Marriages Made In Heaven
News all over Twitter is that there was a marriage made in heaven today for one blogger. Allow me to steal that and totally abuse it for thematic purposes.
I think it’s well documented that me and chocolate have a deep, deep love affair. Would you bet it’s so great that I was willing to run 5 miles down the road for a gluten-free brownie at 11am? The only problem was that the store opened at noon. Whoops! At least I got a good run out of the deal?
It’s great that raw veggies and Summer salads marry so easily because then I get the best of both worlds. I haven’t liked corn for the longest time, until I tried it raw today thanks to Lauren(who just rocked a Boston half-marathon!). Anyway, raw corn = amazing. It was like adding sugar to the salad and went so well with olives and olive cashew nut cheese. Yum!
Chocolate + Peanut butter. Yes. As much as I want to marry chocolate, I’ll allow it to have its mistress. This has to be one of my favorite ice creams. It’s so perfect, I don’t feel the need at all to try to make it myself. I will just bask in its c+pb perfection.
If I’m like a married person in anyway, it’s that I’m always over a hot stove. Today, I decided to make my own BBQ sauce! The recipe isn’t perfect or flavorful enough yet, so I’ll keep it in my pocket. But it’s so much fun to make your own condiments, I have to say, you should go out(or in) and try it!
Is polygamy legal? Because peanut butter totally has a thing going with local raw honey. As it should; Nothing beats the sweet + salty combo in my books. I ate that over a plain Chobani because really lacking on the protein as of late and that definitely helped to be a filler.
There was also an apple consumed before dinner. That is not invited to the wedding. At all. The last few apples I’ve had have just been way too sub-par. I think we need a “break” like Ross and Rachel.
Everything came together perfect for dinner. It was a symphony of tofu marinated in BBQ sauce and grilled along with some salty sweet potato fries. The onions that were in the sauce got strained out but rather than throw them away, I used them as a topping. Brilliant! They were oh-so flavorful. Have I mentioned how much I love onions as of late? I think that’s another (stinky-breath) marriage right there.
Sweet or salty? Even with my abundant love for chocolate and ice cream, I simply couldn’t live without salty food(hello, Indian cuisine!). That’s probably why I’d sooner opt for a bottle of soy sauce than BBQ sauce. I know they make reduced sodium; do they make enhanced sodium?
That’s The Last Time I’ll Ever…
Eat “real food” for breakfast because I’m not craving oatmeal or yogurt. The fact is, I just love my sweet and hot carbs first thing, and if I’m not craving it at first I’ll be craving it 30 minutes later.
Vegan Chocolate Fudge
After yesterday, no more eating fudge straight from the pan with a spoon. Does that ever lead down the road somewhere good? I don’t think so.
9 Miles
My run was full of lessons and “lasts”. From now on, I won’t push off a workout to better fit my snack schedule, run without proper form, or be so unprepared for running in the heat. I think all of those things go without question. But the biggest mistake of all would have been not finishing what I started when I could, so I wrapped up at the 9 miles I planned.
Oh, and I’ll never run again without praying Sex Bomb comes on itunes shuffle because that’s just too funny.
Plain Chobani With Local Raw Honey
I will never go a day without eating some local raw honey. It’s new to me, but I’d swear by it. Expect a health post soon about why it’s so good and why I love it so much.
I’m pretty sure the last time I abused my grandmother for a ride to the grocery store I said I wouldn’t do it again. Whoops. To be fair, she abused me to pump her gas for her, so really it was a win-win situation today.
Raw Whole Milk, Oatmeal With Chocolate Peanut Butter And Peanuts
Now I can’t say I don’t drink milk anymore. I honestly do not remember the last time I drank a glass of milk. Over the past 10 years, the closest thing I’ve had is Silk Nog. In my family, no one drank milk; you put it in your coffee and tea. That’s probably because all we ever have around is crappy Garelick 1%, which–let’s face it–might as well be water. Well, apparently now I do drink raw, whole milk from local, grass-fed cows along with a bowl of oatmeal and Justin’s chocolate peanut butter. Sometimes.
Oatmeal With Cookie Dough Peanut Butter
I’ve bought chocolate chip cookie dough peanut butter for the last time. Why? Well, besides the fact that the company no longer exists, my recipe is much more cleaner and it’s so much more fun to make your own food. Don’t you think?
