Crap-tastic Run

On Saturday, Steve had a Rotary project to help clean up some of the abandoned houses in Cahokia. We raked the front yard, cut down overgrown bushes, boarded up the windows and painted them, and cleaned up trash. Not bad for a few hours on a Saturday.

Of course, this meant that my Saturday long run was pushed back, and I also missed Piyo and Zumba! Huge sacrifice!

So Sunday morning, I got up at 6, but couldn't start running until 6:30 because the sun wasn't out yet, and it was pitch black. If you aren't a runner, rule #1 is always go to the bathroom before you head out. Which I did. However, we had stopped at a BBQ place after our hard work the day before, and apparently I'm not used to that brand of BBQ. The last mile, I was hurting, and I couldn't wait to get home to my bathroom! I could have stopped at the gas station on the corner, but for some reason, when a bathroom is available, your intestines let up, and you think, "I'm good. I can make it home." 

Anyway, I survived. Ran 5 miles. Then I had to make up the rest of the run after church, so I headed to the park which is between the gym and my house. I got a text that said there was no SUNDAY FUNDAY workout because they're painting the exercise room, so she wanted to know if we could meet in the park! Great! I would finish my run (3 miles) and go to Zumba! 

Except I ate too much for lunch before I ran, so my stomach was cramping up. I waited an hour. Is there a rule, like for swimming?! It was the slowest shuffle ever. Step step OW... walk a few paces, try to run, no....

Anyway, they changed the park on me, and I had to drive to the next town over to Zumba in a pavilion, which was fun, but kind of hot, even in the shade! And I STILL only had 7.5 miles of real running in ... which meant...

TREADMILL!! I grabbed my handy tablet, streamed "The Dresden Files" on Amazon Prime, and ran another 2.5 to make it 10 total. Then I walked to the end of the episode, so I did a total of 11 miles yesterday.

I think you feel a greater sense of accomplishment if you run all those miles at once -- and also, you have to get motivated to go out and run MORE THAN ONCE on the SAME DAY! But now I'm tapering until Sunday, so it's a four-mile run tomorrow, three on Wednesday, two on Thursday and then rest til Sunday morning! 

And no more BBQ!!!!!! 

More Cookies

I finally found a coconut flour recipe that doesn't taste like coconut flour! Ta-da! Strawberry-banana muffins! There's a peach muffin recipe that's similar, but doesn't use the banana, which is probably also fabulous. 

I also made pumpkin oat bars -- finally, something that tastes like fall should taste! AND I used my homemade applesauce in the recipe! 

So to make up for all the yummy goodness, I made spaghetti squash with spinach, ground turkey, and diced tomatoes. Seriously, the hardest part is getting the seeds out of the squash. Also, this one was HUGE, and it took 20 minutes in the microwave instead of 10! 

Steve and I went out for our anniversary tonight. He got pork chops, and I got the sweet Italian salad with grilled chicken. It was SO good. I didn't run today, because my knees have been a little sore, and tomorrow we're doing a Rotary project in the morning, so it's 10 miles on Sunday, and then tapering, before the MO' Cowbell! One more week! I'm at 115.7 miles for the month so far, so I'll make it to 125. YAY! 

I took my FItBit off this afternoon and forgot to put it back on, so I missed a bunch of steps today. I'm super bummed. I won't get anywhere close to 10,000. I'm usually at the top of the leaderboard -- I don't want to give someone else a turn this week! 

Dishes Galore!

All I need is a sous chef and a dishwasher...and cooking would be easy peasy! 

Easier than updating my iPhone anyway. 

Tonight for dinner, we had a recipe from a Cleveland newspaper that Steve cut out a long time ago. 

