Another Long Run in the Books!

What a beautiful morning it was yesterday for my long run. I captured this spectacular sunrise as I ran toward New Albany.

I set out for a 15 miler but ended up clocking 17.7! I got far away from the house and felt good so I took a bit longer route home. I never know exactly how far I am from home so I’m always a little surprised to see my final mileage. I maintained an 8:35 average pace which is right on track with where I’ve been for other runs.

I picked up a new pair of shoes early last week at Fleet Feet. I ended up going with a pair of Nike Vomero. I hit it off with the sales associate as soon as I learned she was vegan, a mom, fellow runner, and was familiar with Rich Roll and a fan of Matt Frazier (No Meat Athlete). And, she had a similar foot structure and was wearing Vomeros. We could have chatted for a long time but I had C with me and she was getting a bit antsy.

I ran in the Vomeros for all of my shorter runs last week and they felt pretty good so I was relieved. Before I got them I was having a little pain in the outside of my left foot and was starting to experience a bit of plantar fasciitis in my right foot. The pain in my left foot is now gone and the plantar fasciitis is the same or maybe even a little better so that’s good news. I think new shoes was exactly the thing I needed. I had to stop twice during the run yesterday to adjust the shoelaces because I noticed some tightness and pulling in the front of my left foot and then later tightness around the top of my right foot. Loosening my shoelaces did the trick and I didn’t have any more trouble. My feet are a little sore today but nothing like I would have expected after running that far.

Before my run I had a giant glass of water with a little apple cider vinegar followed by about 1.5 super ripe bananas with a little peanut butter. I normally don’t eat peanut butter with my beloved bananas because the bananas digest better on their own but I decided to try it out this time. I’m not sure if it was this combo or possibly the meal I had the night before (a Chipotle veggie bowl that was noticeably saltier and oilier than usual), but I had stomach issues the whole run and had to make a porta potty pit stop at one of the construction sites along my route. I continued to have a stomach ache for most of the rest of the run but it wasn’t severe. I have found that my stomach can get a little upset in general after long runs and yesterday was no different at least for the first part of the day.

I carried three water bottles in my fuel belt that I filled with a mix of coconut water, regular water, and water that had dates soaking in it and a few blended frozen pineapple with a touch of salt. I finished almost all of it and felt hydrated for the whole run. I also brought along several medjool dates that I had mashed up and rolled into little balls. I put them in foil and then in a plastic bag. They were a little hard to unwrap while running but I managed and they otherwise worked great. Mashing them up in advance made them easier to eat without having to really chew. I never feel hungry during my runs so I wasn’t sure when I should eat them. It took me the normal 6 miles or so before I felt like I was in a groove and then I started to feel like I was losing steam around mile 13 so I had two of the dates and that carried me through til the end. I finished the rest of the dates as soon as I was done. After a short walk to keep my legs loose, I hit the yoga mat for a bit and then had my normal smoothie for breakfast.

I was blessed with a Relax and Restore training with Michelle Bailey at Go Yoga in Upper Arlington in the early afternoon. We had an 80 minute practice that couldn’t have been more perfect after the run. Then we wrapped up with more details on how to teach this type of class. I felt so much more relaxed than usual and I think it’s because of the run in the morning. My long runs have been very meditative for me and calming even though I’m putting forth a lot of effort. I think the run put me in just the right mental place for the class.

My legs felt heavy later in the day as they often do after run long and then being on my feet for most of the rest of the day so my favorite thing to do before bed is get them up in legs up the wall pose. I have a cool stretch out strap that the kids and I shared during bed time reading. They thought it was great to do the pose with me while we were in Cape Cod so I figured why not do it at home too.

That’s all for now. I hope you enjoy the week and do something a little extra to take care of yourself – mind, body, and spirit!

Let the Training Begin!

Of course it’s hard.
It’s supposed to be hard.
If it were easy,
everybody would do it.
Hard is what makes it great.
A League of Their Own

The day has arrived. Day 1 of training for my first marathon here in Columbus on October 17th. Woo-hoo!! I’m super excited about this journey and the ways it is going to challenge me physically, mentally and spiritually. I’m feeling great right now and ready to take on this challenge. I’ve got my fuel belt ready, new shoes on the way, and have run up to 8 miles recently. It’s time to roll!

