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By Katy, March 4, 2010

I may not be the best cook in the world — but I know how to read a recipe.

So when I tell you to make this now…make.this.now.

As Kel said better than me, POM + Fish (I used tilapia) = Happy! The reduced pomegranate-mint sauce was delicious, but I have to say, I think it would be even better over ice cream. It got sweet and sticky and ohhhhh so good.

Also so good? My recipe for Chocolate Popcorn Brittle, kicked up with the addition of some Naturally Nutty Vanilla Cinnamon Sunflower butter. I’d show you a picture, but I didn’t wait to dig in!

It’s been a very busy, very stressful week…nothing too bad, just lots of busy work! So you KNOW this made my day:

My sweet husband texted me, saying my boys missed their mama!

This also cracked me up — this morning, I tweeted:

And got this video in return, from @NoMoreBacon:

I cracked up — one of those gut-busting, feel sick afterwards laughs. How funny is that?

And a less funny, but still important video…I implore you to follow this link for a clip from Jessica Simpson’s new show. Now, yes, I am a Jessica fan girl (confession: I even bought her clip-in hair extensions) BUT, I think her message is one that’s so important when it comes to media, women and body image. Men too!

OK, gotta end it on a positive note.

How’s about this — my other favorite video?

What do you do when you need a laugh?

          

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By Katy, February 25, 2010

Whole lotta bacon cake fans in the house, huh? I can’t wait to hear how all of your versions turn out. The cake, btw, has left my building. 2 days and Lucas polished it off.

Speaking of Lucas, if you want to hang out with both of us AND drink free beer — check out this Beer Tweetup tonight (Thursday) at the Celebration Town Tavern in Celebration, Florida. I’m @kwidrick and he’s @nighthops.

Also speaking of Lucas — for his birthday, I bought him a new pocket video camera and I came home from work to find this video playing on the TV…so cute to see what they do all day!

The bacon cake was a big hit, but I prefer a more subtle, refined OH WHO AM I KIDDING I love chocolate!

So for a sweet treat this week, I made what I can only call Popped Heaven:

That’s chocolate popcorn brittle with a side of riesling. Want some of your own?

Chocolate Popcorn Brittle (adapted from Mark Bittman’s “How To Cook Everything Vegetarian”)

• 2T neutral oil
• 1/2C popcorn kernels
• 1/4C sugar (I used organic cane sugar)
• 1/8C cocoa powder (I used raw with maca)
• 1/3C water

1. Heat the oil in a deep, wide pot. I use a pasta pat or a big stockpot for this.
2. Place three popcorn kernels in the pot and cover.
3. Once the three kernels pop (should take about 4-5 minutes) put the rest of the kernels in, shake to coat in oil, and return the cover.
4. While you’re waiting for the kernels to pop, mix the sugar and the cocoa powder.
   1. I prefer to run this mix through a food processor so it’s super-fine, but this is optional.
5. Place the sugar and cocoa mix in a small pot and add 1/3C water. Stir to combine then put on low heat.
6. Let sugar and cocoa combine — don’t stir! — until it caramelizes and turns a nice dark, silky color.
7. When the kernels finish popping, place into a heatproof bowl. Pour the caramelized sugar-cocoa mix over the popcorn and toss gently to cover.
8. Pour the popcorn into a greased baking or cake pan and gently press down with your fingers, packing the popcorn together.
9. Let cool for at least 5 minutes then EAT!

A 1/2 C of popcorn makes a TON of finished popped product, so if you want to cut the recipe in half you may.

Random photo on my camera that I had to share — I found these on clearance and almost bought them! I am a Syracuse grad, you know. Go Orange!

And finally, I wanted to pass on a video to Jamie Oliver’s TED talk on childhood obesity. It really struck a chord with me, and it’s a really well presented argument. Check it out here and sign his petition here!

          

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By Katy, February 22, 2010

That’s right — vegans, beware. Because below, I am proving my awesome wife status with pictures of the Bacon Birthday Cake that made Lucas drool.

But first, an NKOTB throwback video for my baby on his 30th birthday:

Don’t even hate on my for the NKOTB love (which, BTW, I have professed before). I still think Joey looks slammin’.

Ever since we went to Portland and Seattle a few years ago, Lucas has been reminiscing about the Maple Bacon donut he had at Voodoo Doughnut:

So, when I brainstormed ideas for a unique birthday cake (he’s not really a buttercream frosting kind of guy), I turned to Google, which presented me with this gem: Bacon Gets Its Just Desserts.

I knew it could be a winner, and I was right.

I know, I know. I don’t eat a lot of meat, and the sight of this much bacon is a little off-putting for me, too. But you know what? The salty bacon with the sweet maple icing was incredible — and since this was more like a coffee cake than a cake cake, each bite was a mouthful of pecan-y, apple-y, bacon-y goodness.

But first, we had to eat a balanced meal, hand-picked by the birthday boy and right out of “Gordon Ramsay’s Healthy Appetite” cookbook. Burgers, beers and cucumber raita.

Good, but we’re a little biased because of the incredible meal we shared with friends over the weekend. I rocked the Bumpit and got my Snooki on.

We had an adorable eating partner.

And open minds — so when we saw these meats listed as taco fillings at the Mexican hole-in-the-wall restaurant our friends took us to, we said “one of each, please!”

So good — I even tried the head and the chicharonnes, although they were not my favorites. The food was super fresh and when we added grilled onions, cilantro relish and hot sauce…YUM!

And in case I haven’t scared all of you off with the meat-tastic post, I’ll leave you with this gem. Lucas loves to share his homebrew, but he asks his friends to return the bottles so he may reuse them. We got this package on our doorstep over the weekend — a lovely joke from one of his pals.

My 30th birthday is next month, and we’ll be celebrating it with a trip to Baltimore and Fitbloggin‘! Will you be there?

          

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By Katy, February 20, 2010

A while back, I found a big ugly green…thing.

If it didn’t have a sign telling me that this ugly thing was a “water coconut,” I never would have believed it. This is, after all, the same store that would post something like this:

Grammar. You failz it.

Anyway, the Internet confirmed that this was, in fact, a coconut. Now — how to open it? YouTube was a big help, but my honey of a house husband had his own ideas:

Like anything in life, we (he) had to work hard; cracking the hard outer shelf and gently pulling aside some unattractive but supportive layers:

And when we did, we gloried in the goodness:

We poured the lovely coconut water into a bowl and then scraped the white yumminess out with a spoon:

Victorious.

I’m still plotting what to do with the fresh coconut, but I had a taste for it and after a run to Whole Foods, I gave into the craving. Meet Coconut-Almond Macaroons a la Joggers Life.

I did make a few changes, substituting oat flour for the almond meal and halving the recipe. That was a mistake, since I’ve already eaten quite a few. I also made a second type of macaroon, from Everyday Raw.

They’re both amazing (and raw, since I stuck ‘em in the dehydrator — what do you think, Patti?) Ahhhhhh macaroon.

So y’all know I love my job, right? This week, I got to meet a man who blows me away with his bravery, his kindness and his SLAMMIN’ body! Would you believe this guy is about to turn 70?

Sandy Scott broke his neck during a horrific cycling time trial — he might have died, and probably should have stopped competing. But he didn’t, and he’s looking to set MORE records for his age group at several national events! I had an amazing day, field producing a video with him, and that will be posted on our site soon.

I’ll leave you with a picture of Travers — aka “Best Cat.” He loves wearing my medal from the OUC Half Marathon and Lucas gave him the nickname.

Who inspires you? Leave me a comment!

          

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By Katy, February 7, 2010

P-p-p-p-perfect!

Let’s back up, so I can catch you up on the last few days. On Friday night, Lucas and I hit up a local bar known for its craft beers. A beer blogger’s gotta see what people are drinking, right?

It was a special release party for Brooklyn Brewery, which I normally love. But after a few sips of Luke’s beer:

I decided I was more interested in playing a few games:

And talking to a bunch of friends that showed up. It was a blast! We even managed to record a quick video, using my iPhone:

On Saturday, I worked up an appetite cleaning the inside of my stove. We had an, ahem, incident with some overflowing custard, and no amount of elbow grease was getting it clean. Then we found a natural cleaner recipe online — just a mix of baking soda, vinegar and dish soap and VOILA:

Just like the day we bought the stove! Ahh, happiness…

I celebrated with a POM martini, made with pomegranate-mango juice, Absolut Boston and triple sec, in a martini glass that I rimmed with organic cane sugar and lime juice. More happiness…

Gotta support Pom, since it’s a sponsor of Fitbloggin‘, and I’m going in March! Will you be there?

I’ve also had a weekend of awesome food. Saturday night, I made curried tilapia, broiled until crispy and served over the most amazing spinach and tomato paella:

And tonight, for the superbowl, I made (unpictured) chipotle beef and carmelized onion tacos, from Rick Bayless’ Everyday Mexican. Awesome!

It’s very possible that I’m the last to know this, but did you know that you can pop popcorn right on your stovetop, using kernels and a little bit of butter or oil?

It’s so much cheaper and easier (duh) than buying the microwave popcorn, and better for you. I’ve been topping mine with coconut-lime salt:

And eating by the faceful:

Off to watch the rest of the Superbowl. The commercials have been very disappointing — hello, sexist much? — but the Puppy Bowl made my night.

LOOK WHAT ONE OF THE DOGS WAS NAMED! Tater Tot!

Tater Tot the Puppy Bowl star

OK, off to get in PJs. I am going to a big social media conference in the morning, and I will be tweeting while I’m there. So be sure to follow me!

P.S. I updated my Google Reader with all the Fitbloggin’ bloggers — if you want to add it to your own reader, click here!

          

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By Katy, January 27, 2010

It’s a pretty easy — not to mention delicious — proposition.

Bid on one of the dozen items up for auction on Diana’s Bake Sale for Haiti, get yummy treats and help the people who have been so devastated by the Haitian earthquake.

Here’s what I am offering: Mark Bittman’s Whole Wheat Molasses Bread.

