Vegan Mofo VI- Day 15- I Love L.A.!

Woo hoo! What a great turn out for AIDS Walk Los Angeles yesterday. We got there early enough to make our way super close to the starting line which has never happened since we are usually running late. I was so excited. Then my sister pointed out a staff member who was looking for people to carry signs. I had to do it! You could drop them off at any of the checkpoints along the route but I ended up dumping mine at the first one because I was also weighed down by my purse. After I ate/drank some of the things that were my bag, I was able to pick up a sign again at another checkpoint and carry it the rest of the way, yay! It was a gorgeous day and we raised a bunch of money.

After our walk, we stopped for lunch at Veggie Grill at the Farmer's Market. I didn't know what to order since I'd only been there one other time. I knew I loved the Mac-n-Cheese, Buffalo Wings and Steamin' Kale. The "Crab" Cake was good too, but I wasn't in the mood for that. I thought about getting the Buffalo Bomber (sammich) and upgrading my side to kale, but I would still want mac and that is too much food, even for me. So in the end, I decided to just order two sides and a starter. If they would just make this into a bowl it would be easier for me to order and less dishes for their staff. I forgot to write it up for the suggestion box, maybe next time.

Since it was just across the street, we stopped at Whole Foods, which is usually a treat for me since we do not have one nearby, but I didn't know we were going there so I didn't even know what I wanted from there. I had maybe 15 left from my "lunch" budget but I didn't really find anything to blow it on since I didn't bring my insulated bag with me and we had at least an hour on the road on a hot day. I ended up just getting some water, which my sister bought since she is nice like that. I almost bought some cookies from their bakery but I couldn't justify it since I have everything I need to bake some at home and the ones I make are better. Good thing I saved my money because we went to see Argo later that night and it was amazing.

Keep On Walking

Yesterday was our 4th AIDS Walk. I look forward to the event every year, but this year I was even more excited since I am so much more fit than I was last year. I still have a way to go, but I'm definitely getting there. I slacked on getting pledges so I sponsored myself just enough to get the t-shirt. Last year I got a uni-small and squeezed into it, just barely. I wasn't sure how it would be this time. Since it was cool and drizzly, I was wearing two tank tops and a long sleeved t-shirt, who knew if there was room for all those layers? Thanks to my exercise efforts I was able to fit everything in and still have a bit of room in the tummy. I felt great, but the best part was when I met up with my sister and she told me I looked good. It's such a boost to have other people notice you've been working hard. Did I mention I also wore a skirt a size smaller than last year? Well I did.

The day before I went for my weekly trail walk/run with  friends. It was a total of six miles, so we walked three miles up and then ran/jogged three miles back. The first time I did the trail I hated it because it seemed so boring, until it was time to run the return and I couldn't hang. Maybe it was not as fun as the 5 mile hike I had done the week before but it kicked my butt, and then some. This weekend was my third attempt at the trail and after two weeks of the "fun" hike I was not looking forward to it, mostly since I was afraid of getting my ass handed to me again. I surprised everyone by keeping my pace and jogging the whole way back, which I've never been able to do before. I wasn't kicking dust in anyone's face, but I was proud to have finished without stopping. I watched the street numbers get smaller and pushed myself to keep going. My friend gave me a high five when I finished a few seconds behind her. When our other friend finished just after us she told me I'm starting to look more shapely. Thanks ladies, couldn't have done it without you.

no show mofo

I am truly hoping I am not the worst mofo ever this year but I fear I might be in the top 10. I was really hoping to catch up and make up for the first week of non-blogging, but I am not doing such a great job of that. If I were a person who made excuses I would blame it on being sick, or actually having weekend plans, or being extremely stressed/busy at work- but I am sure those are situations nearly everyone is in at this time of year and I'm fairly certain it has not put their blogs on hold. I am a no-show mofo and I am not proud.

