Let the music take control...

Sorry we've been out of the blog spotlight for so long. But with a new season of So You Think You Can Dance comes inspiration, hence the blog update! If you guys, our loyal followers, (or those that we force to follow by putting you on the email list) are not watching SYTYCD, please do so. This show, as cheesy as it sounds, moves us. I've always loved to dance since I was in junior high. And even in my 30s, I find myself in the middle of a dance circle more often than you would think. One of the things I love most about jen is her ability to let loose on a dance floor. But it wasn't until I started watching SYTYCD that I discovered my love of watching dance. The passion, the choreography, the music...it's all extremely moving. So give it a shot people. I promise you won't be disappointed.  

Anyway, in honor of a new season starting, I thought I'd post a blog about a fun dance-related activity we did back in March called A Taste of Dance. Because we were itching for our beloved art form, when we received the flyer in the mail for A Taste of Dance, we truly couldn't wait to check it out. Basically, it was an event going on at the Music Center in Downtown LA where you could "taste test" a variety of dance styles at just a dollar a lesson. $1 bought you a 20-minute lesson. And the most important part...no experience necessary! So we biked to the subway, and headed downtown.  

First up was the Dunham Technique Warm Up. I think this one was both mine and jen's favorite. The instructor, Sarah Anindo Marshall, was incredible. Basically, she led a fusion of Caribbean and African dance with modern and ballet. In this 20-minute warm-up, we used more muscles than we had in years. The second we got home we researched the internet for places we could take a Dunham class, but our search came up empty unless we joined the Debbie Allen Dance Academy. And um, that's not really an option. So if anyone that reads this blog knows of any place we can take a Dunham class, please let us know!  

So since we were all warmed up, it was time to hit the various dance floors that were set up all around the Music Center. While crowds of people watched on, we attempted to Breakdance first. I did okay until we got to the backspin. After getting kicked in the head by a teenager, I excused myself from the floor. But jen stuck it out and actually did quite well!  

I was beginning to feel a little out of my element, but then we did the Praise Dance class which was much easier to follow. Very lyrical and expressive. We had a hard time following the Afro-Brazilian class, but my forte was Krumping. Lil' Tommy the Clown, who was featured in the movie Rize, taught us a routine and it was a blast! I still do the "krump clap" regularly in our living room.  

Christine and Starr met up with us and tried their hand at Chicago Steppin' and something else that I can't remember.  

All in all, it was a great experience and I can't wait to do it again. I'm pretty sure they have A Taste of Dance twice a year, so all you LA peeps should check it out! 

This experience also inspired us to try a Zumba class at the gym. Jen's not as crazy about it as I am, but I openly admit to LOVING ZUMBA! It's an aerobic class that combines movements from merengue, salsa, mambo, etc. into one kick-ass work out. Zumba is getting more popular, so I encourage you to find a class. At LA Fitness it's actually called "Latin Impact" but it's the same thing.  

So please tune in to this season's SYTYCD, and in the words of C+C Music Factory...everybody dance now...da da da da...

Counting blue cars...

No, our latest blog is not an ode to Dishwalla...but it is about counting cars so to speak. Last night, Jen and I participated in the 2009 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count. We've gotten out of the habit of blogging lately, but I have to say, after the experience we had last night, it's time to start talking.

I'll start at the beginning. The last two years, we've participated in the United Way's HomeWalk, a 5k that raises money and awareness to prevent homelessness in Los Angeles. At last year's walk, we got recruited for HC09, and we've been looking forward to helping ever since. So what is HC09? Well, basically, every two years all the homeless people in LA need to be counted in order to get the proper federal funding they deserve. In 2007, 73,000 people were counted. That number is so large, I don't even know how to process it.

As the count started approaching, I remembered that I had signed up to be a team captain, meaning I needed to recruit just 4 other people. No problem, right? I've got tons of friends. Um. Yeah. Not as easy as I thought. I sent out roughly 200 emails asking for volunteers, and got only 4 replies - two of which were a "no." This hit me pretty hard. One of my goals this year was to help more. Give back. Make a difference in any and every way that I can. And it was hard to accept that just because I'm in a giving mood this year, everyone else may have other priorities and be giving back in other ways. So basically, recruiting was a bust. But luckily, a few people came out of the woodwork, and I met my quota. (A big shout out to Lauren, Alex, Roxanne, Russell, Catherine, Jessica & of course jen.)

