tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53920991490830338222024-03-13T20:24:52.756-07:00The Roaming Vegan GnomeI love all things vegan food (except pineapple), traveling, and gnomes.sgcorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17918407398433822146noreply@blogger.comBlogger238125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392099149083033822.post-19692838680763522262014-09-21T21:27:00.000-07:002014-09-21T21:27:33.471-07:00An Obsession with Isa Does It<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Have you tried out Isa's newest book yet?<br />
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I bought Isa Does It on a whim when I probably should have been saving money and I am so glad I did. Not only is it full of reliably delicious recipes, they are all fast and easy and budget friendly.<br />
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My goal as of late has been to cook one new recipe out of IDI at least once a week and so far, so good. Yesterday I made the Coconut Channa Saag. I've actually had all the ingredients kicking around for a couple weeks now (even coconut milk, which I never have) and decided to whip it up for a couple of work meals after being gifted with a slew of garden-fresh tomatoes. The chickpeas are cooked perfectly, the broth is rich and flavorful, and it made a ton. My kind of food.<br />
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The first and last time I made seitan the somewhat old fashioned way (by simmering), I ended up with a pile of brain-like material. I've stuck to steamed and baked seitan since. Well, until today! After a marathon cleaning session, I decided to try out the Simmered Seitan in IDI. Despite my burner only wanting to work about 50% of the time, the recipe was a success! I pan-fried a couple pieces and threw 'em on a sandwich with veganaise, greens, and a fresh tomato.<br />
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sgcorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17918407398433822146noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392099149083033822.post-84739492386444594962014-09-15T17:18:00.000-07:002014-09-15T17:18:34.775-07:00Vegan MoFo, How I've Failed You.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Every year I have these grand expectations that this year will be different, this year I will write awesome words about awesome things, this year will be my year.<br />
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Not this time!<br />
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Lemme tell you, it is hard to write about food when you're eating the same thing over and over (Oriental flavor Top Ramen with greens and a carrot, btw). It's hard to write about the beer bread I snagged from a friend after I had to slather it with peanut butter in front of the PARAMEDICS who came to revive my husband after his blood sugar dropped to the teens. It's hard to talk about travelling when the last thing I want to do is hunt down those photos and try to remember what they were about.<br />
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Please be patient, dear readers. Tomorrow is another day and I hope to have something of value to give to you!<br />
sgcorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17918407398433822146noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392099149083033822.post-65704200056940204172014-09-07T13:31:00.001-07:002014-09-07T13:31:20.358-07:00MoFo Day 7 - Baking Spree...sorta.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This summer has been a hot one. I am mostly grumpy about this not only because I work outside, but also because I haven't really been able to bake a thing in my cramped, overheated apartment. Today's baking spree is not a delicious sweet baked good but rather it stemmed from a need for a hearty breakfast at noon on my day off.</div>
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Jeff LOVES hashbrowns and he especially loves the Vegan Brunch individual hashbrowns. I paired them with the muffin pan omelets from Vegan Brunch. I wish I had thought about throwing some veggies in there somewhere, but they still hit the spot! My photos have really gone downhill, though.</div>
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sgcorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17918407398433822146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392099149083033822.post-14523058857740136652014-09-04T10:46:00.000-07:002014-09-04T10:51:18.598-07:00Vegan in St. Louis!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My job is amazing. Seriously.<br />
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In case you didn't know, I work on the ramp for an airline. Not only am I forced to get some daily strength training in (people pack anvils in their luggage, I swear) but I walk between 6-8 miles a day! A DAY! I don't have to train for half marathons anymore!<br />
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A huge additional plus has been flight benefits, which has lead me to some amazing places. In March and May, I volunteered for a wonderful organization called <a href="http://www.coffeecan.org/" target="_blank">Cafe Femenino</a> that provides grant funding for women in coffee growing communities. The woman I volunteer for puts on silent auctions at coffee conventions around the country to raise funds for this organization and asked Libby and me to help her out in NYC and St. Louis in exchange for a hotel room. Um, of course! NYC will be discussed, I promise, but first I want to shine a light on St. Louis.<br />
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I have never been to the Midwest. I had no idea what to expect. Living in Portland has gotten me used to seeing people everywhere. Not only in the downtown area, but up and down my street, on the road, packing bars at all hours. Not so much in St. Louis. The downtown was pretty dead and quiet and eerie-except when a pre-World Cup game came to town. <br />
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I've changed phones since this trip and therefore seem to be missing most of my photos, but I do have a couple of shots saved from Instagram. The first night we were there, we hit up Schlafly Brewery (St. Louis has quite the craft beer scene) and were impressed at just how nice everyone was.<br />
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A lot of our time was spent inside the convention center, but we did get a couple meals outside. We hit up <a href="http://pi-pizza.com/" target="_blank">Pi Pizzeria</a> twice, which carries Daiya and Match Meat and has a lovely hummus plate with preserved lemons. YUM. The pizza was delicious, too!<br />
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We also hit up <a href="http://roosterstl.com/" target="_blank">Rooster</a> twice for breakfast. The first morning we went it was pretty dead but Sunday morning? EVERYONE in St. Louis was there! Rooster also carries Match Meat (did I tell you that was a St. Louis-made product?) and offers VEGAN CREPES!<br />
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For fun, we hit up the St. Louis Arch (I mean, duh) and the City Museum. Both were way cooler than I thought they would be and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to visit this lovely city!<br />
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sgcorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17918407398433822146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392099149083033822.post-51610265416322405392014-09-03T23:49:00.002-07:002014-09-03T23:51:16.307-07:00A Vegan MoFo Look at What I Ate Today<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, what does a vegan eat day-to-day when they're not trying to be flashy for a blog challenge like Vegan MoFo? Well, let me show you.<br />
