happy memorial day! as you (more than likely) gather around the grill today, i thought it would be helpful to round up a few meatless monday recipes. thanks to delish’s 13 recipes for a vegetarian bbq, i found these mouthwatering chipotle portobello mushroom burgers from pink parsley. i’ve grilled portobellos a million times (well, actually the irishman has), but i do like the addition of chipotle in adobo to give it an extra somethin’ somethin’.

i’ll be taking the chipotle theme a step further with these grilled corn with chipotle lime butter as my side…

image from delish

add some chips, salad and watermelon for dessert and voila! my meatless-monday-memorial-day-meal is complete!

meatless monday has their top 10 tips for grilling, mother nature network has 10 veggie burger recipes, msnbc gathered 7 vegan memorial day recipes and rodale has 5 meatless grilling recipes…so fire up the grill and enjoy the last day of your long weekend!

brown lunch with 3(!) cucumbers via neverseconds

and now, look like this:

not perfect, but a definite improvement | via neverseconds

the other completely charming thing about this blog is that other school children send photos of their lunches to martha. this one from japan is my favorite:

so, in a very short time and all thanks to martha, kids at her school are now able to have as much bread, fruit and veggies as they want…way to go, VEG!

Related articles

• Nine-Year-Old’s Blog Takes A Frank Look At School Lunches (psfk.com)
• Adorable Nine-Year-Old Girl Reviews Her School Lunches on Her Blog [Food] (gizmodo.com)
• Food blogger, 9, crusades for better school lunches (bites.today.msnbc.msn.com)
• 9-Year-Old: More Veggies, Please! (abcnews.go.com)
• Little Girl’s Lunch Review Blog Persuades Her School to Serve Healthier Meals [Kids These Days] (gawker.com)

image from whole foods market

it may be may, but it’s hot in the valley. like in the 90s hot. who wants to cook (unless it’s outdoors)? not me. so this refreshing watermelon & arugula salad recipe from whole foods will do the trick just fine! i still am getting arugula, mizuna and other dark greens in my c.s.a. box, so i figure i can pick up a watermelon and our yummy health starts here balsamic dressing at work and whip this simple salad up in a snap!

on the personal front, it feels like things are shaking loose – not only for myself, but for my friends as well.  i didn’t end up doing the 10 day challenge per se, but i have been watching what i eat and (except for a big, slurpy bowl of orochon ramen and an ooey, gooey cheese panini sandwich at work) i’ve been doing really well. i do have more energy (plus, the tv is no longer my best friend). my days are still busy, but i’m carving out down time. the irishman and i are taking evening walks (the heat in the day is brutal, but the nights are gorgeous). and the biggest deal of all is i have applied for a big job. i don’t want to jinx it, but just let me say, it’s a perfect job and would give us the big change we’ve been longing for…

…so things are looking up. sometimes, the smallest change can lead to big change. sometimes, you have to believe in yourself and take a chance. sometimes, the ripple effect of just the thought of that change can change your outlook on what’s going on (or not going on) in your life.

ugh. i hope that last paragraph didn’t feel like a bunch of self help clichés!

i’ve thought a lot about my last post and wondered how i ended up here. my best friend told me that few people could decide to {poof!} make all those changes at once and that i should, instead, pick one and then the rest would follow. so. i’ve decided to change my eating habits with a 10 day challenge from the self health revolution.

i know, i know…is this just another empty promise? who knows! but i’m going to try my darndest – i mean, 10 days should fly by, right? and given the fact that i work at whole foods, how hard can it be? that was really the sprout (haha) of this solution – i can’t change everything at once, so the best i can do is change what is within my reach. instead of longing for faraway goals, like the farm; i need to focus closer: my health, trying to find some balance, making time for joy…oh wait, the list is already getting long!

the way i figure it, if i’m eating better, i will have more energy. if i have more energy, i will get back to my punch bag. if i get back to my punch bag, i won’t be so stressed out. if i’m not so stressed out, i will have more mental space to be creative. makes total sense, no?