Below is a pic of me from this am. It’s definitely not my best shot but who really looks good in goggles and a swim cap anyway? Cross-training was on the schedule for my first day (read more below about the plan I’m following) so I swam at the Y at 6am and followed it up with some push-ups, planks, chest presses, pull-ups and a little more core work before heading home for breakfast. I was conveniently in a lane right next to a few guys training for Ironman. Nothing like a little motivation for me to get to work! The second pic is of my breakfast smoothie. My latest favorite combo (and yes, it’s quite a combo….I had simplified it for a while but have gone back to adding in lots of things) is about 6-10 very brown bananas, blueberries, raspberries, mango, granny smith apple, some combo of greens (including things like romaine, kale, spinach, and beet greens), beet, celery, fresh ginger, turmeric, mint, cilantro, spirulina, maca, coconut water, water, and ice. Sounds great, right? I think so and the kids drink a cup of it most days of the week – not always willingly but oh well.

I’ll be following Hal Higdon’s Novice 1 Training Program. I was originally going to follow Novice 2 but I decided I’d rather start my long runs at 6 miles rather than 8 🙂 I will eventually get to that 20 miler with either plan but I just wanted to start out with a bit less. The plan as it is written has the long runs slated for Saturdays. Since I teach a 9:30 class on Saturday mornings I decided to push the schedule back by a day and do my long runs on Sundays instead. We normally go to the 9:00 service at church but at least for the days when I will be running longer distances we’ll go to the 11:00 service instead.

For the last two half marathons I ran, I followed a training plan that included running 3x per week and cross-training 3x per week. I also did yoga every day. I never took a full day of rest (unless you consider a pretty intense yoga practice rest). For the marathon, my cross-training day will be on Monday and at this point I plan to swim on Mondays. I may also jump in the pool for a few laps on Tuesdays and Thursdays since I’ll already be at the Y those days for my daughter’s preschool class (through the summer). I plan to incorporate about 20-30 minutes of strength training and/or core work on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and some arm/core work (like push-ups, planks, etc.) on the other days. I’d also like to continue my daily home yoga practice even if it has to be short. The marathon plan includes two days of rest. I’m not sure what I will do on these days. I’m a person who is always on the move and have found that I prefer active rest over passive rest activities like sitting on the couch or lounging around a pool. However, I’m going to feel out what my rest days should look like as I get deeper into the program. A full day of rest where I get off my feet might be good for me but it would also be very challenging. I’m used to doing some sort of exercise every day first thing in the morning so I’m not sure I’d even feel like myself if I did something different. I say this all the time in my yoga class even though it’s a pretty hard thing for me to do – listen to the body. I’ll definitely need to be listening to my body for this challenge! I will also spend some time in the hot tub, foam rolling, and hopefully enjoying a few massages along the way.

This will be my first time training for a race on a whole food, plant-based diet so I’m wondering how I will feel and if I’ll notice any differences. When I trained for the half’s, I was eating a large bowl of ice cream right before I went to bed then getting up and running without any other nourishment besides good old water. I’d like to think I’ll feel better in the mornings considering I’ll be operating on REAL food. I’m a bit nervous about the heat but I’m hoping getting out the door as early as I can will help. The last two longer runs I’ve done have been complete sweat fests and I left the house at 6am.

I’m excited to share my journey with you and I’d love to have you join me by finding your own race to train for!

October 18th, Columbus Marathon – Here I come!

Well, I bit the bullet yesterday and registered for the Columbus Marathon on October 18!! I’ve been thinking about it for a while now and am tired of letting my fears and excuses run the show. I’ve said it out loud to a few people over the last few weeks and decided I just needed to make the commitment. I can’t believe I’m doing it since I clearly remember saying to myself after finishing the 1/2 last fall – “I will NEVER do this again. What was I thinking.” I guess I stuck to my word though since I’m not doing the 1/2 again 🙂 I think I’ve been listening to far too many podcasts with endurance athletes and it’s starting to rub off on me. When you are surrounded by stories of people who overcome incredible odds and push their body to the limit it’s hard not to get caught up in it. To many of them (endurance / ultra athletes), a marathon would be like a walk in the park but hey, it’s a start for me and will be a challenge nonetheless. I figure this is the perfect year to do it. It’s already been a monumental year for me in transitioning to plant-based eating and ditching my serious ice cream habit. Why not add a marathon to the list!

