Today was an 8 mile run, and if there is anything I have learned from this round of training, it is that having a running buddy is AWESOME. Today's run felt great. We went at a good pace, about 10 min/mile, and I felt like I could have kept going. Having a buddy means that the time goes faster, and I go faster, and I feel safe and happy. Running alone can be fun, and I like to do it a few times a week, but long runs that put me miles from home are a little... outside my comfort zone... unless I have a partner.
I ran 20 miles this week, and I'll be running at least that each week for the next two months. Yowza!
Meal Plan
Yesterday I made hot wings for a group of guys who came over to play Halo, and they turned out pretty well. There are a few things I'd do differently, but in general, yum! I broiled the wings to brown them, then tossed them in the crockpot with some butter, a cup or so of chili sauce, some apricot preserves and some Thai chili garlic sauce. After an hour and a half or so, we had delicious wings! The sauce was a little thin, so next time I'd add a thickener or allow more time to cook down.
This week's meal plan:
BBQ Chicken Baked Potatoes- I will make bbq shredded chicken in the crockpot and serve it over baked potatoes with some chives, shredded cheese and other goodies.
Falafel Wraps-falafel balls in pita pockets with humus, lettuce, red onions, and tzatziki sauce.
Dan Dan Noodles- I'll be taking a stab at one of my favorite dishes to eat out at Chinese restaurants. I plan to saute egg noodles with ground chicken and spicy sauce, then top with diced cucumbers and bean sprouts.
Chicken Caesar- Grilled chicken, Caesar salad
Veggie Minestrone- All the leftovers in the cupboard and fridge will finally find a home, so it will have some pasta, some beans, some tomato paste, and some celery, carrots, green beans and other assorted veggies.
This week's meal plan:
BBQ Chicken Baked Potatoes- I will make bbq shredded chicken in the crockpot and serve it over baked potatoes with some chives, shredded cheese and other goodies.
Falafel Wraps-falafel balls in pita pockets with humus, lettuce, red onions, and tzatziki sauce.
Dan Dan Noodles- I'll be taking a stab at one of my favorite dishes to eat out at Chinese restaurants. I plan to saute egg noodles with ground chicken and spicy sauce, then top with diced cucumbers and bean sprouts.
Chicken Caesar- Grilled chicken, Caesar salad
Veggie Minestrone- All the leftovers in the cupboard and fridge will finally find a home, so it will have some pasta, some beans, some tomato paste, and some celery, carrots, green beans and other assorted veggies.
Half Marathon Training Program Week Two
This week was hard because the weather was bad and I got some pretty intense shinsplints. So I skipped a few runs and rescheduled others, and generally didn't quite get going when I wanted to. However, new shoes took care of the shinsplints and I sucked it up and did my long run in the rain with my friend Jared yesterday, so it was a successful week, overall.
The long run was six miles and we did it very slow and easy to give our legs a rest after a rough week, and I took it easy today with no running. Hopefully tomorrow I'll feel great and be ready to run all my scheduled runs and totally kick some butt for Week Three!
The long run was six miles and we did it very slow and easy to give our legs a rest after a rough week, and I took it easy today with no running. Hopefully tomorrow I'll feel great and be ready to run all my scheduled runs and totally kick some butt for Week Three!
Balance
Today was a milestone for me, in a weird way. Today, for the first time (not counting bookstores) in years a perfect stranger flirted with me. At the gym a 40-something Russian guy interrupted my crossover lunges and we had the following exchange:
Random Guy: Are you a skier?
Me: What? (removes earbuds from ears)
Random Guy: A skier? Do you ski? You have really amazing balance so I thought maybe you ski.
Me: Um, no. I don't ski. I just so this lunge routine a lot.
Random Guy: A dancer maybe? You dance a lot? You are really graceful.
Me: Um, sure. No, not a dancer either. Thanks...
Random Guy: Yeah. Graceful. Good balance. You must work out a lot.
Me: Yeah, I do. Thanks. (inserts earbuds firmly back into ears and ostentatiously turns on Ipod.)
So, yes. Weird. Though he was a little creepy in that he was breaking the "no talking to strangers at the gym" rule, he seemed mostly nice and I was really pretty flattered. I am occasionally the recipient of some really awkward flirting attempts in bookstores, usually in the Sci-Fi section at Powell's, but it's rare, and usually focused on my knowledge of Jim Butcher, George R. R. Martin, Alan Dean Foster, Terry Pratchett and David Weber, and not so much on my "balance" and "grace." I have to admit it is nice for me as an old married lady to get a little ego boost once in a while. So, thanks, random guy!
Brunch!
Italian Eggs
Nouns:
8 eggs
1 package cream cheese (the brick, not the tub)
1 bag shredded Italian Cheese blend
2 tbsp milk
2/3 cup tomato sauce
Verbs:
Preheat oven to 350. Mix the eggs, milk and cream cheese together in a mixer until thoroughly blended. Stir in the cheese. Spread the tomato sauce on the bottom of a greased 9X9 baking dish. Carefully pour egg mixture over the sauce, trying not to mix the sauce into the eggs. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
YUM!
Greek Frittata
Nouns:
1 half onion, diced
1 half red pepper, diced
1/4 cup jarred artichoke hearts, drained
6 oz breakfast sausage
2/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Thyme and Oregano to taste.
