Bonjour =)
I’m loving the discussion going on in the Daily Glow Graduation Fears…it’s honest, real, and inspiring.
On Friday, I was feeling extra motivated (which doesn’t happen much in the Winter!), so I decided to get my long run completed a couple days early.
[I was also tickled pink when I found my workout tank that was missing for months!]
I’m up to 8 miles for my long run this week and it felt so nice to check it off the list. I ran the 8 miles at incline 1% in 78 minutes.
Unfortunately, some of the miles ticked by ever so slowly…and I concluded that a long run on the treadmill is a test of mental strength more than anything. I had to convince myself that I could do it over and over and over again. I know I have the physical stamina, I just need to work on my mental stamina while running indoors. And I remind myself that cursing is sometimes necessary.
To help beat the boredom, I watched The Devil Wears Prada and I also did mini-tempo intervals during the run. I started at 6.0 mph and with each 400 metres, I increased the speed by 0.1 mph until I reached 6.6 mph, and then I repeated the interval. It helped for the first few miles, but then I got tired and said to hell with it and ran at 6.0 mph for the rest of the way. lol.
After the run, I was craving a cold, satisfying smoothie.
[print_this]
Carrot Cake Smoothie
Yield: 2 cups
Ingredients:
- 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped into chunks (~1 cup)* see note
- 1 cup almond milk or coconut milk
- 1 large frozen banana
- 2 large ice cubes
- 1 tbsp chia seeds (or ground flax)
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Small pinch of cinnamon
- 1 tbsp vanilla protein powder
- Toppings: Shredded Coconut, coconut butter, cinnamon
Directions. Throw all ingredients into the blender, starting with the almond milk and blend until smooth. Sprinkle on some coconut, cinnamon, and a dollop of coconut butter if desired. Makes 2 cups.
Note: This recipe works best with a high speed blender as the carrot is difficult to process.
[/print_this]
Do you notice anything sad about this picture below?
What about now?
That would be the end of My Favourite Granola stash! Tragic….just tragic, my friends.
I really enjoyed this Carrot Cake smoothie! It has a yummy carrot cake flavour while packing in 2 servings of veggies. Just make sure you blend it until fully smooth– you don’t want a grainy texture from the carrots.
Slurp.
Shower.
My post-run fuel usually looks something like this….
I love open-faced, toasted sandwiches on sprouted grain bread. Did I mention I pretty much only eat my bread toasted? Weird eh? The only time I do not toast bread is when it is fresh baked bread, otherwise I find that sprouted grain bread is wonderful toasted.
I’m currently crazy about Silver Hills Bakery Sprouted grain bread. Anyone tried this brand before? I buy it at my wholesaler, Ontario Natural Food Coop.
I made some quick homemade guacamole (mashed 1 avocado, squirt of lime, red onion, olive oil, & kosher salt) with some protein-packed lentils and tomato sauce. It was a random, yet incredible combo!
I had it with a sliced apple and the dangerously delicious Chocolate Pecan Butter.
5 minutes to prepare or less. You really can’t beat that when you are about to chew your arm off.
One of our dinners last week was this Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Warm Salad, inspired by the amazing (and increasingly veggie-loving!) Mark Bittman.
[print_this]
Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Warm Salad
Inspired by Mark Bittman.
Yield: ~4 servings
Ingredients:
- 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 large onion, preferably red, chopped (1.5 cups chopped)
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3-4 tbsp fresh lime juice (Juice of 2 limes), to TASTE!
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 2 cups cooked black beans, drained (14-15oz can)
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced (made about 3 tablespoons minced)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment or non-stick mat. Place chopped sweet potato and onion onto baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Mix to coat. Season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, remove and toss veggies to ensure even cooking. Bake for another 20-25 minutes until veggies are tender and slightly brown around the edges. Remove and set aside. The total time I roasted the veggies was about 37 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the dressing by mixing the following ingredients together in a bowl: 2 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 2 minced garlic cloves, 3-4 tbsp fresh lime juice (to taste), minced cilantro, and 1/2 tsp cumin. Now mix in the drained and rinsed black beans and stir well.
3. When the veggies are done cooking, place them into a large bowl. Pour on the dressing and mix well. Serve immediately, warm. Makes about 4 servings.
[/print_this]
These are the changes I made to the original recipe:
- I cut down the oil from 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil to just 3 tbsp (and it still tasted amazing!).
