Hummingbirds LIVE!

Oh. My. Goodness. 

Because I wasn’t so crazy obsessed with the live Bald Eagle Cam, or the Panda Cam, or the Puppy Cam….but now, I have a Live Hummingbird Cam!!!  I LOVE hummingbirds, and I’m even more excited it’s an Allen’s Hummingbird, one of my favorites!

(Source)

I found this yesterday and when I’m home (which heh, isn’t often) I watch to see when they’re going to fledge!  I’m so excited to watch them grow and leave the nest!

So…that’s about all I’ve got for you today. I had way too long of a day (wake up call at 4.15 with work starting at 5.15!), with hiking, then a 4.5 mile hilly run and work meeting.  Yeesh.  At least I got a free dinner out of it. :)

I’ll have a Side Note for you guys tomorrow after my appointment… there is much for me to write about.  Just think: mean comments = insecurity = restriction = unhappy feelings.  Boo…

Breakfast Bell Peppers

Windy windy day today!  I could have been blown off the mountain…but ya know, it’s that kind of thing that makes for good stories.  Like…my coworker saw a bear last week, in the area where I thought I encountered one but it was a cow!  Ahhhh!!!  I totally ordered bear mace today….yeesh.

Another early morning, but I had a few extra minutes to actually sit down and eat instead of shoving a pb and banana sandwich in my mouth while driving the car. I defrosted a Zen Muffin and topped with with some pb, sided with farmers market berries!  I was so happy to actually have a chance to enjoy my breakfast this week!

Early mornings mean early breakfasts, so lunch was at…10.30?  No shame, my stomach was growling!  I couldn’t ignore it! I packed a veggie hummus sandwich on some sourdough vegetable bread with a side of peaches.

This bowl is a combo of 2/3 of a donut peach and 2/3 a white peach…the other 1/3s were uh…growing, if you know what I mean.

I got home from work, finished up computer stuff, snacked on an apple that wasn’t very good and a bunch of crackers and mistakenly peanut m&m’s.  Why mistakenly?  Because eating them before a HOT run = projectile vomit.  Yep…that 3.5 miles was not the best run around.

I promised my roomie a good dinner because we have some serious vegetable overload from our produce box so I made stuffed peppers…breakfast style! 

I cooked up some mini potatoes, sauteed them with some squash and onions, mixed with marinara and stuffed into the pepper.

The pictures peppers are actually my roomies, in which each pepper 1/2 was topped with cheese and an egg.  I baked it at 400 for 35 minutes and shizzam!  Awesome and easy dinner!

I know these can be made in lots of varieties so definitely try it!  Besides, who doesn’t like a stuffed pepper, right?!  What would you stick in yours?

Ok, I gotta get ready to go to bed super early since work is going to start at like, 5am tomorrow…ouch.  I just keep telling myself…THREE DAY WEEKEND…hopefully. ;)

Weekend Smeekend

Oh boy.  Man, spring and into summer is one of the busiest times for a field technician!  I have been going for far too many days in a row that I’m really in need of a break…thank goodness this weekend I get three days off! Woot woot!!!

But, even though I had to work on Sunday, it didn’t really feel like it…because I was out hiking part of the Pacific Crest Trail for work.  What could be better than that for work?

It was absolutely breathtaking!  I can’t wait to do it again…next week!

I hiked in from the other side of that mountain (pictured below) somewhere…it’s basically over three miles away from where the picture is taken!!!

And although it was fun to be out there working in the wilderness, I was scared to begazzles that I was going to come across a bear.  I even thought I had at one point when I heard something crashing in the bushes.  I ran back about 50ft and ducked into the bush to watch whatever this big creature was come out of the brush…and it was a COW.  Gosh, my heart has never beat so fast!

The weekend was full of good foods…and I am glad for it.  I have been in such a sandwich/food rut that I’m well…getting sick of them…and trying to come up with some great salads and stuff to take out in the field! I do have a small cooler to keep things cold a bit but it’s kinda hard…because half the time I forget a fork.  Dangit!

This meal was probably one of the best meals of the weekend…well, those enchiladas were pretty good.  Anyhow, I have been craving PIZZA like no other mother.  I’ve been putting it off because well, pizza without cheese just doesn’t compare and since I finally tried out the Daiya cheese on the enchilada’s I had to try it on pizza. 

