Wednesday, September 8, 2010

elyssa: last first day of school..

location: toronto, in and out of the law school

midweek check-in:

..until culinary school, that is. after 7 years as a full-time university student, it feels good to be heading into the final stretch. i love the idea of this blog serving as an accompaniment - a conversation between best friends - tackling life in very different places, in very similar ways. it's that tangible bit of friendship and support that i need to make it through these next 8 months - healthy and happy.


so i finally mailed this. wow.

school is back in session. the air is cool, and the wind is blowing with a strength that only comes with the ushering in of a new season. sweaters, and plaids, and pumpkins. oh my. in canada, you never have to wait long for fall. i honored the season by taking on fall soup frenzy. 6 hours. my tiny kitchen. 4 homemade, protein-laden soups. all fresh ingredients.
after a trip to the dollar store for tons of tupperwares, the soups were portioned off to be split with the boy.

first, coconut red lentil soup from angela. i made mine with leeks (instead of scallions) - and some coconut butter thrown into a cup of almond milk (instead of coconut milk), and the results were delicious. the lemony, gingergy, cilantroishness is going to make me really happy on a cold night when i'm hitting the books. next up, something for the boy - classic (organic) turkey chili with kidney beans. slow slow cooked. served in a hollowed out baked tomato avec nutritional yeast when he came over for an unexpected dinner. oh, and the secret ingredient? cocoa powder. third, green soup! from food network's laura calder. peas. spinach. substitute almond milk for cream. delish. fourth, traditional cuban frijoles negros (black bean soup). start with a sofrito of slow cooked onions, green bell pepper, and olives. add to the beans (organic - so much better, rinsed over night) and cook for hours on low. cumin gives it that cuban flavor. i made a huge batch of this soup - a massive container for the boy and for myself. today, i mixed a cup of the beans with pumpkin and topped with cayenne and cinnamon. the rest i'm planning on turning into black bean burgers sometime this week.

pumpkin+beans


ps the breakfast soufflé, pumpkin edition - has been coconuttified. sub some of the pb for coconut butter. top with coco flakes. aaaeeeeeeeeeeeaaah.



current challenges:

clean week is going well when i'm on my own. i've slowed down to enjoy some easy cardio sessions on the spin bike, and i'm really appreciating my yoga practices. i'm feeling the soreness in my body slowly disappear. i'm naturally less hungry. i'm resisting the urge to pick up the weights or jump on the treadmill like a maniac, but its going to feel so good to get back to it next week. in one of my calmer moments, i found myself dwelling on the thought that 'the best i can do is my best'. i don't know if i made this up myself, or if this is a common mantra - but in this little, clichéd moment - i gained so much peace and insight.

when i'm not on my own, it's a bit harder to stay clean. example: the boy and i pop in a movie (the very depressing the white ribbon - little german children that torture each other pre-WWI). we pretend we're content just sipping our tea. lame. boy suggests peanut butter. i suggest popcorn. the result? popcorn coated with loads of pb (melted in a pan with a bit of agave and earth balance). yum. we ate the entire bowl transfixed. sticky hands. dirty faces. there was no way we would have stopped even for a photo moment. after, instead of crying for my ruined clean week, i laughed and wiped my face.

blog moment:

finding comfort in elina's discussion on food anxiety.

current obsessions:

planning fall soup frenzy II. making exercise communal (tomorrow, i'm sharing a yoga class with a friend). trying more vega products. the chia seeds i finally bought!

off to enjoy a cup of tea. miss you.

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