Non-Cooking: New York Marathon Race Recap!

The short story: I did it!!! Despite the crowds, the wind, and the hills (hello bridges!), I managed to set a 17 1/2 minute personal best, running a time of 4:11:29. I feel so proud/happy/excited about my time and can't wait to see what else I can do. 

The long story starts a few days prior...

Non-Cooking: Army Ten Miler (and other Birthday festivities), New York Marathon Goals

Finished!

Army Ten Miler

Two weekends ago, my dad and I completed our 6th Army Ten miler. The Army Ten Miler always falls on my birthday weekend, which is both a blessing and a curse (early wakeup!). This race means a whole lot to me, as it always reminds me of how far I have come. I started running in the summer of 2006. My dad (a lifetime runner) and I had taken to walking after work on a pretty regular basis and my dad kept saying he thought I would enjoy running. At that point, I had zero interest in running but I had started hitting the gym regularly in an effort to lose the freshman/sophomore 50 (sadly no exaggeration). The last time I had attempted runninh was the prior January, in the 15 degree weather, and I made it about a mile. (That is one of the reasons I always laugh about New Year's resolutions - who really wants to start exercising in January?! I am truly in awe of anyone who sticks with it.) One weekend I was going out of town and couldn't get to the gym. I told my dad we were going to try running on our nightly walk. We ran a quarter of a mile, walked a bit, ran some more. I made him hold my water bottle and had to keep telling him to slow down the whole summer. We kept with it though, and by the end of the summer I was running pretty regularly. We decided at the end of the summer to make next year's Army Ten Miler our goal race and trained for it for over a year. I remember the 5-7 mile runs that led to three hour naps (I did not know the power of Gatorade/electrolytes just yet). We had countless conversations about whether we were ready and if we could escape the dreaded "recovery bus" that swept the course. Finishing that race was a supremely proud moment for both of us!

Non-Cooking: Ragnar Relay!

Two weekends ago, I participated in a 12 person, 200 mile relay with several of my coworkers (both ones I knew and new ones I met). It was SO MUCH FUN! Basically, the idea is you are on a team with 11 other people and the teams are split into two large vans. One person from the team is running at all times and you trade off every 3-10 miles for a total of 36 legs (I had a total of 13.8 miles scheduled). When the people in the one van are running/supporting the runner, the other van is "off" and tries to get a bit of shut eye and/or sustenance. We started at 10:30am on Friday in Cumberland, MD (hello Mountains!) and ended at 3:30pm on Saturday at National Harbor. I had been asked to do it several times but have always said no, mainly for a combination of not fitting into my training/recovery schedule and not fitting into my preferred bedtime of 9pm (slight exaggeration). This year, however, is my in between Ironman year so I thought, why the heck not?!

Non-Cooking: 20/120 weekend

Previewing the cheer station during my own ride

The past two weekends have been jam packed and full of fun! A bunch of my buddies are training for Ironman Florida November 2nd. Their biggest training weekend in the Team's Ironman training plan consists of a 20 mile run and a 120 mile bike ride (which happened for this group 2 weekends ago). From my experience, at this point they feel like dog meat and need all the support they can get. To make it more bearable, the team makes a BIG deal of it, and BBQs both days, encouraging teammates to hang out until the long riders are finished. One of the most vivid memories I have of my 120 mile bike ride (in the heat of August and on 4 hours of sleep) is coming up to a corner and being greeted by my friends Sherri and Greg, bearing gifts of cold water/gatorade and food. They saved our lives. Given how I have been MIA due to my travels this summer and I am missing the race as it coincides with the New York Marathon, I was determined to use this weekend to pay forward  all of the support I received.

