After almost losing the SLR to a flood yesterday, I’ve decided to stop carrying it around in my purse. That was a bad idea for so many reasons. I have a camera bag – it’s just bulky, so I started putting the SLR in my purse. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

I mean, I also have this fear of rain. I’m from the flood city – Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Any time it rains for more than an hour, I start planning escape routes.

So this long introduction basically tells the story that 1) I had my SLR in my purse yesterday 2) My purse doesn’t exactly “shut” and 3) I almost dropped my purse into a monsoon. So these pictures were taken with my old digi cam.

Lunch. I always buy lunch on Fridays. I like that. 

Talk about a crack wrap!

And one beautiful serving of these!

Mussssssssic

So when was the last time I wrote about music on this blog? It’s been forever. Right now I’m listening to a ridiculous song that Bill brought back with him from North Carolina. This guy looks just like my friend Eric.

Have you ever seen me dance? This is a pretty good representation. I look this Grampall Jookabox.

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Something strange is going on in the lobster house.

I found this dude on the window sill. Apparently this is the creature that helps you wrap up one year and go smoothly into another. You could call him a bucket list evaluator. Or a wish list proofreader. He’s our New Year’s guru.

This is the guy who helps you discover what you’ve done and what you want to be doing. His name is Fred.

Apparently Fred is kinda psychic. But just a little bit.

If you could ask Fred one question about your future, what would it be?

There are blogs I read to get inspired. More specifically: art-spired.

I am hooked on Amy’s blog, coffee talk. Are you? She so carefully and seamlessly weaves a theme into each post and tells stories through images of food, fashion, the outdoors and more. On top of that, she’s a fantastic writer and shares so much with the reader.

Naturally, I emailed Amy and asked what art-related blogs she reads. She sent me a beautiful list, and I now check them out daily. (Thanks, Amy!)

This led to an art-spired mission. I signed up for Stumble Upon, where I peruse art and food pages regularly. I seek out the strange, the unique, bits of text and image I can’t find anywhere else.

And today I thought I’d share some of those things with you. Over the past few months, these little gems have touched my heart in one form or another and have inspired creative work. I encourage you to check out these sites.

(I’ve linked the sources)

1. Puzzle Kitty

2. Human Hand Puppets

3. A Book Vase (!!!)

4. This image. Which summarizes my thoughts exactly.

5. This disgusting meatloaf head. Talk about inspirational for my food play.

6. Gaining inspiration.

7. My dream kitchen.

8. An awesome DIY fabric screen.

9. This short story.

What other things do you read besides food blogs?

(…. PS: I hope someone out there gets the Ray Carver reference in my title.)

Welcome to the Worker Bee series – a weekly feature that will highlight food bloggers who are also full-time working professionals.

There are many days where I feel like I can’t fit it in, so I look to other bloggers for inspiration and guidance. This series is a way to see what some of our favorite bloggers do for a living along with how they incorporate healthy living!

This week’s Worker Bee is Jenna from Foodie in the City!

1) What is your profession? I am a project manager for a large nation-wide bank. I promise we aren’t bad people. I work with different product teams and business lines internally in the bank on their strategy for certain mailings and then, in turn, work with a creative agency and production vendor to make the whole thing happen.

2) Did you see always see yourself in that field? I always saw myself in the marketing field. I didn’t however always see myself working for a financial institution. I am following my mothers footsteps though I guess. She used to work in the same area, for the same bank as I currently do. Like mother, like daughter.

3) Does your day job incorporate healthy living? My day job doesn’t necessarily incorporate healthy living. I sit at a desk from about 8-5 every day and am often surrounded by office treats and candy. My office is also in the heart of downtown Minneapolis, so I am often tempted by local bakeries, coffee shops and lunch spots for a quick and indulgent fix. My company does however have a health newsletter that they put together and place out on our internal intranet. It talks about fitness, nutrition, illness, prevention and even has some great recipes. I often forget about it as a resource because it isn’t heavily promoted. However, it is a nice resource to go and check out.

Downtown Minneapolis.

