Running Shoe Shopping

If there is one thing that I love to buy, it would have to be shoes. Flats, converse... and of course, running shoes. I love the bright colors, testing out the soles, trying to figure out all the new technology. But somehow today, despite all the wonderful options available, I did the only thing a girl could do: go with the classic. I'm an Asiacs girl. I think the past 5 or 6 pairs I've owned have all been Asiacs! This time, though, I actually ended up with the exact same pair. Yupp. THE EXACT SAME: color, size, design, model... the only difference of course, was that I hadn't been wearing them! I figured it was a new season, so it was probably time to get a new pair, but I couldn't help feeling a little foolish. Why was I dishing out another $90 to get something I already had? I don't know... oh well. I trust these shoes. They've been like old friends, carrying me through hard workouts and hikes and rainstorms and adventures in the woods...and I definitely just used a run-on sentence. Once again: oh well.

I sadly haven't had a whole lot of time in the kitchen due to school starting up again (technically I really should be studying right now for a test in AP Bio...on the second full day of school no less!) so no new recipes to report. I did, however, whip up something a little yummy quite some time ago which I brought up on Averie's site here. Pumpkin peanut butter. Maybe it sounds like a strange combination, but I think it's heaven. A great fall twist on an old classic at the very least! Here's the super easy recipe:

Sarah's Pumpkin Pie Peanut Butter

1/3 cup canned pumpkin

1.5 Tablespoons Peanut Butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dash Pumpkin Pie Spice

1-2 teaspoons raisins

1-2 teaspoons chopped walnuts or pecans

2 teaspoons almond milk

Sweetener to taste (I don't use any)

*Optional- a handful of cacao nibs or chocolate chips :)

Note: this isn't a picture of my recipe. I don't have one. This image came from here. But mine looks just as good, if not better!

Simply stir everything together and keep in the fridge. Serve on sandwiches, with graham crackers, apples, bananas, celery, bread, on oatmeal....whatever your heart desires. Or even eat it with a spoon, because it is THAT good. Especially with the chocolate. Shhh. I won't tell anyone.

I've really been into pumpkin lately, in case you haven't noticed. In fact, I ate it with every meal today! (pumpkin oatmeal, pumpkin pb sandwich, pumpkin burgers, pumpkin pie banana protein shake...the list didn't end!) Something about it just warms you from inside out, though. And I needed some motivation at practice today. We ran 800 reps with medicine balls/agility ladders/strength in between each. And we increased the speed by 10 seconds with each round. We only did 3 800s total, but of course we had the 15 minute warmup run and all of that strength, so in the heat it made for a pretty tough workout. Plus, I had conditioning in gym, and I worked HARD with lunges and on the weight resistance machines. I'm going to get MUSCLES this year (my goal, at least....)

Question of the day: What is YOUR shopping addiction? Do you have a go-to exercise apparel or shoe that you just can't let go of? 

The Daily Grind

School, you shall be taking over my life for the next 10 months. I submit. With 4 APs, a couple of clubs, and afterschool sports, I officially have no life again.

SO WHY THE HECK AM I WRITING A BLOG POST?!!

It's a good question. And I have really no idea. Basically, since it's just the first day, we don't have any homework yet, so I figured this would be one of the last opportunities I would have to make a longish post of any kind. Not that I have anything life-shattering to share today... I was sitting in a seat for 6 hours after all!

I woke up late this morning, due to an alarm clock that decided NOT to go off at 6:00AM. My bus supposedly comes at 6:52, and when do I wake up (no thanks to YOU, unhelpful alarm clock)? 6:45. I panicked, of course, because that seems to be what I do best, but because I had already packed my bag the night before, everything turned out okay. I threw on clothes, shoved contacts in my eyes (again...not a good decision. Sorry, corneas!) and grabbed a Nature Valley Bar package for a breakfast to go. (I was pretty bummed because I REALLY wanted more of my pumpkin protein oats...they're awesome. Really. Check out this for the recipe:YUMMM

And my stomach was DEFINETELY rumbling by the time lunch rolled around 3 hours later. Note to self: even if in a hurry, grab something in addition to the granola bars. They don't have the staying power! Before a workout... yeah, but only because you eat AFTER it too. B-fast? No can do.

