Weekly Recipe: Cabbage and Pinto Bean Stew

This vegan recipe was so delicious! It was so delicious that I completely forgot to take pictures of it and it lasted 3 days! But the following pictures resemble it pretty well.

Googleimages

Googleimages

Googleimages

I'm extra proud because I created this recipe without performing a google search! Meaning, I created it! There are probably tons of similar recipes out there but none like this one! 

Cabbage and Pinto Bean Stew

1 16 oz. bag dry pinto beans

1 head of cabbage

1 zucchini

1/2 large onion

12 oz asparagus

1 red pepper

1/2 cup to 1 cup baby carrots (cut in half)

1 Tbsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. Italian blend seasoning

2 small bay leaves

black pepper

red pepper flakes

1 tsp. rosemary

a good amount of extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp. white vinegar

1 Tbsp. cornstarch (optional)

 a crockpot

Rinse beans carefully then add them to the crockpot. Put in enough water to cover the beans about 2 inches. Add all the spices and the olive oil. Cook on high for 3 hours. Meanwhile chop up all the veggies into medium-large sized pieces. You don't want to dice the veggies because they will turn to mush. Refrigerate until the beans are done. 

Once the beans are done add the veggies. Add enough water to just cover the veggies. Here is also a good time to adjust the seasonings. Cook for 4 more hours on high or until the veggies are soft. When it's completely done add the vinegar. The cornstarch is optional to thicken it a bit. Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

I LOVE vinegar with cabbage so I added another tablespoon to my dish. But dress it up however you like. This recipe was perfect because there were a lot of vegetables in the fridge that I needed to use up. Plus, I'd been meaning to make some beans for awhile. There are at least 8 packs of beans in my cupboard! But I never have the time, or patience, to cook them. This recipe was perfect for that.

This stew is hearty so you don't need to add anything else to it! It is so good! It's also ridiculously easy to make. Just chop up the veggies and throw them in the crockpot. Then continue with your day. It tastes like a lot of effort was put into it though. It's also incredible healthy. Tons of vitamins and minerals and very low-fat.

Weekly Check in

There's only 5 MORE DAYS until the half-marathon! I still feel like I have a million and one things to do.

1. This is not usually recommended, but I need to buy some winter running pants. I'll probably go on Wednesday and test them out on the treadmill at the gym. Usually, you should only wear things that you have tried and tested on race day...but, well, I guess I'm breaking the rules! I definitely won't do anything of the sort for the real marathon!
2. Along with that I need to get some gloves for running so my fingers don't fall off like on Sunday. Brooke at Freebird Runner suggested the perfect place to get some: Walgreens!
3. Pick up my race packet on Friday.

OK, maybe 3 things isn't exactly a lot.

Anyway, transitioning, not that smoothly, to the breakdown for the week:

Monday

Rest day since it was Halloween and I wanted to give candy to the trick-or-treaters! This was my first one where it rained. It was horrible. We got like 5 groups of trick-or-treaters and that was it. I had to give out handfuls of candy to get rid of it (we still have some leftover) and even returned two bags today.

I wasn't even tempted to eat any. Mainly because none of it is vegan.

I was a little annoyed because there were a lot of big kids out this year. Some didn't even bother to wear a costume, a mask or even say trick-or-treat! I almost slammed the door on some of them. I even gave some of them the 3rd degree. But I had to get rid of the candy anyway. Next year, only the little kiddies get candy!

My niece was a "Spider Countess".

She thought she was a Diva with that lipstick!

Helping to give out the candy!

Here are some of the other Halloween munchkins......and not so munchkins.

 This entire group almost didn't get any candy. They are too old to trick-or-treat and didn't even have costumes! The kid in the back didn't even have a plastic bag, pillow case or backpack for his candy! He just held his hand out! If I see their faces next year...

This kid was cute and came by him (or her) self. Not sure what the kid is but he (or she) was super grateful!

Also too big kids. They were so lucky I needed to get rid of candy!

 As you can see by the earlier pictures the clown was the best costume by far at my door. I told him so!

Tuesday

Sha'bam with my mom at the gym.

