Peas and Thank you Vegan mac-n-cheese! so yummy!!

Mama Pea is awesome!!

So GOOD!! kids, hubby and I LOVE it!

Ingredients -1/2 lb elbow macaroni (preferably whole wheat)

2 TBSP vegan margarine (i.e., earth balance)

1/2 block silken tofu

2 TBSP non-dairy organic milk (unflavored/unsweetened) I used almond milk or soy if you like

1 tsp salt

fresh black pepper

1/2 tsp dry mustard

8 ounces non- dairy (i.e.,daiya cheddar shreds) 

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook according to package directions. drain well.

2. Return to the pot and melt in the margarine. Toss to coat

3. Blend together the tofu, milk, salt, pepper and mustard in a blender or food processor.

4. Stir into the pasta and add the cheese. Over low heat, continue to stir for 3mins or until creamy.

If you aren't ready for the vegan mac n cheese and want to take baby steps.. you can substitute non dairy milk for milk, just make sure organic, and same for cheese, use cheddar cheese but use organic!

Vegan pea daddy's jambalaya with a side of cornbread

Awesome Vegan jambalaya with a side of corn bread! Kids loved it.. always good news when kid approved!!

Hill repeats...MY FAVORITE!! here is a workout for you..

Hill repeats will make you stronger! Here is an awesome workout for you. In addition I'm sending you with one of my favorite sayings... Cheers!

http://www.fitsugar.com/Hill-Workout-Strengthen-Legs-Build-Endurance-22056482

Thinking of going vegetarian? I have something for you!

No meat athlete provides the most laid back guide to going Vegetarian you'll ever read. This is the first post in a three-part series that lays out the gist of their approach to going vegetarian, getting fit, and eating healthy.

http://www.nomeatathlete.com/relax/

About Fellrnr

Awesome story and motivator

About Fellrnr

Study: Going Veg Boosts Mood!! Put down that beef!!! Just sayin!

http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=4273&catId=8

Translating Trans fat

Remember knowledge is power! I really believe in keeping my clients educated

http://www.ideafit.com/files/pdf/fitness-library/translatingtrans-fat

Genetically Engineered Foods..A handout I share with my clients to educate them on what GE food is, and what to look for.

http://www.ideafit.com/files/pdf/fitness-library/genetically-engineered-foods-client-handout

Oxygen Women's Fitness | Training | Hip Thrusts for a Tight Butt

Awesomeness!!


Oxygen Women's Fitness | Training | Hip Thrusts for a Tight Butt

Deadlift! Oh how I love this exercise..

Here is a video from oxygen that shows great form..


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VP8jCWNhT5s

Eating out is a fact of life in our busy world! here is a great site to help you make better choices.

Eating out is a fact of life in our busy world, but it doesn’t have to be a diet train wreck. HealthyDiningFinder.com provides dietitian-approved healthy-dining menu choices from thousands of participating fast-food and fine-dining restaurants across the United States. Menu choices—which emphasize lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and unsaturated fats—meet calorie, fat and saturated-fat criteria. A new Sodium Savvy platform helps consumers find restaurant entrées with less than 750 milligrams of sodium. Healthy Dining’s new Kids LiveWell program, in collaboration with the National Restaurant Association, identifies healthier menu choices for kids.

Smart shopping in Natural Food Markets

Natural and organic food markets have sprouted up everywhere, offering you a nearby source for “natural” foods, such as organic produce and other foods that are free of antibiotics, preservatives, growth hormones and trans fats.

However, not everything in these markets is healthy. In fact, the layout of a natural food store can be challenging for even the smartest shoppers. Learn how to spot and navigate around the danger signs in store aisles before your next visit to the market. Jenna A. Bell-Wilson, PhD, RD, CSSD, co-author of Energy to Burn and owner of SwimBikeRunEat.com, shows you how.

Danger Sign: Organic Labels

The term organic means that the food is more than 70% free of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, growth hormones, antibiotics, irradiation and genetic modification. Organic does not mean the product is low fat, low sodium, fat free, low calorie, nutrient dense, rich in phytochemicals or even plain old healthy. It simply means it has been certified “organic” by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Danger Sign: Crackers, Chips And Cookies—Oh My!

Natural food markets offer shelves and shelves of crackers, chips and cookies claiming to be organic alternatives to junk food—all without trans fatty acids. In these aisles, keep a close eye on food labels to make sure saturated fat hasn’t replaced trans fat. There are some better, tasty snack choices lurking on these shelves, but again, check the labels to find the healthiest options.

Danger Sign: Frozen And Faux Foods

More and more natural food markets are stocking up on frozen and “faux-meat” entrées to attract harried health-conscious shoppers. Stamped “organic” or “natural,” these products are convenient, but they can pack a lot of calories and fat into a serving size.

Occasionally indulging in a frozen pizza from one of these stores is probably not a problem if your overall diet is healthy. But don’t assume that a slice of pizza is low fat simply because you bought it at a natural food market. Some varieties can dish up a generous amount of total fat, so always scan the nutrition facts panels.

