SBC: Days 23, 24, 25

Gotta get caught up since September is almost over!  Where has the month gone??

23) Things you want to learn how to do

I could make a huge list that is only yoga-related.  For the most part, the asanas that I want to “learn” how to do really just require building more strength and flexibility.  A lot of the inversion/arm balance ones are about allowing my shoulder (that I injured years ago and continues to flare up) to heal and regain mobility.  On the wish list though? Forearm stand/scorpion, handstand and fallen angel.  One day.

I want to learn to knit cables:

Also, I want to learn a bit more about this whole wordpress thing, how to actually create cool blog layouts and all that good stuff.

24) Favourite form of exercise and why

It probably goes without saying at this point that I loooove yoga.  I love the super chill yin that I wouldn’t precisely count as exercise and I love the hot sweaty power classes that totally count as exercise.  Everything about yoga makes me feel good.  And it’s given me better muscle tone than the gym ever did.  However….

I do love the gym.  I like doing huge bodyweight/dumbbell/cardio circuits.  They get my heart rate up and you can get in a really challenging workout in pretty short order.

And I have a love/hate relationship with running.  There aren’t too many things that feel better than a really solid run.  I love clocking times and miles and PRs, the endorphin rush you get afterwards, being outside (don’t get me started on the treadmill)….I could go on forever.  My poor body says a big N-O a lot of the time though.  Half marathon training has been totally put aside.  More on that another day.

25) What you’re reading right now

Working my way through The Desire Map by Danielle LaPorte.  I love it, and I can’t wait to read The Fire Starter Sessions next.

I usually like to have a fiction and a non-fiction going at the same time, and I just finished Gone Girl and don’t have anything else lined up at the moment.  Any good recommendations?

SBC: Day 22

22) Songs you currently have on repeat

I still can’t stop listening to this one.  It brings back memories of Bali every time.

Don’t ask me where I recently heard this song, but it’s taking me back to high school in the best way.

I loooooove his voice.

SBC:Day 21

21) Outfit of the Day

cropped tank: aritzia

pencil skirt: American Apparel

booties: Toms

scarf: Zara

bag: Fossil

bracelet: a local Toronto artist whose name I’m unfortunately blanking on

SBC: Day 20

20) Twenty fun facts about yourself

1.  I’m the oldest of four children.  It’s so engrained that I act like I’m EVERYONE’S big sister.

2.  I’m shy.  Like, super shy.

3.  I’m scared of balloons.  Not the foil kind though.

4.  For almost 20 years I thought my uncle had taken my cousin and I to see a Michael Jackson concert when I was like 6.  Turns out it was actually just a dream.

5.  I hate wearing shoes, but own no fewer than 30 pairs.

6.  I’ve moved 10 times in the past 11 years.

7.  For being as clumsy as I am, I’ve never had stitches and the only bone I’ve ever broken is my second toe on the left foot.  Twice.

8.  The last movie I saw in theatres was the Dark Knight Rises in the summer of 2012.

9.  I’m not scared of spiders or any other bugs except for dragonflies and grasshoppers.  I hate those things.

10.  I know how to knit and my specialty is socks.

11.  I’ve never been on an all-inclusive vacation.  And probably never will.  So not my style.

12.  I’ve been a vegetarian for 12 years.

13.  I used to want to be a lawyer.  I blame Ally McBeal.

14.  All things aside, I would have 6 children if I could.  2 bio, 4 adopted, fyi.

15.  I’m fluent in French and can muddle my way through Spanish and Italian too.

16.  I laugh at all jokes.  Like all.  Good, bad, mean, crude.  Allllll of them.

17.  I’m a morning person trapped in the body of a night owl.  Or a night owl trapped in the body of a morning person.  Either way, it’s as tiring as you’d expect.

18.  I’m a Detroit sports fan, if by “fan” you mean I wear the team’s tshirts and passively cheer for them without ever knowing a single stat, player, or their current standing.

19.  I’ve had a guitar for about 15 years and the only 2 songs I can play are Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” and Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl”.  And DON’T ask me to sing.

