Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Green Team

Howdy! Let me just say, this week has just been crawling. That's not to say I haven't been having some fun! :-)
Will convinced me to volunteer with him to help serve the last "Farm-to-Fork" Dinner at the Trolley Stop Market on Monday. These are monthly dinners sponsored by local restaurants to raise money to support the Downtown Farmer's Market. I was expecting a fast-paced night delivering drinks and pizza to tables but the event ended up being super chill! I manned the door and helped with check-in while the guys ran pizzas out to the buffet. In the end we were able to spend a lot of time just eating some of the best pizza in Memphis and enjoying the live music. Win! :-) Here's some pics from the evening...
Pizza tossing!
Prepping for another throw!
MFM Volunteers - aka Green Team!
Posing with the best-looking market volunteer!  :-)
Very soon I hope to be doing a recap of all the super events we did at work to celebrate National Nutrition Month! It's been stressful at times, but oh so much fun as well!

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Glimpses of My Weekend...

Totally loving this sunny, 75-degree weather here in Memphis! The city is getting greener every day. This weekend was pretty chill. I just thought I'd share a few pics. 
Chai me!!
AWESOME veggie panini at Caritas
Brunch at Stone Soup
Whole Foods salad - always so delicious!
Homemade Banana Bran Muffins
Hilarious!!
Just finished this today! Can't wait to talk
about it at book club Friday!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Lentils and The Lantern

Over the weekend, I had picked up couple of some beautiful ruby-veined swiss chard at the farmer's market and a couple of sweet potatoes with no recipe in mind... until I saw this one on Jenna's eatliverun blog!! 
Chopping veggies...
Combine and simmer...
Serve!
Sweet Potato and Swiss Chard Lentils
(Adapted from this recipe)
Ingredients:
-2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
-1 medium onion, chopped
-3 clove garlic, minced
-1 bunch swiss chard, chopped
-2 tbsp olive oil
-2 cups vegetable broth
-1/2 cup lentils, rinsed
-Dash of rosemary, S+P, red pepper
Directions:
1. Heat oil in large pot. Add chopped onions, potatoes, and chard stems. Cook until they start to soften, about 6-8 minutes.  
2. Add chard and garlic. Cook until chard wilts. Add the lentils and broth. Season with rosemary, red pepper, etc. Simmer for ~30 minutes or until the  lentils have soaked up the broth. 
3. Serve alongside some bread and/or sprinkled with feta cheese!

In addition to lentil making, I recently finished The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson. The story centers on this old cottage in the South of France. Each chapter flip flops between the newest owners and the family that built the cottage 100 years previous. Most of the plot revolves around Eve who just recently moved to the cottage with her new love, Dom, who seems to have a secret past - a past that begins to haunt Eve in addition to the ghosts that seem to be lingering in their new cottage. Needless to say, there is a lot of intrigue, hints of possible haunting, and mystery - I can't say much without giving things away! But, if you've ever read Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (which I loved!) or perhaps, The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins you will really enjoy this novel. :-)

Monday, March 19, 2012

St. Patty's Weekend Recap

Monday again. Ugh. Too soon! Some weekends seem to go way too fast! I think part of the reason I shuffle my feet in to work on Mondays is that I spend so much time lovin' the sunshine and warm weather my heart breaks a little when I enter my windowless, fluorescent-lit office. :-/
This weekend, Will and I decided to not be hermits and hang out with some new friends! Friday we met up with Sara and her husband Nick at the classy/swanky Mollie Fontaine house for a few beverages.
From our first trip to Mollie's. Taken moments before I was chased from this couch because it was "reserved"!
 Saturday I finally did a little clothes shopping (not that I didn't desperately need it or anything...). Ha! I had a lot of luck at Express actually - I hadn't shopped there much before, but I will definitely be doing it more now! Afterwards, Will and I met up with one of our co-workers, Kim and her husband for a green beer and a game of pool on Beale Street.
Sunday I was up bright and early for my second half marathon race in March! This one was totally tough, I think because I was still recovering from the one in New Orleans and I had just got over a cold. I was major slow! Oh well. It was still fun to do! Too bad the shirt is probably the ugliest race shirt I have ever seen - it's a white, short-sleeved dry fit tee with a half zip neck. The only person who could possibly make it look cool is a 57 y/o white country club golfer. Lol. 
Another one down!
Things I learned from this Half...
1. I need to buy wool/moisture-wicking socks!!! This was a humid and warm race and so my feet rubbed in my shoes and I finished with a few big blisters on my toes!
2. I love having my phone with me now - Pandora kept me going!
3. Sunglasses. No more running races while squinting! 

