playing catch up

Weekends tend to be either super busy for us or really tame. A few weekends ago we had a wedding on Friday and Sunday I went to the Pride parade with my friend.

Pride weekend is one of my favorite weekends of the summer in Chicago, which consists of a street fest, lots of events and a parade on Sunday. We used to live right next to "Boystown" where the street fest and parade are held. It was inevitable that we would hit up the street fest every year, and I always managed to make it to the parade, even if it was by myself for a little bit. But this year I was able to meet up with a friend to check out the spectacle.

Thanks to my friend Katie for letting me use her photos from the parade.

Afterwards we had an adult beverage and a feast of hummus at George Street Pub. They have an awesome patio.

Mmm. Hummus.

 One of my hot-button issues lately has been marriage equality. I am all for it. I am a straight ally, 100% supporter of gay marriage. I firmly believe that marriage equality is a civil rights issue. Our country is discriminating against an entire class of people by denying their right to marry simply because their partner is of the same sex. Talk to me all you want about beliefs and definitions of marriage. I've heard it all and I'm not impressed. This country is discriminating, and we need to stop. Period.

This past week was Independence Day. Typically we end up celebrating most "American" holidays in some fashion or another, but there is always something about them, the 4th, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, that make me a little sad or mad. What do I as a Native American have to celebrate on these holidays? They are subtle reminders that an entire population was decimated, and Natives continue to suffer the consequence of "independence" or the Americas being "discovered." This year we did not celebrate at all. I wasn't raised to feel negative about these holidays, in fact we celebrated them like most American families, but through my life experiences and education, I have certainly had a change of heart. Sometimes I wonder what I will tell my children about these holidays.

Enough serious talk. I've been practicing yoga everyday now and have never felt better about myself. And I am still on the smoothie kick. This morning I switched it up a bit after I was inspired a recipe I found on Pinterest. I didn't have a whole lot of strawberries left, so I adapted it with what I had on hand.

Sweet and Tart Start to the Morning
-one half ripe peach
-handful of frozen strawberries
-about 3 or 4 ounces of coconut milk
-2 heaping spoonfuls of greek yogurt
-2 counts pour of OJ*

pulse and blend. Enjoy!

*as you know by now, I don't measure. But I used to bartend. When you pour a liquid and count "one-one thousand," you pour an ounce, or so damn close to one you'll be impressed. Go try it!

Have a great weekend! xoxo

doc review down time

Document review? Trying to explain to my non-lawyer friends and family what exactly is doc review has proven difficult, BUT I finally found a pop-culture example to help me out. You know that scene in Clueless where Cher and Josh are helping her Dad (i.e. flirting) and Cher is still looking for the September 3rd phone call, but the young lawyer associate gets pissed because they're supposed to be looking for the August 28th phone call? That's kinda like doc review. Except not.

Anyway, I'm in between doc review projects which means I'm currently unemployed. I've chosen to get caught up on some of my own work in my down time. Today, I knocked a couple of things of my ever-growing "to-do" list and decided to do one of the longer yoga videos I don't normally have time for in the morning. I immediately felt famished after I was done and made myself one of my fave smoothies. I gulped it down so I don't have a pic, but looks don't matter with this yummy pick-me-up.

"Elvis" smoothie

-pour enough soy milk in blender so it covers the blades* (about 4 or 5 ounces)
-one whole ripe banana (this is a great way to use up browning bananas)
-2 big scoops of peanut butter
-2 ice cubes
-just a tiny squeeze of simple syrup (recipe in my previous post)

pulse and blend and enjoy!!!

*a note about my smoothies, since I don't provide measurements. I use this blender which is the perfect size for a single smoothie. Feel free to adapt my "recipes" to your size blender. Mine comes with a lid, and I've made smoothies the night before and had it ready to go on mornings I knew I'd be rushed. Perfect!

Later, I'm meeting up with some very lovely ladies for a GNO.  Happy hump day! xoxo

Healthy = Happy

Lately I've been focusing on eating more healthy and trying to squeeze in some exercise. I was concerned that returning to running wouldn't help my weight loss problem, so instead I returned to yoga. I took yoga classes years ago but since then found plenty of excuses not to have time to practice yoga. Until now. Someone told me once that you'll never have time for anything unless you make time for it. So true. I MADE time. I found free videos online and I practice every other day during the week and both days on the weekends. This has really helped me get my stress level under control and I feel so much happier already.

As far as eating healthy, I've always tried to eat healthy. I don't eat red meat and rarely eat pork, fish or chicken. So I guess that kinda means I'm a vegetarian. But I put the emphasis on try to eat healthy, because like anyone else, I love junk food.

Lately I've been on a smoothie kick. I buy whatever fruit is fresh and that's what I use to make smoothies for breakfast.

I don't really follow a recipe to make my smoothies, but here's how I make 'em:

Pour enough soy milk in the blender to cover the blades and just a bit more.
2 heaping spoonfuls of plain greek yogurt. (I've tried them all and my favorite is Fage!)
a handful of fresh fruits (the smoothie pictured was made with raspberries and a small peach)
a hearty squirt of honey

Pulse and blend until well mixed!

I find this a healthy way to start out the day, as opposed to the lonely cup of coffee I used to call breakfast.

Have I mentioned that my hubby is a trained chef? Well, he is. And he does most of the cooking. But check out the gourmet baked potatoes I made for dinner last week.

I followed this recipe from America's Test Kitchen after watching the show. They turned out super creamy! I love to eat the skins too, and these skins were crispy and flavorful.

And finally, last week there was a full moon. If you've read my earlier posts, you know that I like to check out the fun and free things to do in this great city. One of the coolest monthly events we've found right in our neighborhood is the Full Moon Fire Jam. It's a super hippie gathering where there are fire dancers and a drum circle and plenty of people watching.  Here are a few shots I took of the full moon on our walk home.

Hope you all have a fabulous week. Start it off right with a healthy breakfast! xoxo