Author Archives: Brittany

• A Place of Zen

  Posted at 7:10 AM by Brittany, on July 11, 2014

  The older I get the more I realize how fluid life is, constantly changing and flowing in different directions. If you’re not prepared to bend and mold with the moving currents, reality tends to slap you in the face.

  

  

  As I stated a few posts ago, blogging has taken a bit of a back seat to other things in my life. Once upon a time I blogged every other day, but now I’m lucky to get 1-2 posts a week in. C’est la vie.

  

  

  

  Between work, school, and spending all my free time in the mountains I have changed my priorities around. Blogging has taken its place in hot seat number four. I stressed about this for all of 2 minutes before I reminded myself why I blog. I blog because I enjoy it, not because I have to.  Blogging is a hobby, to be done when I decide.

  

  

  My latest mountain extravaganza was one that I have wanted to check off my list for a few years now. I attempted to find this trail head in May 2012 (thank you blog archives) but was unsuccessful.

  

  

  

  I couldn’t be happier I tried again because this takes the cake for my favorite hike thus far. The Olympic Mountains have some of the most gorgeous valleys, and talk about breath taking views of the Cascades.

  

  

  Food tastes better up here.

  

  I literally sat in the same spot staring at these mountains for 20 minutes. I was waiting for Julie Andrews to run out from behind one of these hills singing about how they are alive, but she didn’t show.

  If I could build a tiny cabin anywhere in the world this is where it would be. I am either extremely under traveled, or I just adore the area I live in. I’ll say a little bit of both.

  

  

  I know I talk about it a lot, but hiking has really captured my soul lately. So much that I rarely think about running, and instead my thoughts are filled with high trees and snow capped mountains.

  It’s bizarre at times to think about how much my life has changed when it comes to running. I still love it (most of the time), but it’s not like it was when I first started. I feel like I’ve found something in hiking that I can completely call my own. Running has always had a slight connection to a part of my life that changed a long time ago.

  

  This is what I look like at 6280 ft, above the clouds, and with the sun in my face. OH and with a mountain sprouting from my head, look closely! Mt. Baker hat.

  

  I went to the bathroom near a bush with this as my view. I could get used to that.

  I’ve learned to change accordingly with my life as it continues to move forward. I have my moments of reminiscence, but I embrace each day for its own fresh start. Life is good, and I’m in a place of zen.

  

  Really what it all boils down to is perspective. Change your mind, change your life. The mountains look better when you’re at the top.

   Q: How do you handle the unavoidable changes life throws your way?

  

  | 44 Comments Tagged Adventure, Hike, Life, Mount Townsend, Mountain, Washington

• Does It Make Me…

  Posted at 8:37 AM by Brittany, on July 9, 2014

  Does it make me un-American if I say I didn’t watch fireworks on the fourth of July? I did eat some Mac and Cheese though, which I think balances out the former sentence. Vegan of course, and Brittany-fied.

  

  Tomatoes, jalapenos, broccoli, and avocado added to the mix.

  Does it make me innovative for chopping up some chocolate salted almonds for my banana/oat cookies because they’re all I had? I totally turned on the oven despite the 80 degree temps. Priorities.

  

  I just really wanted to use my fancy knives.

  Does it make me a lazy runner for switching from a half marathon to a 5K this weekend? I can’t pretend to be Zues anymore, running 13 miles with zero training just isn’t going to work. So I’ll run 3 miles and then eat donuts as if I ran 13. This sounds much better to me.

  

  This has nothing to do with running a race, but they portray why I am not in running shape. Hiking shoes = hiking instead of running.

  Does it make me inappropriate for saying that due to the aforementioned comment about the warmer temps, I’ve been sleeping with minimal zero clothing? I want to die every night.

  

  Does is make me obsessed if I can’t stop eating/thinking about the flat of raspberries in my kitchen? Local, organic, and only $10!

