Dreaming about...

a big buttery cookie to go with my coffee!

Pioneer Kitchen

At the museum, I run a program on Wednesdays called "Pioneer Kitchen". As I'm sure you know, pioneers were not vegans so animal products inevitably make it into this weekly cooking extravaganza. 

Normally, I do this program outside in our historic log cabin but when it's below 20 degrees I'm forced inside so I don't freeze to death (like a pioneer). I can't use a hot plate inside (not very pioneer anyway) because that might set the building into a plume of smoke. So today we made butter! Simple but I haven't done it since kindergarten. 

I decided it was okay to eat this butter because I made it myself and it was for the children's sake, goddammit. Now I have a little bit of a tummy ache, but it was worth it!

Store bought butter on the right for comparison. The homemade stuff was fluffier and much tastier!

Valentine’s Day Re-cap and a Bootilicious Stress Fracture

Lots has happened and not much has happened since I last wrote. Two main things: Valentine’s Day and finally being properly diagnosed with a tibial stress fracture.

I’ll talk about Valentine’s Day first. Joe and I, ever the planners, didn’t decide where to go out to eat until after I got home from work on Saturday. After making a few phone calls about reservations, expected business, etc. we decided to try out Monty’s Blue Plate Diner. Monty’s is one of those Madison fixtures we’ve always wanted to try out and they’re always too busy. They may be a diner but in the spirit of Madison’s hippier east side, they have lots of vegan options! Before dinner, we worked up an appetite trying out rock climbing at Boulder’s Climbing Gym. That was fun! And tiring! I finally figured out what triceps are for. I am still sore on Tuesday.

At Monty’s, we had to wait about half an hour for a table but it was worth it. I ended up getting a falafel wrap with waffle fries (YUM) and a vegan brownie. Not exactly  full of veggies, but I was treating myself! Joe got a burger and a huge shake. We were SOOO full. We topped off the night at Ideal Bar, a dive bar across the street from the craft brewery that we were trying to go to that was at capacity. It was a good choice! We met a man named Little Rock who shared with us his love for classic rock and views on legalized marijuana. A successful night all around.

Now about that stress fracture. Yesterday I got an MRI and today I was fitted with a boot. I look so cute! (lol jk) I’ve been battling shin pain for over three months now so I guess it’s good to finally figure out what’s really wrong and be on the path to recovery. I’m also supposed to be using crutches. I’ll wear the boot for three weeks. But I still have to drive… and teach ballet… soooo I’m not totally sure how realistic all of this is but I guess we’ll see how things go. I can’t wait to be back to running. I feel like I was finally getting to be “not a beginner” and it’s been really discouraging to be injured. I’m trying to figure out what sort of fitness things I can do for the next few weeks because I can’t even cycle. My gym membership comes with pool access but unfortunately the pool is not at the gym - it’s about five miles away so I’m not sure swimming fits  into my tight schedule. And where’s my bathing suit? Yoga? Maybe I’ll lift some heavy things instead.

Here’s a photo of me lookin’ fiiiiine in my boot:

I got an Applebee's giftcard for Valentine's Day

***from http://munchyymenus.com/applebees-vegan-menu/

"Here’s the complete Applebee’s vegan menu.

It’s not the largest menu out there so I suggest you opt for a restaurant with a more decent vegan selection.

Applebee’s Vegan Menu

• salad greens with fruit and veggies
• salad oil

Thanks for reading and be sure to check out this amazing vegan restaurant listing you absolutely can’t leave home without!"

Someone then commented that you can also order a plain baked potato.

Anyway, I think I'm going to trade in this gift card and another random gift card I have for Outback Steakhouse on www.cardpool.com. The Amazon credit will come in handy! New cookbook, anyone?

Dramatic Reading of Mac 'n Cheese Ingredients

This pretty much sums it all up. 

