Friday, June 28, 2013

A look back at Thursday and some Friday Fun too!

So glad my laptop is magically better, I was scared there for a minute!

My Friday was a rough one at work. Busy plus lady pains. No bueno. Okay lunch was muy bueno and you'll see why very soon!

So yesterday I didn't run in the morning, SHOCKING! My breakfast was new and exciting! Gluten free cinnamon raisin bread, peanut butter, banana, and chia seeds. Okay technical alot of the same but in different format.



My lunch was awesome too. I went to one of my favorite places in Rock Hill...

Earth Fare.. my love!

No, their hot bar/salad bar doesn't have a ton of options, BUT it's better than the other vegan options in Rock Hill (zero).

Vegan Garbanzo Beans with onions, carrots, and bok choy. HOLLA!
Vegan rice. Brown rice? Its fancier?


I ended up getting a big salad with a balsamic mushroom mix on top. The vegan rice and beans for heavier stuff. Then some fruit on the side. The strawberries melted in my mouth. So amazing.


Needless to say, I loved my lunch. Bought some Larabars (they were on sale) and a smart water to hydrate for my run later.

 Snack attack. I love when things specify "Vegan." Makes my life easier!


Go Electrolytes!

After work I got geared up for my mile and a half run. I wasted a few minutes snapping selfies because the humidity was intimidating me.

Game Face! (Scared face!)

 WorkOUTfit!

This wasn't my best run. It was hot, it was humid, my legs felt like lead. I was glad when it was done.

Dying of a heat stroke face.

I made my self a rando dinner after that. No thats not a spelling error. I use the word rando in regular conversation.

 Black beans and spinach. Boring, but it gets the job done.

GF Bread and PB. Because it makes me happy.

Then I spent the rest of the night being depressed because I couldn't post all those awesome pics. Okay not really, I went to hang out with a friend. Had a few tortilla chips and homemade salsa from the garden. So good and shocked I only had a few! Okay then I may have had a few sips of moonshine to top off the night. It was crazy and made me quite tipsy!

I woke up dehydrated, tired, and not feeling well this morning! So I chugged a ton of water and headed straight for some medicine before work.

My medicine. Iced Coffee. I added Soy creamer to it. YUM!

Work was rough and I needed some more medicine at lunch time.

 Mexican Medicine. My favorite.

 The weather was hot, but perfect in the shade. Definitely an outside lunch day.

So my waiter probably thought I was crazy. Taco salad please. No meat, extra beans, no cheese, no sour cream, and no shell. Thanks!

Like heaven on a plate. I swear he added extra Guac. I love him!

I stuffed my face and officially have yet to get hungry again. I'm so ready for the weekend! I get to see my best friend tomorrow and take a Barre Class and have lunch at a very cool restaurant that has Veg, Vegan, and Gluten Free options.

Stay tuned!

XOXO
Mandy

TGIF and Technical Difficulties

I turned on my laptop last night with ever intention of blogging. The screen went black. I was devastated and really just wanted to throw it at the wall. I decided that could potentially make matters worse.

I turned it off, did other things. Woke up this morning, did a dance around it, sang a little song, powered it on and it was working again!

So I will be back to my regular scheduled blogging tonight after work with all my pics from yesterday and today. I know you all would be sad to miss that!!

Sidenote: My sister texted me last night asking where my new blog post was! Aw its nice to know someone was looking forward to it!! :D

Almost weekend time!!!!

XOXO

Mandy

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

My Very First "What I Ate Wednesday"


Since I blog at night I will give you what I actually eat on Wednesday!

My day started with the exact same smoothie as every day, Chocolate PB Banana Smoothie! (Recycled Picture) So deeeelicious and refreshing!


Had a little of this Silk creamer for my cup o' joe this morning! Incredible!


Then a few little palm-fulls of this crazy, good mix for a snack! (not gluten free, oops)


And then I fulfilled a craving that I haven't had in a while and just reading the back of it made me feel like I was poisoning myself! GAH! No mas!!!



