Working My Way Back

I spent this weekend trying to get back on track. It has been a little less than a week since we moved into our new place, I had a week of working at my new job under my belt, I learned what grocery stores carried what, what fitness centers available to me (yeah, I have three FREE options- work, base, and the apt complex) had what equipment and my Vitamix arrived Friday so I had no excuses left not to get my life (RE: training and eating) back on track. So, on Saturday morning Paul and I set out to do just that.

Our first stop was the local farmer's market. It was pretty small and most people were selling just baked goods but we managed to find some amazing rainbow swiss chard, baby kale, carrots and broccoli. It was raining so I think there were probably less vendors that usual. It was our first trip there so we aren't really sure what the norm is but we still plan on going back. Especially since it is on the way to base, which was our second stop.

My half marathon training schedule called for a 7 mile run but the weather forced me to run inside instead of the awesome chip trail I ran on the week before. Sidenote: Sunshine State...is that sarcasm? We've had 2 sunny days out of the 2 weeks I've been here. I don't do well in these conditions. I need sun daily or I go a bit mad. Hopefully the weather gets better. Anywho...7 miles to run. I am still not great when it comes to running a constant speed on the treadmill so I ended up splitting my time between the treadmill and the elliptical. I did just shy of four on the treadmill (snooze fest) and a bit more than three on the elliptical. I was hoping to use the arc trainer but there weren't any available so I grudgingly used the elliptical. I know those elliptical miles don't really count as running but hey, I did the best I could.

Then we headed to the natural foods co-op to pick up some bulk goods. I am a huge fan of buying grains, seeds, nuts, etc in bulk and now that I have a Vitamix I am can use them whole or grind them to make my own flours, nut butters, non-dairy milks, and such. So far I used the Vitamix to grind my own corn meal out of popcorn kernels, flax meal out of flax seeds, and I made some apple juice (for a recipe that called for it as a cooking liquid) using an apple and some water. This week I plan on making some hummus and almond milk as well. I am so excited to be able to make more of the things I eat at home especially almond milk. It's hard to find a decent non-dairy milk that isn't pumped with funky chemicals and preservatives. I used to only buy the Whole Foods brand but I don't have that option down here. I have been using a brand of soy milk I found that has just two ingredients; soybeans and water, but I prefer almond milk over soy so I am glad I can make some myself.

This weekend we also created our meal plan for the week:

Sunday: Stuffed peppers with swiss chard hash

Monday: Polenta (made from the cornmeal I ground yesterday) with green lentils (which I am currently sprouting) and portobello mushrooms topped with a creamy basil/spinach/sun dried tomato sauce and steamed broccoli

Tuesday: Veggie burgers (new recipe out of the Vitamix cookbook) with fries and greens

Wednesday: Tofu scramble with tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and spinach with hash browns

Thursday: Portobello steaks with roasted cauliflower and sage carrots

As I mentioned above, I am sprouting some lentils right now. I am also sprouting some quinoa to use to make my own rejuvelac- a natural probiotic. I have found kombucha down here but it's more expensive and I am kind of sick of paying so much for it. I can make 64 ounces of rejuvelac using only 1 cup of quinoa. That will save me between $13-$15 just by making my own. And if it does the same thing as the store bought kombucha then I totally think it's worth the effort.

I also made up a huge double batch of steel cut oats in the crockpot yesterday. It was pretty simple recipe; I just threw some oats, water, soymilk, an apple, and two plums in the crockpot with some pumpkin pie spice (couldn't find the cinnamon) and let it cook. Then I portioned them into 1/2 cup servings (which I will have 2 of for breakfast) by scooping them into lined muffin tins and freezing. So that took care of breakfasts for the next two weeks. Score.

My training plan for this week will be running Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Hot yoga with my friend Jodi on Saturday morning, and hopefully a bike ride around the UWF mountain bike trails on Sunday.

It feels good to have a plan, to be able to eat 'real' foods again, and to finally be able to shift my focus back to training and being active. I feel like crap when I eat crap and I feel like a sloth when I act like one.

Happy Monday!

