Pulling in the Reins

Good morrow all,

Today marks day 3 of the LA Monsoon and day 1 of my semi-blown season changing sickness- irk.

Last night's veggie burger attempt was pretty delightful, if not a tad time consuming since it involved the use of our antiquated oven AND my new pride and joy:

The food processor (isn't she gorge?)

The burger itself contained garbonzo beans (chick peas- whatevs), 2 cloves of garlic, 1/2 a cup of slivered almonds ground into a meal (hence the food processor) and some spices.

Quite simple, but totally delicious.

The mix:

Some pan action:

The sweet potato fries were a hit, though the oven did a little burn number on some:

still quite edible though ;)

After I steamed some broccoli and added a little cheese, the plate came out comme ca:

As with all my forays into cooking, this served as a valuable learning experience:

1. I need to get the timing thing down- it seems essential that the fries come out of the oven the same time the burgers go into the pita. hot food = good food
2. The burger needs a flavorful sauce... Dijon mustard worked this time but I think I'll make my own next time around

Despite the minor flaws, I loved this meal, as did Alex (I think)!

This morning was supposed to be full of yoga and mas cardio, but based on the state of my sinuses when the alarm went off, it was just not. happening.

The throat tickle started yesterday and I brushed it off as dryness from the cold night air (I leave the bedroom window open at night) but today my nose joined in the fun and it has turned into a semi-blown cold!

Needless to say, I rested in my warm bed for a bit then bustled to the kitchen to make the most vitamin c packed breakfast I could manage:

Plain yogurt, a heaping handful of raspberries, banana, ground flax seed and honey + fresh squeezed oj.

I'm not a HUGE juice drinker, as most are loaded with added sugar but seeing as we had fresh California oranges and a juicer, I figured "Why the ef not?"

After eating/drinking/resting, I knew acting class was on the horizon so again I racked my brain for the most antioxidant and vitamin loaded things to consume in my kitchen and came up with:

Green juice

from this:

An acai berry smoothie with blueberries (2 of the most healthy berries you can get):

I drank both down in a hurry, went along to acting class where I guzzled tons of water and nibbled on this:

(I know you can't really see the chocolate LARABAR, but I like the photo because you get a taste of our class' space- fun!)

I rushed home to give you guys this little update before heading off to work... my section's outside- that should be interesting ;)

But it'll give me plenty of time to read this little diddy:

Selection 1 of my 3 plays to read this week...

Sionara for now xo

mads

Fall has Fallen!

Breaking news, guys!

Fall has officially... FALLEN! (if Spring has Sprung, Fall has Fallen- right? Right.)

Today was another chilly overcast day in LA and I absolutely LOVED it. To top it off, I got my first whiff of Autumn air... take from that what you will.

Last night, I made this little dinner for acting class:

whole wheat couscous with red bell pepper and goat cheese + carrots

...and subsequently managed to get all eating and drinking banned from the classroom forever... I guess the crunching was just too distracting.

This morning started out with a little pre-gym concoction:

Chocolate Chia Pet Porridge

(read: no chia pets were harmed in the making of this breakfast- I just put the word "pet" in the title for added alliteration... which I obviously have a thing for)

It contained:

• 1/2 a cup of Grape Nuts
• 1 whole banana
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk + a splash of chocolate almond milk
• dash of cinnamon
• 1 tbs of chia seeds

Awesome!

In case you thought chia seeds could only be used to grow imaginary botanical creatures, think again! They're actually a GREAT source of omega 3 fatty acids and help with hydration retention and joint strength.

Since bad knees run in my family, I figure they're a good superfood to chow down on whenever possible.

(for more on chia seed benefits, click here)

At the gym, I hopped on the elliptical for a bit, then joined a 90 minute Hatha/Anusara yoga class. The teacher was super cool- very detail oriented, which I dig!

After the gym, I had this yummy snack:

A blueberry banana protein smoothie + 2 pieces of whole wheat toast with Earth Balance.

