a boy, a girl, and a kitty

last call!

2010-10-13T08:09:00.000-04:00

A last reminder (if you haven't already) to switch your google reader, your bookmarks page, your blogrolls, etc. to girlevolving.com.

Same boy, same girl, same kitty. New fun site.

I've moved!

2010-09-27T10:54:00.002-04:00

Please join me at girlevolving.com.

Hope to see you there!

surprise!!!

2010-09-25T15:06:00.000-04:00

Most people who know me know that I'm terrible at keeping surprises. Just ask Dave - he gets his Christmas present early every year... like a day or two after I buy it, because I can't hold in my excitement anymore.

So remember how I said I had blog news to tell on Monday?

Scratch that. I'm not patient enough.

I talked before about moving my blog to wordpress.

Well.

It's happened!

Please join me over at girlevolving.com!

Don't forget to update your RSS feeds and google reader. It's the same blog with a new name! I hope to see you all there!

running again

2010-09-25T07:37:00.000-04:00

I'm headed out for a long run this morning. It feels weird - like it's been a long time since I've gone running. I ran this past week in Tennessee, but for whatever reason, it feels like I haven't run in a long, long time. Truthfully, I haven't run over 6 or 7 miles since the marathon, so this morning's 15 could be awesome (rest legs) or terrible. I'm hoping for the former!

The weather is perfect though - it's going to be a FALL run! I'm dropping the car off for an oil change, then running from there!

PS - Big blog news coming soon... maybe Monday?

art

2010-09-24T13:33:00.002-04:00

We recently bought a white frame with three 5x7 spaces in it for pictures. The plan is to hang it above the sink in the kitchen, for a little decoration and something to look at when I'm rinsing or washing dishes (which, thankfully, is a lot less time now that we have a dishwasher!). I wasn't sure what to put in the frame, so it's still all wrapped in plastic. Dave and I typically don't take many vertical pictures and I couldn't think of any I really wanted to hang. Then this past weekend my mom told me about wordle.net. I got on and created a few word collages... wah-la! Art for the wall? I printed them at Walgreens and I'm excited to put them in the frames tonight and see how they look. Maybe it'll be a keeper?

I did my wordles from three things I love (also the tagline of my blog!):

Running:

Recipes:

Life:

What do you think? I'm anxious to see how they look all together. It could be a win or a total fail!

reader recipe poll: peanut butter cereal movie mix

2010-09-24T06:03:00.017-04:00

Movie Mix
2T. margarine or butter
2T. peanut butter
3c. crispix cereal
1/2c. peanuts
1c. pretzels
3/4c. raisins
1/2c. M&Ms

Preheat oven to 250. Melt margarine and peanut butter together in a 13x9 pan in the oven. Stir until smooth.

Gradually add in cereal and peanuts, stirring to coat. Bake 15 minutes (at 250). Stir in pretzels. Return to oven and bake 10 more minutes.

Spread cereal mix on waxed paper to cool.

Stir in raisins and M&Ms. Makes 6c.

I really liked this mix. The peanut butter was a really light coating (Dave wanted it more peanut butter-y), and it didn't feel really heavy or sugary in your stomach. I would probably nix the peanuts (I'm not a huge fan of them in snack mixes) and add more pretzels instead. Definitely a repeatable mix. I like snack mixes you can munch on without feeling like you need to nap afterwards (ahem: puppy chow).

We ate ours in the hills of Tennessee, beside the white picket fences of Kentucky, over the bridge of the Ohio River, and into the flat, boring lands of Indiana! I'll leave you to guess if any of the mix actually made it into our house, or if it all disappeared on the drive. You probably already know the answer to that. The drive was 10 hours after all, and followed a trail run. And it's the two of us. We love food. And snacks.

This reader recipe poll brought to you by my mom, who paid for all the ingredients!

September's grocery challenge

2010-09-23T12:28:00.003-04:00

This week's groceries are a little weird, considering we were in Tennessee for the first part of the week.

Groceries, week 4: $36.28

6 cans of pumpkin
1 reese big cup
2lbs. eggplant ($1.17/lb.)
2 packages whole wheat tortillas
2lbs. green grapes ($.99/lb.)
3lbs. honeycrisp apples ($.99/lb.)

Random, right? Here's the story behind it all:

pumpkin: I haven't been able to find any pumpkin in our stores up here yet. Mom said she knew grocery stores down in TN had it, so I stocked up. My sister said she heard a rumor that pumpkin is going to be scarce this year?
big cup: No one in my family had tried a big cup yet! Dave and I had to fix this situation. Everyone loooved them!
eggplant and tortillas: Clearly I'm still greek eggplant roll-up obsessed. And I'm embracing it.
fruit: Honeycrisp apples for $.99!! Yes, please!

I'm sure I'll have to go back to the store this weekend to grab some things for the rest of the week. I know we need flour (for bread) and milk (for yogurt) and various veggies for recipes. But it looks like week 4 will come in under budget as well! Thus far we have spent $202.96 for the month of September, with a goal of $60 or less per week. (Read here for an introduction to the grocery challenge, and here for week 3's summary.)

Would you guys like me to continue weekly grocery updates in the next month?

pre-drive trail run

2010-09-23T05:54:00.003-04:00

Dave and I got on the road early yesterday morning, anticipating a stop at Natural Tunnel State Park in Duffield, VA. We wanted to get some exploring and a trail run in before the long drive home. The park itself was about an hour from my parents' place and on our drive home, so it worked out really well!

We were greeted in the parking lot by a cat. Dave was thrilled.

We first ran down to the bottom of the gorge, where a natural tunnel had been carved in the rock by the wind/nature. Lucky for us a train came through right then, too!

The tunnel is at the bottom of a cliff called Lover's Leap, named after two Indians of warring tribes who fell in love, then tossed themselves over the side since they couldn't be together.

That's a pretty sucky way to die.

We ran a little further and found an old cabin, so we went inside. It was crazy dark so we couldn't really see anything. Still, proof we were there:

We hiked back up and then ran around the rim of the gorge, going about 4 miles and seeing four deer! We got great views of the gorge and the tunnel, plus all the mountains and trees!

Sweaty and tired (we're so unaccustomed to hills!) we got back in the car and began the long trek home.

After a short stop at Kroger, numerous bathroom breaks, and nothing else much eventful, we made it home!

Unfortunately, it's right back in the car for me this morning. I'm headed back down to work. So not excited to be in the car again!

well hello, eggplant!

2010-09-22T11:46:00.010-04:00

It's no secret that I go through "food kicks." I fall in love with a food, eat it like crazy for about a month or more, then move on to my next kick. I've gone through green smoothies, oatmeal, roasted broccoli, sweet potatoes... all things I still love and eat, but maybe not with the "once or twice a day" gusto that I did when I first had them.

My newest obsession? Greek eggplant wraps. If you would have told me that I would love these before, I would have said you were nuts. I didn't even like eggplant. But oh, how things change in the face of olive oil, oregano, basil, tomato, and feta...

Take a tortilla and spread it with tomato jam. Then add feta and fresh basil leaves.

Pile on a couple slices of roasted eggplant. Wrap up and devour. Repeat as necessary.

I've been eating these for breakfast, lunch, and dinner... I can't stop! And eggplant is definitely going on my store list when I get home. These roasted slices would be so good on sandwiches!

If you think you don't like eggplant please please please give these a try! I think you will!

Roasted Eggplant
1 lb. eggplant
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4c. olive oil
2t. oregano
1t. salt
1/4t. pepper

Cut the eggplant lengthwise into quarters. Cut each quarter into quarters. Mix garlic, olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper in large bowl. Add eggplant and toss until evenly covered. Spread eggplant over a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Turn each piece, then return to the oven for 10 more minutes.

Stand and eagerly anticipate your eggplant.

Tomato Jam
3lbs. (5 large) beefsteak tomatoes.
3T. olive oil
1/2c. chopped onion
2t. minced garlic
1t. cayenne
1t. pepper
1t. coriander seed
1t. mustard seed
1/2t. cumin
1c. vinegar
3/4c. sugar
1/4c. dry sherry

Blanch the tomatoes for 30 seconds, then plunge in ice water. Skin and chop.

Saute the olive oil and onion in a large pot for 3 minutes. Add in garlic and saute 2 more minutes. Add tomatoes and remaining ingredients. Cook over medium high heat until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until most of the liquid evaporates, about 2-3 hours. Cool completely. Chill. Makes 2c.

As is, the tomato jam is not spicy, but does have some kick to it (maybe a "medium" on the salsa scale). Cut back on the cayenne for a milder jam.

Are you an eggplant fan? If so, what's your favorite way to eat it?

last night in TN

2010-09-22T05:57:00.002-04:00

Last night we went out in my parents' boat for a ride around a lake surrounded by national forest.

I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Check back at lunch today - it's a recipe you don't want to miss!

hill repeats

2010-09-21T11:57:00.004-04:00

Reader recipe poll winner: movie mix (crispix and peanut butter)! Recipe and review will be Friday morning.

I don't love running on hills. I live in northern Indiana, where you actually have to go looking for hills. So when it comes to running hills, I'm not much of a fan because I don't have much practice on them. This morning I headed out for a run. Since I'm in eastern Tennessee everything seems to be on a slope of some sort - there isn't any flatland! I decided to find a particularly steep hill and run hill repeats for something different. I ran about 1.5 miles out to King College and found a rather short but pretty steep service road. I did 10 runs up, jogged down, and then headed home. I'm guessing tomorrow I'll be feeling it in my legs since I'm not used to running hills!

The run itself didn't feel awesome, probably because I haven't been eating the best - lots of chocolate caramel brownies, chocolate chip cookies, Keebler fudge cookies, etc. Dave and I try not to eat crappy on vacation just because it's vacation, but it happens sometimes (which is okay). Our meals here in Tennessee have been definitely healthy... it's just the desserts and snacks that are doing me in! I'm weak in the face of sugar! I know once I get home and get back to more moderation with desserts my running will feel better, too.

And since my recovery from the Presque Isle marathon has gone so well (my legs feel great!) I decided to go for it while the going is good:

November 13, 2010, Columbia City, Indiana!

This gives me two more chances this fall to finish a marathon without vomiting. And maybe get a new PR, too!

brown butter pasta and cauliflower

2010-09-21T06:11:00.000-04:00

Mom and I made an old family favorite last night - pasta with cauliflower - but ended up tweaking the recipe a little to add our own spin. It still tasted like the old dish we loved, but had a nice extra change to it, too!

The first change? Purple cauliflower!

And we made the pasta instead of buying it! It had been years since mom had used her pasta maker, so we weren't so sure it would work. But after some grinding (and praying on our end), it started up and churned out penne for us!

The original recipe calls for butter and garlic, but mom and I thought we would try it with brown butter (because seriously, who doesn't love brown butter?!) and fresh basil. I added a little spinach to mine, too. The recipe calls for 1-2 heads of cauliflower. Use 1 head for a more pasta-based dish, and 2 heads if you want the pasta to be more on the side.

Brown Butter Pasta and Cauliflower
1c. whole wheat pasta
1-2 heads cauliflower, white or purple
3 cloves garlic, minced
3T. butter
1/2c. fresh basil, chopped
1/2c. parmesan
1c. fresh spinach, chopped (optional)
1T. oregano
salt to taste

Wash and chop cauliflower into bite-size pieces. Boil in a large pot of water until just tender, about 7 minutes. Remove cauliflower from water and set aside. Add whole wheat pasta and cook until tender. Drain.

Meanwhile, add the butter and garlic to a small saucepan and melt over medium heat. Allow butter to brown but not burn, stirring occasionally. You'll need to watch your saucepan to make sure the butter doesn't burn. When the butter is browned immediately remove the saucepan from heat.

(Butter melting on the left, browned and removed from heat on the right.)

Toss the cauliflower, pasta, brown butter and garlic, basil, oregano, salt, and spinach together in a large bowl. Pour into a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Serves 4.

I'm headed out for a run... or maybe a couple sets of hill repeats, if I'm feeling really masochistic?

Don't forget to vote in the reader recipe poll! Help fuel Dave and I's trip home on Wednesday!

guest blog: naan

2010-09-20T12:02:00.000-04:00

My sister, Jill, recently was visiting my brother and his family. They decided to make zucchini hummus and naan (an Indian flatbread). Jill took pictures as they made the bread so she could share! Unfortunately, she also started to feel the side effects of the stomach flu midway through the breadmaking process... and getting "pretty" pictures was not as important as just freakin' finishing. Regardless, she says the bread is amazingly delicious - the kind you cram in your mouth as soon as it's finished baking... and probably never have leftovers. Enjoy!

Naan (from allrecipes.com)
1 (1T.) package active dry yeast
1c. warm water
1/4c. sugar
3T. milk
1 egg, beaten
2t. salt
4 1/2c. bread flour (if you don't have bread flour regular flour works as well)
2t. garlic, minced (optional)
1/4c. butter, melted
(any other seasonings you might want: rosemary, garlic salt, etc.)

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy.

Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6-8 minutes on a lightly floured surface or until smooth (or just use the dough hook in the KitchenAid mixer).

Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise (or just leave in KitchenAid bowl). Let rise 1 hour, or until dough has doubled.

