Author Archives: maddie

It’s been awhile…

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Well, it’s been almost 3 months since my last post!  It certainly wasn’t my intention to go this long without posting, but I’m back!  I thought I would catch you up on what’s been going on around here, and tomorrow I’ll have a new recipe for you ;)

Run time! In my last post I mentioned that I was going to be racing in my first half marathon that weekend.  Well, I pushed myself harder than I ever thought I could, and finished just shy of my 1:53 goal time.  Don’t let this picture fool you- I was all smiles for the camera…the car ride home was a different story, but I’ll spare you the details ;)

Triathlon sprints! About a week after the half marathon, my sister and I competed in a Try-a-Tri triathlon.  I chose the try-a-tri because it was shorter than a sprint triathlon, and it was geared towards beginners like me!  The triathlon consisted of a 200m swim, 13.3km bike, and 3 km run.  It was a fun learning experience and I’m glad I had my little sis there with me.

Giddy up! In July, my parents and I went out west to Calgary to visit my older brother (he was there all summer training for skiing).  The trip was a complete blast!  We went to the Calgary Stampede, went down the Olympic bobsleigh track, visited Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, went ziplining, and visited Fernie, BC all in one week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to school! I took two years off school after graduating from high school, and was so beyond excited to accept my offer of acceptance to Carleton University!  I had my first day of class on the 6th, and was completely blown away by how different university is from high school.  People will tell you all the time how university is such an adjustment from high school, but it doesn’t really hit you until you experience it for yourself.  We’re only 10 days into the school year and I’m already swamped with work (I know, it’s only going to get worse)!  My courses this semester are chemistry, biology, psychology, calculus, and economics.  And I have a correspondence course to finish for January.  I’m going to one busy girl!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to blogging! I really have missed my time away from the blog.  I love being able to share recipes and tips and connect with amazing people all at the same time.  Thanks for sticking with me and I hope to see you around!

~Quote of the day~

“Don’t let your past dictate who you are.  But let it be part of who you will become.”

Foodie Pen Pals: May

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Morning everyone!

It feels good to be back posting on the blog ;)  I have lots of exciting stuff coming up…I just ran my first half marathon on Sunday, so I’ll have a race recap up next week.  I’ll be competing in my first triathlon next weekend- eek!  And I have lots of recipes to post that have been piling up for months- this blog needs more recipes :)

Now let’s move onto the good stuff…FOODIE PEN PALS REVEAL DAY!  In case you didn’t catch onto my enthusiasm, I am totally in love with this program.  Receiving a monthly package of food is what I would call a foodie’s dream ;)

foodiepal stamp2 April Foodie Penpals Reveal Day

Here’s a quick recap of what the Foodie PenPals program is:

  • At the beginning of each month, bloggers and blog readers receive their penpal pairing.
  • You have until the 15th of the month to send your package, and on the last day of the month you reveal the goodies you were sent :)
  • Packages are to be filled with foodie related items with a spending limit of $15.  The box must also include something written.
  • As a penpal you are responsible for contacting your penpal regarding any dietary issues/concerns.  (i.e. vegan, gluten-free, peanut free).
  • Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian, and UK residents.  US residents are paired with US residents.  Canadian residents are paired with Canadians.  And UK residents are paired with UK residents.  That way there’s no delay dealing with customs and everybody (hopefully) gets their package on time.

Want to join? Head on over to Lindsay’s blog and you’ll find more details and a sign up form for the Foodie Penpals program.

This month I sent a package to Lisa from Cooking with Jamie, and I received a package from Sarah who blogs at The Laughing Medusa.

My amazing goodies from Sarah:

>Cleo’s Peanut Butter Cups
>Snap! Candy Bar
>Go Go Quinoa Mushroom and Quinoa Cream
>Pur Gum (Peppermint)
>Vega Complete Whole Food Health Optimizer
>Lychee Carnation Blooming Tea Balls
>Ricks Cajun Gococonut

I’m a big fan of GoGo Quinoa- they’re a Canadian based company (from Quebec), and the majority of their products are gluten-free, vegan, and organic.  Although I have yet to try the Mushroom and Quinoa Cream soup, I already like it based on the ingredients (less than 10) and the fact that there isn’t actually any cream in it.  The instructions say to add a milk alternative (almond, soy, hemp, rice) and water when cooking.  This sounds like it’s going to be right up my healthy eating alley ;)

If you read my March Foodie Pen Pals post, you know that I’m a big fan of Pur gum.  It’s vegan, aspartame free, gluten-free, sugar free, dairy free, nut free, and diabetic friendly. Oh, and Maddie approved!