Wednesday

I hope to get in weights at the gym and a short run on the treadmill to try out my new winter running pants.

Thursday

Some class at the gym. I need to look at the schedule. However, I think I might try a new one as part of my November goals.

Friday

Another new gym class would be nice. I also have to pick up my race packet. Me and the hubby also have plans to go out! So we'll see how that develops.

Saturday

Rest day and last preparations before the half-marathon. I need to make sure I get a good night's sleep.

Sunday

Race day! No worries, a nice recap will follow.

I hope everyone's November is starting out positive and stress-free!

November Goals

Googleimages

Yesterday I glanced at the calendar and realized:

I have a lot of crap to accomplish this year before my marathon!

February seems like a long way off (although next week is my half marathon!)...to me anyway. But the calendar brought it all back into perspective, which is a good thing. I function rather well with goals and to-do lists. It's so satisfying to accomplish something and then cross it off a list. So satisfying.

To help jump start myself this month in preparation for the rest of the year, and the following year, I created a check list. Many of them are on-going but that's OK. I want to at least be thinking of them and acting on them.

1. Try more hairstyles -- Obviously not marathon related but also important to me. Read my post Week 23 Hair for more detail.
2. Try different gym classes -- At first the gym membership was mainly to get my mom to the gym. She's one of those I-have-to-go-with-someone-else-or-I-won't-go people. That's fine, however, I'm enjoying going to the gym now as well! There are a lot of class offerings that I want to try. So even if my mom isn't interested we are going to have to go solo. To ease her into the transition I scheduled us up for a pilot class: Pilates. It's on November 10th and I'm really excited because I've been wanting to try it for awhile. Since it's a pilot class we will be given special attention. There are only 6 people to a class and we get 30 minutes.
3. Re-incorporate Fartlek -- I need to find a track! The same problem I've had since moving to the States. There are a few near me so I need to make more of an effort to incorporate them into my routine and my schedule.
4. Vegan recipes -- The first vegan recipe I made (with no help from online searches!) really inspired me. I am committed to this vegan challenge and motivated to find more vegan recipes. I made a new one last week and will post it to the blog on Thursday so check it out! There's also a cookie recipe I can't wait to make. I now follow a few vegan "experts" on twitter and have bookmarked a few recipe databases for vegans. Check out: peta.org and vrg.org (Vegetarian Resource Group) if interested.
5. Go out more -- Yes, the hubby and I are in a rut. We need to get out more.
6. Stretch -- This is something I always promise myself and I'm good for about 2 weeks and then I get lazy. This week in preparation for the half marathon I'm not doing any running. I'm going to the gym and doing some cardio in classes or on the static bike, maybe elliptical, and STRETCH. I want to have refreshed legs come Sunday. After the half marathon I'm still going to stretch because I'm sick of having tight legs all the time!
7. Foot exercises -- Also been lazy in this area. All the exercises I'd like to incorporate into my regimen are written down and organized. But I haven't done even one. I haven't even put them on the blog! So this month I'll share with you all what I plan to do from now until the marathon.
8. Tapering -- This part of marathon training is a mystery so I need to start researching it.  I've already decided to start tapering January 29th 2012.
9. Energy -- I am super curious about all the gels, jelly beans etc. that marathoners out there use to stay hydrated and fueled during their runs. I want to try some of it to see if it works for me. Mainly because I don't like the feel of water slushing around in my stomach when I run. So I usually don't drink anything, which is a bad practice.
10. Winter gear -- I went running at 7am on Sunday as part of my last "mock run" before the half marathon. I wore some shorts over leggings, a moisture-wicking shirt (that also maintains your body's temperature) and a long-sleeve shirt over that. I WAS FREEZING! Mostly my fingers. I couldn't finish the last 2 miles because I thought my fingers were going to fall off. Never again, so I need to get some winter running gear. I got injured around the end of November last year so I have no experience running in colder temperatures. That long run was learning the hard way.
11. STAY INJURY FREE AFTER THE HALF MARATHON! -- Self-explanatory. :)

So those are my goals. Let's see how these 4 weeks pan out.

