#232 Matt Frazier stopped in Lincoln!

On my List of 1,001 Awesome Things To Do Before....list, #232 is to attend a book tour/signing by an author that I love.  I did that!  I intend to do it any time I get the chance, but I think this is the first.  No, not true.  I met Isa Moskowitz at a bake sale in Omaha and she signed my Vegan Cookies cookbook, but that was a few years back, way before I had The List.  Plus, its on the list to meet her again (maybe when she gets her vegan restaurant open?!?)

Matt Frazier writes a blog that I read regularly called The No Meat Athlete and his book, Run on Plants and Discover Your Fittest, Fastest, Happiest Self just came out a few weeks ago.  On his book tour, he made a stop at the Lincoln Running Company and Willa and I made sure we could make it!  Matt is an ultramarathon runner who just happens also to be vegan.  He spoke about his training, what he eats, what he wears, goal setting, strength training...all kinds of good stuff!  He was very informative.  I haven't read the whole book yet, but I did just try out one of his recipes (for buffalo hummus) and it was so good.  I don't know why I hadn't thought to put buffalo sauce in hummus before but it was genius.  I am very excited to try the rest of the recipes.  Aside from recipes, there are also training plans for various distances in the book.  A great read for anyone who is thinking of getting into distance running or anyone looking to replace some meat with some healthier options in their diets.  He doesn't get in your face at all about the ethics of a vegan diet, as some vegan writers do.  He makes some good points, for sure, but he also acknowledges that even just a reduction in red meat consumption can make huge positive impacts on your health and your training.  If you're curious, you should check it out!  I'll loan my copy out after I try a few more recipes:)

Need a great ebook?

I recently purchased this e-cookbook, written by a girl that I follow on Instagram, and I am loving it!  I have already made the Pad Thai a few times, the chocolate chocolate chip muffins, chipotle tilapia, spicy tuna salad and the super seed loaf.  The recipes are all very clean, all gluten-free, and the author gives suggestions on how to make most of the recipes vegetarian/vegan as well.  I highly recommend it, if you are looking for some easy, healthy ways to perk up your food-life.  Her blog has a lot of really great recipes on it, as well.  Take a peek!

#107

That's my blood, in a bag.  I took several pictures, as Willa was super confused about the whole process of donating blood.  She may need to have another conversation with her Auntie brooke about the wonders of platelets and stuff.

Pretty soon, no one will want to eat with me. Or...is gluten a fad like French rolling our jeans?

