Mix it up!

My original Wednesday plan involved taking my tree down, doing laundry and crashing early. Around 4pm I decided to change it up and skip the tree trashing for some sushi at Sakana with Susan. Of course, things changed once again before I made it home and here I am hanging out w/some laundry, dishes and a messy dinner bowl
Sometimes you need a good bowl of comfort and that is exactly what this was! I snagged a box of these at the Giant because I must admit, I actually do love a fake-meat product...
Usually I can't find the Boca Flame Grilled Burgers, so I get really excited when I do see them in a store. They smell and taste (well, sort of) like a smoky, grilled burger. Two thumbs up in my book! I chopped 2 patties up and tossed them into a bowl of Fiery Fiesta Kashi Pilaf
along with some corn, black beans, pepperjack, spinach and arugula before nuking it for 2 -3 minutes. Put some in a tupperware for lunch tomorrow, and then added some avocado and hot sauce onto my dinner bowl. YUUUM. Much cheaper than a night of sushi! Or at least that's what I'm telling myself ;p

I needed something comforting after today. I had PT this morning and I FINALLY got a 10 minute jog in on the treadmill as my PT watched and informed me I run all screwy which is probably why I'm broken. Sad. I am impressed that I made it 10 minutes with only some tightness on the outside of my ankle. Wooo. Baby steps!

After that I had a doctor's appointment that concluded with an 'oh, it's been about 10 years since your last tetanus vaccination. You should probably get one today.' Do you know how long it's been since I've gotten a vaccination?? I don't even get flu shots. I found myself getting super anxious as I waited for the nurse. GAAAHHH! I felt like such a little kid!! The actual shot was painless, but now my arm is sore. Yes, I'm a big baby ;p
After dinner I turned on the TV and this was on:
HA. I thought it was kinda fitting to watch since I did just skip my high school reunion. So, does anyone else think it's crazy how much older 28 seemed back then? Or at least how much more mature/old 28-year olds were portrayed in the late 90s? Random thought. Moving on...

I'm making some fun food for NYE and I can't wait to share it with you guys! First fun kitchen experiment since PTT Dinner! Woo!

Defeat.

Man o man. Not a fun morning at all! Last night the fire alarm in our building went off around 11 just as I was getting into a deeeep sleep. We walked out and after 20 minutes or so of standing around, the fire department let us all go back inside. About 30 minutes later, the alarm went off again. Um, not going outside. It then proceeded to go off every few minutes until 2:45AM!

Jamie gave up and went to his mom's house because he couldn't stand it anymore. I, on the other hand, can sleep through pretty much anything so I stayed. I also shoved these in my ears:
Nooo, not mini foam rollers ;p

But of course, as soon as Jamie was out the door, the alarm stopped going off. We got a notice under our door this morning saying that it was a faulty smoke alarm that is located near a bunch of hot things (like in the mechanical room...near things that get all hot and I guess smokey all the time. wtf) and that they apologize for the disturbance. Um, I'm just glad I didn't have to go to work this morning.

So instead of my planned 8am wake up and treadmill adventure, I woke up around 9 and slowly got myself ready for the run. I had been waiting for this ALL week and the whole lack of sleep thing totally threw my excitement off! Laced up the sneaks, stood up and no. No No. Immediate irritation in the Achilles...like something was seriously pushing me. Not cool.

I looked to my growing pile of sneakers in the closet and realized, o crap. I don't have any other shoes to run in!
Since I was just planning on doing an easy 2 mile treadmill run, I figured eh, maybe I can make the trusty ol' Inspires work. They definitely didn't bother my Achilles when I laced them up - Inspires - 1; Elites - 0.

Got down to the gym and eased into a jog and man, it was very apparent that the cushioning was dead in these sneakers. The balls of my feet were feeling it after barely .5 miles! Defeated. Lesson to all you newbie runners out there...if your shoes look anything like this:
*note the vertical lines that aren't part of the shoe

It's beyond time for new sneakers. A lot of people immediately look at the outsole (the black part on the bottom) to decide whether or not it's time for a new pair. They really should be looking at the midsole (the white part) - the outsole is meant to last a crazy long time since that's the part that touches the ground. Here's a good explanation I found online because my brain is too mushy right now to put things into words ;p

So yeah, I called it quits after a mere 1/2 mile. I'm going to attempt that 20 tomorrow and see how it goes...and yes, I may just pick up a new pair of sneakers at work...this is becoming an expensive hobby.

