Weekend Recap

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vegan restaurant in VA, vegan runner, weekend recap

 

New week, new beginnings!  Monday’s are always a little downer, especially after an adventurous weekend with people whom you adore.  Our weekend was again pretty uneventful but full to capacity as it usually tends to turn out.  To most of you, our weekend must have been a tad bit boring but for us it was jam-packed.

Saturday we had a light breakfast of molasses spiked oats and sliced oranges – exciting I know…  Off we were for a 30 minute drive to the city to go to the farmers market – my happy place.  Let’s just say I bought more kale than our fridge can hold but couldn’t be happier.  Then we found a coffeehouse called Blackstone Coffee located next to University of Mary Washington.  Tip to find good coffee (normally) is to locate a university and find a ‘mom and pop’ shop.  Let’s face it, college students need a lot of coffee and the good stuff is preferred- I know this ever so well firsthand.  We found the freshly roasted coffee to be ‘just okay’ but nothing all that special.  There are also pastries, bagels, and I think they also make sandwiches but nothing is vegan.  The atmosphere is clean and inviting but definitely not quiet enough to study (think metal pegged chairs over stone floors) and the staff is more than friendly from the moment you walk into the café.  Unfortunately coffee drinkers are warned, instead of the normal 5% they charge 11% sales tax!

After our coffee fix, we went clothes shopping – oh bother…  We did try a few national brand stores but just could not find anything that fit my body.  If you are a designer, please make clothes for short, non stick thin people please!!!  So no new running clothes for me again… but, don’t feel bad I did find a few new things for lounging around the house.  Pretty soon I’m going to be running nude but at least I’ll have something to wear lounging around the house.  Finally I got my courage up but then learned our local Victoria Secret does not carry any adult exercise clothes- who knew.  Just not my luck, ha-ha…

Once home the DH and I went ahead with our training program and did our long Saturday run.  Our plan said 1 hour of running at a relaxed pace since it was our first long run but we ended up running 1:20:30.  Our gated community is in the middle of the country and is very hilly so it’s a bit of a challenge for us after living in flat Ohio.  Once we got over the first two miles, we were kicking old school and having a blast.  The seventh and last mile took some mind focus determination but we made it without collapsing.  Only a small amount of Bengay was used for sore muscles (tip: just as good as Icy Hot).  We cracked open a lovely Thai Coconut and a nice bowl of Amazing Kale Salad.  Yum!

Sunday was even more boring for us…  We were going to go to church but unfortunately the Marine Corps Historic ½ Marathon was going on through downtown – which just happens to be the only road to get anywhere.  Actually we didn’t know of the marathon until we tried to get some breakfast and the road was blocked.  Don’t they usually put signs up?  A kind police officer suggested we walk a few miles to get to the grocery store- little does he know how much food we purchase!  Ha-ha. We ended up at Target getting coffee and buying a few things to last for a day or two because we can return to the store.  We also went to a local area store chain but ended up with only a few things since it’s about 3x the normal price.

Sunday is our off day from workouts so I ended up just cleaning the house a bit while DH did some paperwork in his home office.  We intended to watch The Hobbit which we just purchased but ended up reading and watching an old BBC show called The World’s Strictest Parents.  See, exciting!

How was everyone’s weekend?

Loving Hut Salad Recipe: My Version At Least

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loving hut recipe, loving hut salad, va vegan, vegan blogger

Loving Hut is one of our staples after moving to Virginia, even though it’s about 1 hour away. It’s worth the drive wherever you live – seriously delicious! Just thinking about it makes me hungry… We’ve personally driven out of our way on trips just so we could have some mouth-watering vegan food (with extras to go for the road). For some reason I have never made a mockup version of my favorite Loving Hut Salad, some locations call it Heavenly Salad, even though I always say I need to recreate it at home for those days when a trip up North just isn’t optional. If you follow me on Instagram, you already know I took the challenge and made a well worth the work salad that is slightly different but just as tasty. Nom nom nom

1 large daikon (about 3 cups), shredded
5 large carrots, shredded (2 cups)
Red Cabbage, shredded (1 cup)

Sauce:
5 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tsp grated ginger
1 tbsp soy sauce
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp miso paste
¼ cup minced onions

1. Mix all the shredded veggies in a large bowl.
2. Mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Mix the two together and there you have it.