Apple-Cabbage Kielbasa

6 Cups cabbage, chopped (do you know how much this is? I don't! I just chopped up half a head and that's what fit in the pot!)
1/2 C thinly sliced red onion (we skipped it - no onions in the house!)
3 tart apples
2 T butter
2 T water
1 T apple cider vinegar
1/4 tea salt
1/4 tea black pepper
1 pound kielbasa (or Polish sausage, which the guy at the counter said was better)

Core and slice two apples. Combine with cabbage and onion. Saute the mixture in butter for 5 minutes (I had to use my big soup pot to fit it, so I don't know if "saute" is really the word). Stir often to avoid sticking. Add water, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Cut sausage into bite sized pieces, place over apple and cabbage mix. Cook covered for about 10 minutes or until cabbage and sausage has heated through (more like 20 for us!) Add remaining apple and cook for one more minute. Enjoy!

We made coleslaw with the rest of the cabbage, using this recipe. I haven't tried it yet, and I like mine creamier, but I didn't want to have to make paleo mayo TOO, since I also made BBQ sauce.  

I also made "Harvest Breakfast Cookies" from the Detoxinista. I can taste the banana and the coconut flour but not so much the pumpkin. They're good with milk, though! 

Ran 5 miles today. I made it to 100 for the month yesterday. Good thing, with all this food in the fridge! 
 

Weekend Update

Finally made the crock pot pork! After losing my standard recipe (the blog is gone so my Pinterest link doesn't work!!) and finding it again, and then having Steve tell me he wanted something different, we made this recipe from Amy's Cooking Adventures.

Basically, I chopped up a sweet potato and put half in the bottom with an apple (I used the slicer and just threw it in the there with the skin on), poured in a cup of water, then I put the roast in and sprinkled it with sea salt, cinnamon, basil and rosemary. I topped the roast with another apple and the rest of the sweet potato. Low for about 8 hours, and I mashed the apples and sweet potato, as suggested and topped it with the pork! (It looks like of like baby food, so no picture, haha) Highly recommend it! 

We also made the Tomato Basil Crockpot Chicken from Civilized Caveman, for leftovers. Super simple, but next time I'll use a different brand of tomato sauce (we bought some at the store, not what's recommended in his blog). It's ok...I just like my sauce sweeter. It might taste better tomorrow after it sits! 

Yesterday, Steve ran 22.5 miles to get ready for his marathon in two weeks (he finished in under three hours, which was his goal and means he's on pace for his marathon goal), and I ran 13.1! I finished in 2:36:12, which is just under 12 minute miles. I ran 9:1 intervals for the whole thing, so I think I'll be able to beat that time pretty easily in two weeks at the MO' Cowbell half! (And then I'll eat all the bagels while I wait for Steve to finish!) 

We bought a desk on sale at Office Max a while ago that I want to use for my "home office/spare room/clothes closet" so we put that together today. FOR THREE HOURS. And it's still not done. AND I HATE EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING. I am NOT good at DIY. Especially when the directions are stupid and the screws don't screw in and where the frick is piece Y?????? So here's a picture of Chico, who was upset that we ignored him all day. It's a good thing that someone put dinner in the crock pot this morning, or I would've eaten pretty much everything in the kitchen for dinner. And then ordered a pizza. I have to screw in the decorative back tomorrow, and we also have a new deskchair that needs to be assembled, so Marco's (best pizza joint in the area) better be waiting for my call! 

Seedy Neighborhood

We went to downtown St. Louis today to check out the Riverfront Trail for our long run tomorrow. It's a great concept -- a greenway, in the city, a place to run and bike, safe trails. In reality, it goes past a bunch of factories and parts of it kind of smell like whatever Chico rolls around in. 

The parking looked kind of seedy, and there weren't a lot of people exercising, but there were a lot of random people who didn't look like they needed to be there. It might be different to bike it, since you could make a faster getaway, but I don't feel comfortable running 12 miles there by myself.

So we're starting in Maryville instead and running on the Schoolhouse and Goshen trails. I've run there before, and it's nice. Mostly flat, good trails, better place to leave your car, bathrooms -- all the important stuff! 

