Chill~laxin

Sadly this weekend just flew by. My intention for the weekend was to go to a yoga workshop entitled "living yoga" but due to low enrollment the workshop was cancelled. So I found myself with a whole lotta extra time AND I did not make use of it...not one bit. I relaxed A LOT! I did a bit of baking, but just did not take photos=( However, picture or not, you are going to want to try this recipe. It is delicious.

Super Moist Banana Bread

Pre-heat oven to 350°F and in mixing bowl stir to combine:

2 Cups Whole wheat Flour
1/2-3/4 Cup Sugar
3/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt

Set this bowl aside, and in another bowl whisk 2 large eggs, then add and stir to combine:

5 Tbsp Earth Balance Butter melted
1 1/2 Cups mashed ripe Banana – 4 bananas
1/4 Cup Plain Greek or regular Nonfat Yogurt
1 tsp Vanilla

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir just to combine – Pour batter into greased loaf pan and bake in center of the 350°F oven for about 50 minutes

Okay, so I totally forgot to put in the eggs AND the bread was AWESOME! Allie said it is the best ever. So although the recipe calls for eggs feel free to leave them out. Yummy!!!



In honor of the forgotten eggs I thought I should share with you where my eggs come from. AND these chickies are anything, but forgotten. Without further ado please meet Oprah and Jasmine...

I took the plunge this weekend and finally purchased my books for the upcoming term...$300 later I find myself broke on my social work salary. And it is going to get worse as I go part time at work to fit in my internship. So, we are trying to save money where ever we can. The best way to save is to buy less OBVIOUSLY which means we have to make more at home. I found this awesome recipe for dishwasher detergent which as you know can be very expensive. I went out and bought the ingredients which in all come close to the price of the detergent I buy, however, the ingredients will make many batches...so, yes, in the long run I save money=)

Dishwasher Detergent Recipe

2 cups Borax

2 cups baking soda

1 cup salt

I have used this homemade detergent twice and I must say I am impressed. The dishes don't shine, but they are clean. In fact, I think they may be cleaner than with the store bought brand.

I also found a recipe for laundry detergent, but I haven't used it yet, so I will keep you posted.

Today my training schedule called for an 18 mile run. The weather was so nice to me. In fact, I was even cold at the beginning. I started on the treadmill for 4.5 miles, then Allie joined me on his bike for the remaining 13.5 miles. On the treadmill I kept to a 9 minute mile, but when I venture out to the road I often go much slower. My garmin showed that I average 12 minute miles for the remaining 13.5. My fastest mile was 8:30. All in all it was a good run.

Alistair made a feast for us when we returned. he invited a friend over for brunch and we all ate stuffed french toast with blackberries and hash browns (I know strange combination), and the boys munched on eggs benedict. My stomach struggled with the contents I pushed down so there was no eggs benedict for me, but it looked good.

We went to the dog park and the pups played hard and in the water. it was a good day!

Hope you all have a fabulous week. xo

Confessions

Confession #1 - Thursday I went to the market to pick up three items 1) half & half 2) greek yogurt 3) french bread - (no, they don't go together!). Fortunately, I made it out with these items, but I also felt the need to munch...so, I bought a (enormous) bag of tortilla chips, but these weren't plain they are guacamole flavored tortilla chips...no, not a healthy option! Anyways, it is now Sunday and these chips are all I can think about. They are very tasty, but not nutritious=( Reasons like such are why I bring a list and need not detour from the list....ughhh!

Saturday morning was a 15 mile run with hubby, sista Christie and nephew Kyle. Not sure why I don't ever get hubby in the pictures...I think he runs when the camera reveals itself. I caught a picture of sista spraying sunscreen on Kyle - he doesn't look impressed. We were running/cycling at 7:45AM.

