Easy Healthy Sweet Potato Soup

I wanted something good, warm, high in protein, and easy to make.  So I came up with this recipe.  I LOVE it!

Serves two or one hungry vitamin craving Jamie

Ingredients:

1 Clove Garlic

1 Sweet potato, peeled

1 Carrot

1 Apple

1/2 Cube Veggie Stock

1/2 Cup Greek Yogurt (or more)

Little Olive Oil

Parsley is optional

 

Chop all ingredients.  Not super fine because you will put it in a food processor or blender.  Add a little oil and garlic to the pot on med – high heat.  Add sweet potato… add carrot… just cover in water… add veggie stock.  Do 25 wall pushups, 30 calf raises, 20 squats, downward dog, and stretch your splits.  Once carrots and sweet potato are mostly cooked, add the apple.  Set the table, find the blender, get out the Greek yogurt.  Turn off the heat.  Pour everything into the blender.  Hot stuff is hot.  Add the yogurt.  Blend.  Top with parsley and eat!

Say “Whaaat?” Wednesdays – Outside

Well, spring has sprung in parts of Oslo.  If you take the tram one stop up, it’s still winter.  Cross country and downhill skiing galore!  Further down though, it’s beginning to look a lot like spring.  We have had a few sunny days and you bet I was outside in my long underwear having a cup of tea!  I uncovered another step when the snow melted and I also found a couple large rocks in the sun.

Last weekend a wonderful friend came to visit.  Unfortunately, I had to work and missed going to the botanical gardens with her.  If I didn’t trust her, I wouldn’t have believed the photos of little flowers.  I am so excited to see what the next month will bring!

The photo this week reminds me of spring in one of my favorite places.  You get a bonus point if you know where it is.  I know some of you have been there.  ;^)

Say “Whaaat?” Wednesdays – Gymnastics

This week, my gymnasts have a meet within the gym.  We have been working very hard to teach them routines and all are super excited!  The youngest girls are 7-8 and 9-10 and will show routines on bars (skranke), beam (bom), vault (hopp), and floor (matte) on Sunday.  The oldest girls are 12-13 and will show skills on the tumble track and mini tramp (trampett) on Friday.  It is really exciting to see them improve and even more exciting to see how happy they are when they improve!  Each class has about 12-14 girls and they will be competing against the other classes of same age.

My new gym doesn’t have trampoline as an event.  I was super disappointed.  Every now and then a trampoline appears.  One trampoline… then it’s gone.  My neighbors have one though!!!

This photo was taken by HB when he was visiting my old gym in MN.  It funny because I actually scared myself with how high I jumped.  Notice the face.

Woman Issues – Dad, stop reading

I ended the night crying on the floor in pain.

Why?  Because I’m a woman.

(Seriously Dad, you’ll regret reading this.)

I’m not going to go on and talk about how our monthly cycle (Haha!  Now my Dad has stopped reading I’m sure!) is this empowering beautiful thing because it’s not!  It’s a painful gross gross thing!!!!!  I mean, who DOES that?  (Yes, females, thanks Sherlock.)  But I mean WHY?  (Again, thanks, but I DID take Biology in middle school.)  Couldn’t we have had another option?

I spent most of the day wondering how I was going to get to the kitchen to eat.  Moving was like, the hardest thing to do.  Ugh…  Usually I try to get some exercise.  (In a sarcastic tone), “Because exercise is good and it will help the pain!”  Yesterday though, walking to the kitchen pushed my limit.  Dance rehearsal was a joke and I was supposed to teach!  Most of the rehearsal I stared into space, crouched down, and held my uterus.  (Hehe!  Another word for Dad in case he was still reading.)  Everyone else took over.

