Cat Motivation in the Morning

The one thing harder than to start training for my first marathon, is training after a nasty cold. I feel physically weak, and it does not help with the whole mental attitude either.

I wake in the middle of the night feeling hungry. Apparently dinner is not satisfying enough. It is 1am and I really want to just go back to bed and sleep in.

My alarm goes off at 6am and I try to hit the snooze button. My brain wars between not having enough sleep and finding the motivation to just get out of bed.

My cat makes the decision for me. He nuzzles me for a moment then agilely leaps to the floor. For some reason my body instinctively follows, albeit not as gracefully. Standing beside my warm bed I seriously contemplate diving back in and resetting my alarm clock. Instead I force my feet toward the chair with my laid out winter weather running clothes and mindlessly dress myself as my kitty rubs against my leg looking for his morning breakfast.

I shuffle to the kitchen and grab kitty's food first. He is so demanding. I pull out some Greek yogurt, pumpkin flax granola, and a little honey. Kitty eyes me suspiciously, as if he knows I am dragging and do not want to head out the door.

My hat and mittens are on and I am out the door. It is cold out, but not unbearable. Still dark outside, and a light covering of snow is on the ground. A little traction on the slippery sidewalks I muse. In my revised running plan this run is just a feeler, about two miles. Just enough to see if I am really over this nasty cold.

I take it easy the first half mile or so. At first I am not as self conscious about hocking luggies.

"A mass of mucous and saliva that is forcefully ejected from the mouth onto a person or object. "

Not very ladylike behavior, but I am stuffed up. Pretty sure by body wants to expel that crude in an efficient manner, and it is still dark out. Who is going to catch me?

Until a turn and see an older gentleman coming outside of his house bundled up in a hunting parka. I shrug unapologetically and continue on. If he wants to scold me, he has to catch me. Which may not be as hard as it sounds since I am still fairly sluggish.

A mile out I can feel how the inactivity is affecting my muscles. Even after a short run they are strained. I run around a small block and double back.

I pass the hunting parka man who is now walking down the block. I smile and nod, he just stares impassively. Grumpy.

My pace picks up a bit as my muscles warm. Still strained, but feels lighter too. They need the release after a sleepless night. Sprinting the final stretch I stop my watch and am amazed my pace was clocked at 6'44/mi those last few meters. There is still some energy in the tank. That is good news.

Overall, I run 2.4 miles in 21:01. A 8'44/mi pace. Not terrible considering I am hocking up more luggies into the snow bank as I enter my kitchen to finish my breakfast and make lunch.

I discover that grilling chicken breasts that have marinated all night is soothing after a short trip outside. Kitty jumps on the counter and eyeballs me, I get some too, right?

Pull out the kitty treat jar and he relaxes. Darn him and his cute little pouty face. But he deserves something, he motivated me to get out of bed after all. He commandeers his prize and runs from the room to terrorize his little kitty sister. I'll sneak her a treat later for putting up with him.

I pour some chocolate milk into a cup. After all, my bed was calling, but I ran instead. Treat for me too.

It's on Omelet

My mom will willingly admit that she does not enjoy cooking. Never has, probably never will. At a young age I had to learn to fend for myself in the kitchen. There was no youtube to find instructional videos. We did not have cable, so no constant stream of cooking shows.

Most of my early food creations were trial and error.

While I mastered a great many things, by the time I went off to college I had become a very adventurous person in the kitchen. It was mainly for survival purposes. Unfortunately a rigorous class and work schedule put my experimentation on the back burner, and relegated me to the campus mess hall. It also relegated me to the almost obligatory freshman fifteen.

It was not until I started living off campus again that I reconnected with my love of cooking, and my quest for the one thing I had never quite perfected: the perfect omelet.

Too runny, too flat, too wrong. I would repeat the mantra to myself, "What would Julia Child do?"

"The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook."

Nope not that one. Oh, yes!

“I think every woman should have a blowtorch.”

Dang straight they should. Sing it Julia. A blowtorch and a glass of wine, now that is what every woman should have.

So one evening I pulled out my wine glass and filled it was some New Glarus Raspberry Tart, put on a Snow Patrol CD and started experimenting. I am not ashamed to say I tried flipping them in the pan, a few ending up on the floor. Some just looked like a soggy mess. Trial and error.

Lots of errors.

