Food Friday!!

I have to say talking about food, dreaming about food and eating food of course... is about the only thing these days that keeps me from panicking about the upcoming dates, like Oh, Oklahoma fast approaching on the horizon at this pace it is likely to pass me by... but enough of that metaphor.

Healthy food can and often does get a bit monotonous, we have our go to meals and so on and so forth - at this moment Chicken Souvlaki for some reasons comes to mind as my go to meal, that or Pad Thai. If I could get my single self together and convince my roommate to eat meat - I know, I know the pseudo vegan should not be doing that... this is what we'd be eating and we will be eating on Monday night.

Slow Cooker Lasagna

1 lb ground lean beef or chicken, turkey, tofu crumbles, tempeh or whatever you want to use
1 onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic
3 cups veggies - mushrooms, eggplant (sliced or smalled diced), zucchini, peppers
1 bag frozen spinach
Seasoning - basil, oregano, thyme - whatever you would like to add
1 (29 oz) jar of organic "spaghetti"sauce - I use whatever is on sale at WF
1 package of whole wheat/spelt/alternative lasagna noodles - NOT PRE COOKED
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese (I detest cottage cheese) - OR Tofu Ricotta (firm tofu, raw cashews and nutritional yeast)
2 cups mozzarella cheese or TEESE

Note: The veggies will cook down, so understand that in relation to what kind of texture you would like.

Cook the meat (if using a veggie option - no need, though I would steam my tempeh to get the "flavour" out of it), onion, and garlic. Combine the remaining ingredients - the sauce and veggies

In the slow cooker, spoon a layer of the meat mixture onto the bottom of the slow cooker. Add a double of layer of the uncooked lasagna noodles. Break to fit the noodles into the slow cooker if needed. Top the noodles with a portion of the ricotta and mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layering of sauce, noodles, and cheese until all the ingredients are used. Cover and cook on low heat in a slow cooker for 6-8 hours, or as I do, text your roommate or significant other to put it in the slow cooker and plug it in on their way to work, so that you when you return home from yoga can eat.

Shimmie Shake

I tried the THRIVE diet for all of one grand week, I followed the diet to a T and in the end just about wanted to dive head long into a big hot serving of veggie lasagna. My major complaint was it was too raw, if you live in a climate where the temperature is consistently above zero and it isn't always raining or snowing, then I think it would be much more tolerable. In the end I missed my spices, I missed my slow cooker and I didn't miss the pain in my back from the hours of food preparation.

Whole Food diets though are a wonderful thing and it is something that as the Farmer Markets get into full swing I'll be embracing with more fervor.

I do have to say I loved the Chocolate Almond Shake - this is a modified version

2T Raw Almond Butter

1 Tbsp ground hemp seeds

1 Tbsp Hemp protein

2 Tbsp carob powder or cacao nibs

1 cup cold water + 1/2 cup ice

1 frozen banana or 2-3 Fresh dates

1 T plain Vega Powder

I used a food processor for the recipe as I have a pathetic blender to tackle the dates, with the banana I used the blender.

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/houseofsims/3182624248/ and yes I realize it's not the same shake, but I am not at 6am going to start taking pictures of my Nalgene bottle.

Back in the Swing of Things

Sorry for failing at the Mon, Wed, Friday posting, I'm still trying to get back on my lead weighted feet again. With things being sub zero, snowy and crunchy in this part of the world the only blessing as of late has been the time change. Thankfully it's light at night, so I'm not having to brave the -5C or colder that it has been.

With all that said, much too has happened, you'll find me in the next 20 weeks in Oklahoma and in San Francisco for a half and full marathon respectively and if I don't die, the Victoria Marathon in October might be the next step on my way to warming up to doing the Knee Knocker in Vancouver or some other 50km distance - I mean while I can say what's the extra 8km, it's still 8km longer.

On to something I love more than running and seeing the buds of spring on the trail or the setting sun through the railway bridge - FOOD! Two recipes this week, one today and one tomorrow.

Walnut, Blueberry Bran Pancakes (Runner's World) - ALTERED
1 1/2 cups Vanilla Hemp Milk*
1 cup Large Flake Oats - none of the instant/quick stuff
3/4 cup Spelt or Buckwheat flour - I used spelt
3/4 cup - 1cup Dried Blueberries or Raspberries
1/2 cup chopped Walnuts - any other nut could be used - if you wanted to use Dried Pineapple, why not then use Macadamia nuts?
1/4 cup Oat Bran
1 T Baking Powder
2 T Agave
1 tsp salt
2 Organic eggs (Free Range of course!) or 2 Flax Eggs

Pour milk over oats and set aside. Combine ingredients flour through to baking powder. In a separate bowl combine the remaining ingredients. Add the eggs to oats and then combine with the remaining ingredients. Spoon 1/2 or 1 cup serving - I just use a measuring cup into a greased skillet, cook as you would a normal pancake.

This recipes freezes really well. I ended up taking them to work and fishing them out mid morning - a quick zap in the micro and then into the toaster oven. I spread a little vegan margarine, but blueberry preserve or a raw nut butter without salt would be just as good.

*Milk while recommend is actually high in hormones and not beneficial to women, so unless you're going to splurge on the Hormone free, Organic stuff opt out - Check out THRIVE by Brendan Frazier

Vegan Vendredi

Vegan Fridays doesn't quite have the same wonderful alliterative quality to it. Veganism is one of those taboo subjects for many, especially runners who believe that we are best served by animal protein. I am going to say I'm on the fence - as post vegan (2 years) I felt substantially better as a vegan, however, it is a time consuming lifestyle for one person with a 8-4 job, 2 hours of commuting and post grad part time education on their plate.

When I have time I do make this as a way to use up whatever I've got going a little "sprouty."

1 potato
1 sweet potato
1 can rinsed chickpeas
1/2 yellow onion diced
1/4-1/2 c. hot water
2 T Indian curry paste

Combine the above, place on a cookie sheet and cook at 400-450F until tender - you do not need to grease your cookie sheet - if you're concerned about sticking a Silpat sheet is a wonderful investment for your kitchen. Add peas, raw cashews, chopped tomatoes or anything else you would like, spinach would be good too. Heat until warmed through, toss with cilantro. Serve with homemade roti, or you can purchase roti at large supermarkets. I normally have mine with mango chutney.