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Breakfast almost always ends up being toast. Lately, this toast has been covered in avocado, but the good ol' combo of smart balance and nutritional yeast is an old favorite. As you can tell, this avocado was not quite ripe yet.<br />
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I promised Jeff if he bought cat food, I would make him pretzels. These are Alton Brown's soft pretzels (thank you, get sconed, for sending me to that recipe!) and I had a pretzel with a peach for my pre-work lunch. Usually I'm better about having an actual meal, but this was good enough. <br />
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For my at-work lunch (or dinner? I can't keep track anymore) I sauteed some mixed mushrooms (on clearance at Fred Meyer, whooop whooop) and tossed in some power greens mix and tomatoes and mixed it up with some thin spaghetti. It might be boring, but when you are a super procrastinator like me and wait until the last minute to prepare work-lunch, it's pretty quick and easy! I would like my readers to know that there is at least 2.5 servings of pasta there (that is a very large tupperware) and there *might* have been another pretzel involved.<br />
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As you can tell, today was pretty carb heavy. I've managed to get myself into a rut with cooking and I can tell I'm not eating enough of the good stuff by how tired and sluggish I am once I'm home. Making hearty, veggie packed breakfasts are on my to-do list and I'm spending tomorrow morning preparing seitan and lentils for the rest of my week. </div>
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Tomorrow I revisit St. Louis and I promise you will not be disappointed!</div>
sgcorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17918407398433822146noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392099149083033822.post-23678947009471303942014-09-02T09:57:00.003-07:002014-09-02T09:57:53.470-07:00Tidbit Tuesday: Namu<br />
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A short time ago, a new food cart pod opened up right around the corner from my house. My husband explored it a bit and was very excited to tell me there is a waffle cart with vegan options. You see, while we were in Belgium, we explored the area around the Brussels train station while we waited for our train to Munich. Just outside the station was a rundown cart serving waffles to a mass of people. The waffles came in one style only: plain. Jeff tried one and was instantly in love and it remains one of his favorite memories.<br />
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I visited Tidbit for the first time last week before work and while I didn't get a waffle, I did see a ton of other options. I decided to try out Namu, a Hawaiian-Korean fusion cart that advertised two different vegan bowls.<br />
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What caught my eye at this cart was the fact the bowl had kimchi in it! Vegans know us-friendly kimchi is hard to come by, so of course I had to try it out. The bowl also had rice, avocado, sauteed greens, cucumber, and peanut sauce. The flavors really went well together and I loved pitting the kimchi up against the peanut sauce. Their other vegan bowl contained pineapple so I will most likely never order that (pineapple is the worst) but I love seeing so many options at one cart!sgcorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17918407398433822146noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392099149083033822.post-61248140475003516832014-09-01T23:15:00.003-07:002014-09-01T23:15:57.290-07:00Vegan MoFo, Day 1: Cobbler<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello readers! Vegan MoFo is upon us and I am going to do my darnedest to post every day. A very rough sketch of my posting plan:<br />
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Monday: Random!<br />
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Tuesday: Tidbit Tuesday. A new food cart pod called Tidbit has opened practically on my doorstep and there is so much vegan stuff! I see this as my opportunity to become a Tidbit Expert.<br />
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Wednesday: What I ate Wednesday! Because, duh, it's easy and you can see the vast amount of food I consume on a daily basis.<br />
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Thursday: Travelogue USA. I've been to St. Louis, NYC, Ogden, Austin, and San Diego since we last spoke! Let's talk good ol' Americana food.<br />
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Friday: A Vegan in Spain. <br />
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Saturday: Cookbooks! I kinda just want to explore my silly amount of cookbooks more.<br />
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Sunday: Baking Spree!<br />
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So, let's start this random posting off right, yeah? My coworkers put together a Labor Day potluck and I was too lazy to prepare anything the day before, which was my day off. Isa Does It to the rescue! I made the peach raspberry cobbler just 90 minutes before I had to leave for work, subbing cherries for peaches and shortening for coconut oil. The plate was gone in half an hour. I have exactly one vegan coworker and she got the very first bite. Deeeeelicious.<br />
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<br />sgcorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17918407398433822146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392099149083033822.post-53738282013039085072014-08-28T11:26:00.000-07:002014-08-28T11:26:03.551-07:00Vegan MoFo is coming! Vegan MoFo is coming!Well, hello there! Long time no see!<br />
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A lot has happened since my last post in, ahem, OCTOBER. Some travel (ok, LOTS of travel), a bunch of work, and a lots of eating. <br />
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Vegan MoFo has always been a great writing outlet for me and this year will be no different. I don't really have a theme set, but I've started to scratch out a rough posting plan. I have a lot of travel stories to tell, including dining at a vegan anarchist cafe in Madrid, finding Match Meat on every menu in St. Louis, and embarking on a rushed bagel and tofu cream cheese run in NYC. I'm also going to be more creative with my breakfasts (the only time I get to share a meal with Jeff on days I work) and talk about my new lunchin' style.<br />
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For now, though, I leave you this. Salt & Straw, a local ice cream joint, has a coconut ice cream filled with chunks of a vegan cookie bar made by Petunia's and it is delicious. This defines summer for me.<br />
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See ya in September! </div>
<br />sgcorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17918407398433822146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392099149083033822.post-8000143491913700822013-10-15T10:11:00.000-07:002013-10-15T10:13:28.299-07:00Two Girls, 655 MilesA several weeks ago, my running friend Libby (who you have might remember from this <a href="http://roamingvegangnome.blogspot.com/2012/05/my-first-half-marathon.html" target="_blank">post</a> and others) posted a couple of race links on my FB page. The exchange went down like this:<br />
