Veggie Packed Enchiladas

Just the other day I was counting how long I’ve been vegetarian, and it’s been 10 months! Sometimes it seems like it’s been much longer than that, and other times I’m so impressed with myself for still going strong. When I first made the switch to being a full-on vegetarian (I hadn’t been eating meat often for a year or two prior, but still had it once in awhile), people would often ask “why” and I never really had a good reason. While I still don’t enjoy people asking me “why,” as though I need to validate my choices, I’ve come to realize that it is definitely more of an ethical thing for me than not – I just hate the idea of seeing animals suffer or be hurt. I realize it’s the “circle of life” and how things go, but I’m not going to participate in something if I’m not comfortable with it! And don’t get me wrong, hamburgers are delicious so I understand and have no problem with you eating one, I just won’t eat one myself.

So why the blabbering about my vegetarian lifestyle choices? Well, I’ve found that there are so many dishes that seem to have meat in them “just because.” There are plenty of dishes where meat is the centerpiece and main focus, but there are also a lot of dishes that seem to include meat more as an accessory. I love the versatility of Southwestern food, because even though it can be very meat-centric, there is also plenty of wiggle room for vegetables (and beans)! I love Southwestern food for the flavors, too, but it’s great that it is something I can continue to enjoy as a vegetarian.

So with a hankering for enchiladas, I took a look at the CSA box ingredients I had for the week, and put together a pretty tasty, meat (and fake meat) free enchilada! I suppose you could say I cut corners by not using homemade tortillas or enchilada sauce, but the time and effort required for those two things in addition to the rest of the cooking just isn’t realistic for your average working, marathon training, zonked from the heat wave person. If you have the time, by all means, go for it… but if you don’t, I promise your dish will be just as tasty!

Sweet Potato, Kale, and Black Bean Enchiladas
– Serves 4 –

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp oil
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 scallions, diced
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup corn
1/2 bunch of kale, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
1 tsp Adobo
1/4 tsp paprika
2 Tbsp water
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used Mexican blend)
6 fajita size flour tortillas
1 10 oz. can enchilada sauce

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until the begin to become translucent.
3. Add the cubed sweet potatoes, and sauté for another 3-5 minutes, until they begin to soften.
4. Add the black beans and corn, followed by all of the spices (chili powder, cumin, adobo, and paprika).
5. Begin to add the kale, a little bit at a time to allow it to wilt a bit and make room in the pan. As it’s wilting, add the 2 tablespoons of water to help deglaze the pan of the spices and aid in the wilting. Sauté until everything is combined and kale is slightly wilted, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from the heat.
6. Pour 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of an 8 x 11 dish.
7. Take a tortilla and add three spoonfuls of the mixture to the center of the tortilla, and roll. You don’t need to roll it like a burrito (but you can); just roll it more like a taquito – it’s okay if some of the “guts” are coming out of the sides. Place it in the dish. Repeat for the remaining 5 tortillas, layering them next to each other, slightly overlapping.
8. Top with the remaining sauce, the shredded cheese, and the scallions.
9. Bake for 18 minutes. Serve with avocado or guacamole, and sour cream or Greek yogurt.

Running Lately

Let’s face it, running in the heat of summer isn’t always fun. But, I’m finding the best way to get through the super sweaty, red faced, feeling like you can’t breathe well runs is to be thankful that I can run at all. It may sound cliche to be “thankful for the opportunity to do something that others can’t,” but I really feel that way. It really is a privilege to be able to lace up my sneakers and head out the door without any health worries! That isn’t to say that I haven’t found myself struggling here and there the past few weeks, though.

It seems as though every so often, my feet like to give me some trouble when it comes to running. A few weeks ago I noticed a little soreness right below my ankle bone towards my foot, but kept plodding along, simultaneously loving and hating my weekly workouts.I tried getting ankle braces, like the ankle braces for men since they are known to lend comfort. The discomfort would come and go, usually disappearing within the first 10 minutes of running. After my birthday, I noticed the pain more frequently – both when I started a run, but also when I was just walking. This obviously put me on high alert, and I started icing like crazy, doing ankle and foot strength work, and taking my runs easy. I ran the Firecracker 4 miler Race on the 4th of July like I do every year nice and easy with Ashley, but then decided to take a little more time for my foot. After three full days off I got back to things two weeks ago, and had no problem completing all of my workouts. But then last week, it hurt during every workout, and afterwards as well. By the time my weekend long run came around, I only got through 8 of the scheduled 14-16 miles.

I'm no stranger to injuries, unfortunately. — I’m no stranger to injuries, unfortunately.

