Breakfast (inhaled in under five minutes) was a bowl of pumpkinyogurtPB&J oatmeal… there are oats under there, I promise.

• 1/2 cup oats cooked in 1/2 cup water
• 0% Fage Greek yogurt
• pumpkin
• Maranatha no-stir creamy peanut butter
• raspberry jam
• cinnamon

Luckily I’d gotten my lunch and snacks ready the night before:

• apple
• orange
• baby carrots (two days’ worth)
• big salad with spinach, small Gala apple, celery, grape tomatoes, tempeh bacon, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, tamari peanut dressing

I had lunch with three lovely ladies (including a surprise visit from my friend Ilena!)… we spent our meal dishing over our favorite 101 Cookbooks recipes and how great life will be when we can collect social security and reap the benefits of life among the elderly.

Danielle was nice enough to share some of her Ritter Sport milk chocolate w/ Cornflakes… it had a nice snapcracklepop! feel to it.

When I got home, I was greeted with a HUGE package from Miss Blue Eyed Heart: the prize from her blogiversary giveaway.

I couldn’t believe all of the great things in the box: cozy socks, a journal, a candle, crossword puzzles, White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter (!) nutrition bars, chocolate, pretzels, and more!  Thanks so much, Miss Blue.

She sent a gorgeous pair of earrings that would have gone perfectly with my outfit today… I  haven’t quite acquired her ear photography skills, but I’m working on it

I was pretty hungry, so I dug into a bag of steamed broccoli while I played with Charley…

… and some crudités and cheese…

… and raw carrots with sea salt when my mom got home.  I certainly can’t be criticized for not eating enough veggies!  (My tum is feeling that fiber, though…)

My mom picked up a great dinner at Citarella: Crab cakes (these have been my favorite for years), pasta salad and green beans.

My dad picked up two equally delicious desserts at Silver Moon Bakery, which we split three ways: a pear tart and chocolate-hazelnut bombe.  Mmm.

Now I’m off to go do some work in the tub.  Warm water + candles makes it so much more bearable!  A bath will also be good for my knee; it’s better than yesterday, usually the worst after I’ve been sitting for a while.  I see some yoga in my future this weekend, which will be perfect because the weather is supposed to be quite shoddy.

Have a great night!

Not too much has happened these past two days, but I did receive a lovely package in the mail from the lovely Amie!  These mini Larabars are the perfect snack-size…

… and made a great addition to my breakfast this morning, which I had to eat at my desk due to an 8 AM dentist appointment.

I mixed 1/2 cup oats with 1/2 cup water in the microwave, then added a sliced banana, 1/2 packet of Justin’s PB, and a Coconut Cream Pie mini Larabar.

This was one of the best combinations I’ve had in a long time!  It’s funny, because in the past I don’t remember liking this flavor of Larabar too much.  I might have to buy a big one just to crumble into my breakfast!

Amie also sent me a bunch of tea, which is going to come in really handy at work.  It may be getting warm outside, but my office is freezing!

After work I met Ada for dinner at Peacefood Cafe; we’ve been trying to make plans for over a month now, and it was so nice to finally get together again!  I ordered the pumpkin sandwich mashed and seasoned with a little sea salt, ground black pepper and extra virgin olive oil, topped with caramelized onions, ground walnuts, vegan goat cheese and seasonal greens (which I’ve ordered before and could probably eat every week without getting bored of it).  We were talking so much that it probably took about 45 minutes to eat!

We split two desserts.  The choices were endless and incredibly difficult to settle on, but we both enjoyed our selections.

The coconut cake (or “Funny Bone”) was moist and light…

… and the magic cookie tasted like a magic bar (/ 7-layer bar/ hello dolly) but was also made with shredded carrots.  Mmm!

Regular posting will continue tomorrow.  I had high hopes of staying up late to work, but I can barely keep my head up!  All I want to do is sleep… have a great night.

Yesterday I woke up nice and early to have breakfast with Beth and Ilana, and Pickles.

We had a nice little spread!  (The Yellow Tail stayed in its bag, don’t worry.)