We were also informed of the school's new policies during each one of our 8 classes that day: you will lose credit for a class if you miss 12, you will lose points for being tardy 3 times, you need a swipe card to the bathrooms...blah blah blah.

Wait. A swipe card to the bathrooms?
Yup. It's real. Apparently, to handle any possible vandalism, this way the school can track who's been using the bathroom at different times to pinpoint the students behind it. Sounds like a good idea, except for MY concern.... what about if you lose the card and you just GOTTA GO? I think any one of you can see why this might be a slight worry... I have noticed that runners need to pee way more than the average person!

Practice was enjoyable. A 40 minute run at different speeds every 10 minutes. In the 100 degree weather. Which equals lots of sweat. And some really hot, thirsty teenage girls! To celebrate surviving, one of my friends and I headed to Starbucks and got some nice, cold drinks to refresh us. Like I said, it's okay to indulge yourself from time to time!

And that coffee frappacino was worth it.

Here's a nice quote today for anyone getting more active and hesitating to embrace 'the athlete identity':
I AM A RUNNER because I run. Not because I run fast. Not because I run far. I AM A RUNNER because I say I am. And no one can tell me I'm not.
John Bingham, author and runner

Question of the day: What's your breakfast on the go or breakfast in a rush? AND... how do you feel about the identity of being a runner? Are YOU?

Quinoa and Squash Bake (and a note about beauty)

In all honesty, today has been a struggle. My depression cropped up randomly, as it does most of the time, and I just didn't feel like doing much of anything. I felt really detached from myself as I was running and do so even now as well. The eating disorder thoughts tend to come on pretty strong whenever I fall into this familiar pit, so I'm just a little unhappy and withdrawn.

But I'm not going to let that be the end of it. No way will this get me down. Despite that voice in my ear telling me how ugly and fat and gluttonous I am, I will prevail. (I hope.) For anyone reading this, know that I believe in you and the beauty of you. There is something worthwhile in every person. And it is NOT what you look like or what you eat or what you weigh. I just need to practice what I preach now.

And on to lighter things.

Ahh. Time for that funny little grain to rear its head again. I think the only thing better than eating the quinoa is just saying the name. It's so fun! Just try it out loud for a bit! "Keen-wah. Keeeen-waaahh." The first time I heard about quinoa, I had absolutely NO idea how to pronounce it and made a bit of a fool of myself trying. I kept telling my friends about this awesome "Kwi-noh-aa" salad I had, and they were totally stumped as to what I was talking about (then again, I'm not sure they know what quinoa is either so it's all good)

Because it's just so loveable, quinoa gets to be featured AGAIN. Along with some of its squash buddies, Mr. Butternut and Mr. Zucchini, which have been hanging out in the fridge for some time now and were just DYING to get used up. (Okay, so I personify things a lot. We can add that to my Looong list of quirks)

QUINOA SQUASH BAKE,  inspired by Oh She Glows

3/4 cup uncooked quinoa 

1 c. roasted butternut squash, mashed

1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt

3/4 c. milk of choice

Salt and Pepper to Taste

1 medium Zucchini, sliced into thin strips

Basil, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook the quinoa (boil 2 cups water, pour in quinoa, reduce heat to medium, cover, and let cook for 12 minutes. NO PEEKING :)  )
3. Meanwhile, in blender or food processor combine butternut squash, yogurt, milk, and some salt and pepper. This is your 'cheez' sauce for the bake.
4. Slice zucchini into thin strips and lay out on the bottom of  a small casserole dish. Drizzle with a little but of olive oil and salt and pepper, if desired.
5. Combine cooked quinoa with cheez sauce and pour on top of zucchini. Bake for 30 minutes until everything starts to set and come together a bit. ENJOY!

