Outside of being pregnant, I have never not ran for this long (since I started running years ago). Not only have I not run but I haven't done much of anything else either which is the strange part for me. I was hooked on Bikram yoga for a couple of months but it has become too time consuming (and expensive) for my lifestyle. So about a month ago I decided it is time to get back into a regular workout routine and get back to running!
I ran my first race of this year last weekend, the Miracle Miles 15K (9.3 miles). I had such a good time. I went all by myself since Nick was out golfing at a charity event (my mom watched Gavin). I had forgotten the rush of adrenaline that you feel on a race course. The weather was not perfect but it was good enough. I did not PR- but given the running hiatus, it was a "great success!" (as Borat would say). Slow and steady was the name of the game and I enjoyed every step. All I kept thinking about was, how did I wait this long for a race? So, of course now I have one race lined up every month until the end of the year. I'm doing the UCF 5 Mile & 2 Mile race next Sunday- the plan is for me to run the 5 miles, then walk the 2 mile race with my mom and sister. Then I'll do a 5K in Nov (Turkey Trot) and I'm thinking about a 1/2 marathon in December. I just needed a little push and now I'm hooked again. I need to have a race to train for in order to be motivated to get up and run. Although lately the weather has been so nice that it actually does not feel like a chore to get up and run.
On to the next topic....organic living.
I have really been trying to change the way we live and eat this year to more "green" living. We have certainly increased the amount of recycling that we do. We only need to take out the trash once/week because we're recycling more or using less overall. I mentioned that we were going to live without paper towels and that has been a "great success". There is not a single roll of paper towels in our house and it's been that way for months. I bought 2 dozen washcloths for about $4 and that's what we have used for everything that a paper towel is used for. The only downfall---anytime our dog has an accident, I wish I had paper towels. We have been saving all the paper napkins we get when we get take out and luckily between that and some baby wipes I was able to clean up all of Baby's vomit last week when his food didn't settle well. Other than that, we have not had a need for them.
The food front has been a little more difficult. I really want to buy as much organic, fresh produce as I can to make meals and not rely on processed, conventional, or frozen foods to feed ourselves. Additionally, we have tried twice this year already to convert to vegetarians again and we keep going back to meat.
However, this past week was really good. Last week was the first time I ever went grocery shopping and stuck to the expert advice of only shopping around the perimeter and not going through the aisles. This means that I only bought fresh produce and went to the dairy section---did not go through the middle where all the processed foods are typically located.
I have made a few homemade vegetarian, hearty meals that were a hit for everyone AND they were as fresh as we can get (I'm never going to make my own pasta or tortillas!). I made sweet potato enchiladas and they were delicious. I ate this for days b/c I didn't notice that the recipe was for a much bigger family but I did not mind eating this every day. Even Nick who does not eat sweet potatoes said they were pretty good.
The last time we tried to not buy meat I struggled to find menu ideas that would satisfy us for longer periods of time. This time around I incorporated tofu into the recipes to see if Nick and Gavin would like it, because I knew it would keep us full longer since it's a good protein source. "Great Success!" again.
My first tofu dish was a Chinese inspired noodle stir-fry. It turned out to be a light but filling dish. I also experimented with Tofu crumbles (they look just like ground beef) and made traditional enchiladas and served them over Spanish rice....amazing! Nick didn't even notice it was tofu until I told him. He said "I thought we didn't have any meat in the house". Gavin does not eat meat of any kind and I served him just the rice with some of the "meat" on the side and he loved it, he kept asking for more "carne" (meat) so it even tricked him.
The funny thing is that I think is even more satisfying than a regular meat dish because typically I cook a meal thinking it will generate leftovers but we get hungry a couple of hours later and then it's gone. The enchiladas and rice lasted the full 3 days because just one enchilada over the rice was enough for us.
Ok, so let me rewind to explain my reasons for vegetarianism:
1. After watching the documentary "Food, Inc" and reading books such as "Skinny Bitch" and "The Omnivore's Dilemma", I really don't trust any company that produces our food in America. Therefore, I want to eat as fresh as I can so I know what is in my food. In my opinion, no meat in an American supermarket can be trusted to be antibiotic and hormone free, properly fed (cows fed grass rather than corn) or properly/humanely treated in the process. So, Nick and I have chosen to try to decrease our consumption of meat and highly processed foods so that we are healthier overall (physically and mentally- b/c I don't feel good knowing that I'm part of the consumption chain that keeps the system going as is).
2. The germophobe Stephanie loves not thinking about whether I have cross-contaminated my kitchen counters, sponges, utensils, etc. I HATE touching raw meat and I am particular grossed out by raw poultry- the smell is repulsive to me. So, not having to deal with it and not having to worry about disinfecting everything after I cook is just wonderful to me.
3. It forces me to think about what I am going to eat. I love cooking with fresh products and somehow when I don't eat meat I do more of it. When I don't think like a vegetarian, it's like I don't care what goes in my body and I go back to eating like crap overall. This is just my personal experience.
4. It's better for the environment! :)
However, Nick and I have decided to go vegetarian in our house. So, moms and dads- you don't have to worry about what you make when we come over. If we are invited to someone's house, we will eat whatever they prepare. This is why I said we would try to "reduce" our consumption rather than eliminate it. I think it's a far more achievable goal than to just tell ourselves we can't have any. Nick's office mate who is vegetarian told Nick they only way he's made it is that anytime he gets a craving for a burger or other meat, he satisfies the craving rather than fighting it. We are going to follow his advice and see where it takes us.
On to... GAVIN!
Today Gavin had a play date with his buddy Nathan. They did so well together. Gavin learned to say Nathan and it was so cute to hear him call him. Cara and I had a picnic set for lunch and Gavin and Nathan even shared some of their food with each other. They are both adorable!
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