Another product line I love, Vega!  I will definitely be adding that packet of Whole Food Health Optimizer to one of my green shakes :)

I was super excited when I saw these two treats!  Peanut butter cups and a crisped rice chocolate bar- yes please!  For some reason I was expecting the peanut butter cups to be mini ones, but the package included two cups that look and taste exactly like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.  Oh my gosh.  I only ate one of the cups (the other is stashed away in the fridge for when I get a craving for chocolate), and it was delicious!  Not too sweet or sugary, but just enough to satisfy my sweet tooth ;)  I have yet to try the chocolate bar, but you can bet that it won’t last long around here!

Okay, I’ll admit that I was pretty skeptical as to how these cajun coconut pieces would taste, but man are they good.  I’ve never actually tried a piece of coconut before, so this was a first for me.  The coconut flavour was relatively mild compared to the cajun spice flavour, but the combination tasted perfect to me :)  Had I seen these in the store I never would’ve thought to give them a try- thanks Sarah for introducing me to a new favourite!

I’m looking forward to trying the tea balls.  Sarah said that they’re fun to watch bloom and that they taste really good too.  Can’t wait!

Sarah: thank you so much for the wonderful goodies!! You really outdid yourself!

And a huge thank you to Lindsay for organizing and running the Foodie Pen Pals program.

Have a great day everyone :)

Something to think about…

~”It’s funny how our past frames us.  How the person we used to be never lets loose of the person we are.  Past failures and disappointments, even victories take hold of us.  They haunt us like ghosts or visit us like old friends.” ~One Tree Hill~

My First 10 km Race (Recap)

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This past Sunday I competed in my first ever 10 km race.

I guess now is as good a time as any to let you know (my few loyal readers) that I’m training for the Ottawa Half Marathon on May 27th.

I will have a full post up next week with details about why I decided to do this, training, meals, etc.

My mom and I are both going to be running the half (we’re loosely following Hal Higdon’s Novice 2 plan), and it’s suggested that you run a 5km and/or a 10km race at some point during your training.  Neither my mom nor I are big fans of 5km races, so we decided to race the 10km instead.

The Alive to Strive 10km race fit perfectly into our training schedule, so we decided to give it a go.

Now let’s get to that recap!

The day before:

I had big plans to go to the gym early Saturday morning, but changed my plans once I woke up and realized I was having a hard time walking around the house.  I may have slightly overdone it on my training, which resulted in extreme soreness of my lower body, and a nagging pain in my right calf muscle.  I decided to lay low for the rest of the day and only did some light yoga at home to help loosen my legs up.

Properly fuelling the day before a race is always important, so I made sure dinner was packed with carbs, protein, and lots of veggies.  I barbecued marinated tofu and mixed veggies, and cooked an abundance of quinoa on the stove.  I didn’t take a picture of my bowl, but it was a layer of quinoa, veggies, and a lot of delicious tofu. :)  Here are a few pictures I took with my iPhone while I was cooking.

Enough veggies to feed an army!

Remember how I said cheesy tofu was my favourite tofu of all time?  Well I have a new favourite.  I marinated this batch of tofu for an hour and then grilled them on the barbecue for about 15 minutes.  It’s out of this world good.  Don’t worry, the recipe will be coming your way shortly. ;)

After dinner I did some more stretching and then it was off to bed.

Race day:

I woke up shortly after 8, had my daily mug of lemon water, then started eating my breakfast…overnight oats of course!

Fun fact:  I always eat my oats in a reusable plastic container.  It doesn’t matter if I’m eating at home or on the go, I rarely ever use a bowl.  I find it so much easier to mix the oats in a container.  Weird right?

