Catie’s Organic Greens…& my new pair of SANUKS!

Very excited to announce that I received my bottle of Catie’s Organic Greens in the mail today and am drinking a chocolate-raspberry smoothie (greens included!) as we speak!  I obviously have yet to discover the wonders of the greens but I thought I’d let you know what I think thus far!

1. Do not sniff them.  I have this habit of smelling all of my food before I consume it (don’t ask me why, I have no idea) but it is not a good idea to sniff these before adding them to something.  I won’t lie to you, they don’t smell flattering. At all.  However, add them to dark chocolate almond milk and throw it in a blender with some frozen fruit and you’ll hardly know they’re there.
2. You guessed it, they’re green.  If you’re a visual person like I can be I suggest mixing the powder with something of a dark color.  Now, I’ve been drinking green smoothies and juices for a few months now and the green color doesn’t bother me much anymore, but I can’t speak for everyone.
3. You will get approximately 30 servings out of the bottle you receive (which is something I wasn’t aware of when I ordered it through Amazon).  Considering I plan on drinking a smoothie containing my greens every morning, that gives me roughly one month of use (GREAT considering the price).  How much on average do you spend on either breakfast at the gas station or fast food drive in every morning?  Or on snacks and other fillers to last you until lunch because you decided to skip breakfast?  My point exactly.  Throwing some of this powder into a blender with fruit and other goodies will make you a MUCH healthier breakfast for less.  Which, if  you’re like me, it is ALL about saving every penny you can.
4. Don’t try to mix it in with a spoon…this was my first mistake.  You’d think after using all of the protein powders that I have that I would learn to NOT try to mix my powder in with a spoon.  It will leave chunks, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t find that very appetizing.  Invest in either a shaker bottle (I had one, but it wasn’t my favorite due to it holding flavors and odors in the plastic container even after washing…yuck!)  I prefer to throw it into my big old blender with some ice and assorted fruits/almond milk and consuming it that way.

Like I said before, I can’t do a lot of speaking on the benefits of the greens yet, due to only trying them for the first time this morning!  I’ll report back if and when I see a change 🙂

DID I MENTION I GOT MY SANUKS TODAY, TOO?!  As you can probably guess I’m super pumped.  They had been on my wish list for quite some time and after reading Leigh’s blog about shoes (Check it out http://www.vegetarianbarefootrunner.com) I decided to cave in and order a pair.  I am so very glad I did.  Never in a million years did I imagine that I would be this pleased with these shoes.  Now, prior to finding the minimalist lifestyle I was your average Nike tennis, Sperry‘s slip-ons kind of girl.  To be honest I do still wear my Sperry’s, which I believe is fine within reason, though they do seem awful heavy now!  If you’ve had your eyes on a pair of Sanuks I truly believe that you won’t be disappointed.  They fit a bit snug, yet roomy at the same time (how do they DO that?!), but the soles are obviously my favorite.  It is exactly like wearing a pair of flip flops, only with protection on your foot so you can wear them in any weather. I’m going to have to get my sister-in-law a pair or two (she is a flip flop junkie and I swear that woman would wear them in five feet of snow!)

Oh! I almost forgot.  I  had been planning to do my second day of barefoot running today, but have decided to hold off and soak in a detox bath instead due to my muscles being very sore and fatigued.  I haven’t been a runner for very long, so I’ve decided to ease into it versus diving right in and getting hurt (though I’d be well taken care of working at the hospital I do).  Did I mention I work in a foot & ankle specialty clinic? 😉

I’ll check back in later with any new information I may have…until then, happy Wednesday!

