Loading Up for the Weekend List

We’re having a relaxing Sunday here, but I think Leela and Miko are missing our house guest last week.

And are a little pouty at me for not having a long walk yet today since it’s been raining all day. I’m not complaining, I love the rain and we need more of it! Miko likes the excuse for more snuggle time.

Hopefully we’ll get a break here shortly so they can get some fresh air.

I’ve been a little tired this week and not feeling very inspired in the kitchen. I dumped in a can of organic seasoned tomatoes, chopped squash, the rest of a can of pumpkin, and beans to make a fall stew seasoned to taste with garlic, salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast which actually came out great.

But no where near as great as our dinner Friday night at The Porch in Midtown Sacramento! October is a great month in the Sacramento for vegan eats with the Vegan Chef Challenge going on. We try to hit every restaurant we can, but the list is much longer this year (woohoo!) which is tough to cram into the weekends. I always make at least one trip to The Porch because they’re creative southern themed vegan dishes are always amazing. And they change up the menu frequently to keep us coming back.

Hubby started of with the Skillet Mac & “Cheese” and I went with the Butternut Squash salad along with the fun snacks added to the table.

Then these delicious Potato & Chickpea Cakes.

And Deep Fried Ravioli with a beautiful pumpkin sage sauce and Crispy Fried Beets with vegan comeback sauce.

We could not get through it all and had to take a box home to save room for dessert. But it was worth it because each year The Porch does some amazing, outrageous chocolate cake for the Vegan Chef Challenge and this year did not disappoint!

Pumpkin spice worked perfectly with rich chocolate while making the cake layers creamy and rich – what a fall treat! Good thing October is my highest mileage month for marathon training!

I broke another distance personal record with this morning’s long training run – 16 miles and all in windy and rainy weather with frequent downpours.

It was a slower pace on purpose in the rain with heavy, drenched clothes and shoes. I was tempted head to a gym treadmill, but sucked it up since weather conditions could be very similar for the California International Marathon and this was a good opportunity to figure out what works and what doesn’t. The last few miles were really tough with soggy shoes and I’m still mastering the right layers and fabrics for rain running that do not absorb so much water, but are still warm. A hot shower was much appreciated after this run!

And so was this hearty lunch of sauteed squash, quinoa, rice, and tempeh “bacon”.

It was a great run, but I’m also glad next weekend is a taper weekend and I’ll hopefully be able to work in more speed training.

The list:

Jenna Dewan Tatum on fitness and vegan diet.

BBC’s The Food Chain discusses the growth of veganisim in this podcast episode.

NPR’s Fresh Air podcast features inspired chefs making amazing vegan creations in this episode.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is committing to a plant based lifestyle and encouraging others.

The ultimate guide to cold weather running.

Try shortening your stride for better runs.

5 habits that negatively impact wildlife.