I did something stupid

…I’m not sure what. But somehow, I had a post almost completed, meant to press “ctrl B” to make something bold, evidently pressed something else, and DELETED AN ALMOST COMPLETED POST!!!!!!! Lame!

But I am not going to cry about it (except through my crying face emoticons above), I am just going to move on, re-type everything (while obsessively hitting save) but probably do so in a less wordy fashion, to save precious time.

First up: shoe review. Yesterday was my first run in my new Asics. I completed a wet 13 km (last week, extreme heat, yesterday, rain) in these guys. I actually don’t mind running in rain, as long as it’s not a torrential downpour (although I’ve done that too). I’m happy to report no soreness today, and no blisters from “breaking them in” (I’ve done that before – not pretty). I can tell these guys are way more supportive than any shoe I’ve had before. So far, so good!

It’s been one of those weeks where I feel like I’ve barely been home or eaten in my own kitchen. Observe: Monday: cater pool party for Aunt. Tuesday: Lunch with Lynne the Landlady in London (like the alliteration there?). Wednesday: Help with funeral food at church, lunch with sister, quick gym workout, then get-together for dinner with family friends. Thursday: market, lunch/pool party with friends, then Bible study. So that means Friday morning is being spent at home in pyjamas, putting off my workout until lunch.

So, my Wednesday lunch was with my sister at Boo’s Bistro, one of her and my brother’-in-law’s favourite restaurants. I had a Wagjag coupon for $50 worth of food for $25, so it was a no-brainer! Since I’m trying to save on words this time around, I’m just going to give a brief description and let the food speak for itself. But let me say this – while a heavy meal and 80/20 splurge, I can summarize the meal in one word: YUM!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appetizers: mango salad (mostly me) and crabcakes (sister. I had one bite – not bad for crab).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Main course: burger (both) with apple, gouda, bacon, caramelized onion marmalade. Mixed greens (me), frites (sister, but also me a bit because she shared).

Dessert: chocolate pot de creme over top of a sweet cherry compote (shared). Delicious and adorable.

 

 

 

 

 

Thankfully, before the next food fest, I made a visit to The Athletic Club to go to UFC class, as it was the last day of my $19 one month membership. UFC is basically a high-intensity circuit class of weights and cardio. Example: burpees with a medicine ball: epic. I felt the burger at times (I am NOT used to eating such a big meal at lunch), but was glad I did the class afterward – I felt great!

No pictures of dinner – but it was a typical summer meal – beef on a bun, salads, corn on the cob, veggies and dip, cake, cake pops, fruit and ice cream. The amount I ate actually wasn’t a lot, and would have been fine if I hadn’t had such a huge lunch. I couldn’t resist a cake pop, ice cream and fruit for dessert. Needless to say, I was full when we left. Thank goodness for yesterday’s long run!

My girlfriends and I potlucked for lunch yesterday. Nicky made tasty wraps with lettuce, tomatoes, corn and cheese in a dressing that was half Ranch and half salsa – yummy! Heather made a deliciously summer-y salad of cucumbers, peas, and onions in creamy cucumber dressing (which I haven’t had in forever and forgot how much I loved).

I did dessert (naturally) and brought fresh cherries from the market and a quickie mini chocolate raspberry trifle I made (perfect size for a small group). Although trifle is usually a feed-a-crowd kinda dessert, you can easily make a smaller one if you have a small bowl (or do in wine glasses for individual servings and a cute presentation). And, as you know I was short on time this week, you can whip something like this up in 15 minutes if you’ve got the right stuff on hand (that’s all it took me). Here’s what I did:

Quick Chocolate Raspberry Trifle

Grab a bag of 5 chocolate zucchini muffins from your freezer (they may or may not have been there since last summer, but if you can’t use slightly freezer-burned muffins in a trifle for your girlfriends, where can you use them?).

 

Thaw muffins in the microwave. Remove papers and crumble them (and please, eat any crumbs left on the paper liners like I did). Set aside.

 

 

Make a package of Jell-o fat-free chocolate instant pudding mix with just over 1 cup of skim milk. Gently whisk in about one cup of fat-free Cool Whip. Optional: add a couple teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder. I just like the added depth of chocolate flavour.

In a small glass bowl, layer half the crumbled muffins, fresh raspberries from your garden (ok fine, a store if you have to) and half the pudding. Repeat the layers, top with more Cool Whip, garnish with strawberries. Put in the fridge – you’re done!

This can easily be made with any combo of pudding/cake (or muffins)/fruit. And trifle (especially when it contains chocolate) is always a crowd pleaser!

The weekend is full of a LOT more food and fun – but thankfully, it’s all home-based, so I don’t have to go anywhere. We’ve got company coming tonight, and then we’re having a HUGE BBQ party Sunday.

Canadian friends – what are your plans for the long weekend? Whatever they are, enjoy. Hopefully, if you’re lucky (like me) you will be surrounded by good food, family and friends!

Tea for Two

I had an awesome landlady for the 3 years I lived off-campus during university. As in, free parking in the driveway, drive you to the hospital and wait with you for 5 hours and pay the parking ticket when you needed stitches kind of awesome. So when I bought a groupon to Dishington’s, a tea room just outside of London, I called her and asked her if she wanted to get together for lunch to catch up (she’s an avid HHH reader…Hi Lynne!). Thankfully, she accepted, and Tuesday we had lunch.

When I thought tea room, I was thinking creamy salads, sandwiches and baked goods, but thankfully, I managed to find some healthier options (since this week/weekend are PACKED with food-focused occasions, I didn’t want to start 80/20 –ing too early ). I ordered the “soup, salad and biscuits” with a garden salad. The soup of the day was tomato vegetable, so pretty healthy. I didn’t snap a picture of the biscuits, but I only ate one (no butter). I LOVE biscuits, but rarely eat them, so it was a nice treat. The salad was your average salad, and the soup was good.

Lynne and I decided to share a dessert. Given my love for peanut butter and chocolate, when we heard that peanut butter chocolate ice cream cake was the feature, that was our choice – YUM! It was pretty much just as delicious as it looked and sounded. The tea was good, but I was a little disappointed that at a fancy tea room, it was just Lipton! I was hoping for something a little more special.

All-in-all, it was a great lunch though. So nice to catch up with Lynne, who is no longer my landlady, but a dear friend. And I treated myself without going too overboard.

