Meatless Half Marathon

Meatless Half Marathon doesn't quite have the same ring as Meatless Marathon, but not every title can be a winner.

I did the Alexandria Running Festival Half Marathon this morning and before I tell you the time, take this into consideration - "Remember the feeling you get from a good run is far better than the feeling you get from sitting around wishing you were running," -Sarah Condor. So, good or bad, at least I did it.

Now, the time...*drum roll*...
well first, let me add that Runner's World magazine gave me the guidance to go into a race with three time goals - the first is your 'having the best race day ever and the wind is in your favor' goal time, the second is the more reasonable 'I pushed myself and I'm happy' goal time, and finally, your 'I better be bleeding or limping if this is my time' goal time. My three were a sub 2 hour (even 1:59:59 and I would be ecstatic), 2:10 and 2:20.

Knowing this, *cue drum roll* 2:03:25! So, I wasn't as excited, BUT it was still a PR! It beat my last one of 2:07 from the Woodrow Wilson Half Marathon from October 2011. And either way, it was a really great race. The weather was perfect - cool, but not cold, sunny, and no humidity. Unheard of in these parts at this time of year. Fingers crossed for these great conditions next weekend at the Run For a Dream Half Marathon in Williamsburg, VA. 

Now that we've chit-chatted about running, time for some food talk. After the race, me, the hubs and a friend went to Bread & Chocolate in Old Town Alexandria for my absolute favorite brunch item - eggs benedict with smoked salmon. Seriously, the egg yolk, hollandaise sauce and the saltines of the salmon was a.m.a.z.i.n.g after running 13 miles. And let me tell you, you had to have just run a half marathon to eat it because it runs you about 20 Weight Watchers points! Totally worth it.

For dinner, I was too tired, and lazy, and hey, we don't have much food in the house because we're moving, so we went out to eat again at Grilled Cheese & Co. It is a gourmet grilled cheese restaurant. Oh dear.

I got the Veggie Delight and the hubs got the Crabby Melt and we both got a bowl of tomato soup because every good grilled cheese has tomato soup on the side. Mine had harvati cheese, roasted veggies, olive tapenade and black pepper aioli. Hubs had Monterey Jack cheese with crab meat because this is Maryland!

The tomato soup had big chunks in it and was topped with pieces of Parmesan cheese and croutons and the sandwich had hot, gooey cheese and you could taste the olive tapenade with every bite. I can't decide if I liked mine or hubs' better with the sweet, creamy crab dip spilling out the sides. And then... We went back up... And bought ANOTHER. But we shared it and it was the Sweetest Thing with brie, mascarpone, raspberry preserves and chocolate chips, so, technically it was dessert. Do you see why I had to join Weight Watchers?!

They even serve an 'original' with american cheese if you want to stick to the classics.

I don't even want to think about running right now, but I should probably mention my running plans for the week:

Monday-3
Tuesday-4
Wednesday-5
Thursday-4
Friday-4
Saturday-1
Sunday-13.1

Now, put me to bed!

Recipe Redo

I haven't written much lately because we're in the process of moving to South Carolina, and hey, that's been pretty time consuming.

So, I've tried the Molten Lava Pancakes again every day since the first try and by now I am a pro.

I used 1/4 cup of Bisquick instead of 1/3 in the first try and kept a close eye on it while it was cooking and as soon as it started to bubble a bit in the middle, I flipped it. Then I waited the 20 seconds and 'poured' it onto my plate. It didn't come off smoothly the first time, because of the lava, but it was still tasty. And now, after about 4 attempts, it comes off looking like an actual pancake.

