Good morning and happy Thursday! I can’t believe it’s September already. Of course, just as I was singing Fall’s praises, we get slammed with a heat wave!

Yesterday I had another, glorious day off. I slept in, then hit the gym with Ari for 30 minutes on the bike. When we got home, I [...]]]>

Good morning and happy Thursday! I can’t believe it’s September already. Of course, just as I was singing Fall’s praises, we get slammed with a heat wave!

Yesterday I had another, glorious day off. I slept in, then hit the gym with Ari for 30 minutes on the bike. When we got home, I made breakfast while Ari was in the shower, and used up the last of the canned pumpkin for myself. I’m a little selfish sometimes. :-X I needed my pumpkin cake fix! (For instructions on how to make one yourself, click here.)

I spent the rest of the morning doing laundry and computer work, and broke to eat the last Chocolate Pumpkin Protein Bar.

We have some house guests staying with us, and they were kind enough to bring fresh produce from their garden and local orchard.

For fun, just look at the difference between small farm-grown tomatoes and conventional tomatoes. Can you tell which is which?

No comparison! The farm-grown tomatoes are ruby-red and flavorful, while the conventional tomatoes literally pale next to them.

They also brought us fresh peaches! Every time I walk past the box I get a whiff of the most perfect perfume.

For lunch, I made a big, bright salad.

• mixed greens
• 1 head of broccoli, steamed
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1 heirloom tomato
• 1 Boca Spicy Chik’n burger <—- guilty pleasure… I love these guys!
• lemon juice

Pretty much the entire rest of the day was spent cooking. I made four things! I’ll tell you about them in the upcoming posts, but here’s a preview:

I will share one with you, and it’s a good one! Ari and I have been going through these babies so fast… the Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars only lasted a few days. I almost feel guilty calling these “protein bars” because they taste just like oatmeal cookies! And they will make your kitchen smell just like heaven.

Sunflower Cranberry Protein Bars

Makes 8 bars

• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup protein powder
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 cup almond butter (I used honey flavored)
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• flax egg (1 T ground flax + 3 T water, combined and set aside 5 minutes)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 T sunflower seeds
• 3 T dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 12 x 9-inch baking dish. Combine first six ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In a smaller bowl, combine almond butter and agave until smooth. Mix in flax egg and sugar. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well. Stir in sunflower seeds and dried cranberries. Press batter evenly into baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool, then cut into 8 bars and serve.

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Like most of Mama Pea’s recipes, I’d been looking forward to making her Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna ever since she posted it. There was a little confusion when we divided up the grocery list and instead of shredded cheese, we ended up with vegan mozzarella singles. No matter!

I find cutting even slices to be a bit of a challenge, but it wasn’t anything to cry about.

I spread out the cheese as best I could…

… and 30 minutes later, the zebra stripes remained. So much for the “melt”-ability the package boasts, but no matter! I actually really liked the taste of the “mozzarella,” and found it tasted quite a bit like the real thing.  

Unlike Mama’s, however, our lasagna didn’t hold at all! It turned into one big (tasty) mush. We both loved the flavor, though, and went back for seconds!

For dessert, I made myself a tasting plate with a peach, roasted almonds, and square of 85% dark chocolate. The darker, the better!

A week from today, I’ll be in France! I’m getting excited. My goal is to have most of the packing done before the morning of the flight, but I always end up stuffing things into my suitcase in a hurry just minutes before we leave for the airport.

Do you have any packing and travel tips? When you don’t have access to exercise equipment, what kinds of workouts do you do?

Hey guys! As previously mentioned, next week I’ll be going to France to spend a week in Provence with my family. While there, I’d love to have some great guest posts for you! I know it’s a bit last minute, but if anyone is interested in submitting a guest post, please send me [...]]]>

Hey guys! As previously mentioned, next week I’ll be going to France to spend a week in Provence with my family. While there, I’d love to have some great guest posts for you! I know it’s a bit last minute, but if anyone is interested in submitting a guest post, please send me an e-mail -lilveggiepatch(at)gmail(dot)com with your post idea. The content can be whatever you like: a recipe, day-in-the-life, a restaurant you love, a fun trip you took, things to do in your neighborhood, a good fitness routine… anything you want! I just need the posts by Tuesday September 7. I always love to read guest posts myself, and it’s a great way for posters to gain a variety of new readers!