  

  Does it make me a genius for unintentionally figuring out how to soften dates? I left them in my car and the hot temps made them so perfect. Soft mushy sugary heaven for my crunchy salty rice cake.

  

  Does it make me easy to please if my morning cup of coffee at home right now is already the highlight of my day? I’ve been opening at work every day the last week, and coffee on the go is nothing like coffee at home with nothing but empty, quiet space around you.

  

  Does this make me an acrophile?

  

  Q: Fill in the blank: “Does it make me ________?”

  

  | 61 Comments Tagged Chocolate, Coffee, Does it Make Me, Hike, Mountain, Random, Summer, Vegan

• Bandera Mountain – The Sun it Shines

  Posted at 3:48 AM by Brittany, on July 7, 2014

  The last handful of “big adventure” hikes (anything I have to travel over an hour to get to and consists of at least 4-8 hours of hiking) I’ve gone on have been on cloudy days. Temp wise this is ideal, but for a good view and full proof navigation it’s not.

  

  BIG difference in the view driving up from the last hike I went on. NO clouds. YES!

  

  You can imagine my excitement when I ventured to Seattle/North Bend on a bright sunshiny day. Bring on the fantastic views!!

  

  

  The must see attraction on this hike was Mount Rainier. As the elevation grew, the views became better and better. What first started at just a tiny peak of a view, grew to a mass pile of gorgeous. 
  

  

  

  

  

  

  This hike was rated a 4/5 for difficulty, but once it got steep I personally rated it a 4.5/5. I was also hot and I was tired. As always though, the views from the top were well worth the climb.

  

  

  Snow on one side, dirt on the other.

  

  

  

  Due to the activities that took place on my last big hike (getting lost and almost starving to death) I packed my bag full. I had an apple, a plum, two tortillas with an avocado smashed inside, a Vega bar, dry roasted edamame, leftover brown rice noodles with beans and tomato, and a vegan/gluten free berry scone I bought at WF.

  

  

  My one and only complaint on this hike was not having a personal zap gun for all the bugs swarming me. It was legit ridiculous. Thankfully as I sat at the peak and enjoyed my food feast, the annoyance of the bugs all seemed to fade away.

  

  

  I have 4 bug bites that have lasted over a week, but I ate every last morsel of the food I brought. I call that a success.

  Blogging has been on the back burner right now due to work, school, and my hiking adventures. I will pop in for a post or two whenever I have some down time to write! As always, you can follow my adventures outside of the blog through my Instagram photos! 🙂

  Q: What’s your favorite hiking weather? I like a slight bit of overcast to keep things cool, but not enough to skew the view! 

  

  | 51 Comments Tagged Adventure, Bandera Mountain, Hiking, North Bend, Summer, Sun

• Adventure Seekers

  Posted at 7:27 AM by Brittany, on June 30, 2014

  Starting tomorrow I am finally headed back to school. I’ve kept my education plans hush for a while because I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but  cats out of the bag-it’s time to get my learn on. With that said, I’ve been soaking up as much adventure as I can.

  In all reality I am only taking one summer class right now, and it’s only two days a week. My schedule will hardly be affected, but any excuse for adventure is a good one in my book! This weekend I had a blast.

  

  I met up with Alex for an exceptional donut and lake walk date. We chatted and walked for a couple hours and it was as if we were old time friends. I just adore her optimistic spirit, what a gem!

  

  We walked roughly 6 miles, and then after I dropped her off I headed back to the lake to get in a run and some more walking.

  

  I ran just around 4 miles, and walked another 2 bringing my total of the morning to about 12 miles. I was ready to destroy a donut.

  

  I could totally get used to running around a gorgeous lake followed by donuts and coffee everyday…ppsh who needs school? Kidding…kind of. I did need some real food though, so I spent my life savings on 1.2 pounds of food from Whole Foods salad bar.

  

  If you’ve never had roasted garlic the size of a small child, you’re missing out.