After struggling with this on and off discomfort for a little over two weeks, I decided it was time to go to a Podiatrist. I wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, and I didn’t know if the pain I was feeling was the “run through it and stick it out” kind of pain, or the “you need to stop immediately” pain… which is something I struggle with from time to time. So I called on Monday morning and was able to be seen that evening. Being the type of person that I am, my first thoughts were of the worst – I’d be in a boot, I wouldn’t be able to do the Disney Dumbo Double Dare, I’d have to drop down or out of the Richmond marathon… etc. I’m a really “glass is half full” kind of girl, if you couldn’t tell! But eventually I realized that no matter what they would or wouldn’t find if I went to the doctor, it was better than being in pain, potentially making things worse, and, no matter what it could always be worse. Of course when filling out the paperwork I made sure to mention that I am a runner (marathon training) and that I wanted to make sure I didn’t have a stress fracture (the dirty words of the running world). When the doctor came in he asked if I was training for my first marathon, to which I replied it would be my fourth. Apparently I can’t do math, though, because Richmond will actually be my fifth. But I digress.

We took some x-rays, the doctor poked and prodded all around my foot and ankle, moved it a bunch of different ways, and even had me walk and jog in place for him. I was really glad he took the time to ask me questions, listen to me, and do a thorough exam. The verdict? No stress fracture! But, I do have some weird stuff going on, that I wasn’t aware of at all. Apparently, my right (problem) leg is slightly shorter than my left. It also bows out a little bit when I walk, and my knees tilt in towards one another a bit when walking and resting (fondly referred to as knock-knees). No surprise to me, I have tight Achilles. Additionally, it looks like there may be some early signs of arthritis in the front of my tibia where it meets my talus (but he said that wasn’t a big deal). And the kicker? My tibia, talus, and lateral malleolus seem to love each other so much they kind of rest up against each other, not leaving much room for movement, which the doctor said looks like at one point I must have had an injury there that healed on its own and is likely the culprit of my pain. All in all, nothing major or super worrisome; which was a huge relief.

He gave me a cortisone shot (which apparently people don’t take well, because he was impressed with my “taking it like a champ”), a light brace to wear when I’m working out, and ordered me a pair of orthotics to try out in hopes of easing the pressure and correcting the way my feet fall when I run. Naturally he told me to stay away from flats, flip flops, and extremely high heels … so basically my entire shoe wardrobe. Of course I had to ask what it meant for my running, and it doesn’t seem like much. He told me to take it easy for a week or two, and to obviously continue icing and doing the stretch and strength exercises I’ve already been doing. So my plan is to take this entire week off, and do some short and slow runs next week with the orthotics to see how everything feels. I’m hoping this is just a one-time hiccup, and not something I’m going to have to deal with long-term and I’m definitely going to baby it and play it safe to make sure.

It amazes me how much running, something that I do for “fun” and is just an extra curricular activity in all reality, can make or break my mood so easily. When I was replaying all the different outcomes before going to the doctor yesterday, I couldn’t help but laugh at how devastated I knew I would be depending on the results. I just kept repeating to myself, “this is not your job. This is for fun. You will be able to run again at some point, no matter what. It’s FINE!” These kinds of bumps in the road make me realize that running really can be a lifestyle, and I’m so thankful that I’ve found something I can (usually) do on a regular basis, have so much passion for, and am basically obsessed with.

Anyone ever deal with ankle and/or foot injuries?
Have any good stretch or strength exercises I should be doing?

Friday Favorites

Another installment of my (current) favorite things! Per the usual, it’s a hodgepodge of things that I’m currently loving. They follow absolutely no theme, which seems to be a theme in itself for these posts, and are in no particular order.

Toddy Cold Brewing System

As I mentioned earlier, I’m currently on a cold brewed coffee kick. I’ve seen “cold brewed” coffee before, but never had the opportunity to try it from a store, and was too lazy to try it at home on my own. The difference between cold brewed coffee and “traditional” coffee is simply the lack of heat. Instead of heating up the water (in a coffee maker) and having it flow through the coffee grinds, a cold brew uses regular water. Because it’s cold water the process takes a little bit longer, but what you get is basically coffee concentrate, meaning in order to enjoy it you need to mix it with water or milk. Since I’m an avid iced coffee drinker, the idea of already cold coffee that I don’t have to cool down and subsequently water down with ice cubes was appealing.

