The Highlight of My Day

I wish I could say that I was extremely productive today, on my last day off before heading back to work. I took today as a rest day … and I took it literally.

Aaaah! Perfection! Sometimes you just need a break.

First Trail Run

Today was suppose to be my long run day, I had 9 miles on the schedule. Tim and I decided it would be fun to change things up a bit today and try a trail run.  Since doing a trail run was one of the items on my 101 in 1001 list, I was game.

I don’t really know the “rules” of trail running, but it seemed logical that Tim and I should probably stay together and that it would probably be best if we didn’t run with iPods.

We headed out to Swayback Bridge Trail, the place where we normally go mountain biking. We planned on running the 7 mile trail.

We started off strong, but around mile two Tim really started lagging behind. I had to keep stopping to let him catch up. He said he didn’t think he’d be able to make it the full 7 miles because his heels were hurting so bad. (He has plantar fascitis). We then decided to change the plan and do the 4 mile loop instead of the 7 miler.

I was really worried that I would be so bored running without music or a podcast to listen to, but I really enjoyed it. I think I had to pay so much attention to my footing that I never had the chance to get bored.

Our 4 mile trail times were abysmal:

Mile 1 – 11:39
Mile 2 – 12:53
Mile 3 – 13:46
Mile 4 – 13:16

Even though our trail times were MUCH slower than my normal pace, I really enjoyed myself. I don’t think I’ll plan a trail run for a long run day, but I’ll definitely do in place of one of my shorter run days. It was really nice to be able to run with Tim and talk.

After the 4 miles, I ran on the road for a couple of miles to make up for some of my lost mileage. I did 2 quick, very hilly miles:

Mile 5 – 8:14
Mile 6 – 8:32

I had way too much mexican food, and not nearly enough Margaritas afterwards. I always forget that alcohol isn’t sold in my rinky dink town on Sundays. Boo on that!

Accomplishing Goals

Its another beautiful day here in central Alabama! I woke up bright and early this morning and decided today’s run was going to happen outside. I like to mix it up sometimes by running on the treadmill, but today was not that day for that.

I ran 4.5 miles in 39:08. It was a quiet and peaceful morning out on the road. I actually zoned out for most of the run. You know how sometimes you drive somewhere and when you get there you don’t really remember parts of the drive? (Or does that not happen to anyone else? :P) Well, that was my run this morning. I listened to part of the most recent episode of Two Gomers Run a Marathon, but I don’t really even remember what it was about. Either way … it was a nice run.

One of  my goals for my 101 in 1001 is to try 50 new recipes. I was really craving waffles for some strange reason this morning, so I broke out my new How To Cook Everything Vegetarian book and found a recipe for Whole Wheat Waffles. This recipe definitely didn’t involve any shortcuts of any kind, it was all homemade goodness. Normally I probably wouldn’t have even counted waffles towards one of my fifty recipes because its such an everday dish, but if the recipe requires “beating egg whites to stiff peaks” … I think I’m gonna have to count it. 🙂

Although the waffles were a bit labor intensive, the results were amazing.

After breakfast, Lincoln and I headed out to run some errands since I have to go back to work tomorrow 😦

I remembered my goal of using cloth shopping bags while I was at Walmart, but I was upset because I didn’t have my bags with me. I figured … what the hell … I could probably use a few more, so I bought 2 and had the cashier bag my items in them. Yay!

I’m pretty sure that is the first time I have ever used those bags for their intended purpose. When I got home I realized I only had 1 other one, so it was probably a good thing I bought a couple more. I’d like to get about 10 of them to keep in my car for my weekly grocery shopping trips.

Lunch today was very mediocre. I re-heated a frozen black bean burger from a couple weeks ago with a side of veggie chips and a big kosher pickle.

The black bean burger didn’t re-heat well at all. It was dry and stiff. The veggie chips were the saving grace.

