The past few days weeks I have been working like a crazy person on a big 3 day event for my day job and now that things have calmed down it’s time to make some positive changes. Over the past month there have been too much:
Drinking
Wheat & Gluten
Sugar
and not enough:
Water
Sleep
Green Juice
Blogging
Yoga (since Wanderlust Vermont is only in a few weeks)
That being said I am focusing on reducing sugar, wheat and gluten, eliminating alcohol (until Brewers Fest in mid July) and of course increasing all of those wonderful things I need more of. The Hubz is going to do all of this with me which will make staying on track so much easier. What do you need more or less of?
In just a couple of weeks we will be welcoming summer. It is a short-lived season in Toronto, so I do all that I can to savour every second. Over the next three months, I have local farmers markets to visit, picnics to plan, and patios to patron.
With the change of seasons most people find their appetites turn away from the hearty, warming meals of winter to lighter, fresher fare. I consume a high-raw, vegan diet throughout the year but the bounty of local produce during the summer makes eating raw easy and incredibly delicious. Nothing saves a sweltering afternoon like a big juicy slice of watermelon. Salads, smoothies, and fruit slushies, sure say summer to me.
When the sun is shining I want nothing more than to be outdoors. Eating raw foods, means there is no need to heat up your house by turning on the oven. Putting together a salad, or blending up a smoothie takes a couple of minutes, leaving you more time to spend strolling through the city. Plus, raw foods are easier for our bodies to digest and provide plenty of energy to fuel a fantastic summer full of dancing at outdoor festivals, bike riding by the water and swimming at sunset.
Here’s a great recipe for an energy-packed snack bar to keep you full and satisfied as you tackle your 2011 Summer to-do list.
Sweet Lemon Fig Poppyseed Bars
1 cup of rolled oats (the old fashioned not the instant kind)*
1/2 cup raw cashews
pinch of sea salt
1 cup Medjool dates, pitted (approximately 10)
2 TBSP lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
3 dried Turkish figs
1 TBSP poppyseeds
In a food processor, pulse the oats, cashews and salt until finely chopped. Add the remaining ingredients and process until well combined. Press into a parchment-lined 8X8 pan. Cut into 12 bars. Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
Thank you to Lindsay for inviting me to share a recipe with all of you. I hope your summers are full of fun and fantastic food. Well, if you’re a regular reader of Lindsay’s blog I have not doubt you’re already eating very well! If you’d like more raw food inspiration I’d love for you to stop by my blog veganculinarycrusade.com.
xo VeganLisa
*It can be hard to find raw rolled oats. They are usually steamed during processing. If you’d prefer to consume only raw ingredients replace the oats with 3/4 cup of almonds.
Hi Bloggies! The next few days I am working 12 hour days (or more) so since I am going to be crazy busy so I have asked Megan to do a guest post about her journey to becoming a runner. I hope you enjoy her inspirational story of how she came to run her first half marathon. She is amazing such an inspiration especially to me because I am preparing to run my first 5k, 5miler, 10k and 1/2 MARATHON (eek) over the next 6 months.
____________________________________________
Hi everyone! My name is Megan. You may remember me from this guest post about what it’s like to live in Germany as a vegan. Now I’m back in the US and blogging about my life as a vegan, dog mom, and runner in Upper Michigan.
Not long ago, that third descriptor – runner – wouldn’t have been included. I did gymnastics in high school and ran sprints on the track team for two years, but at my best I couldn’t run more than 3 miles. Some of the people I looked up to/envied the most in high school were long distance runners, but that sport just “wasn’t for me.”
Throughout college and graduate school I was a casual exerciser, going to the gym a couple times a week (in the best of times) to use the elliptical, lift, or do Pilates.
In September of 2009, after quitting graduate school and spending a summer working and studying in Sweden, I moved to Germany to teach English for a year. It was a life-changing step, but nothing compared to what happened after: I became vegan. I’m still not sure where the conviction came from, but the idea had been simmering in my brain for awhile. Finally, it boiled over and I went vegan overnight in October 2009.
After that, everything changed. I felt like each day had a bit more of a purpose and challenge to it. I began to eat differently, cook and bake more, and to come out of a slump caused by an unhappy two years at grad school and a summer of eating delicious but often unhealthy food in Sweden. I didn’t realize until much later, but I had gained some weight and was just feeling weird in my body. Now, as a vegan, I was thinking much more about what went into my body and what I did for my health. I joined a Pilates studio and started taking class 2x a week.
