"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."

When I moved to Oakland, I knew I wanted to have a garden. In Charlotte, I kept herbs on my porch and so knew the convenience of being able to pick fresh produce rather than buy it.

My mom has a a beautiful orchard in Santa Barbara: lemon, lime, apple, avocado and orange trees; blueberry and strawberry bushes; grape vines; sprawling tomato plants and vegetables of all kinds. She came to visit our house in Oakland last September and we went to Berkeley Horticulture, a great nursery in north Berkeley. She helped me pick out a bunch of baby vegetable plants, herbs, and young trees. We spent the weekend mixing soil and planting a variety of vegetables...and then I began to wait. A few weeks later, the veggies started to pop (with a Tucker photobomb):

From left: Herbs in the box and snap peas (back row); bok choy, 2 kinds of broccoli, 2 kinds of kale, spinach, green onions, and arugula (front row)

As the weeks went by, I couldn't believe how well the garden was doing. Maybe it was the earthworm casings we mixed in with the soil, maybe we just had great seedlings, but either way, the produce was plentiful. I have absolutely LOVED having this garden in my yard. I go out nearly every day and cut some arugula or spinach for salads. The broccoli had some trouble growing, but I learned that you can cook the leaves and they taste just like broccoli. We used bok choy instead of celery during the winter in soups, and it was delicious. The snap pea plants are now completely taking over the garden -- this picture was taken a few weeks ago, and if you can imagine, the snap peas now completely cover that siding and reach high above the fence (again, Tucker just had to be in the picture): 

I mean, come on! So beautiful!

I've also been able to tie this hobby into my academic work by studying community and school gardens' effect on health. So many communities in the Bay Area are food insecure, and community gardens can offer access to fresh produce for low-income families.

Alice Waters, the superhero behind The Edible Schoolyard and Chez Panisse, is somewhat of a controversial character in the East Bay in that she seems to ignore the issue of access regarding school gardens. While her Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley gets a large sum of money from donors each year (I've heard it's around $400k), many Oakland schools operate on a much smaller budget (again, I've heard this is about $15k per school). While it may not be the taxpayer's responsibility to enhance the garden budgets for these schools, there is plenty of evidence linking gardens and access to fresh food with better performance in schools: investing in school gardens is investing in the academic success of kids. I don't want to take any sort of political stance on this issue, but I DO believe that every kid and family has the right to access healthy, fresh food and that it will ultimately improve their chance for success later in life!!

Okay, I'm off my soapbox.

"But if each man could have his own house, a large garden to cultivate and healthy surroundings - then, I thought, there will be for them a better opportunity of a happy family life."

Vegas

I've been absent from blogging for a few weeks now and can't believe it's already March. So far, 2013 is racing by and I can't find the "Pause" button. Here are some photos from an amazing weekend in Las Vegas with Emily and my parents, eating delicious food and seeing some very interesting (sometimes beautiful, sometimes sketchy) sites.

View from the plane - hello, desert

Playin the slots like a champ

Red Rock Canyon hike

Smokey Robinson and some Aussies

Red Rock Canyon

Branzino crusted in sea salt at Milos

  

Carving the fish

Happy birthday, Mom!

Happy (noseless) Emily

The fish is flown in fresh every day

Rock Shrimp at Sushi Samba

Sea bass (wish I had a better picture) and steak with mushroom curry 

Sushiiiii

Tuna tacos and little dumplings with pumpkin

If only the country were smooshed together and I could visit her every weekend. Love you, Em!

Toggy Tuesday: Where is spring?

We've had some crazy weather in Charlotte. It was 60 degrees on Friday (like, I ran outside in a t-shirt and shorts) and then snowed on Saturday. Since then, it's been windy, raining, and cold. This weather would have been welcomed with open arms for a three-day weekend, but oh wait, Rob and I both had to work on Monday instead of celebrating our Presidents. Bummer. We moped a little but had a really fun weekend anyway, full of delicious eats (pork banh mi at Peculiar Rabbit for all you Charlotte peeps) and beautiful friends.

My main squeeze Caroline

  

Snowy Charlotte

Homemade pizza (whole wheat dough, fresh mozzarella, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes) with balsamic asparagus

Now on to better and brighter things...this weather makes me crave spring and summer. I love bundling up and drinking tea and making fires, but I'm so ready for summer weather. Sorry for the overly optimistic list below, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for warm days ahead!

