Easy & Healthy Weeknight Meals with the Man Stamp of Approval!

Thanks for the Garmin advice from yesterday's post! I used to lock my bezel (I have the 405) during the winter months when I had long sleeves on, but haven't been doing that lately. That's probably the problem! Also...my TNT total went over $1,400 yesterday!
***

Since some of you have asked how I eat up all the veggies I stock my fridge with, I figured this week I would spotlight some of my favorite veggie centric meals that help fuel my training and at the same time don't gag my boyfriend.

As many of you ladies know, it's hard to cook for two when your significant other is the McDonald's and Coke type and you're the spinach and squash type. But it can be done!

Before I get into what we ate last night, I wanted to share my recent loot from heaven on Earth, Whole Foods.

I have been trying to stay away from this food mecca until pay day, but yesterday I just couldn't resist any longer. Plus I desperately needed some GREENS! Whole Foods, Earth Fare, other natural food stores as well as seasonal farmers markets are the best place to buy your produce. If you look hard enough, the fruit and produce is generally competitively priced.

Whole Foods loot!

1 bag of organic lemons for juicing as well as for the hummus I was about to make (this bag was a better deal than the same amount of non-organic lemons!), one 5 pound bag of organic carrots for juicing, 2 avocados, 1 box of Annie's Mac N Cheese (I have been craving mac n cheese for months...so when I saw it for $1.99 I had to get it.)

1 bunch of organic kale for Green Smoothies, organic quinoa for tonight's dinner, lentils from the bulk bin, 2 cans no salt added black beans (not organic, b/c they didn't have organic with no salt added), and 2 cans of no salt added garbanzo beans for my hummus appetizer! (All of this ran me about $23, not too bad for mostly organic.)

I quickly mixed up the hummus when I got home from the store in my food processor because we were both starving and I knew dinner would take a little while to prepare. I hated it as you can see.

In my hummus I used 2 cans garbanzo beans, some tahini, some olive oil, juice from two lemons, a bit of water, 1 garlic clove, some sea salt. YUMZA! Matt and I shared the above portion. He actually didn't hate it (his words), but I ended up eating most of this.

One of my favorite dinners to make for Matt and I is simple, easily adaptable to on-hand ingredients and packed with nutrition. Stuffed peppers! Since we bought a bag of six red and green peppers a few weeks ago, I needed to do something with the remaining peppers and I immediately thought of this weeknight favorite.

This time I was going to be using:

• 1 cup dry quinoa, cooked (you can also use brown rice or any other small grain but I love the taste and texture of quinoa, plus it is a protein power house, perfect for athletes)
• 1 diced onion
• 1 zucchini (we eat zucchini & summer squash at least 2 times a week, such versatile veggies!)
  
• 1 yellow tomato
• A little bit of Italian blend cheese for Matt's portion
  
• 4 small slices off a Muenster cheese block for me
• herbs & spices
  

On the side I was going to make pan fried tilapia (from frozen and thawed tilapia).

I started out by dicing up some veggies.


I bought four yellow tomatoes the other day at Harris Teeter for ridiculously cheap because they were going bad. All I had to do was cut off the bad spots and I had 4 yummy tomatoes for less than a dollar! This is a great way to get good quality produce for cheap. I also got 4 organic apples for less than a dollar --they were perfect for juicing!


Then I sauteed up the hard veggies in a little olive oil. I was planning on mixing the tomatoes in last minute and then baking the whole stuffed pepper, so I didn't want to saute them first because they would cook down too much.


I then prepped the peppers by cutting off the lids and scraping out the seeds and insides. I put it in a "greased" (with Pam) glass casserole dish in the oven to soften up a bit at 350 before adding the stuffings.
Then I started to dip the fish in one egg, and then a whole wheat flour/herb mixture to prep them for the pan...

...when I started to smell smoke & opened the oven to find that the drippings in the bottom of it had caught fire!! Of course I screamed for Matt and he came to my rescue with some baking powder...after I hastily removed my peppers.


Lesson learned: Clean out the oven from time to time so it doesn't catch fire...

Once that was handled I got back to the fish.


In the meantime I was cooking up some quinoa on the stove: 2 cups liquid for 1 cup dry quinoa. I usually cook my quinoa in stock but I was all out of bouillon so I went plain.


Once I knew everything was about finished, I sprayed the skillet with Pam and added the fish to "fry". I cooked them for about 7 minutes on each side. The key to pan frying fish is to let them cook thoroughly on one side before flipping them.

Since I was no longer "baking" the stuffed peppers like I usually do (wth a bum oven and all) I needed to heat up the tomato, so I popped it in the microwave for two minutes. Then I poured the heated tomato & the veggie mixture all together into a bowl with the quinoa. I added some herbs (this time I used herbs de provence, red pepper flakes & a bit of sea salt) and stirred it up.