But them, low and behold, one held. The outside was golden brown, but the inside was still light and fluffy. Egg beaters became my secret, easy to pour into the buttered pan. Slowly drawing in the sides for a half minute and then just waiting for it to rise so subtly. My own personal piece of omelet perfection.

Lowering the heat I put in the cheese, some cut tomato and cut turkey. Then flipped over half to make my crescent.

My moral to this abbreviated tale--if ever there was one--is that the experimentation is the excitement. I started with literally no guidance in the kitchen, and have found it to be one of my relaxing and creative outlets. The challenge is part of the process, and every time I conquer a technique or recipe that once eluded me, I am only more excited to try something more difficult.

Next up is finding a recipe that requires a blowtorch.

All Knowing Burrito

Not every day in my life can be dedicated to getting out and moving to the grove in my running shoes. I deem these days as Mondays.

It is not an arbitrary choice. On the contrary, it is a very logical day to rest. It is the day I hang out with the gals.

They love to talk about guys, and fashion, not to mention what was going on last weeks episode of Glee. There is about a hundred of them, all with more energy then the Energizer, and they are love getting your attention.

Most sixth graders do.

For the last several years I spend one night a week hanging out with these rockstar preteens, who actually inspired me to start running again. The youth group that I mentor focuses a lot around leading a well balanced life; physically, mentally, socially, and religiously.

And three years ago I was sitting in one of our group discussions talking about how important each of those aspects are when I realized that I was a major hypocrite. How could I talk about being a balanced individual, if I was sorely lacking in one of those areas?

And that sparked my journey to start running again and being a healthy individual. But that is a story for another time. Today it is all about the annual Halloween Carnival.

The Carnival

A few years ago I was asked if I would mind being a psychic for the festivities. It was all in fun, because I am far from being all knowing. I dressed up with crazy hair and makeup, brought in some candles, and mentally prepared to channel my inner aura.

The kiddos would come in groups of three or four and I would begin off with something like, "I feel like one of you has a crush" and inevitably three of the girls would turn to their friend and start pointing fingers while giggling. Bingo. I was in and the stage was set.

I was asked questions about where they were going to go to college, what they were going to be, and when they would get married. My answers were more of life suggestions, such as, "You won't get married until after college," and, "I think you will gain some valuable experiences studying abroad."

Interestingly enough, I would get a lot of things right on the head and their eyes would get big.

"You are going to try out for the soccer team in high school," I said to one girl.

"How did you know that?" the girl looked at me in shock.

Giving a sideways glance at soccer uniform she was using as her Halloween costume, "You have a strong energy."

The fun would go on, and had a lot of kiddos convinced I was really psychic. So much so that the next day one mom called into the youth group coordinator and asked if she could have my number so she could hire me for her daughter's birthday party.

And so the tradition has continued for the last four years. Over that time I have a ranking of the most frequently asked questions a sixth grade girl would like to know about her future.

7. Will I have a nice house?

6. Will I be rich?

5. Will my husband have a six-pack? (No joke, you have no idea how frequently this was asked)

4. Where am I going to go to college?

3. What am I going to be when I grow up?

2. When will I have kids? (Followed up by) How many/what gender will I have?

1. When will I get married?

Interesting how sixth grade girls have a lot of the same questions I do.

The All Knowing Burrito

The all-knowing Clarkie knows she has to fuel properly for this night. Approximately two hours of seeing into the future is exhausting. For this particular occasion I went with the ground turkey burrito. Warmed the wheat tortilla in the toaster oven, spread some green leaf lettuce across the spine. Grated good ol' Wisconsin cheddar cheese, spread the turkey, and topped with Annie's Cowgirl Ranch dressing.

De-lic-ious.

How did it get its name and how this relates to the Halloween Carnival. The answer is actually quite simple. Just like I am all knowing, the burrito is "all knowing" because I know I am going to eat all of it.

I may have also snatched some tootsie rolls from the candy basket at my table. But I may have already known that was going to happen. That's what happens when you are all knowing like myself.

French Toast and 5K's

The morning was brisk, but warming slowly. The fall air had a perfect crispness and I wanted to celebrate it with one of my favorite breakfast meals: French Toast. But I'll come back to that.

I also wanted to be well fed before my 5K that started in an hour. Especially since my body had been dragging during my training runs earlier in the week.

