Friday & Weekend Recap

Let me begin by saying, I was not a very good girl and am extremely embarrassed that I have to share this with you. I forgot how difficult it is to eat out gluten/dairy free. I also gave in to a lot of temptations that I should not have. Let's begin, sigh....don't judge me.

Friday

Breakfast was my usual smoothie/shake.

Friday Snack/Tea time

Corn Chowder, Mexican Grilled Wrap (black beans, jalapeno hummus)
Boston Bean House, Maynard

Tofu Veggie Pad Thai

Veggie Tom Khar Soup

 Saturday

Breakfast was my usual smoothie/shake. I assume you're sick of seeing the same pix of it.

Had a late lunch at Flatbread's in Bedford. I did get the Vegan pizza, however their gluten free crust was an extra $4.50. Being the cheap lady that I am, I opted out. (That's a little steep for a different crust, although I'm sure it's amazing, and my body would have preferred it.) 

I did start with their side salad first though.

Flatbread's Vegan Pizza, ate all but 3 slices. Ooops.
Ate the remaining 3 slices about 2 hours later.

I won't even display what I ate for dinner. It was the leftover tofu wedges I made Thur night, along with a bowl of 

Fail.

Sunday

We meet Chris' parents most Sundays for breakfast at Meadow Brook Orchards in Sterling, MA. Their food is delicious and for breakfast, not greasy. I gave in, yet again (major fail) to this

Egg white omelette, spinach, feta, tomato.
Home fries, and whole wheat toast.
Fail.

We ate out for lunch, yet again. (Can you tell we weren't home at all this weekend?)

Panera Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich,
Creamy Tomato Soup, chips & apple

I was finally home to make dinner. I re-created the kale saute and curried sweet potatoes I made Thur night so Chris could give them a shot. I topped the kale off with falafels and a couple slices of vegan cheese. It was super yummy!

Kale, falafel, curried sweet potatoes. YUM!

I felt like a I needed something sweet and seeing as I did not stick to my planned diet, I opted for something I wouldn't regret. It was easy to make, but looked pretty gross once mixed together. But trust me, it's excellent! 

Sliced banana, peanut butter and dairy free chocolate chips

Put in bowl. This is what it looks like before you microwave.

Microwave for 45-60 seconds. Don't let the chocolate burn though.

Add some marshmallows too if you like, but this alone was really good! I couldn't even finish it. (1 banana, 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 1/4 cup chocolate bits)

Starting the week off right this morning though, attempting to get back on track! Let's hope.

Recap of Day #2

Berry Smoothie

Hannaford's Salad Bar ($5)
Brianna's Poppy Seed Dressing

Trail Mix
Tazo Tea with Organic Honey

Dinner was amazing! After my bootcamp class, I got home around 7:30pm and felt like cooking (instead of sitting on the sofa watching TV like most nights). Opened the almost empty fridge and rummaged around to see what I could put together. Let's see, veggie drawer, veggie drawer....what are you hiding....Ahhh, sweet potatoes! Little bit of kale....onions....garlic....roma tomatoes.....Ohhhhh there's some firm tofu!

I can honestly say, I've never made either of these 3 items before.

I like experimenting in the kitchen! I've made tofu more times than I can count, but just found out I was not properly letting it drain. Silly me. So remove your tofu from the packaging, drain all water. Grab a large amount of paper towels. Place the tofu inside and put something moderately heavy on the tofu. I put my half empty tea pot on top. Checked it every 10 mins, and shifted the tofu around in the paper towel. Changed them out once, you can't believe how much water will come out. Takes about 30-60 mins to drain completely. I was impatient and went with 30 mins.

Curry Powder, Black Pepper, Salt, Chili Powder, Garlic, Sweet Potato

So I began by chopping up the sweet potato into small chunks. Put them in a mixing bowl and drizzled some Extra Virgin Olive Oil, sprinkled some pepper, salt, chili powder and curry powder and spread them out on a baking sheet. Then chopped up the 3 cloves of garlic and spread them over the potatoes.

Preheat the oven to 470 and place the sheet on the second highest rack. Cook for 10 mins, then flip them over, cook another 10-15mins. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn. You want them a little crispy though so some browning is good. 

Then begin prepping the items for the kale as shown below. 4 leafs of kale, 1/4 sweet onion, 3 gloves garlic, 1 sprig of rosemary chopped, 1 roma tomato. 