I was gearing up for a 12 mile run, so I had a big bowl of Raisin Bran Crunch with a banana and  1/2 slice of Blueberry bread with peanut butter.

After breakfast, I waited about an hour to head out.  As I Tweeted, I was pretty nervous about it.  Luckily I had a great support system to cheer me on!

Unfortunately, 12 miles just wasn’t in the cards. As soon as I started running my calves felt tight, my left shin was sore and my legs just felt heavy.  Discomfort aside, my head was not in the right place.  I was in a pretty bad mood, and while sometimes running outdoors helps me focus on something else and clear my head, this wasn’t the case today.  After about a mile of trying to psych myself up and get into my groove, I knew it wasn’t going to work. Rather than torture myself, I turned right around and walked home.  My mind was racing, worried about the half-marathon that is in two weeks: I couldn’t even run 9 miles last week due to pain, so how am I going to run 13.1?!  This was supposed to be my last long run before starting to taper, and I couldn’t even do it.

That got me thinking.  This is supposed to be fun.  The only person I’m running for is me (…right?) and it hasn’t been enjoyable for the last few weeks, with a few exceptions.  Instead, it’s become a stressful chunk of time that I usually feel guilty about not using for work and the passion that originally incited me to start this series of races has died. Moreover, since I choose to broadcast a lot of my life through various mediums on the internet, I felt embarrassed about not being able to complete this goal. Yesterday I felt like a failure, and it was a horrible, horrible feeling.

There are a few things I have been lucky enough to feel truly passionate about (reading, cooking, running) but recently they’ve felt more stressful than fun, and I’ve found myself procrastinating doing the things that I used to love.  What’s with that?  “Failures” are usually learning experiences, and I would love to learn a little more about myself while I evaluate:

1) Why it’s important for me to run long distances, and

2) Why my brain and head seem to be rebelling against it.

What is clear to me is that something needs to change.  I’m not sure what it is; maybe I need to start my own happiness project and come up with new goals, or maybe I need to find something that doesn’t have a concrete “pass” or “fail” award.   The one thing I do know is that I’m incredibly hard on myself, and the first thing I probably need to get better at is accepting who I am without thinking about things in terms of success and limitations.

While I was stewing this over in my mind, I made a big salad for lunch.

In the mix:

• last of the Chopped Coconut Miso Salad
• sauerkraut
• dulse
• spinach
• grape tomatoes
• goji berries
• pumpkin seeds
• sesame oil/rice wine vinegar drizzle

I also had two slices of Gluten Free Bran Bread… even veggie patches need comfort food.

One of my friends tried it out, and before I told her what it was made of she remarked on the moistness, comparing it to a chocolate-chip cookie fresh out of the oven.  The rye bread was also super moist, so I think it has to do with the almond meal/flax base.  I love it!

I fell asleep while doing some work in bed (never a good idea!) and when I woke up, snacked on an apple with maca and cinnamon. I wish I could bring this combination to work without making a mess!

Dinner was a bit of an experiment.  I knew I wanted to keep my theme of comfort food, and what’s more comforting than macaroni and cheese?  I wanted it to be really cheesy, and although I usually add all kinds of things to the noodles (nutritional yeast, laughing cow wedge, parmesan) they don’t usually increase the cheese factor.  This time I mashed about 1/5 of a block of firm tofu, and it worked! I didn’t add any extra cheese (or cheeze) and it perfectly creamy.

I enjoyed it with a side of steamed broccoli, broc water, and a sprinkle of Emeril’s Original Essence.

Followed closely by a dessert plate, starring dried fruit, Maranatha almond butter, and one of Gina‘s Superoons.  Speaking of Gina, a huge congratulations to her for finishing the Disney Princess Half-Marathon!!!

Well, off to go get ready for work.  Have a wonderful day

Have any of your former passions turned into stressful chores? Do you evaluate yourself in terms of successes and failures?

Yesterday I could not, for the life of me, figure out what I wanted to eat for breakfast.  I finally settled on a little bit of everything, by way of a yogurt mess.

