Vegan, raw, and still tasty? Yes, please!

I'm back from my 5 day jaunt to DC and Philly - a much longer blog post for tomorrow. All I'll say is that I miss my friends, surprise bridal showers are fun, and that the international lounge in BWI airport has very comfy couches where the night crew takes naps at 3am. More tomorrow...

In the meantime, I MUST share the following:


Vanilla fro-yo? Soy ice cream? Coconut creme gelato?

No my friends - frozen banana! For realsies! I read about this on a raw food blog and couldn't wait to try it out because I ALWAYS have frozen bananas for my smoothies.

Banana soft-serve ala Elliott
Blend the following in a food processor:
2 frozen bananas
1 tsp vanilla
dash of cinnamon

After about five minutes of blending, the bananas turn white and creamy just like Red Mango or gelato. IT IS DELICIOUS and you MUST try it!

I'm quite tempted to make some more tomorrow night but sub in some chocolate powder for the cinnamon. Oo...or how about a tablespoon of peanut butter??

Oh, I shouldn't have...

Ok, to preface this post, I have to tell you that I'm down 2 or 3 dress sizes (only 2 in pants). Go me! That being said, I'm now in the "I can still *technically* wear everything in my closet, they're all just incredibly baggy and unflattering."

So while I'm feeling pretty good, I'm not looking so stylish.

I'm headed to Philly for a bridal shower this weekend so I spent last weekend trying to find something to wear out of my closet that didn't make me look like a tent. I think I thoroughly annoyed DH because I'd try on a dress, walk in to the office and ask his opinion. Multiplied by 20 or 25 times.

The thing about DH is that he is *very* honest I ask him stuff. And he expects the same from me when he asks my opinion.

Which is why I can't be mad/sad when he says "Your waist has gotten so small that that particular dress makes your hips look really wide."

SIGH.

Anywho, I found a dress that looks good and passed the DH test. (Kelly green Calvin Klein with a poofy, pleated skirt. VERY 50s Donna Reed. Adorable.)

Ok, so now you know my mindset when I went to Marshalls today to pick up some running socks. (I have a really weird habit of wearing holes on the bottom of my socks, around the big toe. *shrug*)

So I was walking by the dress department when something caught my eye. I don't know if it was the color or what but I found this:

A coral and white, strapless sequin cocktail gown. From Badgley Mischka. For $80.

No, I'm not kidding.

BADGLEY MISCHKA!! That was originally $700!

I hurried to the dressing room and OMG it fit. It fit! And I look cute! And fitted!



I CANNOT wait to wear it to our friends' wedding in August.



I know DH wouldn't be happy with me buying another dress but it made my month. I almost wore it out of the store. And I now have a new summer wedding dress. Hee!

I'm also incredibly impressed with the quality (which is why it cost $700, I suppose). It has an amazing internal corset, the sequins are matte and dense, and the whole thing just feels wonderful. I've never worn sequins before but I feel that since they're matte, it's easier to pull off.

Anywho, I'm off tomorrow for the East Coast. Have a wonderful week, kittens. You will be missed!

We had seven friends over on Friday for Rock Band and Wii. SO much fun. We need to have more people over, more often. It's a pain in the butt to get everything ready but then it's really rewarding to see everyone having such a good time. And I like to show off my baking. *grin*

Since it was a Friday, we ordered Basic so that I wouldn't have to rush home from work and try to throw together a dinner party. For dessert I made a Texas sheath cake, my new "go-to" dessert. The cake itself was fab but the icing tasted WAY like powdered sugar. I have no idea why it went so wrong. *shrug*

Anywho...here's our band, Coastal Frijoles. (Don't blame me for the name - the Playstation suggested it.)


A, who turned out to be a drumming prodigy, rocking out to Kansas.


DH and S. S and his wifey (who was in DC this week) want to go to the climbing gym with us. Hee hee. We have them hooked!


D drumming while DH rocks out. D and her hubby J just announced that there's going to be a new addition to the family, their first! They are going to be THE BEST parents and we are tickled pink for them. I can't wait to shower Bebe C with lots and lots of presents. Hee!


Saturday morning we went to see the Coronado dog surging competition. Yes, dogs surfing. It's exactly what it sounds like. Dogs on surfboards. They get judged for form and distance. It was hilarious and so much fun. :) We talked to a pair of bully owners and it sounds like they're a great breed for San Diego.

Saturday afternoon I went for a little 7 mile run. It was a decent run and my legs felt fine. My cardio was a little taxed because I'm working really hard on my speed. Faster=out of breathe.

