A Birthday Breakfast and What IS that ingredient?

Yes, another birthday came and went.  Ah!  I feel so good because when I looked in the mirror there wasn’t any wrinkle, any imperfection, any sign of another year gone by that wasn’t there the day before.  Phew! Made it!  I bet I won’t fair so well the day I run Boston.  Probably see someone age 20 years in 3.45 hours ( yes – my goal time). But that’s weeks away yet so moving on…

My Birthday Breakfast

The day began kind of funny. I got up with the alarm and went through the routine of getting myself into the gym.  Put my water on the T/M, looked at it, thought to myself “today is my birthday and I don’t want to do this”.  I took my sneaks off, went upstairs and climbed back into bed, clothes on, hair up and went back to sleep for an hour.  All was not lost because Shane still had to go out so we did get a 5 3/4 mile run in when I finally emerged from under the covers.

Ted said “lets go out to breakfast for your birthday”.  We ended up at Mar-Log Restaurant just a mile or so from the house.  It was noisy in there but wasn’t crowded. Weird?! 

A quick cup of coffee…Cup No. 1

The menu had the one item I was in the mood for:  Giambrotti – a mix of eggs, potatoes, greens, peppers (hot or sweet or mixed) and typically sausage but not for me.  I asked for mine made with Egg Beaters and no sausage, all hot peppers.  Dry Rye on the side.

It wasn’t long before the steamy, hot plates of breakfast delicacies arrived. 

Oh but wait! I needed hot sauce!

Before taking my first bite, unaware of the heat my mouth was about to encounter, I said yes to my 2nd cup of “Joe”

My first fork full of Giambrotti landed on the hot pepper.  It wasn’t the hot CHERRY pepper that I thought was going to titillate my tastebuds.

It was a long hot!  AND BELIEVE ME! IT WAS HOT!  In fact, there were more long hots on that plate than eggs, potatoes, greens or anything else.  I endured the pain of 2 peppers then worked my way around the rest.  Not enough eggs, the wrong hot peppers, and too many tasteless potatoes.  Oh well. 

To calm my flaming tongue down, I had a little colored sugar on my dry rye

We managed to tackle the better part of the crossword puzzle before having to leave.  We like to leave a little to do at lunch time as well. It’s called pacing ourselves.

So it wasn’t the best tasting breakfast but the folks at Mar-Log can’t be beat. So friendly. The service is great. It was a fun time.

Today’s run(WED):  Since I was a slug yesterday AND the weather was looking pretty good today, I got my weekly long run under my belt.  17.2 miles.  I really like getting that long run done early in the week so I can see what my miles look like going into the weekend.  It allows me to do some finagling to crank it on up there. 

I can’t say that today’s run was the best. I woke up 3 times during my short night (6 hours sleep) and one time with an intense cramp in my calf.  OUCH!  Got up to run at 3:45 (INSANE!!!!) but had a 20 min. delay due to a treadmill glitch as well as the new TV not working.  UGG! All my fault, I’m sure.  Almost got run over 2 X outside by people who obviously have a dislike for runners. Had to get Shane in the shower because he ran 11 miles with me and was covered in road dirt and salt.  Couldn’t get my shirt on.  Couldn’t get the huge knot out of my hair.  I just wonder what more “excitement” the day holds in store for me.

The mystery ingredient

The other day, I was reading an article by Catherine S. Hains, MS RD.  She was revealing the secrets behind the ingredient listed on Nutri-Grain bars. 

Be sure to watch out for the following and think about whether this is really what you want in your body.

• tBHQ-tertiary butylhydroquinone.  An antioxidant additive that keeps soybean oil from going rancid.  In a 2004 study, it was shown that tBHQ might cause tumors.  Esophageal, stomach benign tumors were increased when rats were given tBHQ.
• High Fructose Corn Syrup.  Possibly causes diabetes, obesity, liver disease. 
• Calcium Carbonate.  A filler, preservative and color retainer but also used in paint supplements and other products.
• Propylene glycol.  Solvent for flavoring and food colorings and labeled “GRAS” or “Generally Recognized As Safe”. HUGE amounts may cause a health hazard.
• Soy Lecithin.  Emulsifier. Also known as “GRAS”.
• Carrageenan.  A thickener derived from red seaweed.
• Calcium Phosphate.   From cow’s milk and teeth. Used as a raising agent.

As quoted by Courtney Stinson RD of Savorlife Nutrition:  “What increases the shelf life of food usually decreases the “shelf life” of our bodies.”

Catherine S. Hains has a web site at Lighthouse nutrition.

To be honest, I like Nutri Grain Bars.  Maybe  Kellogg’s has adjusted some ingredients?