I was having a really good morning today. I woke up without the help of my annoying alarm, KILLED it in my workout (killed it so hard I had to stop before I killed myself), sat outside afterwards to drink my protein shake and devour two of my Peanut Butter Fudge Protein Bars, emailed back and forth with my roommates to figure out who’s bringing what, and… wait for it… dyed my hair! Well, no, not like a-completely-different-color-dyed, but I guess I got what are called “peek-a-boo’s”? It’s just a few blonde streaks scattered and hidden throughout my hair. Anyway, I did this all before 12:30 pm.
On my way home from my hair appointment, I had one of those food-ah hah! moments when a certain recipe comes to mind and there’s just no better time to make it than now. Today, it was The Pancake Princess’s Chickpea Tortillas (vegan and GF). For those of you don’t know, she’s my favorite. Like, whenever I’m having a hard time showing my parents or friends something on my blog, I pull up hers and just point to whatever I want to show them and go, “Seeee?” Then they get it.
Back to the tortillas, I had no doubts about this recipe whatsoever because I know Erika is a superhero when it comes to food. Long story short, I pretty much skimmed over the recipe and all her helpful hints (bad idea) and ignored the fact that my batter was way too thick. Long story short – my tortillas were more like pancakes. Now, is this really such an unfortunate situation – ending up with pancakes? Not really, however, I was a little disappointed.
But I did what I know best – PB & B it, baby. I slathered on a big glob of peanut butter and piled it high with thick banana slices. To finish it off: a sprinkle of cinnamon and a drizzle or two (or three or four) of agave nectar. I like to think of PB & B similar to how an alcoholic thinks of, well, alcohol – works every time, always there when you need it, never fails to make you feel better.
Unless you go HAM with it and put way too much PB on your leftover B, in which case you wind up with an uncomfy tummy.
But I reminded myself that I woke up without any tears (or stupid alarms) this morning, punched the heck out of my punching bag in my workout, talked to my roommates, and got some new hurrrr. I wasn’t about to let a tortilla mishap ruin what could be the only day this week I get through with dry eyes.
Well, I tried. I broke down about an hour after lunch.
It’s been an extremely challenging week and I was hoping for just one day of not worrying about everything that’s been going on. And as cliché as this sounds, you can’t always get what you want, which stands true with family, friends, work, sports, and, yes, even food. Sometimes, a recipe doesn’t turn like you had hoped it would, but don’t just throw the food away. Fix it up. About ninety percent of the time, something can be done (the other ten percent being blackened toast, rotten fruit, moldy yogurt, rubbery aka overcooked eggs). You just have to take what you like best (PB & B for me) and do a little re-arranging.
You might spend a year and a half thinking that something is sure, that it’s strong, and that its going to last forever, no matter how many times you hear that “now is a time for change” and “it’s what everyone goes through”. At first, none of those meant-to-be-reassuring statements do squat. Hearing them five times a day made me want fry up my ears like chicken thighs for dinner. I was sick of hearing it. I wanted things the way I had planned for them to be – the way we had planned for them to be. But as you mature, you realize that there are other things that can be done. For example, a tortilla doesn’t always have to be rolled up as a shell for juicy taco meat. Sometimes, it’s better just how it is, flat, on a plate, covered by PB & B.
Basically, what I’m saying is that things won’t always turn out like they do in pictures or in your mind – which, for lack of better words, sucks when it happens. But if you keep an open mind and remember what I told you about ninety percent of the time, you’ll find an alternative.
And it’ll be okay.