You know I love to try new food things. One of my friends that used to live next door to me always said he loved this about me, because he got to try them too :-) I have reviewed new food products before, but this is my first review of a product sent to me FOR FREE by the company! Does this make me a real blogger?? It's the little things in life that excite me, don't judge.
So, I was sent a giant jar of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil to try.
So far, I'm loving this stuff. Coconut oil is so versatile. I have used it for:
*Baking
*Sautéing
*As ingredient in my homemade facial scrub and body wash
*Drizzling on top of my dog's food once per day (he loves it!)
*Conditioner for hair
It's crazy how much you can do with this stuff. Don't believe me? Here's a link to prove it:
How to Use Coconut Oil: There are hundreds of uses for coconut oil!
If you can incorporate some coconut oil into your everyday life, please give it a try. Be sure to use a virgin or unrefined product for your best health.
Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review in return for the free product.
It's not easy to run a 10K, at least not for me. So I want to give a shout out to the things that made today's second 10K a little easier to endure....
*The thoughtful party people located just before mile 3. Thank you for gathering many of your friends so early in the morning and blasting high energy tunes from your porch. I couldn't run with my music this race because it was raining. I've NEVER ran without music and it was really hard for me. My music is what motivates me at times. The music from this house really helped. And luckily, that part of the course looped back, so I got to hear it a second time.
*The people that took the time to make stupid funny signs that were around mile 4. Some examples: "I trained 6 months to hold this sign", "Yes, your butt does look fast in those shorts", and my favorite "No, you aren't close to the finish". Thanks for making me smile.
*The 4 man brass band standing out in the rain playing patriotic tunes at the turn around point, which put us into the home stretch. They were all of an advanced age and were wearing the cutest red striped vests. Thank you for braving the rain to keep us motivated.
*The people dressed up as superheroes that popped up at the beginning and end of the race. I believe I saw the entire Avenger clan, The Incredible Hulk, Snow White, Batman. Thanks for putting on silly outfits so early on this rainy day and cheering us on.
*The family handing out small bottles of Gatorade between miles 5 and 6. Everything on me was so wet I couldn't get the thing open and I had to put it down on the sidewalk, but I totally appreciate the thought.
*Any and all people that gave me a high five from the side of the course. Isn't it great to high five complete strangers?
*All the people at the mile markers who yelled out our times and told us to keep it up.
*The 2 fireman running in full gear!!! Whew! Made me feel bad for being tired. Amazing!!!!
*The group of men running with a pretty large American flag. They took turns carrying it the entire race. Reminded us all of what this day means.
It takes a lot of volunteers to set up a race like this and it means so much to the runners to have complete strangers line the course and give support. It really does help and I hope they know how much. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
I spent the past weekend in Nashville with great friends and great food. And because I am a food nerd, I must share the greatness of this food with you.
On Saturday we had a late lunch/early dinner at a place called Wild Cow. Very small, local restaurant. So many vegan/gegan options it was hard to choose. Luckily, we all ordered something different and everyone was willing to share :-)
The appetizer was chips with vegan cheese and a very unique salsa. It had a sweet taste to it that we all thought was cinnamon, but our server informed us it was coriander. Very tasty. Sorry I didn't get the pic earlier, but we were hungry.
We each ordered a bowl that consisted of a protein, kale, veggies, sauce over your choice of quinoa or brown rice. My bowl contained a lentil mixture with veggies, with added steamed kale over brown rice with garlic aioli. So very good.
One of my friends got this delicious bowl that had tofu, kale, some veggies over quinoa with a peanut flavored sauce. The table voted this bowl to be the best. And prettiest.
Even though we were pretty full, we could not pass up taking some of these with us--gegan cupcakes!!!!!
Never dreaming that this meal could be topped, we got up the next day and I verbalized the dream of being able to go out to breakfast and have a gegan pancake, knowing it was just a wild dream. Well guess what? Not in Nashville, my friends.
Let me introduce you to the Pfunky Griddle.
This place is pure genius. Each table has it's own built in griddle in the middle. You order the type of pancake batter you want (whole grain, regular, vegan or gegan), add in your toppings (mine was blueberries) and whatever side you want (we got potatoes to share).
Here is one of my friends showing her love for the griddle.
Gearing up
We had to stand up to ensure a good flip
The aftermath
It was fantastic. I haven't had a gegan pancake since dropping gluten and I've never had a vegan pancake that I haven't made myself since I became vegan. Well, okay, I technically made this one too, but only the cooking part! No prep, no clean up! We were some happy people when we left that place, let me tell you.
Both places highly recommended. Check them out.
It's done, it's in the books and I accomplished my goal of not being last.
Pre-race view of the capital building, it was such a beautiful morning.
I lined up back in the 12min pace group with the 3 friends I was with, knowing that it was the last time I would see them until the finish :-) And then we were off.
