Welcome!
Hey there! I'm Holly. A 40+ year old insurance-nerd wife, mom, beauty lover, and about a million other things in between.
This is the place where I share about our lives, what I'm currently loving, books I'm reading, plus-size style, beauty recommendations, health + fitness endeavors and anything else I'm finding interesting at the moment.
Thanks for stopping by!
Monthly Archives: January 2013
On Keeping Calm & Media Binging (+ NYC Sweepstakes)
When I wrote about my 2013 Goals I said I plan to repeat this mantra to myself over and over this year: 
Saying I am “focusing on” staying calm feels just as ridiculous to me as when I mentioned last year that I was “working” to get more sleep. I operate with an irrational fear of the Productivity Police. This year I want to make sure I’m balancing my goal setting and productivity tendencies with a heavy dose of relaxing. For me that means making space in my life for those things that help me unwind.
I’ve thought a lot about what it is that makes me feel zen, and I wish I could tell you it comes from running or volunteering or planting bulbs in my garden, but the truth is my idea of peace more often involves curling up on my couch to read a book. Cooking a delicious dinner on a Friday night and watching Dateline with Garrett & Buster is just about my ideal evening. Flipping through a giant stack of magazines or Netflixing an entire season of a show on a Saturday afternoon are just my cup of tea. (Bonus if I actually have a cup of tea in hand!)
So 2013 is to be the year of Media Binging.
I know, it’s a lofty goal. 🙂
I’m starting by calendaring the following date with myself: Waking up on my day off, eating a tasty breakfast, and going by myself to see the first show of the day at our local theater while I smugly enjoy my matinee pricing! (What? I feel RELAXED when I put things on the calendar! :))
On my list of shows to see? Side Effects. Have you seen the trailer?
The movie opens February 8th and stars a mix of actors that I really enjoy: Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Channing Tatum with his shirt on! (Don’t everyone sob at once. I think Magic Mike will be on Netflix streaming shortly.) Also? It’s a crime thriller directed by Steven Soderbergh. Pretty sure that guy doesn’t direct duds. But do you know what’s even more fun than seeing Side Effects at a matinee at my local theater? Seeing it in New York City with a friend. Am I right?
I am leaving the wild nightlife up to you guys! Each comment posted in response to the sweepstakes prompt below garners an automatic entry into a random drawing for 2 nights at a New York City hotel, airfare for two to New York City from the continental United States and a $50 movie gift card. Wouldn’t it be fun for the winner to watch Side Effects in NYC?
To enter, answer the following question: Why are you excited to see Side Effects?
Side Effects can be found here on Facebook and here on Twitter.
Sweepstakes Rules:
No duplicate comments. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods: a. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post b:Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post c: Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post d: For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry. This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected. The Official Rules are available here. This sweepstakes runs from 1/21/2013-2/10/2013. Be sure to visit the sponsor’s brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!
Fun Things To Read On A Friday
The weekend looks so dang good to me right now.
How are you guys? I am freaking exhausted! This week has gone by in an absolute whirlwind of work, projects, chores and daily grind and I am so happy that (among other things) I picked up convenience stuff at Trader Joe’s this week because I literally would NOT have made it through the Whole 30 without it. (Speaking of, Caitlin wrote a great post about convenience staples that is worth reading.) I had not an ounce of brain power to think about food this week. In fact I can hardly remember the things I ate because I was constantly eating with the intention of just “putting something in my system” so I could move on to something else that needed to get done. These aren’t my favorite kind of weeks, but eh — I survived! And now the reward is the weekend! And a loooooong weekend at that. Hooray!
*Tomorrow we are headed to the bay area to cheer on some athletes from our CrossFit box who are competing at the Nor Cal Masters competition. It’s a competition specifically designed for athletes who are 40+ and I love it! I wrote about it last year but I just find it super inspiring. I love the message in this video about it. Such a cool event!