Trust me on this…this bread is gooood. I use it to mop up soup and chili, make sammies and even croutons for salad. It’s moist, dense and chewy, and is more savory than sweet.

It’s also a flexible recipe, so if you are vegan or have other dietary concerns, I’m happy to tweak the recipe.

Take a look, and please bid big and bid often. I’ll leave you with one more picture that sums up this whole venture:

          

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By Katy, January 16, 2010

Well, ya’ll have certainly given my friend some new healthy food resources, and turned me on to some new ones, as well! Here were the most popular suggestions from my last post:

• Blogs and Web sites:
  • KathEats.com
  • OhSheGlows.com
  • StephChows.blogspot.com
  • CarrotsNCake.com
  • CookinCanuck.blogspot.com
  • KsGoodEats.wordpress.com
  • Fitnessista.com
  • NataliesKillerCuisine.com
  • FoodNetwork.com
  • AllRecipes.com
  • AimeesAdventures.com
• Cookbooks:
  • Rick Bayless “Everyday Mexican”
  • “Vegan With a Vengeance”
  • “Cupcakes Take Over the World”
  • “Bluephies American Cooking”
  • “Laurel’s Kitchen”
  • “Fix and Leave it Light”
  • “Joy of Cooking”
  • “Pretty Darn Quick”
• Magazines:
  • Real Simple
  • Eating Well

And, for all your hard work and great suggestions, it’s time to announce the winner of a Bondi Band…

Congratulations, emueller! You were selected as my random winner, and you also really touched my heart with this comment:

I am super proud of you for finishing and for enjoying the process and the results…Having just finished my own half marathon, it is tough…I was proud of myself for finishing but then everyone wanted to know how fast I ran, which was a snail’s pace comparatively to how you ran, but still – I had to remember I had the courage to start and finish and ran the whole thing..even if it wasn’t a fast run….Love your Bondi Band BTW….thanks for being so honest in your thoughts/feelings…helps to know i’m not the only one HUGS

I will contact you to get your address and send your new headband out!

Speaking of things that are touching my heart — the situation in Haiti. I have been watching the heartbreaking photos and video around the clock, and feeling so many emotions. Empathy and sadness for the victims; desperation for those who have survived but are still in danger, hungry and dehydrated. Compassion and thanks for the tens of thousands of people mobilizing around the world to help. Frustration that the resources just can’t get there quickly enough, or are blocked by bad roads, clogged airports, chaos and confusion.

Like many others, I have donated to relief efforts, and wished I could do more. I know that as a global community, we will come together and do whatever we can — whatever it takes — to bring a bit of stability and hope to Haiti.

Wow, Debbie Downer much? I’ll leave you with something a little happier. This time a week ago, it was sleeting, freezing cold and I was just thankful to be done with 13.1 miles.

Today, it’s 70 degrees outside. Life is good.

          

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By Katy, January 12, 2010

This post is inspired by a dear college friend who made my day with an email and a plea — to point her to places that inspire me in my healthy eating journey.

More on that in a moment, but first…

I finally uploaded my Stella stats from the half marathon this weekend! And, I have to say — I’m done beating up on myself. No, I’m not the fastest runner out there…I never thought I was! No, I didn’t reach my 10:00/mile average…but I did maintain that for much of the race, in unexpectedly freezing conditions!

And, thanks to all of your lovely comments on my recap post, I’ve decided it’s time to embrace the awesome. And realize that just by starting the race, I was a winner.

Dork alert…

So, back to the email. My friend (who will remain anonymous unless she wants to peek out in comments, hint hint) wrote this:

I’m wondering if you have a spot where you get your recipes.  Your blog has inspired me to start thinking more naturally, and I’m trying to come up with recipes that are healthy for my husband and I that don’t use a lot of processed ingredients.

Swoon. You had me at inspired.

I know I’m luckier than many — I grew up eating “health food,” although I just knew it as food.

(Reminds me of the magnet my friends Jackie and Jim got me for Christmas)

So for me, giving up junk food, processed food and most crap, mostly meant going back to what Mom and Dad fed me in the first place!

Having said that, I rely on three sources, in this order:

• Cookbooks
  • My favorites are Veganomicon, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian (thanks, Andy!), the Eat Clean Diet Cookbook and good ol’ Joy of Cooking.
• Online Recipe Databases
  • I like Recipezaar, A Veggie Venture, VegWeb, Cooking Light and FoodNetwork.com, in particular.
• Other Blogs
  • I subscribe to more than 100 blogs (bless you, Google Reader!) so I bookmark posts that include recipes I’d like to try. I also use Google Blog search if I’m looking for something specific (i.e. tomato soup, lasagna, bread, etc.)

Now, are you ready for my three-part plan for successful healthy cooking and eating?

1. A stocked pantry. I am almost never without staples like:

**Brown Rice, Quinoa, Millet, Bulgur, Rolled Oats: I buy these in bulk and use them in almost every meal. I typically don’t eat many potatoes or other simple starches, although I don’t make a lot of rules (because they’re too easy to break!)

**Stock: I normally keep chicken and vegetable stock in the pantry, and use it to cook grains, meats, etc. It’s also very easy to use if I want to make a kitchen sink soup, which is basically stock heated up with any vegetables I have on hand!

**Vegetables: I am a veggie freak, so I buy whatever looks good at the store, and work it into my meals through the week. I also stock up on organic frozen green beans, broccoli and more, which I buy in bulk at Costco.

2. Meal Planning. I take an hour or so on Friday night, after work, and plan our menus for the week. I used to plan lunches and dinner, but that got to be too time consuming, so now I just make extras of dinner, and bring that or a big salad for lunch. I typically serve a lean protein (meat, beans, etc.), a vegetable, and a grain. If I am serving beans, I double up on the veggies and ditch the grain. The hour that I spend doing this gets me more than that back during the week, because I come home and get started right away, rather than poring through books, Web sites, etc., trying to figure out what to make.

3. Substitutions, substitutions, substitutions. I am very lucky to have a husband who will eat just about anything I put in front of him.

I have made changes to recipes that have resulted in culinary disaster. I’ve also made some pretty impressive dishes. Through trial and error, I have learned when to replace oil with applesauce, and when to stick with the oil; when to use whole wheat flour and when all-purpose is the only choice. I’ve tried foods I couldn’t pronounce, and remade old favorites.

I’m not sure if this helps you, old friend, but I know my readers will have even better ideas for you…

So, leave me a comment and let me know where you find your healthy recipes! I’ll make it worth your while:

• Anyone who leaves a comment will be entered into a chance to win a Bondi Band, the rockin’ hairband that’s sweeping the nation (right, Ashley?)
  
• You can leave as many comments as you want, and get up to three chances to win.
  
• Giveaway ends Friday, January 15th at 5pmET.

They’re wicked cool — in fact, here’s a picture of me enjoying a Bondi at a 5K last year. Enter now!

          

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By Katy, January 6, 2010

Ahhhh, I crack myself up.

But here’s why the title was so appropriate. Cue the yum:

And the oh, yeah…

Add a dash of deeeelish:

And you get my dinner. Maybe not the most picture-worthy, but pretty freaking awesome. The brown balls (that’s what she…oh, no, I won’t) are a mashup of two recipes; chickpea cutlets from Veganomicon (thanks, Rose!) and a recipe from Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.” I’m calling them falawesome falafel.

I’m getting pretty excited for this weekend’s half marathon at Walt Disney World for the following reasons:

• It’s the culmination of a goal I set a year ago — when I signed up and told myself “you can do this.” After completing one half marathon already, I know I can do it.
• Seeing good friends. My buddy Carolyn is going to run with me (she’s down from Buffalo!) and I’m meeting with lots of great bloggers for lunch!
• Because of the frigid weather that has descended on Florida, I am borrowing clothes to stay warm. I also purchased this beauty from the thrift shop (50% off!):

It will not only help me channel my inner Sue Sylvester,

It’s HAWT and something that I can wear on the long, cold walk from the parking lot to the starting line before ditching. Ashley gave me this tip — wear clothes that you don’t mind going to charity (in this case, back to charity), because crews pick up discarded clothes and donate them after the race.

It’s funny — I actually covered this same race two years ago, for GrowingBolder.com. Here’s a picture my boss took of me that day:

And the video I produced/reported that day. Not to toot my own horn, but I think it’s a pretty good example of why this event is so popular, and what drew me to it! (If you can’t watch it below, here’s the link)

I am keeping my expectations low for this race. If I want to stop and take a picture with Mickey, I will! If I need to rest a little or stop for water, I will! But I promise to give it my all and smile the whole 13.1 miles.

Other things that make me smile? Blogging buddies:

And Ivy Leaguers.

Oh, and my husband. I really like him. Despite the fact that I didn’t pick up any Glee-inspired gear for him, he will be going to the half marathon this weekend — a 4:30am arrival — and may even tweet about it! Check his blog out here and follow him on Twitter here. Follow me here.

          

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By Katy, December 31, 2009

2009 was a year of highs and lows — all documented on the blog! It’s so much fun to look back at what I did, especially because from a fitness perspective, this was one of the most successful years of my life.

Overall, I’m very proud to have continued to succeed at a job I love, moved my blog to its own domain, marked three years of marriage with my lovey, helped him launch a blog, visited friends and family, traveled and continued my healthy lifestyle.

Indulge me, would you, in a look back? I’m highlighting the fitness achievements in red. Because they make me especially proud and happy.

