Carrots, Carrots, Carrots!

Yesterday I had a carrot based lunch.

Organic baby carrots + Carrot Cake Clif Bar

It was my first time trying the Carrot Cake flavor and I thought it was pretty good but just a tad bit too sweet.

Would have been good paired with oatmeal!

Sammy and I shared the carrots.  We ended up eating almost the entire bag!

Woah!

I didn’t think that he would even like the carrots but he did.  Of course I had to cut it up into small pieces for him .

I also posted some Operation Beautiful notes up in the office building elevator.

Hope I don’t get fined!

Did you smile today?

Well, this car made me smile.

So ingenious!

Anyways this morning while I was jogging,  I saw a small fluffy dog with no collar wandering on the street.  I didn’t have my phone so I couldn’t call anyone to help me.  All I could do was follow it and make sure it didn’t go into the street and get hit by a car.

Luckily, the dog owner was out looking for it and there was a happy ending .  I did however scrape my hand while kneeling on the sidewalk trying to get the dog’s attention .

Warning: graphic picture ahead!

Ouch!

Have you ever helped a lost animal? What did you do in the situation?

Me Want Smush Smush

If you guys haven’t seen it already, South Park’s New Jersey episode was hilarious!  Watch it right now here!  They parodied all of my favorite Jersey shows – RHONJ, Jersey Shore, Jerseylicious!!!

Anyways, on Wednesday night I went out for drinks with Ally and her friend Lauren at Blockheads where they served $3 frozen margaritas!  I’ve been having trouble falling asleep for the past week but after margaritas that night, I slept like a baby!

I had a watermelon flavored one

Same thing on Friday night.  After a nice g & t I slept like a child!

No foundation + Serious sunscreen = My light reflecting face

We also went to a pizza parlor where they refused to make me a pizza without cheese .

On Friday I also doggie-sat the office dog for about 15 minutes during lunch while his owner went out for errands.

Sammy says, “What’s up fools?”

We bonded over veggie wraps .

Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom!!!

Sammy says, “Don’t I look dapper?”

His owner, Ali, dresses him up in the CUTEST outfits!!!

Sammy says, “I’m so glamorous, I piss glitter!”

I also ate a Pure bar in Chocolate Brownie.  After reading about them on Lynn’s blog I HAD to try one.

Pure bar + Veggie wrap = Very satisfying lunch!

The ingredients looked good!

They were pretty tasty too!

I would say that these bars are more like energy bars than Larabars.  This flavor reminded me of chocolate Powerbars but tastier.  I would choose Pure bars before a workout and Larabars for dessert .

Oh and I had asked Dave about the natural frequency technology from the Philip Stein Fruitz watches and he thinks it’s all baloney (I mentioned them in this post).  I’m going to ask a few more people about their opinions on the watches before I post about them again.  I’m still trying to find the original study but no dice.  Part of the reason is that it hasn’t been published in a journal yet, which raises major red flags for me.

Good Dogs Gone Bad + Healthy Living Summit

My landlord is having a fit because Wishbone has been pooping everywhere at night. Wishbone had managed to figure out a way to escape the “baby fence” which encloses her in the kitchen and laundry room and went poopy in the living room… on both of my landlord’s new rugs.  Since Wishbone is my landlord’s dog, although I unofficially claim ownership, she is banished from the house today and is spending the day in the garage.  ::Sigh:: the dogs drive me nuts!  They are both so cute but so naughty!

Anyways, onto something exciting!  Guess who’s going to speak at the Healthy Living Summit (HLS)??? I was so surprised and happy that they accepted my proposal for eating ethically on a budget.  I will post more details later!

The one thing, though, that scares me to death about the HLS is that I’ll need to be in sick shape for it.  They are even having a “fun” 5k.  I can’t run very far on pavement and that’s a huge problem.  Thus, I’ve devised a training plan and will be posting my weekly workouts.

This is what I have planned so far:

Week 1 May 17th – May 23rd

Monday: Run 30 min

Tuesday: Run 35 min

Wednesday: Run 25 min + workout video

Thursday: Run 30 min

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Run 45 min

Sunday: Rest

I started running yesterday and it was TOUGH!  I only ran/ walked about 2 miles :-\.  I made up for my lack of distance by doing the Tracey Anderson Mat Workout, which is a killer!

Today I ran with my roommate Sara.  We ran a mile and a quarter together and then I took a water break and ran about a mile later with Dave.  I tried to do the Tracy Anderson video again but I was so sore!  I managed to get through the arms though, whew!

