Wednesday, July 31, 2013

WW: Avocado Toast

a favorite recipe. 

I must admit: the kitchen and I haven't really been friends lately. Making something just to take pictures to then recount all the minute details of creating said thing just wasn't going to happen.

But this. This is a staple that I couldn't live without. That's why I'm bestowing the GENIUS to you.

Behold...


MIND BLOWN. amiright??

I mean, who could be so clever? And how could they be so kind to share? I'm a giving soul with an IQ of approximately 225. Clearly. That's all there is to it.

The deets:

- Toast some heavy duty whole grain bread. I love Ezekial sprouted grain.
- Slap on some heavenly vegenaise (the delicious vegan alternative to mayo.)
- Slice up some avocado and spread it on nice and thick.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then voila! Party in your watering mouth.

What makes this a true staple is all the variations I love to make with it. You can try:

+ hummus
+ chickpeas
+ chives and lemon juice
+ thinly sliced radish
+ tempeh bacon
+ any and all topped with ketchup!

The choices are endless. Just throw whatever yummy-looking fridge food on top and you've got yourself a nutritious little dish.


Make sure to check out other delicious dishes over at Alissa's for Whatever Wednesday. 
(And give Shay a peek too!)


There's a Mensa meeting calling my name... 


LIVE THE MURRAYED LIFE

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

WW: Talk About the Toilet Paper

WW

They did it again. Got me to sit down and write when I am so clearly in an accidental boycott of the entire blogging world. It's what happens on vacation, and sadly I take super long vacations.

They = Shay and Alissa
Today's Topic = Girl Code. 

I can admit that I'd never, ever, ever thought about this before. When I read it on Sunday I had all sorts of plans to be too busy today washing my hair. But then in stepped fate. And when I say fate, I mean a drunken burnt woman in Ocean City.

There we were in a hotel bathroom (a hotel that also happens to have a skating rink in the center that holds an enticing 70s throwback show every night at 6:30 for free) wiping off the salt and sand with some baby wipes when she makes her off-balance entrance. We gifted her with a wipe, listened to her thoroughly enjoy said wipe and the idea of having them at the beach, and parted ways. She peed and walked out proclaiming (I guess to us, passive aggressively?...):

"Isn't it GIRL CODE or somethin' to ALWAYS let the next girl know there ain't NO toilet paper?"

When a wise older woman pointed out that "yeah, sure, but do you want them to WAIT on the next person?" I would normally have silently tipped my hat. But at this moment I was simply too bowled over by those two magic words.

GIRL. CODE. 

And just like that, my hair got washed on Tuesday.

LIVE THE MURRAYED LIFE

Friday, July 5, 2013

Wanderlust: Fulfilled

Sometimes things don't go as planned. And when that happens, life can look like it just rolled in a whole big bucket of beyond gross brown muck. My sweet, little life did that a few weeks ago. Leapt into that slop and had a jolly old time flip-flopping around, leaving me more than a little bereft afterwards.

The good news? When life gets dirty, it then begs to get clean. To suds up, rinse off, and look a little bit brighter. And what I've learned in the past few weeks is what wonderful polishers good friends can be.

A trip cancelled led to a trip made. Within three days of texting and talking to my friend Allie, I was heading to the airport to join her in Vermont. And when I say I was heading, let me clarify that it was me solo. Sans tag-along. Without child. A girl's trip at its finest was created thanks to grandparents holding down the toddler fort (or adding a toddler to their Baltimore fort as it happened). I caught the tail-end of the Wanderlust festival in a lovely ski resort, did more cardio than I've done in the past two years put together as I crawled hiked up a mountain, and then headed to Burlington, VT.

And friends. Burlington is where it's at. And when I say it's, I mean the most amazing vegan chinese food you will ever come across. And the most amazing view of the non-great Lake Champlain that I kept declaring was my first Great Lake experience ever (apparently I'm still a Great Lake virgin guys, just found out tonight... whooops!). And the most amazing little shopping street that's hip and granola and charming all at once.

The weekend may or may not have included me taking and PASSING a sailing test to sail on the non-great lake, followed by a bit of a celebration and no actual sailing. It most certainly included a hunt for Heady Topper, only (you know, by ratings) the best beer in the world. And it hands down was exactly what I needed my first baby-less getaway to be. I love the girl that brought me there to pieces and hope we can have more adventures to come. Thanks for being there Al. You're pure sunshine.

















LIVE THE MURRAYED LIFE

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

When America Roared

Whatever.
It's Wednesday.
I haven't written in about two weeks. 
I'm sitting in Baltimore enjoying the rain and wondering what in the world my day will hold.
What's new?

Today's topic is what decade we would live in if we could choose. 
Easy. 

{source}
The 1920s. 
Even though I kind of hate the clothes and the hair and the fact that women were often still treated like poo.

The 20s hold an extravagance, a fun, a freedom that draws me in every time. 

I want to be a woman taking control of my life: moving to the city, working in an office, going out to dance to some jazz. 
I want to be rich and laissez faire and waste my days away. 
I want to enjoy the musical theater and get excited to take a train to the Big Apple. 
I want to vacation at the beach with my huge sunporch where the parties overflow and in later years kids all sleep with the curtains blowing in the breeze on our wall of windows. 

And when I got sick of the parties??
I'd just hop on a ship and befriend Lady Mary over at Downton Abbey.

Problem solved.

What about you?? Where would your time machine lead?

And don't forget to go check out some other responses at Graceless Lady!

WW
LIVE THE MURRAYED LIFE