Things I Need More of In My Life

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  1. Blogging. I have been a busy bee and blogging has unfortunately taken a backseat.  I am in the midst of working on a number of personal and work related projects one of which will be over in two weeks and than means back to regular blogging and daily posts. 
  2. Green Smoothies. It’s finally starting to look like summer here and with summer comes yummy fresh foods.  One thing I have been missing lately are green smoothies & green monsters– I think it’s time to make a come back. 
  3. Hiking. Again one of those summer things that we hope to do a lot of this summer.  We are even going to pump it up notch and go backpacking (do some over night hikes) on the Long Trail.  So June please come soon so I can blog more, hike more and work (a little) less. 
  4. Yoga. Lately I have been so dedicated to my C25K and strength training that yoga has taken a back seat.  At this point my body hates me because it is getting so tense – it is screaming for yoga and I should probably listen. 

What do you need more of right now?

Recipe of the Week: Cauliflower & Mustard Green Spring Rolls

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Ingredients

  • 1 bunch mustard greens, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 head of cauliflower, chopped small
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 chili, minced
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro stems
  • 3 scallions, chopped
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 tsp canola oil
  • 1-2 tbsp tamari
  • Spring roll wrappers
  • Cooking spray
  • Hoisin, for serving

Directions

In a wok or a large pan on med-high heat the sesame and canola oil until hot; stir in the mustard greens, cauliflower, garlic, chili, cilantro stems and scallions. Cook for 2-3 minutes until they begin to brown.  Season with tamari to taste and continue to cook until the cauliflower begins to soften. Remove from the pan and set aside until room temperature. Then it is time to roll your spring rolls. Place your wraps on a clean surface so that the points are up and down and left and right (should appear as a diamond, not a square). Place the filling onto the rolls. Take the bottom point of your wrap and fold it over top of the filling. Fold the sides in towards the middle and roll the filling towards the top point of the wrapper. To prevent the spring roll from unwrapping when cooking you need to seal the seams. Have a small bowl of water next to your wrapping station;  dip your finger into the mixture and use this as glue to seal the top point of your wrap.  Once you have finished wrapping your spring rolls (you can make any size you want) it is time to cook them.  If you would like you can deep fry until golden brown or you can use the pan fry option.  In a large skillet  over med-high heat (cast iron is recommended) spray the bottom of the skillet with cooking spray and place the spring rolls in the pan seam side down.  Fry for 2-3 minutes per side until they being to get golden brown. Serve with your favorite sauce such as hoisin or sweet chili sauce.

Weekend Wrap Up: Workouts, Weddings and Weeds

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This weekend was a fairly lively one that started out with a nice early morning run on Saturday- indoors due to the pouring rain and then a trip to the market.  The farmers market has been disappointing due to the lack of veggies (we live in the North so it’s not really prime veggie growing season) but I did leave with a bunch of beautiful leeks, broccoli rabe, Russian kale, cilantro, parsley, dill, fingerling potatoes, parsnips, chives and green onions. After our trip to the market we headed to Healthy Living to pick up the remainder of our groceries and I snagged this as a new exciting dinner treat:
(Source)

Have you ever tried any of the Sophie’s Kitchen products?

Following our shopping adventures we came home to the refrigerator repair guy outside our door- apparently he figured out the problem and wanted to rush right over (no calling first).  So he fixed the refrigerator and now my fridge is no longer freezing all my produce! Finally he left and Neil and I could eat lunch and get ready for my cousins wedding.

We attended the wedding and watch a lovely small outdoor ceremony and then headed into the tent (next door) to enjoy the reception.  It was nice to be able to share a special day with my cousin and her new husband as well as other friends and family.

We spent three hours at the wedding and then decided that it was time to make the hour drive back home and get ourselves some dinner since there was nothing vegan at the country BBQ wedding. We came home to a fancy dinner of toast and coconut milk yogurt.

Sunday we spent the morning lounging around the house until Neil and I decided that it was time to do something productive. I got to work on our disorganized closets and moved in the summer close and moved out the winter. While I cleaned the house the Hubz went shopping for more plants and headed to the garden to weed and plant- what a great guy eh’? Since he was out doing all of the manual labor I decided to cook him a yummy dinner with a few ingredients from our little balcony garden (see below).




