Christmas Parties, Travel Plans, and Then Some

I’m feeling a little out of sorts today. I haven’t blogged since Friday and so much has happened since then that I don’t know where to start. Not necessarily anything exciting, just life.  The weekend has been really nice. Yesterday was the first day I had woken up without an alarm and without an agenda in a long time. It was such a good feeling. I decided to have breakfast in bed while surfing the net.

1/2 cup oats
3/4 cup water
splash of almond milk
1/2 banana
chopped walnuts

My oats were a bit soupy.. but sometimes that’s just what I’m in the mood for. So while I savored my breakfast and sipped my Starbucks brew I started planning my spring vacation. Sara and I have been tossing a handful of ideas around for traveling in March. We started with the intention of spending two weeks in Thailand. Then toyed with the idea of visiting Prague and Budapest, or maybe even Istanbul, but nixed that since March weather is usually in the 50′s. Then Sara suggested Mexico, maybe a cruise? I do love being warm.. But now it looks like I’m traveling solo. When it comes down to it I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be than Italy.

I love Italy. I love the culture. I love the people, the food, the wine, the history, the climate, the landscape, the city, the country, on and on. My first trip to Europe was six years ago. I’ve been five times, visited eight countries, and the one place I never tire of is Italy. I feel like I’ve covered all the major cities and attractions. This time I want to get off the beaten path and explore the south where I’ll be forced to use my Italian. So I’m flying into Naples, and from there taking a 40 minute train ride to Pompei. I’ve always wanted to visit Pompei. I’m excited to see the ancient Roman city with all its archeological treasures, and maybe even hike Mount Vesuvius. Then I plan on spending four or five days on the Amalfi Coast, leisurely working my way from Vietri sul Mare to Positano, before taking a train to Puglia where I’ll spend the rest of my time. Puglia is the heel of the boot, it’s really rich in ancient Greek and Roman culture, still very behind the times compared to the north, and as far as I’m concerned a hidden jewel of Italy. Here’s a photo of a typical village in Puglia.

Isn’t it so cute? The houses are so unusual. I can’t wait to be there. So far I only have a rough idea of trip details; no specific destinations, more like regions. Since I’m on a student budget I’m working on creative ways to save money. For accomidations I may do some “wwoofing” (willing workers on organic farms). It sounds more or less like a bed and breakfast where you work a few hours a day in the vineyard, or in the garden in exchange for a place to stay with home cooked meals. What a great way to be elbows deep in real Italian life. I’ve researched the WWOOF organization. They’re huge, with farms all over the world. It may also be a good way to meet other travelers. We’ll see. I’m also open to Couch Surfing (yes, they’re a vouched for organization too ), or staying in hostels. The down side to hostels I’ve found is that you meet more Americans than Italians. It doesn’t offer the same cultural immersion.

That’s enough about travel. I literally spent all Saturday morning day dreaming about Italy. Then I went for a good eight mile and started getting ready for the office Christmas party. Lunch was a green monster.

3 cups spinach
1 cup almond milk
2 Tbsp almond butter
1 frozen banana

Our office Christmas parties are always a ball. We’ve done a cooking party at the culinary institute, a night at the theater, the ballet. This year our party was at a dueling piano bar in Seattle. We had a great time. There was lots of hugging, dancing, and best of all, lots of humiliating the boss on stage. He must have been called up three times to either sing, dance, or both. Not only was he a good sport about it, he pulled a trademark Michael Jackson dance move. It was soo funny. We’ll be talking about that for a long time.

The food wasn’t that good. I knew it was Mexican and I didn’t really want to eat heavy when we were going to be up and around, dancing. I fixed a snack before leaving the house and ordered a fruit salad for dinner.

1 whole-wheat tortilla
1/4 cup skim ricotta cheese
drizzle of honey

Today has been more low-key. A typical relaxing Sunday. Breakfast of oats and coffee. I realized while putting dishes away that my Starbucks mugs are so much bigger than my other coffee mugs. It just goes to show how American culture has really shifted into this idea of bigger is better. A person could easily misgage proper portion sizes when using over-sized dishes. 

After breakfast Beth and I high tailed it to church. She has a new video camera and decided to bring it along and occasionally whip it out to record.. you know, just to try it out. Now I know how she feels when I take photos of produce in Whole Foods.

After church was grocery time. I made a stop at Trader Joe’s, Fred Meyer, and then came home to throw together some food for the week.

Veggies baked at 400F degrees for 25 minutes.

1 pound of brussels sprouts halved
1 Tbsp Olive oil
2 Tbsp vinegar
5 sprigs fresh Thyme

acorn squash tossed in olive oil
salt
pepper
chopped garlic

I have about 5 pounds of shrimp in my freezer right now that a patient sent from Alaska. I can’t wait to eat it, but cleaning these prickly little monsters was quite the task. I thawed about a pound, got them cleaned, squeezed lemon juice over them and put in the fridge for later this week.

Every week I hard boil a dozen eggs (Free Range of course). They’re great for adding a little protein to any meal. I usually have a couple egg whites as a late morning snack, and keep a few in the fridge at work for emergencies.

So there you have it. Another glorious weekend.. and it’s not over yet. I have tomorrow off. What will I do? Maybe I should start my Christmas shopping, or I could just keep shopping on Amazon.

Do you prepare meals for the week?

Any travel suggestions for southern Italy, or traveling on a budget?