It was the 17th annual St. Joes Food Pantry 5K. This is a fun easy run for a few reasons.

• First, it is an awesome cause. There is a minimal entry fee, but you are encouraged to bring can goods to the race and help stock St. Joe's shelves. Win-win for everyone.
• The Beautiful course is a major bonus. Half of the race is run over the Trestle Trail, which used to be an old railroad line across Lake Butte Des Morts.
  
• The rockin' door prizes. They have a ton from local sponsors. And although the odds are in my favor that I should win one, I never do. Nonetheless there are loads of goodies to be won, and I did get a stick of Noodles and Co. chap stick "Asian Mediterranean American". I'll take the small victories.
• It's a Portsmouth Start, so anyone can be the winner.
  

Despite all the awesomeness of this 5K, I was battling my own demons. Every run over the last week I have been feeling sluggish. My pace times have been fairly close to what I am used too, but for some reason I just don't feel fast. I do not know if there is a runners term for this sluggish feeling other then, uhggg.

But I finished the race strong, unfortunately I did not know my official time until a few days after the race. Part of that was my problem because I forgot to set my watch. The second being that although there was a clock at the end of the race, it did not necessarily mean that it was anywhere close to my time since it was a Portsmouth start.

For those who might be curious to exactly what that entails, runners start in waves based on age. Runners on the more mature end of the scale get a bit of a head start, as well as those on the very youthful side (i.e. 12 and under). As the ages move toward the late twenties early thirties, the waves start closer and closer together. My wave was #34, so I started roughly six minutes after the first runner.

When all was said and done, I finished in 26:55 after adjusting for my Portsmouth start, which put me in 154th place. If you took out the Portsmouth start and just ran it like a "traditional" race, I jump to 132nd. Not a big deal to me, feeling as sluggish as I did I was just happy to cross the finish line.

The best part was there was a young pre-teen who finished just ahead of me who turned around in the chute with a huge grin and put his hand out to me for a high five, "Awesome race!"

"Right back at ya!" I 'heart' runners of all ages. We are pretty cool people.

The awesome thing about this start, the winner of this race finished with a time 34:54 min. Because of her adjusted start time, she beat out the second place finisher who had a time of 17:19 min. And both of them beat out third place finisher with the fastest time over all: 16:45 min.

The best part, the winner was a women 84 years young. Dang girl, if I can finish a 5K in under 35 minutes when I am in my 80's, it will be a miracle. For obvious reasons, she received a very healthy round of applause and cheers when she accepted her 1st Place metal.

So back to the French Toast. I am fairly certain the only reason I was able to drag my lazy behind across the finish line was thanks to this little yummy friend. So not to leave ya hangin', here is how I make my favorite breakfast food:

The Cast:

• 1/4 cup wheat flour
• 1 cup Almond Milk, Vanilla flavored
  
• 1 pinch salt
• 3/4 cup egg beaters
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  
• 8 slices of wheat bread

The Method:

Add the wheat flour to a mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the almond milk. Stir in the egg beaters, cinnamon, vanilla extract and nutmeg until smooth.

Get out the good ol' frying pan and turn up to medium heat. Soak bread slice in the mixture, and flip to make sure it is thoroughly saturated with the yummy batter. Pull out of mixture and gently hit it on the side of the bowls to get out the excess batter.

Cook on frying pan until the side begins to golden. Toast may raise in the pan slightly due to the flour mixture. Top with berries and a a few tablespoons of Maple syrup.

Then go run a 5K. --Wait, how did that get into my recipe accordion?

Pumpkin Creme Pies & A Run

I loved Oatmeal Creme Pies growing up. Like to the point, where if my mom splurged on a box, between the two of us we inhaled them within a couple days. Probably not the best idea in the world, but I can hardly blame Little Debbie for making such delectable treats.

A few days ago I was perusing through websites and stumbled upon Pumpkin Creme Pies. I was intrigued. Could they hold up to the awesomeness of my childhood favorites?

There was only one to find out.

I went to the store to pick up a few of the ingredients I did not have; pumpkin, nutmeg and cloves. Then I came home and realized I did in fact, have full jars of nutmeg and cloves...oops. Guess that meant if the recipe went well, I would be making more.

Followed the recipe pretty much to a "T", but made a few substitutions. Lets face it, with as much sugar going into this thing as there is, it is not going to be the most healthy creation, but I could help it out a touch. Highlighted substitutes in bold.