I am also trying to get more protein into my diet.  For breakfast I’ve been eating Kashi Go Lean Original cereal with flax seeds.  For lunch I had a tempeh salad:

I dressed it with an asian style peanut butter dressing using pb, soy sauce, siracha sauce and water.  It sounds gross but is absolutely delicious!  I’m planning to switch from eating mostly tofu to eating more tempeh.  Compared to tofu, tempeh has a much more dense and dry texture.  It also has a hell of a lot more protein! Yum yum!

For dinner I made a “meatball” salad using my favorite vegan meat substitute, Trader Joe’s Meatless Meatballs!

I used meatless meatballs, onions, tomatoes and olives to adorn my plate of kale.  Kale is quickly becoming my favorite veggie.

Dave also had a salad.

He prefers romaine lettuce to kale and adorned his salad with meatless meatballs, sauteed frozen veggie mix, giardiniera, olives, onions and tomatoes.

I must say that since I discovered the salad spinner, I’ve been making a lot more salads.  Now, I can’t imagine life without it!

Anyways, I’m kind of nervous about speaking at the HLS because I’ll be surrounded with such prominent bloggers!!! My goal from now on is to try to update my blog as often as I can, eeep!

Polenta Pizza Experiment

I have a love/ hate relationship with pizza.  It really depends on who makes it and what’s on it.  Throughout college I ate mostly Domino’s and Papa John’s Pizza because they were convenient for late night snacking, and both of which I’ve grown to dislike.  I do like gourmet pizzas from California Pizza Kitchen.  My pizza history aside, it was Dave who had the pizza craving last night.

Since I am following Phase 2 of the South Beach Diet (SBD), and cornmeal was the main ingredient in the polenta pizza, I decided it was best to just make a pizza for Dave and make myself some soup.  Since it was my first time making polenta pizza, I thought it would be fun to take pictures of my experience.  I used the recipe for the polenta crust from one of my new favorite vegan blogs, Fat Free Vegan.  The recipe can be found here.

The crust was easy enough to make, you basically mix water, seasonings, and cornmeal into a bowl, and microwave it until it becomes a gloppy mixture.

Then you spread the mixture into 9 inch cake pans (I used pie pans instead) and bake it for 12 minutes.

Afterwards, you plop the crust onto a baking sheet, put the toppings on, and bake it some more.

I used green peppers, onions, tomatoes, tofu, and olives for my toppings.

Here’s the assembled pizza.

Since the polenta crust was still pretty soggy and gloppy even after I had baked it the first time, I decided to forgo using pizza sauce.

Here’s the final product!

Although the crust was not as firm as I wanted it to be, the pizza turned out very well and Dave really liked it!  I think my cooking technique was a bit off and I will definately have to retry the recipe in the future.

For my own dinner, I made myself some miso-kimchi soup.  I used miso for a soup base and added kimchi and kombu to it.  I topped the soup off with soy nuts.

It’s not the prettiest thing, but hey, it tasted great!

Wishbone was going crazy at all of the smells in the kitchen.  I told her firmly, “No Beg,” and she looked at me with puppy dog eyes.

Wishbone says, “I know exactly how to get Lin to feed me table scraps. Hehehehehe!”

I gave in.

Wishbone says, “Great success!”

Ke$ha + Summer 2010 Regime

Ever since I saw this video:

I’ve had Ke$ha‘s “Blah Blah Blah” stuck in my head.  It is driving me crazy!!!  I just want to dance and act sassy like the dude in the video.  Of course, he can dance MUCH better than I.

Anyways, summer is coming up and I need to kick up my workouts and diet regime.  Blah blah blah!

Before I delve into my self prescribed “Summer 2010 Regime“, here are pictures of my totally yummy “meatballs” and pita meal.  I actually thought that I would be able to eat just one pocket.

I obviously underestimated the tastiness of the dish.

I ended up eating 2 pockets!  They were SO SO good and so easy to make.  I’m going to have to write up the recipe for them.  If you want to just wing the recipe, all you need is Trader Joe’s Meatless Meatballs, fresh tomatoes, whole wheat pita, parsley, and Italian spices.  I can’t tell you the exact seasonings that I used off the top of my head, but I think I used a mix of basil, oregano, and black pepper.  All you have to do is sautee the meatballs and tomatoes together, top it with parsely, and stuff everything in the pita.

BTW, Cody told me that he wanted more attention in the blog.

Cody says, “I’m da boss man!”

Anyways, as I was talking about my Summer 2010 Regime, I’ve decided to go on a cleanse for the next few weeks.  I’m not talking about a liquid or juice fast, but instead, a processed foods cleanse.  I know that I eat pretty healthfully but I do indulge a little too much in vegan sweets and vegan processed foods.  I’ve been watching Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution and all he talks about are how bad processed foods are.  At first I thought that since I’m vegan, I’m safe from processed foods– that was pretty stupid of me.  Thus, for the next few weeks I’m going to be following Phase 2 of the South Beach Diet (SBD).