Optional:
½-1 cup chopped peanuts
1 pkg freeze dried tofu, sliced
Mock ham, sliced (This comes in the Loving Hut Salad but I have never seen it in the stores. Normally I order without it anyways.

WIAW #4: Back to Raw Vegan, Kinda

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my workout, raw vegan, vegan blogger, vegan food, vegan runner, WIAW

Every year around this time it always hits me, I become addicted to raw vegan food. Not that we don’t eat raw vegan in the winter too but there is just something about crunching into a large bowl of something fresh from the farmers’ market. Yum! The last two weeks I have had cravings for raw vegan salads and seem to not be able to get enough. Today was no exception and tomorrow won’t be either… As always you can follow me on Instagram (GenkiKitty) and see what I eat everyday and other misc things I find interesting.

Breakfast: Oatmeal, molasses (20% DV iron in 1 tbsp), coffee and an English muffin with Ikea seaweed caviar (vegan) & strawberries

Snack: Whole Grain Cheerios (45%DV Iron) & strawberries (2x)

Lunch: Sliced celery, sliced colored bell peppers (I don’t like green ones), sliced cucumber and TJ’s hummus. Not Pictured- TJ whole grain tortilla with homemade TVP pepperoni crumble.

Snack: Another cup of Cheerios and some strawberries & 2 small Navel oranges. Forgot picture. I ate this 1 hour before running. I ate a Medjool date after returning from our run for energy.

Dinner: Homemade raw vegan chili sans carne on a bed of lettuce (not pictured) & some sliced veggies from lunchtime.

Snack: A few more strawberries and a piece of Ikea vegan approved chocolate. Photo is for two people (I didn’t eat it all). DH also had some Coconut Chocolate Ice Cream (vegan).

My Workout Details:
Workout totals for the last 7 days:
*27.63 miles (Still working on increasing this)
*1937 ft elevation gain
*10:12:17 hours/mins/secs running & Walking (Doesn’t include indoor workouts for TIU #bikinibabes)
*2,104 calories (does not include indoor workouts)

I’d love to know what everyone else eats, feel free to link your WIAW in comments section.

Wednesday Motivation: It’s Back Too!

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exercise motivation, vegan blogger, vegan runner

You’re all surprised aren’t you?  It’s amazing how a little iron balance helps the body to feel motivated to get things done.  So today I’m starting up the Wednesday motivational blog posts.  If you missed it, I also posted today about my personal experience with iron deficiency as an athlete.  Read it here!  On to the motivation and inspiration to do at least 30 minutes of any exercise today.   We can do it!

What’s your motivation today? Comment Below

Iron Deficiency in Athletes: What I Learned

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iron deficiency, va vegan, vegan blogger

Iron has become my obsession lately as I have been experiencing my symptoms which are associated with an inefficient level.  It’s a ‘trace’ mineral which basically means the human body needs only a small amount compared to other vitamin and minerals.  Iron from our food need only be around a few milligrams to 18mg a day but strange enough it is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies in the USA.

According to the RDA, females are required around 18mg a day while men only 8mg (all genders: 19-50 yr olds).  Women do need varying amounts according to the schedule of one’s menstrual cycle though.  Previously up until now I have never counted my iron intake because most Americans get enough without even thinking otherwise, or so I thought.  Additionally I always though all anemia’s were caused by poor diets instead of thinking of ones’ life factors that could upturn a balance.  (Yes, sadly I thought most iron anemia was in ‘3rd world countries’ like Africa.)

As I am continuously learning more of iron deficiency I am acquiring the knowledge to improve upon my own endurance and aerobic training.  Iron forms those active compounds that transport oxygen (depending on the type to the lungs, cells, tissues, and muscles).  This is why muscles begin to tire before even exercising and one might get dizzy while exercising with low levels.  Iron means energy production and without it you aren’t going anywhere.

