Full-body massage

I woke up hungry this morning. I don’t know how it happened after all the eating I’ve done the past two days, but it did! So, I made breakfast:

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Two of Jessica’s omelets from Friday topped with TJ’s peach salsa:

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And chopped apple and pineapple with nutmeg, cardamom, and hemp:

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I also couldn’t help a little snacky sprinkle of strawberry medley/golean crunch with soymilk:

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It was a beautiful, beautiful morning, so I power walked out to “the mall,” where I hit up Old Navy and Target for hot-yoga-appropriate moisture-wicking attire. I had not bought new clothes in over two years (ever since I left the full-time-salaried life to go to grad school), so this was exciting and a big deal because all of my workout clothes are 100% cotton (aka NOT moisture-wicking) and also starting to tear at embarrassing seams. Still, I was horrified by the number on the cash register. Even thinking about how I just spent $90 on clothes is kind of really sending me into a panic. But, I know I’ve made a good investment, and these clothes had better last me another two years!

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I also went to the grocery store and found lots of good deals (and lots of free gouda samples), so it was a very successful shopping day. But I think I need to hide my credit card from myself for a while until my $25/week spending money budget catches up with itself!

Lunch involved something repurposed and something new. I mixed what I had left of Rosey’s spaghetti with my last thawed serving of mom’s chicken cacciatore and broiled it in a pie plate for about 15 minutes until crispy.

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For the “new” part of lunch, I decided to try my hand at this “massaged kale salad” that I’ve seen around [blog]town. I mixed the leaves from the huge bunch of kale I got at the grocery store (I saved the stems to steam with broccoli) with some of my mom’s herb-infused olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, some squirts of wasabi paste, coarse sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper. It was fun to get in there with my hands and give the kale its full-body massage, working all of the dressing components thoroughly into the kale leaves. I could actually feel the texture of the kale softening as I worked.

I put some of the massaged kale salad in a bowl with a bit of arugula (the gourmet market had clam shells of local arugula on sale for $2.99!!! I bought two :-D) and topped it with a scoop of the broiled spaghetti and some grated homemade parmesan.

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I loved the kale this way!

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Kale is such a substantial green when it is raw, and this massaging let the kale keep its satisfying chew while flavoring it nicely. (Vani and I actually had a whole discussion about kale on the subway yesterday — probably what made me buy it today and try the massage.) I bet it will be even more delicious as leftovers after it marinates some more.

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Dessert was a hunk of the fresh coconut that Jessica gave me at work last week:

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The rest of my afternoon was full of homework. Ughhh, I forgot I was going to have to go back to dealing with homework with my summer classes. Sigh, only 12 more months …

What are you more likely to do first: get a massage yourself or give one to a big pile of raw kale?

Also, Kate posted the pizza tossing video from last night. You probably need a pretty fast connection to be able to observe the full extent of Nino’s abilities, but you can give it a shot here!

11 thoughts on “Full-body massage

  1. Amy says:

    eeeee, I have that blue running top! It’s VERY comfortable. And I think you got a lot of good stuff for $90….but I feel ya on the sticker shock of running/yoga clothes.

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  2. Anne K. says:

    Cute clothes! And it sounds like you definitely needed them, so don’t stress about the price. They’ll last you a long time, too!

    Your lunch looks delicious! I love the kale salad.

    I’m probably pretty likely to do both! I’m lucky to live by a student massage institute, where I can get good deep tissue/sports massages for a pretty cheap price. They really help my knees and IT band, along with foam rolling. I love kale and salads too, so a kale massage is also likely!

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  3. Alison says:

    I love shopping! Luckily, I’m cheap enough that I don’t buy as many things as I actually want. Otherwise I’d be broke!

    I really want to try the kale salad. Kale is one of my favorite greens. But a real massage sounds lovely – and I have a gift certificate.

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  4. april says:

    Isn’t it weird how sometimes we wake up so hungry when it seems like we ate a lot the night before? And I’d rather have someone else give me a massage! lol

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  5. snackface says:

    Oh ma gah. Just caught up on your fabulous weekend! Holy shhh I want to date Gino. Or was it Dino? Either way, I still want to date him.

    I love your hot yoga pose. Just joy, that’s all I see!

    I’m the same way about clothes. I just don’t buy them anymore! Damn being a student!

    Brilliant transformation of that spaghetti! Looks so good all crispay.

    I always massage by upper back during class and stuff. It probably looks ridiculous, but I hurt, ya know?

    Have a great Sunday night and start to your week!

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  6. Susan says:

    Workout clothes are so insanely expensive. But I never regret splurging on them when I put them on after wearing ratty stuff for so long. Wearing a sweat-wicking tank after a year of gross cotton is like heaven!!

    I love kale, I gotta try this massaged business…

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  7. Paige says:

    Hey Sarah, future roomie here πŸ™‚ I’m typically a lurker, but because I know you now and because I did the EXACT SAME THING yesterday, I just had to comment. I, too, went to Target to buy moisture wicking workout apparel and I, too, was shocked and horrified at the price. Eek. But I keep telling myself it’s a good investment because all my gym clothes are cotton and not conducive to warm weather workouts.

    I like the tops you got! The Target I went to didn’t have any pretty patterns like that.

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