Staycation (July Edition)

Everyone needs a good "Staycation" once in a while and MOST of the time that means a nice little vacation at home - seeing the sights, eating at new restaurants in your city and maybe playing tourist a little bit.  But for me it usually means holing up in my apartment and getting away from the world for a bit.  And luckily (or maybe unluckily?) the perfect storm presented itself for that very opportunity this weekend.

The last two weeks have been BUSY.  I have been working at The Skylark a bunch, rehearsing for a project that Chet Walker asked me to do during the day, Lo's wedding in Vermont was last weekend, auditions happened, life happened... and by the time I woke up on Thursday, my throat was sore, my body was aching and I had a sinking feeling that the dreaded Summer Cold was coming my way... with a 12 hour day still ahead of me.   So by the time my shift ended Thursday night, I fell face first into bed and started a looooooong weekend Staycation.  In my apartment.  And it was magical.

Sometimes I think that a cold is our body's way of slowing us down for a minute... "Whoa, Erin, you've been hittin' it pretty hard lately.  A little TOO hard.  So I'm gonna knock you flat on your ass!" (...or something of that nature.)  So I listened and gave it a rest.  I LOVE a good weekend home and this one was no exception.  I slept late (LATE!), made delicious and (kinda?) healthy food, turned down a few invites to go out, watched a bunch of TV ranging from "The Lego Movie" to a major "Breaking Bad" marathon*, did some arts and crafts (DISCLAIMER: these details cannot be revealed due to it being part of a friends upcoming birthday present. Heehee! More on that at a later date...), and generally enjoyed some rest, relaxation, and alone time.  And didn't feel guilty about it. one. bit.

Since I had all of this time on my hands, I spent a lot of time making food - Salsa, Penne with homemade Vodka Sauce, Peach Ice Cream and best yet, made my own fricken' ALMOND MILK!  (Who the hell do I think I am??) I wrote a post a bit ago about trying to eat better, choosing more whole foods, staying away from fillers and pesticides, etc.  Milk is definitely something that I struggle with... I love dairy milk, but I get concerned about the hormones and contaminants and fat content and excess lactose. I tried Almond/Soy/Coconut milk, but then I heard that the store brands have a lot of other random additives as well.  Well, shit...

   
So I thought, hey, let's give homemade Almond Milk a whirl!  ....and turns out that it was pretty damn easy to make!  Take about 1/2 cup of raw almonds and soak them overnight to remove some sort of natural enzyme inhibitor found in the skin (...something ...something ...science).

After draining them, add the almonds and about 4 cups of water to the blender...I used my NutriBullet and I bet a Vitamix would be great, but I think a regular blender would also do just fine.  I also added a dollop of honey, a pinch of salt, and a bit of Pure Vanilla Extract to taste. Blend it up real good for about a minute or two (maybe more if you are using a regular blender) and then strain it into a pitcher with a lid of some sort.  To strain it, I used a piece of cheese cloth, but apparently there is a thing called a Nut Milk Bag (HA!) that is specifically designed for this.  Maybe next time.  You put it through the cloth and then squeeze out the extra liquid from the almond pulp.  It all strains out nice and clean and makes....ALMOND MILK!! And let me tell you, it tastes amazing.  And you can totally make it to your own taste....sweet, vanilla-y, whatever.  It doesn't keep too long, but that is the price you pay for fresh!!  Regardless, total success! Get into it!!  Your internal organs will SING!!! :)

 *** SIDE NOTE:  Almond Pulp.  What the hell do I do with that?  I have no idea...  Seems a shame to throw it away, but yeah...I don't know.  That's what Pinterest is for, I guess.  Let me know if you have any ideas...***

* And speaking of your insides singing....actually NO.  Let's talk about BREAKING BAD.  I know that I am really late to the party, but I started watching it and have had a few marathon days and I'm PISSED.  To be fair, I'm only just into Season 5, but what the hell?? I'm so mad at Walt.  He's such a dick now...to his family, to Jesse, to his "co-workers"....I'm just annoyed.  He is really turning out to be the anti-hero when he started out with such noble intentions.  I guess that's what makes the writing so genius...the slow decline into moral ambiguity...no "good guys" or "bad guys", just incredibly flawed people.  Everyone keeps telling me to stick with it and that it all wraps up, but....UGH.  I don't know. It is so hard to keep rooting for this guy that is turning out to be a real asshole.  And then you find yourself feeling so much empathy for Jesse, a meth head, loose cannon with a skewed (but noble?) moral compass.  I think I just talked myself back into thinking that it is a GREAT show.  But now I can't stop until I finish it and see how it all ends.  DAMN YOU, NETFLIX!!!!


Anyway, I was very lucky that I got to rest up, recharge my battery and fight this cold in peace with NOTHING to do....Back to reality tomorrow, I suppose!  But at least I'm feeling better and have a lot to look forward to next week...as soon as I finish just one more episode of Breaking Bad. Maybe two more. THREE max...  ;-)



(And seriously, try the almond milk.)

-e