Archives for February 2012 | theclothesmakethegirl

Feb 28, 2012 Posted by Mel

Vote in The Homies

I know I’ve been asking for a lot of support from you guys lately. Can I test your patience and be all me-me-me one more time? The Kitchn, one of my favorite food-related blogs, is sponsoring The Homies, a blog awards competition specifically for home-related blogs that cover subjects like home decor, family, recipes, and (ahem) healthy cooking. I’m in the Best Healthy Cooking Blog category,... read more

Feb 27, 2012 Posted by Mel

Live at Milestone CrossFit

Hey, local friends! Milestone CrossFit in Hutto is hosting a free CrossFit workout this Saturday — along with a presentation/book signing with me as the guest speaker. Fun, right? And while you’re doing something good for yourself, you can help others, too. Milestone is collecting non-perishable food donations for the Hutto Community Food Pantry. What: Paleo presentation & book signing Where:... read more

Feb 27, 2012 Posted by Mel

Strength Monday 02/27/12

In my quest for lean superhero-ness, I’m following the 5/3/1 strength training program. Twice a week, Dave and I are hitting the craptastic gym in our Converse to lift heavy and crank through a mini-metcon. I’m working on a separate post to come clean about what’s going on with my attitude, body image, body comp, and body weight; there’s a lot to talk about there. But it feels... read more

Feb 25, 2012 Posted by Mel

Errata Sheet, Or Oops! I Made a Few Typos

This may make me sound kinda dumb, but until December 10 when Dave said the fateful words, I’d never heard the term “errata sheet.” I was holding a proof copy of Well Fed in my hands. We’d already enjoyed the joyous flip through its pages with my parents, and I was up to my elbows in chopped spinach because I was making Meat & Spinach Muffins for our book release party. You... read more

Feb 25, 2012 Posted by Mel

72 Burpees. 2 Major Complaints.

I almost didn’t do it, so comfortable was I in my leopard pajamas and furry slippers, reading the thoroughly delightful cookbook Bought, Borrowed, Stolen, with Smudge in my lap and a cup of Honeybush Hazelnut tea in my hand. But then I thought of all of you. Bugger! The first 20 burpees felt just fine, thank you very much. I actually felt-thought, Wheeee! This is fun. I’m flying. The... read more

Feb 24, 2012 Posted by Mel

Yay, Burpees!

I (box) jumped back into the fray this week, after taking a break from intense workouts as part of my Healing Experiment. In addition to my yoga classes, I hit the craptastic gym twice for strength training and two mini metcons that involved box jumps, kettlebell swings, cleans, lunges with a plate overhead, and jump rope. It was exhilarating to work up a serious sweat. My new Saturday morning plan... read more

Feb 23, 2012 Posted by Mel

5-Spice Slow-Cooker Pork Ribs

As much as I enjoy playing in the kitchen, I like to balance “project recipes” (I’m looking at you, Paleo Chicken Bastila.) and dead-simple dishes that require almost no work with a big flavor payoff. This is my first in a series of Super Simple recipes that are made with minimal fuss, just a few ingredients, and produce leftovers that can be used in other dishes. I don’t know... read more

Feb 22, 2012 Posted by Mel

Well Fed on the Kindle

We are right now working on a Kindle version of Well Fed! It’s true — I am up to my eyeballs in cleaning up text files so the recipes look good on that little sucker. We expect it to be available in 2-3 weeks. But… I’m firmly committed to print books, and Dave uses his Kindle for novels and non-fiction, but not cookbooks. We took a look at a few Kindle cookbooks and were aggressively... read more

Feb 22, 2012 Posted by Mel

The Paleo Diet Without Dieting

On Sunday, I participated in a pretty awesome discussion group lead by Stephanie Vincent of Radical Hateloss. The subject was The Paleo Diet Without Dieting, and I was the guest speaker. If you’re not familiar with Stephanie’s work, she’s a crusader for helping women re-shape our relationships with our bodies. Her blog archive is chockful of insightful writing and big ideas. In our... read more

Feb 21, 2012 Posted by Mel

Win a Subscription to Experience Life

UPDATE 2/227/12: We have two winners: Congratulations to Linda and Mona H.! Here’s what they had to say in their drawing entries: Linda: “I think I will always be working on my best self. When is a work of beauty (inside and out) ever “DONE”? This is a journey, which I’ve learned to appreciate by living within each moment and being kind, gentle and loving with myself.... read more

Feb 20, 2012 Posted by Mel

The Gifts of Imperfection: Q&A #2

UPDATE: Here are links to the first and third discussions of The Gifts of Imperfection: Discussion #1 Discussion #3 Welcome to the second virtual meeting of our book club to discuss The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown! (If you don’t know what’s going on around here, read this post and visit Brené’s web site.) The discussion in the comments of Q&A #1 from last Monday is... read more

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reading is sexy
Reading right now...

The Redbreast: A Harry Hole Novel
I'm about two-thirds of the way through this detective thriller, and I'm hooked. It's set in modern Norway with flashbacks to WWII (catnip for me!) and features a somewhat grim hero that engenders empathy. I can't help pulling for the guy as I watch him struggle with his case and his life. The cast of characters is a realistic but motley crew, and it reminds me of other favorites set in cold, snowy climes: the Millenium Trilogy and Smila's Sense of Snow.
Recently finished...

The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million
I picked up this book after reading an interview with Lee Child (author of the Jack Reacher thrillers). He referred to The Lost as "the book of the century" and since I devour as much as I can about the Holocaust to try to make sense of it all, I decided I needed to read it immediately. Part memoir, part detective tale, this book was thoroughly engrossing. It's intelligent, annoying, moving, frustrating, and ultimately, rewarding and beautifully written. It challenged me in ways I didn't expect, and I was sad when it was finished.