Oh Summer, Summer, Summertime!

I'm ready!  Today has been the first day in about a week that the sun has been OUT!  Classes are out and I am ready for the summer.  What do I have on the agenda: plenty of Relaxing and maybe a little bit of CrAzInEsS!  What does the CrAzInEsS involve you may be wondering?  Running!!!  I signed up as an alternate for the Reno-Tahoe Odyssey run that is happening the first week of June.  It consists of multiple teams that are running a 178 mile course over two days.  I was sent a message about a week ago saying that one of the runners was injured and had to drop out so guess what?  I'm up!  And I am so pumped!  I'll be running three legs of the race totaling 17.1 miles.  No biggie!  I got this!  So far this week, I have logged a 5 mile, 7 mile, and 5 mile run.  Tomorrow morning, I'll be tackling another 7 to end the week.  Not to shabby.  I'm feeling so amazing lately.

Another amazing part of my life, I met someone.  Someone so special that accepts me for me.  I'm pretty messed up about my past and I've never tried to hide it.  Understandably, that scares people away.  I've been up and down the past 10 years and to be able to be completely honest with a man and not be looked down upon is a blessing.  I remember telling my brother that my perfect man would be a "Christian Conservative Running Vegetarian."  I found part of that. :)  He (my brother) also told me that I would never find a man being a vegetarian...*sigh*  Well, guess what!!  In your face little brother!!  Xoxo

On a more serious note, life in the fall is going to change drastically for Marsella and I.  She is jumping into Kindergarten and I'm off to Nursing School.  I am just in awe at how fast she is growing.  My little baby girl is far from being a baby anymore.  She amazes me everyday with the words she uses, her attempts to manipulate me into getting what she wants, and her ability to surprise me daily with her level of intelligence.  Today we were at a store around where the clocks were.  She says, "The little hand is on 2 and the big hand is on 12.  That means it's 2 o'clock, mom?"  Wait....what???  Shocker! I am going to treasure every moment this summer with her.

When nursing school starts, I know I am going to miss her so much.  My nose is going to be in the books for the next two years and I dread the hours away from her at school and at study groups.  I keep reminding myself that this is all for the better - - it's for our future.  I want to give her everything.  I want to provide her with an amazing life full of opportunities.   That is my ultimate goal.  Yes, I am doing nursing because it's what I want to do but a huge part is for Marsella.  She is the one that relies on me everyday for little things: get her dressed, drive her to school, feed her, etc.  As she gets older, the expectations will increase on both parts.  I am sending her though a private school education which is going to be very demanding both financially and academically.  She will succeed.  She's a little smarty.

So, our goals this summer:
1. Have fun!
2. Spend countless hours floating down the river.
3. Log hundreds of miles on the trails and start training for another half-marathon
4. Spend bunches of hours with my love and baby girl making wonderful memories! :)

Love

The ultimate Love - -
"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight," --Phil 1:9

Running, Nursing, Drinks, oh my!

First off, I will begin by laying out my running adventures.  They have been far and few between with the semester getting all crazy on me.  I was able to squeeze in a 5 mile run this morning while Marsella was at school so that was nice.  I miss running by the lake...the hills, the birds chirping, the squirrels everywhere, the swarms of bugs!  Well, maybe not so much the later.  I'm a vegetarian so I tend to freak out when I end up with a little bugger in my mouth.  I freak and gag.  It's just horrible, I tell ya!  Besides the poor little guy that lost his life, my run was great.  I am certainly not as fast as I was last summer but just give me a couple of weeks and I'll be there.  On Sunday, I'll be running the Capital City Classic in Sacramento/10K.  Should be a nice one!  I'm really trying to register for runs that I have never done before.  For a while there, I felt like I was doing the same ones each year...that gets old fast.

