WIAW #1

                                                  

This post is something new & exciting for me.  I’ve been following a lot of other bloggers who hook up with Jenn at Peas and Crayons and post their eats on Wednesdays.  I am a self described “foodie”.  I do love food.  I don’t eat because you should, I eat because I love food.  I get excited when I find a new food, new recipe, new product, etc.  I could talk about food all day long.  I am also a lover of trying new things & checking out other people’s eats.  So, I’m going to start posting WIAW (What I ate Wednesday).  It’s a fun way to share…

WIAW is, as described by Peas and Crayons is:

—-What WIAW isn’t about—-

Comparison – Judgement – Restriction – Guilt

—-What WIAW is about—-

Celebrating one of the glorious things we all have in common: We all eat!

WIAW is about food and fun! It’s about making new friends, breaking out of a food rut, noting changes in your diet/lifestyle, inspiring yourself & others, embracing fruit & vegetables, nourishing your body with the foods that work for you, finding new ways to eat your favorite foods, and so. much. more.

Celebrate Food.  Celebrate blogging.  Celebrate Individuality.

Well, here’s my first WIAW post!

                            BREAKFAST

             (Chobani, frozen banana, chia seeds)

                            (SNACK)

                     pumpkin granola bar

(No picture of lunch!  My colleagues would have thought I was nuts if I took a pic of my plate.)

                                        (LUNCH)

I’d like to tell you I had amy delicious quick crock vegie soup, but I didn’t!  I had a meeting & they had a deli tray.  Well, I simply can’t do deli.  I have a hard time eating poultry, as I ususally just don’t enjoy it, but deli-NO way!  So, they had some cabbage salad, mushrooms & cucumbers I munched on.  There was no protein there, so I knew I was in for  troubles later…

                          SNACK

                      (apple in the car & delicious cookies that Laura gave me.  When she shares the recipe, I’ll share with you.  They were amazing!  I wanted to eat 1, then ate another & then another.  I ate all 3.  They were so YUM!)

                           DINNER

(salmon & roasted broccoli slaw with banana peppers, I had a lot more broccoli slaw, my favorite!)  I’ll post that recipe tomorrow- EASY!

                           Dessert

          (Calcium aka adora & spoonful of NuttZo)

* I used to take calcium pills, but then I discovered adora~  Not only are they filled with 500mg calcium, they’re YUM, so I think of them as a double treat!

**DON’T FORGET TO ENTER RAFFLECOPTER FOR CHOBANI**

It’s on the upper right side of the page!

Will you have a special treat today?

Running Shoes

These are MY running shoes:

Saucony ProGrid Omni 11 Lady

It’s a funny thing about my running shoes because I wore Brooks for about 9 years.  I loved them, tried others from time to time, but always went back to Brooks.  Last summer, when I was training for the Chicago Marathon, I thought it was time to try a new shoe yet again.  By then, I had purple nails, blisters everywhere & just thought it was the way of a runner.  I do have extremely large bunions (I’ll share with you one day) & thought that my bunions were the cause of all my feet issues (black toe nails, blisters).  Even with my custom made orthotics, I always had problems.  Just thought that’s how it goes with me….  Well, I went to Road Runner Sports to get fitted.  Now, I must tell you that I’ve been fitted many times before for running shoes, but NOT like this.  I ran on a treadmill, they videotaped it to see my gate, how my foot hit the belt, if I overpronated, underpronated, etc.  It was such a thorough evaluation of my form.  Since I do have rather WIDE feet & bunions on top of it, I didn’t have a ton of options, but the Saucony’s were my new shoe!  I was very nervous, but they assured me they have a 90 day wear tested return policy, so I thought I’d give it a shot.  Well, I love them.  I do still get an occassional blister & still had purple toe nails last summer.  But, on day to day runs; they’re the bomb for me!  These just may be “MY” shoe for the next 9 years!

I had such a taste for brussel sprouts, so I had to have them.  I didn’t shred them this time, as I love, but simply cut in half.  So Yummy!

Gotta check out this post below.  Looks amazing.  I found it on fit sugar.  I can’t wait to try it one day soon!

Sweet Potato Glow Spirals

These Sweet Potato Glow Spirals are a yummy way to get the dreamy sweet potatoes you crave. The goods: tender garlic-infused bites of sweet potato deliciousness.

Spicy meets sweet in this glowing spiral wrap. Creamy garlic hummus, harissa and roasted red peppers. Rich in antioxidants like vitamin A, fiber, healthy fats and flavor! Get my vegan recipe..

Many of you know that sweet potatoes are one of my all time favorite foods. I adore them. Mashed, roasted, baked, boiled, fried or blended into a perfect vegan Mac N Cheese recipe – I can’t get enough of my favorite root veggie.

I had so much fun making my Easy Hummus Wrap Spirals last week that I decided to craft a new recipe featuring sweet potatoes. So instead of ‘hummus’ inside the wrap, I am adding a creamy, savory hummus/sweet potato mash featuring harissa, garlic, roasted pepper and maple flavors. Perfect for a vitamin-A packed (lunchbox-perfect) lunch.

Sweet Potato Glow Spirals
vegan, serves 2 – makes 12 spiral bites (plus extra mash filling)

2 lavash wraps (rectangle flatbread)
2 tsp olive oil (brush over lavash wraps)
1/3 cup shredded carrots
1/3 cup roasted red bell peppers, thinly sliced

Mash:
1 medium sweet potato, roasted and peeled
2 Tbsp sweet onion, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup garlic hummus
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp harissa (or sub with red pepper flakes or dash of cayenne)
salt to taste
dash of fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Roast your sweet potato in the oven until sticky and caramelized. Also in the oven, warm your lavash wrap. I brush one side with olive oil and wrap in a piece of foil. Heat for about 3 minutes – or until soft and pliable enough to roll. Set warm wrap aside.

2. Peel sweet potato. Add to small bowl and combine with “mash ingredients” – mash until a creamy mixture is reached. Taste and add more ‘heat’ as desired. Use either harissa, cayenne, hot sauce or red pepper flakes. I prefer the smoky flavor or harissa.

3. Slice your red pepper and shred or julienne chop your carrots.

4. Spread 1.2 cup of mash over your warmed lavash wrap. Add your red peppers and carrots.

5. Roll your lavash wrap. Slice and serve!

Happy FRIDAY!!!

What are your favorite workout shoes????

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!