Marathon training started today, and some other rambling...

Well actually, I should say half-marathon training started today because I added to/adjusted my marathon training plan for the half I'm doing on my birthday (June 22nd). The marathon isn't until November. And I actually ran outside today! I took Lucy with me so I wasn't expecting to get a whole lot accomplished, but she actually did really well :) I set my app (iSmoothRun) for a 5 minute warm-up and then 1:30/:30 intervals and off we went.

The subdivision I live in has a main road that goes around in a circle, and it's exactly 1 mile if I stay on the inner sidewalk. Usually I add onto that by using the outer sidewalk/road and go around another street. Here, let me show you what I'm talking about...

My house is at the "pause" mark. If I take the outer road/sidewalk and add on Revere Drive (where the 5 mile marker is) it makes each lap 1.25 miles. If I just do the inner circle of Independence Drive it's exactly 1 mile. Pretty cool, huh?

Anyways, Lucy had enough after twice around so I dropped her back at home, took off my jacket, and back out I went for 3 more laps. On the 5th lap I added the extra street to make sure I hit 5 miles. It went really well, other than some tummy issues (as usual, ugh!), so I will probably keep with the 1:30/:30 intervals for my "long" runs.

After that I watched a couple episodes of Mystery Diners (I love those kind of shows on Food Network!) while making the grocery list, took Lucy for another lap, and then off to the grocery store. I really need to develop a better grocery system because it seems like I'm going every 4 or 5 days, and at about $150 each trip, this is super expensive! The problem is that my husband and I eat completely different types of foods. Of course you all know that I'm vegetarian/plant-strong, but hubby definitely is NOT.

Well well, aren't I just yappy today?! While I'm on a roll, here's today's menu:

• Breakfast: vitamin, coffee
• Pre-run: roasted cauliflower and a black-bean burger (this probably explains the tummy issues)
• Post-run: romaine salad w/tomatoes, onions, celery, radishes, sesame sticks and tahini lime dressing
• Snack: Lime tortilla Popchips w/garlic and artichoke hummus
• Dinner: haven't decided yet

For the past few days I've been hovering at 120 pounds, so this week's plan is get back to around 118. Then June's goal is 116 pounds.

Okay, I think that's about it. Hope everyone is having a happy Memorial Day weekend!

Weekly Wrap Up

I ran just over 20 miles (so far) this week:

• Monday: 3 miles
• Tuesday: 3.5 miles
• Wednesday: 3.75 miles
• Thursday: 6.5 miles
• Friday: 3.5 miles

As far as food goes, it's been a pretty boring week. I mostly ate the same things every day: Cereal w/fruit for breakfasts, leftover Taco Bake w/salsa and guacamole for lunches, and salads for dinner. Pretzel Shells with hummus for snacks, and the occasional bit of chocolate :)

I did make Stuffed Shells (vegan) earlier in the week, and while they ended up tasting really good, they left me hungry again too soon afterwards. They were also higher in calories/carbs (413/60) than I like for a meal to be. 

Vegan Stuffed Shells (with tofu ricotta)

I also made up a new Protein Ball recipe (pistachio nuts, oat flour, maple syrup, dark chocolate, and almond extract) that came out TOO good, and I've popped way too many of them over the last 2 days!

This morning I had another fainting episode so I'm taking it easy today. I do need to go out and pick up more produce, and I really wanted to make a few new recipes tonight. I'll let you know tomorrow if any of it happened, hehe :)

Taco Bake (Vegan)

This is a pretty quick and easy recipe that's full of flavor. I either eat it as is, or throw on some salsa and guacamole. Enjoy!

Taco Bake (Vegan)

• 1 package Lightlife Smart Ground (Mexican-style)
• 1 can black beans, drained, rinsed, and mashed
• 1 cup corn grits (Polenta), prepared (see below)
• 1 packet taco seasoning (I use Old El Paso Hot n Spicy)
• 1 (4oz) can chopped ripe olives
• 1 (4oz) can diced green chilies
• 1 cup vegetable broth

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Spray a pan with PAM (or whatever cooking spray) and heat the ground "beef" on medium for about 5 minutes, then add in the beans, taco seasoning, broth, olives and green chilies.
3. Meanwhile, make the polenta. Bring 3 cups water (and a pinch of salt) to a boil, add the corn grits, stir. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes.
4. Add the polenta to the "beef" mixture and stir it all together.
5. Pour into a (PAM/cooking spray- sprayed) 9x13 casserole dish and bake for about 20 minutes.

I get 6 huge servings out of this. Each serving = 258 calories, 1.6g fat, 42g carbs (9g fiber, 1g sugar), and 17g protein. Delicious, with just the right amount of spicy :)  And you could definitely make the servings smaller and get at least 8 instead of 6. 

Gotta run, Laura

Happy Easter! Vegan Deviled "Eggs" and April Goals

Happy Easter to those who celebrate! We ended up staying home so I can finish recuperating and also because hubby had a terrible headache this morning. I caught up on the Food Network shows I missed during the week, and then went to the grocery store (Acme was open today!) for a few things to make lunches for the week.

Last night I made Vegan deviled "eggs" from Happy Herbivore.  They came out really yummy! Red potatoes, hummus, Dijon mustard, a dash of Sriracha and a few spices. That was it!

Forgot to add paprika before taking the pic, oops!

Right now I'm waiting for my headache to subside enough that I can get a quick run in, but other than that, we're just taking it easy today.

