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By Katy, March 6, 2010

…You take an iPhone photo of your egg white puff at work because it came out so fluffy and delicious:

…You hang out with fellow food bloggers at an organic, fresh pizza place and talk about (what else?) food, running and photos:

…You don’t even think about ordering anything new because the last time you were at the restaurant, your pizza was so good you licked your plate clean:

And two of the sweetest bloggers in the group bring goody bags of vegan yummies to share!

…You schedule into your day at stop at the mecca — Whole Foods — and fill your cart with things most people can’t pronounce:

and actually squeal out loud at Crate & Barrel when you find spoons you KNOW will look adorable when taking pictures of your oatmeal because you’ve seen it before:

…When your husband loves his non-vegan, non-healthy, covered-in-bacon birthday cake so much he makes it himself to share with his buddies:

…When you find the treats you’ve been searching for for months and buy out the supply, then call your friends to ask them to track down some more:

…When you actually hesitate before making a cup of tea because these winter blends are like GOLD and you can’t get more until next fall:

…When you are secretly thrilled when your husband is away for dinner so you can make yourself something exotic from the stash you picked up at Whole Foods!

How do you know YOU are a food blogger?

P.S. Good luck to all the runners at tomorrow’s Walt Disney Princess half marathon!

          

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By Katy, March 4, 2010

I may not be the best cook in the world — but I know how to read a recipe.

So when I tell you to make this now…make.this.now.

As Kel said better than me, POM + Fish (I used tilapia) = Happy! The reduced pomegranate-mint sauce was delicious, but I have to say, I think it would be even better over ice cream. It got sweet and sticky and ohhhhh so good.

Also so good? My recipe for Chocolate Popcorn Brittle, kicked up with the addition of some Naturally Nutty Vanilla Cinnamon Sunflower butter. I’d show you a picture, but I didn’t wait to dig in!

It’s been a very busy, very stressful week…nothing too bad, just lots of busy work! So you KNOW this made my day:

My sweet husband texted me, saying my boys missed their mama!

This also cracked me up — this morning, I tweeted:

And got this video in return, from @NoMoreBacon:

I cracked up — one of those gut-busting, feel sick afterwards laughs. How funny is that?

And a less funny, but still important video…I implore you to follow this link for a clip from Jessica Simpson’s new show. Now, yes, I am a Jessica fan girl (confession: I even bought her clip-in hair extensions) BUT, I think her message is one that’s so important when it comes to media, women and body image. Men too!

OK, gotta end it on a positive note.

How’s about this — my other favorite video?

What do you do when you need a laugh?

          

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By Katy, February 25, 2010

Whole lotta bacon cake fans in the house, huh? I can’t wait to hear how all of your versions turn out. The cake, btw, has left my building. 2 days and Lucas polished it off.

Speaking of Lucas, if you want to hang out with both of us AND drink free beer — check out this Beer Tweetup tonight (Thursday) at the Celebration Town Tavern in Celebration, Florida. I’m @kwidrick and he’s @nighthops.

Also speaking of Lucas — for his birthday, I bought him a new pocket video camera and I came home from work to find this video playing on the TV…so cute to see what they do all day!

The bacon cake was a big hit, but I prefer a more subtle, refined OH WHO AM I KIDDING I love chocolate!

So for a sweet treat this week, I made what I can only call Popped Heaven:

That’s chocolate popcorn brittle with a side of riesling. Want some of your own?

Chocolate Popcorn Brittle (adapted from Mark Bittman’s “How To Cook Everything Vegetarian”)

• 2T neutral oil
• 1/2C popcorn kernels
• 1/4C sugar (I used organic cane sugar)
• 1/8C cocoa powder (I used raw with maca)
• 1/3C water

1. Heat the oil in a deep, wide pot. I use a pasta pat or a big stockpot for this.
2. Place three popcorn kernels in the pot and cover.
3. Once the three kernels pop (should take about 4-5 minutes) put the rest of the kernels in, shake to coat in oil, and return the cover.
4. While you’re waiting for the kernels to pop, mix the sugar and the cocoa powder.
   1. I prefer to run this mix through a food processor so it’s super-fine, but this is optional.
5. Place the sugar and cocoa mix in a small pot and add 1/3C water. Stir to combine then put on low heat.
6. Let sugar and cocoa combine — don’t stir! — until it caramelizes and turns a nice dark, silky color.
7. When the kernels finish popping, place into a heatproof bowl. Pour the caramelized sugar-cocoa mix over the popcorn and toss gently to cover.
8. Pour the popcorn into a greased baking or cake pan and gently press down with your fingers, packing the popcorn together.
9. Let cool for at least 5 minutes then EAT!

A 1/2 C of popcorn makes a TON of finished popped product, so if you want to cut the recipe in half you may.

Random photo on my camera that I had to share — I found these on clearance and almost bought them! I am a Syracuse grad, you know. Go Orange!

And finally, I wanted to pass on a video to Jamie Oliver’s TED talk on childhood obesity. It really struck a chord with me, and it’s a really well presented argument. Check it out here and sign his petition here!

          

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By Katy, February 20, 2010

A while back, I found a big ugly green…thing.

If it didn’t have a sign telling me that this ugly thing was a “water coconut,” I never would have believed it. This is, after all, the same store that would post something like this:

Grammar. You failz it.

Anyway, the Internet confirmed that this was, in fact, a coconut. Now — how to open it? YouTube was a big help, but my honey of a house husband had his own ideas:

Like anything in life, we (he) had to work hard; cracking the hard outer shelf and gently pulling aside some unattractive but supportive layers:

And when we did, we gloried in the goodness:

We poured the lovely coconut water into a bowl and then scraped the white yumminess out with a spoon:

Victorious.

I’m still plotting what to do with the fresh coconut, but I had a taste for it and after a run to Whole Foods, I gave into the craving. Meet Coconut-Almond Macaroons a la Joggers Life.

I did make a few changes, substituting oat flour for the almond meal and halving the recipe. That was a mistake, since I’ve already eaten quite a few. I also made a second type of macaroon, from Everyday Raw.

They’re both amazing (and raw, since I stuck ‘em in the dehydrator — what do you think, Patti?) Ahhhhhh macaroon.

So y’all know I love my job, right? This week, I got to meet a man who blows me away with his bravery, his kindness and his SLAMMIN’ body! Would you believe this guy is about to turn 70?

Sandy Scott broke his neck during a horrific cycling time trial — he might have died, and probably should have stopped competing. But he didn’t, and he’s looking to set MORE records for his age group at several national events! I had an amazing day, field producing a video with him, and that will be posted on our site soon.

I’ll leave you with a picture of Travers — aka “Best Cat.” He loves wearing my medal from the OUC Half Marathon and Lucas gave him the nickname.

Who inspires you? Leave me a comment!

          

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By Katy, February 13, 2010

I definitely want kids someday but moments like this:

make it easy to wait…because I have friends with babies who need spoiling! That’s miss Elizabeth Ava, less than a day old. Fast forward two years and she’s an amazing little PERSON — who walks, talks and visits us at work!

What a great Valentine:

And a perfect gift during a week that looked like this:

Luckily, it ended with some less weighty reading material — which I found in the car with my sexy chauffeur!

For those who don’t know my story, I am married to Lucas. Lucas is a registered, LEED-certified architect who decided he didn’t like where his career was headed. So, he took a HUGE leap of faith and quit his job to focus more time on his true love — brewing, drinking and writing about beer.

As part of a project with Celebration Town Tavern — a very cool Boston-themed seafood restaurant and bar — Lucas is helping review the beers that are included in the Tavern’s 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall Club.

Since he’ll have to review them all eventually, I got to help pick his beers last night — the random number selection ended in Mickey’s, a malt liquor that came with a puzzle in the cap!

I still don’t know what the answer is. (Sorry for the photos — I took many of these with my iPhone for easier tweeting!) And, since I was driving, I decided to pound a few hot drinks of my own:

Woke up this morning to do another P90X workout, although someone wanted us to quit early:

We pushed through, then decided to follow the animals’ leads:

And snuggle up with blankets, quinoa and oatmeal and frothy lattes:

Now we’re on the couch, watching the Olympics and reading. Love lazy weekends!

Do you have kids? When do you plan on having them? How many? Have you picked out names?

          

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By Katy, February 7, 2010

P-p-p-p-perfect!

Let’s back up, so I can catch you up on the last few days. On Friday night, Lucas and I hit up a local bar known for its craft beers. A beer blogger’s gotta see what people are drinking, right?

It was a special release party for Brooklyn Brewery, which I normally love. But after a few sips of Luke’s beer:

I decided I was more interested in playing a few games:

And talking to a bunch of friends that showed up. It was a blast! We even managed to record a quick video, using my iPhone:

On Saturday, I worked up an appetite cleaning the inside of my stove. We had an, ahem, incident with some overflowing custard, and no amount of elbow grease was getting it clean. Then we found a natural cleaner recipe online — just a mix of baking soda, vinegar and dish soap and VOILA:

Just like the day we bought the stove! Ahh, happiness…

I celebrated with a POM martini, made with pomegranate-mango juice, Absolut Boston and triple sec, in a martini glass that I rimmed with organic cane sugar and lime juice. More happiness…

Gotta support Pom, since it’s a sponsor of Fitbloggin‘, and I’m going in March! Will you be there?

I’ve also had a weekend of awesome food. Saturday night, I made curried tilapia, broiled until crispy and served over the most amazing spinach and tomato paella:

And tonight, for the superbowl, I made (unpictured) chipotle beef and carmelized onion tacos, from Rick Bayless’ Everyday Mexican. Awesome!

It’s very possible that I’m the last to know this, but did you know that you can pop popcorn right on your stovetop, using kernels and a little bit of butter or oil?

It’s so much cheaper and easier (duh) than buying the microwave popcorn, and better for you. I’ve been topping mine with coconut-lime salt:

And eating by the faceful:

Off to watch the rest of the Superbowl. The commercials have been very disappointing — hello, sexist much? — but the Puppy Bowl made my night.

LOOK WHAT ONE OF THE DOGS WAS NAMED! Tater Tot!

Tater Tot the Puppy Bowl star

OK, off to get in PJs. I am going to a big social media conference in the morning, and I will be tweeting while I’m there. So be sure to follow me!

P.S. I updated my Google Reader with all the Fitbloggin’ bloggers — if you want to add it to your own reader, click here!

          

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By Katy, February 4, 2010

Life works in funny ways, huh? I’ve been slowly climbing the mountain upon which a social media crown sits — and, since we all know I’m a bit of a princess, I have been climbing that bad boy as quickly as I can!

I love social media. I’m on Twitter and Facebook all day long, but not always for personal updates — I run three business pages on Facebook, and two business Twitter accounts. I also moderate a weekly Twitter chat for work, and am trying to learn all the latest tricks and tools to use the Internet to get my job done.

So, today, I have a guest post up on Eating Bender, detailing the best ways to use social media.

Also today, I got burned in a big way.

