tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61457108348510726532024-03-13T03:04:18.426-04:00Cardio, Cats, and CookingA healthy living blog filled with running stories and training plans, adorable pictures of cats, and well balanced recipes.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05599803208360555156noreply@blogger.comBlogger129125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6145710834851072653.post-40561000787943418682014-03-24T10:07:00.000-04:002014-03-24T10:07:59.133-04:00I'm moving!<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Come check me out over <a href="http://cardiocatsandcooking.com/" target="_blank">here</a>!</span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05599803208360555156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6145710834851072653.post-37625817929575091052014-03-21T13:53:00.001-04:002014-03-21T13:53:40.038-04:00Advice please!<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have fallen into a deep dark pit of research. As I mentioned months and months ago, I have big dreams for this little (recently neglected...) blog of mine and I'd love to make them realities! So, for all of you who have bigger and better blogs, what are you using? Where should I start? How do I make this happen?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Please help a cardio kitty out!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05599803208360555156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6145710834851072653.post-7459559149782626282014-03-12T11:40:00.002-04:002014-03-12T11:40:48.379-04:00New shoes and 60 degree weather changes...<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I finally set the time aside to visit my local running store and was extremely pleased to learn that they were having a big sale- $15 off all new shoes and a free t-shirt. I love me some free t-shirts so I was ready to shop!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been down this road before so I knew that the process of finding me a shoe would not be an easy one. I was assigned a shoe-fitter who I hadn't worked with yet (shocking, as I've spent much time in this store) but was very pleased to learn that he was the owner of the store. I had no doubt that I'd be receiving great treatment. We went over all the basics- he had me stand up to check out my arches/sizing, walk around, run on the treadmill a bit, talked about what I was training for, what I currently (and have previously) ran in, etc. and then got down to business. I went through no less than 7 pairs of shoes: the new Wave Inspires (DO NOT LIKE), some New Balances, Nikes, Asics, etc. Nothing was fitting right. He brought over a second pair of eyes and they had me run on the treadmill for a bit longer (a solid 5 minutes) to really analyze my running style. They agreed that my foot strike is "unique" (another word for bad) and that although my foot shapes predicts a stability shoe with a 60% gradient my stride is already overcorrecting any overpronation and I'd probably be better suited with a 30% gradient. This all sounded kind of foreign to me, haha, but at least I remembered it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After again reminding me that both my feet and my running style are "unique" (I get it guys!) I was handed another round of shoes to try on. I felt a lot like Goldilocks at this point- searching for my "just right". When I put on the <a href="http://www.saucony.com/store/SiteController/saucony/womensguide7/4-115890/stockNumber/10227-3/skuId/***4********10227-3*M110/showDefaultOption/true/productdetails?bvrrp=7515-en_us/reviews/product/3/4-115890.htm" target="_blank">Saucony Guide 7s</a> I felt like I had found it. Right off the bat the shoe felt comfortable and my foot didn't feel like it was being forced into doing anything. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, there you have it! A new shoe to try. This little guy got his first pounding of pavement yesterday on a beautiful 67 degree day. We only ran a 5K so I can't be certain if this is really the shoe for me, but we did all right. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately it looks like it'll be awhile before we are out on the open road again thanks to this:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A low of 9 and 100% chance of snow. Winter, I am so over you.</span></div>
Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05599803208360555156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6145710834851072653.post-65812364683143088282014-02-27T08:00:00.000-05:002014-02-27T08:00:01.540-05:00I need new shoes.<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After yesterday's declaration <a href="http://cardiocatsandcooking.blogspot.com/2014/02/facing-facts.html" target="_blank">to be smarter</a>, I'm reminded that I desperately need new running shoes. I've been running in my <a href="http://www.brooksrunning.com/Brooks-PureCadence-3/1201541B801.050,default,pd.html#start=13" target="_blank">PureCadence 3s</a> ever since I declared the death of my Mizuno's during the first 6 miles of my <a href="http://cardiocatsandcooking.blogspot.com/2013/10/columbus-marathon-recap-this-is-long-one.html" target="_blank">marathon</a> last fall. Don't get me wrong- I really love my PureCadences- they fit my foot like a glove and help move me towards a midfoot strike- but these are not long distance shoes for me. I can run maybe 8 miles in them comfortably and since I'm (supposedly) training for a <a href="http://www.lakehealthrunning.com/RaceInfo_20miler.aspx" target="_blank">20-mile race</a> in 7 weeks, I need to be running a whole lot more than 8 miles. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So- shoes! What to do, what to do. Despite running regularly for over 2 years now, I feel like maybe I still haven't found my perfect shoe. Do I keep putting my faith in the staff at my favorite running store? I feel like we made a bit of progress last time, as the Wave Inspire 9s worked pretty well for me, but I think there still may be a better shoe out there. I have very unique feet and pretty terrible running form (I'm working on it) as demonstrated during the Emerald City half last summer. Remember this?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM037BE93IqonPbN27ZuJOLhEZF-wAcCjuX9Fd4hib882YvBgYrCnMvU8x2WyPrgiGtp5NYZ2ynZijFEQ3LHVahZrvMLIk-6XCnvLdMC7ewdbZdw0MeXneMVviAEtqDd6znmiMS62U5Xx0/s1600/sidefoot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM037BE93IqonPbN27ZuJOLhEZF-wAcCjuX9Fd4hib882YvBgYrCnMvU8x2WyPrgiGtp5NYZ2ynZijFEQ3LHVahZrvMLIk-6XCnvLdMC7ewdbZdw0MeXneMVviAEtqDd6znmiMS62U5Xx0/s1600/sidefoot.jpg" height="228" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't know if shoes can help me not run on the outside edge of my foot or not, but I do know that with form like that I'm destined for injury (again).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've taken the little shoe recommending tests on Brooks & Mizuno, since they are brands I've been running it. I'm sure those are completely accurate, right? Their recommendations:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.brooksrunning.com/Brooks-Ghost-6-Womens-Running-Shoe/1201381B620.050,default,pd.html#start=1" target="_blank">Brooks Ghost</a>. A neutral shoe, which seems smarter for me than a stability shoe as I obviously don't need extra padding under my arch since my foot is already turning the other direction.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvouAwiNGax1jtakb_CubTrZua4KudqRmVusnYar4ctN_bmWfjKrCRj6UV6sIJ8b-ohiFDkGEgh1W5Ha3RtBN0a1-QN6MTOsYHqV-52bcjXq9J3wa82ZNXWmgde04pFVppLp98smEHObNc/s1600/ghost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvouAwiNGax1jtakb_CubTrZua4KudqRmVusnYar4ctN_bmWfjKrCRj6UV6sIJ8b-ohiFDkGEgh1W5Ha3RtBN0a1-QN6MTOsYHqV-52bcjXq9J3wa82ZNXWmgde04pFVppLp98smEHObNc/s1600/ghost.jpg" height="218" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mizunousa.com/running/womens/running-shoes/neutral/wave-sayonara" target="_blank">Mizuno Wave Sayonara</a> This shoe is supposed to let my foot do what it wants to do naturally but still have a medium amount of padding to provide enough comfort for long runs.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOt-o0Xi8iyfWRzP8XKP_HR_PKEcu182PgBOAmtEXR2I288z_RiqUVI_DDLO8ACuf-EN17n7nzJkRy2wFeEmOQuMCYY3rtRwh9JPF9VVVTordJM5BRVeOPl3mrVG-42A6oHbcki9iA2xhZ/s1600/mizuno-running-wave-sayonara-womens-running-shoes-410536-alt1-8K8o.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOt-o0Xi8iyfWRzP8XKP_HR_PKEcu182PgBOAmtEXR2I288z_RiqUVI_DDLO8ACuf-EN17n7nzJkRy2wFeEmOQuMCYY3rtRwh9JPF9VVVTordJM5BRVeOPl3mrVG-42A6oHbcki9iA2xhZ/s1600/mizuno-running-wave-sayonara-womens-running-shoes-410536-alt1-8K8o.png" height="221" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also took the test at <a href="http://www.runningwarehouse.com/shoefinder.html" target="_blank">Running Warehouse</a> but they recommended a trillion different shoes. I have to assume that it's better for someone to see my running in person but after so many conflicting opinions and recommendations from the staff at my local running store I don't even feel that confident in what they are saying. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How do your choose shoes? Buy & try? Running store recommendation? Whatever is on sale? Somebody help me!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05599803208360555156noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6145710834851072653.post-18421558429701770682014-02-26T10:34:00.000-05:002014-02-26T10:39:38.136-05:00Facing the facts.<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over the course of the past week there have been two instances that really highlighted some new things I need to focus on while getting back in race-shape. Allow me to share these with you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First, K. and I went to <a href="http://www.cosi.org/" target="_blank">COSI </a>to see this very awesome <a href="http://www.cosi.org/exhibits/sherlock" target="_blank">Sherlock exhibit</a>. Since we still had a few hours before the museum closed, we spent that time actually participating in some of the interactive permanent exhibits. One of the areas, <a href="http://www.cosi.org/exhibits/life" target="_blank">Life</a>, has you do a series of tests to give you a sense of your overall health (seeing as these tests never included entering a lot of pertinent information, I would certainly not consider this a professional diagnosis, but I digress). We participated in four different activities to test strength, flexibility, resting heart rate and active heart rate. Other than my slightly higher than usual resting heart rate (while at my marathon training peak I had my HR under 50 and felt good about it. Obviously I'm not running enough these days. Thanks for the reminder, COSI) I felt pleased with my overall health minus one glaring failure: flexibility. This was absolutely no surprise, I've always struggled with flexibility thanks to my crazy tight hamstrings but the results of my test were honestly embarrassing. For this highly advanced test, you sit on a bench with your feet against a wall. While keeping your legs straight you push a bar and it measures the distance that you were able to push. The female average for my age group was something crazy, like 14.5. My results? 1.6 </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZc788y7fdfqkK339mv88TgKCiy9vXHZ-m9Zuu7XnhjEJnT8tWF09Lef4wwxToboBL6TWjUnb8SmX8I2S-icdoMMxujHmUAMQItu9fkC10_tUgz56LBy7rYSBgkr_YfcH1qig5WQHiJgNF/s1600/sad_kitten.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZc788y7fdfqkK339mv88TgKCiy9vXHZ-m9Zuu7XnhjEJnT8tWF09Lef4wwxToboBL6TWjUnb8SmX8I2S-icdoMMxujHmUAMQItu9fkC10_tUgz56LBy7rYSBgkr_YfcH1qig5WQHiJgNF/s1600/sad_kitten.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This is how I felt after seeing that. (image stolen from the internet)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Monday, we were treated to a 10-minute chair massage at work. I was very much looking forward to this as my shoulders/back have been feeling extra tight lately. Now I've always known that my back is not in a great state- lots of knots back there. Admittedly I have pretty poor posture and the hours that I spend slumped over my computer at work each day certainly don't help. I went into this chair massage thinking I would walk out full of relief (10-minutes should be enough, right?). Not for me, apparently. This woman didn't even attempt to hide the shock she felt when she started working on my neck. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Her: "Is it always this bad?" </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Me: "I never really considered my neck to be a trouble spot, actually. My shoulders and back are full of knots though. I'm kind of a high-stress individual that carries it all there."