Author Archives: Brittany

• I Think I Can

  Posted at 10:46 AM by Brittany, on June 25, 2012

  Saturday morning I accomplished something I had never done before.

  

  I put on my running gear, and ran up a mountain. I had completed six races prior to this one, all ranging between 3-6 miles. The mileage varied, but the terrain was always similar. Road runs with inclines and declines. It was time for something new.

  Before starting this race my only concern were the slugs. I hate slugs, in fact I loathe slugs. Most people are afraid of spiders and heights..well I am afraid of slugs. I don’t exactly live in an area that accommodates this fear. By the end of the run I could have shared a Snuggie with all the mountain slimers. They were the last thing on my mind.

  The weather was decent upon arrival. It wasn’t raining, but it wasn’t sunny. Typical weather for a Washington day.

  

  I love my hot pants.

  I am a big fat weenie when it comes to running up hills. I would rather donate blood.  The hills I normally run up are tough, but don’t last more than a mile. This mountain had over three miles of straight incline. We climbed and climbed with a few small teasers of rest. I might have whined.. OK I whined. The run was 5.3miles total and 3+ miles were STRAIGHT uphill. My time was sLOooOwww, but I finished. The run looked something like this.

  

  Obviously 3rd grade paid off when all I could draw was one type of NW native tree. This is what the trail looked like..I think. I didn’t see much trail because my slug radar was on, and by the time I got to mile 3 I stopped caring about the slugs and started thinking about where on this mountain I wanted to die. I was sure my heart was going to give out at any moment. I was comforted by the amount of people I saw walking up the hills. Including the marathoners. These hills were NO joke. “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.”

  5.34 miles later I was done. The decline was great, though it wasn’t enough. I don’t know how it was possible to climb up more than we came down..but I swear that’s how it worked out. I am proud of my accomplishment, and can now add “trail runner” to my resume..maybe. I partied with the trail runners, these people are a different breed. I tried to fit in by getting muddy, but I am sure they laughed at my rookie attempt.

  

  After the run it was all about refueling.

  

  My first trip to Chipotle. A veggie bowl with rice and beans. Swoon. I must admit the run was enjoyable when the terrain was flatter, and the views were of mountains and tops of trees. I don’t see another trail run anytime soon in my future, though someday I will give it another go. For now..my focus continues to be on the Disneyland half-marathon training!! 2 weeks down, 10 weeks to go!

  Q: Who out there has completed a trail run? Did you hate/like/love it? I hated the hills, liked the decline, and loved when it was over! I’d like to give a big fat thank you to my boyfriend for putting up with my complaints and pushing me to keep going. 

  

  | 45 Comments Tagged 5 miles, Chipotle, First, Race, Running, Trail Run

• New Digs

  Posted at 8:41 AM by Brittany, on June 22, 2012

  I have been a frugal frump for about a year now. I refused to purchase proper running/workout gear because I swore my cotton t-shirts were perfect for covering my sweat laden body. With that, I also never had much success finding running gear that looked good. I already run like a pregnant tortoise, and I don’t need tacky clothes making me look worse. The bottoms are always too snug, highlighting the no no spots. The tops are awkward fitting and my lady parts hang out too much. I am running, not shaking my tail feather for money.

  I set out the other day to purchase an arm band for my iPhone/music because I was being frugal with this as well. I have been putting my music player in my sports bra for the past few years, and it was time I upgraded and stopped looking as if I had a botched boob job. While at the store, I decided to check out the workout clothes just to pass time. Lo and behold I found a black tank top to run in that would be perfect for summer (I have run in this top three times now and love how comfortable it is.) This sparked a fire inside of me to keep going. I wanted more. I got in my car and headed to the mall where a miracle happened.

  

  Thumbs up is a good sign..I tried on multiple tops and bottoms. My goal was to find a pair of running shorts that didn’t make me look like I had bulging elephant trunks coming off of my hips. These shorts in the picture are my new obsession. I am in LOVE! I’ve run in them, cross trained in them, and worn them around the house. I can’t take them off!

