Newlywed, Newly Veg!

That is the question!

Evening, folks!  Hope you had a great Thursday…can you believe tomorrow is Friday already?  I can’t believe our Louisiana trip is already coming to an end. 

This afternoon, we spent more time with little ol’ Sophie.  Katherine has been having a little trouble with the feeding, so this afternoon, she and my mom took Sophie to a…well, I guess a boob instructor?  Lol.  Anyway, the woman was very helpful and they are having much more success now!  After they finished, she and Sophie came back to our house to hang out for a while.  Check out Sophie’s cool onesie:

I heart my auntie…I wonder who gave her that? 

After some hemming and hawing, Ryan and I set out for a run around 5:00.  We did an easy three miles, and I’m so glad that we decided to bite the bullet and just do it!  It felt good to get some activity in before dinner.

When we came home this afternoon, I found a GREAT surprise package waiting for us on the front porch:  a package of POM’s!

The lovely folks at POM wonderful sent me an entire CASE of this stuff, which is awesome, because I usually buy it anyway to mix with my Amazing Grass, but it kind of adds up, you know?  I love, love, love pomegranate juice, and I was happy to mix myself a delicious cocktail with it when we got back from our run:

It was the perfect pre-dinner treat!  Thanks, POM Wonderful!

And speaking of dinner…

It was really great tonight!  So fresh and crunchy and spring-like!

We had homemade Gazpacho with all sorts of fresh veggies.  The recipe came from Cuisine At Home magazine, so I can’t share it here, but it was really good!

Along with the gazpacho, we had tabouli salad, made by yours truly.  This tabouli came from a box to start with—the Near East brand.  Then, after I cooked the tabouli with the spice packet, I doctored it up with: chopped mint, chopped parsley, lemon juice, feta, grape tomatoes, and cucumber.  Yum!

Our gazpacho had lots of fun mix-ins, like avocado, dill, and Salvadoran sour cream. 

I feel like gazpacho is one of those things that people either love or hate.  I didn’t used to like it, but for some reason, now I love it!

Katherine and Kevin actually decided that they’d like to try one more night on their own, so we aren’t on baby duty yet.  She said that she might want me to come over EARLY tomorrow morning and take over for the morning shift, so if that happens, I’ll be up and at ‘em bright and early!  No biggie—I wake up pretty early anyway, especially down here in Louisiana where everything is an hour earlier!

Hope you’re having a great night!   

Hey guys!  Hope your Thursday is going well…mine has been good so far!

This morning, I took a break from the running—I’m actually pretty sore!  I guess going from running on the treadmill to running 6 miles outside for three days back to back wasn’t so smart.  My legs are rebelling!

We had other stuff to take care of this morning anyway…like shopping. 

My mom and I hit up Ann Taylor Loft just to see if there was anything we might be interested in…and oh my GOSH, they had such cute stuff!  They had just gotten all of their new spring line, and they have some really cute clothes right now.  I just love their stuff—do you shop there?  It’s all so comfy and cute!

After our shopping trip, we headed home to pick Ryan up, and then met up with my dad and my grandmother for lunch at…where else?  Earthereal!  Love of healthy food runs in our family, I guess.

I opted for simple soup and salad lunch:

Vegetable Bouquet salad (lettuce, sprouts, carrots, cucumbers, zucchini, mushrooms, and tomatoes), dressed in their homemade lemon and tamari dressing, along with a cup of vegetable soup:

Yum!  I also enjoyed a sugar-free carob chip cookie for dessert. 

After lunch, we headed over to bring Katherine and Kevin some lunch, and give them a little relief from Miss Sophie.  Apparently someone was ready to party ALL NIGHT LONG last night.  Ugh—poor Katherine and Kevin are exhausted!  I guess Sophie has her timing mixed up—she sleeps all day, and then is ready to party all night.  Just like me in college, lol. 

I think tonight, Ryan and I are actually going to sleep over at their house and help them out with her.  We can’t feed her (obviously), but we can take her and walk her when she’s fussing. 

I hope it doesn’t scare us off from the idea of having kids of our own!

See you tonight for a fun dinner!

Hey guys!  We just finished dinner and are settled into the couch, watching The Fashion Police review of the Oscars on E!  Could things be any better?  Love it. 

Our dinner was also pretty darn good.  My mom was running errands and playing tennis this afternoon (and cooking for my sister’s new family!), so Ryan and I volunteered to make dinner for tonight.  The recipes were all new, and they were all a hit!

Maple Eggplant

Ingredients

3 Japanese eggplants, cut into slices

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/4 tsp. red pepper

salt and pepper

Directions

Toss eggplant with other ingredients and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until eggplant is soft. 

Couldn’t be easier…or more delicious!  The eggplant soaked up all of the maple syrup, but the red pepper gave it a little kick.  Yum!

