Operation Marathon Nutrition

So with marathon training underway, I thought I'd track what I ate throughout the day, to see how I'm doing nutritionally.  I find it tedious to track my meals all the time, but once in a while I'll plug my eats into Livestrong.com's MyPlate. 

Breakfast: 1/4 c. rolled oats

2 tsp. TJ's organic hemp protein powder

2 tsp ground flax seeds

2 tsp chia seeds

cinnamon

(ran out of bananas and forgot other toppings and it was quite boring!)  

Lunch: 1/2 cup red quinoa & chick peas + nooch

1 1/4 c. steamed broccoli

1/4 c. walnuts + 1/8 c. raisins

1/2 red bell pepper sliced

Afternoon snack: 1 small green apple

2 TBSP peanut butter

 This picture is from lunch the other day.  My big ole batch of slow cooker soup lasted me until tonight!

Dinner: 3/4 c. carrot/lentil/cracked wheat soup

1 slice baked tofu

Not too shabby.  I'm not taking this as 100% accurate, but I like having a general idea.  As a vegetarian/vegan you always get asked, where do you get your protein?  And although I know I get enough from plant based sources...it's nice for that to be reaffirmed!  

Tomorrow when I go to the gym I'll have more calories, today was a bit lighter than usual.  

It's WIAW Time!

Let's get right to it, shall we?

I finally went to a track to do my speed work.  And can I be honest here...I'm not a big track fan.  All the other days when I couldn't get to the track I was kind of bummed and didn't feel like a "real" runner doing my speed work by measuring out a quarter mile on DailyMile.com or using a treadmill at the gym.  But now, I think I liked those better.  First, I don't even know if the track I used was 400m, my times were way too fast.  And even though the track may have been shorter than 400m it felt like longer!!!

Unpictured post-run smoothie, as per usch.

*banana, soy milk, chocolate Amazing Grass, ice*

I love summer because I CRAVE veggies.

And when you don't have much else left to eat, you make it work.

*sliced radish, zucchini, carrot, Whole Foods spicy thai dressing, nooch*

Dinner included my fave root vegetable....

sweet potato!

If you haven't had the chance to order sweet potato sushi rolls, you don't know what your missing.  My fabulous sister, Alli, introduced these to me when we went out for sushi last month.  For the longest time I ate fish just because I couldn't give up sushi.  But veggie rolls, including this one, satisfy my craving and go above and beyond my expectations for sushi!

After dinner I got to meet up with my friend Kerry and her 5 month old baby, err, I mean puppy, Tucker.  We took Tuck on a nice long walk around a gorgeous lake by her house.  It brought back memories of Team in Training because that's where we would meet for long runs!!  

And I almost forgot the un-pictured late night snack I ate...frozen mangoes!  Seriously.  I got home and Shane was eating ice cream and all I wanted was something cold.  So I took out some frozen Trader Joe's mango chunks, and as they thawed a little they were the perfect cool treat!

Hope everyone enjoyed their Wednesday...

now go make Thursday a great one!

Have you ever tried a sweet potato sushi roll?  

Do you like to use a track for speed work?  If so, what are some tips for making it more enjoyable?!

Say What: Jicama

If you know what jicama is, raise your hand.

...

Hmm, I have a feeling there are quite a few hands not raised.  And that's okay!  The first time I ate jicama  was only a few months ago.  Until that time I would wander the produce section of Henry's, stop at jicama, ponder for a moment what in the world that weird vegetable was, and then walk right on by.

By I didn't know what I was missing! And pretty soon you will too.

I hope you found the video helpful!  And below you'll find another delicious way to enjoy your new favorite veggie!

Apple & Jicama Salad

What you'll need

This simple salad is easy to adjust to your personal taste.  Mix and match quantities until you reach desired sweetness and tartness.  Shredded carrots would make an excellent addition as well!

1 medium jicama

2-3 apples- any type: I used Washington, I bet Granny Smith would work too.

3/4 c. walnuts- can toast for added flavor

2/3 c. raisins- dried cranberries would work also

2 tbsp lime juice

4 tbsp agave nectar

What you'll do

-Julienne your jicama and apples.

- Mix in raisins and walnuts.

- Mix lime juice and agave together and mix with salad.  

- Eat right away or put in fridge to let the flavors mingle!

 

Happy Hump Day

Hello, and welcome to another edition of WIAW!

Today was a pretty awesome day if I do say so myself.  I woke up early to get in Day 3 of Marathon Training.  I ate at around 6:20 to give my body about an hour to absorb the CARBS!

 The plan called for quarter mile repeats, and I was a little scared.  For those of you who have no clue what I'm talking about, it's basically a .25 miles or 400 m, or 1 lap around a track, ran at a quick pace with rest in between.  

The plan called for 6 x 400 m at 2:15 to 2:25 pace.  I just mapped out .25 miles on DailyMile instead of going to a track.  After each .25 mile I walked for 2 minutes and did that 6 times.  It wasn't as bad as I thought.  We'll see how I feel during Week 8 when I'm doing 16 of them!

