Oh my gosh–you all really won’t believe what happened to me last night!! Just to make it short and brief; I had to call AAA AGAIN! I have never had car trouble before this week and it seems like now its all just pouring down on me! So here’s the story: Last night after school (we got out later around 11:45), I drove back to my apartment. Put the car in park and pulled on my keys to get them out of the ignition. No. My keys were STUCK in the ignition! They felt like they were locked in! After about a half hour of my roommate and I yanking on them they still wouldn’t budge….so I knew what I had to do. Call my friends at AAA. Long story short, a locksmith had to drive out in the middle of the night and take apart my entire steering wheel to get the keys out. Turns out something in the cables broke and now I don’t have the safety feature of not being able to get my keys out when my car is in drive. So…..need to get that fixed sometime. In the meantime, I guess I just need to be really careful when driving not to pull out my keys…not that that would happen probably anyway.
I gave the locksmith all my bread, though and I think he really appreciated it! We baked baguettes, batards, boulles (all made with French bread) and herb foccaccia. There’s only so much bread my roommate and I can eat so I gave him a huge paper bag filled with like five different loaves. He loved it. After that whole drama unfolded I had a very hard time falling asleep—so let’s just say i’m pretty tired and I think it’s going to be a long day :/
When I finally pulled myself out of bed this rainy, rainy morning I just ate a simple bowl of cereal (Ezekiel Almond) with hempmilk and had a cup of green tea to drink. While I was waiting for the locksmith last night (or rather this morning), I packed my lunch to take to work today…hint hint–might have something to do with my fresh bread! I’ll put up that post when I get home this afternoon around 4:30. Have a good day!
oh, and I almost forgot to tell you about my newest love! Luna Tea Cakes! I brought one with me to class last night and LOVED it! I never really cared for the taste of Luna Bars, but these bars are totally different and sooo yummy and have the best chewy texture. I wish I had bought more than one to try! It might be my nighttime snack!
Becky in MD
February 21, 2008 at 1:31 pmSorry for the re-post, but Jenna just put up her breakfast when I posted my comment, so:
Hey DC/VA group! I’m in MD, just out side of DC, so if you guys get together, I would love to join you! I just joined the facebook group..which was weird cuz I haven’t been on facebook since college. Unfortunatly, this weekend isn’t very good for me…we’re also supposed to be getting some nasty weather….Maybe next weekend?
VeggieGirl
February 21, 2008 at 1:32 pmOh no, not again!! I’m so sorry about all the car trouble – yikes!! Stay safe!! Haha, what a lucky locksmith – so lovely of you to share all those fresh loaves of bread with him!! :0)
Luna Tea Cakes are great – I like the orange-blossom and the berry flavors the best. My dad likes those bars too, haha :0D
Enjoy your scrumptious breakfast meal, and have a wonderful Thursday – can’t wait to see what you packed for lunch with that bread!!
Susan
February 21, 2008 at 1:40 pmJenna, my schedule is more similar to yours now. Yesterday (even with going to bed late) you did a lot before noon! What time do you wake up now? You went exercising yesterday morning and ate breakfast first. I have to eat first, but hate waiting around. Do you just wait around for an hour, I feel like it’s a waste of time?
Stacy
February 21, 2008 at 1:41 pmDoes anyone have a recommendation for a bread machine? I’d like to start baking my own bread, but I think making it from scratch without a breadmachine is out of my league. Plus, I don’t think my house is warm enough for it to rise properly in the winter (old farmhouse + midwest =cold). I’d like to spend less than $100. If anyone has any good recommendations I’d appreciate it 🙂
Susan
February 21, 2008 at 1:44 pmJess,
The other day I left a follow up for you, but I am sure it got lost in the millions of comments.
You said you add garlic when you roast veggies. Does the garlic just sit in the pan or do you chop it up? But even so the garlic pieces would just fall around the veggies- how does that flavor them if it’s not on them? Also, what temp do you put the veggies on? Thank you so much!
Beth
February 21, 2008 at 1:46 pmJenna,
You do your grocery shop once a week. How do all your veggies and lettuce stay so fresh? Any storage tips? Good luck with your car………car problems are the worst 🙁
Veggiegirl, you are always one of the first to comment on everyone’s blog………how in the world do you have the time to check them so frequently?!
jenn
February 21, 2008 at 1:50 pmJenna, I’m sorry you had car trouble again! So bizarre! That is one lucky locksmith, that bread looks AMAZING! What flavor of the Luna tea cakes did you have? They were on sale @ WF here (.99- .50 in-store coupon!) so I gave one a try and it (vanilla macadamia) exceeded my expectations as well. 🙂 Anyway, I hope you’ve had enough car drama for a while… have a good Thursday everyone– one day closer to the weekend!!!!
