Lilveggiepatch » tofu

Passion and Failure

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:49:16 +0000

Morning and happy Monday! I hope you’ve had a fabulous weekend. From what I’ve been reading, it seems that Spring has sprung around the world! It was nice and sunny yesterday, and although I didn’t spend as much time outdoors as I would have liked, I’m looking forward to taking some nice walks this week before the weather goes to pots again.

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?

Cheerleaders

admin — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:05:18 +0000

You guys are officially the best cheerleaders a girl could have. Thank you so much for all of the advice and words of encouragement about my sore knee. One of the things I love about being a food/health+fitness blogger is meeting other like-minded people who have been in similar situations. You’re a wealth of information! I’d like to share some of your comments:

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

Ten Minute Vegetable Soup

admin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 14:31:45 +0000

Good morning! I’m glad you enjoyed the virtual tour of The Lite Choice… you can read it here if you missed it!

Yesterday I woke up knowing I was going to be eating quite a bit of soft serve in a few hours, so I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast. (Oatmeal holds me over much longer than cereal does.) My bowl had Kashi Autumn Harvest, muesli from the Food Co-Op, banana and skim milk.

Over breakfast, I read the March issue of Bon Appetit, and stumbled across this:

What do you think about taking photos in restaurants? Do you do it, or get annoyed with people who do? Does it make a difference if you don’t use the flash?

While touring The Lite Choice, I sampled everything without gorging. I wanted to try all of the goodies but knew I would feel really sick if I’d eaten all of it (which probably wouldn’t have even been possible!) so I kept my tastes small. After the tour, I went to Whole Foods to pick up a few things, including lunch from the salad bar.

In the mix:

spinach
vegan chicken salad
edamame
edamame arame salad
curried cauliflower
1 piece each: bbq tempeh, lemon tempeh, lemon-baked tofu
corn
macaroni & cheese- I always have to take a tiny scoop!

When I got home I added some rice wine vinegar to the spinach, and had a Granny Smith apple on the side while I did some reading.

My reading sent me to dreamland for an hour or so, and when I woke up I was feeling pretty hungry! Even after all of that soft serve, I was craving a slice of whole wheat toast with Maranatha Cashew Butter and mango butter.

I went out to run a few errands and come back carrying five bags! Show me a New Yorker who doesn’t know the meaning of “schlep” and I’ll be a stunned girl. More than happy to take a load off, I didn’t feel like going back out to get groceries for the week. Instead, I looked in the fridge, freezer and pantry for any components that could possibly come together to make something resembling a meal, and ta da! I ended up using up old items in the fridge and things that had been in the freezer and pantry for months.

I almost feel guilty even calling this a “recipe,” but it was so delicious and so nourishing that I’m going to add it to the page!

Ten Minute Vegetable Soup

4 cups vegetable broth (I make mine from Better Than Bouillon)
1.5 cups carrots, sliced
2 boxes/bags of whatever frozen veggies you have around; I used collard greens and an “Oriental” veggie blend with broccoli and mushrooms
1 leek
1 can of beans, whatever you have (I used red beans)
Salt + pepper to taste
Chili (optional)

Heat vegetable broth over medium heat until warm. Add carrots and leeks and cook until carrots are slightly tender. Add frozen vegetables and cook until fully thawed and warmed through. Add beans, salt and pepper, and chili flakes. Enjoy!

Serves 2-3 as a main, 4-6 as a side.

I ate my soup with the last of the pesto; it was the perfect cozy meal!

For dessert, I had a slice of cake from The Lite Choice! Each piece of cake has both chocolate and vanilla soft serve with a layer of cookie crumbs in the middle. This slice was covered with chocolate sauce and peanuts… it was so good, I wish I’d gotten more!

And now, some more Ask Me Anything answers!

If you could eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

This one always gets me! I probably would have said “chocolate” or “bread” a few years ago, but now I just don’t know… there are so many things I like! But right now, I’m going to go with sushi. I could eat it every night and not get bored!

Are you vegan or vegetarian?

Technically I’m a “pescatarian,” which I’ve been for about 9 years. There was a year during that time when I cut out fish, but I really hate to use any kind of label when it comes to my food habits. I try to eat things that I feel ethically comfortable with, things that make me feel good, and things that I just like! Read more here.

That’s all there’s time for now! I’m off to go meet Danielle for a long run in the park. Enjoy your Sunday!

