#232 Matt Frazier stopped in Lincoln!

On my List of 1,001 Awesome Things To Do Before....list, #232 is to attend a book tour/signing by an author that I love.  I did that!  I intend to do it any time I get the chance, but I think this is the first.  No, not true.  I met Isa Moskowitz at a bake sale in Omaha and she signed my Vegan Cookies cookbook, but that was a few years back, way before I had The List.  Plus, its on the list to meet her again (maybe when she gets her vegan restaurant open?!?)

Matt Frazier writes a blog that I read regularly called The No Meat Athlete and his book, Run on Plants and Discover Your Fittest, Fastest, Happiest Self just came out a few weeks ago.  On his book tour, he made a stop at the Lincoln Running Company and Willa and I made sure we could make it!  Matt is an ultramarathon runner who just happens also to be vegan.  He spoke about his training, what he eats, what he wears, goal setting, strength training...all kinds of good stuff!  He was very informative.  I haven't read the whole book yet, but I did just try out one of his recipes (for buffalo hummus) and it was so good.  I don't know why I hadn't thought to put buffalo sauce in hummus before but it was genius.  I am very excited to try the rest of the recipes.  Aside from recipes, there are also training plans for various distances in the book.  A great read for anyone who is thinking of getting into distance running or anyone looking to replace some meat with some healthier options in their diets.  He doesn't get in your face at all about the ethics of a vegan diet, as some vegan writers do.  He makes some good points, for sure, but he also acknowledges that even just a reduction in red meat consumption can make huge positive impacts on your health and your training.  If you're curious, you should check it out!  I'll loan my copy out after I try a few more recipes:)

Congrats to dear brookie!

First of all, I love this picture.  It was taken a few months ago on a nice girl's night out.  Second of all, the lady on the left, my most favorite brooke, won a very cool blogging contest and I want every single person I know to hear about it!  brooke's blog is called grace and light, and she won Typepad's 10th Birthday Blogging Contest..  Do read about the contest, and then read every single one of brooke's blog posts, because they are all worth your time.  She is so very thoughtful with what she writes, and her words are so elegant.  I suppose you could read the other 2 winners' blogs as well, if you work night shifts like me and dink around on the internets for, like, hours.  Or, you could google yourself, then shop on Amazon for nut milk bags and donut pans, then pay a tiny portion of your taxes online, then look at tons of pictures of cute baby animals on the Huffington Post, then try to refocus yourself by looking at your own blog post about your goals, and then spend the rest of the night looking at lipstick shades.  Yeah.  Do that.

Need a great ebook?

I recently purchased this e-cookbook, written by a girl that I follow on Instagram, and I am loving it!  I have already made the Pad Thai a few times, the chocolate chocolate chip muffins, chipotle tilapia, spicy tuna salad and the super seed loaf.  The recipes are all very clean, all gluten-free, and the author gives suggestions on how to make most of the recipes vegetarian/vegan as well.  I highly recommend it, if you are looking for some easy, healthy ways to perk up your food-life.  Her blog has a lot of really great recipes on it, as well.  Take a peek!

Join me in a good read

I used to be such a reader.  I'm gonna say that changed when Willa was born.  There just isn't as much time for sitting and reading.  Its getting a little bit better as she gets a little older, there are more times that she is content playing while I sit and read.  I had thought that working nights would provide me with ample reading time, which I guess technically it does, but if I start reading too early, I get even drowsier than I do if I find other ways to pass the time.  I am very excited about a book club that a friend recently formed and wanted to share it with any of my blog readers who love books!  We are "discussing" the books through a blog that Tiffany set up, so anyone anywhere can participate.  And, we are discussing one chapter per week so if you are slow like me, you can keep up.  And if you aren't slow, you can still be reading other things as well.  The first book we are reading is called The Hole in our Gospel and we are just now on chapter 1 so feel free to join in!

Aaaaand...there went nearly my entire night shift.

