Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil Give-a-Way!!

That’s right folks, it’s give-a-way time!

This is the VERY FIRST give-a-way EVER at Veggie V’s Vegan Adventure, and you are the lucky ones who get a chance to win a GIANT, 32 oz container of this silky smooth coconut oil. Seriously. 32 ounces is a HUGE jar!

Win 1 quart of  Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!

Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their
website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil?

You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:

Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the  advantages of buying coconut oil online.

Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.

Enter to Win 10 Different Ways!!!

• Share your favorite way to use Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!
• Subscribe to the Tropical Traditions Sales Newsletter and leave a comment.
• Follow Tropical Traditions on Twitter @troptraditions and @ttspecialdeals  and leave a comment.
• Like Tropical Traditions on Facebook and leave a comment
  
• Follow Tropical Traditions on Pinterest and leave a comment
• Follow Tropical Traditions on Google+ and leave a comment
• Follow Veggie V’s Vegan Adventure via email and leave a comment
• Like Veggie V’s Vegan Adventure on Facebook and leave a comment
• Follow Veggie V’s Vegan Adventure on Twitter @veggie_v and leave a comment
• Follow Veggie V on Pinterest and leave a comment

Wow! 10 ways to enter!!

The contest will be open until next Monday, June 4, at 11:59 p.m. EST. That gives you seven full days to enter!

Remember, YOU MUST LEAVE A COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY for it to be counted. I will use a random number generator to determine the winner, so each of your entries needs a separate comment to be counted as a single entry. If you already subscribe to or follow Veggie V or Tropical Traditions, let me know that too!

I’m so excited to be able to share this give-a-way with you! I hope you enjoy the Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil as much as I do

Note: Contest is open to US and Canada residents only.

Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil Product Review

As you know, I don’t use much oil in my cooking (or un-cooking), but when I do, it’s often coconut oil. And Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil works perfectly for all of my cooking and beauty needs.

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.  But, I liked the Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil so much, I made dessert with it. Enjoy!

ChocoNutCrunch Butter

1/4 c nut butter

1 TBSP cocoa powder

1 TBSP maple syrup

2 TBSP Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil, melted

1 TBSP cocoa nibs

Warm oil until it becomes a clear liquid. Add to bowl with other ingredients. Stir to combine.

Uses:

As is: Use as is for a spread on bread, wraps, fruit, etc.

ChocoNutCrunch Sauce: Add an additional 1 TBSP melted coconut oil to original recipe. Stir to combine. Warm resulting sauce and poor over your favorite non-dairy ice cream (banana soft-serve anyone?!), swirl into your amazing oats, add to your morning smoothie, use as a dip for fruits or cookies, use as a g’nosh for cakes and cookies, etc.

ChocoNutCrunch Bar: Reduce the coconut oil by 1/2  TBSP. Mixture will be thicker than the buttery spread. Poor into candy molds or onto parchment paper. Cover with another piece of parchment, flatten into a bar, and freeze.

ChocoNutCrunch Balls

1/2 c nut butter

1/4 c cocoa powder

2 T Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil, melted

2 T (heaping) cocoa nibs

2 T maple syrup

Combine ingredients. Scoop by tablespoon full and place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Shape into rounds. Freeze rounds until solid. Transfer to an air-tight container and store in freezer.

Options:

Sugar Free: Use liquid or powdered stevia instead of maple syrup (or your favorite liquid sweetener). Or use a combination of the two. If using liquid stevia alone, I’d start with one dropper full, or about 10 drops. If using powered alone, I’d start with two packets (about 1 scooper of uncut product). If combining with liquid sweetener, I’d half each of the suggested amounts and work my way up to desired sweetness.

Nut butter choices: I used peanut butter for the butter, sauce, and bar. I used almond butter for the balls. Both were delicious. I’m sure any nut or seed butter you like would work wonderfully.

Measuring Coconut Oil: I measured my oil in it’s in liquid state by first warming it in the microwave for about 10 seconds. A warm water bath works just as well. Or, you can try sitting the jar in a gas oven while your prepping your other ingredients (or a little before that). I’ve read the heat is enough to liquify the oil. (I’ve never tried this; we have an electric stove/oven.)