Making Do

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 03:10:43 +0000

This morning when I woke up, I was not feeling my 7 mile run. I checked the weather: 15 degrees. It seemed like a much better idea to just lie in bed… but I knew I’d feel better about my training plan if I did it.

Before I left I had a slice of whole wheat toast with coconut butter and raspberry jam.

It was really cold. I finally got to the point where the wind didn’t hurt anymore, but when, after 5 miles, I popped back into the apartment for a quick pit stop to answer nature, I found that my legs were completely numb! So… it was quitting time. I may not have gotten 7 miles in, but I made do with 5.

Breakfast was a quick bowl of savory oats; that cute lil’ egg shape is the result by whisking an egg and than microwaving it for 45 seconds.

1/2 cup oats cooked in 1/2 cup water
cottage cheese
1 whole egg
Frank’s Red Hot sauce
black pepper

I also had an orange to help get me through my reading and laundry-folding…

Er… woke up two hours later. So much for that burst of energy! I made a big salad for a quick lunch…

In the mix:

spinach
dulse
tofu (1/3 block)
tempeh bacon (2 slices)
mushrooms
steamed broccoli stems
Rosemary Quackers (from One Lucky Duck)
rice wine/olive oil/mustard vinaigrette

After lunch I made took my grocery list and went to my new favorite supermarket to stock up for the week. I really could have spent hours in there! Unfortunately there was no time for that… when I got back home and put everything away, I plunked back down to work, snacking on a Granny Smith apple with cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne. I like this combination! The extra zing! kept me awake this time.

It was Family Dinner night at our house tonight! (Read about our first Family Dinner here.) My contribution was a big salad with Boston lettuce, radicchio, Fuji apple slices, shaved parmesan, dried figs and parsley.

I also made plantains (sliced and sautéed in marjarine until lightly crispy)… they were so good that we all just ate them out of the pan with our fingers! (Forgot to take a photo of these, sorry.)

Ilana made fettuccine with wild mushrooms and parsley…

… and Chrsitine made a delicious strawberry and blueberry pie! She topped our slices with dollops of Vanilla Chobani.

I’m so impressed with our Family Dinner endeavors… we already have our next date booked. I’m on entrée duty next time… what is your favorite weeknight crowd-pleasing dinner?

Back to the grind. Hope your week is off to a great start!

Six at 6

admin — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 03:08:17 +0000

Thanks for all of your movie suggestions! Here’s what’s on the running list:

Lars and the Real Girl
Up In The Air
The Soloist
Away We Go (I just saw this… loved it!)
The September Issue
In The Loop
Inglourious Basterds

I watch a lot of movies, so keep those suggestions coming!

Whew, this day has been long! Still going strong, though

I knew I was going to have to work from home after leaving the office at the end of the day, so I woke up at 5:45 to get my 6 mile training run in. Somehow, even though I’d laid out all of my clothes the night before, I didn’t end up leaving the house until 6:15! This was partly because my heart rate monitor wasn’t working and I was waiting for it to kick in… I think this weekend I will cave and finally pick up a Garmin. Coincidentally, my former boss just e-mailed me to tell me he’s fallen in love with the Garmin he got for the holidays!

Before I headed out, I fueled up with a mini Clif bar.

I haven’t wanted to run early in the morning because I was concerned about safety; it’s dark when I wake up and my route takes me through the park. This morning I stayed in populated areas, wore my neon reflective running jacket, and strapped on my RoadID. By the time I was halfway through my run the sun had risen and it was starting to snow! There is something immensely satisfying and calming in being out and about while people are just waking up and starting their day.

During the last few blocks I started getting pain in my right knee (what I think I can now safely refer to as “Runner’s Knee”… probably no meniscus damage) so I had to take a few walking breaks. I ended up running through most of the pain, though, so I wouldn’t be late to work! It felt great to have 6 miles under my belt before the day even started, and not have to crank it out on the treadmill later on.

I didn’t have a whole lot of time to eat breakfast, but I managed to have a nice, filling bowl of oatmeal.

1/2 cup oats cooked with 1/2 cup water
1 tsp chia seeds
Gala apple, microwaved with cinnamon for 90 seconds
1 tbsp almond butter
stevia

The snow was really coming down while I walked to work.

Snacked on an orange at work…

My mom met me for lunch at the Atrium, a Greek cafe in the Onassis Towers in Midtown.

I was ravenous when we sat down, and ordered just what I was craving: spanikopita (spinach and phylo pie) with Greek salad.

No scrap was left behind!

