Pac Heights hills in the morning

At 7 AM, my roommate Nicole headed out for a 3 mile run amidst the Pac Heights mansions.  Going up the hills wasn’t too bad because she has the inside scoop on the streets with more gradual climbs.  However, downhill was a pain in the … knees.  When we got to the Lyons St. stairs, I was pooped.

At the bottom of Lyons

Nicole wasn’t playing any games.  After a quick stretch, she took them two and three at a time.

The first flight

The middle landing with an SF heart!

At the top

It’s pretty amazing how many people bring yoga mats and plop them down on the pavement at the top of the stairs.  People bring their personal trainers, and I even think that there was an outdoor bootcamp class going on.  Must get more info!  Matt and I always take family and friends who visit us here to take a picture at the top (if it isn’t too foggy!) because it’s a great view of the bay.

Here is a picture of us just over two years ago by the same steps:

Not my favorite picture, but check out the view!

I saw two old ladies sneak into this closed Presido trail.  I only hope i’m as daring in my 80’s.

The city is still so beautiful despite the fog.

I’m off to get my 2nd Starbuck’s Bold this morning.  I really should be getting it from the local La Boulange but their coffee doesn’t give me the late morning energy boost that I need right now.  Ideally, i’d like to ween off caffeine and drink coffee only once every other day.

Does anyone have any tips to cure my caffeine addiction?!

Does anyone workout utilizing a long flight of stairs? I’d love to integrate an outdoor workout into my week.  Have a great morning 🙂

Eating greens in the garden

This morning I pulled myself out of bed for a 5.25 mile run (well, I walked/lightly jogged the first 3/4 mile).  First I had 2 pieces of toast with 2 heaping tablespoons of almond butter, a half a banana, and a few strawberries.  I forgot to take a picture, so instead here is what I ate for breakfast yesterday:

Is it just me or is avocado spread on toast with salt one of the best combos ever?!

The run was just alright.  I felt a slight pain in my right thigh for the first time ever.  I think it’s minor because it subsided after 5 minutes or so.  After answering a few emails and continuing my job search, I headed downstairs to make a farmer’s market salad.  My boyfriend, his stepdad and I went to the Palo Alto Farmer’s market on Saturday and wound up with a few bountiful bags of beautiful California produce.

A bit of red leaf lettuce + kale w/ A lot of 3 Grain Tempeh (Trader Joe's - made from brown rice, soybeans and millet), an egg white puff, grape tomatoes, fresh chives, a big white carrot and a half of an avocado w/ balsamic

As you can see I like to have a 1:8 ratio of salad greens to delicious accoutrements.

Eating in their garden is such a treat!

The best way to spend $9 (I promise)

Food Review: Wonderfully Raw’s CocoRoons

A friend introduced these to be a while back.  I forgot the company name and then forgot about them all together.  When I spotted these babies at the Whole Foods in San Francisco the other week, you should have seen my face.  Then when I looked at the price, you should have seen my second face.

But they’re 100% worth it.  They’re raw, gluten-free, guilt-free (as advertised!), have a super short ingredient list, and are DELICIOUS. They come in a few other flavors.  I’ve tried the Chocolate and Cocoa Nib versions so far.  “Chocolate Cocoroons” are Chocolate Coconut flavored, and the “Cocoa Nib Cocoroons” taste like the most indulgent cookie dough w/ a twist of maple syrup.  They’re equally as amazing depending on what suits your fancy!

The ingredients are: Raw Dried Coconut, Almond Flour, Organic Cacao, Organic Maple Syrup, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Vanilla and Himalayan Crystal Salt.

 

Have you seen these at your local Whole Foods? Does anyone have any other raw dessert recommendations?

Finally blogging

Hi everyone!

Thanks for reading my first post in the health blog world.  I have been reading health and fitness blogs for years now, and have been dying to start my own!  A typical day starts and ends with my eyes glued to the Google Reader as I catch up on all of the eats, workouts and lives of the amazing, admirable health bloggers that I follow.  After much encouragement from my best friend (Hi Mom!) I finally took the plunge.

On Ruthie’s Runs and Recipes, you’ll find a bit of everything! Healthy recipes (some raw, gluten-free, grain-free, vegan, vegetarian … a little something for everyone), Not so healthy recipes (you’ve got to live it up sometime!) and Fitness.  As an avid runner, I am hoping to train for my First Half Marathon soon and diversify my workouts.

Enjoy!

xo Ruthie