1) This American flag bikini from Target. Every girl needs one, and no girl should have to pay top dollar for something she'll probably only wear for Memorial Day Weekend and Fourth of July. This is the perfect middle ground.

2) These new Lululemon headbands: I think this thick, moisture-wicking headband will be perfect for the sweaty summer weather. I love the colors (especially bleached coral) and am most definitely going to buy one next time I head to the mall.

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3) Summer salads. I love Pinterest for a lot of reasons, but today I love it because it's getting my excited for all the light and delicious food I'll be eating when it gets hot outside. How delicious does this look?

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4) I'm sure some people think these are dumb, but I adore these little state necklaces. A bunch of friends here have North Carolina ones, but I'm a little partial to this cute California one from Etsy.

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I also think these from Nordie's are super cute!

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Homemade Thai

On Friday night, Rob and I were hankering for some ethnic food. After some lengthy deliberation, we settled on Thai. After a quick glance through the pantry, we realized we could easily whip something up with what we had instead of spending money on take out. Dinner turned out pretty delicious (especially the chicken), so here's the recipe!

Thai Curry Chicken with Coconut Rice and Brussels Sprouts

Rice:

1 cup of rice (I used sushi rice but you can probably use any kind)
1 1/2 cups of coconut milk
1 Tbsp. of red curry paste
Salt and pepper

Rinse the sushi rice many times in water, swirling it with your fingers. Put the rice in a pot and add the coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat. Cover and cook for ten minutes. Remove the cover, add the curry, and keep at a low heat for another ten minutes.


Chicken:

Chicken breasts (I used leftover rotisserie chicken which was perfect and easy)
2 Tbsp red curry paste
1 Tbsp powdered ginger
Salt and pepper
Coconut oil
Onion
Spinach
1/3 - 1/2 cup coconut milk
Lime

Sautee the vegetables in coconut oil and ginger. Add the chicken, coconut milk, and curry. Stir together until well combined and the flavors have settled (5-10 minutes). Squeeze lime juice over the food.

Brussels Sprouts:

B Sprouts
Ginger
Salt and pepper
Coconut oil
1 clove of garlic

Sautee the brussel sprouts in coconut oil and garlic. Add the ginger and cook until browned.

Enjoy!!!

Weekend Update!

This three-day weekend has been absolutely perfect. Friday night, I was totally exhausted (and so was Rob -- congrats on finishing his first full week!) so we ate in and watched Safe House with Denzel and Ryan Reynolds. Ehhhhh....decent movie.  For dinner, we had super easy chicken tacos. If you have a slow cooker, make this. It's cheap, foolproof, and delicious. Basically, put chicken breasts (or thighs) in the slow cooker with a jar of salsa. I used spicy salsa verde but any kind of liquid-based sauce will work. Then, we warmed corn tortillas in the oven and piled the tacos with black beans, spinach, tomatoes, Greek yogurt, and guacamole.

Saturday morning, I woke up and made oatmeal pancakes. No pictures, but they were decent -- just mix 1 banana, 1 egg, 1/4 cup oats, 1/4 cup almond milk, vanilla and cinnamon together and cook like a pancake. Rob had to work, so I went to FlyBarre and then bought some new curtains. I guess I'm spoiled by Hilliard, but FlyBarre was not challenging whatsoever which was kind of a bummer. Then, we headed up to Davidson for lunch with Hilary and Collin at Tenders!

Vanilla milkshake for the win

Grilled chicken sandwich, fries, and creamy garlic!

After lunch, we swung by F to see David Levintow who is finally graduating this spring after a tumultuous freshman year plagued by a broken ankle and pneumonia! Yayyyy David! Then we went to the McKillop's house before the game for a beer and to hang out with Brendan's niece, Maggie. She sat behind us at the game and it was the first time Rob has spent more time with his attention focused on a girl instead of the game -- he and Maggie are best buds.

Sunday, I went to FlyWheel in the morning which was an amazing workout. It was a 45 minute spin class that tracks your distance, calories burned, resistance, speed, etc.....I have a bunch of free classes and can't wait to go back. Rob spent the afternoon making three pizzas - Mexican with the leftover salsa chicken and black beans, pesto, and just a plain cheese. They were all amazing. We took them to his co-worker's house around the corner and watched football all afternoon. So sad for Tony Gonzales, but excited to see the HarBowl in two weeks. 

