I think I’m finally at the point where I don’t wake up the day after a run sore and waddling like a penguin. Every time I begin my running cycle it takes me about 2-3 weeks to build up my mileage, my endurance and my running muscles! I think I’ve reached the end up that stage now (thank goodness). Hopefully I can keep building up my mileage when the summer heat sets in. If you remember last summer, I had to take a long break from running due to some shin pain and super hot temps.

Soon, the days of perfect running weather will be few and far between…and then later, they’ll be long gone. Enjoy the beautiful weather while it lasts, folks!

This afternoon, I ran 4.5 miles and walked 1 mile on my usual loop. It really felt like I ran 10!

~ ~ ~ ~ Crazy wind gusts!!! ~ ~ ~ ~

I know I say this every time but really, today was the craziest by far. I had to stop and walk for a good 1/2 mile because I was pretty much pushing against a wall with my forehead (!!).

I was tempted to quit and walk home but I repeated my new mantra and forged on. Running against the wind will only make you a stronger runner.

***

Post workout, I assembled a tacowrap. I was a little overzealous stuffing my wrap and it became a giant taco .

I was going to hold it together with two shot glasses from our collection (taco style), but I ended up using a toothpick instead.

The Las Vegas shot glass is one of my favorites!

I wanted to make an egg salad with hard-boiled eggs, but the yolks came out a little too runny [bunny]. My patience was dwindling and I took them off the stove early.

I knew it would happen but I just didn’t want to wait 3 more minutes!!

I ended eating a whole egg straight up…love runny yolk.

Then I used another whole egg and one white mixed with Nayonaise to make the egg salad. Stuffed in a habanero lime wrap with tomatoes and spring mix.

I heated the wrap directly on the stove. A trick I learned from my host family in Mexico. The first time I saw my “sister” do it, I thought she was going to burn the house down!

On the side, a banana and toasted pecans.

Soon after, I walked to Harris Teeter with my Uncle where I sampled some pineapple, cantaloupe, bread ‘n hummus and cinnamon buns!

Another 1.5 miles logged for the day.

I tried to hold out for dinner but the juiciest strawberries ever were staring me in the face and I had to eat them. Look at these beauties…

Just in case you think I’m cray cray, the thought process for my post title was…

Run + Runny Eggs –> Eggs –> Easter–> Bunny.

Runny Bunny

I’ve got lotsa work to do tonight! I’ll be back tomorrow with the winner of the Glass Dharma Giveaway to celebrate Earth Day <— Last chance to enter. Do it!

Also, be sure to check out my guest post on Little Bitty Bakes. Coconut Bird’s Nest Cookies just in time for Easter.

I finally took my dying Macbook to the Apple Store genius bar today. Remember when the mouse and keyboard stopped working? Yeah, I put this off for nearly a month! I was afraid I’d have to shell out my entire life savings so…I just let it sit in the corner and hoped it would fix itself (it didn’t).

My friend Maggie sent this bag to me in the mail because she knows my favorite veggie is the eggplant!

So if you were at the Apple Store today and saw a girl with wet, straggly hair, wearing a sweatshirt + spandex, carrying a big bold I <3 Veggies shopping bag on her shoulder…that was me.

At least it was waterproof so my stuff stayed dry in the pouring rain.

Thankfully the genius saved my laptop (AGAIN)! It was a software problem so I didn’t lose any information, thank goodness.

This Macbook must have nine lives. I’m not sure how many more saves this Macbook has left before it dies for real though.

My uncle tagged along to buy the iPad 2 for his brother, except they were out of stock. I wasn’t aware the iPad 2 was still in such demand! We played around a bit while we waited for the genius to work his magic…

LLE on an iPad 2!

I’m obsessed with this photo recipe app.

Of course, we went to Trader Joe’s afterwards so I could pick up some goods.

• Brown Rice Cakes
• Champagne Vinaigrette <–new!
• SSB!
• Just Mango Slices <–LOVE
• Chocolate Covered Sunflower Seeds <–DOUBLE LOVE
• Bananas
• Sunflower Seeds

Whew! Lotsa sunflower…

As you can see I dug into the Just Mango Slices on the way home. I’ve missed those!

