Things I Eat: Sweet Potato Burger

At some point, I had a mental shift in food preparation. Rather than looking for recipes, I started to smell and think about flavor and then blending those things together to see what would happen.

This is the core of how I eat.

I am a bad, accidental vegan. I think raw, vegan food is actually pretty good and easy.

But, sometimes it’s hard to find food that I can eat, even if it is vegan. I mean, I can’t do wheat or soy. . .or beans. Or. ..cranberries. . . yeast.

I recently discovered sweet potatoes. Like most people I know, this was a Thanksgiving Day type dish that was boiled and mashed with maple syrup, marshmallows, butter and loads of brown sugar.

I also had sweet potato fries – which might have been yams, but, in America, who knows. WHO KNOWS!

Yam and sweet potatoes can be eaten raw. Sweet potato is dense and slightly sweet. It works super-well with a little salt (to bring out the sweet) and garlic. I thought to myself, wouldn't this make a delicious burger? And I looked on the Internet to see what people do with the term “Yam Burger.”

Then I was like – this looks like it takes a lot of work. So I came up with my own take on the yam burger which involves less blending the yam into a patty.

I also thought about what flavors I like when I eat a burger – garlic, salt, basil. What about a kick of red pepper? BOOM. I headed to the store.

My real problem was the bun – I wanted a bread. That’s part of what makes a burger so delicious, the squishy, dry kick of a nice bun. I need to avoid wheat – the rice bread I have had sucks – and I didn't want something so dense like a Mestemacher Fitness Bread. So, I got this oat bread. It really is made of wheat – you always got to check the label – but it was vegan so I knew I was avoiding dairy, at least.

I figured I could do one bun and be able to handle the yeast and wheat. I was right. 

You probably don't have that problem. So..any bun will do!

Mostly Raw Vegan Sweet Potato Burger with Jicama Fries

What You Need

• 1 sweet potato (pick a fat one, not a skinny one)
• 1 jicama (hick-a-ma)
• 1 red pepper
• Spinach
• Bread or a roll
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• Basil (dried or fresh)
• A couple garlic cloves (or garlic powder)
• Spices – whatever you like: Oregano, chili powder, turmeric, onion powder, pepper, paprika – or nothing else!
• Fresh chives (I had some on hand, they add a fresh flavor, but, totally optional)

Do This

• Skin the yam and cut out a “patty” sized chunk from the center. (It’s actually easier to cut it THEN peel the patty). If you aren't full of sloth, warm up a pan with some olive oil and cook the yam for about two minutes on each side - not too much, though, you want it firm/raw in the middle for the right texture. Season with a little garlic powder (I like garlic) and salt. Or, just season the raw yam if you enjoy sloth as much as me.
• Take you jicama and peel off the skin – it is NOT delicious or editable and might be toxic when ingested. Cut it up into French fry looking things. Coat with olive oil, salt and garlic (and whatever other spices you might like – turmeric if you want yellow fingers – or basil, whatever!) and pop into a toaster oven at 400 to warm. You can keep it in there as long (until it burns) or short as you want. I like it slightly warm.
• Take the red pepper, a clove or two of garlic (the more you use, the spicier it will taste), the basil and any other spices you like and put it in a blender. Add olive oil  and blend that stuff in a food processor. You can make it as chunky or smooth as you would like.
• Take your yam patty and pop it between the bread, get a nice scoop of red pepper salsa stuff on the top. Shove some spinach in there, too. Taste your jicama and add whatever you want and then go to town getting it into your mouth.

Left over yam? Whoa! Peel it with your peeler into strips to make a yam salad – just throw in some spinach, garlic powder, olive oil and maybe basil and eat it for lunch!

Good Morning (With Manda)

Since I have been with my lover – I have been texting him "Good Morning [inset pet name here]" almost every weekday. I do it when I get to my desk at work – that’s the procedure. Get to desk, text Bob.

Yes, I have procedures.

And, yes, we do NOT live together so I don't see him in the morning. When I do, I'm sure I will still text him when I get to my desk because - everyone now - that's the procedure.

Anyhow, lately, some people have been asking me about this list and the sum total of names. I suppose you can count them. But, I guess more of the interest was the types of names.

So, here is a current-ish list of names I have called Bob. Enjoy!

