Lucky's Market!

Today I got a special treat. I got to go grocery shopping at Lucky's Market with my friend Sunshine. Lucky's is kind of like Whole Foods, but most of their stuff is less expensive. I looked at their flyer this morning, and it was though they had seen my grocery list! 

I'm kind of a grocery shopping nerd. I could spend all day going through the aisles and gazing longingly at all of the expensive vegan food. I was super excited today because Lucky's had pretty much all of the produce that I needed on sale. And it was organic. Among my finds today were avocados, oranges, tomatillos, mushrooms, and potatoes. I also found a delicious looking herb and garlic spread from Earth Balance and vegan horseradish sauce. I have no idea what I will eat it with, but I will find something! Another awesome find was a sweet bottle of pinot noir for $5.99! 

My meals this week include chili cheese fries with this as inspiration, mashed potato enchiladas, collard greens with sweet potatoes and quinoa, and a tempeh hash. 

All of this was $107.02. Awesome. Also, if you haven't tried the Boom Chicka Pop popcorn, do it now. You will thank me later.

Brutal Workout Musings

I haven't been great about working out recently. I've only been working out 2-3 times a week instead of my usual 3-5. This has led me to feel dumpy and depressed, and not eat as well as I usually do. Which makes me feel dumpy. Vicious cycle. 

So I decided to go to boot camp on Friday. Body Rebellion Boot Camp is awesome. It kicked my ass this week. We did push ups, lunges, tricep dips, and lots of other things that I don't know the names of. At one point, I was sure I would die. I looked at the girl next to me and noticed she was crying. I felt like crying. When we finally got to stretching it out, I felt wobbly and sore. But I felt fantastic. The depression I was feeling melted away. 

I did Zumba on Saturday and was lucky enough to be joined by my sister Angela and friend Sarah. It's much more fun to do group classes with friends. Zumba is so much fun and I highly recommend it if you haven't tried it. The same facility that does the boot camp also has several Zumba classes per week. I definitely felt even better after Zumba. I even felt good enough to go to a wine tasting yesterday! It was so fun!

This morning, I woke up feeling so sore and like I'm getting a cold. The original plan was going to the gym for a light run/walk. I was not feeling that this morning with my runny nose! I decided to do yoga. We recently cleaned up our partially finished basement, so it's a perfect meditation space. I can lock out Nathan and our pets and just be with myself. I did about 45 minutes of yoga, and now I feel awesome. It's so much easier now that I just listen to what my body wants.

What's in my cart?

I'm really trying to fit this blogging thing in... I love to talk about food and groceries, so I'm planning to talk about what's in my cart each week. 

I feel like you guys can't see my fruits and veggies because of all the boxed stuff on top. Oh well.

This week, my meals include buffalo chick pea tacos, pad thai with tofu and veggies, burrito bowls, hummus sandwiches, "cheesy" fries with salads, and veggie pizza. I also got some mangoes, blood oranges, and clementines. I'm cheating with the veggie pizza and bought packaged crust. I tend to cheat on work nights since I work 10 hour days and still try to get work outs in. I also purchased a bottle of pink moscato for me and beer for Nathan. On the veggie side, I got onions, kale, and spinach. Nathan is also finally on board with organic milk, so that's in there as well... Total was around $120, with the grocery part being $106. Eating healthy does not have to be super expensive!

Best Christmas Ever

My cat Padme has chronic gastrointestinal disease. We have been dealing with this for three years, so when she didn't eat on Saturday night, I didn't think much of it. I took her to work yesterday, where I found out she may have badness related to chronic inflammation. I thought we may have to do surgery to figure out what was wrong. I begrudgingly hospitalized her overnight on fluids and medications to help her... and she started eating last night. She's home today, but we are not totally out of the woods.

 Yesterday I was pretty upset. Padme is 15, and I don't know that surgery would be best for her. I was not ready to euthanize her. I had a sobbing meltdown to my mom. I can't imagine Padme not being here. She sleeps on my pillow. She eats guacamole. She studied with me when I was in college. She got me out of bed when I was depressed. I can't imagine my life without her. I know I will have to eventually live without her. I just want her to tell me she's ready, and I know she isn't yet. I'm glad she's giving me more time to get used to the idea. Bringing Padme home today was probably the best gift I have ever gotten. Padme and I wish you a very merry Christmas.

Work Out Rest Days

So I haven't felt like working out. For three days. So I haven't. I feel like its important to take off days for injury abd mental health. Days off don't mean sitting on the couch and doing nothing (to me, for mental health). Since I didn't go to the gym, I cleaned the kitchen, played with the dogs in the snow, and moved some furniture. No need to get on the treadmill after that. Well, I could, but I won't. My goal now is to just keep moving.

Oven Roasted Potato Tacos

I tried something new tonight... I made up my own recipe with no inspiration from another. I was craving potatoes and something spicy and slightly greasy. I also have kale in my fridge that I wanted to use. So I came up with Oven Roasted Potato Tacos!

Recipe: 
5-7 small red skinned potatoes cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1-2 tsp olive oil
salt and seasonings of choice

Bake potatoes at 400 for 25 minutes.

I sauteed a jalapeno and a small red onion in about a teaspoon of olive oil. I then added pinto beans and a few sprinkles of tabasco sauce. After about two minutes, I added the kale and cooked until it was soft. Top with avocado and hot sauce on a tortilla of choice. Boom. Easy dinner. 

During the process, I had to have Nathan run out for tortillas, and I spilled about a quarter of the can of pinto beans down the sink. Because I am clumsy. Still delicious and totally worth the little screw ups. 

I'm Back!

After my long hiatus, I'm back. My New Year's resolution is to blog three times a week, so I figured I could start now. I'm going to try and post my weekly grocery shopping experience, as well as my menu, so that's where I'll start.

 On the menu this week: burrito bowls, spinach and artichoke pasta, sweet potato burgers with roasted potatoes, pesto pizza, and black bean and avocado enchiladas.

 Highlights of my purchase: 1 sweet potato, a bunch of kale, jalapenos, 2 bags of avocados, 2 jars of peanut butter, apples, tangerines, and cherry tomatoes. I also splurged on a dark mint chocolate bar, organic lemonade, and chocolate covered frozen bananas. Also purchased some ham, cheese, and organic milk for hubby. All of this and more was $81.

Since I last blogged, I have adopted a plant based diet. I am avoiding dairy and eggs, as well as meat. I've been doing this for about a month, and I feel awesome. I know that this diet isn't for everyone, but it works for me. If you're interested in a plant based diet, I recommend the documentary Forks Over Knives. I've heard arguments that a vegan diet is expensive and hard, but I've been spending less and the meals seem easier.