It Happens in the Kitchen

Usually, anyway. Unfortunately there hasn’t been much cooking going on in our kitchen lately as I’ve been working more late nights than not the last couple of months. I’ve been looking forward to this long weekend so I could finally do a little cooking again and try something new! I find that when we get busy, we tend to get in a major rut when it comes to meals and eat the same easy things over and over. It’s getting really old.

First up…a little healthy snack with a kick

I got this idea perusing through Pinterest one day. I love chick peas (super healthy source of protein and fiber that’s easy to add to salads or quinoa bowls) and thought this was an awesome idea. Turns out, it’s really incredibly easy too! Thanks to Jess from Cheese Please (isn’t that a great blog name?) for posting this on her blog!

I simplified it a bit, but it still turned out great!

Roasted chick peas! I drained and rinsed 1 can garbanzo beans, patted them dry then in a bowl mixed with 1tbs olive oil and about 1 tsp ground chipotle, then baked on a lined baking sheet at 400’ for about 30 minutes.

I’m not big into spicy, but Woody is, so I added enough chipotle to give them a kick but not so much that I couldn’t enjoy them too! Next time I’m trying the sweet version Jess featured in her post!

Next up… super hearty and pretty healthy dinner

I don’t often eat red meat, but Saturday evening we were watching a lifestyle show and the host was checking out late night spots in a couple major cities across the country. One restaurant was known for their sliders and they looked so good, I started craving them. This is what happened…

Okay, so not the most beautiful shot of food ever, but it was pretty delicious and definitely filling. The burgers are 85% lean and local; grass-fed; 5 out of 5 on Whole Foods animal welfare scale. I chopped up a garlic clove and mixed it in with two of the four sliders then covered the other two in cherry BBQ sauce. For veggies I sliced a zucchini and two carrots, steamed them, then drizzled balsamic vinaigrette just before serving. The sweet potato chips. Well, just sliced thin and baked for what seemed to be forever. Dinner turned out really well and I was pretty proud of myself for actually cooking the entire meal and not warming anything up in the microwave!

As long as it doesn’t rain, which it’s been doing a lot of lately, we’re planning to do a little picnic this afternoon which means I’m going to do a little more cooking! I’ll share with you sometime soon!

In other news…

We also ordered a new bed yesterday! This is life changing as we’ve had the same bed for well over 7 years and it’s totally dead. I have high hopes that my hips and back won’t be so stiff after a few nights with the new bed.

Also, we’re heading up to Central Park for a run and breakfast. Hope you’re all having a great Memorial Day Weekend!

• How spicy do you like your food?
• What’s been the highlight of your Memorial Day Weekend so far?

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Today’s workout -

On the way there! Run in Central Park!

So, I Ran a Race Yesterday

When I was able to steal a few moments at work on Friday to check my personal email I saw an NYCRuns newsletter had arrived. For a while now I’ve been thinking about what races might be ahead for me. I’ve registered for the Portugal Day race on June 17th and the Running Bear 5K on July 24th, but I’ve been hoping to add another in before to get my feet wet. So, when I saw the blurb about the NYPD Memorial 5K Run that was happening Sunday in my neighborhood, I knew I had to try!

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to register until race morning, and I have to admit I was a little nervous and almost backed out, but I put on my Oiselle singlet, got to the school in Batter Park City at 7:30am, registered then headed to the gym with my number tucked in my bag. The race didn’t start until 10:13am, so I had some time to spare. I did a light workout and the gym, made plans with Woody about where we’d meet after the race and got back to Battery Park City with plenty of time. Before the race, we gathered in the South Cove along the Hudson River where there was a prayer and remarks by Commissioner Ray Kelly. The race was to honor all the NYPD officers who have died in the line of duty, so there were a lot of police officers, NYPD families and friends and a lot of emotion. We moved out onto the West Side Highway and the race began at 10:13am after an NYPD officer had sung the national anthem in the shadows of One World Trade Center. Nothing like a heart wrenching start, right?

Let me back up a minute. The 5K was a run/walk. On my way to the start I realized that not only were many people walking, but there were some with strollers and dogs. Not wanting to get caught in the back, I jumped behind two guys making a b-line through the crowd and got near the front!

After the gun went off, I realized pretty quick I was going a little faster than I wanted to. It was so hard not to get caught up in the excitement, but I slowed down and didn’t mind all the kids passing me. While there was some good shade at the start as soon as we were north of Tribeca we were in full sun. Given that it was after 10am, it was pretty hot already, I think around 70 or so! This was by far the warmest weather I’ve run in for many, many months. The course was out and back. We left Liberty Street ran to just shy of 14th, turned around and finished at Chambers. I always love cheering the runners on who are going the opposite way, but I didn’t do much cheering as I was just trying to focus on running my first race in over 7 months.

