Category Archives: Uncategorized

Veggie and Cookie Cravings

Posted on February 3, 2010 | 6 comments

Good morning – Happy Hump Day! Hope everyone had a good Tuesday. My day was pretty good – I started off with a nice breakfast of oatmeal with banana and peanut butter, along with a side of light cranberry juice. A very filling breakfast.

It was such a filling breakfast that I didn’t even have a mid-morning snack – so unlike me. But lunch was filling enough as well, I had leftover chicken and spinach bulgur from the night before. This meal was very hearty.

Afternoon snacks were Chobani yogurt with Kashi Go Lean cereal (aren’t you so sick of this snack – maybe I will switch it up on Thursday) and an apple.

After work, I headed to the gym to try to squeeze in as much of a run as possible. I ran a decent 4 miles in 33:26 and then was going to stop, but saw that there were one or two treadmills opens, so I ran another mile for a total of 5 miles in 42:30. Then I noticed people waiting so I hopped off and did some ab work. I slacked on doing free-weight arm exercises, but oh well.

So far, this week I am doing okay with my marathon training. Here is a link to access my training plan through Google Docs. I like using this program because I can update it from anywhere. Here’s a brief snapshot of my progress so far:

I can’t wait until it starts getting warmer and light outside later so I can do my longer week workouts outside — running 8 miles on the treadmill would not be fun.

After the gym, I was craving veggies in a really weird way, so I came home and made a giant salad for dinner with Mediterranean lettuce, carrots, goat cheese, raisins, and walnuts. I drizzled Newman’s Light Balsamic Vinaigrette over top.

It was delicious and hit the spot, but then I was craving some dessert (very much like me). I decided to try to make Tina’s 3-Minute Oatmeal Raisin Cookie into a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie. I followed her original recipe, but added peanut butter, swapped out raisins for chocolate chips, used protein powder in place of flour, left out the cinnamon, used Truvia instead of brown sugar and voila!

The addition of the peanut butter made it a little gooey in places, but I was okay with that. I also doubled the original recipe, which produced a GIANT cookie  – totally unnecessary. Somehow, I managed to eat it all, but wouldn’t double it again in the future. Here was my final recipe:

  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 1/4 cup liquid egg whites
  • 1 packet of Truvia 
  • 2 tsp protein powder (thanks Hubby)
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 tsp peanut butter

    • Thanks again to Tina for this great recipe and congrats to her on her two-year blog birthday!

    Lastly, here are a few health headlines that caught my eye:

    Slimmer Doesn’t Always Mean Fitter – I am still trying to determine what my “best” weight is for running. Hopefully I can figure it out by May – just in time for the marathon! How about you – have you PRed or run better when you were either heavier or lighter – how did you find your ideal running weight?

    Rules Worth Following, for Everyone’s Sake – I am buying Michael Pollan’s new book  Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual, published in December 2009. I really want to read his other books:  In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto and The Omnivore’s Dilemma, but I think Food Rules has moved to the top of my list. This NY Times article gives a great overview of the book’s main ideas, as well as some general info/facts about healthy eating.  Have you read any of  Pollan’s books? Will you be checking this one out?

    Have a great Wednesday everyone. I’ve got some exciting plans tonight: I’m going to the ballet with Katie and trying some authentic Greek food beforehand!  I’m super excited! See you tomorrow.

    6 Comments

    Posted in Books, Dessert, Running, Uncategorized

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    Beautiful Bulgur and a Worthy Cause

    Posted on February 2, 2010 | 9 comments

    Good morning – happy Tuesday. How is everyone doing this week? My week is much less hectic and I am very thankful. I was supposed to get up for a morning run at the gym today, but it didn’t happen. So hopefully the place will be desolate tonight and I can squeeze in a longer-ish run. Yeah right.

    Before I get to Monday’s eats, I wanted to spread the word about a unique cause. My friend Rachael at Outdoorphins is an outdoor activity enthusiast and she sent me some information about her friend who is seeking support for her new non-profit organization dedicated to outdoor activities linked to raising money for charitable organizations. Here is her friend’s request:

    ——————————–

    “Hey Everyone,
     
    I need your help! As many of you know in April of 2009 I started a non-profit called Outdoors For A Cause (OFAC). Outdoors For A Cause is a non-profit organization which brings together outdoor activities and raising money for charitable organizations and causes. We believe that if people are given an easy way to raise money while doing the outdoor activities they enjoy, together, we can make a difference while maintaining healthier, happier lifestyles.  
     
    I submitted OFAC to the Pepsi Refresh Project which gives grant money to new ideas that will have a positive impact! I am in the running for a $50,000 grant. Pepsi likes my idea but now it’s up to your votes to see who wins! If I win this grant money OFAC would be up and running in 4 months!  This organization will truly make a difference in the lives of those in need and all it will take is YOUR VOTE!
     
    You are allowed to vote once a day, so vote as much as you can through the month of February!
     
