Today is one of those days I want to preserve. It started off well and is ending perfectly. I am happy to report that I ran eight miles today – the longest I’ve run in six years. I am beyond excited, especially because my time was right in line with what I want.

Before my run, I was craving a bagel and decided to go with my gut. I considered oatmeal but this was a nice pre-run choice. I also had small mug of coffee.

I ran on the Georgetown Branch Trail today, which is part of the Capital Crescent Trail. I ran to the next town over and back, which seemed crazy at the time (running to another town completely). I guess when the town is only 4 miles away it’s not that absurd-sounding. I have to be honest that this run felt so good. I only started really feeling tired around mile 7 or so, which makes me feel good about the 1/2.

I ran eight miles in one hour and 23 minutes. Huzzah!

I was overwhelmed by the amount of calories I burned. Yikes. 784?? Crazy.

While I was out busting my butt running, Scone did what he does best. Gosh, he’s so cute when he curls up like that. I like to call it “cuddle-bugging.”

Around 2 p.m., I had the pretty much the same lunch I had yesterday, except I added a little mixed greens to my beans and used turkey instead of a chicken patty in my sandwich. I had intended on using bread but naan was all we had – and it is so good!

I spent the rest of the day working on some items for school + some special outside projects (to be featured on the blog soon!). We went grocery shopping, and then for dinner I made a new creation.

Salmon Pasta Salad with Spinach, White Beans and Cucumbers

For the sauce, I used a mixture of olive oil, various spices, garlic, lime (the secret ingredient) and capers.

I often struggle when it comes to “making up a recipe on the fly,” especially in terms of spices and sauces, but this one was certainly a winner for my tastebuds.

Perhaps I’ll post the recipe, if anyone’s interested?

Shoot, I need to get back to writing. I have a piece due in Experimental Forms tomorrow, and I’m not sure it’s as experimental as it needs to be. We shall see…

How was the weekend?

We are completely out of food in the apartment right now, and I was dreading having to buy lunch. I am a total tight wad when it comes to weekly spending; I just don’t do it. I am much more likely to have shopping sprees on the weekend than ever buying anything mid week.

Needless to say, I brought a huge whopping salad – some remnants of yesterday’s lunch – with me for lunch today. But when I thought about the salad, all I could think about was how badly I wanted a sandwich. So I splurged and spent $5 on a turkey sandwich on multi-grain bread.

This looks like a lot food, but I didn’t eat it all of the salad. I actually ate about half and plan on saving the rest for tomorrow.

This salad was still just as good as yesterday. What is it about red wine vinegar anyway?

And the magnificent sandwich. Bill will absolutely die when he sees this, but I really wanted a pickle on my sando.

And of course they only had spears, but the worker willingly put two on my sandwich (in addition to one on the side).

Cha-Ching! I loved this sandwich. I slathered it in ketchup too but decided not too take photos of that ugly mess Plus I use an extreme amount of ketchup.

Product Review: Stonyfield Farm Organic Oikos

Kristina from Stonyfield Farm sent me some coupons a few weeks ago to try a few of the Stonyfield Farms products. I have always been a fan of Stonyfield, though I will admit to not really buying their yogurt since I found Chobani. I decided to give it a try after getting four coupons for free yogurts in the mail.

The packing is cute, however, the large font of “Oikos” almost makes you forget that this is a Stonyfield product. And isn’t there an Oikos brand out there already? I’m not sure. I do like the colors of the packaging, and I’ve always been a fan of their logo.

The consistency of the yogurt is pretty similar to other greek yogurts I’ve had. Nice, thick and creamy.

I will admit that I had Heather and Mark’s video in my mind as I did my own tasting. And the first thing I thought?…….

…. wow, this is sour. It really was sour. Maybe this is because it’s the vanilla flavor? As I continued eating it got better, but I could still taste the sourness. I wonder if this is the same with the blueberry and honey? Can you weigh in?

I did think this yogurt was excellent once I added my cereal add-in.

CONCLUSION: I wouldn’t say that I didn’t like Oikos, but I don’t like sour yogurt that much. I am a real sucker for sweet. I think I would buy Oikos if it were on sale or if Chobani wasn’t available.

Welcome to a New Food Blogger

Ashley was one of my first bosses in the newspaper bizz – at the good ole’ college paper back in Pennsylvania. She was tough on me, taught me a lot about AP Style and layout and then went on her way to make her mark on the newspaper world. I heard from her sporadically through Facebook and kept tabs on her through friends. A good friend of both of ours, Kelsey, mentioned something to me about Ashley losing a great deal of weight – and I thought that was great. One thing lead to another, and we got to emailing again – and before I knew it, Ashley had started her own blog. Can you imagine my excitement?

Care to give Ashley a big warm welcome to the food blogsophere? I promise you will enjoy her weight loss story, her unique fashion sense and her passion for leading a healthy lifestyle. Go over and take a peak!:

Fashionably Fit

See you at dinner!

Oh my goodness. It feels so good to be eating normally again. Don’t get me wrong – my weekend was an absolute blast. But it’s like I forgot how to eat. I didn’t really overeat or anything like that – it was more like running on adrenaline instead of fueling my body properly. And I think I paid for that a little bit yesterday and today.

