Speed Trials

Breakfast was more Rice Pudding:

It was tasty, but a little dry. Luckily I had a side of juice cantaloupe:

It was good and held me over while I ran some errands, but I certainly needed a little snack before my long run. I had a banana with almond butter, and it was so damn good.

Here are my running stats: (I ran pretty hard, and pushed it despite the wind and the cold)

Length: 6.27km
Time: 33.8 min
Max HR: 174 bpm
Calories burned: 262

I was hungry when I got home, and so served myself a helping of the lentil casserole from Thursday:

I had a little dessert I concocted out of puffed rice, almond butter, and honey:

Yum Yum. I actually made these yesterday, and they were really crunchy then, but today, the crunch from the rice was all gone today. Sigh. So much for making a big batch to snack on during the week…

I also tried my hand at making some Larabars. Thanks to the comments from oftheearth I decided to give it a shot. I bought this stuff from the Bulk Barn this morning:

Now, most of these date bar recipes call for a food processor. But this is my food processor:

So I needed to help the dates along before throwing them in there. I heated them slightly on the stove:

And then was able to get a pretty good consistency in the processor:
Next were the almonds. In they went:

And this is how they turned out:

Hmm… This was after about 6 minutes of blending, and my arm felt like it was about to fall off. So I just went with it. Into the bowl they go:

Then I added some coconut, and some pepitas:

And mixed together:

Flattened into a pan:

And the result??

Well… Too gooey. I think I added too many dates, and with the almonds so coarsely chopped, it turned into more of a pan of goo than a bar. So I’m letting it go back to room temperature, and I’m going to add some more ingredients and see if I can’t get a better consistency.

All in all, it’s a pretty easy concept, but it sure needs some tweaking (and cinnamon).

I washed everything, and started on dinner. I went super simple again. Raw beet and carrot salad.

Shredded beets and carrots mixed with coconut milk, some herbs (cilantro would have been best, but I didn’t have any, so I settled for some savory and thyme) and the star ingredient, roasted nuts. I just put 1/4 cup nuts in the microwave for 1 min. and they were nice and roasted. So easy!!

So tomorrow the work week begins again… I’m a little worried about eating enough, and eating well at work. Especially since I have some meetings and other things planned in the evenings this week… aheirygaogahga;fdfgshdks (thanks Angelo for that contribution… Hm, maybe that’s my cue to stop blogging and enjoy the rest of my Sunday evening…)

Yesterday was a SUPER lazy day. I did a lot of reading, watching tv, and ate… It was super chill.
It started with breakfast, which was delicious! Much better than Friday’s yucky meal.

Brown rice pudding (with coconut milk). Mmm m. I sweetened it with a touch of maple syrup, which you’re not supposed to use in elimination diets, so today I’m going out to buy some brown rice syrup… I don’t care, though, because this was SOOOOO good.

Topped with nuts. I also had a banana an hour later.

Lunch was good too, and super simple.

I boiled some brown rice pasta (1/2 cup uncooked, on the right), and set some veggies to steam (on the left). While I waited for the stove to do its thing, I prepped an avocado:

Veggies steaming:

Once my pasta was drained and rinsed, I sliced my avocado:

And turned it inside out into the bowl:

Then I added some balsamic vinegar and nutritional yeast:

Added the veggies, and stirred:

It was great. I’m a huge fan of balsamic vinegar. It’s so sweet and tangy, and I could eat it on anything. This meal filled me up and was really colourful and super tasty.

Throughout the afternoon, I snacked on some almonds and another pear, and one of these juices boxes:

Then I got ready to head out to the Rideau Valley Riot.

I was refereeing again for the Slaughter Daughters, and it was, of course, an amazing time! They were playing the Tri-City Thunder, and after the first period, I was sure the SD’s were going to pack it away. Unfortunately, they lost a little steam in the second, and the Tri-City was able to surpass them in points. The third showed the Daughters fighting back somewhat, but the Tri were in their element, and swept the game something like 56 to 85 (I’m not sure the exact score… Check the RVRG site for more info).

It was a great game, and the intermission shows were the Mallets of Mayhem playing an exhibition Polo game. It was super fun.

By the time I got home, it was 11:30pm, though, and I wasn’t super hungry, so I just had some water and went to bed.

