Comments (5)

By Liz, January 6, 2010 10:25 pm

Hello hello!! So it’s been a little while since I’ve posted and checked in with y’all. Truthfully, I just have not felt like I’ve had anything worthwhile or meaningful to say. But low and behold, I eventually got some nice ideas running through by ol’ noggin. It’s funny how sometimes you just have loads of ideas and interesting thoughts, and then sometimes you’re just blank. Writing is an art for sure!

So, first off, I saw I got tagged by the lovely Jen from Eat Move Love for a “10 Things that Make Me Smile” thing. Thanks!! And it’s actually really convenient, because I was already thinking of doing a “Things I’m Loving Right Now” kinda post….soooo it worked out perfectly! Now let’s get to it….

1) I’m completely and utterly in love with the french press my absolutely amazing boyfriend got me for Christmas.

I wake up every morning now craving the robust flavor of my french pressed coffee with a little half and half with cinnamon. Heaven!!

2) Roasted brussel sprouts!!!!

I have never been a big brussel sprouts gal. I actually never have eaten them much at all. But oooooh lordie! These roasted brussel sprouts rocked my world! The salmon and quinoa that accompanied them was good, but those little mini cabbages were sooo the star of the show. What is it about roasting food tossed in olive oil and spices that makes it taste so good?? It must be magic.

3) Running always makes me smile . I just started track practice again this week and I have to say, it feels so good to be back with my teammates and have that energy that accompanies it again.

4) Averie’s Creamy “Cesar” Tahini dressing. Seriously guys, this stuff is good. Today, I was on the elliptical at the gym right before dinner time and I was just dreaming about a huge salad tossed with this dressing. So, what did I do? Ate a huge salad tossed in the tahini dressing…of course! And, just gotta say, I didn’t eat all that…I shared it with my roomies. Which brings me to number 5…

5) Roommates who can cook (and are nice enough to share)!

My roommate Justin made pizza tonight. The crust was perfect, nice and crispy on the outside and doughy on the inside. He topped his crust with tomato sauce, mozzarella, chicken, olives, onions and artichoke hearts. Oh, and he stuffed the crust with cheese. Can you say amazing? Well I can…A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! With this amazing pizza and my yummy salad, tonight’s dinner pretty much completely rocked.

6) Wine always makes me smile!

Especially when it’s wine as good as this one! I wine tasted with my friend Kailee today and we went to this winery called Lone Madrone. The whites were eh, but OMG, the reds were amazing. So amazing I had to buy my fave one I tried, which was their ‘o7 Barbera (and I don’t usually buy pricier wine). TO DIE FOR. Now, Dad…I’m sure you’re reading this, so I gotta say, you must go to Lone Madrone and taste this. You will love it! Promise! It’s right next to Hunt Cellars.

Well, even though I was supposed to say 10 things that make me smile, I’m just going to stop at 6, because these are the best 6 things that have recently made me smile.

It’s about that time now for me to hit the sack. I have a gnarly hill workout with the team tomorrow morning. My coach sure is working us hard to the first week back. It’s a love/hate thing…I love the accomplishment of a hard workout but gosh darn I hate it at the same time. I am looking forward to it nonetheless.

Adios amigos! Halfway there to the end of the first week of 2010! Crazy!

Comments (3)

By Liz, December 26, 2009 9:52 pm

Hey all!! First off, I need to send out a serious apology for the lack of posting for over a week. I can promise you guys though, that I have thoroughly been enjoying my first week out of school. This will be a picture filled post, as I have been up to some fun stuff, which of course involves food and activity!! What else?

First off…the sandwich I had at New Frontiers after Bikram last Friday.This was a turkey sandwich with cuke, spinach, red onion, artichoke hearts, provolone, red pepper aioli all sandwiched between rosemary focaccia bread. I am not lying when I say this was heaven in a sandwich. And, I had some fresh veggie/fruit juice called the Perfect Blend.Next up is the glorious and truly epic hike Jacob and I did on Tuesday. We ventured to my favorite place on earth, aka Montana de Oro, and hiked 9 miles. This hike took up across ocean bluffs, riparian forests, brush, up a huge mountain and down through meadows. It was a challenge, but oh so worth it. Here is the hike in pictures:

After the epic hike, I was quite famished. I brought a homemade Larabar, and apple, carrot and some chicken to munch on during the hike, but that food energy was long gone by the time I got home. Lucky me, one of my roommates made homemade chili. It was her first time making chili and it turned out absolutely fabulous. I assisted my making some whole-wheat corn muffins to go along. Yum!