you would already be proud of me…we do something at whole foods that we call “team member appreciation”. the week is full of yummy free food and activities – yesterday was pizza day – but i was quite content with my organic salad (with sprouts, edamame and flax seeds)…go me!

i do have to say that just this shift in starting something doable completely changed my energy level. i walked a little straighter and with more purpose. my mind raced with dishes i could prepare to stay on track. sorry i missed my meatless monday post, but the next 10 days will probably be filled with salads and smoothies! makes for healthy eating, but maybe not the most engaging reading.

maybe i’ll just start a food journal to document my 10 day challenge…

monday:

• bragg’s apple cider vinegar & honey water
• matcha tea
• banana & greek yogurt
• wasa multigrain crackers for snacking
• giant organic salad
• bragg’s apple cider vinegar & honey water
• brussel sprouts, tomato & garbanzo bean salad for dinner
• probiotic & enzyme supplements
• 3 joe-joes < okay, okay, i know, i know!

today:

• bragg’s apple cider & honey water
• matcha tea
• kale, strawberry, blueberry & vegan protein smoothie
• giant salad for lunch
• wasa cracker snacks
• today, we get our CSA box, so i’ll juice some of the veggies and see what surprises/inspirations are inside
• no more joe-joes left, so i don’t need to worry about that temptation…i heard frozen fruits make a yummy snack!

wish me luck!

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• vision boards, intentions and walking on fire… (modernest.com)
• #meatlessmonday recipe: pan roasted brussel sprouts and a new cookbook from @herbivoracious… (modernest.com)
• Meatless Monday: 10 Vegetarian Pack-and-Go Lunch Recipes (blisstree.com)
• The Pleasures of Chia Seeds & Flax Seeds: Which Do You Eat More Frequently? (thekitchn.com)
• The Original Superfood: Flax SeedsIngredient Spotlight (thekitchn.com)

this is going to be a long post…so pick up your coffee, your tea or your cocktail and enjoy the ramblings of my mind!

no matter how many promises i make to myself (lose weight, blog regularly, reduce stress, go vegan), i always seem to slide back down the cheese-filled slope of disappointment. why is this? how can i look in my closet and see all the cute clothes that no longer fit and still stuff my face with salty snacks and ice cream? how can i buy all the gear for my punching bag and only do it for 3 days? why is it so hard to change my bad habits?

part of it is time management and work/life balance…i work a lot…i think about work a lot…part of it is cyclical…i work a lot and then i’m tired and by the time i get home, it’s all i can do to walk the dogs and make some food and then i just sit in front of the tv until i fall asleep (i’ve got a stack of unfinished books on my nightstand). because i’m not eating well (and i KNOW what foods i should be eating AND i work at whole foods – hello?), i don’t have the energy to get through the week. because i’m dragging my ass, i don’t have the inclination to go and hit the punching bag (although i must say, those 3 days were an amazing stress reliever).

i know all these things and yet, i can’t seem to shift my behavior. a good girlfriend of mine sent me an email (oh, that’s another one – not returning phone calls) about GNH (gross national happiness) vs. GNP (gross national product). you can watch videos here. i had heard a story ages ago about bhutan or another like-minded country whose government measured its success by GNH and i do think part of my malaise is cultural. we are a country of workaholics. this doesn’t mean we are more productive, just that we work too much and buy too much and have somewhat screwed up priorities. and now with the new economy, it’s even more intense – my friend who made a drastic career change was recently fired after spending the last year and a half training because he missed his state board exam by 1 point. 1 point! and did i mention? he’s in his 5os. i know a lot of my bad habits are rooted in this constant work work work and are paired with the american dream of owning my own business or breaking free of the grind…don’t even ask me about the farm fund…it’s become the emergency fund for paying unforeseen bills…yes, i’m talking about you, IRS!

so what to do? although things have started looking up for the irishman in terms of design gigs, we still don’t have the time or energy to spend real time together. i can’t even remember the last time we took a holiday. we don’t even think about getting away on a plane, now it’s just about finding the same days off to go to a museum or the beach. or recently, just asking for the same day off so we could go to a free baseball game where, of course, i spent the entire time eating cheese, crostini and olives…what is happening to me?

