Austin's Cap 10K

This weekend Jennie and I headed down to Austin to run the Cap 10K. 

To get ready for the race I decided to go for a run on Wednesday.  I set out to run 2, 3 mile loops. The first loop I was behind in my time, and was feeling a little beat down that I wasn't running fast enough. On the second loop I abandoned all plans of running the loop and decided that I would just finish out the 60 minutes. That's what my training scheduled called for anyways. I get home, and realized that I ran 3.4 miles on the first loop, and actually made great time!  After it was all said and done I ran 6.4 miles in 60 minutes. Hooray!

On Saturday night I had a Shiner, Sangria, and a yummy grilled cheese from Max's Wine Bar.  Not to mention the cupcakes we had as a 11:00 PM snack. Jennie bought us Hey, Cupcake. (She's the best!) They were even delicious the next day. This is the dinner of champions before a race.

On Sunday, we wanted to get there early because there were 28,000 people running the race! This race is said to be the largest race in the state. I was so cold while we waited, but I warmed right up after I started moving. The race was rolling hills, but I felt great on the hills. Much better than I felt doing the Cowtown 1/2. I think that my spin class is helping with hills. The race went by fast because I was so focused on weaving through all the thousands of people. This race was well supported, I've never seen so many water stations. I made great time, and even had energy to sprint the finish. It was most excellent having a down hill on the way to the finish line.

I was so glad that I got to hear Florence & The Machine's "The Dog Days are Over" as I headed over the finish line. I rocked that song.
 
Thanks so much to Natalie for letting us stay in your lovely home!

Menu for March 28th- April 1st

I can't believe April will be here on Friday! Everyone is super excited about spring coming, but I know what's in store for Texas. 90+temps already. I'm not looking forward to the heat. Thank goodness for a cold front that blew in on Sunday.

Monday

Chips and Fish 
Mmmmm, fried food. This is Alton Brown's recipe from Food Network. Micah adores Alton Brown. I'm not sure if I'm going to use Safflower oil. The internet says we can substitute canola oil. I plan on making Micah in charge. Hot oil and I really don't mix. I like to start small fires. I used my mandolin to make the fries, I'm not sure what a v-slicer is. Anyone have any ideas?

Tuesday

Cheese Stuffed Pork Chops

I never buy bone in pork chops. I hate bones in meat. I'm just weird that way.  I'll probably sub spinach for the escarole.
 
Wednesday

Szechuan Chicken
From Jonniker over at Food Lush

Thursday

Spicy Peanut Chicken over Rice
I bought Naan to accompany this Indian dish. Hooray! Naan is so good! 


Friday (Meatless day!)

Mini Farfalle with Roasted Peppers, Onions, Feta & Mint
Excited to use basil and mint from my garden.

Photo Credit: Foodnetwork.com, Marthastewart.com, & Cookinglight.com

Menu for March 21st-25th

Back to work I go. Boo! Here's what we're having next week:

Monday

Blackened Tilapia Baja Tacos
Tilapia is certainly not Micah's favorite fish. He calls it a bottom feeder. Since we aren't a big fish family, I'm getting a little tired of rotating between shrimp and salmon each Monday. This recipe is pulled from my favorite cooking magazine, Cooking Light!

Tuesday

Tamarind Pork with Pineapple-Ginger Chutney from Cooking Light. I usually have pineapple and ginger on hand because of the smoothies I make every morning. I'm a little bit concerned about finding tamarind paste. Surely, Central Market will have it. I will probably cut this recipe in half, and just make a 1 lb pork loin.

Wednesday
Brisket Tacos
 6 lb roast
4 chicken bullion cubes
1 jar of pepperocinis with juice
1 packet of dry Italian dressing seasoning
2 cups of water
1 roughly chopped onion
tortillas
mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese

Put all of this in your crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours. Serve over warm tortillas and sprinkle cheese on top.



Thursday (Meatless day!)
Lemon and Chive Spaghetti with Farmers' Market Veggies
I saw this recipe last summer on Rachel Ray's daytime show. This pasta is not your typical pasta. It's very fresh and light!

Friday

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Oh, and I'll certainly be using boneless chicken breasts. You won't ever see me cooking chicken thighs. I strongly dislike chicken on the bone. I know, I'm strange. The last time I made these, didn't bother with the mung bean sprouts, scallions, sesame seeds, or wonton wrappers. I wish that Foodnetwork had posted the nutritional value. I guarantee that these are way lower in calories than Cheesecake Factory's Lettuce Wrap which sit at about 1,025 calories.

