Cook, Pray, Love

Willamette Valley Vacation Part 1

2012-05-14T14:06:00.001-05:00

I really like to travel, but when someone says “vacation,” I have particular requirements: relaxation, no agenda, sleeping in, and no pressure to see certain things. It’s why I haven’t been to Europe since I was 16. When Joe and I were planning our spring vacation, we struggled with location/price. Looking up random destinations on Southwest and Expedia just to cringe at ticket prices wasn’t very effective. Somehow we settled on Portland and the Willamette Valley. I’d never been further northwest than the Russian River Valley, and it seemed like a place where we could drink wine (check), eat good food (check), and enjoy beautiful scenery (check). Sounds like a good vacation to me!

We flew over snow-covered mountains on our descent into Salt Lake City where we drank some locally-brewed, extremely low-alcohol beer. The flavor was good, but it tasted weak. We arrived in Portland, picked up our car (upgraded due to a mistake!), and headed to Newberg where we were staying in a VRBO. Along the way, we picked up our Dundee Hills AVA Passports that I had ordered. For $15 each in the month of April, the passports provided us with discounts and extra tastings all around the Dundee Hills AVA. It was a great deal and helped us organize our tasting room visits.

After dropping off our luggage, we jumped back in the car to hit our first tasting room of the trip: Alexana Winery. The wine was good, and the tasting room was beautiful. The woman pouring sent us on our way to Black Walnut Inn & Vineyard to soak in some views and taste some more wine. They were incredibly hospitable, and the views were stunning. We headed back into town to get something to eat since our internal clocks were off. Red Hills Market came highly recommended, so we split a cheese plate, a margherita pizza, and a 375 ml bottle of, what else, Pinot Noir!

We took the opportunity the next day to really break in our passports starting with Archery Summit Vineyards. Archery Summit had some of the best wine we tasted all trip, but the prices were a little on the steep side for our budget. Next we headed to De Ponte Cellars where we tried a white, Melon de Bourgogne, that I’d never had before. As proof that I should’ve taken better notes, we hit a few other places that I can’t remember. Our least favorite place of the trip was Stoller vineyards. I was excited about their LEED certified building, but when I asked the woman working about it, she could hardly tell me anything. We ended our day at Four Graces, a cozy little place right outside of downtown Dundee. Several people had recommended it to us and with good reason.

Some friends of ours came down from Portland for dinner at Subterra in Newberg. It was wonderful to catch up with them, and the food was reasonably priced and quite good. However, the service was lacking. Both Joe’s and my soup could’ve stood to be warmer. Fortunately, our company was enjoyable because our dinner dragged on and on!

Based on a recommendation from our friends, we headed down the road a ways to the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. Personally, this was my favorite day of our trip. Cristom, St. Innocent, Bethel Heights, and Left Coast all welcomed us with relaxed atmospheres, incredible wines, and stunning scenery. Left Coast even has a little bistro with sandwiches and other food for sale along with wine by the glass. It didn’t hurt that the sun came out, so we enjoyed our hummus plate outside!

We closed our the wine portion of our day at Youngberg Hill Vineyards, which is also an inn. The person working there invited us to relax on their balcony and take our time with our wine, even pouring us a little extra of the one we enjoyed the most.

Joe caught me playing on my phone instead of enjoying the view.

Winding up the wine portion of our day, we headed back into McMinnville for dinner, though we both decided we weren’t hungry. Fortunately we stumbled onto a bar with good local beers and free pool where we played nine-ball until we got hungry and ate at McMenamins.

We woke up the next morning to nearly impenetrable fog, which made winding our way up the gravel roads to the wineries a little touch-and-go at times. Bergstrom and White Rose were the highlights of the day, both with finely crafted Pinot. We took the tour at Domaine Drouhin, where they grow and produce wine exactly as they do in Burgundy – the only difference being terroir.

Up next: Dinner at Joel Palmer House, Columbia River Gorge, and a night out in Portland

Flying Pig Marathon Race Recap

2012-05-08T05:39:00.000-05:00

Last spring I had the thought that I just might be ready for a full marathon the next spring. The women’s forum (the LLR) on the running website I use was planning a meet-up for Flying Pig in 2012, and I posited that perhaps that could be my first full marathon. Training started on January 1st, 2012, and on May 6th, I started and completed 26.2 miles.

To start at the very beginning, Joe and I arrived in Cincinnati (well, across the river in Kentucky) late Friday night. The next morning, my mom and I went for a 2.5 mile jog across the river and back to shake out our legs. I felt good and strong, better than I had all week. I was raring to go…to the expo!

Where I got a little hyper at the Finish Swine, nabbed our very nice race swag, and took advantage of the opportunity to purchase a few items. Then we met up with the LLR ladies for lunch and headed back to the hotel to rest before an early pizza dinner with the LLR group followed by Graeter’s ice cream. I laid out my stuff, set the alarm for 4:15 am, and slept decently well given my adrenaline.

Early to rise for the 6:30 am start in order to let the coffee, water, and bagel with peanut butter provided by the Hampton Inn settle. Mom drove Joe, his friend Angela who was running the half with him, and me to the free carpool parking lot (one of the very few non-ideal race-related organizational things). We waited to get on a bus and shuttled to the start line where there were lots of other half-awake, half-jittery runners mulling about. We checked our bags easily and quickly, hit the bathrooms, and found our corral AKA our “pigpen”. Luckily, we ran into the other LLR gals and hung out for a while before the start.

The support of these ladies is phenomenal. I don’t know who was more excited about how my first marathon – me or them! We crossed the start line a short 8 minutes after the official start, and I settled into a comfortable pace up and over the first several bridges, into Kentucky, and back into Ohio before we turned to head through downtown. I cannot say enough about the crowd support for this race. We could hear the crowds along Seventh before we got there, and the cheering didn’t stop there. After we left downtown, we began “the climb”, 3 miles of elevation gain leading up to an overlook. I was thankful for doing a lot of my training on hills. We slowed our pace a little, but I never felt my legs or lungs really hurt.

My dad rode his bike around the course and snapped this picture of us after mile 7. I was looking and feeling good but had to make a short bathroom stop once we reached the top. The half marathoners split off shortly after the climb, and we continued on our way, ticking off the miles. Somewhere between 8 and 10, I took a swig of Gatorade and almost immediately felt it hit my stomach. That began a series of off and on stomach issues that resulted in a total of 6 stops. Fortunately, there were a LOT of aid stations and bathrooms along the course. Besides the bathroom time lost, our pace was right on target through the halfway point.

Then the temperature started to noticeably rise as the sun got higher in the sky. It was going to be a warm one, and we had a lot of time left out on the course. Crowd support got me to mile 18, and then we hit a long expanse of highway with no shade in sight. I remember thinking to myself, “Okay, this is about to get REAL.” I took a vanilla bean GU and tried to think about grinding out the last 8 miles. Our walk breaks became more frequent. Everything hurt. The sun was beating down on us. My mom looked at me and said, “One goal: get to the finish line.”

Somewhere, there was a group of girls with Frisbees full of ice chips, and I grabbed a handful and shoved them in my sports bra, thanks to a tip from Kelly. Along the way, after 20 miles, another group had cold towels. I ran through every sprinkler and dumped water on my head and neck, just trying to stay cool. We turned the bend and could see downtown Cincinnati in the distance, and it looked So. Far. Away.

The mile markers seemed to stretch out as our pace slowed, and I had to make a few more bathroom stops. Even with two miles left to go, I wasn’t sure I could make it. The 5:00 pacer passed us with no one in tow. I had really wanted to finish in under 5:00, and my mom asked if I wanted to go with her or keep walking. I shook my head and let her go by. One goal: Finish.