I was still hungry when I got back to the office… must have been that run! I tore into the Forze bars I won from a contest Melissa hosted…

My sweet tooth demanded Chocolate Decadence.

I really liked this! It tastes just like candy… must be a new trend in energy bars! The texture reminded me of a delicious European cookie, crunchy and sweet. It had an almost Nutella-like taste… must be the roasted almonds used in the bar! Can’t wait to try the other flavors.

I stayed at work a little late to maximize what I did in the office so I would have less to do at home. An apple held me over until I got home, although honestly, I was still really hungry after that bar! I don’t know what’s going on with my appetite…

I was excited to use my new toy to make dinner.

Finally got a spiralizer! I’ve actually had this for a couple weeks, but haven’t had time to give it a test run. I had a little trouble with it at first (which may or may not have resulted in a slew of profane mutterings), but finally my zucchini was given new life.

I should have just made a really simple sauce for this, but since I’ll be out for dinner tomorrow I wanted to use up the leftovers in the fridge. And when I say “leftovers,” I mean all of the leftovers. Oh lordy.

Yep, that would be grape tomatoes, broccoli, teriyaki-glazed tofu, mushrooms and broccoli pesto. And if that wasn’t enough?

I dipped it in crab soup! This was a definite “What was she thinking?!” moment. It’s never a good sign when you already have a fiber belly from nibbling on veggies before you even begin your dinner. Oofdah. But, after I gave myself some time to spend some horizontal time on the couch, I was ready to devour a homemade peanut butter cup. It was so good that I almost made another one, but I was all out of the dark chocolate I like so I just had an orange.

Back to work I go… it’s going to be a late night, and an early morning. I’m very behind in the Reader… I guess I’ll just have to catch up with ya over the weekend.

Have a great night! Bonne nuit

Back From Beyond

admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 02:47:31 +0000

Evening and happy humpday! I’m so sorry for taking a couple days off… I really haven’t been feeling well since Sunday, and my meals just weren’t too interesting! Thank you so much for the well-wishes; I think I’m finally well again. Unfortunately almost everyone at the office is sick now, so I hope it doesn’t come back again!

As mentioned, most of my food these past few days have been of the boring, carb-y and beige variety, so I’ll spare you all the details and just take you through the greatest hits!

The best jar of oats, period. I finally reached the end of my supply of “flaxy peanut butter” (also known as Trader Joe’s Valencia Peanut Butter with Roasted Flaxseeds).

Instead of crying over my loss, I spooned hot oatmeal with apples into the jar, and it was pure heaven on earth. What is your favorite kind of nut butter?

Ari was home for about 30 hours, and although I only got to see him for a few of them, it was a very sweet visit. We finally branched out from our usual restaurants and took ourselves to Bistro Les Minots, a French restaurant in Astoria. Everything- from the crusty waiter to the small cups of water- were so à la français! I can’t wait to go back to France someday.

We started with soft, salty bread and Pinot Grigio.

The 3-course prix-fixe for $19.95 instantly caught my eye. Ari wanted steak but wasn’t pleased with the cut offered, so I ordered the deal and we split my appetizer and dessert.

We chose the Pissaladière, a warm onion tart with black olives and anchovies (which were gently brushed aside… try as I might, I just can’t get myself to like these guys!).

For my entrée, I ordered the Grilled Salmon with a “confetti” of chickpeas, carrots and peas.

We split an order of crêpes stuffed with caramelized apples and topped with a scoop of ice cream.

It was a nice night of spontaneous romance.

Tonight I made my old college standard: Greens, Grains, Tofu & Sweet Potato. It’s one of my favorite comforting meals.

This plate had steamed broccoli, TJ’s Harvest Blend, Teriyaki-glazed tofu (baked slowly at 300 so I would have time to do 30 minutes of power yoga while it cooked!), and a sweet potato (1/2 with coconut butter and cinnamon, 1/2 with butter and brown sugar).

While I ate, I watched Whatever Works, Woody Allen’s most recent film. I really enjoyed it! It was quite cozy to relax in bed with a good movie. While I was sick, I watched Drag Me To Hell and I Love You, Man while I had the time to relax… what good movies have you seen lately? I’ve been waiting for Inglourious Basterds to become available for almost two months! I have a feeling it’ll be worth the wait, though

Off to do some work… regular posting will resume tomorrow. In the meantime, check out this blendalicious giveaway!

Have a great night!

You Can’t Eat Money

admin — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 02:29:05 +0000

Evening and happy humpday! Even though this is a four-day week, it definitely felt like a steep climb towards Wednesday.

