Roofresh

Recipes from this week

noreply@blogger.com (RooFresh) — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:22:00 +0000

I posted some pictures of our meals this week on Instagram and Twitter and had a request for recipes, so here it goes! Let me know if you try them, and if you have an Instagram or Twitter I’ve created the hashtag “#healthyfoodhashtag” so post a picture if you try them!

Summer Corn Relish

3 whole ears of corn

1 ½ cup cherry tomatoes

3 small avocados

Juice from half of a lime (or a whole one depending on how ‘juicy’ it is)

Cilantro (to your liking)

This is super simple; you pretty much dice everything up and throw it in a bowl. I cook the corn on the stove for about five minutes and rinse it in cold water then cut it off of the cob. I like the cherry tomatoes halved, but do your thing with it. Also, you can make it as flavorful as you want by adding extra lime juice and cilantro.

Spicy Black Bean Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ onion

2 carrots

2 celery stalks

2 cloves of garlic

4 cans of black beans (drained)

1 can stewed tomatoes (I like the Trader Joes organic stewed tomatoes with green chilies

½ teaspoon cumin

Dash or two of oregano (dried or fresh)

¼ teaspoon Sriracha

¼ teaspoon sesame oil

¼ teaspoon ground mustard powder (optional)

32 ounces vegetable broth

Salt and pepper to your liking

Fat free Greek yogurt and cilantro for a garnish (optional)

Pour olive oil in a large pot and turn on medium heat. When the oil is shimmering add onions, celery and carrots. When the vegetables are tender add the garlic. After a minute add 3 of the cans of black beans and the tomatoes. Simmer for about five minutes or until the beans and tomatoes have warmed through. Pour broth into pot and add the cumin, oregano, Sriracha, sesame oil, mustard powder, salt and pepper. Bring soup to a simmer.

For this part I used my blender, but you can use a food processor or hand immersion blender. You will probably want to blend it in batches, because the soup will be HOT, and will flood out the top of the blender if you do too much at once. It took me about four batches to puree it, but I only blended for about 20 seconds a batch. For safety I covered the top of my blender with a dishtowel protect my hand from any overflow.

Return the soup to the pot and add the last can of black beans. Simmer until the black beans are tender and warm. I garnished with a little Greek yogurt and cilantro which was AMAZING, but if you want to keep the dish vegan you can garnish with avocado instead of yogurt. ENJOY!

Keep it real!

Crappy + Happy Monday

noreply@blogger.com (RooFresh) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 05:32:00 +0000

{Jacket: Forever21, Shirt: ha ha really embarrassed to admit, my old tanning salon, Jeans: F21, Shoes: DSW, Steve Madden Girl, Necklace: Jewelmint}

There were just not enough hours in my week last week, so I had to resort to making my usual Crappy + Happy Friday post into a Crappy + Happy Monday post...but that just means that you'll get two in the same week. I hope that's a good thing for you, if not...why are you reading my blog?..like seriously, just stop reading now.

C: Saying hi to a complete stranger in Target last week..no really, she made HARD eye contact with me, hard, and if I hadn't seen the person I thought it was in the last six months I would have possibly ignored that. As we got closer to each other it was decision time, and I let out a very enthusiastic, I mean VERY cheery 'HI'...and seconds later I realized that this Target person was about 10 years older than my person...er the person in my head. SO TRAUMATIZED. So if I ignore you in public, don't take it personally, I'm just playing it safe.

H: Jim got a real good laugh out of it, for like five days. He's probably laughing right now as he reads this. Good for him, at least it's a 'happy' for one of us. Now I just wish he would give it a rest.

H: Getting out garden started! It's looking so good!

C: The half day of shoveling Jim and our friend Brad endured to get our raised planters filled. Thanks guys!

H: Playing in Phoenix/Tempe with cousins all day Sunday, good times.

C: Can't really think of one here.

H: Got to attend the 'Building Healthy Lifestyles' conference at ASU this week.

C: Bye Bye Saturday.

H: Totally got hit on by a spiffy college student while at ASU. Confidence boost! Kelsey: 1, Fat day: 0.

C: I think my reaction may have hurt his feelings. If you're reading, sorry super cute random college student! No hard feelings, but he already put a ring on it. (Oh, and thank you for being a 'true gentleman' even if that was just your pickup line.)

Welp, that about does it for me if I still want to have some material left for Friday. Hope you are all having a happy Monday, or at least a tolerable one!

Keep it real,

Roo

I love you just like any other day

noreply@blogger.com (RooFresh) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 05:53:00 +0000

Dear Jim Bob,

Today's a 'special' day for some, but I love you just like any other day...

When we started dating, I knew that you were special, different, unique. In the most un-cliche sense, you were unlike anyone I had ever met. I was so intrigued, so puzzled by you and your behavior. I couldn't figure you out, but I also couldn't wait to try. I couldn't put my finger on my feelings for you, but I knew that I would love you some day.

Then that day came, the day that I said 'I love you'. The day that I said it wasn't the day that I felt it, no that day was long before that, but it was so hard for me to admit. I was like a balloon with too much air; I was so full that the only option left was to burst. That was a happy day, but it was not the day that I knew I would love you forever.

My mind started reeling with the thoughts of our life together. Not just one day, but all days with you. You had proven to me that my worries, all of my irrational fears had no place in our relationship. I learned why you were different, and what trust really meant. Then came the day I found out that you felt the same way, the day I said yes.

Then there was planning for a big day. So much time spent on one day, when all I wanted were all of the days after. I wanted that day to be here, but I also wanted the days to slow down. When I think about that time, I know there was stress and tears, but only the best parts stick out in my mind. All of the moments leading up to our day add to our foundation, and the foundation days are some of the most important days.

Then there was the day. The quickest day of my life. The official start date. I had found something that I could never let go of and I had to make it permanent in my life. I couldn't go one step further without binding myself to you. We were already a team, the best team, this is the day that you became my family too. I already knew that I would love you forever by now, but I showed everyone on this day.

Now our days move forward. I hope that one day we can grow our family and fill our life with more to love. For now it's me and you, and I know that the hard days lead to a stronger team. I know that an argument is just that, an argument. I knew that I would love you forever, but I don't think I'll ever understand how that love changes so much from day to day. Just when I feel like I can't fit anymore love, respect and excitement for you in my heart...the next day comes.

That's what I've come to expect from us, each day being just as meaningful, surprising and exciting as the one before, if not more. So happy Valentine's day to my husband, teammate, family, lover, comforter, father-to-our-future-children and lover of my good and bad. To that man that tells me 'I love your ears, especially when they poke out of your hair' (which I HATE), 'I love your neck, it's so feminine and slender' (and I never even had to tell you that I always felt like a giraffe), 'you're so sweet and considerate, you're the best wife' (after I'm done having a melt down in the car), I owe all of my gratitude.

Jim Bob, I love you more today on Valentine's day, than I have on any other day, but that's because I love you just like any other day.