Around mile 25, I realized that I just might actually finish this thing. It helped that everyone around us looked just as bad as we did or maybe worse. At every aid station, people told us how strong we looked, how awesome we were, and shouted out our names from our bibs. “C’mon, Kira! You can do this!” We walked up a final hill and began the descent to the finish line. Spectators still lined the white fencing, and I saw Joe, Angela, and my dad cheering for us. My mom and I grabbed hands as we crossed the finish line and stopped our watches. 5:06:39, unofficial. I wanted to cry, but I didn’t want anyone to think I needed medical attention. An LLR friend was in the chute and gave us a sweaty hug while we got water. Food-wise, NOTHING sounded good, but I grabbed a granola bar for later.

I tried to walk around a little bit, but all I wanted to do was sit down shortly after we found Dad, Joe, and Angela. Joe & Angela had a great race and really enjoyed it. When we got back to the hotel, the front desk staff saw our medals and clapped and cheered for us. I teared up all over again! Changing into my swimsuit to head down to the pool, I inspected the damage: a giant blister on my left second toe, a bad sunburn on my back left shoulder, chafing around my waist from my SpiBelt, and a digestive system that was not feeling good. The next morning, everything was sore including my back and abdominal muscles.

Running a marathon is physically the hardest thing I have ever done, but mentally, I never gave up, even when it really hurt. The crowd support in Cincinnati was unreal. For a city that I haven’t spent much time in, I loved what I saw – fun neighborhoods, great scenery, and intergenerational support ranging from seniors sitting out in front of assisted living homes to little kids passing out high fives and Twizzlers. There were very few logistical glitches that I saw – one being the whole free carpool shuttle thing (not enough shuttles, waiting too long, uninformed bus drivers) and the other being the Port-a-Potties right near the entrance to the corral creating a major traffic jam. I would definitely recommend this race to anyone wanting to run their first marathon.

Thank you Flying Pig, Cincinnati, LLR Ladies, Joe, Angela, Dad, and especially my mom for getting me through my first marathon! Next time, sub-5:00 for sure!

Marathon Training–The 20-miler and the taper

2012-05-02T13:01:00.001-05:00

I’m so behind on blogging – ordination weekend details, our trip to the Willamette Valley and Portland, any cooking I’ve done in the past month… And this weekend, I’m heading to Cincinnati for the Flying Pig marathon.

(source)

The peak of any beginning marathon training program is the week that culminates in the 20-mile long run. By sheer coincidence, the Saturday that I was supposed to run 20 miles was also the Saturday that I was getting ordained to the priesthood. In short, not going to happen. On the other hand, lots of people were going to be in town including friends who run. My mom and I came up with the idea of running a little bit of the run with out-of-town people on Friday morning (since I came to my senses that taking Friday off of work was going to be necessary).

At 7 am, we met up with Kelly at the Brentwood Trail. She ran 2 miles with us until she had to turn back and get ready for work. Since the first two miles are usually my worst (so much further to go! Why is this taking so long?), having Kelly chat with us helped so much mentally. Mom and I went out another .5 and then turned back to get to the car with 5 miles under our belts. For the next 5, we did a little experiment and ran part of the trail system that we hadn’t done before. Running in a new place helped those miles pass by quickly, and suddenly we were halfway through our run.

For the final 10, we met up with Abby and John who drove down from London, Ontario. This would be their longest run ever. Spoiler alert: the run went really, really well. I got a little grumpy from 16-18 miles because I was getting tired and thirsty. John and Abby both did great, and we all finished strong. It was a major confidence boost but still intimidating to know that I would have to run for 6.2 more miles in the actual marathon.

The next morning, I went for a 2 mile walk, which helped shake out the residual soreness, and Abby, Joe, and I ran 4 miles on Sunday afternoon. Then Joe and I departed for Oregon, where I didn’t run all week except for a 3 mile jaunt with the sole purpose of ending up at Voodoo Doughnuts. Getting back on the running wagon was a little tough after a week of vacation. I’m mentally done with training, and taper week runs always feel horrible, which leads to me thinking that I’m totally going to crash and burn on Sunday.

So I’ll obsessively check the weather and develop phantom hip twinges and shin splints over the next few days. It’s looking like it might be a warm one, but that’s the upside to starting the race at 6:30 am, I suppose.

If for whatever reason you would like to follow my progress and get e-mail or text updates, you can sign up here with my name. I’ll also try to get my dad (spectathlete of the day!) to tweet updates from my phone, so you can also follow me on Twitter.

Ordination in Pictures

2012-04-23T13:50:00.001-05:00

The church

The flowers

The bulletin

The presentation

The homily

The Holy Spirit

The peace

The bread

The family

The Divinity School friends

The best friend and the fiancé (source of almost all the pictures)

The cake

Holy Week/Easter 2012 = Success

2012-04-09T14:36:00.001-05:00

I’m just a touch envious of everyone’s Easter weekend re-caps. Sunny days, playtime with family and friends, and tables full of delicious food. I had a wonderful weekend, but it was the kind where I went to bed before 9 pm on Sunday night – just a little exhausting.

Thursday afternoon, I managed to sneak in 5 miles on the treadmill in the middle of thunderstorms before reviewing my homily for Maundy Thursday service. The choir sounded wonderful, and washing the feet of some of my parishioners was a very moving experience as I close out my time as a deacon. I helped strip the altar in preparation for Good Friday, and afterwards, the choir invited Joe and I to eat dinner with them.

The morning of Good Friday, I raided my closet for shawls and scarves to dress the altar at the hospital. It ended up looking really good, and you can’t even see the sequins on the bottom of the scarf on the cross. Due to a miscommunication, the pianist didn’t show up at the right time, so I ended up leading “Were You There” a cappella. One of those times when I was VERY thankful for my musical training.

Saturday morning, I met my mom for a “semi-long” run (AKA what I would’ve called a long run before marathon training). I was nervous about tackling the 11.2 mile loop at Percy Warner Park after my disastrous run there in January, but I also know that I’m a lot stronger now. Even though it was tough, I rocked it and felt strong the whole way through. We even added on for an even half marathon – 13.1 strong, awesome, hilly miles in beautiful weather. We stopped a couple of times, not because we had to, but because we wanted to enjoy the scenery! It was a great way to spend Holy Saturday.

Easter morning, I showed up at St. David’s to do my thing. The flower guild did an incredible job, and the church looked gorgeous. At the 10:30 service, people were parking on the street because we ran out of space in our (rather generous) parking lot. It was wonderful to see such a good crowd and lots of families visiting. I really, really love Easter. Resurrection and hope are key concepts for my personal ministry, and after a rough week at the hospital, I needed Easter.

Joe and I headed to brunch at my former professors’ where we ate our fill of a beautiful spread – deviled eggs, roasted asparagus, edamame salad, and coconut cake. Then I cleaned the house while he napped and watched the Masters before heading over to my parents’ house for a light dinner of quiche, squash & quinoa salads, more deviled eggs (yay!), and mini cheesecakes.

I wish I could say that that’s a wrap, but my ordination to the priesthood is on Saturday. It blew my mind sitting in church on Sunday that NEXT Sunday, I would be a priest and be celebrating the Eucharist. Thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. I’m looking forward to friends and family and the service itself, but I’m also looking forward to VACATION the week after that.

Hope everyone had a good Easter or Passover or just a good weekend! The weather couldn’t have been better.

Self-Care Plan for Holy Week and Beyond

2012-04-02T09:25:00.001-05:00

The next two weeks of my life are about to get crazy and really, I have it pretty easy compared to some, but it’s still going to get busy with Holy Week and my ordination to the priesthood coming up. Over the past few years, I’ve figured out that I have way more energy when I eat right and take care of myself, even in hectic circumstances, so I’ve developed a plan for my first holy week as an ordained clergyperson.

Self-care, yo. I have Monday off, and I’m going to get a pedicure. It’s relaxing, and that way I won’t be the person with the raggedy toes at the Maundy Thursday foot-washing. Tuesday, I have a haircut scheduled. Again serves a dual purpose of being relaxing (especially if your salon serves wine…) and looking nice before big events. I’m also not cutting back on workouts…at least, that’s the plan. I’ve scheduled in my rest days, and I might lower the intensity if I’m really dragging, but I know that sweating it out GIVES me energy and helps me de-stress and think clearly.