Since I was up, I threw a load of laundry in (hooray no waiting for washing machines!) and made myself a PB&J with some Nature's Pride 12 Grain Bread
I don't really know what the 12 grains are, but they sure do provide some good texture!
Seeds!

I spread some peanut butter and guava jelly on and then popped it on the Foreman
At some point in my life, I started spreading peanut butter on both sides and throwing the jelly in the middle. How do you pb&j??

After a few minutes, my pb&j was golden and toasty! However, I forgot that everything gets all melty and falls out when you cut into it. Oops!
But it sure did taste good :)

Jamie got home shortly after I finished eating and put in a request for an egg in the hole so I whipped out the loaf of 12 Grain bread again, made a hole
What do you think - too big??

Plopped an egg in and 3 minutes later, we've got Jamie breakfast!
Hell yes that's a sriracha happy face!

Ok, I'm off to shower and brave the Army Ten Miler Expo to pick up my race packet. Yes, I'm stubborn, but at least I get a fun long sleeve t-shirt out of it ;p

Buns and burnout

I think I'm suffering from running overload or just life overload. I was SO exhausted during this morning's run - not leg or lung tired...sleepy tired! Could be due to the busy week or it might just be that we woke up at 5am for today's run. Ha.

This morning's run was pleasantly cool and dry...the best kind of running weather. We set out on a 12 mile out and back route on the W&OD trail around 6am and it felt good until about mile 5. That's when the sleepiness kicked in (I think that may have been when my Mocha Clif Shot Gel wore off too). All I wanted to do was stop, walk and curl up on the grass. Wow.
V and I kept going after Jamie hit his 10 mile turnaround point and I snacked on a Luna Moon since I heard my tummy growling. I figured eh, it's just one and the sugar will do me some good. Um, 10 minutes later, tummy wasn't so happy. Remember the two other times I tried solids during a run? This confirmed I should never have solids again. It was just one little Moon! ONE! Agh.

On the way back, I decided I needed to make a pit stop at the one 'rest area' we know of on the trail. I booked it there - I was feeling that bad. Tried to open the door - LOCKED! Men's Room - LOCKED! WTF? It was close to 8am at that point...why wouldn't they be open??? UGH! So we took it slow and easy the rest of the way since we only had a little over a mile left. Started to feel that pang in my Achilles again soon after so we walked a bit. It felt better after about 1/4 a mile so I figured, eh...let's take it to a jog. That lasted all of 5 minutes. Done. No f-ing around. We probably did 11 miles and that's fine.

I'm getting really concerned now. Can you bruise your Achilles?? I mean, it only hurts every so often and it's a bruisy feeling. Plus, it was pink when I took my sock off. Maybe this new pair of sneakers has a weird bump that's been poking me? So weird. It doesn't hurt any other time. Might also be the new cute work shoes. There is a little nubbin in the back that might have irritated me. *sigh*

Post-run we stopped at Best Buns Bread Company in Shirlington because, well, I was craving a chicken salad sandwich...AT 9am! I grabbed a Chicken Salad Sandwich with Apples, Walnuts, Dijon Mustard Sauce and Watercress on Rustic Italian Bread and a small Americano - um, definitely needed caffeine.
You bet I wanted to tear into this as soon as I got into the car, but I waited the 15 minutes until we got home. :) DEVOURED half before jumping in the shower haha. I liked the flavor of the Dijon Mustard Sauce, but I thought it was a little too creamy. The watercress, walnuts and apples added some fun crunch and the flavors went well with the Dijon. The bread was perfectly squishy in the middle and crusty on the outside! I'm a big fan of chicken salad on crusty bread :)

Off to work and then celebratory dinner for Jamie...will post last night's and tonight's dinner soon!

Ahhh Friday

I was pretty productive this morning...until about an hour ago when I turned The Hills on and sat here with my jaw dropped at the absolute ridiculousness that unfolded before my eyes. Holy crap. I stop watching for like 3 seasons and it's like the show grew beyond train wreck status. WHAT IS HEIDI's DRESS? SERIOUSLY?
Correction, my issue is not with the dress...it's with the freaking accessories. Do you want more jewelry, lady? Because I don't think you have enough on. No. Definitely not.

Yeah, I know I'm way late on the celebrity scoop, but I'm ok with that. Aaaanyway...my morning started bright and early with a super sweaty (we're talking two-towel sweaty) bootcamp class. We did a bunch of stairs, lunges and a few fun things with stability balls - including hamstring curls.

