggies for lunch? Well, yes, you probably did know that given you could see it in the picture above.

Did you know I’m now enjoying a lovely snack of air popped popcorn with a little butter and a nice mug of hot tea at my desk with no one climbing on me, asking me for snacks, squeezing in behind me in my chair? Did you know this is probably my cue to go get those chair climbing snackers?

Well, if you didn’t know – you do now.

• Run for Breakfast
• Over Run Oats
• My Run, My Run, My Run is My Drug

This picture makes my lunch look so lovely. I think it’s the book in the background.

A spread of sun dried tomato hummus on gently toasted Ezekiel bread, plump sliced tomatoes, home grown sprouts with a blanket of red leaf lettuce and a dabble of mustard. Chilled gazpacho made with the finest seasonal vegetables hand selected from a local grower.

Yours for the low price of simply having to request that everyone is dressed (pants at the very least) for our meal together, rise from your seat 10 times to tend to various items like fallen forks and drink refills. You also must shovel the last few bites of corn through the slats of your chair while agreeing to pretend you are feeding an animal in the zoo while saying to yourself dude, fine, whatever it takes to get this kid to eat some vegetables.

OK I’ll pay but I’m NOT leaving a tip.

After our fine dining experience we were off to Ava’s second homeschooled gym class offered at the university right down the street from our house.

Ava charged straight into the building happy and excited to play games with her peers. Maxine on the other hand lagged behind. She refused to walk, demanding to be carried due to a disagreement over the shoes I selected for her as we were leaving the house. Normally she would choose but today I decided for her so we could get out the door.

Maxine and I sat on the sidelines and waited for Ava. Well, it’s more accurate to say that I sat on the sidelines. Maxine complained about her shoes and articulated her displeasure in my choice of footwear for her.

There was crying. There was protesting of my refusal to leave the gym and go home without Ava. More complaints were filed over the shoes.

Finally, I told her – fine, then throw your shoes out, Maxine. Just throw them out if you hate them so much.

I don’t know what makes me say the things that I do. I don’t think I would make a good spy. I say outrageous things under pressure.

The offer to dispose of them took her by surprise. I think that’s what I was aiming for – I was going for shock value and I was successful.

She walked the 50 feet to the trash can (barefoot) with her purple crocs in hand. The formerly beloved favorite purple shoes that I paid $4 for at a consignment store and are on the brink of being too small. She held them over the trash can and turned back to see if I was bluffing.

Go ahead, I confirmed. Throw in them in garbage can. Do it.

And she did.

She walked back to me, decidedly pleased that she was rid of the wretched purple shoes. I, on the other hand was trying to decide if we were really going to leave without those $4 second hand crocs or not. This decision could very easily alter the course of our mother-daughter relationship forever.

Skipping right over the climax of my story, we came home and I got to work making Goddess Averie’s incredibly RAWesome dressing.

Into the food processor went about half cup of soaked raw cashews, 1/3 cup of water, the juice from one lemon, a squeeze of agave, a couple shakes of dill, oregano and basil.

Behold.

Doused on a dinner salad fit for a the mother of a princess. That must make me a queen, right? Well if I’m a queen then Averie is easily a goddess because this salad dressing totally RAWk’d!

So what do you think? Did I retrieve those shoes from the trash? Or not?

• Not Thanksgiving
• Whensday?
• There’s Always a Silver Lining