Eating-wise, it would be all too simple to survive on sugar and caffeine all week, but that would leave me jittery and foggy-headed. So, I’ve meal-planned, stocked up on fresh veggies and whole foods, and will be doing Jen’s 7-day Green Smoothie Challenge a week late. I hope to start each morning with a green smoothie so that even if I make less-than-ideal choices later in the day, I’ve still got some servings of fruits & veggies already under my belt.

And as a reminder to myself, in two weeks, I’ll have made it through my first Holy Week and Easter as clergy, be ordained as a priest, and be vacationing in Oregon Wine Country. If anyone has any Portland/Newberg/McMinnville recommendations, let me know!

Marathon Training Update: Week 13

2012-03-28T09:55:00.001-05:00

Flying Pig training is ticking right along! On March 10th, I completed my 6th half marathon – the Tom King Classic. It was a gorgeous day, and I stretched it out into 16 by running 3 miles around LP Field before. The logistics of having a race at a football stadium are genius: plenty of parking, inside bathrooms, lots of space, awards/post-race buffet in the club level, and finishing on the 50-yard line with your picture on the Jumbotron.

My original plan was to run the half at marathon goal pace – 10:20/mile. But I inevitably got caught up in racing, and I felt good on a flat course and started laying down 9:40/mile splits. Mom & Dad ran the 5K, and Joe was post-call, so I was on my own. At mile 8, I picked up a new friend who had been near me most of the time, and we started talking. We got each other through the last 5 miles, and I finished in 2:09:45. It was so refreshing to finish a half feeling pretty good, since the last two hadn’t gone well.

Two weeks later, I met my mom for 18 miles on the Stones River greenway, a new-to-me place to run. Spring in Middle Tennessee is remarkably green, and the greenway was a great way to experience its beauty. We ran 9 miles to the top of the Percy Priest dam and then turned around. The hills started to take their toll around mile 13, and 15-18 were a major struggle. There was walking. There were aching hips and knees and the beginning of a blister on the bottom of my left toe. My mom kept telling me that marathon training feels like this. But we finished with a personal distance record for me!

With a 16 and an 18 under my fuel belt, the next stop is 20, which seems like an unspeakably long way to run. Additionally, I’m doing it the day before my ordination to the priesthood. With friends and family in town who run, we’ll break it up into loops so that I always have company. It’ll be a great way to catch up with people and share another big accomplishment with them.

Only 5 1/2 weeks away from my marathon debut!

Wasabi Salmon with Bok Choy, Cabbage, & Shiitakes

2012-03-21T11:06:00.001-05:00

I grew up watching Indiana University college basketball with my mom. If you want proof of our street cred, we had two (not simultaneous) cats named Bobby Knight. Since they moved to Nashville, my parents have had season tickets to Vanderbilt men’s basketball games, and as one of my alma mater’s and the place of our employment, Joe and I have also become Commodores fans. Since the athletics at my undergraduate university were seriously lacking and not supported by the student body, it’s been exciting to watch some real student-athletes populate a good, talented team. Unlike other universities, a lot of our players stay to get their degree, so the fans get to watch them develop as players and people. They’re actually STUDENT-athletes, and I enjoy cheering for a team that I can be proud of on and off the court. After our big SEC tournament win, we were headed to the NCAA tournament for March Madness. Unfortunately, Saturday night’s game against Wisconsin didn’t go as we had hoped, and I was devastated for this group of seniors that the season ended with frustration and anger.

So thanks to Festus, Steve, Lance, Jeff, and Brad for being great men and great athletes. We’ll miss you, but we know that there are great things to come for you all. Thanks for making this season one to remember. I’m holding out hope for the women’s basketball team to make a big run in the NCAA tournament!

Unlike these guys, I’m not naturally athletic. I played basketball in 7th grade and scored a grand total of 2 points. I was cut from the cross-country team my sophomore year (which is a long and painful story). But I can always get behind lean protein and veggies. One of my major dietary weaknesses is carbs, but I didn’t even miss them in this meal. I made two salmon fillets and 1/2 the mayonnaise mixture but the full amount of vegetables. For a one-pan, 30-minute meal, this one is awfully elegant and sophisticated. Perfect with a bottle of white wine on a warm spring day.

Wasabi Salmon with Bok Choy, Cabbage, & Shiitakes
source: Bon Appetit

Ingredients

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon wasabi paste (Japanese horseradish paste)

1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled, finely grated

2 large garlic cloves, finely grated

4 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets (preferably wild)

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

1 pound baby bok choy, halved (or regular, chopped)

2 cups (packed) finely shredded green cabbage (about 5 ounces)

4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, sliced if large (or 4 oz package mixed gourmet mushrooms)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°. Heat a large rimmed baking sheet for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix mayonnaise and wasabi in a small bowl. Stir in half of ginger and half of garlic; set aside. Season fish all over with salt and pepper. Place bok choy, cabbage, and mushrooms in a large bowl. Drizzle with oil and add remaining ginger and garlic. Toss to coat; season with salt and pepper.

Scatter vegetables across one side of baking sheet. Arrange salmon on other side. Roast, stirring vegetables occasionally, until salmon is cooked through, 12–15 minutes. Divide vegetables among plates; top with salmon. Serve wasabi mayonnaise alongside.

Kale & Tortellini Soup

2012-03-16T07:18:00.001-05:00

I’ve developed a bad habit that goes something like this: make blog-worthy meal, forget to take a picture, promise to take a picture of the leftovers, take the leftovers for lunch which I eat in my windowless “office”, get down to the final serving of the leftovers and realized I haven’t taken a picture of this meal. So that’s why you’re getting an iPhone picture of this soup in my Pyrex container.

I’m on-call from Friday morning until Monday morning every other weekend, and two weekends ago, I had an awful call. I only go in for emergencies (i.e., deaths), and I went in four times. None of the patients were over 60. I haven’t talked much about work here because most of the stories are not my stories to tell, but I was zonked. I needed some therapeutic time in the kitchen and some comfort food, and this meal fulfilled both. The broth was surprisingly but pleasantly spicy from the red pepper. I generally prefer blended soups to soups with a lot of component parts, though for a satisfying meal, this did the trick.

Kale & Tortellini Soup
source: Apple A Day
Yields 6 servings

Ingredients

1 tsp. olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried Herbes de Provence (or thyme)
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 (14 oz.) can low-sodium fire-roasted diced tomatoes
8 c. low-sodium vegetable broth
1 (14 oz.) can canellini beans, drained and rinsed
6 oz. kale, washed, ribbed, and chopped
1 (9 oz.) package whole wheat cheese tortellini
1/2 c. grated Parmesan, for garnish (optional)

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 3 minutes more.

2. Add in carrots, celery, oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Cook mixture, stirring often, until softened, 5-6 minutes.

3. Add the tomatoes, with their juices, and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes.

4. Add beans, kale, and tortellini and continue simmering until tortellini are cooked through, about 6 minutes. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese, if desired

Running Reads

2012-03-12T08:29:00.000-05:00

As if it wasn’t enough to spend 3-5 hours of my week running, sometimes I also read about running in my spare time. So I thought I would review a few of the running-related books that I’ve read in the past several months.

Mile Markers by Kristin Armstrong

I wanted to like this book more than I did, but at the end of the day, I just can’t relate to Kristin Armstrong that much. I don’t have a gaggle of girlfriends with whom I go gallivanting through the streets of Austin. I don’t have kids, and I’m not nearly as fast. The book is primarily a compilation of Armstrong’s blogposts and writings for Runner’s World organized by topic (“mile marker”). However, that lends itself to being chronologically disjointed and occasionally confusing. I did appreciate how she combines running and her faith and her odes to the support and camaraderie of her running friends, but I had trouble relating.

