Wishing for Fall

Hi guys,

This afternoon my shin was feeling a lot less sore (I’ve found a love for Tiger Balm) so I decided to try out running on the treadmill instead of outside. The treadmill, as much as I despise it, does offer a softer surface to run on, therefore sometimes not as aggravating to the shins. It was okay. My shin didn’t bother me as much as Saturday, which was good, but it’s just so boooooring! I ran and stared straight ahead, missing running by trees and cute houses. I ended up running for about 25 minutes (at 6.0 and incline of 1.0) and then walking for five to cool down.  

After my workout, I snacked on a chobani with a half cup of peanut butter pandas in it:

Yummy!! This snack was really really good and incredibly filling. I actually felt TOO full after I ate this! Weird! I think it was because I had just walked in the door and was still all hot and sweaty.

I guess this is good news….I hope I GET good news….I finally got an MRI scheduled for Wednesday morning at 7:00. It was the only time they had available so I guess I’ll have to miss school. Since I’m moving next week this is really my one chance to get everything checked out. The real good news about this though is that it’s 100% covered by my insurance. I let out a huge sigh of relief when I heard that!

Anyways, I worked on my projects for awhile and then made dinner. In the spirit of fall weather that does not exist here, I made a batch of homemade baked beans to go with my baked tofu and spinach. Here is my recipe:

Homemade Baked Beans

Serves 4

1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 of a large yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp ground mustard
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 bay leaf
1 tsp hot sauce
8 oz tomato sauce
1 15 oz can cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In a cast iron skillet or non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and sauté for about five minutes or until soft and translucent.
3. Add the garlic and sauté 30 seconds more.
4. Add the maple syrup, tomato sauce, salt, ground mustard, hot sauce and ketchup and simmer for five minutes.
5. Add the beans and bay leaf, stir, then cover the skillet with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes, stirring once during the baking process.
6. Allow to cool and serve warm.

I’d love it if y’all would try out my recipe and let me know what you think! I really like it. It makes for a very comforting meal. I also had my usual baked tofu (1/2 block), a cup of spinach and a glass of chilled Beaujolais.  I ate while watching one of my favorite movies:

And I snacked later on a 100 calorie pack of popcorn with some added dark chocolate chips 😉

There’s actually 16 chocolate chips in here (that is the serving size. I have to portion these out or I would eat the entire bag), but they all melted and went straight to the bottom. Yummy, gooey dark chocolate. Love it.

Well, a thunderstorm is coming and I’m still watching my movie, so I’m going to call it a night! See you for breakfast!