I’m pretty sure I’ll be following Hal Higdon’s Novice 2 Training program which would mean me starting my 18-week training program the week of 6/15. Wow that is soon! I get nervous looking at the mileage but I’m going to keep repeating these mantras to myself – take it one day at a time and one foot in front of the other. Stay in the moment. With proper training I am capable of this. I believe in myself and much more that I believe in God and the strong person He created me to be. When I am weak and feel like I can’t go on (and I know I will feel that way many times throughout the training), He is strong and will give me the strength mentally and physically to push through.

I’d love to have some of you join me in this adventure (if not for a full marathon, some type of challenge for yourself). I will need all the encouragement and support I can get! I plan to write consistently along the way about my journey and include some tips I learn along the way, so stay tuned.

Have a great day and enjoy the sunshine!

Set A Goal, Take Small Steps Toward It, Succeed!

PURPOSE. PATIENCE. PERSISTENCE. PROGRESS.

I think I’ve mentioned this before but it’s only been in the more recent years that I have made a few goals and followed through with them. I’ve tried doing the goal setting thing at the beginning of the year many times but typically end up forgetting about the goals all together or half-heartedly working on them until my motivation sizzles. Practice, patience, and persistence definitely pays off when working toward a goal – in whatever area of life. I definitely fall into the trap of looking for the fast and easy way to accomplish something but I have of course learned that most things in life take persistent work, focus and a series of steps to achieve the end goal.

My latest achievement was getting a fun transition between crow and handstand poses. I started focusing on handstand in the summer. I’d been doing crow for a while and was able to kick up into handstand against a wall but was not able to hold it without first touching the wall. After several months of practice and extra work on my core, arms, and focus (what I gaze at), I finally mastered handstand in the early fall. In mid-December I saw an Instagram clip of Patrick Beach doing crow to handstand and I was inspired to make that my next goal. I’ve been building up to it one step at a time since then and I finally nailed it last Saturday. I didn’t get it on video that time but after a week of attempts I was finally able to get it again. Check it out! It was a great reminder for me that I CAN achieve what what might first seem impossible if I set my mind to it and take the necessary steps to make it happen.

Here are a few inspirational thoughts to leave you with!

Persistence pays off!

Set some goals,
Then demolish them!

I may not be there yet,
but I’m closer than I was yesterday.

Make changes and move forward but don’t worry about how far you need to go. Keep the end goal in mind but focus primarily on the very next step you need to take instead of how far you need to go to achieve the end goal. If you focus too much on the end goal, you will become paralyzed because it seems overwhelming.

 Have a great day!

A More Mindful Start to My Days

Scott and the kids were gone again a few weekends ago when I was supposed to attend a training for a new fitness class. I decided to forgo the training but they still went out of town since they had already made the plans. I taught a few classes, went to some of our church’s women’s conference, shared a fabulous meal with a great friend (more on that below) and of course spent lots of time in the kitchen cooking and listening to podcasts.

Unfortunately, the rest of the family was in a car accident on the way to Cincinnati. This was the second time in six months that Scott has been sandwiched in between two other cars on the highway traveling to or from Cincinnati. The first accident was in his car and this time the van. Praise God everyone was okay and the van was still drivable. It needed some major repairs and after a few weeks of waiting on the other people involved in the accident, we are finally getting it fixed.

One of my favorite podcasts from the weekend was Rich Roll’s interview with psychologist Michael Gervais titled Mastering Mindfulness in Sports & Life: High Performance Psychologist Michael Gervais. There were tons of great takeaways from the interview. I’ve been listening to many great podcasts and reading more and I want to remember some of the things I hear so I decided to start a Word doc to keep track of everything in one place. Normally I’ll jot stuff down on sticky notes or in my journal but I end up losing the notes or completely forgetting about it. I’m hoping having one central location will help. I found it ironic that I randomly picked this podcast about mindfulness to listen to since we had just had a discussion about mindfulness at a women’s Bible study I’m part of and mindfulness is the main topic of the March 2015 issue of Yoga Journal.

I’ve been including one of Michael’s suggestions at the start of each day and have found it so helpful to start my day off with more intention and focus. Most days I wake up to the alarm, jump out of bed and get straight to my workout. I am a morning person so it has never been hard for me to get up and going in the morning but I realized it would serve me better to begin my day at a slower and more mindful pace so that I can take a moment to just breathe, work through any anxiety I’m feeling and get my mind in the right place before I do anything else. I recently started getting up 10 to 15 minutes earlier than normal so that I could have some dedicated time to take a few deep breaths, read my Bible and devotional, journal and pray. It’s a small amount of time but after many years of unsuccessful attempts to do this for a larger chunk of time, this is a good start. I’m happy to report I’ve stayed committed to the plan for all but two days in the last several weeks. I’m feeling great about this accomplishment. The pic below is of my “morning spot.”