Clearly, if I eat vegetables and meat at breakfast, I take that as license to eat oats and yogurt all day. Hopefully, that won’t be on the menu for tonight, which should be done Italiana style.
What have you recently sworn off? After today’s Oprah, I think she needs to hang up her music career. But she’s definitely rich enough to do what she wants in my mind.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 12 so far )Too Much Nature For Me
Sometimes, I have to look at how my post makes me seem and laugh; I swear I’m not too crunchy granola, really 😉 I do have limits to my love of nature. Bloggers, do you feel like your blog persona is never the true you?
Vegan Peanut Butter Fudge
I snacked on vegan peanut butter fudge before my run. Not only was I nervous about the thought of a 14-miler after 3 days of not running, but to make things work I looked out my window and say a big, black ball in my draveway. It turned out to be a wild turkey, and this one looked mean 
He left and soon enough I was off.
14 Miles
The highlight of the run, by far, was running past a beautiful, big brown cow who looked straight at me going by. The decaying possum on the side of the road I had to pass twice? Yeah, not so much. Oh, and the joy of everything was just finishing!
Raw Salad With Cherry Tomatoes And Olive Cashew Cheese, Multigrain FTSG Chips
Since raw food takes no cooking, why not have a raw meal for quick post-run recovery? I mad a simple salad with arugula, spinach, basil, and olive oil, and tossed grape tomatoes in sea salt and black pepper.
Raw Olive Cashew Cheese
We bought this cheese on this occasion at Grezzo’s and I finally dethawed it. Wow, is it delicious! It doesn’t really remind me of cheese, or cashews. It’s so unique. And somehow I insist I’m not that crunchy granola 😉
Red Delicious Apple
Dessert was an apple, and then I was off!
Wolf Hill Farm
Raw Local Honey
I went down to the local farm to get more honey. Apparently, I can go through almost a pound of honey a week–who knew?! I love supporting a local farmer, but… I really wish the middle aged woman running it would buy a support bra with all that support I’m giving. Now she is that crunchy granola.
Plain Chobani With Honey And Crunchy PB
This afternoon snack was a no-brainer: yogurt with honey and peanut butter. So good! It helps to mask that plain favor I despise so much. Have you seen the new blue containers? I think I dig them more than the pink, but it’ll take some getting used to.
Coconut Ice Cream With Crunchy PB
And before dinner I polished off a coconut coconut milk ice cream to make room in the freezer. Adding peanut butter to ice cream is never as good than ice cream with peanut butter already in it. I think it needs a little extra sweetness.
Black Beans With Daiya, Peppered Potato Wedges With Caramelized Onions
Dinner was a lot of carbs with a new recipe! I’ll be posting it Saturday night, so potato fans keep an eye out 😉 I have just come to love the white potato over the past few weeks. Maybe I was Irish in a past life? The only thing that disgust me is cleaning the potato itself, especially once it’s started to grow stars. Ew, ew, ew! Too much nature for me.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 12 so far )Mother’s Day Brunch On Broadway
Happy Mothers Day! I have been loving today; it’s felt like my own very holiday even though I’ll never be a mom(and I’m OK with that)! And I think everyone else, including my own mom, has enjoyed it as well 😉
8 Miles 69:03
I ran a well-paced 8 miles while watching the newest Dr. Who(This episode freaked me out! for anyone else likewise addicted). I wanted to push it to 10 or even 12, but I just new my legs would appreciate me so much more if I didn’t, so I saved those miles for a rainy day.
Blueberry Chobani With Sprouted Almond Butter
I had some time before my family would arrive so I refueled with a blueberry Chobani and Better Than Roasted sprouted almond butter. Blueberry and almond is such a magnificent combination!
Better Than Roasted Sprouted Almond Butter
I couldn’t help myself from finishing off the almond butter jar(it was a small one) when my parents were running late. I’ve never made this parallel before in my mind, but isn’t nut butter straight from the jar like a vegan’s form of turkey jerky from a bag? I think so. Once everyone did arrive, we set off to this place for lunch:
Nick's On Broadway
Despite being in Providence almost a year, I haven’t been able to get myself to Nick’s On Broadway until today. It was highly recommended by Heather and Sabrina and was voted in the top 59 breakfast places in America! Even though the wait was an hour, I had a feeling it would be well worth it for Mother’s day brunch.
