Changing Things Up

This week I've changed things up a bit. Instead of oatmeal for breakfast every day and salad for lunch or dinner, I decided that a switch was in order. So every day this week I've had salad for breakfast! I know it sounds strange, but I've done this before, and it is really a great start to the day. I was originally inspired to do this when listening to the audio book of Born to Run on my way to Charlottesville. One of the chapters talked a lot about nutrition, and the author was advised to eat a large salad for breakfast. He wrote, "because a monster salad is loaded with nutrient-rich carbs and low in fat, I could stuff myself and not feel hungry-or queasy- when it came time to work out. Plus, greens are packed with water, so they're great for rehydrating after a night's sleep."

This morning's salad was made with organic baby spinach, 1/2 red bell pepper, organic broccoli slaw,  organic baby carrots, 1/3 baked sweet potato, several strawberries, and some hard boiled egg whites.

After eating it I felt so much more awake and full of energy. They say that you're supposed to "eat the rainbow" so this was certainly a good way to start off my day! I've been doing the breakfast salads for three days so far and they are surprisingly more satisfying that a big bowl of oatmeal. I've just had one embarrassing encounter since I started - yesterday morning I had my half-eaten salad on my desk when someone from another department in the hospital came to my office for a meeting  (at 9am). He looked over and said "are you eating a salad?!" so I explained that I'm changing it up a bit. Then my office mate poked her head over the file cabinet and said "I thought I saw you eating salad yesterday morning!" Both of them were not convinced when I explained how good it was, but the man I was meeting with did say that he might "change it up" and have steak and potatoes for breakfast the next day. Not exactly my point, but that's okay.

I was really bad on Sunday and didn't foam roll or ice bath after the half marathon. In fact, I barely stretched. Sometimes I just get caught up in the excitement after a race and forgot! I was a little sore on Monday, but not too bad. I wanted to go to Bikram, but then looked at my bank account and realized that my rent for May had just come out and I have 3 bridal showers in the next 2 weeks, and Mother's Day coming up this weekend. So I think I'll need to wait until next week to cough up the money for Bikram. I also might have blacked out for a few minutes on my way home from work on Monday and when I came to there was a lovely shopping bag with two new pairs of shoes in it sitting beside me. Whoops. So yeah, no Bikram for me this week! Do you like my new shoes? I got some closed toe flats for work (we can only wear closed toe shoes which I think is so sad) and some new strappy wedges:

p.s. Pat doesn't know about these new shoes. We'll just keep it our little secret! I don't know how bad he'll feel for me when I say that my bank account is near empty if I've just gone shoe shopping. But trust me - one pair was on sale and I had a coupon so I got an amazing deal!

So without Bikram, Monday became a rest day for me.

On Tuesday I went to the gym and biked for a quick 35 minutes. My right knee was bothering me so I iced it a few times throughout the day.

On Wednesday I made a little more of an effort. Still no running (I like to stay away from running for at least a few days after a long race) but I did get in some more cardio and finally got back to some weights:

• 22 minutes of hills on stationary bike

• back and biceps weight training (I started with 2 sets of 15 reps of everything since its been a few weeks)

• 22 minutes on elliptical

• went through my abs circuit twice (6 different exercises in the circuit)

• 22 minutes of hill walking on treadmill

*20 minutes + 2 minutes cool down of each = 22 minutes (and my favorite number)

I have some exciting news! Well exciting for me, and I guess anyone who lives near a Great Harvest Bread Company (because maybe this will inspire you to purchase some of your own). A Great Harvest was just opened in Nashua, which I was very excited about. I'd sampled the Cinnamon Chip bread after the Charlottesville Half Marathon and have been thinking about it ever since. Today I finally got into the Nashua branch to buy myself a loaf of Cinnamon Chip bread... and they were out! Except for the three loaves I spotted on their bread shelves, but those were reserved. "Really? Are you sure?" I pleaded. The owner, Jeremy, said that two of the loaves were being picked up tonight, but the third was being picked up tomorrow morning. He said that he wasn't planning on making a batch of Cinnamon Chip bread tomorrow, but that he would so that I could have this last loaf of bread. I couldn't believe my luck!

When I got home I saw this on Facebook. I love these guys already!

I've been telling Pat about this bread, so I know he'll be excited to finally try it (and to shut me up) and Kathryn is flying up tomorrow so I can share some with her!

I did make the mistake of having a slice...and then another...

