Mixing It Up

Usually I love the food I eat, but every now and then I get bored with my routine.

 

Lately I've been mixing it up a little bit. 

 

New Breakfast Ideas:

 

Smoothie with almond milk, banana, and kale suggested by Real Simple

Tea

English muffin with olive oil or pear jam

Two handfuls of almonds

 

 

Tea

Scrambled eggs with bell pepper and turkey bacon

 

Tea
Protein crepes with maple syrup and blueberries
 

 
Second Breakfast Ideas:

I eat breakfast within half an hour or so of waking up, but once I get to the office I always have second breakfast...2-3 hours after breakfast.

Fage 2% greek yogurt
with chopped mango and kiwi

 

 
Fried eggs brought from home
Toasted English muffin
Baby carrots from the "deli" downstairs

Elevensies Ideas:

Yep, 2-3 hours after second breakfast!

Chopped bell pepper
Canned tuna
Chopped kalmata olives
Water
Spiced nuts/dried cherries/chocolate chips

You tell me: How do you keep your food interesting?

Powell's City of Books & Other Portland Escapades

 

Jared had a med school interview at Oregon Health and Science University at the end of January.  We decided, since he'd be there almost a full day, to drive down the night before and stay in Portland together.

 

I was looking for good deals and was excited to find that one of my favorite Portland hotels had a good special going!  We stayed at Hotel deLuxe a few years ago and absolutely loved it.  I'm a sucker for Hollywood nostalgia (we were raised on Abbot & Costello, Judy Garland, and Cary Grant) so a hotel with classic film themes is like my dream resort.  Plus the service is incredible, and the location is great.

 

We arrived in Portland late on a Tuesday night - and by late I mean late for us...so like 7pm.  We checked in and got recommendations for dinner nearby.  Jared was beat from the drive and wanted to get to bed early, so we asked for somewhere REALLY close by.  The concierge recommended Gilda's Italian Restaurant barely a block away.  The food was great and the atmosphere was perfect - we ended up having a really romantic date night talking over our food and wine and dessert.

 

Then it was back to the hotel to get ready for the morning and hit the hay.

 

The next morning, Jared woke up early to sneak in a workout at the hotel fitness center.  He was impressed and said it was pretty good as hotel gyms go.  He was able to slightly alter the Invictus programming for the day.  I ironed his shirt and threw my workout clothes on, then went down to Gracie's restaurant to order breakfast while Jared showered and got dressed. 

 

I snapped a few photos while waiting.

 

 

 

Our food was delish (typical eggs and bacon kinda breakfast) and the service was really fast, which we appreciated.  Got out the door in plenty of time (the valet had given us an option of finding free street parking for ourselves - always nice to save some dough) and hopped into the car to take Jared to his interview.

After dropping him off at the school, I headed over to CrossFit Excellence in Lake Oswego.  (Catch my recap here.)

Then it was back to Hotel deLuxe for a shower and packing up all our gear.  I wish I had gotten some better photos...hopefully you'll understand why I love this place! 

Jimmy Stewart on one wall...

 

Cary Grant behind me

 

 

 

Audrey and Gregory in the snacks!

 

Watch your step getting into the bathroom

You can order ice cream or an iPod...and there is also a pillow menu and a spiritual menu.  You want a down pillow with the Gideon's Bible?  Coming right up! 

 

We were on the Alfred Hitchcock floor (again).  In case you don't know what the photos in your room are, they are posted with the emergency evacuation map! 

Menu for in-room dining...and if you have a longer stay, you choose your eco-personality to determine how often they bring you new towels and such.

My new tank from CrossFit Excellence! 

 I packed up all our gear and double checked to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything.  There were at least four bags plus Jared's fancy overcoat that he hadn't needed.  Thanks to all my CrossFit, I carried it all to the lobby myself in one fell swoop.  When I asked if I could just pay their garage fees to leave my car there while toodling around downtown on foot, they were incredibly gracious and just validated for me for the day!  They also had someone assist me with my bags to the car.  I probably could have made it...but I'm working on letting go of my ego.

