San Diego Blogger Meetup, Cookbooks & Making Complicated Recipes, Gift Certificates

Happy Humpity Hump Day Mid-Week, Bloggie Friends!  How’s your week been going so far?  I am so grateful that tonight Scott will be coming home from his business trip.  He gets in super late and I’ll already be sleeping but after 5+ days alone on single parent duty, I am anxiously awaiting his return! Kids have more energy than parents, that’s for sure!

Yesterday I had my first San Diego Blogger Meetup with Jackie of Peaces of Earth!

Jackie is such a sweetheart!  She’s only been blogging 6 weeks but we connected over our mutual, non-dogmatic approach to raw vegan food and passion for physical fitness.   Jackie just ran her 1st Marathon- The San Diego Rock and Roll and so did my girl Danielle, whom sadly I missed meeting by 2 days because we were still in Phoenix. 

Jackie and I chatted while Skylar kept herself busy playing with the ATM buttons

Scott doesn’t stand a chance with her and that smile!  He’s much older than I am (by 17 years) and is already a total sucker for Skylar.  He’s just Daddy Pushover!  Which is totally sweet and I love it!

And then as she did yesterday while doing her Sun Salutations….

 

…She stopped pushing ATM Buttons and took a Dancing Break!

And a snuggle and photo op break was in store, too.

Jackie was so thoughtful and brought a raw vegan treat for us, too!

I am so glad that Jackie and I connected.  She’s doing a program with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition that my friend Alyson of Nourished Fitness in Phoenix (who I met up with Here or Here) also did.  I guess I have a knack for finding Institute for Integrative Nutrition Girls!  Anyway, fun times and can’t wait to meet more SoCal Bloggers!  Holler at me if you’re a SoCal blogger!  

And of course, shoutout to Madeline, whom I had a zillion blogger meetups with and miss dearly!  Not Missing Phoenix, just Madeline! 

Here was our Final Meetup last month

And our First Meetup in November 2009

Anyway, after Jackie and I parted ways, I had to buy a headset for my phone.  It’s the law here in CA to have one and mine had broke while we were living in Phoenix and since it wasn’t the law there, I never replaced it.  Here, I had to.

I could have spent $120 on the Jawbone or another high end bluetooth headset, but this one for $55 was more my speed.  It’s bluetooth compatible and although I only made one call on it, it seems to be fine.  

Hi Averie,

Matthew Kenney wants to be friends with you on Facebook.

 

Matthew Kenney

Thanks,
The Facebook Team

I guess it was just foreshadowing that I was going to win a couple of his books!

Truth be told, I already own Matthew Kenney’s Everyday Raw cookbook 

Everyday Raw was a jumping off point that inspired me to make my Raw Vegan Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookies

But I was thrilled to get my hands on Entertaining in the Raw

It’s definitely not everyday food.  Holy preparation time, exotic ingredients, and contemporary highbrow foodie recipes.  But it’s fun to be inspired!

Check These Recipe Titles and Pics

 

From Yesterday, thanks for chiming in about everything from cold water swimming (nearly unanimous, no one likes it!) and showering at the gym or in public showers (nearly unanimous on this too, no one likes it but some of you do it, in a pinch.)

And I’m glad so many of you have lived to tell the tale if you’ve eaten Raw Green Beans which I had mentioned were possibly toxic based on some information I had read.   

There are some plants and beans that are toxic when raw, i.e kidney beans, but I think the issue of raw green beans is more one of digestibility (too fibrous and hard to digest for many people when not softened a bit by cooking) rather than true toxicity.   For me, I don’t notice any symptoms other than increased bathroom trips from all the fiber, but then again, I am eating a handful at a time, not pounds worth at a time.   Many of you said you’ve been munching raw green beans since you were a kid without issue.

Dessert Today:  Yesterday’s Vegan Vanilla Softserve!

Gym & Weights Workout Today From This Tab: Day 3 – Chest/Shoulders

Tip of the Day: Did you check and see Who Won the Bora Bora Give Away?

Questions 
1. Do you have an ear piece or headset for your phone?  Do you use it?  Is it a law where you live that you have to be hands-free?  Does background noise bug you as much as it does me?  You know, when you’re talking to someone on the phone and they’re on a headset and all you can hear is the white noise around them rather than what they’re really even saying?  God, I hate that!

2. Something that made you laugh today?
Me = Skylar telling me that she thinks that Pochantas is the co-pilot of the airplane that Scott’s flying home on from his business trip. 

3. Blogger Meetups.  Have you had any and with whom?  Any plans to do more?
I mentioned some of mine in the post, also Maureen of MommyRd, Bekah of BeekEats, and Shannon of Tri to Cook are some other meetups I’ve had.  I can’t wait to do more and am also thinking about a Southern California meetup!   Details to follow but if anyone’s lurking and has any ideas, feel free to email me or just comment on this post and I will see your email and can email you back.  I was thinking of picking a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and meeting in Orange County so the LA people and the San Diego people are all kind of halfway.

4. When you see recipes in cookbooks that are pretty complicated, exotic, or just beyond your typical scope, do you get inspired to make them?  Or do they just overwhelm you and just checkout and gloss over, so to speak?
I have posted here about what makes a Good Recipe for me, and honestly, the simpler the better for my daily life.  99% chance it won’t be made or with any regularity if it involves more than 4 hours of dehydrating or any ingredients that are an online-order only. 

5. Gift Certificates. 
I have a few occasions coming up where I have to buy wedding and baby gifts for friends.  I will likely buy off their registries but in general, do you like gift certificates to a particular store?  Or would you prefer cash/check?  Or do you want the gift-giver to pick something out for you that they intend for you to have?
I want cash baby!  However, I have to set the money aside mentally and not group it into bill-paying money or else I never really “get” anything special with the giver’s cash.  I admit that it gets spend on bills and life stuff, not anything special.  Which is why I can see the merit of a gift certificate or an actual gift.  Then again, it’s a gift so whatever the person gives me, I am happy about!
What do you like?  

I’m off to the Gym, Target, the Grocery Store and a running around with a 3-year-old getting-things-done kind of day.  Have a great day everyone!

Stay Tuned For A Hot Topic Post on Thursday…