This morning I threw together a quickie lunch with some ingredients we had in the fridge and cupboard. A nice bean salad and a wrap:

This bean mix included:

• kidney (my fav!)
• chickpeas
• lima beans
• red wine vinegar
• olive oil
• parsley
• salt
• pepper

It was so easy to make and ultra filling. I have the ultimate love affair with beans. I just think they’re beautiful.

I always mean to take pictures of what’s actually inside my wrap – but I always forget. This does it a little justice as you can see the turkey, spinach and hummus just a bit. I also threw in a piece of cheese in there for some healthy fat.

I am busy busy today at work and have only five minutes for posting – so I must keep this brief. Thanks for your morning comments about catching up on sleep. It looks like I can’t catch up on the sleep I lost, but I can certainly get back to my normal routine.

Over the Weekend

… I had the opportunity to connect with my friend Kelly, who eats pretty similarly to myself and has very healthy attitudes and outlooks on life. We talked a lot about stress and using deep breathing and yoga to conquer it. We also discussed incorporating everything you love into your life – and that being a very positive outlook (and hence, reducing more stress). This spurred me to consider volunteer work (but probably most likely after I graduate in 2010). I don’t think I could commit to anything right now with my schedule, but I really want to look into volunteering with a cause that promotes good health.

Do you volunteer? What do you do? Besides cooking and exercising, how do you incorporate good health into your lifestyle?

Today was busy busy at work. I barely had time to eat lunch! I was in an all-day meeting until 4:30 p.m., and now I’m so behind on work. Hope I can catch up on all my writing tomorrow.

LUNCH

Lunch was a dish I made Sunday night: Chicken with Lima Beans, White Beans and Couscous

Ingredients:

• White Beans
• Lima Beans
• Couscous
• Grilled Chicken
• Parsley
• Green Onions
• Oregano
• Salt, Pepper

I grilled the chicken in a pan first and then added the beans after rinsing.

Then I added the couscous and mixed it all up together. Quick and easy.

RUNNING

After work, I hit the gym for a great run on the treadmill. I ran 4 miles in about 44 minutes and then lifted for 20 minutes. My HRM said I burned 560 calories. My legs didn’t feel as good as Sunday, but I never felt like stopping or giving up. I am feeling better about my goal with each day, and it’s only improved having Andrea as a running pal via email. I also received a nice email from my friend Katie, who I’m running the race with.

When I got home, Bill was cooking up a storm.

I am blessed to have a boyfriend who is such a good cook and takes care of me on Tuesday nights so I can run. This chicken dish was a mix of mushrooms, capers, white wine and arugula. He also got inventive and made a mixed polenta with portobello mushrooms from scratch.

The whole plate all together, with some crunchy asparagus on the side.

Since that’s a little dark, here’s a  close-up.

SCHOOL

… is definitely in full swing. I am now feeling the effects of having too much to read, too much to write and certainly not enough time to get it all done between work + exercise + blogging. I may go a little MIA tomorrow night so I can get everything done. Once in a while, something’s gotta give… and since the blog is a hobby (one of my favorites at that), I think I need to lay off a post or two and get this writing DONE. If you don’t see any comments from me, that would be why Just know I’m still reading!

If you’re in school, are you feeling the mid-term crunch? If you’re not in school, how are you feeling about March so far?

Tonight’s activities include: work, work, work. And hopefully another Detox Yoga!

Thank you all for your sweet comments on my new blog. I’m happy that you all enjoy the new layout and have followed me over here! I really appreciate your feedback and will work hard at somehow incorporating the lobster placement in various locations on the blog. I miss it on the header too, but Zesty’s work is so sleek and professional. I love it!

I had a great day off work. Not only did I get a lot of work done (especially on the blog), I also got a few nice packages in the mail. The mail man was sure good to me.

The first was a package from my friend:

Yes, the James Taylor… Just kidding! I actually just have a friend who shares the name (he’s an amazing photographer too!). The package was addressed to both Bill and I.

And check out what he wrote on the back…

Inside were some photos from our college days that we will most certainly hang on the wall. Thank you so much, James and Kelly. These are so appreciated!

Next in the mail came via FedEX. When I interviewed Top Chef Winner Stephanie Izard, she mentioned the Culinary Artistry was one of her favorite books. Turns out the authors of that book just came out with another great foodie reference – The Flavor Bible. After the interview, they offered to send both Stephanie and I a copy. I was so excited to get this!

They even signed it inside the front cover. My excitement almost bubbled over.

And then I saw a tab with an exclamation point on it. Check out the interview they bookmarked!

How sweet is that? Thanks again Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg!

EATS

Lunch included some of my favorite foods today: a chicken patty, mixed beans and grilled polenta.

You know how crazy I am about chicken patties. I swear they are good any time of day.

And some golden grilled polenta (made by Bill) and a side o’ beans.

Delicious!

Bill and I went to Panera Bread for dinner, and I didn’t feel like snapping yet another picture of french onion soup + salad. We had a really nice chat and both read books for a while. Then I came home and did the 20-minute Detox Yoga#1. Talk about relaxing. I shut myself in the bedroom, turned the fan on low and installed the session on my iPOD. I closed my eyes for the entire time and just let my body stretch out. It was such an amazing feeling. By the end, I was completely exhausted and ready for bed.

Time to read more of This Boy’s Life. Carry on, friends!