Beans > Beef

I used to be a ballerina.

Well, I should probably say aspiring ballerina, since I opted out of classes just before reaching pointe around age 12.

While dance lessons were far from the highlight of my day, due to a frighteningly judgmental teacher, intimidating older ballerinas and just a general fear of failure, I definitely adored the prospect of dancing in a tutu and pretending I was a princess in distress.

Something I associate with dance class almost as much as my little pink shoes are the dinners that followed.

Like many families juggling two small children's schedules + parental duties, we had a few staple meals at our house- my favorites being PA-sketti or red beans and rice, and the most loathed slow cooked beef stew.

I'd skip into the house after class- in all my pink tight donning glory- eager for some supper. But whenever I smelled the sour dankness of that dreaded stew, I knew I'd be going hungry that night.

This aversion went on for years- I don't think my parents ever once got me to actually enjoy that meal. Now that I don't eat beef, it looks like that ship has sailed and then some.

Inspired in part by a desire to prove something good can come out of a crock pot and all of your wonderful suggestions in the comments section yesterday, I decided to try my hand at slow-cooked vegetarian chili.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili, that is...

I used the recipe here, but The Fitnessista also has a very similar one here.

I started with my produce...

Two of the ingredients turned out to be California-grown!

(I love it when that happens)

Though the recipe calls for canned diced tomatoes, Trader Joe's was fresh out so I opted for the next best thing:

And when I read the label, I figured it was a win-win situation...

Chop, chop

+ the liquids (that's me consolidating dishes)

Add some real flava'

Pull out this miracle of an appliance

Dump it all in, turn it on and leave the beautiful mess to do it's thing.

Not only did the chili come out tasting divine,

but when I returned from play rehearsal (today's version of ballet class), I walked into a house enveloped in the sweet spicy smell of deliciousness.

Turns out, crock pots can produce miracles ;)

And now I've got lunch for days.

Does it get more perfect than that?

I think next on my winter meal checklist will be Paije's suggestion: grain bowls. Mmmmm...

Alright, I'm heading to bed after a loooong shift.

Thanks so much for your suggestions!

Today's question: Do you have a favorite (or dreaded) meal you remember from childhood?

The Power of Action

Looking for something inspiring?

Take a little gander at this:

My 2011 Inspiration Board

Thanks to Gina over at The Fitnessista, I busted out my mod podge, craft supplies + old magazines yesterday and got to snippin'.

It turned out to be quite the endeavor, but I'm pretty stoked about the end result.

I've broken it up into corners, see:

The acting corner

The workout corner

The food corner

I'm a bit hesitant to post my complete list of 11 resolutions for all the world wide web to see (believe it or not, I'm a fairly private person), but I'll no doubt be mentioning a few as the year unfolds.

[Hey, maybe I'll be ballsy enough by the end of 2011 to post a progress report with the complete list. We shall see...]

In addition to a grown up frame of mind, I've also deemed this year one of action.

Yesterday between movie watching, arts and crafts + mourning the gloomy weather, I was feeling pret-ty down in the dumps. Not sure what it was exactly, but I had to literally force myself to scour the old magazines in search of inspiring thoughts for my board-in-progress.

Thinking it was just part of the caffeine thing, I pushed on... when I couldn't take it anymore, I turned to Alex and complained of my vapid state of being.

"Go for a run," he suggested. "You've probably just got a ton of energy that needs to be released. "

And so I did.

Despite the cold, wet bite of winter rain, I suited up and got outside.

Granted I ran a block and a half and back (I'll pass on catching a cold, thank you very much), but my goodness did that decision to simply ACT on an impulse make all the difference in the world.

I returned home with a pep in my step, eager and ready to finish the task at hand.

With that idea in mind, I've decided to start ACTING whenever my mood gets down.

I've found that usually moving my body (running, walking, working out) or switching my focus to a different activity can completely turn a slump around.

Which is exactly why I'm so grateful to have found these yesterday:

An old stockpile of Vegetarian Times magazines given to me by a dear friend.

Not only did I get some killer photos for my board, but I also found them packed full of season-appropriate recipes (a possible cure to my winter slump in the kitchen?)

It's time I give some new meals a try. Since I usually find great satisfaction in fueling by way of hearty grain-filled salads, protein smoothies, and cookies breakfast foods of all sorts, I'm having a tough time vegetarian-ing it through the winter months.

Sometimes I just want something hot. And meaty.

I'm particularly glad seitan has come into my life but I'm not the biggest fan of meat substitutes since most of the brands sold in stores tend to be rather processed.

So please take note: I am in search of any sort of vegetarian recipe for a warm, hearty, preferably protein-based winter meal. Any suggestions?

I'm off to Whole Foods before acting class to scour the aisles for more inspiration.

What do you do when you find yourself down in the dumps? Any special tricks you'd like to share?

Let's Go to the Movies

Why?

1. Because it's rainy and cold outside
2. There's no heat in the house and I like to be warm
3. It's Oscar season which means there are actually good movies playing in theatres!

I don't know about you but I have to eat during a movie... it's just one of those things.

Unfortunately, the options at theatre concession stands are generally pretty lackluster.

Courtesy of

When I first moved to Los Angeles, I lived in the heart of Hollywood- 2 blocks from stars on the sidewalk and this landmark

While I'd still consider the theatre grossly overpriced a tad pricey, it was in walking distance to my old apartment (no driving/parking- whaaa?!), had amazingly comfortable seats and played most movies weeks before anyone else.

Still new to the city, I didn't have many friends at the time but loved good movies and the actors in them. Oscar season was upon me and I didn't plan to miss a minute. I made it (and accomplished) my personal goal that year to see every film nominated for the little golden statue.

