An apple a day!

I recently made some apple chips from some apples that were about to go bad. They turned out pretty tasty, but they could be dangerous because I easily ate two apples worth without realizing it.

Need:
-As many apples as you'd like
-lemon juice
-parchment paper

1. Slice the apples as thin as you can. The thinner they are, the less time they take to cook.

2. Soak the apples in water with half a cup of lemon juice for half an hour. The lemon juice is to keep them from turning brown. I didn't have any, so I just soaked them in plain water. I don't know if I could have just skipped this step.

3. Preheat the oven to 200°. Pat the apples as dry as possible and lay them out on parchment paper lined baking sheets.

4. Cook them for 1 hour, flip the apples, then cook them for another 1-2 hours based on how crispy you want them. Let them cool for another hour in the oven - turn it off and crack the oven door.

Watch out. They're addictive!

Now on the running front, I logged a 25-miler last Friday. Time to taper! It was hard. I had to take walk breaks, but I was actually very happy with my performance overall. Aaaand I wasn't even sore the next day! I think my body is ready for the Air Force Marathon!

I think this Zero Degrees Bengay has a lot to do with how good I felt the day after. I had the hubs apply this to my legs and back and it was amazing. You keep it in the freezer, so be ready for an extreme chill!

Obviously, after this run, I needed a really good meal and I got it from Pawley's Front Porch in Columbia, SC. We went there because we saw it on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and it was fantastic. We had fried green tomatoes for an appetizer, but it wasn't just fried green tomatoes. Oh, it was a tower, layered with crab and cheese and sweet chipotle mayo on top. Mind blown. We devoured that thing in about a minute flat. Then moved on to burgers. The best part about this place is that they'll do any of their burger toppings with their veggie patty, and it was one of the best veggie burgers I've ever had. It was so hearty and filling, my mind thought it was eating an actual burger. I was sold on the patty alone, then came the toppings - grilled pineapple, guacamole, citrus jalapeño mayo, and pepper jack cheese all on a pretzel bun. This is why I run 25 miles.

This week, I have a 10- and 15-miler scheduled, which seems like nothing after a 25-miler. And, to top it all off, registration for the St. Louis Marathon should be opening soon. Woohoo!