4) If so, how? If not, how do you incorporate healthy living into your job? Although my job may not incorporate healthy living into the job description, I make sure that I bring a healthy living mindset into my everyday schedule. At lunch, I get up and get in a good 20 minute walk around the skyways on the days that I have the time. I also bring healthy snacks and treats to work to help combat my temptation to indulge in all of the office baked goods. But at times, you have to indulge. You only live once I have also become a source for others to come to for healthy living tips. Many know that I lead a very healthy lifestyle and depend on me for pointers. I share recipes, exercise advice, eating strategies, etc., when people ask, of course. I am not one to force my lifestyle on others. When there is a birthday in our group, I often offer to bake a treat. The reason I offer to bake the birthday treat is that what I bake is usually a healthier, lower fat/calorie version of the classic. But it tastes the same and they never know.

5) Can you provide readers with any tips on how to balance healthy living and working? What are some tricks you’ve picked up along the way? My biggest tip would be to pack your own lunch and bring healthy snacks. I think the environment I work in is especially challenging. Being downtown, you have access to a seemingly unlimited number of restaurant choices. Instead of having to get into your car and drive to get a meal, you can take the elevator to the bottom floor of a building and have five restaurant options just in one building. Due to the restaurant availability, most of my co-workers get lunch out every day. Many even get breakfast on the way in. So, it can be hard to say no when you get flack from your co-workers. But I have two good reasons why I prefer to bring my lunch. The reasons being to save money, but more importantly, I can control what I put into my lunch and the quality of the food I am eating. I do treat myself to scone Friday and an occasional lunch out here and there. Sometimes you get sick of the routine of packing your lunch! My other tip would be to find a local gym near your office. This way, you don’t have an excuse to not go to the gym either before or after work. Pack your gym bag the night before and set it right by your door. I prefer to to in the AM so I can come home after work and relax. Along the same lines, see if anybody in your office has similar interests. One of my good friends at work loves to run, so we signed up for our first half marathon together next year!

6) Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I am hoping to go back to school for my masters in marketing. My dream job would be to be a product manager for a food company. I am also hoping to possibly go to culinary school part time at some point. I would love to explore that area of interest as well. A lot of schooling (I think I need to win the lottery!) and a lot of interests. A girl can dream!

….It’s officially that time of year.

I don’t remember ordering three boxes of Girl Scout Cookies. At the same time, I am not surprised that this is what I ordered. Part of me wants to take some to class tonight. Part of me also wants to hoard them in my apartment and savor cookies for months. Hum.

Did you get Girl Scout Cookies this year?

Lunch feels balanced today. I think that’s what happens when you include veggies.

And a little somethin’ somethin’ on the side.

Yeah, I just whipped this up. In the microwave. Hey, convenience is key sometimes in this busy world.

I’m eating on the quick today. I have several video shoots this afternoon and don’t have time to take a proper lunch.

Do you get to do neat stuff at your job like I do?

I have  a lot of friends who are very much like me.

I also have a lot of friends who are very different.

Either way, we all come from the same fruit.

Last night I had a dream where various people from all sections of my life were present. There was the girl I worked with at Burger King in high school. There was a friend of a friend, who friended me on Facebook, but we aren’t truly friends in real life. There were bloggers. There was Bill and Cat and other close friends. The whole thing was entirely surreal.

The dream reminded me that all of these people fit into my life in some way or another. Moments bind us to one another in unique ways.

I wonder what it would be like to get all of these people in a room together? Easy answer: connections would be made, hearts would be broken and some would be offended.

Are the people in your life vastly different from you? The same? A mix?

So, I won’t lie. I was wondering if my hair would end up looking like this tonight:

I jest. But seriously, a hair cut is a big thing for me. After all, I have been wearing my hair like this since early July:

And now I’m wearing my hair like this:

What do you think? I am very happy! I think there is even the possibility that I can wear this curly once in a while. Hooray!

Although I loved my haircut, I did not like the process of getting it cut. You may have noticed me complaining on Twitter. Sorry about that. I just waited an hour and fifteen minutes with soaking hair in an uncomfortable chair. Needless to say, dinner was quick and easy tonight. I have tons of work to do for school tonight.

I broiled a piece of bread with ham (and wayyyy too much mozzarella) with a side salad with white beans, carrots, mushrooms and italian dressing.

The salad was delicious. I love this new dressing. So tasty.

