I confess:  When I’m feeling low and the clouds are falling, the first person on my call list is my mom.  Dad’s a good “ear to chew” as well but he is less sympathetic and usually offers more logical sense than sympathy.  Sometimes when you just want to gush with emotion, it’s Mom who knows how to listen. 

Earlier this week when the flu bug was hanging on and I was feeling sorry for my self, I called my Mom.   First I apologized for calling her just to cry then proceeded to cry about my worries, about other peoples worries.  I cried about things that have nothing to do with my life such as Charlie Sheen, The Oscar losers.   I also found enough tears to cry about crying.  Once again, I confess:   I’m a big baby who still cries to Mom and Dad.  

Did you know that it’s healthy to cry?  It’s never good to stifle your emotions as the pressure builds inside and very often results in high blood pressure and other stress related issues. 

Who do you go to when you need a shoulder to cry on?   

America’s Greatest Heart Run and Walk – It’s this weekend!   Are you ready?  There is an activity for everyone, no matter whether you like to walk inside or outside, or go for a short run or a super long run, the Heart Run and Walk offers fun events for all. 

The Health Expo is held, once again, at Utica College on Friday, March 4th.  The purpose of the weekend is first to build a healthier community, better educated in the ways to live a healthy and productive life through awareness of coronary heart disease and prevention.  Second, the weekend is filled with fun events and donations are collected to raise money in support of the work, research, and services provided by the American Heart Association.  

I have participated in the 3 mile walk, the 3 mile run, the 5 mile run, and the 10 mile run.  This year, I go for “gold” and will run the 30K (18.6 miles).  It should be fun.  It’s not a race but simply a good way to get in a long training run with a lot of other people.  I’m not even sure if there are any aid stations? I’ll wear my hydration belt with some energy gels, snacks for fuel (*very necessary since my eating is still a delicate situation from the bug) and warm clothes.  I’ll start with my 2 mile warm up with Shane. Run the 18.6 miles then I hope to add a mile or two as I run towards home and meet up with Ted.  Ted is running the 5 mile and not looking forward to it.   It should be a great day!

WWT Cookies! Great treats to celebrate a BIG PARTY!

When’s Mardi Gras?  Isn’t it March …. (looking it up…)  8th!   It falls the day before Ash Wednesday, always on a Tuesday.  What’s this post got to do with Mardi Gras?  Absolutely nothing.  It’s just that I stuck a mask behind my cookies when taking the photo and it reminded me of that fun filled celebration populating the streets of New Orleans next week.  My head is still a little messed up from the flu bug so please excuse the nonsense.

Whole Wheat Treat Cookies

• 1/2 cup Healthy Heart Promise Margarine (keep it “heart healthy” with ZERO trans fat)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg (I always use Egglands Best Eggs)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup Lite Sour Cream
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• 1/3 cup chopped dates (not dried) – about 10 pitted dates
• 1/3 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cream the Promise and the sugar.  Add the egg and the vanilla. Add the sour cream.

In the middle of the sour cream mix, add the flour, baking powder, soda, salt. Now stir it all together until well incorporated. 

Stir in the almonds, dates, and chips.

Drop by tablespoons on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake 12 – 15 minutes.

So good. Sweet treat. Whole grains and delicious!

Moist. Lots of flavor. Great for a party!

Have you ever been to Mardi Gras?

In the next few weeks, I’m going to seriously weigh my options concerning the Boston Marathon.  Training has not been fun, not anything like my first marathon. I enjoyed just about every day of running training for WineGlass last October.  Trying to pursue my endeavors to train hard for Boston, I’ve been met with one set back after another. Is someone trying to tell me something?!!!

It’s time to think about the upcoming race and why I’m doing it. If the hurdles keep on coming, I’m going to back out of Boston 2011.  I want to enjoy running and look forward to every race with excitement and anticipation, not dread.  It’s too early to decide right now, especially since I’m just getting over the flu and nothing feels good anyway.  My one main concern is that if I choose not to run, I have to live with that choice without regret.  That might be very difficult for me to do.  Will keep you posted.

On a positive note:  I did have a good workout today, all be it riddled with coughing, I ran 9 1/2 miles.   5.5 interval session with a mile warm up and 3 mile cool down.  The pain in my ribs is still there but the P.T. said that is due to the over correction of my pelvic alignment.  The muscles along my side were shortened and since the pelvis has been realigned, those muscles got stretched out and running hard over extended them.  All in all, everything feels a bit better.

BURGERS!