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After a flurry of "are you serious? You can't be serious. Can we do this?" emails, spreadsheets, and links, the activity culminated in this post:<br />
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And that's how these two Slow Pokes took on the challenge of running a half marathon in all 50 states.<br />
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We already have Oregon and Washington down (yes, we are including them retroactively as we've done multiples in each state!), so really, just 48 more to go! Our schedules make this challenge stretch for something like 10 years, which means by the time I am 40 I will be in the best shape of my life!<br />
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I'm so excited for this list, too. Highlights: a single full marathon on the list (the Disney World full in 2015), several women-only events, a couple small town races, and a cool one in Illinois called the Quad City Half. We've included Flying Pig, Runners World, RNR Las Vegas, RNR New Orleans (Mardi Gras!!!!) and two brewery sponsored runs. There are a couple of races that we plan to pair with our half marathons; notably, the Dogfish Dash (a 10k that takes place in the same weekend of another New England half) and a Warrior Dash the day before the Maui Half Marathon.<br />
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Our first race of this challenge? The 3M Half in Austin this January.<br />
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We were looking for a January 2014 race and had a couple options, mostly in California. However, this one popped up and it was, by far, the winner. The race is repeatedly hailed as one of the best in the US, has a net downhill course, and the goody bag is full of office supplies, something that screams to this little paper pusher's heart. It also happens to be the 20th anniversary of the race! Also, Austin is like Portland South when it comes to being awesome and vegan friendly.<br />
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I've been researching Austin and keeping tabs on the PPK thread, but I'd love to hear your tips! We plan to be there January 17th-20th and want to eat and drink our little hearts out. Well, until the day before the race. Don't wanna upset those runnin' tummies.sgcorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17918407398433822146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392099149083033822.post-64378422355336753362013-09-30T18:23:00.002-07:002013-09-30T18:23:46.176-07:00Vegan Mofo: The End.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, lookit here! I managed 7 posts during Vegan Mofo! Kindly withhold your applause; it may not be an easy feat, but it is a manageable one.<br />
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All joking aside, may I be honest here? My job is kicking my ass. As in, I get home and either stare at the wall until bedtime or take a nap and want nothing to do with dinner. Making food seems impossible! In regards to lunch at work, I have reverted to the awesome roasted veggie burrito at Sandoval's (sub avocado for the cheese, aw yeah!) or the oatmeal at Elephant's Deli (my lunch is at like 8:30am, so this is totally normal) far too many times. My dinners usually revolve around a baked potato. While I'm not necessarily eating unhealthily, it's very bland and boring. Plus, I'm a bit broke after travelling and paying our car insurance premium and signing up for a half in Austin (more on that in a bit).<br />
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So, I've decided to take on the October vegan kickstart with my running buddy Libby. At the very least, I'll be forced to raid my pantry and cook up all the veggies I just bought! I tried the plan a couple of years ago (see <a href="http://roamingvegangnome.blogspot.com/2011/04/kick-to-arse.html" target="_blank">this post</a>) and while it's a bit boring for an experienced vegan, it's sure gonna help an uninspired vegan!<br /><br />Now, back to food of September past. For my last Mofo post, here are three photos of some recent vegan goodies:<br />
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Vegan mulita with soyrizo at Los Gorditos...a random stop on my way home from work.<br />
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Vegan pats of butter at a salad bar in my honky-tonk hometown.<br />
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Vegan burger at OMSI's new restaurant Theory.<br />
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I'm planning on checking in about the Kickstart program during October. The menu has changed and there seems to be more variety than in programs past. I would love for this to help me build meal plans and a schedule when it comes to cooking and feeding my little family of two, but only time will tell. <br />
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Lastly, that half marathon I mentioned earlier? Yeah, Libby and I are embarking on a new challenge: run half marathons in every state. What?! Our first one is the <a href="http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/HalfMarathon/Home/" target="_blank">3M Half</a> in Austin. Check out the last year's goodie bag!<br />
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<br />sgcorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17918407398433822146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392099149083033822.post-3614294586766777852013-09-24T15:49:00.001-07:002013-09-24T15:49:25.160-07:00Breakfast in 'frisco (Not at Tiffany's)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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While for the most part Jeff and I foraged for lunch at dinner at bars while in San Francisco, breakfast we took seriously. Well, I took it seriously.<br />
<br />Having been scared off of Herbivore by a friend's recent experience, I searched for other places to catch vegan breakfast. The first place to pop up? Pork Store Cafe. It is a terrible name and it has a terrible logo with a pig waiting on people. But there was tofu scramble on the menu and it came highly rated, so we ambled over 2 miles from our hotel to the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood for happy morning belly time.<br />
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Speaking of ambling, why is Portland the only place I can count on for having consistent city blocks? Thirteen blocks in Portland is something like 3 blocks in San Francisco. This is why we walked SO MUCH during our trip.<br />
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Back to the food. I ordered a vegan version of the rancheros. At first I thought "oh, this will be easy to veganize" but then the waitress kept asking about replacing this and that. I was impressed by how easily she took my order. And look at this plate!<br />
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This was my first time eating anything rancheros and I am HOOKED, dudes. That plate was full of so much delicious. Crispy tortillas, avocado, perfect tofu, soyrizo, refried beans and hashbrowns. I just about ate the whole thing, swollen belly be damned. I highly, highly recommend trying this place out!<br />
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For our second breakfast, I suggested we try Boogaloo's in the Mission District. We commence another hike (seriously, Steph, they're not PDX blocks) and hit the cafe right before the hipster hour. I ordered the Tofu Lover's Scramble (with ranchero sauce) and while it wasn't as good as the first breakfast, it was still pretty tasty! The plate was huge and the cafe was super cute.<br />
