Don’t let my kids hear me say this, but after the holidays, I always look forward to getting back to “the routine”…
Call me crazy, but I love routines… getting up early, exercising, making that same green smoothie, having regular down time…Â I find my predictable schedule both soothing & satisfying.
(The kids & I took a Buzzfeed quiz to see which StarWars character we would be, and one of the questions was, “What is your worst habit?” Â It was multiple choice, but the kids answered for me hands-down: “Too attached to your routines!!” Â They know me well…)

Bootcamp started up again after a 2-week hiatus, and even though I stayed active and worked out during the break, it’s just not the same as sweating it out with my girls during 2 sessions of bootcamp!  So thanks for coming yesterday, ladies, even though I know not all of your kids are back in school yet.
I’m also very aware that unless I’m teaching 2 classes, I never work out for 2 hours… so when I start up again with our regular schedule, I’m super hungry! Â I can sometimes get away with just a snack after class, but not this time. Â While prepping the photo shoot for the chocolate peanut butter banana smoothie, I dove into a southwest lentil burger that I’d made the day before, topped with hummus, salsa & cucumbers.
Of course I had the smoothie too, after the photo shoot. Â How could I not?? Â It just wouldn’t be right… Â And plus I was still a bit hungry. Â But after the smoothie, my belly was full & I was happy.
I was pretty well satisfied until it was almost time to pick up the kids from the bus stop mid-afternoon, at which point I had another burger, this time with an over-easy egg, more hummus & salsa, and a whole pile of sautéed kale & broccoli.  It was so good I forgot to look at my Instagram account while I ate it.  That’s saying a lot, folks!!
My appetite for dinner was not huge since I’d had lunch so late, no surprise there. Â But I made a really yummy veggie lasagna with the rest of the kale. Â I used tofu to replace most of the cheese- here’s my trick: mash the tofu (use firm tofu & press the water out) with tahini, a bit of soy sauce, red wine vinegar, & lemon juice, and it gives you a taste & texture reminiscent of ricotta. Â I topped the lasagna with regular cheese for that beautiful browning effect that the kids love so much. Â I have to say it was delicious! Â I ate it with roasted pumpkin.
And because I never finish the day without something sweet, I had one of the last thumbprint cookies (made with only ground almonds, maple syrup, orange zest, & coconut) with a square of dark chocolate. Â Yup, it’s good to stick to routines!






I LOVED the holidays but getting back to the routine was such a breath of fresh air for me, too 🙂 I’ve made a couple of tofu-based lasagnas but love the thought of topping it with a bit of real cheese. I’ll have to try that next time. I’ve probably said this before but OH how I would love to be able to take one of your classes. You have lucky students!! 🙂
Thank you so much for your sweet words, Jacklyn! I’m glad I’m not the only one who thrives on routine (as much as I loved our holidays, too.) 😉 And oh how I wish you could come here too… ever thought of a graduation holiday?? 🙂