Foodie Penpal Revealed!

Good morning and Happy Halloween!  This past month I took part in a fun little foodie penpal exchange that was put together by Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean. 

Lindsay organizes these exchanges monthly, so if you are interested in participating, check her out at the link above and send her an email ASAP since penpal matches are sent out by the 5th of each month.    

First I have to say that I am jealous.  Jordana {the foodie who sent me goodies} has a Trader Joe's in her area and I do not.  All of my treats came from TJ's and I am seriously green with envy because they haven't moved into eastern PA as of yet.  This is what arrived at my doorstep...a box full of fun and tasty treats.  Check out the cute little pumpkin she included for seasonal decoration... 

So, what's in the box??

• Zesty Nacho Kale Chips

• The Dark Chocolate Lover's Chocolate bar with 85% Cacao -- Delicious with red wine

• Organic, stone ground Dark Chocolate Salt & Pepper -- A traditional, Mexican-style chocolate, stone-milled in small batches.

• Pumpkin Butter - great for this time of year!

• Jerry's Homemade Dark Chocolate Boardwalk Crunch with marshmallows and popcorn.  Delish!

I am slowly making my way through everything.  Plus, my husband is a big fan of this program too, since he wanted to know if I will have a penpal every month. Thank you, Jordana!!!  You were an amazing penpal!

I also was assigned a penpal, and I sent her a box of goodies as well. My gal was Analisa from Texas and here is a glimpse at what she received from me...

I included some of the things that I like to eat/drink such as my favorite protein bars, a bar of dark chocolate, a bottle of Hint pomegranate water, a box of Wegman's Farro {plus recipe ideas}, organic, whole wheat animal crackers, plus some Haribo candy disks wrapped up in small packages {they are the same taste and consistency of their gummy bears}.  I also included a supplemental magazine from Wegman's that included neat little articles about food, health and wellness.   

This was a fun way to meet new foodies from across the country.  Plus, you get to try some new snacks!  For more information, you can click here and the link will take you to Lindsay's site.  

Enjoy!

Halloween Activity for Kids

As I promised the other day, I want to share an easy activity to do with children ranging from preschool through the elementary years.  I am one of the room moms in my daughter's second grade class and I needed to come up with a small activity to do as one of the center rotations at the Halloween party.  We already had a craft and bingo, so here is what I came up with...

I found a cute story online about children "walking" through a spooky trail.  As they made their way through, they stopped to collect treats to add to the cellophane bags I passed out before beginning.  

Prepare the children by telling them that they are going to use their imaginations as they walk through a spooky forest.  On their way, they will be collecting items to use to keep them safe.  The children can also use their fingers to "walk" through the forest as you are reading. 

First stop -- Monster Cages: used to trap "monsters" along the way {Chex cereal} 
Second stop -- Skeleton Bones: used to keep us safe {pretzel sticks}
Third stop -- Indian Corn and Pumpkins: These were used to throw back at creatures for our safety {candy corn and pumpkins}
Fourth Stop -- Squished monkey heads:  I'm not sure why we would need these, but the kids enjoyed the comparison...{raisins and dried cranberries}
Finally -- Sam the Skeleton greeted us with special treats because we made it!  {M&Ms}

In the end, they created a bag full of "Spooky Trail Mix."  I created tags to attach to their bags, and the kids took them home to eat later.  Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of the final product. 

Tips:  

• I also asked my deli counter to donate 5 large plastic containers to hold the food.  They made a nice presentation as the kids gathered around them on the floor.   
• Depending how much time you have, this activity can be adapted to take anywhere between 10-20 minutes.    

If you are interested in the script, please feel free to email me at runnerspalate@gmail.com and I will send it to you in a Word document.

Here are the cute cupcakes in action.  Since I didn't have the time to bake, I ordered cupcakes from a local bakery and topped them with these toppers.  They were featured on Friday's Loving Lately.  

I hope you have a Happy Halloween!  Stay safe in Sandy!