While I was shopping I picked up some supplies to set-up my filing system for paperwork that I’ve been needing to do. (Another one of my 101 in 1001 goals). I’ve needed a way to organize things such as paycheck stubs, product warranties and registrations, restaurant menus, and tax deductible item receipts. I can’t believe I haven’t done this already, it only took me a total of about 10 minutes to get it all set up including making labels for the file folders. Doh!

Now I’m snacking on a Green Monster and enjoying some quiet time while the baby boy naps. I’ll spare you the picture of the GM, but I will say it is the tastiest one I’ve had in a while. It contains:

• 5 frozen strawberries
• fresh pineapple
• spinach
• agave nectar
• water

Its been a really productive day so far. I may be MIA for a few days since tomorrow night I’m headed back to work for the weekend, but I do have a couple of exciting things coming up: Lincoln’s 2nd birthday, a 5K on April 3rd and a 10K on April 10th.

A Great Day, A Great Workout

This morning I decided since the weather was so beautiful that I would take my baby boy to the zoo for our monthly Mother/Son activity, as listed in my 101 in 1001. We have an annual membership where we get in free, and it is about to expire at the end of the month so I figured it would be a great time to take advantage of it. Also Lincoln is completely obsessed with trains!

For breakfast I made another Grilled Banana Sandwhich. This time I grilled the banana by themselves before making the sandwhich, and then I grilled the whole thing. The banana were much gooey-er this time.

I also had a Green Monster.

My Green Monster contained:

• Frozen mixed fruit (peaches, melon, nectarine, strawberries)
• Kale
• Water

It was pretty grody! I guzzled it down for the vitamins, but I certainly didn’t enjoy the taste. You win some, you lose some. It would have been better with a banana, but I figured I didn’t need 2 bananas in my breakfast.

I forgot to bring my camera to the zoo with us. 😦

Lincoln had an amazing time. As soon as we arrived we headed straight for the train. He sat in my lap without squirming the whole time and was completely in awe. I think I fell in love with him all over again. I told him, “I love you” and he said “I yuv you too Momma”. How precious!?

We played on the playground, looked at the animals and had lunch in the cafe while watching the Giraffes. The cafe didn’t have any good vegetarian options other than Grilled Cheese  so I had an order of French Fries.

When we got home I had my real lunch, leftover Greens & Quinoa Pie (don’t worry you won’t be hearing about this again, I finished it off) and baby carrots with hummus.

I also had a surprise waiting on me when I got home. Oh how I love the UPS man! 🙂

I’ve been eye-ing this book for a while, but I haven’t bought it because its fairly expensive. I researched the prices and finally decided to go ahead and order it from Amazon. I get free 2-day shipping with them anyway. I figured it would be a good investment, after all I can use it to help me accomplish my 101 in 1001 goal of trying 50 new recipes.

Today was a scheduled rest or crosstrain today, but I decided to turn today into a brick workout day. A brick workout is basically where you do one type of workout immediately following another type. Today I ran 3.5 miles and then did a Spinning class. Brick workouts are common in training for multisport races such as triathlons.

After my workout I was HANGRY! I made tacos for dinner and ate waaay more than I should have. I had 2 big soft tacos and a couple handfuls of tortillas chips, plus 2 beers.

No thats not ground beef you see, it’s Boca Crumbles. I’ve been making tacos and chili with Boca Crumbles long before I became vegetarian because its so low in calories and fat compared to ground meat. Only 60 calories per serving, you can’t beat that 🙂

Do you find that you tend to over-eat after an intense workout?

101 in 1001

Hello again!

Andrea at Run, Eat, Date, Sleep gave me the most amazing idea today. She has a page on her website called 101 in 1001. I’ve seen the link before, but I’ve never gone to it. Today I checked it out and this is what I found …

The Challenge:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on your part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past – frequently simple challenges such as New Year’s resolutions or a ‘Bucket List’. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips, study semesters, or outdoor activities

To create your own list visit Day Zero Project.

I spent most of the afternoon creating my list (its not as easy as it sounds). I am starting my list as of today (March 22, 2010) and it will end on December 17, 2012.

