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… 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?” It was multiple choice, but the kids answered for me hands-down: “Too attached to your routines!!” 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! I can sometimes get away with just a snack after class, but not this time. 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. How could I not?? It just wouldn’t be right… And plus I was still a bit hungry. 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. But I made a really yummy veggie lasagna with the rest of the kale. 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. I topped the lasagna with regular cheese for that beautiful browning effect that the kids love so much. I have to say it was delicious! 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. 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?? 🙂