Running with Scarves

Tonight, Brad and I ran a 5K in less than 25 minutes. In the cold. And I was wearing gloves and a scarf. It's freezing out there! But as soon as we started running, I felt good, and we knocked it out fast.

Totally feeling accomplished and much better about Thanksgiving leftovers Part four. :-D

Zucchini Bread

So we had a ton of zucchini left over that went unused at Thanksgiving. I found the following recipe at: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/moms-zucchini-bread/

Original recipe makes 2 loaves (I halved it!)

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 1/4 cups white sugar

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups grated zucchini

1 cup chopped walnuts (I used pecans. Still have pecans!)

Directions

Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

This recipe was delicious! The first time I mentioned zucchini bread to Brad, he turned green (punny!). So when I whipped this up, he was outside doing yard work. He came in just as it was coming out of the oven, piping hot, and smelling delicious. I think he thought it was banana bread. He gave it a whirl, said it was good. I then told him it was zucchini bread. Surprise! :)

Anyway, Thanksgiving is over. Onward and upward. Still trying to get a base for marathon training, which is getting harder and harder as it gets windy and cold. But, I'm working on it. Baby steps!

Vegan Energy Bars

This is a recipe from Runner's World that I pilfed. Ok, so it was free, but I finally decided to try it out today. After Wednesday and Thursday, and knowing I have to cook all Saturday morning, it felt weird not to cook today. So I whipped up a batch of these, and threw them in the oven.

Yes, the are vegan. Which in Jamie-terms means that you can eat the raw batter (no eggs.) Not that raw eggs in a batter has stopped me from brownie dough or cookie dough, but I guess I do think about it. Now, no guilt at all! Plus, no butter, and you could probably substitute some, or all, of the sugar with a substitute. I was tempted to try maple syrup, but I need it for some Thanksgiving Part Deux Recipes.

Plus, they are energy bars, so eat one, and go for a beautiful crisp-fall-day-run. That's my intention! Go Run in the Fresh Air!

As for this recipe, I used pumpkin pie spice instead of nutmeg because I don't like nutmeg. Also, I didn't have baking soda, but they came out fine. And I used pecans instead of walnuts because I made pecan pie and had some left over.

What you’ll need:
2 very overripe bananas
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup unbleached sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cup rolled oats
¾ cup unbleached flour (up to ½ cup of which can be whole wheat flour)
¾ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
¾ cup toasted chopped walnuts
¾ cup dried cranberries
(Use your choice of nuts and dried fruit as substitutes)

How to make it:
1. Preheat oven to 350, grease 8x9’’ baking pan
2. In a mixing bowl, mash bananas. Mix with sugar, oil and vanilla extract until smooth.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, combine baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour and oats.
4. Add banana mixture to oat mixture, mix until just combined.
5. Fold in walnuts and cranberries, careful not to overmix.
6. Pour mixture into baking pan, and spread evenly. Bake for 20 minutes or until the top is browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before cutting.

2nd Image and Recipe C/O: http://www.runnersworld.com/recipes/make-your-own-energy-bars

Dining Room Farmhouse Table. 1/8th Price of Pottery Barn

Promised Project Reveal! If you're going to eat healthy to fuel your runs, you might as well do it on a lovely dining room table :-D But what if you can't afford an awesome, 90 inch long, 45 inch wide farmhouse extravaganza? Well, you make your own. Obviously.

(Image Care of Pottery Barn Website)

Brad and I made a dining room table. It sort of looks like this Pottery Barn farmhouse inspired, "Benchwright Table & Grayson Chair Set - Rustic Mahogany stain
$3,593.00 – $5,692.00" table.

This is our table:

Which one do you like better?

P.S. Ours cost less than $200. We used Premium Douglas Fir wood from Home Depot, a bunch of brackets and nails, Kona Wood Stain by Rustoleum, and Polyurethane. Voila! Thoughts?

Almost Vegan Dinner

So after reading some of Jurek's book "Eat and Run" last night, I decided to give a vegan recipe a whirl. And not just any recipe. Mashed potatoes. Because, seriously, if someone can make mashed potatoes taste delicious without cream and butter, I have to know. Impossible.

