Bust Your Booty!

Want to know a secret to injury-free running that I recently learned? Strong runners have strong butts!! That's right. Your behind becomes very important when you are trying to prevent knee/hip injuries. After struggling with "runner's knee" or chondromalacia these last few months I've learned this lesson - but that was only after hundreds of squats, wall sits, step-ups, leg lifts, yoga, lunges... did I mention squats?? Gradually, with the assistance of my friend - the ice pack, and dozens of Advil, I think I am finally on the mend - and hopefully stronger for it! I found this video of pylometrics that is an awesome (and intimidating!) workout that I have been meaning to start doing semi-regularly. Note: I love how this guy seems to be struggling to not chuckle when he says the word "butt" over and over in the first few minutes. Lol.



Ahh... for the love of squats!!! :-)
Here are a few other things I've learned since joining StarRunners!

• Strength training really is important! It was sooo disappointing to be sidelined for the St. Jude half-marathon so I am determined to never repeat the experience. Hence, I became much more serious about squats, truly resting on rest days, and making sure to show up to my yoga dates with Jillian Michaels on Mondays and Wednesdays.
• Fueling is tricky. The last few long runs I've done, I have taken Gatorade along with me and felt much more energized throughout the whole run. I think there is something to the idea of continuous glucose rather than big boluses of it in the form of a gel. On my 10-mile run this past weekend, I did both (Gatorade and gel), and that worked really well! (I didn't feel like I wanted to just stop and lie down on the cement at mile 7.5 - Yay!). 
• Good conversation really can make a difficult run be so much less tortuous. The miles go by so much faster! Plus, knowing that I get to see my friends makes training so much more fun. :-)
• If the shoe fits... Getting fitted for a running shoe is another big step in the right direction for preventing injuries! For a bit there I was having some arch aches, but I forked over the cash for a fitting and a new pair of shoes; it helped so much! Superfeet insoles also really helped alleviate the discomfort by offering a bit more support.
• Carb-loading the night before a long run is crucial! Once or twice I shared a low-carb meal with Will and then paid for it the next morning on my long run! I felt like I was running on fumes! Now, I don't go crazy, but I do always try to include a bit of carbs in my Friday dinner meal - even if it is dessert! (My favorite!)
• I have so much more to learn! Only when I joined StarRunners did I really start working on speed work - 800's, fartleks, matching your race/goal pace, etc. (Except, I have held off on the speedwork of late due to injury, but I hope to be back at it soon!)

Good Morning!

      Did you sleep well? Now that I'm all grown up (ha!) and have an 8-4:30 job, I've come to appreciate the weekends so much more. I especially love the mornings... waking up early to join the my friends in StarRunners for a long run (hi Emily!); shopping the Cooper-Young Farmers Market and chatting with some of our favorite vendors; making a half-pot of coffee and drinking it all by myself while reading a book on my green couch (mmmm...); being adventurous enough to keep trying out churches here on occasion; and listening to Pandora while making something special for breakfast!
     I stumbled across this recipe via Pinterest (seeing a pattern yet?) and thought I should try it! (I told you my favorite is breakfast.) When I moved down South, I knew I would eventually have to try the popular breakfast staple, grits. Ick. They were so bland! Basically a yellow version of unflavored cream of wheat. Then I came across this recipe. Grits and polenta are essentially the same thing in my head - both are made from yellow cornmeal and water and flavored with any kind of mixings your little heart desires. The difference is only in where the corn comes from I think. Personally, I think my grits (polenta) is so much better than any breakfast grits I've come across here yet! (Shhh...!)

Breakfast Polenta/Grits
(Adapted from Joy the Baker's recipe)
Ingredients:
-1 1/2 cup water
-1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
-Dash of salt
-2 Tbsp milk
-2 Tbsp maple syrup (less or more according to taste!)
-Dash of cinnamon
-1/2 tbsp butter
-1 banana
-2 tbsp raisins
Directions:
1. Boil water in  a small saucepan. Once water has started to boil add a dash of salt and lower heat to simmer. Whisk in the cornmeal making sure it doesn't clump. Stir until mixture begins to thicken.
2. Add milk, cinnamon, syrup, and butter. Continue to  stir until well mixed and butter is melted. Remove from heat.
3. Spoon into bowl. Top with chopped banana, raisins, and maybe a little more syrup (live a little!).
4. Devour!
This is a breakfast that is sure to warm up your belly! Feel free to try any other sort of toppings - pears? apples? craisins? Go crazy! It's not healthiest breakfast, but hey, it's the weekend!  :-)

Fun in the Kitchen!

