Weeds Be Gone

I'm new to weeding, and I must say there is an enjoyment to ripping those suckers out of the ground (or concrete, as the case may be). I actually found it surprisingly similar to tweezing my eyebrows (which should also be added to the to do list). In both instances you need to get a firm grip and pull so you get the roots/hair follicle. Weeding, as with tweezing, inevitably results in frustration when you pull and it doesn't come completely out, but put a bit of effort into either and you'll reap large rewards.

My patio has gone from disgraceful to merely unkept. Success! Just don't look behind the umbrella. Oh, and for the record weeding is seriously hard work, especially for your back.

In an effort to earn my keep, I made the Aussie pumpkin mac n cheese last night. I thought the creamy texture of roasted pumpkin would be a nice addition to mac n cheese, but I found the sweetness of the pumpkin didn't complement the dish as much as I anticipated. For the mac n cheese recipe I loosely followed the recipe from Veganomicon - nutritional yeast, veggie broth, flour, mustard, tumeric, salt, pepper, and lemon. I decided to add a bit of white wine too. I made enough to feed a small army. The Aussie will be having it for lunch for awhile, so hopefully he likes it more than I did.

Lunch today (which I have been thinking about since 10:30) is a sandwich and a cup of soup. In an effort to be a bit healthier, I've switched chips for soup - less calories and more fiber!

Enter spicy lentil soup (not homemade but still tasty - it's from Heinz)

For the sandwich portion of my lunch, I started with the foundation for a good tempeh sandwich - the marinade. I used olive oil, braggs, maple syrup, cayenne and black pepper, and salt.

Usually I have 1/2 an avocado in my sandwich, but since they cost a small fortune at the moment ($4 dollars for one small one, no thank you), I opted for double tempeh ... yum! You don't need to let it marinade long (if you're starvin' marvin) but you can let it marinade for a few hours up to a day. I let it marinade for about 2.5 seconds. No, seriously. Didn't you read the part above where I said I was thinking about lunch since just after breakfast?

Fry up the glorious tempeh slices.

Use your favourite bread. I used sourdough from a local bakery, although definitely not as good as San Fransisco sourdough, despite its name.

The finished product made for a happy tummy.

Washed down with my go to drink (since I'm trying, again, to kick the cola habit - oh how I miss you Coke zero!). I squeeze half a lemon per glass.

It's in the 90s here, so I think once my food baby digests I'll head over to the beach. I don't know about you but listening to the ocean just makes me smile.

Until tomorrow,

B