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Yesterday I was off work so I enjoyed a nice, leisurely breakfast. I made myself a Sarah-inspired pumpkin cake…

Have you made your own pumpkin cake yet? If not, you really must. All you do is mix 3 T of egg whites and 1/2 cup pumpkin purée, a shake of nutmeg and a couple shakes of cinnamon, your sweetener of choice (I’ve been using stevia), and microwave it for 3 minutes. When you’re done, add toppings! I like the Greek yogurt/peanut butter combination. The texture is amazing, and just like a cake! It’s shocking that there’s no flour in there.

When I have the day off, the first half of it is inevitably spent catching up on things like e-mail, blog reading, laundry folding, and all that fun stuff. Before I even noticed, it was noon and I was hungry! I grabbed a Chocolate Pumpkin Protein Bar and kept chugging along.

Also as usual, I started getting really stir-crazy and needed to get out of the house. Even if I’m just going across the street to the nearest coffee shop, it really helps my mental well-being to get a change of scenery. There’s something about coffee shops in particular that have such a calming effect on me. Even when I was in college and went to get coffee and study, I was so much more relaxed when surrounded by other people huddled over their books , with a latte in one hand and a highlighter in the other. So what if I smelled like burned espresso for the rest of the day?

After sipping on my tea for an hour or so, it was 3 PM and I was antsy again. I hadn’t eaten lunch, but I hadn’t worked out yet. I had dinner plans at 7:30, so the longer I put off eating, the closer my lunch would be to dinner. But I couldn’t exercise right after eating either, so I was faced with the recurring problem of having repeatedly put off my workout since I woke up. Ideally I’ll get it out of the way in the morning and not have it hanging over my head all day, but that doesn’t always happen.

Anyway, Ari could tell I was getting into a mood and suggested going to the gym to work up some good ole endorphines. So we did. About five minutes after I got on the bike, I was starving. Luckily I had a TLC bar in my gym bag so I ate it didn’t even stop cycling. I got some weird looks, but it solved the problem!

After 30 minutes on the bike, I moseyed over to the weight room for 30 minutes of upper body strength training. Because I don’t like being in the main area with all of the grunting men- I like to do my thing in private- I don’t have access to all of the benches. So, I just make my own out of a Step and 7 Step Risers on each side! It works perfectly for exercises like Bent Over Row and Dumbbell Pullover.

When I got back from the gym it was almost 5, so instead of making a proper lunch I made a kale smoothie.

This bad boy had 1 banana, 1 c. almond milk, 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, 2/3 box frozen (defrosted) kale, and a handful of ice. Hit the spot!

After cleaning up and doing a light grocery shop, I met my parents for dinner at PicNic Market, an Alsatian restaurant we’ve been to several times before. I wasn’t planning on drinking, but to get me in the mood for my trip to France, a glass of Muscadet, a French wine from the Loire valley, seemed like just the thing.

For dinner, I ordered the special: Cold Poached Salmon over arugula and mixed vegetables. The fish was perfectly cooked- medium, just the way I like it- and the vegetables were fresh and delicious. I loved the bites of pickled tomato!

The dish originally came with potato salad, but I requested a side of couscous instead. I don’t know why I don’t make couscous more often, because I Love it!

When I got home, I made myself a late night pumpkin cheesecake bowl:

• 1/2 cup Friendship’s 1% Whipped Cottage Cheese (I know Caroline is a fan of this!)
• 1/3 cup pumpkin purée
• 1 T Blue Diamond Almond Butter with honey
• cinnamon/nutmeg/Stevia

I used my new jar of Blue Diamond Almond Butter with honey, which I picked up because I had a coupon to save $1.

Unfortunately, because I was in such a rush at the grocery store, I didn’t notice the third ingredient: corn maltodextrin.

Corn maltodextrin is a food additive that is easily digestible and used to sweeten foods and make them taste “better.” Because I’ve been buying “natural” nut butters for so long, I’ve sort of forgotten that not all of them are made with just two basic ingredients: nuts and salt. Not true, America. There is absolutely no reason that corn needs to be mixed into my almond butter. Is it the end of the world? No. Will I still eat it? Maybe, although I know I’ll feel a little irritated with myself about it for not noticing before.

