Highs and lows.

Sugar high. Runners High. Sugar low. Runners low.

That just about describes the past week for me. Tuesday I had a great (although slow) 4.5 mile run. By Friday all I could manage was a 2 mile walk.... my calves hurt so bad. I can't begin to describe how emotional training for this half-marathon has been. When I have a great pain-free run I feel like I'm on top of the world, but after a hobbling run attempt like yesterday I'm below low. My feelings are such a mix of being stressed, nervous, anxious and exhausted. But the biggest emotion is frustration. I have done everything... EVERYTHING in my power to get better and I am so angry that I can't just run. I just don't think that I can come to terms with the idea that just "participating" in a 1/2 is good enough for me. Walking is not as satisfying as running. Will I ever be able to up my miles past 4 without pain? Remember when I said that running was sort of like a relationship? That was no joke. I've shed more tears since I started training that I have over any guy.

On a brighter note, I had a really great day with my Mom and Carly at the Market!

Local eggs from the Farmer's Market!
I also got 2 basil starts! Ones a regular... the other is purple!
I also picked up some spinach, I've been in love with baby spinach lately so the big leaves should be a nice change.

They may be more expensive than the ones from the grocery story, but they are much fresher!
Obviously you can tell that I have re-embraced eggs into my diet.

Tomorrow I plan to set some food rules for myself. I need to reevaluate and detox. Ever since the Naturopath told me I should limit sugar, I've been craving it like crazy! Seriously, tell someone they shouldn't eat so much sugar and I guarantee that is all they'll want! And I've been totally caving to those cravings!! I love local bakeries and that they are at the farmer's market.... but they still aren't good for you! Also, when it says they are gluten-free that doesn't mean they are a diet item!!

From now on, I'm only going to set one new goal a week for myself. I seem to have too much going on right now to keep up with four or more a week and it is doing nothing for my mood when I'm unsuccessful.

I think my Debbie-Downer mood is based on a mix of coming off a sugar rush and a lack of endorphins from not running... Tomorrow the sun is supposed to be shinning and I'm hoping for a bike ride!

Drafted.

Today was the NFL draft. Usually I'm not all that excited about the draft, I dedicate all of Fall and Winter being obsessed with football, so throwing April in there as well is a bit much to ask. But this year, I was invited to a draft party. There was beer, chips, dip and also some gambling. Three of the people there put in $10 dollars and created our own mock draft. You won if you had the most correct picks. I'm pretty sure that they invited me to play because they thought I was easy money.... Well the jokes on you guys! I won! $20 more in my pocket! 

Its those little things that make you happy!

Good news! Soy yogurt and soy milk taste amazing  in overnight oats!
It has a much sweeter taste than greek yogurt.

As for my slow detox....

The biggest thing I've noticed in the past three days without dairy is that I'm not congested at all. I had been really sniffly the past few weeks. Since February I'd also been eating more dairy than I ever had before in my life. In the form of Greek Yogurt and NF milk. I had read that these are great things for runners to consume, but I think the congestion is one of the effects of having dairy.

I can't wait for the lack of caffeine to stop bothering me! Each day is better and for the most part I haven't had any headaches, but I am oh so sleepy and maybe a little grumpy and maybe just a little irritable... Don't mess with me for like another week!

No sweets is so hard when there are sweet things in my house! I think I'll start that on Monday!!! Baby steps here...

Here's a Story....

Stop reading if I've told this story before...

When I first became a vegetarian 13 years ago (still eating fish), I didn't have any of the resource that are so widely available today. So I learned a lot through my mistakes (Clam Chowder has bacon in it! What?!). At first my only concern was not eating hunks of meat, today I'm much stricter and if something has even a little chicken stock in it I wont eat it.

I decided to become a vegetarian on New Years Eve (as a resolution!) in the middle of a family ski trip to Whistler. My last meal as a red meat eater was steak. I remember vividly on the drive home we stopped at McDonalds for breakfast, and it was a big deal that I got a pancake meal instead of an Egg McMuffin.

When I was right around 14 I decided to give up chicken. I don't really remember why, but I think I was just sick of eating so much chicken. When I was little I used to get sick with terrible stomach pains, and once I gave up meat those stomach aches were a thing of the past.

For the most part my family has always been very supportive of my decision. I think that in the beginning this was because they thought it was just a phase. And I am grateful for all of the times someone made me a special dish because they knew I wasn't eating the pork loin. 

