Salad ON Pizza

Thanks for your comments about my marathon training earlier - I think I am going to see how this weekend's long run goes and then decide if I want to add in another long training run before the taper.

Today was a dreary/rainy day, so after work, I headed to the gym for a treadmill run.  I am not a huge fan of the treadmill, but I did get to watch Access Hollywood during my run.  It made the 4 miles go by faster.  

I was not in the mood to cook a thing, so I dug into the freezer to find a pizza that tasted a lot like delivery.  But wait, its not delivery, its digiorno.  I am so original.

In an effort to make frozen pizza taste a little more special and get in some green, I topped it with grated parm and baby arugula.  I love the spiciness of arugula on top of pizza - it just works really well.  

"Salad" on top of pizza = simple and delicious dinner.  Served with my anonymous pumpkin.  I need to get carving. 

What are your plans for Halloween?  Any good costume ideas out there?

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Training for Philly Marathon

The Philadelphia Marathon is less than 1 month away.  Training has been going, but it hasnt been going exactly as planned.  Looking back to this post where I laid out my training plan, I wanted to compare my plan versus what actually has occurred:

• 8/29 - 12 miles - Completed 12m
• 9/5 - 14 miles - Completed 14m
• 9/12 -15 miles - Completed 15m
• 9/20 -17+3 (Bagel 2 Beer, run 17, walk last 3) - Completed 17m
• 9/26 - off weekend from distance - Completed 15m
• 10/3 - 18 miles - Completed 15m

I had plans to go away for the weekend immediately after the run.  I stopped short because I wanted to make sure I could meet everyone in time for lunch.  I was hungry.  :)

• 10/10 -13.1 (Baltimore Half Marathon) - Completed 13.1m, Baltimore Half Marathon
• 10/17 - 20 miles - Completed 8m

I went away to spend time with friends in Brigantine, NJ.  It was a miserable weekend weather-wise - Rain/Wind/Cold.  I attempted to go out for my long run, but after being pelted by rain and wind - I gave up.  Big wimp alert.

• 10/24 - 15 miles - Completed 17m, added 2 miles to try and make up for the weekend before.

I felt pretty good during the beginning of this 17 mile training run.  It was a perfect fall day, which was great for running.  Around mile 13, my legs started feeling heavy and mentally, I was having a hard time staying motivated.  With a little over 2 miles to go, we decided to switch to a modified Galloway method.  Run 10 mins - walk 1 min.  It worked well and may be something I use during the Philadelphia Marathon.

• 10/31 - 22 miles
• 11/7 - 12 miles
• 11/14 - off weekend from long distance
• 11/22 - Philadelphia Marathon!!

As you can see, I am behind in training and have my excuses listed where I slacked off.  This weekend, we have our longest training run planned.  Sunday morning, we will run 20-22 miles, depending on where we decide to do our training run.  

Question

Do you think we should squeeze in another long run on 11/7?  Maybe a 18-19 miler and then have a 2 week taper? OR keep with the 3 week taper?

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Blondies for Breakfast

The other night I got a major craving for some of Jasmine's Banana Butterscotch Blondies.  I am not sure I have the words to describe how good these are. 

It is the type of recipe you take somewhere to share. I really should have taken my own advice.  I started having them for breakfast with coffee and then would go back for small slivers since they dont really count.

Towards the end of the pan, I started thinking that I might as well just polish them off, so that they were out of my house once and for all.

And that was the end of the blondies.  From now on, when I make them, they are being shipped off to family, co-workers and friends.  I can not be trusted with them in the house.

Besides eating blondies for breakfast, lunch & dinner - I found time to eat other food as well.  Pan Seared Halibut w/ a Light Green Sauce.  (Recipe inspiration came from this recipe on AllRecipes.com)

I lightened up the sauce by using 2% milk instead of heavy cream.  I also cut back on the butter and added a little EVOO.  I may have overdone the amount of capers in the sauce because there was no measuring involved, but I love capers.

Since the sauce called for wine, it seemed only fitting to drink some with the meal. 

This dish was a success.  Both Kevin and I loved it.  Next time, it would be great served overtop sauteed spinach to soak up all the deliciousness of the sauce.

I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend.  I ran 17 miles today and lived to type about it.  More on that tomorrow. 

