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!

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.

Running for Fun

When Dave got home from school today, I decided that we should go for a run because it was so nice out.  We ran/ walked about 3 miles.  It was nice because we went through the Oak Park Arts District and through a playground.  I have to say that I felt so out of shape at the playground!  When I was little, I looooved climbing up poles and doing the monkey bars, now it’s such a challenge!

Overall, I really did miss running outside with a friend.  In high school, I ran year round; I did cross-country, winter track, and spring track, so running was an every day thing.  What made running fun for me, was having people to talk to.  I remember laughing so hard while running that I would get so winded that I’d have to stop to catch my breath.  Those were the good old days.

Anyways, when I got home I was starving as usual.  I had a craving for string beans today and had made string beans for lunch and dinner.  For lunch, I just stir fried the beans in some smart balance and mixed them with some garlic and jardinera.

mmmm… I love green foods!

Then for dinner, I made the beans in the same way, except that I added in some edamame, corn, black beans, and carrots for an asian/mexican/ italian fusion green bean dish.

Dave made some mei fun to go with our meal.

Yum Yum!

Anyways, I had received an email from a reader asking me to put up more recipes, which I def will .  The thing is, is that many times I just wing it instead of using a recipe.  I kind of eat what I crave and don’t really think twice about what types of veggies or spices I put in my food.  I kind of smell the spice and if it goes with my dish, I put it in.  Some may think this is strange, but I don’t even think twice about it.  Anyways, I promise that if there is a dish that I make often, I will try my best to give exact measurements of the ingredients I use.  So look for more recipes soon!

A Slow Saturday

So late last night during the Duke Basketball game I got my strength workout in.  My workout focused on legs.  I did a circuit routine of lunges, squats, calf raises, knee lifts, and plies.

The first circuit was:

20 lunges

20 squats

20 calf raises

30 knee lifts

15 plies

Repeat

Then:

10 lunges

10 squats

20 calf raises

30 knee lifts

10 plies

Then I did 2 repeats of the first circuit.

Those last lunges were tough!  I felt my heart rate rise right away.  I hate lunges but I know they are one of the most efficient and effective exercises out there.

For breakfast today I made some steel cut oats.

I’m not a huge fan of them but I know they are good for me.

I made Dave a mushroom, celery, and turkey bacon frittata.

He liked it!

Today I’m going to try to get some cardio and arm work in.  I’ll update with my workout later.