The Cast:

For the Cookie:

• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 cup Vegetable Oil
• 1 can Pumpkin (15 Oz.)
• 1/2 cup Egg Beaters
  
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 3 cups Wheat Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• ½ teaspoons Ground Nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoons Ground Cloves

For the Frosting:

• 1 package Cream Cheese Softened (8 Oz.)
• 1 cup Cocoa Butter, Room Temperature
• 1 package Powdered Sugar (16 Oz.)
• 3 drops Vanilla Extract
• 2 dashes Cinnamon

The Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pumpkin Creme Pies:

Mix the brown sugar, sugar, oil and pumpkin. Add the egg beaters slowly, and continue mixing. Add in the vanilla -- I am still spoiled with the stuff I brought back from the Dominican Republic. I honestly can taste the difference.

In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.

Combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredient bowl slowly.

Cut 3 inch squares of parchment paper, the original recipe calls for 24, but because I cut the pastry bag tip a little smaller, I ended up with 30. Using a pastry bag plastic baggie since I don’t have any pastry bags around, cut a hole in the tip, start making a swirl pattern on the pieces of wax paper. Mine were also a little larger then the original recipe, about 3 inches wide.

Put the piped batter circles onto the sheets, and allow them to bake for 12 minutes, you want them firm enough, but overall pretty soft. Pull them off the baking sheet and onto a cooling rack or a towel to settle.

Cream Cheese Filling:

Mix together cream cheese and butter. Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.

Once the pies are cooled (if they are too warm the frosting will melt off and drip down the sides more than necessary), frost a flat side of one pie, and add another on top to sandwich it off.

I ate a freshly warm Pumpkin Crème Pie and one that had sat in the refrigerator overnight, you know – for testing purposes. Preferred the cooler version, and the pie portion stayed nice and soft.

The Run:

I went out for a nice and easy four mile run before I baked the yummy-to-my-tummy Pumpkin Crème Pies. For some reason during most of the run my body felt out of sorts. I at my usual pre run snack, and had a good breakfast and lunch earlier in the day. I had hypothesis that I wasn’t hydrated enough, or if it might be the lack of sleep the last few days. But I would make the case that it was the Pumpkin Crème Pies fault. The mere thought of them is quite distracting.

To illustrate my point:

The whole time I was out on my run I knew in the back of my mind that the ingredients to this delectable treat were sitting on the counter awaiting my return. My focus was definitely on reviewing the recipe in my head.

A little over the halfway point I started to visualize the completed project. The fall favors of soothing pumpkin and spicy nutmeg. Drool escaped the corner of my mouth. And the frosting, heaven almighty, the frosting! The distraction was overwhelming, as evidence by my running graph.

So, in conclusion, it was definately the pies fault I was sluggish. There really is no other explanation.

Margherita Pizza

I have not brought a store purchased or delivery pizza in several months. They are so easy, just grab one at the store and when I come home, throw it into my oven. Taa-Daa -- instant dinner!

Lately I have made a conscious decision to enjoy the whole process involving my food, including the actual part where I cook. And to be honest, everything tastes a little bit better with that special ingredient, love.

Queue cheesie groans.

I am suck a dork.

But a happy dork that was craving pizza. Instead of logging in and placing my order at Pizzahut (I may or may not have an express checkout code), I decided to make my own, and work off a favorite recipe, Margherita Pizza.

Not only does it taste fresh, but it is colorful. Makes sense because it is supose to be reminiscent of the Italian flag with vibrant red (tomato), white (cheese), and greens (herbs) and named after Margherita of Savoy.

You better believe I googled that little tid bit.

The Cast:

The crust

• 3/4 cup lukewarm water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 6 oz packet active dry yeast
• 3 cups whole-bread flour
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
  

The Toppings

• Olive Oil
• 1 cup artichoke hearts
• 2 cups tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup oregano, unstemmed
  
• 1/4 cup parsley, unstemmed
• 1/4 cup basil, unstemmed
  
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
• Parmesan Cheese to taste
  

The Method:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees (do this while making the crust in order to have it properly heated). Put the pan or baking stone that the pizza will be put together on in ahead of time.

Mix yeast and sugar in a container. Add lukewarm water and stir thoroughly. Allow yeast at least 10-15 minutes in order to start getting its groove on. When it starts to bubble on top, this is generally a good indicator it is ready.