After trying my hand at making some black bean burgers the other day, I guess I had just caught the Betty Crocker-bug! On Saturday, I bought some Brussels sprouts on a whim - that's right, those strange little green cabbage-like veggies that all children mysterious despise. Here's what I did with them!

Balsamic-Glazed Brussel Sprouts
(Recipe adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian)
Ingredients:
-1/4 cup olive oil
-1 lb Brussels sprouts
-3-4 small red-skin potatoes
-4-5 cloves garlic (leave as whole cloves!)
-2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette
-Salt and pepper
-1 can water-packed tuna
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. In a saute pan, begin heating the oil over medium-high heat. Cut the tough stem bottoms from the sprouts and then cut them in half. Cut the potatoes into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces. Add the sprouts and garlic to the pan and cook until just beginning to brown on the leaf edges and soften.
2. Transfer sprouts and garlic to baking sheet. Toss with the potato pieces. Bake for 30 minutes or until the sprouts and potatoes are nicely browned. Remove from oven and drizzle with balsamic. Sprinkle with S+P. Toss to coat.
3. Transfer veggie mixture to bowl. Top with tuna. Enjoy!

After my protein post, I got to thinking about the quinoa that has been hiding out in one of my kitchen cabinets for a while. I had recently come across a breakfast quinoa pin on pinterest(!) and knew that it could possibly be the next best-thing that ever happened to breakfast (after oatmeal of course!). Quinoa is not only a whole grain but it contains 4 grams of protein per 1/2 cup serving! It wasn't quite as earth-shattering as I had hoped, but it definitely has potential!

Breakfast Quinoa
(Adapted from this recipe from... ahem... Martha Stewart)
Ingredients:
-1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
-3/4 cup milk
-3/4 cup water
-1-2 tbsp maple syrup
-Sprinkle of cinnamon
-1 banana, chopped
-2 tbsp raisins
Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, heat water, milk and quinoa to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes (or until almost all of the liquid is absorbed). I had to periodically stir it to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan/boiling over.
2. Once the quinoa is finished, add the rest of the ingredients and serve! Yum!

7 Things I'm Loving this Weekend

1. Dinner at Amerigo with Will that was both low-carb and vegetarian! It's not often we find a dish that meets both criteria - layered eggplant casseroule with sauteed spinach and mushrooms on the side. Yummy!

2. Nothing tops a steamy hot shower after a chilly looong 9 mile run with StarRunners! (My knee is still complaining about that one!)
3. Sushi at Sekisui with some ladies from running group! Such a fun evening with Emily, Donna, Sherry, and Lynda. :-)

Sushi is seriously like food art.

4. Nutella and banana slices on hearty, sprouted wheat Ezekial bread. I picked this bread up on a whim after a few people had told me it was really good - I'm hooked!

5. My new salad spinner! This makes prepping salads for the week soooo much easier. Plus, my lettuce stays fresh longer - I've put off buying one of these for way too long!
6. Speaking of salads, I can't get enough of this dressing Will had tried a few weeks ago and convinced me was delicious. He was totally right. With this dressing, I could almost eat salad for dessert...

7. This evening I experimented in the kitchen and tried my hand at making my own black bean burger. It was tasty, but was difficult to cook since it didn't hold together as well as I'd hoped. I'll have to share the recipe once I get the kinks worked out! Meanwhile, I packed one of the extra "patties" crumbled on top of a salad for lunch tomorrow. So excited!

The burger is buried under avocado, tomato, and cheese!

