Sit. Stay. Good blog.

Spring lasts about a week in Kansas City. I took the opportunity to enjoy it on two walks today. Color, scents and textures abound as the flora of the Midwest fight against each other for ground, sunlight and attention.

The redbuds are only pretty in April and May. The rest of the year they look like overgrown ditch weeds.

I spotted these hiding close to the ground. I don’t know what they are, but I suspect that once the flowers whither and die, those leaves will make me itch.

Pretty now. Probably poison.

Longer, warmer days mean lighter, more refreshing meals. These Southwestern Salmon Tacos are perfect for a spring (or summer) evening. They are quick and easy, giving you more evening hours to pull dandelions (like we did last night).

This week has seen the tulips burst forth in their resplendent beauty. Good thing they only last about a week, because that’s all Mother Nature is going to allow them this year.

So many colors, so few allergy medications.

So lovely. Too bad the warmth of their color can’t heat the chill that’s coming in the air..

…because here’s the weather report for the rest of the week:

Ugh.

Double ugh.

Ah, well. In his poem The Wasteland, T.S. Eliot said that “April is the cruelest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory with desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain.” He’s right, but May is shaping up to be quite the contender this year. What’s she’s planning for the tulips and flowering cherry trees is pretty damn cruel.

After months of cold, and weeks of rain, it is finally time to reap the rewards of Midwestern spring.

What’s been going on with me lately? Well, we’ve had some snow. Lots and lots of snow. So I’ve been supplementing my cardio workout with shoveling.

In the gym, I’ve been transitioning from machine weights to free weights. You know, dumbbells and those big barbell things that beefy guys use:

“Do you even lift, bro?”

It’s been awesome, really. I’ve always been clumsy and prone to toppling arse over elbows for no apparent reason, so working with these weights is great, because it helps me with balance, coordination, and of course, strength.

No, I will not get all huge from lifting weights. Remember this picture?

Worth a thousand words.

See how these are the same weight, but much different sizes? Muscle is lean and smooth. Yes, it’s possible with certain training to build the bulk of muscle you see in bodybuilders, but for the most part, building muscle tones and tightens your body. Plus, it takes more calories to feed muscle than it does to feed fat, so the more muscle you have, the more calories (food… delicious food…) you can eat, and the more fat you burn. It’s win-win-win, just like when Michael Scott asked Oscar to wear this poster as a shirt so Oscar didn’t have to look at it, but Angela could see it all the time:

Win-win-win. Full of win.

Outside the gym, we plowed through the new Netflix series, House of Cards. Starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, directed in part by David Fincher, this series is an excellent political drama, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

What else… been moving well, eating well, living well, and loving well. What more can you ask out of life? All is good and how it should be.

As I described in my previous post, I’ve been on Dr. Oz’s 3-Day Detox Cleanse since Monday. All in all, it’s gone very well.

Today is my last day, and I am happy to report that I’ve gotten a lot out of this experience.

On all three days I’ve had headaches, and I believe these are caused by lack of caffeine. I’ve been drinking green tea in the morning, which helps for a bit, but I’m also accustomed to an afternoon latte and when noon rolls around, the headache starts. It’s not too bad, though… more of an annoyance than anything.

I’ve also had a little less energy than usual, which is also attributable to no caffeine. Last night on the elliptical, I was struggling. I still went 5.3 miles in 60 minutes, but it was really tough.

So I’m left with the question for tomorrow – to drink coffee or not to drink coffee? I think I will drink a cup in the morning, and instead of a Starbucks latte, I’ll opt for tea. Less calories and fat in tea, anyway. I think I’ll try to save the lattes for weekends.

Now for the good stuff -

I’ve mostly felt really good. My head seems clear, I’ve been in a great mood (in spite of mild headaches and slightly less energy), and my body as a whole feels terrific. All I’ve ingested for the last three days has been fruits, vegetables, almonds and coconut oil, and my body seems very happy with these inputs.

