Recent Happenings

Sorry I haven't checked in for a while.  It seems like I've had something going on just about every single day after school lately.  Is it almost summer yet?!

Here are a few things that have been happening lately.

While the northeast has been getting slammed with snow, we've had some bursts of unusually mild weather.  There have been a lot of dog walks, patio meals, and beer garden visits.  I've even gone running walk-jogging a couple times.

Jay celebrated his 31st birthday last weekend.  We enjoyed a fun date night on Saturday, and Sunday I hosted our families for chili.  I made my hearty chipotle chili without the meat, and this delicious vegan peanut butter pie. 

 Wendy and Oliver helped with the presents.   Wendy needs a haircut so. bad.

I went glass-blowing with my friends.  

One of my co-workers owns his own studio, and a group of us rented it out for the night.  We had so much fun hanging out, sipping wine, and learning the glass-blowing process.  If you live in OKC and want to take a lesson, host a fun party, or shop for a beautiful and unique gift, you should definitely check out Blue Sage Studios.

 

 

There have been a couple more birthdays and a baby shower sprinkled throughout the last couple weeks, but I've been so bad about taking pictures!  I've also been cooking a lot regularly, but nothing too overly exciting or original.  I'm looking forward to trying a couple new recipes this week, like this Rockin' Moroccan Stew from the Humane Society.  I plan to be back with a food-related post in a few days.

Hope it's a great week!

Subscription Box Mania

Subscription boxes are all the rage right now.  There's one for just about every interest you can imagine, from food to beauty to fitness, and everything in between.  They make for a great gift that keeps on giving, or a fun treat for yourself!  Here are a few of my faves:

Birchbox
Birchbox was one of the first subscription boxes I ever heard about, and I've been getting them for close to a year now. For only ten bucks a month, I always look forward to my next box of fun beauty samples.  I've received high-end makeup, hair products, lotions, nail polishes, and even the occasional accessory or healthy snack.  I always feel like I get my money's worth, and it's a great way to try new products before you buy. It's just the best!

Stridebox
For Christmas this year, I signed Jay up for a few months of Stridebox, a subscription box just for runners.  For $15/month, it came primarily stocked full of nutrition products, such as sports bars, goo, and electrolyte drink mixes.  Pretty much everything they sent was organic and made with real ingredients, so that was a big plus.  The boxes also included a few accessories, like a water bottle and shoe laces.  Jay really enjoyed it!

Graze
I just recently signed up for a free trial of Graze, a $6 healthy snack box that comes as often as once a week.  I am always on the lookout for easy, nutritious snacks to keep at work, so I thought I'd be worth a try.  I was able to specify my snack preferences and dietary requirements ahead of time, and it's easy to sort through what they have.

I opted for vegan snacks only in my first box, and I received fruit and seed bars, a black pepper cashew mix, a natural energy nut mix, and a mix of dried apples, cranberries, and figs.  Everything so far has been delicious, and the individual packaging is really convenient.  I like that I can easily throw one into my purse or lunchbox when I'm in a rush.

If you are interested in Graze, use the code JY6FN1XJB and you'll receive your first and fifth boxes free!

Naturebox
I also tried Naturebox for a while, which is very similar to Graze.  Instead of receiving a box every two weeks, you get just one box per month full of healthy snacks.  It ranges from $20 to $50, depending on how many snack bags you opt to receive.  It is definitely more expensive than Graze (which is mainly why I stopped ordering it), but it's also a lot more food.  You can select and rate your snacks, all of which are nutritionist-approved.

Naturebox always offers half off plus free shipping on your first box.

Barkbox
I've been seriously eyeing Barkbox for a long time - a monthly box stocked full of toys, treats and gadgets for your pooch.  Wendy and Oliver absolutely LOVE all presents, so I'm sure they would adore this monthly treat.  At $20/month, it's a tad pricey (especially if I were going to get a box for each of them), but I will definitely keep it in mind when their birthdays roll around in the fall.  I've heard really good things about Barkbox, and I love that they donate 10% of their proceeds to doggy rescue organizations.

These pictures of pups with their Barkboxes are too cute!

 

If you're interested in checking out the other millions of subscription boxes out there, try this website for a complete list with reviews.  I wish I could order them all!

Have a great weekend!

Weekend + Roasted Cabbage Steaks

Hi there!

