Meatless Monday- amazing soup mushroom miso soup!

I made this delicious mushroom miso soup! I started with this recipe from Pinterest, but adapted it to be my own below:

Ingredients (serves 2)
1 Tbs. oil (olive, vegetable, corn, coconut) ** I used olive oil!
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. minced ginger
big pinch crushed red chile flakes
big handful sliced mushrooms ** I used 4 Cups of portebello & oyster mushrooms sliced
3 c. chicken or vegetable stock (or low-sodium broth) **I used 5 C vegie stock
3 oz. soba noodles **I used spinach rice noodles
1 Tbs. soy sauce
big pinch sugar ** No sugar necessary!
2 handfuls baby spinach
6 oz. tofu, pressed & cut into cubes *12 oz.tofu
1 scallions, thinly sliced
** I added 2 T. Miso (dilute the miso in 6 oz. hot water until dissolved)
Instructions
Heat oil in a small saute pan over medium heat. When hot, add garlic, ginger, and chile flakes; saute for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add mushrooms and continue to saute until they are tender and starting to turn golden in spots. Set aside.

Bring chicken *vegetable* stock to a boil, and then add the sobarice noodles, soy sauce, sugar, and reserved mushroom mixture; simmer for 4 minutes, add miso & stir. Cook for 15 more minutes on simmer. Remove from heat.

Put one handful of the baby spinach in the bottom of each of the bowls and divide the tofu evenly over the spinach.

Carefully lift half of the noodles out of the pot and place in one of the bowls, and then do the same with the other half. Divide the hot broth and mushrooms evenly amongst the bowls and let sit for 1 minute before stirring everything around.

Sprinkle with the scallion and eat right away!

Yesterday, as I told you, we particpated in the Lungevity walk in memory of my mom!
It was very meaningful as always. Here are a few photos from the morning!

This was our group! Can you see our cute shirts we had with a charachter of my mom? I love those shirts!

This was a baloon memory send off for everyone who wasn’t lucky enough to survive the damn lung cancer.

Stone, Benji, and Sharon walking for a cure/cause! Truman & I were behind them.

My sister & niece after their run- Way to go girls! They ran the 5k.

Alida & Lauren after completing their 5k! Woo hoo girls- you rock! This was Alida’s first ever 5k last year & now this June, she’s running a 1/2 marathon with me! She’s so inspiring!
Thanks for letting me share my family with you!
What did you do with your family last weekend?

Busy week, NuNaturals giveaway & 7 day vegetarian challenge!

Wow, I have’t posted in a couple of days & I feel like there’s going to be a big dump going on right now!
Let me begin by telling you that I finally got an amazing run outside!
I fueled up with this at home:
(Only the energy one, not all of them!)
I had planned on running somewhere between 6-10, wasn’t exactly sure because I hadn’t run long since the 1/2 marathon. It felt so good that I ran 11! BAM! It was a slow & steady 11, but I was outside, enjoying the fresh smell of flowers, the sunshine, other runners, babies in strollers, dogs, my awesome book on my IPod, etc. It was a true runners high I got from that awesome run! That’s why I run! It never feels great until after the 3rd mile, when I get my groove on, that’s why longer runs are the best!
I was a little over dressed & had to push up my sleeves mid run. But, was SO comfortable.

That was me prior to asking Stone to help me out!

Then, I asked & Nemo needed to be part of the fun.

A bit sweaty & happy after my great long beautiful run!
I’ve been participating in a 7 day vegetarian challenge with Jill Fickling-Conyers. Ok, it’s not so hard for me, but does keep me on my toes & I’m loving it!
Here’s a recap of the week I had for the challenge:
The first thing is to be meatless for 7 days! Done!
Day 1: Try a new fruit or vegie. Well, I had frozen pomegranite seeds I found at Costco. I simply ate them frozen & didn’t even defrost them. Have you ever done that? I thought it may be weird, but it was good. Like eating frozen blueberries, why not?!
You should try them. They sell a big bag already ready! So easy & Yum!
Day 2: Have a green smootie! Done!