Luckily for me, my marathon schedule also called for a 20 mile run. Typically I don't go to team runs. It's usually easier for me to just run from my house & I don't like having to worry about my pace. However, two weeks ago I  met up with the team for an 18 mile run and fell into the same pace as three new people, Derek, Chris, and Meghan.. It was great! The 3 hours went by so quickly, we held a steady pace (10:40ish),  and went for coffee after at a local coffee shop of the W&OD trail. I loved that my Sunday morning was both social and productive. For the 20 mile run, Derek and I ran together again & had a consistent pace of 10:15! As a side note, I love that I am getting faster and am really enjoying the rediscovery of my love of running I have experienced over the last few months. We were also joined by my mentor on the team, Mary, as well as a few others for half of the run. I skipped out after the run to meet up with the BFF and then to make cookies for tomorrow's ride.

Sunday morning I woke up early and drove out to Nokesville for the ride. The ride started at 7am, and it was still a bit dark with a heavy fog. Luckily I remembered my long pants! I rode (and struggled to keep up) with Mary and Becky for a fast 66 miles. 

Then the real work began. I walked through the parking lot with my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and I swear, I have never been so popular in my life! I was happy to have brought something to make the riders feel better as they headed out for the last 40 miles of their ride. Once I made it through the parking lot, I grabbed some fajita and headed out to to mile 97 of their ride with Mary to cheer them on. We brought some of the infamous Team Z fries with us!

Mary and I at the cheer spot

We were joined by two people I hadn't met before, Lindy and Marcia, as well as fellow Ironman Wisconsin alum Erica. I loved getting to know the ladies as we waited for the riders to come and by the end of the day I had two new Facebook (and real life!) friends.

Cheer Crew!!! I loved making two new friends

Boy were the riders grateful to see us! The 120 mile ride turned out to be 127 miles. In addition to the fries, Mary brought boiled potatoes and a container full of salt. LIFE SAVER! Here are some pictures of the cheer station:

Aileen (left) is training for her 3rd Ironman (and has two more planned for next year) and was one of my Ironman training rocks. Sherri (right) was the reason I signed up for my Ironman, did Ironman Lake Placid in July, and came out to support Aileen for  her last 40 miles. These two are amazing! 

Derek (my running buddy) and Aileen love them some salted potatoes

John (one of my favorite riding partners) also came out to support Aileen her last 40 miles. He also brought homemade beer!

Riding 100 miles makes you sore!

After the last rider passed through, I went back to the parking lot and hung out at the BBQ. Despite needing to make another batch of cookies for my coworker who was leaving, I really enjoyed just hanging out and lingered until 5:30ish or so. It was a long day but so worth it!

Overall, the weekend was just a great reminder about how wonderful Team Z is and how grateful I am to have found such a diverse and supportive group of people. After being away a lot of the summer and out of the loop most of the year, it was so nice to just be back with the Team Z family. Talking to the Ironman (and non-Ironman) folk got me incredibly excited for next year. A ton of my favorite people will be training for Mt. Tremblant, in additional to a whole bunch of people I haven't had the pleasure to meet yet. I can't wait! I just need to get through a little thing called the New York Marathon first...

Cooking: Southwestern Braised Chicken Thighs

Typically, when I make a meal for dinner one night, I end up eating it as my lunch for at least two more days. This is both the beauty and the curse of cooking for one. Most of the time, I enjoy my cooking so I don't mind and actually like the fact I get to eat it multiple times. This week was one of the times where I LOVED the fact that I had leftovers and every time I ate this meal, I was grateful I took my culinary boot camps at Cookology. This dish is even better the next day as all the flavors come together beautifully. Also, it's not difficult but people would be easily fooled into thinking it is.

This recipe uses two techniques: pan searing and braising. The methods (demonstrated below) can be used to make a wide variety of meals as you just follow a simple formula with unlimited ingredient combinations. You basically heat up a large skillet over medium high heat and cook the meat (chicken thighs, beef, pork loins) 3ish minutes on each side until browned (but not fully cooked). You then remove the meat, and cook the veggies (in this recipe simply mushroom & onions). You then "deglaze the pan" by pouring in a bit of liquor (2 tbsp) or wine (1/4 to 1/2 cup), which basically with the help of your spatula just loosens up all the good bits of flavor at the bottom of the pan. You then create a liquid broth using chicken/vegetable/beef broth. You add back in the meat, bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat, cover the pan, and cook for another 20-30 minutes until the meat is fully cooked. This is a great way to cook cuts of meat that are thicker and take longer to cook. Basically, this method allows you to enjoy the great flavor of the sear, while still making sure you meat is moist/fully cooked & the flavors have time to meld. If you use wine, make sure it is one you enjoy because the flavor deepens when it is cooked.

