Breakfast for Dinner

I haven’t posted a food photo in a long time. So here’s what I had for dinner: a lot of kale with shittake mushrooms, tomatoes, 2 organic chicken sausage links and 1 egg scrambled with 2/3 cup egg whites. Super delicious and a lot of tasty vitamins and protein.

Breakfast for dinner. I highly recommend it.

 

Day Trip to Newport, Rhode Island

It was so nice today, we decided to go to for a day trip. We hadn’t been to any mansion tours in Rhode Island, so why not start there? It’s just 1.5 hours away, is on the water and has some good places to get seafood.

We first went to The Breakers mansion and took a guided audio tour. It was just spectacular. I was most in love with the music room and the kitchen.

 

Then we went over to The Mooring and ate a bunch of delicious seafood. No pics of this, but it was AMAZING. We had such a good time.

I have made some changes to my diet recently (including much lower sugar and no dried fruits or high glycemic index fruits) and I had been really on my game all week, so I was looking forward to a treat. We decided to get gelato. If there is one thing that’s worth it, it’s gelato. I enjoyed the heck out of it. Cold Fusion is a place that makes artisan gelato flavors. I got half Tahitian vanilla and half caramel apple. Michael got half peach ginger and half lemon custard.

And we went to a place called Virgin & Aged. They sell flavored oils and balsamic vinegars.

 

 

And you can try them all:

 

We got the Portuguese oil and strawberry balsamic. I kind of regret not getting the peach white balsamic, but next time we will. So on our next trip to Newport, we’re going to check out another mansion, the lighthouses and the wine vineyard! So much to do, so little time.

Big News: We bought a condo!

Yes we did! After a 6 month long process, we finally closed on our little dream place. We started looking back in October, and after much thought and discussion, we decided we wanted to live in Somerville. We love the location, proximity to Boston, the neighborhoods, the culture. After countless open houses, we put an offer in back in December (right before Christmas), and since it’s a new construction, things went a little slower than we anticipated.

It’s still not totally finished, but it will be in the next 30 days!

The highlights: open concept lower level with half bath, and the second floor features two master suites, each with walk in closet and bathroom with whirlpool tub. Also upstairs: laundry and a porch off one of the suites. You can see all the way to the Tobin bridge and Charlestown.

So here it is! We didn’t choose the colors before hand, but we’re at least planning on painting the bedroom. There are some things we’ll be personalizing, but otherwise, it’s a nice beginning.

Our living room:

Other side of the living room:

Dining area/kitchen:

First floor half bath:

Kitchen:

Stairs:

One of the two suites:

One of the bathrooms:

And finally, the deck!

Take a little trip: Vegas

Michael was going to the Symantec seminar for work, and so, I tagged along. We did lots of fun things while he wasn’t busy (and even while he was busy – there were so many nice people!). After a delayed flight (by 4 hours) we were shown to a different flight (so we could make our connecting….never mind my luggage was definitely not going to make it) and we then had to check our carry ons. Yes, really.

The carry ons stayed in Denver, my luggage went to San Francisco, and we? Well, we went to Vegas! 24 hours later (and a great sense of humor), we were ready to get started. Conferences for him, pool for me.

Where we stayed: MGM Signature during the conference, Trump hotel for a few days after.

Places we ate: Delmonico, Joel Robuchon, and L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon (as the real stand out highlights)

Other things we did: rode up the elevator on the Eiffel Tower, went to Gold & Silver Pawn Shop (a la Pawn Stars) and bought an 1893 Carson City silver dollar, drove through the desert in a convertible, went to Lake Mead, went to Hoover Dam and took a tour, went to the Grand Canyon and walked on the Sky Walk (yep, it has a glass floor, I about fainted!!), bought antiques and went to a restaurant called Hot and Juicy which featured a crawfish boil (since I like shrimp, I thought this would be awesome. I am kind of terrified of crawfish I learned. So there is that.)

And here’s what it looked like:

 

 

Here are the crazy fish at Lake Mead that we fed popcorn to:

Michael wanted to know exactly how I felt about the bridge.

And finally because it made us laugh, we had to walk over this grate, and I didn’t realize there was a 100 foot drop until our tour guide turned on the light. Ack!

 

 

 

Race Report: Wallis Sands Half Marathon 2012

I liked this little race a lot! Some real talent out there on this field, too. It’s pretty picturesque, was well organized, and NH coast in May is nice and cool in the morning. Just how I like it.

I started with an extra shirt on (Applefest Half 2008 – I love that shirt) and tossed it at mile 3. We found it later (can’t miss the color on the side of the road). It was a nice and easy 1:47, which left me with an 8:10/mile average and landed me at 11th out of 182 in my age group.

I am feeling a little conflicted about this time. On the one hand, it’s a great time! On the other, I finished with extra gas in the tank, which means I could have pushed harder. I worry about pacing myself in longer races, and I think I just have to push a little harder next time.

On the plus side, recovery was very easy, even with travel in a cramped plane. I ran about 30 miles last week, even on vacation.

Other notables: I ran this in my Brooks Pure Cadence, and I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. I love them so much, I feel like shouting. No blisters. This has never happened to me before. Also, even though I’m a very neutral runner, I still like some support at the long distance level. I feel like I just deteriorate out there over time. So I’m saving the more minimals for shorter distance and keeping these for the longer. Amazing. Get them immediately if not sooner. That is my recommendation.

I look a little tired here I know. I was waiting for the Wave 1 start.

And here is some of the gorgeous scenery Michael shot:

If you have the opportunity to run this, definitely take it.