Ok. I've been schooled. These mashed potatoes are INCREDIBLE. As in, oh my goodness, I am going to crave these, and if I never have traditional mashed potatoes again, I'll be okay. That good.

So here's the recipe. I played with it a little bit, so I'll give you my version, but still vegan.

First I made rice milk. This consisted of me making a cup of brown rice like you would normally make rice. (You can make white rice, we just don't have white rice in our household.) I then added 4 cups of water, 1/8 tsp. of salt, and 1 tablespoon of sesame oil (he called for sunflower, I didn't have it, same omega 6 fat burning goodness though). I then used my immersion blender to make it smooth and stuck it in the fridge. Any blender would work here.

Tonight, I took 2 sweet potatoes and 2 regular white baking potatoes and boiled them for about 40 minutes. (Put the potatoes in the water so they are covered, bring it to a boil, and let it sit for 30-45 minutes.) I had to leave them on the stove longer because my sweet potatoes were massive. I then mashed them up with a fork 'cause I'm Bronx like that. I added 2 tbsp. of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. As I was mashing, I stirred in 1 cup of my rice milk. When it was mashed all pretty, I slapped it on some plates and I dusted my portion with paprika.

Unbelievable. Sooooo good. And no butter or cream, so crazy-uber healthy. The sesame oil gives it such an amazing flavor. I'm so impressed. Great job Jurek! I swear, if I were Oprah, I would totally go vegetarian, especially after all the reading I've done about nutrition over the past two years. Antibiotics and steroids and bacteria... Ugh.

Also, in my picture, you see some delicious acorn squash. I was going orange tonight I suppose.

I chopped an acorn squash in half, scooped out the seeds (looks like a pumpkin!), filled the cavity with apples, pecans, craisins, brown sugar, and smart balance butter substitute (I think this last ingredient makes my dinner "almost vegan" though I don't know what smart balance butter is made out of--I only included it so it wouldn't get dried out). I let all of this bake for 45 minutes at 400, and voila! Vegetarian dinner. And while the squash is awesome and caramelized and incredible, these mashed potatoes really impressed me. I love me some mashed potatoes! And I'm a tough critic.

Lampshades, Edgar's, Jurek, & Luther

1. Lampshades

On Sunday, I went to Michael's Craft Store. At Michael's, I purchased 6 pieces of glittery, snow-flake laden scrapbook paper on thick card stock. Because I splurged for the sparkly good stuff, it came out to about $12. I then went home, covered my chandelier shades with the card stock, glued it together, added some clips to keep the seams tight, and let them sit overnight to dry. I trimmed them, and returned the card stock covered shades to the chandelier. Voila! Christmas-y, relatively inexpensive (especially if I had gone for the 59 cent paper as opposed to the $1.99), and so much better than the antiquated beige original! Take a gander:

2. Edgar's Pub

Just wanted to mention: Edgar's Pub in Sea Girt is making a FREE Thanksgiving meal for anyone who is displaced due to the Hurricane, or those super-cool utility workers who have left their families behind and traveled to us to get the lights back on in our towns. Awesome. Check it out at edgarsnj.com or read more at: http://www.app.com/viewart/20121114/NJNEWS/311140075/Free-Thanksgiving-dinners-Sandy-survivors

3. Jurek

I am currently reading 'Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness' by Scott Jurek. He is an ultramarathoner (races over 26.2, but he specializes in 50, 100, and up to 150 mile races) and a vegan. His book talks about his life and also includes some pretty interesting and eclectic vegan recipes. So far, I'm really enjoying it, but I am a sucker for any book about ultramarathon running (I've read all of Dean Karnazes' books, and I LOVED Born to Run by Christopher Mcdougall. I love them mostly because they inspire me to put my under armour cold leggings on and get out the door, even when sweats and some mulled cider seem more inviting. (I also subscribe to Runner's World for the same reason...) I like Jurek's because he includes recipes, and that's one of my favorite aspects of Runner's World. I have become such a sucker for non-fiction when it deals with nutrition and health and fitness. I just find it absolutely fascinating. I wish I knew this about myself when I was in college... Just another argument as to why one should not blow hundreds of thousands of dollars on an education until one is older (or lucky, and sure of what they want to do at a younger age.) I know when I was in college, I had no clue! Now, I want to take woodshop and food chemistry classes... Eh, maybe one day I will.

