My favorite homemade spaghetti sauce

I remember the 1st time I cooked this for my now bf this is what I made and I didn't tell him it was vegetarian until after we ate, now he requests it along with the vegetarian lasagna you can use this sauce for!

In food processor:
6-8 tomatoes (soft & ripe not green)
4 cloves garlic (at least the more the better is this household's motto)
1/2 bell pepper
1 onion
2-4 stalks celery
2 carrots
1-2 scallions
Splash of water

Blend until smooth no chunks...

In a large saucepan:
Sautee ground "meat" substitue (optional) in 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Add mix from food processor, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, oregano, basil, thyme, salt, pepper, bay leaves, parsley

Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer, let cook 20-30 minutes you will see it turn a dark red...

For the lasagna I alternate layers of this sauce and a vegan white sauce that I make in between the lasagna noodles...

Tapering, Milestones and News

As I reflect on this last week I am happy to say I am now down 2 lbs from when I started this blog!  I will remain persistent and continue to move beyond any setbacks!   Hard work does pay off both in diet and exercise!  I was saddened by the news that has hit the health/fitness world of Jack LaLanne passing away at 96.  At the same time I am inspired not only by his enthusiasm for life and fitness but the ferocity by which he helped to spread the word and inspire others to follow his path.  It is key to believe in what you practice and to help others along that path.  

This week’s training consisted of:

Tues – No Gym

Wed - Weights and Abs

Thurs – Run on treadmill 30 mins (sprints) and elliptical 10 mins.

Fri. No Gym

Sat. 22 mile run in 4 hrs 10 mins.

Sun. No gym (helped brother install wood flooring)

This is not a typical week for me but it was the last long run of my upcoming marathon training.  I hardly ever have 3 days of no gym time but I have been fighting off a cold (this usually happens 1 week out from my main race but came early this time) and I new this last long run was KEY to my being able to successfully complete the upcoming marathon so I listened to my body a little more than I normally would have.  I would at this rate be set to hit a PR my 1^st marathon took me 5hrs 10 mins except for the fact that this training run was not very hilly (only 1 of 2 flat runs in my training plan) and the marathon itself has hills.  I will be prepared and complete it just probably not much faster than my 1^st.  The good news is this time around the marathon training hasn’t taken the same toll on my body that the 1^st one did.  I recover a lot faster from my long runs and feel good throughout the actual run.  I remember my 1^st training stint included 2 knee braces, advil before during and after each long run and lots of ice just to SURVIVE.  I am going to do a 30 minute run today at the gym and some ab work.  The last 5 miles of this run were hard and I had to start walking a little at each mile marker and the last 2 miles I battled mentally but succeeded by pushing through even though it meant I walked a little more than I would have liked. 

I needed more calories so on race day I will pack extra Shot Bloks by Clif (my favorite).  It was a great day to be on the trail because we are lucky to be hosting the indoor international track meet here this year and there were a lot of world class runners training out there.  It made me feel even slower than normal in comparison but what a great inspiration!

Today I am feeling a little tired and run down, still fighting off a cold, but I remember I use to after a long run fall asleep on my couch for roughly 5 hours usually with a half eaten burrito barley clinging on to the plate I had on my lap when I fell asleep.  This time I was able to continue with my day!  I have a 10 mile and 8 mile hill run left the next two weekends then it’s race day!!!  I’m excited yet nervous about the hills…. Let the tapering commence!

So many new things!

As I sat on the floor of my office with the door closed for my lunch hour I chuckled at the thought of what my coworkers must be thinking if they walked by and heard the wooshing and squeking each stroke of the hand pump for my new chair was making.  One thing I bought with my birthday money was a ergonomic balance ball chair!  I have always wanted to try one of these.  I can't give you a review on it yet however!  I am on day 2 of attempting to get it blown up with the pump in came with and have given up.  I need to see if my bike pump will work with the plastic needle they provide for it because at this rate I'll never get to sit in it...

The second thing I bought with birthday money (yes I am an adult and yes I still am somehow lucky enough to be receiving birthday money)  was a new pair of hiking boots that are supposed to be water proof.  They fit well and seem to stay dry, so far no complaints.  They can get warm if you are not using them in cold weather.  It was very challenging finding vegan hiking boots.  Ideally I would have found boots that were a little taller so that I could make it through deep snow without any of it sneaking into my boot but Northface etc none of them made non leather versions.  You would think that for wet conditions they would leave the leather out of the shoe.  So far I am happy with my purchase and it beats hiking in the snow with running shoes which is what I was doing before.

Southwest Challenge Series partial schedule is out!!! My first triathlon will be April 3rd a reverse sprint with a pool swim.  Excited!!!! This is the first triathlon I did many moons ago when I took a triathlon class in college and was reintroduced to the sport.  I had done Ironkids before that thanks to my dad's "encouragement".  So once this marathon is over I am switching back to swim, bike, run WOOOO HOOOO!!!!

