It’s All About the Form
Sometimes life is like a jump shot. It’s all about the form.
Good form: I managed to get a thirty minute run in this morning before the hubs left for work.
Bad form: Though I’d planned on lifting weights and doing some ab work, I simply stayed in my workout clothes for the next four hours with nary and outing nor a respectable degree of work to show for it.
Good form: I had a green smoothie for breakfast.
- 1/2 c. frozen strawberries
- 1/4 c. frozen mango
- 1/2 a frozen banana
- three handfuls of spinach
- stevia
- 1/2 c. almond milk
Bad form: It looked like pond scum. Pond scum that I managed to spill on my white “avoiding a workout” jacket.
Good form: My very kind husband put a bunch of my clothes on eBay for me so I can afford a Vitamix.
Bad form: The Vitamix still costs $400 clams at Costco, and I don’t have 400 Volcom tank tops.
Good form: Lulu entertained herself by reading books when I finally got around to showering.
Bad form: (You mean besides the mullet?) She brought me a copy of Pinocchio, which implies that I am either a liar or a jackass.
I’ll plead guilty on one of those counts.
Good form: Eating an amazing lunch.
I had some steamed broccoli and carrots topped with tempeh bacon and tahini dressing, alongside a cup of butternut squash soup.
Bad form: Gigi trying to feed Lulu her sandwich so that she could skip ahead to dessert.
Good form: Taco tongue
Bad form: Estupido molars
Good form: Entertaining Gigi with my new method of putting laundry away.
She told me after I missed, “Don’t worry, Mom. If you keep throwing panties, you’ll get better!” I’m willing to go to a John Mayer show and try.
Bad form: Lulu parking herself on top of the laundry basket, impeding my progress, but more importantly obstructing my view of the target.
Good form: Homemade Black Bean Burgers for dinner.
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/3 c. red onion, minced
- 1/2 c. mushrooms, chopped
- 1/2 c. oats, ground to a coarse texture
- 1/2 t. salt
- 2 t. cumin
- 1 T. vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 t. minced garlic
I mashed the beans in a bowl with a fork until they made a nice chunky paste. Then I stirred in the remaining ingredients and formed the mixture into four patties. I fried the patties in a skillet sprayed with cooking spray, over medium high heat for about 7 minutes per side.
Along side, I had carrot fries and Brussels sprouts. I’m convinced carrots make the best fries out of any root vegetable.
Bad form: I’ve almost singlehandedly eaten 1/2 the huge bag of carrots that I bought at Costco on Sunday. That’s 5 lbs. of carrots and a lot of orange poo.
Even worse form: Talking about the color of your poo on a food blog.
Good form: Daddy luring Gigi to the garage to douse her with silly string.
Bad form: Daddy thinking that a still teething, still cranky Lulu would be down for the same thing.
She may look happy there, but she’s not.
Good form: I finally got to lift weights after the silly string debacle
.
Bad form: I had to watch Special Agent Oso with Problem Child 2 (aka Lulu) while I lifted.
Good form: Reading bedtime stories to my little ones.
Bad form: Realizing that I’m wearing the same pajama pants I had on in the almost three year old pregnancy picture I posted the other day. Hey, I know! I’ll put them up on eBay…any bidders?
Selling clothes (or anything) on ebay is about the least rewarding thing in the world, isn’t it. You recall that x item cost you y dollars. And on ebay you are getting y minus 99% of original price paid. Sigh. I hope you collect your 400 rupels soon!
Carrot fries, yes, delish and better than any other veg, agreed.
Love the bean burger action and the 7 min per side…that’s key. I think the reason I am never pleased w/ my own veg burgers is that I dont cook them long enough and they mush factor is not good. However, I could simply eat ketchup by the spoonful with a side of brussels and move onto raw desserts and skip burgers entirely
why have i never thought of carrot fries before?!?!?!
nice muscles !! dang!
your blog is so exciting
and your girls are way to sweet 
After the stories of Lulu being less than cheery, seeing the picture of her upset about the silly string made me laugh very much out loud. Especially because I totally thought she looked happy at first in the first picture of her in the garage.
omg you crack me up! Okay I must try carrot frys! LOL
You inspired me. I’ll try to make black bean burgers for lunch.. I’m a mediocre cook… we’ll see how that goes.
You’re jacked! Very impressive.
I hope you sell a vitamix worth of clothes soon…
Look at those guns! Thanks for the weight lifting motivation for today.
Poor LuLu. She just doesn’t seem herself in all of the photos you’ve been posting lately! Has banana soft serve helped?
