A Case of the Runs

Confession: feet have always bothered me. Some people have foot fetishes, but what's the opposite of a fetish? I'm not sure how I got into thinking that feet are just eyesores and smell-bombs. Luckily, there are socks and shoes to cover up feet. For the longest time, I did not care for any shoe (sandals, etc.) that revealed them, but I traded my insecurities for comfort. So when a sock comes out that highlights the "feet-ish" things about feet (i.e., the toes), I am the first to squirm, which is probably why it took me so long to try them. Side note: I wrote about those Vibram shoes several years ago in my bewilderment, and it's actually my most searched-for blog entry! Say hello to my Injinji socks. I bought these (crew cut) at a marathon expo recently for $12. I wanted to try the compression ones, but they were $38, an investment I wasn't ready to make considering I didn't know if these normal ones would work for me. Against all conventional...

A few months ago, I had my first meal at the all-too-popular restaurant, Sizzler. I didn't grow up eating out, so it took me a while to hit up the all-American favorites such as Denny's or even Olive Garden . I generally go to the more "up" Souplantation . So yes, Sizzler excited me, in spite of generally hearing it as the butt of a lot of jokes. Not sure why, though: Above: We both got an "endless salad bar" for $9.99. My plate is on the left/bottom. A waiter served this not-so-good garlic/cheese bread. Above: Dessert... Nilla wafers from the chocolate pudding (I think I like chocolate pudding), and fruit. Above: Sizzler's telling us that this stuff is good for us. Yippee! Above: "The Ukrainian"'s clam chowder.

In a previous post, I talked about some non-dairy milk alternatives . Yowzers, they are becoming popular! This actually makes me very happy, because that also means they are getting cheaper! Here are some quarts that have graced the fridge at work as of late: Halzenut Milk This is a sweeter milk that really added nice flavor to oatmeal and tea/coffee. I liked this one a lot because it was thick and creamy like soy milk and had 2 grams of protein and adequate calcium to boot. (~$2.50 on sale) Pearl Soy Milk For something that was $1, I thought it was pretty good. I thought it was slightly creamier than the average soymilk I've had, though that probably comes from the extra calories it has versus other soymilks. Being organic is a plus. I know Pearl comes in a bunch of other flavors, but I am not adventurous enough to try because I usually don't drink soy milk alone. Love the vitamin and protein boost, though! Coconut Milk I first tried this when Tea Time brought it over one day...

On my long "to bake" list was this banana-date scone recipe from Veganomicon . It all started when I opened "The Ukrainian"'s refrigerator to find that a bunch of bananas he bought less than a week ago still somewhat green were now mushed up/black. I diced some of them and froze the parts that were salvage-able (for later use in smoothies and popcicles) and used the rest as the base of this recipe. Above: Chopped up medjool dates (from Sprouts ) and mashed-up banana. Yes, looks AND sounds appealing, eh? (Ignore booze in the background...) I had to grind my own flax seeds, sub soy milk for rice milk, and maple syrup for brown rice syrup. Above: While I was in such a hurry that I didn't get any more "process" pics (it got quite sticky and messy!), I did get this fresh-outta-the-oven shot! Above: I put them on a plate to cool. Above: "The Ukrainian" made me take this picture, which is why I look very sheepish here. Above: A texture s...

It's finally time for the highly-anticipated San Antonio FOOD post. Before we get to the good stuff, I thought I'd show what we ate in Las Vegas between our flights. If you are not from the area, you might be wondering what they eat in Texas, or at least the tourist-y parts of Texas. So did I. One thing I did assume, though, is that we HAD to go have barbecue and eat on the famous Riverwalk. Although I had said I would eat fish again , I still imagined that I'd be very low on options. However, I was pleasantly surprised that there were decent vegetarian options at every restaurant we visited. I committed fish-sins twice, but I didn't have to. I just didn't want to be eating things I "could get at home" while over there. Above: The place of our post-landing meal. Above: Here's my order... a "Texas Iced Tea" (waaaay too strong) and a fried catfish/fries combo. This was fish-sin #1. It wasn't amazing, and I guess I could have ...

San Antonio really surprised me. Coming from Southern California, I am used to landmarks and excitement. So when I saw the course previews of the San Antonio Rock n Roll Marathon looking like some of the less glamorous parts of Los Angeles, I wasn't very hopeful. But San Antonio is a very historical and fun city. And in spite of its 2.2-ish million residents, it has a very small-town feel. This is definitely the most pictures I've ever had in one entry, so I condensed them a little. To see the pictures up-close, right-click them in "Open in New Window/Tab". If you're ever considering coming here... here's a primer for some of the sights! Starting off the sites is our hotel... As I mentioned in my race post , it used to be a bank. It definitely had that appearance. Here's the view from the top of the hotel. The interiors were pretty sweet! Here's some views from the rooms. The beds were SOOOO comfortable that I slept A TON while I was away, ...