I added kale to my protein smoothie. I had to floss afterward because I had both chia seeds & kale in my teeth. I’m usually only dealing with chia, but it was great & worth needing the floss!
Day 3: Try a quinoa recipe.
Here’s what we had for lunch yesterday: quinoa salad with tomatoes, cucumbers & basil with lemon. Simple & delicious!
Days 4-7 were simply vegetarian: I got that in no problem.
Truth is I made detox salad for the entire week & had it daily for lunch. I love it! I posted it on Monday ( I think).
Here are some pics of my food from the week:

So, I’ve met the challenge & am up for another week! Woo hoo! The one thing that i”m really struggling with & would like to change in my diet is to get rid of my creamer in my coffee. I LOVE the stuff, but am trying to rid dairy. However, if this is the only thing I have, that’s fine. All in moderation, right!!??
I’m off for a tabata bootcamp video & then to a Lungevity walk with my family. This is in memory of my mom who passed away from lung cancer. The event is so wonderful & I’m thrilled that we’re doing it again this year. It’s the 2nd yr of the event & I’m hoping to make this an annual event with my family. Gotta go!
Have a wonderful day!
I hope there’s a lot of sunshine by you.
What will you do today?
Don’t forget about the NuNaturals giveaway! There’s only 1 day left & the stuff is AMAMZING! Seriously. You don’t want to miss out! The rafflecopter is on the right hand side of the page. Enter NOW! :).

Friday & self hosted….

Well, I guess it’s really official!

I’m going self hosted! Yikes!  What have I done?  No idea honestly, but it should make things easier for everyone!  I guess since I’m making this committment to be self hosted, I’m committed to keep blogging!  I have been having fun with all of this;  meeting new virtual blogging buddies, sharing my “stuff”, keeping my self accountable which is a motivator for me & I love learning about new products  & sharing them with you.

Now, the weather is breaking & I’m going to be “amping” up my training & getting myself outdoors for my runs.  I’m hoping to get in some good runs this weekend!  Woo hoo- finally spring is springing!

There aren’t many entries for the NuNaturals rafflecopter.  Honestly, this is a great giveaway!  We’ve been finding more ways to use it around my house.  Last night I made Stone & Samantha a smoothie with yogurt, berries, almond milk & a couple drops of vanilla NuNaturals.  It was delicious!  I also added a couple drops of the chocolate to my hemp smoothie the other day.  I added a couple drops of vanilla to my overnight oats yesterday a.m. & 2 drops of peppermint to my licorice tea.  IT was a great combo.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check it all out here!

The only downside to all of the NuNaturals is that last night, I bumped the lemon & it shattered!  Fell on the granite counter & then onto the ceramic floor.  I love my counters & floors, but it’s not good when I break glass.  😦

I’m beat!  Waiting for the sunshine & warm weather.

I pinned buffalo cauliflower & am making it for dinner tonight.  I’m so excited, hoping it’s great!

Have a wonderful day.

What’s your favorite flavor extract?

Random Babble & NuNaturals giveaway!

I had the greatest workout yesterday!  I ran 5 miles (on my treadmill b/c I thought it was going to rain).  Then I did a 6minute tabata workout & a 30 minute tabata workout.  I was truly a great way to start my day.  Love That!

I have to tell you that I’m really loving my NuNaturals flavored drops.  I added chocolate to the kids pancakes yesterday a.m.  I added the mint to my licorice tea (it was amazing) & I added a couple drops of the vanilla to my hemp protein shake.  It is seriously addicting.  I just made overnight oats for breakfast tomorrow & added a couple drops of the vanilla.  It doesn’t really need it, but I’m loving the addition, so why not?!

I saw this on another blog & had to post it.  It’s so true!  Running just clears my mind & makes everything alright!  It’s just as much for my physical health as it is for my mental health if not more sometimes!  Dontcha think?  And, the high you get after a great run.  I have never found anything else that does the same.  And, it’s FREE!  That’s the best!

I got these amazing bars the other day to try.

I had the acai berry yesterday for a snack.  It was really tasty & I loved the crunch from the seeds.  They’re only 100 calories  & packed with Omega 3’s.  It’s a perfect little snack that gives you a lot of vitamins & only 100 calories.  Definitely worth a try!  Thank you to the fine folks at Health Warrior for sending them my way!

Here’s a bit of info. about Health Warrior from their website.:

OUR STORY

Five centuries after the Aztec Warriors built an empire on the power of Chia, we learned about the benefits of Chia while reading the best-selling book Born to Run, about the Tarahumara Indians and their jaw-dropping long-distance runs. The Tarahumara, like the Aztecs before them, are Powered by Chia.

We looked into it further, and were floored by what we found. Turns out Chia is one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet.