Sad Tater Tot

I use a service called Posterous, which lets you post images, links, videos, etc., then “pings” then to your other social networks, including Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. I shared a headline that read:

Yay, I Just Got Fired! True Passions, Here I Come! http://post.ly/KUiy

If you click the link, you’ll see that it’s a post by someone else, sharing the news of a job loss but welcoming it as a chance to pursue her true passions. I related to the post, because Lucas recently quit his job for the same reason AND I have the job of my dreams!

So, the headline gets posted and I QUICKLY realize that there will be some confusion. I knew that taking it down would make it worse, because some people would have already seen it. So, I added a comment to it on Facebook, saying I had learned the power of editing a headline, and did the same on Twitter.

I forgot LinkedIn.

Big mistake. Apparently, other people in my network saw the headline and contacted my BOSS who had to deal with the rumors — and assure people that I was not going anywhere!

Sure, it sounds funny, and in this case, it’s not that big a deal. But it’s a good lesson for us all when it comes to sharing content. Who clicks through every headline that’s posted on social networks? Who takes the time to read every work of a post? I’m certainly going to do a better job of proofreading my posts, to make sure I don’t get caught in confusion again.

Now give my that CROWN!

OK, since this is a healthy living and food blog, I’ll leave you with some pictures taken at a fabulous dinner at Luma on Park in Winter Park, FL, surrounded by strong drinks, good friends and nice staff. Enjoy!

Celery Root and Rutabaga Soup

Sweetbreads and Gnocchi

Truffled Popcorn

Salmon Carpaccio

Short Rib Ravioli W/Pomegranate Seeds

What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to YOU with social media?

          

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By Katy, January 30, 2010

A while back, I declared a trip to M&M world, Pizza Fusion, Whole Foods, Fresh Market and Total Wine  to be “His ‘n’ Hers Dream Day.”

Well, folks — we took a very different, very successful crack at the title today. Of course, it didn’t hurt that my mood was brightened on Friday. Lucas had some buddies over for brews, so I decided to take an evening to myself, surrounded by what I love so much.

Makeup at Ulta:

I lurrrrrve playing with makeup. In the picture above, I had two different looks — one for each eye. I walked around like that all night! I ran around looking for a vegetable spiralizer (unsuccessfully, harumph) then headed home where I indulged in another favorite: a mudslide.

If such a thing could be called healthy, this was it — it was Kahlua and Absolut Boston mixed with crushed ice, unsweetened almond milk and raw cocoa. Yummm…

Don’t worry — Lucas and his friends had fun, too.

We had an early wakeup call, to get to Tampa in time for a very special event. In between multiple pit stops (WHAT?!?! I needed two cups of coffee!!), we dodged some potential road hazards:

And made it to our cousin Adam’s powerlifting competition.

Adam is a national superstar in powerlifting — today’s event was “raw” which means the athletes can’t wear special shirts or suits to help them lift. Adam weighed in at 130 pounds and set TWO records — the second time, he broke the one he’d set in a previous lift! — when he benched 363 pounds.

Un.freaking.believable. I was so proud!

He was so excited to get his medal, and the $300 prize. Congrats, Adam!

I made a new friend at the meet — this is Big Al.

He could have bench pressed me with one arm. Crazy.

After bidding Adam and his lovely fiancee goodbye, we headed to Cigar City Brewing, just down the road.

Lucas, of course, was thrilled.

We decided to do a sampler of all the beers on tap, and I really liked them — especially the Winter Warmer (at 9% alcohol, this was more like hard liquor than beer) and the Oatmeal Raisin Cookie.

Lucas liked chatting with the guy pouring the beer. After 90 minutes, I was not only getting antsy — I was getting hungry.

So I used the Yelp! iPhone app to find a restaurant that would please me as much as the brewery pleased my man.

It was great! Lucas and I sipped on a raw Bachelor smoothie while we waited:

Bachelor          Raw
Nut milk, raw hemp protein with E3Live and Maca root, banana, flax seed,
plantago fiber, agave nectar and a sprinkle of bee pollen

And I borrowed a book from the shelf:

Then our food arrived.

Sunshine Burger Vegan
A blend of sunflower seeds, brown rice, and vegetables baked and served with lettuce,
tomato, finely diced onion, ketchup and vegan mayo on a sprouted toasted  bun

Raw Burrito Raw & Living
Our delicious “Rawfried Beans” made with sprouted sunflower seeds and the finest mexican
seasonings.  We top it with fresh avocado, diced tomatoes and Zesty Raw Parmesan Sheeze,
served on a crisp romaine lettuce leaf.    Roll it and enjoy!

We both really enjoyed our meals — and I appreciated Luke being such a good sport.

Finally, we pointed the car home. We made two stops — both fruitful. Ha!

We stopped to get a flat of strawberries in Plant City, which is known for the amazing berries. I’ll get more in a month or so when they’re really ripe, but the flat let me freeze several bags for smoothies, and throw them in this bad johnnie.

At the same farm, I found 3-pound bags of organic bananas for $1 a bag, so I stocked up and put some in the dehydrator for banana chips, and the others are awaiting their banana soft serve and smoothie future in the freezer!

Not a bad day, huh? What does your perfect day involved? Weightlifting championships and raw food, or something else?

          

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By Katy, January 29, 2010

Confession time.

I completed the Walt Disney World Half Marathon on January 9th.

I came home, took off my sneakers, and put them in the closet.

And that’s where they have stayed. After two years of running and working out at least four times a week, I have temporarily quit.

I have good reasons:

• Physical fatigue and injury (I have a serious foot injury and a less serious groin injury)
• Mental fatigue (I haven’t enjoyed running for the last few months)
• A hatred of seeing my clock start with a “4″ — as in 4am
• Some big projects that are taking more of my time than previously

But it’s hard to keep a fitness and healthy living blog when the closest thing you’re doing to working out is the walk from car to office and back.

I had a HUGE 2009, fitness-wise. I completed several triathlons (including an Olympic distance), a half marathons (two if you count Disney), did two major workout programs (P90X and Making the Cut) and got in the best shape of my life. I’m hoping that this month-long break will get me back in the game, so to speak.

Lucas and I are planning on doing round 2 of P90X (see my original recap here) starting next week, which should be the kickstart I need.

In other news — I am doing my best to take regular, outdoor lunch breaks…total stress relief.

Much needed when your brain is filled with this:

And I’m laughing whenever possible. That’s easy when you receive something like this from POM Wonderful:

And when gracious, giving, heartwarming people get into a bidding war over your baked goods! Thanks to everyone who donated to Diana’s #Bake4Haiti bake sale. It was amazing.

What’s the longest break you’ve taken from fitness or regular workouts?

          

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By Katy, January 25, 2010

Not going there…not going there…not going there…

Can’t watch the embedded video? Click here.

Phew, that was close. But I’m honoring Mama Pea’s TWSS ban. I didn’t say it, so it doesn’t count.

When I walked in the door this evening, Lucas told me I had two packages waiting — it’s Christmas in January!

The first was a box I ordered back in December, from Scan Cafe. Scan Cafe is a really cool service that takes your photos and scans them to DVD (or any other format you choose). For those of us who were born in the Polaroid craze and went to college in the pre-Facebook days (gasp!), Scan Cafe is a great option to preserve those photos of kegs and eggs parties, beer pong victories, crimped hair graduations, family and more.

Don’t believe me on the crimped hair?

Whatevs. I was rocking the claddagh ring, too. It was a must-have in 1990. Who would want to lose pictures like this?

I also got a fun package from the “I Wear Your Shirt” Guys. They had one of those ideas that makes you KICK yourself for not thinking of it first. They wear a shirt of your choosing, take pictures, video and more and share it with their HUGE networks on Facebook and Twitter. The first day of the year costs $1. The second day costs 2, and so on.

Look, guys — I’m wearing YOUR shirt!

I’ve been away from the blog for a few days, so here’s a quick game of catch up. It includes beer flights and happy husbands:

Followed by Pita Pit and happy, hummus-filled me:

Homemade and healthy fried rice, courtesy of Mark Bittman:

And a new batch of homebrew, waiting for my assessment:

Wow, my life is pretty good, huh?

I need your help! I’m working on a collection of my favorite Twitter links, because — I’m obsessed. Do you follow me? I’m looking for the tools that make it easier to get started, find people, take part in chats, etc. I actually made a little video to talk about using hashtags (I moderate a live chat every week) and I’m hoping to create a special page of resources for anyone who wants to learn more.

There are some audio issues, so go in with low expectations.

What do you like/dislike about Twitter? What do you use to make it easier?

          

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By Katy, January 16, 2010

Well, ya’ll have certainly given my friend some new healthy food resources, and turned me on to some new ones, as well! Here were the most popular suggestions from my last post:

• Blogs and Web sites:
  • KathEats.com
  • OhSheGlows.com
  • StephChows.blogspot.com
  • CarrotsNCake.com
  • CookinCanuck.blogspot.com
  • KsGoodEats.wordpress.com
  • Fitnessista.com
  • NataliesKillerCuisine.com
  • FoodNetwork.com
  • AllRecipes.com
  • AimeesAdventures.com
• Cookbooks:
  • Rick Bayless “Everyday Mexican”
  • “Vegan With a Vengeance”
  • “Cupcakes Take Over the World”
  • “Bluephies American Cooking”
  • “Laurel’s Kitchen”
  • “Fix and Leave it Light”
  • “Joy of Cooking”
  • “Pretty Darn Quick”
• Magazines:
  • Real Simple
  • Eating Well

And, for all your hard work and great suggestions, it’s time to announce the winner of a Bondi Band…

Congratulations, emueller! You were selected as my random winner, and you also really touched my heart with this comment:

I am super proud of you for finishing and for enjoying the process and the results…Having just finished my own half marathon, it is tough…I was proud of myself for finishing but then everyone wanted to know how fast I ran, which was a snail’s pace comparatively to how you ran, but still – I had to remember I had the courage to start and finish and ran the whole thing..even if it wasn’t a fast run….Love your Bondi Band BTW….thanks for being so honest in your thoughts/feelings…helps to know i’m not the only one HUGS

I will contact you to get your address and send your new headband out!

Speaking of things that are touching my heart — the situation in Haiti. I have been watching the heartbreaking photos and video around the clock, and feeling so many emotions. Empathy and sadness for the victims; desperation for those who have survived but are still in danger, hungry and dehydrated. Compassion and thanks for the tens of thousands of people mobilizing around the world to help. Frustration that the resources just can’t get there quickly enough, or are blocked by bad roads, clogged airports, chaos and confusion.

Like many others, I have donated to relief efforts, and wished I could do more. I know that as a global community, we will come together and do whatever we can — whatever it takes — to bring a bit of stability and hope to Haiti.

Wow, Debbie Downer much? I’ll leave you with something a little happier. This time a week ago, it was sleeting, freezing cold and I was just thankful to be done with 13.1 miles.

Today, it’s 70 degrees outside. Life is good.

          

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By Katy, January 12, 2010

This post is inspired by a dear college friend who made my day with an email and a plea — to point her to places that inspire me in my healthy eating journey.

More on that in a moment, but first…

I finally uploaded my Stella stats from the half marathon this weekend! And, I have to say — I’m done beating up on myself. No, I’m not the fastest runner out there…I never thought I was! No, I didn’t reach my 10:00/mile average…but I did maintain that for much of the race, in unexpectedly freezing conditions!

