Wise Words

"Out of the recent troubled years of tax reduction and budget slashing has come a new consciousness of this principle: If our communities are to support a forward-looking program of free public education, they must be told what the schools are doing for the children..." generalities are not enough, readers want to know what has been done and what can be done."
-J. Erle Grinnell 1937

Summer Fun

It's been too long since I blogged.  Way too long.  Since my last post (which I totally phoned in- sorry), I've logged over 5,500 miles via car and plane to see dear old friends, attend weddings, and hang out in my favorite city.  Because I'm too lazy to write words about the trips, here they are in pictures:

Seeing my dear friend, Megan - The last time we saw each other was at my High School Graduation

Getting to Meet "Gwyndi" (Megan's precious girl) and 

Emma, (Marta's daughter and my new best friend)

And then it was Wedding Time!

Congrats Corey and Abbey, or "Corbey"

...and then it was on to Boston: I like books.

 No, we were not bridesmaids. Our dresses were only "similar"

Oh My Prom

Law School Loves on a Bus

Being "those people"

Mr. and Mrs. Hoffmann - Too Gorgeous!

Fabulous Night.

I'll have way more exciting posts to come, but for now, I'm trying not to die of exhaustion from all the projects going on at work.  Have a wonderful Friday, Everyone!

Salad Meals

I really didn't even want to put the word "salad" in the title of this post because it's such a cliche word.  I think the 90's (maybe the 80's- i was a fetus) gave this word a bad name.  I swear I can remember thinking as a young child, "eat a salad, lose weight." Sad.  What's even more crazy sad is real people thinking "as long as there is lettuce somewhere in there, it's healthy."  No, silly-pants, tons of cheese and meat and bacon and a cup of blue cheese dressing on lettuce is not healthy.  And the whole connotation that goes along with a lady saying, "i'll just have a salad" is silly.  Salads can be meals, people, delicious, healthy filling meals.  So, while I continue to think of a better name for salads, enjoy some of my favorite lettuce concoctions below.  Also, I'm not putting dressing suggestions, but think healthy people, extra-virgin olive oil, other oils and vinegars, or, simply, a mashed-up avocado.
I always start with romaine or romaine hearts or other combos of crunchy lettuces. I like crunch. And I despise baby lettuces. Except baby spinach. I don't know why, but most baby lettuces make me want to vomit.  I'm being dramatic.
And then, depending on how I'm feeling that day, I add the following combos (or sub-combos):

1. Tex-Mex

Black Beans (drained and rinsed) or Warm Refried Beans (some find this weird. I find it amazing)

a smidgen of pepper jack

Tomatoes

Black Olives

White Onions

Green Bell Pepper

Your favorite homemade salsa

Jalapenos

Avocado

Spritz of Lime

2. Grainy (in the good way)

Chilled (or Warm) Plain Cous Cous (or other grain you like)

Grape tomatoes

Red, orange, or yellow bell pepper

Peas

a smidgen of feta

Little Lemon Juice

3. Fruity

(Start with Spinach here)

Strawberries

Blueberries

really, any berries

Green apple

Oranges are delish, too

4. Intense Flavors (use a toothbrush after this one, folks)

Kalamata Olives

Green Olives

Red Onion

Bell Pepper

Artichokes

Bean Sprouts

5. Summer

Quinoa

Green Beans

Asparagus

Corn

Shrimp

Spritz of Lemon

Yum-Fest Summer Dish

Image from http://recipes.terra-organics.com/2010/12/avocado/

I am addicted to avocados and guacamole.

Serious addiction.

On my vegan days, it's all I want to eat.

And I usually do.

So, when I saw this "salad" recipe on the WholeFoods website, I was seriously convinced that someone had crawled inside my brain (stomach) and made a "salad" I would fall in love with.  Informative aside, I'm using quotes around "salad" because to me, this is just a pre-mixed up guac that is so deliciously chunky and marvelous... and a little magical.

Avocado and Grape Tomato "Salad"

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved 

chopped cilantro, to taste

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/4 white onion, chopped

2 avocados, chopped 

Coarse or Sea Salt

Mix, Enjoy. Eat with a fork 

or with homemade tortillas 

or on top of pretty much anything.

My Food Rules

In the spirit of my self-proclaimed "Food Week" The following are my "Food Rules."  They are not totally my own and acquired primarily from what makes sense to me, from Michael Pollan's books and philosophies, from various documentaries and movies about food and the food industry, and ultimately, what makes me feel good.

image from stilletochef.com

1. No Meat. This rule is based mostly on the fact that I don't live on a farm or near a really great farm like this where I can get meat. I have no qualms with people eating animals.  That idea, at its core, is entirely natural.  But, I do have serious issue with people eating animals that were not raised humanely and that were slaughtered in gigantic meat production factories. Unless I can see a cow or chicken or pig, etc. from birth until food, I'm not going to eat it.

2. Tons of Veggies and Fruits. Why try to fill ourselves with empty calories and "treats" when there is an abundance of delicious in the produce department? Seriously, I have grown to love Veggies and Fruits and rarely find myself buying anything outside of the Produce department.