I had seen the Toddy online, and added it to my Pinterest board of “Gift Ideas” (don’t judge me, it makes it easy for people to see things I’m not going to buy for myself, but would like as a gift when the occasion arises), and got it for my birthday! The instructions are simple (grind up some coffee, pour in water, pour in grinds, repeat, let sit and then filter), and it produces a decent amount of coffee concentrate that can last for up to two weeks in the refrigerator. I’ve enjoyed it a few times now, mixed with both water and milk, and LOVE it. I use about half the amount of ice cubes I used before, and the flavor is awesome (hard to describe, but definitely “smoother”). I definitely recommend checking this out if you’re an iced coffee fan!

Hydroxatone CC Cream

I don’t usually wear makeup, and even when I do it’s definitely on the minimal side. So when the craze of BB and CC creams started, I figured these would be a perfect addition to my morning routine, as I could kill multiple birds with one makeup stone. Since I don’t wear makeup often, I really don’t know enough about the differences between primer, moisturizer, tinted moisturizer, BB cream, CC cream, foundation… the list goes on. I have an elementary understanding, but that’s where it ends, and is a huge reason why I don’t wear makeup. The other reason is that I have what I’d like to refer to as the ultimate combination platter of skin – dry, oily, acne prone, dull, bright…. I’m really not sure how I have it all, but I do. So naturally I’m wary when it comes to my choices, as I don’t want a product that will accentuate any of my “problems.”

After trying a few free samples of BB and CC creams (gotta love the Ulta and Sephora samples that come with your orders), I realized that there were only a few things I needed in my “everything” cream. I need it to: moisturize, mattify, and balance my skin without clogging it up. I didn’t think I was asking for much, but apparently I was! A lot of the creams were either the wrong tint, not oil-free, or left me glowing (and not the ‘dewy glamorous’ kind). Enter Hydroxatone’s CC cream! This cream has all the benefits of a typical CC cream (color corrects, smooths out your skin, etc.) but it also has salicylic acid to aid in mattifying your skin and also prevent break-outs! Of course I thought it may be “too good to be true,” but after a few days of using it (in translucent), I couldn’t be happier. It leaves my skin feeling fresh all day while moisturizing and not leaving me a ball of shine by the afternoon. Now I just need to find the right kind of makeup to wear over it for those rare makeup days!

Oiselle Mio Mesh Tank

I don’t know why I waited so long – I think I tried to convince myself that I wouldn’t like it because 1. it was too “everyday wear” for me, and 2. the mesh would be more annoying than not. I suppose the first reason I didn’t think I would like it is the same reason why I’m yet to try a running skirt. But eventually after seeing so many awesome reviews by people who generally enjoy the same things as I do, I ordered it. I mean, with the summer heat and my timidness for sports bra running, I figured I would try this ‘light as air’ tank top.

Well, I’m kicking myself for not having ordered this top earlier. I should have known better than to doubt Oiselle! I now want one in every color, and then some. I’ve worn the top a few times since getting it last week; once in the pouring rain, and once on a super hot long run. By the end of both runs my shirt looked the same – completely soaked! Despite the fact that the shirt was really wet, it didn’t feel heavy or cumbersome to be wearing on either run, which is rare. Also, because it’s mesh, it breathes really well allowing for some airflow (even if it’s just a hot air breeze), which is always welcomed on a soupy hot day. I really wish I had more than just one mio mesh tank, but at least I have the one!

Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

This is a cookbook I actually ordered quite a few months ago, but only recently started cooking from it. I’ve been so wrapped up in Pinterest recipes lately that I’ve really neglected my cookbooks. So, I’ve recently been trying to get back into “use the cookbooks you already have” mode, and found that this particular book pairs nicely with my weekly fresh box. I think I’m often intimidated by vegetarian cookbooks because the recipes have a lot of ingredients, and a lot of times the things they call for aren’t easily found at my local grocery store. But thanks to the fresh box program I’m signed up for in the summer, the fruits and vegetables I have are not only fresher, but I also get things that my grocery store either doesn’t carry, or rarely has.

Snack plate with leek fritters, tabbouleh, & hummus

I’ve made a few things from the book so far, but my favorite has been leek fritters. At first glance they don’t seem to be different from any other fritter recipe, but the addition of cinnamon to the mixture was a pleasant surprise. I wasn’t really sure what the sweetness would bring to the table, but I absolutely loved it. I served the fritters with homemade tabbouleh and hummus for a dinner “snack plate” and really enjoyed it. I have a bunch of other recipes bookmarked to try – I just have to remember to open up the book and step away from Pinterest!

So those are my current favorites… what are some of yours?!

What I Drank Wednesday

Since I had so much fun with my last What I Drank Wednesday post, I thought I would do it again! The blog is so heavily focused on food and running, that the liquid counterparts rarely get a chance to shine… and I figured Wednesday is just as good a day as any to share what I’ve been guzzling lately.