We started eating Chia every day, on everything. Suddenly we were working out harder, lifting heavier, feeling stronger, and running farther, faster.

With that, Health Warrior was born.

Health Warrior is dedicated to vetting the world’s growers for the highest quality Chia and helping people conquer the many challenges of their everyday lives.

I wonder since I make sure that I have chia daily if I could stop taking fish oil….  I take it for the omega 3’s, but chia is loaded.  Hmmm…..  What do you think?

I have a huge bottle, so either way I”ll finish it, but maybe I won’t replenish it.  That’s something to consider.  If you have information about that, please weigh in & leave me a comment. Thanks for the support.

Do you take supplements?  What do you take & why?

WIAW

I have to tell you how proud I am of myself for remembering all my pictures!  I usually have to use old pics or don’t have them, but I tried hard & wiola!  Here they are!

Thanks again Jenn over at Peas and Crayons for the link up!

Breakfast

Oops, I have 1 recycled picture.

Don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter on the upper right hand side of this page for the NuNaturals giveaway!  It’s one you won’t want to miss!

NuNaturals GIVEAWAY

NuNaturals

I was so lucky to win all of these products from another blogger.

• Lemon NuStevia Liquid
• Orange NuStevia Liquid
• Peppermint NuStevia Liquid
• Chocolate NuStevia Liquid
• Vanilla NuStevia Liquid

I didn’t realize how lucky I was until I did a little research & learned about all of the amazing benefits of NuNaturals products, as well as all of the wonderful “non-guilty” treats I could make!

Here’s what I found so interesting from the NuNaturals website: Stevia is a great all natural herbal sweetener that can be used a great low calorie, low carbohydrate sugar substitute but some people may worry about potential stevia side effects. Well the good news is there is nothing to worry about, while Stevia’s confusing treatment by the FDA can seem alarming, there are absolutely no Stevia side effects to worry about! Now with the FDA’s decision to allow the use of stevia Reb-A compounds as food additives there is nothing to worry about when using stevia as an all natural sugar substitute.

There are a variety of products on their website.  Not only are they wonderful & have a variety of options, but they also are cheaper on their own website than I’ve found anywhere else.

This is my favorite thus far!

I have to tell you that as of now, my favorite treat to make with my NuNaturals stevia is a “mock frappuccino“.  OMG- the recipe is so simple!  You NEED to try it.  It’s amazing.  I’ve made it several times for a variety of people & everyone loves it!  I am a Starbucks fan, but hate all of those senseless calories.  No worries when you make it this way- you don’t need to count calories or fat grams!!!

2 C leftover coffee (preferably cold)

1 T instant coffee

2 C almond milk

3 droppers of vanilla NuNaturals liquid stevia

3 C ice

blend & enjoy!!!!!!

You’re in luck because the fine people at NuNaturals is offering one of my readers to get their very own package of goodies from NuNaturals.  Just enter the Rafflecopter on the right side of the page.  You know the drill.  Good luck.

I haven’t made ice cream yet, that’ll be my next guiltless treat- can’t wait!

Here’s what I had for breakfast:

Kale smoothie with Sun Warrior plant protein powder & a drop of Vanilla liquid stevia.

Ok, I’m off to run a bit & do a tabata video.  I’m still on my treadmill, as it’s dark outside & rainy today- ugggg…..

I’m really hoping that it’s nice enough to get outside this weekend for a nice long run!

Do you use any stevia products?

Sunday fun day!

Good Morning!

After my morning workout yesterday, we headed out to a gluten-free festival!  I was so excited to check out the goodies there & my family wanted to join me.  Funny thing, I told them we we’re going to a food fest, so they were all excited (thinking there may be candy there).  Shhh.   I did not telling them it was a gluten-free food fest!  I figured that they’d find out soon enough & was certain they’d find a lot of goodies they would like.  Well, we didn’t make it there!  There were a couple of different routes we tried to take because so many roads were closed because of the storms & then we had enough & decided not to go :(.  I was a little bummed, but it was silly to keep driving around, so we just called it quites!  Guess there’s always next year!

I did however, pick a winner for the Hemp giveaway…

And, the winner for the Hemp giveaway is:

• 48 Jeffrey Lammers Tweet about the Giveaway

  
  

I’ve got your info., so I”ll send it on the good people at Manitoba Harvest!  Way to go Jeffrey, you did it again!!!! :).

