I wanted a steak sooo bad last night. I took my mom out for her birthday dinner, and they had a New York strip special. Normally I do not miss meat, but it just sounded (and smelled) really good. Still, I knew our meal would have a lot of extra fat, and I wanted dessert, so I decided to go with scallops instead (and I really love scallops, so it wasn't disappointing).
Today, I made a recipe that my friend Suzanne had linked to on her FaceBook. It just looked and sounded so good ... and it was, it was! I'm a big fan of the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen, and this recipe for Quick Bean Picadillo, though it sounds a bit odd, is delicious, healthy, easy, quick, and fabulous. Plus, it makes the house smell amazing. I wished for some cornbread to eat with it. Can't wait for Eric to get home so I can make some for him.
It's been rainy and dreary for the last several days, so I feel like huddling and cooking comfort food. I also made some really good pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, adapted from a recipe on the bag of chips:
1/3 cup canned pumpkin pie mix
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup agave syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup almond milk (soy or skim will do as well)
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup vegan chocolate chips
1 cup toasted pecans
Mix the wet ingredients until smooth; add in the dry. Bake on a greased cookie sheet, 350 F, for about 15 minutes. They are goooooood! There's some fat in the chocolate chips and pecans, of course, but that's about it. And you can experiment with using less sweetener. I wanted the maple flavor; otherwise, I normally just use agave.
No exercise for me today. I was lazy, and also I didn't want to blow my run tomorrow by wearing myself out on the elliptical this evening. It was raining, so I didn't even walk. But I figure it's okay to take one day off. Tomorrow I will try for Week 9 of Couch to 5K --- it's my last chance to train before my race on Saturday. Philly Jen will be here, and will be my running partner! People will be watching, so I have to put a good face on it! Yikes!
Great job on the C25K! Once you hit week 9, it's easy to keep going :D
Posted by: Lori (findingradiance) | October 22, 2009 at 07:26 PM
That Quick Bean Picadillo sounds right up your alley - all spicy and sassy. X )
I was stopped in my tracks by the recipe for Lemony Quinoa with Butternut Squash myself, but I'm a sucker for anything with pumpkin/winter squash.
Posted by: Karen | October 22, 2009 at 09:51 AM
Don't worry about whoever is watching -- save that for your musical performances!
As Kik Armstrong noted in her blog for Runner's World, the moment "I have to" shifts to "I get to," amazing transformations begin.
Just be in the moment with your running, savor taking part in a great and meaningful event, and give yourself credit for how hard you've worked for this.
Cancer is a shitty and cruel disease, wrenching people from their loved ones too painfully and too soon. Right here, right now, we have the health and strength to do this. So many people who would gladly trade places with us do not.
We get to tell cancer to take a hike.
We get to pay tribute to those we have loved. We get to celebrate living, surviving, and thriving.
We get to run.
http://milemarkers.runnersworld.com/2009/10/i-get-to.html
Posted by: Jen | October 22, 2009 at 01:53 AM