Less than a Week to go..

That is right only a few more days to go before the big race!  I am almost giddy about it. I have been working my butt off for the past two and half months to get to this point.  Normally I do not share about the locations of my runs.  But today, I just feel like sharing.  We got up early - yes, all of us - hubby included.  Some of us were not happy about that but that is okay.  Once we got out and it was still somewhat cool we were happy.

We ran 3 miles out and then 3 miles back along Manhattan's Linear Trail.  I turned on the gps running app on my phone so that we could get a good idea of how far along we were and where our turn around point would be.   I like the app cause it made this cute little map of our run:

Now, I know 3 miles is quite a distance but I have been used to running loops for the past couple of months.  The out and back was a great change of pace.  I can't believe how many sights of Manhattan we past.  I wish I pulled out the phone to take some of pictures on the trail but I knew if I did I probably would stop and walk the rest of the way.

We also got to practice passing off the stroller.  I pushed through miles 1, 3, and 5.  The hubby did the even miles.  It was a relief to get my shoulders time to relax through the run.  With the exception of mile 5 (I had a side stitch), all of the miles were under ten minutes.  We wrapped up the entire six miles in 58:30 minutes.  So happy about it!

The linear trail is pretty flat so the test will come at the race when we have to deal with some hills.  With the race starting at 7:30 and then a kiddie fun run at 9 am, I am pretty confident we can finish the race before the fun run even gets started.  Then I look forward to a nice cool beer and pizza.  It's called Brew 2 Shoe for a reason!

Pork in White Wine and Olive Sauce

Since I have been little, I have never really liked pork.  But lately, I have slowly started to add it into our usual meal time routine and it is growing on me.  Last night, I made this fabulously quick pork meal that I am pretty sure is going to make it's way into heavy rotation.  The recipe serves 1, I just doubled it to work for hubby and I.  This one comes from the Steaks, Chops, Roasts, & Ribs cookbook.

Pork in White Wine and Olive Sauce

Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil
1 boneless pork steak
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper
2 tsp lemon juice
4 tbsp dry white wine
4 tbsp water
6 black olives

Steps

1.  Sprinkle oil over the pork steak.  Rub in the herbs and salt and pepper to season.
2.  Heat a nonstick skillet and brown the pork quickly over high heat, turning once.
3.  Pour in the lemon juice, wine, and water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
4.  Add the olives to the skillet and continue cooking for 5 minutes more to heat through.
5.  Serve with rice or fresh pasta.

Final Product

Oh yummy.  And throughout the entire meal, that is all I said.  I'd stop mid conversation and say ooo, this is really good.  Just a few notes, I used 2 thick bone-in pork chops.  I had no issues with cook time.  They were really juicy and delicious.  Our pasta was about a 1/3 to 1/2 a box of gemellis, we had them leftover from another recipe.  They captured the wine sauce really nicely.  The wine and olive sauce really tasty, my only suggestion is to have some bread around to sop up the drippings.  While the sauce thickened a bit in step three, there was still quite a bit.  The doubled amount for the sauce ended up being - 1/2 wine, 1/2 water, 4 tsp lemon juice.  Oh and in case you were wondering about the wine, Little Penguin Chardonnay, which we then finished off with our meal.  Definitely, definitely making this one again!

No!

The past two evenings have brought on a bit of a surprise.  With JT standing, we notice that he likes to go to our coffee table or ottoman.  Once he has pulled himself up, he reaches for whatever happens to be laying on it, grabs it, and throws it on the floor.

Two nights ago, this happened.  The hubby turned to John and said "NO!"  It stopped John in mid grab and you can tell he was thinking about what to do.  He grabs again and is met with another "NO!".  At this point he stops, does the typical baby suck in of air, and gives out a wail!  Lets go of the ottoman, lands on his behind, continues to wail and flail his arms because he isn't getting what he wants.

