Sometimes frugality is the way to go

Last Wednesday I met with a classmate at the campus student center to work on an assignment for a class we had together. We were coming from another class project meeting and she suggested that we work on our assignment at the campus center during the hour before our next class, that way she can grab dinner. I obliged, but knowing that I needed to drop my car off at my apartment and bike to the campus center, I decided to grab some food and minimize what dinner I would purchase at the campus center...smart right?

So I grabbed a Clif bar just in case my meal was light, and I grabbed half an avocado that was in the fridge. Whatever I decided to get could only have been better-tasting with the avocado spread on it. And the Clif bar was just in case nothing was appealing.

My vegan options were from the following vendors:

-A tofu burrito from Currito Burrito (wheat wraps are huge and I wasn't in the mood for all of that despite the amazingness of the burrito)

-Subway- I guess I could have gotten some kind of vegetable sandwich there? I never go to Subway so I don't really know their menu items)

-Gerlanda's pizza- Occasionally they have a vegan pizza pie which I would have grabbed a slice of, but this day they had none already made (and I wasn't about to order a pie by myself!). This pie is only vegan because they don't use cheese which is healthier, but definitely not as good as Tata's vegan pies that I'm raving about every now and then.

-King Pita Palace- A Mediterranean food vendor with plenty of vegan options!

I decided to order a falafel and eggplant pita wrap with hummus from King Pita and it was amazing. Too bad I had to actually work with my classmate and was forced to scarf my food down to have any kind of time to get work done. (Another classmate who was sitting nearby would actually comment on how fast I was eating later on during class.)

Now, the reason I titled the post the way I did was because I brought the half avocado along with me to the student center. I had a feeling that the classmate I was working with was going to ask me why I brought an avocado and not just asked for avocado to be added. Even if I had thought about that, King Pita doesn't offer avocado so that wouldn't have worked. But I found the thought interesting nevertheless.

The opinion I created can be found somewhere within the following sentences: Isn't it interesting that people often talk about how expensive fresh produce can be yet order a $7 or $8 salad to eat healthy? Often when Val and I go out, avocado is offered as a topping for a wrap or sandwich usually for an extra $0.50-$1.00. So all we think about is how good that sandwich will taste with avocado and we fork over the extra dollar for the quarter slice of an avocado the restaurant will add to the sandwich. I find it interesting that I've been so willing to do that yet every time I see the price of avocados at the farmer's markets we frequently shop at I have to pause a moment and think about how many we need during the current shopping.

Moral of the story. There is nothing wrong with bringing half an avocado with you and putting it on your food yourself! It's a way to ensure you are getting certain nutrients during your day and it could help you save money in the end! Val and I have done with before when we each brought a banana with us and went to get some muesli for breakfast from a local coffeehouse place. Listen, college students need to be frugal whenever possible and I think this is a generally easy way to be frugal around campus!

Whew! Done with that rant...

I'd like to share briefly about what's been up with my running.

I've been getting NJ Marathon director updates each week and they certainly aren't helping with my nerves. So far there have been three sent out by the race director starting at 10 weeks out. Just yesterday I received the 8 weeks out email and I feel like I haven't progressed in my running since the first email was sent! Winter has really kicked my butt and I literally have no idea if it's worth having a goal for this marathon next month. I have about 6 1/2 weeks of training left before I start tapering for the 26.2 miler and I  need to make every one of those days count. I'm going to start doubling up on my long runs like I did during ultramarathon training. I know the marathon and the ultramarathon are completely different beasts, but I'm going to be somewhat strategic about what mileage I go for during these double long runs. I have to be smart so I avoid injury training like this.

Today's run was a quick 8 miler around Rutgers campus. I don't know if any of you readers saw a guy in a bright orange jacket and short shorts running around, but if you did, it was that vegan runner. I averaged 7:07 for the 8 miles which I was really happy about. I am going to be open with you and reveal to you my goal of running 7 minute miles for the marathon which won't be easy by any means. The 7:07 average for 8 miles was good because it gets my body used to the pace I am shooting for. My beginning miles need to be a bit faster so I don't have to play as much catch-up in the latter half of the marathon, but I was happy with my end time for today.

We'll see if I hit that marathon mark or not. My training has been all kinds of messed up this winter so part of me just wants to enjoy this marathon down at the shore and soak it all in after such a snowy and icy winter.

I'll be focusing many of my posts around my marathon training as a way to show how I train for this distance and also to help motivate myself.