Do you have any goals for the upcoming month? The end of the year? Tomorrow?

Week 23 Hair

Next week is my 6 month HHCJ mark! 

I'm excited to see if my hair has grown. It's interesting when you establish a routine because you don't really notice the progress that you are making.

For me, I don't feel like my hair has done much since the last time I measured it. 

Not for any particular reason. I still do the same things, but I think I'm getting a little bored.

One positive thing about my wash routine this week is that it was a lot easier to detangle and I didn't have many shed hairs. This morning I went to run at 7am, and it was 30 degrees, so I wanted to wash my hair quickly and warm up.

Today I had the quickest detangling session since I started this journey.

To help motivate myself, I'd like to try some new products to "spice up" my routine. However, I still have lots of stuff to use up. I do need to purchase more deep conditioner so I hope to do so on Monday.

At the beginning of my journey I definitely went overboard with the products. I'm just discovering that now as I've still been using the same products for 6 months now.

Mainly because I was really inspired by the women on youtube. I wanted to try everything! There's still a bunch of things I'd like to try at some point.

Next week I will talk a lot more about my next steps in my journey. But I'll tell you one thing I know, without a doubt, that I want to work on:

Trying new hairstyles. 

I keep telling myself I will practice cornrowing and flat twisting and the dozens of other cute styles on youtube. But I never do. Actually, I'm rather good at cornrowing other people's hair. So I do know how to do it. I just need to take time and practice.

The hard thing is that I wash my hair every week and for me that is a chore! I do my long runs on Sundays as well as accompany my mom to the gym. So after all that I don't have the energy to spend extra time working on styles.

As they saying goes, people find time for what they want to find time for. For me, I'd rather spend time:

Exercising
Writing
Watching other people do great styles on youtube
And now, finding vegan recipes.

Hair is a priority, but not a "top" priority...yet. Yes, it's a bit ridiculous because my hair is one of the main reasons I started this blog.

Like I said above, I believe I'm entering a HHCJ rut. So to snap myself out of it, I will try to make hairstyles a top priority in the near future.

We'll see how this develops over the coming weeks.

Week 24 Hair

Length check

Detangle

Shampoo

Deep condition

Kimmaytube leave in

Twists

(Weekly) Recipe: Stuffed Acorn Squash

This was supposed to be a weekly thing but I've been slacking recently. Not really slacking, it's just that I haven't made anything new or interesting. However, I'm trying to get back into it.

This recipe I invented on the fly. I wanted to make something to celebrate my vegan challenge and this is what I came up with. It was SUPER good! You all have to try it! It may be vegan but you can add things to it if you like or it can be the vegetable side dish.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

• 1 acorn squash (feeds 2 people)
• 1/2 cup brown rice
• 1 can black beans
• 1/2  white onion
• 1/2 green pepper
• 1 zucchini
• 1 cup mushrooms
• 1/2 eggplant
• 1/3 cup white wine
• oregano, rosemary, garlic powder, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and salt to taste

First you want to cook the acorn squash. So rinse it, scoop out the seeds, and then cut it in half. Place it in a baking dish, cut side down, with a little bit of water (about 1 Tbsp.). Put it in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

While that is cooking you can cook the rice and rinse and chop up all the vegetables. Add first the onion and the green pepper and cook until fragrant with some extra virgin olive oil. 

Next, just add everything together (including the spices) and mix well. Add the white wine and lower the heat so it can simmer. Cook the vegetables until they are done to your liking. Add them to the rice once it's done.

When the acron squash is done, stuff it with the rice and veggie mixture. (You will have some of the mixture left. So look below for another recipe!)  Put it back in the oven for about 5 minutes and then take it out and start grubbing!

I can't tell you all again how DELICIOUS this recipe is. You have to try it! With the leftover rice mixture you make a new recipe the following day.

I was in a rush so I didn't have time to take pictures. But it was also SUPER yummy! This is something you can do with the other half of the eggplant when you make the above recipe. Plus, you can add any other veggies you need to use up before they go bad.