This girl loves her some toast and butta'.

I was SUPPOSED to have a shoot in Venice today, but seeing as the weather was more than abysmal, we decided to postpone. Which meant:

A DAY OFF WITH NOTHING PLANNED! Sweeeeet.

I ate my snack and watched Madmen, then got to brainstorming on what to make for dinner.

I decided on veggie burgers with a garbonzo bean base + homemade sweet potato fries.

I'll give you the full recap on how it pans ;) out tomorrow, but here's a little taste of the prep work for ya:

After grocery list making and dinner planning,

I made this rendition of a "clean out the fridge to free up space" salad:

mixed baby greens, black eyed peas, goat cheese, carrots, red bell pepper, hummus, balsamic vinaigrette.

Then it was off to the Great Los Feliz/ Silverlake Grocery Store Tour of 2010... no really, I hit up 3 places to get all the ingredients/staples I was looking for.

A few things I'm super excited about incorporating into my life:

Butternut squash

Libby's canned pumpkin- perfect for desserts, smoothies and breakfasts

Daiya "cheese"- I've read tons about it and it seems like the first legit, non-processed vegan cheese substitute out there. AND the label says "it melts and stretches"- 2 very essential cheese capabilities if you ask me.

Ah'ight- I'm off to battle the mountain of dishes in the kitchen and get to cookin'

Can't wait to share tomorrow :)

HAPPY FALL TO EVERYONE!!

love love love,

maddie

Emo Monday

Hi all,

It's Monday (in case you hadn't noticed) and since we're looking to focus on the bright side over here, at least it's winding down :)

Mine started with a miracle from Mother Nature:

RAIN! In LA?!

Yes, it was a true "stop the presses" moment for us here in Southern California. I've really been enjoying it, if not allowing myself to indulge in a little "O woe is me" time... But I find it can be therapeutic and good for everyone from time to time.

Pre-workout breakfast consisted of:

2 boiled eggs + a bowl of Quaker oats with cinnamon and one drop of Stevia extract

As I told you last Monday, Mindy and I wanted to keep our weekly outdoor yoga ritual going, but alas, it was not to be on this gloomy morning. We still made the most of it and went to the gym- a little elliptical time was all I could muster, but it served me well throughout the rest of the day.

After the gym, we went to Bricks and Scones:

...Another fabu spot I was turned onto by Mira :)

As you can see, the front patio is a veritable oasis in the big city, but the inside really takes the cake. It's set up like a multi-story study, complete with winding staircase, comfortable seating, ornate desks and dim lighting. A perfect spot for a rainy day. And of course, all the Angelinos were taking advantage of that fact so we were forced to sit outside... thank God for umbrellas.

I sipped on this

a *hot* soy mocha- my first hot drink in awhilllllle- so good!

And nibbled on this snuck-in snack

Ginger snap! It was season-appropriate and delicious.

Mindy and I chatted about life, then I headed home, where I was to meet up with my friend Matthew for lunch.

We were planning on trying out a new vegan place nearby BUT when I heard he'd never been to Gingergrass, it was a no-brainer.

I'm happy to report that I did not get my usual, and instead opted for a Claypot Shrimp Vegetable Curry with brown rice... mmm mmm good.

It went spendidly with a pot of green tea. Two hot drinks in one day? As you can see, I'm really soakin' up the chilly wet weather while I have it.

Matthew and I also chatted about life and whatnot, then I came home to temporarily wallow in my gloominess.

I'm not going to bore you with my trivial problems, but I will say that they involve money (or the lack thereof) and becoming further acquainted with life in the real adult world. Bleck!

Nothing a little almond butter/ banana sandwich and straightening up the house won't cure.

Flying high on my closet organization romp from yesterday, I've decided to take the next step and am now putting my affairs in order. (Ha, how Jane Austen of me ;)

(nice empty green juice glass in the background for ya)

It's time I really get a grip on my finances and since I'm a fan of organizing and taking action, I figured *what better time than now?*

Let's hope this works!