  I came home with FIVE new shirts, a new pair of shorts..and the most amazing running pants. Seriously..prepare yourself.

  

  O.B.S.E.S.S.E.D! I am wearing these tomorrow for a trail run! I’m hoping the green will help me blend in and look as if I am the speed of light. I have wanted hot pants like this for so long.

  I will no longer be wearing heavy cotton shirts that soak up sweat like a sponge. I had fooled myself for far too long, these new clothes are heavenly. My only embarrassment now will be the cheesy grin on my face while running in these light weight clothes. Something like this..

  

  Perhaps now I can get a better running photo.

  Q: What do you run/workout in?? Do you ever wear cotton t-shirts?

  

  | 56 Comments Tagged New Digs, Running

• DIY: Compost Bin

  Posted at 4:37 AM by Brittany, on June 17, 2012

  Wasting food is worse than nails on a chalk board..almost. I shed a small piece of my heart each time I throw food into the garbage. I still have my entire heart because I refuse to waste, I will save even the smallest morsel of a meal to incorporate into the next. So what do I waste then? Scraps of food that I deem inedible: think watermelon rinds, lemon peels, garlic skin, wilted leafy produce. Rather than throw these away, why not compost them!

  Compost bins these days can be expensive, and take up a lot of space. There are plenty of DIY projects all over the internet, from digging holes in the ground to getting an old garbage can and filling it with left over food. I know someone who recently made a compost bin out of milk crates. It’s worked out well for left over scraps!

  DIY Compost Bin 

  You wont need much, just some milk crates (3 of them for a good rotation system), weed blocker, paper bags, and a hot glue gun. 

  

  These are the crates that were used. There are three, but I started with two to get the compost going. You won’t need the third one for a bit.

  

  Oh surprise, I used a TJ’s bag. You’ll need a sturdy paper bag to lay on the bottom of the bin. Eventually this will compost into your soil, but it will take time and lets the food break down first.

  

  You will take the weed block fabric of your choice, and hot glue it to the four side walls of the bin. Do not put a layer on the bottom, the bottom is only for the paper bag. You don’t want weeds growing into your compost, they taste like intruders.

  

  Glue glue glue. This part is dangerous, I couldn’t risk burning my clumsy sausage fingers.

  

  Voila, repeat these steps on the other two crates and you are almost ready to start spoiling food for fresh soil.

  

  Add a little bit of soil to get the bin started.

  

  The lid helps to keep the soil dark and moist, but you will need to let the bins have sun and water occasionally.

  Now for the rotation process: To make this easier to understand we will call the crates A, B, and C (eventually you will need three crates.) The top crate is A, middle crate is B, and bottom crate is C. Once crate A is 3/4 full you will swap it out with crate B. Crate B then comes to the top. Once crate B is 3/4 full, you will take whatever is left in crate A (which should be partially broken down by now) and POUR that into crate C. You will then put crate A back on top, and crate B back into the middle. This will begin your cycle. Crate C is there basically to collect the leftover waste that needs more time breaking down.

  This compost bin is strictly veg friendly. No meats or animal products will find their way into the bin. With meat you have to worry about other breakdown methods. If you want a meat friendly bin, this is the wrong blog for you.

  Q: Do you waste a lot of food? Ever thought about saving scraps like this? Someday this will be soil to fuel my garden! 

  

  | 85 Comments Tagged Compost, Compost Bin, DIY, Food, Gardening, Trader Joes, Waste

• I Love Carbs

  Posted at 10:58 AM by Brittany, on June 15, 2012

  One of my favorite things about half marathon training is all the carbs I need to eat. These will be my main energy source and with the running I will be doing, I will need A LOT of carbs! Carbs are my friend, they always have been. Any excuse to eat more bread is a GREAT excuse in my book. A lot of bread has been made around my neck of the woods, and it continues to get better each loaf.

