{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!           



 

First Blog Giveaway: Winter Running Hat

Hi Guys!

The other day I was having trouble getting out the door to run in the cold, so I tweeted asking for words of motivation.  My classroom was freezing all day, so the last thing that I wanted to do was be outside. 

The original tweet said this:

And here’s how some of my friends on Twitter responded…

As you can see, different people have certainly different ideas!!  I did end up running about 5 miles that day, and when I was done...I sure was glad I went.  

You see, I'm a year-round runner.  Despite Steve’s idea of the treadmill, I almost always brave the elements.  In my opinion, proper clothing and mental preparation play key roles in making it through the seasons, particularly winter.  Earlier in the year, I did two posts that revolved around winter, the latter being about surviving cold weather running.  

Winter Blues Go Away: Part One 

Winter Blues Take Two: 10 Ways to Stay Motivated to Run in the Cold 

So in honor of "brrrr-cold" running, I thought I would do my first-ever mini blog giveaway.  I have a hat that will go home to one lucky winner.  This Champion running hat is made of high performance, venture warm fabric which provides warmth without the weight.  It is moisture-wicking and stretches for a perfect fit. 

My favorite part?  The hole in the back allows a ponytail to peak out.  No more uncomfortable, bunched up hair under a hat.  Here's mine... 

Willsey had to get in the picture too....

To enter:

There are a few ways to be the new owner of this cutie.  The more ways you enter, the better chance you have at winning.  Make sure you comment once for each of the following things you do...

1.  Follow me on Twitter: @runnerspalate
2.  Tweet about this giveaway: Tell all of your followers that you want to win @runnerspalate's winter running giveaway at http://therunnerspalate.blogspot.com/2012/12/first-blog-giveaway-winter-running-hat.html 
3.  Follow me on my newly developed boards at Pinterest.
4. Leave a comment:  Tell me your favorite winter running tip{s}. 

One entry per follow or tweet!

Contest ends at 8PM tomorrow night.  The lucky winner will be announced on Wednesday's blog post!  

In addition, as part of the #elf4health campaign, let’s motivate each other to run outside!  Tweet your motivating winter running tips at #elf4health.  {These tweets are not a part of the contest}

Good luck and stay warm on the roads!!