I can't get no satisfaction
I'm feeling much better from this weekend's debauchery. Jade had a 3 day bender, I honestly have no frickin' clue how people do that. Her Scotty kept pushing me to come out again Saturday night - yeah right..
Another pretty mellow day yesterday, I weeded the veggie garden, watered all the gardens and plants, picked up a few groceries and made dinner. Had our usual Catan night, all in all it was lovely. Maclean came home from the woods and I was actually happy to see him - funny what a few days absence does for desire.
Talked to Jaimes out in the middle of the Okanagan. Jesse and Louella are loving it out there, but I think she's going to take more convincing. She's a city girl, and never planned on having kids, and now here she is, living in a trailer with her mother, daughter and partner in a tiny tiny town. I guess you just keep on keeping on, which is exactly what she does, and without any complaint. She stands by her choices and does her best to both enjoy where she is now while working towards a better future. Easier said than done, me thinks, but she's a great role model for me. I miss her.
I do have other friends here in Calgary, a few anyway, but I realized the other day that the only people I hang out with are my partner and my sisters. I'm not entirely complaining (I'm super stoked both my lovely sisters live close to me), but I do miss being more social. There's a handful of girls in town I enjoy spending time with, although I'm not really close with any of them. But it seems like I'm the one who always sends the "Do you wanna hang out?" message, and 98.5% of the time it never ends up happening. People are busy, I get that, but come on, I'm lonely!!!
And really dissatisfied with myself and my life. Working at Ceili's has reminded me why I hate serving. It's also made me feel like I'm never going to be any better than all the 21 year old girls I work with. I'm most certainly not 21 any more, I'm quite happy to not be 21 any more, and I was never that ridiculous even when I was 21. Don't get me wrong, most of them are rather sweet and can be fun, but the lifestyle is soooooooo not for me. I don't want to serve any more, I'm tired of working crappy jobs just to make ends meet (I actually didn't even have enough to pay rent this month, which is entirely pathetic). But what the hell else am I going to do?!
I have a crapload of spare time on my hands, but instead of using it in any productive form I often find myself in the evening wondering what the hell it was I did all day. Like I said, pathetic.
I'm going to stop here, before I get really whiney.
Raw Kale Confetti Salad with Toasted Sunflower Seeds
2 bunches kale (about 4 heaping cups chopped)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1/2 avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped
3 Tbsp finely chopped red onion
3 Tbsp finely chopped red bell pepper
1 small carrot, grated
3 Tbsp toasted sunflower seeds
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp lime juice
Remove stalks from kale and discard. Chop leaves into small pieces and place in mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and, using your fingers, gently massage oil into leaves. Sprinkle with sea salt and ginger, add avocado and continue massaging until leaves are evenly coated. Set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.
Add onion, red pepper, carrot and sunflower seeds, and toss. Drizzle lemon and lime juice over salad, massage juices into leaves and toss to distribute ingredients evenly. Season to taste with salt, massage one last time, and serve.
Couscous and Vegetable Salad with Orange and Garlic
1 1/2 cups couscous
1/2 cup raisins
1 tsp turmeric
2 cups boiling water
2/3 cup sliced almonds
2 cups chick peas or 1 15oz. can, rinsed and drained
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 medium tomatoes, halved, seeded and diced
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
grated rind of one orange
2 Tbsp minced fresh basil, or 2 tsp dried
1/2 tsp salt
black pepper to taste
Place couscous, raisins and turmeric in a large bowl, then pour boiling water over and stir well. Cover with foil or plate and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork, cover again and let sit 10 minutes longer.
Stir in almonds, chick peas, green onions and tomatoes.
Combine lemon juice, oil, garlic, orange rind, basil, salt and pepper and beat to blend. Pour over couscous mixture and toss. Cover and chill for 30 minutes to 24 hours.
* I used cold pressed flax and hemp oils instead of olive oil in both recipes
* In the couscous I let everyone sprinkle their own almonds on top, because I find nuts get soggy in leftovers
* I put the dressing ingredients in a jar with a lid and shook it up to mix - always a good, simple trick.
