Hello!
Well, my day off yesterday did not go as planned! We ran some errands in the afternoon and I was struck with really bad lower back pain– I think it is hormone related because I get it at certain times of the month on occasion. I spent most of the night on the couch with a heating pad (felt so good!), so we unfortunately didn’t get to go to Raw Aura or to a movie.
However, we did do a lot of Florida Road Trip planning!!!
It looks like our first destination after visiting my mom and stepdad, will be Miami and then Key West. We spent all of last night just looking at Key West and we aren’t even close to figuring out what we want to do yet! If anyone has been there and can offer some help with planning, we would greatly appreciate it. We are going to spend a night in Miami and 2 nights in Key West. We also booked a rental car- Eric found an awesome deal with Budget for 50% off. Score!
This morning I was happy to find that my back pain was 100% gone!
I got up early and baked some orders and then I had a delicious Green Monster:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup hemp milk
- 1 scoop Manitoba Harvest protein powder (Hemp Pro 70%)
- 1 T chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon cashew butter (whoooooooa yea)
- 3 steamed kale leaves
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 t maca powder
- ice ice baby
SO GOOD!!!!!
Then I hit the treadmill for a great interval run!
The workout:
- 3 min walking warm up
- 5 min running at 6 mph (10 min mile pace) at incline 5%
- 3 min running at 6 mph incline 1%
- repeat, repeat repeat for total of 2.5 miles run
- 5 min walking cool down
It felt great! As you may know, I took a very long break from running after my second half marathon (about 2.5 months!). Given my injury prone body I think it is important for me to take long running breaks to give my body a rest.
I have recently been easing myself back into it over the past couple weeks. I was surprised to find that my endurance with running has not really gone down as much as I thought it would. I think that is due to keeping up with really high intensity cardio workouts (treadmill hill workouts, mainly). I will be talking more about my goals for the next 2-3 months on the blog Monday!
Post workout and shower I downed two delicious Carrot Chia Spelt Muffins from yesterday:
mmmmmmm.
Then it was rush rush rush as we have not one, but two family get togethers today!
I brought along a vegan chickpea dish:
VERY easy. Chickpeas, chopped peppers and carrots with EVOO and red wine vinegar. Plus seasonings.
Two boxes of Glo Bars:
And gifts! Lots of birthdays in Jan/Feb in our family.
Thank goodness Eric is on call this weekend because I am blogging in the car right now!!
Oh a funny story- we were driving in the car and I reached to get my sunglasses out of my purse when I saw a HUGE, thick, super speedy spider in my purse!!!!!!!!! I freaked out. I made Eric take the next exit and pull over at a gas station so he could remove my purse from the car and then remove the spider. I have a HUGE fear of spiders and my anxiety was through the roof being trapped in the car with one by my feet! Thankfully Eric came to the rescue (after lots of laughing at me) and we were able to carry on with our trip! :mrgreen:
Onto family visit #1, then #2 shortly thereafter!
Enjoy your SUN-day!
Ugh Spider…. I’m impressed by how you handled yourself. I’d have caused an accident. The other day I literally stared a spider on the wall with a wad of tissue in my hand for like 10 minutes, trying to work up the nerve to grab it, until HTB finally came in the room and took care of it, lol!
Oh I hate spiders but Canadian spiders are nothing compared to Australian ones. Ours are seriously enormous and / or poisonous. :(
ooh i was in key west around nye this year!
definitely try to stay around southernmost point (there’s a collection of hotels there) – it’s right on the beach, right next to the main drag, walking distance from everything worth seeing, and definitely the more attractive part of town.
blue heaven is a restaurant everyone talks about. i didn’t go, but apparently the food is ridiculous and the atmosphere is really unique. i think that the only restaurant with awesome ocean views is the westin’s cafe, but the menu looked really good, although we got there too late for brunch and went elsewhere. instead, we *did* go to a restaurant called Bagatelle for brunch (after the activity i mention below) and the huevos rancheros was perfect! so light and balanced! loved it.
ONE THING YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY DO: yoga on the beach! my S.O. and i did this one morning – a really nice couple from cape cod holds a yoga class every morning right on the sand with palm trees overhead and the waves lapping in the background… so incredible! it’s $15 which includes park admission for the day (public beaches!), and they provide all equipment. we found it by googling “beach yoga”: http://www.yogaonabeach.com/index.html afterwards, go for brunch :).
ok sorry for the ridiculously long comment! have an amazing trip!!!
