You Catch More Bees with Honey!

Hi There!

I hope everyone had a nice week.  My week was half and half. You know those weeks where you have a plan in mind for how things are going to go and then ahhh that thing called life happens? Yah. As I have said before, my worst enemy is "shoulding", and I think I was doing a lot of it this week instead of going with the flow. Sometimes you need these weeks to remind yourself that swimming upstream is much harder than floating with the current, my friends!

Love that Dori. Smart cookie.

What I've realized is that I have to know my most productive times of the day and use them wisely. For example, Tuesday totally got away from me, and I just didn't get to everything that I had planned to do. Retrospectively, I kind of created an unrealistic plan for the 8 hours I had in my work day. I got home late, and I was exhausted, hungry, and my mouth hurt. I had in my mind that since I didn't accomplish everything that I had set out to do  during the work day, that I would do more work after dinner. There was nothing that had to be done by Wednesday or Thursday for that matter, but in my head I had made a plan, and I was hell bent on sticking to it.  Well, you can probably guess what happened. By the time I sat down after dinner, it was seven. All I wanted to do was drink tea and watch the GoodWife. Instead, I opened my computer and stared at a blank word document that I was hoping would create itself. I got aggravated, was kind of mean to myself about being lazy and unproductive, ate some cookies, and ended up watching the GoodWife anyways.

I have learned in my almost thirty years on this planet that I am no good at being productive, creative, or focused after about 6 pm. Get me up at 6 AM, and I can bang out whatever I need or want to do.That's when my brain is the most powerful. I became keenly aware of this early morning brain burst when I was in college. I would try to stay up late and write a paper, and I would end up calling my Mom in tears at 11pm because I just couldn't come up with anything. She would always say, "Go to bed and look at it in the morning." She is my Mom and one smart lady, so  clearly I would do what she said. :) I learned that if I get up first thing in the morning, grab a cup of coffee, and sit down to complete a task, that task usually does not seem arduous, and I complete it in a fraction of the time than I would have had I tried to force myself to do it  in the evening. I usually embrace this way of working, but on Tuesday night I was "shoulding" all over myself instead of accepting that I was not in the mental space to do good work. What did I do? After berating myself and watching TV anyways, I went to bed, woke up at 6 am, and got everything done that I need to complete. Guess what? It wasn't that bad. This situation was a gentle reminder that I knew in my gut what I was capable of doing and what the right decision for me was at the time, but I chose to hang out with my inner slave driver. Result= no productivity and a grouchy Swinny.

You catch more bees with honey, and this can be applied to the way you treat yourself as well. Next time, I'm hoping to remember to be kinder to myself, know my limits, accept them, be flexible, and know that if I trust myself, everything that is supposed to get done, will.

As I mentioned on Tuesday, I have something going on in my mouth which is making it pretty painful for me to chew food. Womp. I have been eating mashed up food like a baby all week. Although the lack of solids has been a bit of a bummer, I have tried some rather delicious liquidy delights.

Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Parmesan Fries

I made a big batch of this roasted cauliflower soup on Tuesday evening. Wowzers was it good. Even PJ, who initially said it looked like baby food, loved this soup! The crispy fries added a little pizzazz, and of course when the recipe gave the option of drizzling the soup with truffle oil before serving, I was all over that. I would have loved to enjoy this soup with a nice piece of warm, crusty, bread. Maybe next time when I can chew :)

I just had to show you all my adorable lunch box (thanks, LL!) and tea mug that I bring to work each day. Much more fun than a to-go cup and a brown paper bag. On a side note, sometimes I pack PJ's lunch in this lunch box if mine is too big and needs to be packed in my larger lunch cooler. Let me just say how cute he looks walking out the door with his Vera Bradley lunch box. Heheh. Real men can carry Vera, right?

Alright my friends, I gotta go!