• 0% Fage Greek yogurt
• 1 banana
• 1/4 cup Bread Alone granola (my friend Miriam gifted this so long ago and I was happy to discover there was still a little left!)
• 1 scoop super chunky peanut butter
• raspberry jam

I took myself to the coffee shop for a small skim latte. I sat in the window for about half an hour before heading home– the sun was shining so brightly through the window that I could hardly erad the words off the page!

Around 3, I met Ilana and Beth for a slice.  It’s been so long since I’ve gone to a pizza parlor! I got a slice with basil and mozzarella.

When I got back home, I had a Granny Smith apple with cinnamon and maca.

In between chapters, I decided to get my hands a little dirty in the kitchen.  Ever since high school I’ve always gotten the baking bug when there’s work to be done.  Funny how that happens! After checking the pantry and fridge for ingredients, I settled on Elana’s Gluten Free Bran Muffins.   Since I don’t have a muffin tin (I won’t go as far as to say that I can’t afford one, but some things- like groceries- take priority…) I baked it in a loaf pan instead.

I used the Egg-land’s Best cage-free, vegetarian-fed large brown eggs that I received a coupon for from Foodbuzz a few months ago.

The eggs come in a special 3-layer plastic case to keep them from being crushed in transit.  I love this idea!  However, I do wish they’d find a way to make something similar out of paper or cardboard to reduce the amount of plastic they produce.

I made a couple substitutions, subbing pumpkin seeds for sunflower and dried cranberries for raisins.

Ta da!

23 minutes later, we had a beautiful loaf of bread.

I was about to go have dinner, but who can resist a loaf of bread hot out of the oven?

I loved the different textures of the sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries.  I can’t wait to have a full serving of this!

A little while ago, I received a question about the best affordable restaurants in New York. Well, I’m happy to say that last night my little red-headed friend and I discovered a new one!  While searching online for a little Italian comfort food, I stumbled upon Paprika, whose prix fixe looked pretty incredible.  Between 5 and 7, you have your choice of two courses for only $15!  The portions were far from meager, and the atmosphere was so cozy and romantic.  I couldn’t believe our luck!

We started with warm bread, olives and olive oil.

For my appetizer, I ordered an arugula salad with apples, walnuts and goat cheese.  It was huge!  Of course, being LVP, I gobbled up every scrap of salad, nut and apple, leaving only one of the two goat cheese rounds.

For my entrée, I had roasted arctic char with sautéed spinach (I believe it was cooked in orange juice) and thyme.  Delicious! I left about 1/3.

I’m going to keep this as a running list, but other affordable restaurants I love in New York are:

Chains

Hummus Place (Read about my visit)

Maoz Vegetarian (Read about my visit)

Le Pain Quotidien (My mom and I go here a lot, there is something for everyone)

Other

Paprika- Italain, great prix fixe with vegetarian and pescatarian options.

The Flea Market Cafe- French, great prix fixe options.  (Read about my visit)

Sura – Thai, great lunch specials.  They have an amazing appetizer trio for $12. (Read about my visits)

Alice’s Tea Cup- One of my favorite cafes.  You should check it out if only for the Alice In Wonderland decor! They have a great soup + 1/2 salad(/sandwich) for $12.  (I’ve gone here so many times, but I almost always get the same thing.)

Peacefood Cafe- Relatively new, this has great raw, vegan and vegetarian options.  Their pumpkin sandwich is delicious, and the desserts are to die for! (Read about my visits)

Bonobos- Raw food can be pretty expensive, but not here. For $8.95 you can get nori wraps, nut meat salads, veggie burgers, etc.  Their coconut chai is unbelievable, as are their sesame balls.  (Read about my visits)

Tips for Eating Out in NYC

• Many places, particularly Thai & Japanese, have amazing lunch specials that are under $10.
• Finding BYOB places (or having a little wine before or after your meal) is another way to slash your subtotal.
• Keep track of when Restaurant Week is going on!  Many restaurants, including Gotham Bar & Grill, keep their restaurant week lunch all year long.
• Many restaurants have prix fixe, 2-3 course meals. They’re often set with a certain time frame (usually before 7) so double check before you go.
• If you love sushi (as I do), you know it can get expensive.  We’ve recently discovered that by splitting a “sushi for two,” you get more food than both you or a hungry man can eat, and it’s less expensive than ordering individual rolls or pieces.  Bento boxes, which usually include soup, salad, a roll, tempura, and a small portion of an entrée, are also great deals.