Enjoying our AMF

Oh...dah dah dah...ready for the big news?  Are ya?? huh?  I got into a nursing program!!!  This came at an amazing time since the prior week I was frantically looking around at other BSN programs out of state to apply for before the deadline for Fall 2011 acceptance. The past semester has been hard for me - decisionwise.  I'm in a spot in my life where I have to start making some major progress toward establishing a career.  I feel like I have been in school forever and have nothing to show but a LOT of credits.  I have learned so much, don't get me wrong, and I would go to school forever if I didn't have a little one to take care of.   A couple of weeks ago, my growth group had a night of prayer and one of the things

Me (future RN) and my beautiful mommy (LVN)

we prayed about was my career path choices: nursing, forensic bio, lactation consultant.  At the close of prayer, one of my friends said "Hey Dayna, have you ever thought of applying to the police academy?"  Oooh no, not another pathway!  I never thought about it but once I did, I think I could handle it.  I guess God decided to stop me dead in my tracks by getting me into the ADN program at ARC.  I was at my mom's when I opened the email and I just couldn't believe it!  Me??  An RN??  In two years!!!  No way!!  I honestly give all the glory to God.  I have made some crazy changes in my life that I swear are being rewarded.  Not many people in the Sacramento area can say they got into a nursing program on their second try.  I'm one lucky chic!
So I attend orientation on May 13th to learn all the ins and outs and how things are going to start off.  I can't wait!  Marsella is one step closer to getting her chihuahua I promised here after I graduate.  She will not forget that one.

Over the weekend, my mom and dad took us out to Pizza Rock by District 30.  Service sucked but I think I succeeded in getting myself and my dad feeling PERRRTY good by the time the food arrived!

Marsella making Grandpa Bust a move while we waited to be seated.

Protein = PLANT-Based!

I am currently reading Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr.  It's jam-packed full of wonderful tips for a healthy lifestyle!  A lot of it reinforces how I have been striving to live for the past year.  Seeing it in black and white just gives me that extra bounce in my step. Knowing that I am giving my body the opportunity to live to it's fullest potential makes me feel so giddy inside.  I want to start sharing little tid-bits that I find helpful in the book.  I am often asked, "where do you get your protein?" when an acquaintance finds out that I am vegetarian.  Believe it or not, the Standard American Diet calls for more proteins than our bodies really need.  The USDA recommends about .36 grams of protein for every pound of body weight.  What saddens me is that most Americans hear the word protein and think meat.  I hear protein and I think almonds, chickpeas, tempeh, tofu, and lentils.  We have to change the way we think in order to give our bodies a chance.  This body of ours, which God constructed perfectly, was not made to tear into the flesh of animals.  Consider this -- just maybe we were given molars and masticating jaws, to grind up all those high-fiber goodies. (p.67)

Ms Carr suggested starting your day off with a green juice.  I attempted that this morning but without a small piece of fruit to sweeten up my juice of cucumbers, carrots, romaine, and ginger, it was a flop.  Actually, it was gross.  So I have it stored in the fridge until I get home to add some fruit juice to it.  Instead I pulled out my Vega Sport!  I have never been fond of the taste of it plane so I added a banana, soymilk, and a spoon of peanut butter.  WOW!!!  Move over coffee because I have a brand new drink to get me going in the morning.  Of course this is served with a side of B12 and B6.

Cheers! 

Fruit Salad

Fruit Salad (with the munchkin)

 

I chopped up a bunch of different fruits and made a "sundae buffet."  I think that if kids feel like they have their hands in creating the food they are expected to eat, they will be more likely to eat it.  This has been successful with Marsella about a handful of times.  I think I have the pickiest kid on the planet.  Thankfully though, she is getting better...along with my patience.

Banana
Grapes
Strawberries
Apples
Mandarin
Blueberries


I set a bowl of each of these out so that Marsella could pick and chose.  And guess what? She ate it!!!

Running. Beauty. Lemon Cupcakes.

I miss running.  I feel like I haven't been on a run in forever.  The people in my life have got to see a difference - - I keep experiencing periods of time when I feel like I am stuck inside a bubble and I can't escape!  My Sciatic Nerve felt like it was pinched for a while but now I can finally walk without hurting.  So I jumped on the treadmill Friday and gave it a go.  I am sad to say this but I got to one mile...that's it.  I stopped before I felt excruciating pain.  Healing is taking place so I refuse to push it.  I want to get out there with my running group very soon.  My goal is to meetup with them on Saturday morning.  Before that, I will go on a test run midweek to see how I do.  Lord, be with me!  I have been burning enough calories on the stair-master.  Yes, I'm seeing improvements in certain areas but there is nothing like a brisk 6 mile run...nothing!

