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! :).

Meatless Monday

I’ve been so busy with my Passover preparations, that I forgot to take a picture of the marinated tofu roasted vegies salad

Although, I don’t have a picture to share, I must tell you it’s so good.  Definitely worth making even without a picture!

Marinated tofu:

1 container of extra firm tofu drained (I love to use my tofu press)

cut tofu into squares

mix together 2 t dijon mustard, 1 t Bragg’s amino acids, 1 t toasted sesame oil, 1 t honey

pour over tofu & bake in 425 oven for 40 minutes ( I like mine well done.  IF you don’t like it done so much, bake less).

I love roasting the Sweet Kale vegetable salad (below).

I spread the entire bag ( it shrinks) on a jelly roll pan sprayed with Pam & season the vegetables with 2 t. chili powder, salt & pepper & spray olive oil with a mister.

Bake in 425 oven for 20 minutes

While that’s baking, put arugula in a large bowl.

When the roasted vegetables are done, put atop the arugula & then put the tofu on top of everything.

I don’t think it needs anymore dressing, as it has a lot of flavor, but if you like, you can add a marinade of your liking.

This may seem like a lot of work, it’s really not & it’s so tasty!

Enjoy.

What’s your favorite type of salad?

*Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for Quest Bars & the Etsy burnout tank – both giveaways are on the top right side of the page!

Chickpeas & Kale

I must tell you that I have a new found love for both chickpeas & kale & believe they can really be put into anything.  Kale can be raw, as well as chickpeas.  What’s easier than that?

I prepped my lunch last night for today:  kale, shredded (raw beets) & roasted chickpeas.  I roasted the chickpeas with chili powder (goes on everything) & paprika.  Put on a baking sheet sprayed with Pam to roast on 425 for about 20 mins.  I added some Peanut Butter Curry Dressing.  The dressing is amazing & can go atop almost anything.

Here’s the recipe:

Peanut Butter Curry Dressing

Ingredients:

1/3 cup unsalted peanut butter

1/4 cup unsalted tahini

1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons chopped red onion

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

3 large Medjool dates, pitted

1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk

1-2 teaspoons curry powder

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender and process until smooth.

Thank you,  http://www.carrieonvegan.com/, for this recipe.  You should check out carrieonvegan’s blog.  It’s really fantastic!

Here’s some more kale that I just discovered at Trader Joes.

Holy cow are they yummy!  Says there’s 2 servings in the bag, but they were gone in a jif!!!

If you try, let me know what you think….

Do you ever roast chickpeas?  What seasonings do you use?

I’ve gotta be honest… One of the easiest things to make is probably kale chips…. HOWEVER:

I  hate making them at home- such a mess!

Tomorrow, I’ll post about my yoga ball non-sit ups!

Have a great day!