I just realized that since I announced that I was going to ride the Bike MS Pedal to the Point ride, I haven't once updated you on my training.

That's because there really hasn't been much of it. I was doing good with getting on my bike for a while, but then life kind of got in the way. And, as is always the case when I don't have a plan, exercising got pushed to the back burner.

So, according to my Garmin, I've ridden 42.5 miles in the last 30 days. Considering I'm planning to do 150 miles in two days...that seems a little under par.



I think I'm having a tough time with this for a few reasons:

1. This is my first summer since I moved to Ohio not training for a big (marathon or half) RUNNING race
2. I don't want to set an actual training plan out...I want to just roll with it

Sometimes for me not having a plan is a sure path to not training, but I'm also finding myself wanting to do more running than anything else, even without training. I kept finding running races that I want to do and it finally occurred to me, that we should probably be focusing more on doing bike tours for training...not running.

Don't worry. This isn't going to be a political rant about the government "reigning in the budget"

I'm going to talk a little today about reigning in my budget.

Brandon and I went through our expenses last night to see what the bare minimum we  need to be making to live off of was. The results were alarming! The worst part of it was, the only thing that we could really work on "reigning in" was our grocery and gas bills. Everything else were things that need to be paid for. 


Um, helloooo adulthood!

That was even a look at our expenses WITHOUT fun money! It's not like we both don't have jobs and can't afford our expenses, but what if we want to make any big changes in our lives? Switching jobs, moving, having kids...those are all things I've never really thought about until now.

So, since groceries and gas are really our only {fairly} liquid expenses, I'm going to do some work on budgeting and pulling that number down. For now, gas is a given for me, since I work 35 miles away from home, but groceries can really be worked with!

Soooo, I need some suggestions!! How do you guys do it? I mean, we eat well and that's not something I'm about to compromise, but I know we can eat well on a budget! I've decided on a couple of steps to take to start saving money on groceries

1. start saving all our grocery receipts and keep track of what we are spending
2. list all the necessities, as I'm sure there are frivolous items in our grocery carts
3. determine all the things I buy that could be made at home - this is a big one, I know I can do much better at this with a little effort
4. Start planning a week of meals, make a list, buy ONLY what's on that list

Just kidding!

This post should be a race recap, but I didn't end up running it because I was violently sick the night before. That was the best post title I could think of though. Other top contenders were:

Why I Only Lasted 6 Days On Raw Foods
6 out of 10 ain't bad
How Raw Foods Dominated My Toilet


Yeah, that last one was a little too graphic, even for me. I think you get the gist though, we're cutting our raw foods cleanse short by 4 days.

This weekend was going really well until I came down with a fever on Saturday evening and proceeded to get sick every hour, on the hour, beginning at 8 p.m. Needless to say, we didn't run in the 10k the next morning (bummer deal) and I woke up with zero appetite for raw food.

I don't want to give you the impression that I was "defeated" by this challenge. I am simply listening to what my body is asking of me. It was beginning to be more of a burden than fun for us...so that's why we decided to end it early. Every time we do a raw food cleanse, we learn a little bit more about it and about ourselves. Some key takeaways this time around:

• We are going to incorporate more raw food in our lives by doing one raw meal every week
• I've been able to learn my body's limits, especially when I am only putting raw food into it. At least for the first few days, I generally don't have enough energy to exercise.
• Raw food prep can take a long time. If we weren't prepping a meal, we were thinking about what we needed to soak or dehydrate for our next meal. That, in itself, is exhausting. 

Today I think I'm finally getting back into the groove here! I took yesterday off, as far as physical activity goes, but also because it's becoming a desperate situation...we need to get our upstairs painted!!! So we did that instead of running or biking.

We also got in bed at 10ish, so I am catching up on sleep. I feel a lot better today than I did yesterday! Minus having the energy or motivation to run at lunch. Well, at least tomorrow is the weekend and I can rest, practice yoga, paint, go to the farmer's market....ah, the list goes on.

What I ate today:

BREAKFAST smoothie: mango, avocado, blueberries, banana and kale, served in a bowl and sprinkled with homemade raw granola
LUNCH leftover stuffed pepper, and a whole tupperware-full of homemade trail mix (almonds, cashews, raisins, pepitas, sunflower seeds and apricots)

• 1 1/2 cups raw buckwheat groats
• 1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkins seeds)
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup flaxseeds
• 10 apricots, chopped
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup dried blueberries
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
• 3 tbsp cacao nibs
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/4 cup agave nectar

Last year, when I was still living with Emily, we threw a winter beer olympics party in honor of the winter olympics. We had a whole bracket set up for beer pong, corn hole, speed quarters (the only game that we actually finished) and flip cup. What we didn't have planned to play was Beersbee.

