eat.run.bake.blog

Week 9 of the 50k Training Plan. Tuesday's and Thursday's always call for core work. I have really noticed a difference in my core strength by just doing a simple 10 minute routine atleast twice a week. I have decided to now commit to 3 days a week of core work,  plus 2 days a week of glute exercises and of course 5 days of running. The list I made up above is what a typical core routine looks like for me. When I can I will do a Pilates DVD or bust out some Shaun T Max 10 abs but when it's the end of the day and I just want to snuggle up with my baby I do a simple workout. Do not worry if you can not plank for 60 seconds or even 30 seconds right away. Many people will need to work their way up to that duration. Trust me tonight it took every little bit of me to hold that last 10 seconds of the 60 second plank. I feel really happy about today's workouts. We had a really nice lunch time run that including a few hills and then tonight I kept a commitment to my core routin...

I finally made my way out to the Wissahickon today to get a long run in on the hills. I have been pretty much only running on flat courses for the past 8 weeks with the exception of Wednesdays when we find a hilly spot in the city or do the art museum steps! Oh wait I did get one long run in at Ridley Creek State Park a few weeks back and there are some decent hills on their trails. Our schedule today called for 22 miles but we didn't follow that since we knew we would pretty much be in the hills the entire morning. We agreed on a 3 hour run. This run kicked my butt. I need more hills in my life. I also need more group runs in my life. I have been doing my lung runs solo until today. It was really nice being out there with my squad. The temperature was pretty chilly this morning when we started out add that with the some pretty steep inclines and you have one chick who can not breathe very well. I was feeling humbled right from the start but I'm grateful that I was able to get ...

I found an email in my inbox last night from the Clean Air Council. It was titled Congrats Run for Clean Air Winners!! I was confused it was saying congrats for placing in your age group over the weekend and telling me to come grab a medal. On Saturday after the race was done I went over to the race result tent and looked up my Bib number and it said I was 6th in my age group. However they had my age group at 30-39 when it really was only 30-34!! What a pleasant surprise. Winning feels good even if its 3rd place. I love running. Its so funny to me still because not too many years ago I had no desire to ever run and now here I am planning trips out of state just to run.

Last night I wanted to bake. The weekend was sort of rush rush once again so I really only had time to bake our weekly Whole Wheat Bread . I wanted a sweet treat that I would not feel bad about eating. I decided to make Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins. When I started on this real food journey I printed out a recipe on 100 days of real food  for Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread and have been waiting for the right time to make it. I know you may be thinking its not pumpkin season but you can buy canned pumpkin year round and I actually have had a can in my cabinet leftover from Thanksgiving. I followed the recipe but added walnuts and then topped each muffin with raisins. My daughter and I are huge fans of raisins so I knew they would be a big hit with her. The muffins turned out perfectly.  I baked them at 350 for 20 minutes and then removed them to cool in the pans for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. I'm also excited to make pumpkin waffles later this wee...

I try to eat a warm breakfast at least once a week, more if I'm lucky! Today I woke up way before my alarm but stayed in bed thinking of what to eat for breakfast. Finally just before my alarm was set to go off I go up and started my day. After I got myself up and ready I decided to make Crepes for breakfast!! Whole wheat Crepes to be exact. I don't know why but I'm great at making crepes but I really am terrible at making pancakes. If you are not familiar with the crepe it is a very thin pancake. You can top your crepe however you like. Today my choice of topping was unsweetened apple sauce with a sprinkle of cinnamon. After I top the crepe I simple roll it up and then eat it up! My all time favorite way to enjoy a crepe is when it's topped with homemade dulce de Leche! For lunch today Leona will be having a crepe topped with Peanut Butter. Ok enough about ways to eat them. Here is the recipe so you can start making them yourself. Whole Wheat Crepes (Print...

This weekend was jam packed but I survived and accomplished everything I set out to do. My run on Saturday was long and hard. I was feeling great but around mile 15 my back started to hurt a bit. I adjusted my form and was feeling better again but once I got to mile 18 I was just done mentally. I didn't plan out my run like I normally do so I was kind of guessing how many loops Id have to do in order to get all of the 20 done before I got back home. I thought I was going to be done sooner then I was and started to call my husband for a ride but once I got in touch with him I realized I needed to pretty much run all the way back to the house to get the job done. Mentally that messed with me because I just wanted to be done. I had a busy weekend but I'm glad I made the commitment to run and stick to my mileage. I really feel confident about this training for the Ragar Trail Relay . If you are new to my blog and do not already know I am training for a 30 mile event that will be ta...