In addition to this, I’ve incorporated a simple 3-step routine before my head even leaves the pillow (Michael suggests this in his podcast):

1. Take one deep breath (and continue breathing of course!)
2. Have one thought of gratitude
3. Set one intention for the day

Lastly, I try to set a positive tone for how I’m going to interact with others that day by making my first interaction with another human a positive one. In the few weeks since I’ve been doing this short and simple routine, I have found that I start my days with more peace, less anxiety and a better state of mind overall. This doesn’t mean the rest of my days have been perfect but at least I’m starting them out better!

Here are a highlights from other things I did during the weekend they were gone.

My friend and fellow yogi / foodie / cookbook addict / etc. had an oh so yummy dinner at Banana Leaf vegan and vegetarian Indian restaurant on Saturday night. Check out this spread! We both got the buffet at the suggestion of the owner and loved everything. The buffet comes with an appetizer plate (the school lunch tray looking thing in the pic below) for each person that contains some common Indian street food. I’m not sure what everything was on there or that I ate from the buffet but I loved it all. It had been a long time since I last had Indian and I’d forgotten how much I like it. If only I could re-create these dishes at home. Of course I spent time that night on Pinterest looking for Indian recipes! Unfortunately my first attempt a few days later totally bombed but at least I tried, right? I knew it was bad before we even sat down for dinner but I kept my mouth shut and so did the rest of the family. I was shocked they ate it without complaining! I have a nice family 🙂 I’m going to invest in a few new spices and hope for success next time around.

After I got home I spent some time in the kitchen making a batch of homemade corn tortillas that I used in a meal later in the week and a batch of homemade whole wheat tortillas to put in the freezer. I tried a corn tortilla recipe a few weeks back and was disappointed in how fragile they were. I couldn’t even get the dough off my tortilla press. I used a similar recipe this time but saw a tip to cover the press with plastic wrap and it worked like a charm! The tortillas peeled right off in one piece.

The family got home on Sunday and I made this vegan spinach artichoke sauce pizza on quinoa crust. I added chicken and a little shredded cheese for Scott and E. I used elements of several different recipes and can’t remember exactly what I did so I’m not posting links to anything. But it turned out pretty good for my first attempt at a vegan pizza. The sauce was great. Next time I’ll bake the naked crust a little longer to get it nice and crispy before adding toppings.

I have been learning so much from listening to podcasts lately and by incorporating things I’m learning, I am starting to make positive changes in areas that have been challenging me for years. I am a routine person and like to be (or feel like I am) comfortable. Change has never been easy for me to swallow. This quote spoke to me and I wanted to share it with you.

What if I told you that
10 years from now,
Your life would be
Exactly the same?
I doubt you’d be happy.
So, why are you
So afraid of change?

Karen Salmansohn

Have a great weekend!

8 of My Favorite Vegan Sauces and More

I have a little confession….I’m kind of into sauces. Well, to be completely honest, I’m really into sauces. They are such a great way to add a little extra flavor to any dish. I’ve always been a condiment fan and back in the day I used to smother my eggs and pretty much anything else with ketchup. I moved away from ketchup several years ago after realizing how much sugar is in it but I still love sauces – everything from guacamole to hummus, hot sauce, salsa, pesto and more! The unfortunate part of many store bought sauces is that they often contain lots of preservatives or other unrecognizable ingredients. Fortunately it’s very easy to whip up a healthy and delicious sauce with a few ingredients and a blender or food processor. And also it’s easy to adjust most sauces to fit your specific dietary or flavor preferences. For example, I’ve found medjool dates to be the perfect substitute for sweeteners in sauces. You just need to blend the sauce a little more thoroughly.

And speaking of sauces….I have several sauce recipes I’d like to share with you.

I made this delicious Low-Fat Nut-Free Creamy Garlic Parsley Sauce to go with pasta and veggies. We loved the creamy, flavorful texture and I was surprised how much it tasted like a dairy based sauce. It would be delicious as a soup with the addition of veggies and a little broth or stock to thin it out. I will definitely be pulling this one out at Thanksgiving as it had a thick gravy like texture and would be great as a gravy or sauce for meat or roasted vegetables. I highly recommend trying this and experimenting with different kinds of potatoes. I love sweet potatoes so I’m going to try it with sweet potatoes next time. I made a few modifications to the recipe and used toasted almond coconut milk, veggie broth, a mixture of baking and red potatoes, and dried parsley instead of fresh.