If you notice you have a product with a “bad” ingredient, like high fructose corn syrup? I often get a little “preachy” when I see Ari reaching for the Reduced Fat Skippy instead of the Maranatha peanut butter, but honestly, a serving won’t kill him. I want the people around me (and myself) to make informed decisions about food and where it comes from, but I don’t want him- or anyone else- to be afraid of eating food because I said it was bad. Still, I can’t help feeling a little weird about consuming 11 servings of the stuff.

It’s here. The Great Pumpkin. And we aren’t wasting any time.

Since my dad brought me this can last week, I’ve made pumpkin oats….

1/3 cup oats with 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder, pumpkin, cinnamon, stevia, 1 T Nuttzo nut butter

Foodie Diaries-inspired pumpkin cake…

1/2 cup pumpkin + 3 T egg whites + 2 shakes [...]]]>

It’s here. The Great Pumpkin. And we aren’t wasting any time.

Since my dad brought me this can last week, I’ve made pumpkin oats….

1/3 cup oats with 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder, pumpkin, cinnamon, stevia, 1 T Nuttzo nut butter

Foodie Diaries-inspired pumpkin cake…

1/2 cup pumpkin + 3 T egg whites + 2 shakes of nutmeg + 2 shakes of cinnamon + stevia, microwaved for 3 minutes and topped with Greek yogurt and White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter

And, of course, Chocolate Pumpkin Protein Bars, which I’ve been going through quite quickly.

I’m sure a batch of Vegan Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Squares will be made soon, too! And perhaps a fall smoothie as well?

What are your favorite ways to use pumpkin?

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I worked all weekend, but it actually flew right by. After today, my sixth day of work in a row, I have two days off and I can’t wait to just relax and take it easy. It wasn’t all work and no play, though, don’t worry

On Saturday I met my friend Caitlin for lunch at Nanoosh, a Middle Eastern/ Mediterranean chain restaurant that I’ve always wanted to try. I’ve been particularly curious about Nanoosh because it replaced my favorite NYC sandwich shop, It’s A Wrap, many years ago (way before food blogging emerged) and it still makes me a little sad.

After much debate, I ordered the Mediterranean Tuna Salad: organic romaine, tuna, organic egg, tomato, cucumber, red onions, pepper, pickles, olives, and a touch of mayo or mustard. I asked to substitute hummus for egg and nix the mayo, but it was already all mixed in. My server was nice enough to bring out a dish of hummus for me, though!

Unfortunately I was completely underwhelmed by the meal. I didn’t expect everything, including the lettuce, to be mixed together! I should have asked the server to clarify, but all the same I only ended up eating about half of it because it was way too creamy. The hummus also failed to impress me… too much tahini and not enough chickpea flavor!

The mini whole wheat pita, however, was pretty tasty, and Caitlin’s Chicken Pepper Salad looked good, and she seemed to enjoy it.

After lunch, we strolled through Union Square Farmers Market to look at the gorgeous produce and see what samples were out (Honeycrisp apples are so good right now!). While there, we stumbled upon the world’s smallest peppers! Aren’t they cute?!

On Sunday, even though I had to work a double shift at the restaurant, Ari and I got up early to eat breakfast together at the diner. I ordered my usual egg white omelet with spinach, tomato, mushrooms and feta…

… with a healthy portion of jam-and-buttery 7-grain bread.

I ended up having a pretty substantial lunch on my break, but we’d talked of ordering Indian take-out all week and I just couldn’t resist. I had a Masala crab cake, baigan bhartha, garlic naan and basmati rice.

There was no room left for even a sip of water, but there seemed to be enough space to fit an entire tupperware full of kheer, an Indian rice pudding made with coconut milk, shredded coconut, raisins, nuts and cardamom.   

I enjoyed even last bite, and only slightly regretted it while lying in bed, face up, trying not to move for fear of getting sick. But oh, it was worth it.

The most, er, eccentric habit I’ve picked up is, on nights I work until midnight, to order a side of steamed broccoli to go.

It’s got a bit of garlic and more than a little butter, but, when eaten with my fingers in the dead of night on my walk home, it is fanfreakingtastic.

They don’t call me the LVP for nothin’

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Since graduating from college, two things have happened:

1) I’m on the go a lot

2) While [...]]]> Thank you all for your great responses to my running journey! I’ve enjoyed reading your stories as well I always get a little nervous when I write a personal post, but I’m always overwhelmed by your support.

