Finally SUMMER has arrived in Ontario!!!
I’d like to thank mother nature for waking up and getting this show on the road!
My gosh it is so hot out there today. Our thermometer reads 34C/93F out there! Still no A/C on though…! We are doing good with our no AC challenge! But man oh man this house is HOT! I have the fan blowing on me now. 
I found a new food I am addicted to…
BOOM BOOM POW!
BLACK EYED PEAS!
I soaked them overnight in the fridge and then I cooked them on low-medium on the stovetop for about 40 minutes. It was my first time ever having BEP and I loved them!
Nutritional profile:
Black-eyed peas, 1 cup (boiled)
Calories: 160
Protein: 5.23g
Carbohydrate: 33.5g
Total Fat: 0.63g
Fiber: 8.2g
*Excellent source of: Calcium (211mg), Folate (209mcg), and Vitamin A (1,305 IU)
[Source]
I am obsessed with this mixture now!!!
- 1 cup cooked Black Eyed Peas
- 1 cup Tomato Sauce
- 1/2 avocado
Heat in microwave covered with a paper towel for 1-2 minutes on high. It is honestly so quick and easy. I have been doing so much baking the past few weeks that I have had no time or motivation to turn on the oven for dinner! This meal took me all of 3 minutes to throw together and it is super healthy!
I served mine in a high protein pita along with 2 dollops of Unsweetened Soy Yogurt:
This was off the HOOK delicious!!!
I ate the leftovers in the bowl and had it with an Amazing Grass Green Monster!
I don’t know why it is, but when it is this hot I have ZERO appetite! All I have been doing is drinking green juice to stay hydrated!
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Aunt Bun’s flowers are doing well!! They have made the transition to outdoors!
Last night my mother in law goes: “I think you have a new tree growing on the porch.”
We looked out to find this WEED the size of a bush!!!
I think my poor mother in law almost had a heart attack!!!! LOL!
Let’s zoom in shall we…
I felt like I had let the amazing gardener herself down. I vowed I would get to the gardening this week now that life has returned to normalcy (that was before I took on 4 more orders this week!!!). The weeds are truly embarrassing though and I will be weeding (I just wrote wedding!) this week! How disgraceful! lol.
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Inspiring email of the day:
“Hi Angela,
I’ve been meaning to email you for a while and thank you for doing such wonderful things with your blog. I’ve been so inspired by your honesty and story. When I first began reading food blogs last year, I was entrenched in in very disordered eating and dangerous amounts of exercise. I was addicted to the scale, the lists of foods that were off limits to me were practically a mile long, and my portions sizes were just absurdly small. Blogs showed me what a normal amount of food and exercise was, and eventually (and slowly), I was able to apply that to my own life.
But, I really don’t think I could have made that transition without reading blogs like yours, which made me realize I am not alone in any of those struggles. I am so grateful for the support you provide simply by writing and believing in your values so strongly. The fact that you have recovered and are living so freely made me realize that it is both possible and worth it to stop the obsession. The more I read your thoughts, the more I was able to start making actual strides in my own life. It still shocks me how much progress I’ve made, how free I feel today versus a year ago. Every time I feel a struggle come on (and that happens less and less), I find myself so much more capable of trusting my decisions and believing that health is more important than anything.
I wrote a post today that was inspired by all the positivity from bloggers like you and Caitlin. I’d love if you read it! http://thewholeplate.wordpress.com/2009/06/23/beautiful/
Really and truly, thank you again for leaving such a positive mark on the world.
I’ll be reading for as long as you are writing!
Leslie
Leslie, you are one amazing woman!!! I feel so inspired by your story and I thank you so much for sharing.
I wanted to encourage all of my readers to please read Leslie’s post called Beautiful…it gave me CHILLS!!! She tells a very heart breaking story about the fashion industry in which she had first hand experience with.
I got Order #3 done today and I have order #4 tomorrow. man was it hot in the kitchen today with no AC!!!