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Things I'm Loving Right Now

1. This sunny and warm weather! When I got home from work, I went on a little walk to enjoy the sunshine and blooms.
2. Real talk - I am totally into the Joy the Baker podcast! Part of the reason I was so excited to get a new phone was that I could start listening to Joy and others like This American Life! :-)
3. These incredibly delicious grapefruit I picked up at the market on Saturday. They were grown locally in Arkansas by this farmer Will and I always chat with - I am always impressed by how ingenious farmers can be.
4. Speaking of farmers... we invited a baker from the Downtown market to our health fair at work on Tuesday and picked up one of her scrumptious loaves of jalepeno cheddar bread! I've been heating it for a few seconds in microwave and eating large chunks alongside my salad for dinner the last couple of nights. Yum!
5. I've been reading on blogs lately that Chobani came out with a few new flavors - so I thought I would give one a try. I picked up the blood orange variety the other day! I was a little skeptical, but no need - it was soooo goooood!!!!
6. As I worked on getting over my cold, I drank so many cups of green and chai tea. There's something about having a sniffly cold that makes me crave tea!! Another cold cure tip? Cheesy, delicious Mexican food!! Will and I went to Maria's Cantina in Midtown and I think it cured me! Ha!
Hope y'all are having a wonderful week! TG (tomorrow's) F!!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Climb, Run, Bike = Weekend Fun!

Despite my battle with a cold, I was able to have quite an active weekend!
Friday, Will and I fueled up with dinner at Flying Fish then headed to Bridges which is this awesome eco-friendly building in town with a rock wall. One of Will's market friends was volunteering so he let us know about the public climb night. I was having a tough time due to my total lack of upper body strength but Will was a total pro!

Saturday morning, I did an 8-mile runny nose run with Emily and StarRunners and decided to sign up for the Germantown half marathon this weekend. (I just might be going crazy - two halfs in just 2 weeks!). We'll see how this one goes. I'm way nervous! After the market and some chill time, I met Will for a little bike ride (he on rollerblades!) through Overton Park since the weather was gorgeous!
Sunday was pretty chill. I met Will at Cafe Eclectic for breakfast. So tasty! I spent the majority of the time lounging on the couch trying to kick this cold - today I am finally feeling much better though!
Delicious house-made granola!
The other exciting thing about this weekend?? I finally bought a SMARTPHONE!!!!! After much debate, I decided on the Droid RAZR rather than the iPhone. I think I'm happy with my decision. :-) The only drawback? This one doesn't slide like my old one... bummer! Ha!

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Happy "What's on Your Plate?" Day!

The USDA collaborated with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and proclaimed today, March 8th to be "What's On Your Plate?" Day to raise awareness of the USDA's new MyPlate as well the theme for National Nutrition Month this year - "Get Your Plate in Shape!". So, to celebrate, I documented my meals from last night through lunch today for y'all to see!
Dinner
Salad and a quinoa black bean burger patty
Tea and a mug of cereal for dessert!
 Breakfast
Plain yogurt topped with sliced bananas, strawberries, and granola. Coffee to drink!
Lunch
Salad, apple, and 1/2 PB&J!
Hope you had healthy plates filled with non-starchy vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains today!! Now I'm off to drink some more tea - I'm feeling like I have a touch of a cold. Eek!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Deb in New Orleans

This last weekend Will and I headed south for 6 hours on I-55 down to New Orleans! After months of training with my fellow StarRunners, I finally ran the Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon there! This was definitely the flattest course I have ever run - makes sense when you are at sea level! I think I missed the gently hills we have here in Memphis, it's nice to have a little "break" on the down part of hills. The course wound around downtown and the French Quarter - it was fun to get to see some of the city on foot - there are still thousands of beads in the trees left-over from Mardi-Gras.
Packet pick up!!
So happy to be finished!!!
My finish time was actually my slowest yet - 2:03:06. :-/ However, I was happy to get to run this one after my knee injury this winter! I felt pretty good for the first 8 miles and then it kind of fell apart after that - I just felt spent!
Of course, Will and I did a little city exploring. We didn't have a lot of time in town since we both needed to be back at work on Monday. Since we were on the coast, we made sure to get some SEAFOOD! However, we did miss out on the beignets - we'll just have to go back again!
Alligator soup! (That's right, alligator!!!)
Scrumptious Ice Cream Sampler at The Creole Creamery (A great suggestion from  Guy Fieri)
Looking handsome! We ate lunch on a patio/porch overlooking the street. Such a gorgeous day!
Seafood Cheesecake!
Crab cake!
Love these porches!
Hi from NOLA!
Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!!!