Coat a saute pan with 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, set on medium. Place onion, garlic, rosemary and tomatoes in the pan once hot. Let simmer for 5 mins. 

Add chopped kale. Simmer on medium for 10 mins, stirring occasionally. Once kale darkens in color, turn to low heat. Drizzle another tablespoon of olive oil and let simmer on low until the rest of the food is done.

I failed at taking pix of the tofu, it was frying, making a huge mess and I panicked and raced through it. My b-yo. Slice the tofu in half the long way, then cut into triangles. I took 1 teaspoon honey mustard, 3-4 teaspoons soy sauce and Frank's Red Hot Sweet Chili, about 1/4-1/2 cup. Mix together. I used my cast iron skillet, coat with 2 tablespoons olive oil set to medium heat. Let the pan heat up before placing tofu. Dunk (yes I'm using the word dunk) the tofu in the marinade mix coating every side. Place each piece in the pan. You may want to use a screen shield, those suckers pop like crazy, oil went everywhere. Cook each side of tofu for about 5 mins, not letting them burn. Flip to the other side for another 5 mins. Wallah! Yummy gooey delicious tofu!

Honey Mustard, Soy, Sweet Chili Marinade on Fried Tofu
Curry Spiced Sweet Potatoes
Garlic Onion Tomato Kale

How amazing does that look?! That was my dinner! Who says being vegan is boring???? That was one of the best meals I've made in a long time, all with left overs in the fridge!

Recap: My stomach is feeling a lot better today. I woke up feeling less bloated, and seemed to have more energy. And I made it a whole day without chips! (Self pat on the back.) I substituted for the trail mix. Nuts however act like scrubbing bubbles in my belly so things seemed to clean it's self out yesterday. Little rumbly in there. I'm looking forward to the day ahead and slowly realizing that this is not as bad as my brain was leading me to believe. Happy Friday!

Recap of Day #1

Mango Berry Smoothie

Zen Tazo Tea w/Organic Honey
Sprouted Grains English Muffin, Honey & Cinnamon

Hannaford's Salad bar ($6)
Brianna's Poppy Seed Dressing

Wachusett Potato Chips (70 calories)
Zen Tazo Tea w/Organic Honey

I failed to take pictures of dinner. Booo. We popped in Bamboo in Westford while we were out. Picture in your head a delicious cup of Miso Soup, Vegetable Tempura, and Veggie Tofu Shanghai Double Fried Noodles and some Edamame. Not a bad little dinner. Pretty sure the noodles were rice based. If not, today is another day.....

Gluten & Dairy Free- Day 1

Yes this is still a fertility blog, you have not been misguided. However, during our "little break" I am focusing on health and more realistically, looking good in a bathing suit in 17 days. That's all that's left. 17 days! Let's face it, I have not been good. Chips have found there way into my stomach every day for the last 2 weeks, or was it 3? Doesn't matter. Today is a new day and the first day I'll be documenting everything I eat. That's right. I'm going to try to account for everything I eat. Oh, did I mention it will all be Gluten & Dairy FREE?

So here goes, Day 1 of getting my nutrition back together..... 

Why might you ask? I feel...groooossss. To put it nicely. Things are jiggly, bloated, hurting, it's basically an all over blah feeling. And I'm tired of it. My best feeling "me" is vegan and gluten free. Have you found yours?

Over the next 16 days I will be posting E.V.E.R.Y.D.A.Y. (Yikes, am I capable of that?!) I'm going to try. So that I hold myself accountable, and hopefully you might learn something. Or maybe keep me motivated. (That's so kind of you!)

Here's a glimpse of what you'll see tomorrow:

Mango Berry Smoothie

Looks gross doesn't it? Trust me, it's delicious!

I'll do my best to post the recipes as well, but get ready for Nutrition 101 and lots of pix of food.......

Infertility Awareness Week!

It's Infertility Awareness Week! 

Did you know? Probably not, unless you frequent fertility blogs, sites, etc. I came across a great article on MSN today I would like to share with you. (Click the link below.)

The Invisible Pain of Infertility

Chances are, someone you're close to is struggling to get pregnant, but you may never know. REDBOOK's on a mission to end the shame and secrecy of infertility — and you're about to join it.

I know. It's long. But I would appreciate it if you suck it up and read it. 

Do it for me?! (or your silent sister, friend, coworker, cousin, niece, aunt......)