Punch down dough. (Knead in garlic, if desired.) Pinch off small handfuls of dough, about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a greased cookie sheet. Cover with a towel and allow to rise until double in size, about 30 minutes.

(The above dough balls were just there to raise - they should be spread out more on separate sheets to bake.)

Flatten the doughballs with the palms of your hands to desired thickness, about 1/4inch. Bake at 400 degrees for 4 minutes. Flip the bread, brush the tops with butter, and sprinkle with herbs, salt, etc. Bake another 4 minutes, or until golden brown.

Enjoy with hummus, chicken and rice, dahl, veggies and couscous, curry, or whatever!

If you're lucky, you just might have a princess to help you taste test.

(My niece, Lizzie.)

reader recipe poll: cereal snack mixes

2010-09-20T07:23:00.002-04:00

Dave and I are driving back from Tennessee to Indiana on Wednesday (a 10+ hour trip), so this week's reader recipe poll is a snack mix to help fuel us home!

poll by twiigs.com

I'll announce the winner Tuesday at lunch. Recipe and review Friday morning!

bluegrass festival

2010-09-19T07:46:00.003-04:00

We managed to complete our festival experience with a giant funnel cake, split between Dave, Jill, and I. I would have taken a picture... but it was gone in about 18 seconds. I can't remember the last time I had a funnel cake. Hot, fluffy, and completely blanketed in powdered sugar. We did get a picture of the three of us watching a band (albeit a grainy/dark one!).

The last band we saw was amazing. Dave and I completely fell in love with them: 18 South. Check them out here. I recommend listening to Late Night Ramble. You know a group is really good when they almost sound better live than they do recorded. And they sound really good recorded!

Today's events are mostly yet-to-be-planned. We'll see how things shape up...

race crashers

2010-09-18T09:56:00.001-04:00

Dave and I set off for a run this morning around Bristol, Tennessee. We did about 3 miles before we ended up downtown, where they were starting to set up booths for the bluegrass festival today. Right about the time we got downtown, they were also starting a 5K race. We watched everyone start and then when the runners were about 3 blocks away decided that yes, we should definitely jump in. So we did. We had so much fun! Right before the finish line we ducked out. Final time: 26:30. And because the main street of town is also the state line, technically I finished in Virginia while Dave finished in Tennessee!

5Ks are funny to me. I'm used to doing half marathons and fulls, so this race went so fast! It was a lot of fun.

We jogged home, stopping to walk around in a Confederate Unknowns cemetery. We're showering and getting ready, then headed downtown with my family for Rhythm and Roots!

We're looking forward to spending time with family, hearing good music, and eating some fair food! Happy weekend!

running legs

2010-09-17T12:01:00.003-04:00

My legs are back!

I got a fast 4.5 miles in this morning at an 8:30 pace! My legs felt awesome and I wanted to keep going, but needed to get back and on the road. I love the new morning weather we've been having - low 50s and just gorgeous. Makes me want to run and run and run. I feel like I can push the pace a lot more, too.

Run sightings:

A young deer on the side of the trail, maybe 8 feet away. She just watched me pass. So pretty!
Two guys from the radio at a big intersection. One of the guys (a grown man) was sitting in a wagon decorated with radio station signs. The other was holding a travel mug and talking on his cell phone. What the?

What's something funny you've seen when running or driving?

reader recipe poll: baked flax french toast with hot cinnamon apples

2010-09-17T05:55:00.002-04:00

Baked Flax French Toast

7 eggs

1/2c. milk

1T. cinnamon

1t. vanilla

1/4t. nutmeg

1/4t. ginger

2T. ground flaxseed

6-8 slices of bread

Lay slices of bread evenly (and close together) in bottom of a greased small casserole dish.

Whisk together eggs, milk, spices, vanilla, and flaxseed. Pour mixture over bread, making sure pieces are evenly covered. Let sit for at least 30 minutes. Turn bread pieces. Let sit for another 30 minutes.

Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes, or until eggs are set. Serves 4.

Hot Cinnamon Apples

1 pound apples, chopped (2 large apples)

1T. butter

2T. water

1T. brown sugar

1t. cinnamon

1/4t. nutmeg

1t. vanilla

Combine all ingredients in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until apples are soft (about 10 minutes).

The bread and egg get nice and fluffy - almost with the airy texture of a quiche! Most of the recipes I saw online used sugar, which I didn't think was really necessary since we'd be putting apples or syrup on top. And it didn't need the extra sweet at all!

You can also make this dish ahead of time, then pull it out to bake. So you could put it together the night before, then grab it in the morning, turn the bread, and bake!

We are off to Tennessee this morning to visit my parents and sister for a bluegrass music festival! We've got a cooler full of sandwiches, grapes, animal crackers, peanut butter cookies, and more! And maybe a giant paper bag full of popcorn...

What's your favorite car snack?

my new slicer

2010-09-16T11:35:00.000-04:00

Today I bought this:

I'm ridiculously excited about my new electric bread slicer. And I feel like my mom, since she has one of these, too. Since we've started making our own bread v. buying it, having a slicer will be really nice. I'm not necessarily very skilled at making even slices...

Bread is rising... too bad this won't get here for another week or so. But one day soon, I'll be slicing to my little heart's content.

What's your favorite kitchen appliance? Mine is probably the Kitchenaid mixer... but I think this one will be running a close second!

Please weigh in on the blog debate! I would appreciate your insight!

blog debate

2010-09-16T06:03:00.003-04:00

Last night I got home and wanted dinner fast, but also wanted some veggies. The solution?

Quick Broccoli Soup
1 carrot, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 T. olive oil
1 1/2t. salt
2 T. italian seasonings
1 1/2c. water
1 pound frozen chopped broccoli
1/2c. milk

Saute onion, carrot, garlic, and salt in olive oil over medium heat until veggies are soft (about 7 minutes). Add water, broccoli, and seasonings. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat. Puree soup with an immersion blender until mostly smooth (or pour in blender). Stir in milk.

The blog...
I'm debating some aspects of my blog currently... mainly my use of Blogger. So far Blogger has been great, but it's a little more limited than other blog platforms, such as Wordpress. For example, I can't reply to comments in blog, which is annoying and alienating to my readers. So I'm thinking about switching to Wordpress... which brings up another question, too. If I do switch, do I keep the same blog name? I like boygirlkitty, and for right now it's very apt, but it doesn't necessarily capture the scope of the blog (running and recipes)... and what happens when, eventually, boygirlkitty grows to be boygirlkittybaby? If I do change the name, what name would it be? Is a blog name/URL important or not?

Any thoughts/perspectives from you guys out there?

subway secrets

2010-09-15T12:50:00.001-04:00

Did you know Subway has a veggie patty sandwich? They don't advertise it and it's not on the menu board, but most of the restaurants have it. And it's really pretty good - not a weird texture, decent taste, and way more filling than a regular veggie sub. You just have to ask for it!

Random secret, huh? I've heard Dairy Queen is similar - that they have blizzard flavors that they don't advertise and aren't on the menu, but you can order. So strange!

Check out this link for more supposed restaurant secrets.

pesto pizza

2010-09-15T08:32:00.000-04:00

I had a most delicious dinner last night!

Whole wheat pizza with corn pesto sauce, mozzarella, goat cheese, and sliced toms. My good friend Marcia had this pizza a couple weeks ago in Cleveland and decided to recreate it at home. I lucked out and got to have some, too. It was fantastic!

I got to spend breakfast this morning with two good friends, Emilie and Logan, catching up and hearing about their lives. A great way to start off a day in the cube!

What was the highlight of your morning?

groceries!

2010-09-14T11:50:00.004-04:00

The reader recipe poll winner is baked french toast with cinnamon apples! Check back on Friday morning for the recipe/review. (PBJ and banana breakfast pizza was a close second. The recipe I was going to use can be found here.)

Last week I talked about Dave and I's new grocery budget challenge. It's another week and so far, so good! Week 1 ended at $51.39 and week 2 at $58.84

Week 3: $45.08

18 eggs
giant bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
peanut butter
raisin bran (generic)
honey nut cheerios (generic)
vanilla creamer (big carton)
chocolate chip creme brulee creamer
apple juice
cheez-its
mayo
cottage cheese
1 bunch bananas
4 pears
6 apples
2 pounds strawberries

We still have $15 to spare for the week for extra ingredients/random needs. I know for sure we'll probably need a new jug of milk before the week is out. We're also heading to Tennessee later this week, so we'll want to pick up some food that will be easy to eat in the car for snacks/meals. Still, we're right on target and I know we can stay at $60 for the week! It's nice to know I can pick up the needed groceries for the week and replenish kitchen staples (condiments, flour, etc.) without going over budget!

I'm off to lunch! The marathon has finally caught up with me a little bit - I'm starting to get an appetite back (I wasn't really hungry Sunday or yesterday). And I'm definitely feeling tired!

marathon details

2010-09-14T05:58:00.005-04:00

About a week ago Dave left this note on the fridge:

I finally cashed in on it last night and got a hot fudge sundae from McDonalds. Yum!

I thought of a couple more details about the Presque Isle marathon:

the shirts: A couple months back I picked up these shirts from runningchics.com. I love the soft fabric, the extra length of these shirts, and how thin they are. They don't have any rough seams and they dry as fast or faster than wicking material shirts. My one issue was underarm chafing (a common problem for me) where the shorter sleeves didn't protect my skin from rubbing on skin. A slightly longer sleeve more fitted around my arm would have probably fixed the problem for me. Still, for all intents and purposes this shirt was really comfortable... plus I wear it all the time when I'm not running!

post-race: Kelly picked up a reese's big cup for each of us after the race. Joy.

I ate it later on the drive home. She got one for Dave and one for Keegan, too, because she smartly realized neither of us would want to share.

race swag: Race swag was awesome for a small, pretty cheap marathon ($40 registration). We got a nice long sleeve wicking shirt, a tote bag, and a hat. And my bag contained a $500 gift card to redstargiftcard.com. Kelly's bag did not, so we're not sure if this was a door prize or what... From what I can tell, the website is all about sunglasses - expensive sunglasses. I'll keep you posted on how this one turns out.

the one regret: Kelly and I never stopped to take a picture together, pre or post race! Guess this means we just need to race again sometime so we can have a proper photo op. I'm a pretty big fan of this picture of us finishing though. And maybe the professional pics will have a winner!

What things make or break a race for you? For me it's entry fee and course route.

presque isle marathon

2010-09-13T11:56:00.007-04:00

Let's start with the good:

We finished! And with a new personal record for me: 4:53:57.

Let's back up.

Dave and I left our house at 8am on Saturday and drove to PA. We saw a really weird car on the turnpike.

Along the way I read to Dave out of Born to Run... I'm like a personal audio book.

We headed straight to Presque Isle, where we met up with Kelly (my sister), John and Corrine (my brother and sister-in-law), and Lizzie and Clare (my nieces)!

We had a lot of fun playing in the sand with the girls and catching up. Then Dave and I followed Kelly back to her house. We made a delicious dinner of pasta with sauteed kale, basil, parsley, tomatoes, chard, and garlic. Fantastic! I had two bowls, plus a side of bread. I'd also been chugging water throughout the day, trying to make sure I was really hydrated. Keegan (Kel's husband), Kelly, Dave, and I took a brief walk to stretch our legs and check out an old mansion nearby.

We also made our breakfast the night before, since we had to get up pretty early. We made pinole and chia pancakes, using a recipe this recipe. We sampled one and it was sooo good.

We were in bed by 9pm - pretty good, right? The alarm went off at 4:30am and we hit the start button on the coffeemaker, got changed, and made pinole chia banana peanut butter sandwiches (say that 5 times fast). Then Kel and I hit the road - we were out the door by 5am. The drive to the park took about 50 minutes, and race directors had requested all runners be parked by 6am. We aim to please. We parked, did some business in the port-o-pots (at that time still clean and no line), then got ourselves organized for the race - pinned on our bibs, ate our pancake sandwiches, etc. There might have also been some nervous peeing in the bushes (the port-o-pot line was now considerably longer), but I'll never say for certain.

And then without much fanfare we were off! I told Kel I was going to hold the pace back a little bit, just to make sure we started slow and didn't burn out. We did the first 10K (6.2 miles) in slightly over 9 minute miles, which felt good. Around mile 12 my stomach started to feel a little unsettled, but it didn't seem a big deal. We crossed the halfway point (13.1 miles) at 2:10ish, still feeling good.

Giving our long sleeve shirts to the guys to carry.

At mile 14 I stopped to puke. This was a little troubling since I also threw up in my last marathon and things hadn't gone well afterwards. (Not to be graphic, but when I say "puke" I don't mean just a little. I mean everything up and out.) After I threw up I felt better, except I didn't have any water to rinse out my mouth with, so I was rocking some serious dragon breath and acid mouth. Yum. Keegan and Dave met up with us on their bikes about mile 15, and rode with us for most of the remainder of the race! That was really fun!

Around mile 16 or 17 my stomach started to clench and cramp again. I puked again at mile 18. A wonderful woman (who was running her 196th marathon!) gave me some tissues to clean up with. Kel and I theorized I should probably start drinking the energy drink at the water stations, since I couldn't stomach food and I was probably dehydrated/electrolyte imbalanced/had no calories in me. Miles 19-23 were hard. My stomach was clenching and cramping, my head was pounding and felt woozy, and I was really tired. I puked again at mile 23, which helped. From there it was just a final push to the end. It was rough, but knowing I was close to finishing helped.

