Feeling real witchy at work today

Favorite Recipes: Potato Corn Chowder

So as many of you know I love to cook. Like, a lot. I usually cook 4-5 times a week. Although I'm generally pretty busy, cooking is a great way for me to decompress and be creative. I tend to have a few favorites that I rotate through when I'm pressed for time, but these generally change depending on season and what I'm craving. I've decided to post some of my faves. I figured I would start with the one I ate tonight: Potato Corn Chowder.

I generally make about 4 portions of things and share with friends or take the leftovers for lunch. 

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil

Half to a whole onion chopped

2 Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces

1 can chicken stock

1 cup water (or enough to cover the potatoes)

3-4 ears of corn or 2 cups frozen

2 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp salt

2 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt

1/4 grated parmesan or other sharp, white cheese

Heat large pot and add oil. Add onions and sauté until translucent. Add potatoes and sauté for a couple minutes. Add chicken stock and water. Boil till potatoes are soft. Add half of the corn and all the seasonings. Blend with a hand blender or pour into batches in a regular blender. (If you are obsessed with soup like I am, I highly recommend getting a hand blender. Easy to use and clean.) Stir in yogurt and cheese and add the remaining corn. Eat. Try not to eat the whole thing. 

For those of you who say you are too busy to cook, this whole thing takes 30 minutes or less. I usually unload my clean dishes or wash the dirty ones while the potatoes are boiling. Multi-tasking!! 

Up next: Veggie spaghetti sauce! 

Possibly Contributing to My Trouble Sleeping

I've developed a mild obsession with this show. This is out of the ordinary and problematic for a couple reasons:

1. I don't normally love violet television/movies. Like, I cover my eyes during the "scary" parts, but I just. can't. stop. watching.

2. The only time I have to watch TV is right before bed, which makes this the last thing I watch. Talk about some weird dreams! 

3. When Jared is here, we don't watch this or watch TV at all before bed, but he has been gone almost every night for two weeks. Uh oh! 

4. I'm generally not a huge fan of motorcycles, which is a major element of the entire show. 

Aside from the issues above, I'm clearly hooked to watching the previous seasons on Netflix. I highly, in a weird way, recommend watching it. However, I cannot be responsible if you can't stop watching. 

Rest In Peace

Early yesterday morning, October 10, 2011, my dear Grandma Yo passed away in her sleep. She was 89 years young and lived a life full of love and creativity. I have nothing but fun, happy memories with her, filled with her humming away as she worked or cooked. She made the best pasta, simple with just butter and cheese, and she was the source for the majority of my clothing throughout childhood and my teen years. She used to send me dresses in the mail, and as soon as I would get them, I would put them on and do the "twirl test", which entailed me spinning in circles to see if the skirt had good twirl. She was a great artist, teacher, mother, grandmother and friend to so many. I will miss her so much, but I'm glad she is at peace. 

Look What Came in the Mail!

Happy Friday! I ordered some new shoes from Target because 1. I needed some new shoes and 2. They were having a buy one, get one half off! Walking around the City so much really kills shoes fast and working at a nonprofit means I have a tight budget, so I jump at a shoe sale!

Life Saving Product: Coconut Water

Coconut water. Yum. I literally drink 5-6 of these a week! 

I have one of these waiting for me in the car every time I go work out and it saves my life every time. It is basically natural Gatorade, without all the extra sugar and carbs. It is also clutch for curing a hangover or preventing one by drinking one before bed. The taste may take a little while to get used to but it really is amazing. Since it is a little pricey, I buy it in bulk on Amazon. Check it out! 

Weekend Wrap Up

Happy Sunday friends! Hope you had a great weekend. I finally had a weekend at home and it was lovely. Friday, I went to my Dad's for pizza night and then hit the hay kind of early. I was tiiiiired! 

Saturday, I woke up early and took Ms. Dog to the beach and then went to CrossFit. The workout was hard but fun, as usual. Then I took myself to brunch at The Grove in Hayes Valley (with my trusty companion), and ran some errands. 