For dinner I used most of the mustard greens and some cilantro to make these yummy Cauliflower-Mustard Green Spring Rolls (this week’s recipe of the week)

Fitness Friday: Stuck In Rut

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Here is the weekly wrap up of my workouts:

  • Friday: Flow Yoga Class; 60 min (counted last week)
  • Saturday: C25k Week 3 Day 2 plus walk 36 min
  • Sunday: off
  • Monday: C25k- stair master-10 minutes; weights 30 minutes
  • Tuesday: C25k Week 3 Day 3 plus walking 35min
  • Wednesday: Day Off
  • Thursday: C25k Week 4 Day 1- 32min; weights and abs-30min

Days: 15/25 Days  14 hours & 57 minutes/15.5 Hours

 

Readers Request:

Lately I have been more on a fitness roll than in a fitness rut and it feels great! I attribute the success and motivation to the incentive program that the Hubz and I started a few months ago and my new gym membership.  However I have surely experienced times of fitness ruts over the years; here are my favorite go to activities:

  1. Walking with the Hubz- Walking is a relaxing low impact workout that can gets your body moving.  I love to go with Neil because we can walk and talk, so it turns from a designated workout to quality time with him.  Honestly some of our walks have been my favorite times with him because we always have the best conversations when we get ourselves outside and walking around. So next time you’re in a rut find a walking buddy!
  2. Workout Videos- I love to do fitness videos when I am in a rut.  There are a number of great videos that are shorter and can help to jump start  (restart) your workout routine.  One of my favorites is Skinny Bitch Body because there are four 15 minute workouts that are dedicated to abs, butt, legs and abs. Other great quick video workouts is Rodney Yee’s A.M. Yoga; it has five 20-minute yoga workouts that target different parts of the body.  Another short video is Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred this is a great high impact workout video that gets you hot and sweaty in only 20-minutes.  I also love Insanity for something a little longer and intense; I don’t do this everyday but incorporate the workouts into my routine.
  3. Try something new- I love to pick a new class, try a new cardio machine or lately it’s been doing laps at the pool. The more variety you have you in your fitness routine the less likely you are to get in a rut.  So next time you are feel in a rut try something new.

What are your go-to activities?

Exciting Time

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I know that I have been a bit detached from all social media this week and my blog and it’s not for a lack of desire but rather a lack of time. As most of you know I wear many hats and currently I have two projects that are taking over my life. It is a really exciting time and I am hoping to get myself back on track and tell you more about everything that is going on. I had given daily blogging a try due to so many requests over the past year and I know that I have been lacking there but I am just wondering what you liked, disliked or would like to see more of?

In other blog related news the Hubz and I will be going away next weekend for our Third Wedding Anniversary and I will have a wedding special and a Fitness Friday Giveaway for you. I still have room for some guests posts so if you are planning or have had a (mostly) vegan wedding and would like to be featured send me a short proposal of what you would like to guest post about lindsay@cookingforaveganlover.com

Lastly, in health coaching news I have finally received my certificate of completion from IIN and I have started in the immersion program. I also am in the process of getting a number of details figured out with a P.O. Box, legal paper work and bank accounts; all things I’m a little late on since I have been coaching for awhile now, oh well they are getting done now. I also wanted to make sure you know to go check out my specials on my Health Coaching Site and if you are interested in finding out about Friends and Family specials e-mail me for more details.

Well I’m off to finish my iced green tea and to purchase a few new notebooks (this is going to drive my husband crazy.) Then it’s off to work and the gym! Also tomorrow is Fitness Friday- any special requests?

7 things I’ve discovered since starting my blog

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  1. I absolutely love to cook. I have always been interested in cooking and even made a cooking show video that summer my girlfriends and I decided to video tape everything we did.  Over the past 5 years I have used my blog to documented my experience in the kitchen and have even created 2 e-books. P.S. my first (only) cooking video was for potato salad.
  2. There are really amazing people out there that I would have never met or “met” if it wasn’t for blogging.  I have become friends with so many wonderful, amazing and inspirational people via blogging and I can’t wait to meet and be inspired by new bloggers.
  3. I’m (slightly) addicted to social media. Twitter. Facebook. DailyMile. LinkedIn. oh and did I mention Twitter (my worst/best addiction).  The funniest part is I was so anti all of these for so long, especially Twitter.  Why? I really don’t remember why now but I was and the Hubz likes to remind me of it frequently.
  4. My husband is a very talented man and an important part of my blog.  If it wasn’t for him my blog wouldn’t look as good as it does. He has helped create my e-books. my website, he helps edit my posts and of course he becomes the center of many blog posts.  Lastly, if it wasn’t for him there would probably be no blog (read more here).
  5. Sometimes you just have to be silly and let it all hang out. Blogging isn’t about just telling people the good and the fun but it is also about being real which sometimes means acting like a fool or talking about the hard things.
  6. Blogging has lead me to my true passion – wellness and nutrition. It has led me to my upcoming (current part-time) job as a Health Coach- read more here.
  7. The last thing I’ve discovered is that my camera memory card has more photos of food than people or places. It’s one of those you know your a blogger when things as well as when after every event you think/say “I have to blog about this”.

What are seven things you’ve learned?