Wednesday Ramblings

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1. I finished the latest book for book club the other day. Absolutely loved it! The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides is definitely worth adding to your list of books to check out in 2012. The novel follows the lives of three characters trapped in a bit of a love triangle - Madelaine, Mitchell, and Leonard. I think part of the reason I really enjoyed this novel is that it resonated so closely with my own life as the story opens on their college graduation - when you are filled with the disillusionment of the greatness of "real life". They are all trying to figure out their place in this world and whether the Jane Austen kind of love from Victorian novels can exist in modern day.

2. The Cubicle Next Door by Siri Mitchell was a cute story that made for a quick read about a girl who anonymously blogs about her frustrations/crush on her office mate and the hilarity that ensues! This was another one of my Christmas reads from Dolly!

(Source)

3. I went to check on a patient today on meal rounds who was a little out of it. He told me (in all seriousness!),  "if you go without having a bowel movement for 4 days, and then eat a bologna sandwich on the 5th day... it'll kill you!" LOL. I love my job.





4. Here's what I made of my protein project yesterday. >50 grams of protein total in 24 hours = Success. Woot!!

Breakfast = 3/4 cup yogurt, 2 tbsp peanut butter, cereal, 1 banana, coffee!

Lunch = Salad with hard-boiled egg, apple, 1/2 PB&J (w/~1 tbsp PB)

Afternoon snack = ~23 almonds, a few chocolate chips, and raisins!

Dinner = Seitan stir-fry over rice, salad!

5. Two of my favorite things right here...

Will and milkshakes that is!

Meat Alternative Curiosity

During my dietetic internship at the Cleveland VA, we did two 4-week food service rotations in groups. The second time through, I had fun planning meals, completing surveys, and frosting dozens of cupcakes/King cake with Christine and Chris. While brainstorming on one of our special menus, Chris talked about something called seitan (pronounced say-tan) - a food completely foreign to me! It was not for another two years before I actually tried the curious stuff when Will and I inadvertently ordered it at a Thai restaurant in town - it was delicious!
Here's the low-down on this high protein vegan/vegetarian friendly food! Seitan is also know as wheat gluten. Gluten is the main protein found in wheat. The gluten is removed by rinsing whole wheat flour with water to remove the starch and leave behind only the protein portion of the grain. The gluten paste leftover is then kneaded to form a sort of firm, but sinewy mass which is surprisingly similar to beef. It comes in a hermetically sealed packet that honestly looks a little scary. Haha. The package says that it is pre-cooked so I added it later on in my stir-fry process.

Soy Seitan Veggie Stir-Fry
Ingredients:
-1 package seitan
-1 zucchini, sliced
-1 yellow summer squash, sliced
-1/2 head broccoli, chopped
-1-2 cloves garlic, minced
-2 tbsp vegetable oil
-2-3 tbsp soy sauce
-1/4 cup vegetable broth
-Dash red pepper, salt, and pepper
Directions:
1. Heat oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add vegetables and garlic. Cook until just starting to soften (~5-7 minutes).

2. Add seitan, broth, soy sauce, and spices. Continue to cook over medium-high heat until the broth has started to evaporate and create a thick-like sauce.

3. Remove from heat. Serve over rice and enjoy! That was seriously so easy to make!

Protein Chronicles

I am going to get a bit "nutrition-y" on you, ok? As a vegetarian and a I dietitian, I realize that one of the things that I have been sorely lacking in my diet is protein. (Will also reminds me of this frequently!) It's a classic dilemma for a vegetarian to become too dependent on carbohydrates. However, I figured that since I hadn't developed kwashiorkor (Wikipedia that!) and I have no plans of becoming a female bodybuilding champ, I could get away with the inadequacy. Now that I have been adding some more strength training to my exercise routine in an effort to recuperate from my knee injury, I figured I should start making more of a conscious effort to eat more protein. So, when a person doesn't eat meat, where do they get their protein? Well, let's take a look at some of the things I've picked up at the supermarket this weekend...

For a person of my (unmentioned...) weight and gender/age, I need about 46 grams or 7 ounces of protein daily. Here's how I can do it with the foods above! (From left to right...)