In the afternoon, Jared's sister, Amanda, and I went to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in Golden Gate Park, where we saw Broken Social Scene and Reckless Kelly with the millions of other people there. We took the dog for a quick walk, and then put our names in at Burma Superstar. While we waited, we hit a local pub for a couple drinks and a rowdy group of bar-goers bought us a shot. After quite a wait, we finally enjoyed some good grub. We had their tea leaf salad, Chicken Tofu Kebat, Peashoots and a really good, flat noodle dish. We both were pretty beat, so we headed to our respective beds. I oddly answered the phone when Jared called (he has been out of town, shocking, I know) when I was fully asleep, and I woke up in the middle of talking to him having no clue that I had answered the phone. I'm sure Jared thought I was crazy! We chatted for like 20 minutes and I vaguely remember what we talked about. Oops :)

Sunday, or No Alarm Sunday as I like to call it, equals sleeping in and it was glorious! When I finally got up, I hit the farmer's market and store, and then headed to my Dad's for some brunch and hiking. 

When I was little, and well, until I moved out of my parent's house, we had waffles every Sunday while we listened to opera. I fully plan on carrying on this tradition when I have kids. 

The dog was a really ready to go outside and play, so she was giving us the cold shoulder to demonstrate her impatience. Silly puppy! 

Hiking was beautiful as usual. We did a familiar trail that takes about 2 hours and displays beautiful views of the City. Love, love being able to drive 20 minutes and hit a great trail.

Hope you all had a great weekend and are ready for a wonderful week! 

Whew! This Week Was Longgggg!

Hi loves! This week has been CRAZYYYYY! I have had lots of fun obligations and I'm so looking forward to just sleeping all weekend (or just more than like 6 hours a night). 

Here are some highlights of my week and some of my favorite Internet finds/desires.

I got this in the mail today from Amazon. 

I want this for my farmer's market shopping. 

I joined this site as a way to make some extra cash. 

I met this guy on Tuesday and got to chat with him for about 5 minutes. 

I really want to make these this weekend. Yum!! 

This is one of my new favorite blogs by one of my favorites Kristen Cochran. Write that name down because she is going to be a HUGE interior designer one day (she's already pretty badass)!

Hope you all have an AMAZING weekend! XOXO

Hello....Fall?

Last week was the first day of Fall, but you sure wouldn't know it by the AMAZING weather in SF!

Seriously, everyday has been beautiful, which makes it hard to be at work. The other day I had to leave work a little early to run (a work-related) errand, so I stopped at the beach with the dog. It was gorgeous and made me so happy to live in this beautiful city.

Thursday Night As A Grown Up....

....sure looks different than college.

I also get to walk the dog, give her a bath and clean my apartment. Oh, and I'd kill to go to bed by 10. Not gonna happen :(

OMG, NYC!

Where to even begin? I got back from New York last night and it was one amazing trip. I arrived Wednesday night and the next 3 days were a blur of fun and craziness.

Thursday

Since Kristen had to work and Jared wasn't scheduled to arrive until Friday evening, I had the pleasure of spending the whole day alone exploring the city. I started off at the High Line to grab some of my favorite SF coffee in NYC at the Blue Bottle kiosk. The High Line was amazing! Such an amazing way to incorporate some nature in such an urban setting. 

Yummmmm! 

Bird House Sculpture

Cool Benches Overlooking the Streets

After grabbing a quick crepe at Le Grainne Cafe (very cute), I decided to walk to the Met through Central Park. This was about 3.5 miles away, but I felt like it would be a great way to see the city. Since there was a threat of rain, it was a pretty quick walk, but I made it just in time.

 The Mall in Central Park  

The Met

The Met was beautiful and completely overwhelming. I focused on two photography exhibits and then just did some general wandering. After about 3 hours, I decided to see if the rain stopped and walk around a bit more. Fast forward past some light shopping and more walking, and I met Kristen at her apartment with a bottle of wine for a pre-dinner cocktail (and a pain reliever for my poor feet).                                                           

These dogs were barking! 

