I woke up when my roommate's alarm went off at 6:45 and couldn't fall back asleep, so by 7 I decided to just forego my extra half hour of sleep and start my day! I had some breakfast while tackling the Google Reader:
Kashi GoLean and Arrowhead Mills Spelt Flakes with almond milk and frozen strawbs. The spelt flakes are neverending...I want to open a new box of something!
A little later, I headed to the gym to get my 5 mile training run in. I got there super energized, but for some reason I felt sooo slow. My legs just felt like they were dragging! I guess my 8 miler on Saturday took it out of me, even though I took a day off from cardio and didn't do any lower body strength exercises. I guess it comes with the higher-mile territory! I finished in a hair under 46 minutes, meaning a 9:12 minute mile average. Not my best, but I got it done! Afterwards, I made sure to do PLENTY of stretching in case that was the culprit last time.
1/2 c dry quinoa, cooked, 1 c canned pumpkin, 1 c almond milk, 1 T almond butter, cinnamon; grapefruit and zucchini stirfried in EVOO and balsamic to balance it out
Yum! I obviously added way too much almond milk, since I forgot the exact proportions from the last time I tried this recipe, but it was still delicious! Such a quick, easy and original recipe!
I then headed off to a long afternoon of classes. Between classes #1 and #2 I snacked on an organic Gala apple and Tropical Fruit Tart Larabar:
And in class #3 I had an unpictured box of raisins to tide me over until dinner. I came home starvin marvin and made something quick and delicious:
Allie-style banini on Ezekiel bread with Naturally More PB, a sliced banana and cinnamon; baby carrots with the last of my Yorgos hummus and a sliced organic Gala apple
Delish! PB sandwiches are one of my favorite foods of all time...they can never go wrong! I'm currently snacking on a honey graham flavored Clif Z-Bar as "dessert." Love these little guys!
I got a few more good questions on my Ask Me Anything page, so I thought I'd post some:
dream day?! what would you do/eat/where would you go?
This is a tougher one! This summer I actually had a "dream day." It was gorgeous weather, so Mike and I decided to go hiking at a park near our houses. We packed delicious picnic lunches of triple decker PB sandwiches and fruit and lots of chocolate and just got completely lost for awhile, goofing around and taking pictures. We came back to my house and went swimming, and then went to get sushi and Coldstone for dinner before sitting on my porch and watching a thunderstorm. It was definitely all I need in a "dream" day!
What brand almond milk do you use in your cereal? What kind do you recommend? Thanks!
I've tried Pacific, Almond Breeze and Almond Dream and I like unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze the best. It's more flavorful and creamy than the other two, but with no added sugar!
whats your fav flavor of cliff bar?
Tough one! I love most of them, but my two favorites are probably Oatmeal Walnut Raisin and White Chocolate Macadamia. And the Iced Gingerbread holiday one is absolutely amazing, too!
what made you want to start this blog? why the hiatu sand what made you come back? i used to follow your blog and was sad when you stopped for a few months! ;)
I started this blog because I'd been reading so many others, and thought it might be fun to start my own! I stopped for a few months for a few reasons, mostly time and the fact that I wasn't sure what I wanted from it. I went out a LOT towards the end of last semester- I was probably in a club drinking 4-5 nights a week. Not healthy! I was kind of infatuated with the whole "club scene" for awhile, before realizing how shallow and silly it really is. I saw girls get turned down at the door for not being pretty/tall/thin enough, and heard some horrible stories about "club politics". I still clubbing from time to time, but now that I'm no longer trying to stay up until 4 am and still handle all of my homework, it's much easier to find blogging time! I also kind of jumped into blogging without thinking about what I wanted from it. After my break, I came back with a fresh picture of exactly how and what I wanted to write about. I'm glad to be back :)
Thanks for all the great questions! I'll probably do one more post if anyone else has any questions!
Since I got a question on bars, what's everyone's favorite kind? I have a few, but I absolutely love Luna White Chocolate Macadamia and Lara Key Lime Pie! And does anyone have any good stretching tips for runners? I always kind of ignored the stretching part, but I'm starting to realize how important it is and would love some pointers!
35 comments:
runners stretches
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2010/02/highlights-of-week-yoga-500-hour.html
the 1st of the 2 yoga pics at bottom of the post is KEY for runners. Do it girl!
Clubbing and getting caught up. Story of my life ages 21-25. OMG huge hard core party girl. I did it AFTER college. It was fun but yeah, life passes you by when you're out til 5am, 5 days a week LOL
Dairy and tummy stuff. Completely agree. And once you get off dairy and the casomorphins that are the addictive component of the casein protein in milk, you never even want it anymore. Well i dont anyway :)
xoxo
Mmmm...Lara PB cookie bars are my absolute favorite...but honestly, I like SO many bars! I'm kind of a bar freak :-)
Your pumpkin quinoa looks great!