 Post run smoothie was a delicious blend of:

handful spinach

1 frozen banana

handful fresh strawberries

1 cup unsweetened soy milk

1/2 packet chocolate Amazing Meal

Around 11 I headed to the lake to get in some sun time.  Unfortunately I wasn't there long when the sun decided to hide behind some clouds. I still enjoyed reading Can You Keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella (LOVE all her books!) in the sand.  I came home and had this monster salad.

 Followed by left over corn, peach pie (recipe to come), and some chopped veggies.  All over the span of the entire afternoon.

Dinner was yummy, but sounds so cliche.  Brown rice and steamed broccoli sounds lame-o.  But in actuality it was a brown rice pilaf with lots of yummy veggies and spices.

And that's all she wrote!  I'll be back with the peach pie recipe I used.  It's a winner!!

Say What?!

A long time ago, when I didn't know what a "healthy living blog" was, when I thought eating a Lean Cuisine was the best choice for my body, when I believed vegetarians and vegans were a little...weird, way back when I couldn't pronounce quinoa (KEEN-wah), if you asked me to try **insert random foodie superfood here** I would have tilted my head, raised my eyebrows and said, "Say what?!"

source

Seriously, the thought of tofu, chia seeds, green smoothies, kale and other somewhat intimidating vegetables used to puzzle and kind of scare me. 1) WHAT is that? 2) WHY would I want to eat that? 3) WHO has the time to prepare that? 4) SAY WHAT?!

source

When I first started to blog I had been vegetarian for about a year, but I still had (and have) a lot to learn!  Reading blogs and starting my own blog helped introduce many new and exciting nutrient packed, delicious foods into my diet that had once made me wee bit squeamish. 

source

I've learned that there are healthy meal options beyond  steamed broccoli with a side of brown rice.  Once I got over my fear of new foods and began researching through blogs, cookbooks, and trial and error, my food repertoire expanded so much!  And my taste buds are happier than ever.

I originally set out to do a weekly post, spotlighting a new vegetable each week.  But life got in the way and I never made it a priority.  But the idea has re-emerged and instead of just veggies, as I use my fave ingredients I'll post about them in my Say What?! Series.   I think it will be fun to share my experiences using these new ingredients and showcase favorites that bring me to foodie bliss.  And since blogging is a conversation I am so so sooo excited to learn about all of YOUR ideas, recipes, tips, and experiences using different ingredients. 

Now I need to ask, what foods do you want to see featured? 

Legit Zucchini Craving

Gosh!  If you didn't think I was strange you do now!  Who craves zucchini?  I can see cinnamon rolls.  And creme brulee cupcakes from CUPS.  Maybe even a big ole smoothie after a run or on a hot day.  But the plain old peel, chop, then eat variety of zucchini?

  Ahhhh ::cue angels singing::

I've never been a zucchini girl. 

  But I am a born and raised Jersey Girl; which means I have fond memories of husking sweet Jersey corn out on the back porch, I will randomly stop at a roadside farm because their nectarines  look oh so juicy, and for years I claimed to only like tomatoes that came from my Mom's garden or had the Jersey Fresh stamp of approval.  But zucchini?  Puh-lease.  I have better veggies to eat.  Until now.

 A few weeks ago I randomly bought zucchini at the grocery store.  They were dirt cheap, and therefore I bought them.  After doing some research, since I'm really not a zucchini girl and lack basic knowledge of zucchini preparation, I sauteed some up, and it was a delish meal.  

I also left a few aside, did some peeling, chopping, and ahhhh  ::cue those angels again::.

So simple.  So refreshing.  So perfect!  And that is why I've been craving zucchini non-stop!

Today I had to go fill out new hire paperwork for my new part-time job,,,at a gym!  I had to go to their other location down by where I went to college.  On the way home, after stopping for Dunkin', of course...

I saw this.  Only a mile down the road?  I'm in!  And they better have zucchini...

 Thankfully they did.  For the sake of everyone involved.  I also picked up some:

swiss chard

green beans

cucumbers

cilantro

All for $5.55!

Although I've been on a raw zucchini kick, there are some recipes from around the blogosphere that I am dying to try!  Check em out:

Muncher Cruncher's Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Bread 

Thai Style Raw Zucchini Pasta over at Food Not Fuss 

Breaded Zucchini and Zucchini Fries from Nourishing Flourishing 

Oh She Glow's Oil-Free Zucchini Walnut Raisin Loaf with Cinnamon Streusel 

Cheesy Zucchini Pizza That Will Rock Your Face from Eat, Live, Run 

What food have you been craving lately? 

Are you going to get your butt in the kitchen and get going on these zucchini recipes or what?! 

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the...

WEEK!

Hello there!  Hope everyone had a fabulous Wednesday!  I know my morning was a little brighter when I realized it was WIAW time.  Well minus the fact that I thought I got rid of my weird mid-June cold yesterday, but it was back this morning!  Luckily not as sneezy, runny, or sore; just bad enough that a run was out of the question today.  Darn!!

This morning started off with hot oatmeal.  I know, c-razzy!  

