for the love of soup!

soup. until a couple weeks ago i had never attempted to make it.  and then one day, surfing the net as i do, drooling over many a new recipe i wanted to try, i happened upon a little recipe that screamed my name really, really loud: creamy artichoke soup.  hmmm, let me think, do i LOVE artichokes? yes.  have i always wanted to try cooking with leeks? yes.  do i generally enjoy eating soup? yes. would i simply love a huge dollop of mascarpone cheese in the middle of velvety green goodness like in the picture? um...YES.

so ensued my artichoke soup cooking adventure. and what an adventure it was.  i found out that my eyes are so sensitive that even cutting leeks makes them burn and tear.  i found out that the big pot i rarely use was apparently made for soup making.  i found out that my food processor is officially the best gift my husband has ever purchased for me.  i also, ultimately, found out just how awesome making soup is. and ladies and gents, it was some DAMN good soup! i made it again, brought it to work for lunches, marveled at the simplicity of it.

so when my neighbor calls me to inform me that he has massive amounts of veggies from his parents' garden and i am more than welcome to take some off his hands, what do i decide i will make with these massive amounts of zucchini and cucumber? (if you have been paying attention, this answer should come naturally to you)....SOUP!!  tonight i am embarking on my first mass cooking adventure.  i will be making 3 different kinds of soup (cucumber, zucchini and asparagus) for freezing to take for lunches to work.  I will also be cooking a full dinner of seared Ahi tuna with Asian cucumber and radish salad and banana pudding for desert.  I am excited, though some part of me is slightly nervous.  Probably because my conscious realizes the amount of dishes that will be the ultimate conclusion of this cooking whirlwind.  And, unlike chopping and prepping food for cooking, washing dishes does NOT center my chi.

so wish me luck! the outcome will either be glorious or consist of my husband coming home from work to find me curled into a ball in the corner in the kitchen sobbing uncontrollably into my apron.

becoming an organic addict.....

...in three easy steps!

1. eat organic food.
2. savor organic food.
3. LOVE organic food.

and i have to thank the Main Market for beginning this love affair.  it has only been open this year and i, honestly, have been putting off going there since i took the tour and got a student membership three or four months ago.  my laziness only kept me from the joy that is locally grown and/or organic foods.

i went last week to buy a whole chicken. unfortunately, they were out of the herbs that i wanted to stuff the chicken with. so i chose butternut squash ravioli and tomato sauce, with a side of asparagus.  all organic.  all from within the pacific northwest. and i realized how amazingly FRESH everything tasted.  i wouldn't say it tasted "better" than other foods (but then again, there hasn't been many foods that i have met that i didn't scarf down lovingly), but the freshness factor was what hit me, like a slap in the forehead, telling me "you CAN eat foods that don't have chemicals and hormones...and high fructose corn syrup! (sidenote: Main Market does not well a single item with high fructose corn syrup; this makes label reading MUCH easier as you know that that vile stuff will not be in anything)

with my goal of getting more healthy and losing weight, i think eating organic can only be a win/win situation for me.  there are conflicting sources out there on whether organic food helps with weight loss/weight maintenance. i tend to lean towards those who say it does help, simply because you are making your body healthier and, therefore, your body functions better which can only lead to it burning calories more efficiently.  but then again, i am admittedly biased.

and maybe you can chalk this up to a placebo effect, but i felt better after eating that meal of raviolis and asparagus (and drinking my all-natural tangerine sparkling juice...best stuff EVER!). i felt....clean.

i won't say that i will ONLY eat organic foods. that's highly unrealistic life-wise and money-wise.  but i will make an effort MUCH more than i was before.  because feeling great is my goal.

oh, just so everyone is aware, Main Market has an AMAZING selection of beers and wines made in Washington and Northern Idaho.  that right there should be enough for you to at least go check the place out.  support your local industry!!

food...how i love thee...

yesterday i met with a nutritionist (which was easy to find because, luckily, one works in the building i work in).  i went in there expecting to have to cut out all the foods i love from my diet (because, of course, i LOVE cheese, butter, bacon... basically anything that has fat and/or salt).  how shocked was i when i heard these words come out of his mouth..."there isn't anything you CAN'T eat..." *gasp*  really?  of course this was followed by..."it's about eating the right things at the right times."  okay, but...really?  i can eat bacon?  i can eat cheese? butter can still be one of my best friends?  i could have kissed the man!  but i resorted simply to a gigantic grin on my face (which promptly made him laugh at me).  so, yes, i have to eat LESS of those things I love so much at one time....but i can still be the foodie i love to be!

the trick, i learned, is smaller portions and FIBER.   fiber is now my new best friend.  luckily, i generally like all veggies...so crunchy fiber it is. hello carrot, how would you like to be better friends?  i know i have pretty much ignored you for years, but can you forgive me?  i need you in my life! no...really...i actually DO need you. :)

i walked out of that office feeling pretty damn good about myself! how often can one say that when leaving any kind of medical office?

rollerskating...how i missed thee...

this past weekend a few friends and i went rollerskating to celebrate my birthday (which was followed by a wonderful barbecue, thanks to one day of awesome weather this weekend). having not been on rollerskates for quite a few years *ahemfifteenahem* i was sure it was going to be like riding a bike. it would all come back to me suddenly and i'd be whipping around that rink like a seasoned pro immediately! so on went the skates and the big smile...and then i stood up. wobble wobble...holy crap! maybe it was because the last time i skated i was about 50 pounds lighter and a few inches shorter...maybe it was because the last time i skated i was in shape...maybe it was because the last time i skated was FIFTEEN YEARS AGO! i've never felt like the ground was so far away in my life. but the great part about turning 30 (and being with friends who are in their upper 20s to upper 30s) is that the whole "oh my god i am SO going to embarrass myself!" thing goes right out the window. imagine it if you can...

three women stepping onto a skating rink, obviously not that experienced, losing their balance, grabbing onto each other or the wall, waving their arms wildly and laughing hysterically.

it was downright joyous.

i have never felt so young and old at the same time. i haven't smiled that much in a long time either. it felt wonderful to not care what the children whipping by us thought of us old ladies. darn right we did the bird dance. darn right we ran into walls. and guess what? not a single one of us fell, not once!

by the end of the two hours, i had my skating legs back again and WAS actually whipping around the rink (managing to keep up with the hubby who is very experienced in rollerblading). it was exhilarating and really amazing. i definitely plan on going again soon. and i recommend this activity to any group of people who feel like bonding and having a great laugh and a great time.

30...and counting...

in exactly a week, i will be turning 30. the "big 3-0", as people like to call it. it's an odd age to be turning. when you turn 20, it is a pivotal age: "i'm not a teenager anymore!" but when you turn 30, you are simply not a 20-something anymore. and what does that mean? do people really look at you differently when you say you are 30? i've been checking the 25-35 age box for years. so why do i feel slightly anxious about it? i've never had any problem turning any age. i've enjoyed getting older every year. just like wine, i believe we get better with age. maybe it's because i am a college student at the age of 30. maybe it is because my husband is younger than i am (though not by much). maybe it is because i have let the stigma that society gives getting older effect me. who knows! all i know is that as the days tick down to my 30th birthday, i am getting nervous. i am sure it will pass and life will go on, as it does.

the trick will be reminding those i am celebrating with that i am turning 30...not 21. :)