FABulous way to start the morning. Unlike yesterday’s FAIL.

oats + small naner + almond milk + vanilla + cinnamon + chia seeds + almonds + PB + Heather’s jam

I was meeting Lauren [from the blogger meet up party] for a late lunch, so I decided to go running after my oats were nice and digested. I actually paid attention to the weather today, hehe.

overcast – low 30’s – packed snow on the sidewalk – no/mild wind

I LOVE that hoodie I’m wearing. It’s made by Nike and just rocks all around. I had on sunglasses incase it started snowing out of nowhere, like the other day.

I went my normal 3 mile distance because I am still trying to take it easy with the Vibrams. My feet felt great today but I wasn’t sure how it would go running on packed snow. My toes were a little chilly but completely warmed up after 10min. I wouldn’t suggest running in them if there is a lot of cold/wet slush around, but packed snow should be fine. There were so many people at the park…I love Colorado!!

My current routine is this: I do a 1/4m jog to the park then 2.5m around the park and 1/4m back to our house. Look what I noticed in the snow on my way home!!!! At first I was thinking, WHO is running in their bare feet??? I honestly didn’t realize those were MY footprints!! I laughed and was really excited for some reason.

SUCH a difference between my footprint [toe running with Vibrams] and heel strikers with typical running shoes. I hope other people saw my prints and were confused ;) If you missed my big post on Vibram 5 Fingers check it out. I also did a follow-up with more details and answering your questions. My body as a whole is feeling great during my runs. I have NO knee pain, hip, low back or ankle pain.

Some people wear traction straps on their shoes in the snow. I never saw these before moving to CO! The Vibrams were great and didn’t slip at all. Just watch for ice chunks because if you land on them, it does not feel good.

I also did a great session of Whittle My Middle when I got home. Only a few days left!!! I’ve about had it with plank-ups!!!

I knew I would be famished if I didn’t grab a snack before lunch. It was my first time trying this variety from my awesome AG sample box. I broke off half to munch on + chugged some h2o.

How did it taste? The texture is kind of like a really thick fruit leather with nuts and fruit pieces mixed in.

While it does have a bit of an “earthy” flavor, I would say it’s overall flavor was somewhat similar to a dried apricot. Not everyone will like this type of bar, but I LOVE it. The chocolate variety is my favorite so far :) go figure.

Lauren was in Denver for her yoga training classes, so I picked her up at her lunch break. We headed to Watercourse, a vegan/vegetarian restaurant. The menu is SO big that it is actually overwhelming. We both ordered sandwiches and you get to pick TWO sides. Score! We both got the soup of the day: Tomato Coconut Curry – This was insanely delicious. They brought our soup out first…mmmm

We both had a side of tea. I can’t believe I LIKE tea now. It just took a little searching. I ordered a tangerine green sencha. I don’t add anything in my tea…straight up please!

LUCKY us!! They must have not realized the soup was sent out first because we both got another serving with our meal. I took this cup home and can’t wait for leftovers!!

The samich was on DEElicious homemade focaccia bread and was filled with veggies + a lemon aioli sauce. My other side was KALE! It tasted slightly cooked but was a kind of dry. It could have used a drizzle or 2 of soy sauce maybe? No problem though..I munched it all down.

A little heavy on the onion…I picked out most of it.

BEETS are yummy and make me think of DWIGHT and his beet farm :) hahaha

I haven’t eaten meat for a few weeks I don’t think. I really can’t remember? Besides the fish from v-day. I’m not trying to NOT eat meat, I just don’t have a taste for it. The past few days I have felt a little off…like I was lacking something. It felt like I needed to eat more fat and/or protein. I haven’t eaten my typical daily Greek yogurt for a few days, which was part of the reason I think.

Teri thought I was probably lacking with my Dark Chocolate consumption. Genius! :) I immediately had a little chunk, hehe. Then I decided to turn to my Clean Food [vegan] cookbook for a solution. I chose the recipe for “super strengthening stew”. I’ve shared quite a few recipes from this book already, so if you are still intrigued, it’s definitely worth buying!

The author frequently uses Kombu in the recipes. It looks scary and is a bit expensive [~$6]. However, it’s NOT scary and you get a lot of bang for your buck. It will take me a LONG time to go through this bag. Check my ingredients page for more info.

More veggies I have never eaten before!! The small yellow/brown veggies are Rutabaga and the large white crazy looking this is Daikon.

TONS of root veggies. I was excited about this!! It also included carrot, celery, a small onion, sweet potato, broth, and leafy greens mixed in at the end.

The recipe was extremely easy to follow and only had to cook for about 20min. However, the chopping took a little while!

My beautiful friend is back already! Gotta take advantage while 1 bunch = $1.50!!!!

Rainbow Chard loooooooooove.

Topped with a little drizzle of toasted sesame oil as suggested in the book. So how did a ton of root veggies, greens + broth taste?? I knew it was going to be basic in flavor. I loved the textures and it definitely grew on me with each bite. The greens rocked but I think I would have liked the soup without parsnips. I’m not the biggest fan of their flavor in soups/stews. The recipe called for Burdock Root but WF was out and a worker suggested parsnips instead.

The author has great explanations of each dish. I specifically picked this one for what she had to say about it. I thought it might help with my feeling that something was lacking in my diet.

“Many people associate strength with protein, but too much protein can be dangerous. Root vegetables are particularly strengthening and can provide some of the sweetness you may be craving – particularly if you’ve recently cut down on carbohydrates. From the purifying effects of burdock and rutabaga to the fat-dissolving ability of daikon and onion, this dish is packed with nutritional heavy hitters.” Terry Walters, Clean Food

I am definitely feeling more satisfied after this huge bowl of soup/stew. Also munched on a piece of toast with almond butter. I have to remember to get enough fat in my diet. I just stocked up on avocados….mmmm Hopefully this meal gives me super powers on the mountain tomorrow!! We’re heading out for a big powder day, heck yes. Time to make some stove-popped popcorn and finish watching a movie we started last night. We’re flying out the door by 6am to avoid the traffic. Yipes!