Once I woke up I lollygagged about until nearly eleven, at which time enough was enough and I put on my sweats and started up the 30 Day Shred video. It was day six of round 2, which means only four days left. Of course, this is actually day 20 and I'm only on workout sixteen because there were four days where I didn't do squat; two of them were legitimate sick days, one was a case of being absolutely slammed by life and literally not having twenty spare minutes, and one was just pure laziness. I am really enjoying level two, which is to say I hate it. Level one wasn't much of a challenge physically - the struggle with it was because it was so easy, I got bored very quickly and after four days I was ready for something new. Level two is engagingly fun and with the introduction of a lot of plyometric work, quite the little burner. It also has a lot of shoulder work which is a total weakness for me; I dislocated my right shoulder twice in 2008 and have since avoided doing and serious shoulder work. But with an abundance of plank poses and pushups and military presses and anterior lifts (oh god I hate these so very, very much), that's quickly becoming old hat. Yay!
After a shower I finally russled up something to eat at about quarter to one. A (rather large) mealie flat and the leftover half-cup of black bean soup, along with a bowl of fruit: strawberries, blueberries and, though you can't see it, a sliced up apple banana from the neighbor's tree.
Then it was off to the ranch to deal with the horses and then, quite unexpectedly, to the beach! Because of the high winter surf and the cold weather, we haven't been to beach much but today my stepson Alex really wanted to go and so, despite the ominous clouds, go we did. The water was freezing but once we got in and used to it, it was alright and much more kind than the awful winds blowing. There weren't many in the water besides the surfers off the bay break but it was clear and we had a good time playing Shark Attack. Around four-thirty the water started to cloud up and, because I'm a good mum who believes that Shark Attack should remain a game and not become a literal experience, we piled out and shivered our way back to the car...
...Which promptly broke down on the road. Ugh. Thank goodness that hitchhiking is a way of life here on the island. We were able to get a ride within ten minutes and once we were back home and showered and cozy, I started making a snack for movie night.
You know what sucks? When you buy a bunch of kale and then forget to put it in the fridge and so it sits out in the humid air all night and is limp and pale and sad the next morning. That sucks. Unless... it is movie night and you have a hankering for baked kale! Oddly enough it was and we were; what a coinkydink!
Step one: tear your kale into pieces and mix it with the spices you want (today we chose garlic powder, turmeric and sea salt) and just enough oil to dampen it; you don't want it as moist as you would have it if you were making kale salad but it needs to be coated so that it crisps.
Step two: preheat your oven to 375 degrees, spread the seasoned kale out and once the oven is ready, slide 'er in. Those foil wrapped delights below are sweet potatoes baking so that they can be turned into sweet potato biscuits for dinner, nom nom.
Step three: cook the kale until it's nice and crispy, turning it once. The whole baking process only takes about fifteen minutes and then you'll find yourself with a delicious crispy snack for movie time! Cloudy With a Chance Of Meatballs is hilarious, by the way.
While the kale and potatoes were baking, I also whipped up a load of hummus for the week. Hummus is so easy and cheap to make and so much tastier when you do it yourself. It can be varied to fit personal preference; for instance I omit the tahini because I don't like it. Chickpeas, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, parsley, garlic and paprika go into the food processor and presto chango! Deliciousness!
Do you like my fancy tupperware? Nothing but the best in this kitchen, I tell ya. ;)
Then it was biscuit making time. I found a recipe for vegan biscuits online but because I'm a huge fan of hiding vegetables in things and because I still have a crate of organic sweet potatoes that desperately need to get used up, we dug up one that incorporated them and that used a lot less oil than the original! One cup of cooked and mashed sweet potato (you can microwave it but I recommend baking to really get the full, sweet flavour), one cup of flour, a teaspoon of salt, one tablespoon of baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking powder, four tablespoons of oil. Mix until it's all blended and add flour as needed until it's not goopy. I had to add another half cup before I could turn it out onto my floured counter and roll it out. We ended up with three cups of mashed sweet potato and so adjusted the recipe accordingly.
Once you've got your dough cut out and the biscuits on your baking pans, slip them into a 400 degree oven and go fold some laundry for about twenty minutes. They'll be perfect when you get back.
We had them with the hummus and an arugula-kale salad with bean sprouts and razor-sliced peppers, topped with a shitake vinaigrette. What a tasty dinner!
And now, with a full belly and a tired body, it's time to tuck into bed. Until we meet again, my friends, be safe.
auf Wiedersehen,
Diz
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