Leg getting better- in Boot now, start rehab after 1st

Leg is feeling better and I am hopeful that I can start rehabbing and exercising after Doc appt on 5th.

Got this boot 2 weeks ago

AAnd it weighs a ton and is quite big and bulky. I always though I had big feet and but this thing is something else.
My shoes are 16-17 wide an here is a side by side:

Ate well since the injury and feeling pretty good physically so I expect to be at a pretty good weight when I get started....wonder whn I can go for a run?

Broken leg Chronicle

eating right and fixing broken bones. 9 screws and a plate can get in the way of an active lifestyle, work and all other activities.

Tomorrow I hope to finally get a cast, replacing splint number 3, which seems to be falling off more then falling apart. Maybe my leg was swollen a bit when i was there last week- maybe the 70 minute wait and sitting upright caused it.

Hopefully 3-4 weeks from now I will be allowed to start weight bearing and then rehabbing.

Starting ALL OVER AGAIN- after a Broken leg

@ weeks ago I took a "funny"step and 13 hours later ihave a plate and 9 shiny new screws in my leg(fibula-tibia).

Now I get to become a brand new runner ( in 8-10 weeks) and find a race to train for.

This is the leg with the 2nd splint on it. Cast is expected on Thursday and a boot in a few weeks.

The crutches will carry me until I can toss them. been eating well and lots of proper supplements.

more updates to follow.

The Non"Workout" workout for Early Sunday morning

As I got up this morning (3:15am- actually 415 but time changed) I got ready for a workout run but the dogs seemed awake and ready so I couldn't sneak away.
I put their harnesses on(poopy bags in my pocket) and off we went. What was a low key workout was actually a fun LONG walk with the dogs- and a walk with 2 Fox Hounds is a chance for them to SNIFF more and stop more- my goal was to keep them moving and sniff on the the go.

We never got to a fast pace but we did move fast enough to pant a little bit and have fun together before we got home and had breakfast.

Autumn Farmers Market Soup

I love making hearty and chunky soups. I did it with meat and veggies now I add more veggies to fill the pot and belly. After a recent trip to the City Market in Charlottesville I had a bag filled with:
-butternut sqaush
-small sweet potato
-small turnips
-broccoli
-onions
-zucchini and Yellow squash ( baby)
-Asian eggplant
At home I made a broth with Miso paste and water.

As the broth was warming I diced the Butternut squash, sweet potato and Turnips(tossed with Olive oil, sea salt and pepper) 375 for 20 minutes

I diced the Broccoli, onions, zucchini/squash, and eggplant and added it to the Crockpot with the warm Miso Broth.

When the tray of roasted veggies is done , let them cool for a few minutes before adding them to the pot.

Let the veggies mix and cook for an hour. Now add the rinsed lentils ,stir and taste. This is the time to add herbs and seasonings, I added dried oregano, thyme and cracked black pepper- with a few pinches of Seas salt w/ seaweed.
Ingredients:
2 cups diced butternut squash
2 cups diced Sweet potato
1 cup diced turnip
1 cup diced Asian eggplant
1 cup each diced zucchini /yellow squash
1 cup diced broccoli
1 large red onion
1 cup green lentils(washed/rinsed)
3-5 Tbs White MISO paste (to taste)
10-14 cups of water
olive oil
misc herbs

Coffee at the End of the Day

Iced coffee and glass of water , enjoy the drink and rehydrated .
Proper diet and supplements will keep me going but staying hydrated will keep me healthy and going tomorrow.

Rowing and Running

I have been rowing a lot lately at the new gym.
Like it and the OCD side of my brain loves the measured accuracy of it.

It has been good for my gimpy knee the past couple of week and I have even seen some improvements - in my knee and in my rowing time for 2000meters. I am just crazy enough to want to compete or try to rank among other in the online community.

I have several workouts to do but for now focusing on easy 30 minute rows ( about 5000 m each) and some 2000m rows for time. I will include a few running focused intervals and just have fun staying fit and getting a solid knee for future running.

Stuffed Peppers- Delicious and loaded with Fuel

With farmers markets going strong I got these great peppers on Saturday and made this on Sunday.