Run to Overcome by Meb Keflezighi

It’s actually been almost a year since I’ve read this book, but with Meb’s Olympic Trials success, it would be a good read before this summer. In large part, the book is an answer to the critics who claim that Meb isn’t “really” an American since he immigrated from Eritrea. What is more American, more of an example of what our national mythology holds up than an immigrant coming to American and being able to find success? Additionally, the “real” American argument is pretty thinly veiled racism, but that’s a rant for another time. Meb’s good-guy personality and his hard work shine through this book, even if the writing is pretty second-rate. It’s a quick read for anyone interested in the back story of an Olympic runner. I’ll certainly be cheering for Meb when he runs in London.

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

Just in case I’m not the last runner in the world to read this book, there’s a reason that it’s so popular. I started it with some skepticism due to those militant barefoot runners who take so much inspiration from it, but there was very little barefoot propaganda in the book. The story is marvelously told, weaving in scientific discoveries and history with the main narrative of the “greatest race.” I couldn’t recommend it more highly, even if you’re not that into running. If you are into running, it will make you want to run more. While the book touches on veganism, barefoot running, and more, it isn’t about those movements specifically. At the end of the day, a well-written, fascinating story is really what this book is.

Southwestern Pizza with Black Beans and Corn

2012-03-09T15:17:00.001-06:00

If I wanted to toy with your emotions, I might hint (wink wink nudge nudge) about how there was big doings going on at our house, that I had a “big announcement” coming up, or that we were thinking about adding another member to our family. But it all happened so fast, and Monday night, we met our newest family member:

Meet Stitch! He’s a 6 year old Ragdoll (to go with our other two Ragdolls), and he came to us because his previous family was very stressful for him and he needed a home without young children and dogs. So far, he’s integrating pretty well after spending about 24 hours under our bed. He is super sweet and wants lots of love from Joe and me even if he isn’t too sure about the other cats in the house yet. I never thought I’d own three cats, but adopting an older cat was much less intense than getting another kitten, and I’m very happy that we can give Stitch a home where he can be happier.

This week I’m thankful for fluffy cats and avocados. I bought a couple of avocados this week assuming I could figure out some way to use them. When I proposed this dinner to Joe, his eyes lit up, and I hoped it would live up to his expectations. No worries there. The black bean base was the perfect spice level, and all of the toppings made it fun to eat. Using a pre-made pizza crust (processed food alert! Sorry I’m not sorry!) meant that this will be a repeat weeknight dinner for sure.

Southwestern Pizza with Black Beans and Corn
source: Prevention RD
Yields 4 servings (2 slices each)

Ingredients

1 roll Pillsbury original pizza dough
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 chile en adobo, minced + 2 tsp adobo sauce
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1 small tomato, diced
1/2 small red onion, diced
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels (no need to thaw)
1 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese
2 green onions, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1/2 avocado
2 Tbsp nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp lime juice

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and unroll pizza dough, stretching and pressing to create a rectangle reaching the sides of the baking sheet.

Bake the dough for 5-6 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, place the black beans in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave them on HIGH for 45 seconds. Add the chile en adobo, sauce, chili powder, cumin, and salt to the bowl and use the back of a fork to smash the beans into a thick paste.

Spread the black beans on the pizza dough, followed by the tomatoes, red onion, and frozen corn. Bake the pizza for 8 minutes or until edges of the pizza are just starting to turn golden. Remove the pizza, sprinkle the top with cheese, and bake for another 3-4 minutes until the cheese is melted.

While pizza baked, mash the avocado with the Greek yogurt, lime juice, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. When pizza is done baking, smear the avocado cream across the pizza and sprinkle with green onions and cilantro. Serve immediately.

Stuffed Peppadew Peppers for Krystal’s Virtual Baby Shower Fiesta

2012-03-04T08:07:00.001-06:00

I was very excited to be asked to participate in my very first virtual baby shower for my good blog friend Krystal! Krystal and I share a love of fun pop music and spin class, and she even made me a mix CD that I rely on often for motivation on long runs.

Krystal is Filipino, and her husband Eric is Cuban, so our task was to come up with something from either of those cultures for her baby shower fiesta. I wanted to make an appetizer that wasn’t heavy or time-consuming, and these little bite-size peppers were perfect. Even though the peppadew pepper technically comes from South Africa, the sweet heat with some creaminess from the goat cheese makes me think of the Caribbean. These would go very well with a mojito after the baby comes!

Please join me and others in congratulating Krystal and Eric on the impending addition to their wonderful family!

Stuffed Peppadew Peppers
source: inspired by Rumba & Eat, Drink, Smile

Ingredients

1 jar peppadew peppers (found in larger grocery stores near the pickles & olives)
1 small log high-quality goat cheese

Preparation

Allow goat cheese to soften at room temperature. Drain and rinse peppers. Using your hands, stuff goat cheese into peppers.

Quick, Creamy Spinach-Mushroom Lasagna

2012-02-27T07:42:00.000-06:00

Last year about this time, I wrote an oddly (to me) well-received post about Lent and Ash Wednesday and fasting. I had plans of doing a similar post this year, but the moment kind of passed me by. Hopefully it will suffice to say that I love Ash Wednesday and Lent and not just because I look pretty good in purple (liturgical joke). I planned and led a service at the hospital, and it was an amazingly sacred space and time, to intimately touch people’s foreheads and mark them as mortal and frail and human in the midst of a place that directly confronts people’s mortality. It was one of the best moments of my ministry there so far.

This Lent is particularly special for me since I’m also preparing for being ordained to the priesthood on Easter Saturday. That in and of itself is a pretty intense spiritual undertaking. So, I’m not really “doing” anything for Lent, at least nothing that I can put in a little soundbite and convey to you all. In fact, for where I am with God right now, giving up “doing” is probably exactly what I need to do, so there.

But some people give up meat, and for you, there is this lasagna! It comes together pretty easily for a lasagna, not that I would know because Joe actually made this while I was at work. He also changed a few proportions, leaving out a few noodles and 1/3 of the cream cheese. It was still good. Make half for now and freeze the other half for a fast dinner in a few weeks. Double-duty dinner!

Pam Anderson’s Quick, Creamy Spinach-Mushroom Lasagna
source: Runner’s World

Ingredients

15 oven-ready, rippled style lasagna noodles
Salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 pound sliced mushrooms
2 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed dry)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup vegetable broth
3 cups marinara sauce (no sugar added or low-sugar)
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400°F.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, sauté until tender and well browned, about 7 minutes. Add spinach, sauté until heated through. Combine spinach-mushroom mixture with the basil, 8 ounces of cream cheese, and 1/4 cup broth. Mix remaining 4 ounces cream cheese with 1/4 cup broth in a small bowl; set aside.

To assemble, spread 1/3 cup marinara on the bottom of baking dish, then assemble 4 layers in the following order: 3 lasagna noodles, 2/3 cup marinara, 1 cup spinach-mushroom filling, 3/4 cup mozzarella, and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Top with remaining 3 noodles, the cream cheese-broth mixture, 3/4 cup mozzarella, and 1/4 cup Parmesan.

Cover with cooking spray-coated foil and bake until bubbly, about 45 minutes. Leaving lasagna on same rack, turn oven to broil. Remove foil and broil until lasagna is golden brown, 5 minutes. Remove from oven; let sit for 10 minutes.

Marathon Training: Week 8

2012-02-24T13:56:00.001-06:00

I promise that I have a recipe that I’ll be posting next week, but I wanted to update you all on how training for Flying Pig was going. Tomorrow, my mom and I are doing our longest run to date: 14-15 miles (depending on how early we get going and how fast because I have a dentist appointment at 10 am!). I will admit to being more than a little afraid since it will be the longest I have ever run, and my first run over the half marathon distance (except for the extra .5 mile in the Middle Half course). But we’re running it on a really enjoyable course through some of my favorite parts of Nashville, and we’ll just keep it slow and steady.

