Not Jump Rope Queen

I was quite excited and nervous for the G-Fit Jump Rope Competition, since I felt I had a solid chance of not tripping and landing on my face.  The night before (as witnessed by roomie) I had practiced with my invisible jump rope, bounding around the living room.  I was feeling good.  Then, I show up at the big gig at 12:07p ready for action.  I took a couple practice swings with my rope, did some shoulder rolls, and eyed up my time keeper.  Good news? She could run a stopwatch.  Bad news?  She wasn't coherent.  Example:  After what had seemed like 3 hours later and I had been jumping constantly without error, my lovely time keeper mumbled something.  "You're done" was not what she said.  Regardless, I stopped jumping to ask her to repeat her incoherent comment. "You're halfway done!"  Insert eye roll and panic attack here.  Next, I start frantically jumping and pound out another astounding 100+ jumps - no errors.  What could have been a world record of jumps (Laura's World) in 2 minutes, turned out to be 232 jumps instead of at least 250. I should really put "jump rope" on the top of my 26th Birthday Gift List.

Eating Journal:
-oatmeal with granola, dried fruit
-melon salad
-salad with tofu, bulgar wheat pesto patty
-couple bites of cupcake
-wine sampler, bites of seitan sautee
-mongolian BBQ (broccoli, onions, cabbage, mushrooms, carrots, baby corn, udon noodles, chili sauce), froyo

Exercise Journal:
-20 min walk
-jumped rope 232 times in 2 minutes (decent)
-1 hour Zumba dance class

Laura's Youth Hostel

I love when people come to visit.  My team thinks I'm running a hostel and that I should start charging my guests/night.  The apartment rarely has vacancies, so I suggest booking far in advance.  (Note: my favorite gifts are chocolate, fresh veggies, wine, and dish-ware from Anthropologie.)
Here is my 2010 registry so far:
January - 1 guest for whole month, 1 guest for 1 week
February - 1 guest
March - 1 guest (4 visitors)
April - 1 guest (3 visitors)
May - 2 guests
June - 2 guests (2 visitors)
July - 2 guests
Future:
August - 1 guest
September - 1 guest
My August guest wants to be vegan with me while she's here!  Look for future posts on how I wooed her with scrumptious vegan meals.


Eating Journal:
-Gravenstein apple
-kashi cereal with banana and rice milk
-(amount not as large as description seems - see pic) Curried Coconut Spiced Zucchini over brown Basmati Rice with Berry Chutney, Portabello and Wild Rice Pancakes with Grilled Scallions, Sugar Snaps with Roasted Peppers, Organic Rye Berry-Lentil Pilaf, Green Millet Pilaf, tofu chocolate pudding with berries
-dark chocolate, raisins
-orange with Blue Moon
-leftover pasta salad (with carrots, peppers, cucumber, scallions, Italian dressing), 2 corn on cob

Exercise Journal:
-13.4 miles biked to/from work
-15 min bike ride to meeting
-20 min vacuumed/cleaned apartment

Thoughts on running

Things I'd rather do than run:  DDR, hike, bike, yoga, dance, vacuum, ride mechanical bull, jump rope, swim, haul furniture.  My body doesn't like to be battered and damaged and jarred.  I'd prefer to have decently-working knees until I'm 102.

Eating Journal:
-watermelon
-oatmeal with granola, raisins, flaxseed
-Shredded Summer Squash Mole over Baked Polenta with Avocado Tomatillo Salsa, Green and Wax Beans with Shallots, millet salad, mini vegan choco chip/cherry cookie
-dark chocolate
-mini veggie sandwich
-cookie dough ice cream (I clearly have a sugar addiction.)


Exercise Journal:
-15 min walk
-15 min bike ride
-1 hour Zumba dance class

One of my Great Danes: Mikkel

Eating Journal:
-oatmeal with granola, flaxseed, raisins
-green grapes
-mini grilled veggie wrap, salad
-dark chocolate
-veggie sandwich, brie and crackers, red wine

Ok, I don't want to track my input for a couple days.  My Danish friend Mikkel is in town, so I'm busy playing "Hostess with the Mostest" and don't have time to record all my eating activity (and there is usually a lot).  sigh.

Phyto attacks!

