I Walk In This World

Hello friends!

I’m here.  Currently fighting the flu though. 

My life has dictated that I cut back on blogging for a bit.  I simply don’t have time, lol!  Work is really really busy.  Home is busy.  I’m house hunting (wee!).  And I’ve got a slew of family birthdays coming up in March that I’m trying to plan for.  Never fear, all is well.  I’m just swamped.

But there’s always time for coffee, right!

ETHICAL EATING SPOTLIGHT (or Ethical Drinking!)

Green Mountain Coffee sent me a sample of their Fair Trade, Organic Rain Forest Blend coffee to sample once I contacted them in an effort to promote their ethical stance to coffee production.

Their Story!

The goods.

This made an excellent cuppa coffee. 

Girlfriend gotta hairCUT!

Does she know how to Vogue or what?

Lastly, I wanted to mention that I met up with Lauren last Monday for coffee, and she is as sweet in person as she is on her blog!  I can’t wait to get together with her again.  And speaking of sweet, look at the goodies she brought me as a “welcome to PA” gift!

Her homemade granola which is amazing!

Because you always need chocolate.

Her very favorite white wine.

Ok, I gotta go lay down.  Sweat out this flu bug. 

xo

Er

Last night my friend Nancy and I went to dinner at a local burrito restaurant (not Chipotle).  We needed some girl time and it was fantastic sitting and eating with my friend…and her beautiful gorgeous perfect baby girl!

Honestly.  She is the most perfect little human ever.  I love her to pieces.  And if any baby-model agents read my blog, and want to enroll this little beaut in a baby modeling career…email me!

Anyway, when we were standing in line to order, the dude behind the counter offered up that the restaurant had recently started selling local grass-fed beef.  I asked him a bit about it, and he was totally informed.  He told me the name of the farm and the nearby county the meat is coming from.  Fantastic!

So in order to put my money (actually Nancy paid…so it was Nancy’s money) where my mouth is, I ordered it up!

• burrito bowl (no tortilla) with:
• black beans
• brown rice
• grass-fed local beef
• pineapple-jalapeno salsa
• lettuce
• tomato
• diet Coke to drink

Thx for dinner Nancypants!

Ethical Eating SPOTLIGHT

Why Grass-fed is better.

Animals that are grass-fed are not being sent to feedlots to be fattened on grain, soy and other supplements often laced with hormones, heavy metals, and other animal wastes or by-products.  Animals allowed to forage on pasture are healthier because they are feeding on their native diet. Because grass-fed animals are not subjected to factory farm stress and subsequent illness from confined operations, unsanitary conditions, and massively unhealthy grain diets (which cows cannot digest), there is no need to treat these animals with hormones or feed them growth-promoting additives. Thus the animals grow at a normal pace, rather than the 7-9 months it takes to fatten a cow for slaughter via feed-lot methods. 

Raising animals on their native diet is better for the environment because high-quality grasses require healthy soil and careful pasture management so that the plants are maintained at an optimal stage of growth. 

“Animals raised in factory farms are given diets designed to boost their productivity and lower costs. The main ingredients in factory farm feed are genetically modified grain and soy that are kept at artificially low prices by government subsidies. To further cut costs, the feed may also contain ‘by-product feedstuff’ such as municipal garbage, stale pastry, chicken feathers, and candy. Until 1997, U.S. cattle were also being fed meat that had been trimmed from other cattle, in effect turning herbivores into carnivores. This unnatural practice is believed to be the underlying cause of BSE or ‘mad cow disease.’”

By supporting farms that promote native grazing and grass-fed livestock, you are voting NO to feed-lots and Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs).  You are voting NO to:

• Animal stress and abuse
• Air, land, and water pollution
• The unnecessary use of hormones, antibiotics, and other drugs
• Low-paid, stressful farm work
• The loss of small family farms
• Food with less nutritional value

Source: http://www.eatwild.com/basics.html

If you have any other questions about grass-fed, check out the link above or email me.