And popped the peppers in the microwave for three minutes with some water in the bottom of the dish to steam them (since I wasn't baking them anymore...)

Once the fish was done, I stuffed up the peppers and added some cheese...


I used some muenster cheese on top of mine, I mixed some Italian blend cheese into Matts. There is usually some quinoa & veggie mixture leftover that we add to our plates. But I still have one serving left for lunch today.

And if you're wondering, Matt loves loves loves this meal! He even requests it on occasion.

So there you have it, delicious stuffed peppers that can be adapted for even the pickiest eater. If your oven doesn't catch on fire, what I usually do is bake the peppers on their own for about 15 to 20 minutes while I am preparing the stuffing, then bring them out and stuff them and pop them back in the oven until the top of the stuffing is a nice golden brown. But if you're short on time, microwaving the peppers in a shallow dish with a bit of water works in a pinch as well.

This looks complicated, but it really is simple. You can easily add some ground meat of your choice if you would like to the stuffing, or add in more vegetables. You can change it up with different herb and spice combos. You could stuff it with rice, cous cous or any other whole grain or even maybe a pasta if you're feeling daring!

I love this dish because its healthy, tasty and most importantly - it's man approved!

***
I didn't workout last night, although I felt like I could have! I surprisingly wasn't sore at all from Sunday's 12 miler but I wanted to cook dinner and get some things wrapped up at home.

Since I'm going all healthy on y'all this week, get ready for some posts on:

• binge eating & how to avoid it
• at least one "raw" recipe that will get the man stamp of approval
• ...and of course more ways to sneak veggies into dinner without the men in our lives running for the nearest phone to dial Pizza Hut!

Anything else I should add to the list?

What bugs YOU about blogs?

I couldn't resist one more picture of me and Alesha before we went out Saturday night. Aren't we adorable?

Thanks for all of the thoughts on my post yesterday about the nutrition seminar I attended with my Team in Training group. I'm glad that someone agrees with me about this! A few points I wanted to address:

• As far as the caffeine pills thing goes, I forgot to point out that in collegiate athletics, taking caffeine pills to boost performance is considered illegal doping by amphetamines. So why would a dietitian recommend it?
• However, it's been all over the media recently that some form of caffeine is good/safe to help your perform better before a race. I take this to mean COFFEE. I always drink a cup of coffee a few hours before a race or a long run to "get things moving." (Both mentally and physically!)
• But coffee can dehydrate, so I find that if I drink a 1/2 to 1 cup before a run, I need to leave enough time to also drink some water.
• The dietitian that spoke has completed an insane number of races, including four appearances at Boston and several Ironmans! So obviously, she has found what works for her.
• Which brings me to my final point. We all have to find what is healthy and what works for us. For me, that means less processed foods and more whole foods. Does that mean I never eat processed foods? Of course not! But I try to make it a healthy balance. I would be scared to take caffeine pills before a race because I would never take them otherwise.
  

Yesterday my good friend LiLu (who is definitely not a running blogger in any shape or form, she's more of a snarky/sassy opinionist who has found an insane following in DC) posted yesterday about what bugs us about blogs. We got into a discussion about this on Twitter yesterday so I figured why not throw it out here today.

What bugs ME about blogs?

• When some bloggers are "too big" to follow you on Twitter, respond to your comments, or visit your blog. Yet they make sure to communicate with their "popular" clique of bloggers. I think that blogging is a conversation, and should be so. I don't mean that every blogger should respond to every comment, or read every post. We're all busy, life gets in the way. So I tend to stick to the blogs who read me, that way, I feel like I'm actually getting to know you guys & vice versa. (Is that mean??? I hope not!) I love those "big" bloggers who if I @reply on Twitter, they respond. Why would I make the effort if it's only going to be a one-sided conversation? (Of course, maybe they don't know about Tweetdeck. Greatest.Thing.Ever.)
  
• Insane amounts of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. (I throw these things together fast so I know I have some, so please no tomatoes.)
• Short reader feeds. I know some of you do this, and I still love you! It just takes a little more effort. (I'm lazy, what can I say?)

So how about you guys, what bugs you about blogs?

***

I didn't run yesterday because I suck. But I will be heading out tonight to do something. Bridge? 4-5 mile flat run? Speedwork? Who knows!

Matt and I are heading to the NC mountains Saturday for a wedding, so that should be fun. But that also means running this weekend may not happen. Gonna have to squeeze in a long run (8 to 10 miles) at some point!