I am still waiting to hear about regulations for me to ship goodies to the US.
As a side note, my Canadian orders are now going in full swing, so order away! The website is being updated on a continual basis with my new products. You may notice that some products have received the BOOT for now. That is because my NEW food processor is broken (LONG story!) so I have had to remove a few of those things for now. Shoot your orders to globakery@gmail.com !
I believe Eric and I are going Biking tonight. 
Should be some fun X-training for a change. We certainly have MUCH better weather than last time!
Coming up Wednesday Morning:
See you tomorrow morning for some never seen before Wedding Rehearsal and wedding pictures!!! I will be showing you the venue, the people, the decor, and the outdoor ceremony spot!
Tonight’s Question:
Have you ever tried Cliff Shots or other energy gels/drinks when working out? I have read that it is a good idea to take these with workouts longer than 1 hour. I have been thinking of trying some out but I wanted to get some opinions first! Are any of them vegan or all natural too?
PS- The Liquor stores could be striking in the tonight at midnight (probably) and there is utter madness around town….90 minute line ups ate the LCBO!!!
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Strinkingly similar to my dinner yesterday, I mixed up black beans, corn, tomato sauce, then threw on some avocado & lots of hot sauce. Soooo yummy.
Beans should really have their own fan club.
Your lunch looks delicious! Thanks for sharing your “recipe” idea!
I’ve used Clif Shots Bloks when marathon training, and definitely recommend them over the gooey stuff. These are more like gummy bears, so they tasted better to me, and my stomach seemed to like them better (you should ease yourself into taking the goo, b/c it can tend to upset your stomach at first). I have used they gooey stuff, and my favorite type is CarbBoom. Kiwi Strawberry was my favorite flavor . . .
Also, I’ve used honey in place of these things as well. A little messy, but works just as fine! I enjoyed using some of the packaged ones to help mix up the flavors.
Good luck!
wooo hooo summer!!!
since i live in ON but work in QC i get the day off tomorrow!!! its supposed to be so nice out!! if only i could figure out what i feel like doing…
I used Cliff Shots and Goo for awhile and then got REALLY tired of them, so now I use packets of honey, which are obviously more natural and really cheap. Sometimes I buy them at the Farmer’s Market and sometimes I steal them from coffee shops (don’t tell anyone) when I’m getting drinks. I usually have the equivalent of 2 tablespoons (about 100 calories) of honey every hour with some water, and that really keeps my energy up. I know people who take orange slices or even Cliff Bars with them to eat every hour, but I just can’t stomach much food while I”m running, so I’m much happier with the honey. Good luck!
That pita looks amazing! I giggled at your weed
I LOVE this logo!
Ok I just need that avocado/BEP combo! I’m off to buy some beans ASAP!
I honestly don’t think I’ve ever tried black eyed peas… I love beans of pretty much any kind though so I’ll have to pick some up next Bulk Barn trip!
I JUST heard about the potential LCBO strike… that’s crazy! I wonder if it will actually happen? I can imagine a lot of pretty unhappy people if it did… lol
Hi – Love your blog! I’m always trying new healthy things to eat and love to run, so your site is so helpful to me.
Anyway – black eye pea salad is great. I mix olive oil and vinegar with lots of red onion and marinate the peas in the frig, then have them over a green salad. It’s really filling.
Enjoy!
I didn’t use Cliff Shots, but I used Gu instead. I loved the stuff! I found the best flavor to be plain or vanilla for me. I tried chocolate and some of the fruity flavors and found them to be too fruity for me.
I prefer the fruit punch jelly beans over Clif Shots and Gu. They are tasty but when running in the cold, tend to get really hard to chew!
I am jealous of your forecast. I think we are on our 10th day of rain. I wanted to put the heat on last night!
I LOVE Cliff shots!!! The Gu made me sick during my marathon training so I switched to these and felt so much better. I eat one or two at a time, every so often. But I only use them when running for more than 1 hr and 15 mins. And I do not drink sports drinks when eating these, just water.
