Dazed and Confused

What have I done?

Well, I registered for a half marathon.

You read that right.

After a year of proclaiming that I was going to do it, I finally sucked it up and bit down hard.

Thank you sexual innuendo. How I love thee.

I will be running in the Simi Valley Arroyo Creek Half Marathon. (They’re also having a 5k the same day that the director of the doc is going to be running.) It’s part of the California Half Marathon Series and is a USA Track and Field 2012 sanctioned event. Those things sounded important so I felt better about it.

I’m not out to set any records here; mostly I want to prove to myself that I can actually do it. The farthest run I’ve done so far is 10k and that wasn’t a structured race. I’m a little nervous, but mostly excited. I keep thinking back to that rush of adrenaline I got at the Rock’n Run and how that positive energy sustained me through an ordeal that would have normally had me feeding myself negative thoughts the entire time.

So for that reason, I got myself out of bed this morning and back into the gym to resume my solo-cardio training. No running this morning, just elliptical to ease my way in, but I’ll start putting in some miles.

Feeling pretty tired today, little groggy, and still partly in shock that I finally committed to running a half.

What’s the best remedy I know? Food, of course! Here are some recipes to keep you going 😉

Protein Muffin Tops (makes 10)

• 1/4 c. coconut flour
• 1/4 c. almond flour
• 1/4 c. flax (my nutritionist says I have to ditch this ingredient; back to the drawing board)
• 1/4 c. protein powder
• 1/2 avocado
• 3 T coconut oil
• 3 eggs
• 3 t baking soda
• heaping T cinnamon

Blend the ingredients together. Mix in things like dried fruit, nuts or chopped 100% cocoa baking chocolate like I did. Spoon balls onto greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 until golden brown (about 15 minutes)

There are still some kinks to work out, especially since I was trying to make cookies and not muffins. However, these have been great to have already made in the morning. I just pop them in the toaster oven for a minute or so and then I’m ready!

 

This was impromptu dinner last night:

 

Grass Fed Beef Fried Rice (serves 1)

• 1/4 head cauliflower
• 6 oz. grass fed ground beef (I used 90/10)
• 1 c. broccoli slaw
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 t chili oil
• 4 cloves garlic
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• ginger
• salt/pepper
• crushed peanuts

Grate the cauliflower so you have a big pile of white “rice.” Over medium heat, brown garlic in the olive and chili oils. Add the cauliflower and broccoli slaw and cook until cauliflower is crispy and turns slightly brown. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, cook ground beef with spices and ground peanuts until cooked through. Combine meat with rice mixture and spoon a couple tablespoons of asian peanut sauce on top.

Asian Peanut Sauce (serves 4)

• 1 T peanut butter
• 2 T soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 T olive oil
• splash of soyaki
• splash of rice wine vinegar
• juice of 1/4 a lime

Whisk ingredients together and serve over salads, stir frys or my fried rice 🙂

 

Post-gym this morning:

Trying out aloe vera juice. I’m interested to see how my skin responds.

Revised Green Smoothie

• 6oz aloe juice
• 4oz almond milk
• 1 c spinach
• 1 serving protein powder

Blend up good!

 

Lunch the other day (and today):

New Favorite Easy Lunch

• tomatoes, cut
• cucumber, cubed
• handful pecans (or other nuts)
• T hemp seeds
• 1 serving icelandic yogurt

new favorite yogurt!

At 22g of protein, this is definitely my favorite yogurt out there. It’s creamy and slightly less tart that regular Greek yogurt, which I think makes it more versatile. I’ve tried the Siggi’s brand and I liked that one too, especially as a sour cream substitute. This one, however, just tasted amazing with these veggies and those pecans! I can’t get over it. You’ll have to try it for yourself.

My apologies for the brevity of this post. Energy has been zapped lately; but the week is almost over! Cinco de Mayo, get in my mouth!