Beersbee was the game that was played excessively while we were at the beach in Port Clinton last weekend (for the Medina High School class of 2001 Reunion, by the by).

• 1 regulation frisbee
• 4 poles (any material, just something that you can shove into the ground)
• 4 solo cups
• 4 able and willing participants
• 4 beers (NOTE: Beersbee can also be played with water, for you designated drivers)

...or maybe the chowder would be more aptly named "Avocado Chowder" as Alex noted last night.

Brandon had an awesome gig last night! He helped out with percussion for The Luckey Ones, a band made up of some friends he knows from high school. They are a an incredibly talented bluegrass band. Absolutely check them out:

HAPPY SUMMER!!!

Today is the first day of our raw foods cleanse. So far I'm actually surprised that I've stayed satiated from breakfast all the way through lunchtime. I am also loving taking pics of my food in my office...the lighting is much better than my kitchen!

I am feeling great about this cleanse, granted I'm only a day in. Brandon, I'm afraid, has not been so lucky. If you read about eating raw, you'll find that many people go through a period of serious cleaning out, to put it nicely. I'm talking poop, vomit, acne...the works. I was spared all that in our last cleanse, but Brandon felt some of those effects. Unfortunately, this is a case of same smell, different day.

Here's what I'm eating today:

BREAKFAST green smoothie: frozen mixed berries and bananas, 1 piece of kale and a few spinach leaves, almonds and almond milk. all blended together in my magic bullet.

LUNCH salad: mixed greens courtesy of Woolf Farms with strawberries (also Woolf Farms), peaches, avocadoes and almonds. dressing: balsamic, olive oil and dijon mustard with oregano and basil, all mixed together. cherries on the side

DINNER raw creamy corn chowder topped with corn kernels and sprouted sunflower seeds

SNACKS/DESSERT apple with raw almond butter (thank you Trader Joe's!), mung bean sprouts, dried apricots and a spoonful of honey (because my throat is feeling itchy)

I have a little how-to for you today: SPROUTS! Sprouts are a raw food essential for me for so many reasons

1. you can eat them, just as they are, they make an awesome snack
2. you can dry/dehydrate and grind them (specifically wheat berry sprouts) and make a nutritionally packed flour
3. you can add them to just about any meal to add flavor, texture and a nutritional BANG

What is your favorite type of sprout? What dishes do you use them in?

Starting tomorrow, Brandon and I are going to celebrate the transition into summer by eating only raw foods for ten days! This is the second time we are going to embark on this type of "cleanse" (hopefully with a bit more ease this time) and personally, I'm thrilled to use this as a way to usher in the summer!

Lets talk a little about what eating only raw foods entails, because I know some of you are thinking "you're going to eat raw meat?!?!"


According to wikipedia, a raw food diet consists of raw plant foods that have not been heated above 105 degrees (F). According to your source, that number can fluctuate between 105 and 120 degrees. The idea is that below that "transition temperature" (for lack of a better word), the heat does not break down essential enzymes, antioxidants, etc. Essentially, it is food as nature intended it.

We struggled the first few days last time we attempted a raw food cleanse for a couple of reasons

1. We were unprepared. Most raw foods recipes require overnight soaking of nuts or grains and a little advanced planning
2. We were unprepared...for the change to our bodies. Mostly in Brandon's case, there was a lot moving through him, to be euphemistic.
3. We didn't really know exactly what was considered "raw". In the case of "to eat or not to eat" when we didn't know the answer, we just wouldn't eat...and that left us HUNGRY. 
4. Sometimes it's difficult to figure out how food is prepared. Example: oats. Are they raw? You can buy raw oat groats, but rolled oats are heated when they are rolled. Not raw. Also, Bulgar is generally parboiled before it is packaged. 