  A couple weeks ago I shared a beer bread recipe from a vegan cookbook I have, but this bread was a bit dense. It was good..edible..but definitely needed something to go with it such as a jelly or PB. I have currently been sinking my teeth into the most amazing beer bread, with two simple variations. One with apples and cinnamon, and one with banana and chocolate. The loaves didn’t stand a chance and were gone within two days. If you take anything from this post let it be this: go make this bread..as soon as you can. Make sure you have friends with you because you WILL want to eat the entire loaf.

  Vegan Beer Bread 

  • 2.5 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup melted Earth Balance (I use the soy free one)
  • 1 bottle of beer

  Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease a loaf pan and set aside. Combine the first four ingredients, then add the Earth Balance, then the beer. Mix together and the base is done.

  -This is where the loaves can vary. To make an apple cinnamon loaf simply cut up one whole apple into small pieces and mix into the batter. Add a LOT of cinnamon..no measurements..just a LOT!

  

  -For the banana chocolate bread, using a banana flavored beer added extra banana flavor. Mash an old banana into the mix, and find your favorite chocolate bar to chop up. Add banana and chocolate to the batter.

  

  This is seriously SO easy to make. After deciding which variety you want pour the batter into a your greased bake pan and take brown sugar, cinnamon, and oats to lightly cover the top of the loaf. Pour a small amount of Earth Balance on top, and bake for 50 minutes.

  This bread is moist, flavorful, and a perfect snack on the go, or addition to your morning coffee. This bread doesn’t need anything except self control from the person eating it.

  Q: Have you ever tried beer bread with fruits and spices added to them like these two variations? 

  

  | 27 Comments Tagged Beer Bread, Food, Half Marathon, Recipe

• Done

  Posted at 8:22 AM by Brittany, on June 11, 2012

  I am done. I am officially done, done planning my vacation for the end of August. I started this planning process on January 18th. This is a specific date that I will come back to in just a moment. My tickets are purchased, my hotel is paid for, and my legs will soon be ready for a lot of walking..and..running. Had I waited just ONE month after January 18th, this trip would not have been possible.

  For the past two years this has been a day dream of mine, a goal that I didn’t think possible for various reasons. Finally I pulled the trigger and said go. The preparation for this vacation starts today.

  

  A closer look..

  

  On September 2nd I will be running my FIRST half marathon!! This isn’t just any half marathon, I wanted number one to be special.

  

  DISNEYLAND!! I am so unbelievably excited. Race registration opened on January 18th and was SOLD OUT by February 19th. Had I waited, this would not have been possible. I have been sitting on this “secret” for a few months. I wanted my trip to be complete before sharing. Along with running the half marathon, I will be going to Disneyland and California Adventure two of the days I am there.

  I wish I was running with Snow Whites Manfriends. My only goal for the actual run is to get a decent photograph. I’m talking about the ones that the “professionals” take. I don’t want to look like this..

  

  Seriously..how does that even happen. This was the last 5miler I ran and I felt GREAT during this race, yet I look like a 70yr old dying woman about the throw up her crackers and soup. I can’t believe I even put this on here, I invite you to laugh because I sure as hell had multiple laughing fits over this shot.

  With that said, I have no time goals. I am running this race simply to get my foot in the door and see how I like running 13 miles. After this race the opportunities are endless. Why did I choose DL as the first one? Possibly because it’s the happiest place on earth, and because not everyone can say, “My first half marathon was at Disneyland.” I can’t wait to share more about the training process, and then the vacation itself! Stay tuned, and wish me luck!!

  Q: If you’re a runner, tell me about the first time you ran your longest distance. If you’re not a runner, tell me about an athletic goal you have, or have already achieved. 

   

  | 56 Comments Tagged Disneyland, Half Marathon, Half Marathon Novice 1, Horrible Running Picture, Running

• NEWWW

  Posted at 8:29 AM by Brittany, on June 1, 2012

  New Food Find: Fiddle head ferns.