  The very next day I went for a hike at the mountain near my house. I’ve hiked this trail too many times to count on one hand, so I decided it was time to explore some more. I ended up stepping foot on all four trails of the mountain, adding an additional 1.5 hrs to my hike.

  

  I honestly didn’t have much of an idea where I was, but I knew eventually I would be spit out onto a familiar trail. My friend was along for the ride, and I was sure she wanted to kill me.

  

  The multiple trails took as around the mountain instead of straight up. After finally finding the top, we enjoyed a 20 minute eat/rest.

  

  5 hours and at least 10-11+ miles later we made it down in one piece.

  Today I am headed to Seattle for another bigger mountain hike, stay tuned for a post on that. I also post my hiking adventures to my Instagram if you wanna follow me there..ya know..if ya wanna.

  Q: What is your idea of a fabulous adventure? Good food,  good company, and a GOOD outdoor workout. All wrapped into one day.

  

  | 65 Comments Tagged Adventure, Bloggers, Hike, Seattle

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 6:21 AM by Brittany, on June 27, 2014

  1.  I’m back with a vengeance in regards to my rice cake addictions. The ideas are non stop, I need to open a rice cake shop. Latest and greatest: PB and honey rice cake with…jalapenos! SO good.

  

  2. I won a free half marathon that is scheduled for July 13th. I haven’t been running…at all…like..at all at all. I’m scared…

  3. Text messages like this complete me…

  

  I like to make treats for my hikes, and it’s nice to know they are good.

  4. I’ve officially been sucked into Orange Is the New Black…damn.

  5. Seattle is my favorite.

  

  6. I love my blog layout, but hate how it makes my pictures look. The only way to get a clear detail is to click on them..ain’t no body got time for that! Not sure what I wanna do because my pictures ARE my blog.

  7. My cat goes bananas for watermelon.

  

  8. I go bananas for Chipotle. After my near death experience while hiking last week (OK SO I am exaggerating a bit) I ate a burrito the size of a small horse…all of it…and I didn’t stop to breathe.

  9. My cat food costs me $40 for two small 6lb bags. My cats = My kids.

  

  10. Today I’m off to Seattle for a meetup full of coffee, donuts, and Green Lake adventures with Alex!! SO JAZZED! Happy weekend!

  Q: What’s your confession?

  

  | 43 Comments Tagged Adventure, Bloggers, Chipotle, Hiking, Mighty-O, Running, Seattle, Vegan

• Granite Mountain – The Ten Essentials

  Posted at 5:12 AM by Brittany, on June 24, 2014

  Last week while exploring the mountains I got lost. Like, I actually got lost…no trail…no familiar sights…just….lost. In the midst of my life flashing before my eyes, I realized how under-prepared I was. It was on this hike I discovered the importance of  the ten essentials.

  

  Driving to the mountain, thick cloud cover…no bueno.

  

  

  Washington hasn’t been playing nice for my last couple hikes, and the fog/cloud covers have been intense. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue, but when a trail is new to you limited visibility isn’t ideal.

  

  

  For the first bit of this hike (on Granite Mountain) things were smooth. Visibility was limited, but the trail was easy enough to follow. It was when the snow hit things started to get sketchy.

  

  

  Climbing up to…blank space.

  

  Thanks to avalanche warnings (yeah, real talk) we took the rocks. Thank God I’ve been doing more yoga because I used my arms to climb like a sea turtle crawling back into the ocean.  A LOT of arms.

   

  

  

  Rock climbing like a boss.

  

  After finally making it to the top I enjoyed what I could see, despite being a bit bummed by the lack of view. I even made a new friend.

  

  I found it ironic that the photo in this hiking book looked exactly like the the foggy scene I was viewing in real life.

  

  Reading about more hiking…

  On the way down is when shit got real.

  Mistake number one: Venturing away from the snow line. There was a rock wall that hugged the snow path, but we veered too much to the right. Lack of visibility made this even worse.

  

  

  Down into the abyss!

