BulletProof

Today was a kick ass take no shit type of day. Seriously. I ran. I biked. I yogi. I worked. I broke up with a mean friend. I loved. I laughed And I took prisoners. I felt bulletproof...nothing could stop me today. I like these kind of days. You know when you feel victory.

I owe it to the RaInBoW sUpReMe Smoothie:

1 whole banana 110 calories

2 cups spinach 14 calories

2 TBS flax

1/4 cup blueberries 20 calories

3 TBS Strawberry applesauce 30 calories

1 dollop greek yogurt 25 calories

splash of mango juice 20 calories

1 scoop vanilla protein powder 125 calories

equals 339ish calories

Blend all ingredients in blender for at least a minute then add ice (crush for 10 seconds) and blend for another 30 seconds. Delish! So refreshing and rejuvenating....

Smoothie to go...wrap in a towel to keep cool. I didn't drink this until 10:30 (made at 5:20); it was still cold and smooth. Best with colourful straw.

Lunch bag...


Contents include RaInBoW sUpReMe Smoothie (339 calories), phyllo tofu wrap (350 calories), two apples (110 each = 220 calories). I put the goods into my backpack and ran to work.


4.5 miles later I arrived at the office. Thankfully my office has a shower. My gym is also just a block away so I can shower there too, but the office shower worked well for me today. I sat at my desk at 7:25 ready for work with a cup of Tazo tea.


After a very full day, I finally arrived home around 7:25 and my man had cooked dinner. I was thinking all day that I was going to make a stir fry...this kind of constitutes as stir fry...not really. Spinach, peas and feta cheese over half a bagel. I devoured this and then went for a little greek yogurt with Kashi heart to heart cereal stirred in

It is now 8:35 and this superwomyn is ready for bed. I wonder what makes you feel bulletproof?

Life is a battlefield

First day back to work after ten days off...*Big Sigh*

There are days when everyone wants a piece of you...your leg, your arm, your eyes, your heart (not literally, but it feels like it). These days deflate my spirit and deplete my energy. You have two options during these days: Number 1 - Accept it and fall victim to helplessness OR Number 2 - Say F**K it and take care of yourself. To be honest I chose option Number 1 for most of the day until I realized that this victim thing wasn't working for me and took an afternoon break for the gym. It felt good to work it out on the StairMaster.

My day started at 5:00 AM. I was so tired that I didn't workout. I just showered and then took to little projects around the house which made me late for work. For breakfast I made Flax and Oat Power Muffins which I found on Oh She Glows blog. These are hearty yet moist. The perfect combination.
1 ripened banana
2 TBS olive oil
1 organic egg
1/4 cup non packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flax see
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oats
1.2 tsp baking soda
Mix and bake at 350* for 15 minutes - makes 6 power muffins.

I finally made it to my desk at 7:10 and found 39 messages for my enjoyment (I dare to tell you how many emails I walked into). I thought I was ready for this day except for I just kept tripping and running in to things. I have turned clumsy. Oh, did I tell you that I broke my toe. Maybe not broke, but I certainly sprained it. Last night I was fervently skipping into the garage to get food for the chickens and BAM, hit my toes into the vacuum cleaner. I screamed some colourful words, finished my mission and then sat to whimper for awhile. This morning one toe is still in pain, red and a little swollen *insert sad face* Anyways today demanded my full attention, but I only felt at 60%. I blame it on a few components 1) forgot to do my castor oil rub last night so my belly was bloated today 2) forgot to take vitamin b 3) Lost my bottle of probiotics 4) didn't exercise before work 5) first day back after 10 days off. It was good to see everyone though. My coworkers make my job awesome. Anyways, when I don't feel stellar I always believe food will make me feel better so I snacked on Yogi Granola Crisps throughout the day and drank a whole lota water.