Open Kitchen
We watched the chefs in the open kitchen while we waited, and the smell of homefries, eggs, and toast with butter was absolutely intoxicating. We got a table earlier than expected and someone wasted no time:
Drinks Galore
That would be my grandmother with both a sangria and a bloody mary in front of her. She actually ended up with neither and drinking a decaf coffee instead, but I thought the photo was funny 😉 I sipped the bloody mary and even though I have nothing to compare it to I have to say it was really really good, and that’s from someone who hates horseradish. My one complaint was that the decaf coffee, which I did have, wasn’t terribly hot at all. I was so excited for my meal.
Local Hereford Beef
Homefries
I ordered a local cut of beef with a side of homefries. Between Providence and the Garden Grill Cafe, I’ve grown a love for homefries and had to try Nick’s; they were deliciously and not overly oily at all while still being crisp and delicious.
Local Hereford Beef
The beef was perfectly cooked and seasoned, with a nice herby crust and a rare center. I love the emphasis on local, which is something I’ve found a lot of in Providence. It’s easy to want to eat from within your own state when it’s the smallest in the country 😉 On the way out the head chef, Derek, wished us well and a happy Mother’s day, which I thought was a great, personal touch. Overall I had a fantastic time at Nick’s and can’t wait to go back again.
Whole Foods Bag
We did some grocery shopping and I had a HUGE craving for what was in the bag. Can you guess what it might have been?
Sweet Scoops Madagascar Vanilla Frozen Yogurt
Ice cream! The real, dairy deal. No coconut milk would have sufficed for me, and this was so good. It tasted like straight up vanilla extract, which I know a certain blogger would appreciate if she could tolerate dairy.
Microwave Vegan Chocolate Fudge
And now for my dessert-dessert, I’m eating the last piece of microwave vegan chocolate fudge. This would be such a sadder moment if I didn’t also pick up earth balance and have something in the fridge cooling at this very moment 😉 Check back tomorrow for a new and delicious recipe! And now I need to get back to Leap Year; I have 3 hours before it expires which worries me even though it’s only 90 minutes long.
What do you order at brunch? I don’t usually crave eggs. And as much as I love the smell of toast I cant tolerate the gluten. But one thing my brunch has to have is homefries. I’m awful at making them myself and, when they’re done right, I could eat them as my main course!
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 18 so far )Waiting On Chickpeas And What The Internet Knows…
I’m glad you all seem to love fudge almost as much as I do
Could I resist having a piece this morning after photographing it? Not a chance. That does not bode well for how long this will last in my freezer. At least it’s raw, and the coconut oil gave me good energy for a run.
10 Miles In 90:16
Maybe that’s a lie, too. This run was a little slower than I’ve been able to do recently. My left foot hurt and I suspect it’s because there’s so little arch support. These shoes seriously have 2000-3000 miles on them, and I really need a new pair 😦 Perhaps after the half-marathon this Sunday. Besides that, I was entertained by the new Dr. Who and pushed past that.
Blueberry Chobani With Sprouted Almond Butter
Instead of regular class, I had an earlier museum tour today. I didn’t have enough time between running and that for a proper lunch, but it’s always important to fuel, so I threw some Better Than Roasted Sprouted Almond Butter and sea salt on a blueberry Chobani; I love the blueberry/almond flavor combo.
Ancient Egyptian Mummy
The museum tour was pretty interesting; the RISD art museum is famous and somewhere I’d really like to spend more time if I get the chance. As is, we just had 40 minutes to go through a few rooms and get lectured on ancient artifacts.
Tumeric Spiced Carrot Cake Chickpea Salad With Toasted Walnuts, Gingerade Kombucha
Tumeric Spiced Carrot Cake Chickpea Salad With Toasted Walnuts
I was so excited for this salad when I got back. I’ve been toying around with the thought of carrot cake chickpeas in my mind for a while now, and this was a spicy twist on that. In the mix was
- 1 cup chickpeas
- 2 tablespoon chickpea water
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- shredded carrots
- organic hunza raisins
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon tumeric
- sea salt
I took the extra 5 minutes to go down stairs and toast some walnuts in a pan, too. If you have the time, you really should toast your nuts. The flavors here were all incredible and I loved it! This’ll definitely be a new salad recipe to keep in mind for the future. On the side and in my next class I sipped on a Gingerade Kombucha.