Sam
February 21, 2008 at 1:51 pmSomeone mentioned walnut butter. Where do you buy that?
LT
February 21, 2008 at 1:52 pmSusan – chop the garlic and I’d toss the oil, seasonings, and veggies all together with my hands!
hk
February 21, 2008 at 1:58 pmWhat a lucky locksmith!! Sorry it was a longer night than planned!! I’ve also been eyeing the TeaCakes, thanks for the suggestion! Hope today is a little more relaxed, enjoy!!
Kath
February 21, 2008 at 2:12 pmPoor you!! Do you have a Honda? My dad made me get my car fixed for some recall on key ignition stuff a few years ago. Hope you day improves!
Megs
February 21, 2008 at 2:13 pmSorry to hear that. At least you have the thoughts of yummy bread for lunch to get your thru the morning slump.
Your blog has helped me on my path to undisordered, not obsessive eating.
Romina
February 21, 2008 at 2:17 pmWow! That’s a crazy story. Who knew a key could get stuck in the ignition! Glad to hear you made it home safely though.
I don’t generally eat Luna Bars, I don’t think they’re as healthy as people tend to think. They’re highly processed and contain isolated soy protein, which isn’t the healthiest of substances this earth can produce. Have you tried Lara Bars? They’re so much better! And devoid of ingredients you can’t pronounce.
Melissa
February 21, 2008 at 2:38 pmJenna – The olive oil cake looks amazing. Can you use eggs whites for all or part of the eggs? And are you able to use Splenda in place of the Sugar?
Tina O.
February 21, 2008 at 2:46 pmMy husband just had his car towed for the second time in like 2 months. He tries to start it and the whole thing is dead and the key gets stuck in the ignition! Its a 2006, so he said that if it happens one more time, there’s a ‘lemon law’, but he doesn’t know what that means or what will happen. He really should look into that. Sorry to hear about your bad luck!
Amy
February 21, 2008 at 2:58 pmHey Becky and other DC people,
I’d love to get together, though this weekend is not good for me either. I am away this weekend, but next week could work. Sounds like that’s the case for others too, no?
Sarah
February 21, 2008 at 2:59 pmMmmm all that bread sounds heavenly…
Rachel
February 21, 2008 at 3:10 pmHey you DC, & NOVA girls, have any of you been to Sweet Green http://www.eatsweetgreen.com yet in Georgetown? Its AMAZING!!
Betsy
February 21, 2008 at 3:18 pmoh no!!! car trouble is the worst! My car once broke down when I was driving to school from Ohio to Connecticut at the beginning of the semester (i.e. had all my stuff in my car), and my cell phone died and the only thing i had to write with was an eyeliner pencil. It was awful!
But at least that bread looks amazing!
Marissa
February 21, 2008 at 3:25 pmRachel,
I’ve never heard of Sweet Green but the menu looks really, really good (especially the yogurt!!). I might have to make a trip up to Georgetown to try them out this weekend. Thanks for the info!
KLM
February 21, 2008 at 3:48 pmJenna,
So sorry about the car trouble! That is always such a pain, especially so late at night!
I have a question for everyone. I’ve heard a lot of different things about weight training. Some say that it’s better to use lighter weights and do more reps, while others say that doing fewer reps with heavier weights is more beneficial. What do you girls think/do? I’m not very strong, so 5 pounds is about all I can handle!
Becky in MD
February 21, 2008 at 3:49 pmRachel,
I have to agree with Marissa….looks delicious!
VeggieGirl
February 21, 2008 at 3:53 pm**Beth:
I like to check blogs first thing in the morning, before heading off to classes :0)
VeggieGirl
February 21, 2008 at 3:54 pm**Sam:
Here’s where I purchase jars of walnut-butter: http://futtersnutbutters.com/order.html
Rachel
February 21, 2008 at 3:55 pmDo go check it out, the frozen yogurt is my fav., its more tangy than sweet, its literally like freezing greek yogurt and I get it when blackberries, raspberries and almonds…hopefully you’ll love it too!
pinklilly
February 21, 2008 at 3:56 pmBeth,
I thought I’d respond to your question about keeping veggies fresh. I grocery shop once a week and keep my veggies seperately packed in Ziploc baggies to keep them fresh. They do a really good job in keeping them from going soggy or bad. Have you tried that?
I also noticed that VeggieGirl is always one of the first to post – both on this blog and on Kath’s. That’s too funny that you noticed that as well. I definitely don’t have the time to be sitting around my computer for that!
