For the Sake of Convenience

This is not a sponsored or compensated post! Any specific brands mentioned are by choice because I truly enjoy their products. As much as I like to cook, there is nothing better than coming home to ready-made leftovers or convenience foods--more time to knit, yo! Eating healthy and fast are not mutually exclusive and these are some of my favorite quick n dirty options. Depending on your personal food needs these might not work for you, and that's ok! We all have our own magic list and I'd love to hear some of yours.

Protein powder: This shit saves my life. If your focus is on whole, natural-state foods then protein powder doesn't make the cut but I love it. While I do eat meat/fish/eggs etc, this is an easy way to get in extra protein. Right now I'm on a breakfast smoothie kick (a subject of another upcoming post!) and protein powder is a main feature in those. I'm flexible on brand as long as it meets my main criteria: whey protein vs any other kind, contains 20g+ of protein per serving, and unsweetened. Organic, grass-fed or hormone free are additional pluses! Currently digging Tera's Whey Unsweetened Grass-Fed.

Protein bars: Similar deal as above re: foods in their natural state. I don't believe in using these as full meal replacements (not enough calories) and I don't depend on them as a daily staple. I mainly use them for snacks or delaying meals, like if I want to wait until Mark gets out of work at 8:30 to eat dinner with him, or if I need a boost before a run since I can't run on a full stomach. I'm majorly in love with ThinkThin high protein bars, despite the stupid name. 20g protein and gluten free! They do contain soy protein, and I try to avoid lots of soy in my diet, but at least they only use non-GMO soy. The only other drawback is that they contain sugar alcohols for sweetness, so if you're looking to avoid those then they are off-limits. I don't mind, and my sugar intake is low so these bars are almost candy-like to me! <3 the creamy peanut butter flavor. Some of them are a little dry/weird in texture--chocolate espresso and brownie crunch, I'm looking at you!

Ready-to-go meats: Huge category, tons of options!

• Rotisserie chicken, especially when Stop n Shop does $5 chickens on Friday.
• Pre-made burgers. Trader Joe's has frozen uncooked turkey burgers and chicken chili lime burgers for RIDICULOUS prices--$2.99/box of 4 and $3.99/box of 4 respectively at my TJ's.
• Precooked sausages and meatballs. I'm a fan of the chicken ones by Aidells that come in tons of flavors and most are gluten free and nitrite free.
• Deli meats are a good option unless you're worried about sodium. Applegate Farms is nitrate and nitrate free though. Since I don't eat sandwiches, these are good on top of salads or just rolled up and eaten by themselves/with cheese as a snack. Also good in omelets or torn up and added to scrambled eggs!

Vegetables...I have no easy shortcuts, sorry! Bagged salad is about as convenience-y as I get. I don't like canned or frozen vegetables and I actually like chopping veggies in a martyring myself kind of way, so I tend to avoid the pre-chopped stuff from the supermarket. But if you truly hate prep work those are great options! Instead I just make big batches of veggies that will last for multiple meals and keep supplementing it with different protein.

What are your shortcuts when you're low on time or energy but big on hunger?

Catching Inspiration

I am one of those annoying diehard book fans who sit through a movie adaptation and think "But she said that line different in the book! And he completely changed the original intent with that facial expression! Gah!" I remember leaving the theater after seeing either the 4th or 5th Harry Potter movie with my friends and line-for-line QUOTING the book and pointing out the difference in wording. #buzzkill This all to say, I saw Catching Fire last night and was extremely pleased with it. As my favorite book of the trilogy I was most looking forward to this one--I can still nitpick things that weren't ~omg the exact same as the book~ but on the whole I found the mood to be a lot more suitable to Collins' original work than the first movie. And the clothes, oh the clothes! Super inspiring for both knitting and sewing purposes. I spied some great knitwear, shall we take a gander together?

The eponymous shrug/cowl/one sleeved vest thing everyone is in love with. Hella cool but less than practical for my everyday wardrobe. I'm sure I could come up with a look for it but all I forsee is the thing bunching up one side and annoying the hell out of me--you can already tell in the photo above how it's sliding to Katniss' right. The post-apocalyptic version of your pants falling down your ass and having to eternally pull them up; not practical for killing people while wearing. Verdict: Costume (except for a few brave fashionista souls.)