-Roo

I'm a 13-year-old girl again

noreply@blogger.com (RooFresh) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:09:00 +0000

Sigh. This is the part of my blog where I talk about my unhealthy obsession with tween dramas. I can say it with confidence though, because I know that I'm not the only grown women who feels her inner junior higher sneaking out. My husband will not let up about it either. He finds every opportunity to point out my childish behavior. If we're walking through a book store, he makes sure to point out where the teen romance section is (I think it's technically teen sci-fi), or if there's a young person in the room he points out that I can go talk to them because we have something in common.

It all started with the Twilight Saga. I was running on the treadmill at the gym one day and saw the first half of Twilight on one of the TVs and immediately had to go rent it to see what happened. Then I had to rent New Moon and Eclipse...obviously. It ended up being perfect timing because Breaking Dawn part I came out just in time for me to go see it in the theaters. Well of course I wanted to see what happened after that, so I read all of the books..in three weeks. I literally had no life. I didn't even shower on some days. I can't even describe the looks my husband would give me during that phase, there was some definite judging going on.

I chose this photo because I feel like it represents all of the books. Continual angst.

After I finished the books I was so antsy! If you read them you know what I'm talking about. That can't be it! It wasn't enough, I'm ~~pathetic~~ addicted! So then I looked for the bootleg stuff. I was introduced to Midnight Sun. I then saw the intricisies of Stephanie Meyers' writing and it solidified my status on team Edward. I even read the Bri Tanner novela.

I read this issue of Entertainment Weekly. I'm not goint to say that I started to become obssessed with the actors, thinking that they were really the characters, but I will say this: both Jacob and Taylor Lautner are smoldering, Edward and Robert Pattinson are a little coy, and Bella and Kristin Stewart kind of annoy me...can we say attention whores?

(Oh and don't think that I am unaware of the level of acting going on here, but it doesn't matter after you get to where I'm at...others can attest.)

At this point if you are one of my more sophisticated, more mature readers, you may have lost all respect for me...but I don't care, because I'm so involved at this point.

When I met the end of my Twilight reading material (please tell me if I'm missing something) I had to turn my attention to something else before I took it to extremes-try googling 'twilight tattoo' it's awesome. You will be entertained for hours.

This brings us to the Hunger Games. Got through all three in two weeks. Again with the no showering, PJ's all day, husband evil glare stage of my life.

I won't take criticism for this one. EVERYONE who reads the Hunger Games likes them. I have not one shred of embarrassment about it.

I'm now going to talk about my feelings about the casting for the new movie, because I am going beyond the 'no-shame I liked the books' phase and head first into the 'I take fictional characters way too seriously' phase. (I still have not said the phrase 'but it could really happen!' so don't worry too much about me).

So here it goes:

Katniss: Totally okay with Jennifer Lawrence.

Peeta: Josh Hutcherson...eh I think I was picturing more of an Alex Pattyfer, but maybe I'll change my mind after watching it.

Gale: Liam Hemsworth, uh yes.

Haymitch: ALL WRONG! I think I was picturing a curly-haired, drunk, Nathan Lane. Definitely NOT Woody Harrelson.

Cinna: uh, I think they should have gone with a no name for Cinna, Lenny Kravitz is well, Lenny Kravitz.

Effie: HOLY CRAP THAT'S ELIZABETH BANKS? Well I think they chose perfectly, because all I saw was Effie.

Rue: Uh no. Cute actress, but not how she was described in the book AT ALL. She's supposed to be similar to Prim, and I think their ages are the only similarities.

Prim: Yes.

Caesar Flickerman: Stanly Tucci?! NOOO. More like Regis Philbin...with powder blue hair, ahem.

Foxface: Eh, don't really see it. Maybe she should have been cast as the Avox girl.

President Snow: Even though I don't think Donald Sutherland is creepy enough, I think he was a good choice.

This is where I'm going to stop because the husband-greif is going to be outrageous now. I have throghouly disected the cast and spent far too much time on this post, but there you have it.

My name is Kelsey Strothers and I'm addicted to teen sci-fi.

Keep it real.

Roo

Crappy + Happy Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (RooFresh) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Happy Friday!!! I hope your Friday is treating you well. How's the weather out there? It's been, well, perfect here. Which means I'm slightly chilly all of the time, and everyone else keeps insisting that it's perfect; hence the jacket in my pictures (in 75 degree weather).

{Jacket; Target, Shirt; gift from my mom, Jeans; Forever 21, Shoes; DSW, Ring; Jewelmint, Glasses; Target}

H: After a month our heater is fixed!

C: Just in time for spring.

H: Planted the seedlings for our garden this spring!

C: Arizona pretty much only has two seasons, so if I screw this up, I have to wait a while to make it up.

H: New schedule at work! Instead of working 4-10's I went back to 5-8's so that I could be done by three and go to the gym...and hopefully not be so tired all of the time.

C: My first day on the new schedule I made it to McDonald's, not the gym. SOOO counter productive..and I never eat McDonald's..I don't even know where that came from. Weird.

H: Those weeds in the background of my photos. I've decided to just laugh at them, because they are so ridiculous. Seriously, they almost look intentional. It's so sad it's funny.

C: Uhhh, I don't think I have to explain the crappy part of this.

H: Getting to go to sushi with my sister!

H: My hair getting long.

C: It's not on purpose anymore...I really need a new stylist. Any recs?

H: Listening to Always Sunny which is on in the next room, it's the 'Day Man' episode. Best. Thing. Ever.

C: There is nothing crappy about Always Sunny, ever. Unless you're not watching it, that's crappy.

Happy weekend peeps! I hope you have great weather and get outside and have some fun! Go ride a bike!

Keep it real,

Roo

Valentine's Day Freebie!

noreply@blogger.com (RooFresh) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 06:29:00 +0000

So I've been experimenting with a lot more aspects of design lately. I would still very much consider myself a beginner, but it's still fun to play around and experiment.

I had a friend at work tell my about how their child's school is no longer calling the 14th of February 'Valentine's Day' but 'Friendship Day' instead. I think situations like that are a little ridiculous, and maybe it's just because I personally have a thick skin, but I think people are too easily offended sometimes. I understand that there are certain situations in which standards may need to change, or an individual may have a right to feel slightly hurt...but V-day, come on.

So I got to thinking, what if we couldn't call it Valentine's Day at our work or place of employment? What would our Valentine's look like? Thus my free download was born! These are just a cute little play on the concept, and I brought them into my office and they were actually a hit!

Let me know what you think!

Roo

V-Day Download

Crappy + Happy Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (RooFresh) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000

{Jacket; American Eagle, Shirt; Forever 21, Jeans; Forever21, Shoes; Old Navy}

C: My head looks freakishly large in the top photo. Hmm, weird angle.

H: Uhh, I was having a pretty good hair day?

C: Our heater is still broken. Yes you read right, still broken after ordering parts, waiting around (two different times) for repair men who didn't come, replacing supposedly broken parts...still not working.