For lunch I had a cucumber wrap with sprouts, hummus and cream cheese. Super lite and scrumptious. At around 2:00 I finally pulled myself out of my pity party and walked to the gym. I did 45 minutes on the stairmaster thingy. It felt perfect - was truly what I needed. It made the day fly by. I then had a conversation with my sister on the way home regarding life's trials as I was complaining about a neighbor dispute that I won't go into here. Anyways, my sister asked when does life get easy? My first thought is that in comparison to many I do have a great life; maybe not easy, but great AND I have chosen this path. My second thought is that we do have many battles along our path/journey and those battles make us feel ALIVE. They teach us how to work with others and to meet resistance with openness. How we respond (not react) to these battles shows our inner beings and I want to be beautiful inside. So I chose openness rather than resistance.

I was treated by amazon.com when I walked through the door. I found dut dah duh....


Tiffany Crukshank's book "Optimal health for a vibrant life" this is a 30 day program to detoxify and replenish body and mind. My initial thought is to begin after my return from this weekends yoga retreat, but deeper thought suggests that I begin before the retreat. I will look it over tonight to see how extensive it is and make some big decisions.

Tomorrow I plan to run to work which is 4.5 miles, after work run to yoga which is 4 miles and then hope and pray that someone will drive my tired a** home.

Namaste

Offerings

As I search for an answer to the question my yoga teacher asks "who taught you to love?" I go through, in my mind, all the reasonable people like my parents or Alistair, but these thoughts don't settle in my heart and then I have this overwhelming vision of my beautiful yet very old blonde four legged daughter, Maggie. This thought feels right in my heart, and I know that she is the first person/animal that truly taught me to love. How do I know this? Because I would/will do anything to keep her safe and when I enter a room after a long dreadful day to see her eyes looking at me...I smile. She warms my heart and I feel blessed for each day I have with her.

Okay, so on to the daily details. I set my alarm for 4:45AM to prepare myself for the 14 mile run. I woke up around 4ish with dread that I was going to have to get out of bed in a short while. I decided to change my alarm to 5:45 as I just needed to fill the camelpak and be on my way. Well at 4:50 the coffee alarm beeped at me letting me know it was brewed and ready for consumption. I finally pulled the covers off at 5:10 going straight for a cuppa joe. Unfortunately, the coffee was extremely weak, but I still drank 1/2 a mug to sooth my mind and it aids as a laxative. Filled my bladder for the camelpak added a dollop of greek yogurt and 1/2 banana to my breakfast cookie (1/3 cup oats, Tbs chia seeds, Tbs raw cacao powder, 1 Tbs almond butter, splash of rice milk, and 1/2 banana) that I prepared the night before and went to wake up my travel partner, Allie. He did not want to wake either, but did, being the supportive partner he is. On our way he did get a coffee which costs $5 (with tip) and I started to munch on my breakfast cookie. On the 45 minute drive to the beautiful Applegate Lake Allie talked me into changing my trail. The trail we decided on is only 10 miles which meant that I would have to be a little creative and add 4 miles to it. Being creative on a long run is never appreciated. I don't want to have to think about anything other than doing the distance. Allie dropped Ntombi and I off at the trail head and we set out on our 14 mile journey. The second my feet hit the earth I was ready to go even though I was not excited about the run for the 1.5 hours prior to this moment. The air felt brisk and fresh. We started our run at 7:10 so it was still cool enough for a long sleeve shirt. You may be asking why I traveled 45 minutes for a run...well....





I only allow myself this pleasure once a month as gas is expensive and I find it ridiculous to drive to run yet these trails are so delicious I just can't stop myself. It is my special offering from the earth that I indulge in.


So the run went pretty well. In the end I only ran 12 miles and promised to do 2 miles of hills when I got home (which still has not happened!). I was really nervous about my stomach as I normally do not eat before a run do to the sensitivity of my bowels, but I wanted to see if food would actually benefit my run. The answer is inconclusive...I spent a big portion of the run worrying about what was going to unfold that I didn't allow myself to fully enjoy the run or push myself. However, all that worry and no issues...whoop, whoop! I did 12 miles in 124 minutes which breaks down to 10:30 per mile. I really, really, really want to get a Garmin. My Nike + is not accurate enough for this Type A Personality.