Shizzam!  I’m stoked that this stuff tastes so good and gives the pizza a real pizza feel. I topped mine with marinara, squash, artichoke, basil, spinach, meatless meatballs and Daiya cheese.  Bahhh…I want it again!  It had a tad too much salt in it though…because I was feeling it today.  Blah.

Alas, I had that great hike on Sunday that was 6.5 miles long and on top of that a great 4 mile run today with my running buddy and 2 miles of hiking for work!!!  I’m loving the endorphins!

So, I need some awesome combos for sustainable non-sandwich lunches!!!  (Mags, send those recipes you mentioned my way, k?  Thanks!)  I’m open to anything that doesn’t have dairy since I can’t have any!!!  I’m ready to try some new things too!  It’s just a matter of finding it in my dinky town…hahaha!

Just What the Runner Ordered

Finally, FINALLY do I feel like I’ve gotten my running and eating mojo back!!!  I knew it was going to take some push and pull to get it revved, and thank goodness because I was about to go nuts! 

This morning was the click that I so desperately needed to get everything back into place and have me smiling again!  I naturally got up at 6am, well, Honey had a part in it, to get ready for a 6 mile long run.  I was a bit worried since I hadn’t run any distance over 4 miles in the three weeks since the San Diego Marathon but it went pretty well!  The first three miles were pretty tough because the wind was in my face and well, just brutal.  But the second half home, I was flyin on the roads! I ended added in some sprints where I was running under 7min/mile!  It felt WONDERFUL to really get those endorphins going!

Oh, and while running I decided on this:

I talked to Monica for a while the other day and we were talking race schedule, when she talked about her marathon training for this race.  I’ve never run it, living only a mere few miles away, but am excited for it!  At first I thought, maybe I could run the MARATHON but I don’t know if I’m ready for it…that and I don’t have time right now.  So, I’m thinking HALF MARATHON for this race on October 9th!  Yay!

Now that I’ve got something in the books to look forward and train to I think it’s goint to help me get in the running spirit.  And actually, I’ll also be running a 5k on the 4th of July in town, then a 10k (or 5k, haven’t decided yet) on July 23rd near my parents and a 10k in town again in mid August!  It’s going to be nice to get in a few shorter races than all these crazy long ones I’ve been going for!

Anyhow, this morning started off with an apple and lots of water before hitting the dirt to get that 6 miler in.  I came home and quickly showered before getting my produce box and upon returning famished, made my breakfast!  I couldn’t wait to dive into my stash of berries I got at the farmer’s market earlier this week. I had them atop a variety of kashi cereals, along with a banana and some USVAB.  hit the spot perfectly.

It was a pretty late breakfast so my hunger on a run (hah) and I ended up eating some grapes shortly after, along with these dried apple pieces Whit brought with him!

Ironically, this apple farm is right down the street from my place!  How crazy is that!  We polished off a good share of them before I passed out for a 2 hour nap!  My lack of sleep from work is finally catching up with me…and I have to work tomorrow too.  Boo.

Alas, I woke up pretty hungry so I made one of my favorite sandwich combos: hummus, tomatoes, cucumbers and sprouts. OMG all I needed was some avocado and I would have been set.  Sided with a fresh peach and presto!  Lunch was complete!  Oh, I did have a few crackers too afterwards.

I spent the afternoon reading (finally!) and decided to use up lots of the produce we’ve been getting in my produce box every weekend!  I looked to my favorite cookbook (veganomicon) and used their potato and kale enchilada recipe as a base for my enchiladas which included mini potatoes, swiss chard, lamb’s quarter (have no fear, it’s a vegetable!) and my own homemade enchilada sauce!  I even topped mine off with some mozzarella daiya cheese for the first time…and was pleasantly surprised!

I sided it with a small salad and went to town!  Man these babies had a good kick to them! I ended up eating the second one I made, so no leftovers, because I guess I was hungrier than I thought!  Such a great dinner, as I haven’t had much other than salads and sandwiches for the past two weeks!!!  Yay!

Now I’m watching Leap Year with my roomie and contemplating bed at nine o’clock since I have to work tomorrow at a very early hour.  Woop-dy do.  At least it’s gonna be a good hike!!!

