First things first.

I’m a liar! I was not officially done posting about San Francisco, as stated yesterday. Here are a few straggler photos.

A completely random “salad” from Mijita, at the Ferry Building. While I could have done without the cilantro, the rest of this dish was outstanding. The grapefruit and avocado combination was better than expected, especially with the light lime dressing. The crunchy jicama and roasted pepitas added great crunch.

We were a little confused as to how many tacos was in 1 order, and unfortunately there was only 1. This was one of the best, if not thee best, veggie taco I’ve ever had. The corn tortillas were soft + fresh. The beans were not a pile of mush and the salsa was smoky and perfectly spiced. I could have eaten four more.

And this is what the Bay Bridge looks like when it’s catching a little sun! Maybe next year I’ll actually get over to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Sarah + I headed out for another fun adventure. We managed to make it to Leland Tea, with only a wrong turn or 2. I’m pretty sure if I lived in SF, a gym membership would be unnecessary with all of the walking!

Not much will beat sipping vanilla black tea, on a chilly afternoon, with a very dear friend.

I wanted to steal the spoons.

And the tea mugs.

And Mama Pea!

Now on to the rest of this completely random post.

Why am I showing you a photo of our office / linen storage room?

Because after returning from San Fran, I made a realization. I have had a list of things I’ve wanted to start + finish for way too long. I mean, who doesn’t have this list?

There are a few things I am trying to tackle that are career oriented, and I have just not been able to START. I think starting is the hardest part, especially when you know it’s not something that will be finished in a day, or even a month.

I also realized, in order for me to start those things, there are other things I need to finish first.

Now, how many times will I say the word “things?”

Things that have been looming over my head for months. Like….since we moved into our house, in April. Annoying tasks that literally bug me every.single.day.

Now that is just dumb. I’m letting little things bug me every single day, that I can easily fix. Now I know why I get headaches.

I cause them myself.

Simple solution. Tackle annoying list of things.

As mentioned Monday on Twitter, I am deeming November, Get Shit Done Month! #getshitdone

I am sick of annoying myself. And guess who can make that change?

Things have to get worse, before they can get better. See below for proof.

I have already crossed 5 BIG things off my list, and only a few more to go. I can see the light and it feels so good. Accomplishing this list will clear my mind and let me tackle the really important career goals, I’ve been meaning to start.

The open shelving was cleared and moved to the porch. Our porch is enclosed and currently acting as storage for our pint sized house. I completely organized and consolidated the porch. You can actually find things now! I moved the nightstands from our spare bedroom to the office for linen storage. They were too big for the spare bedroom and even though they don’t look fabulous, they function much better in this room. The photo below is not the end “look” of the space, but it’s fine for now!

Another HUGE task was emptying our file containers and recycling 85% of the old papers + records we didn’t need.

The dogs did nothing to help.

I also relabeled every single folder, with duct tape. Worked like a charm and so easy to read!

You have no idea how good it feels to have reorganized our files. THIS has been something that I’ve needed to do for over one year. After reorganizing, all of our random stacks of paper + mail had somewhere to go. Instant satisfaction to see piles disappear!

Dakota was happy to see her file folder first in line.

Next up? Getting things done in the kitchen. While this isn’t nearly as painful as the office tasks, I’ve been meaning to revisit a few recipes. One being the vegan, microwave buckwheat bake. Since discovering that plain flax meal works much better than a flax egg, I’ve wanted to go back and rework my list.

(4 of 8)

Starting with none other than a chocolate version.

This bake is much lighter + cakier in texture than the original. There is no gumminess or gooiness to be found.

I don’t find it necessary to add sweetener, but as always, adjust to your liking. In the past day + a half, I’ve made this 3 times. 3 times the exact same way. The recipe is a bit simpler and a bit better than before.

I’m not sure how long I’ll keep up with this “get shit done” mentality, but I’m going to ride it out as long as possible.

Because it feels so good.

Quick Cocoa Buckwheat Bake

1/3c raw buckwheat flour [ground from raw groats]
2t ground flax meal
1T unsweetened cocoa powder
3T unsweetened applesauce
5T nut milk
1/2t vanilla extract
1/2t cinnamon
1/4t baking powder

In a small bowl, mix the dry ingredients together.
Add in applesauce, milk, and vanilla and stir until smooth and just combined.
Lightly grease a microwave safe bowl [mine is about 4-5” diameter], pour the batter into the bowl and evenly spread.
Microwave for 1min 30sec – 2min. [mine took 1m45s]
Loosen the edges, flip onto a plate + pile on the toppings.

*In my older versions I always added 1T raw buckwheat groats + 1T chia seeds. You can definitely do that here, but also add 1T extra milk.

*I don’t like things too sweet in the morning, so the peanut butter was a perfect topping for me. Add honey/maple/sucanat if desired.