Most of this post was centered around this amazing fruit: the avocado. If you haven't had an avocado before, I definitely encourage you to give this fruit a try. You can eat it as is shown in the picture or you can spread it on sandwiches, tortilla chips, put into salads, use as a pizza topping; the uses are probably endless. Another obvious way to eat avocado is to make guacamole with the fruit, but be careful: purchasing guacamole in the store and eating it is nowhere near as healthy as making fresh guacamole in your own kitchen with fresh ingredients!

So why are avocados so good for people, especially runners and are kinds of exercise-doers? Avocados are an excellent source of potassium which is important for muscle health and optimal muscle functionality. Trying to do any kind of exercise when your potassium levels are very low or frequently low will have a noticeable impact on your ability to lift those weights, run those miles, swim those laps, and whatever else you may do.

Avocados are also great for its fat content. What?!? Did I just use "fat" and "great" in the same sentence? Yes and here's why: People need fat! It's plain and simple. Fat is used to protect our body's organs and it is used to insulate us especially in colder climates and temperatures such as this past one. But a primary reason why runners and endurance athletes need fat is because the body used both carbohydrates and fat during exercise. Now, which is being used during your 5 mile run depends on how you are running those 5 miles, but it is still safe to say that you need to consume an adequate amount of fat each day and avocado is probably the best food you could be eating to meet your daily need.

I encourage you to look up avocados and do some reading about the other benefits of this food such as its Vitamin C, K and B6 content.

Happy Running!



 

Nuts about Nuttzo!

Didn't get to post last night. I was pretty bummed about it actually, but realized I late that I had an assignment due the day before (yes, it may have been a tad late). Curse these online classes! Anyway, I had to get that done with after returning from taking the train two towns over to exchange workbooks for my essay correcting job which took place after my evening math class...aren't you annoyed just reading this? So...I had no time to post (or it just would have been an incoherent "blah" that I would spend today's post explaining it). 

So on with it already! Speaking of math class...

Definitely made my "Math of Money" class a whole lot more enjoyable! It's like eating a soft, thick cookie dessert, especially when you pair it with coffee--which is what the metal cylinder is to the right of the picture. I usually go for one of the bars with chocolate in it, but I'm loving this Black Cherry Almond recently. Also, just learned today from Val that these Clif bars have about 50% of your daily need of Vitamin B12. This is HUGE when you take into account that vegans are often deficient in B12. 

This was intended to be photo exclusively of Nuttzo, but of course Sweet Dreams had to get in on it. 

Never heard of Nuttzo? I figured as much. It's a 7 Nut + seed butter that is to die for. Val first heard about it during her Dr. Oz phase and when it came in the mail (we ordered it almost immediately) it was love at first sight. This one we got at the endurance expo this past Sunday. We saw their vendor table and rushed over. We had a couple samples and learned that the seller was the sister of the Nuttzo founder who is based out of California. Pretty cool!  

Anyway, it's got an incredible taste and can be used for anything and everything just like peanut butter or almond butter. The past couple of days I've been mixing into my oatmeal breakfasts to add a protein kick to my start-up meal. I wanted to take a picture after I mixed everything I put in my oatmeal, but realized it looked kind of unappetizing. But you can't judge a book by its cover, right?

    
Is that an x-ray of a lifeboat? A broke flash drive? Oh I know, I know! It's a damaged photograph of a futuristic tunnel-like hallway probably used on a movie set (look closely!).
Well, all of the above possibilities are incorrect. This is a photograph of the oldest piece of earth ever discovered. Read about it here.

See, now you have some insight as to the other kind of miscellaneous headlines and topics that grab my intention when I'm perusing W cubed. (That just happened.)


I don't really have to say much about the next image except for this: They're VEGAN!!!!

"Homemade Energy Truffles courtesy of this Runner's World e-article .


Have high-blood pressure? I sure hope not, but if you do or know someone who does, check out this article that I came across a couple days ago. It is focused on a vegetarian diet as a way to combat high blood pressure. Here is a short excerpt:

Many factors could be affecting the vegetarians' blood pressure. Vegetarian diets are often lower in sodium and saturated fats, while being higher in fiber and potassium. (Bold, mine)

Vegetarians also tend to have lower body mass indexes because fruits and vegetables are less energy dense - meaning you can eat more of them for fewer calories.

Okay that's enough for today. I have to get on with my day. Stuff to print out and miles to run. Today's workout is some kind of speedwork. I haven't decided yet what I will run, but I know it's been a while since I got the legs moving at a rapid rate. Mile repeats? Speedy 30 second intervals? We shall see, but I'm just glad I had a hearty oatmeal breakfast packed with nutrients to fuel me (Maca-Cacao-Hemp powder blend, raisins, banana slices, Nuttzo, cinnamon).

