FOOD WE EAT - AT HOME AND ABOUT

FOOD WE EAT AT HOME AND ABOUT 

We will be updating this page through a GOOGLE DOC, PINTEREST, SCOOP IT, and other SOCIAL MEDIA.  We hope to get some suggestions and ideas from others as well as offer our support to families or individuals thinking of changing their diet.

Our Favourite Vegan Family MEALS (AT HOME)   (WE WELCOME SUGGESTIONS!)


 Our FAVOURITE Hamilton Restaurants with Vegan Options:

 1) Naroma Pizza  Mario and his gang have catered to our Vegan tastes. In fact, they keep our "Vegan Pizza" order pinned up so we don't have to repeat it each time:
Copia Pizza - Vegetale. No Cheese. Add: Mushrooms, Tomato, Rapini, Garlic and Artichoke. Extra Hot Pepper Oil on the side. Casa Salad (@2) Dressing on the side, Balsamic oil on the side.

Seriously - ask for the "Zoe and Brad" Vegan Pizza and you will be guaranteed to get the best VEGAN pizza that you've ever had.

 2) Sensational Semosa (Hamilton Farmer's Market) There are so so so many VEGAN OPTIONS. Better yet, there are options here for the whole family (Meat and cheese lovers!) Brad and I thoroughly enjoy the JUMBO VEGAN SEMOSA and ALWAYS bring them with us to eat before a race.

3) Mex-I-can on James Street North. This is probably the best mexican restaurant in this area. In fact, we've been hard strapped to find any mexican restaurant that serves as delicious food as this one. They have food for the entire family - Vegan, Vegetarian and Meat eaters! Our favourite is the cactus burritos and of course, the freshly made guacamole. We've grown accustomed to waiting a little longer for our food - but we know it is always worth it.

OTHER RESTAURANTS...and WE ARE STILL LOOKING!!

 http://pinterest.com/zbpipe/hamilton-vegan-restaurants/ 

Lucky -

For anyone who has run the "Around The Bay" road race in Hamilton, Ontario the last few years, I think you know who Lucky is. He sits in front of the cemetary on Valley Inn Road just before "Heartbreak Hill" between km 25-26 of the 30km race. It is a common superstition to shake his hand or give him a high five for good luck before the challenging hill ahead. He is at that exact spot every year. Rain or shine. This is far from unusual in running races except "Lucky", and I'm not sure the acceptable way to say this... has no legs! Other than the obvious irony of his nickname, I have not given him too much thought, during the race or otherwise. This past summer, however, I have had to deal with a few training related injuries while preparing for my first marathon. Nothing serious. Knee tendinitis and hip flexor issues. But enough that I have had to take a break from running a couple of times for the first time in my life. I was starting to let frustration get the better of me. Then I thought of "Lucky". I don't know his real name but I think I will always remember that I am "lucky". Lucky to able to participate in one of the oldest and purest of sports. What a gift it is to be able to run. Run fast. Run far. Run whenever I have a chance. From now on I will enjoy every single breath of fresh air. Every quirky or mundane site along the route. As well as the physical and mental benefits running provides. So, thanks Lucky. You have helped me remember how fortunate I am to be on the open road with nothing but my own two feet and miles to cover. I won't take it for granted again.

Winter Training...Reflections by Brad

There is definitely a little more meaning in the knowing nod or wave from a fellow runner in the winter months. The eyes betray the discipline and determination required to maintain a training regimen in cold weather. Focused. Singular. Abrupt even. But, if you look deeper, in that split second of eye contact, there is respect, camaraderie and kinship. With my next marathon set for late May in Ottawa, eight weeks from now, I have been reflecting a great deal on the last few months of training. I competed in the Around the Bay road race in late March (30k-Hamilton, Ontario). That race signals the end of winter and the start of spring for me.

Training through the winter in Southern Ontario, definitely has its challenges. Weather being the biggest of them. Cold temperatures are a given. It is the unpredictable mix of snow, sleet and rain that brings questions of sanity to the forefront of ones mind. But, I'm not alone. I'll cross paths with another person. I assume they know what I know. I can see it in their eyes. The outdoors can be very majestic when not over populated by humans. Some of the best runs I have ever had were in the dead of winter. The roads and trails are nearly deserted. Many times I have come across deer on a snow covered forest path and marveled at how silently they go about their business. Other times, when the snow is fresh and the sky is grey, running on a country road can feel like entering a living charcoal sketch, where the only colours are black and white and the shades between. Then there are times when the air is cold and crisp. The ground is dry and hard. The sun is blinding, and the sky is the most amazing bright blue, a blue very different from the rest of the year. So different from spring, summer and fall that you forget all about it until the next winter sighting. I see all of this in that split second of recognition.

Rather than use the weather as a crutch or an excuse, I try to embrace it and enjoy all it has to offer. It's nice to know there are others who feel the same. There is no better feeling than standing in a hot shower, with a recovery smoothie, taking stock of that days run. The sense of accomplishment and the refocusing on work still to be done is invaluable, and is what keeps me coming back for more. That, and the knowing glance.