And I ran....

Today was my second week of running. I use the term loosely since I am partly running and mostly walking. (Gotta start somewhere and I'm starting here)

It went well today, not too hard, and I might even get some yoga done. I seem to be using the same boring route as I always run.... out the door to the south, turn east on 15th, and then back. However, it gives me some tough but doable hills to practice on, some uneven terrain since the sidewalk is torn up in spots and slants severely by the golf course, and most importantly I know it like the back of my hand. I think that is useful as the days get shorter and it gets darker when I run, but it's also good now so I can concentrate on my timed intervals and not tripping over the dog. Lily loves going for runs.

We made a new friend today as well. A cute 4 or 5month old Husky named Max. His owner is really nice too. He really wanted to play, but since we were next to the street, that was a bad idea.

I think, barring any injuries, I'll try to do a 5K this fall. For sure I'll do the Thanksgiving 5K, since they give out long sleeved Dri-Fit shirts! Gotta love a race with good loot.

Gooey Chocolate Yumminess

OMG, I think I've died and gone to heaven.

Yesterday, while doing some random surfing, I came across Alicia Silverstone's Kind Life blog (not worth linking to really) as well as an even better vegan cooking blog, Little House of Veggies. I decided to do a little baking, because it was relatively cool and I can never seem to leave all the dishes clean for very long.

I made Chocolate Fudge Muffins. These were so easy! No really special ingredients, maybe the unsweetened applesauce but I tend to get that kind anyway. I used regular AP flour (all purpose) since I wasn't in the mood to find a place to store 10 lbs of white whole wheat flour. Next time I'll try regular whole wheat flour. I also had to use my 6-slot muffin pan, so they ended up huge but still cooked well. The batter is thick and sticky so I'd recommend using the ice cream scooper to portion it out. The muffins are soooooooo good, gooey, chocolate-y and super moist. (I guess that's covered in gooey) I love how the cinnamon adds just a hint of spice, but not intense like a cayenne or paprika.

I also made Peanut Butter Cups. This took a bit of a leap on my end. Vegan butter is something I debated about for a while, but I figured if chocolate is added it will cover any weirdness. Soy milk might be a big thing for other people, but I have long loved it. It's awesome in coffee to make a soy latte. I also had a big mug of just plain soy milk while baking. (Felt like a little kid!) These concerned me that it would be messy and hard to make, but it was all for naught. Soooo easy! Melt some stuff and stir, pour into muffin cups. Wash pot, melt again, pour into cups again and put in freezer because you can't wait 2 hours to try it. Total yumminess! Will and some friends tried them and loved them, so make for a party! I'm really glad my mom got me the silicone muffin pan so I can peel the cups out. I forgot to get paper liners, which would make the cups much easier to get out. If you try these, BUY PAPER LINERS!!!! I do totally recommend making these and keeping them on hand for snacks or parties. It's easier than cookies and doesn't make you heat up the kitchen... perfect for summer!

One note about "vegan" chocolate chips. Turns out you don't have to get the carob crap. Ghirardelli regular semi-sweet chips are vegan. They just have cocoa powder, cocoa butter, soy (therefore vegan) lecithin and that's it I think. I didn't check Nestle but just look at the back of the package. Or don't. Make it in non-vegan glory. I chose to do vegan because I really wanted to try something new, and see if there was a difference. Sometimes trying a new thing can be a really good, gooey, delicious thing!