Finnick can has sweater?! Adorbs! Side note: I didn't get involved in the Sam Claflin bash-fest before the movie premiered, since I didn't know who the hell he was until now, but I have no gripes with his performance as Finnick or his looks. Great choice in my opinion. Ok, on to the sweater. My favorite detail is the cables that transform into part of the ribbed collar, so inspirational and reminds me of other pieces that use the same effect like Bristol Ivy's L'Acadie Cardigan. Meh on the weird closures that make me think of binder clips, they fit the movie but are too costume-y for real life and I hate the way they pull the fabric out of whack. Liking the almost faux-lapel look of the collar. Verdict: Wearable, with buttons subbed in for the binder clips.

Katniss' mother's cardigan and Prim's sleeveless vest, not any different from patterns we already know and love! I wanted to put this here to show that it isn't all crazycakes anarchist sweaters. Verdict: Beyond wearable. Almost boring.

This sweater shown in a tiniest fraction of the movie is AMAZING. The directional knitting and modular look to it instantly make me think of Norah Gaughan, and of course colorblocking is in like whoa lately. I think it really highlights J.Law's waist and I love the higher hem at the front. I see this being a lot of fun to recreate, and think of all the color combinations! You could go all Effie Trinket on it and do something crazy like orange, purple and pink. (Not really. That might be overkill.) What I really dislike is that awful shirt underneath it--not only does it ruin the cool high-low hem of the sweater but it looks like a dickey for your crotch. I know it's all the rage in the Capitol right now but Just Say No to crotch bibs. Verdict: @%&*^(@! LOVE IT. Kill the underlayer with fire.

I walked out of the theater thinking about this cowl. I thought it was knit but upon looking at pictures now it looks like it's woven (closer look here.) Still a fiber art, still cool! I bet this could be really easily recreated with a rigid heddle loom and some Noro yarn. I can also imagine a knit version using strategic basketweave/cabling to create a similar look. Slight tangent to make a point--Do you ever look at something, figure it out to look one way and then realize you were completely wrong and it looks totally different? I don't know if this happens as often to non-glasses wearers but this happens a bunch, especially when I don't have my glasses on. And usually what I THINK I saw is more interesting than what is actually real. In this case, I'm digging the woven look but I thought this cowl was completely different and it sparked some cool ideas for me. And that is movie magic. Verdict: Wearable. Weavers, feel the love!

It's Electric!

*cue The Electric Slide and memories of dancing to it in middle-school gym class* Ahem! Now that little bit of reminiscing is out of the way, I bring you: Elektrocute!

All photos by Lindsey Topham

Elektrocute is a graphic two-color cowl featuring a whole mess o' patterns! See: gradient transitions, zig-zags, and the cutest widdle lightening bolts ever. You won't get bored knitting or wearing this one, and it's sure to make you stand out from the crowd.

I'm sporting the longer 44" length (which can be worn open or doubled over) while Mary rocks the close-fitting 28" length. Both sizes take less than 2 skeins (one of each color) of Madelinetosh Pashmina. I've had Pashmina in my stash for over a year now but this is my first time using it--for shame! I can't think of a better luxury than treating yourself to this deliciously scrumptious yarn and then wrapping it around your neck. Not to mention the endless color combinations...

I wanted to try something a little different for this photo shoot, which is how we wound up with shots like this:

I always enjoy starting my day with picking leaves out of my hair before work, don't you?

You can snag Elektrocute on Ravelry now.

Let's Get Foody

The blogs I regularly read fall into three main categories: crafts, fitness and food. In an attempt to diversify this little corner of mine on the internet and make it more interesting, I figured I might as well bring all my interests to the table. (Snerk snerk, get it?!) One of my good friends refers to things I eat as 'hippie food'; I personally am more likely to call it 'Emma's Weird Food' in my head. Is it all that weird? Not really! I'm sure you'll recognize all the ingredients I use and the forms my food takes, I just have a certain (debateably arbitrary) set of restrictions and guidelines I try to follow. I eat my own modified version of paleo/primal--the main difference between the two camps is paleo=no dairy, primal=limited dairy. Both eschew grains, refined sugar, soy, legumes and processed foods for various reasons. I'm not super nitpicky, at least not by Paleo Police standards. I buy grass-fed/wild-caught/organic food products when I can and conventional when I can't. I read labels, but I really don't care if soy lecithin happens to be in something I'm eating and I use soy/legumes in limited amounts (mostly tamari and peanut butter!) And I am down with off-plan eats for special occasions or treats but try to keep the damage to a minimum.