That leads me into something interesting I've found... the backlash you sometimes get when you tell people that you are cutting out animal products. You would think that you were saying their baby was ugly or something. People get defensive and sometimes angry. It is one thing to give up red meat and chicken, but cheese?! I had to try not to get defensive myself, but it's difficult not to. I'm constantly confused as to why people take it so personally what I do and don't eat. I don't think I need to come up with some grand reasoning for my choice. I guess I get it, its different and different is scary... but honestly, I'm not trying to turn you into a vegan or a vegetarian. My choices are my own, I'm just doing what feels right for my body.... do what feels right for yours and we don't have to argue!

Anyways! I had a pretty rough time with food today, I may have eaten the better half of a bag of tortilla chips while at my grandma's house. I think part of this was because I haven't really wrapped my head around what I want to eat. How much sugar am I going to cut out? So dairy is out, but what if it is in something... like lets say a cookie? :) Eggs are back in... as is fish. So now I'm going to try to protein pack my diet and see how that feels. Only two servings a fruit a day?

I also looked at labels today and found that nothing I eat has cholesterol in it.... and half of the things I eat claim to lower cholesterol... sigh...

Blended oats with pumpkin! I didn't add any sweetener... It was just decent, I missed the sweetness that bananas or fruit gives to the mix! Lots of chia seeds and walnuts with the soy yogurt and soy milk (hooray for protein!).

I'm obsessed with salsa on top of salad! It makes it so much easy to skip all that chopping!
I buy a local brand from central market that has big chunks of onion, tomato and celery!
(Also those are Vegan tofukey beer brats! So yummy and packed with protein!) 

Tomorrow is the NFL draft! I'm going to a draft party! Anything football gets me excited!

A Naturopath.

This morning I wrote half of my post... all about my journey as a vegetarian and the 30 days of veganism, which I'll share tomorrow because a lot changed this afternoon after my Naturopath appointment that has me questioning whether I will continue on for the next 28 days.

I had an awesome run this morning, I was slow but steady for 4.5 miles. The sun was out and I didn't need gloves! It was glorious. But it does seem that anything over the 3.5 mark and my calves start to freak out....

This afternoon I had my appointment with the Naturopath. It was so interesting and such a different experience from a traditional doctor. We talked in his office instead of an exam room. He asked me questions about every aspect of my life. Before the appointment I had filled out a patient history sheet that we discussed. The first thing he wanted to discuss was me being vegan. At first he thought that I had been a meat eater last week and was just now deciding to cut everything out. It turns out that he is not a very big fan of the meatless diet. I explained that the not eating meat thing has been going on for the past 13 years and wasn't going to change. After looking at my last set of lab results from my old doctor he recommended that I keep eggs, butter and fish in my diet (apparently I have dangerously low cholesterol). Also, because I am putting the additional strain of training onto my body, I need way more protein and other vitamins and nutrients that you can't get from a plant source.

One of my biggest concerns that we discussed was my energy level, I am exhausted all of the time. He also found on my lab report that I have a low blood sugar level. Which at first I was thinking awesome! Does that mean I should eat more sugar?! It actually means the opposite, he recommended that I cut my fruit intake down to just 2 pieces of fruit a day and no sweet! oh man oh man.... The fruit is gonna be hard.

He then took a blood sample (my blood type is A) and will be testing for all sorts of things including a food allergy test! I am really interested to hear if I have any food sensitivities. So that was a very brief play-by-play of what we discussed, there was more and if anything doesn't make sense its because I'm ready for bed!

For now I am going to bring fish and eggs back into my life, continue not eating dairy, cut back my fruit, cut out sweets, and try to eat more protein. I'll know more in 4 weeks when the test results come back in.

So to answer your questions Lisa... is chocolate vegan? The answer.... Sometimes! Milk chocolate is obviously not, but most semisweet and dark varieties are. Things that may seem like they would contain dairy like cocoa butter, are actually vegan. Chocolate itself is actually a plant product. I'm still feeling sinful about eating it after the 40 days of lent...

Vegan Day 1.

