Ladies who lunch

I’ve often joked that my ultimate goal is to be a Lady who Lunches.

I bet you know the lady I’m talking about. Think about the last random workday you had off from your job.  If you’re anything like me, you probably headed to lunch at a local restaurant.  And if you did make this wise decision, chances are you saw some ladies who lunch.  These are the ladies who–on those workdays when EVERYONE else is monotonously moving through the daily grind–somehow manage to break away from it all to enjoy lunch and laughs (and perhaps a few cocktails) with each other.

I often wonder about these ladies.  How did they get here?  What do they do for a living (or not do for that matter) that allows them to have such decadently diverting lunches on a regular basis?  How happy they must be.

While walking home tonight, my mind drifted to my adoration for this concept, and somewhere near E 4th Street I linked it to one of my my all-time favorite TV shows.  Sex and the City.  Four women from varied backgrounds with varied careers and varied interests BUT with a few key things in common.  First, of course, they had the city.  Second, would be a shared love of experiencing that city.  The sights, the sounds, the food.  And third, would be a love of their bond.  The ladies-who-lunch-bond.

Wouldn’t it be fabulous if I had my own group of ladies to lunch with? Ladies from varied backgrounds with varied careers and varied interests. Ladies who lacked even an ounce of superficiality but instead came to the lunch table wholeheartedly and ready to just be (and also to eat of course).  Ladies who (without actively trying) keep each other grounded while simultaneously lifting each other up.

Could this idea work?  Would it work?

I guess you never know unless you give it a shot, right?

Now recruiting for the Charlotte Ladies who Lunch Club.  If interested, please email:  ferventfoodie@gmail.com

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Lighter

After 2 hours and 45 minutes at the North Carolina DMV, I walked away… lighter.

Lighter from the extreme amount of sweating I did while standing outside the DMV in 94 degree heat… in my business suit… for one hour and 55 minutes.

Lighter from the calories I must have burned while frantically fanning myself with a copy of the North Carolina Driver’s License Manual that a coworker so nicely gave to me.

Lighter from the evil glares that shot from my body toward the DMV worker who told me (after waiting 2 hours and 15 minutes) that I was “wasting my time cuz there was no way they’d get to me before the 4:30 close time.”

Lighter from the happy dance I did when, a mere 5 minutes before close, that same worker said they’d take ONE more tester, and low and behold, that one more was ME! EEE!

Lighter from the woosh of air that escaped me when the same DMV worker told me, a mere 15 seconds later, that I absolutely had to have a social security card, and no a passport would not do, and sorry ma’am but the manual absolutely does not say that an Ohio driver’s license will suffice even if it has your social security number on it.  And yes while laminating your social security card seemed like a good idea when you were 16, nowadays that makes the card void…

Lighter from the tears that gushed down my face as I bolted to the car frantically flipping through the manual to the page that listed the required identification documents.

Lighter as I stormed frantic yet triumphant back into the DMV with a moment to spare, past a long line of eyes wondering who this crazy suit-clad crying lady was, as I frantically pointed at the guide SHOWING her I was not crazy and that the guide DID say my social security number laden license would do.

Lighter from the defeat that washed over me simultaneously sucking out every ounce of gumption I’d mustered as she flipped to the inside cover and showed me the guide I had been giving was sadly three years out of date and no longer valid.

Lighter from the mental break down I had in my car in the DMV parking lot.

Lighter from deciding in a rash moment to close myself off from the world by symbolically turning off my cell phone (which lasted a whole 27 minutes).

Lighter.

I need some ice cream.

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Lazy girl’s guide to stir fry

Lately I’ve had very little motivation to cook anything.  Not sure what the deal is—the heat, the sleep deprivation, the lack of time, or perhaps a missing muse—whatever the case my meals sure have been lacking.

A month or so ago (while still in this cooking rut), I made stir fry for the first time.  I’m talking FOR REAL stir fry. Wok and all. (courtesy of five well spent dollars at Ikea)

I wasn’t really sure where to start with the stir fry.  So I kinda just went with what felt right.  Lucky for me what felt right was a super fast, super easy, super tasty lazy girl stir fry Surprised smile

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Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Minced garlic and or green onion (obviously I prefer both)
  • Pre-packaged stir-fry veggies (I like FRESH not frozen)
  • Some sort of meat (shrimp, chopped chicken, beef, etc)
  • Some sort of sauce (something low sugar/low sodium.. teriyaki, Szechuan, or whatever your heart desires)
  • S&P
  • Minute Brown Rice

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Ok, so first up, you get the water boiling for the rice.  I usually go with 1/3 cup of rice and then overdo it on the veggies – but it’s really your call, lazy girl.. Your call.