Happy Running!
 

Go Vega!

Mondays get such a bad rap, but today is definitely a good one! Woke up pretty early and more then tired, but I needed to go for a decently long run. After the incredible calorie consumption this past weekend, I needed to get back on track. I managed to get in 14 miles on Saturday, but yesterday I was too full to even think about moving, let alone running. 

Today was a new day, though, and I got out the door around 7 and took off to explore a couple of Rutgers campuses. 

Was thinking about an easy 2 hour run, but I think all the pita bread and hummus from yesterday gave me quite the energy boost.

Immediately after I walked in the door, I had a Vega Apple Berry "recovery accelerator" mixed with water. Val spent $10 at the expo yesterday for a sample bag of Vega products that was probably worth about $25-30. In it were various bars, protein mixes, and recovery drink mixes with various vitamins and electrolytes. 

I couldn't wait to have the Vega bar Val gave me with breakfast. Not pictured: coffee, of course! (That's what the milk was for)

Running coach Jason Kilderry presenting on training and technique for runners. There were four "rooms" each with a different seminar simultaneously taking place every 50 minutes (does that make sense?). 

Val trying on her new Giro aero helmet. What a bargain! Hope it helps her for Nationals and for the new tri season starting this summer!

Val having her swim technique analyzed in the endless pool. This thing is so freakin' cool! If only our landlord would allow us to put the smallest model in our loving room...oh and there's the cost part too. Val's uncle had his technique analyzed as well.

Had so many Honey Stinger Waffle sample bites that a vendor at the expo just kept cutting up and putting out for people to try. Val and I have definitely tried our share of honey stinger waffles, but they sure didn't know that (and yes, Val and I do consume honey).

That's all for today! I will leave you with a video that can only make you say, "I wish this never happens to me." Watch it here.

Happy Running!

PS: Told you I'd make up for the lack of pictures last post!

Back!!!

Ahhh it's been way too long! First, I have to apologize to my readers (if I'm lucky enough to even have any "readers").

You ever get into a exercise rut? I used to get into them at least 3-4 times a year where I just didn't want to do anything that requires putting on workout clothes. And the annoying thing is that you don't intend for it to get that bad. You take a day off, then something happens on day 2 and so you tell yourself: "Definitely back at it tomorrow!" And then that tomorrow comes around and you're already so used to all that extra time you have by not exercising that you find any reason (excuse) to not lace up.

Well that's how it was this past week with blogging. Sadly, I don't have any legitimate reasons for not posting other than I let night snowball into however many nights its been. I mean, I guess I could say I've been really busy and that would be the truth. I can't even pretend that I've been watching or even keeping up with the Olympics these past two weeks.

School work has definitely picked up and substitute teaching and essay correcting for another job has definitely taken up much of my non-school time. I've even had to put in my two weeks notice at the YMCA I've been working weekends for for the past year just so I can get a breather each week. It's going to be weird actually having a Saturday to do what I want and not have to request off or find coverage to run a race or go out with Val. I'm even missing out on New York's Vegetarian Food Festival next weekend due to work, which seriously bites! Hopefully Val will get to go and enjoy it for the both of us.

Speaking of weekend plans, Val and I are heading to Philly on Sunday for the 2014 Endurance Sports Expo (http://www.endurancesportsexpo.com/) and we are so excited (If she could edit my blog she would say she's more excited than I am. Val: That's just because I haven't had time this week to even think about the expo!). Some of the seminars we'll be experiencing on Sunday are:

Run Stride Analysis (I'm skeptical of the accuracy, due to the likeliness they will be using a treadmill. Still interesting to see though.)

Run Training and Technique.

There are other cycling seminars and a swimming one or two that I know Val (the triathlete of this couple) is very excited for as is her uncle who is also very into triathlons. I have two triathlons under my belt and I gotta be honest, I'm satisfied for now. I've decided it's all running for me this year. 

Speaking of running and triathlon, check this article out about a 21 year old who was a stud high school runner and has since returned from serious injury to only become a stud triathlete: http://www.runnersworld.com/elite-runners/lukas-verzbicas-joins-team-new-balance

But anyway, I'll definitely be posting about what we see and do on Sunday at the Expo and I promise I'll have plenty more pics then I'm sharing tonight (Considering that's 0, I guess I only have to share like 2-3??).

Before I end this post, I have to leave you with cautionary advice and a laugh (or not, if you're sensitive to what happens) all rolled in one video: Enjoy

 Happy Running! 

