Lazy Saturday morning in bed. Sunshine. Stretching. Fresh juice. Walk.
Sometimes the most simple weekend mornings are the most enjoyable! I only wished it lasted longer before all the work started.
This juice combo was fantastic! ! It included 1 golden beet, 3 medium carrots, 1” knob ginger, 1 lemon, and 1 grapefruit. So good.
For breakfast, we were going to make pancakes, but time was ticking away and we had a lot of yard work to do so we opted for a quick breakfast. I enjoyed some Morning Glow Vegan Overnight Oats. These photos were from last summer, but I basically had the same ingredients in my bowl today.
This time I crumbled half of a Berry Bliss Oat Square on top with a spoonful of Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter with Hemp, flax, and chia seeds. Delish and filling!
We continued our morning with a walk to catch some rays. It was beautiful out today.
And then our ‘Work-end’ began! Eric removed a big dead bush from the side of the deck and he also started ripping the top layer of the deck off.
The boards were so rotted they came out fairly easy!
I’m so happy to have a home reno that is OUTDOORS! I don’t have to worry about all that dust! It is such a nice change and a lot less stressful.
While Eric was tending to the deck, I was busy raking the dead leaves. No matter how many times we rake leaves in the Fall, there are always a ton of leaves to rake come Spring due to the forest. The leaves are never ending. I also picked up a lot of branches off the grass.
When we bought the house we were warned about how much work 2 acres of land would be and we didn’t really realize it until we had to take care of it. It is a ridiculous amount of work for just two people!
I raked the leaves out of the flower bed that lines the back of the yard. I saw a bunch of tulips sprouting! Now that they aren’t smothered in leaves maybe they will grow faster. :)
Lunch break!
I had two slices of Food for Life Ezekiel bread (toasted), lots of hummus + salsa spread on, and Buckwheat Tabbouleh on top. Veggies and hummus on the side.
We’re in love with the Buckwheat Tabbouleh! It is almost gone and I’m very sad.
For dessert- a 5 Ingredient No Bake Vegan Date Square. Oh me oh my, these are killer.
After lunch I stretched my back and then it was time to get back out there again.
The great thing about having woods in the backyard? You don’t have to bag the leaves!
After about 6 hours of yard work, my sciatic nerve was not happy with me! I will have to do lots of stretching and soaking today. I’m hoping to get in for massage therapy early this week for some relief because it doesn’t seem to be improving. I’m also toying with the idea of seeing a chiropractor, but to be honest I’m a bit scared at the thought of back adjustments! It makes me cringe with fear just thinking about it.
By the way, Eric’s reaction to my April Fools Salty Cookies was nothing short of amazing.
He called me just before lunch yesterday and our convo went a little something like this…
Eric: ‘Hey…’
Me: ‘Hey, what’s up?’
‘Not much….Hey, I was just wondering…you know those cookies that were on the counter this morning…?’
‘Yes’
‘Were those for me….?’
‘Yup, I left them out for you to bring to work. Did you see them?’
‘I took them into work with me and just tried one now. I was starving and the guys didn’t want to go to lunch until 1:30pm. I was so happy because I remembered that I had cookies in my bag…’
[I felt so guilty when he said that!!]
‘What did you think?’
[Said very nervously] ‘I’m not trying to be mean about it, but they were honestly the worst cookies I have ever tasted…They were super salty and I had to spit them out…’
‘REALLY? I loved them! They were in the freezer for 5 months or so, but I didn’t think they would taste bad after thawing.’
‘I think they went bad in the freezer. I wondered if the cookies were intended for the garbage instead of for me to take to work.’
[me biting my hand so I didn’t BURST out laughing] ‘Oh no, I’m sorry.’
‘It’s OK….Did you put those cookies on your blog by chance….?’
‘Yea I did a while back!’
‘I hope no one made them…’
HAHA! Shortly after that I confessed that it was a prank and he was a good sport and laughed about it. He was also relieved to find out I didn’t post that recipe on the blog!!
Then he told me to watch my back…uh oh!