After dinner we walked over to 16 Handles for dessert.  I loaded my cup with Euro Tart and Peanut Butter soft serve, strawberries, milk chocolate crunch, peanut butter cup and a chocolate-covered pretzel. Delish!

On our way home we took advantage of the short line at Trader Joe’s so I could pick up some essentials (Masala Burgers, frozen strawberries, Kerrygold butter, Harvest Grains Blend, coffee, red licorice) and Kalle could check out the wine shop.

When I got home Zombieland sucked me in… as did this bag of popcorn.

Call it fuel for the 12 mile run I’m about to attempt.  Honestly, I’ll consider myself lucky if I can make it through 7 miles pain free.  Fingers crossed. Wish me luck!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend

Ada says: Try icing it and definitely see a sports doctor if it doesn’t improve within the next few days since he or she can give you exercises to strengthen it.

Heather says: Pain – I am lucky that I don’t have any long-term injuries, but I think like you said there’s discomfort and pain. I think it’s important not to run through pain and make something worse or do some permanent damage. I ran my second half with hip … discomfort I guess. I ran it because the feeling was not any worse than it was when walking. Probably dumb, but I am okay now.  Follow Ada’s advice and rest it for a few days and then see. Three weeks is plenty of time to get all better & strong.

Anna says: Don’t push it!!! It’s not worth risking permanent damage to your knees (and never running again) just for one race.  Could you see a doctor about it?

Tinabear says: 1.) how is your form? there should be a distinction between running (smooth strides, fully lifting your feet, landing each step and pushing off with the ball of your foot rather than the middle or heel)and the point where you’re trying to get mileage in. Form is a HUGE part of staying injury free, and if you get to the point where you’re shuffling or dragging to try and get through, STOP.

2.) stay steady: this ties in with #1. i know you’re running from a set plan, but from my experience it’s much better to increase gradually, with fairly consistent mileage. it works SO much better to run 3 miles every day, then maybe 4 or 5 for a long day, than running 2 miles avg. and 6 or 7 for a long day. after a few weeks you should be stronger and able to increase to 4 miles on average, with a 6 or 7 long run. You should be able to run SMOOTHLY during the entire run- when you’re form starts to break, you should slow down, and if that doesn’t work, try to make your shorter runs a little faster to build up endurance.

3.) check the soles of your shoes: if there’s excessive wear on the sides, heel, or anywhere other than where the ball of your foot would rest, then you need to A.) go to a running shoe store and see if they have any advice (some shoes are better for different running types, ex. a stability based shoe for those who overpronate)
B.) work to fix your form- it might be something as simple as lengthening your stride.

4.) Find a physical therapist/someone specifically for running rather than a normal doctor: every single time i’ve met with a normal doctor they’ve either given me textbook advice (stuff you could google) or they’ve given be bad advice (one doctor lengthened a simple injury, another suggested that i give up running for longer than a month, when all i needed was some tape)

5.) AVOID TREADMILLS- these kill form, and the only times i’ve ever been injured it was because of running on treadmills or increasing mileage too quickly.

I kind of hate how much people emphasize distance running as “just getting through” with a large amount of mileage. It’s so much better to gradually build up mileage, racing at distances that suit your current level of running comfort. The point of racing used to be pushing yourself to go faster, not longer…

Melissa says:  i had knee pain start only a week before my 1/2 marathon at the end of january and didn’t know what to do.  i basically stayed off of it that entire week and took the race at a more leisure pace and if my knee hurt, i would stop.  pushing past pain like that is never good and can only lead to longer and even worse problems in the future.  i suggest taking some time off, making sure to ice, massage and ice massage (freeze water in dixie cups and use them to massage your knee) and not do any sort of knee bearing exercises.  sounds hard and sucks, but it does pay off.  i haven’t been running much since my injury and a month later it’s feeling great!

