Grateful Thanksgiving

November 28, 2011 By Laura

Grateful as in Grateful Dead.

I had a post-race “Friendsgiving” at one of my favorite local restaurants – Rosebud. How is that related to the Dead? Rosebud is named for one of Jerry Garcia’s guitars, the one he played in his last show in July of 1995.

A celebratory glass of sparkling with our (now empty) app plates

Ron Eyester, the chef and owner, put together one incredible (and HUGE) Thanksgiving feast.

We began with an appetizer consisting of Pimento Cheese, Trail Mix, Smoked Trout Pate, Housemade Pickled Vegetables, and crackers dusted with something spicy (cayenne?). The Pimento Cheese was our favorite, with the trail mix in a close second (I love those wasabi things). The Trout Pate was the only miss of the meal.

Next up was the main event. The way the special menus worked you could choose Sage, Apple & Honey Roasted Turkey or Housemade Berkshire Ham with Mexican Coke Glaze. Then you chose 3 sides from a list of 12. There were 3 of us at lunch, which meant we could try all but 3 sides. And so we did.

I chose the turkey with Brioche & Herb Stuffing (yes it was as good as it sounds), Cider & Maple Braised Brussels, and Red Wine & Balsamic Braised Mushrooms. It was all wonderful. The stuffing bordered on being bread pudding – a good thing in my book! Turkey has never been my cup o’ tea, but Ron’s turkey was nearing perfection. Not the least bit dried out and perfectly flavored. I loved the sage!

Carla’s also chose the turkey and brussels, but ordered the Buttermilk Whipped Potatoes and Baby Carrots with Fennel, Citrus, and Cardamom. The carrots were one of my favorite sides; they were left fairly crisp and the hints of fennel and citrus made for a fun flavor.

Corinne chose the ham. It was good, but I’m glad I didn’t get it. A little too sweet as a main for my taste, but if you like honey-baked ham you would love it. Her sides included the Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Ginger & Sweet Chili, Green Beans with Fresh Garlic and Sea Salt, and Mexican Coke Braised Local Greens with Smoked Ham Bone. I don’t even know how to choose a favorite. Maybe the beans?! I really appreciated how they kitchen left the veggies with some bite rather than cooking them to the point of soggy (all too often the case).

Since all of this clearly wasn’t enough food, Ron sent us a plate of the 3 sides we didn’t order (he really is the nicest angry chef in ATL). Our last 3 tastes: Mac n’ Cheese, Duck Fat & Thyme Fingerling Potatoes, and Truffled Cream Corn. The mac and cheese was done with Tillamook Cheddar and couldn’t have been more delicious. We all agreed the corn was also pretty amazing – and none of us are big on creamed corn!

Everyone had a favorite potato – I don’t know if he did it on purpose, but Ron offered the 3 major potato “types” so there was something for everyone. I was all about the whipped sweet potatoes.

My favorite course is always last – dessert! Chocolate Tart, Bread Pudding with Dried Cherries, Salted Browned Butter Cookies, and Apple Cake with Cardamom Cream. I love chocolate… but those cookies are my favorite. I’m convinced he puts crack in them.

A “Friendsgiving” lunch at Rosebud was the perfect race recovery meal. But I had to get home to make the treat you saw in Friday’s post to bring to a Thanksgiving potluck dinner (big revel tomorrow… suspense, I know). Because one gluttonous holiday meal is never enough. 😉

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Speaking of gluttony… it’s Monday recap time.

Last week brought 2 big accomplishments – the Thanksgiving Half Marathon and I did my 100 push-ups EVERY DAY. That’s 700 push-ups last week!!! 3 accomplishments if you count the fact that I took TWO rest days.

Looking ahead, I’m ready cut back on the running for a while. My focus will be more on weights and kickboxing – just in time for the arrival of more winter-like weather (I can’t stand to run in the cold).

Workout Recap (11/21-11/27)

Monday – 30 mins stationary bike intervals, Biceps/Back, 100 push-ups
Tuesday – 2 mile run, 2 mile walk, 100 push-ups
Wednesday – Tris/Chest, Ab Ripper X, 100 push-ups
Thursday – Half Marathon, 100 push-ups
Friday – 100 push-ups
Saturday – 2 mile walk, 100 push-ups
Sunday – Kickboxing, 100 push-ups

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I promise some healthier foods are coming… after tomorrow dessert post!