• #hashtag.
• …?
• …I’m really tired…
• 366.
• Ace.
• Adorable artifact.
• Afternoon.
• Albuquerque Turkey.
• Alfio Luparas.
• Alouette.
• Altruistic albino aardvark.
• Amorsote.
• Angel eyes.
• Animal crackers.
• Aurora bob-realis.
• Babe.
• Bacon slice of love.
• Bacon to my scramble!
• Baked Alaska.
• Balls Out Boy (BOB).
• Banksy Boo.
• Beach bunny.
• Beauteous balterer.
• Beaver fever.
• Bed buddy.
• Beef cake.
• Bee's knees.
• Bellissimo.
• Beloved.s
• Best guy ever.
• Betroved.
• Big pimping.
• Biking Barron.
• Bikini bridge.
• Binky winkey.
• Biscuit.
• Blazing Bob.
• Blessed one.
• Bob and beans.
• Bob Bebop.
• Bob Burgundy.
• Bob diggidy
• Bob Fu Panda.
• Bob in the box.
• Bob pot pie.
• Boba Ganoush.
• Bob-afett.
• Bob-aloney sandwich.
• Bobbity Cricket.
• Bob-cake.
• Bob-cat.
• Bob-iker.
• Bobledore.
• Bob-man.
• Bob-ooze cruise.
• Bobosiedon, Ruler of the Bobcean.
• Bob-sational sandwitch.
• Bob-some guy (like awesome but with Bob).
• Bone daddy.
• Bongo Bob.
• Boo.
• Boogey Woogey Monster Foot.
• Boo-kins.
• Boop.
• Bouncy.
• Brometheus.
• Bubbles.
• Bucking bronco.ss
• Bunny hop.
• Bunting.
• Burger Boy.
• Burger.
• Buster McThunderstruck.
• Butter bean.
• Buttercup.
• Buttery croissant.
• Cake monster.
• Canadian bacon.
• Candy cane.
• Candy striper of lover.
• Captain cool.
• Celebration chief.
• Centenarian.
• Cert champ.
• Champ.
• Chariots of fire.
• Cheek pinch.
• Cheetah breath.
• Chef of Love.
• Chia seed.
• Chicken dinner.
• Chinese finger trap.
• Chinken wing.
• Chitty-Chitty Bob-Bob.
• Chocolate chip bacon cookie.
• Chocolate strawberry.
• Christmas elf.
• Col. Mustard.
• Cotton tail.
• Cowboy.
• Cuddle monster.
• Cupcake.
• Curry powder of love.
• Cuttlefish.
• Daffodil.
• Dairy-free dandy.
• Daley-Duke.
• Dandy-lion!
• Danger squirrel.
• Danish Hammer.
• Dark chocolate cherry.
• Dear heart sweet tart.
• Delicious strip-steak.
• Devastating handsome gentleman caller. 
• Devilish dude.
• Didgeridoo.
• Dirty boy.
• Dirty tango.
• Don’t have a funny GM in me today.
• Dove tail.
• Dr. Love.
• Dragon fart.
• Dream boat.
• Dryer sheet.
• Ducky.
• Dumpling.
• Ear wax.
• Electric waffle dude.
• Elliptical machine.
• Espresso shot.
• Fancy pants.
• Favorite palindrome.
• Favorite voodoo.
• Fearless funk-master.
• Feisty fiancée.
• Fiddle-le-dee.
• Fiesta cracker.
• Fiesta pants.
• Fire breathing rubber duck.
• Flex-fever.
• Flexing flex-dayer.
• Flitterwoken fellow.
• Flying Marshmallow.
• Flying Pig dude.
• Free radical fighter.
• French toast mafia boss.
• Fruit ninja.
• Fuel efficient mac-daddy.
• Funky broadway.
• Funky cold medina.
• Funny Valentine.
• Futzputz.
• Fuzzy muffin logic.
• Fuzzy weiner.
• Fuzzy winker-bean.
• Garden gnome.
• Gazelle.
• Gentleman caller.
• Getting swamped.
• Gilbertsville Gentleman.
• Glockenspiel.
• Glorious gaiter.
• Goose.
• Gorilla James.
• Grape seed.
• Grenadine.
• Grumpy pants.
• Gumdrop.
• Guy who creates impulse control issues.
• Hallmark.
• Handsome falafel.
• Heat master.
• Heaven eleven.
• Hercules.
• Hoboken.
• Hodge-podge McDodge.
• Holiday ham.
• Holy roller.
• Honey bear.
• Honey-hiney.
• Hot almond latte.
• Hot Bob toddy.
• Hot cake.
• Hot chilly pepper.
• Hot tamale.
• Hound to my fox.
• Hunk.
• Idaho Spud.
• Inamorato.
• Inspector Page.
• Itchy-itch.
• Jackalope.
• Jambalaya Jones.
• Jelly donut of love.
• Jive turkey.
• Jolly cholly.
• Juju bean.
• Jumbo java juice.
• Karma Chameleon.
• Kayak king.
• King kangaroo.
• Kissy face.
• Kitten whiskers.
• Kung pow kitten.
• Ladybug.
• Led Zeppelin.
• Lickety split.
• Love button.
• Love infusion.
• Love nub.
• Love of my life.
• Lover.
• Lucky's bro.
• Lunging liger.
• Macaroni lollipop.
• Magnificent miler.
• Main squeeze.
• Mango tart.
• Manly monster mash.
• Man-tiger.
• Masculine plum fairy.
• Master of the railroad.
• McDirty.
• Mean, lean love machine.
• Mensch.
• Mi amor.
• Microbino mio.
• Mighty midget kicker.
• Milkshake.
• Missouri Fox Trotter.
• Mo-bro.
• Mon chou.
• Monkey buttZ.
• Moose knuckles.
• Mr. Clean.
• Mr. Fantastic.
• Mr. MaGoo.
• Mr. Pibb.
• Mr. Rex.
• Muffin man.
• Next-in-line.
• Night hawk.
• Noodle.
• Nunchuck Nancy.
• Nurse.
• Octopus pants.
• Off the heezy fosheezy.
• Offspray.
• OMG am I going to die?
• OMG THERE'S A COCKROACH HERE snugglepuss.
• One maned wolf.
• Pancake badger. 
• Pants-ripping balls of steal man prize.
• Papacito bonito Diablo.
• Party pants.
• Party potato.
• Passionate passacaglia.
• Peanut butter to my jelly.
• Pecan.
• Penny candy.
• Peppercorn.
• Petals of fury.
• Phoenix Found.
• Pickle.
• Pico de guy-o.
• Pièce de résistance.
• Pink fairy armadillo.
• Plow king.
• Plum dumpling.
• Plum tomato.
• Polar man-tex.
• Polka Pete.
• Pomegranate.
• Pookie.
• Poppet.
• Potluck.
• Poultry seasoning.
• Pound puppy.
• Prince charming.
• Prism Steno.
• Professor Snodgrass.
• Queen-o.
• Radish.
• Rainbow sprinkles.
• Raindrop.
• Rip van Winkle.
• Road bandit.
• Road tiger.
• Road warrior.
• Rock captain.
• Rosebud.
• Rough rider.
• Rubber baby buggie bumper baby.
• Rubber puck.
• Rug rat.
• Salted peanut.
• Salty Pancetta.
• Sassy pasta.
• Sassy pickle.
• Sassy sir.
• Schnuckiputzi.
• Scrabble master.
• Sexy man.
• Sexy rumpus.
• Sexy-monster.
• Shinny penny.
• Shower lofa.
• Skilled la-bob
• Skip to my Bob.
• Slice of sexy.
• Slim jimma.
• Slizzard.
• Smooch fest.
• Snack cracker.
• Snickerdoodle.
• Snoutfair.
• Snow bank.
• Snow bunny.
• Snuggle doodle.
• Son of a pitcher of beer.
• Soup flu fighter.
• Soup-A-Star.
• Space man.
• Spaghetti monster.
• Spanky.
• Speed limit slim.
• Spice glider.
• Sprinkles.
• Squirrel of joy.
• Squirt.
• Stallion.
• Steak sauce.
• Steak-man.
• Steamy-dreamy gentleman 
• Sticky-fingers
• Stopit.
• Stud puffin.
• Sugar bear.
• Sugar honey ice tea.
• Sugar Plum.
• Sunshine.
• Superconducting supercollider.
• Superman.
• Supporter if MLK day.
• Sweet pear half in your own heavy syrup.
• Sweet sauce.
• Tasty cake.
• Tator-tot
• Terrific two.
• Texas toast.
• The Cure.
• Thee of bright and noble fame.
• Thunder gangstaz.
• Tiger pants.
• Tight end titillator.
• Tiny dancer.
• Tittliewinks.
• Tizight
• Toasted coconut.
• Toaster strudel.
• Toots Magoots.
• Triple Salchow.
• Tufted titmouse.
• Tutti frutti fresh and fruity.
• Twinkle toes.
• Twofer.
• u’Tranquill.
• Uber-ultimate man-friend.
• Wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man.
• Water bear.
• Water master.
• Water wizard.
• Wenceslas.
• Wikipedia Bob.
• Wild mongoose.
• Winky-dink.
• Work horse.
• Yummy yum.
• Zesty.
• Zeus toots.

And that is what you get with me.

Special Edition: Adrenal Update: Most Important Thing

If I could tell people one thing about adrenal conditions, what would it be?

I have spent countless conversations explaining my everyday life – pains, fatigue, throwing up, brain fog, muscle pains, organ pains, shortness of breath – mostly people politely listen or give me the deer-in-the-headlights look and try to sympathize. It’s a rare disorder with only about 1 in 100,000 people getting and official diagnosis of it (that's for Addision's Disease, other conditions aren't recognized as real).

It’s one of those things that, I believe, require you to go through it to truly understand on that level. Most of my arguments, complaints and pleas have focused on the symptoms and the life of it moment to moment because that’s often how I have to live.