Verbs:
Brown the sausage in a frying pan, then add the onion, peppers and artichoke hearts, cooking until onions are translucent. Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl and then pour over the sausage and veggies in the frying pan, keeping the heat on medium high for a few minutes. Add the herbs if using. Sprinkle the feta over the top, turn the pan to low and cover. Cook until eggs are set.
YUM!
Nouns:
8 eggs
1 package cream cheese (the brick, not the tub)
1 bag shredded Italian Cheese blend
2 tbsp milk
2/3 cup tomato sauce
Verbs:
Preheat oven to 350. Mix the eggs, milk and cream cheese together in a mixer until thoroughly blended. Stir in the cheese. Spread the tomato sauce on the bottom of a greased 9X9 baking dish. Carefully pour egg mixture over the sauce, trying not to mix the sauce into the eggs. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
YUM!
Greek Frittata
Nouns:
1 half onion, diced
1 half red pepper, diced
1/4 cup jarred artichoke hearts, drained
6 oz breakfast sausage
2/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Thyme and Oregano to taste.
Verbs:
Brown the sausage in a frying pan, then add the onion, peppers and artichoke hearts, cooking until onions are translucent. Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl and then pour over the sausage and veggies in the frying pan, keeping the heat on medium high for a few minutes. Add the herbs if using. Sprinkle the feta over the top, turn the pan to low and cover. Cook until eggs are set.
YUM!
Half Marathon Training Program Week One
Today was the last day of Week One. It went well. I skipped one run day because I was so sore from the weight training day I'd done, but I still put in four solid running days this week, and a long run today with my friend Jared.
*Special Note*-- I will not be having Jared map our run route again. Our five miles today was all big damn hills, and at the bottom of each hill he'd look over at me and laugh sheepishly, like "oops! I forgot this hill was here!" and then "Ooops! Another one!"
Still, I powered up all the hills and I felt pretty good for actually running the whole thing, hills and all. It was a good run and not as cold as it was supposed to be. I'm kind of getting into running in the cold anyway, though. It's refreshing and makes me feel like I'm a champion of badassitude.
In other news, it's time for new running shoes. Mine are shot and my shins are starting to complain. Lame.
Running Summary for the Week-
Monday- 2 miles
Tuesday- Nada
Wednesday-2.5 miles
Thursday-2.75 miles plus cross train
Friday- cross train
Saturday- nada
Sunday- 5 miles (of really really big hills)
*Special Note*-- I will not be having Jared map our run route again. Our five miles today was all big damn hills, and at the bottom of each hill he'd look over at me and laugh sheepishly, like "oops! I forgot this hill was here!" and then "Ooops! Another one!"
Still, I powered up all the hills and I felt pretty good for actually running the whole thing, hills and all. It was a good run and not as cold as it was supposed to be. I'm kind of getting into running in the cold anyway, though. It's refreshing and makes me feel like I'm a champion of badassitude.
In other news, it's time for new running shoes. Mine are shot and my shins are starting to complain. Lame.
Running Summary for the Week-
Monday- 2 miles
Tuesday- Nada
Wednesday-2.5 miles
Thursday-2.75 miles plus cross train
Friday- cross train
Saturday- nada
Sunday- 5 miles (of really really big hills)
Violence and Rhetoric
I have so much to say and seemingly few words to say it with. I have feared that violence was inevitable in the current political climate and that guns and threats would take the place of discussion and dissent. And so, now, they have. The utter senselessness is staggering to me, and my heart goes out to all the victims and their loved ones.
Here's the best summary I've heard so far about what we must do going forward, and I can only hope that someone is listening.
Here's the best summary I've heard so far about what we must do going forward, and I can only hope that someone is listening.
Meal Plan
Lentil Salad
Butternut Risotto
Apricot Chicken with Couscous
Chickpea Curry
No new recipes this week. Just some old favorites.
Butternut Risotto
Apricot Chicken with Couscous
Chickpea Curry
No new recipes this week. Just some old favorites.
It's been awhile
Well, folks the holidays are over and life is slowly getting back to normal. My parents are in town and my mother will be staying with us until Thursday, so we're still a little off kilter and our schedule is pretty jam-packed. But, at the very least, I wanted to get back into the blogging zone and set off the new year right.
First: Here's the meal plan-
LEFTOVERS
Homemade pizza
Tangy Tilapia, asparagus and sweet potatoes
Coconut curry soup
Yes, I know, not very original. I'll work on next week's being more exciting.
In other news, I am going to start officially training for a half marathon in a few weeks, and I'm going to try to blog that process more than I did last time. I'm really excited about this race, since I have more time to train and I have done it before so I have half a clue what I'm doing. Also, a BUNCH of really awesome people are going to be running it with me, and that is going to make it extra fun.
Also, for no real reason, here's a picture of Moby:
First: Here's the meal plan-
LEFTOVERS
Homemade pizza
Tangy Tilapia, asparagus and sweet potatoes
Coconut curry soup
Yes, I know, not very original. I'll work on next week's being more exciting.
In other news, I am going to start officially training for a half marathon in a few weeks, and I'm going to try to blog that process more than I did last time. I'm really excited about this race, since I have more time to train and I have done it before so I have half a clue what I'm doing. Also, a BUNCH of really awesome people are going to be running it with me, and that is going to make it extra fun.
Also, for no real reason, here's a picture of Moby:
Happy New Year!
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