A Beautiful Disaster, I mean, Salad

Mishmash of thoughts and food...

It's Friday! Amazing how fast the days go. I feel like the week just started and here we are at the end of it again. Today, I have alot of article writing to do. I'm at my "office," aka Starbucks. When we move, I won't be able to come to this Starbucks as much, mainly because I won't be within walking distance of it. I'll miss it. I'm very productive here.

This week has been the week of friends. On Wednesday night, I had my friend Lorena over for dinner. Thursday, I met my other friend, Isela, for lunch. Last night, I took a walk and had dinner with my friend, Jess. Am I craving companionship? Maybe. I think mostly I realize how much I tend to distance myself from people. I get so busy with "ME," and I forget how much I enjoy spending time with everyone else. It's the writer thing. That reclusive, anti-social nature that seemed to plague so many of our most famous writers. I have to remember that many of those writers were very unhappy. People aren't meant to be alone. We crave companionship.

I think one of my issues is that I never feel like I can "just be me" around most people. It's this sense that I need to be interesting, clever, or understanding. Those are my roles. With some people, I'm that witty intellectual (aka "the writer"). With others, I'm "the shoulder," the one you come to, to divulge all about how you feel and think and to get my opinion on whatever it is. Like I know anything. :p We all have these roles. I feel like I'm this ever-dripping faucet of whatever people need from me: understanding, information, or witticism. It makes me wonder what I'm requiring of other people. I know I must require things of them, but I don't know that I'm conscious of what that actually is.

This sounds like a complaint. It's not. I actually love getting to play those roles. I love that people trust me, think I'm interesting or funny. It's cool people actually think I know enough about life for them to want my opinion. I mean, who wouldn't be flattered by that? It's just an interesting reality. And, sometimes, it's tiring. Just a little. That feeling you have to "turn it on." Sometimes, I'm amused by these roles we play. I'll be talking on the phone to a friend and realize that they have a very skewed view of me because of the roles we've settled into.

I think what started this all is my friend who called me earlier this week. She was very upset about certain things in her life and we talked about how sometimes we take on roles so wholeheartedly because it's easier to play that role than actually deal with all the other parts of who we are. For her, it was taking on the mother role to the point that she's losing the wife role. That happenes to alot of people, and it made me more aware of the roles I take on in my relationships.

How do you strike that balance and be all the things you are? That's mostly a rhetorical question, but if you have thoughts on that, please share!


Food...

Tofu Tacos w/Lorena

Hubby asked for a salad last night. We were having leftovers and he didn't want the previous night's tofu tacos. He thought this salad was just beautiful. It has romaine, spinach, fresh chopped mushrooms, fresh red cabbage, honey turkey (deli sliced), almonds, pieces of a pepperjack cheesestick, and fresh ground pepper.

Last night's leftovers with Jess.

Now, back to reguarly scheduled programming, which includes me doing some serious article writing!!!

Tootles!

My Day "Teaching" High School Students About Obesity

Like Father like Daughter...
(My dad is a retired teacher.)

So, today, I had a speaking engagement at a local high school. However, it was more like "teaching" because I did the same presentation in all five of the Health teacher's classes.

My presentation was called Obesity: Culture or Disease? We started out the class by calculating BMI. I taught them how to do the calculations and then I gave them some sample problems. The last one was my own BMI from when I weighed 343 pounds. It goes like this...

BMI = (Weight x 703) / (Height in Inches Squared)

Therefore, my BMI at 5 ft 1 and 343 pounds would equate to:

(343 x 703) / (61 x 61) = 64.8

Then, I had the kids find that number on the BMI chart, except the chart doesn't go up that high. I was literally "off the charts." Of course, then the kids all went, WOW!! OMG!!!

And, I then opened up my powerpoint with this picture

And, I said, this is that woman. This is me 5 years ago. Needless to say, they were floored, and they started to really pay attention. :)

We talked about gastric bypass and how it's only for the most dire of situations. We discussed the complications that can happen, and the difficulties. Then, we discussed "Fatness" as a culture.

I think they enjoyed it alot. I hope so, because I really did.

Anyway, it was a super fun/exhausting day, and I really hope to get to do it at other area schools. I loved it! It's amazing talking to people about what you're passionate about. :) 

My friend Lorena is coming over soon. I'm make Tofu Fajitas. I'll update you guys with dinner pictures tomorrow, because I'm completely pooped and barely have the energy to really make dinner.

See you tomorrow!

What are you passionate about? This is a question I asked some of the kids. It was really cool to hear all their different answers. I got answers like boxing, music, and gummi bears. :D

Overnight Oats = Really Full Belly

 Good morning World!!!
 

I had overnight oats this morning. I put them in the fridge in tuperware the night before with some milk. Then, when I get up (thus, the bed head), I zap them in the microwave. It's way too cold in the mornings for cold oatmeal.