Maybe, I am being too honest. I’m like Chris Hatfield to explain living on the International Space Station to someone who has never been there. He can talk about life up there, loneliness, excitement, his day-to-day and even the return and the issues and successes. I will never understand. None of us will.

Well, unless you go to space. I won't. I'm assuming a lot here.

What You Need To Know
What is the most important thing to know – what do I wish everyone could know?

It is isolation.

By definition, it is being an island. It’s being alone. I am alone in this. There is no one to talk to. There is no one to share stories or success or hope or depression with. There is me sitting alone watching these waves of other people’s lives go by and watching the sun race across the sky.

During a crash, it is shutting down my ability to move, to think, to feel all for the sake of staying alive. Inside me is the desperate want to connect and to experience without any ability to do so.

If you want to get artistic – I felt on So You Think You Can Dance, Kupono & Kayla dance to Sara Bareilles's "Gravity"  was a beautiful interpretation of the feelings. Even though the song speaks more of a dysfunctional relationship rather than organ failure – I do know I am attached to this condition and will be for the rest of my life – but I wish I wasn’t.

It is isolation.

Not anti-social. Not introverted. Isolation. There are no feelings in isolation. There is no peace. There is nothing. No happiness, no sadness, no experience, no connection. It’s minutes, hours, days of nothing. It’s being in a waking coma when you know and can see everything around you but you can’t be apart of it.

You can talk to me. You can invite me places. You can offer kind words. I must stop myself from feeling them. Every shred of life that touches me hurts and prolongs the need for isolation.

I once said it was like trying to be Zen – but that’s misleading. The isolation is not Zen like. It’s not a meditative peace. It is, first, an inability to feel. It is, second, knowing if you do feel, it will hurt. It is, third, a need to feel.

I once wrote:

I feel like I am vanishing, caught under the click-clack of each decision I have made, caught by my throat against the smooth movement of reality.

If I could tell people one thing about adrenal conditions it is that it is isolation from being human when all you are is human.

Progress
I am hanging in there. The pain has been reduced, but, it’s still there. The stress of work related things next to the wedding things and next to just functioning on the daily is not really giving me a break. But, I am trying.

I have been more vocal about it and have been met with the main reactions I am always met with:

• Somewhat bullying humor about how easy I must have it.
• Loud announcements of my inabilities during conversations.
• Disbelief of situation and requirement of official proof.
• Suggestions of weird items to fix the solution - like yoga.

As far as symptoms –

• I don’t feel like I have a mouthful of blood so much. More like soap and metal.    
• The pain is crippling far less. I had a moment when it struck and I know I visibly showed it since someone was talking to me but I was able to sit and sort of pretend I was being rude. 
• The constant lack of homeostasis has been reduced to hour or so stretches per day. The doctor gave me 10 pills of an anti-anxiety medication which I need to try out. 10 pills means if it really works, I will have to ration for only really bad days. I don’t want to take something for the symptoms so much – I want to nip this in the butt of the offender for a true solution!

I have had some good days – I saved up my energy for them. The tough times are really tough. I can rest for a couple of days and have one really good day – then back to crappy. I feel like I will have less and less days to rest as time goes on.

Yep. I just feel. . .isolated.

Image Credit:
Isolation from Etymonline.com
Dancing image from group.mtime.com

Things I Eat: Sweet Freedom Bakery

This is a special edition of Things I Eat!

I have a lot of issues with food. It's not the foods fault - it's totally mine. It can be hard to find places I can eat without fear or taking a risk which normally ends badly. But, girl's gotta eat! And I'm not the only one out there.

So. . .I went to Sweet Freedom Bakery (granted, a couple weeks ago) which is a:

• Corn free
• Dairy free
• Egg free
• Gluten free
• Kosher
• Peanut free
• Refined sugar free
• Soy free
• Vegan

Bakery.

Oh, you think this sounds like eating cardboard? How can your life be full without dairy or soy? Feast your eye on these two Samoa cupcakes – which is a vanilla cupcake stuffed with chocolate ganache, slathered with vanilla frosting, stacked with toasted coconut flakes and drizzled with chocolate and caramel syrup.

Oh, you think I got two because my man-friend came along with me? No. He was back at home doing whatever he had to do – this was my time. I did think it was cute they gave me a fork. Like I was going to use a fork. . .hahah. . sure. . it helps me share. . .hahaha

While stuffing my face, I did manage to get this picture. . .amazing because I slammed these guys into my face. I think the delightful Jasmine (baker working there) asked if I wanted a glass of water and I responded as if I was doing something dirty by cuddling the cupcakes to me in the fetal position and snarling. She laughed. Nervously.

If you never had a delight like this in your life – I strongly suggest it. As someone who can’t eat most of the food God provided for us on this earth, this is a unique find and probably the reason I will get super fat in the next few months.

For you who CAN eat anything, this is a real wake-up call to your taste buds.

If you eat one of these suckers, you’ll immediately taste the difference in the jolt of sweetness that melts into a delightful base of pure vanilla (vanilla, not store bought crap-nilla) that then tangos with coconut before finishing with the Chippendale of chocolate telling you how attractive and smart you are – and then doing a little dance.

Locations are only in PA and NJ if you want to drop in one day:

Sweet Freedom Bakery
1424 South Street
Philadelphia, PA 19146
(215) 545-1899

Sweet Freedom Bakery
577 Haddon Avenue
Collingswood, NJ 08108
(856) 869-SFB2

Sweet Freedom Bakery
1039 W. Lancaster Avenue
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
(610) 527-SFB3

Don’t worry people who can't get to these locations easily, they deliver!

Things I Eat: Roasted Broccoli and Potato

Shut. The front door.

Want to eat more veggies? Hold the phone and read on to discover the beauty that is fuel for your mind, body and spirit! How about a tango of taste-bud joyfulness that’s packed with super-more green stuff than. .well . .other things.

I have no idea what to call it. I just make it. I don't name stars in the sky and I don't name things that silence me because I shove them in my mouth at an alarming rate.

What You Need

• Red bliss potatoes: How many people are you feeding? I used about a pound? Maybe. I eat a lot. Red bliss is also my favorite. I find them more flavorful. But, you could use other types.
• Broccoli: I used one pound of the frozen floret type from Trader Joes. I can eat a pound on my own. 
• Red pepper: I used one large red pepper.
• Spinach: A lot. Like. A lot. 
• Tomato paste: About 1/4 cup or more.
• Basil: Dried or fresh. I like both but I only used dried this time.
• Olive oil: Everyone's friend. 
• Garlic: Everyone's other friend.

What You Do
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

First, chop up the potatoes into bite-sized chunks and toss with some garlic and olive oil. Put on a foiled baking sheet and pop it into the oven. On another sheet, lay out the frozen broccoli on a foiled baking sheet and into the oven it goes, too. Why two baking sheets, 'cause it didn't all fit on to one.

If you use fresh or thawed broccoli, it will take a shorter time to cook, too.

Anyhow, roast all that up for about 25-30 minutes. You want the potatoes to start browning and the broccoli to start getting those delightful caramelized bits on the florets.