Yesterday afternoon, a similar situation except this time with the coffee table.  I told him, "NO, do not pull the magazines off the table".  He pulls his hand back and starts wailing.

We are proud of ourselves that John is beginning to understand the meaning of words, although I wish it was something other than "no".  We do think the tantrums are a little are funny to watch.  I wish I had a video of it.

Herb Chicken

Lately, I have been really good at making dinner for most of the evenings of the week.  Unfortunately, meal time has been pushed back to a really late hour due to hubby's work.    I have been finding it harder and harder to have the energy to test out new recipes or even make old recipes when I would rather fall face first into my dinner plate.  Then I remembered...ah, slow cooker!  Make in the morning or early afternoon...then it is ready whenever hubby comes home.  Why didn't I think of that sooner?!?!  This one comes from the Beer Cookbook.

Herb Chicken

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp dried thyme
6 cloves of garlic
12 oz of beer (I used Shiner Blonde)

Steps

1.  Salt and pepper the chicken breasts.
2.  Saute chicken in a frying pan until it begins to brown.
3.  Place chicken in slow cooker.
4.  Mix rosemary, sage, thyme, garlic, and beer.
5.  Pour mixture over chicken.  Cover and Cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.

Final Product:

As you can see, I served this chicken over some long and wild rice.  It was surprisingly light and refreshing.  The chicken was not overly "beer-ey".  I think choosing the Blonde rather than a stout made a huge difference.  Unfortunately, a bottle of beer creates a lot of leftover juices.  I did not want to leave it there but I had nothing to sop it up with.  Next time I make it, I would consider possibly adding 1/2 - 1 full cup of rice or possibly orzo pasta in to suck up some of the juices.  I think then the rice would fully complement the chicken.

Persian Lamb Chops with Tabbouleh

So a long time back, I received two cookbooks - Cookshelf Barbecue and Steaks, Chops, Roasts, and Ribs.  The Cookshelf Barbecue has had some excellent recipes considering it is one of the smallest  (5 x 4 inches) cookbooks I own.  So we decided to check out it's partner in crime this evening.

Persian Lamb Chops

Ingredients

2 tbsp. mint, fresh chopped
1 cup yogurt, plain
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp. pepper
6 lamb chops
2 tbsp. lemon juice

Steps

1. For the marinade, combine the mint, yogurt, garlic, and pepper.
2. Put the chops into a non-porous dish and rub all over with the lemon juice. Pour the marinade over the chops. Cover and marinate for 2 - 3 hours.
3. Cook the lamb over medium hot coals for 15 minutes, turning once. Serve with Tabbouleh.

It's accompanying side was 

Tabbouleh

Ingredients

9 oz. couscous
2 cups boiling water
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. lemon juice
½ onion, chopped finely
4 tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp. coriander
2 tbsp. mint, fresh, chopped

Steps

1. Bring water to a boil. Add the couscous and remove from heat. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.
2. Fluff couscous. Toss in oil and lemon juice.
3. Add the onion, tomato and herbs.
4. Season and set aside.

The Final Product:

First, during my grocery shopping for the week, I did not come across lamb chops.  But I did see some nice veal chops.  So what you see in the picture is veal.  The yogurt and mint gave it a light fresh taste.  As you may also see, there are no tomatoes in my tabbouleh.  I just don't like fresh tomatoes.  So, I took a little liberty and replaced it with some mushrooms.  I sauteed the mushrooms in a little olive oil and minced onion prior to adding it to the couscous.   I have to say - I really like the taste of coriander.  It is a new spice to my collection.  All of the recipes I have made thus far with it have been quite tasty.  I think it might become a permanent fixture in the spice rack.

A Boy and His...Flipflop?

The majority of children get attached to a cute stuffed animal or a blanket. It makes everyone go aww, what a cutie pie dragging around their (insert favorite toy). John is not in the majority. Without fail, every morning after breakfast he reaches for his favorite item. My right Flipflop. Yep, just my right Flipflop. On occasion he will go for the left one but there must be something about the right one.

