AND SO IT BEGINS!

This weekend kicked off what will be an intense tech week. Saturday and Sunday totaled 16 hours of Grease rehearsal. I visited a farmers’ market. I also squeaked in some miles and yummy meals (bonus: a delicious vegan risotto recipe!). And the man kicked ass in the Leadville Silver Rush 50-miler.

I’ve been and will be very busy until opening night this Friday (and four performances this weekend), so I leave you with: lots of pictures for your viewing pleasure.

DATE-NIGHT INDULGENCE

Since Nick would be leaving town Saturday morning, we had another date night at home. This time around I cooked my mushroom/spinach/coconut milk risotto for him (and he helped make it extra delicious, with fresh herbs from our plants!). But first, we feasted on appetizers of cheese, wine, toasted bread (absolutely delicious and made fresh by the man!), butter, pickles, and Milk Duds (a gift from the man). We keep it real. #nojudgment

The main dish is served! Here’s a quick breakdown of the recipe.

MUSHROOM & SPINACH RISOTTO WITH COCONUT MILK

• Sauté some minced garlic in olive oil, along with chopped mushrooms and spinach. I used one package of Baby Bella mushrooms and a few handfuls of spinach (eyeball it!).
• Meanwhile, in another pan, bring to boil one can coconut milk + 2 cans water + 2 cups arborio rice (we wanted a lot leftover for the week).
• Add to the milk/water/risotto some vegetable bouillon (I kept adding to taste, in all about 2 tablespoons).
• Add the sautéed veggies to the milk/water/risotto mixture. Cover and reduce heat to simmer, about another 15 minutes or so.
• Add to taste any or all of the following: black pepper, cayenne, fresh herbs (basil, parsley), perhaps some white wine. I also like to add a few dashes of soy sauce!

This is my “recipe,” but I always just wing it, tasting along the way. 🙂 I created it while I was eating vegan a few years ago. It tastes naughty and scrumptious!

POST-SITZPROBE PAMPERING

On Saturday, I went to our sitzprobe with the full band for Grease. For you non-theater-nerds, a sitzprobe is when you run through all the music of a show with the musicians without any of the staging and choreography. They were AWESOME! Rehearsing with the musicians always gets the energy kicked into full gear. I’m so excited for this show!

After singing my heart out for 3 hours, I went home and ran 6 miles. I did NOT want to. But I knew I wouldn’t be able to run for the next 7 days or so, and I wanted to get one last medium-to-long run in. I celebrated with this glorious concoction above: Nature’s Path Organic Cereal (the Honey Sunrise flavor) with greek yogurt, a dash of raw organic honey, chia seeds, and a spoonful of peanut butter. I also had another bowl of risotto…

…in the bathtub. I set up Netflix to watch while soaking, too. And wine. I’d like to just say that THIS is the way to do things! As long as you take precautions not to electrocute yourself. Small details, I know.

BLOODY SUNDAY

There’s this thing called Bloody Sunday (or Bloody Saturday, depending). It’s the weekend day that kicks off tech week. It’s usually all day long. It’s usually where the tech crew does a cue-to-cue of every single little tiny detail. With this being a huge professional production, we have a TON of lighting, sound, and special-effect cues. We even have pyrotechnics! Needless to say, we were there form 9am to 10 pm. That’s a 13-hour day, folks.

PARKER FARMERS’ MARKET

I got to the theater early on Sunday morning, so I walked to Fika Coffee House on Mainstreet to grab some more “energy in a cup.” On my way over, I strolled through the Parker Farmers’ Market and quickly checked out the vendors.

Summer produce. Yum!

I wanted to steal all those peaches and rainier cherries!

Despite the brutal hours, Bloody Sunday was a giant success. Performing in my mic, with the lighting, with the set almost complete, with props and parts of our costumes… it’s getting me SUPER thrilled for opening weekend. Here’s another sneak peek of the set!

THE MAN RUNS

And it wasn’t just a success for the Grease cast. Nick (“The Man”) absolutely killed it at the Leadville Silver Rush 50-mile trail run. He ran incredibly fast and PRed not just for the 50k point (31 miles in), but for the whole race! I am in awe of his physical and mental resilience. To help him top off his accomplishment, I made sure he had Boulder Canyon Salt & Vinegar chips on hand. 🙂

Hopefully one day in the near future we can adequately and officially celebrate his achievement! Something tells me we will, big time, and it will involve delicious food.

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY, GUYS!

Wish me luck on getting through this week alive!

P.S. This post is part of the Weekend Snapshots Link Up with HerHeartlandSoul and the Meatless Mondays Link Up with Confessions of a MotherRunner. 🙂