Amanda met up with us for dinner and drinks a Public (Amanda had kangaroo!!) and then we hit one of their neighborhood bars. And, boy, did we hit it hard. There are no pictures of this, thank God.

Friday

Since I was super hungover, I spent most of the day walking around Kristen's neighborhood and playing with Jackie's puppy Nikita. I stopped at The Grey Dog for some lunch and decided to treat my hangover with a little mac n' cheese. 

So good

That evening, Jared arrived and I met him at the hotel. Since we weren't in the same city for my birthday, we decided to celebrate Friday with a date night. We had one of the best meals I've had in a very long time at Scarpetta. Fresh, homemade pasta and an amazing steak were the highlights of the meal, well, besides the company, of course :). After dinner, we had a drink on the patio (I guess that is what you would consider the area we were in) of the Standard Hotel. Such a lovely night with my favorite guy. There are no pictures because we were just too into enjoying each other's company (awwwww!). 

Saturday

We started the day by meeting Dana for brunch at Peels. I had shrimp and grits topped with a fried egg and a side of fried chicken (yes, I was being a total fat kid, I know). After catching up we headed our separate ways: Dana off to Philly for a half marathon the next day and Jared and I off to explore more of the city. Jared and I started by checking out Governor's Island, which, to both of our surprises, was totally free. We decided to rent a quad cycle to check out the island, which I was really happy about since my poor feet weren't fully recovered.  All the pics for this portion of the trip are still on Jared's camera, which is with him in NYC, so I'll post those later. 

After we left the island, we decided to walk to the World Trade Center site and we ended up also finding a moving photo exhibit in a nearby building. The pictures almost brought me to tears and reminded me of what a tragic day that was for so many families. 

We were both a little pooped at this point, so we headed back to the hotel for a quick nap and to get ready for the evening with Kristen, Chelsea and our significant others. We all met at Southern Hospitality, where Chelsea works, for some delish BBQ and drinks. After dinner, we made our way to Terminal 5 (cool venue, rude staff) for the Ghostland Observatory concert, which was AH-MAZING! 

GLO!!!

Since it was my last night in NYC, we all decided to get another drink at a bar with a great view, so we headed to Ink48. The bar had a breath-taking view of the entire city. It was truly a perfect setting to catching up with old friends on my final night on vacation. 

Ink48

ZTAs in NYC! 

The End

Sunday was a little rough, but I was so glad to get home. Perfect birthday vacation with lots of my favorite people! 

A Great Greeting

I finally made it to NYC! And, when I got here, Kristen had a really cute cake waiting for me for a belated birthday celebration. So sweet! 

Traveling Flowers

They were so pretty I couldn't imagine leaving them behind.

Sigh.

I'm really missing these two right about now. Luckily, I get to see one of them on Friday in NYC! I'll let you guess which one. 

Goodbye 25, Hello 26

Happy Birthday To Me!

In reflection of my last year, here is what I have learned:

1. It's okay to switch jobs in the pursuit of happiness.

I have had 3 different jobs in the period of 3 years. I LOVE my current job. I have some much room to learn. Are there everyday annoyances? Yes. But I generally go home every night and either don't think about work or worry in a good way.

2. Relationships may get harder, but the bond should grow deeper in the process.

Relationships are never easy all the time. But we (or at least I think we, I never want to speak for Jared)are still in it to win it. No one ever said love is easy, but it is totally worth it. * I made some edits from this original post because some of my friends made me see what I wrote wasn't coming across as I meant. Oops :)

3. Things get better with age.

I honestly feel hotter than I ever have. I work my ASS off every time I work out, whether that be at CrossFit or by myself, therefore I deserve to feel HOT right now. Bring it on 30!!!

4. Family means more than ever.

My biggest fear is to lose my Dad, but I respect the long life my Grandma Yo has lived. While I hope Grandpa is okay without her, I know Grandma has lived a full and (generally) happy life.

