I buy
Information overload? No way! I love reading blogs, Twitter and Facebook to learn how to eat vegan in a smart, healthy way. Along the way, I stumble upon great product recommendations (my bank account is taking the hit).
Thanks to Angela/Oh She Glows I got turned on to all things coconut. I think the first time I noticed it she mentioned coconut butter on a baked potato.
I’ve been using coconut oil for cooking but this week, after a rather disastrous attempt to make a Green Monster with kale (I ran out of spinach) I found Gliving’s very yummy Mean Green Kale Smoothie Coconut oil in a smoothie? It hadn’t occurred to me. I made a few modifications (dates instead of honey, frozen strawberries instead of banana). It was delicious. (I did make sure to buy extra spinach this week, though, as red Russian kale is pretty hardcore.)
So far I’ve used coconut butter on grilled yams. I need to experiment a little more.
I’ve become a bit addicted to coconut water. I’ve never been a sports drink fan and I find coconut water after a hot run to be perfect. “Nature’s electrolyte”
Purely Decadent coconut frozen dessert? Purely genius.
On my blog travels (I wish I could remember where!) I read about PureNRG I ordered just a few products but there was a snafu with shipping. The CEO was quite accommodating and ended up sending me a big ole box of yumminess for my trouble. 
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Wow! My husband and I both sampled the Walnut Cherry Chunk cookies, ASAP. YUM.
To prove that I don’t only eat, I’ll share a few health and beauty items. My friend Cat, Deb and I had a lunch date last weekend and while both looked stunning, as usual, Cat was glowing. She told me that she had started using Argan oil as a moisturizer and in her hair. Add to cart! I ordered it and have been using it day and night for a few days. Using oil on my face is scary to me, but that’s because I have visions of oily skin and acne…because for some reason I keep forgetting that I’m turning 45 this year and my skin has been dry and sensitive for years. Anyway….my skins feels amazing.
I read Choosing Raw religiously. Fantastic recipes and cooking tips and Gena’s writing style is superb. I learned of Butter Your Body reading Choosing Raw. As a lip balm addict I promptly ordered the lip butter and couldn’t resist the Singing Serenity Tea Loofah. I keep the lip butter in the refrigerator (the owner of the company recommended it) and it’s lovely. I used the tea loofah Saturday evening as a pre-race relaxation technique. Mission accomplished.
I cook
Okay, let’s get back to eating. I scored some gorgeous produce at the farmer’s market.
First up, what to do with the beet leaves? I love beets, just love ‘em. I also enjoy cooking up the beet leaves but I am getting seriously tired of them. This week they were just too gorgeous to not use.
I sauteed them in safflower oil, garlic scapes, onion, hot curry and turmeric. 
Very yummy but I put them in the freezer as soon as they cooled. I need some space from the beet leaves.
Next on the food prep list, Cauliflower and Chive Soup from Raw Vegan Recipe Exchange
CAULIFLOWER AND CHIVE SOUP
Blend until smooth in a high-speed blender (or food processor):
1 c water
2 c cauliflower (any color or variety)
…½ c zucchini (or other summer squash variety)
¼ c Chinese chives (or other chive variety)
¼ c cashews (optional; gives richer flavor and texture)
1 clove garlic
2 T nutritional yeast (optional)
½ tsp salt or Braggs (or to taste; optional)
Optional: top with mung bean sprouts (adds a great crunchy texture) and a sprinkle of dulse flakes. Enjoy! 🙂
No cashews! (how did that happen?) I used walnuts and it is very, very tasty!
Thanks to Lindsay at Cook.Vegan.Lover I made one of my favorite quinoa dishes: Garlic-Saffron Quinoa but I skip the nutritional yeast because I need to use it sparingly. 
Tofu marinated in Bragg’s Amino, agave and fresh, young garlic and onion from the farmer’s market for 24 hours. 
and off the grill.
I made an eggless egg salad with crumbled tofu, celery, vegenaise, whole grain mustard, onion and mint, cilantro and basil from the farmer’s market. 
Finally, I wrapped up my weekly cooking by making a black bean salad inspired by Vegetarian Times. I modified some of the ingredients and added yellow carrots and kirby cucumbers (cucumbers not pictured, I forgot them and added them later!) I added the avocado fresh, when I served it over massage collards and kale.
I race
I did my weekly cooking on Saturday this weekend because I ran the Fairfield Half-Marathon Sunday. This was my sixteenth half-marathon in six years and my second half-marathon as a plant-based runner; I broke out my tech shirt from No Meat Athlete to represent. 
I was up at 5am and started my morning with a cup of warm water/lemon juice/cayenne and transitioned to two cups of half caf/half decaf coffee. I enjoyed an Ezekial english muffin with sunflower seed butter and banana slices for breakfast and packed an insulated bag with coconut water and a PureNRG Chia Fit Bar for post-race nutrition (the chia bar was perfect!) The race plan was to run…NOT race…due to the heat and due to my recovering knee (that’s a blog story for another day). I pretty much stuck to the plan and targeted an easy heart-rate pace. Which means I really got to enjoy the scenery and the wonderful folks from the neighborhoods cheering us on. I can’t lie. It was a tough run. But enjoyable. I finished in 2:16. Not my fastest, not my slowest, but six minutes slower than the half I ran in torrential rains/40+ degrees in April. Perspective, I guess.
Whether finishing a cooking marathon in the kitchen, or running a half-marathon on the road, the ending is usually the same:
What did you buy, cook or race this week?