January:

• Found a frog in my toilet AND discovered the mung bean
• Watched a friend run the Disney half marathon and (GULP!) signed up for the 2010 event!
• Made pink chicken and visited a now-favorite Vietnamese grocery
• Supported Lucas on his quest to begin homebrewing
• Completed my first 90-minute run
• Defended Brussels sprouts (they truly are one of my favorite foods)

February:

• Announced my would-be beauty pageant platform
• Wished for a Snuggie (keep reading!) and had fun with Google Images
• Ran 10 miles for the first time EVER!
• Got a sweet Valentine’s Day present from the dogs
• Revealed my “before” weight-loss picture and chopped my hair

March:

• Reviewed Making the Cut and shared my love of all things Jillian Michaels
• Completed my second sprint triathlon (this time, not getting lost) and gave up caffeine
• Had a very happy 29th birthday (posted a few days late!)
• Went on a beautiful date and proved that cleaning burns calories
• Watched an amazing movie about ethical eating

April:

• Had a life-changing trip to Chicago

May-July

• Took a break from blogging…Flickr reveals that I:
  • chopped my hair and did a triathlon at Walt Disney World, organized my pantry, hosted a visit from Mom, celebrated a friend’s birthday, took an amazing ride

August:

• Returned to blogging (in a big way — I posted almost every day that month!)
• Saw “Julie and Julia“
• Had a His ‘n’ Hers dream date and found a new candy treasure
• Learned that when you ralk, you’ve wun
• Shared my take on counting calories
• Attended the Healthy Living Summit in Boston with posts here here here and here.
• Reviewed P90X
• Shared my technique for making perfect tofu
• Survived a flat tire and showed off my tips for getting enough water
• Cried and shared an emotional post on why I love triathlon
• Made homemade bread for the first time
• Learned about sustainable food
• Had an AMAZING swim/run brick
• Ate around the nation in high heels with Caitlin and her adorable husband

September:

• Celebrated the season with my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of ‘09!
• Found that grocery stores are like New Kids on the Block
• Vowed to never order takeout pizza again
• Failed at running 10 miles but succeeded at fun with friends
• Attended a very sweet Twitter event
• Finished my first 5K with lots of great bloggers
• Marked my 100-post anniversary
• Got my trampoline on
• Did my first double-digit run in six months
• Went indoor rock climbing
• Remember what it’s like to run in the Northeast and went to a “gorge”ous wedding

October:

• Traveled to Maine to spend time with family and posted here and here
• Fell in love…with chocolate tofu
• Shared my technique for cooking delicious yuca
• Found another frog and discovered the way NOT to diaper a toddler
• Got in a fight with my blender
• Ran with the blogging posse and showered at Starbucks
• Found out first-hand what dragon boat racing is all about
• Started feeling pain in my, um, area — a problem that would plague me for months
• Looked back at the wedding dress of my dreams
• Completed my first Olympic distance triathlon
• Volunteered at a beer festival
• Announced plans for a No Nonsense November

November:

• Posted my recipe for Pumpkin Bulgur Beer Bread (now known as Vulgar Bread)
• Tried kombucha for the first time
• Wrote an emotional love note to running, in light of my injury
• Announced Vegan Week, a partnership with the lovely Eating Journey
• Went on a hike with the husband and got ready for Vegan Week
• Sat back and watched as Vegan Week became an Internet sensation (click the link for ALL posts)

December:

• Got Stella, my Garmin Forerunner 305
• Made lemonade from lemons as I prepared for my first half marathon
• Completed my first half marathon!
• Found the best BBQ joint in Central Florida
• Shared my tips for meal planning
• Had a phenomenal day with the husband, all planned by him in secret
• Celebrated the holidays with some blogging buddies
• Changed up the blog look and fell into a cookie coma
• Cursed technology but celebrated an outstanding Christmas
• Exposed myself in a movement that’s sweeping the globe

I really enjoyed reading back through the last 12 months — it made me look forward to 2010 even more!

What are the highlights of 2009 in your own life?

          

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By Katy, December 25, 2009

Doesn’t technology blow? Ugh…I was working on my laptop yesterday, getting some work done so I could relax on Christmas Day when POOF! The MacBook stopped working!

Now, after several stressful hours, I have booked an appointment with the Apple Genius Bar. I’m crossing my fingers — but had to laugh when I checked the warranty on the computer and it expired on December 7th.

Today has been fantastic. We started new holiday traditions, by making and eating copious amounts of this bad Johnny:

Which I earned by proving I am a dedicated runner.

When I set out for my run, it was a nice light drizzle. “Ahhh,” I thought. “This will be good training in case the half marathon next month is in the rain.” Two miles in, the drizzle had turned into a steady, heavy rain.

As soon as I walked in, Lucas snapped the picture then asked, “Did you know we’re under a tornado watch?” No. I did not.

I warmed up with the monkey bread (pictured above) and a steamy cup of goodness.

I also put on the gift my boss gave me — this is a picture from Wednesday, when my co-worker Jackie and I tried them on and posed.

Sad. That picture reminds me of happier times, when the Mac was still my friend.

And then, because the kids could not wait any longer,

I gave the go-ahead for opening gifts. Like our tree?

The dogs got some great presents:

Which they used immediately:

Can you spot the Snuggie?

Luke and I got some much-appreciated presents from friends and family all over the country!

We also got some delicious treats, including food from Lucas’s homeland: cheese curd, Croghan bologna, chocolates, wine and more.

After opening gifts, we watched some of the National’s Lampoon’s christmas movie, then Lucas got to work on another new tradition.

Lunchtime lasagna. He made his with buffalo, homemade sauce, three cheeses, spinach, squash, carmelized onions and more.

I ate one big serving and am thrilled that the leftovers will last several days!

I hope you all had a very special holiday, and now it’s time to look ahead to 2010! (Gulp…I’ll be turning 30.)

I’ll leave you with a video that I thought was pretty stinking cute…it’s Junior, unwrapping one of his presents. Enjoy!

          

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By Katy, December 14, 2009

Thanks for all your kind comments on my surprise trip to manatee land…I think Lucas is very proud of the day that he planned.

And the weekend fun continued on Sunday! First, I woke up for a bike ride — my first since my Olympic triathlon. WOW! I missed ol’ Sugar. Yes, I name my bike.

I also got to test out the multisport capabilities on Stella, my Garmin Forerunner 305. Yes, I name my GPS device.

Not bad! I have a cyclometer on my bike, but it only works half the time. If I hit even a small bump, the little measuring thing gets knocked sideways on my spoke, and I stop getting any data. No such problem with Stella!

I like to go at least 30 miles on the weekend, but I needed to get back to make a special dish for a blogger “linner.” I can’t post the recipe, because I’m submitting it to a contest, but I can post pictures of the process. If you want to see s’more (hint, hint), I’ll post details when I can:

Lucas was a patient tester — did you know that marshmallows essentially evaporate when cooked? He ate his way through at least eight variations before I was happy enough to make a batch for the bloggers.

The sweet treats were a hit at the party, planned by Meghann and hosted by Sarah.

I managed to look silly in every photo snapped by Meghann:

And while I did have my camera — I was a little intimidated by the awesome cameras that Katy and Ryan had! So I didn’t take too many pictures, although I did get some shots of all the amazing food!

I had good company, too — sitting with Meghann, Kelly and Meghann’s man Derek.

There were lots of dogs — which meant lots of noise and activity! I didn’t bring my boys, but I could have…they would have had plenty of friends!

I was very happy to see that my Secret Santa gift was the one everyone wanted… Ashley ended up getting the apron, Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea and Bondi Band that I brought, so that was exciting!

And I snagged this present with an eye for Lucas:

Beer and chili…the perfect pair.

I braved the Wal-Mart superstore to find Mason jars (three other stores didn’t have them in stock!!) which was a mistake — I was not feeling jolly after fighting the crowds. But I was very happy to come home to a secret cooking project of Luke’s own (I can’t post details or Santa will have his surprise spoiled!) and two very curious doggies.

What’s your favorite dessert or sweet treat?

          

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By Katy, December 10, 2009

I learned many lessons during Vegan Week — and the most important one had nothing to do with food. Or, let me clarify — it had nothing to do with eating food.

In order to shop, cook and ensure that all my meals were animal product-free, I planned my meals for the week. I went through cookbooks, online recipes, blogs and more to come up with ideas, crafted a shopping list, and followed the plan to the T.

And I was the happiest I’ve been in a long time.

So, even though I’m back to eating animal products, I’m still planning meals. Here’s how this week looked:

• Sunday: Yuca Empanadas with Plantain-Black Been Filling, Sauteed Squash

• Monday: Beef Stew

• Tuesday: Split Pea Daal, Roti, Roasted Cauliflower (no picture, sniff sniff)
• Wednesday: Sweet and Spicy Pork Chops, Oat Groat Pilaf, Steamed Bok Choy

• Thursday: Pepin Potatoes, Braised Carrots and Fennel
• Friday: General Tao’s Tofu, Steamed Veggies

It’s more work up front, but a LOT less stress through the week. And, unfortunately, I’m not one of those people that can just throw things in a pot and make it come out delicious. I live with one of those people. But I’m a recipe girl.

On the exercise front…um, yeah. I have set my alarm for 5am every day since Monday. And I have woken up, turned the alarm off and gone back to sleep. Every day since Monday.

A girl needs her post-half marathon rest, right? I don’t feel too bad. I have another race in January, so I’m going to get back to normal training on Saturday.

What’s your best source for healthy recipes? The Web? Cookbooks? Family recipes?

          

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By Katy, December 7, 2009

I was pretty much a waste of space after the half marathon on Saturday — I tried to nap but couldn’t keep my eyes closed, so I curled up in a blankie and watched college football all afternoon. I kept waiting for my appetite to flare up, but it just never happened.

Runners, is this normal?

I forced down a tortilla with some jelly and a bowl of applesauce, but it sat like a rock in my stomach all day. I was bummed, because leading up to the race, I kept telling myself “every mile equals a piece of cake/pizza/insert junk food in here.”

Luckily, I started to get grumbly around dinnertime and decided on some nice sloppy barbecue to celebrate my hard work. That made someone a very happy boy.

We decided to try out 4 Rivers Smokehouse, which recently opened, promising the best BBQ in Central Florida. As big Dinosaur BBQ fans (it cracked us up that so many of you recognized Luke’s shirt here!) The line was out the door, which is always a good sign. And the menu boasted pulled pork, brisket, cornbread and much more. Another good sign.

I guess I should apologize now for anyone who found this blog by searching for Vegan Week. I may not eat a lot of meat, but when I do, I DO.IT.UP. It took us a while to read the menu and make out choices, especially because we were distracted by the fun of taking pictures in an enclosed, small space.