John got into town on Friday.  It's so great to have him home from Korea.  Friday night was a long one.  I have to say it is pretty entertaining being the sober one in the group.  Mom, Dad, John, and I just hung out and took a peek at some old pictures.  A lot of them where from my Navy days. Those made me sad.  I had no idea I looked so bad.  I was fat.  Plane and simple.  Saturday evening, John and I went out for dinner and he said the sweetest thing to me, "Sis, not many girls get hotter with age! So stop freaking out about what you USED to look like."  How awesome is that!!

Church this morning was great!  We are working through the book of James with the theme "Faith that SAVES you, CHANGES you."  James is a powerful book and the messages that my pastors deliver just hit you so hard.  They make me really take a deep look at how I am living my life.  I like to think I am living the way God has outlined for me but the world is cruel and full of temptations.  I have some people praying for me because I have certainly been a lot stronger lately. :)  Without God, without those prayers, without the accountability of my friends, I would end up traveling down the road I was taking about a year ago.  I want more for my life and I know only God is going to open those doors for me.  I think He was just waiting for me to straighten up. 

I haven't done a lot of cooking this weekend since John has been in town.  Last week was pretty hectic at school, too.  So, I will leave you with an awesome Lemon cupcake recipe that I found on vegweb.com.  It's so yummy!!!

Lemon Cupcakes 
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour 
    2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1 teaspoon cornstarch
    splash nondairy milk
    1/2 cup nondairy milk (I use soy)
    2 tablespoons applesauce
    1/2 to 1 teaspoon lemon zest
    5 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used sunflower)
    1 scant cup sugar (I used raw turbinado)
    1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a muffin pan by greasing or lining with muffin cups. Sift together flour, arrowroot, and baking soda.

2. In a measuring cup, mix the corn starch and a splash of milk, until smooth.  Add the 1/2 cup milk to measuring cup, along with the applesauce.  Add enough water to make 1 cup of liquid.  Sprinkle in the zest.

3. In another bowl, mix sugar and oil well. Gradually add your wet and dry ingredients to the sugar and oil mixture, mixing gently. 

4. Finally, add the lemon juice to the batter. Spoon into prepared cupcake tin.  Bake about 20-30 minutes, or until the cakes pass the clean-toothpick test.

Serves: 12, Preparation time: 10-15 minutes

LLL: The joining of the sisterhood

My nephew, Aiden

      “We were born in captivity.” This is a quote from Gini Baker I often heard throughout my Lactation Education class.  Unfortunately, this is the truth.  In the early 1950’s, breastfeeding rates dropped to nearly 20%.  The introduction of cow’s milk to infants was being used instead of a mother’s milk.    The idea for Le Leche League was born during a family picnic in July of 1956.  Mary White and her friend found comfort in the fact that they were providing their babies with adequate nutrition without having to worry about cleaning bottles and heating formula.  Their feeding choice of breastfeeding provided a convenient supply and demand feeding system readily available to their infants at all times.  Mary and her friend decided that it would be beneficial for their community if they started a group dedicated to supporting and encouraging breastfeeding in new mothers.  From this small idea, blossomed an organization dedicated to educating mothers worldwide! 

                On March 17, 2011, I attended my first La Leche League meeting in Sacramento.  During the 18 months that I breastfed my daughter, I never attended one of these meetings and I now wish I had.  The class began at around 10am.  Sybil, the leader, provided a snack of bagels as she unloaded multiple books and resources bursting with breastfeeding information.  To begin the class, we all introduced ourselves.  I was thankful for the wonderful welcome I received when I explained that I was pursing my Lactation Education qualification and to hopefully someday be certified as a Lactation Consultant.  It seems that there is an overwhelming need for more individuals willing to devote time in educating and supporting these mothers.  They are all so grateful!

Aiden - "Where is my boob?"