H: This was one of the most mild winters on record..I guess it's good timing? I hope this isn't an indicator of what our summer will be like. Meh.

H: Scramble with Friends.

C: Almost more addicting than Pinterest. Almost.

C: My hairdresser has moved to Ohio, and my time is up, a cut is unavoidable.

H: I've had a lot of time to grow my hair out, and I have real progress for the first time in years due to my stubbornness in not finding a new girl. (Hey-o, anyone ever paid attention to how awkward the word 'stubbornness' is spelled? Way too many repeat letters. Let's not forget the word 'awkward' itself..a.w.k.w? who came up with that one?)

H: Jim and I get to go to Washing D.C. in a month!!! SO STOKED! NEVER BEEN!

C: ♪Money, money, money, money...money!♪

C: Lots 'o crap going on at work right now. Enough administrative duties to make you forget that I am in the nutrition field at all sometimes.

H: I've got a job!

C: Giving up my fancy Dutch Bros. coffee for homemade, not so awesome, Kelsey-made coffee.

H:♪Money, money, money, money...money!♪

H: Went to a movie for the first time in a while, saw 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close' per Vanessa's recommendation. Great flick!

C: Holy moly, have I ever cried that much in my life? No, you don't get it, I am NOT a crier, especially not in a very public, very packed movie theater, but man-oh-man I could have filled up a swimming pool with my tears. The big kind..like a lap pool. Pathetic.

I hope that all of you lovelies are having a happy Friday and remember to look on the bright side! Did any of you see Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close? Am I the only pathetic one, or did you all secretly have Niagara Falls expelling from your eyes and nose?

Keep it real,

Roo

What am I putting in me?

noreply@blogger.com (RooFresh) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 06:31:00 +0000

{from Whatkatieate.com}

One of my favorite bloggers, Danielle, inspired me to write about my current struggles in eating, and share my thoughts and feelings on food, diets, and lifestyle. Danielle is currently doing a diet based off of clean eating, and no sugars. She went to a naturopathic doctor who advised her to do this and has posted many blog posts about her personal experiences with it. I'm really happy to see her doing well and make big, positive changes in her life. That really made me reflect on my own diet and how I'm doing with the choices that I'm making in my life...

I want to start by saying that I HATE the word diet with a passion (yes, I realize I used it three times in the paragraph above). I know that sometimes it's the only word to use, and I get that, but it implies something temporary and negative. From here on out in the post I am going to refrain from using it. I truly think that if you want changes in your life and to feel healthy and happy, you have to make a lifestyle change. With that said, Jim and I have been working on our lifestyle change for quite a while now.

It really started after I graduated with my dietetics degree in 2009 and I had a chance to stop and catch my breath after graduation. I realized that I was not being a very good example of healthy eating, which is really important considering the profession I was going into. We started by making changes slowly. Occasionally we would cook with red meat and slowly we made the change of eating only turkey, chicken and fish. On occasion we would still eat it when we went out, but it was only a couple of times a month that we would eat it. We started using brown rice and whole wheat pasta instead of white. We stopped buying white all together and haven't looked back since. Overall, we ate way more fruits and vegetables, and really started mixing up the variety. This was all well and good, but I didn't feel super healthy or different.

Fast forward about a year and a half to when I started working for the State of Arizona. We had been watching a lot of documentaries about food. It started months before with Food Inc., and the arsenal of food driven films included Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, King Corn, Food Matters and the most recent Forks Over Knives, to name a few. I'm not going to say that I agreed with every little thing in these films, but it really got me thinking...what was I really taught about food? Was it possible that my professors were biased or programed to teach just exactly what the USDA and special interest groups wanted them to? I'm not saying that my whole education was a crock, I learned a lot about science, and how to think logically, how nutrients work in our bodies on a cellular level, how our digestive tracts work..but what about these recommendations? Yes, we do plenty of studies on individual nutrients to figure out how much we should recommend, how much is needed to survive, or how much is too much, but what about the big picture? Nutrition research is surprisingly spotty and unreliable when you know how to read it and which studies to actually trust...which studies to actually trust...but shouldn't everything published in my fitness magazine be true? Hahahahahaha...No.

The point that I'm trying to make is this; look at our food pyramid, how it's changed over the years, even the last decade. I will say, it's getting better but it's still far off from what it should be. Half your plate SHOULD be fruits and veggies, but saying that you have to have milk and not going into healthy level of proteins and protein sources...not good. It is my personal belief that the decisions made and the recommendations given for dietary guidelines for Americans are heavily influenced by politics and lobbyists.

I have a really hard time saying this because, well, I technically work for the USDA, but I can't stop thinking that we're more than just a little off in what we are telling people to eat. So I started formulating my own opinion on what we should eat...this is just a theory, but it's what makes the most sense to me with my education and the different view points I've seen..

#1. Processed foods. This is something that really bothers me. Why do we feel that chemically altering our food and adding things to them that aren't found in nature is good for us? It reminds me of the mutts from the Hunger Games, mutated and perverted versions of what they were supposed to be naturally. Genetically modified and chemically altered foods are fairly new to our society and T.V. dinners and convenience foods have not even been around for a century. We don't know for sure that foods like high fructose corn syrup are bad for us, but there's not research saying it's good for us either. America has become one giant science experiment in this aspect. Processed foods have large amounts of added sugars in them as well. What are added sugars? Just what they sound like, sugars added to foods that don't naturally occur in them. So what's the difference? Added sugars are digested and delivered to the blood stream very quickly, causing a spike in our blood sugar which results in highs and lows in our energy levels and can lead to Diabetes in some people. Foods with natural sugars (not including juice) such as fruits, whole wheat, grains, oats etc. are digested slower, releasing sugar into our bloodstream slowly and help us avoid those dangerous spikes. It's true, whether it's fruits, grains, oats, soda, candy or cupcakes, it all turns into glucose in our bloodstream, but whole foods with natural sugars in them tend to be lower in calories and high in other nutrients as well.

#2. Do we really need all of this meat? Forks Over Knives is a movie based off of a book called "The China Study" which has thirty years of research backing it. Remember what I said about nutrition research being 'spotty'? Well this is an example of good nutrition research in terms of longevity, sample size, population variants, and being controlled. It really goes on to show that animal products don't necessarily have a healthy place in our lives and shows many examples of people leading above average lifestyles without meat, dairy and the like. The son of one of the doctors from the China Study wrote his own book called The Engine 2 Diet, which I have read and agree with a LOT of what he says.

When I was in college, we had to do a lab where we tracked everything that we ate and measured our protein intake versus our output to see how much we were really absorbing. If we were taking in over the recommended amount we were told to try a low protein diet the next week, if we were under the recommended amount we were supposed to eat more protein the following week. I ended up having more than double the recommended amount in my diet so I had to go on a low protein diet (this is an occasion where the word diet is appropriate). What I found is that even without eating any meat, and little dairy, it was SO hard to only eat the recommended amount, there's protein in EVERYTHING! What this showed me was that our protein crazed society is probably consuming WAY more that we need to on a daily basis, and those supplementing that aren't professional athletes are probably killing their kidneys in the process.