Check out these links to learn more about Tropical Traditions and/or Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:

Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil

Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil on YouTube

Tropical Traditions Homepage

Virgin Coconut Oil: America’s First Traditional Handcrafted Virgin Coconut Oil

How to Use Coconut oil: There are hundreds of uses for coconut oil!

Tropical Traditions YouTube channel

Tofu Two Ways

Apparently I have a thing for tofu lately. My last post featured Pan-Seared Tofu with Wilted Greens, and today I’m sharing two tofu salad recipes.

I came upon these salads by accident. Kind of. I’ve been eating a very high raw diet (95% or higher) for a couple of weeks (It’s just the beginning!), and I the lack of chewiness is getting to me, which is probably I’ve really been in the mood for fake meat. Enter, tofu. Even though tofu isn’t raw (I buy mine from a regular grocery store), I didn’t want to cook it. (Yes, I’m aware it’s highly processed, and it’s affects on the body are questionable.)  So…I pressed the crap out of a block and made it into two salads. Ha ha ha!

First, I should mention how I press my tofu. I don’t own a tofu press; although, I’ve heard nothing but good things about them. Instead, I wrap my tofu block (I tend to use extra firm plus or extra firm regular – always organic and non-GMO) in a double layer of paper towel; then I wrap the paper-towel covered block in a dish towel and place it under our Britta water pitcher in the fridge. Make sure the pitcher is full of water for the extra weight. I leave the tofu block under the water pitcher for a couple of days or longer. (I think it would be OK for a few days because it’s chilled, and it’s wet-ish). Most of the time I rotate the block, so it doesn’t press into a weird shape. But it usually does anyway – ha!

I’ve seen numerous recipes for tofu “feta,” but I think it tastes more like fresh mozzarella – or what I remember it tasting like – so that’s how I treated it for these salads.

To prepare the tofu for both salads, cut the block into three slabs. Then, cut the slabs into tiny blocks. I left mine a little larger because I really wanted to taste the tofu pieces, but I’m certain you could “fool” an omni eater with tiny pieces of tofu into thinking they were eating mozzarella.

Summer Tofu Salad

1/2 block tofu, pressed and cubed into small pieces

1-2 T lemon juice (juice of one lemon)

1 T EVOO (I use cold-pressed)

1/4  – 1/2 c olives (mix of your favorite – include some that are briny)

1-2 small scallions (whites and greens), diced

1 small tomato, seeded and cut into small pieces

Mix tofu, olive oil and lemon juice in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to marinate. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Eat immediately or refrigerate for later. Keeps 1-2 days (at least). 

Serves two.

Asian Tofu Salad

1/2 block tofu, pressed and cubed into small pieces

1 T sesame oil (roasted is best flavor wise)

1-2 T soy sauce (or tamari or Braggs or…your choice – I use low sodium tamari)

1 lg scallion (or 1-3 smaller ones), white and green parts, diced

2 T carrot shreds, diced (I buy the matchstick carrots and cut those to size)

1 T (scant) sesame seeds

Optional: 1-2 c cold rice noodles (or kelp noodles might be a nice flavor combo!)

Mix tofu, oil, and soy sauce. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to marinate. Add remaining ingratiates and eat immediately or refrigerate for later. Keeps for 1-2 days (at least).

Serves two

I loved both of these salads equally. Seriously delicious. I can’t wait to make each of them again. I’m thinking of taking them on a road trip to Chicago this coming weekend. We’re going to the Self Workout in the Park. Anybody else going to be there?!

Pan-Seared Tofu with Wilted Greens

I am a conscious consumer of soy. I enjoy the flavor, especially of fermented soy (Hello, miso!), and I don’t mind the texture of pressed tofu.  I think it’s kind of meaty – but not too meaty. I also don’t mind TVP, although I don’t use it – ever; I love chocolate soy milk (I think it tastes like Kahlua!); and, while I have yet to try temphe, I’ve had a package in the freezer forever. One of these days I’ll get around to using it in something. Least we forget the soy bean itself – perfect steamed in its pod or added to a salad. Yum. Edamame!