Vanilla Bean Purely Decadent And White Chocolate Cranberry Giovanni Gelato
Vanilla Bean Purely Decadent And White Chocolate Cranberry Giovanni Gelato
Even though the weather is crappy and cold, I can still crave ice cream; I can always crave ice cream. In accordance with project cleanout, I knocked down both of these pints, neither of which had a real serving left. I think the combination of a coconut/vanilla flavor with white chocolate was bliss. Could someone make a vegan white chocolate ice cream next, maybe? I’d buy. That was all in prep for dinner.
Grass-Fed Burger And Sweet Potato Chunks
It wouldn’t be a Wednesday night in this house dorm without sweet potatoes and a burger. How long has it been since I’ve had sweet potatoes? 4 days? That’s too long. This meat also tasted nice and fresh since we just got it Monday and I hadn’t unsealed the pack yet–yum!
I always find it funny seeing what website my internet thinks I want to go to just when I type in the first letter. Some of them are dead on; others I can’t fathom what it’s thinking. I thought I’d post them all here for a laugh and encourage any other bloggers to do the same.
B- Brown.edu
D- Database Library(Brown)
G- Google.com
I- iHerb.com
J- JPLicks.com
O- Nothing
P- Pokemon.com
T- Tinyurl.com
U- Ulimana.com
V- Vivani.de
X- Xagave.com
Y- Youtube.com
Z- Zingbars.com
Anyone care to post this on their blog for themself?
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 18 so far )The Foods I Crave
I’m a big fan of “eat what you crave”. I truly think cravings can be a way for your body to tell you something that you need. I also tend to crave really yummy things and might just use that as an excuse to eat them more often. Take your pick.
Grass-Fed Burger, Maple Tofu, Spinach With Sassy Hemp Oil Dressing
Today for lunch I craved a juicy piece of red meat. I do think I crave meat when my body wants proteins or specific vitamins at times but I would never assert that you need to eat meat or even dairy to get those. I think you can be completely adequately fueled and nourished whatever your diet may be so long as you pay a little more closer attention to what you might be missing. On the side I had some maple tofu, not really because I was craving it but it was Easter leftovers. I have craved tofu at times before; that’s always a fun and unexpected craving 😀
Cashew Almond Pranabar
I think my lunch needed more veggies because it wasn’t very filling Happily, I broke in to the cashew almond Pranabar I packed. Even if it wasn’t what I was craving, this was good! I never would have guessed from the packaging it would be so chunky and nutty. I love that it’s mostly raw with living enzymes; and the nuts are chunky and delicious 🙂 I definitely can’t wait to try more Pranabar flavors; I might even start to crave them.
Strawberry Chobani
What I was craving was a strawberry Chobani. My friend, Alex, ate one in our 1pm class and for the next 3 hours I couldn’t get my mind of the smell of sweet strawberries and the Summer air *swoon*. This did not disappoint, but it was a little too tiny to really fill me up before dinner.
Dining-Hall Apple
If I ever do crave an apple, it’s a nice, fresh, crisp red delicious, and not this slightly bruised one that I had at hand. That being said, I go with what’s free and convenient. Did you know vegans can get all their Vitamin B12–something normally found in animal proteins–through the decay and bacteria on fruits and vegetables? I guess this was insurance if this burger didn’t have enough :-/…
Chickpea And Cheddar Salad With Maple Syrup And Maple Glazed Nuts
Chickpea And Cheddar Salad With Maple Syrup And Maple Glazed Nuts
And I absolutely crave chickpeas; I could eat them for every meal, and I know I’m not the only one. They’re like little nuggets of vegan joy. Besides those, I don’t normally crave cheese but I do enjoy it(and love the bloggers who do crave it) and Next Generation Dairy makes a fine raw cheddar cheese. I topped off the salad with some Tierra Farm‘s maple glazed nuts and sea salt. Fun fact: I’m convinced if I ever start craving canned tuna, it means my sodium level is low. I’m also sipping a root beer Zevia with dinner, for anyone who cares; it’s my first stevia sweetened beverage of the day and after no coffee or tea I was craving something other than water.