You can read more about it if you're curious. I'm not gung-ho about the 'eat like a caveman' rationale that some use to explain it, I simply like eating this way because it makes me feel good and encourages creative cooking. How would your diet change if suddenly you had no more breakfast cereal, bread for toast or sandwiches, pasta at dinnertime? It took a while to get used to this mindset but now it feels easy.

I'm generally not a recipe-follower. While I like reading food blogs aka food porn and drooling over their recipes, it doesn't jive with my style of cooking which is more of a scan-the-fridge-and-cook-shit-fast method. Unless I'm planning to try a certain recipe, I buy whatever protein and veggies look good and figure it out on the fly. That being said, I did try a few new recipes recently that have been added to the roster for good!

Top Left: This is my usual method of operating, toss random ingredients together and eat. In this case, salad topped with heat-n-eat garlic Gruyere chicken sausages, tomatoes, artichoke hearts and balsamic vinaigrette. Wasn't sure if this combination would work but it was great! 99% of the time I heat up my protein before adding it to a salad--the exception being canned tuna, sardines or hardboiled eggs--because I love the warm/cold contrast.

Top Right: Not strict paleo but so worth it! Mini bison meatballs (no recipe, just meat+onion+spices), baked polenta with tomato sauce and sauteed chard. I have a huge crush on Joy the Baker's blog. I won't let myself make most of her recipes, so I just look at the pretty pictures and fantasize about whatever baked confection she has posted recently.

Bottom Left: This meal thanks to Ravelry! A woman in the fitness group I frequent had posted before about making potsticker burgers, but using pork instead of the turkey suggested in the recipe. Now THAT is a substitution I can get behind! Rather than make the accompanying slaw, I did my usual simple stir-fry of various chopped veggies tossed with tamari, rice vinegar and sesame oil at the end.

Bottom Right: Ok, you would think that miso tahini sweet potatoes and broccoli would be super weird but it is soooo good! Smitten Kitchen has some damn fine healthy recipes (just look past the baked goods, as hard as that is!) and they're easy to modify to be paleo-friendly in my case. Instead of serving over rice, I added some mahi-mahi which I briefly marinated in miso and rice vinegar to match the flavors. The second time I made just the veggies as a side for a different meal, I forgot the toasted sesame seeds and it wasn't quite as good without them. You can leave the sweetener out of the sauce with no noticeable difference though!

Not Pictured: Spaghetti Squash Bolognese, which we ate too fast to take a picture of. And made a second batch of later in the week--it was that good. I own the book (Practical Paleo) the recipe is from, but a lot of them are also reposted on her website.

That has been your glimpse into my recent eats. I plan to bring you more in the future--til then, tell me about your food? I love seeing what other people eat, I'm like a Peeping Tom but only for meal planning. Or ask me questions about my diet!

An Army of Heliopaths

My Heliopath Vest pattern has over 1000 favorites on Ravelry--can I get a WOO-HOO?! Seriously, through the moon on this one. Putting a design out there is simultaneously exciting and scary, because what if no one likes something you labored over? (And cried over, and swore over...depending on the design!) This one is especially dear to my heart because of the Harry Potter connection, so I am super duper beyond thrilled that knitters are in love with Luna just as much as I am.

Without much more ado, here is a small sampling of the gorgeous Heliopath FOs that have been popping up!

Krista-lu chose variegated yarn for a bold statement! These colors scream fall and I think the buttons are that perfect touch of bookish British classic style.

Plucky Knitter yarn + a dynamite gal = thearensolo in her contribution! Great fit, and crazy adorable buttons (click through to her project page for a close-up!)

I LOVE how this floral print shirt looks with Nanaelliot's flashy red Heliopath. I love button-ups but own zero, clearly I need to remedy this stat! (Side note: I never know whether to say 'button-up' or 'button-down' when referring to these shirts. Which is correct?!)