I have lost my 1st lb since starting this blog and am hoping it is the catalyst I was in need of!  The only slightly frustrating thing is that it seems I have to be training for and participating in very long endurance sports (hence my marathon training) in order to lose maintain my ideal weight but I guess that just means I have an excuse for life for training for triathlons...  This is a picture of my food log I've been keeping.  This is usually not a typical day it is what most weekend days look like during the week I usually only burn between 250-600 calories with my exercise.  Training this last week consisted of:  Sat full day of skiing with 3 out of the 6 hours actually being downhill skiing burned 1,142 calories, Sun. All day skiing, Monday 12 mile run (this run felt awesome and I was 7 minutes faster than last time I ran it), Tuesday rest day and puppy class, Wed. Weights and Abs, Thurs will be 1 hour bike ride on my trainer at home! 

This Saturday is my last long run before the marathon!!!!  Instead of specific miles I will be running for 4 hours (that should hopefully get me to 20-24 miles) then I have a 10 mile and 8 mile run left then the big day!!!!!!!!  Wow I'm finally excited about this it took me long enough to get excited.

Note to Self: How to stay on track 2011

Journal It – When I feel myself straying from the nutritional track journal what you eat for about 1-2 weeks the trick is writing it down before you eat it then think about how bad you want those extra calories before putting hand to mouth

Don’t eat like your boyfriend – We are not always equals as just plain facts, my metabolism is not the same as his and my body loves to hold on to fat if I let it, so if he says “come on just try it” or suggests pizza for the 3^rd time that week say NO!

Replace not deprive – If you are craving something you know you shouldn’t have think about a possible alternative that would soothe that craving in a healthier way, ex. For me I put the cookie monster to rest by substituting that craving with a no sugar added hot chocolate for 50 calories vs. the 500 +

Size Does Matter – I shop on the website reuseit.com for reusable sandwich baggies etc. not only can you find fashionable alternatives to disposables but it helps me keep my portion sizes in check don’t ever eat straight out of the bag unless you want to start looking like the bag J

My favorite tid bit I’ve picked up, which is probably my #1 downfall , was from Bob Seebohar author of Nutrition Periodization is “Eat to train, don’t train to eat!”  I eat so much more on the weekends because that’s when I do my long runs or bike rides and I feel I’ve earned it, not necessarily!

Prediction runs, pools, and sweaty 80s music Oh My!

There were ups and downs to my weekend but it’s funny how sometimes I feel like things are such a success then something like the scale this morning brings me crashing back to reality.   Thursday ended up being my day off last week from workouts (supposed to go out to a bday dinner didn’t happen but that’s water under the bridge).  So Friday I hit the gym to do 30 minutes of weight lifting (total body) and 30 minutes of swimming (only got in 20 laps in 25 m pool).  I hadn’t been in the pool since summer so it had been months and every time I thought I should go I had flashbacks to that initial splash in as my abdominal floor muscles cringed (and no kegel exercise will prepare you for that J ).  But if you get past those images and go as you glide under the water and all the noises of the outside world disappear I am reminded of how calming swimming is.  I have vowed to make it to the pool at least once a week during the winter and hope for twice a week!

Saturday was a handicap run event with my local running group.  No watches allowed because the winner was the person who predicted their run time the closest to their actual run time.  It was a 4.7 mile VERY HILLY run that ended up taking me 55 mins. Instead of the 51 I had predicted, I ended up having to walk at the top of a few of the hills because I was sure I was about to go into cardiac arrest, that’s what happens when I don’t wear my heart rate monitor I let my imagination get the best of me!  I felt very good at the end even though it was so tough, we had one puker on the run.  The winner got his time within 1 second, I smell a hidden watch j/k!!!

Sunday I did spin class at the gym and there were so many “resolutionistas” (the bf was very proud of himself for coming up with that term) that it made the entire room very hot and humid.  Now if I keep going to this class I think I’m going to have a talk with the instructor.  He is awesome but every time a fast paced good workout song comes on his ipod he says oh lets find something with a better beat and switches it to yet ANOTHER 80s song!!!  Now I can appreciate that certain bpm can help a spin class stay on cadence but PLEASE 80s music isn’t the only music with good bpm…  After the class I took off for a run from the gym to home which ended up being about 2-3 miles instead of the 5 I had intended I was way too hungry to keep going but still felt good about the effort.    That night as we were cooking dinner (red beans and kale with some sauteed potatoes and green chile) and my brother was visiting I very quickly and unexpectedly became sick to my stomach and I had to skip on the meal.  It is so weird this happens to me about once every 3 months and no doctor has been able to explain it but then just as quickly I feel better either later that night or by the next morning! 

We got a lot done this weekend and my workouts were top quality no junk miles but as I got on the scale this morning I realized I’m still doing something wrong!  I haven’t lost a single pound since I have started this blog and I don’t get it.  I’m eating less, working out more, my latest I’ve even cut out alcohol and sweets all together.  I will get to the bottom of this mystery and forge ahead!  Just read an interesting post about the benefits to being an early riser thinking about giving that a try.  Oh and as a birthday present to myself I have ordered one of those balance ball chairs with wheels for my office!  Should be in this week I’ll do a full review of it once I’ve had a chance to try it out, super excited!  Ok done rambling… Ciao!