Cut to the night of the first count. Jen, Lauren, Alex & I signed up in the San Fernando Valley. We drove out to our deployment center and got geared up to start counting. We sat through a short training session and lined up for our assignment. Basically, they were handing out 3 types: walking, biking or driving. Since it was the coldest day of the year, we were hoping for a driving assignment, but by the time we got to the front of the line, it was slim pickin's. We almost got sent to Sylmar, but luckily, we got one of the last local assignments. Problem is, it wasn't in one of the safest areas, so they decided to send two men with us. Fine by me!

We loaded into our cars, with the two guys, and drove to Pacoima. Now when I signed up for the count, it never crossed my mind that it might be dangerous. Homeless people don't hurt you. But I wasn't factoring in the neighborhoods we'd be walking through. Lauren mentioned right away that Pacoima was known for its gang activity. But there's safety in numbers, right? And there were 6 of us. Wearing black. Wandering the streets at 10pm. Waking up every dog on the block. And definitely turning heads. Hell, if I saw a group like ours walking down the street, I would call the police. But we marched on...

Then, a white car drove by. What are you looking at? We're volunteers. Yeah, I know it's late and we're on your turf, but we're helping. I swear. After a few minutes he drove by again. And then a third time in which he asked if we were vampires. (I wish!) Then, a girl in his car asked us what our problem was. Ugh. I don't want to get in a gang fight. Homelessness is all I'm trying to fight. Obama told me to! We b-lined for the car.

After an hour, and no sign of a homeless person, I started feeling useless. If I wasn't counting anyone, was I really making a difference? Despite the training that "zero IS a valid number," I was feeling like a failure. And then, low and behold, we spotted an RV. Is there anyone in there? I don't know... Don't shine the light in it! Well, there are sheets hanging in the front window. Surely someone's in there. Let's count it!

And that is as high as our count got. 1. I guess I should be overjoyed that our count was so low. That means there aren't that many homeless people on the streets in Pacoima. That's a good thing. But I feel like I've been taught the whole points system...you know, the higher the number, the better. I had to take a deep breath and realize that in this case, a lower number was a good thing. So we drove back to the deployment center and called it a night.

As jen and I drove home, we debriefed. The weather, the late night, the could-be gang bangers, the low tally...was it all worth it? You betcha. Even though my mind had been all over the place the whole night, I know that we were just 6 of the 3,000 people counting. I realized that I was just a small part of a greater picture. Our one RV was going to boost the count and get these people the funding they need and deserve. I made a difference. And I will keep on doing it. Oh, the things we'll do for Obama.

Curiosity cultivated the cat.

When I was in tenth grade, I had an English teacher named Mrs. Zuzga. I will save the numerous wonderful things that came out of that class for another time (e.g.: Siddhartha, Brave New World, The Bridge Over the River Kwai) and get right to my point. One day during the school year, she made us promise that if we ever came across a word we did not know, we would look it up. I thought that was a pretty good promise - and so 17 years later, I not only remember that unofficial oath, I continue to uphold it. (Don't believe me? Check out the margins of any of my books!)

Somewhere along the way (probably with the advent of the Internet) this vow of mine developed into something more. In short, why stop at words? There are far too many things that make me say, "I wonder why," or, "I wonder how." And it is far too easy to discover the responses to let these questions simply go unanswered. So today's blog is not only to encourage you to go out and look for the answers to your burning curiosities, it is also to share with you the two things I found myself wondering about this Thanksgiving holiday:

Q: Why aren't turkey eggs available at the grocery store? Why is it mainly chicken eggs??

A: "Barnyard economics. Turkeys don't lay that many eggs, and the ones they do lay are used to produce more turkeys. The average egg-laying chicken lays 300 or so eggs per year, while the average turkey produces only 100 to 120. Chickens come into production at 19 to 20 weeks of age, but turkeys don't get going until 32 weeks. Turkeys are also much larger, averaging 16 to 17 pounds compared to 3.5 pounds for chickens. So you'd need a lot more room for a bird that would take a lot  longer to produce a lot fewer eggs. Another problem is that turkeys go 'broody' easily - they want to sit on their eggs and incubate them. In contrast, egg-producing white leghorn chickens have had the broodiness bred out of them. They lay and lay and have no desire to incubate their offspring or otherwise be maternal."