Today has been really laid-back. DH and I played a bunch of Guitar Hero and then DH started to teach me how to play a real guitar! I've wanted to know how since I was a kid and finally got up the nerve to ask for some lessons. All I can say is that my fingertips are REALLY REALLY sensitive as I type this. I learned three chords and that was definitely enough for the first day. I also had to cut off all of nails which suckity-sucked. Oh well, the price for fame, no? :)

So now I'm watching Father of the Bride before heading to bed. All in all, a great way to finish a fabulous weekend. Night!

For the love of hair

So I tried something new this week - I went to a beauty school instead of my normal hairdresser. I had been putting off a visit for a couple months because I wanted to get some length on my hair. Well, split ends (durrr.) said "Elliott, m'dear, it's time to go."

Well, downtown San Diego is home to Paul Mitchell The School. After Yelping the school, I decided to go with a "Phase Two" student, that is, someone who had a bit more experience and training than a Phase One-er. I went in for a full highlight (buh-bye roots!) and a cut.

Here's a before pic (no styling in my hair - I like to go in "naked" so they see what I have to work with):


And after:


I love the result! The whole process took a looong time (upwards of 4 hours) because my stylist was (in her words) "incredibly meticulous and anal." I said that was awesome and for her to take as much time as she needed.

Holey moley was she meticulous. We took my bangs up .1 of an inch at a time.

Here's the best part: the whole thing was under $100 including tip. Under $100! I normally pay $300 and up! It could have been even less if I didn't have so much hair (you pay per bowl of color or toner).

Verdict: It's a crap shoot. You could get a great student, you could not. You also have to invest some serious time in the chair. However, you could walk out with a great head of hair for less than a J.Crew sweater. Two thumbs up!

Ooo, ooo, ooo!

I am actually dancing in my seat, I am so excited! I just found out that the first season of True Blood is available On Demand. Yes! Yes! Yes!

You see, I am a HUGE Sookie Stackhouse fan, the series of books upon which they based TrueBlood. My amazing Mum and Dad (aka British in-laws) are the total BOMB and bought me the first seven books for Christmas. One week later, I was tearing apart my Borders to find book 8, From Dead to Worse. Book 9, Dead and Gone, just came out this month and I was completely incommunicato until I finished it.

Anywho, back to TrueBlood. I just finished the first episode and it ROCKED. Normally I scoff at movie versions of books; they don't have the depth of the book. However, I TrueBlood did a great job. It was different, but I felt that if you hadn't read the books you would still love the characters.



Anna Paquin (she of the youngest Oscar ever) plays a great version of the trying-to-be-ditzy-but-really-street-smart Sookie. I didn't think much of the casting originally but she really brings a nice air to the character.

The video at the end is the opening sequence. Totally creepy and Southern in the same sentence. The song's Bad Things by Jace Everett.
Anywho, I highly suggest a viewing. Or even better - read the books!

My idea of heaven...

...is a pair of running shoes that fit. Reeeally fit. So here is the saga of DH and Elliott at Road Runner Sports.

Last Saturday DH and I went to RRS because my new New Balances (the pink ones?) did not give me any support while running. Yes, they fixed my toenail issue (high toe box = Elliott gets to keep her toenails) but I felt like my foot was sliding side to side. For the first time I had significant knee pain and popping. That is bad. So back to RRS we went. (RRS has a GREAT 60 day return policy on their shoes.)

RRS has a service called "Shoe Dog" where they analyze your foot, stride, and running. I hadn't done it before but decided I really needed help. The results were fascinating.

The first test they have you walk barefoot over a pressure mat. So for my entire life I have thought that I have flat feet. Oh no, my friend, I do not! I have medium to high arches that are extremely flexible. Awesome. Flexible arch=smooshed feet.

Then they put me on the treadmill to analyze my stride/foot strike while running. Not surprisingly, I am an overpronator, made worse by my flexible arches. I'm also a toe striker.

After that, the guy measured my feet for the first time in years with that little metal tray thingy. Seriously brought back memories of going to the shoe store with my mom as a kid!

So yeah...my shoe size? 9.5 right, 10.5 left. But no one makes 10.5 womens which is why I've always been stuck with 11s. Which is why I can't keep flats on my right foot - 11s are 1.5 sizes too big!

Anywho, I had a pair of custom insoles made (aaaaahhhh) to help with the side to side motion and then ended up with Mizuno Wave Nirvana 5s. I LOVE these shoes. High and wide toebox but narrower through the shaft than the New Balances.I've been breaking in my insoles and all I can say is OUCH. My knee no longer hurts or even aches but my tushie hurts. I'm guessing the insoles have changed my stride and leg position enough that I'm using different muscles. I have a ten mile run on Saturday; we'll see how it goes.