The big dogs (Alistair and Maggie) fished while Ntombi and I ran.


Ntombi my training partner. She is raring to go. She literally has a supercharge button that allows her to fly. She probably ran around 18 miles as she runs ahead and then comes back to check in.



Do we have to go? After our run we stopped off to meet the newest addition to a fabulous friends family; her daughter. Unfortunately, I did not get photos, but let me tell you...CUTE. And of course my friend, Hayley, looked fabulous. It was good to see her and know that she was thriving as a mother. This womyn is a superhero...you should check out her company ecopiggy which is natural organic children's products. I recently bought some items for another friend that just had twins.... She received a few pairs of clothes and stainless steel bottles which she raves about. She can't say enough about the quality of the products. I highly recommend any of the items and I can promise that they will be prepared and shipped to you with love=)


Post run snack consisted of an oatmeal pancake. 1 mashed banana, 1/2 cup oats and strawberry applesauce mix (refrigerate overnite) and cook like a pancake.

I added raspberry/pomegranate Crofters organic jam and a dollop of greek yogurt. I inhaled this tasty treat coupled with a strong cup of coffee.

I then went to yoga. After yoga I took 3 hours of quiet time where I napped here and there. Once up and awake I finished putting together the spare bedroom, cleaned the kitchen and prepared dinner. For dinner I mixed up a salad which consisted of lentils, peas, spinach, romaine lettuce, Annie's Goddess dressing and a few tortilla strips for crunch. i also had a piece of leftover veggie quiche (it was better tonight than on Friday). I whipped up another iced coffee, sat down in front of the television to watch Boston Legal while I consumed all my leftovers.


I have done some (not a lot) of reading on running and (am open to hearing must reads) know that runners are more competitive the leaner they are. It is not ever recommended for runners to go on major diets, but to up their mileage. I am in no way able (want) to decrease my calories so I must increase my mileage to find the lean runner body that will lead me to victory+) So my plan is to add 5 miles to my mileage this week, see how it goes and continually up my mileage by 5-10 miles per week. I don't believe I am overweight, but I do feel the extra weight on the hot long runs. I think this will only benefit my training.

I have two questions for all of you this Sunday evening:

1) who taught you to love

2) Recommendations on running books

Namaste

hOMe

I feel most at home on my yoga mat. There is such an intimacy that one feels with self when body, mind and spirit is connected. It is hard to believe these work individually, but in my case they often do. Such as when I run my mind is not always connected to my body; my body says go, go, go, and mind says you can't do this. On the mat my spirit says you can totally do a headstand, but my body does not know how. Yoga teaches me presence is to be fully connected to my body, mind, emotions and spirits. I challenge this daily as I often let my emotion take control of my body and so on. On the way to class this morning I was a little rushed as I was finally able to chat with my eldest sister for a few moments on the phone and did not want to hang up with her so eventually I left with Alistair and Paula still chatting away...anyways, I was rushed and there was NO way I was going to miss yoga today. So I put the sub to the test and drove fast and hard. Unfortunately, those drivers I shared the road with were not aware of my need to make it to class and took their sweet time. I felt rage growing inside of me and at one time yelled at a lady for not going on a green (I was inside my car with the windows up, but still I yelled out loud). I knew this action was stupid and childish yet I did it anyway because I was allowing my emotion to take over. Through yoga I am taught how to live in the present moment and I am able to acknowledge that this anger isn't working for me and let it go. These teachings are what brings me back every day. I wonder if I had not missed yoga for a week would I have yelled at the lady? Or would I have been more self aware? Well I made it to class with a few moments to spare found a great spot right up front and melted into my mat. I breathed and thought I am hOMe. I wonder where do you feel most at home?

