Busy Weekend

Why is it that the weekends go so quickly?  I vote to have the weekends last just one more day.  It seems that as soon as I have started relaxing, it is Sunday & I have to begin thinking about the work week.  No fun.

Over the weekend, I tried some new recipes (some of my own & some from others)..  As always, I enjoyed Angela's Banana Soft Serve Vegan Overnight Oats  However, this time, I made some peanut butter because when life hands you raw peanuts, YOU MAKE PB!!

So, I took my 1.12 lb of peanuts and threw them in the processor...

and let 'er rip!!

The key is: PATIENCE!!  Patience is something I have been working on lately... more to come on that.

Voila!

This PB only cost two and a half bucks & it has no added oils, salt, or sugar.

So, I took my PB and processed it up with my banana soft serve & added a dollop on top.  YUM!

As you know, work has been crazy... A while ago, I signed up for a managing stress class at the local co-op.  Well, on Thursday night I had the pleasure of attending the class and meeting two wonderful ladies who lit a fire in me.  

The class focused on the connection between your mind, body, and spirit.  We learned to use meditation, art, and guided imagery to refocus our thoughts.  There was also some discussion regarding aromatherapy. 

When I went home that evening, I felt much lighter.  The stress that had been clouding my thoughts and causing tension in my body was wading away.  I have realized that I need to calm myself and focus on my breath.  My body can only take so much stress and I was reaching my limit.  Being able to relax and clear my mind is something I will be focusing on... The two women were from the Renew Integrative Health Center.

I also spent the weekend relieving stress by...

MELON BALLING

Oh summer fruit... how I love thee.

I found out Sunday that one of the The Boy's coworkers got engaged (CONGRATS Blair & Jeff), so what else to do but bake!  I dove into Lorie's Snickerdoodle Blondies.

Seriously, the smell in the apartment was out of this world!

Wet & Dry.. then....

heaven....

...a cinnamon-sugary heaven, that is.

FINALLY... I made a homecooked meal for The Boy on Sunday evening... It consisted of:

tilapia, basil, orange juice, orange zest, salt, pepper, mushrooms.

They were all foiled up in a pack & baked at 375 for 20 mins.

YUM!!

So, here's to another work week.  I hope you focus on yourself, thank your body for the wonderful things it provides for you, and don't forget to smile.

Love, Haley

blah

I pray for strength to get through the next few days.

The past 2 days at work have been crazy... I don't even know what to say or where to start.  Therefore, I will leave you with some pictures of food, my dog, and my love.  These things make me smile...

Banana, cup strawberries, cup of spinach, cup of almond milk, scoop of vanilla protein, 1 T chia seeds...

Topped with blueberries... mmm mmm

Just have...

FIGS: newest obsession

Cheesy Veggie Stacks: egg plant, zucchini, ricotta cheese, spinach, onion, tomato sauce, mushrooms...

My puppers

He keeps me sane..

World View

Yesterday I was asked what my world view was.  I went home last night and really thought about this.  I don't think I know what my view of the world is.  I am 25 years old and still discovering who I am.  I don't think I will ever fully know the purpose I have in this world because I am constantly learning.

When I went to answer the question, I thought about who I am and who I have come to be.  I think my "sense of place" in this world comes from being the oldest out of 3 children.  Growing up I took on the "mother" role a little too well.  My dad was always working out of town and I think I stepped into his shoes (even though my mom was there).  I tended to tell my brother and sister what to do and what was best for them.  To this day, I find myself worrying more about my little brother and little sister than myself. I believe this is how my ED started... I don't care for myself.  I try to control others (and my eating)...

Once I began this thought process again... I ran with it to think about my world view.

The way I view the world is with a sense of anxiety.  I am a Type-A person all the way and I like to have control and be able to schedule and plan.  I easily take on leadership roles.  My thoughts are that if you want something a certain way, then you should get involved and give your opinion.

I feel as if I am rambling on and on... but the questions posed yesterday were:
WHO am I?
WHAT is my responsibility?
HOW do I carry myself
HOW do I see the world?

These are deep questions...  things to think about...

going loca...

today has been a crazy day so far & it is 4pm.

we are doing this workshop at my school for the staff that focuses on the hawaiian culture..

a little background regarding my school:  we are based on the pacific american values of love, respect, etc.. so, our admin thought it would be a good idea to bring in a group from Hawaii to enlighten us.  back to my story...

the group of 3 women (while all very nice & i appreciate them coming out this week) came into the room and started speaking eng-ian... (my sorry word for english and hawaiian).  i swear the words coming out of their mouths were gibberish.  i am writing now because i am extremely frustrated.  we have a staff of 8 teachers & only 2 have lived in hawaii.  therefore, the remaining 6 of us don't know a lick of hawaiian.  maybe these women have never had any formal teacher training.  i would have appreciated a little intro to the hawaiian alphabet or maybe some numbers...   JUST BREATHE, HALEY!

enough complaining!!  it is monday & i have a 4 day work week this week because we were given Friday off.  to make things even better, we have next monday off as well!  yippeeee!  once again, i live for the weekend!

breakfast this morning was french toast.  it was so good & filling!  pics to come.....