After loading everything in, I took a few essentials in a handbag and my water bottle.  Recently I realized I've been lugging my amazing but heavy lulu gym bag when I don't even need it, which puts unnecessary strain on my shoulders and back.

First stop?  Powell's City of Books!!!  It was maybe a 10 minute walk from the hotel, and I'm proud to say I found it just fine with the map from the concierge.  I looked around at all the wonderful books, and found what I was looking for.  A used Lord Peter Whimsey I hadn't read...for $2.50!  I picked out some presents for Jared, and got a egg and Swiss Chard quiche - delish!

I really wanted to get Jared something good for Valentine's Day.  So I got directions to the Nike store!  It was a bit of a walk, so I decided to leave my finds on hold at Powells so as not to lug stuff all over town.  As usual, Nike was not a disappointment.

So hard not to buy anything for myself...  

 

 

 

 

I found Jared a great shirt, walked back to Powells, and made a few more stops.  I went to check out lululemon, but a gal on the floor informed me I wasn't allowed to take photos.  Odd.

I also stopped at Whole Foods to get some snacks!  I don't know why but I can't go to Portland without visiting Whole Foods at least once.

Jared had asked if I would get dinner for the ride home from Portland.  He specially requested Old Town Pizza - we love their jalepeno BBQ pizza.  I walked back to the Hotel deLuxe garage and drove down to the Old Town district.  I found parking and got a little lost walking, but eventually I found the restaurant.  It was the middle of the afternoon, so I had a really short wait for my pie.

 

 

 

 
This stuff is so incredible!  It was great to have something warm and tasty on the drive home. 

 

 
We made great time getting back, and finished up the evening relaxing and reading.  There's no place like home!

 

Smoothies + Pizza

Eating healthy is hard.

 

Let's be honest: it's expensive and time-consuming.

 

Sometimes you need food in a hurry or want something fun but don't want to totally jack your body up as a result.

 

Smoothies and pizza are the low prep go-tos for us.  We have smoothies it seems every day or two, and pizza at least once a week.  Here is a smattering of how this week turned out.

 

Earlier this week I found myself hungry...we'd already had a good dinner but I wanted something else.  Greek yogurt, bagged kale, and frozen berries/cherries did the trick for a late night serving of veggies and protein that still tasted sweet.

 

 

Later on in the week I was craving peanut butter and chocolate.  Cocoa powder, protein powder, milk, a banana, and generous scoops of peanut butter made this one seem like a milkshake...except darn good for you with protein and healthy fats.

 

 

 

Oh, yeah, and after a loooong Friday, Jared made pizza.  Trader Joe's frozen 3 cheese pizza takes less than 10 minutes in the oven.  We bought the chicken tenders this week and Jared whipped them up with bell peppers.  More protein and veggies - but uber fun and sooo much cheaper than eating out.

You tell me: Got any fun, quick, healthy foods you turn to when life gets crazy?

Welcome to the Rainy Season!

When I was a kid, we had the BEST neighbors.  They lived on the next street, but their house was right behind ours and we didn't have a fence, so we were always running back and forth to play games, ride bicycles, dress up, and generally have a wonderful time. 

One of the best traditions they shared with us was their annual "Welcome to the Rainy Season" party - once the good old Northwest kicked off its nine month deluge, they'd have us over and celebrate with cider and popcorn and other fall treats.  It made the rain something fun to look forward to, rather than a sign that all our fun was coming to a gloomy end.

I realized that as I have become a grown up, I have stopped loving fall, which used to be my favorite season as a kid.  I've now spent 20 years of my life in the Seattle area, and I've gotten jealous of people who live in places like Hawaii and California,or heck, even Bend, Oregon, where you get to see the sun 300 days a year!

But, as is usually the case, being grouchy and bitter about the weather has only served to make me...well, grouchy and bitter.  So I decided to take back the fun and plan some good things for fall and really enjoy each season as much as possible this year.