I made this Yummy Sauce by Chef AJ earlier in the week. Chef AJ is a chef (surprise, surprise), author of Unprocessed, and has an amazing life story including how she has turned her life around by transitioning to a whole food, plant based diet. If you’re not familiar with Chef AJ or her story, check out Rich Roll’s podcast with her. You can also find his podcasts on the Sound Cloud app. Chef AJ is an inspiration and has so much energy you can feel it through the podcast. And onto the sauce…I love it! The flavor is unique and reminds me a bit of honey mustard with the sweetness from the dates combined with the savory mustard. I’ve used it as a dipping sauce for veggies and on romaine lettuce tacos and I imagine it’d be good with veggie burgers, crackers or pretzels if you eat that sort of thing.

I’ve made this Creamy Coconut Peanut Sauce (just the sauce part of the recipe) a few times now and really enjoy it drizzled over salad, veggies, zucchini noodles, and rice. It has nice flavor that you can spice up using a little extra hot sauce or diced jalapenos. I used about 1/4 cup coconut milk, coconut aminos in place of soy sauce, a mixture of lemon juice and rice vinegar, and homemade sriracha sauce. Mine turned out a little thick both times so I added a little water and veggie broth to thin it out.

This Buddha Bowl Sauce is great and the only change I made was to use some veggie broth in place of some of the oil. I also really like these two sauces from the “bowl” category – the sauce from this Roasted Buddha Bowl and the sauce from this Quinoa Cauliflower Bowl with Almond Sriracha Sauce (I use unsweetened hot sauce and leave out the syrup).

We enjoy eating Mexican and if you’ve never looked at the ingredients on most store bought enchilada sauces, you should. There’s a lot of junk in there! I’ve tried several enchilada sauce recipes and these are two of my latest favorites – Homemade Enchilada Sauce (I use veggie broth in place of some of the oil and leave out the brown sugar) and the sauce from this TexMex Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta (I saute onions and garlic and blend it with the immersion blender. It is delicious for tacos or enchiladas).

We are Greek food fans in this house and have always loved tzatziki but now that I’m not eating any dairy I’m on the lookout for a good dairy-free alternative. I’ve pinned a few to try but haven’t gotten around to it yet.

And I’m always up for a yummy peanut/nut butter sauce. I’ve tried so many peanut sauce recipes and usually like them all so I don’t have any one specific recipe to recommend. I normally alter the recipe to take out the sugar / sweetener (and have replaced it with medjool dates several times) and often change up the nut butter I use.

That’s all on the topic of sauces. Here are a few pics and highlights of other things going on around here lately.

Scott and the kids were gone last weekend so I spent a pretty quiet weekend at home. I had an outing with friends scheduled for Saturday night but the snow hampered those plans. I spent most of the weekend doing things around the house, cooking, doing yoga and listening to podcasts. My friend recently recommended a podcast by Rich Roll. After listening to that and another one of his, I was hooked! As I mentioned above, I listen to them using the Sound Cloud app on the iPad and iPhone but you can also find them on his web site. Many of them are on the topic of plant based nutrition but there are lots of others with individuals who just have amazing stories to share and I was fascinated by every one! I was thinking earlier this morning how much technology has changed the way we communicate and podcasts are a great example. Before You Tube or podcasts someone would have to go on a speaking tour or write a book to share their story. Now it’s so easy to record and share anything. I’ve also listened to a handful from Howard Jacobson on his Wholevana Podcast and a few other random ones by Christian pastors. I’m thinking this might be a new addiction 🙂

When I took the kids up to Wooster on Friday we stopped to see our brand new beautiful niece Vienna. She’s a doll and seems to be a very good baby so far. The kids had a great time visiting with their cousins too. The pic below is of C, her cousin Mav and baby Vienna.

On the way home I stopped at Earth Fare to look around and pick up some Nori sheets. I’d been wanting to try them for making wraps and happened to find a package on clearance. I’ve tried a few random creations and have been pinning lots of interesting recipes to try! They are easy to use and definitely taste like seaweed (of course they do!) but I kind of like them. I’m pretty sure I will be the only one eating these in our house unless I make sushi rolls with lots of rice on the outside.