First up is 21st Amendment’s Hell or High Watermelon. I was extremely skeptical about this beer; I mean, a beer that tastes like watermelon? I’m not one to mess with beer flavors, and I naively assumed that this would be an abomination of the deliciousness that is a good brew.

I was pleasantly surprised by the beer when I ordered it a few weeks ago, and have found myself ordering it when available since then. It’s light, fun, and refreshing without having an overly watermelon flavor. It tastes like someone dropped a watermelon Jolly Rancher into a (decent) beer. This is definitely something you should try, but make sure it is really cold when you do. Obviously all beers are better when cold, but this one turns undrinkable quickly (more-so than a non flavored beer, I think).

Continuing the beer theme, another brew I recently tried and loved is Brooklyn Brewery’s Sorachi Ace. After a super hot run with Ashley, we headed to Stuff Yer Face for beers and bolis, and both decided to try this beer. I love going to Stuff Yer Face because they always have a good beer selection (both draft and bottle), and the food is good too.

This particular beer has a higher ABV (7.6%), so it was definitely a one and done type of drink, but it was delicious. It’s actually a special hop blend from Japan and it’s a classic saison, which I’ve come to realize I love. As I was looking over it’s “pairing” suggestions I saw that goat cheese was mentioned (which I am obsessed with), so it’s no surprise that I really enjoyed the beer.

Switching from beer to my other drink of choice, I recently started drinking cold brewed coffee. I actually received a cold brewing “system” for my birthday and tried it for the first time this week. It creates a “coffee concentrate” that you can then mix with water or milk to dilute and enjoy, which is perfect for me as someone that is obsessed with iced coffee. It’s nice to be able to pour my coffee over ice and not have the ice cubes immediately start to melt!

The flavor is a little different from what you’re used to in terms of coffee, but I really like it. Plus, it makes a decent amount (since it’s a 1:3 ratio of coffee to milk or water) that stays fresh for up to two weeks – talk about easy!

And finally, while not interesting at all, I have been drinking a TON of water. It has been so incredibly hot recently, and combined with all the non-hydrating things I’ve been drinking as mentioned above, water is absolutely necessary. Back when I was swimming, one morning the Notre Dame women’s coach came to scout a few of my teammates at practice, and our coach asked her to share some words of wisdom with us. I don’t remember much of what she said, but I do remember one thing that I think of often; “If there’s yellow in your pee, that’s all the gold you’ll see,” meaning make sure you’re hydrated – if you aren’t, don’t expect to win! Obviously it’s just a fun little antidote, but it stuck with me and is an easy way to remember to keep hydrating. Of course I’m mixing Nuun into my water a lot as well, but I already talked about that last WIDW!

What are you drinking and loving lately?

Shoe Review: Mizuno Wave Sayonara

Disclaimer: The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Mizuno.

I first fell in love with Mizuno running shoes about a year ago. I headed to my local running store with every intention of simply replacing my worn down Brooks Ghost 4 with the 5’s. Instead of just grabbing the shoes and leaving, I decided to do a gait analysis and let the sales associates make some suggestions. I had felt like a Brooks loyalist, but was open to trying new shoes if it meant a more comfortable ride. I was happy that the Ghost were among the shoes suggested to me, but so was the Mizuno Wave Rider 15. I put them on and was immediately sold… I didn’t even have to jog around the store like they encourage. Here I am a year later on my third pair, and I’ve even added a pair of racing flats (Wave Ronin) to the mix. So when the opportunity to get a sneak peek at the Mizuno Wave Sayonara became available through Fitfluential, I immediately signed up and crossed my fingers. I received the shoes about 2 weeks ago, and have been running in them more and more ever since.

Admittedly when I started running I didn’t know anything about running shoes, and I’m far from an expert. I ran my very first race in a pair of year old Nike Shox; thinking about that now makes me cringe. As I’ve gotten more and more into running, though, I’ve learned to appreciate the importance of a good shoe, and come to understand what different types of shoes can do for different types of running. I also like the idea of being able to switch it up throughout the week – putting the same shoes on day after day isn’t much fun anyway. While I’m far from a serious shoe hoarder (I’ve seen pictures of some of your closets!) I have no problem keeping quite a few pairs of good shoes in rotation.