A million thank you's to the lovely and talented Nicole at Making It Lovely for sharing this link.  I only made it about a third of the way through the essays tonight, but I will read the rest.  And soon.  I adore election time.  And I have no problem with telling anyone who will listen that I am a left, left, leftie, liberal, hippie, vegetarian, gun-hating, social-contract loving, my-uterus-my-choice, wind energy worshiping, help-the-least-of-those-among-us, health-care/marriage/civil rights/equal pay-for-all, CRAZY PERSON.  Its just how my brain works.  I've tried to make my brain be at least a little bit more moderate, so as not to seem so crazy, but it just can't.  I try not to be too in your face about it out in the real world.  But this is my blog, darn it, so I can be as De-de-de-democratic as I want.  If you have even the slightest inclination, you should check out some of these essays.  Of the ones I read, a few were vulgar, mostly the ones written by comedians.  But most were very intelligent, well written, some very personal explanations as to why the individuals are voting for Barack Obama for a second term.  One of my favorites was #25, written by Colin Meloy of The Decemberists, on the changes that have been made under this presidency that have assisted his family in receiving the therapies needed for their autistic son.  He makes a great point here " regardless of your tax bracket, if you’re parenting a kid with special needs, you need help."  So very, very true.  
Another of my favorites was #34 by author Elizabeth Gilbert on the nature of Barack Obama's character.  Every word of her essay rang true with me.  Sure, there have been other political figures that I have felt confident in voting for.  For pete sake, I may start a Bill Clinton fan club some day.  But, President Obama is the first politician I have felt admiration for, as far as character goes.  His calm, poised demeanor is a breath of fresh air.  His commitment to all classes of people is admirable.  And for me, bottom line, there is a very strong gut feeling about our two candidates.  I have a Facebook friend who worded her feelings about Mitt Romney in a way that made me laugh, but also kind of sums up my feelings toward him..."You know how dogs seem to have a 6th sense about people, well I would bet money that if you put a dog on the presidential debate stage that Romney would be eaten alive..."  Now of course, I don't wish for Mitt to be eaten by anything, but I personally agree with the sentiment:)  May the best candidate win, and in the words of Andrew Sean Greer (essay #5) "Supreme court, supreme court, supreme court!" 

Men who can pull off tank tops. Few and far between.

I'm pretty sure I have mentioned him before, but I just so happen to have an imaginary, gay-man, best friend who has a blog and whose life I would like to live for a few weeks.  Maybe months.  I guess he isn't technically imaginary since he is a real life person but he seems imaginary since he lives in a magical sounding place called Hollywood and he has a magical job, which is being Emily Henderson's assistant.  Nonetheless, he is real.  I usually catch up on his blog every few weeks or so, and I just did and was especially impressed with what my best friend had been up to since the last time we "talked".  The most important post was the one on treehouses.  I read this, and it made complete sense to me that Orlando and I befriended one another.  Then I saw this picture that he snapped at the pool, with our other friends, where there is Red Stripe and pink H&M sunglasses and I got really sad that we live so far away from each other.

Don't be scared for me.  I have always had an over-active imagination.  And don't be scared for Orlando.  I can't afford to stalk him.  But for love of my eyes in the summer, someone go to H&M and buy me those sunglasses.  I'll get you my mailing address.

P-p-p-p-pins

Print from here

Found this print on Pinterest.  Fell in love.  Its like the holy trinity of a picture.  Its got bold typeface, the color pink, and its fluorescent.  I have to admit that neon colors weren't my idea.  They were the idea of two of my favorite people that I have never met named Emily and Orlando.  They have such good ideas.

Recipe from here

And this little ball of heaven, she is called a coconut lemon meltaway.  I'm fairly certain that if I can locate some coconut flour, I will make some of these this week.  Does anyone know if coconut flour is something I can buy, like, anywhere?  Maybe Open Harvest?  I will hand-deliver a package of coconut lemon meltaways to the first person to tell me where to find coconut flour.  