Have a happy day!
Phoebe
February 21, 2008 at 4:10 pmKLM — I really don’t know all so much about this but to try to answer your question, I think that lower weights/more reps are better for “toning” your muscles, but that if you are trying to BUILD MORE muscle or to literally get stronger, you have to do higher weights/fewer reps. The way muscle is created (i.e. getting stronger) is by tearing the muscle with hard effort (heavy weight), then it regrows bigger, and you have more muscle. Girls don’t really build lots of muscle unless you are like killing yourself with bodybuilding so building muscle will give you a toned look too. If you’re just looking to engage your muscles and not lose muscle tone probably the low weight/many reps is fine but if you are looking to change the way your muscles look or to get stronger or to look way more ripped or something you probably need to do harder weights. Personally I do a combination of the two. To try to build muscle I try to find a weight so hard that I almost can’t do it and then do like 12 reps, then hopefully I’ll get sore, which means more muscle is being formed. But, I don’t have any “official” knowledge on this, I’m just a college student who works out a lot.
Anne P
February 21, 2008 at 4:30 pmI’ve been wanting to try Sweet Green in Georgetown!! The only problem is I hear it’s more take-out ish since there isn’t really seating…??
Also I second the let’s try to organize something for next weekend in DC!
Anne P
February 21, 2008 at 4:34 pmAlso, Jenna, have you thought about doing advertisements on your site like Kath has done through Blogher? Being in school and on a tight budget, I’m sure you could use the extra money, and I think I speak for most of the people on this blog (correct me if I’m wrong!) that we would be totally cool with you getting paid something to do your blogging (something that you love and would do anyway for us all to enjoy!)! The Blogher ads seem really unobtrusive on Kath’s site. Just a thought!
Jess
February 21, 2008 at 4:49 pmJenna- SO sorry about your car trouble, that’s Such a bummer. I always freak out and get all girly when it comes to car trouble- immediately call my dad, haha.
Susan, I absolutely agree with LT, chop up the garlic and toss it all together! I usually roast veggies at about 425 for 15-20 minutes.
KLM- check out stumptuous.com- that’s where I was referred to when I asked someone at the gym a question about weight training (for women specifically) and it seems to have a lot of great info
hope everyone has a fantastic day (mine’s Super busy, alas- in a good way though!)
-jess;)
BethT
February 21, 2008 at 5:13 pmJenna, I tried your fave “chicken” salad recipe the other day, and it was GREAT – thanks for sharing!
I know you’re still eating fish, but have you ever experimented with mock tuna salad? This is a recipe I ADORE – try it if you like tuna salad!
* 1 (19 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and mashed
* 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
* 2 teaspoons spicy brown mustard (or any mustard really)
* 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish (or chopped dill pickles which I prefer)
* 2 green onions, chopped
* salt and pepper to taste
In a medium bowl, combine garbanzo beans, mayonnaise, mustard, relish, chopped green onions, salt and pepper. Mix well.
Stefanie
February 21, 2008 at 5:54 pmSorry to hear about the car trouble Jenna!
I can totally sympathize. I’ve been having car troubles myself lately. It stalls on me at random times. And the mechanic can’t find the problem. I just have to deal with it til the car breaks down entirely. Oh well!
Hopefully our luck with cars will improve soon. 🙂
Robin
February 21, 2008 at 6:00 pmThat bread looks SO good. I’m sure the locksmith and his family will LOVE it!
Cara
February 21, 2008 at 6:02 pmBoo I HATE car trouble!! Maybe it was the lunar eclipse last night. A lot of people told me that it makes a lot of people’s days all screwed up. Not sure if I believe it, but it makes it easy to blame something. haha.
Serena
February 21, 2008 at 6:04 pmI love the Orange Blossom luna tea cakes! They have fewer ingredients than the regular luna bars, so Romina, you might like them better than the bars.
JennS
February 21, 2008 at 6:07 pmJenna, or anyone… If i were to buy the “Skinny Bitch” books, which should i get the original or the “In the Kitch”?
ashley
February 21, 2008 at 6:37 pmHere’s a question for everyone:
I’m thinking seriousley about running in a marathon in June, it’s a 26.2 mile marathon, I was just wondering if anyone on here has ever ran in a marathon before and how long ahead of time they started training and if they had any tips?
Andrea
February 21, 2008 at 6:39 pmyou’re so sweet for giving him some bread!!! what a nice thing to do 🙂 and i just bought Veganomicon!!! SO excited to read it. (by the way, I am currently a college student on a meal plan and I love steamed/roasted veggies but i’m almost positive they’re cooked in butter or other animal products even though theyre in the vegetarian section of our dining hall. i feel like there are not a lot of options other than plain old salad for dinner… does anyone else have this problem/ideas?)