  

  These alien like claws of goodness have a very mild flavor (WHEN COOKED CORRECTLY!!) I boiled them until the gooey green stuff came off, and then drizzled lemon and pepper over them. They are crazy good for you and are comparable to broccoli and asparagus. This must be their love child. I purchased mine at Trader Joe’s, but you may be able to find them elsewhere..try them!

  New Eating Technique: Watermelon with a spoon.

  

  So here’s the deal, instead of making a mess on your counter by cutting this up, designate one half of a watermelon as “yours” and eat with a spoon whenever you want. I don’t advise sharing watermelon halves with anyone, this must be your own goldmine. Especially don’t share with your cat. Mine is creeping in the upper corner of the picture, you can see his paw. He goes crazy for watermelon. The empty watermelon half can be used as a hat, Frisbee, serving bowl, you name it!

  New meals: Green tea noodles, and pita pockets.

  

  ^^^ THAT was the best meal of the week. If you have never tried green tea noodles, go now. Something you must add to your bucket list. The texture and flavor are unbeatable. I used these noodles that I found at a local health store. I didn’t know what sauce to use, so I experimented with adding garlic, asparagus, onion and olive oil. It was perfect.

  

  Pita pockets stuffed with Punjab, cabbage, and an extra can of garbanzo beans. Asparagus is quickly becoming my number two veggie. Quick and easy meal.

  New Twist On Old Favorites: Gnocchi and Pad Thai.

  

  Normally I would douche my gnocchi with cheese, that’s not very vegan of me. Instead a basic homemade tomato sauce was used. It was just as delicious!

  

  What is Pad Thai without crushed peanuts? When discovering I had no peanuts to top my meal, I quickly improvised. Insert wasabi almonds instead. The extra flavor and heat was almost better than the peanuts! Almost..

  New Recipe: Whole Wheat Beer Bread.

  

  I recently received a new vegan cookbook from the wonderful Kelly. Inside was a recipe for beer bread that turned out great. It was quick, easy, and most importantly I was able to tweak the recipe to incorporate vital wheat gluten. This stuff is a goldmine and I have been trying to find decent recipes to slip this protein powerhouse into.

  Vegan Beer Bread

  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup vital wheat gluten
  • 2 tbsp raw sugar
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 12oz beer

  –Preheat oven to 375. Combine flour and other dry ingredients into a bowl. Pour in the beer and mix until a dough forms. Use your hands to finish combining the ingredients. Put dough into a well greased pan, spread the dough with your hands so it’s evenly distributed in the pan, and bake for one hour (or until you feel it’s ready!)

  Good, dense, hearty bread. That loaf up there had over 100 grams of protein. WOWWZA.

  That’s all I have for now.

  Q: Tell me something NEW that has happened to you, or that you have eaten.

  

  | 56 Comments Tagged New, New food, Recipe

• I Gave My Life Away To Eat More Food

  Posted at 9:36 AM by Brittany, on May 28, 2012

  Saturday I was able to spend the entire day with my dad. He was in town to pick up my sister, so I jumped in my G-ride and drove to Seattle to spend some time with them both. My thoughts of us sharing DNA have been confirmed, immediately upon arrival he wanted to grab a bite to eat. Not just a bite, a vegan bite to ensure I was able to eat. What a nice kid.

  We headed to a vegan Thai place called Araya’s. The menu looked like a High School math problem, so I decided on the buffet. This was not only the easier choice, but it allowed consumption of multiple different options. NEVER choose just one item.

  

  I have dreamt about that coconut curry in the upper left corner and the pad thai in the middle of the plate for the past two nights. I like my food hot, like..”nose running so bad your date would get up and leave” hot. Unfortunately I missed the spice table because I was too mind bogged by all of the food on my plate. This just means I have to go back and douche my plate with hot spices.

  

  This sugary crunchy mixture had lettuce and fried tofu. They had me at fried. This was delicious.

  After this meal, I ended up passing out due to over excited neurons in my brain. Too much good food too fast will cause this to happen. Information overload.

