bundle up!

Wow, it is COLD out there! Winter really has arrived. And I am notorious for always being cold... I'm pretty sure I bring a sweater with me everywhere in the summer, and I am always in layers in the winter. But the show must go on... we must keep getting out there and keep moving! So how do I stay warm on nights like tonight, when it is below 20 degrees, but feels like it's in the single digits? Layers, friends, many layers.

From right to left... layer 1 (fleece baselayer), layer 2 (fleece half-zip), layer 3 (bright colored slightly heavy wind-protection jacket).

You may have noticed a trend... FLEECE! I love fleecy things to wear when I'm running in the cold. It always keeps me warm, and wicks sweat pretty well. The jacket helps keep the wind out, and it's so bright that I don't give anyone a reason not to see me in the dark.

Those are my running tights... yes, friends, FLEECE inside! These bad boys are Champion from Target, which means they were reasonably priced. These are my favorite tights, and my legs always stay warm.

Temperatures like these call for desperate measures... thick, above ankle, wool socks! Now, on any other day, you probably would never see me wear socks that go above my ankle... argh. But I like being completely covered in cold weather. These are my SmartWool socks, and I love how my feet stay nice and toasty... and dry :)

 Finally, time to take care of the extremities. Those Saucony gloves are the bomb. See the mitten flap? That goes over the glove, so you have extra warmth. AND each index finger and thumb have a hole so you can stick some skin out in case you need to play with a touchscreen device. Nify. Lastly, keeping the ears warm is a must. This is not that thick of a headband, but it does the job. I tend to stick with headbands instead of hats when I am running... I like having my hair up, and I tend to overheat in hats.

Now that you are all bundled up... go run! I promise you, with the right amount of layers, and the right gear for your extremities, you won't notice the bone-chilling temperatures.


Keep moving, my friends :)

banana "ice cream"

Food processor-- you scare me no more.

Monday was Martin Luther King Jr Day, and I was lucky enough to have the day off from work. While enjoying my very lazy day, I told myself I had to do SOMETHING productive... other than running and grocery shopping, which were both accomplished. My project? Conquer the FOOD PROCESSOR.  

I know, it's a pretty irrational fear... Ooo scary food processor. But seriously, when something comes with unpacking instructions, warning upon warning about the seriously sharp blades, and you yourself are a very clumsy person... Fear seems normal. 

But the pros outweighed the cons by a boatload. There are SO MANY things you can do with a food processor. And I have SO MANY recipes that need a food processor. Including this wonderful, healthy and delicious banana "ice cream".

Why the need for quotation marks? Well, J-Hay claimed that since there is no cream in this treat, it's not really ice cream. Touché, my dear. But I certainly believe this treat is creamy (and sweet) enough to please even the most ardent of ice cream lovers. 

Banana "Ice Cream"

- 6 frozen bananas (or more)

- 1/2 cup coconut milk (for every additional 3 bananas, add 1/4 coconut milk)

- mixings as you please

1. Slice frozen bananas into 1" pieces. Keep your pieces small!

2. Put slices into food processor bowl. I did this in two steps, as I didn't want to overwhelm the bowl. I would suggest you do the same!

3. Pulse banana slices in ~30 second intervals until there is a chunky consistency. You will probably need to unstick banana from the blade using a spatula a couple of times. 

4. When you have a chunky banana consistency (and potentially a ball of frozen banana on one side of your bowl), add the coconut milk.

5. Pulse mixture again in ~30 second intervals until it becomes creamy. 

6. Pour into bowl, and repeat steps 2-5 if you've split up your banana slices.

7. Add your mixings to your banana mixture! Mix well!

8. Okay now you have two options: do you want soft serve, or ice cream? If you want soft serve, you're all done! Go enjoy your banana treat. If you want ice cream, read on...

9. Pour banana mixture into a freezer-safe container. 

10. Freeze banana mixture. At 30 minute intervals, take container out of freezer and use a fork to scrape sides to mix frozen parts together with soft part in middle. Repeat process another couple of times, until consistency is more of an ice cream throughout. I started this process around 6:30, and we enjoyed around 9:30, and it was definitely looking and tasting like ice cream by then. 