I still haven't thought of a good concrete creativity goal for the week, so instead:

I will read 3 plays by next Monday.

It's a mix of creativity and knowledge... I'll be sure to let you know which plays they are and exactly what I think of them as the week progresses.

Signing off now, acting class tonight followed by a little r & r.

I hope this post goes to show you that we all need a little emo in our lives now and then.

See you tomorrow, when things'll be back on the up and up!

:)

Maddie

Sunday Splurgin'

Wassup party people!?

Hope this Sunday has been a relaxing one for all...

Mine has consisted of a little splurging and a whole lot of football (not necessarily by choice).

To rewind, the family dinner was BOMB last night- we went to a really fun Mexican restaurant in Huntington Park, where I [shock!] left my camera in the car, but happily downed 2 Cadillac margaritas, a cheese quesadilla the size of my head + spanish rice and beans. There was birthday cake. It was chocolate... you can imagine what I did to my slice.

Now, you might be thinking, "Maddie?! How could you? A cheese quesadilla- do you know how greasy those are? And the sugar in a margarita? Chocolate cake?! Omygod, I've given up hope..."

Hold your imaginary horses, friends. While I am (obviously) a firm believer in healthy living and eating, there are times in life when you just have to throw caution to the wind and join in the fun. As long as you're not doing it everyday, a little splurging is essential every once and awhile.

With that philosophy in mind, I'll get on with this morning's activities.

Seeing as I consumed my weight in cheese and tequila last night, I thought it appropriate to start this morning off with a super cleansing green juice + fresh organic strawberries.

It did the job.

I then set off to get started on: the closet of death.

I suppose the best way to describe it is a "his and hers" style setup. Since we moved in (4 months ago), this closet has served as a place to haphazardly hang clothes, dump shoes and... throw random mess into.

Case in point.

I got to work cleaning it out, sorting, sweeping and trashing a whole lot of stuff. Cleansing the body and cleansing the home go hand in hand I think ;)

Once I'd done all I could in that department, it was time for some errand running. After trying with all my might, I was finally able to get Alex off of the couch and logged out of his fantasy football online convo.

The only way to do it was to lure him with chocolate, so we ended up at:

Shaky Alibi- a new liege waffle and coffee place on Beverly Blvd.

Mira highly recommended it yesterday and since I am never one to turn down a fresh take on Belgian waffles, I decided to give it a try.

We started out with some iced coffees (mine with soy milk, Alex's with mocha)

And moved onto the main event... waffles.

Mine = dark chocolate with bananas

His = the Belgian spread speculoos, which tastes an awful lot like toffee and graham cracker puree + bananas

de.lish.us.

The owner of the place was super nice and came over to describe the process of making the waffles and let us know that all of their ingredients, from the coffee to the sugar to the spreads were all imported from France or Belgium.

You do NOT have tell me twice.

I'll definitely be back...

Alex and I hit up Home Depot, where we did a little more splurging.

Then, we had to RUSH back to the house so he could catch the Philadelphia/Redskins game and I could be the handyman of the house.

All the strenuous screwdriving work paid off and the closet of death is no more:

Ta-da!!

Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.

I just put this bad boy together:

Mixed greens, raw green beans, beets, whole wheat couscous, bell pepper, goat cheese, hummus, carrots, Mary's cracker crumbles + balsamic vinaigrette

I think a see ahi tuna in my future (we have an ah-mazing dish at work that I might just have to *surprise* splurge on this evening).

So I'm off to work, then HOPEFULLY home in time for Boardwalk Empire and/or Madmen... Wow, the last episode of Madmen was really good, no?!

I've been thinking of my goal for this week and the more I ponder, the more my mind wanders back to creativity... It's so essential to my sanity, not to mention my craft. I work well with black and white/checklist sorts of goals, so I'm still trying to figure out what my weeklong "creativity goal" will consist of, but you betta believe you guys'll be the first to know.