Now before some of you non-vegans out there go all crazy on me about changing my diet please keep reading because you might be surprised how we actually lose iron as an athlete.  While iron is found in animal flesh it is not the only option.  In fact, lentils contain more iron than a steak and some fish contains more than lentils.  So it really does depend on your lifestyle and how one wants to ‘iron-up’.  I’m not going to lie though just because I’m vegan and believe in animal rights.  It is a fact animal flesh is considered ‘heme’ and those have better absorption than plant iron called ‘non-heme’.  Thankfully there is hope fellow vegans, do not worry, since taking Vitamin C along with non-heme iron can enhance one’s consumption.  I’ve also found a few resources stating high consumption of calcium, manganese, and zinc can also reduce iron absorption creating a deficiency.  Basically that means your iron enriched cereal in the morning with milk isn’t going to do much, sorry…  It’s better to be dry and followed with some fresh Vitamin C powerhouse strawberries.

It wasn’t until recently did I mention my issues with iron; when did I notice my iron levels being low?  It was around 2-3 months ago I noticed my runs were becoming increasingly more difficult to endure and required a nap before and afterwards.  (not common)  In total these naps grew to be around an hour daily which really became time-consuming and impossible with my work schedule.  During my runs I would also feel sluggish and heavy in the legs, even when I took a few days off to rest.  On dog walks I would get dizzy and feel nauseous daily.  My energy levels were low and my performance times were much slower but I attributed the change to the winter blues and cooler temperatures.  Then about 1 month ago it really hit me while on a walk with the pup and DH one night and the DH mentioned how strange it was my hands/feet were constantly cold even though the temperatures were increasing.  I’m normally a warm bodied person.  These are all signs of iron deficiency.  To add the cherry on top females with regular menstrual cycles (I know, T.M.I) have a higher risk than not for anemia due to blood loss once a month.  (Hopefully that wasn’t too painful to read.)

When I first began my research I feared I had some deadly disease (everyone thinks this right?) and I would either die or be told by a doctor that I could live only if I never exercised again.  Yep, totally rational person right here.  But as I researched more of iron levels and athletes I become slightly more rational and found likewise to be true.  One that boosts ones’ routine (which I had been doing thanks to no snow), ones iron levels can drastically drop without notice.  Thankfully as the athletes’ body gets acclimated to the higher level of exercise, the iron levels will balance themselves out without supplementation.  It does take a few months of consistent levels of working out for them to hit equilibrium.  So that is where I am right now and I’m still taking in higher amounts of DV% iron through food and not medicine.  I’ll write in another article of what is working for me.

*Note: I have not obtained a medical degree and neither do I mention I do in this blog.  This blog contains my personal findings and experience only.  Much of my research came from medical books cross referenced with medical journals and articles on the internet.

Anyone else out there with low iron or dealt with it?  I’d love to hear your story and experience!

New Workout Tuesday Returns

Sorry for the delay, my internet was on an unexpected vacation yesterday.

Don’t be alarmed if you smell smoke, it’s just my abs on fire!  Yep, the muscle house core has been awoken and has not been happy with the new change of pace.  I’m not new to ab workouts (my fav is on the exercise ball- don’t let its fun atmosphere fool you) but today I decided to express press a workout before lunch.  Warning, never, ever (seriously ever) push in a fast ab workout especially when you are going to eat right away.  (I’m not so accidentally going to forget to mention how I laid in a fetal position for an hour and then another 1.5 hours flat on the sofa wincing in pain.)

What left me with this life lesson, since I’m sure all of you want to test it out too (and see how much of a wimp I am…).  Following along in week 2 of Tone It Up, I’ve managed to do this Sunkissed Abs Workout from Tone it Up Bikini Babes Challenge.  Video Below and Printout Here

The workout itself isn’t all that military drill sergeant, in fact last week, I did if 3x in a row***.  But, and please write this down if necessary, but don’t try to rush along with Karena and Katrina as this is not what it was made to do.  Full throttle (I never do anything lightly- “Do everything as it were for the Lord” Colossians 3:23 so I inadvertently tore my ab muscles in pieces.  As one that knows first hand, when you work your muscles you are creating tears that need at least 48 hours to recover.  This is one of the main reasons health experts suggest strength training only a few times a week instead of daily.  As a side note, try to take your time through strength training, slower can be better occasionally.  Now that I think about it, Tai Chi just makes more sense to me now.  My Japanese host grandparents in Kyushu would practice it daily with all their fit elderly friends in the city down at a local park.  At the time I couldn’t understand how this sport helped them keep fit and rejuvenated by as an adult it all makes sense.  Slow, steady, and controlled movements work the muscles without over stressing them.  Oops!  Lesson learned…

*BTW, you can still sign up for the Tone It Up Bikini Babes Challenge which is 100% free!  Check It Out Here!

