Cinco de Mayo Eats!

Y'all know I love a holiday, and Cinco de Mayo is no exception! I'll take any excuse to drink margaritas and eat Mexican food, preferably on a warm patio. Of course, this year, a patio was not possible for me. Many of Memphis' restaurants reopened this week, and I heard the patio at Cafe Ole yesterday was as packed as legally allowable in this socially distant era. But I'm staying home!

Still yet, I had a party of one at my house! I even wore my Cinco de Moe's 5K tee (from last year's burrito run).

I started the morning with a 3-mile interval run, followed by my usual post-run rice bowl (with guac salsa) and a Mango Strawberry Margarita Protein Smoothie (1 cup frozen mango, 1/2 strawberries, handful of spinach, juice of one lime, scoop of Complement Plus protein, tablespoon of flax seeds, and about 1/4 tsp pink salt). Yum! All that was missing was the tequila!

My lunch was not Mexican-themed (leftover red lentil curry), but in the afternoon, I snacked on Tortilla Chips with Bean Dip & Guac Salsa. I love that Fritos bean dip is accidentally vegan!

At 5 pm, I clocked out of work (from home) and made a classic margarita with nothing but tequila, lime juice, and triple sec. Nothing beats a simple three-ingredient marg.

Unfortunately, I didn't realize Cinco de Mayo fell on Taco Tuesday when I did my grocery shopping. I bought stuff to make Bean & Rice Burritos instead of tacos!

But that's okay. I actually like burritos better anyway! This burrito has black beans, brown rice, sauteed bell pepper, onion, spinach, and corn, Miyoko's cheddar shreds, lettuce, black olives, avocado, tomato, roasted garlic salsa, and homemade chipotle cashew cream. YUM!!

After dinner, I made marg #2! For that one, I used a Skinnies sugar-free stevia-sweetened margarita powder that you mix with sparkling water and tequila for a low-cal marg. Not as good as the original but still tasty.

Falafel! Banh Mi! Breakfast!

For the next two weeks, I'm doing a for-real quarantine. No grocery trips, drug store runs, or takeout pick-ups. Other than leaving for my runs, walks, and bike rides outside, I'm staying home so I can know for sure that I'm not carrying any viruses when I go visit my parents a couple weekends from now.

Since the pandemic began, I've tried to stay home as much as possible, but that still meant twice a week-or-so trips to the store and frequent trips for takeout. So this will be a challenge for me! Ironically, I'm doing this as much of Memphis lifts restrictions on business and partially re-opens (Or is that ironic? Alanis Morisette has forever ruined my understanding of irony).

Though contactless food delivery would still be an option, I'm not much of a delivery person. I just can't rationalize spending double the cost for a meal after tips and fees. So before my quarantine began, I made sure to support two of my favorite local restaurants. One was Global Café inside Crosstown Concourse. They make the BEST Falafel & Hummus in Memphis, hands-down. Look how big they are! I also got a side of Tabbouleh.

I also got Midtown Crossing Grill's Bianca Banh Mi (named after me!) one more time. This is stuffed with tofu, pickled veggies, and hummus with a salad on the side.

For the next couple weeks, I'll be cooking at home! But I've stocked up on enough food to last at least a month (probably two!), so I'm good. Here are a few breakfasts I've enjoyed at home. On Saturday, I had Avocado Tofu Toast before my run. I usually stick with white bread bagels before runs, but this was just a 10K, and I wasn't going out to run til later in the afternoon. Seasoned with black salt and Everything But the Bagel seasoning.

And here's my favorite breakfast from the No Meat Athlete Cookbook — Savory Oats with spinach, carrots, salsa, nooch, toasted pumpkin seeds, and avocado.

Happy Cinco de Mayo, everyone! I'm about to fix a margarita and a burrito (on Taco Tuesday! GAHHH! Is that irony??).

Beltane Eats!

Friday, May 1 was Beltane, the start of the Celtic summer! This ancient Celtic festival is all about love, the Earth's fertility, bonfires, and the faeries. They say the veil between our world and the faery world is thinnest at this time, so I started my day by blending some homemade oat milk and leaving a small bowl for the faeries at the base of my backyard tree. A more traditional offering is milk and honey, but the faeries at my house will only get vegan offerings. Sorry faeries!

Later in the evening, I worked up some intentions for the warm months ahead, and then I enjoyed a lovely Beltane dinner on my back porch. For the main, I made Pasta Puttanesca with capers, olives, and fresh tomato, and on the side, I had Asparagus with Lemon Capers. Both recipes were from the Llewelyn 2020 Sabbats Almanac, which has vegan options for every recipe (YAY!).

Capers are said to bring luck and passion, so here's hoping the rest of 2020 looks up a bit! I washed my meal down with a glass (or two) of chilled rosé, which is a traditional wine for Beltane. Maybe it's the romantic pink color?