  After a short while we were no longer in the right area. The drops got steep, and the path was non existent. Somehow we ventured so far to the right we were on a completely different mountain. A mountain with no paths. I about lost my marbles.

  

  Two hours of wandering, panicking, and contemplating whether I wanted my vegan ways to end due to eating my hiking partners leg.

  Mistake number two: Not enough food/water. Of all things for ME, a FOOD LOVER to fail at…not having enough food. I ate everything I brought by the time I hit the top. Never again…

  I literally had to grab onto deep rooted bushed to avoid falling down the vertical drop. My legs got cut up, and my mind began to wander.

  

  Mistake number 3,4,5,6,7…: No navigation/sunscreen/fire starters/insulation/illuminations…nothing! Just me myself and my empty pack. The goat poop I saw indicated someone was probably freshly hungry after emptying their breakfast, and I was on the menu.

  FINALLY, after somehow catching a connection via Google Earth on a cell phone, we figured out which way to go. GPS is SO necessary in a time like this. Ironically this is when the clouds started to break.

  Not that it helped, with no visuals to base our ascent on, the decent was just as foreign even with visibility.

  

  

  Here’s what I learned: NEVER hike under prepared. No matter HOW easy you think the climb will be. 7.5 hours and over 9 miles later we made it to the car, and I nearly cried. I was legit scared.

  I will be making another trip to REI (my fourth in less than two weeks) to grab some basic essentials to add to my pack. Looking back I can now laugh, & I also appreciate these photos – I think they are great.

  

  Latest purchase, day hike trail shoes. They survived this glorious misadventure.

  

  Q: Have you ever been lost in the mountains before? Suddenly I am reconsidering my desire to thru-hike the PCT. Just kidding, this will happen..but I will be much more prepared, and maybe have a small army with me just to be safe. 

  

  | 62 Comments Tagged Explore, Granite Mountain, Hike, Nature, REI

• Pineapple Cashew Quinoa Salad

  Posted at 6:11 AM by Brittany, on June 20, 2014

  I can’t say I’m a big fan of “sweet” salads. I like savory, spicy, and salty salads piled high with veggies, beans, salsa, and herbs. There is always an exception though, and summer months mean lighter meals.

  

  I needed to come up with a dish to use up the leftover onion and cilantro I had from this meal. I am not one to waste, and I can only use so much cilantro on my lunches. Thus this quinoa salad was born.

  

  Light, refreshing, and a good balance of sweet, salty, and acidity. The flavor train will be parking in your mouth, and you’ll want it to stay.

  Pineapple Cashew Quinoa Salad 

  
  Ingredients

  • 1 cup dry quinoa
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tblsp coconut oil
  • 1 small lime
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 3/4 cup diced sugar plum tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup diced green onion
  • 1.5 cups diced pineapple
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 cup salted cashews

  Directions

  1. Cook your quinoa in the 2 cups of water. Once cooked, melt in the coconut oil, juice your lime, and zest your lime right into the mix.
  2. In no particular order, add the rest of your ingredients and stir well. Salt and pepper to taste.

  

  Notes: I didn’t buy salted cashews, and ended up adding a bit of salt to my dish. The sweetness of the pineapple called for a salty balance. If you use salted cashews, extra salt might not be necessary.

  This is one of those meals that gets better as it sits. Ideally I would let this sit for at least an hour before consuming. This gives the flavors enough time to party together and become one giant ball of delicious.

  Suggested toppings: Sliced avocado, and of course more cilantro.

  

  Also delicious with chips, but what ISN’T delicious with chips??

  

  Happy noshing my friends!

  Q: What do you typically eat when it’s warm out? LOTS of fruit, and cold salads. Don’t even try to give me something “heavy.”

  

  | 54 Comments Tagged Quinoa, Recipe, Vegan

• Mount Teneriffe – When Hiking Becomes Humbling

  Posted at 5:09 AM by Brittany, on June 16, 2014

  I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I think I’m in pretty good shape. I can easily crank out a 5-6 mile run, I attend multiple spin classes a week, and I’ve upped my yoga to daily sun salutations.

