creamed spinach + pea butternut squash gratin

Every week, I head to Trader Joe's to stock up for the week. I usually have a semblance of a shopping list, and some idea of meals in my mind. Since I had leftover butternut squash just calling my name in the fridge, I planned to cook up some butternut-pumpkin squash soup. Then I went food shopping. And I love how Trader Joe's always has samples. Sometimes I can't try it-- you know, not vegetarian friendly. But this trip I could. And it felt like kismet. The sample was the butternut squash creamed spinach gratin frozen meal, and it was love upon first bite. I immediately said (out loud, I think, to no one in particular), "THIS is what I'm going to make tonight."

And for a recipe kind of thrown together on the fly, I think it came together pretty well. As I had already chopped up the bulbous end of my butternut squash from the noodle recipe, I didn't have the option of a true gratin, with thin slices and layers of flavors. Instead, the end result was more like a mish-mash casserole... a pretty delicious one, if I may say. 

creamed spinach + pea butternut squash gratin 

• 1 full butternut squash or 2 butternut squash bulbous ends, chopped
• 1 bag (16 oz) frozen spinach
• 1/2 bag (16 oz) frozen peas
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs 

First, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Second, prep veggies. Add olive oil, garlic, and onion to heated pan. Coat garlic and onion,  let cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and coconut milk, mix well. Let simmer for about 5 minutes. Add peas and mix well.

 Grease baking dish. Add butternut squash chunks. Then add spinach and pea mix. Mix well. Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes, or until browned and bubbly and the squash chunks are soft. Let rest and set for 5-10 minutes. 

 

veggie medley on butternut squash noodles

MONDAY, MONDAY, MONDAY! Let's start off the week with a dish that is sure to become a staple when you're in need of comfort food. Not only is it full of flavor and veggies, but you'll never guess the secret ingredient...  butternut squash noodles! I had no idea that butternut squash could be magically spiralized into noodles, but it was a welcome discovery. Squash noodles are WAY WAY better squash chunks, am I right?

 Veggie Medley with Butternut Squash Noodles

·         1 spiralized butternut squash (directions!) (save the leftovers! recipe coming later this week!)

·         3 cloves garlic, minced

·         1 summer squash, sliced and diced

·         1 cup frozen peas

·         5 asparagus stalks, chopped

·         2 cups portabella mushrooms, chopped

·         Seasonings

·         Parmesan cheese, to taste

Prep butternut squash noodles and veggies. Set aside. Heat pan with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Add garlic. Mix to coat and allow garlic to become soft. Add veggies (but not noodles).

Cook until almost done (5-10 minutes). Add your choice of seasonings (salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, etc). Add noodles and mix well. Try to separate the noodles so they are mixed well with the veggies. Cover and let cook until soft (5-7 minutes). Add parmesan and mix to coat. Plate, and may I suggest more parmesan? Yum.

creamy roasted veggie cauliflower soup

So, guys, I had every intention on going for a bike ride after work. I had been looking forward to getting some ride time in, as I'm just getting comfortable clipping in and don't want to lose that confidence. But then I got home just a touch before six, and it looked like it was either getting dark already, so I checked the time for tonight's sunset... 6:10. Ahh, makes sense now. No bike ride for KT in the dark. Whomp whomp.

In other news, I guess the cooler weather is here for good. This type of weather kick starts a seasonal type of hunger in me-- the hunger for comfort food. A lot of it. But we all know comfort food isn't typically that healthy. I have a few challenges in mind for this fall and winter, and the first and easy one with which to begin is an attempt to make comfort food healthier. After seeing soup recipes abound on food blogs, it was all I wanted to make last week.