The weather was perfect for the run. It stayed nice and cool. In fact I don't believe the temperature got about 80 degrees all day. Pre-run snack was half a Kidz Clif Bar which contained 65 calories and a cup of coffee. I packed 3 Advil's and a gu gel in my water in my pack with the bladder filled with cold water. I averaged 10 minute miles for the first 4 miles, then my pace started to slow down. At 7.5 miles I had the gu and i felt it kick in around mile 8.5, but my knees were killing me particularly the left so I took 2 Advil's at mile 10. Alistair and Kyle took off at this point to get some time in at the play structure which was only 3 miles away, but sista stayed with me. I started to take some walk breaks here and there and finally made it to the play structure about 37 minutes later. Poor Kyle's tire went flat so he had to do some walking=( At this point I had 2 miles to go, so Alistair stayed near me to spur me along. I sprinted the last half mile which felt good. That was my fasted mile at 7:44, but my average was 11:49. I burned 1800 calories says garmin. I lacked energy and really need to figure out the pre-meal- enough so I have energy, but small enough to keep my belly happy. And I was starving by mile 13. I started dreaming about food - almost anything would do. We got home, took a shower and went for breakfast at a diner (whoop, whoop) - I got a scramble for a whole lot of protein. Later in the evening we went to my sista's for a barbecue and it was delicious. Home by 10:30; in bed at 10:31PM.

Confession #2 - When I let go, I let go. With my busy schedule this summer I let the office become our garbage/recycling can. Anything and everything that didn't have a place went here.



I know, horrible, disgusting, gross! I am surprised I didn't find rats when I finally tackled this room. I decided that with school starting in a month my study area needed to be clean. So I spent a day and half organizing, reducing and dusting. I think I am ready for school to start now that I can find my desk..whoohooo!



Although my diet has consisted of mostly guacamole tortilla chips and greek yogurt I decided I needed a balanced meal for dinner. I chose a homemade pizza. I used a flat out for the crust (100 calories), organic garlic marinara sauce, mozzarella and provolone cheese, fresh basil, zucchini, carrots, onion, pepper and red pepper flakes. I baked the veggies first for 20 minutes at 375 then added the veggies to the crust for an addition 7 minutes in the oven. Voila...delicious and nutritious. Unfortunately, a knife and fork were required to devour it.



Confession #3 - it is 4:36 PM and I feel like a nap or bedtime is in order. It is rough around here on Sunday afternoons. Alistair is playing golf, the pups are sound asleep and I am watching Desperate Housewives (confession #4)!

I hope you all enjoy your Sunday evening. I am curious what food you can't stay away from if you have it in your house?

May you all walk with confidence and a smile. xo

Reduce Reuse Recycle

Over the past few months I have gotten serious about transitioning my home to a reusing, recycling haven. I am so very close to being plastic bag free.

fact #1:
Plastic bags and other plastic garbage thrown into the ocean kill as many as 1,000,000 sea creatures a year! Ever heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? It's twice the size of Texas and is floating somewhere between San Francisco and Hawaii. It's also 80 percent plastic, and weighs in at 3.5 million tons.

Fact #2
Americans use 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour.

Fact #3

Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours. In spite of this, Americans throw away enough aluminum to rebuild our entire commercial fleet of airplanes every three months!

I am feeling good about 2 of the 3 R's - reuse and recycle; I got these. Reduce...I am having some issues with...And of course it is the first and the most important...grrrr!

To help my kitchen be plastic bag free I had to purchase a few reusable bags on etsy.

This bag holds all of my reusable bags for bulk items and fruit and vegetable bags. I purchased from lovetheearth on etsy!

Various colours and sizes for vegetables...








Reusable bag in use - has basmati rice inside.







The only plastic bags that have entered my home are from Alistair who made a quick shop. Being environmentally friendly takes planning. I have equipped both vehicles (if I were really friendly I would bike it to the grocery store!) with reusable bags for quick shops and planned shops. Alistair doesn't always remember he has them though.

There is also a technique to recycling and takes education to get it right.