While we waited, one of the owners offered us a taste of brisket, which sealed the deal.

Lucas got a brisket sandwich with sides of mac and cheese and corn, and I got a pulled pork sandwich, on a baguette with mustard, with fried pickles and collards on the size. Luckily, we both like to share.

I think we both regret not getting those bacon-wrapped jalapenos. There will be a next time. Also, because neither of us went for dessert, and I think that might have been an oversight.

What a time to lose my appetite! The sandwiches were great, especially because the meat was smoked and came with some great, spicy sauces.

I came home, finished off my jelly bellies and passed out on the couch.

On Sunday, the ol’ appetite was still M.I.A., so I had some unpictured oatmeal with a side of housecleaning for breakfast. Got a box of baked goodness out to a special bidder, who helped raise money for Healthy Ashley’s bake sale:

And had a Hugh Jass for lunch. Mmm.

Wait, something’s missing.

That’s better! After lunch, the husband took over the kitchen, although he had a sidekick.

And once the boys were done, I got to work, making a recipe that became an INSTANT favorite: Yuca Empanadas, stuffed with Plaintain Black Bean Mess and served with some sauteed yellow squash.

So good, and it made a ton! I nom nom nommmed one for lunch today. Mmmmm…

What’s the best BBQ you’ve ever had? My family has a dream to start a barbecue, honky-tonk music dive bar, and I’m curious to know what you think makes for good nomming!

          

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By Katy, November 25, 2009

WHINE ALERT!

Don’t worry — it will be short-lived because I have a lot to be thankful for.

Remember that amazing 8-mile run I had on Friday?

I felt great all day Friday, all day Saturday, all day Sunday. And on Monday, I wanted to run, but I thought — give it one more day of rest.

Then on Tuesday, I set out for what I hoped would be a nice 6-mile pre-work run and I just couldn’t make it. I got about a mile in before I decided to bust it down to a ralk, and even that was painful. I decided to walk another two miles, then I ran a mile home. All in all, not too bad. If I wasn’t registered for two half marathons in the next month, I wouldn’t be so worried.

But I am.

It would have been easy to give up on exercise until my injury is feeling better, but it’s hard to watch this show:

and not be inspired.

So, this morning I decided to re-vist my old friend ExerciseTV on Demand. I did a mix-and-match workout of Jay’s Bootcamp Cardio, Power Sculpt Yoga and Bridal AB-session.

And as I cycled through the dozens of FREE available workouts, it amazed me how many there were for beginners.

For a cooldown, I thought I’d try the beginner’s walking workout, but let me tell you — it may be basic, but it’s still a sweat-inducer!

So, if you read blogs from people who are completing marathons, strength training challenges or other intimidating workouts, just know that you can get started quickly and easily, and in the privacy of your own home. Whether you want to walk, tone up or build a stronger core — all of which will help you live a healthier, happier and longer life — you have no excuses.

(I just saw there there are a lot of free workouts on their Web site, too!)

Plus, Kim Kardashian, Carmen Electra, the Real Housewives and Jillian Michaels are on ExerciseTV, so you even get your celebrity watching in!

Tomorrow’s Thanksgiving here in the States, and many of you may have seen the Thanksgiving Challenge from Diana:

Lucas and I have been invited over to a friend’s house, and I’ll be bringing three healthy sides — each of which has been made over from a “regular” recipe:

• Cranberry Sauce
  • I’m making a Cranberry-Pomegranate-Orange Terrine with Pom Wonderful
• Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Nuts
  • I’m making steamed Brussels Sprouts with cranberries and pecans
• Green Bean Casserole
  • I’m making Roasted Green Beans with homemade Crispy Shallots and Onions

Don’t worry — Lucas will be bringing a homemade cheesecake that is the real deal.

OK, time to get moving — I’m cramming five full days of work into three days, so I’m going to indulge in a rare mid-week French Press with foamy creamer.

Yum.

What are your Thanksgiving plans?

          

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By Katy, November 15, 2009

We’ll get to the meaning of the post title in a moment…but first — THREE CHEERS FOR LUCAS!

I’ve been moaning about my injured leg and my inability to run for weeks, but it has really opened my mind to other workouts, like long walks, bike rides and now, hiking!

Well, hiking is a stretch…in Florida, we don’t have hills, so it’s more like halking. Cousin of ralking. Lucas planned the whole morning and it awas great to get outside and enjoy the cooler weather.

We saw a deer, but he (she?) was too quick for us to get a picture. We did see some other creatures, including this guy:

Pretty cool, huh?

Toward the end, I was getting a little tired, and needed a game to push through the 2-hour hike. I started following in Luke’s footsteps

But he caught on and started messing with me, taking HUGE leaping steps and walking in a circle:

Good thing he stopped, or else it could have been:

That’s one of his favorite shirts. Luckily, he also has one that says “I Love Tater Tots,” so it all balances out.

Speaking of balancing…that’s something my checkbook might not do for a while, since I decided to stock up for #VeganWeek at my home away from home, Whole Foods.

First, I had to have a delicious lunch (grilled, open-faced pumpkin, apple and cheddar cheese sammies with chicken noodle and veggie soup):

It helped me fight through a very busy grocery store to get these goodies:

I’ll be getting into the how and why of #VeganWeek in tomorrow’s post, as well as laying out some VERY exciting giveaway news (!!!), but I will say that so far, the shopping didn’t involve much more than normal. Lots of fresh, organic veggies and fruit, some organic grains, etc. The only things that aren’t normally in my cart are nutritional yeast flakes, tahini and soy yogurts. And I didn’t even need to get those. I guess Lucas and I are just so far on the vegetarian side already that it will be an easier transition.

Once I got everything unpacked, I decided to make some Kitchen Sink Granola to have ready for breakfasts this week. Here’s the recipe — enjoy!

Kitchen Sink Granola

(note: This recipe should be used as a guide, not a bible. It would work just as well with different grains, dried fruits, etc. In fact, I plan to make this with wheatberries, dried coconut and cranberries for holiday-inspired granola)

1C quinoa (rinsed)

1C rolled oats

1C ground flaxseed

3/4C bulgur wheat (I had SO MUCH leftover from my Vulgar Bread!)

3T vegetable or canola oil (I may try using hemp or coconut oil next time)

1C maple syrup or agave nectar

2tsp vanilla

2tsp cinnamon extract OR 2T ground cinnamon

dash salt

diced fruits (I used prunes and figs but next time would add more kinds)

chopped nuts (I used a mix of “Oh Nuts!” pepitas, cashews and almonds left over from the Healthy Living Summit)

Mix everything — everything! — together and spread onto a cookie sheet in a thin layer. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-25 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Once you smell it, it’s done…just give it a taste and make sure it’s the right texture.

          

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By Katy, November 14, 2009

Thank you ALL so much for the support you’re giving me and Michelle as we prepare for #VeganWeek, which starts on Monday.

If you’re interested in taking part, we’ll be revealing some details — along with guest bloggers, prizes and more — so be sure to check out my special page:

When I first told Lucas about the vegan challenge, I told him that he didn’t need to take part. I was pleasantly surprised when he said he’d like to try for dinners, which I’d be in charge of organizing.

I was even more surprised — and thrilled — when he told me yesterday that he’s going to try and do a completely vegan diet for the week!

Of course, his first question was…is beer vegan?

Notes of pumpkin spice...

It's good to be a brewer's wife...

That was quickly followed by this statement:

“I guess we’d better get our meat on this weekend.”

So, we’ve all been stuffing our faces:

Is that not the laziest dog you’ve ever seen?

We have big plans today. For my sanity, I am going to plan my meals for next week, then we are going shopping for our vegan pantry. We’re also going back to one of our favorite places — a “hiking” trail.

I used quotation marks because in Florida, there are no hills, so hiking is more like walking, but after doing THIS in Maine:

We’re desperate to get outside and enjoy the weather and views offered by the Sunshine State!

What is your favorite way to embrace and celebrate nature?

          

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By Katy, November 5, 2009

I’m so glad you guys all liked my video on Adventures in Kombucha. It was fun to make! If you want to see me in some other videos (plug plug plug), I just set up a new page on the blog. Be sure to check out the first link, to all my stories on GrowingBolder.com — there are dozens of them and if you like any of them, they all have embed codes!

Aaaaaand since I’m already plugging, I’ll remind you to vote for me (Silly Tater Tot) and the husband (A Night With The Hops) for best blogs in this contest!

Remember the Vulgar Bread I made?

Well, it didn’t win in Foodie Fights but I did get some sweet comments from the judges!

Shanna from Food Loves Writing:

Silly Tater Tot | Vegan Pumpkin Bulgur Beer Bread: Wow, Katy didn’t just make bread; she also made bread, muffins and cake! While I’ll be the first to admit I’d never have thought to put pumpkin and bulgur and beer into a bread together, this looks excellent. Plus, bonus: it’s vegan!

Peggy from My BF Likes It So It Must Be Good:

Silly Tater Tot – I want to say I love your blog. You’re fun, whitty, and highly motivational. The bread idea was great. Beer bread is one of my favorite things, and to have your own brew incorporated in your entry, was ingenious. I immediately thought that I’d want to make a PBJ out of it, although I don’t know that that would be any good, but you sold me on how good the bread was. =)

I had fun making it, and I know it sustained Jackie through some tough times, so it was worth it.

So, I had one of those days. If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you already know that I had a 2 hour commute to work.

Let me repeat. My 40-minute drive took me 120-minutes. There was a motorcycle crash, which turned out to be fatal, so I can’t be too upset. Except that the guy was going 100mph at 2:30am. So I can be upset with him while still feeling bad for his family.

Then, when I finally got to the office, tragedy happened:

(Today’s pictures brought to you by iPhone) So sad! Luckily, I’d had this beast at home before leaving:

Foamy goodness!