I then set off to do my 8 mile run - which felt surprisingly good on the legs after all those leg workouts! Totally got into zone out mode AND I even had headphones in (gasp!) - yes, sometimes I need music to get me moving in the mornings! It was one of those electronic-y, flashback sort of days that made me happy:

• Broken Glass - The Crystal Method
• Begin to Spin Me Round - Dannii Minogue vs Dead or Alive
• Miss Murder - AFI
  
• Lapdance - N.E.R.D
• Plug it In - Basement Jaxx
• Jungle Brothers: Because I Got it Like That - Fatboy Slim
  

I wound my way downtown to the Lincoln and the Reflecting Pool before hitting the Mall. I was feeling good, but once I got around the Capitol Reflecting Pool, I started feeling this weird bruise-y pain in my left achilles and in my book, that means STOP. You don't f around with stuff like that.
I figured I had gotten a good sweat in so I wasn't about to push it through the pain, especially since I've got a 12-miler tomorrow morning. I think I'm set.

I was starving once I got home, so I made myself a bowl of Fage 0% Total, honey, Craisins, and Kashi GOLEAN Crunch.
Not going to lie - I wish we had some eggs in the fridge. I totally could have used something salty for breakfast. Thankfully, I had this waiting in the wings for lunch!
I made a wrap with a slice of gouda, some turkey, Sabra Jalapeno Hummus and romaine...all tucked into a flour tortilla. On the side - sweet potato fries with a sprinkle of salt. I could eat sweet potato fries all day long. No. I take that back. I could eat sweet potato anything all day long. To me, sweet potatoes scream fall. What food item screams fall to you?

I'm off to get some social interaction at work now...and hopefully I'll gain back some of those brain cells I lost to The Hills earlier ;p Happy almost weekend!!

Pool = Cool

First thing's first - how do you like my new header?? :) I felt bad harassing NY designer friend, so I ended up playing around w/my header a little bit yesterday afternoon and today. Sometimes I love slow summer days at the office ;p There are a few things I still want to play around with, but I'm kinda content with how things are looking so far! I do wish I made the beans a little bigger so you could see the shoe detail (I made them Mizunos!) and the detail on the Duff Beer. *sigh*

Since my hip/butt/back was achy and tight on the walk home, I decided to nix the 4 mile run and Jamie and I took our workout to the pool instead. Second pool day this week! Woah! We ended up doing 14 laps of the OLB and backstroke, which my hip/butt/back is still deciding whether or not that was a good idea. Not quite a 4 mile run, but at least we got moving :)

I was pretty hungry after the pool so I snacked on this DELICIOUS nut blend:
I stopped at Daily Market (surprise!) for a salad this afternoon and walked by a display of these Sahale Snacks. I've passed by these a few times, but was usually put off by the fact that they're just seasoned nuts and these nuts are $5.49. Today I decided to take a chance and went with a bag of Ksar Pistachios. UM, BEST. PURCHASE. EVER. I'm now addicted.
This particular nut blend had pistachios, sesame seeds, pepitas and fig bits with a touch of Moroccan harissa. The fig bits added just the right amount of sweetness and had a nice chewy texture. The sweetness definitely complemented the slight kick from the harissa. I'm totally buying this again for a party snack.

Dinner tonight was fast and frozen. We broke into the bag of Kowalski Wieners Jamie's mom brought us back from Ohio.
Now these aren't just any old hot dogs. These are freaking amazing hot dogs that come from an equally amazing place (not that I've ever been to the market, but I've sampled a lot of its greatness) - Stanley's Market in Toledo, Ohio. I've only been to Ohio twice in my entire life and I'm going to say that I'd make a trip JUST for these. I can't even stand to eat regular ones anymore!

What makes these so special? WEELLLL, first of all these bad boys are wrapped in natural casing. They even come all linked together! See that picture of the dogs in the Foreman? That snapped casing is heavenly in my book :) Second of all, they taste more like a sausage than a hot dog...but nothing like a half smoke. They kinda taste like a tiny, mild keilbasa. Yes. That's it. With a slight hint of sweetness.

I dressed mine with a ton of whole grain Dijon mustard and some cheese (which I decided I didn't really want after a bite):
I can't seem to get enough of this mustard. I love the texture and the flavor - much more than plain Dijon mustard. It smells great too...there's something cinnamon-y (??) or spice cabinet-y about it. What are your thoughts on whole grain Dijon mustard?

