Wednesday, July 21, 2010

3 Dinners and a little Half-Marathon before Work!

FOOD:
Sundays dinner was used with almost all CSA produce- summer squash, zucchini, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, spring onions and blueberries.  So what did I make? Summer Squash, Zucchini, Goat Cheese Ricotta Mini Pizzas and a delicious salad.  And of course, I made Gretchen's Blueberry Clofoutis.  And maybe there was some beers thrown into the mix.
All I did to make these mini pizzas was saute zucchini and summer squash with olive oil, salt and pepper and red pepper flakes.  I used store bought pizza dough and I divided it into 4.  Then I flattened it out, added some goat cheese, the veggies and then added some ricotta on top.  And because I made 4 that meant instant lunch for Monday. I love leftovers! And for dessert, no other than the Blueberry Doug Flutie (See Gretchen's page, link above for the reference).
Monday night I made Chicken Salad Tostadas. They were delicious and this was another wicked easy recipe. I love the crunch of the tortillas with the nice bite of the chicken salad- of course with half the fat, and no mayo!
Ingredients:
2 Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas
2 Chicken Breasts, cooked in a pan with salt and pepper then diced
Romaine Lettuce
Red Onions
Cucumber
1 Plum Tomato
1 Small Container of Plain Greek Yogurt
a few dashes of hot sauce
salt and pepper
1 chopped celery stick
1 clove of garlic
1/8 cup of EVOO
1 lemon
a couple dashes of vinegar
Instructions:
Mix Yogurt and next 7 ingredients together.  Add in chicken pieces.  Toast tortillas. Make Salad with lettuce, onions, cucumber and tomatoes.  Add Chicken on top.
Quick, easy and a nice twist on Chicken Salad sans Mayo!
Last night Pineapple Glazed Chicken with Salsa inspired by Bon Appetit.
Ingredients   
1/4 cup pineapple juice
2 tablespoons (packed) brown sugar
  1 tablespoon yellow mustard
3/4 cup 1/4-inch cubes fresh or canned pineapple
3 tablespoons finely diced red bell pepper
pre-made guacomole (I had it on hand, if you don't you can leave this out)
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1 1/2 tablespoons canned sliced jalapeƱo chiles, drained, coarsely chopped
2 boneless chicken breast

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring pineapple juice, brown sugar, and mustard to boil in small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil until glaze has thickened slightly, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Mix pineapple, red pepper, guac, onion, and chiles in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Line baking sheet with foil. Place chicken on sheet and brush with glaze. Bake 15 minutes. Brush again with glaze, then broil until cooked through and golden, watching closely to avoid burning, about 5 minutes longer. Let rest 5 minutes. Spoon salsa over chicken and serve.
 This was quite tasty! But I did make a rookie mistake.  See how the recipe says the glaze will thicken ABOUT 1 MINUTE?  Yeah, that didn't happen for me.  I don't really measure anything and I just "eyeballed it" so maybe I had too much pineapple juice? Oh I also just used the juice from the can.  Anyway, when it didn't thicken, I cranked the heat and then did other things and well, the glaze DID get thick and STICKY and kinda stuck on to my chicken and the plate.  But hey it tasted good so who cares!

RUNNING
This morning I woke up at 4:30AM to drive my mom to the airport (what a nice daughter I am).  Being up that early and in the city, I decided I might as well try to get my long run done with so I don't have to do it over the weekend.  I wanted to run outside, but cheated instead and ran on the treadmill.  Anyone else out there think treadmill running is SO MUCH easier? I was nervous about running by myself so early in the morning (we're talking 5:45am here).  I got to the gym nice and early and got MY treadmill.  There are only two of MY treadmills left at my gym and one wasn't working! (My treadmills have fans built in and have a oval shaped like a track so you can see how far you go in .25 miles). There were probably only three people on the treadmills when I started.  I got into a nice rythym and started off very slow.  Probably close to ten minute pace.  I just read trashy magazines and watched music videos and did mental calculations with the clock that was right in front of me.  I started my run at 6:11 and ran until 8:09. And finished a half-marathon, on the treadmill in 1:58:28.  I had to start my treadmill over at the 10 mile mark and I cranked my last 3.1 miles in 26 minutes.  Pretty happy with that!

I did go through 2 pretty large water bottles and half pack of Sport Beans. I think people probably thought I was crazy running on the treadmill that long.  And to think this is only the beginning of my training!  There is a long road ahead to the race on November 7th! Stay tuned...

11 comments:

  1. oo you made the doug floutie dessert! did half of it disappear after? it looks really good and so do those pizzas.

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  2. yes, I think you are crazy! I think the most I have ever run on a treadmill was about 7 miles. I really couldn't put up with it for much longer! When I was half-marathon-training, I did my long runs outside. Awesome job!

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  3. Hi! Fairly new reader to your blog! (Mine is www.racingitoff.com.) Love your blog, love your food ideas... and wish I could accomplish your times. I just had to chuckle when I read about you resetting the treadmill at 10 miles... I usually do long runs outside but recently did one on a treadmill and was daydreaming when it hit 99:59 and my TM jolted to a stop... scared the fool out of me. Anyhow, I'll be reading your blog a lot more! Looking forward to it.

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  4. Cara- I know I'm probably the only one who likes the treadmill. Well me and my friend Nancy! I love to run outside but only with a partner! Lesley! Thanks for stopping by! Your blog is great too! I usually like to restart my treadmill before it restarts me because jolting to a stop is never fun. I usually try to stop it on an even amount of miles : )

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  5. I am so glad I just read this post. I need to run 16 miles tonight (it's 98 degrees here) and the treadmill is my only option. The furthest I've ever made it on a treadmill is 11 mi. But you've given me hope. Awesome time by the way! Especially on the last 3 mi!! Wow :)

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  6. Good job! I think my longest was 16 or 17. It's what you do when you're training for Boston and you live in Chicago. I don't run in sub-20 degree weather (now that I don't have a coach telling me I have to).

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  7. That chicken salad looks SO SO SO good!!!! And blueberry clofoutis is one of my favorite desserts to make ever :)

    Sues

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  8. Liz, I love the treadmill. I have run up to 16 miles on it before.... And imagine the looks I got when I was in Mexico this March doing my long run at the resort- people were really giving me the once over. The resort people even brought me new towels and refilled my water bottle!

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  9. 1. When are you inviting me over for dinner?
    and
    2. HOW did you run 13 miles on a TREADMILL!?

    you are my hero.

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  10. You do sound maybe a little crazy for doing all those miles on the treadmill (haha ;)), but I can totally relate. Sometimes not only is it more practical, but it's easier, because you control the pace you're going and if something happens...you can just stop. Congrats on your awesome 13 mile run!

    And that blueberry dessert looks amazing!!

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  11. I said it before....YOU ARE MY HERO! It depends on the run, but sometimes I don't mind long distances on the treadmill; when I was training for my half, I got stuck doing a couple of 8 and 9 milers on the treadmill and it went pretty quick! I'm coming over for chicken salad ok?

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