While all that is cooking, get out your food processor. You are going to use about 8 cups of raw spinach and a bit of olive oil and process that stuff up. Spinach reduces fairly quickly so you can eyeball it. You want to have enough to coat the potatoes and broccoli. Maybe just under a cup when all processed. Season in the processor with dried basil or just put in basil leaves.

Transfer your spinach puree to a bowl where you will eventually mix everything. Fold in some of that tomato paste. I used about 1/4 cup. You can do this to taste. The tomato paste will also give it a nice thickness and richness. You can season with salt or basil - remember, this coats everything so if you are tasting, this should be a little intense.

Chop up your red pepper - it should be raw because it will add a nice crunch. Add this to the spinach puree.

When the potatoes and broccoli are done, add them into the mixture. You know, mix it up. Serve!

Yes, this is vegan. Yes, this is awesome. Plus, because you blended the spinach, you are getting even more great veggies in every bite! The garlic potatoes will give you a nice, soft texture, the red peppers that sweet burst of crunch, the broccoli will surprise you with warmth and bits of caramelized greatness and the tomato paste will mellow everything as if it was butter!

This is a health-bomb you can eat all day! Loaded with all good things - no guilt, just amazingness!

Makeup on my Faceup

I don’t wear a ton of makeup but I do enjoy playing around with it and I like getting foxed-out when I have a fancy place to go. Or on a weekend.

I look a lot different on the weekends then when at work - on both ends of that spectrum. Either really dumpy or really foxy.

Or. . .attempted foxy.

I recently decided I am not in love with the makeup routine I have and I wanted to try some different things. Often, I operate in a vacuum without any advice from anyone who keeps in step with makeup products or trends. A lot of time, retail people are not super-helpful, either.

When I see pictures of myself - I'm cool with not looking done up. There are a lot of of pictures of my naked face around. However, when I know I tried to use some makeup and look like I didn't even try - that's a problem.

I took of myself and I was horrified because I am wearing makeup and I look destoryed!

As a wise woman once told me - You know when you feel real crappy, you should try to dress up more to make yourself at least feel a little better on the outside.

So, I looked at what I currently use and why:

• ProActiv (original wash, toner & moisturizer): I have acne and bad skin, in general. This really helps and I have even been using the toner on my chest and back (skin, bad!) with great results. You can read my take on this wonderful product by reading my Try Proactiv post.
• Boots No7: I used an eye cream. It wasn't great. It was very watery and I didn't notice any difference. I often don’t use any eye cream or moisturizer because I have oily skin that takes care of itself AND nothing does anything. I think they are all lies. Yet, I feel better when I use one like a real adult. 
• Trader Joe's Nourish Antioxidant Facial Serum: I don’t know. It was $10 and I use it all over my face and it made my skin smooth. I actually used it with the No7 eye cream all over my face because the eye cream was so watery. Basically, I don't always use products correctly.
• NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base: I found primer is a remarkable thing! Everyone should use it. It keeps stuff on your face. I like this one because it is not tinted - it is also in a tube like a mascara tube so it fits into my little cup of stuff nicely.
• Stila Consealer: I have used their stuff for ages even though I am still pretty self-conscience about my dark eye circles. I guess feeling like I am doing something is better than doing nothing. It's very thick and sometimes I apply it with a moisturizer -  like the Boots stuff - to make it easier on my skin.
• L'Oreal Paris Infallible Eye Shadow (Bronzed taupe): I wanted to stick to darker, smokey type colors. I use to use the L'Oreal Paris HiP Studio Secrets Professional Metallic Shadow Duo line, but, I can’t find my colors anymore. I liked the two colors together in one little pack. Once I ran out of the lighter color, I just used the darker one on my whole eye and that’s why I just bought another, single dark shade. 
• Maybelline 'Great Lash' Mascara: It always been the one I use. I’m ok with it. Normally, I have it so long it runs out and I don’t notice. Good? No. It is a cult favorite.

That’s about it. Anyhow, I figured it’s time to maybe look into a tinted moisturizer since I’m getting older and something. .better. I don’t like my dark circles, I don’t like how my eye shadow fades or ends up under my eye. I feel like I lack eye definition and everything looks tired and dark.

Which is, incidentally, how I feel about life 95% of the time.

By the way, I put my makeup on almost solely by my hands. I know there are 5 billions brushes and reasons NOT to do this - probably so the beauty industry can make more money for the 500 brushes you need to purchase with the makeup you buy - but I do it with my hands. I think I only use a brush for gel eyeliner and blush (which I don't often use).

Yep. I'm hands on, baby.

New Makeup
I ended up going to Blue Mercury which I had never been to before to check out what they got. I am always nervous about asking the retail people for help.

Most of the time, they are selling a specific brand or item on commission or they don’t know anything about what works. Sometimes, they don’t even ask questions. I don’t know – I’m shopping for makeup because I’m self-conscience and I need some help, right?

The lady's there were so sweet and helpful. Sure, some stuff didn't work out but when I came back they helped me out and got me back on the right track. Excellent!

Concealer
First up. I need something for those dark circles. I felt bad being disloyal to Stila  . .but. . then again, not really. I figured I might as well be open to everything. That's a lie. I don't like to use powder - even to set things - but I do have some. I have used a little under my eye to help the concealer out. I'm not sure it makes any difference other than getting into my eyes at odd times.

They ended up giving me this Bobbi Brown concealer but instead of both of them, just the correcter, I think. It made me look like I had white paint under my eye. I returned it

During my return, they showed me Trish McEvoy Eye Base Essentials which was a lot smoother and creamery than the Stila stuff I was using. Sometimes, I feel the concealer pulling on my skin when I put it on.

Urg.

However, I found the Trish stuff was a super-awesome concealer for me and I do notice a difference. It won't do much for the eye bags of depression, but, it does good with the dark circles of fatigue.

There is a whole "triangle of light" you are suppose to use with this - some type of technique. . .but, I'm good with using my fingers to smear it on my dark spots.

Foundation
They suggested a tube of Clinique Stay-Matte Oil-Free Makeup.

I thought I would return it because I wanted a tinted moisturizer, not an actual foundation. I felt rage. I felt cheated.

OH THE HUMANITY!

But mixing it with my ProActiv moisturizer worked just fine!

I was amazed how well it blended and how it didn't look like I had anything on – yet, gave me some coverage. It didn't feel heavy or weird on my skin, which is why I generally avoid any foundations. I can tap a little extra under my eyes and on my face explosions.

Really impressed with how it blends. I do rub it all down my neck and under my jaw line, but, seriously, super easy and nice. While I apply this with my hands in a very unprofessional and face-rubbing way, I do have the proper brush and if I needed to be really fancy I would use it on the brush by itself and no moisturizer for extreme coverage.

God help the world when that day comes.

Eyeshadow

For a new eyeshadow – well, I ended up going on impulse and getting something that sounded cool from Wallgreens or CVS or something.

I had been looking at this tattoo stuff because tattoo is a cool word so I bought the Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo Eyeshadow. I have never, ever used a cream based eye shadow.

I am in love.

Deep, deep love.

Like, why didn't someone tell me about cream eye shadows before? It solves like 100% of my problems!