And, thanks to all of your lovely comments on my recap post, I’ve decided it’s time to embrace the awesome. And realize that just by starting the race, I was a winner.

Dork alert…

So, back to the email. My friend (who will remain anonymous unless she wants to peek out in comments, hint hint) wrote this:

I’m wondering if you have a spot where you get your recipes.  Your blog has inspired me to start thinking more naturally, and I’m trying to come up with recipes that are healthy for my husband and I that don’t use a lot of processed ingredients.

Swoon. You had me at inspired.

I know I’m luckier than many — I grew up eating “health food,” although I just knew it as food.

(Reminds me of the magnet my friends Jackie and Jim got me for Christmas)

So for me, giving up junk food, processed food and most crap, mostly meant going back to what Mom and Dad fed me in the first place!

Having said that, I rely on three sources, in this order:

• Cookbooks
  • My favorites are Veganomicon, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian (thanks, Andy!), the Eat Clean Diet Cookbook and good ol’ Joy of Cooking.
• Online Recipe Databases
  • I like Recipezaar, A Veggie Venture, VegWeb, Cooking Light and FoodNetwork.com, in particular.
• Other Blogs
  • I subscribe to more than 100 blogs (bless you, Google Reader!) so I bookmark posts that include recipes I’d like to try. I also use Google Blog search if I’m looking for something specific (i.e. tomato soup, lasagna, bread, etc.)

Now, are you ready for my three-part plan for successful healthy cooking and eating?

1. A stocked pantry. I am almost never without staples like:

**Brown Rice, Quinoa, Millet, Bulgur, Rolled Oats: I buy these in bulk and use them in almost every meal. I typically don’t eat many potatoes or other simple starches, although I don’t make a lot of rules (because they’re too easy to break!)

**Stock: I normally keep chicken and vegetable stock in the pantry, and use it to cook grains, meats, etc. It’s also very easy to use if I want to make a kitchen sink soup, which is basically stock heated up with any vegetables I have on hand!

**Vegetables: I am a veggie freak, so I buy whatever looks good at the store, and work it into my meals through the week. I also stock up on organic frozen green beans, broccoli and more, which I buy in bulk at Costco.

2. Meal Planning. I take an hour or so on Friday night, after work, and plan our menus for the week. I used to plan lunches and dinner, but that got to be too time consuming, so now I just make extras of dinner, and bring that or a big salad for lunch. I typically serve a lean protein (meat, beans, etc.), a vegetable, and a grain. If I am serving beans, I double up on the veggies and ditch the grain. The hour that I spend doing this gets me more than that back during the week, because I come home and get started right away, rather than poring through books, Web sites, etc., trying to figure out what to make.

3. Substitutions, substitutions, substitutions. I am very lucky to have a husband who will eat just about anything I put in front of him.

I have made changes to recipes that have resulted in culinary disaster. I’ve also made some pretty impressive dishes. Through trial and error, I have learned when to replace oil with applesauce, and when to stick with the oil; when to use whole wheat flour and when all-purpose is the only choice. I’ve tried foods I couldn’t pronounce, and remade old favorites.

I’m not sure if this helps you, old friend, but I know my readers will have even better ideas for you…

So, leave me a comment and let me know where you find your healthy recipes! I’ll make it worth your while:

• Anyone who leaves a comment will be entered into a chance to win a Bondi Band, the rockin’ hairband that’s sweeping the nation (right, Ashley?)
  
• You can leave as many comments as you want, and get up to three chances to win.
  
• Giveaway ends Friday, January 15th at 5pmET.

They’re wicked cool — in fact, here’s a picture of me enjoying a Bondi at a 5K last year. Enter now!

          

Comments

By Katy, January 9, 2010

A year ago, when I signed for the Walt Disney World half marathon, I did not officially consider myself a runner. I’d never competed in a race (triathlons, yes, but running events, no), I had only run about 8 miles as my PDR, and I was in awe of people that could actually complete a race of that distance.

So today, even though I had some disappointments along the way, I am proud to say that I not only did the half marathon at Disney, I gave it my all.

Originally, I had hoped to set a new PR — basing my goals on my performance at the OUC Half Marathon in December, I was shooting for under 2:10:00 and even possibly under 2:05:00. But when I woke up to this:

I knew that just finishing the race would be a success. Yeah, that’s sleet. In Florida.

But I had a wonderful message waiting for me as I got dressed:

and to brave the weather, I piled on the layers:

• Ski leggings
• Running pants
• Balega socks
• Ski turtleneck
• Wicking, long-sleeved shirt
• Track jacket
• Sweatshirt
• Two pair of gloves
• Neck warmer
• Hat

I took a moment to tweet a picture of my rockin’ orange hair extensions:

Then headed out to Epcot to run! I did not stay on property, so I had a 2am wakeup call. Before you feel too bad for me, you should know that Lucas — who was not running — was facing the same wakeup call and weather. He came to support me. What a man, huh?

My friend Carolyn flew down from Buffalo to run the half marathon — I hadn’t seen her in a year, so it was great to catch up with her before the start of the race and for most of the course.

We had a long walk down from the parking lot to the corrals, then had to wait there for about a half hour. It was c-c-c-c-c-cold! We caught up on news and gossip, listened to the national anthem, stomped our feet and FINALLY — time to go!

The run started off pretty well — after battling through the group start, we found some clear running room, and settled into a decent pace. At this point, I thought I would be able to PR. The start of the race was a long, cold, dark straightaway — Carolyn and I could feel the sleet bouncing off our foreheads, and see what sure looked like snow in the lights! And in a moment that was both cool and defeating, as we ended the second mile of our run, we could see the leaders on their way back to Epcot. The winning man finished in 1:07!

The rest of the race went like this:

• Miles 1-3: Feeling good! We bounced between paces but stayed steadily under 10:00. Since we’d never run together before, this was a good chance for us to settle in with each other, get to a comfortable pace, and find some room to run. We moved up some spots, weaving in and out a bit, but getting into a groove.
• Miles 4-6: Feeling great! We kept our nice, steady pace, continuing to move up. Somewhere in here, I ditched the sweatshirt and took off my gloves. The air was still cold, but I had definitely heated up at this point. I still felt very comfortable here — my legs felt fresh, I wasn’t breathing hard and I was really enjoying the time through the parks.
• Miles 7-9: Struggling a little, but still feeling strong. We continued to maintain a sub-10:00 pace and I thought I’d still have gas in the tank for a final kick. We lost quite a bit of time behind some very slow runners and walkers, and also really slowed down through the parks because so many people were stopping to take pictures, etc.
• Mile 10: The race-killer. Carolyn had warned me that there were a few hills toward the end, and I thought I was ready. I was not. The hill — really, an on-ramp — was a looooong, steady climb. I felt my resolve whoosh away from me about halfway up. My pace had dropped, my legs hurt, I was mentally tired of running, and I just didn’t have anything left to give. I felt the cold, I felt every injury I’ve ever had, and I gave up a little. Carolyn was still rocking it, so I told her to go ahead at her own pace.
• Miles 11: After the hill, I got back into the race, mentally. I knew that I only had 2.1 miles to go, and I tried everything I could to get my legs back up to speed. But when I saw a second hill approaching, and the rain was still coming down, I went into survival mode. As long as my legs were moving, I considered it a success. I knew my pace was over 10:00 and I just told myself, “give it what you have and that will be good enough.”
• Miles 12-13.1: Slow and mentally painful. The kick I was counting on just never came. I felt empty as I passed the 12-mile mark, and the same when I hit 12.5. The sprint to the finish line never came and I crossed with a final time of 2:12:17. (My PR for this distance is 2:11:01)

The best moment: Hearing bugles and trumpets herald me as I ran through Cinderella’s Castle at Magic Kingdom. That is a moment I wish I could have frozen in time.

The worst moment: The hill at mile 10.5. Not just the hill, the realization that my mind was giving up faster than my body.

Overall? I will have great memories of this race. I ran with a friend, in an event that attracts people from all over the world, in Florida sleet and I still had a time that doesn’t embarrass me.

Did I have fun? For 10 miles, I sure did. But when I crossed the finish line, for the first time, my mind was not on the race, or the glory…it was on the pain and emptiness I felt at the end.

Don’t get me wrong — this is not a negative, depressing post. I think it’s a sign that I need to take some time off and let my body rest. I’ve ignored some pretty serious overuse injuries for the last few months, and I paid for it today. I love running, and I love fitness, and I will never stop pursuing either. But I do want to get back to having fun at these events, so I need to figure out how.

After the race, Carolyn and I took a quick picture:

Then we all headed to breakfast, and (thank goodness) coffee! Lucas, the rockstar husband, indulged in a bagel platter, while I had an egg white omelet.

My appetite is still off (the norm for long races) so while this was delicious, it was a bit of a chore to force down. After breakfast, I hugged Carolyn goodbye and stuck around at the restaurant for the big blogger lunch/meetup that Ashley planned! I’ll recap that later…for now…

ZZZZZZzzzzzz….

P.S. If you want to learn more about my race history, I keep all the recaps and reviews here!

P.P.S. I am so proud of all the men and women running the full marathon at Walt Disney World tomorrow…I can’t wait to see how they all do and hear/read about their experiences!

          

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By Katy, January 6, 2010

Ahhhh, I crack myself up.

But here’s why the title was so appropriate. Cue the yum:

And the oh, yeah…

Add a dash of deeeelish:

And you get my dinner. Maybe not the most picture-worthy, but pretty freaking awesome. The brown balls (that’s what she…oh, no, I won’t) are a mashup of two recipes; chickpea cutlets from Veganomicon (thanks, Rose!) and a recipe from Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.” I’m calling them falawesome falafel.

I’m getting pretty excited for this weekend’s half marathon at Walt Disney World for the following reasons:

• It’s the culmination of a goal I set a year ago — when I signed up and told myself “you can do this.” After completing one half marathon already, I know I can do it.
• Seeing good friends. My buddy Carolyn is going to run with me (she’s down from Buffalo!) and I’m meeting with lots of great bloggers for lunch!
• Because of the frigid weather that has descended on Florida, I am borrowing clothes to stay warm. I also purchased this beauty from the thrift shop (50% off!):

It will not only help me channel my inner Sue Sylvester,

It’s HAWT and something that I can wear on the long, cold walk from the parking lot to the starting line before ditching. Ashley gave me this tip — wear clothes that you don’t mind going to charity (in this case, back to charity), because crews pick up discarded clothes and donate them after the race.

It’s funny — I actually covered this same race two years ago, for GrowingBolder.com. Here’s a picture my boss took of me that day:

And the video I produced/reported that day. Not to toot my own horn, but I think it’s a pretty good example of why this event is so popular, and what drew me to it! (If you can’t watch it below, here’s the link)

I am keeping my expectations low for this race. If I want to stop and take a picture with Mickey, I will! If I need to rest a little or stop for water, I will! But I promise to give it my all and smile the whole 13.1 miles.

Other things that make me smile? Blogging buddies:

And Ivy Leaguers.