But given the rough start, I knew I’d need a caffeine reinforcement. Don’t judge:

It was the perfect way to wash down my homemade “coleslaw”:

Oops, blurry. Last night I prepped this by shredding carrots and daikon radish, and added it to chopped celery and cucumber. Tossed the whole thing in some salt, vinaigrette and a little stevia and VOILA! Delicious, healthy lunch!

The husband is now on week 2 of unemployment, and still seems to be having fun. As we speak, he’s making pasta with homemade sauce, so I’d better run and see if I can help!

What do you do when you have bad days? Is there something you do to “reset” so the entire day isn’t wasted?

          

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By Katy, November 4, 2009

I wonder if there’s a Facebook page for “Changing the Clocks.” I’d become a fan of it in the fall because I LOVE the shift in sunshine! For the past two days, I’ve gotten up for a run — well, more like a ralk, because of the injury — but it’s been bright and beautiful and a real pleasure to be awake! This morning, I did a little bit of light yoga and was able to watch the sun rise over my pool.

Who else loves the time change?

Remember when I posted my recipe for Vegan Pumpkin Bulgur Beer Bread?

(Funny story — I brought the loaf into work so Lucas would not turn into a pumpkin my colleagues could enjoy the rarity that is my baking. I said the name of the bread quickly, and my boss thought I called it Vulgur bread. So from now on, Vulgur bread it shall be.)

The recipe is up for an award on Foodie Fights, and I have to say — I have some tough competition. I think the Bulgur Balls (TWSS) may be my favorite. If you think mine is the best, please vote for mine on the right side of this blog. There’s a poll set up, it’s one click, and you’ll help me earn bragging rights.

Aaaaaand since you’re in the mood to do something nice for me, maybe you’d vote for me and the husband in the Orlando Sentinel Orbbies? You get one vote a day for EACH category. So you could, say, vote for me as Best Overall and Sports/Other and Lucas for Personal and Foodies.

Crazy eyes. We would be happy to help you out, so if you need something voted on, commented on, etc., leave us a note in the comments of either of our blogs.

So, the upside of having an unemployed husband is:

• I have not done a dish in a week and a half. I have dirtied many, but not cleaned even a one.
• The dogs are so tired by the time I get home, they’re not jumping on me. They barely want anything to do with me.
• I have had gourmet, healthy and hearty meals ready for me every night.

Like this gem, which I’m dubbing Fish in Foil. Genius:

Although I think I get a genius award myself for this: Chicken sausage, quinoa and collard greens:

Uh-huh, u-huh (to the tune of Jay-Z):

Today I am trying Kombucha for the first time — yikes — so stay tuned for my thoughts on that delicious fermentation. I mean, I will probably like it since I like other fermented drinks:

How cute is that glass? That’s my new solution to wanting a little bit of beer but not a whole bottle. Lucas pours me a tasting glass and he finishes the rest.

I’ll probably tweet about the Kombucha and other witty things that cross my mind, so why not follow me?

          

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By Katy, November 1, 2009

Well, No Nonsense November is off to a rocking start! After making that post, I decided to spend the last day of October living out those principles.

With some delicious oats and a book:

That’s a concoction of raw cocoa, unsweetened coconut, rolled oats, cinnamon, stevia and a splash of unsweetened almond milk.

I had a friendly face accompany me:

And the two of us spent an amazing hour outside, gearing up for the day. After hitting the grocery store and doing a little housekeeping, it was time to tackle the Foodie Fights challenge.

Foodie Fights is a fun, blog-style Throwdown, in which people submit the idea for one ingredient (I submitted pumpkin) and the organizers submit the idea for a second ingredient (in this case, bulgur wheat).

The judges’ decisions are based on these criteria:

Most Important:  Which would you rather eat?

Also Important:  Creativity – Is it an original recipe?  Did they make something unexpected?

Less Important but still Important: Is it a good overall Blog post.   Is the method explained well?  Is there humor?  Good photography?

I brainstormed all sorts of ideas — a soup? Some kind of protein-based entree? But, in the end, I decided to make something I’m calling:

Vegan Pumpkin Bulgur Beer Bread

Here’s the beauty of the recipe. I am a terrible baker. This came out perfectly, in three forms: bread, muffins and a cake. It is also vegan, highly organic (and could be completely organic, based on your shopping list), has a perfect fall flavor and is husband approved.

Luckily, I got pictures of the process and the finished product before Lucas got his greedy hands on it.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2C whole wheat flour
• 1C all-purpose flour
• 1C oat flour
• 2 Tsp salt
• 2 Tsp baking soda
• 1 Tsp baking powder
• 1 Tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 Tsp allspice
• 1 C water
• 1/2 C bulgur wheat
• 2 1/2 C sugar
• 2/3 C applesauce
• 2/3 C beer (at room temperature)
• **note: I used pumpkin ale and it really tasted great!
• 1 (15oz) can of pumpkin
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Cooking spray

Technique:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prep your baking pans by spraying them with cooking spray and lining them with foil (if necessary).

For my first batch, I wanted to test cooking times so I made six muffins, one round cake and one loaf.

You can use all AP flour if you’d like, or a mix, like I did! Sift the flour(s), salt, baking soda, baking powder and spices in a medium bowl then whisk together until the mix is light and mixed.

(click on the photos to view them in a larger window)

Bring your water to a boil, then pour over the bulgur wheat. The water will go over the top of the wheat at first, but after it sits for 10-15 minutes, the wheat will soak up the water and cook.

In the meantime, put the sugar into a bowl and add the applesauce, beer, pumpkin and vanilla. Mix it all together, then add the bulgur/water mixture. You don’t need a beater or blender for this — just mix it until smooth.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry, then mix JUST until incorporated and no more!

Using an ice cream scoop, ladle even portions of the batter into your muffin tins, then split the remaining batter between the loaf pan and cake pan.

Bake at 350 degrees until a knife or toothpick comes out cleanly:

–Muffins 30 minutes

–Cake 30-40 minutes

–Loaf 40-50 minutes

Let your goodies cool on a wire rack, then enjoy!

Note: I used this recipe as a guide to proportions, but obviously made major changes.

Finished Recipe:

I have to say…this is pretty freaking delicious. If you separate this recipe into 30 servings (one muffin=one serving, then the cake and bread are each split into 12 servings), the nutritional data is not too bad:

Lucas can’t stop eating them, which is a great sign…especially since he’s brewing his own batch of pumpkin spice ale. If that works out, I’ll definitely whip up another batch of this bread with his booze!

Please let me know if you give these a try — I’m going to play with the ingredients a bit, and may substitute the bulgur with ground flaxseed, oats or even quinoa. I think this could also make good macaroons or even raw truffles, so I’m glad I figured out the basic recipe!

P.S. I just did a post for Examiner.com on using Pumpkin as a baking substitute. Check it out and make me one of your favorite examiners!

          

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By Katy, October 13, 2009

Just got back from a great walk with Lucas and the puppies — and if you want proof that you don’t need a lot of time or energy to get your exercise in, chew on this:

• I woke up only 20 minutes earlier than “normal” today to get two rounds of yoga in, courtesy of Polly. Her videos are great, so I bounce between those and the free downloads from yogadownload.com.
• I took a walk during my lunch break at work, while listening to some nice calming girly music.
• Our dog walk took us about a 1/2 mile in 10 minutes.

Net result? I feel like I got some good “me” time in without having to give up a lot of time or sweat.

And man did I need the “me” time after battling my blender this morning.

There I was, trying to make a Green Monster with a new flavor (for me) of Vega protein. Chocolate? Greens? Yes and yes. I had just mentioned to Lucas that I wish we had a Vita-Mix instead of our crappy, no good, very bad current blender, because it wasn’t crunching the ice the way I wanted. Then I realized that the gear on the bottom of the blender was not making the blade spin.

I poured my smoothie into a glass, took the blender apart, played with the pieces and put it all back together again. Turned it on to see if the blades were engaging, and…

…they were. They engaged a big chunk of ice right.into.my.eye.

Y’all, I had visions (bad and unintended pun) of my eyeball hanging out of my socket. Luckily, I was able to keep the swelling down (ironically, with more ice) and there’s hardly a mark now.

Who knew smoothies were so dang dangerously delicious?

I gave this guy an almond milk float.

Before you think I’m a total waste of space in the kitchen, you should know that I put some more of the Pom Wonderful sent to me by Pom to work, in a new dish. (side note: see my Pom Iced Coffee review here)

I started with one bottle of Pom:

Some organic quinoa, rinsed, of course (it’s bitter if you skip this step!):

Then I toasted the grains in a dry pan:

cooked the quinoa (according to package instructions) with 2 parts water to 1 part Pom:

and once it was done, I took diced prunes and toasted cashews, and mixed it all together in the quinoa with salt and pepper.

Served with broiled (new technique) brussels sprouts and some organic pork (cooked extra for leftovers):

Deeeelish. It made a ton, so I had leftovers today for lunch and it was even better cold.

Are you on Twitter? If so, are you following me? Shameless plug over. Here is why Twitter is cool. Look who tweeted me today!

Nasoya See how @kwidrick presses her tofu to make tofu w/ panko breadcrumbs & spicy taco seasoning! http://tinyurl.com/yfhnedl #tofutuesday

POMonline @kwidrick Can’t wait! Sounds healthy and delicious!

VegaTeam Thank you for the link love @clean2o @ecommercediary @kregweiss @kwidrick

Some people get excited when celebrities tweet them…me, I’m a sucker for my favorite food brands.

How do you sneak in exercise when you don’t have a lot of time or energy?

          

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By Katy, October 11, 2009

Hee hee…YouTube is the best. I was writing the title of that post, and I kept saying “You can doo eeeeet”" and it just wasn’t feeling right.

Until I found this:

That might just have to be my new running mantra.

Anyway, it seemed appropriate after making one of our favorite carbs: the yuca.

(And now it’s time for a breakdown, En Vogue-style):

Cassava
“Yuca” redirects here. For other uses, see Yuca (disambiguation).
Cassava (Manihot esculenta; also called yuca, yucca, or manioc) is a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae (spurge family) native to South America that is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates. The flour made of the roots is called tapioca.
Cassava is the third largest source of carbohydrates for human food in the world.[citation needed]

Basically, it’s like a woody potato — and you can cook it a million ways. Here’s our favorite.

