I am currently typing this blog outside on the deck- it is glorious out! We had another fun hike today. This time at a conservation park that I had never been to and Eric hadn’t been since he was a wee young lad! :)
The weather today was just picture perfect and we wanted to soak up every last bit of warm sun as we could.
I have to admit, coming to the conclusion this week that I may never be able to run as much as I want has been hard. I think in my previous post, I said ‘I may never be a runner’, but a Kudret quickly pointed out the following for me:
I think you shouldn’t believe that you’ll "never be a runner" because everytime you get on that treadmill and run a mile or more–guess what: you are running! Don’t diminish your accomplishments for some view you have of running that overlooks your own accomplishments.
Wow….heck yea! :) I swear I have the smartest readers around! I totally agree with you Kudret. I may never be the runner that I envisioned in my mind, but I can still enjoy what running I can do, even if it is only every now and then.
It has also challenged me to find new activities that I enjoy. And what I am finding out is that I enjoy many things besides running- especially hiking!
We left around 11:30am for the park today.
Today I made up for yesterday’s lack of snacks and H2o:
My heart rate was crazy slow while hiking!
This conservation park had the best views yet!
And tons of scary cliffs:
YUM. The trail mix (raw almond + dried blueberries) held us over til lunch at 3pm!! We didn’t even need the apple or Larabar.
I love this pic with the sun coming in:
We hiked just under 2.5 miles today and it took us about 1 hour.
Everything but the kitchen sink soup
Last night I walked into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and pulled out everything that needed to be used up. I hate throwing out food, so 1-2 times a week I try to evaluate what needs to be used and base our dinner around it.
Last night dinner centered around a can of reduced-sodium tomato soup. This is what I pulled out of the fridge to be used up:
*Canned tomatoes
* Split peas
* Lentils
* fresh dill
Into the pot everything went, plus 1 cup of unsweetened almond breeze, spinach, and frozen veggies:
Stir, stir, stir:
I also made homemade dipping sticks with a whole wheat wrap.
I took a paper towel and spread a tiny bit of olive oil margarine on it and then ‘based’ the sticks. Then I sprinkled paprika over them. I cooked them under the broiler for just a few minutes on low (they burn quick!):
I served them with ranch dressing and they were SO good. I urge you to make these! So easy and quite fancy smancy, wouldn’t you say? :D
This soup turned out so so so good. I was so impressed with it! You won’t believe how many bowls I had…
One…
Two…and three:
It was that good! I kept going back for more and Eric was like, “Are you sure your stomach isn’t going to explode??” lol. Sometimes a gal’s just gotta out eat her man, right ladies??
Ok, time to get back to work! We’re working on the yard now (weeding- boo!). Tonight I am hoping to order the business cards and finish organizing the kitchen bakery stuff.
Hope you are enjoying a lovely day!!
Wow, what an awesome hiking spot! I can’t wait to start doing some trails around here. That soup looks wonderfully hearty, yum!
What a great way to use up all your leftovers! Those dipping sticks look good and so easy!
you and eric are sooo cute!! and i love your turq jacket!!!
soup looks fab and healthy!!
Gorgeous day, hike and food…almost as gorgeous as the couple! You guys glow! Eric’s doing the 30 day skin challenge, isn’t he ;)
so i’ve been struggling with the exact same thing about running and i’m so glad i’m not the only one. as you spoke about in the social comparison post, i feel a lot of pressure to run at least 3 times a week because of all the blogs i read. but the problem is that every time i run, my hip hurts so bad. i always just push myself and run through the pain, and my body feels great after the run but it hurts to walk for like a week. this can’t be good for me. i also try to push myself to run faster because a lot of girls in the blogworld run like 8 minute miles so i feel like i have to go fast and far to keep up (no pun intended). so i’ve been trying to tell myself that first of all i don’t need to go as fast as them, i can go at my own pace and i’ll still get a good workout and second of all it’s probably not in my genetics to be a runner (my mom used to run 3 miles everyday but had to get knee surgery about 4 years ago because of all the wear and tear on her joints and now she can’t run anymore) and that’s okay. there are other ways to get exercise and i need to listen to my body or else this little pain might get serious and that probably won’t be good.
so thanks for letting me know i’m not alone in this!:)
delish! What a fun hike, ps just made my first green monster= LOVE!
i love making some freestyle soup! and that is a great idea with the wraps.
looks like it was a lovely hike. awesome views!
enjoy the rest of your weekend!
as always…i am jealous of your beautiful environment in canada…have you ever lived in the city or do you think you would be able to? i get “depressed” sometimes because of the lack of nature on long island…nothing like beautiful hiking trails and sitting on the front porch in arizona…also, i could probably out eat my man every day but choose not to lol
The whole wheat wrap sticks are SUCH a good idea! I always break up corn tortillas and toast them to make my own baked tortilla chips, but it has never occured to me to do that with a wheat wrap for some reason. Your soup looked fantastic, too.
What a gorgeous park!
I often out-eat my husband, which sometimes makes me self-conscious, especially because I weigh more that he does, but I try not to let it get to me. Lately my husband has been talking about his weight a lot because he is trying to break 120 (he is pretty small!) and it makes me feel uncomfortable because failing to gain weight is never something that I’ve struggled with, and like I said, I sometimes eat more than he does, but I also go to the gym and for the most part I like my body (and I know he does).Still, it can be a little tough with all the stereotypes about how your husband/boyfriend should always be bigger than you and eat more than you. I am not a big girl, and I don’t think my husband looks too skinny, but sometimes I can’t help but wish that our weights were reversed!
Sounds like you definitely worked hard enough to deserve that big dinner! A girl’s gotta refuel somehow! ;)
Another beautiful day. It must be so fun to have all of those trails nearby. Enjoy exploring them now that the weather is finally cooperating!
Hiking is so much fun! My husband and I spent our honeymoon in the Canadian Rockies. We hiked up through the clouds, went canoeing, rode horses, and had a fabulous time! (And I am not exactly the most outdoorsy person ever)
BTW- your soup looks A-MAZING!!!!! I just might copy you! :-)
I’ve never considered using milk (er…almond breeze!) as a base for soup but now that you mention it i don’t see why it wouldn’t work! I wonder if soy milk would work in the same way. It looks awesome!