What are you craving right now? Personally, I could go for some coconut milk hearing Heather talk about it so much lately. And I haven’t had my healthy ounce of dark chocolate yet today. Hmm… decisions, decisions. If you crave Greek yogurt, you’re in luck with this Oikos giveaway!
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 21 so far )I Can’t Pass Those Bars
I’ll never be a lawyer, so I don’t have to worry about passing this bar.
And it will be a while until I can get into this kind of bar. But there’s another kind that if I were a cowboy I’d say I just can’t quit…
Alter-Eco Dark Chocolate Mint
Chocolate bars, of course! This bar from Alter-Eco was another one I the Easter Bunny grabbed or my basket; it was on a recommendation from a friend, and since I hadn’t yet found a dark chocolate mint bar I liked I thought it was worth the shot…
Alter Eco Dark Chocolate Mint Bar
Good choice, Mr. Bunny! This bar in a matter of minutes became one of my favorites. I don’t know where to start; the flavor was perfectly minty; the raw sugar added an amazing subtle crunch to it. It was just perfection! I had to review this one here, if only to remind myself one day of how much I loved it.
Crofter's Europe Spread And Justin's Chocolate Almond Butter
I also had(while watching The Biggest Loser, no less), a bowl of oatmeal. Since oats are all about the toppings, I picked out two winners here between Justin’s Chocolate Almond Butter and Crofter’s Europe Superfruit Spread
Oatmeal With Chocolate Almond Butter And Crofter's Europe Spread
Suuuh-weet. I forgot how good warm jam on oatmeal can be; it doesn’t sound appetizing, but it’s yum! And the sweetness of both of these spreads was unreal. I guess you can never go wrong with 2 good things.
You would think sleeping in would be a good thing, too; but I’ve never felt more behind than this morning 😦 It’s almost 10, and I haven’t run, gotten all the work done for today or tomorrow, and am just now finishing off this breakfast.
Oats With Mighty Maple, Pomegranate Chobani With Ambrosia Granola And Dark Chocolate
Pomegranate Chobani With Ambrosia Granola And Dark Chocolate
On a simple oatmeal/oatbran blend I added a scoop of Mighty Maple. What was much more interesting was the pomegranate yogurt topped with Nuts About Granola‘s Ambrosia granola. The flavors of this unique “granola of the Gods” are pomegranate, mango, and walnut. I loved the flavors from mango and cinnamon, which really made these feel both earthy and godly. It was also great to read how a lot of the ingredients were local to the company; touches like that are so inspiring. You can click on this link to read my review. And again, I couldn’t pass up this bar; I figure if I’m going to be stressed out it might as well be with chocolate in hand…
What time do you wake up? And when do you run? And how does it all fit together? I’m very curious, clearly. There are only so many hours in the day, unfortunately, and today mine will not be spent in the kitchen, but luckily I have enough leftovers/fast foods to make that not an issue
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 21 so far )Oops, Was I Supposed To Fast?
I’m 110% distracted by my breakfast and reading the closed captioning on the Today Show right now, so if this has a bazillian typos, that would be why.
Chococonut Nature's Path Chewy Granola Bar
Nature’s Path sent me a few of their granola bars to try and this one had been freakin’ call my name: chocolate and coconut? Yes please! This bar was super sweet–like a candy bar. I’m surprised it actually had more whole grains than sugar, too; that’s a plus. But it wasn’t very “coconutty” even if the chocolate was pretty amazing. If you want to avoid the Quaker Oats bars and have your kid not know the difference, the Nature’s Path ones are brilliant. Otherwise, I think there are better and more nutritious bars.
Pumpkin Oats With Mighty Maple, Maple Cashews, And Maple Butter
2 things were amazing last night: Grey’s Anatomy and this bowl of oatmeal. And neither of them were very pretty, either. But I assure you the combination of mighty maple, whole roasted cashews, and gritty/sweet maple butter was a little bit of heaven. It was weird not having my pumpkin oats salty; I don’t know if I liked that part. But otherwise this was divine chocolate.