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Yay, breakfast!sgcorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17918407398433822146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392099149083033822.post-75867805569261154272013-09-18T09:55:00.000-07:002013-09-18T09:55:20.201-07:00A Travellin' Vegan Mofo: Petaluma & Oakland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After that exciting night at Lagunitas and a consequent bedtime of 8pm (oh, what working early hours will do to one's sleep habits) Jeff and I made our way into Petaluma proper. It's such a tiny town full of cute stores and bakeries. I was peeking at menus and found a place called Food Bar that boasted a tofu scramble that could be made vegan (uh, it had eggs) and we stopped in. It was actually pretty good, if not a little plain, and the potatoes were wonderfully crispy.<br />
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After eating, we wandered around a bit. Downtown is really, really tiny and it took us all of 15 minutes to take it all in.<br />
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We then made our way to the Oakland airport because it is far cheaper to catch the Bart there and take it into San Francisco than to take it from SFO. I had been browsing the PPK thread about SF and Oakland and noticed a mention of The Olde Depot and Beer Revolution, two beer shops next door to each other that were vegan friendly! So, of course, we had to stop in. We split the vegan cheezesteak and pretzel. The menu listed the cheezesteak as having TVP as the protein, but what was actually on there was more like a chewy soy meat. No matter, it was delicious!</div>
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I really loved both places. Beer Revolution prided itself on not carrying "corporate" beers so we tried to stick with local breweries we'd never heard of. I would recommend a stop in to anyone who enjoys a sudsy pint!</div>
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Tomorrow I plan on discussing the two breakfasts we had in San Francisco. We didn't hit Herbivore or Gracias Madre or Millenium or any of the cool spots, but I think we made out just fine.</div>
sgcorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17918407398433822146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392099149083033822.post-45578448811793875242013-09-17T11:32:00.000-07:002013-09-17T11:35:01.148-07:00Vegan MOFO: PDX to SFO via STS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Oh, fellow MOFO'rs, has it really been 12 days since my last missive? You know that feeling when you *should* be doing something (like posting regularly) and you're all set up to do so but then several days go by and it just feels like it's too late to make it up? Yeah, that happened!<br />
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No worries, let's dive back in again, yeah? Jeff and I took an anniversary trip (we've been married for 5 years now, woo!) to San Francisco this year. Because flights are notoriously late into SFO due to ATC flow (as in, the fog slows everything down and ATC has to fit in all those late flights throughout the day SOMEWHERE) we decided to fly through Santa Rosa after I got off of work and stop in at a brewery that's been on my list for ages: Lagunitas. The original plan would be to hit up Russian River that Sunday and then head to Lagunitas on Monday, but apparently Lagunitas is closed on Mondays! No worries, I can stop in at Russian River any ol' time. <br />
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Lagunitas was, in a word, adorable. The back patio was beautiful and one could have their dog there if one wished (the people next to us brought their rescue Greyhound, which was the best). It's in Petaluma's commercial area, which meant there wasn't a whole bunch to do around our hotel after stopping in at the brewery. Some photos from that magical visit:<br />
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This is kind of a terrible photo, but Santa Rosa Airport is actually the Charles Shulz Airport! The airport has these cute statues and is super tiny and my new favorite.<br />
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After getting into STS, we picked up our rental car and drove south to Petaluma, where Lagunitas was housed. As I said, Lagunitas is in the commercial area, so we found a cheap hotel nearby and walked there, planning our visit to Petaluma Proper to happen the next morning. Can I just repeat how much I love Lagunitas? They are veggie friendly with their sandwiches (most you can just leave the cheese off) and all but one of their beers is listed as vegan on Barnivore. Plus, pups!<br />
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Petting the pup, as I do.</div>
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The BEST sampler.<br />
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I had the Roasted Veggie Grill (minus cheese!) and we shared a super salty pretzel. Like, ridiculously salty. This is coming from a couple of salt fiends, even!<br />
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This is Jeff's face, all the time. hahahahaha!<br />
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Tomorrow I will share about our (short) time in Petaluma and a visit to Oakland for, you guessed it, more beer!sgcorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17918407398433822146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392099149083033822.post-72425677322664220662013-09-05T17:42:00.000-07:002013-09-05T17:42:08.084-07:00A Day in My Work Life. Or, How the Shamrock Run Brought 2 Vegans Together.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I first started my training at the airline, I found out one of my new coworkers not only had the very same water bottle I did (a very Portland-specific Shamrock Run Camelbak bottle) but also a camera lens coffee cup! When talking about how similar our tastes ran, my trainer said, "oh, but she probably isn't vegan." To which I replied "OH MY GOD YES I AM!"<br />
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And that, my dears is how I found my first vegan coworker.<br />
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A couple of you have asked me to write about my daily work life. The angle I thought it best to attack would be that of food. See, my shifts are not normal shifts. While I have held several jobs at a time for the last ten years, my hours (for the most part) were between the 7am-6pm range. My body was set to specific meal times.<br />
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Now, since I managed to bid a morning schedule, my shifts start between 4am and 6am. To give myself time to get to the airport and ready for work (airlines are incredibly strict about on-time performance) I have to get up at 2am most days. Dudes, this is not an ideal meal time. I can barely keep my eyes open, let alone shove food in my mouth. However, my job is physical! I'm on my feet all day long, bringing planes in, pushing planes out, sorting baggage, greeting passengers, etc. I barely get time to sit down, which is quite the change from an office environment. Don't get me wrong, I love being active and physical, but it's definitely been a learning experience.<br />
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ANYWAYS, back to the food. Most mornings I can handle coffee and two pieces of toast with Smart Balance and nutritional yeast. I find that much like how I fuel myself for running, the less on a sleepy stomach the better.<br />
