Delicious Asian Pasta with Spicy Tempeh and strange salty asparagus

I really like tempeh. I'm always sad when I meet veggies who do not like tempeh. It hurts me, somehow. Or maybe offends me. How can you NOT love the strange flavor and texture that is tempeh? Yum. If you haven't tried it, go get some: I prefer mixed-grain or three grain or some sort of grain tempeh. But there are different kinds. I really ought to branch out.

Anyhoo, I made this great pasta last night:

Asian Pasta with Spicy Tempeh

It was lovely and spicy indeed. I put in 2 tsp. of the chili paste (I get that stuff that has the rooster on the label. Not only do they make a lovely hot sauce (the large squeeze bottle) their chili sauce is fantastically spicy and tasty. Cheap, too. What's not to like?) and it was SPICY, brotha. Hoo. Admittedly, I made the teaspoons heaping, but still. Next time I make this (and there will definitely be a next time) I will probably ease up a bit on the chili sauce.

I don't like peas and didn't have shelled edamame (my pea substitute of choice....and notice that I said I didn't have SHELLED edamame. I totally have the stuff in the pods, but I was feeling WAY too lazy to cook it and shell it) so I just left it out. I made this strange asparagus as a side dish, so I felt like I didn't really need to peas, anyway. And honestly, I didn't miss the bulk they would have added. However, those little yummy baby peas in the pod (the ONLY peas I like) would be quite nice, as would the aforementioned shelled edamame. Which I enjoy saying. Edamame. Satisfying.

The sauce seems like it won't be enough, but it's the perfect amount. The flavor is ALL OVER the noodles, but this isn't a saucy dish. It's amazing. I highly encourage you to try it.

If you don't have the various seasonings called for, you should. They take your cooking to a whole new level and keep you from wanting to eat out, which ends up being frugal in the long run. Or so I tell myself.

Let me close by mentioning that strange asparagus. I got the recipe from Vegetarian Times, and it calls for miso and tahini. I make this wonderful salad dressing that I found in Veganomicom (thanks, Isa!) that calls for equal parts miso and tahini thinned with water. The salad dressing is shockingly good, but although this recipe calls for similar ingredients, it was just salty and thick and strange. I'm sad, because there's a half pound of asparagus in the fridge that no one will eat. J ate one stalk and said yuck, and P won't eat anything green, despite it being his favorite color. I ate my fair share, but I just don't want anymore. Any suggestions on using this stuff up? Maybe if I put it in unseasoned eggs, maybe it would be better. Hmm.....

I hate to end on a down note like too-salty asparagus, so have a laugh before you go:

Ready for summer

I'm all detailed and ready to go! Take me to the beach, the pool, the bar, you name it, I'm there! Whee!

I've got painted toenails, hair's trimmed up EVERYWHERE, I've been working out and eating (Relatively) healthy. Hee-hee! I'm looking good and feeling good.

I love having some time off, and being able to think and contemplate and even miss my job a little (ok, not the job, but some of the kids). I love being able to go to the park and the museum with my son, preparing healthy meals (I'm thinking asparagus, peach-walnut pilaf, and something tempeh or stir fry for dinner, how's THAT for rock-your-socks delish and healthy!), and reading books. I just re-read Blue Shoe by Anne Lamott, and highly recommend it. She writes about normal people beautifully. The book makes me celebrate ME, even with all my faults.

Tonight, my family is heading off to see .38 Special, Styx, and REO Speedwagon! What fun! I only know one song by each band (that I know of, anyway), but I can't wait to put on a skimpy sundress and lounge on the grass while we rock out! Hopefully, I can make a buck or two today and buy one of those margaritas by the yard! If not, that's ok too....they're awfully high in calories and low on alcohol. :)

Food for camping

My boys are going camping next weekend so that an out of town friend and I can catch up sans interruptions. Hooray! I have challenged the hubster to NOT eat at any restaurants along the way, only stopping at grocery stores if necessary. This is going to be a MAJOR challenge for my lovable yet lazy hubby, so I'm helping (of course).

They will be gone from Friday afternoon through Monday. So, that's 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 dinners, and numerous snacks.

Breakfast:
Pancakes (those just add water mixes are PERFECT for camping)
Eggs (crack the eggs into a heavy ziploc bag so they are ready for scrambles or omelets)
They might try this because it sounds like fun:
http://www.scoutorama.com/recipe/rec_display.cfm?rec_id=155

Lunch:
Sandwiches
Pasta Salad
Fruit
Chips

Dinner:
Chicken leg quarters (bought on sale)
Hotdogs (you gotta, right?)
Nachos, using leftover chicken
http://www.scoutorama.com/recipe/rec_display.cfm?rec_id=266

We are limited not only by funds, but by the fact that my child doesn't like casseroles or other "mixed" dishes. He does, however, LOVE nachos, and I like that you can make these in a skillet.