Simple & Clean

This morning when I opened my reader and discovered Bobbi's May Challenge to lead the Simple Life, I was excited because not only have I already been doing most of these things, but because for the past month I have been slowly transitioning myself into eating very simply and cleanly.

And I must say, I have been doing a fabulous job!

For me, my figure and weight loss are always looming in the front of my mind as I would still like to drop 5 to 10 pounds. However, leading a simple life in the way of what food I eat doesn't really have any bearing on the fact that I want to lose some weight. I know the only way I am going to lose any weight is by adding another component to my exercise regime because I already eat pretty healthy.

So, the way I see this Simple Life Challenge is just a way to further my own agenda of not only putting pure/simple/clean ingredients into my body but by also adapting this idea to other areas of my life.

I have posted before about my thoughts on healthy eating and I sometimes mention what I eat throughout the day, or I may post occasional recipes of meals I particularly like. You probably remember my posts on eating healthy on a budget. But this blog wasn't started to be a food journal and I don't intend to make it that.

But I do intend to further explore the things I love which is of course running and exercise, but also healthy eating, fresh ingredients, organic foods, sustainability, and easy ways that normal people can achieve a healthy balance.

After my first marathon is over on Saturday (!) I can quit thinking about my training for a minute and really start looking at whats next for me, whether that be another race in the fall, a new exercise activity to help me reach my goal weight, or simply a fresh outlook on my life. I think it's definitely due time! I have been stuck in a rut for a while and it's high time I do something about it.

So! Here are a few things I have been chomping down on this week in order to prepare myself (the best way I know how) to be nutritionally sound come Saturday morning.

First off, I have been eating Green Smoothies almost every day since last week! I honestly love them, and I really love all of the nutrients I am eating with my greens. I usually eat them for breakfast with some sort of whole grain for me to "chew" on. I think I am up to using almost 2 to 4 cups of greens, 1 cup of milk (soy or whatever else), 1 T ground flax, 1 spoonful of chunky natural PB, 1 banana and some ice. I haven't strayed too much from this, and have been primarily using kale.


I also made a big batch of dried lima and black beans Sunday night that I have been sitting in our cupboard for a while (probably too long) and have been incorporating them into my lunches and dinners this week. (Which is a very cheap and easy way to add some protein to any meal.)


I have also been eating veggie & protein packed salads and wraps for lunches.



Drinking tons of water as well as coconut water (as I can afford it) after my workouts and during the day.



And the number one thing I have been working on, is not to eat anything after dinner! This has grown increasingly more difficult for me lately and last night I finally said enough is enough! And I feel much better today :)

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That's all I have for now, but here is a bit more about Bobbi's Simple Life Challenge and please head to her site for more information and to sign up!

The Simple Life Challenge from Bobbi at NHerShoes

"How about a SIMPLE LIFE challenge that will get you to save money and eat healthier?? I don’t know about you, but I need to save some money and get back to the more simple pleasures of life.

The challenge comes in three parts!

First part give up eating out for the entire month of MAY!!! I know a lot of you wanted a challenge to get that bikini body, well this is a great way to get there.

Second part, Health Commute Challenge!! Ride your bike at least three times a week(or more) to work or to the store, or taking public transportation, walking, shoot even running!

Third part, Being Simple & Green. Here is a list of ways that you can get simple, and I would love to hear more of your ideas as well.

• Having a date night out at the park
• Inviting friends over for dinner instead of going out, have everyone bring something.
• Do your own pedicure and manicure
• Instead of buying that cup of coffee every day, make your own at home, or shoot give up coffee all together.
• Make all your own breads instead of buying them
• Have a garage sale and make some extra money!
• Read the news online instead of buying the newspaper.
• Do a cloths swap with your BFF’s
• Making a gift for someone instead of buying them something, which is always better anyway.

This May challenge is keeping life in it's RAWIST and SIMPLEST form. I understand that some of you can not bike to work or take public transportation, but what about carpooling or riding your bike to the grocery store??Do you need to simplify your life and get clean inside and out, then this challenge is for you"

Golden Beet Chips + Kale Smoothies + Tag You're It!

Good morning folks! The lovely RunningLaur tagged me in this craziness, so here goes!

8 Things to which I am looking forward:

• Running my first marathon next Saturday!
• Hanging out with my family & friends in NC before/after the marathon next weeekend
  
• Going to the beach A LOT this summer
• Getting a sweet ass tan
• More green smoothies! (I just discovered these, love them)
• Wild West Relay in August!
• Meeting more people through this blog :)
• Training for Wild West Relay + other post-marathon races (MCM? Chicago?)
  