Stuffed peppers (High protein / Low fat)

4 Large Bell peppers
1.5 cups brown rice blend ( long grain/short grain…)
1 cup dry red lentils
Approx. 6 cups water
4-5 small roma tomatoes chopped
24 oz Tomato sauce ( organic pref)
2-3 sprigs Spicy Bush basil
Sea salt and fresh black pepper

1) Place rice and beans in Rice cooker with 5.5-6 cups water, tsp Sea Salt, teaspoon Fresh ground pepper and 2 4 inch sprigs basil- cook until machine cuts off
2) Open and core peppers Tops can be chopped into small dice
3) Warm tomato sauce
4) Put some basil leaves in bottom of each pepper and mix the rest in the rice /bean mixture
5) Stuff each pepper about ½ with rice/bean blend, bits of chopped pepper and tomato, add 1 TBS tomato sauce and fill pepper with rice/bean blend
6) Place in covered roasting pan- top with chopped tomato and rest or tomato sauce and cook for 40 minutes in 375 oven.
7) Remove and let sit 5- 10 minute with cover off and serve with veggies or salad.

Summer fun, sweat ,sun and fresh goodies

Garden was for fun getting serious. Squash almost done but now trying to save and grow the harvest melons and brussels sprouts.

Loving mint and basil in cold drinks. Great taste and so good for us.

Garden-Place for some food, exercise amd Clearing my head.

I have always liked having a garden or at least some house palnts ( when in an apartment). In all times it is a relaxing place to clear my head and heart.
Planting, weeding, watering and harvesting all contribute to peace of mind. Now that the currewnt incarnation of the garden has the potential to grow since the tree fell- I may expand to an actual heavy food producing operation. So far it has been fun and plenty of goodies have arrived.

Next year i will plan it a little more and see what it can produce if planned better.

Vegan and Providing some of my own FUEL

The pics are from my new garden. We moved to this house in the fall of 2009 so I spent last year planning th garden and finding the best sun.
The garden is cranking up now and somew the plants are getting too big for their "britches". The squash here is covering a rose bush and some herbs.

The Other picture is future garden plot being built "lasagna style" with layers of coffee grounds from Coffee shop and gras and leaves and paper and manure.

Playing with fire - Vegan Grilling fun

I recently cooked at a picnic. There was the standard non-veg fare and I was able to cook tofu( marinated) and pineapple and peaches.

The grilled fruit was mixed with fresh blueberries, green onions and balsamic vinegar/orange juice.


Planning on quartering some red and green cabbage and sprinkling with vinegar and putting on hot grill for a few minutes each side and serving with a creamy ( soy yogurt base) basil-garlic dressing.

Early Summer Pesto

One of the joys of summer is grabbing bunches of fresh basil and combining with Olive oil and nuts or seeds and some nutritional yeast to make pesto and serve it on pasta, bread, potatoes and anything else I can think of.
In june the basil is just setting up and growing but broccoli is coming in strong- most pesto is made raw with frsh picked leaves and broccoli pesto can be done raw ( with a little added added water- reserved from soaking the florets after washing)
OR- the broccoli can be steamed for 90 seconds- 2 minutes
Broccoli Pesto
4 cups chopped fresh broccoli ( washed, rinsed and then soaked)
¼ cup nutritional yeast ( can use vegan parm-cheese or non vegan can use parmesan cheese
4-6 tbs EVOO
2-4 tbs soak water
¼ cup raw walnuts ( or other nut/ seed)
1 cup (loosely packed) selected green herbs (I like basil, oregano, parsley- whatever is flourishing in garden)

1. Add broccoli pieces slowly to chop completely( may need to remove to bowl and add more)
2. Drizzle olive oil and/or water into processor to help smooth the blend
3. Add nuts slowly to chop smoothly
4. Add Nutritional yeast or cheese and rest of oil mix until smooth

Serve on cooked pasta, spread on bread or spread on bread to make bruschetta
Use all that you like and freeze the rest.

I Love Cold Noodle Salads for Warm Weather Fuel

As a runner walker, hiker I have eaten tons of pasta over the years ( along with potatoes and breads. In the summer I love to eat a meal of cold salad and especially a salad loaded with good carbs as well as vitamins and minerals.
A newly popular salad at many places is sesame noodle salad(durum wheat noodles) and Soba noodle salad. SOBA noodles are made from buckwheat so they may be ok for folks with gluten problems. I have experimented and found this to b a good recipe. The dressing is key and the salad can be adjusted for taste and available ingredients.

