I have really been on a bulgar wheat kick lately! I love the hearty texture and versatility of it. It can be savory or sweet, which makes it great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

This salad is one of my favorite combinations of flavors and it is a healthy source of protein, iron, and fiber.

Bulgar Taco Salad w/ Cilantro Lime Dressing

Salad:
1/2 cup dry bulgar wheat
1 15oz. can black or pinto beans, rinsed well
1/2 cup corn
2 green onions, chopped
1 med tomato, chopped
1 avocado. chopped
4 cups romaine lettuce, chopped

Dressing:
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup cilantro, packed
1 tsp agave nectar or honey
1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder (adjust to desired level of spice)
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp coriander
1 clove of garlic
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
3 tbsp hemp seeds

I have been doing a lot of running lately! I am running about four times a week and gradually ramping up the milage because I am training for a half marathon (13.1 miles) that I will run in October. Along with more miles, I am also increasing the amount of protein that I am eating to support the extra work that my muscles are doing.

Today I ran six miles then had a smoothie made with dates, raw cacao, bananas, raw protein powder, spinach, chia seeds, ice, and water to recover and refuel. By lunchtime, though, I was super hungry again and I was craving a savory and hearty sandwich. I came up with this tofu salad and it met this craving perfectly!

These sandwiches are simple and oh so good! I don't use a lot of tofu and I actually hesitate to call these "tofu salad" sandwiches because tofu is such a stereotypical vegetarian food and it sometimes scares people away. Don't be scared- these are yummy! 

Tofu Salad Sandwiches
Serves about 2

1/2 block firm tofu (not silken), cut into very small squares
Olive oil
Seasoning of choice*
1-2 tsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
2-3 tbsp vegan mayonnaise (I love grapeseed oil Vegenaise)
1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
1 green onion, finely chopped

*Seasoning of choice: I used Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute. You could also use Spike, Herbamare, Mrs. Dash, or your own combo of seasonings. (The Trader Joe's mix contains: onion, black pepper, celery seed, cayenne pepper, parsley, basil, marjoram, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, savory, rosemary, cumin, mustard, coriander, garlic, carrot, orange peel, tomato granules, lemon juice powder, oil of lemon, citric acid).

For more of my thoughts on fueling for exercise, see my post on My Layered Approach to Fueling for Exercise!

Hello! I have been off the grid, so to speak, for a little while on a family camping trip. We went up to Lake Tahoe for a few days to enjoy cooler temps and fresh air. It is always so much work to prepare for a camping trip (and so much laundry when we get home), but it is always worth it.

I love sleeping in a tent under the stars and waking up to the hushed voices and breakfast smells of a campground. Fellow campers are always so friendly- it is as if we have some unspoken bond because we are all "the kind of people who go camping". We can refer to things like "camp soap" or "deet" or a "rain fly" amongst ourselves knowing that there is no need for explanation.

Thursday night, we had quite an adventure! Sometime around 3am, we were awoken by the sound of a cooler being tossed around and bear locker doors being rattled. We listened for a little while before my husband looked out the tent window. He turned on his flashlight and scanned the area in the direction of the ruckus until, just one campsite over, he saw a GIANT black bear! The bear's eyes were glowing in the flashlight beam and he did not appear to enjoy the bright light in his face. We quickly shut the light off and looked at each other with wide eyes that silently said, "holy crap!" We sat for a moment before my son, not knowing that there was a humungous bear outside, woke up and said, "I have to go potty." Really? Now? Really?!

We waited until the bear lumbered off into the trees and it quieted down outside to take our bathroom trip. But, a little while later, the bear was back! He found something in another site and was making a bunch of noise again. One by one, the people around us began waking up and emerging from their tents to see what was going on. They whispered and pointed flashlights saying, "see him, over there?"

I know I'm crazy, but I LOVED seeing this big ol' bear! I so wish I had a picture of him! I also love the solidarity that this sort of encounter draws out. People who have never spoken before are suddenly sharing stories and flashlights and time.

Fortunately our food was stored safely away from the bear in our bear locker! Our camping menu was similar to last year. I also brought along some homemade soft pretzels and a container of Hickory-Smoked Cheddar-Style We Can't Say It's Cheese Spread, my quick and easy granola bars, instant oatmeal with Justin's Nut Butter packets, and a couple more things from my picnic food recipe round up.


My favorite meal on this trip was pasta with veggies and "meatballs" (I used Nate's Meatless Meatballs but Trader Joe's carries them under their label too). This is a meal that is easy to prepare and travels well. I plan to prep a bunch of veggies and freeze them in freezer bags for a quick at-home version of this that I can pull out on busy nights.