Since strawberries are in-season, I made a mini Strawberry Tart for dessert. The Llewelyn book included a strawberry pie recipe, but I didn't have all the ingredients on-hand, so I googled and found this vegan mini strawberry pie recipe. It's super-easy and uses agar to create a firm filling.

I whipped up some coconut cream with a little added soy creamer for the topping. I had just opened a can of coconut milk to make curry the night before and made sure to skim off the coconut fat to save for coco whip!

While summer won't officially start here until June 21, it's already pretty warm with temps in the high 70s and low 80s. Summer/late spring is my favorite time of year, so while I'm still "staying home" during the pandemic, most of the time, you'll find me outside taking work calls on the back porch, running, biking, or taking Maynard on walks.

Pizza! Curry! Kale!

Imagine Vegan Cafe has been killing it lately! To keep the takeout business alive and booming, they've been really stepping it up with specials and more desserts than ever. Last Friday, they had PIZZA NIGHT! Imagine doesn't offer pizza anymore on the regular menu, but they occasionally offer it on special. They had a number of pizza options last Friday, but I picked Buffalo Chicken Pizza with vegan mozz, carrots, celery, and vegan ranch (plus, garlic butter for dipping!). OH MY GAWD, y'all. So amazing. I ate on this pizza for days!!

I had everything in my well-stocked pantry and fridge to make the Better Than Takeout Curry from the No Meat Athlete Cookbook last night, so I whipped this up. It's one of my favorite recipes from the book, and I was excited to enjoy it again. This has red lentils, cauliflower, sweet potato, white potato, bell pepper, and carrots so it's loaded with veggies!

I also had everything to make the Classic Kale Salad from that same cookbook, so I made a small batch to enjoy as a pre-dinner snack over the next couple days. Kale is massaged with olive oil and vinegar and tossed with beets, carrots, bell pepper, celery, seeds, and dried fruit (I used sunflower and cranberries). I love snacking on salad before dinner!

And finally, here's ANOTHER bowl of Overnight Oats! I can't get enough! This is topped with blueberries, strawberries, banana, and coconut clusters.

As you can see, my made-at-home meals are waaaaay healthier than my takeout meals, as it should be!

Picnic Time! Pasta! Cabbage Stew!

Paul's 40th birthday was April 19, but he was in Nashville that weekend (he works in Nashville and lives in Memphis part-time). Of course, we couldn't have a proper party with the pandemic underway, so I organized a Zoom call with a bunch of friends. And I promised him some sort of quarantine-appropriate celebration when he was back in Memphis. So this past Sunday, we had a little birthday picnic — just the two of us!

We rode our bikes to Overton Park and laid out a nice spread of both vegan and non-vegan options (for him). I'll just show the vegan stuff though — Lulu's Country Bread and La Brea Rosemary Olive Oil Bread, Miyoko's Mozz, Dolmas, Chips & Bean Dip, Seitan Pepperoni, and Grapes/Strawberries. My favorite picnic meals consist of bread, cheese, fruit, and wine!

Paul isn't much of a cook, but he developed one recipe a few weeks ago that he really loves to make. So last night, I asked him to cook that for us for dinner. Here's Paul's Cabbage Surprise! It's a stew with cabbage, potatoes, corn, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Really great with crusty bread (leftover from the picnic).

I got a bunch of tomatoes at the CY Farmers Market a couple Saturdays ago, and amazingly, they're still fresh! I used one whole tomato in this simple pasta dish on Monday night. I tossed whole wheat pasta with garlic olive oil, fresh tomato, and herbs. Topped with vegan parm and bits of Miyoko Mozz (also leftover from the picnic).

Why 16:8 Fasting Doesn't Work For Me

I'm in the home stretch of the No Meat Athlete 30-Day Intermittent Fasting Challenge, and I've learned a few things about myself! In this gradual weekly build to 16:8 fasting, the last week (week 4) was supposed to be dedicated to 16:8 fasting every day, except for one 12:12 fast on your long run day. Last week (week 3), we did 16:8 fasting daily with two 12:12 days thrown in.

So that means I'd done a number of 16:8 fasts (16 hours of fasting/8 hours of eating) already going into this week, and I was really not looking forward to another week of that. I'd determined the best eating window for me to avoid hunger pangs and fuel my runs was 8 am-4 pm, breaking my fast with post-workout carbs every morning at 8 am. But that meant having dinner at 3:30 pm, which falls during my work day. Eating dinner in front of a computer is not ideal for me, and I was really dreading that going into week 4. And so, on Sunday night (mid-way through my last week on this plan), I made the decision to stop 16:8 fasting. I'm not giving up! But I'm moving into a more sustainable 14:10 model of intermittent fasting.