I'm excited to announce I met my March goal of getting back under 120 (barely!), but failed (miserably) on total mileage. I did run the 10-miler for St. Paddy's Day, but was not happy with my time. I'm cutting myself a break though, since I was sick ;)

For April I just have 3 goals:

1. Stay under 120
2. Run 4 days per week
3. Run at least one half marathon

What are your goals for April?

FMM - Ten Questions

I am STILL home sick. Really thought I'd be better by now, after 4 days of antibiotics (and the other assortment of meds the doc ordered) but nooooo....

Okay enough whining.  I've come up with a plan for keeping my blog updated regularly (when I don't really have anything to share). I follow a lot of blogs that do weekly "themes" so I'm going to be more social and participate! Yes, I'm trying to work on being less socially awkward and introverted! Here's what I've got so far:

• Monday: Friend Making Mondays (FMM) hosted by Kenlie at All the Weigh
• Tuesday:  Maybe a recipe???
• Wednesday: either Wordless Wednesday or Weigh-in Wednesday (or both)
• Thursday: Either 3 Things Thursday (not sure who started this) or 10 Things Thursday hosted by Laura Belle at Beer, Dogs, and Getting Healthier
• Friday: BYOC (Bring Your Own Crazy) hosted by It's Just Me, Drazil and Sheniqua
• Saturday: Week in Review
• Sunday: ???

So, being it's Monday...

If you've taken part in Friend Making Monday then you know the rules. You answer the questions on your own blog and then link back to Kenlie’s blog, All the Weigh.

Ten Questions

1. Describe the kind of home you would live in if money were no object. I'd love a 2-story log cabin, in the woods, with a large creek, a fresh-water lake, and lots of trails to run on. For the inside I definitely want all hardwood floors (I have a large messy dog- you should see my poor carpet!), a giant kitchen with lots of counter space, cabinets, and a huge pantry, 4 bedrooms (master, guest, office, gym), and a super-sized walk-in closet with lots of shelves, shoe racks, built in dressers, and a washer/dryer. And a big ole' fireplace of course!

2. Are you more conservative in your actions or more rebellious? Oh, I'm definitely a rebel!

3. Would you go to Mars even if it meant you could never return to Earth? Umm, no.

4. Name one song that makes you want to dance every time you hear it. I have a lot of songs that make me want to run, but dance? Hmm. Anyone remember "Keep Me Hangin' On" or maybe "Watermelon Crawl" Lol! Don't judge!

5. Share one thing that you wish you could go back and do differently in your life. I would have never started smoking.

6. Share at least one accomplishment that people wouldn't expect you to be proud of. Eliminating meat/eggs/(99%)dairy from my diet. People who don't understand/acknowledge the cruelty to farm animals just don't understand how proud I am of becoming vegetarian/vegan/plant-strong!

7. Describe one delicious thing that you've eaten lately. Roasted garlic and artichoke hummus ♥

8. If you had a theme song that would play every time you entered a room, which song would you choose? Perfect, by Pink. Or maybe (also by Pink) So What?! Or Never Surrender by Triumph, or No Boundaries by Adam Lambert...

9. Has technology enhanced your life, or has it over complicated your life? Enhanced, absolutely

10. If you could get paid to do any job, which job would you choose? A race pacer, preferably for the half-marathon distance. For the 10-minute milers :) 

Let me know what you think of my answers and then it's your turn! And don't forget to link up at alltheweigh.com! Happy Monday!

Gotta run, Laura

What's for Dinner?

This is my Master Grocery List, and all the ingredients I try to ALWAYS have on hand. I'm probably forgetting a few things, but this pretty much sums up everything I eat.

Produce: - tomatoes - onions - jalapenos/habaneros - limes - lime juice (100%) - cilantro - Wholly Guacamole - mushrooms - celery - cabbage - romaine lettuce - celery - cauliflower - Brussels sprouts - bananas - berries - grapes - pineapple - apples - Asian pears - oranges (Cuties) - lemons - chives - broccoli slaw - squeeze basil - squeeze cilantro Organic aisle: - black beans - garbanzo beans (chickpeas) - refried beans - white miso - vegetable broth - Mexican style Smart Ground - Tofutti Sour Supreme - Tofutti imitation cream cheese) - TVP - Tahini - tofu - nutritional yeast - quinoa - oats - whole grain pasta - brown rice - Earth Balance - cereal - ground flax/chia - maple syrup - non-dairy milk (almond, coconut, soy)

Spices/Baking: - garlic powder - cumin - hot Mexican chili powder - paprika - ground ginger - sea salt - red pepper flakes - vanilla extract - PAM spray - Tabasco sauce - liquid smoke - vinegar (rice, white, red wine) - shredded unsweetened coconut - non-dairy chocolate chips - unsweetened dark cocoa - whole wheat pastry flour - almond flour - turbinado sugar - corn grits/Polenta - sesame sticks - nuts (pistachios, almonds, walnuts, cashews) - unsweetened applesauce International: - taco seasoning - green chilies - diced jalapenos - black olives - rice noodles - Sriracha sauce - soy sauce/liquid aminos - sesame seeds Other aisles: - coffee! - non-dairy creamer - peanut butter - Arnold multi-grain thins - Grey Poupon - Frank’s buffalo sauce - hummus - Boca burgers/crumbles - frozen veggies - pretzel shells - vitamins - PB2 - artichoke hearts - Reese's Dark (don't judge!)