We walked to the Arch after we checked out about a mile of the trail, and then through Laclede's Landing. Here's the "Taste of St. Louis" menu one of the restaurants was advertising: 

St. Louis LOVES its gooey butter cake! We went to the farmers market in Soulard, too, and have the ingredients to make some good stuff this week (hopefully!) Tomorrow I'll be prepping this pork roast for the crock pot. Spices may vary, depending on what we have! and no onions (because I forgot to buy one!) 

Seasonal Food

What is it about fall that makes pumpkin taste so good? It's been unseasonably cool here lately, and I'm craving "fall food" like caramel apples and pumpkin everything. So we were talking about chili and cabbage, apple, sausage casserole, and pork roast....and then we realized it's going to be hot again this weekend! Like, ice cream weather hot! 

Tomorrow I'm making the crockpot chicken soup again, but this time I'm going to try adding potatoes! I'm so excited. I thought about adding shrimp sometime too -- it would be good with the Italian flavors. 

I finished the last bowl for lunch today, with a cheese quesadilla and ice tea in my Tervis cup. (Sorry about Chico's spot -- his towel for after walks is on the beanbag chair! Such a messy dog!) 

I had to bake the sweet potatoes for the week in the oven because it was raining and I'm pretty sure we're running out of propane on the grill. The skins don't get as crisp, but the insides taste good. I gave some to Chico on a plate, and he ate the paper plate too! It must have been good! 

I was good today, because we went to the Cardinals game last night, and I had a NINE DOLLAR soda (that would be $1 or less at the gas station!). He said large, and I said sure -- 44 ounces later! Whoa. But for $9, you drink that bad boy!! 

Tomorrow I'm planning to run 5 miles and do Turbosport and Piyo, and then Friday will be an "off" day for the long run on Saturday. I'm going to try to do 12 and then 10 next weekend, and then it will be time for the half marathon! After that, I'm not sure what my next goal will be! Faster times but fewer miles maybe? More weights at the gym? Getting the new at-home Piyo DVDs? Who knows! 

A Better Way

There were two posts on my Facebook wall yesterday. One said, "Finally, I found a bumper sticker for me!" with this image:

Comments underneath were all positive and included other quotes and memes, like, "If I'm running, you'd better start running too, because there's probably a bear chasing me."

And the other person apologized for the exercise post "because no one wants to see it" but said that she had a great time at the gym and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, and she was really proud of how hard she was working and the results she could see there.  

So I probably don't speak for everyone, but let me set the record straight. We don't post our run times, our races, our healthy smoothie recipes, and our workout regimens because we're bragging (ok, yes, we are probably bragging a little bit). And it's not because we're judging you or trying to make you feel bad that you didn't run 9 miles yesterday and 8 today, in the rain, uphill both ways, while being chased by a bear. 

We post because we're excited. Working out is addicting. It's the best feeling in the world, like when you get the new toy/gadget/phone upgrade/car/whatever your thing is and you want to share it with everyone because this technology would change their life!!!! Whether you're a runner or a gym rat or an Insanity follower, you find a new community and a new definition for yourself. You bond with the people who understand what you're talking about, and laugh at the outsiders who can't understand your Cross Fit lingo. You find a place where you belong and where other people have the same goals you do -- and for once, your goals are healthy and make your life better. 

Speaking for the runners, I identify with the slogan that says, "No matter how slow you're going, you're lapping everyone on the couch," because I'm slow, but you know what? I'd rather have the people on the couch GET UP and GET OUT THERE and RUN WITH ME!!! Because I know the secret: If I did it, YOU CAN DO IT TOO!!!! 

And here's the final reason we post (at least, for this blog post): we don't want to get out of bed at 5 am, when it's still dark, either. We don't really have the time to run all those miles. We don't want to do the extra mountain of laundry that comes from all this hard work and dedication. We want to do the same thing you want to do: sit on our lazy, fat asses and watch The Biggest Loser. 

