The colors of fall are appearing all over the place where I live. I absolutely love running at sunrise this time of year! The light is golden and it shines through the leaves of red, gold, orange, and brown that line the streets of my neighborhood.

Simple beauty first thing in the morning is a great way to start the day!

I love the green heart in the middle of this leaf!

To help us get into the fall spirit, the kids and I took a trip to Apple Hill a couple of weeks ago.

 

We had some treats (apple turnover and apple strudel):

Visited some farm animals...

...including a "plaid" chicken (in the words of my five year old)...

...walked a hay maze...

...and came home with a box of apples, pears, squash, cider, and mulling spices:

I bought three kinds of apples: Gala (for eating), Fuji (for applesauce), and Granny Smith (for pie or crisp).

I used the Fuji apples for this applesauce and they were perfect. I don't usually eat a lot of applesauce but my kids do (one of their favorite breakfasts is oatmeal with applesauce and raisins). This sauce is so good, though, that I added some to my morning oats too.

It tastes just like apple pie- yum!

Easy Crockpot Applesauce
Makes about 32oz.

About 10 sweet apples (Gala or Fuji work well), cored chopped (you don't need to peel them)
~1/4 to 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice (or more water)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Place all ingredients in your crockpot and stir to coat apples with cinnamon. Cook on high for several hours (4-ish) until apples are very soft. 
2. Turn off the crockpot and let apples cool until they are no longer steaming hot. Pour into a blender and blend until smooth. If you prefer a chunkier sauce, mash the apples with a fork or potato masher instead of blending.

• Olive oil
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled* and finely chopped (a food processor makes finely chopping the squash quick and easy!)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 medium zucchini or yellow squash, chopped
• 1 cup chopped or sliced mushrooms
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 cups cooked beans (black, white, kidney, pinto, or a mix. I cooked black and white dry beans, but you can used canned to make this quick.)
• 4 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth
• 1-3 cups of water, if needed to reach desired thickness
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. If you are using dry beans, soak them overnight then thoroughly cook them before adding them to the chili. Tips for improving the digestibility of beans can be found here.
2. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the squash, onions, bell peppers, celery, carrots, garlic, zucchini, and mushrooms. Saute until veggies begin to get tender, 10-15 minutes. If you plan to use a crockpot, saute the veggies in a skillet then add them with the ingredients in the steps below to the crockpot.
3. Add chili powder, cumin, beans, and broth (and water if you need to thin the chili). Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until veggies are very tender. Add lime juice and season with salt and pepper.

I am relieved to say that I finished my second half marathon on Sunday! I was so nervous before the race!

All geared-up and trying not to freak out:

The finisher's tee is so...YELLOW!

Finisher's necklace by Tiffany:

NWM = Nike Women's Marathon. The back of the necklace says "I run to be." with room for engraving so that we can add our own reason for running...

With 20,000 runners, this race is the largest marathon and half marathon in the country. The proceeds help to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This race has raised over $118 million over the past 8 years for the cause and I ran in memory of my father-in-law who passed away from complications related to lymphoma in 2008.

The weather was perfect but the course was even hillier than I remember and it was a hard run!

I completely earned my post-race cupcake and Blue Bottle latte by the bay:

Perfect, perfect weather (with the Bay Bridge in this shot)!

The physical exertion of this kind of event is challenging but, like many others before me, I definitely think that the mental race is the hardest part. I was struggling with stomach issues through the entire race (and a few hours afterwards) and my mind was all over the place.

The race was in San Francisco, which holds a special place marker in time for me. I worked in the city in the late 1990s and my life was quite different back then. My time visiting the city and running the race on Sunday gave me pause and brought about some much-needed reflection on "back in the day". A few of my favorite memories from working in SF:

• Taking the ferry boat to and from the city. The sound of the fog horn, the smell of the engine, the splashy sound of the water while boarding...I even saw a whale from the boat one morning- what a great way to commute!
• Flower venders selling spring flowers in little kiosks all over the place. The smell of the flowers (especially the Stargazer lilies) permeated even the stinkiest parts of the city. Amazing.
• The little bakery across the street from my office building that had warm, freshly baked cinnamon rolls every morning.
• Driving through the city and over the Golden Gate Bridge (on non-ferry days). Especially on winter nights near Christmas because I love to see the lights and trees in windows.