Thick, creamy soups typically have half-and-half or cream... for this, coconut milk was substituted for a healthier alternative. You're also certain to enjoy a boatload of veggies with every spoonful-- and it's a great way to hide cauliflower, too!

creamy, roasted veggie cauliflower soup (serves two)

• 1/2 yellow onion, finely diced (you can throw it in the food processor if you're sensitive to onions  or just hate finely dicing veggies like me)
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 large head of cauliflower, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup coconut milk (or more if you like a thicker consistency)
• assorted veggies (your choice! my picks were broccoli, garlic, and summer squash)
• 1 cup frozen peas

Heat almost a full tablespoon of butter and olive oil in a large pot. Add onions and stir well. Once soft and translucent (about five minutes), add chopped cauliflower and broth, cover, and simmer until soft (about 15-20 minutes).

While cauliflower is simmering, chop up the assorted veggies and place onto a baking sheet covered with tin foil, sprayed with olive oil. Since the veggies will be going into soup, I prefer to roast them "dry" instead of tossed with olive oil and seasonings. Roast at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, until soft.

Once the cauliflower is soft enough to break with a spoon, transfer half the mixture into a food processor and add the water. Process until smooth. Put cauliflower mixture back into pot, add the coconut milk and frozen peas, mix, then simmer. Add roasted veggies once done. Add salt and pepper as needed. Simmer for about 5-10 minutes, until desired thickness and warmth.

Ladle into bowl, add crunchy, garlic-y bread on the side if you wish (you know I did), and enjoy!



(full disclosure: adapted from Jessica at how sweet eats... love her blog!)

let's go crazy: pinnacle ultra challenge 50K race report

I did a crazy thing on Sunday: I ran a 50K. On minimal mileage, and one long-ish run of 13 or so miles. Probably not the brightest idea. In my defense... the plan didn't start with me running a 50K. 

The Mother found this event, the Pinnacle Ultra Challenge, awhile ago and it had a variety of distance options: half-marathon, half-marathon relay, 50K, 50K relay. (Side note! The course is pretty cool-- the first part is mostly gravel rail trail, and the second part is hilly, technical, singletrack trail.) The Mother wanted to run the half-marathon, and asked if I’d be interested, in some capacity. Which I was. The next question? Which event? We had a few options, and I didn't really have a preference until the Mother told me that she thought I could probably be if I did my own thing, in some capacity. So the gears started to shift in my head… I really wanted to help out the Mother, but I also wanted to experience the trails, which you only reached if you went beyond the half-marathon. So I threw out a crazy idea which I kind of knew wouldn't be dismissed as entirely crazy… I could start with the Mother, pace her through the half-marathon (keeping a conservative pace) and then keep going… for another eighteen miles. And so, that's how I jumped into a 50K.

I should have been terrified, but I wasn't. In fact, I was pretty excited. I would have company for a good chunk of the run, and I would get to experience the beauty of New Hampshire. Sure, there were two mountains to summit (Pinnacle at 1362 feet and Coit at 1590 feet) over 9 miles, with a total vertical gain per loop of 1300 feet. And I get to do that TWICE.
 

Saturday afternoon, J-Hay, the Mother, the Father, the Dog, and myself went to Newport High School to check out the course and pick up our bibs. Even though we had multiple course maps printed from the race website, our internal GPS' were on the fritz and we couldn't figure out how to even get onto the course. After this semi-stressful experience, I was not very confident in my ability to stay on-course. During bib pickup, we asked the friendly Race Director about the two wave start-- ultra (50K) runners who were concerned they wouldn't meet the pre-specified time cutoffs could start early, at 7am, while everyone else (including the half-marathon and team relay runners) would start at 9 am, BUT you could still place in the awards running from the early wave. He gave us the option to start early together, if we wanted (since the Mother was a half-marathoner, she technically was only supposed to start at 9 am), but I was concerned I'd be running without company if we started at 7 am (since my goal was to be under the cutoffs by a good chunk) and the extra two hours of sleep would be nice. Decision made to start with the 9 am wave, we made our way back to the house for dinner and relaxation.