When I’m in the mood for soy, though, it’s usually for tofu.  (I use miso so often I don’t consider it a special occasion.) Typically, I press it for a couple of days before I use it to get as much water out of it as possible. Then, I cut it in thirds through the thickness and cut the pieces into tiny blocks. I have a favorite way to cook it, which is based on this recipe. Lately, I’ve been added pan-seared tofu to a bed of wilted greens cooked with leeks. Amazingly simple and delicious!

Pan-Seared Tofu with Wilted Greens

1 pkg extra firm tofu, pressed cubed

1 T sesame oil

2 T soy sauce (or tamari or liquid aminos, or coconut aminos)

1 lb greens, chopped (I love spinach or chard)

3 sm/1 lg leek, sliced

Press and cut the tofu into bite-sized chunks.

Heat a large skillet until hot. Add sesame oil. Once smoking, add tofu chunks. Do not move! Reduce heat to medium and  allow tofu to sit and pan-sear until a crust forms on the outside of the chunks. Then, turn each piece over (tongs help with this). After turning, immediately add the soy sauce. Allow tofu to sit and caramelize. Remove tofu chunks once sufficiently crunchy and delicious.

In the same pan, add a tiny bit more sesame oil (or a splash of broth or water), a splash more soy sauce if desired, and the greens and leeks. You may have to add the greens in batches until it wilts and makes room for more. Alternately, put a lid on the pan to aid in wilting of the greens. Once wilted, remove from pan. Place on large plate and top with pan-seared tofu chucks.

This whole process takes maybe 15 minutes and is packed with macro and micro nutrients.

Notes:

Sesame Oil: I use sesame oil because it’s very flavorful. A little goes a long way! I’ve read you should keep your sesame oil in the fridge, so I do, but it congeals, so I have to let it sit out for a few minutes and warm up before I use it. FYI if you’re new to sesame oil.

Tofu: I know a lot of people aren’t comfortable with tofu, or experience gastrointestinal issues when they eat soy. I’ve found a little whole soy here and there doesn’t seem too extreme, and if I use sprouted tofu, I don’t have digestive issues. Again, I don’t eat tofu very often (maybe once a month – if that), but when I do, I use extra firm and sprouted. Remember to look for a brand that clearly states non-GMO and organic. Just organic doesn’t mean non-GMO and vise versa. And, since soy is one of the mostly highly genetically modified foods, don’t assume your soy is non-GMO and/or organic if it isn’t clearly labeled as such!

Soy Sauce: I typically use low sodium soy sauce or tamari. If you’re gluten-free, make sure your tamari clearly says it’s gluten-free.

Greens: Use your favorite! I love chard, and you can’t go wrong with spinach. But any green will work. Load up your pan! Greens are amazingly good for you. Indulge!

Leeks: Clean your leeks well. They’re grown in sandy soil, and the layers hide grit. Slice and dice your leeks before you clean them to remove the grit. Just soak the leeks in a tub of water, and you’re all set. You can also use green onions. I’ve done so successfully.

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I’m sharing this recipe at Diet, Dessert and Dog’s Wellness Weekends.

Success! Plants2Plate Recap

Well, I did it. I successfully completed my first community presentation…and it went great!

About 45-50 people attended Plants2Plant: An Introduction to a Plant-Based Diet last Tuesday evening, May 15.  We had a nice mix of attendees, with about half of the people comprised of community members and the other half were members of the Masons and their wives. (Freemasonry is a men’s organization dedicated to philanthropic and community endorses – much to the dismay of conspiracy theorists – ha!)

photo of me

I made enough food to feed about 100 people. Apparently, I can cook for 1 or 100 – but nothing in between!

On the menu: Quinoa Salad, Cool Slaw, Bean & Lentil Chili, Vegetable Chowder, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, Dark Chocolate Mocha Chunk Cookies, Sunbutter Double Nut Cookies, Tropical Trail-Mix Cookies, Coconut Butter Cookies with Mix-Ins, and spa water (lemon, lime or cucumber). There was so much food left over (no cookies though!)  that participants were able to take food home I’m soooo glad we decided to purchase some to-go containers!