For lunch I splurged (pricey) and got an Amy's Frozen Meal, Tamale Verde!


The verdict is that it was SO delicious, I enjoyed every last bite, better than any frozen meal I've ever had! Plus a plate of cucumbers from one of our customer's gardens with a little salt and pepper! YUM!


Then I demolished the rest of that cute little bag of cajun mix. #badsnacker

I went to the gym to get my crosstraining on. 35 minutes on the elliptical, upper body strength circuit, and lots of stretching!

 Creeper Smile. Post Workout Pose.

So speaking of working out, I did my leg strength training yesterday. My right leg is significantly more sore than my left leg. What the heck weird body?! Oh cool, I'm gonna look like this...



Anyway so after the gym I went to my parents' house and decided to dissect the pantry to find something to eat. That's vegan. Hahahhahah funny joke! So I made the best of what I could find and my random dinner was a small can of tomato sauce, 1/2 cup of black beans, and a small can of mushrooms plus seasonings. Yes, I'm a freak. But yes, I enjoyed the heck out of it!


And a peach and coffee for dessert!

 So juiceeey.

Yes, that's a Christmas Mug. And it makes me Smile!

Tomorrow I'm going to attempt to wake up early to get my mile and half run in before work, so its not so hot. I have the worst trouble waking up in the morning to work out, though. I feel like everyone is like "WEEEEEE its morning, I work out, its the best!" and i'm all "i hate you morning, no i'm not working out right now, is this a joke, this has to be a joke, SNOOZE."

Its like if its not something I HAVE to do then I can't get up in the morning for it. If I don't make it to work then I'll be fired. I can wake up for that. I know I could try and trick my brain in to thinking it something I have to do, but my brain is a smartass and knows when i'm trying to trick it. It mocks me.

So i'll probably be running after work tomorrow.

XOXO

Mandy

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Wonderful Weekend and Starting Stats

Sorry I went MIA for a little bit, but I am happy to report I am still on the vegetarian train. I wasn't completely vegan, had a little cheese and a little creamer BUT THAT'S IT! For a weekend away in Myrtle Beach, with little to no veg options, I am super proud of that!

Speaking of my weekend, I got to spend it with one of my best friends, Sarah, who I have not seen in way too long. She is a pescatarian, so at least that made it a little easier not to eat meat because she rarely does either. I am very disappointed in Myrtle Beach, however. No health food stores, no vegetarian restaurants. Sad face!

I loved being on the beach, though. I am a beachy, summery girl all the way! I loved it so much that I actually did not take any pictures at all the whole weekend. That is a lie, I will show you the two pictures I took.

The kitty my friend Sarah's mom took in. He is absolutely precious. His name is Mason and I love him!



We went to the Hot Fish Club on Saturday night and Clemson's Quarterback, Tahj Boyd was in the house. I gave him a hard time and then asked for his autograph for my friend Jon who loves him. I, however, am a Gamecocks girl all the way, but still this guy was super nice. Hope he goes far in football. (He's the blurry one in the orange polo.)


So back to the real world, I've been good on my training plan and stuck to everything thus far. Saturday and Sunday were walk days because I was in MB so I knew I wouldn't work out.

Monday was a mile and a half run. I waited until after work, which was scorching hot! Bad decision. I finished strong though and made it to rehearsal for the orchestra I play in. Still sweating with humidity hair as my bestie pointed out!

Today I went to the gym after work, ran a quick mile on the treadmill and then hit the free weights and did some squats and deadlifts until my legs felt like jello. Stretched a bit and felt amazing!

Post workout sweattyyy!

Now to get to my starting weight and pics.

