2 on Tuesday with a Side of Tofu

2 on Tuesday

This morning was painful, but I managed to get up and get in my workout. I didn't sleep well at all. I'm blaming everything on the time change. Anyway, I chose to do an easier step workout as Jason and I were planning a lunchtime run to take advantage of the nicer weather. I chose Low Impact Circuit - Cardio Only Premix. Again, one of the best things about the majority of Cathe's DVDs are the many premix options offered. This one is pretty low-intensity (though I do use 2 risers) and lasts just over 40 minutes. It was the ideal workout when a 5:30 am workout wasn't something I was overly excited about.

The weather, I thought, was supposed to be 64 and sunny. However, it was more like 56 and cloudy when we went for our lunch run. Let's just say that the weather sets the stage for how my run went. I was really looking forward to it. The last few runs have been great. Today, however, was not one of those fun runs for me. I felt like I was just all out of whack the whole time. I never hit a comfortable stride at all. Of course, this just made me mad at myself so that didn't help the situation. I ended up only doing 25 minutes. Of course, I had done 40 minutes of step in the wee hours of the morning, so I know, rationally, that didn't benefit my run at all.

I will look at the positives: spending time with Jason, getting to be outside of the office, added boost of energy. And speaking of energy, I was starved when I got back to the office. I pretty much inhaled my salad: roasted kabocha squash and black beans over spinach and red leaf lettuce with balsamic vinegar. Yummy and very filling.

Tofu Tuesday

As I admitted to my blogger pal Alicia at Vegan Epicurean, I spent a lot of time tossing and turning last night thinking of recipes and ways to use some items in my fridge. After lots of agreement on yesterday's post about pineapple being awesome, I started trying to think of some other recipes. Alicia suggested the combination of pineapple and miso. Hmmm, interesting. So I started my quest for a recipe using the combo. Here's what I came up with: Pineapple Miso Tofu over Shiitake Quinoa with Spicy Roasted Broccoli.

Pineapple Miso Tofu

Ingredients:

1 package extra firm tofu (frozen, thawed, then drained)

1/2 - 3/4 cup fresh pineapple, diced

2 tbsp fresh orange juice

1 jalapeno, minced

1 tbsp white miso paste

1/2 tsp turmeric

salt, pepper to taste

1 tbsp minced garlic

Directions:

Combine all ingredients minus tofu in blender and puree.

Cut tofu into slabs and layer with marinade. Let marinate at least 1 hour.

Either grill or bake tofu to desired crispness or firmness (I like my tofu to be really firm). I baked mine at 375 for 1 hour flipping once.

Shiitake Quinoa

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or water

1/2 dried shiitake mushrooms, reconstitute in hot water

2 green onions or scallions, diced

1 tbsp garlic, minced

2 tsp ginger, minced

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook quinoa per package directions.

Meanwhile, in non-stick skillet, saute scallions, mushrooms, and ginger in small amount of extra-virgin olive oil, then stir mixture into the quinoa. Season as needed with salt and pepper.

Remember my mention of loving to read product reviews? Well, any review on new things really. I have seen soooo many bloggers bragging, boasting, oohing and awing over nut butters. Confession time. I have yet to try any. I'm almost afraid I'll like them so much that I won't be able to stop myself. So, I've held back. With that being said, I'd like to share a giveaway for all the nut butter fanatics. Oh, and of course I'm hoping to win! Check out The Healthy Apple's Maranatha Giveaway for a chance to win!