Something to think about:

XO

Sarah

Toothache Tuesday

Hi There,

I'm a little wonky today as yesterday I developed this weird swelling on the left side of my neck which happens to coincide with pain where I would imagine my wisdom teeth once were. I only had two out, but unfortunately I can't remember which two! I texted my Mom yesterday to ask her to which she answered, "I don't know... your mouth". Fair enough. I'm wondering if maybe I have a wisdom tooth coming in? Wahhhh I'm going to have to go get this checked out.

Breakfast yesterday was smoothie and some peanut butter toast. Nice and soft.

I have totally gotten back into green smoothies, which I have to say I enjoy more than green juices. Much more satisfying. The one I have been loving lately is a matcha green tea smoothie. If you want to learn more about matcha check this out. This smoothie tastes DELISH, and it's amazing how many greens you can squeeze into that glass of goodness. I like to have a piece of peanut butter toast on the side because I find that personally, I need something to chew on in order to feel satisfied after a meal. You could plop one tbsp of nut butter right into the smoothie, though!

Matcha Green Smoothie

1 tsp Matcha Green Tea poweder

1/2 cup of hemp or almond milk

1 frozen banana

3 cups of fresh spinach

a little squeeze of agave or your fave sweetner ( a little goes a long way!)

2 ice cubes

Blend. Enjoy :)

Since I was feeling kind of crappy last night, PJ was a little gem and picked us up dinner. Feta salad, lentil soup, and fresh pita bread for me. Perfecto. I pretty much plopped on the couch after work and didn't move.

Someone was hoping if he stared a me long enough I would share some of my dinner with him. You can't see it in this pic, but there was a long strand of drool hanging from his mouth. So appetizing.

I did enjoy a couple of these yummy raw coconut energy bites with a cup of tea when I arrived home from work. These little guys are so tasty, and a couple little balls (hehe) will hold you over for a bit! I made a big batch on Sunday which is quickly vanishing. I think these energy bites will become a staple in my weekly snack rotation.

Raw Coconut Energy Balls

(adapted from Mind body Green)

Ingredients (for 20-25 energy bites, depending on how small you make them):

• 2 cups oats


• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut


• 1/3 cup slivered almonds


• ¼ cup chia seeds


• 2 tbsps unsweetened almond Milk


• 1/3 cup almond butter


• 1/3 cup agave

Directions:

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, mix well.

Add almond milk and mix.

Add agave syrup and warmed almond butter.

Mix ingredients together with your hands.

Create balls out of mixture by packing handfuls back and forth between your hands, until molded into tight balls (about 1 ½ inches in diameter).

Place ball onto pan covered with wax paper.

Repeat until all mixture is all used up.

Move pan into fridge for 3-4 hours.

** Note: If the mixture isn't sticking together, you can add a little dash more almond milk or nut butter until everything sticks. You don't want them to be gloppy though, so don't over- do.

Something to think about:

Have a good day, my friends.

XO

Sarah

Pics from the Weekend!

Delish green smoothie!

                                                                                                                                                   Oops...

Green smoothie stuck to the shnoz!

New sneaks

headrest

raw coconut energy bites

Salad monster

My favorite two :)

                                                                                                                                      Tea and treat time

Crumbly quiche :(

XO

Sarah

Weekend happenings!

Hi Y'all!

I hope everyone is having a nice weekend. It's flippin' freezing here... have I mentioned that already!? Ay,yai yai. Anyways, my weekend has been pretty uneventful up until this point which is exactly what I wanted. I was supposed to go on a dinner date with PJ last night, but I developed a dull headache late afternoon yesterday that has yet to go away. I spent the night in bed watching tv. I rarely get headaches, so I'm unsure as to what caused this one or why it won't take a hike! On a side note, my mom's prescription recommendation to me this morning was to to take 4 Ibuprofen with coffee. Gotta love her :)

Ain't that the truth.....