Butternut Burgers

There is STILL leftover pumpkin from the pumpkin palooza I had the other day, and I was perusing various ways to get rid of use it. One of the more intriguing was in a veggie burger recipe seen here at Oh She Glows, one of my new favorite blogs. But after reading the assessment and careful consideration, I came to the conclusion that I wasn't willing to let go of my precious pumpkin for burgers. It needed to be used AGAIN in some oatmeal :) But I still needed something for some burgers...

To the cupboard! And almost as if it were magic, a BUTTERNUT SQUASH appeared (not really. It was already sitting there, but...) This would do. This would do.

BUTTERNUT BURGERS

(made 8 small burgers)

1 (15oz) can chickpeas, drained

1 stalk celery, chopped

2/3 cup mashed roasted butternut squash (can be done in microwave. Cut squash in half, microwave one half, cut side down, in casserole dish for 8-10 minutes on high and remove seeds. Mash up flesh to use for recipe)

2 T. Flaxseed

1/2 tsp. ginger

Dash cloves

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees 
2. Mash up your chickpeas using potato masher. Add chopped celery and mashed up squash.
3. Grind flaxseed into powder and add to bean mixture. Add spices.
4. Form into patties and place on lightly greased cookie sheet.
5. Bake 10 minutes, then flip. Bake additional 25-30 minutes until the burgers stay together in burger form. ENJOY!

Happy Banana Day! (Celebrate with a Smoothie!)

Did you know that today, August 27, is National Banana Day? Don't worry, I only discovered this recently, too. But bananas deserve some recognition, don't you agree? I mean, their versatility is praiseworthy! Banana 'Ice Cream'! A base for pudding! A link in vegan baking! An essential piece in the Elvis sandwich! A boat for every kind of sweet deliciousness!

Yeah. I love bananas.

Plus, as if it couldn't get any better, my XC team calls ourselves the bananas (although the high school mascot is the viking. Don't worry... no one could cheer 'MASH THOSE BANANASSS!' at our football games. Our football team needs no help...) We sing a little song before every meet which goes like this:

I AM A 'B'.

I AM A 'B-A.'

I AM A 'B-A-N-A-N-A' YES I AM.

I HAVE A 'B-A-N-A-N-A' IN MY 'M-O-U-T-H' AND I WILL 'E-A-T' A 'B-A-N-A-N-A' Every Day!

It's a little silly, but I love it. No race is complete without the banana song, even if the challenging teams stare at us and try to spell out in their head to figure out what we're babbling about (we sing it pretty fast).

So...Bananas. Gotta love 'em.

I tried to make something with bananas today as a celebration, but the only thing I really made was not all that creative or original. It DID taste exceptional, however (imho), so I guess I'll share :) 

MY GO-TO SMOOTHIE (Chocolate Banana!)

1 Frozen Banana, Split in Half for easier blending

1/3-1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/2 Scoop Chocolate Designer Whey Protein Powder

Do you really need instructions for this? Throw everything in the blender and have at it! Vary your milk content to get either a thicker or thinner smoothie, based on your taste. ENJOY! I like to eat mine with a spoon, because I just don't really like drinking smoothies...

Question of the day (please leave a comment!): Did you do anything to appreciate bananas and their awesomeness today? Even if not, what interesting things do you use bananas for? 

Much Deserved Decadence

Ahhh! Putting up your feet, soaking in a hot tub, getting a nice massage in those amazingly comfortable beds under the heated blankets...that's bliss. Sadly, I haven't done ANY of those things lately. Bummer.

I firmly believe in the power of stress-reduction. For those of you who haven't read my page about my food philosophy, what you need to know about me and stress is: we're best buds. As in...frenemies. Stress is constantly on my back about something or another, but I wouldn't exactly say I like it, that's for sure! I think we all spend WAYY too much time rushing around, trying to do everything at once and attempting to make 30 hours out of a 24 hour day. Things like that are the reason that people get so anxious and tight. Let's face it. We've all had one of those days where we're tired, irritable, and everything gets under our skin. I think taking a break is the best way to head those off before they come!

