Month: November 2012

Half Time

Sadie5 Comments

Tomorrow is the big day.  I’m running the Richmond Half Marathon!  My very first half marathon, and definitely the longest distance I’ve run ever.   Even though I’m a workout fanatic, I’ve never been much of a runner.  I just don’t feel like my body was built for that kind of exercise, it doesn’t love the amount of impact.  But I decided to step outside of my comfort zone and challenge myself.  I chose a half marathon because I felt like it was an attainable goal given that I have an erratic schedule with grad school.  I really need some level of flexibility with my workouts, and I like variety in my workouts.  With a half marathon, as opposed to a full marathon, you don’t have to run every day, and you’re not doing training runs that take three hours.

I’ve been running about three times a week with longer runs on weekends.  The last few weekends I’ve done about 11 miles.  I feel like I’m ready because if I can do 11, I could squeeze in 2 more.  Plus I’ve been running on a hilly path and I think the race is a flatter course.  I’m super excited!

I’m ready with my race outfit.  I did a dress rehearsal with it last weekend to make sure it was comfy for a long run.  There is nothing worse than doing a long run with sports bra that rubs, or pants that slide down!  I think this outfit is going to be a winner for me.

You might notice that I’m wearing shoes that I bought last February from DSW.  Well, not really.  I actually liked those sneakers so much, I bought another pair.  Then it was so close to the race I figured I needed a relatively fresh pair, so I bought them again.  I actually had to write numbers on the insoles to remember which pair is which!

And don’t forget the accessories!

 

Wish me luck!

Do you have any fitness related goals this year?

 

Easy Peasy Pumpkin Pie

Carrie1 Comment

This recipe is simple, but it gets the job done.  Simply use a store-bought refrigerated pie crust such as Pillsbury to line a pie dish.  In a bowl, combine a 15 oz. can of pumpkin, a can of sweetened condensed milk, 2 eggs, and one tsp. pumpkin pie spice.  Fill the pie shell with this mixture.  Place in the oven at 450 for ten minutes.  Then reduce heat to 350 and cook for another 30 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.  It’s simplicity at its best and will please any taste buds during this harvest season.

Broccoli: Simple and Fabulous

Sadie2 Comments

I love broccoli.  Usually I think it’s best if it’s simple.  I recently needed to bring a vegetable side dish to a friend’s house for dinner.  I went back and forth between a few different options.  It’s always tricky picking a dish for a pot luck.  I don’t really know what other people are bringing, I don’t know if the host or certain critical mass doesn’t like a certain ingredient, and in this case I didn’t even know how much to make.

After hemming and hawing over a few different options I decided to keep it simple stupid: roasted broccoli.  I checked the food network website because this was something I could picture Ina Garten making.  That’s the funny thing when you’re a Food Network fan, when I’m thinking about certain dishes, I can usually pick a chef from the line up that probably has a recipe that I want to use for it.

Ina had a good looking recipe for roasted broccoli with garlic and parmesan.  Bingo.  I was eating this broccoli like candy, and so were my friends.  So easy, so quick, do delicious.

Roasted Garlic and Parmesan Broccoli

From Ina, scale the amounts to fit the size of your group

Ingredients

  • Broccoli crowns rinsed and cut into florets
  • minced garlic cloves (about 1 clove per serving)
  • olive oil
  • salt, pepper, crushed red pepper to taste
  • Parmesan cheese, grated, about 1/3 cup per every 3-4 servings

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 425.  Line cookie sheets with foil.
  2. Combine garlic with about 1/4 cup olive oil and pour mixture over broccoli.  Toss broccoli so it is coated with oil (add oil if needed) and pour out onto baking sheet(s).
  3. Season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Roast broccoli in oven for 20-25 minutes.
  4. Remove broccoli when edges of florets start to get brown.  Toss warm broccoli with parmesan and serve.