{Brown} Rice Krispie Treats with Trail Mix & Some Brrrr Intervals

Good morning!  How do you feel about sweet-salty combinations in food?  I don't know about you, but I love it...especially when it involves caramels with sea salt or chocolate-covered pretzels.  Delish!  Because Sunday was all about football, I wanted to make my family a little dessert that incorporated that sweet-salty goodness into one, easy to eat treat.  The result and recipe can be found here!

To make these bars a tad bit healthier, I used brown rice cereal rather than the regular rice cereal found in the traditional recipe.  Also, my grocery store has a trail mix bar so I was able to create my own mixture such as pumpkin seeds, yogurt-covered raisins, cashews, peanuts and pretzels.

A half an hour later, I ended up with this:

I'm telling you...these treats won't disappoint.  That salty-sweet flavor was too good to be true and I found myself cutting little bites throughout my entire day off from school.  Good thing I worked out that morning!!   

Speaking of working out....last night I ran another workout with Moravian's team.  If it wasn't for Jesse's guilt-filled texts :) and Lauretta's encouragement, I probably wouldn't have stepped foot outside to run since the temperature at start time was a balmy 17 degrees. 
 
We did some more tempo-related intervals in a neighborhood that has a mile-long loop.  The streets there are clear of snow and the much of the wind is blocked by the surrounding homes and trees. 

Workout: 1 mile at ~5k pace; 2 mile tempo at ~5k pace; 2 x 800 each progressively faster

Here's how it went:

1.5 mile warm-up and some simple drills/strides

1 mile - 6:17 {just to get warmed up}
{1:45 rest}
2 miles - 12:25 {6:09, 6:16}
{2:30 rest}
2 x 800 - 3:14, 2:49 {1:15 rest in between each}

1.5 mile cool down = 7 mile day!

I have to say...we were cold!  But in the end, it wasn't as bad as I anticipated and was glad to get in the workout.  


Enjoy your day and stay warm!           



 

Intervals in the 'Hood + Logging Online

I'm what you call an "old-fashioned" runner.  All of the new gadgets, knee high compression socks and mile tracking phone apps associated with the modern day running community were not around when I was in my competitive heyday.  Needless to say, it's a learning curve for me. 

An example of my vintage habits would include my handwritten training log.  Below is a sample page from last year...

To bring me up-to-date and to better organize my training, Jesse suggested an online training log to keep track of workouts and runs.  Since it's time to plan out my spring/summer training and racing schedule, he thought a good approach would be to use running-log.com for this very purpose.  

This tool is valuable for several reasons: 

• It will allow me to more specifically log each run including mileage, type of workout, distances and times.  Plus, I can keep track of warm-ups, cool downs and intervals.
• We both can access it to adjust future training plans and review past sessions. 

One of my resolutions was to organize all facets of my life and this is definitely one way to begin with a more structured running regimen. 


Speaking of running, on Saturday I did a lactate threshold {tempo} workout in a neighborhood full of rolling hills.  These types of workouts are important in the base phase of training when a runner is predominantly working on workouts and training that stress aerobic development. 

Here's what we did:

1.5 mile warm-up and 4 strides

2 mile tempo - 13:06 {6:40, 6:25}  

4 minutes rest  

1 mile tempo - 6:18

2 minutes rest

1 mile tempo - 6:07

1.5 mile cool down

Overall, I felt pretty good and my paces were under the projected times that Jesse set before we began.  This was the first of many workouts to come in the new year.     

On Saturday night, Fred and I enjoyed a relaxing dinner with some friends, hibachi-style.  I ordered the filet mignon and chicken with noodles and Fred got the filet mignon/scallops combo with noodles.  It's always fun to have your meal prepared right before your eyes!    

Sunday started with a 5 mile run, followed by a quick trip with Fred to the market and breakfast at Panera Bread...Ginger Peach tea and steel cut oatmeal with berries, pecans and cinnamon.   

Sunday afternoon my mom came over to help me prepare my chocolate chili and it turned out great!   

In addition, she helped me bake for my "Birthday Club" buddy at school.  On the docket:  Rolo Stuffed Ritz Crackers and PB & Chocloate Pan Cookies.  Both are located on my Pinterest boards under "Sweets" and they are definitely worth trying!  