Everywhere we go, we see the same messages you do: EAT, EAT, EAT. Food makes you happy. Exercise is unnecessary. Try a quick weight-loss solution instead. Here, have this bumper sticker that makes it look like you're proud that you didn't find time to take care of yourself today. Because eating right is inconvenient and getting out the door is sometimes the hardest part of the workout. Carving out time in your busy schedule is a challenge, and you might have to give up something else you enjoy doing. 

So we post our workouts on Facebook, because every "like" is someone who's saying, "I agree with what you're doing. You've found a better way." And every comment is someone who acknowledges that it may not be easy, but you made the right choice. And maybe, just maybe, someone else might lace up their shoes and jog to the end of the block. And tomorrow they'll go a little further, and eventually they'll be able to run a mile, and then 3 miles, and then 10, 13.1, 26.2...and they'll earn that bumper sticker.

Putting that the bumper sticker you earned on your car makes you feel far better than that 0.0 that anyone can claim. Don't settle. Reach for the better version of yourself that all we "annoying" excercise posters know is in there. I promise you'll get our "likes." 

Recipe Flop

Did you ever have a recipe flop? Because you willfully didn't follow the directions? Because it said "ripe" banana and you had one on the counter that was almost yellow? And your delicious pumpkin pie cupcakes end up tasting like banana? Like, really ginger-y banana? Yeah. Happy dessert. Here's the original, along with pretty pictures. It was so cold today, I really wanted something that tasted like fall! 

We also went to Sam's Club because it's free preview weekend. MAJOR BUST. There is a) nothing in that store we eat, b) no way we can EVER use that many wet wipes/paper towels/red Solo cups, and c) the chicken we did buy (hormone and antibiotic free, humanely raised, no rib meat, etc etc) turned into disgusting, stringy, dry, chicken-like hockey pucks on the grill. I want to go back to the good old days -- or to Cleveland market, where EVERYTHING looks good enough to eat!

Also, I stopped for gas, and the pump somehow overflowed my gas tank and spit gas at me (it missed, thank God!) and then I went inside to get a drink and the soda fountain wouldn't stop pouring!!! The clerk had to come hit it with the side of his hand and then it stopped! 

I hope tomorrow is a better day!

September 11 Comfort Food

So I had the brilliant idea to run 11 miles today for September 11, but as usually happens, I didn't feel like running the whole 11 (late start, kind of cold, stuff to do). So I thought I'd run 9 today and 11 on Saturday for my long run (which I will probably still do). I stopped the GPS at the top of my street, when it hit 9 miles, and then I realized, if I had left it on for the rest of the block til I got home, I would have hit 9.11. I am so bummed! I wish there was a way to add on to a run on the Map My Run app (there may be, if you go pro). Oh well. It's not like it makes a huge difference. I wore red and blue as well: patriotism! 

I don't agree with everything our government does or everything America stands for, but America represents a dream to a lot of people, of a better life, of what they could be, and I think everyone should have the chance to prosper and care for their families better than they're doing now. And I think that no matter what you think of the war or the police action or the occupation, you HAVE to support our troops and the people who fight for us (including police and firefighters etc.) because they're giving up a lot for us, sometimes their lives. I think most peopel can remember exactly where they were 13 years ago (and how is that possible?). I don't think we've fixed the problems at all, so all we can do is choose to be a little more tolerant and loving to someone today. Just my thoughts. 

To go along with taking care of others and comfort food (see how I transitioned there?) I made crock pot chicken soup, and it was delicious! The original recipe here. This recipe is Paleo and Whole 30 compliant, but you could make it with cream, and probable over the stove, as well.

Here's what I did:

1 package chicken tenderloins, frozen (We use Just Bare brand, although I usually get the whole chicken, and I just happened to have some in the freezer)
1 14 oz can lite coconut milk (you can find it in the Thai aisle, usually next to the Mexican food. The original recipe calls for full fat, but in general, we don't like things that creamy, and it worked fine)
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes (in tomato juice, no salt added)
2 carrots, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced (I was going to add spinach, but I forgot)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (we buy the jar, in olive oil. It's probably cheating, but it works for me!)
1/2 T basil (guessing. I kind of shook some in)
1/2 T garlic powder 
1/2 T onion powder (I didn't have Italian seasoning)
Sea salt to taste.
Crock pot on low for about 5 hours. Then I shredded the chicken with forks, even though I was going to try the hand mixer method. 