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(begins to move her hands to my shoulders) "Oh my. Well, let's just focus on this unhealthy knot in your neck and then we can talk about what to do about the rest."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This poor woman spent more than the allotted 10 minutes on this one small area and informed me of all the options available to me through work. She encouraged me to call and schedule an appointment with a stress specialist (oh the things that exist in our world!) to work on breathing techniques and relaxation. She also reminded me, multiple times, that I can get regular massages covered by my insurance when my back is in this state.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These two incidents, happening in less than a week, really reminded me that I need to focus even more on the overall state of my body. Sure, I eat relatively clean and I love a good cardio workout, but my body needs more than that. I've flirted with yoga but I've never committed to a studio (yes, for financial reasons but even more so because I'm so embarrassed by my inflexibility) but I think it might be time to take the plunge. I've found a few groupon/yelp/living social deals at some reputable studios around town and I'm just kind of weighing my options at this point. My hope is that my joining a studio and practicing more regularly I'll be able to get more actual assistance from the teacher and not just struggle through the parts that require me to touch my toes (because spoiler alert: I can't). Are any of you yogis? Yay or Nay on joining a studio?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I dive back into a full on training plan and begin to daydream about the races I want to run this spring/summer/fall I want to commit to doing better things for my body. Working on stretching is obviously key, but focusing on stress management and my mental health is equally as important. It's easy for me to run, generally (just don't look at my Garmin data from that past few weeks) but it's all the other stuff that starts to fall away. Now is as good a time as ever to start making these changes, right?</span></div>
Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05599803208360555156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6145710834851072653.post-55444595161706601482014-02-25T12:35:00.001-05:002014-02-25T12:35:31.747-05:00The greatest vegetable lasagna you'll ever eat<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While tackling my 30 days dinner (which was a relative success), I started every night with the same question: what cuisine do we want? We tend to eat a lot of the same things, mostly Asian, Mexican, Indian and Mediterranean. I'm not sure why I neglect Italian food so much (especially given my affinity for carbs) but I generally only eat pasta before races. I decided to mix it up and make lasagna. I've made lasagna exactly one time before in my life, in the very early days of my relationship with K. and he actually did most of the work. We also used zucchini and eggplant in place of the noodles, so this was going to be a whole new ballgame.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Excessive googling of "best vegetable lasagna" lead me to T<a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/" target="_blank">he Pioneer Woman</a> and I am oh so glad that it did! I've been using recipes from her site like crazy ever since. I used her <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/04/vegetable-lasagna/" target="_blank">Vegetable Lasagna</a> recipe and only made one real change- I left out the squash and added in a huge bunch of spinach. In my mind, this was going to be a pretty simple undertaking. Boil some noodles, cook up some veggies, mix together ricotta, layer it all and bake. I was very wrong. My kitchen literally looked like a bomb had gone off (sorry, no photo evidence. No one should have to see that.) and I used up every millimeter of counter space. My original thought was that I'd have this all baked and on the table when K. got home from the gym but really I was just standing in the kitchen, staring at the mess and unassembled layers on the verge of tears. I stepped away from the kitchen and let him do the building and the baking (team work for the win!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Delightful ricotta/parmesan/egg mixture</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The final product! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(I'd love to take credit for the adorable parsley cat on top but that was all K.'s doing. So cute!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I really can't say enough good things about this recipe, it truly was the perfect lasagna. Insanely rich though, definitely a one-piece-and-done deal (even for K. who is the king of second helpings). This baby lasted us more than a few days in the fridge, which is always a bonus in our home.</span></div>
Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05599803208360555156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6145710834851072653.post-46414044493969663802014-02-24T12:14:00.000-05:002014-02-24T12:14:29.480-05:00The little things.<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Saturday it was 55 degrees and sunny. It feels like it's been a lifetime since I've felt the sun on my face. Is that too melodramatic?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This morning I made myself some silver dollar Greek yogurt pancakes. It's also felt like a lifetime since I've cooked a well-balanced breakfast.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This winter rut of mine? I think it was a little bit deeper than usual. I think I may have lost myself for a little bit. But just like the sun finally did, I'm coming back out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can't make spring come any sooner, I know that most of the country is wishing for the same thing. But I can focus on the little things that make the gray days a bit more tolerable.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kitty on the my laptop.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Six dozen Monster Cookies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The perfect cup of coffee.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For today, these things are enough. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For today, this is progress.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(for next week, this list better include a double digit run or that 20-miler may be a disaster :-) )</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello again and happy Monday.</span></div>
Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05599803208360555156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6145710834851072653.post-67018225503383427322014-01-28T10:48:00.000-05:002014-01-28T10:48:08.698-05:00"Healthier" Vegetable Fried Rice<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last week threw a bit of a wrench into my 30 Day Dinner Challenge, we had dinner plans two nights and then I had the prepping for and celebrating of my best friend's wedding. A hectic week to say the least! But I still managed to squeeze in a decent meal or two.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First up: Vegetable Fried Rice!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">K. requested a healthier version of fried rice and I was happy to accept the challenge. I'll freely admit that I completely winged this one and had a little bit of help from the some pre-cooked frozen brown rice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>"Healthier" Vegetable Fried Rice</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">should serve 4, unless you live in my household.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 large eggs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 C. brown rice, cooked and cooled</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 medium onion, chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 clove garlic, minced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2-3 carrots, chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 orange bell pepper, chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 red bell pepper, chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 bag frozen peas, slightly defrosted</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~1T of toasted sesame seed oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 C. Soy sauce</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sriracha, optional, to taste</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Prepare your rice per the instructions. As I mentioned I cheated a bit and used pre-cooked frozen brown rice and it worked just fine. Remove your rice from the store top and set is aside to cool.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Place a large wok over medium heat and add just a little sesame seed oil to coat the pan. While the pan is warming up, whisk together the 4 eggs. Add the eggs to the pan, stirring constantly. You aren't trying to create fluffy scrambled eggs here, I was going for very thin eggs (if that makes sense?). When they are maybe a minute or two from fully cooked, transfer them from the wok to a plate and set aside. Clean the pan if necessary and turn the heat up to high. Add just a dash more sesame seed and let it thoroughly heat up. Toss in the onions and garlic, you should hear a pretty loud SIZZLE when they hit the pan, and cook until the onions are translucent. Add in the carrots and cook for 2-3 minutes. Finally add in the peppers and peas and continue to cook the vegetables down. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At this point I tossed in maybe 1 T of soy sauce, just to get the flavored really cooked into the veggies. Once you are happy with the state of the vegetables (I was aiming to get a little bit of browning on the onions), add the rice and eggs back into the wok. Pour in the remaining soy sauce and optional sriracha and cook for 5-10 more minutes on high heat. Serve immediately and with chopsticks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">K. has started having some fun with the photo shoot set-up</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Overall it turned out really well. By the time I was almost done I remembered that I had bought tofu to add in as well but I didn't even think it needed it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Coming up later this week: Chickpea Cutlets, Vegetarian Lasagna and talks of a training plan (because 20-miler is less than 3 months away, eeeeek). Please try to contain your excitement!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05599803208360555156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6145710834851072653.post-30952585317855982932014-01-21T14:14:00.000-05:002014-01-21T14:14:29.683-05:00Three Lovely Days<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are few things better than three day weekends and this one was especially good for my 30-Days of Dinner challenge (as I've just decided to call it). Throughout the next few weeks I am going to try to go outside my typical recipe box- it's really easy for me to end up in a cooking rut. And while sometimes it's convenient to fall back on my standard vegetables + tofu = dinner, it's always nice to try something new.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Friday was incredibly cold (I'm so over winter!) so we planned on staying in and playing some cards with friends. I knew I wanted to make comfort food- something warm and soothing to the soul. I didn't want soup or stew but something similar so I created a new-to-me recipe of a vegetarian take on chicken pot pie.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chickpea Pot Pie!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now to be honest, I don't even know if I've ever had chicken pot pie (and if I did it was a lifetime ago) but I love the concept of it- a nice hearty stew with a delightfully bready crust. I'm not that in to flaky crusts so I used a cornmeal biscuit as my inspiration for the topping. I'm starting to think that this is nothing like what chicken pot pie actually is, but I'm okay with that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Note: I'm not great with measurements, especially when it comes to seasoning (as I'm a big fan of adding a bit at a time and then tasting) but I promise that going forward I'll try to be a bit more exact. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ingredients:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the filling</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 large sweet potato, chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 large russet potato, chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 carrots, chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~1 C. cremini mushrooms, quartered</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 large onion, diced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 clove garlic, minced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 bunch of kale, chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 orange bell pepper pepper, chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 C. vegetable broth</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 C. AP flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rubbed sage</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Salt</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the crust:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3/4 C. bread flour </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3/4 C. cornmeal</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 1/2 T. granulated sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 T. baking powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 tsp. salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~3/4 C. vegetable broth</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 T. olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 yolk</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss potatoes, carrots and mushrooms in olive oil, season to taste with sage, salt and pepper. Roast for 20-25, until the potatoes are just starting to brown. While those veggies roast, cook down the onion over medium heat. Once the onion is translucent, add in the garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes then add in the kale. Cook until the kale is completely wilted and the onions are beginning to caramelize (5-10 minutes) then add in the orange pepper and the chickpeas. By this point, the veggies should be done, so remove them from the oven and turn the temperature down to 350. Add the veggies to the pot, pour in the vegetable broth, add the flour and turn the heat up to high. Bring the broth to a boil and allow the stew to thicken up, cooking 3-5 minutes. Turn down to a simmer and cover.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To prepare the crust, sift together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a mixing cup whisk the egg with the olive oil and add in the vegetable broth to reach the 3/4 cup mark. Pour the liquid slowly into the dry ingredients and combine with a wooden spoon, careful not to over mix.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pour the filling into a casserole dish and cover with the crust mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the crust is just beginning to brown and the filling is bubbling. I had just a little bit too much for my casserole dish so I baked a little mug on the side- the perfect single serving!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This meal really hit the spot! It was hearty and filling but not overly so, great for these cold winter nights. I suppose it helps that I had good company while eating it:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes I'm still amazed by just how cute the gray girls can be :-)</span></div>
Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05599803208360555156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6145710834851072653.post-79186615143526331062014-01-17T12:53:00.002-05:002014-01-17T12:53:47.369-05:00Crawling out of the winter rut<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy 2014! December and early January have been a whirlwind- crazy CRAZY long work weeks, holidays, a sinus infection and the flu have pretty much thrown my life completely out of whack. I'm ALMOST feeling 100% normal again and have finally resumed a somewhat regular schedule. It feels good.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I very recently promised K that I would cook (with his assistance, of course) a homemade dinner every single night for the next month to make up for the lackluster eating habits in our household these past few weeks. Naturally I regretted this promise the very next day and just wanted to eat leftover pizza for a dinner but never fear I'm sticking to it! (I'm also vowing to start using a real camera to photograph the process going forward because the iPhone is just cutting it).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOpVA3tqKlswA3KQoN25InxMupAiC0hnyESwV6suuajq6_9aUIxfvdvZ-ImnrPIR9CG6YXKHbnrLzorsCU9HnEab-q8_GLxmJwEIlGT9PYPg3yx91eyjhJ4iGDnJzeIs-BkEBJ4I5Vv3LB/s1600/dinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOpVA3tqKlswA3KQoN25InxMupAiC0hnyESwV6suuajq6_9aUIxfvdvZ-ImnrPIR9CG6YXKHbnrLzorsCU9HnEab-q8_GLxmJwEIlGT9PYPg3yx91eyjhJ4iGDnJzeIs-BkEBJ4I5Vv3LB/s1600/dinner.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">See? Terrible photo. Especially given that I spent the first two years of college as a photography major. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What's on the plate? Panko-crusted chili-cumin tofu topped with a hot pepper Greek yogurt. Served with a side of sauteed peppers, onions and sweet potatoeswith a dollop of salsa verde guacamole. Sounds fancy right? It was honestly a pretty simple undertaking. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I marinated the tofu in soy sauce, agave nectar and a generous amount of cumin for almost an hour. I dipped the slices in egg and then in some chili powder and cumin seasoned panko breadcrumbs. I baked at 375 for 30 minutes, flipping the tofu half way through. While the tofu was baking I deeply carmelized an onion, then added in some cubed sweet potatoes and green peppers. I kept the heat turned up pretty high as I wanted just a little bit of charring. For the hot pepper Greek yogurt sauce I used half a container of 0% plain Chobani and added in chili powder, a dash of cayenne and a about 1T of hot sauce. The salsa verde guac was made from avocado, lime juice, salt and a some left over salsa verde from a taqueria (I know that's kind of cheating but it was the best salsa verde I've ever had and I couldn't let it go to waste). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I plan to blog my way through the more creative nights of home cooking AND start sharing my training for the <a href="http://www.lakehealthrunning.com/RaceInfo_20miler.aspx" target="_blank">20 Mile Drop</a>! I officially registered and I'm already completely behind in my training/out of shape thanks to my two week battle with sickness, but I'm more than itching to get back on track (good thing too because April is fast approaching!).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm so happy to be back in blogland and hope that not all my readers have abandoned me :-)</span></div>
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Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05599803208360555156noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6145710834851072653.post-11287729667403687102013-12-24T12:46:00.000-05:002013-12-24T12:46:42.082-05:00Hectic Holiday<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know I've been remiss in posting- blame it on the 70+ hour work weeks that December has brought! No empty promises about when regular posting will resume (but hopefully soon!), just a quick post to wish you all a very happy holiday! I hope you are staying safe and warm and enjoying quality time with friends, family and fantastically adorable pets :-)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdDVAkG6jdIDPaHvqokbgcY-Zg35Kn9nGrz_3qScf3ynkjUfFAijkWIKZSUZJCl_BIGpfv2tgNjrh_aPRZZLu51S0vTNxi4g2Ct1JNFUsMZh1-1HV38A7wbnE1sjwkT3phQ0-ad1eVK5v/s1600/christmascats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdDVAkG6jdIDPaHvqokbgcY-Zg35Kn9nGrz_3qScf3ynkjUfFAijkWIKZSUZJCl_BIGpfv2tgNjrh_aPRZZLu51S0vTNxi4g2Ct1JNFUsMZh1-1HV38A7wbnE1sjwkT3phQ0-ad1eVK5v/s1600/christmascats.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(tell me those sweatshirts are not the cutest!)</span></div>
Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05599803208360555156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6145710834851072653.post-79322611616048562692013-12-11T11:24:00.000-05:002013-12-11T11:24:08.717-05:00Awwww (ginger)snap!<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Earlier this season I stumbled across <a href="http://www.fbcookieswap.com/" target="_blank">the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap</a> and I was more than intrigued. Not only would I have a reason to bake an insane amount of cookies but I'd also receive three dozen at my doorstep and donate money to a great cause. It took me about .5 seconds to decide that this was something I needed to do.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOYLEMnqJRONW4bGTP3yrS20aqLo1jcWOEI2XzIX7zt3pw98uTT-X5p0AmWwGye36mq-_j0ooyqtM7LzA-eJGoiBnw0DpoVxQsypqgw8dz9jAYFrUVYVeN7JgduqbVqdO4RFNpEQXtn4i/s1600/fbcookieswap2013_white.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOYLEMnqJRONW4bGTP3yrS20aqLo1jcWOEI2XzIX7zt3pw98uTT-X5p0AmWwGye36mq-_j0ooyqtM7LzA-eJGoiBnw0DpoVxQsypqgw8dz9jAYFrUVYVeN7JgduqbVqdO4RFNpEQXtn4i/s1600/fbcookieswap2013_white.png" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When it came to deciding what kind of cookie to bake it took me even less time! Not a week before I learned about the swap K. and I had picked up a bag of gingersnaps from our local <a href="http://luckysmarket.com/columbus.html" target="_blank">Lucky's Market</a>. Gingersnaps are easily in my top 5 cookies (probably battling with snickerdoodles for #1, honestly) and I was so excited to see that they were part of the weekly specials that I just snatched up a bag without double checking the label. I was horrified to discover that the cookies I was oh so excited about contained trans fat! I'm not a perfectly clean eater by any means but I do have lines drawn and trans fat is something that crosses the line. The cookies went directly into the trash and my holiday cheer was knocked down a notch. This cookie swap was the perfect opportunity for me to finally get my holiday gingersnaps.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I perused the internet for a few different recipes and decided to work with this one from <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2011/11/gingersnaps/" target="_blank">Smitten Kitchen</a> (who adapted it from Cook's Illustrated and assorted other sources). I made only minor changes, as a good gingersnap recipe is hard to improve upon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would like to note that this recipe is crazy easy and it makes an awesome amount of cookies (over 4 dozen!) at a time. You can also freeze the dough to save for later if you don't need to have 4 dozen delicious cookies in your home at once.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ingredients:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 1/4 C. Whole Wheat Flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 t. baking soda</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 t. salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 1/4 t. ground ginger</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 t. cinnamon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 t. allspice</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 t. ground white pepper</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 sticks unsalted butter (at room temp)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 C. granulated sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 C. dark brown sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 large egg </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3/8 C. molasses</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 t. grated fresh ginger</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt and spices. In a separate bowl (or stand mixer, food processor, etc) cream together the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add egg, molasses and fresh ginger and process until well mixed. Sift in the dry ingredients and mix by hand to combine. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjzznhjlCmCcV2odwmU54mEtr0KBgJ8kC5qpGwR79SVYSaOaliG7ws6LV-xGJH_EWdbgqQQBvcKf1t6PJHd28uIF_Dl9nd1LGjpUkmFO-lyHpZnVY3b1Gx_dR8UcvmIN59FuA-bxtBI4cL/s1600/dough.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjzznhjlCmCcV2odwmU54mEtr0KBgJ8kC5qpGwR79SVYSaOaliG7ws6LV-xGJH_EWdbgqQQBvcKf1t6PJHd28uIF_Dl9nd1LGjpUkmFO-lyHpZnVY3b1Gx_dR8UcvmIN59FuA-bxtBI4cL/s1600/dough.