Starting Weight: 190 lbs of pure determination
Starting Pics:
 Front View
Side View

Is it bad that I still think I'm hot even with plenty of weight to lose?!?! Well either way I don't care, I'm one hot lady!! Just wait until the end of October when I'm done with this half marathon. The.World.Is.Not.Ready! ;)

I plan on doing my weekly weigh-ins on Monday mornings. Although, weight loss isn't the main goal. I just want to see what will happen with a change of lifestyle!

That's all for today!

XOXO

Mandy


Thursday, June 20, 2013

The Beginnings of a Veg Girl..

I feel like I must start with two important pieces of news: I ate ALL vegan today and I ran today! #snapsforme

Next, I am going to walk you through my day in pictures. Sorry in advance for my poor phone camera quality. What can I say? I'm a blogger on a budget!

So I woke up today super excited to start my new lifestyle and was ready to make my breakfast! I can't lie though, I've always made these smoothies in the morning, even as a meat eater. I'm obsessed with them!




This is my Chocolate PB Banana Smoothie. It never fails me. The recipe:

1 Frozen Banana
1 TBSP Peanut Butter
1 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
1/2 TBSP Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/2 TBSP Chia Seeds
(I usually put a handful of fresh spinach but I was out!)

So easy and so delicious, like a milkshake for breakfast!




The finished product is so pretty! (except for the glare, my photography skills are lacking!)

Then I realized I had one meat product left in my house and I didn't want to throw it away. Fortunately I had someone who didn't mind helping me out with that problem...




My sweet cat, Nessa Rose, will be having quite the dinner for the next couple of nights. The (nauseating) can of Pink Salmon I had left is what will be on her plate!




I'm sure you do Ms. Nessa!!

Of to work I went with my lunch in tow. I did not get hungry at all until around noon when my lunch was scheduled. Those smoothies really stick to you, thank goodness!!

My lunch was delicious, but also super impressive on my part.




#lazyvegan #sorrynotsorry

I had loads of time to spare after eating, so I decided to visit my favorite place on earth. Okay, that's exaggerating, but it makes me Oh So Happy!




Blonde Roast with Sugar Free Vanilla and Soy Milk, FTW! I love Starbucks!




Plus a snack I ate around 3:30. I was on the hunt for the Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt bar, but no such luck. The blueberry, vanilla & cashew did not disappoint however! So yummy and so kind!




I planned on going for a run later and apparently electrolytes are something important. Or so my best friend Jennifer tells me. Oh and supposedly I won't get sausage fingers after my run if I consume them. Worth a try!




After an extremeelllyyy long day at work I strapped on my sneakers and headed out the door. To be honest, my mind tried to talk me out of this run so many times. BUT I did it! A mile and a half! (I have no idea why one sock is so high, awkward!!)

And the best news is....




NO SAUSAGE FINGERS!!! GO ELECTROLYTES!

Then I did the "St. Tropez We're on Our Way" Ab/Shoulders/Upper Back work out from Tone It Up and barely made it through two of the three rounds. I want to have those girls' bodies though, so I'm going to push myself!

Lastly, before I sat down to write this wonderful blog, I cooked myself a very random dinner!




Black Beans, Butternut Squash, and Spinach over a bed of brown rice with a little Organic Italian Vinaigrette mixed in and drizzled on top! Unplanned and tasty!

That concludes my first successful day as a running herbivore! I'm very proud and ready to continue this journey!

Keep tuned for new pages and more information on my past, present, and future life!

XOXO

Mandy - The Running Herbivore



Wednesday, June 19, 2013

And So It Begins...

Let me start by saying that I did NOT run today and I DID eat meat today. A running herbivore I am not, yet.

For the next eighteen weeks I want to change my life and meet my goals.

I want to run a half marathon.

I want to be a vegan, or at least a vegetarian with mostly vegan ways.

On October 22, 2013 I want to be able to truly call myself a Running Herbivore.

I will update so much more in the next couple days.

I'm excited to start the rest of my life!

XOXO

Mandy - the (future) Running Herbivore