Bringing it on in.

(Please note that in every picture Kel and I's strides are completely synced. Ha!)

I had so much fun running with Kelly - we talked, we zoned out, we kept pace together. It was so fun to have someone to run with and push me along. I am certain that my finishing time would have been much, much worse without Kelly helping me along. She kept me going. That being said, I feel really bad for Kelly for staying with me (even though I really really appreciate it). This was her first race and she was doing really well and was feeling really strong. I know she could have gotten a really good time - probably below 4:30 - if she hadn't had to stop for me or walk with me. I'm so proud of her, and I wish her first marathon story didn't have to include a "if" - "if my sister hadn't been puking we/I could have finished in ____." I hope maybe she'll take me back for another marathon!

Something I am proud of: even after puking I ran some, most, or all of every mile of that race. After the last marathon I felt like I really only ran 18 or 19 miles. But this marathon I feel like I really did run it, even though I had to take some walking breaks.

Something I learned: always always always carry tissues. Helpful for blowing your nose and cleaning up vomit.

Another thing: keep trying. The tissue woman is running her 200th marathon next month. And another man told us this was his 246th marathon. I'm willing to bet they had some pretty dang horrible races in there. Maybe I'm just getting all my bad races out of the way now, so I can rock some awesome ones later on!

As for the race itself, I loved it! It was a beautiful, serene run. There weren't tons of people to dodge, runners were friendly, and a decent amount of fans came out to cheer. Where there weren't fans cheering there was beautiful woods and the sound of the water - it doesn't get much better than that! The course is also flat - another perk! I'm definitely hoping to do this one again next year - it's my favorite race I've ever done (at least course-wise)!

Today my legs feel good - a little tight, but nothing different than any other long run. I'm even hoping to get out for a couple miles at some point to stretch them out! Kelly is feeling good, too!

It's one month now til the Grand Rapids marathon. Enough time to recover, rebuild, and hopefully figure out this puking thing!

reader recipe poll: breakfast!

2010-09-13T06:39:00.000-04:00

poll by twiigs.com

I'll announce the winner at lunch on Tuesday! Recipe and review to come on Friday morning.

I'll have a race recap (and pictures!) at lunchtime today!

a PR and more puking

2010-09-12T14:03:00.000-04:00

A new personal record: 4:53:57 (unofficial time)!

More to come on Monday, with all the details and pictures!

training review

2010-09-11T13:38:00.009-04:00

I've run 433 miles over 14 weeks.

I've done 19.5 miles twice, 20 miles (super nasty sweaty), and 22 miles split up in a day.

I've run 42 yassos in total.

I watched the movie Prefontaine to inspire me. The acting in that is terrible!

I have a new shirt to wear.

I have a new pair of shoes (not without some trouble).

To be honest, Kelly and I are both nervous about the race tomorrow. It's Kelly's first marathon (woohoo!) - heck, it's her first race! And after my last marathon, I'm nervous that I'm going to choke.

But we're also really excited. The race scenery looks to be gorgeous - seriously, check out where we're running!

Tons of water views!!

The weather is shaping up to be perfect (cool and cloudy), and we've got ipods loaded with fun songs... and lots of time to talk, too! We're packing baggies of raisins and salted peanuts for race fuel, and each carrying 26 peanut m&ms - one to eat at each mile marker (or to throw to the side if we're not feeling the chocolate).

We're planning on making these pinole pancakes tonight, then heating them up in the morning, slathering on some peanut butter and banana, and downing them with coffee. To get to the race by 6am (when they request all runners to be there by) we'll need to leave the house about 5am!

Cheer us on from wherever you are!

Anyone else out there racing this weekend? GOOD LUCK!!

I'll be back Sunday (with at least our time) and I'll have pictures and a whole report on Monday!

race weekend

2010-09-11T07:27:00.000-04:00

I ran 2 miles this morning to loosen up my legs. It felt really good to be out in the dark, cruising along. The sky was just turning navy/purple when I got home. Beautiful.

We're packing up to be on the road by 8am. We're meeting up with my sister and her husband and my brother and his wife and 2 little girls today. Then dinner at Kelly's (pasta and veggies) and an early morning race start!

Current weather forecast for Sunday morning:

7 am

61°F
Cloudy

61°F

20%

72%

From S
9 mph

8 am

61°F
Cloudy

61°F

10%

81%

From S
9 mph

9 am

62°F
Cloudy

62°F

10%

81%

From S
9 mph

10 am

64°F
Mostly Cloudy

64°F

10%

78%

From SSW
9 mph

11 am

66°F
Mostly Cloudy

66°F

10%

73%

From SW
10 mph

Loooove it!

Have to go finish packing and figure out what food I"m taking! Happy weekend!

zucchini lasagna + winner!

2010-09-10T11:58:00.005-04:00

Barley Zucchini Lasagna (from Mama Pea's quinoa lasagna)
1 large zucchini, sliced into very thin "noodles"
salt
1c. barley
2c. vegetable broth
1 jar marinara sauce
2T. italian seasonings
1/2 t. garlic salt
2T. sour cream
4c. shredded cheese

Lay the zucchini "noodles" out on paper towel. Sprinkle with salt. Console yourself about how you really suck at thin-slicing zucchini. Let sit while you prepare the barley.

Combine barley, vegetable broth, garlic salt, seasonings, and 1/2 c. of marinara sauce. Bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer about 20 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed.

Pour small amount of marinara sauce in bottom of greased 8x8 casserole dish, enough to just cover the bottom. Pour the remaining marinara in to the barley. Add sour cream and mix well.

Blot the zucchini noodles with paper towel to absorb any excess moisture. Place a layer of zucchini in the casserole dish. Sprinkle with salt.

Cover with a layer of the barley/sauce mixture. Add cheese if desired.

Repeat layers: zucchini, barley/sauce, cheese, ending with cheese (or barley/sauce if not using cheese).

Bake 30 minutes at 400, or until zucchini is tender and cheese is melted and bubbly. Serves 4-6.

Devour.

Mine fell apart when it was dished up but man, who cares. This was SO delicious and flavorful! I'm not always a huge zucchini fan (it depends), but I loved loved loved the thin noodles in the sauce. This is a definite repeat-recipe!

As for that CSN giveaway (I use random.org to pick the winner):

Kristi said...

Anytime I come back from a trip, long or short - no matter what time of day or night it is - I have to unpack everything. I like the feeling of knowing that I'll wake up the next morning and everything be in "it's spot."

Hooray, Kristi! Email me at boygirlkitty@gmail.com to claim your prize.

I'm off to eat some lunch... maybe some leftover zucchini lasagna on spinach?

reader recipe poll: s'mores pie

2010-09-10T06:11:00.003-04:00

Here's a blog I love: Peas and Thank You

Many many recipes have come from that blog (including another recipe tomorrow!). They're all so creative and delicious.

And s'mores pie? Yep. From there, too.

Because I pretty much used the recipe just as I found it (shocking, I know), except I used regular milk and dairy creamer, I'm going to send you over to her blog to get the recipe: here. Note: I used the flax egg, not the tofu.

My reward for actually following a recipe instead of modifying? A gooey pie that didn't really set up. I followed the recipe, I promise! It's not the recipe though. I probably just needed to let the pie set longer in the fridge. Nobody said I was patient, especially around desserts.

It tasted like chocolate marshmallow pudding with graham cracker bits - not a bad thing at all! Melody commented, "this is like a chocolate chip unbaked cookie!"

But practice makes perfect right? Guess I'll just have to make it again...

Don't forget to enter the $45 CSN giveaway! Winner announced at lunch today!

pb mocha

2010-09-09T12:29:00.000-04:00

If you haven't already, go read some of each others' funny quirks. These are hilarious! I love it!

I had a late and filling breakfast today (leftover veggie chili) so I wanted to keep it lighter for lunch. I'm also feeling tired. The result?

PB Mocha Green Smoothie
1/2 banana, frozen
2 large handfuls spinach
1/2c. milk
1/2-1c. strong coffee, cooled to room temp
2T. unsweetened cocoa
1T. peanut butter
1T. chia seeds
1T. chocolate syrup

Here's before I added the chocolate syrup. A little too bitter:

And after:

The color is really kind of disturbing - murky brown green - but it's delicious as always!

A bizarre (potentially gross) story to leave you with: my brother-in-law, Keegan, inadvertently (and somehow unknowingly) swallowed a yellow jacket bee this past Monday. He pooped it out whole on Tuesday. WHAT?

last run + a giveaway!

2010-09-09T06:54:00.000-04:00

This morning is my last run before the marathon - at least the last one over 2 or 3 miles. I might run a little bit on Saturday morning (20-30 minutes) before we get in the car, just to keep my legs loose before Sunday. So this morning I'm heading out for 6-8... probably closer to 6. Taper week is hard for me - I really just want to go my normal mileage!

Had the worst wake-up ever this morning. Mosie jumped on the bed in playfulness but somehow one of her claws landed right IN my toe. Ow ow ow! NOT a pleasant way to wake up.

Feel like a free $45? I've got another giveaway to CSNStores! Get on the site and you'll see you can find pretty much anything there - a new coffee table, bedding, pet supplies, whatever! You can see more at csnstores.com. Just leave a comment on this post telling me one funny quirk about yourself. I'll pick the winner on Friday at lunch.

I'll go first. A funny quirk about me: bruises on bananas make me gag. Literally.

high tea

2010-09-08T13:38:00.000-04:00

For lunch today I met my friend Alisha at Aunt Sue's Tea Room. We both had the Queen's Tea (because we're royal, obviously).

That's Alisha's super happy smile back there.

I had a salad, along with half of all those three-tiered goodies. The scones (warm from the oven) with lemon curd spread is my favorite! I also drank a whole pot of raspberry black tea. We got a solid hour in of catching up and talking. Love her.

Back in the cubicle now! I'm the only one in on my side of the office today and nobody has turned on the lights. I love working in semi-darkness. So much better than fluorescence! Dave and I are going to a college soccer game tonight with friends, once I get home. The weather is perfect - sunny and cool. By evening it'll be sweatshirt/jean weather. My favorite!

grocery challenge

2010-09-08T06:04:00.001-04:00

Dave and I have gotten pretty good at using a budget (this does not mean we are perfect!). This definitely has not always been the case - before we got married neither of us did a good job of keeping track of our money. But while we were engaged we started to focus on keeping track of money in and money out, setting goals, etc.

By now budgeting isn't necessarily "new", but it's something we're always wanting to stay on top of, reevaluate, and look ahead at. In the past, we had more of a cushion that we could sit on if we went over each month. So while we set a "goal" for groceries, we often went over it and it didn't really matter, because the end month budget still worked. Typically the grocery budget is where we tended to overflow the most... I'm not sure what this says about us! We're good eaters?

With a house payment now instead of rent we have a whole new slew of costs - insurance, upkeep, furniture, utilities, etc., and we don't has as much room to go over. We set a goal for September: spend $60 or less each week on groceries. Easy enough, maybe, but we looove produce and I love trying new meals. I also love grocery shopping and grabbing what sounds good, without thinking TOO much what the running total in my cart is.

But the past two weeks I've been grocery shopping with more purchase. I try to grocery shop with specific recipes and ingredients in mind, rather than recipe ideas. I keep a mental tally in my head of what I'm spending. (This has probably been the biggest change - and the most helpful.) I've been shopping early Monday morning and I try to spend $50 or less, to allow $10 for random things I might need to pick up during the week - extra fruit, a missed ingredient, etc.

Last week's groceries came out at $52.19. This week's grocery trip came out at $46.99. I already know I'll need to buy a few things later this week - ingredients for the s'mores pie and some fruit - but I have a cushion of $17 to allow for that! For $46.99 we got:

whole wheat flour
animal crackers
oatmeal
1 28oz. can diced toms
1 28oz. can tomato sauce
1 12oz. can tomato paste
garlic salt
vanilla extract
3lbs. yellow onions
1 green pepper
2 bags spinach
1 garlic bulb
2 zucchinis
3 tomatoes
3 bags of frozen corn
1 bag frozen spinach
2 pounds strawberries
1 bag of popcorn kernels
1 pound brown sugar
2 gallons apple juice
1 gallon milk
4 pounds bananas

Currently I grocery shop at Walmart. I don't love this. I go freakishly early (6 or 7am) in order to beat the crowd, which makes it more doable. I fight guilt at shopping there, knowing some of the controversial issues around Walmart for its environmental/social impact. But it's the cheapest and right now, it's where we go, for better or worse.

I go to Kroger for produce. After a string of bad experiences with Walmart produce (apples that had brown cores, peaches that were mealy) I switched to Kroger. I might get grapes or strawberries at Walmart, but for the most part I try to get my produce at Kroger, where it might cost a little more, but I'm getting better quality.

And for random things like quinoa, which Walmart doesn't have, I hit up either Kroger, the co-op, or a local bulk food market.

Do you follow a budget? What's the area that's hardest for you to stay "true" on?