Betsy
February 21, 2008 at 6:44 pmAshley
I haven’t run a marathon, but I’m currently training for a half in April. I got my training plan from Runners World (www.runnersworld.com). They have TONS of great training plans for all different distances. And they have a really good forum for tips and advice. Take a look!
Lori- the pleasantly plump vegan
February 21, 2008 at 6:50 pmcar troubles suck big time. i hope everything else goes okay for you!
man, yr bread is gorgeous! i would love to be yr roommate (or locksmith : )
Meghan
February 21, 2008 at 6:54 pmAndrea –
I did the whole vegetarian thang last year because I had to eat in the dining hall and absolutely DID NOT trust that meat. My cafeteria had a pasta bar that had plain pasta, no butter or anything (I could tell because it was somewhat gummy and stuck together….) Anyways, I would get some of that, and then I’d get another plate and put some broccoli, mushrooms, onions and tomatoes and microwave them until they started to soften a little bit, then put the veggies on top of the pasta and sprinkle some cheddar cheese (also from the salad bar) on top. I also ate a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Also, cheese sandwiches (with tons of mustard and hot sauce!) were another one of my favorites. Hope this helps!
Andrea
February 21, 2008 at 6:59 pmthat definitely helped meghan- thanks so much! i need to be more creative i guess… i’m just afraid of how people might react when i’m being “fussy”… my friends love fried chicken and italian subs etc. and i might seem strange ordering specific things. i guess i need to just suck it up and do what i think is best for myself
Andrea
February 21, 2008 at 7:14 pmjenna,
i was just curious what your thoughts are about PETA?
and i know what you are going through with AAA – i had to call them last week when the passenger’s door wouldn’t shut on my explorer because something froze and blocked it!! grrrr
Marissa
February 21, 2008 at 7:21 pmAshley, last October I ran my first marathon that I started training for in May. The hardest part of a marathon is seriously the training, especially if you do it by yourself. Like Betsy said, Runner’s World is a great resource for info for beginners and in addition to RW, Jeff Galloway and Hal Higdon have some great plans. I did a Galloway training plan for mine. He uses the run/walk method that Jenna has talked about and it’s great for beginners.
I’m currently training for a half marathon in April and I’m using a Higdon plan for that. (Betsy, which one are you doing? Mine’s the Country Music 1/2.)
Training for a marathon is a big commitment but it’s such an awesome feeling when you finish! I’m hoping to do another one this fall!
Alex VA
February 21, 2008 at 7:27 pmRachel,
Sweetgreen is definitely on my list of places to try – I grew addicted to natural frozen yogurt while I lived in LA and so I was very happy to see there was a place in DC when I moved! (The JuiceZone on GW’s campus also has natural fro-yo.)
Ashley, I have run two marathons and am running my third at the end of March. You really should just Google training programs because you can get a lot of good advice that way… but generally, if it is your first marathon, you should train seriously for at least 4 months (keep in mind this means you should already have a good base by the time you begin this), do long runs once a week as these are the most important part, and make sure to have a two-week taper before the race because your body needs to build up its glycogen stores. The farthest distance that you run before the marathon normally varies (some people go up to 24, some stop at 18) – but for your first, I would say 22 is probably a good distance. Don’t do 26! But I think 18 is too little and you would be unprepared for that extra 8-mile leap on the big day. The first two marathons I did, I ran 22 before the event – but this time I will be doing at least one 24-mile run because my endurance threshold is much higher than it used to be.
You can get a lot of info from just Googling stuff (just make sure you look at reliable sources), but this is seriously one of my passions, so if you want to e-mail me (a.l.brazier@gmail.com), I would happy to espouse all of my wisdom (haha) or answer any other questions you might have.
Good luck!
Betsy
February 21, 2008 at 7:37 pmMarissa
Fortunately, I live in New York which has tons of races every year. They even have 6 half marathons each year! (1 in each borough and then 1 general New York Half). I’m doing my half in Brooklyn and it starts at Coney Island on the boardwalk (how fun!) and ends at Prospect Park. I can’t wait! After this, I’m going to think about a full marathon…but it’s almost definately in my future.
mags
February 21, 2008 at 7:42 pmashley,
i ran the chicago marathon this past october and it was such a great experience… i highly recommend it. i really enjoyed training and for sure started to miss my long weekend runs after training was over. i would definitely recommend following hal higdon’s training program. he has novice, intermediate, and advance level programs depending on where you are. his programs start 18 weeks out, but he offers a “novice supreme” program which is 30 weeks, if you need to develop a base before the 18 weeks of training. they’re all free and they’re so great! the website is halhigdon.com. he also has a book that i would recommend! i would love to answer any other questions you have!
