Some Thoughts and Food: Salad a la leftovers

I had a GREAT run this morning, thanks for asking!  

So, as you may have noticed from the weird title, this is a little combo blog entry with a small update and a Food for Thought entry.

I've had to lay off the training for the past couple weeks due to an ouchy and overworked left forefoot.  Which is REALLY bad for me since that is my most comfortable foot strike.  AND it's doubly bad since I have to lay off my new snazzy (AND FREAKING FAST!) shoes for a time...which makes me sad.  We have added on to my name and am now known as Little Lung who Runs with Bum Foot.  I do, however, expect to will definitely resume training come Monday.

Side note...why is it I get named when I'm either sick or injured?  Why can't it be when I got it going on like a ninja?  T. Van Vooooo, I'm talking to you!

So, with my lack of activity, I have been stuffing my face.  A Lot.  And I'm getting a little squishy.  A few hours after my great run (7.8 miles on the Dreadmill in 75 minutes, thank you very much), it's time for lunch.  But, pickin's in the good 'ol Frigidaire is gettin' a bit slim (crap.  time to get to the grocery).  Of course there was the easy yummy stuff, but I didn't want to undo all the do that I did by doing the stuff I'm not supposed to do (hahaha, yes, I'm laughing at myself for the do/don't/doing do wa diddy).

Yes.  That is a mixing bowl.
You'll find nothing but class here...

And then my kitchen illuminated from the suns of the heavens and the angels sang as I reached for some leftover baby spinach, leftover grilled salmon from the dinner I had last night at the Brickhouse Tavern, sliced some strawberries I happened to buy during the week for no apparent reason other than they looked good at the time, a little feta cheese and a bit of chopped walnuts I keep on hand for the occasional bowl of oatmeal.  Add some (fat free) balsamic vinaigrette and viola!  Yummy, tasty, filling and has GOT to clock in around 300 calories.  

Booyah people, Boo. Yah.

p.s. 

a BIG shout out to my friend Jyl who is running the Princess Half Marathon this weekend.  Yea.  She's pretty awesome  :)

Today, I ran...

and for a moment, all was right with the world.

My New Favorite Quote (slightly modified)

"The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence.

In fact, it might be full of dog crap."

(thanks SUAR!!!)

For this Valentine's Day...

What I would REALLY like to do:

What I will REALLY be doing:

Food for Thought: Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa

You may remember that I threatened to post recipes for somewhat (or what I thought was) healthy foods that mere mortals and those of us that find ourselves culinary challenged (like yours truly) can make without too much difficulty.  Well, it may seem like I forgot, but I've actually been cooking (and taking pictures and cutting my finger) up a storm and have found a few recipes I thought I would share with my friends on the internets.

Today I bring you  Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa



2 tsp grated lime zest, grated peel        2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp olive oil                                             1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp butter, melted & cooled            1 cup quinoa
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium tomatoes, diced                       4 scallions, chopped
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
salt & pepper to taste

1. In a large bowl, whisk lime zest and juice, olive oil, sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and butter.
2. Wash quinoa in cold water, drain and place in a medium pot of boiling water with 1 Tbsp of salt.
3. Cook with pot uncovered until almost tender (about 10 minutes).
4. Drain in sieve, then set sieve in same pot with 1 inch of simmering water, but avoid touching each other.
5. Cover quinoa with a folded kitchen towel, then cover sieve with a lid and steam over medium heat until tender, fluffy, and dry (about 10 minutes).
6. Remove pot from heat and remove lid; let stand, still covered with towel, for 5 minutes.
7. Add quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed, then stir in remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.

Hope's Note:  I use pre-washed quinoa, so I just do steps 1, 3 (per package directions) and jump right to step 6 by letting it stand and then 7 and then 8 which is EAT IT!

YUMMO!
Great for lunches.  Eat it warmed or room temp.

Nutritional Info:

Per serving (Hope's Note:  maybe about 1 and 1/4 c ish?)

382 Calories, 12g fat (4g sat), 15mg cholesterol, 446mg sodium, 55g carbohydrate, 10g fiber, 14g protein

source: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Black-Bean-and-Tomato-Quinoa-238939#ixzz1ld7UtGwx

The Mystery of Mantras

So.

I've becoming slightly anxious about running long distances on my own.  I've grown quite accustomed to running my long (and short) runs with some very good friends of mine and it has made me question my ability to do it on my own...something that I will have to face on race day.  I could grab my iPod, but I am a bit of a rule follower and don't know if I could, in good conscience use it.  I've been told that the energy and stimulation of the race will be all I need to get through.  Being the research guru that I am (not), I came across (was delivered to my inbox via newsletter) this article on mantras, and it's telling me I need to create one.  As if I didn't have enough anxiety as it is, now I have to come up with something short, witty and totally inspiring that will dig me out of a dank dark pit of hell.....

So let's give it a try, shall we?

It says to use one of the words from each of the following groups:
A)  Run, Go, Stride, Sprint, Be

B) Strong, Fast, Quick, Light, Fierce
C) Think, Feel, Embrace, Be, Hold
D) Power, Speed, Brave, Bold, Courage

Seems easy enough, yea?

• Run Fast; Think coffee Power 
• Be Quick; Be a ninja (okay...kinda like that one)
• Stride Light, or fall on your face Feel Speedy Gonzales, andale andale!!!!
• Run like someone's chasing you
• Go Quick to the hospital; Embrace Courage and hope they don't switch charts
• note:  who would really use the word "embrace" in their mantra?
• Go Fierce when someone takes your donut; Feel like you belong in the loony bin for making your body run these insane distances Brave

Okay.  I suck at mantras.
I'll stick with my theme song.....
*edit:  contains language, may not be suitable for all audiences.