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Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed w/ Tortellini

The other night was Tyler Florence night.  Kevin and I love watching his show on Food Network.  My company recently had a book fair and I picked up at copy of his book, Stirring the Pot.

I like the cookbooks with pictures, so I can see what the finished product is supposed to look like.

Considering the fact that I had an acorn squash ready to be used, this recipe caught my eye.

Kevin ran to the store to pick up a few ingredients we were lacking, while I began getting the squash ready for roasting. 

Kevin returned and we began boiling the tortellini.  Instead of only cheese, we threw in some sausage tortellini to mix it up.  We also wanted to add a little green to this dish, so frozen peas went in during the last 5 mins.

Next up, the tortellini and peas were mixed with the creamy cheese sauce.  Never said this was the healthiest dish, but hey - a little cheese and cream never hurt anybody, right?  Plus, we added peas to even it out.  ;)

The squash was roasted, the filling was ready, so, it was time to fill.  Topped with shredded Gruyere - one of my favorite cheeses. 

Ready to eat.

I have to say that as pretty as this looked, it was a tad TOO rich for me.  I loved the crusty cheese on top and scooping out the tender squash, but the tortellini in creamy cheese sauce was not my speed.  Next time, I would try and come up with a non-creamy sauce. 

I feel like I have a ton more to write about, so, my next posts will feature my weekend away in Brigantine, NJ, Pan-Seared Halibut in a Light Green Sauce, Banana Butterscotch Blondies (recipe courtesy of Sweet&Fit), along with an update on marathon training.  Philadelphia Marathon is in 1 month!

Hope you are enjoying your Friday and have a great weekend planned.

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Grandpop

I have been away for awhile again.  See the man in the blue, front and center, seated?  That is my grandpop.  He passed away this past Friday after 93 (almost 94) years. 

He spent 71 (!!!) of those years married to my grandmom and they had 4 children. Those 4 children had 11 kids and those 11 kids have had 13 kids so far. Have I lost you yet? 


He made the best potato pancakes I have ever tasted.  I will be sure to feature them here very soon.  I am thankful for all the years I had him in my life.


The cold weather has inspired some cooking in the house (finally), so I will be back tomorrow to highlight some of those dishes.

Enjoy the rest of your night.

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2009 Baltimore Half Marathon

Last Friday night, Kevin and I headed over to packet pick-up at the Raven's Stadium.  When we arrived, I couldnt believe the crowds of people.  I was thinking we would spend some time checking out the different vendors, but the amount of people made me want to get out of there as quickly as possible.  Not before I grabbed 4 2 smart balance peanut butter/chocolate cookies.  ;)

The bag was filled with some of the standard stuff and some new items.  After seeing the mini larabars all over the blog world at different races - I was SO excited to see they finally made an appearance at one of the races in my area!

Race morning, I attempted to eat my normal pre-race breakfast of wheat toast w/ PB/honey and half of a banana.  But, I only managed to eat half of the toast and the banana - I was feeling the nerves.

We headed over to the start and I brought some GU Chomps for the road in case I got hungry.  The marathon started at 8am, but the half marathon didnt begin until 9:45am.  It was weird starting a race that late. 

Kevin and I were able to cheer for the marathoners and reminisce about last year before lining up in our Wave.  It felt like time flew and before I knew it - we were off!

Miles 1-3:  There were SO many people in our Wave that we ended up walking for 6 mins until we crossed the starting line.  I usually feel like crap the first 3 miles of any race and this was no different.  There was alot of weaving in and out of people to try and find a spot where I wasnt "tailgating" someone.  That process stresses me out for some reason.  I did enjoy running into Canton because everyone had a lot of energy and the folks from my coffee shop (High Grounds) were out cheering everyone on.  It is always great to see a friendly face.

Miles 4-7: As you can see from the elevation chart above - this section was pretty much a continuous UPHILL, all through a rough area of town.  Believe it or not, I started to feel more comfortable and get into a good pace that I felt like I could maintain.  I was running under 10 min miles, so at this point I was on track to break 2:10!  (*warning - weird face below)

Miles 8-10:  The worst of the climb was over, but I knew that I had to do the loop around Lake Montebello.  The good part about this race is that I knew what was coming, but that was also the bad part.  Running around the lake is tough because as you enter - you pass everyone that is just finishing the loop.  Kevin and I had split up at mile 3 because he was having a rough day.  I was realizing now that he was still holding my Sport Beans in his pocket.  I really could have used them here.  They did have Vanilla GU packets at a water stop around the lake, so while I usually hate them, I decided to take a quick swig.  Yuck - it tasted like slimy vanilla sugary grossness.  I rinsed my mouth out with water and pressed on.