Oh, and my husband. I really like him. Despite the fact that I didn’t pick up any Glee-inspired gear for him, he will be going to the half marathon this weekend — a 4:30am arrival — and may even tweet about it! Check his blog out here and follow him on Twitter here. Follow me here.

          

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By Katy, December 25, 2009

Doesn’t technology blow? Ugh…I was working on my laptop yesterday, getting some work done so I could relax on Christmas Day when POOF! The MacBook stopped working!

Now, after several stressful hours, I have booked an appointment with the Apple Genius Bar. I’m crossing my fingers — but had to laugh when I checked the warranty on the computer and it expired on December 7th.

Today has been fantastic. We started new holiday traditions, by making and eating copious amounts of this bad Johnny:

Which I earned by proving I am a dedicated runner.

When I set out for my run, it was a nice light drizzle. “Ahhh,” I thought. “This will be good training in case the half marathon next month is in the rain.” Two miles in, the drizzle had turned into a steady, heavy rain.

As soon as I walked in, Lucas snapped the picture then asked, “Did you know we’re under a tornado watch?” No. I did not.

I warmed up with the monkey bread (pictured above) and a steamy cup of goodness.

I also put on the gift my boss gave me — this is a picture from Wednesday, when my co-worker Jackie and I tried them on and posed.

Sad. That picture reminds me of happier times, when the Mac was still my friend.

And then, because the kids could not wait any longer,

I gave the go-ahead for opening gifts. Like our tree?

The dogs got some great presents:

Which they used immediately:

Can you spot the Snuggie?

Luke and I got some much-appreciated presents from friends and family all over the country!

We also got some delicious treats, including food from Lucas’s homeland: cheese curd, Croghan bologna, chocolates, wine and more.

After opening gifts, we watched some of the National’s Lampoon’s christmas movie, then Lucas got to work on another new tradition.

Lunchtime lasagna. He made his with buffalo, homemade sauce, three cheeses, spinach, squash, carmelized onions and more.

I ate one big serving and am thrilled that the leftovers will last several days!

I hope you all had a very special holiday, and now it’s time to look ahead to 2010! (Gulp…I’ll be turning 30.)

I’ll leave you with a video that I thought was pretty stinking cute…it’s Junior, unwrapping one of his presents. Enjoy!

          

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By Katy, December 22, 2009

Some of you already noticed the change to the blog — thanks for your kind comments! And for those of you checking this in a reader, why not mosey on over to http://SillyTaterTot.com and check out the new look? It’s still under construction, and that header just about exhausted my Photoshop and HTML skills.

Good thing my brother is well on his way to being the next big THANG in Web design!

I can sum up the last few days in two words.

COOKIE. COMA.

As regular readers know, 355 days out of the year, I avoid white sugar, dairy, white flour and other processed foods, and I stick with organic, whole-grain and clean foods.

The three times that I throw the rules out and enjoy every tasty, buttery bite are:

• Christmas and the six days that lead up
• My birthday
• Easter

Not-so-coincidentally, those are the same times of year that my dear grandmother-in-law (Luke’s grandma) sends us her homemade cookies. Tins and tins of cookies.

To give you an idea of how good they are — she pays the extra charge for insurance when shipping the goodies to us. And I promise, if those cookies went missing, I’d claim every penny of the settlement.

I mean, let’s take a moment and break down the delicious details:

There were peanut butter cookies with chocolate kisses, macadamia nut cookies with white chocolate, buckeyes (peanut butter rolled with krispies and chocolate), fudgy cookies, chocolate covered peanuts and more.

Here’s my theory on treats: If I can only get them at limited times of the year, or if a place is known for that treat, or if it’s a homemade goodie … it’s worth the splurge. If I can get the goodie any time I want, or if it’s not something special (grocery store cookies, chips, etc.), I’ll pass.

Following the idea that eating MORE to get rid of the cookies FASTER, (thereby ending the temptation) Lucas and I have been eating cookies every time we pass by the fridge.

That has led to this:

Crappy picture, but PhotoBooth was the only way to sneak up on them. Passed out puppy and very sleepy husband.

And if you follow me on Twitter, you already saw the cause of my “bah humbug” moment today. I was doing some last-minute shopping, on the way home from a very busy day at work, and just wanted to get in and get out. Which was tough when I came out of the store to find this:

Ugh, seriously? I had to get in through the passenger seat and just squeaked out of my spot without scratching his or her car.

What treats do you indulge in during the holidays?

          

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By Katy, December 20, 2009

It has been a very busy stretch at work — I normally count on my camera to remind me of what I’ve been doing, but after taking 150 or so pictures during the Secret Saturday adventure, I only took three during the week! And two are from this morning, when I made deeeeeeelish Apricot Date scones:

They were definitely picture-worthy.

I am so excited that my pantry is stocked to the point that I can make almost anything out of my cookbook — with just a few substitutions — so I can wake up and make what I’m craving. In this case, baked goods.

I also found this picture on my cell phone, which pretty sums up my life at work:

Last night, Lucas went out to football night at the bar with the boys…I’m always invited, but last night I decided to make it a lazy night with chick flicks and sleepy dogs.

I am the last NetFlix holdout, but we do have a million of those $1/rental boxes near us, so I stopped and grabbed two movies that I’ve been dying to see:

I can give two very enthusiastic (“Clueless,” how I love thee) thumbs up to BOTH movies — Revolutionary Road really struck a nerve with me because it’s about a man who’s unhappy in his job, and decides to take a leap of faith and quit his job to figure out what he truly wants to do. That’s what Lucas is doing. Of course, I hope it works out better for him than for ol’ Leo!

Time to get some more work done — luckily, I have the same sleepy dogs who joined me last night at my feet now, which makes working from the couch a much more pleasant experience.

Oh, P.S. — I figured out how to do splits on the Garmin! Here’s my run from yesterday. I ran 8 miles total — taking a .2 walking break at the beginning of the 4th mile and a .8 walking break later in the run. I walked the last lap.

          

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By Katy, December 14, 2009

Thanks for all your kind comments on my surprise trip to manatee land…I think Lucas is very proud of the day that he planned.

And the weekend fun continued on Sunday! First, I woke up for a bike ride — my first since my Olympic triathlon. WOW! I missed ol’ Sugar. Yes, I name my bike.

I also got to test out the multisport capabilities on Stella, my Garmin Forerunner 305. Yes, I name my GPS device.

Not bad! I have a cyclometer on my bike, but it only works half the time. If I hit even a small bump, the little measuring thing gets knocked sideways on my spoke, and I stop getting any data. No such problem with Stella!

I like to go at least 30 miles on the weekend, but I needed to get back to make a special dish for a blogger “linner.” I can’t post the recipe, because I’m submitting it to a contest, but I can post pictures of the process. If you want to see s’more (hint, hint), I’ll post details when I can:

Lucas was a patient tester — did you know that marshmallows essentially evaporate when cooked? He ate his way through at least eight variations before I was happy enough to make a batch for the bloggers.

The sweet treats were a hit at the party, planned by Meghann and hosted by Sarah.

I managed to look silly in every photo snapped by Meghann:

And while I did have my camera — I was a little intimidated by the awesome cameras that Katy and Ryan had! So I didn’t take too many pictures, although I did get some shots of all the amazing food!

I had good company, too — sitting with Meghann, Kelly and Meghann’s man Derek.

There were lots of dogs — which meant lots of noise and activity! I didn’t bring my boys, but I could have…they would have had plenty of friends!

I was very happy to see that my Secret Santa gift was the one everyone wanted… Ashley ended up getting the apron, Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea and Bondi Band that I brought, so that was exciting!

And I snagged this present with an eye for Lucas:

Beer and chili…the perfect pair.

I braved the Wal-Mart superstore to find Mason jars (three other stores didn’t have them in stock!!) which was a mistake — I was not feeling jolly after fighting the crowds. But I was very happy to come home to a secret cooking project of Luke’s own (I can’t post details or Santa will have his surprise spoiled!) and two very curious doggies.

What’s your favorite dessert or sweet treat?

          

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By Katy, December 12, 2009

Take it from me — when your husband says:

I’m planning a secret Saturday fun day. We need to leave at 7:30am. Wear sneakers and jeans and eat some breakfast before we go.

Just nod your head and agree. I know, I know…fellow A Type personalities, it’s against my nature, too! But if you don’t let go and just have faith every once in a while, you miss some of the most amazing adventures.

We hit the road this morning, coffees in hand, and only one of us knew where we were headed.

Stop #1: Blue Springs State Park in Volusia County, Florida, which has been on my “must see” list for years.

Blue Springs is where manatees come during the winter months — and you can get THISCLOSE to them!

Don’t believe me? Watch this (if for nothing else than to see Lucas’s interpretation of manatee noises):

I took 172 pictures and three videos today, so feel lucky that I am showing restraint.

We spent about 90 minutes at the park, looking at the manatees and embracing our inner children:

One of our favorite things to do is meander…so instead of taking the highway home, we pointed our car in a random direction and decided to stop at whatever struck our fancy.

Stop #2: Random Flea Market.

Goodies galore.

We got

• fresh chick peas (in their pods)
• hot peppers (lots and lots and lots, for hot sauce and salsa)
• prickly pear
• limes (local)
• sweet potatoes
• garlic
• dried hot peppers
• chayote squash (in its prickly skin)

and were tempted by (but did not buy) sugar cane, tomatillos, tamarind, cactus, coconut candy, pineapple, dried fruits and much, much more.

Lucas is a sucker for street food of any kind, so when we saw this sign:

We knew he needed to stop for a snack. A homemade, fresh and amazing snack. I’ll let him tell you. Keep watching for more details on this random market.

The rambling trip home continued, and with nothing more than an iPhone and a healthy sense of adventure, we stumbled upon

Stop #3: Downtown DeLand, Florida

Where I spent a ridiculous amount of time poking in and out of shops. I think I spent an hour in an antique shop that had these amazing old magazine and newspaper ads — I bought a few…merry Christmas to me! Again!

But, the tacos didn’t hold Lucas and I was STARVING, so it was time for

Stop #4: Hollerbach’s Willow Tree Cafe

Beer, sausage, sauerkraut, more beer and two happy people.

Don’t be fooled by that massive plate of food. We couldn’t decide between all the authentic and homemade German food, so we got a sampler plate, and I took a bite of everything, Lucas ate a huge plate and has enough in a doggie bag to eat for dinner tonight! It was good, but not great. I think it would be more fun during one of their sing-along nights, so we will be going back!

We walked down the street for

Stop #5: Farmers’ Market

We didn’t buy anything, but I did meet a couple of horses dogs:

Gentle giants.

And as we headed home, we decided to make one more stop. For years, I’ve been saying that we need to visit the world’s largest Cypress tree. It’s in a state park near our house, and we’ve never taken the time to visit.

Until Stop #6:

I love you, Senator.

And all that before 3pm! Now we’re settled on the couch with some Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea and a mind full of memories.

Big props to Lucas for planning an amazing day.

          

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By Katy, December 10, 2009

I learned many lessons during Vegan Week — and the most important one had nothing to do with food. Or, let me clarify — it had nothing to do with eating food.

