Hello everyone, happy weekend. So glad it has finally arrived! Hope you’ve all had a great week.
Big thanks to those that commented on my ‘just not feeling the running’ post. Your comments were so useful. I’m going to see how I go, I seem to change how I feel about it from one day to the next at the moment! I have a 10k run scheduled for the weekend so we shall see how I get on.
Highlights of my eats over the last few days have included two amazing breakfasts:
Creamy chocolate berry porridge with berries topped with cacao nibs and a mug of Starbucks VIA with vanilla rice milk. I used 1/2 cup of Scottish oats, 1 tablespoon of oat bran (a new to me product picked up from the Tesco wholefood section), rice milk, water, egg whites, chia seeds, raw cacao powder, agave syrup and defrosted mixed berries. This was a bowl of heaven!
Today I made a chocolate cherry green monster with kale, rainbow chard, spinach, vanilla rice milk, chocolate Sun Warrior and maca powder. I topped it off with some goji berries and granola.
Still can not get over how delicious these taste – and so full of amazing goodness. I feel like I’m fighting off a cold at the moment so I thought adding the goji berries with their vitamin C would be great, plus they help with the uptake of iron from the leafy greens!
Yesterdays lunch was some of my Veggie Chilli with lots of romaine, cucumber and spinach plus a satsuma and organic apple.
Snackies have included some more of my tofu with pear and blueberries mixed with some Bear Apple Crumble Granola and a pear on the side.
Trek Peanut and Oat bar and organic apple post Yoga (which was awesome by the way – my increase in flexibility is amazing).
Nakd Cocoa Orange bar and apple this afternoon.
I had almost forgotten how gorgeous the cocoa orange bar is – just like a healthy Terry’s Chocolate Orange! I’m also currently snacking on a plate of carrot sticks and sliced pear and apple.
This morning I popped to the gym and did 10 minutes of intervals on the cross trainer, step machine and bike. I also ran a mile on the treadmill in just over 9 minutes (just for the hell of it!) followed by some core work on the stability ball and some upper body weights.
Tonight I’m off out to celebrate my cousins 30th Birthday at an Italian restaurant. I’ve started to get into the habit of checking out the menu’s of places I’m going to help me make healthier choices while I’m there so I know I have something tasty and reasonably healthy to look forward to!
I’m also really excited as the hubby has the whole weekend off (which hardly ever happens!) so we have plans to head into town for lunch tomorrow and we have a gig on Sunday night. Good times!
I’m also planning on finishing off these two books I’ve been reading:
Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin
Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
Both books delve into the issues with factory farming (although in very different ways). Eating Animals is based on the writers research around what kind of diet he should feed his new Son. I found the Eating Animals book a very interesting but depressing read – I have to admit that animal welfare hasn’t been my highest priority when deciding what I eat but it is after reading this book!
The Skinny Bitch book is really a diet book that advocates veganism, alongside avoiding artificial sweeteners etc. to lose weight and be healthier. I have skipped the chapters on factory farming as after reading the Eating Animals book I feel I have a pretty good idea of what issues they’ll be covering (these are very USA specific anyway). The most interesting thing I found about this book is its approach – very straight talking with a large dose of ‘tough love’ including the use of expletives throughout the book. I found most of it quite funny really – I’ve kept reading out sentences to the hubby and we laugh our heads off, although I don’t know how some readers would take to being spoken to in such a way!
Have any of you read these books? What were your thoughts? Its worth stating again that I make no judgement whatsoever on what or how people choose to eat. I’ve chosen to become a vegetarian that eats vegan when possible based on very personal choices around health, environment and ethical reasons. I think we all have to make the best choice for us as individuals and respect that. Its quite sad really that the food that sustains us has to be the source of so much controversy!
Anyway, I’m off to my meal, will be lovely to see all my family! Have a great weekend whatever your up to! 
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve been tempted by Skinny Bitch for a while, though I’m not sure how I feel about the tough talk. Maybe I’ll just give it a go!
Am amazed at how smoothly you’ve made the transition to vegetarianism, btw. You’ve showed real commitment. But in a classy, understated way ;-) I do agree that we shouldn’t be quick to judge others. But I also feel frustrated sometimes that my diet is subject to so much criticism and “jest” from others, but if I try to comment back..
Ach, I don’t know what I think about “pushing” my views on other people. But I do think blogs like yours do a really good job of promoting alternative ways of eating in a really accessible way :-)
I’ve read Skinny Bitch and I appreciated their candor, it was a very entertaining and informative read. In fact, it converted my sister to a vegetarian for a year!
P.S. I LOVE the combo of orange and chocolate!
I’ve considered buying skinny bitch simply because I’ve read *such* mixed reviews about it.
I also have to echo Alison about how well you have made the move to vegetarianism – am so proud of you and love that you don’t preach :)
xx
Hey! I bought Skinny Bitch a while ago thinking it was something that would motivate me. I actually only bought it because of its title.I was pretty excited when I bought it and nearly bought the whole series. Then, I finally got the book and read it. At this time, I thought “Glad I didnt order the whole series” as I didnt like it at all.
In my opinion, the cover doesnt match the content of the book.
I found the content just black or white; no place for balance. I dont think being vegan (no ofense to vegan people) will make you skinny & fabulous. For me, it’s just a question of balance!
I’ve never read either books and would be interested to read your opinions about them both.
Love your eats, as always! Haven’t read either of those books but at the mo I really want to get hold of The Kind Diet and Becoming Vegan.
Hope you have an awesome weekend xxx
Hey Laura,
I’ve been reading your blog for a little while now & thought I’d comment on Eating Animals. I read it a few months ago when a vegetarian friend loaned it to me. I ultimately didn’t go vegetarian, but I did consider it. It’s a good book. Highly recommend reading it. I did a full post/review on it. You can read it at:
http://theblondemule.blogspot.com/2010/04/book-review-eating-animals.html
Good luck!
–Kim
Alison – its only a short book and I think its well worth a read, if only to have a laugh at some of the stuff they come out with! Thanks for your thoughts on my vegetarianism! I haven’t really wanted it to become the focal point of the blog or to make a really big deal of it – I hope it just shows that you can still eat healthy interesting and tasty food no matter what diet you follow. I do know where your coming from with the comments from others, I have had to hold my tongue a few times in the last couple of weeks.
Leashieloo – I agree, at the very least I’ve found it entertaining to read!
Jo – I would be so interested to see what you thought of the book – I can imagine that you wouldn’t mind some of the tough love talk but you’d probably disagree with a lot of their arguements. Its a short book, I might even post you it down when I’ve finished for you to have a quick read x
Helene – I have to say I completely agree – they don’t really offer that much in terms of flexibility – its pretty much all or nothing isn’t it. I’m glad I checked out the reviews as I was tempted to buy the pack of all the books but they didn’t all get very good reviews
Jemma – I’ll share more thoughts when I’ve completely finished them :-)
Sarah – I reckon you’d love the kind diet, thats what got me started off looking into vegetarianism seriously
Blondemule – what a fantastic review – I couldn’t have summed it up better myself x
I’ve read both of those books. I think Eating Animals is a little better in terms of info. Skinny Bitch was just a little too much of a scare tactic for me! That being said, I still eat meat on occasion. Right now my body is just a little happier when I keep it in my diet.
Oooooooo those smoothies look so good, dark and delicious x x