After saying good bye to Lynne, I headed downtown to The Running Room to get new runners. My current pair have been through a marathon and a half marathon with me, so they were well past their prime. After consulting with the helpful staff, I came away with the most expensive running shoes I’ve ever owned – these Asics. The guy told me that the shoes I have now weren’t supportive enough for my arches (I expected as much. I have flat feet and was in MAJOR pain when I crossed the finish line last fall at my marathon). I’m planning my “maiden run” in them today, so I’ll keep you posted!

I was really hungry by the time I got back home (around 6). Although my lunch included some yummy treats, what it didn’t include was very much protein. I wanted something that would be satisfying and filling, but still pretty light. Enter: zucchini “pasta” with meat sauce.

Not only does zucchini “pasta” have way less carbs and calories than the usual stuff, it also cooks up WAY quicker ( a great benefit when your stomach’s eating itself). All you do is use a vegetable peeler to make thing strands from the zucchini. As long as it’s not too big and seedy, you can use the whole thing (one medium zucchini makes one serving).

I cooked my “noodles” in salted water in my microwave cooker for 4 minutes, drained, seasoned with salt and pepper and that’s it!

 

 

 

 

For my quick meat sauce, I sauteed ground turkey, onion, garlic, mushrooms, red pepper and yellow pepper (from my garden!) in a teaspoon of olive oil until browned. Then, I added part of a can of San Marzano tomatoes, a splash of red wine (because it was sitting there, I was feeling rebellious, and I like the taste of wine in sauces, just not to drink)and salt and pepper; brought to a boil, then reduced the heat and simmered for a few minutes.

Right at the end, I stirred in a generous handful of chopped fresh basil and oregano, simmered for a few more minutes, and we were good to go. I poured the sauce over my “pasta,” added some Parmesan, garnished with more fresh basil, and dinner was served!

 

Thank you to those of you who submitted questions to me earlier in the week. I plan to answer them in a post to come – it’s just been a bit crazy this week. Stay tuned for the rest of my eating adventures (and a shoe summary).

If you are a runner (or any other type of exerciser for that matter) have you shelled out the big bucks for shoes, and was it worth it?

Slow Run, Shape up and Sundae

Happy Thursday all! The weekend is only a day away…hang in there (and don’t melt)! So, this post is updating you on a few things: Tuesday’s Ancaster Old Mill Race 10 K, the latest on my progress in the Shape up for Summer challenge, and pretty much the awesomest soft serve sundae of life (not kidding).

So, first off, the run. I will apologize for the lack of photos, but I was all by my lonesome at the start, didn’t feel like lugging the camera with me during the race, and my sister met me a little after the end. So the photo of me at the top is a self portrait (and actually not too bad at that, considering how terrible I typically am at taking them) before the race began and I slowly but surely melted into a sweaty mess. I don’t know where you were on Tuesday night, but if you were anywhere in Southern Ontario, you understand what I’m talking about. SERIOUS humidity folks!

Don’t these feet look ready to run? Going into the race, I was really hoping to improve on my time from last year. That didn’t happen. I didn’t beat my time. I didn’t tie it. I wasn’t even a little slower. I finished this 10 K TEN MINUTES SLOWER than last year!!!!

I know not all races can be a personal best, and I’m ok with that, but I was REALLY disappointed with my time. I’m not trying to make excuses, but here are some possible reasons why I wasn’t so speedy:

• It was HOT and HUMID. I don’t remember what exactly the weather was last year, but certainly not this muggy. And although I trained all summer last year for my marathon, this was definitely the hottest race weather I’ve had.
• I didn’t really train. Yes, I run every week, but often only for a day. And there was my vacation to Vegas. Probably in the month leading up to the race, I only ran 10 K or more maybe 3 times. I guess I figured that since I had run a full and half marathon since my last 10 K race, that it wasn’t such a big deal. Guess maybe I was wrong.
• I was feeling kind of tired and “off” earlier in the day on Tuesday. I got home from school and just felt like watching tv, not running a race. Again, not trying to make excuses, just trying to figure out what went wrong.

So at the start of the race itself, I decided I wanted to pace myself and not go out too strong. However, I think maybe I went a little overboard on that strategy. I knew by 2 km in that I wasn’t going to beat my record, and soon after that I wasn’t going to even tie it. I’ll be honest, it was a tough race. It was hard not to be discouraged and feel down on myself. I feel like I want to get beyond the point of “just running the race is my victory” and actually make some time improvements, you know? I’m over that “I used to be the fat girl and I’m so proud of myself for just doing this.” I still am proud of myself, but I’d like to feel like I’m improving my pace, not just showing up and crossing the finish line.

I recently bought the book Run Less, Run Faster  and am partway through right now. It seems like if it delivers on its promises (and there are tons of testimonials) and I stick to the training schedule (only 3 runs a week) I could see some improvements….I’ll keep you posted.

One great thing I have to say about this race: the crowds are amazing! There is so much support: families and little kids line the race route and cheer everyone on…they even stay to watch the slow pokes like me! A huge thank you for everyone who lined the route, especially for those who had sprinklers and hoses!

Onto happier stuff: FOOD! I didn’t snap a picture since I didn’t have my camera on me, but since the race sponsor is a restaurant, there was a delicious catered dinner after: mixed green and blueberry salad, watermelon, some seriously awesome mac and cheese, and grilled chicken on a bun (I went bun-less). I could have gone back for more, especially the amazing mac ‘n cheese, but I stopped myself.

Since my sister lives nearby to where the race was, she met me after and took me out for fro yo (let it be known that I had the choice to go for ice cream, but I picked TCBY). I opted for chocolate with butterscotch and SKOR. The butterscotch was a little odd – sort of weird in flavour/texture, so it wasn’t my favourite…oh well!

Now onto the second “S” in my title, my latest update on the Shape up for Summer Challenge. I have to say, I’m glad I did this, because posting something on here for all to see really does keep me accountable.