Yes, I went alone but I still think back fondly to those warm winter afternoons when I could walk into the theatre, buy a box of Goobers (my treat of choice) and surrender to the story on screen.

Flash forward 2 years- I've moved 15 drivable minutes away from my favorite theatre and have a permanent movie partner at the ready.

When Alex proposed we do a double feature today to see Blue Valentine and Sofia Coppola's Somewhere, my mind immediately went to the munchies.

What could I possibly eat at the theatre that would be delicious and somewhat nutritious?

That's when carob-covered pretzels came to mind.

Why carob, you ask? Not only do I adore the taste, but it's caffeine free, considered an antioxidant, and has a much lower saturated fat content than chocolate.

And so my first attempt at Carob-Covered Pretzel Sticks began...

The main ingredients

+ pretzels

My makeshift double boiler

To which I added 6 oz. of carob chips and 2 T of vegan shortening

Yes, I said vegan shortening

When it looked something like this,

I kept the stove eye on low and got to dippin'.

My two methods:

1. Total immersion + tong action

2. A simple dip

Depends on how much you like your carob ;)

Then came the fun part: TOPPINGS

Not my first time using a tool in the kitchen.

I started off sprinkling the still-gooey pretzels with coconut, smashed blanched almonds and leftover crushed heath bar...

But when I saw how easy, fun and effective it was, I got a little crazy...

Inviting raw oats, chia seeds, and hemp seeds to the party...

I like to add an extra dose of health when I can ;)

After I'd filled two cookie sheets with the pretty pretty pretzels, I decided to experiment with the rest of my melted carob and mixin's by making candy

And let me tell you: these puppies turned out beautifully.

After about 2 hours of cooling, I surveyed the bounty...

And drooled a little.

Alex and I set off to the movie where, unlike the olden days of easy saunters and no parking problems, we sat in a jammed garage for nearly 15 minutes before snagging a spot and the last 2 tickets to Blue Valentine.

Our eyes were apparently bigger than our attention spans in this case because we decided to watch the one flick (SUCH GREAT PERFORMANCES- a very raw, truthful look at a romantic relationship) and head home.

Not before stopping at Pho Cafe, a little-known yet always crowded Vietnamese joint in walking distance from our current place in Silverlake.

A perfect end to this wintery day.

I'm off to hit the hay.

Tomorrow begins the real year.

Anyone broken a resolution yet? ;)

Sayonara for now.

The Year of the Grown-up

Many blogs I read and adore on a daily basis have posted a year in review by way of highlighted blog posts. 

I love reading them and hope to be able to do the same a year from now, but seeing as my baby blog is a mere 3 1/2 months old and still trying to figure out who she is exactly, I'm going to have to wait.

With the theme of self-exploration in mind, it's time to get a little personal.

Going back to South Carolina for Christmas opened my eyes to a lot of things. It came as a complete surprise to me, the girl who'd packed up everything to leave the south behind and conquer the anything goes state of California, that the place I thought had taught me everything it could would come back and surprise me with more.

Reuniting with old friends and relatives I hadn't seen in years showed me a great deal about the world, how things change and that growing up is inevitable.

Here in LA, I admittedly get stuck in the self-indulgent bubble of getting ahead and making a niche for myself in this near impossible-to-crack industry.

Seeing so many childhood friends engaged, married or pursuing what many would consider nobly humble careers, I realized that maybe it's time I grow up.

By "grow up," I don't mean to resign from adventurous fun on the daily, get a mundane desk job and wilt- quite the opposite, in fact. What I plan to do this year is explore and truly nurture what I'm here to do, keeping my loved ones (rather than selfish aims) a primary focus along the way.

When I spoke to a very wise friend of mine about this whole "grown up" conundrum, she argued, "But who says that 'real jobs' and marriage is what growing up is?'"

I shrugged, the twenty-something waitress in me eager to hear more.

"To me, being a grown up is knowing exactly what you want out of life, having a rational plan and going after it with the confidence and know-how that a child lacks."

That explanation really clicked and allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief. I'm in no rush to give up on my whimsical dreams and trade them in for a monotonous "expected" sort of life (not that there's anything wrong with that- it's just that I'm a scorpio and get bored VERY easily).

That's why I've decided that 2011 will be The Year of the Grown Up. It's time to stop lollygagging around and take the pursuits I have seriously.

Will fun be had? Um, are vegetables good for us?

The main idea is to enjoy life, complete with its inevitable ups and downs, all the while keeping my eyes on the bona fide prize.

To push myself to limits that are absolutely necessary to make the life I want possible.

No more excuses, no more self pity and no more settling for less.

In all this too, I aim to make others- my family, friends, even strangers- a big part of 2011.

In a city that's arguably the most self-centered in the world (you've all seen The Hills and read about the Kardashians in the checkout lines), I want to become part of a supportive community.

I know there are like-minded people out there who long to escape the trappings of the Gucci sunglasses-clad bleach blonde driving the Range Rover her daddy bought her while sporting an unappealing scowl on her face for no good reason.

There are loving, generous people all over this town (hell, I'm in love with one and he's a native).

This is the land of hope where countless dreamers, idealists and romantics come to make something happen. And believe you me, I will FIND THEM!

I hope you'll stick with me on this foray into adulthood- because you betta believe it means even BETTER food in the kitchen, more deliciously picturesque restaurants to explore and exciting stories to share.

Does anyone else have a "theme" for year?

Alright, it's breakfast time for this girl.

First plate of 2011?

Perfect Protein Pancakes

recipe courtesy of The Fitnessista

Let's get this party started!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!