*While we’re talking about CrossFit (and videos!) I enjoyed this post from Carrots’n’Cake with kipping pull up tips. I am really determined to do pull ups this year! It is going to take an EXTREME amount of effort on my part, but that will make the victory that much sweeter, right?
*Thanks again for all your support about The Relay! I’m so glad to hear that many of you have participated and survived. Score! We picked legs last night (I’m running Leg 9 thankfully and Garrett is running Leg 7) and I’m looking forward to figuring out my training strategy. I read this post about Why Running Makes Us Happy: The Importance of Flow recently and found myself nodding along throughout. Especially during this part:
“I’m on the cusp of starting a new hobby and I’m unbelievably excited. Why? I know I’m going to royally suck and the motivation to improve to get to that flow state strikes a deep inner drive.”
*Want to see the best thing I read all week? It was this. Hands down.
*I’m feeling a little tense lately because my “life plate” is approaching max capacity. This weekend I plan to practice this.
*Lastly, can we talk food? OF COURSE WE CAN. You know I am a newly converted fan of homemade vinaigrettes. Check out these awesome combos over on The Cuisinerd. Delicious AND pretty to look at. Love that.
*****
So what’s on your plate this weekend — literally or figuratively? I’m not sure I will be able to do a photo round up this weekend of Whole 30 food, but I will do my best. I will be back for sure on Sunday though with a weekly meal plan. Next week is the last full week of Whole 30! (I am thinking about continuing through February. CRAZY TOWN! But it sounds kind of nice. ha!) Hope you have a great weekend friends!
Crazy Scheme Alert: Let’s Talk About The Relay
Poor Garrett. I have roped him in to another one of my crazy schemes! I am lucky he is such a good sport. Let me tell you all about it so you can sympathize with him — but keep in mind I cook him really delicious food all the time so it’s not like I only bring the crazy to this relationship! 🙂
I mentioned that part of my fitness goals this year include running more. While I’m not sure I will ever identify myself as a runner — not because I don’t think I have the skills but mostly just because it’s not The Thing I am passionate about — I have to admit training for last year’s half marathon and the metrics involved in that just really made me happy. I enjoyed just about every aspect of it so I wanted to see where that would take me this year. I planned to run another half marathon and specifically on some pace goals, but then a friend at CrossFit threw out the idea of putting a team together to run The Relay, and like a crazy person I thought, “Hey. We should totally do that!”
If you’ve never heard of The Relay it is a 200 mile run done in 12 person teams that starts up in Calistoga and ends in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The race is broken into 36 legs and each team member runs 3 legs. We are doing this May 4-5 with 10 other members at our gym and we will get to run through 36 cities including the Napa Valley, Marin County, a night run over the Golden Gate Bridge, through the South Bay and finishing in the Santa Cruz mountains.
Sounds a little nutso, yes? But also — pretty freaking fun, right? Oh how my perception of fun has changed in the last few years!
The total mileage you run depends on the leg that you are assigned but it ranges anywhere from 12.6 miles to 18.5 miles, with varying levels of difficulty in each course. For example just because a leg has less mileage doesn’t mean that it is easier as some of lower mileage runs are straight up hill or in particularly windy areas. There are definitely many things to consider with respect to your own capabilities and the strengths of your team. I’ll be the first to admit that I was a little nervous coming into this as a complete novice and not a very strong runner, but luckily my team is not concerned with competitiveness and really just concerned with having fun. Obviously it’s the only way I would do it!
For some perspective, here is how all the legs shake out – and I love how it ranks it by level of difficulty.
Initially I felt fairly comfortable with the mileage. Since I had completed a half marathon (damn it still feels good to say that) I knew that I could run 13-ish miles comfortably (Comfortably! Ha! That’s funny.) But it definitely gets dicier when you consider that challenge of this event is that you don’t run it all at once. The legs are broken up and in between you are either sitting in a van for hours, chilling at someone’s house, or trying to get some sleep. (PS — Do you live on that route? Want to host Garrett and I for a nap? ha) So training for this will definitely involve more than being able to run 16 miles in a row. It’s more accurate to say, can you wake up and run 6 miles, go to work, come home and run 6 miles and then get up again the next morning and run another few miles. And THAT, is a whole other beast. But one I’m excited to train for.