The next morning, I was up at 7 am, had a breakfast of whole wheat english muffin with peanut butter and half of a banana, and we were out the door at 7:45 am for the quick 15 minute ride to the high school. It started to drizzle on our way over... it's good luck, right? My outfit of choice included an old three-quarter sleeve Nike Drifit shirt, Adidas shorts, CEP Run 2.0 compression socks, Saucony Peregrines, and my Nathan QuickDraw handheld. I figured I would stay relatively warm in the longer sleeve and high socks... as long as it stayed relatively dry. I had my drop-box ready and waiting for me under the Father's car, protected from the rainThankfully, the drizzle died down, and by the time we started at 9 am, it had stopped.

Leg #1: Rail Trail (13.1 miles)

It was a small crowd at the start... along with the half-marathoners and team relay runners, about 15 or so ultra runners started at 9 am. I really hoped I would catch the early wave ultra runners out on the trails, otherwise it would be a lonely day. After a quick pre-race briefing, we were off, starting on a paved road for about a mile or so. Three women passed us during this part, all of whom we thought were half-marathoners. A hard right, and we were on the rail trail. The field hadn't thinned out at this point, and it was nice to run with others. Our pace stayed consistent and we clocked off the miles. We were concerned about the condition of the rail trail, as we had run a section a month or so back and it was quite soft, but it didn't seem so bad this time. No stopping at the aid stations, although there were quite a few along the way, which was nice. We got to the turn-around, which was right after a long covered bridge, and upon reaching the bridge, one of the women who had passed us earlier went by the other way... turns out, she was an ultra runner! Well then. She was moving, but I wasn't concerned. We were only a fraction of the way into this race, and I was there with two goals in mind: pace my mom to a successful half-marathon, and then do my own thing out on the trails. Maybe I'd catch up to her in the woods, maybe not, but I knew I was sticking to the plan. 

 

An hour in, I took my first gel with water. My nutrition was another plan I wanted to follow closely-- a Gu gel every hour and my handheld filled with nuun as much I needed (drinking to thirst but also trying for a bottle every leg). A few minutes later, up the road, I see two men wearing gray sweatshirts and hats and a beautiful yellow dog. That could only be J-Hay, the Father, and the Dog! It was so wonderful for them to make it out on the course; the support is REALLY helpful and always lifts my spirits. We ran past and kept making our way towards the finish. Around this time, the Mother became quiet, and I think she was starting to hurt. I didn't have a Garmin on, so I couldn't watch our splits, but I tried to keep the pace consistent. We made it past the original right-hand turn we took onto the rail trail. I could hear the music and the PA speaker off in the distance, so I knew we had to be getting close. Up ahead, I saw the runners taking a left, so I started to encourage the Mother more. We only had a bit to go! At this point, I was keeping the Mother's personal best in mind. Soon we could see the finish chute and the finish line clock... so close, so close! I kept encouraging the Mother on and on... J-Hay and the Father were waiting on the side right before the chute, and J-Hay called out, "the first ultra woman passed through 3 minutes ago!" So now I knew how much she had on me, but first I needed to meet goal #1: the Mother's half-marathon. We went through the finish chute, in 1:45 and change (personal best for the Mother!!!), and  I ran to the aid station to fill up my handheld and over to the car to pick up the gels I would need for leg #2.

Leg #1 split: 1:45:18

 

Leg #2: Newport Town Forest Loop #1 (9 miles)

 

After picking up my gels, I followed the track clockwise to head into the forest. While the early trail marking wasn't the greatest, I made my way successfully into the trails and found some other runners. Within five to ten minutes, I had caught up to the lead ultra woman from my wave, and made a pass once the singletrack opened up enough. I was confused that I had caught up so quickly... was I moving that well or was she moving that slowly? Nevertheless, I was pleased I had already checked off goal #1 for this loop and kept moving. At hour 2, I sucked down gel #2. (Tri-Berry with caffeine!) Not before long, I saw a trail marker pointing the way to the Pinnacle Summit, and while moving up a long, gradual descent, I heard bagpipe music, which, not surprisingly, led to a man playing the bagpipe at the summit. It was a welcome distraction at this point. After taking a glance at the summit view, my head swiveled back to the trail and a descent was next. Legs flying, I let my feet choose their path, only taking pause on the slick rock faces. Down, down, down... but I knew I'd have to go up again. 