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (176ºC). In a large bowl, combine the first 12 ingredients (oats through salt). Set aside.
2. In another bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine without over-mixing. Let it rest for a minute before dropping in large spoonfuls (about 1/2 cup each) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3. Bake for 20-24 minutes, until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on the pan for a 1 minute before transferring to a cooling rack.

1. Just starting out (for the first time or after a break) always feels way too hard. I hate every step. I want to quit. But, if I do it anyway and stick with it, I know that I will begin to crave it and that is the best feeling in the world.
2. Studies have shown that running can be as effective as medication at relieving symptoms of depression. I agree.
3. When I am training for an event and I start to hate my workouts, feel grumpy, or get sick, I need a break. Even if the training plan says no, a few days (or more) off will do wonders.
4. Early morning runners see some interesting things. Like elderly gentlemen using the bushes for cover when nature calls and such. Look away, cross the street, run faster...
5. Eating raw broccoli before a run is not a good idea.
6. Even a cool 60 degree day can feel sweltering hot if you're running in the sun. Wear a tank top. Don't second guess this.
7. Heat rash and prickly heat suck. Take a cool shower ASAP after a run. Baby powder is your friend.
8. Chafing sucks too. Use Bodyglide, especially in your armpits.
9. Never ever wear 100% cotton socks.
10. The more I love my music, the more I love my run. The same is true for audiobooks, which are great for long runs.
11. It is almost impossible to chew and run at the same time. Stick to Clif shots, skip the Blocks.
12. If I wake up feeling blah, a run will usually make a 180 degree change in my mood.
13. I don't run fast but that's ok. I do what I need to do to get out of it even more than I put in.
14. I love seeing other runners when I'm out. I especially like the way that I feel like we're in a secret club when we greet each other with a subtle nod and quick wave.

1. Preheat oven to 300ºF (149ºC). Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet. Put the onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, garlic, and carrots in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
2. Saute the veggie mixture for a few minutes (until beginning to soften). Add spinach, corn, chili powder, paprika, pepper, and salt and cook for a few more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Lightly toss the bread crumbs with a little olive oil. Spread the bread crumbs and walnuts on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper in a thin layer. Bake until they begin to brown (about 10 minutes).
4. Put the brown rice in the food processor and process until it is beginning to clump together. Add the beans and process to chop them.
5. In a large bowl, combine the veggies, rice and beans, bread crumbs and walnuts, and cranberries. Form into patties and fry in a lightly oiled skillet until browned on both sides (flip once). Serve in a whole grain bun with avocado or on top of salad greens with your favorite dressing.

• Sunflower Drive-In "Nut Burger"
• Tower Cafe "Earth Burger"
• The Counter veggie burger

1. Place 1 cup of water and the dried bulgar in saucepan, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the water has been absorbed (about 12-15 minutes). Uncover and let cool.
2. Combine bulgar, beans, corn, green onions, and tomato. Add dressing (recipe below) and toss well. Serve bulgar on a bed of romaine, topped with chopped avocado.

1. Combine all dressing ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add a bit of water if dressing is too thick.

1. Heat about 2 tsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the tofu and saute until it is golden brown. Add the seasonings of choice*, saute for another minute or two. Reduce heat to low and add the nutritional yeast and tamari or soy sauce. Cook for about a minute or until soy sauce has been absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. In a small bowl, combine celery, green onion, vegan mayonnaise, and cooled tofu. Serve on toasted bread with a few leaves of lettuce and any other desired toppings.

Hello! I have been off the grid, so to speak, for a little while on a family camping trip. We went up to Lake Tahoe for a few days to enjoy cooler temps and fresh air. It is always so much work to prepare for a camping trip (and so much laundry when we get home), but it is always worth it.

Blue sky and wispy clouds:

Camping wouldn't be as fun if it was clean:

I love sleeping in a tent under the stars and waking up to the hushed voices and breakfast smells of a campground. Fellow campers are always so friendly- it is as if we have some unspoken bond because we are all "the kind of people who go camping". We can refer to things like "camp soap" or "deet" or a "rain fly" amongst ourselves knowing that there is no need for explanation.