This morning I did not want to get out of bed. I snoozed and snoozed, finally rousing myself at 7:20 to put a pot of coffee on. Showering at night saves so much time! I made a bowl of Tutti Frutti Nutti Oats and climbed back into bed to watch the news.

1/2 cup oats made with 1/2 cup water
1 tsp chia seeds
1 tsp unsweetened coconut
1 banana
2 dried apricots
1 scoop flaxy peanut butter (almost finished with the jar!)
cinnamon
stevia

I was pretty busy today, but I managed to snack on a Fuji apple during a calm moment.

At 1, Danielle and I took our lunch outside to eat.

I had a bowl of Moroccan Gazpacho with pita and a small salad with romaine, mushrooms, green beans and tomato (they’re under there, I promise!).

This soup is a keeper! Instead of using pine nuts (as the recipe calls for), I used chopped almonds. And because I’d made this soup on Monday the raisins were nice and plump, and the sweet spicy flavor was really brought out.

When I got back to my desk, I had a vegan energy bar. So much for waiting until later in the afternoon! It did hold me over for the rest of the day, though.

After work, Leslie and I met at Galaxy Global Eatery for dinner. I’ve passed it hundreds of times and had no idea what it was. Even when inside, Leslie and I couldn’t quite figure out what kind of atmosphere GBE was going for! It was sort of like a combination dive bar, old-school diner, and health-food restaurant.

We shared an order of sweet potato tamales with cilantro butter, which came out less than two minutes after we ordered them. They were okay, but I definitely prefer Peacefood‘s. The cilantro butter definitely made the dish!

Leslie and I ordered the same entrée, thte Starlight Caesar Salad with romaine hearts, frissé, fried caper blossoms, cornmeal crusted tofu, avocado, lotus crostini & vegan hemp caesar dressing.

Galaxy Global Eatery may not have been my favorite restaurant, but the company made it memorable. We’ll have to get together again soon, Leslie!

I was more than ready for dessert when I got home, and headed straight for the freezer before I even took off my coat. I had Naked, Mint Galactica, and Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge Coconut Bliss Ice Cream, eaten straight out of the carton, topped with chipotle and cardamom hot fudge.

It’s almost 9:30, and my goal is to be in bed having showered, made tomorrow’s lunch, watched Grey’s Anatomy (from last week) and practiced light yoga by 11. Doable? You know it!

On a scale of 1-10, how stressful is your average day?

Five in Five

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 02:50:57 +0000

Hey guys! I hope you’ve had a splendid Thursday. Mine is not quite close to being over, so this is going to be an abbreviated post, in five parts.

1. This morning, I tried mixing egg whites into my oatmeal. Looks good, right?

Unfortunately, this was a total failure. I don’t think I did it correctly… I mixed the dry oats with both water and egg whites. For those of you who make egg white oatmeal, can you give me some pointers? Thanks!

2. Cookie dough saved the day.

I was having a bum moment of stress and exhaustion, but then I remembered I had this little guy in my desk! Another winner. I wouldn’t say it tasted like cookie dough, per se, but it did taste just like a Snickers bar. (A Snickers with 12g of protein, I should say!)

3. I’m not as afraid of the treadmill anymore. Thanks to a good playlist and CNN, I logged 5 miles on the treadmill today after work. It was a great way to clear my head, release tension and get on with my training.

4. It was personal pizza night at my house tonight.

I took a “study” break to enjoy a delicious homemade whole wheat pizza with basil, tomato sauce, tomatoes, shrimp, feta and chili flakes, with a side of Michael Scott.

5. New dessert love! Tofu pudding with warmed frozen berries. So. Good.

I’ve been pondering ways to help- from home- with what’s going on in Haiti. Tens of thousands of people have been reported dead, and more are without shelter, food, and even water. In the meantime, please consider donating $10 to the American Red Cross. Simply text “Haiti” to 90999 and $10 will be charged to your cell phone bill.

Now, safe in the comfort of my still-standing, comfortable home, I’m going back to work. Have a great night

What’s your schedule?

admin — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:51:24 +0000

This morning started a little rockily… I just could not get myself out of bed! I set my alarm early with high hopes of practicing yoga, but soon I had maxed out my Snooze-es and had to rush to get ready. Not good. I clearly haven’t found my 9-to-5 groove yet; I know there are so many of you out there who get to bed early, wake up and go to the gym before work, and get a lot done during the day itself. What are your secrets? I already make my lunch the night before (which takes a lot longer than it probably should), I lay out my clothes… I really haven’t been able to find the time (or the energy) to exercise regularly, and I’m suffering both physically and mentally. What are your secrets for establishing a good schedule?