I don’t have to deal with the color dropping on my cheek or falling under my eye to enhance my dark circle. The color is also rich, so, I don’t have to layer and layer and layer to get a hint of color. It lasts all day and comes off pretty easily with my CVS makeup wipes.

I’m in love.

If Maybelline discontinues this line, I am going to take my heartbreak to Twitter.

I have the Gold Rush, Barely Branded (great highlight or by itself) Inked in Pink (which I wear a lot) and Bad to the Bronze (which I also wear almost everyday but more so than the pink).

The eyeshadow does blend well and you can use a powder shadow over it. I used the tattoo gold with my black powder eyeshadow once.

Mascara
Time for a new one! I ended up getting Maybelline Illegal Length Mascara which has fibers and stuff. I was worried about the fibers and about how fast it would dry. I have not seen a lot of fiber just flying around - or ended up on my cheeks.

I thought the Great Lash type dried the fastest around and I always had lines where my eyelashes touched my cheeks.

It gives my lashes a nice boost and I am really happy with it. I normally only use one coat of mascara for my everyday - I have tried a couple coats of this to see when it would be a problem and haven't come across any. I think this is a good find for me!

Eyeliner (Reboot!)

I stopped using eyeliner because of my dark circles – I felt it was more blackness that fell under my eyes.

YES I HAVE A COMPLEX.

I got back into using what I had – which is a nub of a pencil. I don’t know. It’s black and has a smugger at the end.

I started using my Infallible Lacquer Liner 24H gel eyeliner which isn't as hard to apply as one might think. It’s a little easier than a pencil. I use it on weekends and when I am feeling sassy. I like a good eyeliner, I said I couldn't love eyeliner anymore because of my face problems.

No more!

Lipstick
First, I always hated lipstick. I basically eat my lips (I believe it is scientifically called Morsicatio buccarum but it falls under the excoriation disorder spectrum but it generally an OCD thing).

Ok, I am in love with a bold, red lip right now. I mean, not at work. Just, in my personlz life. It doesn't stop me from biting my lips totally - it does make me think about not doing it. Then I have a nibble while I'm thinking about thinking about biting my lip or not biting my lip.

I wear Revlon Matte Lipstick, Really Red -  I think. Mine is in a red tube and I can't find that. And I'm took lazy to look for the tube.

For work, I ended up picking up a soft pink for my lips. Again, too lazy to go look at what it is. I'm sure it's Revlon.

The color is just a little something to balance out my face. I don't ever reapply, so, by the end of the day it's all gone - but that red lip is a favorite these days outside of work.

So, this is what I look like now when I am at work. The lighting isn't awesome but I think you can see I am wearing makeup - but not too much. I have on the pink shade of eye shadow which is soft and a little shimmery. I got a compliment on it, already!

Here is what I look like with my red lip and gold tattoo eye shadow!

Lesson Learned
It's not totally about vanity, though I do love vanity. It's about using your time and resources in the best way possible. When it came to my face, I just wasn't happy. This little adjustment - which was mostly experiments that did work out - really gave me a nice boost! I feel better, I feel like I'm not wasting my time or spinning my wheels.

Things I Eat: Re-Used Rice and Peppers

As you probably learned from my Healing and Recovering post, I am feeling really crappy and looking for delightful shortcuts that will restore my faith in the world.

I asked one of my friends who is a fantastic food-maker about the Gourmet Garden spice tubes and he said they were not a good thing to use at all.

They tasted horrible and he prefers his organic, home grown spices which live on an all vegan diet and listen only to Bach – and only organ music from 1714 and on due to the Italian influences. He told me about gently harvesting the plants in a way that respects Mother Nature’s gift and how only the sterile, hand-made German kitchen knives did justice to carefully cutting the spices in order to free the internal oils for maximum flavor infusion.

But, then I was like, "I’m f'ing lazy." And I purchased garlic and ginger in a tube. Then I threw out the rotting ginger in my fridge which I never got a handle on using on the daily.

UPDATE: If you don't do dairy, don't eat the spice tubes (other than ginger) they DO contain milk. Don't be like me, read labels! You can't trust anyone!

As a note - I did not throw out the Jello I made the first week I moved into my apartment. It’s about 7 years old and I call the Jello Karl (From the Eddic poem, "Rígsþula" in which the Norse god, Rig, fathers all the classes of mankind and Karl represents the middle-class freeman who normally own land and are pretty prosperous. I was going through an optimistic time, if you were wondering).

I'm still trying to use up all of my white sticky rice I bought from Whole Foods in the bulk section. I have so much and learned a delicious lesson in mastering the. .mm. .thingsy that control the amount of food that comes out of the bulk food bins.

Does it even have a name?

Lesson: I have toooo much rice!

Anyhow, I made myself some plain sticky rice the night before and didn't eat it all so I figured I would saute it up for a rice re-boot.

To make sticky rice, if you need to know:

• 2 cups white rice (also called "sticky" or "glutinous" or "sushi" rice)
• 2.5 cups water

Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Unless you forget, then you will have really sticky rice. Then boil the rice covered for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, peak and see how it is doing - if you need to add more water or cook a little longer, do so. If not, turn off the heat, fluff it then let it sit, covered, for 10 more minutes. Done!

Maybe you have some left over Chinese take out rice? That works to! A lot of this recipe depends on how much stuff you have. You might have to eyeball what you have and adjust the flavors as you go. I had a lot of rice left over - I think I made 2.5 cups the nice before which was about 4 cups when cooked. I don't know how much I really ate. I'm not good at these things.

What You Need

• Rice: Any rice, you can even use brown rice or whatever. It don't matter I just spent all the time telling you about sticky rice, does it?
• 1 red bell pepper: Dice it! Maybe you have other peppers? Stick with the sweet ones for this dish - don't do a green pepper.
• Onion: I had a HUGE onion and I used part of it. Again, will depend on how much rice you have and all that. 
• Garlic: I used my Gourmet Garden spice tube that real cooks hate.
• Ginger: I used my Gourmet Garden again!
• Braggs Liquid Aminos: A dream - vegan, soy free, yeast free. It's good stuff. Use it like soy sauce but understand it is more salty than normal soy sauce. Use a little and taste, then add a little more if you need.
• Coconut oil: My favorite fat - also gives a nice sweet flavor.
• Brown sugar: Optional, and it will depend on how much rice you have. Go with, "too taste." I wanted a little something sweet for my irritability.
• Scallions: Optional, I had some that I threw in.

What You Do
For starters, chop up the onion and red pepper - true story, mine had a baby twin on the inside that I ate! I promise I will get better at taking pictures.

You don't have to be super about cutting up things. Just dice them up into bite sized chunks. Then throw them into your pan that has a coating of coconut oil. It should smell REALLY good. Yum.

Saute it as much as you want. I waited until the onions were sort of brownish. Not burnt - just one step beyond transparent. I threw in my chopped scallion here - that would be optional. You could use it for garnish, too.

Then I lowered the heat and added a handful of brown sugar because I wanted a little more punch of sweet. Then I added in the rice and a healthy squirt of my Liquid Aminos! You really do want to turn down the heat because the rice just needs to get warm, it doesn't need to cook again. I also squirted in a few inches of garlic and ginger. Then let everything get warm and blended.

