On learning how to run

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I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with running. During our fitness tests in grade school we had to run a mile (6 laps) around the school courtyard every fall and spring. Since there was no way for the gym teachers to keep track of everyone’s lap number they always invented some heinous method to keep us from cheating. My personal favorite was having to run with 6 popsicle sticks in our hands. After we completed each lap we had to drop a stick in the bucket. Don’t even ask.

In high school we had a mile test every summer for cheerleading. If we didn’t complete said mile in under a certain number of minutes we had to do it over. You better believe I  ran my little tush off during those tests. Because really, the only thing worse than having to run one mile in the summer heat would be having to run two…or even three until you reached that magic little number.

In college I started running on my own accord. There was one summer that I came home and diligently woke up every single morning at 7am (before it got too hot) and went for a run. Each morning I laced up my sneaks, ran the familiar course around my neighborhood, came home and busted out a few sets of sit-ups and pushups and then relaxed on my back porch with an iced coffee until sun started blazing down. Even after school started that fall I continued to run for a little while. Truthfully, running that summer helped me lose a bit of the chub I had put on during my first year of college. It wasn’t the healthiest relationship I had ever been in but I didn’t care. I was addicted to the results. Thankfully, that period is the only significant time in my life where I can remember having body image issues and an unhealthy relationship with exercise. I consider myself lucky for that.

What’s funny is that through all of this, even when I was in “good” running shape, I never pushed myself to go further or really log the miles. I wasn’t in love with running, I was in love with getting it over with. To this day, when a significant portion of my friends have 10Ks, half marathons and marathons under their belts, I have a measly handful (not even…) of 5Ks.

But not for long! I’ve officially signed up for a 4 mile race next month which, although may sounds laughable, is a big deal for me. Four miles….of RUNNING? It was such a humbling experience to go for a run this morning. Since I don’t have one of those fancy running watches, I found this awesome app (Run Keeper- check it!) to help me train. It uses your phone’s GPS to track your run and pace and gives you updates every 5 minutes.

“Oh, I’ve only been running for 10 minutes so far? AT A 9+ MINUTE PACE? Hey thanks robot lady…”

There is obviously a lot of work to be done on my end. Discipline and determination will get me there along with a few good running buddies. It also helps to focus on the beauty rather than the pain…

Loose Park

Happy trails.

I should write more.

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It’s been awhile, hasn’t it? I’ve come to the conclusion that I have a real knack for dreaming of big ideas and then either a) never getting started on them or b) starting them without finishing. I could rattle off a million excuses as to where I’ve been the last uh…almost THREE months but what’s the use? Truth is, giant life transitions got the best of me. It wasn’t that I didn’t have time to write- there’s always enough time for the things you love. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to write, or didn’t know what to write about. It was just that…I didn’t write. And the entire time I was off doing everything except writing, there was a giant dark cloud of guilt hanging over my head. I’ve been in this place before, but can’t seem to understand why I keep coming back to it.

Ironically enough, I read this article right around the time that I stopped writing and it was one of those articles that I’ll never forget no matter how much time has passed. Specifically, there was a single quote that hit me like a ton of bricks. I find these words to be replaying in my head almost daily:

“Writing also makes us vulnerable. Yet if we don’t write, we are vulnerable just the same.”

That is exactly it! I am constantly battling with the fear of being vulnerable through my writing. What if I publish something and everyone in the world reads it? Or, worse- what if I publish something and nobody reads it at all? But if I don’t write, and I don’t use my voice…do I even exist?

Writing frees me from myself. Sometimes I just need to give my thoughts a home outside of my own brain. And when I do, I automatically feel happier, more accomplished and lighter. So why don’t I write more?

It’s funny because I have no problem giving my body the things it needs to survive, but I’ve somehow neglected to feed my soul. Writing is food for my soul. No matter how healthy my diet is, how much I exercise or how much sleep I get, if my soul isn’t nourished… I am deprived.

Here’s to feeding my mind, body and soul more in 2013.

photo (18)

Soup for the Soul

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Ohh man you guys. This soup! Between fighting off a stubborn cold and the cray cray weather we’ve been having (80′s and sunny one day, 50′s and windy the next), I needed this soup yesterday.

This is the kind of soup you sip while sneezing and sniffling on the couch in your favorite sweat pants. The kind you make on a cold, gray afternoon that makes the house smell lovely and warms your body from the inside out. This is the kind of soup that will cure whatever ails you. Oh yes friends, this is most definitely that kind of soup.

