Tuesday

There is a beautiful larger-sized bird at my work that we keep seeing.

Sometimes he/she has a critter clutched firmly in her talons.  Sometimes she is perched high up in a tree watching us go by.

Yesterday she stopped on a branch just a few feet away from me, scaring the bejesus out of me as I walked by the trees lining our village trail.  She let me snap a photo of her on my phone.  She watched me carefully as I inched closer and closer.  Then as I walked away, she turned to watch me then too.

She is magnificent and powerful and I will no doubt look for her each time I am outside.  She *allowed* me to photograph her.

I've never worked so close to so many natural critters (birds of prey, bugs galore and every little furry creature known to man).  It is pretty cool sometimes.

I think she is a Broad-Winged Hawk.

Tuesday

Last night when I got home I went on a cooking spree.

I needed meals for work lunch.

I thought about what ingredients I had in my kitchen and what I could do with them to create something delicious.  I cooked-up two yummy meals:

A Watermelon Gazpacho loosely adapted from Sarma M's cookbook Raw Food/Real World.

And also, another round of fajitas.  This time I added sprouted quinoa into the veggie mix and made a lime-jalapeno cheese spread to go with it.  I wrapped all the goodness into a romaine bed of sprouts and carrot shavings.  I wrapped it up and devoured it!  It was SO GOOD.

My work in the kitch' last night.

Mmmm. Picnic lunch at work. Beautiful grounds and beautiful food.

My fajita wrap. Seriously so damn good, I wouldn't have even shared it with Ryan Gosling.  :)

Monday

My diet was very well this weekend even though my cravings kicked-in big time.

Social gatherings tend to have that effect.  Even if I bring my own meal, I still feel the urges to eat poorly.  Many if not most of all social times are centered around food, especially family times.  For someone trying to eat so clean, it can be pretty tricky.  Luckily I have learned to plan ahead with satisfying meals that are still very healthy.

Interestingly enough, no one really said anything about my food this weekend.  My parents usually do but not a word this time around.  They sneak in a little comment here or there and that is all it takes to make me feel like a foodie outcast.  Maybe they are getting used to the idea of it.

On Saturday I used some of my leftover creme from my creme-stuffed strawberry treat to make a strawberry smoothie.  It was good.  Later that day I went to the health food store and picked up kale chips, chocolate and cherries.  I had wanted to try Fearless Chocolate for some time but with such a painful pricetag I had declined.  I went for it and boy am I glad I did.  It is delicious.

My Sat Morning Smoothie. Yum.

Best raw chocolate I've ever eaten.

A Bum-Cheeks Cherry!

Saturday evening Violet and I went to a party at my Mom's new place.  Most of my sisters were there and my big bro + his fam too.

Violet had a blast, running through the sprinkler, chasing her Auntie's doggies and using sparklers.

Sprinkler Action!

Badminton!

So Beautiful.

My Ole Lady.

My beautiful, pregnant baby sister J, nephew A, sis-in-law B and many assrt'd weenie dogs.

My sisters S and K and their male friends. This is a funny picture, sorry guys. 

Violet and her sparkler.

Sunday we went on a lake cruise with my dad.  It was a beautiful day for it and although Violet showed little interest in the lake scenes, she still had fun with my dad.

The Boat!

"Let's find a seat, Grampy."

The old man is such a jokester, even now.

Dancing!

My pops, Violet and stepmom A.

And last night Violet and I shared some very special girl time, at the local pool, then at home.

I love her SO MUCH.

Yeah, I let her jump on the bed. :)

Nails!

Friday

A new favorite.

Friday

Yesterday I picked Violet up from school -- which is something that brings me SO MUCH happiness as I am only able to bring her there -- and we had a great afternoon + evening.

First we went to the Farmer's Market in our town.

Here seen eating her cupcake at the Green's Stand.

The Market honestly, was kind of a let-down.  There were very few vendors, maybe a half dozen and the crowd small.  I was hoping for much more variety.