This time I added Trader Joe's mini peanut butter cups... Yum :) next time, I'm feeling almond butter and maybe some chocolate chips would be yummy additions. Be creative!

Stay hungry, my friends :)

paleo stew

Hey wait, is it really Friday night? Where did this week go? Four word recap of my week: OMG BUSY BUSY BUSY. 

Funny story: I really wanted to make some cauliflower rice, especially so because I was given a legitimate food processor for Christmas. But... my plan was foiled... all because the darn thing scares the bejesus out of me. Not only does it come with normal instructions... it comes with UNPACKING instructions due to super duper sharp blades. I am a clumsy girl-- in my mind, all I could think was how J-Hay would come home that night that a girlfriend mauled by her new food processor. So what did I do? I unpacked everything, attempted to attach the shredding blade, and then gave up about five minutes later. A battle for another night.

This week I was craving something hearty, warm, and filling. Chili immediately came to mind. But I didn't really want chili exactly. Instead, I made a Paleo stew. It passed the J-Hay test, but I know how to tweak it for next time.  

Paleo Stew

• one head of cauliflower
• two or three zucchini and/or summer squash
• healthy serving of mushrooms
• healthy serving of sliced and diced carrots
• two cans diced tomato
• half can tomato paste
• salt/pepper/etc

Prepare your veggies: if you've got a food processor and aren't afraid to use it (unlike me, whomp whomp), make some cauliflower rice! Instead, I chopped into smaller florets. Dice your squash. Slice your mushrooms. Dice your carrots. I know, I'm so technical when it comes to amounts and cooking technique :)

Empty both cans of diced tomatoes, cauliflower, and carrots into big pot. Let simmer. Add seasonings. Then, add tomato paste. Mix well. Finally, add all veggies, mix well again. Cover the pot, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until warm. 

Leftover stew for lunch... yummm

For J-Hay, I added chicken sausage on top of his bowl of stew. I also roasted and then mashed a couple of sweet potatoes to add as a base to my stew. I really wanted to make sweet potato biscuits... but alas, I ran out of time (and energy). 

And there you have it. So simple. Pretty quick. FULL OF VEGGIES YES. 

Stay hungry, my friends :)

it's tabata time: week 1 prep

I must admit: I not only took time-off from work but also time-off from being active in my typical ways. I did not run. I did not lift. I skied my butt off, but getting back to both the gym and the roads has been tough. My motivation  has gone totally MIA. Whomp whomp.

Yesterday, when deciding that day's lifting workout, nothing seemed appealing. Bench press, blah. Tricep extension, meh. Arnold shoulder press, wah. Every second I spent figuring out my workout decreased my motivation to even go. But I needed to go, I needed to sweat, I needed to bust the funk I was feeling. Enter: tabata training. It's pretty much circuit training... but at a higher intensity. It's high-intensity-interval-training, but without the cardio machine. It's perfect for anyone at any stage in their process to get fit: it can be done at home or in a hotel room if you're traveling, it doesn't need to use a ton of equipment, intensity is effort-based, and the exercises you can choose are endless. If the gym is intimidating... tabata at home! If normal lifting sets are boring you, add some tabata to spice up your life!

For the next six weeks, I am going to focus on tabata training at the gym. While the main purpose is strength training, these workouts will also jumpstart my cardio fitness as well. That's definitely a plus as well as I'm beginning my marathon training cycle and it isn't looking too pretty.

A tabata set has four intervals. Each round of interval lasts 20 seconds with a 10 second rest in between rounds; each complete set of tabata lasts 4 minutes. I will be starting with 4-5 sets each workout, with 3-4 minutes rest in between each complete set. In the coming weeks, I hope to increase the number of sets I can do. My sets will follow this template:

• Barbell movement
• Dumbbell movement
• Bodyweight movement
• Movement of Choice

Now, I present to you  my first week of tabata...