Through making (and completing) this list I hope to in the process make myself a better person, mother, wife and friend and have a lot of fun!

Without further ado, my list …

For Myself

1. Complete a marathon.
2. Complete a triathlon.
3. Pay off all debt except mortgage.
4. Read 50 books.
5. Maintain a weight of 150 lbs or less.
6. Stay current on yearly pap exam. (Due March 2011)
7. Clean out garage.
8. Start a savings to buy a new vehicle with cash.
9. Buy a road bike.
10. Try 5 new things. (0/5)
11. Have a professional massage.
12. Drink only water for 2 weeks. (Does not have to be consecutive). (0/2)
13. Start a retirement fund.
14. Floss everyday for a month. (0/30-31)
15. Update progress on my blog monthly. (0/34)
16. Do something completely alone that I normally wouldn’t do by myself.
17. Try 50 new recipes. (0/50)
18. Plant a garden.
19. Get another tattoo.
20. Create a running scrapbook.
21. Stop swearing for one full month.
22. Have professional family pictures taken.
23. Learn to swim, well.
24. Take a kickboxing class.
25. Make a vegetarian recipe book.
26. Buy 20 new tops/shirts. (0/20)
27. Buy 12 new pairs of pants/jeans. (0/12)
28. Buy 5 new pairs of shoes (not for work or running) (0/5)
29. Buy 3 new dresses/skirts. (0/3)
30. Go to the dentist.
31. Try fondue.
32. Go to a museum.
33. Wear a Halloween costume.
34. Make a new friend.
35. Go on a trail run.
36. Go hiking.
37. Learn to change a tire.
38. Create a to-do list everyday for a month. Finish it. (0/30-31)
39. Go to a play.
40. Listen to a CD/take a class/read a book to learn Spanish.
41. Get a passport.
42. Listen to 3 audiobooks while exercising. (0/3)
43. Make a list of 100 positive things about myself. (0/100)
44. Try Body Pump again.
45. Get my birthmark checked by a Dermatologist.
46. Save all change and cash it in at the end of the 1001 days.
47. Create 3 recipes, submit to Allrecipes. (0/3)
48. Create a filing system for paperwork.
49. Obtain RNC. (National nursing certification in Perinatal nursing)

For Family

50. Leave a nice note to my hubby once a week.
51. Create a time capsule for Lincoln.
52. Go on a date with hubby once a month. (0/34)
53. Start a new tradition.
54. Plan a mother/son activity once a month. (0/34)
55. Go to the movies with hubby, ten times. (Can count toward date nights)(0/10)
56. Cook a meal for a family member that does not live with me.
57. Buy hubby 3 random gifts. (0/3)
58. Make a family photo calendar.
59. Kiss hubby for no specific reason three times a day for a month.
60. Make a list of 100 things I love about my hubby. Leave it where he can find it. (0/100)
61. Start a diary to my son, write in it atleast 50 times. (0/50)
62. Save $5 for each list item completed.
63. Create a will.

For Others

64. Write 5 thank-you/kind notes a month. (0/34)
65. Donate blood, three times. (0/3)
66. Donate clothes/toys twice a year. (0/6)
67. Donate $500 to charity. (0/500)
68. Leave 50 Operation Beautiful notes. (0/50)
69. Inspire atleast 2 other people to create lists. (0/2)
        Please let me know if I have inspired you.
70. Leave a 100% tip.
71. Research charities and choose one to support that is especially meaningful to me.
72. Volunteer my time to a cause I care about.
73. Send flowers to someone.
74. Donate $5 for each list items not completed.
75. Comment on 50 random blogs. (0/50)
76. Cook a meal for a friend.
77. Teach someone how to cook something.
78. Offer to babysit for someone for free.
79. Send Christmas cards each year. (0/3)
80. Send a random care package to someone.