I started watching The Marriage Ref with Kirstie Alley, Jimmy Fallon, and Sheryl Crow last night; to my great surprise, they were actually pretty funny! But I was beat, so I turned in early and was asleep probably by 10:30. Glorious.
For breakfast, I wanted a big slice of German’s Chocolate Cake. Not happening? I can do better.
Coconut Milk Oatmeal With Dried Cherries, Chocolate Cherry Greek Yogurt
Coconut Milk Oatmeal With Dried Cherries
After making this, I remember hearing that you’re supposed to fast on Good Friday and have 1 “meal”. 1 meal?! I have like 5 or 6 a day. If I ate 1, I don’t know how I’d function; even if I took a rest day, my hunger would be haywire. Then it occurred to me that I’ve never actually fasted on good Friday or any other day. No one enforced it in my house, so why start now? Have you/do you fast? Or how do you fast?!
Besides that, the breakfast was amazing; could it even be called a breakfast without Green & Black’s chocolate? Clearly not. In a plain Chobani went cherry butter and a little sweetener. I think that’s why I like plain yogurts the best: You can doctor them up however you want. And I’m still working on that can of coconut milk I opened a while ago, which tastes just as fresh; coconut milk on oatmeal makes it incredibly rich and satisfying. For me, a “German’s Chocolate Cake”, even though it gets its name because of German’s Brand Chocolate, entails chocolate, coconut, and cherry. But apparently it isn’t those flavors for everyone! So what makes a “German Chocolate Cake” to you?
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 15 so far )The Birthday Day
First of all, thank you. For everything. I haven’t had time to say that enough between the half marathon and my birthday, so I wanted to get that out from the start. These past two days have been hectic but I panned them that way after all and so thank you for all your well wishes. Over the past two days, 1) my official time and place was announced as 1:42:10 and 36, 2) Megan wrote this article which I really enjoyed pausing to take the time to read and I think you might as well, and 3) my Wellness giveaway is still running so get your entries in!.
Pumpkin Oatmeal With Butter Toffee PB, Vanilla Cake Chobani With Milk Choc Peanuts
Vanilla Cake Chobani With Milk Chocolate Peanuts
For breakfast I had plain ol’ pumpkin oatmeal with butter toffee peanut butter, which we’re running out of here and at my dorm so clearly it’s time to reorder Naturally Nutty. I sweetened a plain Chobani with 1/2 a serving Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free vanilla cake mix for something really yummy. On top were also one of my favorites–milk chocolate peanuts–making this definitely one special birthday breakfast.
Spelt Banana Goodness Bread
Since it was raining, I took the chance to do something I haven’t done in over 4 weeks: bake! Runners gotta run and bakers gotta bake. Since going low-gluten, I’ve discovered that one of the wheats I can tolerate is spelt. Spelt is an ancient, non-hybrid grain whose gluten is generally accepted better. Hearing that, I whipped up one of my favorite recipes, the banana goodness bread. A good bread has plenty of brown sugar on top to turn into a crust 🙂
Honey Baked Tofu
I decided to do a “practice” for something to make for Easter Sunday and try baking a tofu “ham” with honey and cloves. The result was OK, but it really didn’t come out like I was thinking it would, and I much prefer maple anyway. Who needs to stick to tradition?
Honey Pineapple Soyaki Tofu And Asparagus
Spelt Banana Goodness Bread
The honey with some soyaki Trader Joe sauce was actually really good and made it taste a little “tropical”; it reminded me of the Wildwood tofu I reviewed a while ago. For a vegetable, there was asparagus. And because bread tastes freshest, I had a slice of banana goodness bread made with spelt, chocolate chips, and hemp seeds(!!). The hemp added a great subtle nuttiness to it that I preferred to the flax.
Apple
Even though I wasn’t running, I felt like I could eat and eat and eat. This apple came while I was cleaning up dirty dishes and waiting for my next baked good to cook…
Gluten-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies
You all didn’t think I posted that recipe last night for no reason, did you? I made a batch of gluten free chocolate brownies done peanut butter style. I had such difficulty finding the black beans, wondering why they weren’t with the baking items?! I definitely had no patience, ended up cutting into them way too early, and making 1/4 of the pan turn into crumbs. Nevertheless, I got my slice.
