So, far this week is 3 things..

One

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

This was last year:

My dad will pick the nose of anyone. :) 

And my mom and her friends will out-drink you. :) 

This is this year:

What a bummer. At least I won't be killing brain cells this year. :) 

This is my mom this year. She doesn't look that happy. Maybe I should be thankful I am not there! :) 

Two

This week is MS Awareness Week!!! This is near and dear to my heart. 

To me, MS= two things.
1. A daily annoyance for the past 5 years, that tends to rear its ugly head at dumb times.
2. A constant reminder of my strength.

So, that was me telling you all (even after living here for almost 3 years, I can NOT say/type y'all) that I have had MS since I was 19. For anyone that doesn't know what it is go here. This is in no way a pity party. I have had my fair share of struggles (double vision, lack of coordination, blurry vision, can't walk/write/or take a bath alone, tingles, headaches, etc.) BUT I have been LUCKY. I attribute this to:

• my sarcastic attitude (which is my version of a positive attitude
• my humor about the situation 
• my stubborn-ness  
• a wee bit of good fortune
• and perhaps, the most important, exercise (at my favorite place, SYNCStudio) and healthy eating 

Everyone has battles, and MS is mine.

I try to do everything I can to stay healthy, I exercise practically daily and eat a hell of a lot better than a lot of people my age, but I can't control this damn MS completely. So, here is my shameless plug. The National MS Society has fundraising events throughout the year and one of them is at the RBC Center on April 9th. The MS Walk is a fabulous event that raises money to fund MS research. I will be walking with the team, Master Striders. If you want to join the team, go here. It would be really cool if anyone wants to donate some money (like, $1) or walk with me! Especially because raising money to find a cure (or other medicines for MS) would mean I wouldn't have to inject myself with some crazy meds every other day.


Three

Tuesday night was a food preparation extravaganza! 

First up was the Waldorf salad (from Raw Food). I haven't had the pleasure of eating this one yet, but it will be my lunch for tomorrow. :)

For anyone wondering the black 'noodle' thingies are the arame. 

• 2 carrots, cut into rounds
• 1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
• 1 red apple, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup arame, soaked for 10 minutes (found this ingredient at whole foods in the asian section)
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 3 tbsp clover sprouts
• lemon juice and olive oil, to taste
• 1/4 cup walnuts

Peel and cut the carrots. Toss the celery, carrots, apple, arame, raisins and sprouts in a bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice and olive oil. Garnish with walnuts. 

Next, I made Pad Thai with a BOMB almond sauce (from Ani's Raw Food Kitchen). The sauce really was the best. Adam was complaining about the loud noise from the food processor grinding the almonds, and he immediately apologized when he got a taste of the sauce. :) 

Noodles:

• 1/3 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp Nama Shoyu
• 2 zucchini or yellow squash, julienned
• 1 red bell pepper, julienned
• meat from 2 thai baby coconuts, julienned (if you don't want to use these, add an extra zucchini)
• 1 cup mung bean sprouts

Fresh Thai Herbs:

• 1/3 bunch of basil, chopped
• 1/3 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1/3 bunch mint, chopped
• 2 thai red chilies, seeded and chopped

Almond Sauce:

• 2 tbsp minced ginger
• juice of 4 limes (8 tbsp)
• 3 tbsp pitted dates
• 3 tbsp Nama Shoyu
• 1 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1/4 cup water, as needed

Toppings:

• 1 cup mung bean sprouts
• 1/3 cup almonds, sliced

To make noodles, marinate onion in Nama Shoyu for at least 5 minutes. In a big bowl, combine zucchini, bell pepper, coconuts, and sprouts. Add the marinated onions. Set aside 2 tbsp of fresh thai herbs and a tbsp of red chiles for garnish. Place the rest of the herbs and chiles in the bowl. To make the sauce, blend the ginger, lime juice, and Nama Shoyu until smooth. Add almond butter and enough water to make a thick, creamy sauce. To serve, toss noodles with sauce and toppings and garnish with herbs and chili. 

Last up was Marinated Portobello Steak and Brazil-Broccoli Mash with Mushroom Gravy (from Ani's Raw Food Kitchen). Yes, this really is raw! 

Steak:

• 4 portobello mushrooms, stems removed
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup Nama Shoyu
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

Mash:

• 1 clove garlic
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup brazil nuts
• 2 cups broccoli, chopped

Gravy:

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup mushrooms, any kind
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

To make the steaks, in a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and set aside for 1-2 hours to marinate and soften. To make the mash, process the garlic, pepper and salt into tiny pieces. Add brazil nuts and process into a powder. Empty the powder into a bowl and set aside. Process the broccoli slowly while adding the brazil nut powder back in. To make the gravy, blend all the ingredients until smooth. To serve, slice each mushroom into thick strips and serve on top of brazil-broccoli mash. Drizzle with gravy. YUMMMMMM!!!!