SO, all in all:

Live

Love

Laugh

xoxo

Carmen

Conference Report

 So far, there hasn't been much action here at this conference. I probably should have arrived today, but the booking was out of my hands. I arrived last night and promptly ordered room service and took a bath in their lovely tub. 

Today, I slept in (in the HUGE bed), then hit the gym. Expecting the regular sub-par hotel gym, I was pleasantly surprised to find a fully stocked facility. After a pretty good workout, I grabbed some food and then went back to my room until a pre-conference workshop. 

In case I haven't mentioned, this is a Catholic fundraising conference, so it's an interesting group. Lots of nuns in habits getting some looks from the other hotel guests! The organization I work for was started by an order of nuns over 100 years ago, and while we are no longer governed by the group nor do we teach any religious lessons in the classroom, we are still registered with the church. I'm not a very religious person, and I, like many others, have heard the less than favorable reportings on the Catholic church. Regardless of any other information about the church, I have to say the nuns are the kindest, most accepting group of people I have ever come across. As a whole, they have done an INCREDIBLE amount of service in our world. Sadly, there are not many new nuns, and many orders are literally dying out. With this aging population, the orders are faced with having to care for women who sacrificed worldly possessions, including money, to serve others. Since money makes the world go round, they are having trouble funding their late-life care. While I personally don't have a solution for these issues, I realize there are many issues that people face that would have never occurred to me. 

Tonight is another night of room service and relaxation, and tomorrow things will start to pick up. How's your weekend going?

Crazy!!

There's a TV in the mirror of the bathroom of my hotel!!

Hi!!

Hi there! So you may be wondering if I fell off the face of the Earth, and I'm glad to report that I haven't. I have just been crazy busy and not home very often. My travels started when I went on a vacay to Jared's family's house in Waldoboro, Maine, then I took a unexpected trip to LA to see my Grandma, who isn't doing well, and now I currently on a plane to Orlando for a conference then off to NYC for some fun. WHEW! That sentence alone made me tired! 

Pics of Maine will be up soon. It was a great time with some great friends, food and scenery. We ended up extending our trip another day due to Hurricane Irene. Aside from rain and a lot of wind, Irene wasn't too bad. We even spent most of the day of the hurricane playing outside.

LA was a bit stressful and sad, as my Grandmother (my Mom's Mom) is declining. She is 89 years old and has lived a long eventful life. It was nice to catch up with my Mom's side of the family, but I wish we could have gathered for another reason. Grandma is currently in an amazing nursing home, so we are glad she is safe and as comfortable as possible.  I'm a little worried about my Grandfather, but they luckily have great neighbors to check in on him everyday. 

Now for Orlando. I'm going to a fundraising conference for work, which I think will be really beneficial and a great learning experience. Unfortunately, I will be spending my birthday there, but I honestly don't love my birthday anyways. Since I have to work over the weekend, I'm going to take Thursday and Friday off to go to NY to visit some of my favorite friends (and ZTA's!). Jared is going to meet me there on Friday to have a late birthday celebration. All in all, it should be a great trip and I promise to be better about posting! How have you been?!

Weekend Wrap Up

This weekend was pretty eventful and chock-full of good times!

Friday, I spent the entire day cleaning out our storage at work (my boss and Executive Director are complete hoarders!!), so I was pretty tired after work. I took a little napped at Jared's while he packed for Maine, and then we headed to his parent's house to pick some stuff up before dinner. We went to a cute little Italian place in the Marina called Ristorante Parma, where I had to prohibit Jared from ordering the entire menu. After dinner, I dropped him off at the airport for his red-eye to Maine and then I headed home to cuddle with the dog and hit the hay.

Saturday, I woke up bright and early and took the dog for a walk and then went to CrossFit. We actually worked out on the beach, which was really fun. Afterwards, I went to Sports Basement and bought some new shoes to replace my really smelly, dirty, old running shoes. I ended up getting a pair of New Balance Minimus on the recommendation of Aliza. They are great and perfect for CrossFit because your feet are flatter on the ground and you can spread your toes, which helps when lifting weight.