As a note, the spice listing for the spice rub can be a bit intimidating. However, if you don't have all the spices, don't worry about it! I have made this recipe with a few different spice combinations (just kind of sticking to the southwestern theme) and it always turns out pretty good. In fact, some Cajun seasoning, salt, pepper, and maybe a little cumin are probably all you need for a delicious meal. The key is just following the methodology, not the exact spice listing. I will say most of these spices are ones I use all the time so I would suggest slowly investing in them.

Enough talking, let's get cooking!

Cooking: Molten Lava Cakes

It has been awhile since I have blogged about dessert. Fear not! I have still been baking about once a week with high levels of success. However, whenever I go to blog, usually one of the meals I have made for the week just takes over my heart and I have to share it first. Now is the time to change that and to post about the dessert I made this weekend! Molten Lava Cakes (or Hot Chocolate Fudge Cakes)! Mmmmmmmm, chocolate!

I was in the mood for a pretty lazy weekend since I had been exhausted all week (as evidenced by my 8:15 bed time Friday night). However, I hadn't seen a few of my friends in awhile and decided to have them over for dinner. That way I could be social and not actually leave my house! I love that my house has generally been seen as the place that people can come in their sweats and make themselves at home. Nowadays, it is also seen as the place people can come for a good home cooked meal. What could be better than that?!

The girls I had over are the ones I went to Puerto Rico with back in May. Therefore, I opted for a Puerto Rico inspired meal and made Blackened Tilapia, my favorite black bean dish, and steamed kale. As the main meal was pretty healthy (and I ran earlier in the day), I decided to introduce some richness with a dessert. My friend is a chocolate fiend (understatement of the decade) and I happened upon this delicious looking recipe from cooking light that I knew would please her. I had made a similar dish in my cooking boot camp at Cookology, but that dish was really rich and I liked that this was on the lighter side (as light as pure chocolate can be). I had also bought 1/2 cup ramekins 6 months ago and I was excited to finally use them. 

I had this dessert both Saturday and Sunday night since it makes 10 servings & I also have family dinner on Sunday. Saturday I cooked them for the recommended time per the linked recipe which made them into cakes with nothing molten about them (see below). They were still quite tasty. Sunday I cooked them about 4 minutes less and they turned out wonderfully gooey! 

My favorite thing is that there are five of us at my family dinner and I only have 4 of the small ramekins. I compromised by making a fifth one in my larger ramekins I use for main meals. Luckily, my dad's idea of a normal serving of dessert is about 2x the size of a normal human being (at least!) so it worked out perfectly! There is a reason I make him do the Army Ten Miler with me every year.

Daughter and Dad sized servings

Let's get cooking!

Cooking: Chicken Enchiladas

One of my favorite food blogs this year as I have been trying to cook healthier has been Skinnytaste. I have used a handful of recipes from it, and I have never been disappointed. I saw this post for Chicken Enchiladas awhile ago and have now made it a few times, with some minor variations. The chipotles in adobo sauce add a wonderful smoky flavor to the sauce/filling. The best part about learning to make this recipe is you can use the same combination of enchilada sauce/tortillas/cheese from this recipe and make several different variations of enchiladas simply by making a different filling. The other week I made turkey and black bean enchiladas using leftover ingredients from the chicken enchilada recipe. The only downside is having to explain you are not as boring as you seem when your coworkers ask, "Enchiladas again?" (Oh wait, I am).

Let's get cooking!

Non-Cooking: Labor Day and Bachelorette Festivities

This past weekend I finally wrapped up my summer of travel! It seems I have been out of town almost every weekend since the end of July and to be perfectly honest, I am really looking forward to spending some time at home. This is especially true since I am now in full on marathon training mode. It is hard to fit in 12-18 mile runs & travel!