Another pretty mellow day yesterday, I weeded the veggie garden, watered all the gardens and plants, picked up a few groceries and made dinner. Had our usual Catan night, all in all it was lovely. Maclean came home from the woods and I was actually happy to see him - funny what a few days absence does for desire.
Talked to Jaimes out in the middle of the Okanagan. Jesse and Louella are loving it out there, but I think she's going to take more convincing. She's a city girl, and never planned on having kids, and now here she is, living in a trailer with her mother, daughter and partner in a tiny tiny town. I guess you just keep on keeping on, which is exactly what she does, and without any complaint. She stands by her choices and does her best to both enjoy where she is now while working towards a better future. Easier said than done, me thinks, but she's a great role model for me. I miss her.
I do have other friends here in Calgary, a few anyway, but I realized the other day that the only people I hang out with are my partner and my sisters. I'm not entirely complaining (I'm super stoked both my lovely sisters live close to me), but I do miss being more social. There's a handful of girls in town I enjoy spending time with, although I'm not really close with any of them. But it seems like I'm the one who always sends the "Do you wanna hang out?" message, and 98.5% of the time it never ends up happening. People are busy, I get that, but come on, I'm lonely!!!
And really dissatisfied with myself and my life. Working at Ceili's has reminded me why I hate serving. It's also made me feel like I'm never going to be any better than all the 21 year old girls I work with. I'm most certainly not 21 any more, I'm quite happy to not be 21 any more, and I was never that ridiculous even when I was 21. Don't get me wrong, most of them are rather sweet and can be fun, but the lifestyle is soooooooo not for me. I don't want to serve any more, I'm tired of working crappy jobs just to make ends meet (I actually didn't even have enough to pay rent this month, which is entirely pathetic). But what the hell else am I going to do?!
I have a crapload of spare time on my hands, but instead of using it in any productive form I often find myself in the evening wondering what the hell it was I did all day. Like I said, pathetic.
I'm going to stop here, before I get really whiney.
Raw Kale Confetti Salad with Toasted Sunflower Seeds
2 bunches kale (about 4 heaping cups chopped)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1/2 avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped
3 Tbsp finely chopped red onion
3 Tbsp finely chopped red bell pepper
1 small carrot, grated
3 Tbsp toasted sunflower seeds
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp lime juice
Remove stalks from kale and discard. Chop leaves into small pieces and place in mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and, using your fingers, gently massage oil into leaves. Sprinkle with sea salt and ginger, add avocado and continue massaging until leaves are evenly coated. Set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.
Add onion, red pepper, carrot and sunflower seeds, and toss. Drizzle lemon and lime juice over salad, massage juices into leaves and toss to distribute ingredients evenly. Season to taste with salt, massage one last time, and serve.
Couscous and Vegetable Salad with Orange and Garlic
1 1/2 cups couscous
1/2 cup raisins
1 tsp turmeric
2 cups boiling water
2/3 cup sliced almonds
2 cups chick peas or 1 15oz. can, rinsed and drained
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 medium tomatoes, halved, seeded and diced
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
grated rind of one orange
2 Tbsp minced fresh basil, or 2 tsp dried
1/2 tsp salt
black pepper to taste
Place couscous, raisins and turmeric in a large bowl, then pour boiling water over and stir well. Cover with foil or plate and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork, cover again and let sit 10 minutes longer.
Stir in almonds, chick peas, green onions and tomatoes.
Combine lemon juice, oil, garlic, orange rind, basil, salt and pepper and beat to blend. Pour over couscous mixture and toss. Cover and chill for 30 minutes to 24 hours.
* I used cold pressed flax and hemp oils instead of olive oil in both recipes
* In the couscous I let everyone sprinkle their own almonds on top, because I find nuts get soggy in leftovers
* I put the dressing ingredients in a jar with a lid and shook it up to mix - always a good, simple trick.