I was starving when I arrived at my second home and blended a green monster. This is very tasty and refreshing on a warm day. Give it a try...

In blender 1) 1TBS flax 2)2-3cups spinach 3)banana 4)blueberries 5) 1 cup milk of your choice (I use rice milk) - Blend on highest setting for a minute or so then add ice and blend on the ice setting. Voila! Green Monster...

While I was at yoga Alistair was cooking away in the kitchen. Since his birthday dinner from Abu's he has been craving Gyro's. He wanted to make his own...so he did. He spent $40 on groceries and made lamb gyro, vegetarian (tofu) gyro for me, Spanakopita and Tzaki Sauce. Below is the vegetarian option...

Yummy! Allie was not happy with the lamb gyro; he states that it was too bland. he will be adding much more seasoning next time. Believe me there will be a next time. Now for the Spanakopita...This was delicious. Allie is happy with it as well.

1 lb.
Fresh spinach OR
10 oz.
Frozen spinach (I prefer the frozen)
2 T
Olive Oil or butter (for saute)
1
Large yellow onion, finely chopped
1/3 lb.
Feta cheese
2 T
Fresh parsley, finely chopped
6 T
Flour
18-20
Phyllo sheets 3 Cubes
Butter, salt-free (for brushing phyllo)
4
Eggs

~PREPARATION~
FRESH SPINACH: Rinse and stem the spinach, chop into small pieces or tear into shreds. Drain well to thoroughly dry.
In a large saute pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil or melt the butter. Add the spinach and chopped onions and saute until the spinach wilts and cooks down, approximately 5-minutes. Transfer to a sieve and drain well; set aside in large mixing bowl.
FROZEN SPINACH: Thaw thoroughly, drain real well. I also squeeze/press the water from it. Place in large mixing bowl.
In medium pan, saute the onions until translucent; add to bowl containing thawed spinach.
FETA CHEESE: Feta comes packed in brine, so you'll want to give it a quick rinse under cold water. Let it drain on a paper towel for a couple minutes. Then you can crumble it into the bowl containing the spinach and onions.
Add the flour, chopped parsley and eggs; mix thoroughly.

PAN METHOD Click for Melt the 3 cubes of butter (low heat; don't let it bubble).
Brush the 9" x 13" baking pan with olive oil or melted butter.
Lay 6 phyllo sheets in the pan, lightly brushing each with oil or melted butter before adding the next layer. Brush all the edges first since that is where drying will begin.
Spoon half of the spinach mixture over the top of the phyllo and carefully spread evenly to within about 1/2 inch of the edges.
Lay 6 more phyllo sheets on top, brushing each one with oil or melted butter before adding the next layer.
Spread the remaining spinach mixture over the top.
Finish off with the remaining sheets of phyllo, brushing each as previously done.
Cover and chill for about 30 minutes to set.
Bake until golden, about 30-minutes. Test by inserting a table knife to the center. If it comes out relatively clean, your spanakopita is done. Don't let this go beyond golden brown.
Let cool for 5 to10-minutes to set, then cut into squares.
The flavor of Spanakopita is enhanced when served warm; it's even better at room temperature.

My boy hard at work...
After filling our bellies we set off for the grange co-op to get veggie plants for the garden. **Suggestion** Do not wait until the end of June to get your plants -There aren't any left!! We found some tomato (well a lot of tomato plants), celery, italian peppers, shallots, and peppers. We need to find some bell peppers and probably get one more tomato plant, but we are feeling good with the choices we made. So just to offer an excuse as to why we waited this late is because the weather has been shit. Seriously, it just stopped freezing here in Oregon.








As I cleaned the kitchen today, I thought to share my vitamins/supplements with you that I take daily. The bottles in the back that you can't see is Vitamin B and D. My doctor says everyone is vitamin d deficient. I swear by Acai berry juice...I take a swig of this every morning straight from the bottle and haven't been sick all year (and I work at child welfare - I am ALWAYS around sickies). I also do a Castor oil rub every night before falling asleep to help with digestion.