A couple of weekends ago, we ran the Cedars Frostbite Half Marathon, but I didn’t take any pictures because it was miserable. However, my mom did win 3rd in her age group and got this cool trophy.

Somehow, I had it in my mind that it was a relatively fast course and began to fantasize about it being a PR race for me, particularly after reading about Cate’s awesome half marathon PR. I had been feeling really strong, and sub-2:05 seemed within my reach. However, as the race approached, the weather forecast deteriorated, and we woke up on Saturday morning to 20-25 mph winds, temperatures in the 20s, and flurries of snow. It was the coldest day of the year, and due to our mild winter, the weather conditions felt brutal. Kelly also alerted me to the fact that it was indeed hilly. Maybe not a PR day after all…

The start of the race was at 11 am, which was a little strange, but also allowed me to sleep in. When we got there, just under an hour until the start, we missed getting a close parking space by one car. This meant we had to park a 1/2 mile up the road from the staging area. Eventually, we abandoned the warmth of the car and trudged down to the heated (!) building where we got our bibs, T-shirts, etc. The sun showed a promise of peeking out, and I was actually a touch warm standing at the starting line.

We started off up a hill, but my first mile was right on target for a PR and I felt okay. I took my gloves off and shoved them in my tights and zipped down my jacket. Second mile also looked good, but then we hit an awkward gravel road where it was difficult to fall into a rhythm. After three mentally exhausting miles of watching my footing like a hawk so I didn’t face plant, I was thrilled to hit asphalt again and took off after the 10K aid station. That lasted all of about, oh, a quarter mile before the next big hill. Additionally, I was taking my gloves off and putting them back on depending on whether the sun was out or we were getting blasted by an Arctic wind or it started snowing on us.

The wheels started to come off around mile 8 (yay! Only 5 miles to go!). I would’ve curled up in a ball by the side of the road and cried, but I probably would’ve died of exposure. No one around us seemed to be having a lot of fun either. The last aid station was supposed to be around 10.3 but was closer to 10.6. It didn’t help when the volunteer cheerily encouraged us that we had “just over 3 miles to go!” Um, no. The next two miles were along the side of a highway straight into said 20-25 mph winds. So much pain, so cold, so miserable. Finally, we turned back into the state park for the last little bit, and we ran it in to the finish line. The final time was not important except that it was my slowest half marathon since I started seriously running.

One of the parts I love about races is using other people as carrots to give me motivation. On the last hill, Mom and I decided that there was no way we were going to let this woman in pink fuzzy socks and frilly shorts covered in hearts beat us, so we blasted past her (and by “blasted,” I mean, “shuffled by her at about a 11 min/mile pace”).

We got water and pizza and Diet Coke and hung out with people while we waited for the results. I probably ended up with some mild hypothermia since I didn’t change out of my sweaty, wet clothes because getting to our car would’ve involved going outside and moving my legs more. It took me forever to get warm even once I was home and showered.

It really would’ve been a nice race if the conditions had been favorable. It was a good size at about 500-600 people and very low-key (low entry fee, no medals, no course protection since it was in a state park, no rock bands at the mile markers, etc.). I suppose the name of the event should’ve given me pause, but I laughed when I signed up because it had been such a mild winter. “Ha ha!,” I thought. “It’ll probably be 60 degrees at the finish line!” Boy, was I wrong.

I Love This Bar

2012-02-17T07:23:00.000-06:00

Guess who’s home from Kenya!

That’s actually from when he was leaving, so he’s a lot more tan, and his luggage isn’t as heavy now. Joe got home Sunday evening, had Monday off, and was back to work at the hospital on Tuesday. Usually, we don’t do too much for Valentine’s Day, but it is nice to do something fun. While he was gone, I tried to get him a card, but they were all awful. I also had my CPE unit 2 evaluations all day Tuesday, which I knew would leave me completely emotionally and physically exhausted, so we kind of scrapped the romantic, gushy expressions of Valentine’s Day for this year. And I am so glad we did because Valentine’s Day 2012 will forever be known as The Day We Found Our Bar.

(How I Met Your Mother-style) You see kids, once upon a time, when we lived in Houston, we were surrounded by great bars – not just places to get a drink, but places that feel like home. There was Blanco’s with its live country music, shuffleboard tables, and buckets of longnecks. There was Kay’s with George Strait on the jukebox, a giant table shaped like Texas, foosball tables, and the Dolly Parton-wannabe bartenders. There was Hans’ Bier Haus with its bocce ball courts, picnic tables, and great craft beer selection. They were places where you could go to relax, kick back, and be yourself. Usually there are a crew of crusty, Wrangler-wearing regulars, but they don’t mind the newcomers as long as they’re respectful.

Ever since we moved to Nashville, we’ve been looking for our bar. Sure, there are good places to get a drink, but we always left feeling like Goldilocks. Too loud, too hip, too smoky, too fratty, too “biker bar”, etc. On a whim, we walked in to Twin Kegs and found ourselves looking at this beauty:

Shuffleboard. The bar kind, not the cruise ship kind. We took a seat and looked around. One of the regulars at the bar hollered, “He’s in the back cooking, but he’ll be right with you.” There was Yuengling and Sam Adams on draft, along with the standard domestic, light, and cold lagers. When the bartender came to take our order, Joe asked him how the shuffleboard worked. He looked at us with a little confusion and said, “You just get up and play,” and proceeded to tell us how long it had been in that building and who takes care of it. “We just ask that you respect the table.” Oh, we will.

While Miranda Lambert and the Eagles played on the jukebox, Joe respected that I owned him at the shuffleboard table. Unfortunately, it was getting late, and we had ~~school~~ work the next day so we had to call it a night. Even though our Valentine’s Day wasn’t romantic, I got to spend the evening doing things I love with my favorite person in a place where I could kick back and relax. Sounds pretty good to me.

11 Random Facts About Me

2012-02-10T07:58:00.001-06:00

Courtenay over at Auto-Pilot Legs tagged me in this meme that I’ve seen on other blogs, and I figured, hey, it’s content since I’m obviously not doing any real cooking as of late. Also, one of my favorite things to talk about is myself so of course I’ll jump on any opportunity to do so (see: having a blog). But because I’m a rebel, I’m not going to follow the rules.

1. Things that, at one time or another, I have said that I would never do but ended up doing anyway: move back to Texas for college, get married, watch all of the Harry Potter movies, be a runner, and wear jeggings.

2. Living in Nashville, I occasionally still have dreams of becoming a back-up singer for some big country act. I might practice by singing harmony to the radio.

3. I rode in Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans for two years while Joe played keyboard in the band. It was the best way to see Mardi Gras without being in the middle of the crowds. I also ended up with a sore wrist from playing shaker and dancing.

4. I love working with and around children, but I really don’t want to have any of my own.

5. As kids, my brother and I didn’t grow up with a lot of sweets or candy around, and to this day, I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. I’ll take a glass of wine over dessert nearly any day.

6. I went to boarding school in northern Michigan (specifically, northwestern lower Michigan) for my junior and senior years of high school. Usually people are like, “Wow, what was that like?” It was amazing. Pure awesomeness.

7. My favorite books as a kid were Charlotte’s Web and Matilda. Sometimes I would try to move things with my mind like Matilda.

8. I thought I was smart until I went to graduate school. That was a rude awakening.

9. Sometimes I’m afraid I peaked too early. In 8th grade, I played my dream role of Marian the Librarian in The Music Man. My senior year of high school, I was a finalist for a Presidential Scholar of the Arts and was flown to Miami with the other finalists (see picture above). Since then, it’s been pretty mediocre.

10. I have never won an election. All of the times I ran for student class representative, fine arts representative, student body vice president, whatever. Never won a single election. My mom says I’m saving it up for when I’m elected bishop, which is sweet but probably something all clergy moms say.