The first taste was kind of bland and burned my tongue, but I had a (long, long, way to long) meeting to go to, and when I came back, the flavors had seeped into the shredded chicken, and it was pretty yummy! You can use whatever veggies you like. I was afraid the zucchini would be mushy, but it was good! Perfect for a crisp, fall day.

No-Stove No-Bake Cookies

My sister and I LOVE no-bake cookies, but if you make a batch, you eat the whole batch! She perfected the recipe to make single serving in the microwave! 

Microwave Single-Serve Chocolate No-Bakes

2 T sugar
1 T milk
1 T butter
Microwave for 30 seconds.

Shake in a dash of salt, a dash of vanilla, 1 T cocoa
Microwave another 30 seconds

Stir in 1/2 C oats and eat with a spoon.

She estimates 362 calories instead of the original 530, and it probably makes two cookies worth. I was full afterward -- and I ate it for breakfast. It's oats, right?! 

I might switch out the cocoa for 1 T peanut butter, and try honey instead of the sugar -- if you're eating it from a bowl, it really doesn't have to maintain cookie consistency. And sugar is the only "bad" part, really. We also used to make them with coconut, so you could add that in with the oats.

I used a Tupperware bowl, so it's a little deeper, but my sister uses a regular bowl, I think. 


Beware: you will get addicted! 

I made it this morning after my run with 1 T peanut butter instead of the cocoa, and 1/3 C overflowing of oats + about 1/3 C coconut. Heaven in a bowl!!!

Behold, Dinner!

I have made salmon! Straight from Alaska! (We didn't catch it, but Steve's old boss came back from a fishing trip with 300 pounds and donated some to us!)

We were going to grill it, but it started thunderstorming, RIGHT BEFORE DINNER. So out came the pans. I made plaintains with it (in coconut oil, with cinnamon) and spinach salad with homemade dressing (olive oil, apple cider vinegar, blackberries and a peach). We coated the salmon with cherry honey mustard from Traverse City, MI, and it was really good! 

My problem with fish is that I never take it out of the freezer soon enough to totally thaw it, then it takes to long to cook the whole way through, and then it's tough and chewy, but this turned out pretty well (Steve got a few bones!). I'm going to need a few more recipes, as we have at least 4 more pieces, and they're big enough to feed 4 people! 

In workout news, I ran to the "flagpole park" today (5.5 miles), where I had to use their scary bathroom. I ALMOST took a picture, but just picture light from the skylight, so shadowy, the sound of crickets, and the fear of daddy long legs. Still, always grateful for an open bathroom when I'm running and need one! There are so many good races in December that I've started getting notifications about. I wish I knew what the weather was going to be! The Hot Chocolate Run has an awesome medal this year, and the Ugly Sweater Run has a deal on Living Social! Steve reminded me that the Thanksgiving Run last year was ELEVEN degrees and the Gingerbread Run was cancelled because of ice!! I guess I'll wait until closer to the events to register.  

Back to School

So one of my other "hats" that I wear is a Composition Coach for an online English Literature course. Now, it might be a little different from my life, since the students have all been homeschooled, but seriously, I want a redo! I want to go back to high school and be as smart as them. Or as sure in my beliefs. I have two vegetarians and a vegan. I stopped eating red meat in college, but only because what the cafeteria served wasn't fit for human consumption. These kids all want to change the world. I just wanted to get through my calculus homework! They all have hobbies where they want to create video games or write new songs or start on Broadway (well, ok, I was in drama, but my senior year I had to drop out of the play because we were going to France during the first week of performances, and I chose France over Kiss Me Kate). 