I went for an afternoon run 4 miles in the heat in 36 minutes. Tomorrow I have a 14 mile run to do, so I didn't want to push myself. Side note ...I haven't had Starbucks in two months (well Alistair and I went once last weekend before the camping trip, but other than that I have not spent a dollar for coffee). This all started in the beginning of May when I began a 3 week cleanse which meant no caffeine. After the cleanse I started drinking coffee again, but only home brewed and only 1-2 mugs a day. With all the money I have saved I have been able to purchase unlimited monthly passes to Rasa Yoga Center. I think that is a fabulous alternative, yes. Anyways, Wednesday on my way to hang with the little ones I was craving an iced coffee. Somehow, I was able to drive past Starbucks, but I did look back. Today after my run and time in the garden I made my very own iced coffee. Made coffee in the french press and then stuck in the freezer for about 45 minutes before it cooled down enough to be able to go over ice without melting it. I put a little half and half in the bottom, ice, then poured on the coffee...delicious...and it wasn't $4.00. Doesn't it look like it cost $4 though, seriously, I rocked this.

Tell tomorrow...namaste.

Mama Mia

Letting go of expectations from others is easy. Letting go of expectations for self...not so easy. In all honesty, I expect a lot from myself. I think it was Nelson Mandela that said "how do we inspire ourselves to greatness when nothing else will do?" I believe that nothing but greatness will do in all aspects of my life. I ask, how do we let go of the expectation of greatness when we are exhausted. That is how I feel today ExHaUsTeD. My body is raring to go, but my mind is saying slow down. rest. My mind does not often have the opportunity to be less than sharp, but today it (not I) was.

My day started at 6:16 when I heard the coffee machine beep (letting me know it has brewed and is ready for consumption). I stumbled out of bed and greeted Allie who was sipping coffee made from the french press. [Normally, I wake when his alarm goes off, but not this morning]. I poured coffee and put some cream in it and curled up on the couch with my laptop. I checked emails and prepared mentally for the day. I was very excited to go to yoga and spend the day with the youngsters. I did some stuff around the house and then got ready for yoga. My belly was growling so I had a bite of my breakfast cookie. At 9:07 I walked out the door with water bottle in hand. As I walked to the subaru I silently questioned how this 1.5 hour class was going to be over at 10:30...and realized in that moment that Friday morning classes begin at 9:00...ughhh...I missed yoga AGAIN!! I tried to roll with it, but I am very disappointed in this mental lapse. So, I came back inside and finished off the breakfast cookie. I found this recipe on runnerskitchen. Last night before bed I mixed together mixed 1/3 cup oats, Tbs chia seeds, Tbs raw cacao powder, 1 Tbs almond butter, splash of rice milk, and 1/2 banana, spread in container and refrigerate overnight. This morning I topped it off with about 1/4 cup greek yogurt and 1/2 banana...scrumptious.

I then left for Target to purchase the food processor I told you about. Last night, Alistair and I went online and found this KitchenAid food processor. It had really good reviews and only cost $39.99. There were a few cheaper options, but they had bad reviews. There were also a lot more expensive options that we frankly can not afford. So we opted for this 3 cup KitchenAid food processor.


I really appreciate the size of this appliance. It is small and can be tucked away when not in use. All the other options were much bigger and bulkier. I am happy with this purchase and hope that it does the job. I am sure that my arms will miss the exercise, but I can make it up elsewhere. While at Target I also picked up some tupperware and Kashi Heart to Heart cereal.


I got back to the house at 10:30 and jumped on the bike for a 45 minute ride. I love riding in the heat. At 11:15 I jumped into the shower and met my sista and all 5 nephews and nieces at Red Robin for lunch. I ordered a Caesar salad. I know not the healthiest option, but I was craving a salad with creamy sauce. I ate two french fries and one piece of bread.


