Plan Feb 23 - March 1

After this crazy storm this past week, I am so excited to get back outside to run! Last week, when the snow & cold kept me house-bound, I did some plyometric workouts, which were good and sweaty, but Copper and I both just really need to hit a trail! Yesterday I got in a nice little run on some local neighborhood streets, but I'm hoping yesterday's rain cleared off my trails enough for a long run today.

Monday (happy birthday to my dad!)
Run
Tea & Fruit
Coconut avocado smoothie
Weekend leftovers
Carrot cake balls
Sweet Potato Veggie Burger ( http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2012/02/easy-sweet-potato-veggie-burgers-with.html)

*pre make hummus for snacks & prep veggies

Tuesday
Yoga
Tea & Fruit
Dentist
Trinity smoothie
Sweet potato burger
Hummus & veggies
Portobello veggie burgers  ( http://www.thekitchenwhisperer.net/2014/04/12/chunky-portabella-veggie-burgers/) *from this recipe, I'll use tofu in place of cheese, flaxseed/water in place of eggs, and a dash of liquid smoke in place of the Worteschire sauce.

Wednesday
Run
Tea & fruit
Chai green tea smoothie ( http://myvega.com/vega-life/recipe-center/chai-green-tea-smoothie/)
Portobello veggie burgers
Carrot cake balls
Vegan French Onion Soup ( http://www.elizabethrider.com/easy-vegan-french-onion-soup-recipe/)

Thursday
Yoga
Tea & Fruit swim
Swim
Mandarin orange smoothie ( http://myvega.com/vega-life/recipe-center/mandarin-orange-smoothie/)
French onion soup
Hummus & veggies
Choir rehearsal
Veggie burger leftovers

Friday
Run 12 miles
Recovery smoothie
Tofu & seitan quesidilia
Savory vegan hand pies

Saturday
Tofu scramble breakfast burritos
Allen & Michael's wedding!

Sunday
Third time's a charm: winery picnic with Annie & Bart?
Hummus & veggies
Savory vegan hand pies

So, this weekend, Mia surprised us by coming home for a few days! It was so great! I've really missed her. Even though we chat or message or text just about every day, it was really nice to just have a bunch of time with her. We talked & talked!

On Friday, I had to go into DC, so we had lunch at Sticky Fingers! Yummm, Reubens!
I can't wait until Rob and I go up to see her in a few weeks!

Making a feral cat shelter

This winter, we have some feral cats that have been hanging around our yard. The temperatures have gotten dangerously cold, and their typical hiding place under the shed is cramped and drafty.

So Rob and I spent our Valentines day putting together a feral cat shelter for them. Hopefully this will give them a more comfortable alternative to sheltering under the shed. 

We started with two rubbermaid style storage containers, one large, one smaller.

We purchased these at the Christmas Tree Store for about $23.

I lined the bottom of the large container with Styrofoam which I got from cutting apart a little cooler that I received a cold postal shipment in.

Rob cut a 6 inch circular hole in the large container.

You want your entrance to be no larger than 6-8 inches, to discourage other wildlife from using the shelter.

We used a salt water taffy bucket from Ocean City as a guide, and then as a tunnel.

Rob then cut the second hole in the smaller container. I read that using a hair dryer to heat the plastic makes it easier to cut, but I don't own a hair dryer, so....

Rob cut the bottom off the bucket to create the tunnel. He then taped up all the rough edges with packing tape.

Meanwhile, I sorked on the bedding. I read that blankets and towels were not good things to use as bedding since the cats couldn't burrow into them. Straw is best, but we didn't have any of that. I then read that packing peanuts could be decent bedding, if inside a pillowcase. I didn't have any of those, but I did have some foam packing inserts.

I cut up the foam and sewed the pieces loosely into aan old pillowcase.

Now, the cats, when they sit on top of this pillowcase,  it will conform to their bodies, and help keep them warm.

We put the bedding inside the smaller container, which is insulated inside the larger container.

Lid on.

More insulation.

Cat entrance.

Copper is non plussed.

But we are adorable.