• 20 pepper plants, some sweet, most of them hot
• 15 tomato plants, all different varieties
• Mesclun lettuce
• Spinach
• Swiss chard
• Thyme (regular and lemon)
• Basil
• Chives
• Dill
• Lavender
• Broccoli
• Carrots (three whole rows!!)
• 2 potatoes...but we want more!
• Red cabbage
• Brussels sprouts
• Sweet corn (this is a big experiment for us)
• Watermelon
• Butternut squash
• Eggplant
• Cilantro
• Onions
• Sugar snap peas
• Asparagus

• Spring greens need to get outside early because they like it cooler (ahem, broccoli!) so if you can't put them in the ground, pot them and put them outside. Broccoli will go straight to seed if it matures when it's too warm. 
• If you don't have enough room for all the seeds that you started in your garden, expand your garden!! We didn't have enough room for the vine plants so we added on to our in-ground garden in an area that is still separate from the rest of the plants, so the vines don't take over. 
• Asparagus takes 2+ years until you get a harvest out of them. Just be patient. 
• Next year, I want to try rolling "seasons". Essentially put in spring plants early, and once they're harvested the summer plants will go in, then once those are harvested, late summer/fall plants will go in. Might be able to catch the tail end of this idea this year. We'll see. 

In case you missed them, here are the other two installments of my DIY Vegetable Garden posts:

• DIY Vegetable Garden: Tilling and Filling
• DIY Vegetable Garden: Weed Block and Potting Saplings

I heard a very interesting story on NPR about Cleveland this morning.

Basically, they said that Cleveland should be a perfect place for young, tax-paying professionals to flock to (and for many, to come home to). The cost of living is incredibly low, you get the arts, the night life, incredible parks, a [decent] public transit system, even though it may not seem like it, there are actually jobs here.

BUT

They said that Clevelanders are Cleveland's own worst enemy. It's not that we don't believe in a Cleveland revival, we're just very skeptical. So like, when someone actually does move to the area, people ask "why?" instead of welcoming them!

As a (semi) recent Cleveland transplant, I know this to be 100% true. When I first started meeting new people in Cleveland, and even now as I meet new Clevelanders, one of their very first questions is always "...so, why the hell did you move here?!" 


No lie.

Not to mention, the most popular tourism video(s) makes fun Cleveland, and points out all the reasons why someone would NOT want to move here. I hope, for Cleveland's sake, that we can all change our attitude about that. This place has so many good things going for it. I know we are [mostly] all 100% behind our city, and I know everyone is really just being sarcastic when they as me why I'm here.

BUT

A lot of truth is said in jest. If we're going to change everyone elses' less-than-positive view on life here in CLE, then we have to first change our own. We should be telling the world how wonderful it is here. It shouldn't be "why would you move here?!?" but "It's GREAT that you moved to Cleveland! It's such an awesome city! Welcome home."

Ok, I'm off my soap box.

The real topic of my post today was to show off some pictures and an awesome summer recipe...

• typical burger fillings; tomatoes, lettuce, onions
• fried eggs (mmm, or poached with a runny yolk!)
• if you're not anti-meat: chicken breast or sausage
• strawberries and peaches, topped with some honey (disclaimer: I have never tried this, so I can't attest to it's deliciousness. Though I don't know

In the past few weeks, I've had the opportunity to see FireSide Symphony play live at a few different venues.

As you probably know, I happen to be dating the lead singer. What you might not know is...well, anything about the music. {Side note: don't judge me for using my blog to promote my boyfriend's musical aspirations, but I'm going to because I think he's incredibly talented and the world deserves to hear his music!} So here is your chance to get a little bit of background on just WHO FireSide Symphony is!


Music has been with me since I was a boy.  My mom and dad wanted me to play piano (starting around age 5 or 6) and then I picked up the violin in the 4th grade and joined the orchestra.  Set those instruments down by my sophomore year of high school and picked up the bass guitar and started a band with my friends.  By my jr. year of high school mom and dad, as a birthday gift, gave me my first acoustic guitar and I immediately started writing my own music.  And the rest is history....

What made you decide that you wanted to pursue music as a career?  

Freshman year of college at John Carroll University, I spent a LOT of time by myself, soul searching, and finally realized how much joy I find playing and writing music and sharing that with others.  My communications degree, which I graduated with in 2005, then became my life's backup plan and music has since been first and foremost.  

What instruments do you play and what is your favorite?

Just for you guys, I'm going to give you a sneak peak of some of the new music that Brandon has been working on in the recording studio. Here is the studio version of "A Walk This Morning"

Welcome to the FireSide Family :)