Pretty cute and comfy!

After that I made some breakfast, took a nap, ran some errands and then got ready to go out. I met up with Aliza at her place and Kyle and her cousin were there. After a drink, we headed to Chinatown for her brother's birthday party. We ended up at Li Po Lounge, which is hands down the weirdest bar I've been to in the City. He rented out the basement and hired a DJ, so after a few drinks we hit the dance floor. SO FUN!

Proof of Chinatown

Part of our 2nd dinner

Around 12:30, we decided to stop and get some Chinese food (HORRIBLE IDEA!!)  then head to a house party of one of Kyle's co-workers. It was basically a college party and all the booze was gone except for random things you wouldn't want to drink anyways. I would have considered it a fail, except I had a hilarious conversation with a gay guy, who from as far as I could tell had only recently come out of the closet, but boy, was he out! After that I went home and passed out!

Sunday (or what I call no alarm Sunday) I woke up at 6:30, chugged some coconut water and went back to bed. When I finally really woke up at 10:30, I saw I had a text from Leah inviting me to Stern Grove with her, her family and Lauren to have a picnic watch the San Francisco Opera perform. I managed to pull myself together and hit the farmer's market before walking the dog. I picked up what I consider a great hangover cure: fresh juice from Lucy Juicy and a croissant.

beet, apple, lemon, giner = Liver Cure

After the dog walk, I stopped at the farmer's market again to get some contributions to our picnic at Stern Grove. I bought some strawberries, olives and cookies. After dropping the dog off at my Dad's, Lauren and I headed to Stern Grove. It was so amazing. It is basically an amphitheater in the middle of a bunch of beautiful trees. We had a beautiful spread, and while it wasn't sunny, the weather was nice enough for San Francisco in the summer.

Yum!

My family has always been really into opera (hence my name), so I recognized a lot of the pieces they played. Actually, when I was growing up we listened to opera every Sunday while making waffles for breakfast. The picnic and performance were perfect for my energy level that day.

 Later, I took a nap (notice a weekend theme here), walked the dog and went to dinner (Italian again) with my Dad.

All in all a great weekend, although I should have done more to pack for Maine. I'm leaving Tuesday night, eeeeek!! Oh well, I'll get it done sometime. Happy Monday and have a great week!

p.s. I think this picture of Serena "reading" her birthday card from Emy is possibly one of my favorite pictures of her!

Vacation: So Close, but So Far Away

This time next week I will be in Waldoborough, Maine with Jared, his family and a bunch of friends at Jared's family's AMAZING house. I can't freakin' wait!!

This picture is from last year after a rough hike, which started off being 7-8 miles and ended up being more like 10. So worth the views though!

Fungus Among Us

I saw this crazy fungus growing out of a tree in Golden Gate Park while walking the dog this morning. The bright pop of color really stood out agains the beautiful neutral grain of the wood. 

Checking Things Off My To-Do List

Man, I am sure getting things done this week! I LOVE when I have really productive weeks. Sunday wasn't so great due to my Saturday festivities, but still probably more productive than some. Here are a few things I've checked-off:

• Picked up a bunch of stuff from my Dad's house, including:
• A microwave that ended up being to big and really dirty (not a success)
• A trashcan (mine lost its ability to stay closed in the midst of a semi-breakdown I had a couple weeks ago...oops)
• Dog food (Serena was happy about this one)
• New/used dish drying rack that is SO MUCH COOLER than the shitty one I had. I was actually excited to dishes today. I'm sure that will wear off.
• Designed and created invitations for an event we are having in October at work. They are pretty cute and I love the chance to be a little crafty. I'll post a picture when they are done.
• Got over my trauma from the last time I had to overhaul our SalesForce at work and started working on the system at my new job. It helps that my current boss isn't an alcoholic-workaholic like the last one.
• Started to clean out my closet. Some clothes just need to go.
• Made myself a budget to really, REALLY try to stick to so I will stop spending so much money and start saving more. I have discovered I spend a ridiculous amount on food and I blame San Francisco.
• Set up a payment plan for my heart procedure bills. Ugh.
• Wrote an article for the Junior League periodical, the Fogcutter.