Molten Lava Pancake
(7 Weight Watchers points for 1 pancake)

-1/4 cup bisquick pancake mix
-1 scoop gourmet chocolate whey protein powder
-2 egg whites
-Dash of cinnamon

1. Blend all ingredients together

2. Pour onto a heated pan and cook just until the bottom is solid. When the center starts to have just a little bubble to it, it is time to flip

3. Flip it and only cook for 20-30 seconds longer so it is still runny in the middle (hence, lava)

Not as pretty, but there is lava. Each attempt looks better

Another great treat I tried is the Black Forest Milkshake that I got out of an issue of Runner's World. If you love cherries and chocolate, you will die for this:

Black Forest Milkshake

(4 Weight Watchers Points per serving, makes 2 servings)

-1 heaping cup of frozen cherries (make sure you get unsweetened with nothing added, otherwise it's 6 WW points just for the cherries!)

-1 frozen banana, cut up

-1 cup coconut milk

-4 tbsp Lite Hershey's Chocolate Syrup

-1/4 cup Greek yogurt

-1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Place all ingredients into a blender and give it a whirl until smooth

2. Pour it into two mugs and devour!

It is so tasty, you're not going to want to share, but remember it does make two servings

I've been on track with my running this week, even though yesterday's 3-miler about killed me. I was so unmotivated, but I still did it! And now I need to go to bed because I have my half-marathon in the morning! Wish me luck, I'm hoping for around 2:10.

"The journey isn't always perfect, but always worth taking," - Kara Goucher

Recipe Corner

So, I've tried all kinds of new recipes the last couple days.

First, were these zucchini protein brownies. I wasn't too impressed with them, so I won't go into detail on how they were made. They didn't keep very well overnight, so the consistency wasn't very appetizing after my run today. You can check out the original post if you're curious.

Then, I made the cauliflower crust pizza which is my absolute favorite! For half the pizza crust, it's only 3 points. That's less than one slice of pizza with regular dough! I topped it with mozzarella cheese and meatless pepperonis. Between that and the tempeh 'wings' I was in heaven.

Next, was a 'molten lava pancake,' at least it was supposed to be a 'molten lava pancake.' I cooked it for too long and it was just a chocolate pancake. It was soooo good though, that I will definitely try it again and just flip it sooner: I got the original recipe out of an issue of Runner's World magazine as Ryan Hall's go-to breakfast. If it's good enough for Ryan Hall, then it's good enough for me.

'Molten Lava' Pancake
(8 Weight Watchers points for 1 pancake. It is very filling though)

-1/3 cup bisquick pancake mix
-1 scoop gourmet chocolate whey protein powder
-2 egg whites
-Dash of cinnamon

1. Blend all ingredients together

2. Pour onto a heated pan and cook just until the bottom is solid (this is where I went wrong)

3. Flip it and only cook for 20-30 seconds longer so it is still runny in the middle (hence, lava)

Notice the picture of what it is supposed to look like

Then came the nacho bites. They were a disaster to make, but still tasted delish. They were definitely sodium laden, but it was so good after my 9-mile run this morning. Don't let Weight Watchers fool you into thinking it's so easy to 'gently twist them into a firecracker shape.' As usual, I didn't follow the original recipe.

Nacho Bites
(9 WW points for 8 of them w/the dip. Makes 2 servings)

-16 Nasoya Won Ton Wraps
-2/3 cup Morningstar Farms Veggie Crumbles
-1 can Campbell's Cheddar Cheese Soup
-Salsa

1. Cook up the veggie crumbles with a little bit of spices and about a third of the can of cheddar cheese soup

2. Put a dollop of the crumble, cheese mixture into each won ton wrapper and (according to WW)  Moisten edges of wrapper with wet fingers, fold over to cover filling, press down firmly to seal and then gently twist ends to form a “firecracker” shape (mine turned more into just folding it till it was mostly closed)

3. Lay all the wrapped up won tons on a baking sheet covered in foil and cook at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. Keep your eye on them though because they will burn easily

4. While the won tons are cooking, make the dip. Use whatever is leftover from the filling and add the rest of the cheddar cheese soup and a little bit of water. Stir is up over medium heat until it starts to melt down a bit

5. Add the salsa and give it all a good stir. Transfer it to a bowl to dip the won tons in

Finally, broiled grapefruit. Oh. My. OOOH. MY. This is the only way I will ever eat a grapefruit ever again. I got this gem originally posted by Birchbox, but here's the blog they got it from. The only thing I didn't do from the original post was add the agave. I don't think it's needed.