Have you ever eaten your Thanksgiving meal at a restaurant?

Do your workouts change in the winter months?

Running for My Supper

November 25, 2011 By Laura

Literally.

I spent a good 9-10 miles of my 13.1 thinking about lunch. My inner fat kid knows no bounds. Plus it entertained me while I ~~struggled~~ ran.

Once I remembered I had a body warmer in my jacket which was making me want to pass out, the first 4-ish miles flew by. Somewhere between 4 and 6 I had to stop to tighten my laces and lost my 1:45 pace group (not too devastating – 1:45 was a bit ambitions).

Stopping apparently caused me to miss the 5 mile marker, so I was pleasantly surprised by mile 6. Things were still ok until about mile 8. My legs were cramping and I had to stop for 30 seconds and stretch. After that it got hard – not a shock since I really only trained for up to 8.

Seeing my Aunt Teresa somewhere near mile 9 was a huge pick-me-up (thanks Teresa!), and I got another push around 10 when the 1:50 pace group caught me. I knew I didn’t want to finish far behind them so I ignored my screaming legs and cranked out the last 3 to finish with them.

HUGE thanks to the Atlanta Track Club for organizing the event and providing pace teams

Official time: 1:49:52. PR! I looked back at my 2009 Half time – it was 2:17:12! HUGE improvement in 2 years!

My younger cousin Molly also ran and finished seconds ahead of me. Congrats to Molly!!

My mom and sisters were there at the finish line with lots of hugs. It was really great to have a support group after a hard-fought race.

More to come about the fantastic Turkey Day eats (see little taste below), but for now I’m off to the grocery store. It shouldn’t be crowded… everyone is stuffed and at Wal-Mart… right?

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I’m participating in this month’s YBR with Spicie Foodie. Click here if you’d like to join up too!

How did your races go?

Did anyone brave the Black Friday crowds?

Gobbling Up 13.1

November 24, 2011 By Laura

If I don’t like turkey, what exactly am I earning?

Wine is more like it!

By the time you are reading this, I will (hopefully) be done with Atlanta’s Thanksgiving Half Marathon. I am starting in the first group at 7:30am and – if I manage to stay with my pace team – I will be done by 9:15am.

Forget turkey; I’m earning Waffle House!

Rather than wax poetic about the millions of things I’m thankful for (really, I am), I thought I’d offer you something a bit different.

3 Tips for Thanksgiving:

1. Don’t sit in you great aunt’s chair. Trust your instincts (and your nose). That can’t be clean.

Source: happyplace.com

2. Watch out for the beans. You don’t want to be mistaken for that chair, do you?

3. Don’t make yourself miserable.

Bite #367 of that pie will not taste any different than bite #1. You’ll be trying to get rid of those leftovers for days anyway.

Click here for a few tips on keeping the gluttony under control… and an idea for using some of that leftover pumpkin puree. 😉

In conclusion…

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Happy Thanksgiving!!

How did all the runners do?

What is/was the BEST dish of the day?

Rockstar Riff On Spaghetti + WIAW

November 23, 2011 By Laura

My sister is a rockstar.

Which is the goose and which is the fox?

Alli played a local venue on Monday night with her boyfriend, Noah. It was an open mic contest (well-known for launching John Mayer’s career). They didn’t win but I think they were one of the best. There is just SO much talent in Atlanta.

Alli and Noah’s band is called Goose & Fox. Check them out on YouTube! Shameless plug of one of my favorite songs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-gxzyUd51U

Given that we have a huge food-focused holiday one day away, it seems funny to be posting a tame WIAW… but at least it involves balls!

Check out Peas and Crayons to see how everyone else pre-gamed Thanksgiving on Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday.

Pre-Breakfast:

I made a late-night post-concert trip to Kroger for melting chocolate so I could coat more Red Wine Cake Balls! They looked so pretty and smelled so good… they were calling my name! So I may have pre-gamed breakfast with balls…

Don’t judge me.

The winner so far has been these Red Wine Balls, but the Sparkling have received a ton of votes. It comes down to preference. Do you prefer your… desserts… sweet and white or dark and rich?

