That’s exactly what today was – and exactly what I needed.
A perfect Saturday starts with sleeping in, of course. Sleeping in after a much-needed, GREAT nights sleep. Last night, S and I watched the movie Se7en. I have seen it before, more than once, but it is a favorite that I never mind seeing again. And S hadn’t seen it yet.
Anyhow, back to sleeping in. The perfect post-sleeping in breakfast? Pancakes!!

They taste even better when you eat them around lunchtime
Last week, I got a surprise email telling me that I had won a Foodie Blogroll contest! I won a Tanka prize pack!

Tanka is a Native American natural foods company that makes delicious Buffalo and Cranberries natural products: gluten free, nitrates free, msg free and hormone free! Made from tart-sweet cranberries and prairie-raised buffalo.
I won:
- 2 Tanka Bars (1 Traditional flavor and 1 Spicy Pepper Blend).
- 2 Tanka Bites (1 Traditional flavor and 1 Spicy Pepper Blend).
- 8 Tanka Wild Sticks (4 Traditional flavor and 4 Spicy Pepper Blend). Tanka Wild Sticks combine the goodness of prairie-raised buffalo and tart-sweet cranberries with 100% Indian-grown and harvested Minnesota cultivated wild rice in a convenient, eat-as-you-go snack stick. Also free of gluten, hormones and nitrates, the wild rice lends a little bit of crunch to the smoky-sweet buffalo and fruit.
Soon after eating my pancakes, I got the package:
Yay! S and I ripped into one of the wild sticks right away . It was absolutely delicious! A combination of sweet, savory and spicy. And best of all… healthy!
Check this out:
Ingredients: Traditional Flavor
Buffalo, Cranberries (cranberries, sugar), Wild Rice, Water, Sea Salt, Lactic Acid, Celery Juice, Spices, Evaporated Cane Crystals, Natural Hickory Smoke Flavor, Garlic, Onion.
And the stats aren’t bad, either:
I will be enjoying these for sure. Thanks, Tanka, and thanks Foodie Blogroll!!
In the afternoon, S and I decided to ride the motorcycles. I have to admit, I haven’t been riding much lately. The truth is, I am just too scared. So much of it is mental… I am afraid that I will stall, that I will hit something, that I will drop the bike… so I hesitate. I overthink things, and I end up stalling, or being shaky. And I just don’t enjoy it. I’m so busy freaking out and being scared that I just ride around the block and can’t wait for it to be over.
Today, S said that I had to do some practicing in our housing complex parking lot before we went on a ride. I didn’t want to – parking lots are actually what I fear the most because slow speeds and tight turns are the hardest to do. But I said ok. All we did was about 15 minutes worth of starting and stopping so that I could get the feel of exactly how much throttle to put on and how quickly to let out the clutch in order to avoid stalling and get a smooth start. We also practiced turning in place. Just holding the clutch and walking the bike back and forth to turn around in the opposite direction.
After 15 minutes, we left the complex and went on a ride. And… it was like something just clicked. All those months of fear and feeling like I was just not getting it, and all of a sudden I got it! It felt like something just clicked. I went around the block once, then again. Then I went the other way, turned onto the main street, and just kept going! I rode for about 15 minutes, then made some turns and made a big circle back home. It was the longest ride I have ever taken, and I loved every second of it. I felt comfortable, free, and totally badass!!!
To celebrate my major motorbike victory, S and I went to Starbucks! Can you see my bike out the window??
And that’s not all. I was feeling so good and having so much fun riding the bike that we went on a second ride that afternoon. And I… gasp…. RODE ON THE HIGHWAY! I had never ridden on anything more major than an expressway before, and was really afraid of the high speeds, wind, and other vehicles on the highway. But we got on 85 and it wasn’t as bad as I thought! In fact, once I got on the highway, it was actually pretty fun and easy. Now I can officially say I ride a motorcycle now, without feeling like I’m lying! (or at least slightly exaggerating…). And I really feel like I can use it to get where ever I need to go. Since I can go on highways, in parking lots, the world is my biking oyster
Late afternoon, S had to work on a homework assignment, so I decided to do something special for him and make some homemade ravioli! I have never made any sort of homemade pasta before, but when I saw this recipe on Eat, Live, Run I knew that I had to try it.
Ok, so it wasn’t exactly as easy as Jenna made it look. Although she went to culinary school, people! Give me a break!!!
But I have to say, mine didn’t turn out half bad. Not really beautiful, but they tasted good!
Pre-cooking:
And post-cooking, drizzled with some extra virgin olive oil, garlic salt, and parmesan cheese:
S loved them! Next time I am going to roll the dough a little thinner… it was a little too thick. But I was still proud of myself!
A few hours later, I was feeling snacky so I made some homemade whole-wheat pita chips with maple brown sugar cream cheese to dip it in. Homemade pita chips are so easy… and I think they taste better than the bagged kind! Just cut whole wheat pitas into triangles, spray with canola oil, sprinkle with sea salt and bake at 350 degrees until brown and crispy (about 15 min.)
For the dip – just cream cheese with a spoonful of brown sugar and maple syrup to taste.
I love the combination of the sea salt chips with the sweet cream cheese.
So then. Then. S suggested that we go for a run! Don’t adjust your font size, you read that correctly. S suggested. He said a short run, which I gladly accepted. Today was going to be a rest day (read: an I’m-too-lazy-to-get-my-butt-to-the-gym day) but I was glad to put in a short, easy run.

After:
Can’t you tell that S enjoyed every minute of it? Then I sat down to dinner. Fettucini alfredo (which went unpictured) and my new obession – veggie wedgies. Today was of the apple variety, dipped in some maple syrup.
Still in my running clothes and all. Class act – that’s me.
And JB did some yoga. Downward dog cat

Want something to look at before you go to bed? Check this out… fried beer! I kid you not.
And check out Krista’s CSN giveaway!