The accidental vegetarian meets race week...

And it should be an interesting party.

I'll get into the whole 'accidental vegetarian' bit later on. Let's start with the fun stuff, shall we?? RACE SWAG!

So this Sunday I'll be running my first race in my new city...

No, I didn't sneak one by you guys. I'm just running the half. The second half to be exact. Yep, you get to choose which half you want to run! How fun is that?? Apparently the first half sells out pretty quickly since it takes you over the Golden Gate Bridge, but I'm more than ok with passing on that.

The second half marathon starts in Golden Gate Park and winds through Haight-Ashbury, the Mission, Mission Bay, past AT&T Park and finishes at the Ferry Building. Conveniently, all the neighborhoods I haven't yet explored. Very excited!!

I scooted out of the office around 2 to pick up my bib and check out the expo goods. If I wasn't so flustered, I would have busted out the camera to take a picture of the crowd. INSANE. SO thankful for half day Fridays.

I grabbed my bag, bib and shirt (as shown in the pic above) and flew past the official race merchandise (my new thing is I will only allow myself to by 'official' merchandise if I'm doing the full) and into the expo area. O my...holy overload. I'm happy to report that I only bought a few things:

Pace tattoo (I only bought it b/c I couldn't find the free ones). Yeah, that says 2:02. I know I said I was going to take it easy on this one, but I mean if I happen to cruise in at 2:02, I won't complain ;) I also vow not to be miserable if I don't finish in 2:02.

Nuun and portable Nuun (yeah, that's an individually packaged Nuun tablet. I'm a sucker.) to replenish my stash.

Double Espresso Clif Shot Gels! Do you know how long I've been looking for these?? I forget the first time I had one of these, but I thought they were awesome. Unfortunately most stores don't stock them...maybe it's the 100 mg of caffeine! haha. I picked up 2 just in case I ever have a tough time waking up pre-Saturday run ;)

Check out some of the expo/bag surprise highlights:

Joint Juice (plus some powdered packets) - I keep seeing ads for this stuff. Will definitely report back after I try it.

Itty bitty Larabars - how cute are they? Finally snagged a PB&J one...can't wait to try it!

Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil? I found these at the very bottom of my bag. Kinda random, yeah? Maybe not so random? They did have a pho table set up at the expo. WTF??

So today was also supposed to be couch delivery day, but that didn't happen. I'll spare you the story. All that matters is I'm getting free delivery on Monday now. Score.

Since I didn't have to wait for the delivery folks, I got to work on dinner - Broccoli Rabe with Tofu. I know...you can barely contain your excitement. I was psyched to see broccoli rabe at the farmers market on Sunday, but I didn't have a chance to use it until today.

Broccoli Rabe with Tofu

1/2 bunch broccoli rabe, cut into 1.5 inch pieces

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 block high protein tofu, cubed

1 tbsp mirin

1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp chili garlic sauce

1 tsp unagi sauce

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan. Brown tofu over medium heat and set aside. In same pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium high heat, saute garlic for 30 seconds, add mirin and broccoli rabe. Saute for 1-2 minutes or until broccoli rabe begins to wilt. Add oyster sauce, chili garlic sauce and unagi sauce. Cook for 2 minutes before stirring in tofu. Cook for another minute and serve over rice.

I ate this over some brown rice (totally rocking the brown carbs tonight, white carbs tomorrow in the form of sushi rice!) and thought it was pretty good for being so simple. I've made this dish, in some form or another, many times before but this was one of the better versions!

Just a couple observations:

1. These were super leafy. Usually when I get broccoli rabe in the store, the leaves aren't that big and there are a few little florets poking through. Not the case here.
2. The stems were pretty thin. I've usually gotten ones with thick stems. These were closer to watercress thickness.
3. There was more crunch going on. Less of a broccoli stem crunch, more of a watercress stem crunch. Yes, I listen to how my food crunches in my mouth. I know, I'm very strange.

Ok, so onto the accidental vegetarianism. There's no denying my love of meat. I could probably give up chicken in a heartbeat, but red meat could never leave my life. I've never had random chicken cravings, but you bet I crave juicy steaks and burgers. Lamb shank? Hell freaking yes.

Unfortunately, good quality meat isn't exactly cheap and apparently chicken isn't cheap these days either? Meh. Damn good thing I appreciate soy and soy products.

Have I noticed anything different? Why yes, yes I have:

1. When I do get around to eating meat (usually when I'm out), I end up eating less of it. Not because I don't like it, but because my stomach starts to feel weird.
2. I tend to feel bloated more often (I've even tried to not eat dairy with lots of soy or ruffage, but that doesn't seem to help)
3. General weirdness when it comes to digestion. I will refrain from sharing TMI.
4. I still crave meat, I wish my wallet did too.

So I guess I've become a quasi-vegetarian (an at home vegetarian??) for financial reasons. Anyone else find themselves in the same situation? Is there a secret butcher somewhere that had good, reasonably priced meat? A secret Safeway?? :(