Big salads rule!
I love making salads in my huge Tupperware container. :)
The Big Salad:
- 1 heart organic romaine
- 1 cup chickpea stir fry (with zucchini, carrots, celery, sesame seeds)
- Vitality Sprouts (see below)
- 4-5 T salsa
- 1/2 red pepper
- EVOO + Red wine vinegar (dressing)
- Ground black pepper
- handful sunflower seeds
Nothing is better than a big salad!
The Vitality Sprouts from Whole Foods:
It dawned on me after I bought these that I could probably MAKE sprouts on my own…fairly easily? Anyone know how? :) What a fun little science experiment that would be.
Dessert: Organic dark chocolate chips x 2…or 3…
I am obsessed with chocolate lately. And Adore bars. Lock me up and throw away the key!
Valentine’s Day: Who Is It For?
Eric and I got into a discussion on Sunday about Valentine’s Day.
It is no secret that…
1) I love Valentine’s Day. I’m a huge romantic and I start thinking about it in early January!
2) Eric does not like Valentine’s Day and thinks it is a commercial holiday (I pout my lip when he says this!).
I agree about it being a commercial holiday, however I still love the fact that it is a day to devote entirely to your loved one. So many holidays are commercial now, but that doesn’t mean I can’t look forward to it anyways.
When I was single I would use the day as an excuse to spoil myself rotten. One single year I sent myself flowers and I smiled all week. It is all in the perspective.
Eric claims that Valentine’s Day is for women. In other words, men just kind of go along with the motions of the gifts, roses, etc., but they don’t really anticipate it as much as women do. Eric’s male coworkers are his reference group for his scientific survey. ;)
While he does enjoy Valentine’s Day, he thinks that we could celebrate our love on any day we wanted to. He is a person who likes to do things on his own terms and not feel outside pressure to do something. One rule we have is that I told him not to buy me flowers on V-Day. He did a couple times and I found out the price and we agreed to buy them when they were 1/4 the price (and in good shape!).
So the question remains…Is Valentine’s Day for women, men (let’s be real, they get something out of it too!), or both? How do you feel about it? If you are attached, how does your partner feel about it (honestly)?
I have found men who didn’t know how to kiss.
I’ve always found time to teach them.
~ by Mae West ~
I am not a fan of vday…but i think that comes from working in a chocolate store for years. you come to hate people who are so insanely rude when they’re screaming at your for prettier looking chocolate covered strawberries. it makes the holiday not-so-happy/fun!
i do like my chocolate though…too bad i have no boy now to spoil me with such things. although, when i don’t have a significant other to spoil myself, i make sure to send cards/stuff to my now widowed grandma! she always appreciates the little things, even if i’m 3000 miles away.
i think its more for women but my husband enjoys getting little gifts and special things too. why not have a day to celebrate love, commercial or not?
Making sprouts is sooo easy (and inexpensive)! All you need is a big mason jar, some cheese cloth, and whichever seeds you want to sprout. Alfalfa is always good, but I just tried green lentil sprouts and they are really tasty and full of protein.
I’m going to do a sprouting blog post soon if you want any tips :)
I LOVE Valentine’s Day! And my husband likes it too – good man. :) I love all the decorations, the emphasis on love, and the dark chocolate. :)
I’m pretty into any Holiday, just because I’m cheesy and like to celebrate stuff. Me and my bf used to alternate years and we had to surprise each other with a celebration. But this year we’re really buckling down with our budget so we figure we’ll just hang out at home together this year.
I have an interesting situation on Valentine’s day….it is also my husband’s birthday (this year being the big 40!!). So, I like to look at it more for celebrating his birthday, than making a to-do over Valentine’s day. He and I are both in agreement (with Eric) that we can celebrate each other any day we want and don’t like the whole Sweetest Day, Valentine’s Day, etc. commercialism (and this also extends to the craziness of Christmas, too, so it isn’t restricted to the “love” holidays for us). I don’t want anything to take away from his birthday, but he still wants to do a little something for me for Valentine’s day. He knows not to get me flowers, tho, as we agree with both of you that the cost is too high! Not to mention, I love flowers other than roses and we can buy bouquets of them at any grocery store throughout the year for way less than florists. This year, as I said is my honey’s 40th birthday, we are going to try out an Indian restaurant to which we have a gift certificate. I am also planning to make breakfast for him…a new recipe for a sweet, spinach pancake from CarrotsnCake!!! And we would love to go ice skating at a local waterpark, if the weather permits. We have also started date nites this year…January was a cheese sampling at home with 5 or 6 cheeses, 2 types of crackers and a baguette, along with 2 wines. February is a trip to see some visiting Tibetan monks and on to a local microbrewery for some eats and beer sampling. March will be a small, intimate Spanish guitar and jazz concert at a historical theatre nearby. (I decided that in 2010 I wanted to do lots of “firsts” ~ dedicated date nites, cheese sampling, an Indian restaurant, the microbrewery, experiencing Tibetan monks, the historical theatre/opera house are what we have so far.) It has been VERY fun coming up with the date nite activities and it is fun looking forward to the actual date!!!
i’m admittedly a fan of valentines day – i think it’s a fun holiday to show people you care about them…the chocolate candy is only an added benefit ;) yes, it’s been commercialized, but you could say the same thing about every other holiday there is, and i think people always enjoy getting something personal in the mail, especially when it’s from a close friend or loved one.
i will also admit that a few years ago [when my bf was down in philly and i was in nyc] that i did laundry on valentines day, and it was the perfect night to do it since no one else was ;)
I LOVE big salads like that! Keeps your mouth guessing and so they’re such a healthy AND satisfying meal :). I love Valentines Day when I’m single and when I’m taken. With so much negativity in this world I think it’s wonderful to have a day all about celebrating LOVE!