Cooking: Pizza w/ Homemade Dough

One of my favorite meals of all time is pizza. Specifically, brick oven thin crust mushroom, pepperoni, and Italian sausage pizza. What better combination in the world is there than meat, bread, cheese, and tomato sauce? In my basic cooking boot camp class, we learned how to make challah bread as part of our "dessert" class. The instructor gave us an easy alteration to the recipe to make pizza dough. Considering I love pizza and am loving learning to make things from scratch, I thought this recipe would be a fun and satisfying challenge! I have made it a few times, and my coworker also tried it and loved it (grilling the pizza versus cooking it and an oven - an interesting twist I would love to try). The crust is relatively thin and a bit sweeter (which makes sense considering it was originally a sweet bread recipe).  

One word of caution is that you have to let the dough rise for an hour or two once you have made it, so unless you want to eat at 9 (mistake #1) either start early, or make it the day before & let it rise in the fridge overnight. 

Let's get cooking!

Cooking: Lentil Soup w/ Italian Sausage.

Today's post is about the third easy, tasty, and freezer-ready meals I made at the beginning of August. It may not look like much, but man is it tasty and it packs a great nutritional punch! In January when I was trying to cook healthy meals in order to both lose the weight I gained and the "bleh" feeling I had after a fall of eating out, I stumbled upon an article in Women's Running regarding super foods you should eat every day. One of the foods was lentils, which I had never had before. Lentils are full of iron and protein, which as a female endurance athlete I really need. I particularly feel a drop in energy/mood when I am low on iron.

Since I was unfamiliar with lentils but willing to give them a try, I did some googling and found this Alton Brown's lentil soup recipe. When I saw an average 5 star rating over 250+ reviews, I knew I had a winner. I have adapted the recipe based on personal preference and reading the reviews -  I don't know about you, but I have NO idea where to find the "grains of paradise" the recipe calls for. Luckily one reviewer noted that ginger/black pepper serve as a good substitute. And of course, I had to add Italian sausage! I usually get about 8 servings out of a batch which means it is perfect for stocking the freezer

Lentil soup has become one of my go-tos this year since it is so simple and satisfying. The recipe is really easy to adapt and a great way to experiment in the kitchen for novice cooks. Lentil soups start with the same base (onion, celery, carrot, lentils, and broth/stock), and then can be varied in so many different ways based on added spices and ingredients. I try to always keep the base items in my pantry for nights when I don't feel like eating out or spending much time in the kitchen. Another favorite of mine simply involves adding curry powder and cumin to the base.

Let's get cooking!

Non-cooking: Glacier National Park

Back in January I was thinking about my vacations for the year. Last year I was 100% focused on the Ironman through September, and with only 10 days of vacation I didn't really get one. (Yes, I spent 3 months in Europe but with work I was a. stressed and b. limited to weekend trips w/ no hiking/biking to be had). This year, I have 25 days of vacation and with only one race on the schedule in November, I had plenty more wiggle room. 

When I did Bike and Build, one of the other trips biked through Glacier National Park. Our trip had crossed below the Rockies, so we never really got the experience of the big mountains (but we did get desert!). After seeing and hearing the stories, Glacier has been the #1 place on my bucket list of places to visit. I particularly wanted to bike up the "Going to the Sun" road, which snakes up the side of the mountain to the continental divide. For awhile, I was considering trying to do another Bike and Build trip, mainly so that  I could bike that part of the country. 

While I love my friends dearly, most of them would not be interested in a vacation that involves both hiking and biking. In May, I traveled with three of them to Puerto Rico, which was fantastic and full of amazing food and memories. However, I was left alone to go on my hiking/rappelling/zip-lining adventure (which was the highlight of my trip!). I knew if I wanted to do my dream vacation, I would have to look for a group to do it with or go alone (which as a young female, is not really a viable option). As I was researching ways to make my long-desired trip to Glacier happen, I stumbled upon the Backroads website, which offered a biking/hiking/whitewater rafting trip for solo travelers. It was perfect! The trip description was exactly what I was looking for, and after some talking with my friend Amanda, I decided to splurge and sign up as a reward for all my hard work last year. Considering I was planning on doing another IM next year, I knew this was the year I would have a bit of extra money (before the whole wrecking my car/buying a new one thing).