Put together dry ingredients for crust in a separate mixing bowl.

Slowly add the yeast mixture using a wooden spoon to stir and continue kneading with your hands.

Add additional flour to the counter or a wood cutting board and knead until all the flour has been taken in by the dough. Roll dough onto parchment paper, about 1/4 inch thick, creating a small rise at the edges.

Now start cutting up the tomatoes and artichoke heart.

Use a brush to cover dough with olive oil and begin by layering the tomatoes and herbs. It smells so lovely. Bake for approximately 8 minutes.

Add the Ricotta and Mozzarella cheese and put back into the oven for another 3-4 minutes, or until the edges start to look golden.

So easy, and so good. Pull out, let it cool and then enjoy!

Pita + Hummus { Part 2 ::: The Hummus }

This is the easy-peasy version of Hummus. I like it no fuss and a bit mild--mind you, not bland but mild. And it has the two thumbs and toe up from all of my office mates, including the hummus connoisseurs as well as those who swore up and down that they did not like hummus.

The Cast:

• 15.5 oz can chickpeas (garbanzos) - drained but save the juice
  
• 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
  
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley

The Method:

In a food processor add the can of drained chickpeas and aprox. 1/4 cup of the juice from the chickpea can. Cut the lemon and squeeze the juice into the processor. Begin blending.

Add into the mix the 1/4 cup of Tahini, along with the salt. Tahini is a sesame seed oil, and tends to seperate in the jar, so it is a good idea to stir it up well before pouring into the food processor. Blend until smooth. If having a difficult time blending, pour in slowly some more of the juice from the chickpea can.

When the texture looks consistent, take a sample bite and flavor to personal preference adding more lemon juice, salt, or tahini.

When satisfied, spread over a plate, leaving a well in the middle of the hummus. Finely chop up some fresh parsley and sprinkle over the mixture. May also use other spices, such as paprika to give it a little umph.

Drizzle the olive oil into the well and it is ready to go. Best if slightly chilled. Serve with pita bread, veggies, use as a spread in sandwich--this little bugger is good just about anywhere.

Pita + Hummus { Part 1 ::: The Pita }

I love pita bread because the ingredients are so simple, and the end result is so much better then the ones I find in the store. Sure, I usually burn my knuckles trying to whip the pans out of the oven so quickly, but that can be chalked up to excitement.

The past week as the temps start to cool I have been in more of a cooking mood. Something about fall and the leaves changing colors just makes me want to pull out my apron and channel Julia Child. So, without further ado:

The Cast:

1 tsp sugar
1 packet yeast (aprox 7 grams)
1 cup warm H2O
2 cups wheat flour
1 cup bread flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil

The Method:

In a small container, stir in the sugar and packet of yeast. Add in 1/2 cup of warm water. The sugar will help activate the yeast. Let this little Dexter experiment sit for about 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, add in the wheat and bread flour. You could just go with all bread flour, but to make it a tad bit more healthy, I went with the wheat option and it turned out brilliantly. Stir in the salt.

In the center of the flour make a little well and add in 1 cup of warm water.

Slowly begin stirring in the flour, working your way to the outside of the bowl. Note of what not to do: all my wooden spoons were in the sink to be washed. Make life easier and use a good ol' fashion wooden spoon during this part of the process, it is less likely to stick to the dough.

The yeast should be about ready and you can tell because it will be a tad bit bubbly on the top.

Now it is time to mix in the yeast/sugar mixture. It is going to be a tad bit lumpy, but no worries, everything will smooth itself out shortly.

In another bowl drizzle in some olive oil. Move it around to cover the bottom and outside edges of the bowl. In the end I probably used about 1/4 cup. Then take the dough and put in the olive oil filled bowl. The oil will help so that the dough does not stick to the sides, but it will also encourage it to rise upwards.

Cover the dough with saran wrap and then add a towel over the top. Store in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour. For me that was over the dishwasher, where I was actually trying to clean things up a bit. Desperate times call for desperate measures when you suddenly run out of forks.

It's at this point when the dough is rising that I will generally make my hummus, but that portion is for another post. So this time around I am going to sit back, prop me feet up and enjoy Dancing with the Stars.

After the dough has had its breathing time, add flour to your surface. I like to use a wood cutting board. Contains the mess, a bit, and sticks a little less.

