Food & Fitness

Some of my eats from this week.

Green juice

I cleaned out and organized my fridge. My husband eats eggs (there is just one in there haha) so that's him but most other things (not the ranch) are vegan. I'm trying to not have my fridge get too full because then I forget about things and they go bad. I HATE having to throw out food!

My dog's new food arrived! He was on a different vegan brand before but I switched to this because I like the ingredients list better.  No, he doesn't HAVE to be vegan (health-wise) but there are a lot of benefits so I figure as long as he is healthy, why not? He seems to actually prefer the taste.

Chili! Sooo delicious. I used water and a faux chicken boullion cube (I didn't have a beef one or else I probably would have used that) and sweet potato instead of corn but followed this recipe loosely.

I made this raw apple pie. Delicious! I kept the crust a bit crunchier which was yummy. 

Sweet potato and tofu burger! Ooh this was tasty. It sorta tasted like having stuffing and mashed sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving, hehe. The patties were easy to form and kept their shape well (not always the case with veggie burgers) but had a very soft texture. My husband enjoyed them as well.

Finally made my own soy yogurt! I usually buy almond because I don't like to eat a ton of soy but this is quite cost-effective. I followed this recipe but added a bit more milk (almond milk). I added blueberries to mine. It's so tasty!! I think I prefer the taste to the store bought ones I have.  This was from half a package of silken tofu. I think it only lasts a few days so I ate it pretty quickly. Oh and it thickens up in the fridge as you can see in the photos!

Leftover raw apple pie with homemade soy yogurt. I actually preferred eating the pie this way, kinda like a crumble. It was soo good! It gave me an idea for a recipe I'll share once I get around to making.

Also, I've been thinking I should talk about fitness more on my blog. It's a pretty big part of my life since I'm at the gym 5x a week and care a lot about fitness. I plan on becoming a certified personal trainer. I do mention it in my header so it makes sense to actually write about it!

I'm training for a 10K obstacle course right now so I'm focusing more on my running. I've never been a particularly good runner. I used to really hate it! But I've been determined the past few years to learn to like it. I can honestly say I do enjoy it now and am improving. Interval work REALLY helps (running uphill, sprints etc) Don't just run at the same pace on flat ground all the time... you won't improve much.  It's too bad running is so hard on your joints, makes me not want to do it too much in the long term but for now I am. I wear New Balance Minimum shoes and I do not heel strike. I sort of follow the Pose method of running. It is much much kinder to your  body and once you get used to it, feels very comfortable. I've noticed a big difference since switching (last summer).  Heel striking is so bad!

I'm following a 9 week training plan I got from active.com called Beginner 10K Training Plan. Here is what my schedule (including the Training Plan and my own workouts) looks like this coming week. Bold - Training plan and the rest are just what I added to it.
Sun: Rest
Mon: 20min easy run + lower body workout
Tues: 30min run with hills + upper body workout
Wed: full body cable cross workout  + core work
Thurs: cross training. I think I'm going to try a pilates class!
Fri: 30min run + six 100m strides
Sat: Rest

I typically don't workout on weekends, I just walk my dog.  I will be running 3-4 times a week on Mon/Tues/Thurs/Fri, one day of cross training and then the rest are my own workouts. I use everything from machines to dumbbells to exercise balls to kettle balls to medicine balls haha I like to mix it up! I work out at 24 Hour Fitness which is a 20min walk from my place.