And... voila! Served with a bit of Hubby's pecan cereal and PB.

On the agenda today is some serious catching up. I have some writing due, and a TON of writing to do after that because I've been working on the other stuff! Let's just say JMyers Inc. has a bit of a backlog right now. I worked until 10:30 last night with hubby helping with editing Gah! :) Yes, I secretly take great pleasure in the fact that my husband is willing to edit my work. How lucky am I? :D

 Last night's dinner was good, but not very photogenic. We call it White Castles. I use a pound of ground  turkey, a packet of dry onion soup mix, and a cup of water. Ryan usually makes a sandwich out of it, but I usually just use one piece of bread. More like "chipped beef and toast" style.

It's not the prettiest meal, but it tasted fantastic! Ryan always loves the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Ok, now I'm off to work like a crazy woman! :)

Do you work a normal 40 Hour week? Do you work more or less? Day shift? Night shift?

Roast a Radish, Microwave a Roast

Sunday is my favorite day of the week...

I really enjoy how laid back Sundays feel. For some reason, Saturday always feel a bit stressful to me. It's like I feel like I HAVE to get out and do something. Sundays, the pressure is off, and I can just enjoy myself. Love it!

I had a late lunch today, from one of my favorites: Chipotle!

Oh! I also picked up the book club book from the library. It's Daughter of Fortune. Not a typical read for me, but it's an Opera Bookclub Pick, which usually means it's pretty good.

Dinner tonight was quick, easy, and delicious. I made a microwaveable Hormel Pork Roast. These are tasty and quick for those nights you don't want to spend alot of time in the kitchen. I served the pork roast with a side salad and roasted radishes.

Our salads are usually different. Ryan's is always bigger and  includes more mushrooms because he loves them. Mine usually includes more tomatoes. His almost always had walnuts or cheese. Tonight, I cut up a colby jack cheese stick, because I had a feeling he wouldn't eat very many of the radishes. I know my husband. 

How to Roast Radishes

1. Wash and cut off their little tails and any bad spots.

2. Cut into quarter pieces.

3. Toss with a bit of olive oil, sea salt, and pepper.

4. Spread on a cookie sheet. Make sure you only do a single layer.  

5. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

I am soooo full right now. Radishes are seriously filling. I think, to my knowledge, this is the first time I've ever had a cooked radish. They were good!

I'm about to curl up in bed with my new book. I just finished The Handmaid's Tale by M. Atwood. All I can say is "WOAH." I really wished that had been a bookclub book because I felt the immediate need to discuss it. There is so much going on there. It made me wish I had been asked to read that in college, just so we could disect it in class! That was by far my favorite part of school.

Hope you're enjoying your Sunday night.

What's your favorite day of the week?

Tootles!

I Heart Saturdays

It's Saturday again! My favorite.

I had a writers workshop today, so I'm just getting around to blogging.

Last night, we had dinner with Ryan's friend, Kelcey. I made Peanut Chicken and Tofu again. Recipe here.

This morning, I had an egg and cheese breakfast sammy.

Then, I ran off to my workshop. Always fun. We did some fun prompts. One of them was a poetry prompt. I wrote my first haiku ever.

empty and blind she

lived under a tree that grew

fruits she could not eat

I'm not the best poet, actually, but it was fun.

Afterwards, I picked up Ryan and we went to see the new apartment. The woman that was living there just moved out, so it was finally empty.

Here's the view out my new office window.

Big "apartment yard" that needs a ton of work, but we're so excited about it!

I'm not sure what the rest of the day holds. We shall see. I hope your weekend is going great!

Do you write or read poetry?

Is Ignorance Really Bliss?

TGIF!!!

Good morning friends!

I'm sitting at my favorite Starbucks at my favorite table that has an unadulterated view of my favorite mountain, Cowles Mountain, the highest peak in San Diego. There's a gloom hanging over the day, which I actually enjoy, for the change.

I'm working on my book (big surprise), and I'm on a passage about the different types of "therapy" in which we exist. I thought I'd get your thoughts on this.

Excerpt:

Everyone has empty spaces. Some are big and obvious, like a parent dying or a divorce or a father (or mother) called away to war. Mostly though, they aren’t obvious. So, the rest of us end up in two categories. Some of us spend our entire lives in therapy, either formal or informal, just trying to figure it all out. Others choose the ignorance is bliss category, operating in a kind of self-induced stupor. Regardless, I believe whether we acknowledge it or not, we are all trying to cope in some manner or another with that empty space inside. Copyright, Jasmine Myers

What are your thoughts on the idea of "empty space"? What category do you think you fall into? Is food one of your coping mechanisms?