Broiled Grapefruit

-Grapefruit
-Cinnamon

1. Wash the grapefruit and cut it in half. Use a small paring knife to cut around the outside of the grapefruit. 

I cut mine the wrong way, but same concept

2. Top each half with cinnamon.

3. Broil for 3-5 minutes, or until grapefruit is warm and caramelized in places. Serve warm.

broil it till it starts to look like this

It was so juicy and warm. I dove right in and devoured both halves

On top of all this food, I have done pretty good with my running, too!

Yesterday, I logged 3 miles which was easier said than done since I was still recovering from the 8+ miles from Sunday. Then today, me and a friend ran a 9-miler that my entire body is paying for right now. The hills around my house are so intense! I know it's only making me stronger, but I HATE hills.

The running plan for the rest of the week looks like:

Wednesday - 5 miles
Thursday - 3 miles
Friday - 3 miles
Saturday - rest
Sunday - Alexandria Running Festival Half Marathon

Oh yeah, and a friend talked me into signing up for another half marathon a week later - Run For the Dream Half Marathon in Williamsburg, Va. I'm so happy to be excited for running right now! I have to take advantage of it while I can.

Capitol Hill Classic 10K

Today, I did the Capitol Hill Classic 10K in DC and while it wasn't a PR, I was still happy with my time, especially considering the conditions:

Ugh! So depressing

It only got worse as the race went on, with the rain coming down for the last mile and running into my eyes. Besides the weather, the race was really good. It was a scenic course that wound through DC and around the stadium, and even had a hill that about killed me right after mile 4. All considering, I still finished in less than 55 minutes and seeing how I added a little bit of distance from weaving in and out of people, I'll take it. 

It was so cold and icky! I stole my hubby's sweats while he ran his 3k

My 10k PR still stands at 54:12 from the Veteran's Day 10k from Pacer's running store this past November. I had just completed the Marine Corps Marathon in the month prior, so I was in pretty good shape at that time.

Just to add a little more mileage, I came home and did 2 more miles on the treadmill bringing me to 8(.6 including the little extras, but who's counting) miles for the day!

I really needed these miles because I also signed up for another race, the Alexandria Running Festival Half Marathon next weekend. I'm not planning to get a PR on it (currently 2:07); I am just using it to see where I am stand time-wise for my goal of a sub-2 hour marathon. I know I'm not there right now, so I just want to see where I'm at and how hard I need to work to get there by the fall.

After the race this morning, I followed up with some nom-noms.

This is a recipe that I haven't done in awhile, but it is REALLY good. It's originally from Hungry Girl and can be altered in any way, based on what ingredients you have at home.

Crunchwrap Supreme
(Mine was 11 Weight Watchers points, it will change based on what you put inside)

1 Tortilla Wrap (I used Mission Sun-dried tomato)
1 Taco Shell
1/2 cup meatless crumbles
1/4 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese (or a Laughing Cow cheese wedge)
1/4 cup shredded lettuce
1/3 tomato, diced
1 tbsp. fat-free sour cream
1/2 tsp. taco seasoning

1. Cook up the meatless crumbles for just a couple minutes in a pan

2. Warm tortilla for a few seconds in the microwave (making it easier to fold without ripping), and then lay it out on a flat surface

3.  Place the crumbles in the center of the tortilla. Flatten the mixture into a circle, keeping it about 2 inches from the edge of the tortilla. Top with the other toppings - lettuce, salsa, cheese, etc.

4. Next, layer the taco shell (broken in half and with the cheese spread on it if you're using Laughing Cow) on top of the soy crumble mixture. 