Thanks again, Pinterest.  We made it through another night shift.

Let's Pretend This Never Happened: (A Mostly True Memoir)

A very big and important moment in my life just happened.  I preordered The Bloggess's book.  How on earth am I going to pass the time until it ships in April???  I guess by just living my life, and reading less-than-amazing books.  I am aware that some of my readers (there are about 9 of you) are also fans of The Bloggess, and so I have decided to host a "book club" of sorts as soon as the book has been out long enough to have read it, and maybe loaned it to a friend to read.  So maybe sometime in May.  Keep this in mind.  Pretty much it would just be an excuse to get together and drink a lot but that's OK, right?!?  Maybe have some snacks, share our favorite part of the book, drink some more...oh my goodness I can't wait.
For now, just in case you haven't discovered the magic that is Jenny Lawson, I am going to provide you with a few of my personal favorite posts, to get you hooked so that you want to come to this special "book club" meeting, too:)
These puppies weren't my fault
How to make your husband think you're a witch
Its like a hoodie but with fangs
Phone koozies
And then I saw a Sasquatch on the road
That's why I'm not allowed to be here unsupervised
It kind of feels like a hollow victory
And that's why you should learn to pick your battles

OK, that was way more than I intended to provide and I didn't even go back that far.  I was just having lots of fun rereading the posts.  Enjoy!!

Oink

 We went out for dinner tonight at Bison Witch's.  That place is so good that I almost don't have words for it.  The veggie sandwich, the queso, mushroom soup.  I want to eat it again and that was only like 8 hours ago.
I'm talking about food because we have been cooking at home quite a bit lately, as part of the money saving plan.  Also, I love grocery shopping.  I would rather be in a grocery store than a mall.  Give me a really good grocery store and I might choose it over an amusement park.  I heard a rumor that Lincoln is getting a Whole Foods.  If this happens, and I go missing from time to time, you can bet that's where I am.  Just gazing at things like soy flax seed chips and vegan chipotle sausages.  Sometimes I wonder how I even have human  friends.
Anywho...Thought I would share a few of the new recipes that I have tried and loved, in case anyone else is on a "cook at home" kick!
Through Pinterest and the advice of kind friends, I have discovered the blog Oh She Glows, and my two favorite new recipes came from there.  First being the Creamy Avocado Pasta and second being the Sweet Potato Enchiladas.  Both were delicious.  I might have used a touch too much garlic in the pasta sauce, as it was a little heart-burny.  Next time I would just use one small clove instead of the giant clove that I chose.  Also, I just used whole wheat pasta and not the spelt or kamut pastas that the writer of the blog used.  Those sound fun to try though.  As for the enchiladas, man were they good!  The recipe says that it makes 4, but I think I made like 8 and put about 5 of them in the freezer, minus the avocado sauce on top.  Although my cousin Mandy taught me the other day that if you leave the pit in with the mashed avocados, it is supposed to keep them from turning brown.  Not sure for how long, but that's a fun little tip for avocado freaks like myself.  I also made a double batch of raspberry almond thumbprint cookies.  I took a few to wine night, as they just sounded like something that would go really well with a good red wine.  And they were.  The rest are in my freezer to take to dinner tonight, as I think I made a few empty promises right after Christmas to deliver more of them to certain friends.  I also have plans to whip up a big bowl of avocado/feta/tomato dip and maybe even play around with some buffalo wing tofu for Super Bowl Sunday.  I'm not exactly sure which teams are playing, but I hear there is going to be a cute dog in some of the commercials, and Madonna is performing at half time.  Sometimes looking at Madonna's 60 year old arms inspires me to do lots of push-ups.
Now you know what I have been eating for the last few weeks.  Cool, huh?  Maybe next week I'll tally up how many times I floss my teeth and then go on and on about it.