    YOU CAN START VOTING FOR OUTDOORS FOR A CAUSE BY CLICKING ON THE LINK BELOW!
     
    http://refresheverything.com/outdoorsforacause
     
    As one becomes many and $1 raised becomes millions, Outdoors For A Cause and all of you that voted will be proud to say that we were part of a movement that promoted happier, healthier lifestyles while supporting those in need, saving lives, and making the world a better place for future generations to come.
     
    If you like my idea, vote for it! If you REALLY like it, then help spread the word to everyone you know via email, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc! 🙂 Pepsi has even created links to easily promote this idea, after you vote simply click on the social networking site you prefer and spread the word!!
     
    Thank you very much!

    Karen Lewis
    Outdoors For A Cause

     

    —————————————–

    I think her organization sounds like a great idea and a unique way to stay healthy and fit while giving back to charities and groups that need the help. I always feel better about signing up for a road race and doling out sometimes upwards of $75, if I know the money is going to a charitable or needy organization. I’m very happy that the Poconos Marathon in May benefits The Red Cross, especially after all they’ve done in Haiti.

    So I encourage everyone to check out the site and at least vote – voting is super easy and you will be helping someone to move one step closer to achieving their dream/goal.  And  I know so many of us out there have some amazing and important goals and can relate.

    Now onto Monday’s eats:

    Breakfast was Kashi Heart to Heart cereal with skim milk (no almond milk in the house) topped with blueberries, and with a side of light cranberry juice.

    My mid-morning snack was a Larabar and I was ravenous for it by 11:00 a.m.

    Not the biggest fan of the cherry pie flavor, but it probably would have been good combined with something else – for instance in my yogurt maybe?

    Lunch was reduced Fat Triscuit crackers with Garlic and Herb Laughing Cow Light Cheese. YUM! And a side of carrots.

    Afternoon snacks were Chobani yogurt with Kashi Go Lean cereal and a bag of green grapes.

    After work I hit the gym for a quick run of 3 miles – I finished in 26:20. I definitely took it slow and steady. I’ve had quite a bit of congestion in my ears and nose lately and yesterday was particularly bad. I was glad for the easy run.

    For dinner, I took some inspiration from Meg and made a meal with Bulgur. It’s been sitting in my kitchen cupboard for a while, but I just couldn’t figure out what I wanted to make. Meg made hers with shrimp, but I decided to use chicken and I switched a few other things up. Here was my final recipe – thanks for the inspiration Meg!

    Bulgur with Chicken and Spinach

     Ingredients
    1 shallot – chopped
    1 cup of bulgur
    1 tsp. olive oil
    2 cups of chicken broth
    1/8 cup of cheddar cheese
    1/2 cup of frozen spinach

    Directions

    Add chicken to skillet and sauté for 5-6 minutes or until nearly cooked. Add shallot and bulgur to pan – sauté with olive oil for 2-3 minutes. Add 2 cups of chicken broth and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmered for 15 minutes.

    While that is cooking, heat up frozen spinach in the microwave and add it to the skillet for the last 2 minutes. Add cheese for the last minute of cooking – allowing it to melt and stir.

    Final result:

    Up close

    I added a little bit of ground Cumin at the end as well and it got a “pretty good” from the Hubby. So that passes in my book.

    Have you ever cooked with bulgur? If yes, what is your favorite recipe?

    After dinner, Hubby and I watched The Bachelor – I guess you could say we are now officially “regular watchers” no matter how much we want to claim we aren’t. I’m leaning towards thinking Tenley is going to win it. But I definitely thought he was going to axe either Gia or Vienna last night – I was way off.

    And as I mentioned, this morning I was supposed to run, but instead I made a quick visit to my doctor just to be sure there was nothing weird going on in my ears. They have been clogged for almost two-weeks and it can be really frustrating. I feel like I am constantly yelling because I can’t hear what’s being discussed. I figured it would go away eventually, but wanted to practice the “better to be safe than sorry” idea.

    Doc said it’s viral and that it should go away if I continue to flush out my nose to drain the mucus (this will in turn help my ears I guess). I’ve been taking Sudafed off and on, but he said I need to be strict with my regimen: Sudafed, Mucinex D, Nasonex and I need to try something called Salt-Aire, which is kind of like a netty pot, but with a saline solution. I’m sure none of you wanted all that info – but just in case you face a similar congestion issue – here’s the cure! He made a point to note that if I don’t do all this, it could turn into a sinus infection – eek!

    So besides a longish run at the gym tonight – I’ll be doing all that – fun, fun!  Don’t you just love winter? Blah. Have a good Tuesday.

    9 Comments

    Posted in Bloggers, Running, Uncategorized

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    Weekend Run and Wedding Fun!

    Posted on February 1, 2010 | 4 comments

    Sorry I was MIA all weekend! I was busy, busy from Friday evening on, so no blogging occurred. Everyone needs a little break once in a while right?

    I’m just going to give a quick recap of the weekend and tomorrow will be back to the norm.

