Take Me Out To The Ball Game

If tonight could be described in one word, it would be “awesome.” Someone from work gave me tickets to a baseball game and since I love baseball, it was pretty awesome (there's that word again). 
One of my favorite memories is when I was twelve and my dad took me to a Dbacks game. I think that's where my love for baseball originated. I have 5 siblings so it was a big deal to me that I got some one-on-one time with my dad (especially since we drove all the way to Phoenix to watch the game). I remember thinking I was the luckiest kid in the world.
My friend Starlee went to the game with me tonight. I usually sit in the nosebleed section, but not this time! Our seats were really close to the field. Even though I was a little nervous a foul ball would hit me, I still enjoyed myself. Just in case you were wondering, the Dbacks won!!!

Say Cheese!

I seriously have one of the world’s worst blenders. I bought a cheap one at Wal-mart last year and you really get what you pay for. The reason I mention my terrible blender is because one of my friends told me that you can make cheese by blending cashew's together (we call it ca-cheese). I’ve never heard of such a thing and it intrigued me. So, I found a recipe that looked easy and decided to try it out.

You soak the cashews overnight, add a few ingredients, then blend it all together. Simple, right? Wrong! It took me three days to make it because my blender was giving me some serious attitude. When I say attitude, I mean that my blender would only blend in 5 minute intervals (it’s almost like it has a mind of its own). It was rather frustrating and I almost gave up on the idea of ca-cheese. But, I didn't and I'm glad I stuck with it, because it turned out great.

It still had chunks of cashew in it but that just added some character. The consistency is similar to cream cheese. And just like cream cheese, it taste great on a bagel! Even though it was a hassle making it, I’m going to make it again soon. I might even invest in a better blender.

7 Day’s Without Hiking Makes One Weak

I took a week off from hiking because I hurt my leg. This just about killed me. I think I might be addicted to hiking because I felt like I was going through withdrawals. I went seven days without hiking and I woke up this morning and had to get my fix. It felt so good to be back on the mountain!

One good thing about taking a break from hiking is that I picked up yoga again. I thought the stretching would help my leg (and it did). I’ve learned over the last few days that it does so much more than stretch my muscles. It stretches my mind to the fullest. It allows me to focus on the present moment. I can clear my mind and leave all my cares and worries behind. I don’t know why I stopped doing yoga in the first place but I’m glad I’ve incorporated it back into my life. Some people like to drink coffee in the morning to “wake up.” Yoga is my coffee. It’s the perfect way to start my day.

You Are What You Eat

The library is one of my favorite places; it's like Disneyland for me. I can get lost in there just spending hours and hours reading and searching for books. I wish I could devote more time to reading because I love it. I went to the library on Thursday and came out with three books, two CD's, and two audio books. If you can't tell, I'm kind of a nerd. This was my first time getting audio books and I think their amazing! I am a multi-tasker so if I can "read" a book and do three other things at once, I'm happy.

One of the books I got, 1,000 Vegan Recipes by Robin Robertson, is great (even though it's not an audio book). I'm overwhelmed with all the recipes that I want to try. I want to do a vegan diet again but I might modify it. Like, add yogurt and cottage cheese and maybe some chicken and fish. So, it won't exactly be a vegan diet...

I made Black Bean Burgers for dinner tonight (1,000 Vegan Recipes, page 120). I'm not a big fan of red meat so this is a great alternative for me. These burgers are abundant in flavor and I personally think they taste better than a hamburger. The texture is really different. It's almost like you're eating mashed up beans instead of hamburger meat. Who would have thought? But honestly, I would prefer this over a hamburger any night.

Black Bean Burgers






Olive Oil
½ Cup Onion, minced
1 tsp Garlic, minced
1 Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp Parsley
½ Cup Bread Crumbs
¼ Cup Whole Wheat Flour
½ tsp Thyme
Salt & Pepper
Hamburger Buns or Rolls
Assorted Toppings (Lettuce, Tomato, Avocado, etc…)


1. Saute onion and garlic
2. Mash beans, onion/garlic mix, parsley, bread crumbs, flour, thyme, salt & pepper together (you want some texture). Shape into 4 patties. Refrigerate 20 minutes.
3. Cook in skillet ~5 minutes each side.
4. Serve on rolls with your favorite toppings.
5. Enjoy!

Some Like It Hot

There aren't any words to describe how wonderful the weather has been lately. It's been in the three digits the last few weeks and I love it. I feel like a lot people complain about the Arizona heat. I don't know why because it great. Actually, I do know why but those reasons don't alter my opinion any.

 

I've been hiking and running a lot recently. There are so many trails within the Phoenix Metro Area that it amazes me. I just celebrated my two year anniversary of living here and I can't believe I haven't been taking advantage of them.

Camelback is my favorite. I really like that it's a challenge for me. My goal is to make it to the top in 30 minutes (the Echo Canyon side). For those familiar with the trail, I can make it to the top of the second rails in just less than 15 minutes. Someday, hopefully in the near future, I'll join the 30 minute club. And when that day comes, I'll be ecstatic and jumping for joy. Actually, I'll probably be really tired and ready to pass out because I just hiked a massive mountain in 30 minutes, but you know what I mean.

Soda Bread

I really need to learn that I can't fill every single, waking moment of my life with something to do because my life becomes hectic. My life has been almost chaotic lately (I'm not complaining, I actually like this!). I'm starting school soon and I'm trying to cram as much fun into my schedule as I can.

Since I've been cramming so much into my life lately, I feel a little worn out. So to fix this, I scheduled in some "me" time this morning. This means that I get to do two things that I really love: baking and organizing (I know, I’m so weird! One day, I’ll find someone who actually likes this about me).

I want to make some oatmeal whole wheat quick bread for one of my friends who's moving to Utah tomorrow. I started making it this morning and I thought it would be a good idea to substitute some cinnamon and brown sugar instead of agave nectar (because brown sugar and oatmeal go together like peanut butter and jelly). This was not a good idea. Words cannot describe how gross it was!

Since the oatmeal bread was such a failure, I decided to try something else. I found a yeast-free bread recipe on allrecipes.com. It’s a variation of beer bread. There are three ingredients: self-rising flour, sugar, and soda. Not baking soda, carbonated soda. Let’s just say, I was a little skeptical at first. Lucky for me, I tried it anyways. It turned out way better than my gross, oatmeal disaster. This was actually edible unlike the previously mentioned bread.

Every time I have homemade bread I think of my little brother Thoren. The smell of a fresh loaf of bread coming out of the oven reminds me of the first time he blessed the sacrament. My mom and him made bread together the Saturday before and he took it to church the next day. I'm honestly not sure why my mom did this, but it made a lasting impression on me. I personally think it was a good bonding experience for both of them, even though Thoren probably thought it was really lame. Someday when I have a family, I hope to continue this tradition.


Soda Bread

2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. Combine the flour, sugar and carbonated beverage. Mix well and place into the prepared pan.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes. Note: If using a sweetened carbonated beverage cut back on the sugar a little.

My soda bread modifications: I didn’t have self-rising flour so I added 2 tsp of baking powder and ½ tsp of salt to the flour. Also, I used 7-up because that’s what I had available. I baked two small loafs for about 35 minutes.