I did it!

I have wonderful news! I RAN THE WHOLE 3.5 MILE LAKE WITHOUT STOPPING!

I went from barely able to run an 11 minute mile without stopping, to running 3.5 miles today at an average speed of 8:24! Getting close to the 8 minute a mile mark. Can’t wait!

The credit goes to myself, of course haha! No, really having a cliff bar 1 1/2 hours before my run gave me so much energy and confidence!

I’ve also tried another method of running. When I got tired or started to slow down, I would push myself to go faster and harder. With that I then use the momentum to help me glide on through.

By the end, my legs were wobbly. I was breathless, even a little dizzy (maybe from all the excitement?). More importantly, I felt great to accomplish something that I’ve been struggling to do ever since my running routine went kaput.

I wanna say thanks to Erika , who is an amazing runner, for commenting on April 17th about my running habits:

“I *guarantee* you that you can run an entire 5k or that entire lake – without stopping. I also guarantee that it’s 100% psychological.. you’re just used to doing it with walk breaks. You might not be able to do it right away but with time & practice, it’ll be a piece of cake!”

I kept repeating those words to myself over and over again. She is right running is 100% psychological!

Now, I just need to stock up on cliff bars.

Chocolate Almond Fudge Cliff Bar

This one wasn’t too good because the chocolate sort of had a bitter taste to it. I still prefer the Chocolate chip.

Close up on the chocolate almond fudge cliff bar

Fruit and cereal to-go

I ended up eating the cereal at home with soymilk.

I got this recipe from Compassion Over Killing. Although you can click on the name to lead you to the website, I’ll post the recipe here also for easy reference.

While preparing the tofu, I squeezed as much water out as I could because I knew that it would be sitting long hours in a marinade. Have to make room for the flavors to permeate through the tofu.

The extra time I put into squeezing the water out paid off; the tofu was sturdy enough to withstand the grilling. The lemon juice added a nice tang, and the orange juice made it sweet. A great way to experiment with tofu!

I will definitely make this again.

NEW! Grilled citrus tofu!

Citrus Barbeque Tofu
Serves 2 to 3

• 1 14-ounce package of extra-firm tofu, cut into 8 or 9 slices
• juice of 2 lemons
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (I only had regular white distilled vinegar)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon rosemary (I didn’t have this, it still turned out fine)
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 1 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
• dash of black pepper

Whisk all the ingredients but the tofu in a bowl to make the marinade.

Put the tofu slices in a flat dish and pour over the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

Turn the grill on medium heat and brush lightly with some olive oil. Grill the tofu slices, brushing with extra marinade while cooking, about 5 minutes for each side.

I couldn’t resist eating the rest of last night’s dinner, also this morning’s breakfast. It’s just TOO GOOD! Even if you don’t eat vegetarian, I highly suggest making this dish. It’s soOo flavorful. The texture is also really similar to meat, so I don’t think it’ll be too different.

Meatloaf with A1 sauce

Side of potatoes and mushroom gravy

I decided to take a stab at making bran muffins:

1. To Celebrate a job well done on my exam
2. Give Long something more substantial to eat during bfast & lunch. He normally eats very small, nutrient deficient meals while he’s at work; something to fuel him throughout the day. Kind of like how the Cliff bars fuels me for my run.
3. Lastly, just for the fun of it.

Bran-carrot-zucchini-banana-pecan-cranberry muffin (recipe below)

Bran-carrot-zucchini-banana-pecan-cranberry Muffin

Makes 24 muffins

• 2 cups of whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups of bran
• 1/3 cup of wheat germ
• 1 1/2 tsp. of salt
• 1 1/2 tsp of baking soda
• 3 T. of brown sugar
• 1/3 cup of chopped pecans
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 cup of whipped silken tofu
• 2/3 cup of soymilk
• 2 T. of walnut oil
• 1/2 cup of clover honey (optional)
• ~ 1/4 cup of dried cranberries
• 1 small zucchini, shredded
• 1 small carrot, shredded

mix wet ingredients in small bowl

mix dry ingredients in large bowl

combine shredded vegetables, cranberries with dry ingredients, mix well

then add wet ingredients until just combined

do not over mix.

bake 425°F for 15 minutes.