Awesome. 

The other thing I wondered about, as Jamie stood crying in the kitchen while making homemade winter squash soup...

Q: Why do onions make us cry?

A: "As onions are sliced, cells are broken, allowing enzymes to break down amino acid sulphoxides and generate sulphenic acids. These acids are unstable and spontaneously rearrange into a volatile gas. The gas diffuses through the air and eventually reaches the eye where it reacts with the water to form a diluted solution of sulphuric acid [holy shit!]. This acid irritates the nerve endings in the eye making them sting. Tear glands produce tears to dilute and flush out the irritant."

Sometimes my initial searches lead to other searches... 

Q: How can I reduce the painful stinging when cutting onions in the future?

A: "Reduce tearing when cutting onions by first chilling the onions for 30 minutes. Cut off the top and peel the outer layers leaving the root end intact. (The root end has the largest concentration of sulphuric compounds.)

Killer.

Obviously the Wikipedias of the world must be read with critical eyes but, that being said, they are wonderful tools for those nagging questions that just need superficial explanations. (Which brings me to another caveat: beware of talking about your new found knowledge with too much bravado...)

I'm pretty sure this path of curiosity I am on is why I love doing research, why I love my job ... and why I long to do it professionally in other fields. But it is Saturday, and I'm on vacation, so I will leave work at work and look into things I am thinking about today. Namely the disposition of french bulldogs and what exactly the 15 executive departments of a President's cabinet do.

(And by the way, I had been composing this blog in my head for days now, but was compelled to get my thoughts out today because... Mrs. Zuzga sent me an email this morning! How crazy is that?!?!)

The 'D' in GLAAD

Plenty of jokes are made about the acronym for which I work... Many people, upon first asking me what I do and where I work, believe I sell reusable plasticware. Many others know that it's a gay organization, but don't really think about what it stands for or what we do... beyond helping the gays.

Well, in case anyone reading this isn't clear, I'm going to clarify a couple things right now. I don't mean to take this blog in any kind of political direction, but as I sit at my desk and process the phone call I just had to overhear, I need an outlet where I can vent. (And fear not loyal readers, this blog will go back to "fun stuff" in no time - Thanksgiving is fast approaching, after all.)

GLAAD
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation

We exist, and have since 1985, to promote and ensure fair, accurate, and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. I am the Grants and Research Manager here, and I just celebrated my two year anniversary at GLAAD with a nice promotion. Like any other organization, we have our ups and downs and group dynamic dysfunctions - but no matter what, I love the mission of this place, and I know firsthand how important and necessary our work is.

It's sometimes hard to sum up what we do because we're an advocacy organization. Meaning, we're not feeding or clothing anyone, nor are we teaching kids to read... Instead, we are in the business of shaping media images -- whether it's national news (CNN, The New York Times), regional news (your local CBS affiliate, your local newspaper), entertainment media (Grey's Anatomy, People magazine), media outlets in communities of color (Sing Tao Daily, La Opinion, Washington Informer), for people of faith (Associated Baptist Press), or for young adults (CosmoGIRL!, ABC Family) -- because we know that whether its consciously or subconsciously, what people see on TV or read in the paper shapes how they view and treat gay people. We at GLAAD see that as an opportunity (and a responsibility) to make sure those images foster awareness, understanding, and respect.

Sometimes people come to us - reporters, producers, editors - they come to us to look for story ideas about gay and transgender people; or maybe they want to interview a newly married California couple with kids (and yes, we have a database of people that fit a variety of criteria that we have provided Media Literacy Training to for just these occasions); or maybe they are unclear about terminology and want to make sure they don't use an offensive term (did you know that the terms 'gay' and 'lesbian' are preferred over 'homosexual?' Why? Because of the clinical history of the word. It has been adopted by anti-gay extremists to suggest that gay men and women are somehow psychologically disordered - a notion discredited by the APA in the 1970s.)

But sometimes (dun, dun, duuuunnn) - we have to reach out to reporters, producers, and editors. Every day at my office (and at our sister office in NY) people are monitoring every type of media you can imagine. People here get paid to read stuff and watch stuff. (And we have a volunteer army of media monitors across the country.) When we see or hear offensive things - for example, terms like sexual preference, homosexual lifestyle, admitted homosexual, gay agenda, special rights, fag, dyke, tranny, he-she, deviant, perverted, or equating same-sex relationships with pedophilia, child abuse, adultery or incest - WE STEP IN!

