Thursday, February 10, 2011

Tubac, AZ

Hi Bloggies,

I never shared my Christmas vacation with you all. The BF and spent Christmas in Tucson with his family and stayed at his sisters house.

Aaron and I took a few one day trips, to Tubac, Sonoita, and Bisbee, AZ. All three of these places were very appealing and I enjoyed our exploration of AZ very, very, much.

First, I give you Tubac. Tubac is a little artist's colony about an hour outside of Tucson. Like many Arizona towns we discovered, it really pops right out of the desert. It's filled with artists shops, antiques, restaurants, etc, and it was such a fun way to stroll around in the AZ sunshine. Aaron and I enjoyed lunch at a cute little dive bar and restaurant called the Tubac Inn and scored an awesome birthday gift for my Texan step dad in Fort Worth. I love buying gifts as I see them for people rather than rushing around the week before and being forced to get something.I also found some great gourmet products at Tubac Olive Oil company.... hazelnut oil and blackcurrant balsamic vinegar. They taste great on a simply dressed salad.

The Tubac Chamber of Commerce really needs to redo their website because the pictures don't do the place justice. It's quaint and very pretty in it's own southwest way.

Enjoy the pictures.
Aaron checking out a hotrod, per usual.
 Pretty December sky.



 Another one of Aaron's action series....









Tubac was well worth the 50 minute drive from Tucson. We noticed quite a few restaurants, bars, and little hotels. It might be a fun place to stay for a night and explore! 

Monday, January 24, 2011

Not so much on the 30 day yoga challenge...

Hi Bloggies!

Well, my 30 day yoga challenge didn't go as well as hoped. I am still eating clean and vegan and doing yoga lots, but not everyday. I decided to take a few days off to get over my cold, and then have been busy with...running! I have now run 4 times (only for a bit over 2 miles) and it seems to be going ok. Aaron also ran in the Carlsbad half Marathon this weekend, so running is on the brain! I am going to have to come up with a new work out schedule, because I am going to train for this!  http://www.sheroxtri.com/san-diego-ca.html

Oh yes, that would be a triathlon. Eek! I also will do a 5k and 10k race before that. I need to figure out which ones I am going to participate it, but given that the triathlon is in November, I feel like I have time to get ready. I feel really excited about this. I never have been an endurance athlete, but now is the time. There were so many people running the marathon this weekend that were not in as good of shape as me, and if they can do it, why can't I? I just need to plan and put my head to it. 

I think for now, I am going to do 2 sculpt yoga classes (with weights) a week, 3 regular yoga classes a week, 3 runs a week, and one long bike ride a week. I am going to have to figure out what this looks like and obviously will be doubling up my running and yoga class days. I am going to do the bike ride and a rest day on the weekend (likely). I will add in swimming when it starts to get a bit warmer. There is an Olympic sized pool right by my house, so I will start swimming this summer. 

Obviously I will update the blog as I progress through this process. 

In the meantime, Aaron and I had so much fun this weekend! I made him lots of pasta, we went out to eat, and he ran, ran, and ran his little heart out during the half marathon. It was SO cool to see him cross the finish line, but certainly nerve wracking while I was waiting for him. For those of you that don't know, Aaron was a distance runner in high school. He remained active after that, but a few years ago came down with an awful illness that almost took his life. He had MRSA pneumonia and it was truly terrifying and awful. He was in the hospital for 30 days, had surgery, chest tubes, home health care for 6 weeks, it was really an experience I hope not to relive. The predicament left Aaron with a 50% loss of one of his lungs. So, the past couple of years have been hard for him...he would get tired walking up stairs and certainly wasn't up for running.  Well, about 6 months ago, he decided enough was enough and he started training for a half marathon. It was understandably very exciting to see him work up to this race and actually do it!

Aaron had a good friend that was also running, Brian. Here they are before the race...both were nervous. There were literally thousands of people there...it was absolutely crazy. Lot's of energy and people wearing weird stuff. It's amazing all the stuff people use to run. It's so high tech...what just happened to lacing up your shoes and running?