Miles 11-12: This is my favorite part of the race for lots of reasons.  Running through Charles Village is awesome because this one guy dresses up in a tiger suit dancing to Eye of the Tiger.  And right past the tiger guy - they give out GUMMY BEARS!  But the best part that is you start heading DOWNhill towards the finish!!  I knew I needed to pick up my pace during this section because I had slowed down during the last few miles of hills.

Miles 13 - Finish:  I kept glancing at my watch and knew that I was close.  My legs were feeling heavy from all the hills and my back was even starting to ache.  The woman who I had been talking with earlier ran by and patted me on the back, telling me to make her chase me!  Then, she whizzed by me like I was standing still!  I tried to catch up, but ended up finishing right behind her.  Final time on my watch, 2:11:22.

I still had hope that my chip time would be a little less, but for the first time ever, my watch matched my chip time EXACTLY.  2:11:22 - Final Chip Time.

I was definitely a tad disappointed that I wasnt under 2:10, but I feel happy I was close and know it was a great training race for the Philly Marathon in less than 2 months!  Plus, I have a cool crab medal and lots of mini larabars to show for it.

Afterwards, all I could think about was EATING.  I was starving.  In the midst of showering and getting ready to go, I forgot my camera, but, I did snap this Iphone pic of my post-race meal of choice.

Pan Seared Scallops served over creamed spinach and a potato pancake.  The BEST thing on the menu at Mama's on the Half Shell in Canton.

Check out the size of those scallops and the perfect brown crust!!  I loved it and ate every single bite.

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Just a Preview

Full Baltimore Half Marathon recap coming tomorrow, but in the meantime, I thought I would let you know that I finished and snagged as many mini larabars as I could.  I would call that a successful race.  :)

Enjoy the rest of your Saturday night!

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Pecan Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken

Last night, I made dinner!  and I photographed it!  and now I am about to blog about it!  It feels like it has been awhile.

I am in the mode where I want to use up everything in the house before I go grocery shopping again.  I spent too much money on groceries because I tend to always crave something I dont have on hand.  In the bowl above, I combined:

• Goat Cheese
• Chopped Pecans
• Chopped Parsley
• Thyme
• Garlic Powder
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Melted Butter

Then, I spread the goat cheese mixture on Thinly Sliced Boneless Chicken Breasts and rolled them up.  I kept them from falling apart by using Skewers that I cut in half.

Rub the chicken with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and spinkle with Salt and Pepper before popping into the oven at 350 degrees.  How long?  Until they look done, so maybe about 15-20 mins.

Meanwhile, I needed an appetizer.  I used the Nature's Pride 100% Whole Wheat Bread that Foodbuzz was kind enough to send me to sample.

Then, I grabbed the Garlic Spread that Kevin had picked up from DiPasquales last week.

Toast up the bread, spread with garlic spread, top with tomato sauce and grated romano.  Throw back in the toaster oven and Voila...

You have yourself a pretty tasty appetizer.  And the bread?  It ranks up there for wheat bread.  I loved the way it toasted - crispy on the edges and soft in the middle.  Kevin was busy chopping veggies for our side dishes with Oscar close by.

Oscar knows who the softy is...AND who makes more of a mess drops more food on the floor! ;)

Looks like the chicken is done.

It turned out great.  The only thing that would have made it even better is if it was wrapped in Turkey Bacon.  Kevin made two side dishes in an effort to use up C.S.A. veggies.  Steamed brussels sprouts in an apple cider vinegar/garlic sauce and...

Sauteed zucchini, yellow squash, and onions topped with asiago cheese.

Yummm.

This saturday is the Baltimore Half Marathon and I am excited about running.  My Half Marathon PR is 2:04 and while I havent been training for "speed" (my speed may be someone else's easy/slow pace), I would love to beat my time.  But, I will be happy with anything under 2:10.

Dont forget to vote for me in the Baltimore Mobbies contest - it ends tomorrow!

