Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! I had a good day with my fur baby. She is so cute and loving.
We did some more weeding in the backyard. We made some more progress. It is slow but it is getting done.
I made Sprouted and Fermented Tempeh Sweet Potato Bowl. It was different and colorful. I liked it but not like I like pizza and ice cream. It had avocado, sprouts, spinach, beets, tempeh and sweet potato. Then a dressing that was pretty good.
When I started this blog I was updating my friends and family about my rheumatoid arthritis and how I was doing. Over the years it has evolved into living with rheumatoid arthritis. I think it is important to talk about how to live with rheumatoid arthritis. Sometimes the living is boring but that is life, right?!
I have had blog projects, photo projects, happiness project and other blog activities to keep the blog interesting. Currently I am attending a cooking course so that is my main focus. Cooking good food and taking great pictures. When I get out of my home when Covid is controlled, I will be taking more photographs. I am getting back to my roots and my passion.
Today I made Healthy Cookie Dough Dessert. It is made out of chickpeas and peanut butter and it tastes like cookie dough. I added chocolate chips.
I spent another hour in the backyard weeding and cleaning up. I am taking sections and clearing them out. I figure it will take me a month of weekends to get most of the weeding done. I tried to text the gardener again but she is AWOL. I need to find another gardener I think.
My shin splints are feeling better. I took a bath and used my Jacuzzi jets for the first time in over two - three years. Two of the jets didn't work much but I Googled why and I think I know why. I am going to try during my next bath. I forgot how much fun a Jacuzzi bath is.
Until tomorrow...
I took my second walk today. I needed to go to the post office and mail something and pick up my mail. So I got up early (before the post office got busy), put Lucky's harness on and we took a walk. She was so excited. I was less so since my one shin had the beginnings of shin splints. I stretched but alas it didn't make a difference. I now have shin splints in both shins. I stretched all day to see if it got better. I'll probably take a bath in the morning.
I tend to get shin splints easily since I was a kid. I made a mistake when I was a teen. I had shin splints and I decided to go ahead and run a race anyway. Now I get shin splints pretty easily. Young and dumb. Just one of many things I did as a youngster that I am paying for as an adult.
I made Oven-Baked Beetroot Chips Made without Oil today. Basically I cleaned and washed the fresh beets. Then I used a mandolin to slice them thin. Then I added salt and spices and let them sit for 15 minutes. Then I baked them for 25 minutes. They came out slightly crispy. Not like potato chips from a bag. They are very tasty and I like them.
I managed to do this all without getting any beet juice on my white counters. That was the best part!
Until tomorrow...
I woke up this morning and pulled the Chia Pudding out of the refrigerator. Yesterday I made Chia Pudding and put it in the fridge to set overnight. This morning is was a thick pudding or tapioca type dish. I added some cocoa bits, coconut strips and banana slices to the top. After a few bites I realized I am not a fan of chia pudding. The taste was fine but the texture was like tapioca and I don't like tapioca. I don't think I will make this again.
Today I went outside for a walk with Lucky for the first time since I locked down. It was a little scary. I wore my two masks until I went uphill and couldn't breath then I took one off. I went into a neighborhood where I didn't know anyone so I wouldn't have to stop and talk to people. I only saw a few joggers. Lucky loved it and wanted to go further. I need to figure out a better trek that isn't all uphill. It was good to walk on pavement and not a treadmill.
Until tomorrow...
Happy Cinco de Mayo! I made a twist on nachos for dinner to celebrate. My nachos had corn tortilla chips, lentils, baked Japanese sweet potatoes, salsa, tomatoes, and vegan cheese. I used mozzarella cheese. It tasted so good I ate the whole thing. I am so full right now I can't move.
Today is also a day of reflection. It is the anniversary of Happi's birthday. I miss her so much still.
A funny story from when I took Lucky to the vet yesterday. I haven't cut my hair since last August or October. I can't remember. I was in my car with my mask on and the vet came out and came to my car. He pet Lucky and walked away. He has known me for 25 years and he walked right up to my car, pet my dog and didn't recognize me!! Then I got a call. It was him asking where my car was. He came over again and laughed so hard. He said with my long hair he just didn't recognize me. So funny!
Lucky's test results came back very good. Nothing wrong. He said she is in very good condition considering her age. She is about 13 years old but she still acts like a puppy. People can't believe she is that old. My neighbor's chihuahua is the same age and she looks way older than 13 years old. Maybe the adoption agency was wrong about her age when I adopted her. Who knows? Good news is that she is doing well. I did have to change her food as an experiment. She was licking constantly and I already stopped feeding her the dry food in the morning and now I need to stop feeding her the dry food at night because she may be allergic to chicken. If it makes her stop licking I will do almost anything because the licking drives me crazy. First it was the snorting and now it is the licking. The dog seems to have developed allergies in her old age. Getting old is the pits even for dogs...