And up we went... up narrow switchbacks with tight, rocky turns, over big slabs of rock covered in moss, with beautiful views. While it was challenging, and I hiked many of the steeper sections, I kept moving up and up, taking swills from my handheld. Finally, I saw a tree with a sign... I reached Coit Summit, and it also served as the marathon mark, 26.2 miles, for loop #2. I calculated that I had ran 17.2 miles at this point (longer than I've gone in a very long time), and I still felt pretty good. And I was getting to the fun part! Down, down, down... the descents were so much fun. There was a hard right turn onto a gravel road, with another long descent. Another right, and I reached the aid station in the woods, at about mile 18 or so. Past the station, I reached hour 3, and in went gel #3 (no caffeine). Time for a body check: stomach was feeling pretty good, gels were still appetizing, and nuun water was still going down easily. Check, check, and check.

Back into the woods, I reached rolling hills over the final four miles in this loop. At one point, I missed a turn, and after reaching an intersection without a trail marker, I realized I went the wrong way and turned around to see a bunch of runners going the opposite way. Darn... at least a minute lost. I saw the Father close to the end of the loop, coming down a descent, and took the turn out into the open field to run back into the finish area. J-Hay was waiting in the same spot, and this time around, he called out, "first early wave woman ran 4:50!"... okay, now I had my goal for loop #2.

Leg #2 split: 1:31:46

Leg #3: Newport Town Forest Loop #2 (9 miles)

 

The Mother was waiting for me with the Dog at the car, and I grabbed my final gel. I quickly made my way out of transition and back towards the woods. I did the math in my head: my total run time was just about 3:17 and change, so I had just over 1:30 to finish the final loop if I wanted the top overall female time. I was now up against an imaginary competitor. 

 

The Pinnacle Summit came and went without bagpipe music, which was a shame, as it was a nice treat during the first loop. After the fun descents, the hard stuff began. Not only did I have one more summit to reach, but it started to rain. Not just rain, but raining cats and dogs... which lasted through the remainder of my second loop. I hiked more of the ascents this time around, and was reaching a low point. I took my final gel (with extra caffeine!!) and hoped it would kick in soon. Just keep moving, just keep moving, I told myself. Finally, I saw the Coit Summit sign, reached the marathon mark, and started the descents. Run! Run! Run! I flew down the descents, only five miles to go. I did the math-- just about 40 minutes before reaching 4:50. Oh, it would be tight, but I wanted to give it my best shot. Of course, the rocky singletrack became slick with the rain, and a few times my heartbeat did a flip as I thought I was thissss close to slipping and falling.

Hitting the downhill gravel road, I opened up my stride and let my legs fly, past the aid station. Four miles to go, just about a half hour remaining in my virtual countdown clock. Go! Go! Go! I went as fast as both my legs and the technical trails would let me, and kept my eyes open for the trail markers so I wouldn't miss any turns. The Father made his way into the woods near the turn I missed in the first loop, and I made sure I didn't make the same mistake twice. I flew past him, hardly gave him a wave or a hello, as my focus was only on finishing at this point. The final mile or so was a blur, and I reached the field and saw the finish chute. I looked at my watch--  around 4:53-- and my heart dropped slightly. But I wasn't going to slow down, I only had a couple hundred meters or so to go, so I tried my best to sprint to the finish. Into the finish chute, I dropped my hands to my knees, breathing hard. 

Leg #3 split: 1:37:18

Final Time: 4:54:20

Now removed from the race by a couple of days, I can only be pleased with the results. Off of minimal mileage, I ran well, executed a smart race plan (including nutrition), and helped the Mother reach another personal best. While my legs have been barking and complaining, it's all typical soreness, and there are no aches or pains that would attest to an injury.

Experiences like this one only excite me more and give me the continued drive to keep training and reaching for goals. This race was a great start to the close of 2013, and I love when risk-taking pays off. I have BIG goals for 2014 and I cannot wait to go after them!

 

mix-it-up meals for class consumption

The fall is here, school has started, legions of young adults are roaming Boston, and I'm back to my "normal" routine. "Normal" to me is being back in class (two nights a week) and dealing with school work and planning ahead for the upcoming days. While my normal doesn't fit the typical definition of the word, I've become accustomed to it over the past two years and the transition into this semester particularly has been pretty seamless. I'm now in class on Monday and Tuesday nights, back-to-back. Which means my prep night has moved from Monday to Sunday. 

I know I make life a little bit more difficult for myself-- I could just pack a sandwich and a bag of chips or something simple like that. But instead, the foodie in me cries out for something yummier and healthier. If I'm forcing myself to sit in a classroom for three hours two nights in a row, I better have a good dinner to enjoy. I haven't posted what I've made for meals the past few weeks because the dishes are pretty simple and some of it is from recipes from other bloggers, but J-Hay reminded me last night that there still may be interest in what I'm making. And I hope he's right. Because my main objective when starting this thing was not to post inventive or mind-blowing recipes on a daily basis, but to (hopefully) encourage others to eat more veggies and whole foods and to show others that it's not that hard.  

While the meals I've made haven't been mind-blowing, I do think they've been a little inventive. Not everything packs well, survives a ride in a backpack (because I run commute), and tastes good as leftovers. But I've made it work. And what's great is that you can take any meal below and customize it to meet your foodie desires.

 

Meal 1: Farro with sauteed green peppers, green beans, and red onion, tossed with light Caesar dressing

So you don't like green beans... mix it up! Pick your favorite veggies and go to town!

Meal 2: Farro with sauteed green beans, corn, tossed with Parmesan cheese

Corn isn't a vegetable, you say... well, take it out and add some kale!

Meal 3: Zoodles (zucchini noodles) with green beans and corn, tossed in kale pesto, topped with tomato balls

Pesto don't float your boat? Toss in olive oil and Parmesan cheese instead!

Don't forget to add some protein to each meal... fish, chicken, pork, whatever is your desire... just throw it on top. You've got a pretty simple and quick meal which can be made in bulk and enjoyed over the course of a week. 

raw thai salad with peanut sauce shrimp + fried avocado

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So, it’s August. In case you weren’t aware. Where did July go? Or, better question, where did the summer go? It feels like it just started a week ago. But yet, spring classes seem like they were done a million months ago, and I’m starting to get anxious about the fall semester—anxious like, I’m not sure if I remember how to be a student anymore, anxious. 

ANYWAYS. In my never-ending quest to find MORE ways to trick myself and others into eating MORE veggies in MORE delicious ways, I bring you THIS. It was a rousing success in our party of two, and I can promise you it will be trotted out like the trick pony it is for bigger functions.

Now go eat MORE veggies. Your body will thank you.

raw thai salad with peanut sauce shrimp and fried avocado

SALAD

• 1 medium zucchini, julienned
• 1 medium summer squash, julienned
• 2 cups prepared broccoli slaw (I got mine at Trader Joe’s)
• ½ green pepper, sliced
• 6 baby peppers, sliced, assorted colors
• ½ cucumber, sliced and then halved

For the zucchini and summer squash, since I unfortunately neither have a julienne peeler or a spiralizer, I used a box grater, on the side with the biggest holes. BUT if you have a julienne peeler or a spiralizer… you are insanely lucky (and just not lazy like myself) and please use that as it will make your life a ton easier. Okay, moving on. After julienning the squash, add to a colander, sprinkle with salt, and like drain for about 20 minutes. While the squash is draining, prepare the rest of the veggies as specified above and add to a big bowl. Once the squash is done draining, squeeze out as much extra water as you can using a paper towel or something similar. After being squeezed, add squash to bowl with other veggies and mix well.

just the raw salad

PEANUT SAUCE SHRIMP

• 1 pound raw, peeled, deveined shrimp
• 3 tablespoons natural creamy peanut butter
• 1-2 minced garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

First, add last five ingredients into a bowl, and whisk until well-mixed. It will be thick. No worries! Heat a large sauté pan with a little bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add shrimp. Then add peanut sauce. Mix well. Cook shrimp for about 10 minutes, until warm inside and out.

FRIED AVOCADO... Just follow the directions here!

This is the easy part-- once the avocado and shrimp are done, assemble salad and EAT!

Yummmmm.... a lot of healthy, a lot of savory, just the way I like it!

life lately with a side of lightened up potato salad

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I've failed as a blogger on a couple of fronts: one, I have been MIA. I blame a July Fourth vacation. Among other things. Two, I have zero pictures of this awesomely delicious and not-so-unhealthy potato salad. This creation was born out of necessity of a potato salad, because I was told, duh, no barbecue is complete without one, even though I'm not a huge fan of your standard 'Murican version. But I just knew there was some way to lighten it up using different ingredients with similar textures. I should have snapped a couple of pictures IMMEDIATELY after it was made (like J-Hay told me to) but of course I didn't because it had been a long night and all I wanted to do was clean up and collapse into bed. Of course the next day was OHMYGOSH so busy and it went straight from the fridge to the patio table and into our guests' bellies. Without a single picture taken. Oops. So, instead of a picture of this DELISH potato salad, you get a buffet of random pictures. So enjoy a rundown of life lately, and go make this dish. Like immediately. Seriously, it’s darn gosh good.

Our vacation hangout. Relaxing, yes. Beautiful, yes. Conducive to writing, no.

My first ever attempt at planting and growing flowers. I've got five types of perennials going on there, and I am SO EXCITED to see them grow. Grow, baby, grow!

 Pretty awesome Ford at the Antique Car Show at the Newbury Old Home Day. We had no idea what would entail an "Old Home Day", but we quickly discovered it was kind of like a fair. Sounded good to us!

 A common sight at a recent wedding... 80s and 90s music with air guitar solos. Yesssssss, go J-Hay go!

Saw these at Trader Joe's and knew a bouquet had to come home with me... been thinking of you, Jen <3

Last but most definitely not least, I had the pleasure to celebrate sweet sixteen with my youngest cousin... oh my how the time has flown. 

And finally finally, a recipe for you!

not your average potato salad

• 3 lbs small/baby red potatoes
• 4 tablespoons plain fat free greek yogurt
• 8 tablespoons light mayonnaise
• ~3-4 tablespoons mustard aioli 
• 1/2 large red onion, chopped
• 2/3 oz container fresh dill, chopped

First, prep your potatoes. You can either quarter or dice them, depending on your preference. Add potatoes to extra large pot, and add cold water until the potatoes are covered by about an inch. Boil potatoes for about 10-15 minutes, until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Let cool for about 5-10 minutes. 

Add cooled potatoes to extra large bowl. Add all other ingredients and mix well. Cover and place in fridge to cool. 

mustard aioli (adapted from how sweet it is)

I made this earlier in the week as a sauce for salmon for dinner. Some people claim this is hard to make. So I was terrified of attempting it. Don't be afraid, friends, it's not that hard. 

Add spicy brown mustard, egg yolk, and lemon juice to bowl. Whisk until combined. Then slowly drizzle olive oil into mix and whisk slowly. Keep adding oil slowly, whisking until the oil is combined with mustard mix, and then repeat until the olive oil is gone and everything is combined. Finally, add dijon, salt, and pepper, and mix. Keep in fridge until ready to use. It might separate if not used immediately. If that's the case, whisk mixture again until combined. 

• 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• pinch salt + pepper