We placed the shelter behind the shed where we've seen the strays. We put some logs on top to keep it from being blown by the wind, and later added a chair in front to provide added wind and snow protection (especially since they're calling for 8-10 inches of snow tonight!)

I've set some cat treats in the tunnel twice now, and they've disappeared each time, and I can also tell that a critter has been in the shelter, but I don't want to spook it, so we're giving it space. Maybe I'll be able to get a picture of one of our new friends soon!

Plan Feb 16 - 22

This past week I was in a bit of a funk. The weather was very cold, and my head ached. On top of that, my vertigo was an issue that kept me from my normal exercise regimine. All of that made me feel pretty grouchy on the whole. So, I didn't get as many miles in as I'd hoped, nor as much dissertation writing. I'm hoping this week will be exponentially better.

I'm detailing out the extensive meal plan once again this week. 4 smaller meals has seemed to be pleasant.

Monday
First breakfast: Tea & fruit
Run
Second breakfast: Smoothie ( http://myvega.com/vega-life/recipe-center/coconut-avocado-breakfast-smoothie/)
Lunch: weekend leftovers
Snack: Fruit & nuts
Dinner: Vegan mac and cheese and garlic roasted peas

*pre-bake sweet potatoes, breakfast muffins

Tuesday
First breakfast: Tea & fruit
Yoga
Second breakfast: Almond-Oat Apple Cinnamon Muffins with Matcha Mint latte ( http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2014/12/almond-oat-apple-cinnamon-muffins-vegan.html)
Lunch: Garlicky Pea Soup ( http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2015/02/easy-vegan-garlicky-pea-soup-easy-peasy.html)
Snack: Carrot cake balls ( http://myvega.com/vega-life/recipe-center/carrot-cake-protein-balls/)
Dinner: pancakes and tofu scramble

Wednesday
First breakfast: Tea & fruit
Run
Second breakfast: Ageless Açai cacao Smoothie (#274 in 365 Vegan Smoothies by Kathy Patalsky)
Lunch: Garlicky Pea Soup
Snack: fruit & nuts
Dinner: Sweet Potato Enchilada Casserole ( http://www.doradaily.com/my-blog/2015/02/sweet-potato-enchilada-casserole.html)

Thursday
First breakfast: Tea & fruit
Yoga
Second breakfast: Almond-Oat Apple Cinnamon Muffins with Matcha Mint latte
Swim
Lunch: Sweet Potato Enchilada Casserole
Snack: Carrot cake balls ( http://myvega.com/vega-life/recipe-center/carrot-cake-protein-balls/)
Dinner: Tofu & seitan quesidilia

Friday
First breakfast: Tea & fruit
Long Run (12 miles)
Recovery Smoothie: Coco-açai protien shake (#116 in Vegan Smoothies)
Lunch: Tofu & seitan quesidilia
Snack: Hummus & toast
Dinner: Mushroom Melt inspired by Strong Hearts Cafe. Sautéed mushrooms  (I'll use portobello,  white, and crimini), sautéed spinach topped with daiya vegan swiss cheese, a garlic mayo, spring mix, and fat tomato slices on toasted swirled rye bread. Thank you Strong hearts for posting such delicious pictures on your IG feed!

Saturday
Dinner: Sweet Potato Veggie Burger ( http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2012/02/easy-sweet-potato-veggie-burgers-with.html) I made these a couple of weeks ago and they were SOOOOO good.

Sunday
Possible winery trip with Annie & Bart!

In the meantime, have you been checking out my book blogs I've been  posting? Here's the latest installment: http://steph-questforthegreatamericannovel.blogspot.com/2015/02/grandma-gatewood-walk-ben-montgomery.html

I've neglected my book blog for a while, but am trying to post my challenge books to it this year.
I'm up the fifth challenge: a book your mother loved...  I'll be blogging this week about the 4th book, one from my childhood.

On this blog, you have two exciting things to look forward to this week! First of all, Rob and I spent our Valentine's evening building a feral cat shelter, so I'll have a blog with info about that. And secondly, I just received a box of goodies that I won from Kristin of Will Travel for Vegan Food fame, some of which she's said I can share with you! So I'll do that later this week, too!