Rice and Beans with Veggies

•  1/2 eggplant
• 1/2 onion
• 1 head broccoli
• 1 cup mushrooms
• 1/3 cup white wine
• Any spices and other veggies you like!

Cook the onion and broccoli with some extra virgin olive oil until they have a little bit of color. Then add the white wine, eggplant, mushrooms, spices etc. and lower the heat. Cover and simmer until done. Mix it with the rice and beans and you have another quick meal!

Back on Task

This weekend has been the most active weekend in a long time! That's why I wanted to share it with you all! It is so obvious that I don't have the chance to get out much, isn't it?

But now back to training.

Sunday

I ran my 12 miles and felt great while doing it. I don't know how, but I ran it faster than I wanted. I guess I was just excited to be back out there. I normally run it in 90 minutes, but I ran it in 85 minutes this time. Didn't plan on it but...well, next week I have 10 miles to run and I hope to bring the time up. You know, really focus on my running form, my breathing, and my pace. It's also my last "mock run" before the half-marathon.

Monday

My mom also went away for the weekend so she wanted to make up for the 3 days she missed by going to the gym everyday this week. However, she came home from work with a nasty headache. So I went on a 60 minute walk with my brother and did some light stretching.

Tuesday

I went on a 30-minute early morning run and did some ab exercises. Fall is getting closer and closer because it was FREEZING out! Although, the temperatures rise to the 70s during the day.

After work I went with my mom to the gym to get her 60 minutes in. We went to her favorite class: Sha'bam. For me it was only OK because we went to a different location. I didn't like the steps in the new location so I probably won't go to that class again.

Wednesday

My mom has body combat while I'll be doing weights and some ab exercises.

Thursday

Another early morning run (30 minutes) and then the gym after work.


Friday

We hit the gym again! This week is "Launch Week" so all the classes will be introducing new steps. But I have weight training again so my mom will have to get embarrassed all by herself learning the new steps!

Saturday

This is my rest day but if my mom wants to go to the gym I'm up for it.

Sunday

My last "mock run" before the half-marathon! The goal is 10 miles. I plan to imitate everything I will do the day of the event. 

I plan to: 

• get up at the same time 
• have the same breakfast
• wear the same clothes
• do the same warm up and stretches  
• run at the same time 

I'll provide a detailed summary of everything later.

This is turning out to be another active week. Next week I plan to limit how long, and how much, I run in preparation for the half-marathon.

But, again, details on that coming soon!

2011 NC State Fair

Friday of last week I went to the NC State Fair. It's held every year although this was only my second time attending. I actually didn't stay for as long as I would have liked but I ate everything I'd planned to!

We went the day we got back from our lovely anniversary getaway. So we were tired that night. However, since it was the last weekend we had to go. Initially, I had planned to add these pics to the anniversary post, but I got carried away!

So here's a couple of pics to wrap up my busy weekend.

I love taffy! Didn't eat any but it was neat how the machine kept spitting them out.

All your fried wants. Actually the fair also featured fried pickles, kool-aid, candy apples, snickers...the list goes on.

It was a nice night to go. There wasn't a lot of people and the weather was nice and cool.

Fried dough, funnel cake, whatever you call it, it's some good stuff. I was good and shared one.

Also in the mood for cheesy fries.

For dessert we had a cinnamon bun.

Chema wasn't brave enough to try a turkey leg...and I don't eat much meat. So we just stared in awe. I wonder what they do with the leftovers?

Of course the ferris wheel. We didn't get on any rides. That's when you notice how old you are when you are at the fair and don't even want to get on the ferris wheel!

What's not shown here is my half-eaten candy apple. I hadn't had one of those since I was a kid so I had to endulge. I remember why it's a kid's treat: those candy pieces are annoying when they get stuck in your teeth! I could have sucked on it like a lollipop but a red mustache isn't all that flattering for a 27-year-old. I also felt like I was going to have a mouth full of cavities the next morning.

It was business as usual on Saturday. Day 1 of our vegan challenge started and then Sunday was my typical long run day. My marathon training weekly update is coming soon so don't miss that!

All in all a nice, well-rounded, weekend. Next stop: Halloween!