Fabulous Vegan Recipes

My running career began in 2013 when I ran my first Broad Street run. It was 10 miles and my very first run beyond a 5K. This weekend I'm attempting to PR at the Bronx 10 Mile. Do I feel super prepared? Nope. But I did run 9.8 miles last week and I survived. I've also worked on my speed the past few months and this week I'm staying hydrated and healthy. Even if you don't feel super prepared, you can still be prepared enough for your race. Get it?

I am 20 days away from completing my first marathon and my plan for the next few weeks is to eat clean and try to stay within a moderate calorie range. I probably won't lose weight but I want to at least try. I downloaded My Fitness Pal and I have tracked my food for 13 days straight now. It's going well and I made a ton of food yesterday. Whenever I'm good though, as in, sticking to healthy meals and portion control, I always want a raw dessert. Last week I was obsessed with these and now I just made these bites. These are GOOOOOOD!

I've done research and I've read plenty of articles about the healing powers of fruit, veggies and some spices. I just finished an article this morning on how easy it is to incorporate lemon juice, turmeric and ginger in your everyday diet. I also just did an 18 mile training run yesterday and taught restorative yoga on Saturday so my whole life is about recovery right now.

Pea protein is the new ingredient that is added to protein powder and smoothies, I'm just realizing. Am I late to the game? I feel like I always overlook peas as being boring or something I used to be made to eat as a kid but they are actually pretty awesome. I bought frozen peas yesterday at Whole Foods so I could make a smoothie today and I wasn't disappointed. To make the sweetest smoothie with bananas, make sure you use super ripe, speckled bananas, as ripe as you can possibly buy. The riper the banana, the sweeter the ice cream.

Let me start out by saying that I'm not a doctor or a registered dietitian so I cannot cure your sprains, strains, muscle soreness etc with anything I say on this blog. I can only speak from my own experience about how foods effect me so please ask a nutritionist if you need clinical facts about food. It always seems to come down to the same foods when you're having a problem like muscle cramps, feeling down, detoxing, feeling too tired: berries, cinnamon, nuts and seeds. These foods have antioxidant properties and help reduce inflammation. So, whatever issue you are having, you may already be eating the ingredients that are in this smoothie. Just eat healthy, whole foods and you will probably end up feeling your best!

I wanted to make muffins to change up my breakfast routine and to have a quick, healthy pre-run meal to grab and go. I don't eat much before a run so one of these muffins with a little bit of peanut butter fueled my long run yesterday. I haven't yet figured out what makes my long runs so good and what makes a run so so bad! My nutrition doesn't always stay the same, I eat different foods before a run and different calorie amounts but I'm realizing maybe less is more for a long run. A small healthy breakfast with protein, fat and carbs seems to work. And of course a ton of water, especially on these hot, humid days.

This long Memorial Day weekend has been just lovely, spending time with friends and eating good vegan food. It's super hot in the city so running was a challenge today but I did it and followed it with an awesome strength workout. So while I savor this long weekend and reflect on just how lucky I am and how beautiful this life is, I want to share a few more things I'm loving lately!! Oh and be on the lookout for my next recipe, cauliflower mac and cheese. Oh yeah!