The list goes on.  I encourage you to go back and read through the comments if you’re having similar issues with your knees, or just need a little extra support if you’re on the fence and trying to decide whether or not to push it.  I know what I need to do: stretch, ice, rest, strength train.  Seriously, I don’t know how I got out of the habit of doing this last one, especially after all of the hours I logged at the physical therapist’s!  There are many exercises (including the Clam Shells that Leslie highlighted) that I can do while lying in bed, so I WILL DO THEM.

Thanks again… you really are the best

Yesterday I found a new brand of pumpkin in the store.  It tastes just like Libby’s, but is slightly cheaper at $2.19/28 oz.  I do like a good bargain!

This morning I made a big, belly-busting batch of oatmeal.

For work, I packed an orange, apple, strawberry yogurt, and leftover stew.

I also had a Thai Peanut Primal Strip…

… and an Apple Clif C bar.

I like that these are easy to break apart, under 150 calories, and only $.99 at Whole Foods like other Clif/Luna products.  I do wish the sea salt flavor was present, or that the apple had a little tartness.

After work, I met my parents for dinner at Lime Leaf, a Thai/continental restaurant on the Upper West Side.  Right after we ordered, we were brought out these little rice puff crackers with peanut sauce.

We split two appetizers: Tofu + Veggie Curry Puffs…

…and (spicy) Mushroom Ravioli.

For my entrée, I ordered Green Coconut Curry with tofu, vegetables, pineapple, basil and chili.

I ate half with jasmine rice, packed the rest up for lunch, and had a few bites of my dad’s Tofu Pad Thai.

After dinner, we walked next door for dessert at The Lite Choice.  I used my punchcard from the tour to get us free cups!  We each had almond butter; my dad and I both added chocolate chips.

When I got home, Ari and I tried to watch Willow, but I fell right asleep because I’d been up since 5.  I was supposed to run 2 miles this morning but I decided to sleep and either go tonight when I get home or tomorrow morning instead, depending on how my knee is feeling.

I think we’re going to venture out to get bagels before work… I’ve been having such a craving for good lox and cream cheese! Have a great day

I kept putting it off and putting it off; Ari agreed to run part of the way with me at 1 PM, so I decided to wait and enjoy a running companion.  By that point I needed another snack to hold me over, so I dug into the sample box of Warm Cinnamon Heart to Heart cereal that I received in the mail from Kashi.

This was pretty good; it reminded me a lot of Cinnamon Puffins.  I’d probably buy it and mix it with a heartier granola, but it held me through my run pretty well..

Ari and I set off.  He’d intended to run about 2 miles, but ended up going for the first full 4.5 mile loop with me.  This was the longest he’d ever run, second only to the GridIron 4 miler we ran together a few weeks ago!  We took a few walking breaks, but the most important part was that we logged the miles.  When we finished the loop, I dropped him off at the house, stopping inside to drink some water and munch on two Clif Shot Bloks.

These were part of a big package I received from Clif a few months ago.  I really liked the Cran-Razz flavor; it was sweet, but just enough sugar to make me feel ready to start running again.  It has a pretty smooth texture that you chomp right through; it doesn’t have the chewiness of, say, a Swedish Fish or Sour Patch Kid.

The trouble started on the second loop, around mile 5.  My knee started to really hurt. At first I thought I could run through it; it felt more like a “sensation” than a “shooting pain”- this is the distinction the yogis on Yogadownload.com always say it’s important to make- but then the pain got so sharp it actually brought tears to my eyes and I had to walk.  I was so frustrated. This was going to be my second time running 9 miles (the first was two months ago, at the NYRR Pete McArdle XC Classic 15K) and I’d expected my knees to hurt a little, but the pain not to be debilitating.  Wrong.  I’d walk a block or so, then start up again thinking the pain would lessen or I’d be able to suffer through it, but again the pain would shoot all the way from my the side of my right knee to my toes to my thigh.  Is this Runner’s Knee? I know what I have to do: build up my quads, so I don’t put so much pressure on the knees to carry all of the weight and impact of repetitive stress.  I just hope it’s not too late.