Cook the rice according to the package instructions (aka, dump rice in boiling water, simmer 5 min, remove from heat 5 min, FLUFF!).

Meanwhile, heat up a wok (or sauté pan) on medium high heat.  Get that baby HOT!  Coat with nonstick cooking spray, toss in your garlic and/or onions, and then cook up your meat.  I like to season the meat with some pepper and garlic salt.  When the meat is cooked through, remove it from the wok, and toss in your veggies, and season with S&P.  I use half a bag (6 ounces) of the Eat Smart vegetable Stir Fry mix for one serving.

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I use a little spatula to toss the veggies about and get them slightly crisp.  I’m still working on my wok-toss, so the spatula will have to do for now.

Occasionally add 1 tsp of water to the wok to help the veg get their groove on while simultaneously making you feel like a wok-BAMF.  The pan should SIZZLE when you do this.  I know you’ve got it in you!

When the rice is just about done, add the meat back to the wok, and add in about 2 tbsp of your sauce of choice.  Give it a nice stir (or a few tosses if you’ll feeling crazy), then pour into a bowl along with the rice.

Then eat your face off.

Schezuan Shrimp:

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Teriyaki Chicken:

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Good wok, lazy girl. Good wok. Smile

Stats on 1 serving (1/3 cup rice, 6 ounces veggie mix, 4 ounces shrimp, 2 tbsp Szechuan sauce):  300 calories, 40g carbs, 5g fat, 27g protein, 5g fiber

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Smashburger VIP

This weekend I got the VIP treatment at Charlotte’s soon-to-be opened SMASHBURGER.

I’d never been to a Smashburger before—and had to do a little googling to learn the story behind the name.

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My research tells me the name Smashburger comes from the process used to cook burgers, which entails smashing a ball of 100% Certified Angus ground beef on a grill to sear in the juices (thank you Wikipedia!).

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Stop.and.go.

Stop and go.  Stop and go.

Ya’ll may recall my short-lived escapade with running last summer.  And you might also recall when I hurt my knee.  And if you recall those two things you might also recall that I tried to get back into running by purchasing new running shoes and starting interval training.  And then remember when I hurt my knee AGAIN?  And then I went to the orthopedic surgeon and he told me “some knees just aren’t made for running.”  And then I said screw you, doctor.  I’ll show you, doctor.  And then remember when I tried to do interval training again?  And then I hurt my knee.. AGAIN.  And then basically said yeah screw running?

That was fun, wasn’t it? Smile

Sooooooo…. about 2 weeks ago I went to the Charlotte Running Company to buy *new running shoes* … Stubborn might just be my middle name.

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Note that I purchased the new shoes BEFORE trying to start running again.  Let’s give Mary a cyber pat on the back for at least taking one step in the right direction.

The coolest thing about my visit to the Charlotte Running Co., was the personal fitting.  This involved me running on a treadmill while they videotaped my ankles and feet.  The playback was pretty interesting to watch.  I learned that I do not over or under pronate (roll the ankles inward or outward), which I was always curious about.  What I do do is over extend my legs when I run, which causes my heel to hit the ground first.  Apparently, the balls of your feet should hit first.  The salesman told me to pretend that I’m running on hot coals and take quick short steps.

Verrrrrry interesting.  It’s funny to think that there’s a “right” way to run.  There’s more to it than strapping on any old pair of tennis shoes and hitting the payment.  Really, Mary?  Cuz that worked oh so well for you last summer, didn’t it?

After trying on about 10 pairs of running shoes, I ended up going with the Asics Gel Nimbus 13:

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Even with my new shoes and my new hot coal running technique, I didn’t want to just jump into running head — strike that — ball-of-the-foot first.  I decided to ramp up with… you guessed it.

Interval training.

Originally, my goal was to start with 1 minute running and 1 minute walking for 20 minutes. Then each week gradually increase the run portion of the interval by 1 minute.

Good plan, eh?

Probably was, but it just wasn’t challenging enough.  But as much as I just want to just get out there and RUN until my legs can’t carry me any further, I have a little nagging voice in the back of my head reminding me how devastated I’ll be if I hurt my knee again this summer.  Sooooooo I reached a compromise with the nagging voice.  Instead of bumping the run time up a minute each week, I’m bumping it up a minute each day that I run.

My feets in action:

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I’m also running every other day (as opposed to EVERY day I tried to run last summer), and I found a pretty nice path to run on (as opposed to hard streets/sidewalks).

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If I stay on this plan, I should be able to run 5K no (knee) problem by mid August! That would be the ultimate accomplishment in my mind.  I know 5K isn’t much—I mean it’s no walk in the park but it’s also no marathon—but in my knee-injurfied world it’s quite the accomplishment!

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