GLAAD believes absolutely in the freedom of speech - but we draw the line at hate speech. If someone writes or airs a defamatory piece of journalism, it is time to pick up the phone and educate the powers that be what they did to offend. (I don't know the statistics off hand, but a great many of these phone calls go very smoothly - often times the person on the other end is apologetic, did not know the correct terminology, and makes the requested changes immediately.)

An hour or so ago, the friend and co-worker that I sit beside had to make a defamation call to The Daily of the University of Washington. This was my first time witnessing a defamation call. (I have only been sitting by this man since the beginning of the month - my promotion came with a bigger cube on this side of the office.) I did not expect to be so affected. I mean, sure, I have good days and bad days at GLAAD - sometimes I can just come in and do my work without dealing with too much homophobia - but other days are downright shitty. This was pretty shitty.

The title of the piece is called, "Gay Marriage? Let's stop and think about this."

This is the accompanying picture:

The piece is an opinion piece, and it is so poorly argued it should not make me mad... I get that... but the conversation I had to hear... it lasted approximately 25 minutes or so. I was sealing 200 envelopes at my desk, a mindless, redundant task that practically forced me to eavesdrop...

And so I endured listening to my co-worker repeatedly having to explain why it is defamatory to equate two consenting adults who love each other and want to marry to bestiality and child rape... I had to listen to him explain that being gay is actually NOT an "emotional condition"... I sat here and heard him defend gay people from the description that they are "a problem that needs to be dealt with."

So here I am an hour after I should have left work... blogging. The only things that bring me solace are the comments left for the "writer," and the tenacity of my awesome co-workers who deal with these issues so professionally day in and day out. (Though I must say, as time goes by, and in no small part thanks to GLAAD, the defamation calls grow fewer and fewer.)

It did not sound like a happy ending from this side of the cube wall - I don't think the editor over at The Daily agreed to remove the offensive piece.

It's just so disturbing to me - I may have the privilege of being a well-adjusted and secure gay adult who knows fallacious arguments when I see them... but there are plenty of others (straight and gay) who see these words and take them to have value because they are in print.

The 'D' in GLAAD stands for defamation, and tonight, I understand a little better what it feels like.

Did somebody say 10K?

One day this summer, Jamie received a mysterious text message from an unidentified 626 number: "You and your girl should do the muddy buddy."

Puzzled, Jamie looked at me and asked, "What's a muddy buddy?" 

Our minds began trying to make sense of this... Well, we had just purchased a Buddy scooter... so it must have been some type of scooter rally! But who on earth was this faceless 626 knower of scooter events? The friendly lesbian salesperson from NoHo Scooters?! That's weird... and kinda creepy...

Eager to know more, I turned to the world wide web. 

Muddy Buddy - (noun) A race consisting of teams of two running and mountain biking through 10 kilometers of trails, challenging obstacles, and a mud pit. 

You had us at mud pit. (Clearly we chose to ignore the parts about 'race,' 'running,' 'mountain biking,' '10 kilometers,' 'trails,' and 'challenging obstacles.')

And before I go any further, I should clear up that the sender of the text turned out to be a friend of Jamie's who had simply changed her phone number - sorry there was no big shocking reveal there.

After reading about the event and watching video clips from previous events on MySpace (this thing's been around for years and shows up in Chicago, Dallas, Boulder, Atlanta, and Orlando, among others), we decided we actually wanted to give this thing a shot - what a great motivator to get in shape! 

But because as partners, you're alternating throughout legs of a race, we realized we would not get to do this together. Solution? Find another couple to do this with!! Our friends Bridgett and Kelly got equally excited and, just like that, we all signed up! I became Kelly's partner, and Jamie became Bridgett's. My team was the Gold Stars, and Jamie's, the Mudflap Girls - but we ended up merging into one giant non-competing team, and made jerseys that reflected both names!

I'd like to tell you about the rigid training schedule to which we all religiously adhered... the sore muscles... my aching calves... but I wouldn't want to bore you (or lie to you for that matter). Full disclosure: I made and printed out a beautiful 12 week training schedule - and it sat on the dining room table pretty much untouched. So why don't I just speed things up and get to race day!!

