the leftovers.

ever have those few leftover pictures on your camera you don't feel like posting about? or make something and forget to take pictures? or just feel like talking about random things from your week?

well, you'll understand today's post just fine.

ready for the randomness?

last week, i got a much needed haircut.
pardon my sour face/man's t-shirt/myspace pic.

i also made gluten-free breakfast bars for my little sister.

i used Karina's quinoa bar recipe, but i subbed nuts in for the fruit, thinking my sister would appreciate a little protein boost before swim practice.

from the pro herself.

fatal mistake, because she said they had NO flavor. my real challenge was finding a recipe that wouldn't crumble, though, and that was a success!

next time, i'll double the spices, and add dried fruit AND nuts.

and yesterday, i drove up to D.C. to visit the beautiful and crazy-talented Mo of Mo's Kitchen. have you read her blog? the recipes this girl tackles are baffling! i am humbled by her kitchen finesse :)

she recommended lunch at this cute local place, Sweet Leaf Cafe, and who am i to turn down a lunch date? i ordered the "Berry Leaf" Salad, which is "strawberries, almonds, cranberries, cucumbers, greens, and strawberry balsamic vinaigrette."

very tasty, but since i am the tasmanian devil, i require a bit more food. thankfully, i never leave the house without a car full of snacks!

Mo has the same medical issues that i struggle with, so we talked doctors for a while, then turned to more positive things - food, life, and Target!

um... she had never been to Target! i had to remedy this situation A.S.A.P.!

no joke, if i could pop a cot at Target and just camp out there, i would. it's my home away from home, and pretty much all my savings end up there (split with Trader Joe's, of course).

since i'm a grandma, it was time for me to head back to richmond. i really enjoyed my time in D.C., and can't wait to visit my sweet, new friend again. hang in there, girl!

about 4 hours of stop-and-go traffic later, i returned home, sweaty and hungry. if you've ever ridden in the car with me, you know how bad of a road-tripper i am... i hate the car. so as soon as i got in, i grabbed a snack, unpacked, and hit the treadmill to stretch out my cramped thighs.

and after the treadmill? um... i did... yoga (!!!).

Christie, i know i'm eating my words here, but can i make a confession?

i am a yoga convert.

let me explain - i HATED yoga. i've taken countless classes, all different types, and really tried to go in with an open mind... but each time, i ended up counting down the minutes until i was free. i hated every... S...L...O...W... second...

i thought it just wasn't for me, but after an especially painful fibro week, i was desperate. i caved in and tried some, "just to stretch," in my room after a run.

bingo.

i realized i was approaching it all wrong. i was trying to look at my practice like a workout... it had to be done for an hour, in a studio, with your game face on. serious business, this yoga thing. it was somewhere i challenged myself to be perfect, and couldn't be.

but yoga isn't about being perfect (like running). it's about bringing balance back into our crazy, hectic lives. it's about learning your center, your rhythm, and honoring your body.

and no one cares how long, how fast, or how often i practice when i'm alone, just honoring my body. i'm no jennifer aniston - just a girl doing the best i can with what i've got. it has become something i look forward to; something that balances out the intensity running brings to my life. and it feels soooooooooooooooo good after a long, hot, hungry car ride!

so if you haven't tried it yet, don't rush out to a studio or pop in a Slave-Driver-Jillian video just yet. how about trying a few poses on your own first, and seeing what you like? what feels good? what helps you just let go of the day? unwind?

i plan on hitting up a class here soon to expand my repitoire of postures, but there's nothing wrong with the basics. anything that works for you is perfect!

do you like yoga?

what does it do for you?

do you take classes?

HaPpY fRiDaY, y'AlL!

-rebekah

i'm already a bad blogger, and old favorites revisted

hey all!
i have a confession to make - i'm already a bad blogger. in my first week.
i'm already forgetting to take pictures! i was doing so well too.

so, today i am going to exercise my literary voice and thrill you guys through the written word. deal?

eats eats eats (all that really matters, right?)

yesteeeddaaayyyy - i had the BEST food today, and wish i had good pictures!

here's first breakfast:

amazing tj's sourdough bread with biggest loser protein mixed with hot water to make....

CHOCOLATE SAUCE! make. this. now. please.

i also had two fig and cashew laraballs (my effort to eat raw foods!)

i did a quick back, lower back, and abs strength training sesh, followed by a little biking workout (to stretch from monday's killer lifting).

second breakfast: blueberry/raspberry/flax smoothie.... om nom nom. then i grabbed a handful of slivered almonds on the way up to shower.

 

i did well until this point. mom and i went to tjmaxx looking for her china and then to whole foods for lunch (!!!). i even got excited about getting to take food bloggie pics at wf but i forgot to! mom and i were chatting too much.

buutttt - i had the vegan black bean soup (my fave!) and some roasted curried eggplant and tomatoes. heaven.