Years ago, I got this book for $5 at Costco (HOLLA)!

I want to use Phase 2 of this diet because it promotes clean eating, yet is not very restricting.  I am very sensitive to sugary foods, I get hyped up very easily and crash hard, and feel that this way of eating will get my body back in check.  I’m not really looking to lose weight but am looking to change my habits.  I loooooove eating chewy candies such as Jelly Bellys and Twizzlers and know they are processed BEYOND belief.  I don’t binge on them but I feel like I have to get some every time I’m around a candy bin.

So what is Phase 2?

Phase 2 of the SBD is a low-glycemic way of eating.  As many of you guys know, Phase 1 of the SBD is very restricting and does not allow for any fruits, high glycemic index (GI) vegetables such as corn or carrots, any alcohol, any bread or grains, fatty cuts of meat, and high fat dairy.  As a vegan I know it would be very difficult for me to stick to Phase 1, as most of my calories come from fruits and grains.  On the other hand, Phase 2 allows for fruits, wine, and grains.

Why go on a “diet” and not just cut out the candies?

Well, I am a very structured person and I like knowing my boundaries.  I am not looking to “diet,” but am looking, instead, for a lifestyle change.  I do not like the fact that I feel dependent of sugary sweets!  And, I like the recipes in the book.

Anyways, I will be updating my progress in the next few days.

On another note, for DWTS fans, EVAN LYSACEK WAS ROBBED OF POINTS TONIGHT!  Seriously, ALL 7s’s???  I can’t believe so many couples scored higher!  Sheeeeeeeeesh!  I can’t wait to see who gets eliminated tomorrow.  I bet it’s going to be Jake.

Meatballs and Pasta – Vegan Style

Today was a gorgeous day with temperatures hovering around 60 degrees.  Dave and I went for a 3.5 mile jog/ walk around my town.  We decided to check out Frank Lloyd Wright’s house and studio.  Unfortunately it was closed by the time we ran there but it was still pretty cool to see the buildings.

I can’t believe it but I think I officially have my love for running back again!  I dreaaaaded running in college because it was all I did.  No one forced me to run, but I did it to burn off the pizza and beer.  Now that I’m out of school, I feel as if I’ve learned so much more about myself in terms of what my body can do.

Anyways, Dave decided to make me dinner so I just sat around with Jean and watched Dancing With the Stars as he slaved away in the kitchen.  On that note, I KNEW AIDEN WAS GOING HOME!  He just doesn’t do it for me.  My favorite couple is Chad Ochocinco and Cheryl Burke, Chad is so funny and cute.  However, the couple who will probably win is Evan Lysacek and Anna Trebunskaya.

Before I post pictures of my “italiano” meal, I gave Cody a photoshoot with a flower Dave picked for me .

Pretty flower

Pretty dog

Cody says, “This is so emasculating!”

On to dinner!  Dave made rotini pasta and served it with a homemade marinara sauce stewed with Trader Joe’s Meatless Meatballs.

I then remembered that we had cilantro and promptly added a few chopped up sprigs.

mmmmm delicious!

Tomorrow I want to plan a run by Hemingway’s home.  I’m going to force Dave to bring his phone because it takes great pictures and is smaller than my camera .

Delayed Postings

My internet has been on off for the past two days so I have lot’s of pictures that I haven’t had the chance to post!

I’ve been eating this for breakfast for the past two days.

Almond butter and millet bread sandwich yum yum!

I’ve also been practicing lots of yoga!

Love my “tree of life” mat

For dinner last night, Dave and I had a cook off!

It was Mexican vs. Asian food.

I made him a polenta burrito and he made me stir fried veggies over mei fun with meatless meatballs.

Wishbone loved the leftovers.

Wishbone says, “Gimmie more food dammit!”

Wishbone says, “Yawn, food coma, must take nappy!”

I also got to go to the Michigan Ave. Lululemon on Monday.  I’ll post my experience there later today!

Late Night Yoga-ish

So Dave bet that I couldn’t do this:

Photo of Seane Corn from lucy.com in reverse prayer pose

Then this happened:

BAM!

Guess he didn’t know that I took yoga as a P.E. course in college.  Please excuse my mismatching clothes.  I had been doing the Tracy Anderson Mat Workout earlier and didn’t bother to change.  I love Tracy’s videos because they are really challenging.  I know I’m going to be sore tomorrow.

Today I had some yummy stir fried udon noodles with edamame, tofu and mirepoix, courtesy of Dave again.

I’m seriously considering to have him cook all the time.

On Wishbone’s trip to the park she made more friends.

Sammy – A Chihuahua and Pomeranian Mix

Wishbone says, “What brand is that sweater there?  It’s so couture!”

