It was fun to read your feelings on cilantro. It really does seem like a “love/hate” food but most of you were in the love camp. One reader, David, even posted a link to a NYT article that explains scientific evidence about why some people hate the taste of it. Pretty crazy!
I happened to have a pretty quiet Monday with only two teaching commitments at 6 a.m. and 5:45 p.m. I came home after early BodyPump and blogged while I ate breakfast. I took a quick 45 minute power nap and then sprung out of bed and proceeded to have the most productive day in a very long time. It was gray and cold outside so I spent the entire day working on things around the house.
You see, I am guilty of the mentality “if I just stay busy enough I can ignore the clutter and mess that’s driving me crazy at home.” I couldn’t take it anymore. Over the weekend I worked on cleaning out the third bedroom and yesterday I cleaned out my closet and finally faced the facts that I’m not going to wear that skirt I’ve been holding onto since high school. The Goodwill pile is huge.
I also…
Baked banana pumpkin bread with half whole wheat flour and reduced sugar. I will post the recipe soon.
Ate leftover chicken tortilla soup for lunch while I answered blog comments about the big cilantro debate.
Cleaned the kitchen, dusted and vacuumed and mopped the whole house. This led to me rearranging all of the living room furniture while I was pulling the couches out to vacuum behind them. The couch used to be a sectional but it is no longer! I moved everything around and I think it looks cleaner. I am desperate for a new couch and chair but this will have to do for the moment. I also want to paint the living room and hallways. It’s a beige neutral right now but it has too much pink undertone for my taste. I’m going to lean on Sarah’s expertise when the time come to make paint color decisions! 😉
Honestly, had I not had to teach a 5:45 yoga class, I may have ended up at Home Depot buying paint. I was that on a mission yesterday. I made a new playlist for my class and headed to Y2 to teach a hot class. The Monday evening class is my favorite of the week. Everyone is just so happy to be on their mat. I had 39 yogis last night!
Ate a mix of leftovers and things from the fridge for dinner when I got home. I marinated tempeh in Trader Joe’s Island Soyaki Sauce and then broiled it while I reheated Saturday night’s leftover kale, quinoa and chickpeas and cheesy vegan sauce. I placed the quinoa mix on a bed of spinach and topped it with diced tempeh and the cheese sauce. It was a random but delicious combination. I was talking to my mom while I was eating and she asked what I was having…I told her she didn’t even want to know.
I am happy to report that I did relax after my productive day. I pretended that the emails in my inbox didn’t exist and watched TV with a glass of wine before passing out early.
When do you find that you’re most productive?
I love those kinds of days! The only problem is I never truly know when they are going to happen…especially when it comes to cleaning. Sometimes I just want to clean, but most of the time I have to force myself to clean. Wanting to, makes it way more fun and successful, that’s for sure.
haha…they are few and far between for me too. i usually have to force myself to clean and organize!
You are power woman! Your energy, drive, and motivation truly inspires me, and oh my goodness, the Baked Banana Pumpkin Bread looks amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hopefully I can have your mentality this weekend and work on cleaning up my own apartment!
Have a Terrific Tuesday 🙂
MC
thank you! i don’t know where that energy came from yesterday as i sit here today and can’t motivate myself to go run! 😉
I can’t wait for that banana bread recipe!
Ahhh – jealous of your cleaning spree! I need to dedicate an entire weekend to cleaning / throwing out / and organizing! I always feel so much better afterwards! I need that banana bread recipe immediately! 🙂 Have a great day!!!!
i will work on getting it up in the next couple of days. 🙂
WOW… you were on a major productive streak! Good for you, so inspiring! And holy delish, my mouth is watering, that Baked Banana Pumpkin Bread looks amaze! I would have definitely put Brandon to work moving that furniture, ha! Maybe he can do the painting 🙂
Have an awesome Tuedsay! Love your blog!
SR
I was thinking the same thing Shelly! Of course men are never around when you need them! Haha PBR you need to enlist Brandon’s help on the next project! 🙂
Food looks yummy per usual!
haha – sometimes it’s nice to just zone out and do things on your own! i will definitely enlist painting help. i always think it’s a good idea and then want to shoot myself 15 minutes in! 😉
That bread just made me drool. Seriously. Is that caramel glaze? Or apricot? Does banana + apricot sound good to you too?
it’s a pumpkin glaze!
i do think banana and apricot sounds like a good combo though!