And from a blog standpoint, is a post like this helpful? I don't mind posting our weekly buys for a little bit as we figure out our new budget if it's helpful to others out there!

Mosie's Room

2010-09-07T11:27:00.001-04:00

We have a closet in our house that we refer to as "Mosie's Room." In reality, Mosie rarely goes in this closet and we use it for extra storage for exercise equipment, my wedding dress, and the like. We call it "Mosie's Room" because the previous owners left a cat decal on the wall of the closet.

Today, Dave captured this awesome picture:

Fantastic, eh? There was a bug on the floor... and I'm just guessing here, but she probably ate it. She looooves bugs and spiders for eating. Gross.

Dave is going to be one happy man: s'mores pie is the reader recipe poll winner! Recipe and review to come Friday morning!

Last time I was prepping for a marathon I went off sugar the week before, hoping it would help me run better. Not this time. I trained on ~~copious amounts of ice cream~~ moderate amounts of sugar, I'll run a race on them, too! Bring it on, s'mores pie!

childlike

2010-09-07T05:57:00.001-04:00

I think I've become a 5 year old.

I eat cheerios for snacks.

I have a newfound love for animal crackers.

And yesterday I smacked my head on a table corner and got a goose egg on my forehead.

I feel like every little kid between 5 and 7 has a bruise in that exact spot at least once. Luckily, the bruise never hurt and the goose egg has gone down. I have a slight purple bruise, but it's not very noticeable anymore.

The living room never did get painted yesterday. But a whole lot of food got made, I got to spend some time on the couch reading, and I took a bike ride and saw a friend. So all in all, a pretty good day off!

It's officially marathon week. You know what that means: compulsive weather.com checking, paranoia, obsessive thoughts about my training, what I'll wear, how my last run went, etc. Make sure to vote in the reader recipe poll, because if anybody is going to need some dessert for sanity this week, it's going to be Dave (and if you really want to help him out, vote for s'mores pie, because that's what he's hoping wins!).

morning labor

2010-09-06T11:34:00.000-04:00

Our morning has been crazy productive!

First Dave and I hit up Walmart for some groceries. I shopped while he took the car to the repair center to get our tire looked at. They found a nail, removed it, and patched the tire - for $5!

Once we got home I started iowa oatmeal bread, bean boiling for chili, and milk heating for yogurt. It was almost too many things to keep watch of, especially because the milk temp has to be carefully monitored.

Now it's almost noon and the bread is rising for the second time, the yogurt is incubating in the cooler, strawberries have been washed, cored, and sliced, beans are resting before they get boiled again, and nutrigrain bars are in the fridge cooling so they can be cut!

I think painting the living room might be in our future... plus a bike ride to a friend's house, chili making, and dinner with more friends! Busy busy!

Happy Labor Day! Don't forget to vote in the reader recipe poll: marshmallow!

reader recipe poll: marshmallow!

2010-09-06T06:44:00.004-04:00

poll by twiigs.com

I'll announce the winner Tuesday at lunch. Recipe and review Friday morning!

the last long run

2010-09-05T17:00:00.000-04:00

Today was the last official "long" run before the marathon - an easy 8. It was in the high 40s this morning (borderline cold!) and bright and sunny - it was glorious. My foot hurt for maybe the first mile, but then felt completely fine, so I pushed on. I would have liked to have done 10 but got out of the house late (Totally don't have a valid excuse. Procrastination.) so I settled for 8. It felt so good. I'm really hoping we have a nice fall day for the marathon, because cool temps and no humidity definitely helps with endurance... and mental strength!

We're heading to a church group tonight and everyone is bringing a finger food. I'm bringing a big ol' pot of popcorn.

It's going to be a good night.

Dave's Parents' Popcorn
2T. coconut oil
popcorn kernels (we like white the best)
medium pot with cover
salt to taste

Melt the 2T. coconut oil over high heat. As soon as it has melted, add enough popcorn kernels to cover the entire bottom of the pot. Tilt the pot back and forth to move the kernels around and coat all of them with the oil. Place the lid on top. After about a minute kernels will start popping. Turn heat off when the lid starts to lift off from all the kernels or when 3 seconds between each popping. Pour into a large bowl and salt to taste.

Serves 2-4... or 1 Kim.

Seriously, this is the best way to have popcorn. The coconut oil is just perfect... and I don't normally like coconut. We looove to crush up Wheat Thins Parmesan Basil crackers into our popcorn. Dave's parents put crushed salt and vinegar chips - also delicious!

How do you like your popcorn?

date night 2

2010-09-05T07:24:00.001-04:00

After spending much of yesterday afternoon taping the living room, Dave thought he would take me out for dinner. And the living room? It used an entire roll of painting tape... and then some. Over 150 feet. I swear this room is all windows and doors. The actual painting will be a breeze!

It's time for fall clothes already?? That was fast.

We originally were going to go to an italian place downtown, but when we got there we were pretty much ignored (and we were the only ones in there) and then when we got the menu, found out all they were serving that night was pizza and sandwiches. By this point I was already annoyed about the customer service, so we left. We thought we might go to Olive Garden, but then decided to try a new italian place a little closer to home. This turned out to be a fantastic idea. The owner is a master chef from Italy and everything - from bread to pasta to sauces - is homemade. YUM. I had the pasta aglio e olio (pasta with garlic and olive oil and herbs) and Dave had the gnocchi quattro formaggio (gnocchio in an alfredo-like sauce). Deeeelicious! And where the other place ignored us, this place almost paid us too much attention! Everyone from the waiter to the hostess to the chef came to check on us! I could say we left with boxed leftovers... but that would be a total lie. We left on super carbo overload (and some incredibly heavy garlic breath for me).

On our way home we hit up Pier 1 and found a nightstand for our bedroom (yay wedding giftcards that keep on giving!) and then made some room for a blizzard from DQ. Naturally.

I actually still feel full (overeat much?) but I'm off to try running again! Let's hope the weird foot bruise is better today!

shoulda coulda woulda

2010-09-04T12:07:00.000-04:00

I wanted to run this morning. It was PERFECT outside - cool, clear, sunny, slightly breezy. It felt like early fall, my absolute favorite. Long sleeve shirts but shorts. Cold nose but warm hands. Perfect.

Except.

Yesterday morning the top of my foot hurt. It feels mostly like a bruise - it's tender to push on but not so much that I'm gasping in pain, and the hurt feels more surface than deep. I didn't run yesterday just to be careful. This morning I put on my shoes and the pressure on the bruised spot was uncomfortable - not terrible, but present. I ran a block and came back. I probably could knock out some miles and it might hurt a little, but it wouldn't be too bad. But with the marathon now one week away, I'm paranoid. So the foot is getting babied today and hopefully running tomorrow.

The new shoes I ordered last week got delayed in shipment. This makes me irrationally angry. Right now UPS is forecasting that I'll receive them September 10th. That's Friday. That's the Friday before the Sunday marathon. That's pretty much unacceptable, because I would have almost no time to break them in, even a little bit.

So.

Today I ordered another pair of shoes from endless.com. They will arrive on Tuesday, which should give me enough time to get at least a couple miles in on them before the race. Sucks that they cost $100 instead of $80, like the others. At least I know the other pair of running shoes will definitely get used, eventually. Good thing Dave and I's monthly budget actually has a category for money set aside each month specifically for "running shoes" (you know you're a runner when...).

In summary:
I should've watched the mileage on my shoes better and ordered earlier.
I wish I could've known the ones I had ordered would take so long.
I wish I would've been able to go running this morning.

Shoulda coulda woulda.

veggie-less

2010-09-04T05:58:00.007-04:00

I have a confession to make: I did not eat a single vegetable yesterday. I ate a lot of carbs: cheerios, iowa bread, animal crackers, a POM blueberry muffin, and waffles. I ate eggs, a peach, some chocolate chips, and ice cream. Not a veggie in sight. Whoops...

Friday night is our date night, and we started off with breakfast for dinner - waffles and scrambled eggs! Downtown was having "First Fridays," so we biked down, walked around, and hit up some free ice cream from an ice cream social at a church.

The best part of the evening? My cousin, Jami, just opened up her own health and fitness studio with a friend, and she gave me a coupon for a free class! I have a choice between kickboxing plus, circuit training, core training, and strength training. I'm leaning toward kickboxing plus? What class would you take? (Zumba was also an option, but I left it out because I am scared of that class. I have absolutely no rhythm.)

Happy LONG weekend! Here's to some added veggies!

doomsday

2010-09-03T11:55:00.002-04:00

Today at 2:30 Mosie is headed to the vet office. She's due for some shots. Poor Mosie! She doesn't know what's in store for her yet...

Exciting news! The living room is complete! One of the loveseat cushions came with a slight tear in it, so last night I stitched it up.

And put on the cover!

I love that our furniture has washable covers! The tags say "dry clean only", but a friendly lady in line at IKEA told me that I can wash them myself and hang them to dry, as long as I keep them far far away from the dryer.

A blog to read: Remember when Dave and I went to Iowa? Our friend Melissa has since started her own blog. Check it out! She has 3 hilarious kids that she homeschools, is training for her first marathon, and also has 2 really silly cats!

reader recipe poll: taco lasagna

2010-09-03T06:13:00.004-04:00

Taco Lasagna
whole wheat tortillas
3c. black beans, dry (or 3 cans seasoned black beans)
1c. tomato paste
1/2c. sour cream
1/2c. salsa
4c. shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
3T. cumin
1t. garlic salt

Boil black beans in 12c. water for 5 minutes. Turn off and let sit for one hour. Drain and rinse beans. Return beans to pot and add another 12c. water, cumin, and garlic salt for one hour, or until beans are tender. Drain beans.

Mix tomato paste, sour cream, and salsa together.

Grease a 9x13 casserole dish. Layer about half of the beans on the bottom of the dish.

Add a layer of tortillas (about 2, depending on size). Spread about half of the tomato mixture on top. Add cheese if desired.

Add the remaining beans. Top with more tortillas and spread with the remaining tomato mixture. Top with more cheese if desired. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until cheese is brown and bubbly. Top with sour cream, avocado, chopped tomatoes.

Cheesy gooey beany lasagna!

We really liked this! The tortillas stayed soft but not soggy and the beans, cumin, and tomato mixed together really well. In the future I want to add more veggies, some corn, some onion, maybe spinach or broccoli (when do I not want to play with a recipe? But I didn't have the ingredients on hand last night).

Another perk? Really low cost. Beans are insanely cheap, as is tomato paste and sour cream. Cheese and cumin are generally on hand, and tortillas are great for this recipe and then leftovers can be used for lunches!

What would you add to the mexican lasagna?

gutter soaker

2010-09-02T11:36:00.001-04:00

New chair!

The chair is one we picked up from IKEA, but the slipcover for it just came yesterday! (Note: in the picture it kind of looks like it might have blue in it, but it's all different shades of brown.)

I have a slipcover for the loveseat, too, but haven't had a chance to get it on there yet! The loveseat, couch, and footstool are all dark brown, so the chair has some nice variety with the stripe!

My rain run this morning ended up being really really wet. The rain was pretty steady for the first bit. At mile 4 a minivan hit the gutter when I was standing on the curb and any aspect of me that had been dry wasn't any longer. After that it started to downpour, so the last 2 miles home were both fun and also not-so-fun. I called it quits at 6 and was a drenched mess!

I'll admit, it was probably pretty funny for the minivan to soak me like that. And I was completely oblivious to the fact that I was standing near an overflowing gutter... so I probably deserved it. It felt like a scene out of a movie, as a curtain of water came up over my head and just soaked me.

I'm thinking my shoes are going to need the dryer in order to be ready for tomorrow...

A quick note: if you haven't tried green smoothies - do it! I first read about them on the OhSheGlows blog. I promise you can't taste the spinach. They look green but they taste awesome. Here are two other green smoothies I've made: chocolate banana and pb banana. I've also done strawberry banana, banana peach, chocolate pb banana, etc. Give them a try!

get POMed

2010-09-02T07:05:00.001-04:00

Remember the POM brownies and the POM muffins that didn't really taste much like POM? I finally found a recipe that really brings out the POM taste: POM green smoothie!

POM green smoothie
1 frozen banana
2 large handfuls spinach
3/4c. POM wonderful

This was fantastic. So rich and thick and super flavorful! Spinach is going on the store list... I want mass quantities of this!

It's a rainy rainy day here, but I'm hoping to get in a run anyway. I love a good rain run... but I don't love "I might get struck by lightning" runs, so I need to figure out if it's just rain or if it's going to get worse! While I'm on weather.com, I might as well stalk the weather for the marathon... 10 days...

Do you run in the rain?

big cups

2010-09-01T08:15:00.002-04:00

Yesterday afternoon my coworkers and I were all craving chocolate. We started naming all the candy we wanted to eat and I threw out "reese's big cup."

They had never heard of it! This morning I swung by CVS on my way to work to bring big cups for my coworkers... only to find that one of my coworkers brought them, too! Now we each have two big cups to enjoy for the day!! This day is already a winner!

August run total: 140 miles

oregano harvest

2010-08-31T11:51:00.002-04:00

Reader Recipe Poll: Taco lasagna for the win! I'm excited to make this one. Look for the recipe/review on Friday morning!