Talk about a meal with nutrition!  This one will knock your socks off!  Fiber, antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Selenium… I’m running out of breath!  Black beans and salmon are a two very good foods for your body.  More on salmon HERE. 

I created a burger without the bread crumbs.  These are gluten free as long as you buy GF Tamari Sauce (soy sauce). 

Makes 6 – 8 burgers

• 1 can (15 oz) black beans – low sodium, drained, rinsed
• 1/2 medium sweet potato – cooked and peeled (microwave it for 8 minutes to cook it in a hurry)
• 1/2 small green bell pepper – seeded and diced small
• 1 Eggland Best Egg (large egg)
• 2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 can (15 oz) Red Salmon – drain, remove large bones, and flake
• 1 tsp Gluten Free Tamari / soy sauce
• Olive oil for frying

Place the beans and potato in a bowl and puree either with an immersion blender or use your food processor.  I left the mix a little chunky but you can get it to a nice smooth puree if you prefer. A few whole beans add a nice texture though.  

Add the pepper, egg, seasoning, salmon and tamari.  Mix it up.

Heat the pan with the oil for frying over medium-high heat. When hot, add the mixture in about 3 TBS per patty.  Form into a patty and let cook for about 4 – 5 minutes per side depending on the size of your burger.  Keep warm in a 190 deg. oven until your veggies are ready, about 5-10 minutes.  *We had grilled asparagus with our burgers – No Bread!

There are enough natural carbs from the potato and beans without over doing it at dinner time.  No high glycemic rankings in this meal.

I went to the doctor for a hamstring that won’t heal.  The result:  Muscle imbalance. My right hammy is considerably weaker than the left. Every time I stress my body, that muscle takes the brunt of it. What the doctor said:  “You won’t be ready for a marathon until next year”.  What I said: “Oh! You mean I shouldn’t try to RACE a marathon until next year .”   And so I can still run, maintaining an acute awareness of my pain level.  Speed training is restricted to tempo runs.  I begin working with a physical therapist on Monday. 

Funny thing, the doctor said the hamstrings are not primary RUNNING muscles so when injured, the body’s natural reaction is to protect the injured muscle by not to using it , or rather use the QUADS more. That’s why my muscle got so weak, I continued to run without the appropriate healing therapy to strengthen it. The doctor continued to say, if I had injured my quadracep, which IS a primary running muscle, the continued running would have built it back up.  Strange how our body works. 

I don’t like going to the doctor.  I don’t even have a primary care physician.  As I sat in the waiting room, those were my thoughts:  “I don’t like being here. Maybe I should leave”.  There was a lady breathing heavy beside me and that was getting on my nerves.  As I was in the exam room waiting for the doctor, I looked at the iodine, alcohol, swabs, gloves, etc. and wondered….”These are SPORTS MEDICINE doctors. What are they going to do with all that stuff?!  These are not the docs. you go to when a limb has been severed, at least initially. My knowledge of doctors and what they do is very limited…by choice. It’s one profession I don’t want to learn much about… being on the outside if you know what I mean.

Since my leg was the reason for me being there, I had to put on a pair of shorts so the doctor could evaluate the situation.  In taking off my pants, I noticed a bright green Dry Cleaning label stuck on my pants. GREAT! I had been at work and walking around Slocum Dickson with a Dry Cleaning tag hanging off of me.  

As I sat on the edge of the exam table , I started fiddling with my shirt. Seriously, what else is there to do in there? You could open some cupboards, steal a band aid or two but it gets a bit boring.  I did bring a book “50/50..” by Dean Karnazes but thought if I was caught reading a book about an Ultra Marathoner while in there for a running injury, they may think my imbalance was mental not physical.  Anyway, on my shirt, I noticed deodorant marks on the bottom.  THEN …wait! What’s that?!! It’s a tag! My shirt was on INSIDE OUT!   There was no way I could take it off and switch it because if the doc walked in and I had my shirt off when he was suppose to look at my leg…. well… REALLY! You think he might wonder?!

Guess it was a good visit after all. Got a go ahead to keep running on my leg. Took the tag off my pants, and was able to put my shirt on the RIGHT side out (after the exam was over).  It was worth the $25.00 co-pay anyway

A Quick Vegetarian Meal

Feeling like a quick, easy yet filling meal?  This soup fits the bill. It packs all the necessary nutrition and won’t leave you looking for something else.

Ted was having meat for dinner and I was at a loss as to what to make for myself. 