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Since graduating from college, two things have happened:

1) I’m on the go a lot

2) While I’m not starving, I don’t want to go broke spending all my money on food. My paycheck is meager, so I’ve had to adapt, as I’m sure many of you have had to as well. Instead of buying fancy snacks at Whole Foods and local health food stores, I make my own, whether it’s a fruit-and-fake deli-meat-roll-up or trail mix.

Most filling, cost effective, and portable, however, are protein bars. When bought at the store they can cost anywhere from $1-4, and frankly I just can’t afford that. So once a week or so, I’ll make a big batch of bars, with whole ingredients I’ve already got on hand, and I save quite a bit of money.

Inspired by Mama Pea, I’ve gotten creative with my energy bars. I’ve made apricot/pistachio/hazelnut, carob/peanut butter, and now, chocolate/ pumpkin, made with prunes and pumpkin seeds. When cooked, prunes have an almost chocolatey taste (not to mention a great nutritional profile!) and wonderfully complement chewy pumpkin seeds.

Chocolate Pumpkin Protein Bars (Vegan)

Makes 8 bars

• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup protein powder
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate peanut butter OR 1/2 cup peanut butter + 1 T cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 Tablespoons pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• 3 Tablespoons prunes, chopped

Preheat oven to 350˚ and coat a 9″ x 12″ pan (or whatever you’ve got) with cooking spray. Combine first five ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

In a small bowl, mix agave, pumpkin, and sugar.

Stir in peanut butter and mix well.*

Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until well combined.

Stir in chopped prunes and pumpkin seeds.

Evenly press batter into pan. This will require a bit of work; as the batter is on the dry side, you’ll have to redistribute it so the bars will cook evenly.

Bake for 15 minutes and NO LONGER. Trust me, they’re done! Allow to cool, then cut into 8 bars. Enjoy!

I like to keep these in the fridge… They keep longer, and they taste really good when cold!

Background music: Pandora’s Rilo Kiley station.
Dancing: optional.

*Here’s a helpful hint for measuring peanut butter using water displacement. Measure out an amount of water in a measuring cup; I started with 1/2 cup.
Add peanut butter until the water level rises to 1 cup, so you know you’ve measured the required 1/2 cup. Easy peasy! Just don’t forget to pour out the water

Two years ago today, at the start of my senior year of college, I begin my career as a Healthy Living Blogger over at lilveggiepatch.blogspot.com. I started the blog because, on a whim, I decided to reconcile my dislike of exercise and, rather than go halfway, run a marathon. Despite slowly building up [...]]]>

Two years ago today, at the start of my senior year of college, I begin my career as a Healthy Living Blogger over at lilveggiepatch.blogspot.com. I started the blog because, on a whim, I decided to reconcile my dislike of exercise and, rather than go halfway, run a marathon. Despite slowly building up my miles, I developed a femural stress fracture and was on crutches for six weeks and wasn’t able to engage in high-impact activities for three months.

My parents visited for my 21st birthday, and when we went shopping at the Mall of America, I had to be pushed around in a wheelchair. Not so fun.

Determined not to let running get me down, I started running again, and last year, around this time, I ran my first race, a 5k, with my friend Ilana.

And thus began my love affair with running. While I didn’t necessarily enjoy training, I loved racing. I wasn’t the fastest or the most in shape, but I had fun.

Bed-Stuy 10k

Although I was gradually building up to bigger races, I first started to experience sharp, stabbing pain in my knee the day after the 10k. I went to see a physical therapist and a surgeon, who misdiagnosed me in more ways than one, but it led me to another physical therapist who, although he didn’t specifically put a name to what I was feeling, gave me some strengthening exercises to build up my quads and core. What all of the doctors and therapists could agree on was that I was logging more miles than I could support because I just wasn’t strong enough. With this physical therapist’s help, I trained and completed a 15k.

But it was the first time, during a race or merely on a training run, that I was in agony. As the look on my face illustrates, I didn’t understand! I’d prepared for the race properly in terms of logging miles and cross-training, so why was my knee screaming at me to stop?

Pete McArdle Cross Country 15k

I got into a pattern of pushing through long runs despite the pain on the weekends, icing my legs and taking shorter runs throughout the week, and doing it all again come Sunday. During this time I also had my first “real” job experience (I’d waited tables and had had many internships, but had never before had my own desk, office, someone to report to, and a paycheck). Like most first jobs, it didn’t go exactly as planned and I would get home from work only to have to stay up late and get up early to work more. I was training for my first half marathon at the same time, so I would wake up early to pound it out on the treadmill before work, and, though exercise usually gives a person energy, I was thoroughly exhausted. Ari was out of the country for most of this time, and because of all of the extra work and training, I hardly had time to socialize. I was miserable.