***

Between the AllieBars, pita chips and my latest favorite snack of pretzels and almond butter, it was a glorious carbfest over here earlier today.

You know how pretzels get doughy and sticky in your mouth? Okay, I know that sounds a little gross but admit it, it’s delicious. Well, try adding slathery almond butter…

You’ve gotta try it.

(Yes, those pretzels are from Halloween. Don’t ask what happened to my thumbnail.)

Pita chips too.

I mean, you gotta try pita chips with almond butter. I don’t mean you gotta try pita chips because I’m assuming you’ve ALL tried pita chips by now. If you haven’t, you need to shut the computer, walk out the door and buy some…

…now.

Last but not least, a banana to make this plate a little less processed. Heh.

Eventually I got around to doing part of an Insanity workout. I skipped the stretching in the middle and just did 20 min. of pure cardio drills.

Intense!

Sometimes I’d rather give it my all for a shorter time span than go moderate for longer. Sometimes.

***

After we got back from TJ’s, Peter had dinner ready. I had some stir-fried shrimp and celery.

Along with an egg + avocado and then a pumpkin pie smoothie.

I’m now snacking on chocolate covered sunflower seeds and about to open up my Macbook for the first time. Eek.

Have a great weekend, friends!

***

Tell me: Doing anything exciting this weekend? What’s your carb of choice? If you had to choose only one.

There’s a first for everything right? Well, today I got to sit in First Class for the first time in my entire life. My dad and I were beyond excited (it was borderline embarrassing how giddy we were). We’re a rather frugal family so we always opt for the cheapest travel options. Thus, the First Class experience was completely foreign to me—SO awesome yet so shocking at the same time. I can have my seat back for take off? I can sit in my seat with my legs pretzel-style? Last but not least, multi-course meals?!

What a treat. Thanks, United!

It was a first for Peter too! And he definitely took full advantage of his ticket .

(P.S. we have no idea how we got on the upgrade list. We were too afraid to ask!)

***

More on my flight in a little bit.

I woke up at 7 AM to squeeze in a quick workout. I learned (the hard way) from my trip to San Fran that I really don’t feel good if I skip workouts while traveling/flying. I was actually a bit surprised by how crappy I felt taking just 6 days off from exercise. Hormones and too much food/sugar didn’t help!

I did 40 min. on the elliptical and then 10 min. on the treadmill at 3.8 mph / 5% incline.

I finished packing right in the nick of time! You’d think with the traveling I’ve done recently, I’d have this down pat but nope.

For breakfast, I made Pumpkin Protein Oat Bran

I can’t remember the last time I had oat bran. I like that it takes less time to cook than rolled oats and this morning, bfast had to be quick!

I added some Vega powder for protein along with pumpkin, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Topped with pepitas and coconut.

Sadly, we were out of egg whites and/or almond milk so the bowl didn’t turn out as creamy as I like it.

Photographed next to Peter’s new baby plant.

I finished off the can o’ pumpkin straight up!

***

On the way to the airport, I snacked on a banana and a small bite of a nutty seedy bar I made last night. As you know, I have no such thing as a bar stash so I had to make some at the last minute. Recipe to come!

And then I was handed the golden ticket, which granted me access to the Red Carpet Club.

Sweet!

I started with hot tea, carrots, celery, crackers, and a small butter cookie.

Surprisingly, I wasn’t allergic to the raw carrots and celery. Either it was my lucky day or they were magical crudites!

I also had some Chex Mix and a few yogurt covered raisins.

Then it was time to board the plane and streeeeeeeetch out my legs. I am mildly claustrophobic so this felt glorious.

I soon learned that you can do anything in First Class. Instead of flight attendants pestering you to buckle up, you get served drinks and nuts.

I opted for seltzer water. I think Peter drank enough red wine for both of us combined!

Soon enough, it was time for lunch! Served on a table cloth, mind you.

Tortilla soup (not bad!)

Chicken salad w/ tomatoes, black beans, corn, and cheddar cheese. Not gourmet but still real food–no complaints here.

Plus a side of these crunchy bread sticks.

Dessert? Don’t mind if I do! A warm chocolate chip cookie. I ate 1/2 and gave the rest to the bottomless pit sitting next to me.