P.S. Idk why, but Val and I are in some kind of tempeh phase these past few weeks. I mean we have always enjoyed it and it wasn't unusual to see it in our fridge, but now we're running through about 3 packages of tempeh a week (a lot for us) and I can't say that I don't like it (obviously!). If you've never had tempeh (If you don't know how to pronounce it, it's likely you've never had it) then please get to your local food store, head to the tofu section and pick up a pack of tempeh (might want to confirm that they have it first). While you're there, pick up a container of tofu as well. Both foods are soy products and serve as excellent substitutes for meat and even better sources of protein. Tempeh has a wonderful grainy texture that gives it a meat-like feel while you're eating it which is perfect for new vegetarians/vegans or those on the fence about making this (positive) lifestyle alteration.

Whew! Longest postscript ever! 

What falls from the sky, is white, and is seriously challenging my training??

Snow day # ....IDK! There have been too many! What did the snowstorm do for me yesterday? Well I was able to catch up on some homework that has just been sitting on my desk (and table and coffee table). The kitchen needed a good sweeping too so got that out of the way.

But a good run is what I needed the most and did that happen? As much as I'd like to say that I was crazy enough to go out in the blizzard-like snowfall and brave the storm, it didn't happen. Val and I expended 0 energy yesterday unless you are desperate (like us) and decide to count getting up from the couch to make breakfast, lunch, and dinner as doing squats. Speaking of dinner though...going out for Valentine's had a bit of a different look this year.

I'd be lying to you if I maintained the fib that we actually cooked dinner as I previously alluded to. No...it wouldn't have been a true snow day unless we ordered in for dinner, subsequently making a delivery person deal with the outside elements instead of us! We're awful people, I know! But the tip was pretty good.

So our dinner of choice: the vegan pizza ( Teese brand soy mozzarella cheese) that I have wrote about a couple times already.

The Bronzino AKA. Heaven in a box: eggplant, pepper, onion and garlic.

I don't even want to write about the line of events that this pizza sparked. Let's just say they involved chocolate chips, some peanut butter, bananas and raisins. Hey! We had fruit!!

As for the news I've come across the past few days, check out some of these below:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/11/health/chicago-hospital-mystery-message/index.html?hpt=he_c2

How cool would it be if you got to try out Google Glass during class? (quite the Dr. Seuss)

http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/10/living/google-glass-in-schools/index.html?hpt=li_c2

That's all for today! Hopefully the ice isn't too bad out there as my phone is showing me 37 degrees and I am feeling good about a run!

Happy Running!

 

Oh the smells!

As much as I love running outdoors, I have recently been wanting to go to the gym on campus. I preach about running outdoors over running on a treadmill yet I haven't been able to shake this gym feeling. Until today.

Knowing I had class at 9:50 this morning, I decided I would run in the afternoon. Following class was a 1 hour 45 minute meeting and after that I had to correct some student essays for work. I was actually looking forward to this because I was dying for a coffee!

So I headed over to the Barnes & Noble bookstore on campus and had myself a tall coffee with soy. I was going to grab a Nature Valley Peanut Butter Crunchy bar (So good!! And I already had my daily Clif bar), but I decided to try their Protein bar instead. Now I have to admit, I did count calories as I had lunch during my meeting, but I really wanted something with my coffee. The NV protein bar had 200 calories versus the PB crunchy bar's 190. What the heck; why not?! Now, I wish I can tell you what the flavor was and include a picture of it, but get this: I can't find it online! I was just Googling "Nature Valley protein bar", "Nature Valley protein chocolate", and some other searches with other keywords. No luck. The flavor I had isn't even on the Nature Valley website! What the heck Rutgers B&N bookstore!? I promise you I had a NV protein bar with chocolate chocolate chunks and, I'm pretty sure, cherries in it, but I have no way of proving this until my next visit. If you would like to verify my search or just prove that I can't look for anything (generally pretty true), then check out their website for yourself: http://www.naturevalley.com/snack-bars

Anyway, by the time I got back to the apartment and had my sneakers on, I had just 45 minutes for a run. I wanted to be out there for at least an hour, but that just wasn't possible for today. So I had the great idea of heading to the gym and getting in a quick run on the treadmill and then complete a quick gym workout afterward. After reading this article (http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/why-stair-climbing-is-good-for-runners) about stair climbing, I figured maybe I could reap some of these awesome benefits by putting the treadmill on an incline.