My Training Plan:
Oh how cute, to think that I would actually have one already. BAHAHAHAHA. I do not. But I will tell you my approach for now. The first thing is, I’m not trying to be a hero or anything. I am pretty up front that I would like an easy route. Yes running over the Golden Gate sounds nice, but not if I have to spend the last 3 miles of my race running straight up hill. I’m smart enough to know that I’m not ready for that yet. So – easy route, yes please!
Second, I am going to spend the next couple of months really working on my speed. I don’t know how much this will really affect my overall experience, but I would like to be running faster, more consistently before I start doing distance training etc.
Third, I am basically accepting all of the help from anyone who is willing to offer it. Our friend Matt (hi Matt!) has run this race multiple times and he has given us some great insight. My friend Lesley (hi Lesley!) is doing all sorts of running this year and so we are going to hook up to do some running together and she is mucho experienced and also willing to help mentor me a little bit. I LOVE MENTORS! I AM A MENTOR NERD! Plus, all of my teammates are going to be doing some group training so I look forward to enjoying the camaraderie and skills that this will bring with it.
Lastly, I want to keep this fun and I plan to really focus on that. This shouldn’t be stressful and instead should just be an interesting, albeit personally challenging, thing to have on the calendar. And you know how I love stuff like that! Also, we plan to stay down in Santa Cruz after the run is over for a bit because it is Garrett’s birthday weekend and why the hell not celebrate, right? (Again, SUCH A GOOD SPORT ON HIS BIRTHDAY WEEKEND, RIGHT?)
So that’s the scoop! And since I’ll be talking more about it and my running adventures in the coming months I’m sure I just thought I’d give you a little background. Have you ever done a race like this? Have any advice? Think I’m a total nutjob? Talk to me. 🙂
Whole 30 – Reaching the Summit
Whole 30ers…can you see the summit? Maybe for you it is today. For me it is tomorrow. Regardless I wanted to pop in and share a few thoughts since we are halfway there:
*If you have made it this far — CONGRATULATIONS! This Whole 30 has been both easier and tougher on me than the last time around. Easier in that all of you are really helping keep me accountable. This weekend I had the desire to really go off the rails and just eat what was easy since Garrett was out of town. When I have no one to cook for I sometimes just want to eat mindless things which, while Paleo, are not necessarily Whole 30 compliant.
*It has also been harder though because I have really FELT all of the ups and downs. I’ve basically been a snapshot of The Whole 30 Timeline complete with random cravings for things I’d never eat (Mac and Cheese) and anxiety dreams that I bought the wrong almond butter with EEEEEEK. Evaporated Cane Juice OMG DRAMA. ha! If you are still wondering if your reactions are “normal” I highly recommend that read.
*My favorite part of that timeline is this quote from days 8-15, which is super appropriate. I think it is really worth marinating on:
All joking aside, though, this phase gets really intense and for some people. This is the part of the program where our minds try to drive us back to the comfort of the foods we used to know. Our food relationships are deeply rooted and strongly reinforced throughout the course of our lives and breaking through them is really big deal.
*Understanding how you relate to food is one of the major points of the Whole 30. People often forget this or hop into the challenge thinking “Oh I want to lose weight and feel great!” And of course those things happen too. But to get to the “feeling great” part, you have to put in A LOT of work that sometimes involves working through your relationship with food. I really want to commend you if things have gotten difficult and you haven’t yet thrown in the towel. Dealing with those emotions and issues and rationalizations can be really difficult and it can be super easy to find a legitimate sounding reason to put it off until later or just quit altogether and say “It wasn’t right for me” So high five if you have felt those emotions and are pushing through!