• Special occasion eating: So far, so good. This was my plate at a bridal shower last weekend: all fruit and veggies (plus a bit more fruit I munched on later). I skipped the cake, but to be honest, it wasn’t all that hard for me. I’m a bit of a cake snob, and a store-bought slab cake with overly sweet icing really doesn’t do it for me. I know that might sound kind of snotty, but being a dessert snob makes it easier to turn stuff down. If it had been a nice homemade cake or dessert, it could have been a different story. More events coming up though…so stay tuned!
• Hula hooping for 10 minutes 4 days a week: going fairly well. Again, really glad I posted about this so I would go make myself DO IT! I missed my class on Tuesday, but I’ve been pretty good about fitting in my 10 minutes. It works best if I do it right away after I get home. I tried to wait until after supper one night, and it ended up being more like 3….as the day goes on, my motivation decreases.
• Kicking up the intensity of my workouts: Not gonna lie, I’m not where I want to be on this one. It’s been sort of an off week for a couple of reasons: Military Tone class was cancelled on Saturday. I went to Zumba instead. It was good, just not the butt-kicking I wanted. Sunday I planned to run, but my legs felt heavy, and since it was close to my race, I didn’t want to push myself, so I walked. I didn’t think a lot of cardio was a good idea the day before my race, so I did a one hour Body Sculpt class on Monday. It was just kinda of “meh.” I know the girl who was teaching is newer, so maybe she just need to get into her groove. The one downside to working out a a lot is that the more you do, the more it takes to really “feel the burn.” And I took yesterday off after the run. Hopefully Military Tone will be on this Saturday, and also, on the upside, I’ve booked my last personal training session for next week…so hopefully she will KICK MY BUTT!
• One-day-a-week Low Carb: I sort of had to manoeuvre this one a bit this week, but I made it work. I was going to do it Monday, but I didn’t think it would be great the day before a race. I don’t want to do in on the weekend and was thinking today would be good, except I’m going out for dinner with my mom and Sister, and no one wans to have a girls night out with “low carb girl”….LAME! Yesterday wouldn’t work because I had breakfast out. But then I was thinking, one day can be three consecutive meals, but it doesn’t all have to be on the same date – so I did yesterday lunch and dinner, and breakfast today. It’s my challenge, and my blog, so I make the rules!

Honestly, as long as I’m cooking for myself, I’m not finding the low carb thing such a hardship. Wednesday’s low carb supper was a delicious variation on this meal (minus the lemon in the noodles and meatballs, switching up the herbs a little bit, adding a delightful little grilled veggie salad on the side).

…and that leads us to the best part of the post (thanks for sticking with me through all of my whining about my lack of athletic ability). I promise, if you’ve made it this far, it’s worth the wait for this (cue dramatic Star Wars music):

Behold the beauty that is the SOFT SERVE SUNDAE! Seriously this was SO SO SO SO SO amazingly delicious. Words don’t even describe it, but I’ll try. Last weekend, I made strawberry mango banana soft serve, and loved the flavour combo. For some reason, putting the three together was just wonderful, even better than banana-mango or strawberry-banana. So I repeated the combo last night, but added a few raspberries for good measure. I was a little impatient (frustrating night: BBQ running out of propane during dinner, getting a supply phone call while I was in the bathroom and my phone was not), so I had a few chunks in my soft serve and added a bit more milk than usual, but still amazing.

My sundae toppings were the last of my stewed rhubarb, fresh LOCAL strawberries (just SO flavourful compared to the California ones, can’t say it enough), 4 blackberries (not local) and a tablespoon of cacao nibs for crunch. Perfect flavour and texture combo. And look at the size of that baby….it’s HUGE!

I know this is going to sound like I’m one of those crazy health food bloggers (which maybe I am), but the more you eat this stuff, the more you want to, and your body craves it. I wasn’t like “oh this is really good for a healthy dessert” or “because it has so much fruit.” I just thought this was REALLY GOOD! You really need to try a soft serve sundae, either my version (or your own if you share your recipe). I don’t know why I waited so long, but I can assure you, there will be more this summer.

How are you coming with the Shape up for Summer challenge (or any healthy/fitness goals)?

Why I almost burnt the quinoa…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I got home Monday night around 7:30 after a full but wonderful day. I was making the deliciousness that you see above for a pre-race healthy carbo-load meal (more on that in a sec) (and race recap will come tomorrow), and, as the title says, I almost burnt the quinoa. Why, you ask? Well, I was a little preoccupied. With what, you ask? Well, if you follow Donna over at Love, Run & Travel, you might already know the answer….

…I WAS REGISTERING FOR THE HEALTHY LIVING SUMMIT!!!!!!!!!

So I read all about the HLS on Tina’s blog, Carrots ‘n Cake, last summer, and thought it sounded pretty cool. That’s back before HHH was born, before I was a blogger myself. I saw the registration announced on Meals ‘n Miles and was thinking that I really wanted to go. But I didn’t want to go alone – it would be cheaper to have one (or two) people to share a room with.

I went out on a limb and emailed two of my fellow Canadian health/food bloggers that I “know” (even though I’ve never met either one face to face) and Donna emailed back within the hour saying that she was totally in!

So tickets went on sale Monday at 8 pm. There are only 200 tickets, and apparently last year they sold out in 20 minutes, so I was sitting at my computer, obsessively hitting refresh, and manically texting Donna…it was a bit stressful, not gonna lie. After FINALLY getting to the registration page, I completed all my login info and was paying, and there is a weird extra security code on my card that only applies to some sites, and I didn’t know what it was, and the BMO site said I couldn’t recover it. “Ok. Don’t panic. Don’t panic.” I told myself. I made a quick decision, grabbed my mom’s credit card, paid with that, and immediately paid her back. Phew, that was a close one, but I’M IN! …and so is Donna!

I cannot tell you how excited I am about this event! I think it will be such a fun trip, a great city to explore, and an awesome opportunity to increase my blogging knowledge, get new food/exercise ideas, and do some serious blog networking…can’t wait!

Speaking of Donna, I was inspired by her “Healthified” Mint Chocolate Chip Soft Serve and decided to create my own version over the weekend. I’m not gonna lie, the idea of adding mint extract to the banana kind of weirded me out, but I decided to give it a go. Donna made a mint version with chopped chocolate. For my version, I did the basic method of banana soft serve, adding a touch of mint extract and a spoonful of cocoa. I proceeded as usual and came away with a DELICIOUS bowl of chocolate mint-y goodness. Don’t get me wrong, I love the fruity flavour of the usual soft serve concoctions I make, but sometimes you just need chocolate, you know?

