Life happenings

Eek, another quiet few weeks. Still here! And I got a job! Just a few hours per week helping with administrative and organizational stuff at an insurance company, but it'll pay me and get me out of the house--WIN! I've also signed up for a 30-day beginner's membership at the local hot yoga studio and have used that in between running several days already. I'm determined not to gain anything throughout this holiday season; simply maintaining is realistically what I'm hoping for. So... how've you been?

Did you know...

that I grew my own acorn squash this year? We've gotten 10 or so from two decent vines (I stashed several throughout the yard), and have given a half-dozen more to the animals that started helping themselves anyway. Actually, this year we had our biggest garden ever. Since May, here's what we've planted:

Acorn squash - good
Zucchini - good without being overwhelming
Butternut squash - small, haven't eaten any yet
Pattypan squash - fail; never produced
Basil - good
Cilantro - good
Parsley - good; I'll do much more next year
Rutabaga - greens look great; haven't tried digging any yet--likely too crowded to grow large
Kale, two kinds - good
Broccoli - surprisingly good; it was put in as an experiment for the little guy
Brussels sprouts - HUGE leaves, but nothing edible-sized yet
Green and wax beans - decent, after I replanted when the bunnies ate our first planting
Green onion - super cute! but we haven't eaten any
Beets - nice looking greens, but super-tiny roots; only three plants sprouted anyway
Tomatoes (three kinds) - the tiny grape-sized ones produced best, with a few Roma and even fewer Purple Cherokee
Raspberries - truly pathetic this year; I think we got three fruits total

WOW that's a ton of produce for someone who really isn't a gardener. I think I "weeded" twice this summer. We have a great spot in the backyard for a more organized garden next year, but we'll need a rototiller and about eight friends who want the crazy prolific lilies and irises back there first. 

Veggies galore

Seems like that's been the theme in my kitchen for the last two months. Yay, right? A friend of mine got me hooked on bruised kale salads, which has only increased my adoration of the leafy green. Preparation of this salad is literally more hands on than other salads we make, but it's so worth it.

After the kale has been torn, washed, and spun dry, I drizzle some olive oil on it and start mooshing and smooshing it around in a large bowl (wedding ring off for this step!). Once the leaves are softer and starting to wilt down, I add some salt and pepper, then shake on some vinegar or lemon juice and a drizzle of agave. These are all to taste, so of course I don't have any measurements. When I get the flavor I want, I start adding the goodies: cheese, fruit, nut, seed. One day it might be grapes, gorgonzola, pinenuts, and chia; the next time might be goat cheese, dried cherries, sliced almonds, and hemp. Whatever the combination, it's always delicious as long as the oil/vinegar/agave was right to begin with.

It's no surprise, then, that this is on my meal plan this week. Since The H will be on a business trip, I'm trying to cook as little as possible but still feed the little guy and myself without resorting to fast food. Here's what we'll have:

Chorizo-apple stuffed acorn squash (my lunches--I made four halves last night and froze them)
Homemade (and frozen) tomato soup and grilled cheese
Leftover pasta with meat and hidden veggie sauce/roasted brussels sprouts with walnuts and bacon
Leftover GF pizza/seared ahi and kale salad
Homemade (and frozen) chicken nuggets, corn on the cob, roasted broccoli
Butternut squash ravioli (thank you, Costco), fresh green beans/spinach salad
...and if we need one more meal before The H gets home, black beans with cilantro rice

Eat food.

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
― Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto 

 

I'm here! My doctor says it's ok to run, and my knee x-rays didn't show any signs of damage. He gave me some stretchy bands and exercises to do at home to help strengthen them, and I'll go back in October to get re-checked. In the meantime, I'm planning to run a local 10-mile race next weekend! This week marks the highest-mileage week I've had since early July when my knees started complaining. 

 

The Michael Pollan quote above has been on my mind lately, especially since I cut my weekly mileage in half. My weight was creeping up and I was becoming unhappy and uncomfortable with it. In the grand scheme of things, 5-6 pounds may not sound like a lot, but when someone goes from being highly active and eating in such a way as to accomodate 6-7 workouts a week, to working out less intensely 3-4 times a week, those pounds are quite noticeable. I used to say "I run so I can eat." Remove running from that equation, and you're (I'm) left with a sugar-laden, acne-speckled grump.

 

I realized in this two-month period that my farmers' market trips have decreased in frequency and volume. My meal planning slacked off (did ya notice?) and my family was heading for the corner ice cream shop a little too often for my comfort. We were going through a lot of bread and more restaurant food than normal. That's not how I got to my happy weight! In fact, just the opposite. 

With Michael Pollan in mind, I've been hitting the market and kitchen with more intensity lately. We're trying new things and amping up old favorites. My four-year-old *loves* broccoli, and one of my favorite vendors just happens to grow The Best broccoli we've ever tasted. The little guy actually cried last time I didn't make enough for him to have seconds. This week, I bought double what I usually do. I've been playing with my new yogurt maker and have landed on a combination of starter/milk/time that The H and I really enjoy. 

