Where's the Beach?

Workouts Before I get into Way to Go Wednesday, I thought I'd talk for a minute about workouts. I haven't really been talking about them much lately. I did manage to get in a 5-mile run this morning with my running partner. Despite the dark and cold, I was looking forward to it. I haven't run since Friday because of severe plantar fasciitis pain in my left foot. Saturday and Sunday were spent literally hobbling around. In fact, the left side of my calf is sore from said hobbling. I've been icing and rolling and stretching and as of yesterday, I could finally put weight on my foot and walk mostly like a normal being. So, this morning I decided to test it out. The plan was to do 4-5 miles depending on how my foot felt. I won't lie and say it didn't hurt at all. It was slightly achy, but then it chilled out until right at the end of the run. So I definitely stopped in time. 5 miles was the max and I was honestly happy with that. I spent a good deal of time i...

Tomato Jason really likes tomato soup. He always mentions make it, but when I've tried in the past, it's been a less than stellar effort. I mean, it was definitely edible. But by no means a spectacular recipe to repeat over again. So when he brought it up again, I almost said, "no." But I gave it one more shot. And, I'm glad I did. This one turned out so much better than previous versions. Jason went back not only for seconds, but thirds. I call that a success. Creamy Tomato Basil Soup Ingredients: 1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained 1 can no-salt diced tomatoes 1/2 small yellow onion, diced 3 tbsp minced garlic 1 8 oz can tomato sauce To taste: salt, pepper, basil Directions: In a soup pot, saute onions and garlic for approximately 8-10 minutes. In a blender or food processor, combine tomatoes, beans, sauce, onions, garlic, seasonings. Blend until completely smooth adding in a bit of water if needed. Return to soup pot and simmer on low ...

Well, I wish I could come into Monday's post raving about some awesome runs or even crazy 14-mile adventures. But, I can't. I didn't run this weekend. I won't run today. I may not run again until my half marathon on Sunday (fingers crossed I can then). After my 10-mile run on Friday, my left foot seized up. Hello there plantar fasciitis. We meet again. I won't pretend that it hadn't been acting up. It has been. But I've been babying my foot. Icing, rolling it out, rolling out my calves, stretching like it was my job. During the run on Friday, it wasn't bothering me terribly. It hurt a little here and there, but nothing sidelining. But the minute I stopped running, I was literally hobbling along. I've iced it, stretched it, and stayed off of it as much as possible. I did get to try out some of the new Cathe Xtrain DVDs at least. I'll call that the upside of this for now. Hello DOMS. I was talking to my sister on the phone about the race....

Happy Friday friends. Don't know about you, but I was beginning to wonder if this day would make a appearance this week. It just felt like the week was dragging on forever. I don't know if part of it was getting in some early morning runs again or what. What I do know is that it's Fun For Friday ! I don't have any brilliant inspiration or even a coherent topic. It's just a random, "fun" post. We don't need anything serious today right? This showed up in the mail yesterday and it made my Thursday. It's Cathe's latest series - XTrain . I can't wait to try out the workouts and share my thoughts with everyone!  Soup has been "what's for dinner" a few times this week. So, I have some new recipes to share next week for a Creamy Tomato Soup and a Tofu Noodle Soup .  I am so very lucky to have met such a wonderful running partner and friend. We got in 10 miles before work today. Despite the freezing temps and then the fo...

Sky On Fire This morning I peeled myself out of bed to get in a run before the sleet moved into town. "A" and I were going to run after work, but Mother Nature had other plans. She couldn't run in the morning, so I was going to head out solo. But, Jason said he'd give it a shot. So we headed out into the cold, windy morning around 6 am. The skies are starting to get lighter around 6:20 am though. Such a refreshing change. And as much as I hate the cold weather, there's something quite invigorating about a cold run. It was in the low 30's - not sure what the windchill was at that time, but looks like mid-20's - as long as we weren't heading north into the freezing, heavy wind, it wasn't too bad. What made it all worth it was the sunrise. It was simply spectacular. It looked like the sky was on fire with the deepest pink, almost red creeping up from the east. I wanted to take a picture, but didn't think I could get a good one with my phon...

I saw this recipe for Baked Italian Cauliflower at Daily Food Buzz and thought it sounded really tasty, and easy to make. Even better, Jason had just picked up cauliflower at the grocery store. Of course, I had to put my own spin on the dish. I decided to use my Tofu Ricotta in lieu of the meat, add in some red bell peppers and then top with Daiya for a vegan version. Italian-Style Baked Cauliflower Ingredients: 1 head of cauliflower, chopped 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil To taste: parsley, basil, oregano, salt 1 jar of spaghetti sauce - use as much as you like (I used a homemade version) 1 recipe for Tofu Ricotta Daiya Vegan Mozzarella (optional) Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss the cauliflower with seasonings and olive oil and place in a glass baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes until just slightly browned. Remove cauliflower from oven and add on a layer of the bell peppers then the tofu ricotta. Top with spaghetti sau...

How does Monday roll around so quickly, but the weekend takes forever to show up? I know, rhetorical question of course. This weekend we actually didn't have any plans. My only plan was to try to get in an 11-12 mile run on Saturday. We have a half marathon in two weeks, and I've not followed any sort of plan. I was just hoping I'd be able to feel up to doing the race period. Thankfully, I've been feeling more human finally after this whole blood clot ordeal. I have ups and downs still, but definitely feeling better than I was a month ago. I haven't really talked much about it because still so much of a waiting game. Clot's still there, but at least I can get out and run, move, exercise, feel more normal. Back to the long run...if you follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, you already know that I definitely got in that long run, and then some. Jason and I decided to wait until it warmed up a bit. Like 35 degrees. At least the sun was out, but so w...