Monday, February 25, 2013

I can't feel my butt!

Workout:
~ P90-X leg workout, 55 minutes

Yes, I really cannot feel my butt. Thank you P90-X. I forgot what a biznatch of a workout you were, but it was wonderful. My thighs were on fire. I think I did more lunges in that 55 minutes than I have in the last year, which is both great and pathetic at the same time. I'll be taking some ibuprofen before bed tonight so my legs will actually move on my run tomorrow morning.

Deliciousness was had at our house tonight. And the best part was, it took about 25 minutes to make total. Drum roll please...Brussels Sprout Slaw and Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken. Amazing!  The slaw had a great crunch from the hazelnuts, sweetness from the pomegranate, and a slight saltiness from the paramsean/romano/asiago cheese (thanks Trader Joe's!). We altered the dressing a bit; less vinegar and we didn't have hazelnut oil, so we just omitted. And it paired well with the chicken. I found the chicken recipe by googling "chicken thigh recipes"; so high-tech, I know, but SO worth it to find this recipe!  Using the broiler cuts down the cooking time. And now, after 2-1/2 years in our apartment, I have finally realized we have a broiler. Oh how much time and tin foil I have wasted.

 Isn't it so pretty and colorful?

Our Saturday was spent helping our friends Lindsay and Rob move into their new house. Again, lots of leg work going up and down the world's most narrow stairs. Between that and the upper body lifting, I'd say an 8 hour day of moving constitutes a good day of working out. And made the tasty beverages afterward in celebration totally worth it! Sunday was a lazy day with napping and cooking since the snow kept falling. A nice way to end the weekend.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Finally Friday!

Workout:
~5k, 33minutes - this was probably another quarter mile longer run, but Garmin couldn't "locate" me for a little while

Another day, another run. Pretty excited about this and excited that I made myself go after I got home from work! That's 3 days in a row. Again, a bit chilly, but not as cold as yesterday. I pretended to be a real runner and wore my Boston Marathon Adidas jacket from volunteering last year. It's actually a great coat to layer on over my compression/heat gear and it's white and reflective so people can see me. Plus, if you didn't know better, you'd have no idea I was in the medical tent and did not actually run the race (unless, of course, you DID run it, and then you would know your coat had different colors from mine, but I digress). I am not above tricking myself into believing I am a great runner with cool accessories to get my butt out the door!

And once I did get out, I had a beautiful sunset run around the frozen reservoir (that is ice Florida friends!):


Hard not to get pumped up for runs with scenery like that!  My time was a bit slow, but I'm still recovering from my wicked cold and really getting used to this running thing again, so I'm ok with that. Plus, parts of the reservoir path weren't totally cleared, so I was running over the snow/ice/mud. Maybe I can consider that cross-training too?

I don't know about the rest of you, but Friday could not come soon enough! This week was just bizarre and threw me off my game. Happy for the weekend, not happy for the next set of snow that is coming our way. Thankfully, no Nemo proportions. Maybe we'll actually get to go skiing Sunday after all (fingers crossed!). But tonight, I am watching "Argo" at home and am enjoying a glass of wine with some lovely blackberries and a square of Intense Dark Chocolate Cabernet Matinee from Ghirardelli. Heaven. Really.

 
Cheers to the weekend!


 

Thursday, February 21, 2013

No freezing weather gonna keep me down

Workout:
~3 miles, unknown time

Today I ran in this weather:




Check out the "Feels Like" temp!  Truthfully, as awful as it looks, it wasn't too bad. I wore UnderArmour Heat Gear compression shirt with a breathable North Face shirt on top, some running tights, hat, and running gloves. Really, wasn't bad. I know my Florida friends are probably falling out of their chairs right now after that statement. The bad thing was the stuff draining out of my face! Every 2 minutes it was wipe the nose, spit, repeat. I guess it cleared out my sinuses. However, I learned a valuable lesson:  be certain the wind isn't going to shift before you spit.

Ok, enough of the grossness. I will try to refrain from this except in very small doses. Sorry, I'm in healthcare, these things don't phase me. But really, the run felt good. It was nice to be outside and doing it again. And I noticed how much my mood improved and how much happier I was all day at work. Added bonus! I'm beginning to have faith in doing well at the Nashville Half again.

In continuing with the healthy trend, tonight I made blackbean burgers from the blog Eat, Live, Run. So yummy and pretty easy to make, especially if you have a food processor. I don't change the recipe much except an extra jalapeno and extra garlic. (I love garlic. Vampires won't get within a continent of me. One less thing to worry about I suppose). I served the burgers on a bed of mixed greens (instead of a bun), topped with avocado, along with baked sweet potato fries and siracha ketchup. Very filling and veggie-friendly.