Running Before The Storm

"Sandy" is expected to arrive later on in the evening, but before she does...I've been trying to get in some good running {both long runs and workouts}.  The electric company literally sent out an email on Friday night to all of its customers warning everyone to prepare for power outages.  The local news stations are informing people to select a portion of the home that is deemed the safest, and telling people to stay there until the storm passes through.  And, some are calling Sandy "The Perfect Storm." 

Thursday night, I met Jesse at the canal for a few intervals.  Initially when he said that we were doing 4 x 2 miles, I thought I misunderstood him.  But needless to say, I heard him correctly and that is what we did.  

It was just starting to get dark when we began, so the last two were done using only the light from his bike.  Parts of the tow path are a little rocky so I was definitely cautious of my footing, and at times, I felt like I was running through a tunnel of darkness.  It was quite surreal.  Here's how it went, 8 miles of quality...

1st - 14:06 {7:03 pace}

1 minute rest

2nd - 13:39 {6:49 pace}

2 minutes rest

3rd -  13:18 {6:39 pace}

3 minutes rest

4th - 13:12 {6:36 pace}

DONE!!

Up until the last one, I felt decent and ran smooth.  I had to work on the 4th interval to finish with a faster time than the third since that was our goal -- decreasing times and increasing rest.  I'm glad {now} that I have this workout under my belt because it will help me in an upcoming nine mile race that I am 98% sure I am doing on Thanksgiving Day.  

On Saturday, I met my friends {Kim and Carla} at Lehigh's XC course for a long run.  This wasn't your typical long run because we threw a mountain into the mix.  The beginning of our run was us, trudging up South Mountain, and back down to the course.  Once we got back to the XC course, we finished the run on grass.  I ran 1:13 and they continued for a while longer.  

Obviously, we slowed down while running up the mountain, so that increased our overall time.  In my opinion...that mountain equals another mile added on to the final distance!!!  

While waiting for their return, I stretched a bit.  I have to say again...I love these Oiselle Lesley Knickers.  They have quickly become my favorite running tights for many reasons.

Afterwards, we stretched, chatted, and planned our next long run together.  I love running with friends...it makes the time go so much faster.  Thanks, gals!

A random thought---
In my town, trick-or-treat is always the Friday before Halloween {thank goodness since Sandy plans on wreaking havoc this coming week!}  I took Payton in my mom's neighborhood with my sister and her kids.  Here we are, ready to go!

I think she got us enough candy to last through the storm...

 
I'm not complaining!  If you are on the east coast, please try to stay safe and sound as this storm works its way through.  Enjoy your Sunday!   

Loving Lately

It's been a crazy week, but I found plenty of inspirations among the roller coaster that I call life.  Despite a hurricane that could possible surge upon the east coast next week, the fall foliage has been lovely.  I couldn’t help myself when I snapped this picture of my neighbor’s trees because the colors were stunning!  The vibrant orange and yellow exploded along our street, urging passersby to stop and take in their beauty. 

I’m not one for Halloween toys and decorations, but this singing mummy had me at hello.  When the button in the foot is pressed, it belts out Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” while dancing the infamous dance.  I would love him in my house!

I have been on the lookout for a mannequin bodice to showcase some of my jewelry.  The other day, I came upon this one in a store and its black and white print inspired me.  Although, I am thinking one with a more subtle design would highlight my baubles better rather than compete with their beauty.

Earlier in the week, my class went on a field trip to a historical living farm where the people reenact what it was like to live in the 1800's.  While there, they demonstrated how the family made their own yarn from sheep's wool.  All of these vibrant colors were derived from natural items such as indigo and mustard seed.  

Finding these adorable Halloween cupcake toppers at my local discount store was a win, and I am sure the children in my daughter’s class will find their whimsical shapes and textures comical.   

Finally, an annual trip to the pumpkin patch is always a favorite in the month of October, and this one was no different.  The girls love choosing the perfect pumpkin {which they must be able to carry} and carving it later on in the night next to a cup of hot apple cider.   

Willsey was paying extra attention to any seeds that fell his way.  

What are you loving lately?

When Life Deals You Lemons…Cook With Them!