I believe we were out of the house by 5:30am in order to be in San Dimas by 6:15. Um. It was still dark when we arrived.

The four of us met up, got checked in, received our bibs and helmet stickers, and headed to the start line. This was photo-op time:

Okay... there was no turning back now!

* * * * * 

Leg one: Jamie and I were on bicycles, Bridgett and Kelly were on foot. The thought running through my head? "HAHA, we're on bikes and you have to run HAHA!" Only... 

Wow. 

This race, we quickly discovered, had A LOT OF UPHILL in it!! I pretty much felt like I was unable to peddle any more within the first mile. They threw a reservoir in our path early on, which gave me a much needed break -- to carry my bike through shin-high water. The first obstacle was a rock wall - it was tough with wet, muddy, slippery feet, but we both made it over pretty quickly. We left the bikes behind for Bridgett and Kelly to find for Leg two.

Leg two: Surprisingly, we were relieved to be on foot. (It was much easier than hiking uphill with bikes!) Plus, there were a lot of lost items along the trail, and it was much easier to pillage this way (I scored a sweet beanie. Is that wrong?) Obstacle two was some kind of "under and over" contraption, and our feet couldn't touch the ground:

Leg three: Jamie and I were back on the bikes. (UGH.) This picture makes me laugh out loud.

Somehow, we made it to the third obstacle - balance beams - and were off again on foot!

Leg four: This was my favorite part of the race. Jamie and I, after assisting our partners and the bikes up a virtual mountainside, got to run on asphalt. Downhill. IN THE RAIN! It was incredible... it had been a bit sprinkly on and off all morning, but this was a nice, soft, steady rain - and we just giggled as we ran into it! I didn't even mind that our teammates got to cruise down a great big hill! As we approached the fourth obstacle, we were pretty excited - which was a nice motivating factor to keep up the pace. When we finally got to it, it loomed high above our head... we had to climb a gridded rope ladder to get to the top - and then slide down into a small pool of water. It was so exhilarating - much steeper than it may look in this photo. And sure enough, there were our bikes waiting for us.

Leg five: Back on the bikes and five miles already completed, this was gonna be a tough one. And... cue Jamie's charlie horse!! Ow, ow, let's stop for a drink of water. And... cue Jamie's coughing attack. But, she persevered and we desperately tried to inch our way to the fifth and final obstacle (the mud pit, in case you lost track). There was a lot of uphill, but we got up and over it. And as we "rode" our bicycles down the precipitously rocky hill - constantly pulsating the brakes - Jamie recounted to me the time she went off the trail and over her handlebars onto her face. (Good story. You should ask her about it sometime.) 

And there at the bottom of the hill were Bridgett and Kelly, waiting for us to arrive, ready to face the mud...

THE FINISH LINE!

So... are you wondering what one does after completing a Muddy Buddy...?

You try to get clean...

6.2 miles, and we lived to tell about it!

Hope you'll join us next year!

(Jamie? We are doing this next year, aren't we...?)

A word from your sponsors...

Living in California, jen and I are deeply affected by one of the propositions this year. There are a lot of people trying to pass Prop 8, which will eliminate our right to get married if we ever choose to do so. Not cool...right?  

I know I mentioned it in a previous blog, but as we're getting closer to the election, jen and I started feeling more and more like we should do something. We've donated money. We've attended fundraisers. We've talked to our friends and family. Jen's been phone-banking. I sport my "I heart civil liberties" shirt around town.  

But it still didn't feel like we were doing enough. So last week we got an idea. "Let's make a video!" Now I haven't edited in years. Actually, I don't think I've even taken my video camera out of its case in years, which is truly a shame because I used to have such a passion for making home videos. Growing up I drove my friends and family crazy always having a camera in their face. But I guess now that I work in the industry, I have taken up other hobbies to escape the media in my free time. But the thought of making THIS video really reignited my passion.

It reignited it so much, we went out and bought a new computer over the weekend, new editing software, and came up with a concept for our video. We shot it Monday night.  I couldn't even sleep that night I was so excited to get started editing. I worked vigorously Tuesday and Wednesday night to get it finished in time to upload it before people started voting. We were both so inspired by the situation and felt so proud when we posted it to YouTube this morning. 

Here's how it turned out...