Tomorrow's an early day for me so I'm going to sign off now. I'm all done with Julie & Julia and I must say it was a great read. I definitely chuckled loudly on the metro a few times this week ;) Now I'm moving on to Eat, Pray, Love. I'll let you know how it goes! The way I'm flying through these books, I'll be needing some book suggestions for the plane ride to Budapest! Any suggestions?

More pool, please.

Since it was nasty hot out this evening and I wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of running on the treadmill, Jamie and I decided to go to the pool for some good old floating and what we fondly call the 'old lady breaststroke'. You know what it is. It's that leisurely breaststroke-ish thing that older ladies will do at the pool. There's nothing wrong with it. Nothing wrong at all. In fact, 20-30 minutes of that makes my chicken arms feel shaky. Dang. Not quite 4 miles of running, but let me tell you, that water was exactly what I wanted in this weather!

Unfortunately, I got a little rowdy in the shallow end and ended up scraping off some of my brownness:
I had a minor freak out when I looked at my hands in the water and saw WHITE. Oww.

While we were OLB-ing, my precious little shrimpies were marinating in a delicious bath of coconut milk, lime, garlic powder and chili powder. Why? To be included in tonight's Shrimp Tacos, of course!
I had this weird urge to make some shrimp tacos this weekend and a fruity salsa seemed like the perfect accompaniment! I loved the colors on this plate :)

Shrimp Tacos
12 large shrimp, shelled
1/4 c lite coconut milk
1/4 tsp garlic powder
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp chili powder
Mango & Tomato Salsa (see below)
4 corn tortillas
handful arugula

Combine coconut milk, garlic powder, lime juice and chili powder in a bowl. Add shrimp and let marinate for 30 minutes. Grill until shrimp is pink. Assemble tacos by placing some arugula on a tortilla, followed by 3 shrimp and topped with the salsa.
Mango & Tomato Salsa
1 mango, diced
1/3 c grape tomatoes, quartered
1/4 c pineapple, diced
1/2 avocado, diced
4 radishes, sliced into matchsticks
handful chopped cilantro
sprinkle cumin
juice of 1 lime
2 tsp pineapple juice
pinch salt

Stir all ingredients together in a bowl, let sit for 10 minutes.

I'm definitely making this shrimp again! Who knew leftover coconut milk would come in so handy?? I think the tacos were missing something...they were really yummy and light, but I kept thinking they needed a little something extra. Not a clue what though!

Before I rush off to read more of Julie & Julia (already halfway through!), I'm going to leave you with a list of some of my favorite summer reads. These are quick reads that are pretty easy to get lost in. I think you should check these out :)

A Cook's Tour - Anthony Bourdain
I've already mentioned how much I enjoy this book, but I thought I'd bring it up again ;) It combines travel and food - two of my favorite things. Plus, it reads almost like you're watching No Reservations...what more could you ask for?

Untangling My Chopsticks: A Culinary Sojourn in Kyoto - Victoria Abbott Riccardi
This book made me SO hungry. I was craving Japanese food the ENTIRE time I was reading! The author shares her adventures in Kyoto as she studies the art of kaiseki, including recipes scattered throughout the book. Well written and delicious.

Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise - Ruth Reichl
I actually chuckled to myself several times as I read this book. I loved her writing style so much that I immediately purchased another one of her books.

The Painted Veil - W. Somerset Maugham
I bought this book immediately after watching the movie. Don't laugh. It was during one of my super sappy phases and it just so happened to star Edward Norton and I may or may not have a weird thing for him. ANYWAY, I enjoyed the book...which wasn't as sappy as the movie, but still good.

Happy reading :)

Ahhh city life...

...with it comes fun things like seeing a RAT STUCK IN CONCRETE while cruising through Woodley Park! SIIIICK!

Sorry, it was too freaky of a sight not to share! I wonder how long it will take for someone to take it out! *shudder* Anyway...

Tonight we did a trusty 4 mile out and back route from the apartment to Dupont North. It's not one of my faves, but it's a good standby route - well lit and full of shops for when I do have to run alone, it incorporates a wee hill, and most importantly, I know exactly where the 2 mile/turnaround mark is!