Even cranky though, those little pigtails are so adorable. I hope she never grows out of them!
I love the first picture of Gigi feeding Lulu the sandwich. That’s Holiday Card material right there, I tell you… The picture of Daddy looking guilty is pretty great, too.
Nice arms, Mama! Holy cow, if that isn’t inspiration to do a little weight (and I do mean little weight–2 pounders, maybe? Gotta start somewhere) training, I dunno what is.
Carrot fries ARE the best! Yummy.
Sexy arms!
Gigi feeding LuLu is super cute.
Carrot fries are a genious idea! I still can’t pull myself away from my favorite Butternut Fries, but I’m willing it give it a shot.
Looks like you had excellent form today…Pj’s and all!
Your daughters are really TOO cute, I can’t believe how many silly, adorable expressions they have. In every picture it seems like I can tell EXACTLY what they are thinking. Hahhaa, I love that she tired to feed her the rest of her sandwich so she could skip ahead to dessert, classic sister behavior!
Your lunch looks SO good, I am definitely in the mood for a massive salad right now.
Girl…you crack me up. do you think of these blog posts when you are sleeping??? I’m digging your bicep!! Man…it seems no matter how hard I work them I can NEVER get a bump. I just want a bump dangit.
Carrot fries. never thought of that! I’ve only done plain ole sweet potatoe fries…how sheltered I’ve been!
I love eBay. I sell everything haha.
I’d have to agree with Averie on the ebay thing – the few times I’ve tried selling something on there is always depressing because I recall how much I paid for it and compare that to how much I end up selling it for. On the other hand, some money is better than none at all! That’s a really cute top…can’t say I’ll be bidding for the jammies though.
Poor Lulu!! Poor you, too! I know this is evil, but I was still laughing over the picture of her being sprayed with the silly string…
For some reason 3 of the pictures didn’t show up for me. Darn!! It’s the ones above the sandwich-feeding pictures.
Holy muscles Batman! I love your arms..
I need to check out those carrot fries!
oh man – the picture of Gigi feeding Lulu is priceless. Priceless!
I must try carrot fries. I think I will. Tonight!
I am so happy to have found your new blog! I followed the link on Kath’s blog… I missed your witty posts
.
Oh my gosh, carrot fries! I love seeing your eats, you give me so many ideas, especially as a new vegan. Thanks
I’ve been lurking for a while now and I have to say that the pictures of your girls doing silly things always brighten my day! Thanks! And your girls are adorable!
daddy’s “whops i suck” face is awesome.
hi sarah!
just to let you know- you are an inspiration!
and i am SO glad you are back.
i just have a quick + weird question.
are you finding that your hands are turning orange due to the abundance of orange colored foods you are consuming? ( squash, carrots, etc…)
i only ask because mine are! since fall ( + the abundance of pumpkin, b-nut, sweet potat, root veggies) my feet and hands have turned orange!!!
any help, suggestions on how to get rid of it would be much appreciated. i hope i’m not the only orange freak out there
thanks again. lots of love
c
Thanks Chloe! I am definitely a little orange tinged these days, but short of cutting back on the beta carotene, I’m not sure what can be done. Personally, I prefer the “bad self tanner” look to the “pasty white” that I normally am, so I have no complaints!
wow carrot fries??? stroke of genious!
I love the picture of you reading to the girls – so sweet
I need to practice my good form in making carrot fries. Never tried them but I love carrots so why not?
So glad you’re lovin’ the carrot fries! I totally agree that they’re the best, and I can’t get enough. Your black bean burgers look great, too
John Mayer, though? Really? Oh, Mama Pea.
What can I say? I saw the “Who Says” video this morning, and he was just so darn irresistible.
Carrot Fries! I must try.
LOL – I don’t know which picture is the better – the one of Lulu reacting to the silly string – or Daddy Pea’s face!
“if you practice throwing panties…” – that cracked me up! I hope Lulu is doing better today with those teeth coming in. At least they give you some laughs!
I’d rather be home with 2 kids that make me laugh instead of being at work with adults who aren’t funny at all.
I love carrot fries too, so good.
Poor Lulu, silly string can be scary…I think my dad has had that look on his face more times than not. Once I told him that pepper doesn’t make me sneeze. He then took a handful and blew it right into my face, and into both eyes. *Insert guilty dad face here*
Awwww poor Lulu!! I laughed though, sorry kid!
Me thinks I’ll be having carrot fries for dinner. Now that it’s practically winter in MI, I need something to give me a tan.
