Old Ellicott City

It is becoming a weekly routine to grab ravioli and bread from DiPasquales on friday night before our long run.  We decided to try out the spinach/cheese ravioli and serve it with breaded chicken.

It was delicious...as usual.  You really cant beat this place.  Saturday morning, Kevin and I headed out for a 15 mile long run in and around Patapsco State Park.

As you can see from the elevation, we had a pretty big UPhill from miles 10-12.  It was tough, but believe it or now - it hurt more coming down.  Both of our legs were killing us after we came the 2 miles back down the hill.

After the run, I was craving my favorite veggie sandwich from Catonsville Gourmet.  We started with Proscuitto wrapped scallops finished with a parmesan crust.

Yes.  They were as good as they sound and look.  I obviously went with the Veggie Sandwich, which includes the best grilled veggie patty, tomatoes, cukes, sprouts, and wasabi mayo on wheat toast.  Served with homemade kettle chips.

 

I pretty much devoured the entire plate.  This sandwich rocks.

The rest of my Saturday included playing co-ed football on very sore legs.  I scored 2 touchdowns!  Then, we headed out to celebrate my friend Mara's 30th bday.  We had a blast, but it was a packed day, so I was tired early.

Today, we stopped into Old Ellicott City for lunch and I was reminded what a cute town it is.  Will definitely be coming back to try this Little French Market. 

Oscar and I waited at a picnic table outside while Kevin picked up our La Palapas carry-out.

We had some great views and Wikipedia provided some interesting facts about the Old Ellicott City:

• Ellicott City has been called one of the most haunted small towns on the east coast.
• In July 2008, Ellicott City/Columbia was ranked the 8th Best Place to Live in the United States by CNN/Money and Money magazine.
• Babe Ruth, baseball player, was married in Ellicott City to Helen Woodford on October 17, 1914

Unfortunately, the views got old since we were waiting for our food OVER 40 mins...while STARVING.

The food was good, but I cant imagine any mexican food taking that long to make.

The rest of my Sunday has been spent cleaning, watching football, and relaxing. 

Had to share this funny pet photo.  Oscar and my parent's dog, Max, are great play buddies.  Tug-of-war is one of their favorite games and this picture cracks me up because of Max looking at me out of the corner of his eye.  :)

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday evening!

Read more...

SHOTS, BEANS & CHOMPS

Marathon Training is in full swing and it has been going well. Last weekend, Kevin and I completed a 15 mile city run. We ran from Canton to Fells Point, through downtown, around to Federal Hill, through Locust Point to Fort McHenry and back. It was a grand tour of all the great Baltimore neighborhoods. I mapped it out before and after the run and realized afterwards that we actually did 15.19 miles!

We had great weather - cloudy and cool w/ a slight breeze - which made the run seem easier.

Tomorrow is our 17 mile training run on the Bagel 2 Beer Marathon course. The actual 2009 Bagel 2 Beer Marathon is this Sunday, but we are helping with a water stop on race day, so we will do our run tomorrow. We are meeting my dad along the course since he is doing the entire thing tomorrow. He is the Race Director/Organizer, so he will be on his bike Sunday ensuring all is running smoothly. Looking to have about 35-50 starters, so it should be a good group of people this year.

Kevin picked up some Ravioli Caprese from DiPasquales for dinner which were delicious. Fresh pasta stuffed with mozzarella, basil, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, ricotta.

I am currently setting out the stuff I picked up from Road Runner Sports on the way home from work tonight. CLIF Shots(for Kevin),

Extreme Sport Beans (for ME),

and GU Chomps for all of us.

I think I have covered every type and brand of this stuff without even realizing it. These Blueberry Pomegranate GU chomps are incredible by the way.

I also grabbed some new socks because all of mine are extremely OLD. I didn't even realize that Road Runner Sports stopped carrying Thorlos?! They have their own brand now, so I figured I would give them a try. World's Best Running Socks?

We shall see about that!

Read more...

Quick & Easy

I woke up yesterday with a sore throat...it slowly turned into a cough that made my head pound. My nose isn't running at all...it is all in my throat. Needless to say, I didnt run last night (Wednesday). I have been guzzling water and tea and hope to get this thing out of me ASAP.

Backing up a little bit, Tuesday night, I decided to finish my taxes instead of heading to the gym. Turbo Tax makes it easy. Anyways, I did still manage to fit in a 40 min Jillian Michaels workout - Trouble Zones - courtesy of Exercise TV, on demand. I am really liking her workouts.

Tuesday was a quick and easy dinner - Roasted Red Pepper ravioli from Dipasquales. They have a freezer section with a large variety of their homemade pastas, so I had stocked up the last time I was there. Topped with marinara and grated parm.

In an effort to get in some "green" - I also steamed up the rest of my frozen edamame and sprinkled with a little sea salt.

After dinner, since I was low on salad and sandwich stuff to pack for lunches, I came up with a quick & easy CousCous dish.

Ingredients

• 1 box Pine Nut Cous Cous (follow directions on box, I use the Near East brand)
• 3 small zucchini, chopped
• 1 can marinated bean salad from Trader Joes
• gorgonzola crumbles to taste

Directions

1. Cook CousCous according to box directions.
2. Saute chopped zucchini in a tsp of smart balance, over medium-high heat, until tender.
3. Remove zucchini from pan.
4. Drain beans, but reserve liquid.
5. Add bean salad and some liquid (eyeball it) to the same pan zucchini was cooked in. Cook over medium-high heat until liquid reduces.
6. Mix everything together.
   

This was perfect to heat up the next day for lunch. There are so many things that can be added to this mixture. I used what I had on hand, but chicken sausage would be incredible in this. Actually, that just reminded me that I made a variation on this dish awhile back. Check it out HERE, if you are interested.

I am extremely flattered to have received the following award from Rose, @ On a Lobster Placemat. Her blogs is one of my favorites because she is SO creative! I always look forward to reading what she has to say and seeing what she's eating. She has a new and amazing oatmeal combination pretty much every day - seriously. Thanks Rose!

Last, but not least, don't forget to comment on my Hunger Takes No Holiday post! :)

Read more...