The fall gave way to winter. I began to make new friends and form a life in Germany, but with life comes struggle. Shortly before Christmas I began a short-lived relationship with one of my new vegan friends, who also happened to be a marathoner. The few weeks the affair lasted were intense and tumultuous and ended abruptly right after my first Christmas every away from my family. I was sad, angry, hurt, and lonely. I was also on break from school until mid-January and had way too much time to feel bad for myself.
Then, one of my new Twitter friends Lindsay (yes, this Lindsay!) retweeted a link to Tia’s post about completing the C25k running plan. I read Tia’s words about her silent struggle to complete the program. I was so inspired and, even though it was bitter cold outside, suddenly needed to go run. Right away.
And that was it! The program was so simple to follow and had such a firm goal that I never stopped. From January to April (I had some breaks for illness and travel) I ran in all sorts of weather, often the only person on the street. I began to feel so much better physically and mentally, and I started to lose some weight I didn’t know I’d gained, likely a result of the running combined with my new diet. I even brought my shoes on a backpacking trip to Portugal ran through the town of Sintra. Who was I?
On April 25, 2010, the last day of my C25k training, I ran the 24th annual Hildesheimer Wedekind-Lauf 5k in Hildesheim, Germany. I could NOT believe it! I was so proud and so thankful that I had felt driven to train, even if I was inspired by pain and sadness.
After the race, I continued to run a few times a week, loosely following the One Hour Runner plan. I moved back to the US in July 2010 and kept going, but in August I began working toward teacher certification at the local university and my Masters thesis was due in October. I stopped running almost completely and before long it was snowy and icy and I didn’t have a park across the street to run in.
I missed it, though, and I also knew how well I had responded to having the goal of the 5k during the C25k program. On New Years Day 2011, after nervously considering the idea in the back of my mind for a week or two, I took the leap and registered for the Cellcom Green Bay Half Marathon.
Yep. A half marathon. I was so scared but C25k had proved to me that slow, steady, dedicated training can prepare you for things you never thought possible.
I joined my university’s gym and began following an adaptation of Hal Higdon’s novice plan. If I hadn’t registered I never would have trained! Without having $60 invested plus the verbal commitment (to my parents, boyfriend, etc), it would have been so easy to bail. There were many dark and nasty winter days when thinking about going to the gym felt painful. But I stuck with it for 14 weeks, gradually increasing my mileage closer and closer to 13.1.
No part of it was easy, but the rewards were great. Each week brought a new personal distance record. I was accomplishing something and I could see and feel it. As May 15 grew closer, I knew I would be able to finish the half marathon. I had put in the sweat!
On April 23, I ran a local 10-miler (in the SNOW!) as a training run and after that it seemed like just the blink of an eye before mid-May.
The morning of my race (full recap on my blog), I knew I was prepared but it felt like a dream. I had read so many half marathon recaps that I couldn’t believe it was me who was going to run. I was not a runner!
But, in that moment, and the 2 hours and 25 minutes that followed, and all moments since January 2010 and all the ones since, I was and am a runner. If you run, you are a runner. I will be a runner forever and I have the C25k and the support of my Tweeps to thank for it. If you think you could never do it, you can. All it takes is one step, and then another and another – with plenty of walk breaks.
Wrentham Village Premium Outlets where we spent four hours shopping our butts off. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed getting some shopping done while still being able to walk around outside. For lunch we packed up wraps and fruit and enjoyed a nice little picnic on a green patch that we found next to our car. As for the success of the shopping….well the Hubz purchased a bunch of tops and a pair of shorts and I left with a pair of earrings and a tennis skirt; not so successful on my part.
After our shopping trip we were left with a huge dilemma- what do we do now? Honestly there isn’t much happening in the Wrentham area and our hotel which was in Franklin well was just not what we’d hoped for on our anniversary. So we decided that since we got a steal on the room via Hotwire that we would eat the cost and find a new room in Boston so we could enjoy a nice night out. Again turning to Hotwire (seriously addicted) we chose a 4 star in Cambridge and ended up with the Hyatt Regency- WIN!
Our accomodations went from:
Room at Hawthorne Suites - Franklin MA
Room at Hawthorne Suites - Franklin MA
To this:
Hyatt Regency Cambridge
Not only did the romance factor increase so did the ability to get out at night and enjoy ourselves. I mean as much as I loved that evening trip to Target and Shop & Save I’d rather be galavanting around Boston. So we checked in at the Hyatt Regency and headed straight to our room to change and take advantage of their gym – we were in need of a good run to stay on track for our training plan.