This bread is moist, chewy, light, perfectly cinnamony (yes that is a word) - its bread that requires no butter because it just perfect on its own. I may even go so far as to say that its the most dangerous bread I've ever had. Saving some for Pat and Kathryn is going to require amazing amounts of willpower. I hope I can do it.

What's your favorite breakfast food?

What takes priority when you're low on cash? New shoes or some other treat?
*Mom before you get mad - I've already paid all of my student loans and credit card bills this month and I promise that I got really good deals on both pairs of shoes! :)

Some Like It Hot

On Wednesday night I finally tried Bikram! I've been talking about going for a while and was finally able to. There's a Bikram studio in Nashua just a couple miles away from my apartment, which is really convenient. Gina and I went to the class (it was my first time and her third time).

I didn't really know what to expect aside from the temperature (105 degrees) and length of class (90 minutes). I love the heat, so I figured I'd be fine. I brought two water bottles full of ice water, but only ended up drinking about half of one (since you're only supposed to take small sips a few times throughout class). At my friend Jess' suggestion, I wore capri leggings - she explained that you get so sweaty that your arms and legs are slippery and its hard to hold some of the poses unless you have some fabric for traction. When I got there I told the instructor that it was my first class. He said I only needed to do one thing: stay in the room and keep breathing. (I guess that's two things). That put me at ease because I've never done any yoga before and didn't know how I'd be. 

I ended up doing every position, and although I didn't look exactly like the most experienced yogis, I think I did pretty well for a beginner. It was really hot, but not unbearable. I can tell you this though - I've never sweat more in my entire life. Sweat dripped from every pore in my body and I was drenched.  A couple times I felt tired and wanted it to be over, but never so much that I would have considered leaving. We did 26 positions (twice each) so you don't stay on one position so long that its unbearable...if its hard just suck it up for a couple minutes and move on!

Here's a display of my sweatiness:

Bikram sweat is totally different from running sweat. After a hard run I've very sweaty, sticky, and salty (you can taste it when you shower and the salt runs off your face). After yoga I'm also very sweaty, but not sticky or at all salty. Its a totally different feeling.

After the class I was exhausted and starving. Even though my body and mind was peaceful and I felt like the toxins had been flushed out, all I wanted was a cheeseburger and fries (not exactly meditation food). But I was far too tired to consider stopping for food, so instead I had this:

Mashed potatoes, a "ficken" patty with bbq sauce, and half of the hugest, juiciest grapefruit I've ever tasted. A little while later I had a couple rice cakes with peanut butter. And then I had the best night sleep I've had for as long as I can remember. I woke up feeling refreshed and energized for the day.

The Nashua Bikram Yoga studio has a deal for newcomers - pay $10 for your first class and come back as many times as you want in the next ten days for free (I'm pretty sure most studios have this same deal, at least those in New England). Since I loved the class on Wednesday, I went to another on Thursday after work. I wore another pair of capris and a tank top - both of which were soaked again. There was a different instructor which I liked because they had different styles of leading the class and told us about different benefits of Bikram. The first instructor told us about his life pre-yoga when he smoked and drank and had terrible back and hip problems - after coming to yoga for 1 1/2 years he'd quit smoking, quit drinking coffee, quit heavy drinking of alcohol, has no back or hip problems, is full of energy, and in the process improved his golf game by 10 strokes! The second instructor told us more about the positions we were in and how they improved different functions of our bodies and minds. She also told us that when we start coming to Bikram we may feel tired afterwards (which I definitely did on Wednesday) but that once our bodies have adjusted to it we will leave feeling refreshed and full of energy. There was a noticeable difference in how I felt after my second class - I still had that calm feeling, but I wasn't nearly as tired. And I felt amazing. I don't know if this is possible after just two classes, but I think I'm hooked.

Last night after yoga I made myself a broccoli, homemade meat sauce and mozzarella calzone.

This was good! Lately I've been obsessed with topping my steamed broccoli with marinara sauce and cheese, so this just took that one step further. I think I would have preferred it with plain marinara instead of meat sauce, but it was still good. Pat thinks I'm crazy to have my broccoli with sauce and cheese, and so he opted for a spaghetti, meat sauce and mozzarella calzone.

If I don't hit any traffic I'll be able to make it home for the 4:30 Bikram class this afternoon. I think I'm obsessed! Here are my tips for first-timers:

• Drink lots of water all day before class, and continue drinking lots after class (I usually drink 12-16 cups of water a day, so this isn't a problem for me)
• Don't eat anything heavy for a few hours before class, and its recommended not to eat anything at all for 2 hours before class.
• Bring either a frozen water bottle or a water bottle with lots of ice in it to class (you'll be happy to sip something cold instead of warm when you're in 105 degrees!)
• Stock your freezer with frozen fruit or all fruit popsicles to enjoy after class - its the most satisfying snack!

Have you done Bikram before? Or other types of yoga? What do you like the most?

Spicy Stir Fry and Coconut Rice

I love stir fry. Its quick and easy to prepare and is a good way to use up a variety of vegetables and sauces in your refrigerator. I made this stir fry last night and loved the finished product.

*Note to non-vegetarian/tofu-loving readers: this spicy stir fry would also be delicious if made with beef or chicken!

I first drained my tofu, then cut it up. I put all of the pieces on four layers of paper towels, covered with another four layers of paper towels, and put a cutting board and heavy object on top (I used a tea kettle full of water). Let sit for 10-45 minutes (however much time you have) - this removes the excess moisture from the tofu so that it can absorb the flavors of the marinade.

Then make your marinade - I whisked together 2 tablespoons of Sriracha hot sauce, 2 tablespoons of reduced sodium soy sauce, and about 1/2 tablespoon of honey.

Put the tofu pieces in a bowl and add the marinade, tossing tofu to coat.

Cover and put in refrigerator for up to eight hours. That's a lie. Eight hours was my original plan, but then I was sick and in no mood for anything other than smoothies and cream of wheat, so this actually sat in the refrigerator for close to 36 hours!

When ready to make, start with your rice. Normally I have brown rice, but I was all out, so I made jasmine rice instead. For my 2:1 (liquids:rice) ratio I subbed 1 cup of coconut milk for water, so I ended up using 1 cup water, 1 cup coconut milk, and 1 cup rice. Put liquid and rice in a small pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat and allow to simmer until liquid is absorbed. This took about twice as long as it usually takes when using water only, so make sure to allot for that when making dinner.

Wash and prepare the vegetables you're going to use. I used 1 head of broccoli, 3 medium carrots, and 1 yellow bell pepper.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Put the tofu into the skillet - stir every couple minutes.

Next we'll blanch the veggies. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add the vegetables, cooking for 2 minutes. Immediately remove the vegetables from the boiling water and place in a large bowl of ice water. This preserves the beautiful colors of the vegetables and cooks them a little bit (they'll still be crunchy).

Drain the ice water and add the blanched vegetables to the skillet with tofu and cook for a few minutes, until they reach their desired "doneness" (I like mine to be a little bit crispy).

In the last couple minutes, add some almond slivers. This adds a great crunch to the stir fry.

Serve stir fry on a bed of coconut rice.

This came out really well! The rice had a subtle coconut flavor (not overpowering at all) which complimented the spice of the tofu very well. The vegetables were spicy, but not as extreme as the tofu, since the tofu had been marinating in the sauce for much longer. The almonds were a great addition - I love nuts in Asian-inspired dishes. This is great for dinner and leftovers heat up well for lunches or dinners later in the week.

Spicy Stir Fry and Coconut Rice
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice
• 1 cup coconut milk (I used Silk Pure Coconut)
• 1 cup water
• 1 package firm tofu
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 bell pepper, sliced
• 1 head broccoli, cut into bite sized-pieces
• 2 tbsp Sriracha hot sauce
• 2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp honey
• handful chopped almonds (optional)
• cooking spray

Directions

Coconut Rice

1. Measure coconut milk, water and rice into a small pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat and allow to simmer until liquid is absorbed. This took about twice as long as it usually takes to make rice with water, about 40 minutes.

Stir Fry

1. Drain tofu, then cut it up. Put all of the pieces on four layers of paper towels, cover with another four layers of paper towels, and put a cutting board and heavy object on top. Let sit for at least 10 minutes  - this removes the excess moisture from the tofu so that it can absorb the flavors of the marinade.
2. Whisk together hot sauce, soy sauce and honey in a small bowl. Transfer tofu (or meat if using) to a bowl and toss with marinade. Cover with saran wrap and let marinate in refrigerator for several hours.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Put the tofu into the skillet and stir every couple minutes.
4. Blanch the veggies: bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add the vegetables, cooking for 2 minutes. Immediately remove vegetables from the boiling water and place in a large bowl of ice water. 
5. Drain the ice water and add the blanched vegetables to the skillet with tofu and cook for a few minutes, until they reach their desired "doneness."
6. In the last couple minutes, add some almond slivers. Serve stir fry over a bed of coconut rice.
   
