Friday, April 29, 2011
May is wellness month!
I am on the wellness committee at work and May is wellness month. I am super excited for all the great things that we have planned. I arranged 3 great “lunch and learns” which are basically presentations over lunch. The first week we have someone from NEO Team in Training coming to tell everyone about TNT and what you can get if you sign up to train with them. Then next week I have a lovely yoga instructor coming in to walk people through yoga poses to help undo the stress of sitting all day. And then for weeks 3 and 4 we are going to screen the movie Food Inc in 2 parts! How fun is that. Don’t you wish you worked here. On top of that I managed to gather 8 people who are interested in doing a cleanse with me! I am going to lead the group, so I think that will be the right amount of motivation to stay on the cleanse. In fact I am going to start on Monday (instead of Friday like them) so I have a few solid days under my belt. The cleanse will be based on the book Quantum Wellness, I did this cleanse once before, but only made it 15 days. But this cleanse is what solidified that I could be a vegetarian and I haven’t wavered on that once since I made the decision early last year. I will blog about the cleanse for anyone interested. Here is an email I sent out to the group today:
“Hi cleanse group members! If you are going to go shopping this weekend or early next week to prepare for the cleanse, below are some shopping items you will want to stock up on. All of these foods are approved on the cleanse. I am assuming no one has read the book yet, so I pulled this from the website, with some notes from me. When I did this cleanse last time I lived on popcorn, rice noodles, hummus and steamed veggies with different spices on them. Trader Joes has really great, cheap, spice grinders. I am in love with their lemon pepper and 21 spice salute.
The Quantum Wellness Cleanse Grocery List:
The items on this grocery list are specifically outlined for the “Quantum Wellness Cleanse” which precludes sugar, alcohol, caffeine, gluten, and all animal products. This does not mean that all of these items are not vegan, rather these items are specifically for the 21 day cleanse.
- Irish steel cut oats (for most people, this is tolerable insofar as gluten; unless you are particularly sensitive, ok to use), mixed grain hot cereals, gluten and sugar (maple, honey, etc.) free
- Rice cakes
- Flax crackers
- Gluten free bread (vegan) (MN: Check out the brand Ezekiel, they make many types of sprouted breads that are gluten free)
- Sweet potatoes, yams-Grains: brown or wild rice, millet, quinoa, amaranth, corn, buckwheat, corn
- Nuts: almonds, walnuts, cashews, soy nuts, macadamia nuts, filberts, etc.
- Seeds: sunflower, pumpkin, sesame
- Nut or seed butters: peanut butter, almond butter, tahini, cashew butter (unsweetened)
- Vegan butter (earth balance, soy garden)
- Vegan mayonnaise
- Non-dairy protein powder (Solaray strawberry is a tasty sugar free one), also others that are pea, rice, and soy based are good (MN: Whole Foods has a very tasty banana pea/rice protein powder)
- Beans and legumes: black beans, lentils, chickpeas, lima beans, adzuki beans, black-eyed peas, edamame, fava beans
- Tofu-Tempeh-Faux meats: burgers, sausage patties, "meat crumbles", "chicken" patties (make sure gluten free)
- Artichoke/rice/quinoa pasta (MN: Trader Joes has some yummy and cheap rice stick pasta)-Pasta sauce (no sugar added)
- Vegetables: kale, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, asparagus, brussel sprouts, zucchini, eggplant, collard greens, butternut, spaghetti, and acorn squash (MN: Check out the frozen ones at WF, my lunch staple will be various frozen veggies with different spices)
- Mushrooms: shitake, hen of the woods, etc. (grilled, they make a great centerpiece for a meal)
- Salad "fixins": arugala, raddichio, endive, mixed greens, peppers, avocado, tomato, etc.
- Fruits: apples, cherries, peaches, blueberries, goji berries
- Lemons, limes for sparkling water cocktails. A splash of unsweetened pomegranate juice-Coconut water
- Teecino (coffee substitute), rooibos tea, herbal teas
- Rice, almond, soy milk (unsweetened) (MN: Both TJS and WF have their own unsweetened brand of Almond and soy milk and its way cheaper than the name brands. I personally like almond milk way better than soy)
- Stevia, agave nectar to sweeten smoothies, milks, cereals, etc.
- Extra virgin olive oil, expeller pressed organic canola, high-oleic versions of sunflower and safflower oils
- Garlic, ginger, tamari, Himalayan crystal salt, pepper
- Flours to cook or bake with: bean, pea, soy, potato, buckwheat, tapioca, nut and seed, arrowroot
- Popcorn
- Corn chips (MN: TJs has a very tasty veggie flaxseed tortilla chip, its great with hummus or homeage guac)
- Guacamole
- Hummus
- Soy cheese (no rennet or casein)
- Frozen spinach (to throw into smoothies… you won't even taste it!)
- Flax seed oil, freshly ground flax seeds
- Vegetarian stock for cookingPre-prepared foods at health food stores are often tasty and nutritious. Visit the "raw" section and deli/salad bar area”
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Cleveland 10 miler race report, kind of
Well I had a race. Or maybe I should say I had a run. I decided as I slogged through this year’s Cleveland 10 miler, that I am a runner, not a racer. I love to run. I only hate it when I worry myself about pace and about how I am not logging enough miles (which I am not at all by the way!). So, why in the world do I put the pressure on myself? I am an 8 something miler at best, I am never going to win a race, so why not just enjoy it. My overall goal is to finish a marathon in all 50 states, I don’t have to finish them in under 4 hours! Or even in under 5. Sure I would love to think that someday I can go to Boston, but not at the rate I am going.