Pasta and Veggies To Go
Serves about 4

1 small eggplant, chopped
1 medium zucchini or other summer squash, chopped
6-8 mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4-6 cups of raw spinach
1/2 a large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 jar of marinara or other red sauce
1 package of whole wheat penne pasta
Sea salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning, to taste
1 package vegetarian "meatballs"
Olive oil

On Saturday I stopped by the farmers' market to pick up one or two things. Because it was late in the morning, I got lucky by getting a deal on some really nice peaches- 5 pounds for $5! The peaches are great but there are so many of them so I have had to come up with ideas on how to use up 5 pounds of peaches that all ripened at once. So, naturally, I made peach muffins!

These muffins are vegan and contain chia and hemp seeds which make them rich in protein, iron, and omega 3s. They are low in sugar so, if you prefer a sweeter muffin, you may want to add another 1/4 cup or so of brown sugar.

Peach Muffins with Chia and Hemp Seeds

1 tbsp chia seeds

1/4 cup warm water

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup hemp seeds (or finely chopped walnuts)

3/4 cup non-dairy milk

1 large peach, finely chopped (I leave the peel on for extra fiber)

I realize that it has been a little while since I posted a recipe. It isn't that I'm holding out on you guys! It is simply that I'm in somewhat of an uninspired patch with food at the moment. I'm spending my mental cycles on clearing out my chattery brain by means of nature hikes and yoga instead of daydreaming about cookie dough and sun-dried tomatoes (separately, of course). I've been eating simply, getting take-out, and still working on using up what I have in the pantry when I can.

That being said, though, some thoughts of take-along foods have been swirling around in my head because I have been day-tripping and picnic-ing as often as possible lately. We brought a picnic lunch along for our Big Tree hike and, just today, I packed yet another for a day trip to Donner Lake in Truckee, CA.

Usually a picnic for us includes a rather uninspired combo of PB&J sandwiches, sliced apples, cookies, and snack bars. I am totally crushing on the idea of picnic foods in jars, though, and that has me thinking about some more exciting portable foods. Here are some of my favorite ideas (not all of these are vegan, however they can be vegan-ized):

*Book recommendation: Speaking of the great outdoors and packing food along for a hike, I just finished reading A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. I loved this book. LOVED it! Bill Bryson is absolutely laugh-out-loud hilarious and this book is now one of my all-time favorites!

I have been craving simplicity lately. More than usual, really. For me, this is a very predictable part of my life's rhythm. It is a cycle in which I pile way too many things onto the shoulders of my days. There are so many things that I want to read and write and photograph and see. New music to hear, new trails to hike, new exploring, new creating. When this mountain of wants and shoulds gets too heavy, I collapse. Onto the couch, out of my responsibilities, out of my smooth groove. I shirk. I hide. And then I start it all over again. It is what I do. It is the way that I know myself as someone who does things and who is passionate about staying hungry.

Sworn tightly to backing off on using my goals and lists to prod myself into an anxious state of "NOT ENOUGH TIME!", I am putting a little extra effort into nurturing my soul. Sitting at my favorite coffee shop in a cozy corner and drinking a deliciously fragrant jasmine green tea, it occurred to me that simplicity doesn't mean boring and slow. This moment is so simple- sitting in a coffee shop. The layers of what is happening here, though, are what make this time worthy of being deposited into my bank of rejuvenation. Like doing shoulder presses and squats at the same time, this time is complex and multi-beneficial.

Love this cozy little corner of the coffee shop:

Yesterday I realized mid-day that I was out of bread. I had sandwiches planned for dinner and didn't want to drag the kids to the store before we headed to the pool for swimming lessons. I tossed a few ingredients into the bread machine and, a few hours later, ended up with a fantastically soft loaf of sandwich bread. No weird ingredients. No trip to the store. Perfect!

Now I realize that making bread from scratch doesn't sound, on the surface, to be an act of simplicity. It is, though, quite nurturing in more than one way. There is a feeling of success and of everything being in its place when the dough rises as it should. Homemade bread smells amazing and it seems so special despite its being ordinary.

Vegan Sandwich Bread
For a 1 lb. bread machine (or 1 loaf in the oven)

2/3 cup lukewarm water
1/4 cup lukewarm apple juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup bread flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon active dry yeast

This morning I dropped my kids off at preschool and slowly made my way into my morning. I made the trek across town to my favorite hole-in-the-wall coffee shop. A place where people gather and lounge. Where the music is just a little bit cooler than me and where the coffee is French-pressed and the tea is loose-leaf and served in cast iron pots (love!). There are grapes growing on lattice and people chatting on a patio that is covered but already too hot on this June day.

What am I doing here? Catching up on blogging, I tell myself. Really? I am daydreaming about all things summery and the concept that I have seen floating around online over the past few weeks- the "summer bucket list". It is a bit of a misnomer as, I'm sure, none of these list-makers plan to "kick the bucket" at the end of summer. Whatever, though, I love this idea!