Scott got home late Sunday night and then we drove to Walnut Creek to visit my Grandpa and meet my mom to get the kids. I love going to visit him as he is such a neat man and the kids adore him. My grandma passed away just over a year ago so he’s on his own now. I took cabbage rolls, veggies, and rice up for him and for my brother and his family who just had Vienna. He was thrilled with that! We visited with him at his condo and then went to lunch at the Amish restaurant up the street. The second pic below is of Great Papa, the kids and their giant ice cream sundaes. They thoroughly enjoyed those. I was surprised that I wasn’t at all tempted to have any. I was much more interested in having my blended frozen banana and dates when I got home. The last pic is of C hand in hand with Great Papa. She kept going over to him to grab his hand. It was adorable to see her look up at him with her big brown eyes. It was a great visit and was so nice to see him and have the kids back.

The next day C and I went on a double date with our friends to Portia’s Cafe. It was great to go out to lunch and have some girl time. I realized that was the first time C and I have gone out to a girls lunch. It’s a vegan restaurant so we ordered the girls vegan cheese quesadillas. C was not overly pleased with her food so she chowed down on my spicy Pad Thai made with raw kelp noodles. She ate almost half of my meal and loved every bite. We got them chocolate mousse to share. It was made with avocado, cocoa, maple syrup and vanilla. At first they turned their noses up at it but then ended up devouring it. It was very rich but had great flavor and texture.

Lastly, I’m loving this song right now. I heard it on the radio and then we sang it at church last week. The lyrics and so powerful and it just seems to be speaking to me at this time in my life. You can find it on Spotify or You Tube.

Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)
by Hillsong United

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You’ve never failed and You won’t start now

So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

Oh, Jesus, you’re my God!

I will call upon Your name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine

Have a great weekend!

Comparison

“Comparison is the thief of joy.”
Theodore Roosevelt

Our kids are constantly comparing with each other – the amount of food they have, how much money they have, the toys they have, length of show time, punishment received, rewards they get, etc. It drives me crazy! I think comparison is inherent with siblings. As kids, we desire fairness and equality but this problem often follows us all the way through adulthood. Comparison is a struggle for so many people and is a vicious cycle. There will always be more to accumulate and someone who has more than us. We will never feel content with our lives or ourselves if we are constantly comparing ourselves with others. We will never feel satisfied with who we are or what we have and void of a thankful heart. I’m not preaching this to anyone more than to myself! I struggle with comparison on a day to day basis. And I know first hand that there is nothing good that comes from comparison.

Our church recently started a sermon series focused on having an eternal perspective and this has made me even more aware of how silly comparison truly is when you look at it through an eternal lens. Comparison is all about this world and what we might obtain or become in this world. It is about desiring worldly stuff. It is a totally natural battle for all humans but is one that we must fight in order to find joy apart from things or circumstances. Comparison takes us away from the present moment and will rob us of any joy we might find in our own lives. It often results in judgment of ourselves and others. Comparison destroys relationships as it is often a source of resentment. It might make us feel good for a short time as we might feel “better” than someone else, but that is a fleeting feeling and a false sense of worth. And most importantly, it takes our eyes off Jesus and eternal things.

Yes, it’s good to be others’ focused, but not when it comes to comparing. Let’s not be so wrapped up in what everyone else is doing, what they have, or even what they think of us. Instead let’s turn our focus and energy inward and upward, examining our own hearts and focus, and determining if they line up with God’s desires for us!

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth
Will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.

(Lyrics from “Turn your eyes upon Jesus”)

Love That Heals Our Brokenness

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Today I made some vegetable broth in the pressure cooker and I made the mistake of pouring the broth into the glass jar while it was still hot. I heard cracking sounds and realized the jar was breaking apart! I didn’t even consider this might happen with such a thick glass jar. Thank goodness I had the jar in the sink while I was pouring it.

Valentine’s Day (and other “romantic” holidays) is a happy, love-filled day for some while for many others it is a day that brings up feelings of sadness, depression, brokenness and hurt. A broken jar is such a great illustration of the brokenness many feel in their hearts. When we feel broken inside it is very difficult to love ourselves and to feel love from others. Instead of others’ love staying inside of us and building us up, it often leaks out just like liquid would leak out of a broken jar – leaving us empty and feeling the need for more. It’s only when we heal from past hurts and wounds that we can begin to experience love in the way God intended. We can find true healing from only one source – Jesus. All other substitutes will fall short. Psalm 147:3 says “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 34:18 says “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice of love on the cross for us. John 15:3 says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” And He wants us to experience this deep love He has for us through a personal relationship with Him. A love that can heal our wounds and restore us so that we are able to experience love in a way that we would never experience without Him. The love He offers is freely offered to all, no matter what the circumstances. However, we must accept His offer and allow Him to transform our hearts. I have been on the side of hurt and pain and have experienced the depths of His love and grace. It isn’t easy to stay in His love as hurts from the past often creep back up and haunt us, but we have Scripture to remind of us the truth.