Now onto the important stuff: the shoes. I wanted to take my time with them and try a few different runs over the course of the two weeks I had them in order to get a good feel. The Wave Sayonara feels very much like my Wave Riders, so it was easy to put them on and just start running, even though they’re almost a full two ounces lighter. The Wave Riders are 9 ounces, while the Sayonara are only 7.1 ounces of awesome. I am picky when it comes to the upper of my sneaker because my feet are sensitive and too much “junk” up top can leave my metatarsals and phalanges sore. These definitely embrace the less-is-more mantra and are minimal when it comes to fabric and material on top (which I love). They also have textured laces and notches on the shoes themselves which help keep them in place. The soles have awesome traction (I took them out in the rain and didn’t feel like I was slipping at all), and the colors are nice and bright just like all of the Mizuno shoes. I tried to come up with a Pro and Con list, but could honestly only come up with one negative; the laces are on the shorter side which can be tricky for a double knotter (like me).

These sneakers have been worn on easy runs, long-ish runs (10 miles), and tempo runs… And also video-ing runs, as you can see from above. They’ve been great, and everyone that I’ve talked to who also has a pair seems to love them just as much as I do. In fact, fellow Mizuno obsessed runner Ashley and I decided to put together a little speed workout to celebrate the Sayonara launch. We figured strides would be a quick, fun, and easy workout for anyone and everyone to do. The whole point of a stride is to add some quick turnover work, that can really be done at any point within a workout, and even after any kind of workout. What do I mean by that? I mean that at the end of a 10 mile run, in theory, you should still have enough energy to throw in a few strides. This particular workout is stride-specific, meaning you’re really just focusing on those sprint bursts with an easy mile on each side. I’ve found that in the event you aren’t on a track, simply starting off easy and picking it up to a full sprint for about 30-40 seconds total will get you about 100 meters, give or take. Feel free to take a few seconds rest in between each stride, but you shouldn’t need more than 15 seconds or so.

So the bottom line is that yes, these shoes were sent to me to review, but I would absolutely spend my own money on them. I’m a Mizuno fan that had high hopes for these shoes, and these definitely didn’t disappoint. They’re available as of July 5th, so go and check them out!

Do you wear different sneakers for different kinds of runs?

Summer Series XC 5k: Take Two

Even though it feels like I just completed my first cross country 5k yesterday, I actually ran my second this past Tuesday. I would be lying if I said that I didn’t have a little hesitation going into this one, simply because the first one was difficult (albiet fun), and while I do lots of things that are hard and hurt, I don’t usually look forward to that pain. Plus, with the temperature a solid 10 degrees higher than it was last time, I knew it was going to be a sweat-fest.

Around 4:30pm it started to thunder and by 5p there was a torrential downpour. I started to get nervous that the race would be cancelled, or run in the rain. I knew that the park would yet again be muddy and gross, but since I experienced that last time, it was the least of my worries. As in typical summer storm fashion, though, the sun was back out by 5:15p. So I got everything together, and headed to the park for the 7p start.

Because it was so hot, I didn’t want to push it too much, but still wanted to run a competitive and decent race based on the conditions. I started in a much better position this time (the race starts diagonal across a field as you hop over a mini ditch), found the girl that had come in first last time, and set myself behind her. The grass wasn’t nearly as wet as it had been last race, but I still found myself slip-sliding all over the place. After one the diagonal hills, I lost my footing and nearly ate it.

There were two other women that started out in front of me, but by about mile 2 it was just me, the girl from last time, and a whole bunch of men. I was struggling to breathe and knew my overall pace was slower than the last 5k, but by mile 2 I wasn’t too concerned knowing that I was comfortably in 2nd. I had high hopes of being able to catch the first place woman on the second half of the last lap, but I just didn’t have enough gas in the tank to do it, and she beat me by 4 seconds… again. I ran a 23:01, which was 19 seconds slower than two weeks ago.

Just like after the first 5k, we got to hang out and enjoy some food and drinks (all I could stomach was a Philly pretzel, as seen above), and then it was awards time! Last time I scored myself a plant (that is still alive, wahoo!), and this time I got a neat little medal since I came in 1st in my age group. See that adorable shirtless man sitting on the picnic bench in the foreground of the picture? He’s 79, and ran last time too… in an impressive 41 minutes! Talk about inspirational.

I’d be lying if I said that this was so much fun the whole time and I wasn’t dreading it a little. I mean, the first 5k was successful and I was really proud of myself, but it was hard! I don’t think it’s abnormal for me to be a little hesitant for repeat pain. I found myself at the end when it really started to hurt, telling myself that it was worth it and that not everyone races a 5k on a hot and humid Tuesday night (yes, mid-race pats on the back are necessary sometimes). But since I came in first in my age group again, my time from the first race still stands as the course record which was reason enough for me to have run again!