Now onto the salad you saw above. I wanted to make something healthy as my pre-race lunch (the race was at 7, with a supper after, so I knew I’d only be eating a snack before, not supper), that had good carbs, but wouldn’t weigh me down. Enter quinoa! For the salad, I roasted some eggplant, onion, red pepper, mushroom and asparagus with salt, pepper, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme and 1 teaspoon olive oil.

I combined the roasted veggies with fat-free Italian salad dressing, Dijon mustard, fresh basil and oregano, balsamic vinegar, one chopped canned artichoke, and more salt and pepper. After the roasting and cooking, it really didn’t take that long to put together. And of course, there was extra quinoa to use later on in the week. Perfect flavour combo of the nutty quinoa, roasted veggies and fresh herbs.

So that’s my exciting news of the week!…and a lunch time salad to boot. Stay tuned for the details the weekend of August 19-21…I can’t wait to update you about the HLS!

Oh Happy Day!

Mondays do not make me the happiest. I’m sure most of you are right there with me (if you love Mondays, prove me wrong and tell me why). So, I thought I’d help start your (and my) weeks off on the right foot by sharing some recent happy happenings in the life of HHH.

Happy Thing Number One: Tofu shirataki noodles are now available at a grocery store near me!   A reader (thanks Jessie) told me she saw them at her local Sobey’s. I was working in Brantford on Wednesday, so I decided to stop at the Sobey’s there after work (we do have a Sobey’s in Simcoe, but the Brantford one is right on my way home). And lo and behold, there were my beloved noodles, right beside the tofu! I no longer have to drive to Whole Foods or Buffalo or order online to get my beloved noodles! Even better, at Sobey’s, the noodles were only $1.99, which I believe is 30 cents cheaper than I’ve ever seen. Score! I can’t really explain how happy this makes me (I know, I need a life). To celebrate, I made some Hungry Girl-fredo with roasted veggies on Saturday…yum!

Happy Thing Number Two: Peas are sprouting in my garden! I showed you the beans yesterday, but was saving the peas for Monday. They were a bit slower to come up than the beans, and the sprouts are tiny, but they’re on their way. Funny side note: because I am a nerd with a French degree, I find it amusing sometimes to read the translations of things (like I said, I’m a nerd). So how do you say snow pea en français? No, it’s not “petit pois de neige.” It’s actually “des pois mange-tout”. Mange-tout means “eat all,” which actually makes perfect sense, because with snow peas, you eat the whole thing, shell and peas. Neat, huh? (It’s ok if you don’t think so, and are just shaking my head and thinking what a nerd am I and can’t believe you waste your time here, I am content in my nerd-dom).

Happy Thing Number Three: I may be going on an excited blog-related trip at the end of the summer with a fellow blogger (or two).  Nothing is confirmed yet though, so I don’t want so share until things are finalized, bur rest assured, I will share if and when I can.

Happy Thing Number Four: Saturday started with French Toast. Perfect weekend breakfast, if you ask me. It was my usual base, topped with 1/3 cup stewed rhubarb and 3/4 cup sliced fresh LOCAL strawberries! I was totally pumped when I saw them at the market on Thursday. It’s still early, so they were pricey (as in $5 for a quart) but SO worth it. They are so much sweeter and more delicious than the California ones! I finished it off with 3 tbsp light ricotta, mixed with Splenda and vanilla. Mmmm….great way to get the weekend started (if you agree, you can look forward to making this French toast next weekend…maybe strawberries will get cheaper by then). And doesn’t the strawberry rhubarb-ness (yes, I just said rhubarb-ness) look lovely on my cute pink bandana napkin?

Happy Thing Number Five: I’m running a race tomorrow! I can’t believe I haven’t told you guys about this before now, but better late than never. I’m running the 10 K Ancaster Old Mill Race for the second year in a row. Even better? My sister is meeting my at the finish line, and after the delicious catered dinner provided to me (the Ancaster Old Mill is a fine dining restaurant), we’re going for ice cream/fro yo! And not to get all sappy, but this race is sort of the one that “started it all” for me and in a way, lead to me running a marathon….

Last spring, when watching The Biggest Loser (guilty pleasure), I saw the contestants running a marathon. I always had in the back of my mind the goal of running a half marathon, and when I saw the contestants running, I thought, “if they can do it, there’s no reason why I can’t make it up to a half.” But I wanted to start small, so I googled 10 K races in my area, and that’s how I came up with the Mill Race. So I did it, completed it, felt great, the end (not actually).

A friend of mine (who is also a personal trainer and went to university on a rowing scholarship) did another 10 k race around the same time last year. Both of our races were through the same registration company, so somehow she found my result online. She was over at a clothing swap I held last June and told me she was training for a marathon in September, and asked if I had any interest in joining her.

I thought about it for a couple weeks (basically until the night before the fees were set to increase) and then decided to go for it. I could have just done the half, but something in me pushed me to go “all the way,” and I’m so glad I did. Such an amazing experience! And of course, I’ve done a half marathon since then too, so I did fulfill my original goal.

So, for as long as I am able, I plan to run this race every year. And now, after a full and half marathon, 10 K seems like no big deal (how much things change in a year). Seriously though, I’ve barely trained at all, so we’ll see how I do. I’d like to improve on last year’s time, but we’ll see. Of course, I’ll let you know.

So those are my 6 happy things (plus a little running story for you) to kick off your week with a smile on your face. What happy happenings have you had lately?

Lean ‘n Green

Good morning! It is SO good to be home, in my own kitchen, cooking my own food, and eating LOTS of fruits and veggies! After running for an hour and 45 minutes (and it felt amazing…beautiful day, great run), I wanted a nice, healthy breakfast. But keep in mind I still hadn’t gotten groceries, so I had to throw something together that would satisfy my body’s healthy cravings with my limited resources. I managed to McGiver up something pretty tasty though!

Thankfully, my garden helped me out with the green part of this breakfast. I sautéed some fresh arugula and chives to make an egg substitute omelette (I had an unopened carton in the fridge so it was still good). I sautéed the veggies over medium high-heat just until wilted (see photo). Then, I reduced the heat until medium-low and poured in 1/2 cup of egg substitute, let set slightly, then flip and stir around, added salt and pepper, and repeat. I topped it with one wheel of light Babybel cheese (sliced), then put a lid on the pan to help it melt.