Peel the beast and cut it into pieces:

Boil the pieces until they’re tender. You don’t have to do this, but it saves another half hour of cooking another way because yuca is a pretty tough plant.

Once the yuca is fork-tender, you can put them in whatever delicious concoction you’ve come up with. I normally go with Lucas’s favorite, which is sauteed in olive oil, garlic and onions. Once they’re mixed together, I add in orange juice, lime juice, salt, pepper and seasonings. I let the liquids boil until they’re sweet and syrupy and then serve!

Because it is a pretty dense carb, I tend to think of yuca more as an entree or main protein rather than a side.

What else have I been up to? Still feeling a little rundown, post-vacation, so I have been pounding EmergenC:

Discovering new salad dressing combinations including Barney Butter (akk! I am out of Healthy Living Summit packets!)

Baby-sitting and blowing bubbles:

Eating hot bar:

And hanging out with friends:

I think our dogs are ready to go home with them. Traitors.

And now, it’s setting up for a perfect Sunday.

• Red Sox on TV.
• Lions on TV.
• Beers in the fridge.
• Nap possibly in my future.

Ah, happiness. Have a great Sunday!

          

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By Katy, September 14, 2009

Husbands are funny, aren’t they? I have dinner cooking away in the kitchen, and Lucas got this very thoughtful look on his face, then asked:

“Do you think they could make a cologne that smells like sauteed peppers and onions?”

It does smell pretty delicious. I’m making my super-easy, artificial sweetenerlemon-peazy Diet Coke chicken with the contraband soda that I let Lucas buy me during a weak moment this weekend. My name is Katy and I’m a Diet Coke addict. I’m also watching tennis, which is refreshingly civil compared to the last few days of Serena, Kanye and other badly-behaved celebrities.

courtesy nydailynews.com

Rather than bore you with my thoughts here, make sure you follow me on Twitter to get all my pontifications on pop culture through the day. Oh, and while we’re offering shameless plugs, please remember to rate this video that Lucas made to help him win a beer internship in Portland, Oregon!

I recently wrote a blog for GrowingBolder.com about my favorite fall shows, but I left out the shows that truly capture my attention — college football and NFL football. My Patriots just got started and it’s officially the best time of the year.

I wanted to give a BIG THANKS to all who commented on my Rock ‘N’ Run 5K recap — you guys are so sweet, and it’s support from friends like you that keep my feet pounding the pavement when I’d rather be in bed.

Speaking of bed — remember when Lucas found me like this the other day?

Today, it was more like this:

I walked in … dropped my bag off … and hit the couch. Hard. I don’t know what’s going on! I stopped drinking coffee in the morning, but that was almost two months ago, and it’s only recently that the fatigue has been coming on like a freight train at about 4pm every day. I slept for about 20 minutes before dragging myself up and slamming down a cup of coffee.

Any tips for beating the afternoon nap monster?

It may be that I’m still recovering from the 5K — Lucas says he is really sore and tired, too. I am used to much longer runs — 8, 10 miles — but not at the intensity I pushed myself to this weekend.

The rest of the weekend was filled with some good eats:

And some bad, unpictured eats — onion rings, turkey kielbasa, copious amounts of almond butter …

Plus, some carrots, which I had to share with my furry friends. Take a look at this slideshow, which is what it looks like from my perspective any time I get my dogs’ favorite snack out:

Faegan is so funny, and when Junior gets that close, I can see his poor little underbite … his bottom teeth just won’t stay under his lip.

I noticed when I went to start tonight’s post that it’s the 100th entry I’ve made. I started this blog more than two years ago, and after some starts and stops, it’s really become a resource for me, and I thank you ALL for reading and commenting. What can you get me to mark this momentous day in Silly Tater Tot history? Please remember to bookmark me or add me to your blog reader!

          

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By Katy, September 10, 2009

It truly is the sweet life, in so many ways. Let me show you how my life was extra sweet today!

I got up for a nice 6-mile run before work. I changed up my normal playlist routine to give MotionTraxx a try — thanks to Carrots ‘N’ Cake for the heads up!

MotionTraxx offers free playlists of trance-like music, all set to a specific number of beats per minute. There are playlists for half marathon training, fast runs, slow runs and non-running workouts. Free, people!

Got home and threw some organic quinoa in the oven, after seeing it in the Body + Soul magazine I received at the Healthy Living Summit, and also seeing it made by Caitlin and Sammie. That made for a very sweet lunch, when paired up with vanilla Oikos:

Had a very busy day at work, then headed to a great event called a SweetUp. If you’re on Twitter (like me), you’ve probably heard of a Tweetup, where people who know each other online meet in person. This was the same thing, but instead of happening at a bar, it happened at a wedding chapel packed with goodies!

That popcorn was the star — there were all kinds of flavors, like Ambrosia, Key Lime Pie, Sweet and Sour, Coconut and more. The store is called Kernel Encore, and if you’re in the Orlando area, you should check it out!

So, after my mysterious post yesterday, you guys had some pretty crazy ideas of what I was referring to. One person even thought I might be pregnant!

Truth is, Lucas is a finalist in a competition for a free trip to Portland, Oregon, where he could take part in a “cuisinternship” to learn all about brewing beer. As part of the application, he had to make a 2-minute video explaining why he deserved to win. Today, he found out that the application made it through and he’s a finalist, so check out the video here and PLEASE tell your friends and give the video a high rating! Even if he doesn’t win, the views and ratings could help win him some goodies.

Thanks, and have a sweet dessert for me!

          

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By Katy, September 9, 2009

**Remember to enter my giveaway here!

Last night, Lucas let me know that despite a massive failure at home beer brewing this spring, he wanted to try, try again. This meant two things for me:

1. The house was going to smell like malted grains for at least 12 hours. Brewed beer? A wonderful scent. Getting there? Pretty nasty.

   

2. I was not going to have access to the oven or stove for dinner preparation.

(Sorry for the blurry photos — I’d just gotten some close-up shots of the brewing grains and I guess the lens fogged up!)

Rather than get takeout, I decided to look through the fridge and throw whatever I could find on the outdoor grill. Tortillas? Check. Cheese? Yup. Peppers and onions? Quesadilla? It’s on.

With some grilled broccoli, made with garlic, olive oil and garlic. Ohhhh, yeah.

It nearly made up for the horrible odor that took over my kitchen. Shudder.

Last night’s dinner was pretty good, too — I took this cornbread recipe and tweaked it. I used whole wheat flour, Stonyfield vanilla yogurt instead of plain, and didn’t add any sugar.

Lucas is a cornbread freak, but I hate pouring in the white flour, sugar, eggs and butter that a normal recipe calls for. This came out pretty dense, and could have used a bit of flavor — maybe some more salt? — but was a nice side dish to the brussels sprouts and grilled chicken. Plus, there were plenty of leftovers for today’s lunch!

I’m posting later than planned tonight, and had to bail on my yoga plans, but it’s for a super-awesome but super-secret reason. Once we get the OK to talk about it, Lucas and I will post details on our blogs. Cross your fingers, though … it could involve a really fun trip to one of our favorite places:

I watched some of the President’s speech and will be really interested to see how it is spun tonight and tomorrow on the news. In the excitement of beer brewing and quesadilla cooking, I forgot to tape Glee tonight, so I’m psyched that it will be available on Hulu tomorrow. That, plus Project Runway (and Models), Top Chef and America’s Next Top Model should keep me pretty busy.

What shows are you watching this fall?

          

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By Katy, September 7, 2009

I had this post half-written during my failed 10-mile run, but got caught up in chores last night and never posted. So here’s a quick catch-up on my Labor Day weekend activities.

On Saturday, I decided to take a rest day so I could be fresh and ready for a 10-mile run on Sunday, my first at that distance in months (I still get happy chills when I watch that video!). But it’s like fate was working against me. Here are my list of instructions to NOT run 10 miles:

1. The night before your long run, have your husband pick you up Bombay Sapphire, tonic water and lime (hey — it’s a holiday!). Proceed to drink three heavy-handed gin and tonics in the span of three hours, right before bed. This is especially effective if you are a one-wine-a-week drinker and just one G&T will have you feeling loopy.
2. After partaking in aforementioned gin and tonics, be sure to set your alarm clock. Sure, you may set it for 6:30pm instead of 6:30am, but hey — it’s a holiday!)
3. When you wake up at 8:00am, decide to go ahead with your run, despite the fact that it’s already 90 degrees and climbing. Don’t actually start the run for another hour, though — find things to distract yourself before tying those shoelaces.
4. Run two miles in absolute misery, sweating, panting and cursing every footstep. Think about stopping for a rest (hey — it’s a holiday!), but push on.
5. Finish four miles and take a one-minute break. Once you stop, realize that it’s hopeless and way too hot to be running and start walking.

Now, as recently as a month ago, that would have crushed me … setting out with a goal in mind and failing to meet it. But something happened in between the Healthy Living Summit and today. I decided to accept myself — to celebrate my victories and forgive my shortcomings; to strive for perfection and understand that I’ll never get there.

So, instead of trudging home and being depressed, I decided to take the long way home — walking when I wanted, running when I wanted, listening to my favorite old-school songs — even using my iPhone to catch up on blogs, news and more! I ended up running a total of about 6.5 miles (which was ONCE an unattainable goal — or so I thought) and walking another three miles or so. And I actually enjoyed the me-time!

Came home and went a little crazy cleaning — although after the last post, I think I need to explain that I am NOT a clean freak. I couldn’t be, with two big dogs and two fat cats in the house. I just try and get one big cleaning pass done every season. I swept, mopped, vacuumed and then rewarded myself with a big, beautiful new bedspread. Which, of course, those fat dogs and cats enjoy as much as I do:

Today, we had some good friends over for a Labor Day BBQ and pool party. They brought beer, food and this:

Awwwwwwwwwwwww!

