Author Archives: Crystal Clarke

The Treadmill Mocks Me

  By Crystal Clarke | February 3, 2014 - 9:11 am | , , , , , , ,
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Our Dreadmill

Yesterday we finally got the treadmill set up! It has been taking up space in our porch for a couple of weeks because it was bought and brought home without adequate space to set it up in. We got the space cleared out and the treadmill set up. I got to take the first few steps on it just to say I did. Then I got off, put my walking cast back on, and looked at it longingly. Maybe this injury has made me appreciate training. It has created in me a WANT to get on the dreadmill! My bike … Keep reading →

A Summary of the Last Week

  By Crystal Clarke | January 31, 2014 - 8:48 am | , ,
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My foot I’ve been wearing a walking cast for one week. There are three possibilities that it could be: stress fracture, Morton’s neuroma, or soft tissue trigger point. People say that I should go to a doctor and get it diagnosed. What most people don’t realize is that doctors really can’t diagnose this. A stress fracture requires a bone scan or a MRI. Both of these require months of a waiting list. I have been through this before and wasted a lot of time and energy. Living where I live means that it will take even more time because going … Keep reading →

Salads

  By Crystal Clarke | January 24, 2014 - 9:00 am | , , , ,
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I have a secret to disclose to everyone: I don’t like salad! I’ve been vegan for almost 12 years now and I have kept this secret until recently. There is an assumption that because someone is vegan that means they like salad. It is often used as the go-to food at a restaurant that has nothing else. “There’s nothing you can eat? Well, you can have a salad!” Blah! This week I have tried having a salad for lunch a couple of times. One day I had a salad with quinoa, grape tomatoes, and baby greens with a ginger-sesame dressing. … Keep reading →

Ironman Coeur d’Alene 2014 – 5 months out

  By Crystal Clarke | January 22, 2014 - 8:45 am | , , ,
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Ironman Coeur d’Alene is a little over 5 months out now. While my training is better than it was a month ago, I do feel pretty “behind” where I should be. However, I have learned in the past that stressing out about it is not helpful. Instead of stressing, I am trying harder and harder. Right now my biggest focus is on losing weight and increasing strength. My right foot is still bugging me. I’m doing my best to train without irritating it. Even walking on it for 15 minutes at a time makes it feel like there are daggers … Keep reading →

Unbelievable

  By Crystal Clarke | December 5, 2013 - 10:00 am | , , , , , , ,
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Swollen Foot Collage

Ever since my run on Tuesday my right foot has been bugging me. There has been a constant mild pain in the front pad of my foot. On Tuesday night I gave my foot a massage and thought it would be fine. Yesterday I did yoga in the morning and it was bugging me all day when I was walking. Last night I was giving my feet a massage and found the spot that was sore – between the big and second toe right at the base of the toes on the bottom of the foot. When I was done … Keep reading →

Starting Over Yet Again

  By Crystal Clarke | December 4, 2013 - 1:02 pm | ,
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For what feels like the millionth time in the last 6 months, I have begun training again. This time, though, it is for realz. Why wasn’t it realzie before? The biggest reason I didn’t stick to it before was that I wasn’t prepared emotionally, mentally or practically. Emotional preparedness One might ask why someone would need to be emotionally ready to train. As a seasoned triathlete, I know the time commitment, sacrifices, and physical pain that is endured to train. When one is fresh and innocent, she doesn’t know what is to come. She doesn’t know about blood blisters, injury, … Keep reading →

A Teenage Success Story!

  By Crystal Clarke | September 23, 2013 - 6:10 pm | , , ,
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All of Us

Last week I had one of my best culinary days! I told the younger teenager that I wanted to make chilli and asked if she was cool with that. The conversation went something like this: Me: “So… I’m going to make chilli tonight for supper. Is that cool?” Teenager thinks: “What’s all in it?” Me: “Usually I put onions, carrots, celery, veggie ground round, diced tomatoes, and beans in it. Plus chilli spices of course.” Teen: “Chilli doesn’t have carrots or celery in it.” Me: “My chilli does.” Teen: “I don’t like celery.” Me: “I can leave the celery out … Keep reading →

Not from Spain “Spanish” Rice

  By Crystal Clarke | September 13, 2013 - 3:15 pm | , , ,
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Not from Spain Spanish Rice

After my last post about the not-my-mom’s banana bread I got to thinking about food that my parents used to make when we were kids. One of our favourite meals was one that my parents called “Spanish rice.” I’ve never heard anyone speak of this dish before or since then and I haven’t had it in years. What sparked this memory is the fact that I attempt to cook for two teenagers who have never really eaten vegetarian food and have a bit of a bias against it. I’d be lying if I said that this didn’t hurt my feelings , … Keep reading →

Not as Good as my Mom’s Banana Bread

  By Crystal Clarke | September 9, 2013 - 7:58 pm | , , ,
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Banana Bread Collage

For many years, and my siblings and my entire childhood, my grandma and my mom co-existed in the same farm yard. Now that I’m an adult and have experiences with mothers-in-law and family dynamics, I have a serious appreciation and respect for both of these women for making it through those years without killing one another. And more than that, they are still very close! The joke in our house whenever my mom made one of my grandma’s recipes w  was that the secret ingredient is a mother’s love. No matter what my mom made, it was never as good … Keep reading →

Streusel-iscious muffins

  By Crystal Clarke | September 6, 2013 - 9:10 am | , , ,
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This whole Vegan MoFo thing has been a big learning experience for me. Today I learned what streusel is! From dictionary.com, it is: streusel [German stroi-zuhl; English stroo-zuhl noun a topping for coffeecake, consisting of crumbs of blended sugar, cinnamon, flour, butter, and chopped nutmeats. Origin: 1925-30; <German: literally, a sprinkling; I have no idea what a nutmeat is, but maybe I’ll look that up tomorrow! And, obviously, there is no butter in this vegan recipe. Today’s recipe is adapted from The Garden of Vegan (again). I used flax eggs for this one to add some good omega oil and because … Keep reading →