The Big Chill: Soups and Adventures in Tahoe

My fiancé and I were recently invited to the birthday celebration of my fellow Soul Cycle freak and clean eating nut. There had been talk of the calmness and serenity of Lake Tahoe, but nothing prepared me for the tranquility and beauty that engulfed us upon arrival. The sun-filled days started with morning yoga and slowly progressed to sipping chilled wine while sailing the majestic crystal blue lake that was surrounded by snow-tipped mountains. Evenings were spent congregated around the fire pit with s'mores, liquid libations, melodic chatter, and good tunes. For the culminating meal and birthday celebration, the host arranged a jaw dropping seafood feast. I hope that the pictures below do some justice to the beautiful food and unforgettable scenery that we were fortunate enough to experience.

Now as I sit in my windowless office on a scorching summer day, I reflect back longingly on painted sunsets, crisp rose, and the cool lake breeze. Thanks LP for an unforgettable trip.

Oats Mc Go-Goats

It's no new revelation that breakfast is an essential meal. "Back in the day" I used to be a breakfast skipper, and in those "dark days," it would not be uncommon for me to reach for an undesirable mid-morning snack, traditionally in bar form, or overdo it at lunch and then feel weighted down and lethargic. Sound familiar breakfast skippers?  Breakfast is the meal that breaks your overnight fast. For skippers who are also getting the ideal hours of sleep, you could be going around ten hours without adding any fuel to your body. Imagine then, if you wait until lunch, you could possibly be fasting for 16 hours. That's long enough to put your body into starvation mode and slow your metabolism down. I spend a majority of my breakfasts holed up in my office with a Siggi's, fruit, and some yogurt topper in the form of a complex carb, but lately I've started creating an oatmeal bake. I'd heard about this mythical bake before. However, it wasn't until a friend of mine with a plethora of dietary restrictions (gluten-free and dairy-free) recommended that I give it a try.