I won’t lie, I’m already counting down the years (err decades) before I can fly First Class again. I have a feeling that won’t happen until I turn 90. Oh and I’m pretty sure we have been assigned to the very last row on our return flight.

Ya win some, ya lose some .

Bird’s eye view of Virginia.

***

We just checked into our resort. OH DEAR ME OH MY!!! Photos to come, I promise!

Tell me: Have you ever flown First Class?!

I should say San FranciiIIIiiiiIIIIiiiiiIIIIsco because the hills (aka mountain peaks) sure are crazy over here!

It was hot ‘n’ steamy today! I definitely packed for colder temps but I hear it’s gonna get colder as the weekend progresses (I hope).

I woke up e-a-r-l-y this morning to catch my loooong flight cross country. I finished the tub of Greek yogurt (wahoo!) and had some raspberries on the way to the airport. Once there, I munched on my packed snax.

• AllieBar (this batch turned out really well!!)
• Cinnaraisin Ezekiel Bread + almond butter
• Banana
• Dole Pineapple Fruit Bites
• $2.25 bottle of water (ouch!)

Plus some reading material:

I took the BART to the hotel to drop off my stuff (I am actually staying with, Suki, a local SF blogger I met at HLS–three cheers for cutting costs).

Then I met up with Heather, Diana and Susan before heading to Chinatown, just a few blocks away. Peter, are you proud/jealous of me?!

Who said these were hills? These are mountain peaks!!

We kept going higher…

…and higher…

…and higher! PHEW!!

These mountain peaks ain’t got nothin’ on me (and my calves)!

***

My body was SO confused by the early wake up call and the 3 hour time difference. I wasn’t hungry, but I knew I needed to eat something to hold me over to dinner….err midnight meal?

Enter: dim sum.

I got a shrimp pouch (?) and grabbed a small orange from a fruit stand.

We found the perfect spot to eat!

Afterwards, we did some shopping and I grabbed an Iced Passion tea.

For dinner, a group of us 20 bloggers met up for dinner at The Millennium Restaurant, an elegant vegetarian restaurant just a few blocks away from the hotel.

I spent forever perusing the menu…as did the rest of the table .

They brought out a slew of complimentary appetizers for us to enjoy. I was excited because many of them I contemplated ordering myself! Plus, you know how I feel about free food.

House Made Pickled Vegetables

Herb Marinated Olives

Bread and a lentil spread

AND last but certainly not least, the Crusted Oyster Mushrooms. Oh my heavens.

I could not stop raving about these fabulous mushrooms. The breading was made of chickpea flour and thyme and it tasted so much like classy fried chicken. I wanted to finish the whole plate for dessert .

I was already stuffed by the time our food came out but of course I made some room.

I ordered the Wilted Bloomsdale Spinach Salad: caramelized pear with thyme and vanilla, smoked tofu, red onion, creamy pear & Witte beer dressing, toasted hazelnuts.

Mmmmm!

And I shared the Black Bean Torte: Whole wheat torilla, caramelized plantain, smoky black bean puree, pumpkin-habanero papazul, cashew “sour cream”, strawberry salsa.

Double Mmmm! That’s about as descriptive as I can get right now as my eye lids are getting rather droopy.

Time for bed! An exciting day awaits me. My goal this weekend is to stay on top of blogging and bang out my posts efficiently. I think I can…I think I can.

Good night/morning!!

Hey y’all! (I’m watching Paula Deen on the Food Network right now…can’t help it!).

How was your Halloween? We only had a few groups of kiddos ring our doorbell last night so I’ve got plenty of Halloween pretzels left to eat. I thought we would get more kids now that we live in a neighborhood but NOPE. Good thing I didn’t get a big bag of candy to hand out like I had planned!

This morning, I munched on some Halloween pretzels and Honey Nut Cheerios as a pre-workout snack.

Workout:

• 45 min. elliptical
• 15 min. leg weights

Post Workout:

Pumpkin Pie Wheatgrass Smoothie

• 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 1/2 banana
• 1 packet wheat grass
• 2/3 cup almond milk
• 1 scoop protein powder
• water, ice, stevia

Next up, a little something I dreamt up while working out.