    On Friday after work the Hubby and I drove up to Albany to my parent’s house. We left late, got there late and pretty much just went to bed. But not before my mom told me that I was absolutely not allowed to run outside the next day. It was supposed to be frigid and she told me she was “pulling the mom card” and telling me no.

    So on Saturday I got up and we to my mom’s gym for a nice long treadmill run. Fun times. I generally dislike running anything more than 4 miles on the treadmill, but I didn’t really have many other options. Important note: it was 2 degrees outside!! I got to the gym and was shocked by how many people were there at 9:30 a.m. All the treadmills were taken, so I milled around for a bit until someone hopped off.

    I hopped on and told myself that I was running at least 6 miles without feeling guilty. It was the weekend and people could wait. That being decided, I started my run and watched some t.v. After about 30 minutes I decided to do some incline work and raised it to incline 3.5 for about 5 minutes and increased my speed. I did this twice and it really helped move the workout along. I ended up running 7 miles in 61:30.  This week, my training plan called for a total of 22 miles, but after missing a few early-week runs, I only managed to get in 18 miles. I’m not beating myself up about it.

    After my workout, I headed back to my parent’s house to do some stretching and relax a bit before getting ready for the wedding.

    Kelly and Jerry’s wedding ceremony started at 4:00 p.m. in Schenectady. It was really beautiful and unique. I had never been to a Greek wedding before and I loved all the different rituals and ceremonies. It was a small and cozy church. After the ceremony we headed over to The Glen Sanders Mansion for the reception.

    Hubby and I had a great time! I didn’t take any food pictures during the cocktail hour because I was focused solely on eating. 🙂 But I did take a picture with the bride!

    Lauren, Kelly, me and Becky

    We headed into the main ballroom following cocktail hour and then began the real eating! Hubby and I took our requisite “at the table” photo.

    And then we ate! I had a salad for an appetizer (everyone else who got prime rib or chicken for their entrée had pasta as an appetizer). The salad was good, but went unphotographed. Then my main course was Rigatoni Pasta with a Butternut Squash Sauce. It was yummy and very rich.

    It looks so bright! I had to use the flash – sorry. It was very good.

    Then it was time for some dancing! And boy did we dance. The bride and the groom danced a lot as well! I love when the bride and groom are out on the dance floor enjoying themselves.

    Then it was time for a little cake! The cake was great, but I was so full that I could barely eat any of it.

    I had such a great time. Here is one last photo of me and Becky – we were table mates and crazy dance partners!

    It was a great time, but also a late night and Hubby and I were pretty tired on Sunday. We didn’t end up heading back to NYC until early evening, which means we didn’t get home until basically my bedtime. I tried to stay up and watch The Grammys, but I was exhausted, so I headed to bed.

    Tonight’s workout calls for an easy 3-mile run and for that I am very relieved. I wish I had one extra day of rest after weekends like this.

    How about you – how was your weekend? Any fun activities – did you brave the cold?

    Have a great Monday everyone!

    4 Comments

    Posted in Bloggers, Running, Travel, Uncategorized

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    Wave to the Camera!

    Posted on January 29, 2010 | 11 comments

    Good morning and happy Friday! I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a seriously stressful week and am ready for a nice weekend. And the best part is that my friend Kelly is getting married tomorrow, so the weekend is sure to be a blast! Congrats Kelly and Jerry – I can’t wait to celebrate with you tomorrow!!

    Yesterday was definitely a less stressful day and I was very grateful. I started the day off with a great breakfast of oatmeal with almond butter and tons of blueberries. I love blueberries!

    Around 10:30 a.m. I ate a banana – I was ravenous for some reason. Then we had a work meeting and it just so happened to be my co-workers birthday and my boss had purchased giant cupcakes for everyone. Now, those who know me well know that I simply can not pass up a cupcake. And I didn’t. Not only that, I chose the worst one: carrot cake cupcake with cream cheese frosting (sooo good!). These cupcakes were from Zeytuna and they were enormous. Seriously out of control…and I ate the whole thing. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. It was awful.

    Needless to say, I was pretty full and felt gross for the rest of the day. And I also got a terrible headache (probably from such a huge rush of sugar) and then felt sleepy. Awful! Where was my self-control on that one?

    Can you say no to sweets – especially when it’s your very favorite? It’s obviously something I need to work on.

    The rest of my afternoon involved little food – some Triscuits with laughing cow cheese and a Chobani yogurt with Kashi Go Lean cereal.

    In the afternoon  I received an email from the NYRR photographer site notifying me that the pictures from last weekend’s half marathon were ready. I always check them out just to see how terrible I looked. There were a ton of pics of Lauren and me. Some were pretty awful, but then I came to this one, which made me laugh out loud:

    I actually remember doing this. It was at the very beginning of the race, maybe at the first mile marker, and I saw the photographer right in front of me. But there were so many people taking pictures that day, that I didn’t think the guy was definitely one of the event photographers – umm yeah he was. Ha!

    Anyway, I digress. I made it through the work day in a slight sugar coma (actually is was really bad). And then I trudged to the gym after work. This week has been terrible as far as my marathon training goes. I am supposed to finish up at 22 miles for the week and I’m at 11 right now. And I will not be running 11 miles tomorrow – maybe 6-7.