I put it all in a bowl for myself and tasted it - I did add a little more sea salt and ginger and mixed it up real good.

Delicious! I totally ate it all. Which is good, because, I been haven't been eating much this week! The spice tubes are a freaking hit in my book. I will be getting more. Sure, it is basically pureed spices but they are so ready to go and easy. I don't need to buy 23 cloves of garlic and try to make them into a smooth paste - I can just buy this stuff and use it.

I'm using it in smoothies, too, by the way. Oh yes I am! Ginger is fun in a tube and in my belly.

Be Thy Medicine
What did this little meal do for me as part of my "food be thy medicine". . mm. .thing? Let looks at the largest parts of this meal:

• White rice: A super carbohydrate to give energy to my tired system. It also contains selenium which helps the thyroid gland regulate hormones. Let's chat about manganese - how perfect it helps your body use carbs, it's like white rice is meant to be in your tummy.Oh and it might turn you poop black. Just saying.
• Ginger: It aids in digestion, calms nausea and also helps inspire hunger. It improves the absorption and assimilation of essential nutrients in the body. It also helps calm inflammation.
• Garlic: It strengthens the immune system, it cleans out bad cholesterol, it gives a great punch of B6 and regulates blood sugar.
• Red peppers: Packed with vitamin C, E and B6 for excellence and beta-carotene, which lavish you with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.

It also helps if you eat it with someone who will sing to you. Like Josh Groban on PBS.

Cheers, my friends!

Healing & Recovering

I have been having one of the worst bouts of adrenal issues ever. Ever. I am going to document it here because I need to be a little more honest with all these things that happen and these things I deal with. I mean, I don't want to be too honest because who wants to hear someone's sob story? But, I do get a little hurt when people seem to go out of their way to point out how my apartment isn't clean or I'm not happy enough or I am not doing enough for them.

Or I'm irritable. I'm @#$%ing irritable. 

So, for this week, the pain has been crippling, I can't eat and I'm exhausted.

Oh, right, this is all due to 10 years undiagnosed Lyme disease, babesiosis and bartonella. I was in treatment for 5 years where I acquired a whole host of other issues from fungal infections to organ failure. All in all, having malfunctioning adrenals is a gift. You can check out more of my story by looking at my adrenal fatigue page.

So, what do you do while trying to recover?

Severe rest!

One of the hardest things is rest. Not because I'm busy but because it's physical, mental and emotion rest.

When your adrenals go, you can't balance your emotions. I was just an agitated, anxious mess and it was more draining than running a marathon (not that I ever have, but, I think that would be draining). I finally got my anxiety under control so I could find some peace.

Peace is, of course, impossible if your adrenals don't work right. It's chemically impossible. Adrenal fatigue is a couple steps into a mental breakdown.

Anxiety is no joke, my friend. And the worst is anxiety for no reason other than you bodily chemicals can't work correctly. As bad of a rap as the media gives cortisol, you do need it to live and it is responsible for thyroid function and homeostasis. 

A: I am on hydrocortisone, synthetic cortisol.
C: Careful with cortisol, it makes you fat.
A: Sounds like Dr. Oz is trying to sell more stuff on his show.

One of the biggest battles a lot of people face is actually resting enough. As soon as you start to feel better you want to go-go-go! Truth is, you got to keep resting past that point. The first upswing is just the first layer of healing and it's a tender layer over the wound. You need a little longer or you will hurt yourself easily.

I went to CVS to fill two more prescriptions - with my lover. Woot-woot! Big outting.

Now I need to stop thinking - and I'm always thinking.

If I could take a couple days off work, I would. I can't though, I need to save up my time for the wedding and moving and if something really, really bad happens. Besides, I don't look sick.

Focus on Something (Pretty)

I do my nails.

It takes time and focus and I can't do much with wet nails. It makes me sit around. It is highly girly, but, my nails are an easily cleaned canvas that I can spend time redecorating and trying out stuff. I think the only reason I am as good (and I use that word lightly) at doing my own nails is because of the amount of time I have forced myself to focus on doing them.

Because my Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) comes out a lot more with my fatigue and anxiety, I find I can epically focus on my nails and perfecting the brush stroke or color combos or anything and it stops me from washing my hands or spotting contaminates or needing to move around furniture.

At the end, it does feel like a little treat when I look and feel like crap. I can go, oh, look, pretty nails.

Then remove all the polish because one of them was wrong at the edge and I need to redo them all. . . 

This week, I purchased Essie's Imported Bubbly which I used over LadyLike (thought my LadyLike is a mauve like color, not like on the site)

Worry About the Future

I spend a lot of time worrying about what the future will hold. Some of these feelings I think are totally rational, but, others are anxiety-laced and then I start actually raising my heart rate which taxes my body and I'm back into running a marathon rather than resting.

Common worries - When will I end up on medication forever? When will I get full-blown  Addison's Disease? When will the next bout hit? What am I putting my future husband through? What if something else is wrong? What if this doesn't stop? What if I need to go to the ER? How can I explain this to someone? How can I explain this at work? What if people don't believe me? What if I need help? What if I should be doing something else? What if it's all in my head? What if it's not in my head? What if I can't fake it? What am I going to do when someone makes fun of me? Who am I going to hurt next? Should I look up things? What if someone has a question I can't answer? Am I suppose to tell people I have this chronic illness? What if I never have another bout and everyone thinks I am faking? What if all the good days are behind me? Should I find another doctor? How do I know if I am getting better?

Learn from the Master

Lucky the Cat is basically the best teacher of relaxing. It's nice to have some animal company. I always had a bond with animals and he is my little buddy and companion whenever I am home.

Animal have a way of teaching us what is important. Wait, that's pretty canned.

Animals have a way of being so darn cute!

They also give me something to focus on beside being sick. Since Lucky doesn't need much, he gives me something to take care of so I don't feel like a total waste of space during these times and gives me a lot of affection.

Since I am cold a lot, he keeps my toes nice and toasty.

Get a Heating Pad
It doesn't work all the time for everything but this pad works great on relaxing and easing the pain of my

adrenals.

I won't say this takes all the pain away, but, when you are in crippling pain, even a little change can make a big difference in your attitude and your outlook.

It also helps keep me warm - even though it is August. I am not sure why it happens, but, I get freezing cold when my adrenals don't work right. When I start to get too cold, it actually wake up my neuropathy.

One of the creepiest thing is when my toes spasm out of control. It's creepy.

Sometimes, when the pain is really bad, I start to panic thinking something else is wrong and I am not sure if I should go to the hospital or something. Once, I was tempted to go to the Urgent Care Clinic that just opened, but, then I remembered, most people don't think I have any sickness and if they don't, it would be a lot of wasted energy for them to tell me I just want attention or that there is nothing they can do. 

I mistrust doctors. I love heating pads.

Eat Good Food
Food be thy medicine!

While eating has been tricky - I lost a solid 5lbs the past few day between thyroid issues and physical ones - I make sure to load up on whole, healthy foods.

Did I mention the relationship between the adrenals and thyroid? Oh yeah...