Until tomorrow...
I can't believe I have been living on the West Coast for 30 years. It seems like only a few months ago I moved here and then went back and got my car and drove across the country. But I guess it was 30 years ago because I had an AM/FM/cassette radio and a portable radio/CD player in my car to listen to music during the trip. There were no cellphones widely owned and I had to call from payphones or hotel rooms.
I remember my first few months on the West Coast. It didn't rain. The first time it rained I pulled my mattress up against the window so I could fall asleep to the pitter patter of the rain. Coming from the East Coast where it rains all summer long (summer showers and thunder storms), it was so weird to me that it didn't rain for months. It was years until I heard my first thunder storm.
I made a Japanese Sweet Potato Lentil Bowl today. It was supposed to be made with pumpkin but there are no pumpkins this time of the year. It was very tasty.
It is also Star Wars Day! May the Forth be with you!
Today was Lucky's day at the vet. She had her nails done (cut), her anal glands cleaned, her shots given, her blood drawn, and her teeth checked. She has to go back in a month to get her teeth cleaned. He said she looked good! She was all ready when they came to the car to get her.
We sit in the car and they come to the window to consult and then they take her inside. I got a good parking spot and hung out making phone calls while she was inside. Then they come bring her back and make you pay. It was my first foray into the new world. I was double masked and never left the car. But we did walk to the mailbox when we got home. Lucky was very excited.
Until tomorrow...
I thought I had a gig zoom interview today. Or I thought I did. I made the appointment last week. We agreed on a date and time. But today I could not find the zoom invite. Then I panicked; what if they thought I was coming in person? I called their office and left a message explaining that I was sorry if I made a mistake. Five minutes later I got a call back saying they made the mistake. They forgot to tell me that they needed to cancel today and reschedule. I understood because they had a crisis that was in the local news. We rescheduled for later this week.
This left me more time to cook. I made a Post-Workout Smoothie Bowl. It had kale, blueberries, bananas and other stuff. I think I put too much kale in the blender. The smoothie turned the color of 1970's kitchen appliances. That olive green that was so popular. It was not too attractive to eat but it tasted really good. I made a lot and could not finish it all.
The toppings are cocoa nibs, hemp seeds and popped amaranth.
The chapter is very interesting. Very different food. I am interested in learning it.
Until tomorrow...
I got my house all ready because today I was having my first socially distanced, masked visit in my backyard. I was really nervous. What if she had to use the restroom? I didn't want her going upstairs to use the guest bathroom so I cleaned my bathroom. I cleaned my bedroom so she didn't have to see my mess.
I cleaned up the backyard a bit by picking up dog poop and cleaning the furniture. I set the furniture six feet apart and put a little table in the middle.
I made banana bread for us to munch on during our visit. I put sparkling water on ice. I was ready. Then I got the email. She needed to postpone due to a family issue. I understood.
I look at it as more banana bread for me! The banana bread is moist and crunchy on the top. Delicious!
Today was my cousin's daughter's Bat Mitzvah. I couldn't attend so I watched the ceremony on zoom. It was very nice. I didn't get to see the party but I got a full report from my brother who did attend. He said it was a party and there was dancing and food and music. The decorations were nice.
I finished up The Perfect Vegan Brunch chapter and took the test. I passed and got my certificate. Now I am on to the Healthy & Easy Plant-Based Cooking chapter. I started with Easy Meal Prep - Tofu Bowl. I made enough food for three dinners. I ate one tonight and it was really good. The best part was that it was filling. It is 9 pm and I am not hungry. The bowl has tofu, broccoli and brown rice. There is also a sauce on top and it is ready to go for tomorrow night.
My costochondritis is worse. It hurts so much to cough or sneeze. I am going to bed now. I was awake really early because of the bat mitzvah.
Until tomorrow...
Such a busy day. What happened to my lazy and empty days? I had a client retreat and then a social media meeting with my social media guy. All that took four hours! Plus I had to make a sandwich before my retreat so I could have something to eat for the meeting.
I made a sandwich from the coconut "bacon" I made. I made a BLCT. A "bacon", lettuce, cheese and lettuce sandwich with the mayo that I made yesterday. It was delicious and everyone on the call was jealous because their food didn't arrive!
I just didn't have any chips to go with it. Sad face...
Until tomorrow...