Week 1

Day 1: Chest/Tris/Bis

• bench press
• chest flyes
• tricep dips with weighted plate
• alternating dumbbell bicep curls

Day 2: Legs

• wide stance squats
• front + back lunges
• up-down box jumps
• one-leg Romanian dead lift

Day 3: Shoulders/Back

• shoulder press
• one-arm row
• assisted pull-up
• Arnold press

Day 4: Core*

• hanging leg lifts
• Russian twist-up's
• plank
• plate-heads on stability ball

*I know my core set does not have a barbell movement... I just couldn't think of a core exercise that uses a barbell! If you know of one, let me know and I'll try it out :)

Look out next Friday for week number 2!

Stay moving, my friends :)

spinach + sweet potato egg'ins

Breakfast. Some people love it. Some people don't eat it. Some people just eat leftovers. During the week, it's more of an afterthought for me. I never give myself enough time in the morning at home to eat a hot breakfast, nor do I really want to handle breakfast that way. I don't know why, but I'd much rather chow down while catching up on my emails first thing in the morning while sitting at my desk. But this type of behavior, which started in college, really, has been a vicious cycle. In the morning, the afterthought of breakfast leads me to hitting up coffee shops or fast food joints for the most important meal of the day. Not so healthy, even when I try to make it so. Picking up breakfast and coffee in the morning is also a wallet-suck... grrrr. 

In my quest to find a sustainable packable breakfast, I've tried many different options. Instant oatmeal. English muffins. While I took a stab at being vegan, I lived on Ezekiel 4:9 granola mixed with fruit. Since I've begun to try to cut processed and refined foods out of my diet, I've been looking for a breakfast that won't bore me and will still fill me up. Unfortunately, hardboiled eggs and fruit did not do the trick.  I do love my overnight oats, but I was missing my eggs. What's a girl to do?!

Back in high school, my mom began making mini spinach quiches on Sunday night for the week's breakfasts. I'm pretty sure the recipe is from The South Beach Diet if I remember correctly. ANYWAYS. I loved the concept of these little egg muffins. Packed a mighty healthy punch for little calories. But I wanted something more. I wanted my hot egg breakfast, darn it, but I wanted to enjoy it at my own discretion!

Hello, friend, nice to meet you... 

Spinach + Sweet Potato Egg'ins    (get it?! egg... muffins... egg'ins!)

• 3 sweet potatoes
• 16oz frozen spinach
• 16oz (1 carton) egg whites
• 3 whole eggs, whisked
• seasonings to taste

First, make sure to preheat your oven to 350F. Next, you'll want to start with your sweet potatoes. Chop all potatoes and dump into heated skillet. Cover and let soften about five minutes or so. You want your potatoes soft, but not burnt nor breaking apart. 

While your potatoes are cooking, put the bag of frozen spinach into a large bowl, and add egg whites. Mix well. Whisk the whole eggs in a separate bowl, and then add to egg white/spinach mixture. Once mixed well, add seasonings to taste. I like salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Yum! 

Take out your muffin pan, and grease each well. Once your potatoes are softened, add four or five pieces to the bottom of each well. You just want a base of sweet potato. Add spinach and egg mixture on top of sweet potato. 

Now, cook in oven at 350F for about 20-25 minutes. The tops should be somewhat brown and firm to the touch. Once done, remove from oven,  and let cool completely, either on a cooling rack, or you can be resourceful like me and dump the egg'ins onto aluminum foil. Resourceful, I tell ya!

Don't forget to refrigerate or freeze your egg'ins for future enjoyment. 

Stay hungry, my friends :)

guest spot: and now, some words from a ‘former’ sponsor...

To begin with, full disclosure. KT is my daughter, or more accurately, I am KT’s father. I am proud as a father and excited as a reader that she has reentered the blogosphere, now offering useful insight into the world of healthy eats and exercise. I would like to use her generous offer of a “guest spot” to provide a few details about KT, her blogging skills and her healthy lifestyle choices.

