Homemade Almond Milk

OI'm going to file this under "Things That Are Absolutely Amazing." I made homemade almond milk and it's the most fantastic thing I have tasted.

I hated dairy milk growing up. Despite being a meat eating family, my father always maintained that drinking dairy milk is unnatural for humans so we only really used it for cereal (which I usually ate dry as a child) and in recipes. Unlike most of my friends, I was never forced to finish a glass of milk before I could leave the dinner table. I'm thankful for this because a glass of milk just makes me feel queasy.

When I discovered almond milk I fell in love. It became a base for my smoothies, replaced regular milk in my cereals, and I've even come to crave a glass of almond milk once in a while. Weird, huh?

I decided to make almond milk on a whim. Most recipes on Pinterest were the same so although I cannot take credit for this, I don't really think I have anyone else to credit either. Let's chock this one up to the universe.

1. Soak one cup of raw almonds overnight (6-8) hours

2. Drain and rinse almonds.
3. Place in a blender with 3-4 cups of water depending on how thick you want the milk. Blend on high for a few minutes until creamy.

4. Place a nut bag or cheese cloth over a large bowl, close at the top, and pour the mixture through the bag.
5. Squeeze! Squeeze all of the liquid out and pour into a resealable container.

Bonus: I added in a dash of vanilla but I think next time I might blend a date or two into the mixture instead.

To be honest, I personally did not find that making my own almond milk was any cheaper than buying it from the store... nor was it much pricier. However, homemade almond milk is definitely tastier! I might try experimenting with other nuts to see what delicious milks I can make.

Have you ever made your own nut milk? What flavours do you like to add? 

Training Log -- August 25, 2014

Alright, I admit it; I jumped the gun this morning.

After struggling with 5K on Saturday due to my sinus infection, I decided today was the perfect day for a long run.

Nope.

It was an awful idea.

Still recovering from my sinus infection I got up this morning, drank a protein smoothie, and organized my gear. 

I headed out around 9 and was excited to knock out at least 21K. Instead I made it about 11.5K before I ran out of water, couldn't find a fountain, and kept struggling with breathing and fighting through mucus (gross, I know).

Luckily my boyfriend, equipped with water, saved me and drove me home.

I'm clearly frusterated. More than anything I want to be active and run for 3+ hours, and for the first time in my life I'm having trouble grasping the idea of taking it easy. Is it because I'm trying to hold myself to a "no excuses" mentality? Who knows.

I have some walking, cycling, yoga, and speed training mapped out for the rest of my week. The rest of this is lower key so hopefully I can push through without making things worse.

Run or Dye

Today is my mom's 48th birthday and instead of sleeping in, she kicked it off with a fun 5K.

After running Color Me Rad twice, as decided to try Run Or Die because it was being held in our city. It was nice not having to travel into Toronto for once. 

I love the idea of colour runs. Nothing makes me happier than seeing other people discover the love and fun of running.

I think I prefer Color Me Rad: Slightly more organized with more volunteers to throw paint, wider paths for running and passing, and the paint seemed to wash off easier (my mom's blonde highlights are streaked with pink and green while my left cheek and hairline is also a bright pink). 

However, it was the first year held in Oshawa so it's likely issues with path width and whatnot will be fixed for next year.

I also had issues with my sinus infection. I thought I was mostly over it but I found myself having trouble breathing and feeling really mucus-y. Although I had to stop and walk a few times, it made me slightly happy to confirm that the decision to hold off on my long-runs has been the right one.

I'm so proud of my mom. Her running only began early this year and she's already training to run a half-marathon with me this fall. I am completely inspired.

Side note: check out this awesome and extremely decadent chocolate, peanut butter cake I made for my mom. Seriously amazing.

Soup for the Soul

Despite my three weeks of rest I am still a wreck. This sinus infection is kicking my butt and all I want is comfort food. Seriously. My co-workers bought donuts to celebrate the second last day of my contract and I ate two of them. I'm not regretting that but I knew I needed to find something somewhat healthy for dinner before I could dig into any more junk.

My sister has also been under the weather and began an elimination diet a couple days ago to see if she could find the source of her health problems. She has to cut out wheat, dairy, some meats, some fruits and vegetables, alcohol, processed sugar, caffeine, and likely other things I'm forgetting. Only a couple of days into it and she's struggling to figure out a way she can change up her meals.