  

  I’m joking, I went to give a piece of my life (and my skin) and donated my blood for the first time. This is one of those rewarding, but painful experiences. Similar to finding relief after a few days of constipation. I have made another appointment for this week to return to the blood bank and retrieve the skin that was ripped from my arm. I have been mistaken thrice for having a flesh eating disease due to the loss of skin on my arm.

  

  No, that is not the Grand Canyon. This is the flesh wound from the size 16 needle that was shoved into my under sized vein. I was unable to give blood once before because my veins were “too small.” Why I went back for seconds I do not know. I am glad I did though, and once I stopped whining like a 6 year old child, the experience was rewarding.

  After giving my life away, it was time to see a movie. The Avengers. Good movie, lots of action, and not too long. I almost turned into the Hulk myself when the woman next to me (that didn’t know the meaning of personal space) kept coughing. I should have offered her a cough drop from the purse I don’t carry. All that action and loss of blood was one more excuse to get more food.

  Insert Stellar Pizza. Grungy college joint with more warmth than a heating pad. Loved this place. They won me over with their vegan pizza option that included sliced Yukon potatoes.

  

  Vegan version in front (half eaten because I lack patience) and same pizza in back with cheese on it for the non vegan meat eaters. I look forward to annihilating the small slivers that are left of the front piece momentarily. Twas a fabulous day. The only thing that makes good food better is good company.

  Q(s):

  • What’s the last movie you saw?
  • Ever donated skin blood?

  
  | 40 Comments Tagged Donating Blood, Flesh Eating Wound, Movie, New food, Thai, Vegan

• The Best Race I Ever Did Run

  Posted at 12:42 PM by Brittany, on May 22, 2012

  There has been minimal running talk here lately, but that does not mean it hasn’t been happening. I have been running twice a week, cycling twice a week, and whatever else helps to fuel my cookie addiction. Sunday I ran another race. This race counts as the May race for my, “one race a month” goal. This race was hands down the best race I have yet to run. Let me tell you why.

  Reason Number One: SWAG BAG!

  

  Now before you get your pants into an excited bunch, I did NOT run a marathon. I ran a 5 miler. The capital city marathon had three races: a marathon, a half-marathon, and a 5 miler. Due to the fact that there was a marathon and a half going on, this meant a real swag bag. None of those paper envelopes filled with a running chip and a race number. The shirt was a tech shirt, not cotton. I was in running heaven.

  

  

  Reason Number Two: Spectators, Water Stations, and Course.

  This was my sixth race this year, and this was the first time I really felt like a runner. There were people around every corner cheering us on, watching us, and giving us that extra boost of energy. Water stations were at every two mile mark, and I was able to snag some electrolyte SUGAR crack water each time. I didn’t get tired once. I wanted to keep running. The course was awesome. Through neighborhoods, and main roads..it kept winding so I never felt like I was running a straight away towards my death.

  Reason Number Three: My new 5mile PR.

  I’ve run 5 miles multiple times, always somewhere in the 10:00 min mile range. I never want to get too run happy and tire myself out. I tried to hold back in the beginning because the first half was almost all uphill. I held a comfortable pace and enjoyed every step. I ran a 9:38 min mile pace, and I finished 5.11miles in under 50 minutes which was my goal (and a new 5mile PR). Yay. I don’t have a picture of the PR, but it looked something like this.

  

  Everything about this race has kept me on a constant runners high. I had such an amazing time, and I didn’t even get food after the race (aside from some PB pretzels I stole from MF.) Normally I am more excited about the food than the run, but this time it was ALL about the run. For all you foodies that don’t get excited reading posts like this, I will leave you with this valuable food information. I polished off an entire box of cookies, two chocolate bars, enough spaghetti to feed all of Italy, PB sandwiches fit for Shrek, more chocolate, more cookies, and lots of gas worthy veggies– anything to get that extra push over the finish line.