Food	Serving Size	Ounces of Protein/Serving
Almonds	1 oz. (23-24 almonds)	6 grams (~1 oz)
Peanut Butter	2 tbsp	8 grams (~1 oz)
Tuna	½ can	21 grams (~3 oz)
Cheese	2 oz.	14 grams (~2 oz)
Milk	1 cup	8 grams (~1 oz)
Yogurt	1 cup	8 grams (~1 oz)
Eggs	1 whole egg	7 grams (~1 oz)
Seitan	1 serving	22 grams (~3 oz)
Beans	1 cup	14 grams (~2 oz)

So, using the chart above, here's how I could incorporate enough protein into a day to meet my needs!
Breakfast: 1/2 cup yogurt (4 grams) + 2 tbsp peanut butter (8 grams) + 1/4 cup milk in coffee (2 grams) = 14 grams total
Lunch:  Salad with 1 oz cheese (7 grams) + 1 hard boiled egg (7 grams) + 1 tbsp peanut butter on half sandwich (4 grams) = 18 grams total
Dinner: Black bean burger (7 grams) + 2 oz cheese (14 grams) = 21 grams total
Total protein for the day: 53 grams!


In addition to high protein foods listed in the table, we all get a minuscule amount of protein from our grains as well as from vegetables so my daily total will actually be just a few grams higher. Now, the tough part is making the effort to commit to making my diet pattern match the example above! All too often, I don't add any protein to my lunch salad or I'll just have a grilled cheese/soup dinner without adding any high protein side. Now that I've confessed - here's to being a more protein-conscious vegetarian!

PS - there will be a post to come about my seitan experiment! Including an description of this curious vegetarian protein/meat-alternative!

Music Video Premiere!

Anxiously awaiting the video premiere! (Will's excited too, I promise!)

Memphis never ceases to surprise me. :-) Will and I were wondering what to do this weekend since we were Flyer-less when we saw a new friend (who we met at a Hanukah party!) post about this music video premiere. Once we looked up the location - which happened to be this interesting building across the street from my apartment that we have always been super curious about (but never been cool enough to be invited in!) we were set on going. So glad we did! "Deering and Down" who I guess you could call alt-country were performing and below is their video!

Our friend Alex is the girl in the green dress. :-) She and her boyfriend Jonathan were there as well so it was fun to meet up with them again - plus I've never known a music video star! (haha!)
The curious winter weather here in Memphis is something else that I have been starting to really appreciate. At home in PA, we could go the entire 5 months of winter with maybe 2 days of sun. Here the sun is abundant and the cold is broken up by random days of 50-55 degree warmth! Yesterday was one of those days. Love it! I needed to do a 7 mile run so Will, Honey, and I headed to the Greenline (ie. paved recreational trail) to exercise. It was so much fun to have Will along (on rollerblades!) as well as Honey (of course!). I think we made quite the interesting group - runner + blader + dog = fun times!
Oh, and I have to share - as Will and I were walking out of the library today this little boy and his Mom pass us on their way in and we hear the little boy say with honest enthusiasm: "I love you!!! Thank you sooo much for taking me to the LIBRARY!!!" That's so me as a 10 year old. Maybe it'll be the same for one of my kids! (Being a nerd is actually sort of cool these days right??)

New Years Resolutions

I am really terrible at making and keeping (ahem) New Year's Resolutions. It almost seems like the whole idea just sets you up to fail. In the past few years, I haven't made any kind of resolutions, but this year, I wanted to create a few goals for myself...
-Create an electronic address book of sorts and be more proactive about making cards for people (which I love! Even if they are usually a little nerdy...). I know how much I love getting real mail. I'm sure other do too. :-)
-Research and possibly buy a real camera. Look into taking a class at one of the universities here in town to learn how to use it!
-Run the New Orleans Half-Marathon without feeling like I need to amputate my right leg due to knee pain. I've learned some things about being a smarter runner after this "runner's knee" flare-up!
-Visit Charis in Ireland! I need to be even better about saving my pennies for this trip!
-Journal at least once a week. Ever since I started blogging, I've been journaling less and less, but I feel like there is still some merit to keeping journals - and I want to make sure I keep up the habit.
-Yoga on at least one of my cross training days. I confess, I just bought a Jillian Michaels yoga DVD that I actually kind of really like... shhhh...
-Learn to can! I really wish I had known how to preserve some of the tasty produce I had enjoyed over the summer - I am so craving those tomatoes, fresh green beans, peaches, plums... oi, I'm drooling!