Boy am I glad I did! I got back on Friday, after the best vacation I have ever taken in my life! There were 16 of us on the trip, and we had three amazing guides/support. Other than a wonderful 21 year old on the trip with her father, I was the youngest person by a good amount which I am actually quite used to and love (triathlon tends to skew a bit older, at least at my speed). I really lucked out - everyone was really fun to hang out with and get to know. I was especially impressed with all the ones that are only recreational bikers who were able to make it up the climbs (aka most of the trip!). The Rockies are no joke! I spent most of my biking/hiking time with Joanie and Marty, a brother/sister duo who both have running backgrounds and who I am hoping I convinced to try triathlons (hint, hint). In the evenings, I had a chance to get to know everyone else. I also had a fantastic roommate (save $$), Julie, that just made the trip even more special thanks to our daily debriefs. My roommate situation could not have been any better!

Every day when I thought the scenery couldn't get any better, it did. And whenever I thought a view couldn't get better, the light would change and it would. The trip was also so well organized & I didn't have to worry about a thing. The leaders even set out a spread in the morning so we could pack our lunches/snacks for the day!  I had really high expectations for this trip and they were exceeded at every single level.

As an aside, this trip also made me grateful for all of the time I have spent training. I love not having to worry about whether or not I am physically capable of an 11 mile hike. If I want to do it, I can! If I want to stay at the lodge and drink beer, I can do that as well. My biggest worry was whether I could bike immediately after eating huckleberry pie/ice cream/soft serve or if I needed wait a few minutes. This was such a change from my bike and build experience! I still remember ending up in tears in the parking lot on the first day because I was so uncomfortable on my bike, and the words "potosi, missouri" still send me back to (one of) the day(s) I ended up in tears on the side of the road because I just. could. not. bike. any. further. 

When I got back from the trip at 1am on Saturday morning, I signed up for my next Ironman August 2014 (Mont Tremblant). This trip reinvigorated my love of biking and made me really excited for the coming year. I have missed the training process and I am happy to report a lot of my old Wisconsin crew is getting back together for another round - I can't wait! 

Fair warning: The rest of this post is going to be long as I took a bunch of pictures I want to share (with captions/context). The crazy thing is this is about 1/8 of the pictures I actually took! Thank you in advance for indulging me as I want to make sure I have the memories and hey, this is my blog. 

Cooking: Meaty Lasagna

In my BBQ chili post, I mentioned that I had spent that weekend making three good-to-freeze meals. Boy am I glad I did! I got back from an awesome adventure vacation this weekend (blog post to come) and just was not in the mood to cook this weekend (shocking!). This week, I have dipped into my reserves in order to avoid having to eat out for a second week in a row to supplement what cooking I have been able to do mid-week. This is the second of the three meals I made: A delicious meaty lasagna!

Since I was trying to make three big meals in one weekend, simple was the name of the game. This recipe is also really cheap per serving, which I also appreciate. And what I saved in money and time, I did not sacrifice in flavor! Last night as I was stuck late at work, I was extremely grateful to have such a delicious home cooked meal while everyone else was eating their unhealthy take out food (especially after a week of indulging on all things huckleberry!). 

Let's get cooking!

Cooking: Blueberry Crumb Bars

I have not traditionally been a baker - I  have too little self control to have baked goods in the house. However, in the past 5 or 6 weeks since I broke down and bought a kitchenaid stand mixer, I have managed to bake at least once a week to make the investment worth it. It has been life changing! I love baking, and I found that I love sharing my baked goods with others (primarily my coworkers) more than eating them myself. A week ago, I saw this recipe on my favorite baking blog and just had to try it! Luckily blueberries were on sale.

