The One Week Vegetarian

I'm going vegetarian this week. 

I planned my menus last week and will be posting as I cook and eat them and will be sure to let you know any and all feedback from me and Bill.  It should be interesting.

I'm planning on total vegetarianism for 7 days starting today as well as a low sugar diet.  I have a problem with cookies.  I have a problem with brownies.  I have a problem with cake.  I have a problem. 

I made my last batch of cookies last night.  They were delicious... I savored every bite of them.  And then said goodbye.  It was traumatic but totally worth shoving my mouth full of them as I watched Dirk win his first championship.  Go Mavs!

And then this morning.... we had a meeting with everyone in the office...the breakfast of choice...donut holes.  Luckily I had eaten my Quaker Oats and was pretty full but the donut hole box and I had a discussion; it wasn't pretty but my angel side won out against that devilish box of sugary goodness.  NO donut holes for me.

In preparation for my week of vegetarianism my friend Courtney and I went to the farmer's market in downtown Dallas on Saturday.  If you are not familiar with Dallas - the farmer's market is a staple in south downtown.

The farmer's market was established in the 1800s as farmers came to town to sell from their wagons.  In 1939 the market was officially established and formalized with the first shed being built to house the farmers.  Today there are 4 sheds as well as various street vendors, and an entire street dedicated to floral.  It is an amazing place on Saturday morning.  The sights, sounds, colors and samples of the locally grown produce are overwhelming and delicious.

I went to the farmers market as a little girl with my family but hadn't been back in years.  It is totally worth the 25 minute drive and I plan on making it frequently.

So here was my produce shopping list for the week:

2 avocados - They were a little pricey
6 white onions - They were also a little pricey - I can get a bag at the store for less than a basket
1 red onion - Wasn't able to purchase a single red onion
4 tomatoes - came home with 6
4 sweet potatoes
2 bell peppers
2 bunches of fresh spinach
2 Portabello Mushrooms
10 White mushrooms
2 chipolte peppers - only available at the grocery
2 egg plants
1 bunch cilantro
4 jalapenos - came home with 22!
3 zucchinis - came home with 4
18 garlic cloves
3 shallots - came home with 8
pears - FORGOT!
dried cranberries - Didn't find any dried fruit

*Plus I came home with a pineapple (they were 2 for $5)

It was a great day with a great friend!  Tonight after work it's off to the grocery to pick up the remaining needed items and then it's my first attempt at a vegetarian dinner. 

Happy Monday!

P.S. Don't forget about the 10 giveaways going on at Mrs. Adventure... you can click the links right over there -------->

Training, Tweeting, and Retail Therapy

I'm feeling much much much better.  Last week I was totally a loser and skipped about a billion workouts... I wasn't feeling it, I was tired, run down, stressed and overworked.  I took the weekend to RELAX, RELOAD and enjoy my 2 hr trainer ride on Saturday.  I skipped running yesterday and instead got a massage...best.decision.ever.  I went to bed woke up at 4:30am rested and ready to swim at Masters.  I got in 2400 yds this morning and finally feeling like myself again.

This whole training thing is cyclical.... ups, downs, and all the in betweens - BUT so worth it in the end.

Tonight - round #2 at the gym for a 60 minute spin class.

In other news -

I spent $85 yesterday at Ross.  Don't judge me.  I love Ross - but only when I'm in the "mood".  We needed to spice the house up a little bit - you know curtains, welcome mats, kitchen mats, those sorts of things that Bill is never going to buy.  Him being color blind really is really an advantage to me when it comes to decorating the house.  :) Love you honey!

For $85 I purchased

3 sets of curtains - 2 for the kitchen and 1 for the window by the front door
1 - outside welcome mat
1 - set of king sheets
1 - entry rug
1 - kitchen rug
1 - toilet paper holder for the guest bath
1 - soap dispenser for the guest bat (that's getting returned b/c it came witout a spout)

That's alot of stuff for $85.  I had previously went to Kohl's and one set of sheets was more than that.  (and the Ross sheets aren't crappy sheets either - they are super soft (I forget the thread count), super comfy and we slept like babies last night)

Oh yes, I joined Twitter yesterday (@allie0622) - So follow me - and if you want to read my BFF's antics you can follow her too (@caylaann03) Just now getting on this twitter bandwagon so if you tweet comment and leave me your name and I'll follow you :)  Welcome to 2011 Allison :)

I had over 500 unread blog posts on my google reader yesterday - b/c of traveling the last few weeks and just being plain out of it - they accumulated pretty quickly.  I marked them all as read and started a do over... you can expect more comments from me starting NOW!!!

Now I'm off to find a race for February...... putting off starting work until I absolutely HAVE TO!