2 min. Microwave Pumpkin Pie on Cinnaraisin Ezekiel toast ‘crust’, topped with Greek yogurt ‘whipped cream’ and raspberries

Bread ~ ‘crust’

Greek yogurt ~ whipped cream

I went back for a messy bowl of Greek yogurt, berries, banana, and Cheerios.

***

Then I ran some errands at 2 humongous stores: Super Target and Wegman’s.

At Weg, I picked up an organic Pumpkin Spice tea I’d never seen before and [on-sale] Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea. I plan on buying many many many more boxes of this crack tea as the season progresses.

(I actually have a box leftover from last winter. I hoard SCSR tea like it’s going out of fashion.)

I also got 5 Chunks of Energy and ate ‘em all. One day, I will figure out how to make these.

I got home in time to watch Taylor Swift on Ellen and Portia de Rossi on Oprah.

Taylor was adorable. I’ve only been belting her songs day and night for the past week .

Portia discussed her battle with anorexia and bulimia as well as coming out in the Hollywood spotlight. She had me in tears! What a well-spoken lady. I never knew about her story until today. I want to read her new book now, Unbearable Lightness.

While watching, I snacked on some medjool dates. The ones we got from Costco are great–very soft and moist.

…dipped in hazelnut cream cheese of course.

I also had a few handfuls of Kettle Chips. This is definitely something I only eat because it is in the house…PETER!!

For dinner, I put together a simple salad.

Avocado, herbed goat cheese, diced tomatoes, perfectly fried egg and a slice of Ezekiel Bread.

It was the last of the goat cheese .

I also had a few bites of Peter’s cooking.

Now I am trying to figure out how to satisfy my chocolate craving with no chocolate in the house!

***

Becoming a Faster Blogger: Step 1

I’ve mentioned that it takes me an inordinate amount of time to blog. Part of the reason is that I put a lot of thought into what I write and I proofread my posts at least a dozen times before I press publish. The other part is that my laptop is incredibly slow and it can’t handle a lot of activity at one time. Sometimes, if I drag too many photos into my blog post, I have to restart the computer just to load more. This makes it very difficult for me to blog when I am short on time such as when I am on FUN TRIPS. It’s also just really annoying.

Recently, I’ve been using my mom’s super powerful laptop to blog and I’ve been enjoying the speed with which I can upload photos. However, it’s not practical for me to hog her computer all day and when I go out of town, I need something to speed my ancient laptop along.

Enter, the SD Card Reader.

My mom’s laptop (and most newer laptops) has a card reader on the side where I can insert my memory card directly. My laptop, however, doesn’t have one and therefore I have to use a cord.

With the cord, I have to download the photos before I can drag them into my blog posts. With the SD card reader, I DON’T have to download the photos. Instead, I can drag them into my blog posts directly.

This allows me to sort through the 80,000 photos I take on a daily basis without taking up a lot of my precious and limited computer memory.

I found this at Target for $7.99. I’m sure you could find a similar one online for cheaper but I am leaving for San Fran this Thursday!

OH! Also, with this gadget, I can drag my photos onto a blank CD and burn them there so I can back up my photos without having to take up computer memory space.

I can’t believe I didn’t buy this gadget a year ago!! I could have saved so much time. So long, farewell camera cord!

***

Have a great night and US peeps, don’t forget to vote tomorrow!

Tell me: Got a strategy to help me (and others) blog faster? Do tell!

I’m running along the Mt. Vernon Trail with a poop bag dangling from my left hand and two leashes wrapped around my right hand. My right bicep is completely flexed as I try to keep up with two speeeeedy dogs. I look down at Garmy–I’m running at a 7:40 min/mi pace!? Woah. My butt cheeks flex as I try to slow down the dogs. All of a sudden they stop to sniff something. I turn my head and there’s a dead raccoon lying on the side of the trail…

EEEEEK!!! I scream bloody murder and quickly pull them away before they can even get close. I’m pretty sure every one on the trail thinks I’m psycho but that was NOT expected at all.

Whew!

We continue along as the following thoughts enter my head:

Please please please don’t poop….again.

Slow down, Pups! I can’t run as fast as your parents! Holy Olympic sprinters.