I even tried making coffee yogurt, with surprisingly good results.

We've gone through two Costco-sized cartons of strawberries within the week. I've feel like I've eaten more produce since Friday than I did almost the entire month of August (yes, that's an exaggeration!). This weekend I'll be sure to prep some things so we're ready for the week ahead. I've got a scrawny meal plan written out, and will post it once I give it some more life. Have a great week!

Food prep, menu, update

When the little guy went down for a nap on Sunday afternoon, I got to work in the kitchen. And boy, did I work! At more than one point--with the stove burners full, oven on, two small appliances working, and a sink and dishwasher full of dishes--I thought I might've gotten a little carried away, but it all worked out. And at the end of the day, here's what we had waiting for us:

Two pans of blueberry-walnut baked oatmeal (one 13x9, one 8x8)
Three gluten free pizza crusts (one family sized, two individual)
Six freezer bags of black beans (equal to one+ can each)
Seven 7-oz jars homemade yogurt (so cute!)
One leftover-roundup quiche (mushrooms, zucchini, onion, two kinds of cheese, chicken sausage)
Quinoa for a quick side dish or to be combined with black beans for a lunch salad
Rice for the dog, who suddenly decided he hates his food

After prepping all that, we went out for pizza. Ha! I shared a salad with The H and breadsticks with the little guy. I love feeling productive and prepared for the week! Stay tuned for more pics of my homemade yogurt process... it's not perfect yet, but I look forward to trying again once we get more milk from the co-op on Wednesday. Here's a short list of what we're eating this week:

S - Grilled chicken sausage, corn on the cob, grilled broccoli, peaches (75% from the farmers' market!)
M - Chicken breast with olive-tomato relish, wild rice, homegrown sauteed zucchini
T - Pizza with mushrooms, kalamatas, tomato, co-op pepperoni
W - Quiche with... ? I don't know yet!
Th - Out with my youngest sister who's coming to visit (leftovers for my men)
F - Visiting family and going to my high school friend's (and maid of honor) wedding!

I'm happy to report that since my last post, I've been making a more conscious effort to move more and eat less while my running miles are still on the lower end. This means more yoga, walking the dog on my non-running days, and not vegging out in front of the TV after dinner. It may not have made a difference on the scale yet, but I do feel better for it. Just a few more weeks 'til my next race! It's good to have something on the calendar again.

Oh hey

Remember when I cut my running in half (61 miles in July) but forgot to adjust my caloric intake? Yeah, whoops. Thank goodness for stretchy running shorts and pants. My knee has been more cooperative lately, which is a big relief, and I'm making a conscious effort to rein in my sweet tooth, but I still have a few extra pounds to work with these days. Today I made a batch of Babycakes gluten free, vegan banana bread and muffins, which are, in the little guy's words, "So, so delicious." What a great way to use up the brown bananas cluttering up my freezer!

Thanks to colorful wonderful summer produce, I haven't put a ton of effort into meal planning lately. We've been starting with something like cucumber-onion salad, corn on the cob, and fresh fruit, and filling in the gaps with whatever protein I have handy: grilled chicken, chicken burgers, kale-quinoa-chickpeas, and so on. "So, so delicious" for sure, but not really blog-worthy! Sorry for the lack of interesting material.

I've also been slowly working on a business idea that's been rattling around in my brain, but has yet to amount to anything more than a brief blog post on another host. If it grows further, you bet I'll be hollering about it here! For now... wish me luck and awesome networking skills, ok? :)

Happy AUGUST!

Go ahead...

tell me, "I told you so." Turns out that after 40 consecutive days of running, my knees had something to say about the matter. :(

I've been taking it easy lately, and after some days off, only lacing up my shoes every other day for the past few weeks. Still happy to be out there, albeit slower and shorter these days, happier that it's not as freakishly hot outside, and hoping my once-in-awhile knee twinge doesn't turn into an injury.

The H is heading to Vegas for work this week, leaving me and the little guy to eat gluten to our hearts' content. He gets such a kick out of the fact that he can eat "glooten AND glooten-free!" Here's our meal plan for the week:

Sunday lunch - chicken burgers with blackened peppers and onions, corn on the cob, melon

Sunday dinner - broccoli/cheddar/Canadian bacon quiche (my favorite combination so far) with pancakes. My pancakes are never straight-up batter. These were gluten free with blueberries, pumpkin, hemp seed, and almondmilk. Fantastic. :)

Monday - asparagus-gruyere ravioli (a Costco impulse buy) and my own homegrown zucchini

Tuesday - quinoa burgers on mixed greens

Wednesday - chicken sausage, corn on the cob, and co-op pickup night

Thursday - pizza or local beef burgers (depends on the temperature!)

Friday - my Mom's birthday dinner, with family

I made a triple batch of steel cut oats for breakfasts this week (I eat toast with peanut butter on mornings I run), and I'll boil a dozen eggs for snacking once they age a bit more. Lunches will be leftovers, PBJ, and my favorite shrimp noodles. Have a great week!