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wrap dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill. An hour or two should be substantial. I left mine in overnight so I actually let it sit at room temperature for just a bit before working with it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll the dough into ~1-inch balls [</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you do not plan on baking all the cookies at once, I still recommend forming them into balls before freezing]</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, place the balls on a well-greased cookie sheet at least an inch apart, as the cookies will spread. Bake 12-15 minutes depending on desired "snappiness"- I baked mine for 13 and achieved a flexible cookie with crispy edges.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN8wdvUPuRhvEFgs07CXAl0kuI7Own6VVeoiCi7Z67VUN7BSe80QPH_CoHaYmBRp7QzzwH21azT42QwKjxZwP5mQyJ6firmNMfs3-rNcMf0PY6b_h5ug65e7uE-UwZX8jfg-CXnbi7EfBJ/s1600/snap1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN8wdvUPuRhvEFgs07CXAl0kuI7Own6VVeoiCi7Z67VUN7BSe80QPH_CoHaYmBRp7QzzwH21azT42QwKjxZwP5mQyJ6firmNMfs3-rNcMf0PY6b_h5ug65e7uE-UwZX8jfg-CXnbi7EfBJ/s1600/snap1.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When (not if) I make these again I plan to add 1/2 t. cardamom and increase the fresh ginger from 1 t. to 2 t., but even without those changes these cookies were a huge success! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIkIDPqeb7VAamE1hSv_GXuZRPnbJV3dV6Tb_jdIaU18VaBH6_mSwIEb5ozbay0tWHBUI8SBVkUPVsvLCd1MGzi3rH4p1YT_-TdjXYVKGGaPTecTtgqr3Z0NFnz5IM3mYm-kpsBBBrZOq2/s1600/snap2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIkIDPqeb7VAamE1hSv_GXuZRPnbJV3dV6Tb_jdIaU18VaBH6_mSwIEb5ozbay0tWHBUI8SBVkUPVsvLCd1MGzi3rH4p1YT_-TdjXYVKGGaPTecTtgqr3Z0NFnz5IM3mYm-kpsBBBrZOq2/s1600/snap2.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05599803208360555156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6145710834851072653.post-20772964892234314452013-12-10T09:58:00.001-05:002013-12-10T09:58:13.484-05:00A little too motivated<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last night I was determined to workout this morning. I left a game night with friends early, was in bed by my too-early bedtime, stashed my clothes on my bathroom shelf and fell asleep much quicker than usual. At just about a quarter to 6 my first alarm went off and I was raring to go. As I lay in bed savoring the last few minutes of warmth I decided that I should probably check the forecast and was greeted with this: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGtObX6o3Phla0Wq6XS6Vq5m2dpxya5vdtRcgyYJs_K-ZApyTF4WHbZ7eRPMuRfVjB2U9eX0EcLKr0wjnuQ0xvmKYDS6RMIfFCqZjNkc6zh0funuILUfAVsqJ0i4ucbTCZ8ZwVXHVkxCi/s1600/weather2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGtObX6o3Phla0Wq6XS6Vq5m2dpxya5vdtRcgyYJs_K-ZApyTF4WHbZ7eRPMuRfVjB2U9eX0EcLKr0wjnuQ0xvmKYDS6RMIfFCqZjNkc6zh0funuILUfAVsqJ0i4ucbTCZ8ZwVXHVkxCi/s1600/weather2.png" height="320" width="213" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I threw on an extra layer for the walk to the car (because obviously it was a gym day) and opened my front door to see a solid 3+ inches of snow and completely uncleared roads. This would have been a great time to turn around and go back to bed but I powered through. Thirty minutes later I had completed the four mile drive to my gym and saw this text from K. "It was not worth driving in this to go workout. Text me when you get there so I can go back to sleep". He was probably right, ha. I put in an hour (40 minutes on the treadmill, 20 actually doing some strength training- yay!) and then trekked my way back home. Despite the inches of snow, terrible roads and too long drive I am glad that I went because as they say the only workout you'll regret is the one you didn't do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The biggest disappointment of my morning was starting to make breakfast and discovering I was out of eggs. Since there was literally no chance of me going BACK out to the store I settled for toast, hot pepper jelly + cottage cheese (yes, on top of the toast). Not too shabby, actually.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm having a hard time accepting that winter is basically here- don't even get me started on the fact that Christmas is just TWO WEEKS away. I'm not ready! We barely have decorations up and I've only made one batch of delicious Christmas cookies. So much to do, so little time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Any winter time traditions that you are looking forward to this month? I'm trying to get over my intense hatred for cold + snow and find some fun things that can only be done in winter- send some suggestions my way!</b></span></div>
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Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05599803208360555156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6145710834851072653.post-45058759397967411132013-12-06T10:29:00.001-05:002013-12-06T10:29:12.831-05:00A very orange dinner<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was feeling a little overenthusiastic when it came to making dinner last night. As I was picking up ingredients and putting together a plan in my head I didn't calculate that it would lead to three burners + the oven being used all at the same time. Oops. Just a typical Thursday meal!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7s9VG4tZ9EpvucjruW7qVDPJfMqi97YY_0yd4h3fWA5fAI_hppQaCMrbjdlYh5xOiy_X1f5zPqPHx9uTf77tFqR6QdHbpkeupaHkVhuRF2NKzebb6KRwqe8yYNejMrcmkE7mF3GCmx0b4/s1600/cooking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7s9VG4tZ9EpvucjruW7qVDPJfMqi97YY_0yd4h3fWA5fAI_hppQaCMrbjdlYh5xOiy_X1f5zPqPHx9uTf77tFqR6QdHbpkeupaHkVhuRF2NKzebb6KRwqe8yYNejMrcmkE7mF3GCmx0b4/s1600/cooking.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the menu:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- mashed sweet potatoes w/ sauteed kale, arugula + baby spinach</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- tikka masala tofu</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- roasted heirloom carrots</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also didn't realize that the resulting meal, although delicious and nutritious, would be very orange.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtoQRfrc4FD5c9eaDmC2OhrOUuhebpdvoamNEyMW1xcbYRk7pXhufG-zMqPNi3lnyD8nKyufHXu-xRDqAbKI2MAfONwq72eTR3R4ebvB0NeqXbbTxzFxo28mu0_C-Uakb5adsvXcgqI9cv/s1600/orange.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtoQRfrc4FD5c9eaDmC2OhrOUuhebpdvoamNEyMW1xcbYRk7pXhufG-zMqPNi3lnyD8nKyufHXu-xRDqAbKI2MAfONwq72eTR3R4ebvB0NeqXbbTxzFxo28mu0_C-Uakb5adsvXcgqI9cv/s1600/orange.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eh, oh well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Post dinner was spent decorating the tree and hanging our stockings. A little (creepy) sneak preview of our in-progress Winter Wonderland:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTyGs7aeyn-sQrv4ysHzVgGChNwy45GjBh9_i886sGoHpSxUIZzaZyss0JDUSL9B6tQrjXbmvA4VyeIrK2WIbH4ySG_5G8YxlZFHSUc5MiXw2OZyOTz4JMuhKobPFWmOAaj8IDXjB3If6/s1600/tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTyGs7aeyn-sQrv4ysHzVgGChNwy45GjBh9_i886sGoHpSxUIZzaZyss0JDUSL9B6tQrjXbmvA4VyeIrK2WIbH4ySG_5G8YxlZFHSUc5MiXw2OZyOTz4JMuhKobPFWmOAaj8IDXjB3If6/s1600/tree.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today my city is freaking out about the incoming snowstorm. Schools are closed despite there not even being any snow on the ground yet! Blows my mind. Back in my day we'd have to walk to school in a foot of snow, uphill both ways. Or something like that. Hopefully this snowstorm is being blown out of proportion because I'd really prefer to kick off my long run weekends outdoors (I must not train for an entire marathon on a treadmill. I must not train for an entire marathon on a treadmill).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyone else covered in snow or currently living in fear of the impending doom?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05599803208360555156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6145710834851072653.post-59748837719213624792013-12-05T10:19:00.000-05:002013-12-05T10:19:14.838-05:00Good job me!<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'd just like to publicly pat myself on the back for finally making it to the gym BEFORE work. It's been a long time since that has happened. During the summer/early fall I got into a habit of running after work instead but not that it is basically pitch black when I leave the office (and I haven't yet acquired a headlamp or any reflective gear) if I hit snooze too many times I'm not able to get a run in at all. This morning I set my alarm for the comical time of 5:42a and after almost an hour of wasting time (I seriously have NO IDEA what I was doing, but I blame Charlotte for being extra cuddly this morning) I was finally out the door. As I walked to my car I realized that it was still 60 degrees and I should probably run outside but I had already mentally planned on going to the gym and I just couldn't deal with changing my plans at that point because my brain wasn't working yet. I was very sad to see that my usual Boy Meets World episodes had been replaced by That 70's Show, but I dealt with the disappointment and settled in for about 4 miles on the 'mill. I wanted to run something between easy and speed work so I did a progression run:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5 min warm-up</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10 minutes easy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10 minutes increasing 1mph each minute</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 minute recover at easy pace</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8 minutes increasing 1mph each minute</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 minutes increasing 1mph each 30 seconds</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5 minute cool-down</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I maxed out at around 8mph and that's pretty fast for me. My legs were like lead at the end.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Breakfast was 1 egg + 1 egg white, 1c. baby spinach/arugula mix, toast + hot pepper jelly</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQuBZDXqWagxE8PLAaRx2uxzun6Gh5CWXz44AGbK3zRRtQFdMkKHBfZdiTYgaObQietVMTy3_943FZmWvcFG0nAtywXY1bjdSoehPi5uoOreAelPdwNkVfRL1vh7ChNAVwJK2wqxwtDNCp/s1600/bfast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQuBZDXqWagxE8PLAaRx2uxzun6Gh5CWXz44AGbK3zRRtQFdMkKHBfZdiTYgaObQietVMTy3_943FZmWvcFG0nAtywXY1bjdSoehPi5uoOreAelPdwNkVfRL1vh7ChNAVwJK2wqxwtDNCp/s1600/bfast.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Post-run I was feeling a mix of accomplished and discouraged. Good job me for getting to the gym but the reality is that I'm still a bit out of shape and out of my normal routine. What that says to me is that I desperately need to get back to a training plan- it just works better for me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With a potential marathon date of 5/4, a 20-week training plan would be set to begin on 12/16, which is way sooner than I even realized! That gives me a measly 11 days to continue to focus on base building, which is really no time at all. My goals for the next two weeks are just to get back into a habit of running 4 days a week and working some cross training back in. I plan on starting my weekend long run tradition this weekend with a completely unimpressive distance of 5 miles (since the first "long run" of my training plan is 7). It's crazy how fast Marathon Training: Round 2 has sneaked up on me!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And in completely unrelated news, we picked out our Christmas tree last night! This is K.'s first EVER real live Christmas tree and I was just so excited to go hunting for it. Nothing says Christmas tree shopping like a 60 degree day in December :-)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQiAdyVbhI5CJbq7o6djfOGFpv9o75TvvMzPDfIFuu0rbP_bhQqmrF5DbZyLFVYuqnaw3RjS9Gx_e8eUKsA9fInh7XrZ7inAb8I9mrqcO6E9GFoLfdGmLGcyM1PfZ1C3eX2zVlXTHA2oJ1/s1600/tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQiAdyVbhI5CJbq7o6djfOGFpv9o75TvvMzPDfIFuu0rbP_bhQqmrF5DbZyLFVYuqnaw3RjS9Gx_e8eUKsA9fInh7XrZ7inAb8I9mrqcO6E9GFoLfdGmLGcyM1PfZ1C3eX2zVlXTHA2oJ1/s1600/tree.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Terrible picture, no decorations yet. Still so pretty!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seriously the best part of my morning was coming back from the gym and being overwhelmed by the scent of pine- no scented candle can recreate the actual smell of a Christmas tree!