Sometimes you just gotta to go all in

I received a text from Val while I was in school today and she informed me of a beautiful 5 mile run she had just completed earlier this morning. I was jealous. Getting a taste of early morning runs again due to yesterday's snow day was and is making me crave these runs again. When I got home after school, I kicked off the dress shoes (read: took them off slowly after untying the laces so as to preserve their condition), and laced up the running shoes. I grabbed my Garmin running watch and out the door I went for an 8 mile workout. Val had said in her text that she loved the dodging ice patches part of her run. Me? I did an 8 mile workout in a 1.5 mile radius so as to avoid these ice patches and iced over sidewalks. 

Even with the confined route, I thoroughly enjoyed the run today. I think it was this enjoyment and the endorphins that were released that led me to the second half of my feel-good evening: food :) . Val brought home some Spicy Tomato soup from the restaurant she works at and we warmed that up for dinner. Nothing like hot soup after a cold, Winter run! As we were eating the soup, I had a mouthwatering lentil and black-eyed peas dish cooking in a saucepan with some chopped up broccoli, onions, and fresh garlic. I had mine with cayenne pepper and another Latin-style spice mix we have; Val decided to add nutritional yeast to her dish for a cheesy-like taste. And if the soup, lentils and black-eyed peas, and a shared avocado wasn't enough to satiate my hunger--apparently it wasn't--we would always have our beloved George St. Co-op.

The George St. Co-op is a local natural foods store that we frequent when we are looking for something in particular or just want to treat ourselves to some of the many vegan and sometimes-but-not-always natural snacks. Tonight was a treat ourselves kind of night. We went for gluten free cookies and coffee and left after enjoying and sharing vegan Thai Dumplings (delicious!!), coffees, 3 small gluten free cookies, and 2 vegan chocolate bars that we NEVER get (and yes, maybe I put "never" in capital letters to relieve myself of some of my guilty conscious!). If you have never tried one of the chocolate bars located below, please do yourself a favor and locate one ASAP. You will not regret your decision, nor will you find the need to indulge in a Milky Way, Snickers, or whichever candy bar suits your fancy. Plus....these are vegan. And vegan ALWAYS means healthy...right? Oh...It doesn't? Well uhh...Hey! Sometimes you just gotta go all in and tonight we had no regrets. 

Val and I spit a Twilight bar, think "Chocolate Milky Way" and a Jokerz bar which tasted like a new and improved Snickers bar. Yes...I went there.  

Happy Running everybody! And I guess it's also fitting to say, "Happy Eating"!!