After several days filled with the Runner's World festivities, I’ve finally settled down into my regular routine at home with work and family.  Although my life is still crazy balancing my job in the classroom, lining up costumes for everyone, planning my daughter’s school Halloween party {I’m her room mom} and her birthday party, plus trying to find time to run, I sometimes feel like a hamster on a wheel.  By the end of the day, I am ready to crash by 9pm.  Does anyone else ever feel like that?  That aside, I do have some fun ideas planned for these upcoming parties, and I plan to share them in the very near future.  But for now, I need to concentrate on costumes, cupcakes, and keeping sane. 

Over the weekend, we joined our friends to make Limoncello.  If you’ve never had it before, Limoncello is an Italian lemon liquor which tends to be thicker than most.  It's sometimes served as a palate cleanser or as an after dinner aperitif.  Whenever we make our batch, lemon peels are submerged in Everclear and then they are set to rest for up to three months.  After that time, the lemon peels are removed, and simple syrup is added for sweetness.  Once again, the mixture needs to rest for a little while longer until the proper sweetness, texture and flavor has developed.  The final step is to bottle the liquor and enjoy!  Although ambitious, our goal is to have it bottled and ready for the holiday season.  {Sorry...no pictures of this process.  It was Saturday night after the race and I was tired...it slipped my mind!}

A few tips: Keep Limoncello in the freezer since it's best served freezing cold.  Plus, you only need a small glass of this delectable drink because a little bit goes a long way.  

Since we used a ton of lemons, or should I say, only their zest, we had a lot of fruit leftover.  So there was no waste, we divvied up the zested lemons and made a plan to use their juice for things such as lemonade, marinades and pasta dishes.

Usually Sundays are low-key days for me when I like to cook a nice meal for my family…or possibly even bake something!  Because I had some time, I used some of the leftover lemons to make lemon chicken, along with Giada's Lemon Spaghetti.

I've had this recipe on my to-do list for a while, so I decided to channel those same flavors into a simple marinade for the chicken.  In the marinade, I combined lemon juice from two lemons, ½ cup of olive oil, chopped parsley, two chopped scallions, salt and pepper in a large, gallon-sized zip-lock bag.  Three chicken breasts were added and I let them marinate for about 5 hours.  Fred cooked them on the grill and they came out perfectly.  The chicken had a nice lemon flavor that accompanied the pasta nicely.  

For the pasta, Giada combined olive oil, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and poured it over hot pasta.  To add some "green" to the dish, I steamed asparagus and tossed one-inch pieces into the pasta right before serving.  The mixture, along with a bit of reserved pasta water, created a tangy sauce that my entire family enjoyed.  

What do you do with the lemons that come your way?

Runner's World Blogger Event Recap {Part Two}

Good morning!  If you follow my blog, you already know that I was involved with several Runner's World Half & Festival blogger events over the past few days, as well as the 10k race.  To visit those posts, you can find them below.

Thursday Night BBQ at Runner's World Headquarters 

Blogger Event Recap {Part One} 

10K Race Recap 

As I also said, the Steel Stacks area of Bethlehem is gorgeous and the old Bethlehem Steel blast furnace provided an amazing backdrop for all of the festivities throughout the weekend.

Finish line set-up on Friday...

Our group of girls {and Harold} was so excited to meet Shalene Flanagan.  Here are a few of us before the Q&A session...

I have to say, meeting US Olympian Shalane Flanagan was pretty cool.  Shalane is the 2008 bronze medalist in the Olympic 10,000 meter race, as well as the American record holder in the 3k, 5k and 10k on the track.  In August, she represented the US in the Olympic marathon with her training partner and friend, Kara Goucher.  

We sat down for a {25 to 1} Q&A session where we had the chance to ask Shalane questions about anything such as diet, training, racing, travel, making special appearances, etc.  The bloggers asked some really in-depth questions and Shalane took the time to answer them thoroughly.    

 

Of course, I wanted to know about her pre-race preparation.  My question to Shalane was:  Do you get nervous before races, and if so, do you have any tips on how to control your pre-race anxiety?  