Soup was the most obvious choice. Simple, healthy, and comforting, it's one of my favourite things to make because I don't have to follow a recipe. Today I made an easy vegetable soup.

After grabbing just a few items I didn't have at the grocery store, I came home from work and immediately began prepping. I chopped onion, carrots, celery, a potato, and cauliflower. Warming some olive oil, I sauteed the onion with minced garlic until the onion was translucent. Next I added in the potato for five minutes before adding the celery, carrots, and cauliflower.

The potato didn't fully cook but that would be fixed later. Once the vegetables were tender I stirred in some dried basil, dried oregano, and dried parsley flakes before pouring low-sodium vegetable broth to fill the pot. Everything was free-poured and to taste... no measurements were needed.

I brought the soup to a boil (after wondering for five minutes why it wasn't boiling and then realizing I hadn't turned up the heat) and then lowered the soup back to a simmer for half an hour. The boiling and simmering cooks the vegetables, like the potato further. I also cooked some brown rice to mix in.

I've made "this" soup so many times but switching out different vegetables depending on what I felt like or what I had on hand. Other awesome options would have been zucchini (which my sister doesn't like), corn, or tomatoes (both a no-no on her elimination diet).

Making soup has me excited for the cooler weather. Last year I made soup almost weekly and I can't wait to experiment with new recipes this fall.

What are your go-to comfort foods?

Resting Continues

My rest week has spilled over to a second week. I think my body is reacting to the current stress I've been under. Between working, finding a new job for once this current contract ends, and the large amounts of exercising, my body was feeling off. It first started with a horrible blistering all over my lips that stabbed and crusted, then moved to three days of premature spotting (something that has never happened to me), and now I'm suffering from an awful sinus infection. 

Before the sinus infection kicked in, I spent Wednesday feeling off. I went for a walk and grabbed a green juice on my lunch, hoping to fight off whatever was going to happen next. 

By Friday the infection kicked in, and while my mom and my boyfriend ordered pizza for dinner, I just wanted juice. I made myself a citrus juice with oranges, grapefruit, lemon, peaches, and ginger.

Saturday night and I'm feeling awful. My sinus infection is in full force. I'm curled up in bed with the second season of Friends, lots of liquids, a bowl of berries, and a warm bean bag on my neck. 

I'm hoping this is the last thing that bothers me. Taking a break from running and cross training has been killing me, but I know it'll be better for me in the end. 

Farmers Market Haul

I love the Farmers Market. Most Saturdays, barring any pressing plans, I get up early and drive to the only local, weekend market. This week probably had the best variety I've seen. For the first time my mom came with me and it was awesome because I could leave with more bags than usual!

First we fawned over some baked goods. I get croissants every week from the same stall (if they aren't sold out) and they are must-have. We also picked up a whole wheat/flax seed/pumpkin seed/cheddar baguette, and a lemon tart and a raspberry hazelnut tart.

 

Then I stopped at my favourite produce stall for some amazing looking blueberries and raspberries. The selection of other produce wasn't great so we stopped at a second and picked up the ripest cantaloupe, a huge carton of peas, heirloom carrots, and a green pepper. 

We also grabbed some fresh donuts at a donut stand. Every week I make sure to bring my mom and sister home a donut as a little tread so this week my mom was on the lookout for this booth. I ate a lemon poppyseed donut too quickly for a picture but my mom's cinnamon sugar survived.

I also somehow got roped into buying some king oyster mushrooms from the mushroom booth. I love mushrooms butter experiences with different varieties is limited so it will be interesting to see how I use them.

What are your Farmers Market must-haves? Do you have other Saturday traditions?

Resentfully Resting

I’m potentially taking the week off of exercising. My body is stressed and acting out, sending me signals that I need to take it easy… signals I’ve been ignoring.

With weird, light injuries I’ve never experienced before, a constant feeling of fatigue, and swollen, crusted lips that make me look like a clown, I’ve decided that I need to rest before something else happens.

I thought about running over the weekend because I knew the scenery would be so beautiful but I focused on starting this resting period instead by spending most of my time in a beach chair, devouring a book and a half. Yesterday I (purposely) missed my scheduled cycling and stair-climbing, today and tomorrow I deleted speed training and more cycling from my calendar, and I’m tempted to take a week off from my long run on Thursday. Maybe some walking or yoga will be allowed but I’m trying to remember that the point of resting is to rest.

