healthy

Howdy! Isn’t a big bowl of carby oats a beautiful sight? This morning I ate mine with cacao nibs, a banana, cinnamon and soy milk.

And later an apple with a side of bloody finger :(

But mid-morning I was still hungry! I had a piece of toast with a way-too-sweet jam to quiet my belly.

Lunch was leftover vegan Mac N’ Cheese with a big bowl of sautéed veggies (later covered in 2T nutritional yeast).

I almost forgot to photograph my yummy frozen mango that I enjoyed while driving to find new running shoes!

I ended up falling in love with the Asics GT-2140. LOVE. In the store I did a quick search on my blackberry to confirm I was making a good choice.

At 5pm I got home from the store starving! Before exercising I refueled.

David and I enjoyed a long walk and I came home to 25 minutes of tough strength exercises! I have a long run planned for tomorrow :)

Dinner was sweet potato fries and veggies… light enough for a too-late dinner.

This girl is wiped out! Good night!!

Vegan
Greens for Good
Happy Herbivore
Sound Eats


Healthy Living
Balanced Foodie
Edible Perspective
Graduate Meghann
Green Dog Wine
Hangry Pants
Healthy Tipping Point
Jackson's World
Joe and Betsy
Marathon Val
Meganerd Runs
Off Her Cork
Oh She Glows
On a Lobster Placemat
Run Eat Repeat
Soap & Chocolate
The Chic Life
Then Heather Said
Tri to Cook
Trying to Heal

Fitness
Run 26.2 for Kelly
Smoke Training

Other
For Innocence

We are getting tons of e-mails about the Russian River Temptation 3 Liter bottles every day, so I thought I should address the question formally.

Did you catch tonight’s premiere of the new plus-size dating show More to Love? I’m surely not in love with it.

“MORE TO LOVE, the new dating competition show from Mike Fleiss ("The Bachelor"), follows one regular guy's search for love among a group of real women determined to prove that love comes in all shapes and sizes. The inspirational new series is hosted by iconic supermodel Emme.

Luke Conley is a 26-year-old former college football offensive lineman who stands 6'3" and weighs over 300 pounds. He's a successful sub-contractor and real estate investor who has his sights set on building a long-lasting ...relationship.”

Sounds great, right?

First, let me say women do come in all shapes and sizes. Size is different for all people and in no way does height, weight or shape ever determine a woman’s (or a man’s) worth. Never.

So, with that, I hated this show. I felt More to Love was all about size when there is so much more to focus on. They make these women seem desperate. What bothered me most:

1. Along with the contestants’ names and occupation, their height and weight is shown. Really?? Isn’t the goal that women might NOT be judged by their weight? Is their size that important? Why list their weight on More to Love but not on the Bachelor?

2. Much of the interview segments from the women are them talking about how they’ve been so lonely and sad because of their weight and how it’s affected them. I’m sorry they feel that way but couldn’t we also focus on the positives in their lives? (One woman is a rocket scientist!)

3. When Luke welcomes the girls he basically says “I know it was hard for you to come here because of your weight.” Why is it assumed that because these women are heavy they are automatically insecure? I’d like to believe that’s not the case at all!

Degrading, degrading, degrading. Gah!

Have you seen More to Love? What do you think about the idea of the show?

Anyway… here’s what I ate!

I love the classic- 1/2 c. oats cooked with cinnamon, flax and a banana.. topped with a bit too much PB!

Then Dixie went crazy barking inside the house! Something was trying to get in!

I worked on a freelance project most of the day… Jack did all the work.

Lunch was in three parts… toast, green monster, more toast! I was hungry and busy and this fit the bill!

I was hungry today! Around 3pm I enjoyed a Pink Lady.. and a tsp of PB ;)

Then I went to the gym and ran 5.2 miles! I stopped running altogether after my last half-marathon when I was plagued by shin splints. Working my mileage back up as I prepare for my first full marathon is both challenging and exciting!

The run was awesome (5.2 mi. in 56 minutes- including warm-up and cool-down)… but I came home starving!! I knew I dinner wouldn’t be for a while so I had some blackberries, soymilk.. and another tsp of PB. I’ve never felt like I needed food so much!

Plus lots of rest, ice and elevation after a good stretch!

Dinner was hearty and healthy! TONS of spinach, broccoli and grape tomatoes sauteed in a lot of garlic and a tsp of olive oil- served with a crapload of nutritional yeast. Served with one of my trusty frozen Veganomicon black bean burgers :)

Dessert was a special treat that I’ll share tomorrow :)

Good night, friends.

