A refrigerator with a view

In hope everyone enjoyed their extra hours of sleep as much as I did.  Feeling well-rested at 7:30 was a great way to start my day.  I got out of bed, had a glass of water, checked my email and such and decided to set out for a long run.  9.3 miles later I was feeling a little tired but still pretty awesome and accomplished.  I kept around a 9 minute-mile pace and felt energized, not sluggish.  The scale read 134.4 afterward.  I want it to read that BEFORE I run by the end of the coming week.  That will put me just shy of my 130 by Thanksgiving goal.  I needed a good run like that today after the past week.

Running-wise the past week was fine, nothing exceptional - rest day Monday, 8 miles Tuesday, 4 miles Wednesday, rest day Thursday, and 6.5 on Friday.  Saturday, I slacked because I went to help my friend at a regatta and we went out to lunch afterward - I overindulged and ended up in a food coma last night.  Thus, this morning was to make up for it.  Nearly 28 miles this week - not too shabby.

Ironically, after my last post on my food philosophy, which has proved to be relatively popular, I spent the week eating leftover Halloween candy.  Why?  I have no freaking clue.  I had one piece today but I feel way more in control.  I think today is exactly what I needed to break the cycle.  Back to nutritious food in limited quantities.

I went to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods today to stock up on fruits, veggies, and some pantry staples.  The only "treats" I got were reduced-fat tortilla chips and carob chips.  The tortilla chips go with the fresh salsa and eggplant spread I purchased and I usually have carob chips sprinkled on my yogurt. Oh, and I bought vegan cheese, which I hardly ever buy, just to sprinkle on my veggies and tomato sauce.  I use it sparingly, and don't ever feel out of control with that.

How about a little fridge/cabinet review?  I doubt anyone really cares what I keep in my fridge, but it is my blog and I can share what I like, no?

Hello fridge!  I'll get to the top shelf in a bit. On the middle shelf you will find celery, tomato sauce, homemade apple-pear butter, coconut curry sauce (in the old Skippy jar), spinach, romaine, some kind of weird squash, a bit of broccoli slaw, and liqueurs for special occasions. On the bottom shelf is cat food and unsweetened soy yogurt (the cardboard - I order it by the case since my store does not stock it).  In the drawers are one lonely coconut water, lemons and baby carrots.  In the little drawer are mushrooms, nutritional yeast, and vegan cheese.

Mmmm kale!  I love kale, it's so good for you too and low in calories.  I also have spicy hummus, fresh salsa, light non-dairy butter, limes, fennel, tapioca gluten-free bread, a cucumber, soy yogurt, and in the blue-topped container is chopped jicama with hot sauce and lime.  Jicama is a great low-calorie snack, and with lime and spices it really hits the spot!

There are some random things here... a very old bottle of wine, light soy milk, soy creamer, probiotics, garlic and tahini, a stick of earth balance for baking, dates, applesauce, and on the bottom are random condiments like mustard and jam and my Brita.

Cabinet one: Lentils, applesauce, canned tomatoes and mandarin oranges, polenta, jam, ketchup, low-sodium tomato soup, almond butter, two clif bars and some other things.

Cabinet two: instant low-sodium miso coup, dried mango, steel cut oats, golden raisins, carob chips, snap pea crisps for on salad, sunflower seeds, low-fat tortilla chips, rice cakes, and seaweed snacks.

So, that might be a little random and unnecessary, but I hope you enjoyed your little view into my vegan, low-calorie kitchen!  It should take me more than two weeks to eat all of that - which doesn't seem like very long when I think about it.  The produce goes first and then I eat the other things, usually.  I have either soy yogurt with frozen mango or 1/2 serving steel cut oats with raisins and if I'm feeling brave, a sprinkling of nuts, for breakfast every day.  Lunch is usually something slightly heartier - veggies with a carb like polenta or tortilla chips and dinner is either straight up cooked veggies or a salad.  Snacks are almost always coffee or fruit.

Enjoy what is left of your weekend.  I have a pile of schoolwork and writing to do, so I need to reply to some comments and get to it...