I am fascinated with learning about food and nutrition.  Its weird.  Its like, the only thing that I enjoy learning. Back when I was in school, I loved learning and reading and studying.  I wasn't all that good at it, but I liked it.  Now?  It takes me months to read a book.  Even if I'm really enjoying it, it takes ages.  UNLESS, it happens to be a book about vegan diets or a cookbook, or a blog about healthy eating.  For some reason, I can read that stuff like crazy and actually retain some of the information.  I think that might be my biggest frustration these days as far as reading/learning goes, is my lack of ability to retain things.  Perfect example, a coworker just tonight was reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.  I read that book, within the last 6 months and watched the movie and read the other books in the series and enjoyed them.  But she started asking me questions about it, and I couldn't remember a darn thing outside of the very basic plot.  That's pretty pathetic.  But ask me about spirulina or maca powder or some other weird super food, and I remember stuff!  So, that being said, I decided that maybe I could take my (slight) obsession with learning about food, and use it to combat some of my physical complaints and signs of aging.  I am already a vegetarian.  Actually, I'm a pescetarian, as I do eat seafood, but I don't think that is a very commonly used term.  I have toyed with the idea of being vegan, but I really like seafood and cheese. And eggs are just so darn easy.  I have completely given up cow's milk.  It actually kind of makes me queasy to think about.  At our house we have either almond or coconut milk, whichever happens to be a tad bit cheaper at whichever grocery store I am at.  At coffee shops, its soy.  And actually, soy milk is usually cheaper than the other milk alternatives, but I feel like its a tricky food that I just don't want to overdo.  I have read that soybeans are pretty highly pesticized, so its preferable for the soy milk to be organic.  Then there's also something wacky with soy and estrogen.  So, I just don't really buy it to put on my cereal but it doesn't weird me out to have a little in my coffee every once in a while. I don't buy butter anymore either, but rather the soy-free Earth Balance spread.  You honestly can't tell a difference (except in the price.)  So I guess my main weaknesses are seafood, eggs, and cheese.
If you've known me for very long, like 15 minutes or longer, you probably know that I have digestive issues. I'll try not to go into it, in case you're eating right now, or ever want to eat again, but lets just say that I am not "regular."  I have been known to go for weeks without any "action" or "movement."  For the longest time, I thought this was normal, until I started talking about it.  You really aren't supposed to be bloated and crampy all the time!  Crazy!  You're supposed to poop!  Daily!  You aren't supposed to have to over compensate and give yourself the opposite kinds of problems with laxatives and gross, fake fiber drinks!  I also have issues with seasonal allergies, and low levels of energy.  So, I started doing some research on how my diet could be affecting these issues, and I decided to do a week of eating without gluten and minimal dairy.  BIG SHOCKER...I felt so good that week!  Now, I realize that just the mere act of thinking about every food choice and eating so healthily was probably the main reason, however, I have decided to try to make as many of my meals as possible, gluten-free.  Technically, it IS possible to not eat gluten at all ever.  People with Celiac's Disease have to do it every day of their lives.  It is also very possible to eat a completely gluten-free diet, and still not be eating very well.  If you look hard enough, and are willing to spend enough money, you can get a gluten-free version of any wheaty product that you are craving.  You could live off of muffins and pasta and cookies even on a gluten-free diet.  Just not a very good idea.
So, since I really enjoyed the huge amounts of energy that I experienced in all my little bouts of giving up the (apparently) evil gluten, I'm going to keep it up.  Its not a true allergy, so I certainly will still indulge in a few meals here and there, like veggie burgers or normal pizza or just having dinner cooked by someone else without them having to go through my weird checklist of sensitivities or moral dilemmas.  But I will do so knowing that I am going to wake up a little bit more tired and with a little bit of a headache and a mildly puffy stomach.  Honestly, I think that everyone would experience some level of health benefits by avoiding gluten and dairy.  Its just so inconvenient.  We'll see how it goes for me.  And don't worry, I'll let you know.

Bummered. Big time.

Willa started playing soccer and it is hilarious.  There is always at least one kid on the ground, one kid picking their nose, 4 kids running the wrong direction, someone crying, and 2 kids refusing to play.  So entertaining.  At home, she seems to understand the basic idea of soccer, and of competing with the other team, but as soon as she gets on the field, she kind of just runs around, kicking the ball when it has accidentally been placed right in front of her.  Oh, well.  At this point, I'm just glad she is willing to go!

The thing I am bummed about isn't related to soccer really.  Its just that I emailed the Lincoln Track Club to change my registration from the full marathon to the half.  I was doing pretty well with the training up until I needed to do an 18 and 20 mile run.  And I didn't do them.  I could give you a list of reasons why, but they would sound whiny and generic and make me feel more pathetic than I kind of do right now.  So I won't.  I AM very excited about the half, though.  I think I can shoot for a pretty decent time, maybe taking 10 minutes or so off of my half PR. which is 2:08:40.  I think I am making a smart decision.  I still plan to run the full marathon, for sure.  If I wait for Lincoln, maybe in 2 years.  I spent my night shift last night writing out a sort of "bucket list" for myself, and qualifying for Boston may or may not have been (but probably was) on it.  So I guess it would be best not to butcher my first marathon the way I did my 16 mile run:)  So, if you plan to be a spectator at the marathon on Sunday, look for me in the first 13 miles.  And then look for me later to be drinking margaritas, as Sunday is also Cinco de Mayo.  And, tequila does NOT contain gluten.  But that's a fun story for another day!