A lot of people argue that eating a vegetarian diet won't give you all of the necessary amino acids and the protein that you need..in my opinion, it simply isn't true. If you need convincing, read the Engine 2 Diet, it's a simple, quick read and will put your worries to rest.

#3. Eat Organic. No really. The only way to be sure that you are not ingesting harmful chemicals and potentially hazardous genetically engineered products is to eat organically. Again, why do we think that adding all of these chemicals and changing the nature of our food is the right thing for our bodies? Wouldn't the right thing be what nature gave us to being with? And even when you buy organic you may not be buying organic. Labeling laws are very finicky when it comes to this. Manufactures are allowed to put organic and natural on their packaging without them actually having to be 100% organic and nothing close to natural. If a label says 'natural' I would actually be more skeptical of it. If it says USDA certified organic, it still only has to be 95% organic. Does it not bother you to not know what you're putting into your body? Well it bothers me to have manufactures who have never met me, never seen my face or the faces of my family, decided what to put in their products to save money and their bottom line...but wait, I have a choice of what I buy and to educate myself.

Sooo...If you're still with me on this post I commend you. I'm approaching the end and wrapping up my big 'ol long point. How have Jim and I changed our lifestyle? Well, we started by cutting out some meat. After watching Food Inc. in the spring of 2010, we started cutting meat out one day a week, which turned into two and over time has increased to most of the week. I rarely buy meat anymore and if I do, I'm very careful about knowing where it comes from and how it was treated. We tried going vegan and it was really hard. Again, I'm not big on processed foods therefore the fake meats were not an option for me. I would rather eat all vegetables, but that became really hard if we wanted to eat out or have something other than a salad at a restaurant. Don't get me wrong, there are some great vegan restaurants out there with tons of options, but I really found it to be a strain to follow this lifestyle. With that said, we still eat a lot of vegan dishes, and most of the time if a recipe can be made without meat, cheese or dairy of any kind I go for it. We prepare meat at home or eat it at a restaurant usually 1-2 times a week. I will say that my small vegan stint made me feel great and I did lose weight.

After thinking all of these factors over and over, and having some big inner turmoil about my beliefs which ultimately made me come up with some heavy questions considering my line of work and everything I've been taught, I came up with this philosophy: in our society, it will probably be impossible to completely cut out processed foods. For most people, including myself, there just isn't time in the day to cut them out completely; so drastically reduce them, making as many things from scratch as possible. Reduce the amount of meat in your life. When we were hunters and gatherers, there was not meat available every day and when there was it was obviously hormone free, unprocessed and lean. Both of these actions will ultimately lead to a greater consumption of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. Eat variety! Try new things, experiment, become a recipe fiend and MAKE TIME FOR YOUR HEALTH, when it comes down to it, that may be the only thing in life that you can truly control..for now. Bottom line, eat whole foods! We are big foodies, so giving up processed foods and eating out completely was too hard for us, but we generally follow these principals and try to eat out in moderation.

Something that has always bothered me as I go to schools and review their lunch programs is that those schools that truly try to change and offer healthy options are often very unsuccessful. This is because children see this food and refuse to eat it. They are fast food babies with lifestyles built on convenience foods and processed JUNK. They don't know what real food is and their taste buds have been lied to and overstimulated for years. It's time to take our health back into our own hands as individuals and teach our children what whole foods are and how we should treat our bodies. Be good examples so that we birth a generation that creates a demand for real food instead of processed slop and then maybe we'll stand a chance to swing the direction of industry.

Wow, that was intense.

Keep it real,
Roo

Be Good or Gorge?

noreply@blogger.com (RooFresh) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:52:00 +0000

{Photos c/o Marthastewart.com}

If you are new to my blog, you may not know that I work for the Arizona Department of Education for their Health and Nutrition Services. Basically, I'm an auditor for the National School Lunch Program. Needless to say I'm constantly thinking about food, worrying about food, being judged for the food I eat, judging the food other people eat. Food is a BIG part of my life. I try to stay on top of current nutrition trends and diets, while still formulating an accurate professional and personal opinion on how we humans should treat our bodies nutritionally. I recently ran across this article http://food.unl.edu/web/fnh/superbowl written by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Nutrition Education Program. It goes over helpful tips on how to stay healthy on Superbowl Sunday. Hmmm.

Now I have a coworker who always says 'everything in moderation' anytime there is a debate over which lifestyle is the healthiest and what are the best principles in choosing which foods to eat. I love it because for the most part, it's pretty true, in all areas of life. So my question is, are the efforts of institutions like UNL and individual RD's and nutritionists futile when it comes to the subject of holiday's and events? Personally, I feel deprived if I don't get to eat goodies every once in a while like the ones in the pictures above. BUT that's the point, I have self control and moderation throughout the year, where as other people may not, they may need that control even on game day, to keep them from falling off of the wagon. Oh and I haven't mentioned vegetarians and vegans at this point. They obviously are going to modify everything to fit that part of their lifestyle, but that doesn't mean that a vegetarian can't smother everything in cheese (cheese is always my downfall).

So I want to know how people feel about this. Do you feel like you are being preached at when someone says, you should make a healthier alternative to this, or are you grateful for the guidance?

Keep it real,

Roo

Crappy + Happy Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (RooFresh) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:16:00 +0000

{Can't remember where my socks are from, boots are Target, Ring is King Baby-stolen from my husband-and everything else is Forever21}

Arizona has been freakishly warm for January; I expect that in the dead of winter, an outfit like this would have me just that, dead! So it's not really the dead of winter here and I still insist on finding ways to wear my boots, because it will only be a few short months before all hope is lost, and I would die of heat exhaustion if I tried to wear tweed, boots and knee-highs.

{I know this one is blurry, but I liked it too much not to include it}

So here we go again, Crappy + Happy Friday! Hope you have more happy's than crappy's today (I don't know if that was grammatically correct, oh well)!

C: The furnace deciding to break about...three weeks ago now...awesome.

H: Arizona deciding to have highs in the 70's for the whole duration of our misfortune (don't get me wrong, our evenings still consist of lots and lots of blankets, but it could be worse).

C: The unfortunate task of replacing two of our tires, because of course we would wait to do this until our furnace broke.

H: Craigslisting a bike for $25 more than the cost of the tires, just two days before. Bam! I am the Craigslist MASTER!

C: Not being pregnant right now.

H: Not being pregnant right now.

Don't be confused, we are NOT trying, but sometimes I want and lately I've been realizing that it's good that we are waiting.

C: Finishing the Twilight Saga, and having nothing to read (don't judge, the books are addicting).

H: Being introduced to the Hunger Games...so what, I like teen dramas, they're easy to read.

C: Finding multiple business cards on our door for landscaping services. What are you trying to say, that the weed-laden flower bed, barren planters and dead Bermuda grass is not appealing?

