Good morning!

In case you were wondering what that delicious pb coconut butter banana concoction looked like…

And it was heavenly. I had no idea that refrigeration would turn the coconut butter clumps into almost solid, candy-like crumbles. Great surprise

As with yesterday, this morning I dragged my butt to the gym with just 30 minutes to rock it. Feeling extra tired, the mission was simply to move for all 30 minutes, regardless of exertion. However, I am always amazed by what I can accomplish if only I begin. (In the gym, but also in life. Corny, but absolutely true.)

Run: 30 minutes, 3.2 miles, zero incline, just a couple of sprints thrown in. A sorry one minute of stretching before a gallop home.

Smoothie: The Best Smoothie Yet!
Stats: 1 cup water, 2 sm papaya halves, 1 lrg frozen banana, 4 smll super ripe strawberries, 1/3 cup frozen raspberries, 2 baby carrots, 4 lrg kale leaves, 4 sm broccoli florets, sm handful spinach, 1 1/2 TBS chia seeds, splash of plain almond milk, looong honey drizzle.

Verdict: Delicious! Well blended, the goods became a truly unappealing brown color (hence, no picture), but it was the most delicious smoothie in recent memory! Despite all those fruits and veggies, I was still hungry. I topped breakfast off with a super toasted (read: slightly burnt) slice of Ezekiel 4:9 bread with a schmear of almond butter, half a sliced banana and a drizzle of honey. (Are you sensing a theme? When not acting like the Cookie Monster, you can call me Winnie the Pooh.) Not as exciting as Tara Stiles’s version, but it hit the spot nonetheless.

Why I was so tired this morning:

A little out of order, but trust me, you won’t regret sticking around for this

I got out of work later than one would hope, but early enough to turn the barley I cooked Sunday night into Mushroom Barley Risotto with Caramelized Onions (hereinafter referred to as MBRwCO). Once I got going and also realized I had a stocked fridge from my weekend produce binge I decided it was perfect time to make roasted eggplant babaganoosh and asparagus spears.

Friends, my kitchen is painfully small. I cannot cook one dish, let alone three, without getting things everywhere and placing bowls of ingredients on my coffee table and, sometimes, the floor.

Yes, at the end of a long day I like to enjoy a glass of red wine while cooking.

But these pretty babies begged to be roasted, so I obliged.

The barley was pre-made Sunday because I naively believed I could make the MBRwCO and Veggie Burgers in one evening. (After tasting both dishes I’m really glad this superhuman feat was not accomplished because if it had been, I would still be on my floor in a food coma with a tower of dishes in the sink.)

Let me just say this: the MBRwCO is the very best thing i have ever created, food or otherwise. I added extra rosemary and enough earth balance so the idea that this was a VEGAN dish was mind bending. The asparagus were crisp, freshly peppered and basking in organic lemon juice glory. They were perfect to dip in the warm roasted babaganoosh, or chomp into for a refreshing break from the seductively aromatic, rich, and comforting Mushroom Barley Risotto with Caramelized Onions.

I’ll let the pictures say the rest.

Life is good.