- I added ground cumin as this goes well with anything lime flavoured
- I used 2 garlic cloves instead of 1
- I used a yellow onion because I did not have a red onion
- I used 1/2 cup of Cilantro because that was all I had (instead of 1 cup)
It still turned out INCREDIBLE!
First, roast the sweet potato and onion…
Meanwhile, make the dressing.
Mix together the lime juice, garlic, minced Cilantro, kosher salt, pepper, and oil.
Stir in the drained and rinsed black beans.
When the veggies are done, mix it all together!
The result is an array of savoury and tangy flavours. It is warm and comforting from the soft bites of sweet potato while the dressing gives it such a fresh and unexpected kick. We just loved it.
Now if you’ll excuse me, it appears I have a little granola issue to address. ;)
I also love the Silver Hills bread…toasted as well!
I get it at Costco.
I’m very tempted to try out that smoothie….here’s to hoping my blender can handle the carrot!
Oh I didn’t know you could get it at Costco! I will have to compare prices :)
Indoor exercising is completely mental. I find I just need to distract myself with anything to get through it.
I agree. a 5 mile run is fun to me outdoors, even when freezing cold, but just plain tedious on a treadmill! at some point I just don’t know where to look anymore?
Yum! Warm salads are so underrated.
OH my goodness girl, you hit us with a double-whammy home run!! I love carrot cake, and anything in slurpable form is a hit in my book:) Oh, and anything loaded with sweet potatoes = git in mah belly! xoxox
The bean and potato warm salad looks great! I love limey dressings (that sounds gross haha).
I did six miles on the treadmill a few weeks ago. I wanted to die of boredom. And I was switching between watching TV, attempting to read magazines, listening to music, doing hill intervals, and eavesdropping on the lady next to me (I was at the gym, haha). Winter needs to end soon!
hahaah
I may have to make that sweet potato and black bean salad today. ;)
So many great food ideas in this post – I’ll have to make that salad ASAP!
You are incredible! I guess you run inside and have your own ‘mill – not running in the snow in tank-tops? ;) Do you do it before your breakfast?
I don’t have a set time that I usually run, but lately I have been loving the lunch hour! Seems to be when I have most energy.
That Carrot Cake Smoothie looks delicious! I love Carrot Cake! :-)
Oddly enough, I pretty much never eat my bread toasted! I like it chewy and airy.
That smoothie sounds delicious! Despite the cold weather I have been craving cold smoothies as well! I only eat my bread toasted as well. I prefer the crunch! :)
Oh my goodness, everything looks delicious! I can’t wait to try the carrot cake smoothie. I think I have all the ingredients on hand. Score!
I think the black bean and sweet potato would make a very satisfying and filling meal, and I love the combination of the sweet and salty flavors. Can’t wait to try it and the carrot cake smoothie! Love the pictures by the way!
Ahhh my mental strength for treadmill running is so weak! I can only get through it with intervals because I know that I have to pay attention and that it keeps changing! Distance running for me is always outdoors (which isnt happening in New England right now). Love the squash and black bean recipe!
Long treadmill runs are definitely all about the mental stamina, so well done!! :D
Carrot cake smoothie?! Sounds delicious! And I’m totally bookmarking that salad! Sweet potato + black beans = heaven! :)
I get bored so easily on the treadmill, when I do intervals the time goes by much more quickly. That smoothie is mouth watering, so is that salad. I have growing list of food I need to make when I get near a fully equipped kitchen.
I only eat bread toasted unless it’s a fresh loaf too!
Also, that salad looks amazing! I’ve got a can of black beans in my pantry and I’ve been thinking of what to do with them that’s not a veggie burger.
Great job with your eight mile run! I did five miles yesterday and that’s the most I’ve ever done on the treadmill. It wasn’t as horrific as I thought it would be! :)
good job! :)
I LOVE silver hills sprouted bread. Too bad here in Ontario it’s usually in the frozen section.
I’m originally from Vancouver, currently in Toronto for school and one thing I really miss is reasonably fresh Silver Hills squirelly bread that is not frozen! They’re from Abbosford, BC and so we would always get them right off the shelves nice and ‘soft’ (soft as sprouted breads get) from our local farmers market.
Your salad looks great! Can’t wait to try it when I actually get a real kitchen….next year… hmmph!