I hate the idea of failing at anything, so I'm not looking at this as a fast fail. Instead, I'm framing this as me tuning into my own intuition around food. If I wasn't looking forward to 16:8 fasting, why do it? Besides, 14:10 and 12:12 fasting seem more sustainable for me, meaning I can probably continue some form of that after this 30-day challenge is over.

Anyway, here are a few meals I had over the past week. Last week, when I was still attempting 16:8 fasts, I had this beautiful bowl of Overnight Oats and a big pot of green tea. On that day, I had pushed my breakfast until 10:30 am so I could enjoy beers in the evening. That pot of green tea kept me from losing my mind while my tummy growled. I'm such a breakfast eater!

Another 16-hour fast breaker! Avocado Toast with fresh fruit. Just seeing the 16 hours printed on these pics from last week makes me so grateful I decided not to do that anymore.

Another problem I had with 16:8 fasting is one that a lot of people would see as a benefit. But I found it very hard to eat enough calories in 8 hours to prevent weight loss. Many people turn to IF for weight loss, and if that's your goal, go for it! I can easily see how one could lose weight on a 16:8 plan. But as a stress fracture-prone runner, I am actively trying to keep weight on. The 14:10 method makes room for a couple snacks in my day, which helps me eat enough. 

On Friday night/Saturday morning, I planned to fast for 12 hours since I had a long run planned (but I ended up sleeping in a little later before my run). Had my usual pre-run bagel. I wanted a savory spread, and I was out of hummus so I mixed tahini, miso, and nooch together to create a really yummy bagel spread.

And finally, here's my most common fast-breaker meal — White Rice with Soy Sauce & Sesame Seeds. This is my fave post-run snack for immediate carb replenishment. I usually follow this with a protein smoothie an hour or so later. This was after another 12-hour day because I decided I wanted a late-night snack of popcorn on Sunday!

After this month is over, I hope to continue 14:10 and 12:12 fasting most days. There are plenty of great longevity and chronic disease-fighting benefits of IF, even if you're not going the full 16:8!

Vegan Cuts Quarantine Box!

Many of us are snacking way more often while we're quarantining at home. But we're also trying not to leave the house very often to buy snacks. What a conundrum, right? Vegan Cuts has the answer! They recently released special-edition quarantine pantry and toiletries boxes, and when I saw them featured in their newsletter email, I just had to have one!

There are three versions of this box — the Build Up Your Pantry Box (all snacks), the Essential Toiletries Box (all hygiene products), and the Quarantine Pantry & Toiletry Essentials Box. I decided to go all in and get the box that contained both snacks and hygiene products.

The Quarantine Pantry & Toiletry Essentials Box has 16 snacks and 10 toiletries (most are sample-sized). You don't know for sure which snacks you'll get, but they do include a list of possible items. Everything in that list sounded awesome, so I knew I'd be happy with whatever they sent! The toiletry list was pretty well set, but I did notice a couple substitutions from what was included on the website.

In my box, snacks included a bag of riced cauliflower, chickpea crisps, salt salt bean chips, a container of oats, bag of nooch, pho broth, birthday cake cookies, oatmeal cookie walnuts, marinated artichokes, butter-flavored coconut oil packs, 5 snack bars, and some vegan parmesan.

My toiletries included four bars of soap, two bottles of hemp lotion, rose body wash, coconut milk face wash, lip gloss, charcoal toothpaste, natural deodorant, and an acne patch.

I've been working my way through the toiletries and snacks. So far, I'm loving the coconut face wash the most. It's a milky white face wash that smells just like fresh coconut milk! I'm also really digging the charcoal toothpaste and Crazy Rumors lip gloss.

My favorite snack so far is the Keto Coconut Infusions butter oil. This stuff is amazing tossed with popcorn and nooch! Enjoyed this bowl last night while watching Ozark.

I also really love this pho broth! I've seen the bigger containers of Ocean's Halo Pho Broth for sale at Kroger but wasn't sure I'd like it since it has sea veggies. I tried some with my Sunday morning rice noodle ramen yesterday, and it didn't taste at all fishy like I'd thought. I will be buying more of this.

The Lupii Almond Butter Cinnamon Raisin Bar was really yummy! It only has a few ingredients with a base of dates and lupini beans. Perfect, clean pre-run snack.

The Partake Birthday Cake Cookies were tasty. They were a tad crumbly since they're gluten-free, but they were perfect dunked in a glass of cold almond milk.

I dipped the Kibo Chickpea Crisps into some homemade hummus as a mid-day snack one day. Chickpea on chickpea!! These were good!

I still have plenty of snacks left to work through! This box is a lot of fun, and it's nice to know I'm well-stocked on snacks and toiletries. I had plenty of large-sized toiletries already, and now I have these sample versions to enjoy as those run out.