In order to shop, cook and ensure that all my meals were animal product-free, I planned my meals for the week. I went through cookbooks, online recipes, blogs and more to come up with ideas, crafted a shopping list, and followed the plan to the T.

And I was the happiest I’ve been in a long time.

So, even though I’m back to eating animal products, I’m still planning meals. Here’s how this week looked:

• Sunday: Yuca Empanadas with Plantain-Black Been Filling, Sauteed Squash

• Monday: Beef Stew

• Tuesday: Split Pea Daal, Roti, Roasted Cauliflower (no picture, sniff sniff)
• Wednesday: Sweet and Spicy Pork Chops, Oat Groat Pilaf, Steamed Bok Choy

• Thursday: Pepin Potatoes, Braised Carrots and Fennel
• Friday: General Tao’s Tofu, Steamed Veggies

It’s more work up front, but a LOT less stress through the week. And, unfortunately, I’m not one of those people that can just throw things in a pot and make it come out delicious. I live with one of those people. But I’m a recipe girl.

On the exercise front…um, yeah. I have set my alarm for 5am every day since Monday. And I have woken up, turned the alarm off and gone back to sleep. Every day since Monday.

A girl needs her post-half marathon rest, right? I don’t feel too bad. I have another race in January, so I’m going to get back to normal training on Saturday.

What’s your best source for healthy recipes? The Web? Cookbooks? Family recipes?

          

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By Katy, December 4, 2009

First, let’s show off some goodies. Like the Amazing Grass that wasn’t — I took one sip and had to dump it. Shudder.

Then, my better half:

Who was very happy with his breakfast this morning. We met a friend before work (or in his case, before house husbanding) and he got a plate full of goodness.

I got the carrot cake pancake, which I will be attempting on my own.

I passed up the pumpkin pancake, but luckily my friend shared.

All pictures courtesy my iPhone.

So, tomorrow is my first half marathon, and I’m facing a few challenges. But I’m choosing to spin them, so they’re positives. Examples:

Lemon:

• I’m undertrained for this distance, and have only done one “long” run — 10 miles — in the last month. I’m battling a groin injury and have seen my training pace drop way off.

Lemonade:

• I would be doing a long run tomorrow anyway — why not do it with 3,500 other runners? I’m always faster during competitions, and even if I don’t feel great, I’m sure I’ll be inpsired by someone along the way.

Lemon:

Lemonade:

• An excuse to buy a new running hat so the torrential rain doesn’t drip into my eyes! Junior chewed mine up a while back, so I’ve been hatless. The hat will also cover up my sweaty, stanky self and allow me to truly smile from within when it’s time to cross the finish line.

Lemon:

• I’m feeling the effects of two years of training. My groin hurts, my back hurts, my shins hurt…everything hurts.

Lemonade:

• As a reward, Lucas has told me I can not only pick ANY place for dinner after the race, I can also get a massage and ice cream! Triple awesome!

Lemon:

• Well, there isn’t one, I just wanted a chance to share…

Lemonade:

• Carbing up. The afore-mentioned carrot cake was an indulgence, since I normally go with an egg white omelette. Then at lunch, I got my carbs in another way (below) and we’re having black bean pasta for dinner. Nom nom nom.

Lemon:

• Out of all the people I know competing in tomorrow’s event, I am by far the slowest. If they wanted, they could finish their half marathons, go home and shower, get massages and come back to high-five me at the finish line.

Lemonade:

• I’ve already arranged to see some of my friends before the race starts, so we can hug and high-five for luck. Plus, I keep telling myself that by 10am, I’ll have done more than more people will do all month.

And, if I may be so bold as to volunteer a lemon/lemonade scenario for Lucas…

Lemon:

• Wife’s crazy running addiction once again has me up way before the sun, fighting traffic and bad weather.

Lemonade:

• Beer garden for participants after the race. Wife won’t drink her beer. Score.

Wish me luck!

          

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By Katy, December 2, 2009

Mmm…ketchup is so good. I used to be a ketchup-only girl. No mustard. No relish. No onions. No no no.

Now, I use all those condiments and more. Have your tastes changed as you’ve gotten older?

In this case, ketchup really means catch-up, because it’s been a week since I posted! Here’s what you missed in my life:

• An amazing Thanksgiving with friends who feel like family. I wish I could have been with my mom, dad and brother, or my amazing in-laws, but I got to see many of them this summer, and I am thankful for that.
• A lazy long weekend, involving a trip to IKEA, West Elm, DSW, Old Navy, Sports Authority and Best Buy. Amazingly, only one thing came home with me…but it’s a big one!

Introducing Stella:

Merry Christmas to ME!

Stella is a Garmin Forerunner 305, and she is my new running buddy. The Garmin has been on my wish-list for about 6 months, and I was going to ask Santa for it. But I decided to go ahead and get it now, so I can use it for both half marathons that I’m signed up for. One of which is this weekend…um, yeah.

On a related sidenote, I have to tell y’all how much you blow me away with your support and friendship. Many of us have never met, and never will. But when I whine about my injury, you jump in to make me feel better!

(For those who don’t know — I have what I assume is an overuse injury. About a week before my Olympic triathlon, I started feeling an intense, stabbing pain in my hamstring/groin area. After the tri, it got really bad. I took a few weeks off of running, and the pain is now bearable but I am still dealing with it on a daily basis.)

Katie: Argh injuries are so frustrating. I’m afraid to even read about them afraid it will curse me I freak at every twinge. The memory of 4 months off of running still sends shivers down my spine! Hope you feel better! I’ve been doing spinning twice a week at the gym and yoga twice a week and I’m sore all the time way more so then when I was running almost every day!

Tracy: Katy – what is your injury? I’m new to your blog (found it when Caitlin at HTP linked to you doing your triathlon) and saw that you had an injury which you described as being near your, uh female parts. But, I never saw you say what it is exactly. Groin area? I’m asking because I’ve got a pelvic stress fracture, which presented as a groin strain, and well – it’s been hell. I missed the halfs for which I was training and am sitting out 3 months

itallchanges: Sorry you are still in pain. Have you gotten it looked at? I found once I got my hip looked at I started PT and it was wonderful. My PT really pushed me since he knew I was an “athlete” so I got a great workout just from the exercises he was teaching me to strengthen my body.

Dori: Oh no. My best advice would be rest for a week and then try again. Hope you feel better!

chrystad72: injuries can be frustrating but its great that you are listening to your body and letting it rest when its needs to. Thats so important for a good recovery! Anyways sounds like you will be back in full force soon so no worries! Have a great day! I really hope you feel better!

Tiffanie: I feel your pain! For years I’ve trained for some type of running event that has always left me injured and frustrated! This time I am training for the Disney’s Princess half marathon in March 2010 and I am following my training schedule by the books! Even though I physically feel like I can handle more, I don’t even want to even remotely try to do more too soon. I so want to be able to actually train AND compete this time as injury free as possible!!!

I hope you get feeling better soon!!!

I decided to take Stella on a group run last weekend — which turned out to be a solo run. Only three of us showed up, and unfortunately, they were running at a slower pace than I wanted. So I took off on a gorgeous course (I noticed Caitlin and Megan did their 20-miler at the same spot!) The GPS was a great addition, althought it really just made it clear that my injury is really slowing me down. Before I got hurt, I trained at around 10:00/mile, and competed at 8:30 or 9:00/mile. Not fast by any means, but consistent.

But for the last month of running, that pace has dropped like a rock. I’m now at about 11:00/mile, and I feel like I’m giving it my all. (The last lap was walking back to my car.)

Split	Hours:Minutes:SecondsTime	MilesDistance	FeetElevation Gain	FeetElevation Loss	Minutes per MileAvg Speed	Minutes per MileMax Speed	Beats per MinuteAvg HR	Beats per MinuteMax HR	CaloriesCalories
Summary	01:56:04	10.28	205	170	11:17	08:58	164	173	1,242
1	00:25:59	2.50	49	41	10:23	09:04	164	172	300
2	00:26:45	2.50	60	58	10:42	09:34	170	173	304
3	00:27:54	2.51	41	39	11:06	08:58	167	172	308
4	00:28:13	2.52	28	32	11:12	09:41	164	169	307
5	00:07:11	0.25	27	0	28:42	11:33	129	165	23

But my mantra is: “Just Keep Pushing.”

I did a miserable 6 miles on Monday, and a decent 4.5 this morning. I am not going to run in between now and Saturday, to try and have fresh legs for the half marathon through Downtown Orlando.

Hey, remember my (vegan) Pumpkin Beer Bread?

If you want to give it a taste of your own, just head to Ashley’s blog and bid on my baking!

Ashley is an amazing runner, a healthy living blogger and a fundraiser for Team in Training, which helps people with leukemia, lymphoma and other blood cancers. I am so inspired by people who give their time, money and SWEAT, so I am thrilled to donate two loaves of my Pumpkin Beer Bread to the highest bidder. So get to gettin’!

          

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By Katy, November 25, 2009

WHINE ALERT!

Don’t worry — it will be short-lived because I have a lot to be thankful for.

Remember that amazing 8-mile run I had on Friday?

I felt great all day Friday, all day Saturday, all day Sunday. And on Monday, I wanted to run, but I thought — give it one more day of rest.

Then on Tuesday, I set out for what I hoped would be a nice 6-mile pre-work run and I just couldn’t make it. I got about a mile in before I decided to bust it down to a ralk, and even that was painful. I decided to walk another two miles, then I ran a mile home. All in all, not too bad. If I wasn’t registered for two half marathons in the next month, I wouldn’t be so worried.

But I am.

It would have been easy to give up on exercise until my injury is feeling better, but it’s hard to watch this show:

and not be inspired.

So, this morning I decided to re-vist my old friend ExerciseTV on Demand. I did a mix-and-match workout of Jay’s Bootcamp Cardio, Power Sculpt Yoga and Bridal AB-session.

And as I cycled through the dozens of FREE available workouts, it amazed me how many there were for beginners.

For a cooldown, I thought I’d try the beginner’s walking workout, but let me tell you — it may be basic, but it’s still a sweat-inducer!

So, if you read blogs from people who are completing marathons, strength training challenges or other intimidating workouts, just know that you can get started quickly and easily, and in the privacy of your own home. Whether you want to walk, tone up or build a stronger core — all of which will help you live a healthier, happier and longer life — you have no excuses.

(I just saw there there are a lot of free workouts on their Web site, too!)

Plus, Kim Kardashian, Carmen Electra, the Real Housewives and Jillian Michaels are on ExerciseTV, so you even get your celebrity watching in!

Tomorrow’s Thanksgiving here in the States, and many of you may have seen the Thanksgiving Challenge from Diana:

Lucas and I have been invited over to a friend’s house, and I’ll be bringing three healthy sides — each of which has been made over from a “regular” recipe:

• Cranberry Sauce
  • I’m making a Cranberry-Pomegranate-Orange Terrine with Pom Wonderful
• Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Nuts
  • I’m making steamed Brussels Sprouts with cranberries and pecans
• Green Bean Casserole
  • I’m making Roasted Green Beans with homemade Crispy Shallots and Onions

Don’t worry — Lucas will be bringing a homemade cheesecake that is the real deal.