Rice is easy on me, so, I made some with peppers. Rice is not the most nutritionally dense food, but, it is something that is good. I got some chicken in me the other night with rice - and during the week, I have be adding some Vega One to my smoothies - you can read my first impressions in my Things I Eat: Vega Nutritional Shake 

When sick, it's key to fuel up right and not with junk food. For me, I increase my salt intake because adrenal issues normally come with an inability to retain salt. Because of the general imbalance of hormones, insulin levels and all that, I have also been drinking a lot of water. Like. .a LOT of water. Probably over two gallons a day.

Being that I don't normally drink that much, it's a lot. Is that even normal?

Sure, drinking a lot of water is good, but, when water comes out of you, it does take a lot of other stuff with it. You don't want to be washing your body out of salts and other things it needs. It can kill you or cause damage. Even athletes who sweat and drink a lot know to replenish with sugars and salts. 

I also make sure I have a nice dining companion. Like Josh Groban who has been serenading me.

Last Thoughts

One day, one step at a time!

And throwing it all on the table. BOOM. This is what my life is like right now.

I am working really hard on being honest with my situation and letting people know I am actually pretty sick even if I look normal. I normally don't have a problem saying  "no" to people and all that - but I do have a problem being honest about why I don't do things.

Deep down, this is an issue that deeply affects me and those around me. I was sick with many blood-borne illness and organ issues and other related injuries for 15 years. It's big. It's a part of me. As much as I try to force it away, it is with me and to deny it happened to make other people feel ok in social situations - and maybe even including myself - cripples me in the long run. 

Here's to another day closer to normal. 

Things I Eat: Vega Nutritional Shake

Sad Blog Face

I have been having some trouble eating lately because I’m in a lot of physical pain, I’m freezing cold, my rib cage is on fire, my back hurts so much I lay on the floor for relief and I am so fatigued I can’t think straight or walk down the hall without panting – I am also nauseous at my mouth tastes like blood. Well, I have a metallic taste in my mouth, as the professional say, to me it I have a taste of blood. I have been drinking a lot of water, too, which makes me feel full a lot.

But enough about my awesome life with malfunction adrenals!

I picked up two single serve packets of Vega Nutritional Shake at Whole Foods during a few hours of lucidity this week and I was sort of pumped to try them. While I have been sort of grazing at salads and some chicken, I want to get some more nutrition into myself and I know my normal smoothie of berries and spinach is not going to cut it.

I make great smoothies, but, I make them knowing I will be eating again. Since I am not sure and it’s going to be a couple weeks of life like this, I figured I better find ways to get more good stuff into me. Or decently good stuff.

I generally am against these types of products, I think you should eat the actual food and not over-processed powders that attempt to replace actual food. Eat food, people.I think a lot of these "meal replacements" or "shakes" are a little bit of crap. They advertise being weight loss solutions and being jacked with protein – but, really? If you ate normal food you’d probably be a lot better off.

I'm not talking about stuff like Soylent which is a food replacement product powder you re-hydrate to replace ALL of your eating. I think Soylent is a great thing, actually because it can easily be transported to those who don’t have food.

I'm also not talking about Ensure which is a good booster if you are going through medical treatments or something. I use to drink Ensure. I can't drink it now because it has diary in it (I'm assuming) and the mere thought of those cans makes me feel sick.

Just sayin’

Why Vega

It was there. A single serving of Vega Nutritional Shake French Vanilla. Sloth is my favorite sin. Sometimes motivation in life is pretty darn basic.

You can purchase this produce in jars and buckets and stuff. I'm not ready for that type of commitment. I just got two packets.

I do have a truck-load of pyramid-scheme loving friends who have been advertising Shakeology, Isagenix. . and then the normal Pampered Chef or nail polish something or other. .Tupperwear.

OMG, people, I won’t go to your party! Ever. And I'm not buying that crap.

Anyhow, I picked Vega because it’s vegan and I could purchase a sample right there in the store. The product states:

Formulated by Brendan Brazier, professional Ironman triathlete and bestselling author on performance nutrition, Vega One Nutritional Shake is free from dairy, gluten and soy, and contains no added sugar, artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners.

I don’t know who Brendan Brazier is. I thought he might be a chemist, but, he’s not. I bet he got help creating this.

I’m in blinding pain and exhausted but I did look up Shakeology (which claims it's the "The Healthiest Meal Replacement Shake") for a general comparison and saw it contains milk. Yes, Shakeology sellers, I did see they had a Chocolate Vegan – but I don’t like chocolate. I didn't really look into the other stuff because I have to order it or drive around to another store. I don’t have that kind of energy.

Or care.

So, I picked up the Vega "Natural" and the "French Vanilla" flavors. Both have vanilla in it. I don’t know what that means. The powder was green. I also don’t know what that means.

Nutrition
My first concern is always, always, always if the product contains something I can’t have. This produce probably has some wheat in it. But, probably not enough to make much of a difference to me. I did check to see if “beans” were in it and I couldn't identify anything that was bean-y.

According to the fancy-pants myvega.com site, each flavor pouch or serving contains:

• The protein of 2.7 eggs.
• The probiotics of 1 cup of yogurt.
• The omega-3s of 2.3 servings of salmon.
• The fiber of 3.2 slices of bread.
• The greens of 3 servings of vegetables (they have a picture of broccoli).
• The antioxidants of 2.7 cups of blueberries.

(On the French Vanilla packaging it has 15g protein or something highlighted in blue. However, each pouch contains the same nutrition so it's just marketing. I think the only amount that changes between my two selections is the sugar - French Vanilla has more than the Natural. Always check the back of stuff, people.)

What I actually liked about this is, if you think about it, you could eat this all in the course of a day. Sure, it doesn't contain all the calories and benefits of the whole food but you could eat this in a day. I think that’s a lot of where I come from when it comes to nutrition. I don’t drink juice because I normally wouldn't eat 5 oranges in a sitting or 10 apples. I have a juicer and like two apples made enough juice for me.

Anyhow, this seems to be about the same as:

• Breakfast: Veggie omelet with a cup of yogurt and toast 
• Snack: Blueberries for a snack
• Lunch: Salmon with some veggies
• Dinner: Veggie pasta

As I stated, this isn't a whole day meal replacement and, of course, it doesn't contain all the nutrition you would get from eating all that food throughout the day.

However, for me, needing some extra help at getting nutrition, I really don’t feel too bad about adding this green powder to my smoothie.

Taste
Taste is so retaliative - so I will do my best to be honest.

I first tried the French Vanilla and my eyeball did close for a while and I was stuck in the "icky-baby-face" pose for a little while.

I’m not use to drinking sweet vanilla type things, so, that was a little rough. But, I don’t think it’s bad by any stretch – I am just not use to having something like this. I watered it down a little more to dilute the flavor and that helped me. I probably didn't use enough water, in retrospect.

I can’t speak much of aftertaste. Tasted like blood. Oh wait. My mouth just tastes like blood all the time. Yummy, yummy vampire jam.

For comparison, it tasted not unlike a French Vanilla Ensure drink. Maybe a little gritty but not to some shocking level. I did mix it with my normal blend of a about a cup or two of spinach and about a cup of frozen berries and I couldn't taste anything but the French Vanilla. It knocks out taste, that’s for sure.