Her answer was this in a nutshell:

• Shalane used to suffer from nerves before races more when she was younger than she does now. 
• She tries to think about all of the hard workouts she has done leading up to a race and uses that to give her the confidence she needs to compete.
• During hard wokrouts, she likes to put herself in uncomfortable situations to simulate how she would feel during a race so that way, her body can better remember the feeling and adapt to what is going on.  
•  A little nervousness is good.  Her coach likes to see her a little jittery before a race because he feels she will run better feeling that way, rather than not.  

Shalane's point about believing in her preparation is key.  Jesse and I always talk about the workouts I did in the past when mapping out a strategy for a race and it's so important to write workouts down for future reference.  I just can't seem to shake the nerves issue, still, after all of these years. 

The gang and Shalane...

I ran into an old friend {Kathleen Jobes} who works at Runner's World.  She won Saturday's 5k race.  

We wrapped up our event with a talk from RW writer and author, Jennifer Van Allen, and RW Twitter Expert and author of Runner's World's Ravenous Runner blog, Meghan Loftus.  It was all very interesting! 

This about wraps up my exciting weekend with Runner's World, and I learned some valuable information that I will be sharing in future posts.  I also received some great products to test out and review, so look for those articles in the very near future too! 

Have a great Tuesday!

RW Blogger Event Recap {Part One}

Because today's post was published {unfinished} on Saturday, it is out of order on the blog.  Click here to see it and I will work on fixing the issue later today.

Have a great Monday!

Race Recap - Runner's World 10k

I don't normally do weekend posts, but I thought today would be special since the last few days have been awesome.  From a great race to the fantastic blogger events put on by Runner's World, I am feeling pretty pumped.  

Yesterday I ran the 10k in the Runner's World Half & Festival that has been taking over Bethlehem.  It was quite amazing and Runner's World really knows how to put on a race, or should I say...race{s}!  The start and finish was situated on the southside of Bethlehem near the Steel Stacks {the old Bethlehem Steel buildings}.  The Stacks provided an impressive backdrop for all of the festivities that were happening in that immediate area.  Check out the start of the 5k...

Payton and I posed for the camera before I set out to warm-up for the 10k. 

I was asked to participate in an interview for the local TV station {WFMZ Channel 69}.  Meteorologist Mark Shanaberger {pictured here} will be running the half tomorrow with morning anchor, Eve Tannery.

Our friends {Adam and Kevin} are attempting the hat trick, which means they are signed up to run all three races.  Personally, I say "hats off" to everyone running each race!   

My colleague, Givon, finished the 5k!!!  Good for him! 

Here are some shots of the finish line.  Again, it was so impressive...

The race was off!  Runner's World did a nice job showcasing our town when they layed out the course and I'm sure Bethlehem native Bart Yasso had certain areas in mind when developing it.  Runners ran through the southside, as well as the historic area of the northside and through the Main Street of the city.

My first mile was run in 6:37, which is ironic since my average pace was 6:37 for the entire race. 

At the end, I finished in 41:06, which was good enough for 4th female overall/approximately 52nd overall.  My conservative goal was to run under 42 minutes, so I was very happy with the results.  Jesse tried to figure out my splits and he thinks I ran the second 5k of the race faster than the first because I went through 3 miles in 20:03.  Another fact...the race consisted of about 2,000 runners. 

After the race, I had fun chatting with family, old friends and new friends.  Payton was especially happy to see her teacher from last year, Mrs. Gonzalez!

My husband {Fred} was there to cheer me on too!

...as well as my parents!

It was so nice to see my high school friend, Bridget.  She was running all three races too!

It was also nice to chat with some of my new blogger friends, Katherine and Kristin!

Before the kids' races, Kira Wiley and her band performed a selection of songs that incorporated yoga moves.  It was adorable! 

There were three Olympians in attendance at the festival, including Shalane Flanagan!

For some reason, a stray {unfinished} post was published for a good part of Saturday, so stay tuned tomorrow and Tuesday for recaps from our blogger activities.  Sorry for the confusion.  If you missed Friday's Runner's World Loving Lately, you can check it out here.

Have a great Sunday!