This weekend is going to be a busy one. As you may already know our daughter just turned 2 and we are having a big party for her this weekend. There is so much stuff that needs to be done before I'm ready to have all of these guests at our home. Tomorrow I will have work until Noon then I will try and shoot out to grab myself an outfit for the party before heading to the Doctor at 2PM. Once I finally get home lets say at 3PM I will immediately start baking. I need to bake most of the treats on Friday because our niece Daisha is having her Birthday Party on Saturday. Saturday morning my goal is to get in 20 miles before leaving for the party. At 5PM I will need to be at the Convention Committee Meeting and then when that is all done Jim and I are going to a game night at our friends Corey & Robin's. Sunday morning I will need to some serious sanity and serious strength. My goal is to bake bread, run will the bread is rising, and then come back pop the bread in the oven showe...

Today my daughter turned two! We have planned a big party for her for Sunday but every Mom knows when you have a school age child you have to send a treat in to share with everyone. Leona spent the day yesterday in and out of the doctors visits and the hospital to help get her Asthma under control again so we were drained when we go home. I wanted to whip her up something quick but tasty. I decided on Sprinkled Blondie Brownies.  One of my favorite things about brownies and blondies are that they can be done in one bowl with no mixer which makes them quick to create and quick to clean up. I put 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour in a large bowl with 1 1/2 cup sugar. I added 3 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder 1 teaspoon of salt. Then I mixed in 1 large egg, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract,1/4 cup of melted butter and 1/2 cup milk. I mixed the ingredients up about 20 times and then saving the best for last, added 1/2 cup white chocolate chips and 1/2 cup sprinkles!! I then lined a 8x8 p...

This morning I ran 18 miles and I really had a great time doing it. I got up at 6:00 to eat some overnight oats and to start drinking water. I know it may seem like all is eat is overnight oats and I will tell you why. One serving of these oats keeps me feeling full and helps fuel my long run. On Friday nights I usually  place 1/2 a cup of old fashioned oats in a mason jar and then add 1 tablespoon of chia seeds 1 tablespoon of organic natural peanut butter 1 teaspoon of honey, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder some walnuts pieces and then finally add about 1/2 cup organic milk. I shake the jar really well and then place it in the fridge to soak overnight. After I ate I started some house chores and waited for my meal to digest. I typically aim to eat two hours before a long run to give my body time to get ready. This is what works for me you may not need two hours or maybe you'll need more. The only way to really find out is trial and error. That being said when you find something tha...

Last Sunday I came across a 10k trail series on runtheday.com  and I asked my husband if he wanted to sign up for them with me. To my surprise he said yes! My husband is not a runner but he is very fit and very active. It made me remember the first time Jimmy decided to go on a long run with me. I was training for The Rock n Roll Half marathon and we were going down to spend the weekend at our friend Barb's trailer. The trailer is in Estelle Manor, New Jersey in the middle of the woods and its an amazing area to run. I told the hubs that I had to run 11 miles on Saturday and he decided that he would run it with me. I went for a run once before while at her trailer but only went out back total 7 miles. For this run I tracked out an 11 mile loop on map my run and I thought I knew the route by heart, so we set out on our run. The weather was really warm but he had some shade for the first 5 miles. We were keeping a 9:30 pace. I stated before that my husband is not a runner, in fact he...

Today is my son's 12th Birthday! This child fills my heart and life with joy and gives me a deeper purpose for living. That being said I would do anything for him especially on his birthday. Every year I ask him what kind of cake he wants. Last year he wanted  a mint chocolate chip cake. This year he requested an ice cream cake. When I need ideas for baked good I typically run to Pinterest . I was originally going to do an ice cream cake made out of ice cream sandwiches but then I wouldn't get my baking fix for the week! Thankfully I found a gem of recipe by a blogger that I never followed before She wears many hats. She made a post for a Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Cake and it was the winner. For the base of her cake she uses a Chocolate Pound Cake that is delicious all on its own! I know the finished product is going to be a huge hit.  I followed her instruction but mixed it up a bit by adding one layer of chocolate ice cream, and a layer of of vanilla ice cream to closer m...