Burger Wednesday

When I was in college I sometimes went to a local bar on Saturday nights for 1/2 priced burgers. However, as I got older and wiser, I realized those burgers probably were not the healthiest food choice. Needless to say Burger Saturdays stopped, until tonight....Welcome Burger Wednesday!

A few weeks ago grass-fed ground beef was on sale at Whole Foods. I bought a few pounds of 90% lean ground beef, made a few into patties, and into the freezer they went for a rainy day. Today I defrosted a patty and grilled it up on the stove top grill. Once grilled I put a half slice of smoked Gouda cheese on top and placed it on a slice of toast.

On the side I made Trader Joe's edamame.

and put it on top of a salad.

I also had some Pirate's Booty.

It was GREAT! Much better and healthier than the old Burger Saturday's. Maybe this will become a weekly or bi-weekly tradition.....

In other news, once home from internship I had a quick blueberry Greek yogurt with some maple shredded wheat cereal on top to fuel up for the gym.

At the gym I did 15 minutes on the stair climber and then participated in my favorite class: Total Body Conditioning. It was delightful! Hope you are having a FABULOUS hump day!!!

Corn CHOWDA

I hope everyone is having a good Tuesday! I decided to try "school lunch" today and purchase a Be Good veggie burger that the high school offers on Tuesdays. It was a GREAT decision because for $5.25 I got a yummy veggie burger, small salad and a locally grown apple.

It was a very good and filling lunch! In addition, the burger, surprisingly, tasted just as good as one at Be Good! I will be buying this lunch again soon!

After internship I went to the gym to do a track workout on the treadmill. I might have said this before, but I prefer doing track workouts on treadmills because I can control the speed and elevation of the run. So, my workout included 10 x 400 and went like this:

Distance    Speed    Elevation
    .5             6.0            .5
   .25         7.0/7.5         .5
   .15            6.3            .5
   .25         7.0/7.5         .5
   .15            6.3            .5
   .25         7.0/7.5         .5
   .15            6.3            .5
   .25         7.5/8.0         .5
   .15            6.5            .5
   .25         7.5/8.0         .5
   .15            6.5            .5
   .25         7.5/8.0         .5
   .15             6.5           .5
   .25         8.0/8.5         .5
   .15             6.3           .5
   .25          8.0/8.5        .5
   .15             6.3           .5
   .25          8.0/8.5        .5
   .15             6.3           .5
   .25          8.5/9.0        .5
   .5               6.0           .5
Total Distance: 5.0 miles
Total Time: 42:50

I felt pretty good during the workout. My body was not sore or hurting in any way. However, my stomach was a little unsettled, maybe because I ate a granola bar on the train on the way to the gym and it had not digested yet. Next time I will wait till after my workout to eat an afternoon snack.

Once home I showered, iced, and made corn chowder. Here is my recipe:

Ingredients:
1/2 onion
2 slices of bacon
6 small potatoes
3 large carrots
5 pieces of celery
1 bag of frozen sweet corn
1 box of Creamy Corn & Roasted Pepper soup from Trader Joe's
Salt and pepper

Directions: 
1) Saute chopped bacon in a large pot
2) Saute chopped onion with bacon
3) After 4-5 minutes add rest of ingredients except the box of soup

4) After 5 minutes add the soup and then refill 1/2 the box with water and also add that
5) Add salt and pepper
6) Increase the temperature to a boil
7) Once the soup is boiling lower the temperature and put a top on the pot
8) Let simmer for 20-30 minutes
9) Enjoy!

So easy, yet SOOOO good!!! I highly recommend making this chowder!! I had a large bowl with a slice of toast and peanut butter. A lovely Tuesday night dinner!

I am currently watching the season premier of Glee (I LOVE this show!!!!) and enjoying some ice cream! Have a great night!

Starting Out The Week....

Happy Monday and the start of another week! All my preparing yesterday has already paid off, I feel much more organized than I did last week! In addition, last night's dinner started me off on the right foot and got me fueled for the week ahead. Last night I used KERF's Tomato Sauce recipe and added a few additions. However, I did not add the sherry (I did not have any in the house), but I did add a few extra red peppers, some chicken sausage and extra sun dried tomatoes. I allowed the tomatoes to simmer for an hour and then another hour when the additional ingredients were added. I used whole wheat linguine as a base for the sauce. I also roasted some asparagus with EVOO, salt, parmesan cheese and pepper.

It was GREAT! This morning I woke up still full, but not too full for breakfast. I had a bowl of blueberry Chobani yogurt with maple frosted shredded wheat cereal and a banana.

I swear there was yogurt under there.

Internship went well today and included a long meeting to distribute the "coaching" cases and a yummy lunch!

1/2 Turkey, Munster Cheese, Romain Lettuce and Red Pepper Spread Sandwich, Apple, Carrots and Pirates Booty

After work I went to the gym and did an easy 30 minutes on the elliptical followed by 2 sets of 12 repetitions of various upper and lower body exercises. I am currently eating peppers and eggs (2 organic eggs, 1 red pepper, 1/2 yellow pepper, low fat moz cheese) with a slice of toast (with PB, of course!), while I get ready for my internship class. Hope you are having a great start to your week!