Here's another easy and simple recipe. We had this last week - our first time using some of the fresh oregano from our garden!

Tomato Oregano Pasta
2c. whole wheat pasta
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/4c. loose packed oregano leaves
2T. olive oil
1/2t. salt

Cook whole wheat pasta until desired tenderness. Saute tomatoes, oregano, garlic, and salt in olive oil over medium high heat, about 5 minutes. (It might seem like a lot of olive oil, but you want more to coat the pasta when you toss it together.) Drain pasta and return to pot. Pour tomato mixture over pasta and toss well to coat evenly.

Fast and delicious and end-of-summery!

POM blueberry muffins

2010-08-31T06:03:00.010-04:00

Remember the POM reader recipe poll? Tonight I made POM blueberry muffins, using a recipe from the POM website, and swapping out the cranberries for blueberries.

Sadly, these muffins were only so-so. When I was making them I thought it was a little odd they didn't have any fat in them - oil, butter, or even applesauce. The result was a pretty dry muffin... that was completely saved by the berries! I think these actually would be really good with the addition of a half cup of applesauce to give a little moisture. I'm not sure the POM taste really came out that strong though. Maybe when I make fruit soup I'll finally have a recipe that brings out the POM!

Alongside the muffins we had a spinach tomato quiche.

This, on the other hand, was delicious! So light and fluffy!

Tomato Spinach Quiche
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2c. spinach, roughly torn or chopped
3 cloves garlic
8 eggs
1/2t. salt
1T. Italian seasonings
1/2c. cheddar cheese (optional)

Saute spinach, tomato, and garlic in olive oil over medium high heat until spinach just starts to wilt (about 4 minutes). Meanwhile, in small bowl whisk together 8 eggs, salt, and Italian seasonings. Pour egg mixture into greased square pan. Spoon tomato spinach mixture evenly over the egg. Top with cheese if desired. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes, or until casserole is firm, cheese is brown, and knife comes out clean.

This might have been my first time making a quiche? But I'll definitely be making it again!

What new recipes have you been trying?

Don't forget to vote in the reader recipe poll! I'll announce the winner today around lunchtime!

must read!

2010-08-30T12:29:00.002-04:00

After a busy weekend of painting, today seems rather humdrum!

Over lunch I finished this book:

So so so so good! Sprinkled with recipes, amazing descriptions of food, crazy and eccentric characters, written with honesty and strength. I loved it! It's a memoir written, the author admits, with slight embellishment. Such a good read! I want to find more of her books.

What good books have you been reading lately?

And do any of you have books that inspire you to run? I always love Born to Run, but am looking for another book or two to read before the marathon to get me even more excited. Movies work, too!

reader recipe poll: mexican

2010-08-30T06:07:00.000-04:00

poll by twiigs.com

I'll announce the winner Tuesday at lunch. Recipe and review Friday morning!

painters

2010-08-29T06:03:00.002-04:00

Warning: if you come to visit, you might be enlisted to help paint.

Good thing our friend, Chad, didn't mind jumping in. Chad helped me with the trimming... which made everything faster and saved me from a painful, cramped, aching hand. I'm super grateful!

We decided to paint the foyer, which was probably our most dramatic change, as it went from bright red to a more subdued cream. Evidence:

Love love love it. The room looks bigger and brighter after just one coat.

Trimming. Chad took high, I took low.

Painting. The radiator in the corner there posed a minor issue, but we got through it.

See that lamp hanging there? Earlier we climbed up to wash it out and found a bouncy ball inside!

I don't think I can adequately describe how excited Dave is to play with Mosie with this ball.

Painters by a red wall:

And a fancy new "crepe" wall!

Afterwards we celebrated with pizza (and barley and veggies) and sparking juice from IKEA!

One more coat to go (and three more rooms...)

running errands

2010-08-28T12:22:00.000-04:00

This morning I decided to run an errand... literally.

I made a 4 mile loop that passed by the post office so I could pay for a couple small packages. They were really light, so I didn't mind having them in a bag on my back.

Note to self: find a cheapie drawstring backpack. These straps would get mega-chafing for any longer runs. I used to have 3 or 4 but I think I gave them all to Goodwill when we moved because I wasn't using them. Whoops.

It's strange to me that runs the day after my long runs are sometimes my favorite. My legs love being stretched out!

Today's agenda: more painting!!

stuffed bean burgers

2010-08-28T08:31:00.000-04:00

Last night I decided to try to make bean burgers. I love the theory of bean burgers, and I've had some dang good ones at restaurants. But every time I try to make them, they end up flopping. I either over-process the ingredients, making a goopy mess that won't stay together, or I get impatient with the flipping or don't let them rest enough and they end up falling apart. Or I try to make my own concoction and it ends up bland and uninspiring.

Finally: victory! Well, mostly. I used Mama Peas' "Cheese" Stuffed Bean Burgers recipe. I thought they would be more work, but it really wasn't too bad. I used barley instead of quinoa, because it's what I had in the cupboard. And really, they were pretty delicious. I probably did overprocess them a little bit (perhaps I shouldn't have tried to put the pasta, beans, onion all in my mini food processor at the same time... because it's way too mini and then the bottom ingredients get pureed and the top stay in whole form. Whoops.) and I tried flipping them too often on the griddle (somebody tie me up and make me stay away). But even with my mistakes, they came out tasting great! I loved the hummus-y inside... although I think Dave was a little depressed that it wasn't actually cheese. Next time I'll do some hummus and some shredded cheese.

Here they are before they got another bean layer to seal them:

Pretty, eh?

And a not so pretty picture of the finished product:

bad lighting + me being in a hurry to eat = substandard picture

But worth repeating and worth you giving a try yourself? Definitely.

20 miles finally finished

2010-08-27T11:50:00.002-04:00

Well, close to 20. I think it ended up being around 19.5. It's taper time!!!

Favorite part of the run: around mile 6 I was passing an elementary school and a little boy was standing on the corner. He would go toward the curb, then backup. There wasn't a crossing guard and I'm pretty sure he didn't know if he was allowed to cross the street without an adult. I got to the corner and said, "hey, do you want to cross together?" And we did. He was cute, even with the snot running out of his nose. It was cold this morning.

Mile 10 I swung by the house for a bathroom break and for 2 bites of POM brownies. Yum.

Mile 15 the balls of my feet started aching. I did some mental tallying in my head... yep, I'm right around 400 miles in these shoes. Despite what they say about running shoes being able to go 500 miles, my threshold consistently seems to be 400. At 400 and after my legs just feel like absolute trash - my joints ache and my legs feel heavy and tired. The last 4 miles were hard. My body hurt from my neck down to the balls of my feet (literally). I did a combo of walking and running to get through it, which definitely helped. Final time: 3:12. It's just under 10 minute pace, which is slower than I was hoping for... but at least it's finished. And I'm hopeful that new shoes will really perk up my legs!

Speaking of shoes: they're ordered!

My sister recently got fitted for running shoes and ended up with the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 10's as well. ...And we both have the same color. Which means on race day we're going to be ridiculously matchy!

I like to order my running shoes from zbsports.com. They tend to have the best prices - I got these shoes for at least $20 less than other places... and with cheaper shipping. Plus, they donate a portion of the sale to a charity of your choice!

While I was out running Dave was busy spreading the smell of ammonia around our property.

(Do you covet his gloves?) We've had a pair of raccoons frequenting our backyard, deck, and back balcony. They're also scarily unafraid of us. Dave shot one with a slingshot and it advanced on him, growling (he admits this was a terrifying experience) and I went out the back door one morning for my run and found a raccoon trotting toward me, instead of away. Needless to say, I've been going out the front door ever since.

Dave read ammonia repels raccoons, so we've put an ammonia-soaked rag out by the back gate (there's a gap at the bottom where we think they might squeeze through) and also rubbed down the railings of the balcony. We're hopeful we can get rid of them by smell-repellant and won't have to go more hardcore... with pellet guns or hiring someone.

Have you had any experience with raccoons/unwanted wildlife?

reader recipe poll: POM brownies

2010-08-27T06:07:00.003-04:00

Last week the people at POM Wonderful sent me 8 8oz. bottles of POM juice. I was super excited. I've had POM once before and I really liked it... but let's face it, I'm too cheap to pony up the money to buy the juice on a regular basis. I defiitely could have downed those little bottles all on my own, but why not use them for more creative things - like brownies!

Double Chocolate POM Brownies (adapted from POM Wonderful Recipes)
1/3c. semisweet chocolate chips
1/2c. butter (1 stick), softened
3/4c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2c. sugar
3 eggs
1T. vanilla
1 1/2c. flour
3/4c. POM juice

Melt the 1/3c. chocolate chips and butter in a small bowl in the microwave (about 1 minute on high). Stir together until chocolate is mostly melted. Combine butter and chocolate mixture and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir well. Blend in the eggs and vanilla. Add in flour and chocolate chips. Add in POM juice. (Oooh and ahhh over how pretty!)

Mixture will be thin. Pour in greased 9x13 baking dish.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean and brownie edges are just pulling away from the pan.

While brownies bake, drink the rest of the POM juice. I prefer mine watered down - it still tastes just as great!

Enjoy on its own, with ice cream, or pull a Dave and "frost" it with peanut butter and nutella!

The review: Delicious! The POM gives just a hint of tang under the brownies - very subtle. The brownies are cakey, but moist.

Recommendations: Try a smaller pan for thicker, maybe more fudgy brownies? I also wonder if you could decrease the amount of sugar?

Overall: I'm not sure the POM made enough of a difference in the brownies to justify buying it... regular brownies without the POM would be cheaper and probably just as delicious? But drinking the leftovers is fun!

Coming soon: fruit soup! I have a feeling the POM will make a bigger difference in this one!

I'm headed out for a long run - hoping to get my 20 miles in that I missed last week! It's cold this morning - 48 degrees!! Fingers crossed!

garden lunch

2010-08-26T12:16:00.001-04:00

I used the dying remnants of some kale to make a garden lunch for today!

Edamame, scrambled egg, tomato, and a little bit of kale. With a spinach, banana, peanut butter smoothie. Dave had some of the smoothie, too. He topped his with chocolate syrup!

Mosie's been laying claim to the furniture. She was sleeping on the couch all morning...

...but recently moved over to the chair, for a change of pace.

After taking a closer look at our pantry, I realized I have all the ingredients for the POM brownies, which tied in the poll. So I'll be making those for tomorrow morning's recipe and review! The fruit soup (and probably the muffins, too) will be coming later on!

couches!

2010-08-26T08:12:00.000-04:00

I got home last night to a surprise - Dave (and Melody) had put together our couches!

The couch and the footstool! The loveseat is together but still doesn't have a cover - it'll be arriving (via mail) around the 31st. They look so great!!

The furniture team:

Even Mosie helped!

Turns out IKEA couches are really pretty easy to put together. Dave thought it took about an hour to get the couch and loveseat together, and then another hour to get the slipcover on. The slipcovers take a little bit of work, but they're worth it. They really fit the couch well - you can't tell it's a cover!

I'll have more pics when the loveseat cover and chair cover get here!

yassos in summary

2010-08-25T08:28:00.002-04:00

Today was my last day of yassos! 10 yassos take a good amount of time, so I got up early to get them all in before work. I started with a 1 mile warm-up, then did 10, then did 1 mile cool-down. My times weren't my best but also not my worst. I'll take 'em! Here's a breakdown of all my yasso weeks:

week 1: 3:47, 3:51, 3:51, 3:53
week 2: 3:59, 3:57, 3:56, 3:56, 3:55
week 3: 3:47, 3:51, 3:46, 3:50, 3:49, 3:50
week 4: skipped
week 5: 3:44, 3:46, 3:50, 3:49, 3:51, 3:50, 3:50, 3:47
week 6: 3:36, 3:39, 3:41, 3:42, 3:43, 3:39, 3:42, 3:42, 3:42
week 7: 3:53, 3:45, 3:46, 3:46, 3:50, 3:56, 3:53, 3:53, 3:51, 3:52

My best time was 3:36, which I got last week (week 6). Worst time was 3:59, in week 2. In general I tended to stay around 3:40-3:50... which means, in theory, Kelly and I should get somewhere around 3:50 for our marathon time in September. It remains to be seen...

While 10 yassos felt like a lot, I think I'll keep up the trackwork. It was a nice change of pace and I think it really did help me get faster.

Do you do trackwork/speedwork?

a tie!

2010-08-24T12:55:00.001-04:00

Phew! That was the closest reader recipe poll we've had! POM brownies and fruit soup ended up tying. I hadn't really considered what I would do in the case of a tie, so how bout this: at least one (possibly both!) recipe and review will be posted Friday morning, with the other recipe/review to come sometime soon! I'm thinking fruit soup first, because it's so unusual and different! Who knows - I might make and post all three recipes - Dave was really hoping for the muffins.

I wish I had something else interesting to post, but it's just been a normal day in the office. What unusual things have happened to you today?

rested

2010-08-24T08:12:00.000-04:00

My sleep schedule has been out of whack lately, between weekend activities and just regular stuff that has kept Dave and I up past our normal bedtime. After IKEA this past weekend I just felt completely exhausted. This morning I decided to skip my run in favor of getting almost 10 hours of sleep. It. was. amazing. I might run tonight or I'll just go tomorrow morning, but man, getting some extra sleep and feeling a little bit more on track has made all the difference. Granted, this means 4 days of rest in the final 3 weeks before my marathon, which maybe seems like a too-soon taper. Don't worry! This week is full of 10 yassos and that 20 mile run that I missed last weekend. I'll get my mileage in!