View as I Ran
After our run and a good shower we got all done up and took a walk across the bridge to Boston to catch a T to our next destination, Addis Red Sea. We had made reservations at Addis Red Sea because it has in the past been one of our favorite restaurants to visit in Boston. We love the atmosphere and the Ethiopian food and have always had a good experience ….until this past visit. We arrived 2 hours before closing and were seated. We were super hungry so we decided to order a lentil sambusa and the vegetarian plate for two along with a few beers. Well once the girl finally took our order we settled in to what we hoped would be a great night. About 10 minutes later the waitress returned to tell us they were out of the lentil sambusa but they had the veggie if we wanted that instead; we said yes and 10 minutes after that she returned with two sambusas. I had a feeling something just wasn’t right so instead of biting right in like I normally would have I tore a corner off only to find that our veggie sambusa was actually beef; can you imagine if I had taken a big bite!! Well 10 minutes after that I finally got the waitresses attention and told her of the mistake and that we would rather not have an appetizer at all and we would just like our meal at this point.
After waiting a bit longer our meal finally arrived with two lentil sambusas (I guess they found more?). We started into the food immediately since at this point we were ravenous after waiting for almost an hour for our food. After a few bites the Hubz noticed that we were missing our salad that was to go with the meal and that most of the food was cold and in addition to that when we finally took a bite of the sambusas they were freezing in the middle. Overall we had the worst experience ever at this restaurant ever and we have been here many times. Unfortunately, after this experience I wouldn’t recommend Addis Red Sea and wouldn’t return- there are enough other great restaurants in Boston to eat at so don’t waste time (or money) here. Oh and we got charged for the sambusas after the whole mess and the fact we told them to disregard the order since they couldn’t seem to get it right.
Oh well! We didn’t let the dinner get us down instead we headed out for a celebratory (for our anniversary, not the horrible dinner) Manhattan down the road. Honestly one of the best Manhattans ever and I had the best company with me too. Love.
I had the best intentions of writing a Fitness Friday post last week and then our Anniversary Getaway took over and I decided to postpone my Fitness Friday and MPG Sport Giveaway until today. I did post my May Fitness Follow Up and June Goals earlier this week so you can head over to that post to get all the details. So far we are only 3 days into June and my workouts have included:
Wed-June 1: C25K Week 6 Day 1
Thurs-June 2: 30 min cross training
Fri-June 3: 20 min AM yoga; C25K Week 6 Day 2
MPG REVIEW & GIVEAWAY!
Savvy Top and Stance Bottom
Mondetta Performance Gear (MPG), a Winnipeg based active wear company, contacted me a few months back about doing a review and giveaway. I decided that they would be a perfect fit for the blog and a great review/giveaway for a Fitness Friday post. MPG allowed me to choose two items to review and provided me with the link to their Fit Guide to help me decide which size would be best. I decided to go with:
Top: Savvy
Sparkle jersey workout tank with contrast laser cut details.
Nylon-spandex blended jersey
Four-way stretch, moisture wicking, quick dry
Self fabric taping details
Ergonomic performance seams
Contrast laser-cut sonic welded inserts
Built in Coolmax bra liner with removable cups
Full support
High visibility logo
RECOMMENDED FOR: Light to heavy workouts, yoga, training, general exercis
Bottom: Stance
Performance capri legging for all types of exercise.
Polyester-spandex blended jersey
Four-way stretch, moisture wicking, quick dry
Breathable mesh leg panels
Zippered storage pocket
Built in gusset
Adjustable draw cord in waistband
Semi-low rise, fitted throughout, 21″ inseam
High visibility reflective logo
RECOMMENDED FOR: Low or high impact workouts, yoga, dance, running
The Stance capri leggings are now easily one of my favorite bottoms to run and do yoga in. I love them so much that I am planning on getting another pair after I finish writing this post. They fit perfectly just below the waist (on me) and have a nice adjustable draw cord which is really beneficial for runs. I also love the breathable mesh leg panels. I am not a short wearer so the breathable mesh leg panels allow my legs to be covered but not over heated when I run. The other thing I love is the zippered storage pocket on the back; it is perfect for keeping a single key and ID.
The Savvy top was nice but not a favorite top of mine. I love the color and the material but although it is described as having full support I didn’t find that it provided full sport when I was running. However this may be a case that I require a large top and my bust requires a medium. However, I found that it did provide good support for yoga.
Overall I was impressed by the items I tried from MPG. They are high quality items at a reasonable price. I have washed and worn the items a number of times since I received them in April and they still look brand new! In addition to making impressive active wear MPG is also involved in charitable activities, the Mondetta Charity Foundation (MCF). Our founders were all born in the East African countries of Kenya and Uganda and have decided to support an an orphanage in the former and a school in the latter. Most of the children directly benefiting from the MCF’s efforts have either lost their parents to AIDS or are themselves living with the disease that has ravaged most of the African continent. One percent of total MPG sales are contributed to the MCF, which is a completely separate entity from the parent company, Mondetta, meaning all operating and administration costs are covered by the company and all donated funds received go directly where they should: to help those in need.
