Smoothie

So I got a new blender and made myself an excellent smoothie this evening: a banana, about a cup of frozen strawberries, a splash of orange juice, a handful of crushed ice from QuikTrip, and a dollop or two of organic vanilla yogurt. You could probably substitute a little tofu and some vanilla soymilk for the yogurt and have a nice vegan lunch.

Speaking of vegan recipes, I made something pretty good while I was puttering around the house last night. I wasn’t in the mood to go out and buy groceries or drive through a fast-food place, so I rummaged around in the cabinets and used my rice cooker to make a simple dinner out of some white rice, a can of tomatoes, a can of black beans, a few cloves of garlic, and some cumin, chili powder and paprika. I threw everything in the cooker, along with the appropriate amount of water, and had a pretty good dinner in less than half an hour, including prep time.

I’m trying to do more cooking at home, because I’ve gotten really bored with fast food. Most of my recipes (including the ones I come up with on the fly) are vegetarian. I don’t really plan it that way; it’s just my default mode, probably because I was a vegetarian when I learned to cook, and I tend to forget that meat is food when I’m buying groceries.

Emily

Perfect day

Stadiums are for spectators. We runners have nature and that is much better.
— Juha Väätäinen

I didn’t accomplish most of the things I needed to do today, but I did manage to get a killer bargain on some software I needed, buy a new pair of running shoes, buy groceries (including a six-pack of berry Gatorade), get my nails filled, and take advantage of a warm, sunny afternoon to run three miles on the trail with Songdog.

Song is an awesome running partner. He’s a little rowdy right at the beginning of a run, but he settles down quickly, has better trail manners than a lot of the humans we encounter, and never seems to be too tired to wag his tail and smile at everyone we meet. What a cool guy. 🙂

While I was at Fleet Feet to pick up shoes, Lori kind of nudged me to sign up for the spring marathon training program. I considered blowing it off on the grounds that I don’t have time, but after three miles in comfy new shoes, I think I’m just about sold on the idea. I’m not sure where I’ll find time for short runs during the week, but I’ll worry about that when I get to it.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to buy a blender so I can make myself a smoothie. (You have no idea how much I am enjoying the fact that it is warm enough for smoothies in January….)

Emily