On the side, I made a super smoothie with 1.5 cups frozen strawberries and rasperries, slightly thawed; 1 cup vanilla almond milk, a touch of Splenda and a handful of frozen, chopped spinach (you couldn’t even taste it, I promise!!! Just wanted to get in more greens). Altogether, it was a totally satisfying breakfast, and exactly what my body craved. Like the napkin? I got this cute set (and some new bowls) in Vegas…stay tuned for more!

If you look at the breakfast, you might be asking, “where are the carbs?” A couple of times before when I’ve overindulged/want to take off a few pounds, I’ve tried cutting back on the carbs for a few days and had success. I’m no hard-core Atkins-style girl, I just eliminate things like bread, pasta, and most importantly, the sweets. I won’t do it for any longer than a week (and I’m not sure if I’ll last that long), just for a little bit to help get myself back on track. I definitely don’t believe in low-carbing it for the long run, this will just be my kick-start to getting back to my healthy eating habits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After work today (thankfully I just had a half day), I purchased more green to add to my life. I normally plant my vegetable and herb gardens over the May long weekend, but since I was away, I was itching to get started. I haven’t done any planting yet, but I bought all of my veggies and herbs. I can’t wait! I’ve got some of my old favourites, and am trying a few new things – I will share once I’ve got it all in the ground.

After a healthy lunch, then a grocery trip to re-stock the house with LOTS of produce, then a healthy supper with some local asparagus (yes, it’s still on, thank goodness), I am feeling much better about things! Thanks for sticking with me through all of my food issues.

Have you planted/are you planting a vegetable and/or herb garden this year?

Wet and Wonderful

…well here it is, the official HHH Forest City Road Races Half Marathon recap! I think the finish line photo tells it all….I was WET (and so was my family after waiting in the rain for half an hour…thanks guys)! Although it didn’t rain for the first 14 km or so, the 45 minutes of rain I ran through certainly managed to soak me to the skin! I was so wet, I could hear and feel the water squishing in my shoes! My final time was about 2 hours, 37 minutes, which is right about on par with how I thought I’d do. I’m writing this on the couch, with heat on my legs and the royal wedding recap on the tv….internet’s not working, so this might not get posted until Monday, but let’s go back to the beginning….

After going to bed early and getting a good night’s sleep (I was exhausted after only sleeping for 4 hours on Friday night at the ladies’ retreat!), my phone alarm went off at 6:31 (I almost never set my alarms to exact times). I got up and got dressed, ate my pre-race breakfast of champions (a light English muffin spread with peanut butter – tasted pretty good considering I had to make it on Thursday!) and then my mom and I headed down to the starting line.

The half marathon didn’t start until 8, but we got there just after 7 because I had to pick up my packet (I couldn’t get it on Saturday because I was at the retreat). The race shirt was pretty sweet – women’s sized long-sleeved cotton shirt, which I am wearing as I type this. Since we had a bit of time to kill, we went to Starbucks where my mom got a coffee and her favourite treat – an oat bar (I had a bite, but as much as I love Starbucks, didn’t get anything else as I didn’t want to have to make a pit stop during the race).

After adjusting my race bib (I moved it from the center of my jacket to one side, so it wouldn’t cover the zipper in case I wanted to take it off), we headed to the start line around 7:45. I took my place in the crowd and got my music playing and was off when the horn went at 8:00.

I made a pretty sweet new half marathon play list for the occasion – and this is where I admit my extreme geekiness – my first song was Eye of the Tiger. I downloaded it on Thursday just for this playlist, and now I want to start all races with it! Seriously, I know it’s such a cliché song when it comes to sports, but it’s popular for a reason, right? It was the perfect song to get me psyched up. I actually put it in the playlist twice – I heard it for the second time around the 18km mark – again, great motivation for those last few kilometres. I was telling my mom about it though, and she didn’t know what I was talking about. I figured she’d heard it and just didn’t know what it was called, but after hearing it, she still didn’t recognize it – I was shocked!

Now onto the rest of the race.  I was wearing my lightweight running pants, favourite sports bra (the tata tamer…LOVE it!) and my super-thin and breathable running t-shirt (all lululemon). My big question was whether or not I should wear my jacket – the temperature was iffy, it was kind of windy, and rain was in the forecast. I decided to wear the jacket because I figured I’d want it if it rained. I was frustrated with my decision almost immediately. Less than 15 minutes into the race, I was already too hot. The jacket came off before I even hit the 3 km mark and I had to tie it around my waist (I know a lot of other runners/bloggers say to wear “throwaway clothes” for layers, but I don’t have any clothing that I want to throw out!). The temperature was actually pretty nice for running – I wasn’t hot at all in my t-shirt. The rain held off until about 9:45, when it really started coming down. My earlier annoyance at my jacket was replaced with gratitude – I was glad to have it, although I still did get pretty wet!

My playlist was AWESOME, if I do say so myself. Do you ever listen to music on your ipod, and think to yourself, “Man, I made a really sweet playlist?” That’s what I was saying to myself as I was listening to it. Eye of the Tiger was a definite highlight, as were numerous songs by Avalon, Point of Grace and Mark Schultz (particularly Steady On, Keep the Candle Burning and Running just to Catch Myself). And when the wind and rain were driving into my face, Michael Jackson’s Beat It gave me a boost. I tried to see if I could cut and paste my playlist from itunes into this post, but no dice. Sadly, I had  a music malfunction near the end of the race. About 15 minutes from the finish line, my music faded out  ….wicked bummer! I’m not sure what the problem was, I think maybe my headphones and/or ipod just got too wet? I tested both out after the race, and they’re working fine. I’m just glad it only went out 15 minutes from the finish, not 15 minutes from the start! The course itself was good – a few small inclines, but no real hills. I enjoyed running through my “alma matter,” The University of Western Ontario. And a lot of the course went through parts of London I wasn’t familiar with, even though I lived there for 5 years. My favourite part was the paved running trail near the university – how did I not know about it?!? We went through a lot of residential areas, and started and finished downtown. There weren’t all that many spectators along the course, which was a little disappointing. I don’t know what I was expecting, as it’s not nearly as big a race as the one I did in Toronto, but I felt a little lonely at times, especially since I was near the back of the pack.  If you live somewhere where there’s a race being run, and you aren’t doing anything that day, come out to cheer on the runners! I can’t tell you how big a difference it makes. And you have little kids, BRING THEM! I love high-fiving the little ones (which I got to do once today).