During the day, I researched ways to get the pain to go away naturally.  Usually diet can help lots of body issues.  (Uggggh, I can hear it now in her chipper voice… “Your monthly cycle is not a body issue.”  NO Annoying lady!  Maybe YOUR monthly cycle isn’t!  MINE IS!!!  Mine throws me on the ground and leaves me useless for a day and a half!  EVERY MONTH!!!!!!   ARGHHHHH!!!!!!!)  Anyway, from what I read, getting lots of vitamins and iron is good for you.  Duh.  Also, eliminating meat, eggs, and dairy dropped pain in most of the study participants.  (No I don’t have the links for you.  I was lying in the bathroom floor when I looked this up.  Saving the link to quote was NOT my number one priority.)  I did read multiple studies about this though when I searched “Foods to help with menstrual pain” so I’ll take that for now.  One study said to eliminate fatty foods such as donuts and peanut butter.  (Study say whaaat about peanut butter!  I love that stuff.)  Another said to get my Omega 3s through fish or flax.  Shotty the flax!

So, after a day in the “office”, I learned that… THE INFORMATION TOTALLY SUCKS!!!!!  I’m already like 80% Organic Vegan.  I have flax every day now and minimum of 9 fruits and veggies every day!  Is this just going to be how it is?!?!?  (Enter horror film music here)  Actually, I remember now when I was vegan.  100% vegan.  My cramps were not as bad… (moment of reflection).  Would that help me?  I love cheese now.  I just might try that again though.  By the way, this post is about me and what works for me because it is my blog.  You do what works for you because we are all different.

By the end of the night, I was getting desperate for some cramp relief.  I took Midal in the morning but needed an anti inflammatory for the evening.  I was releasing loads of prostaglandins (produced by the endometrial cells in my uterus) and it was causing inflammation.  (They also get into my bloodstream and cause nastiness out both ends.)  I have to say that HB really is the best guy for me.  As I moaned in the car, he went into the store and found an anti inflammatory for me.  I am so grateful he reads Norwegian.  Had I gone into the store, I would have cried in the “Little Boxes I Don’t Understand” aisle.

I snuggled my uterus heat pack at night (which I blew up in the microwave the next day… oops!) and managed some sleep.  At 5:30 this morning, I was so hungry I was nauseous.  Makes sense, I only had muesli, soup, and a smoothie yesterday.  So I made breakfast and forced myself out the door.  During the day, I thought about all the things I should be eating and what I should avoid but I was really hungry.  I still felt crappy and only went out to pick up HB’s birthday present.

In the end, I thought, screw it, the worst is over.  I need food and that pastry is the ONLY things that looks edible and I want it.  So I ate it.  Why?!?!  Because I’m cranky and I can!

 

(By the way, that post was written last month.  This month was better.  Not sure why yet but I have been keeping a food and activity journal to figure it out.)

Hi Dad!  (If you’ve made it this far.)

Say “Whaaat?” Wednesdays – Norwegian dance and Acro

I miss this.  I miss Tapestry Folkdance Center.  I miss Acro Yoga.  I miss having my friends close.

This week, I tried to get some of that here.  I got together with a few Acro Yogis for tea and then Acro at one of their houses.  There were four of us and we had “girl talk” over tea.  Boy (or girl) do I miss getting together with the girls!  It was nice and we even learned a two new skills to put together!!!  After that, they took me Norwegian chocolate sampling.  Meaning, we went to the store and tried a bite of the chocolates I’ve never had.  It was fun to get recommendations and have someone to share the experience with!

So my first time trying Norwegian dance, I was told to sit and watch.  No asking my name or if I had any experience before.  Just sit… and watch.  Ok, if you know me, I don’t sit and I watch just long enough to get it.  This wasn’t going to work for me.  I tried a beginner class and nearly died of boredom.  Like, my life was flashing before my eyes of all the nights I used to dance.  Now, I wasn’t ready to be a helper in the beginner class because I hadn’t had enough repetition.  I also know I am a terrible dance student.  I am the Monkey See Monkey Do Don’t Talk to Monkey type.  Yes, I have issues.

There MUST be a dance class I can do and there must be a way to learn Norwegian dance!  Months later, HB found another class!  They had a guest teacher that week from the Frikar Dance Company.  (Scroll down the link to see my favs.)  She brought modern dance and combined it with Norwegian dance!  It was an amazing class full of improv, contact improv, choreography, and the foot work for Norwegian dance!  I LOVED the class!  We have gone three times so far.  There seems to be a new teacher every couple weeks or guest teachers once a month.  The group is welcoming, they let you dance (whoa WHAT?!?!?  At a DANCE class?  Crazy right?) they are mostly 20s – 40s, and it’s on a night I’m not teaching!