Next up on my racing calendar is a 4 miler on the 4th of July with Ashley … we’re both going to PR, I just know it! Then it’s the third installment of the summer series on the 9th. And then the fourth summer series on the 23rd, and a road 5k on the 24th. So yes, I’m racing 4 times (all during the week) in July!

Do you have any races coming up?
If you race during the week, do you do anything differently during your work day?

Tropical No-Bake Bites

With the temperatures heating up (or should I say, staying hot), putting on the oven and baking when you could be outside enjoying the beautiful weather or cooling off in some air conditioning isn’t always high on a summer to-do list. So when Visalus contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in trying their nutritional shake and creating a recipe with it, I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to create a no-bake treat.

I’ve made plenty of no-bake desserts before, but always gravitated towards some type of chocolate flavor. But since the ViSalus nutritional shake was sweet cream flavor, I figured I would embrace that flavor and work with it as-is. I decided the best course of action would be to sample the shake with some coconut almond milk to get the full effect of it’s flavor profile, and then decide on my no-bake flavors from there. The first thing I noticed when I opened the container was the smell of the powder… it smelled just like cake batter! I was shocked. I mean, most nutritional shakes and protein powders have a smell to them, but this truly smelled like cake mix. Keeping my fingers crossed I had the shake, and I’m happy to report the smell wasn’t misleading. It really did taste like a vanilla cake milkshake of sorts… with some impressive nutritional stats!

Since it’s summertime I thought it would be only appropriate to springboard off of the sweet cream flavor and go with a “tropical” no-bake bite. Conveniently I had all of the ingredients laying around that I figured would go well together, so this came together in a matter of minutes. I think these could easily be turned into cookies as well, but considering it was already 80 degrees when I made these at about 8:30am, I wasn’t about to turn on my oven and give it a try. I’ve been snacking on these little bites left and right, and they’re going to be gone before I know it!

Tropical No-Bake Bites
– makes 16 bites –

Ingredients:
1/2 cup peanut butter (I used chunky, of course)
1/4 cup ViSalus sweet cream flavored nutritional shake mix
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup pineapple juice

Directions:
1. Combine the peanut butter, protein, and coconut flakes in a medium bowl with a spoon. Add in the oats a juice, making sure everything is fully incorporated.
2. Shape into tablespoon sized balls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for thirty minutes to an hour before serving.

Disclaimer: ViSalus provided me product and compensation in return for creating a recipe. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Friday Favorites

From time to time I like to share things I’m really loving at the moment. If you hang out with me in person, you’ll likely hear me refer to these things as “my jam.” I guess it isn’t as bad as calling them epic? I don’t know. But anyway, here are the things (completely unrelated) that I am currently enjoying.

Jack Rogers Sandals

I’ve had my eyes on these sandals for awhile, but never knew the brand, or where to get them. My sister (who is very fashionable, but is picky) refers to these sandals as “preppy Southerner shoes,” and while I am neither of those things, I liked them. So when I saw that RueLaLa had them on sale, I figured I’d grab myself a pair, because I’m not really willing to spend more than $100 on sandals.

You can typically find me wearing flip flops or basic (read: cheap) sandals in the summer, so these were a nice change of pace. The construction of the shoe is serious, and its obvious that you get what you pay for. I bought them in white so I could wear them with pretty much anything (and they have a little sparkle!), but I love a lot of the colors they offer.

Local CSA – “Fresh Box”

This is my second year participating in the “Fresh Box” program with a local fresh foods grocer, Alan’s Orchard, and my love for it grows each week. I really love getting a fresh box of produce every weekend and figuring out my meals for the upcoming week based on what I have. The grocery stores by me don’t always have the freshest produce, so it’s nice to know that I’m getting something that is from a local farm. My only complaint is that things can be really dirty (which I would expect considering they literally pick it out of the ground, and bring it to the store!), so it takes some extra time to wash things. If you have a CSA program near you, I definitely recommend checking it out!

Trader Joe’s Soy Chorizo

This stuff is the bomb.com. Seriously. (Yes, I’m aware of what I just said). I actually tried this for the first time before becoming a vegetarian, and was really impressed with the flavors and texture… so naturally once I became a vegetarian I continued buying it (it’s actually vegan!). While I’ve only had real chorizo a few times so I don’t think I can compare the two fairly, I can say that regardless of it’s close proximity to real chorizo taste, it’s awesome as it’s own product. I’ve used it in burritos, casseroles, grilled cheeses, omelets… the list goes on and on! I’ve found that both vegetarians and carnivores really enjoy it, so if there’s a Trader Joe’s near you, I definitely suggest giving it a try.