I’m in a mid-afternoon slump at my desk here, and the bread just looks absolutely phenomenal! My stomach has growled it’s approval – I wish I could try some 🙂
Your home looks lovely – well done on getting all that cleaning done. I’m very much of the view that if I can’t see dirt then it doesn’t exist, but it feels so good to move everything around and deep clean every once in a while.
Have a wonderful day!
i wish i could send you a piece! 😉
i am usually not a very good cleaner. in fact, i’ve been threatening to hire someone to do it lately. i think once i get everything organized that i will let someone else do the deep clean at least once a month!
First, I LOVE that you had your soup out of a huge mug. I do this with cereal/soup/ice cream and get made fun of constantly, haha!
Go you! Talk about being productive. I love those streaks; I wake up with a messy house, and by the end of the day even the drain in the tub is shining.
I’m most productive at random times… An idea will pop into my head and come hell or high water I AM getting it done!!
i love eating oatmeal and soup out of that mug. it’s the best!
I had a similarly productive Monday (and wrote a similar blog post about it)! Monday is definitely my get-stuff-done-day. I don’t have class, I have the house to myself, and it’s my one chance to get ahead for the week.
Looking forward to that bread recipe!
Tend to get most productive at night…when I should be going to bed. That is when I all of the sudden get the urge to start rearranging, organizing, working on reports, etc.
haha…i am a night owl too! 🙂
I’m usually the most productive after early morning clients, my coffee, and a delicious breakfast. I have a few hours to myself before training evening clients, so this is typically “me” time and some days I take full advantage of it, and others it slips by way too quickly. 😉 That bread looks DELISH!
i love midmorning too! i can usually knock a lot out during that time.
Your house looks so beautiful! I am obsessed with cleaning but my boys often thwart my efforts (they are 6 and 3). My husband takes them mt biking on weekends and I bust out the Mrs Myers. Can’t wait to try the bread recipe! And I am going to try Angela’s cheese sauce. I keep trying to go vegan but CHEESE lures me back!!
thank you! it’s a work in progress and i’m desperate to replace the living room furniture. i can only imagine that your boys would make it difficult to keep things clean all the time!
try the cheese sauce. it’s good! (but not comparable real cheese!) 😉
OH MY GOSH. THAT BREAD. Well done!!! Your house is super cute, btw. : )
thanks! i’ll post the recipe soon! 😉
I find I’m most productive after I have watched an episode of “Hoarders”. It only takes about 10 minutes to get my skin crawling and I’m up doing chores I didn’t even know I had to get done. I always keep about 3 in my DVR so I can watch them when I’m feeling unmotivated 🙂 And that bread look amazing!
Agreed. 🙂
this is hilarious! i love that you keep hoarders on hand for motivation. i can totally see how it would work! 🙂
Just wanted to say that I really enjoy your blog. It is very inspirational:)
And that banana pumpkin bread looks incredible!
thank you so much for commenting and letting me know!
i will post the recipe soon!
Jen – let me know if you want a cleaning referral.I have a service come in once a month and it’s amazing!
yes, please!
Can’t wait for the bread recipe, it looks divine!
I love those productive days. I am far more productive in the morning and early afternoon. Once 4pm hits my energy starts to plummet and I am no good. When I was getting my MSW degree I would write all of my papers at like 6am. 🙂
i used to get up at 5 or 6 a.m. in college to study for tests. i am a night owl and morning bird but there is something about early morning hours that just really helps me focus.
I just found your blog! I love reading about your fitness and beautiful photos. It’s inspiring.. thank you for sharing 🙂 I’m definately most productive the first hours of the day – especially if I get a workout in I’m just go-go-go after that.
That banana pumpkin bread look amazing! I’m always more productive in the mornings… I like to get things out of the way right away!
I’m most productive in the mornings–especially at work! Good luck with the painting…I’m usually gung ho for about a wall and a half and then I am kicking myself for not hiring someone to do it for me.
Jen- just reading this made me feel so good! Haha. I love days like this, feel so so good to get all that house stuff done. I find it makes my actual work much easier!