I didn't have work today, so I saw The Impossible (emotionally draining), made some healthified banana bread muffins, and cooked an easy and pretty healthy dinner: spinach fettucini with roasted red pepper sauce and an arugula salad. 

Red Pepper Chicken Pasta

Sauce:

Broil two red peppers lightly coated in olive oil until slightly charred 

Slice the peppers and add 1/3 cup of Greek yogurt, 3 Tbsp of goat cheese, 2 cloves of garlic & salt to a food processor or blender and mix well

Chicken:

I marinated the chicken in lemon, olive oil, balsamic, rosemary, and mustard. I just cooked it on the stove, but you can bake it if that's easier.

Cook the pasta and then mix it all together! I also added portobello mushrooms for some extra oomph.  Nom nom.

Thoughts for a New Year

I don't want to write a "New Year's Resolution" post, but I've spent the last week and a half trying to reset my bearings and start this year off on the right foot. Four things I want to focus on this year:

1) Be a better pup-mom: I am so lucky to have the best dog in the whole world (unbiased opinion), but I know I can do better. I want to spend more time with Tucker this year on walks, at the park, and with training. This means being stricter in some arenas (no, Tucker, you can't roam freely on all the furniture and sleep under the covers every night) but I think it will ultimately make him a happier pup.

Less "Sad Tuck"

More "Happy Tuck"

2) Part of making Tuck happier is spending more time with him at night, which means I've been getting up between 5:15 and 5:30 to get my workouts in before the sun comes up. This way, I have pretty much all night to hang with the pup. Speaking of workouts, I've started going to Hilliard Studio Method - a Pure Barre / Bar Method type workout, but a lotttt harder. Basically, there's no downtime for stretching or resting. At HSM, a standard plank or normal push-ups are considered recovery. Needless to say, I definitely take my fair share of unprescribed breaks, but I really like the women who own the studio and look forward to the workouts.

I also re-joined the YMCA and have been going there a few times a week for classes or just to run. The Cherry Blossom 10-miler is the first weekend of April (whoooo hooo can't wait!) and Emily and I are trying to find a good half to do this spring.

3) Make good food choices: I know that eating well makes me feel good and tons of gluten, grease, and refined sugar makes me feel bad. Nevertheless, I also know that totally eliminating food groups doesn't work for me. Paleo? Tried that, but I love pizza too much (and so does Rob). I just need to get back to eating good, whole foods in normal portions. More of this and less pizza:

Oatmeal with bananas, blueberries, and a little peanut butter

Salad at work with chicken, avocado, and sweet potatoes & organic balsamic

Spinach, sweet potato fries, and homemade buffalo chicken bites 

4) Make time for the things that matter: I want to make sure I'm calling the people I love but don't see enough to catch up on everything. I want to make sure and see Hilary at least twice a month -- we probably won't be living 30 minutes from each other next year and she's my favorite little sis. 

I also want to focus on being present and not stressing out as much about things I have no control over. Rob will be working some crazy hours for the next three months, and then two months later, I'll probably be moving somewhere pretty far away, sending us back into a long-distance relationship. Instead of stressing about what's to come, I want to spend the next 5-6 months enjoying the time we actually get to spend together. I'm pretty sure he's a keeper, so even if we only get ten minutes together in the morning before work, I want to make them count.

And for those times when he's not around, I'll just throw on my favorite pair of his sweats and pretend like he is.

Weekend in Atlanta

This weekend, I went to Atlanta for the first time. Rob has training there for ten days which means I got to visit a new city without having to pay for a hotel room! I've wanted to check out Atlanta for a while now and am so glad I finally went. The city is way bigger than I had expected and full of all sorts of people. We had some amazing meals (most notably at 246 in Decatur, Fritti in Innman Park, and Highland Bakery), saw a hilarious improv show at Dad's Garage, and explored the city. I really, really loved everything I saw (and ate) and hope to go back and visit again soon!

Mural in Decatur (there are TONS of murals everywhere!)

Massive salami sandwich and pile of fries at 246

Most amazing bok choy I've ever had, plus two toasts with ricotta and veggies @ 246

Carmelized onion, pancetta and hot pepper pizza + arugula and proscuitto pizza @ Fritti

Corn-cilantro cakes with black beans, fried eggs, and queso fresco @ Highland Bakery (huge portion!)

Fried Chicken Benedict and amazing home fries @ Highland Bakery