Creamy sunchoke soup with porcini mushrooms 

I had to share a picture of my lunch on Friday because A. it was so delish, and B. it came in the cutest little cauldron! I had a delicious kale salad with manchego and avocado on the side. Mmmmm..

truffled mushroom 'za with greek salad

I forgot to flip this pic when I uploaded it, so please lay on your side to get the full experience :) PJ and I ordered pizza and salad on Friday night. I had the truffled mushroom pizza which was so awesome. I LOVE truffle oil, and the second I opened the steaming hot pizza box I was intoxicated by the delightful sent of truffle. From that moment, I knew it was going to be a good dinner. I think I picked off and ate every mushroom from the leftover pizza. Lots of 'shrooms on Friday I guess, huh?

Coconut Banana Bread with Coconut Glaze

I also made an AMAZING coconut banana bread on Friday night which I suggest you all go make right this second. All I have to say is wow. By the way, that isn't icing you see on the top of my bread, friends. That would be 1 ingredient coconut butter made by yours truly! Also, I don't have a loaf pan which is why my banana bread looks more like a banana cake, haha.

Photo Credit: sarahssweeties.wordpress.com

I imagine that my bread would have looked like the above pic had I had a loaf pan and some flaked,  toasted coconut for the topping. I assure you that despite my banana cake's unimpressive presentation, it tastes like a dream. Don't judge a book by it's cover, people.

The recipe I used was from Edible Perspective, which is an amazing food and recipe blog that features primarily vegetarian and gluten free recipes. Also, the food photography is outstanding. I subscribe to Edible Perspective, and when this recipe showed up in my inbox, I immediately began to salivate. Coconut and bananas in one bread? Don't mind if I do. I adapted the recipe a bit because the original was gluten free and used too many different wheat free flours that I frankly didn't want to purchase. If you are gluten free, follow this exact recipe.

Coconut Banana Bread with Coconut Glaze

(adapted from Edible Perspective)

for the coconut butter:

• 4 cups unsweetened shredded coconut


• 2-4 teaspoons pure cane sugar, optional ( I did not use any sugar and the butter tasted amazing!)

for the bread:

• 3/4 cup unsweetened large flaked coconut, topping ( I did not have flaked coconut to toast, but I think it would be really pretty!)


• 1 1/4 cups unsweetened shredded coconut


• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or regular whole wheat flour ( I used regular whole wheat, but i think the whole wheat pastry flour would be lighter)


• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground flax meal


• 1 teaspoon cinnamon


• 1 teaspoon baking powder


• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 2 large eggs


• 1 heaping cup well mashed ripe banana, brown spots on the peel ( I used 3 large bananas)


• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons lite canned coconut milk


• 1/3 cup coconut nectar, or brown rice syrup/honey ( I used 1/3 cup organic, raw honey)


• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract


• 3 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled

for the coconut butter:

Place coconut in your [~11c capacity] food processor and process until you reach a drippy consistency, about 5-10 minutes.  Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed and pour into a jar.  Seal and store in the cupboard or pantry.

for the bread:

Preheat your oven to 300* F.  Place the large flaked coconut on a baking sheet and toast for 6-10 minutes watching closely.  Once golden brown remove and let cool.  Increase your oven to 350* F and thoroughly grease a 9x5 bread pan with softened coconut oil.

Add the shredded coconut, flour, flax, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl.  Stir until well combined.

In another bowl whisk the eggs together.  Then whisk in the banana, milk, honey or coconut nectar, and vanilla.  Be sure the nectar is fully incorporated.  Whisk in the coconut oil then pour contents into the dry ingredient bowl.  Stir the mixture together until just combined [when you no longer see dry flour].

Let sit for 5 minutes [to thicken] then pour into the pan and level out with a spatula.  Bake for 38-48 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean [slightly moist but not gooey]. ( I cooked mine until the internal temp was 185-190 degrees and the consistency was perfect. Moist, but not mushy. The meat thermometer is my bff. I don't think my bread was in the oven for more that 30-35 minutes so be sure to keep an eye on it. Crumbly, dry bread stinks.)

Let the bread cool for 20 minutes, loosen then edges with a butter knife, then gently remove from the pan.  Allow bread to fully cool then drizzle desired amount of coconut butter and toasted coconut on top of the bread.  Slice before the coconut butter hardens.  Serve or let coconut butter harden after slicing and store in a sealed container on the counter for 3-4 days.  It’s much harder to slice once the coconut butter is solid.