  Q: What is the best swag bag you have received from a race, or from another event? For running, this was the best one. I have a new lunch bag and a comfortable new running shirt. From a different event, I once got a bag of womanly items like makeup and candy from a women’s expo. In that swag bag was a tongue scraper, to scrape your tongue and get rid of the nasty bacteria. I can’t live without my tongue scraper, toothbrushes will never do the job of the scraper. 

  

  | 38 Comments Tagged 5 miles, Race, Running, Swag

• Inspiration

  Posted at 6:26 AM by Brittany, on May 20, 2012

  in·spi·ra·tion- The process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, esp. to do something creative: “flashes of inspiration.”

  Not to be confused with the medical definition of drawing air into the lungs. Although, when I feel inspired I tend to get excited, which causes me to breath heavy. So I supposed they tie together in the end. Sesame Street inspired me to eat a lot of cookies throughout my life, and cookies make me draw LOTS of air into my lungs.

  I’ve been inspired, well more like someone I know has been inspired. After talking about purchasing a Barbie sized grill for a few weeks, I bought one! I think the grill party I had inspired me to take the plunge.

  

  Widdle baby. Perfect sized grill for a ton of veggies, and a couple bean burgers. This has been dubbed as the “veggie grill.” No animal meats will ooze onto this grill. The meal that broke Char-Broil Charlie in was veg-tastic.

  

  Grilled broccoli, Brussels, carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms, and onion. The veggie tray is perfect for grilling the vegetables.

  

  My favorite part about grilling is the lines that indent into whatever burger is made. I have officially been lined. That bean burger above was charred, lined, and attacked by my intestines. A new recipe including vital wheat gluten (protein protein PROTEIN!) was used, and I enjoyed it! I need to share my bean burger recipe soon! I was able to use some more Swiss chard from the garden to top the burger!

  Of course something sugary was needed before I went into shock. If I go more than 2 hours without chocolate I will pass out. I’ll give you a guess as to which banana is mine..the one with 4 pieces of chocolate. I don’t mess around.

  

  Since purchasing Charlie the Char-Broil (maybe someone else should name this one) I’ve grilled like crazy. Grilled pineapple that was soaked in lemon juice for an hour and then topped with coconut is life changing. Grill that now.

  Q: What’s the best thing you have grilled? That pineapple was seriously life changing. Pizza too. 

  

  | 27 Comments Tagged Bean Burgers, Grill, New food, Vegan, Veggies

• The First Harvest

  Posted at 9:28 AM by Brittany, on May 14, 2012

  It’s about time I gave you all an update on my wine box garden. So far I am beyond pleased with how things have turned out. It’s been just about two months, and I’ve already harvested some of the goods! Here are some before and after photos.

  Onions

  

  Beets 

  

  Carrots

  

  Swiss Chard

  

  The Swiss chard has amazed me the most! The wine boxes have seen better days, and probably wont be used again after this growing season. They have continued to do their job, and for that I love them! The remaining wine boxes (I told you I was hoarding them) will be used for shelving/decoration.

  The chard was getting so large in some spots that it was shading the little leaves below. Time to harvest.

  

  These will grow MUCH larger, but having a few right now was great. They were washed, cut, and mixed in with some lentils.

  

  It is so rewarding eating produce from your own garden, and this is just the beginning. I will literally pee myself when I eat my beets. I will probably cry too. It will be a messy moment.

  The beets and carrots have been thinned so hopefully they will grow into giant beet balls and carrot tubes. Everyone is invited over for a carrot,onion,beet,chard,garlic fest at my dinner table in another month or two.

  Q: Have you harvested anything from your garden yet? If you don’t have a garden have you tried any new produce lately?

  

  | 48 Comments Tagged DIY, Harvest, Produce, Wine Box Garden

• 

• 

• Search for:
• 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

• ¿Quieres Más?

  Like my witty attitude and delightful charm? Enter your
  e-mail below for the party to come straight to your inbox!

  Email Address:

  Follow the adventure

  Join 4,603 other subscribers
• 

•