So I run to the gym, put my jacket, hat, and ID in a locker, and immediately question the decision I had made: I had to wait around for one of the five six treadmills to become available. If that wasn't unnatural enough (for me), the place smelled awful! I learned that running outside definitely, though undesirably, improved my ability to smell BO when it was around me...and I think it amplified that ability as well.

I finally get on a treadmill and my "run" lasted all of 3 minutes 36 seconds and not because the power went out or a fire alarm was pulled. I just couldn't take it! The smells; the pounding of the treadmill; the incredibly inaccurate pace that the machine indicated I was running  when I know my body and I know what certain paces feel like. So I left the gym and, without a watch or gloves, proceeded to run one of the most enjoyable runs I have completed in quite a while. I don't know if it was the liberating feeling I got from the lack of weight on my wrist or if it was the fact that I felt like I needed to prove why outdoor running trumps treadmill running, but I felt incredible.

So I guess, in a way, I have to thank that treadmill for those 3 minutes and 36 seconds. If that's all it took to remind me why I love running outdoors no matter the bitter temperatures, then that is time I don't mind not getting back!

Happy Running! (Sorry for the lack of pictures today!)

Anniversary Weekend!

I just want to post about an incredible weekend it has been. Yesterday was Val and I's 3rd anniversary and it was quite a day (and weekend). 

While Val had to go into work for a few hours in the afternoon, I was able to get in a good 80 minute, 10 mile run. Wearing short running shorts on a 28-29 degree day definitely turned some heads throughout my route, but I didn't care; it felt great to get out there and wearing shorts is definitely the way I like to run. 

When I picked up Val from work I surprised her with a gift certificate for 5 yoga classes to Sakula yoga studio in Metuchen where she's been to before and had a good experience. I figured I couldn't go wrong as she's been talking about yoga recently and her mom got her a new yoga mat for Christmas. 

Then it was time for Goldie's.... (Pictures at the end of the post!) 

Goldie's is a relatively new vegan restaurant in Asbury Park. It opened up in September right down the street from an awesome vegan lunch place: Twisted Tree Cafe which explains why we never heard about until a month ago when we were trying to plan where to celebrate our anniversary. What an amazing experience we had.

We've been to Blossom's in NY, Vedge in Philadelphia, Sprig & Vine in New Hope, PA, Elizabeth's Gone Raw in Washington, D.C., and out of all of these fancy shmancy (Sprig & Vine is much more casual, but still) places, Goldie's topped the list. 

You would think three appetizers and our entrees would fill us up and it might have had it been non-vegan food. But the beauty of vegan eats (for Val and I) is that we get to eat more before we really begin to feel it! Given that, we decided to get two desserts to finish out the night. Or so we thought. After those two desserts...2 more. And just to satisfy our intense sweet tooth, we ordered our fifth dessert plate and the last dessert option on the menu! Yeah, we have a problem. You don't have to tell us! 

Our eats & drinks:

Appetizers:

Fried cauliflower 

Fried Hen-of-the-Woods mushrooms

Roasted brussel sprouts with an incredible apple butter spread on the side

Entrees:

Chickpea Socca (Val)

Truffle-marinated Tempeh (Me)

Desserts: TOO MUCH TO TYPE!! but here I go (in order)

Truffles (70% cocoa)

Olive oil cake w/ lemon almond ricotta and berry coulis (i.e. fancy culinary terms for "sauces" or "toppings")

Cranberry-blackberry cobbler 

Roasted Gala apples w/ an amazing hazelnut brittle and cinnamon rum cream to top it

And if that wasn't enough...

Chocolate cookies with a hazelnut butter and panna cotta (these were our favorite of the 5 and literally (almost) to die for!) 

Drinks: 

Kale-Ginger margarita

Tangerine Mojito 

Spiced pear 

....and I guess I'll add the "Perfect" Manhattan to this list although it was wayyy too strong for either of us lightweights!

 Most decadent chocolate truffles ever!

 Olive oil cake

Val's chickpea socca (bottom) definitely beat out my tempeh dish

 My Tangerine Mojito (left) and Val's Kale-Ginger margarita 

 Happy 3rd!  

And if all of that wasn't enough....today, after devouring Carob-covered Raisins for breakfast, we went to Val's best friend's house for lunch with her and her parents. 

On the menu: 

Val's famous homemade Black-bean Quinoa veggie burgers

Val's second set of parents and I. Claudia showing off Val's veggie burgers!

Thank you, Val for putting up with me for the past 3 years. It's been quite a ride and, God willing, we have countless years ahead of us!

That's all for tonight!

Happy Running!