Organic Harvesting

Your eyes are not deceiving you.... this is actually the beautiful bounty I came home with last weekend! I am off to do it again tomorrow after yoga. The University Farm Organic Growers is a non profit organization that is essentially, a community garden. I'm still getting the hang of all this, but if you go volunteer by picking what the garden-leaders require for garden upkeep, you can pick whatever is ready that you wish to take and have it for free! 

Actually they don't even seem to require your hard labour in line with their goals, but I feel the need to give back lest my food rot in my mouth with bad karma. 

I came home with the following goodies:

- LEMON BASIL! 

- swiss chard

- kale

- carrots

- cucumbers

- tomatoes

- zucchini 

- squash

- red leaf lettuce

- green leaf lettuce

- onions 

- and a corn stalk and some string beans

Mmmm! 

Break Throughs

This past week has held some break-throughs for me. I am so excited, I can't help but blog-brag. :)

On Tuesday I met with my running coach, Ro, and we went running. We have a schedule to run together during my lunch hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I have known myself to zone-in/out during a run and time becomes unimportant. I run, and run, and don't track my time. I forget that I have to go back to work...  where I work... and so this is why I say that running is a form of meditation for me. :)
Anyway, I forgot to warn CoachRo about this, and perhaps she has the same problem? We ran a full 50 minutes during my lunch hour! It was not the goal, but boy did we do it! She estimated we had run about 9km which is incredible. My goal being 10k, I'm excited that I have already reached such a distance in my short-term training plan. Woo!

Then on Thursday, we were much more mindful of our time and I was confident on my legs. I am proud to say that for the first time EVER (yes EVER) I ran a full 30 minutes without ANY walking breaks. I have always, always, always trained at a 10:1 ratio. Yeah! Go me.

Now, Friday evening, I've just come back from Moksha Yoga. That's right people - I went to HOT YOGA! I chose to attend the "Karma" class at Moksha Yoga because it is a by-donation cheaper option. $5 minimum and you're in. I am so happy I chose to buy Lululemon's "The Mat". It held up amazingly during class and only twice did I feel lacking in grip.
The class was great. I was surprised just how much sweat developed, I was literally dripping from my nose, beads down my arms and legs, face, it was awesome. That wasn't necessarily sweat from difficulty, but from the heat level. I found the class challenging, as I can certainly improve on my alignment in Warrior I and II and benefit from the instruction of a real instructor. I'm so used to practicing at home, I know I do a lot of things incorrectly.

Tomorrow I will be going to another yoga class with - guess who? - CoachRo! A studio nearby is holding an 'open house' where their classes are free for the full weekend. I will be going to Sattva and from there, going vegetable harvesting.

Namaste
(hehe).

10K in 4.5 weeks

The Run for the Cure is quickly approaching! I can’t believe how fast time has passed. I said I would buckle down and train for it in July, and as I uttered those words to a friend of mine, I realized it was the end of August! Yikes.

I have no concerns about completing 10K, but I know at this point I will not be running the whole thing. And that’s fine. This is all about the experience, not the “numbers”. I still can’t believe $1050 has been raised so far, so amazing!


Today I set out for my first real “back in the saddle” run. It was pretty sad and pathetic, but I did it. I did a 5:1 ratio and ran for approximately 3km. My legs were ultra stiff because of my bike commuting and ChaLEAN. :) My goal is simple, Tues/Thurs/Sat runs. I want to build myself up to 10:1, 10k. Totally doable!
Plus, I have the best running buddy a girl can ask for. My really good friend is a runner, and I mean RUNNER. She has done Boston, along with other marathons… and just recently placed 1st in her division (women 20-29) at the Edmonton Marathon. Wowza. She’s taking it easy for the next month or so and it fits perfectly in her periodization to run with me, the newbie! :)
No food in this post, but I do have some interesting meals to report soon. Promise.

sprout my brussels, this was good!

It's a well-known fact that brussel sprouts are gross. .... right? 

No. 

Brussel sprouts are GOOD! After witnessing Caitlin HTP time after time, eating these little miniature cabbages, I had to try it for myself. They are a super source of Vitamins K and C and quite frankly, they taste good too. 

I also made my first step into the world of KALE! Also high in Vitamins K and C, plus A (equals Y? I dunno.) Kale is tough and apparently carries a strong taste, so I was a brave girl combining these two mystery foods into one dish. 