*But what if you haven’t pushed through? What if you have strayed, or found it difficult or decided it’s not right for you right now? Well to that I want to say, better luck next time and don’t spend too long beating yourself up about it. It’s important to remember that not being able to complete a Whole 30 does not indicate anything else about you except for that right now, you are not able to complete a Whole 30. That’s it. Let the judgment go. It’s not a failure. YOU are not a failure. Learn and move on. It’s the best thing you can do.
*At this point I also feel like it’s worth reiterating that the Whole 30 isn’t about losing weight. Yep, seriously. It’s not. At all. So, difficult as that is, try not to get all wrapped up in that idea. Dallas and Melissa have written two really great articles about this exact thing and if you have sneaked on to the scale (DON’T DO IT!) and are feeling discouraged, please read them both! Then I would recommend making a list of some of your health or fitness victories over the last few weeks. I had two last night that I’m going to keep in my back pocket for when I feel challenged during the next two weeks.
*The first was our warm up in last night’s workout — Run a mile. UGH. I am always so god damn slow so I just headed out and figured that I would run as fast as possible but not beat myself up for being last. I did my best, clocked my time and expected to see around 11 or 12 minutes, which is my average (Remember my hilly half marathon? I averaged 14 minute miles!!!) So when I got back to the gym I was shocked to see that I ran that mile in 9:34. Under 10 minutes! Victory. I have no doubt that part of the reason for the improvement has had to do with being diligent about properly fueling my body for the last two weeks.
*The last was during the metcon portion of the actual workout:
I got through 9 of those wall walks and my arms basically felt like we noodles. (Here, watch {one of} my CrossFit boyfriend(s) Chris Spealler do them at about 30 seconds in if you have no idea what I’m talking about.) Anyway, wet noodles. I was ready to modify the second time around by my lovely coach basically said “Sorry, no dice. FINISH IT UP, CHUCK!” Well, she didn’t call me chuck, but you get what I’m saying. And in the end, I *did* finish. And it was hard as hell and my arms STILL feel like wet noodles 16 hours later. But last night also felt like the night that I got *my* fitness back. It’s been such a struggle over the past few months with the extra lbs and the crappy food in my body! Last night I really remembered what working hard and performing well (for me!) felt like. And it felt great! And that is way more important than the number on the scale right now.
****
So tell me about some of your victories over the last 2 weeks? I know it has been hard at times, but surely there have been moments when you noticed positive changes. TELL US ABOUT THEM!
Ground Beef & Spinach Egg Casserole
Just about every Sunday I whip up an egg casserole while doing my food prep for the week. I use a 13×9 casserole dish because it yields 8 nice sized squares. Symmetry makes me happy! Plus then I can put them in individual containers with roasted vegetables so Garrett + I have a grab and go breakfast for the week. I assure you it would be just as lovely to serve to friends at brunch.
I have a few favorite breakfast casserole recipes that I rotate through so I don’t get bored, but for the last few weeks I’ve been making this one with ground beef and spinach. Seasoned ground beef and eggs go really well together, and when you throw in a metric ton of spinach you get to start your day off with a leafy green smugness that helps you run faster, jump higher and knock out your To-Do List with superhero-esque strength.
The best part about it? Very few ingredients!
Look at that. That’s nothing!
You start by sauteing half an onion until it is translucent, then browning ground beef and seasoning the mixture with salt, pepper and garlic powder. So far, so good, right? Then it’s time for the go-go juice. Uh, I mean the spinach. Let’s talk about the spinach for a second, shall we? I’m going to give you a really specific measurement to add and that is 2 to 4 large handfuls. Got that? 🙂 It doesn’t matter if you have large hands or small hands, you just want to dig deep in your bag and pull out the biggest handful you can handle and then throw it in the pan. Repeat this until you are satisfied that you have enough giddy-up and go. The thing about spinach though is that it looks likes too much when you throw it in the pan, but then it cooks down to almost nothing. I have huge hands, which a jeweler recently confirmed to me (THANKS BUT NO THANKS WE WILL BUY NO JEWELRY FROM YOU!) so I like to use about 3 handfuls.
