Running and Eating

I mixed up my usual Thanksgiving tradition this year by running the Thanksgiving Half Marathon with my friend, Jack. We’ve been friends forever (literally), so it was a blast to run with him. Luckily, we got there with enough time to calmly get into place and the weather could not have been better. The course was beautiful; we ran through Piedmont Park, Atlantic Station, and so many other cool places. It was neat to see Atlanta so early in the morning since everything was so calm and peaceful. We finished just over two hours and were thankful for making it all the way to the finish line.

Before photo:

Now the after photo:

 

 

 

We did our usual thing for dinner, and joined some close family friends for their meal. I worked on a few different dishes throughout the week, so here they are:

Sweet Potatoes with Miso Sauce (I didn’t want to buy an entire jar of tahini, so I used PB2 instead):

Pumpkin Cornbread (Instead of 1/4 cup of olive oil, I just used a drizzle of vegetable oil):

Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats:

Crispy Orange White Chocolate Bark:

Ginger Chocolate Truffles (I just used semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of carob chips):

 

Pumpkin Biscotti (I used white chocolate pieces and toasted pecans instead of pepitas):

I think just about everything was a big success this year. I was a bit worried about the miso sauce because it’s quite different, but now I can’t get enough of it. Thank goodness for leftovers because I’ll have more delicious food tomorrow too!

 

Moving Forward

First, let me rant: the election is over! Stop posting rants all over social media, stop getting excited over states threatening to secede, and move on with your lives. Not everyone is happy with the outcome, but the polls are closed and all the votes were counted. So, if you’re threatening to move to another country, please, be my guest. Just stop being so negative.

 

Ok, time to move on! There probably won’t be any exciting recipes this week because I’m working everyday and am also trying to survive on a minimal amount of groceries this week. UGA gets the entire week off for Thanksgiving so I need my fridge to be empty before I drive home Friday. But, I CAN talk about the future, one of my favorite topics. I’ve had some phone interviews recently, which resulted in actual interviews when I visit the city in December. It’s exciting to imagine how my life will transform if I get offered a position. New York will be my home, my family will be closer to me, and I’ll get the chance to have a pretty solid career path. I’m not jumping ahead yet, though, because there are a lot of important events coming up in the next month. Thanksgiving is next week, which also means my 4th half marathon is quickly approaching. Luckily, I went on an easy 9 mile run over the weekend, so I feel confident about my ability to finish. Graduation is also coming up, which is crazy. For the first time in my life I won’t be a student. Going to school is all I’ve ever known, so I’m greeting the change with open arms.

That’s it for now, but expect some recipes next week when I get back to my kitchen at home!

The Power of Carbs

 

Last night two of my friends (also running the half marathon) came over for a pre-race feast. Christian brought Korean yams to be roasted, Molly brought delicious banana bread, and I prepared roasted veggies, pumpkin bread, and a tomato/cucumber plate. Obviously, we were pumped to be carbing it up.

After dinner we chatted, laughed, and kind of watched the football game. We parted at around 10 pm in hopes of getting enough sleep for Sunday’s 13.1 miles.

At 5:45 am I rolled out of bed to the sound of my alarm. I promptly changed into my race day attire, brushed my teeth, and prepared a quick breakfast of toast topped with PB2 and banana slices. Some dry cereal and pumpkin bread chased it all down. Our group of 6 met up near the finish line and attempted to stay warm in the chilly autumn air.

Molly and I stayed together the whole time as the miles flew by. Literally, it felt like I ran for maybe 45 minutes, not two hours! On that note, we finished just under two hours! Not bad for only being able to run on weekends this semester. The course improved dramatically (less hills!), and we ran through Sanford Stadium at the very end!

I ran into other friends and even one of my favorite professors near all the food stations which was fun. Overall, it was a wonderful race.

I promptly showered and ate lunch before attending an alum./senior networking event at my sorority house. I ended up getting some good tips and enjoyed getting to sit for a while. It all ended with a big pot of vegetable soup and some good TV watching. What a fantastic weekend!

Race Weekend

Race weekend is here! Tomorrow I’m waking up before the sun to run 13 miles around Athens with around 2,000 other dedicated runners. Surprisingly, I’m not nervous, just excited. Since I made my goal time last year I’m simply going to focus on having fun and enjoying the new course (no more crazy hills!). I realized that I haven’t taken many pictures this week, so I’ll post what I do have.

I made a big pot of vegetable soup while I was home on Saturday and brought the few leftovers back to Athens with me. For dinner on Tuesday I bulked it up with some more veggies and broth. Note to self: make more soup.

I picked up my graduation tickets on Tuesday- so weird! Luckily the job hunt is starting to make some progress. I’m so ready to get the show on the road.

This little gem was given to me in my human sexuality class. Makes me laugh!

Overall, this week ended up being one of the best I’ve had in a long time. I received good news on the job front, cooked some good meals (and pumpkin bread!), and watched plenty of “How I Met Your Mother”. Addicted to that show. Today I’m running errands before heading to the runners expo, then having some friends over for a Hocus Pocus viewing. I’ll post tomorrow after the race. Wish me luck!

 

Almost There

The semester is so close to the end. I just have a presentation on Monday and Tuesday, then I’m free to go home for Christmas on Wednesday! Luckily, I’m working both days this weekend and am working out each morning. But first, tonight I’m having a Christmas movie night with some friends. The cookies are out of the oven and the movie is set to go!

For dinner I roasted a spaghetti squash with some chopped eggplant. While those cooked, I sauteed a quarter of an onion then threw it in the blender with a can of diced tomatoes and some spices. I like the sauce to be a bit hearty, so I didn’t blend it all the way. I let it simmer on the stove for a bit while the eggplant and squash cooled. Once everything was ready, I turned off the stove and added the spaghetti squash strands and eggplant to the sauce. This is the secret! You have to mix it all together in the pot so that the sauce coats everything. You’re supposed to use this method with pasta too. And I know! I’m Italian, so you can trust me. This dinner was delicious and was the perfect amount of food. Let the weekend commence!

On another note: I’m running another half marathon in February! It will be my first trail run.