8 Things I did yesterday

• Had my first green smoothie which I loved
  
• Skipped my 4 mile run to come home and snack/watch trashy TV (i.e. Real Housewives) while he BF was at school
  
• Went to Whole Foods at lunch and got some sweet deals (avocados for $1.69??)
  
• Found out I am 2 months behind on cell phone bill. Crap.
• Talked to my mom! (Who was going to the Jimmy Buffet concert last night!)
• Made yummy BBQ baked chicken (that I haven't actually tasted yet, but it looked/smelled great!)
• Was really sore from Monday night's run
• Paid bills and got really depressed at my lack of fund$
  

8 Things I wish I could do/I want to do

• Plan my yearly international vacay (prob not going to happen this year)
  
• Spend my days doing something I LOVE vs. kind of like
  
• Work more on making myself happy vs. relying on others to prop me up
  
• Hike more! Go to the mountains more. Visit Colorado or Utah or Washington state.
  
• Run another marathon this year & do it faster than my first
  
• Meet more people in Charleston!
• Visit a good friend in Seattle
• Start cycling!
  

8 Shows I watch (we don't have DVR anymore, so I'm not really a regular of anything other than the first 4)

• LOST
• Amazing Race
• Real Housewives
• The Office
  
• Grey's (sometimes)
• Seinfeld re-runs
• Family Guy (with the boy)
• ER (well, it's not on anymore, but I have been a long time fan! Love Dr. Green)
  

And I tag these eight people (if you've already been tagged/hate doing these/just don't want to, completely okay with me):

• RedHead
• JustRun
• JoyRun
• Julianne
• Amanda
• TFH
• Abbie
• Sweet and Fit

Nothing much new to report today, but thought I would share with you some yummy things I cooked/whipped up yesterday and this morning. I bring to you...Golden Beet Chips!!


I found this recipe one day while I was searching for kale chips, and it looked so good I had to try it! The original calls for baking these in a 325 oven and just keeping an eye on them "for a few minutes" until they're done. I would say these baked for maybe 20 minutes or so, and they weren't getting crunchy enough to I yanked the heat up to 400 for about 5 more minutes and they crisped up! Although, I don't have a mandolin so I think if mine had been potato chip thin 325 would have been okay.

These definitely tasted like beets, so if you don't like beets, don't make them! But I like beets and with enough heat/olive oil/sea salt, I can trick myself into thinking anything is tasty :) That being said, I ate the entire golden beet on my own (like you think the boo would eat beet chips? Yeah right.) and I thoroughly enjoyed it and would definitely make it again! This was my first time actually cooking a raw beet, pretty cool! (I have only eaten the canned pickled kind before.)

Also tried a kale smoothie this morning, and I must say, it tasted healthier than yesterday's spinach smoothie and was so light and refreshing!!


In this one I added 2 big kale stalks (hard stem removed), 1 chopped pink apple (skin and all), 2/3 cup soy milk light, & 4 ice cubes. Very, very good. I like to chew on something for breakfast though, so had a slice of whole wheat double fiber toast with PB to help fill me up.

***
Yes, I skipped my run yesterday. I was so sore, so I just came home and relaxed and stretched. Tonight I will be heading out on a run though, 4-6 depending on how I feel!

Thanks for everyone's comments on my upcoming race, I really don't think I would have been able to keep up this grueling training on my own without the support of all of you out there! Seriously!

Since I don't have too many people in my life who are big fans of running/eating as healthy as I do, it's been such an eye opener to have all of you out there to answer my running questions, inspire me to run further/faster/longer, and to generally propel me forward through this training! So THANK YOU!

On My Own

I can't believe my first marathon is sooo close! I'm starting to make plans this week for when we drive up there, where everyone is staying, pre-race dinner, etc. and it's getting exciting/terrifying.

I think I mentioned a while back that I was running the race with a friend from Raleigh, we will call her M. (She was the one pictured with me here in Greece). M and I have been attempting to train for a marathon for almost two years now. Last year we were hoping to do the Country Music Marathon in Nashville, but ended up only doing the half. (She got the flu a few weeks before the race and I half assed my training.) So this year we were both pretty determined to get it done...so we decided on a race close to home & our families, the NC Marathon in Greensboro/High Point, NC and started training together/apart in January. My dad lives in Greensboro and the rest of my family is scattered throughout North Carolina and Virginia, so I was hoping that they could make it out to the race if we did it somewhere close.

Unfortunately during her training, M has become injured and so she will not be running the race with me. When she first told me the news, I was pretty sad about it/worried about running the race solo. But I figure if I can do all this horrendous training on my own, I can definitely run the race on my own! Plus, it's not like she intentionally injured herself, so I will have to make do!

