Lots of running ---> Lots of eating

Good evening!

After a delightful lunch of grilled cheese and apples, I hopped on my bike down to the city pool. Turns out I can't swim for a majorly discounted rate unless I get my license renewed which is a total bummer. Well, perhaps for now. Maybe I'll figure it out soon. Anyways,

I spent the rest of the afternoon sitting alone with a good book on the shore of Four Tree Island. It was a bit windy and the breeze was crisp so it probably kept any picnic-ers out of the area. I settled down for two hours before the wind wore me down. I biked back into town and continued to read on the curb of Popovers while sipping a warm apple cider. It hit the spot. Munched on a granola bar waiting for B-May to get out of work and then headed home to change for a big run.

So, big run. We took off for 6.5 miles of evening running! We didn't bring watches but we did map it out of mapmyrun.com - brilliant site - and just dove into cooking dinner immediately after. Totally awesome to feel that good after a long run. I'm addicted.

In our sweaty clothes we put together spinach raviolis with a homemade tomato sauce. Check it out!

Here's the sauce simmering in the pan. It's probably too small for the two can of diced tomatoes we added but it worked all right. B-May carefully double-checks the recipe from Cooking Light. You can make out the picture of the intended result, sort of. By the way, check out my celebratory Coke can from Monday. Finally finished it as my energy drink post-run. So original.

Really, check out the wontons we used to make the raviolis. Laying them on a cookie sheet with a dab of spinach and ricotta cheese (and other ingredient of course), we splashed some egg wash on the perimeter of the wontons to serve as an adhesive. That being said, they all pretty much stuck together.

We boiled them two or so at a time and generously piled on the sauce for the end result: Perfect blend of veggies with starch and dairy to complement our big run. Thankfully there are leftovers which I actually intend to share. This is worth noting because it is very rare.

AND THEN THE BEST PART:

APPLE CRISP. Here we have eight apples with a crisp topping. I added some ice cream for good measure and BAM!

Bummer - this picture does not do the dessert justice. Apologies for my complete lack of photography skills. Anyways, it was good and that's all there is to know.

So then fast forward through a regular bowl of oatmeal with a banana for breakfast and the remainder of the spaghetti pie for lunch (with fig newtons and another coke...crap!) and arrive at dinnertime. We stir-fried a handful of veggies with some rice for a low-key dinner. The "meat" of the dish was a return to tempeh.

So this was another great post-run meal because I ran to work today. And back. My bag was a little heavy in the morning and slightly lighter this afternoon and I made it back at a good clip. This racks up just over 10 miles in the past 24 hours so I'm going to take it easy tomorrow and Saturday but am still stoked for this boost in my triathlon training!

Off to indulge in more apple crisp with ice cream! Later!

Grilled Cheese WITH APPLES?!

B-May had this brilliant idea. We've been trying to incorporate apples into our meals since we acquired this numerous collection Monday. I have been successful - apples spread over pancakes from the last post, sliced apples in grilled cheese, and an apple straight up for a snack after dinner at work last night.

So back up. I love grilled cheese. One of those things that never left from my childhood. Second, I love apples. Yet I never considered the combination of the two! So a sincere thanks to B-May for this inspiration she nonchanantly quipped to me on her way out the door yesterday.

Today marks the second lunch of grilled cheese and apples and I am loving it!

I should also note that beside the cheese, all the ingredients are pretty darn healthy. Being the bread-eater in the house, I often select the type when we visit the store. This last time, I took home an oatmeal scotch bread. While it does faintly resemble breakfast in taste, I would have a hard time distinguishing it from whole wheat. Which brings me to my next point: I think that white bread (from the grilled cheeses of yore) is boring. Bring on the wheat, the seeds, the grains, the whatevers. I like flavor with my starch and this is just the beginning. Hooray for expansion of options!

Just bought an Arthea Franklin disc from Bullmoose down the street. She is amazing.

That's it for now, going out to research the city pool and try to talk them into letting me swim without switching my driver's license for a righteous discount. But tonight! Tonight we make ravioli's from scratch and APPLE PIE! Fall isn't here according to the calendar but it sure as hell is here in the heart!

Day of Awesomeness

So right after my last post, B-May and I whipped up some dinner. And it was literally whipped up in a food processor - B-May made pesto from scratch and we enjoyed spinach almond pesto pasta. Unfortunately it was a brightly colored dinner in a brightly colored dish so it doesn't pop nearly as well as it did for my taste buds:

In a more common theme of this blog, I have to say that yesterday was gorgeous! And in keeping with our enthusiasm to embrace these days, B-May and I were up early (though not that early) and out for a day of activities!

With the day ahead of us, we fueled up on oatmeal filled with pumpkin puree and cinnamon and other spices for a delicious pre-run breakfast.