Too Hard On Myself…

[[Side Notes: Too Hard on Myself…

This post is similar to the post I did on the Lessons I Learn, because I had something of the same morning except it wasn’t hunger that had gotten to me, but something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

Honestly, as I’m sure you can tell just from the lack of blogging and effort into it, I’ve been in a rut in well, most aspects of my life.  Since the San Diego Marathon I have had very little motivation to run, which doesn’t help with the heat and amount of field work I’m doing (which = no working out time).  It’s left me haggard because I have nothing to release my stress out onto.

Being out in the field also means I don’t have time to create very portable meals that will work well in a hot environment and not put me over the edge with my appetite, which has been going from nothing to everything in taste and amount as of late.  I’m also working insanely early hours so it totally messes up what time I eat compared to when I sleep (ie I eat breakfast at like, 5.30am but still end up having dinner around 6.30. Boo) so I’m on a bit of an edge.

In all of this, even though I’m doing all I possibly can, I am still beating myself up for not doing these things for myself, along with my body.  After I posted the other day about Asking For Help, I had one commenter (Hi Linda!) let me know how hard I was being on myself and it was just too much.

I mean, I know I’m hard on myself because I always have been, and have been able to manage it in the past few years, but not right now.  I love that she helped me realize all the things that I’m doing and conquering, and to make me realize that even when I get things done and they might not feel good enough, THEY ARE.  I am doing the best I can and being the best I can right now and really, it’s what counts the most.

So after having a bad morning, where I just felt “ick” and wanted to (I’m sad to say) skip my snack and lunch, I read over your lovely comments from so many of my Side Notes, took a deep breath, and pushed through the day.  I focused on the positives, like getting in a nice hilly run with my running buddy (whom I haven’t run with in a long time!), eating fresh organic foods to nourish myself, and finally getting a chance to visit the Farmer’s Market in town, where I ended up running into some coworkers/friends! 

As slow as it’s coming to me, there is only so much I can do to make myself happy with well, myself.  If myself doesn’t like that things I’m accomplishing and thinks I need to do it better or do more of it, then well, that part of myself can come and do it itself!  Hahah…which I guess technically is still me…but…you get the idea, haha.

Let’s just say that I’m going to bed in a better mood than I was when I woke up.  Definitely speaks for having a turn around day, right?

How do you turn around your attitude when you’re being too hard on yourself?  Tell me one awesome thing about yourself that you’ve accomplished lately to help remind yourself what a great and hard working person you are!

Real Post

I actually have food photos for you today!!!  I was a good blogger for once…because these are about all the food photos that I have for the past like…2 weeks?  Hahaha.

First off, I had to ready this body for a HOT hike this morning.  What better than a chocolate and berries smoothie, with mixed Kashi cereals!

Then I hiked up to here.  Can you see my car???

Here’s a better look.

I was freak’n hot hot hot by the time I got up there, and was being hassled by flies…

Probably because I got man handled by a fence that RIPPED MY FAVORITE HIKING PANTS!!!!  Major sad face. :(

Of course I had to stay hydrated!!!

Oh, and at some point I hit something and my mirror came out of the side mirror….should be interesting to see how I fix that.  Duct tape?  Just like for my pants, right?

Lunch was the most delicious sandwich ever.  It could not have come at a better time, while I hiked up the hill in the background.  Veggies galore, though I’m more excited for the one tomorrow, because I bought new hummus and sprouts tonight.

And what is lunch without fresh and organic produce?!  Strawberries and peaches, with a side of scenery.

There was lots of driving while looking out the windows…and fyi, this view is taken looking DOWN.  I can’t even describe to you how steep the fall was.

Oh the desert…

Imagine it up 5*F from there within an hour…it was 1:00pm.  Ouch.

On the drive home I snacked on a very melted chocolate zbar and an apple, along with a few handfuls of trail mix.  the best part of that trail mix was the peanut m&m’s.  I was in heaven, and it was great for a pre-run snack!  Many on twitter agreed!

I went on a quick 3.5 mile run and hit up the grocery store for the rest of my salad ingredients!  Fresh organic spring mix, cucumbers, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper, and chickpeas in marinara.

And fresh organic honeydew.  The best I’ve EVER had.

Now I’m ready for bed…day 11 of work here I come…bahhh…

As of Late…

I’m currently going onto my 9th day of work.  This is not an easy task to say the least.  It’s over a 100*F outside, but don’t let those clouds fool you, that sun was hurt’n my skin.