H: I have a kitchen now, with cabinets and a sink...money well spent, who cares about my front yard, I'm not in debt over it!

Hope you all have a very happy Friday!

Keep it real,
Roo

Crappy + Happy Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (RooFresh) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:01:00 +0000

{Shirt: Old Navy, Jacket: Forever 21, Jeans: Forever21, Shoes: Kohl's, Purse: Ebay}

I tried a new editing technique for the photos today, what do you guys think? New way or old way? Srsly, be honest. Well the post for today is a modification of Awesome and Awkward Thursday and I decided to stretch it a bit and do a little play on words with 'Crappy + Happy Friday!' We'll try it and if you like it I'll keep it up. So here we go!

C: Having to do dishes out of your bathtub for 6+ months O.G. style, like you're camping in your own house.

H: Getting new counter tops and a functional sink last month!

C: Laying in bed for almost five days straight with the sickness.

H: Making it through all 2 1/2 seasons of the Vampire Diaries!

H: Seeing someone going into my building that I can sneak in behind at 6:30 in the morning because I forgot my badge.

C: Getting the 3rd degree from Mrs. 5th floor about never having seen me before and noting that I didn't have my badge (the ONE time I forgot it).

Did you see how I did that, it can go crappy first or happy first, you just never know.

H: Getting an Apple Time Capsule with extra storage to hopefully speed up my computer.

C: I think it's running slower now.

C: Gecko Grill closing down and us finding out about it months later. (Very devastating news!)

H: There is no happy side to this. EVER.

H: Finally activating my Pinterest account that I requested last year.

C: Finally activating my Pinterest account that I requested last year...and losing all of the free time I had left.

I hope you're all having a happy Friday! Tell me if you want to see more posts like this!

Keep it real,

Roo

How I Ran a Half Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (RooFresh) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 02:56:00 +0000

{My new running shoes, unfortunately I didn't take ANY pictures from my race. Oh well.}

So this is a subject that I probably don't have any room to blog about, but I'll just tell you about my experience with running a half marathon and what I learned from it....

Running a half marathon was something that has been on my bucket list for a long time. I really remember thinking about it first in high school, which is funny because I didn't participate in any sports or much physical activity in high school. I ran from time to time after I was done with my mandatory P.E. credit (that's right, one year of physical education, that's it!), and trust me, my activity level as a teenage, slightly less pathetic than my pizza roll and soft pretzel diet. Still, somewhere deep down I felt like I would get to a half eventually.

Fast forward to college. Once I actually started caring more about my health, i.e. switched majors to nutrition, it was like I felt obligated to work out too. After a lifetime of mostly just day-to-day tasks and peaks and valleys of working out, it was hard to get into the groove of things. Between two jobs and being a full time student, working out was last on my list most of the time; hey, I wanted a social life too.

My last year of school changed a lot. I went down to one low-key job and worked really hard to make sure that, despite my rigorous school schedule, I planned days for leisure and time for staying healthy, including work outs. I kept this up post graduation and even branched out and despite some anxiety, started taking spin classes. That brings us up to this year.

When I started my job at the Arizona Department of Education it was really nice because there were a handful of people that I connected with that really worked on being healthy in their personal lives, (you would be surprised at how many nutrition students/professionals don't practice what they preach). I made a small pact with a couple of girls at work to sign up and complete a summer series of 5K's. I had never participated in a race before and was almost embarrassed that I hadn't. Well after running over the summer and building up my performance and tolerance I had a bit of a running bug.

{Me and my friend Kristi after my first 5K}

The half marathon was something I always thought I would do but never did. I figured that if I kept telling myself that it would happen eventually, it would never happen. So I though, 'what better time than now?!?' lets face it, I'm not getting any younger. So I went online and found a running schedule and tweaked it slightly to fit my schedule. Over the course of about four months I trained for my half. I didn't feel ready when I did it, but I think you just have to go for it and see what happens. As long as you've gotten some decent training in, you would be surprised what you can do, I was.

So here are my tips. Some are things I did and thought were beneficial and some I feel like I would do now that I've done my half:

1. Cross train:

The schedule I printed off of the Internet spaced my runs out well and had me alternating distances, but it didn't include any cross training. It consisted of me running four times a week and slowly increased to long runs on the weekends, but that was it. After my run and talking with many other runners I think a huge advantage you can give yourself while training is to include other types of workouts. That might be a spin class, some strength training or even some sprints/boot camps. Plus, this keeps things from getting BORING. I've been working on this post-marathon and I can already see it helping.

2. Mix it up:

Living in Phoenix, sometimes my only option is treadmill running. It is a very good excuse, but when the weather becomes tolerable, GO OUTSIDE! I really regretted not doing more outdoor running. I think I just got comfortable with the gym and it became too easy to plan my running for late at night and say that I had to go to the gym. I very easily could have ran right after work, or saved my outdoor runs for the weekends. Some people would tell you that treadmill running is a no-no for training, and maybe it is, but I think it has a place in training as long as it's not abused.

3. Stay inspired:

If that means keeping a running partner (which I had multiple running partners) or reading up on blogs or websites that focus on health and being active, great, just do something. It is so easy to lose your inspiration for what you're doing four or five months out and just stop running. There were plenty of nights when I didn't feel like getting off the couch or my bed to go work out but I had to. I got a lot of inspiration from Danielle Hampton from Sometimes Sweet and Amber Beck from I Love You to the Moon. Both ladies have lovely blogs with a wide range of topics, but a big focus is on health and fitness. Sometimes it was just the boost of inspiration I needed to jump up and get going; that and being able to cross my runs off of my work out calendar.

4. Small goals and incentives:

Everyone is different in this department. For me this was signing up for a few 10K's to keep me motivated. Well...I ended up getting sick for one and going out of town last minute for the other, which really sucked, but it did keep me running in between. Knowing that I was going to be accountable for two other runs that were more intense and longer than the ones that I had done over the summer, and I had already paid for, made it a lot easier to stay motivated. Other people don't work this way though. Money isn't always an issue, so allowing yourself to indulge (in non-food related rewards) is a better solution. A pedicure or a new outfit is always a nice reward to achieving goals, even beyond the satisfaction of actually getting through the run!

5. Stay positive:

Attitude is everything! I really didn't think I would do as well as I did. My only goal was to finish and I wasn't worried about anything else. A lot of people want to run the whole thing and not walk and I honestly didn't know if I could do that. I had ran up to 10 miles prior to the race, but usually after three I would take a walk break and walk it out for about a quarter of a mile. The day of the race I ran my first SIX miles without stopping and then to mile ten without taking another break. I had NEVER done that! All in all I only walked maybe 1.25 miles of the race. Attitude is everything, as you can tell from my advice above, 50% of it is mental. If it weren't for me staying in the game mentally, I never would have ran six miles without stopping.