Hello!

I've talked before about the yummy vegan carrot soup recipe I found on AllRecipes.com. But the way I make it is so different from the original that I thought it deserved a new post.

I love this soup. It's definitely one of my favorite meals. It is healthy, tasty and so filling. I like to make a huge batch and freeze in individual bowls. It reheats perfectly!

So here is my carrot sweet potato soup recipe (adapted from allrecipes):

INGREDIENTS

* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 medium onion, diced
* 3 cloves garlic, minced (I used 2.5 T minced garlic)
* 8 large carrots, cut into large chunks (I leave the skin on)
* 2-3 sweet potatoes, cut into large chunks (I leave the skin on)
* 2 cups vegetable broth
*1 cup milk alternative (I used vanilla soy)
* 2 teaspoons cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon curry powder
* 1 teaspoon paprika
* salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook oil, onion and garlic, stirring often until onion is translucent. Add carrots and potatoes, and cook for just a few minutes.

2. Pour the vegetable broth into the pot, and add seasonings. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until carrots are tender.

3. Puree soup in small batches* using a food processor or blender, or if you have an immersion blender, it can be done in the soup pot. Reheat soup if necessary, and serve or freeze.

*When blending add more water and spices as necessary. I blend mine pretty thin.. chunkiness is up to you!

*Makes approx. 10 cups


YOU MUST TRY THIS!

Do you have a favorite soup recipe?

The weekend is over… already!?

Tonight will be a quick recap.. and pictures from tonight’s blogger potluck!

I spent my Saturday with Big Bertha, my new 14 cup food processor. The hummus above was just one product :)

(I’ll post a good hummus recipe once I make a good hummus recipe!)

The weekend involved a few Clif Zbars  :)

Some lounging around…

And plenty of banana soft serve!! (Directions: Whip the heck out of a frozen naner. Top with too much PB. Lick bowl clean.)

Maybe a few chips & salsa snuck in there :)

And pink lady apples with MORE PB!

…and more lounging around!

Until tonight’s blogger potuck at my house with Meghann, Kelly and Megan!

The girls brought amazing yucca fries, summer salad, cookies and special veggies! I made Snobby Joes from Veganomicon… these were so yummy I’ll definitely be making them often! (Lentils were the main ingredient.)

Along with the four of us we had three puppies. I think the dogs had as much fun as we did! They will sleep well tonight :)

Thanks girls for coming over! I (and my belly) loved it!

See you tomorrow!

What do you usually bring to potlucks? Any recipes to share?

Happy Saturday! Isn’t the weekend just wonderful?

I am happy to report that yesterday I ran a decent 5 miles! I took so much time off from running after my shin splints that getting back into it has been slow and challenging. I need to be able to run a comfortable 6 miles by the middle of August for my marathon training. I can do it!!

LOL- and I tripped and jammed the treadmill toward the end of the run! Smooth :)

I was excited to start the day off with a Publix multi-grain  bagel with PB on one side and Smart Balance and jam on the other- served with a side of fresh blackberries!

Soymilk :)

Post-run some peppers and mint tea…

At Chili’s I ordered a Southwestern Vegetable soup (minus the cheese) and a side salad (minus the cheese) with a side of balsamic dressing. Perfect. It was super-easy to order vegan at Chili’s because I found they have an awesome Vegetarian menu online! (Although now that I look at it the croutons might not be vegan…)

After lunch I was craving something sweet… Edy’s Fruit Bar- Strawberry

A pink lady :)

Plus a scoop of peanut butter!!

Around 4pm I had to run some errands and enjoyed a Zbar on the way. My trusted vegan Ryan informed me these are vegan- I was so excited! Clid Kid Zbars are a nutritious way to fill a chocolate craving!

Dinner was light considering my massive amount of snacks… a reheated black bean burger, steamed veggies (umm, and a Zbar!).

Let me introduce Big Bertha!!!!! I found this Kenmore Elite Heavy Duty 14 c. Food Processor on craigslist. She retails for $175 but her previous owners didn’t use her… so they sold her to me! I love her!

Obviously banana soft serve was first on my must-make list! Two bananas with a hefty spoonful of PB. Yes, I ate like a man today.

And I’ll leave you with my Jack… or his feet anyway. He hides under the bed all the time, but obviously he’s not the best hider!