If I ever train for a marathon, I’m gonna find a dog to be my training buddy.

The people passing us are smiling. Probably because I look like a complete fool being pulled by two dogs.

I need a wagon!

***

The pups and I went on a 1 mile walk around the neighborhood at around 9 AM. They woke up at the crack of dawn (again) but I squeezed another couple hours of sleep out of them. Alas, they started sniffing my face and I had no choice but to get up.

Huey doing some morning yoga. Down dog…literally.

An hour later after some coffee + biscotti, they started barking and jumping uncontrollably. They wanted to go outside…again!!

We just got back from our walk!

Can you believe it?

I felt significantly better than yesterday (health-wise) so I figured a short run/walk would be okay.

Alrighty…let’s get these leashes on! This was my creative way to carry the house key and poop bags while running. Rubber bands are awesome.

We ran/walked ~2.5 miles in 35 minutes on the Mt. Vernon Trail. I should say we sprinted-at-light-speed and then walked back home huffing and puffing. I couldn’t get into a running groove at all because the dogs were running so darn fast and I had to make sure they stayed away from other people, dogs, and roadkill.

I came back and refueled with a Pumpkin Pie Smoothie, this time made with 1 banana, 1/2 cup pumpkin, 1/2 scoop protein powder, 1/2 cup almond milk, cinnamon, stevia.

Cinnamon Raisin Ezekiel toast with 1/4 avocado spread on top–like butter!!

Pumpkin Greek yogurt and another slice of Ezekiel bread.

I’ve been using TJ’s Organic Pumpkin <–not good! It tastes way different than Libby’s. It’s alright in smoothies but it has a funky taste when eaten straight up or with yogurt. Meh.

I also got a can of the 365 brand from Whole Foods. I haven’t opened it yet but I’ll let you know how it measures up. Something tells me it won’t compare to Libby’s.

I think I successfully wore these two goobers out. No more crazy jumping and barking…for now at least.

..

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Ahhh some peace and quiet, finally .

***

I’m going out to dinner with my brother tonight and checking out his new apartment. I’ll be back with a recap of yesterday and tonight when I get a chance. I have a feeling I’ll be busy entertaining these guys later.

I hope you’ve had a great weekend thus far!

Tell me: Do you exercise with your pet?

The last and final NYC recap post! Finally, huh? These recaps have taken me a little while to write up because I’ve been rather busy and also feeling a bit under the weather. It’s been nice to take it easy with the internet though. I have a tendency to get sucked into the internet sometimes and I’ve actually enjoyed unplugging this week. I haven’t checked Craigslist in a couple days now–can you believe it? I can’t .

Alrighty where did we leave off? Oh yeah. Day 3 of NYC.

Tuesday morning, I got up and met up with Ellie at the Columbus Circle Whole Foods for breakfast. It was a nice one!

P.S. Peter is in love with Honeycrisp apples now, after tasting them at the Union Square Farmer’s Market.

I got a pumpkin spice coffee, raisin bran muffin, banana, and Chobani Greek yogurt. I had a great time chatting with Ellie. She is from Scotland so this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet up. I can’t believe we forgot to get a photo together!

Afterwards, my dad and I set out to explore the city.

We walked along 5th Avenue to get a glimpse of the luxury stores.

A cathedral in the middle of 5th Avenue!

Froyo truck. Cool, huh?

For lunch, my dad wanted to go back to Chinatown….again (3 times in 3 days!!). I didn’t mind because I already grabbed something for lunch. He decided to go to Wo Hop, a place we heard about from a friend and also read about in a magazine. It’s one of the oldest restaurants in Chinatown!

They brought out soup and hot tea as soon as we sat down.

My dad ordered…

…and I brought a Vegan Spicy Tofu-Power Sandwich and a Feel Good Energy Cookie from Westerly Natural Market. I picked this up earlier in the day because I knew my dad would want to go back to Chinatown .

This sandwich was fabulous: organic 7 grain bread, tofu, celery, onions, napa cabbage and eggless mayonnaise.

I need to remake this sandwich stat.