I want to take a moment to honor all you mama's and papa's out there. Raising children is a very tough and tiring job. I swear I feel more exhausted after an afternoon with these kiddos than I do after a marathon. I may re cooperate a bit more quickly, but...

Here is Justin (my honored hero for TNT) and Jacob.

After lunch we walked over to the movie theatre and bought our tickets for Toy Story 3 in 3-D. Quite honestly, I didn't get into the movie, I was being entertained by these two characters.

I returned to the house at 4:45 and tried to decide on dinner. All day I had been thinking of ideas for the leftover lentils from last nights dinner and finally decided on Lentil Quiche. I snacked on a handful of granola while I prepared the meal. So, the recipe calls for:

1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup dried lentils
2 cups water
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)

I didn't have everything and did not want to go to the store so I made due with what we had.

1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup dried lentils
2 cups water
2 cups mushrooms
2 cups baby spinach
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons parmesan garlic seasoning
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place the onion and olive oil into a 9 inch deep-dish pie plate. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until onion is tender.
Place the lentils and water into a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Drain most of the water off, then place the broccoli florets on top of the lentils. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes. This will dry the lentils, and cook the broccoli.
Transfer the lentils, broccoli and tomatoes to the pie plate with the onions, and stir to evenly distribute each item. Stir in cheese at this time if using. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Pour over the ingredients in the pie plate.
Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the center is firm when the quiche is jiggled. Cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

So the second big mental lapse that I had today is that I left the lentils out of the recipe. Hahaha...really it was veggie quiche=) I love that I planned the meal around the lentils and then left them out! The spinach made the quiche pretty watery, but still it was good. Next time I will try an add the lentils...

I am thinking I am going to go to bed early tonight and watch a movie, Happy Tears, that came in the mail from NetFlix. I will keep you posted...good night.

exciTemeNT

Today, I have so many things to be excited for:
1) yoga
2) Toy Story 3 with sista, nieces and nephews
3) purchasing my first food processor. I am sure this is a staple in many homes, but our hands/arms have done the work in ours up until today.
Pure joy! I must admit I have never been excited about buying kitchen appliances. I am not the cook in the family. I leave cooking to the trusty hubby, but he likes to cook with creams and meat which isn't always the healthiest. So I am trying to take a part in meal planning and preparation. Alistair is enjoying it (for the most part). He shared yesterday that he understands why healthy people are skinny because their food tastes bad=( I must teach him that healthy food can taste scrumptious!

ToO mUcH!

First and foremost I want to share my extreme excitement to have not one, but two followers on this blog (I won't mention that one is my partner, probably just making sure I don't say anything bad about him=)! Did I mention that I am on vacation this week (well mostly; there has been a few hours of work related activities). Other than going camping my plan has been to stay home, get organized, clean and recoperate from a busy year of school, internship and work. Well, being on vacation is hard work. I haven't quite accomplished anything I set out to do. One thing leads to another and I don't seem to accomplish anything that is on my list. I am a list person...I think some people call it type A personality. As much as I want to be that calm and cool person, reality is I am always stressing about what needs to be done. I should probably just accept this about myself and learn how to manage this.

Okay, finally my day...well, I will start with last night. I met up with my twin nieces visiting from California. I just don't get to see them often enough to participate in their lives fully. They are growing to be smart young ladies (and pretty darn cute!). Here is a picture of Adie...she is verbose and loves attention.



We got home at a decent time, but due to the heat I couldn't fall asleep. Please let me be clear that I am not complaining about the heat, my body is still adjusting to it. So I don't believe I fell asleep until about 11:00. I finally got out of bed this morning around 6:15 to send Alistair off for his day and enjoy a cup of coffee. I read some other blogs while I sipped my coffee for quite some time. Ah, the life of leisure. Finally around 9:00 had breakfast which consisted of greek yogurt, 1 scoop of vanilla whey protein powder and blueberries ( I ended up adding a little of Barbara's Puffins for some crunch).