Today is my first day without dairy, eggs and fish! After the weekend of food I had, I'm welcoming the change. After all that sugar yesterday and all the dairy on Friday, I felt terrible! I was so sluggish yesterday and had an awful nights sleep. Which led to me having a pretty lazy morning! I got nothing accomplished in my mess of a house! The weather turned from grey yesterday to continuous rain today, so I didn't get any sun energy! Today was also my first morning without coffee or black tea! Green tea still has a touch of caffeine, but nothing like what I'm used to! I'm hoping that this 30 day experiment will leave me feeling light and naturally energized. I predict that after the 30 days I will continue to eat a mostly vegan diet, but I don't see myself giving up dairy, eggs, and fish completely. They will probably be a rare occurrence. I'm looking forward to trying new foods and new baking techniques! I'm also excited to see if it will effect my stamina for running. Race day is coming up soon!

An update on weekly goals:
The only goal I completed was doing yoga twice! eekk!
I didn't swim (this is hard for me because I work so early there are only two days out of the week for me to do an AM swim and usually I want to sleep in on those days!)
Sleeping more and eating better portions is continuing to not really happen!
I am continuing walking to do errands or to work one day a week. The weather forecast for this week makes me nervous though!

This weeks goals:
Read a book.
Do more random acts of kindness.
Keep up with washing dishes and laundry.
Get more plants in pots!
Stick with my week 4 training schedule.

So what does a vegan eat? A lot actually. I don't think my eating changed very drastically....

Swapped Almond milk in my oats this morning!
Tasted exactly the same.

Lunch was an experiment! A successful one too!
Kale, Veggies, and lentil salad:
2 C Kale
3 Carrots Shredded using a potato peeler
Sprits of olive oil
1/2 C onion
1 green onion sprig
1 minced garlic clove
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 C cooked lentils
1 T sunflower seeds

Saute the onions and garlic in oil 2 min.
Add carrots cook for 2 minutes
Add kale and lentils.
Cook until the kale heats up but doesn't wilt.
Top with sunflower seeds and enjoy!

So many variations for this recipe...
Collard greens, leeks pretty much any veggies.
This was my first experiment with lentils and while they aren't as good as beans, I still liked them very much.

Tonight was Classics Night at the Lynwood Theatre!
Once a month the old time-ish theatre shows classic movies.
Tonight's show was Giant the 1956 epic (over 3 hrs! I've never experienced an intermission during a movie before!) starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean.
I had seen this movie before, but nothing compares to seeing it on the big screen!

Before the movie we met for dinner  next door  at the Tree House Cafe.
The big Vegan test... What to order when out to dinner?!
How about pizza?! Hold the cheese of course!
The waiter looked at me like I was nuts!
Carly and I split this veggie filled delight.
It was so light and tasty without the cheese, but I must admit that a part of me did miss it!

Girls night!
So much fun!

End of day one of being vegan and I don't feel any different! It was interesting having to ask what exactly was in each of the items I ate. Fun fact:  the theater uses sunflower seed oil to pop their popcorn!

Chocolate Overdose.

The nice weather we were blessed with over the last few days disappeared by this morning. Its a good thing you don't need sunshine to eat chocolate. Lent was officially over and the chocolate eating could have commenced yesterday, but since I had that slip up a week ago I still owed a day. And since tomorrow I begin my 30 vegan adventure... I basically ate enough chocolate to last the 70 days and then some!

On Friday as I left my house for a run, I got about a block away when I felt like I was missing something. My IPOD! I never run without it. I decided not to go back and test out running without it. It was such a great run! Instead of blaring my music and forgetting that I was running, I was completely involved in the run. I was very aware of my breathing and stride (also, has my knee always popped like that?!) my pace was much faster that normal. I ended up running 5K in 29 minutes (in March I during my St. Paddy's day run I did 3.1 miles in 32 minutes) I don't think I could always run without music, but it's good to know I can do it successfully! Today I was kinda sore from my hike yesterday so I only did a mini run, I think it is important to keep moving when you are feeling sore!

Today was all about CHOCOLATE! With a few side notes!

Lunch! I had some leftover pesto and decided to make an open faced sandwich.
One of the many things I love about Italians is their gift of pesto to the world!
This was a surprisingly delicious combo.

Yes, I'm 25 and still get an easter basket!
And its awesome!
Don't be jealous!
My two favorite things are Reese's eggs and cadbury chocolate mini eggs!
That giant reese's was awesome, but I like the little ones better... they have a better ratio of chocolate to peanut butter.

I was feeling the effect of all that sugar in my system so salad sounded good for dinner again!
Roaste veggies and salsa with cheddar broccoli risotto on the side! 