This cookie was still warm from the oven when I bought it! Made with rolled oats, spelt flour, egg whites, apple sauce, dried cranberries, golden raisins, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds. It was soft, chewy and muffin-like.

For dessert, I got 2 dark chocolate coconut haystacks from the bulk section.

Westerly Market was SO cool. I could have spent days in there browsing the aisles. They had all sorts of quirky health foods in flavors I’ve never seen before.

Back to lunch. Peter said the food was just alright. Nothing special. He was glad he got to try the food though.

After lunch, we walked to Chelsea Market, the home of many bakeries, eateries and of course, Food Network! I visited back in June but my dad had never been.

I loved seeing the behind the scenes action of the bakeries.

Unfortunately, I didn’t spot any Food Network Stars

Then it was time to walk towards the bus stop. Along the way, we saw this cute little bird.

Ha! It was fake .

Ohhh Peter.

Along the way, we stumbled upon a humongous camera and video store, B&H. I was in heaven!

Be careful, Peter. That camera is expensive…

Wowza!

Finally, it was time to bus it back home. I sipped on this coconut water while we waited for the bus.

And that’s a wrap!

Back to normal posting tomorrow. I hope you have a great weekend!

Tell me: One of your favorite cities to explore

***

Missed the other NYC posts?

Part I: Central Park and Chinatown

Part II: Times Square Day and Night

Part III: Will Walk For Food

Oh hello.

When I turn on the oven, Peter’s blood pressure skyrockets. Neon dollar signs appear out of nowhere and cloud his vision. $$$$$

Peter is a not a big fan of the oven. He sees it as an energy bomb, which translates to an increased electric bill.

To save money and prevent my dad from getting a heart attack, I use the toaster oven to do a lot of my baking (and roasting). I actually find that my baked goods come out pretty well. I just have to lower the temperature by 20-30 degrees and pay a little more attention to the time.

Unfortunately our muffin tin doesn’t fit in the toaster oven, which makes it hard to bake muffins or cupcakes.

However, last night I found these jumbo foil baking cups that stand up without a muffin tin!

Cha-ching.

I found these hanging around the house but I’m sure they sell them at most grocery stores.

At around 11pm, I decided our very ripe avocado and bananas needed to become bread.

Avocado Banana Bread to be exact.

I changed up the amounts of flour based on what I had on hand (I used 1 cup oat flour, 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, 1/3 cup spelt flour). I didn’t notice a difference with the slightly different amounts.

I was able to fit a loaf pan and 3 jumbo muffins in the toaster oven. Success!

I ended up eating a muffin at around 12 midnight. They smelled too good to resist despite the late hour. Ironically I ate my muffin while watching Jillian Michaels on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Heh.

***

This morning, I made a muffin-cake by topping my muffin with pumpkin Greek yogurt.

…kinda like a cupcake.

Throughout the afternoon, I ate a couple slices warm, slathered in almond butter.

The super ripe avocado in this bread was simply fab.

***

The solution to all of life’s problems…

…or just the solution to staying warm while drinking smoothies even when it’s cold out.

I’ve had a Pumpkin Pie Smoothie everyday since last Friday. When I get back from my workout all I want is an ice cold smoothie. However, they leave me shivering cold now that it’s not steamy hot outside.

I found a solution though. Drink the smoothie before taking a hot shower. The hot shower cancels out the goosebumps caused by the smoothie.

Rocket science .

***

And then my hard drive died.

It crashed ‘n’ burned.

Oh frick.

I’ve actually been waiting for this to happen so I was kinda, somewhat, a little bit (not really) prepared for it’s death. Not for any real reason other than that it’s been 4 looooong years of daily use.

I tried saving it myself and then decided it would be best to take it to the Genius Bar at the Apple Store. Luckily, they had 1 appointment available. The incredibly friendly Genius informed me my poor little hard drive was fried and I needed a new one.

Oh double frick.

I think she saw the neon dollar signs flash before my eyes $$$$ because she immediately waived the labor costs for me. That way I only had to pay for the hard drive itself.

The thing is, my old hard drive was 60GB (super tiny!!!). They don’t even make them that small anymore. The minimum now is around 150GB so I am essentially getting an upgrade at the same time. At least something good is coming from the unfortunate situation, right?