Marathon training update

Yes, that is a picture of Willa demonstrating how best to use a blood pressure thingy.  No, it has nothing to do with me running.  I think my ADD is getting worse as I get older.  And also, I don't take pictures of myself running.  (And as a side note: do you guys have the Vine app yet?  Because the video I posted on there of Willa playing doctor that day makes me almost pee my pants every time I watch it.  And she gets so mad...Did she swallow the giant marshmallow?  She needs to barf it...I even laugh when I type it:)  

Back to running.  Let me start by telling you that I am still very much looking forward to the marathon and am still planning to run the full thing.  That being said, I was very mistaken about how exactly that happens.  What I mean is, I really thought in my mind that a person could just run and run and run for any amount of time, but they would just feel tired or slow down significantly.  This is the belief I had after running a few half marathons in the past, and doing a few training runs that were in the 10-13 mile range.  Last weekend, I had a good chunk of time and the schedule called for a 16 mile run.  The weather was perfect.  Cool and a little rainy.  Just right for a few hours worth of running.  The first 10 miles were awesome.  10-13 were very, very slow.  At around 14, my body stopped moving forward.  I stretched a lot and made it go to about 15, and then I walked half a mile.  Then I resumed running till I got back to my car, but I'm pretty sure that "running" was actually slower than the walking.  It hadn't occurred to me that my body could just decide it wouldn't run anymore.  I had made a few vital mistakes.  I think the most major of mistakes was not having anything along on the run to eat or drink.  When I left my house, I hadn't intended to do the full 16 miles, so I didn't take any portable snacks with me, and all I had was a big cup of water.  It would have been really inconvenient to run with a cup and straw.  Duh, Allison.  Pretty sure you are supposed to replenish carbs and electrolytes AT LEAST every 60 minutes during a long run like that.  My second major mistake is that I just plain haven't been running enough.  I have been hitting almost all of the long runs, but almost none of the midweek, shorter runs.  I think that would really help.  So, from here on out, I am going to make sure to run at least 4 times a week, hit the long runs, take along one of the many gu packets I stocked up on and maybe some dates, and ideally have a buddy who will ride a bike to carry my water.  And a banana. And me, when my legs stop working.  

There were a few other minor issues with my 16 mile run.  The first is that I ran on the Mopac Trail, which takes you almost immediately out of town, but you only come across one porta-potty on the trail and it is about 3 miles in.  Whattayado when your big cup of water attacks your bladder half a mile in?  Well, you could tiptoe into a cornfield, only to realize that on the other side of the cornfield is a country club.  Or you could keep on running until you come to a horse trail that is pretty tree-lined and just stop caring what other people think.  The second issue was a tiny spot of underarm chafing.  I wondered just how necessary runner's lube would be.  I got my answer.

Guys, here's how to please a (vegetarian) lady.

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The title of this post is indeed a shameless attempt to get to the 10,000 views mark.  I admit it.  I bet that gets googled a lot, don't you?!?  Especially around Valentine's Day.  But don't be scared, I am not about to share any faux-fur lined handcuffs

Yes, this is what (soft core) porn looks like to me:)

Just this recipe for vegan chocolate avocado pudding.  This might be even scarier than the handcuffs.  You're thinking that I have lost my mind, putting the words "avocado" and "pudding" in the same sentence.  My mind is still just as together as it was before I found the pudding recipe, whatever that means to you.  This stuff is so good.  If you have an aversion to coconut, as about half of the world does, you can leave it out.  And you can use any type of milk.  Also, I used honey in place of syrup, and really not very much of it.  Tastes so much better than any pudding you can buy in the store and its pretty darn good for you!  Please try it.  Even if you think you don't like avocados.  Which if you don't, you should not be reading my blog.  Its like saying you don't like Willa.  That's how close avocados and I are.  We may be closer, as an avocado would have hurt A LOT LESS coming out of the birthing canal.  I've also never had an avocado yell in the library that she "can't find the damn dog" in the Where's Waldo book.  But at the same time an avocado never tells me I'm pretty or snuggles with me at night.  Its a toss up.

