Wednesday, February 27, 2008

10 Minute miles! / Upcoming vegetarian week

On Tuesdays, I try to break personal fitness records. The past few weeks I've spent my time building up my endurance by jogging 5 mph for up to 65 minutes. Now that I'm signed up for a 5K race, I thought it was time to concentrate on building my speed and intensity rather than endurance.

Previously, the longest I've tried to jog at a 6 mph pace was about 3 minutes. It's amazing how watching The Biggest Loser during my workout motivates me. Last night, I ran four 10-minute miles. I took walking breaks between each mile to recover a bit. It was a great feeling. After I was done, I sat down on the couch, dripping in sweat, feeling like an athlete for the first time in my life. My arms are starting to get really toned. I may even...gulp...wear shorts this summer. I haven't done that since I was 12 years old. In fact, I don't think I've weighed this little since I was 12 years old. eesh.

Subject change...

Every now and then, Angie and I like to switch to a vegetarian diet. We decided to temporarily cut out the meat starting Saturday, March 1, and ending Friday, March 7th. I'm excited to experiment with some foods I haven't cooked with before, like quinoa. It's fun just to say that word. Say it with me one time- "KEEN-WAH." There, wasn't that pretty sweet? I'll also be making Red Curried Tofu, so I'll let you know what that turns out. I've only eaten tofu a handful of times in my life, and I liked it. Some people aren't into it at all, like my parents. They call it "toad food." Another good veggie recipe is Quick Vegetarian Paella. The portion size is very satisfying. I'm all about big portions with no guilt.

Vegetarian week will be kicked off with a trip to one of the best vegetarian/vegan restaurants I know of, Eden Alley. The place is located in the basement of Unity Temple church in the area of Kansas City called The Plaza. I've been there two or three times, and I've always gotten the falafel platter, which looks like this:














It may be time to try something new. I have it from a good source that the Spinach and Mushroom Loaf is really good:













I suspect Angie will order the tacos, which I've had a bite of and are delicious:













If you're so inclined, feel free to comment and tell me which looks the best to you. I very well may take your opinions into consideration when placing my order. I only get one cheat meal per week, so I want it to really count, people!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Morgan great idea to switch it up a bit with vegetarian see you are creative with your food menu plans. I think you should go for the spinach and mushroom loaf. although the falafel platter looks tempting try something different. If I was going I would probably pick the tacos like Angie because I absolutely love mexican food my downfall. Have fun experimenting with the new vegetarian recipes!

Anonymous said...

Get the "meat"loaf so I can have a bite! :)