Whew! And it's only Tuesday!! How's your week going??

Weekend Wrap Up

Hello! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Mine started out with very few plans and ended up being extremely entertaining.

Friday night, I went to my Dad's girlfriend's house for dinner with some of her friends, most of whom were very entertaining gay men. My Dad made pizza and Patricia made a really good salad. I headed home after that because I was super tired and wanted to get up to workout on Saturday.

Saturday, I took the dog to Chrissy Field before I worked out and then did a really hard workout at CrossFit. Kicked my ass!! That was my 5th time going last week and I was really feeling it. After that, I headed to my Dad's for breakfast and to drop off the dog, so he could watch her the rest of the day. Around noon, I met up with Jared and our friend, Jeremy, to grab a bite and try to find one more ticket to Outside Lands. Trying to find this ticket was not unlike a drug deal. Luckily, we found one and then headed over to our friend Alex's for a pre-party and to catch a party bus to the part of Golden Gate Park where the concert was taking place. That is really the best way to start a concert in my opinion.

Jared and I on the bus

We saw a few bands including the Black Keys and then decided we should probably eat something. After having a really good sandwich and some tater tots, we hit the wine tent (not really a great idea at this point, but still fun) and then headed over to the stage where Girl Talk was playing. Hands down best concert ever! So much fun dancing with Jared, Jeremy and my new friend, Shannon!

Girl Talk

 That was the last show of the night, so we headed out of the park to realize that we lost the party bus and we were really far from an easy way home. So....I called my Dad, and he was nice enough to pick us up. You're never to old to call your parents when your drunk and stranded!

Sunday consisted of recovering, cleaning and some grocery shopping. We also sold our tickets to people who wanted to go to the concert on Sunday, which again was very similar to dealing drugs I would guess. I made really good spaghetti and meatballs and we watched Mystic River. Needless to say, I could still use one more day of weekend!

ROOOAAARRR!!!!

That is how I feel today for a few reasons.

1. I hate when people talk down to me, especially when we are going to give them LOTS of $$$. What happened to quality customer service?

2. I especially hate #1 when they do it because they think/know I'm young. Age is just a number unless you want to make something of it.

3. My contacts are driving me crazy.

4. Someone ate half of my lunch....as in half of the container of soup I brought in. Really, people!!??

Luckily, it's getting close to the end of the day, so all this madness will stop soon.....unless it follows me home.

Weekend Wrap Up

Hey hey!! Hope you all had a great weekend. I FINALLY spent a weekend at home and it was kind of nice. Jared was out of town (again), so I got to do whatever I wanted (not that he doesn't let me do what I want). Friday, I ended up staying at work late to help out and take pictures of our End of the Year party, which was jungle themed. I got to hand out animal hats and it was SO cute. One of my favorite little boys specifically requested a cow hat, which was hilarious because it was such a different choice from everyone else. 

Saturday, I took the dog to the beach before I went to CrossFit. She, of course, loved it. Workout was pretty tough, but I felt great after. I went to one of my favorite cafes for brunch (that was MUCH needed after my workout) and had the best breakfast burrito ever. 

Yum!!

After some laundry and relaxing, I got ready to go out, and put a little extra effort into it, since I have been feeling a little blah lately. Once I was beautified, I met up with Ryan at Churchill for a drink (or three) and my old boss/mentor, Julie, was there as well. It was so great to catch up and have a fun night out. Ryan and I had dinner at a Asian fusion place in the Castro called Nirvana, and then I headed home.

Jenny Jerome from Brooklyn at Churchill

Sunday consisted of sleeping in, running some errands and black bean soup is cooking on the stove as I write. Ready for another busy week! How was your weekend?

Sunday Morning Cuddling 

I Hope....