Mid morning snack was a little Yerba Mate. This mate is made by EcoTeas based in Ashland, Oregon. My friend is co-owner of the company and they do good work.


Yummy! very refreshing with the pomegranate juice.



Mate helped energise me to cross a few things off of my list. I shampooed the carpets (wishing we had put wood floors in the bedrooms, too, but too late now). I also washed the bathroom walls in the bathroom and completed several loads of laundry. Somewhere I started in on my closet, but didn't finish. I worked up an appetite and ate a sandwhich made with cucumbers, sprouts, hummus and a little cream cheese spread. Tasty!


Finally around 2:00 I rewarded myself with a good book and some sun. I found a spot in the backyard near the raised bed veggie garden, spread out and began to read "The Space Between Us" by Thrity Umrigar. I made it to chapter 4 and can not wait to pick it up again. It had me hooked after the first two pages. How I love books like these. This is my first fun read since winter break. Thank goodness for breaks.


After getting hot and sweaty in the sun. Have I mentioned that I am a chronic oversharer. Yes, I share many details. Most people love me for it, but some feel discomfort with the truth. I just try an keep it real. Anyways, after getting hot and sweaty in the sun I took a bike ride. My plan was to ride to yoga, but once I discovered it was already 4:00 and I hadn't even thought about dinner I gave up on the idea of yoga and just did a ride. I think I rode around 8 miles with some good hills. I did this in about 40-45 minutes and back by 5:00 to start dinner. I really struggled with ditching yoga which was to begin at 5:30, but food won in the end (it normally does). For dinner I chose Lentil Burgers.



I don't have a food processor so I mixed with my hand

1 cup cooked green lentil
1 cup chopped veggies (celery, mushrooms and carrots)
3 TBS whole wheat flour
1 heaping TBS chia seeds
a small handful of pecans
1 TBS olive oil
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

mix together and cook patties (makes 3) at 400 degrees for 15ish minutes on each side.

I then put some hummus, cream cheese, sprouts on a bun and served. This would be delicious with avocado, but I don't have any. This is very delicious. Alistair thinks it is a bit bland so season to taste. This burger was a bit too much for me though. I feel very full. My hope is to let it settle and go for an evening run. However, my book is also calling my name.

First Post on my first BLog

We just made it back from a long weekend (yes, it is Wednesday). Today is my partner's birthday and his only wish was a camping trip. So we packed up the truck to find our way to the lake. It was freakin cold. I don't believe it ever got over 6o degrees, but we enjoyed our time in the woods none the less. The pups certainly had a good time and Alistair's wish was granted.

We made it back around 10Am and went for a 3.5 mile run on the treadmill to warm up and girl did I. The weather changed drastically from the lake of 55 degrees to home being 85 degrees. I certainly welcome the warmth, but my body wasn't quite prepared. I got pretty sweaty very quickly. It always makes me laugh when Ntombi (the dog in the picture) runs on the treadmill with me and she becomes annoyed by my sweat that drips onto her, so she will eventually jump off in frustration.

Beings that it is Alistair's birthday I treated him to his favorite restaurant Abu's Lebanese Cuisine, Alistair got a Gyro and I enjoyed a Greek Salad Pocket. I took a picture of it, but I had to use my iPhone which is out of focus, so you will have to believe me when I tell you it looked and tasted fabulous.

Since this is my first post on my first blog I feel the need to share a little about myself beyond the "about me." I am currently training for the Nike Women's Marathon; my fourth marathon. However, this time I am training with Team In Training (TNT) to raise money for the The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). My goal is to raise $3000 by August 2010. I just finished my second year of a three year Master's in Social Work program at Portland State University. I have three months off from school before beginning again in October. My summer will be spent raising funds for LLS, running, cycling and practicing yoga with a little camping here and there. The plan is to find optimal health through exercise and a planful diet.

Off to spend the evening with my beautiful nieces that are visiting from California...pictures to come soon.