Picture courtesy of my friend, Cherie Bullock-Myslinkky

After people got their food and got settled in, eating away, I began my presentation. The venue wasn’t the greatest  (Is a basement ever the best place to do a presentation??), but I kept everyone’s attention…for entire hour and half! I didn’t expect to talk that long, but I had so much important information to share! Plus, the teacher in me took over, and I got caught up in my love for lecturing. (Side note: I may be the only person on earth who has a love for listening to and engaging in lectures. But c’mon, a room full of people’s undivided attention?? That’s a dream come true! Ha ha ha)

I tried to encourage questions from the group, and a few people obliged. I love that people were actually listening! My friends in the audience said it seemed a though the people around them were intently listening, and Mr. M said some ladies seated near him were taking notes. Woohoo!

Robin, my hair stylist, posted one of my flyers in her shop!

I even managed to sell 9 copies of my eBook, which I burned on to CDs for the event. Nice! I included all of the recipes on my blog (all original Veggie V recipes), organized them by category, included a photo for all but a couple, and saved them in a PDF. It turned out really nice! I’m going to sell copies on here as soon as I make it look a little nicer.

I also passed out a flyer (Veggie V Can You Help Me?!) promoting my plant-based health coaching services. I would LOVE to help people get started on or continue their plant-based diet (and lifestyle!). I’ve done some research, and nobody is offering that type of service in my area. There are a few people in Columbus and Ann Arbor, but both are well over an hour away. I don’t think we’d competition for each other with face-to-face coaching, and there’s always room for web-based coaches. Everyone offers their unique views on our wondrous vegan journey.

I’m also VERY interested in presenting to area community organizations. I have some great contacts through friends and coworkers, so I’ll be working on all of those avenues in the very near future. I’ll keep you posted!

I’m so excited at the prospect of sharing my love for all things vegan/plant-based. I’ve been wanting to figure out a way to do this forever, and now some roads to reaching people are becoming visible. I can’t wait to travel down them and see what awaits!

Tropical Trail-Mix Cookies & My First Guest Post!!

Guess what…my first guest post is up over at Laura’s Gluten Free Pantry! Woohoo!! Check it out. Right now. And read about Tropical Trail-Mix Cookies. Go! Ha ha!

I’m having a rockin’ few days. First, yesterday was Virtual Vegan Potluck. If you haven’t check out the blog circle, please do so. The participating bloggers shared some seriously awesome recipes. There are some many of them I want to try, I need the next few weeks off just to cook! Coincidentally, I have the next three weeks off. Yes! I’m also rockin’ it today with my first guest post, and Tuesday is my first community presentation. It’s a Veggie V kinda week. Get on board, people. It’s a crazy, fun ride!

Virtual Vegan Potluck: Coconut Butter Cookies with Mix-Ins

It’s here! It’s finally here! Woohoo!

Welcome to the Virtual Vegan Potluck – brainchild of Annie from An Unrefined Vegan.

When I first saw Annie’s posting for the potluck, I was intrigued, but too busy to do much more than sign up to “bring” a dessert. With Plants 2 Plate, my community presentation, quickly approaching, I’ve been buried in reading, researching, and PowerPoint! But, I couldn’t resist participating in this fun event. In real life, when I attend a gathering, I usually have to rely on whatever fits in my purse to feed myself. I would be ecstatic to attend a non-virtual vegan potluck. Wouldn’t that be awesome?! But, until I can convince a handful of my friends to sync their schedule AND make Veggie V approved goodies, I’ll settle for a gather of my virtual friends – whose food is not only Veggie V approved, but drool worthy!

I came up with the idea for potluck dessert kind of on accident. A couple of weeks ago, I tried to make blueberry muffins with coconut butter and coconut flour. Fail! I’ve never worked with coconut flour. I’m thinking an established recipe is going to be required. Stay tuned!

OK, back to my accidental recipe. The first thing I did to assemble my failed muffins was make coconut butter. I’ve made homemade coconut butter before in my old food processor, but I’d yet to make it in the Vitamix. Success! Two bags of desiccated, unsweetened coconut made about one cup coconut butter. After adding a couple flax eggs to the coconut butter and stirring it in, I couldn’t help thinking, “I bet this would make good cookies.” Guess what…it does!