My prayer on this Valentine’s Day is that you and I would feel the true love of Jesus – the love that conquers all and surpasses all. If we are experiencing God’s love, loving ourselves and loving others, we are fulfilling our true purpose on this earth.

Happenings Around Here Lately

It’s been more than a week since my last post so I wanted to update you on what’s been going on around here lately. After writing posts every day of my 3 week detox, I felt like I needed a little break. While I’d love to be a blogger that consistently writes every day, I’m just not there quite yet.

I have continued to follow the same eating plan that I followed on the detox and have been feeling great! I’ve had a little sugar in a few pieces of dark chocolate I’ve had over the last few weeks and have had two lattes. I’m trying to stick to one coffee or less per week as a treat. Both times I got a latte I ordered a tall soy latte. The soy milk at Starbucks is sweetened and thus does contain some added sugar. Otherwise my “treat” of choice has been frozen bananas blended with a few splashes of coconut almond milk and a date. I have been eating (very ripe) bananas like crazy. I can’t seem to get enough of them right now. I have changed my breakfast to be just a very large smoothie and it has at least 5 bananas + a few other fruits and veggies. Bananas are a great way to get a lot of calories and carbs (= energy) from fruit and the browner the better for digestion. I was eating a nut meal based “muffin” in addition to my smoothie but have felt great after eliminating that. I think the fats in the muffin were messing a bit with my blood sugar and digestion. Here’s proof that I’ve been eating a LOT of bananas. I finally broke down and just bought a case. Kroger often has bananas that are getting too ripe (for the normal person) on Manager’s Special and I lucked out the other day and found a bunch of bunches 🙂 that were marked down. Between the four of us, we are flying through them. I got my second case today. Pretty soon the whole house is going to be smelling like bananas. I’m definitely going to need to start thinking about a solution for fruit flies once the weather gets hot. We always seem to have a problem with them in the summer and this surely won’t help!

At the end of my detox and into the first week or so after I was feeling a little sluggish at times throughout the day and my friend recommended that I increase my fruit carbs even more so I added more bananas and an additional fruit + greens smoothie in the afternoon. It has made all the difference. My energy level is at an all time high and I seem to just be feeling better. My friend follows most (if not all) of Banana Girl’s Raw Till 4 lifestyle and while I’m far from adhering to all of the principles (like eating raw until 4!), I’ve adopted some of them and am moving toward others. It’s definitely a very different approach to eating than I’m used to and I find it fascinating.

I’ve continued to cook lots of new and interesting recipes and make up all kinds of creative concoctions too. If only I could figure out an easy system to capture the details of my creations! Scott and the kids have been awesome about eating everything I make. I normally just cook up a little chicken or ground turkey to go along with the meal for them and they are happy.

The kids and I made our second batch of sprouts in our sprouting jars. We sprouted alfalfa seeds this time. C enjoyed several handfuls (see pic below) for lunch the day we got them out of the jar and asks for them every time she seems them on my plate.

I am so proud to say that I’ve had ice cream only one time since the detox ended (the day after) and haven’t had strong temptations to eat it. I did stop at UDF to get gas the other day and considered for a moment going in to get some since it was on sale (yes, I can still be tempted by a good sale) but decided I’d feel much better if I just ate my frozen bananas and dates. It was a small victory for me. I took the kids to Graeter’s the other night for a special treat and did find myself salivating a bit as I watched people enjoying the giant chocolate chunks (my favorite part) in their ice cream but felt good that I didn’t end up getting anything. I will have it at some point but I’m trying to save it for when I REALLY want it. Chocolate has been the only thing that I’ve occasionally wanted in terms of sweets. I made a few vegan desserts that contained dark chocolate and the funny thing is that I really just wanted the chocolate and could do without the rest. However, I think the increase in fruit carbs in the earlier in my day has helped minimize these cravings. Here’s a pic of the kids enjoying their ice cream treat.

