Rooting DC Forum

This weekend I attended the 9th annual Rooting DC forum. It's an awesome free conference hosted each year covering all things food access and urban gardening. I don't know much about gardening (though I would like to!) but loved hearing about all the great things folks are doing to decrease hunger, connect people with healthy food, and grow the local food economy in the district.

Even more than the talks, just being around people who are so excited and passionate about their causes was energizing. And, there was a bunch of food trucks there too!

2.27 | Life Lately

It's finally starting to get nice out in DC, and I've been a little more motivated to leave my couch and Netflix :) This week I've been...

Starting my work days off with chia seed pudding. It's so easy to make ahead of time and delicious. (I use 1 cup of coconut milk and ~1/3 cup of chia seeds, and let sit in the fridge overnight). I added cinnamon and pear slices in this one.

Buddha Bowls, Part of a Prettier Dinner

I first heard of the "Buddha bowl" concept when browsing Pinterest for new recipe ideas. As far as I could tell, they didn't have much in common except for being chock full of veggies and extremely Instagram-worthy.

 Picture and recipe from: http://sweetpotatosoul.com/2015/05/everyday-buddha-bowl.html

I did some research quick Googling and came up with definitions all over the spectrum. A mindfulness blog described the term as a "bowl filled with simple pure food and enjoyed with deep gratitude" and I think Urban Dictionary was talking about a different kind of bowl...

DC Bucket List

 I've lived in the DC area for about a year and a half. Although, an Arlington resident, I'm not technically in DC, I'm more than close enough to take advantage of all the city has to offer.

Even though I've been here a while, most of my DC experiences have been running by or on the monuments during marathon training (all the pictures in this post are from my runs). I'm going to be moving away in a few short months, and want to make sure I visit everything I can while I'm still so close.

This DC bucket list is a combination of things I have already done and want to re-visit, as well as things I've been dying to experience for a while.

2.19 | Life Lately

With the combination of Valentine's Day, a 3-day weekend, and a surprise snowstorm, this week started off with a bang. The past few days have been crazy busy, so I'm excited that the weekend is just around the corner. Lately I've been:

Binge-Watching: The Office. Every episode is a classic, and Michael Scott's antics never get old.

 

Kentucky Wanderings

I spent two and a half days in Kentucky this past week for a work trip. I am committed to exploring little bits of the cities I'm in, but with a packed day of work obligations that can be pretty difficult. So I settled for (way to early) morning yoga, coffee breaks, and solo lunches.

I relied on Yelp reviews to build my itinerary, and for the most part it didn't disappoint.

First up was a 6am Yoga Flow class at Yoga on Baxter in Louisville. It was one of the friendliest studios I've been in, and the class was both challenging and relaxing. I loved the greenery and candles in the yoga room, and instructors' solo acoustic guitar solo during Savasana.

I followed up yoga with my first Spanish latte (a regular latte with condensed milk) and a cheddar chive biscuit at Please and Thank You. The part-coffee shop/part record store shop was adorable and completely embraced its hipster pretense.

2.12 | Life Lately

This week was a little hectic with a short work trip thrown in, I am definitely looking forward to the long weekend coming up! Here's what I've been up to this week.

Homebody-ing:  I spent Sunday night watching the Superbowl by myself while finishing up a few papers for school, and have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it! I cozied up with a Trader Joe's pizza and Yeungling and didn't have to leave my couch :)

Eating: Pretty crappy food while I was out of town (it's hard not to when you're on per diem!). I have been on a yogurt bowl kick lately - my favorite combo is peanut butter, jelly and any type of fruit. Here's what a bowl looks like when I try to make it pretty, and then the "real life" version.

Cabbage Anyone?

I volunteer once or twice a month with a great organization in the metro area called DC Central Kitchen. Their mission is to use food as a way to strengthen bodies, empower minds, and build communities, and their programs work towards this goal in a way that is sustainable and spurs lasting change. (If you're ever looking for an interesting read on the role of non-profits in our country, check out Begging for Change by DCK's founder, Robert Egger).

One aspect of DCK's work is community nutrition outreach, and I helped out last weekend at a Mobile Market organized by Capital Area Food Bank, another great DC non-profit. The event is set up like a farmer's market and provides fresh produce to attendees in high need areas at no charge. We held a cooking demo demonstrating healthy recipes that can be made using ingredients available at the market that day.

Places: Whitetail Resort

Although one of my New Year's resolutions was to have more lazy Sundays, I spent last Sunday tiring out my muscles and testing my nerves at Whitetail Ski Resort in Mercersburg, PA. Part of CJ's Christmas present was an "IOU" for a ski day, and when we realized we only had one free weekend day in the next month we had to take advantage of it. So we left this guy with my parents and hit the road.

2.5 | Life Lately

This past week was spent finally getting back into my routine after the snowstorm-that-never-ended. Back into a regular exercise routine, cooking food other than frozen Trader Joe pizzas, and working from somewhere other than my couch. It was nice to have a few days of forced relaxation, but I was eager to get back to normal. Not that having this as your office is all that bad :)

 

Other than the daily grind, I've been:

Run Talk

I enjoy running. My Type-A personality loves to set goals, create a plan to achieve them, and execute. I also like taking a break from my work/school/homework routine and having an hour to myself without a screen in front of me.

Which is all nice, but it doesn't necessarily make it easy to get out of bed before the sun rises on a weekday. Or to drag myself outside in the snow, rain, or when I'm not feeling 100%.

 

One thing I've learned over the past six years of keeping up my running without competition is that it's much easier to get out the door in the morning when I have goals in front of me.