The History of Future Folk

Yesterday, Rob and I ran in a 5k, and on our way home we talked about how nice it would be to snuggle on the couch that evening and watch a movie.

"What do you want to watch?" He asked me.

"I don't know, but I'd kind of like there to be a monster in it," I said. "And accents are ok, but modern language is a must. And the monster doesn't have to be scary...."

"Well, you figure it out...." he told me, so I stumbled on http://whatthehellshouldiwatchonnetflix.com

This is a fun little site where you click on the genre you want to watch, and it makes a suggestion. If you don't like it, you can ask for another. I figured monsters were fantasy, and the first hit I got was a gold mine (although I did play with the site for a while longer just to see what all it would suggest.)

http://whatthehellshouldiwatchonnetflix.com/2014/01/02/the-history-of-future-folk-2013/

The History of Future Folk was an independent fantasy comedy, about an alien who comes to earth to claim the planet for his people, but falls entranced with music. He subsequently lives life as a human, while playing gigs as his alien self at a local dive bar with great, fun sets. Things get interesting when another alien from Hondo is sent to dispatch the General, and there is, indeed, a monster.

Every once in a while I stumble on a movie that really warms my heart with its quirkiness and soul. I would put this on the same awesome hearty level as Seeking a friend for the end of the world. I might even want to go as a Future Folk groupie next year for Halloween!

Hondo!

Plan Feb 9 - 15

Last week, I was a kitchen superstar. Seriously, with the help of a meal plan provided by Kathy Patalsky,  I prepped every meal, snack, and smoothie. I felt a little over-the-top, but I packed Rob's breakfasts, lunches, etc. each day with a little love note, and he, in turn, took to leaving me little notes in my lunches! It was pretty awesome.

So, fueled by that success, I drafted an extravagant meal plan for this week. One thing I really liked about last week's plan was that each day, we started with fruit and tea, and had a second breakfast later. This is just my style, perfect for me after running.

Also, I read on one of my facebook groups that Vega-one (which is an older formula) was on sale at TJ Max's and Marshall's, so Rob and I have been looking each time we are near one. We found four tubs at the store near his work, selling for $35 each, when I was normally paying in between $55-60 for them! So I pulled some of their recipies for smoothies for our second breakfasts this week. I've already pre-blended tomorrow's, and it is YUM!

Monday
First breakfast: tea & fruit
Run
Second breakfast: Carrot cake smoothie ( http://myvega.com/vega-life/recipe-center/carrot-cake-smoothie/)
Lunch: sunday leftovers
Snack: Roadtrip bars
Dinner: Sweet potato soup & toast

*pre-make rice for Tuesday and carrot cake balls for Thursday

Tuesday
First breakfast: tea & fruit
Yoga
Second breakfast: Coconut avocado breakfast smoothie ( http://myvega.com/vega-life/recipe-center/coconut-avocado-breakfast-smoothie/)
Swim
Lunch: Sweet potato soup
Snack: Apple muffins
Dinner: Buddha bowl- rice, greens, tofu, beets, peanut curry sauce

Wednesday
First breakfast: tea & fruit
Run
Second breakfast: Sweet potato smoothie ( http://myvega.com/vega-life/recipe-center/sweet-potato-smoothie/)
Lunch: Buddha bowl
Snack: Banana & nuts
Dinner: Black rice ramen with sesame garlic ginger scallion sauce ( http://relishingit.com/2014/05/14/black-rice-ramen-with-sesame-garlic-ginger-scallion-sauce/

Thursday
First breakfast: tea & fruit
Yoga
Second breakfast: Sneaky green smoothie ( http://myvega.com/vega-life/recipe-center/blueberry-spinach-smoothie/)
Swim
Lunch: Black rice ramen
Snack: Flat white with soy & Carrot cake balls ( http://myvega.com/vega-life/recipe-center/carrot-cake-protein-balls/)
Dinner: Chickpea salad melt

Friday
First breakfast: bananas, almond butter, and dates
Long Run (10 miles)
Second breakfast: Tumeric spice smoothie ( http://myvega.com/vega-life/recipe-center/turmeric-spice-smoothie/)
Yoga
Lunch: Chickpea salad
Snack: Carrot cake balls
Dinner: vegan mac & cheese

Saturday
Brunch: vegan french toast, tofu scramble, fresh fruit
Dinner: *French Lentils with Asparagus (from Greens 24/7)?