(San Diego Mission Trails Park)

(Work of course)

Long work in hot environments means my appetite is out of whack and brain all over the place.  So I try to stick to clean eats and my emotions at ease.

(organic homemade salad with veggies, eggs and peanut dressing)

(Organic White Peach)

But then there are days, where I just have to ask for help.  Especially when I have an appointment where I have to get weighed in and the nurses are…well, somewhat vocal about your changes in weight over time.  Drives me crazy.  And makes me want to cry sometimes.

Anyhow, all of this kinda makes me realize how sometimes…I just need to ask for help.  I’ve taken the steps myself of going to see a counselor but you know what, sometimes friends/significant others are the best people to go after for that small smile that is just going to make your day, ya know?

Because when you’re overwhelmed from putting so much stuff on your plate and have to finish it all…that little bit of help is all you need to keep on going.

Hopefully I’ll have some time this week to make a real post. I apologize, but I’ve gotta work until Saturday…and myabe just until July 2nd.  Oiy…

Work Work Work…

Thank for all the wonderful and supportive comments on taking a break. I’ve still been reading all your posts, just not as much commenting…so sorry!  Otherwise, I’m currently back in San Diego this weekend for Wilderness First Aid Training and was so excited when I got to hit up my old stomping grounds for a run!  Ocean Beach and Sunset Cliffs?  Yes please!

Until later!

Delayed

I actually posted about this sometime last week but took the subject down before many of you could read it.  Since I ran the marathon and just a bit before that, I’ve been getting some pretty nasty emails and comments.  I’m usually pretty good with dealing with the horrible words and remarks, but some of they are really pushing my buttons past the point of comfort. 

I read Monica’s great post about dealing with mean comments and appreciated every suggestion, but I just need a break from it all.  I’m sure I’m gonna get more crap for not blogging for a while but work is crazy anyways so I’m just simply out of time…

So please don’t abandon me on my break…I promise I’ll be back soon and besides, I’ve got some great new places I’m going in the coming week or so I’m going to have some great pictures to share! 

So for now…au revoir. 

X-Men

OH MAN!  The new X-Man is sooooo good!  Whit really wanted to see it, and if he’d had his way would have stayed to watch it one more time in the theater!  Hah!  I must agree that it was certainly a good movie and I liked all the characters except Mystique…Meh.

Anyhow, I really wanted to thank everyone who commented on my post from this morning about My Post Marathon Feeling.  It has been a hard week trying to accept the race and I’m still working on it…hopefully I’ll start feeling better about it soon.

So, I finally had a day to relax with no work, as I’m basically going to be working for the next two plus weeks straight starting tomorrow.  Boo.  But it means $$$$$$ for my next trip to Kauai! Yay!  Alas, when I finally got out of bed at 7.30 (yes, that’s late for me) I prepped a super berry filled protein smoothie with cereal.  It’s been a few days since I’d had one!  I missed it!

I lounged in bed all morning watching a mini show called The Lake on Hulu.  Such a gossip-y show but I was hooked after the first one.  Luckily, they are each only 10 minutes long, so it didn’t’ take long to go through all 12 episodes.

After feeling a bit too lazy I got out of bed to get in a short run around the neighborhood.  It felt so great to run outside in my town…something about the mountains just makes a run that much better. I finished up 3.7 miles in some time…and got ready to make a lunch for myself and Whit!

I fixed up a fast wrap with a Flat Out Wrap, hummus, tomatoes, lettuce and some sauteed squashes with a side of strawberries (times two).

I finished off the meal with a handful of dark chocolate edamame from TJ’s then walked downtown (three more miles) with Whit and my roomie for X-Men!

When we got home I was STARVING so I basically threw a bunch of stuff in a pot (can of roasted tomatoes with garlic, black beans, broccoli and squash with Italian spices) and baked some fries to make a dinner for Whit and I!  It actually turned out great!!!

My dessert was another handful of the dark chocolate edamame while Whit and my roomie sampled the free Magnum Ice Cream Bars that I got through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program!

They really enjoyed the bars and although they thought they were really rich, they weren’t too sweet to be overwhelming.  I’m glad they enjoyed them for me…dang my lactose intolerance. :\ 

Alright, now starts a week of craziness followed by another and then hopefully a three day weekend for the 4th of July weekend where I’m going to run a 5k in town!  Yay!