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Lunchtime is different. Usually, my lunch takes place around 8am. What is that even?! Time for pancakes? Tempeh bacon? I've been working at making food ahead of time so I don't have to buy lunch at the airport<i>—</i>which, considering it's the airport of the vegan mecca, is not so bad.<br />
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Just this week, I tossed couscous (it's almost instant!) with sauteed 'shrooms and tomatoes from my vacant neighboring apartment's tomato plant.<br />
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Delicious, yeah? I chowed down on that food so fast, it was ridiculous. Apparently planes = hunger.<br />
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Now, eating lunch at 8am brings up a conundrum. When is dinner time? After failed "snacking sessions" I've decided to enjoy the hobbit way of life and call lunch "second breakfast" and it solves all conundrums AND throws an extra meal in my day.<br />
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Unfortunately, by the time actual dinner rolls around, I'm either conked out on the couch or too tired to cook. My poor husband has been eating a lot of baked potatoes lately.<br />
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Here is a bonus, grainy, very early morning shot of that blue moon some weeks back:<br />
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sgcorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17918407398433822146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392099149083033822.post-60335969722344274162013-09-03T08:05:00.001-07:002013-09-05T17:43:06.430-07:00Vegan Mofo 2013 - Buffalo Tofu & Absolute Boredom<br />
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Yesterday was Labor Day and like many of you, I had it off. I wish it were because my employer shut down for the day (hahaha, airlines don't shut down!) and gave everyone a break, but actually, I was on call and enough people wanted the holiday pay I wasn't needed. So I found myself staring at internet for hours, looking for inspiration for dinner. I found it hidden under some buffalo sauce at Don't Get Mad, Get Vegan's post <a href="http://dgmgv.blogspot.com/2013/09/buffalo-tofu-w-simple-vegan-blue-cheese.html" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
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See, I have never had buffalo sauce. Growing up poor meant we ate a lot of substantial potato/rice/corn dishes, things that were cheap and decidedly not frivolous. The first time I had finger food covered in sauce I was at least 20 and totally not a fan of getting messy. My recent forays into vegan wings have included a knife and fork and sauces that do not include buffalo, that sauce of hot sauce and butter. I was intrigued, though.<br />
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So, I tackled the recipe. I used a buffalo sauce recipe I found elsewhere, but....I don't know where that tab went. I know it included too much oil and the perfect amount of Frank's Red Hot and spices. I made fries to go along because, duh.<br />
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The verdict? I thought this was delicious! The sauce was my right kind of spicy and the bleu cheeze dressing was just the right tang. My only change next time would be to cut down on the oil in the buffalo sauce recipe (which is still missing) to make it slightly less rich.<br />
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So, what does this have to do with boredom? First, if I don't have projects or other jobs to accomplish on my days off, I get so bored. In mindlessly scouring the internet for hours (quite literally hours, I was so pissed at myself for wasting so much time) I decided I needed to test out my flight benefits a wee bit sooner. So tomorrow, I'm hijacking my friend and lifelong travel buddy Sarah and we are headed to my Seattle for the day! It's just a 40 minute flight and we haven't had an adventure in so long. I plan on taking her to Mighty-O and to see the Fremont Troll and perhaps climb to the top of the Space Needle.<br />
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Until tomorrow!sgcorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17918407398433822146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392099149083033822.post-40701308217812216892013-09-01T20:24:00.000-07:002013-09-01T20:24:10.718-07:00Vegan Month of Food, Day 1. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello vegans and vegan lovers!<br />
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It's so great to be hitting Vegan Mofo time again. I feel so inspired by the community to cook and bake such wonderful and new things. This year, I don't really have a plan for posting, but that could change! Watch out, world!<br />
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So, as I mentioned before, I started a new job at an airline. This has proven to be the craziest summer I can ever remember, and I've some crazy ones! I'm planning on taking full advantage of my flight benefits this month and taking my husband to San Francisco for our fifth (!!!) wedding anniversary. Of course, I will be posting lots of photos of the delicious things we plan on hitting up.<br />
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For now, though, I thought I'd share a couple random photos I found in my phone. What is Vegan MoFo if not random sometimes?<br />
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First, Hood & Portland to Coast, one of the most awesome running/walking relays in the USA, took place last weekend. This is my second year participating and I just love it so much. A teammate baked me my own personal size vegan marionberry crumble!! I snacked on this thing after all my legs and it was the best. <br />
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Sometimes I forget to pack a lunch for work. Well, it's more that I have to get up at the ungodly hour of 2:30 or 3am and have no desire to cook the night before in this unseasonal heatwave Portland has been experiencing. By "heatwave" I mean "stupid hot thick humid times." When I forget lunch, there are some awesome options at PDX I can turn to, like Elephant's Deli, who recently had a vegan quinoa curry bowl. They also carry this vegan chocolate mousse that is TO DIE FOR. <br />
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My husband and I recently hit up Sen Yai, a new outpost of the Pok Pok empire right down the street from our house...next to Pok Pok. Jeff was not impressed by the food he ordered OR the service, but I loved my dish, which was called Suki Haeng and is available vegan. I don't know what was in that sauce, but holy crap it was good.<br />
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The other day, a friend and I hit up Fire on the Mountain for their "Mountainfest," which we assumed meant beer festival but actually just meant live music and pints outside. The thing about FOTM that makes them super awesome? They make vegan wings. VEGAN. WINGS. They are a delicious baked seitan concoction. So, I had them with raspberry habenero sauce and they were delicious. Also, beer. The wings are so much better than the beer.<br />
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Thanks for reading! Tune in tomorrow!sgcorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17918407398433822146noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392099149083033822.post-34000029682675887092013-06-20T16:36:00.002-07:002013-06-20T16:36:50.960-07:002013 Will Be My YearHello blog-land!<br />