  I just like to keep moving.

  

  With that said, there are times when I am humbled by certain physical activities. Weights? Yea right…don’t even ask me to lift. Saturday I was humbled while on a hike, a hike that took a total of 6 hours.

  

  

  I don’t have many friends these days, by choice. I just don’t know many people that enjoy the activities that I enjoy, and life is too short to waste your time with people that don’t add any value to your life.

  I was fortunate enough to discover one of my old coworkers loves to hike as much as I do, so we’ve been hiking…a lot. I don’t dare go alone..

  

  

  Saturdays hike started out like any other, gradual climb with beautiful views. 3 miles in was a series of waterfalls,  the perfect “calm before the storm” of the climb to come. I had no idea what I was in store for.

  

  

  

  This is the spot most people turn around at. Well, I’m not most people and I wanted to see the top. Time to activate incline glutes. My hiking partner thought it would be a good idea to bring a 20+lb bag. I thought it would be a good idea to try and carry it. I lasted 10 min.

  

  Into the clouds we go.

  

  Bag of death.

  The straight up climb to the summit felt like it lasted for hours. It took us forever to get to the top because the pace was S.L.O.W. So steep. As with all climbs though, the accomplishment is indescribable.

  The view at the top was…well…white. We were legit inside of a cloud.

  

  

  A bit further down.

  I never doubted that I would make it to the top, but man was it tough!

  

  This was the first time I had hiked into the night, it was dark by the time we made it back to the car. I wasn’t too worried, I found a potential new house to live in when I move to the Seattle area.

  

  Who wants to throw a housewarming party in here?

  

  My neighbors house. Birds, or possibly a jackalope.

  Overall this hike was about 7.5 miles round trip, with an elevation of 4800ft. I think the fact it took 6 hours tells you enough in itself.

  

  What’d I learn this time? 20+ lb bags slow you down, and quitting is never an option. Unless you get eaten by a bear.

  

  

  Q: Do you like steep climbs, or gradual climbs? I like both…on the same hike. I want to feel the burn, get a small reprieve, THEN BURN AGAIN! 

  

  | 49 Comments Tagged Explore, Hike, Mount Teneriffe, Nature

• Walnut Ginger Quinoa w/ Tofu & Bok Choy

  Posted at 6:27 AM by Brittany, on June 13, 2014

  I have a very open mind when it comes to trying new food. As long as it falls within certain “criteria” I am all for anything and everything. I remember the first time I laid eyes on bok choy was two years ago.

  

  Trader Joe’s is notorious for constantly rotating new and exciting products into their stores, this is partially why I loved working there so much. I was able to discover new products before everyone else.

  

  This meal is an old favorite, as you will see if you click the link in my first paragraph, but this time I did things a tad bit differently. While I love TJ’s soyaki sauce, I wanted to take a stab at making my own.

  I’ve made walnut cream sauces for pasta before, and that was a no brainer. Making this sauce more themed to this Asian style dish was a bit harder, but my attempt was successful. At least successful enough for my family to eat what I made without any hesitations.

  Or maybe they were just really hungry, I’ll never know.

  

  This is a perfect light, yet filling summer meal. I bought my bok choy and tofu from TJ’s, so my only complaint was I would have liked one more bok choy. Three is a magical number, but alas I settled for two.

  Walnut Ginger Quinoa w/ Tofu & Bok Choy
  

  

  The plating I used wasn’t the best choice for these photos, the walnut sauce blends into the plate. Look closely, it’s the blob at the top.

  Ingredients

  • 8 oz sprouted tofu
  • 6 small bok choy pieces (I used the entire container from TJ’s)
  • 1 cup (dried) quinoa
  • 1-3 tblsp coconut oil (just enough for frying)

  For the walnut sauce

  • 1.5 cups raw walnuts
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tblsp soy sauce
  • 1 med/lrg garlic clove
  • salt and pepper to taste

  

  Directions

  For the tofu: cut into small cubes, and pan fry in coconut oil on each side until browned and crisp. You won’t need a ton of oil in your pain, just enough to submerge about a centimeter of the tofu on each side.

