half marathon

I ran my first half marathon yesterday and I loved it!

freezing and ready to run

I was nervous because my long runs were challenging, but I felt really good throughout the course, even with the hills:

As I was finishing right at about 2 hours, there was a guy finishing the marathon!! He was my inspiration to sprint the last quarter mile.  At the end I was pumped and I'm ready to train for a full

slowing down

I bake at a locally owned bakery within walking distance from my apartment.  Everything is made from scratch and to order.  As a consequence, lunch takes a bit longer than say at a chain restaurant.  A slow wait could definitely be a trade-off in our pause-adverse culture.

I am definitely guilty at getting frustrated when a service takes longer than I expected.  But, what if we used the waiting time as meditation or face to face socialization with people that are also waiting and the staff, especially when a slower wait rewards a better product.

It is all about the people, after all.

staying motivated on my healthy journey

I have always been a healthy eater, but sometimes I validate eating a litttle more than I should with the amount of exercise that I do.  But food intake is the most important factor...at least 70%. As I have increased my running I have also decided to eat only the calories that my body really needs.  The two most inspiring tips:

put down your fork after every bite and don't pick it up until you are done chewing and
it takes 12 weeks for other people to notice that your body has changed

also, I avoid white sugar; everything tastes better and my cravings have diminished greatly

Spiral Diner's Tips on Making a Recipe Vegan

I am taking Biochemistry and Microbiology at TCU this semester and I joined the student nutrition association. On Monday, the guest speaker was from Spiral Diner, a vegan diner in Dallas and Fort Worth.  She made vegan brownies for us and gave us tips on how to make any traditional recipe vegan.  I have not experimented with this yet, but here are her tips:

Substitute shortening for butter (I wonder if Coconut oil could be a healthier alternative)
Omit eggs, which bind and leaven a recipe; extra leavening might be necesary and flax seed meal and chia seeds can also be substituted
Replace milk with almond milk or soy milk (heavier/creamier)

basic truffle recipe

Yesterday I made homemade truffles with my friend for friends on Valentine's day.  We used this basic recipe:

2 cups chocolate chips (1 package) or chopped chocolate (bittersweet and semi-sweet Ghiradelli or Callebaut chips are my favorite; milk and white would work also)
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Toppings:
Colored sugar (you can make your own with granulated sugar and food coloring)
Sprinkles
Coconut
Finely chopped nuts
Cocoa
Powdered Sugar
Melted chocolate
etc.

Melt chocolate chips and cream over double boiler until shiny, making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the boiling water.  Remove as soon as almost melted and stir off heat to make sure that chocolate doesn't seize up.  Place bowl in fridge until cooled and slightly hardened.  Scoop tablespoon size balls and roll in your hands.

Roll in whatever topping you would like and allow to harden in fridge.

So easy, delicious and impressive!!

happy generosity day

found here

running

I ran around white rock lake on Saturday.  The weather was beautiful; clear skies, a bit crisp and a little windy. I was close to wimping out.  But I needed to run, it was my last long run for my half marathon training and I was stressed.  So I promised myself I would feel awesome if I did and warm and miserable if I didn't..

And I ran the whole lake, about 9 miles, all by myself!  I was so proud because 3 months ago I never would have thought that I could run that far.

"Embrace

the little place of friction where change occurs."  I took a gentle yoga class at Gaia Flow yoga on Saturday and I loved this quote that the instructor told us.  So true, as I often find that if I can just hold on to the uncomfortable for a bit, I see a change unfold.

I am trying to seek out and get comfortable with the uncomfortable.

kite flying

white rock lake, saturday

GROSS: Were you afraid you'd fall?

GORDON-LEVITT: No. You can't really be afraid. It doesn't work. So I wasn't afraid I'd fall. 

-50/50 interview here

"In search of a timid trapeze artist

Good luck with that, there aren't any.

If you hesitate when leaping from rope to another, you're not going to last very long."

-Seth Godin

Florence + The Machine - Shake It Out

Things to Worry About

from F. Scott Fitzgerald to his daughter

Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address