January is National Oatmeal Month

I know.  There is a "National-Everything-Month" these days.  BUT, I love oatmeal, so I'm gonna go ahead and talk about it.  First of all, a few months ago I made the big decision to switch from the el cheapo quick cooking instant oatmeal flakes to steel cut oats.  I thought I loved oatmeal before, but this was game changing.  They do cost more, and take longer to cook but if you are an oatmeal fan, you won't mind one bit.    Then last week, one of my most favorite fitness bloggers posted this recipe for baked coconut-blueberry oatmeal.  That is like, all of my favorite words in one recipe title.  So, after I went to the grocery store Sunday  night, I stuck a pan of it in the oven and have eaten it for breakfast (and a few little snacks) all week.  I just had the last bowl and it made me a little sad, until I realized that I can just make it again and not be sad.

Yes, it called for one of the "good" bowls:)

Its a very simple recipe, which is great.  When recipes even look the least bit complicated, I get nervous.  And sweat.  And usually tear them up and throw them away.  I tweaked a few things about it, to accommodate what I had on hand/what was less expensive/etc.  For instance, I had a few cups of soy milk to use up instead of almond milk, then I used coconut milk for the rest.  I don't really stick to any one type of "milk" around our house.  We never have dairy milk, just soy or almond or coconut.  I haven't branched out to hemp or rice milk yet.  I just kind of rotate through whatever is available or on sale at whichever store I am shopping at.  I think this recipe will work with any type of milk.  Then, I did half frozen-half fresh blueberries, just to see how it would turn out and it was fine.  I also omitted the dried blueberries because they were kind of expensive and very few came in a bag.  We're on a budget here, people!  I don't think the recipe necessarily needs any added sweetener, I believe the blogger used vanilla stevia drops.  I used a bit of honey, but that could be skipped if you were really concerned about sugar.  The great thing about this oatmeal dish is that it is something that is actually better as leftovers.  It needs to sit for awhile for the oats to soak up some of the milk, but I found that it didn't lose any of its tastiness over the days that I ate it.  I just popped a bowl of it in the microwave and then put a little extra coconut milk on top and it was awesome.  I can't wait until it is cherry season, as I think I might try to alter the recipe and use cherries.  And then maybe alter it again and instead of coconut flakes and coconut milk, I will use just almond milk, some almonds, and maybe a tiny bit of almond extract with cherries.  I really like the cherry/almond combo.  Many, many thanks to Erin for sharing this oatmeal gem this fine, cold January!

And then I went running

Inspirational graffiti on my run:)