Enjoy your day!

  

 









 

Super Moist Banana Muffins

Over the weekend I had a few ripe bananas to use and rather develop my own, I decided to look for a new banana muffin recipe online.  After a little perusing, I came across this one from a blog titled The Cookbook Chronicles.  The ratings were good so I thought I would give it a try.  Rather than bread, my family prefers individual muffins and from the original recipe, I got about 18 in total when the cups were filled approximately three-quarters of the way up.  

The final product was crazy moist!  I try to never overbake anything, and the same went for these.  When I took a few to school for my team to try them out, the muffins received rave reviews and four thumbs up!   

What have you been baking lately?

10 miles and Some Dinners

Good morning!  I hope you are getting your week off to a good start.  I'm not sure how you feel, but the weekends go faster and faster.  On Saturday morning, I hit the roads for a 10 mile long run.  I was still feeling Friday night's progression run and my legs/IT band were a little tight.  Yesterday, I was telling Lauretta on our "phone date" how that run felt like it was never-ending.  Did you ever have one of those?  To soothe my aching legs when I was done, I decided to wade in my freezing cold pool for a few moments.  The water was a very chilly 60-some degrees, too cold for swimming, but I braved the frigid temperature and entered in until I was waist-deep.  After about five minutes, I had my fill and exited promptly.  Honestly, I actually did feel a little better.  I found a little article from Runner's World that talks about the benefits of ice baths.  Here's a clip:

Cryotherapy ("cold therapy") constricts blood vessels and decreases metabolic activity, which reduces swelling and tissue breakdown. Once the skin is no longer in contact with the cold source, the underlying tissues warm up, causing a return of faster blood flow, which helps return the byproducts of cellular breakdown to the lymph system for efficient recycling by the body. "Ice baths don't only suppress inflammation, but help to flush harmful metabolic debris out of your muscles," says David Terry, M.D., an ultrarunner who has finished both the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run and the Wasatch Front 100-Mile Endurance Run 10 consecutive times.


For more info, check out the link here.

Willsey wanted to take a dip too, but he's not allowed.  

 

I ran my ten miles at a little over 8 minute pace.  Like I said, I was a little stiff and sore, but I got through it. 

On Saturday night, Fred and I had a date night.  It was such a beautiful evening so we headed downtown to see what was going on.  Since it was a tad on the early side, we were able to get into the Apollo Grille for dinner without a reservation. 



I don't have any photos of the meal, but I ordered my usual...a half portion of the filet mignon.  They have a "ten wines for twenty-five" special which means they have ten bottles of wine on their list for $25.00 each.  We were in the mood for a dry red, so he chose a nice bottle of Kenwood Zinfandel to split.

After dinner, we strolled around Main Street for a bit, stopping at The Chocolate Lab for dessert.  We purchased a few pieces of caramel with sea salt and a layer of peanut butter, covered with dark chocolate.  My goodness...they were delicious.  I am a huge fan of dark chocolate with sea salt, and the caramel and PB added that extra special touch.  We took our bag of chocolates, along with two cups of coffee, and sat on a bench and watched the people.  People-watching is one of our favorite past times!

This picture doesn't do the chocolate any justice!! 

What a fun night!

Yesterday morning, I was finally able to make a yoga class.  My body was really craving yoga since I haven't been able to get to a class since school started.  In my experience, I can honestly say that my running is better with a little yoga added into the mix.  Afterwards, I stopped by the same coffee shop from Saturday night and ordered a pumpkin latte.  Very tasty.  Speaking of pumpkin, I highly encourage you to try the pumpkin coffee from Dunkin' Donuts.  It's one of my new favorites!

To continue along with the flavors of fall, I stopped by the local farmer's market picked up a mum for my front porch.  I love all of the colors of fall...they are so bright, vibrant and warm!

Finally, last night I had my parents over for their upcoming anniversary.  We had pot roast, homemade mashed potatoes, our frozen corn off the cob, and a salad.  It was a perfect fall weather meal.   