And after a nice chat today: shout out to one of my best friends and bloggers for the pep talk after the Marathon Registration Massacre. You are amazing!!! :)

Happy almost-weekend friends!

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Chicago 2013!...oh, wait...

Workout
~1 mile run. SLOWLY. With snot dripping down my face.

Sorry for the gross description here, but it was true. I'm also trying to show my commitment to running by posting this. Or something to that effect. I tried really hard, that's what counts right? Planning on 3 snot-dripping miles tomorrow. Get excited.

Yesterday was the first day of Chicago Marathon sign ups. I was so pumped! I was home sick from work (legit sick, crappy upper respiratory grossness) and sitting at my computer at 1pm (12pm CST). As soon as it was open I started clicking away and...denied. "Server error", "Come back later", etc, etc. I tried for about an hour and a half both with the MacBook and iPhone and even the super Apple powers that be could not get me in. I got through once to get all of my info in, but still was stone-walled. I figured I would try again in a few hours. Yea, that didn't work out so well. I found out they shut down registration. Apparently Active.com, the company/server in charge of  registration, had a huge glitch. Ha, ya think?! Now, I know things happen and it's not a conspiracy, but definitely bumming about this, especially after they announced there's only 15,000 spots left. Seriously, 30,000 people miraculously entered during a 4 hour technological nightmare? I'm praying that about 10,000 of those spots are people who were double registered. Whatever the case, I have to wait until tomorrow to find out when we can register. I'm being melodramatic, but I will absolutely DIE if I don't get to run Chicago this year. I have already psyched myself up in my head and convinced myself to run THIS marathon. (And I got the time off from work!). I must, I must!

MUST. RUN. HERE.
(and don't worry, photo courtesy of me)

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Sicky Sunday


I'm sick. It sucks. I feel like I swallowed razor blades. Hot tea, water, and gallons of DayQuil are helping slightly. Hopefully, if I blow my nose a few million more times, there won't be much left. That remains to be seen. Very glad today is a rest day anyway.

When I have a cold, I like to eat spicy food to try to clear out those sinuses. I've also been feeling a bit deprived on the vegetable front the last day or two, so I made something that would give me both: Thai Turkey Stir Fry with Asian Greens. I found this recipe in a Runner's World issue from late last year. Gary and I made it last week and loved it! It's got a nice kick from the red pepper paste, some protein from the meat, and a crap ton of veggies. Just what I wanted! We had enough of the ingredients lying around that I was able to make it. You could definitely substitute other veggies or meats in as well (for instance, tonight I used elk meat, because that's what we had in the freezer. Yes elk. I realize this is not a staple of most people's freezers. But you can use ground turkey, chicken, beef, or buffalo as the original recipe suggests).


Thai Turkey Stir Fry with Asian Greens
adapted from Runner's World

Thai Buffalo Stir-Fry
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons roasted chili paste, divided
1 pound ground turkey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
1 package fresh basil, chopped 
Red pepper flakes (optional)

—In a wok over high heat, heat olive oil. Add garlic and 1 tablespoon of the roasted red chili paste. Cook garlic for 30 seconds, add meat, and break up using a wooden spoon, cooking until beginning to brown. Add another tablespoon roasted chili paste, soy sauce, and dark brown sugar. Cook another minute. Add final 2 tablespoons of roasted chili paste. Add chopped basil and toss together. Remove from heat.

Quick-Cooked Asian Greens
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 large bok choy, chopped
1 head napa cabbage, chopped
2 cups red cabbage, shredded
2 tablespoons soy sauce

—In a hot wok, heat the coconut oil. Toss the bok choy, napa cabbage, and red cabbage into the wok and stir to coat with oil. Cook for two minutes. Add in soy sauce and cook one more minute. Greens should be crisp but still tender.

Hoping tomorrow and this week are better than last week! And for those of you who don't have to work tomorrow, enjoy!


And we're back!

I have been the most slacking blogger of all time. Life got rolling around me and I didn't take the time to stop and write it down. So this post will be a mini-photo collage/update of the last 2 weeks.

February 2 - celebrated my friend Megan's birthday. We had dinner at Eastern Standard in Kenmore Square.  They have delicious food and fun, old-school 20's style drinks (read lots of gin and bitters - yum!). We then headed out to miniBar and CityBar for more drinks and fun. A great night overall!

February 3 -  Superbowl! What a crazy game, right? Glad the Ravens one, but truthfully, I wasn't that invested in the game. The hubster made his amazing gumbo - chicken, andouille sausage, dirty rice, peppers, beans, tomatoes...delicious! And he made so much we ate for days.

February 5 - Mumford and Sons concert!  Seriously, one of the best concerts I have been to. These guys are amazing musicians and singers. Even though I didn't know every single song (I do now!), I still found myself singing along. They came out at the end and sang a cappella in front of us...blew my mind!  Go see them if you get the chance!