Cold SOBA Noodle Salad
SALAD
-1# SOBA noodles
-Bundle green onions – chopped (save 1 or 2 to put on top when serving)
-Bundle of cilantro or parsley( chopped fine) [save some for serving]
-2 tbs Sesame seeds
-3 carrots – shredded or chopped
-1 large cucumber – diced
-1 each red, green yellow pepper- diced
-2 stalks celery- diced
-1 granny smith apple- diced

Dressing (good dressing can make a hat taste great)
-1-3 tsp fresh Grated ginger
-¼ cup tahini
-1 tbs Agave nectar or Rice syrup
-1 tbs rice vinegar
-Juice from 1 lime
-½ tbs zest from lime
-1 tbs Sesame oil ( plus some for boiling water)
-1 tbs Tamari
-3 tbs Sesame seeds
-1 tsp Celery seeds
-1 tbs fresh ground black pepper
-Hot sauce and/or hot pepper flakes to taste

1) Prepare noodles in water flavored with sesame oil and drain / cool( sprinkle with sesame oil after draining
2) Combine dressing ingredients in blender and blend / pulse until emulsified
3) Chopped and combine all salad ingredient in bowl with noodles, mix completely
4) Add dressing and mix until until coated
5) Cover and put in fridge for 3 hours or more for flavors to mix
6) Serve topped with reserved onions and cilantro

Iced Coffee - Hot orCold Brewed

There are many debates on preparation method for iced coffee. I drink Iced coffee year round and have found that regular hot brewed coffee, cooled then refrigerated is the best.

Green beans are roasted for a reason- to get proper flavor and coffee is made with hot nearly boiling water for a reason- heat reaction impacts taste.

Choosing the proper beans that have been properly roasted is the key to great hot brewed iced coffee and then brewing- cooling to room temperature before putting in the fridge.

Soaking ground coffee in cold water for 8-10-12 hours yields dirty "coffee tasting" water. The nuances of the coffee bean are lost because the true flavors have been been released with the reaction to heat.

Mothers Day and Thoughts of Mom's great meals

This morning i made a great Cole Slaw and put it in Fridge to marinate.
I am now thinking of the great Slaw and Potato salad and macaroni salads my mom made when we were kids- Poor woman had to make it like she was the Cook in Chow hall at boot camp with all of us.

What other good items can I work with and make a few small changes to be Vegan and enjoy.

Todays SLAW

1/3 head red cabbage- chopped
1/3 head Green cabbage- chopped
2 raw red turnips diced small
2 Kohlrabi diced
2 granny smith apples- diced
DRESSING
celery seed
mustartd seed
Raw apple cider vinegar
olive oil
tamari

Dressing poured over the combined veggies and put in fridge to season/marinate.

Birthday- better than new years day for Resolutions

I find as i think about todays "click: in my timeline I realaize it is a great day to make or follow through with some life adjustments or changes.

ALready vegan and eating pretty well- I am considering:
1) FASTING - water and/or juice only
2) New exercise type (biking, rowing etc)
3) New foods, cooking class of cook book
4) Grow something new in garden ( fig is leading candidate)
5) Find another service opportunity

- or do some of all 5 options.

48 years down and 52 to go ( is 100 a good goal or should I up the ante?

All Hail... KALE

I am now starting to grow kale and I have been eating kale for a few years now. Mostly in power-packed green smoothies. But also in soups and sauteed with other veggies and tofu.

Why kale?
* low fat, no cholesterol and powerful anti-oxidant properties along with a large collection of vitamins and minerals
* Like other members of the brassica family ( cabbage, broccoli etc) it contains an abundance of healthy phytochemicals, sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol that appear to protect against prostate and colon cancers.
* Rich in vitamin A, 100 g of leaves provide more than 500% RDA.
* Filled with many B-complex group of vitamins such as niacin, vit.B-6 (pyridoxine), thiamin, pantothenic acid as well as minerals like copper, calcium, sodium, potassium, iron, manganese and phosphorus.