A little shopping anyone?

My surprise birthday weekend began Sat morning. I showered, dressed and packed without knowing where I would be going. Okay, that's a lie. I snooped. I knew we were staying in Keene, NH for the night, but had no clue what each day held. As we're driving west on Rt 2, and hubby didn't take the exit to Keene, I assumed we were going to Manchester, VT for the day. Guess #1- Accurate! We arrived around 11am and the clouds had miraculously parted for us. It was sunny and warm which made for a great afternoon meandering through the Main Street shops. I forgot how much I loved downtown Manchester. It is the most adorable little town, but don't let it fool you. (There is lots of New York money that stay and visit there.) 

We popped into Ponce Bistro for lunch around 1pm. So glad we did! The menu was amazing as well as the ambiance. We started with a cup (which was the size of a bowl) of their homemade Red Pepper Soup. Hubby and I decided to split the Nuts & Berries Salad, along with the Veggie Gobble. To. Die. For. It was like we stepped out of VT and into France. 

Table for two?

Sad to say these are the only two photos I took all weekend. I seem to be lacking in the memory department lately. I realized once we got home that this was it. (Very sad.) So after lunch we continued to shop, buying way too many things. Around 4pm we realized there were some very dark ominous clouds heading our way, so we sprinted about a half mile to where we parked, just in time. As we closed the car doors, the sky opened up and began to down pour. We drove to one more store, then headed to Keene. 

Loving my new hat!

We checked into the Courtyard Marriott, which was 2 years young right off the main strip. Gorgeous rooms and so well kept. The staff was very nice, as well as the Tufts Univ. baseball team which we had the pleasure of meeting. The hotel even had a bar, restaurant and breakfast bar. Starbucks on site? How can you go wrong? 

We took 20 mins to rest then changed and headed to dinner. We kept it simple at Margaritas enjoying some Sangria and tequila. Got a little tipsy, then found our way back. I was oh so tired, so we turned in early. Luckily we had HBO and found Water for Elephants on. Hubby popped down to the lobby and got us some waters and Reese's to snack on with our Cinnamon Kettle Corn. 

Ladies, this is what a great husband looks like!

Sunday we packed up, grabbed some tea/coffee and breakfast sandwiches in the lobby then headed to Tilton, NH outlets. It was raining, well drizzling most of the day. Thankfully the outlets have a large over hang shielding us from the rain. Did some more shopping until about 2pm. Grabbed lunch at Boloco in Concord, and headed home.

My lovely Aunt Flo had decided to make a visit Saturday morning before we left, so I was super tired from running around all weekend. Anyone else get really exhausted the first few days?. Almost fell asleep in the car.

We pulled into our driveway around 5pm. Unpacked, and curled up on the couch with the leftover kettle corn. All in all, great birthday weekend! I am truly blessed to have such a thoughtful and patient husband who puts up with my snooping. Love you babe!

I'm 29?

Today, I turned 29 for the first time. (How did that happen?) My 20's gave me more than I could have expected. And sometimes, more than I could handle. In 9 years I:

Turned 21....

Graduated College

Got married 

Bought a house.

Became an aunt.

Became vegan.

 Got pregnant. 

Miscarried.

Became a God mother, more than once.

Gained weight.

Lost weight.

Had numerous different jobs. (10 to be exact)

Regained my love for hiking.

Hopefully this last year of my 20's will be full of surprises and blessings. Thank you all for your love and support over the last year and a half, it means more to me than I could ever explain. Happy birthday to me!

Stiletto Sprint

I crept out of work Friday at exactly 11:59am, jumped in my car before my boss' door opened, threw it in reverse and made a mad dash to the road. Phew, out of work and on my way to our First Annual Girl's Weekend! As I'm driving up 495 N I get a text that everyone is running earlier than expected, which calmed my nerves that were panicking with what to do for the next 2 hours. Popped into the bank, and continued my drive to Haverhill. Totally missed my exit and ended up taking the back way to my friends. Where I saw a lovely topless man, not of sound mind, dancing in the entrance of a gas station. He wasn't exactly dancing, more so making erratic movements with his arms which no tunes around. I quickly locked my doors and floored it when the light turned green.

