Good morning!
Thank you all so much for your birthday wishes yesterday! I ended up having a great day.
After breakfast, Eric told me to put on my spandex shorts. I could only assume that good things were going to follow!
He put my new gear on my bike…
Bike bag and tire pump are now on my bike:
The bike bag now contains a bike tube and a swiss-army type bike tool.
Eric revealed that he was taking me through our try-a-tri route! We have been meaning to go for a while now, but the rain from the past two weeks has prevented us.
The 2.5k run will be done on a trail, which we weren’t aware of. I love running on trails!
We saw the water where we will be doing the open-water swim! *GULP*
We both got nervous thinking about it and tried to imagine what 375 metres looked like.
*gulp, gulp*
Gorgeous.
After the trail ride, we had a picnic lunch that Eric packed earlier.
He took these pictures beforehand…
Our picnic lunch contained:
- 2 apples
- 2 Raw and GF Glo Bars
- Salsa + hummus
- Homemade trail mix (apricot, almonds, raisins)
- Chips
- Cashew butter and blueberry jam sandwich (to split)
Look what we saw!
We got home hours later and I had a minor incident with my sunglasses.
Eric surprised me with CSA half share at Plan B Organic farm! You might remember me gushing about it last year. I was really shocked because I thought he forgot that I even mentioned it. It begins on June 2nd and carries on through until October. The gift that keeps on giving!
I have wanted to support a local organic farmer for a long time now. This makes me very happy. :wub:
We will be picking up a box from the farm every Wednesday. They also have tours of the farm that we would like to go on. Eric said it ‘brings him out of his comfort zone’ because he knows I am going to be getting him to eat all kinds of weird veggies. :lol: True, dat!
As for the Vita-Mix— my new GF + Raw Glo Bars require the use of a blender and my current Kitchen aid blender doesn’t do the job very well. I am toying around with the idea of using some of my tax return money to get a new blender, but I haven’t decided when I am going to get one though. I also haven’t decided whether I want a Vita-mix or a Blend-tec…I hear great things about Blend-tecs too!
After lounging around outside for a bit longer, it was time to make dinner. We decided to cook together and make something very light and summery.
Quinoa Summer Salad
Ingredients:
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 English cuke
- 1 large tomato
- 6 green onions, chopped
- 4 tbsp dried cranberries
- Italian Seasonings
- Sea Salt and pepper
- Sweet and Tangy All-Purpose Dressing (we doubled it)
Directions: Rinse and cook quinoa according to package directions. Chop veggies. Mix together with dressing and serve. Serves 2.
It was fabbbbbulous and very easy.
I also had two brewskis!
In my next post, I will show you what we had for dessert. It left us with chocolate all over our hands and faces and sitting on the couch with our hands on our bellies.
Have a great start to your week!
My sunglasses always get caught in my hair…lol! Of course, I can’t wait to see dessert. ;)
Mmmm all of that looks tasty. Such a fun time, and I’m glad you had a lovely birthday! Trails are the best- they beat the pavement or the gym ANY day.
What a great birthday! Your husband is so sweet and all the gifts/activities he planned – it shows how he knows that you love your healthy lifestyle. It’s nice to see a birthday full of activities and healthy eats instead of going crazy with eating and drinking!
Wow, awesome! I envy you for having such a lovely husband… Being able to exercise together (AND have him pack such a delicious lunch for you) must be lovely indeed! I can feel the <3 emanating through the computer screen for him… Why doesn't Oh He Glows blog? :D
Looking forward to dessert! :) (And happy birthday again! I'm glad you had a wonderful day.)
Wei-Wei
Wow, sounds like such a wonderful day! And those goslings are ridiculously cute — I just love this time of year, when all the babies are out!
I love a nice picnic. Dining al fresco is best.
Yay for spring!
Sounds like a great day!
The Quinoa Summer Salad looks amazing!
A vegetable share, what a great gift!!!!!
I love how much planning Eric put into the day! My guy is sweet, but sooooo not a planner.
ANd thanks for sharing the sunglasses picture! Hilarious.
My parents got a Vita-Mix, yikes..over 15 years ago, and that sucker is STILL going strong! They have such a good product!
Also..thank you for introducing me to the green monster…I started stalking your site months ago and thought the idea was just terrible, but recently had my second baby and I’m really trying to start eating healthier (and trying to lose weight) and now I’m addicted to them!
Happy Birthday Doll!! It looks like you had a beautiful sunny day! Mmm this quinoa dish looks super tasty! I heart quinoa!
XXOO
The site of your tri is so beautiful. How lucky! I’d probably be a little scared of the swim though.
I’m so jealous you got a CSA share! I’d love to do something like that too but it’s such a large sum of money to have to pay up front that it won’t happen for a long time :/
Looks like the perfect day! Glad you had a lovely birthday. :D
so glad you had a happy birthday and i, too, would be so intimidated by the open swim. i also wanted to tell you that i made my first ever green monster (the newbie recipe) this morning and i am bursting at the seams with energy. i think i’ve found a new way to start my day! thanks!
Glad you like the GMs!
It sounds like you had a great birthday! You deserve nothing than the best:)
what a lovely birthday surprise! your hubby is such a sweetheart, and you seriously deserve the best birthday ever :) so glad y’all had such a wonderful time!
Looks like SUCH a fun birthday weekend! I’m late to the party, but happy, happy birthday!!! You see such beautiful scenery on your bike rides! I love it!
This birthday looks so reflective of you. What a thoughtful and sweet husband!
Happy Belated! My hubs and I are looking at getting a share at PlanB as well as their pickup location in Burlington is really close to us….can’t wait!
Happy Belated Birthday to you! I am glad you had such a wonderful day! It is so beautiful up there!