Anywho, back to RRS. DH was fascinated by the Shoe Dog process and decided to give it a go.

(Background on DH: he has the worst feet issues in the world. The world. Tons of pain, flat feet, wide feet, tendon issues, all of it. When he's in snowboard or ski boots, he will literally be crippled with pain for the first 30 minutes. He also has foot pain when he gets up in the morning.)

So DH explained all of his issues and the two guys who were helping us were like "Uhm, dude? You have plantar fasciitis. When you're crippled in pain that's when you're tearing apart scar tissue in your feet!"

Oh.

DH's Shoe Dog trials also showed that he has low, flexible arches, over pronates, and basically has the worst feet for plantar fasciitis. The two guys literally winced when they watched the slow motion video of DH's feet while running.

So DH got some new running shoes - New Balance 1225 (like my pink ones!) and lots of insoles. Basically he shouldn't walk anywhere without an insole, that was the conclusion.

$300 later, DH and our failure of feet walked out of RRS much MUCH happier. :) Fo serious - we should never have kids because they'll be crippled with our genetically inferior feet.

All about moi...

Found this over at Always Organizing and thought it looked fun!

What is your salad dressing of choice?
N/A - I just squeeze lemons on my salads

What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?
Cowboy Star! Beautiful food, comfortable atmosphere, a fantastic soundtrack, and brilliant bartenders! A close second is our favorite place in DC: Tallula We go every time we're in town.

What food could you eat for 2 weeks straight and not get sick of it?
Pahhhhsta. Any type. Glass noodles. Macaroni. Rigatoni. All yummo.

What are your pizza toppings of choice?
Garlic, onions, spinach, and broccoli. Sounds weird but tastes delicious.

What do you like to put on your toast?
Almond butter in the morning. If I'm having toast in the evening I use hummus. Again, sounds weird but is delicious.

How many televisions are in your house?
Two

What color cell phone do you have?
Red. Which is fitting because IT IS THE DEVIL AND I HATE IT.

Are you right-handed or left-handed?
Right

Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
Wisdom teeth

What is the last heavy item you lifted?
Dumbells in the gym

Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
Yup - knocked out after falling off a horse

If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
No. No, no, no, no, no.

If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
My mom wanted to call me Chase. Still love that name..

Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?
In a second.

Last run-in with a cop?
I got a speeding ticket a couple of years ago.

Last person you talked to?
DH

Last person you hugged?
DH

Favorite Season?
Spring

Holiday?
I love Christmas.

Day of the week?
Every other Monday which I have off

Month?
December

First place you went this morning?
Work. I'm at my desk by 7am every morning.

What's the last movie you saw?
I watched Before Sunset this weekend. It was fabulous - even better than Before Sunrise!

Do you smile often?
Apparently I smirk a lot. Does that count?

Do you always answer your phone?
I'm practically impossible to get on the phone. DH can attest to this.

It's four in the morning and you get a text message who is it?
DH if he needs a ride home

If you could change your eye color what would it be?
Sapphire blue

What flavor drink do you get at Sonic?
I'm boring - Cherry Limeaid

Do you own a digital camera?
Yes

Have you ever had a pet fish?
When I was a kid

Favorite Christmas song?
White Christmas

What's on your wish list for your birthday?
New bedroom furniture

Can you do push ups?
Yup. Thanks Jillian!

Can you do a chin up?
Not even close

Does the future make you more nervous or excited?
Nervous

Do you have any saved texts?
Only because I never delete my inbox

Ever been in a car wreck?
I've been in a fender bender

Do you have an accent?
To DH, yes. To everyone else, no.

What is the last song to make you cry?
No clue

Plans tonight?
Me and my laptop are having a passionate affair while DH is sick.

Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom?
Nope. A hour or 12 of prayer and I always pull through. People who know me are always surprised that I pray but I do, every day.

Name 3 things you bought yesterday?
I didn't buy anything, if you can believe it.

Have you ever been given roses?
Yes.

Current worry?
DH is sick. :(

Current hate right now?
Sorry, not telling.

Met someone who changed your life?
Yep

How did you bring in the New Year?
Drinks at home with DH. I totally don't get NYE - it's like amateur drinking hour.

What song represents you?
Fighter - Christina Aguillera. I wish I had had this song when I was growing up.


What were you doing 12 AM last night?
Rolling DH over so he wouldn't snore.