Enjoy your Sunday eve, prep to make this week a GREAT one and if you've got a weeklong goal, please let me know in the comments section because I'd love to know I'm not alone in this ;)

Love and luck to all,

Mads xoxo

Wino Tendencies

Happy Weekend, everybody!

It's still pretty toasty over here in LALAland... I gotta be honest, with college football on TV, Halloween garb all over stores and pumpkin mix on the shelves, I'm hankering for some crisp Autumn weather.

A girl can dream ;)

I'm sure you're all dying to know how the mango salmon dinner turned out- haha

Well... it certainly didn't beat the tuna dish from a couple of weeks ago but it was still edible.

I started out with this:

Then moved onto this:

sauteed some green beans, made a little whole wheat couscous

et voila:

The mango salsa was AMAZING (fresh mango, roasted red pepper, red onion, chili pepper, fresh lime juice, a little agave for added sweetness- all marinating for 2 days), but in hindsight, I think it would have paired better with a white fish- maybe halibut or seabass?

The whole wheat couscous was a little bland for my taste- even after adding half a vegan bouillon cube + feta cheese. I used some garlic gold oil to sautee the green beans, but I'll use a little less next time, as they were a tad greasy.

So there you have it: full disclosure on what I thought of my latest dinner endeavor.

I planned on hitting the gym at 9:15 this morning for a 90 minute power yoga class but woke up at 8am with an icky headache and decided to keep on resting until a little after 9.

I finally got out of bed, cursing the cheap Trader Joe's Sauvignon Blanc I'd sipped on the night before. (2 glasses?! I guess you get what you pay for)

I made some pre-gym breakfast:

1 boiled egg + 1 egg white, some whole wheat toast with my favorite and ONLY butter substitute I will ever use:

Earth Balance is delicious, nutritious and an essential part of many vegan recipes.

YUM!

Alex and I finally got to the gym, where I did 30 minutes of cardio and some ab floor work/ stretching.

***YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS!?! I COMPLETED MY GOAL OF EXERCISING 5 TIMES THIS WEEK... AND IT FEELS SO GOOD, I MIGHT JUST KEEP IT UP!***

After the gym, I made a yummy spinach and mango smoothie, complete with protein.

Then a little snackie for the road:

whole wheat pita with almond butter, sliced banana and honey

Look! It's a taco!

Mira and I drove to Bloomie's to get our makeup done by my insanely talented makeup artist friend, Heith.

We both turned out beautifully :)

I'm back at the casa now, chowing down on this beast of a salad:

spinach, raw green beans, hummus, strawberries, goat cheese, carrots, bell pepper and, to add a little crunch, some crumbled Mary's crackers...

They're so GOOD and 8 billion times better for you than Ritz or Wheat Thins. Heaven with any sort of cheese...

Alex and I are headed to a family birthday dinner tonight, then mayjah house chores tomorrow.

Good news! Our landlord came over to fix a couple things today and when we explained the problem with our stove:

(It's ancient, the temperature settings don't work and it's not big enough to fit most standard dishes or pans).

He said if we find one that fits in the corner, he'll buy it for us- HOORAY! New stove on the way, which means more fresh cookies and cakes mmmmmm...

Hope you guys enjoy your Saturday night!

Stay tuned for an upcoming post on wine... Are some better for us? Does organic really make a difference? Is there truth to the myth that cheap wine = unavoidable hangover? (Judging by my state this morning, I would definitely vouch for that last one ;)

kisses,

maddie

The Change

Greetings loved ones,

Happy Friday... hope it's been swell for everyone.

Mine started off with this early morning breakfast of champions before nutrition class:

green juice, raspberries and a LARABAR

Although I didn't need it in retrospect, I had my weekly ritual Starbucks...

The scaled back grande version, sans pumpkin spice. Pure coffee + soy milk baby.