<3, haley

so fresh & so clean, clean

once again, it has been a while...

things have been crazy around here in san diego.  i started work up again on august 2.  therefore, tons of staff development & getting the classroom/school ready.  i am teaching first grade at a new school in SD.  the building is an old headstart (preschool) building; there is tons of painting and fixing up that is being done.  i am super excited for the year to start on sept 7 though..

i have also been busy with our charger season tickets!  so far there have been 2 preseason games & the boy and i are living it up.  my dad sent us a chargers ez-up for tailgating.  it is pretty sexy...

anywho... i really wish i made more time for my blog.  i think i spend entirely too much of my day on the internet looking up random things & reading through others blogs.  i want to blog more because it is an outlet.  blogging is a way to talk about your day, your life (crazy-sad-happy-exciting-busy-etc.) and send it out to the world.  who knows if it will be read?  but really, for me, that is not what it is about! 

enough about that.. for dinner tonight we stayed FRESH & CLEAN (thanks outkast)..  the boy said he wanted a sunomono salad (cucumbers--like at sushi).  so, i whisked up some rice vinegar, splenda, soy sauce, & ground ginger... mmm

pic is a tad blurry... sorry.  the boy was rushing me!  we also made up some kabobs.. with bell peppers, onions, monster mushrooms, and shrimpys! 

well, it is sunday night.  tomorrow starts another work week.. we will see how thing blogging keeps up.  i hope it does =)  night all...

<3, haley

Dairy-Free Polenta Lasagna

Happy Wednesday!

Yesterday was a great day... started off with the pancakes, then lunch was a HUGE salad..

Romaine, broccoli, carrots, corn, black beans, 2 slices of turkey, red pepper flakes, italian dressing, and a dusting of nutritional yeast... yum yum yum

Once The Boy got home from work, we took Stanley to the park to release some of that crazy dog energy!

I spent the better part of the day creating a recipe (will follow)... Dairy-Free Polenta Lasagna

I started off with making the Polenta

As it was thickening up, I added in some dried basil and garlic powder... stir, stir, stir

Once the polenta is THICK (~15 min), pour & spread in an oiled dish to firm up (~10 min)..

As the polenta is firming, caramelize some chopped onions & brown ground turkey (or meat substitute). Add in a little garlic salt.. & then combine the onions & turkey

The polenta should be firm by now... turn the dish upside down on to a plate to continue the cooldown.

Julienne (or cut up) some veggies that are in the fridge & saute.  I used zucchini, carrots & cabbage...

Cut the polenta in half, lengthwise, in order to begin the layering process...

(pic won't turn... hmmm...)

You get the idea.

I cut the polenta, spread some tomato sauce on top, added tomato sauce to the meat & onion mixture (simmer)... then LAYERRR

I layered polenta, veggies, meat, polenta, veggies meat....

Then cook at 350 for 20 mins (covered)... then uncover & cook an additional 10. Voila!

(I added some nutritional yeast for the cheesy taste...)

ENJOY!!

Polenta Lasagna

.5c of Polenta

1.5c water

.5t basil

.5t garlic

.5 tsp salt

10 oz. turkey

.5 onion

1 zucchini

1 carrot

cabbage

tomato sauce

red pepper flakes (to taste)

1. Cook polenta, add in basil, garlic, salt (stir, shape, cool)

2. Brown turkey

3. Caramelize onions

4. Combine turkey and onions

5. Julienne zucchini, carrots & chop cabbage

6. Cook veggies

7. Heat tomato sauce & add in turkey mixture, red pepper flakes, dash basil

8. Cut polenta in half to layer...

9. Layer polenta, veggies, meat, repeat

10. Cook 350 for 20 mins covered then 10 mins uncovered..

11. Dust with nutritional yeast!

12. ENJOY!

I am off to purchase an ice cream maker... recipes to come for sure!

Love, Haley

Protein Pancake Palooza

Yes, you heard me right... or is it read me right?

I made Gina's Protein Pancakes this morning... successfully!

A little background regarding my breakfasts....

• Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.
• I have a breakfast "routine" that got me into trouble back during my ED days...
• I read the paper, drink coffee, and tend to fall into a ritual of eating the SAME THING everyday...

Therefore, I have set a goal for myself to try a new breakfast everyday.  I am only allowed to repeat a breakfast every 3 days.  So, I started with a smoothie (my recent ritual), then I had May's french toast oats, then french toast, repeat smoothie... and now Protein Pancakes!!

I followed the recipe almost exactly... except I only used 1 scoop of protein & I didn't have nutmeg...

Mix the dry...

Add the wet...

Then cook 'em up!

The finished product came out a little strange........

I attempted to organize the cakes into a smiley face because they were shaped very awkwardly!  I topped them with syrup & a dash of salt (I love me some sweet-n-salty)..

Mmmm mmm good!

Now on to yoga...

I did CorePower Hot Fusion Yoga this morning... Again, this is day 2 of my hot yoga venture.. Again, I thought it was SOOO detoxifying.  I left the studio even more drenched than yesterday.  There were not a dry spot on my clothes.  Nasty, I know... However, it felt so wonderful.  I think of the sweat as negativity leaving my body.  I focus on the fact that when I breathe in, I am allowing positive thoughts in...

Although I have done this now for only 2 days, I feel more aware of my body & my mind.  I need this in my life.  I struggle with my ED and negative thoughts daily; yoga is bringing me back to center.  I thank my body for being able to stretch, bend, and for allowing me to do the practice of yoga.  

I know I am rambling, but I thoroughly enjoyed the session this morning.  I went in with an intention of releasing stress and I accomplished this.

Namaste,

Haley