Reflections...

It's been a busy month...

Wait...no...it's been a busy YEAR.

A year full of awesomeness the likes of which I never could have imagined on Jan. 1, 2012.

But here I am...September 29, 2012...and so much has happened.

I rarely take time to look back, but now I wanted to reflect a bit.  I've covered most of it in my blog so I won't bore you...but quick synopsis...

Figuring out issues with amazing little boy, finally following up on years of health issues and starting to tackle them, attempted an ultramarathon, deployed husband came home, baby girl started kindergarten, little boy started 3rd grade, hubby got a well deserved selection to chief petty officer, hubby went through 6 weeks of h*ll to be a Chief, started a food blog to track my successes and failures in my gluten free/ mostly vegan cooking life, and I was selected to the U.S. Navy Reserve Nurse Corps and commissioned as an Ensign.

I may have missed a few milestones...but those ones stood out for me.

And if you missed that last one...yes, it's true...I've gone and done it.  I'm in the Navy now! 

 

It's something I've always dreamed of doing...and I was further inspired by this song and video (yes I know it's for the National Guard but it's very applicable...



And when you are married to a man who loves the Navy almost as much as he loves his country it's easy to be inspired to do great things...

It will be a while before I start...but the very long process has finally been completed (minus some more paperwork...duh)...and I'll be off to bootcamp fork and knife school before I know it!

Tomorrow is the last tri of the season...Mission Bay.  It was my very first triathlon 5 years ago and as I toe the line float in the freezing cold water sans wetsuit to save some precious seconds...I'll remember how far I've come....

From the 24 year old girl who had no clue what she was doing...barely making it through her first tri...making so many mistakes...consuming mass quantities of calories in a short sprint race...barely jogging through the run...dying on the bike...feeling awful about herself...

To now...confident young woman who knows this sport and knows her body better then she ever has...knows her nutrition like the back of her hand...loves the run...flys through the bike faster then she ever imagined she'd be able to (still not as fast as the awesome women she races...but fast enough to be proud)...racing for a place in the top five...or even top 10...or really just faster then the last time...cause that's really all that matters...steady progress forward.

Relentess forward motion.

Learning from past mistakes.

Forgiving errors.

 

Planning for bumps in the road (proverbial ones or literal ones!).

 

Enjoying every, single, blessed moment....

 

Being grateful that she has the ability every day to go out and do it...to swim...to bike...to run...

 

And now...the ability to serve...

Serve her patients...and serve her country.

It's as American as gluten free/vegan apple pie (cheezy, I know)...or possibly as American as a hamburger on the grill...wait I don't eat hamburgers...what's a girl to do? 

Make one that fits the bill!  Most of the store bought ones are loaded with wheat and therefore off the table for me...and some others I've tasted taste like...well...grass...fresh cut grass...hmmmm...

So I made one instead...infused with a bit of Thai flavor (maybe I'll be heading to Thailand with the USNS Mercy or Comfort...who knows).  This burger kicks some serious boo-tay...not that I'm biased. 

Thai Veggie Burgers

by Jaclyn Trosper

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 5-10 minutes

Ingredients (8 patties)

• 1 C quinoa (I used red but any kind will do)
• 2 C water
• 2 cubes vegan "chicken" bouillon
• 2 C cooked lentils
• 3 gloves garlic, pressed
• 1 tsp red curry paste
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 C soy tempeh, crumbled
• 1 tsp miso paste
• 1/4 tsp tumeric
• 1/4 tsp coriander
• 1/4 tsp curry
• 1 tbsp tamari (or other gluten free soy sauce alternative such as Bragg's)
• 1 tbsp cornstarch (needed to help bind the patties...trust me, they fall apart without it!)

Instructions

Cook quinoa, water, and bouillon in a rice cooker or according to package directions on stovetop (though a rice cooker is like $10 and soooo worth it!). Meanwhile combine all other ingredients in a large bowl and mix well, mashing as you go. Once quinoa is cooked mix into bowl with all ingredients. Mix and form into patties. Place in pre greased pan and cook 2-3 minutes per side until slightly browned. Remove from pan and serve regular style or over a bed of veggies if you are so inclined...both taste great!

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Enjoy your day...enjoy your weekend...

Enjoy life...cause it's short...and precious.

Until next post...

XOXO

 

Jackie

Holiday Trails (er...Tales)

As I sit among the chaos of Christmas morning I reflect upon the last week of holiday merriment and adventure that I have been blessed to have in my life.  Yesterday I took to the trails for the first time in a loooonnnggg time with the bestie Bex.  Since we are training for an ultramarathon a mere 11 weeks away we figured knew it was time to start training.  Luckily for both of us we have a ridiculous amount of base miles under our belts.  We knocked out a fabulous 16 mile trail run in under 3 hours...not too shabby...here are some pics of our morning.

Can't run without festive socks!

The view on the way up

Learning how to eat REAL food during a run...



Overall a painful amazing run that set the tone for the new year...health, taking time for those you care about, good food, amazing friends...and miles upon miles of happy trails and tales.

The rest of the previous week has been filled with family, friends, food, and love.  Although we are missing a very important member of our family we are making the best of it all and reveling in the joy of being with those we love.  We were even lucky enough to get a few phone calls from Mike over the last few days...so that was a welcome and happy surprise.

Friday night was Hanukkah with the Lewis family.  GFV (gluten free vegan) latkes were the highlight of the holiday since I am a HUGE fan of those bad boys which are normally neither vegan nor gluten free...with a few minor tweaks (gluten free flour and egg replacer...oh, and sweet potatoes instead) they were just as wonderful as the regular kind.







The kids got to enjoy the lighting of the menorah as well as hanging with good friends...a very festive, yummy night!

Saturday was Christmas Eve and after the above mentioned run I took to the kitchen to put my culinary talents to the test with making the holiday partially GFV friendly for Bex and I.  It was an adventure for sure.  Let's start with the "tofurkey"...normal tofurkeys bought in the store are riddled with gluten (literally the label states wheat gluten as ingredient number 2).  So clearly those are a no go.  But I found this recipe and although it certainly didn't look as pretty, it tasted pretty darn good!  Here are some pics of the prep steps (I was too busy eating to get pics of the finished product).

I also tried my hand at this recipe for a vegan pumpkin pie and baked it in these great pie shells for an overall GFV pumpkin pie experience...turned out great!

There was so much other food that didn't get chronicled, but suffice it to say the feast was fabulous and included fare such as pasta salad (with an amazing garlic aioli), coleslaw (with veganise), green beans, mashed potatoes (with vegenaise, veggie broth, and vegan Smart Balance), beet salad, sugar cookies, and other things I think I forgot...I was stuffed at the end of the night to say the least.  And when you look this awesome while cooking, you know the food will be good!

This morning was Christmas madness!  With Daddy gone we wanted to make it a special day for the kiddos...and I think we succeeded.  Check out the pics and you can see how clearly evident the happiness is.

Here's to another week...the last of 2011!  I'm off to work with my second family tonight...more food, more friends, with a smattering of saving lives thrown in to tip the karmic balance in my favor for the new year.  Hope you and yours are enjoying this holiday season.  Keep those far away from their families in your hearts and prayers...until we are all reunited.  Happy Holidays from us to you!