See? Not too bad.
All that goes into a casserole dish, your seasoned eggs get poured over it (Yep, egg seasoning. It’s necessary!) Then you bake, and most importantly YOU EAT! That last part is the best part.
Enjoy it in your breakfast nook or out of a tupperware at your desk at work. Either way it’s a great dish and I hope you enjoy it!
Ground Beef & Spinach Egg Casserole
Cuisine: Breakfast
Author:
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 40 mins
Total time: 1 hour
Serves: 8
Ingredients
-
- 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-
- 1/2 Red Onion, finely diced
-
- 1 Pound Ground Beef
-
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
-
- 1 1/4 teaspoons pepper, divided
-
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
-
- 2-4 Large Handfuls Spinach
-
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 12 Eggs
Instructions
-
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13×9 casserole dish
-
- Heat Olive Oil over medium in a large skillet. You can also use beef tallow for more flavor and if you want a healthier option.
-
- Saute diced onion until translucent, about 5-7 minutes
-
- Add ground beef and crumble with a wooden spoon and brown until cooked through
-
- Season meat and onion mixture with 3/4 teaspoons of salt and 3/4 teaspoons of pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
-
- Add spinach and let it wilt while stirring into the meat mixture
-
- Sprinkle in 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg. This gives your spinach a little something extra!
-
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl crack 12 eggs, season with remaining salt and pepper and scramble with a fork
-
- When spinach is wilted, transfer meat mixture to casserole dish
-
- Pour egg mixture over meat mixture
-
- Cover dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes
- Remove foil and finish baking for 10 minutes or until eggs are cooked to desired doneness
3.1.09
Whole 30 Meal Plan – Week Three (Plus New Homework!)
Twelve days in and I have already lost my desire to be creative in the kitchen. This time around I have a lot more going on in my work life, so this week I have to put kitchen creativity low on my priority list. I still want to make delicious, compliant meals but I think there will be little pomp and circumstance surrounding them.
This week I’m not trying any new recipes and I actually picked up some convenience food at Costco and Trader Joe’s yesterday, including: chicken sausages, pre packed microwave in bag green beans, pre-chopped kale, and frozen turkey burgers. All will be yummy yet will require very little brain power. Plus, I’m calling in the big convenience guns and doing breakfast for dinner one night.
Sunday meals are going to be slapdash. Garrett isn’t around so I’m sort of slapping together leftovers and doing food prep today. Nothing exciting, but definitely sustaining.
Monday
Breakfast: will be the same all week. Beef + Spinach Egg Casserole. The recipe will be on the blog this week!
Lunch: Cinnamon Beef Stew This is a total repeat and I don’t even care. It’s awesome, I made a batch this morning and it will work for lunch for two days. Score!
Dinner: Paleo Krabby Patties with homemade tartar sauce, salad and roasted golden beets.
Tuesday
Lunch:Cinnamon Beef Stew
Dinner: Breakfast for dinner
Wednesday
Lunch: Crock Pot Stuffed Peppers I really enjoyed these last week so I made another batch for lunches this week.
Dinner: Trader Joe’s Turkey Burgers with Zucchini + Sweet Potato Fries
Thursday
Lunch: Crock Pot Stuffed Peppers
Dinner: Paleo Chicken Piccata + Salad +Steamed Green Beans with ghee
Friday
Lunch: Chicken Sausage over Spaghetti Squash topped with roasted kale. (This is my new fave comfort food. Sounds plain, tastes delicious.)
Dinner: Taco Salad. Convenience or not, I must have my taco salad. 🙂
Saturday
We are going to be gone at an all day event on Saturday so I have not planned this day at all. I’ll probably figure it out as we go. Have any suggestions for portable food that is compliant? Let me know!