If you're using Laughing Cow, smear it on the taco shell then place it cheese-side down

Cheese-side down on top of the fillings

5. Hungry Girl has good FOLDING INSTRUCTIONS so why reinvent the wheel: Starting at the bottom of the tortilla, fold edge up to the center of the tortilla. Then going around the edge of the tortilla, repeatedly fold overlapping sections to meet the center, for a total of about 6 folds (until filling is completely enclosed)

6. In a pan sprayed with nonstick spray, over medium heat, carefully place the folded tortilla in the center of the pan (folded side down). Heat for 3 - 4 minutes. Carefully flip the wrap with a spatula and heat for another 30 seconds

7. Top with sour cream, salsa, guacamole or anything else you can come up with!

New Adventures

Me and the hubs have been busy in Charleston, SC trying to get the layout for the area for our move here this summer. It's so beautiful here, I can't wait to be leaving Maryland behind and having a whole new area to explore. Oh, and the food, the food down here is to die for. It's going to be hard to stay on track with Weight Watchers here because I want to taste everything! I'll just have to make sure to do it in moderation cuz after three days here I'm already feeling a bit sluggish.

We have been doing pretty good about staying active though. Our first day here we checked out a running group at the gym and trainer definitely pushed us! We did 10 crunches, then ran 100 meters, 10 pushups, ran, crunches, 30 jumping jacks, ran, 20 mountain climbers, ran, jumping jacks, 20 air squats, ran, as many pushups as you could, ran, then did the Frankenstein walk, lunges, side lunges, frog jumps and bear crawl for 100 meters. This was also done while it was still about 80 degrees outside and we had just had a huge sushi dinner (terrible mistake!) So, we were definitely feeling it.

A couple that works out together, stays together

Yesterday, I checked out a yoga class at the gym and it was so relaxing. It was the perfect balance after the workout session we had the night before. Today, we hit up one of the local trails, that ended up being about a mile and a half and also had random workout machines along the way that I couldn't help but play on try.

Just to touch on the food again - sushi? Amazing. Blackened grouper over cheesy grits and asparagus? Amazing. Fresh fried catfish with Mac n cheese and cornbread? Amazing. Needless to say, the food is amazing!

The grouper was the only thing I got a picture of because I dove face first into that catfish and devoured it before I even remembered to take a pic

Geocaching

I need to tell you about my newest obsession - geocaching! It's an app that you find the grid coordinates of where a hidden item is and you go find it and sign your geocache username on it. My daddy-o got me and my sister hooked a couple months ago and yesterday me and the hubs went on a caching spree. We started at the National Harbor in Maryland, found 2, hopped over the river to Virginia where we got lost on 2, but found 1, then skipped back over to DC where we were too scared to get out of the car to look for the cache, so we left. After taking a little dinner break, we walked to the University of Maryland and found 5 more! In total, we walked about 6 miles in search of these 8 little hidden treasures, then I came home and did 5 more miles on the treadmill. May not have been all together, but trust me, my legs told me they had done 11 miles (and remember, I'm trying to have fun and not get burnt out!)

Then, today, me and a friend ran 6 miles with some pretty insane hills. I am tired, because if you remember, I also did 8.6 on Saturday, but I'm also feeling pretty good about myself.

We (obviously) also had a couple really good meals since the last time I wrote. First, I have to share about this Cilantro-Lime Dressing that I came across on Pinterest. Oh. My. Goodness. It was tasty! It was so creamy and tangy and really gave the flounder and salad a kick. I smeared it on the fish with the last 5 minutes to go in the oven and let it melt a bit over the top, then I also mixed a little in with the salad (pretty epic salad of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and corn). I couldn't get enough of it! However, it is pretty high on the point scale. It's 16 points for the whole thing, so I used half the batch, so still 8 WW points!

Cilantro-Lime Dressing

1 cup loosely packed cilantro, stems removed and roughly chopped
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (about 1/2 lime)
1-2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. white vinegar
1/8 tsp. salt

1. Puree all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.

2. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Too easy!

Look at how awesome that salad is!

Then, yesterday, while geocaching, we went to Elevation Burger in the National Harbor and had one of the most amazing veggie burgers, ever! And they wrapped it in lettuce instead of a bun so I didn't feel as guilty about the boat of fries I had on the side:

Boat of french fries!

You can see how tasty it is just by looking at the picture!

Seriously, life is too short not to enjoy every bite of food you put in your mouth.

Keeping Things Interesting

In Weight Watchers this morning (I'm still on point for my maintenance at goal weight!) we talked about some tricks and trades for staying on track and my big thing is to keep it interesting. This is even more important as a vegetarian because it is so easy to fall into a rut with eating the same things.  I add excitement by constantly trying new recipes (if you haven't noticed) mostly from Hungry Girl and Pinterest, but also from finds that my momma comes across. I also try to go back to the really good recipes and repeat them every so often so that they aren't forgotten. One of my favorites are these sweet potato burgers that are so tasty, but I also made this new cheesy, veggie bake for the first time to go alongside the burgers. Both are definitely keepers...and I only made minor adjustments from the original post :)

Sweet Potato Burgers

(8 WW points per burger using a sandwich thin as the bun and topping it with avocado)

1 can white beans
1 large sweet potato, baked/peeled/mashed (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup Panko crumbs

1. Peel the sweet potato and bake until soft (you can peel after, but it's so hot, that I do it before)

2. Drain beans, add to mixing bowl and mash using a potato masher

3. Once the potato is done, cut it up to make it easier to mash, add it to the beans and mash it all together

4. Separate into 6 patties and coat with a layer of panko crumbs

5. Heat up a pan with a spritz of cooking spray, add the patties to the pan and cook for about 5-6 minutes on each side, or until they start to brown

6. Transfer cooked patties to paper towel. Cool for a few minutes.

7. Serve on a sandwich thin with as many toppings as you'd like. I went with lettuce, avocado and mustard

Cheesy Veggie Bake
(6 points for half the recipe, from the shredded cheese)

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 medium yellow onion
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow squash
1 medium tomato
1 cup shredded Italian cheese
Optional - a head of broccoli

1. Preheat the oven to 400

2. Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. Sauté both in a skillet with olive oil until softened

3. While the onion and garlic are sautéing, thinly slice the rest of the vegetables

4. Spray the inside of an 8x8 square or round baking dish with non-stick spray. Place the thinly sliced vegetables in the baking dish vertically, in an alternating pattern. Top with the onion/garlic mixture

5. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, top with cheese and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown

Here's the whole meal together

Okay, time for my confessions. I did not run Friday. I know that I shouldn't try to justify it with excuses, but I really was tired! And I had eaten half a pineapple again and I didn't want a repeat performance from the citric acid. I'm trying really hard to not get burnt out on running this year, so I let myself have that break...and because of it, I added a couple extra miles to today's workout:

Life is all about balance!

On the Run

I'm back home from work, and with that will soon start marathon training!  Our next marathon is the Air Force Marathon in Ohio in September, so it's time to start logging those miles!

I was able to fit in a few workouts while I was at work, lets call it cross training. Besides the PT test and the land navigation that I already mentioned, we also did some Army combatives, where you learn different fighting moves for self defense and practice on each other, and we also did a 2-mile ruck march, with a 40 pound ruck sack.  Then last night I did a nice, easy 6-miler that felt really good. So, I've been staying active even though I haven't been posting. (I was busy!..and had limited cell service)

I got a new app on my phone that is supposed to be like the Runner's World Smart Coach app that I used to use (they don't make that app for my phone, boo!!) And as of right now, it looks like my next couple days look like this:

Friday: 5 miles
Saturday: 6 miles
Sunday: 11 miles
Monday: 4 miles
Tuesday: rest

After that, I am going on a little road trip, so I'll probably have to deviate from the running plan a bit (jump rope anyone?)

Also, you know how I told you about those Starbucks instant coffees? Well, I just found out yesterday that they have different flavors! I see my new addiction.

Caramel instant coffee, then the refreshers are Very Berry Hibiscus and Cool Lime and they caffeinated, as well

And I'll leave you with this:

It's so hard being a kitten.