{ 120 comments… read them below or add one }
MAN does that bowl of oats look hearty and delicious. Reminds me of something I’d like to eat during camping.
Love the convo about the April Fools prank! That is hilarious. I definitely got some odd looks when I started laughing out loud as I read this in the coffee shop! :P
hahaha!! thanks for relaying the conversation about the april fool’s cookies, angela! i was laughing along as i read through…so fun that eric was a good sport. i still think your prank was one of the best april fool’s jokes i saw this year!
yes, do try chiro…i was hesitant, too, but it’s really amazing the difference a few adjustments make. can you get a personal recommendation from someone you trust? you do want to avoid seeing a “quack!”
good work with your yard! that’s a lot of ground to take care of!
I second the comments on a chiropractor. I friend had sciatica which her GP could not treat and a few adjustments at the Chiropractor College in Toronto fixed her up. I unfortunately dealt with a quack years ago, only lightened my wallet. I would try a RMT first and see if that works. Massages are great.
Haha, I laughed out loud when I read Erics reaction. So evil, but so funny!!
I bet 2 acres is a ton of work! Is it mostly grass or is some of it forest? We live on almost an acre here in BC and it is just crazy. We have about 1/4 of an acre that we just ignore and I think our neighbors hate us for it, but we just can’t do it. It takes my hubby a few hours just to mow the lawn(which sucks when you do it every couple of days), plus we have fruit and nut trees and a veggie garden and a flower garden on the side of the house and we can’t keep up. I feel bad but we do the best we can :(
Your deck is going to look so good! How exciting… I love renos like that!
I was curious to see Eric’s reaction! You got him good!
Some chiropractors are gentler than others. If you can get a recommendation from a friend for a trusted one, that might help you relax a bit. I have heard sciatic pain is the worst! Hope you feel better soon.
Glad Eric survived the salty cookie incident. LOL
Taking care of 2 acres for 2 people….yes! When it’s 2 acres that needs to be shoveled, mowed, trimmed, and tended to…yes! It’s not like desert 2 acres where you just let the cactus grow and the rocks collect dust. Your hair in the pic, btw, looks awesome! The color is beautiful and it’s so HEALTHY! Everything comes back to hair for me :)
The date squares still get me every time. Awesome looking.
Enjoy your workend, or weekend, and dont work too hard :)
I liked your April Fool’s joke! He was so nice that he cared about your readers. And that he blamed the freezer and not you.
I always admire your home renovation projects!
That’s hilarious that he thought they were serious! I’m excited to see how your deck turns out though. Should be gorgeous! Good luck!
oh you are GOOD, I’m laughing so hard and I kind of want to tell Brad but then I would ruin my chance at playing the same trick on him!
And – I like golden beets in juice rather than red ones, better for clean up, I’m messy when I juice
i love that salty cookie prank, classic!
i love how you don’t have any snow. i’m jealous! we still have snow in Sask, but it is melting pretty good. but lots of flooding :S
Your prank was perfect!! I was laughing out loud at the conversation. :-)
Wow that is a ton of work–but you’re right, outside work is better than inside work!
hahahaha I literally laughed out loud in the library when I read this post. you sneaky devil! I tried a prank on my boyfriend but it backfired & he just got mad at me lol (not mad that I pranked him, but mad because my prank was that one of my friends got arrested & he said something really mean about my friend, which made me mad & then he got mad back, good grief!)
Hahaha, love the April fools joke, so simple + effective.
I do not envy you the yard work, but I do envy the yard! And I totally want to make date squares, too bad I have no food processor. :(
Oh no poor Eric! Haha! I would have felt guilty too. Good job on the prank follow-through tho! :)
LOLing at your conversation replay!
Yard work is such a fun workout, no membership required! :)
LOL @ the cookie prank. That’s cute. He was sweet about it!
Poor Eric! He must have been so worried!!!
This juice sounds so good! I just bought a juicer and can’t get enough ;).
Do golden beets taste like red beets?