OK, time to get moving — I’m cramming five full days of work into three days, so I’m going to indulge in a rare mid-week French Press with foamy creamer.

Yum.

What are your Thanksgiving plans?

          

Comments

By Katy, November 23, 2009

I may have one of the best husbands in the world.

When we met in college:

He was a red-meat eating hunter, a beer-drinking, no-exercising, study-around-the-clock archicture student. My experiments started back then, when I would try and wean him off of Miracle Whip, switch his coffee to bottled water and introduce fruits and vegetables into his diet.

And he never complained.

Just like he never complained during Vegan Week, even thought it went against everything in his nature!

In fact, when Michelle and I came up with this crazy adventure, I hesitantly asked Lucas if he’d be willing to let me cook vegan dinners through the week.

He shocked me — in an amazing way — when he almost immediately told me he was not only OK with vegan dinners, but he wanted to give the entire Vegan Week a shot! He traded his cereal and milk for oatmeal; bologna sandwiches with cheese for salads and soup and let me run wild when it came to dinner.

So, what are the takeaways from the husband’s perspective? (He wrote me notes!)

• It was not that difficult to go a week, though Katy did a great job of having the proper foods in the house and planning dinners (which often was lunch the next day)
• It would have been much more of a problem if we did not already eat a lot of vegetables
• No dairy was the hardest part for me since I am a ‘cereal for breakfast’ guy. Not having yogurt or cheese options at lunch was rough.
• The worst foods of the week (for me) were the fake meat — “bologna” and yogurt (soy and/or coconut milk). Maybe if it was a long-term change I would learn to like them, but it would take a long time. The texture of both were a bit off-putting to me and the “bologna” had really no flavor on its own, serving as nothing but a filler in a sandwich.
• It was certainly a good exercise to refine label reading skills, knowing what you are putting into your body is important whether vegan, vegetarian or other.

Cute, huh?

I agree with Lucas about the processed foods. To tell you the truth, we don’t eat much processed food at all, whether we’re following a specific diet (vegan) or not. I bought him some vegan “bologna” to see how it compares to the bologna and lunch meats that he normally has. Almost all of our meals through the week were homemade, with fresh fruits, vegetables, grains and more.

We should also note…Lucas had, um, some tummy troubles this week. As he says: “It was a good thing I was home alone a lot.”

So what do you think of his notes? Would your significant other or family members consider changing their diet?

          

Comments

By Katy, November 19, 2009

I hope you’re not sick of hearing how overwhelmed I am with gratitude to those who have followed the #VeganWeek…hard to believe this started as a random conversation between me and Michelle — miles apart — and became a blogging sensation.

Today, we asked you to consider making one meal or all your meals vegan, to see what it’s like.

Here are just SOME of the people who posted:

• sarahghostworld: I will be participating!! i’m a total omnivore with no plans of putting labels or restrictions on my diet, but i do have have ethical qualms about the environmental and economic impact of meat-eating. so i figured . . . .why not! i linked to both of you in my post today (here) and will be photographing my eats all day to show tomorrow! i have a 20 mile run planned, so . . . there will be a lot of them
• Kristen: I’m participating in vegan for a day: http://inspiredbydooce.blogspot.com/2009/11/blo… So far the hardest part is the pictures…I’m taking pictures of what I eat for the day and it is hard to remember to put all of the ingredients in the shot.
• nutritionista: Yay for Vegan Week/Day!! I just posted my list of 10 Reasons to Go Vegan, and I plan to post a summary of my day’s vegan eats later today. http://yournutritionista.com/post/249757081/10-…
• Megan @ Healthy Hoggin: I just put up my first post about being Vegan 4 A Day: http://wp.me/pB1yI-5q So far so good, although the second I tell myself I “can’t” have something, I seem to want it more than ever!! Isn’t it funny how that works?? I have a feeling some cheese is in my future… but not today.

And on Twitter:

• @vegetarianwife: My vegan eats http://vegetarianwife.blogspot.com/2009/11/vegan-eats.html #veganweek
• @BodyandSoulmag: some friends were doing a #VeganWeek challenge, so here are some delicious vegan recipes to try! http://ow.ly/DQiM
• @pure2raw: Twin’s 20 reasons for being #vegans in honor of #VeganWeek http://bit.ly/3P5LgK
• @dysterious: Back to the gym tomorrow I hope! Been since monday and I’m itching to go but must clean all night. + drink Stickelback vegan wine #veganweek
• @abbynormally: http://twitpic.com/q4wmz – Does this meet the requirements for #VeganWeek?

And on, and on, and on. You guys rock my world.

So does this:

If you follow me on Twitter, you noticed that I talked about moving today. We packed up our current offices, and moved to some swanky new digs that afford me an incredible view. And this hunky husband wasn’t too bad to look at, either — he helped us lug some of the heavy stuff around!

Luckily, I’d fueled up with some Kitchen Sink Granola and oatmeal, served with a splash of almond milk:

Because the moving took all morning and part of the afternoon…while on a key-copying run, I got a caffeine boost with a soy, 4-pump sugar-free hazelnut coffee:

Then finally tucked into these beauties…a salad with veggies and tahini dressing:

And a juicy grapefruit:

Ran around some more, then headed home to catch up on #VeganWeek tweets (and soothe my pacrhed throat):

While my pre-made Yuca Shepherd’s Pie casserole (Veganomicon, again) cooked, along with some Cornmeal-crusted masala brussels sprouts:

So, so good. I stuck it under the broiler for 2 minutes after baking, and the yuca topping got crispy and crunchy. And the sprouts…heaven. By the way, heaven is spicy. Just like me.

I already have plans for cooling my mouth down:

And, since I have some work to catch up on, this guy gets remote control (which is good, because Syracuse is on TV!) This means I’ll be DVR’ing Project Runway, so heaven help the person that spoils it for me.

Evil dog in the background.

So, what can you look forward to when it comes to #VeganWeek?

**The Glo Bakery bar giveaway is open until 7pmET tomorrow. ENTER NOW!

**Tomorrow, I’ll be posting about a vegan diet and weight loss. Check it out and let me know what you think!

**Jess from A Fete For Food just did an amazing post on Michelle’s blog, about the environmental impact a vegan diet has. She taught me so much!

**Catch up on all the #VeganWeek action on my page here and Michelle’s page here.

          

Comments

By Katy, November 18, 2009

It just took one bite…ONE BITE!…of the amazing Glo Bars, made by the gorgeous and motivational healthy living blogger Angela from Oh She Glows, to realize that vegan baking could not only taste good, it could actually be better than conventional ingredients.

Ange blogs about food, fitness and family (sound familiar?), and she’s particulaly inspirational to me because she quit her job — when others thought she was crazy — to follow her dreams. Since I’m married to one of those dreamers, who is loving his new life as full-time beer blogger, it’s great to see how powerful passion can be.

When Michelle and I first started talking about Vegan Week, we knew we had to reach out to Angela, to get her advice. We got much more. We got her complete support, and a fabulous guest post on vegan baking. Make sure you read all the way through for a special surprise.

****

Vegan Baking How-Tos:
Animal- waistline- and wallet-friendly baking tricks!
By: Angela Liddon

For many of us, the thought of vegan baking seems like an impossible feat. When I decided to remove all animal ingredients from my favourite recipes, I was shaking in my boots! I had no idea whether I would be able to replicate my favourite recipes and ensure that they were just as tasty without products like eggs, butter, honey, and milk. I had many failed attempts along the way; from flatter-than-pancake cookies to crumbly bean brownies. I have chronicled many unsuccessful attempts on ohsheglows.com, just in case you are looking for a good laugh as a stress release.
However, my persistence with vegan baking paid off and over time I was able to fully convert all of my products without the use of animal products. What I also didn’t realize was that vegan baking can also be more cost efficient too! For example, 1 organic brown egg costs about 35 cents, while a natural egg replacer such as ground flax seed and water costs just 2 cents per ‘egg’. This amounts to a hefty savings over time. Now you can have your cake and buy a cute pair of shoes, too!
If you are interested in baking delicious, animal-friendly, and healthy baked goods please read on for my top vegan baking tricks that I have learned along the way.

Best Egg Replacers:
1) Chia seeds
Chia seeds are an extremely nutritious seed with more Omega 3 than salmon, more antioxidants than blueberries, more calcium than milk, and more fibre than bran. You can easily increase the nutrient content of your baked goods by baking with chia. What’s not to like? Whisk 2 tablespoons of chia seeds with ½ cup water to replace 1 egg.

2) Flax seed
Whisk 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed and 3 tablespoons of water to replace 1 egg.
Both the flax and chia mixtures create a gel-like substance which mimics the texture of an egg.

3) Fruit/Vegetables
Bananas are a great egg replacer in baked goods such as bread, muffins, and pancakes. Use ½ of a banana (mashed) to replace 1 egg.

Pumpkin can be another great egg replacer in baked goods like bread and muffins. Use about ¼ cup of pumpkin to replace 1 egg. Be careful of pumpkin because it tends to weigh down the baked good and make it quite dense. You typically need to increase the amount of baking powder when using pumpkin to ensure that the product will rise nicely.

4) Cornstarch
Cornstarch is made from the grains of corn and is often used as a thickening agent in baked goods. Whisk 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water until the mixture thickens. Cornstarch is great in homemade sauces, dressings, and even homemade yogurt.

5) Silken Tofu
Blend ¼ cup of silken tofu until smooth to replace 1 egg. I make vegan pumpkin pie using silken tofu and it kicks any non-vegan pumpkin pie’s booty! Tofu is also delicious in cakes and cream cheese icing. Don’t worry if you are not a tofu lover, it leaves no taste in baked goods. You probably won’t believe me until you try it, so why not try making a vegan pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving this year? Your friends and family won’t know the difference, I promise.

6) Ener-G Egg Replacer:
Made of mostly potato starch and tapioca starch flour, Ener-G Egg Replacer can be used in baked goods like cookies, cakes, muffins, and squares. Whisk 1 teaspoon with two tablespoons of water until bubbly to replace 1 egg.

Best Milk Replacers:
1) Almond, Rice, Soy, or Hemp Milk
Thankfully, cow’s milk is very easy to replace in baked goods. The ratio is 1:1, so when replacing 1 cup of cow’s milk you may use 1 cup of any non-dairy milk of your choice. Easy as pie, right?

Best Butter Replacers:
Canola Oil:
1) Canola oil is very low in saturated fat and is high in monounsaturated fat, making it one of the healthiest oils for baking. I use canola oil in many of my vegan cake recipes and it creates a light, moist, and fluffy texture. It also works well in many cookie recipes.

2) Non-hydrogenated Virgin Coconut Oil:
Antifungal and antimicrobial, recent studies show that coconut oil has a wide range of health benefits from reducing one’s cholesterol levels to aiding weight loss (see here for more info: http://www.coconutoil.com/research.htm). I use coconut oil in my vegan pie crusts and Green Monster smoothies (www.greenmonstermovement.com).

