Okie Okra

For as long as I can remember, people have always told me things like "you're a bit of a control freak" or "you're too uptight" or if they're into euphemisms they might say "you just like things a certain way." However, in the past year or so I would say I have relaxed a lot. Between wedding planning, grad school and working a 70 hour week I have had to let go a little and I have to say, I like the new me. I have been trying really hard not to sweat the small stuff.

Today was one of those days when I had to just say okie dokie to several less than perfect happenings. Actually, I think at one point today I accidentally typed Okie Okra into my blackberry. My texting skills are not the greatest and apparently okra is very close to dokie. In terms of veggies, okra is in fact not my favorite, but as a phrase I kinda like it. Here are some of the things today I just said "okie okra" to:


1. My best friend Tia was supposed to come visit this weekend but she told me today she has to babysit her sister's hedgehog. WHAT? Story to come...


2. I walked to the local organic market to replenish some baking supplies but they didn't have the maple sugar I needed to make Eat, Drink and Be Vegan's peanut butter chocolate cookies. That leads me to...


3. I substituted for the maple sugar with agave nectar and thought parchment paper just wasn't that important. Turns out that it is. This resulted in a smokey apartment and burnt cookies.

But hey, the new and improved relaxed Beanz just says Okie Okra to all of this. Bring on the eats!

I woke up around 9:15 today (trying very hard to savor my last days of summer vacation before I go back for professional development next week). I enjoyed some Regis and Kelly and Rachael Ray while eating some delicious oatmeal. I know some people don't eat oatmeal in the summer because it is too hot, but thanks to the AC I'm still always freeeeeezing in our apartment. I welcome a little oatmeal on a summer morning.

Old fashioned rolled oats with rasberries and a huge scoop a Better'n Peanut Butter.

After a leisurely morning of morning tv and some thank you note writing, I finally made it out for a run. It was hot but it was good to get out of the apartment and get some sun. After returning home I enjoyed a lovely lunch which included a leftover remix.

Leftover brown rice mediterranean curry couscous with zucchini, curried cashews and golden raisins

I've recently become obsessed with hummus mixed with melted daiya mozzerella. I had it on the side with lunch along with some pear, carrott and cucumber "fries." Yummy!

For dinner I picked up some essentials at the Farmer's Market and then made a lemon-garlic pasta. My former college roomie and fellow Bachelorette fan joined me for dinner. She said she enjoyed the pasta but was not a fan of my charcoal cookies. Can you blame her? (see nasty pic below). We did enjoy some lovely chuck shaw white wine from Trader Joe's though : )

It is much easier to say Okie Okra to ruined cookies after two glasses of vino!

Eat, Drink and Be Vegan's Lemon-Garlic Pasta with green beans and Field Roast Grain Meat's vegan italian sausage




Nasty burned vegan cookies that almost set off the alarm. Oh well, Okie Okra!