We also had…

Coconut Rice

Ingredients

1 cup water

3/4 cup light coconut milk

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup jasmine rice

1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut

chopped scallions, to garnish

Directions

In a saucepan, bring water, coconut milk, salt, and unsweetened coconut to a boil.  Add jasmine rice and bring back up to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until rice is fully cooked. 

As the rice cooks, toast sweetened coconut in the oven for 2-3 minutes, until brown and toasted.  Top cooked rice with toasted coconut and scallions, and serve.

And finally…

Indian Chickpeas and Sweet Peas

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. coriander

1/2 tsp. fennel seeds

1/2 tsp. caraway seeds

1 tbsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. cloves

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 can sweet peas, drained

1 can crushed tomatoes

2 tbsp. tomato paste

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil.  Add onion and cook for 10-15 minutes, until it begins to soften.  Add spices (cumin through cloves), and cook for another 10 minutes.  Add chickpeas and sweet peas and cook for another 5 minutes to incorporate the spices.  Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for at least 30 minutes. 

Altogether now…

Such a good meal!  We were “mmmmm’ing our way through this one!

Oh!  And…after all of your WONDERFUL cookie suggestions…I totally wimped out and went with this:

Sorry guys!!! It was just so quick and easy!  I don’t think Katherine and Kevin minded. 

It was a good day for Taste the Rainbow:

Have a great night, everyone!  I can’t believe tomorrow is Thursday already…our trip is winding down.    Soon, we’ll have to leave that sweet Sophie and go back up to Pennsylvania…boo!

Night!

Pretty much describes my current state of existence. 

How goes your afternoon?  Have you had a good day so far?  (I always feel like Mr. Rogers when I ask questions like that on the blog ! )

We’ve had a good day so far!  This morning, I had a quick breakfast of cereal and fruit, and then Ryan and I headed out on another run.  We did 3 miles together (with only one walk break!), and then I continued on for another 3, for about six miles total.  It’s SO much more fun to run outside than on the treadmill, especially with this great weather that we’ve been having!  I just find that the time passes so much more quickly!  Love it.

I got back, showered, and messed around for a while, and before we knew it, it was time for lunch!

I made use of the pasta leftovers from Saturday night and enjoyed a BIG spinach salad, topped with pasta, grape tomatoes, yellow peppers, red onions (if you microwave them for about 30 seconds, it totally takes away from the sharp oniony taste of raw onions), and balsamic dressing.  Yum!  I also enjoyed a bowl of grapes for dessert.

In a reflective mood:

Our dining companion:

What a goober.

Katherine and Kevin brought Sophie home this morning!  It must be so strange to all of a sudden have a tiny little baby in your home…but I bet they’re doing just fine! We’re bringing them dinner tonight, and I think Ryan and I are going to make them some sort of cookies, so I’m perusing recipes at the moment.  Any suggestions? 

Hope you’re having a great day! See you for dinner!

Hey y’all!  Hope you’ve had a great day…mine has been wonderful!  No real reason…except for this awesome weather that we’re having!

This afternoon, my mom, Ryan and I headed up to one of Shreveport’s outdoor malls, down on the riverfront.  I sure do love the Banana Republic discount store.    I got some really cute summer clothes…although I probably won’t be able to wear them for another two months when we go back up to Pennsylvania!

When we got back, the weather was SO nice, so Ryan and I decided to take advantage of it.  We walked over to my friend Ellie’s house and took a walk with her, her boyfriend James, and their dog Mr. Wilson.  After a bit, they took Mr. Wilson home, and Ryan and I continued on for another hour or so.  It felt so good to get out in the sun!

When we finally got home, it was 6:15, and we were all starving!  We decided to forego cooking and go out again…this time, pizza was on the menu!  We went to a Shreveport restaurant that I’ve actually never been to—a little pizza joint called PieWorks.  They had a GREAT vegetarian menu—lots of specialty veggie pies!  We ended up picking two to share: a pesto Greek pie, and a garden veggie pie.  Yum!  They were both delicious!

PieWorks’ pizza has the most DELICIOUS dark wheat crust…so good and chewy! 

Along with a side salad, I enjoyed three slices of pizza…plus a small nibble of a fourth towards the end of the meal.  Just couldn’t help myself. 

I also enjoyed a Sam Adam’s NEW spring seasonal beer, the Noble Pils:

I liked it!

It was a great dinner.  We rarely go out for pizza and prefer to make our own, but this pizza was awesome! 

Hope you’re having a great night! See you tomorrow kids!

Taste the Rainbow:  Hit ‘em all!  Yeah!

Hey guys! Sorry for going MIA last night!  Spending all day up the hospital birthing babies will make a girl tired! 

After we got back from the hospital, we actually headed right back out and met up with some of my family for some delicious Mexican food.  Whenever there’s something to celebrate, my family always seems to end up at a Mexican restaurant. 

Last night, we went to Cantina Loredo, a kind of high-end, more gourmet Mexican restaurant.