 

We've gotten so much positive feedback. Numerous people have told us that it made them tear up. And when we were eating dinner tonight, Francy, our neighbor and friend, knocked on the door and was bawling when we answered it. She had just watched the video and was so proud of us and couldn't wait to forward it to her family and friends in California. I still can't get over how our little video is affecting people. It's truly heartwarming. 

I personally had a hard time posting the video at first. After it all came together, it was so personal. People would see things about us. See our lives. See how upset we are about this proposition. But then, that's the point right? Getting our message heard. Making it personal. And as of tonight, we've gotten 260 views on YouTube! So, if you subtract the 20 times that I'm sure jen watched it, that leaves 240 people that we urged to Vote NO on Prop 8...all because of a girl...a dream...and a video camera. 

And now that we've caught the bug, you can expect more videos from us in the future. Turns out we've got plenty to talk about...and at least 240 people that want to listen. 

*Addendum...we're up to 329 now!  And jen promises it wasn't her.

Soup, there it is...

So in honor of one of my favorite SNL skits, I thought I would do a blog about soup. I love soup. Jen loves soup. Justin Timberlake loves soup. Obviously, so should you.

Recently, jen got her wisdom teeth pulled, so being the good nurse that I am, I gathered up all my amazing soup recipes to prepare for her week sans solid food.

She's doing much better by the way...

So two of jen's favorite foods, believe it or not, are spinach & zucchini. So first, I'll share this delicious and easy recipe I made to ease her pain.

-------------------

Spinach & Zucchini Soup

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 medium onions, roughly chopped

big pinch of salt

2 medium potatoes, cut into cubes

2 medium zucchini, chopped

4 cups vegetable stock

4 handfuls fresh spinach leaves

In a large pot, heat up the olive oil, then add the garlic and onions and saute for a few minutes along with a big pinch of salt - just until they soften up a bit. Stir in the potatoes and zucchini. Add the stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are soft throughout, roughly 10-15 minutes.

Stir in the spinach, and wait for it to wilt - just 10 seconds or so.

Puree with a hand blender until smooth.

Now salt to taste and serve with a spoonful of our absolute favorite addition to any bowl of soup...light sour cream.

  

It's so easy and delicious...we promise! Cook it on a Sunday night, and you can take it to work for lunch all week. It's a great way to get your daily dose of greens, and watch the waistline if you're so inclined.  

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Next, I'm going to post two soup recipes that I love making because of all the compliments I get. Seriously, I'm a hit at parties when I show up with my aroma-friendly crock pot. Now that fall is upon us, you MUST try these soups!

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Sassy Salsa Pumpkin Soup

from Hungry Girl

4 cups fat-free vegetable stock

One 15-ounce can pure pumpkin

One 15-ounce can black beans, drained & rinsed

1 cup canned sweet corn kernels

3/4 cup salsa

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Optional toppings:  shredded low-fat cheese, light sour cream, chopped scallions

Spray a medium pot with nonstick spray and bring to medium heat on the stove. Place garlic in the pot. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add stock and spices, and bring to a simmer. 

Add pumpkin and mix well. Add the remaining ingredients, stir, and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. 

If you like (and we do!), top each cup with any of the optional ingredients before serving. This soup is packed with fiber and incredibly healthy.  How can you resist?

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Winter Squash & Sweet Potato Soup

from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

2 medium-size sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced

4 cups vegetable stock

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

Salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the cooked vegetables to a 4 to 6-quart slow cooker. Add the sweet potatoes, squash, stock, thyme, and sage; season with salt and pepper, cover, and cook on Low for 6 hours. 

Puree the soup in a blender (or with a handy-dandy hand blender like me!). Taste to adjust the seasonings, and serve hot. 

*Warning...this soup will seriously make your house smell delicious for days!  Just ask jen...

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Now, just so you all know...I didn't JUST make soup for a week.  Jen also got to indulge in this delicious smoothie I learned how to make: 

1 ripe medium banana

3/4 cup frozen blueberries

1/4 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt

3/4 cut skim milk

Pinch of cinnamon

1/2 cup crushed ice

Just put it all in the blender and puree until it's smooth and YUMMY!  

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So those are a few of my favorite recipes. Enjoy! And please let me know how they turn out if you give them a try. 

I'm off to eat because now I'm STARVING!!!