Birthday Festivities!

This was quite the birthday for me - I've now entered my late 20's! Wow, weird. Am I really this old? For whatever reason, the onset of the term "late 20's" makes me feel all this new responsibility of things I now need to be thinking about...I should now be starting to climb the ladder professionally, I should be investing, starting to save for a house, etc. I just don't feel old enough for this stuff!

The best part about last weekend was the fact that I spent my birthday with my parents for the first time since high school, 9 years ago! They were on their way up to Toronto for a medical conference and came to DC for a few days. We packed it in - took a tour of the White House gardens, went to Ford's theater, went to the Newseum, went to Mt. Vernon, saw a concert at the Kennedy Center, visited my office, went to a Nats game, went to some monuments they hadn't seen, and had some great laughs and delicious food. I loved having them here - it was fun to have my two worlds collide!My roommates put on an amazing birthday party! We had a bbq and outdoor movie in our backyard and my roommate Emily made the most adorable cake. Life is great, here's to another amazing year on the East Coast!

Green Thumb

Green has been my favorite color lately...it changes every so often. I was trying to think of how I can fit the word 'green' into all of my posts, so I'll post about my newly discovered green thumb! Tulips are my absolute favorite flower, so last fall I bought some bulbs and planted them. I think they turned out pretty good for my first time! Here are some pics:Also, there are so amazing tulip gardens around DC. Here's one along the Potomac by a Navy Memorial.

Going Green

With the warmer weather I've been wanting to ride my bike the 16 miles to work. I finally took the plunge last Thursday and LOVED it! Luckily, DC has amazing trails all along the Potomac so I got to ride into Georgetown and then along the river for most of the ride. My boss always says that since we're a wellness company, we should practice what we preach, so here's to you JR. I love Washington DC! Here are some before and after pics.

I'm in love!

Ingrid Michaelson and PB Chocolate Cake!

Last weekend was Laney's 26th birthday and we just packed it in all weekend. Saturday night we went to see Ingrid Michaelson at this really cool venue in Baltimore. She is SUCH a good performer, it was so dang fun. It was a smaller club so anywhere you were it felt like you were close to the front - Ingrid put on an AMAZING show. She and her band switched instruments in the middle of one song, she took someone's flip camera from the audience and sang to it, and at the end they played a Brittany Spears song and did a dance to it, it was hilarious. Matt Kearny opened for her...also a great performer. Can you please look at Laney's face in this picture...oh my word, are you kidding!? Thanks to Laney a few of us were rockin the "smokey eyes." And whats a birthday without some nice shake face/blow face pics?2nd only to Ingrid was the peanut butter and chocolate cake I made for her party. Oh my gosh, how do I put it in words...sinfully good, literally.

Delicious Food

Since moving out to DC I have fallen in love with cooking. I LOVE IT, its so fun. Right after Labor day, 2009 my roommates and I decided to do a cleanse where we would only eat natural foods, pretty much entirely raw with no processed foods or added sugar - with a big emphasis on vegetables. We each take a night to cook dinner and we double everything so we all have lunch the next day. We've pretty much kept it up these past 6 months and its seriously been amazing! We've all felt better, slept better, etc. One of my roommates lost 30 pounds, another one 11 pounds. Honestly, I've never been this healthy (eating-wise) and have never felt so great physically. Tonight I made herbed chicken with broccoli and this amazing couscous dish that I thought I'd share the recipe for. It was absolutely delicious, here it is:

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (may substitute water)
• 2 TBL plus 1 tsp olive oil
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup quick-cooking whole-wheat couscous
• 1 medium onion
• 2 small zucchini
• 2 medium cloves garlic
• 15 ounces canned chickpeas
• About 15 grape tomatoes
• Leaves from 1 small bunch mint, plus leaves from 4-6 stems flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tsp oregano
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

• Combine 1 1/2 cups of the broth, 1 tsp of the oil and 1/4 tsp of the salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then add the couscous and stir to moisten. Cover and remove from the heat; let stand for 7 minutes (or longer) while you prepare the vegetables.
• Finely chop the onion, trim the zucchini and cut in half lengthwise, then crosswise into thin slices to yield about 2 3/4 cups. Mince the garlic to yield about 2 teaspoons. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Cut the grape tomatoes in half to yield 1 cup. Finely chop the mint and flat-leaf parsley to yield about 3/4 cup.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring. Add the garlic and oregano; cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened.
• Add the chickpeas, succhini, the remaining 1/4 cup broth, the remaining 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper to taste; mix well. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low; cook for 5-7 minutes or until the zuddhini is tender. Remove from the heat, then add the tomatoes, mint and parsley, tossing to incorporate. Add to couscous and enjoy!
  

We're keeping a cookbook of all the super healthy, loaded with vegetable meals that we make so let me know if you need good recipes. Yay for health!

Olivia Fife

Last week was a very difficult week for my family, especially my brother Doug and his wife Heather. Sadly, one week before her due date, they lost their baby girl due to a knot in the umbilical chord. They hurt, but are doing ok. Please include them in your prayers.