Sunday
I’ll post a new menu on Sunday!
So Hey — Let’s Talk About Homework
I want to see your grocery haul, folks! Where do you go? What do you buy? What are your time savers in the kitchen? What convenience foods are helping you get through this? Show me, show me, show me! And tag your photos with #hwisc for next week’s roundup.
Have a great week everyone!
Whole 30 Week Two: Twitter + Instagram Action
We’re winding down the second week and it still looks like you all have kept the good food coming!
This week I was a little lazy about photographing my food, so I am super grateful that all of you came through. I have a hard time remembering to snap photos before I start annihilating my dinner. 🙂
Thankfully these folks show so much more restraint.
There are so many more of you, but I am already late getting this post up and the 49er game is calling my name. (Truth! Go Niners! :)) Keep up the good work. Keep tagging your photos and check out the others using #hwisc for meal inspiration. OHMYGOD there is a lot. It’s keeping me going this week and usually during the third week, that’s when I need it!
Happy snapping!
Fun Things To Read On A Friday
I’ve sat down to write this post three times now and each time productivity has been foiled by a dog who wants to play. Buster is most happy these days in two states: outside running around and chasing his toy with us, or asleep on the couch on top of one of us. No in betweens. He is vocal about his disinterest in us typing away at the computer or cooking dinner. Oh look, four times now. 🙂 Good thing he is cute! Garrett is hanging out with some family this weekend and I sort of feel like he is leaving me home alone with a newborn. HA! Especially since my weekend is going to include a lot of working in front of a computer. Should be interesting. In the meantime I read some fun stuff this week, and if you’d like to make your experience more accurate as you read each link pretend there is a fluffy white dog dropping a stuffed squeaking Spiderman doll at your feet.
*I do a lot of talking about stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new things so I really appreciated this perspective on When to Stay In Your Comfort Zone.
*A ton of you emailed me about picking up your Incredible Year Workbook that I linked to last week. Reader Carrie also clued me in that Ask Moxie has coordinated a Facebook group for those working through it if that interests you. I joined!
*In a reading mood this weekend? Check out The Best Books of 2012 – according to my friend Elizabeth. She reads a ridiculous amount of books and 100% endorse her taste in reading material!
*Or if you are feeling like moving towards some non-fiction I added a few of the books off HPB’s list of 5 Books About Running to my library queue the other day. A book about running totally changed my life once, so I’m always game to flip through more.
*I had some GREAT workouts this week at the gym and I am feeling really energized in the gym despite the fact that I’m feeling those extra lbs. If any of you are thinking about trying CrossFit this year, I loved this post about 10 Tips For Success For The CrossFit Newbie
*If you’re not quite into taking the CrossFit plunge and just thinking about starting a new fitness routine check out Your Mind Is Playing Tricks On You.
*We’re rounding out our second(ish) week of the Whole 30. Not quite to the summit, but getting closer to that downhill slope. Keep up the good work guys, and here is some updated inspiration. If you’re sick of drinking water here are some ways to shake up your daily beverages.
*Caitlin made some tasty looking Coconut Cashew Butter that seems like it would be quite delicious mixed up with some fruit for a weekend treat.
*Getting tired of cooking the same old things? Check out this round up of multiple visual diaries of a Whole 30 complete with recipes from Whole Food, Half Ass.
*I’m debating whether to get put lobster tails on my menu this week. Pain Free Kitchen breaks down a super simple tutorial/recipe that makes me feel like taking the plunge! What are you all making next week?
*****
Hope you have a great weekend, friends!
5 Things To Do With: CAULIFLOWER
Original Creative Commons Image Source
Trying to find creative ways to expand your veggie rotation? Cauliflower is on your side! It is absolutely one of my favorite vegetables because of its versatility — and who wants to eat the same, boring steamed vegetables day in and day out? Healthy doesn’t have to mean plain and repetitive.