Have a great day:D
I would love to have this bread fresh + soft! Must pop in if I am ever there someday :)
Great job on your run! I would have probably just given up…unless I had a smoothie waiting for me! =D
That sweet potato salad looks AMAZING! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
hmmmmmmm what an interesting recipe – but I just can’t get into cilantro, not a fan . . . perhaps I will try it without, or give it a little changeroo . . . this would be great to pack for lunches to take to school
I feel the same way about swimming! I know I have the stamina for it but it’s so tedious and boring. I feel so accomplished when I finish!
This looks delicious! Sweet potatoes and black beans are to of my favorite foods, so of course I love them together! :)
That smoothie looks incredibly refreshing :) Good thing I have a big bag of carrots in the fridge just waiting to be used up!!
That smoothie sounds really interesting! Love carrot cake porridge so maybe I’ll try the smoothie soon. :)
This salad sounds soooo good! Makes me think of you’re sweet potato chickpea salad, that I make all the time!
Yes it reminds me of that too! Just a dif. lime flavour :)
Yum that all looks so amazing! Your pictures are incredible too, btw:) I happen to have all of the Carrot Cake smoothie ingredients, and I have a workout scheduled for 1:00…so you know what I’m making right afterwards:) Thanks for the recipe! I just really hope my Cuisinart blender thing will whip that carrot into shape!
That sweet potato salad looks so delicious!
I’m at the point where I’m realizing that running on the treadmill, as much as I hate it, is better than not running at all. Cursing will definitely be necessary to get through it!
I need a veggie smoothie to add to my routine, this one looks perfect. I’ll make it this week! Thanks for the recipe!
The combination of sweet potato and black beans will never ever get boring. And cilantro only us its appeal for me.
Silver Hills is my fav! have you tried mack’s flax[green] or squirelly[red]?
Great recieps, cant wait to try them.
not yet! IM currently working on 10 frozen loaves of the big 16 I think its called (bought in bulk!) hehe
Silver Hills is only my FAVOURITE store-bought bread!!! :D Also it’s from Vancouver so I feel so “local” when I purchase it. :p
I was really excited to find a Canadian Sprouted bread too…I had been buying only ezekiel bread for a couple years. I love all the flavours that SH has too!
I can never stay motivated enough to do long distances on the treadmill! It must help a bit to be able to watch whatever you want on your tv. There’s never anything worth watching on the tvs at my gym. :P
Carrot Cake Smoothie… what a brilliant idea! I just need to find some vanilla protein powder.. Smoothies that pack in veggies are the best!!
Great recipes!
I’ve been doing my half-marathon training indoors too, and you are definitely right about the mental stamina…hopefully it warms up soon so I can do some running outside…
I wish I could watch movies while I run. My gym has the treadmills positioned in front of the mirror and who really wants to watch themselves bop up and down for an hour+?
I am truly super impressed with your ability to run that long on a treadmill. I need scenery and people and something to look at other than a tv. Outdoor running for me I guess! Black ice or not.
I am totally enamored with that sweet potato black bean salad! Bittman is the MAN and I love his increasingly veg repertoire!
WOW! Both recipes sound incredible! I too will only eat bread toasted, which is the main reason I rarely take sandwiches to work now… I neeeed my sandwich press for it to be a real sandwich! Hope you had a great weekend Ange and congrats on that long run! :)
Mark Bittman has some great recipes. I have been trying to cook through his Food Matters cookbook that I received for Christmas
All of that food looks delicious! :)
Oh my goodness, so much beautiful food today! You are getting me all fired up for lunch even though it’s only 10:20 :)
I agree that bread should always be eaten toasted unless it’s very very fresh :) Have a beautiful Sunday Ange
looks amazing. i recently posted a dish VERY similar to your sweet potato and black beans, except i used butternut squash and red kidney beans!
http://www.deliciouslydense.com/index/last-week-in-my-almost-vegan-adventure-
i bet that carrot smoothie would be good with pumpkin as well!
The color of that smoothie is so gorgeous!
I always eat my bread toasted too, but that’s because I have to keep my gluten-free bread in the freezer and I never have the patience to pull it out and let it thaw, lol.
hehe yea all my bread comes frozen too
this is a great quick meral. I love sweet potatoes, not a big fan of cilantro so I can tweak it a bit. :)
I love the idea of the carrot cake smoothie!
Have a good time making more granola. :) Glad you found your tank, I love when that happens.
I’m so excited b/c I have all the ingredients for that lovely looking salad – mmm!
Love that workout top – glad you found it :)
I love Silver Hills! I am all about their flax bread!
I need a VitaMix to make that smoothie!!!! Looks so good!!!