My food was SO good last night.  I had portabella and goat cheese enchiladas:

You can’t tell from the picture, but these two enchiladas were STUFFED with mushrooms and creamy, creamy goat cheese.  Such a delicious combination!

Ugh—I’m sorry to say that when we got home, I basically ate my weight in Girl Scout cookies!  Whose idea was it to get those cookies anyway?!?  Oh yeah…mine! 

This morning, I got back on the healthy train—nothing else you can do, right?  Ryan and I went for a three mile run…well, we probably ran about two miles and walked one.  We hardly ever run together, mainly because I like to go further and faster!  But, I really enjoy having a running partner, and Ryan wants to start running more consistently, so I think we’re going to do it more often.  After we got back home, he headed inside and I kept going for another mile or so, so I probably covered about 4.5 miles altogether.

We showered and headed back out to pick up some lunch at Earthereal to take over to the hospital. 

I got my favorite: combination tacos with soy “meat” and avocado.  Yum!

They don’t normally come with pickles, but I put in a special request!

Apparently last night’s Girl Scout Cookie-palooza wasn’t enough for me, because I enjoyed two of these, post-taco:

Still looking as cute as ever:

I think Ryan’s ready to be a dad!!! What do you think?!? 

It was supposed to rain today, but it is BEAUTIFUL!  I’m loving this weather!

I’ll be back tonight with a dinner post!  Hope you’re having a great Tuesday!

Hey y’all!  It’s been a long day, but a great one!  Sophie Rose entered the world at 3:18 this afternoon!  She weighs 7 pounds, 11 ounces (easy to remember, right?), and has a FULL head of dark hair!  She’s beautiful…not that her favorite aunt is biased, or anything. 

Katherine started having pretty intense labor pains and got an epidural around 11:30, and by 2:30 they were ready to start pushing!  All in all, everything went really well…it ALMOST makes having a baby look easy…almost. 

Around noon, we took a quick trip to Sunshine for some lunch, where I got a veggie burger with avocado (which I forgot to photograph until I was about a third of my way into eating it! Oops!):

Then, when we got back, we waited around for a few more hours, and before we knew it, we were welcoming a new member to our family!  May I present…Sophie Rose:

Isn’t she just beautiful?

Proud Papa:

We had an instant connection:

…and then the water works started (mine, not hers!):

Well, okay…she had some too:

First-time Grandma:

What a great day!  I’m so glad that we were able to come down and be here for the birth…it is such an emotional, once-in-a-lifetime experience.  It really makes you appreciate family and the ones you love!  I can’t wait for a lifetime of special moments with my new niece!

Hey y’all! Baby Sophie Rose is here, weighing in at seven pounds, eleven ounces! Be back later tonight with a full report! Thank you for all your sweet well wishes– both mother and baby are doing great!

Hey y’all!  This post has to be quick, because…SOPHIE’S ON HER WAY!!!

Yay! My sister called early this morning to say that they were at the hospital—they’ve been there since 4 am, but she was only at 3 centimeters, so they waited a while to call us.  Now we’re about to head up to the hospital…so exciting!!!

I’ll keep y’all posted throughout the day!

My breakfast was very “taste the rainbow” today—I had a yogurt bowl with Kashi crunch on top, but underneath that yogurt is: blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, nectarine, and grapes!  Yum!

Okay…keep your fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly!  Hopefully Sophie will be making her debut sometime soon!

Bahaha!  Funny stuff.

We’re settled in on the couch, watching the Oscars as I type this—are you watching?  Of course I had to tune in to watch my boo Jeff Bridges! 

Everyone looks so beautiful!  I always like the red carpet fashion review almost as much as the awards themselves. 

This afternoon, I took yet another walk! I met up with my bff Ellie, and we took her dog Mr. Wilson and my parents’ labradoodle Sugar on a long walk around the neighborhood.  It was so good to catch up with Ellie.  Living so far away from my best girlfriends has been really tough this last year, so I love any time that I get to spend with them, now more than ever. 

After our walk, I headed back home and took a short nap with Ryan…it felt so good!  Last week, when my stomach was hurting so badly, I felt like I really missed out on my sleep for a while, so it’s been nice to get a little rest.

The rest of the day included a trip to the grocery store (where we bought FIVE boxes of Girl Scout cookies…YES!), and a whole lotta relaxing.  I also snacked on a big orange and a cup of Kashi crunch.  Yum!

Around 6:30, we sat down for a delicious dinner:

Vegetable Frittata, and Kale, Walnut, and Beet salad.

So, so good!  The frittata had a shredded potato crust, along with broccoli, red pepper, and cheese.  Yum!

Question: what’s the one thing tastier than roasted beets?

Answer: roasted beets with goat cheese.

Of course, dinner was followed by some delicious Girl Scout cookies.  I had a samoa, a tag-along, AND a do-si-do.  Hey, they only come around once a year, right?

Hope you’re enjoying the awards like me! See you tomorrow!