**Ha-ha  This probably sounds like a advertisement but seriously I just love these two ladies and admire their desire to share their knowledge with others.

Weekend in Review: Groceries Galore

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va vegan, vegan blogger, vegan weekend recap, weekend recap

Clothes shopping brings me just short of hyperventilating but grocery shopping turns me into a dancing geek of excitement. Our new residential area does not contain much international flare hence we have to drive 1 hour (3-4 in rush-hour traffic) up to Washington D.C. area for more options. It didn’t take us long before finding some great stores that contain a lot of what we prefer to eat on a daily basis (if only it were closer-thank goodness for our Prius). Our favorite stores so far have to be: Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, & Lotte Market. There are quite a few locations all around the metropolitan area but we do have our favorites. To save a little driving time, we wanted to stick closer to our beloved vegan restaurant, Loving Hut. Unfortunately the latest Lotte we found was not that impressive – even less impressive after it took us about 10 minutes to find the entrance which was an old semi-truck entrance. But what can we say… We didn’t purchase as many fresh vegetables as we had hoped but at least now we know, right? So anyways, shopping in D.C. took the entire day on Saturday. Friday and Sunday were basically boring work around the house days. We did manage to eat some really delicious meals and get some good workouts done. Hooray! Health first!

vegan grilling (served 4)

Leftover Grilled items picnic at the lake:

Iron Filled Kale Citrus Salad (Raw Vegan)

Cute Instagram Find:

Workout Details:
As of Saturday my workout totals for the week:
*15.41 miles (kinda low)
*1085 ft elevation gain while running at once
*4.57 hours/mins running & Walking (Doesn’t include indoor workouts for TIU #bikinibabes)
*1,227 calories (does not include indoor workouts)

How was your weekend?

WIAW: Boring Food #3

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vegan blogger, vegan food, WIAW

For so long I have watched WIAW blog posts from others and have been inspired. As I look at my meal tracker and photos, I am constantly thinking “wow, I’m a boring eater lately”.  We all get in food ruts though, right? Guess that’s why it is so important to eat healthy foods so when one does get in a rut, it’s at least good for the body.

Two differences one might see in my food is basically thanks to some warmer weather and a little medical advice searching. First off, I’ve noticed I have gone from craving warm soups and salads to more raw vegan food. I’m craving green smoothies from all fresh veg and fruit. Yum! Thanks to our local farmer’s market, we have a few things that are fresh from the farm. By this I mean, FL. We move to the countryside in VA and we can’t find local farmers selling produce (go figure!). Florida isn’t really that far I guess compared to produce in the stores from CA.

Secondly, I have done some research and found that I might have a lower level of iron. Before I read it, no, it’s not from being vegan. Rather, it is a lack of eating iron the proper way for my body. For the last two months I have been feeling rather dizzy and lightheaded, especially when I am walking or running. It’s been rather hard for me and I haven’t understood it so I did some research myself. All my symptoms together suggested I had low levels or iron. So, I have been taking in more doses of iron with molasses, iron fortified cereal and eating oranges along with my dark leafy greens. (Note: I also learned spinach is not a good source for iron deficient people since it has a high level of calcium.) I’m not an expert on the deficiency but as I go through the process of research and self-testing, I will be writing later.

So let me put an end to my babble and on with the food photos:
Breakfast: Oatmeal, Molasses, and cinnamon

Snack: Beet & Carrot Juice and a small orange

Lunch: Hippie Bowl (2/3 c frozen veggies, red quinoa, spinach, nutritional yeast and a little soy sauce)

Snack: Another orange

Dinner: Swiss Chard & Tomato Soup (homemade- recipe coming to my website soon); also followed up by strawberries and oranges

*Today was a bit out of the ordinary since we had to go into town to get an oil change. The entire day was full of sever thunderstorms and flooding in our area. Thankfully the Pup and I got in a 1.24 mile walk in 31.42 minutes. (I also got in my TIU workout.) On the drive home from town, we saw a bright glow of light. I thought at first it was a large fire or something but it was the sun setting. So amazing!