One of the best things about this recipe was that half of the ingredients are staples in our house. Translation: a dinner costing mere pennies with plenty of leftovers to enjoy the over the next couple of days. Yep, that’s just how we do things around here. My absolute favorite part of this recipe was definitely the kale. I’m a huge fan of kale chips, but the only time I tried a kale salad I just couldn’t get on board. Maybe I didn’t massage it enough or use the right dressing. I don’t know, I just wasn’t having it. BUT THIS KALE! This kale was lightly sautéed in a bit of olive oil with salt and pepper before being cooked down further in a bath of delicious broth. I could have eaten an entire bowl of straight kale and broth. Don’t judge me.

What I’m trying to say here is…MAKE THIS SOUP. It is so insanely easy, all of the ingredients are fairly inexpensive and the leftovers are even better the next day. I followed Kristin’s recipe almost exactly; the only thing I did differently was add more celery. One lonely stalk just didn’t seem right to me. I added chicken for my boyfriend’s sake (see, I take pity on the poor boy sometimes and feed him meat!) but next time I would honestly leave it out. I ended up picking the chicken pieces out of my bowl anyway because they did absolutely nothing for me (shocker, I know).

Ready for the recipe? I would definitely recommend prepping every single ingredient before you begin- I typically never do this but it actually saved a ton of time and cooking was a lot less stressful- go figure!

Harvest Chicken Quinoa Soup (from Iowa Girl Eats)

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil
1 carrot, chopped (I just used a bunch of baby carrots)
1-3 ribs of celery, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
salt & pepper
4 cups torn kale
1 garlic clove
8 C chicken broth, divided
1 t parsley flakes
1/2 t dried thyme
1 bay leaf
2″ parmesan cheese rind (optional) <— I actually had this on hand and OMG, I would argue this is mandatory, not optional ;)
2 large chicken breasts (about 1lb), cut in half
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2″ cubes
1 large russet potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2″ cubes
2/3 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese <— I didn’t have grated cheese so I left it out (didn’t need it after using the rind, anyway!)

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, and onion, season with salt and pepper. Saute until tender. Add kale and garlic, season with more salt and pepper, then saute for 2 more minutes. Add 7 cups chicken broth, dried seasonings, and parmesan cheese rind, then bring to a boil.

Add chicken breasts to the pot and cook for 10 minutes, or until no longer pink in the center. Remove to a plate. Add sweet potato, russet potato, and quinoa to boiling broth. Cover with lid, lower heat and cook for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender and quinoa is cooked. Meanwhile shred chicken with two forks.

Add shredded chicken back to the soup, remove bay leaf, then add parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Taste and add more salt & pepper if necessary. (In my case, adding more salt was definitely necessary). Use remaining 1 cup of broth to add when reheating soup, as quinoa will absorb a lot of the broth as it cools.

Expectation

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I’ve been putting a lot of energy towards this word recently, expectation. I’ve been thinking about how natural it is to have an expectation about something, anything- a book, an event, a person. And then, how the majority of the time after we’ve set these expectations, we end up feeling sad or disappointed when things don’t work out the way they were “supposed” to.

Like a couple of weeks ago when I showed up to barre class feeling strong and energized. I’d been doing a lot of strength training since my last barre class, so I expected that hour to feel like a piece of cake compared to a 5:45am boot camp. But sure enough, about halfway through the arm series, I needed to let my arms down for a quick shake. And I felt so defeated afterwards…like I had failed for the day. Harsh, I know, but it’s true.

Or how last autumn, there was this insanely beautiful group of trees at my favorite park in KC. I swear for an entire year I looked forward to seeing those trees. But this year, the colors weren’t the same as last year- they weren’t even close. And for a moment I actually felt cheated that I didn’t get to see them again. I mean…really? Expectation.

But today, as I waltzed into a new-to-me yoga class, I had no expectation. I had never met the instructor before and had no idea what her teaching style would be like. As I began flowing through my poses I became utterly consumed by breathing in the warm October breeze as it blew through the open windows. I was simultaneously soaking in a pool of sunshine and sweat. I felt happy and content. And all of a sudden, without having put much thought into what I was doing, I was balancing in a pose for longer than I had ever done before.