A lot of what I have made has been very rich (start strong!). I couldn't tell from the blog, but this recipe is actually much lighter than what I have been making (less than 200 calories if you cut it into 20 servings!) and is quite delicious. It feels more like a coffee cake/breakfast dessert. I am not a huge blueberry fan but this recipe won me over. Also, while this recipe is lighter, it was still just as big a hit with my coworkers!

Cooking: Slow Cooked BBQ Chicken Chili

Looking ahead to the next month, I realized I am going to be super busy with work, weekend/vacation! travel, and marathon training. In order to avoid having to eat out/eat unhealthy, I spent last weekend stocking my freezer with delicious meals in case I don't have a chance to cook. I think I ended up making 24 servings of three of my favorite meals (all blog posts to come). When thinking about what to make, I immediately thought of my go to meal - BBQ Chicken Chili:

It is super easy (a theme to a lot of my weeknight cooking). I usually make it for the winter, but with how cold my office is these days it constantly feels like winter. If you don't have a slow cooker, get one! I spent 15 minutes putting this together Monday morning (10 minutes worth of can opening - or at least it felt like that) and when I came home after a long day of work I had a delicious, hearty meal prepared and a house that smelled like BBQ. Win! 

I can't even count the number of times I have made this over the years - I discovered it in high school when I joined Weight Watchers and began my love affair with cooking. They have some awesome cookbooks! I have always gotten rave reviews of this one and people would never think the recipe came from them. As a note, I have discovered I definitely prefer my chili with ground chicken versus beef thanks to this and another recipe I make, but you could easily substitute ground beef

Let's get cooking!

Cooking: Maple Sausage Sweet Potato Hash

Prior to March, I would have said I wasn't a big brunch person. One of my lasting memories of the Ironman training is talking to my teammate about how her immediate plan for the weekend after the Ironman was to go to brunch for six hours - that thought had never even crossed my mind!

This changed when back in March, I was really enjoying cooking and really wanted to try a cooking class. I saw a brunch cooking class with Chef Egg offered @ Living Social's 918 F Street location for that weekend and while I thought I wasn't a big brunch person, the desire to take a class won out. This class changed my mind about brunch - I loved everything we made! My poor friends - after the class I promised to make them brunch (and raved about the food) but it took me 4 months to actually get around to it! It turns out I really just don't usually have time for brunch.

The best part about the class was that the Chef had a healthy focus, and the dishes are all super simple to recreate. This one is my favorite and I have made it several times since the class - just usually for lunch or dinner. The prep is really simple, but it does take awhile to cook because the sweet potatoes need time to soften and everything needs to caramelize. Have patience because the end result is worth it!

Cooking: Lemon Curd Pie w/ Graham Cracker Crust

Two weeks ago, the awesome admin at work (hi May!) had shoulder surgery. The recovery process has not been so much fun. Whenever I see someone sad/upset, I respond either with humor or food. Given we both love sarcasm, I have given her enough sass (and still continue to). For once, I decided to also go the food route. A few days after surgery, I asked her to send me a recipe & I would bake her something. The next day, she sent me a message "how about something with lemon curd, it's my favorite!" I had never even heard of lemon curd before, so I though "Challenge Accepted!"

Once I looked it up, I realized it sounded like something that would be really good as a pie filling (or on scones). My favorite crust by far is a graham cracker crust, so I thought this recipe would be a great way to try both at one time. My other coworker (who May affectionately calls Hoover for his healthy appetite) has requested next time I make a giant graham cracker block. I kind of agree with him. Graham Cracker crust is amazing pretty much just on its own. I am also itching to make a key lime pie with this crust.

I made a major mistake when I first attempted this recipe and I had to start from scratch. The lemon curd recipe called for you to heat the lemon curd filling until it thickened over the stove but it didn't have any images to go along with the description. I did not 1) look up a picture of what it should look like before cooking, and 2) read the reviews to learn useful tips. Both horrible, horrible mistakes I will never make again. Especially if I want to save my Sunday nights for relaxing.