3. Buy Seasonally. Buy what is in season - it's usually cheaper and healthier for the environment (i.e. less fossil fuels used getting an orange from chile or spain to cleveland in the middle of February). Also, it just makes sense to eat root vegetables in winter, asparagus and peas in spring, tons of citrus in the summer, and pumpkins and gourds in the fall.

image from thegazette.com

4. Buy Locally. Again, we can all reduce our carbon footprint if we buy things to eat that are local.  Or even from the U.S.  Often it costs a little more to support the mom & pop bakery or the blueberry farm down the road or the fishermen in the Gulf, or the Citrus farmers in the Rio Grande Valley.  But seriously, local always seems to taste better.  I am constantly finding amazing Texas foods that are some of the best things I've tasted... ever. Search out your local vendors. It's delicious.

5. Buy Organics. As often as I can, I buy organically. I totally get that a lot of the organic farms are HUGE conglomerate farms in California and a lot of the produce is really not that much different from conventional produce. But, the extra (possibly false) security I get from eating an organic apple rather than a conventional apple is worth the extra cost.  Seriously, there is some crazy stuff getting sprayed on those plants sometimes.

6. Nothing out of a Box or a Can. Caveat up front: I do not apply this rule to pasta (like, real pasta folks) and some teas that for selling sake have to be in some container. BUT, I do apply it to pretty much everything else.  Simply because "food" does not grow in boxes.  There are scary things put into stuff that at one time was food to make it last for years. Seriously, I do not want to buy a box of something today that I could eat in 2 years.  This rule is the hardest for me, I'll admit. Not when it comes to obvis like pop-tarts, granola bars, crackers, cookies, and mac & cheese, most salad dressings, and all frozen meals, BUT, I often find myself for convenience sake grabbing a can of black beans instead of making my own or grabbing a can of whole tomatoes.  I'd LOVE to make black beans and stew my own tomatoes, but sometimes it's just not feasible.  I do what I can though, and really try to think about what is actually in those boxes and cans.

There are a ton of other little rules I try and follow, but these 6 are the biggies for me. And if nothing else, think before you eat/put it in the car.  We try on our clothes before we buy them, we interview people before we hire them, and we research gadgets before we buy them... doesn't it make sense to think about where our food comes from before we put it into our bodies?

Back in this post at the beginning of the year, I talked about my continued goals of being a good vegetarian and eating food.  More than halfway through 2011, I can happily report that these goals are being met and I feel even better and am even more impassioned to tell others about what I eat and why I eat what I do.  Today, a dear friend posted on her blog a list of the 47 foods that everybody should eat because they are nutrient rich, delicious, healthful and good for the body and mind.  (Thanks so much, love!)  She linked it back up to the original source here.
This week, I'm going to be a super blogger (until Friday when I leave to reunite in Kansas City with tons of friends and celebrate the Marriage of Corey and Abbey <3) and talk all about food.  My food "rules," foods I love, and ... things like that. 
To start off the week with a bang, here's the "47 foods list."  I totally agree with what's on this list and have already tried to incorporate many of these into my diet, cheers to adding more:

47 Foods You SHOULD Be Eating

1. Spinach 
2. Wild salmon (fresh and/or canned)
3. Blueberries
4. Raspberries
5. Swiss chard
6. Quinoa
7. Rolled oats
8. Pistachios
9. Barramundi (often called "the sustainable sea bass") can be found in the frozen section of Whole Foods & has half the calories, yet equal omega 3′s to coho salmon)
10. Plain Greek yogurt
11. Apples
12. Red, yellow and orange bell peppers
13. Lean red meat (we prefer grass fed beef)
14. Whole eggs
15. Blackberries
16. Almonds
17. Sardines
18. Carrots
19. Black tea
20. Green tea
21. Pink grapefruit
22. Turmeric
23. Kale
24. Cauliflower
25. Red grapes
26. Nut butters (peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, etc)
27. Coconut (either fresh, where you crack the shell or unsweetened, shredded)
28. Strawberries
29. Avocados
30. Tomatoes (raw and cooked as both have unique benefits)
31. Pumpkin (we often add canned, unsweetened 100% pure pumpkin to our smoothies)
32. Unsweetened cocoa powder or cocoa nibs (also often added to smoothies or Greek yogurt)
33. Pineapple
34. Sweet potatoes or yams (technically not the same, yet they’re often used interchangeably)
35. Beans (black, kidney, chick peas, red beans, etc)
36. Lentils
37. Garlic
38. Broccoli
39. Red and green cabbage
40. Onions
41. Cherries
42. Cinnamon
43. Oat bran
44. Beets
45. Barley
46. Mushrooms (all types)
47. Canola and olive oils (replace other less healthy fats with these, don’t simply add these to the diet)

ROMPER THURSDAY

An office-mate came up with the above term.  I'm fully embracing it.  And pushing the limits of Office-appropriate wear.  I feel a little like I'll be in Liz Lemon's shoes and confessing to Oprah one day in first class that yes, I actually did wear a romper to work once.  Here goes my justification:
1. This is the actual Romper:

Classy, Right?

2. I got it in the size up so it actually looks a little more like a dress

3. It looks like a dress

4. I'll be wearing a cardigan.

5. I work in an Annex apart from the Main Office.

6. I'm not going to be seeing any clients tomorrow

7. It's my Birthday on Saturday

8. It's July 4th on Monday, and Gosh-darnit, I should be free to wear a romper to work.

9. I really want to wear it, AND

10. Tomorrow is Romper Thursday.

Seriously, folks.  Don't dare me to wear something.  (Looking at you, "I bet you can't wear a tie and not look like a lesbian" dare. xoxo Christopher)