Tomorrow I’m going to try to hit up the weight room at the gym and attempt to use the machines.  I have to get over the fear of the weight room because my body is way more important than other people’s opinions of me in the weight room.

Another Doggie Day

I have just uploaded my pictures from the park yesterday and they are adorable.

Wishbone says, “Whatchu looking at?”

Cody and Wishbone were very excited for their walk.  On the way to the park, we saw Noor again!

Sniff! Sniff! Sniff!

And we also saw Sasha!

Cody and Wishbone met lots of new friends: Buckner, Sierron, Duffy, Mishu and many more.

Soon it got too dark to take pictures.  However, the cutest thing happened!  Mishu, a tiny shih-tzu, kept following Cody around everywhere!  The little dog almost followed us out of the park!  The doggies had so much fun making new friends and very politely asked Dave and I to take them back to the park very soon.

Today I was feeling pretty lazy so I asked Dave to make me dinner.  He did a very nice job I must say.  He made me Korean buckwheat noodles with sauteed mirepoix, daikon, garlic, and soynuts.

Buckwheat Noodles

Mirepoix, a kitchen must for me!

Just celery, carrots and onions

Dave is actually a pretty good cook.

Nothing is sexier than a man in the kitchen

What’s left of my daikon

Smelled so yummy!

The final product was amazing!

It was the first time I’ve tried buckwheat noodles and l loved them.  They were very soft and slightly chewy, very different from the pasta that I’m used to.

Later in the day Dave and I also made a trip to Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods.  At Whole Foods I got some more delicious millet bread!  The one thing I don’t like about it is that I can only buy it frozen and the fact that it’s over $5.00.

I shouldn’t complain too much because I saw “Woman’s Bread” priced at $7.99.

I think it’s absolutely ridiculous to pay that much for FROZEN bread!  The company that sells the bread, French Meadow, actually prices the bread at $5.50 on its website.

Anyways, we also got some freshly baked sprouted bread from the bakery.  I’m excited to try it because I love sprouted bread.

I was craving sweets earlier in the day so Dave and I looked at vegan cookies and cakes.  We saw these delicious slices of cake from The Chicago Diner and were about to buy the “cookies and cream” cake when we noticed that the price was $4.99… for a slice.  Bummer.  I would totally pay $5 for a slice of freshly baked cake but definitely not for a slice of refrigerated cake that’s been sitting there for god knows how long!

The $5.00 Slice of Cake

I think the Whole Foods in my area has everything priced $2.00 more than it should actually cost.  It sucks but I can’t help but go there for the selection and the service.

At Trader Joe’s we got some more “Fruit Floes.”  This time we got Caribbean flavored pops.

Our new food to try this week is “Smart Dogs.”

At night Wishbone and I hung out and watched last night’s ANTM and tonight’s Project Runway.

Wishbone getting fierce for Tyra

Wishbone is disgusted with Ren.

Wishbone says, “Stop whining biotch!”

Wishbone is sad that Anthony got kicked off of Project Runway

Wishbone quotes, “You don’t have to have the crown to be the queen.”

But we all know Wishbone has both.

Happy Hump Day!

Today started off quite gloomily, but Wishbone cheered me up!

Wishbone says, “I’m gonna lick you!”

Wishbone says, “Gimme the stick!”

She looks so tiny here!  I’m holding up a strawberry “fruit floe” from Trader Joe’s.

I had one for breakfast, not exactly nutritiously sound, but it was absolutely delicious!  I also had Kashi with rice milk.

I didn’t get to eat lunch until later in the day so I was starving by then.  For lunch I had edamame sprinkled with sea salt and a delicious daikon, green bean, and soy nut salad.

Yummy in my tummy!

Edamame with Sea Salt

I think I’m in love with daikon.  I love the crunchy texture.  It’s a pretty mild radish and is delicious both raw and cooked.

Tasted as good as it looks!

For dinner I was craving something sweet and salty so I made a vegan rib salad.  I used Morning Star “riblets.”

They come frozen and looked pretty gross out of the box.

You can cook them by either microwaving them or baking them; I chose to bake them.  I put the frozen riblet in a piece of foil and wrapped it up tightly so that the sauce wouldn’t drip.

Still looks gross!

All wrapped up!

The riblets actually came out very well.

I put them on top of a bed of lettuce and green beans.

I made Dave chana masala and served it over a bed of brown basmati rice.  It was the first time I made it and I think it turned out great.  I practically ate half of Dave’s meal.

Chana Masala

Our meals together

I wasn’t feeling too well today so instead of going to the gym Dave and I took the dogs for a nice long walk.  I haven’t uploaded the pictures yet but it was so much fun to watch Wishbone and Cody frolic in the park with the other dogs. I’m currently working on writing out the recipe for the chana masala so expect a looong post soon.