My first attempt, I only cooked the lemon curd to this consistency:

When I read the reviews & realized it should be thicker, I attempted to pour the filling back into the pan and ended up with this result:

Please don't make the same mistake! Follow the recipe below & look at the pictures as a guide. Also, click the links to the original recipes & peruse the comments. There are also interesting tips for different use of the lemon curd (like on scones!). 

Warning: this is a RICH pie. Small pieces are recommended. Also, the pie is addictive. So you might need more than one small piece. This was a BIG hit at work.

Alright, let's begin!

Cooking: Black beans w/ spinach, tomatoes, and pecorino romano cheese

Because I got home super late Sunday night, I had to go grocery shopping Monday night to make sure I had food. That meant when I got home I wanted to make something super quick. I went to my FAVORITE go-to dish: Black Beans w/ Spinach, Tomatoes, and Pecorino Romano cheese. This may not look/sound like much, but the pecorino romano cheese gives it the most amazing flavor!

 This recipe is super simple and is ready in less than 15 minutes. The only thing I have to chop/dice/grate is the cheese. This dish was inspired by my trip to Puerto Rico in May. I spent a week eating great meals. I took the opportunity to test out different seafood,  and did not have a single meal I didn't enjoy. My hands down favorite dish inspired this one. I ordered yucca gnocchi w/ black beans. Honestly, I don't even remember what the yucca gnocchi was like because I fell in love with the beans upon first bite. For the first time in my life, I asked the waiter what was in them and recreated it my first night home (with a tilapia filet of course!). I have made it several times at home, and I am never disappointed. I could probably eat this every day and not get sick of it.

Alright, enough talking, let's get cooking!

Non-cooking: El Paso

This weekend I went to El Paso to celebrate my wonderful friend Valerie's wedding. Sadly, she will be leaving the area to move to Indiana so this was our last hurrah until Christmas. Valerie is actually a huge inspiration for me - my goal is to be like her where whenever I bring anything food-related to an event people get excited, regardless of what it is. These last few months, we have had a few cooking dates. I am pretty sure I am going to face time with her in my kitchen for more lessons although she may not know it yet.

 I am happy to report the wedding was a wonderful success and I enjoyed dancing the night away!

Cooking: Simple Pesto with Whole Wheat Pasta and Hot Italian Sausage

 So I came home intending to write up a dessert post and then I had the leftovers from a meal I made earlier this week. I was hit by how awesome it was and decided to switch it up & do this dish instead! Don't worry, the dessert post will come very soon.

Simple Pesto w/ Whole Wheat Pasta and Hot Italian Sausage
 (note the picture does not do the flavor justice)

I like pesto but I haven't really made it before. Usually when I go for pasta I go for tomato sauce - it's the Italian wannabe in me. I just love it. But lately I have been in the mood to mix it up. I found a recipe in this super informative cookbook, "how to cook everything: the basics" that made me realize how easy pesto is. The recipe in the book is meatless, but I decided to add some hot Italian sausage. When doesn't sausage make something taste better?! However, you could go meatless or add pretty much any meat you want (meatballs, tofu, chicken). Once you learn the basic recipe, the possibilities are endless as you can keep experimenting and mixing it up. For example, you could add a different type of nut, switch up the proportions of basil/nuts, add in more seasoning (i.e. red pepper), or switch up the cheese. 

Start to finish (including pasta cooking time), this dish took me less than 30 minutes, and that was with taking a million and 5 pictures.

Cooking: Simple Roasted Garlic Asparagus Fries

Since this will be my first cooking post (and it's a school night!), I will make this one short and sweet.

One of the things I have discovered this year is that most vegetables get about 10 to 1 million times better when you roast them. The roasting process really brings out the natural sweetness of the vegetable and softens it. For a sweet tooth like me, that is key. I even discovered I actually like brussel sprouts! The teenage me is rolling in her grave at that statement.

Generally, I try to roast some vegetables on nights I have leftovers from previous meals because I have the extra time and it's really easy. Once you learn the technique, you can substitute a variety of vegetables. The key is olive oil, salt, and pepper! All other seasonings/variations are optional and worth the experiment.