    Anyway – I hopped on the last available treadmill and pretty much told myself I’d have to stop at 4 miles because people would be waiting. Miraculously, after 2 miles, the treadmills cleared out and I was able to run 5 miles (43:03) without feeling guilty.

    Then I did some ab work and some arm free-weight exercises with a 5-pound weight.

    I left the gym feeling much better (sugar coma gone) and started walking home and holy coldness!! The temperature had dropped tremendously! I got home, did the dishes, vacuumed and tidied up and then made some dinner. I already had some cooked pasta ready, so I just added a ton of veggies and stuff to it: cucumber, carrots, grape tomatoes, cheddar cheese and apple. I then drizzled it with Newmans’ Light Balsamic vinaigrette.

    Perfection! Dessert was the second half of my grapefruit with a packet of Truvia on top.

    I also had a handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips as well.

    I was considering getting up early today and hitting the gym for a 4-mile run to make my weekly mileage total, but my legs were feeling tired and so was I last night. I figured why push it? If my body was telling me to rest a bit, then I would. That way, I’ll be extra rested for my cold run upstate on Saturday morning. I don’t even want to check what the temperature will be – it will certainly scare me. I am simply preparing to layer-up like crazy.

    And then after that it will be party time!! Do you have any fun plans this weekend or will you just be trying to stay warm? 🙂 Have a good one everyone!

    11 Comments

    Posted in Dessert, NYRR, Running, Uncategorized

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    Ethiopian Eats

    Posted on January 28, 2010 | 9 comments

    Good morning – happy Thursday! It’s almost the weekend. How was your Wednesday? Mine was infinitely better than my Monday and Tuesday. For starters, I actually got up and went to the gym before work! YAY. I wasn’t taking another chance that I might not make it after work.

    And it turns out my decision to skip the gym on Tuesday night following my stressful day was probably a good one. After reading this article: 4 Tips to Run the Stress Off from active.com, I’m positive that forcing myself to squeeze in that run could have resulted in an injury, or at the very least exhaustion.

    What about you – do you back off running when you’re stressed or do you push through and try to work it off during the run?

    So I was at the gym and running by 5:45 a.m. on Wednesday and since there weren’t many people clamouring for a treadmill at that time, I was able to run 6 miles guilt-free. I ran it in 52:20. I did a few ab exercises, but I wanted to be sure I got to work on time, so it was pretty quick.

    While I was at the gym, I realized that I had completely forgotten my food bag for the day. It was sitting on the kitchen counter all alone. So I stopped at the Food Emporium on the way to the subway and picked up a few things to tide me over throughout the day. No clue where my head was yesterday morning – probably still in bed asleep.

    I got to work a little early and proceeded to have my make-shift breakfast of a gnu bar with coffee and a clementine.

    I loved this bar and the banana walnut flavor! Yum – I will be buying this one again.

    My mid-morning snack was an apple and I was ravenous by the time I ate it at 11:00 a.m.

    For lunch, since I forgot my food bag, I had to run out in the cold to get a salad. Yesterday’s salad had romaine lettuce, carrots, cheddar cheese, cucumbers, chickpeas and peas.

    Later afternoon snacks were Chobani yogurt with Kashi Go Lean cereal and a small bag of walnuts and raisins (undocumented).

    All day I was thinking about what I needed to do after work – stop at the store, do the dishes, tidy up the apartment and make dinner. And then around 3:00 p.m. my friend Katie texted me and asked if I was free to go to dinner. Normally I’m not free – I’d be going to the gym. But since I’d already done that, I told her yes, I was very much free!

    Katie and I like to try a variety of cultural and ethnic foods. Last night, we decided to try Ethiopian food at the appropriately titled: The Ethiopian Restaurant in my neck of the woods.

    We started with the Sambussa appetizer, which was very small and was two, cooked ground-beef and classically-spiced patties.

    We then split two entrees: 1) the ethiopian combo which was a combination of yebeg alecha, tibs wot, tikel gomen, misr wot and yabesh gomen; and 2) a chicken dish with the house sauce and spices.

    I loved almost everything on the plate. The bean/lentil dish was a little too spicy for my taste, but I still ate a bit of it. And the cabbage and carrot portion was amazing!

    My friend warned me that I may or may not like the bread because it has a unique texture and some people love it or hate it. I loved it!! It’s called injera.

    Footfit.com’s page on Ethiopian food is really interesting – check it out! Here’s a small snippet.

    “The cooking of the oldest independent country in Africa stars an array of spices that give its stews, sautéed meats, and vegetable dishes a deep, rich, aromatic, oft-times fiery taste….At the heart of Ethiopian cooking is injera, a flat bread that looks like a large pancake but has a spongy texture and a tangy taste reminiscent of sour dough. Injera is made from a tiny, highly nutritious grain called teff that is rich in fiber, iron, protein and calcium.”