It was only three days before the half marathon that my friend Megan put a name to what I was feeling in my knee— iliotibial band syndrome, or ITBS. The knee pain was only a symptom of the real problem: the length of tissue from my hip to my knee was completely inflamed, and because I wasn’t stretching properly, rolling the leg with a foam roller, or strengthening my quads adequately, the problem was worsening. Still, I ran the race, and was in pain for most of the 13.1 miles. Still, I did it, and I kept telling myself that that was the most important thing.

NYC Half Marathon

I had to ice on the subway ride home… I still grimace when I remember how much it hurt to go down the station’s stairs.

I still felt like there was more to prove, so I signed up for the Brooklyn Half Marathon. My ITBS took a lot longer to subside this time, and halfway through training, I decided to forget about the race so I stuck to cross-training and virtually stopped running. But two weeks before race day, I made the decision to run it. My longest run was 6 miles and I knew it was going to be really tough, but I hauled myself out of bed at 5:30 and drove to Prospect Park and joined the other runners. At mile 7, I started to feel shooting knee pain. Unfortunately, miles 7-13 are on the highway, so there’s really no easy way to turn off. Luckily, I ran into my friend Ashley who was also struggling, and we helped each other push through to the end.

Brooklyn Half Marathon

Surprisingly the pain was gone the next morning, but that was one of the last times I’ve really run. I’ve taken a couple short jogs with Ari and occasionally do 20 minute HIIT sessions on the treadmill, but I burned out. Running was something that got me through a lot of hard days at work, and racing gave me a sense of accomplishment after completion- although mentally readying myself for a training run was often almost as excruciating as the inevitable pain I would feel afterwards.

I want to want to run again. I’m sure I’ll come back to it one day, but for now I’m happy to keep my gym sessions short and sweet.

Disclaimer: I do NOT suggest running a race without proper training!

To read about last year’s blog anniversary, click here.

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Yesterday I woke up around 9 so I would have time to get to the gym before work. I pounded out 20 HIIT minutes on the treadmill, and although I find even such a short workout to be mentally draining (not to mention boring), Janetha’s recent posts about HIIT workouts have been a real help to me.

Also, the sooner I went to the gym, the sooner I could come home and finish up this jar of Cinnamon Raisin Swirl peanut butter

The contents were a little weird, but quite delicious! I mixed warm barley, almond milk, cottage cheese, protein powder, cinnamon, salt and stevia in the empty jar, and it held me over for quite some time.

I wanted to bring a smoothie to work, so I defrosted a little of this frozen kale. I’ve never seen kale frozen in boxes at the grocery store before, so I had to try it out.

Er… I drank it all before I snapped a picture. Whoops! I got a lot of weird looks as I sipped my brownish green smoothie, but it was really good.

• 1/3 block frozen kale, defrosted
• 1/2 banana
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 packet Starbucks VIA instant coffee
• 1 T chocolate PB2 (or peanut flour)

When I got off work at 5, I went home for lunch and had a bowl of my dad’s homemade potato corn chowder:

And a side of peach-and-fake-bologna rolls-ups. It’s actually a really tasty combination! You must try it. Trust me, I’m a food blogger!

Ari and I decided to go to a 7:00 showing of Inception, which I practically had to drag him to see. Leo was one of my first loves (there were, at one point, 17 posters of him on my wall, circa The Man In The Iron Mask) and the story looked interesting. I don’t know that I understood all of it, but I enjoyed the movie.

In the theater, Ari and I each had a Vegan Energy Bar.

When we got home at 10, I whipped up another quick Cool Taco Salad . Now, I can’t blame eating a late dinner on work… I was off at 5! I guess these formerly strange hours are starting to become my norm.

I had a big bowl of cherries for dessert, and, because we got sucked into three episodes of True Blood (just finished up season 2!) I needed a snack at 1 AM and dug a TLC bar out of my bag.

Well, I’m off to park myself in a coffee shop to read for pleasure. Haven’t had much time to do that lately, and I can’t wait!

Is there an exercise that excites you? When did you discover it? Please share your stories!