The Natural flavor was more my speed. Granted, I used about half a pouch but it has a mild vanilla. . .maybe like pancake batter. . .flat taste. The taste of my smoothie came through a little better with this one so less shocking.

I would think most people would like the chocolate but nothing stops you from putting a couple scoops of cocoa powder in this shake.

I normally dislike berry flavored things because I eat a lot of real berries. I don’t know if I want to try it.

Tummy Thoughts
This felt super filling to me.

SUPER FILLING.

After an hour, I was totally full and I still had a good amount

to go. Probably a little less than half of my original jar full. This might be because I'm not hungry and my core is full of pain-demons, but, normally I can throw back my smoothie in a few minutes. Sometimes I sip it or if I don't have time, I down it.

PS: I also love this Ball Jar. It doesn't leak like all those plastic containers I was using. I can’t wait until I drop it and it shatters into thousands of green-laced shards. . .but, I digress.

I don’t feel any worse in the tummy zone. I was drinking it slowly just to be sure, as well as just not wanting to eat anything. All I really notice is it is very sweet and the vanilla flavor it has probably doesn't exist in nature and I feel pretty full.

Final Thoughts
If you are looking for a shake – I would first work on just changing your natural food choices to be better nutritional choices and give that a couple weeks. Everyone wants something that is instant. Just eat things that are close to the earth first.

If you need a little boost or you don’t think you are getting enough good stuff in you – I think this is a reasonable option. If you are vegetarian or vegan or, like me, eat a lot of roughage, the flavor of these things can be a little shocking to the taste. If you are using this for a breakfast or lunch replacement and you normally eat processed stuff, it might be an easier transition. If you hate-hate-hate the taste of the good stuff you would want to put in a smoothie, you could use one of the flavors to mask it, I bet. Or you could just put in extracts of your favorite flavors like mint or vanilla or even a scoop or two of cocoa powder.

I’m hoping this provides a little boost of the good stuff while I lack the desire to eat the good stuff. I miss being feisty.

Texts With Melissa: Attention Calls

It's time, once again, for Texts With Melissa!

A lot of people wonder how I can maintain a relationship with someone who is pretty fashionable and together.

Let's check up on how our friendship is doing!

And if you are like me, you'll analyse this simple situation and draw conclusions like these -

And that is how we do!

Things I Eat: Now That's a Salad

What up food-citizens?

Check out this super-easy, mostly raw-vegan dinner that is beyond delicious!

You: Whoa, that’s a lot of vegetables. I don’t think that can be good. I had veggies once and they were bad.
Amanda: You have no idea – I’ll take you on a flavor adventure!

 Plus, you can eat as much as you want which is how good food should be. Let's review the ingredients!

Ingredients

• Rice Noodles: Boil up some rice noodles – I like the fettuccine noodles – especially if I am using chopsticks. Different types of noodles have actually been engineered for different reasons (Check out the Pasta Dictionary for more info). Rice noodles are like $1-$2 a pack at Trader Joe’s, by the way. Rice noodles are a great backdrop, hard to mess up and don’t have as nutty of a flavor as wheat noodles. Since I avoid wheat.
• Broccoli: Broc is earthy and full of textures that can easily be modified by cutting it in different ways. Raw broccoli can be bitter and intense where steamed broccoli is mellow and smooth. Most people know mushy, weird broccoli and hate it. I’m totally ok thawing out some broc and being done with it, but, if you need some magic – preheat your oven to 425, lay your boc on a cooking sheet (put some tin foil on there so you don’t have to clean anything), toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in the oven 20-25 minutes, until some part are brown and caramelized in deliciousness.
• Sweet potatoes: Sweet, crunchy and absorbent of flavors with no aftertaste, it will support anything you do and goes excellently with savory! If you have a sweet tooth, this addition is like “what awesome just happened to my life?!” when consumed – Just go to town on it with your veggie peeler and get some nice thin strips all up in your bowl. YES, you eat this raw. It's ok. Trust me.
• Sun dried tomatoes: Ever lick tomato paste? Yeah, sweet, acidly strips of sun dried tomatoes are bursts of intense flavor. I keep a jar and/or bag in my fridge and toss them into whatever. Since you won’t taste them in every bite, they add a lot of taste-bud interest. 
• Toasted sesame seeds: Not just for take out! Trust me, these little seeds-of-the-gods add a nutty flavor and light texture to any dish (Also high in mineral content and calcium and containing two proteins that are not normally found in other vegetable proteins, my sassy sweet meat-haters).

What You Do

Next, let’s chat FLAVOR! First, I enjoy making different combinations in my bowl - maybe taking a little

more of one thing over another thing. With these simple ingredients – you have 5 foods so you could have like 31 unique combination possibilities for your mouth and soul.

Most people would dump some type of cream sauce, cheese or whatever on this and call it a day. What do you mean salad dressing? Anything to mask the purity of these items.They are the worst!

You can get rich flavors using touches of totally simple things! I'm not going to tell you what to do, you got to try all this out yourself because food should be personal. Here is what you need:

• Flavored oil: Flavored oil is fantastic and a little drizzle will do you up real good – it is absorbed into foods, can carry flavor and gives you a kick of fats that your body craves! Get yourself some flavored oils and get your mind blown! Basil oil? Olive oil? Red pepper oil? Garlic oil? I don't know you, you do your thing. If you are like “I’m not going to get flavored oils, ever” just use olive oil and some garlic powder or basil flakes. It’ll do – but won’t be as awesome as the flavor from an infused oil.
• Soy Sauce: If you are sticking with an Asian palette, this will deliver you that kick you want. You could use Sriracha, too.
• Salt: Be careful of if you are using soy sauce - if not sprinkle on a little sea salt – or some Iodized table salt because you DO need some iodine in your diet if you are like me and use sea salt for almost anything. Table salt is good for you.

What I Did

I have a garlic infused grapeseed oil that is the best ever. I drizzle a little garlic oil over my mixture, and add a little olive oil – the garlic is for flavor but it can be intense so a little olive oil helps move it around.

Let’s chat about soy sauce and how much over processed, over salted soy sucks.

Glad we agree!

I use Bragg's Liquid Amino which is a liquid protein concentrate that contains 16 amino acids – the mofo building blocks of LIFE – but tastes just like junky soy sauce. Make good choices, people. Give a couple squirts of that on there and mix it up. Give everything a moment to get all acquainted with everything, then get your favorite part of chopsticks and dig in!   

You: Wait, did you just dump some veggies into a bowl with noodles and add some like soy sauce and oil?
Amanda: You better believe it.
You: So, this took you about the same amount of time to boil water?
Amanda: Yeppers – about 25 minutes, let’s say, if you roasted the broc.
You: And, you have like one pasta pot and a cookie sheet to clean up? Plus a bowl?
Amanda: Sloth is my favorite. Sometimes I use noodles I made the day before.
You: This doesn't seem glamorous at all – not like on the Food Network where people with very white teeth talk about how great they are at making a mess.
Amanda: This ain't Hollywood snob food – this is sweatpant and sloth good eatin’!

Image Credit:
Oils from olioandolive.com