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August 9, 2011
This recipe is super easy and quick: around 10 minutes to prepare and enjoy immediately!  Also, the flavor combination in this recipe is amazing!  Enjoy with chips or on chicken (or just by the spoonful!).

Clean Eating Guacamole (Tosca Reno, The Clean Eating Diet Cookbook)
3 ripe avocados
Juice of 1/2 fresh lime
1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro (I love cilantro, so I used as least twice as much)
1/2 red onion, minced well
1 clove garlic, passed through garlic press
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Cut avocados in half.  Discard pit and scoop flesh into bowl.  Place all ingredients in medium bowl and mix until just combined.  Don't over mix.
Calories: 166; Protein: 2g; Carbs: 10g; Dietary Fiber: 6g; Sugars: 1g; Fat: 14g; Sodium 8mg.

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August 8, 2011
I decided to post a new recipe every day this week, so if you don't like food, hold your hat and join me again next week!
Tofu Cabbage Rolls (Tosca Reno, The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook)
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped
1 cup grated carrots (I finely chopped mine)
1 rib celery, finely chopped (I added 2 ribs)
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I used Extra Virgin Coconut Oil)
1 block tofu, medium firm
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped (I substituted fresh cilantro)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
 3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce or gluten free tamari
6 large green or savoy cabbage leaves (I used green cabbage)
1) In large nonstick skillet, saute onion, garlic, carrot and celery in oil.  Crumble tofu into skillet. Add herbs.  Cook a few minutes more until heated through. Add soy sauce or tamari and mix well. Remove from heat and set aside.
2) In medium saucepan bring 4 quarts water to a boil. Place cabbage leaves in boiling water. Reduce heat and let cabbage cook briefly until it just changes color.  Remove from water immediately and run under cold water.  Set on paper towel to drain.
3) Divide tofu mixture among the six cabbage leaves. Roll cabbage carefully so tofu mixture doesn't fall out and leaves don't split.  Place cabbage rolls in steamer basket and steam for 10 minutes.  If you don't have a steamer you can use a grill pan to grill the rolls with a little cooking spray. Serve hot.
Servings: 6; Preparation and cooking: About 30-40 min. Calories: 158; Protein: 13g; Carbs: 9g; Dietary Fiber: 3g; Fat 9g; Sodium 488mg.

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August 7, 2011

Five B Salad from Tosca Reno, The Eat Clean Diet Cookbook
2 cups bean sprouts
1 sweet red bell pepper, sliced into ribbons
3 cups broccoli florets, blanched and well drained
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup cooked, diced purple beets, well drained
1  purple onion, sliced into thin rings
1 cup grape tomatoes
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
Dressing:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
3 cloves garlic, passed through a garlic press
6 Tbsp gluten free tamari
In large salad bowl combine the entire first list of ingredients. Cover and refrigerate or serve right away.  In small mixing bowl, whisk all dressing ingredients until well blended.  Serve dressing on the side.  Calories: 176;  Calories from fat: 129; Protein: 6g;  Carbs: 8g; Dietary Fiber 2g;  Sugar 3g; Fat 14 g; Sodium 784mg (For my salad, I omitted the bean sprouts since I couldn't find any fresh ones in the store; didn't use as much broccoli-- the blanching is vital; used 1/2 red onion; added a handful of spinach leaves, and also two grilled chicken breasts, chopped.  For the dressing, I used 1/8 cup almond oil and 1/8 cup grape seed oil, steamed the chopped garlic cloves with the beets, and used 3 Tbsp gluten free tamari.)

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August 6, 2011
In such a day filled with sunshine, yard work, grocery shopping, and rest, I consider my life blessed compared to not only most people in the world, but also compared to people in my own city.  I did not take this photo of the day (um, so it doesn't really count), but it's important enough to share.  Maybe consider it a photo I hope to someday take, but not only as a photographer, but someone who's making a difference in the world.  So, to whom credit is due, this photo was on the Fox News website with the following caption:

"A child stands in front of her home at a refugee camp in Dadaab, Kenya, Thursday, Aug 4, 2011. Dadaab, a camp designed for 90,000 people now houses around 440,000 refugees. Almost all are from war-ravaged Somalia. Some have been here for more than 20 years, when the country first collapsed into anarchy. But now more than 1,000 are arriving daily, fleeing fighting or hunger(AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)

Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/slideshow/latino/lifestyle/2011/08/05/best-pix-week/#ixzz1UK17fsbf"

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August 5, 2011
Self-portrait day!