After breakfast I changed into my running clothes, grabbed my water bottle, iPod, and bib and headed out the door.  The race was held at a local track that only has one relatively small parking lot, so we parked in a mall parking lot and walked the kilometre to the start of the race.

We arrived at the start line with 20 minutes to spare before the scheduled 10 o’clock start, and it was clear that they were running a little bit behind schedule.  I really didn’t mind because in typical Maddie fashion I wasn’t really ready.  (I didn’t have my bib on, my hair wasn’t up in a ponytail, I hadn’t changed out of my warm up pants, and I had yet to tie up my running shoes).  And I was a bundle of nerves.  Apparently I was very fidgety and hyper because my mom had to tell me to relax and calm down.  It doesn’t matter how small or big the race is, I ALWAYS get extremely nervous.  I was kind of glad that the start had been pushed back a bit; it gave me time to calm down and settle my nerves.

At around 10:20 all the 10km runners were called to the start for a light stretching session. I remember looking around and thinking, “This is it?  Where is everyone?”  If I had to guess, I would say that there were probably less than 100 of us running.  I was expecting a huge mass of people, but as this was my first 10k, it was the perfect size race for a newbie like me.

My mom and I started out near the back of the pack (I’m in white, she’s in red).  Our plan was to run together at the start and then if either one of us wanted to pull ahead we could. In all the running races I’ve completed (not very many) I always tend to get caught up in the moment and go out faster than I really should.  I pulled ahead of my mom after about 400 metres and didn’t see her until the turn around point.  Ooops!

I asked my sister to take a picture of us just after the start because I told her that was the only time she was going to see me smiling.  Go us!

I don’t really have much to say about the first 8km of the race.  I was in a great deal of pain, but that’s nothing new.  For the past 4 or five years I’ve experienced pain and numbness whenever I walk quickly or run.  The pain occurs only in my lower legs, and it feels like there is a ton of pressure building up, and like my legs are going to explode.  I’ve had a few tests and MRIs done over the past few years, and all signs point to Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome.  There is still one more extremely invasive test that I need to have done before I can know for sure that that’s what the problem really is.  That being said, after about 7-8 km of running, the pain, for whatever reason, usually goes away.  So the whole race I kept thinking to myself, “The pain will go away eventually. You’re almost at the 8 km mark.  It will get better.”  And sure enough, just after the 8 km mark, the pain went away.  Which meant that I could pick up my pace for the last 2 km of the race. :)

There was also a 5 km race that started shortly after we did, so when I reached their turn around point, there was a huge mass of people to weave through.  Surprisingly though, that didn’t affect me at all.  If anything I was motivated to go faster and pass a whole bunch of them!  The last 2 km had two rather long inclines, but I’m one of those runners that speeds up on inclines or hills; the less time I have to spend on them the better!  For the majority of the race I had been following closely behind a lady and a guy who looked to be about my age, and I passed them both on the first incline and didn’t see them the rest of the race!  (It’s all about the small victories).  After the second incline we had 500 metres to go, which led us off the main road and onto a grass trail for 100 metres, and then we (finally) finished with 200 metres to go on the track.  After running on the road for so long, the track felt spongy as soon as I got onto it.  It was definitely a nice feeling on my legs!  As I made my way onto the track I felt like I was had reached my limit and a quick look at my heart rate monitor told me that my heart rate was at 208!  I attempted to sprint to the finish line, but I’m not really sure I was actually sprinting.  I pretty much had nothing left in me.

I wore my heart rate monitor for the run, and here are my stats (my monitor is programmed to my age, height, and weight):

Average heart rate: 182 bpm (beats per minute)

Maximum heart rate: 208 bpm

Calories burned: 987

I’d say that’s a pretty good workout!

The final stretch to the finish!  The guy in front and all the people behind me were in the 5 km race, but I was not about to let that little girl beside me beat me!