I’ve also thought less – and more – about food than I normally do, which is also a good thing for me. At work, when I get bored, I reach for a snack of some sort – granola bar, cheese, grapes – and eat at my desk. I often wonder in the morning what I’m going to have for a snack in the afternoon, if my lunch will be filling enough, what I’m going to make for dinner, if we’ll want dessert. These three days, all of that has disappeared. I know exactly what I’m going to eat and when, and that’s that. It’s been freeing, in a way. As much as I love cooking and food in general, it kind of consumes my brain and these three days have shown me that there’s more to life than just food.

I’m actually a little nervous about going back to “real food” tomorrow, because I’ve done so well within these confines. When all options are on the table, I tend to lose my focus and lots of little slip-ups equal big setbacks in the long run.

So there’s another question – what will I do with this knowledge when tomorrow comes? What can I learn from this experience to apply to my everyday food habits?

My big takeaway is that I need to plan better. Make sure I know what I’m having for breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner in advance and stick to it. Make sure those options are healthy, wholesome, and nutritious. Got that sweet tooth after dinner? The smoothie detox taught me that I don’t need anything extra once I’m satiated. Want a grande latte at lunch? Skip it in favor of tea and save those calories for something else.

As with everything, this is easier to say than do. But for three days I planned and ate exactly what I set out to eat, so why can’t I do that for three more days, and three after that, and so on? I’ve even put at Post-It on my monitor to remind me of past success in moments of bored weakness:

This, by the way, in no means implies I’m giving up my restaurant love. Au contraire, mon ami. We’re going to Michael Smith this weekend to indulge in a 6-course meal - preceded by a light breakfast and at least an hour at the gym, and followed up by a light breakfast, more gym and a light dinner the following day.

See? I’ve started planning ahead already

To help kick-start healthy living in 2013, I decided to do Dr. Oz’s 3-Day Detox Cleanse. I’m not a fad dieter by any means, and tend to eat well most of the time. However, I know I overdid it a little during the holidays, and thought that this would be a good way to get back on track.

The detox consists of four smoothies – one for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and any of the three repeated as an afternoon snack. It also calls for green tea with stevia and lemon before breakfast, and supplements of a multivitamin, a probiotic and Omega-3. The detox also includes an Epsom salt and lavender bath each of the three nights, but I’m opting out in favor of my regular after-gym shower.

While Dr. Oz claims that the ingredients for this detox cost $16 a day ($48 for all three days) this number is based on the ingredient cost per smoothie, not the actual cost of purchasing these ingredients. Shopping last night, I spent about $75, but will have coconut oil, almond milk and almond butter to spare. I cut some costs by purchasing frozen raspberries, blueberries, pineapple and mango. I also already had the flaxseed on hand, so that’s not included in the $75 cost.

Dr. Oz 3-Day Detox Morning Smoothie

1 c. water
1 Tbsp. ground flaxseed
1 c. raspberries
1 banana
1/4 c. spinach
1 Tbsp. almond butter
2 tsp. lemon juice

Since I’ve frozen spinach in 1-cup packs, I used a cup of spinach in this smoothie. Other than that, I’ve left the recipe the same. It tastes delicious – not too sweet, but sweet still. I especially like the almond butter. It adds a deep, nutty flavor that moves through the sweetness in a pleasant way.

Dr. Oz 3-Day Detox Lunch Smoothie

4 celery stalks
1 cucumber, peeled
1 c. kale
1/2 green apple
Juice from 1/2 lime
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
1/2 c. almond milk
1 c. pineapple

Based on reading about other’s unpleasant experiences with this smoothie, as well as personal preference, I changed a couple of things. First, I used spinach instead of kale. Kale is really, really vegetable-y and fibrous, and I know from past experience that I’m not a fan of kale in smoothies. I had read that this particular smoothie suffered from a lack of sweetness, so I added one stevia packet. These modifications, along with thorough blending in a Vitamix, made this smoothie not only more palatable than others have described, but also quite good. The coconut oil adds richness and a heaviness that I really like.