KT was a typical adolescent and then teenager when it came to diet. Although she trained and ran long distance events with great success in junior high school, all three seasons through high school and for four years of college, she wasn't the complete athlete that she is today. She would now admit if asked, that aside from other factors, her eating habits could have been better and her performance would have improved with better food choices. Her diet as a teenage athlete contained mostly the same stuff that she ate as a child, i.e. pasta, grilled cheese, pizza shop pizza, sandwiches, snacks and desserts as she was always hungry from running. Her food choices continued mostly unchanged until her last year of college, when she began discovering that other foods tasted good, too and that some were good for her! She was thinking more carefully about her diet after college. The stress of the work required for a double major at a demanding Boston area university, while training with her team six days a week disappeared from her life and her mind was free to explore other experiences and make her own choices. Among other decisions to be made, she was determined to remain an active, competitive runner and chose marathons as her main objective. Along the way, she committed to healthier food choices and knew that a healthy diet had to be an equal part to training.

KT's path to marathon madness intersected with runners from the Greater Lowell Road Runners club. Some of these guys had blogs and used them mostly as a written record of their training and race events, but also to share this information with each other. KT figured that this was a good idea and became a prolific blogger. As her father, I was entertained by her perspective and glib writing style, a part of her that I had sadly not noticed before. As a reader, I was impressed with her presentation and easy to read style, especially after reading countless tedious race and training stories from other runner's blogs. She continued blogging throughout her quest for long distance achievement that culminated with a 50 mile ultra marathon, where she captured seventh place in the women's division and an impressive trophy. One of her last pieces was a lengthy and insightful description of the grueling 50.1 miles that she had covered in just seconds under eight hours two months before writing the blog. She abandoned the blog after writing her last on the day her beloved cousin lost her life in a skiing accident in Colorado two years ago. As much as I mourned the loss of my niece, I felt another loss as the days went by without her light approach to food, training, running shoes and life in general found in her blog. I wasn't certain exactly why there were no more blogs and I would occasionally mention to her how much I liked her musings, but she never commented and never blogged again until now.


I don't know if the material she had compiled in her now defunct and missing blog site can be found anywhere and I am angry at myself for not saving it. The one that had the most lasting impact for me was her admonishment of a writer who wrote an article about exercise and weight loss, but wasn't well versed on either. The guy took up a running regimen of some sort, thinking he would begin shedding pounds like my dog sheds fur. He figured that this plan would be superior to changing his diet as others had done to their own misery. Weeks, then months of running resulted in no weight loss and the writer decided that running doesn't necessarily factor in weight loss and that he had wasted his time. KT's conclusion was that it should have been obvious to the writer. There was something else going on, that is that calories going in were still greater than calories going out! It was a simple math problem that this guy could not calculate. I had never thought of this so simply stated and had been as lost on this fact as was the writer. Furthermore, she went on, in order to lose weight, calories going out had to be greater than calories going in. Again, how simple! KT admittedly struggled at times with math in school, but she gets an “A+” for that blog. She taught this writer that a proper diet and exercise does add up to weight loss plus a healthy body and that one without the other does not compute! For the record, I have recently put KT’s lesson to use and can report that, without a doubt, the math works!

So now she is back, with simple and time saving recipes that provide alternate choices to our tasty, but troublesome diets and other insights into how the right foods plus exercise equals a healthy body. While she entices us with edible ecstasy and healthy habits, she is training for her 4th Boston Marathon (and eighth marathon overall), followed by her second 50 mile ultra marathon race later in the spring. I am proud and amazed that the young woman who laid down in agony on the grass just beyond the finish line after completing her first fifty mile race, swearing, vowing and promising never to do that again has taken it upon herself to do that again. It is also further inspiration for a fifty something year old guy who only began running this year with the unlikely hope to run, walk, crawl, fall and bleed his way through a fifty mile race as did men and women who were ten, twenty and almost thirty years older than he was had done on the same day KT said she would never do that again. Now, you have KT to inspire you.

back in the saddle again

Oh hello, how have you been? J-Hay and I took some time off from work to enjoy winter living up in New Hampshire, and while there, we hosted good friends, entertained, skied, indulged, and rang in 2013. But now I'm back, and I promise that I'm going to continue to keep cooking, running, lifting, and of course sharing it all with you.

J-Hay and I are committed to starting 2013 out right by moving and eat well, so be on the look out for upcoming posts... who knows what kind of meals I have in store!

But first, next up will be the first (of what I hope is many) guest-posts.