Well there you have it. I am obviously very amateur when it comes to running, but I did it! This is something that I consider a big accomplishment in my life and it's not my last. I'm still trying to mix it up and I'm planning on doing the Warrior Dash and another half-marathon this year. I also want to add another day of fitness to my weekly routine; currently I'm doing four, but I know I have it in me to do five. I have had other people tell me that the most they ever ran before a half is five or six miles and that they did fine. So if you're training and you're not sure if you can do it or maybe this is the first time you've ever even considered it, start small and work your way up. Trust me, you'll surprise yourself!

If you have ran in any race before and have a story about it, please comment or email and share it with me, I would love to hear it!

Keep it real,

Roo

A Sprinkle of Lovelies {#3}

noreply@blogger.com (RooFresh) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 04:30:00 +0000

I've been doing a lot of design-crushing lately, check it out.

☁ Enjoy ☁

Roo

Jacqueline's Homemade Granola

noreply@blogger.com (RooFresh) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:47:00 +0000

A friend of mine, Jacqueline, and I have been getting together on our off-days to try out new recipes and keep each other accountable with our running. It's been really nice because both of us are very involved in the nutrition world from a career stand-point and we are very like-minded when it comes to our beliefs. We always have fun looking up new vegan or vegetarian recipes to try and in all honesty, making things that I probably wouldn't make if it weren't for her (like homemade pasta!).

Something that Jacqueline introduced me to is her homemade granola recipe. Now I know she would probably want to give credit to Mark Bittman, where she got her original recipe, but she's modified it so much that it doesn't resemble his recipe so I'm just calling it 'Jacqueline's Homemade Granola' now. It's a super simple, quick recipe and it is AH-MAZING!

Now, this part is SERIOUSLY easy. I mean you will probably never do anything easier in your life, except maybe exhale. Mix all of the dry ingredients together, excluding the chocolate chips. Add the honey and mix again (you might have to make sure that you are using quite a large mixing bowl and mix with your hands). Spread the granola along some foil or wax paper on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes (depending on how toasty you like it), stirring every three minutes to avoid burning the granola. After it's nice and toasty, take it out and mix in the chocolate chips - we left it on the cookie sheet to do this. This makes about eight cups.

I've been eating my granola with a little bit of soy milk every morning (it doesn't take much to fill me up either, the oats expand A LOT). You can also eat it dry as a snack too. It will not have the same consistency as most granolas that you are used to because those have a lot of sugar and chemicals in them to make them clump together like that, but I love it just the way it is. Enjoy!

Keep it real,
Roo

ps. Here is a photo of my friend Jacqueline while we were making pasta from scratch!

Thank you 2011, Hello 2012!

noreply@blogger.com (RooFresh) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 06:36:00 +0000

I'm not big on New Year's resolutions (if I was one of them would be to blog more), but I am big on reflecting and continuing/renewing goals. I think that both Jim and I have accomplished a lot this year and a lot of those things were conjured up mid-year. So in an effort to keep the ball rolling and refocus, these are my celebration and non-resolution, continuation lists.

Celebration List (goals I accomplished this year):

1. I ran my first 5K (I actually ran three over the summer).

2. In an attempt to keep myself active, I ran my first 1/2 marathon.

3. I went on a volunteer trip and helped build a house in Mexico.

4. We purchased both cabinets and counter tops without using a line of credit.

5. Rewired our whole house.

6. Read for pleasure for the first time in 6+ years (I actually read the Twilight Saga and Water for Elephants...I promise I'm not obsessed with Robert Pattinson).

7. Started my first ever salary-based job in April.

8. Tried composting for the first time (even though I wasn't so successful, I'm glad I learned more; most people fail in general on their first try).

9. I experimented with a vegetarian/vegan diet (which I'm still working on).

10. Co-planned a blogger meet-up for 50+ people, and made a ton of new friends!

Non-Resolution, Continuation List (goals I have already set, and are currently in progress):

1. Complete the Warrior Dash in April.

2. Run another 1/2 marathon.

3. Save enough money to buy a fancy camera.

4. Read a new book a month.

5. Successfully plant a garden, and work on the composting thing some more.

6. Finish some more home renovations-at least five (dry wall in the kitchen, painting, molding, floors, bathroom, new front door, wall unit in the front room, fix up front porch, planters....the list is never ending).

7. Get more tattoos!
8. Eat vegetarian at least five times a week, two of those days being vegan.
9. Blog at least twice a week (that's a lot for me lately).
10. Take another Spanish course.

So I may not achieve all of my new goals, but that's okay because sometimes different goals come up part way through the year. This is why I like meditating on the good things that I accomplished during the year so that even if I didn't check everything off of last year's list, I can still be proud of myself. I mean, I didn't even start the year off thinking that I would run a half marathon, but look at me!

I have to admit something really serious though **serious blogger confession here** I have had a super tough time blogging the last few months (in case you weren't paying attention) and a lot of it has had to do with me being slightly depressed about it. I had a hard time with getting wrapped up in the hype of blogging, trying to keep up with the Jones' to an extent I guess. Not that I was constantly trying to be like others, but just super worried about other people posting something similar to what I just posted, or another blogger posting more than I was, or even others having better photography on their blogs (I am down to just iPhone pics and the quality just does not compare to a fancy-shmancy camera). On top of that, my house being like a construction zone due to a complete kitchen renovation which lasted for MONTHS, I mean MONTHS, did not help the creative juices, it actually made me want to crawl under my covers for hours on end...and some days that's what I did.

I felt like I had a lot of weight on my shoulders, and to make things worse, we were shelling out quite a bit of dough, and still didn't have a functional kitchen until just a couple of weeks ago. Let me tell you, it's ah-mazing what a new set of counter tops can do for a girl's outlook! I think that the running and training I did really kept me focused and helped me from crumpling on the floor every time I walked into the kitchen. Not being able to cook was really hard too. After about a month of eating out every night we got a stove; with no counter tops, sink or dishwasher it was still tough. Even though we could technically cook, it was like camping every night for months after that. I can't believe that we didn't kill each other in the process! Every night that we cook now, it's like Christmas when we do dishes...I mean a sink and a dishwasher, what a gift!

I think our waistlines are still recovering from months of eating out (even with all of the running) but it was all worth it to have a functional kitchen, debt-free! I'll have to do another post on the kitchen and how we got into the predicament that we did, and I'll post pictures, but for now just know that it was a life changing experience. If Jim and I can make it through 2011, we can make it through anything!

So what are your New Years resolutions? Do you make resolutions or is your method more similar to mine and continuing goals that you've had before? What made you feel good about 2011? Please share! I want some positive 2012 vibes!

Guest Post on the Paper Mama

noreply@blogger.com (RooFresh) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:07:00 +0000

Take a minute to head on over to The Paper Mama today and check out my DIY Pinwheel Tree Topper guest post!