                The passion that these women possess is overwhelming.  Out of the ten women present at the meeting, three were pregnant.  Four out of the seven mothers were Tandem Breastfeeding, which means they were providing nutrition to a toddler and infant.  It was amazing to see the patience and passion in these moms when both children wanted to latch on at the same time. 

Once brief introductions were made, Sybil asked if there were any concerns that the mothers wished to address during the meeting.  After she wrote a couple on the board, the conversations took off.  The three mothers who were nursing just one child expressed similar concerns when it came to latch, gassiness in the baby, returning to work, and positioning.  All of the mothers were eager to offer recommendations for each of the concerns.  Sybill was able to interject and clarify information that might need more explaining.

                One particular new mom,  Samantha*, expressed her lack of confidence in her breastfeeding and mothering abilities.  Her baby boy was 5 ½ weeks old.  He seemed to be doing very well.  I would conclude that she lacked a lot of support from her family when it came to her breastfeeding efforts.   I felt the great love and concern that poured out from the other mothers.  They offered advice to her concerns about latch, positioning, pumping, and returning back to work.   Each mom had something a little different to offer.  I was able to make recommendations on pumping and returning to work while others were a bit better at explaining positioning and latch options.  When the meeting concluded around 11:30am, Samantha walked out with her head held a little higher and a smile on her face.  

                Having the privilege to be a part of a breastfeeding community is such an honor.  These women are strong-minded, patient, loving women all doing their best at providing their babies with the most precious gift of all.  Breastfeeding is a proactive healthy choice for a newborn.  Having the peace of mind that your infant will be at a lower risk for heart diseases, diabetes, obesity, and could possibly have a higher intelligence level is very empowering.  I admire these women and I look forward to being able to offer my experiences and knowledge to the breastfeeding community.

* Names have been changed to protect privacy

Squint Squad Crush

With the weather being pretty nasty and someone not feeling up to par, Marsella and I have been spending a little bit of time working our way through Bones: Season 1.  I'm addicted.  And apparently, so is Marsella!

Dr Brennan and Dr Addy

We are watching an episode tonight and this is the conversation that ensued:
"Mom, isn't he just so cute?" 
"Who?"
"That guy!  See him!  The one with the cute face!" - in her cute squeaky voice


Now...the truth comes out!  At least she seems to be heading in the right direction -- clean, smart, geeky guy that probably has a bright future.  High Five my munchkin!

Everything Stir Fry

In an effort to utilize some of the yummy veggies I picked up at the Farmer's Market, I whipped up a stir fry with the left over Choy Sum.  I'm addicted to this stuff!  It's so pretty and delicate!
Now, when I cook something up like this, I don't measure.  In fact, I'm not a fan of measuring.  I estimate and pray for the best!
So, here is what's for dinner tonight!

"Everything Stir Fry"
A bunch of Choy Sum
2 carrots
a bunch of brocolli
about 1/4 cup of chopped onion
1 glove of garlic - minced
handful of fresh spinach
Garlic Powder
Celery Salt

1. I added the vegetables to a pan with a little bit of olive oil in this order: carrots, broccoli, choy sum.  Once these are starting to look nearly done, throw in about a handful of fresh spinach. 

2.  Last, add a sprinkle of garlic powder and celery salt. 

Dinner

I served the stir fry on the side with some Linguini and Cauliflower Sauce that I made the other night.

Cauliflower sauce


One head of cauliflower
Vegetable Broth
Minced Garlic

Steam the cauliflower until pretty soft.  Throw it in a food processor with some vegetable broth.  Add enough broth to satisfy your  consistency preference.  Add minced garlic and give it a few pulses.
Divertiti!

Zumba Fitness!

Wow!!!  If you have a Kinect, you must get this "game."  I've never done Zumba before but there is a pretty big rave about it right now.  Before I decide to take a class at the gym, I wanted to get the moves down so I didn't make a fool of myself.  Can't let the world know that this girl lacks moves....oooh well...wait, now I guess everyone does.  I've done both 20 minute Beginner classes and I break a sweat every time.  This says something because I consider myself to be in pretty good shape.  This is well worth the investment!