I’m like Eric, I don’t really care for V-Day because it is so commercial. I feel like getting chocolates or flowers is more meaningful on a random day just because he’s thinking of you instead of V-Day because there is a society imposed obligation to do so.
That being said, the boy and I are going out to a nice dinner and getting dressed up but it is mostly for our monthly date night. We aren’t exchanging gifts at all though. Just splurging on a bottle of wine at the restaurant instead.
I think it’s in men’s genetic code to think Valentine’s day is a commercial holiday! My boyfriend is exactly the same. However, this year we are taking advantage of the Family Day Holiday in Canada (on the 15th) and taking a long weekend together!
I’ll pretend that it’s for a romantic Valentine’s day getaway and he’ll pretend that it’s a getaway to take advantage of the long weekend :o) Both happy.
A big salad is my most favorite lunch. I put any and all veggies in it. SO good!
I’ve never been a huge Valentine’s Day fan, though my husband takes it seriously. I hate that there’s nothing you can get a man that’s comparable to flowers and chocolate. I definitely agree that it’s mostly about the woman.
I love Valentine’s Day. But really, I love any holiday. it’s just fun for a day to be a little bit different. We dont’ do much to celebrate (we’re in money saving mode), but I”ll probably make some sort of chocolate dessert, and we might go out to brunch after church. Really, it’s just fun to have a holiday!
I used to love V-Day. I too am a huge romantic!
But my husband, like Eric, hates it because it’s just another commercial holiday….Plus he’s from Argentina, where they really don’t celebrate V-Day.
We celebrated it the first few years of being together, but it was mostly one-sided (me!), and when he did do something, I knew it was because I practically guilted him into it!
This year–I’m giving up V-day completely, and I finally feel ok about that!
(Don’t get me wrong–my husband is an amazing, loving, sweet man!)
You just reminded me how much I love chickpeas on my salad–haven’t had that in a while.
About V day, my hubby’s line of thinking is the same as yours:( however, since the anniversary of the day we met is two days before, he has to celebrate a little along the romantic lines. But basically we just treat ourselves to a nice dinner somewhere.
My boyfriend thinks valentines day is “a day of love and for the woman in the relationship” I on the other hand do agree that it is a day of love but I wish guys would be more included in it… i finally talked my boy into letting me get something for him without him feeling guilty. He went all out and got me something from Tifany’s (he let that slip lol) and is paying for dinner but i’m just going to write a love letter and buy some ‘fun’ things for us… I just think it should be about LOVE and not really about the gifts (the gifts are a nice plus tho ;))
MMmmm chocolate. I think I’m on a permanant chocolate kick. In my opinion Valentine’s Day is mainly for girls as far as gifts, flowers, mushy lovey dovey stuff goes. However, you’re right – guys get something out of it too – if you know what I mean ;) hahaha
we don’t really care either way, but definitely take some time on valentine’s day to just love eachother. not that we don’t do that every day, but it’s a little more intentional on Valentine’s Day. we also see it as an excuse to eat really great food, too :)
We usually recognize Valentine’s Day with a special dinner and small gifts, but we don’t make a huge deal out of it. This year, though, Dan bought me a plane ticket to go visit him in New York over the weekend as my Valentine’s Day gift! Since we’re living in different parts of the country until June, this is the best V-Day gift ever! :)
I have never really cared one way or another about Valentines day. But my husband is quite into it, which is adorable. He even puts one of those greeting ads in the newspaper every year! Who does that? :-D
Well, my husband goes through this dilemma every year. Why? Because my birthday is the day before so to him, it is double whammy to his wallet. I remember when we were first dating he got a dozen roses. He thought he would be “smart” and give me 6 on on my bday and the other 6 on Valentine’s Day. Let’s just say that was the first & last time he did it.
Anywhoo, now that we are an old married couple ;-), we really do not go all out. We get each other a card, a small gift and usually have dinner at home. I don’t like getting roses or chocolate on V Day b/c I can get those any other day of the year for so much cheaper. I don’t like going out b/c it is sooo crowded and overpriced. Also, why overcharge people for the same food you serve. I do think it is a hallmark holiday as we call it here. I prefer to enjoy our anniversary to remember our commitment to our marriage and love.
I think this day is for those who are dating or just in a new relationship.
My dad would get us kids (I am the oldest of three) Valentine’s Day cards and I remember that like yesterday. I continue the tradition by sending him a card every year.