Again, no bloating today, and the caffeine withdrawal headache only sprang at about 2pm, for about an hour. I was dehydrated after the game though (despite having a water bottle with me the whole time) and I went to bed with a headache too…

Plans for this morning: Grocery store for a few staples, return the pylons to the Bike Polo Court, and a 6.4km run. I didn’t run on Friday (headache and haziness precluding) so I want to get back on track. The situps, however, are going well, and Angelo and I are up to 48 situps at a time. Though we’ve started to incorporate different situps into the regime, just to get those obliques and lower abdominals. It’s super nice to have a partner do this with me; it definitely makes it more fun.

Yesterday was my first day on the Elimination Diet, and the toughest thing about it was caffeine withdrawal. It started at around 10:00am (I usually go for coffee between 8:30 and 9:30) with a headache. Then came the irritability. And then came the haze. I really felt like I was in a cloud. I stuck to very menial tasks at work (no composing minutes for me!!) and went home to bed.

I slept from about 4:15pm to 6:15pm. Angelo woke me up because he knew I wouldn’t sleep through the night if I napped any longer. Turns out he didn’t need to worry. When he went out at 10pm, I went to bed, and didn’t wake up till 7:30 this morning. Wow!!

So, what did I eat yesterday?

Well, it started with this:

I had such high hopes for this breakfast, but it was gross. The Hemp Milk is brutal, and paired with the bland puffed rice, yuck. Now, I have developed quite the sweet tooth over the last few months (damn you, Splenda!!) so maybe I’m just unaccustomed to things that aren’t artificially sweet… Nevertheless, I’m switching to almond milk, stat!

But the Vega… I have no excuse for that. I’m used to having it in a smoothie, so to just shake it in some water made it very soupy and not fun to drink at all. Maybe I just put too much water in it…

I got to work and had one of my Larabars and it was super tasty. I’m definitely going to find a recipe online and make my own (anyone have a good Larabar recipe they’d like to share??)

Lunch was a serving of my lentil casserole. It was really good. The heartiness of the lentils mixed with the sweetness of the coconut and apples made it very well-rounded and tasty. It was super yummy. And very filling. I had bought some crudité to go along with my meal, but I was full after my helping, and saved the veggies for later.

I did get peckish in the mid afternoon and had THE BEST SNACK I HAVE EVER TASTED:

Sometimes, you just have to get back to basics. This pear was divine – juicy and sweet, and crisp and fresh. HOLY YUM. (also, it is organic. Man, does that ever make a difference)

So that’s it… Oh, dinner was more of the lentil casserole and some steamed asparagus. It was good. I had salt on the asparagus (I’ve been avoiding salt like the plague for years now) and that was good too. Just a little bit of salt goes a long way, and it gave the asparagus a bit of a kick.

In terms of how I feel, well, it’s the withdrawal phase of the diet, right, so I don’t think it’s fair for me to comment… I think my bloating went down a little yesterday, though I still felt overly full after eating a smallish meal, so we’ll see how it goes. I DO still have 13 days of this ahead of me… Results will be forthcoming in due course, I suspect…

Tomorrow begins the Elimination Diet. I’m pretty pumped about it, actually. My stomach’s been pretty upset lately (like, more than usual) and I look five months pregnant. I feel totally stretched through my midsection, and nothing, not running, not drinking water, nothing, is making it go away.

So today I went grocery shopping for all kinds of elimination diet goodies. The secret to a good elimination diet, I think, is to be PREPARED. If you are prepared, then you won’t feel deprived (or depraved – har har). I woke up this morning, hungry (I’m always HUNGRY first thing in the morning) and I didn’t have anything Elimination-Diet-Friendly on hand, so I went with the usual oat-containing-smoothie and bran cereal (which contains wheat). With Soymilk. Oy. We’ve got some work to do!!

So here are some of the things I bought today:

Vega might be a bit pricey, but it is so good. I think it’s pretty much the best of its kind on the market, and I’ve been adding a scoop of it to my smoothies.

I’m happy to pay a little more for something that I trust has absolutely none of the things I’m trying to eliminate in this diet.

