I had planned to run 12 miles next week, but I’m just going to go for the entire 13 mile run and do it as many (3, I think) times before race day. I’m hoping that I can stick to the pace I set for myself, which felt like a challenge but still very comfortable. It’s amazing how logging the miles really does result in a faster pace.

It probably also helps that I’m fueling myself properly before runs and resting adequately for the couple days before. I feel like I’m really getting the hang of this!

I’m off to rest my tired legs and recuperate from a day of teaching. Hope your week is off to a good start

On the menu for tonight was an Eating Well recipe for Indian-Spiced Eggplant and Cauliflower stew. You know me; I love my ethnic vegetarian stews!

To make it, I first sauteed a chopped onion and several crushed cloves of garlic in canola oil. Once it was getting soft, I added LOTS of curry powder, garam masala, ground mustard seed and ginger. Then, I added 1/2 cup chicken broth, 1 chopped eggplant, 1 can of diced tomatoes and a large can (30 oz.) of chickpeas. I was supposed to add a head of cauliflower, but the pot was so brimming that I only had room for half of it:

So I roasted the rest with some olive oil and salt. (400 degrees for about 30 minutes, tossing halfway through) I lurve roasted vegetables

My serving, over brown rice:

Getting ready for school tomorrow. It’s been a relaxing and social, yet productive, weekend and my batteries are as recharged as they can get! Wish me luck for my 11 mile run tomorrow

Enter overnight oats.

(Again, I apologize for the poor photo quality. Where’s my darn camera?!)

The mix:

• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup almond breeze
• 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 mashed banana
• 1 tbsp. pumpkin butter
• 1 tbsp. chia seeds
• 1 tbsp. flax seeds
• vanilla extract
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• pumpkin pie spice
• walnuts, sprinkled on top

I’ll be enjoying these at my desk when I get to school. Happy Wednesday

As an update for my half-marathon training (T-4 weeks and 5 days!), I finally broke double digits yesterday, running 10 miles in 1:33! That’s an average pace of about 9:20 minutes/mile, including walking breaks. I was hesitant to set a time goal for myself, but I’m starting to really belief that I can run a sub 2 hour half. It is a really tough course – I ran about 1/2 of it yesterday – with lots of hills in the middle. I think that from now on, I will do my long runs on the course so I can feel comfortable and get accustomed to the hills.

Tragedy did strike at 3.5 miles yesterday, though, when I tripped over a sprinkler camaflouged by the dust and rocks around it. I think that I might have strained/sprained something on the top of my foot, but running and walking don’t bother it. Only when I twist it in weird ways does it bother me. I did manage to continue the run without any pain, so I’m pretty optimistic that it won’t get in the way of my training!

I made an awesome Indian stirfry tonight. First, I wrapped a block of extra firm in lots and lots of paper towels, then put a plate (topped with four bowls) on top of it to squeeze all the water out. Then, I sauteed the tofu, cubed, in some hot sesame oil until it was browned on all sides.

Next, I added snow peas, chopped onion and sliced shitake mushrooms. Once that was soft, I added some chopped roasted kabocha squash (sliced and then roasted with olive oil and salt at 400 degrees for 20 minutes on each side – my fave!) until it was heated through. Then, I added lots of curry powder, ground ginger and some salt. I mixed well to coat the veggies in tofu in the spices and then added ~1/2 cup light coconut milk.

Mmm…

(Sorry for the poor picture quality. Dave put the camera somewhere and he isn’t home right now to tell me where it is!)

It tastes so delicious! I can’t wait to have leftovers for lunch tomorrow

I haven’t seen my kids since Friday, with Columbus Day yesterday and a professional development day today. I might even say that I miss my kiddos and am excited to see them tomorrow. Yay for three day weeks!

I ate my three main meals and two snacks, being careful to eat when hungry and to stop when satisfied. I also got my butt to the gym where I ran 5 miles and then did body pump. All in all, a great day!