How does your body tell you it’s time to rest? What does resting look like for you?

Training Log -- July 31

Weeks left until Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon: 11
Kilometers scheduled: 24
Kilometers clocked: 15

Despite coming in nine kilometres undert goal, I feel that this is the run that I grew as a runner. 

The entire run I just didn't feel right. I had downed a litre and a half of water much earlier than I ever have while running, and I was getting waves of the chills (it was 27 degrees outside, a very warm July day). I knew early on that I should cut it short, go home and rest.

So that I did.

Surprisingly, I don't regret cutting it short. My body clearly isn't feeling it this week and why should I force myself to finish and risk ruining running in future weeks? 

I'm headed up north on Saturday for a couple of days and I'm packing my running gear, hoping that the weather cooperates. 

When did you feel like you grew as a runner/athlete?

Iced Coffee Obsessed

Surprisingly, I love iced coffee. I'm not a huge coffee drinker besides the occasional latte from Starbucks, but as soon as the heat hits I get this thirst for iced coffee that can never be quenched. Unfortunately, this habit gets expensive over three-ish months. Now, I've been trying to make it myself on the days I really need a pick-me-up.

I've seen this easy recipe on a ton of blogs so credit goes to everyone but myself. All I do is wake up, brew an espresso in my Tassimo, let it cool while I get ready, mix it with a cup (or more) of almond milk, and a dash of sugar. We have a ton of reuseable travel cups for both hot and cold drinks in my house so I usually just throw it in one and head out the door.

I don't know why it didn't occur to me sooner just how simple iced coffee could be.

Sunday Morning Breakfast

Sometimes there is nothing more satisfying than a big plate of fruit for breakfast as I sit in bed and catch up on my favourite blogs... except cherries on sale for $1.88/pound. 

Warrior Dash - Toronto 2014

Since I started running I've entered into a few races. I started with a Santa Shuffle, ran two Color Me Rads and their sister race, ElectroDash, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront (half) Marathon and the Goodlife Toronto (half) Marathon, and today I completed the Toronto leg of the Warrior Dash.

The Warrior Dash is a hugely popular obstacle race and I can see why. It was organized and efficient, fun, and challenging. The race took place on a ski hill and the elevation was crazy! Some of the hills were so steep that I found myself sprinting hard up them only because I didn't want to tumble backwards if I lost momentum. 

As someone who is incredible scared of heights -- meaning the fear of falling from heights -- I can't believe I accomplished this race. Pulling myself over walls and crawling across beams much higher than I feel comfortable with was an exhilarating feeling. Also, there's something about running through knee deep mud and leaping over fire that makes you feel like a bad-ass. 

Participating in the Warrior Dash was a great break from my usual gym and running routine. I'm also feeling inspired to add some more trail running to my schedule -- once I figure out where I can find trails nearby. 

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Farmers Market Lunch

I woke up this morning to my needy fur baby looking for some love. No one in my house got out of bed until nearly 10am and sleeping in drives me insane. Him, too. All he wants is love from everyone. 

Like most Saturday mornings I headed over to the Farmers Market. Fresh corn, basil, blueberries, pears, and fresh baked goods. There are few things I love more than coming home and digging into a big bowl of the fresh fruits or veggies I just bought. 

What are your favourite Farmers Market products?

Fighting PMS

PMS usually means I'm met with cravings of sugary, fattening chocolate. I just couldn't do it (again). Chocolate doesn't fuel a running body, as much as I'd like to think it does. What's an alternate? Homemade guac and a big bowl of cherries. Chocolate cravings have completely disappeared and I feel much more satisfied. 

Juicing

Note: The labels do not depict what the juice is complete of -- it's so I remember how they might differ

I might be obsessed with juicing.

Usually I'm a smoothie person. Every morning I wake up, throw some fruit and spinach into my blender and chug as I get ready for work or whatever I have planned for my day. Instead, I'm going into my third week of juice for breakfast.

I use breakfast as a loose term because, while it is my breakfast, I usually follow this up with a snack earlier than I would with a smoothie-breakfast. I'm not doing a juice cleanse and I'm not trying to lose weight, but there are definitely a few things I have noticed about myself:

1) I have more energy. I'm not relying on tea or coffee to keep me alert at work now. I'm ready to start my day, my thoughts are clear, and my morning tea is not for a small caffeine boost, but as something that makes me feel warm and peaceful.