I had made a little note to myself in my planner at the beginning of November that if I was going to run the full marathon, I needed to make a training plan.  When I saw that a few weeks ago, I ignored it.  I was "too busy, too tired, too out of shape, too slow, too old".  Some combination of those excuses.  But then this weekend I had some time to myself and a beautiful day, so I decided to go for a run, to assess the situation.  And here is what I have decided...........I am going to register for the full marathon in December when registration opens.  What?!?  Something is wrong with me.  I am suuuuper nervous but at the same time, pretty excited.  Its not like I went out and ran 15 miles this weekend.  I did 6.  At well over 9 minute miles.  The thing that made me decide to take the plunge was how good it felt.  If I hadn't wanted to see the second half of the Husker football game, I could have easily done 10 miles.  And its only November!  Here's the deal with me and running.  Or me and sports for that matter.  I am not coordinated.  I am not competitive.  I am not fast.  Therefore, team sports and I do not mix.  I gave it a shot.  I played softball, soccer, volleyball, and basketball all at some point in my youth.  And I apologize to anyone who had to be on a team with me:) I was told by our family physician when I was young that I had bad knees and would never be a runner.  So I guess I never even really considered sports that I actually may have been able to do, like cross country or track.  I mean, I would not have been good at them, but I could have participated.  But I never even tried.  Then I became a grown up, I guess and needed a stress relieving hobby so I started running.  Its a very cheap hobby, thank goodness!  And I'm also kind of a stubborn grown up, so when I started thinking back about that doctor (maybe some of you remember him.  He had all those marathon posters in his office?) I thought, "I'll show him."  So I ran the Lincoln Half Marathon in 2008 and then again in 2011.  But what I really want to do?  The full marathon.  And then, if my body isn't destroyed by that, someday I would like to do an ultramarathon.  And a trail marathon.  And travel around the country doing marathons.  Ok, I might be getting a little carried away, but you get the idea.
So, I am sharing this on my blog in hopes of giving myself some major accountability.  Like, if you are watching at mile 20 on May 5th and you have waited for over 4 hours and you don't see me, you should give me a major guilt trip.  I am really going to need help from my family if I'm going to do this right.  Like, lots of time to run.  Lots of support to eat as healthy as possible and get as much rest as possible.  We will revisit this topic in a few months, I would suppose.  But for now, I better get to meal and workout planning!

Exploring a new bike trail

Now that it isn't 1,007 degrees out every afternoon, its the perfect weather to go for bike rides!  So that is what we did all afternoon.  My mom grabbed us some bike trail maps the other day when she was in a bike shop and Brad spent some time studying them.  Low and behold, he found a trail that is in our neck of the woods!  The Oak Creek Trail starts in Valparaiso and ends in Brainard.  If you go from start to finish, its around 13 miles.  We didn't make it quite that far on this trip, but we made it far enough to know that this trail is gorgeous, and that we want to go back every Sunday until it snows.  Maybe we'll even get snow tires for our bikes and go then.  Its a limestone trail, like the MoPac, and it is very shady and tree-covered most of the way.  There are fun little horse trails that branch off the main trail, as long as your idea of fun is to dodge big piles of steaming horse poo.  I'm thinking that this trail could be very beneficial to my marathon training.  Its even a perfect distance.  Half marathon out, half marathon back...I don't think this is a coincidence.
And here is my super-proud mama moment from today.  For about 4 miles of our ride, Brad ditched his bike and rode mine so that I could get in a run.  Willa stayed in her cozy little bike trailer.  When we got back to Brad's bike, I asked Willa if she wanted to get out and stretch her legs for a bit before we finished our bike riding.  She got out...and ran!  And ran and ran and ran.  Just like mama.  I didn't time how long she kept on running, but I bet it had to have been half a mile before she agreed to get back in the trailer.  I just loved seeing her run like that, after seeing me do it.  I read a lot of fitness blogs, written by women/moms whose main focus is living a healthy lifestyle and role modeling that lifestyle for their daughters.  It made me so happy to see that working in our family.  I want so much for Willa to be a healthy, strong little lady who is proud of her body and all that it can do.  We might be on the right track:)

Juicing!!

Oh boy!  It finally happened!  I got a juicer!  I know, I whined about it a lot.  Maybe not a lot on the blog, but a lot in my personal, real life.  And then one day I came home and Brad had bought me one!  He goes to great lengths to NOT listen to me whine:)  Not only did he buy me a juicer, he pretty much bought the best one that is available for non-commercial use.

That's the guy!  You can stick anything in there and it will liquefy it!  Well, we actually discussed what would happen if you put meat, a sock, or pop tarts in it.  Maybe you shouldn't juice some things.  