Recipe: Mike’s Vegan Lentil Quinoa Bowl

vegetarianbarefootrunner

Reason #176 why I’m a vegetarian: The food is heaven.  Opening the mind to new possibilities, new ingredients, and discovering the palate are just some of the side effects of vegetarianism.  This recipe does not have pictures because of course, I devoured everything before I thought to take one.  I’m still new at the blogging thing, so I don’t think about these things right away!  Anyway, this is one of the best tasting things ever.  EVER.  So it’s worth a shot even if you can’t see what it looks like 🙂  I just had to write it down for everyone!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/8 cup of chopped green pepper
• nutritional yeast (we love the stuff so we usually toss in a bunch)
• smoke seasoning (we get this at Trader Joe’s, any smoky flavor seasoning would work)
• 2 tbsp blackstrap molasses
• 1 tbsp soy sauce…

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Why Does a Barefoot Runner Want So Many Running Shoes??

I do!

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That is the question… seriously though, look at all these beauties!!  I have a serious problem!

Do you have too many running shoes?  How about gear?  I love it!

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Too Much Too Soon Syndrome FAQ: A Look at Inside Ankle Pain

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The most frequent question that barefoot runners ask me is, “Why does the top of my foot hurt?” Second, “Why do the insides of my ankles hurt?”  I will go a bit backward with my posts, because I’ve gotten two inside ankle pain questions in the past two weeks. I will try to address top of the foot pain in my next one.  First of all, what is Too Much Too Soon Syndrome (TMTS)?  TMTS is very common among us newly converted barefoot or minimalist runners.  Many of us have tried for years to run in traditional shoes and failed to run injury free, or failed to meet our goals, or just failed to run happy!  Running happy is the most important thing of all.  So, that being said, when we start running barefoot or even in Vibrams, something funny happens to us.  The first time, it’s a little weird…

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My first barefoot run!

This morning marked my first official day of barefoot running, and let me tell you, it was way more awesome than I had originally expected.

Now, barefoot running is not something you want to just jump into one day. You must make sure that your body itself is ready for such a transition. I’ve been wearing minimalist shoes for many months and do both yoga and kickboxing, assuring that my arches are strong.

Aside from strengthening your feet to prepare them for freeing themselves from those mushy, squishy clunky thing we force our poor toesies to squeeze into day in and day out there are a few things that you should know.

• While barefoot is best, it isn’t always better:  Let me explain. When you decide that maybe barefoot running is something you could see yourself doing, consider where you will be doing the running. Here in Iowa I have plenty of open grass and and space to run. However, living on the busiest street on the Vegas strip may provide a few more obstacles. There are GREAT as-close-to-barefoot-as-you-can-get shoes out there for when your terrain isn’t quite as promising as my grassy backyard. I’m currently anxiously awaiting my first pair of Sanuks, EarthRunners, and Vibram Five Fingers! I’ll report back once I receive them and let you know what I think.
• Proper form is crucial:  This is something I am obviously still working on. It takes a lot of practice and entirely different expectations to go from your regular stride to running comfortably while barefoot. You have to train your mind to take smaller steps and land on your midfoot versus your heel. Have you ever wondered why there is so little cushion around your calcaneus? Your heel wasn’t meant to absorb that kind of impact. I will admit when you start out you feel kind of silly – like a road runner, kind of. After landing with your midfoot, you want to kick your heels a little bit towards your butt so there is some spring in your step…like those awesome moon boots I just had to have as a kid. The important thing to remember? Don’t give up, keep trying, you’ll get it.
• Fuel your body properly:  Try not to cringe, but I am a green smoothie kind of person. Fruits and vegetables are obviously my favorite and that is how I usually start out my day. Throw kale in a blender with just about anything and I will drink it! I recently ordered a supplement boasting to have 7 servings of green veggie nutrients per tablespoon, but I will let you know after a few more days if I think it is worth the price.
  

I better head out for now, since I’m a bit under the weather today and need to get some sleep – and blend up a smoothie full of super foods to get me on the fast track to optimal health once again. I’ll do another barefoot run tomorrow, and keep you updated throughout the week. Keep shining, friends!

This, is me roughly 6 months apart.

I’m here to share my journey into wellness and help you discover the wonderful freedom in you that I recently found in myself.

Namasté.