Don't forget to vote in the reader recipe poll! I'll announce the winner at lunch today. Right now we have a three-way tie!

eventually

2010-08-23T13:08:00.001-04:00

Currently our entryway smells like cardboard (which I really kind of love). Eventually all those ginormous boxes will become the following:

So far we've got a footstool and an uncovered chair put together... but they also both came pre-assembled. We picked them up in the "as-is" section of IKEA for an additional 20% off the already-reduced price! We just needed to get a slipcover for them!

But furniture-assembly is currently impeded by the fact that I'm in the cubicle again for 3 days. Speaking of which, the unheard of happened this morning:

I put creamer in my coffee. This hasn't happened in about 2 years. My coworker made an Italian roast so strong my eyes watered and I thought something was growing on my tongue. Even with the addition of creamer I only made it through half. (Isn't my mug awesome?)

How do you drink your coffee?

reader recipe poll: POM juice

2010-08-23T06:11:00.001-04:00

poll by twiigs.com

Winner will be announced Tuesday at lunch. Recipe and review Friday morning!

ikea in numbers

2010-08-22T08:03:00.002-04:00

We made it.

Number of ice cream cones from IKEA bistro: 2

Number of ice cream cones I actually wanted: hundreds. Best soft serve ice cream ever.

Number of people who gave me dirty looks while I waited in line with all my dollys and carts: 7

(I'm way back there giving a thumbs up.)

Number of minutes Dave spent in a bathroom stall using the random wall outlet to charge his phone so we could check on the availability of two furniture covers online: 10

Number of new sitting options we'll have in our house: 4 (2 couches, 1 chair, 1 loveseat)

Number of IKEA workers who didn't think we'd get it all in our truck: numerous

Number of awesome brother-in-laws who did indeed get it all in, and safely: 1

Number of hours from departure to final arrival at our house: 16

Number of naps happening this afternoon: 3 (Mosie, too!)

red lobster

2010-08-21T04:53:00.001-04:00

Dave has a serious love for donuts, shootings things with his sling shot, cats, making peanut butter/chocolate concoctions, and Red Lobster. Last night I thought I would make a Red Lobster-inspired meal for him. Then I realized the potatoes I was going to use to make garlic mashed potatoes had gone moldy, soft, and were oozing a really foul smelling brown juice. So it became less of Red Lobster and more just of a shrimp dinner, but that's okay.

Hummus lemon pasta (recipe found here) with roasted broccoli and shrimp. That hummus-lemon sauce is really different, but really good - a nice twist and tang. And it's really really easy! Good things those potatoes went rogue on us, or it might have been awhile til we tried it!

Dave and I are off to IKEA today with a couple of Dave's siblings. We're SO excited to hang out with them... and are hopeful we can find some great stuff for the house - maybe even a couch!

long run: fail

2010-08-20T11:48:00.000-04:00

It was one of those mornings today.

My run, which was a planned 20-24 miles (20 being on the training plan... 24 being what I hoped to get), ended at 14. I felt great until mile 12, when I started feeling queasy and headachey. I figured my electrolytes were getting out of whack so I came home and drank some homemade sports juice. I headed back out but quickly came home again - I still felt lightheaded and nauseated. I kind of wonder if I had just stuck it out and not come home if I could have made it? Sometimes knowing home is so close is killer, I think. In any case, not exactly sure what caused the downfall of that run - I ate steel cut oats and a peach beforehand, I chomped raisins at 1:20 and 2:00, I drank water, it was fairly cool and not horribly humid. I could probably list a whole bunch of "maybes" or "shoulda/coulda/wouldas", but the fact is, the run ended short and that's that. I might try to squeeze another 20 in sometime in the next few days or do another run later today. This was the last long run before marathon taper, so I'm not thrilled about it coming up short.

The morning didn't improve when I tried to make a green smoothie using milk, spinach, half a giant cucumber (seeds scraped out), half a banana, and half a peach. The cucumber must've been too big and tough, because instead of just adding water to the smoothie it added a pulpy, gritty texture that was absolutely disgusting. Smoothie fail. And down the drain it went... at least the spinach was old anyway. I ended up doing leftover calzone veggies with scrambled eggs. It wasn't that good either, but at that point I didn't really care.

At least I have tomorrow to look forward to: a trip to IKEA with Dave and siblings!!

reader recipe poll: vegetarian calzone

2010-08-20T04:55:00.000-04:00

Vegetarian Calzones
pizza dough:
6c. whole wheat flour
2t. salt
2T. sugar
1 1/2T. yeast
3c. boiling water

filling:
1 red pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bag frozen chopped broccoli
1 carrot, chopped
3 small tomatoes or 1 slicing tomato, chopped
2c. tomato paste
1c. tomato sauce
2-3T. basil pesto
italian seasonings to taste
salt to taste
mozzarella cheese (optional)

Combine the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Pour in 2c. boiling water and mix well. Add in more water as needed until flour is all incorporated and dough is mixed well. Divide the dough into four balls and set aside.

Boil the broccoli and carrots together in a small saucepan until just tender, but still a little crisp. About 3-5 minutes. Drain and rinse. Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until browned and tender. In a large bowl, mix together all the vegetables and sauce. Add italian seasonings and salt to taste.

Roll out the four balls of dough into circles. Roll the dough as thin as you like for your crust, but avoid holes, cracks, and pulls in the dough. When ready, spread a layer of vegetable evenly over half the circle, leaving 1" clear around the edges. Add cheese if desired.

Fold the dough in half and pinch down the sides. Set on a greased baking sheet. Brush the top with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and italian seasonings. Repeat with remaining 3 balls of dough. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until dough is firm when knocked on.

Makes 4 calzones. Serves 6-8.

Vegetarian calzone and calzone with veggies, cheese, and pepperoni.

Recipe Review:

"Pretty good." - me

Okay, so that's not the most glowing review, I know. Full disclosure: I got home last night at 6pm and wanted to get these made so we could eat before it got too late (as you know, we go to bed early). So I kind of rushed. Our recipe didn't include the tomato sauce, which would have made it, well, saucier, and a little better. Plus I didn't take the time to add seasonings and salt, or to brush the top of the dough with olive oil and salt.

I pulled the dough recipe from here, but it only made 2 calzones for the three of us (which was enough), leaving us with leftover veggie mix. I doubled the recipe above to make 4 calzones, which would use all the veggie mix. I think in general you could use whatever pizza dough recipe. If you have a personal favorite, I'd go with that over this dough recipe here. However, this crust was crisp yet soft, and - bonus perk! - didn't have to rise. So it terms of expediency, it's a winner to me.

Will I make these again? Definitely. They were fast (I started prep at 6pm and had these in the oven at 7pm) and fun and I know this version will taste even better with the extra sauce. They're also affordable - a can of tomato sauce, tomato paste, and a couple veggies won't set you back too far. I added pepperoni to one of the calzones, which Dave really liked. They're versatile and can be changed around to accomodate what veggies you love and what veggies you don't!

What would you put in your calzone?

fancypants

2010-08-19T11:43:00.000-04:00

My cube got outfitted with awesomeness this morning:

Love love love it! The previous monitor I had was a leftover from my college days. It was HUGE and clunky, not to mention mostly broken. The screen was often green-tinged and would sometimes collapse. If I smacked my fist on the desk enough times, it would jostle it back to the right position. It was really helpful.

Not the monitor I had, but close enough. Picture something from the early 90s. Enormous.

This new screen is SO bright and beautiful! I'm giddy about it.

Off to enjoy some leftover lunch - millet, bean taco filling, and tomato paste. Plus an apple. I'm eating at my desk so I can leave a little early, hit the grocery store, then get home and make vegetarian calzones before our geriatric-early bedtime. I'm out of flour. And I know a certain man who's going to want pepperoni in his un-vegetarian calzone.

Check back tomorrow morning for the recipe/review!

running buddy

2010-08-19T08:15:00.000-04:00

I did indeed get my yassos in last night, despite dead-leg feeling from sitting in the cube all day. I managed to convince my friend Jordan to come out and run them with me.

Jordan and I, in 2007. Apparently we don't really take pictures together, as this was the only one I could find.

In any case, having a yasso buddy must make me faster. The numbers:
3:36 (new best!)
3:39
3:41
3:42
**dinner break**
3:43
3:39
3:42
3:42
3:42

Ordinarily I wouldn't stop in the middle for dinner, but it ended up working. At 5 it was still really hot and the track just seemed to bottle it up. We were roasting. After dinner, when I headed out solo, it had cooled off nicely and was really pleasant. My legs felt like they had loosened up some, too. I think the mint chocolate graham cookies I ate with dinner helped.

Next week is the last week of yassos before the marathon! I'm hopeful to get one more best time.

Cubicle again this morning. I've got coffee!

Do you like running solo or with someone?

similarities

2010-08-18T13:35:00.000-04:00

I'm in the cube and Mosie's at home, but apparently we're both feeling the same way:

confessions

2010-08-18T09:12:00.000-04:00

1. I chose sleep over yassos this morning. Aiming to do them tonight after work.
2. I don't wash my fruit before I eat it.
3. Sometimes when Mosie is super playful I pick her up and hold her so her paws are just above the floor and she can't quite reach to run away. It's mean.
4. If I had to, I would choose popcorn over ice cream. I think.
5. I wear the same two cardigans to the office almost every single week.
6. I used to never wash my water bottle. Since getting a dishwasher I've improved on this, but only slightly.
7. I absolutely cannot understand people who can't finish a dessert or say "it's too rich." I have no concept of what this means, and I really can't fathom why you aren't eating the rest of that cake. I'll take your piece.
8. I'm terrified to try the farmer's blow on runs because I'm pretty sure I'll just streak snot down my face.
9. I don't like to use other people's pillows (after they've used them) because I'm weird about "sleep smell"...
10. ...But I'll share my deodorant, toothbrush, fork, water, napkin with you if you're a friend... or really if you're just a random acquaintance but I feel like you have pretty good hygiene.

What are your confessions?

smell my what?

2010-08-17T13:28:00.001-04:00

This past weekend I went to Shipshewana with my friends and had fun exploring the Amish town. We found this candle:

Um, Smell My WHAT? Banana Nut Bread/Toasted Coconut/Hazelnut.

I don't want to tell you that we all liked the way it smelled.

**edited to add: I forgot to announce the reader recipe poll winner! Vegetarian Calzone! Dave is going to be a happy camper about that one. Check back Friday morning for the recipe/review!**

running in the dark

2010-08-17T08:07:00.000-04:00

I am in the office today, which generally means no running (unless I go after work... and normally after work I just feel like vegging), but this morning I decided to run before work. This meant getting up at 4am, but I wanted to try it. I got a fast 5.5 miles in. The best part was running in the dark - I always feel faster running in the dark. Do you? And it's so peaceful and quiet - just you and your breath and your footfalls. You concentrate on where you're going and where your feet are landing instead of how far you've gone. It was cool and humid-less this morning, which made me extra happy, too. It felt just a little bit like fall. I'm already planning ahead to my long run this weekend - I'm thinking of getting up really early again, so that at least half my run can be in the dark.

However, when I'm running before the sun comes up I always run in safe areas with streetlights. My route tends to be around a nursing home/assisted living complex. Sometimes there are old people out walking, or security guys doing rounds in golf carts. While it's not busy, I know if something would happen to me I could get help easily. When it starts getting light I'll venture out into more remote areas, but when it's dark I always try to run in "safe" places.

Do you like to run in the dark? Do you think about run safety or do just run wherever?

another room!

2010-08-16T12:01:00.001-04:00

Another room painted! Two down, four and a half to go (one is a landing area, which hardly counts as a whole room)!

Before to after, green to brown, tired to greasy:

I've decided taping really really sucks. It's tedious and annoying. It was especially annoying this time because the tape wasn't sticking as well to the molding. We're not sure why - it's the same tape we used in the other bedroom. Maybe humidity? In any case, I'm a little nervous to pull the tape off when the walls dry... we might have some trim touchups in our future.

I'll post more pictures later when the walls are dry and we move the furniture back in. Luckily it's a gorgeous, breezy day outside, so we're thinking we can move stuff back in this evening. Hooray!

Dave's celebratory lunch:

Easy Cheesy Pasta Bake

2c. whole wheat pasta

4c. tomato sauce

2T. italian seasonings

1t. garlic salt

3-4c. cheese

Boil pasta until soft. Drain. Mix pasta, tomato sauce, seasonings, salt, and 2c. cheese. Spread in greased small casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until brown and bubbly.

Be sure to vote in the reader recipe poll! Winner announced Tuesday at noon and recipe/review Friday morning!

reader recipe poll: italian!

2010-08-16T06:50:00.002-04:00

poll by twiigs.com

I'll announce the winner on Tuesday at lunch!

I missed it!

2010-08-15T15:07:00.000-04:00

Today I realized that I've run 1033 miles so far this year - I missed the 1000 mile mark and didn't even know it! The best part? My average pace has been 9:04 - right where I want it to be!