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05599803208360555156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6145710834851072653.post-38504258283452325422013-12-03T11:25:00.003-05:002013-12-03T11:27:00.043-05:00Sorry, I'm not sorry.<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would apologize for yet another extended blog-absence, but since I was spending time with family, I can't say I'm sorry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And with a view like this how can I say I would have rather been staring at a computer screen?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTg1Ik0DkDHeSzsujnpDAs-VM8o5b2YQ6I1R3bR6lSJSRsM3e382bei_VDha3hnKZf6detizbG1NPu850ZXaxQxH8vaGubVuT4xfqTLFImAWxee3icaV-orcAIfj2MRMgiAMl5nTVrg5b/s1600/skaneateles2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTg1Ik0DkDHeSzsujnpDAs-VM8o5b2YQ6I1R3bR6lSJSRsM3e382bei_VDha3hnKZf6detizbG1NPu850ZXaxQxH8vaGubVuT4xfqTLFImAWxee3icaV-orcAIfj2MRMgiAMl5nTVrg5b/s1600/skaneateles2.jpg" height="155" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our little Thanksgiving vacation was truly perfect- a chance to disconnect from electronics and just share some quality time with my favorite people. The icing on the cake was our Thanksgiving meal- curried sweet potatoes, roasted brussels sprouts + carrots, vegetarian stuffing, pumpkin tiramisu and so much more. I'll dedicate some future posts to a few of the recipes we made because they are definitely worth sharing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately our journey back to reality was a bit bumpy and I feel like I've been playing catch up with sleep and having a hard time easing back into every day life. This morning was finally a bit more normal and made even better by this:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6YOKRVfdlIPkWXDUP6Io51bwVbhDQ9re3-kLqICFCRzUlkiI4aISOFAqDHN2hzmuGPWcoiy8NeAq5FGiQ0_ugRdBjnB7QA_k1cjBC56CIURcwoLePHForn_s-uQ1u_2Zrn5C24m8k45b/s1600/PS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6YOKRVfdlIPkWXDUP6Io51bwVbhDQ9re3-kLqICFCRzUlkiI4aISOFAqDHN2hzmuGPWcoiy8NeAq5FGiQ0_ugRdBjnB7QA_k1cjBC56CIURcwoLePHForn_s-uQ1u_2Zrn5C24m8k45b/s1600/PS.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While on a mission for some <a href="http://silk.com/products/seasonal-nog-soymilk" target="_blank">Silk Nog</a>, my favorite seasonal beverage, I spied this little beauty. I imagined that it would be delicious on its own but would be put to even better use when steamed and mixed with espresso. And oh boy was I right!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrvWXohdW7rprcPvhAX6QLLODEw0IUWqfTU0xrwT__uGttFbtBWvNgkLjxcyDNF3gmhGJvGR5URts4r3FA5gOeb_XQueZzBg6D4NJDvpvawMB3ZLxQwr7HupHRhzhBTdjqFfJSBNDjjDg/s1600/bfast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrvWXohdW7rprcPvhAX6QLLODEw0IUWqfTU0xrwT__uGttFbtBWvNgkLjxcyDNF3gmhGJvGR5URts4r3FA5gOeb_XQueZzBg6D4NJDvpvawMB3ZLxQwr7HupHRhzhBTdjqFfJSBNDjjDg/s1600/bfast.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Breakfast of champions. Eggs on toast with hot pepper jelly and a pumpkin spice soy latte. If that won't help the post-vacation blues then nothing will!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Question for the masses (because I know my reader base is HUGE): how do we feel about holiday runs? I have been debating signing up for a 5K, preferably on <a href="http://www.m3ssports.com/events/first-on-the-first.htm" target="_blank">New Year's day</a>. I like the idea of starting the 2014 off on the right foot, so to speak, but I find the pricing of these things to be outrageous. I know that I could very easily wake up nice and early on January 1st and run 3.1 miles on my own but something about an organized race just seems a bit more exciting. I'll also admit that part of my desire to fork over the cash is to kind of force myself to keep it in check- no overindulging on NYE and no excuses when my alarm goes off the next morning (even though this race does boast a very sleep-in friendly 11a start time) because I wouldn't want that money to go to waste. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Is it wrong to use the external motivation or should I just run with it (bad pun intended) and do what I need to do to help guarantee a good start to 2014?</b></span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05599803208360555156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6145710834851072653.post-55005531234823881882013-11-25T09:47:00.002-05:002013-11-25T09:47:49.852-05:00Weekend Happenings<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's officially that time of year where the days, weeks, and especially the weekends are just FLYING by! Thanksgiving is just days away and I feel like November just started. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's just a few pictures to show how I've been spending my time.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG9hByGjcJ3amOzEav-VZOdhoNMjYvh1fUd_jwdYMMoKr4Cjxyc4DS5zB1N-N6JsuisA-o0kTePDpxYJ8AwwBEMKltNShS-X9uRSlH_1IPnsp4mzW8G0r_pPfNhoiJmgj02QXKMBJy1Vfp/s1600/salad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG9hByGjcJ3amOzEav-VZOdhoNMjYvh1fUd_jwdYMMoKr4Cjxyc4DS5zB1N-N6JsuisA-o0kTePDpxYJ8AwwBEMKltNShS-X9uRSlH_1IPnsp4mzW8G0r_pPfNhoiJmgj02QXKMBJy1Vfp/s1600/salad.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have been on SUCH a salad kick this week! I ate one for dinner I think every night. This one was filled with beets, green beans, goat cheese, roasted almonds, and topped with a horseradish vinaigrette (which is heavenly). My body has been screaming "I need vegetables!" lately and I've been listening- yesterday the grocery store had Naked juices on sale and I picked up a pretty delicious tomato based one (as opposed to my usual green monster). </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFyhDI4kurXc9zQaijQt5B6D18f7hXgWA8MW-BWGVlaG5IgfyiPKfnE2aeQgb50RbVOrq-6jz5mPykOjCh0Y5VVXF1EZDpVWp0LYmMFSz9IUHtvKq0vtbTEFFpm7qqcJeHFIHtkaCag0X/s1600/treadmill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFyhDI4kurXc9zQaijQt5B6D18f7hXgWA8MW-BWGVlaG5IgfyiPKfnE2aeQgb50RbVOrq-6jz5mPykOjCh0Y5VVXF1EZDpVWp0LYmMFSz9IUHtvKq0vtbTEFFpm7qqcJeHFIHtkaCag0X/s1600/treadmill.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quality time with this old frenemy. It's been over 7 months since I've stepped foot on a treadmill (and nearly as many since I've actually gone to the gym to do a workout, whoops) but I just wasn't feeling the cold on Sunday. I ran a 10K at what used to be an easy pace and realized again that I'm still a bit out of shape (did I really run that +20 just a month ago???). It was still a good workout for me- I kept the pace even for first 35 minutes and then threw in some speed work for the last 20. It definitely got my legs moving + my heart rate up. I don't want to rely on the treadmill as much this winter as I have in the past, but if it comes down to running on a treadmill or NOT running, I definitely need to hit the 'mill. (oh and don't worry- I took this picture while walking for my cool down at a crazy slow pace. No one was endangered during this moment).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJe5fiWv6T_o8nMQu4EmAqJijqZkyZ-9u_xTtKVNnMqtNhdkkhs9IFoXLBdtAkit6Tq0cy8q9WcW7x8SEGucApfo-If38t6CCfGY75zwovG9sWWgJLiOak1H8kNFHUkMeO9vggnN8MBF4V/s1600/cat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJe5fiWv6T_o8nMQu4EmAqJijqZkyZ-9u_xTtKVNnMqtNhdkkhs9IFoXLBdtAkit6Tq0cy8q9WcW7x8SEGucApfo-If38t6CCfGY75zwovG9sWWgJLiOak1H8kNFHUkMeO9vggnN8MBF4V/s1600/cat.jpg" height="320" width="312" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quality kitty time! When I sat on the couch to eat my breakfast Dora just climbed right up on my chest and curled up. It was so precious! Despite having a to-do list a mile long I couldn't disturb her so we had a nice little break together.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBqhYDgB2Oe5H_zmlMKU86bsnyN1T34rrooad8MYd_LkzpEKYDlIYE6NgtmqvIaDneh2YenFNdc8it6c9R2FtE7mL8S_d5Y4xE_zXbHLSXxXn8BgoMXIZbLJ6EMmAIeVJGTXoylN_3GIfy/s1600/cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBqhYDgB2Oe5H_zmlMKU86bsnyN1T34rrooad8MYd_LkzpEKYDlIYE6NgtmqvIaDneh2YenFNdc8it6c9R2FtE7mL8S_d5Y4xE_zXbHLSXxXn8BgoMXIZbLJ6EMmAIeVJGTXoylN_3GIfy/s1600/cookies.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cookie dough! I had just enough time to whip up some gingersnap dough yesterday (but not enough time to actually bake the cookies). I'm so excited to taste the final product though. I don't bake cookies too often (more of a <a href="http://cardiocatsandcooking.blogspot.com/2013/06/cupcakes-cupcakes-cupcakes.html" target="_blank">cupcake</a> <a href="http://cardiocatsandcooking.blogspot.com/2013/03/cupcakes-can-make-you-forget-bad-run.html" target="_blank">girl</a>) but I think I'll be baking a few batches of holiday cookies throughout the next few weeks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How was your weekend?</span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05599803208360555156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6145710834851072653.post-16868624714696749752013-11-19T11:03:00.000-05:002013-11-19T11:37:14.977-05:00So, what's next?<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll be the first to admit that I've suffered from post-race depression. It's one of the reasons that I always like to have something else on the horizon- something to look forward to so I don't let myself stumble off track. When I went into marathon training I knew this would be a big one for me- it would be time consuming, it might make me hate running and it may even end up in injury- so I kept my post-race calendar wide open. What a mistake! That past few weeks have not been pretty. First I gave myself two weeks to recover physically (because I had some not-so-pleasant foot pains immediately after my race) and to enjoy life a bit more again. So I stayed out late, went to some Halloween parties, ordered in dinner a few too many times and skipped a whole lot of workouts. Suddenly two weeks turned into three and now here I am one month post marathon and what have I been doing? Nothing! (including not blogging- whoops!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well it's time to change that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been looking into a few local triathlon clubs to try to dip my toes into something new but more importantly I've been looking at spring races so I can hurry up and get my something on my calendar! For now I've got a 20-miler and a May marathon on my wish list. Yes, another marathon. It just feels right.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As for short term goals: more cooking, more blogging and more running for fun. Until I'm committed to a race (and a training plan!) I'm just kind of rediscovering my innate love of the sport. It's been fun to set out with no plans and just kind of run. I did my first "quality workout" this weekend though and it was clear that I am already pretty out of shape (my poor quads STILL hurt!). I'm going to use the last few weeks of 2013 to rebuild my base, revisit my time with Jillian and bond with my yoga mat. All good things.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I promise that I will be returning to regularly scheduled blogging- I have just honestly felt a little lost post-marathon and it was hard to sit down and write. Every time I started a post it turned into me whining about not being on track- no more of that! I'm coming back strong.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05599803208360555156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6145710834851072653.post-90841523643413892252013-11-01T12:44:00.001-04:002013-11-01T12:44:16.509-04:00Fun with pattypans!<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last weekend we made a stop at <a href="http://www.lyndfruitfarm.com/" target="_blank">Lynd Fruit Farm</a> to pick up a few autumn essentials. The prices were crazy good- I swear almost everything was less than $1 per pound. I wanted to stock up on squash but wasn't pleased with the butternuts they had so after grabbing more than a few acorn squash I decided to branch out and try something new. Enter the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pattypan_squash" target="_blank">pattypan</a>! I had never even HEARD of a pattypan prior to this moment (does that make me a bad semi-foodie??)!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a bit of googling (for inspiration and basic cooking suggestions) I decided I wanted to stuff these little guys, as they were the perfect size. I preheated the oven to 350 and started boiling the squash (and set a timer for 8 minutes) while I got to work on a filling.