    Not only is inerja yummy and nutritious, it’s also your utensil throughout the whole meal. You pick up the various meats, veggies, etc. using this bread. And it works really well.

    All in all, it was a great meal. The owner kept coming over to check on us, which was very nice and even offered to take our picture.

    Don’t mind my slicked-back hair. That’s what happens when you shower at the gym in the morning and then put a hat right on. A nice little flat-head.

    So what do you think – would you ever give Ethiopian food a try? What interesting or new food/cuisine have you tried lately?

    I for one highly recommend you give it a shot! I was nervous going in because I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but it was great!

    Have a great day everyone!

    9 Comments

    Posted in Restaurants, Running, Uncategorized

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    Stress Test

    Posted on January 27, 2010 | 5 comments

    So yesterday was not a better day. It was likely one of my most stressful days in recent history. It started off well with a nice breakfast cookie, which fell apart a bit, but was still very tasty.

    But my day slowly transitioned into stress mode once I got to work. The project from the day before continued to linger and heighten in stress. I had my usual granola bar mid-morning snack and then popped out to get a salad for lunch. It was filled with romaine lettuce, cheese, walnuts, dried cranberries, chickpeas, carrots and topped with balsamic vinaigrette.

    I then went back into work mode, trying to make a 4 p.m. deadline. Well…we missed the 4 p.m. deadline, but figured out a way to still make everything work out if we hit an 8 p.m. deadline. Back to the drawing board. Work, work, work, stress, stress, stress… oops I’m hungry and totally forgot about my afternoon snacks. Finally around 4:30 p.m. I had my Chobani yogurt filled with a Kashi Go Lean/Granola mix.

    I gobbled that down and then it was back to work, work, work and stress, stress, stress. We finally wrapped everything up and dropped off our package at 7 p.m. Phew – made the cut.

    However, now it was 7 p.m., I was exhausted and slowly coming down from my peak of stress and knew that a stop at the gym was probably not in my future. Then I started to get angry with myself and tried to rationalize that if I made it to the gym by 7:30 and ran 3 miles I’d be done by 8:00 p.m. and could head home and have dinner by 9:00 p.m. But after eating so little throughout the day (seriously, I usually snack way more than that – especially when prepping for the gym), I knew my run would be lackluster, distracted, and I’d probably be starving. Dinner at 9:00 p.m. sounded too far away. I coudn’t make it.  

    So I headed home and had the easiest dinner ever: Amy’s Black Bean and Vegetable Soup with a side of Kombucha.

    For some reason, I really liked the Kombucha much better the second time around. I still have a little bit left, which I’ll probably finish up tonight.

    I have to admit that while waiting for the soup to heat up, I did snack on a few Salt and Vinegar Potato Chips that Hubby had in the house (sorry Hubby!). I couldn’t help it! They are my FAVORITE chips and I blame my weakness on stress. So yes, I partook in a little emotional eating last night.

    Have you ever found yourself eating more or eating something you normally wouldn’t because of stress or any other emotion?

    As I was eating dinner, I was watching The Biggest Loser and then followed up dinner with half a grapefruit with a  Truvia packet sprinkled on top for dessert.

    The grapefruit really hit the spot – it was so juicy. I can’t wait to finish the other half.

    Now as far as BL goes – I am torn. Part of me wants to believe that the red team woman isn’t that conniving and manipulative as to throw the weigh-in, but then the other part of me finds her really annoying and pompous a lot of the time and agrees with Jillian that if she was really working out that hard and not doing anything else (like scarfing down extra food), then she would have lost more weight.

    Anyway – I finished up BL and then raced to bed. My plan of attack for today (Wednesday) was to hit the gym in the morning in case any work snafus should arise, forcing me to stay late. I was sad that I couldn’t read my book before bed, but there just wasn’t any time. So, did I get up and make it to the gym… SURE DID! More to come on my great workout and hopefully making this a new routine in tomorrow’s post.

    And lastly, some health news that caught my eye:

    Exercise: In Women, Training for a Sharper Mind – I swear I’m going to work in some strength training during my workout tomorrow.

    Big Benefits Are Seen From Eating Less Salt – DAD: You should read this article!

    Huge variation in salt content of processed food – Umm… so I think salt is the big focus for 2010. NYC is coordinating a nationwide effort to prevent heart attacks and strokes by reducing the amount of salt in packaged and restaurant foods. I am all for it! Reduce the salt or take it out, and then if people really want it, they can add it to their food on their own. What do you think of the less/low salt movement?

    Have a happy Hump Day everyone!

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    Monday = A Bad Balance = Glass of Wine

    Posted on January 26, 2010 | 4 comments

    Good morning – day two of the work week. Let me start by saying that day one was a rough one. I knew coming into work that I had a lot to do, but it got way more out of control than I expected.

    The day started off really well, with my very first oats in a jar!! I used up all my Peanut Butter & Co. White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter (sadness), so I made some oatmeal with banana and dumped it right into the nearly empty jar.

    My first oats in a jar was a success!! How bout you – have you ever made oats in a jar? I feel that I’ve been officially indoctrinated into the food blog world.