Wednesday night, all us roomies plus Justin’s girlfriend got together for a roomie Christmas night. All of us were parting ways on actual Christmas so we celebrated early.I made hawaiian pizza for the entree and one of the roomies made a fabulous salad for the side dish. A fabulous way to start the Christmas-y evening.And I finally got the lighting right for the tree!! It looked so cute with all our little gifts underneath. We did a secret Santa gift exchange. I got one of the boys, who is a real gadget-y guy, so I bought him a mini maglite flashlight. He really really liked it! I received a bottle of Pinot Grigio wine by Robert Hall (I think?) winery. It was a roommate Christmas success!

Christmas Eve was spend doing last minute errands and a bit of relaxing. I also wrapped presents and make Christmas cookies for Jacob’s family. No interesting eats were eaten that day as it was an “eat up the leftovers” kinda day.

And now, to the main event…..DUN DUN DUN DUNNNNN….CHRISTMAS!!!!

Jacob and I began the day opening presents. I got him a new pair of running shoes (Pearl Izumi Synchropace III’s, to be exact). Jacob got me a FRENCH PRESS….plus coffee, a coffee grinder and some Bailey’s! It was a really thoughtful gift, as I have been wanting a French press for a while now. I will share pic of the new French press soon!

Next on the agenda for Christmas morning was a quick sweat sesh. My legs still weren’t completely recovered from the hike, so I opted for a bike ride around town. I biked about 11 miles in 1 hour. It wasn’t the most intense workout ever, but it was something.

After shower and such it was breakfast time!

I made sticky buns, completely from scratch thank you very much, along with bacon and eggs. And you can’t forget the coffee!! I was so excited to make some french pressed coffee!Starbucks Christmas Blend with Bailey’s Irish Cream. A heavenly concoction!

All together now…After breakfast, it was rush rush out the door to enjoy some quality time with Jacob’s family.

A little hunting was had, squirrel hunting to be exact.

After hunting it was back to Jacob’s sister’s house for more quality time. It was so wonderful. I love his family and am so happy to be a part of it!

Off to my parent’s house we went, to what is most defenilty the best meal I have had all year.A nitrate-free ham without any “liquid” enhancement (sodium or sugar water solution companies inject into most turkey, chicken and hams).

Gravy made with ham juices, mushrooms and Madeira wine.

Organic green beans steamed and topped with buttered almonds.

Red potatoes sauteed in olive oil and butter and tossed with fresh parsley.

My dad sure knows how to cook, and this meal did not disappoint.

Some vino was enjoyed throughout the night: 1 glass Bianchi Pinot Grigio, 2 glasses Bianchi Trevino and 1 small glass Bianchi Late Harvest Sauvingo Blanc with dessert. What was dessert you ask? Apple tart topped with fresh whipped cream. Ah-mazing!

I left this dinner thoroughly stuffed and super satisfied. Thanks Mom and Dad for the amazing dinner and a wonderful Christmas evening!

So, Christmas is now over and it is back to reality. However, yesterday was an amazing day that I will remember forever. I spent time with the people I love and enjoyed their presence throughly. I feel so blessed to have these people in my life!

I hope all of you, my few,yet dear blog readers enjoyed your Christmas (if you celebrate) also.

Much love!

-Liz

Comments (5)

By Liz, October 18, 2009 9:10 pm

Today has been a great day. Actually, it’s been a great weekend. I haven’t had a really enjoyable weekend in a while where I feel refreshed and relaxed. Ahh, too bad this can’t go on for a few more days!

So, last nights plan of going out with the girls didn’t happen. Oh well, I got to relax in bed, catch up on some blogs and wake up refreshed for my long run today.

When I woke up this morning I had 1/2 a banana with peanut butter to fuel up.

I got dressed in my running outfit, filled up my Camelbak with HEED and was out the door. I ran 8.5 miles in 1 hr and 26 min. It was a good run…not the best ever but good. My legs were a little fatigued and my legs didn’t feel very warmed up the whole time. But I finished in a decent time and got through the run okay, so that’s what matters.

I chugged 2 huge glasses of ice cold water when I got back home, showered and make a quick breakfast.

I had about 1 cup of whole milk plain yogurt topped with ground flax, Uncle Sam’s cereal, the other 1/2 of my banana, chopped walnuts and 4 dates. Yum yum!

Today, Jacob and I decided to spend some quality time together…something we haven’t had much time or opportunity to do in a while. So, we went wine tasting in Paso Robles! If you guys haven’t noticed yet…I really love wine! It is definitely my drink of choice.

I decided to look pretty and rock my new skinny jeans.