Dr. Oz 3-Day Detox Dinner Smoothie

1/2 c. mango
1 c. blueberries
1 ½ c.  coconut water
1 c. kale
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 avocado
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. ground flaxseed

Again,  I changed a couple of things, like using spinach instead of kale. I forgot to buy coconut water when I went shopping for ingredients, so I substituted almond milk. I also cut the cayenne pepper back to 1/8 teaspoon. This smoothie was really delicious – just a hint of heat. I think I’ll use cayenne in more smoothies.

Since I’m drinking so much water – and liquid food – I have to pee way more frequently than normal. Side effect – having to pee forces me to get up and away from my desk, and take a short walk around my building. Yay – more pedometer steps!

I’ve felt really good today, if a little tired, but I have to attribute that to lack of caffeine. No problem working out, though – spent 60 minutes on the elliptical in a very crowded gym.

Here’s to another good day tomorrow!

My Christmas toy this year was the PolyScience Smoking Gun, a small, portable device used to add smoked flavor to foods and liquids.

Inside the box, we find the following:

Batteries included!

The concept of the Smoking Gun is really simple – it’s essentially a pipe with a fan on one end and a hose on the other. Where tobacco would go, wood chips go instead, and, once lit, the fan propels the resulting smoke through the hose directed towards or into your target.

Two kinds of wood chips are included in the box – hickory, which imparts the heaviest smoke flavor, and applewood, which has a milder, sweeter quality. I also received a box of additional wood chips, including more hickory and applewood, as well as mesquite and cherrywood.

Mr. Awesome requested that our first smoked experiment involve cheese, so we got a chunk of sharp white cheddar from Costco and set out to see what the Smoking Gun could do.

First, we cut some chunks of cheese and put them into a zip-top bag. Mr. Awesome put some applewood in the Gun, and we inserted the hose into an unzipped corner of the bag with the cheese:

Steady hands…

Then we lit the wood chips and flipped on the Gun. Just as promised, lots of smoke poured from the hose into the bag. Some smoke ended up in our kitchen, too, but not enough to be alarming. Enough, though, that a campfire aroma hung in the air for the rest of the evening.

We let the Gun generate smoke for about 30 seconds, then turned it off and quickly sealed the bag with smoke trapped inside:

Smoke in progress.

We left the smoke in the bag with the cheese until we could wait no longer – about 30 minutes. We then cut our slices into bite-sized pieces and tucked in.

House-smoked cheese!

The first bite was definitely smoky. Both of us were a little nervous that it turned out differently than we hoped, but then, as the flavor settled in, we both decided that we needed another bite. And another. And another. This cheese was absolutely delicious.

In more pedestrian matters…

• We watched a movie called Bachelorette the other night. A great cast made up of Adam Scott, Lizzy Caplan, James Marsden and Rebel Wilson couldn’t overcome the bad casting of Kirsten Dunst in the lead role. It was watchable, and even amusing in some parts, but overall, really forgettable.
• Spent an hour on the treadmill last night, but not much running. Lots of walking at a steep incline. My legs are so sore today! Tonight, I’m going back to the elliptical, and will alternate treadmill and elliptical every other day to spare my poor muscles.
• Started working on core muscles the last few nights. Hard, hard stuff, but rewarding. It’s a well-earned hurt.
• I’m working on a new cowl in the most luscious red orange merino wool. It’s taking forever to finish – I want to wear it right now! If I could only teach Grizz to knit so he could work on my projects when I’m not around…

Helpful, but not helpful enough.

Happy weekend!

First gym day of the new year. After using the elliptical exclusively for months, decided to hop on the treadmill and was able to run/walk 2.2 miles in 30 minutes. Then switched to the elliptical for another 30 minutes. Running on the treadmill is so much harder than using the elliptical, but it’s also more rewarding.

Hopefully, tomorrow I’ll spend a full hour on the treadmill. We’ll see…

Weekend breakfast, Starbucks, some grapes, Tasty Thai with Mr. Awesome’s parents – cucumber salad and chicken noodle soup. Smoked some cheese to take to work as a snack for the rest of the week.

Back to work tomorrow for two days then another weekend. I’m already looking forward to sleeping in on Saturday.

I am grateful for so much… health, prosperity, love, happiness, joy, friendship.