3) Vegan Margarine/Shortening
Earth Balance carries vegan butter and shortening substitutes which I have found to be very effective in my recipes. Earth balance products can be substituted with a 1:1 ratio in most baked goods. I use Earth Balance Shortening and butter in my vegan icing and it turns out absolutely delicious!

4) Applesauce
Applesauce is a classic fat replacer and can work well in pancakes, muffins, cakes, and some cookies. I don’t like substituting all of the butter called for with applesauce though because I find it results in a rubbery baked good. The best substitutions replace 50% of the butter/margarine called for in a recipe with applesauce. I use this technique in my Sweet Wheat Sugar Cookies and it works lovely. Half the fat, but all the taste.

Sweeteners:
I do not use any white sugar in my Glo Bakery products and I never use any artificial sweeteners like sucralose or aspertame. Instead, I prefer to use more natural sweeteners that are less processed. I love baking with Sucanat which ranks the highest in nutritional value out of all sugars derived from the sugar cane (see here for more information: http://www.fitsugar.com/185218). I also enjoy baking with agave nectar, natural cane sugar, turbinado sugar, and brown rice syrup.
I hope you will find these tips useful and have fun experimenting. Happy baking!

Angela
Glo Bakery (www.globakery.com)
Oh She Glows (www.ohsheglows.com)
Green Monster Movement (www.greenmonstermovement.com)

***

Pretty great, huh? As a BIG fan of silken tofu:

and Green Monsters, I love what Ange is doing to spread the movement. And she’s having an impact on vegan baking — I saw the flax egg pop up on MegaNerdRuns‘ blog earlier this week!

So, here’s the exciting news: YOU can win an Empower Me Glo Bars pack from Glo Bakery.

Empower yourself with deliciously energizing organic dark roast coffee and dark chocolate. Coffee Lovers and Non-coffee lovers can enjoy this bar! The coffee flavour is descibed by many customers as ‘very light. subtle, and aromatic’.

Little known fact? This Angela’s favourite new flavour!

Packed with hemp seed, flax seed, coconut, and natural peanut butter. Each bar has 20 mg of caffeine; just enough to give you a kick to your step and a boost during your busy day!

100% Certified Organic Ingredients: Oats, brown rice syrup, gluten-free crisp rice cereal, natural peanut butter, non-dairy dark chocolate, hemp seeds, dark roast coffee, unsweetened coconut, ground flax seed, evaporated cane juice, pure vanilla extract.

If you want a chance to win a pack of these bars, just leave me a comment on this post by 7pmET on Friday night. I’ll randomly select one person to get the goodies!

Want a second chance at winning? Follow me and Michelle on Twitter, then tweet this: I’m supporting #VeganWeek and entering to win an @globakery pack from @kwidrick! http://bit.ly/1AZlaZ

**In order to get your second chance at winning, be sure to leave me another comment telling me about your tweet! I’ll be randomly selecting a winner from those who leave comments on the post.

Want a chance to win a Get Glo-ing Glo Bar Variety Pack from Glo Bakery? Go to Michelle’s post and follow her instructions.

If you do all of this, you’ll have four chances to win two Glo Bakery packs!

But wait, there’s more!

• Use the hashtag #VeganWeek in your tweets about this adventure, or your own vegan-minded thoughts!
• Check out my page of Vegan Week stories here and Michelle’s here.
• The fabulous Ryan of Greens for Good and Lindsey of Sound Eats have a guest post on Michelle’s blog. Check it out!
• Tomorrow, I’ll have an interview with vegan triathlete (and super-hottie) Brendan Brazier, who makes the Vega products we all know and love so much.

You want to take part? You want to win yet another cool prize? Read on, my friends:

On Thursday, November 19, we are asking that you devote one or all of your meals to being vegan. We just kindly ask if you could link back to either my blog or Michelle’s when you make your posts about Vegan Week. We will be compiling a list of all who participate throughout the day, on our blogs under the ‘VeganWeek’ tabs. If you could make sure to either send us the link and/or leave it in the comment section of the ‘Vegan 4-A- Day’ official post on Thursday then we can give you proper accolades.

If you know of any other friends, bloggers or not, who are up for the challenge…spread it around! Everyone who takes part will have a chance at a really cool prize — details of that to come soon!

          

Comments

By Katy, November 17, 2009

I think Lucas is taking this whole “vegan cleanse” a little too far, don’t you? This is how he started his day:

Don’t worry — lifeguards are always on duty.

Ahhh, the life of the unemployed. After I left this sweet family scene, I powered up for Day 2 of #VeganWeek with some yerba maté:

And some oatmeal, mixed in with Kitchen Sink Granola, almond milk, cinnamon and vanilla.

Got to work, then had to start thinking about lunch. I had a business meeting over Indian food (hi, Z!) and had to turn to the experts for advice. I tweeted — what should I get that’s healthy and vegan? I got:

@DietitianJanel so many veg options there! some veg options have cheese. otherwise, enjoy!

@SKDickey You will be surprised how easy it is – good luck!!

@greensforgood U should have a lot of options! Just ask what doesn’t have meat/dairy in it and u should be good. I’ve had luck with chana masala.

I ended up going with baigan bartha, partly because I’ve seen it on Gina’s blog so many times!

It didn’t disappoint…but MAN was it spicy! Lots of running around for work this afternoon, but I actually couldn’t wait to get home because I had two recipes I couldn’t WAIT to try out.

And let me tell you…they might have been the best dishes I’ve ever made. I have to give it up, once again, to Veganomicon for Tempeh Nori Rolls:

And Root Salad with Warm Maple-Fig Dressing:

Ohhhhhhnommmmohhhhhyesssss…can you see that there are three kinds of potatoes and two kinds of beets in there?

I will definitely be going back to these dishes, whether I stick with veganism or not. I wish I could post the recipes, but you’ll just have to go get the book yourself! And my carniverous control specimen — Lucas — loved everything, too.

The dressing had a splash of wine — and so did the cook:

I am stuffed and very happy right now…ready to watch some Biggest Loser and get some chores done!

Thoughts:

**No matter what, I will definitely go back to meal planning when #VeganWeek is done. I have looked forward to cooking every night, and have loved going back to recipes and exploring new flavors. I think I’d gotten in a rut, and gotten a little lazy. This has been a great re-focusing experiment.

**You really do eat with your eyes first. Something about the mix of colors in tonight’s salad, or last night’s lima beans made the food taste even better.

**I love food bloggers. Just click this link and see how many people are jumping into the Vegan Week challenge. I am amazed at how people from all over the world come together for a common cause. I got a great email from The Nutritionista, who happens to be doing a Vegan Week of her own…she’s so supportive, and I think you’ll be hearing from her here on STT soon! Thank you to EVERYONE who is following my journey, along with Michelle!

Housekeeping:

• Maybe the best-known vegan baker is coming to Silly Tater Tot! Come back Wednesday morning for a very special guest post by Angela from Oh She Glows. Aaaaaannnnd, there might just be a delicious giveaway in store for you. Details to come…mwah ha ha ha.
• Did you LOVE Janel’s guest post? If you missed it, check it out here, then give her a shout. She’s awesome!
• Two vegan rockstars — and sweet, sweet girls — just did a guest post for Michelle, and it’s perfectly timed, because it’s all about veganism during the holidays. Click here, then check out Ryan and Lindsey’s blogs for more.
• Follow me on Twitter here and Michelle here. Also, check out my complete Vegan Week page here and Michelle’s here.

AND remember:

On Thursday, November 19, we are asking that you devote one or all of your meals to being vegan. We just kindly ask if you could link back to either my blog or Michelle’s when you make your posts about Vegan Week. We will be compiling a list of all who participate throughout the day, on our blogs under the ‘VeganWeek’ tabs. If you could make sure to either send us the link and/or leave it in the comment section of the ‘Vegan 4-A- Day’ official post on Thursday then we can give you proper accolades.

If you know of any other friends, bloggers or not, who are up for the challenge…spread it around! Everyone who takes part will have a chance at a really cool prize — details of that to come soon!

          

Comments

By Katy, November 16, 2009

Knowing that we needed to clean out the fridge of anything that might go bad during Vegan Week, on Sunday, I made Lucas one of the meatiest, most non-vegan dishes he’s had in a while:

Bird’s Nest Egg…with bologna.

He deserves it, for letting me experiment for seven straight days!

Here is what Day One of Vegan Week entailed for me.

Yerba Maté (with no sweetener):

Followed by pumpkin oatmeal, soaked in almond milk on the way to work:

Then heated up in the office microwave. Lunch was a Hugh Jass with a spicy (!!) Tahini-Dill dressing I made from Brendan Brazier’s book, “Thrive” which I (here ya go, FTC) got for free at the Healthy Living Summit earlier this year.

Enjoyed outside (woo hoo for No Nonsense November!) with a ton of water:

P.S. Notice how I don’t have any makeup on? I couldn’t be sure that my products were vegan (I use Smashbox and E.L.F., which are cruelty-free and mostly vegan, but not all of their makeup is) so I stuck with foundation and that’s all. I know Michelle, my Vegan Week partner in crime, is planning a post later this week on vegan beauty products, and I can’t wait to learn more!

Back to the eats. For snack, an organic granny smith apple and a side of Tweetdeck:

And an Orange and Maple Sugar Pinwheel, from the Veganomicon cookbook:

And for dinner, a combo-Brendan Brazier/Veganomicon dish.

Yuca Tortillas:

And Mediterranean Lima Beans:

I have a feeling a glass of wine may be in store for “dessert!”

Takeaways so far?

**Planning (for me) is key. Could I follow a vegan diet without diving into cookbooks? Sure. But the idea of eating tofu and vegetables every day bores me. I love looking ahead, prepping foods, cooking them and trying something new. So far, this has been the best part of the whole adventure!

**This is not too hard. Now, I understand that I’m already more vegetarian than most…but I don’t feel hungry, bored or out of my element. There are so many amazing things to eat that don’t come from animals!

**There are so many great resources and supporters out there! Michelle and I have been OVERWHELMED by the support we’re getting.

++Angela from Oh She Glows posted a link on her site!

++My friends at Nasoya tweeted this: @Nasoya: Celebrate with Dumplings! http://tinyurl.com/yzlucyp @kwidrick – thanks for letting me know it’s #veganweek NICE!

++Another tweet: @LowFatKat: Funny how easy it is to say NO to something b/c of ingredients yet I usually have trouble saying NO based on just calories/fat. #veganweek

The list goes on and on, so whether you’re a regular reader or here for the first time, I want to say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Here’s more information about Vegan Week:

• Follow me on Twitter here and Michelle on Twitter here.
• Use the hashtag #VeganWeek in your tweets about this adventure, or your own vegan-minded thoughts!
• Check out my page of Vegan Week stories here and Michelle’s here.
• Healthy Ashley did a great guest post on Michelle’s blog. Check it out – love her!
• On Wednesday, I’ll have a guest post on vegan baking from Angela of Oh She Glows, along with a Glo Bakery giveaway you won’t want to miss! Michelle will have a guest post from Ryan of Greens for Good and Lindsey from Sound Eats.
• On Thursday, I’ll have an interview with vegan triathlete (and super-hottie) Brendan Brazier, who makes the Vega products we all know and love so much. Michelle will have a guest post from Jess at A Fete For Food.