Yes, I have my stuff backed up (I learned my lesson 2 years ago when my unbacked up laptop came very very close to dying). However, I haven’t backed up my computer in about 2 months so I think I lost a little bit of stuff. Nothing major though.

PSA: Back up your computer. NOW. If you don’t have an external hard drive go get one…

NOW! I am not joking around.

I left with a dead laptop and came home with this.

The Apple Store was right by Trader Joe’s so I soothed my soul by making a pit stop there.

***

Tell me: Has your hard drive ever crashed?

Reminders:

1) NYC Readers–email me if you want to meet up next Monday.

2) Last day to vote for me to advance to round 4 of the Project Food Blog contest. If you haven’t voted yet, please do! The competition is getting stiff and I need ALL the votes I can get.

After 4 straight days of clouds and rain, I woke up to a beautiful sunny day. It felt a little like coming out of Noah’s Ark…as if I would know.

For some odd reason, it didn’t cross my mind to go for a run until I was already at the gym. Thus, I ate a bigger [very random] pre-workout snack: 1 hermit, 1 TBSP almond butter, a couple chips, and a bite of Peter’s pumpkin pie.

After 20 min. on the elliptical, I got a strong urge to run. I hopped on the treadmill and ran 1 mile. I didn’t have my shin sleeves with me so I went back on the elliptical for another 10 min. The running urge kept on calling so I got back on the treadmill for another 2.5 miles and then rounded out my workout with 10 min. upper body strength training.

The whole time, I was staring outside the window at this beautiful scene!!

I was kicking myself for not running outside. I had an endless amount of energy and I could’ve totally rocked those Sound of Music hills.

Now that I am getting back into running again, I feel like I should run whenever the weather is nice and my legs are feeling okay. As if I’m missing out if I don’t.

Then I remind myself that I’ve been down this road many many times in the past. The road that leads to injury. It’s simple. If I get injured, there will be no. more. running. Just because the weather is beautiful, it doesn’t necessarily mean I can/should run. Sure, it’d be wonderful, but I have to remember that there will be NO more wonderful runs if I go too far.

***

I came back and wolfed down a slice of brown rice bread with Greek yogurt and banana slices. I didn’t even have 3 seconds to snap a photo. I was one hungry hippo!

Here’s the aftermath…

Then it was time to make a Pumpkin Pie Smoothie. They’re all the rage lately and I had to try it for myself.

I finally cracked open my can o’ pumpkin after finishing the frostbitten pumpkin. Note: I spoke too soon.The frostbitten pumpkin was NOT as good as new. I didn’t realize how off it tasted until I had a spoonful of this velvety goodness.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 scoop protein powder
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/2 banana
• ice + stevia
• LOTSA cinnamon (it brings out the pumpkin flavor!!)

Amazeballs. It really did taste like pumpkin pie. I would know, I ate some real pumpkin pie for breakfast, after all .

To round out my post workout ‘meal’, I had another hermit (so good!), a couple spoonfuls of almond butter, and some Riceworks Brown Rice Crisps that my dad picked up from Costco. We’ve been eating these for years now. They’re vegan and gluten-free.

And they are amazeballs.

I think I had about 3 servings AKA more than what’s shown on the plate. I dipped some of the chips in hummus, too.

On that note, I’m putting the chips away!! I’ve been a total snackmonster the last couple of days. My eats have come primarily from packages. Oops. More real food, Allie!

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I just found out that I advanced to the 3rd round of Project Food Blog. Wowza! Thank you all so so much for voting for me. I’m kind of in shock right now but I need to snap out of it and start planning this dinner party! Submissions are due Sunday, which means the dinner party is happening…um tomorrow (!!). I better get crackin’!

I still have to bake too–wheeeps.

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Have a great weekend y’all! Tell me: What fun things do you have planned?

Apparently, I’m hosting a dinner partay

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P.S. I just googled ‘amazeballs’. No idea how I got that in my head because I don’t read Perez.

P.P.S  I added a email subscription form to the left sidebar. You can enter in your email address and receive my posts in your inbox. I think you can, at least. I just put it in last night so I guess we’ll see after I hit publish!