I got my yoga on yesterday after enjoying a few pieces of that banana bread. Check out my hairy, sleepy yoga instructor. I apologize that my live- in photographer takes blurry pictures, but he works for free so I keep him around.

Also, while I was nursing my headache last night I watched the pilot episode of The Goodwife. I loved it! I feel a marathon goodwife watching session in my near future :)

Alright kids, I gotta go. I will be back later with some pics from the day!

Something to think about:

XO

Sarah

Inspired Friday

Hi Guys!

How are ya? Things are pretty good over here. I'm looking forward to the weekend as I have a ton of "stuff" to catch up on. You know, bills, cleaning, wedding things. I  think its going to be absolutely frigid here, which makes it a perfect weekend to snuggle up inside and get things done.



So, I wanted to update you on a little something fantastic that I have been doing with my oatmeal. Yes, oatmeal can be fantastic. I'm sure this is old news to many of you, but cooking oatmeal IN almond milk makes it pretty freakin amazing. The oatmeal has a much creamier consistency, and I personally think it's a bit more satisfying than just boiling the oats in water. Replace 1 cup of almond milk where you would usually add  1 cup of water. Side note: Citrus fruit is AMAZING this time of year.



I know this pic is hard to see, but I made the most AMAZING ginger lemon lentils the other night. You must make these. I enjoyed my yummy lentils with roasted brussels and miso dipped tempeh. This was my first experience with tempeh, and I have to admit that I am not a fan. I actually threw it out and opted for a piece of chicken. I'm sure if tempeh is cooked right it's ok, but to me it just tasted like a chicken imposter with a freaky consistency. Ok, back to the lentils.

(photo credit: The Real Life-RD)

Lemony Ginger Red Lentils  
( from The Real Life-RD)

2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 large onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 stalks of celery, peeled and chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of fresh grated ginger
3-4 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 1/3 cups red lentils
1-2 teaspoons of sea salt [to taste]
3 1/4 cups of waterHeat the coconut oil over medium high heat and add the onions, cooking for about 8-9 minutes until they begin to cook and tenderize and then start to caramelize.Then add the garlic, carrots, celery, jalapeno, ginger, and lemon zest and cook for 6-7 more minutes until the veggies become soft. Add your lentils, water, and salt and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the lentils become tender, but not mushy. You still want them to hold their shape but be soft when you eat them. Add more water 1/4 cup at a time if needed. Stir in the lemon juice and serve!

Another delicious dish I made was this kale soba noodle bowl with avocado miso dressing. This yummy noodle bowl  is great on its own  topped with some protein packed edamame, or it can be served as a a side dish. If you haven't tried soba noodles, please do! Soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour and have a correspondingly strong, nutty flavor.



In other news, I have become a total tea- aholic. Like my momma, I have alway had a love for a warm cup of tea, but as of late I have been experimenting with lots of new blends.



This sweet rose tea is definitely worth noting. I didn't know that it was possible for tea to taste like a rose...in a good way. I have been enjoying this aromatic, comforting cup of goodness with a little dash of almond milk in the evening. You must try.



Among many other interesting items, I purchased the tea off of Vitacost.com. I highly recommend paying a visit to their online store which is full of discounted health foods. I received free shipping, plus I googled "Vitacost Coupon" and received an additional 10% off. Winning.



As of late, I have been thinking a lot about the word inspiration. It's an amazing feeling to BE inspired, and I believe that when you are inspired, you inspire others. For me personally, knowing that I have inspired someone is one of the greatest gifts in the world. So, I thought I would leave you with a few things that inspired me this week.

 

This article <~~~ amazing perspective.


You can't please everyone, so stop trying 

This photo:



 

By Robert Sturman

 

This quote:

 

 



 

And this one...



 

Have an amazing weekend :)

 

Something to think about:

Selfies and Skin

Hi There!