    My morning flew by and soon it was lunch time. I had some reduced fat Triscuits with some garlic and herb light laughing cow cheese. I also had a side of carrots.

    I loved the garlic and herb flavor!! New fave – so good it might show up again later in this post! Next up was my afternoon snacks of Chobani pomegranate yogurt with a mix of granola and Kashi Go Lean. Then a bit later I had some green grapes.

    After those snacks I buckled down to finish up some work and then around 4:45 p.m. found out that I needed to do some major work on a big project and it needed to be done and ready for early the next morning. Thoughts of hitting the gym for an easy 3-mile run quickly left my head as the clock ticked away and finally I closed up shop at 8:00 p.m.

    I really strive for a healthy work/life balance, but I realize that there are times when emergencies are going to arise and I may have to stay late to get things done. However, I couldn’t get rid of the nagging guilty feeling I had when I left the office because I couldn’t fit my workout in. I know that one day is not a big issue – especially since it was the day after a big race and I could probably use the rest anyway. So I tried to brush the guilt aside and rework my training plan so that I can still build up the appropriate mileage for the week. I’m definitely more lax about working out when I’m not marathon training. But once training starts, I get a little crazy and compulsive.

    How do you balance work and life? Do you ever find work encroaching on your personal time? How do you keep things in check and do you feel guilty if the balance is ever a little off?

    While I was at work, thankfully I had a few reserve snacks in my arsenal. I grabbed a KIND bar and finished up an apple (that had been in there since last week, so it was probably good that I ate it) to tide me over.

    I finished up my work and left the office around 8:00 p.m. and arrived home at 8:45. Thankfully, I had plenty of leftovers from Saturday night’s pre-race dinner, so I heated it up and added some more Garlic and Herb Laughing Cow Cheese (appearance number two). The added cheese really enhanced the flavor of the dish and I was sad that I hadn’t thought to add it on Saturday night – Hubby and Lauren would have enjoyed their meal that much more! Next time I guess.

    It’s hard to see in the first photo, but next to my meal is a nice big glass of Cabernet Sauvignon – I needed it. On my commute home, I went back and forth between having more Kombucha or a glass of wine (I didn’t think both would mix well) and obviously the wine won out. I figured after such a long day, I fully deserved it.

    I sipped my wine and ate my leftovers while watching the second half of The Bachelor and I have decided that I think Jake is boring – I think he has no personality and he’s kind of a dud. I also constantly feel awkward and uncomfortable when I watch him with the women. I just don’t think there’s much going on behind the scenes, no matter how hard they try to make him seem “thoughtful” and different.

    And I finally figured out the girl’s name that I never knew: Jessie. She got some face time this episode…and then got kicked off. At least now I know.

    Hopefully my Tuesday is more balanced – I hope you have a nice, balanced Tuesday as well!

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    Ma! The Meatloaf!!

    Posted on January 25, 2010 | 13 comments

    Good morning – it’s Monday. Did your weekend feel like it flew by? Mine sure did. And I can’t believe we are in the last full week of January. 

    I woke up this morning kind of sore from yesterday’s half marathon race. I think I may even be more sore than I was the day after the marathon. Lauren and I ran pretty hard yesterday – and we really didn’t even intend to. 

    After the race yesterday, we had planned to meet up with my friend Katie for a hearty brunch. Not considering our condition after the finish, I planned for us to meet Katie on Madison Avenue directly after the race. But, by the time Lauren and I got there we were shivering and chilled to the bone. All we really wanted was to shower and be warm before we did anything else. Thankfully, Katie was such a good sport and came to my apartment to wait while we showered and became human again. 

    Then we decided to head back to my favorite crêpe place right around the corner: Yorkville Creperie. Whenever I eat there, I typically get one sweet crêpe. However, this time I was ravenous and decided to get one savory crêpe and one sweet crêpe. 

    I started with the Greco Crêpe, which was filled with spinach, feta and tomatoes. It was delicious. 

     

    My second course was a sweet crêpe called The Country Crêpe and it had banana, strawberry and nutella. 

     

    It was sooo yummy, but I was openly jealous of Lauren’s Sweet Crêpe which had baked apples, graham crackers, vanilla ice cream, cornflakes and white chocolate. It was divine and might be what I have to order there from now on. 

    After brunch we lounged for a bit, Lauren headed home and I started on the laundry. Walking up and down the 5-flights of stairs after the race was extremely tough. But I managed to get two loads done. A third was needed, but I just couldn’t do it. 

    Before dinner, I decided to try some Kombucha I had picked up a little while back and had completely forgotten about. I had no idea what to expect, but I didn’t want it to go to waste and I had heard wonderful things about it through the blog world. 

     

    I have to say it was not what I expected at all: fizzy, a little vinegary, but also sweetish at the same time. It was strange and it took me a little while to finish my small glass. I may try the rest of it again tonight, but I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it yet. 

    What about you – have you tried Kombucha? Or better yet, have you ever made it?  