For lunch, I made veggie burgers and quinoa salad, and we grilled some amazing chicken sausages that our friends brought (thanks, Jim and Jackie!) and Lucas grilled some broccoli with coconut oil and roasted garlic. Mmmm, so good.

I had seconds on the quinoa! Then, even though I was stuffed, I found room for two pieces of heaven:

These started as two pies, but we gobbled them up before I could take a picture! The yellow is a lemon-lime tart and the one with whipped cream on top is a coffee custard … eye-crossingly delicious, and made even more beautiful because they were made by hand (even the crust!) by this stud:

That’s right, ladies — he bakes organic desserts AND does his own dishes … shirtless. I’m one lucky girl.

And with a weekend that was full of friends and fun times, it’s no wonder it’s ending like this:

And like this:

Happy Labor Day!

          

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By Katy, September 5, 2009

Anyone get the reference in the post title? Anyone? Bueller? Here you go.

I have been known to exaggerate from time to time, using superlatives when they might not be totally warranted; from “I had the worst day” to “I have a million things to do” to “I must have the biggest butt on the East Coast.” None of them are true, but I’m a drama queen.

But I truly believe that this statement is no hyperbole:

The following is a representation of the most amazing homemade pizza ever created.

It shouldn’t have been a surprise — after all, I got the dough recipe from Jenna at Eat, Live, Run, who called this The Best Pizza Dough.

I made the dough from Jenna’s instructions, although I used all whole wheat pastry flour instead of a mix. I slathered the rolled out dough with organic sauce, cheese and a heaping pile of veggies (sauteed peppers and onions and raw purple onions for both; additional portobello mushrooms for me):

Crispy on the edges (because I rolled them up a bit before cooking), soft warm melty gooey heavenly oh my gosh delicious veggies on top. I caught myself crossing my eyes a few times while devouring the entire personal pizza I’d made!

It kept me stuffed all night, which is rare — I didn’t even think about indulging my sweet tooth. This morning, I woke up ready to rock. Usually, I take long bike rides on Saturday, but I’m a little sore from Thursday’s run, and I want to do a long run tomorrow, so I decided to take a day of rest.

But rest from a workout did not mean I didn’t stay busy! I like to take long weekends to clean out the house as much as possible. I get rid of clothes, shoes and other stuff I haven’t used in a while. Today, it meant tearing apart the kitchen and putting it back together:

Faegan helped me by recycling some of the boxes I was getting rid of:

He mistook the corner for our recycling station. I couldn’t be mad, because he helped Lucas pick a winner for his Stella Artois giveaway this morning. Check out the cutest video ever!

Time to watch Project Runway on the DVR get back to cleaning. Lucas brought me home a present — Bombay Sapphire and tonic water, a favorite combo of mine — so I need to hustle and get my work done so I can relax soon!

P.S. What do you all think of the new blog style? It’s in progress — I found a great theme and am in the process of tweaking it. I’m no coder but I’m learning, slowly but surely!

          

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By Katy, September 1, 2009

Why, hello!

Faegan doesn’t really like all the storms we’ve been having. After last night’s adventure with the firefighters, and tonight’s round of nasty storms, he’s been trying to hide under the curtains. Can’t blame him, because they have been boomy!

I thought the rain might thwart my plans for a run, but the clouds cleared up just long enough for a quick 3.1 miles. I thought Lucas and I would be running together. But he is SO fast — he couldn’t even be my rabbit because after about a quarter-mile I couldn’t see him anymore. He did his 5K in about 21 minutes; I did mine in about 28. Not bad. I think we’re both going to do a race together next weekend:

And obviously, I mean by do it together, he’ll wait for me at the finish line with water and a banana. (That’s what she said).

I have to brag on some pretty successful food experiments over the last few days. For dinner last night, I used up (finally) the last of the pesto, mixing it into some organic wheat udon noodles and some summer squash:

That little sprinkle of parmesan made the meal.

Tonight, I decided to take this recipe and tweak it a little to make homemade spinach tortillas, stuffed with organic beef, corn, onions, cheese and salsa.

Drool. The tortillas weren’t as pliable as I had hoped, and the meat, corn and salsa made them a little soggy, but they tasted great, and we just scooped everything onto a fork and ate it up. I halved the tortilla recipe and it still made 6 tortillas, so I’ll be using the rest up in lunches this week!

Hey, love Kashi? Love FREE Kashi? Click here. You can also play fun games and make your picture look like this:

I rocked the Kashi game

Great googly moogly! Anyone else shocked how September snuck up? September is my half-birthday month, which means that I am almost 29.5 and about to head down the hill to 30. Yikes. I am conflicted about the birthday. I don’t mind getting older, and I’ve accomplished almost all of the goals I laid out for myself by this age, but I find myself cringing when I realize that kids in college now were born in the ’90s. Shudder.

I’ve started a free fantasy football league, and if you want to join, drop me a comment with your email address, or send me an email: kwidrick@sillytatertot.com. It’s going to be fun and there’s no pressure to do well — you don’t even have to follow football! You can pick a team of hot players, or funny names or be totally random. Or, you can be like me, and study the fantasy football forums and refresh your iPhone every 5 minutes to check on your team. All types are welcome.

Falling asleep at the keyboard, so I’ll leave you with some eye candy:

Ahhh, I miss home.

          

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By Katy, August 30, 2009

Note to self: if you are going to attempt something named “Taste of the Nation,” do NOT wear your cutest purple high heels, even if they are fabulous. I got up in the middle of the night, after last night’s festivities and WOWZA! The balls of my feet are so sore! That’s because I took many, many, many laps around the room. More details below.

After yesterday’s big workout, I wanted to keep the rest of the day’s eats as light as possible to make room for the eat-stravaganza I had planned. And since we still have tons of pesto left, Lucas volunteered to make something amazing:

Grilled cheese, made with pesto, parmesan and romano, sharp cheddar, spinach and roasted red peppers. Served on a football plate, because it’s almost that time!

Frittered away the rest of the day:

Then got all dolled up — with the help of Twitter. I asked my followers to pick my earrings, and despite a close vote, there was one favorite:

And I added some special bling to the back of my dress — the pin that once lived on my wedding bouquets:

Sappy, but it was a nice moment … Lucas and I have been married for 3 1/2 years and I still feel so in love with him and grateful that he picked me!

After a brief pit stop at IKEA, to return some recalled blinds:

We headed over to Taste of the Nation, where we got our eat and drink on like Donkey Kong.

This night would have been fun no matter what, especially because all the money raised goes to two very important causes: helping the homeless, and ending childhood hunger.

But it was especially awesome because we spent the night hanging out with Caitlin and her AMAZING husband (who stunned Lucas with his knowledge of everything from snooker to American college football to medicine and more).

We all got our swag on, big time — somehow Lucas and I ended up with two bags of beer-related gear (which will be a major centerpiece of a giveaway he’ll be announcing on http://nighthops.com tomorrow!) as well as a bag of bread and baked goods (thanks, Caitlin — very stealthy). There were some food hits, some disappointing misses from big name chefs and restaurants, and two standout stars for me:

Chocolate stout cupcakes with caramel-mocha buttercream, with a chaser of freeze-dried ice cream. It’s not just for astronauts anymore, baby.

After a night like that we needed some a.m. refueling for the spirit:

And the stomach, in the way of flax-banana waffles:

And now, we need to go deal with the gaping hole that aforementioned IKEA recall has left us with.

It’s nearly impossible to fit 54″ windows X 2, so I may be channeling my inner Martha and making my own roman shades. Stay tuned.

          

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By Katy, August 29, 2009

Ugh — I equal parts love and hate the Black Eyed Peas. LOVE their songs for about a month, then HATE hearing them over and over and over again on the radio. Plus, I’m too lazy to clear out my iPod — I just keep adding new songs — so right now, BEP is on heavy rotation. Oh well, it’s good to run to. Which is exactly what I did this morning!

First, you have to see the genius that is Friday night laziness. What happens when you have tons of pesto and no motivation to put together a proper meal? This:

Just looking at the pictures makes me hungry … and with a side of organic red vino, I was out like a fat kid playing dodgeball. Slept-watched the Patriots game (Tommy, you WILL be okay, right?)

We used organic tomatoes, because we’ve heard that they taste so much better, and because we really are making every effort to buy locally-grown, organic food whenever possible. The tomatoes? Meh. Nothing stunning. But they did allow me to make a mockery of Lucas:

Don’t worry, he was well-rewarded for his goofiness:

Anyone watch “Three Sheets” on Fine Living? “That’s good Oktoberfest!” Zane Lamprey is a Syracuse boy, so holla! Go ‘Cuse!

And in the spirit of celebrating our favorite TV shows, I have to share this picture. Lucas told me this shirt reminded him of an episode of “Family Guy.” Watch, and watch.

“I flew today.”

It’s a good thing I passed out on the couch got to bed early, because I had a very early start to my Saturday:

I wanted to get a good long exercise session in today, so I headed down to Lucky’s Lake Swim but left myself enough time for a run. I was hoping for 8 miles but only did 7. Oh well — c’est la vie. Then, I did one lap of the swim, which is about .75K. Although, with the amount of off-course, zig-zaggy swimming I did this morning, it was probably closer to a full 1K. I’m usually a VERY straight swimmer, so I don’t know what was up with me today!

Here’s the experience in pictures:

Couple of things here:

• Yes, I ran in my bathing suit today, with a sports bra underneath and my heart rate monitor underneath that. I don’t usually wear my suit during training runs, but I DO typically wear this getup during real triathlons. So, since I was swimming today, it made sense to run in my suit.
• Yes, I got funny looks. Here’s how I justify them — I’m running and your fat ass is in the car. I get a little snippy when I’m running.
• I wear a Nike heart rate monitor. It’s fine. I bought it with a gift certificate, and so it was free to me ($99 to you). It’s not the best on the market, but it does its job. If I had unlimited funds, I would buy a Garmin Forerunner 305 (or maybe even the 405).
• To find your maximum heart rate, take 220 and subtract your age. That puts me at about 200 190. Depending on the intensity of the exercise, I try and stay between 120 and 175.
  • Spinning/Running = 165-175
  • Cycling = 140 (on hills, at least)
  • Swimming = 120
• I hate to admit this, because I do believe in proper fitness nutrition, but I don’t like to eat or drink before a workout, even a long one like this. Today, I forced down a Fruition Bar (unpictured, from the HLS swag bag) just because I knew I wouldn’t be eating until lunchtime, and I’d be burning about 800-900 calories. If the workout had been any shorter, I probably wouldn’t have eaten anything. It just doesn’t sit well, especially when I run.