When I got home I took an Aleve and stretched, disheartened and worried.  The half-marathon is in three weeks.  My endurance is fine, but if I can’t run without sharp explosions of pain, how the heck am I going to run 13.1 miles?  Do you run through the pain? If you’ve suffered from knee pain, what made it better?

At least my appetite was normal, and I tried not to let my aggression out on the fridge door while I prepared my lunch.

In the mix:

• mixed greens
• leftover salmon and roasted vegetables
• sauerkraut
• grape tomatoes
• hemp seeds
• rice vinegar/sesame oil

I also had an orange.

I had a lot of reading to do (another reason why a bum run was irritating… walking time takes away from work time) so I went to a coffee shop and parked myself there for a couple hours, sipping on a tall skim mocha (the best of both worlds: chocolate milk recovery drink + caffeine).

When I got home later I was pretty hungry, so I snacked on everything pretzel crisps with hummus.

Dinner was Heidi Swanson’s Simple Farro & Bean Stew.   I couldn’t find farro at the grocery store and didn’t have time to go to another one, so I just used brown rice instead.  I also substituted sweet potatoes for waxy potatoes.  After my initial sprinkle of parmesan, I added a slice of Asiago.

This was such a comforting dish: hearty stews are so cozy to eat in the winter.  I should have halved the recipe, but I figure I can freeze the rest and enjoy it later on when I need the extra warmth.

Speaking of comforting, I also enjoyed a slice of my dad’s apple cake, which still tasted mighty fine.

We watched Alice before bed, which I loved.  For some reason my Netflix movies have been arriving on their own schedule… maybe it’s the snow?

I’m off to get the day started.  Click here to find the winner of the iHerb giveaway!

Somehow my breakfast photo was deleted from the camera, but I had a bowl of Kashi GoLean, Kaia’s Cocoa Bliss Buckwheat Granola, warmed frozen berries and skim milk.

It was tough for everyone in the office to get to work; a lot of people who have long commutes didn’t even make it in at all! The roads were really bad.  I snacked on the usual suspects (orange + apple):

For lunch I had a spinach salad with beets, tempeh, shredded carrots, grape tomatoes and a mix of Raspberry and Vidalia Onion viniagrettes; I also had a cup of lemon yogurt.

We ended up closing the office around 3, which was a nice surprise for everyone.  Before I left, I snacked on a Teriyaki Primal Strip.

Ari was close by, so we met up and went to see The Crazies.  I was shocked Ari wanted to see this; he HATES scary movies, and the only way I can even get him to watch a thriller is by telling him it’s a “drama”!  (Probably shouldn’t give away that secret…) The movie was pretty bad… we both gave it a 4/10.  It’s a remake of a 1973 horror movie and we were expecting it to be “good camp,” but… there really wasn’t anything redeeming about it (except the very fact of going to see a movie, which has become quite rare).

In the theater I snacked on a Raspberry Clif C bar (photo taken on the floor, sorry for the poor quality); it was good, but I liked the blueberry flavor better.

After the movie, we headed to Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse for a belated birthday celebration (Ari’s birthday was in November).  I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned it before, but the boy loves his steak.  One day I’m going to learn how to cook it (without having to taste it first) and win the girlfriend-of-the-year award.

We started with warm bread…

…and a Jack on the Rocks for me, Jameson for Ari.

I ordered grilled salmon with roasted vegetables, hold-the-butter. This was a pretty large portion, so I boxed up the rest to take home.

Ari ordered a NY Strip Steak, which arrived to our table sizzling.

We split a side of sautéed mushrooms (leaving the half inch of butter behind).

When we got home I made us each peanut butter cups, which we ate in bed while watching Bill Maher.  Ari wanted milk chocolate and peanut butter; I made mine with dark chocolate and chocolate hazelnut butter.  Mmm!

It’s never too late to celebrate a birthday!

P.S.  It’s also never too late to enter BlueEyedHeart’s one year giveaway!