The start of a new year reminds me to consider gratitude more frequently, to contemplate more fully the goodness that happens around me every day.

Last night we saw our first movie at Alamo Drafthouse - Les Miserables. The entire experience was exceptional, from ordering and picking up tickets, to the theaters, the food, the drinks, the film – all exceptional.  A marvelous way to usher in the new year.

This morning it was eggs and oatmeal, Starbucks, then some shopping at Zona Rosa.  We both got shirts.  Can never have enough shirts, can you?

The afternoon was spent making dinner – braised short rib ragu, served over gnocchi. Paired with a spinach, pineapple and strawberry smoothie and Project Runway All-Stars. Divine.

No gym today, at it was closed for the holiday. Really looking forward to sweating tomorrow.

Now, it’s an iPad, a Snuggie, a cheesy movie (1995′s Hackers) and a warm cat.

Life is good. So much to be grateful for.

Some resolutions…

Be still.
Be active.
Be honest.
Be grateful.
Be extraordinary.

So that small redecorating project I mentioned in my last post – it’s finally finished!

In March, we got new living room furniture, but had no idea what to do regarding a tall wall in the room. We’d no idea what to do with the wall in the 10 years we’ve been in the house, really… Anyway, one of my favorite restaurants, Bluestem, inspired me with their decor – a mirror wall!

It’s taken the mirrors and get them hung. A post on Pinterest gave me a great tip regarding hanging and positioning the mirrors. It’s so simple – draw the outline of each object you want to hang on paper, and tape the paper templates where you want to hang the objects. You can move the paper templates around as much as you want until you have the desired layout. I used wrapping paper for the templates. Here’s our work in progress:

About halfway through.

Eventually, we got a few more mirrors, and rearranged the remaining templates.

On Christmas Day, we hung the last mirror. The finished wall:

Behold – a Christmas miracle! The mirror wall is complete!

Some of these are vintage, some are vintage replicas, others are modern. I love the combination of old and new, and how they work with my mid-century modern furniture.

Next steps for this room: find a new home for the grandfather clock, and a new art for above the fireplace. I’m thinking a Rothko print would be perfect – simple but complex, modern but primal. Maybe by next Christmas that part will be complete.

Oh man, I am so far behind this year. We’re working on a small redecorating project in our living room that’s managed to take most of the year. Almost done… but not quite. The furniture is still pulled out from the wall, a ladder is still central focus in the room. Therefore, no tree. In fact, no decorations at all. More to come on the project – it’s simple, but really exciting!

We did string lights on the tree in our front yard, to give the impression of festivity inside.

Not one present is wrapped yet. We still have many more to get. There’s still time… right?!

This isn’t to say that we aren’t in the Christmas spirit. Quite the contrary – we have a Christmas mix CD in the car and are constantly singing one holiday song or another (right now, Christmas by Blues Traveler is on repeat in my head). We’ve had holiday parties at work, this Sunday we’re going to see The Nutcracker – holiday spirit abounds!

Just no decorations. Which is okay, because it’s what’s inside that counts, and inside, we’re all about the Christmas!

We even broke out the footie pajamas!

Tito and Suarez. Suarez is a little troublemaker, but Tito does his best to keep him in line.

I can neither confirm nor deny that Mr. Awesome has an identical set.

Last weekend, Mr. Awesome and I accompanied my mom and bonus dad to St. Louis to see Wicked and eat yummy food. We did a little shopping, had an excellent brunch and enjoyed the show – yes, even Mr. Awesome sort of liked the show. Hey, he didn’t fall asleep, so that’s something.

Over the next few days we have lots of last-minute shopping to do, lots of presents to wrap, lots of songs to sing, fun to have, laughs to share, hugs to hand out, love to give. Christmas Eve will be spent with Mr. Awesome’s family, and Christmas Dinner will be with  mine. As long as we are with people we love, it doesn’t matter how organized we are, how perfectly the gifts are packaged, how many ornaments are on the tree (if there even is one). Where we are, where love lives, Christmas is.

Merry Christmas, everyone.