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So many things have happened in the past couple months that I don't even know where to catch up. So, the basics:<br />
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<li>I recently (as in, December?) took on a bigger responsibility in Vegan Iron Chef, which is awesome and teaching me A LOT.</li>
<li>I turned 30. I had a table full of free drinks and I went to bed before the party ended. </li>
<li>I graduated college! I have an English degree now and feel SO DARN SMART. </li>
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and finally, the very best update:<br />
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<li>I got a new job! At an airline! </li>
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I love where I work now. I really do. It can be crazy, but being around animals every day has been SO good to my soul. On a whim, I applied for a ground service job at an airline where one of my closest friends works and managed to snag the job! I had to suffer through a full day interviewing process/intense federal background check which led to 2011 W-2 gathering mania. I was sweating bullets, but every single job I've had, I've gotten because of who I know and this one was no different. I officially start July 8th!<br />
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So, what does that mean? It means I will be out on the tarmac, marshaling planes in and pushing them back out and sorting luggage and avoiding lavatory duty. It means Jeff and I can travel for free (on standby) wherever this airline flies (internationally to Canada and Mexico). We are also able to take advantage of airline agreements with like 90 other airlines. I will be able to travel so much more, which has been a high priority for me for awhile. The hours will be nuts (low seniority = weekends, holidays and either super early or super late shifts) but honestly, it'll be worth it. Also, I haven't been able to work full time with my school schedule, so I will also be able to save even more for travelling!<br />
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Obviously, this doesn't use my degree one bit, but then again, neither does my current job! I've taken some time to polish some editorial and writing examples and am planning on joining the Copyeditor Freelance Association in the next couple weeks. Editing is something I've been trained to do in my spare time with the last couple of quarters and now, instead of paying ridiculous tuition to do it, I hope to actually make some money off of it!<br />
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So, stick with me friends. Add me to your new feed conglomerates (RIP Google Reader!) and keep an eye on this guy. We've got some travellin' to do.<br />
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<br />sgcorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17918407398433822146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392099149083033822.post-66441903332118571422013-05-23T08:15:00.001-07:002013-05-23T08:15:20.767-07:00VIda Vegan Con (2)!First, I'd like to apologize for the radio silence for the last 7 months. I'm in my final month of my undergrad career (!!) and combined with work, Vegan Iron Chef, and running, I just find myself falling asleep at the end of the day (or, not so end of the day) instead of blogging. After this weekend, though, I will (most likely) be headed back to the ol' blogging grindstone!<br />
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Why now? You see, Vida Vegan Con is back in town this weekend! I will undoubtedly find myself energized and motivated all over again by the awesome attendees and range of topics the conference has to offer.<br />
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This is my second time at the conference (second time as an assistant, even) and I am so excited. I didn't recap it at all last time, but I fully plan on blogging about it this year! Please let me know if you'll be there!<br />
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Thanks for sticking with me!<br />
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<br />sgcorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17918407398433822146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392099149083033822.post-70463307206962811192012-11-08T16:50:00.001-08:002012-11-08T16:51:31.516-08:00Nøgne ø Brewery<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4d-667wYOQM/TPLPHwIE5tI/AAAAAAAABEw/1vfqaki-p8c/s1600/IMG_6544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>I absolutely dropped the ball on recapping our most recent trip (and MoFo, for you vegans reading). School and work and life just caught up with me. In fact, I'm writing this in the tutoring room of the Athletic Center at PSU while I wait for sporty students to beg me for help on their writing.<br />
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To apologize, here is a little post on our visit to one of Norway's awesome breweries, <a href="http://www.nogne-o.com/">Nøgne ø</a>. To say the name, you have to make the "neuuk neuuk" sound the 3 Stooges are famous for.<br />
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Jeff and I first found beer by Nøgne ø at John's Marketplace in SW Portland. It was expensive and pretty damn good considering the tiny little bottle shipped from (almost) the Arctic Circle.<br />
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One day, while searching for cool Norway things instead of working on homework or something useful, I found Nøgne ø's website and realized that the brewery was right on the way on our drive from Kristiansand to Oslo. I also found out the brewery offered tours and tastings. How could we not visit?<br />
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So, I rearranged our rental car schedule (and saved us $150 in the process, somehow) and set up a time to tour the brewery. Good thing, too, since Norway has strict alcohol regulations (on par with those in Utah) and beer that wasn't Duff (FOR REALS) was not available outside of the liquor store (thereby making it incredibly expensive).<br />
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The sad selection at the supermarket.</div>
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First, I have to comment on how beautiful this brewery is. It overlooks a lake and is in an old power station in the middle of nowhere. I mean, Norway itself is stunning and breathtaking. This building is no different. <br />
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Our tour was a group tour, but we were the only people who weren't from Norway. The tour included 2 different sakes and 6-8(!!!) different types of beer. Because of our "refined beer palates" the guide introduced us to the brewery's more adventurous beers. Norwegians are accustomed to drinking beer akin to PBR, so the tour guide was excited to let us try the good stuff.<br />
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And, my friends, it was GOOD.<br />
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I couldn't tell you everything we tried, but I remembered some of the "special issue" types: Double Hop IPA, Single Hop Citra, Beyond the Pale, Dark Horizon (my favorite!!) and Jolly Pumpkin (not spiced whatsoever, just pure pumpkin flavor). The pours were excellent and we got sweet glasses out of it. The actual brewery had Rogue AND Bridgeport Brewing Co. flags hanging on the walls, making this trip extra special to us Portlanders.<br />