    I was Googling it and found so many sites where people were making their own. 

    Here is the definition of Kombucha from, GT, the manufacturer’s website: 

    Kombucha is alternately known as a Chinese tea, a plant, or a mushroom. But it’s not really any of these. It’s a living culture of beneficial microorganisms, and in Kombucha’s case, the whole is infinitely greater than the sum of its parts! Our Kombucha is delicately cultured – some liken it to fermentation – for 30 days. During this period, essential nutrients form like active enzymes, viable probiotics, amino acids, antioxidants and polyphenols. All of these combine to create an elixir that immediately works with the body to restore balance and vitality. Kombucha has been used for hundreds of years throughout the world as a daily health tonic. The culture resembles a light brown, tough, gelatinous disk—and because it’s a living, growing entity, it can regenerate and create new cultures with every batch.

    Kombucha is not a supplement, drug, or medicine… it is simply a super healthy food that helps the body to find (or regain) its natural balance in the body, which promotes overall well-being. Just like regular exercise, Kombucha is something that supports a healthy lifestyle. When the body is healthier, its natural defenses are stronger. 

    Anyway – the jury is still out on that. I’ll let you know how round two goes. After trying some Kombucha, it was time for dinner. Hubby and I finished the rest of the meatloaf… 

     

    And shared a plate of tater tots. 

     

    I don’t normally eat tater tots often, but I felt entitled after running a great race. However, I did end up making way too many though and Hubby had to finish them off and then sit with a very full stomach. :-/ 

    After dinner I read, watched some football and headed to bed early because I was exhausted. I’m about 290 pages into my new book (The Historian) and am still loving it! I can’t wait to finish it and share a recap with you all. 

    Have a great Monday everyone! 

     

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    Good Weekend, Great Race!

    Posted on January 24, 2010 | 15 comments

    Good afternoon – sorry for the lack of posting this weekend. It’s been a busy weekend and I’ve just now had time to take a break. Well, actually I’m currently doing laundry as well as blogging. I definitely want to share a recap of our great NYRR Half Marathon today (YAY), but let me do a quick run-through of Friday and Saturday’s eats – I’ll just give the highlights.

    On Friday morning I made Tina’s 3- minute breakfast cookie for the first time and it came out great! I substituted raisins with dried cranberries and used Truvia instead of brown sugar.

    It was a really yummy breakfast and something new to break up the monotony.

    Lunch was my usual salad (not going to list all the stuff), follow-up by a Chobani yogurt with granola. I’m not posting pics in the essence of time and so as not bore you. But I did enjoy my afternoon snack, which was a KIND bar in a new flavor.

    Mango and Macadamia Nut was amazing!

    After work I skipped my 3-mile training run for two reason: 1) I knew I’d be running more than 9 miles this weekend (which was the required long run) so I would be making up the mileage, and 2) I wanted to go pick up our race packets. When I got home, Hubby was busy making some venison meatloaf. Yup, venison – in case you missed it – check out this post which talks about my Hubby’s hunting hobby and why I support it. The dinner was amazing.

    After dinner, we watched Casino, but I fell asleep about half-way through (it’s a lonng movie).

    Saturday was a busy day, with cleaning in preparation for Lauren’s visit and cooking. I started the day off with another breakfast cookie.

    I made it larger than before and kept me well-filled throughout the day. For lunch, I had a Chobani yogurt with Kashi cereal, a few pickles (I know – gross combo) and some Triscuits. I didn’t document my lunch.

    Lauren arrived around 7:45 and we searched for parking until about 8:15. Then we came home and had some pre-race dinner.

    For dinner, I tried making this recipe, (Chicken and Broccoli Mac-N-Cheese) from a site my friend Jess emailed me. I changed a few things up and didn’t buy the pre-packaged broccoli with cheese, but made my own instead. It came out okay, maybe a little more bland then I would have liked.

    I may try making another recipe from the site another night though. They had some good ideas. After dinner we just hung out, drank lots of water, watched the SAGs and went to bed early. And now for the NYRR Manhattan Half Marathon Recap:

    NYRR Manhattan Half Marathon

    I had a kind of restless night of sleep and was not feeling so optimistic about the half marathon the next morning. But, we left the house around 7:15, met up with Katherine, and took a cab to the start. After hitting the porta-potties, we found our corrals and lined up. It was about 38-40 degrees outside, but it still felt chilly.

    Finally, the race began and it took us a solid 3 minutes to reach the start. The course was essentially two full loops – starting around West 63rd street and finished at the 72nd Traverse. Exciting and interesting the course was not. But at least you knew exactly how much you had left.