Had a great weekend with the girls. But more on that later - Dave and I are off to tape and paint another room!

morning date

2010-08-15T06:43:00.001-04:00

The engagement anniversary surprises continued!

Saturday morning Dave woke me up at 3am and put me in the car. We drove to the park near our house and laid on the car to see the meteor shower! Unfortunately, I didn't see any of them, but Dave saw 3! We stayed for about half an hour, then drove home and went to bed. At 6:30 Dave woke me up again! This time he told me to get on jeans and to meet him downstairs at 7. Then he left. When he came back to the house at 7 we grabbed coffee in to-go mugs and got in the car. We headed to the park again, but this time there was something different waiting for us!

Dave had borrowed our brother-in-law's canoe! We went for a brief morning ride!

A short way into it Dave asked, "What's that over there?"

There were notes hanging on the bank! We rowed over and cut them off.

One envelope with something Dave loves about me, one with a present, and one with a "remember when" story about our relationship! Throughout the ride there were five stops for cards!

We paddled down the river for a little, collected cards, then rowed home.

It was a perfect morning.

I am so grateful for my husband, who let's me know daily that he loves me, in small ways, in large gestures, in words, in actions. I am so blessed.

engagement

2010-08-14T05:55:00.003-04:00

Yesterday Dave brought me home some pretty wildflowers.

We got engaged 2 years ago today(August 14, 2008), but we celebrated at date night last night!

Around 5 Dave told me he was taking me out to dinner.

We went to Kelly Jae's Cafe! This is one of my favorite places! We started with the arugula salad with mango, avocado, sunflower seeds, feta, and lemon vinaigrette. And for dinner we split the macaroni and cheese and the seared salmon. It was awesomeness, as usual!

After dinner Dave kept with the ice cream/engagement tradition:

Oh amazingness.

Here we were on the night we got engaged:

(Anyone else think this looks nothing like us now?) After he proposed, Dave brought me up on a roof where we could eat ice cream and watch the sunset (collective "awwww"). You'd think he would have brought out the ice cream before asking me to marry him, just to make sure I would say yes, but he was confident I guess.

Before the rooftop we were over at the church, where Dave had decorated the stage with Christmas lights.

Three of his friends were there, too, and they played while Dave sang me a song he wrote for me.

I was surprised. Well, I kind of had an idea when I saw the decorated stage, but prior to that I was unsuspecting. Well played, Dave.

Dave and I blew past our regular bedtime last night in order to welcome in a few visitors:

It's Girls' weekend! We have a big day planned today - a morning run for Rachel and I, adventuring around Shipshewana, and painting a bedroom!

we are "those people"

2010-08-13T11:14:00.003-04:00

(check out the reader recipe poll review: caramel ice cream!)

You may have noticed that Dave and I are really attached to our cat. Without even trying we quickly became "those people" that think their cat is just amazing and hilarious. We've had people tell us that Mosie really is awesome, but maybe they were just trying to make us feel better about how much we love her. Oh well.

In any case, we realized that Mosie's "birthday" (the day we found her and brought her home!) had come and gone without note or celebrations. Whoops. So last night we gave her a treat to make up for it. This was big time, since Mosie never gets anything other than cat food and cat treats - we don't want her begging or looking for our food. At first I was going to try to make her a cat treat, but all the recipes online yieled two dozen, and um, that was unncessary. So ham and cheese it was!

First we sang happy birthday... doesn't Mosie look thrilled?

She perked up when the food came out. She and I are similar in this way.

This picture might indicate just how much we are "those people."

Check out this picture of Mosie from when we first got her. So tiny!

Do you celebrate pet birthdays?

reader recipe poll: caramel ice cream

2010-08-13T06:09:00.001-04:00

caramel ice cream (adapted from Williams-Sonoma Frozen Desserts)
2c. heavy whipping cream, divided
1c. milk (I used skim)
3/4c. sugar
2T. water
2t. light corn syrup
1/2t. lemon juice
1t. vanilla

Freeze the bowl to your ice cream maker at least 24 hours in advance.

Combine sugar, water, corn syrup, and lemon juice in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently, until the sugar is completely dissolved and it's clear and bubbly.

Bring the heat to medium-high and boil, stirring occasionally, until it reaches a light brown/caramel color.

Remove from heat and slowly pour in 3/4c. heavy cream, stirring constantly as you pour. Stir until smooth. If the mixture doesn't become smooth, return to low heat, stirring constantly, until it smooths out. Cool to room temperature. Once at room temperature, stir in the milk and the remaning 1 1/4c. cream. Return to medium heat and stir until mixed and smooth. When it is smooth, remove from heat. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and place in the refrigerator to chill (at least 3 hours).

Pour the chilled mixture into the ice cream maker bowl and mix according to your ice cream maker instructions. Enjoy right away or transfer to a freezer container and freeze overnight. Makes about 4 servings.

The problem: Unfortunately, our ice cream didn't firm up in the ice cream maker. This has been a problem the past times we've used this ice cream maker - despite freezing the bowl and having the mixture chilled. So we let it run in the ice cream maker, then switched it to the freezer. It was still pretty loose when we ate it, so it became caramel milk shakes... still, the flavor was the same! Dave really loved the ice cream/milkshake. I thought it was a little too sweet (I'd maybe drop the sugar down to 1/2c.), but the caramel taste really stood out (in a good way).

The review:

"I'm spoiled. - Dave

Price-wise, the only real cost for these was the heavy whipping cream - everything else I had on hand in the kitchen, as it's pretty standard baking supplies. That means this was a really really cheap dessert - just a few bucks. While I was intimidated by the instructions at first, it really was very easy and probably only took about 15 minutes total, with a break in between to let the mixture cool to room temperature.

Health-wise, there isn't much redeeming to these babies, but that's half the fun of it, right?!

Do you make your own ice cream? Have you had a similar problem to ours?

laundry day

2010-08-12T16:18:00.000-04:00

yassoing

2010-08-12T11:42:00.000-04:00

I have to admit, it felt good to be back running again this morning, even if my legs felt a little stiff from so many days of rest. I'm eagerly anticipating the end of the week, when this heat wave is supposed to lessen a little. It is crazy hot/humid out there. Gross.

I got out this morning before the heat got too bad, thankfully. This week's yassos: 3:44 (best time so far!), 3:46, 3:50, 3:49, 3:51, 3:50, 3:50, 3:47. Four miles of speedwork is hard. Toward the end I felt like I was going slower, but my pace was staying consistent, which shows that they probably do work at training your body to hold a pace. I'm still not sure I believe that this means I'll run a 3:50 marathon, but hey, doing them can't be hurting my training either.

Other things around the house today: fresh laundry hanging out on the line (it's so hot outside I started sweating just in the ten minutes I was standing there pinning it up) and Iowa bread dough rising in the bowl. We've also got a project for tonight: check back tomorrow morning for the details. I have a feeling it's going to be amazing...

Have you used yasso training for a marathon? Did they work?

new page

2010-08-12T06:49:00.001-04:00

Check out my new About page! What do you think?

The 4 day run-rest officially ends today. I'm going out to hit up yassos - 8 of them, to be exact! I'm a little intimidated, to be honest.

unplugged

2010-08-11T12:59:00.000-04:00

Around 9:30am a storm blew through town and we lost power in the office. By 10:45 most of our laptops had died (with our job computers are pretty much essential)! We got word that a transformer had blown and that power was estimated to be back on around 12. So my coworkers and I decided to head out for lunch to kill the time.

First stop: Moe's. I got a junior Art Vandalay burrito with rice, black beans, guac, lettuce, and toms.

And then, because the power was out:

I got a mixer with reese's pb cups, of course.

I now feel kind of oversugared and gross. Happy cubicle afternoon... and the power is back on. There went those "go home early" hopes.

sweet baby Mylin

2010-08-11T08:31:00.001-04:00

Last night I headed to Bluffton, Indiana, to stay the night with my friend, Rachel, and her sweet little girl, Mylin. You may remember I met Mylin when she was two days old, while Dave and I were in Fort Wayne for his racquetball tourney.

Mylin has definitely gotten bigger! I love fat baby cheeks!

Rachel and I had a wonderful time catching up and talking while we hung out with Mylin. I loved having her hot little body in my arms!

Mylin and I even wore matching giraffe pajamas.

She wasn't very interested in taking this picture. She really just wanted a bedtime snack.

I'm so grateful for Rachel, one of my closest friends for 8 years now. I love seeing her with Mylin! (Joel, sorry I missed you this trip! Next time!)

guest blog: garden tour

2010-08-10T14:51:00.005-04:00

Remember my sister Kelly? She once gave us some tips for yoga for runners and also a recipe for delicious zucchini hummus. Today she's back to give us a tour of her amazing backyard garden!

Once upon a time, I was a growing manager on an 100+ acre organic vegetable farm, complete with tractors, a greenhouse, fowl, goats, horses...and 80 hour workweeks. Since moving back to Pennsylvania, I've been slowly building a much more manageable "farm" in my backyard. I'm drawn to farming and gardening for many reasons. I enjoy the excitement of picking seeds out of a catalog in the most depressing months of the winter. I love the work of turning the soil and planting seeds with a little prayer. I appreciate how growing vegetables means I notice sunshine and rainstorms differently, since they're gradually contributing to some future scrumptious meals. I revel in the ability to come home from work, walk to the garden with no dinner plans and return to the kitchen with armfuls of the freshest, most downright healthy and extremely cheap veggies and herbs that have inspired their own unique menu. Last night the garden provided us with a tomato, basil, nasturtium salad to top our millet patties, with swiss chard with thyme and red onions on the side. I love the way gardening tastes when it's on my plate and I know it's charging my body with only goodness.

This year, we added chickens and ducks to the yard so my husband could have fresh eggs in the morning and eventually some chicken in the freezer. The ducks contribute a lot of cuteness and constant peeping. Next year, I think we'll add fruit bushes and trees, more drying beans, squashes, and Jerusalem artichokes.

Here's a few pictures from our garden!

Swiss chard (left) and collards (right).

Nasturtium (an edible flower) hiding behind some dill flowers (left) and nasturtiums, basil, and tomatoes (incidentally all starred in last nights amazing salad) (right).

Heirloom borlotti beans that I'll dry for use in winter pots of pasta fazool (left) and basil - one of 30 some plants (right)!

Yellow pear tomatoes (left) and sunflowers towering a good 9 feet above the basil and tomatoes (right). There may be nothing more beautiful than a bursting garden with sheets flapping in the sun in the background!

Our Plymouth Barred Rock hen who lays an egg a day (left) and the meat birds (right). They're close to crowing and therefore the end of their time in our backyard. Plenty of room for them in the freezer though.

The Peking ducks, Peep and Repeep (left) and the tiniest of the new Plymouth Barred Rock pullets we just got (right). We'll keep three of these ladies to replace the older hen (who will rejoin her sisters on a friend's farm--seriously, that's not a nice way of saying something horrible).

Isn't her garden crazy? And I'm totally in love with her little ducks and chickens! Thanks, Kelly!

Are you keeping a garden? What are you growing? We haven't put in a garden at our house yet but we have plans to put in a large one next spring!

PS - Caramel ice cream won the reader recipe poll! Thanks for voting! Look for a recipe and review Friday morning!

rest

2010-08-10T06:48:00.000-04:00

I've decided to take a couple running rest days. Truthfully, my runs lately haven't felt awesome - you may remember I punked out on last week's yassos and my long run on Saturday was pretty slow. My legs have just felt tired. This morning I headed out for a run and after 2.5 miles decided to be done. I wasn't enjoying it and I really don't like to run out of obligation. I already took a rest day Sunday and Monday, so I decided I'll continue it today (minus that 2.5 I did) and tomorrow. Then Thursday I can jump back in it! I'm pretty sure 4 days of rest is going to be just perfect.

tomato pie!

2010-08-09T11:40:00.003-04:00

Dave and I have only been married 1.5 years, so sometimes I still get surprised with things I didn't know about him. Like how much he likes tomatoes - but only the slicing kind, not baby cherry tomatoes. Apparently my man harbors a deep deep love for all things tomatoey! I, too, love tomatoes (all kinds!) and had recently seen a tomato pie recipe. It looked so good! I decided to make it last night for dinner, but ended up redoing a lot of it to fit ingredients we had on hand, and to be gluten free (we shared dinner with Dave's family and his mom is gluten-intolerant).

Tomato Pie (gluten free) (inspired by Emily)
1c. uncooked millet
2c. vegetable broth
1c. water
1 egg
1/4c. parmesan cheese
4T. basil pesto, divided
3/4c. spinach, chopped, loosely packed
1 onion, chopped
1T. olive oil
1/2t. garlic salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 large slicing tomatoes
1/2-1c. mozzarella cheese, shredded (optional)
4T. italian seasonings, divided
1/2c. fresh basil, chopped, loosely packed (optional)

Combine the water and vegetable broth in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the millet. Return to a boil. Cover and let simmer 20-25 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. Remove from heat. Let sit 5 minutes, then fluff millet with fork.

While the millet is cooking, slice the tomatoes into thin, 1/4"-1/2" slices. Place on sheets of paper towel to absorb some of the moisture.