Chia Waffles: Flour-free and Vegan

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chia waffles, flour free recipe, vegan breakfast, vegan recipe

Lately my stomach has been having a bit of a fuss with floury products like homemade bread.  It’s probably too much information but my digestive tract hasn’t been the happiest so I’ve gone back to trying to reduce how much I take in daily.  I’m not gluten intolerant however my stomach seems to do better with less gluten and more veggies.  But yea, so I have been working with some different combinations for breakfast options that won’t disrupt my stomach.  Breakfast is the hardest meal to cook in the wintery months before fresh fruit is really available and/or affordable in our area.  So if you are in the same boat here’s a delicious recipe that is not only gluten-free but vegan.  Mmmm

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

¾ c coconut flour

¼ c chia seeds

¼ c ground oats (oat flour)

½ tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 banana (about 1/2 -1 cup)

½ c-1 c vegan milk (I used unsweetened almond)

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Mix everything together and make according to your waffle maker instructions. 

Outcome:

Simply delicious!  Ironically without gluten, the waffles are still crispy on the outside and the inside is light and fluffy.  Hubby goes to work early so he eats earlier than me during the week (even though I get up and make his breakfast) so he ate it warm.  He was unsure of the taste at first but that probably was because I told him before he tried it there was no flour.  He said he loved them though and wanted them again- but would prefer to have some chocolate chips inside it.  I tried at least…  I tried a few bites when it was cold and I thought the waffles were terrific!  They were light, fluffy and contained a hint of sweetness without the overload.  Even though I have a belief something truly tasty hot will also be tasty cold, I might suggest this is even better cold as a snack.  Nom nom nom

Castiglia’s: Vegan Restaurant Review

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product review, VA blogger, Vegan in VA, vegan restaurant review

Sometimes you find the best restaurants in the strangest of locations. So maybe we didn’t stumble on the restaurant but we did get a recommendation by a gentleman by a local taking a short stop at the Masonic Cemetery which was apparently donated to the local Lodge in 1784 by a Scottish merchant called James Somerville (according to the posted sign outside). So as DH and I were taking his visiting MI parents sightseeing around the cemetery, this gentleman mentioned the best place to go in town was Castiglia’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria (1/2 a block from the Masonic Cemetery).

Once we were told the owner was really from Italy and his Italian father was in town for a few days visiting and cooking that night, we knew we had to go there. What more of an honor but to have someone from Italy cook you authentic veganized Italian food? Yum! Italian restaurants are a bit hard when vegan, since just about everything has cheese in it, but thankfully our waitress was super nice and double checked everything before placing our orders. She even brought us out some special rolls that contained no olive oil or butter. The rolls weren’t anything special but it was really nice to be assures our food was in good hands. On a side note, she mentioned the backroom was being catered to all vegans. So, they must get a lot of vegan orders from this area. It was a bit odd to hear about a vegan party in the back since there are no 100% vegan restaurants in the area at all. In fact, most people look at us strange when we even say the word vegetarian. Gasp! So we knew we were in good hands.

DH and I decided to take advantage of Italian poppa at the wood oven and ordered a Vegetarian Pizza (artichokes, tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms and so on) and a Veggie Sandwich from the wood oven – both without cheese and butter. We ordered the sandwich off the normal menu but for some reason our plate didn’t come with French fries so we asked the waitress about it. She double checked and mentioned something about the sandwich no longer coming with a side dish or no longer available but we didn’t quite understand since the noise level in the room was a bit high. She was so nice to bring a plate of fries to us (it’s my addiction) since it was still on the normal level. So take note, this sandwich isn’t on the normal menu anymore so make sure to order a plate of fries if you are like me. They are totally worth it, yum! Actually, everything was totally worth it just way too much food. (That’s a good thing though)

Everything was totally delicious both on the carnivore side (our guests recommend) and on the vegan side. The dough for the pizza and rolls were made at the location and all the ingredients were incredibly fresh. For carnivores, the meat was freshly sliced on the spot and the mozzarella we were told in made in house too. Our pizza was incredibly delicious but really filling, we could have ordered just the one and have been totally fine. In fact, we took the eggplant/Portobello sandwich home for the next day as leftovers. It warmed up nicely but it was a bit too much olive oil- but that’s Italians for ya. All in all we would recommend this place to even our closest friends.

Castiglia’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria, 10705 Courthouse Road Fredericksburg, Virginia

Want more photos?  Go to my instagram account and search genkikitty!  I’d love to see you on instagram too!