11/26/10

The return of hot yoga and cheese

Hey!

I finally got my half-marathon training program in the mail.  I'm so excited. The only problem is it is a 13 week training program and I am about 7 months away from race day. I'm going to do the first 7 weeks and see how I feel. I also want to incorporate a 10 km training program after as well. I'm running one on April 17th. Hmm, this may take a little more organization. I start my first week next Tuesday.

Today I went to Bikram yoga for the first time in 2 months! Man, 90 minutes in a 40 degree room really kicked my butt, however I did feel awesome after a nice shower and some water. I have a pass to do unlimited yoga for 30 days. I plan on going 1-2 times a week as I will be running 3 times a week.

Phew, all that working out makes a girl hungry. Here are a few things I have been eating this week: 

Vegan Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti, with toast and vegan parmesan cheese (recipe coming soon)

Stuffed pork tenderloin (mushrooms, celery, bread, red peppers) and roasted baby potatoes made by my sweetie. I contributed the sauteed mushrooms and spinach salad.


Vegan Enchiladas with avocado and mixed greens.
 Vegan Enchiladas

  • 1 cup pinto beans pureed with 4 T salsa
  • 1 cup brown rice
  • 1/4 cup onion
  • 1 yellow pepper
  • 1/2 cup kale 
  • 1/2 cup mushrooms
  • 1 tomato
  • 6 whole-wheat wraps
  • 4-5 T hummus
  • 1.5 T nutrional yeast
  • 6 T salsa 
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp cayenne
Once the rice is cooked mixed it with the pureed pinto bean/salsa mixture add cumin and cayenne. Saute vegetables in extra-virgin olive oil. Line a casserole dish with parchment paper.  Take a wrap and put 1.5 T of bean-rice mixture in middle and 1.5 T sauteed vegetables. Wrap and place in casserole dish. Spoon 1 T salsa over top. Repeat with other 5 wraps. 

For vegan cheese sauce mix hummus and nutritional yeast together add water as needed for consistency.  Spoon over wraps.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. 


 Since October 23rd I have been on a dairy-free diet. Challenging for a girl who would go through a large container of feta cheese (my favorite!) in a week. I have to say I feel awesome. It started as giving up cheese but then a few days into it I decided to commit to no dairy whatsoever. My boyfriend gave up cheese (for the most part) during this month as well. We decided when it was over we would have a cheese night. 

Boy, did we ever. 


Take one part delicious red wine, one part crusty bread and 3 parts cheese = Happy Andrea 

TLC whole-wheat crackers, Canape Malba rounds, jalapeno havarti and marble cheddar cheese

Salad, crusty bread, J Lohr Cabernet and down in the bottom the brie which got missed in the shot

 
 I loved every moment of this dinner. We had a salad along side the cheese. It did make me realize that I don't need to eat cheese everyday. Shocking, I know. After tasting the buttery brie and the sharp cheddar for the first time in a month, I liked the treat aspect of it. So even though there are left-overs in my fridge I have yet to touch them. Looking forward to eating something makes it taste that much better. So, I am back to my no dairy diet but in less of a strict way. If it is unavoidable or I really want it then dairy it is, otherwise I will stick to my almond milk and earth balance.


 I think I will head to bed now. I have to work all day tomorrow. Look forward to Gooey Chocolate-Mint Vegan cookies and Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti recipes next time.

 Night!



11/20/10

Cooking fail: Vegan Butternut Squash Crust

In my kitchen there has been a lonely butternut squash, which was somewhat of an impulse buy. I have never cooked butternut squash and was determined to use it in last nights dinner. Not wanting to just roast in the oven I decided the butternut would be the star of the dinner.






I decided to make a butternut squash crust! Better yet make a pizza with that crust. I scoured the internet for recipes coming up with only one, which was confusing to begin with. What better way to introduce butternut squash into my life then to make it into a crust and better yet a vegan crust.

And then it began by shredding (have I mentioned how much I love my processor?) I then added flour, 4 vegan eggs and spices. It was starting to look disgusting at this point but I had hope. I then formed this into a crust of some type and baked it.






 I made vegan parmasean

  Tomato sauce from scratch.

I added spinach, onions, red and yellow peppers. It looked quite good at this point. I baked it again. Nevertheless this did not work out. The pumpkin-y taste did not go with pizza taste. Even worse, the crust did not get crusty. I tried to dry the squash as much as I could but it was not enough...resulting in a wet soupy mess. Blah. So the boyfriend and I bailed on a healthy, vegan, home-cooked meal and went out for Indian. I will try this again...perhaps with sweet potato instead.



It wasn't a complete fail. I did like my tomato sauce and vegan parm.

Vegan Parmasean
  

  • 1/4 cup sesame seeds
  • 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
Blend these in a blender or food processor and there you have it. 


 Super Easy Tomato Sauce
  • 3 medium tomato
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tbsp oregano
  • 1/2 tbsp chili flakes
  • 1/2 cup water
  • fresh parsley
Throw minced garlic, chopped tomatoes,spices and water in a pot. Simmer with lid on for 25 minutes. Uncover add parsley simmer until thickened. 


I also got in a good workout yesterday. Sort of found myself just making up a new run so I didn't push it because I didn't know how long I would be running for. Ended up being 5.68 km. Today I'm going to head out for another 6 km. Next week I start the journey to get to 8km, hopefully by next Sunday. I am waiting on some training programs to be sent to me, for 10km and 21 km. Then I will have a bit more concrete program.

Off to run!




11/18/10

Introduction

Just this weekend I decided to start this blog. I was on a hike in Canmore. http://www.trailpeak.com/trail-Ha-Ling-Peak-near-Canmore-AB-3400

Beautiful and inspiring. (top of Ha Ling Peak)

There are so many great food and fitness blogs that I like to read. I have loved cooking and eating for a while now, however I am new to working out. Well let me correct that, I am new to working out for health, rather than weight loss.

Not only did I decide to start this blog I also decided I was going to run a half-marathon on June 26, 2011. I'm going to run it and I'm going to get a good time. Unfortunately in the little research I have been doing into running half-marathons I am already completely overwhelmed. :(  It is hard to sort through all the different information and decide what is right for me.

So when in doubt...cook.






Mmm, Curried lentil and vegetable stir-fry over quinoa with hummus on the side.

Have a lovely afternoon.