I still miss the memories I have with this photo, but I am determined to make new memories here.  I have to.

 

Say “Whaaat?” Wednesdays

Høvedoya – Island off Oslo

Two weeks ago, a visiting American friend and I were tourists (or locals).  I took her to one of the many islands off Oslo.  It only costs a bus fare to get there!

She took this picture as we were waiting for the ferry to pick us up.  It was a beautiful day!

Kobberhaughytta – Ski and Dance

Recently, we went on a ski trip with a group of dancers.  I would say we went out of town but we were actually in Oslo the whole time.  It seemed like we were out of town though because we had to cross country ski to the event.

We left Friday at 1:30 pm.  Our travel group had 7 people in it including a toddler in a ski pulk.

I had only been skiing about 9 times before and was really bad at stopping.   Sooo… things didn’t start out so well for me.

Yes, that is exactly how I fell and exactly how they told me to stay so they could get a picture.  That was the first hill.

We skied to Tryvannstua for lunch, baked goods, and tea.  Tryvannstua is located on a cross country trail as well as at the bottom of the downhill slopes.  In the summer, you can walk the lakes and forest.  There is also a geocach hidden nearby.  This is the American/Scottish/Norwegian duo ready for the next leg of the trip.  Yes, he skied in a kilt!

We arrived around 4 or 4:30 pm.  The hytta (cabin) had two private rooms, two four person dorms, and two 6 person dorms.  I think.  HB and I were in the 6 person dorm.  A sauna and showers were also available to us.  Yay!  Passing skiers are free to stop in the hytta during the day for a meal, baked goods, their famous hot chocolate, and warmth by the fire.  We decided to take the moment and danced a flash mob Gay Gordons through the dining hall in kilts and ski clothes.  The people seemed to enjoy it and clapped along!

Saturday was full of skiing, playing games, taking care of your body hour, and dancing in the evening.  I had 6 people in my body work “class”.  I took what I’ve learned in yoga, dance, and massage and combined it for an hour.  Their enjoyment made me wonder if I should do this more.  (… what would the class be called?  Who would go?  I guess it’s mostly for dancers.  Specifically Scottish dancers.  Could THAT be the thing that would make me stand out?  Maybe I should develop it more?  But who would want an hour if they only have a 2 hour class?  Maybe I could cut it down to 30 minutes?  Should I do it?  I should!  OK!  Now if only I had a gig…)

The cabin was cozy as we danced and listened to our musicians.

When we left Sunday, a few of our dancers made a very necessary Nessie in the snow.  Yes that is a big storage cabin in the back.

We walked the non skiers down another path.  It took about an hour.  Then HB and I skied back up.  Except we didn’t.   We had to herringbone 90% of the way.  That link wasn’t us by the way.  Once we made it almost up, we stopped in a hytta cafe and met up with 6 other dancers!  So we had a bite, drink, and headed back to our hytta in the fog.  It was very thick fog.  So thick you couldn’t see the bottom of the hill you were about to ski down!  For a beginner, gotta say that is a little scary.  Once at our hytta, Kobberhauhytta, we had lunch, put our packs back on, and skied to our car.  I think it took over two hours maybe three.  I can’t remember.  All I was thinking about was a hot bath and tea.  I was sooo exhausted and frustrated my skis didn’t work.  Ok fine!  My technique didn’t work.

There are no photos of the oasis I will call the car, but boy was I happy to see it.  We arrived just as another dancer arrived and told us everyone had gone to Frognerseteren, the big cafe.  (Themes of the trip are hyttas and cafes.)  We drove (about 4 minutes) to the cafe and enjoyed a hot meal and dessert.  Sigh… great end to the weekend.  Home was a 5 minute drive and Bananagrams by the fire wrapped up our weekend.

Hopefully this will be an annual event!  Skiing practice, to be continued…