4. Which brings me to my forth and final point of the day. Check out LamonLuther.com my new heroes. If that story doesn't move you, then you need to reevaluate your life. Plus, I wish I were half as talented. Don't worry, the final reveal of Jamie and Brad's Excellent Hurricane Projected that I mentioned in an earlier post is coming soon! Get excited! Anticipation should be building! (Hehe, secret play on words!) Don't worry, I promise the wait will be worth it :-D

Jurek Novel picture: http://www.dailycamera.com/entertainment/ci_20805471/scott-jureks-eat-run-going-distance-ultramaratho

New PR! 5K 22:58

If the GPS is true, I earned a new 5K PR today. Granted, it wasn't in an official race, but I definitely am going to give myself a trophy for this one! Running, with my dog (an adventure all on its own), I ran a 5K in 22:58, which is 7:24 pace. I know it's not exactly record shattering, but it's a minute less than my last 5K pr, and besides last week, I haven't run really since January (a few random runs here and there, but nothing consistent.) So take that and rewind it back! Yahoooooooooo! Feels so good :-D At least, it does now, sitting on the couch! While running, the cold air was making me pant like a freight train, and it hurt so bad all down my windpipe as well as in my left calf (which has completely tightened up, ugh). But, yes, now it feels good :-D

Art of Manliness and Brussel Sprouts. The Perfect Combination

No running today: Feel good, but figure I should let myself recover from my 7 miler yesterday considering I haven't run more than 5 since January. I may feel good, but that doesn't mean my body wants to push it to the limit!

Instead, BC vs. ND tonight! Yes, BC is probably going to get killed, but as they say in Little Giants, "One time!"

Also, Brad is perfecting the art of manliness tonight. He fixed our roof last weekend and chain sawed a few trees that fell during the hurricane, but this project is way cooler. I will explain more once the project is complete... so far, it looks amazing ;) I am so so so excited about it!

I am making brussel sprouts. This is one of my all time favorite recipes!

Here is the recipe for those who love vegetables as much as I do!

Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
20 ounces brussels sprouts, trimmed, outside leaves removed and quartered (about 5 cups)
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Pinch freshly ground pepper
2 small shallots, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about a half lemon)
Zest of half a lemon

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet pan over high heat. Add Brussels sprouts to skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until dark golden brown in places, about 4 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and shallots, and cook for 30 seconds more. Add water, and cover. Reduce heat to medium-high, and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Remove lid.
Add lemon juice, and drizzle with oil. Stir to combine well. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with lemon zest.

Oceanport 7 Miler

It was a beautiful day for running. Ironic, but beautiful. See, the weather was perfect. Blue skies, sunshine, perfect temperature for running capris and a T-SHIRT. Yes, a t-shirt. It was glorious! I threw on my trusty hat, grabbed some old school massive headphones of Brad's, placed a funky pair of sunglasses on my head just in case, and headed out.

And as I was running, this is what I saw. More and more sad damage. People still pumping out their homes. Entire contents of people's homes on the street ready for some mechanical mouthed garbage truck to devour them. Trees through houses. Power lines down. But still I ran. People gave me some pretty weird looks, and I felt pretty silly for running during a time like this, but sometimes you just need those endorphins. I ran from my house to the Long Branch beach, and noticed that Monmouth Beach is now open to the public. I briefly hesitated, considering running down that strip of the barrier islands, but decided I couldn't handle much more destruction, so I made a right instead, headed over to 7 Presidents' Park, and then looped home. I was blasting Bob Marley, pretending it was summer, and pretending the Hurricane never happened. It almost worked, if not for the shards of glass, random fence pieces, and sand everywhere that created an obstacle course for me.