There are many more exciting announcements to come — and be sure to check back Tuesday morning for details on how you can take part, and be entered to win a very cool prize!

          

Comments

By Katy, November 16, 2009

Who:

Two girls, each with a curiosity about the vegan diet and its role in healthy living.

Katy: a married triathlete with no allergies, eating issues or dietary restrictions. I believe in REAL foods — organic and local whenever possible — and I’m trying to maintain a 40-pound weight loss while getting into the best shape possible.

Michelle: an American living in Australia, trying to stay healthy and fit while miles (and miles, and miles) away from home and pursuing her goal of becoming a nurse. Michelle lost 120 pounds and has several restrictions on her diet.

YOU!:

• VEGAN FOR A DAY- Thursday 19th November
  • Thursday eat all day vegan, or just one meal.
  • We’ll be tracking all of the Vegan eating throughout the day, all over the world — how cool is THAT??
  • This will be one of the best ways to enter a very cool giveaway…details to come.

What:

A commitment to follow a vegan diet — no animal products — for one week. Both Michelle and I will be documenting what we eat, the choices/challenges we faced, what we like and what we don’t, and our honest appraisal of a vegan diet.

In addition, we’ll be bringing in experts (a dietician, a vegan triathlete, a vegan baker and more) to share their tips and tricks for staying healthy while on a special diet like veganism. We’ll also have some great contests and giveaways for people who choose to follow our adventure!

We will also provide resources for anyone who is interested in learning more about veganism.

When:

Monday, November 16th through Monday, November 23rd. Both Michelle and I will be making at least one daily post about #VeganWeek.

Where:

SillyTaterTot.com and EatingJourney.com, as well as our Twitter accounts (@kwidrick and @eatingjourney). If you would like to follow the links and conversation on Twitter, search for #VeganWeek.

Why:

Now we get to the heart of the matter.

This idea started with a question I asked out loud — on my blog — about whether I could become a vegan. There are many reasons WHY I’m interested:

• Ethically, I’m very concerned about the state of factory farming and animal testing in the United States. Normally, I try to do my part buy buying organic meats, seafood, dairy and more. I read lables, try to understand who is making my food and how it gets to me. I think I’m more aware than most.
  • BUT, people who recommend a vegan diet often claim that it’s the most ethical way of eating, when it comes to the animals. I’m curious to research that claim, and I might as well give it a test-drive as I do.
• When it comes to health and nutrition, a vegan diet CAN encourage people to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as minimally-processed grains and beans. Inherently, veganism falls in line with my beliefs about eating whole foods and staying as close to the source as possible.
  • I certainly understand that with any diet — vegan or not — it comes down to making healthy choices. A vegan who does not eat a balanced diet is not any healthier than a carnivore who does. I’d rather be a responsible meat-eater than a “trendy” vegan. I’ll be exploring those ideas this week, as well.
• I want to experiment to see what impact a vegan diet has on my training. As a triathlete, my goal is to perform as well as I can, whether it’s faster, longer or more often. Food is fuel, and I’d like to what difference a vegan diet makes.

And finally…I’m a planner. I do better when I have a reason to think about what’s going into my mouth. I’m happiest when I’m organized, and I’ve really gotten away from that in recent months. That’s led to a lot of mindless eating, over-eating and a tendency to eat things that aren’t exactly ideal for my health.

So I’m jumping into this challenge with open eyes and a ready tummy. I am excited to try some new recipes, and to give the vegan lifestyle an honest shot. I very much doubt that I will stick with it after the week, but like anything else, it will be a learning experience and I hope it gives me new insight into a life that so many choose!

Be sure to visit Michelle’s blog and come back tomorrow as we lay out a very special way for YOU to get involved and win some awesome stuff!

          

Comments

By Katy, November 15, 2009

We’ll get to the meaning of the post title in a moment…but first — THREE CHEERS FOR LUCAS!

I’ve been moaning about my injured leg and my inability to run for weeks, but it has really opened my mind to other workouts, like long walks, bike rides and now, hiking!

Well, hiking is a stretch…in Florida, we don’t have hills, so it’s more like halking. Cousin of ralking. Lucas planned the whole morning and it awas great to get outside and enjoy the cooler weather.

We saw a deer, but he (she?) was too quick for us to get a picture. We did see some other creatures, including this guy:

Pretty cool, huh?

Toward the end, I was getting a little tired, and needed a game to push through the 2-hour hike. I started following in Luke’s footsteps

But he caught on and started messing with me, taking HUGE leaping steps and walking in a circle:

Good thing he stopped, or else it could have been:

That’s one of his favorite shirts. Luckily, he also has one that says “I Love Tater Tots,” so it all balances out.

Speaking of balancing…that’s something my checkbook might not do for a while, since I decided to stock up for #VeganWeek at my home away from home, Whole Foods.

First, I had to have a delicious lunch (grilled, open-faced pumpkin, apple and cheddar cheese sammies with chicken noodle and veggie soup):

It helped me fight through a very busy grocery store to get these goodies:

I’ll be getting into the how and why of #VeganWeek in tomorrow’s post, as well as laying out some VERY exciting giveaway news (!!!), but I will say that so far, the shopping didn’t involve much more than normal. Lots of fresh, organic veggies and fruit, some organic grains, etc. The only things that aren’t normally in my cart are nutritional yeast flakes, tahini and soy yogurts. And I didn’t even need to get those. I guess Lucas and I are just so far on the vegetarian side already that it will be an easier transition.

Once I got everything unpacked, I decided to make some Kitchen Sink Granola to have ready for breakfasts this week. Here’s the recipe — enjoy!

Kitchen Sink Granola

(note: This recipe should be used as a guide, not a bible. It would work just as well with different grains, dried fruits, etc. In fact, I plan to make this with wheatberries, dried coconut and cranberries for holiday-inspired granola)

1C quinoa (rinsed)

1C rolled oats

1C ground flaxseed

3/4C bulgur wheat (I had SO MUCH leftover from my Vulgar Bread!)

3T vegetable or canola oil (I may try using hemp or coconut oil next time)

1C maple syrup or agave nectar

2tsp vanilla

2tsp cinnamon extract OR 2T ground cinnamon

dash salt

diced fruits (I used prunes and figs but next time would add more kinds)

chopped nuts (I used a mix of “Oh Nuts!” pepitas, cashews and almonds left over from the Healthy Living Summit)

Mix everything — everything! — together and spread onto a cookie sheet in a thin layer. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-25 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Once you smell it, it’s done…just give it a taste and make sure it’s the right texture.

          

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By Katy, November 14, 2009

Thank you ALL so much for the support you’re giving me and Michelle as we prepare for #VeganWeek, which starts on Monday.

If you’re interested in taking part, we’ll be revealing some details — along with guest bloggers, prizes and more — so be sure to check out my special page:

When I first told Lucas about the vegan challenge, I told him that he didn’t need to take part. I was pleasantly surprised when he said he’d like to try for dinners, which I’d be in charge of organizing.

I was even more surprised — and thrilled — when he told me yesterday that he’s going to try and do a completely vegan diet for the week!

Of course, his first question was…is beer vegan?

Notes of pumpkin spice...

It's good to be a brewer's wife...

That was quickly followed by this statement:

“I guess we’d better get our meat on this weekend.”

So, we’ve all been stuffing our faces:

Is that not the laziest dog you’ve ever seen?

We have big plans today. For my sanity, I am going to plan my meals for next week, then we are going shopping for our vegan pantry. We’re also going back to one of our favorite places — a “hiking” trail.

I used quotation marks because in Florida, there are no hills, so hiking is more like walking, but after doing THIS in Maine:

We’re desperate to get outside and enjoy the weather and views offered by the Sunshine State!

What is your favorite way to embrace and celebrate nature?

          

Comments

By Katy, November 13, 2009

I’m a lean organic chicken and sauteed greens girl, living with a meat and potatoes man. I grew up eating meat, and while I’m more veggie-friendly than most, I’m not a vegan, and it would be tough for me to become a vegetarian.

Lucas grew up hunting and eating deer, deep-frying turkeys and grilling big fat steaks for most of his meals.

But next week — for 7 days — we’re going Vegan.

Well, sort of. Lucas will be sucked in taking part for dinners, which I will be in charge of cooking.

This first came about when I floated the idea of going vegan out on my blog — I got some great comments, including:

I totally know what you mean. I wont eat any more meat anywhere unless I know exactly where it came from–and it has to be humane. I don’t feel deprived. Although, it’s hard to go out sometimes. Otherwise, I feel like I am doing my part.

That comment from Michelle, mixed in with some of you who wholly endorse a vegan diet and some who say (nicely) that it’s a bad idea, sparked a plan. (You can see her version of the aha moment on her blog post today!)

That plan, my friends, is #VeganWeek.

Starting on Monday, and running for a week, Michelle and I are going to follow a vegan diet, as much as possible. We’ll post what works, what doesn’t; what we like and what we don’t.

So what’s in it for you? We have some amazing guest bloggers lined up as well as some super giveaways and some more surprises that should make it fun, whether you’re just following along, or you want to get involved.

**I am also VERY excited to reveal that I will be interviewing vegan triathlete and best-selling author Brendan Brazier, so be sure to check that out next week!

Be patient, my sweets, because we’ll both be posting more details on our blogs on Monday morning. This weekend, I think I’ll be indulging in some meaty goodness. And getting to know Veganomicon as well as possible.

          

Comments

By Katy, November 5, 2009

I’m so glad you guys all liked my video on Adventures in Kombucha. It was fun to make! If you want to see me in some other videos (plug plug plug), I just set up a new page on the blog. Be sure to check out the first link, to all my stories on GrowingBolder.com — there are dozens of them and if you like any of them, they all have embed codes!

Aaaaaand since I’m already plugging, I’ll remind you to vote for me (Silly Tater Tot) and the husband (A Night With The Hops) for best blogs in this contest!

Remember the Vulgar Bread I made?

Well, it didn’t win in Foodie Fights but I did get some sweet comments from the judges!

Shanna from Food Loves Writing:

Silly Tater Tot | Vegan Pumpkin Bulgur Beer Bread: Wow, Katy didn’t just make bread; she also made bread, muffins and cake! While I’ll be the first to admit I’d never have thought to put pumpkin and bulgur and beer into a bread together, this looks excellent. Plus, bonus: it’s vegan!

Peggy from My BF Likes It So It Must Be Good:

Silly Tater Tot – I want to say I love your blog. You’re fun, whitty, and highly motivational. The bread idea was great. Beer bread is one of my favorite things, and to have your own brew incorporated in your entry, was ingenious. I immediately thought that I’d want to make a PBJ out of it, although I don’t know that that would be any good, but you sold me on how good the bread was. =)

I had fun making it, and I know it sustained Jackie through some tough times, so it was worth it.

So, I had one of those days. If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you already know that I had a 2 hour commute to work.

Let me repeat. My 40-minute drive took me 120-minutes. There was a motorcycle crash, which turned out to be fatal, so I can’t be too upset. Except that the guy was going 100mph at 2:30am. So I can