All in all, the race went pretty well. I definitely enjoyed the half marathon distance (as opposed to the full), and it went by pretty quickly really. I brought a fibre one 100 calorie bar as a “just in case” snack, even though I don’t normally eat it. But between kilometres 14 and 15, I decided to go for it in the spur of the moment for a little energy boost (I’m still not sure how much of a difference it made).

I said it before, but I have to say it again: A HUGE thank-you to my family for braving the terrible weather to watch my cross the finish line, and to my mom and sister for getting all these great photos!

And now onto the “aftermath.” All race participants got 2 vouchers for their choice of Starbucks coffee, Domino’s Pizza or a Booster Juice Smoothie. I’m not a coffee drinker, and we were going out for brunch so I skipped the pizza, but I was happy to take the smoothie – score!

Another amazing perk? Free massages – sweet! There’s a massage therapy school in London, so the students gave free 15 minute massages – wonderful! I asked my therapist to concentrate on my hamstrings, since that’s where I usually feel the pain. After the massage, we made our way back to the hotel. My sister and I took a quick dip in the FREEZING pool and then went for a 10 minute soak in the hot tub. After that, it was a quick shower and stretch session, change of clothes, then headed downstairs for brunch.

The brunch at our hotel, the Delta London Armouries, is supposed to be the best in the city. Our family has enjoyed it on special occasions in the past, and it did not disappoint this time! I had just ran 13 miles, so I was not going to hold back – an 80/20 day for sure! This is my first plate – all cold, mostly salads, some yummy marinated veggies, fruit (as I said to my sister, nothing tastes as sweet as pineapple that someone else has cut up ) and a roll.

Round two was the hot stuff (plus bread and fruit and a few more of the marinated veggies) – ham, chicken, roasted potatoes, veggies and some Asian veggie/noodles. All were delicious!

The brunch buffet was the second event I was at this weekend with a chocolate fountain (how often does that happen?), so I dipped a MASSIVE strawberry and a marshmallow in that, and took more of the fruit. Most of the desserts looked so-so, but I managed to snag a delicious piece of cheesecake and a small chocolate-dipped brownie. The drink you see in this photo was a banana-mango smoothie – AMAZING! They had pitchers of this stuff and I think I had three glasses!

I had to include this photo just to show you all that I do clean up nicely – this is what I look like when I am not a rain-soaked runner. The brunch was great, but what made it even better was that it was FREE! Part way into our meal, the musicians and a couple of other men came over to our table and asked for everyone’s attention. I thought (and apparently everyone else at our table did as well) that someone had arranged something special to celebrate my completing the race. But a man announced that the hotel was starting a new promotion and buying one lucky table their brunch every week – and we had been randomly selected! They actually took our bill and burned it at the table – SCORE!

After brunch, it was time for home. I immediately changed into comfy clothes, put my stuff away from the weekend, and sat on the couch with a cup of tea, heat on my legs, and royal wedding coverage playing on the tv. I’ve had a serious case of the munchies since getting home, so I’ve been eating bits and bites of various things (some healthy, some not-so much). My “supper” was delicious – although a bit unconventional. I was craving the flavours of peanut butter and banana, and something hot after the rainy weather – so I made a bowl of oatmeal (minus the cinnamon apples) and topped it with the rest of my homemade nut butter and a sliced banana. Certainly more decadent and calorie-rich than my typical bowl of oats – but delicious nonetheless. On the side is a cafe mocha with cinnamon.

A great race, and a great weekend (with LOTS of food)…recap of the rest to come! How was your weekend? Did you take advantage of Saturday’s beautiful weather?

Friday, Faspa, Fun

Most of you are probably reading this title and wondering, “what on earth is faspa?” Well, according to this article, faspa is “a low-German, Mennonite term used for a typical late afternoon lunch that for generations has been served in Mennonite homes.” My Dad’s family is both German and Mennonite, so faspa was a concept we grew up with….it was typically a Sunday night meal after a big Sunday night lunch.

This year, my grandma opted for a Good Friday faspa get together instead of a big Easter dinner (the whole family will get together in a few weeks anyway for my grandpa’s 85th birthday, which I will sadly miss because I’ll be in Vegas).

What do you eat at faspa? Glad you asked! Here’s my plate: cold ham and salami, potato salad (lots of mayo, lots of eggs), marshmallow salad (with oranges, pineapple and coconut), paska (a special sweet yeast bread with dried fruit and icing that is ONLY made at Easter….so that makes it ok to have 3 pieces in one sitting, right?) and grammy buns (the two buns in the background….that’s a nickname that our family has given them). Wish I could say that was all that I wait, but I had second helpings of almost everything! ….80/20, right?

So after faspa, there was an “after party” (not at all in the traditional sense of that term). My grandma’s get-together conflicted with my Aunt hosting her family, so my aunt and uncle and cousins and their adorable, fun kids weren’t at fospa , but we were invited to stop by after the fact, which we did. My little cousins (ages ranging from 1.5 to 8) are so much fun, and it was great to catch up with their parents. I also ate more chocolate eggs than I choose to admit (let’s just say there were 3 different kinds of eggs….your basic foil-covered chocolate ones, Lindor eggs and mini eggs….and I ate more than one of each kind) and an absolutely delicious, rich fudge-y square of some sort…I certainly did not need any of it, but Easter only comes once a year, right?

On the plus side, I started my day with an 8 mile run (went pretty well, finished my audiobook, got out before church and got it done). I also had a healthy lunch (portabello and goat cheese panini and kale chips….classic). I did try new seasonings on the chips though: mix of garlic salt, cumin and smoked paprika – winning!

Another food and fun-related event that happened yesterday? Making these guys! You are looking at peanut butter cake and cupcakes with Skor on top…oh yeah! And the cupcakes are in Star Wars cupcake papers and toppers. My friend is having a family dinner for her husband’s birthday today, but doesn’t have a full oven at her apartment, and knows how much I love to bake, so she asked me to help make the cake/cupcakes for the big event….of course, I was only too happy to oblige. Mmmm…..this combo is so dangerously delicious, it’s a good thing these left the house right away! Of course, I had to sample the batter and icing and Skor pieces, just to make sure everything was ok, right? And one cake wasn’t quite flat, so we had to cut off the top….we had trouble figuring out what to do with it, but we managed to get rid of that excess cake somehow….any ideas what we did?