To learn more about the foundation and its initiatives, please check out the link below.
Also, 1% of every MPG garment sold goes to the foundation. For more info on the charity please check out Mondetta Gives Back.
So the best part about this review is that MPG has agreed to giveaway one of their products to a Cook.Vegan.Lover. reader. For the giveaway, MPG would like to offer one reader anything from the website in both active and lifestyle tops and bottoms. Additionally, I would like to mention that MPG makes both active and lifestyle tops and bottoms for men and women so guys don’t forget to enter!
To Enter Giveaway: Open to US and Canadian Residents. Winner is Ashley! Congrats!
You must head over to Facebook and “Like” MPG Mondetta Performance Gear and then come back here and leave a comment letting me know you did so by June 8th, 2011 at 8pm EST.
Lastly, MPG is providing Cook.Vegan.Lover. readers with the following discount code to receive 25% off a one-time purchase that expires 6.30.11: veganloverlovesmpg
Want to read more? Head over to Brittany’s MPG review at her blog Eating Bird Food.
After our morning at the best bakery ever the Hubz and I continued on our way to Providence. After a few bad turns and a round about way we finally made it into downtown Providence where we first got our shop on and then hit the pavement to explore the city. When I was planning our trip I asked the twitterverse what I should do/see in Providence and many people replied with the Waterfire Providence. Unfortunately we were only in the Providence for the day but we did get to see them setting up for it and it looks like it would have been really nice to see. Oh well, something for next time.
After strolling around the downtown streets visiting with lions and turtles we finally found somewhere to eat. We stopped in at AS220 a place I had read about during my planning sesh. AS220 has a gallery, a bar and a cafe and they also host a number of other events. When I saw the menu I was all about ordering the vegan Bahn Mi but of course just my luck they were out. Instead I ordered the vegan mac and cheese and the Hubz got the marinated tofu and kale sandwich. We also ordered the “spicy” black eyed pea fritters.
My mac and cheese was really delicious and Neil (who waited inside to get the food) said they made it all fresh right there. I loved the addition of the broccoli and crispy bread crumbs to my mac and cheese- so good. The Hubz sandwich was really delicious too; we both loved the pickled onions that they put on it- so good. Now as for the “spicy” black eyed pea fritters …..well they were um gross. They had a weird smell, consistency and taste and they were by no means spicy. The vegan sour cream that they came with also tasted really awful. Well I guess two out of three isn’t bad- can’t win them all! Overall we really like the food at AS220, would we go back? Possibly but there are other vegan options around so we would probably try something new first or just eat all our meals at the best bakery ever.
After dinner the Hubz and I headed back to the Aloft for a drink (or two) at the hotel bar. Unlike most hotel bars the prices weren’t ridiculous and the best part was the beautifully lit patio, the fun seating areas and of course the pool table. The Hubz and I had a drink and had a mini photo shoot on the patio while we waited for the pool table to free up.
We played a few (okay like 5) rounds of pool before calling it a night and heading back to our comfy giant bed. It is always nice to sleep in a king bed and it makes me miss having one (serious who down sizes from a king to a double-not recommended).
After a night of dinner, drinks, pool and of course elevator dancing we were in need of a gym sesh. So we headed to the hotel gym and I got in a run and the Hubz used the elliptical. After that we showered and hit the road to the most amazing bakery I have ever been to.
WE CAME TO DANCE DANCE DANCE
C25K Week 5 Day 2
We spent a hungry hour in the car making our way to Wildflour Vegan Bakery what I am now claiming to be the most amazing bakery I have ever been to in my life. I could honestly eat here everyday (and would if it wasn’t 4 hours away). We walked in and were overwhelmed by the vast selection of baked goods as well as other tasty items such as kale chips, fresh juices and smoothies. To help us decide we took advantage of the free samples of basil lemonade, peanut butter brownie and raw chocolate brownie.
As you can see there were so many options to choose from but in the end the Hubz and I decided that the scones looked most appealing for breakfast. After a heated debated over which ones we would get we decided on the granola scone and the spinach and mushroom scone. Along with the scones I got a green juice and the hubz an avocolada smoothie.
Everything was amazing and we obviously ordered too much so we ended up taking the granola scone with us and snacked on it throughout the day. The scones were absolutely amazing and flakey; I have never experienced anything so good.