I had 3 heads in my fridge this week and while that may seem like some serious excess, the fact that there are so many interesting and fun ways to eat this cruciferous crop made me excited to share my favorite inspiration.
Here are 5 ideas with recipes that highlight cauliflower’s chameleon nature:
1. Roast It
Roasted Cauliflower with Red Chile, Cilantro and Lime (from Rem Cooks)
This is always my advice to EVERYONE who thinks they don’t like a vegetable. If you have had a bad experience in the past or think you don’t like the way a vegetable tastes, definitely try it roasted. High heat and a little fat brings out the caramely best of any vegetable and cauliflower is no different. Add in some creative flavors and some heat you’ve got yourself a singing side dish!
2. Make A Creative Soup
Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Greens (from Martha Stewart)
Can I make a weird confession? I LOVE soup for breakfast. I love it even more when it helps me squeeze in major amounts of veg. During the winter a hot breakfast can super comforting and one can’t live on eggs alone! So sometimes it’s nice to heat up a warm mug of soup, eat a little crispy bacon on the side and call it a meal! And it doesn’t have to be the same old soup blended up with a metric ton of cheese. While that is delicious, try mixing it up with some greens or some broccoli to shake things up AND get an extra layer of nutritioun!
3. Saute It and Add Fun Toppings
Padma Lakshmi’s Sauteed Cauliflower with Anise and Cashews (from Yum Sugar)
It’s easy to forget with a big, nubby veg like cauliflower that it can easily be thrown into a pan and sauteed with some savoriness for a quick weeknight side. No complicated cooking necessary, just chop, drop and add some delicious garnish! Simple and Savory in minutes.
4. Make A Fancy Rice
Cauliflower Fried Rice (from Doughing Rogue)
Cauliflower Rice is a recipe in every most every Paleo cook’s repertoire. But it’s fun to take that technique to the next level and enhance it with flavor profiles that compliment your main dish. I love a good fried rice like this one full of water chestnuts and cashews but you can also just as easily add herbs or make a spanish rice to go along with your weeknight mexican food.
5. Grill It
Grilled Cauliflower Skewers from Chatelaine
Grill Cauliflower? Yes and YES. While this dish lends itself to warmer weather, you can always bust out your grill pan in the winter and indulge in a stick of toasted treats! It’s creative, and most importantly delicious, and it is cute enough to serve to company while still being uncomplicated.
*****
For extra credit you could also make sushi, pizza crust (this recipe has dairy) or breadsticks! (Scroll down the page for that last recipe. Looks pretty fun!) Or if you are feeling cheeky, how about some Cauliflower Brains? 🙂
Do you love cauliflower as much as I do? What is your favorite dish to make with it?
Wednesday Bullets
Hello from a week that is picking up speed like a boulder rolling down a hill! I am eyeballs deep in STUFF, not to mention completely unable to shampoo my hair comfortably thanks to a couple of beastly workouts already this week, so I only have time for some bullets. But I am overflowing with things to say though so there was no way I couldn’t post, so you’ll have to forgive this mess of jumbled thoughts with absolutely no rhyme or reason.
*Through a mix of mistakes on my part and internet shadiness I purchased a FAKE CLARISONIC from Amazon of all places. WHAT? No one is more pissed than I am, let me tell you. I have jumped through about 900 hoops and it looks like I will get some of my money back but I am waiting for the whole situation to resolve itself before I blog about it. It’s coming though because I have A LOT to say. In the meantime though, if you are not buying DIRECTLY FROM CLARISONIC: Caveat Emptor. It’s not worth the $15 you are saving. Trust me. It’s a $100 face brush: pay the extra cash to ensure yours is legit.
*I think my friends at CrossFit Estes Park kicked off their Whole 30 yesterday – HOORAY! Good luck to all of you. I think of you every time single time I do burpees in a wod at my gym (and lately that’s like EVERYDAY.) When I’m huffing and puffing and hating every inch of that movement, I say to myself “At least I’m not a mile above sea level!” haha Just kidding. Sort of. You guys are rockstars, best of luck on the Whole 30!