I saw Woody just before the finish line and threw him a smile for the camera (there’s one of the fast little kids right behind me!). The finishing chute was pretty narrow and I almost ran over some guy, but it was awesome to hear them call my name!

While this was not my best race (28:53:91), I am still really proud of myself for getting out there again and now I have a starting point. My next 5K in July will be better and I’ll be stronger.

The post-race was awesome. A BBQ with sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, sides, pretzels, chips and TONS of fruit! I went back for seconds on the oranges – they were delicious!

While I think they could have used some volunteers in the South Cove a bit earlier, I thought the race was really well organized. The race started on time, volunteers along the course and at the finish, they had times posted really quickly, and everyone seemed to have a great time! Plus, how can you not love a race with a BBQ at the finish line!? Perhaps the fact that the NYPD Running Club hosted the race and I imagine they’re pretty disciplined! I definitely plan to do this one again next year.

Last night I did not sleep well and my muscles are oddly sore, so when the alarm went off at 5am, Woody and I agreed pretty quickly to hit snooze and skip the gym this morning. Not the best way to start the week, but sometimes it has to be done. Can’t wait till next Monday when we can sleep in even later and still get a workout in!

• Have you ever registered for a race the morning of?
• If you raced this weekend, how did it go?
• What was the highlight of your weekend?

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Today’s workout – None. Slept in! I’ll do some stretching tonight.

Five for Friday

Do you realize next weekend is Memorial Day weekend? I do not understand where spring has gone, but I am excited to have a 3 day weekend!

1. With summer on the way, the Olympics are getting closer! Oiselle is running an awesome contest that you should seriously consider entering. Grab your best running buddy and get your creative juices going. They’re flying the winning duo to Eugene in June for three days of the Track & Field Olympic Trials! Not only do you get the plane tickets, but the winners also get to stay at the Oiselle Nest with Team Oiselle, tickets to three days of the trials, VIP tickets to Oiselle’s party and fashion show, an awesome Oiselle swag bag and what is guaranteed to be a ridiculously awesome time! Click HERE for all the details! Good luck!

2. One runner you might see if you go to Eugene and will likely see watching the Olympics this July, is Jenny Simpson. A Team New Balance athlete, Jenny won the gold medal at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, South Korea. The first American woman to win a world championship in 28 years. Now, she’s a favorite for London. To celebrate her place in American distance running, New Balance put together a great behind-the-scenes mini-documentary which you can watch on YouTube HERE but for a sneak peek, watch the trailer below! I don’t know about you, but I love having the chance to see what life is really like for elite runners; how they train, their struggles and triumphs. I can’t wait to cheer for all the American athletes competing in the Olympics, including Jenny!

3. Switching gears to food….if you’re in the city this weekend and thinking you’d like to hang out with about a million people on a city street in mid-town and eat a ton of food from all over the world, head over to the Ninth Avenue International Food Festival in Hell’s Kitchen. If you’re having trouble finding it, just walk towards the unmistakable vendor cart aroma! Taste of Tribeca is also happening this Saturday. For $45 you can try food from 70 fantastic Tribeca area restaurants with proceeds going to local schools.

4. I’m now going to interrupt this 5 for Friday post for a quick PSA – as runners and people who generally like to be outside, we need to be sure to be careful when we’re out in the sun. While I never went to a tanning salon, when I was young I did like to lay out and get tan in the summer since I’m pretty pale with my Scandinavian complexion. As I’ve gotten older though, I’ve realized there are a lot of health issues we can’t control. But one thing we can have a lot of control over is skin cancer. So, please, I implore you to put on sunblock and run in the morning or night so you don’t get the worst sun of the day. HERE’s a great article from Rodale.com – “7 New Rules of Sunscreen” – a great read as we start spending more time outside.

5. I’m not sure if you’ve seen the “We Deliver” ads, the ones featuring delivery men for major beverage companies like PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, but they are all over the TV out here and plastered inside Subway cars, bus shelters and phone booths. These ads really annoy me for several reasons, but I don’t want to get into that now. I was happy to read THIS article in The New York Times the other day which explores the fact that soda companies are having to find new sources of income because sales of soda has been dropping. I never want companies to go out of business or to have to lay people off, but I am happy to hear people are getting fewer calories from beverages. It’s not completely optimistic though, because the article does not that people may be drinking more energy and sports drinks, which are also high in sugar. But if fewer people are drinking harmful sodas, we can tackle the energy and sports drinks next!

• What is your favorite Olympic event to watch?
• Do you wear sunscreen religiously or “forget” to put it on?
• What is your favorite non-soda beverage?
• Are you racing this weekend? What are your big plans?

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Today’s workout -

• 40min elliptical
• 2x15 core twists
• 2x15 leg press
• 100 ab exercises
• 2 x 1min plank
• 2x15 back extension
• stretching