Thanksgiving Entrees for Vegetarians!!! Woohoo, bring on the protein!

"So what do you eat on Thanksgiving?" I get that question all.the.time. Usually I say "everything you do, but without the turkey/meat." I don't really like most Thanksgiving foods (mashed potatoes and stuffing, cranberry sauce and casseroles).  But I do eat them.  This year I wanted to make something so that I could have protein for dinner as well.  Quinoa is such an amazing food and such a great source of complete protein! 

I adapted a recipe from this blog to make my own (I even stole their picture since I wasn't able to take one of my own) 

Pepper & Corn Quinoa Casserole

Serves 6-8 as a main dish, 10ish as a side

• 5 C cooked quinoa
• 4 C corn
• 1 orange pepper, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 11/2 tsp salt
•  2 "eggs" made of ground flax seed and water (prepare according to box directions)
• 2 1/2C grated aged cheddar cheese
• 
  

If you need to prepare the corn on the cob first, preheat your oven to 425 degrees and peel just the loose outer layers of the husk off the corn, leaving a few layers.  Place on a baking sheet and roast 40 minutes.  Cool enough to handle and cut the corn off the cob. **I used a steam fresh frozen bag of corn which I prepared according to directions on the bag**

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the water and flax seed to make the 2 "eggs". Lightly grease a large casserole dish or a 9×13 pan.

In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, corn, orange and green pepper, green onions.  Pour the Flax seed "eggs" over rest of the ingredients.  Add 2 cups of grated cheese and mix well.  Pour into the casserole dish, pack down lightly and place in the oven for 35 minutes until lightly golden on top.  Add the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and return to the oven for 5-7 minutes until melted.  Remove from the oven and cool for just a few minutes before serving.

Healthy Holiday Tip: Hydration is key!

Planning on an all day shopping spree on Black Friday?

Don't leave home without your water bottle!! Making sure you stay hydrated is always important, but particularly so when you'll be away from home for a long period of time and on your feet.  We all know it can be pretty stressful standing in lines and navigating large crowds of people.  Do your body a favor and take frequent sips of water.
Another great idea is to take a bag of trail mix or nuts to help keep you fueled. You'll be less likely to give in to the unhealthy mall foods if you keep your blood sugar levels better stabilized.  Stay on track with your nutrition.  It is the day after Thanksgiving after all, a healthier lunch would be a great choice!!

Healthy Holiday TIps: The Test of Worthiness

"Is it worth it?" 

Coworkers have heard me ask this a time or two over the past few years.  Its a test I use routinely to evaluate whether or not to indulge my sweet tooth. 

I have one of those.  I am convinced I physically need a little small something sweet each day, and while I am very careful about the size of said indulgence, I don't neglect my craving.  However, I do budget accordingly and I am very strict about what it is and how much.  It might be just one small hersey kiss, it might be a small glass of chocolate milk after a run (sometimes its the only bargaining tool to get my out the door on my runs when the weather is crappy!!!). 

Anyway, the point is, a holiday is A DAY. one day. Not lots of days, not a month, its one day.  While you probably won't gain a 10lbs that day, you also don't want to sabotage your hard work. So choose what you indulge in by priority and judge wether or not its worth it. 

For example, I love pumpkin pie (see? quite the sweet tooth!). I don't really care about mashed potatoes, stuffing, or anything else. So I'll eat my veggies (we usually have tons of veggie sides since my mom and I don't eat meat) and pass on huge helpings of mashed potatoes since I know I'll be having pumpkin pie later. If I was at a holiday party, I'd make sure I wasn't starving before I go, and then pick the things that I would want the most. Don't like cookies as much as you love bacon wrapped dates, well then keep your hands off the cookie plate!!  

Prioritize what it is you look forward to most, cut back where you won't miss it, and make sure the calories are worth all the extra workouts you'll need to do!! :) 

2 Ingredient MuffinsCakes!

Im just so unsure of calling these muffins or cupcakes, but they are great, whatever they are!!!

I had originally found a recipe for 2 ingredient cupcakes that were yellow cake mix and pumpkin which I tried. They were good, but they just tasted like yellow cake mixed with pumpkin….

I read a review that said they were delicious with Spice cake mix. My best friend and her husband just welcomed their daughter into the world on Wednesday so I made these to take up with me when I went to visit this weekend.  They were SOOOO good.  

Try them out and let me know what you think! 

Here are the nutrition facts: 

Nutrition Facts User Entered Recipe   16 Servings Amount Per Serving   Calories 64.5   Total Fat 1.2 g       Saturated Fat 0.4 g       Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3 g       Monounsaturated Fat 0.3 g   Cholesterol 0.0 mg   Sodium 88.5 mg   Potassium 58.3 mg   Total Carbohydrate 13.3 g       Dietary Fiber 1.1 g       Sugars 7.1 g   Protein 0.6 g   Vitamin A 88.1 %   Vitamin B-12 0.0 %   Vitamin B-6 0.8 %   Vitamin C 2.0 %   Vitamin D 0.0 %   Vitamin E 1.5 %   Calcium 3.3 %   Copper 1.5 %   Folate 0.8 %   Iron 5.4 %   Magnesium 1.6 %   Manganese 2.1 %   Niacin 0.5 %   Pantothenic Acid     1.1 %   Phosphorus     1.0 %   Riboflavin 0.9 %   Selenium 0.2 %   Thiamin 0.5 %   Zinc 0.3 % *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

OBX Half Marathon

I had been planning on running the Rock N Roll Savannah Half Marathon again this year but when our plans to travel changed, I needed a race closer to home. A friend of mine was doing the Outer Banks Half and asked if I wanted to join her and a few of her friends. I thought it would work perfectly so I met them in Kill Devil Hills on Saturday evening before the race. It was an awesome race, very well  organized and planned out. Its probably my favorite one so far, maybe mostly because it was my best recovery and least painful!!!! Its been a long road since tearing my MCL in the Nike Women's Half Marathon in April but it was great to accomplish another race. 

Gorgeous view of the ocean before the race.  We stopped for just a moment during our warm up to enjoy the view! 

Heidi, me and Beth before the race. It was chilly!!

 Right after the race, in front of the Manteo lighthouse. One of my favorite places! :)

Free beer and sweet potato fries at the finish line! 

I would definitely do this race again, I really loved everything. If I had to give one suggestion, there weren't enough clocks on the course, but I had my phone/Nike GPS with me so it was fine and not a big deal, but I do like to see the official race times every now and then. 

Lexington Long Runs

Lexington, VA is one of my favorite places to run. Usually when I go there for work (photography at the Virginia Horse Center) I go running at the W&L and/or VMI tracks. This time I mixed it up a little. I ran on Saturday evening at the River and snaked up the hill along the VMI challenge course and finished up with a mile around the track. 

Sunday Morning I got up early and went for a run through W&L, starting at their outdoor track then following the trail along the creek.  It was GORGEOUS and so much fun. 

Last long run before my half marathon!! Woohooo!!!