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August 4, 2011
Photoshoot with Alyssa!  Check out her new website at www.foreveryoungbodyworks.com.

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August 3, 2011
Went for a brisk run/jog/well...walk, with my roomie and our dogs tonight!  Went about 3.3 miles according to Google Maps!  My shoes and dirty socks to prove it:

BTW: I in no way advocate nor endorse any implied brand of running shoes at this time.  If my friends gives them to me for free, I take them.

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August 2, 2011
It's a beautiful Tuesday summer evening downtown... Perfect for some ballroom dancing, a quick stop at Moonstruck for a chocolate bar, and several deep breaths of summer scented air!

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August 1!, 2011
Rewire telephone, check; replace ignition coil and wires in car, check; wire electrical fence, getting there! This is the temporary chicken wire that's not working.

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July 31, 2011
The end of a beautiful weekend, the end of the month, almost the end of summer (yikes! and it just started!), and the end of the day.  Had a lovely coffee date with girlfriends at a new coffee shop this afternoon, but forgot to take the photo.  So here are the kids playing around:

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July 30, 2011
Summer Mahi Mahi 
Frozen Mahi Mahi fillet
Fresh green beans
1/2 red onion, sliced
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped in chunks
1/2 tsp dill
ground sea salt
Heat 1 Tbsp extra virgin coconut oil in pan, add fillet and vegetables, sprinkle with dill and salt; cook until fish is flaky, about 10 min.

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July 29, 2011
I think it's still technically July 29 since I haven't gone to bed yet.  Spent hours on an epic game of Settlers of Catan tonight and I was within two points of winning!  I finally like this game.  This is Sarah, winner, proving what time we played until.  I remember when I was 19, my normal bedtime was between 1-2 a.m.!

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July 28, 2011
Some days I don't bring my camera along-- I should have tonight!  I went ballroom dancing downtown with a couple friends, and it would have been the perfect photo op!  So sorry.  Here's the quote of the day:

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July 27, 2011
As I'm reading the words of King Solomon in the book of Ecclesiates this week, I'm finding the main theme of this man, who was "the wisest man who ever lived," is to simply do what you love to do while you're on earth, since life passes away so quickly.  In pondering this today, I felt my gut wrench with, "What am I doing here?!"  Surely working a job to pay off bills and debt isn't it?  One little step I made back in 2008 to make a drop in the ocean was to sponsor a child with Compassion International.  If you're feeling the urge to make a difference somehow, in someone's life, go to their website, www.compassion.com and sponsor a child for $38 a month, or help sponsor a Child Survival Center for $20 a month.  Ah, I'm thinking about this because I went to the grocery store tonight because I had "nothing" to eat.  I spent $50 on food for myself and cried as I ate it, with the realization of how blessed I truly am to have a full stomach as I go to bed tonight.  These things we take for granted!

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July 26, 2011
Yeah, I just didn't want to take a photo today.  Sorry.  As it's almost 11 pm, I stepped out the door and slowed down the shutter speed enough to catch a car going by.  I missed the police car flashing by just a split second too soon. Oh well.

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July 25, 2011
I had that *Hahahaha! Oh.* moment tonight; some wisdom from the wisest man who ever lived, King Solomon:

"Just as being too busy gives you nightmares, being a fool makes you a blabbermouth. Ecclesiates 5:3

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July 24, 2011
I prepared a photo of my perennial garden, however, I couldn't resist sharing Tosca's face instead!

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July 23, 2011
A perfectly beautiful day of sunshine means gardening glory!  This snapshot is my little green pot of chocolate mint.  *delightful sigh*

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July 22, 2011
Flicks on the Bricks tonight at Pioneer Square!  It was the first time I've seen Top Gun *what!?* and after seeing it, everything in life makes perfect sense... (what?!)

And then there were the drunk people on the Max... hmm. And those kids who were wearing pink Katy Perry t-shirts...

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July 21, 2011
The recipe tonight is a Pan of Steamed Veggies!  Freshly chopped beets, brussels sprouts, kale, baby carrots, red onion, cloves of garlic, and baby bok choy steamed in a pan with some water (don't let the water completely cook out, as the veggies will burn) and sprinkled with freshly ground lemon pepper and sea salt. Delish!