Just me and my sidekick

Lake Natoma View from Folsom Bridge

It's been a pretty decent weekend.  Marsella and I have spent lots of good time together - even when she's not feeling good.

Yay for natural home remedies!  Marsella woke up last night with a horrible earache.  After taking some motrin, she was able to get to sleep but this morning the pain attacked again.  I don't like taking her to the doctor because it's the same thing each time - weight, height, look in the mouth, ears, and then "Well, you can give her Tylenol to ease the pain and just let her rest."  I wish I could say that and get paid for it! Instead, I opted to try out a natural home remedy of olive oil, garlic, and onion.  I heated up the oil in a sauce pan and then added about two cloves of chopped garlic and half of a chopped onion.  I let this cook for about 15 minutes and then cool before her Dearest dropped some into her ear.  I then cooked up a peel of the onion to get it soft and let the juices start seeping out.  This was placed on her ear to kind of cup it.  She was NOT thrilled about having an onion on her ear.  I told her when she was done I was going to eat it and the look on her face was priceless.  I thought her eyes were going to pop out of her little head!  She took a little nap and seems to be doing about 60% better.  No ear pain but we are still tackling the cough.  Now that the garlic and onion has had time to seep into her ear, she smells like a little italian cook.

Farmer's Market Flowers

Yesterday, she had an "up" day!  It was a beautiful day so we hit up the Farmers Market down the road to see what kind of goodies we could get our hands on.  We picked up some fresh veggies, fruits, and flowers.  I just love getting fresh flowers from the market.  They are always so pretty and they last a lot longer than the grocery store.
Something different I picked up was Choy Sum, which is the flowering stem of Chinese cabbage.  When I first saw it, I thought "Well this is pretty but what do I do with it?"  The little guy told me to just treat it like a stir-fry vegetable.  This is exactly what I did.  I washed off the leaves and little yellow flowers and tossed them in the pan with some olive oil.  I tossed the greens with some linguini and a little bit of soy sauce.  Oh my goodness ---YUM!!  I regret not taking a picture.  This just means that next weekend, I will have to pick up more.

In the afternoon, we met up with some good friends and took a little bike ride down the American River Bike Trail.  It was so nice to get out in the sunshine.  I definitely got a good workout pulling two 4 year olds behind my bike.  Once our friends had to leave, we ventured on to take a ride around Lake Natoma. I believe it's about 12 miles give or take a mile.  Not very long but challenging when it came to the hills.  My thighs were burning! At some points, I was yelled some encouraging words by passer-bys.  We ended the day with some ice cream and starbucks.

We missed service this morning.  That was pretty heart-wrenching.  I hate missing service but I have to remind myself of my responsibility as a mom.  I was supposed to meet with the Elders of my church and give my testimony.  I'm a little nervous because I never really thought about my path that led me back to Him.  I have considered myself a Christian all my life but I haven't been living His way -- I've been living my way.  Which certainly doesn't always work out so well.  Since I have been making a more conscious effort to follow his laws, life has been looking up.  I do struggle with feeling lonely now and then but in those times, I just pray.  I pray that He will just wrap his arms around me and remind me that I'm never really alone.  He's here, with me and my munchkin, all the time! 24/7!  And that in itself is pretty amazing.  He knows how we are feeling right now, the challenges we go through, and He knows where we will end up.  Our future - I struggle with that a lot.  I feel like there is so much I want to do, so many different career directions I could take.  It sure is comforting knowing that He'll show that path to me when the time is right.  All I can do now is trust Him.

I have to share something!  I just tried Annie's Naturals: Green Garlic Organic Dressing.  It's AWESOME!

Cucumber-Celery-Pear-Apple juice

Very original name isn't it? :)  I've been making juices for about two weeks now and I just love them!  I'm finally getting the hang of it and figuring out which vegetables go good with others.  So here is what I made today:

1 cucumber
handful of fresh spinach (doesn't make much juice but what does come out is a beautiful dark green color - very concentrated)
2 stalks of celery
1 pear
1 apple

This makes about 16 oz.  Yummy!!!