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAs6WppBd3Ti4q_rICol9DZaJfJYXrCpyWj5kdNc1OS7xnlKjgbXhWSngmP5cssr_kKnrS27k9tHq5PsKmO2jqlc-mdJwbIufTDwNp7Uhu7fkgB60-JfA0hBTs_K2bFPykNZkm1jzL5x4Z/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAs6WppBd3Ti4q_rICol9DZaJfJYXrCpyWj5kdNc1OS7xnlKjgbXhWSngmP5cssr_kKnrS27k9tHq5PsKmO2jqlc-mdJwbIufTDwNp7Uhu7fkgB60-JfA0hBTs_K2bFPykNZkm1jzL5x4Z/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the filling:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 c. dry quinoa </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 c. water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 clove garlic, diced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 large onion, diced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3-4 green onions</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 c. chickpeas, cooked</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">cumin</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">pepper</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">parmesan cheese</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I combined the quinoa, water and diced garlic in a small saucepan and brought it to a boil. I then turned the flame down, covered the pan and let it simmer for ~10 minutes. Meanwhile I sauteed the onions and seasoned to taste with cumin, salt & pepper. Once the squash we done I sliced off the tops and scooped out their insides. I added the insides to the onions and let them cook for a few moments. I finally tossed in the chickpeas and cooked quinoa and stirred to combine.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoF35waWP6qpXk0Dxdtf-meHxRCVZb3iFVe-i2usLBiqbKCX23qqWMKoK3eNDb_TGa3LduNGMpid3BifywqyO5D9pfEkOZkMvrKunnwMSUsIoRar8kV6Qqt953phVoMZmD5y9VTQKMSCYr/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoF35waWP6qpXk0Dxdtf-meHxRCVZb3iFVe-i2usLBiqbKCX23qqWMKoK3eNDb_TGa3LduNGMpid3BifywqyO5D9pfEkOZkMvrKunnwMSUsIoRar8kV6Qqt953phVoMZmD5y9VTQKMSCYr/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I stuffed the little pattypans to the brim with this filling, topped it off with a sprinkle of parmesan and put the tops (or their hats, as I began calling them).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I let them bake for ~25 minutes or so, turning the oven up to 375 towards the end, and then served them with some steamed fresh green beans (seasoned with lemon juice, salt and red pepper flakes).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We really enjoyed the pattypans! They are perfect for stuffing because you can eat the skin too. I think I'd rank them as my 4th favorite squash (below butternut, acorn and spaghetti) and I would recommend that everyone give them a try.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can't wait to dive into the pounds of peppers we bought for even more kitchen experiments!</span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05599803208360555156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6145710834851072653.post-67718871466885818432013-10-30T10:04:00.002-04:002013-10-30T11:40:10.423-04:00Pumpkin Seed Adventures!<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In all my adult life I have never roasted pumpkin seeds. And to be honest, I don't know if I have ever actually eaten a roasted pumpkin seed on its own. I decided to change that. I read somewhere that pumpkin seeds are a natural antidepressant, who knows if that's true, but they are definitely a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepita" target="_blank">great source of iron</a> (among many other things). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over the weekend we carved our pumpkins (pictures to follow- I forgot to buy candles!) and these babies were BIG. After spending what felt like hours sorting through the pumpkin innards I walked away with over 6 cups of nothing but seeds- crazy!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After checking the internet for a basic outline of how to roast seeds (temperature, time, etc.) I was ready to dive in. Given that there were so many seeds I knew I wanted to make a few different batches, I settled on some classic categories: salty, sweet, & spicy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I preheated the oven to about 325 degrees and sorted my (already washed!) seeds into 2 cup batches. A few of the recipes I came across suggesting soaking the seeds in salt water to make them easier to eat/digest/something like that but honestly I was just too lazy to do that so I didn't (maybe I should have?). For each batch I added all the ingredients into the bowls of seeds and tossed well to coat. I then spread the seeds into a thin layer on a cookie sheet and baked them for 30-40 minutes, stirring frequently.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My variations (rough estimations of ingredients, I started with measurements and then just added more to taste):</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spicy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~1 tsp olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~1 heaping tsp of chili powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~1/4 tsp cayenne</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~1/2 tsp salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~1/2 tsp sriracha</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~1 T brown sugar</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sweet</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~1/2 tsp olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~1 tsp agave</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~2 T brown sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~1 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~1/2 tsp salt</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Salty</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~1 tsp olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~1 1/2 tsp salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~1 tsp pepper</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~1 1/2 tsp paprika</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~1 tsp cumin</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The sweet were DEFINITELY my favorite. The spicy were good, but they were my very first batch and I think I could have been more heavy handed with the seasoning. Keeping that in mind I added a lot more to the salty and I was pleased with those as well. Overall I'm very pleased with my first attempt at pumpkin seed roasting- I just don't really know what we are going to do with SIX cups of seeds! I already plan to add the sweet into some granola/yogurt, but any suggestions for the savory?</span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05599803208360555156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6145710834851072653.post-14938989564065146072013-10-25T18:20:00.001-04:002013-10-25T18:20:44.146-04:00Columbus Marathon Recap (this is a long one!)<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know I didn't make it a secret that going into this race I was NERVOUS. I revised my goals many times and per the suggestion of all focused on just finishing, but in my heart I knew that I had one other big goal: running the entire thing. No walking, no stopping, no excuses. That kind of became my mantra.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With a few delays along our way we made it (close) to the starting line. K. dropped us off and shouted a few motivational phrases at me as he drove away. KT & I tried to find our way to the corrals. The starting area was pretty hectic and honestly kind of poorly marked. Although there seemed to be volunteers everywhere no one was particularly helpful at the time. KT had a bag to check but there was very little indicating where we were supposed to do that so we just followed everyone else carrying bags. We finally found the gear check, dropped her bag off and got in line for the porta-a-potties. It was getting pretty close to 7a (when corrals supposedly closed) so we rushed through, said our goodbyes and good lucks and found our respective corrals. The Columbus Marathon went from 6 corrals last year to 4 this year and I'm not sure why. I found my corral to be WAY overcrowded and very hard to get into- there was one small entrance (so that bibs could be monitored) and the back up to get in was crazy! Tons of people were just jumping the fences and bypassing the bib checkers which was frustrating to me, a follower of rules, but I just blocked it out and tried to get into my own zone. I had a weird sense of calm washing over me. I'm generally almost afraid to be confident, I'm more the kind of person who lowers expectations so as to avoid disappointment, but I was feeling really good and that was terrifying. I knew that today was my day and I really tried to go with that feeling. Despite the freezing temperatures and lack of personal space, the 30 minute wait between corral close + first corral release flew by. I ditched my sweats and my windbreaker, popped a Shot Blok in my mouth and got ready to run. As corral B moved up to the start line I soaked it all in: I was going to run a marathon!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was very focused on keeping my first miles in check, I refused to go out too fast and ruin my race (as I have done during every.single.half-marathon) so my key phrase was "hold back". Despite the crowds I had quickly settled into a pace that I knew was too fast, so I just kept repeating "hold back" and finally found a happy place around 10:30. My goal was to keep my miles between 10:00-11:30, slow but steady. The first few miles honestly flew by, I knew I'd be seeing K. just past mile 1 so that was my first little burst of energy. I kept my eyes out for him, which was good because I think he would have missed me if I didn't start screaming his name! After I saw him I turned up my music and just stayed focused on slowing my pace down and enjoying my surroundings, as I knew I wouldn't see my cheering crew again for another 7 or so miles. Per the suggestion of <a href="http://trainingsmoker.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Carolina John</a>, I was taking a small sip of water during every song change (which ended up being the perfect hydration strategy!) and then sticking with my tried-and-tested nutrition of one Shot Blok every three miles. That little routine made the whole marathon seem more manageable- it basically broke the race up into little three mile sections for me. Although I still felt very strong and comfortable it was around mile 3 that I realized two things: 1. these shoes are dead. They may have JUST died. Either way I'm never wearing them again and 2. I am pretty sure I have some level of a stress fracture in my foot. I hadn't really had many doubts, I still felt strong and great, but the thought of an actual injury ironically made me commit even more to my goal of running the entire thing- because I imagined I may be sidelined for a bit post-race I might as well make it worth it, right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First 10K splits:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mile 1: 10:37</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mile 2: 10:26</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mile 3: 10:34</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mile 4: 10:34</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mile 5: 10:30</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mile 6: 10:38</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10K : 1:05:35</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Right on pace.