Nathan “Power Shower” After-Run Wipes

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I sweat a lot. So naturally I’m drenched after each summer run (whether it’s a speed workout or an easy run). So if I don’t have the opportunity to shower right away, having a wipe available is a great “get me a few extra hours” option. These wipes were particularly handy last weekend when I “ran” a color run with a bunch of my college friends. I wound up using two wipes, but was able to get all of the powder and color off of me, and I didn’t feel grimy and gross.

As I was using them I noticed that there was a little soapy film, which I appreciated, since I definitely needed something substantial to get all the color gunk off of me. I just wish they came in bigger packages – I’m almost through the package I bought not too long ago!

How To Be A Heartbreaker, by Marina & The Diamonds

I don’t remember how or why I happened upon this song, but it’s been constantly stuck in my head since. I play it while I’m sitting at my desk at work, if I’m cleaning around the house, and even though I don’t listen to music while I run, this would be a perfect workout song too.

Hope everyone has a great first official weekend of summer! Any big plans?

Reunited

Two weekends ago, I attended my college’s 5-year reunion! It’s hard for me to believe I graduated 5 years ago from The University of Scranton, because it seems like just yesterday (isn’t that what all old people say?), but so much has changed on the campus since I was there as a student back in 2008. It was a lot of fun to check out the brand new science building, stay in one of the new apartment styled dorms, work-out in the amazingly fancy new gym, and reconnect with people I haven’t seen since the glory days.

My friends and I didn’t have much planned aside from the cocktail hour and class dinner on Saturday evening, so I took to the Internets (of course) to see what, if anything, was new in Scranton in terms of food to check out. I figured I might as well get some good eats while I was in the area! My college roommate and I headed to a Mexican restaurant that I had been to once before for dinner on Friday night, and obviously started things off the right way – with a margarita! I got the coconut margarita, which was delicious. It tasted like a lighter version of the typically creamy and heavy pina colada. It was a perfect match for my combination plate of enchilada, chalupa, and burrito.

We were planning to race a cross country 5k on Saturday morning, but thanks to the rain and some flooding on Friday those plans were thwarted. I didn’t really mind too much, though, because we were staying in the dorm apartments, and I forgot just how uncomfortable dorm room beds are… so extra “sleep” was appreciated. We eventually got up and made our way to the new gym on campus – SO amazing! I spent my college years in a gym from the 80’s that definitely needed some updating… though I never complained while I was there because it served its purpose. But man, the new gym is spectacular – rows and rows of treadmills and elipticals, tons of free weights and weight machines, all in a well lit and spacious area. Plus, it’s on the bottom floor of one of the dorms, which is perfect for people that live in the building!

[Source]

After our time at the gym, I convinced my roommate to check out Eden A Vegan Cafe for lunch. I found the restaurant on Yelp, and whenever I have the opportunity to eat at a vegetarian or vegan restaurant, I do it! It’s nice to be able to walk into a place and order anything I want, instead of trying to find what I can have. When we first walked in and looked at the menu, my roommate turned to me and said; “wait, I’m confused…” because everything on the menu seemed to be a meat dish (burger, turkey sandwich, BLT, etc.). It was funny, but at the same time I could understand how it was confusing – so tried to explain it to her the best I could. Eventually she settled on a tuna melt, and I went with a chili cheeseburger and a green refresher smoothie. The restaurant is actually right next door to a tattoo parlor (where I got my very first tattoo – looks like it moved a few blocks), and I was tempted to go and get something… but I didn’t! The food was awesome, and I have every intention of heading back on my next trip to the electric city!

After lunch, we wanted a little something sweet, so we headed to Northern Light Cafe a few blocks away. This was the place to go when you were trying to get your serious study on in college. It was a nice change of pace from the library, and sitting in a coffee shop typing or reading away gave us all a sense of being “grown ups.” I ordered a soy chai latte and a 7-layer cookie bar, and was definitely stuffed by the time we got back to the dorm where we were staying.

By the time we had finished gallivanting around downtown Scranton, we had to get ready for the all-classes cocktail hour and then class dinner. The university does their reunions in 5-year increments (obviously), so since I graduated in 2008, my class was there for their reunion along with any other class that graduated with a ‘3 or ‘8. So we had the opportunity to mingle with other graduating classes during the cocktail hour, and then sat down for a dinner with just our class, which was served by plenty cafeteria workers I recognized! It was fun to catch up with old classmates, but it was clear that being only 5 years out of school, the different groups of friends that hung out while we were in college still exist today. There wasn’t a ton of mingling, but I imagine that will change as the years go by.