Also, some of the Cliff shot flavors have caffeine — something I DO NOT recommend while running.
(new follower – LOVE your blog!!)
Ok, OMG – I took a cake decorating class for the fun of decorating and I’ve only been making the not-so-healthy cakes to let the people at work enjoy. I will HAVE to try that Beet cake!!! It sounds fab and if i can be a trickster and feed people healthy stuff I will be a sure hit!!
That email you recieved is SO wonderful!! What an inspiration!!!
I’ve never had black eyed peas, but your recipe looks great!!!
Oh yum that made me want tomato sauce and beans!!
I think when it comes to “nutrition” (i put it in quotes because it feels so non-nutritious) while running, you really have to try a bunch of things to see what works for you. I thought the Clif Shot Blocks would be great for me- but I came the closest I’ve ever come to puking while running the time I used Shot Blocks. I’ve tried a few different brands of gels (CarbBoom, Clif, Gu) and as many flavours as I thought I might like…now I tend to use Gu (the espresso love or the Chocolate mint one that they brought out a christmas are my flavours of choice) but once I get my mileage up a little higher again, I might try raisins as well so that I don’t have to use so much Gu. (unfortunately, I don’t like the taste of plain honey…so that’s out of the question for me)
I’ve heard great things about Hammer Gel…though I’ve never tried it.
I would suggest going and buying a few types of nutrition and seeing what works best for you and your tummy- good luck!
I’ve used Clif Shot Blocks, Gu, CarbBoom, Powergel and Zingers. Zingers are the most natural and have no artificial sugars, but I honestly can’t stomach them. Tooooo sweet! I’m okay with the Clif Shots, but I don’t like the margarita flavor – who wants their mouth to taste like the morning after a crazy night in Cabo while running for hours and hours?
Generally, I have Chocolate Outrage, Vanilla, or Chocolate Mint (it’s seasonal, but BY FAR the best) when I’m training. In fact, my old running buddy and I love the chocolate mint flavor so much, we gave each other entire boxes of the Gu for Christmas one year!
I also run sometimes with dried fruit and raw nuts, but only if I have lots of water. I like the natural sugars and knowing that I’m not putting chemicals into my body.
Hope this helps and enjoy your bike ride!
I love seeing your lunches and dinners.. they give me great ideas! Thanks!
Boo LCBO strike.. a couple of the ladies at my work made a mid-day booze run just in case it happens! lol! I sure hope it doesn’t though, not with Canada Day next week.
What a beautiful email too.. I definitely feel the same way about food blogs. They’ve made me so less obsessed with calories and it’s nice to see healthy people still enjoying treats and not depriving themselves. It really opened my eyes!
this dinner looks so easy and delicious! yum.
thanks again for such sweet words!
I got in my car this morning and the temperature outside said 100. I had to do a double take!~
Great easy looking meal! Thanks for the tip
I use energy gels and supplements when I do my long marathon training runs. I’ve tried clif blocks, jelly beans, and gels/gus. I personally like the gus best because they’re easy to slurp down while running, or quickly walking. I’m not a huge fan of having to chew the chewies while running!
Good luck finding one you want! Real food can work just as well – maybe half a PB & honey sandwich or somethin’!
Wow, that black eyed pea mixture sounds delicious! I haven’t given them a try either, but definitely something I should add to my list of “new foods tried since blogging.”
Good luck on those orders! They seem to be keeping you busy lately… but, of course, that’s a VERY good sign!
Have fun biking!
xxoo
Heather
Woo! Hope that sunshine makes its way up to the Maritimes!
Yay biking! My love for running has totally been taken over by road cycling. I’m obsessed. I think even my cyclist/racer of a boyfriend is getting sick of me talking about it!!
Thank you for posting that email. Leslie’s experiences really reflect my own and I am also so grateful to you and other food blogs!