He then spends the better part of the morning carrying or dragging it with him from area to area of the house. Check it out:

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Upper Mileage Limit

This morning JT and I set out to practice the mileage that we need to complete for the upcoming road race. It was warm and starting to get really muggy. We completed the 6 miles in just over an hour. I am really proud of that accomplishment considering the stroller weighs 25 pounds and JT is probably near or over 20 pounds as well.

But I realize that 6 miles is about all I can take as far as mileage goes. While I was able to keep a pretty decent 10 - 10:30 minute pace, my knee was really being pushed to the edge. I was somewhat hoping that maybe I could keep up my training and one day go for a half marathon. Given today's stress, not sure I want to push much past 6 miles, especially with a stroller. Maybe if I ran without a stroller it might be possible. I spend a lot of time focusing on controlling the stroller. I should be focusing on my foot strikes to keep my hip and knee aligned.

The rest of my runs should be short this week. Just under 3 weeks to go.

 

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My Own Little Person

Can you guess who this is about?

Well, I finally think we have a little person on our hands.  JT is not just a baby who eats, sleeps, cries, and ahem, does his business.  I feel like we hit a point where those neurons in his big bulbous head are firing on all cylinders now.  He chooses where he wants to go, what he likes to play with, laughs at the dogs (they are funny looking beings), stands up when he wants, and cries when he is angry or you do not do what he wants.

I definitely like this JT better than baby JT.  Granted, the screaming and what I think are tantrums have amplified to a new decibel level.  I love watching this little guy working things out.  Here are some recent videos of what I get to deal with: no they aren't screaming videos.

100

On May 20th, I began my journey back to running. I set my goal of running a 10K in August. That first day was a little shameful. I planned on just one mile. I did not even run the whole thing. I walked half of it. It took me, well us (JT in the stroller), about 13 minutes. Pathetic, right? 

Yesterday, I completed my 100th mile. Even more impressive, I can run 5 miles without stopping to walk. If we are trucking, JT and I can roll at a 10 minute mile pace. It is not anywhere near how quickly I moved in college or high school. But I feel really happy about the accomplishment.

 

Only three more weeks until race time.

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Simple Side

I am always looking for new side dishes for our meals.  More preferably sides that are healthy.  So I decided to delve into my Italian cookbook, La Cucina, which I received at Christmas last year.  Sometimes the names of the recipes scare me in there.  Once I get passed the scary name and look at the ingredients and even shorter list of steps I am renewed.  So here is a great side - and if you plan on popping open a bottle of white wine during dinner, why not splash a bit in your side dish?

Braised Broccoli

Ingredients

1 head broccoli
4 tbsp. olive oil
2-3 clove garlic
pinch chili pepper flakes
½ cup white wine
salt

Steps

1. Cut away the hard leaves of the broccoli and core it. Cut off the florets; cut the big ones in half lengthwise and leave the smaller ones as they are.
2. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan and add the garlic. When it changes color, add the broccoli, salt, and chili pepper, adding a little water as needed.
3. When the broccoli is cooked, add the wine and turn up the heat. When the wine has evaporated, serve the broccoli.

Not Your Blue Box Mac and Cheese

I think I may have found my new favorite Macaroni and Cheese recipe.  This one comes from Williams Sonoma.  It is creamy, not heavy, and a great cheesy taste.