Ages ago, before I discovered this new found love of most vegetables (except beets, I still don't like beets), I ordered the Grilled Asparagus fries at the BGR joint and loved them. With this as an inspiration, I decided to see asparagus took to roasting, and realized I had a huge hit! It's by far my favorite thing I have tried. The roasting process makes them softer than in their natural state, but they also have this wonderful crisp to them which I crave. With the right seasonings (*cough*salt*cough), they really are a pretty good healthy alternative to french fries. Plus, it gives you your daily serving of essential fatty acids via the olive oil!

It's been awhile!

Hello there!

As you may have noticed, I haven't posted anything since my race report as my journey from Hilary to Ironman was finished. It's been almost a year since the race (?!) and I can let you know my pride hasn't diminished and life is busier than ever. I haven't done a single race this year and am not signed up for one until the New York Marathon in November. Don't worry though - I still have been getting to the gym/working out pretty much a similar amount. I just have been focusing on doing what I want to do on any given day versus following a training program. After four years of constantly training for something, I am loving the break!

What have I been up to since the race?  A month after the race, I was sent to London for two months for work. I spent the time traveling (Dublin, Barcelona, Bath, Munich, and Paris) & learning about different cultures. My office is full of people from all over who have either grown up in the UK or were visiting for a few years. It was great! And yes, I was closely following the arrival of my future king ;)

Cliffs of Moher! I am absolutely in love with Ireland.

However, I came home ABSOLUTELY exhausted. After the holidays, I had traveled (via car, plane, or train) 11 of 12 weekends in a row. I also just felt pretty awful/run down from all the eating out/holiday food.

I used to love to cook but I had fallen out of the habit, particularly as the Ironman training went into full swing. With a long bike ride and run every weekend, the grocery store was an afterthought, usually Monday nights on my way home.

Starting in January, I made a conscious effort to cook almost all my meals and to focus on making them as healthy/fresh as possible. For the first month or so, I was pretty strict with myself & only ate out once or twice a week. As I learned from when I made the conscious effort to start going to the gym, it takes about three weeks to get into a routine/habit and I was focused to turn this into one.

Since then, I have been pretty dang successful! After the first month, I loosened my "I have to cook all but one or two meals a week" rule, but I  have found for the most part I have stuck with it. Also, anyone who trains for something like an Ironman is by nature slightly (at least) obsessive. Since I have not been focused on a racing this year (until now - why do you have to start training for a fall marathon during the hottest part of the summer?!), I have been diving deep into cooking. In the last 7 months I have taken an amazing beginner and intermediate cooking boot camp series (www.cookology.com) and various other classes. I even took one in London when I went back in June for a few weeks! I also bought a kitchen aid stand mixer and have been enjoying learning how to make a variety of delicious baked goods in order to get my money's worth. Yes, it breaks my "healthy" focus, but moderation is key and my coworkers make good testers!

Cooking class in London

Macaroons!

Now, as the calendar prepares to turn to August, it has hit me that I will be signing up for another Ironman next month (Mt. Tremblant in Quebec!). I said after Wisconsin that I planned to do it, and now the time is actually here to turn that broad thought into an actual plan. It will definitely be hard to get back into the swing of hard training again. However, I loved the process, including getting to make so many new friends. Also, while I am happy to have finished, especially given my struggles race day, I feel like I could really improve my performance and I have some unfinished business.

With that thought, I have decided to start up my blog again. However, giving due appreciation to my love of cooking and all the "training" I have done this year, I want to turn it into a dual purpose cooking/training blog. This will help me make sure I focus on nutrition in addition to getting the workouts in. It will also help me share all of the knowledge I have learned and will hopefully prove to people that it's super easy to make a meal that is healthy/delicious and will impress your friends. Fear not! My new love of baking will also steal the show on occasion. After all, what's the point of all the training if you can't indulge every once in a while?

I can't promise how successful I will be at turning this dream into a reality, or how often I will post, but I hope you enjoy following along!


(P.S. Spell check does not recognize Ironman. For shame!)