Mini meal plan

Do you have a garden this year? How is it holding up in the heat? Our bean plants have all been fried by the sun or eaten, by rabbits I think. The cilantro didn't survive our recent trip to DC. A few of our squash and zucchini plants are thriving. The raspberries shrivel and die before they turn fully red. Our first round of basil--three plants--croaked, and has been replaced by a single plant that is hanging in there. Three tomato plants all have massive growth, flowers, and small green possibilities; I've harvested a total of four golden cherry tomatoes so far. I've never had a big green thumb.

The H and I spent a kidless morning at the farmers' market today and got a few things for this weekend. It was nice to see quite a crowd there despite the high temperature even before noon. Here's what I plan to make next week. It's a pretty sparse plan for now; still trying to work through the fridge and pantry stashes before I stock up on fresh meat and more veggies.

Sunday lunch - shredded beef over rice; cucumber-onion salad
Sunday dinner - quiche with Canadian bacon and yellow squash; caprese salad
Monday - (with friends) seared tuna steaks (chicken for The H); quinoa sopa seca minus bell pepper
Tuesday - grilled honey mustard chicken; lentils & kale *or* kale-quinoa with chickpeas

Any inspiration for the rest of my week? 

Summer Streak Challenge: I did it!

Happy Independence Day! Thirty eight days of summer streaking are COMPLETE! I logged just over 145 miles in a time of 22 hours and 22 minutes. Because some days were doubles (like to the park and back with Garmin-off playtime in between, nothing major) it was a total of 43 activities. Some were on the treadmill, some were done in the early morning. At least once I went out past 9pm because of the heat. I took the dog with me a few times, until it got too ridiculously hot for him.

Yoga has been going well; I've managed at least one practice per week of the streak (even in Alexandria!), and most weeks it's been 2-3 thanks to a combination of studio and DVD time. Overall, I feel great. No weight loss that I've noticed, but that was not a goal this time around. The bottoms of my feet are starting to ache in the all-too-familiar plantar fasciitis way, but I know just how to take care of that. Tomorrow is run club/yoga at the Lululemon showroom nearby, so I'll probably see if I can recruit some friends to join me for that. And perhaps the streak will continue...

You'd think I'd learn...

that after eating clean for however-many years, loading up on brownies, ice cream, and cookies--yes, sadly in the same day--makes me feel sick to the point of seeking out the Pepto ASAP. Why is this so difficult for me to remember? :(

We had a great weekend of cooking and eating at home, using up the pantry, fridge, and freezer stashes, and then I went pretty far overboard when we hung out with friends tonight. Treats aren't inherently bad, I know. There is room for indulgence in my diet/lifestyle. But three super-sugary desserts within a two hour span? And far more than the recommended portion of each? Ugh, bad move!

Now, where do we keep the Tums?

My dream job

I've recently been mulling over the idea of going back to school to become a Registered Dietitian. I kind of love talking about food, making food, eating it, and telling people what to do in regards to it in order to reach certain goals. Alas, it doesn't seem like any of my credits as an English major/Communications minor would transfer to such a science-minded field. And I'm not just aching to spend the rest of my 30s starting from scratch as a college student, so never mind that.

So, what do I love as much as--or more than--food? No, not bossing people around.

Running, of course. If you've been around here long enough to read even a single post you've probably gathered that much.

Enter City Running Tours. Cool, right? I think I'd have a blast trucking around town, showing people what there is to see, where to eat (see, I knew food would have a role), and staying active while the little guy is in school. Plus, maybe I'd get to do a *little* bossing around along the way. Too bad there isn't a chapter in my current city... yet. :D


Have you ever participated in a guided running tour? Would you?

Summer Streak - Update

Four weeks down, only ten days to go!

We were in Alexandria, VA for almost all of Week 3. Lucky enough to borrow a great jogging stroller, the little guy and I logged more than a half marathon together! He was a great running buddy. We even accomplished my streak-goal of getting out before The H left for work some mornings, and the two of us spent some quality time in the pool. Cross training, right? :)

I also ran another 13ish miles on my own, resulting in a total of 28 miles that week. I did manage to do yoga in our hotel room at least once; yay me! Sadly I didn't get to participate in Virginia Yoga Week or whatever it was called, though I did find a studio to try next time we're in town.

Week 4 brought more humidity and shorter runs, for a total of 23 miles. A nice stepback week toward the end of this streak challenge! I did get to a yoga class with a friend, and I think I did a DVD earlier in the week.

This is the last week of daycare for the little guy; he'll be going to some form of preschool/Pre-K in the fall. He turned FOUR today. I can't believe it! He's fully convinced that once he's done with daycare, he'll be going to school--robot school, to be specific. Not looking forward to crushing those hopes and dreams. :)

I plan to log a few longer runs on Tuesday and Friday if my slightly-achy feet will allow for it, to take advantage of the time he's at daycare, and then it's back to "Mommy and Caleb days." The H and I are supposed to do a 10K race on Saturday. Hopefully it's not too hot! I ran the course with a friend a few weeks ago--there are a few hills, and she's FAST. A cool morning would be great.

How are you other streakers doing?? Looking forward to the end of this, or planning to continue?

Summer Streak - Week 2

Last week's numbers:

2 - days of yoga (actually three 20-minute DVDs)
7 - days of running (of course)
8 - separate runs (I did a double on Wednesday)
10 - longest run, in miles (I set out to do 6...oops)
30 - my approximate total mileage this week
92 - the temperature of my run this afternoon!

I've really been enjoying this challenge so far. Even though I ran five more miles this week, my legs feel better for it. Well, aside from that unexpected 10. After that they weren't very happy with me. I totally misjudged my turnaround point and thought running a loop route rather than my intended out-and-back would net the same result. So, so wrong. The H got a kick out of that. :) I like knowing, although I'm supposed to run every day, all I truly have to do is a mile for it to count. That usually turns into two miles, since I like to break a good sweat and feel like getting suited up was worth my time.

This week I'm happy to be tromping around some of our favorite spots in Alexandria, VA. A local acquaintance was kind enough to lend us a jogging stroller; I've already scoped out a playground for me and the little guy. Conveniently, it's about a mile away from our hotel. Bring it on, week three!

Summer Streak - Week 1

25.65 - total miles covered
7 - consecutive days of running
2 - runs with the dog
2 - bowls of ice cream consumed
1 - really fun trail run
0 - days of yoga :(

Two of my runs were before breakfast, while The H was still home. They were Memorial Day and Sunday, so he didn't have to get to work, but it's good to know that I was able to get myself up and out as planned in that regard. This week I'm looking forward to a Friday morning yoga class, at the studio closest to me or the hot studio, following the morning run group they offer. So far everything feels great (though my hamstrings definitely noticed the difference in terrain after yesterday's trail run!) and I'm very happy with the overall mileage. Thirty one days to go! Is anyone else streaking 'til the 4th?