So, here are some things that went well today so I can remind myself that I'm a grown-up and life is better now than it was at 16:

• I ran 5 miles. I couldn't run 5 miles in high school and didn't want to try! I did start running for a brief while my sophomore year of college, but I thought one mile was a good distance. Oh, how little I knew! And I *only* ran 5 today because I was planning to go to the gym later. (and I had negative splits! Except for the last mile, but I'm mentally swapping mile 4 and 5 because I had to stop for traffic in 5)
• Queen of Zumba. Ok, Zumba probably didn't even exist when I was in high school. But I can now shake it with the best of them, and what's even better is, I really don't care who sees me. I'm a sweaty hot mess? WHO CARES?! I have endorphins!! And I also took kickboxing today, so if necessary, I can take you out with a right hook or a roundhouse kick. 
• I had Cherry Berry for dinner. After all that working out, yes, I chose frozen yogurt as a "healthy" option for dinner. But I'm 35, and that's my right. (Also, when they start having pumpkin flavor, I'm going to need to be physically restrained from going there.)

Some things that suck about being a grown-up? I didn't buy a pair of exercise capris at Target because even on clearance, they were still $26 and that's ridiculous. The lawn guy came to aerate and when I saw how much they were charging, I was glad I didn't buy the pants, because I now can't afford them for realz and Chico is never going to college. I did not buy the Doritos (or the chocolate or the other junk food in almost ALL the aisles) because if I buy the Doritos (etc.) I will eat them, and no one should really be eating them (sigh. Why does MSG taste so good?!).

Lesson: You only have today so do your best and don't regret.  

Whole 15 Minutes

We've been talking about doing Whole30 again. I love it as a concept...I just wish someone would make all the meals and feed them to me (instead of me making all the meals and feeding them to other people! The problem is the things that you normally buy, like mayo, salad dressing, and BBQ sauce. If you're following the Whole30 rules, you've gotta make your own or go without!). We had "hash" for lunch today -- 2 sweet potatoes, 3 Aidell's chicken sausage, handful of spinach, 5 eggs. (Cube the potatoes, cook til soft, add the sausage, cook til browned, add the spinach, cook til wilted, add the eggs, cook til scrambled. Voila!) It's a good meal, breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and it's Whole30 compliant. So I thought I'd look up some new recipes in preparation -- they are all insane! Hand-filleted bison burgers with a side dish of mixed vegetables and fresh herbs that only take 3 months to grow in a garden, two days to precisely chop, and an hour to roast. Again, I wouldn't mind being fed such a dish, but it's not something I can manage (and it probably wouldn't taste good if I tried!) What's so hard about "eat fresh fruits and vegetables and meat that's as humanely treated, organic, and antibiotic and hormone free as possible). 

Then I ate the chicken thighs from the other night that were left over for dinner, and half of a Bobby's caramel apple. Yum! So my lunch was Whole30 compliant -- 15 minutes is a good start! Now to stretch that to 30 days! 

Steve ran 17 miles as part of his marathon training. I ran 6, and did Piyo and Zumba at the gym. It was almost cold today! Glorious. Fall is so much better for running, especially when there's a cool breeze. It should be nice the next two days, before it gets hot again. 

My Team Lost...but I Got Chipotle

First, a message to my favorite sports team:

So, hey, Pittsburgh Pirates. You know what would be really nice? If you could win some games when you come here to play the St. Louis Cardinals, because I tell people ALL THE TIME that you're my team, and then you never win when I come to see you play!!!! Not that I don't think you're trying....just maybe knock over the second baseman if he gets in your way, and throw a few high pitches to scare the batters, if you have to. 

I got *free* tickets from a vendor, and I was SO excited...and then I realized that they were in the new Budweiser Brewhouse Deck...in Ballpark Village...across the street. Which was still really cool, but didn't make it easy to concentrate on the game.