i remember when i started modernest. so filled with creative energy and vision and efficiency. of course, at the time i didn’t have a real job. my days were filled with what i wanted to do, when and how i wanted to do it. i was oh-so-productive! the weird thing is, i actually like my day job and i love the company i work for; but i’m unable to figure out how to get back to that free-wheeling creative girl i once was. i was talking to a friend of mine who is about to make a huge life change. she was talking about telling her friends to send good intentions to the universe for her to find a house, a job – all the things she will need. i have a lot of friends who are still on the vision board|everything happens for a reason|the law of attraction|the power of the universe life path. i must admit, i spent a lot of my adulthood in that oprah “follow your passion” neighborhood. she now says that “you become what you believe” and is working with tony robbins and other “lifemasters” to eliminate our fears and whatever other crap that’s holding us back from living our “best” life in her “lifeclass tour” (it’s free! and it’s online!). maybe i’m just not brave enough to live my life…maybe i just need to change my “lifestory” so i can live the life of my dreams…maybe i just need to buy more books (and not read them!)…

i still believe in collective energy (hell, look what happened when people got pissed off about pink slime – one of the major companies declared bankruptcy!), i think it’s more about doing rather than wishing it to be. but then i think, despite what has happened to this particular girlfriend (and it’s been a lot), she always manages to stay positive. to decide upon something and follow through with it – whether building a business or upending her life. so maybe the power of intention only works if you truly believe…or you invent “spanx”…or you walk through fire with tony robbins…or you win the lotto…who knows?

all i know is i want to change. i can see my life (land, dogs, farm, quiet…with access to a major city) and i know what i have to do (eat better, exercise, enjoy my friends). i just need to figure out how to get there and get those things done. so, in trying to get back on track, here’s your meatless monday recipe from sprouted kitchen. sara had posted a gooey and delicious grilled gruyère sandwich with sauteed chard, but the “new” me must avoid the seduction of cheese…and i have to admit, this garnet pilaf looks pretty tasty!

if you have any tips for me, i’d love it if you would share with the rest of the class!

Related articles

• The Power of Execution: Why Intention is Never Enough (lifehack.org)
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• Sliding Goals, Vision Boards, and Keeping Focus (spilledcookies.com)
• “Bhutan – Happiness is a place” (bhutanbound.wordpress.com)

all images from sprouted kitchen

i haven’t been over to sara & hugh’s blog for quite some time, so was very excited to read that their cookbook is available for preorder at amazon.com! i can’t wait to get my hot little mitts on this one!

if your weather has been like ours, hot one day and freezing cold/windy the next, you might not know if a hearty salad or a warm bowl of soup is going to hit the spot. so, either one of these simple recipes should do the trick for your meatless monday or veggie any day…

first up, black bean and butternut soup!

our c.s.a. box has had some lovely squashes, carrots and cabbages, so i’m pretty excited to gussy this up (per sara’s suggestion) and make it more into a stew over quinoa or brown rice.

your weather a little warmer? then, what about a lovely wild rice salad with miso dressing?

since i have a pretty busy week ahead of me, i’m thinking i’ll go the big batch salad route and have this tasty meal ready and waiting for me!

thanks, sprouted kitchen and congrats on the cookbook!

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• Meatless Monday: 10 Vegan Winter Stew Recipes (blisstree.com)
• #meatlessmonday recipe: miso sesame winter squash… (modernest.com)

Featuring an all-star cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Martin Sheen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jane Lynch, Kevin Bacon and others, “8″ is a play written by Academy Award winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black and directed by acclaimed actor and director Rob Reiner. It is a powerful account of the case filed by the American Federation for Equal Rights (AFER ) in the U.S. District Court in 2010 to overturn Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment that eliminated the rights of same-sex couples to marry in the state of California. Framed around the trial’s historic closing arguments in June 2010, “8″ provides an intimate look what unfolded when the issue of same-sex marriage was on trial.