Stolen

I stole these pictures (not the cute kid) from one of my most favorite blogs.  brooke always gets good pictures of Willa, and I believe these pictures involved a new lens.  Or film.  Or camera strap.  God, am I seriously worse with camera terms than I am with computer or football ones???  I didn't think it was possible.  The shots were snapped at brooke's shower a few weekends ago.  If you're a germ-o-phobe, don't worry about that last shot.  She was eating out of the berry bowl with the serving spoon AFTER all the guests had left.  And none of us stragglers were worried about catching her cooties.  I vote that brooke should pop our her baby, quit her job, and become a part-time photographer.

Another must-read blog for the end of 2011

I hope that the picture that accompanies this week's must-read blog post makes you hungry.  And thirsty.  Brad and I went Christmas shopping last week (minus Willa, thank god.  She is going through a phase of being a HORRIBLE shopping buddy) but we got distracted midway through by a new sushi place in downtown Lincoln.  Brad ordered a volcano something-or-other, and mine was a southwestern what-not that was COVERED in cilantro.  Wow, yum.  With a side of edamame and a tasty cabernet/Japanese beer. Perfect shopping meal.  And conveniently, Dozo is located right smack across the street from the offices of Purely Maid.  And they have happy hour.  Twice a day on weekends.  Tosha, how have we not been there together yet???  Sushi with my cleaning buddy is going on the 2012 goal list.  So is reforming my child's poor shopping behaviors.  I'm not even kidding, she sprinted out of a store holding multiple pairs of low-rise men's boxer briefs.  Laughing the whole time.  Not ok.  I should have let the store press charges, just to teach her an early lesson.

Onto the blog...http://www.peopleiwanttopunchinthethroat.blogspot.com/ is hilarious.  Aaaand, has a web address that is even longer and more complicated than mine.  I was turned onto this blog at the time she was writing about her experiences with the Elf on the Shelf fiasco.  Then I spent an absurd amount of time reading her older posts. Love it!  Add it to the blog roll.

A Highly Inappropriate Must Read Blog

You just never know what your little tyke will find while shopping for fake, white Christmas trees at WalMart.  And yes, Willa does know how to find my phone, unlock the screen, open Angry Birds, and then shoot all the birds backwards so that the pigs will laugh.  Then sometimes she accidentally calls people.  Sorry about that, friends whose last names start with A and my Accountant.

I've got a new blog to follow, courtesy of my night shift coworker, Kelli.  I'm warning you right now, the language is foul and pretty much every single thing about it is completely sick and wrong.  I have a very juvenile sense of humor.  Please don't be angry at me if you are offended.  But please do let me know if you read it and laugh.  And don't worry, its all text (there are no inappropriate photos or anything.) 

Counter Envy



Image from YoungHouseLove


People are always wondering, and asking me, what my ideal coutertop looks like.  Oh wait, no...no one cares.  Its just that I think about my ideal countertops a lot.  There they are!  Big 'ole, thick, heavy Corian.  White.  Fabulous.  I do wonder why they didn't go all out and get the seamless Corian sink?  Those are a cleaning ladies' dream.

Someday, Allison.  Someday.

A Must-Read Blog (yeah, another one)

These pictures don't have a single thing to do with my latest Must-Read-Blog, but I liked them.  So here they are.  We had just gotten home with some groceries and we remembered (via Pinterest) that chocolate chips fit really well right into the opening of raspberries.  Yes, we ate the entire container of raspberries, but we did use SOME self control and didn't eat that whole bowl of chocolate chips.  I swear we didn't. 

Anywho...I don't think I've shared this blog yet, but its latest post has generated A LOT of conversation/controversy/support so I thought now would be a great time to introduce you to FitMamaTraining and her blog.  Erin was a coworker of mine at the hospital several years ago and she is an amazing person.  She has built a business around the fact that she has altered her lifestyle and made some huge changes in her health and fitness levels since becoming a mother.  Very inspirational and very honest.  I really look forward to her blog posts.  So...go read about her thoughts on the Victoria's Secret fashion show..then go back and read all the rest of them.  You won't be sorry you did!