Being the obsessive list-maker that I am, I have collected ideas at the end of summer in the past for what I would like to do the following year. I do this for the holiday season as well. I do pretty well at following up on those lists and planning ahead for the next year too. At least at the beginning of the season. When summer is still just a feeling in the air and has not yet landed with its full weight. The intensity of my fervor tends to dissipate as the weather turns to 100+ degree days of unrelenting heat and the bright spring green of the leaves on the trees begins to fade and give way under the blaze. The late days of spring, when summer still feels carefree and romantic, is the time to do my daydreaming.

I shared a few items from the top of my mind here. But I'm still brainstorming my full list. Right now it is a notebook page full of scribbled idea beginnings.

Keeping my house cool by cooking outside and eating cold foods is on the top of my mind, though, and I'd also like to experiment with grilling all kinds of veggies this summer (like fava beans). With that in mind, I created a yummy meal last night that was centered around grilled veggies that came in my CSA box. Unfortunately I don't have any photos of the food (I was starving and didn't want to pause for photos!) but it was a great summer feast!

The menu:

Grilled veggies
Mix together:

Slice veggies to about 1/4 inch thick and generously brush the olive oil mixture over them before grilling.

Simple Hummus
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed well
1 clove of garlic
1 tbsp tahini (sesame seed butter)
2-4 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 -1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Water (optional, use if needed to thin hummus)

What are you planning to make your summer special?

The weather here has been looking more like January than June. In the spirit of comfort food, I came up with this crockpot version of a vegan polenta lasagna. It is healthy and delicious and I think that trying this recipe with different veggies would be good too. This recipe was inspired by Fat Free Vegan Kitchen.

1. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Slowly add polenta. Add margarine and stir continuously until very thick.
2. Pour polenta onto prepared baking sheet and spread evenly to about 1/4 inch thick. Set aside to cool.
3. When cooled, cut into rectangles.

1. Heat 1-2 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onions and saute until mushrooms start to get juicy. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the kale and cook until kale is bright green and starting to soften. Add cheese sauce and cook until it has thickened a bit and is no longer runny. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper, if necessary.
2. Cover the bottom of the crockpot with a layer of marinara sauce. Cover marinara sauce with a single layer of polenta slices (homemade or pre-made). Top with a layer of the kale mixture. Repeat layers: marinara sauce, polenta, kale; finishing with a layer of polenta then marinara.
3. Cover and cook on high heat for about 3-4 hours. Uncover and let stand for 30 minutes before serving.

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until very smooth.

Nothing says spring quite like strawberries from a roadside stand. We have managed to find a couple that are open this month and I'm amazed at how quickly we finish off pint after pint of berries!

1. Preheat oven to 350º F (176º C). Spray a mini muffin pan with non-stick spray.
2. In a medium bowl, combine all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and baking powder. Set aside.
3. In a blender, combine banana, milk, flaxseeds, brown sugar, oil, salt, and vanilla. Puree until smooth. Pour into bowl with flour mixture and mix to combine then fold in strawberries. Please don't over-mix!
4. Fill mini muffin cups level with the top and bake muffins for about 25 minutes or until they are golden brown.

It really feels like spring this week. It is in the 70s here (80s tomorrow!). The kids are playing in the backyard without shirts or shoes. The birds are happily tweeting away in the freshly-greened trees. There is a breeze blowing that softly reminds me that winter still has a tiny hold, but the air smells like summer. While I should be gathering laundry and dusting tables, I feel more inclined to sit and soak up the sun. "The dishes can wait," says the slacker in me, "go get your Kindle!"

I have been keeping a close eye on the roadside strawberry stands near my house. They should be open really soon and I can't wait! It is also the beginning of asparagus season. I've been known to eat an entire pound of asparagus myself. It is just that good.

I usually roast it in the oven with a little olive oil and sea salt.

Last night, though, I was ravenous when I got home from triathlon training. Instead of asparagus alone, I wanted something more substantial. These spicy noodles come together really quickly and the recipe makes a ton so you'll have leftovers for another night or for lunches throughout the week. This dish is intended to be eaten cold, like a salad, but it would be fine warm as well.

My kids are really good about eating their veggies. They definitely have their favorites but I try to keep offering the ones that they haven't liked in the past and ask only that they take one bite (unless they want more!). Zucchini is a tricky one because it can sometimes be a little bitter. I took full advantage of the spirit of St. Patrick's day and the boys and I made zucchini bread for dessert last night. My kids put their "no green flecks in my food" rule aside in honor of St. Pat and, with the addition of a "secret ingredient" (aka chocolate chips), they enjoyed this green-ish and wholesome treat.