Test Kitchen Tuesday

Happy Memorial Day Weekend, friends!

It’s hard to believe the year is pretty much half over. For some of you, this means shorts and t-shirts weather. For those of us in Seattle, the jackets are still in full-rotation, but, we are starting to see the sun more.

Regardless, I’m skipping out a little early today to maximize the long weekend and hope to spend some time on my bike outside instead of indoors on the trainer. I was thinking of hopping into a duathlon next weekend, but have opted to pass this time. My bike fitness is good, but I haven’t been running, which is my limiter to begin with, so the prudent thing is to start running again and pick a race a little later in the summer. I am not always prudent, but in this case, I didn’t want to be first off the bike and last in from the run!

Here are some tidbits I found interesting from this past week:

• Want to get a handle on your food budget and spend less while eating more (who doesn’t?). Well, Emily’s got you covered with her new ebook, which has tips, tricks, worksheets, and a menu planner. Check it out!
• Small farmer made criminal for supplying real food. It’s not a secret that pasteurizing milk pretty much robs it of its inherent vitamins and minerals, but, in our modern day society raw milk is very hard to come by. I see mental images of people slinking around in the dark of night to get their weekly milk. We don’t drink dairy milk anymore (almond is our preferred alternative), but there are those out there that are passionate about obtaining their raw milk. Unfortunately, depending on the state in which you live, this may be illegal. Alas, this small farmer is in the spotlight for his food club which provides about 200 members with raw milk, among other items.
• The Obstacle is the Path. This is a great reminder that often times, the obstacle in our way is exactly what we need to deal with to grow.
• Beet Kale Juice. I’m sharing this one because the kid in this picture is so ridiculously cute I can’t stand it!
• Sugarland guitarist racing Ironman on a plant-powered diet, and a green drink recipe. I am a Sugarland fan (you can take the girl out of Texas…) and was happy to see this feature article about their guitarist. When his mother faced cancer, he lost a bunch of weight, changed his diet, and started racing Ironman. Check out his “Frog Swamp” green drink breakfast recipe at the end of the post.
• A cat that sounds like a baby goat. Again, the cuteness factor here is too much!

Have a great weekend, stay safe, and I’ll catch you next week!

It’s a short one this week, friends, mostly because I’ve been running around like a lunatic with my hair on fire this week! I do have a couple posts lined up for next week thanks to some reader questions, so stay tuned for some Ninja Blender action coming your way.

But, in other news, well, some other news!

• Kaiser Permanente recommends plant-based diets for all physicians to prescribe to their patients, especially: “those with high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or obesity.” Y’all know I don’t preach around here, but we do follow a mostly plant-based diet at our place. I thought this was an interesting paper coming from an insurer. Reasoning: they want to spend less for their insureds’ medical care, clearly. Honestly, I think the bigger message comes down to something I’ve been spouting for a while: Eat real food, AKA, whole foods.
• One of the best re-makes of the “MyPlate” concept I’ve seen, from Summer Tomato. Smart, rational, and un-impacted by lobby groups.
• Is all processed food unhealthy? Processed food is between the crosshairs right now, and for mostly good reasons. But, this article breaks down the level of processing in different types of foods to explain the nuances and the types of processing that are really okay. I had never really considered something like canned tomatoes processed, but indeed, if you think about it, they are.

Have a wonderful weekend, try to get outside, and I’ll catch you on the flipside!

Blink. It’s Friday.

That’s about how I feel lately. I have a big work project going right now that will culminate in about six weeks, and time has just been flying by!

I know you know this feeling – it’s something to which everyone can honestly relate. We’ve all had a time in our lives when things are just so hectic that we have to remember to breathe, and I remind myself daily to slow down, calm down, and relax. Thankfully, we finally have our couch home (it sounds silly, but imagine living nine months without a place to sit and relax in the evening), so much more relaxing has been going on. This week has been one of the best we’ve had in a long time, all because of something as simple as having a place to relax.