I gave myself a few days of testing out the machine, then I did a 2 day juice fast.  Just to see if I could and if I liked the results.  I tried to do mostly veggie juices, but once in awhile you just have to throw in a green apple and a pear.  And don't get confused by the photo, its best not to juice bananas or avocados.  I bought those for smoothies.  The combo of veggies I liked the best were carrots, cucumber, celery, kale, jalapeno, cilantro, garlic, tomato and sweet potato.  But I felt like as long as I had garlic and something spicy, I could throw any other veggie in there and it would be drinkable.  The 2 day fast was awesome.  It really surprised me that I had so much energy when I wasn't eating solid food, but I guess that just proves how much energy we expend on digesting and processing our food.  By the end of the 2nd day, I was pretty hungry so I had a smoothie instead of juice but I felt great and can't wait to do it again.  Hopefully for longer.  And not that my goal was to lose any weight but my summer shorts definitely fit better after the 2 days!  

How pretty is the juice when you add a beet and a polka dot straw??

  

BRAD ATE CAULIFLOWER!!

This is a huge deal in our house.  Let's think about this for a second.  I am a vegetarian.  Who loves vegetables.  And weird grains.  And nut milks and a multitude of soy bean products.  Brad likes...jerky.  And beer.  The list of vegetables that he will willingly eat include corn and occasionally peas.  Grocery shopping for our family is a fun challenge.  (Willa likes grapes, yogurt and plain hot dog buns if you were wondering.)  So the other night when I finally got around to trying the cauliflower crust pizza that I saw on Pinterest, I figured either I would ruin it and no one would eat it, or it would be awesome and I would love it but Brad would hate it.  Either way, I had to try it.  The verdict is that it was really, really good.  And Brad ate it.  And he claimed to like it!  I'll post the recipe, as it was from Pinterest and then I'll walk through my alterations to the recipe.
Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Serves 2; Adapted from Your Lighter Side.

ingredients:

1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 tsp garlic salt
olive oil (optional)

pizza sauce, shredded cheese and your choice of toppings*

directions:

To "Rice" the Cauliflower:
Take 1 large head of fresh cauliflower, remove stems and leaves, and chop the florets into chunks. Add to food processor and pulse until it looks like grain. Do not over-do pulse or you will puree it. (If you don't have a food processor, you can grate the whole head with a cheese grater). Place the riced cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 8 minutes. There is no need to add water, as the natural moisture in the cauliflower is enough to cook itself.

One large head should produce approximately 3 cups of riced cauliflower. The remainder can be used to make additional pizza crusts immediately, or can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

To Make the Pizza Crust:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Add oregano, crushed garlic and garlic salt, stir. Transfer to the cookie sheet, and using your hands, pat out into a 9" round. Optional: Brush olive oil over top of mixture to help with browning.

Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven. To the crust, add sauce, toppings and cheese. Place under a broiler at high heat just until cheese is melted (approximately 3-4 minutes).

Enjoy!

*Note that toppings need to be precooked since you are only broiling for a few minutes.

Ok, I don't own a food processor, which I realize more and more every day is dumb.  I just need to bite the bullet and go buy one, as a ton of my recipes call for them.  Sometimes I avoid making things that would probably be so good, just because I don't own one.  I also don't own a cheese grater.  So I put most of a small head of organic cauliflower in my magic bullet and blended it for quite awhile.  Admittedly, this took some time but I think it would be much quicker with the food processor.  Once I had blended about a cup of cauliflower and microwaved it for about 6 minutes, I added in the egg, cheese, oregano and garlic.  Spread it on my trusty Pampered Chef pizza stone and brushed it with olive oil.  This amount of mixture made a very small pizza.  It truly only does serve 2, and at that, I would make sure to have some sides if you're hungry.  I think I only baked the crust for about 12 minutes before the edges started to look pretty crispy.  I topped the crust with parmesan cheese, one large tomato, sliced, and lots of basil.  Stuck it under the broiler for a couple of minutes.  Oh wow.  It was good.  Brad even said that he wouldn't have guessed there was any cauliflower in the pizza if I hadn't told him.  I will say that the crust was a little bit more delicate than normal, but maybe that means I just didn't quite cook it long enough.  I don't know that I would ever use another store bought pizza crust again after trying it this way.  Picky eaters definitely earn bragging rights for trying this one!!!