And what do I do when I need to relax (if I have no access to a lovely massage, that is!) ???
What's MY go-to food?

Can you guess?
CHOCOLATE! Especially with some peanut butter and gooey marshmallows!

Like I said, it's okay to indulge sometimes. For the most part, I do eat wholesomely, but part of eating healthy is actually having some 'fun' food. Bodies need the fat for insulation and your brain is actually made almost exclusively of fat! Plus, it's good emotionally. If you overdo the health food thing... well, it gets unhealthfully obsessive. And I know first hand about that.

PEANUT BUTTER SMORES BROWNIE BOTTOM PIE

1 prepared graham cracker crust

1 (7.4 oz ...or so...makes 6) pack instant chocolate muffin mix + 1/2 cup milk

Extra Drizzle of Milk

3 T. PB, melted

About 2 servings chocolate goldfish grahams

10-12 jumbo marshmallows, flattened

10-12 big chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to whatever it says on chocolate muffin package. Combine muffin mix with milk and pour into graham cracker crust. Bake for15-20 minutes, until done but still gooey.
2. IMMEDIATELY, poke a few holes in brownie portion and drizzle a little bit of milk over pie. Place goldfish on top and drizzle on the peanut butter. (first picture)
3. Turn oven to BROIL. Place flattened marshmallows over pie, pressing 1 chocolate chip into each. Broil about 1 minute to toast up the marshmallows, remove, and let everything cool (or enjoy warm for a delicious little treat!). ENJOY!

Question of the day: What's your comfort food?

Saving the World with FUNFETTI!

Boy do I have something special to share. I think I may burst with the excitement of holding it in. This kind of thing can't be kept to ones self, after all. Not when funfetti is involved. The whole world needs to know. Funfetti just seems to make everything better.

Lately, I've been really swept up in all the funfetti craze. I've been pinning recipes right and left: funfetti puppy chow, funfetti blondies, funfetti cookies, funfetti milkshakes, funfetti dip... it doesn't end. But the one thing I haven't seen are a lot of healthy funfetti adaptations. Especially protein-chocked ones.

A girl's gotta have her protein.

So I was in a dilemma. Often, all my recipe creations are inspired by other things I have seen or heard about. But with the funfetti...there was nothing. It was an open market. I was on my own. So, with much trepidation, I went off to the kitchen to concoct

Baked Oatfetti Protein Cups!

Makes 4 mini cakes

EAT ME! RIGHT NOW! I LIVE TO SERVE!

2 scoops (27g) vanilla whey protein powder

1/2 c. funfetti cake mix

2/3 c. oats

1/2 c. almond milk

3 T. Egg Whites

1/3 c. Vanilla Greek Yogurt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla

Extra Sprinkles

*Optional: for a topping, you could put on some frozen Greek Yogurt, ice milk, whipped cream, or try Katie's Vanilla Fudge Frosting or Creamy Dreamy Frosting (add some sprinkles in it to make it funfetti of course!)

1. Combine Dry Ingredients in one bowl, wet ingredients in another (no extra sprinkles yet)
2. Pour wet ingredients into dry ones and mix very well until batter begins to thicken as oats absorb a little bit of liquid. (If you wanted, I bet you could just increase the milk amount and cook on the stove to make funfetti protein oatmeal!) If there doesn't seem to be enough sprinkles, add some more (and let's be honest... are there EVER enough sprinkles in the world? No. So go ahead and pour 'em in)
3. Transfer mixture into 4 individual (4oz) ramekins.
4. Bake in preheated 300 degree oven for 25-30 minutes until no longer gooey in center. Dig in and ENJOY!

Now, I don't always post nutritional data, but you might want to see it for this. Prepare to be astonished. In each individual oatfetti cup, you get: a whopping 12g whole grains and 11g protein, and ONLY 4g fat and 185 calories. Yeah. I know. Mind blown. So what are you doing still at your computer reading this post. GO! Make some oatfetti cups! They're calling your name!