Quick/boring update with silly pictures-

Friday night- We had veg panini's and bruschetta (take out!) for dinner and our movie was "Watcher in the Woods" which my niece liked a lot more than I thought she would. I fell asleep right in the middle and missed the end, boo!

Saturday- We went to my niece's soccer game which was a rematch against a larger, more physical team. It's not supposed to be competitive at their age but they did "lose". Afterward we went to the pumpkin festival @ Cal Poly with some friends and saw more pumpkins than I have ever seen in my life. We also went to the petting zoo since I had not gone to one since kindergarten when I was startled by an overly eager goat.They haven't changed much only now it makes me more scared for the animals than for the kids. We gotta make it to farm sanctuary, so I can hug some animals who are possibly petting zoo survivors, but the current bunch needs love too.



Sunday-

The big day, our third time going to the AIDS Walk. We actually left on time and got there about an hour and half before the walk started-trust me this is a huge deal. We did our usual Jamba Juice/bathroom stop and made the trek to the starting line-not sure how much that adds to the 10K, need to find out. I did not raise funds but sponsored myself so I could get the shirt, which fit, thank goodness. I have put a few inches/lbs. back on the last few weeks so I was afraid the uni-small might not work out. We had great weather and it seemed to go by faster than years past. They had some of the same vegan friendly snacks-mini lara bars, mrs. may's, oranges and naked juice. I didn't hit all the snack stops because people get crazy over free food and I wanted to keep my good pace.



Afterward we went to California Vegan and I had my fave Spinach w/ Garlic Sauce and Tofu. It's a lot of spinach but as far as I am concerned it is never too much spinach, or garlic. I would have rather gone to RFD but funds are tight. We all took naps when we got home and had mexican macaroni and cheese for a quick late dinner. Maybe other people make it this way too, but it is basically same as you would cook fideos but you add sliced cheese and stir in until it gets melty, tons of garlic salt too. It's quick comfort food you can shovel down on a cold day.

Monday-Wednesday was the basic weekday hustle and bustle. We have ate dinner out every night so far since we did not do a proper grocery run. I need to get a few things tomorrow so I can cook over the weekend and next week. I got the advanced copy of VegNews, plus two back issues and the "You Are What You Read" shirt I have been eyeing for months. I saw a soup in one of the issues that looked really good to me and I'm sure there are other great recipes. I still have to take a good look at Nava Atlas' book since I only did a quick flip when I brought it home last week. It looks promising, but I have a really bad habit of reading cookbooks before bed that I am trying to break because I get excited as well as hungry and have a tough time calming down to go to sleep. I will have to make it an after-dinner read.

slow-mo mofo

sI had all intentions of baking carrot cake cupcakes for boss' day tomorrow, but since I am starting to get sick, I had to cancel. Luckily my boss' birthday is in two weeks so I can make them for that instead. I'm sure the carrots I bought can get souped. I had some sniffles earlier this week, no big deal but this morning I woke up with a sore, scratchy throat. I know I will be fine by Monday but today I felt like I was in a fog and I'm not sure how much I'll be worth tomorrow. I am trying to not get too bogged down or stressed out about it. I just have to do the best I can and not push too hard, especially since I have a 10K on Sunday that I cannot back out of for anything. It's the AIDS Walk, you can't whine about a cold in the face of AIDS, right? I lagged on getting sponsors so I ended up sponsoring myself. I'll have to hustle harder next year.

After work I ran some errands with my mom and got a Martha Stewart stock pot on clearance at Kmart. I almost got a cast iron skillet too but I had to slow my roll. Our payroll hasn't been going through the last few weeks so I didn't want to go overboard on my "fun" spending. I am excited for my new pot and cannot wait to make something delicious. I picked up Nava Atlas' soups and stews from the library last night so it is all timing up correctly. Now if only I could find a deal on the straining ladle.


p.s.

My mom was the first to notice about my vanilla-free cookies but it hasn't stopped any of us from devouring them.

p.p.s. I am glad to see some blogs revived, most especially Wing It Vegan and Vegan Chicks Rock.