11. I’m a total city girl. Being in the country at night freaks me out way more than being in an urban area at night, and I get confused when people from more rural areas complain about how “busy” Nashville is.

And here are the questions that Courtenay asked us:

1. What was the turning point in life that lead you to a more active/healthy lifestyle or has it always played an important role?

When I started dating Joe and saw that he made time to exercise even with a busy med school student schedule, I figured that I should make time too. I started to be more interested in living a healthy lifestyle food-wise when I got engaged and wanted to slim down for the wedding. I ended up losing 20 pounds.

2. What is your career and is it where you want to be? If not, what would your dream job be?

I’m an Episcopal clergyperson, currently serving as a chaplain at a children’s hospital and a youth minister at a parish. I’m trying to discern what my dream job might be, but I’m leaning towards school chaplaincy. I think I would love that.

3. What was the best day of your life so far?

My wedding day, closely followed by my ordination to the diaconate. On both days, it was wonderful to be surrounded by friends and family and lifted up. They were very holy and sacred days.

4. Who in your life has had the most positive influence on you? Why?

So many people throughout my life, but I’ll probably have to say Joe since being married to him really has made me a better person.

5. Are you a picky eater? If so, what foods absolutely disgust you? If not, what’s your favorite food that you never get sick of?

Nope, not a picky eater at all. My favorite food is cheese, preferably with some sort of carbohydrate. Macaroni and cheese, cheese quesadilla, cheese and crackers, chips and queso. Love.

6. Chocolate? Vanilla? Neither?

Eh, probably chocolate more than vanilla, but I have trouble with straight chocolate. I need fruit or nuts or some other flavor to break it up.

7. What’s your favorite form of cross-training?

Some sort of group exercise. I’m currently on a Bikram yoga kick, but I also spin or BodyPump.

8. If you run races, what’s the best race experience you have ever had?

I’ve had a lot of good race experiences, but the best have been the Oak Barrel Half Marathon (April 2011) and the Women’s Half Marathon (September 2011) in Nashville.

9. What was your very first job? How long did you work there?

My first real job was as an Assistant Account Executive in the Travelers Insurance Special Liability Group. I worked there just less than a year.

10. Favorite TV show or movie?

Love Actually. I love that movie. I’m such a sap at heart.

11. Have you ever met anyone famous? If so, who??

I’ve met Anthony Rapp (the original Mark Cohen in Rent) and had dinner with Oliver Stone because he was a friend of the father of a friend of mine. I also know a few people who are now famous but weren’t when I knew them. Oddly enough, I am really not good at seeing famous people in Nashville.

Enough about me, what do you think about me?

What I Read

2012-02-08T14:49:00.001-06:00

This is not a book blog, but I do enjoy reading, even more so now that I can read what I want when I want. Post-graduate school, that’s a pretty amazing feeling. Thanks to the influence of Abby and her ~~boyfriend~~ fiancé (!!!) John, I bought myself a Kindle to keep me company while Joe was gone. I had been using my brother’s first generation Kindle, but this one is SOOO much better – faster, lighter, smaller, and more awesome. I can tuck it in my purse and read anywhere, which, let’s face it, is far more productive than playing Bejeweled on my iPhone.

I ended up making a tentative goal to read 20 books this year, and I’m almost a quarter of the way through that goal, much to my surprise. In addition to my CPE/pastoral care reads, this is what I’ve been reading.

The Paris Wife – Paula McLain

I’m a sucker for historical fiction and have a particular love for the Roaring 20s and the drama between various artists. McLain writes from the point of view of Hadley, Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, detailing their introduction, courtship, and the course of their marriage as Hemingway rises to fame amidst the alcohol-infused Paris of the 1920s. Perhaps you should be a fan of Hemingway or the time period to enjoy this book, but it’s also about a relationship and what happens when both people change and grow apart. It’s about trying to live out one’s values in a culture that goes against those values. While I didn’t identify readily with Hadley’s conservatism, the heartbreak in the final pages of the book is palpable in McLain’s writing.

House of Prayer No. 2: A Writer’s Journey Home – Mark Richard

Southern Gothic memoir with a twist of religion and several stints in a rather frightening children’s hospital. A lot of reviews complain about the (somewhat odd) style of a memoir written in second person. It took me a couple of sections to find my stride with the style before it began to feel more natural, so I get that. But it is a hauntingly beautiful read and a very real story in both its spiritual and earthly components. It’s about writing and pain and growing up and dysfunctional families and relationships and the South and serendipity and wandering and God. It’s theological but not preachy. At just over 200 pages, I tore through this in just a few days, so it’s a very quick read but well worth the time and energy. It’s a book that I’ll be thinking about for quite a while.

Read anything good lately?

Forks Over Knives

2012-02-03T07:40:00.000-06:00

I have a list of various types of documentaries (food, religious, music) on Netflix a mile long, and inevitably, I settle in with old episodes of Law & Order. Last Sunday, I decided to make a dent in that list after hitting the Whole Foods salad bar for dinner. Unbeknownst to me, Sunday night is when various liberal Protestant ministers do their shopping since I saw at least two colleagues of mine. I had heard good things about Forks Over Knives from Daily Garnish and No Meat Athlete, so I selected it for viewing.

The movie’s premise is that a good portion of the heart disease and cancers that kill many Americans can be prevented and even reversed by following a whole-foods, plant-based diet. Though the words “vegetarian” or “vegan” are rarely mentioned, that’s what they mean. The film follows the careers of Drs. Caldwell Esselstyn and T. Colin Campbell (The China Study) who provide convincing scientific and clinical research that backs up the film’s claim. Additionally, several “success stories” are featured – people who have seen their disease processes reverse thanks to following such a diet. In response to those who might think adopting a vegan diet is a drastic move, the film’s retort is, “And coronary artery bypass surgery isn’t?”

This film combines two things that are very important to me: food and healthcare. Particularly living in the fourth fattest state, both Joe and I see the deleterious health effects of poor lifestyle choices all around the hospital. Personally, I think it would be amazing if people educated themselves about the health benefits of moving to at least a partially vegan diet, but at the end of the day, I fear that Forks Over Knives is really just preaching to the choir. As someone who eats a predominantly vegetarian diet and is in good health (at least according to last year’s check-up), I got to turn off the TV and feel rather smug about my good choices while feeling pretty confident that I wouldn’t be giving up my Greek yogurt, cheese, or eggs anytime soon.

If one was presently diagnosed with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or heart disease, the film’s food-as-medicine approach might be something to look into. Otherwise, I think the film minimizes the emotional, cultural, and social aspects of food and eating, though it does a good job of dispelling the common stereotype of vegans as waif-like, fragile people. Even being a vegetarian in the South gets you the side-eye a good portion of the time, and there are few vegetarian/vegan, non-salad bar options in the hospital cafeteria. A whole-foods, plant-based diet might be the best way to eat but culturally, few people will likely be willing to try it even if they’re on their death bed.

Again, I enjoyed this film and found it convincing. It presented scientific evidence and concepts in a very accessible and fun way, but I doubt that those who really need to watch this will be exposed to it and even fewer will take up the challenge to eat this way rather than taking pharmaceuticals.

Marathon Training: Week 4

2012-02-01T07:15:00.000-06:00

If there is one sport I am just not that into, it’s football, particularly the NFL. I know. I grew up in Dallas in the 1990s, and I’m not into football. I’ll watch the occasional playoff game, and I get the scores for the Titans on my phone but I don’t normally care enough to watch.

College basketball is a different story. As a kid, we had two separate cats named Bobby Knight. And when I got a marketing e-mail telling me how I should order a party platter for the “Big Game,” for some reason, I thought they were referring to the Vanderbilt/Kentucky basketball game coming up on February 11th. Also, I may have eventually gotten a little lippy with some MTSU fans at the Vanderbilt game this past Saturday, but my God, they were obnoxious.