Those guns are putting Jay Robb to shame right now!
Okay, I have to go hit the 10 lb weights now…holy biceps!!!
Also, I have to say I was having a pretty “meh” day until I saw Gigi doing taco tongue. Hilarious.
HEY!!
So glad to see you back on the blog scene..I have missed your recipes, your musings (DANG funny stuff, girl) and your work to be a better eater and mom! Welcome back.
Awww poor little LuLu! [And poor Mama Pea!} Teething is not fun!
PS Look at those muscles!!! Mama Pea’s got it goin on!
Uh, Mama Pea, I think the panty-throwing is supposed to be happening in the OTHER bedroom.
Keep eating those carrots!!! You will have amazing eye sight, with orange poop. Hehehe
When I tried to get rid of some old clothes (that people might actually still want to wear), I tried a consignment shop in town before giving up and going to Goodwill. Maybe it’s worth a try?
WHOA – I didn’t realize this post included tickets to the GUN SHOW. Yowza! I was going to offer to arm wrestle you for those carrot fries but now I guess I’ll just go make my own.
look at the biceps!!! i think you and mizfit should arm wrestle– you ladies both have bicep work of art
i’m totally trying your method of laundry.. i hate putting it away
have a great day!
ahahha the GUN SHOW- classic
Bad form: Claiming that the muscles in that picture are actually yours…you can’t fool a Terminator 2 fan! I KNOW those belong to the governor of California.
Good form: if you read me a bedtime story, I won’t tell anyone
…else.
I LOVE the guilty look on daddy’s face. Plus Miss Gigi’s purple unicorn. I love kids in all of their innocence
And your laundry method pure genius as is carrot fries must try.
Love the taco tongue!
Nice biceps girl!
Carrot fries!!! YUM!! I want to try those asap.
You crack me up..carrot fries=love btw!
Oh and I always try to make fun green smoothies like I see on everyones blogs and mine always look like complete crap so thank you for your honesty! At least im not alone
OK, I remember a few months ago you mentioned feeling mushy. Um, hello, no. I have total bicep envy right now.
Still need to try Gena’s carrot fries. Adding carrots to my Costco list this week.
I bet I could kick your a$$ at panty throwing.
Mama Pea, your biceps are amazing!!! I would be jealous, but I am sure that you have put EFFORT and DEDICATION into those biceps… so good for you!!!
Poor Lulu… guess she wasn’t in a silly string mood! And poor daddy. That’s the worst when you are trying for a giggle and you get tears instead! Oops!
PS- Pond scum… yes, yes, that’s exactly what it looks like. Lumpy pond scum. I’m sure it tasted better than it looked!
Hahaha OK, I am (once again) alone in my house and laughing out loud, furreal. From the silly string on, I cannot stop. How does Lulu react when you’re all up in her grill taking pics when she’s tantrum-ing? It’s horribly hilarious.
Holy guns! Can I have those, please? You can keep the PJ pants
Love you!
LOL there’s no shame in orange poo.
Carrots and black bean burgers = good form no matter how much poo!
I made the black bean burgers last night and they were delicious! I expected that
Thanks for sharing your recipes.
I want to make the black bean burgers. Also, I think I see a magic bullet holding your green smoothie. I have one of those, but not a blender. Is that what you use – any tips?
Carrot fries? Amazing – do tell!
Yup, I have a Magic Bullet. My tip: try to find someone stupid enough to trade you their Vita Mix for your Magic Bullet.
For the carrot fries, just cut the carrots into fry shapes and put them in your oven at 375 for 20 minutes on each side. I use a cookie sheet sprayed with non stick spray and lots of salt and organic ketchup!
I really want to make the burgers but I don’t have vegan Worcestershire sauce, is there anything I can use in place of it ? Thanks !
You could just use regular Worcestershire if you aren’t vegan, or just replace it with soy sauce and maybe a little extra minced garlic?
Two new recipes to try! Thanks
Your girls are adorable, btw
Ok i know i am a little late to the party but I made your black bean burgers tonight and I think these are going to be a staple for me! I used adzuki beans because that was all I had but they are similar in taste to black beans. Thank you so much.
Oh you are welcome! There is an even better *new and improved* version of these in the book that I know you’ll love!
LOVE these!!! Ever made up a huge batch and froze before cooking? I’m expecting my third baby soon and, well you know…. Anything to save time and still put healthy food on the table!
I would like to try making these for dinner but do not have any oats on hand at the moment. Would oat bran work as a substitute?
You can try it, I think it would work!