That smoothie looks deelish! Do you put the beets in raw, or did you cook them first (and cool them down)? I just got my vitamix on Wednesday and have made green monsters each morning this week! They’re great, thank you! :)
Looks like you’ve had a good day thus far, other than nasty yard work and household tasks :) I will have to try those date squares- they look amazing
You should try a chiropractor! I love going -it feels so good!
Oh my gosh, his reaction just goes to show how sweet his is!! :) hehe
Pretty funny, I would have had a hard not laughing too!!! Good one!
You too are too funny! :P Also that juice looks so vibrant and delicious, I have to get back into juicing…
Loved the conversation about the cookies and I’m drooling over those oats! :) As far as going to a chiro….don’t be afraid. I know it can be a bit unnervy but they really do wonders. I go to one on a regular basis and don’t ever really have the sciatic problems I used to. I hope you can find a good one because I know they are all not the same :( Hope you mend quickly! :)
hehehe, I was also waiting to see what happened with the whole salty cookie thing! Glad it worked out :)
Also, as much I’m sure 2 acres is a lot of land to take care, I’m totally jealous of how gorgeous your place is (both inside and outside)! We moved into Ottawa about a year ago and we’re having to make do with our tiny little chicken scratch of a yard :)
Only you can look like you’re glowing while raking dead leaves. Seriously, how do you do it? I look like a mess when I’m doing handy work… :P
Good luck with the renovations!
OMG that is so funny! I love how sweet but honest he was about it :) Also, I loved seeing your breakfast and lunch! What a fun way to eat the tabbouleh! i love the sound of that nut butter, too! fantastic!
Aww you too are soo cute :). All these juicing pics have me itching to bust out my juicer!
Love the prank you played on Eric – so funny!
I love open faced hummus sandwiches – they are my favorite lunches!
And… don’t be afraid of the chiropractor. Honestly, I am so glad I go to one. Your life will be changed.
I’ve been a blog-stalker of yours for a bit – love it. And your recipes. What finally prompted me to post was your Sciatic nerve pain. Does it go down the back of your leg to the outside and bottom of your foot? I have a million questions for you about it, I would see a physical therapist if I were you.
That juice looked so fantastic! It was a great day today, so nice to see the sun again. I was terrified of the chiropractor the first time I saw one, but after some research, I would say that if your nervous, don’t let them adjust you neck, but just you back.
Angela,
YOU are my inspiration!
I love Eric’s response about the cookies! What a nice man — he tried to break it to your gently and he’s looking out for us readers :)
We live in a townhome and we pay an association fee every month which covers landscaping and raking, lawn mowing, et. For the most part I love that I don’t have to do it, but I do miss having that reason to spend time outdoors.
HAHA that is quite an amazing response. :) :D
I wish our yard was looking like yours… we still have snow on the ground, although it is melting nicely… i don’t think i’ll see tulips for a little while!
You should try seeing a physiotherapist they can treat your symptoms as well as any chiropractor and offer a lot of other treatments, besides adjusting! Good luck and hope you feel better soon.
That breakfast looks so amazing!!! YUM!!! I will have to make that for sure! It’s all of my fave ingredients!!!
The salty cookie joke literally had me laughing out loud…but I felt bad for him at the same time!!! LOL
Haha that is to funny about the prank!!! I had no idea you had so much land….2 acres is a ton for two people! Your lunch looks delicious btw….I love incorporating leftovers in unique ways the next day!
Salty cookies? Hahahahahaha! Love, love, love it! What an honest guy. You two are way too cute. SO glad you married him Angie! :)
HAHAHA! That’s hilarious about the prank. What a good one! I love it when pranks are completely harmless and fun-loving. :)
Wow, you certainly made some great headway on the deck! Such a great project and I’m so excited to see how it all turns out. My family owns 75 acres of land (mostly woods but a lot of yard) and it was crazy to upkeep, but my family loves it. It is truly wonderful to have the real outdoors right in your backyard, regardless of the extra work!
Oh boy! Was it funny! I love how careful he was in telling you that he didn’t like them. My husband is overly sweet like that as well – I have to read it in his face when he doesn’t like something I make.