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If you ever find yourself in Norway and are a fan of beer, I would highly recommend taking a tour of this place. It's only about two hours from Oslo and most definitely worth the trip. I will say they don't sell the higher alcohol stuff in their gift shop due to the Norwegian alcohol rules, but since most of their business is importing, a good beer shop in your area (I've found it at John's Marketplace and Belmont Station in Portland) will carry the brand.<br />
<br />sgcorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17918407398433822146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392099149083033822.post-35173888956135018212012-10-07T10:35:00.000-07:002012-10-07T10:35:19.544-07:00Day 6 - How This Vegan Fuels for Races <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I wasn't really planning on writing about how I fuel for my races, but running has become such a big part of my life and is a constant work in progress that I can't ignore.<br />
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I have major anxiety stomach. What does that mean? It means the day of the race (and, depending on the length, the day BEFORE the race) I can't really eat much at all. My go-to breakfast is a single piece of toast with peanut butter and most of the time I can't finish that. I drink ONLY water up to about 2 hours before the race to avoid side-aches. This is really not the best way to fuel your body, especially if it's a longer race or one that I'm planning on going all out on.<br />
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So, I take in my calories during the race. Currently, my stomach will allow chocolate Clif energy gels (confirmed vegan on their website!) and some Gatorade (but not much). I take a Clif gel 15 minutes before the race starts, then one hour into it, then about 45 minutes after that. This method has only failed me once (during my second half) and really, it was most likely the humidity that was hurting me. During the Shamrock run last year, my longest distance to date at that point, I didn't pack that extra Clif gel and I was shaking so hard during that last mile.<br />
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So what about after? Most races are good at offering the bread + PB + banana combination. Also, beer works wonders for post race cheeriness. I also am lucky enough to run in Portland, where most of the time the food offerings after the race have vegetarian and vegan options. If not, my lovely group of friends will happily hit up a vegan friendly establishment for post race eats.<br />
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Please note I didn't say anything about carb loading. Carbs are my favorite. I eat enough of them that carb loading for normal people is a regular meal for me. I do always have a beer the night before the race if my stomach allows it. sgcorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17918407398433822146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392099149083033822.post-90264986164064807692012-10-03T22:38:00.000-07:002012-10-03T22:38:27.268-07:00Day 3 - The Baked Potato Shop, Edinburgh<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The first time I visited Edinburgh, it was for a total of about 5 hours and since I didn't know where to even start to find this lovely little potato shop, we wound up eating crappy pizza in a hostel bar and getting lost in the narrow streets and alleys. I vowed that someday I would come back to Edinburgh, if only to visit the Baked Potato Shop.</div>
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Come back I did. Of course, it wasn't just for potatoes. And it seems like an incredibly vegan touristy thing to do. But you know what? When you've spent the last week in one of the most expensive countries in the world, living off of Lara Bars and instant coffee smuggled from Portland in your backpack and dreaming of your own kitchen, you CHERISH these cheap, ridiculously stuffed potatoes. You become ECSTATIC over the reintroduction of vegetables into your diet, even in the form of a white starch. You decide that yes, curried chickpeas do sound delicious stuffed into a hot potato. </div>
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You may also come back again for lunch and, stuck between the agonizing decision of a hot or cold filling, you choose both. Couscous and veggie haggis complement each other well. <br />
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Happy bellies all around. Oh, and Edinburgh is also incredibly beautiful and fantastic and dreamy.sgcorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17918407398433822146noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392099149083033822.post-75821903247726821072012-10-02T14:20:00.000-07:002012-10-02T14:20:17.969-07:00Day 2 - How to Be Unprepared for a Long Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yesterday I wrote my post at 11pm, when I got home from my semi-regular Monday working schedule: 9 hours at the clinic, 3 hours on the paper route (plus the extra drive time to change clothes after an unfortunate and smelly spill).<br />
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Getting home that late meant my dinner was oven fries and beer. Deschutes Chainbreaker White IPA, to be exact. I am not complaining about this.<br />
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However, it's kicking me today. My Tuesdays and Thursdays are spent at school from 10-8:30, so I have to be prepared or at least be willing to pay for lunch. Since my bank account is currently not allowing that, I grabbed what I could from the house that didn't require cooking.<br />
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A peach from a fruit farm in Hood River and a super delicious food bar made in the Columbia Gorge. Vegan! Organic! GF! No refined sugars!<br />
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I will probably be starving when I get home.sgcorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17918407398433822146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392099149083033822.post-54023316640955024582012-10-01T22:51:00.001-07:002012-10-01T22:51:15.628-07:00It's Time to MOFO!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello!<br />
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So, it's been a little while since my last missive. But I had to come back. It's time to celebrate the Vegan Month of Food! Time to squeeze a little time out of my October days to appreciate veganism and everything this lifestyle has done for me.<br />
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Last year I tried to follow a theme and it basically sucked. So, this year will be different. This year will be written in the classic fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants style. You see, I am currently working full time and going to school full time (not complainin' just explainin'). I have zero time outside of the weekends. Cooking has been....half-hearted.<br />
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I just got back from a little(!!) trip to Scandinavia and the UK, which I'm dying to share bits and pieces about.<br />
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I also know I want to explore <i>Beard on Bread, </i>a book I hijacked from my late grandmother's extensive cookbook collection (just one small part of her massive book collection). Let's face it, bread is awesome.<br />
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So, today, I will share a photo of the most amazing food I found in Norway (Norway is amazingly gorgeous and amazing, but it's not really vegan friendly). The Norwegians LOVE hazelnut spread with their toast, but most has milk in it.<br />