So there's that. But fortunately, a lot of my family is going to come out to support me during the race! My grandmother from VA, my dad of course, I think my younger brother (who is in school at NC State in Raleigh), and my mom who lives in the Charlotte, NC area. Plus Matt will be there with me, and M and her boyfriend will be coming out to cheer me on! (I'm going to convince her to run miles 22-25 with me if we can meet up! I know I'm going to need some support at that point...)

I am very grateful to have family and friends that want to come out to support me in this! I love running races and seeing them along the sidelines, it definitely gives me a boost of energy and with 26.2 miles to run I will need all the help I can get!

***
Last night I completed last weekend's long run of 12 miles in 2:06:37 with an average pace of 10:33. I was actually pretty shocked that my pace wasn't slower, as it was the toughest run I have had in a while! I started out feeling okay, but my legs felt heavy and sore and my stomach was seriously not happy with me for almost the entire run. I had heartburn, I felt nauseous, I was tired, and I was cranky because of more seriously stupid wind. But, I kept on running and never stopped for a walk break, which I think is a true testament to my training. If this had happened a little over a month ago, I would have been walking every few miles, but I have been training hard and I think I finally got my fitness level up to where it needs to be to tackle long runs --even when they suck hard and I don't want to keep going.

Taper Schedule & Race Prep
Tonight I am going to do an easy 4, tomorrow an easy 5, another 4 on Thursday and a final long run this weekend of 8 miles. I am also focusing on seriously hydrating the next two weeks, taking my vitamins, getting a lot of sleep, and eating as cleanly and as healthy as possible.

For example, this morning for breakfast I had a green smoothie with two big handfuls of spinach, 1 chilled banana, 4 strawberries, 1/2 cup soy milk light, and some ground flax. (Although it would have been much more smoothie-like if I had a good blender, my food processor could be better.) I also had a piece of whole wheat double fiber bread with some chunky organic all natural PB. So far it has kept me full without needing a mid-morning snack!

I am so proud of everything I have accomplished so far, and I am really looking forward to setting even more ambitious goals post-marathon.

My thoughts on healthy eating (for what they're worth)

Since I started this space in January to track my training progress for my first marathon, I have also been reading a ton of blogs out there about running and fitness. In the process of reading and discovering more running blogs, I naturally came across a few really great health and nutrition blogs. Running and eating basically go hand in hand, so it's natural that most running bloggers also talk about the food they eat at some point. I have learned so much about how other runners eat, new health foods I might not have discovered on my own, natural and alternative food sources, but most importantly I realized that my crazy way of eating was shared by thousands of other women (and men) out there.

Lil Bit of Background
Before I immersed myself in this blogosphere I wasn't really surrounded by like-minded eaters. My family never ate particularly healthy growing up (not particularly unhealthy either), my boyfriend enjoys healthy food but doesn't naturally crave foods inherently healthy on a regular basis (he used to have an aversion to anything labeled organic because he thought it was "made of beans or somthing" Men!), my co-workers in the past have never generally eaten the way I do. So for me to stumble across an entire network of people just like me has been pretty enlightening.

Someday soon I will share more about me and my background. I think that will explain a bit more about my eating and exercise habits and patterns. But in light of yesterday's post, I wanted to comment briefly about how I qualify the foods I eat.

I used to count calories and log all of my food on MyFoodDiary.com. Before I started using this site and logging my food and exercises, I thought I was a supremely healthy eater, and I was partly right. But I wasn't paying enough attention to some things that were adding a ton of extra and unnecessary calories to my day (like dressings, sauces, methods of cooking).

This site is a fantastic resource and it truly helped me refine my eating habits. It taught me the right ways to eat healthy. It also helped me to examine everything that I ate, in turn revealing some of the uglier facets of my diet. I would say that going through this process (about 2.5 years ago) changed my life, changed my outlook on food, and helped me to become a smarter eater.

How I Eat Today
Now I don't count calories. Partly because of the fact that I run so much but mostly because MFD ingrained in me the correct way to eat/correct portion size/how much I can comfortably consume in a day.

In the past few years, I have been desperately trying to add more fresh fruit and veggies to my diet. I read somewhere that an easy way to do this is when you are at the grocery store, spend the majority of your time in the outer edges of the store rather than in the aisles where all the paakged and processed foods are. This seems counter-intuitive but I had never thought of it that way, and now I cannot shop without considering that. Try it! It really, really helps you think about what you're putting in your cart.