Fun little pins

I like wishbone chairs.  I like shades of blue.  I like blingy light fixtures.

I made these guys the other day.  Well, I tweaked the recipe a bit.  Here's the deal.  I have given up desserts and candies for the duration of Lent.  Not really for any religious reason, mostly just to challenge myself.  I am kind of a sweets-junkie.  And I am obsessed with Easter candy.  This is gonna be tough.  Its been 5 days and most of those days have contained numerous opportunities for dessert and I have passed on all of them! I'm not going crazy and cutting out all sugar.  I put a few chocolate chips in the pancakes the other day.  And I used syrup.  And I made these guys.  Here's what I put in them:  oatmeal, dried cranberries, honey, agave, chia, hemp protein, flax, a handful of white chocolate chips, peanut butter, coconut oil and unsweetened coconut flakes.  They are dangerously close to being dessert.  I should mention that Brad and Tosha are doing the "no sweets" thing with me.  And last year, Tosha swore off meat during Lent.  Just for me, I like to pretend:)  Brad gave me permission to have the occasional muffin or scone for breakfast, I think just because he is afraid that I will become homicidal without them.  I am giving myself permission to buy a few bags of Easter candy and hide them in the back of the pantry for after Easter.  I'm halfway hoping that I won't even want them.  Even after 5 days, it kind of gave us stomach aches just sampling the energy ball dough!

Bitten by the bug...only about a month too late

I'm not really sure why I ever go through these periods of NOT running.  I think it usually just naturally coincides with my hatred of winter and my desire to hibernate for months.  This year, my running strike continued right on through the few weeks that registration for the Lincoln Marathon was open.  I had a whole conversation with myself (hopefully in my head, but I guess if it happened out loud I'm sure I was having it at work while all the kids were asleep.) about how I hadn't run in forever, didn't really feel like running anytime soon, my preference for curling up with a blanket and Dexter on DVD...the list could go on and on.  Needless to say, I didn't register.  And now, I'm kicking myself for it.  I did the same thing two years ago and instantly regretted it.  Could someone please remind me in like November of this year to just pay the stupid $40 because I will be glad that I did come February?!?  So, I've been running.  Just on the treadmill for now.  And I found a race that looks really fun to keep me truckin'-Run for the Bridges at Wilderness Park.  Since its really creeping up quickly, I only registered for the 6 mile race.  That should keep me satisfied for awhile.  Plus, I've never done a trail run, so there is the added fun of trying something new!  Aaaaand, here's the REAL kicker.  Brad wants to do it with me!  I'm going to have him look over a 10k training schedule before I pay the registration fee, but I'm super excited that he's even considering it!  What is the world coming to?  Last year, I got him to go hiking and now this year, running?!?  I've heard talk of the world coming to an end this year.  If I happen to get Brad to eat vegetables, I will let you all know so you can start making plans for your last few days on Earth...

Let food be thy medicine

Hippocrates is pretty old school, but "Let food be thy medicine" has long been one of my favorite quotes.  I just spent the last hour and a half watching a new documentary called Forks Over Knives and I would love for each and every person that I care about in my life to also watch it.  The film gives a very in-depth and science based explanation as to why our cultures' current diet is killing us.  Sounds dramatic, but it really is.  I urge you, if you have a Netflix account, watch this film.  Its not action packed, or funny, or visually entertaining but we all need to hear these statistics.  Normally, when I read about plant-based diets, I am doing so to learn more about the welfare of the animals or the impact on our environment that meat production has, this film took a different approach.  If you are a dude, or someone of the opinion that you need tons of protein, there is even an interview with a vegan MMA fighter, a professional triathlete, and a whole fire station full of Texas firefighters who have all adopted a vegan lifestyle. 

So...go.  Watch.  Then call me and we can discuss:)