Sometimes we all need to just breathe and be present. Let go of expectation, judgement and worry. Just be. Do you. The rest will magically fall into place.

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

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As I was searching for a way to use up the rest of the sauce I made the other week, I spotted these on my pin board and decided to give ‘em a go. I’ve never made lasagna before and thought this variation on the traditional dish seemed a lot lighter and better portioned for a home of two.

I served these alongside a veggie-filled garden salad and a couple slices of crusty garlic bread. This was the perfect meal for a chilly fall evening! The most time-intensive part of the whole ordeal was waiting for them to bake in the oven. The 40 minutes was worth it though-the apartment smelled amazing afterwards!

After the lasagna noodles have been cooked and cooled, all you have to do is lay them out flat on a sheet of waxed paper, whip up the spinach and cheese mixture, spread it onto the center of the noodles and finally, roll them up! It’s that easy. I poured a bit more sauce over the top and sprinkled them with mozzarella cheese before popping it all in the oven.

You know what else? You could totally make these vegan! If you’ve never tried tofu before, I highly suggest trying it in a dish like this. The consistency of tofu is extremely similar to ricotta and since they’re both mild in taste it’s the perfect substitution- trust me on this! In case you’re feeling adventurous, I’ll list the vegan ingredients in parentheses below ;)

Spinach Lasagna Rolls (From Skinnytaste)

Ingredients:

10 lasagna noodles, cooked and cooled

10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

15 oz ricotta cheese (or 16 oz extra firm tofu)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (or 1 T nutritional yeast)

1 egg (or 2 T olive oil)

1 t italian seasoning ( I totally eye-balled this…)

3-4 oz shredded mozzarella cheese (omit if making vegan!)

1 jar of marinara sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour about 1 cup of sauce into the bottom of a 9×12 baking dish. Combine spinach, ricotta, egg, parmesan and seasonings in a large bowl- mix well. (VEGAN: drain/press tofu and pat dry. Crumble into food processor or blender along with nutritional yeast, olive oil and seasonings. Process until ricotta-like in appearance).

Lay cooled and dry lasagna noodles on a sheet of wax paper. Spoon ricotta mixture evenly onto noodle. Roll the noodle and place into baking dish seam side down. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle sauce over the top of noodles and, if desired, top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Makes 10 rolls.

Becoming a Morning [Exercise] Person

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I could be a little premature in writing this post, but after two mornings IN A ROW of attending a 5:45 AM workout class, my inner voice is all, “Oh yeah girlfriend! You can totally do this regularly!”

Here’s the thing though. I can’t even tell you how many times I set my alarm “early” (all of a sudden 6:30 doesn’t seem so early anymore…) so I could go for a run before I went in to work at my old job. Do you know how many times I actually got my booty out of bed and ran? Probably twice…out of countless attempts. Huge fail.

These last two days, however, have been positively amazing! I thought I was going to turn into a worthless zombie by mid afternoon but no, I am a productivity MACHINE! It feels damn good, too. There’s something to be said about having your workout completed, gas tank filled, morning latte leisurely enjoyed AND your grocery shopping done by 8:15 AM. Seriously, I don’t even know who I am anymore.

But things are so much different now than they were a year ago, or even six months ago. Although my intention for waking up early to get my sweat on hasn’t really changed, a lot of other things have. Some of these things are situational but there are definitely a few that can translate to anyone who is looking for a way to “train” themselves to get their workout in during the morning. Here are my thoughts on how to actually become the morning exerciser you’ve always admired from afar, but never thought you could be:

Get buzzed. Ok, so this is the addict in me talking but I have to be real here. I am not a human being until I have at least a little bit of caffeine (read: COFFEE) in my system. It’s honestly the force that pulls me out of bed in the morning. (<— should I even admit that?) But really, knowing that all I have to do is shuffle a few feet into the kitchen before everything in the world is right again makes waking up so much easier. You know what else makes waking up easier? That little blessing known as the Auto Brew function. No matter what time my alarm is set for the morning, my coffee is freshly brewed and waiting for me before the buzzer even goes off. On a normal morning I would typically drink 1-2 cups, but if it’s a workout morning I’ll usually just stick to half of a cup. That way I at least feel like myself but don’t have to worry about tons of liquid sloshing around in my belly when busting out a set of burpees. I save the fancy latte for afterwards when I can really savor the moment. Win-win.