And what better way to start than with my own Welcome to the Rainy Season party?

We'd actually had quite a dry spell around here...basically summer in this area lasts from the 5th of July till the beginning of October.  We had weeks of sun until the rain finally hit on Friday the 12th.  It rained on Saturday and when it was still raining on Sunday, it seemed the perfect day for the "party."

I went to Trader Joe's and bought a bunch of autumnal food for this week...sausages, tomato & red pepper soup, squash, pears, and even a pumpkin since I won't likely make it to a patch this week.  (Side note - I figured since I was buying up a storm I should be prepared for sticker shock...but once again, the only sticker shock I get at TJs is wondering how the heck it's so cheap and why on earth I ever shopped anywhere else!  Seriously, I almost cried at the register.)

I also stopped by Half Price books for a $1 copy of Real Simple (a good rainy day part requires reading material) and then the French Bakery for treats!

Chocolate almond croissant and guava pocket
which Jared starting eating before I could even take the photo

We had started the morning by doing a ton of chores so that we could spend the rest of the day relaxing.  I cleaned the kitchen and did all the laundry before going to the store, and by the time I returned, Jared had vaccuumed, cleaned the bathroom (bless this man's soul - I LOATHE bathroom cleaning and he almost always takes this one on), AND fixed our kitchen faucet that had been dripping for months.

We spent the afternoon "partying" away.  Jared did some mobility while I read my magazine...and then I realized he'd been holding one "stretch" so long because he'd actually fallen asleep.  We lit a ton of candles all over and used the lights as little as possible - saving money AND making it fun!  (Psst...here are some of my new faves.  I've tried all except the Buddha's Fig scent.)

For lunch, we made smoothies from The Petite Athleat - adding some protein powder for extra staying power!

I ended up skipping the chia seeds...they're a pain to clean

These smoothies are the ONLY ones
that mask the taste of this powder

Armed with smoothies, we crashed on the couch and finished up season two of Castle.

Later for dinner, Jared made broccolini and burgers.  We each used a portobello mushroom and half an English muffin as the bun for the burger...but I could only eat half my mushroom.  Not a big mushroom eater (as a kid I found them slimy and gross) but I chowed half since I know it's good for me.

As we listened to the rain that evening, we decided the next fitting activity was to bake cookies!  Chocolate chunk oatmeal blueberry?  Yes, please.

For snacks, we had cheese and crackers, and then took a cookie each to watch a little of Castle Season 3.  Thankfully we only had two episodes downloaded or we might've stayed up snacking all night!

We went to bed really early to be set for a Monday of work, but it was honestly the perfect way to end our relaxing day.  I told Jared, "Anytime we're getting whiny about the weather, we have to throw another party."  He thought it was a good idea.

You tell me:  Do you like fall?  Does it rain where you live?  What fun traditions do you have this time of year?

Fallin' for Fall



My fall "inspiration board" at work - Cider week
(from Self mag), Pumpkin Push flyer, & gnomes!

Happy Friday!

Hope you are enjoying October as much as I am.  The weather here has been absolutely incredible - getting chilly, but the rain has held off for weeks now.  Makes walking to the bus in the mornings a delight instead of a chore.  School has started up again, which means I'm volunteering a couple times a month with my beloved teen musical theatre class.  Leaves are turning, my birthday's coming up (quarter century - eek!), and there are all sorts of glorious things to enjoy!


The Seattle Greek Festival:

Walking around Seattle looking at pretty houses:

Tree fort!!!

Shopping at lululemon:

Seriously, I'm in love with this blue pattern

So happy with this bag!

Pumkpin in my daily Fage yogurt!

Spaghetti squash:

Hard apple cider - checked this out per Self magazine's recommendation...holy smokes.  Incredible.  Perfect fall dinner: hard cider, paprika sausage, and spicy butternut squash:

Have a delightful weekend!  Get out and enjoy the crisp air...or stay inside with a good book! 

You tell me: What are your favorite things about fall?