Today is Meatless Monday, so let me get back to that…

Kale slaw with Kale tahini pesto

I can’t take credit for the pesto, as I pinned it from Versatile Vegan.  It was so great over the kale slaw that I get from CostCo.  I’m sure it would be good with pasta or a potato or maybe even quinoa as well.  I also think that I’d add a little cayenne next time to give it a little more zing.  But, it’s quite good as it is.  It’s very “green/earthy” tasting, so beware!  It may be a lot for some.

I made these chocolate chip oat flour cookies.  They are good & there are only 2 left!  NO Sugar added my friends!  This is a winner.  They do have a hint of sweetness because of the Pure Liquid™ Vanilla Alcohol Free Stevia™.

.  (I’ll be posting more about that soon!!!).

Chocolate Chip Oat Flour Cookies

Ingredients

• 2¼ cups of all oat flour (I made my own from oats)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ cup of coconut oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 6 droppers of Pure Liquid™ Vanilla Alcohol Free Stevia™
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of  chocolate chips

Preheat oven 350.

Mix all ingerdients together in mixer.  When everything is incorporated, add chips.

Drop by rounded tablespoon onto cookie sheet & bake for about 13 minutes on 350.

ENJOY!

Tomorrow, I’ve got a great giveaway coming your way!

Off to do a quick tabata bootcamp video before I head out for an early meeting this morning.

What are you most looking forward to when this weather finally turns to spring?????

7-Day Vegetarian Challenge

 

Tomorrow starts a 7-day vegetarian challenge that I plan on joining!

-Day Vegetarian Challenge

I’m joining Jen (Marathon Mom) and Jill Conyers (fitness, health & happiness) to become a vegetarian for 1 week.  The challenge officially starts on April 22.

Something to think about. The benefits of a plant based diet include:

• reduce body fat and maintain lean muscle,
• increase energy without coffee or caffeine,
• increase strength,
• increase endurance,
• improve sleep quality,
• improve mental clarity,
• reduce sleep requirements,
• improve resistance to infection,
• quicken recovery from exercise,
• reduce or eliminate sugar cravings,
• increase desire to excel.

Source: Thrive. The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life by Brendan Brazier

If you want to join us…

Head over here & sign up!  This isn’t too much of a stretch for me, but I am excited.

Will you join us?

Stormy Weather in Chicago

Holy Ned.  I can’t even begin to believe the storms that took over Chicagoland yesterday.  IT was insane!  We were quite lucky at my house & only had a little seepage in our basement.

However, here’s a picture of a friend’s neighborhood!  It’s so hard to believe.  It just doesn’t flood like that around here.  I guess this is spring showers.  Hoping this will bring warmer weather, however, we’re supposed to have snow flurries today!  It’s Enough!  I’m done with this weather.  I NEED spring!

In leau of all of yesterdays events with the weather, I didn’t get a workout in, as I had hoped.  So, today, I’m off for a good one, so this post will be very brief!

Oh, I also saw this yesterday & had to post it.  I love this!

Have a great weekend.  Don’t forget that if you have good suggestions for me to run with, I”d love them.  Because, I’m not running outside in this weather :(.

Don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter for Hemp.  It’s about to end!!!!!!     You don’t want to miss out on this one!

Thursday

It has been a dreary week.  I can’t seem to get Boston out of my head, as so many others can’t either.  It’s just so overwhelming on many levels.  Maybe that’s why this rainy (pouring) weather seems to make it so much more dreary!  It’s supposed to rain for about 2 straight days.  Uggg.  I really thought that by now, mid April, I’d be running outside, but not quite yet.

I did finish Prison Break.  I LOVED the series!  It’s over.  There were 3 seasons & that’s it!  I will watch Parenthood unless I get other great recommendations while I’m on the treadmill. I am hoping that it’s not for long.

I had a great workout yesterday.  I did a 6 minute tabata, 30 minute tabata & 4 mile run.  I have been taking it easy lately, but that workout really got me moving & excited again!  I think I’m going to start to kick it up a bit to get moving.  I usually do run much more spring/summer, but the weather is just not cooperating.  However, I’m ready, so I’ll do it with or without the cooperative weather!

I made some great dishes tonight for dinner.

Curry Vegies

Awesome veggie burger (from Pinterest).

I’ll give you the recipes/links for those later.  Everyone (except for Truman) LOVED those veggie burgers.  They’re really great!

Homemade veggie burgers in our house haven’t been the greatest hit until now.

Do you have a great veggie burger recipe?  Please share…..