Photo Credit: Rachelray.com, Foodnetwork.com and Cookinglight.com

Gym Rat

We recently joined LA Fitness. I went to the gym for this "FREE" fitness assessment. I thought they were going to talk about cool things about the gym that I wouldn't of found out on my own, and then give me my height and weight.

This bozo told me that I need to lose 7 lbs. My weight is in the normal range for my height. So, he can shove it. I will agree that I can firm up in some areas, but I am not a dummy, and I can work the machines all by myself thank you.

This meat head had no idea about what it takes for training for a triathlon. I told him that given my training schedule, I really can't squeeze in another hour per week to work on strength. And I have to prioritize what I'm willing to pay for. If he was a swim instructor, I would've signed up right then and there. But, the dummy suggested that on T/TH I do all three events (swimming, biking, and running) at one time. That way I can focus on strength training (NOT MY PASSION) on M/W/F.  Then I visually wrote out what my training schedule looked like per week. He still did not understand that I want to prioritize, and strength training is not a priority.

When he was really leaning hard on me to get a personal trainer he said, "Well, we can all participate in triathlons, but we can't all compete." Listen a-hole, let me know when you've even worked outside of your gym, let alone PARTICIPATE in a triathlon.

If he crosses my path at the gym, he's getting the bird.

Menu for March 14th-18th

Hooray for spring break! Here's what's on the menu while I'm home. I'm sure I'm going to do some baking too!

Here's the plan for this week:

Monday
Cinnamon Pecan Crusted Salmon This recipe is so easy, and really delicious. Super easy clean up too!

Tuesday

Quiche from Cooking Light
This is my go to recipe when I'm entertaining for brunch. This quiche is very moist because of the cottage cheese.

Wednesday

Out-n-In California Burger
Who doesn't love a delicious burger? The rumors are still flying that we will get an In-n-Out burger in Dallas! Micah can't wait.

Thursday (Meatless day!)

 
Minted Squash-Orzo Salad
I'm not sure what I'm going to serve as sides. I need something hearty so that Micah won't be aware we are going meatless today.

Friday

Apple Almond Chicken Salad with Homemade Mayonnaise
These look fantastic. I'll have to be sure to get some croissants. Croissants are totally worth the extra calories!

Photo Credit: Foodnetwork.com and Cookinglight.com

To Tri or Not to Tri?

I completed my first half marathon on Sunday, February 27th, and have mixed emotions about my performance. I'm really happy to be done with training. I was really looking forward to doing something other than running. Last week, I went to a yoga class, spin class, and swam a few laps. Variety is awesome!

I've been mulling over what to train for next. I feel that I do much better with a goal in mind, so that I don't lose motivation to work out. I was thinking about trying an olympic triathlon next. But, then I saw that the swim distance is 1500 meters (1 mile!). I'm just not sure if I can do that! The bike distance (24 miles) and run (10K) I can manage. But the swim is freaking me out. I feel comfortable enough in a lap pool, but get me out in open water and that is a completely different story!

I've completed 3 different sprint triathlons, and thought that an olympic tri would be a good in between step.  In the past I usually hold my head up during the open water. I know, crazy. Every time I put my head in the water, I panic because I can't see. There is a Playtri on June 5th. I actually did the sprint distance in 2009, and I thought the race was poorly run, so that's also holding me back.

I googled around for some training schedules, and let me tell you, they are a doozie. I'm not sure if I'm ready to make that time commitment quite yet. Is it typical for week 1 to swim the entire distance and run the entire distance in one day? Seems like that would be something to work towards. Do you know of any good training schedules that are more gradual?

Does anyone want to be my swim coach? I saw this program at SMU for $289 that said it would alleviate the fear of swimming in open water, and that I would feel confident on race day. Does anyone know of any other programs?

It sure sounds like I have quite a few excuses not to. Go ahead talk me into it. Or better yet, say you'll do it with me!

Menu for March 7th-11th

Here's the plan for this week:

Monday

Cedar Plank Salmon

• soak your  cedar plank over night
• salt and pepper the salmon
• cook on the grill for 30 minutes
• sides: rice & salad

Tuesday
Pork Chops with mushrooms, dill, and sour cream sauce
From Ella Says Opa!

Wednesday
Fajitas
I use John Soules' frozen beef and serve spanish rice and pinto beans as sides.


Thursday (Meatless day!)

Vegetable Korma
(I'm not sure about the potatoes in this dish....)

Friday

Chicken Parmesan

Photo Credit: Foodnetwork.com and Myrecipes.com