Long time no talk, eh? It's been a rather busy and snowy week here, so I haven't had much time to check in. I have a couple of cool things to share with you all in the post. Beware: There are make-up less selfies among the images below. Leave now if this scares you.



Thanks to good genes (Mom and Dad- muchas gracias!), I fortunately never had to endure acne or breakouts during my adolescence. Not to toot my own horn, but I had beautiful skin. It was one of the features that I was complemented on quite often as I was growing up. Until later in life, I didn't realize how lucky I was not to have to take acne medications, suffer painful or embarrassing breakouts, or feel the need to spackle my face with makeup to hide the blemishes and unevenness below. On a side note, I did choose to wear way too much make up as a teen, but that was purely a choice.



Throughout the end off high school and for most of my college years, I kind of resembled tan mom. I can assure you that I wasn't alone in this as tanning was definitely the norm among my peers. Perhaps that's why I thought it was normal to look like I just returned from the islands in mid February? For anyone who went to Quinnipiac University like I did, did you charge your tanning visits to your Qcard? Wasn't that awesome? Now that I look back on it, clearly I'm appalled. Hey, hindsight is 20/20, right?
After college, something weird happened. My skin changed, and I found that I was frequently breaking out. When my blemishes would finally heal, they would leave behind dark spots! For the first time in my life, I needed to wear foundation daily and spend time spot touching (aka spackling!) the holes in my face! Yes, I am a picker people. That's another thing, if I get a blemish, I cannot leave it alone. Well, I guess I could, but somehow I think picking at it will make it go away? Insanity, I know. As someone who was accustomed to purchasing whichever face wash was on sale at the pharmacy, I didn't know what to do. I tried every face wash, toner and acne treatment that I could find at CVS. No dice.



Then, one glorious day two years ago- the heavens opened and the angels sang- and I was introduced to Unblemish. Unblemish is made by Rodan and Fields who are the same doctors that created Proactiv. I never used Proactiv, but I remember it being quite popular among my college girlfriends. Unblemish seriously changed my skin. BTW, I don't sell this product and noone is asking me to promote it on my little blog, so this testimonial comes purely from the heart. I have been using this line almost exclusively for the past two years, and I have never been happier with my skin. There was a period of time where I tried to switch back to a pharmacy face wash since the Unblemish regimen is a little expensive, but I quickly realized that my skin is worth the investment. The whole line costs $160 and lasts about 3 months.With that said, I save money on the makeup that I'm not buying! I very rarely wear makeup these days aside from filling in my eyebrows a little bit because they are non existent. Dude, I wish I learned this earlier, but having nice eyebrows can totally change your face!

I'm not good at selfies, but this is my mug sans makeup in the am.

A little eyebrow pencil does wonders :)

My eyes look kind of weird in this photo- I think I curled one lash and not the other... haha. Anyways, this is how I look for a normal day. I put a little oil of olay CC cream on which acts as a moisturizer and sunscreen. I curl the lashes (or at least one of them!),fill in the brows, and I'm ready to go. Now,don't get me wrong, I love makeup. I do occasionally enjoy painting myself up like Kim Kardashian and strutting my stuff around town. It's fun!

From this....

To this....So fun!

Ok, enough selfies. The point of all this is to show you that I feel great wearing little to no makeup. I have gotten to the point that I kind of like how I look without it better. I notice that when I don't spend time primping, I spend equally as little time staring in the mirror throughout the day to make sure everything is still in place. I will say that when I first stopped wearing make up, people did often tell me that I looked tired. Womp, Womp.  However, once I started to have confidence in rocking the 'au natural' look, I think it started to look normal to everyone else, too.

Just so you all know, Rodan and Fields has a ton of great products aside from Unblemish. In fact, now that I have been using Unblemish consistenly for quite some time, I have decided to try the Reverse regime. Reverse aims to treat brown spots, dullness, and sun damage. I will keep you guys posted on how I like these products.

I have some yummy recipes to share with you, but they will have to wait until manana! Adios!

Something to think about:

xo

Sarah