I just discovered vanilla almond Luna bars and they are the shizz. Love them and Luna caramel nut brownie...and toasted nuts and cranberry...and blueberry bliss (tastes just like a blueberry muffin), chai tea, and dulce de leche. I swear to you this is not spam - I just love Luna!!
And I feel you on the streaching; I have a shin splint so I'm trying to learn new stretches to keep from getting another!
I'm a bar fanatic... hard to pick!! Glo bars are my all-time favorite, I must say. But I also LOVE Odwalla Bars, especially the peanut butter pretzel. Yum.
The pumpkin quinoa sounds awesome!! And your perfect ideal day... totally mine too, that sounds amazing girl!
I love that you replaced clubbing with blogging - kind of polar opposites, don't you think? Finding time to blog is way easier than going out several nights a week. And I'm sure you're getting plenty of more sleep now!
I try to do a short yoga routine to stretch out my running muscles. There are some good podcasts out there that cater specifically to runners. Your hamstrings will thank you!
I also think Almond Breeze is the best! My favorite bars would have to be the Cliff Z bars (the ones for kids lol). Stretching has made the world of difference for me! My favorite stretch is downward facing dog :)
PB/banana sandwiches are definitely the best ever! As far as bars go, I really like Cliff Z bars and they are such a good size for me. I haven't eaten them in awhile but I really like Fiber One Caramel bars as a sweet treat, they taste like a candy bar.
Mmm, your banini looks delicious! And thanks for all the answers to questions!
I think my favorite bar is probably Peanut Butter Cookie Larabar. I just love how crumbly it is.
Have a wonderful night!
Clif bars are my favorite, hands down. They taste like cookies, especially the Chocolate Chip, White Chocolate Macadamia, and the Crunchy Peanut Butter. I sometimes find that they sit in my stomach like a brick, though, so I've started buying the mini ones and having them as a snack with something else, instead of just eating a big one.
Totally know what you mean about the neverending box of cereal, too. I'm not big on cold breakfasts, but cooking for one means that there are ALWAYS leftovers, and sometimes I just can't wait to get rid of them so that I can treat my tastebuds to something new.
I'm actually not the biggest fan of bars....esp bars like Larabars. For some reason, I think I prefer "fake" bars than the all-natural ones!
I've been eating grapefruit every day! I love it :) And yes, stretching is important. So many people forget to include flexibility training into their workouts.
Clif Mojo is my current fav, though Luna's will always be there too.
Look up "Yoga for Runners" and you will find some great yoga type poses that you hold for 2-3 minutes. These are some of the greatest stretches I have found.
I just started reading your blog and I love it! You have such a fun voice to read and your meals make my mouth water! As far as bars? I loooove almost all the cliff bars, but I'd have to say the Maple Walnut is my favorite. I also run/ellipticize/bike a lot and my favorite stretch for tight hips is this:
1. Lie on your back and bend your legs at a 90 degree angle.
2. Bring one ankle on top of the opposite thigh.
3. Pull that thigh towards your chest and feel the lovely burn.
we have similar taste in bars and almond milk! that pumpkin quinoa sounds delish. interesting stuff about your hiatus, i'm glad you came back!
I actually really love ZONE bars--I think the taste is the best of any out there--esp. dark chocolate!
My tips?? Yoga! Have you tried Yoga to the People? It's really, really close to you *St. marks* and FREE, donation-based. OMG it's so good, i totally recommend/miss it. And I guarantee you you'll feel more loose and less sore from your workouts!
Oh man, do not miss the days of being a clubhead. They're fun every now and then but, looking back, going out all the time was sooo stressful! Not to say we shouldn't go lose it at a club one night.
Ditto to one of the above commenters who described the "4" stretch. So. so. so. good. Simple but effective. Also, YogaDownload.com has yoga classes for runners. Check it out!
I've been trying to figure out what to do with some leftover canned pumpkin - your Pumpkin Quinoa looks it would do the drink!
I've never had/cooked quinoa before...any tips, tricks?
My fave running stretches are actually yoga stretches - Tree is great for tight hips and standing/sitting forward bend (which Averie @ LoveVeggiesYoga recommended for me) are great for "lead legs!"