While you’re in the Keys, go to The Cafe on Southard St. Its a great vegetarian/vegan place and the chick pea fries are amazing (if they have them). Also you should take the tour of Hemmingway’s house, the pool at the Southernmost House, sunset at mallory square, and if you have the chance the beach at Bahia Honda.
Make sure you check out the total actual price you will pay for your rental car in Florida. When we were there we paid almost the same in state taxes that we did for the car… just a warning.
Key West is very pricey. Hotels are limited and expensive – you might want to try to find a guest house or even B&B. I wouldn’t bother spending 2 nights in Key West. You might want to think about stayin a bit further North, and then having a day trip through the keys. Just a thought.
One more comment… while you are in the keys and you are at the huge sign that says CUBA 90 miles DO NOT give your camera to some stranger to take a picture of you and your husband. I watched a couple do that, and then the guy sold them their camera back for $100!!
Key West rocks! A relative of mine owns a hotel there so I can’t recommend where to stay as I haven’t stayed anywhere else, but they have some adorable looking B&Bs there. Since Key West is so small, wherever you stay is bound to be within walking distance of almost everything on the island.
For restaurants I HIGHLY recommend Blue Heaven. I go there every time, and its delicious. I’ve been there both for breakfast and dinner and its always been fantastic! I’m pretty sure the veggie stir-fry I got there once was vegan (and yummy!) and I’ve never had a bad meal in general.
I also have been to Louie’s Backyard which is really good, but pricey (if I remember correctly).
I highly recommend going to Mallory Square at sunset, they have tons of performers and little stands. And its a great place to take photos!
Ahh, just thinking about Key West makes me envious that your traveling there!
Happy Vacation Planning! I have my first vacation in two years coming up in May, and thinking about the beach always puts me into a happy state of mind. ;)
yikes! i do not do well with spiders. once my friends and i were in the car, and i was doing the driving. they saw a spider in my hair but they knew they couldn’t tell me because i would freak out and possibly crash. unfortunately for me, they didnt tell me about the spider until we arrived at the destination and i got out of the car!
i don’t the name exactly, but search kayaking in key west. you can either rent kayaks and explore on your own or take a guided tour through the everglades. it’s a great activity outside that really gives you a great look at the keys, you may even see some manatees!!
I hate spiders. But cockroaches..I scream.
Yikes! I would’ve probably threw my purse out the window out of complete and utter panic if there was a spider in it!
You will love Key West! It’s a beautiful place to get in a run too! I definitely suggest Willie T’s for lunch. They have a fabulous vegan burger and delicious mojitos. http://www.williets.com/Key_West/LUNCH1.htm
I would also suggest visiting Ernest Hemingway’s house. Lots of Sketchies running around. ;)
I see Sarasota marked on that map! That’s my hometown so if you have any questions about the area I’d love to help!
Oh. My. Goodness. Spider = total freak out! Bless your heart… I’m impressed you were able to contain yourself until the next exit. I probably would have made it to the back seat by the time the car was stopped. ;) I’m glad you made it out safely. tehe.
That Green Monster looks EPIC! I have just gotten into making them and they rock.
Miami area – check out Sublime if you can. However, I highly reccomend trying Seasons 52. They’re not a vegan restaurant, nor are they a vegetarian restaurant, but they have a great vegetable platter which is vegan. It’s to die for! Ohmegawd. Come visit me! Lol.
When you are in Key West you have to get key lime pie at the blonde giraffe. It is to die for! I love Key West! Also, rent scooters. My husband and I had a blast riding around.
http://www.blondgiraffe.com/
I was just in Key West in Sept!
http://graduatemeghann.com/2009/09/06/key-west-adventure-day-1/
http://graduatemeghann.com/2009/09/06/key-west-adventure-day-2/
http://graduatemeghann.com/2009/09/07/return-from-the-keys/
Also, I got a great deal for a cute B&B by using www.inntouchinkeywest.com
Let me know if you have any questions!
Your road trip looks like fun! Florida is a loooong drive :) If you’re stopping through Gainesville, I would highly recommend Reggae Shack for dining. There are other good places, but I think that’s my favorite.
I live in Orlando and Dandelion is one of my favorite places to eat. I live about 2 miles from it if you want some dining company! :) If not, try the hibiscus ice tea… it’s so good!
Drunken Monkey is my other favorite place. It’s just a few blocks from Dandelion and is more of a coffee shop instead of a tea house. :)