What's For Dinner??? Part 1

Finally I have a meal plan in place that I am able to share with you. Yay! Now you get to find out what I eat every day. I have been following a vegan diet for just over 11 months and I love it. I love the food that I eat, the way that I feel, and I love that as an added bonus I am saving animals and helping the environment. How cool is that?

As you know, last week was all about packing which was a necessity since we were moving but definitely made it difficult to prepare meals at home.  That was rough. I can only eat out so many days in a row before my body starts revolting against me. By Sunday I was ready for some home-cooked meals. I ran out to the grocery store in the morning with just a few meals for the week in mind and went from there. This is not how I typically shop. I usually make a meal plan and a grocery list from there but this week I didn’t have the time so I went to the store and planned the weekly meals out as I went.

Here is what I came up with:

Minnesota Winter Chili from Scott Jurek’s book “Eat and Run”. This is hands down my favorite chili recipe of all time. I make it once or twice a month even when it’s 100+ outside. It was the perfect dinner for a cold (for San Antonio) and rainy day.

Vegan sausages with sweet potatoes and green beans. I try to limit my intake of soy and fake meats as much as possible but I cannot help but indulge in these vegan sausages (smoked apple sage, YUM) from Field Roast made from vital wheat gluten. So dang tasty and the whole meal is on the table in under ten minutes.

From the Engine 2 Diet book- sweet potato bowls and black beans and rice; two of our favorites. Packed with fresh veggies, legumes, and grains these meals are super easy and super tasty.

Another quick dinner – grilled portobello mushrooms with baked potatoes and steamed broccoli

No dinner plans for Friday as of yet but now that I pass Whole Foods (and soon Trader Joe’s as well) on my way home I am open to the idea of picking up some ingredients day of and making a fun meal at home.

As for the rest of my day’s meals…

I have a Vega One shake for breakfast. I am pretty much obsessed with all Vega products. You will find their; energizing shakes, protein powder, pre-workout drink, recovery accelerator, electrolyte mix, gels, protein bars and endurance bars, along with the Vega One, in my kitchen.  All natural, plant-based, nothing artificial- I have yet to find a better product.

For my morning snack I have an apple and 17 almonds

I make a huge veggie salad from the salad bar in the cafeteria for lunch.  This week I brought a grain/seed mix from home to add to it; split peas, lentils, barley, bulgur wheat, red quinoa and sunflower seeds. Top the salad with WF no oil balsamic vinaigrette and a plum on the side- perfect lunch.

Hummus with carrots and pita and some grapes for my afternoon snack

Dinners are listed above

And I always have half a bottle of kombucha after dinner every night.

If I need a snack at night or even in the morning I usually grab a banana or some sprouted grain toast with almond butter. Actually one of my favorite snacks is toast with almond butter and banana smushed on top. Yum!

So there it is folks; that’s what’s for dinner….and breakfast…and lunch.

Oh, and before I go I wanted to share a quick recipe with you. Paul asked for me to pick up some prepared salads from the store to accompany his sandwiches at lunch time. I couldn't find anything I thought he would like so instead I grabbed a bag of the pre-shredded brocoli slaw mix and came up with this quick easy salad for him.

For the dressing I combined rice wine vinegar, Bragg's liquid aminos (soy sauce would work just fine here), agave, sesame oil and Sriracha sauce. I just eye-balled the amounts but if I had to guess I would say 2 teaspoons vinegar and Bragg's, 1/2 teaspoon agave, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil and 2 teaspoons of Sriracha. Mix to combine and then add in the brocoli slaw mix and toss it around until it is all mixed together.

My personal recommendation with this sauce- start with one teaspoon of Sriracha and go from there. Also, if you like your sauce sweeter or saltier or whatever taste it and then add more to make it suit your tastebuds. I keep all of these ingredients on hand in my pantry so when I decided to make up a salad/slaw for Paul I just pulled out what I thought sounded good. It turned out great.

What are you eating this week? Are there any foods you eat regularly to help with your training/recovery?

“It is my view that the vegetarian manner of living, by its purely physical effect on the human temperament, would most beneficially influence the lot of mankind.” ~Albert Einstein