I really like ‘em! They are so comfortable, and I think my legs look pretty good in ‘em, too.

I packed a picnic lunch to take with us on our tasting exursion.

Those are fixins for shredded chicken sandwiches including sprouted wheat bread, carrot, avocado, cucumber, tomato and goddess dressing. I also packed 2 pears and honeydew melon.

We stopped at 3 wineries today: York Mountain, Halter Ranch and Thunderbolt.

First stop was York Mountain.

The drive to this winery was magical. It was on a back road with lots of overhanging oak trees and pines. The wines did not disappoint. I especially liked the Viognier and the 2006 Pinot Noir. They had an 2007 Pinot also, but it wasn’t as good. All the other wines were good, but they just didn’t stand to me the way those two did.

The tasting room gal at York recommended visiting Halter Ranch. I also remember my Dad saying something good about them…I think. It was a bit far out on the back roads, but it was a drive well worth it. This winery had a special event going on today (It was Harvest Fest in Paso) for the festival. We didn’t know about it, so it was a pleasant surprise. The tasting fee included 2 glasses, the wine of course and they had fresh baked pizza. I wasn’t blown away by all their wine. The Viognier I actually quite disliked. But then I had their 2008 Cotes de Paso Blanc, which was a blend, but I can’t remember what of. This wine was up there with my fave Pinot Grigio from Bianchi. It was so refreshing and floral…very drinkable. We tried a couple reds that were kinda eh, but then I had the Syrah and the Cabernet Sauvignon. Both were amazing. Truthfully, I don’t remember exactly the specific tastes (black currant, smoke, etc.) but I remember being really impressed by both. The last wine we tried at Halter was their 2005 Ancestor. This blend was pretty good, and Jacob’s favorite. It had a smoky, earthy flavor. I liked it, but the Syrah and Cab were better in my opinion.

Here’s pic of Jacob in front of the winery.

We decided to eat our sandwiches while we were at Halter. It was a pretty place to stop and eat.

I had my sandwich, a bite of Jacob’s pear and a pizza roll up.

However, the highlight of our visit at Halter was talking to the chef/baker who was making the pizza. The pizza bite I had was amazing, but it wasn’t the sauce or toppings that were good…it was the crust! I have never had a better pizza crust, ever. So, I just had to talk to the guy who was behind this delicious crust. His name was Ciro, and not only did I learn a lot about baking but I learned some good life lessons, too (or as he would say, I understood some life lessons). We chatted a bit about different flours and how they affected the texture of the bread. Then he got into the deep philosphies with me. First off, he said that that with bread and with life, simple is always better. And that the secret to success and happiness is intuition, creativity and fun. Very true indeed. Talking to Ciro really made my day.

After Halter Ranch, we stopped at a winery I had never heard of before called Thunderbolt. Apparently this winery is only a few years old…they have been open for 4 years. I was actually really impressed by all their wine except for one. They only had one white wine, a Viognier, and it was actually pretty bad. But their red wine made up for it. I liked every single one! I’m not a huge red wine fan, I love me some Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. But, boy, all the reds were so drinkable and tasty. The one that stood out the most to me was surprisingly their Zinfandel. Way delish! The view from the winery was absolutely gorgeous and the ladies working there were a hoot to talk to.

That was enough wine for me! I probably had the equivalent of 3 maybe 4 glasses of wine. I was kinda feelin it by the time we got home. I was feeling a bit munchy and had a bowl of chocolate moose tracks with peanut butter in top. Totally hit the spot!

Jacob and I snuggled up and watched one of my fave movies, Stranger Than Fiction. I really love this movie because it’s all about living life to the fullest. I swear there is no better message than living every day like it’s your last and not taking any moment for granted.

After movie watching, I heated up some leftover casserole for dinner.

Not the prettiest dinner ever, but casserole isn’t usually pretty. I made a mexican style casserole to share with the roomies last night. The ingredients: onion, bell pepper, spinach, zuchini, pinto beans, cooked and shredded chicken, cheddar cheese, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika. I just layered each ingredient in a 13×9 pyrex dish twice. Then I made corn muffin batter and covered the casserole with the batter. I popped the casserole in the oven at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Then, I served it with fresh cilantro on top. I turned out really great, although it could have used a bit more spice. I got tons of leftovers out of it, too.

Not much left on the agenda tonight. Currently watching some low-budge horror flick on Lifetime. It’s pretty funny!

Back to reality tomorrow! I’m gonna milk every last second out of the rest of my Sunday night.

Nighty night folks! I hope y’all had a great weekend, too!