We did see the St. Louis Rally Runner! He has a jersey that says "Rally Runner" and painted his face red, and was running back and forth in front of the gates -- and it was HOT out. He has a Facebook page if you want to check him out. It's like an Elvis siting or something. I wish I could have taken a non-blurry picture! 

So after we (admittedly bailed) left the game a little early, we stopped at Chipotle and got chicken burrito bowls (I cancelled out any health-consciousness by also ordering the chips, which are SO good). Yum! 

I ran 8 miles yesterday and 9 today, and I think tomorrow I might take a day off from running (or maybe just do 3....my legs are tired! It depends on if the little pictures of thunderstorming clouds on the weather forecast actually mean it's going to rain....or not!). It was cool enough and breezy today but the sun was killer! I posted on Facebook about how far I'd run based on how many likes I got...I got 20 likes, and I don't think twenty miles would be the best idea! I should have done 10, a half mile for every person, but someone forgot to set my alarm last night, so I didn't start til 7:30, and I figured 9 would be enough. So, Facebook friends, I owe you a mile!

As a reminder to claim victory in the small things: Today I ate leftovers instead of getting a sandwich from Jimmy John's, so that's a minor accomplishment! 

One Pot

So my food plan from yesterday worked out pretty well today! 

The shrimp tortilla may not look like much, but it was delish!!! I'm sure you could dress it up with lettuce, sour cream, salsa, etc. but I'm a purist.

I went with the one pot chicken dinner. I browned a package of chicken thighs, then added 1/2 C chicken broth, 1/2 C milk, and a jar of pasta sauce (2 Cups worth). Then I simmered the chicken with half a box of gluten free Barilla rotini for 12 minutes, and voila! A dinner so authentic, it could have been made at Olive Garden! (I used Classico brand sweet tomato basil sauce.)

I ran five miles at the park, and all the miles were under 11 minutes, so I ran one more, but it was 11:04. Still, pretty good for 93% humidity! It was muddy because it poured down rain last night (tornado sirens and everything) and my NEW SHOES have a SPOT OF MUD ON THE TOE!!!!! 

Tomorrow I'm going to the Cardinals game and then we have a big night at church -- first Wednesday dinner/Bible study/choir rehearsal. The problem with church dinners is that everything is SO good, so even if you only take a bite of everything, you end up with a full plate of food! I'm getting up early to run--start the day right. If you run hard enough, it helps you make good choices because you don't want to undo your hard work!

Monday Meal Planning

I can't believe it's September already! (Actually, can we talk about how Lifetime is advertising Christmas movies already?! Can the leaves on the trees change first?) One more month before the MO' Cowbell half marathon! I really want to eat healthy so I can run strong this month...but I may not have started that great today! I have all my meals planned for tomorrow, though! 

Breakfast: I finally made the Cup4Cup blueberry gluten free muffins (without the streusel topping) because I had all the ingredients in the house at the same time! They're good! I might have had a second one, just to double check. They do taste a little sweet (or cakelike maybe?) but you can't really tell they're gluten free. I like the flour--you can bake with it like normal, without extra ingredients, like xantham gum, or twelve different flour blends. 

Lunch: I made shrimp and broccoli for dinner tonight, and I have this brilliant idea to put the shrimp and broccoli in a tortilla with mozarella cheese for lunch tomorrow...we'll see how it works out! 

Dinner: I also bought chicken to make this tomato basil crockpot chicken. But I might just make a "one pot" meal with the sauce and some veggies and some gluten-free Barilla pasta. Either way, it will be chicken and marinara sauce, probably with some Parmesan cheese (can't go wrong with that)! 

I ran 5 miles today, and it was a really good run. The Weather Channel said it was humid, but there was a good breeze, so it felt cool, and it was cloudy, which always helps. I ran about a minute faster each mile than I have been -- I probably should have gone longer, but I wanted to quit before it got too hot! I also got a weird blister on the bottom of my second toe -- nothing rubs against it there except maybe the skin of my big toe!