5.25.2011

Glass Dharma

Before my juicer got packed away ::insert sad face here:: I was making some pretty interesting yummy, and health packed juices/smoothies.

 Juice 1/2 cucumber
peeled orange
red delicious apple
1 parsnip
handful strawberries
+ dairy-free probiotics and pure aloe vera juice


Look at those colors!


Shane is more into straight up fruit juice.


 Juice of 2 oranges + handful strawberries


 Here's a great smoothie combo:

Juice of:
1 parsnip
1 lemon
1/2 cucucmber
1 broccoli stem
 Then put aloe vera juice, probiotic, and frozen berries in  blender.  Add juice and blend away!  The berries mask the strong veggie flavored juice.


But can I let you in on a little secret?
The key to a great tasting smoothie is all in the...

 
straw!


But these are not your average, run of the mill, trash worthy straws.  

 
No, these are far superior straws; from a company by the name of Glass Dharma.


A while back, think Earth Day,  Clean Eating Chelsey had a giveaway sponsored by Glass Dharma.  To qualify you simply had to write a letter (up to 5) to local restaurants and tell them about the benefits of glass straws.  

To be quite honest, as I sat down to write my letter, I just wanted my free straws.  But as I did some research and my brain got working, I tried to imagine just how many straws make it to a landfill each day, week, month, year!  That's a lot of straws!

And then, what about the BPA?  Of course when I bought my water bottle I opted for BPA-free, but think about the chemicals being leached into your drink from the cheap, flimsy, plastic, straws are made from.   

Okay, I'll step off my soap box now.  I'm sure you get the point!  


I now LOVE my new glass straws and can't wait to unpack them when we arrive in New Jersey! Be prepared for more smoothie pictures in the future.  And did I mention they have a life time guarantee?  Yea, pretty cool.

 Go check out Glass Dharma

5.23.2011

Bon Voyage

My last day of work was on Monday.  I know, kinda awkward.  Long story short, our car got picked up on Tuesday to get shipped back to NJ.  So the last day I could drive into work was Monday... 

It didn't hit me until I was driving home and realizing that was the last time I'd be driving that route.  Or driving in San Diego.  I was fine the whole day, but driving home I got a little emotional.


The administration, staff, and children that I'm leaving were amazing and I feel so lucky I got the chance to know them this year!  Room 3 made me this awesome hand print painting; doesn't it look like modern art?  Thanks Juli and Pierce!



Some of my cute cards; they made me feel so loved.


And SkinnyGirl Margarita from my girl Allison, which is fitting since we spent many a lunch break watching Bethenny Ever After.


Saturday I had a little BBQ down by the pool.  It was totally Melissa-fied with veggie burgers, spinach salad, grilled corn on the cob/asparagus, cherries, and mangoes.  Nicole and Greg provided the pasta salad and amazing cake from a little known bakery, Vons ;) And  Alvin  brought awesome Claim Jumper pie!!!  I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! 

And aren't my flowers purdy?  Thanks Nicole and Greg! 

After some grilling, chatting, and drinking we headed out to meet up with Ildi, Jason and Angela at Wine Steals in Hillcrest.
Wine Steals has a great atmosphere and was the perfect spot for a chill night with friends. 

Enjoying some rather large glasses of wine.
Vino and cake?  Yes please!


Before closing time we managed to snap one group picture! 

  
Leaving the bar we noticed the trees even like to party in Hillcrest!  Or maybe that was the wine talking...

And a night out isn't complete without some late night eating. (I guess the cake wasn't enough...)  We headed to Denny's, oh yes, Denny's.  Along with a bunch of high school-ers after their prom since we're classy like that.

Whole wheat pancakes were the perfect way to end the night!  

Thanks for a great send off, I'll miss you guys!!!

5.16.2011

Evolution of "Healthy"

The other day my friend Nicole and I were talking about food, which we often find ourselves doing, and the conversation brought us to a place where we tried to picture ourselves in 10, 20, even 30 years and what our eating habits will be like.