2) Less binging. Now, I can't say for sure that this is the juice. It could be my eating habits are better and I'm simply learning not to binge. It could be the natural sugar is more satisfying. All I know is that since I've started drinking juice in the morning I find that I'm less hungry and when I do eat full meals I don't want to follow it up with processed junk.

3) Clearer skin. Again, I can't officially link this to the juice but I've had less breakouts, less inflammation, and brighter skin since drinking juice. I like to believe that this influx of nutrients is calming my system down.

4) Less bloat -- for the most part. I make a lot of my juices with items that are great for the digestive system and reduce inflammation (hello, ginger in everything!). I'm also finding I don't have to focus on hydrating myself as much as I used to because a lot of the produce I use has a high water content (cucumbers and celery). However, as I type this I'm currently super bloated so some days it just doesn't matter.

I'm having so much fun trying out different combinations and actually look forward to waking up just so I can drink my juice.

Eggplant Lasagna & Salad Life

Oops, I did it again. Totally went back to the vegetarian friendly place I went last week (The Table) and this time I ate the eggplant lasagna and a smaller salad sampler with a Swiss chard salad, a watermelon-feta salad, a white bean/chickpea salad, and the kale salad I already tried because it's that good.

Delish!

The Table

I've found my new lunch spot and it might possibly have the most delicious vegetarian/vegan friendly options I have ever tasted.

My mom, sister, and I met for lunch downtown Oshawa at a place called The Table. I've known for a while its been there but between going to school and its hours (closes weekly at 4 pm) I've never had a chance to go. Boy, have I been missing out.

I had checked the menu ahead of time and thought I knew exactly what I wanted. Once I walked in and saw the specials I immediately changed my mind. I chose the lentil loaf and a salad-sampler. Online it said the sampler came with three salads, but they let me choose as many as would fit on my plate. I went with a leafless Greek salad, a kale salad, an arugula salad with macadamia nuts and artichoke, and a chili corn and edamame salad.

Everything was amazing. I devoured it and felt so satisfied after my meal. Sometimes when I'm eating vegetarian options as other places I'm left feeling hungry, but not here. I ordered the vegan chocolate pie for takeout and ate it later that afternoon at my desk. If I didn't know it was vegan I wouldn't have even noticed it was so delicious.

My sister had ordered an ice tea, but as someone who likes it pre-bottled and full of sugar this wasn't her favourite. Instead, I took it from her and drank the entire thing. They make their iced tea as soon as you request it and even ask you what flavour of tea you would like. She had a strawberry, long-island flavour. It was light, refreshing, and had just the right amount of sweetness. My sister just doesn't know what's good for her.

The atomosphere is really cool. It was a sunny day so there were a few tables on the sidewalk, and there were comfortable looking chairs at the front of the store, but I opted to sit at the namesake, The Table, which literally features a large, communal table across the restaurant. I loved the layout and thought it was an awesome match for the restaurant.

Clearly I am in love with this place. I have nothing negative to say and am the happiest vegetarian, even remembering my experience the next morning. I will definitely be going back again and I am determined to try every vegan/vegetarian item they have.

Attacking the Closet

I pulled the trigger and attacked my closet. I was surprised that I only got rid of two garbage bags and that I still have a full closet/clothing rack/shelves full of clothes. However, I feel almost lighter and definitely feel less claustrophobic in my small room.

The best tips I have for a good closet clean out are the following:

1) Prepare yourself with everything you need. Besides picking up a Tupperware container and some large garbage bags, I made sure I was also equipped with a large iced coffee and an awesome playlist. Motivation on all levels.

2) Schedule the time. About a week in advanced I scheduled two hours into my Google Calendar devoted to cleaning out my closet. I hate to deviate from my Calendar so I knew I had to do it. Just make the time.

3) Ask for help. Even if it's as simple as talking out how much you truly want to keep an item or the use you'll get out of it, ask an outsider. My mom and sister helped, but if I got really stuck I was ready to message my best friend or boyfriend for their opinions.

4) Take a breath. You don't need to make any decisions right away. The Tupperware container I purchased was meant for items I might not be wearing now but could potentially see myself wearing in the future, or might have sentimental value. For example, I have four university sweatshirts that I don't wear, but all mean a lot to me. I also found a bunch of concert tees that my dad had bought in the 80s. How could I give those up?

What are your tips for a successful closet clean out? What items do you refuse to toss?