The Common Cold

Last winter, I got a cold every few weeks. From November through about May, I'd have a cold (or the stomach flu, or bronchitis...) for about two weeks, be well for a week, and then find myself waking up with the sniffles all over again. Part of this definitely had to do with the fact that I started working on the floor at the museum 20+ hours a week (meaning I was constantly touching stuff little kids were touching all the time, which I don't do quite as frequently in my current position) and upped my dance teaching schedule (i.e. my contact with 3 and 4 year olds). I had a cold on Valentine's day, visited Karin in Maine at the beginning of April with a cold, and brought a cold with me to London in late May. Joe joked that I was going to the doctor virtually once a week. The cycle didn't stop until I got back from Europe and all of a sudden it was summer.

Since the summer (so, about July), I've had two colds - one in September that lasted a full two weeks and I lost my voice completely and another teeny-tiny cold I'm not sure is even worth mentioning in December. My throat was a little scratchy and I had a bit of a cough, but nothing to sneeze about (ha). 

So what's changed? Two big things I think - I'm exercising more and eating better. 

I'm fortunate enough to live right next door to a really great gym that has a lot of fun classes that fit into my weird schedule. While it's a little expensive, I think it's worth it because I feel motivated to go because it's so near my house that there's no excuse not to drag myself out of bed for a morning workout. As a result, I've been (at minimum) getting the recommended 30mins/5 times a week of exercise, usually more.

Last winter, I think I ate a lot frozen pizza, stir fries with just rice, edamame, oil, and soy-sauce, pre-packaged indian food, and granola bars from a box. Not a great range of whole food nutrition. In the month of January, I've had a smoothie once a day, every day. Right there is a helluva lotta fruits and veggies (mainly spinach) that I wasn't eating at all before. Cutting out cheese has forced me to move past my staple quesadilla lunches and replace them with more nutrient dense foods (i.e. green beans, brussel sprouts, brown rice, sweet potatoes, black beans, etc.). I've also had to become more creative with what I bring to work since I can no longer pop a frozen mac n cheese in the microwave. I really like carrots and hummus. Sweet potatoes reheat well. 

Anyway, so that's my theory as to why I am not getting sick as much. Not eating as much sugar is helping too, I think. Watch, I'll end up with a cold this weekend and it will negate all of this but oh well. I can't imagine any of these changes are hurting me. I certainly feel more energized on a day-to-day basis so I'll stick to it for now!

One Month!

Welp, we've officially reached the one month mark! How's it going? While the rest of the country is gearing up to binge on cheese curds and mini hot dogs today, I'm thinking about the smoothie I'm gonna have here in a minute. I think that's good! Not that I've ever really celebrated the Super Bowl in the first place but I can't deny that it's good excuse to order more pizza than usual.

I made a trip to our local food pantry on Friday to get rid of food that been lying around since August that Joe and I will never touch. While Joe is still eating meat and eggs and whatnot, he's really trying to cut down on sugar/processed food in general. So that meant he wasn't going to eat all the chocolate my dance kids gave me for Christmas. Remember that big bag of cheddar? Donated that. This food pantry is awesome in that they can find a use for everything. I feel like pantries I've dealt with before only take non-perishable foods, which is why I didn't consider donating earlier. They even took my rando stick of butter!

I made hummus this week! I subbed a dab o' PB for tahini because what the hell is tahini (it's ground sesame seeds) and it turned out pretty good! Considering a can of chickpeas is $.69 at Aldi, I think I'll be making it again.

We did our grocery shopping yesterday. It was a little more expensive than usual because I bought some things I don't by every week, like Ezekial bread and a big-ass jar of PB. The stores were really busy in anticipation of the Super Bowl and the snow storm that's happening today. Avocados and carrots were $.49 at Aldi!!! Wooooohooo. Snacks for days. I find it always pays to stop at Aldi first.

Anyway, I'm still really excited about veganism and don't feel burned out at all. I feel like I'm learning something new every day and it's been a lot of fun figuring out new meals to try. Here's to February!