Remember how for my brother's birthday at the end of March my sister-in-law Carly made a Chocolate Chocolate cake?!
Well she froze a slice for me! So I got to enjoy it today! So chocolatey!

Well my 30 days of veganism begins tomorrow. I'm pretty excited! Especially after the gorge fest that happened this weekend! I need to cleanse my body!

Friday. Saturday. I love Sunshine!

I've been really frustrated with uploading photos the past two days! But I finally had some success! So sit back and enjoy the longest post ever!

Friday: Earth Day

I woke up and did some empty belly yoga! The only weekly goal I accomplished!
Yoga was followed by pumpkin oats!

Amazingly I remembered my grocery bags for earth day!
I stocked up on Vegan friendly goods!

Lunch was a gihugic salad.

Game night at my house means homemade personal pizzas!
I forgot that the dough has to rise...

So I made pesto!
A mix of basil, spinach, olive oil and pine nuts!

I also had enough time to use some of my butter and eggs that I'm trying to get rid of!

Half of the batch was just butterscotch chips and the other half had chocolate chips!

Finally the pizza dough was ready to be shaped up!
This was the weirdest recipe ever!
It called for me to brown the dough on the skillet before baking!

I love personal pizzas... so much crust!

The pesto was pretty darn good!

Good fun with good friends!

Saturday: Sunshine Day!

My old roomies! Betty and Jenna! Love these girls!
It was fun to have a sleepover! Just like old times!
They were willing to try chia seeds in their waffles!

The best waffle maker ever. Hands down.
It beeps when its hot and when the waffle is ready!
Just don't over fill....

Carly, Mom and I picked up our new foldable potting tables at the farmers market!

At 9 am it was already the perfect weather day!

The Gluten Free bakery was there!

Gluten Free Millet english muffins! 

Gluten filled delicious garlic bread!

After the farmers market I headed out to meet Nicole and Gary to hike Mt. Walker!

Prehike!

Summit!
Monthly hiking resolution still successful!

At the top we stopped for some snacks and some lounging in the sunshine!
Perfect day for a hike with such a great view!

Post hike I couldn't waste a moment of the beautiful weather!
I put my potting table to use... I didn't get much done, but some strawberries and blueberries are in dirt!

Dinner outside!
I'm the weird neighbor girl who takes photos of food!

Delicious salad!
Millet, shrimp, roasted veggies and a chunk of that garlic bread!

One Book Two Book

I'm having issues here! Photo uploading issues! Which means that sometime tomorrow I will post photos from the past two days (they were really good ones!).

For now.... how about some book reviews.... and a picture of my really cute nephew!

Book Update 09: City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

I don't get quite as excited these days when books come out that are in a series I've been reading. But I was still pretty excited when I learned that the fourth book in the 'Mortal Instruments' series had hit the shelves. This was the perfect opportunity for me to use my Nook to its full potential. I could care less to see the hardback version of this book on my bookshelf. I'm also getting used to using my Nook... the more I use it the more I like it! 

The biggest issue I've found with the Nook is not with hot it operates, but with the fact that my purse is now weighed down with almost everything expensive in my life! Cellphone, ipod (sometimes my ipod shuffle if I've been running), camera (sometimes 2) and now the Nook! The only thing missing is my laptop!

Back to the book....

I liked it. I didn't love it. When I read the first three I was OBSESSED! A lot of that obsession wore off in the year since I read them. I was glad that the author didn't decide to switch the focus of the books to a different character. All in all it was a quick enjoyable read. Nothing outstanding, but for fans of the series it is definitely worth your time.

Book Update 010: Twinkie, Deconstructed by Steve Ettlinger

Ok I'm tempted to not even count this as a book read because I put into action my Declaration of Reader Independence  and didn't finish it all. Mostly because I was bored. I like the premise, but there is really no way to describe every single ingredient in a twinkie and make it spellbinding. 

I probably would have read it all had the author not been so back-and-forth with his writing. I was never really sure if he was writing it to expose how awful some of the chemicals are or if he was just stating facts. The only people who will pick this book up are going to be the food-conscious-label-obsessed, so I think that is who he tries to bring in at first. The middle of the book is filled with facts that while interesting isn't going to keep me engaged right before bed. At the end of the book the author basically says, "yeah there is a bunch of crap in a twinkie... all those words you can't pronounce are chemicals.... but it's all the fault of the consumer anyways so take a bite and enjoy what you've demanded... because it is delicious." And I agree with most of that statement (it is our fault! We are lazy consumers!), but I guess I was unimpressed his lack of real commitment to any change. 

