Maybe you’ve already noticed, but I am in a funk. I have really slacked off on blogging lately and on doing much of anything in general. A lot of bloggers go through a period where they are just not excited about blogging. I think I’m just now coming out of one of those.

In an effort to get myself back on track, I’m gonna try adding some structure to my posting. Today I am introducing something I’m calling “morning musings.” Basically, I’m going to try to blog first thing in the morning about my breakfast, my life-happenings, and whatever else is swimming around in my head to help me gain some focus for the rest of the day.

Today I tried something totally new for breakfast. I bought a half of a papaya at the farmers market because it just looked so juicy and beautiful. I’ve never had papaya before and at first I didn’t really like it. It kinda reminds me of melon but with almost a faint cherry flavor, both of which are not favorite flavors for me.

I topped it with greek yogurt, honey, and slivered almonds.

As I kept eating I liked it more and more. It is so soft that it just disintegrates in your mouth and it’s really sweet and summery.

This guy was pretty sweet too…

I love how Liam sleeps with his arms tucked under his belly instead of his chest. I think he breathes better in this position or something. He is unusual, to say the least.

Hopefully this little experiment will help me to get back on track, I’m definitely a person that thrives with a little structure and things have certainly felt out of control this past month (more on that later.)

And I definitely have something fun to write about tomorrow since tonight I’m attending a blogger dinner at Rosebud restaurant. I’m excited to chow down on the vegetarian tasting menu they’ve planned for us!

Have you ever had the blogger blues?

What is your favorite exotic fruit?

June 15, 2011 Alayna Discussion 6 comments

Thank you all for all the well wishes after yesterday’s post about my neck issues. I am really feeling a lot better now, almost back to normal.

I thought I’d lighten things up today with a recipe I made over Memorial Day weekend that totally wowed the crowd.

Prepare yourself for…….chocolate mascarpone stuffed strawberries!

Cuz if chocolate, cheese, and sweet strawberries can’t make a girl feel better when she’s hurting, what can really?

Jeff and I went to a barbecue on Memorial Day with a ton of people. I was really hurting that night, but it felt so good to see these get gobbled up in mere minutes. It always makes me so happy when people like my food.

I found some enormous strawberries at Publix and knew they’d be great for making a light dessert. In fact, I’ve made this exact dessert before with green tea flavored mascarpone and it was a big hit, so I kinda had an idea that this might go over well. 😉

To make, I just cored the strawberries with a paring knife then got to work on my filling.

I used 16 oz. of room-temperature mascarpone cheese, and whipped it up with about 1/4 cup cocoa powder, two generous squirts of agave nectar, and maybe a half a cup or more of unsweetened almond milk to thin it out some.

A scooped the sweet cheese filling into a ziplock bag and cut the tip to use like a piping bag. I actually have a set of piping bags with fancy tips, but I was in a hurry and didn’t have time to get it out.

They turned out beautifully though…

This recipe made about 20 giant stuffed strawberries.  It would make nearly twice that for regular sized strawberries, so if you’re not making these for an army you might choose to cut the recipe in half.

Chocolate mascarpone stuffed strawberries

The not-too-sweet chocolatey mascarpone filling in these luscious strawberries really lets the fruit take center stage in this easy summer dessert.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 20+ large strawberries

Ingredients

• 20 extra large strawberries
• 16 oz. unsweetened mascarpone cheese
• 4 tbsp. agave nectar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• up to a 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

Cooking Directions

1. Wash and allow strawberries to dry before cutting off the tops and coring them with a small knife.
2. Whip together all other ingredients and transfer to a piping bag.
3. Pipe cheese mixture into strawberries and refrigerate until time to enjoy.

The filling was not too sweet, allowing the flavor of the ripe strawberries to really shine. This is one recipe I’ll make again and again, as it’s super simple but always impresses.

Next time, stuffed strawberries with chocolate chips!

June 7, 2011 Alayna Discussion, Recipes 9 comments

Hey guys. It has been about two weeks from my last post. You may have seen me commenting on other blogs here and there but for the most part I have been off the computer for the whole two weeks.

Why? Well, this is why…

My neck is jacked up guys.

The red lines show where my neck is positioned now, the blue ones are where it should be for correct posture and support. I have been in a great deal of pain and sitting at the computer is when it feels the worst.

Sorry, I’ve been completely MIA. Each time I’d sit at the computer and comment on a few blogs with the intention of writing a post to explain where I’ve been, I’d just start hurting too bad to continue.

I’ve started seeing a chiropractor again and we’re making quick progress of realigning my neck, but now I’m dealing with the soreness and stiffness that comes with the agressive but necessary neck adjustments.

How did this happen? I think it’s a combination of things for me. If you’ve read my Running with Scoliosis post, you know that I’ve had a spinal condition since I was a teenager and it’s caused me a lot of pain throughout the years. Scoliosis is never going to go away, so it’s my responsibility to stay on top of my chiropractic care to manage it, and I haven’t been. I waited nearly a year to restart chiropractic care after moving to Decatur, so that’s my fault.

The next problem is that I’ve been at the computer a lot more since quitting my job last year. Some of that time is spent doing blog work, but more than is necessary is being spent goofing off. All that extra time sitting in an unsupportive chair in front of the computer has really taken a toll on my back and neck. Again, totally my fault.

The last part, is that our mattress is way overdue for replacement. Neither of us get good sleep on it and regularly wake up uncomfortable or in pain. I’ve replaced our pillows with memory-foam contour pillows this weekend, but the mattress is harder to deal with. We might need to get a really good mattress pad for now to make it more comfortable until we can afford to replace it. At least that one’s not entirely my fault.

All of these problems have slowly compounded in my neck over the last year, and a few weeks ago they finally added up to what you see in that picture.

I guess the lesson here, for myself and for you, is – do not neglect your health!

I’m feeling much better now, still really sore but not in the pain I was last week. Ready to be back to blogging!

What is one thing you do to stay healthy outside of diet and exercise?

June 6, 2011 Alayna Discussion 14 comments