I did it!  If you look closely at the time on the left, it says I finished in 27 minutes.  Not bad eh?!  Well, to keep an extremely long and frustrating story short, my mom and I (and a whole bunch of other people), never received a timing chip.  We went to pick up our race kits on Saturday (the day before), and we were never told that we had to pick the chips up the morning of the race.  We just assumed there were no chips because our bibs had a tear off on them which said they were for timing.  So, I ran my first 10 k and I didn’t get an official time.  While this might not be a big deal to some people, it certainly was to me.  I don’t get to compete in many races anymore (the last time I competed at a swim meet was over three years ago), and it just would have been nice to have an official time.  However, I was able to figure out using my iPod and Nike+ that my time was somewhere between 51-52 minutes.  My goal was to finish in the 52 minute mark, so I’m pretty happy with my time. My mom was roughly two-three minutes behind me so we figure that she finished in the 54 to 55 range.

After checking the results we realized that had we had a time, we both would’ve placed first in our age categories.  Double bummer!

On the drive home I replenished with a bottle of water mixed with Vega’s chocolate Performance Protein powder.  I used to really dislike Vega protein powders, but I gave them another try after they changed their formula and packaging, and I love the new formula!

My mom and I ‘celebrated’ with a late brunch of homemade chocolate chip pancakes, and vanilla soy lattes from our local coffee shop.

I put on my CW-X compression socks and took a long nap for the rest of the afternoon. :)

Although I didn’t get an ‘official’ time, I still had a great race and am pleased with my result. And I still do have a time, or a rough idea of one.  I guess I’ll just have to beat it next time to really make it official!

Foodie Pen Pals: April

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Happy Monday morning!

It feels like I haven’t posted on here in forever! (It’s been a month to be exact).  My last post was all about the package I received for March Foodie Pen Pals.  And today’s post is all about the package I received for April Foodie Pen Pals.

Let’s get right to it!

foodiepal stamp2 April Foodie Penpals Reveal Day

Here’s a quick recap of what the Foodie PenPals program is:

  • At the beginning of each month, bloggers and blog readers receive their penpal pairing.
  • You have until the 15th of the month to send your package, and on the last day of the month you reveal the goodies you were sent :)
  • Packages are to be filled with foodie related items with a spending limit of $15.  The box must also include something written.
  • As a penpal you are responsible for contacting your penpal regarding any dietary issues/concerns.  (i.e. vegan, gluten-free, peanut free).
  • Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian, and UK residents.  US residents are paired with US residents.  Canadian residents are paired with Canadians.  And UK residents are paired with UK residents.  That way there’s no delay dealing with customs and everybody (hopefully) gets their package on time.

Want to join? Head on over to Lindsay’s blog and you’ll find more details and a sign up form for the Foodie Penpals program.

This month I sent a package to the totally sweet Miranda who blogs over at mirandasmunchies.com.  If you’re interested to see what I sent her, head on over to her blog!

And I received a package from the very kind Denise who blogs at rundenise.blogspot.com.

Here are the goodies :) :

My awesome box included:
  • cinnamon apple chips
  • dried mushrooms
  • Glutino gluten free pretzels
  • amaranth puffs
  • fruit & veggie ReBar

After telling Denise in an email that I eat vegan and gluten-free, I felt a little badly after she told me that she didn’t really know a whole lot about vegan and gluten-free foods.  That being said, she did an amazing job!  My package was filled with a majority of products that I have been wanting to try for ages!

Cinnamon apple chips!!  I absolutely love apple chips :)  Add cinnamon to the mix and I’m in heaven.  I actually ate that container within 5 minutes of opening the package.  Yumm!

Every single time I’ve gone shopping at my local grocery store, and at the two health food stores I frequent, I’ve seen these Glutino Gluten Free Pretzel Twists.  They sit there on the shelf tempting me, looking all delicious and salty, but I’ve always been able to stave off the temptation for a few reasons: 1) They’re expensive (a medium sized bag is $10) and 2) I could probably eat a whole bag in a day or two.  Now I’ll finally be able to try these gluten-free pretzels that have been taunting me for the past year- thank you so much Denise!

Amaranth puffs are another item I’ve seen quite a few times in stores, but never picked them up.  Denise mentioned that she likes to add these to homemade bars, which is exactly what I plan on doing with them.

Here’s a better close up…They kind of remind me of my beloved quinoa!