Running and Eating

Hi everyone and Happy Sunday. WOW has this weekend flown by! Unfortunately, I still have not had a chance to go get my sneakers.....maybe this week or weekend? However, I have been doing a lot of eating and running. Evan and I were joined by our friends Laura and Matt at the Savant Project, in Brigham Circle, for dinner last night.

Evan and I arrived a little early and decided to grab a drink at the bar. We were a little frustrated because we had to wait a good 10 minutes before the bartender asked us for our drink order (and it was not busy). When we finally got to order, I ordered a glass of Chilean wine that was smokey with a peppery finish, it was good not great.

Once our friends arrived we sat at a table and ordered a round of drinks. I ordered the same wine because the restaurant, surprisingly, only had two red wine options. As for dinner, Evan and I decided to share two tapas and one main course, so we could maximize the amount of tasting. For our tapas we ordered a quesadilla trio

and mussels with sweet potato fries

Both "tapas" were pretty good, but not incredible. After our tapas arrived the waiter came over and said the kitchen lost our order and needed us to remind him on our entree. Both couples ordered the same meal, Pork Tenderloin. After a few minutes our waiter returned to inform us that they were out of the pork. So, Evan and I disappointingly ordered the salmon to split. About 15 minutes later the waiter brought out one pork tenderloin and placed it in front of Laura and Matt and informed them they "found" a pork and that their fish tacos (the alternative meal) was cancelled. All of us were very, very confused and weirded out that they just happened to "find" this pork. Laura and Matt explained that the pork was not very good, so Evan and I were somewhat relieved they did not "find" one for us. In addition our salmon did not show up for another 30 minutes. However, when the salmon did arrive it was very good!

All of us were very annoyed at this dinning experience and asked to speak to a manager; however, we were told that there was not one on duty that evening. So, the bartender came over to talk. The bartender was very nice and apologized for all the confusion and comped our drinks.

As we were getting ready to leave a local band was setting up, so we all decided to stay and check it out. The band was very good and we all had a fun time dancing and listening to the live music. Overall, Evan and I decided we probably will never go back there to eat, but maybe to have a drink and listen to the music.

- - - - - - -

This morning I woke up around 9am and had a little cereal and coffee.

Evan and I went food shopping while I digested. Once home, I had a quick glass of water and got ready to go running. I decided to go for a 7 miler today in order to pump up my mileage for the week. I was kinda stiff and sore from yesterday's race, but the soreness was not a bad sore, so I figured I would be OK to run. I went a little slower today, so I didn't push myself too much. Here are my splits according to the Garmin.

Distance: 7 Miles
Duration: 1:00:57
Mile 1: 9:23
Mile 2: 8:43
Mile 3: 8:41
Mile 4: 8:34
Mile 5: 8:24
Mile 6: 8:37 (Trying to dodge people on the sidewalk going to the Red Sox game)
Mile 7: 8:31

I went around the Charles river, but the opposite way from the race course yesterday. The Charles is pretty flat, which I figured would be good so I wouldn't push myself too much and since the goal was just to get the miles in. I felt really good the whole time and was able to speed up half way through my run. I also did not have any knee pain, which was also a plus. However, I was 1 minutes slower from last time I ran 7 miles, which could be due to running a race yesterday. Once home I stretched and iced my knees for 10 minutes.

After I showered I prepared a late lunch of leftovers from the week on a salad (three bean dip and corn and bean salad).

and some pita chips and hummus.

I have spent the rest of the day cooking, cleaning around the house and preparing for another week of internship. Have a great Sunday night! Go Pats!

Big Dog 5K

I woke up this morning around 8:30 and had some pre-race fuel. I was a little tired because after babysitting last night I met some friends at a bar in Faneuil Hall for a birthday celebration and I enjoyed a few beers. Oops!

The usual: toast, PB, banana, coffee

After a little digestion, Evan and I walked over to the Hatch Shell on the Charles River where the Big Dog race started. The Hatch Shell is about 1.2 miles from our house and took us around 20 minutes to walk.

We arrived around 10:30 and I immediately checked in and picked up my number. Unfortunately, I did not receive a T-shirt because only the first 500 people that signed up got one. Oh well, after registration I ran an easy mile and then participated in the "group" stretch led by a fitness instructor at Northeastern. We all (750 runners) lined up at the start line and got ready to run.

The course was relatively flat and it was a BEAUTIFUL day in Boston, so all the conditions were perfect. However, it was a little hard to get out of the gate because the race path was narrow and there were a LOT of people. So, I tried to go extra fast when the gun went off to try to get a good spot and pull away from the crowd. Since my first mile my was fast (6:53) I was tired and started to slow down by mile 2 and 3.

Here are my splits according to my Garmin.