Coconut Butter Cookies

(vegan, gluten free, grain free, oil free, refined sugar free, nut/seed free, soy free)

IMPORTANT: Use room temperature ingredients! If your coconut butter comes in contact with something cold, it will seize up. If this happens, just heat it up for a few seconds in the microwave or in a warm water bath.

1 c coconut butter (make your own by blending (in high-speed blender or food processor) 2 bags unsweetened, desiccated coconut)

2 flax eggs (2 TBSP golden flax meal + 5 TBSP water)

1/4 c maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)

1 TBSP vanilla extract (I use alcohol free)

4 pks stevia (I use Nu-Naturals brand)

dash salt (less than 1/8 tsp)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine ingredients and stir to incorporate.

If your mixture is a little too wet and you don’t have any more coconut butter, try adding a little coconut flour. You want the consistency of the dough to be like play-dough: a giant, pliable lump.

Scoop small amounts of dough and place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. You want to see a little, golden brown on the top of the cookies. Remove from cookie sheet immediately and cool on wire rack. (You want the bottoms to be exposed to air so they’ll cool and firm up.)

Mix-Ins

Add your favorite flavors to the mix!

Almonds + chocolate chips + splash almond extract

Chocolate chips + splash peppermint extract

Currents + Coconut flakes + dab coconut cream or a splash of extract (vanilla, coconut, banana, chocolate)

The ideas are endless!

3 Ways to Eat

Baked @ 350F for 10-12 minutes

Raw: Cold from the fridge or freezer

Raw: Warm from the dehydrator

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Thanks for coming to the potluck! Be sure to check out the other participants by clicking through the blog circle.

Check out Heather from veggie4ayear’s Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes. Delicious combo!

Go to the original Virtual Vegan Potluck post for a list of all participants – links included!

Betty: My 9 Year Old Vegan Fish

This is Betty. My fish. My nine year old goldfish.

Betty!

Yup, you read that right. Betty is nine years old! Her birthday was some time last month. She may be the oldest goldfish in the world. Ha ha ha!

I rescued Betty from a table centerpiece in April of 2004. The university I worked at hosted loads of events, and one of events, and many of them were held down the hall from my office. One of the events included fish bowls as centerpieces. (Remember when that was popular?! So sad…) I think it was the anticipation of the event hosts that attendees would take home a bowl of fish, but most of them didn’t, so there were a lot of fishies left over. Being the animal lover that I am, I couldn’t stand to think of all those fish being flushed or whatever other horrible fate awaited them, so I adopted as many as I could. That turned out to be two: Betty and Barney, who became our office fish.

It didn’t take long before Barney met an untimely death, leaving Betty an only fish, happy to swim around her tiny bowl, eating whatever flakes floated her way curtsey of excited students. It also didn’t take long before Betty began to outgrow her tiny bowl (maybe it was all the food?!), so I upgraded her to a 1 gallon bowl, and she continued to live on top of the filing cabinet in our office. Eventually, however, Betty outgrew her gallon bowl, and I got tired of driving her back and forth after taking her home often to clean her mucky bowl. So, she stayed at my place, and I got her a bigger tank…a whopping 5 gallons…with a filter! Woohoo! Betty loved her new home and thrived in, growing bigger and bigger until she outgrew that tank too!

When I moved in with Mr. M, Betty’s tank got upgraded once again – to a 10 gallon tank, which is what she currently lives in. But guess what…she’s outgrowing this one too!

I’m debating on upgrading Betty to a 20 gallon tank, but so far I haven’t convinced Mr. M yet. (He wanted to upgrade her to a 20 gallon from the 5 gallon, but I was reluctant and went with the 10. Silly me.) For now, she’s OK where she is. After all, she’s made it all the way to 9!

A few months ago, after a crazy near-death scare, I began doing some research on ways to keep Betty healthy and alive for a new more years (Did you know goldfish can live to be up to 18 years old?!), and I found out she could not only live but thrive on a vegan diet. So…Betty is now a vegan! She hasn’t had fish flakes in months, and she’s healthy and happy and growing – seemingly daily.