I have used various gels for marathon training. Honestly, I don’t like them. The consistency of most of them make me gag. I also tried shot blocks which are okay, although I found that they were get stuck in my mouth, kind of like a dog with PB. The stuff I enjoyed the most were sports jelly beans (I can’t remember the brand). They honestly taste just like really jelly beans and seemed to do the trick!
Brendan Brazier, author of Thrive, offers quite a few different all natural/vegan options for gels. He also suggests grabbing a couple of dates with agave nectar as quick energy during a workout if you can handle solid foods.
hey! They are strikkking..my uncle works at one..and he said it was CRAZY people coming with shopping carts and loading up with TONS AND TONS of booze ..lol crazy canadians.
I might order some goodies sometime..:)
Oh wow I can’t believe Wednesday is almost here!
As for your question, I haven’t tried any of those kinds of products. I’ve heard that they taste ermmm yucky.
I like Hammer gels, but I’ve tried pretty much everything. I like the luna moons much better than shot blocks, but they’re all range from gross to okay-ish. LOL.
I used Clif Shots about every 4 miles during my half marathon training, and I could tell a huge difference. The only problem I had was with some of the flavors. Who wants to eat gooey Vanilla or Mocha after running 10 miles?!
Hi Angela, I love the jelly belly sports beans! You should be able to pick them up at your local running or sports store. They taste VERY good, just like regular jelly bellies, and they are good to my stomach (unlike other brands). I usually take some in after the first 6 miles of running or so (around 60 mins) and repeat as necessary!
Yay for summer! I just recently got hooked on black eyed peas. They never looked appealing to me for some reason, but they definitely taste amazing! That soup looks delicious
Never tried Cliff Shots before.. I’m not sure if I’ll like their texture. They just don’t sound very natural.. but I could be wrong and they could be amazing!
I love black eyed peas with rice. SO good!
i love summer and natural heat so much. i had no idea it got so hot in canada! my dad is contemplating moving there or alaska … i almost hope he does so I can come visit!
anyway, isn’t photography just so fun!!!?? I can’t stop taking pictures ever. It would be a crime!
-jessica
In South Africa the most natural gel is the corn syrup ones… just pure corn syrup, ick… and I like vanilla flavour the best out of all the GU type gels.
hey ange
I too am new with these gels..have a marathon this sunday..my very first..training went down the drain due to an injury
So i’m just hoping to finish the run within the qualifying time.. I agree with what otehrs said..U need to ease urself into these gels..what suit others may not suit u.. Accel gel has some protein in it (16gr carbs, 4 gr protein)..I take that and Power gel..simply cos i can’t get any others in Malaysia. Heard good reviews on Clif tho..Good luck finding one u like and yes, u need some sort of fuel for 1+ hr of exercise..
Secondly, being asian, my mum makes black eye peas, mung beans,red beans into a desert like soup..its healthy and believed to be cooling..u can just slow cook everything..if u want, i can ask her for teh recipe and email it to u..
i’m holding off on AC so far too, ceiling fans are awesome. but. oh man. the heat is making it hard for me to find times to run!
YUM!!! I am so trying that recipe!
Sum Summa in Ontario – YEAH!! It’s about time isn’t it!! haha
I did go for a run at like 6:30 this morning pre work and it was pretty stinking HOT – I hope it is not quite this warm on 10 miler day!
CarbBoom is my gel of choice, specifically the Apple Cinnamon flavor. I only take gels for anything longer than an hour as I just don’t need anything during a shorter run. I tried playing around with eating ‘real foods’ during a run but they just caused too much intestinal distress.
Just my 2cents as I have played around a lot with ‘eating on the run.’
When training for long distance races, I definitely consume some sort of energy bar/gel. I like Gus personally. Any time I start running over 7-8 miles, I add a gu into my rotation. Some flavors are definitely better than others and the things aren’t that tasty…but they get the job done.
Happiness Awaits
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