It's Been a While

noreply@blogger.com (RooFresh) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 04:45:00 +0000

Jim and I have been SUPER busy the last month. I mentioned it before, but Jim was in a high stakes weight loss competition which ended a couple of weeks ago and he came in 3rd place out of 54 people! He lost 37 pounds and I'm so proud of the method he used. I have to admit that we let ourselves get out of hand with our eating over the summer, and with our kitchen being remodeled, eating out was sometimes easier than cooking-in. So for six weeks we ate a pretty consistent diet (or as I like to say 'lifestyle modification') of mostly plant-based, whole food, healthy meals, and exercised 4-5 times a week. We kind of went easy on things this last week or two because we plan on starting a more rigorous vegetarian diet that won't completely exclude meat, but include it sparingly.

*Disclaimer-I have a nutrition degree in Dietetics, therefore I'm constantly refining the foods that we eat and trying new methods of trying to be healthy. We do usually follow what I like to call the '80/20' rule, however, and 20% of the time we allow ourselves to have a little splurge.

As our splurge after our hard-core, six-week competition (which I tried to adhere to even though I wasn't in the competition), we celebrated Jim's victory by partaking in the Phoenix Food Truck Festival. It was SO FUN! It was the first year that the festival took place and it was a huge success! We got to try samples from tons of different trucks, and wash it down with some Four Peaks brews. It was a great way to support local business as well...I think I was in food heaven!

Here are some pictures of us at the festival and some other fun events! (Sorry, these are a bit out-dated, but better late than never!)

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Untitled from Kelsey Strothers on Vimeo.

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{3}

{4}

{5}

{6}

1. Friday night (our splurge night) we started out the weekend by going to Arrogant Butcher, which pleasantly surprised me. We had great food and great service!

2. After dinner we saw the most amazing band in the world at the new Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix. (I apologize for the horrible camera phone quality, but you get the idea.) We've actually seen Sergio Mendoza Y La Orkesta three times now, and obviously they keep bringing us back. I don't think I've ever had so much fun at a concert; if you get the chance to see them, do. (Ps. Dude playing the Maracas was AWESOME..he made amazing percussive noises with his mouth, feet, you name it!)

3. Got tattooed.

4. The lovely Mrs. Jacqueline Hong accompanied us to the Phoenix Food Truck Festival.

5. The whole gang (including my skinny hubby) out at the festival.

6. Oh, and bangs happened a couple of days ago. (Blurry)

We didn't get great shots of the actual food or trucks at the festival, ha ha, we got there a little late and between trying to organize which lines to stand in and get iPhones out, not many photos were taken. Just another reason to go next year! Overall this weekend was a blast! I had so much fun and I still have so much more to share with you all. For now I'm peacing-out, but I will hopefully have a little more time this weekend for some house updates!

Keep it real

Roo

Psst...Have you heard about Jewelmint?

noreply@blogger.com (RooFresh) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 15:17:00 +0000

I recently discovered JewelMint, which is unlike any other concept I've participated in first hand. Kate Bosworth and Cher Coulter have started a new jewelry line together that has something for everyone! The fun part about JewelMint is that it's pretty much fashion magazine meets boutique meets personal stylist. Okay so it's not quite the same as having a stylist, but once you create a style profile, you do get suggestions of looks that you may like that are tailored to your personal style.

The awesome thing about the jewelry sold on JewelMint is that it's all unique, quality and I haven't seen any that I haven't liked. How does it work? Sign up, take the style quiz and every month you pick out a piece of jewelry for only $29.99. The way I see it, for an equivalent piece at a department store or boutique, you would be paying a lot more. Plus it's just fun to play around on the website!

JewelMint has offered a exclusive discount code for Roofresh readers for 50% off your first month!

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram you may remember this fun bracelet that I wore earlier in the week; it's the 'Savoy' bracelet that I ordered from JewelMint and I LOVE it. If you're interested in the brand use code fall999 at checkout to receive half off your first month of JewelMint.
I hope you all take a minute to check it out and maybe even find something that fits your personality!

Keep it real,
Roo

Best Around - Windsor

noreply@blogger.com (RooFresh) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 02:40:00 +0000

If you're a local around my parts you may have heard of a little spot called Postino. Well if you love wine, cheese, prosciutto or anything of the sort, head that way. Even if you are from my neck of the woods, you may not have heard of what I like to think of Postino's cousin restaurant (parent or sister just didn't sound right to me), Windsor. Postino's founder, Craig DeMarco, has created another crowd pleaser that is not only visually stimulating, but they have really freakin' good food too!

Last weekend Jim and I ventured into the heart of Phoenix and had ourselves some linner (lunch-dinner) at the mid-town newbie.

I could look at the titles all night long...at least they're still good for somethin'!

Fish of the Day (Salmon), that's roasted tomatoes, and basil-almond pesto on top. Delish!

Jim's Curry-rubbed chicken sandwich, with succotash.

...and this is what I said after I ate Jo's Church Potatoes, the best food I've ever put in my mouth. Period.

I have to say that the food and service was pretty great for us that day, it's definitely worth a little detour if you're going into town any time soon. Oh, and don't forget to stop by Churn after dinner; their own little ice cream parlor is joined at the architectural hip to Windsor and YOU CAN BUILD YOUR OWN ICE CREAM COOKIE SANDWICH. Do I need to say more?

Keep it real,

Roo

Ps. All you Gilbert-ites (ites? Idk) if you haven't heard the rumors, there is supposed to be a Postino opening up on Gilbert road right across the street from Liberty. Right now it is scheduled to open in January. Woo hoo! I know we'll be there waiting for the doors to open!

A Sprinkle of Lovelies {#2}

noreply@blogger.com (RooFresh) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 02:38:00 +0000

A little inspiration for your work week...

☁ Enjoy ☁

Roo

The One that got away

noreply@blogger.com (RooFresh) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 05:01:00 +0000

I know that I haven't posted very much the last couple of weeks, but we've been hard at work at the Strothers' household. We have been working on getting the place cleaned up, inside and out, both of us have traveled a lot for work, I got sick, Jim entered into a high stakes weight loss competition and I am training for a 1/2 marathon! Whew! I don't have to travel as much this month, so hopefully I can get some more blogging in.

ANYWAY. Since I've been doing my training and it's been way too hot out to run still, so I've been spending a lot of quality time with the treadmill. I know this is going to sound cheesy, but I've been listening to a lot of Katy Perry. DON'T JUDGE ME! I liked a couple of her songs so I decided to download the album and it's really good workout music! So there's this one song called "The One that Got Away" that really resonated with me, but for less obvious reasons. There's not an official music video, so here's the best I could find..Hopefully Ariel does it justice.

Normally, meaning before Jim, I would hear this song and think about a boy in my life and be sad or nostalgic and be upset by the song. Now, having Jim in my life I started thinking about what my life would be like without him. I know it's kind of morbid to think like this, but if something awful happened to him, I would be devastated, but I think it would be just as hard to see him move on without me!
So I started to think about how lucky I am to have him in my life. This song really just made me think about how silly I was when I was younger and how fortunate I am to have such an amazing man in my life. It honestly made me have a very content and triumphant feeling. While it's still a sad song, it was nice to feel a different emotion along with this; knowing that my life is right and that I made the best choice in the end and have no regrets.
I'm so happy because I'll never have to think of my husband as the one that got away...

