I’m looking forward to the half marathon in October, but not training during our triple-digit heat this summer. Active.com has some helpful tips for adjusting workouts to deal with the heat. Trying to cram in morning runs before work is not an option for me now having to leave the house at 7AM, I’m just not that much of a morning person to get up early enough to have breakfast, run, shower and get ready for work. That means I’ll be running at 8 PM or later at night, ugh.
Anyway, I tried SunWarrior Vanilla Protein in my smoothie this morning.
It was a sweet treat with the vanilla flavor was and less gritty than hemp protein powder for a smoother smoothie. :-) This one had one scoop SunWarrior Vanilla Protein, 2 carrots, large handful of spinach and frozen mixed berries. Because the SunWarrior is already sweetened with stevia and flavored, throwing together a smoothie was quicker. Usually with hemp protein powder, I add stevia and a flavoring, carob powder or vanilla. The drawback is it’s more expensive than hemp protein powder, almost double the price per serving.
For lunch I served up leftovers of last night’s taco salad in a bowl with chopsticks … of course. :-)
And for dinner I decided to revisit and update a black-eyed peas recipe I tried awhile back using fennel seed, but update it packing in more veggies and making it easier to cook.
Skillet Black Eyed Peas
- 1 cup dried black eyed peas, soaked overnight.
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cups fresh spinach
- 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 2 tsp. pink salt
- 2 tsp. fennel seed
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 medium zucchinis, chopped
- 1/2 cup water
Heat oil in medium skillet and caramelize onions until clear. Place tomatoes, carrots, fennel seed, salt and water into a blender and blend until smooth. Add black eyed peas, zucchini, and spinach to skillet and pour tomato mixture over. Simmer on medium/low heat for 25 minutes and enjoy.
The fennel seeds add a sweet licorice flavor to the peas and veggies and it’s makes a simple main or side dish.
glad that the Sun W was a hit! yes wayyyyy less gritty than hemp or pea protein and the sweetened already is a bonus for skipping steps…very nice! time saver!
fennel seed…random but as a lactation educator, i can tell you that fennel seeds in particular (more so than even fennel itself) are highly lactogenic (i.e. will help you produce more milk) so if you know anyone who needs help in the nursing dept, that’s your trivia du jour and if you start leaking that’s why (kidding!)
Meant to ask you if you have any raw bread/cracker recipes you adore? I was cruising around your site and saw you made Gena’s recipe and was just wondering if you have any others you have tried or want to..I am on a mission to make sweet (not savory) crackers and/or breads….hmmm….
I’ve been wanting to try Sun Warrior, but can’t justify the cost. It’s a little out of my budget.
The black eyed peas look fantastic!
Awww, sorry that your running schedule has been throw off kilter…summer heat always makes everything a little more difficult. Hope you have a great weekend, girl!
Running later at night might not be so bad! My dad has to do that too and I think your body gets used to it :)
And I keep forgetting about my chopsticks…I still want to learn!
love your black eye peas! good for you for committing to a 1/2 marathon. i am looking to get my running legs again this summer :)
I love that you wrote about the sun warrior! I have yet to try it, but I always love reading reviews on it. Do you think this is one of the best protein powders you have ever had? I am such a vega lover, but want to mix it up a bit!
This dinner looks great! I can’t remember the last time I tried black eyed peas!
XXOO
I am definitely struggling with my summer running schedule! I have to get it in early and waking up at 5 is not exactly fun…