In addition to a great ingredient for Green smoothies ( enjoying one as I type)
Try this salad: { enough for 2 people with leftovers}

KALE SALAD ( slaw)
2 Bunches of kale - chopped fine
4-5 Tbs chia seeds, hemp seeds or sunflowere seeds
Dressing- Blend well
1.5 Tbs raw tahini
3 Tbs Raw apple cider vinegar
1 Tbs raw honey (or agave if vegan)
Pour dressing on salad and put in fridge for an hour then try not to eat it all.

Garden is slowly forming....Actually it is still naked but ***

I have greens sprouting in a few pots on the deck( along with cat paw prints in the dirt).

Seedlings are growing and many more will be started today. Bought 3 blackberry plants and will set them in rows today[make space for additional raspberries] and the trellis.

I have seeds for more goodies plus some marigolds, zinnias and a few edible flowers.

Now to make this hobby even more fun I am looking at some softwre for designing and layout. Hopefully some that has calculations for plant growth....

A Vegetarian needs his Veggies.....

Planning and planting the garden. I have started several seeds for the faves- brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower and some greens. I have also ordered some fun things on line to plant or start as soon as I get them.

Now the the garden plots are set and have "enough sun to do the trick I will give it a shot and what I might be able to produce. It will be fun no matter what.

Also trying some fun stuff ***** Actually planting dandelion as I have been using the greens a lot lately.....

I have also order seeds for Purslane, sorrel, kale and celeriac. Love using the celery root- Very tasty, crunchy chewy root.

Hopefully in 4-5 months I will be reporting on the great meals I have grown....

If not I will talk about the great meals with goodies I got at the Farmers Market.

Who needs packaged bars and blocks ?

Looking for a healthful snack and fun fuel for your workouts.

Try these combos of Dates, Tahini and Honey ( maple syrup or agave or rice syrup for vegan purists)

The final item can vary by taste.
like chocolate add some cocoa, coconut( dried coconut is great), something nutty- use chopped almonds.

Add dates and tahini and then sweetener to processor and chop/mix throughly (may need to process seperately to get a good chop and then combine with bare hands in big bowl)
Roll into 24 balls- refrigerate and enjoy .

If using these for recovery from running or biking you can add a tablespoon of sea salt to the mix and each ball or nugget will have approximately 250-275 mg of sodium.

Cocoa Power
3 cups dates
2 cups tahini
1 cup honey
1.5 cups cocoa powder


Calories 237, Carbs 35g , Protein 5g
Fat 11.5 , Sodium 25mg, Calcium 100mg

Crazy for Coconut

3 cups dates
2 cups tahini
1 cup honey
1.5 cup dried coconut

Calories 242 , Carbs 34g ,Protein 4.2 g
Fat 12.5, Sodium 25mg, Calcium 100mg


Nuts r Power
3 cups dates
2 cups tahini
1 cup honey
1.5 cups chopped almonds

Calories 259 , Carbs 34g, Protein 5.2g
Fat 13.8g , Sodium 24mg, Calcium 110mg

Tempeh "chik'n" wings for Sper Bowl

Looking to make Standard Super Bowl fare for game today.

Bought a couple of Packages of TEMPEH and will be making some tried and true finger food( not Chicken wings but similar Bite)

1)Cut Tempeh into 3/4" wide by 1 1/2 long recetangles
2) soak in marinade ( hot sauce, garlic, pepper)
3) Dredge in soy milk and corn meal
4) fry in pan - brown all sides
5) hold in warm oven until all pieces are cooked
6) Spirnkle with marinade or staright hot sauce and serve

Raw ? Is this even better than Vegan?

I have been using a blender for food and drinks for a few years. I have read and studied raw food diet and am intrigued.

I have added several raw diet books to my collection and have experimented with several foods.

Will it be the holy grail or just another good way to eat?


Now how do I find out- look into this?

Pudding or Fun fruit Topping

I had a container of Coconut milk ice cream. and wanted some fruit to put on top.

I had fresh blackberries and blueberries in the fridge. took half a cup of each and mashed them with a tablespoon of fresh OJ. It looked a little runny so I added some ground flax-seed and stirred it in with a little agave .

After 5-7 minutes the flax had started to gel and thicken the mix. As it became like pudding I spooned it over the frozen coconut like ( coconut flavor).

made a great dessert and pretty healthy ( without the ice cream...) Will try some more blends as puddings.