*Maybe... my week is so structured I've left this one up for more spontaneity! Also, it's Valentines, Rob and I may decide to do something romantic, like get Chinese takeout and watch an awesome indy film on Netflix....

Sunday
Winery picnic with Bart & Annie: hummus, crackers, vegan snacks!

On a non-food note, here's what I'm currently reading! It's a biography, a style of book I don't generally read, but it is very enjoyable and incredibly inspiring!

Plan Feb 2-8

(Awesome image by Chris Piascik)

Oh, man, I love that movie. But that's what this winter is starting to feel like. It is cold out there!

This week, I'm trying out a meal plan by Kathy Patalsky, which she's written in anticipation of her awesome new cookbook release in the spring! Kathy runs the really cool vegan food blog HealthyHappyLife.com which I am in awe of because she's just great at fooding and pictures and all around clever-ness. Her meal plan features breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, etc., but I'm only listing what I'm eating for dinners here. If you want her meal plan, you should go ask her.....

Monday
Run?
Ginger-Soba-Shiitake Wellness Stew

Tuesday
Yoga & swim?
Tuna-Free Chickpea Sandwich & salad

Wednesday
Run
Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers & super greens salad

Thursday
Yoga & swim
Banana Almond Protein Shake (choir rehearsal night!)

Friday
Long Run
Sizzling Rice Stir Fry, Coconut-Curry

Saturday
Yoga
Sweet Potato Soup & Biscuits

Sunday

Love the Run you're with 5k (with Rob, Cari, & Copper!)
Vegan BBQ Protein Pizza

Something I'm really looking forward to with this plan is there are small meals, but many of them. For instance, there's fruit right when you wake up one day, and breakfast later (which I like to think of as second breakfast!) Lunch is smallish, but there's a decent afternoon snack. This is perfect, because I still haven't trained my body how to eat on my new class schedule, where two days a week I teach straight through lunch time, from 12:30-4:30.

I'll also be  tackling her 7-day fitness & wellness challenges this week, since it's been so cold, I've been a little less active than normal lately, and going to add in these bursts to kick myself back into gear.  I'll be posting silly pictures of myself doing these on IG, if you want to play along. It should be a busy week on IG, as I'm also starting some new yoga challenges for February, and Mia's going to be doing yoga this month, too!

Here's a reading challenge Mia and I are doing this year.  First up on the list is "Thank you for Smoking" by Christopher Buckley, a book my brother suggested to me many months ago that I've been meaning to read. And then Neil Gaiman's new book (which should be released this month) will count as my book published this year, although it could technically also count as a book by a favorite author, or a book that is on the best seller list (because I'm sure it will be!!!).....

The only book that's currently on the NYT top 15 fiction list that I've read is The Goldfinch. Rob's currently reading Stephen King's Revival, which I got him for Christmas. I must say "All the Light we cannot See" looks interesting! A genre I don't typically read might be a biography. A book from my childhood, that should be easy!  I think, though, I'm only going to plan them two books out max... I don't want to set the whole list in stone now!

So, I'll need some help from you, dear readers. I read all the books I was supposed to read in High School. And more.  What are your suggestions for me as a book I should have read in High School and a book that "everyone" has read but me?

In other news, I didn't run much this last week. In fact, I didn't run as much in January as I planned to. Darn cold weather. Note I have a question mark next to my run for Monday- if it's raining Monday, I'll swap yoga and running Monday & Tuesday. I did get back into yoga, which is something that can be done INSIDE. But  did get a lot of writing done. I had a phone conference with my mentor, and my Chapters 1-3 are looking great. On and up!