As you may have guessed, I’ve grown obsessed with protein oats in the past week or so.

I love the texture (firmer than regular oats) and that it holds me over longer than my typical bowl of oatmeal would. (1/2 scoop of protein powder, 3 T of eggwhites and 1 T of peanut butter [...]]]>

As you may have guessed, I’ve grown obsessed with protein oats in the past week or so.

I love the texture (firmer than regular oats) and that it holds me over longer than my typical bowl of oatmeal would. (1/2 scoop of protein powder, 3 T of eggwhites and 1 T of peanut butter will do that!) Click here to find out how to save time and make this in the microwave.

I brought a diced apple and Babybel cheese to work… I’m so bad. These are bite-sized, but it’s still pretty obvious that I’m eating if you look at me! And since I’m trying not to be obvious about it, it takes me a long time to eat. But all my efforts at stealth went out the window when I overturned the tupperware container and cheese and apple pieces went flying everywhere. They don’t call me the Hostess with the Mostest for nothing!

Dodging raindrops on my lunch break at 3, I went home to make a quick lunch of spiralized zucchini topped with the last of the pan-fried lima beans, cottage cheese, lemon juice and nutritional yeast.

I grabbed a Vegan Energy Bar to munch on during the rest of my shift, and it held me over well. Ari has requested Chocolate Peanut Butter flavored bars for next week, so I’ll whip up a batch of those!

When I got home at 9:30, I was faced with the usual conundrum. I wanted to try out a new recipe, but I was also really hungry and didn’t want to go through all of the time and effort of making an elaborate dinner. Specifically, I’d had my eye on Mama Pea’s Cool Taco Salad, and was hoping it wouldn’t take too long.

I cheated a little, using an Arnold’s Sandwich Thin (thanks, Foodbuzz!) instead of pita, Greek yogurt in place of vegan sour cream, nutritional yeast in place of cheese and added an heirloom tomato, because the beauties my dad brought back from upstate were too juicy to pass up.

Normally, I steer clear of imitation beef; I opt for veggie burgers with vegetables instead of soy cow because I just don’t like the taste. But I really liked these crumbles! The salad was also a hit: a nice mix of taste and textures, just how I like ‘em.

For dessert, I had a big bowl of cherries (and went back for more… so good!) and the last Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough “Laraball.” These ‘balls are such a handy snack… I’ll have to make more next week! Stay tuned for new flavors…

What foods can’t you get enough of this week?

For the last few days here in New York, the skies have been gray, the air damp and windy. The seasons are changing, and it even smells like Fall! I’m ready for it. I’m ready for the autumn jackets and scarves, the root vegetables and apple cider, the pumpkin picking, the cozy nights [...]]]>

For the last few days here in New York, the skies have been gray, the air damp and windy. The seasons are changing, and it even smells like Fall! I’m ready for it. I’m ready for the autumn jackets and scarves, the root vegetables and apple cider, the pumpkin picking, the cozy nights curled up with a blanket. Also, within the next month and a half, I have my trip to France (September to look forward to, my 23rd birthday (October 3), and the arrival of some news (sometime in September). It’s exciting!

Yesterday Ari and I slept in- I had two days off in a row- then hit the gym for a 20 minute HIIT treadmill workout. Short and sweet! When we got back, we were both craving eggs. I made myself an egg white puff with salsa and cottage cheese and a side of cantaloupe.

It took me two tries to get the eggs right… for the record, always add the cottage cheese after the eggs are cooke, if you’re making them in the microwave! Another good thing about egg whites from the carton? They don’t put you at risk for the recent salmonella outbreak.

Lunch was simple but tasty: spiralized zucchini topped with leftover beans and kale with nutritional yeast and lemon juice.

My body’s temperature runs pretty low to begin with (usually in the 96-97 range) and with the air conditioner inside and the chilly weather outside, I was freezing. So, despite my no-coffee-after-three rule, I brewed another pot and climbed into bed with a hot mug, sweater, blanket and a book. So cozy!

I had some errands to run in the late afternoon, so I grabbed a Vegan Energy Bar on my way out the door.

My mom and I met at Barnes and Noble, where I spotted Caitlin’s Operation Beautiful! I went to pick it up last week, but the Union Square B&N has just had a terrible fire. It was amazing to see her beautiful book in stores and to see how far the movement has come from Day 1. (I’ve blogged about two of the notes I’ve posted here and here.)

