Refreshingly Confident

can a pet be a deal breaker?

My parents are dog sitting a pain in the ass pup. He’s always trying to hump sweet Patty. He engages in annoying dog behaviors: barking, begging, whining, humping, and jumping. He antagonizes their cat and chickens. And, his breath smells like rotting garbage. 

I love dogs! This guy is one of my best four-legged pals. 

So, then I thought about the single status of this awful dog’s owner. Maybe his dog is a contributing factor to his lackluster love life. Hmmm. 

You think that if you’re a dog person, a dog can still be a deal breaker?

Fresh fruits and veggies, oh my!

Granite and I enrolled in our first CSA (community supported agriculture). Meaning, we’re getting a weekly farm share of fresh fruits and veggies every week for the next 20 weeks. We’re really excited. 

For me, it’s rewarding to support my local farmers. I can’t wait create new recipes and meals. Check out to see if there are any CSAs in your areas. 

TRX

I recently purchased a trx suspension trainer and it’s the shit. 

I have used one plenty, but now I own one. Another piece of exercise equipment I can kick my ass with for the ‘looking good naked 365’ program.  

This is inspiration. Yes, I am nuts.

First year of grad school completed!

4.0 this semester! Currently, my GPA 3.9! 

I also landed a premiere internship in EXACTLY what I want to be doing. Let’s celebrate! 

tatouagemoi asked: It would be so awesome if you could post some of the things you guys eat on a regular basis. My and my boyfriend try to eat organic and fresh but it's hard because neither of us grew up that way and are limited on good food ideas.

Of course! And kudos to you guys. 

I took inventory of my kitchen and jotted down our staples. I learned we keep tons of food in the house. It’s more that it accumulates over time, so I hope this list isn’t intimidating. 

One disclaimer, I have a gluten intolerance, so there are little wheat products in our house. 

Fruit/veggie/things that sit on our counters bowl: Bananas, grapefruit, limes, avocados, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, shallots, and garlic.

I love shallots. I learned from Anthony Bourdain that these suckers should always be kept handy. I use them in stir fry, frittatas, sauce, etc. You can replace onions or use them in addition to in any recipe. They’re really good with brussel sprouts. 

Cabinets: rice crackers, potato chips (we all have vices), and cereal. We also have canned beans, artichokes, tomatoes  beets, and jars of roasted red peppers. If I crave hummus, I can easily make it. 

In our other cabinet we have LOTS of baking/cooking supplies. Flours, cornmeal, granola, cornstarch, sugars, vegetable broth, tomato soup, honey, lentils, quinoa, and brown rice.

We buy most of these things in the bulk bins at the grocery store and organize them in glass jars. (Granite is hyper-vigilant about cabinet organization cough! anal cough!)

We have an elaborate spice cabinet with various cooking oils. I love coconut oil and use that in place of butter in many of my dishes. We also have olive, grape seed and canola oils. We have rice, red wine, apple cider, and balsamic vinegars. 

The fridge: Eggs. I have issues; if there is less than 10 eggs in the house, I start to panic. Spinach, parmesan cheese, cucumbers, peppers, carrots, tofu, kefir, yogurt, sour cream, butter (+ coconut, peanut, and almond), almond milk, half-in-half, corn tortillas, bread, unsweetened iced tea, and seltzer. 

We don’t eat much meat because it’s expensive and we’re afraid we’re not going to eat it in time. (I hate wasting food.) We’re not vegetarians, but tend to eat more veggie than not. 

Freezer: There’s a lot of frozen veggies in there. Okra, collard greens, brussel sprouts, edamame, and kale. They’re good in a pinch! We also have hash browns and french fries for those comfort foods cravings. We keep little ice cream in the house because Granite will eat it all.  

This list might be a little overwhelming, but we do keep a lot on hand. We rarely throw food out, too. Decreasing our meat and milk intake has helped us not waste food. Those are usually the first to get thrown away. 

I realize that most of what I wrote were ingredients, so if you want some specific recipes, ask. My recipe bible is smittenkitchen. If there is a food I lack confidence cooking with, I check her out. 

The never ending grocery store battle

I love grocery shopping. I mingle and check out new products. I buy sale items and brainstorm what dishes I can create. I make the list and Granite snaps a picture of it. Inevitably, I will forget said list at home. After all our groceries are scanned and bagged, the daunting price flashes across the screen. Then the disagreement begins: Granite believes we spend too much money on food.

We live in a country that has brainwashed us into believing that food should be cheap. And by saving money, we should cut corners on the food we eat. I think beliefs on food derive from your upbringing. I grew up in a household that ate home cooked meals every night, whereas Granite’s mom poured milk over the cereal. My mom took me grocery shopping and we’d pick out meals together. She’d say, “We’re going to have taco night. What should we buy?” And, I would help pick out the ingredients. (No Ortega taco-kits for us.) Granite’s mom would say, “You get to pick out two TV dinners.”

Fast forward to today, Granite sees the total price and it’s unsettling. It’s too much. Yet,every day I make breakfast, lunch, and snacks for us to bring to work. I justify the price. 

Granite will tell you all that I am insane about nutrition, and maybe he’s partially correct, but I am conscious about the food I eat. I believe in eating whole real foods. I don’t buy processed foods and when I can, I support my local farmers. In addition to grocery shopping weekly, we  venture to the farmer’s markets (when we’re able). Fresh food tastes better whether it be salad greens, eggs, or meat. There’s a difference. If you don’t believe me, take your store brand eggs and crack one open next to a farm fresh egg. The evidence is in the yolk.

I’m passionate about food and moving towards a farm to table approach. I am hoping the food choices I make now, will mean a healthier future for us. We eat multiple times a day; it’s vital to know and understand what you’re putting into your body. Maybe I am a little nutty, but I care about this and it’s an issue I will continue to stand up for. There are a lot of unhealthy choices lurking over us and I hope, through education, people will value their bodies through eating better. Our bodies are our livelihood and we need to fuel them properly in order to meet the demands of each day.

How did you meet?

If you ask Granite this question, he responds ”a bar.”

If you ask me this question, I respond ”through a mutual friend.”

Technically both are true.

Here’s the story. 

Adventures in raising chickens

Email from my dad: 

Here is a brief history of our chickens: