Rando

The term "rando" generally refers to a random person.  Like "Some rando tried to buy me a green smoothie at the bar last night".  I wish, sorta...but that's totally besides the point.  Today "rando" describes my morning.

For instance, Shane's schedule.  "Totally rando babe, I don't have to go into work until 11 but I won't be home until late."  

So rando (and fantastic!) that we actually got to enjoy b-fast together.  Today I halved my oatmeal/granola so I could enjoy a fabulous whole grain bagel from the Farmer's Market, as well as some Strawberry Rhubarb Jam Shane's sister-in-law made!  Twas quite delicious.

After Shane left I got down to the tedious task of applying for jobs.

 How rando is my makeshift "workstation"?  We've got a kitchen table with the mac, hooked up to a TV and my baby laptop.  Well, it gets the job done!

Today has been a roller coaster of emotions.  After Shane left I got so discouraged about the job hunt.  Sometimes it seems like all I do is apply and never hear back.  I know eventually my hard work will pay off, but in the moment sometimes it can get a bit overwhelming.  Plus I know each school must have hundred's of applicants for one position, so they can't respond to everyone.

I ended up finding a couple of job postings that I'm really excited about, so my frown was turned upside down!  And now my attitude has once again turned into hopefulness!

Job hunting is hard work, so of course I needed a snack.  And since I woke up with a slightly scratchy throat (so rando for mid-June!), my body was craving greens.

Swiss chard seemed like the perfect option since it's packed with anti-oxidants, Vitamins A, K, and C, Iron and a whole bunch of other good stuff.

Seems normal, right?  Well my snack took a turn for rando-ville when I was simultaneously craving potassium rich nanners and some healthy fats via nut butter.

Just roll it up wrap style!  I'll be the first to admit this snack doesn't sound very good.  And it's not very photogenic. But the ooey gooey mushy banana and PB are contrasted so nicely by the crisp crunch of the chard leaf!

Now what in the world do I do with all the stems?  Right now they're rinsed and packed in the fridge, but if I don't figure something out they will be trash.  And I strongly dislike wasting my veggies!

Rando fact of the day!  Isn't this cutting board just lovely?  My very talented boyfriend made it!  He builds/repairs guitars and as you can see is quite crafty in other areas as well.  Maybe I'll see if I can get a giveaway going since the plan is to start selling these bad boys on Etsy!

It's now 2 pm, I'm done applying for the day, I'm still wearing my PJ's and slippers, and I have some books on my summer reading list to get to.  I also have the feeling a green monster will be making an appearance and then disappearing into my belly shortly thereafter!

Enjoy the rest of your Thursday!

Any rando recipes for swiss chard stems?  

Tell me one rando thing that's happened to you today.

Dreaded 12-miler

Hey there bloggy-boos! I have been such a bad blogger lately.  I take pictures and have so many post ideas, but then life just gets in the way!  

Just know my little hiatus is over and I have some yummy things in store for you!

First though, I want to tell you all that I finally got in a 12 mile training run!  I don't know why, but I have been d r e a d i n g this mileage.  Which makes no sense because this time last year I was running 15 and 18 milers.  The only *downside* to this run is that it was here, along Mission Beach:

 

Right now you must be thinking to yourself, that girl has let living in San Diego get to her head!  How dare she say that running along the gorgeous coastline isn't good enough!

whoa, whoa, whoaaaaa!

I'd be crazy not to know that I am super duper lucky to run in such an amazing place.  However, this gorgeous, scenic, makes you take off your headphones and listen to the ocean run was lacking one key training element.... hills <--- yes I am technology savvy

It was completely flat and I loved every minute of it.  Well, as many minutes as you can love a 12 mile run that is.

Yes, I chose to run here.  Yes, I knew it would be flat.  But I just needed to break through my 9 mile rut and score a 12 mile distance.  I'm {sort of} confident in my hill training thus far, and I think I'll be able to kick it up a notch race day.

La Jolla 1/2 Marathon here I come!

T-minus 11 days

(What does t-minus even mean??)

*Just Googled it.  Laziest Googler ever, from the website descriptions, it is something that Nasa and the military use!*

And being at the beach has other benifits.  Like the most amazing ice bath ever!

Dreaming about jumping in the ocean got me through some of spots that were lacking an ocean breeze.  It was sweat city!  And I have a nice little sports bra tan to boot!

I am so happy that my ghetto ice packs, water bottle with 1/2 ice and a plastic ziplock baggie of ice, kept my lunch cool.

"Cheezy" quinoa, lentil sloppy joes, and a banana.  How's that for protein and carbs?!

Be on the lookout for a Lentil Sloppy Joe recipe, they are yummy!

So Cali

I love how they California-fied this Jersey sign bros!  <3 Jersey Girl 4eva <3

...

Wait, one more thing!!!

MY NEW KICKS! I am so in love.

I took a risk and ordered them off Zappos.com.  I previously had Adidas so I ordered the same size and hallelujah, they fit!  And I broke them in with this 12-miler.  It could have been bad, but no blisters, no chaffing, no nothing!  

If you know your size, go with Zappos! It was super easy, and I think I may have saved some moolah.

Enjoy your Wednesday xo

***PS: head on over to Munch and Crunch for a super spring playlist giveaway!*** 

-AND-

***Julia is having her first giveaway here, and it involves Easter candy...just sayin!***

Banana Envy

So I'm pretty sure I'm not the only runner out there who has certain race day and even long run training day routines that you just. don't. mess. with.

Help a sista out.  Tell me I'm not totally crazy.  

For real,  just keep reading and then tell me...

My story begins in the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia, if you need to brush up on your geography.

To be more exact, a freezing cold, pitch black,  November morning around 6 am.  This was the morning of my first 1/2 marathon, so I was understandably a little tense.  

Let's rewind to the night before real quick.  I laid out all my gear, attached my timing chip, pinned my bib, and packed a bag with water and bananas.  I went to bed early and of course couldn't sleep a wink with all of my excitement.

Back to the frigid, early November morning...  Shane and I arrived, parked, and made it to the race site with time to spare.  Somewhere in between the line for the porta-potties and my corral I realized I had forgotten my banana in the car!  

And I swear, at that moment, this girl walked by us with a bunch of bananas.  I kid you not. In that instant I felt banana envy for the first time in my life. 

And then I took a trip to melt down city.

Poor Shane had to deal with my little freak out.  I was sure that not eating my pre-run banana would have dire consequences.

I'd have no energy.

I would feel tired.  

My muscles would cramp up.  

I wouldn't be able to finish.

I'd be a failure.  

Thankfully Shane kept his cool and reminded me of all the hard work and training I had done to get there.  And he wondered aloud if my body would even be able to turn a banana into energy for the race.  I bought it and told myself the banana was pointless and it was a mental thing.  

Although I was still a little envious of banana bunch girl.   But whatever, I could run 13.1 miles with out no dang banana!

And I did.  And it felt awesome.

But I learned my lesson.  I don't want to experience banana envy ever again.  So now I always make sure to bring my bananas.  And Shane likes to remind me too...just in case.

Do you have any running/ race day routines that you stick to?

Have you ever had race day fiasco?

Time to Get Muddy!

Going into the mud run I only had two expectations: have fun and get muddy!  Those expectations were met, and I learned a couple other things along the way. 

Race day always begins with a PB and nanner sandwich.  Today I added an extra oomph...

chia seeds!

No matter the distance, 5k or marathon, I always bring a banana and eat it at the race site about 30-45 minutes before running.  Funny story about that...

Duct tape is key at a mud run.  Not only do you look hardcore, it really keeps your sneaks on your feet while your trudging through the mud.

Thankfully the race organizers realized not everyone would be in on this little secret, so they had a Duct Tape Station, complete with volunteers to duct tape our shoes for us!

 Look tough in a few pictures.  This is a mud run after all.

 If you see them using a hose to wet down the course, realize they will be using that hose to wet you down as well.

 Remember to take a mud free picture!

 Wear shorts or running tights, that are super tight.  I wore old, flared yoga capris because I didn't want to ruin my newer running tights.  Can you tell in the picture below that they're down to my ankles instead of just below the knee?  Mud + water = heavy clothes, so...

less is best and tight is right!

 While your waiting in line for someone to take your bib timer, don't even look at the clock.  It's a mud run, not race (at least this was my mentality).  I had way more fun taking my time and laughing about the obstacles with friends, than trying to push my way through the the other runners. 

 Be proud of your accomplishment!  A mud run is so different from straight up running.  Climbing through never ending mud pits, crawling through tunnels, scaling a slippery hill with a rope, and getting blasted with a hose engages way more muscles than a normal run!

Sign up for another one!

Tsunami Scare

Beep, beep.

What is that? Oh, what east coaster forgot it's 3 hours earlier here and has decided to text me. What time is it?

4:38 a.m.

From: Dad   Tidal wave may be coming.  How close are you to the ocean?

WHAT?!  I text him back. When is it coming?

From: Dad  Next half hour.  Call me when you wake up.

Now I'm awake.  My mind is racing with worst case scenerios.  I'll spare you the details.

I jump out of bed to turn on my laptop and turn on the TV. Racking my brain, I vaguely remember watching something about tidal waves on The History Channel.  Is 20 minutes from the beach far enough away??

Thankfully, San Diego only has a warning.  No evacuations, just advising people to stay off the beaches due to the strong currents.

Although La Jolla, about a 30 minute drive from me, is expected to get hit with 2-3 foot surgers around 8:40 this morning.

The earthquake in Japan is 7th strongest on record in the world and the footage they're showing on the news is scary.  So far there have been hundreds of lives lost in Japan.  It's so sad to hear about.