*The other day A’Dell talked me into making a super exciting impulse purchase online (well, really she didn’t have to twist my arm that hard, but still.) Anyway, it’s a STEAM MOP! I had planned to buy a Shark at Costco because it was on coupon, but she told me all sorts of horror stories (that aligned with many of the reviews I had read online) and so I ended up going with this one. (Which was cheaper that the discount one at Costco anyway) And I’m over the moon about it. Now she has convinced me I want dryer balls! Next thing you know I’m going to be impulse buying Metamucil and inviting my knitting circle over for dinner at 3pm. My 20 year old self is horrified. Thank god I’m now 34 and DON’T CARE WHAT ANYONE THINKS ABOUT MY SMALL BORING STEAM MOPPED LIFE!!! 🙂
*So I’ve been forced to take my own advice lately. Man, isn’t that a pisser. 🙂 Mostly in relation to not focusing on where you think you *should* be fitness-wise, and man is that such a tough pill to swallow. Recently our CrossFit box posted its 2012 wrap up video and it reminded me that I am significantly less fit than I was a year ago. (Speaking of, I wrote this on my facebook wall the other day, but it’s worth repeating – if your gym experience is not full of laughs and good times — IT CAN BE!) Anyway, I mean, it’s not dire, but the truth is you DO get out what you put in, and I put more cookies in my mouth than workouts towards the end of the year, and them’s the facts. And those facts have consequences which mean I can no longer snatch a 100lb bar over my head with ease. Lame. Just knowing that I have to WORK to get back to a place I was a year ago is frustrating. But also? It’s life. Things meander and it’s not always a straight line from A to B so I’m just humbling myself, starting back at square one and busting my ass. I know I’ll get back there, but in the meantime: GRUMBLEGRUMBLEGRUMBLE.
ARCFit 2012 – Large from American River CrossFit on Vimeo.
*Garrett and I went to the library after the gym the other night like we do just about every week (See above re: I don’t care what anyone thinks about my library and steam mop filled life! :)) and I had a stack of books to donate so I gave them to him and asked him if he would pass them on to the librarian. Only as I passed them did I realize it was a stack containing 50 Shades of Grey and other such sundry romance type novels. I wish I could have seen the librarians face.
*Speaking of the library, I picked up the Carly Rae Jepson cd at the library, and I understand that 2012 killed everyone’s love for Call Me Maybe (well, not mine, because my love was fierce) but you guys it is SUCH A GOOD CHEESY POP CD. Like, literally every song. Even the duet she does with that guy who is clearly just a Postal Service rip-off. Pop Goldmine, I tell you! And if you need some of that in your life I highly recommend it without shame.
*I want to give you two non-recipe Whole 30 recipes that I’ve enjoyed over the last week. Recipe one involves a banana. I was jonesing for a little something fun this weekend because this bottle of wine was staring at me menacingly and I need a delineation between the workweek and the weekend. So I took a banana, sliced it and fried it in a pan in some ghee. Then I sprinkled cinnamon on it. Then I threw its caramelized goodness into a bowl, plopped a scoop of sunbutter on it, and sprinkled on some coconut flakes that had been dry toasted, salted and sprinkled with cinnamon. IT WAS THE BOMB.
*Recipe two I made on Sunday when I was doing food prep because I was hungry but didn’t want to cook stuff to eat right then. I threw a bag of pre-chopped trader joe’s kale on a pan, tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and brewer’s yeast and baked at 400 for 20 minutes. In the meantime I browned up some crumbled chorizo in a pan. when the kale was done I had put too much on the pan for all of it to get crispy so I tossed the still soggy kale in the pan with my chorizo and mixed it together. Then I threw it all in a bowl and topped it with my crispy kale. Then I died and went to heaven. I will do this again, just on purpose this time.
*****
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW! I think that’s everything! What’s new with you???