I had to use up some broccoli and 1/2 a package of Vegetable broth PLUS about 1 cup of white wine.  So I boiled the broccoli until it was nice and soft. 

What could I add for some protein and fat?  One hard boiled egg might do it, but I didn’t want it just stuck on the side of my plate.  So I decided to use it as a “finish” to this soup. 

The soup still seemed a bit lacking.   Nice chunks of red tomato might give it a little color and OH! add a 6 1/2 oz can of chopped clams for a little texture and protein.  There you have it! 

The final result:  The soup doesn’t burst with any particular flavor.  It lacked the velvety smoothness of most creamed soups but for a simple pureed vegetable soup, it hit the spot.

• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 3/4 cup white wine
• 2 cups broccoli, chopped (you can use some stems as well as florets)
• 1 TBS dried onion
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 6.5 oz chopped clams – drained
• 1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Optional:  One hard boiled egg *I used Egg-land’s Best since I won a YEAR’S worth of free eggs!  Fortified and healthy.  They REALLY are the best eggs!

Bring the broth, wine, broccoli and onion to a boil. Let cook until the broccoli is very soft, about 12 – 15 minutes.

Transfer to a tall bowl and using an immersion blender, puree the hot mixture until desired consistency.  Be careful not to burn you self with flying soup drops!

Put the puree back into the hot pan and add the tomato and clams.  Let heat through about 10 minutes on low.

Garnish with a hard boiled egg if you like.

So much for my wonderful sleep over the weekend.  Last night totally set me back. I tossed, turned, got hot, got cold, could NOT get comfortable. When I finally fell asleep, I had a scary dream about a blogger chasing me with a knife and when she caught me, I screamed “LEAVE ME ALONE”!  Ted was shaking me. 

The dream made no sense. I don’t know why it was a “blogger” who was chasing me, she had no face nor did any of the people standing around.  The setting was the start of a road race.  I have no idea what I did to incite the knife wielding chase.  I’m a little afraid to go to sleep tonight. Ted’s even more afraid for me to go to sleep tonight.  I might hit him harder than I did last night.

Even after the fitful sleep, a morning run was in the plan. I hate changing my plans. Everyone says “be flexible” but I have a hard time with that. So as tired as I was, the alarm went off at 3:50 and I was on the treadmill by 4:05.  That might seem early but you get used to it after a while.  The draw back:  on the weekend you STILL wake up at 4 am!

Total miles today: 10.  It was very cold outside but luckily, no wind. Still, I kept it to only 3 miles outside and the rest a fast pace on the treadmill, 8:34 with a 3% incline.    Weight workout tonight:  Back and arms (last night it was chest and shoulders). I’m going to do one week p90X and one week heavier weights.  I enjoy lifting too much.

Cranberry Pineapple Bread

Did you buy extra bags of fresh cranberries in November or December?  I hope you didn’t toss them out if you didn’t use them? Even though cranberries peak from October to December, they can be kept in a sealed bag in the fridge for about 2 months and frozen for a couple of years. 

There’s too much goodness in cranberries to throw them out.  They are cousin to the blueberry (who is a blueberry fan? PICK ME!!!).  Half a cup has under 25 calories and hosts 2 grams of fiber.  They are rich in manganese for strong bones, healthy thyroid function as well as protecting cells from free radicals. The cranberry is just loaded with antioxidants and we all know how well they fight urinary tract infection. Ouch!

As if the cranberry isn’t loaded with enough great stuff, in the following recipe I used Eggland Best Eggs. Three Whole Eggs!  Eggland’s (my favorite of all fresh eggs).

*This recipe is the same as my all time best  Zucchini bread recipe but I used cranberries instead. AMAZING how great this tastes!

Makes 2 large sweet bread loaves

• 3 Egglands Best Large Eggs
• 1 cup canola oil
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 12 oz bag cranberries – put in the food processor for just a whirl to chop
• 1 cup (8 oz can) crushed pineapple – drained
• 3 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp each:  cinnamon,  ginger, nutmeg
• *You can add 3/4 cup raisins if you like. – optional

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Prepare loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray

Beat the eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla for about 3 minutes.   Stir in the chopped cranberries and the crushed pineapple.

Sift the flour, baking soda, powder, salt and the spices and stir JUST TO COMBINE – DON’T OVER MIX into the eggs/fruit mixture. 

Pour into the prepared pans and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Don’t be tempted to cut the recipe in half. You’ll want to keep one of these babies in the freezer when friends drop in.