An-y-way, here are a few random tidbits and thoughts from this week that I wanted to share:

• Michael Pollan on how reclaiming cooking can save our food system, among other things. This is a pretty long interview, but if you like what Mr. Pollan has historically had to say, you will probably enjoy!
• Trader Joe’s ginger could have lead in it. This one is for the ginger lovers. The truth is, I’m guessing, that a lot of ginger could have lead in it, and it’s likely due to the soil in which its grown. Am I going to stop eating ginger? Nope. But, it’s good to at least know these things.
• I’ve been in a dehydrating phase lately, and have been making juice pulp crackers. I’ll share more next week, but, juice pulp makes a pretty decent cracker you can feel good about! Nevermind that mine are currently red – it’s all about what you put in the juice that determines what the cracker looks like.
• Here’s a video with a former guest contributor, Bianca Osbourne, giving us a lesson in why it’s good to soak your almonds, as well as a recipe for vegan almond mayo. I’m a no-mayo kind of gal – it has never been my thing – but for the mayo people, you may want to check this out!
• Lastly, a thought that has been on my mind for a while. As we approach summer, so many people (myself included) want to get in shape quickly and be ready for swimsuit season. It’s easy to get caught up in pounds and calories and all sorts of other things that don’t really matter in the grand scheme of your life. If you’re on a healthy eating/healthy living journey, what’s important is progress, not perfection. The journey, not the destination. Make small changes every day and you will see big change. Choose the right thing to do today, and it will more than likely carry over to tomorrow.

As I bid you adieu, here’s what’s on tap for my weekend – lots of time on the bike. For once, the weekend will not involve any kind of paint or paint-related project. We are taking a fun weekend to celebrate finishing our great room! And, you can’t tell in this picture, but this bike outfit is a custom Brobst Design Works powered by Test Kitchen Tuesday get up. 2Chili and I made up custom bike outfits for his business, and little ‘ol TKT got a small part in the action. We’ll wear these at bike races and triathlons this summer.

Have a great one, and I’ll catch you on the flip side!

Friends, I have very exciting news! After two solid months of working ourselves to the nub on weekends and evenings to get our family room “done,” we finally have brought our couch home from storage. If you want to see the full story and more pictures, I posted them over here.

But, for those that just want a Cliff’s Notes version, here are a couple of before and after photos.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

(Disregard all that junk behind the fireplace – that is the location of the eventual kitchen, but we are just storing stuff there for now.)

We are missing the concrete counter that goes on the window bench, and the TV needs to be mounted to the wall, but, that was close enough for us to bring home some furniture. The last little items will be finished up this weekend.

Now, if we could just blink and have the rest of the house look like this! Where is Jeannie from “I Dream of Jeannie” when you need her?!

In the end, this place is finally starting to feel like home. It’s funny how you can go so long without some of the modern comforts and adapt to not having them. But, I have to say, having our couch back has been wonderful – even the kids are happy.

We are taking a few weeks off, and then it’s time to tackle the kitchen. Can you believe I haven’t had a kitchen since July of last year? Me neither. Luckily it’s about halfway done, as we have put in the floor and ceiling already. We’ll be picking that project up with cabinets, which is a nice place to start.

As always, thanks for reading!

Happy May! It sounds cliché, but I absolutely cannot believe it is May. And, I am so happy it is, because May is when we start to turn the corner on nice weather in Seattle. It won’t be reliably nice for a couple more months, but, starting now we can hope for a bit of sunshine here and there – and we need it!

In the remodel front, I do believe I will have photos for you next week of another finished room. Or, at least I hope I will. I am always worried I will jinx something by promising a finished room, but this time, I’m hoping the cards fall as they should, and we’ll finish our great room this weekend. In Oregon, they call the great room the “Oregon Room.” Perhaps I will call ours the “Washington Room,” which sounds presidential but really isn’t! Ha!

While I am over this remodel already – not an uncommon feeling when one gets into the heart of a renovation – this view in the evening does not get old. Someday soon I hope to sit on our front porch and actually take this in instead of scurrying past it en route to my next chore.

Moving along, here are a few interesting nuggets from the past week.