Holed up:

Our tent has a view of the sky:

Thursday night, we had quite an adventure! Sometime around 3am, we were awoken by the sound of a cooler being tossed around and bear locker doors being rattled. We listened for a little while before my husband looked out the tent window. He turned on his flashlight and scanned the area in the direction of the ruckus until, just one campsite over, he saw a GIANT black bear! The bear's eyes were glowing in the flashlight beam and he did not appear to enjoy the bright light in his face. We quickly shut the light off and looked at each other with wide eyes that silently said, "holy crap!" We sat for a moment before my son, not knowing that there was a humungous bear outside, woke up and said, "I have to go potty." Really? Now? Really?!

We waited until the bear lumbered off into the trees and it quieted down outside to take our bathroom trip. But, a little while later, the bear was back! He found something in another site and was making a bunch of noise again. One by one, the people around us began waking up and emerging from their tents to see what was going on. They whispered and pointed flashlights saying, "see him, over there?"

I know I'm crazy, but I LOVED seeing this big ol' bear! I so wish I had a picture of him! I also love the solidarity that this sort of encounter draws out. People who have never spoken before are suddenly sharing stories and flashlights and time.

A full moon rising behind the trees:

Fortunately our food was stored safely away from the bear in our bear locker! Our camping menu was similar to last year. I also brought along some homemade soft pretzels and a container of Hickory-Smoked Cheddar-Style We Can't Say It's Cheese Spread, my quick and easy granola bars, instant oatmeal with Justin's Nut Butter packets, and a couple more things from my picnic food recipe round up.

Camping snacks:

My favorite meal on this trip was pasta with veggies and "meatballs" (I used Nate's Meatless Meatballs but Trader Joe's carries them under their label too). This is a meal that is easy to prepare and travels well. I plan to prep a bunch of veggies and freeze them in freezer bags for a quick at-home version of this that I can pull out on busy nights.

Pasta and Veggies To Go
Serves about 4

1 small eggplant, chopped
1 medium zucchini or other summer squash, chopped
6-8 mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4-6 cups of raw spinach
1/2 a large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 jar of marinara or other red sauce
1 package of whole wheat penne pasta
Sea salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning, to taste
1 package vegetarian "meatballs"
Olive oil

1. Place all of the chopped veggies in a zip top bag with the spinach at the bottom (i.e. put the spinach in first). You can add the salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to the bag as well or bring those along to season the veggies while you are cooking.
2. To prepare this meal, boil water and cook the pasta per the package directions. In a large skillet, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil and add the bag of veggies. If you're feeling fancy, you can add everything but the spinach and add the spinach later once the harder veggies have cooked a bit. If not, it will still turn out fine! Season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning while cooking. Once the veggies have softened and are cooked through, add 1/2 to 1 whole jar of marinara and as many "meatballs" as you would like. Bring to a simmer and cook for another minute or two. Leftovers can be stored in the zip top bag that the veggies were in but, please, use the bear locker if you're camping! ;-)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and coat a muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray or oil.
2. Whisk together chia seeds and warm water in a small bowl and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and hemp seeds. Set aside.
4. To the chia seed mixture, add milk, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla and combine well. Add this wet mixture to the dry ingredients and stir gently to combine- don't overmix. Gently fold in the peaches.
5. Spoon batter into muffin pan. For mini muffins, bake for about 20 minutes. For larger muffins, check for doneness at 20 minutes by inserting a toothpick into the middle of a muffin (it should come out clean and the muffins should be golden brown).

I realize that it has been a little while since I posted a recipe. It isn't that I'm holding out on you guys! It is simply that I'm in somewhat of an uninspired patch with food at the moment. I'm spending my mental cycles on clearing out my chattery brain by means of nature hikes and yoga instead of daydreaming about cookie dough and sun-dried tomatoes (separately, of course). I've been eating simply, getting take-out, and still working on using up what I have in the pantry when I can.

That being said, though, some thoughts of take-along foods have been swirling around in my head because I have been day-tripping and picnic-ing as often as possible lately. We brought a picnic lunch along for our Big Tree hike and, just today, I packed yet another for a day trip to Donner Lake in Truckee, CA.