I'm not sure if that makes any sense, but lets just say that I am glad that this is a library book that I'll be bringing back... maybe next I'll read something by Michael Pollan.

Speaking of the library.... I met my goal to do yoga twice this week! But the video is still sitting in my car, late being returned!

Seven Star Day.

Today was such a great day. Could have been because of the sun. Could have been because I woke up and said my mantra: "Conquer it." Could have been because of my amazing breakfast. Could have been because of my amazing lunch. Could have been because Carly and Callen came to visit me on my lunch break. Could have been because I got news that one of my favorite former coworkers is coming back to work. Could have been because my mom and I took a trip to the nursery. Could have been because Spanish didn't feel too overwhelming. Could have been the Coronas I drank at Azteca after Spanish class.

I'm going to take a wild guess that it was all of these things combined!

There is nothing better than overnight oats in an almond butter jar.
Every taste is almondbutterlicious.
Such an amazing way to start the day!
And now I'm excited to pick out my next type!
This one was really good though.

That breakfast kept me satisfied for a long time....
I'm beginning to think that maybe, JUST MAYBE drinking coffee makes me more snacky?
I went without any java again today.
This was an amazing salad with an over easy egg, salsa, chickpeas and chopped carrots..
and some sourdough on the side! 

This is going to be my new go to pre-run snack. It has so much goodness in it!
No I didn't run today... lol I decided to take today as a rest day and run tomorrow instead!
Sprouted wheat bread (they don't use any flour... not sure how that works) PB, banana, chia, raisins and coconut on top!

I love going to the nursery and seeing all the different flowers!
Oh! the options!
Today we went to Valley Nursery, but we usually like to go to Clear Creek.
I got some soil, some flowers and some herb starts!
I sure hope this nice weather sticks around cause I want to plant them this weekend!

I love that they use these for their carts!

I need to keep reminding myself that they may be small now, but they'll grow bigger!

I'm off to sleep! Action packed day tomorrow.... I hope I can fit it all it!

Less Caffeine.

I didn't drink a drop of coffee today. Not one. I'm trying to become less dependent on caffeine. Right now I'm basically a cranky little demon without my morning cup. I'm planning on just lowering my intake. Lowering my morning amount from 2 cups (half a pot all before 6 am) to just 1 cup. Today I felt was a good day to stick with tea and for the most part I didn't feel the need for caffeine (until 4 pm) and now I feel very naturally tired. I'm still drinking mint green tea throughout the day which like pretty much all green tea isn't decaf.

I had a very lovely morning! Sometimes it is so nice to go into work late! I woke up to the sun and a delicious bowl of oats! Oats made on the stove are my favorite, I wish I had the time every morning to make them!

After breakfast I contemplated a run. The sun was out and I felt good and I had just enough time to fit in my scheduled training run before my PT appointment. It felt great to be running outside! It had been far too long since I had experienced a run outside that actually felt good; good weather, good energy, and only a little bit of leg pain. Only 2 miles... but I'm working my way back up!

I had a great PT appointment. I'm now working with Mike, who went to school in Bellingham! It is fun to reminisce about Bham.... mostly the food. He showed me a lot about my arches today. He showed me where my ankle should be when I plant my foot as opposed to where it actually is. He also showed me the wear on my running shoes. It was interesting to see how different the two feet are. Lots of work on my arches today.

Today was the perfect day to walk to work! I'm still trying to do this more... at least one day a week. I live close enough that I should do it everyday, but the weather has been so terrible and I usually have to rush somewhere right after work so I don't.

Today's food was a remix of yesterday.... except the oats. I had tacos for lunch... Just a little bit of brocguac left! And a Mediterraneanish mixed salad for dinner (chickpeas, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, and feta on top of spinach). I talked to my Dad today right after he had tried a slice of the Peanut Butter Banana Bread and he said it was pretty good but we both agreed that chunks of actual peanuts inside instead of the flax seed would be amazing... also, chocolate chips?!

I was really inspired by the sun and this bowl of oats....

So fluffy and delicious!

Bigelow Earl Grey is my second favorite source of caffeine. 

I'm getting sort of sick of the book I'm reading.... Way too much fact, I think I may be into a fiction faze once again.

Overnight oats in an almond butter jar and waiting for me! I think I better hit the hay and get a ton of sleep!