Here they are afterwards! Aaron, I am SO proud of you for crossing that finish line. It sure was exciting to see you accomplish your goal. 
 Aaron and I had such a fun weekend getting amped up for the race Sunday. We went out for breakfast on Saturday and had this little man to accompany us.
 We went for a walk in Encinitas..it was so pretty out!
 Aaron is pondering how he talked himself into running 13.1 miles the next day.
 Me pondering....the meaning of life?
 This is classic...obviously we were having fun.
 On Saturday night before the race, we went to one of our favorite restaurants after we checked out the health expo (part of the marathon) and Aaron picked up his running bib and official tag. (Again, there was so much gear and high tech stuff for sale at the expo! One of the things that is appealing to me about running is that it seems so simple, tie on some shoes, step out the door, and run! It's amazing how people complicate things.) Anyway, back to the restaurant.  The whole Vigilucci's family of restaurants are wonderful, managed by my dear friend Erica's husband, Matt. If you are in the San Diego area and have a hankering for some great Italian food, check them out! They also have great fish, steaks, etc. The one we went to in Carlsbad overlooks the ocean and has a nice big bar with a great happy hour...lots of dishes for $5, $6, and $7! Aaron had pasta and I had salad while staring out at the gorgeous sunset. It looked like a painting it was so pretty. 

And then we went to bed super early to prepare for our 4 am wake up call for the race. What a great, fun, inspirational weekend! We had an absolute blast, and although I didn't run in the race, I think I have race fever!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Pomegranate / Edamame / Millet Tabbouleh

Happy Tuesday, Lovebugs! My Yoga Challenge is going Swimmingly...Although I am still not 100% back to health after my cold. I still feel sort of draggy...and coughy....and just bleh...but! Yoga and healthful foods are certainly helping. 

Yesterday I tried this almond honey butter from Hopkins AG. It was delish on top of my oatmeal. I bought this at the Del Mar Farmer's market last Saturday. I also bought some cinnamon sugar almonds and lime and sea salt almonds. To die for!



Today I was wondering what to make for lunch. I had a huge pomegranate to use, about a cup of shelled edamame, and about 2 cups of leftover millet. I also had a big punch of parsley. I thought to make a spin on Tabbouleh! Boy, am I glad I did. This was exploding with flavor and has all the nutrients you need for a healthy lunch!

Tabbouleh is such a versatile dish. Traditionally made with bulgar, parsley, green onions, tomatoes, lemon, salt and pepper, and olive oil...I often add in goat cheese, or feta, or garbanzo beans. Pinenuts are a wonderful addition...as really any nuts are great.  I also have used cous cous instead of barley which is very quick and tasty. You could also try using another herb or green. I bet finely chopped arugula would be awesome rather than the parsley. And really, you can use any grain you want. Just make sure your grain is mainly cooled, and that your ratio of grain to green is 2:1. See my recipe below.






Pomegranate / Edamame / Millet Tabbouleh
Makes 3 large portions (Nutrition facts are based on 3 huge portions below)

Mix well:

2 cups cooked and cooled millet
1 cup pomegranate seeds
1 cup edamame
1 cup extremely finely chopped flat leaf parsley
juice of 3 lemons (or to taste...I LOVE lemon, so I use a lot)
3-4 TBSP Olive Oil
1 tsp pink himilayan sea salt (or any salt you prefer)
lots of freshly ground black pepper

That's it! I am sure this will be better after sitting for a day, but right now it tastes absolutely delicious. It has protien, fiber, tons of antioxidants...and healthy carbs from the grains that will boost your day. Seriously, I can't believe how tasty this is! See nutritional information below.

Have a great Tuesday!

***(Updated Nutritional Information. I thought the earlier calorie amount was high...I think it was calculating based on dried millet rather than cooked Millet. This looks a bit better.)


Nutrition Facts
  3 Servings
Amount Per Serving
  Calories316.7
  Total Fat16.0 g
     Saturated Fat2.0 g
     Polyunsaturated Fat1.4 g
     Monounsaturated Fat10.1 g
  Cholesterol0.0 mg
  Sodium62.0 mg
  Potassium440.8 mg
  Total Carbohydrate36.8 g
     Dietary Fiber2.6 g
     Sugars19.3 g
  Protein9.7 g
  Vitamin A42.7 %
  Vitamin B-120.0 %
  Vitamin B-69.2 %
  Vitamin C79.7 %
  Vitamin D0.0 %
  Vitamin E13.2 %
  Calcium8.7 %
  Copper8.6 %
  Folate12.0 %
  Iron15.6 %
  Magnesium8.0 %
  Manganese6.9 %
  Niacin5.6 %
  Pantothenic Acid    7.9 %
  Phosphorus    6.0 %
  Riboflavin5.0 %
  Selenium1.4 %
  Thiamin6.6 %
  Zinc4.7 %