The Runner's Palate

Hi, all –

I have great news to share.

Today marked the last day of my 30-day challenge and I'm relishing how awesome it feels to be fully back in the swing of running and strength training. Exercise is ridiculously good for me and not just physically -- it’s huge for me mentally. I’m so much happier when I work out daily.

I actually feel so good that I’m going to extend my streak to 45 days. This challenge will take me right through Christmas. What an accomplishment it will be to come out of the holidays being more fit and weighing less than when the season began. That has not been my outcome years previous. (Even vegans like their share of sweet treats!)

I also want to recognize my husband who is on Day 26 of his 30-day challenge and my friend Colleen who is on Day 18. It is tough trying to fit exercise in every single day, especially working full-time and raising a family as they both do. But they’ve adopted the “no excuses” mantra and just do it. My congrats to them. Day 30 is going to feel so sweet. I can't wait until they get there!

But all this is still only half of my great news.

I was asked by my friend Tracy at The Runner’s Palate to guest blog about healthful vegan holiday dishes. She believed it was something that many of her readers would be interested in. I was over the moon excited for a few reasons.

One, Tracy is very successful in the "blogosphere" so it was an opportunity to promote Breaking Four to her readers. Two, I love sharing recipes and letting people see the very creative and delicious plant-empowered dishes that Matt and I enjoy ... sans meat and dairy. And finally, it’s wonderful to know that more and more people are expressing interest in a whole-food, plant-based diet. I so firmly believe in the health wins of this lifestyle that I’ve become a champion of sorts, sharing my knowledge where and whenever I can.

I invite all of you to check out my post on Tracy’s blog.