I’ve never actually tried dried mushrooms before, but I plan on adding them to a pasta or rice dish this week.  And I’ve added the fruit & veggie ReBar to my extensive bar collection :)

I want to give a huge thank you to Denise!  This package was perfect and I can’t wait to try all the new to me goodies ;)

I also want to give a huge thank you to Lindsay.  All the hard work and dedication she puts into organizing and running the Foodie Pen Pals program is astounding.  If you’ve been considering signing up, I would say go for it!  Try it for a month (there is no obligation to participate more than once), and see if you like it (which I can pretty much guarantee you will).  You never know until you try.

I’ll be back on Wednesday with a recap of my first ever 10km race that I ran on Sunday!

Have a fantastic Monday!

Foodie Pen Pals: March

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Happy second last day of March!

I’m so excited because today I finally get to reveal the contents of my Foodie Pen Pals package :)

foodiepal stamp2 Foodie Penpals

Here’s a quick recap of what the Foodie PenPals program is:

  • At the beginning of each month, bloggers and blog readers receive their penpal pairing.
  • You have until the 15th of the month to send your package, and on the last day of the month you reveal the goodies you were sent :)
  • Packages are to be filled with foodie related items with a spending limit of $15.  The box must also include something written.
  • As a penpal you are responsible for contacting your penpal regarding any dietary issues/concerns.  (i.e. vegan, gluten-free, peanut free).
  • Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian, and UK residents.  US residents are paired with US residents.  Canadian residents are paired with Canadians.  And UK residents are paired with UK residents.  That way there’s no delay dealing with customs and everybody (hopefully) gets their package on time.
Want to join? Head on over to Lindsay’s blog and you’ll find more details and a sign up form for the Foodie Penpals program.

Now onto the goodies!

This was my first month participating in the Foodie Penpals program and I was beyond excited!  I was paired with Char who blogs over at chareatsgreens.blogspot.ca and with Jocelyn who blogs over at jocelyneatsfresh.com.

I sent a package to Char, and received a lovely package from Jocelyn.

One of the really cool things about this program (besides receiving a package full of amazing goodies) is that you get the chance to meet and interact with new bloggers that you might not of known otherwise.  I had a great time sending emails back and forth with both ladies, and I think the common theme of the emails was how excited we were to get our packages in the mail!  I mean how often do you get a package sent to you filled with yummy food?

I think I’ve rambled on and on now for long enough…let’s get to my package!

But first I want to give a huge thank you to Jocelyn for putting together such a great one for me! Jocelyn told me that she didn’t really know a lot about gluten-free and vegan food, but she would do her best.  And do her best she did!  I was totally blown away when I received my package!

Goodies:

  • chocolate soynut butter
  • emergen-c packets
  • vega whole food bars
  • pur pomegranate mint gum
  • VegNews magazine
  • The Thrive Diet book

Surprisingly I’ve never tried soynut butter before- any opinions?

I’ve never tried Emergen-C powders either, but I’m saving these babies for when I get sick (fingers crossed that I don’t)!  I love this pur gum!!  The pomegranate mint flavour is the perfect combination of refreshing and fruity.  And it’s aspartame free!  I love that ;)

Oh my goodness…the Chocolate Decadence Vega bar is simply amazing.  When I first saw this bar I told myself I was only going to take a bite or two to simply “try out” the bar. Yeah, that didn’t happen.  I ate the whole bar and wanted another one after that.  So good. :) I have yet to try the Wholesome Original bar, or the Endurance bar, but I’m sure they’re just as delicious.

Easily my favourite goodie was the April edition of VegNews magazine.  I normally buy a copy every month but hadn’t gotten around to it.  Thanks Jocelyn :)

Jocelyn also included a copy of the Thrive Diet book by Brendan Brazier (he’s the talented ironman triathlete and mastermind behind the Vega brand).  In one of her emails Jocelyn told me that she’s had the book for awhile and it’s very gently used.  She felt that I would get more use out of it than she had.  I have Brendan’s other book, so I was more than happy to add this to my collection :)

Overall my first experience as a Foodie Penpal was pretty awesome, and I’ve already signed up to participate again for the month of April :)

Have a great Friday!