For the Earth

81. Continue a vegetarian diet (except for brainless creatures, i.e. scallops/clams/oysters/mussels).
82. Use re-useable shopping bags, twenty times. (0/20)
83. Recycle all plastic bags.
84. Research ways to “Go Green”, apply three. (0/3)
85. Eat Vegan for one whole day. (0/1)

For Fun 

86. Visit Disney World.
87. Go on a cruise.
88. Go on a couple’s only vacation, twice. (0/2)
89. Ride a rollercoaster.
90. Knit something.
91. Travel to see a friend.
92. Sew something.
93. Send a PostSecret.
94. Fly a kite.
95. Go on 3 day trips. (0/3)
96. Try 10 new restaurants. (0/10)
97. Make homemade canned goods.
98. Spend the night outdoors.
99. Go to/do five new things in my city. (0/5)
100. Buy a food dehydrator and make my own dried fruit/veggies.
101. Make a new 101 in 1001 list.

 I encourage you to make your own list. (And let me know if you do, so that I can count you towards my goal). Just through the process of making the list I have learned alot about myself, who I am, and who I want to become. It’s a very powerful process!

Dinner tonight was Ceasar Salad, Eggplant Parmigiana, Green Beans with Carmelized Burnt Green Beans, and Cibatta Rolls.

The plate is actually much smaller than it appears in the picture. I always make myself eat on a small plate. Its my way of tricking myself into thinking I’m eating more than I actually am. You can pile alot of food on a small plate though, I have found.

My salad featured Texas Toast Salt & Pepper Croutons. I think they are going to be a new obsession!

Forgive the messy hair. It’s my non-do do.

Now its family time. Have a great night!

Kitchen Sink Stirfry

Last night I made Stirfry from some random veggies and tofu I had in the refrigerator that I needed to get rid of. I don’t think I’ve ever actually made stirfry from scratch. I’ve always bought frozen bags of stirfry vegetables with those little sauce packets that are nearly impossible to open. This was soooo much better! Why have I never done this before?!

I had the leftovers for lunch today with a side of steamed baby carrots drizzled with agave nectar and sprinkled with Kosher salt. Perfection!

My stirfry contained:

• Brown Rice
• Broccoli
• Onion
• Green, Yellow and Red Peppers
• Zucchini
• Mung Bean Sprouts
• Matchstick Carrots
• Mushrooms
• Tofu
• Cabbage
• Stirfry Sauce

What a great way to use up some veggies!

I was reminded today of a quote by Michael Pollan that pretty much sums up how I strive to live my life in regard to nutrition.

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

Brilliant!

So Much For The Rainy Day

Yesterday Tim and I decided to go ahead and do our normal Sunday long run because the weather was perfect and today the weather forcast called for doom and gloom. We (I) decided that today would instead be dedicated to spring cleaning. There were alot of things that needed to be done around the house that we never have time to do. I figured it would be a good day to get them done since we were going to be confined to the indoors because of the weather anyway.

I started my day off right with an omelet and some home fries.

My omelet contained Greens and Quinoa Pie from dinner a couple nights ago. Such a great way to get some greens into my breakfy!

After breakfast I made out a To-Do list on my dry erase board on the fridge. I love that thing. My list included:

• Clean every room
• Wash dishes
• Wash all dirty clothes
• Sweep and Steam Mop all floors
• Clean out linen closet
• Clean out Lincoln’s closet/drawers
• Clean out Lincoln’s Toybox
• Clean out our closet
• Pack up clothes for donation
• Clean out both vehicles (weather permitting)
• Fold and Put away all clean clothes

It was certainly an endurance sport all in itself but I got soo much done! I worked from about 10:15 this morning until 6:00 this evening almost non-stop. Even though I didn’t get all the clothes folded and put away I’m pretty darn pleased. There is always tomorrow for the rest. I swear between running and having a child, we sure do know how to pile up some laundry!

I stopped for lunch around noon and made a quick salad and a bowl of spinach ravioli. I was too “in the zone” to stop to take pics. You’ll have to use your imagination on this one.

About 3:00 I stopped for another break and made a Green Monster. My Green Monster contained:

• Frozen Mixed Fruit (peaches, melon, strawberries)
• A Banana
• 2 Cups of Kale
• 1 Tbsp Ground Flax Seed

It was just what I needed when I was starting to lose my motivation.

