You know those weeks that you have so much to get done, you just know that you're either going to die or completely fall apart in the middle, but somehow you make it through to the other side and you feel like you can do anything? Yeah, it was one of those weeks for me. I had midterms, and in addition to exams, I had a 30 page lab report, a 5 page paper and a 20 minute solo PowerPoint presentation (with an automatic failure for the use of notes). Somehow I got through it with everything on time and complete and my sanity relatively intact (as I have every midterm and finals week for the past four years. Just don't try telling me that in the midst of everything... ask Madeline how she knows).
So I finished early today, and it's spring break for me with no course work to attend to. I'll be working more hours, but at least work does not give me homework, and we're going to try to take some time to take at least a day trip. Madeline was at work studying for a certification exam today, which has been delayed since she was sick so long, so I went to the produce market to pick up some veggies and suited up to go on a hike. What you can't see in the picture is my exciting outfit. It was crisp and cool, rather than cold, today, so I broke out my shorts and wore them with wool knee socks and my hiking boots. It was the perfect amount of clothes for the weather, other than the fact that I have some lovely thigh chafing going on now (do thighs develop calluses? Cause I swear this only happens the first couple times I wear shorts in the beginning of the season). Also, I ran into my neighbor on the stairs, and she told me that I looked like a Swiss hiker. I'm going to take that as a compliment. My hike was really great. There were very few people on the trails and I completed the route that usually takes me an hour and a half in an hour flat.
When I got home, I made myself another green smoothie. I have been
ravenous for green smoothies lately. I've been drinking about 40 ounces per day- a giant one for breakfast and another in the evening. I'm pretty consistent with my formula: blenderful of greens, 1 banana, 1/2 cup fruit and 2 cups water. I've learned a few things, though, that make life easier. If you add the juice of a lemon, it takes away the bitter taste of greens. This is a magic trick when it comes to kale. I don't even taste it! Obviously it's not necessary for greens like spinach, though. Also, frozen fruit is a huge money saver and you can stock up your freezer so you'll always have enough fruit without worrying if it's going to go bad. My freezer currently contains blueberries, cherries, strawberries and pineapple chunks.
While drinking my smoothie, I got busy in the kitchen. I made raw parmesan, based on
this recipe. Here's my variations:
Raw Parmesan- 3/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 3 tablespoons raw sesame seeds
- 3/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Process sunflower seeds and sesame seeds into a fine meal, then add yeast, salt and garlic powder and process until well combined.
It was so good, I wanted to eat it with a spoon. But I didn't because it's for tonight's dinner: zucchini "pasta" with puttanesca sauce from
RFMEF1o2P. The sauce is made and I'm just waiting for Mad to come home to process the zucchini. I don't have a spiralizer, but I find that if I run the squash through the food processor with the shredding disk, it comes out a good size. I have walnuts soaking to make a pate tonight for topping salads to take to work this weekend, and I even washed all the dishes, so the kitchen is spotless. It's been a good day.
-Eloise
Elegant coffee table dining...