So, if you were looking for healthy eating inspiration today, sorry, you’re out of luck! Yesterday (and really, most of this weekend, let’s be honest) aren’t going to be banner days in terms of self-control and healthfulness….but that’s what a healthy lifestyle is all about….healthy eating and good habits most of the time, so days like these don’t derail my efforts to achieve a healthy balance. And starting the day with a long run doesn’t hurt either!

Before I sign off, one thing to share. I thought this was a really good post, called Lessons in Self-Love from Oh She Glows. Self-confidence and acceptance are still things I struggle with and I’m learning to live with myself and love the skin I’m in, so I need all the inspiration I can get. Hope this article inspires you too!

How is your Easter weekend so far? Enjoying the time off? Any notable food splurges? I’m looking forward to Sunday’s cold ham dinner!

I came, I ate, I conquered

So I’ll make you a deal. I promised a full recap of the delicious eats at Eat Drink Norfolk on Friday. I will deliver the recap, and you don’t judge me for how much I ate! ….it was a 20% night, to be sure, but I enjoyed every bite. And everything was small, so I can eat more, right? (Please say yes to enable me in my rationalizations).

Eat Drink Norfolk is an event that is a fundraiser for our local fair that celebrates the delicious and diverse food and drinks grown and prepared in Norfolk County and surrounding area.  You pay an $8 admission, then buy food and drink tickets for $1 each. All the vendors are serving something that costs 1, 2 or 3 tickets, so you take your tickets to various booths to get small plates of food or a drink. So are you ready for the LONG list of what I ate? Brace yourselves! Since many of my readers are not from Norfolk county, I won’t list the vendor names…but if you locals (or anyone else) want specifics…let me know and I’m happy to oblige.

I started with local fingerling potatoes with pesto. My mom really liked these, but I wished that the pesto flavour came through a bit more. And before I continue, if you are thinking that my photos aren’t the greatest, you’re right. Try juggling a plate, glass, food, tickets, camera and a wristlet and see what kind of pictures you can take!

Next was some AWESOME mushroom soup! It was cream of mushroom, but made with several different kinds of mushrooms, and mushroom pieces throughout. I could also taste a hint of wine or some sort of alcohol, which added great flavour. I especially enjoyed this since I almost never eat cream soups when dining out…so this small cup was really delicious!

Pulled pork came next….oh so good! I made the observation that pulled pork was really popular this year – it was part of a dish served at 4 booths! I got mine from an authentic BBQ place, with extra sauce, YUM! I ate part of the bun, but left some of it, because it was nothing special, and really, the meat was the main event.

This little beauty is a slice of perfectly-cooked steak on a seasoned potato slice, topped with sour cream, chives and bacon, from a local butcher. It was simple, but delicious. When you do it right, you don’t need all the bells and whistles to make great-tasting food.

Now, I have to say, I’m a bit disappointed in you guys. No one made any guesses as to why I was up on stage. You guys are no fun! So I guess I’ll just have to tell you – I volunteered to compete in a grilled cheese challenge using all local ingredients with the Two Fairly Fat Guys. For those of you who don’t know, the Two Fairly Fat Guys are “Norfolk County’s official volunteer ambassadors of local food and agriculture.” The challenge was to work with one of them to create several original grilled cheese sandwiches in three minutes, then plate them however you wanted and describe them to the crowd. I made 3 – smoked cheddar, pear and prosciutto topped with apple/hot pepper jelly; honey goat cheese and mixed berries topped with strawberry pie in a jar and bacon, cream cheese and extra old cheddar cheese topped with hot pepper jelly. The contest was declared a tie – both of us won a Norfolk County oven mitt filled with white chocolate popcorn and  an official map and local food guide. It was so much fun – I felt right at home up there!

Check out the plating – I think the Fat Guys were impressed! I got to eat my creations. I ate the bacon one and gave the other two to my companions for the evening.

You’re probably wondering where are my drinks? After all, the event was called Eat Drink Norfolk. Fresh-squeezed lemonade was my drink of choice for the evening (as well as an undocumented cup of Earl Grey tea later in the evening). Wine and beer don’t really do it for me. The lemonade was really good. I used to get this kind at the fair when I was younger, so it was a nice flashback – not too sweet and very lemon-y.

Now dessert starts. Of course I couldn’t limit myself to just one dessert when there were SO MANY delicious options! Dessert # 1 was apple strudel with maple caramel sauce. YUMMY! The strudel was good, but the sauce just put it over the top. I could have drank the stuff! No matter how much had been on there, it wouldn’t have been enough, it was just THAT GOOD.

I shared this next photo with you yesterday….but not the back story that went with it. All night, we saw people walking around with these cute and delicious-looking cheesecakes. I finally made my way over to the booth and saw that most of the flavours were crossed out, and asked what they had left. I found out that there was ONE CHEESECAKE LEFT – a single cinnamon dolce! I didn’t hesitate, I nabbed it (what can I say, I’ve got killer cheesecake instincts). My mom had also wanted one, so to make up for it, I got her a caramel pecan brownie and we shared both. Both were absolutely out-of-this world! Knowing how good that cheesecake was, I am so glad I didn’t arrive a moment later.

Dessert continued with a tiny little dark chocolate cupcake with Irish cream frosting. Meh…it was nothing special, actually not even really worth the calories. Not to sound snobby, but I could have made better at home. Oh well, at least it was small, so I didn’t waste too many calories.

We’re nearing the end! This is a mini-cone (it’s small, really!) of peach melba ice cream. For those of you who don’t know what peach melba is, it’s a dessert with raspberries and peaches. Normally fruit-based ice creams don’t really excite me if there’s no chocolate to go with the fruit, but this one was outstanding. I didn’t even miss the chocolate!

Last but not least, some chocolate-covered bacon. I just couldn’t say no. It’s been a food fad for a while now, so I decided to try it for myself. The ladies at my table refused when I offered them though. The verdict? I liked it. I’m a big sweet and salty girl, so it definitely hit those notes for me. I don’t think it’s something I’d crave/eat on a regular basis, but I didn’t find it disgusting.