In a small skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the chopped onion, garlic salt, and garlic. Saute until just brown and tender. Set aside.

Add the egg, parmesan, and 2T. italian seasonings to the cooked millet. Mix well. Divide the mixture in two. Press mixture into two greased pie plates. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Once your crust has baked, begin assembling the pie. First, spread 2T. basil pesto on the bottom of each crust. Add half of the onion and garlic to one pie crust, half to the other. Spread evenly.

Arrange tomato slices evenly over each pie crust. Top with spinach and fresh basil. Add another layer of tomatoes.

Top with remaining italian seasonings, basil and mozzarella. Drizzle basil pesto on top as well, if desired. Bake in oven at 350 for 30-40 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serves 6.

Loved loved loved this! I didn't have fresh basil but I can only imagine how much more that would have made this dish pop. As it was, it turned out delicious. The pesto and tomatoes and crispy (but still soft) crust... amazing! Everyone really liked it, but especially Dave! We can't wait to make it again!

The dish probably took about an hour to prepare and assemble, and while it was a few different steps, it didn't feel overwhelming or hard. While it cooked I boiled some corn on the cob. And snapped this adorable picture of Mosie, napping in the kitchen window.

We had a fun day yesterday - church, then hanging out at home, doing some yardwork, and enjoying dinner and a movie with Dave's family.

Are you a tomato lover or a tomato hater?

Don't forget to vote in the reader recipe poll!

reader recipe poll: ice cream!

2010-08-09T06:11:00.004-04:00

It's been awhile since I've made a dessert other than banana soft serve. Dave and I have an ice cream maker but we really don't use it very much. It's summer! We need ice cream!

poll by twiigs.com

Making this recipe will be a real hardship, but I'm sure we'll persevere through. I can't wait to see what you pick! I'll announce the winner Tuesday at lunch.

I'll be back around noon with a new recipe from last night's dinner!

double day

2010-08-07T14:18:00.001-04:00

My run this morning stopped at 17.4 miles - I dorked around this morning and didn't leave the house until 6am, then ran kind of slow (I just felt blah). I passed by the house at just about 9 and had to stop - I was due for breakfast with friends a little later on and I didn't think they really wanted me in the sweaty state I was in.

Fast forward to this afternoon (past some really amazing raspberry baked oatmeal with super thick plain yogurt) - I decided to head back out for another lap to get my run total where it should be. I've never really done this before and my legs were a little tired, but I wanted to push it and get the mileage I needed. It was in the low 80s and really sunny, but a good breeze was going and the humidity was low.

4.8 miles later and I've got 22.2 miles for the day. Not quite the same as all at once, but maybe close enough? Sweaty fingers crossed.

finally: a bed!

2010-08-07T05:16:00.002-04:00

As I mentioned on Thursday, Dave and I found side rails for our bed. We were so excited because we've been moved in about 2 months, have had a mattress for 2 weeks, and still haven't been able to do anything with the headboard/footboard leaning against the wall. FINALLY!

We picked up the side rails from the antique store and the man had done a little extra work on them! Initially he had just been replacing the beam on the inside of the side rail - the one that supports the crossbeams and holds the boxspring in place. But then he decided to strip the boards for us as well! And he fixed some wobbly bolts. Awesomeness. Another reason I love antique stores!

Once home we decided to clean them up with Old English polish for dark woods, hoping it might give them a darker stain without us having to go whole-hog and stain and varnish. It worked! (One finished, one to go.)

The polish we love!

And the bed put together! We love how high up it feels after sleeping on the floor for so long!

I'm hitting a long run this morning - aiming for 22. It is a glorious 61 degrees outside right now! I can't tell you how much I love that.

Other Saturday activities: breakfast with some friends, babysitting my niece, and maybe some yardwork! Be back later!

reader recipe poll: basil tomato and crouton casserole

2010-08-06T06:32:00.037-04:00

I might have a new favorite recipe.

This week's reader recipe poll winner was basil tomato and crouton casserole.

My only big modification was the addition of corn - because I had it on hand and because what goes better with tomatoes and basil than corn on the cob??

The new herb scissors from my mom came in handy!

Oven-ready.

Holy moly. Between this and last week's fresh corn pesto, I'm just going to have you guys pick all my meals from here on out. So freakin fantastic. And really really easy - took about 15 minutes all together (maybe less) and then just put it in the oven! I'd estimate the cost to be about $7 - I made the bread myself and the corn was leftover from some ears we bought last week. This made a smaller casserole dish and between the three of us we totally dominated it. I only wish that I had more basil (because what isn't better with more basil?) and that I had made a much much much larger pan. I want leftovers!

Reader recipe poll review:

"A fun, flavorful, family-friendly dish!" - Melody

Melody is my sister-in-law (Dave's youngest sister) and our new housemate! She moved in to the house last week (remember that room we painted?). We love having her with us!

Basil Tomato and Crouton Casserole (from OhSheGlows)

4-5 slices whole wheat bread

2 pounds tomatoes (any kind), diced

1/2-1c. corn off the cob

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2T. sugar

1t. salt

1/2c. chopped basil leaves (loosely packed)

parmesan cheese to top

Cut the bread into 1/2inch cubes. In a large skillet, toss the bread with a little olive oil (1-2T.). Toast the bread over medium-high heat, stirring often, about 5 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, corn, garlic, sugar, and salt. Once the bread is toasted, add the tomato mixture to the skillet. Cook together an additional 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove the skillet from the heat and add in the basil. Mix gently and well. Pour the mix into a small, greased casserole dish. Top with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes, or until bubbly and just browned. Let cool 5-10 minutes before serving. Serves 2-3.

Let me know if you end up trying this recipe. I would really really really strongly recommend it!

cube visitor

2010-08-05T16:25:00.004-04:00

One of the reasons I like when Dave comes to visit me at the office:

Starbucks mocha light frappe. I have all my fake sugar I need right here. Happiness.

lunch in the cube

2010-08-05T13:32:00.001-04:00

I ate in-office today. Dave and I used my lunch break to go over to an antique store to find side-rails for our bed (we have a headboard and a footboard). Success! We'll pick them up tomorrow to take back home. $35. I like that price!

Leftover cracked wheat in tomato/veggie sauce (with vegan "parmesan cheese") and a sliced pear. I've got some melon in the fridge for an afternoon snack.

Do you pack a lunch for the office? What do you pack?

bread baking

2010-08-05T06:02:00.019-04:00

A couple weekends ago we took a trip to Iowa to visit some friends. In between the cheese curds and the amazing donuts, the incredible bulk foods store and the adorable children, we carbed up on Melissa's amazing oatmeal bread. Pretty much anytime we wanted a snack (or something in our mouth) we were over at the counter, slicing off a hunk. It was sooo good. Melissa graciously provided me with the recipe and yesterday I finally got around to making it!

Iowa Oatmeal Bread
1c. oatmeal
2c. water
2pkgs. yeast (1 1/2T.)
1/3c. warm water
1T. sugar
1/3c. honey (scant)
1t. salt
5c.+ whole wheat flour
1/2c. ground flaxseed

Cook oatmeal in 2c. water, along. Let the mixture cool.

Dissolve yeast into warm water and sugar. Let it rise for about 5 minutes.

Combine the yeast and the oatmeal mixtures along with honey and salt. Knead in all of flaxseed and flour as needed. Let rise about 1 hour or until double in size. Reknead, using more flour as needed. Separate into two equal loaves. Let rise another hour or until double in size. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

My modifications: When I kneaded it for the second time I took out half and formed it into the loaf. Then I played with the second loaf! I added sunflower seeds (dry roasted, unsalted) and cracked wheat.

Both loaves came out looking great, at least to my standards! I happily enjoyed 2 slices of the sunflower/wheat loaf. Fresh, hot, hearty, chewy bread is the best.

Surprisingly, the plain loaf is actually my favorite - dare I say I won't mess with the recipe next time?? I used part of the loaf of plain bread for dinner... but more on that recipe another day!

yasso FAIL

2010-08-04T11:47:00.002-04:00

I'll admit, I punked out on my run this morning. I did the 2 miles to the track and got out 3 yassos before I turned around and ran home. I felt really tired and lethargic, even though my times weren't bad (3:47, 3:48, 3:49). It was densely humid - so foggy at times I couldn't see the other side of the track - and not a whisper of wind to help. The air was just nasty stagnant and hot and heavy. Could I have pushed out 4 more yassos? Probably. But I don't really regret taking an easier day and coming home - humidity definitely makes a run a lot harder!

I refueled with something I've been missing: an icy cold green smoothie! One frozen banana, two large handfuls of spinach, milk, and half a peach.

It's a bread-baking day - something that hasn't happened for awhile. I love how easy bread is, really - just mix and let rise, pound down, rise again, bake. Doesn't take much time in the kitchen - you just have to keep checking back!

And a storm day (this explains the crazy early-morning humidity), which means Mosie is crouched as close as possible to my feet. Sweet little scaredy cat.

oops, I did it again

2010-08-04T06:01:00.001-04:00

Mosie chose some unusual sleeping positions yesterday.

She's so dang cute.

Last night's dinner turned out to be a lot like the night before. My bad. It was still delicious!

Roasted broccoli with cracked wheat in a tomato sauce, topped with "vegan parmesan cheese." This "cheese" recipe is really easy to make and is really delicious. It tastes similar to parmesan but has a nuttier taste. Loved it.

And it made enough to keep on hand. I'm excited to put it on my morning skillet scrambles.

As for the cracked wheat, they had a similar texture to steel cut oats. I really liked them, but I think I expected something firmer or denser or grittier? I'm not really sure, but oats wasn't what I was expecting! Still, they were good!

As for the roasted broccoli, I roasted it on a silicone baking sheet I got from CSNstores.

Pros: The sheet goes right in the dishwasher after use, which makes cleanup really easy. And I can avoid using foil, which I then throw away. I like that. Cons: The sheet is an odd size. It didn't fit my small cookie sheet (hung over the edges) or my large one (didn't quite fit the width). That was a little annoying because then broccoli got on the cookie sheet, meaning I have to wash it, which was kind of the point of the baking sheet - to avoid having to wash the cookie sheet. In any case, I'll use the sheet again (and probably fairly often), but would maybe get a different one next time that fits my cookie sheets better - although aren't cookie sheets pretty standard in size??

I'm off to do some early morning yassos!

new workspace!

2010-08-03T16:38:00.001-04:00

Dave and I bought this desk (among other things) from our former landlords. It's leather-topped, kidney bean shaped, and just beautiful. I love that it's not huge and I love the shape of it, the sweet drawers. Initially we thought it would go upstairs but today Dave and I decided to move it downstairs. I've been craving a workspace for myself - up until now I've been at the dining room table, which works, but isn't great (and doesn't look the nicest with cords and stuff everywhere). I was going to go look for a small desk or table, but then this all came together! Problem solved!

Right now it's in the corner of the living room (which we're eventually repainting). We're thinking it might stay here, but depending on the couches/chairs we get it might shift to another spot. I wanted my desk downstairs so I could quickly go switch laundry or put some beans on to boil for dinner.

Slowly, slowly our house is coming together. Ha. I feel like a liar saying that considering we're still using a twin mattress on the floor as our only "couch" and a large part of our possessions (books, decorations) are still in boxes, and dressers and bookshelves and tables are scattered haphazardly, but it's true. Slowly, we're getting there. The best part? We're filling it with things that we absolutely love, not just like. That takes a little more time.

test run

2010-08-03T11:40:00.000-04:00

I took my new shirt and headband out for a 10 mile test-run this morning (original plan was to go 7 but it was such a nice morning and I was enjoying it so much I just added in an extra loop).

Pre-run, pre-coffee, before humidity and spits of rain.

Post run: perhaps a little sweaty.

The verdict: looooooooved the shirt. It's cotton, not wicking, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But the cotton is thin enough that it seems like wicking and it dries super fast. Plus it's way softer than a wicking shirt. The shirt was really comfortable (no tugging, no riding up or moving around) and I didn't have any chafing - not at side seams, neckline, or underarms (all typical spots for me). And the headband stayed exactly put the entire run - even when I was messing with my hair (I had about 20 minutes where a deer fly would not leave me alone and I kept flipping my hair in paranoia that the fly was in my hair, ready to bite me. It's happened before. I'm not completely crazy.). It fit well (I got a medium) - close enough to not be frumpy but not so tight that I felt self-conscious or uncomfortable. Another bonus: I plan on wearing this shirt both for running and just out and about (c'mon - it's stinkin' adorable) and with cotton I don't have to worry that it will get sweat-smelly. Wicking shirts tend to hold that smell more, even after you wash them, you know?

I sound like a cotton convert, don't I? I'll still wear my wicking shirts, too, but I do just really love this shirt!

I'm wearing the other shirt today. I brought Mosie into the picture because three pictures of just me is too many. She didn't want to look at the camera though. Mostly she just looked at me with her "I'm tolerating this but seriously, put me down soon please" face.

Looks like the basil tomato and crouton casserole is this week's winner for the reader recipe poll. Look for the recipe/review on Friday morning! Thanks for voting! Who knows, I might make those other recipes in the future, too - they sounded pretty awesome!

What have you been cooking lately?