What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up?
Shhh...DH is sleeping

Now you know a few more things about l'Elliott. :)

Aflac Iron Girl 10K

Oh Lordy, what a weekend.

I ran my first 10K on Sunday up at Del Mar. No photos yet but I'm sure they'll be looovely.

Let's see. Saturday night around 3am DH woke me up because my stomach was making such incredibly loud, sustained growls/groans that woke DH up. This is sort of scary since I have problems waking him up when I'm awake! Anywho, he was worried I was going to be sick. I felt fine, rolled over, and slept in until my 5am alarm.

I threw on my new Athletic Skirt from RunningSkirts.com and headed up to Del Mar. (Word on RS - they are AMAZING. I previously wore running skirts from Nike and RS blows them out of the water. The fabric is really thin but sucks up sweat, keeping you cool. Each skirt has two pockets which easily fit lots of Gu, an Ipod, or a cell phone, should you feel inclined. And the shorts have yet to ride up on me. I will be picking up another very shortly - you should too!)

The Aflac Iron Girl is a women-only event and it was great to see so many chicas out and ready to roll so early! The course was two loops around Del Mar and finished on the actual Del Mar track.

I had an easy time around the first three miles. Then I got stomach/intestinal cramps like whoa. I must be blunt here - I was worried I was going to pooh myself. That isn't what you want to be focusing on while trying to keep up with the pack. Trust me.

Because of my stomach issues, I only took one water break. That was a mistake, I think, in that I felt even worse because I am a sweaty, sweaty girl. Gross, I know. Sorry.

Anywho, I made it to the final .25 and ran on the dirt(?) track. Oh it sucked. At this point I felt like absolute ass, my heart rate was way too high and I walked for a portion of it. I felt like such a failure. ESPECIALLY when Polka Dots (remember her from the 8K?) passed me. I had been WAY ahead of Polka Dots for 90% of the race. I just couldn't kick it out enough to catch back up.

Anywho, I got my finishers medal, grabbed a breakfast bag (yogurt, apple juice, muffins, banana) which I promptly decided wasn't worth the calories. I was upset and when I'm upset I either dive head-first into a pint of Ben & Jerry's or don't eat for a couple of days. Nothing like overreacting, eh?

I'm very competitive and hard on myself. Trust that you wouldn't have wanted to hear the mental chewing-out I gave myself on the drive home. I should have been a drill instructor.

But you know what's funny? A couple hours later I couldn't care less. I had a bad run - so what? I finished my first 10k! And I know I'll get better in time for the Coronado 15K in July!

My time came in (no, I'm not going to tell you) and I was three minutes behind my predicted time. I think on a better run I would have easily met it. I'm not going to let my bad run hamper my future runs - be positive, Elliott!

DH took me out for breakfast at the Mission and life was a lot better Saturday afternoon. We even went climbing for a couple of hours! (I could tell me legs were tired - I kept putting all my weight on my arms. Oops!)

So that was Sunday. More later on my trip to Road Runner Sports with DH for THREE HOURS on Saturday. Night, kittens!

Picked this up

Old Navy, $15 in stores

Can't beat an easy, cotton maxi dress for cute but comfy.

Did I really just eat that?

This weekend was a total blast. Saturday DH and I had a date to see Star Trek. Way more entertaining than I thought it would be!

Sunday we went climbing with a bunch of DH's crew. Afterward we had a spontaneous dinner party. Everyone went home for showers and back to ours for DH's killer lasagna, beetroot salad, lemon green beans, and a Texas sheath cake I whipped up. Everyone ended up staying, playing Rock Band, until 1am! On a Sunday! Scandelous.

Yesterday was my day off so I didn't hear until our Padres preparty that N and J got engaged over the weekend. Woo hoo! I made chocolate cupcakes and bought a bottle of Perrier Jouet (mah fav) for the preparty. The Padres played the Phillies and lost. Boo.

DH is out of town this week. Also a big boo. :(

When DH goes out of town, I get really lazy with my cooking. I honestly cannot believe I just ate what I did: almost an entire 7 layer dip. OMG. What was I thinking??

Here's the delicious (but addictive) recipe:

Heat 1 1/2 c. fat free refried beans with 1 can of green chilis, a liberal amout of hot sauce, and a ton of cumin. Once warm, layer with 1/2 a jar of hot salsa, a pile of cilantro, slices of jalapenos, olives, and chopped red onions.

You can add sour cream but I consider it vile and never do. I'm also allergic to avocados so guac is also out for me. To tell you the truth, I don't really miss it!

Anywho, that was my oh so healthy dinner. I'll do better tomorrow, I promise! ;)