The wide variety of meat alternatives now on display can also push the fat envelope. Although they may offer less fat and fewer calories than the “real thing,” faux products can still provide more than a nugget of fat, some of which may be saturated. Flip the boxes and choose a meat substitute that provides the taste you are looking for with the least amount of fat. Pay close attention to the grams of saturated fat.

SIDEBAR: Danger Sign: Gourmet Food Section

Part of the lure of a natural market is the delicious, gourmet cuisine that often greets you when you come in the door. This strategically placed array of prepared wraps, focaccia bread sandwiches, spinach lasagna, wasabi-sesame-crusted tuna, grilled veggies and tofu meatloaf all conspire to defeat your best intentions— especially if you arrive hungry to shop! The good news is that those shiny cases do contain some healthy and fabulous choices; you just need to find them!

When in doubt, go for the greens, says Kyle Shadix, MS, RD, chef and director of Nutrition and Culinary Consultants in New York City. “The more veggies, the better,” he says. “Shy away from cream-based soups and sauces. Look for foods that aren’t marinated or swimming in oil.”

Steer clear of any food that is breaded or fried, advises Connie Guttersen, PhD, RD, author of The Sonoma Diet (Meredith 2005) andThe Sonoma Diet Cookbook (Meredith 2006). “When looking at prepared dishes, pay attention to the type of ingredients listed,” she says. “If it is a grain dish, [pick one with] whole grains, beans, legumes and lean proteins.” Guttersen also cautions that a “meatless [entrée] is not always lighter or healthier” than one that contains meat and that it is important to check the label for oil, whole-fat cheese or cream.

I just might have to check out this recipe..Quinoa Candy bars..but i will substitute vegan choc chips and almond milk ;-)

http://www.eatcleandiet.com/the_kitchen_table/recipe/recipe.aspx?id=2088

This inspires me..the love of trail running goes deep..

http://vimeo.com/37401807

A Study: Eating Slowing Inhibits Appetite

Mindful eating may be getting a boost from science. For more than 30 years, dieters have been told to eat slowly to reduce their intake of food. But until now, there has been no scientific evidence to support the theory.

“It started in about 1972 as a hypothesis that eating slowly would allow the body time for the development of satiety [fullness] and we would eat less,” said Kathleen Melanson, assistant professor of nutrition and food science at the University of Rhode Island. “Since then we’ve heard it everywhere and it has become common knowledge. But no studies had been conducted to prove it.”

In fact, early evidence suggested the opposite to be true. In the 1990s, one study examined the role of small bite sizes and found no effects, while a study of pauses between bites actually showed increased food consumption with more pauses.

But a laboratory study of college-age women over the past year led by Melanson confirmed the long-held belief. The results were reported in October by research intern Ana Andrade at the annual meeting of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity.

In the study, 30 women made two visits to Melanson’s lab, and each time they were given a large plate of pasta and told to eat as much as they wanted. When they were told to eat quickly, they consumed 646 calories in nine minutes, but when they were encouraged to pause between bites and chew each mouthful 15 to 20 times, they ate just 579 calories in 29 minutes.

“Satiety signals clearly need time to develop,” Melanson concluded. “Not only did the women take in fewer calories when they ate more slowly, they had a greater feeling of satiety at meal completion and 60 minutes afterwards, which strongly suggests benefits to eating more slowly.” The women also judged themselves as having enjoyed the meal more when they ate slowly than when they ate quickly, Melanson added.

One potentially confounding factor in the study was that the volunteers were provided water to drink with their meal, and when eating slowly they had considerably more time to drink before completing their meal. The greater consumption of water might have contributed to satiety under the slow condition. However, Melanson said that this factor reflects the real-world situation, since eating slowly allows more time for water consumption. She will conduct follow-up studies next spring that factor in water consumption as well as the consumption of higher calorie beverages like soft drinks or juices.

Additional studies will be conducted in the future to determine if there are different results for other groups of individuals. Melanson also plans to study “the physiological signals that suppress hunger or enhance satiety to see if there is a mechanistic explanation for our results.”

Practices to Develop Positive Attitude..

While we are on the topic of positive self talk.. thought I would share this with you!

Practices to Develop a Positive Attitude

Each of these practices are just a variation of positive thinking and a positive attitude, but from slightly different angles. They give you an opportunity to practice your skills throughout the day — and the more you practice, the better you’ll get, and the more benefits you’ll see.