And for dessert...Salted Pretzel Marshmallow Bars from my Food Network magazine.  They were good, but I wasn't a fan of the multi-step recipe.  The final step was to put the bars under the broiler to "toast" the marshmallows, and then drizzle melted chocolate and peanut butter over the top.  

The finished masterpiece...

Alright, time for my early morning run....enjoy your Monday! 

 

Intervals with the Moravian Women & A Birthday Dinner

Good morning!  I'm a little slow-moving today after a long, relaxing weekend and yesterday's interval workout.  In the morning, I met Moravian's XC team and Jesse at a local park to do some quarter mile intervals.  Jesse planned them to be slightly faster than race pace because he wanted the team to get used to the feeling of going out a little faster and sustaining that pace longer into the race.  Here I am...ready to run on grass...      

The team did 14 x 400 on 1:30 rest.  Initially he had me down to run 86-88 second pace, but I started with an 82 and pretty much maintained that throughout the session.  At the half way point, he gave us a 5 minute break where he wanted us to jog/walk to recover.  By interval #12, I was exhausted.  This was the most I've done for a workout in a while and I needed a longer break.  I recovered while they ran interval #13 and finished with the final lap.  

Here's the workout:

2 mile warm-up plus drills

13 x 400 on grass -- 
89, 82, 83, 81, 82, 82, 81 {5 minute break}
80, 81, 81, 84, 82, 82

2 mile cool down and stretches 

The girls did an amazing job throughout the workout and I was so happy to have had the opportunity to join them.  Here we are, a very sweaty post-run picture. 

On the way home, I stopped at Panera Bread for chocolate milk.  Two, to be exact.  Chocolate milk is a great post-workout or post-race snack.   

When I got home, I made Ina Garten's Orange Chocolate Chunk cupcakes with chocolate ganache frosting.  The recipe calls for an orange/sugar simple syrup to be poured over the baked cakes.  Once out of the oven, I punctured the cupcakes with a toothpick so the liquid would seep into them.

The finished product...

The cupcakes were very tasty, but I unfortunately baked them about three minutes too long.

The reason I made cupcakes was because we celebrated our friend's {Jolene} birthday.  My husband has been good friends with her since 1996, when they started teaching together.  To date, he has never remembered her birthday so as a joke, he bought cards from the dollar store and labeled them by year...starting with the present.  

  
It was hilarious...

For dinner, I marinated a sirloin and Fred grilled it to perfection.  Sides of green beans, red quinoa with feta cheese and peas, and a salad completed the menu.   

The salad was simply romaine lettuce, dried cranberries, shaved fennel and Parmesan, raw pumpkin and sunflower seeds and a dressing of yesterday's oil and vinegar with salt, pepper and fresh basil.  The lime infused olive oil and coconut white balsamic vinegar balanced each other extremely well.  So good!  

As for running, today is my off day.  My body will be happy for the break....

Have a great Tuesday!     

Cinnamon and Sugar Croutons

Hello and Happy Tuesday!


I have an impromptu recipe for you today.  The idea came to me last night as I was sitting outside with Fred and our good friend, Jim.  Coming back from the cabin, we had a ton of bagels leftover so on Monday, I made croutons from the pumpernickel and rye bagels.  As we were sitting around the table last night snacking on them, I thought that the leftover cinnamon raisin bagels would be good tossed with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.  So...today I went to work in the kitchen and this concoction all come together into one sweet, crunchy and buttery snack.  

Cinnamon and Sugar Croutons


4 {day or two old} cinnamon bagels, cut into cubes
1 stick butter, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup brown sugar 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

1.  Cut bagels into cubes and place into a large bowl.

2.  Melt butter and pour over bagel pieces.  Mix.

3.  Combine brown sugar and spices in a small bowl.  Stir into the bagel mixture.

4.  Spread bagel pieces out onto a cookie sheet and bake 30 - 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Bake until they are golden brown.  

5.  Let cool and store in a bowl covered with foil.  Do not store in a plastic container because they could get soggy.  

These croutons remind me of "monkey bread," something my mom used to make with store-bought biscuit dough rolled into pieces.  You can make croutons with any type of bread or seasoning.  For the rye and pumpernickel croutons, I used olive oil rather than butter, and mixed in kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder and dried basil.  They were delicious as well! 


Enjoy!


Tracy