Water World

See this bad boy? I drink one of these a day, minimum. Started about two weeks ago. I'd been feeling sluggish and decided to pay attention to how much water I was drinking. When I'm training for a marathon, I'm good about keeping up the fluid intake. This summer though? Pffftsh... Fail. Epic fail, where the water is concerned. 

Since buying and using this 64 oz. container, I'm a believer. I've noticed a marked difference in my energy level, especially when it comes to exercise. I feel lighter (which is most likely a combination of my eating less because I'm full of water and also I pee every 5 minutes). 

Mornings are key. If I don't suck down half of that bottle by noon, I almost never finish it. I made the mistake of finishing off about a quarter of it one night before bed and was up every hour, paying for it. Now I aim to finish the last of the water with my dinner. 

The down side to all of this is I'm becoming a bit co-dependant. I'm loathe to go anywhere without my ginormous water bottle. It's another means of accountability. I know exactly what I want to accomplish, waterwise, and the bottle shows me where I am and how much further I have to go.

Sad, but true. 

So don't laugh if you see me hauling this thing around town, sipping madly at traffic lights. Instead, throw me a wave of encouagement, than point me in the direction of the nearest bathroom.

Cheers,

Dena

Welcome Mom to The Blog

Astute readers may have noticed from the recent Road Trip From Hell post that my mom is now living in North Carolina (2.7 miles from our house, but who's counting?). As such, readers can expect to see an increased number of posts featuring the "Mom" character and, possibly, an increase in posts filed under the "rants" category. 

It's been smooth sailing for the 6 days she's been here. Well, with minor bumps. Yesterday, for example, I came home with chicken breasts. Earth Fare was having a sale, buy one pound get one pound free, and Blair likes chicken so I figured, why not? 

Problem: I have no idea how to cook chicken whose main ingredient isn't "soy." Mom was over, so I asked her. "How do I cook this chicken?"

Problem: My mom hates to cook and probably hasn't turned an oven on in five years and has blocked out any knowledge she used to have of how an oven, or what goes in it, works. 

"I think you put it in the oven at something like 325 or 350 for thirty to forty minutes," she said. 

"Well which is it?" I asked "325 or 350?"

"I don't remember. Where are your cookbooks?"

"I only own vegetarian cookbooks. There's nothing in there on how to cook meat." 

"Well don't you just have an old Betty Crocker cookbook or something? It would be in there."

"Why would I have Betty Crocker? Betty Crocker cooks meat." 

"You don't have just a general cookbook?"

"What part of vegetarian are you not grasping here?"

Thank heavens for the Internet. (350 degrees for forty minutes to an hour for chicken breasts, if you're interested.) 

I think I better start exercising a little more patience around Mom. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure I'm going to wind up with a Betty Crocker cookbook in my stocking, come Christmas. 

Cheers,

Dena

In Search of the Perfect Meatloaf

Being a vegetarian really isn't hard. There are very few foods I would say that I "miss." Meatloaf, however, is one of them. I love a good meatloaf. Served with a side of green beans and mashed potatoes (from a box - none of that real stuff), it is the ultimate comfort food. 

I have been trying to make a decent vegetarian meatloaf for going on twenty years. I've had some moderate success but nothing that's been a home run. The trick is finding something that offers a little crunch on top. Most vegetarian versions are simply too soft and fall apart on the plate as you serve them. 

I made a new recipe last night and while it's not perfect, so far it's the best of the bunch. It's got some ground walnuts in it, which give that hint of "oh, someone left this in the oven too long" rock hardness I'm looking for. Blair gave it a thumbs up and said he'd eat it again, which can't be said for every meatloaf variety I've tried out on him. 

The recipe is from Vegetarian Times and is called Meatless Meatloaf Sandwiches. Enjoy. 

Spicy Fig & Artichoke Salad

Oh, snap. Do I have a recipe for you! Spicy Fig & Artichoke Salad. I know. Figs, right? Leave your doubts at the door. This salad is soooo good. I made it for dinner tonight and while I enjoyed it as an entree, it would make a snappy "impress your guests with your culinary genius" side salad. Another benefit? It's super-easy to make. Cut up everything ahead of time and just pop it in the skillet every 2 minutes. I make notes on keeper recipes and this one earned a "YUM! Serve to guests or take to parties" note. The full recipe can be found here at Vegetarian Times. 

Enjoy!

p.s. I used a combo of watercress and mixed greens, but you could just use the mixed greens if you prefer. I also used maple syrup in place of brown rice syrup. (check me out, giving recipe advice. Woot! Woot!)