Cajun BBQ Tofu recipe

Okay. I tweeted my dinner tonight and had a bunch of questions how I made Cajun BBQ Tofu cubes. Well, here goes.

1)I drained the extra firm Nasoya Tofu for about 3o minutes under moderate weight.

2)I placed the tofu block on a plate and cubed it using a serrated knife (kinda like you'd use slicing bread)

3)I made a "Cajun rub" using coarse ground pepper, garlic powder and Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning (found in most grocery stores). I coated the tofu on two sides with the "rub"

4) I then dashed some olive oil in a saute pan and preheated to medium heat, added the Tofu and slowly sauteed it until the sides were kinda crusty and had browned some. don't use heat too high or you wont properly cook the inside of the tofu cubes

5)While the tofu was browning, I stir fried a bunch of veggies (bell pepper, onions, mushrooms, carrots, mushrooms, broccoli and snap peas) in another pan.

6)while all that was cooking, I took some store bought BBQ sauce and poured some in a mixing bowl. I added coarse pepper, garlic powder, vinegar, and some lemon juice to taste. Too much vinegar? No problem, just add a little more sauce. I whisked it with a fork and set it aside.

7)when the tofu was ready (I tasted a couple of cubes), I took a larger mixing bowl, put tofu in the bowl, and then poured my sauce concoction over the cubes. I then mixed it around with a spatula and coated it with the sauce.

8)The rice is Uncle Ben's 90-second rice (roasted garlic flavor with quinoa)

9) I then ate it. ;)

Weight Report!!!!!

I'm on the left. June 20th. 235 lbs. or so

It has been a while since I reported on my weight loss progress. First, let me address what I've done. I get a lot of questions about how I've lost weight. I don't consider this a diet, per se, as much as a lifestyle change. For years, well, all of my life, I've been a meat and potatoes guy. Starchy foods, lots of meat, snacking, etc. As I age (Will be 43 in April!), I realize that what I eat is of paramount importance if I am hopeful of living to see my wife and kids grow old. So, this summer when I started counting calories with modest goals of weight loss, I went into the process with the idea of longevity: longevity in eating habits, of life, of running.

So with the mindset that I wanted a new lifestyle, not just a diet, I entered late July with the goal of eating better foods and reducing the consumption of those foods that were not healthy for a 43 year old man to consume. For 8 weeks I used an iPhone app called "Tap & Track" to count calories with the goal of losing 1.5 pounds a week. I modified my daily calorie limits on and before those days that I ran long. After 8 weeks of counting, I had established routines for meals and discovered low calorie, but nutrient filled, foods to eat. I KNEW what I could eat and not gain. I was eating more healthful options: more salad, more veggies such as onions and mushrooms, carrots, and, yes, broccoli.

By October, I had started greatly reducing the amount of cheese and meat I consumed. This was a calorie decision mainly since meat and cheese were so high in calories that I could enjoy other, and more, food if I eliminated them. Plus, the cholesterol in meat and cheese just wasn't there in carrots, for example!

The weight came off fast at first, and I would plateau every few weeks. But then it would start falling again. Slow and steady wins the lifestyle and life race, so I tried to have small losses or hold steady each week. Sure, there were weeks where I was heavier after days in which I consumed too much sodium, after long runs when the body was rebuilding, and after the Rocket City Marathon when I was in recovery mode.

What's strange is that foods I never considered eating all the sudden became tasteful to me. Take broccoli. NEVER would you have convinced me to ingest that vile green stuff before July. Now, I eat it every day on a salad, RAW! Odd stuff. My whole nutritional outlook has changed and I am eating a more plant-based diet while eliminating meat and cheese altogether. My cholesterol is 50 points lower than a year ago, and my doctor has cut my blood pressure meds in half! My running has thrived as I no longer carry unneeded and damaging pounds on my body. Friends and family notice the change, which makes me want to be even better to my body, for them.

So what you ask is my weight now?

Well, I weighed this week and found that I am now at a weight I have not been at since 1986! I bought clothes last weekend in a waist size (38) I've not been able to wear since 1987!

I now weigh 189.5!

July starting weight: 231.5

Total loss (so far): 42 pounds!!!!!

On March 6, 193.5 lbs

Thank YOU for your support, your encouragement, your advice, your cheers. I couldn't have done any of this without my friends who read this blog, listen to the show, follow me on twitter, engage me on Facebook. The congratulations go to you. So do the thanks.

Power Run 8K

Well, since Megan and I decided to focus on faster races and speed development this spring, I registered for my first ever 8K race. Held in my hometown on March 6, the race proved mighty convenient since we could stay with my parents and I could drive the 2 miles to the race location.