  For the bok choy: using the same oil (and then more as needed) sautee each piece and cover with a lid. This wont take long. The leaves will wilt before the base, and if you want to cut this into smaller pieces for a softer texture do so. I liked a little crunch.

  For the quinoa: I used 1 cup of dry quinoa and about a cup and a half of water. Put onto the stove and bring to a boil, then turn heat to medium and let sit. I like to turn my stove off early and let the quinoa cook itself while covered in its own steam. Or follow the directions on your packaging for proper cooking directions, everyone is a bit diff.

  For the walnut sauce: pour all your ingredients into a high speed blender or food processor and blend until well combined. Taste as you go and add anything else you feel is needed. I added cayenne pepper to my dish after plating, because my family doesn’t like spice.

  

  Once everything is complete plate and enjoy! A bowl worked best for me after I had a photo shoot with my meal. I also ended up cutting the bottoms off of my bok choy because they were a bit tough.

  As for your sauce, you won’t need much. I used a bit less than a tablespoon. I don’t like when the sauce overpowers the meal. Just enough for some flavor without your meal swimming in sauce. Gross.

  Happy noshing friends! 

  Q: Have you ever tried bok choy?

  

  | 35 Comments Tagged Quinoa, Recipe, Tofu, Vegan

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 3:53 AM by Brittany, on June 11, 2014

  1. My one year Starbucks anniversary was May 28th, and my assistant manager made me the happiest barista in all the land…

  

  Love this company and LOVE my coworkers. I couldn’t ask for a better crew,

  2. I’m really lazy when it comes to using my dSLR for anything other than recipe photo shoots, as you’ll see in this post-iPhone photos.

  3. I’ve learned some pretty epic shit about coffee. So close…

  

  4. I’m also really lazy about reading/commenting on blogs lately. I promise I still lurk, and I still love all my blog babes, but I just kinda fell off the reading wagon. I publish my posts and fly out the door.

  5. If you’ve been keeping up with my posts lately you’ll know I’ve been doing more hiking than running. I went for two 5 mile “zen” runs without my Garmin or music last week and it was magical.

  

  6.  I spent $37 on this pizza. I worked all morning and then hiked two mountains to earn that “drain your life savings” pizza.

  7. I was lusting over a jacket at REI for months, and it finally went on super duper sale. I bought it a size bigger than normal because I didn’t try it on, and basically I am free to roam without pants when I wear it.

  

  so.legit.

  

  Jacket or mini dress, you decide. I’m obsessed regardless.

  8. I won two giveaways in one week. Does this make it socially acceptable to say “winning?” Because it’s literal….

  9. I am obsessed with these snacks right now…whoever said rice cakes were “diet food” clearly never had them smothered in almond butter. The crunchy/creamy/fruit sugar combo is unreal.

  The almond butter/cinnamon/dates combo is like dessert.

  10. I haven’t had a cupcake in weeks, I need to rectify this.

  **UPDATE** Moments after I wrote this post (because I sometimes save a draft for a few days) I went hiking with a friend and SHE BROUGHT ME A CUPCAKE. It was like the heavens opened up.

  Scenes from that hike…

  

  Oh HEY Mt.Rainier, I’d like to dominate you someday.

  

  Leftover pizza tastes even better at the top.

  Q: What’s your confession?

  

  | 58 Comments Tagged Coffee, Confessions, Hike, Random, Run, Starbucks, Vegan

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• BRITTANY- Self proclaimed minimalistic nomad striving to maintain a balanced, healthy life with good food, long hikes, deep connections, exploration, and lots of potatoes.

• If this blog does not meet your standards, please lower your standards.

• Contact: blissfulbritt@yahoo.com

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