Pizza

 Pizza is one of the culprits that cause Americans to become overweight. It is the thing that automatically comes to mind when we think of “junk food”. But it is enjoyed by many regardless…….

I would always crave pizza after watching it on here....they would make it seem sooo goood!

But the pizza in real life fast food places may look like this....

and all that greese makes you happy right?

*the above photos are from google images

But after years of trying to be healthy, I learned that dough does not need sugar, salt, or oil and it can still be fluffy and yummy.

My sisters automatically get excited when they see a bowl with dough rising outside (the heat helps the yeast) or next to the oven. They know its pizza night.

Even though they do get pepperoni and cheese, its still a lot healthier than what they can buy at a fast food chain. 

I like to chop lots of fresh veggies, such as tomato 

onions, bell pepper, squash 

Lots and lots of mushrooms

The jalapenos are for my parents, I'm a complete chicken when it comes to spicy food. Which is sad because I happen to be Mexican. 

I then roll out the dough....

And top it off with sauce and every single veggie my heart desires......

On my pizza instead of rolling out on flour, I use nutritional yeast, it gives the texture a divine taste!

look at that fungus 

who said a pizza had to be round....I was imitating Arnold from Hey Arnold....

Does anyone else remember that football headed kid?

And pizza is best when eaten outside 

Oh, look, a side salad....like I didn't have enough vegetables. 

Pizza dough:

1 packet of baker's yeast

3 cups of all purpose flour

about 3/4 cup of water (add more if needed)

prepare the dough by adding lukewarm water to the yeast until dissolved. then add the flour a cup at a time. Mix it good.....pound it if needed

*note, your hands are going to get messy

After all your dough is mixed, cover it with a cloth and set the bowl in a warm place for at least 2 hours until it rises. 

*Its best to prepare in the morning and let it rise all day

when ready, make about 6 round balls and flour them up and top with any sauce and veggies, meat, cheese you desire....

nom nom

Cherry Ice Cream

My grandpa is one of the coolest people alive. Instead of sending money, electronics, or any other gifts for birthdays, graduations, holidays he sends fruit.

You heard me right…..no presents, money or any of those frills on your special day….not even a phone call for your birthday.  

Every now and then (he’s done it a total of two times) he will send a big 18 lbs box of cherries. But I accept it because these cherries are the best cherries ever! Picked right from the farm in Oregon and shipped to California. But you have to be careful with timing so they don’t stay more than a day in transport.

Anyways, some cherries do arrive a bit bruised; I de-seed them and freeze them right away so that they don’t go to waste. Then I make CHERRY ICE CREAM!!!

Yes! You need two shots at a bit different angles...

Do I put cherries on top of the ice cream? Nope, mixed in straight is where its at.

Ingredients:

Fill your Vitamix with 2 bananas

½ cup of chocolate soymilk

And as many frozen cherries your bare hand can handle

Then make the ice-cream using the “frozen treats” handle. 

And wa-la. Its funny how different the color looks in a different light.....

Mango Dressing

A salad can always be super boring. What makes a salad exciting is the dressing. This mango dressing is so sweet it doesn’t even seem like you are eating a bowl of lettuce…..err I mean salad.

I used the Vitamix to blend a whole mango (without the seed and skin)

½ a tomato

1 small handful of cilantro

1 small bit of onion

Juice of one lime

Blend away to desired consistency and wa-la…..dressing

Now off to eat a bowl of lettuce….I mean salad. 

Bean and Lentil Salad

Where do you get your protein?

Let’s see how much protein we can get in this bowl.

Lentils (1/4 c dry)--------------------------------------------------------- 8g protein/9g fiber/ 15% iron

Cucumber (1 whole, chopped)------------------------------------------ 2g protein/1.5 g fiber/ 5% iron

Carrot (1 whole, chopped)----------------------------------------------- .7 g protein/2g fiber/1% iron

Celery (1 stick)------------------------------------------------------------ .4 g protein/1g fiber/1% iron

Corn (1/2 cup)------------------------------------------------------------- 2.2g protein/1.6g fiber/4% iron

Garbanzos (1 cup cooked)----------------------------------------------- 13.8g protein/6g fiber/12% iron

Tomato (2 small, chopped)---------------------------------------------- 1.6g protein/2.2g fiber/16% iron

Whole wheat couscous (1/3 cup dry) --------------------------------- 7.9g protein/6.6g fiber/13% iron

Cilantro/apple cider vinegar/salt/garlic/pepper------------------------- flavor 

Total: 36.6 grams of protein with 29.9 grams of fiber (this serves about 2-3 people for a main dish) so it comes to 18.3 grams protein and 14.95 grams of fiber (2 servings)

Or 12.2 grams of protein and 9.96 grams of fiber (3 servings)

Compared to McDonalds cheeseburger:

15 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber

Two slices of a large pepperoni pizza:

22 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber

Well, if you eat a (2-serving portion) of this meal you get more protein than eating a cheeseburger and more fiber. However, just eating 1/3 of this recipe, you are in-taking more fiber as well. You still are in-taking an adequate amount of protein (if you top it off with nutritional yeast the protein content will soar). However, many people think PROTEIN PROTEIN PROTEIN!! Yet we only need about 1g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. The average 150 person needs about 68 grams of protein, so they shouldn’t average more than 30 grams per meal.