Gluten-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie With Chocolate Chip Coconut Milk Ice Cream
Brownie a la mode, anyone? I’ve actually never understood the combination of cold ice cream and warm brownie–until yesterday that is. It’s not that you want the contrast between the two, you just want brownies and ice cream and so take both 🙂 This was So Delicious, pun intended, but not terribly filling. Why not have more?
Coconut Milk Vanilla Yogurt With Gluten-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie
Did you know the same amount of So Delicious ice cream and yogurt has just about the same amount of sugar? In fact, a lot of flavored yogurts are just as sugary as some ice cream brands. Maybe I should have just had the ice cream, lol. At least this had probiotics. And after this grand afternoon snack I was filled well for dinner, which we ate at Tomasso.
Grilled Local Chicken, Sage Roasted Fingerlings, Broccoli Rabe
Holy yum, a dinner I didn’t have to cook! At first, I was a little disappointed the prezzo fisso menu wasn’t that appealing nor were the specials; I ended up ordering(for the first time, too, probably) just off the everyday menu local Misty Knoll chicken, roasted potatoes, and broccoli rabe. Let me tell you, the chicken and potatoes were to die for. Seriously, I have a little for leftovers and can’t wait to have them. I don’t think I’ve eaten local chicken before, either! So it was special after all.
Raw Vegan Brownies
When we got home I whipped, err, processed up dessert. I made a batch of raw vegan brownies using sunflower and hulled hemp seeds; I love that a raw recipe can be so no-fuss and still taste great and exotic! I made a quick and raw coconut milk frosting using about 2 parts coconut milk and agave to 1 part cocoa powder.
Raw Vegan Brownie With Raw Chocolate Frosting, So Delicious Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Coconut Milk Ice Cream
Brownie a la mode was definitely the theme of the day 😉 The chocolate peanut butter swirl ice cream never gets old; it’s just pure magic, and such a fine, natural replacement for my old Turkey Hill addiction. And anything with frosting never disappoints 😉
Raw Vegan Brownie
I snagged one last brownie, because, ya’ know, they’re best when they’re freshest out of the food processor. They’re also little sugar bombs, which is probably why I was up 2 hours later, but I got to sleep… eventually. All in all, it was a great great day, and that’s coming from someone who has a tendency to inflate the importance of things and create impossible expectations. I drank too many cups of decaf coffee to count, ate a lot of sugar, and couldn’t get out for a run because of the constant deluge here in New England, and I’m OK with all of that because that’s what special days are for.
I can’t believe all the Facebook notifications in my mailbox right now; did it have to send one everytime someone posted on my wall? Now I have the morning to deal with that. I’ve also decided I’m going to try to go low/no added sugar today and without sweetened beverages; after yesterday, my palate is just begging to taste something other than sweet. I managed to keep my breakfast “clean”, but I’ll save that for the next post. In the meantime, here are giveaways for a refrigerator makeover, my favorite brand chocolate, gluten-free goodies, a gluten free cheesecake giveaway, and one for coconut oil.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 27 so far )Race For The Border Half Marathon Recap
In short, I survived! And with all my toes and fingers, too 😉
Vanilla Soy Yogurt With Mini PB Cups
Pumpkin Oatmeal With Mighty Maple, Maple Cashew Butter, And Maple Butter
The night before was filled with carbs, of course. I meant of went a little overboard with the maple-flavored goods, but how could someone not? I love the duo of mighty maple and maple cashew butter with some New Hampshire maple butter. Mmmm. I also had a reunion with the Food Network; after 4 weeks of 20 channels, being at home with my DVR was heavenly until I had to get a good night’s sleep for the race.
Nature's Path Peanut Energy Bar With Butter Toffee And Peanuts, Pomegranate Yogurt With Organic Dark Chocolate
Nature's Path Peanut Energy Bar With Butter Toffee And Peanuts
The run itself started by the New Hampshire/Maine coast border, which was a good 90 minutes away. We left bright and early and I had a breakfast to eat in the car. I mist have been nervous because I didn’t even want oatmeal; I needed something with some crunch! I smothered a Nature’s Path peanut butter energy bar with butter toffee peanut butter and roasted peanuts. Holy peanut power, Batman. That’s fuel! And of course there was plenty of anti-oxidant rich organic dark chocolate on a pomegranate Chobani.