Blacked Broiled Tofu, Rice, and Veggies

What an absolute surprise!  The Tofu didn't taste like good ol' Southern blacked fish but it certainly will suffice.  I would make this any day.  It was real easy too.  Total prep and cook time about 20 minutes.  
I served it with brown rice and veggies.  
Appreciated and loved by all  ( all = my roomie)! :)

Trader joe's Roasted Seaweed Snacks

For .99 cents, I figured what the heck. Gave it a try.
Gross! Taste like fish!

Wake up Call Recipe

Triple Grande Soy Latte from Starbucks
B6 - amt unknown
B12 - amt unknown
Oxyelite

I am AWAKE!!!  After being up til 1am studying....I think I'll survive the day.

Back by Popular Demand

Alright, alright...maybe not totally popular but one of my good Navy friends, suggested I start a blog because I'm just so entertaining.  I do post some crazy random, stuff don't I?  Ya just never know if it's going to be an update about my latest running ventures, single mommy challenges, grueling school schedule, or rant and rave over the horrid treatment of God's creatures in the factory farming industry.  Pretty broad subject base, I know.

I remember I had a vision that this blog would be exclusively about running and cooking.  Both of these have been put on hold for a little bit.  I started at Sac State this semester and made sure I had a pretty busy schedule.  It was all great at the beginning of the semester and now that it's midterm time, I'm feeling it.  I'm taking a full load at CSUS and an online Lactation Educator class through UCSD.  I know sometimes my parents are wondering why in the world I need to study so much.  They have been great in helping me with Marsella during these years of me trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up.  Oh wait, did I miss something?  Oh no, I'm grown up already?  Why didn't someone take me by the shoulders years ago and tell me this?  I could have used that in my mid-Navy years when I was to busy playing around bar-hopping and partying. What a waste.  At least I was able to obtain some awesome educational benefits from the whole deal.  And of course, I left with some great memories and friendships that will never be replaced.

Running has not been happening as much as I would like.  I was logging about 20 miles a week before the semester got crazy.  Lately, I've been spending lots of time on the stair-master and weight training.  Benefits to the stair-master: maintaining my shapely legs, firming up the glutes, and I can read while I'm climbing.  It's a win-win.  The weight-training has certainly helped me out on the range.  Firing off a 40 cal takes some strength and stability.  I am no longer tearing up the tires that are placed on the ground at the range.  I am hitting the target!  Yay!!

I would love to spend more time updating on some pretty awesome things that have been going on in my life but instead I must get back to a Lactation lecture.
But a quick overview:

• I <3 my church!  I have connected with some amazing people that I just love!
• Marsella is smart as ever!  She just got accepted into our first Christian school of choice! (Mama is gonna be broke...but it's so worth it.)
• Still applying to nursing programs.
• I celebrated my one year as a vegetarian last month!

29 and going strong!

What a great day!  I am commencing my last year of my 20's.  It's a little scary but the great thing is I feel healthier and happier than I ever did in my EARLY 20's. My munchkin made me change my lifestyle in an awesome way.  I used to drink too much, smoke too much, and rarely exercised.  When I found out I was pregnant, I started walking....and walking...and walking....and then when she was about 7 months old, I picked up the pace.  I just feel GREAT!!!  Yesterday I busted out 5 miles on the treadmill.  Anything over 4 miles on a treadmill is just plain boring.  But I did it.  Then followed it with a great upper body workout.  I must say these guns are looking pretty impressive.  I would be scared of me....maybe.  

I started my birthday with Marsella waking me up saying, "Happy Birthday, Mom!  Are we going to have a party with all your friends today?"  That just put a smile on my face.  I told her instead of a party we were going to go get pedicures, go out to lunch with Dearest, and then go to our new Growth Group.  I was exhausted this morning due to being waken up at 12:30 and then at 3am.  I think I might have gotten a solid 4 hours of sleep last night.  This girl has GOT to stay in her room.  I put up a baby gate in front of my door so she wouldn't be able to sneak into my bed (like she is so good at). The highlight of our night occurred at the 3am rise. I hear her say, "Moooom, Moooom, Mom? I can't get over this THING!"  It was so cute!  I responded with, "That's because you aren't supposed to."  Logical I thought.  Made sense.  
We got to the salon around 10am and I melt into the chair.  My eyes start to close as the little Asian guy (I'm sorry, I don't know what else to call him) starts massaging my legs.  Oh my gosh....my next husband WILL give pedicures!  (That's a joke, mom!) :)  Marsella kept saying "Mom, Wake up!"  Geez, can't I just get a little bit of sleep?  