I hope you all had a great weekend.  Jay and I did a ton of gardening, only to be greeted by a wave of SNOW this morning.  Snow in April...whaaat?!  Hopefully, we got all the new plants covered in time so they can survive this random cold snap.

Wendy is sure excited about the fresh veggies and herbs coming soon!

We also planted a new tree and some flowers, although the big stars right now are our tulips.  They were looking amazing this weekend!

Of course, we had to do our usual house cleaning and grocery shopping trip.  Here's a pic of our food for the short week ahead:

In other news, I have a new favorite roasted vegetable - cabbage!  On Saturday night, we made "cabbage steaks" to have with tofu and pearled couscous.  They were delicious.  And they taste just like steak.

Just kidding. 

But they are really good!!

To make these, we cut a small head of organic cabbage into one-inch thick pieces.  I rubbed down each side with some olive oil and seasoned with salt and fresh-ground pepper.  I also drizzled on a little balsamic vinegar.

We baked them for 30 minutes at 425, flipping once.

There were a couple "steaks" left over, so yesterday for lunch I heated them up and added them to some quinoa veggie burgers along with avocado slices and Sriracha.  What a burger!

We finished off our weekend of good eats with another artichoke appetizer and a tasty lentil dish from No Meat Athlete.  That book has the best recipes. 

When it came to exercise, I made time for my new favorite workout - spin class!  Bri, my friend from work, teaches at Moxieride in OKC on the weekends.  Moxieride combines traditional high-intensity cycling with upper body exercises.  My arms and shoulders are really feeling it today!

Bri does a great job of keeping the class pumped up with her motivating instruction and upbeat music choices.  It's hard work but a lot of fun!  I purchased a Groupon for a 10 class package, so I will definitely be going back on a regular basis.

If you are in the market for a great workout in the Oklahoma City area, you should totally check out one of their classes. 

See ya soon!

3/1-3/3: Weekend Highlights and a Banana Bread Recipe

Greetings from our winter wonderland.

Despite the fact that it is now March, we got hit with yet another round of freezing rain, sleet, and snow yesterday. 

Due to the weather, it was a pretty low key weekend.  The highlight was an 80th birthday dinner celebration for my grandma on Saturday night.  We enjoyed a delicious meal with around 20 family members and close friends.

I ordered the chili relleno stuffed with quinoa and goat cheese.  It was really flavorful and tasty, as were the soup, salad, and dessert courses.  

I loved this adorable dessert sampler that offered a little bite of everything.  It was just the right size. 

I would have liked to see more of my out-of-town family yesterday, but the weather really hindered our ability to leave the house.  Instead, Jay and I did some major cleaning and laundry, started the second season of House of Cards (there was a big shocker in that first episode!), and rented Captain Phillips.  I am not usually a fan of action movies (guns and explosions make me fall asleep), but this one was really good.  It was so suspenseful and kept my attention the entire time.   

I also finally did something with the slew of overripe bananas that have been in our freezer forever. I tried a new banana bread recipe based on ingredients I had on-hand (inspired by a recipe in my Peas and Thank You cookbook). It turned out really good and hearty, and the whole house smelled amazing all afternoon!

Hearty Vegan Banana Bread

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
2 cups overripe bananas
1/2 vanilla extract
1/4 cup almond milk
nuts and seeds to sprinkle on top (I used chia and flax seeds)

1) Pre-heat oven to 350.
2) In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg
3) In a medium-sized bowl, cream together brown sugar, coconut oil, and peanut butter using hand mixer, and add mashed bananas. Add vanilla extract and milk and stir to combine.
4) Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
5) Spray loaf pan with cooking spray, spread batter evenly and sprinkle desired nuts and seeds on top.
6) Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

This recipe would also be delicious with a handful of chocolate chips or chopped walnuts stirred in to the batter.

I ate two pieces this morning topped with honey and cinnamon. Yum!

For dinner last night, I made my favorite black rice risotto recipe and served it inside/atop a roasted butternut squash. This was the I-have-plenty-of-time-to-make-dinner version of the shortcut butternut squash risotto I shared last week.

There is no school today, so it will probably be another relaxing day at home.  I am not complaining!  Stay warm out there!