Lucas is puttering in the kitchen, putting together some pesto and cheese sandwiches for lunch, then we have to head to IKEA and finally — the Taste of the Nation! There are still tickets available. They’re spendy. I get it if you can’t afford the trip. If you can, I encourage you to attend. 100% of the ticket money goes to Share Our Strength, an amazing organization that’s doing everything it can to make sure no child goes hungry.

If you can’t go, and want to see what it’s like, follow me on Twitter and also look for the #OrlTaste hashtag!

I leave you with two members of the zoo who feel they don’t get enough blog love:

          

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By Katy, August 25, 2009

And it feels so decadent! Lucas has a very early wakeup time, because he has to be on a job site before sunrise! I hate it when we don’t go to bed together, so he’s on his way to dreamland and I’m watching trashy TV. And busting out a quick blog post.

A big day of food for me, starting with Cascadian Farms kids cinnamon crunch cereal, which although delicious did NOT keep me full for very long:

So I broke my normal no-coffee-on-weekdays rule:

And that held me over for an amazing lunch — an egg sandwich on leftover focaccia bread:

Mmmmm, toasty. I also had a bunch of veggies and some kettle corn.

I had thawed some salmon for dinner, but didn’t feel like the same ol’ grilled preparation. So, I stopped by an Asian grocery store on the way home from work and did homemade sushi!

This was pretty good — I need a sharper knife and a real bamboo roller thing. I used saran wrap and a flexible cutting board and made do, but the rolls started to fall apart when I cut them.

I had a ton of leftovers, so I’ll be munching on these rolls for lunch and dinner tomorrow, most likely.

Time for blogger truth? I went a little nuts after dinner. I was listless, a little bored and basically unfulfilled by dinner — so I hit the pantry pretty hard. Cookies, an apple with barney butter, some cereal and almond milk … ouch. When the binge monster comes on, it’s like I know what’s happening, I just don’t have the power to stop it. I eat way past a comfortable feeling, and basically have to wait until the monster is done.

I notice it most on days when I work out, which is … well, almost every day. This morning, I got up and did a 4-mile run before work. I’m not sure if I should just eat a bigger breakfast on my workout days, or just force myself to stop eating at 9pm? I’d love to hear any advice you have.

Tomorrow’s another day, and I refuse to feel defeated. Here’s to a WONDERFUL Wednesday!

          

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By Katy, August 24, 2009

No, no, I’m not pregnant. But as an almost 30-something who has been married for 3 1/2 years, believe me — it’s a question I get more than I’d care to admit … “When are you going to have kids?” Patience, my pets, patience.

The loaf in the oven in this case is just that. Let me set the scene. In my world, there are pretty much two seasons — Football season and Football pre-season.

So, starting this weekend, Saturdays and Sundays will be taken up with channel-flipping, bar-going, jersey-wearing behavior. Being a Patriots fan, I’m used to winning. Being married to a Lions fan, I’m used to … well, something else.

Knowing that my weekends are not going to be so leisurely for much longer, I decided to really enjoy my Sunday evening, and do something that calms me:

Not exactly the kind of hanging out by the pool I alluded to in my previous post, but when life hands you lemons, you make rosemary focaccia.

Stick with me. I knew I wanted to make lentil soup for dinner, but what to scoop it up with? Some soft-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside bread, made with fresh herbs from the garden.

Those are the last few diehard plants that haven’t withered and died, so I wanted to honor them properly. It was pouring outside when I made the decision, so I threw on my wellies (Australian grandmother) and grabbed the ol’ umbrella and got my rosemary and parsley.

That, plus a recipe from Veganomicon, led to this:

Yummmm… The bread turned out pretty well, considering my past misadventures with yeast and my inability to make bread rise. I sprinkled on some of the Hawaiian Sea Salt that Lucas and I bought at Whole Foods, and it gave it a nice bite. The lentil soup came from the same cookbook, and was pretty good. Honestly, I’ve found that if you start with onions and garlic, sauteed in olive oil and spices, you can add just about anything and end up with something pretty tasty.

And I had some good company:

Don’t even get me started on that tile. We bought the house because of the saltillo tile and I may burn down the house because of the saltillo tile. I mean, homeowners should be required to disclose the upkeep requirements when listing a home! I scrub that dang thing all the freaking time and it still looks dingy. Maybe that’s because of the 90-pound dog that shadows my every move.

I have a big week ahead, including dinner with a recently-married college friend who is in town for business. I’m really excited to see her! But this article caught my eye and made me wonder — does hanging out with our girlfriends really make us fatter? Scary. But when the wine is flowing and the snacks are handy, I’ve been known to overindulge.

Question: What snacks make you overinduldge? Sweet? Salty? Do you have a particular food that you avoid because you know you will lose control?

          

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By Katy, August 20, 2009

Are you on Twitter? You should be. Every day, I’m alerted to everything from breaking news (The Hudson plane crash, anyone?) to fashion and celebrity news to foodie delights. (Note: you should also be following me! @kwidrick) This week, I saw a post from Glamour Magazine and the link took me to an amazing and refreshing story.

Meet a real woman:

(Courtesy: Glamour Magazine)

I highly recommend that you read the complete article here, but the summary is that Glamour posted this picture in its September article, and ever since — the editors have been inundated with letters of thanks and support from readers. Here’s what the editor wrote in an online post:

So what’s the story behind the photo? “The woman on p. 194″ is actually 20-year-old model Lizzi Miller, and this is her second appearance in Glamour, shot by fashion photographer Walter Chin. A size 12-14 and avid softball player/belly dancer (“I like exercising when it’s fun”), Lizzi moved to New York City from San Jose three years ago to become a model (a “plus-size” one by modeling industry standards, though hello, at size 12 she’s actually “normal size”…but I digress).

“When I was young I really struggled with my body and how it looked because I didn’t understand why my friends were so effortlessly skinny,” Lizzi told me. “As I got older I realized that everyone’s body is different and not everyone is skinny naturally–me included! I learned to love my body for how it is, every curve of it. I used to be so self-conscious in a bikini because my stomach wasn’t perfectly defined. But everyone has different body shapes! And it’s not all about the physical! If you walk on the beach in your bikini with confidence and you feel sexy, people will see you that way too.”

It reminds me so much of the beautiful post Meghann made about Bikini Confidence, in which she detailed her own weight loss journey and what it took to feel brave enough to wear a bikini and put the picture on her blog.

This weekend at the Healthy Living Summit, Caitlin asked us to write down one thing that makes us feel beautiful on the outside, and one that makes us feel beautiful on the inside, all for Operation Beautiful. Here were mine:

On the outside: I feel beautiful when my brown eyes turn green from crying — especially when it’s because I’m laughing so hard that I’m tearing up.

On the inside: I feel beautiful that I was brave enough to put my “before” picture on my blog.

I’d love to say that I have the confidence to wear my bikini in public, or to let it all hang out in a picture like the Glamour model. Truthfully, the first thing I looked at in that picture was her wide, inviting smile. She feels great and it shows.

Okay, onto some good eats! As the title alludes to, I celebrated Tofu Tuesday this week by trying to perfect an already kick-ass tofu technique. Now, if you read Gliding Calm, you’re probably familiar with her blogger-world-renowned GC Tofu. She has an entire page devoted to rubs, marinades and recipes. I’ve been making her baked tofu for months — an amazing statement because pre-GC, I thought I hated tofu!

How can you hate this?

Here’s how I got here. I pressed the tofu — the most important step! I prefer the extra firm variety, and so, apparently, does my cat Travers:

Yup, that’s a 10-pound weight on the poor, unsuspecting brick of tofu. Don’t worry, the tofu is wrapped in layers and layers of paper towels to soak up all the liquid that gets pressed out. This makes it easier for the tofu to soak up the awesomeness that is the next step:

I throw whatever is handy in — this week, it was olive oil, honey and some balsamic vinegar, but I often add spices, soy sauce, lemon juice and even orange juice! The longer your tofu pieces (because you’ve cut them into small chunks at this point) can stay in the pool, the better. From here, you can bake them until they are crispy and soy-tastic, but this week, I dredged the tofu in panko breadcrumbs that I mixed with a spicy taco seasoning:

And baked them, along with some eggplant and broccoli — one oven, one temp, no big deal.

I know, I’m working on the whole kitchen light situation.

I have really grown to love tofu. There’s a big debate about soy — can you eat too much? Not enough? What kind? Will it lead to cancer? Janel Ovrut has initials after her name and she says that soy, like everything else, is fine in moderation. Sounds good to me.

And since we’re talking about eats, I should tell you that Shannon’s Cardamom Coffee Zucchini Bread is one of the best things I have eaten. I think it’s the pineapple — it kept the bread moist and sweet while keeping that slightly savory taste from the cardamom. Mmmmmm.

Next week, I’m planning on going to two really neat foodie events:

• A Slow Food meetup at Orlando Brewing — good for me, good for Lucas. He actually reviewed some of the Orlando Brewing beers during our trip to Pizza Fusion a few weeks ago. I’m interested to learn more about the local food movement, and to hopefully meet other people who love food as much as I do!
• Taste of the Nation, supporting Share Our Strength (one of my favorite charities). Tickets are spendy, but it’s for a great cause. Lucas and I have been once before and it’s a fun night with lots of eating, drinking and socializing. I’ll leave you with a great video that really sums up the need to do more when it comes to childhood hunger.