FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Bayshore And Dinner?

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I’ve created my own tradition of totally cheating on the last day of a cleanse.  I’m “good” all day and then dinner-time comes around and I just know I deserve sushi.  Today was no exception.  Right after work, I texted Robbie “Bayshore and dinner?”.

We walked a chilly four miles and then headed to Soho Sushi, which was wayyy too crowded, so we headed to The Rack, which was also way too crowded.  Thursday night at The Rack is $20 all you can eat sushi (select rolls), random American food, and all you can drink.  Despite the crowd, we found an empty table in a dark, dark corner.  So dark we needed the flashlight app to read the menu!

Robbie did the twenty dollar deal and I ordered the same exact thing as the last time: the avocado tuna dish and the veggie delight roll.  And no beers for me, just lots and lots of water.  Why is it so much easier to chug water at a restaurant than it is at home?  Is it the straw?  The ice?  The lemon?

I couldn’t tell whether the portions were larger this time or my stomach had shrunk after days of juicing, but either way I went to town on my meal.  Dee-lish.

And when the check came?  $20.12.  I smiled and scribbled my name, knowing this is going to be such a good year!

Do little “signs” like this make you happy?

Brrrrrrrr!

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So this is my oh-my-gosh-i-just-checked-the-weather-and-the-low-tonight-is-twenty-eight-degrees face. I feel like I was just complaining about the hottest Christmas ever and now… Well, surely this is some sort of coldest January 3rd ever.

I put on my puffer jacket (no?  that’s not what they’re called?) and headed to Barre Fitness to meet Meghann.  Can you believe I haven’t seen her since our flight home from Healthy Living Summit!

I was really nervous about attending this class during my cleanse/detox, but I made sure to drink a ton of water and eat a decent amount of nuts (in addition to smoothies and kale) throughout the day.  Much to my surprise, I had plenty of energy tonight.  Was it easy?  Hah, no!  My body was a shakin’.  But this has been the best cleansing experience I’ve had to date and I was so happy to be able to finish a solid workout.

Meghann and I tried to find a place that was “cleanse friendly” for dinner, but everything was closed.  I can’t wait to read about what she thought of the class since she’s attended similar classes before.  BTW how great does she look??  She posted before/after pictures on Facebook today and the results are AMAZING!!

Pretty Little Smoothies

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I’m on my fourth day of detoxing and it’s been much easier than I thought it would be.  I accredit the ease with two things: not working for the past four days and doing a modified detox/cleanse.

The detox supplement that I’m taking doesn’t require a special diet, so I decided to stick to mostly green smoothies during the detox to give my digestive system a maximum break after a few weeks of maximum gorging.  A typical day has been nursing 32-ish ounces of smoothie throughout the morning and early afternoon, snacking on bananas, cooked kale, or nuts when I feel the need to chew, and finishing the day with another smoothie.  Although I’ve rarely felt stuffed, I have yet to feel starving.

Detoxing has also become easier now that the new year is officially here and my friends are just as anxious as I was a few days ago to be nicer to their bodies.  Getting Val to come over for smoothie dinner and Pretty Little Liars was easy peasy.

Side note:  My taste in television is perhaps the least cool thing about me.  It’s been over a year since I cancelled DVR and the only channels I know by heart are ABC Family, CW, and MTV (and only because it’s been channel 66 since my babysitting days).

FoodFash Tropical “Green” Smoothie

yield: about 32 ounces

1/2 cup of aloe vera juice

1/2 pineapple, skin removed

2 inches of  ginger, skin removed

1/2 avocado

1 cup of water

1 cup of ice

Val and I downed our tropical smoothies (followed by berry carrot smoothies) while sitting in teeny-bopper suspense.  It only took one hundred or so self-timer pictures of us watching TV to get one where we actually looked “normal”.

What are your guilty pleasure TV shows?  If one of them is Pretty Little Liars, who do you think A is?!

Twenty Twelve To-Dos

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Happy twenty twelve to you!  Rather than establishing resolutions for the new year, I thought a to-do list would be much more appropriate (I am a checklist checker after all!).  Besides, checklists are measurable, which means much more attainable for this girl.

So here goes!  In 2012, I will:

1.  Move to AUSTIN!!! – One of my 2011 resolutions was to “make the most of where I am, even if where I am is Tampa” and, for the most part, I believe I stuck to it.  But 2012 is my time to be less of a dreamer and more of a do-er.  Austin and LA have been on the back of my mind for quite some time now and after months and months (maybe years) of pro/con lists, Austin is the best choice for both present-day and future me.  By March, I will be calling Austin “home”.

2.  Settle into a sustainable workout regimen – Now that blogging has become less of a task and more of my (almost) daily routine, I’ve been able to make time for exercise again.  In the new year, I’d like a regular week to look something like 1 day of yoga, 1 day of ballet, and 2 days of running.

3.  Complete a 10k – Val and I have already been discussing races in 2012 and this will be a good excuse for her to visit Austin or for me to make a trip home for a long weekend.

4.  Buy a bike and ride it to work at least twice per week – I’m determined to find an apartment that is within 2 miles of my office.  I’m hoping that by the end of the year (weather permitting) this will be the standard.

5.  Create a “studio” space in my home for photography – I made a lot of promises on FoodFash’s 2nd birthday and creating better photos will help me fulfill those promises.  Photography has always been a passion of mine and having a dedicated space is the next step in committing to both FoodFash and myself.

6.  Attend at least 2 blogging conferences – I had such an amazing time at the Healthy Living Summit last year that I will undoubtedly be returning in 2012.  I’m not 100 percent certain about the 2nd conference, but FoodBuzz is most definitely on my radar.

7.  Join at least two blogging “clubs” – I am so unpredictably awkward at large events.  Sometimes I’m a chatty Kathy hit, sometimes I’m horribly uncomfortable and bury myself in iPhone land.  I must, must, must get better at this!  I hope that becoming a FitFluential Ambassador and an active member of the Austin Food Blogger Alliance will squash the awkward turtle in me.

8.  Transfer to the Junior League of Austin – Joining the Junior League of Tampa has been filled with opportunity to give back to the community while meeting new friends.  I would be silly not to transfer!

What are your resolutions or to-dos for 2012?