.... that some day, someone feels like this for me. Sometimes that seems like it will never happen.

Things I'm Seriously Considering

Warning: This post is EXTREMELY random.

Below are a few things I've been seriously considering lately:

1. Where I want to be in the next 5 years.

For the most part, I have NO clue, but I like to think of the many different possibilities. Oh the luxury of being young (except when I feel really old).

2. I will celebrate the day when I stop receiving medical bills.

For those of you who know me, I have gone to the hospital for two serious issues for the last two years. In 2010, I slipped in the shower and broke my collar bone (go buy a bathmat NOW, if you don't have one). Yes, I realize I'm the perfect candidate for life alert. Then, this year I had this silly little heart condition that lead to surgery. The cost for health care, even with insurance, is out of control and if I didn't have the help of my loving Father, I would be in some serious debt.

3. Sometimes I'm really jealous of some of my friends' lives.

I totally love the majority of my life, especially now that I live in SF, but sometimes I feel like I'm not making the most out of things. Half of me wishes I was more settled down and the other half thinks I should go out and go a little more crazy (although, usually when I try to listen to that half, the hangover the next day reminds me why I ignore it a lot). I guess it is just a question of balance and a fear of one day regretting what I should have done.

4. I am playing with the thought of getting a portrait of Serena made.

I really do love my dog that much. I realize this does make me a little crazy.

5. A list of the things I wish I could buy right now (but can't because I'm trying to budget):

- New shoes for working out. The old ones are getting pretty smelly.

- New jeans. Due to some leg friction, my pants have some holes in places that are just not appropriate.

- This camera bag. Do I hear a birthday present calling?

- Some new shoes. All the walking I do really takes a toll on shoes, a problem I didn't have in Houston.

These are the fairly constant thoughts that have been running through my head lately and I'm grateful that these are some of my biggest "concerns". Talk about white girl problems!

Sunday Food Shopping

I'll post a recap of this weekend soon, but I just went to Whole Foods to get stocked up for this week. I have been out of town literally every weekend for the last 2 months, so I'm really excited that I could pick some food up today to be prepared for the week.

Items Purchased
- 6 ears of corn
- Head of romaine
- Small head of raddicio
- Bunch of green onions
- 2 peaches
- Sugar peas
- 2 potatoes
- 1 bell pepper
- 4 tomatoes
- 2 lemons
- 1 box of baby arugula
- 1 roast chicken
- Fresh pasta
- Block of swiss cheese
- Container of parm
- Milk from a local farm
- Greek yogurt
- Box of instant oatmeal with flax seeds
- Bulk peanuts

Here are a couple examples of what I plan to make with all of that:
- Tonight, I'm bringing a chopped salad to Jared's before we go to see Crazy, Stupid, Love. It has lettuce, raddicio, chicken, peanuts, corn, tomato, carrots and grated swiss and I'm going to dress it with lemon, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.
- Tomorrow, I'm going to use the peas, parm and pasta for this dish. I'll probably pair it with an arugula salad.
- I'm going to make this corn soup on Tuesday.

Hope you guys had a great weekend! What are you planning to cook up this week? 

Oh HEYYYYY Friday!

Happy Friday!! Here are some of my favorite things from this week:

- My favorite workout this week was practicing Turkish Get-Ups and 5 rounds of 300m row, 15 2 for 1 wall balls and 15 kettle bell swings finished off with 100 sit-ups for time. Whew!

- The Homefront at Churchill with some of my favorite people.

- This beautiful marriage proposal featured on Cup of Jo.

- Reading this blog makes me hungry! Hey Sica! 

- My favorite meal I made this week was leftover steak from our trip to Healdsburg and eggs with some cheddar! It's pretty basic, but I didn't do a lot of cooking this week.

- I ordered these shorts from JCrew. Yay for sales!!

- Oh and probably most importantly..... I said YES to being my bestie's Maid of Honor. I can't WAIT!!! 

We are heading up to Tahoe tonight and I'm pretty excited. Hope you all have a lovely weekend!!