Usually a picnic for us includes a rather uninspired combo of PB&J sandwiches, sliced apples, cookies, and snack bars. I am totally crushing on the idea of picnic foods in jars, though, and that has me thinking about some more exciting portable foods. Here are some of my favorite ideas (not all of these are vegan, however they can be vegan-ized):

• Sliced apples or pears with nut butter dips (using variations of this recipe from OSG)
• Apple chips (here or here)
• Nut or seed butter protein balls (here or here)
• Homemade fruit rolls, here
• A "vegan-ized" sandwich, here
• Dreena Burton's Super-Charge Me! cookies, here or my breakfast cookies (a breakfast picnic, by the way, sounds like fun!), here
• Homemade soft pretzels (this recipe looks like a good start- I would make a few tweaks) with vegan cheese sauce (something like this or this or this)
• Homemade potato chips with avocado ranch dip, here
• Homemade crackers (here or here) with my roasted red pepper dip, here
• Anything baked in a jar: pie, cobbler, oatmeal...
• Gilled sweet potato salad (minus the feta), here
• Any kind of grain salad would be good too- like this or this or this or this
• Any of these high protein salads from OSG

• Get Natured tempeh recipes
• 101 Cookbooks tempeh recipes

Yesterday I realized mid-day that I was out of bread. I had sandwiches planned for dinner and didn't want to drag the kids to the store before we headed to the pool for swimming lessons. I tossed a few ingredients into the bread machine and, a few hours later, ended up with a fantastically soft loaf of sandwich bread. No weird ingredients. No trip to the store. Perfect!

Now I realize that making bread from scratch doesn't sound, on the surface, to be an act of simplicity. It is, though, quite nurturing in more than one way. There is a feeling of success and of everything being in its place when the dough rises as it should. Homemade bread smells amazing and it seems so special despite its being ordinary.

Vegan Sandwich Bread
For a 1 lb. bread machine (or 1 loaf in the oven)

2/3 cup lukewarm water
1/4 cup lukewarm apple juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup bread flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon active dry yeast

1. Put all of the ingredients into your machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Program the machine for whole wheat bread and press Start.*

• Oh She Glows "Back on Track Wheat Berry and Bean Salad" (I added hemp seeds for extra protein and a little lemon zest because it's awesome)
• My favorite Red Lentils and Kale dish (see "Dinner")
• Mixed dry beans cooked with Trader Joe's curry simmer sauce (ala Chana Masala- an Indian dish made with garbanzo beans)
• Black bean tacos
• Some kind of soup made with a bag of bean/grain soup mix- something like this or this
• Whole wheat gnocchi with vegan pesto cream sauce

My yoga mat is more thorough than a doctor visit for a check up. I can so clearly gauge my heath and happiness from that vantage. When my balance is good in tree pose, it is a sign that life isn't overwhelming me at the moment. When I can breath freely while holding strong in a triangle, my anxiety is low. When my crocodile is smooth and slow, I feel strong and confident off the mat. When forward folds feel really good, I am happy and content. When I can hold and enjoy pigeon and crow, I am on top of the world.

• Vegan enchiladas
• Sprinkle nutritional yeast on popcorn
• Crockpot polenta lasagna
• Gnocchi with vegan pesto cream sauce
• Cashew ricotta

Keeping my house cool by cooking outside and eating cold foods is on the top of my mind, though, and I'd also like to experiment with grilling all kinds of veggies this summer (like fava beans). With that in mind, I created a yummy meal last night that was centered around grilled veggies that came in my CSA box. Unfortunately I don't have any photos of the food (I was starving and didn't want to pause for photos!) but it was a great summer feast!

The menu:

• Grilled veggies (turnips, zucchini, carrots, gypsy peppers, carrots, portobello mushrooms)
• Simple homemade hummus
• Whole grain flatbread
• Indian spiced lentils (from the farmers' market) over brown rice

• Olive oil (maybe 1/4 cup or so)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (or minced fresh herbs like rosemary, oregano, thyme)
• 1/2 - 1 tsp lemon zest
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with paprika, pine nuts, or minced fresh herbs, if desired.