Distance: 3.12
Time: 22:22
Mile 1: 6:53
Mile 2: 7:11
Mile 3: 7:24
Mile .12: 0:46

All in all it was a pretty good race and I placed 45 out of 750 people (I think, but I am not 100% sure if all 750 people showed up ). I am a little disappointed that there is such a large discrepancy between mile 1 and 3. My goal going forward (especially for the half) is to try and have my splits be more even and not start out so fast. I think my overall time might have been a little faster if I didn't start out so fast and tried to keep all my miles at a 7 minute pace.

In addition I realized that at the end of races I kinda give up mentally and just say "Oh yes I am done! No need to push now" instead of saying "come on give it all you got." Going forward I am definitely going to try and push a little more at the end of the race. After I finished I did a slow 1/2 mile to cool down and then stretched.

Overall I had fun on a beautiful day in Boston! I also experienced NO knee pain during or after the race!!!

However, best of all was my GREAT cheering section! Thank you mom, dad and Evan for coming!!!

After the race everyone was STARVING, so I quickly walked back to my apartment, iced my knees, and took a shower. We then all (plus my brother who just woke up) walked over to a local bar (Clerys) for lunch.

First things first, I started out with a Shipyard Pumpkin Ale (my FAVORITE Pumpkin beer/overall beer)!

We then ordered a few appetizers for the table (white bean and goat cheese bruschetta and boneless wings). I had one piece of the bruschetta.

It was VERY good, I LOVE bread!!! For my meal I ordered the Harvest Salad with shrimp. This salad contained arugula as a base with walnuts, blue cheese, pear slices and craisins with balsamic on the side.

The salad was great, I highly recommend it!  I was STUFFED about 3/4ths of the way through, must have been the 1.5 bottles of beer? It was a great lunch with lots of laughs and good food!

I am off to relax and maybe look at sneakers before Evan and I meet some friends for dinner. Hope you are having a great weekend!!!

City Running Tours

Happy Friday!!! I LOVE Fridays, especially now that I am doing a full time internship. In keeping with Article Friday, this article on Active.com caught my eye: Running Tours For Travelers.

The article discusses how Michael Gazaleh, a chiropractor in New York City, started a small business that provides tourist personal running tours of large cities. His business, City Running Tours, is located in 7 major cities (BOS, CHA, CHI, NYC, PHI, SF, DC). The article notes how Gazaleh does not choose just any city, but ones that have an interesting combination of visitors, places to run and sites to see. In addition Cazaleh donates 10 percent of the total fee to St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Runs are for all levels and varying distances.

What do you guys think about a tour like this? Has anyone ever gone on a running tour?

I think a running tour is a GREAT idea! There are so many times I go to a new city and see walking tours, but never any running ones. Also, when I travel I always want to go for a run, but am sometimes afraid (because I am unfamiliar with the area) or do not know where to run and would love company. In addition to seeing the sites, this seems like a great way to meet new people, get a workout in and share a love for running in a unique way. I also like how most of the tours offer both individual and group tours, so there is something for everyone. I feel that when I am running, even around Boston, I get to know a city in a new way. For example when I was in Charleston, SC last June, I had a whole new appreciation for the city when I was able to go out and run around. The only problem with the tours, for me, is that the individual tours seem a little pricey for my budget, but the group ones do not seem to bad. I wish the group tour option was offered in every city. I am going to DC next month, but unfortunately that city only offers personal tours.


Today is an "off" day as far as my work out in preparation for a 5K race tomorrow morning. I am off to babysit for the evening and will be back with a race recap sometime tomorrow. Have a great Friday night!

A Day in The Life of.....

Hey! I hope everyone is having a good Thursday! I thought I would do a post on a day in the life of my eats because proper nutrition is as important as good training. So let's start with this morning and breakfast. I woke up at 6:40, got ready and made myself a lovely bowl of (instant) apple cinnamon oatmeal with fresh apples, raisins, cinnamon and peanut butter.

I had a great morning at my internship organizing the "coaching" program, which is a program set up to help high school students with organization, college prep and/or social/emotional issues. For lunch I had leftovers from last night. Last night Evan and I used the leftover chicken (from Sunday night)

and rice

To make chicken and rice soup with a little addition of chicken broth, carrots, parsnips, mushrooms, celery, green onions, garlic, and lots of spices.

My bowl had last night

I had a smaller bowl of the soup for lunch with a side salad (sorry I forgot to take a picture : (  My afternoon consisted of finalizing the office organization. Once home I had a banana and more peanut butter, but this time I had chocolate peanut butter (earlier it was honey roasted).

After my snack I went to the gym and did 20 minutes on the elliptical and then took a "club strength" class for 55 minutes. The class used a lot of repetitions at a low weight, so I also got an endurance workout as well as strength training.

After my workout Evan and I made fish tacos using Halibut we purchased, on sale, from Whole Foods.
We first sauted the fish in butter, oil, chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper.

Cut up some cabbage and lime

Corn and veggie salad also bought pre-made from Whole Foods and corn tortillas

and black beans!

All together

and, of course, some chips and salsa

Wow what a great day of eats; I am full, but not too full for one of these.....