Without being too full, we set off for the Rockingham Trail, a multi-use bike path running from nearby Newfields all the way to Manchester. Apparently it's 25 miles long one-way, but we had some pressing events in our calendar and decided on an out-and-back of...7 miles! The farthest we've ever run! It was amazing cruising down the old railroad bed, completely alone in a beautiful wilderness with only a few quiet country road crossings. I should admit that my feet took an absolute beating on the rocky portions since I was wearing my ruby red slippers but when not negotiating crushed stones the size of sharply cut golf balls, I felt great.

When we finished our run, we were neither tired nor sore. Amazing! With minimal time to spare, we headed down the road to Applecrest Farm for some P.Y.O. (pick your own) apples. For $15 we trotted across the road and into a vast orchard of apple trees, their branches drooping to the ground under the weight of enormous Macintosh apples!

We figured for the price of the peck, we could allow ourselves a freebie snack - the first thing we ate since our run. Look at size of these things!

Just a selection of our bounty for the day. We filled the bag to the brim and then some. Now of course the challenge is eating the lot before they go bad.

With a pressing dentist appointment in Massachusetts, B-May and I stopped for a picnic at the center of Hampton Falls. I award myself points for modifying my summer sandwich staple: In addition to turkey and swiss cheese, I added red pepper hummus, baby spinach leaves, and guacamole from the other night. All this on an Arnold's Thin and I was quite content with my lunch! I got suckered into a 16oz, 99-cent can of Coca-Cola to wash it all down but did not come close to finishing. It's for the better.

When we got back from Massachusetts, it was classic afternoon snacktime. Here's my idea of it:

A chocolate frappe! Mixed up the remaining ice cream in the freezer with chocolate syrup and skim milk. We figured that we really didn't eat enough given the amount of running we did so it was unanimously allowed to indulge accordingly.

We met up with my folks who were "camping" (actually, one could google "glamping" instead) and they took us out to dinner. I easily put down a plate of "rashers" - pork tenderloin with asparagus and potatoes - not to mention a generous helping of onion rings and cheese fondue for appetizers.

This morning, B-May reminded me of leftovers from her and couple friends' recent visit to "The Friendly Toast." Chocolate chip banana peanut butter pancakes. They're called "The King" after some delicacy enamored by and perhaps invented by Elvis Presley himself.

Put some apple slices on top for good measure to mark the beginning of our assault on the plethora of apples we picked. Excellent breakfast!

Off to read in the park on this beautiful day. Later!

Ups and Downs

Good evening!

On Saturday B-May and I ran a race! Well, it was a race for the snot-nosed kids from Exeter High School who chidded obnoxious interruptions throughout the 5k. They probably been forced to run it by their teachers or more likely their coaches but we were not forced and we were not forced to CRUSH IT! In a driving rain we ran the fastest 5k times either of us had ever run. I finished in just over 26 minutes and B-May kept me in her sights the entire time and came across the line about a minute and a half behind me. It's very encouraging for us to consider the improvements we have made on our times and our running overall. Tomorrow we are planning on a six mile "trail run" not too far from the house. The key of course is confidence - the belief that twice the distance of what we ran yesterday, is attainable.

So that's the news from the running front. Everything is going well with the Five Fingers and I've never felt stronger before, during or after any run. I realize it's a combination of the shoes but mostly my gait and stride which have been so radically altered it's still a little awkward.

Pretty soon I will start swimming at the city pool. I'm excited to finally put my money where my mouth is.

And with a healthy bit of cycling (just tipped over 1,000 miles of riding this summer) that completes the triathlon update.

Now, the bad news. After my leisurely ride and last post, B-May (and I, sort of) made a pie of spaghetti! There was a combination of cheese sauces and pasta and tomato sauces and everything else I have since forgotten (I finished the last leftover for lunch today).

THEN we decided that it was necessary to hop on down to the local Hannaford for some ice cream. And then we ate it. Stupid, but amazing.

I partied Thursday night (which is a gross understatement) and had a few more beers last night with some friends from out of town. In addition to $1 PBRs at a pub in Dover, I created a debt of nearly an entire bag of chips and a tub of salsa to a buddy after raiding his fridge early Friday morning.

Hooray! Hangover food. Initially a breakfast sandwich (egg and cheese) before the lighter fare of toast for my pissed off stomach.

With such a void in my healthy lifestyle I will spare the reader and myself the rigors of food accounting. Instead, here's a slew of pictures of with sparse captions!

Post-race food from Me and Ollies! Bagels with cream cheese and a cup of coffee. Here's a muffin from Caffe Killim (sp?) down the street from us. It was delicious and cheap! I got a cup of coffee - freshly brewed Turkish Blend - as well on this stop from earlier this weekend. Delicious and cheap indeed!Hooray again! This time for the end of Eggo waffles. With no intentions of buying more, that's the last of this long-time habit. The horizon is filled with healthy alternatives!

Later!