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.

Apple Loaf

Lately it seems like once the evening rolls around and I have nothing to do, I look up something sweet on vegweb.com and start cooking! I tried out this recipe this week and it was amazing! My roommate has yet to complain (he's my guinea pig).
Apple Loaf