A Very Vegas Latelies!

Hiya from Las Vegas! Ok, this is SUPA QUICK, but here we have it. I forgot to bring camera cable, soooooo a video it is.

• Wallis Sands Half Marathon
• Inglot Cosmetics (You can totally order online, but I usually like to see things in person. Just me! That’s why I waited to come back here to get more stuff. Anyway, everything from them is pretty much fab, and if you wanna see some great reviews check out Temptalia. I linked her purple swatches and reviews but if you search her site, you’ll find loads of things.)

A Baker’s Dozen

I’ve been referring to these as sweet little apple babies. I stole this from Healthful Pursuit. I’m pretty much hitting up clever Leanne for all kind of recipes.

Mine aren’t as cute as hers, and I think I flattened too much. Whoops! Also next time I’ll refrigerate before rolling into balls. It seems as though I did something wrong, but man, these are delicious!! I’ve been having them as a post-run snack before my first wave of vitamins (so I don’t get nauseous). Anyway, I highly recommend.

I am looking back at this pic and laughing. Yes, it’s totally messy, but hey, as long as it goes down easy, right?

Other notes: I halved the recipe, and I still managed to make 13 of them. Hmmm. A baker’s dozen is a lovely thing.

• 2 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 1/2 apples (I used Pink Lady) – 1 shredded, 1/2 mashed
• 1/3 cup almond butter
• 3 tbsp almond flour
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 325*. Combine all ingredients. Roll into balls and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat. I used a few shreds of sweetened coconut on mine. Bake for about 15 minutes. Allow to cool, if you can wait that long! Enjoy!

Coconut Chia Breakfast Pudding

I had great plans to take cute pics of this, and top it with some granola, but yeah, this is as far as I got. I couldn’t wait and had to try, and the next thing I knew, I ate it all.

I am totally loving this blog called Healthful Pursuit. Great recipes, great writing. Much love.

I saw this recipe and I made it, too.

• 1/2 cup light coconut milk
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 cup berries (I used strawberries)
• 1 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut

Combine everything and ….that’s pretty much it. The chia seeds plump in liquid (they hold 9 times their weight in liquid). 2oo calories for the whole recipe, or make the 2 snack sized ones. If I was having this for breakfast, I’d have the whole shebang.

And just because you need to see the little furball that I’ve had the pleasure of being related to for the last 15 years, this is my baby! I have silly cell phone pics for you. About 90% of my cell pics are of Jeli.

We came home from work on Friday and Michael got to her first. She always gives a hug. She loves to be held.

Every morning when I get up to run, this little puppy follows me. We share my side of the bed every night (how can something so little take up so much space?) and then she stares at me until I leave. The usual: follow me into the bathroom and watch me brush my teeth.

And when there’s not enough room on the couch? She sits on the arm rest next to me, looking sad.

Separate but equal: A tale of one egg

If I’m going to make meringues, I need to have a plan for the yolks. I can’t bear to toss them. Conversely, I’d also feel bad tossing the whites.

I was making meringues for Maureen’s birthday and decided to use the yolks to make a vanilla bean custard.

First, the meringues. I found this recipe from a Polish blog and clicked for the English version. Super easy. The only tweak I made was adding Meyer lemon zest in addition to juice.

Once your egg whites look like fluff, you’re ready to rock and roll. I really do need a proper pastry bag, it’s true. Suffice it to say, my meringues weren’t as fancy looking as the original.

Pipe onto parchment paper and bake for 75 minutes at 220*F.

Ready to go into the oven:

While those were baking, I used my time to make the Vanilla Bean Custard. I found this recipe from Bite My Thumb. I had 6 yolks (seeing as I’d used 6 eggs whites), so  I doubled the recipe. Here’s what I did:

• 6 yolks
• 2 cups whole milk
• seeds of one vanilla bean, scraped
• 6 tbsp sugar

Using a double boiler, combine yolks and milk. Bring water to a boil and then reduce to a simmer as you cook. You don’t want to scramble the eggs. Add sugar and vanilla bean and continue to cook until thickens, whisking often. This took about 30 minutes for me. It would take less time if the recipe were halved and/or using cream instead of milk. Was still very rich tasting.

Happy Hippie: Thai Lentils & Crafts

What did I do this weekend? I made this loveliness. It’s gluten and dairy free. It tastes sinfully good and it was such good running fuel for my Sunday 15 miler. There’s my endorsement.

I found this recipe at Pinch of Yum, and made just a few adjustments.

• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup French lentils
• 1 medium sized sweet potato, diced
• drizzle of grape seed oil
• 2 cups shredded green cabbage
• 3/4 cup diced tomatoes, no salt added
• 1/3 cup light coconut milk
• 2 tsp powdered ginger
• 2 tsp sweet curry powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika (note: all spices are from Penzey’s)
• good handful of cilantro, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine lentils, potato and broth in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for about 30 minutes or until lentils and potatoes are soft and the liquid is absorbed.

In another pan, sauté cabbage in oil until it’s super soft. Add spices, tomatoes, coconut milk and simmer about 10 minutes. Combine lentils and potatoes with cabbage (just kind of dump them into the cabbage stir fry you have going on) and top with cilantro. Done!

Other things I did this weekend…..

I’m working on a quilt. Here are my first four 9-sqaures.  I’ll continue to show you as I progress.

And I’m knitting this Honey Cowl to use up some yarn. I’m using up my Spud and Chloe Sweater Yarn (in Pool, if I recall), and some leftover Knit Picks HW Gloss in…Cranberry? It’s more of a red in person. I like this color combination a lot.