This passage comes from a larger section about my own use of food and writing as coping mechanisms for my life. I had an ex-boyfriend tell me once that I distance myself from nearly every situation because I look at things like they are a future scene in my writing. Interesting thought. Though I'm not sure that's a good thing. That's the problem with coping mechanisms. We use them as bookmarks, so we can step away from whatever it is we're feeling.

Speaking of food...This morning was a mad dash. Thankfully I'd made overnight oats, so all I had to do (or all hubby had to do) was throw the bowl in the microwave for a quick whirl. I actually ate it here at starbucks because that's how short on time we were.

My overnight oats included:
1 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup Whole Oats
1 Spoonful of Crunch PB
1 Truvia Packet

It looks alot like this, minus the berries and pretty bowl.

Sorry for the recycled picture. Our roommate just switched from working nights to days. Therefore, this morning, three people needed to use one bathroom at the same time. I had already made hubby 10 minutes late for work. I couldn't take the time to take pictures. Sorry! Don't you hate when life gets in the way of blogging? :)

At Starbucks, I had a venti Iced Green Tea Latte, nonfat milk, no syrup. This isn't a drink they list on their Web site, but I've done enough searches that I think these are the stats:

If you go on the Starbucks Web site, they list a Venti Green Tea Latte with nonfat milk at 370 calories. (And that's not iced, which has less liquid.)

Ok, so when you subtract the six pumps of sweetener in that estimate, that takes off 210 calories, bringing the total with nonfat milk and no syrup to 160 calories for a hot one. I assume that the iced one has less calories, but I usually just operate like I just had a 160 calorie snack.

I just talked about calories, again. I'm such a rule-breaking food blogger... gah! :D

Ok, back to work. I hope you guys have thoughts on the whole "empty spaces" thing. I have to think my readers are interested in more than just food, right? I know I am!!!

xoxo

The Whole Enchilada

Organic Black Bean and Tofu Enchiladas at that!!!

Tonight, we did our own thing for dinner. It's rare when that happens, but tonight was one of those nights. I had Black Bean and Tofu Enchiladas. Spicy, but good.

I am really tired today. I've been working alot. In fact, I should technically be working right now. Does blogging count as work? I'm not sure. lol. It's hard to try to do it all. There's two sides of my writing life. The side that brings in money (required), and the side that we believe will bring in future money, though it's not guaranteed (also kinda required, for my sanity). Then, there's having a hubby and a future baby, and friends, and and and...

What I'm trying to say is that I want the whole enchilada. Is that even attainable?

I already know this will be ramblings, but... My thoughts are that nobody can have everything. For example, I've always wanted to live abroad, live the nomad lifestyle, drift from a Peruvian beach bungalow to a cozy cabin in the Rockies, publishing poetry for pennies. It's such a romanticized writer kind of life, the kind of stuff that makes great party conversation, but probably really SUCKS on a regular Tuesday. I used to sit at my corporate marketing job and imagine just such a life. Slave to no man, I'd think. Ya right. We're all working for somebody, right?

The reality is that, that kind of life is just not in my lifestyle lexicon. It's for someone else who wants it more. I think that's the key... trying to figure out what you want most, more than the other stuff. I think I've done this naturally in my life, discarding the stuff that didn't fit into that "Most" category. Sometimes I'd feel guilty about it, or worse, I'd feel a sense of failure. I think it's just part of life.

One of those things I've noticed has tapered is my desire to hit the gym seven days a week as hard as I can. I want to go to the gym alot, but it doesn't trump my writing or my hubby. It's a priority, but I don't want it most. Just alot, and that's different from most. Semantics? Yes. But, it's also true.

You might think I sound depressed. I'm not! Just waxing philosophical. Mostly, I've come to realize that if I'm going to write this blog, I need to just be who I am. I love to cook, I love to write about food, but I also just love to write.

Hi. I'm the blogger of Eat Move Write, with an emphasis on the "Write."

Nice to meetcha. :p

Defining My Space

A writer needs a place to write...

Today was a very productive day, despite the fact that my house was rather chaotic. With President’s Day, both of my roommate’s kids were out of school. My little dining room is not exactly the most private space to attempt to keep an office space. It’s frustrating to say the least.




No problem, though! We move in April and I’ll have a whole room all to myself! I’m a writer, and as I grow older (and become more serious about my profession), my writing space becomes even more important. There was a time where I could write anywhere. I was younger, my world was smaller, and I had a lot less going on, I suppose. All that mental free space allowed me to crawl inside myself and be a “writer turtle,” as my ex-husband once called me.



Now, I really require a space that defines me. I have so many things in life competing for my attention: my husband, my cute little apartment (and its endless chores and small tasks), my friends… Not that it’s a bad thing, but these things definitely combine to make it harder to truly focus on the job at hand. Right now, writing my book is the number one goal in life for me. Hubby and I have put a lot at stake so I can MAKE IT HAPPEN. I suppose that’s what makes me so adamant about my writing space. It’s become my “real” office.