The weather was sticky- 89 degrees with 42% humidity! Blech. Definitely water bottle worthy. Also Body Glide worthy! Unfortunately, I made the mistake of wearing shorts that were just a tad too loose and got chafed...not even the layers upon layers of Body Glide could protect me :( Lesson learned!

41 minutes later, we're back at the apartment and Jamie's making rice and nuking some of the Claypot Chicken Curry:
We just made a few changes to the original recipe - 2 tbsp curry paste, 1 tbsp fish sauce, some bamboo shoots and frozen corn! MUUUCH better this time...check out those red flecks of hotness! MMM Good!

Today's run marked the transition to 4 mile short runs in my training. Wooo! This is kind of a big deal since I've never really stuck to my weekly runs before (not that I am now, but 2 out of 3 weekday runs is a HUGE improvement for me!), meaning I've never really gone beyond a 3 or 4 mile weekday run.

I'll admit that I've kinda gotten used to the one long-ish run a week thing. In fact, I look forward to that long-ish run every week. It's just knowing that sometime soon, I will have to commit at least an hour to running 2-3 days a week that freaks me out. That's a whole lot of time for a weekday! I'm one of those people that feels like there's never enough time in the day! Gah!

Not going to lie - I have no qualms about skipping a 3 mile run. It's short...I hate short runs. With 4 mile runs, I feel kinda bad skipping them and when it comes to 5 miles and more, I start to feel guilty. I NEED to do them. Why is this such an issue you ask? You see, these runs require either getting up early or finding the motivation after 8pm...and I love my sleep. I NEED it. I probably get more sleep than necessary, but I cherish it and it keeps me from being cranky in public. Plus, I think I might be just a tad bit over my head with all I've taken on lately. Sleep is my ME time. *sigh* perhaps it's time for a summer sacrifice...
SO, in an effort to maximize post-work time, I'm doing dinners a little differently this week. First of all, we splurged on takeout last night while Jamie took control of the kitchen and made tonight's dinner in advance. Tonight, while blogging and eating, I'm making a casserole of sorts that will keep our bellies full for the next two days. AND on Thursday, I'm going to prep my BSI entry/Friday dinner...how's that for multi-tasking?? :)

What are some small changes you've made in your daily routine to accommodate running/working out?

Quick post before I forget

Today was a frantic and frustrating day that started off with a last minute calendar reminder that I had training all day today via conference call. Boo.

Our work event was at Founding Farmers and there were plenty of fun appetizers to go around. I only tasted 4 of them so I wouldn't be too full for my run at 7. The appetizers I did get to taste were great and I'm hoping I'll be able to check out the full menu soon!

I might have to say my favorite of the four appetizers were the Bacon Lollies (Nueske’s bacon candied with cinnamon and brown sugar glaze). These were perfect bite sized portions on sticks (bacon + stick = YUM) and they were missing the part I hate the most about bacon...the gross and slimy fat pieces!

Coming a close second was the Flatbread with Creamy Brie, Onion Jam, and Sliced Organic Apples. When I ordered this, I pictured a piece of flatbread topped with all this stuff kinda like a pizza. Wrong-o. The plate came out with three large slices of sliced bread topped with all those delicious toppings. The savory and sweet elements were perfect together.

The Baby Cheeseburgers (ground-to-order beef with Tillamook cheddar on a house made bun) were cooked perfectly and I kinda love them because it tasted like there was a little bit of thousand island dressing on it and an itty bitty pickle slice...so it was like a fancy Big Mac ;)

We also got the Popcorn which smelled awesome the entire time we were standing at the bar, but was a tad too greasy for me. It was oddly addictive though.

I also ordered the group some Ramos House Fried Green Tomatoes which flew off the bar within seconds. I'll have to test those out next time!

I skipped out after 2 vodka sodas (hold the vodka) and walked to my office to get ready for today's run...which was interesting. I mapped a 3.85 mile route, but we ended cutting it short after I got this pinching pain in my ankle once we got to the mall. So we took it a lot slower after that and ran 3.6 instead. Yes, I just mapped that and now feel silly for complaining about a 0.2 mile difference.

ALSO, my fears of getting hit with a ball almost came true! We were running on the mall and wewerethisclose to getting hit by a stray ball!! Fired.

I was fried from work today so I just boiled up some raviolis for dinner and iced my ankle.
Yep, that's right, I have a Nemo icepak buddy and I'm not ashamed of him.

Tomorrow will be a good food post day. On the dinner menu: Grilled Shrimp with Mango Salsa and Avocado Salad. woooo!