First, I want to thank you so much for all the love and support for Alan in response to my last post. We appreciate it so much, and I really feel that all your prayers and positive psychic energy will support us and help assure a good outcome. I hope that you will use our story as a cautionary tale about the importance of second (or third) opinions, and how important it is to be an advocate for your own health care.
IDEA World Fitness Convention
I expect to be pretty quiet on the blogging front for the next several days as I head off to the IDEA World Fitness Convention. I am attending as an IDEA Inspired Advisor, and will have a full press pass, so I plan to return with plenty to write about over the next couple weeks. I already have a busy agenda, with Advisor meetings and meet-ups, a few Fitfluential folks that I hope to touch bases with, some amazing exercise classes that I want to try, and that’s before I even begin to select the sessions I wish to attend! That doesn’t leave much time for blogging! I will be active on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook though, so be sure to follow me there for the latest updates from the Convention.
Cross Country
Cross country practice is heating up both literally and figuratively in August, though in the last few days we’ve been blessed with a little “cool spell.” That means mid-seventies for morning practices, low-100s for afternoon/evening practice. The workouts are getting tougher too, with longer distances, hill repeats, and interval training all part of the mix now, as the countdown to the season ticks down. Monday was Valley of the Champions, a hill workout that gradually gets steeper over the course of three different hills.
While we have always invited parents to join us, this was the first time a mom completed the whole Valley workout! Though it’s hard to tell she’s a mom from the back!
Coco and the Pack
I was off on Monday, so after practice, feeling guilty because my runs with Penny are infrequent during cross country season, I took her out for a one mile run. It was warming up, probably around 90, so that was plenty. Of course, when I got home, Buddy wanted to go, so I took him out for a mile too. Lily and Olivia were excited by then, so I decided to take them plus the new dog, Coco, for her first run. It was hot, but we only ran a half mile. Coco did pretty good!
Coco seems to be setting in pretty well, though she had a little scuffle with Olivia (the black dog in the picture above) the other day. She continues to bite the butts of the dogs when she gets excited, and Olivia had finally had enough. Things have settled down now, though Olivia is still holding a little grudge. Hopefully Coco has learned her lesson! She and Buddy seem to be getting along now. I think Buddy thinks we brought him a new girlfriend!
Jackfruit Carnitas
Finally, do you recall a few months ago when I discovered the BBQ Jackelope Sandwich from Native Foods? It was made with jackfruit, and ever since that time I’ve been wanting to try and cook with it. Well, it’s a little tough to find, but I was finally fortunate enough to discover an Asian grocery store nearby and…
I researched a few recipes, and finally decided to try Jessica’s version over at Clean Green Simple. She actually has two recipes in that post. The original, from the chef at Pure Luck (an LA vegan restaurant which has now closed), and her variation. I kind of picked and chose between the two recipes for my carnitas, but I certainly didn’t do enough to claim my own version. These are the seasonings that I used in my carnitas:
Other than that slight change I followed directions.
I rolled my jackfruit carnitas into a flour tortilla with black beans, fresh salsa, and avocado. It. Was. Delicious. The only thing I will change for next time is to double the recipe (I need leftovers!).
It was so easy to prepare and so delicious that I will definitely be adding jackfruit to my regular meal line-up. Because it is a fruit it is not a huge protein source, so take that into consideration when planning a meal (beans are a natural with carnitas!). I plan to research and try other recipes, so you can be sure you’ll be seeing more of the “vegetable meat.”
Will I be seeing any of you at IDEA? If not, what are you up to this week and weekend? Also, have you tried jackfruit? Any recipes to recommend?
As I mentioned on FB, I will most likely be at the EXPO portion of IDEA on Saturday! I wish I could go more but I cannot!! 🙁
There will be so many Fitfluential peeps around that expo it would be a shame if we all passed each other in the aisles. Maybe a secret signal?
I have an ELK BUGLE that I can blow! HA HA HA!!
I’ll be listening for it 🙂
I was thinking about going tomorrow. So many FF peeps there today! Wishing I had a FF tshirt now.
Have a fantastic time. I hope you can relax and spend some time just BEing.
xo
Thanks..wish you were going to be there. I do plan to spend a little Me:Be time 🙂
Have fun at IDEA! It sounds like you’re going to learn a lot. I LOVE that the mom did the workout with the kids.
I loved my jackfruit tacos… like pulled pork, but not. totally going to buy canned next time. The fresh was SO sticky I couldn’t bring myself to buy more. It nearly ruined my knife!
Have fun at IDEA!!!
Definitely try the canned. It was soooo easy to work with!
Have fun at IDEA!! I so wish that I were going!
I wish you were too! I’d love to FINALLY meet you 🙂
I’ll be at IDEA! Can’t wait to see ya!
Same here! So excited!!! 🙂
IDEA sounds like a blast! Wish I was going. I still have to try/find Jackfruit. Your carnitas sound awesome!
I am now officially hooked on jackfruit :-). Try an Asian market. I didn’t even realize that we had one nearby, but finally got around to googling and sure enough! It is available online, but much more expensive.
Have a great time at the convention….can’t wait to hear all about it!
Thank you! I can’t wait. Leaving early tomorrow morning for the drive to LA.
The IDEA Convention sounds awesome! Looking forward to reading about your experience 🙂
Ok I want to try jackfruit but can’t seem to find it where I am. 🙁
Did you check Asian markets? That’s where I finally found it. I didn’t even realize we had an Asian market near me, so I was really excited to find it. You can also buy it online, but it is more expensive that way.
I may be walking the booth area Saturday for a bit – planning for it & hope it happens! You have lots on your plate!
Oh the doggies are so cute!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hope we get a chance to meet. I know I’ll be walking the expo with eyes open..there will be so many people there that I “know” but have never seen in person before!
I think the IDEA Convention would be amazing – I’m sure you are going to learn tons!!!
So cool that a Mom did the entire workout – maybe I should do the middle school workouts with my son (he would be embarrassed!).
A lot of the kids think they are embarrassed that their parent is out there, but I think deep down they really like it and are proud of them. They’ll never admit it though 🙂
these eats look delish as usual, but they were overshadowed by the dog photos… hello puppies! I still can’t believe how adorable coco is, and buddy looks like her perfect match!!