As of now, Betty’s diet consists mostly of organic peas with occasionally pieces of organic corn. I buy the veggies frozen and thaw a few pieces in the morning and night for her breakfast and dinner. I slip the skins on both and break the halves into smaller pieces (or the whole kernals) and sprinkle them into Betty’s tank. She goes crazy for her food! Occasionally, I give her a special treat – orange! She loves tiny bits of orange. I think my Betty has a sweet tooth

I’ve read a lot of goldfish love green, leafy veggies, but not Betty. I’ve tried lettuce, spinach, chard, collards, and kale, and she won’t eat any of it. She sucks in her mouth and spits it out faster than when she accidentally tries to eat her own poo. (Why are fish so gross?!) So, for now, Betty is on a steady diet of peas and corn. Mmm….

Betty is very active and vocal. When she’s ready for her breakfast, she smacks at the top of the water. It makes a loud enough noise that I can hear it from any room in the house. Sometimes it’s my alarm clock. She does the same thing when she wants her dinner. She’s so cute!

I hope Betty is with us for many years to come. I love her as much as any pet; it doesn’t bother me that I can’t pet or cuddle her. She loves me too

My First Blender Soup!

Since getting my Vitamix a few months ago, I’ve used it almost daily. Mr. M has even gotten into the habit of making smoothies in the mornings – and sometime at night! We both really need to watch the DVD that came with it, though, because I think we could be using the wonder appliance a little more effectively. Regardless, I figured out how to make blender soup!

I mentioned on Facebook that Mr. M got me a sprouting kit for Easter, so we’ve been sprouting fools since. The kit comes with three sprouting trays (I’ll share more about this in an upcoming post. I keep forgetting to take photos of the growing process!), which produces a lot of sprouts! Of course, we don’t have to use all three trays at once, but Mr M has been excited to try all of the varieties that came with our sprouting sample, so he’s been sprouting all three at the same time. Generally, this isn’t a problem between our daily salads and grab-and-go bites here and there. But the last time we sprouted all three trays, our timing was off and I was left alone to eat all three! Now, don’t get me wrong, I love sprouts, but six plus cups of sprouts is a lot to get through in a couple of days! Not wanting to waste the tasty little nutrition-filled gems, I did what I do with all of my left-over produce…I threw them in the Vitamix!

I grabbed all of the fresh produce in the house and combined it with the sprouts, a little water, and some seasonings, blended until warm, and gobbled it down.

Raw Sprout Soup

2-4 c sprouts, any variety (I used mung bean, lentil, and broccoli sprouts)

2 c water

1 tomato

1 lg carrot

2 stalks celery

2 green onions

1/4 sweet bell pepper

1-2 c spinach

1/2 c parsley

Seasonings: salt, pepper, granulated garlic, oregano flakes, basil flakes, Mrs. Dash chili lime

Combine everything in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Continue blending until warm (if your blender allows for that), or warm slightly on the stove or in the microwave (If you’re into that). Don’t over-heat soup if you want it to remain raw. (I used a bio-therm to temp the soup so I knew it didn’t get too warm.)

I added half of a diced avocado to bowl of soup, but it sank so you can’t see it in the photo

I can’t wait to make more soup!

Automattic’s Worldwide WP 5K…A Week Later

Last Sunday was the official day for the Automattic’s Worldwide 5K.

I’ve been running/jogging/slogging (slow jobbing) for a couple of years, and I regularly participate in 5K’s throughout the spring/summer/fall, so I happy to participate in this blogging event. But, the timing of the event wasn’t the best for me. The end of the semester always catches me off-guard, and this semester was no different than usual.

To off-set the timing thing, I got my 5K in on Saturday instead of Sunday – for two reasons. First, I had a bunch of school stuff to do on Sunday, and second, I wanted to leave Sunday morning open for biking riding with Mr. M. However, that didn’t happen *sigh* Regardless, because the weather was crappy on Saturday, I had to run inside on my beloved treadmill, which was totally fine with me!

What almost 4 miles look like.

I haven’t gotten in many long runs since having my gallbladder out, so I went a little over the required distance

It felt good to sweat through the miles. Mr. M. came into the office and chatted it up with me through the last mile or so, which was nice. I’m not used to having company when I run!

This was the first year I’ve participated in the WWWP5K, but it won’t be the last