After Nancy dropped me off at home, I buckled down with the laptop and played on the internet did work.

Boo.

I’ve been running out of time in the mornings to photo and eat Breks at home, so I’ve started prepping it the night before, popping it in the fridge, and throwing it in my work bag to eat at my desk.

Yes.  I am that sad.

The process…

Microwave eggwhite cup filled with whites and peppers.

toasty english muffin

the required ingredient

all together now

Et voila.  I would like to point out that the foil you see above is 100% from recycled aluminum sources.  Reynolds is selling this now.  Check it out!

Let me know how you felt about today’s Ethical Eating Spotlight!

Ciao,

Er

This is a quickie (twss).

Monday Breks!

• eggwhites with half a faux sausage + peppers + onions on a ww english muffin
• LC cheese
• hawty sauce

That flower plate always adds a bright spot to my morning!

Saturday and Sunday were so relaxing and empty of hectic stuff that normally defines my weekends, so I left the camera in its bag and embraced the lazy calm.

My new Sunday routine is a late breakfast with a dose of catching up on magazines and reading the bulky Sunday paper.  Usually Hubz sleeps in, so I get this time all to myself.  A lovely lovely hour or so that’s just mine.

Sunday breks…

• eggwhites + faux sausage + peppers + onions on a sesame bagel
• 1 slice of American cheese so it was melty
• hawt sauce
• coffee
• OJ

Sunday we did a few errands groceries and Target.  Made a crockpot batch of chili. Then watched the Grammy’s and I did some over time work. 

Saturday we were in my hometown at Dad’s.  We had a great visit with he and his wife!  They took us out to a new restaurant in town that had THE best lunch menu I’ve ever seen.  Ever!  It literally took me 15 minutes to decide. 

• blackened salmon wrap in sundried tomato tortilla + spinach + red peppers + basil ranch sauce
• dill pickle
• Terra chips (I only ate 6-7 of these)
• cup of tomato bisque (that was delicious!)

What a terrific restaurant Dad’s got nearby now!  My hometown is more of the chain restaurant variety, so a place like this one is a fantastic addition to the culinary variety in the area!

Friday night I spent with my old skool homies.  Had a mini high school reunion of sorts at an old stomping ground bar in my hometown.  I had SO so much fun with my peeps…some of whom I hadn’t seen in 10+ years.  Super fun time!  And wonderful to have Hubby meet a lot of these peeps too. 

Ok, work is screaming…

Ciao,

Er

Saturday night we went over to our friends’ house for dinner and dice games.  Y’all know I keep private life info private, thus I keep most names off this blog.  Nancy and her hubby, B, and her baby J are our new PA friends.  We’re practically neighbors and have gotten together a few times since we moved here in November.  We lovezz them!

And Nancy is an awesome hostess and made us the BEST dinner ever!

Fresh tulips!

Chicken breasts stuffed with spicy goat cheese!

Roasted potatoes with garlic!

Pinot grigio to accompany (super!)

The fully monty!!  This dinner was delicious.  Doesn’t it look professional!

After dinner glow with full bellies.

There was also a camera shy chocolate mousse for dessert.  It was topped with whipped cream that Nancy made and red raspberries.  It twas AMAZING!

Um, I don’t know if you can tell in that pic, but they have THE most beautiful baby girl.  I am so in love with her!!

We had some more drinks and played a fun dice game.  Before I knew it, it was 12:30am and I couldn’t believe I had kept these new parents up so late.  Chatty Kathy I must be, lol.  But we had fun!

Thx for having us over Nancy!  We’ll host next. 

Now, Erin gets to have fun by WORKING for the next 2-3 hours.  Too much work to get done in the work-week, and WhOoPiE, I get to do it tonight instead.

Aren’t

I

Lucky?

Cya all tomorrow.

Ciao,

Er