Scott and I had dinner Friday night at Portia’s Cafe. It’s an adorable all-vegan, gluten-free and mostly raw restaurant. We both had wraps that were made with raw and gluten-free tortillas. The waitress told me they were made of teff flour, tapioca flour or starch (I can’t remember), olive oil, salt, and water. Of course I hopped on Pinterest when we got home to see if I could find out how they were made raw and find a similar recipe. I found all kinds of interesting recipes for raw tortillas/wraps and other raw food items made in a dehydrator so that is next on my list of kitchen appliance “wants”. In the meantime, I will settle for these cooked Quinoa Tortillas that are made very similar to the 5-Ingredient Quinoa Pizza Crust we love. I made a batch of both today and thought the tortillas turned out great. The texture is spongier than a normal flour or corn tortilla but they are good and I’d highly recommend the recipe. We ended our dinner with Portia’s Chocolate Cheezecake. It was delicious! Unfortunately I had a pretty bad stomach ache the rest of the night so something didn’t sit well with me but it sure tasted good while we ate. Here’s a few pics from our dinner out.

On the way home from Portia’s we stopped at Saraga International Grocery. I’m a sucker for grocery stores – especially ones with tons of produce and things that I’ve never seen before. The produce section had about double or triple the offerings of a normal grocery store. If I ever need an exotic ingredient I will definitely head there.

E’s class took a field trip to the local Senior Center last week. I got to go along to help and really enjoyed seeing the students interact with the seniors. The kids shared about the Leader In Me initiative at Jefferson Elementary and each kid had a chance to talk in the microphone. I was amazed that every one of them spoke with no noticeable fear! They were so brave and articulate. The kids enjoyed a buffet style lunch with the seniors complete with a dessert table. I was laughing at how full the kids filled their plates with dessert. Left to their own devices they went all out. We eventually limited them to two cookies each 🙂 I’m guessing their parents wouldn’t have been too happy had they seen the first few plates that went through the line. I’m so blessed to have a flexible schedule so I can go to these types of things.

Both kids have their Valentine’s Day parties on Thursday this week. I’m in charge of organizing E’s but am not contributing anything other than two games. I made these candy cane hearts pictured below for him to pass out as his Valentine’s. I was worried I might not find candy canes anymore but I happened upon several boxes of candy canes marked down at Kroger last week! I heated the candy canes in the oven for a few minutes and then shaped them into hearts. Then I melted pink candy melts and filled the centers. We printed little tags to attach to the cellophane bags. They are cute and hopefully the kids will enjoy them. I have to make cut-out cookies for C’s class and will finish that tomorrow. The dough is made so we just need to roll it out, cut it into heart shapes, and bake.

A friend gave me this cute idea last year to do a “heart attack” on the kids’ doors. Each day in February leading up to Valentine’s Day I write a message on a heart telling them something we love about them. They love to see the new hearts each day and definitely love the affirmations.

I hope you are having a great week so far!

21 Day Detox – And The Results Are In….

January 30, 2015

I was going to wait to get my cholesterol rechecked post detox until the 6 week mark but since the test only costs $29 through Request a Test and we are paying $80 extra a month because of my high cholesterol we decided it’d be worth testing it now just to see. I went to the lab Wednesday morning and waited 45 minutes after fasting overnight plus working out. I’ve never had to wait at that lab so I did my normal workout which wasn’t such a good idea since I ended up waiting so long. In times like those, when I start to get annoyed because I’m waiting and feeling hungry I remind myself how short of a time I have gone without food compared to many people in this world and of the abundance I have available to me every day. It’s always good to put things in perspective…

I was thrilled to get my results back on Thursday. Here’s where I was on 12/17 and 1/28 – a remarkable difference in my opinion at least.

12/17/14:
Total Cholesterol: 258
HDL: 86
Triglycerides: 46
LDL: 163

1/28/15:
Total Cholesterol: 208
HDL: 87
Triglycerides: 43
LDL: 112

Yes, you read that right…a 50 point drop in LDL and Total Cholesterol from a 3-week detox (whole food, plant based, animal free, no sugar, no processed food).

As a result of my high cholesterol I was assigned a health coach through our new health insurance provider (Medishare). I had my first call with her today and I was able to share with her about my detox and the change in my cholesterol. She graduated me from the program! $80 more per month that we can now spend elsewhere. That’s a nice motivation to keep it going.

It’s a no-brainer for me: a whole food, plant based diet is right for this body. Now to work on making sure I’m eating enough of the right stuff to support my activity level and feel great all the time.

Have a great weekend!