Still vegetarian? Or fast food junkie.  Maybe a step in the other direction, vegan?  Together we took it to the limit and conjured up a quirky extreme health foodie image. 



I can't be certain of where I'll end up on the eating spectrum, but I'd like to think that as I gain knowledge about food and nutrition I will continue to move in a more healthy direction.  It's funny to think about how our ideas of health, nutrition, and food change over time.  What I once considered a difficult dietary feat, vegetarianism, I now find to be my 'normal'. 

**Although I am a vegetarian, I know that it's not for everyone and that's okay!  That is what I find works for me and my idea of health!**


I used to a Lean Cuisine kind of girl.  Heck, any overly processed food with a "health" label and I was in!  I was the kind of person who counted calories but didn't pay attention to quality or source of ingredients.  But now I know better. 


However, my ideas and understanding of health and nutrition are still very much a work in progress.  Here are some of books, ect. which have shaped my idea of health and food so far.


    Documentaries: 

    Cookbooks: 
    Full of yummy vegetarian recipes and how-to's, which are super helpful
    The Bold Vegetarian Chef
    How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
    Skinny Bitch in the Kitch



    I'm striving towards eating a plant-based, whole foods diet, and knowing the source of my food.  But there are times when I just can't say no to that cupcake, or cookie, or really any baked good.  And that's okay, right?  No one can live their life in black and white.  I can eat this and I can't eat that.  This is good and this is evil.  

    At times I eat foods that just don't jibe with my ideas of health and my goal to put fresh, whole, ingredients into my body.   I'm not going to waver on my choice to vegetarian, however when I'm out I'll eat cheese/eggs, which I don't on a normal basis.  Or I'll eat out at a restaurant and not really know exactly what's in a sauce that makes the sandwich sooo good.  But I've been through the deprivation thing.  I've obsessed over calories in food, and I don't like when I do that.  I want to be healthy.  But I also don't want to obsess over ingredients or how "healthy" something is either.

    I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I hope that in 5, 10, 30 (sooner...I'm trying?!) years I will have struck a healthy balance between what I put into my body, and how I feel about it. 


    How do you balance being "healthy" with going out to eat, treats, ect?

    How much has your idea of health changed over the years?  Is it still evolving?  


    Does this post make any sense to you??

    5.14.2011

    La Jolla 1/2 Marathon Recap

    Let's start with the expo! 

    Parking was ridic in La Jolla!  But after snagging a spot, which I didn't have to parallel park in (hallelujah) I waited in a short line for my race packet. 
     

     They had some good vendors and I ended up buying a Halo headband in teal.  I know you're not supposed to run a race in new gear, but I seriously *loved* it.  No sweat got in my eyes and my headphones didn't slip out of my ears the whole 13.1 miles! 

    They also had shirts with super funny slogans on them from One More Mile Running Apparel 

     After the expo I took it easy for the rest of the day, set out my race day gear, and went to bed!
     
    "I eat hills for breakfast"


    was my mantra as I trudged up hill, after hill, after never ending hill.  I said it so I felt tough, and it was also a bit silly at the same time.  It's the simple things that can help get you through 13.1 miles.

    The course ran along the coast from Del Mar down to La Jolla. 

    Since I live closer to La Jolla I left my house at 4:15 to get there by 4:45 to be on line for the first shuttle bus at 5 a.m.  The organizers stressed that the last bus would depart from La Jolla at 6, and if there I was a long line I did NOT want to be left stranded at the finish of the race!  So I literally got on the first shuttle bus in pitch blackness and headed for Del Mar.


    We got dropped off at the Del Mar Racetrack parking lot and it was empty, minus the never ending line of what seemed to be a hundred porta-potties.  As 5:30 turned into 6 and 6 turned into 6:30 a.m.  the parking lot slowly but surely began to fill up.  And the sun came up!