Unwrap the dough that has been resting (talk about taking it easy before a workout), it should have risen in the bowl, and come cleanly off the edges thanks to the olive oil.

Now it is time for the baking workout. Using the flour on the board, and generously adding some more as it kneads into the dough. The dough is ready when it no longer sticks to your hands or the board. If it is sticky, keep working it in. Took about 15 minutes for me to make this dough submissive to me and my muscular kneading arms. All this will help and make it nice and crusty.

Once the dough is thoroughly kneaded, break it off into small balls, rough the size of your fist. Take them and roll them out with a rolling pin (or wine bottle in my case -- white wines are rather nice for this). They should measure about 5-6 inches in diameter.

Now the part where I usually burn myself on the oven. It should be preheated to a whopping 500 degrees, and you want to make sure that the rack is on the lowest rung. I preheat the pan in the oven, so when it is ready, the bread bakes to moment it hits the metal.

Add the dough to the sheet -- 2 to 3 pieces to the pan. Put in the oven for 4-5 minutes. It will start to balloon up and look like a whoopee cushion. Take them out and flip them, putting them back in for another two minutes. The pitas should be soft, so when the edges start getting a little browned, it it time to take them out.

Place the pitas on a cooling rack. Using a knife, I deflate them a bit.

And when they are done, they are a nice, soft bread, ready for just about anything. In this case it was hummus, but I saved a few extras for the morning and spread them with Nutella and Almond Butter.

Store in a plastic bag letting out the air before closing it up so they stay nice and moist.

Zucchini Pasta Salad

The original version of this salad came from Dietitian on the Run. I made a couple of slight modifications thanks to the less then hearty selection at the super market, but am actually pleased with the result. I doubled up on the servings as well so I could have some at dinner last night, and save some for lunch today.

The Ingredient Line Up:

2 cups uncooked whole wheat pasta
1 organic zucchini, sliced
1/2 sweet red onion, finely diced
1 tsp rosemary,
1 tsp thyme
A dash of pepper
A dash of salt
1 cup Tomato, chopped
2 tbsp Olive Oil
Grated Parmesan Cheese

The Method:

Boil the water and add a tablespoon of olive oil to the top of water. Throw in wheat pasta and stir for 30-40 seconds before letting boil. This lets the pieces get coated in the olive oil and allows them less of a chance to stick together. Cook until al dente so it has a little bit when mixed in with the veggies.

While this is going on, throw the other tablespoon of oil into a saute pan an medium heat. Add the chopped zucchini and onion. Stir in the rosemary, thyme, and then add pepper and salt to taste.

Once the noodles are cooked, drain in cold water and then throw them into a mixing bowl. Add in the veggie mix, as well as the chopped tomatoes. Mix it all up.

Finish up with the grated parmeasan cheese, and then it is ready to serve warm, which is what I did last night--or as recommended, toss it in the refrigerator and eat it cool.

Then taunt your coworkers with your delicious lunch while they contemplate the freezer burn frozen meal in the fridge or another can of soup. Not that I would ever do that :-D

Swimming, Kale Chips, Greek Yogurt, & Yoga, OH MY!

Kale Chips

I have read about these little buggers in a few different blog posts. The first time, I think was on Eat, Live, Run in her archives. Since then, I have seen the little buggers all over the place. Not to be a lemming, but I wanted to see what all of the fuss was about. Most of the recipes seem to be about the same. The first time around was so good, that I have made another batch to enjoy and perfected my methods a bit.

5 leaves of Kale
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of seasoned salt (sea salt worked too)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While it is warmin' up, wash the Kale leaves and use a salad spinner to dry them out. Or the old fashion way, swing them around in the sink to get the extra water off.

Cut out the inner steam with kitchen sheers (I find it fastest to fold the leaf in half and make a quick cut). Then cut the remainder of the leaf off into small bit sized pieces.

Now here is where artistic paths diverge. I like to get a little messy, and I do not like wasting a plastic bag. So instead of putting the Kale pieces in a baggie and mixing in the olive oil that way, I toss them into a bowl, drizzle the olive oil over top, and start using my hands to mix it all up. Or you could use salad tongs, but it is much more fun my way.

Taking a piece of parchment, lay it over a non-insulated baking sheet, and begin spreading the Kale pieces out. Take the seasoned salt and sprinkle over the top.