20.  I don’t own a hairbrush.

SBC: Day 19

19) Link love 

Long before I started trying to have my own blog, I was following/stalking a bunch of others.  The list has evolved over the years, but these have been the constants in my reader (<– feedly, btw).

No Meat Athlete – I stumbled across this blog years ago when I first got into running, and everyone and their/my mother was trying to tell me that I couldn’t be a vegetarian and an endurance athlete.  Matt’s journey from an inactive omnivore to an ultramarathon running vegan has been so inspiring to follow.

Peanut Butter Runner – I wish I lived in NC so that I could attend Jen’s yoga classes!  And try to coerce her to be my real-life friend.  Co-dog walks??

Honeystuck – Another Charlotte, NC, blogger.  I love her recipes, realness and wry humour.

Oh She Glows – Angela’s recipes will change any meat-eater’s ideas about vegan food.  One of the only local ones on this list, I love that I don’t get Trader Joe’s envy every time I read a post.

The First Mess – Another local one.  Laura’s recipes are mostly vegan and local and I totally dig her writing style.

And can’t forget….

girl meets life. – The creator of this September Blogging Challenge, and the girl who gives me daily NY jealousy via instagram.

Yes, I’m a serious yogi but I still do these 6 things – Jennifer White nails it over on elephant journal.  Well, minus that bacon thing.  I could seriously link half the articles on elephant journal, as well as half the posts on Jennifer’s personal blog.

SBC: Day 18

18) Thankful Thursday

I’m thankful for visits with my family.  And for them taking care of Kaylee so I can go on a little escape.

I’m thankful for the quiet in my house right now without her, because it reminds me how much I appreciate having her around.

I’m thankful for sweet presents from sweet friends.

(a new arm band that actually fits my phone!)

For everything-but-the-kitchen-sink smoothies that don’t end up brown.

SBC: Day 17

17) Another day in the life

This just so happened to be another day off for me.  I booked a couple days at the beginning of this week to go visit my family.

7:30am – my alarm goes off.  I had the best of intentions for this morning, but I’m still not feeling 100% so I decide to sleep for another hour.

8:45 – ok, now I’m up.  My wonderful brother has made coffee, and I sip a cup while I summon the energy to take the dogs out.  Between my parents’, my brother’s and mine….it’s a lot of dog.

10:00 – Time for breakfast.  I make pumpkin spiced pancakes with an apple topping for everyone.  Washed down with more coffee, of course.

11:00 – Brother, sister and I go to the gym.  Given the tiny-ness of my hometown, the gym is actually pretty spacious and well-equipped.

1:00 – home, snacks and showers, then we head to “the city” for the afternoon to do a bit of shopping.  My big purchase? A new travel coffee mug.  Big spender.  We stop at Starbucks for the first pumpkin spiced lattes of the season and then pick up groceries for dinner.

6:00 – my other sister arrives and we start dinner prep.  We’re having wonton soup and salad rolls.  It turns out to be just about as labour-intensive as you might imagine.

8:00 – there’s a little art project underway.  It’s still a surprise, but it involved papier mache.

10:00 – we’re all cleaned up and I’m settled in on the couch with a tea and Kaylee.  I’m leaving her here for a couple weeks since I’m going away, and I think she’s beginning to suspect something’s up!  I’m putting together a workout plan for my brother and sister, so I spend a bit of time on that and catching up on news/blogs/instagram, then get to bed around midnight.

SBC: Day 16

16) Makeup-less Monday and what beauty means to you

Most photos you’ll see of me are makeup-less.  This one is not only makeup-less, but also sweaty and post-run.

I realized years ago that I didn’t really know what I was doing when it came to hair or makeup, so I pretty much gave up.  I haven’t owned concealer or foundation in genuinely at least six years.  My makeup bag is a small pencil case containing one brown and one purple eyeliner, gold eye shadow, mascara and a bunch of bobby pins.  The mascara is the only thing I use regularly, and even that is only when I’m at work or going out.  I’m recently kind of in love with lipstick though.  I like how in one quick swipe it can make me look so much more put-together.

What beauty means to me?  Confidence.  Grace.  Feeling comfortable in your skin.  Doing beautiful things.

