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

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!

Breakfast was a little different than usual this morning.

• 1/2 cup oats cooked in 1/2 cup water
• pumpkin
• 1/2 banana
• cottage cheese
• 1 T Mararnatha No Stir Smooth Peanut Butter
• Cinnamon
• Stevia

This held me over pretty well (no loud tummy growling) without leaving me feeling stuffed, which usually happens.

In my lunchbag I packed an apple, orange, peach yogurt, and salad with spinach, beets tomatoes, beets, dried cranberries, feta, tempeh, Goddess + Vidalia Onion dressings.

Somehow I found myself at the office candy bowl and pulled out a Caramel Apple lollypop.  Remember these?

Danielle made lemon poppyseed muffins last night and brought one in for me.  Oddly enough I was just thinking of making these myself!

In case I ever run out of snacks at work, all I have to do is open up my desk drawer!  I keep nutrition bars, packets of nut butter, and whatever samples I have lying around.  I also keep silverware so I don’t have to keep throwing away plastic utensils, health items like Band-Aids, ibuprofen, Wet Ones, Diva Drops (I think that’s what they’re called… these changed my life! I can finally wear high heels comfortably), and a shot of Red Bull (in case I need an emergency boost).  What do you keep in your desk or purse?  Do you carry emergency snacks?

I’ve successfully gone without doing a major grocery shop this week, and I’ll probably be able to make it until Sunday!  I had a smorgasboard dinner; an open faced sandwich with tempeh bacon, cheddar & asiago cheese, Ten Minute Vegetable Soup, and sauerkraut.

For dessert, I had a bowl of The Lite Choice‘s Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge soft serve that I had in the freezer.  I was shocked how soft it was!  All I did was let it thaw for about 10 minutes before eating.

Back to Wall Street!  Check in tomorrow for a giveaway! It’s  good one

Yesterday I woke up at 8 feeling fully rested.  While I love sleeping in, I also like to be awake relatively early on weekend mornings without feeling a sense of pressure to do anything.  Relaxation is such a gift!  I did some things around the house for a little (including watching a little of Excess Baggage on TV… when it came out in the 90s, I had no idea who Benicio del Toro was!), then made breakfast.  A reader recently submitted on Ask Me Anything:

Lilveggiepatch is my favorite food blog. Hands down. I love your breakfast concoctions! What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? What seems to be the most satiable for a hard days work (I’m a college student stuck in a rut!) Thanks =)

First of all, thanks for the compliment! A little flattery is nice every once in a while In terms of breakfasts with staying powder, I find oatmeal to be the most satisfying. A good balance of grains, fruit, protein and fat is a safe bet when trying to find something to hold you over, and recently this has been my #1 combo:

• 1/2 cup oats cooked with 1/2 cup water
• 1 banana
• 1/2- 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 T peanut butter
• lemon curd
• pumpkin butter
• cinnamon
• stevia

I used to only use 1/2 a banana, but using a whole one keeps me full so much longer.  Plus, it helps me meet my daily fruit & vegetable requirement! (Not that that’s usually a problem….)

This breakfast held me through an 8 mile run with Danielle in Central Park yesterday morning.  It may not look like it here, but I can tell Spring is just around the corner! I can’t wait to stroll outside, drink iced coffee, have picnics…

I haven’t really run in that park except during races, but I loved being out there with so many other runners on a beautiful Sunday morning! It’s also a LOT easier (and more fun) to run with a buddy.  Central Park is great for hill training, something I really haven’t focused on at all but definitely should.  The 15K I ran in December had practically vertical inclines, and the half-marathon is going to be in Central Park as well.  So, time to get better about that!  Our knees were both aching a bit- my right knee started hurting around mile 4- so we took a couple walking breaks to soothe them.  Danielle went home around mile 5.5 (she’d already run 1 mile to meet me) and I continued on, running myself right to Starbucks to use the bathroom.

I ended up running 8.17 miles in 1:23:23.  I tried to get the splits for this, but for some reason my computer (Mac OS 10.5.8) won’t accept the Garmin disc.  Has anyone else had trouble with this?

Risking my cool cred I stretched on the subway ride home, displaying impressive feats of balance   I made myself a quick lunch when I got home:

In the mix:

• baby spinach
• 1/2 avocado
• dulse
• 2 slices tempeh bacon
• hemp seeds
• Everything-flavored pretzel thins <— so addicting!
• macadamia nut oil/rice wine vinegar dressing

I iced my knees in bed for a while and took a little Aleve.  After long runs I occasionally get what I think is Runner’s Knee; it doesn’t happen all of the time  (didn’t happen during either of my last two 7 milers), but it usually goes away after a day or two.  Right now it feels fine!

A couple hours later I had a snack to get me through a little work and hold me until dinner: Fage 0% yogurt with 1 orange, chia gel (1 tsp chia seeds soaked in water), and Cocoa Spice Kaia Sunflower Seeds. Good combination!

We hadn’t had sushi for a while, so Ari and I went to one of our favorite Japanese restaurants.  We had green tea and shared some hot sake…

… had bowls of miso soup…

….and ordered the Sushi & Sashimi combination for two.

It was a lot of food.  We didn’t finish it all, so I’m bringing the leftovers to work for lunch today.  Sushi isn’t great the second day, but we’ll see!  When we got home, we each had a Peanut Butter Bar from The Lite Choice.  I scraped mine off the stick and covered it with cocoa powder and stevia.  Yummy!

Off I go to start the week.  Have a great Monday!