By eating a healthy diet full of legumes, nuts, and seeds your protein intake should be satisfied.

The sweet potato and avocado just make life happier. :)

Roasted Veggies

There are days that you know you should be eating vegetables but you don't want any. Today was one of those days. I looked into the fridge and say broccoli. 

I love veggies, I really do. But the one vegetable that I dislike the most is broccoli. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s pretty! I mean, what plant or edible item that looks like a miniature be ugly? I mean, if you look on the web there are plenty of things you can do with the broccoli.  

This tree-house is too cute!

See, they are trees!

But I have to admit, the broccoli was going to go bad if I didn't eat it right away. So I chopped some up, along with some carrots, onion, and squash. 

Then, I had some left over cilantro that I was going to use for some guacamole; somehow I never got around to doing that. So I decided to experiment. I mixed the cilantro with nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, and parsley...

...and sprinkled it over the veggies.

Then I threw it into the oven and hoped for the best. 

Boy this is the best accident I have made in a while

YUMM……

 I was so excited that I did it, I made it again!

MORE VEGGIES! MORE GOODNESS

 lets get....

 .....ready for the oven

 Now, I'm standing in front of the oven overlooking my veggies waiting to gobble them up with my leftover pizza!

Recipe:
1 carrot
1 squash
1 head of broccoli
1/4 onion
3 tbs of nutritional yeast
1/4 c of cilantro
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of basil
a sprinkle of pepper

step 1. slice all veggies and  place them on parchment paper
step 2. chop cilantro and mix it with the yeast and spices
step 3. spay the veggies with Pam just enough so the spices can stick 
step 4. top the veggies with you spices and bake in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes

Pain Pain...Go away and return on NEVER day

We can’t talk about running without talking about injuries. I know, I felt into the trap thinking that I too, was invincible that I was able to perform and never get hurt. Unfortunately, that is not true. Let’s look at my schedule shall we?

Mon: 8-8.5 miles + 1 mile with my sisters+40 minutes of intense cardio

Tues: 9-10 miles + 1 mile with my sisters+40 minutes of intense cardio +Swimming?

Wend: 9-10 miles + 1 mile with my sisters+40 minutes of intense cardio +Swimming?

Thursday: 9-10 miles + 1 mile with my sisters+40 minutes of intense cardio+ Swimming?

Friday: 8-9 miles + 1 mile with my sisters+40 minutes of intense cardio

Saturday: 3-5 miles + 1 mile with my sisters+40 minutes of intense cardio

Sunday: Rest/walking

When I am preforming these things, it doesn’t seem like much. It just seems like something to keep me busy through the day.

In total I was running anywhere from 45-50 miles a week with an added 6 miles with my sisters.

So in theory I would

Run: 51-56 miles a week

Cardio: 4 hours a week

And possible swim (leisurely) around 2-4 hours a week

I did this entire exercise solid for a whole month and a half. No wonder I am finally injured. I don’t blame my body for giving up, but I do blame myself for not recognizing the cues that I had to chill down and rest.

What exactly did I injure? As embarrassing as it is to say, I wish it was my knee or IT band (only because it’s easier to deal with IMO). However, it was my groin. 

Ignore the face. I am NOT a happy camper at the moment. 

It feels like it was my Osteitis Pubis 

Symptoms include:

"The most common symptom of osteitis pubis is pain over the front of the pelvis. Often the diagnosis of osteitis pubis is confused with causes of groin painor a groin strain. Usually the symptoms of osteitis pubis cause pain in the middle of the pelvis, although one side may be more uncomfortable. Other symptoms of osteitis pubis may include weakness or limping."

The article also states that treatment should be:

-Rest

-Ice and Heat Application

-Physical Therapy

-and Anti Inflammatory Medication 

(Information can be found at about)

While reading elsewhere, it said that some people stated that their pain lasted anywhere from 3-60 months!!!

WHAT! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT!!!!!

Now that I think about it, this is the EXACT same pain I felt before the LA Marathon. It doesn't feel good and I feel pretty useless. I have learned my lesson (that's what I say NOW) and I don't plan on running so intensely when doing other exercises)

I guess I am going to be doing a lot more of this 

Morning Rain

When I woke up, it looked like this outside.....

 There was raindrops on my car....

I was debating on whether or not I should go for a run because it was pretty cold. 

As you can see, I hit the road and apparently didn't concentrate on running much because I kept taking pictures of the sky. 

Then, this happened. 

Ladies, don't you hate when your rubber band just snaps? It was an emergency, so I quickly made a knot and hoped for the best. It wasn't tight enough and my hair kept spilling over my face, I probably looked like a hot mess. 

I got somewhat excited when I saw this car on the road. I was considering taking it home, but it looked broken. duh! That's why they are getting rid of it. 

I finished 9.25 miles and again went with my sister for another mile. 

I secretly think I ran more and the clouds got in the way of my Garmin's GPS signal. 

OK, now time to enjoy these wonderful pea-nutty treats!

PS. I think today was my first official bad run of the month. I am noticing some groin trouble and it does seem to bother me. Hopefully some Advil and stretching help sooth it out before tomorrow.