• New York City elementary school adopts an all-vegetarian menu. This is unheard of, and impressive. Children often lead the way when it comes to progress, and these NYC kids, who preferred a vegetarian menu over a standard school lunch menu, are inspirational.
• Make your own deodorant. Okay, I haven’t tried this yet, but, it’s very simple and uses ingredients you likely have on hand. Worth a shot to save yourself from the aluminum found in most store-bought deodorants.
• Here is a compilation of 24 healthy smoothie recipes from a variety of food blogs. So much good stuff!
• Starbucks has 34 million Facebook followers. This is an interesting story of how a big brand manages its social media presences.
• 6-story rubber duck floats menacingly into Hong Kong harbor. This is just amusing and a nice way to start the weekend! Have a great one!

Friends, I’m so sorry I’ve been on the quiet side this week! We are getting so, so close to finishing a major milestone around the remodel, and I have been burning my candle at both ends for a while to drive this project to completion.

It won’t be much longer, and that’s a good thing, as 2Chili and I are pretty much worked to the nub right now!

When life gets hectic, it’s even more important to watch what you put in your body, and make sure you nourish it with quality foods to help it cope with the pressure. I’ve been having lots of big salads and big, blended smoothies, packed with things like turmeric, cinnamon, and maca root to help up the nutritional ante. And, aside from just not having enough minutes in the day, this strategy is helping a ton with letting me stay even-keeled! I have quite a list of things I want to make for the blog, including a carrot ginger soup re-make, so stay tuned for some new recipes in the near future.

Here a few random items on my mind this week:

• I have been reading a book called The Hormone Cure, written by a doctor I heard on a podcast a while back. It’s fascinating, really. If you have weird signs and symptoms you can’t pinpoint, I highly recommend picking up this book to help you decipher your body. This is mostly written from a female’s perspective, so I don’t know how much use men would find from it. Happily, all is right with my world these days, but this would have been a really helpful book about a year ago when I started exhibiting signs of hypothyroid.
• I stumbled on a new-to-me blog this week that is really fantastic. It’s called Summer Tomato, and is written by a foodie/scientist, so her perspectives are unique and different from your standard food blog. She emphasizes points that I totally agree with: Eating real food, getting off the calorie counting train, and puts a scientific approach to things, which I’m sure many of you will enjoy.
• Man stores McDonald’s hamburger for 14 years, and it remains exactly the same. I don’t need to say any more on top of that headline!
• I picked up a FitBit Zip a couple weeks ago and have been trying it out. I was planning to write a review, but honestly, I can tell you what you need to know in a paragraph. It’s a good idea, but the average person is going to have a hard time keeping track of this thing! It is tiny, and unlike a BodyMedia, it doesn’t attach to your body. You have to remember to clip it to your pants, and you have to remember to remove it. I see lots of potential for it to end up  in the washing machine. Overall, it’s very step-based, so if you want a good digital pedometer with a readout right on the device, it is great! If you want something that tracks all your activity without you having to input things after the fact, I’d still lean more towards a BodyMedia or other more robust tracker.

And that’s it for now. Have a wonderful weekend and I’ll catch ya on the flip side!

It’s been a while since I’ve given you guys a remodel update! We are closing in on finishing a good chunk of the house, and put the finishing touches on an important room last week: The powder room.

Why so important?

It gives us a second toilet for the first time in about nine months. The actual building of this room only took about three weeks of partial attention as a side project while we’re working on the entire front portion of the house. But, the end result is definitely a happy one.

When we moved in, we first turned the carport into a garage to store all our construction stuff, and then ripped this house to shreds, taking our 2.5 bathroom fixer down to a 1 bathroom gutted out shell. (Oh, it is fun to live through that, let me tell ya.) Soon, I’ll have even bigger updates for you, but for now, here is a glimpse at our new loo.

Sadly, I don’t have any before photos of this room, and it’s a little hard to photograph due to the size, but hopefully you get the idea…

While everything goes together and looks very cohesive, we scratched our heads a bit on this room. Too many ideas, too little time. In the end, it came together well and we’re happy with it.

The house has lots of exposed block walls throughout, which are cool, but also a nightmare to drywall or tile up against – not very forgiving!

This sink is my favorite item in the room! Surprisingly, it isn’t some fancy special order – we found it at IKEA and it works perfectly in the space.

I hope to have bigger, better updates for you guys soon – thanks for stopping by!