Generally, I pick up a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables and I incorporate these into all of my daily meals. For breakfast I usually eat oatmeal or cereal with fresh fruit and coffee. For lunch I usually have a veggie-packed salad, wrap or sandwich with a side of fruit or veggies. If I only pack a salad I try to add in some healthy carbs like whole wheat bread, brown rice or quinoa. For dinner, I try to cook something that we both will enjoy, that is also healthy and packed with fresh vegetables and a healthy meat. We rarely eat red meat or pork, we try to stick to ground turkey breast or ground chicken, or boneless skinless chicken breasts. For snacks during the day, I always have fresh fruit. I think I eat an apple every day, plus bananas, plums or whatever else is in season.

I also am getting more thorough about reading food labels and choosing items that I can actually read and understand the ingredient list. Although I am severely limited by budget these days, I spend a lot of time in the stores trying to find items that are as all natural and organic as possible and are also low in sodium. I cannot always afford organic, which is okay for me right now. I cannot get all of my gorceries at Whole Foods, so I shop smart at a few different stores and do what I can. I would like to be able to afford to eat organic produce and food exclusively, but right now that is not an option. So I focus on buying tons of fresh produce and purchasing organic when it is possible. The most important thing for me is to make sure that what I am consuming is made up of things that I don't find offensive and damaging to my body.

I do not diet, and I try not to limit myself too much. I actually think that diets in general are crap. My general rule is to be able to eat what I want one day a week. So if I want to share some french fries at happy hour on Friday, I will! Or if I want a cupcake or some greasy pizza, I can enjoy these things in moderation. I have gotten better at stopping myself from going overboard with junk foods, and the healthier I eat, the less I crave these things.

I think the number one mistake those who are trying to lose weight make is denying themselves the food that their bodies are craving. You have to learn to be an intuitive eater, but this does take time, so initially you're going to have to make some sacrifices. This doesn't mean when you're on a "diet" you're limited to 1000 calories a day and you can't touch sweets. If you love sweets and you're craving them, you're just going to eat more and more food until you satisfy that craving, which was probably worse than eating the sweets in the first place! Also, if you're working out alot, limiting your body the calories it needs will actually be counter-effective and will cause your metabolism to slow down rather than speed up.

The bottome line is that if you want to get healthier and lose weight, start exercising and eating more fresh fruits and vegetables! Crazy right? But it is literally that simple.

Americans tend to want someone to give them the answer, they want the easy way out, and they don't want to do any work to see results. So they turn to whatever fad diet is out there and might lose a few pounds, but end up gaining it right back. Eat fresh and natural foods rather than packaged processed ones, get active, and you WILL see results.

Challenges to Eating Healthy:
Living with my boyfriend has created some eating challenges for me. I went through a phase last year where I was doing a lot of baking for him (and for me because I love to bake) which meant that we had a ton of sweets around all the time. It is also challenging because when we're together I am more likely to cave in for the junk food, like pizza, chips or bar food. It's also sometimes hard to make a dinner that is healthy but one that he will also willingly eat (I think I have done pretty well with this, although I know he won't be sharing in my tofu dishes any time soon).

The people you're around can create huge nutrition barriers for you. My co-workers used to always tease me about the salads I brought for lunch, or the fact that I wouldn't go eat certain foods when we went out. My dad gives me speeches when I don't want any pork chops he's cooked when I come to visit. I have learned to just get over this because I know that the way I eat is the best (and healthiest) way for me. People are just different and everyone does things differently. If you let yourself succomb to the pressures of eating like everyone else, you will never reach your nutrition goals.

This brings me back to this blogosphere. The fact that I have not always been surrounded by healthy eaters has created a challenge for me. But connecting with all of you through this forum has made me realize that I am not a weirdo for eating the way I do. It's not crazy to crave health food stores and be super excited about Farmer's Market season. It's not insane to want to try out meat substitutes or soy milk or not wanting to eat a big hunk of meat at a barbeque (although I do love me some hamburgers and hot dogs). It's not weird to order a salad for lunch that GASP doesn't have any meat on it, or heaven forbid, I eat without dressing. It's not completely insane to want to buy organic even though sometimes it means shelling out a few more dollars. It's normal to care about how I fuel my body.

So thank you all for opening my eyes to this healthy network of those who are teaching me more every day about how to be a healthier and stronger woman. I have realized now that this is the one thing I truly love and am passionate about. Who knows where this will take me?

Kale Chips & A (Good) Week in Running

Good morning everyone! I am so glad that today is Friday! I have a ton to do this weekend, and it's supposed to rain ALL weekend so I suppose that is fine by me...although I would prefer that it holds off until about noon tomorrow when I'm done with my long run...

I already posted about my easy 8 miler last night, I finished 8.0 miles in 1:19. I have been so worried about my upcoming marathon recently, but this week has really helped to ease my mind. Although my long run Sunday didn't go as planned, I almost made up for it with my 11+ miler Monday night that went swimmingly. Then Wednesday I had a short track workout (pretty tame, wish I had had time for more sprints), and of course last night's run which went great.

