In anticipation of my homecoming, my dad always picks up a couple of avocados for me from the store. This time they were ripening rather quickly, so I decided I would use one to make a guacamole dip. I wanted to add a green veggie to the dip, similar to my Brocamole (broccoli guacamole). However, we didn’t have any edamame in the house, which was my first choice, so I decided to use frozen green peas.
Even my skeptical father was pleasantly delighted by the taste of this Green Pea Guacamole. The green peas add a sweet flavor to the dip while maintaining the creamy texture. Give it a try and see if your guests/family members can tell there is an extra veggie in there!
Green Pea Guacamole
Ingredients:
- 1 medium sized avocado
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 tomato, diced
- 1/4 cup diced yellow onion
- Juice of 1/3 of a lime
- Salt + Pepper
Directions:
1. Microwave the green peas for 1 min. to defrost
2. Blend green peas in a food process/blender/Magic Bullet. You can also mash them with a fork if you do not have access to a processor.
3. Add diced tomatoes, onions, lime juice, avocado flesh, and S+P.
4. Mix thoroughly using a fork
5. Serve with tortilla chips and/or pita chips
Easy PEASy 
It is always raining and/or freezing cold right around my birthday. Ummm not this year!! Well, the rain is supposed to start (and never stop) tomorrow but I sure got my sunshine fix yesterday. I’m fully stocked on vitamin D now and I have a HOTT shin sleeves tan!
[Random thought: Kids who were born on 2/22/00 will turn 22 on 2/2/22. WOAH. Major jealousy over here. Too bad I'm turning 50 on 3/8/38 and not 38. Ha!]
***
Alrighty then…
Breakfast: TJ’s Euro yogurt w/ a crumbled granola bar and 1/2 a pear
I finished the batch of granola bars in 2 days. Oopsies.
Obligatory birthday carrot cake for breakfast. It’s all I wanted when I woke up! To those who asked: I will be posting the recipe I used and my modifications soon. Promise!
With some iced half caf coffee.
After waiting 4 looooooong hours for my breakfast to digest (I have to or else I’ll get crazy cramps), I hit the running trail in my back yard. This 45 mi. run/bike trail leads to Washington D.C! There were so many people taking advantage of the beautiful day on this trail.
It hit 70 degrees here!!!!
I ran 3.5 miles and walked 0.5 miles to cool down for a total of….
It was grand! For the first mile, I kept thinking about how far I was going to run before turning around. It made for one sloooooow mile. Finally I started thinking about some aspects of my life that I’m not so happy about and the time flew by. It’s all about mental strength for me when it comes to running!
….AND I started feeling better about whatever I thought about.
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Look how tall I am!! I could have used an inch or two of height for my birthday .
Then I hit the trail again after grabbing some $$ to walk to Whole Foods (~0.85 miles away). You read that right, the trail leads to Whole Foods!!! It’s like the Yellow Brick Road!
…Black Asphalt Trail??
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I caught up on some blogs while walkin’. It really was just an excuse to be in the sunshine!
Check out the background image on my phone
LLE!!!
I picked up some almond cheese and dried goji berries from the bulk section. The almond cheese is 80 cents cheaper here than in Durham!!
Walk stats just to see exactly how far WF’s is from my condo. Not far!
I had some samples at Whole Foods to tie me over but I was in need of some real nourishment when I got back.
Enter a Ginormous Green Protein Monstah.
- 1 cup frozen spinach
- 1/2 banana
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1/2 scoop of Riceotein Powder
I found this protein powder in the pantry. I’m assuming it’s my brother’s (Thanks, bro!) It is mixed with STEVIA and is free of soy, milk, and egg protein.
+1/2 a pear
+bites of birthday cake
+a Harvest Spice crunchy granola bar I found lurking in my house
Chocolates!
Dinner was super duper late because we were waiting for my Momma to come home from work! I was a hungry hippo so I made a mini pizza and photographed my food while eagerly waiting her arrival (aka gnawing my hand off).
I broke off a serving of TJ’s Whole Wheat Pizza Dough and topped it with TJ’s pizza sauce, almond cheese, shrimp, and asparagus.
Baked at 450 F for ~ 10 minutes.
I can make 8 of these with the 99 cent pizza dough! Cha ching!
My dad cooked up some shrimp with carrots and asparagus (where I got the pizza topping):
Cabbage w/ pickled something?
My plate except I had about 8 more shrimp than what’s photographed and twice as many veggies.
I’m so shrimp deprived at school….
Dessert was CHOCOLATE and GOJI BERRIES!
Quirky Q
What instantly brightens your mood no matter what? For me, it’s a great run under the sun and baking up a storm!
What a fabulous day I’ve had today! It wasn’t too different from yesterday but because it didn’t have the ‘birthday’ label to live up to, it was splendid. Funny how that works, huh? I went on a run outside in the sunshine today so that definitely helped brighten my mood.
More on my day a little later. First, I gotta report the prezzies, as promised. In case you missed my farewell to 21, here’s my birthday recap,
After some cake eating…
(Me on my very FIRST birthday 21 years ago. There is no doubt that I’ve loved cake and chocolate from a young age)
***
My dad picked out this prezzie for me:
Before I opened the box, I commented ‘is this another watch?’