I just wanted to let you know that I have been following your blog recently and really enjoy it :)
And I used to do the club scene a lot more too and realized it wasn't fulfilling to me. It's fun on occasion but not as a huge part of my life. LOL
Wow, that quinoa pumpkin creating looks AMAZING!!! I need to try it :)
My tip would be to try Bikram Yoga if you have access. Nothing has worked miracles for me (as a runner) compared to Bikram. You will leave there feeling fantastic (and veryyyy stretched out). I try to go 1-2X week. I'm sure other types of yoga offer similar benefits, I'm just very partial to (aka obsessed with) Bikram ;)
Have a FAB day!!! xoxoxox
I'm glad you came back to blogging!! My favorite bars are honey graham z-bar and WCMN Clif ;)
I'm a HUGE advocate of stretching! I could go on and on about different stretches but my biggest tip is to get into a routine. Make it a priority because you'll feel great after you get a good stretch sesh in!
I've been eating a lot of South Beach Peanut Butter bars. I like that they fill me up and are on sale a lot! I'm trying to eat less of them though.
I try to do yoga once a week to stretch my body because I am horrible at stretching. Which is funny because my boyfriend, who is a physical therapist and avid runner, is very into warming up and stretching. He believes in an active warm-up (like a light jog, but no static stretching before a run). Then after your workout, he will stretch for about 15 minutes. He says it is best to hold each stretch for 30 sec and do 2-3 reps. For a lot more details, you can check out an article he wrote a few months ago for a newsletter called "Don't Confuse Stretching with Warming Up": http://www.gmaa.net/newsletters/newsletter2009_1011.pdf
I use my foam roller A LOT after a long run. That's my go-to way to get deep inside my muscles after stretching, but feeling like I didn't quite do enough.
Just tried the PB&J Lara bar last night, have you ever tried it? It was delicious, mmm.... Stretching tips for runners: I have none either, I probably should stretch more often. Maybe I'd recommend incorporating yoga or pilates into your days "off" from running. It will help stretch out sore muscles and help build strength in the muscle groups that support running but are used when you run. I tried a new class last night "pilates for athletes", once the soreness goes away, I will definitely be feel like a stronger runner.
Oh! And thanks for the follow ;) If you run into any other gf bloggies please reccommend their site to me or my site to them, etc.
no tips on the stretching. never so a single move. how horrible. that tropical larabar looks interesting.....
i wish I liked frozen berries but i cant get into them. do you microwave them?
Larabar cashew chew.. yum!
How is that fruity larabar? (the orange one). I haven't been tempted to try it yet...
I love the peanut butter one, it's my all time fave!
And as for stretches, I'm going to be getting a foam roller, it's apparently super good for massaging muscles!
Ugh I hate waking up before I need to!
That banini sounds genius! Like a grilled cheese wtih Pb and bananas. I so need to try that delicious looking sandwich :)
This is why I'm so hesitant to go clubbing here--when I was a bit younger we'd sneak in with our older friends, but it's such a whirlwind lifestyle. I have no idea how I'd balance it with everything else (and it seems antithetical to the healthy, holistic path I want to be on these days).
I have that tropical fruit Larabar chillin' in my bag as we speak. My favorite would have to be the Nut Kind Bar--simple but perfection--or Lara's Cashew Cookie.
As a former massage therapist, I am a total Nazi about stretching. My clients probably got sooo tired of my constantly asking them if they stretched. LOL! I'm glad to hear that you are making it a priority. A lot of younger women don't think they need to, but trust me, when you get older your joints will thank you. I did a post about stretching a while back that you might want to take a look at. Let me know if you are interested and I'll send you a link.
karen.evans@bex.net.
So I totally stumbled onto "Oh She Glows" through your blogs list... loved it. I myself have struggled with body image issues and I needed something uplifting. Thanks for the suggestion. Also, my apologies for botching your name earlier, I have fixed the post.
did you enjoy the rainy weather today? BOO. what gym do you go to, near our respective schools? lol. I've only once had the white chocolate clif bar but it was heavenly...now I'm hooked on Bumble Bars!
Pacific Almond Milk is a great brand :) Soup looks delicious. When I ran a lot I used to have running days like that when my legs just did not want to run, haha! Congrats on finishing the run! Love hearing about why you started your blog.
Holy yum, that pumpkin quinoa looks absolutely amazing. Great job on your 5 mile run!
GIRL im so frustrated-i left this long comment and it didnt even go thru..GRRR!!
ur qunioa looks GREAT! what does it taste like?!
fav bar? DETOUR runners pb chocoalte bar and pure protein chocolate mint bar!
love you girl!
I'm with you on the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Luna Bars!!! I'm semi-obsessed with them, actually. I asked for a whole box for Christmas, and I may or may not have eaten them all within like, 2 weeks :/
My other favorites are Coconut Cream Pie LaraBar, Clif Mojo Bar, and Clif Z Bar (<---newfound love) =)
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