The only running regret I have from this week, is that I couldn't have done more on Wednesday at the track. Next week I would like to run 5-6 miles then do 2x100m, 2x200m, and 2x400m.

I haven't really been doing anything more than 6 miles during the week up until now, so from here on out I will be on schedule by adding one (at least) 8 mile run (easy or tempo), one 5-6 mile + sprints track workout, and one 6 mile hill run.

Last night after my run, I wasn't all that hungry but we had pulled some salmon out to cook so I baked some of that up with some Jamaican Jerk Seasoning and breadcrumbs. Didn't really love it with the breadcrumbs, but that seasoning is always good. The I finally made kale chips! They have been all over blogs lately, and if you google 'roasted kale' you can pretty much find a dozen or more articles on it.

So simple and yummy. It's even Matt approved!!* Here's how you make 'em:

Roasted Kale or "Kale Chips"
-Preheat oven to 375
-Wash and dry as much kale as you want (I used about half a bunch)
-Chop it up into desired pieces and try to remove the hard stems
-Toss with extra virgin olive oil
-Bake on baking sheet for about 5 minutes; take out and turn kale over and bake for another few minutes. (If it's turning too dark, it's burning so just be on the lookout.)
-Take out and drizzle with sea salt.

Finished Product:



Not the best picture, but these do kind of taste like potato chips! I will be making this a lot in the future. Too, too good! (LiLu, I have even seen people putting ketchup on these babies! You especially need to try.)

And if you didn't know, "the beautiful leaves of the kale plant provide an earthy flavor and more nutritional value for fewer calories than almost any other food around." To read more about why kale is one of the world's healthiest foods, click here.

Some other pics from breakfast this morning:



I made a mixture of oats and multi-grain hot cereal with milled flax and soy. I used 1/2 mushed banana, 1 packet Splenda, some light vanilla soy milk, water, 1/2 scoop vanilla soy protein, spoonful of natural chunky PB, some cinnamon and vanilla, and one chopped plum on top. It actually wasn't all that great. I think I had too much hot cereal and not enough oats! But the plum was FANTASTIC. I cannot believe I haven't been eating those until recently.

This week has truly been a fruit-filled week! I mentioned yesterday all the fruits I had eaten that day, and realized after posting that I had forgotten to mention the tangerine! So I really probably ate too much fruit yesterday (if that's even possible).

I have really been putting an effort into eating fresh fruit and veggies in almost every one of my meals lately, and I can definitely tell a positive difference in how I feel, my energy level, and my metabolism (i.e. how often I poo...hehe). I think Matt is even enjoying eating more fruits and veggies lately.

Well must get to work, but I hope everyone has a fantastic Friday and an even better weekend. I probably won't be running today, to give my legs some rest for tomorrow's long run. But since I have my big test coming up on Tuesday, so I will be studying (and running) ALL weekend.

*My wonderful boyfriend Matt has been described by his family as only eating things that are "round and covered in cheese." We have been living together for almost two years now and I am pleased to say that he now likes most vegetables, especially squashes, loves fruit and is generally eating many more things that are not round and not covered in cheese. He has also always said that he hates "all beans, especially green ones," but I have even wooed him with a green bean recipe that now he begs me to cook. Although he still loves his pizza and burgers, he is also pretty open when it comes to trying my health-nut recipes. So if something healthy is "Matt approved" you know is damn good.

Weekend Wrap-Up + Monday's Run + Groceries for a Week!

Whew! long title. Well it was a great weekend away, although there was a lot of driving involved (20 hours total) there was also a lot of fun had. We spent all day Friday getting the reception hall ready for Saturday (did I mention we were in town for my boyfriend's sister's wedding in which I was a bridesmaid and he was a groomsman?), then getting ready ourselves for rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, then going to said events, then...in my case...passing out.

Saturday was a lot of fun that involved; 1) Me sleeping in and thus not running at 7 am like I had planned, 2) Indulging in a breakfast cooked by the boy's grandparents and thinking I would run afterwards, 3) Obviously eating too much anyways 4) Leaving breakfast to learn that it was raining, which leads to 5) not running on the only day I would have had time and/or somewhere to run while we were away.

After breakfast Saturday, we showered and left for the church to get ready there, curling my hair alone took about 2 hours! As soon as we were all ready and looking purdy, we reported to the chapel for pictures.
The bride and groom decided to do these first, which apparently is the new thing to do, so that they wouldn't have to worry about them afterwards. (I.E. we all get to boozin' quicker...solid plan.)

KB waiting around for pictures to be over...nervously awaiting the wedding!