Under the note was this ring!
After tugging at the ring, there was another note below a cardboard flap:
It’s a MUG!! The faux diamond is actually a genuine Swarovski crystal, according to the label.
So I can sip my coffee in style!
Money or Party
Ever since I can remember, my brother and I have had this choice every birthday. Money, in the amount of your age x10 or a birthday party. My parents figured they would offer us the amount of money it would cost to have a party in cash (to go in the bank). Of course, as money hungry as my brother and I were, we always chose money. Party? Who needs a party?
So as a 7 year old, I got $70!! That’s a big deal! Some years I got both, hehe.
So in my mug yesterday was $220 to contribute to the SLR fund. I wonder how long this tradition will last .
My Uncle also contributed some $$ to my SLR fund…
I got a lot of cupcake cards this year….what can I say? People know me too well.
***
Before I left for spring break, my roomie gave me a SPOONULA!! I mentioned the day before while watching Rachel Ray that I had always wanted a spoonula and she went out and got one for me. She also got me a cupcake card. Thank you, Christina!!!
It’s not just ANY spoonula…it’s one from Giada’s new collection at Target.
I also got a box full o’ chocolatey goodies from Lauren. It arrived ON my birthday…how perfect. Thank you, Lauren!
I’m in love with this baby spoon!! I can’t wait to eat kefir + yogurt with it .
….AND a cupcake card, of course.
My bestie got me some TJ’s goodies as well as some adorable baking tools. Thank you, Katherine!!
A rabbit spatula.
Along with some collapsable measuring cups.
Saves space!
That’s a wrap! So I’m now that much closer to my dreams of owning an SLR camera as well as opening a bakery. Sweet!
I wish I could tell you that I had a super crazy wild P-Hilton style birthday, but then I would be lying. One of these years, it’s gonna happen–mark my words! My birthday was actually quite mundane to tell you the truth. I was home alone for a good chunk of the day with no friends in sight, so I baked a birthday cake and had a rockin’ workout.
I always make out birthdays to be a grand celebration in my head and when they fall short, I get the case of the birthday blues. I have to remind myself that it’s just another day!
***
My Momma got me these beautiful birthday flowers!
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As someone who loves to bake, but doesn’t get a chance to bake very often (cough skool cough), there was no chance I would let my parents spend $30 on a cake. That would take away all the fun! I made a chocolate zucchini cake for my birthday last year too. Perhaps, I’ve started my own tradition?
When your fridge gives you carrots, you make carrot cake!! Vanilla didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell.
It was a good thing I was home alone because I made a big ol’ mess!
We don’t have any cake pans in this house, so I had to use a pie pan, which made for an awkwardly shaped cake.
A pineapple chunk peeking out….
This birthday carrot cake was made with whole wheat flour, oat flour, coconut oil, walnuts, coconut, crushed pineapple, eggs, and agave nectar.
For the cream cheese icing, I creamed 8 oz. of cream cheese, agave nectar and vanilla extract with an OLD SKOOL electric beater. No Kitchenaid stand mixer over here 
.
I decided to cut the circle into two halves and make it a double layer semi-circle cake. Ya gotta have a layer of icing in the middle!
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Birthday Workout:
- 65 min. elliptical: I squeezed in about 7-30 sec. intervals of all out high intensity pedaling while watching Oprah and Barefoot Contessa
- 25 min. leg weights: lunges, squats, calf raises, hamstring curls, etc.
***
For my birthday dinner, I chose a restaurant 2 blocks from our condo (there are about 10!), American Tap Room.
Fun Fact: I waitressed here the summer after my freshmen year but a few months later, they were bought out and the entire restaurant/bar was revamped.
It looks completely different now and the menu (that I worked so hard to memorize) has changed.
This was my first time back since waitressing there and since they got bought out.
***Warning: a dimly lit restaurant + an old skool point ‘n’ shoot camera= blinding photos!
I ordered the Seared Tuna Salad: Sashimi grade tuna with an exotic mix of Asian greens and seaweed
It felt like there was a birthday candle burning in my mouth!!! Oh my goodness, my tongue was sizzling this was so spicy! I guzzled about 5 glasses of water in about 15 minutes.
My mom ordered the Blackened Fish Sandwich. You can see the tie of the manager in the background as well as my BLOG address written down on a napkin. Hello Mr. Manager if you’re reading!
My uncle and dad went to a buffet for lunch with a friend so they weren’t too hungry. They shared a plate of Phoenix Wings and each ordered a big ol’ beer.
We sat in comfy couch-style seats.
We passed on dessert because there was a cake waiting for us, made by yours truly.
No, I didn’t turn 211!
My Momma forgot to pick up candles, so we had an interesting ‘22′ on my cake. We had a ‘2′ leftover from my 21st birthday and then stuck two candles beside it.
Making a wish and blowing out the candles.
A BIG slice for a BIG girl with a BIG carrot cake tooth!
This cake was suuuuper dense and moist, just how I like ‘em!
Goodbye 21!! Adios! Sayonara! Au Revoir! Ciao!
I’ll be back later with the birthday prezzies! I need to take advantage of the sunshine while it lasts….oh and get cracking on the boatload of work I have for this week!