After cocktails and dinner we headed to some of the local bars to continue the fun, and before I knew it the weekend was over and I was driving on route 380 and 80 back to good ‘ole Central Jersey. It was great to spend time with people I don’t see too often (and people I get to see all the time!) and check out some new and old favorites. I have every intention of heading back to Eden next time I’m in the electric city, and with all the changes and updates that are happening at the University, I can’t wait to see what’s new next time.

Where did you go to schoool? Do you still visit?
Have you ever been to a high school or college reunion?

Summer Series 5k

A local running club, Raritan Valley Road Runners (RVRR) hosts a 5k running series every summer, and I finally decided to join in the fun this year. They have 4 race nights throughout the summer (on Tuesdays, two in June, two in July) and you can do any or all of them. I felt ambitious when filling out the form, so I obviously signed up for all four races. I figured I might as well, since Tuesdays are speed work/intervals anyway, and for only $15 each, I could get in some fast running and participate in some cross-country races (which I’ve never done before).

The last few days have been exceptionally wet around here, which actually caused the race I was going to run in Pennsylvania this past Saturday to be cancelled. Since we’re close to the Raritan River, and the race is actually held in a park that borders it, I was worried that there would be flooding at the park. There was a chance of rain on Tuesday, and I had my eyes to the sky, especially in the afternoon as clouds rolled in and the wind started to pick up. Thankfully the weather couldn’t make up its mind, and by the time the race started the sun was back out for a bit.

This year the race moved to a different park from where they’ve had it in the past, so we actually wound up starting 20 minutes late due to some people heading to the other park by accident. I didn’t really mind, but it was awkward to have warmed up and then sit around for 40ish or so minutes. I really didn’t have any expectations going into the race because I had never ever run cross country before, so I didn’t know if I should try for a PR or not. Plus, like I said, there had been a TON of rain over the weekend, and the park we were in typically floods. So it was no surprise to me to see parts of the path under water, and big puddles of muddy water on the grass. It’s a good thing the sneakers I wore are on their last leg; they’re covered in mud now!

We got a brief course description, and then before I knew it we were off. Even though they explained the course, I really had no idea where we were going… even though when I first started running I spent 90% of my time in this park. We jumped over a little ravine, trudged through puddles on a path, sloshed through wet grass, ran up some hills, and down some hills… twice. I kept it controlled on the first loop, trying to get a lay of the land and figure out what exactly the course was, knowing I’d have the opportunity to pick it up (if my body let me) the second time around being more familiar. I’m happy to report that after the first quarter mile or so, I didn’t get passed by anyone, and instead did all the passing myself. I did pick it up the second time around, and that proved interesting – I almost lost my shoe at one point due to some seriously muddy grass!

By the last half mile or so I had zeroed in on a younger boy and another woman a few strides ahead of me. Since the path was narrow and had some branches and tree roots, I didn’t push it as hard as I probably could have, which wound up a smart idea because I still managed to roll my ankle at one point. I hadn’t seen any other women in front of me aside from the one in my view, but I was sure I must have missed someone somewhere. Things started to hurt, and I just kept repeating my new mantra, “so much pain. so much fun.” We made a sharp turn onto the field and I powered through to the finisher chute, with the boy I had been trailing out kicking me.

The little bit of pavement on the course!

I crossed the finish in 22:42, a brand spankin’ new PR! I was kind of shocked – sure I had felt decent, but the race was hard. The whole time I kept thinking about how cross country running is no joke! Everyone around me kept saying after the race “wow, that was a true cross country course!” which made me feel better about how hard I thought it was. It turns out that there hadn’t been any other women in front that I miscounted, and I came in second (by two seconds…) and first in my age group! Plus, because it was a new course, I automatically scored myself the current age group record! Since this is a series, though, I have added pressure now to make sure no one else creeps in and grabs the course record in the next three races. But even if they do, I’m okay with having it for two weeks… I had plenty of swimming records in high school and college come and go… that’s the beauty of athletics! For my efforts I got a sweet potted plant, that I’m actually going to plant in my front “yard” eventually.

Plant for the win - literally! — Plant for the win – literally!

After the race they have food and beer, so I grabbed myself a slice of pizza and a Philly pretzel for dinner. It may not have been the healthiest post-race food, but it sure was delicious! We didn’t get home until around 8:30p, and I was in bed not too long after that since I got up at 6am Wednesday morning to run again. I’m really looking forward to the other three races in the series, along with the other summer races I have on my schedule.

Have you ever raced during the week? Love it? Hate it?