Trying to make my way through the rest of the week so I can get to my long weekend! I can’t wait

I’ve been on a weird eating schedule the last couple days and haven’t eaten a real dinner, since I’ve been eating a large snack/mini meal around 4 PM, so I am vowing to get back on a normal schedule today!

I started off my day today with a veggie omelet.

First I sauteed onion, red pepper, tomatoes and mushrooms in a bit of canola oil:

Then added some spinach and covered the pan to let it wilt.

Once the spinach wilted, I added some egg whites

and cooked it on medium heat, covered, until both sides were cooked through. After that, I added some shredded 2% mozzarella and folded it to let the cheese melt.

Served with a piece of whole wheat toast and a Morningstar Farms vegetarian sausage link.I topped the omelet with some salsa.

Fresh-style salsa is my fave!

Have a good day!

Add to that a severe case of PMS this month. I’ve been stressed and tired, not to mention experiencing the weirdest appetite changes. I feel like I’ve lost all of the progress I made this summer. I’ve had such a bad week of being out of touch with my hunger and satiety cues, not to mention binges and overeating. Each morning I wake up saying to myself that today is the day I will get back on track, but the afternoons and evenings have been such a struggle for me.

I’m just hoping this blows over in the next couple days and healthy eating in moderation comes back. I know that finding a healthy way to deal with stress, anxiety, anger, etc. is going to be a lifelong journey, and is one on which I have made a lot of progress. Even still, I’m feeling really disheartened right now. But the only option is to keep waking up every day and making the little decisions that help get me back to feeling good about where I am with food.

and put the following in my handy dandy crockpot:

• 1 cup steel cut oats
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1 1/2 overripe bananas
• pinch of salt
• cinnamon
• vanilla

Before…

After…

This morning, I added a scoop of canned pumpkin, a scoop of cottage cheese, chia seeds, and walnuts. I then topped it with a peanut butter sauce and some pumpkin butter. Mmmm…

This was so rich and I didn’t have much of an appetite, so I barely finished half of this and put it away for breakfast another day.

Off to school. I can’t believe that this weekend is Columbus Day weekend already!

I did manage to find a few pictures of myself from that time, including my album from my bat mitzvah. A whole bunch of pictures from me during my most awkward age. I was shocked to see that I really wasn’t all that chubby, I just had more of a woman’s figure than an adolescent girl’s at the time.

My entire life, I spent so much time focusing on the ugly aspects of my body. Wherever I went, I compared my body to other women’s, wondering why God had given me a fat, big, and misshapen body. It was this disgust with myself that brought myself to lose weight and shape up.

Seeing the pictures of myself from when I was 13 made me realize that the way I saw myself was so different than anyone else ever saw me. I wasn’t ugly and I wasn’t fat. I was voluptuous and developed earlier than most girls my age. But those years conditioned me. I had so thoroughly convinced myself that I was fat that I really started to believe it. My own beauty was invisible to me. The image I saw in the mirror wasn’t the one I was seeing deep inside.

I know that I still struggle with some body image dysmorphia, although it is getting better. At the risk of sounding conceited, I can look at myself in the mirror today and like what I see. I like everything that I see. I am able to see how fit and toned I am and have learned to appreciate my curves. There are still moments when I revert back to the girl who only saw and thought ugly and fat. There are still times when I find myself envying the body of another woman. But I’ve come a long way and know that there’s no going back.

I picked my sister up from the subway after the gym and we ate lunch at my place. I dug into two different kinds of vegetarian stews that I had leftover: Indian spiced lentils with eggplant and spinach and squash, lentil and chickpea stew.

Then we were off to apple picking! We went to the same place Dave and I went last month. We got tons of Empire, Mutsu and Jonagold apples. I’m excited for applesauce, apple crisp and just plain ole apples!

I’m so beat from my day full of activities and yesterday’s run, so I’m hanging out on the couch watching South Pacific. I had seen it when I was in elementary school and when my Mom went to see it on Broadway, I knew that I wanted to see it again. I hope that you’re enjoying your Sunday afternoon!