1. Squash negative thoughts. After I learned to monitor my positive and negative thoughts, I started to envision a negative thought as a bug … and then I’d squash it! “I can’t do this!” SQUASH! Then I’d replace that negative thought with a positive one: “I CAN do this!”
2. Mantras. Anticipate your difficult situations and think of a positive mantra for that situation. Then, when things get tough, repeat the mantra over and over. For example, when I want to develop patience and learn to be in the moment, I just repeat advice from Thich Nhat Hanh: “Smile, breathe and go slowly.” It works!
3. See the good in any situation. You’ve heard the phrase, “Every cloud has a silver lining” … and that’s pretty true. Try to see the positive side to any situation, and you’ll enjoy it more, and you’ll feel better. Even tough situations have good sides: When something is difficult, see it as a challenge, as a way to learn and grow and get better and stronger. When there is a loss, see it as a reminder of what is important to you, of a way to cherish what has been lost, as a way to move on to something new, as a way to learn and grow.
4. Enjoy small pleasures. Every activity has small things that can be pleasurable if you pay attention to them and learn to enjoy them. A difficult day at the office can also be a time for you and others to come together — enjoy those moments with others. Running can be fun for its physical pleasure, for the beauty of the nature around you, for the peaceful time of meditation. Cleaning house can also be a time for meditation, and the pleasure of a clean room or laundered bedsheets cannot be overstated. Notice the small things and take pleasure in them, and any activity can be positive.
5. See the good in yourself. This is very important, because if you are negative about yourself, that affects whether you believe you can do something. If you think you’re an undisciplined person, you’ll have sloppy habits. If you think you’re lazy, you won’t work hard. If you think you’re dumb, you won’t try to learn. Instead, think positive thoughts about yourself. Try to see your strengths, see the good things you’ve done, see the silver lining in anything about yourself.
6. See the good in others. Similarly, every person has good in them — and if you look for their strengths and the good things they’ve done, you will be more positive in dealing with other people. This will result in people treating you better, and you’ll feel better as well.
7. Positive imaging. This is a tried-and-true method that has been tested on athletes — and has worked well for all kinds of non-athletes too. Visualize your success, or a positive image of yourself or any situation or activity. Visualize it in great detail, and allow yourself to feel positive things about this image. Then make the image come true.
8. Anticipate fun. Go into a situation or activity thinking it’ll be horrible, and it will be. Instead, go into that situation or activity thinking that you’ll have fun, that it’ll be a new challenge, that you’ll learn and grow from it … and it will be much more likely to be true. Compliments of Leo Babauta!

Sunday's 28 mile trail run..Started off pretty pukie..

Woke up Sunday morning later than usual to start a long distance trail run. I usually get up an hour and a half before any long run to do some positive self talk and doing my morning rituals. Sound kind of strange?? Well, its what gets me through my training. Anyways, Sunday early morning around 2:30- 3:00 AM I woke up nauseous and vomiting. Not sure the reason but i just felt awful. I had a horrible headache as if I had drank an entire bottle of Jack. I laid back down to get a little more rest before my alarm went off at 5:00 to get up for our run. I didn't hear the alarm..woke up on my own around 5:45 ish in a panic to get ready. Luckily I had my stuff already packed and ready to go. I wasn't able to make my breakfast and have my coffee etc.. and I was still feeling horrible. I really didn't want to run but I really couldn't reschedule because my schedule is very tight and this 28 mile run had already been planned out. So I grabbed my stuff and was out the door without putting a lot of thought into how crappy I was feeling. Met up with (Dawn) my running partner and we headed out for the hills. As she was driving I was trying not to puke.. BLAH.. we arrived at our destination and started our run. Still feeling crappy, but in my mind I was battling with not giving up, after all I have worked so hard to get to this point. I was trying very hard to stop those self defeating thoughts..on top of feeling crappy It was freezing, our fingers were so cold they hurt. We were in shorts because a 28 mile run will get warmer later. So we pushed on, I hydrated, ate the food I packed even though I felt queasy because I knew how important it was to fuel during a long run like this. As the morning turned into afternoon it warmed up to a perfect running temp and I was better mentally. Just being outdoors doing what I love even in tough circumstances feeds my soul..I was amazed how powerful the mind can be when having to overcome negative self talk and giving into a little nausea, not every training day is going to be perfect and I still think listening to your body is important, and I did think through this prior to going out, if I wasn't feeling better after 13-15 miles I would head back. But I felt strong enough to finish. Whats even more amazing we did 2 extra miles!!! Totally 28 trail miles!! I wanted to share my experience with you because when working hard toward a goal you set, not everyday is a perfect day and sometimes mornings can be a little tough but maybe just try and push through. Also, those who are struggling with weight and you feel a little pain or discomfort from your workouts it will get better..Not everyday is perfect! But the feeling of accomplishing a goal you set is perfect!

Here is a little motivational quote I love!

Here are some photos from Sundays run.. this is raw footage.. no makeup with bed head.. also My legs aren't really that white! I have poison oak so i covered my legs with medicine to prevent it getting any worse! Cheers!!

one of the beautiful stream we crossed

Dawn standing on this cool tree shaped like a capital "L" we saw on our adventure!

A view from a mountain side we were on..we run in and out of the canyons so you can imagine the work involved

This is me running on a lower trail and Dawn trying to capture me in action.

Focus....

As you know our 50 k is approaching! we are getting very excited. This is the last week of going strong, then the tapper begins. Today I was up at 5:30 completing my 6 miles of yasso's! feeling good and strong! Tomorrow is an easy 4 miles then rest on saturday to prepare for Sundays 26 mile trail run. Really paying close attention to how I fuel my body..

No-fear Stevia Vegan banana bread! Yummmy!

If you are thinking of going vegan or you are a vegetarian/vegan here is a great recipe for some good eats!! I love no meat athlete

http://www.nomeatathlete.com/stevia-vegan-banana-bread/

Running on Empty - Runner's World

Very interesting article.

Running on Empty - Runner's World