Pop the baking sheet into the oven for about 10 minutes, or when the Kale starts to get brown edges. This is the tricky part because the leaves can burn rather easily. Slightly brown edges-- just perfect. Totally charred Kale--an atrocity.

Put them out and let them cool off. Best when served fresh. Although I brought them into work the next day and my officemates sang their praises, so as long as they are packaged up, they will hold.

Swimming & Breakfast Goodness

This morning I was able to pull myself out of bed and drive over to the gym. It was pouring outside and although I will run through light raining, when it downpours I draw the line.

Instead I threw on my swimsuit and started in on laps at the pool. When I walked into the pool area the serious swimmers were still doing their morning workout. Taking motivation from their impressive style, I grabbed some flippers and hopped in.

Warmed up for five minutes with an easy breast stroke. Then went into some 50 meter freestyle sprints without the fins, and then a lap of easy backstroke for rest. I liked to equate them to my swim version of a fartlek workout. Maintained this for thirty minutes, and finished with a five minute easy breast stroke cool down.

I'm feeling stronger in the water and hope to build on that this winter so I can be ready to start training for some open water swimming in the spring.

Patting myself on the back for a workout well done, I headed home and made one of my favorite breakfasts.

Honey Vanilla Greek Yogurt was the star of the bowl. Sprinkled on French vanilla granola (YUMMY!), and finished it off by drizzling on about a teaspoon of organic honey. Definitely hit the spot.

Topped it all off with a slice of whole grain bread, and what other than -- NUTELLA!

Yoga with Whiskers

At work I realized my upper back was stiff. Probably had something to do with overexerting them when I was doing my strength training last night. Evening plans revolve around making a little dinner and stretching it out with some yoga in the living room. Good activity to do on a chilly evening.

My kitties think so too, because they are already running all over the mat.

Ode to nutella

Ode to nutella

I discovered you in Paris, a breakfast addition to the pastries, I was told. Inexpensive and available at any Tesco. Come home to the states and cannot find you in any of the local stores.

My heart breaks slightly.

Alas, I wander those same aisles some years later and my eyes grow wide. There mixed amongst the peanut butter and other spreads is a little row of nutellas. Pricier then London, but worth the sacrifice.

But more than just pastries, your delicious hazelnut adorned strawberries, gram crackers, bagels, oh my!

Full of sugar, pushing the glycemic index. Add to banana and the combination is purely lethal. Some argue that the sugar is too much, I say, "Is good taste too much to hope for?" But there are alternative recipes that may give the same punch with less of the sucrose.

Despite the small controversies, nutella, you are my preferred treat, a small serving size of umph to carry me through a workout. A walking advertisement I have become, but you taste so yummy I give you my support.

After all, you fit in my backpack with no refrigeration, easy to carry on journey's away. A simple solution to give taste to the tasteless foods. Smooth as peanut butter, but tasty as chocolate.

Nutella, you complete me--and my dietary needs.

*********************************

Homemade nutella recipes

The small jars are just over $3, and the large are over $6. I am a cheap little bugger, so I am wondering if it would be more economical to make my own. Maybe tweak the recipes a bit to healthy them up a little (but not too much, I like my suga').

• Most the recipes I found looked similar to this one:Homemade Nutella w/Healthy Green Kitchen
• But this one in the comments of Runner Dude by a random blog vagabond named Jeff looked a little healthier.

*********************************

The reason nutella is on mind

Last night was a short recovery run, with this evening being my longer 12 mile run. I woke up at about 5am and after hitting the snooze button a couple times, and my cats jumping on me with annoyance. After feeding the felines, I headed out to the gym.

I did a light strength training workout because I have found it helps give my carriage better posture throughout the day, and consequently when I run later on.

After pumping iron, and dodging all the gym buffs, I had this sudden craving for nutella. Knowing I had none at home, I made a stop at the grocery store and picked some up. The store clerk gave me a curious glance. I am sure she was thinking, "What an intelligent, young, fit lady coming into the store before even the retirees to beat the crowds and pick up some of this magnificent nutella. She is a smart one!"

I smiled at her for recognizing my intelligent decision before swiping my card and headed home to cover all the food in my refrigerator with this delectable spread and begin my morning grazing.

Thursday is off to a wonderful sugar-high start.