New Love

Yesterday was a good day---


I ran another 6.2 miles and this time in 78 minutes woo hoo! I'm shooting for that distance in one hour....it might take a while, but I think it's possible, especially since I'm already seeing improvement. BUT what makes it special was that I have found and learned about a new drink that will help me sustain and replenish my energy while running--and it taste good too!

It's coconut water!!
I bought a whole case of it I liked it so much.
Basically, it's a natural sports drink full of potassium and electrolytes.
It's low in sugar and has calcium too.

Coconut things are really good for the body, and I never knew all the powers of coconut. It has way more uses than in Pina Coladas and curry. There is coconut oil, coconut milk, coconut butter, and coconut yogurt....which I tried yesterday for the first time and really liked, much better than soy yogurt in my opinion.

Here's an information page I found about Coconut:
http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/


The dinner I made once I got done running and was full of energy from my workout turned out good. It was my Seafood night for the week, and I was cooking some things I'd never done before, so I was curious as to how'd things would turn out.


I used these huge zucchinis that Ryan and I had accidently let stay on the plant too long thus they had little flavor, so I stuffed them with bread crumbs, sauteed onions, garlic, peppers, topped them with basil, thyme, and oregano then baked them. Yum-O! I ate two halves before Ryan even got home, and the rest for lunch today.


I also had picked up some Amberjack from Whole Foods (Amberjack, thanks to Jeff, I now know is a part of the Jack Family which is related to Pompeno and Tuna.) I browsed the internet and found a great Lousiana style recipe for broiling it. I followed that and what resulted was de-lish!

It made me feel really good having it perfectly ready for Ryan when he got off from work, even if it was 11:00pm. Nothing sounds as good as timer going off when you walk in the door starving. :)
He is so gentle when critiquing my food but usually adds a little something extra to it, but last night he didn't add a thing! Not even a smidge of his special Hawaiin Sea Salt.....

Success!!

Here's a pic, his zucchinis are topped with Pecorino Romano...

Today-- I ran just a bit before going into work.

Then I got to play with the most beautifully ugly tomatoes. It's so refreshing to use not perfect tomatoes. The heirloom ones we were working with were in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes.

This is the arrangement I made with one of the tomatoes for the Tomato Art Festival in East Nashville.

This is the beginning...

I just ran 6 miles, okay okay so I walked 2 out of the six. I'm still a bit shaky, but proud. The Tomato 5K is this Saturday. A fresh tomato Bloody Mary is motivation enough for me to cross that finish line as fast as I can. After my run today I rewarded myself with a new discovery for me, a personalized Green Lemonade, from the juice doctor at Whole Foods, and an almond butter and jelly sammy.

Green Lemonade:

Apple, Kale, Spinach, Celery, Lemon, and I like a bit of Ginger

Yum! I'm getting myself ready for this new lifestyle, the past two weeks I've been easing myself into it. Cutting all cow’s milk products, red meat, chicken, and now I am ready for full immersion.
I've gotten my taste buds used to Almond Milk in my coffee and tempeh in my spaghetti, but man oh man do I miss cheese!!!!
Yet, after reading just a bit of The China Study I can't let myself do it. Good thing there is a local goat farm here in Tennessee! And who really likes cow’s milk anyway? Almond milk is cheaper and lasts longer in the fridge, so it's double the goodness. There's that positive energy I've been hoping my morning Goji Berry shots were going to give me! So, exercising more often and changing my diet is indirectly also changing the lives of those I love, especially my husband Ryan who has been patiently eating tofu tacos, tempeh spaghetti, and black bean burgers every night. He is not totally sold on this semi-vegan diet, but I can tell he is secretly enjoying it all and supportive of my happiness and health.

Tonight, I’m having a friend over for a quick eat before we go see Julie & Julia. I’m making Garden Risotto with Cajun tofu, a green salad with cucumber, and maybe a mojito! If I’m up for it, I’ll post some pictures later.

Garden Risotto:

Arborio Rice (about 2 cups)

3 Tomatoes (I had Roma's)

1 Red Bell Pepper, cut into bite size pieces

1 Zucchini, cut into bite size pieces

1 Yellow Squash (crookneck), cut into bit size pieces

5 cloves of Garlic, minced

1 Onion, diced

2 jalepenos

Splash of white wine if you've got it

3 cups Vegetable Stock

Saute onions, garlic, peppers, and garlic for about 5-7 minutes at medium high heat. Then add remaining vegetables. Saute for about 5 more minutes. Add rice to veggies. Add about 1/5 of the water. Stir constantly. When water has absorbed, add another 1/5. Repeat process until risotto is al dente (takes about 30-40 minutes.)

Serve with pecorino romano (a Sheep's Milk cheese kind of like parmesean) and with tofu or alone. If you were going to do seafood I'd go with shrimp or scallops.