I had a quick breakfast of granola with a banana and skim milk.

Mid-morning I snacked on an apple; I saved my pumpkin yogurt (Stonyfield fat free plain yogurt + pumpkin puree + cinnamon) for after lunch.

I packed a stellar salad for lunch: mixed greens with 1/4 avocado, 1 orange, grape tomatoes, sesame tofu, almonds, and toasted seaweed.

Second try using a spice jar to carry my citrus salad dressing (leftover from the sushi bowl)… this time I just packed it right into my salad container. No spillage!

After work, I met my friend Lisa for dinner at Blockheads, a Mexican(ish) restaurant that has several locations around the city. Sorry about the dim lighting!

We started with festive drinks: she ordered their special, a frozen margarita with a tipped Corono. It was surprisingly tasty! I stuck to Negro Modelo, one of my favorite beers.

Blockheads steams their burritos (as opposed to frying the tortilla) and can make anything vegetarian. They are also very accommodating about substitutions. I ordered a vegetable burrito in a whole wheat tortilla with brown rice, sautéed veggies, and plenty of hot sauce! I asked for tofu sour cream because I’d never tried it… I really liked it! I actually couldn’t tell whether it was real sour cream or not… I guess I eat a lot of ‘fu. Lisa confirmed it was definitely not dairy.

Can you believe this was a mini burrito?! I was quite full when I finished! It was delicious… I always forget how easy these types of dinners are to make at home.

When I got home, I had a Godiva chocolate-caramel-peanut cluster leftover from Christmas. (A chocolate caramel sneaked out of the camera’s eye.)

My gym bag is packed, and I’m sleeping in my clothes to make sure I go to the gym tomorrow. My alarm is set for 6, and if I hustle, I’ll have enough time to get a decent workout in, shower, get to work on time, and not have to worry about it for the rest of the day. To make that happen, my plan is to do a quick Lunar Flow and be in bed by 10:30. It can be done!

Ice Cream Heartaches

admin — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 03:02:31 +0000

Hey there, chickadees. Talk about a humpday! I didn’t even realize it was Wednesday until it was almost 5:00… this week is going by so slowly. It must be an after-effect of the holidays, but seriously!

Last night I made a breakfast cookie for this morning using chia seeds! I figured they’d have time to plump up and turn into the “gel” if they soaked over night.

In the cookie:

1/3 cup oats
1/2 banana
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
big splash of skim milk
1 tsp almond butter
toppings: cinnamon, 1 almond nose, 2 prune eyes, goji berry smile (makes Jim look a little bit creepy!)

I made Ari one, too, but added more oats and left out the chia. (He must not have been feeling this particular mixture; there were only two little spoonfuls missing when I got home from work.)

I thought I took my time to get ready this morning, but when I got to work I realized that while I’d thought I’d applied brown eyeliner, it had really been purple! Whoopsies. But hey, why not pretend you’re at the club when it’s 9 AM on a Wednesday? Spice up your day!

Around 11, I snacked on a tangerine (and ate another one at 3).

For lunch, I had the last of the Tomatoey Spiced Chickpeas with mixed greens and pita bread. I actually ate with my coworkers and not at my desk, but since I’m still new I didn’t want to explain the blog to a big group of people all at once (although some do know).

At 4:30, as the work day was coming to a close, I had half of a Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch Clif Bar. I really wasn’t all that hungry, I just wanted something to chew on.

When I got home, the band was packing up and getting ready to leave for tour. I helped load the van (no need to strength train when you date a musician… music gear is heavy!) then made dinner. I’ve been wanting to make Heidi Swanson’s Sushi Bowl for ages, and I did! I made a few adjustments for time and taste, starting with substituting her tofu for Gliding Calm’s. I also added sesame seeds to the marinade.

Instead of cooking a new batch of rice, I used up the last of the Harvest Grains blend. This is a keeper! You don’t even really need to use the recipe (although the dressing is mighty fine).

I sipped a glass of The Big Red Monster wine with dinner… the beast was unleashed.

Anticipating the next month’s Arilessness, I made myself a huge bowl of Coconut Bliss ice cream (Mint Galactica, Naked Coconut, Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge) with homemade chocolate sauce (two kinds of melted chocolate chips + water).

You can bet you’ll see a lot of that in the next few weeks. I miss my boy already.