Vegan Creamed Cauliflower Soup

This soup.  Damn.

Sometimes I forget how awesome cauliflower is.

I bought a huge head of it at the market the other day, and it’s been sitting in my fridge making me feel guilty ever since.

I’ve been huge into grab-and-go meals lately and I just haven’t been able to be bothered creating something out of the poor cauliflower.

When I bought it, cauliflower crust pizza visions were in my head.  Have you tried it yet? It’s so good!  Last time that I was visiting my parents we had a pizza night and I made one of the pies with cauliflower crust and even my dad thought it was awesome.  I loosely followed The Detoxinista‘s recipe.

Anyway, as I was going to bed last night, I decided that I was going to do a juice and smoothie-only day today.  I used to do this every Monday, and I loved it.  Such a great way to set the tone for the week.  I don’t really know when I fell off the wagon with this habit, but I’d like to reintroduce it.  So today was the day.

I woke up feeling a little on the miserable side.  Achey, stuffy nose, headache.  But, as planned, I drank a beet, carrot, lemon and ginger concoction and went about my day.  To help fend off whatever it is that might be ailing me, I sliced 2 lemons and a bunch of ginger, covered it with water, added a healthy dash of chili peppers, brought the mixture to a boil and have been refilling my mug all day.

I went to a Yang Yin class with one of my favourite teachers, and then came home to a kale, banana, berries and hemp seed smoothie for lunch.  I pushed on with my day, running errands and doing laundry to prepare for being away for the rest of the week.  And then it started raining.  Like a lot.  And I got cold and wet and all I wanted was a warm and hearty and satisfying meal.  No more stupid juices (have I ever mentioned how cranky I get when I’m hungry??).  So this soup was born.

I cleaned and chopped the entire head of cauliflower and put it in a pot to steam.  Sliced up some onions and garlic and got those sauteeing.  Meanwhile I made a cashew cream to blend in.  After the cauliflower was soft, I pureed it with the garlic and onions in the Vitamix and poured it back into the pot.  I was about to add in the cashew cream when I realized that I absolutely didn’t need it.  The pureed cauliflower was so thick and creamy and….luxurious that it was totally unnecessary.  Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not someone who thinks we should eat everything fat free, especially when those fats are healthy nut fats, but when it’s just as good without? Why bother.

Creamed Cauliflower Soup

Vegan and gluten-free

1 large head cauliflower, roughly chopped into florets

1 medium sized onion, sliced

2-3 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tbsp coconut oil

Thyme, about 1 tsp, to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

Nutritional yeast, about 1-2 tbsp, to taste

Directions:

Lightly steam the cauliflower.

While steaming, heat the oil in a pan, and saute the onions and garlic until they are lightly browned and fragrant.

Once cauliflower is fork-tender, run under cold water to cool a bit, then begin to puree with the onion and garlic mixture until very smooth(I did this in 3 smaller batches), transferring pureed soup back into pot as you go.  In the last blender-full, add about 1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast and 1 tsp thyme.

Season with salt and pepper to taste, and bring back to a simmer.

Delicious served immediately, and probably even better the next day.

SBC: Days 13, 14, 15

13) Your top guilty pleasures

Sleeping in late.  It’s just so good.

Non-natural peanut butter when I’m visiting someone else’s house.

Baked goods.  All of them.  And licking the spoon/bowl/everything.

14) Your favourite things about blogging

I’m pretty new to this, but I love that I can easily share adventures and pictures and recipes with a wide audience.  From my mum to friends to total strangers on the other side of the world.

15) Favourite TV show(s)

Sooooo anyone who knows me knows that I don’t watch TV.  Like, ever.  The Walking Dead?  I’m sure it’s amazing.  Mad Men? Yup, I bet I would like it.  But I just can’t.  My mum bought me a TV for Christmas last year.  It took me weeks to take it out of the box.  It’s finally hooked up to my old wii (and my friend’s Netflix account), and I would say I turn it on approximately once a month.  I have to say though that I have loved How I Met Your Mother, Arrested Development, True Blood and Dexter in the past.