If things keep on keepin' on the way they have been in terms of my energy level, I may be able to skip this completely next Friday :)

Today in class we talked about FATS- the different kinds (saturated, mono-unsaturated, poly-unsaturated and trans) and how they effect the body.

Honestly y'all, I have never found chemistry so interesting. I'm starting to scare myself, in fact!

Things to share from today's lesson:

• Women under 50 need 1,000-1,200 mg of calcium per day.

to put it into perspective:
-8oz. glass of milk = 300 mg of calcium
-3/4 of a cup of yogurt = 300 mg of calcium
-2 oz. of swiss cheese = 530 mg of calcium

Which means... If you do dairy, drink up or cheezify yourself (just watch the fat content).

If you don't, take a calcium supplement!!

• While it is federal law to list trans fat on the nutrition label, some food companies get away with making their serving sizes SO miniscule, they eek out of the requirement. Check to see if "hydrogenated oil" is listed on the ingredients- that's a surefire sign. (And for God's sake, stay away from margarine in a tub! It's NOT butter for a reason!)

• You have two types of cholesterol in your body- good (HDL) and bad (LDL). You obviously want your good cholesterol number high and your bad cholesterol number low. If these are out of whack, you're at greater risk for all sorts of problems- namely heart disease and stroke.

-Ways to reduce your bad cholesterol?

1. Cut out all trans fats, reduce saturated fats to a minimum and eat more mono and poly-unsaturated fats (examples: flaxseed, fish oil, canola oil, walnuts)

2. EXERCISE

-The ONLY way to up your good cholesterol?

1. Research says: EXERCISE

After class, I stopped by the Whole Foods in Pasadena with the sole intention of getting some wild caught salmon for dinner, but ended up geeking out in the grocery store for 20 minutes (!!!), and that was after forcing myself to leave.

I have never been in a Whole Foods so big...

The selection was phenomenal, which is why I stuck around for so long.

They had so many new LARABAR flavors, so I stocked up:

And also got some of these lovelies:

(note the mess in the background- greeeeat)

When I got home from my mini shopping spree, I was craving carbs like a mad woman so I whipped up a little parfait with yogurt, grape nuts, flax seed, strawberries and bananas:

It hit the SPOT.

Since today was my day off, I reveled in some major couch potato activity, read some great blogs, finally getting off my butt to do something [semi] productive:

...Little steps to makin' our house a home.

In betwixt the nothingness, I made this random lunch:

-2 egg whites topped with nutritional yeast (for added protein)

-half an avocado

-spinach with a little feta and balsamic vinaigrette

-a dollop of sriracha (never ketchup- i'm not a fan of ketchup, unless I'm drunk and there are fries in front of me- not happening anytime soon)

-a whole wheat bagel thin with goat cheese spread

Hodgepodge, yet delicious...

Here I am settling into a beautiful Friday evening, windows open, cool breeze floating in.

I'll finally be putting my mango mix to good use- salmon dish TONIGHT!

Before I say goodbye, I'd like to let you guys know something about the past week...

I've noticed 2 distinct things since I started really eating clean and incorporating exercise into my routine:

1. I'm way more positive, without even trying. If I find myself in a stressful situation or bad mood, it lasts me all of a couple of minutes and I'm over it. By just breathing through it (thank you, yoga) and remembering how big and beautiful the world is, I forget about the problem and focus on the greatness at hand (because it's always there).
2. My energy is out of control. Two weeks ago, I was so lethargic in the mornings. Even after I had my coffee, I still lacked the motivation to clean the house or even go grocery shopping. Ever since I went through "the change" (as I will now lovingly call it), I can't be STOPPED! Even though I only got 4 hours of sleep between work last night and class this morning, I still haven't felt the urge for a nap or a decline in energy all day.

Both these things hit me today and I thought I'd share. I'm super excited to continue on with this journey... So far, so GREAT!

I'll be back tomorrow to let you know how the mango salmon goes. Wish me luck and...

Enjoy your Friday night!

Get crunk for me ;)

Love,

Maddie