All in all, I ran about 6.5-7 miles. I'm not sure which, but it is definitely the longest I've run since January when we ran the Charleston Marathon. A small penny in the bucket in comparison, but I am declaring myself in full marathon training mode. Here is the t-shirt design I think we are going to go with; if anyone is interested in purchasing one, let me know :-D Pricey, but you'll be advertising for a good cause! Stay safe out there, and I know a lot of people have lost power again. I lost power twice today. So good luck!

Long Branch

Since Long Brand is 2 miles from our house, and Pier Village officially reopened today after Hurricane Sandy, I would like to post some happy, pre-Sandy pictures :-D

Feeling Glum: Seaside Heights 1/2 Marathon: Our First

October 2011, Brad and I ran our very first half marathon, in Seaside Heights. In fact, a picture from that day has been the image for this blog since then! (Up top!) I'd like to share some of those photos, because they bring back HAPPY memories.

Again, please donate. Let's make Seaside and all our other shore towns look like this again! It's located on the right side of this website: crowdrise.com/shorecorps

Snow and Rollercoasters in the Sea Don't Mix

Nor'easter brought plenty of slushy snow. I'm praying the branches stay on the trees and the power and heat stay on. I'm also feeling terrible for those who don't have power and heat. Usually, the first snow storm of the season makes me feel warm and cozy inside. Snowboarding, Lake Placid, Sweatpants, Hoodies, Starbucks Christmas cups, Thanksgiving Turkeys, Football... all the winter things I love. Now, I just feel sad, and wish I could do more to help. Again, please consider donating at http://crowdrise.com/shorecorps

XoXo, stay warm out there people!

Team Shore Corps: www.crowdrise.com/shorecorps

So, Brad, Laura, and I are planning to run the NJ Marathon for the American Red Cross. I have set up a website where you can donate: crowdrise.com/shorecorps

Please, donate to this cause. I actually saw the trucks driving around bringing hot meals and warm clothing to people, and as much as the news tries to make it seem like they are invisible, they are out there, but there's so much more they could do if they had the resources!

If you can't donate, join us! We are looking for more members to join Team Shore Corps. If you've always wanted to run a marathon (or half! same day!), now's the time, and do it for a great cause. Help people rebuild their homes! And, I can't wait to go to the amusement parks again, jog on the boardwalk, and soak up the sun on the beautiful beaches!

We will run 26.2 miles around the beautiful Jersey Shore next May. It will happen.

Wedding Postponed, NJ MARATHON: Restore Da Shore

"Sandy the aurora's rising behind us
The pier lights our carnival life forever
Oh love me tonight and I promise I'll love you forever" ~Bruce Springsteen

Well, I was supposed to say "forever" to Brad this weekend, but Hurricane Sandy came instead.

The night of the hurricane was one of the scariest I've ever spent, with massive flooding all throughout our neighborhood, and water creeping up to our front door and back door of our brand new house. Luckily, it didn't make it inside our door! Wind whipped, we had to move Brad's car to the garage because we feared it would float away. Trees bent to the ground. One of the trees snapped, and a large chunk of it fell on our house! Somehow there was little damage, and Brad, with his sick roofing skills he obtained in college, was able to put our roof back together again! I must have an angel somewhere...

So the weekend that was supposed to be my wedding, I bought supplies, donated them to a shelter, and drove around with Melissa bringing food to people who were too afraid to leave because of looters, couldn't leave because they were elderly or couldn't leave because their cars had flooded. So tragic! How could I celebrate at a time like this, eating filet mignon and dancing 'til the wee hours of the morning? Right. Couldn't! But, yonkersrunner is back in business, though now an Oceanport runner (with a real NJ license, NJ plates, and NJ car insurance for a heckuva lot less). Wedding will just have to wait, but January 1, marathon training part deux officially begins! We, and my good friend Laura (maybe more!) have signed up for the NJ Marathon, which conveniently starts in Oceanport and runs through many of the towns devastated by Hurricane Sandy. So excited and nervous, but at least this time we know we can do it. Come cheer Brad and I on as we run to restore the shore! XOXO