joys of the week, ep. 12

This week was good. I don’t recall any particularly tense of high-anxiety moments, and I cherish that knowledge deeply. When obstacles cropped up, I handled them reasonably rather than falling into self-deprecating dialogue. An example, I had to adjust a recipe on the fly after my skillet turned half the components solid black. The finished product was actually phenomenal and I cannot wait to share it.

A random question: do you have any words you habitually misspell? I will never get “phenomenal” or “fusion” right the first time I write or type either out. I always stick an o instead of the a in the former and plug in a buttinsky h in the latter. I graduated with an English degree, yet my spelling prowess is sometimes rather alarming.

Two of my favorite jackfruit recipes

I as a generally have loved experimenting with jackfruit as I further sever myself from meat, and wanted to show you a pair of my go-tos off VE!

Buffalo Jackfruit Tacos with Bleu Cheese Dressing

BBQ Pulled Jackfruit, Pinto Bean & Caramelized Onion Taquitos

Did you know? Jackfruit is rich in Vitamin C, fiber, some phytochemicals, and B-vitamins?

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Joys of the Week, Episode 11

1. Grilled pineapple

Juicy fruits over a flame are impeccable. I, poorly dressed for how the temperature dropped as the day progressed, ventured to the grill to heat some pineapple for a condiment – which will be posted! – and holy shnikes did it bring the initial idea up a notch. I need to feature grilled pineapple in more of my content, especially as the big spiny edible tree comes into season and the price continues to fall.

2. Nice compliments from strangers

I’m typically indifferent when people talk to me while I’m running, but a dude I passed on the return trip of Saturday’s long run yelled “I like your socks!” after me. THAT’S a comment on appearance on which I can hop aboard. Pro Compression is the brand, and sadly the exact color scheme isn’t in stock. This and this are similar, though!

3. A 7:38 mile

I run my long runs intuitively, gauging how I feel as I pass through the first 2-3 miles. I encountered a fairly strong headwind at points of my warmup, but once I hit the main loop I intended to run, the wind was either a tailwind, largely blocked by buildings, or a less-annoying crosswind. My legs had some pep and my breathing hit a good pattern, so I decided to speed up and see what happened. Well, a 7:38 mile eventually did! I’ve run faster than that prior, but not at the effort level I did today. The 50 degree morning definitely helped me accomplish it, but I was really surprised when the number flashed on my screen when I figured I was probably running closer to 7:45.

4. Ticket to Ride

J bought Ticket to Ride for this week’s Friday game night. So fun! I actually won the first round. I appreciate the strategy involved with building routes and computing points, yet it wasn’t a mentally strenuous game by any means. Just a fun, amusing gameplay setup for a cozy night in.

5. Greek-style salads

Greek cuisine is probably my favorite to eat. So many fresh ingredients, bright and zippy flavors, and always something unique to create using the universal spices involved. Whenever I have a cucumber in my house, you bet something Mediterranean will plop onto my plate. Below salad contained chickpeas tossed in a parmesan dressing, avocado, cucumber, tomatoes, fresh basil and parsley, and plenty of greens. Not a complete recipe, really, but one I enjoyed noshing nonetheless.

We meet again for next week’s episode, friends! Share with me one thing that brought you joy this week. Or multiple, the more the merrier!