I've had great success in speed work recently as you can see by going to my daily mile page at: http://www.dailymile.com/people/disneyrunner. The race was an exciting opportunity for me to see what I could do in a race. It also became my first race with a new outlook. I went into the 8K with the approach that I wanted to see what I COULD DO in the race as opposed to what would happen TO ME in the race. This is a huge transformation for me. I was for the first time in my running life, excited about what I could do, excited about how fast I could run, eager to see the results of the hard work and weight loss.

We realized during interval training that I run faster and can sustain faster paces if I have built-in recovery time. In my mile interval work of a week before the race, this was proven (Here's the link to that workout: http://www.dailymile.com/people/disneyrunner/entries/1052066). So, with this data in mind, Megan and I crafted a race strategy that saw me do what was essentially an interval workout. Pre-race warmup since I am notoriously slow to warm up. First .5 at a slower than normal pace (12-13), then a mile at 8:30, then a .25 recovery of 9-10, then a mile at 8:30, then rinse and repeat. The plan was to spread my energy evenly over the course with the possibility of a final fast kick at the end.

This strategy worked like a charm. My slow .5 was faster than expected, 10:30, and my mile interval times were right on the money if not a little faster. My recoveries were not as slow as we expected, but they did the trick. They were perfect. I could catch my breath, slow my HR and then push through another mile!

I finished the 8K in 41:42. I placed 17th in my age group (40-49) and was 69th overall out of approximately 150 runners. I'm finally a mid-packer!

Big update post because I am a lazy blogger

Wow. Where has the time gone. Been a while since the last post, so let's knock out all the news from the past few weeks in mega-sized update to assuage my guilt. I mean, sure, I have a podcast and if you listen to that you KNOW what has transpired over the last 3 weeks, but I guess for blog-sterity I also need to write it here. The easy thing is to tell you to listen to the show...but oh well. I mean, I've already started writing this, I can't just stop, right?

Ok, we traveled to Myrtle Beach for the purposes of me running the marathon with my friend Megan of Run Vegan Run (who is also coaching me) and Eva (VitaminEva to Trilogy Running fans and @evatesq on twitter). My wife was to run her first 5K there, and I would also run a fun run with my kids.

All went well through Friday night. The fun run was, well, fun, but also stressful. Megan and I chased our kids through a see of humanity for the longest mile of our lives. Those little ones dart in and out of the crowd and we were fighting hard to keep up! After the fun run, we waited at the start line for the 5K where Eric (Megan's hubby @veganrunningdad on twitter) and Marie would run their 5K. It was bitter cold and then as the race started, it began to snow! At first the kids loved it, but they soon grew cold, and frustrated as we had to walk at least a mile to the finish line. The snow was heavy and one of the kids commented that it was like being in a snow globe.

Eric PRd in his 5K, running a 22:37. Marie finished her first ever 5K with a time of 41:54. They both ran in what was at times a blinding snow storm. But it was awesome to see them finish.

Because of the snow, and the potential for icy/slushy conditions the next day, race organizers and city officials decided late Friday night to cancel the marathon. The course followed an unclosed course, which saw it follow a long stretch of busy highway. Officials couldn't guarantee that a driver wouldn't lose control and hurt runners, so they canceled the race entirely. Most of us were shocked, angered, frustrated. I see their concern and their need to be safe rather than sorry. Tough decision for anyone.

The next day saw clear skies in Myrtle Beach and warmer temps, which melted any ice or slush on the roads. The roads appeared as they would after a simple rainstorm! BUT race organizers had no way of knowing this would be the case

Many people attached their bibs and ran the course anyway, and they were met along the course by people with water and food. I met Megan, Eva, her husband Steve, and Eric, for a run/walk. We walked for about an hour, then Megan and I ran for about 4 miles while the others went for coffee. During this run Megan and I discussed my training for the upcoming months, she pushed me some in the pace, and then for the last half mile, made me match her pace to finish the run. So for a half mile I held a 7:55 pace. Ouch. What's cool is that doing mile intervals a week or so later, I hit a 7:58 mile. Do things are definitely on an upswing with regard to my running. We've decided that this spring we are focusing on smaller races, speed development, and building a solid speed base for the Goofy Challenge. I enjoy having a friend with whom to plan race strategy and build workouts. Accountability and support is a really important thing, and I have thrived under Megan's coaching. And as a result, we have become close friends. My family meeting her family in SC was very special to me.

Even though the marathon was canceled, we still spent time with each other and got to know out "virtual" friends as "real" friends (as if those terms really mean anything these days; some of my dearest friends I've never met!) and enjoyed each other's company!

Oh. I should tell you that the Myrtle Beach race organizers have offered half off registration for next years race to those who picked up bibs before the race. So 35 bucks for a full marathon. Something to think about!