    *DISCLAIMER* pictures from my cell phone came out grayish and blurry.  Although it was perfectly overcast race weather, the scenery is actually way more beautiful than the pictures show it to be!

    Luckily for me all of my family lives on the east coast, which is 3 hours later than west coast time.  So I got to chat with my sister, who was already awake and starting her day.  Thanks for helping me get through the morning Alli!

    At around 6:45 I finished up a quick warm-up jog, stretch, and headed for the start.  When I first got there it was not crowded at all.  They had 2 waves, first was for 8 minute/mile anticipated pace or better and then the rest of us.  While we're waiting for the start the announcer describes the course to us, adding to be prepared for the  "character building" hills!


    Of course the first wave goes and then my bladder decides it's too full.  So I end up at the end of a ridiculously long line to use a port-a-potty.  
     
    It was all good because there were so many runners that it took a while for everyone to get across the start line and actually start to run. 

    By the time I got to the start, for the second time, it was just stranglers.  I was  relieved to have made it in time and started to calm down enough to get into a groove and enjoy the scenery.  I liked how at every mile there were people in red shirts holding up mile signs and shouting the clock time.  It's always nice in a race to know what mile you're on...and how many are left to go! 



    I look quite happy in this picture.  Little do you know that inside I'm freaking out because I see the massive Torrey Pines hill looming in the distance.  (Which it turns out is not AS bad as I expected it to be!) Oh, and I almost ran into another runner.  So much for being able to take pictures of myself while running!


      Up until this point, I was maintaining a 10 minute/mile pace, which I was content with.  This hill however got me off track by 4 minutes!  Even the downhills couldn't help me make up lost time and I was consistently 4 minutes over at each mile marker.  



    *Side bar* It's kind of easy having a 10 minute/mile pace, especially with my super simple, only has a stop watch type watch.  Example, at mile 8 it should have read 1:20, but instead it read 1:24 argggg!  Maybe a Garmin will help me speed up past this 10 min/mile rut I've been in my entire running life! wink wink


     Love running along the beach!

     Love Lululemon signs!  Almost done with the final hill!!


     It's all downhill.  The finish is right around the corner!  

    My first half marathon I had nothing left to give at the end.  Same thing goes for my full marathon.  At the end of those 2 races I was so beat that was not able to sprint across the finish line.  At the end of this race I booked it.  The finish line came into sight a pretty good distance away, but somehow I had to energy to sprint and I passed quite a few people :)

    2:14:45
    Overall: 3498 out of 6101
    Women: 1466 out of 3203
    F 25-29: 350 out of 674
    Age/Grade: 48.86% Place: 3494


    Although not a new PR or even "fast" by any measure, I'm proud of my finishing time.  I completed a challenging course, didn't injure myself, and had a pretty kick ass time doing it!  I may not have beat my first 1/2 marathon time, but I feel like I have grown and am stronger and more confident as a runner.  That final sprint helped solidify that feeling.

    Post race Shane and I headed out to Casa De Pico.  Thanks for the gift card Leslie, Nicole, and Jamie!

     After an "ice bath" in the unheated pool and a hot shower, I threw on a cute dress and big earrings to detract from the *I just ran a 1/2 marathon and don't feel like doing my hair or make-up look*.


     I love it when resturaunts have vegetarian and seasonal menus.  I went with the Fiesta Vegetable Burrito of the veggie menu.  I was a bit disappointed that it was smothered in salsa fundido, which is NOT a salsa but some sort of cheese based cream sauce.  Oh well, it was tasty, the sauce just made it a little to heavy for my liking.

    I know it was way back on April 17th but congrats to all the runners who completed this challenging course!

    Do you order sauces and dressings on the side?  I like to, so I can control how much I put on, but a lot of the time I forget!

    Do you have a Garmin Forerunner 405 (or another watch) and love it?  Tell me what you like/dislike about it.  I need to buy one ASAP!  

    Tell me about a running race or training run you're proud of :) !!!