What about you? Do you have a special space in your home for whatever you’d call your passion? Where do you blog?



Food Stuffs…

Breakfast: Overnight Oats w/Vanilla Yogurt, PB, and Blackberries

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lunch: Leftover Veggie Patty Sub from Subway, Grape Tomatoes & Green Banana (my fav)
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dinner: Pork Chops, Salad, and Purple Cabbage and Quinoa Mix
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Night night...

Love is a many splendored thing...

My facebook status is currently Jasmine Myers loves love!

And I do! But... I love it everyday, not just on a Hallmark holiday.

This is going to be a quick post, as I want to spend this evening cuddling up to hubby and reading my book, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. I just finished Lost in the Forest by Sue Miller. I'll review the book at the end of this post.

We did our taxes this weekend (insert curse words here), went to the new apartment office to pay our holding deposit, had dinner with a friend, went out to dinner and a movie, and went grocery shopping. It was busy! Because of all that, my food pictures were sporadic.

I had a yummy tofu and tomato lunch this weekend.

After going grocery shopping, I came home to a surprise lunch made by hubby. It was sliced Yukan potatoes, green pepper, and chicken with a little chunky red sauce. He even took pictures. Is that cute or what?!

And, my gift to hubby was a giant heart-shaped brownie.

Review of Lost in the Forest (Sue Miller)

A true artist at her craft, Sue Miller is a master of inuendo, sexual and otherwise. Her writing focuses on complicated and oft-unexpected family dynamics. Lost in the Forest is a beautiful, yet tragic portrait of a family affected by so many contemporary issues: divorce, death, single parenthood, rape, and the problems of coming of age in a broken home and in a complicated world. 

Miller has the unique talent to interweave her characters' issues with your own world. This is the second book I've read by her, and with both books, I've had to put the book aside and pace or just breath because it hit so close to home. By placing her characters in situations that are, at the time, completely realistic and so full of moral dilemma, she demands her readers to answer one of the most difficult questions of all: What would you do in this situation?

Just as there's no easy answers in life, there's no easy resolutions in the world of Sue Miller's characters. I implore you: read Sue Miller!

lol... I just gave you guys my real "writer voice," didn't I?

I hope you all had an amazing Valentine's Day weekend and that you use this day to energize your relationships all year long. Love is the fuel. Keep the fire burning. :)

xoxo

-Jasmine

Question for the women...

What (if anything) did you buy your man for Valentine's Day?

All You Need is Love...

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

Here's a quick (very quick) recap of our evening. Yes, we celebrated Vday a day early! We don't go all out. It's just another day really. We love each other every day. Why complicate it and spend money you don't have?... Love is all you need...

Chili's  --  Wolfman  --  Peanut MMs

I was overdressed for dinner and a movie...

Adorable, as always.

Gonna go hang with hubby! Catch you guys up tomorrow...

What are your Valentine's Day plans?

Barley for Breakfast?!?

Just because it's made by Quaker does NOT make it a breakfast food...

Good morning!!!

Sorry I didn't blog last night. It was busy. My friend, Heather, was here until after 9 and then I had to do some editing with my hubby.

I'll jump all the way back to lunch, when I had leftovers of the Most Amazing Peanut Chicken ever. I wrapped it up in a whole wheat tortilla.

Hubby and I were supposed to go to the gym together. Instead, he dropped me off and went to run "errands." These "errands" were the kind he couldn't run with me and are most likely related to Valentine's Day, I'm guessing. ;)

Our friend, Heather, came over at 7, and we had Tilapia & Red Cabbage Tacos.

This was the first time I'd ever cooked red cabbage. It was SO good.

For some reason, Ryan didn't want to be in the picture.

Since I had a tortilla for lunch, I just broke a white corn tortilla over my "salad."

After dinner, Heather and I walked to the fro-yo place down the street. I swear I take everyone I know there. :)

Here's Heather taking a very exaggerated bite so you know how AMAZING this stuff is. :)

And, that was it for last night! This morning I had a weird breakfast. I wanted oatmeal, so I put my milk and water on the stove to heat before I realized I'm out of oats! Booooo.

So, I pulled out this box of Quick Barley I bought a while back to make Chicken-Barley Chili.

There's a reason it shows barley in soup on the front of this box. It really isn't much of a breakfast food. Though, it did look promising at first...

The barley completely absorbed the liquid.

So, I used a mug because all the bowls (and spoons) are in the dishwasher, getting clean as I write this. I added a little milk and some peanut butter to make it more breakfast-y.

And berries...

Ya... it was weird. I ate it though. he he... I guess it could be a breakfast food if you did something "savory" with it. Sweet, not so much. 

Today is a heavy writing day. I'll catch you guys later!

What is the strangest breakfast concoction you've had/made?