I did score some blueberries, tomatoes and baby bok choy.

Violet found a cupcake at one of the bakery stands.  It looked really good but also, very very sweet.







After the market, we met my mom to do a little bathing suit shopping.

Funny thing happened to us while we were walking around the store... The professional photography staff of that particular store came up to us and asked if Violet would model a few photos for a new employee.  They offered us a free picture to agree.  I said, "sure".  Violet totally hammed it up for the lady, posing like crazy while she snapped several photos and we scored a free 8x10 picture of her looking completely adorable.

We ventured into one of those crazy jewelry chain stores geared for the 'tween aged girls.  Violet, her Daddy and I had been talking lately about Violet having her ears pierced and she had expressed that she is now ready to do it.  I mentioned to Violet that we happened to be in a place that could pierce her ears if she so wished.  She was excited and agreeable at first but ultimately scared as heck.  I didn't want to intentionally have her feel pain!  But at the same time, I knew she would love to wear earrings (like her momma does and her aunties) so we helped to calm her fears enough to make it happen.  I also called her Daddy to let him know the scoop.  I refuse to be one of those parents that makes crazy/big/rash decisions without any concern for the other parent's feelings.

She cried but was so brave.  I am really proud of her for going through with something that made her so nervous.

Celebatory dinner! She shows off her Hello Kitty earrings.

"See my earrings, Momma!"

Grammy and Violet.

Thursday

I haven't had a lot of cravings since coming back home to my healthy diet, although I know they will come soon enough.  One thing that I have wanted so bad though is PEANUT BUTTER!  I think about it when I am wishing for something decadent and I thoughtfully plan naughty ways to eat it -- like using dark chocolate to dip into a jar of the stuff.  MmmmMmmm.

I whipped up a quick peanut butter snack for work:

Peanut Butter and Celery Sticks.

I used a cooked vidalia onion, avocado, left over corn from my chowder and some romaine leaves to create a delicious wrap for lunch.  It was so good I was smacking my lips.  I bet my colleagues heard my crunching and chewing!  I am thinking about trying to dehydrate a marinated vidalia next time so that I still get that yummy flavor without killing the health benefits of the onion (by cooking it).

Workin' Girl Lunch: SO GOOD albeit messy. :)

Wednesday

Last night I made some creme filled strawberries as a snack treat.

I used one cup of pecans, half cup of almonds, one cup of dates and a few dollops of maple syrup to create the creme.  I processed all of the ingredients at once, adding about a cup of water as I went along.

Then I hollowed the strawberries and spooned the creme inside.
They are chilling now and will be ready to eat when I get home today.  (Btw - I am seriously working on a holiday - wth!).
I did sneak a quick taste of the creme and it is delish.

I was inspired to make these from a picture I saw of something similar on pinterest. I can see why ladies complain about becoming obsessed with that website, it is a fantastic visual experience and I really enjoy it.  Besides online, I perused some of my cooking books as well, to think about some recipes that might be nice to try.  When preparing 95% of my own food, I need to feel excited and motivated about it.  It is hard work!  It is also expensive, time consuming, energy consuming, creates a ton of dishes to do and can be a little stressful.  If I don't plan ahead, I am screwed.  BUT it is definitely worth all the trouble.  I am worth it and my health too.

Before I made my strawberry treat, I made a batch of corn chowder.  It is an easy, go-to recipe I have made time and time again.  It is made of walnuts, corn, olive oil and garlic.  I like to add some fixin's like avocado, corn, onion and tomato.  You can find the recipe here on Ani Phyo's website.

Project Yum: Corn Chowder desk style.

 

Last night Violet went to see the fireworks in town.  I stayed behind to cook my meals for the day and to rest some more.  The detox continues to really use my energy and although I am starting to feel better and better, mentally and physically, I am not 100%.  I gave her some neon-glow-in-the-dark bracelets to wear at the show.  She immediately posed for pictures.  What a cutie.

Instagram by Daddy.