So, the theme of the Cleveland 10 miler for me this year was relax and run. It was an impressive turn out with 2300 runners. I really like this race b/c it goes through a very pretty part of Cleveland’s west side that I do not visit often. For the most part the race is flat and you get a nice downhill right at the end. Parking is plentiful and you get to walk up a big hill to pick up your packet and move to the start line, which is a nice warm up. My best pal Michelle and I met up at 7am to be at the park by 7:30 for packet pickup. I was disappointed to see that this year’s shirt was the same as last years and I hated last year’s shirt! Hated it. It has stupid stripes on the sleeves that make them poke up at the shoulders, it looks awful on me. Oh well. Last year, this was a break through race for me, I ran it in 1:28 and it was the very first time that I maintained an 8something min mile for that long. I was so proud of myself. So, going into the race this year I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to do as well. However, I was pleased to finish in 1:30. I didn’t think even that was possible and it was super-hot and I felt overheated the whole time. I can honestly say that I gave the race my all and worked through moments where I really wanted to just say Screw It and walk.
If you want a total confession I have honestly only been running 2 times a week on average. I mean can you believe that I am training for a marathon on 2 measly runs a week! I will be lucky to finish South Bend, it’s not like I can make up for it now, the race is 5 weeks away. But I can promise myself to try harder for Eerie in Sept. If I can manage a 9min pace for 10 miles with barely training, then I know that if I train properly this summer I very well may be able to break 4 hours at Eerie or Chicago. And if I don’t? Well guess what it doesn’t matter. By the end of the year I will have another 3 states marked off the map and that is the goal, isn’t it!'
In other news, Harper rocked Easter and totally enjoyed her first Easter egg hunt and multiple Easter baskets. That kid is cute! Even if she refuses to smile in pictures. Check out her dress! I want one.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
2 years old already? Happy birthday baby.
730 days ago you came into the world without a sound. No screaming, no crying for you. You just sat back and took it all in. This new shiny world, and that is how you have remained. Happy and calm. I never knew that one’s heart could be so filled with love for someone else or worry about all the bad that the world could drop on you. Not until you entered the world. I cannot even remember what life was like before you were there, always at my side, my constant companion, my shadow. I cannot wait to see what unfolds in this next year. You are changing so quickly that I want to grab the clock and tell it to stop, to hold on just a few more minutes. All of a sudden you are a big girl, standing 3 feet tall and full of words. Able to maneuver the playground equipment all by yourself and walk the entire mile around our block. You help with dishes and like to vacuum. You love cottage cheese w/apple sauce and frozen peas. You tell the dogs to cut it out when they are playing and corral the cat into your lap for cuddling. You brush your teeth and sporadically go on the potty. You hug like you mean it and give the sloppiest kisses and you love to hold my hand. I hope to remember what you were like at 2 for always b/c right now you are the most amazing child that ever walked the earth, I just know it! Happy birthday Harper. 
Monday, April 18, 2011
Feeling MUCH better~!
All the house stresses are almost behind us! Everything is done on our home, officially sold! Inspection went just fine. We have bought a house! Just got the signed contract in my email. We still need to have the inspection this coming Friday, but barring any huge issues, we will be living in a rural farm town called Newbury that is very close to my very favorite down town area ever - Chagrin Falls. It has 4 bedrooms, a 3 season porch, awesome master bath and a finished basement! We will have 2.5 acres and I am totally going to learn to garden! Here are some pics:
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Funk Soul Sister
1. Well our house went up for sale 2 Saturdays ago. And in the one week it was on the market, we had 1 realtor open house, 1 public open house, 5 showings and 2 offers. The 2 p
eople bid it out with 1 guy being the victor. Now that sounds like good news right!? Well of course I am not going to complain about my house selling so quickly. But it was very stressful to have to run home from work to show the house. It was hard keeping it clean and it was torture driving around with Harper and the dogs in the car. To make matters worse it rained all week.
2. So, now the house is "sold" and we have a contract. Well on the contract we wrote in some comments on the date that the guy could have the house and then he said he wouldn't sign. So, long story short we ran around like idiots all day looking at our "favorite" houses on our list and we didn't like them. So, we told the guy to tear the contract up and he changed his mind. But it was the most stressful day.
3. We still have to get through inspection and I have a 1920s house and we are worried that something may come up that will be costly or scare the guy away. So, our house is not sold yet.
4. But if our house IS sold, we have to be out by June 30th. And we have nowhere to go. We haven't liked any of the houses we've looked at and I am getting really nervous. We are looking at 6 houses today, I hope something is better in person than it is online. But I certainly don't want to settle. The bottom line is that I am really second guessing our decision to move and I kind of wish I could take it all back. But it's not possible at this point, so I am trying to stay positive and just move forward.
5. All the house stress has made me fall into bad behaviors with my eating. Way too much sugar, way too much food. I feel gross and bloated and tired.
6. Bad eating leads to bad exercise habits.
7. So all in all I am a total mess. At least I have been for about 3 weeks. My marathon training is just ridiculous. I am running 2-3 times a week. Although my long runs have been okay. I did a half marathon last weekend, not a PR by any means, but I was able to stay steady at around a 9:30 pace.
8. This is the end of my list of whining. Tomorrow I start my mary training "again". I have to do 16 miles. It will be great, I just know it, lol.
In other news, Harper is almost 2!
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About Me
- Mnowac
- distance runner attempting to run a marathon in every state, vegetarian foodie, mediocre triathlete, sucky swimmer, mommy to Harper, tea lover, coffee drinker, animal saver, hubby snuggler, race addict, full time working 31 year old living in cleveland
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