Meet the BF!

My boo also waiting for pics to be done...

Then there was the reception, lots of wine, dancing...it starts to get fuzzy there. Basically, we had a great time and were sad to leave on Sunday. Of course his family loaded us down with a cooler full of leftovers that we then ate-continuously-throughout the 10 hour drive home.

I am glad I did not step on that scale this morning.

...and back to the present:

Today was a very productive day at work after a good night's sleep last night, and I was feeling pretty good when I set out for my run. I had decided to shoot for 6 miles (over the bridge and back) but knew that I might be sluggish since I hadn't run since last Wednesday...yikes.

The first mile I felt pretty good, I was moving at a solid pace and reached the top of the bridge pretty quickly. I started to notice that my left shin was kind of bothering me, but at first just chalked this up to a few days off running and my muscles easing back into it.

But as I started descending down the bridge, it started to throb, and I stopped a few times to stretch thinking this would help, but it didn't. Finally at about the 2 mile mark, I decided to turn around hoping that I could get back without making it worse.

So....I ended up walking quite a bit of the 3rd mile, and not only was my left shin killing, but my right arch was also bothering me (as it has since I got my new shoes). I am about to ice my shins before bed and stretch really well, hopefully that will help. I really don't want this to set me back!

I am also going to either ditch my new shoes and go back to my trusty Asics, or attempt to return them...not sure if that will work.

In Other News....
I was very inspired by Bobbi's recent post, Healthy Eating on the Cheap to start planning our weekly meals out on Sunday and then grocery shopping according to (ONLY) what you need to make these meals (+ snacks, etc).

So I did that today, and here is our line-up for this week's dinners:

Monday: Shrimp Stir-Fry with Brown Rice
Tuesday: Quinoa and Turkey Stuffed Acorn Squash
Wednesday: Salad night: KB to have marinated and grilled portobello mushrooms on hers, BF to have marinated and grilled chicken on his.
Thursday: Tilapia Puttanesca with Whole Wheat Angel Hair
Friday: Either more shrimp stir fry, or a risotto dish with sauteed shrimp

(**We have over 3 pounds of shrimp that we brought back from the wedding, we usually never buy shrimp)

We also used her tip to take along a calculator to add up our items as we added them to the cart. I thought the BF would think this was unecessary, but he really got into adding everything up and deciding what we really needed to throw in the buggy.

<--Sorry couldn't resist this one :) See the blushing bride in the background? So beautiful!

Some of the ingredients for our meals we already have on hand and didn't have to buy, like the pasta, Tilapia and all ingredients for that dish, shrimp, 2 bags of stir fry veggies, brown rice and risotto. We had to also buy some other things for snacks, breakfasts and lunch.

My breakfasts are usually either oatmeal or cereal, so I decided to go with oatmeal this week and bought some Quick Cooking Oats, as well as bananas that I can add in with cinnamon and Splenda. His breakfast is currenly nothing, but I am trying to move him in the direction of eating breakfast vs. not eating late night. He has a bag of Wal Mart brand Cheerio's he will eat for that.

My snacks are apples, hummus and celery, light popcorn and string cheese (which he also will eat). His snacks are Publix brand Oats and Honey granola bars and 100 Calorie Packs of Cheetos. He also sometimes eats apples and light yogurt (which we have some of those left from last week as well).

My lunches are kind of all over the place. I sometimes eat leftovers, bring a salad or some soup, or grab a salad from somewhere. I bought salad stuff for me this week, one Lean Cuisine (Butternut Squash Ravioli) and will probably end up making a natural PB and banana sandwich a few days. I was going to make a big pot of Lentil Soup like Bobbi suggested, but Publix only had this 15 bean soup that I have made before and it was nasty...so maybe next time once I have a recipe. His lunches will be PB and jelly sandwiches, turkey sandwiches, leftovers, or salads (he actually eats a lot of big salads).

So, we managed to get enough groceries for one week (hopefully) for a grand total of:

$68.54!!!

I couldn't believe that is all we spent. I think what helped, was planning by using things we already had. I know that sounds counterintuitive, but we usually just go buy a bunch of things regardless of (or without looking at) what we have at home. Which most of the time, ends up in wasted food, and nobody likes to waste food. :)

So hopefully, by this weekend we will still have food left and can say that we planned sufficiently. It was pretty fun to plan out all the dinners I will cook! This will also force me to actually cook them instead of being lazy after a hard run.

I'm going to try to run again after work tomorrow, for as long as I can, in hopes that I will feel back to my normal self. Fingers crossed!

And for your viewing pleasure, more pics from the wedding :)

<---The bridesmaids, pre-wedding

Me and the boy :)