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Not this private label brand I scored at a grocery store (seconds after fumbling through trying to understand a kid asking me to hand something from a too-high shelf. In Norwegian). You better believe I Google Translated those ingredients twice.<br />
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Onward!sgcorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17918407398433822146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392099149083033822.post-6930026818218200612012-07-29T20:16:00.000-07:002012-07-29T20:19:24.277-07:00My Surprise Second HalfI didn't plan on running a second half marathon a month after my first.<br />
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At least, not legally.<br />
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See, my running buddy Libby had signed up for the half and she was running it somewhat alone. I told her I would bandit the race (I KNOW I KNOW THAT'S BAD) to keep her company. I'm trying to save for a month of travel! I was maxed out on race fees for the year.<br />
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Just 2 weeks before the half, I got an email.<br />
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At first, I thought it was a mistake. And then I tried to remember if I'd signed up for the half when I was asleep. And then I realized I have some the best people for friends, ever. EVER.<br />
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They signed me up, a $70+ registration fee. They want me to be included, even if it doesn't always mean I can't afford it. I just love them and their big hearts, so so much.<br />
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I would like to say that their kindness and overwhelming generosity forced me to train like a bandit. I ran twice before the half: one 10 miler and one little group run. In 4 weeks. I was worn out and feeling like I could rock whatever came at me, including a HALF MARATHON.<br />
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Did it work?<br />
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The race started off beautifully. The race started a little late (9, I think?) so it was a little warmer than I hoped, but I felt like I was rocking it. I knew the course elevations beforehand and wasn't a bit worried about the hill in the middle. <br />
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Until, that is, I hit the hill in the middle.<br />
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Looking back, I went too fast in the first half of the race and tired myself out. When I hit the hill, I ended up walking almost all of it. Some guy passed me, muttering "it's all for the beer, right?!" to which I nodded.<br />
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After the steep hill, we finally hit the downhill. I was spent. The humidity was really affecting me and no matter how much Gatorade I sucked at the water stops and how much Clif Gel I shoved down my throat, I felt awful. At one point, I accidentally spritzed the air mister Libby gave me into my mouth, causing my throat to swell up and freak me out (the first ingredient is nitrogen). I started having to walk more and more and the last three miles were a constant battle with my legs to get them to run for more than 30 seconds at a time and a battle with my throat to keep open. I kept looking for Libby, expecting her to catch up at any moment. <br />
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I kicked myself in the ass and ran for the last quarter of a mile. I was disappointed in myself when I saw my time was 11 minutes slower than the first half.<br />
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Turns out Libby was having issues of her own. Her IT band started bothering her after the Rock n Roll Half (thanks to the uneven streets of the PDX Eastside) and it was killing her halfway through and forcing her to walk the remainder of the race.<br />
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In the end, we got to cross together. There were tears. <br />
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And beers.sgcorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17918407398433822146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392099149083033822.post-9311593014620296962012-07-03T21:01:00.003-07:002012-07-03T21:02:48.056-07:00How I Survived My First Half MarathonI know this is a little late, but hey, life gets in the way. You know?<br />
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I ran my very first half marathon on May 20th. The experience was terrifying, emotional, draining, hard, and fantastic all at once.<br />
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I did not run it alone. You see, I have crazy fantastic friends that run/walk too. One crazy fantastic friend grabbed an entry just a week or two before the race!<br />
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I'm on the far right and the lady next to me is my running-buddy-4-life Libby. Without her to push and support me, I never would have
continued on this path to running a half marathon (or 2!). </div>
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The required pre-race shoe shot</div>
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Libby is a ten (eleven?) year cancer survivor and always includes others hit with cancer in her races. The list is, sadly, pretty large, but it's such a beautiful tribute. Unfortunately, she had to include a good friend of mine who passed away just 10 days before the half. I would be lying if I didn't admit that seeing her name was a wrench in my side.</div>
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The race itself went (mostly) beautifully. It rained almost the entire time, like a Portland race should. Within the first 3 miles, I saw these things:<br />
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Beautiful downtown Portland.</div>
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Carpet on the Hawthorne Bridge (my favorite bridge!)</div>
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Honey Badger!</div>
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There was a steady incline from mile 3-6 and then the course promised to go downhill. YEAH RIGHT. There were block long steep climbs. Because the route took us through SE Portland (a first for any Portland race) the streets were older and unkempt, slanting and riddled with potholes. The slanted road didn't bother me too much, but it irritated Libby's IT band to the point where it still hurts her. There was a surprising amount of people out cheering us on, given the weather!<br />
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I didn't have a goal set other than to finish around 3:00 hours. Yes, I am a slow runner. But I am still out there doing it. 13.1 miles is no joke! I finished at 2:52 (Garmin time, chip time didn't include 2 stoplights I had to wait for) which I was more than happy with.<br />
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Space blankets rock!!</div>
We followed the race with pedicures (the best thing EVER after a hard run) and a towed car. I did not know I would be running my second half just a month later.<br />
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To be continued....<br />
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<br />sgcorriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17918407398433822146noreply@blogger.com0