1. A New Neighborhood Run

This morning I set out on a run in my new neighborhood. I had no idea where I was going and had no goal distance in mind. I ran 6 miles in just under 62 min. I tried to find a good loop and ended up getting LOST. It worked out that I found my house right as I was nearing the 6 mile mark.

I was totally prepared to knock on someone’s door and ask to use their phone to call my dad though .

THE HILLS ARE ALIVE HERE!!

I felt like Julie Andrews running along the hills of the Swiss Alps in the opening scene of The Sound of Music. Holy smokes! The hills were so steep and rarely was the path just flat. I’d say half the time the slope was equivalent to a 6-9% incline on the treadmill. Whew wee!!

Despite the crazy hills, I’m really starting to feel like I’m back in the running groove again, finally. I think the cooler weather has helped a lot. More importantly, simply knowing I can power through the the most difficult part of the run for me (at around the 1.5 mile mark), gives me a great deal of confidence.

Running is physical but it’s also mental as well.

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The last uphill portion of my run left me breathless!

Yeah, I have a gum ball machine. I’m cool like that.

2. New Bath Tub and Shower Curtain

I took an ice bath immediately after coming back (in my new bath tub). My tush is gonna be s-o-r-e tomorrow from all those hills.

Like my new shower curtain? I got it at Homegoods (AKA Wonderland).

3. New (to me) Gym

Yesterday, I went over to the club house to use the gym (my first time!). The machines are older than the ones in the condo gym and don’t have personal TVs, but it is pretty nice and just about a mile away from our house.

My workout:

• 60 min. elliptical
• 10 min. upper body strength
• 10 min. stationary bike

4. Pumpkin Butter

Believe it or not, I bought this jar of McCutcheon’s Pumpkin Butter last year but had to wait until I finished my TJ’s jar to open it. I had a sample of it once and found it was much much better than the TJ’s version (sorry Teej). It’s local too–made in Maryland!

It is much more pumpkiny and less syrupy/sugary than TJ’s pumpkin butter. Meaning, I’ve been eating it straight outta the jar .

This morning, I made a homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte using almond milk, pumpkin butter and cinnamon.

5. New Blender

…not really.

This is our ancient older-than-me blender that is still alive and kickin’. I usually use my Magic Bullet since it’s easier to clean, but it’s still sitting in our old house.

Post run, I made a smoothie using wheatgrass, protein powder, strawberries and banana.

6. New Favorite Snax

I also had a slice of brown rice bread topped with pumpkin butter, Justin’s Maple Almond Butter (free sample), and an Adora Calcium disc (free sample). I’ve been eating this snack almost every day.

Not new to me at all!

I received this jar of Justin’s Maple AB yesterday and I’ve already gone through about 1/3 of the jar. It was one of the first almond butters I tried almost 3 years ago (when I found out I wasn’t allergic to almonds). I will say with confidence that it is my favorite almond butter.

No other brand even comes close.

I’ve also been loving Greek yogurt mixed with eggy oats. The combination of hot grains and creamy cold yogurt is just lovely.

For the eggy oats, I mixed some leftover sweet crepe batter with oats and egg whites and then popped it in the microwave for 2 minutes. I topped the whole bowl with banana and cinnamon.

Clearly, I crave carbs and protein post workout!

7. New Apples!

My mom’s co-worker went apple picking and my mom paid her $9 for this huge bushel. Oh my apples.

I have no idea how these will get eaten up if I don’t bake something with them!

Last but not least….

8. My New Photography Spot!

Welcome to my new photography studio…the outside portion at least.

We got this outdoor table from IKEA, which I’m excited to start shooting on. The deck also has these white pillars that are great for shooting something with trees in the background. I’ve got plenty of chairs to stand on for a bird’s eye view shot .

I also have window sills without those awkward grey things now. Wahoo!

This is where the magic will be happening from now on .

Alrighty, it’s time for me to shower and unpack some more (it never ends!!!). I hope to be back tomorrow with a fun recipe, if all works out as planned!

Reminder: You only have until tomorrow to vote for me and my crepes in the Project Food Blog contest! I need your vote so I have a good excuse to throw a delicious dinner party on Saturday .

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Tell me: What’s something NEW in your life that you’re enjoying?