I'm sure we'll hear more about it as the day goes on.  So sad.  Everyone on the west coast and in the Pacific, stay safe!

Edit: You can donate directly to the Japan relief fund on the Red Cross website.
You can also donate $10 to the Red Cross by texting REDCROSS to 90999.

What do you do?

What do you do when your boyfriend is cheating?

....

on your baking. 

with these.

 

Each weekend it's the same story.  We're walking down the snack aisle and it happens. Wham, bam, thank-you ma'am, into the cart they go.  He won't break up with them.  I'm becoming a jealous girlfriend. I find myself muttering in the aisles.

I can bake portable, tasty, satisfying snacks too Quaker Oats!

Sure, they look all innocent with their 8 grams of whole grains.  Look, look, no high fructose corn syrup!  But take a closer look and you'll see them for what they really are: Corn syrup, corn syrup solids, soy lecithin, glycerin, and BHT (preservative) to name a few ingredients.

 So I decided enough is enough.  I confronted Quaker Oats.  It wasn't pretty. 

Let's just say QO won't be showing up around these parts anymore.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars 

Satisfying granola bars with an ingredient list you can take home to mom.

adapted from All Recipes

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2/3 cup peanut butter  

3 TBSP pure maple syrup

1/2 cup applesauce

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups rolled oats

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped almonds

6 tsp flax meal

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan, or smaller if you want the bars thicker. 

In a large bowl, stir together the brown sugar, peanut butter, maple syrup, applesauce, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together the oats, chocolate chips, almonds and flax meal. Stir the dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture until evenly coated. Press lightly into the prepared pan. 

I used 1/2 cup whole almonds and chopped them in the processor.

Bake or 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until slightly golden. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars. 

All wrapped up and ready to go!

 

Sugar Overload

Remember last week when I was stressed to the max and then I got sick?  Well this past week I felt like I had my energy zapped out of me.  I was out of my workout routine and was totally off with my eating.  

Who wants to eat veggies when there are homemade VDay "Reese's Cups" in the freezer?

This past week was one bad decision after another eating wise.  A little bit of this, and a little bite of that.  One reese's cup...okay maybe 3.  

I Googled "too much sugar" and the first article that popped up is a doozy from Time, Too Much Sugar Increases Heart Risks.  

We all know too much sugar isn't good for us.  Not only can too much sugar increase our jean size, turns out too much added sugar, 

"can also lead to dangerously high levels of blood fats, and raise the risk of heart disease as much as a diet full of high-fat foods...Fructose *think high fructose corn syrup* can prompt the liver to generate more cholesterol and metabolize triglycerides from sugar in the diet, as well as slow down the clearance of fats from the blood".  

Scary stuff.

No wonder I feel terrible after eating too many sugary treats.   I've seen a lot of bloggers go on sugar detoxes, but I don't think I can commit to that.  However, I can commit to being more aware of my sugar consumption.  Being mindful of the types of sugar I put in my body. And asking how will that make me feel?

To counteract all the sugar I've eaten this week and all the sugary treats on my blog, I will share a delicious and satisfying soup with you.  I've always been a bit wary of cooking with curry, but when I made an impulse purchase of curry powder at TJ's, not unusual, I found this simple curried soup and just had to try it.

Curried Carrot Soup

from Simply in Season 

  

 

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 stalks celery, chopped

• In a large soup pot, saute in 2 TBSP olive oil until soft.

 

2 lb carrots (or you can use sweet potato), chopped

6 cups veggie broth

2 tsp curry powder

• Add to pot and bring to a boil.  
• Simmer until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.
• Remove from heat and cool slightly.
• Puree.  I used a regular blender.

 

1 tsp lemon juice 

salt and pepper to taste

• Add and stir well.
• Serve with a dollop of yogurt or garnish with cilantro leaves.

ENJOY :)

Lovely

After my stressful week, I was d r e a d i n g going to work on Friday.

Dragged myself out of bed to get in The Shred: Day 10.

I made sure to have chocolatey oatmeal to try and put me in a better mood. 

And packed a nutritious lunch, along with some snacks.

But there was nothing to worry about.  Friday turned out to be lovely.

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

 

It was puzzle day, so the kids brought in puzzles to work on. Ahhh, lovely.

We celebrated  Valentine's Day, so there were lots of goodies.

heart shaped muffins

pink, red, and silver kisses saying "eat me!!!"

so. good.

I got some sweets to take home too!

 Shane's Vday gift from me...I mean my students ;)

I love all my princess Valentine's!

And my partner in the afternoon was back so it wasn't me and a sub.  Sooo much less stress.

And to make it even more lovely...it's a 3 day weekend!

And Shane and I watch Jersey Shore on Friday night! 

And we had a light, quick, easy to eat while you sit on the floor and watch tv kind of dinner.

Plus some candy for desert!!

How lovely<3