oops, I did it again

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!

test run

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?

buckle up - it's a giveaway!

Recently I received an email from CSN Stores asking me if I would like to host a giveaway.  I was pretty excited since this was the first business to ask me to do something like that!  CSN has pretty much everything you can think of - from kettlebells to bookcases, from a dutch oven to shoes!  I kind of got lost in their site just looking at everything.

CSN is going to give a $20 gift code to one lucky winner - good toward anything on their site!  Three ways to enter - do one, two, or all three!

1. Follow my blog!  
2. Go over to CSN and look around.  Tell me what you'd like to buy!
3. Link back to this giveaway on your blog or twitter, etc.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry.  I'll choose a winner at random on Monday, July 26!  (US and Canada residents only!  Sorry!)

CSN also is sending me a product to review - stay tuned!!

I'm in the cubicle today, so sadly there are no fun pictures of Mosie. Just brown desk, brown walls, and bright lighting! Today is a rest day for running but I'm thinking of doing another dual workout tomorrow of running and swimming. I have another long run on Saturday and swimming seems to be a good idea the day before to kick out those muscles!

product reviews!

For my birthday I asked for a handheld water bottle.  Normally on long runs I use a camelpak, which works well, but is a lot of extra weight to carry.  I think it messes with my posture and after so many miles having any extra weight, especially on your shoulders/back, is just uncomfortable.  My sister-in-law, Melody, graciously made my birthday wish come true!

This version holds 10 ounces and is made by Fuel Belt.  I don't know where Melody got it, but you can find it here on Amazon.

I used this for the first time on Friday morning for my 22 mile long run.

Size: The front pouch is pretty small - I stuffed one Gu gel in there - I maybe could have gotten two if I'd smashed them?  The pouch could be a little bigger, but its current size keeps it from being bulky or in the way.    The ten ounces was a nice size.  It kept the water bottle from getting too heavy, but gave me more than one swig of water.  I refilled this once on my run.  On a hot day (it was in the high 40s when I ran) I would probably need to fill it more than once.

Fit: The strap over the hand is adjustable, which is great.  I had it fit pretty tight against my hand and it didn't move or bounce around, and I didn't have to use my fingers to hold on to it.  Once it was on, it was on.  That was really nice!

Comfort: It took me awhile to get used to the bottle.  In the beginning I didn't like it - it felt awkward and unusual and I didn't like having one hand full and the other empty.  As I ran I got used to it and it didn't bother me nearly as much (it also helped when I drank some of the water and it was a little lighter).  Toward the end of my run it started to annoy me again, but at that point pretty much anything was annoying me because I wanted to be done.

All in all, I really like the water bottle and will definitely use it for my long runs and for runs this summer when I know I'll need water and won't be passing a water fountain!  And for about $10 it's a really good deal!

Remember when I bought BondiBands at the Indy mini marathon expo?  I've been wearing them for my runs lately and I LOVE them!  They're lightweight and fit really well - they don't feel constricting or tight and they totally stay put!  I'm really happy with them.  If you're a maniac about not having hair in your face (like me) and have a problem with headbands actually staying on your head (like me) I definitely recommend these.  They're about $8 each, but I got mine 3 for $20.  You could see if the website has similar deals, or wait for an expo near you!  Note: they have two versions, a sport version and a style version.  The style version is made with slicker fabric and isn't guaranteed to stay put.  The sport version has a little more texture and will not move.