running partner

I am not a night runner.

I get up early.  I wake up with the sun.  I run in the crisp morning air.  I indulge in the smells of coffee and bagels and fried eggs. 

At night, I am sleepy.  Ready to relax with a good magazine.  Or maybe fit in a quick yoga session.  Maybe.

I am not a night runner. 

Putting that all aside, tonight I ran my heart out.

Dad and I have made a mutual agreement to set aside both Tuesday and Thursday nights for running, as it fits nicely into both of our schedules.  And, really, I think having a runner partner is going to do me—and my motivation—a world of good.  There are definitely times when I’d rather not run (yes, especially at night!) and having someone who’s up and ready keeps me going.

My dad pushes me harder than I think I’m capable of.  He dashes up hills.  He pushes through moments of feeling tired.  Just after a week or so of running consistently with his pace, I feel like my endurance has already improved dramatically.

A breezy 3 miles felt absolutely invigorating! 😀

And then I came home to eat a gigantic sardine sandwich.

Forget those thoughts of slimy, canned fish.

When sardines are heated in a pan, mashed together with dijon (or even honey mustard) and mixed with crunchy, diced celery, the results are pretty darn yummy.  Place in between two toasted slices of seedy bread, and serve with a mixture of your favorite veggies. 😀 

I am exhausted tonight.  My second day at the hospital left me with a huge workload, along with a mixture of fear and excitement.  Once I fell into the groove, however, I found myself really enjoying it.  Nutrition assessments.  Education (I love the elderly patients! 😀 ).  Nutrition screening.  I think I’ll learn a lot.  And very quickly. 😉

Tomorrow, I’ll be on my own for a couple of hours in the early morning.  Ready or not, here I come. 😀

Question: Do you have an exercise partner or do you prefer going solo? 

that perfect afternoon

The weathermen aren’t always right, you know.

The expected 12-24 inches went off to other towns.  Other areas.  Namely, Boston, which I heard received about a foot and a half of fluffy white.

Here, we still received about 8-12 inches.  And I’m totally happy with that.  😀

Just enough snow to make everything look delicious and fresh. 

Not too much snow to keep me trapped indoors and off the roads.

That perfect amount.

Speaking of “that perfect amount,” walking in the snow provides a whole new level of working out. 

Mom and I threw on our hiking boots, donned our scarves and warmest jackets, and trekked our way across mounds of snow.  Four miles worth of taking two steps forward, one slippery step back.   It was such an old school way of going to the post office, just to mail a package.  But it was fun and productive, and it felt absolutely wonderful on the legs! 😀

By the time I came back, everything felt exhausted.  The windy gusts had knocked me around like a rag doll.  And my face was slowly—slowly—dethawing.

My appetite was ferocious.

And nothing but soup made sense.

Carrot soup is one of my most favorite of vegetable soups.

Maybe it’s because there’s not much to be expected from the humble carrot, and I like to prove a world of tastebuds wrong.  Most people think of raw, boring carrot sticks taking up space on the side of a plate.  Or carrot cake, which certainly does earn a high reputation, but that’s besides the point.

Carrot soup is where it’s at.  Warm, inviting.  Bright and savory.  Both nutritious and delicious.

It pairs as a lovely side to any salad or sandwich.  And since my appetite was throught the roof after a walk in the cold and snow, I took the sandwich route; my teeth felt like they needed to bite into something.

I toasted a simple lemon & dill hummus sandwich on some grainy Ezekiel bread slices.  A warm, satisfying meal.

That perfect amount of snow.

That perfect meal to warm up with after a chilly walk.

That perfect afternoon.

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Herbed Carrot Soup—as seen in Moosewood Cookbook and on this website.

This is one of my most treasured, favorite recipes.  It’s simple to make and goes wonderfully with grilled cheese sandwiches or just as is with a couple of croutons and a scoop of greek yogurt.  I’ve seen some people eat it over a bowl of rice, transforming the “soup” into a “sauce.”  Whichever way you eat it, this warming recipe is simply delicious.

• 2 pounds peeled, chopped carrots
• 4 cups water
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 medium potato, peeled and chopped
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1-2 small cloves crushed garlic
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp basil
• 2 T. lemon juice

1. Place carrots, liquid, and potato into a medium sized soup pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer it for 12-15 minutes. Let cool slightly.
2. Saute the onion and salt in the oil for about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and herbs until onions are tender (about 5 more minutes.)  Stir in lemon juice.
3. Puree everything together in a blender until smooth.  Place back in pot and keep on low heat until ready to serve.  ENJOY!

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Lemon Dill Hummus

A container of fresh dill was sitting in my fridge, with absolutely no purpose other than to look pretty.  And that is how this simple, savory spread was born. 

Lemon and dill are two flavors that always go well together, and hummus is no exception for this lively pair.  Enjoy this bright spread on crackers, sandwiches or salads.

• 1 15-oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 T. olive oil
• 2 T. lemon juice
• 1-2 T. fresh dill
• dash of cayenne
• salt and pepper to taste

1. In a food processor, mix all of the ingredients together.  Taste and adjust seasonings as preferred.
2. ENJOY! 😀

Question: Are you making any New Years Resolutions?  How far ahead do you start to plan them out?  What are some ways you make sure they’re successful (are they successful?) 

toodles to tahini

Back when summer was still here, along with its surrounding warmth and sunshine, I pretty much lived off of basil hummus.

Bunches and bunches of home-grown basil found their way into my heart, my home, my food processor.  I worried that the family would grow tired of this beautiful combination, but nobody every did.  We ate it with lunch.  With dinner.  And sometimes I even snuck in a spoonful or two for an afternoon snack. 

But when summer disappeared, so did basil hummus.  Until next year.

Tonight, I was craving hummus once again.  And since basil was no longer a viable option, I would simply have to discover something new and exciting. 

Secret ingredient of choice?

Yes, you actually did see that correctly.

Peanut butter.

The idea came to me while I was flipping through countless hummus recipes, all asking for ‘tahini.’  Well, I don’t commonly have tahini in my pantry.  Let me rephrase that.  I have never had tahini in my pantry. 

“So,” I asked myself.  “Why not peanut butter?”

I googled the idea—just to make sure I hadn’t completely gone off the deep end—and realized that other people have tried this before as well.  Some people claimed that the peanut butter flavor threw them for a loop.  Others said this peanut flavor disappears by the following morning.  Others said they preferred the peanut version over tahini.

That’s it.  My interest was piqued.  There was absolutely no turning back.

My dusty food processor was pulled out of hibernation and put to use, once again.  No basil this time.  Just peanut butter.

Zwurrppp…20 seconds in the processor.  The result was puffy.  Whippy.  Garlicky.  Tangy.  Soft. 

In one word: Interesting.

I couldn’t decide if I liked it on first bite.  So I took another.  And then I loved it.

Obviously, the hummus is finding its way into my lunch for tomorrow…

…along with some veggies and a slightly battered (but still delicious) apple. 

I’m kind of excited. 😀

Peanut Butter Hummus
This is definitely a complex and savory “peanut butter” flavor.  If “sweet” is what you’re after, you may want to nix the garlic and lemon juice.  Try adding some cinnamon or another common “sweet” spice to add some excitement. 😀  I also think this would go well with canned pumpkin.  Just sayin’.

• 1 15 oz. can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/3 c. natural peanut butter
• 1/4 c. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt (less or more depending on sodium level of beans and peanut butter)
• garlic powder, sprinkled liberally

1. Process ingredients together in a food processor until smooth. 

 Question: What is your favorite flavor of hummus?  Have you ever tried an “unusual” or slightly “unexpected” flavor?