Vegetarian Gumbo

For lunch, we picked up Dearest and headed to Celestine's: Island Eats and Cajun Cuisine.  They are supposed to have the best gumbo in Sacramento.  I found out about this little place through the Sacramento Vegan Society so I knew they would have great options for me.  I got the Vegetarian Gumbo and it was amazing!  I fell in love.  I will be going back!!  I had a wonderful birthday lunch with my two favorite girls.

This evening, Marsella and I went to our new growth group.  It was very refreshing.  For those that do not know, a Growth Group is a Bible study group from my church.  We gather once a week to dive into the message that was delivered on Sunday.  We learn together, fellowship, pray for each other, and at the same time reach out to others in our community who might be lost.  I love being able to come to a place where I know I won't be judged and I can fully devote myself to digging deeper into God's Word.  There is just so much to learn and lately I have had this unquenchable thirst.  I want to be surrounded by other Christians that can help me learn.  The accountability of other Christians is good too!  I want to be a good example for Marsella and I also want to be a good example of God's character.


Running log: As of 1/12/2011 - 14.68 miles

I better bump it up!  Week is almost coming to an end!  Plan of action: 5 miles tomorrow and 4 miles on Saturday morning!  I got this!

On a roll....

Busted out a little over 4 miles today!
I cheated though...not on my run but on one of my rules that I laid out to lose the "lovin."  I had two glasses of amazing Chianti at Macaroni Grill after church today.  I enjoyed every flavorful sip.  Savored every scent that lingered from the glass...ok, yeah I'm done.  Basically, it was great!  I LOVE Macaroni Grill!  They have a great "Create your own pasta" with two sauces that are vegan and about 6 different veggies that can be added to it (pick 3).  I could eat there everyday.  But then of course the running would be a bit counterproductive.  
About two hours later, I was on a treadmill running my heart out.  I did good considering the pain...it was a dull pain but nothing I couldn't handle.  I will be making an appointment tomorrow.
Miles to date this week (FYI - I start my week on Saturday): 9.68
I'm setting my goal low at 20 miles this week.  If I go over, awesome!  If not, that's okay too. :)

Over 5!

I slept until 10:45am!!  I don't know what the deal is but apparently I was really exhausted and needed to catch up on some sleep.  So, what did I do today? Sleep, Run, sadly watch the Saints Lose, and cleaned. Wonderfully relaxing day.
I went to the gym and was able to complete 5.26 miles.  I will admit, my right knee started hurting again.  This is really just killing me.  I might have to go get a brace to wear for some support while I run.  Even though I did over 5 miles today, I took it slow.  Either way, I'm satisfied.  I am on my way back! :)

Coconut Cupcakes

Deep in concentration

I am in the process of attempting to find a good cupcake recipe to make for my birthday party next weekend.  So far, this recipe has been a success.  The original recipe came from one I found on vegweb.com but I made a few changes.  My favorite thing about this recipe is that it is a quick cleanup.  You use just one bowl!  I'm all about quick and easy.
I prepared a Buttercream Frosting to go with it and I wasn't impressed so I won't even share that recipe.  My best advice: make your own until I can come up with a good one! 
I also recommend not cooking these up in cupcake liners.  They were a bit sticky.

Coconut Cupcakes

    1 1/2 cups flour
    1 cup white sugar
    1/2 cup flaked coconut
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1 cup almond milk
    1/3 cup canola oil
    1 teaspoon Almond extract
    1 teaspoon white vinegar
    12 cherries


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, coconut, baking soda, and salt.  Add in the rest of the ingredients, adding the vinegar last. Stir until well combined.

