Wine Party & Tapering for the List

Just wow on Thanksgiving almost being here! I’ve been invited to a couple of vegan Thanksgiving dinners through local vegan Meetup groups which is awesome, it’s so great knowing there’s a large group of vegans in the area that want to celebrate together. This year we’ll be spending it locally with family, but it will be a low key, casual event and we already have a vegan roast and I’ll be making my favorite raw vegan pumpkin pie with a blissfully simple list of ingredients. I actually ordered a huge box of organic dates from 7 Hot Dates to use for race fueling and holiday recipes, can’t wait to receive them!

I guess everyone is feeling the holiday stress and didn’t want to cook this weekend because there was a wait at our favorite local Thai place Friday night. Worth it for this kicky spicy tofu curry dish with brown rice.

Yesterday morning I worked through more of the Rouxbe Forks Over Knives program, but Smokey was determined to get my attention.

She has been parking herself between me and the keyboard a lot lately.

Last night we had a fun wine and hors d’oeuvre party at a friends house and I took a bottle of one of my favorite vegan wines – Cline Zinfandel.

And whipped up this Quinoa and Lentil Salad recipe using steamed black eyed peas I scored at Grocery Outlet in place of the lentils.

Or course we took Miyoko’s Creamery Double Cream Garlic Herb too since it’s amazing with crackers and wine.

Lots of wine was enjoyed … maybe a little too much.

And lots of vegan options at the food table with my quinoa salad, vegan cheese, fruit, veggies, and hummus.

We had a great time hanging out and chatting with friends and got home way past my bed time, so I was a little slower getting up this morning and Miko was content to enjoy lap time while I drank coffee and slowly got going for my run.

No worries, it was an easier taper run at 12 miles and I’m happy with the pace considering the hydration pack, strong winds, and staying out late last night.

But I’m on a 2 week countdown now to the marathon, eek, and will be focusing on cleaner eating with simple carbs, low fat, and avoiding sugary foods. I have a huge pot of chickpeas slow cooking now to use this week to make that easier.

The List!

Less meat consumption means less greenhouse gas emissions.

Jess shows us great glute exercises for runners.

Best way to prepare for and recover from a marathon.

And avoiding knee pain when running.

These vegan athletes prove you don’t need meat to be strong.

Vegan diet is the best for weight loss.

5 vegan beauty must haves.

Michelle Pfeiffer talks about going vegan.

I love that these celebrities are passionate about animal rights and forward thinking.

An ethical holiday gift guide – gah, it’s getting near that time!

How to handle holiday stress vegan style.

Mayim Bialik discusses why she’s vegan is this vlog.

Dr. Greger explores why BPA is a nasty problem in any amount.

Any fat being a bigger cause of type 2 diabetes.

Veggies loaded with protein.