   
    

BBQ Pulled Chicken and a Good Southern Love Story to Boot!

I think crock pots are one of the best inventions ever. I was so excited to throw all of my ingredients into my crock pot before work yesterday morning, knowing that I'd come home to a delicious dinner, ready at my arrival. 

I browned my chicken breasts in a large skillet with olive oil.

I mixed up all of the ingredients for an amazing BBQ sauce and added it to the crock pot.

I thought about my pulled chicken during the day. It was exactly what I was in the mood for and I couldn't wait to go home and eat it.

As I left work, I got a call from Pat. "Bad news," he said "I think your chicken burned." Burned?! My chicken?! I was so disappointed. I told him to turn off the crock pot and leave it there for me until I got home. Let me tell you, the sight I came home to wasn't pretty.

If I just worked an eight hour day, the crock pot would be a miracle chef. Unfortunately, I work at least eight hours a day, and drive at least an hour each way (depending on traffic). So 10+ hours is a little bit too long to leave a meal unattended.

I figured that I should at least try to salvage the chicken. I stuck a fork into a piece of chicken and instantly it shredded, revealing tender meat.

I shredded all of the chicken, removing a couple pieces that looked dry (but only a handful - for the color of the crock pot you would have thought the meat was scorched, but it wasn't!), sampling as I went. Tangy, spicy, delicious!

My meal was not ruined, not in the slightest. I steamed some broccoli and had a down-home BBQ pulled chicken dinner, accompanied by some light lemonade from Trader Joe's (seemed fitting).

Crock Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken

Based on Jenna's recipe

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 tbsp yellow mustard
• 1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions

1. Rinse chicken and trim fat. Brown for four minutes on each side in hot olive oil in a large skillet heated to medium-high. Remove from pan and place in crock pot.
2. Combine all ingredients (besides chicken and olive oil). Whisk together and pour over chicken.
3. Cover and cook on high for one hour. Reduce heat to low and cook for an additional five to six hours (not eight!).
4. Shred chicken with fork(s), then mix into sauce so sauce is evenly distributed. Serve on fresh rolls, with cornbread and beans, on pizza - whatever you like!

After dinner I relaxed on the couch and delved deeper into my new book: The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels.

I don't normally enjoy romance novels. Okay, that's a lie. Every now and then I like some romance, although the over-the-top gushy ones don't appeal to me. I like this book because its not over-the-top, its a true story, and I think that genuine love can be felt in Ree's words. I've also always thought that I belonged on a ranch in the Midwest, so that aspect of the book hooked me, too.

I have a confession. Both my meal and this book were inspired by Jenna. I love reading her blog because she's constantly posting incredible creations from her kitchen, all of which are photographed beautifully. If you're using one of her recipes, chances are that it'll be a big success. A couple weeks ago she wrote about some of the books she's loving now, and this was one of them.

While we're on the subject of love - take a look at my roses! Pat bought them for me on Valentine's Day (2 weeks ago!) and they still look perfect!

Carbs and the Cape

Tomorrow is the Hyannis Half Marathon!

This is my fourth year running Hyannis, and I'm excited to go back to the beautiful course that runs along the beaches of the cape. I'm a little bit less excited for the weather forecast - we're expecting another 5 inches of snow and temps in the upper 20s. But I guess you can't expect much better in February in New England.

I'm not running this race for a PR, nor do I think I'll get a great time. I signed up about 6 weeks ago (which is not the amount of time I usually give myself to train) and aside from the past week, all of my running has been indoors. I'm still pumped for the race, but don't have high expectations for myself, I'm just going to do the best I can. I have 2 more half marathons coming up this spring, and those I'm going to really step up the training for.

Anyway, regardless if I'm running fast or slow, one thing is for sure. Carbo-loading is a must! You're supposed to increase your carb intake starting about a week before long races, and pasta dinners are encouraged for the day(s) preceding the race.

Last night I had a big bowl of whole wheat linguine topped with steamed broccoli, roasted mushrooms, baked tofu, my favorite marinara sauce, and some fresh mozzarella medallions.

This is my favorite marinara. Its from Trader Joe's - its really inexpensive and so good.

For dessert, I had some soft serve with gummy bears and peeps. Candy has carbs, too!

This morning I finished off the baked oatmeal - heated with skim milk, almond slivers, coconut flakes and flax seeds.

And for the ride down to the cape, I made some soft pretzels. Instead of using all white flour as the recipe calls for, I used half white flour and half whole wheat flour (whole wheat takes longer to digest so its a better carb to fuel with). I thought these shapes were appropriate for the weekend's activities.