Once we got our shopping out of the way, my mom and I headed to our favorite Japanese restaurant to meet my dad for dinner.

I had a bowl of miso soup…

A sashimi appetizer…

… and a salmon avocado hand roll. Hand rolls are so fun to eat! I usually just order regular maki (the more popular, cut-up, bite-size pieces of roll), but I was in the mood for something different. And isn’t the “bouquet” pretty?

After dinner, my dad drove me to The Lite Choice. I wasn’t planning on going, but I think the store acts as a homing device and sends me signals whenever I’m near. Plus, it was double punch day, so my next cup of almond butter soft-serve is free

Off to the gym and then work. Have a great day!

What do you love about Fall?

I don’t like to spend time on my hair. Last year, I chopped all of my hair off so I wouldn’t have to deal with it. Since the summer started, all I’ve been doing is spritzing on some Surf Spray, scrunching it up and letting it air-dry. By the end of the day, [...]]]>

I don’t like to spend time on my hair. Last year, I chopped all of my hair off so I wouldn’t have to deal with it. Since the summer started, all I’ve been doing is spritzing on some Surf Spray, scrunching it up and letting it air-dry. By the end of the day, though, it usually ends up lank and lifeless and all I want to do is throw it back into a samurai bun. Not so hot.

A few weeks ago, I stumbled on this Daily Candy video for creating an easy updo that will stay put. From the front, it looks a little Princess Leia-y…

… but it’s so unfussy, and I don’t have to deal with it for the rest of the day.

Daily Candy has a lot of other tutorials that are simple and really helpful but you probably wouldn’t have thought of yourself. Check it out!

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Despite having the day off work, I was up early yesterday to get some things done for the week while I had the time. I made myself a now-typical bowl of protein oats:

• 1/3 cup oats
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 T egg whites
• 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
• cinnamon
• stevia
• salt
• 1 T Cinnamon Raisin Swirl peanut butter

Is it bad that I can’t really remember what I did yesterday? I know there was a workout (11 minutes on the bike, 30 minutes of lower body/abs), a tea date with my friend Hannah, cooking, and a really bad movie screening, but other than that… my mind’s a blank. Not good!

What is good is that I think I’m starting to see some results from the strength training sessions I’ve added to my exercise regimen. I’m strength training 3x a week, alternating upper and lower body work, and while nothing dramatic has happened, I’m feeling more confident and think tI’m gaining a slight bit of definition. So far so good!

Before I went to the gym, I snacked on a Granny Smith apple and a Babybel cheese.

For lunch, I had a bed of spinach topped with the leftover Seared Asian Tofu Stir-Fry from Josie’s, which I added some rice wine vinegar and a blob of hummus to.

My energy bar supply is running low, so I whipped up Mama Pea’s Vegan Energy Bars. Like many of her recipes, I’ve made these more times than I can remember. When is your book coming out, Mama?! I can scarcely wait!

Anyway, as usual, I made some substitutions:

• apricots + pistachios in place of the raisins + chocolate chips (an idea I borrowed from my mom’s friend Leslie)
• 1/4 c. protein powder + 1/4 c. whole wheat flour in place of 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour

Warm out of the oven, they were mighty fine! I’ve never been a huge pistachio fan, but I love these.

I got a head start on dinner by doing part of the cooking during the day; in the morning while I was eating breakfast, I had a pot of lima beans and a pot of barley simmering on the stove. When dinner time rolled around, it was all assembled in less than 20 minutes. This is the second time I’ve made Pan-Fried Corona Beans & Kale… instead of coronas I used limas, and instead of parmesan I used nutritional yeast. Still as good as I remember! The lemon zest and juice really amps up all of the flavors.

On the side, we had barley. Have you had barley lately? It’s such a nutritious and tasty grain that’s packed with fiber and protein and loaded with vitamins like selenium, B6, iron, zinc, and potassium.

There was a scant tablespoon of hazelnut butter left in the jar, so I dumped in some Greek yogurt, stevia, and cinnamon and called it dessert.

The rest of my household will be pleased I’ve finished a jar… my nut butter, er, enthusiasm has taken over the entire pantry and caused us to build shelves on the inside of the pantry door. Not to mention the jars that live in the fridge.

I’m on a bean kick. Please share your favorite bean-y recipes below!