A little bit SPICY

This week there are items to see to that no longer will tolerate procrastination.  That’s my excuse for being a little lax in blogging.  Priorities first.

Time to workout

My workouts are a little different this week.  I’m getting up about 30 minutes later, getting right into weights then heading out for a road run.  This is the recap so far:

• Sunday:  a good 6.72 miles on the treadmill.
• Monday: 8 x 400’s which resulted in 6 miles plus a quick leg workout and a swim.
• Tuesday: chest and biceps followed by a 6 mile easy run.
• Wednesday:  Shoulders and abs with a 7.42 mile run. 

It was hot and humid for the run, 70 degrees at the get-go. As we turned to go up the steep hill into the golf course from the cemetery, I had every intention of walking.  Then a guy comes running up, entering the same way as us.  We let him go ahead.  He starts chatting and says he has been running that hill for 27 years and it doesn’t get any easier.  I offered to let Shane pull us both up but both the man and I agreed the dog was too smart for that. 

My intention to walk up that hill was nixed by the fact that Shane and I passed the guy.  Now I COULDN’T walk.  I had to keep going. Isn’t there a rule that if you pass someone on a training run you can’t let them pass you later? … course not but that’s the way it feels anyway. 

The run turned out to be a pretty tough working run with the hill and the humidity.  Good practice for the boiler maker.

• Thursday:  The plan is to work back and triceps with a run of about 50 to 60 minutes.
• Friday: Ahhhhh… a day off of exercise.

Saturday:  The loooonnnnnggg run.

My order from My Spice Sage arrived!

Look at these exciting spices…

Vietnamese Cinnamon (spicy!) and Lemon peel powder.  The lemon peel powder really peaked my interest.  I’m looking forward to using that in baking as well as on some fish.

Whole nutmeg.  I keep seeing chefs on the Food Network using whole nutmeg. They grate it into their dishes.  It probably tastes so much different than ground.  I’ll let you know on that one.

Applewood Smoked Sea Salt and Herbs De Provence.  The Applewood salt was free with any order over a certain amount.  I’m looking forward to dressing some things up and then having Ted grill some really tasty meals.  The Herbs De Provence is a mixture I always have on hand.  It’s a combination of savory, thyme, rosemary, lavender, and fennel.  

Madagascar Vanilla Beans.  Vanilla beans are really expensive but I thought the price on My Spice Sage was pretty reasonable for 8 beans and they are a good size as well.

Back track to Monday’s meal: 

When we got home from our trip on Monday, a quick visit to the grocery store was in order.  I picked up some swordfish.

Swordfish steaks on the grill

I picked up swordfish steaks from the store.  They weren’t thick but they were …. hold your breath, PREVIOUSLY FROZEN.  Should have known better.

• 3 6oz Sword fish steaks (1 for me, 1 for Ted, and 1 for Shane)
• 3 TBS Greek salad dressing
• 3 x pinch of salt (one pinch per steak)
• 2 TBS Blackstrap molasses

I doused the steaks with the salad dressing. Sprinkled with a little salt then drizzled on the molasses. 

The grill was preheated on medium high to high heat.  Ted cooked the fish for about 3 minutes per side, which was suppose to be a very short time. 

It turned out the short time was a long time for these thin steaks.  They were a little on the dry side.  The flavor was lacking probably because they were previously frozen 🙁   . 

There may be another reason the steaks didn’t turn out great. I lacked enthusiasm in my meal prepping and Ted lacked enthusiasm in his grilling.   I often find that when I’m not in the mood to cook, the resultant food lacks “enthusiasm” or taste. 

Something good did come out of the dinner.  Shane LOVED it!

Do you notice a difference in your cooking or baking depending on your mood?

Joanne