Now that Google Reader is going away, I am testing out different reader services.
Tonight I am poking around on Bloglovin’ — it imported all of my blogs from Google Reader, but not the categories, although it was easy enough to create categories and sort my blog feeds in bloglovin’.
Have you found a good replacement for Google Reader?
Last weekend was my son’s lacrosse team’s annual Family Bowling Night. It was nice to spend the evening with my son, but I sure do suck at bowling! In three games, I got a few spares and two strikes, but I was just as likely to throw a gutter ball or somehow manage to knock down only one pin in the back corner!
My son was more consistent. Here is one of his strikes:
My husband did slightly better than I did. Here he cleaned up for a spare:
After we took my son back to his dorm, we headed to my favorite local restaurant for some Belgian beer and frites.
(Did I mention that I ran 10.5 miles that day?)
Do you enjoy bowling?
Jenn at Peas And Crayons has suggested a “green” theme for What I Ate Wednesday posts this March, and I have two new recipes to share that fit the bill.
Broccoli Soup**
1 10 oz. box frozen broccoli florets (thawed)
1 15 oz. can vegetarian broth
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp peper
1/2 tsp grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp lemon juice
Blend all ingredients except lemon peel and lemon juice until smooth.
Pour into a pot, add lemon peel and lemon juice, and cook over medium heat until hot.
**The original recipe is from the March 2013 isue of Good Housekeeping magazine, and called for chicken broth instead of vegetarian broth.
I think I expected too much from a recipe that is this simple. It tasted fine, but it didn’t taste like much more than pureed broccoli soup–although I love the flavor from the curry powder. Also, my soup didn’t look very green, but I blame the Veggie Stock that I used. I love the short ingredient list on this product, but it has a very dark brown color–probably form the roasted onions. If I make it again, I might try blending the ingredients in my Cuisine Art (instead of using my immersion blender as I did here) to see if that makes a more uniform puree.
Three Bean Salad**
Dressing
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
Beans
1 14.5 oz can green beans (rinsed and drained)
1 15 oz. can kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
1.5 cups frozen shelled edamame (thawed and drained)
Mix the dressing ingredients in a small saucepan and
heat over low heat until sugar is dissolved and it starts to boil.
Cool before using.
Combine beans, 1/2 cup of dressing, and 1 tsp Italian seasoning in a bowl.
Cover and let marinate in refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
**The original recipe is from the Cooking Light 5 Ingredient 15 Minute Cookbook and called for lima beans instead of edamame.
When I make it again, I will use a bit less sugar in the dressing.
I really loved the color and flavors of this salad. I served it as a side dish with quiche and over a bed of mixed greens for a heartier salad.
What is your favorite potluck side dish?
This week at work is very stressful. There is a big deadline on Friday that affects my whole department, because a significant aspect of patent law changes on Saturday, and many clients want to do things this week to be grandfathered in under the current law. As much as we’ve tried to plan ahead and work ahead, there is a lot to be done by midnight local time on Friday.
As I got ready to face the week, I realized how much my ways of coping with stress have changed. In my “before” days–and even in the beginning of my “after” days–a week like this would have had me abandoning any efforts to keep up with my fitness routine. But now I know that physical exercise is essential to my mental well-being. The hour I spend working out will pay me back with interest in my ability to be productive and handle the stress at work. No amount of Starbucks can wake me up and get me going as much as a good run does!
I also might have used work deadlines as an excuse to rely on pizza and take-out to get through the week. But now I know that I will perform better at work if I fuel my body with nutritious foods. I made sure to stock up on healthy but quick things I can eat at the office (frozen entrees, pumpkin seeds, fruit) and did some cooking ahead on Sunday night so I will have some “real” food to eat when I get home late.
This gift from Chobani could not have come at a better time!
I’m not saying that I won’t be making extra trips to Starbucks, or that I won’t decide that I need a few Do-Si-Dos to get through the day, but I won’t be relying 100% on caffeine and sugar to get through the week!
Bring it!
How do you prepare for a stressful week?
![The Ultimate Coffee Date](http://got2run4me.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Ultimate-Coffee-Date.png" "The Ultimate Coffee Date")
