Nutrition and Fitness

It's been so beautiful in the Poconos- the weather has been tremendous! I have been running extraordinary amounts of miles lately, and the Poconos is the best place to be able to go on a run and find so many different trails. This one is my favorite- it's really tough because going back home on it is uphill. oye. But hey- look at this scenery! Can't get enough of it on my morning runs!

Work has been so time-consuming lately and not only have I found it so hard to keep a balanced diet, but I've obviously been slacking on making food :[. I work 10:30-7:30 usually, and by the time I get home from work I am so exhausted and don't have the time to be able to eat a decent meal. It's frustrating! And as for breakfast- my main go-to has been my protein smoothie. It is similar to my Berry Banana Flax Smoothie, but it has a secret ingredient that is about to be not-so-secret- HEMP SEEDS! Hemp seeds are an amazing source of protein, and have a superb omega 3 to omega 6 ratio that is hard to find for us herbyvores. It's protein rich, and perfect to replenish those muscles after an intense workout.

Hemp Chocolate Protein Smoothie

serves 1

1/4 cup blueberries

 1 banana, halved

1 cup whole soy blueberry yogurt

2 scoops chocolate soy protein powder

2 tablespoons flax seeds

2 tablespoons hemp seeds, hulled 

1 cup ice (optional)

place all ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth 

My typical salad at work- fire roasted corn, roasted red peppers, cherry tomatoes, matchstick carrots with balsamic dressing and an apple and larabar. And to the right? just an occasional orange rind in my hair. No biggy :]

Fruitastic Weekend!

The weekend could NOT have gotten more beautiful! It was such a lovely weekend! Although I worked both days this weekend, I did not let it stop me from enjoying the sun. I enjoyed so many smoothies outside, while reading some awesome cookbooks that I got and trying to read the Hunger Games. I'm so lucky I'm an early bird- that way I can wake up, enjoy a refreshing smoothie, go on a run all before work and STILL have time for a shower! 


I feel like I talk so much about food, that I forget to talk about the fitness side of me. I work out approximately 5 days (sometimes 6) a week- running every other day and doing some weights on the days in between. Usually, I take Sunday as my freebie day. I run approximately 7-8 miles at the moment, working on 13 miles for my HALF MARATHON! It's scary thought .. 13 miles?! phew. I love to run-it is something I began to have a love for recently. Back in the days before my Celiac Disease, I always thought I had some sort of asthma. Always athletic, but I was terrible when it came to running. Ever since I found out about the Celiac Disease, I have had a clearer mind and I can run for miles on miles and feel great! In order to be able to also do this, nutrition and a healthy diet is CRUCIAL! Usually, I have my smoothies after my runs. In my smoothies, I add some protein powder to keep my muscles retained rather than hurting! I have terrible knees due to my long love for basketball, so they hit hard when I run. But hey, they are troopers just like I am, and take the brunt of the pain! Here is one of my many smoothie recipes. This one I especially love because it uses fresh fruit and fruit that you will most likely have at local grocery stores!

Berry Banana Flax Smoothie

Serves 1

• 1 Banana, halved
• 5 Strawberries, cut in quarters
• 1/4 Cup Blueberries
• 8 blackberries
• 1 scoop Soy Protein Powder (vanilla flavor)
• 2 Tablespoons Flax Seeds

Combine all into a blender and mix until smooth.

mmmmmm- this is all in my smoothie except I just ate it like yogurt :] enjoy VegNews special yayyy!