I had a few extra tickets at the end of the night, so I used them to purchase some cookies/tarts for a lunch I was making for yesterday (post to come). Full disclosure: there are a few things I ate that don’t have pictures here – a bite or two of my mom’s pulled pork and jalapeno poutine (SO good – I went back for my own, but they were out…maybe for the best!), some free samples at a couple of booths, a couple slices of cheese, and a chocolate cake ball from the same place as the cupcakes (again, sadly, I could have made better).

At the end of the night, I was stuffed! But it was all local (mostly) delicious food. I love this event, but I’m glad it only comes once a year! I was suffering a bit fro m the “well, the day’s a write-off anyway” mentality when I got home, so I was nibbling a bit more….but, one day at a time, right?

I started the next day with a trip to the gym for my weekly “long run” (didn’t feel like drowning in the rain). I just did 6 miles instead of the planned 8 since I had a busy day ahead, but I held a 5.5 mph pace for the whole time, which I was happy about. I returned home for a healthy breakfast (yogurt, mangoes, strawberries, cereal and a cafe mocha)…so back into the healthy routine right away.

What local foods are your favourite? Does your region have any specialties that are a must-eat?

Half and Half

So…first of all to explain the title. I did my weekly long run yesterday, and I reached my peak distance before I start to decrease in my “tapering” leading up to the race (only 3 weeks from Sunday!)…this peak distance was 13 miles, also known as a half marathon. So that’s the first half…the other half comes from the fact that I only worked a half day today…hence why I had the time to run so far in the middle of the week.

I chose to do the long run yesterday so it would be out of the way for the weekend. It’s not that I really mind the long runs (well sometimes I do, depends on my mood), but they are, well, LONG…especially for someone like me who is not-so-speedy (I did my 13 miles in about 2 hours 40 minutes…so I’m expecting to finish the half around that time…I would LOVE to get 2 and a half hours, but don’t know if that’s gonna happen). It just frees up my Saturday a bit, allows me to go to Military Tone at the gym, and, since I’ll be out all day Friday, I don’t need to worry about getting to bed in good time.

The weather yesterday was supposed to be about 7 degrees with light rain, if my memory serves me correctly. Well, it certainly felt cooler than that, and although the first part of my run was precipitation-free, I was greeted with a lovely rain/snow mix for the second half . Other than the weather, the run went pretty well…I did a 7 mile loop then the same 6 mile loop I did for my 12 miler. I discovered again why I love mapymyrun so much. I went on the verify my 6 mile loop and to create a 7 mile run, but then discovered that I had created one last summer…and it was saved for me…so easy! If you are a runner and haven’t checked out this site, go now! It is so helpful if you need to figure out distances for runs (and you can do either miles or kilometres).

I was working today at a school about 30 minutes away, and had to be there for 11:45. So I got up a bit before 7, had the fibre one 100 cal bar and a glass of water (it worked last time, so if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it), left just after 7 and got back about 9:45. I did the usual stretch, Epsom salt soak and A5-35 rub, but I had to sort of rush through them since I was heading to work. This may be why I felt stiffer than I have been on the last couple of runs. I was actually so sore at school that when I had a 20 minute break, I went into the staff room and stretched again (I was REALLY glad no one walked in to see my stretching in my argyle sweater and dress pants).

I decided to structure my “eats” for the day as follows, given my schedule: eat a big breakfast/brunch after my bath (1round 10:30), take an apple to eat after school (they have their lunch early, so it was already over when I got there) while getting my snow tires off (yay!) and then have another snack when I got home before supper. So what did I eat for my post-run brunch? SO glad you asked!

I decided to jump on the “overnight oats” bandwagon that I’ve seen all over the blog world. For those of you who are new to this craze, over night oats are made by combining raw oats with a mixture of liquid ingredients and then refrigerating overnight for a delicious, cold version of oatmeal. Instructions for my version are below. I also had a salad with one of my quickie vinaigrettes (balsamic vinegar, flax oil (any oil will work, I just bought this ‘cause I felt like it was healthy), Dijon mustard, fat-free Italian dressing, a pinch of sweetener – combine all in a container and shake) that I had made the night before and an egg substitute omelette (instructions below as well).

Here are the before and after photos of my overnight oats, as well as the how-to. I’m calling them overnight pear oats because, like my clever fellow bloggers, I want to give them a cute acronym: OPO…I started with Pear Overnight Oats, but didn’t really like the way that acronym came out (you figure it out )!

Overnight Pear Oats (OPO)

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/4 cup fat-free plain yogurt

1 pear (I used Bosc, they’re my fav), grated on the coarse side of a box grater

1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

Splash vanilla

A couple shakes of cinnamon and Epicure Gingerbread Spice

A dash of brown sugar twin (or your choice of sweetener)

Combine all ingredients in a cereal bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Open your fridge in the morning, remove plastic wrap and enjoy…you have no breakfast prep to do!

I thought this turned out pretty well, but I want to play a bit with the ingredients/combinations/proportions. What I did like about the OPO was the lack of A.M. prep….if I hadn’t just run 13 miles, this would be enough for me as a breakfast on its own, especially on a morning when I was in a rush and didn’t have time to make breakfast. But, since I had just run 13 miles, I made the omelette you’ll read about below…I am more of a sweet breakfast gal, so I don’t make omelettes that often, but when I do, they’re some variation on this recipe.

Veggie and Cheese Omelette

Sauté veggies of your choice (this time it was broccoli, onion and red pepper) in a small non-stick frying pan that has been preheated to medium-high and sprayed with cooking spray, until tender-crisp (3 to 5 minutes), season with salt and pepper.

Reduce heat to medium-high. Pour in half a cup of fat-free liquid egg substitute (this time, it was Southwestern egg substitute, I always buy plain, but my mom was doing the shopping and she bought this stuff by accident…it’s actually pretty good though). Add a bit more salt and pepper, cook until partially set, then flip. Sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons of light cheese (Tex-Mex this time), then cover the pan and let the omelette cook through and cheese melt (another 2 or 3 minutes).

I will say that I am by NO MEANS an omelette chef. I haven’t mastered the art of the graceful flip, and my omelettes certainly wouldn’t win any beauty contests…but they taste good, so that works for me. This meal did the trick in satisfying the half marathon hunger. It had a nice combo of protein, fat and carbs, and I really wasn’t that hungry for the rest of the day (I was a little hungry right after I ate, but was less so as the day went on…does that ever happen to anyone else?

Have you ever tried overnight oats? Any tips and tricks for me? What’s your go-to post-workout meal?