Pass the dark and rich over here.

Breakfast:

In preparation for the Thanksgiving Half, I’m loading up the carbs and protein. This morning’s oatmeal with egg whites hit the spot.

Check out that nut butter good-ness!

In my Oats:

1/2 C oatmeal
1/2 C unsweetened almond milk
1/4 C water
Shake of salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg white
1/4 C blueberries
Scoop of Cinnamon Cacao Nut Butter

Prepare oatmeal according to package instructions. When almost done, quickly whip in the egg white. Add blueberries. Transfer to bowl and top with nut butter – I used Cinnamon Cacao Nut Butter I made yesterday.

Delicious and super filling thanks to the protein and “good” fat.

Lunch:

Just before lunch, I jogged to the Thanksgiving Half Expo to get my number. Only 1 more day – eek! I signed up with the 1:45 pace team. In hindsight, that may be a little ambitious. Guess I’ll find out tomorrow.

On the way back I passed Evos, a small chain that claims to make a healthier burger.

Their fries are air baked, burgers are made with naturally raised beef, milkshakes use organic milk and sugar – they even offer fruit shakes!

I settled on a Veggie Garden Burger. The vegetarian patty was pretty good (they also offer a vegan variety) – plenty of veggie and bean chunks in it (a must IMHO).

I really enjoyed the avocado spread, but the BEST part was the ketchup. They make their own flavors – Original, Cayenne, Mesquite, and Garlic. The garlic was pretty fantastic. 🙂

The problem was the bun – it was one of those sticky, chewy grocery store buns with the sesame seeds on top. Change the bun and I’ll come back, Evos.

The lady at the counter was really ~~patient~~ nice and let me sample an air baked french fry. I didn’t order my own, but they were pretty good! They tasted a lot like McDonald’s (which I haven’t had in years… but they remain my favorite) but only have 170 calories and 5g of fat. No, it’s not a health food but it is a healthier option when you want to indulge.

Dinner:

One of the most creative bloggers I know, Sarah @ The Smart Kitchen, created this vegan, “adult” version of Spaghetti-O’s. Sarah is also the queen of repurposing items to create the coolest dishes (airplane bottle of V8 –> tomato-vegetable soup?!).

Eying the last of a carton of Trader Joe’s Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup, I channeled my inner Smart Kitchen and went to work.

See my ~~bastardized~~ modified version at the end of this post.

Snacks:

Lucky (pre-race moment of brilliance?) me scheduled a late-afternoon massage! It was one of the best I’ve had in a loooong time.

I made a quick pre-massage protein shake to tide me over until dinner. It was my basic: spinach, protein powder, almond milk, almond extract, and banana (trying to get the potassium in).

This is all that was left when I remembered to take a pic.

A massive Asian Pear and pomegranate made up a great “dessert.” I cut the pear into bite-sized pieces and sprinkled it with fresh pomegranate seeds, freshly ground cinnamon, and a teensy bit of paprika.

Normally I scoff at the idea of fruit for dessert, but this was shockingly satisfying.

Saucy Soup & Spaghetti

1.5 C TJ’s Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup
2 T nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
2 servings pasta (I used a veggie-laced fettuccine)

Prepare pasta according to the package.

Meanwhile, combine first 6 ingredients in small pot and warm over med-high heat.

When pasta is cooked, drain and pour into 2 bowls. Top with soup-sauce, garnish to taste with red pepper flakes and fresh black pepper.

Makes 2 servings.

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Things will probably be slow going in the blog world over the next few days. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday filled family, food, and fun. Safe travels and successful turkey runs!

What are your holiday plans? Travel? Races?

What dish are you most excited about tomorrow?

Liquid Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie + WIAW

November 16, 2011 By Laura

Deck the halls with tubs of frosting.

Last Wednesday I mentioned that holiday baking had begun. If it began then, it has EXPLODED now. There are 3 different containers of icing in my fridge right now. It’s a little ridiculous.

P.S. Does any one have tips for freezing icing? How about making room in the freezer to store said icing?

It’s Hump Day! Time for another installment of Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday. As always, check out Peas and Crayons to see the ever-growing collection of what everyone else dined on.