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it’s gonna be a long, but fantastic (plant-strong!) day at work, so i have just a moment to ask you to take action!

please share this short, but effective video from just label it - and while you’re there, please sign the petition telling the fda to label gmo’s in our food. another good resource to check out is the non-gmo project, providing 3rd party verificiation of gmo-free products and food democracy now – an awesome website of action and info.

in addition to the non-gmo project verified product list, the only way you can be sure about what you’re eating is to buy organic products. it’s ridiculous that america labels for transfats and allergens, but not gmos. we have a right to know.

finally, support your local farmers and check out real time farms!

okay, i’m off to work – a visit to kenter canyon farms and then, an engine 2 diet 28 day challenge kickoff at a local high school. i love my job!

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• Powerful activism to demand labeling of GMOs – watch ‘Labels Matter’ and sign the petition now! (truthsupport.wordpress.com)
• GMO/Monsanto Buyout Rumors Untrue (wholefoodsmarket.com)
• Just Label It: GMO label comments to FDA near 1 million; Add your voice by March 27 (foodfreedom.wordpress.com)
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• Organic Group Demands Labels for GMOs (sierraclub.typepad.com)

our c.s.a. box from underwood family farms has been a bounty of root vegetables, lettuces, cabbages and one of my favorites, brussel sprouts. since the irishman doesn’t like brussel sprouts, i’ve been searching for different ways to cook them for myself. yesterday, as i lay on the couch (the 2nd day of a brutal cold), giada de laurentiis made a light, bright salad by blanching the leaves and mixing them with arugula, endive and a simple vinaigrette (just lemon juice and olive oil). while that sounds very appealing, i am looking for something a little more hearty to get me through this funk…

as i do many sunday mornings, i look for my meatless monday inspiration on michael natkin’s awesome blog, herbivoracious. his recipe for pan roasted brussel sprouts with shiitakes and smoked paprika will definitely hit the spot! with just 7 ingredients (5 of which i already have) and a very simple preparation, i think i can muster the energy to make this meal tomorrow with a little brown rice on the side.

i’ve been a fan of michael’s blog for a long time and always found it interesting that a software developer at adobe was able to not only create such delicious recipes, but was an entertaining and informative writer and talented food photographer as well. so, i was quite excited to read (rather belatedly) that his new cookbook will be hitting the stands in may!

not only is he going on a book tour (i’ll be sure to attend), he’s going to quit his day job to pursue his passion full time…wowza! i think many of us have learned lessons from this downsized economy and are searching for different routes to happiness…like our farm fund…we want our lives to be more authentic and we’re willing to sacrifice comfort and what little security we have to get there.

thanks, herbivoracious for a truly inspiring meatless monday!

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• #meatlessmonday recipe: triple smoky mac & cheese and a protein lesson from @herbivoracious… (modernest.com)

i got home last night and was in a cooking and roasting frenzy! the irishman and i have a hard time keeping up with our weekly c.s.a. delivery and since another bountiful box is coming tomorrow, there were still loads of veggies waiting for their debut in our fridge. i was roasting squash and broccoli and whipping up a black kale, bok choy and tatsoi stir fry to go over brown rice for dinner/lunch/dinner like a madwoman! so you could imagine my sorrow when searching for today’s meatless monday post, that i came across heidi’s recipe for miso sesame winter squash…suddenly my stir fry seemed so amateurish!

and considering the fact that this week’s box from underwood family farms contains the following:

1 bunch Candy Beets

1 bunch Yellow Carrots

1  Green Leaf Lettuce

1 pound Broccoli

1 Celery

1 Celery Root

1 bunch Italian Parsley

1 Colored Cauliflower

1 bunch Rainbow Chard

1/2 pound Brussel Sprouts

1 Green Cabbage

1 basket Blueberries

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• #meatlessmonday recipe: triple smoky mac & cheese and a protein lesson from @herbivoracious… (modernest.com)
• Miso Sesame Winter Squash (101cookbooks.com)
• Learn to Cook: Winter Squash (wholefoodsmarket.com)
• Seasonal Eats: Butternut, the King of Winter Squash (laist.com)