    Overall, Lauren and I did very well. We stayed together the whole time and definitely had some ups and downs. Both of us experienced a rough patch around mile 10, but we powered through. The hills in Central Park felt especially large and never-ending today, and even the slighter “rolling hills” were excruciating. But I am extremely proud of our times, here are our stats:

    Mile 1 – 8:08
    Mile 2 – 8:13
    Mile 3 – 7:52
    Mile 4 – 8:16
    Mile 5 – 8:26
    Mile 6 – 8:00
    Mile 7 – 8:20
    Mile 8 – 8:16
    Mile 9 – 8:09
    Mile 10 – 8:23
    Mile 11 – 8:38
    Mile 12 – 8:02
    Mile 13 – 8:05
    .1 (which was actually .31) – 2:19
    Total of 13.31 miles in 1:49:14

    As you can see, we ended up running way more than 13.1 – the reason was because it was nearly impossible to keep to the inside of the course, so we were constantly passing and running around the outer edge, so we were running more than we needed to. My Garmin would beep a solid few seconds before we would hit each mile marker.

    But overall, despite the extra mileage and cold, we had a great race. Now I’m off to finish laundry, relax, eat more (I’ve already eaten a ton of good stuff …more to come on that tomorrow), and read my book.

    Have a great Sunday everyone – and Lauren thanks for a G-REAT race! 🙂

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    Friday Never Felt So Good

    Posted on January 22, 2010 | 6 comments

    TGIF and it feels wonderful. I want to thank everyone for their kind thoughts and comments yesterday. It was a tough day and all your support really helped a lot. I was sort of wary about posting what was going on, but I’m very glad I did. The support I received from my husband, colleagues, friends and blog friends was wonderful – so thank you all.

    I have good news to report on my Dad. He had two stents put in yesterday and will likely be able to leave the hospital today. I talked to him yesterday after the procedure and he said he was feeling okay – just tired and very hungry. My mom tells me he is an unwilling guest at the hospital and has been ready to go home almost since he got there. I’m sure he is counting down the hours till his release today.

    It was definitely hard being so far from my family and many of you said you could relate. I’m only 2 1/2 hours away from my family, so if need be, I could certainly hop on a train and be there somewhat quickly. But I can’t imagine living on the other side of the country or even just a few states away.

    I’ve decided not to head up there this weekend, because as my mom said, there really isn’t anything I can do at the moment. My Dad just needs to rest and recover from this. And eventually start exercising and changing his diet. I’ll be heading up there next weekend for a wedding, so I’ll be able to spend some time with him then.

    So for now, I’m just thankful that he is okay and am waiting to hear that he’s gone home from the hospital. Despite my anxiety yesterday, I tried to eat normally and not let stress affect my foods. Here are my eats:

    Breakfast was oatmeal with dried cranberries, walnuts and agave.

    Then lunch was leftover couscous with carrots and grape tomatoes added and balsamic vinegar drizzled over top.  

    My snacks for the rest of the day included Chobani yogurt with a mixture of granola and Kashi Go Lean cereal added in.

    A small bag of grapes…

    A KIND Fruit and Nut Delight Bar and an apple.

    It sounds like more snacks than usual for me and there was a reason. I had signed up for a camera class a while back and it happened to be last night. I definitely did not feel like going, but as Hubby said, it would help take my mind off everything for a little bit.

    So I headed to my “Getting to Know Your EOS Rebel” class at Adorama on West 18th street.

    The class was helpful in some respects, but not entirely what I was expecting. I need tips on shutter speed, apertures, ISO, etc., and this class focused more on some of the camera features and settings you might not normally explore. Toward the end of the class, myself and a few others started asking questions about shutter speed, ISO, etc. and the lady who runs the workshops, as well as the instructor, suggested we sign up for the March session they are offering. I really wish I had known more about what last night’s class was and was not going to focus on, because I would have skipped it and just gone to the March workshop instead.

    Anyway, I guess I did get some basic info, but now I’m likely going to sign up for the March class as well.

    After my class I talked to my mom again for a little bit and she gave more details about my Dad, his diagnosis and next steps. Then I headed home – I was exhausted.

    I got home from the camera class at about 9:00 p.m. and was starving. I’d had a lot of fruit throughout the day, but I was craving more veggies, so I made myself a big salad with lettuce, carrots, grape tomatoes, raisins and goat cheese. I sprinkled some Newman’s Light balsamic vinaigrette on top and mixed it up.

    After dinner, I watched Grey’s Anatomy, read my book for a bit and pretty much passed out. This has been a short week, but it’s also been exhausting. On top of the stuff going on with my Dad, I felt like I was trying to cram a lot of stuff into just a few days.

    Do you ever feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done?

    Lately, I’ve been shocked by how fast the days are over and how little I feel like I’ve accomplished. I was having this discussion with a few of my friends who are feeling the same way. Maybe it’s the lack of daylight or maybe we just try to cram too many things into our already busy schedules.

    Anyway – Friday truly hasn’t felt this good in a long time. I’m looking forward to a low-key night tonight, my friend Lauren coming down tomorrow, and I am even kind of looking forward to the NYRR Half Marathon on Sunday (maybe it will help release some tension), but I am also kind of dreading it as well. 😉

    Again – thanks for all the support yesterday. The blog world is truly an amazing community of caring people. And much love to my husband (for dealing with my grouchiness and tears) and my friends for the emails, texts and calls. Love you all and love you Dad and Mom!

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