Stir fry contained...

- 4 brussel sprouts (stem chopped, halved) 

- 2 kale leaf (stem removed, ripped into bite sizes)
- carrot peelings

- mushrooms
- red onions 

- EVOO 

- sea salt

- rosemary

This was AMAZING. I must not have bought a "bitter" type of kale, because it didn't seem to hold much flavor but the brussels sprouts tasted pretty awesome, especially along with the rosemary. 

Last weekend I went on a grocery shopping adventure! I bussed it over to Whyte Ave and went to the Old Strathcona Farmers Market. Yay! 

I got some pretty exciting finds...

3 sampler jars of Very Berry Honey - Cinnamon Honey, Orange Fudge Honey and Lavender Honey

Also a jar of Jalapeno Pepper Jelly

They are all amazing in different ways, but I do wish they sold just plain Fudge Honey without the Orange. Still, yummy! (The Lavender Honey is awesome in chamomile tea) 

I also made my first purchase of locally produced veggies! Potatoes and Carrots. 

When I got home I did a taste test on the Husband and without question he preferred the Farmers Market carrots. :) The potatoes are good too, but they don't taste any different than grocery store sold kinds. 

Next, was Planet Organic. I love this store and could spend hours in here but I often leave with very little. I have a hard time deciding what to buy, what to use it for and often... what it is! 

This time I left with locally made Whole Wheat Flour: 

Organic Chocolate Milk

(next we need to try the plain kind. I love the glass bottle... :)) 

And I raided their bulk section! I got little bits of...

- nutritional yeast (vegan cheese replacement)

- carob chips (unsweetened... OOPS... ugh)

- red lentils (cheaper organic at Superstore)

- Redman's red sea salt (not heated so has maintained the natural minerals)

- Energy Nuggets (so yummy little date/cocoa/nut clusters)

Oh, I also got some Organic Fuji Apples. It's hard to say whether it's the Organic or the Fuji mojo happening, but they were THE BEST apples I've ever eaten in my life. I hear the next step is to eat some BC apples from the Farmers Market... :) 

Over all it was a great day! Although the Farmers Market and Planet Organic are a distance away from my house compared to the two grocery stores across the way from me... it is worth it for some things. 

Avocado Bravado

Avocados... with their ugly outer skin, the goopy innerds, and that annoying pit that ruins everything. 

Those menacing avocados... 

I now know the secret! 

First, you must use your knife to cut the avocado in half. (from end to end, cut from skin through into the pit). Then twist the two halves and separate. You'll find yourself with one empty avo-womb, and one filled! (Oh boy, now that I've used "womb" as a metaphor, this is gonna get gruesome). 

Here's the scary part. Take your knife and CHOP the pit. Nope, your knife won't go through, but it should get stuck. 

Yank that sucker out and you've got yourself to beautiful halves! 

Use a spoon to scoop it out, or cut slices with your knife within the skin and then turn it inside out. 

:) 

Quinoa Tacos

Okay, I promised you a rant about Balsamic Vinegar. So here it is.

Balsamic Vinegar is awesome. I thought I hated vinegar until Tuesday night. When I tried the Quinoa Salad at Planet Organic, I was surprised that I didn't taste the harsh "puh" of vinegar. It was thanks to our good new friend... Balsamic!

It carries a might lighter, softer taste than other vinegars and I wish I had bought it a long time ago.

Anyhow, I made some salad dressing with the newfound Baslamic Beauty.

1 tbsp Baslamic Vinegar

2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 tsp Basil

1/2 tsp Tarragon

1/2 tsp Pepper

Voila! 

For supper tonight, I made tacos. 

I adore tacos.

Tacos are one reason it is difficult for me to be vegetarian. 

Husband's taco...

And, here is mine! 

The difference is, instead of using ground beef, I used some cooked quinoa. And to add some flavor and healthy fats, mashed up one half of an avocado with spices (chili pepper, cumin, pepper) and mixed it into the quinoa. 

This actually tasted amazing. I was missing a few things that would have really pushed it into the taco zone...

Salsa. 

It was missing the real taco MEATY flavor, as you would expect. But the texture was good, and the taste was otherwise on spot. There was extra taco meat left and I wasn't event tempted. 

Plus, one veggie taco filled me where as I usually eat two meat tacos. 

Next time I make this I hope to have a cheesy replacement. :)