Summer biking

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Diana

Trips to the post office and grocery store are so much more fun when done by bike.

And they’re even more fun while wearing cute mary janes.

And contacts! Woo hoo! (I haven’t had contacts for years because I didn’t have vision insurance, but my current job offers it, so I decided to try them out again. You forget what it’s like to be able to see clearly in all directions when you wear glasses.)

My Summer 11 in 2011 Goals

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Diana

My 11 in 2011 project is going well so far. I’ve decided to amp things up a bit by having a new list of goals for the summer. One of my favorite things about working in the school system is that I get the summer off. So this summer, I want to make sure that I take the time to do things that I really love, things that there often just isn’t enough time for during the school year. Some of these goals are actually part of my 11 in 2011 project – some are different. All 11 of these goals are very attainable within the two months off. The idea isn’t to stress myself out, rather it’s to give myself some direction so that I don’t waste my summer laying around and sleeping in everyday (although there will definitely be some sleeping in too). So here’s my new goals for the summer.

This summer I will…

Go kayaking on the Hillsborough River: I haven’t done this in years, even though I live less than a mile from the river.
Try hot yoga again: I’ve got a month-long pass to a hot yoga studio that I bought on Groupon, so I figure it doesn’t hurt to try
Ride my bike as often as possible: Needs no explanation
Swim laps at least once a week: I love swimming, but I hardly ever do it. I’d like to make it a regular part of my exercise routine this summer
Read a ton of books: Well, I am a librarian after all.
Go to the beach: Even though I live in Florida, you’d be surprised how rarely I actually go to the beach. It’s only 45 minutes away.
Have a day hike/picnic: Again, haven’t done this in forever.
Plant that garden from my 11 in 2011 list: I love being outside, and my backyard is just itching for a pretty garden.
Save money: I’m going to be working part-time for part of the summer, so this is a good time to get serious about saving some money for a rainy day.
Plan for next year: I know you’re not supposed to work while on vacation, but I know that if I plan ahead for some of the programs I want to do at school next year, I’ll be less stressed when I go back to work.
Finish knitting my sweater (11 in 2011 list): I’m already on the sleeves, so as long as I stick with it, it can actually be ready to wear before winter.

I think this list is very doable, and it will make my summer a whole lot of fun, without requiring a whole lot of money.

This week in bentos: 6-11-11

Posted on June 10, 2011 by Diana

*Welcome to This Week in Bentos! Every week, I post photos of one or more of my bento lunches from that week. I use a Laptop Lunches bento box and I love it because it helps me to reduce the amount waste I create, since I don’t produce a lot of extra garbage from throw away packaging. I also love how it creates perfect portion sizes. To learn more about how I pack and carry my bento, check out this post and this post too*

Fried egg with quinoa and red bell pepper
Spinach and tomato salad with dressing
Carrot sticks and ghouda
Yogurt with blueberries

Consider this an experiment that is a cross between making New York Style Chinese healthier and finding more ways of working vegetarian protein into lunch. I wanted some egg with lunch, but I was tired of eating hard-boiled eggs with salad. I fried up an egg with some seasoning and chopped it up, then added it to some quinoa that I had made earlier in the week. I added the red bell peppers for color and crunch. The result was pretty tasty, and pretty filling when combined with the veggies.

Sauteed mushrooms with red bell peppers and quinoa
Chickpeas with white chia seeds
Spinach with feta
Carrot sticks

I’ve started adding white chia seeds to my lunches a lot. They’re a great source of omega 3′s and fiber, and they add a nice crunch, so I’ve been alternating mixing them with salads and mixing them with legumes or grains. This particular lunch was super tasty.

Homemade veggie pizza
Chickpeas with white chia seeds
Spinach salad with feta and sauteed mushrooms
Cucumbers, carrot sticks

Homemade veggie pizza = delicious awesomeness. Enough said.

“For a time in utter laziness”

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Diana

I’ve been sick for the last week and a half with a nasty cold/cough. I spent most of my weekend in pj’s, lying in bed, drinking lots of tea, reading and napping. However, I did have to get decent to go to my nephew’s sixth birthday party, and by that point I was feeling healthy enough. I decided for a casual, comfortable outfit that still had a bit of chic to it. I was really bored with this brown and white tee, but when combined with an eggplant headband and yellow purse, it wasn’t quite so boring.

I’ve been so lazy about outfit pictures lately. I’ve had some cute outfits, but Florida has hit that ridiculously hot time of the year where you start sweating after being outside for five minutes. Most days by the time I get home from work, I just want to put on shorts and a tank top and cool down. Once school finishes up, I’ll have more time, so hopefully I can take pictures in the cooler mornings.