Random ramblings:
1. Today was the first day of school, and I’m SO glad I am not longer a teacher. No regrets about resigning!
2. My goal is to run 95 miles this week. I’ve done 40 so far. Eek—I am not even half done! It is already taking a toll on me, but I’m hoping this will only help prepare me for the marathon! I can’t decide which is harder: running really high mileage (when your body really isn’t used to it) or training for a marathon through a brutal winter.
3. My husband had strep throat last week, and now I’m starting to feel my throat get a little scratchy. I REALLY hope I’m not coming down with it too. I started taking echinacea, so I hope it helps!
4. I have not been sleeping well. This is not good for the high mileage or warding off sickness. Must get lots of sleep tonight!
5. Only 37 days until we go to Minnesota to see family and friends, see Josh Turner in concert, and run a marathon! So much to look forward to!
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Since this is a running AND food blog, I thought I’d better do a post on some food too. 😉
While I don’t foresee myself ever becoming a vegetarian or vegan, their diets do intrigue me. I especially found this article in Runner’s World (June 2012) on ultra-marathoner Scott Jurek very interesting. He swears that his vegan diet has made him a better and faster runner!
He included a recipe for Choclate Adzuki Bars, and I’ve been wanting to try this recipe since seeing it in the magazine.
Initially I didn’t know where to find adzuki beans, but I finally ended up finding them at the bulk section of Carrs (Safeway) grocery store.
Here’s how my bars turned out. I baked them for the maximum amount of time (45 minutes), but they were still doughy on the inside. Next time I should pick a larger pan so they aren’t as thick.
Overall, they were pretty good. I would make them again and add some chocolate chips on top next time. 😉
Here are some other foods I’ve been enjoying lately.
This Cinnamon Chex cereal is so good and so addicting!! They taste just like Cinnamon Toast Crunch! They have 8 grams of sugar, which I didn’t think was too bad.
I seriously could eat cereal all day long.
And this is the healthy, organic version of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It definitely is very close in taste but has a slightly odd after taste. However, not enough for me to stop eating them. 🙂
I go through my “granola”/protein bar phases and right now I’m enjoying all sorts of Luna bars. I like that they have a decent amount of protein (10g) and not overly calorie-dense (180 calories).
My favorite flavors right now are: Chocolate Dipped Coconut, Peanut Butter and Pretzel, and Blueberry Bliss.
These are a mostly-nut bar with some added seeds and dried fruit that I bought at Costco. I like them (more like “likED” them), but I’ve kind of overdosed on them.
It might only be 8 p.m. here, but I’m ready for bed!
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Questions
What is your favorite kind of cereal?
What food have you recently overdosed on?
95 miles? That is awesome! Will we be seeing a 100 mile week sometime soon? I am really into protein bars at the moment. I think my favorite are the Clif Builder Bars; they have 20g protein, and so are an easy way to contribute to my nutrition needs.
Yes, you should be seeing 100 pretty soon. 😉 I’ve had the Clif Builder Bars, and they are good. I just wish they weren’t quite so expensive.
I love Cinnamon Toast Crunch, too. When the BF leaves me on my own for a weekend, I stock up on it and eat cereal nonstop. I also love Cracklin’ Oat Bran–such an old man cereal, but soooo delicious.
Oh my gosh, I loved Cracklin’ Oat Bran as a kid. I need to buy some and relive my childhood days!! Although, I remember looking at the nutritional stats and feeling guilty wanting to buy a box because they weren’t so healthy.
I’m not a cereal person, but I’ve been into the Luna Bars lately. All three of the flavors you mentioned are the same three I tried this week! They are really good! I usually pick bars based on what’s on sale at our natural food store. I got them for $.99 each! 🙂
I buy the Luna bars in the 6-bar box so they are usually around a $1 a piece or less too. 🙂
I could also eat cereal for breakfast, lunch, & dinner. I really love Puffins brand–the cinnamony one, can’t remember the name, but it’s delish!
Barbara! Yes, I love that kind as well. 🙂
I will hit my highest month ever of running the end of August, but I so can’t imagine running 95 miles in one week. Yikes and kudos to you
It is all relative!!
Asking what is my favorite cereal is like asking a mother which of her children is her favorite. Not a fair question! I LOVE cereal and usually have about 4-5 boxes on hand. My favorite are cereals that are corn-based: Corn Chex, Corn Pops, Corn Flakes, etc. Oh wait! I forgot about Raisin Bran Extra. I can’t find that anymore 🙁 So bummed. It had dried cranberries, almonds, and yogurt clusters. Hope you don’t get sick! You are rocking this marathon training!
I like the analogy; there are too many good kinds of cereal!! Oh, I have about 8 boxes of cereal on hand right now. 😉 I can’t remember if I ever tried Raisin Bran Extra–I think so?? I wish they still made the Grape Nuts Trail Mix Crunch–oh, that was so good!
i had no idea that there’s a chocolate dipped coconut luna bar. i MUST try this! i usually don’t buy those sort of bars unless i know i’ll be too busy to make homemade snacks, but that sounds awesome!
I’m going to have to try those bars. I heart Jurek and his veggie power!
I can’t help myself around a box of cereal, it doesn’t last long. Knowing this I get a cereal that is tasty but not “eat the whole box in a fit of madness”. I like Cascadian Farms Hearty Morning.
the aduzuki beans are super popular in Japan. Next time you’re home in MN we’ll have to make a batch together 😀
I did not know aduzuki beans are popular in Japan. . .interesting! I’ll be in MN in 30 days!!
Favorite cereal? Hmm.. I’d have to say that it would either be something simple like cheerios with banana or any kind of Puffins. But I rarely buy cereal, because I’ll eat the whole dang box in a day! 🙂
Those Luna bars are awesome!
I am definitely SO GLAD that school started without me this year. SO HAPPY. I don’t miss a single, darn thing. Well, except the paycheck.
Those chocolate coconut Luna bars are my favorite thing right now!
Nice!
My dad read that same article and also tried out those bars (I don’t think his running club friends were big fans of them ;))…he’s still trying to eat as vegan and vegetarian as possible, while he’s training for his next marathon which is in a couple weeks (Jacksonville, FL). Your blog is great, your sister Kristy is a co-worker of mine and she told us about your blog.
Hey! It is nice to “meet” you. My sister talks a lot about you (all good things 🙂 ). I wasn’t a big fan of the bars either. I think I made mine too thick though and they were too soggy in the middle. I’d be interested to hear if your dad thinks a vegan/vegetarian diet made a difference in his training and marathon performance. Was he a pretty healthy eater prior to eat mostly vegetarian and vegan?