Waiting To Start
If there’s one thing you can’t control, it’s the weather in New England. Today, it was below 40 with a strong coastal wind, too. In line for the bathroom, the man behind me said I was “brave” for just having basketball shorts on. I didn’t want to admit it to him but I don’t own running tights and my shoes have been the same pair since July. Whoops!
Organic Jolly Beans
My pre-run fuel was some of these runner’s magic bites. I also had about another 1/2 a handful while waiting to start. If you’re going to boredom eat jelly beans, it might as well be right before a big run, right?
Race Recap
So we’re all on the same page, this was my longest outdoor run yet. My previous outdoor distance PR was 11.25. On the treadmill, I’ve ran 17 miles, and had a half-marathon time record of 1:46:28. That was all the past. My goal for this was sub 1:40.
Miles 1-3: I started off with “the runner’s high” and was really enjoying myself, listening to country music and practically dancing along. I passed a lot of people in this time, and it felt great to be going so fast. I also decided not to look at my pace ever; my time goal seemed lofty, and like if I pushed for it I’d burn out.
Miles 3-5: I really enjoyed the scenery. We were on the New Hampshire Hampton coast, so there was plenty to look at. I couldn’t imagine how many millions of dollars those houses were worth. This was also difficult because the entire run practically was against the wind.
Miles 6-9:
Miles 10-11: My left leg first started hurting around here. At 11.5, I could feel soreness in both of my legs. I started to think about it, and it made a lot of sense; why wouldn’t my legs hurt then when it’s the farthest on terrain they’ve ever run?
Miles 12-13.1: I kicked it in gear, gave it what I had left, and pushed for a good time. The endline was confusing, cars were driving in between me and the finish line, and it wasn’t even really made clear where that was That sour not aside, I tried to finish with a smile.
After The Finish Line
Alright, really I was thinking “Can we get in the car and turn on the heat?!” I still haven’t gotten an “official” time, but here’s what my Garmin had:
Garmin Stats
Whoopee! It wasn’t the 1:3X I was hoping for, but I couldn’t complain with the winds being what they were. That was still a huge distance and time PR, and in some of the worse conditions. I’m very happy with all of that… for now.
Lemon Pie Larabar
I did make one very big rookie mistake. I overlooked the time when I’d need to refuel. I did not realize that this half-marathon was 90 minutes away in virtually a black hole. The only restaurants we could find clearly did not have ethical meat or even vegetarian options besides pasta, which would not work when avoiding gluten. And so I had a lemon pie Larabar to hold me over until we got back to my hometown. It gave me plenty of time to think about how much better I could be at refueling. We all need to learn our lessons somehow, right?
Chipotle Menu
Near home,w e stopped at Chipotle, which I heard was very eco-friendly after watching the CEO on Oprah. It may be eco-friendly, but I thought the options were really limited. No brown rice? What’s up with that? They didn’t even have fresh tomatoes… I just got what I could and then added more when we got home.
Black Bean And Sweet Potato Mexican Salad
On top of lettuce was all the black beans/salsa/peppers from my burrito bowl, 1/2 a sweet potato I microwaved with salsa, and the leftover black beans from last night with a dollop of Chipotle’s guacamole. My mouth was on fire after this! Even if their options aren’t great, at least what Chipotle does have is pretty tasty. And at this point, I think we were all pretty hungry, so there was no judging shoveling Mexican food into our mouths while standing up.
Sweet Potato And Salt
After a much needed hot shower, no one wanted this sweet potato, so I’ll take it! When these are nice and soft, they’re pretty much candy to me. They taste a lot better roasted but who has 90 minutes to think about how their sweet potato will taste?
Ginger Root Beer Zevia
And since I’ve been writing this, I chugged my favorite flavor of Zevia. I don’t know why I didn’t think about this earlier. All in all, my first race was an excellent experience, and there will be more 🙂 I just need time to recoup while the weather realizes how hot it should be in March, almost April.
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