Eat And Be

Hey there!

Good evening

It is the Friday of a long weekend and the weather was beautiful and sunny.  My husband and I went out for a hike along the river and then out for a beer and some food.  Doesn’t get any more relaxing than that

Today’s view out my back window.

Beauty.  So beautiful in fact, that I think I am going to hop in my car and head to the mountains for a hike tomorrow.  I’m only an hour’s drive away

Let’s start with lunch though, shall we?  First of all, can I just say that my stomach was feeling really good!  I knew it would after the “organ” shifting work I experienced at the Osteopath on Thursday, not to mention the “Yoga for Digestion” clips thad I did on Thursday morning from You Tube.

Lunch featured a new pasta recipe from Jamie Oliver’s Jamie’s Italy cookbook (it was quite good) and a plate of veggies including chard, roasted veggies and green beans.

Close-up of Pasta con Acciughe e Pomdoro (Pasta with anchovies in tomato sauce)…kind of ironic that I just wrote in Italian b/c my husband is presently watching Italian TV (soccer!) and I have no clue what they are saying

The pasta was simple:  EVOO, garlic, anchovies, pinenuts, raisins, tomato paste, a bit of marinara sauce, glass of red wine, some toasted breadcrumbs and of course…the pasta!  I also added a can of tuna for protein (* Remember: I am not a TOTAL Vegan…too strict for me…I am just eating more sustainably and closer to vegan these days!)

We headed to the Kilkenny Irish Pub (we had a Buy 1 Get 1 Free coupon for food).

I started with a half pint of Guinness*.

* El Guinness….may be the culprit for my stomach ache right now (sipping ginger tea as we type)…alcohol on an empty stomach?  IBS mistake!  It tasted so good after the hike though….when will I learn?

For dinner, I went for the salmon (requested butter sauce on side), baked potato (again, no buttah please!) and roasted veggies.

This was actually pretty good for pub food!  I don’t know how they make baked potatoes at restaurants, but they always taste better than when I roast them at home.

As I mentioned, all has been good today until the beer on an empty stomach…nothing a little ginger tea can’t cure (and perhaps some oats w/ melted chocolate on top later?).

I hope you all have a great long holiday weekend.  Check out some of the U.S. Open tennis if you are bored OR get out and enjoy the outdoors…summer is almost over!

Catch ya later

Good morning!

Hope everyone is having a good day

I went to the Osteopath yesterday and she said my back is looking much better (though I knew that b/c it feels better too!).

It was interesting b/c after she worked on my back I asked if she could do some work on my IBS and boy did she ever!  She moved organs around (pressing on the tube that connects small and large intestine) and also did some cranial work which calms the central nervous system.  You see with IBS, we have a very “hyper” system that is always contracting/working so if we can work to calm it down, it will help our IBS.

Snacks are essential when I am out for undefined periods of time….here is one example:  Honey Wheat Pretzels (♥ those things) and homemade Oatmeal bars.

More snackage:  Consumed banana…hmmm, doesn’t that look appetizing?

Not amused by the traffic Situation.  So thankful I don’t have to commute everyday.

Upon returning home I opened my fridge and saw some Organic Swiss Chard staring back at me…beckoning to be used.  So?  I opened up the index of The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau and looked for swiss chard.  Recipe found!

The LOVELY swiss chard with caramelized onions.  This was Ah-mazing.  I URGE you to make it.

Another shot, b/c it was THAT good.  Recipe below.

I also baked some Basa Filets.  In the oven at 425F for 10-12 minutes with a bit of black pepper.  Doesn’t get any easier than that

And finally, I whipped together an Orzo Salad.  This contained:  Bell peppers, cucumbers, green onions, dried dill, Italian seasoning, Lemon juice, EVOO, kalamata olives, and a bit of feta cheese.

Dinner.  Sourdough w/ roasted veggies, swiss chard w/ caramelized onions, hummus and antipasto.  (* No, I didn’t eat any of the fish b/c my stomach was feeling a bit “worked over” after the Osteopath and fish didn’t sound too appealing).

Swiss Chard and Caramelized Onions * adapted from The Vegan Table

1 onion, sliced (cut in half and then put on flat end and cut into slices)

1 tsp. EVOO

1 1/2 tsp. sugar

Pinch of Salt

1 bunch Swiss Chard, washed, de-stemmed, and chopped into pieces

1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives

Freshly ground black pepper

Fresh lemon juice

In a large pan/pot, heat EVOO over medium-high heat and cook the onions until they turn translucent and brown ever so slightly, about 5 minutes.  Stir in sugar and salt and continue cooking until they are brown and sweet (about 15 minutes).  Stir occasionally.  Stir in chard and olives until chard is wilted, 5-7 minutes.  Finally, season with black pepper and fresh lemon juice.

Enjoy!

I woke up and did 30 minutes of yoga for digestion this morning.  Just YouTube it (is that a verb?) and type yoga for digestion.  You will get loads of results and it is fun to do 3 different 10 minute videos for a good stretch of the digestive system.

I am playing tennis tonight for Interclub…wish me luck

Hope you have a great day!

Hello!

So, we all have a different definition of “our bliss,” and I have to say right now…I am feeling pretty blissful.  Chillin’ at home on my computer with the U.S. Open tennis tournament on in the background (* Nadal is playing too, grrrrr, ladies you know what I’m sayin!).

I got to pretend I was at the U.S. Open with 2 glorious hours of singles this morning.  It felt great though I could tell that I was holding back a tiny bit in response to my recent back injury.  It didn’t hurt, but I was extra careful. I will see the Osteopath tomorrow to ensure that it is on the path to recovery.

Have I mentioned that I am LOVING Yoga and Stretching?  In light of my back injury, I have been spending at least 20 minutes a day on stretching/yoga and it is awesome.  One side benefit that I believe I am experiencing???  My stomach/digestion/IBS feels a bit better.  Maybe it’s all in my head, but whatevs   I’m going with it.

Check out my backyard this morning…super low clouds and SNOW, yes SNOW, on the mountain tops (It is August, right?)

I made Veggie Casserole in the crock-pot yesterday.  This super easy, tasty, VEGAN recipe can be found on Angela’s blog.

Dinner featured the Veggie Casserole as well as Roasted Veggies, Tofu Scramble and bread.

Dinner was preceded by several “samples” of roasted parsnips and potatoes.  I had to use up 2 potatoes that were going bad, as well as 4 parsnips from my fridge.

Peeled Parsnips and Potatoes.

Tossed w/ 1 Tbsp. EVOO, Salt and Pepper.

Ready for roasting at 425F for 50 minutes (flipped half-way thru).

Voila!  Would be delicious dipped in ketchup or BBQ sauce.

The fries were good and I look forward to finishing them tomorrow!  I am SO looking forward to doing yoga tomorrow…I swear I am not becoming addicted.  I just go on YouTube and type in “Polly’s Yoga for Runners” and do her yoga broadcast and then hop around to other yoga broadcasts that come up in YouTube.  Free and easy…works for me

I had better focus on the last game of this match…gotta get my boy Nadal through to the next round.

Catch you later!

Have a wonderful day.