Wow, this has been an unusual week, huh? As a result, I have an unusual Friday Round-Up on tap. I’ll be back with my normal links and other items next week, but today, we have to talk about what’s going on in this country.

To all my friends in Boston, I know you are tough and resilient, and send you thoughts of comfort and condolence in the aftermath of terrible tragedy. Stay inside and stay safe until this is all over.

I am not — and will never be — fast enough to run qualify for the Boston Marathon, however, all running races and sporting events have been forever impacted by the events of this week.

For those that want to help, the BAA has said that people can purchase a limited edition T-shirt from Adidas, with all proceeds going to the One Fund Boston, which was set up to help victims of the marathon explosions.

To all my friends in Texas, I also know you are tough and resilient – they don’t call it “Texas Tough” for nothing. It was a rough week for the Lone Star State as well.

My heart goes out to the victims and their families in the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas.I have very vivid memories of the town of West, which a small dot on the map north of Waco. When I was a kid, we frequently stopped to pick up kolaches from the Czech bakery in West en route to South Texas to see extended family, and it is a town bursting with pride about their Czech heritage. If you know Texans, then you know the citizens of West will rise up from the ashes and rebuild their town.

Update: 1:15 p.m. PT, 4/19: Moments after I pressed publish on this post, I found out that one of my good friends from high school lost her firefighter husband in this tragedy. She is pregnant with their third child right now, and I can’t even fathom what they are going through. Small Texas towns bond together, and I’m very sure she and her kids will be taken care of, however, this tragedy became very much more real.

And, in an ironic and unsuspected twist, the alleged murderers in the Kaufman County, Texas DA murder case have been picked up and put on $13 million bail. My family lived in Kaufman for much of my youth, so this story was one I was tracking. I remember a quiet, one-stoplight town, in other words, the last place you’d expect to see a case like this. I went to school with the Lt. Sheriff, Justin Lewis, and it was quite odd to see him on the national news as the spokesman in this case. This story is very twisted and unnerving – I’m glad they have found their suspects.

And with that, here’s hoping for a better, more peaceful week next week. As always, thanks for stopping by, and, let’s all be nice to each other!

It’s been a while since I’ve asked you all if you’d like to guest post on Test Kitchen Tuesday.

While I love to stand on the top step of the podium and broadcast my thoughts on food and life, I am only one person, with one set of opinions and flavor palates. Variety is the spice of life, and I’d love to highlight some of your favorite creations.

So, what’s involved? Not too much – I try to keep it easy for you.

If you have a recipe or topic you’d like to share with the awesome readers of Test Kitchen Tuesday, send me an email with your idea and we can talk about details. Keep in mind that guest posts should fit the theme of this site, and blender recipes get you bonus points. Most people come here looking for things to make in their Ninja Blenders. You should be able to provide a photo of your creation as well, and I’m happy to link back to your website (if you have one)!

So, with that, it’s up to you!

Thanks for reading, as always!

Hi, friends! We made it to another Friday, so time for a few random tidbits. Here are a few things that caught  my attention this week:

• Kale is the new beef. I am a kale fan, and, after you read this article, you will be too! Can’t stand to eat it raw? Try making kale chips, or, blend it in a fruit smoothie to get all the nutrients without having to chew.
• I was honored to be featured on Emily Levenson’s blog this week as an “Everyday Hero.” This series is fantastic and I’m in the company of some amazing women. Thanks Emily, for the article and being downright amazing yourself!
• Last week, I wrote about uncovering some food sensitivities, and have had a great response from folks wanting to know more. Food allergies and sensitivities are more and more common these days. I came across this article that talks about the impact of tap water on our rising instances of food allergies as a society. Interesting connection.
• The trainer behind Fit2Fat2Fit is at it again, this time, he’s doing “Fit2Mass,” in an effort to show men and women how to gain muscle mass and lose fat. This is an interesting idea if you’re looking to add muscle!
• Ataulfo Mangos are on a huge sale today at Whole Foods – this is a bargain of $.50/each!

Lastly, I want to say thanks very much to folks that have read/are using my book and left a review on Amazon. I am truly humbled by the reviews that have been left to date, and I appreciate your ongoing support and feedback.

Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!