family
running, family, drinks
0things I’ve been up to…
I joined a running group. I’ve always trained alone, so it’s definitely a change, and a good one, at that (I think). I also have a bit of social anxiety, and considering I don’t know anyone in the group, it’s a bit of an understatment to say that I’m nervous. Orientation was this week and our first group run is on July 14th. Time to tackle my fear of being slow and get my butt in gear. Disney is less than 200 days away now!
Maybe I’ll just picture this during my training:
My mom and brother came to visit me in Greenville. We did the “Mice on Main” challenge, went to the farmer’s market, walked around Furman, went camp shopping and ate delicious Italian food. My brother is currently at sleepaway camp a short drive away from me, so they stopped in for a visit before he needed to get dropped off. I hope he’s having fun!
I’m addicted to beverages. It is so, so hot outside (104 this weekend.. ugh) and I need constant refreshment. Water gets a bit boring. I’ve been drinking coffee every once inawhile instead of every day, and it’s going fine so far. Let’s hope it continues this way. And yes, I’m aware that coffee dehydrates. It’s just so delicious. Otherwise, I’m also enjoying the cherry vanilla cream slush and green tea lemonade. Yum.
So nothing too exciting over here, just the usual working, running, eating, family, friends.
All I have to say is TG(T)F!!!!
Nashville
0So this past weekend I went to Nashville to visit with my family and take part in various running activities. First up was the Rock ‘n’ Roll Country Music Marathon Expo! I love expos, and this one did not disappoint.
Right after the expo, we headed down the street where I ran a one-mile race with the little bro. He ran the entire time and sprinted ahead at the finish. He’s a speedy one!
So proud.
The next day I was up bright and early to run the half marathon! Over 30k people participated in both the marathon and half, so it was a little nuts.
My mom got up at the crack of dawn with me just to spectate! Thanks Mom! I love you. However, I don’t love these awful pictures of me looking stupid along the course:
mile 4:
mile 8.5:
mile 13.05:
I’m quite glad I did this race, because of views like this:
However, it was hot as hell and the hills wanted to kill me. Not my best race, but I got my body to the end, and for that, I am grateful.
Running is a gift.
I’m kind of glad I don’t have any races coming up any time soon. I need a little mental break from running, and these pool/yoga vouchers are burning a hole in my pocket.
Plus, I don’t have an adorable ice bath buddy to keep me company here in South Carolina:
I just know I’m going to be in trouble for this…
1Happy birthday to the most wonderful woman I know, my mother!
You’ve taught me courage, honesty, reverence, respect, responsibility, independence, how to stand my ground, sarcasm, and most importantly, to always have a wide variety of facial expressions.
I love you!
Thanksgiving
1sleepy.
dinner.
tasting.
chickpeas + rice.
vegetarian.
tradition.
vacuum amazement.
lights.
puppy.
christmas.
family.
Favorite Friday
4This week’s Favorite Friday is honoring all things New Jersey!
Wawa. Every Sunday morning, my family would head to Wawa to get a round of sizzlis. I usually went for the bacon egg and cheese on an authentic New York bagel. I’m pretty sure I would vomit if I had a sizzli now, but they were an integral part of my childhood.
The Windmill (full post to come soon!)
Drake’s Pastries. Yodels, Ring Dings and Devil Dogs. Also key players in my former diet. Only available in the north, which is probably for the best. 
Delicious Orchards. Just plain delicious.
Super Nintendo: F-Zero & Home Alone. My sister and I would play these games like crazy at my grandma’s house. If you’ve had the pleasure of playing these old school games, you know what I’m talking about. If not, you can watch this video and dream about being as cool as I am was.
The ridiculous (and beautiful!) women of my family.
We are nuts.
Favorite Friday is a series I started in mid-April to highlight things I’ve been crushing on recently. Also, I like lists. To see past FF’s, click here.
Sweet & Savory Quinoa Salad
4I love quinoa.
Quinoa has kind of become a joke within my family because when I first wrote about the tasty grain, neither my mom nor my grandma had even heard of the stuff. They didn’t know how to pronounce it and apparently had a good laugh over the crazy things I eat.
Since then, I have several other recipes that feature quinoa, including a general quinoa salad, island getaway quinoa salad and I even threw some into my seven layer salad! Today, I have a new one to add to the mix.
Sweet & Savory Quinoa Salad (adapted from 101 Cookbooks)
Need:
3 small green onions, chopped
3 c water
1 c dry quinoa, any variety will do
1/4 c golden raisins
lemon juice, to taste
3 small zucchinis, grated
4 tbsp sesame seeds
3 tbsp dried dill
feta cheese to your hearts desire
Do:
- Cook the quinoa in the water, just until soft. Do not overcook. Rinse using a fine mesh strainer, or, if you’re ghetto like me, put some paper towels inside a colander. Whatever you need to do to drain that darn water.
- While the quinoa is cooking, chop up the onion and cook in a large pan over medium heat. Cook for a few minutes, until the onions soften.
- Add the sesame seeds and the raisins to the pan. Cook just enough to heat through.
- Mix the quinoa, onions, raisins, zucchini, sesame seeds and dill together. Pour lemon juice over the mixture and adjust to taste. If it needs salt, add some, but not too much, because the feta is super salty.
- Stir in the feta last (again, however much you want) and stir together. Serve warm or room temperature but keep leftovers in the fridge.
Quinoa is a complete source of protein for us humans, meaning it contains all the amino acids we need. It’s also high in dietary fiber and is great for people with a gluten sensitivity, because it is completely gluten free! I actually cooked a whole pot load of quinoa the night before, so throwing this salad together was a cinch.
The golden raisins plump up a bit and give this salad a sweet side, while the onions and feta balance out the savory side. I ate this almost every day for lunch and didn’t even tire of it!
I love, love, love dill so I knew this recipe would be perfect for me. I’m thinking my next dill endeavor is going to be Mama Pea’s Dill Pickle French Fries. Mm. Starchy. Carby. Dill-y.
Friday Favorites
1New Rainbows
My wonderful mother got me new rainbows this past weekend. Good thing too because my old ones were absolutely falling apart. Thanks mom!
Seeing my Family Two Weekends in a Row
I’m headed down to Atlanta tomorrow to spend some more quality time with the fam!
Absolutely hilarious. Wait Wait! is a weekly news quiz on NPR that always has me laughing. Sometimes I run while listening to this radio show. Last weekend I was driving while it was on and this weekend I will be too! Go download the podcast.
Race Bib Wall Art
Fun. Funky.
Mini Apple Pie.
Delicious.
Have a lovely weekend!
Butterscotch Brownies
0Usually my Mondays are stressed filled and a wakeup call that is way too early.
Today was none of that. Today was full of shopping, naps, puppy watching, Whole Foods, Predators game and cooking. My mom had never been to Whole Foods before, so we stopped by to check it out. I think she was impressed!
Dinner tonight was a delicious risotto my wonderful mother made with her new rice cooker.
It was arborio rice cooked with chopped onion, garlic, fennel and vegetable broth. Steamed carrots, peas and mushrooms were added at the end, and I chose to mix in some cannelli beans and parmesan. Definitely a recipe I will be making again!
Dessert was this:
Plus this:
To equal this fudgy sweet mess:
All the edges are definitely gone and I’m not sure anyone else can be to blame…