But I’m still a cereal monster, there’s no denying it, and so, instead of forbidding myself my beloved cereal, I found some alternatives…

Puffed rice might not taste like much, but with a dash of cinnamon, some berries, and hemp milk, boy oh boy will it ever fool me into thinking I’m eating my favourite wheat-based cereal!! I also bought some Puffed Millet, and I’ll let you know which I like best (holy shit, I might even MIX the two in a same bowl – yeah, I said it.)

This cream of rice will substitute for oatmeal, or when I get a little tired of the cold cereal. I might even try my hand at a little baking with it. Just you wait, I’m going to get crazy like that over the next two weeks!!

I also decided to treat myself to some goodies, because this is a diet about elimination, not restriction. I fully intend to eat my fair share of calories throughout the next two weeks. (Also, these were 3 for $5.00)

Here are some usual suspects who will be even more heavily relied on in the next two weeks:

Sorry Angelo, looks like if you want to eat what I eat, it’ll be more brown rice and quinoa. Oh well…

Of course, my real staples are fruits and veggies. They’re what I’m allowed to eat the most. Except for nightshades. And except for citrus fruit. And no mushrooms (super boo!!) but I’ll deal.

So I was super happy about all my purchases, and then realized I had no idea what I was going to have for lunch tomorrow… Uh Oh. Remember the number one rule is to BE PREPARED. It’s like going back to my girl guide training…

So I made a lentil casserole. Start with lentils on the bottom (I used green and red lentils in equal portion), and top it with this crumbly crunchy topping:

1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery
2/3 cup unsweetened coconut
cinnamon and ginger
sautéed in 2 tbsp sesame oil.

Super yum.

So over the next two weeks, prepare yourself for very basic, very wholesome foods that hopefully will make me feel GOOOOOD. (Except of course when I’m freaking out over caffeine withdrawal…)

On Tuesday, I got fitted for one of my outfits for next week’s Vélo Vogue Fashion Show. it’s a super cute jumpsuit with a nautical flair, from Victoire, and paired with some heels and jewelry, it’s going to be H.O.T.

My second outfit comes from Pom Pom, and I’m getting fitted for it this Sunday.

In the meantime, here are some photos from the last Vélo Vogue Show last winter. The dress is from Deadly Night Shades, and their blog is in my blog list. They are wicked cool ladies; and this dress and tights were raging hot (my fave of the show!)

Here’s a few of the models. The one on the right is a Deadly Night Shade. She recently got a pretty badass tattoo. Check their blog for pictures.

Things I’ve learned from the first show:

1. Don’t smile. Smiles are goofy, and you never know when someone’s going to snap a photo (case in point above)

2. Don’t assume that the person hired to do makeup knows how to do makeup. I’m sorry if this is mean, but really, look at me. I looked like a slut-clown. It was bad. Everyone was all “Woah, I didn’t recognize you!” when they should have been all “Woah, you look like a slut-clown!” I actually learned this rule while at Theatre School, and did manage to learn how to put on the most rudimentary of makeup, but I didn’t follow my training this time. I should have washed that shit off my face the second she was done with me. It totally clashed with the clothes. (so did the hair, for that matter, but what can you do?)

3. Learn to ride a bike. I felt like a goob walking with my bike, but I wasn’t confident enough to ride a freewheel (it’s been so long).

4. Wear the clothes, don’t let the clothes wear you. Nobody liked this outfit when I first put it on, but I freakin’ loved it. I totally rocked it on the catwalk (sassing it up big time) and I think it turned out to be one of the most memorable outfits of the evening. (although, the electric orange tights might have had more to do with it than the model wearing it…)

***

Clean Air Day – Vélo Vogue

Come celebrate Clean Air Day by joining us for Vélo Vogue: A Fashion Show for the Urban Cyclist. Whether to inspire new commuters or make existing ones aware of the fashion possibilities, Vélo Vogue will definitely get your wheels spinning.

Brought to you by Ottawa city councillor Clive Doucet and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Vélo Vogue will feature fun and fashionable clothes that work great on a bike!

When: Wednesday, June 3, 2009 12:30p.m. – 1:30p.m.
Where: Ottawa City Hall, Jean Piggott Hall 110 Laurier Avenue West

Clean the Air – Ride a Bike! There is plenty of bike parking at Ottawa City Hall. For more information, please contact: Nancy Kukurudz, Event organizer at (613) 218-4611, nkukurudz@rogers.com