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Bilvil, a beaches cafe

This past weekend, I discovered a hidden gem on the Chesapeake Bay.  I was down in the North Beach/Chesapeake Beach area of Maryland to spend some time with girlfriends and celebrate our 30th birthdays.  After being pampered with a massage and pedicure, we were STARVING.  It was almost 3:30pm and we hadnt eaten lunch.  A woman at the spa recommended we try a cafe closeby - Bilvil.

Walking up to the front door, I was struck by the casual, beachy look and immediately liked the place.  They have a water bowl out front for dogs!  love that!

I thought the inside seemed cozy and just like home.  

For some reason, the book-type menus impress me.  I think they have a classy look and feel.

We spent a long time reading the menu, and were disappointed when the waitress informed us they were out of goat cheese.  This meant we had to rearrange our plans since we all had ordered the salad w/ herbed goat cheese to start.  We decided to split the Meatball appetizer and "add more balls", so we each had our own.  :)

Someone in the back knows what they are doing because these meatballs were incredible.  They came served with a robust tomato sauce, topped w/shaved parmesan, and garlic bread toasts for dipping.

Next up, I felt like I needed some "green", so I ordered a small tossed salad with ranch salad dressing.  (Note: All dressings are HOMEMADE)

The star of this salad was the dressing.  The greens were fresh, but I loved that the dressing had a ton of fresh herbs and a sour cream base.  They have an herb garden outside of the restaurant and place fresh herbs on all the tables in lieu of flowers.  cute touch.

As my main meal, I decided on the Chicken Parmigiana sandwich served with homemade house fries and the daily side.

They had a number of entrees that sounded delicious, so I would like to come back and try them out for dinner sometime soon.

My sandwich arrived on HOMEMADE bread and breaded chicken that was topped with fresh mozzarella and tomato sauce.  I was wishing the bread was more toasted, but overall, I enjoyed the sandwich.  The homemade house fries were great - not greasy at all - cooked to perfection. 

The daily side was a macaroni salad that had broccoli, cucumbers, red peppers and a sour cream/herb base.  I am thinking the chef doesnt like mayo which is great for me, because I cant stand mayo.

I loved finding this place and will definitely be going back.

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Mobbies

I was all ready to tell you about the new POMx Tea that POM was nice enough to send out for me to try, BUT, I have no pictures.  I know that I took pictures of the tea when it arrived and I cant seem to locate them anywhere.

So, I took a screen capture from their website of my favorite that I tried - Pomegranate Wildberry White Tea - Light.  This may be the first time that I have ever liked the "Light" version of something MORE than the "Not Light" version.  Kudos to POM on that one.

The whole "x" factor is described as the "Antioxidant Super Secret" and they have applied for a patent.  Hmm - what could be so revolutionary?  It makes me curious and nervous at the same time.

They even have POMx pills and liquid now too.  The liquid is described as "not for the faint of heart"

I think I am gonna stick with the Light tea - I loved the stuff.

Running

This has been a pretty bad training week for me.  I have only run once.  Ran the 15 mile training run last Saturday, took Sunday off, and then the work week hit with a thud.  Tuesday night I went for a great 4 mile run, but Wednesday I headed to DC for a concert.

Sunny Day Real Estate is one of my boyfriend's favorite bands, so I have grown to like a few of their songs by listening to his stuff.  But, I definitely became a bigger fan after seeing them live.

 

They were awesome.

Oh wait - this is the running section and I am talking about a concert.  Yeah - I told you this was a bad training week.  Everyone has them, right?

Since we have an 18 mile run planned for this Saturday, I am thinking I just did a taper week to get ready.  Right?!  ;)  Hopefully I am not setting myself up for failure this weekend.

Mobbies

You are probably wondering what language I am speaking here, but, I am honored to say that I was nominated for a "Mobbie" in the Foodie category!!

The Baltimore Sun is hosting this COOL contest, which I am loving, because it is helping me discover lots of new blogs in Maryland!

Voting began September 28th and is continuing through October 9th @ 5pm.  You are allowed to vote once a day in every category!

You should see a Mobbie widget in the upper left area of my blog - so if you like what you read here - click there or here ---> Vote for Me!

Oscar wanted me to tell you that the website does prompt you to create a username and password after voting, but, it is a painless 2.5 second process, and then you can vote once daily!

Have a great night!

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