OhTheBether even made her vest look stunning as it blocked! I'm a fall colors gal so I dig this rusty orange tone. Plus Swans Island yarn <3.

And THAT? That my friends is Kirbalicious' vest seen here as part of her Loony Lovegood Halloween costume! She even has an accurate Quibbler in her hand, what detail!

Round of applause to these ladies and all the other Heliopath knitters out there--I really appreciate your support and always look forward to seeing your photos. Hope that more of you join us soon! After all, I'm going to need an army by my side when we finally decide the time is ripe to expose the Rotfang Conspiracy...

On 5k's (yes, plural)

I was never the fit kid in school. I played basketball and soccer for a while but neither one really took off for me due to my lack of height (see: basketball) and my lack of stamina (see: soccer.) My memories of the former are colored with frustration of being unable to make any plays, and the latter with exhausting laps around the practice field.

But I'm an adult now and you know, things are a little bit different. So much so that this was me a little over a month ago:

Mark and I participated in our first mud run/obstacle course race/exercise in insanity, a Rugged Maniac 5k! (He's now officially The Boyfriend. In case any snoops were wondering--hi Mama and Papa! :P)

Without a doubt it was the most physically challenging and rewarding experience I've done so far. Because I grew up as the bookworm and the crafty kid, I'd created an identity for myself that wasn't athletic, of a girl who was more likely to sit indoors making something rather than go out and test the limits of my body. My interest in fitness has slowly grown over the past 4 years, starting with haphazard dabblings and bringing me to where I am now: mainly someone who reads fitness blogs for fun. (Ha!) Am I an incredible athlete? Hardly. But I'm learning how to push myself, how to keep going when it hurts, when it's 6am and you're still tired but have a workout scheduled for yourself. I'm learning discipline in a different way than I did with my schoolwork or my designing, and I kind of like it.

My biggest weakness with the Rugged Maniac was the actual 5k part. I kind of-sort of worked on running in preparation for it but mostly stuck with weight-training workouts since that's what I gravitate towards and genuinely enjoy. I am not an endurance cardio person. So when it came time to do the actual race, I think I ran (ok, jogged) less than 50% of the course and wound up walking between the obstacles. But I'm still incredibly proud of myself for completing all the obstacles except three--like the one that included jumping over giant trenches in the earth? HELL TO THE NAW.

In keeping with my masochistic tendencies, I'm now training to run a 'real' (aka normal, obstacle-free) 5k next month. Do I enjoy training for this? Not really. I have a theory that anything you hate to do, you should try and make yourself do. Of course, I apply this at my discretion! Whatevs, I'm not perfect, as much as I'd like to be. I'll be running in the Hot Chocolate Run, which is a fundraising event that benefits a local domestic violence shelter/organization. That link is for my donation page--no pressure of course but if you feel so inclined, it would be much appreciated. It's an issue that hits me in the feels and I've donated $25 myself to help out those great people.

With my BFF Kerry at last year's Hot Chocolate Run, ready to walk (not run!)

I don't know if I will continue to run once the 5k is over. I've been waiting for it to set me ablaze, turn me into a runner or at least someone who can get enjoyment out of it the way a barbell gets me fired up. I mostly get enjoyment once the run is over! We'll see how it goes. I'm always on the lookout for new physical challenges so if not running, something else will pop up for me to conquer.

This post brought to you in my attempt to a) update my blog more often and b) talk about more than just knitting. Let me know if you liked it and what type of posts you'd like to read!

Pantonal II: Canephora

If you hate feet, look away quick!

As always, photos by Topham Photo

Meet Canephora, the second installment of the Pantonal club collaboration between myself and Gynx Yarns! This is my first ever sock design because trying new things is fun, right? So this experience was a mix of that "wow this is way easier than I thought it would be" feeling and the "wait this is TOO easy am I forgetting something important?!" sense of panic. Aside from a few minor snafus, these babies went pretty smoothly and I'm thankful for that.

The name continues in my theme for this project--the Pantone color is Carafe, Laura's version is called Cafe, and canephora comes from the Latin name for Robusta coffee, Coffea canephora. I'm not a big coffee drinker, since I try to avoid unnecessary sugar whenever I can and I'm too much of a pansy to drink my coffee black! So this is my dose of toasty coffee-brown goodness.

Available to non-subscribers on May 1st.