2. Pour into cupcake liners and bake 30 minutes or until centers come out clean.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

3. Frost with your favorite vegan buttercream frosting. Decorate with freshly toasted coconut and cherries.

Dearest and Marsella

Extra Lovin' and Some Runnin'

I have a confession.  Yes, I’m going to put it out for the world to see.  From July to now, I have gained 10 lbs.  I’m not devastated about it.  In fact, some days I feel healthier and like I have some substance to me but then other days when I look at pictures from back during the summer, I like the way I looked.  I will admit at times I felt scrawny and it is quite possible I lost too much but I am thinking that 135 would be a comfortable weight for me.  It would be a nice medium.   I am blaming the extra bit of “love”  for my knee injury, which is partly why I refuse to go to the doctor.  I know what she will do.  I will end up having to go through a bunch of scans and then some physical therapy and it will be a waste.  Instead, I’ll save the VA some medical costs and just take care of this myself.  I will lose the little bit of “love” that I packed on.  I am certainly not ashamed of my little change.  Everything still fits and in fact I fill out my jeans better (something I used to complain about during the summer when my jeans would bag off my bootie…not attractive).  This leads me to believe that I have put on some muscle, which I would expect considering I have been hitting the weight training pretty hard with my work out buddy.  He was there for me to instill some consistent weight training and I was there to get his cardio up.  We are a pretty good balance in the gym.   

So the plan to get this loss going: 

1.                        No alcohol (except for my birthday party when I will consume three glasses of wine…that’s not bad, is it?)  I think my love for wine has been a huge contributor to what has happened.  I can’t help it…I really do appreciate the taste of wine.  I love wine tasting and I love the social aspect of it.   

2.            One small snack at 6pm and if I get hungry, grab a bag of veggies and munch away.  

3.            Of course, I am still sticking to my vegetarian diet but I need to incorporate MORE fresh fruits and veggies into my diet.  Fresh is always best!

My running has improved.  Some days have been harder than others.  I tackled a 4 mile trail run on Monday which actually went quite well.  I certainly did not push myself very hard since I averaged about a 9:40 mile.  Over the summer I was doing an 8:30 mile…but I will get there again.  Tuesday and Wednesday I ventured to the gym with Marsella.  She loves going to the gym and playing with the kids so  I try to get her there a few times a week.  When she is in school, I take advantage of the alone time and always hit the trails.  After school, she asks me “Mom, did you go running already?” I respond and she comes back with, “Awe man, but I wanna go to the gym, mom!”  She’s pretty persuasive.  Sometimes she can sweet talk me into going to the gym for a light workout so she can wear her pretty little self out!  Tonight I should have taken the night off but I couldn’t resist a cycle class with my buddy.  I needed to break it up, give my knees a rest (but not COMPLETE rest…I struggle with this), and do something a little different. 

 

Marsella….oh my little princess.  She has been pretty good for me.  She’s 4 years old now and it’s time for her to start sleeping in her own bed.  We have had some nights of very little sleep but it’s such an amazing feeling to be able to sleep without being smacked in the face.  Then to wake up, peak in her room, and see she is sleeping soundly, just makes my heart flutter!  Of course, I always go over to her bed and make sure she is still breathing.  Hey, I’m a mom, I do weird stuff like that.  She is amazing me more and more with her vocabulary and the things that she recalls. She definitely is watching her mommy.

I feel like I have been on a roller-coaster this winter break.  My emotions have been up and down and it could be because I’m getting myself back into running, have had no school, and no church groups.  Having two months off because of my knee was no good.  Having no classes in session leaves my mind stale.  I need to be in school and constantly learning something to remain sane.  I have too much time to think.  My mind needs to remain focused on some sort of material.  I wish I would have utilized more time this break to dive into my bible studies.  Really, I have no excuse.  I am not ashamed to admit that I need accountability that my church groups provide.  With my new spring semester schedule, I will have to give up my mom’s group.  On the flip side, I will dive into the Women’s Ministry and see how that goes.   This time shall come to an end soon though.  My life will get back into order by the end of this month.  Oh I can’t wait.