Or the other weekend when I went to the gym and asked them to turn one of the televisions to NBC. “Why? Is there a game on?” Um, just the Olympic Marathon Trials. Doesn’t everyone want to watch a bunch of frighteningly skinny-yet-muscular distance runners duke it out on the streets of Houston? Sorry I’m not sorry, but it was way more exciting than whatever NFL game was on the other channels.

All of this to say that you probably won’t be seeing a lot of Super Bowl party recipes over here this year. With Joe gone and absolutely zero connection to either team or location where said teams reside, it’s not a big deal in our house.

This, however, is a big deal. Remember last week’s disastrous long run and subsequent ego deflation and hand-wringing? Well, this week I rocked out 12 miles all by my lonesome (though not if you count Beyonce, J Lo, and Nicki Minaj). Like, I felt so good that I did a victory lap around my condominium complex. It was a cloudy day that turned sunny with more wind than I would’ve preferred, but I mapped a route through some of my favorite parts of the West side. I ended up having a picnic of Gu Chomps and water in Centennial Park (Parthenon and Friday night’s mascara pictured above), and it was splendid.

I like running on trails and in parks, but there are also some advantages to urban running. Like bathrooms. And things to look at besides trees. The disadvantages would be cars and road noise and occasionally having to run on concrete sidewalks rather than asphalt paths or roads. Also, a giant group of walkers that took up the entire sidewalk and eventually forced me to cross the street. But whatever, it was awesome.

I closed out January with 101 miles (a lot for me!), which gives me a great start for the year. Since I skipped my first step back week so that Mom and I could run the 11.2, I’m taking it this week. Then, we’re doing the Frostbite Half Marathon on February 11th. The plan is to treat it as a training run. Hahaha, famous last words, but I’ll leave you with this thought:

Detox Salad

2012-01-30T10:41:00.001-06:00

Detox is a word you hear a lot around early January. People have this desire to “clean out” their systems by fasting or doing something like the Master Cleanse. Medically, there is no advantage to those programs that you can’t also get from eating a whole foods, plant-based diet. Hence, this salad.

Fact: I am unable to use the food processor without making a complete mess of our kitchen.

It’s a good thing Joe was in another country because I could hear him grumbling half a world away about the little broccoli and cauliflower particles that I got everywhere. Don’t worry, sweetie; I cleaned it up.

This salad looks and tastes a lot like a grain salad but without any wheat products or oil. I would never make a lunch out of broccoli and cauliflower, but when it’s chopped up so finely and tossed with parsley and dried fruit and some sunflower seeds for crunch, I didn’t mind. I found it surprisingly filling alongside some Greek yogurt for protein. With a green monster smoothie for breakfast and this salad for lunch, I’ve been downing my fair share of veggies!

Detox Salad
source: Oh She Glows
Yields 4-5 large lunch-size portions

Ingredients

2 heads broccoli (1 bunch), stems removed
1 head cauliflower, stems removed
2.5 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup currants (I substituted dried cherries since currants were not available)
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup raisins
4-6 tbsp fresh lemon juice, to taste (I used the juice of 2 lemons.)
kosher salt, pepper to taste (1/4-1/2 tsp salt and lots of pepper)

Preparation

1. In a food processor (or chop by hand) process the broccoli (no stems) until fine. Add into large bowl.

2. Now process the cauliflower (no stems) until fine and add into bowl. Do the same with the carrots.

3. Stir in the sunflower seeds, currants, raisins, and parsley. Add lemon juice and seasonings to taste.

How Not to Train for a Marathon

2012-01-24T07:01:00.000-06:00

I had one of the worst runs of my life on Sunday afternoon, an 11.2 mile death march up and down the hills of Percy Warner Park while my poor mother tried to keep me putting one foot in front of another. Long run Saturday became long run Sunday because I spent Friday afternoon through Saturday here:

The 180th Annual Convention of the Diocese of Tennessee took place up at Sewanee, and even though I’m not canonically resident and therefore had no seat or vote, it was a good experience. The weather and atmosphere was completely different from being up there during the summer. The infamous Sewanee fog was out in full force. We could hardly see our hands in front of our faces and finding the cabin I stayed in was an exercise in driving extremely slowly. Not to get into the nitty gritty of church politics, but convention was amicable and uneventful, apparently different from years past. The Right Reverend Geralyn Wolf of Rhode Island was the keynote speaker and gave the sermon at Saturday morning’s Eucharist. She was incredible and very much embodied her episcopal role. It was my first Eucharist at All Saints’ Chapel (pictured above), and it lived up to expectations. The music and aesthetics and liturgy were all spot on.

The various parishes, missions, and ministries of the diocese all processed with their banners, which was a touching experience for me. Emily, our Divinity School field ed student and my friend, was our banner bearer. Not at all biased, but our banner was by far the prettiest. Anyway, I spent Friday and Saturday mostly drinking wine and coffee and not getting very much sleep.

So when Sunday rolled around, I executed my duties at church, serving at two services and leading Sunday school for the youth, not stressful but exhausting. Intellectually, I thought, “I should be mindful about hydrating since I’m running this afternoon.” But the other voices said, “Have some more coffee.” I slammed down an English muffin with almond butter and banana with a little water and got ready to meet my mom at Percy Warner Park.

I had been dreading this run for a while. Percy Warner’s hills are long and steep and brutal, and while I’m familiar with the 5.8 mile loop, I had never tackled the 11.2. The first mile is all uphill, and I knew immediately I was in trouble. My heart rate was sky high, and my legs felt like bricks. My hamstrings were still sore from my first Bikram class on Thursday, and I could feel them with every step. I couldn’t catch my breath, and it felt like we were going much faster than we were. Each mile split was morale-depleting.

The elevation graph of doom

“What was I thinking. I’m never going to be able to run a marathon,” the little voices in my head told me. “You feel like death after 5 hilly miles. How do you think you’ll feel after 20?” I struggled to resist lying down on the road and crying. Then I listed all of the reasons I was having a crappy run: legs were tired from both BodyPump and Bikram this week, dehydration, travel and emotional stress, church that morning, unseasonably warm and humid January weather, a hard and hilly course, etc. Every time my eyes started to well up, I tried to think, “There is no crying in running (a la A League of Their Own). Do you think Desi Davila or Meb Keflezighi cries when they have a bad run?” We got to the clubhouse, and I drank some water and took some Gu Chomps.

I started to feel a little stronger but still took quite a few walk breaks just so my heart wouldn’t explode out of my chest. We made it up 9 mile hill, and I felt better just knowing the end was in sight, particularly since the last mile is all downhill. Still, my hamstrings were super tight, and I started to feel a hot spot on the bottom of my big toe. I just couldn’t get comfortable, and everything I had on (heart rate monitor, RoadID, fuel belt) felt like it was strangling me. We hit the stone gates as my Garmin clocked 11.2 miles, and I wanted to cry. I chugged the water I had remaining in my fuel belt and walked around trying to shake out my legs. Then I went home, drank some Gatorade, felt sorry for myself, and put on my compression gear.

It sucked, and I still finished. Lessons learned: no more long runs after church, and drink your freaking water. Still, any pep talks about how I am not a failure and how I will be able to run a marathon are certainly welcome. Week 3 of marathon training complete.

Since You’ve Been Gone

2012-01-22T16:53:00.001-06:00

Joe left for Kenya on Saturday, and after a brief two day stop in London where he tortured me by getting tickets to Wicked, arrived in Kijabe Wednesday morning. I’m loving the pictures he’s able to send me, and he’s also writing a joint blog! The doctor he is with gave them tips about what to do when they run into baboons. You know, like you do. Oh yeah, the Rift Valley, NBD.

Meanwhile, we’re having freakishly warm tornado weather in Tennessee followed by 30-degree temperature drops. I’ve been surprisingly productive though – washed all of our sheets and towels, have made myself meals and cleaned up, and taken care of the cats. I’ve run, done BodyPump, and my very first Bikram class. You know, keeping busy.