 

for second lunch i had a whole wheat wrap the size of my head stuffed with the last of my roasted veggies from sunday. booooooooooo i hate it when i eat all my good food. i poured about half a bottle of salsa in with it. for good measure and stuff.

 

i also roasted quinoa to add to my sister's gluten-free granola, but forgot to take pictures, obviously. it was pretty good, but i need a dehydrator (helllooo manufacturers? help a sister out!??). i have a growing list of things i want to put in there (that's what she said).

 

and because clearly you guys don't know what my salads look like, here you go. more pictures.

 

(photo cred goes to mom.)

ok. so i had a dilemma. after my salad i was full, but i hadn't eaten near enough calories (for more on this, check out yesterday's post). so i waited a few hours, and made myself a peanut butter banana smoothie. still hadn't had enough, but i was closer, and did something good for my body.

and for today's goodies:

- carrot cake oat bran! very kath of me, no? it was heaven! 1/3c oatbran, water to cover, grated carrot, and two chopped up fig laraballs (instead of raisins - i like figs better, and hello they had cashews in them!). after cooking i mixed in some cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, and ginger. oh babyyy.

- i was still INCREDIBLY sore today but had planned on jogging some (trying to get back to running in time for spring weather!). i ended up walking and jogging intervals while talking to my buddy zach.

when i go home, i ate the last half of the pear from the other day, even though it was brown. kinda glad i didn't take a picture of this one.

question time! do you guys ever eat something even though it looks gross? what?

i usually don't eat pasta in public for this very reason... except I'M the one that looks gross, not the pasta!

- after my shower, i ate some quinoa i made yesterday with s & p, along with my new favorite tea,

bigalow's vanilla chai tea.

DRINK THIS!!! it tastes like graham crackers and vanilla ice cream.... but it's tea! apparently they have vanilla caramel, and i'm not sure how i don't own ALL the boxes of that. like last year.

ANYWAYS

- then i went to chipotle for lunch with a friend.

cred: chipotle website

i was super honored because he asked me to do a little nutrition consultation with him. how cool is that? sometimes i feel frustrated because nutrition is one time i know the answer to questions people have, but i don't want to step on anyone's toes, so i sit quietly (WHEN I COULD BE HELPING!!). not that i know all the answers, but i am passionate enough to find the answer if i don't!

and yes, i'm aware i forgot to take pictures. but it's ok, because as much as i adore chipotle, today i wasn't thrilled with what i ordered. honestly, i think it's because i'm so spoiled by my salads that nothing else measures up.

do you guys have something you crave you can make better at home?

- i had the veggie salad with black and pinto beans, roasted veggies (which were AMAZING!), and two salsas, over romaine.

- when i got home, i had a veggie wrap for the 1039840234th day in a row, but i added in trader joe's raw almond butter. i LOVE this stuff!

i'm trying to eat a lot more raw foods since i've cut out meat, and this stuff is the best. anyone else eat nut butter with veggies? AND the jar is almost empty so i can officially be a blogger and make OIAJ!

- since you guys know what oats look like, i didn't take a picture of my second bowl of oatmeal for the day, but can i just say how AMAZING IT WAS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

i am in the middle of transferring to mostly plant-based eating right now, but i was really craving egg, and i hadn't had any in days. i just used 1/2c rolled oats, pinch of salt, pinch of stevia, shake of cinnamon, and added in a serving of liquid egg whites, and holy cow it was bangin!

FOODIE REVIEW: KIRKLAND SIGNATURE

from costco website.

i can't believe i'm saying this, but i never liked the trader joe's egg whites. they just kinda held my veggies together in my omlette. no flavor or texture, really.

BUT THESE BABIES ARE HEAVEN.

really. i added them to my oats and it was the BEST oats i have ever had. ever. and i've eaten a lot of oatmeal! they are thick and creamy, and have the richness of egg yokes. even though they aren't. strange.

stats:

Serving Size 1/4 cup (2oz)

Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 0
Calories 30
% Daily Values*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 115mg 5%
Total Carbohydrate 1g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Sugars 0.5g
Protein 6g

Vitamin A 15% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 2% Iron 6%

i often add egg whites into my oats after cooking to add protein without fat before my workouts, but this took it to a new level. i want to eat this everyday.

vegans, any help here? any alternatives?

as of right now, that's all my eats, but i'm getting sushi tonight with a beautiful friend of mine, so you know they'll be more!!!!

i hope you guys enjoyed your day, and here's my questions again:

1) do you guys ever eat something even though it looks gross? what?
2) do you guys mix nut butters with veggies/savory foods? or just with fruit and toast?
3) vegans/vegetarians, how did you guys go through your transitions? what were your challenges?

happy hump day!
- rebekah