It's so different running with a large group of people. Since I always run alone when training and have no one to challenge me, I find that I run much faster in race situations. I guess the my competitive spirit kicks in. I felt pretty good throughout the race, even on the hills, but don't worry, there was an 80 year old man running near me that kept me humble. The only time I got ahead of him was at one of the water stations and then he passed me at the end, about a quarter mile before the finish. He kicked my butt. I hope I can do that to some young thing when I'm 80......
The vegan with Ronald McDonald. Pretty random. At least it wasn't the Chik-Fil A cow......
All in all a great first 10K, finished in 1hr and 6min, which is much better than I expected. Thinking my next will be July 4th, the race is downtown, practically at my front door, how can I not run it????? But I do dread the heat.
So what will happen dear readers? Will I beat my time of first 10K? Will I find another random restaurant character to take my pic with? Will I run through sprinklers in people's yards to cool down and then fall down because my feet are wet? Stay tuned.......
Last night I took myself to the one night only showing of Spirit of the Marathon II, looking for motivation for my upcoming 10K this Saturday.
It was an amazing documentary that followed 6 people running the Rome marathon. For some it was their first, for others their 16th! Men and women, all ages, many different reasons.
This movie makes you want to go out and run a marathon! Or at least a half-marathon! It did inspire me to go out Saturday and just try my best, have fun and pay attention to the experience.
This movie also highlights the work of Team World Vision, an organization that raises money for and awareness of the need for clean, accessible drinking water for people in other countries. Amazing! I wanted to run a marathon just to raise money for this work. Or maybe a half-marathon. Please visit their website for more info www.teamworldvision.org
Gotta go work on my playlist for Saturday. I'll report back after.
Here are some things that I am loving right now, and you should too.....
This stuff is so good over red lentils and basmati rice. And I'm sure there are many other uses I haven't even thought of yet. Give me some ideas....
Like being "regular"? You know what I mean! We all need good bacteria in our guts for optimum digestion and fermented foods are a great way to keep things moving. Wildbrine has fermented sauerkraut in 4 different flavors that are delicious! These are the only 2 I have tried......so far
New flavors of Larabars! Love these things. So many of them are gegan and I so love the fact that the ingredients are so simple, usually 5 or less, and you will recognize all of them. I swear! These are great to keep in your car, purse, at work, for when you need a quick, fairly healthy option.
Gegan sour cream that actually tastes like sour cream! Finally! I've tried other brands and honestly had not even bought sour cream for over a year because I had given up. But this one is a keeper.
Now...... go shopping. I gotta go pick up this week's CSA.
Such a beautiful morning. Great morning for a run. Decided to do a 50 minute run this am since I'm off work and would not have to rush to get it in. I start out, the sun is just up, perfect temp, not a lot of traffic. I'm 2miles in, running through a residential section that is so pretty and I remember looking up at some of the trees and thinking how lucky I am to be out and about this wonderful morning. And then I fell flat on my face.
I remember my right shoe catching on an uneven part of the sidewalk and before I could even form another thought I was lying facedown on the pavement. At an intersection. With cars waiting for the light to change. Super. My first thought is "Damn, why couldn't I have fallen about 10 yards back where there was no traffic?" and my second thought was "Damn, this really hurts!". Also felt like I was going to throw up for about a minute, not sure why, but managed to hold that back.
I get up, inspect my hands, which are scraped and burning, and then my knees, which feel the same. And there's some blood. Nothing appears broken, so I start walking it off, trying my best not to hobble. Walked for about a quarter of a mile and decide to see if I can run again. Oh, no, no, had to stop that craziness immediately. So I just keep walking. Other runners start passing me. An 80 year old man walks by like I'm standing still. Just keep walking, have no other choice. But at least the blood isn't dripping off my knee, so that is good. I wanted to scream at all these people passing me, "Hey, I'm injured! I don't always move this slow!", but I managed to hold that back as well.
Got home and hauled out the ice. Hate ice on my body.
Pretty, yes? This is after cleaning, antibacterial goo. Also kinesiotaped both knees to help with swelling.
Does this happen to other runners? Or is it just because I'm a klutzy, poser runner?
Anyway, I hope these puppies heal fast, cause I'm signed up for 10K in 3 weeks! I have training to do!
The bright spots of this am adventure:
*At least I wasn't wearing my Lululemon capris. I was wearing my Ellie ones and I ripped a hole in the left knee. If I had ripped a hole in my Lulu's, I would have thrown up. Hey, Ellie, want to send me a replacement pair?????
*My iphone escaped unharmed, somehow. It was in my Bandi belt, right on my stomach, had to land right on it??????
*Nothing broken!
The dark spots of this am adventure:
*I fell. In public. Mortification.
*I added more scars to my knees, as if I didn't have enough already. What, you think this is the first time I've fallen in public?! Not by a long shot.....
*I've probably set my training back, who knows how much just yet.
I'm going to get up and walk around now, can't let the knees get too stiff. Happy Memorial Day everyone!!!!!!!