Remember when I made the Italian Slow-Cooker Eggplant Casserole and I mentioned that I wanted this cookbook? Well, my very lovely Secret Santa from my women’s running forum got it for me, along with some other treats.

It has already been put to great use. I’ve made Hot and Sour Soup and Tempeh in Peanut Sauce with Veggies.

Sorry that we’ll have to make do with iPhone pictures for the next little while. Joe took the nice camera to Kenya with him. I don’t want to share the recipes here because I really, really think you should buy this cookbook, but trust me when I say that I have been extraordinarily pleased with everything I’ve made so far, even if I was a little unsure at first (Um, seriously? Making peanut sauce in the slow-cooker? How did that even work?). Very few of the recipes use any kind of “weird” ingredients, and you would hardly even know they were vegan.

As always, all opinions are my own. This post was not sponsored in any way, shape, or form. I just want to let you all know about products I think are good.

Long Trip Alone

2012-01-13T12:41:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow morning, I will be dropping Joe off at the airport for his long trip to Kenya. The lucky duck opted to spend two nights in London on his way over there, so that will break up the trip a little bit. He laughed when I suggested he bring me back something Burberry. In addition to clothes and entertainment and other personal effects, Joe and his fellow anesthesia resident are also taking over a LOT of medical equipment and accessories for Kijabe Hospital. This box is just a little bit of the anesthesia masks, stethoscopes, and needles that they’re packing up to take over.

A large part of my anxiety about him leaving is that we haven’t had a lot of time together lately. We both worked intermittently during the holidays, and our last full weekend was constricted by his call schedule, my church commitments, and helping my parents move. It seems as if we’ve been working on completely opposite schedules. I’m on when he’s off, and he’s on when I’m off. Before you call the WAHmbulance, here are a few things I’m looking forward to about being single-in-function for the next month.

Cheese and crackers for dinner. Not the healthiest, true, but what it means to me is getting to scrounge and snack for dinner rather than focusing on meal planning and making a big dinner every night. Leftover soup, cereal, mac & cheese out of the box, salads, and protein shakes also fall into this category. Preferably with red wine while watching The Tudors.
The whole bed to myself. I love Joe, but he is a big guy. And when our queen-sized bed is taken up by him, the body pillow, and me, and THEN a cat decides to squeeze in, I don’t always sleep very well. Also, our wake-up times rarely coincide. Either he gets up WAY before I do, or he sleeps in, and I end up getting dressed for my morning run in the dark.
Girlfriend time. Since our schedules are so crazy, most of our free time gets spent with each other, often to the neglect of our other friendships. Girlfriend time is usually relegated to Joe’s on-call nights or other times of the day. I’m looking forward to Skype dates with Abby, movies and wine with CPE friends, and just feeling free to do things with girlfriends without it cutting into my quality time with Joe.
Making the stuff that I want to eat. Most of the time, I do a pretty good job balancing things that I like and what is appealing to Joe, but he has put it in no uncertain terms that the following are not appreciated: tempeh, soba noodles, eggplant, cauliflower, olives, tuna, mushrooms (in most cases), or canned salmon. So I’m already making lists of Kira-friendly foods that I can make explicitly not for sharing, like this Detox Salad.

Of course, at the end of the day, I’m really going to miss that goofy guy, and I’m sad and disappointed that I can’t join him this time. Bon voyage and safe travels, Joe!

Spinach-Cheddar Casserole

2012-01-05T07:20:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone’s new year is off to a terrific start. After working both big holidays and ringing in the new year asleep in my bed, I’m in a bit of a funk. A large part is due to something that I haven’t even mentioned on the blog yet.

This guy, otherwise known as Joe, is leaving next Saturday to go to Kenya for a month because he’s doing an anesthesia rotation there. I’ll miss celebrating his 30th birthday. I’ll miss just hanging out, doing the things we like to do. Plus I’ll be running our household all by my lonesome. No avoiding cleaning up the cat barf now. Or having him clean up the mess I made cooking dinner. I know he’s going to have a great experience, but right now, I’m just majorly bummed out.

Also, Nashville Originals Restaurant Week is January 16-22nd, and I’m taking requests for dates (the non-romantic kind of course).

I really will miss his help in the kitchen. Shortly before Christmas, I whipped up chili and beer bread for us to eat and then remembered that I needed to make something savory and breakfast-like to take to my CPE group the next day. There were quite a few dishes involved that night, and he helped me with all of them, even though he never got to eat this spinach-cheddar casserole.

I found it by browsing the Epicurious app on my iPhone. Fortunately for me, it had decent ratings, and I only needed to pick up a few things at the store to make it. 1/3 of our group forgot to bring something, so it was a boon to have something hearty to eat. The original recipe recommends this as a side dish, and I guess you could go that way as well, but I served it more like a crustless quiche. Brunch, breakfast, lunch, or dinner – this would be good for any meal.

(iPhone picture of leftovers)

Spinach-Cheddar Casserole
source: Bon Appetit March 1995

Ingredients

4 eggs

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry

1 16-ounce container cottage cheese

1 bunch green onions, chopped (I used low-fat)

1 cup packed grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup all purpose flour

3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or 1 tablespoon dillweed

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish. Beat eggs, salt and pepper to blend in large bowl. Mix in spinach. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well blended. Transfer mixture to prepared dish.

Bake casserole until center is firm and top is golden, about 45 minutes.

2012 Goals

2011-12-31T14:03:00.000-06:00

I used to be anti-New Year’s Resolutions because I thought it was silly that one day was better than any other for setting goals, especially when most of us have spent the last 5-6 weeks overindulging in sweets, heavy food, and alcohol. But then I got really into goal-setting, and I realized that it wasn’t that people set their goals in the heat of the moment but that they weren’t setting goals in a way that was conducive to their achievement. Goals should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. It’s the difference between saying that you’re going to lose ten pounds before the summer and just saying that you’re going to lose weight. With that in mind, here are a few of my goals for 2012.

1. Train for and run a marathon.

I’m registered for the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati on May 6th. My real goal is to achieve the above without getting injured, dying, or hating running. If I can do that, I might decide to do another one in the fall.

2. Do more leisure reading.

I’m finished with graduate school when I really only had time for leisure reading on breaks or during the summer, and my to-read list is getting ridiculous. I used to consistently read before going to bed, and I would like to get back into doing that. Joe gave me Tina Fey’s Bossypants for Christmas, and I recently purchased The Paris Wife. I’m not going to be shooting for a number of books to read in the next year, but you can follow me on Goodreads!

3. Work on the house

We’ve lived here for 2.5 years now, and there are quite a few things we’ve been neglecting – closets that have never been organized and rooms that don’t feel quite “finished”. We’re at the point that we’ve graduated from some of our starter electronics and furniture but haven’t gotten rid of the old stuff yet. Extra IKEA bookcases anyone? So this year I would like to de-clutter and re-organize, namely the bedrooms, bathrooms, and their closets. In an ideal world, it would also be the year that we replace the kitchen floor and countertops, but that’s a stretch goal.

4. Make meal plans and stick to them.

Now that I work a normal person schedule (plus some), I don’t go grocery shopping on Thursday mornings anymore. It’s also been all too tempting to pick up take-out after a long tough day or when I hit the gym after work. If I don’t have food in the house, and I’m feeling lazy, guess what happens. I would like to work towards eating out no more than 3 times a week. We like eating out, but we’ve spent way too much money on mediocre food lately. Hopefully this will also lead to more blogging than I did in 2011!

5. Get down to my happy weight and stay there.

I was within five pounds in early December. It doesn’t seem like much, but on my 5’2” frame, every little bit helps. It would seem like training for a marathon would take care of this, but I get ravenously hungry when I’m training. Now I know that smaller, more frequent meals on long run days are better for me than just eating everything in sight, I will try to curb the run-ger. Eating at home and cutting out extraneous alcoholic beverages throughout the week will also help.

Wishing everyone a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2012!