And now Pat and I are heading down to the cape! We're going to go to the race expo today (which I think is half the fun of races - there are so many stations with great exercise gear and fun race foods) and out to a pasta dinner, and then I'm running at 10am tomorrow!

Let's cross our fingers for some sunshine tomorrow!

Risotto Cakes with Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower

A nice thing about working from home one day a week is that my kitchen is only a few feet away from my office, and I have the freedom to make any meal I'm in the mood for. Yesterday I made a risotto cake and some roasted broccoli and cauliflower. Both were so easy to make and required no hands-on work - once you assemble the ingredients you just put it in the oven/on the stove and just check it every 10-15 minutes. So you can work while your meal cooks, tackle a sink full of dishes, or finally get around to putting away the Christmas presents that are still sitting in the living room...

The roasted broccoli and cauliflower has a longer cook time, so I started that first. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, then cut and rinse about 2 cups each of broccoli and cauliflower.

Put the vegetables in a large oven-safe bowl and add a little olive oil and your flavors (I used paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, ground ginger, garlic, lemon juice and rind, and honey). Toss to coat evenly.

Roast in oven for 35-40 minutes, stirring about every 10 minutes to ensure even roasting.

Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower Ingredients

• 2 cups each broccoli and cauliflower, rinsed and cut
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• juice and rind from 1/4 lemon
• 1-2 tsp honey

I came across the recipe for risotto cakes on about.com and thought it sounded like a great way to enjoy leftover risotto. You simply take some leftover risotto (should be day-old and chilled) and form it into a ball, then flatten it into a patty. I heated 1 teaspoon olive oil on a skillet over medium/medium-low heat and also sprayed some cooking spray. Place your risotto patty on the pan and cook for about 10-15 minutes, until the bottom is browned and crispy, then flip and do the same for the other side.

I used some of the leftover Valentine's Risotto.

And lunch is served!

This was great! I'm so glad I came across the risotto cake recipe because this adds another dimension to the deliciousness of risotto! It was crispy on the outside, but still soft on the inside, and tasted like it was fried, but I only used 1 teaspoon of olive oil for the whole cake! Aside from it falling apart a little bit (I didn't press the ball together enough before I started cooking) I'd say that the cake was a big success! The roasted vegetables were very good - definitely a nice change from steamed. You could really use any spices you want for the vegetables, I just grabbed a few different things that looked good to me and went with it.

I met Steph and Rachel at Border Cafe in Burlington for dinner. We had fun catching up while eating way too many chips with salsa.

Before any of us had our licenses in high school we would always take the train into Harvard Square on weekends, and Border Cafe was one of our favorite places to eat (probably because they give you big portions for little money). I always think of those times when I eat at Border Cafe now, and I think I still prefer the Harvard Square location to the Burlington restaurant.

I did a very surprising thing after dinner. I went to the gym! In a perfect world, I'd work out in the morning every day, but that usually isn't possible because of my work schedule. Most days I'll run or go to the gym after work - but never do I go to the gym after dinner. I don't like running soon after I've eaten, and I think nighttime is the least appealing time of day to exercise. But last night I was feeling a little guilty, since I didn't work out at all on Tuesday (I went out to dinner with Callie and Chrissy) and decided that I could probably squeeze in a quick trip to the gym. So I went home and changed, then headed back out to the gym.

I was finished with chest, tris, and some abs by 8:58, and rushed to a treadmill so I could start running when Modern Family started at 9. I did a short interval run - not as long/hard as I'd normally go for, but I also don't normally have 1/2 a bean and cheese burrito, chips and salsa, and a Dos Equis in my stomach. I did the following on the treadmill at a 1% incline:

Minute	Speed
0-5	5.5
5-7:30	6.5
7:30-10	7.5
10-12:30	6.5
12:30-15	7.5
15-17:30	6.5
17:30-20	7.5
20-22:30	6.5
22:30-25	7.8
25-27:30	6.5
27:30-30	8

When Mr. Sunshine came on, I quickly cooled down and left. Have you seen that show yet? I have a hard time watching Matthew Perry in anything besides Friends.

Also - some news for marathon runners and marathon hopefuls. Check out this article my dad sent me this morning. Due to the increased participation in the Boston Marathon (26,736 ran last year in comparison with just 4,904 in 1986) the BAA has revised the qualifying times - they've dropped by 5 minutes in each category. Marathon Qualifying is Revised (from The Boston Globe).