I was in such a frenzy this morning that I never even stopped to see what the weather was like outside. I just assumed it was gloomy and drizzly. This afternoon I walked outside to throw a few things away and it was beautiful! Sunny, slight wind, cool … it would have been perfect running weather. 😦

So much for the rainy day.

This Is Spring!

Today marks the first day of Spring! And what a beautiful spring day it was.

The weather was absolutely perfect for a long run. But first … breakfast.

This was another Caitlin inspired recipe, but I put my own spin on it. I had her Grilled Banana Sandwhich in mind when I created my Grilled Almond Butter and Banana Sandwhich. I used 1 piece of multigrain bread (each piece of bread is 140 calories!!!) and cut it in half. I spread about a Tbsp of Almond butter on each side of the bread, drizzled a little Agave nectar on the almond butter and topped it with 1/2 of a banana sliced. I then sprayed the bread with PAM spray and grilled it just like a grilled cheese. I sprinkled the top with a little powdered sugar. It was some serious awesomeness! I dare you to try it!

My long runs are typically on Sunday’s but because the weather was so ridiculously beautiful today, the hubby and I decided to take advantage of it before the rain starts again tomorrow. We headed out to our normal long run spot and got going. It felt so amazing! Not too hot and not too cool. The road was full of cyclist, walkers and runners today … normally its just a desolate strip of road.

I did 9 miles in 1:17:10. My splits if you are interested:

Mile 1 – 8:16
Mile 2 – 8:12
Mile 3 – 8:22
Mile 4 – 8:34
Mile 5 – 8:27
Mile 6 – 9:01 (stopped to drink)
Mile 7 – 8:38
Mile 8 – 8:51 (stopped to drink more)
Mile 9 – 8:45

The run felt great, but I aggravated a blister on my toe that I got yesterday during my 5 miler. Now its just totally gnarley … (forgive my nasty runner’s feet)

Running until you have blood blisters …. hardcore or stupid? I’ll let you decide.

After the run I was STARVING! Thankfully I still had one serving of Vegetarian Chili left in the fridge from earlier in the week. It was just what I needed.

Do you eat your chili with chips, cheese and sour cream? I don’t think I could have it any other way. It’s how I grew up.

We made a trip to Costco this afternoon, which is a completely dangerous spending place for me. I needed 4 new tires on my Trailblazer, which is not cheap 😦 I also managed to spend over $100 on other random stuff I probably didn’t need while I was there as well. One of the things we picked up was this awesome looking Margherita Pizza, which we are planning on making for dinner tonight.

We also picked up some Eggplant Parmesean, Baked Ziti (do I sense an Italian theme?), pineapple, asparagus, green beans, K Cups, and a huge container of pickle spears.

Hope everyone had a great 1st day of Spring!

Vegetarian Times Recipes

What a busy day! I got alot accomplished on my to-do list though. I bought most of the decorations and supplies for Lincoln’s birthday party. Its going to be a firetruck themed party. He’s obsessed! I ordered his cake and we got some grocery shopping done.

Last night at Books-a-Million I picked up a copy of Vegetarian Times magazine. I decided I’d try out a few of the recipes tonight for dinner. I picked 3 recipes to try: Live Spring Rolls with Lemon-Ginger Dipping Sauce, Live Hot and Sour Soup, and Greens & Quinoa Pie. The ingredient list was quite extensive and expensive also, but I wanted to do something special for Friday night.

I won’t post the entire recipe here because I don’t know if that would be ok with copyright laws, but the spring rolls were basically julienned vegetables wrapped in romaine leaves with a dipping sauce made of tahini, lemon juice and a few other ingredients.

I kept everything seperated so everyone could make their rolls according to their own tastes.  I put a little bit of everything on mine.

The dipping sauce was the definite winner of this recipe. It was delicious!