Snacks:
Chips (must have junk food for us....we don't get them often because we all LOVE chips)
Pasta salad
fruit
crackers
cereal bars (aka Nutrigrain bars)
s'mores fixins
hummus

What else do they need to take for food?

Hey! Here I am!

Ok, it happened again. Life grabbed me, and I stopped blogging. For shame. Although, given my track record, I knew it was going to happen sooner or later.

However, it's nearly summer, which means more time! Hooray for some TIME! I'm on a 3 day weekend already, which is "summer lite".

I took a peek at my 101 goals in 101 days list, and I have some updates to make. Since that list was the reason for starting the blog, it seems fitting to resume contact via the list. Here we go:

101 in 1001
Start Date: January 2, 2009
End Date: September 29, 2011
Legend:
Not Started
In Progress
Completed

Health and Fitness
1. Eat vegan 1x/week for 2 months
2. Take a prenatal vitamin nightly for 2 months
3. Do yoga 2x/week for 2 months
4. Get pregnant
5. Lose 20 lbs before getting pregnant (5/20)
6. Complete Body & Soul’s healthy challenge
7. Set a new fitness goal—and meet it—for 12 months (not necessarily consecutively)
8. Record all food eaten daily for 3 months
9. Drink 6-8 glasses of water daily for 1 month
10. Private :)
11. Floss daily for 4 consecutive months
12. Reduce coffee to 1 cup/day
13. Eliminate coffee from diet
14. Add tea to diet
15. Track my monthly cycle
16. Use that information to better understand my moods and cravings
17. Perform monthly breast exams (3/32)
18. Find a naturopathic doctor (I have found a D.O. It remains to be seen, however, if he will stick as my doctor. He may just need a bit of training ::wink::)
19. Eat nothing after 8 p.m. for 2 consecutive months
20. Private :)
21. Get braces
22. Reward myself with something sensual each months that I meet a fitness/nutrition goal (ex: pedicure, manicure, massage)
23. Learn CPR
24. Private :)


Finances
25. Build up $1000 mini-emergency fund ($800/1000)
26. Pay off debt (2 of 6 cc's paid off.....still have student loans, car notes, and mortgage :sigh)
27. Build a 3 month cushion
28. Put all extra $$ (bonuses, raises, gifts, etc) towards financial goals
29. Eat out on special occasions only (birthdays, anniversaries, last day of school, etc)
30. Sell this house
31. Have a monthly finance meeting with J
32. See a financial planner
33. Open retirement accounts for J and myself
34. Make a Christmas budget
35. Keep the Christmas budget!
36. Live on one income for a year to simulate the actual experience
37. Use a cash economy
38. Add to P’s college fund monthly ($5/month is ok!)
39. Donate $2 per each goal NOT met to a charity of my choice
40. Set aside $5 per goal MET to do something fun at the end of the 1001 days


Love Life
41. Have a date night with J once/month
42. Private ;)
43. Private ;)
44. Private ;)

Social Life
45. Have a potluck dinner
46. Throw a dinner party

Travel
47. Take a cruise
48. Go on 5 day trips alone (1/5) I'm counting Dallas since I went by myself, and it's a drive!
49. Visit 5 Texas attractions
50. Camp for a weekend at the Ren Fest
51. Go to Las Vegas for my 30th birthday!
52. Take 3 day trips with P
53. Take 2 overnight trips with P
54. Leave the country!
55. Visit Galveston 4x/year (2/10)


Getting the stuff you want….priceless
56. Get a tattoo (A cool hippie star on the back of my neck, under my hair)
57. Find the most perfect pair of black boots and buy them, no matter the cost.
58. Find the perfect Little Black Dress
59. Get a vitamix


Being a good person
60. Make 2 positive parent phone calls/month for 4 months—2 now, 2 next year
61. Explore volunteer opportunities for P and I
62. Volunteer with P once/week during the summer
63. Give blood 6 times
64. Give 10 compliments to strangers
65. Pay for the person behind me at a drive-thru
66. Obtain no new plastic bags for 3 non-consecutive months

Spirituality
67. Buy one book about paganism and one about Wicca and read them both!
68. Meditate 30 min, 3x/week for 12 non-consecutive months

The House
69. Replace carpet in house with wood floors
70. Complete 6 home improvement projects (1/6)
71. Create a “work-week home management plan”
72. Follow said plan for 3 months!
73. Set a new household goal for 12 non-consecutive months