1/2 cup oats

lots o' raspberries

big bunch o' blubes

Whole Foods bulk bin granola

dash of So Delicious vanilla coconut milk <~~ new obsession

Dontcha just love the piggy mug?  And that's an engraving on a wood counter of Scarlett, one of Shane's parents bloodhounds.

Seriously this milk is so delicious!

On Monday, when I thought I could "sweat out" my cold, I ended up with achy lungs and the faucet aka my nose, got turned up to full blast. Ick!  So as much as I wanted to get a run in this morning, I listened to my lungs and passed.  But I didn't take a total rest day like I did yesterday.

Today's workout was quick and easy thanks to ExerciseTV.com!  Free yoga video, don't mind if I do!  After 30 minutes I felt much better than if I had done nothing, and my brain was ready for applications.  A whole bunch of apps later I was starved.

THIS happened again.  I can't get enough of this stuff!

swiss chard 

TJ's broccoli slaw <~~ incredible

dry roasted peanuts

raisins

quinoa

Since my salad was legit in a big plastic tupperware bowl, I decided to put some on a TJ's wrap.  To the wrap I added some hot & sweet mustard.  Very satisfying lunch!

Got my drinks ready to go for errands!  Icy cold water (never leave home without it!) and the rest of my coffee from this morning, iced.

After running to the post office, and basically getting made fun of for being a forgetful, frazzled, albeit cutely dressed mess...but that's another story, I returned home to get some organizing done.  And of course had a little afternoon snacky snack.

Took this lovely picture on the ironing board, and didn't get any ironing done!  Instead I last minute went to the gym with my friend Dani as her guest!  Since I only did 30 minutes of yoga this morning, I figured some weights couldn't hurt.  Plus I needed some girl time!

Speaking of girl time, when I got home me and Natalie, Shane's niece, played with Lincoln Logs!  Do you like our building?  It's not very architecturally sound and could collapse at any moment...

Luckily we made it to dinner unscathed, but it was close!

Dinner included:

3 slices of tofu marinated in TJ's Island Soyaki Sauce

bulgur, steamed kale and chick peas

I used this recipe from Whole Foods as a guide, but mine ended up a bit bland, most likely because I don't have any/didn't feel like balsamic vinegar.  For tomorrow I need to concoct some sort of sauce to add! 

I tried this marinade for the first time tonight.  Go marinate something in this sauce NOW!  I'm not even kidding, it's delicious!

It's 8:30 and I'll prob have another little snack before bed, 

but it probs won't be picture worthy, so...

goodnight!

Rando

The term "rando" generally refers to a random person.  Like "Some rando tried to buy me a green smoothie at the bar last night".  I wish, sorta...but that's totally besides the point.  Today "rando" describes my morning.

For instance, Shane's schedule.  "Totally rando babe, I don't have to go into work until 11 but I won't be home until late."  

So rando (and fantastic!) that we actually got to enjoy b-fast together.  Today I halved my oatmeal/granola so I could enjoy a fabulous whole grain bagel from the Farmer's Market, as well as some Strawberry Rhubarb Jam Shane's sister-in-law made!  Twas quite delicious.

After Shane left I got down to the tedious task of applying for jobs.

 How rando is my makeshift "workstation"?  We've got a kitchen table with the mac, hooked up to a TV and my baby laptop.  Well, it gets the job done!

Today has been a roller coaster of emotions.  After Shane left I got so discouraged about the job hunt.  Sometimes it seems like all I do is apply and never hear back.  I know eventually my hard work will pay off, but in the moment sometimes it can get a bit overwhelming.  Plus I know each school must have hundred's of applicants for one position, so they can't respond to everyone.

I ended up finding a couple of job postings that I'm really excited about, so my frown was turned upside down!  And now my attitude has once again turned into hopefulness!

Job hunting is hard work, so of course I needed a snack.  And since I woke up with a slightly scratchy throat (so rando for mid-June!), my body was craving greens.

Swiss chard seemed like the perfect option since it's packed with anti-oxidants, Vitamins A, K, and C, Iron and a whole bunch of other good stuff.

Seems normal, right?  Well my snack took a turn for rando-ville when I was simultaneously craving potassium rich nanners and some healthy fats via nut butter.

Just roll it up wrap style!  I'll be the first to admit this snack doesn't sound very good.  And it's not very photogenic. But the ooey gooey mushy banana and PB are contrasted so nicely by the crisp crunch of the chard leaf!

Now what in the world do I do with all the stems?  Right now they're rinsed and packed in the fridge, but if I don't figure something out they will be trash.  And I strongly dislike wasting my veggies!

Rando fact of the day!  Isn't this cutting board just lovely?  My very talented boyfriend made it!  He builds/repairs guitars and as you can see is quite crafty in other areas as well.  Maybe I'll see if I can get a giveaway going since the plan is to start selling these bad boys on Etsy!

It's now 2 pm, I'm done applying for the day, I'm still wearing my PJ's and slippers, and I have some books on my summer reading list to get to.  I also have the feeling a green monster will be making an appearance and then disappearing into my belly shortly thereafter!

Enjoy the rest of your Thursday!

Any rando recipes for swiss chard stems?  

Tell me one rando thing that's happened to you today.