FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

A Good, Good Friday

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So my first week of Birthday Bikini Challenge has been a whopping success!  It’s barely the weekend and I’ve already fit in five workouts, a gazillion fresh meals and snacks, and a spotless house.  All of this made for a good, Good Friday!

After a few failed attempts at finding a hiking partner, I decided to brave the newness of the Barton Springs Greenbelt solo.

I’m so glad I did!!

I put on Adam’s playlist (which is my go-to playlist for everything), popped in my headphones, and began exploring.  The trail was a little confusing and there were times when I thought my two hour adventure was turning into a five hour disaster, but everything worked out in the end.

Ninety minutes and 5-1/2 miles of mostly walking, a dab of train running, and a ton of Instagram action was the most ideal way I could have spent my lunch break.  I’m totally addicted to this trail and look forward to taking each an every one of my future visitors here!

Happy Easter Weekend!

Tasted Table, In Pictures

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Breakfast: Boiled Eggs & Green Apple

Lunch:  Another Chopped Salad

Snack:  Green Smoothie

Dinner:  “Sushi”

Two notable things happened tonight.  First, Angela and I had plans to meet for yoga and sushi, but Austin traffic got in the way of the 7PM class so we had to improvise.  We went on a 3ish mile trek through downtown, stopping at a sushi place mid-way for some dinner.  Second, this was my first opportunity to test out the new Tasted Menu Austin app.  The Tasted Menu folks reached out to me last week asking if I would test out their app and after doing a little research I gladly accepted.  The purpose of the app is for users to rate specific dishes at a restaurant rather than the restaurant as a whole.  Not only can you view the dishes that others have rated, but you can view the restaurant’s entire menu within the app.  I’m really digging it so far and I think it will be a super resource as the user base grows and more feedback is given.

Happy Spring!

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As if I wasn’t already crushing hard enough on Austin, my love for this city was compounded yesterday.  Matt picked me up and we headed to our friend Wade’s house to celebrate spring.

We couldn’t have driven more than three miles from my place before we started winding through hills that reminded me of the west coast.

I was giddy the second we arrived and started hiking our way down the limestone steps that led us through the greenest greens and then to the water.

We spent all day goofing around on paddle boards, listening to our favorite SXSW music discoveries, and laughing like little kids at summer camp.  The day, the scenery, the people – all perfect.  I have a feeling this is going to be one of the best years of my life!  Happy spring!

Sick Girl Seasonings

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Holy SXSW recovery!  It turns out the reason why Ariel and I were so achy was because we caught some sort of mini-flu that knocked us out for a few days.  But now that I’ve found my way out of a sloth-like state and back to the kitchen, it’s all good.

Joy the Baker’s Spicy Lentil Soup seemed like the right, hearty choice for my first home-cooked meal in ages.

I followed Joy’s recipe almost to a tee.  Even though I’ve been venturing into the meat scene on occasion when I dine out, I’m still keeping a mostly veggie kitchen at home.  I subbed chicken sausage with Smart Sausages and quadrupled the crushed red pepper (addiction?).

From what my stuffy senses can tell, this is a darn good soup!  The kick and texture are a far cry from the mushness that I remember lentil soup to be (mom, why was your lentil soup so mushy??).

And then…  I headed to my first ballet lesson!  The class was so great that I found myself asking “whyyyyyy??” when the instructor announced it was time to pack up.  That never happens.  Perhaps I enjoyed my time suited in ballerina gear so much that I forgot I was in “class”?