Comments (6)

By Liz, October 7, 2009 8:42 pm

Is there a combo on this Earth that is better than pizza and beer? Well, maybe pizza and wine…but no, there really isn’t much better than pizza and beer. But first, we need to backtrack to this afternoon. Let’s travel back in time…

After work, I had a great workout. I went to the gym and did 45 min on the elliptical, 10ish minutes of core work and swam a mile (1650m). It was actually quite a long workout but the intensity was on the lower side of moderate, so I felt like I could just go on forever. Of course, some post-workout fuel was in order when I got home…

I had a yogurt mess (it’s hidden under all that stuff!) topped with seasoned pumpkin, 1/2 a banana, 1 tbsp. flax, walnuts and peanut butter. I sprinkled a little brown sugar on top, too.I was still feeling munchy after this, so I had a corn muffin with a little blackberry jam.

After my snackie, I got to work on my super special dinner!

Now if you guys didn’t realize this already, I made pizza for dinner tonight. I feel like I haven’t made it in ages! Homemade pizza is truly one of my fave dinners, so it was about time I made it…it just takes some time…so I guess that explains why I havn’t made it in a while (I don’t have a lot of extra time!). Anyways, I took pictures of the whole process so y’all can recreate this lovely dinner.

So, the first step for pizza is making your crust. It’s really really simple…so don’t be scared. And a homemade crust really “makes” the pizza!

Here are the ingredients (courtesy of Better Homes and Garden Cookbook):

Here are the ingredients layed out:

The two differences I make to the crust recipe are using all whole wheat flour and adding in flax. I use 1/2c. of flax.

To begin making the crust, add 1 packet of yeast in the bowl and 1/4c. of warm water to a bowl to proof the yeast.

Look at that yeast waking up! It’s crazy to think that yeast is a living organism that eats sugars and that’s why it makes dough rise. Crazy man! After the yeast is dissolved (about 5 min) add in 1 cup of the flour, 1/2c. ground flax, 2 tbsp. olive oil, salt and 3/4c. of warm water.I made this in my stand-up mixer, so I mixed it on low for about 3o sec. then high for 3 min. You can just stir it around fast in a bowl if you don’t have a mixer. Scrape the sides of the bowl as you go to make sure that all the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Once everything is all mixed, start adding in flour about 1/4c. at a time, stirring on low. Here’s the dough at around this stage:

I ended up using 2 1/2c. of flour total plus the half cup of flax. Once the dough was beginning to get stiff, I took it out of the mixer and kneaded it by hand a few times. Here’s the dough when I finished kneading:

The cookbook said the dough should be smooth and elastic. Mine wasn’t quite there, but I didn’t want to add any more flour. It worked out ok. Put the dough in a big, lightly greased bowl. Cover it, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size. For me, it took about 1 1/2 hours. The top of the fridge seemed like the warmest place to me!

After the dough has finished rising, take it out of the bowl, punch it down and let it rest. While I let the dough rest I started getting the topping ready for the pizza! This is also a good time to pre-heat the oven. Preheat it to 375 degrees.

My toppings are usually all veggies and no meat. I’ve just always done it this way. What can I say, I love my veggies! The toppings I chose for tonight were:red bell pepper, zucchini, spinach, onion and broccoli.

And you can’t forget the cheese!

That’s part-skim mozzarella…and a lot of it!

Okay, so once all the toppings are ready, it’s time to roll out the dough. Make sure to flour the surface and the rolling pin! I used a large rectangular baking sheet to place my dough on. I like to crimp the edges all pretty, too!

I baked my crust for about 7 min before I added the toppings. After the crust baked, I brushed a little olive oil on the warm crust. Then I added tomato sauce.

I mixed canned plain tomato sauce with pepper, garlic salt, rosemary, red pepper flakes, basil and parsley. I used about 1/2c. of sauce to cover the crust. Then add all the toppings. I like to layer…onion then cheese, then spinach then cheese…etc. It makes for evenly distributed cheese and toppings. Once your pizza is piled high with deliciousness, pop that sucker in the oven (for about 20 min.)

It’s a long, hard wait…but oh so worth it! Here’s the final product:

And, like the title of this post implies…I had a beer with my din din!

Yummy Newcastle! A match made in heaven for sure!

So there ya have it folks…homemade pizza! If you haven’t tried it already…do so! It will blow delivery or frozen pizzas outta the water! Plus, you can control what kind of toppings you want and the amount of cheese.

I don’t have school tomorrow, so I’m as free as a bird tonight! Wahoo! Tomorrow I am going on a field trip with my Geology class to look at rocks and stuff at the beach. I think it will actually be kinda fun. I’ll take pictures of course!

Have a great night!