What’s your favorite sweet bread?

My last long run. What should it be?  It was a mental thing.  I wanted to do my last 20 miles.

There were two reasons I needed this long run:

1.  My last 23 miler was on Sept. 6th.  That would be almost 4 weeks prior to my marathon.  Was that too long to go without another long run of 20?  I did 18 last week, but 18 isn’t 20 as 20 isn’t 26. Good at numbers aren’t I???!!!!

2.  It will take us 3 1/2 hours or so to get to the race location. Holy Cow! I’m going to be running longer than that!  Will I burn out before 3 1/2 hours if I don’t do one more long run?

Physiologically, my body should be ready for the long race, or so says the coach.  The gains from running 20 miles aren’t realized for 3 to 4 weeks, as my runner’s handbook suggests.  I need some kind of reassurance I can still go the distance and that won’t come from anyone except from inside of me.  Do it sound like someone is panicking at this point? It should.

The Final Miles details:   Do what you can do and go for between 15 and 20.  Total miles=18

I took off with Shane just before 4 AM.  It was quiet and warmer than yesterday.  The air was comfortable.  My left arm couldn’t be seen from all the gadgets on it:  Garmin, pace band to protect against chafe from the iPod case on my upper arm that never fails to inch its way down. I had a water bottle and baggy so I could share water with Shane.  He went 8.25 miles with me.

When I dropped off Shane, I took a bathroom break and filled the bottle then continued along my usual long route: down the Parkway to French Rd. , back along Genesee St. with a  few loops before getting home.   Ted caught up with me 2 miles from home.  I told him he needs to ride his bike next to me in the marathon because, for some reason, there’s a source of energy that I get from him.  As we turned onto our street, Ted asked if I stop at the 2nd entrance to the drive way (probably so he didn’t turn into me with the bike).  I said yes but I had .10 of a mile to go for 18 so I’d go past the drive.  There was silence.  I said “Pretty anal, huh?”  His response was immediate “I’d say so”.   Well….that’s me.

My average pace was 9.36 and constant throughout my run.  It wasn’t fast but I was happy with that since I ran my last Half marathon 3 days ago, 6 miles the day after and 3 1/2 yesterday.  No time off.  Now it’s time to let this body wind down.   I should hit about 40 miles this week as a total and begin the taper.  

Running fuel for today:  1 banana with 1 TBS PB before heading out.   GU at mile 3 1/2.  GU w/ caffeine at 8.25.  Luna Sports Moon Energy Chew (just one) at mile 12.

 And the winner is….

Look at this great little prize I snagged at Sweetsfood:  Yay! Chocolate!  Thanks Gera and Glee Gum.

Have  you guys checked out Gera’s blog? It is a super resource for blogging tips, social media, and foodies.  I love to visit at the end of each week because some of the best food blogs and information can be found, all in one spot. So convenient.

Another Frittata

I just love Frittata night. So easy and so good.

Whole eggs are a complete protein.  When you use just a few eggs then add egg whites, a little low fat milk, the result is a perfect light, nutritious meal.  It’s so easy to whip up a frittata to be served on a busy week night.

• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped
• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and chopped
• 6 oz mushrooms (optional) – sliced
• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 tsp each fresh oregano, thyme, and rosemary – all chopped
• 12 grinds of fresh black pepper
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 6 Eggland’s Best Eggs
• 2/3 cups egg whites
• 1/3 cup low fat milk
• 1/4 cup Italian mixed cheese, shredded (Asiago, Parmesan, Romano…etc) – use more if you just love cheese.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Heat oil over medium high heat in an oven proof pan and, when hot, add onions.  Cook 1 minute, add peppers. Cook 1 minute, add asparagus and cook all that for about 3 minutes. 

Add the mushrooms (if using), salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, and rosemary.  Stir around for about 1 minute.  Turn off heat.

Beat the eggs, whites, and milk then pour into the pan.  Top with tomato halves and cheese.

Put into the oven for 15 – 18 minutes.

This recipe will serve 4 to 6 or, if you are doing a little entertaining, cut the frittata in to bite size squares for easy hors d’oeuvres.

Garnish with a small cherry tomato, sprig of  rosemary and thyme for a nice finishing touch.

Make sure to use fresh herbs in this dish.  Nothing beats garden fresh ingredients.

Do you use fresh herbs or prefer dried?   Most of the time I use dried but when I cook with fresh, I wonder why I get so lazy. Fresh is so much better.

Foodbuzz project one: Cast your vote.