Pick your outfit. At first this felt a little juvenile to me, but setting out your entire outfit (from headband to socks) makes a world of difference in the morning. It completely takes the guess work out and is a mega time saver- do this at night and sleep for five extra minutes in the morning!

Buddy up. This is new to me, but knowing that I have a friend or two that will be waiting holds me 100% accountable. When someone is expecting you to show up somewhere, flaking out just isn’t an option. It’s easy to talk yourself out of an early workout, but if you think about it as a selfless act for someone else, you’re less likely to ditch. At least in my opinion, anyway! Don’t have a workout buddy? Tell someone close to you what your plan is- sometimes just committing to something out loud is enough to get you in the right mindset. Plus, if you tell someone about it, they’re likely to ask you how it went afterwards- you’re definitely going to want a response you can be proud of.

Make it fun. This is huge. Part of the reason I never got up to run is because truthfully, running isn’t fun for me. I have a weird relationship with running. I do it because it’s intensely challenging for both my mind and my body- not because I love running. Sounds kinda sick huh? But switching my AM workout to something I do love (like a barre class, boot camp or power yoga) is almost as motivating as my morning cuppa joe. It makes sense though- would you rather get up extra early to do something you kinda loathe, or do something you kinda love? Duh.

Incentivize. Wanna know a shameful little secret? One of the prime reasons I jumped out of bed on day #2 was because the instructor told me she’d give us glow bracelets for our warmup jog outside. It also helped that I had promised myself a big ole’ breakfast burrito as an after-class reward. A little mind trickery never killed anyone ya know.

Do you prefer to sweat in AM or PM? AND…what’s your activity of choice?

Quinoa Pizza Bites + Homemade Sauce

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I was a little nervous about this recipe. Pizza is hands down my favorite food, and the ingredient list on this recipe pulled me right out of my pizza comfort zone. Quinoa? Eggs?? While I tend to enjoy both of those things, let’s be honest, they’re not your average pizza ingredients. These are right up there at the top of my “NOT ON PIZZA”  list with fruit. I’m sorry if hawaiian pizza is  your thing, but I just can’t do fruit on my ‘za.

But, something told me that these cute little things were going to be a hit. And a hit they were! I tested them out on my boyfriend and after he popped the first couple into his mouth he looked at me and said, “You only made 24 of these? I could eat about 300…” I think there was a compliment hidden somewhere in there because in my mind, all I heard was: SUCCESS!

These absolutely need to be taken to a football party. I’m not into football, but I could definitely see myself pretending to be into football for a day just to bring a party platter full of these healthy game day snacks. And judging by the speed at which my boyfriend and I devoured these bad boys, I would suggest doubling (quadrupling?!) the recipe. And play around with the ingredients, too! Next time I want to add fresh spinach and artichokes.

Oh, and the homemade sauce thing is just for kicks. I recently started making my own pizza sauce and I will never go back to the pre-made stuff from the store. This is SO easy and totally worth the extra prep time. I like to make a batch at the beginning of the week and use it for personal pizzas on whole wheat pita bread for easy lunches and dinners when I don’t feel like cooking. Definitely give it a try and let me know what you think!

Quinoa Pizza Bites (from So Very Blessed)

Ingredients:

1 cup of cooked quinoa

1 egg

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms (or whatever veggie you want!)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 t minced garlic

1/4 cup fresh basil <–this is the best part!

1/2 cup chopped pepperoni slices (if desired)

1/2 t dried oregano

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients (except sauce) and mix well. Distribute mixture by heaping tablespoons into a greased mini muffin tin. Press down firmly to compact ingredients so your pizza bites don’t fall apart.

Bake for 15-20 minutes and enjoy! (Makes about 24 bites)

 

Homemade Pizza Sauce (from Edible Perspective)

Ingredients:

1 28oz can whole peeled tomatoes, drained + chopped (save liquid in a measuring cup)

2 cloves minced garlic

2 T olive oil

dash of salt and pepper (to taste)

3T tomato paste

2 t dried oregano

2 t dried basil

1 t dried thyme

~1/4 cup tomato liquid

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add in garlic and saute for about 1 minute. Gently add in chopped tomatoes and let cook for 5 minutes. Add in all seasonings,tomato paste and about 1/4 of the liquid (add more of less liquid to get the consistency you prefer). Simmer, covered, for about 20-30 minutes while stirring often. Leave chunky or puree with a blender/food processor. (makes: ??)