This is not your dog Fido.  This is the attack of the phyto-estrogens!  They are in all kinds of grains, fruits, seeds, beans, and herbs that you ingest every day.
Is that bad?  Not necessarily.  Like I mentioned yesterday, use everything in moderation and you'll probably be good to go. 
What are phytoestrogens?  They're chemicals in plants that mimic the effects of estrogen.
Any foods I should avoid?  The verdict is still out on whether high dosages of phytoestrogens are good or bad for you.  They've been used throughout history to alleviate menstrual and menopausal symptoms.  Foods especially high in phytoestrogens are soy and seeds, like flax.  I eat at least 2Tbsp of flaxseed a day.
Is it good for you?  Some have found phytoestrogens can reduce your risk of certain cancers and cardiovascular disease.
Read more:
http://www.dietaryfiberfood.com/phytoestrogen.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytoestrogens
http://www.nobreastcyst.com/phyto.html


Eating Journal:
-oatmeal with raisins, granola, flaxseed
-quinoa cake with avocado/corn salsa, spanish brown rice, braised kale
-Strauss ice cream, chocolates
-leftover Patxi's pizza slice
-brownies made with pumpkin (not as good as I had hoped)

Exercise Journal:
-25 min strength training & stretching
-15 min walk after lunch
-cleaned apartment and scrubbed the grill

The perils of lavender?

When a medical friend of mine commented that lavender affects estrogen levels, I laughed and balked at the idea.  Lavender is widely used and easily recommended for relaxation & other medicinal benefits and is an added scent in everything from detergent to hand creme to perfumed hangers.  How could lavender be harmful to me? 
Long story short:  basically there were a couple cases of young boys who excessively used lavender and tea-tree oil products developing "breast swelling" due to excess estrogen blocking androgens. Related article.
Lesson learned: use everything in moderation.  Don't douse yourself in lavender oil.  Don't eat soy foods all day every day.  Don't eat that 3rd - 4th - 5th serving of ice cream.  LAURA - PUT THE ICE CREAM DOWN!

Eating Journal:
-oatmeal with flaxseed, granola
-sauteed veggies, chimichurri tofu, curried brown rice, vegan peach cobbler
-dark chocolate, mini cupcake
-sandwich on wheat bread with sprouts, tomatoes, grilled zucchini, mustard, grilled mushrooms, lettuce, hummus
-1 beer

Exercise Journal:
-13.4 miles biking to/from work
-7 minute bike ride back from lunch :-)

giddy up!

Time for this lil cowgirl to get back on the horse.  Vacation is over (sob), summer is in full swing, and I have a birthday creeping up on me.  I want to look and feel great!  Well, I guess those aren't really good reasons, but do I really need a reason to feel healthy and great??

Eating Journal:
-mix of grainy cereals, rice milk, banana
-salad with tofu, mushrooms, cucumbers, tomatoes, quinoa
-dark chocolate
-mushroom/tofu broth, garbanzo bean stew, braised chard, spinach salad
-Miyo froyo

Exercise Journal:
-15 min run/walk
-1 hr cardio dance class

90% Vegan - 10% Sweet Tooth

I'm baaaaaaaaaack!  You missed me, don't deny it.

My trip home to WI:
-lots of fun family and friend times
-lounging and playing at cottage in Three Lakes, WI
-drinking wine, beer, and bloody mary's...I AM SCONNIE.
-first concert at Alpine Valley to tailgate and see DMB (see pic)
-magazine interview and photo shoot (think awkward senior photos)
-many vegan meals that won favor with meat-lovin Gramanns (all entrees can have an added meat component if requested):

• seitan fajitas with peppers, zucchini, onions, salsa, guacamole
• grilled portobello mushroom burgers (marinated in balsamic and EVOO) with avocado, caramelized onions, spinach, tomatoes, mustard, accompanied by garlic sweet potato fries
• tacos/nachos with black beans, guacamole, salsa, lettuce, diced peppers/tomatoes/onion
• veggie shish kebabs containing ciopinno onions, green & red peppers, red onions, mushrooms, pineapple
• grilled veggies - eggplant, zucchini, asparagus, corn
• Side: black bean quinoa salad (recipe)
• Side: brown rice candy (as Momma calls it) use butter alternative (recipe)
• Snack: spicy hummus with cucumbers and rice chips

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by my immediate and extended family's warm reception to vegan foods!  They withheld criticism and seemed fairly open-minded and supportive.  I felt very encouraged.  Any tidbit of knowledge I can impart on them to make them healthier, makes me feel so thankful (& proud)!  One key to soliciting positive reviews of vegan foods is to tell the person AFTER they've sampled the food.  :-)

While I gently pushed my vegan agenda, I was also a food-loving Sconnie who had to sample some non-vegan treats.  I had a bite of fried fish, 2 bites of elk steak, 1 bite of a brat, rhubarb crisp (Momma converted half the ingredients to vegan instead of full-fledged heart attack), and 5 servings of ice cream - yeah I said 5. Get over it.  I did.
I need to keep reminding myself that progress is progress.  90% vegan is still better than any lifestyle in my past.  Better for my body, better for the earth, better for my overall well-being.

Need a laugh? 

Myq Kaplan Stand-Up Comedy from Myq Kaplan on Vimeo.