Creamy Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

7 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 ½ cups coarse fresh bread crumbs (If you do not have course, I suggest only using about 3/4 to 1 cup of regular bread crumbs)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lb. elbow macaroni
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk, warmed
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded fontina cheese
½ teaspoon dry mustard

Steps:

1. In a large frying pan, melt 3 Tbs. of the butter over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until tender but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add the bread crumbs and stir until coated with butter. Set aside.
2. Preheat an oven to 350°F. Butter a shallow 3-quart baking dish.
3. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the macaroni and stir occasionally until the water returns to a boil. Cook according to the package directions until not quite al dente. (The macaroni will cook again in the oven, so do not overcook it now.) Drain well and set aside.
4. Add the remaining 4 Tbs. butter to the pot used for the pasta and melt over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let bubble for 1 minute without browning. Gradually whisk in the milk, raise the heat to medium and bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheeses along with the mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the pasta. Spread in the prepared baking dish and sprinkle evenly with the buttered crumbs.
5. Bake until the crumbs are browned and the sauce is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve hot. Serves 6.

The finished product:
My sincerest apologies in not capturing a photograph of this super yummy meal.  I think the secret lies in the last two ingredients.  The fontina gives the dish a bit of nutty flavor but really rich.  The mustard gives the cheese a very sharp flavor.  I think next time I might try to add a little broccoli or ham or maybe add a third cheese to the mix.

Letter of Affection

Dear Creators of LockLaces and Designer of Under Armour's 15' Compression Capri Shorts,

Where in the heck have you been my entire running career??? Now that I have found you, I am pretty sure my running life is now complete. I cannot believe that I managed to go though 5 years of competitive running in high school and college without you. I was living in the dark ages then. I am pretty sure I would have been a better athlete had I known about you then.

Why you may ask?

I have been through loads of running sneakers. Inevitably there comes the day when those laces no longer hold their knot. From that day forward I had to stop on a consistent basis during my runs to re-tie the dang things. LockLaces have solved my problem for good. No need to break pace and deal with flapping laces. No worries about tripping in the middle of the street because I stepped on my own laces.

It is one thing to talk about sneakers but one shouldn't have to go through loads of shorts. Yet I have. Short shorts, long shorts, cotton, swishy, soccer, running...all produced the same results. If I am running longer than 2 miles at something faster than 11 minute pace (in high school and college this was admittedly a lower number), my thighs became so chapped I would have to take the following day off just to recover from the chafing. You dear Under Armour's Compression Capris have been a godsend. No more painful red areas. Not to mention, you make my rear end look good. I advise Under Armour to give that designer a raise.

Love,

A Very Happy Runner

 

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Penne in Vodka

I felt the need for pasta this past week.  But I didn't want to have our usual standbys - regular tomato sauce or fettucine alfredo.  I longed for something different.  So I whipped out The Silver Spoon Pasta edition to find something.

Penne in Vodka

Ingredients:

4 tbsp. butter
1 slice cooked ham, thick, diced (I just used a package of pre diced fully cooked ham in the cold meat section of the grocery store)
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tbsp. parsley
5 tbsp. heavy cream
3 tbsp. vodka
12 oz. penne
salt and pepper

Steps

1. Melt the butter in a pan, add the ham, tomato paste, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in cream and vodka and cook until the vodka has evaporated.
3. Cook the penne in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and tip into a warmed serving dish. Pour the sauce over the pasta.

The Finished Product:

I always used to think that this dish was difficult to make.  Probably because it involved alcohol.  But as I am slowly learning, there are a lot of great tasting dishes that don't require a lot of ingredients or a lot of work.  This one was really yummy and super quick.  What is nice is that this sauce is not overly creamy but allows just enough to cover the pasta and give it some great flavoring.  Definitely keeping it for future use.  Maybe next time I will make it with homemade penne.

Blog Slacker

So, yeah.  I have been really quiet lately and not for lack of doing things.

Had the families out for a week.
Hubby had his Change of Command Ceremony.  He is now in charge of the longest active battery in the United States Army.  It is a really privilege and honor for us.
I took over as FRG leader.
JT is standing up at every chance he can get and seems a heck of lot happier now than a few months ago.
I am still trying out new recipes, I am just a being awful and forgetting to post them.
I have put at least 60 miles on our jogging stroller and only have 4 weeks until the big race.  Yikes!

Going to try to get back into the swing of things.  Pinky-swear!