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had told my family to expect for me to hit that halfway point just around 2:20:00 and I knew that I was doing a good job of staying on track for that. I kept my eyes out for my cheering section around mile 8 but I nearly missed them! A big thanks to the non-headphone wearing runner next to me who got my attention :-). I told K. I didn't need more fuel, said my goodbyes and continued on. I didn't expect to see anyone again until mile 20ish, so I knew that I had to make sure I was keeping the positive thoughts going strong. As I was running through mile 9 I thought about how terrible I felt at that point during the Columbus half last year and even Cap City back in May- I had started walking there in both races- but not today. Today I felt SO STRONG, which was extra great considering I still had 17 miles to go, haha. The next few miles were pretty uneventful. They felt easy and I was just preparing myself to get through the low of watching all the half marathoners turn toward the finish line. An important part of the Columbus Marathon is that it supports Nationwide Children's Hospital. Each mile is dedicated towards a current or former patient and throughout the mile you see facts and photos of the patients and, for those who are well enough to be there, you see the patient themselves. Which is certainly motivational. Mile 12 is the Angel Mile, dedicated to the kids who lost their battles. Last year at that point I was in the homestretch and pretty much only thinking about collapsing but this year I was trying to hold back (all the half marathoners were picking up their paces at this point) so I had a chance to really have a moment for those children. I got to see their friends and family members holding signs dedicated to them and it was very touching. As I hit mile 13 (and watched hundreds of happy half marathoners finish up their races) I felt exhilarated- I was doing this. I was running a marathon and there was no turning back!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mile 7: 10:44</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mile 8: 10:36</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mile 9: 10:32</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mile 10: 10:35</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mile 11: 10:42</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mile 12: 10:48</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mile 13: 10:27</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Half Marathon: 2:19:29 (perfect!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I knew what was coming next- a very desolate stretch. This race is notorious for a serious drop in spectators from about mile 13-18. To make matters worse I wasn't expecting to see K. again until somewhere near mile 20. And on top of all that, we had a slow gradual incline to run up for at least 3 miles. It was not a good time. Despite all of that- I felt strong and confident. I just kept saying "wow, you are really going to do this!". I was easily maintaining my hydration + nutrition strategies and I felt perfectly fueled- not sloshy or thirsty, not hungry or sugar-highed- just perfect. I already started telling myself how this was my smartest race and how I had nailed nutrition. I didn't want to get TOO cocky at this point- I was still fearing the dreaded wall- but I really tried to keep all negative thoughts out of my head. As I was strolling along High street and enjoying my race PDR I was extremely shocked to see K. (conveniently standing right in front of my work) yelling for me! I took out my headphones and I just screamed back "I haven't walked yet! I haven't walked yet!". I told him I was good on fuel and I'd see him again at 20. That was such a pleasant surprise! As the course took a turn onto Lane avenue I was relieved because I knew we had a bit of a downhill in front of us. I started having new landmarks in my mind: 16.3 miles because less than double-digits left, 17 miles because that was my longest continuous run prior to this, 20 miles to make up for my failed 20-miler/see K., 23.1 miles because only a 5K left. Little things like that were pulling me through. At around 17/18 we went into the famed Ohio State Stadium (the 'shoe) and while I'm sure other people found this super exciting, I found it kind of dumb. We had to run down a sudden, steep downhill (really hard after 17.5 miles of running), take ~20 steps in the actual stadium and then a sudden, steep uphill! It felt like a cruel joke. What I DID like about this part was that it was a turnaround, so I had seen the people in front of me and now I was seeing the ones behind. During the entire race I NEVER looked back (because why would I?) and kind of had it in my head that no one was running as "slow" as me- which is crazy, I realize. But I somehow found comfort in knowing there were thousands of people in every direction. After the stadium the next 2 miles felt like a mountain- and looking at my Garmin data it was the highest climb of the entire race, which is just mean! I'm proud to say that mile 19 was the first time my pace crept over 11 minutes (and a bit sadder to say that it would never go back down- whoops!). These miles were a bit less rosy- my back and my hips were starting to hurt- but I truly feel like I never really hit "the wall". I definitely slowed a bit, but I still felt strong and almost more confident than ever. As soon as I hit mile 20 I knew that I only had a measly little 10K left and I had redeemed myself from my failed training run.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mile 14: 10:38</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mile 15: 10:40</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mile 16: 10:41</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mile 17: 10:55</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mile 18: 10:59</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mile 19: 11:17</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mile 20 : 11:39 (slowest mile of the marathon, so kind of my "wall")</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">20M 3:36:26</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shortly past 20 I saw K. again and I started screaming "NO WALKING! I'M DOING THIS!!!!!" kind of like a maniac, pretty sure I freaked out the runners around me, but I was just so excited! Any remaining fears I had were completely gone- there was no doubt in my mind that I would finish this without walking. Mile 20 through 23 were again, uneventful, I was just so ready to get to the final 5K. I actually saw the 4:30 pace group around 20 or 21 (they had started a corral behind me, so it was probably more like 4:35-4:38 for me) and thought about booking it and finishing with them but the not-so-great pain in my foot told me that was a bad idea. I once again made peace with the fact that this wasn't a time goal race for me and I just kept doing my own thing. At mile 23 we were greeted with a Kroger sponsored food stop, full of cookies, candy, fruit and soda. I ate my last planned Shot Blok @ 21 so an orange wedge sounded perfect to get me through these last few miles. It tasted like heaven, really. When I hit mile 25 I started welling up for the first time, I knew only one more mile marker stood between me and finishing this thing. By this point I had turned off shuffle on my iPod and started putting on my power songs ("Roar" by Katy Perry, "Can't Hold Us" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and "Dog Days Are Over" by Florence + the Machines) over and over. The crowds got REALLY thick right near the "1/2 mile to go!" sign and it was all so overwhelming. I had the BIGGEST smile on my face but I was also basically crying. As we took a turn toward the finish line I was just completely in awe- of the people cheering for me, of the people in front of and behind me, and of myself. I ripped my headphones out of my ears and ran as fast as I could towards the finish line. After 26 miles of running I felt like I was flying but after watching the video that was not quite the case, haha, but either way. I gave it everything I had left and crossed the finish line with my hands in the air. I had actually done it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mile 21: 11:06</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mile 22: 11:10</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mile 23: 11:08</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mile 24: 11:12</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mile 25: 11:16</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mile 26: 11:09</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.2 (well, .46 because I failed at running the tangents): 9:15 pace</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">TOTAL TIME: 4:45:40</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggV_9AH1bxP-E9zD7kQkGDQ7WgWVhN-LAD3ZX70r416bEdKIoiKe5NK17PXr-Cey1TSOagOyrk0UjiPLD8NijW-bUwkHnNX1PoZ1kDyQsD59f-hD13LWuTFX1thXhLSdAdqOI3ONxkRwbU/s1600/finish+line.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggV_9AH1bxP-E9zD7kQkGDQ7WgWVhN-LAD3ZX70r416bEdKIoiKe5NK17PXr-Cey1TSOagOyrk0UjiPLD8NijW-bUwkHnNX1PoZ1kDyQsD59f-hD13LWuTFX1thXhLSdAdqOI3ONxkRwbU/s320/finish+line.tiff" width="306" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I thanked every volunteer who would listen and proudly posed for a finish line photo (something I've skipped in other races). The second I stopped running I was acutely aware of all the aches and pains in my lower legs but at that point it really didn't matter. The first thing I said to K. when I finally got to hug him was: "I ran the whole thing. I didn't really I think I could do that, but you did. And I did it!".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can say without a doubt this was the smartest race I've ever run. I knew I was in no shape to actually "race" my first marathon so I held back and focused on what I could do. I stayed true to my hydration/nutrition plan and it worked flawlessly- I didn't even feel famished when I crossed the finish. Another thing that really paid off for me was the heart rate training- my average heart rate was 165 for the marathon, which is GREAT for what was technically race day. I peaked at 179 during my sprint to the finish but mostly stayed in the 160s. I was very pleased to see that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Honestly, I couldn't have asked for a more perfect first marathon. And as everyone had warned it only took me a few hours to decide that yes, I will definitely be going back for more.</span><br />
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Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05599803208360555156noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6145710834851072653.post-73822973554754248752013-10-23T10:04:00.000-04:002013-10-23T10:10:12.294-04:00Pre-Marathon Prep<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I figure I can drag the marathon talk out for another two posts before I need to accept that it is over (sad!) and time to move on to future goals (exciting!). So today we'll cover the day before and morning of the marathon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My anxiety was sky high on Saturday. I was so thankful that I had a really messy house to deal with and visitors arriving to distract me from freaking out. I let myself wake up without an alarm, as I assumed I wouldn't be getting the best night's sleep on Saturday I wanted to get at least a solid 8 hours on Friday, and that was pretty glorious. Another thing I wanted to do was enjoy a leisurely breakfast so I decided to try a new play on my oh-so-favorite Greek yogurt pancakes. I had 3/4 of a container of 0% plain Chobani in my fridge so I felt like the possibilities were endless!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My inspiration was my pre-run snack from Friday:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">PB&Co. courtesy of a box of goodies I won from Chelsea of <a href="http://chelseashealthykitchen.com/" target="_blank">Chelsea's Healthy Kitchen</a>. So delicious!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I mixed up my usual GY pancake batter (3 oz. Greek yogurt, 1 egg white, 1/4 c. whole wheat flour, 1/2 tsp. baking soda) and then I added in:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 1/2T. of the Dark Chocolate Dreams</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 1/2T sweetened shredded coconut (since I was using plain yogurt)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 1/2t. vanilla extract</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~7 slices of banana, broken up</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I dolloped my batter in the pan and added some extra banana slices while they cooked. For my dipping sauce </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">I mixed together the remaining Greek yogurt and a bit more of the dark chocolate dreams PB. I also sliced up the rest of the banana on the side.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Breakfast is served!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm glad I fit in my relaxing breakfast because as soon as I finished eating I was cleaning like a mad woman! I spent the next four hours doing laundry, vacuuming, scrubbing the bathtub, doing dishes, dusting, etc. before I knew it I only had ~20 minutes to shower and be ready for the arrival of my first visitor! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once my friend KT arrived (who was running her very first half marathon), we hit up the expo (which was super crowded and nothing to write home about) and the grocery store and came home to start making a big pasta dinner. My wonderful cousin and aunt had driven down to come cheer me on so they joined us and K. for dinner. I stuffed myself with pasta and then we all sat down to look at the course map, determine where they could see me and work on my playlist. By 10p I was in bed and I felt like a kid on Christmas eve!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When my alarm went off at 4:47a I was ready to go! It was a bit colder than I was hoping (probably should have turned on the heat) but I still managed to pop out of bed and get right into my race morning routine. As soon as I got downstairs I realized that I felt good- no aches, no pains, no stomach issues. I was cautiously optimistic at this point. I toasted up two pieces of whole wheat bread and smothered them with PB + blackberry jam, I ate almost all of that (a larger pre-run breakfast than usual, but since nutrition has been an issue I wanted to make sure I was FULL). I washed it down with a 20oz of half Vitamin Water Revive/half water. At about 5:45 I started to get dressed. For my race outfit I wanted removable layers- I've really come to prefer running in shorts + a tank so that was my base layer, but when we left the house I was wearing:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.movingcomfort.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-MovingComfort-Site/default/Product-Show?pid=350025" target="_blank">Moving Comfort Juno sports bra</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.movingcomfort.com/Flex-Tank/300458,default,pd.html" target="_blank">Moving Comfort Flex tank</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.movingcomfort.com/Momentum-Short/300501,default,pd.html" target="_blank">Moving Comfort Momentum shorts</a> (I'm just now realizing that I was head to toe MC, they do make some of the best running clothes!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.procompression.com/arm-sleeves-black/" target="_blank">Pro Compression Arm Sleeves</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.procompression.com/calf-sleeves-neon-pink/" target="_blank">Pro Compression Calf Sleeves</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mizunousa.com/running/products/mizuno-womens-wave-inspire-9" target="_blank">Mizuno Wave Inspire 9</a>s (which are officially retired from my rotation now)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">C9 Cold weather headband</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">throwaway sweatpants</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">throwaway zip down hoodie</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">throwaway wind breaker</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">gloves</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was the perfect amount of clothes for the ~35 degree morning we were having!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I loaded my pockets with a variety of fuel- I didn't want to end up having my body reject one flavor of <a href="http://www.clifbar.com/food/products_shot_bloks/" target="_blank">Shot Bloks</a> (it's been known to happen to me in race) and be left with nothing, so I took half a package of black cherry, half a package of fruit punch and half a package of pomegranate <a href="http://shop.honeystinger.com/categories/Organic-Energy-Chews/" target="_blank">Honey Stinger energy chews</a>. I put the remaining halves into another baggy for K. to have in case I wanted to grab them from him on the course. I filled up a water bottle with plain water, grabbed my Garmin + HRM, iPod and sunglasses and we headed out the door. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To Be Continued...</span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05599803208360555156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6145710834851072653.post-25403001892917094572013-10-21T11:11:00.001-04:002013-10-21T11:11:31.396-04:00Marathon success!I did it!! 26.2 miles of nothing but running. I'm going to need some serious rest and recovery time but I'm already working on my race recap (while the memories are still fresh) and can't wait to share it!<div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0KklAeE1sc3hgrwOMzWCj6DEjzFyVQJPNoAVFo1i4KTPD9Pc4DgH29Y_6UEHR_JWbQd8d5nzHwdUlC_fUsndm1GXtI_XvR28ugU4IXNTy7ZNKwVFIjiErluZHfiv5gxOpeDXQERQ8CFlw/s640/blogger-image-513532195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0KklAeE1sc3hgrwOMzWCj6DEjzFyVQJPNoAVFo1i4KTPD9Pc4DgH29Y_6UEHR_JWbQd8d5nzHwdUlC_fUsndm1GXtI_XvR28ugU4IXNTy7ZNKwVFIjiErluZHfiv5gxOpeDXQERQ8CFlw/s640/blogger-image-513532195.jpg"></a></div></div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05599803208360555156noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6145710834851072653.post-74255350155879839632013-10-18T10:48:00.001-04:002013-10-18T10:48:21.584-04:00<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week has been a blur of battling sickness and work, work, work. I'm trying to get ahead so I can happily enjoy having post-marathon Monday off to recuperate and it's made for a pretty hectic week.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite the busy-ness of work, I squeezed in a really nice run the other day. After reading basically every article about the marathon taper I could find on the internet (I like to do my research!) I felt like I had a pretty good plan in place, a few easy runs and then coasting until the big day. Many of the articles (sorry, no links because they are bookmarked on my other computer, but I know they were from Runner's World) highlighted the fact that even though you are decreasing mileage you don't need to decrease intensity (you also shouldn't INCREASE it though, very important). As is typical for me during a training period, I've been feeling a little over running. I'm tired of watching my heart rate, of doing painfully slow long runs, of HAVING to run. So I decided to take a break from all that. I ditched the heart rate monitor, set my Garmin for 30 minutes and just RAN. It felt great! I remembered what it was to get my legs moving again, to feel free and happy on the roads. It was comforting to see that I hadn't lost all my speed and that it could feel good again. I still have a shake out run or two left in me- 20 minutes today and maybe tomorrow, nothing hard- but I consider that to be my last "real" training run and it was the perfect one to end on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last night I was craving comfort food to help shake this sickness so I settled on a chili recipe that I stumbled across not too long ago. I can't remember what blogger had linked to this but as soon as I saw the name I knew I had to make it (and that <a href="http://www.despitemypancreas.com/" target="_blank">my sister</a> would want to as well): <a href="http://www.eatingbirdfood.com/2013/09/peanut-butter-vegetarian-chili/" target="_blank">Peanut Butter Vegetarian Chili</a>! I followed the recipe exactly and it was amazing! You can't really taste the peanut butter but it does make the chili a bit more substantial- which can be hard with a vegetarian chili. In the name of easing into carb loading I served mine in a sourdough bread bowl with a dollop of 0% plain Chobani.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was exactly what I was craving and we have tons of leftovers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We enjoyed our chili while watching half of the Eddie Izzard Marathon Man docu-series. Have you ever checked that out? It's totally insane- with zero running background he set out to run 43 marathons in 51 days. And while he wasn't setting any speed records it was still incredibly motivational. Really highlights the importance of mental toughness. It was super motivational.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Big plans for tonight: playlist making (I want to have at least 5 hours of music ready), house cleaning (visitors arrive tomorrow!) and another good night of sleep (probably my last chance for that).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05599803208360555156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6145710834851072653.post-25089665695939846672013-10-14T14:03:00.001-04:002013-10-14T14:03:27.151-04:00Cooking to calm the nerves<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been pretty open about the fact that I'm relatively terrified about this upcoming marathon. And while I've been trying to keep my nerves in check and do what's best for me body, I feel like it's all kind of coming to a head. Now that we are less than a week away from the big day I feel like the only thing I can think about is this race. It's all consuming! In an attempt to temporarily clear my mind (and continue to properly fuel my body) I've finally been spending more time in the kitchen- and it's felt good!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This weekend I decided to embrace fall and eat my first spaghetti squash of the season. I was craving vegetables but wanted a meal that also felt hardy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like 99% of the meals I cook, I started by sauteeing an onion.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_IzrXvxcKFlZuRiOfG_D8O_EBVuW1BPKK_79Yc0ehKcmHOHpVgyYdGOPn_nA0Erh_A-q90n_rUNqVklZIX5kWhMi5BPBTNQ4gxYinqLsv70w3UW_46llp-daY-t6ODXx17cbjW7LjauY/s1600/onion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_IzrXvxcKFlZuRiOfG_D8O_EBVuW1BPKK_79Yc0ehKcmHOHpVgyYdGOPn_nA0Erh_A-q90n_rUNqVklZIX5kWhMi5BPBTNQ4gxYinqLsv70w3UW_46llp-daY-t6ODXx17cbjW7LjauY/s1600/onion.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To increase the richness I threw in a tablespoon of butter, instead of using olive oil. While the onion was cooking I chopped up some fresh sage and garlic. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I feel that any autumn squash + sage = perfection. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWTuiaJvbfgHfbSYbuBXNil9_73q_nNXAvMQgY2SVO952c95FEFeJVC7o5vrIueXiZdYAo6xfOMQwZplIiOk-Dv7aBDNrpdfO6sQVdi5xA8YMbfF-YrE2-K453nPEskiWepeXVpEA33Ve/s1600/sage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWTuiaJvbfgHfbSYbuBXNil9_73q_nNXAvMQgY2SVO952c95FEFeJVC7o5vrIueXiZdYAo6xfOMQwZplIiOk-Dv7aBDNrpdfO6sQVdi5xA8YMbfF-YrE2-K453nPEskiWepeXVpEA33Ve/s1600/sage.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I added in the sage and garlic, a bit of fresh ground pepper, some baby bella mushrooms and probably 3 cups of fresh spinach (I love mt greens) and allowed it all to cook down.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4X4-nxS3Q_LgFk3f76Ai-qcaBdmpxKnPlrA9iY6y6sWrAEE9vT17VfS-KIRL2OQN0k8e0AqV30NYVYMnlbKql8b3FhbjT2XEgwb6XDmKmGgJE-VtHCz0fqPhQrCF6EqXBOwJa6sNRCU6t/s1600/mush.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4X4-nxS3Q_LgFk3f76Ai-qcaBdmpxKnPlrA9iY6y6sWrAEE9vT17VfS-KIRL2OQN0k8e0AqV30NYVYMnlbKql8b3FhbjT2XEgwb6XDmKmGgJE-VtHCz0fqPhQrCF6EqXBOwJa6sNRCU6t/s1600/mush.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As all of this was taking place on the stove top, I had an entire (GIANT) spaghetti squash roasting in the oven. I generally just coat a baking sheet in olive oil, cut the squash in half and roast it face down until a butter knife can cut into it.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8_RDJ1fjrGmcxvWeFQxFC4gUhSaU7BG_Vc0yj1_V4V02KrtPs0KYDNlKvG5GDv6_gai3sh727swIgecLN5-IERHZ_gcz0BUwWJ1aw-QVtDaxekDiAs_aIyPd0LTQIH2L2iM3PqmZ5CCm/s1600/spagsqu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8_RDJ1fjrGmcxvWeFQxFC4gUhSaU7BG_Vc0yj1_V4V02KrtPs0KYDNlKvG5GDv6_gai3sh727swIgecLN5-IERHZ_gcz0BUwWJ1aw-QVtDaxekDiAs_aIyPd0LTQIH2L2iM3PqmZ5CCm/s1600/spagsqu.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This baby was over 5 lbs of deliciousness so I only shredded half and added it into the saute pan.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJdgQg9Jb4xsWqFbmQ1EBz_bB98QOcrg5CWYbcbdfChMjFRC7hzofRj5bm3pBjEwyiJQ8Zz41m3fwgXelYz9mUFcYf_NYoT_6e_gJFfaRbzYy4hAj9ySopbjlOnObkL86rgNDiy1XZpbN_/s1600/spagmess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJdgQg9Jb4xsWqFbmQ1EBz_bB98QOcrg5CWYbcbdfChMjFRC7hzofRj5bm3pBjEwyiJQ8Zz41m3fwgXelYz9mUFcYf_NYoT_6e_gJFfaRbzYy4hAj9ySopbjlOnObkL86rgNDiy1XZpbN_/s1600/spagmess.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally I topped this all off with some of my <a href="http://cardiocatsandcooking.blogspot.com/2013/02/strength-training-sweet-curry-tofu.html" target="_blank">sweet curry tofu</a> and had a well balanced meal. This dinner tasted like fall and was extremely filling. I look forward to many more squash adventures this season!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05599803208360555156noreply@blogger.com0