Ashliqua
February 21, 2008 at 8:41 pmJennS,
Skinny Bitch is the original book, which discusses why things like coffee, cigarettes, sugar, soda (and yes, meat and dairy) are bad for you. Skinny Bitch in the Kitch just has recipes (with like a 1-2 page recap of Skinny Bitch in the beginning). So it depends what you’re looking for! Both are funny and great, IMO.
Hope that helps!
Ashley
Allyson
February 21, 2008 at 9:14 pmJenn S-
I think Ashley said it best. I am reading Skinny Bitch right now and its quite eye opening! Brace yourself haha. I def recommend it tho! Happy Reading!
Allyson 🙂
Serena
February 21, 2008 at 9:20 pmI used Hal Higdon to train for a marathon too and highly recommend those programs! For my second marathon I joined a local group to train with and that made such a difference, having people to run with! So many groups do long runs on the weekends and you can run with a group of people who run at your pace. The group motivation factor is invaluable, I think, kind of like this blog! I think a 16 week program is fine as long as you have some experience with running, and if you don’t, you can always do a run/walk program….
Rhodeygirl
February 21, 2008 at 9:59 pmwhere do you suggest looking for running groups? I live in R.I. and have had a hard time finding any running groups?
Sarah C
February 21, 2008 at 10:22 pmI have read both Skinny Bitch and Skinny Bitch in the Kitch. While I do think they did thorough research and make some very good points about animal products, caffeine, eating organic, etc. I think they are VERY extreme and personally don’t take everything they say completely to heart. For example, I don’t think it is a good idea to wait to eat until you are “famished” or “ravenous.” I also believe that too much deprivation or being too extreme sets people up for failure. While I am a meat eater (even though it broke my heart to read that section–and I didn’t eat meat for about 3 weeks after that) the book did open my eyes to free range/organic animal products, and I now steer clear of regular milk!
I do like their philosophy, “Use your head”–aka think for yourself!
What are ya’lls opinions on the book so far? I’m really interested in what everyone thinks about it, especially the caffeine section. I have read many conflicting articles on the positive/negative effects. I am a coffee addict! (real coffee, not mocha/frappa/caramel/ stuff 🙂 ) They seem to think it causes cellulite…probably something to consider!
BethT
February 21, 2008 at 10:34 pmHey Rhodeygirl – do you have a Fleet Feet Sports store anywhere near you? Or any running store for that matter….often, running stores will coordinate running groups.
Ashliqua
February 21, 2008 at 10:36 pmSarah C–I also like that they really drive home the idea of thinking for yourself. I have felt this way about food and eating (and lots of other things too!) for a long time. It makes sense not to take every little thing in the book to heart if you are following this philosophy! 🙂 I love the book–think it is very entertaining to read and personally it has changed my life.
All that said…the caffeine part was the hardest for me to understand. I love coffee too!! and have heard different things about its positive/negative effects. However, their final word on it in Skinny Bitch is “If you need it, give it up.” I think that like everything else, too much can be bad for you. I was at a point where not having coffee in the course of a day would give me a killer headache. Now I am at a point where I enjoy it but don’t *need* it. So that is how I am justifying it to myself :b
Also about the cellulite…it’s so interesting because alot products (creams/scrubs) that supposedly combat cellulite contain caffeine as an ingredient.
Kristin
February 21, 2008 at 11:50 pmHey Rhodeygirl- where in RI do you live? I’m here in lil’ Rhody too and I’m a runner!
Alex VA
February 22, 2008 at 1:15 amRhodeygirl,
If you go to active.com, you can search for running groups by area.
M.E.
February 22, 2008 at 1:29 amsweetgreen is delish! It’s definitely a casual place, for a more upscale meal I love Blue Duck Tavern
jenna
February 22, 2008 at 2:29 pmSusan,
My schedule is very odd and I don’t really know how I will work it all in when I have to work everyday from 10-4 then go to school at night. Right now I only am picking up random day shifts at work until the other girl leaves in a few weeks. Affter that I will work 4-5 days a week and, of course, have school every night. I havent figured out when I’ll be able to work out so I’m just playing it by ear. Now usually I wake up around 8:00 and then do stuff around the apartment for a while before going to the gym. I always let my breakfast digest about an hour before working out but that doesnt bother me because i’m always busy in that hour doing something! I’ll have to report back when I work everyday and see how my schedule will flow then!!