The Live Hot and Sour Soup contained:

• tomatoes
• apricots
• green onion
• bean sprouts
• cucumber
• jalapeno
• agave nectar
• cayenne
• cilantro
• ginger

Honestly, I didn’t really care for the soup. My serving had WAY too much ginger in it. It actually made me feel kinda sick. Tim thought it was excellent though. So I guess different strokes for different folks.

My favorite of the 3 was the Greens & Quinoa Pie. It contained:

• Turnip Greens (recipe called for Chicory, but I couldn’t find it or anything similar)
• Romaine
• Quinoa
• Onions
• Feta
• Swiss cheese
• Eggs

Like my old school casserole dish?

I think this is the first recipe I have ever made that actually looked exactly like the picture. It was pretty tasty too! The turnip greens gave it a definite twang. I wondered how it would have been with spinach instead of turnip greens. I can’t decide if it would be better or just bland. I had a pretty decent sized serving.

All together now …

After dinner I just didn’t feel quite finished so I had a couple of graham crackers with dark chocolate peanut butter. Mmmm! 🙂

On another note, I found a fabulous new snack at Fresh Market today. Veggie chips …

So yummy, but probably less healthy than it appears. I also bought some carrot chips that Lincoln happens to LOVE! He so rarely will eat veggies that I bought a huge bag of them just for him even though it cost me nearly $10!

Now its TV + wine time.

Tomorrow is suppose to be another gorgeous day. I have a 9 miler scheduled for Sunday, but its suppose to storm so I think I’m gonna take advantage of the perfect weather tomorrow instead.

Have a great night!

Early Morning Running

For the last couple of mornings I have been setting my alarm to get up at 6:20 for my workouts. I usually don’t run until later in the day on my days off, but then I get in the afternoon sleepy funk and start dreading it. I also have to plan my runs around Lincoln’s naps or schedule it so that I have a babysitter. So I decided instead of fighting all of these outside factors I would try something new and get my workouts out of the way first thing.

Yesterday I did the elliptical. Every now and then I like to change things up and crosstrain instead of running, especially on days when I’m feeling injured. My right shin has been bothering me a bit, so I gave it a impact rest by doing the elliptical. Honestly I think my elliptical workouts are actually more strenuous than running. I did 1 solid hour on the heartrate control setting, which I set to keep my HR at 150. I burned almost 600 calories 🙂

Today I ran. It was such a beautiful morning that I actually felt guilty running on the treadmill instead of hitting the streets. The work traffic was heavy this morning and it was chilly outside though, so I stuck to the mill. Some people never run on a treadmill, and some people never run outside … I like to do a good mixture of both. It keeps things interesting and helps me keep from getting burned out. I have a treadmill at home, but since the family was still asleep I decided to drive to the gym and use the treadmill there.

Today’s tempo run was suppose to be: 1 mile warmup, which I usually run at 6.5 mph or 9:13 pace, and then 3 miles at an 8:24 pace with a 1 mile cooldown. A total of 5 miles. I did my 1 mile warmup as planned, then I ran my 3 miles at 8:20 pace. There is no such thing as an 8:24 pace on a treadmill … 7.1 mph = 8:27, 7.2 mph= 8:20. After my 3 miles I felt so great I decided to go ahead and finish out my last mile at the same pace. I planned on cooling down after that, but time slipped away from me. Shame shame, I know!

I did 5 miles in 42:36.

The funny thing about the gym is that I catch people looking at my machine while I’m running. I don’t know if they are trying to see how far I’ve run or what speed I’m running at, but it always cracks me up when I catch someone staring. I actually had someone ask me the last time I went, “did you just run 5 miles?!”. I guess its not everyday that someone comes in and bangs out 5 miles on the treadmill.

My post-run breakfast was Strawberry Chobani with Honey Almond Flax granola.

Now I’m off to spend the day with my favorite almost-2-year-old boy. We have some birthday party planning to do! I’m also working on a grocery list for an interesting dinner tonight. I found a couple recipes in the latest edition of Vegetarian Times that I thought I’d make. Stay tuned for my recipe reviews 🙂