I was proud that I had finally managed to pack "light" (one small carry on, one food bag and a large cooler for 2 nights. Don't judge.), my friend however is not capable of packing light. I believe she had 2 overnight bags, about 3-4 bags of food, and put some of her cold stuff in my cooler. Sigh. God Lover Her. (Glad I finally have a car that doesn't have a glove-box for a trunk.) We swung over to Salem, stopped at the most massive Market Basket ever created, then headed to our other lady friend's house. Took a quick peek at her beautifully remodeled floors and dining room. Grabbed her 4-5 bags, pillows, and whatever else, and headed for the highway. Wait...back track. We headed for the mall. A quick pop into H&M and Victoria's. Then headed for the highway.

We checked into our little posh inn around 3:30, where we remained for the rest of the evening. I believe I was happily buzzed by 5pm. We had a table full of food, a drink station, and set up the table at the end of the bed. We chatted, drank too much, ate too much and played Phase 10. Got my ass kicked. Turned in around 12, I think....

Woke Saturday morning, first to shower. Grabbed some bagels and headed to Tilton for our first shopping spree as a group. In the first 3 hours, we covered about 4 stores....sigh. Found some amazing steals, including the most comfortable pair of black wide leg pants. $69 for $6.29! They shall be my traveling pants for out upcoming trip. Dress up or dress down = heaven. And they don't show sweat. L.O.V.E. 

Braked for lunch around 3, where one of us slept on the booth, the other continued to have the shakes until the waitress brought oyster crackers and water. Got a couple funny stares from the older ladies near us. Downed some pizza and then we all headed to the Stiletto Sprint. There was a total of 40 women, which they broke us into 5 heats. Each winner then completed a final run to win the trophy.

Prepping for the race.

Don't worry Liz, there's no one near you!

Winners from the 5 heats....there's Liz!

Guess who won?

Her beautiful Trophy!

That's right, Liz, our resident marathon runner took home the gold! (I may have teared up a bit.) The girl actually slowed down towards the end because she realized no one was near her. (That's the kind hearted person she is!) Our shopping adventures then continued because first prize was $250 gift card, which she graciously split between the 4 of us. (I could not ask for better friends.) So we shopped from 11am to 7:30pm. With a 45 min lunch and 30 min Stiletto Sprint. 

We were all exhausted, headed back to the inn, took a 2 hour break/nap. Around 9 we pulled ourselves together and headed to dinner at the Barley House in Concord. Gorged ourselves on sweet potato fries, leaving very little room for dinner.

Sunday, we packed up early and ended our adventure. It was a great weekend! Relaxing, surprising and a complete bonding experience. Everything I needed. 

Thank you ladies! I am truly blessed to have you all in my life!

Free Fact Friday #1

In an effort to eat less pesticides, I thought I'd introduce you all to the list of fruits and veggies with the highest amount of pesticides. This should give you a better idea as to which items to invest in organically, and which to get away with conventionally.

Summer is coming soon. Find a local farmer's market or farm stand. Check to see if they use pesticides or any other chemical treatment. Know of one near by? Add it to the comments section to share with everyone!

Stow, MA: Applefield Farm Stand

The Full List: 53 Fruits and Veggies

EWG analyzed pesticide residue testing data from the US Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration to come up with rankings for these popular fresh produce items.
Lower numbers = more pesticides.

1

Apples

2

Celery

3

Strawberries

4

Peaches

5

Spinach

6

Nectarines - imported

7

Grapes - imported

8

Sweet bell peppers

9

Potatoes

10

Blueberries - domestic

11

Lettuce

12

Kale/collard greens

13

Cilantro

14

Cucumbers

15

Grapes - domestic

16

Cherries

17

Pears

18

Nectarines - domestic

19

Hot peppers

20

Green beans - domestic

21

Carrots

22

Plums - imported

23

Blueberries - imported

24

Raspberries

25

Green beans - imported

26

Summer squash

27

Oranges

28

Broccoli

29

Green onions

30

Bananas

31

Cantaloupe - imported

32

Honeydew melon

33

Cauliflower

34

Tomatoes

35

Papaya

36

Cranberries

37

Plums - domestic

38

Winter squash

39

Mushrooms

40

Grapefruit

41

Sweet potatoes

42

Watermelon

43

Cabbage

44

Kiwi

45

Cantaloupe - domestic

46

Eggplant

47

Mangoes

48

Sweet peas - frozen

49

Asparagus

50

Avocado

51

Pineapples

52

Sweet Corn

53

Onions