You will love your organic produce box…I LOVE LOVE LOVE ours and cannot miss a week (mine is not seasonal but year round. Everything is certified organic…but while some is local when in season here, not all is local so we can get all sorts of varieties, and things that don’t grow here that I like such as garlic, apples, lettuce, bananas, etc.) I have found the flavor to be so much better than even the organics in Publix and WF. I think because the distribution chain is so much shorter.
We have tried so many weird and interesting things..I have learned to get very creative. I know you will be writing about all sorts of interesting dishes!!! Plus it dramatically increases your veggie intake even more (you didn’t think that was possible did you!!) as you scramble to eat stuff before the next delivery!
now im even more excited!
Wow! What a great birthday!!! Enjoy your CSA box, we had one for a while and it was AWESOME! I was like a kid on Christmas when we got our bin!
What a great gift, love it!
As far as blenders: I have a VitaMix 5200 and love it (obviously!). BlendTecs are also great. I know several people who swear they’re better than VitaMixes. I also know that when the hubs and I both worked in food service in yonder years (me in a smoothie place, he in a shake place), both of our stores used BlendTecs. Sooo basically no matter what you go with, it’s a win win. :) (I also know from research that BlendTecs are cheaper, but VitaMixes have longer warranties.)
great tops thank you. I noticed that the BT’s are about $50 cheaper I think. But I didnt know VMs have a longer warranty. I agree that you really cant go wrong with either..
oops I meant great ‘tips’ ;)
Angela – a birthday well-spent! I have to agree that you are going to LOVE your CSA box. It is such a great way to really become an active part of your community. I just finished doing research on purchasing local/organic produce from major/large stores vs. directly from the farmer. I think your experience might just confirm my findings! I am really excited for you and I have no doubt that you will find many creative and exciting ways to bring out the best in your beautiful food. I can’t wait to see the results! Happy birthday again!
Ahh! That is an AMAZING surprise! My aunt gives me part of her CSA delivery and it’s aaaamaaazzziiiingggg!!
CSA is the BEST GIFT EVER! I am so jealous!!!
What a fun birthday! And you even got some gorgeous weather. :) Your husband seems like the perfect match for you – so sweet!
I’m excited to see how your CSA turns out! I noticed Jenna from Eat, Live, Run is doing something similar. I’m planting a garden this year, but it might be nice to receive some ‘surprises’ throughout the summer, too. Yay for veggies!
Get the Vita-Mix! We just bought it two weeks ago from costco in the states and its AMAZING! We use it twice a day! We saved about $150 by making the trip to costo in the states when they were doing the demo there.
Good luck :)
Aww, what a wonderful day!
And what a wonderful husband to plan such a great day :)
Now that’s my kind of birthday celebration. The great outdoors, good food, and local farm produce? Can it get much better? I want to steal your birthday for my own. :) Hope you had am AMAZING birthday!
Wow. What an excellent birthday. SO fun + unique. You look completely adorable with pigtail braids!! I’ve never used a blend tec but love love my vita-mix! ;) I also love using soup crocks for bowls!
Happy belated birthday!
Your day sounds so fabulous. And I love the CSA gift idea! I’ve been looking and hoping to find one that’s convenient for me to get to in the Toronto area but the only one I can find is a bit out of my single-household price range. :(
But who knows, maybe I can find someone to split! I love the idea of picking up a box of groceries every week from Ontario. :)
-Alison
Your hubby is so sweet! Happy belated birthday and it looks like you had a faboosh one!
What a great day! What a great gift your hubby gave you :D
xo
K
It sounds like you had a fantastic birthday!!!
Wow what an awesome bday! Those little geese are too cute and the landscaping is amazing!!
Can’t wait to read about that dessert!
What an awesome day!! Glad you had fun, birthday’s are the best!
I am toying with the vitamix idea too… soooooo much $$$$$$$$$$$$$ but everyone says they are totally worth it!!
Looks like a super fun day!
I just signed up for my 1/2 share CSA this weekend! I can’t wait to see what they put in the box. I’m loving the pics of your quinoa salad. Summer’s finally here!
What a special day!!Happy birthday,girl!!(well,belated):-)cc
The quinoa looks delicious!
LOL I stopped wearing frameless sunglasses for that very reason! It annoys me so much when they get stuck in my hair :-p What an awesome day. Love the CSA idea. I’d like to do that, too.
I got a vita-mix back in February and could seriously not live without it. LOVE IT!
The best deal though is when they come to Costco, it’s about $100 cheaper than buying it from the site… So far, I’ve seen them come by 2x since January but to different Costco locations in my area.. worth checking out if you’re going to vita-mix route!
Looks like you had a wonderful birthday!
LOL story of my LIFE WITH THE SUNGLASSES! that is hilarious!!
so glad you had a great bday-you deserved it girl!
Happy Late Birthday wishes – love the new header! I’ve been on vacay and have been sporadically hitting Google reader so clearly I missed a lot! Sounds like you have a fantastic day!
What a great sounding birthday! So fun!
What a fantabulous birthday celebration for you! All kinds of prizes and fun times!
I love the looks of that Quinoa summer salad, might have to try that for dinner tonight!
Guess what, I made my first batch of Jiffy Spelt Veggie patties and the hubby loved them. Woohoo!
Happy Belated Birthday! Mine is 5/15, so I celebrated this weekend too. Your husband is the sweetest with those great presents! A CSA share is about the best present I can think of, other than a VitaMix of course :)
Oh my gosh! I just bought a half share at an organic local farm this past week! Isn’t it exciting? The sold out on all shares and have a waiting list; it seems eating local and organic is getting more popular – woo hoo!
on a sad note, today I ate the last of my Adore bars – Boo! :(
Guess I gotta order more ;D
WOW! What a great birthday! Your hubby is awesome!