I have no idea why I thought I needed this much cheese. I definitely didn’t. I had no idea of the capabilities of spreading cheese in the oven. Oh my!

Here’s a side view. Totally intense, right?

Can’t stay and talk. Too much Salman Rushdie to read! I hope I get this done!

Now talk about a food that brings me back – banana chips.

Dehydrating food seemed pretty hip in the 90s, so snacks for me as a kiddo quickly became banana, apple and pear chips. I didn’t complain – in fact I looked forward to them. There was something so cool about eating a fruit in another form.

And so, when I saw some in the special aisle of the co-op last night, I had to throw some in a bag. I had this beautiful combination in my head:

Would it shock you to know that I’ve had this breakfast in my head since I went to bed last night? All new ingredients, a whole new waffle.

I’m like a big kid in the morning. Give me some peanut butter and jelly, and I’ll be alright.

Oh, and get ready because tonight is the big night. Your votes have been tallied. Say goodbye to this hairstyle:

Someone new is coming home tonight!

Do you look forward to meals far in advance?

One of my goals in life is to have good experiences at the grocery store (a.k.a co-op, for me). I prefer to shop at the co-op because 1) the produce  is the best around 2) the store is small and therefore less crowded – most of the time. Tonight’s experience started off very pleasantly, and I was even able to snag a few photos to show you what I fall in love with while shopping.

This is my absolute favorite aisle in the co-op. I am a sucker for buying anything in bulk. Plus they always have these gems and goodies hiding in plastic containers. It’s all about label reading.

Normally this aisle is insanely packed, so I took advantage of my aloneness with the granola, nuts and chocolate-covered almonds (yes, swoon.)

I bought two special ingredients for dinner tonight that I knew I had to use: Annie’s Tuscany Dressing and beautiful red kale.

I chopped up two carrots and one giant sweet potato and threw them in a pan with some kale, salt, pepper, olive oil and tons of garlic. I added the dressing later. This is my new favorite way to cook sweet potatoes. So easy and simple.

The result? Orange and Green Pasta. Or, for the more descriptive, Kale and Sweet Potato Pasta.

Close-up shots of this dish were very, very necessary. This is the best thing I’ve eaten in a good two weeks. I needed a veggie belly hug, for sure.

The lobster placemat says: yes! you did it, Rose! you cooked something magical and delicious!

Now it’s time to get my writing self in gear. I have a 10-page story due in a few days, and it needs my utmost attention.

Do you have pleasant grocery trips?

I did something nice and special today. I hope you don’t fall over in your chairs.

I ate soup from a bowl.

You know I’m all about the convenience of a can, but this lentil soup was calling for more today. Sometimes the habits we get into are funny and strange and should be changed (at least once in a while).

I paired the soup with a turkey sandwich on Nature’s Own Bread and a piece of string cheese in the middle. Don’t fear – I am going grocery shopping tonight. We are at that point of “no fresh veggies to be seen.”

I did work while eating but took my time chewing. No more mindless eating at lunch.

Changing Your Routine

When you get down and out, how do you snap out of it?

This is a question I’ve been thinking about for a while, and I think the answer is different for everyone.

What works for me? Getting back into my routine. I blog. I eat good food. I cook. I write. I exercise. I call friends on the phone. I see friends in person.

I live my life the best way I know how.

But what if it’s your routine that’s holding you back?

Have you ever thought about a routine being negative? I don’t mean the idea of routine in general but more – the routine you have.

I’ll give you an example — Let’s take my eating soup from a can scenario. What positive purpose does this serve? Sure, I save a dish. Sure, I don’t have to clean my dish in the bathroom at work (which I hate doing). But it takes away from my dining experience. It makes me feel lazy. I miss that extra walk to the bathroom – a few more steps added to my day.

It’s the small things sometimes that add up to the big picture. The small things can dictate how you are living – what routine you’re setting in motion.

I guess I’m learning not to forget about the small things. Or the big things. And I’m working on a more positive and healthy routine through balanced living.

Have you ever found yourself in a less-than-positive routine? What habit/s did you change?

And on a different note…

I must share this for any woman out there who’s a Steelers fan. Or rather, a Steeler lady.