A couple things you should not recycle:

You risk contaminating the rest of the products if you put these into your bin!
Pizza boxes. The oil from pizza can contaminate cardboard boxes, making it impossible to process them into clean paper.
Napkins and paper towels. It's not the paper goods themselves that present a problem, but the fact that they're typically used to wipe up food, cleaning products, and other "hazardous waste."
Sticky notes. Their size, color, and the adhesive strip make them a better bet for the trash bin.
Plastic caps. Curbside programs won't recycle them, but Aveda collects them and turns them into packaging for new products.
Wet paper. Paper fibers that have been exposed to water are shorter and therefore less valuable to paper mills, making it unprofitable to collect and recycle.
Another thing you may want to keep in mind is that while it’s generally well known that most curbside programs only take plastics labeled #1 and #2 on the bottom .Check in with your local waste or sanitation department to find out what the specific rules are in your area.

On to me:

Okay, I have been eating A LOT this week. My appetite truly tripled. I don't know what is going on. yes, I have increased my mileage, but not that much...my goodness. One morning I woke up at 2AM and felt like my stomach was going to eat itself...so very strange. I am trying to listen to my body, but come on. It may be that I stopped eating meat. However, it has been several months now and can't imagine that my body isn't use to the change yet. Alistair is not happy about this change, but I realized that I function better and my digestion is more smooth being meat free.

I would love any tips to tricking my stomach into feeling full or more filling foods. Also, does anyone have any recycling tips to share?

Enjoy your sun.

Garmin Goodness

Tomorrow is the start of the Tri/Yoga Bingo Challenge. Now is the time to get in on the action, if you haven't already. It will be a great way to jump start your fitness goals, maintain or to send them to the next level. Remember the goal is to add to what you already are doing. If you are running 8 miles a day, continue to do that but add a half hour swim. The idea isn't to stop exercise at 30 minutes (that is just the minimum). Remember you get what you give. I plan to give a lot...so watch out!!! I decorated my bingo card a little and will place it on the fridge for the duration of the challenge.

I have made this recipe twice and it gets better each time. It is truly a healthy, wholesome treat. My nephew and nieces also enjoyed this natural treat.

Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies with a little bit of everything.

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup mesquite flour (If you don't have access to mesquite flour you can add another cup of the ww pastry flour).

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free)

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup earth balance butter

2 cups natural cane sugar

3 large eggs (from Jasmine and Oprah work best!)

1 T pure vanilla extract

2 cups rolled oats

s cups semisweet chocolate chip cookies

1 cup organic coconut

raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake for 10 minutes. Of course beat the wet ingredients first then add dry ingredients.

You will love this recipe.

Oozy and chewy!


Mt. Ashland Hill climb Run

I took part in the hill climb run yesterday. My packet included an organic cotton shirt, water bottle (always can use more water bottles), $10 gift card to standing stone restaurant, La Sportiva sticker, nutrition bar and gu.


The race started at 7:30. For breakfast I ate the bar that came in the packet (100 calories) and cup of coffee. I could not have asked for better weather; it was perfect. It was fabulous having my new friend, Garmin, with me to tell me my pace and the distance. It put me at ease. I felt so in my element on the dirt. I kept my pace between 9:30 and 11:30 for the first 10 miles. Remember this is 13.3 miles uphill. So the pace felt good. I chose not to refuel with gu or fruit at any of the aid stations because I did not want to mess up a good thing.


However, I am thinking I should have refueled at least a bit. My body shut down at 10.3 miles. I look and feel like hell...


So my goal was to complete the race in 3 hours 30 minutes. The winner finished at 1 hour 47 minutes...wow! I honestly thought around mile 8 and 9 that I may complete it in 3 hours. I was feeling good. But, like I said at 10.3 miles my body was done. Mile 10 took 21 minutes, mile 11 was somewhere in the 20's and mile 13 (the vertical mile) took 45 minutes. My final time was 3:55.

The views were.are impeccable. If you haven't you got to try this run. It is such a magical experience.