So, now that I've broadcast these over the internet, I guess I have you all to keep me accountable! :-)

2011 Year in Review

• After graduating from Case Western and saying goodbye to all of my dear friends in Cleveland, I packed my bags into my newly purchased Jeep and moved down South to good ol' Memphis, TN - home of The King, BBQ, and potlucks created to be a vegetarian's worst nightmare (just kidding!). 

• Started my job serving the vets at the VA hospital! My new home away from home - of sorts. Interesting fact to note - if Memphis gets hit with an earthquake while I'm at work - I'll be safe! They reconstructed the building to be earthquake proof. :-) (Rest assured Dad!)

• Traveled back home mid-January to say goodbye for the last time to my dear grandmother. I still miss her so. She was the one that first showed me how to bake during those summers my brother and I would spend in her home nestled in the PA woods. 
• Tried my first cupcake from Muddy's bakery and immediately fell in love. Good thing the shop is located across town or I may have become morbidly obese in the last year... 

• Met up with my lovely friends in Nashville to celebrate my 24th birthday!! (Ben and Will included!) I feel so incredibly blessed to have such lovely friends!

• Jammed out to some pretty rockin' bands (like Mumford and Sons, The Flaming Lips, and MGMT!) at the Memphis in May Music Festival. An Arcade Fire concert the Thursday before really started the weekend off well!

Flaming Lips Concert = Incredible

• Dallas/Fort Worth road trip! We had a long weekend, so what better way to spend it than on a random, little trip! We fit a lot into this weekend - zoo, art museum, biking, fantastic food, shopping!

• Many trips and volunteer hours pet sitting at the Farmers' Market... I've branched out a bit over the last year and tried a few different things... like plumcots, muscadine grapes, fresh figs, mustard greens, and okra!

Love me some veggies!

• Road trip to Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri - first time I met Will's sister and her family! Of course we ate a large breakfast to fuel our theme park antics! They have a random collection of mugs for serving their coffee, I just happened to get this one. :-)

Maybe someday?!

• I joined a running group - Star Runners - and have met some great people! (Hi Emily and Cille!) I ran the Cooper Young 4-Miler in the fall. Now I'm hoping to do the New Orleans Half this spring!

• Wedding fever in the September/October! We were all over the country this month! First to Albuquerque for Will's friend, James' wedding. Then, to Franklin, PA for my cousin Emily's wedding (I was a bridesmaid!!!). Finally, back at home in Memphis, Emily's wedding reception! :-) 

At the peak of the Sandia Mt. in Albuquerque - breathtaking!

All spiffed up for my cousin Emily's wedding in PA!

Reception for my best running buddy, Emily's wedding!

• My Bluffton friends came to visit me in Memphis!! Such good, quality times - including trolley rides, the Civil Rights Museum, crepes and soup eating on the porch and a classy coffee shop concert at Otherlands. 

• Sitting out on the St. Jude Half - still showing my support for my fellow running friends! This was really tough. I may have done quit a bit of crying (ask Will!) about the fact that my knee was busted at I had to sit this one out. I think the experience has taught me a few things about being a smarter runner though...

• Celebrating New Years with my friends in Pittsburgh! I just recapped this in my last entry. Honestly, these were some of the people I was happiest to ring in the new year with!

• Celebrated my "anniversary" of dating Will for an entire year! I have seriously enjoyed every minute of it. I love him. :-)

Here's to another great year in 2012! 

Ringing in the New Year!

28 hours in the car...

6 tanks of gas...

2 books (1 audio, 1 printed)...

Many minutes of Pandora...

A snowstorm...

Approximately 1/2 gallon of coffee/soda...

Tasty food...

Fun times in Pittsburgh with close friends...

Quality time with family...

I-K-E-A!!!!!

Now I am home again in Memphis! Here's a bit of the fun I had this weekend...

Happy New Year Y'all!