So Creative!
74. Update blog 2x/week for 3 months
75. Practice guitar 3x/week for 3 months
76. Knit a scarf
77. Make 3 things using my sewing machine
78. Create an altar
79. Create a gift book for J
80. Make all handmade gifts for one Xmas
81. Dress up for the Ren Fest
82. Create a wardrobe that I adore—no “meh” clothes allowed!
83. Create a family cookbook
84. Finish t-shirt quilt or throw t-shirts away!
85. Do a craft project 4x/year with P


Foodie Love
86. Make one new bread machine recipe per month for 6 months (1/6)
87. Learn to make sushi
88. Make one new recipe each month (5/32)


Miscellaneous
89. List those things in my life that I do out of a sense of duty, not love or desire.
90. Reduce that list by half
91. Make “sucks/rocks” lists every 6 months (1/5)
92. SAH w/ my kids
93. Develop a homeschool curriculum for P
94. Meet with a life coach
95. Get life insurance
96. Read 101 books
97. Complete “Brenda’s Wardrobe Companion”
98. Take a class (I'm taking a bellydance class!)
99. Write my will
100. Turn off computer nightly for 2 consecutive months
101. Be fitted for a bra and only own bras that FIT!

Well, clearly I have my work cut out for me. In some cases, I need to start setting aside the money for charity since it ain't gonna happen, like the Body and Soul Challenge. But in other cases, I'm bettering my life and can set aside $5 per goal to have a blast! Whee!

Back to reality

I just spent the most magical weekend at a hippymom retreat in Dallas, where the food and drink were abundant, a smoky haze filled the air, a crazy artist sang opera and painted my portrait, and amazing women came together to talk, laugh (so much laughter), cry (just a little), dance (one amazing dancer and her loving admirers!), meditate and basically just plot to take over the world!

However, I'm home now. Back to reality and all the myriad little annoyances that come with reality. Sigh. Things like a broken car (but I'm told it should be a minor repair), a dead battery in a rental car and a husband who is slow to take back said car and gets charged an extra day at DOUBLE the rate I rented it for. Plus, there's the stress of work, a messy house, and never enough money.

However, even though these little annoyances seem quite abundant at the moment, I have decided to approach them with a new outlook. I know that they are little things that are stressful NOW but are hardly worth remembering a year from now.

Compare that to the smile of my son, or the look on a teenager's face when she gets the right answer 3 times in a row, or seeing an amazing sunset. Those are things that I will remember, that I want to remember. I suppose I need to not "sweat the little things" or whatever the title of that book is. :)

For a while, I thought that it would be enough to cultivate gratitude in my heart and life. And it works wonders, believe me! But it's not enough. Just because I am grateful to be healthy and have a roof over my head, enough to eat, a loving family, etc etc etc (and I could definitely go on!) doesn't mean that I won't get worked up over a dang car. I have been known to overreact. Yes! Me! Shocking.

The thing is, because I have this tendency (I think many of us do) to get so annoyed, I have to start laughing at those annoyances, and consciously focusing on the fact that they are minor setbacks. Even if it costs money, money is only a tool, free to flow wherever it needs to go.

It won't be easy. I'm not good at NOT being Type A, and I don't have a lot of practice. But maybe with a new mindset I can be free to Type A on the things that DO matter, and relax about the things that just don't.

I'm a muse!

I am the subject of a gorgeous portrait. That I will be buying at a later date and paying for for the rest of my life. Hooray!

"Free" time?

You'd think that I'd have some free time this week to update, but it doesn't look like that was in the cards.

I've been really busy this week! I rented my regalia for the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony (yes, they are REALLY on this....it's only March! But it worked well for me, since I was able to take care of this during my spring break!), got my cat fixed and also discovered that my gorgeous girl kitty is actually a handsome BOY kitty! Oops! It was all the fluff! (giggle)

I've been working out this week, which feels great! My goal is to keep this nonsense up when school starts, and actually LOSE SOME WEIGHT! Crazy ideas, I know.

I'm also getting ready to drive to Dallas for a retreat with some amazing Hippymoms! If you haven't met the Hippymoms yet, head on over and holla! Unfortunately, my car is acting all wonky. Look, it's even a relatively common problem! Boo-hoo-hoo! So, I'm taking J's car. Except that the inspection expired in.....JULY. So that needs to be fixed. The Universe has been trying to tell him this and he's been blatantly ignoring the message, so yesterday he got a ticket. Gah. That man irritates me. He redeems himself by being handy and nice, but honestly, the irritation to pleased ratio is highly skewed towards irritation.

So, I'm off to try to clean myself up a bit, and hopefully I'll have some really awesome stories about crazy hippymoms! Hee-hee!

Oh, remind me to tell y'all about how my phone was stolen by my kiddos at school. You know, some inspiration for the aspiring teachers out there. Snicker.