Sorry to be so mushy, but a girl's gotta share her feelings from time to time! So what about you? Any good songs out there that make you happy, sad, bitter-sweet or make you look at things a different way? Share!
Keep it real,Roo

3-4-1 Hair Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (RooFresh) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 00:16:00 +0000

I've been having a little more fun with my hair lately, with it getting a bit longer I can do more! I was going to do some tutorials to show you what I've been doing, but there's already some great one's out there! Below you'll find pictures of a few hairstyles I have tried lately and links to the tutorials for them. Enjoy!

Topknot Tutorial:

My look

How to get it

The Bun from Sydney Poulton on Vimeo.

Fishtail Braid

My look

How to get it

The ChignonMy look

How to get it (is actually an old tutorial that I did, click on the photo for the link.)

Hope this gave you some inspiration and know-how! Happy weekend!
Keep it real,Roo

How does your garden grow?

noreply@blogger.com (RooFresh) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 03:22:00 +0000

Do you remember this post that I did a few weeks ago on being 'green'? Well I'm following up on one of those steps in the next couple of weeks, and that is to get my garden growing! The more research I do, the more I realize that gardening comes in all different forms and all different shapes and sizes!

The photo on the left above is from a site called Re-Nest.com and it has great gardening tips sprinkled throughout its content. The one on the right is a photo that I took outside of 'Art in the Streets' in Los Angeles. As you can see, they are very different, but still accomplishing a goal. While I was at the Society for Nutrition Education conference in Kansas city I sat in on a session about school and community gardens. It was so interesting to see how creative the kids got by putting plants and herbs in buckets and homemade planters. It convinced me that a garden is possible where ever you are!

Below are some pictures of the storage space that we found in our backyard to start planting our home garden. It's definitely scary looking right now, but we're working on it. I know it will be beautiful when it's done!

I'm not trying to sugar coat it..it needs some WORK.

We've already cleaned out a lot of the garbage from the inside and taken the doors off, but we still have to drill drainage holes, clean and rinse it out, and find our fill dirt and soil. That's just to start! There's plenty more to do than that, but we're being kept busy for a while. (Oh and FYI, all of that garbage is from the previous home owners, NOT us...we may be messy, but we're not that messy.)

In the mean-time, I want to get some seedlings started. In Arizona the prime time to start planting your fall garden is in September. We went to the store the other night and bought tons of little packets of organic seeds. I found a great little green method to get our seed-babies growing!

I can't wait to get them started! Ahhhhh! If you're interested in trying out this method, here's the link to the picture shown above to help get you started.

More photos and updates will be posted as they happen. Happy gardening!

Keep it real,
Roo

Awkward and Awesome Friday {The Daybook}

noreply@blogger.com (RooFresh) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 15:16:00 +0000

Do you remember Sydney from my last post? Well not only does she do amazing outfit posts, but she has a little series called "Awkward and Awesome Thursdays" and it's hilarious. I seriously laugh out loud reading it sometimes (which is actually kind of awkward because people look at you), and it always brightens my day when I read it. So I decided to do an Awkward and Awesome Friday post, since I had some especially awkward things happen to me this week. Here we go:

Awkward:
-The fact that the above photo was taken in my work's bathroom, and people from my work actually look at my blog and twitter account.
-Accidentally rubbing my elbow raw on edamame salt that was left over on the table at RA last week. I have a huge scab on my elbow now.
-My neighbor recently putting an angel figurine in her window that faces our back room; I'm not really sure if she's been able to see me walk from my bathroom to the bedroom clothing-free for the last four months, but I'm hoping that's not a sign. (We really need window coverings.)
-Walking to the last bathroom stall at work and a coworker busting out of the stall just in time for me to catch them tucking in their shirt and zipping up their pants. (I had no idea she was in there when I approached it.)
-Having a Spanish phone call transferred to me at work (for some reason people think I'm fluent-I know some) and by the end of the conversation the woman on the other line is repeating over and over, "want to go back, want to go back, want to go back." I think she meant that she wanted to be transferred back to the receptionist...I guess I wasn't very helpful.

Awesome:
-Making a lot of progress with the yard over the last couple of weeks! Grass is mowed, planters almost all dug out, ugly metal 'decorations' from the front porch gone-soon our house will actually look like a house (from the outside at least).
-Dutch Bros $3.00 day was yesterday; always awesome.
-Making Eggplant Parmesan in under three hours in our non-kitchen this week and not burning out house down. Dishes may have taken us an hour, but I'm not counting that time.
-Going to Zinburger to share a burger and milkshake with my parents, then still having enough room in mah belly after to eat some doughnuts from The Grind.
-Getting to try Humble Pie for the first time tonight..I. Love. Food. I'll let you know how it is, maybe I'll even do a post on it.
-Successfully making my own buttons on my sidebar for some of my reoccurring posts! Remember when I had this survey? Well these are the results and I designed and coded the buttons all on my own! Aren't you proud? ;)

So what did you think? I liked doing this post because it forced me to think about good things that have been happening in our lives lately and laugh about the awkward ones. Make sure to check out Sydney's blog, it's super awesome.

Keep it real,
Roo

Dreaming of Fall

noreply@blogger.com (RooFresh) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 06:22:00 +0000

I absolutely love living in Arizona, but I have to admit that as I get older I don't always want to be pool-side or running around in a swim suit. I still love some pool time every now and again, but the heat gets old. I've found that my sense of style has matured and I have a lot of fun with fashion now, including layering. Well, layering is not very easy to do in 110 degree weather; actually you would probably get heat stroke if you tried.

It's usually around this time of year that I start to get antsy. Everyone else is gearing up for school and well, we've already dove in head first. The usual associations of back to school and fall clothing is somewhat of a 'only on T.V.' concept for us zonies because all fall clothing is our winter clothing. We see other blogs change with the season and fashion evolves as the cool temperatures roll in, but we don't even see the 80's in Phoenix till late October.

Enough complaining! I'm going to share a few winter-y outfits from some of my favorite blogs, and you can drool over them with me.

Sydney {The DayBook}

Now this would definitely be a winter outfit for us, in fact, I might not get to wear something like this all year. Only in our coldest winters do I get to partake in things like fluffy vests!

Kendi {Kendi Every Day}

Tights and sweaters; all I'm gonna say.

Katie {I Go By Katie}

Boots! Glorious boots! See you in two and a half months!

Kelli {Kelli Murray Blog}

Some people categorize this as a SUMMER outfit. HA! No my friends, this cannot be an Arizona ensemble until at least October 15th, maybe later. I LOVE the knee-high-boot combo!

So when does your fall start? Are you more fortunate than I? What is your go-to fall article of clothing?

Keep it real,

Roo