February 6 - the packing party that didn't happen. Our friends Lindsay and Rob just bought a house. We planned on going over to help pack, with a little dinner and wine. The dinner and wine happened, but no packing...oops!  But we had Rob's famous guacamole and it lived up to its billing. However, the recipe's a secret, so I can only give out the picture:






February 8-10 - NEMO!  We were supposed to go skiing in Maine that weekend, but Winter Storm Nemo had other plans. 24 inches fell in Boston in 24 hours. Shut down the T, parking ban and travel bans were in effect. It was wild!


Since we were literally snowed in on Friday night, I thought it was fitting to make a nice winter veggie chili for dinner.  I found it in one of the Food&Wine Daily emails.  It was a filling, hearty chili with a nice little kick of spice. We topped it with a dollop of Greek yogurt and cilantro. You can serve with rice, but we omitted that; it was filling enough without the extra carbs! Gary actually liked it better than regular stew. A healthy, do-again recipe!


February 13 - welcome to the world Shelby Marie!  One of my best friends in the entire world, Sarah, had her beautiful baby girl at 9:37pm on this night. Could not be more excited or happy!  Can't wait to see them in 2 weeks!

 
 February 14 - Happy Valentine's Day! Gary and I went to Island Creek Oyster Bar for a very late dinner. ICOB is one of the sister restaurants of Eastern Standard and is also in Kenmore Square. The vibe there was very chill, a little less formal than ES, which was great, especially since I had come straight from work and looked kind of a hot mess. We had a dozen local oysters:  Island Creek oysters from Duxbury, MA, Icabod Flat oysters from Plymouth, MA, and Big Rock oysters from E. Dennis, MA.  So fresh! The oysters and the oyster sliders were our favorite parts of the meal. I'm still trying to figure out how to recreate the sliders. They were served on a brioche roll with lime chili aioli. The best sliders of any kind I've ever had.  Gary got the Rhode Island Fluke, white fish on a bed of risotto. I had the scallops with broccoli rabe and red-eye gravy. We felt like the entrees were ok, but nothing overly spectacular. I ordered the lemon tart for dessert. Nice and light, tart, and light crisp crust. Overall, we will definitely be back, particularly for the fresh oysters and sliders!

February 15 - Baby Shower for Baby D! My friend Lindsey is due in May, so our coworkers decided to throw her a baby shower. There were about a dozen of us and a night full of good food, drinks (except the expectant mother of course!) and lots of laughs.  Our guest of honor made cute little glass jars of homemade granola as thank you gifts. Delicious! Cranberries, nuts, and orange zest. She was kind enough to share the recipe with me, which I'll hopefully get to play with soon and have a post later :)

Unfortunately, there were lot of things going on, but not a lot of gym time. It's been a frustrating 2 weeks in that respect. But I realize I have to keep pressing forward and start each day with a  positive attitude. There's 10 weeks till Nashville and I can do this!  Also, sign up for the Chicago Marathon is Tuesday!!!  That will make it even more real and make me know it's time to get to work. I'm not sure if other people have so much difficulty with getting into habits, but if you do, please tell me how you've beaten it!

Happy Sunday! Will try to get another post up later tonight :)

Friday, February 1, 2013

Deep Thoughts

With the start of a brand new month today, I've decided to take a few minutes to look inward. Ironically, this was a fortune cookie I got a week or two ago and was very fitting for this post:


Leave it to the Chinese fortune cookie makers to make you have deep thoughts. But so it goes.

First, I'm so very thankful for friends, family, and an amazing husband. After last weekend in Stowe with new and old friends and the hubs, and getting to catch up with a lot of dear friends throughout this week, I realize how lucky I am. Even with miles between many of us, I still feel the love and support. It's a great thing and it makes life so much richer.

Now that it's February, it has also allowed me to feel like I'm starting fresh. January did not go quite the way I had planned with regards to my workouts. I realized I've really let me work get in the way of me focusing on myself, and I don't want to continue to let that happen. As I've pointed out in several posts, I also feel so much better about myself and life in general when I am working out regularly. So, with this new month, I will make getting to the gym my main goal. Workouts with no excuses. If that means some of the work doesn't get done, then so be it. Dictations can wait; my life and well-being cannot. I think making some small goals each month will help me to get to my big pictures goals.

To celebrate this new month, GW and I had dinner at Brookline Family Restaurant. It's a wonderful Turkish restaurant in Brookline, a few minutes away from our house. Since Gary is studying Turkish and studied there last summer, he has a good idea of what good Turkish food is, and this is it! I had the musaka:

 
If you haven't had it before, it's a wonderful dish of seasoned ground lamb with eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes. Hearty and delicious!  We have a few Turkish cookbooks and I'm looking forward to trying to make this at home.

Happy Weekend!