Recent Happenings + Things I'm Loving Lately V

Hello! Long time no see! I realized I haven't blogged all week, but only because I just didn't do or eat anything too terribly exciting over the past few days.  It was a full week of work, plus a couple of boot camp classes and a night of Bachelor watching with my friend, Zenie, as usual.  The rest of the time I was probably parked in front of the TV watching the Olympics.  I love them so much that I get a little stressed when I miss a night - it's hard to catch up once you get behind!  Being an avid Olympics watcher takes real commitment!

Jay is currently out of town for work, so I was solo for Valentine's Day.  I still had a great day - I let my students make Spanish Valentine's in class, and they turned out so cute!  I received lots of fun treats and gifts all day at work (being a teacher on a holiday is the best!), and then spent the evening with my family enjoying a beautiful steak dinner cooked by my aunt and uncle.

And then I got to come home to this:

Cutest valentine ever!  (No offense, Jay.)

Aside from my TV shows, here are some things I am loving this week!

1. Dark Chocolate
There is nothing I love more than a little piece of dark chocolate after dinner to top off the evening.  After all, it's healthy, right?!  The other night, I noticed that my supply was running low, so I wasted no time getting online to order some more.  Luckily, Amazon was having a huge chocolate sale for Valentine's Day, so I got this 4-pack of Ghiradelli chocolates for only about a third of what they cost now.  Score!

Then, this morning, I was opening up some Amazon boxes that had been delivered the night before, and I found another 50 PACK of dark chocolates that Jay has sent me for Valentine's Day.  Needless to say, I don't think I need to worry about running out of chocolates again any time soon!

2. Saucony Kinvara 4 Running Shoes

I am an overpronator, so for years I bought big clunky athletic shoes with tons of arch support to try and correct the problem.  Yet, despite having so much cushion and support, I still had pain in the insides of my feet after running or standing for a long period of time.  Jay (who runs exclusively in barefoot or very minimalist shoes) kept telling me that the only way to strengthen your arches and feet is to stop buying the ultra stabilizing shoes and start using your own muscles to stabilize yourself.  A couple years ago, I bought some Vibram barefoot shoes to use for walking in the warmer months, and I also switched to a lightweight, more minimalist running shoe.  The Saucony Kinvara is flexible with a low heel drop, which encourages a forefoot strike (the way humans are meant to run).  I'm no expert on any of this so I won't try to go into detail, but I do know that my feet have felt great and pain-free with the Kinvara 3, and so far I am loving the Kinvara 4 just as much!

3. Weather Puppy App
As if I didn't obsessively check the weather enough before, now, every time I do, I am greeted with the most adorable puppy pictures. There are multiple doggies/breeds to choose from, and they change based on the weather and time of day.

I can hardly handle the cuteness! 

4. YouTube Workout Videos
Up until the last couple of days, the weather in OKC has been incredibly crappy.  Since it's been almost impossible to run or exercise outside, I have been relying more on videos for my workouts.  My favorites right now are the Winter Shape Up series from the Fitnessista on YouTube.  I love that they are full-length, easy to follow, and tough!  Despite only being about 20 minutes long, they will really make you sweat!  It's a great option for days when you can't get outside or go to the gym.

5. These Animal Articles

US Slopestyle Skiier Aims to Rescue Stray Dogs from Sochi - I love this guy!!

20 Essential Facts Dog Lovers Must Always Remember - Don't read at work like I did.  And have tissues ready.

31 Animals Who Wear Their Hearts On Their Noses - In honor of Valentine's Day!

Have a great rest of your weekend!

A Few Pics From the Weekend

Hope you all had a great weekend!  We enjoyed the most beautiful weather I have ever seen, only to be followed today by temperatures in the teens and twenties with 50 mph wind gusts!  Some way to start the work week.

Here is a quick weekend recap in picture form.

Puppies!  Lots of naps + walks.

An amazing Ethiopian dinner.  Jay and I found a new restaurant in our area, and we cannot get enough.

A wonderful 3-mile run with a friend. 

We ran our way right into a local bar and rested up with a refreshing drink.

Followed by another drink with Jay on the back patio.  It was just too nice not to be outside!

A BBQ tempeh dinner while watching a live Google Hangout with Dr. Michael Greger (or "Nerd Man" as we call him) of Nutritionfacts.org. 

Jay and I posted three different questions, and we were so excited when he actually answered all three!  He even said my name and thanked me!!  I know, we are so cool. 

That's about all the excitement around here.  It's only Monday, but I am already getting geared up for next weekend.  Jay turns the big 3-0, and we have some super fun activities planned.  Adios!