knitrunbakerun

May 20, 2013
by knitrunbake Leave a comment

Weekend Activities: Assembled, North End, Yarn, Dresses, Running

This weekend was jam packed with stuff! I started Saturday with a progressive 7 mile run, and then came home, and we had breakfast on the deck with the Bean. She loves it out there.

We headed on over to Assembled at Assembly Square. It’s a weekly event through September, and it’s a food truck-meets-Boston Etsy sellers event. We liked it! I managed to find a couple of gluten free options.

We had a dinner reservation at Carmen in the North End, but since we had some time to kill (and I needed to do a little shopping) so we made our way to Nordstrom.

I got a couple pairs of shoes including a pair of gold Sperry boat shoes. I randomly looked in at some really pretty dresses in Brooks Brothers, and I bought this black one and another liberty print spring dress. There was a 40% off sale, and the sales associate was so sweet, he gave me 25% off the item I was buying which was full price. Guess who has a customer for life?? I’m a sucker for good customer service.

(Oh, that? That’s a hamburger car. Random sighting in Somerville.)

On Sunday, I ran an early 10 miler, and then picked up Chelsea for a self-assembled north shore yarn crawl and lunch at Life Alive in Salem. Chelsea bought a boatload of yarn, and I’m excited to see what she’ll do with her haul. I got a couple of skeins of Debbie Bliss Rialto which was on sale for 25% off. Sold! I want to make myself the Foliage hat for next winter. I bought it in white. So pretty.

And finally, I managed to squish in a little bit of food prep before the weekend came to a close.

I did a quick roast of asparagus, mushrooms, carrots, zucchini and tofu. I also made my usual favorite: sweet potato! It’s a short week this week because we’re leaving on Friday for Martha’s Vineyard for Memorial Day.

Happy Monday folks!

May 17, 2013
by knitrunbake 1 Comment

What Thursday Looked Like (and a song)

I got a sock bun. And I took about 2715 photos trying to figure out how to photograph the back of my head so I could show you. So there’s a fantastic outtake of me trying to figure out in which direction I should point my phone. And then we have bun attempt #4. I am working on it. My hair is really thin, so I have to kind of spread it out everywhere.

I really like the concept though! I love the look of those big buns. Nice buns, hun!! Hahahah. I need to look at some more pics of how other people do this. If you want a guy’s perspective, read this and laugh a lot.

Today, I met my sister Michelle in the park for some lunchtime hanging out. She wanted some sun. I am a shade-girl, but I think we managed a little of both. Yes I’m wearing SPF 50. This is the time of year where Anne and I believe the sun is out to get us and slather on SPF 900 while we sit inside wearing hats. Too extreme? In other news, I got a Hibiscus Iced Tea from the Clover Food Lab truck and it was just delicious!

Michael is off at the Bruins playoff game (NY) and I’m hanging out at home, ready to go to bed early! I used today as my rest day, so I am running tomorrow. I painted my nails (OPI Significant Other Color), did some knitting, and am reading my new comic book, Fables: Legends in Exile.

Remember this song from Faith Hill? If you’re a country music fan (I am and I am ok with that!), you’ll probably know this.

The Secret of Life. I love this song. I’ve been thinking lately about the meaning of life, my purpose and what it means to live life to the fullest. I don’t think there’s one answer for everyone, and I think that is part of the joy.

Happy trails and happy Friday!

May 13, 2013
by knitrunbake 1 Comment

So good, I’m speechless.

So yeah, back to paleo baking! My favorite kind because it’s already gluten and dairy free. Phew. Easy and safe. (Speaking of safe, I got my epi pen for my allergy, and it’s gigantic. I had never seen one in person and I’m kind of shocked by how much space it takes up!)

This was a recipe adaptation from Elena’s Pantry. What I love about it is how fluffy it is. I have never made anything like it. It’s like a brownie in shape, but fluffy like a small cake. It’s also almond-y, coconut-y and a little hit of chocolate without being over the top sweet. I highly recommend putting them in the fridge. For some reason, I like them even better cold.

I’m on the edge of wanting to give them all away and not wanting to share with anyone. Food hoarding!

Paleo Almond Joy Bar Cookies

4 eggs
3/4 cup light coconut milk
2 tsp almond extract
3/4 cup brown coconut sugar
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
fat pinch of pink sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
3/4 cup chocolate drops (dark, dairy free if you want)

Preheat oven to 350*. Prepare an 8×8″ glass baking dish by lining with parchment or foil. You could also smudge a little coconut oil around. Whatever you’d like, really.

Combine the flours, salt and baking soda in a small bowl and set aside.

In a stand mixer or hand mixer, combine eggs, coconut milk, almond extract until well combined. Add the sugar. Add the dry ingredients that you’ve combined and incorporate it into the wet mix. Add 1/2 of the chocolate drops.

Pour batter into the baking dish. Sprinkle coconut all over the top. Dot on the remaining chocolate by pressing them into the top.

Bake for 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

OM NOM.

This morning I did lots of broad jumps, burpees and plank splits and some HIIT on the treadmill. Tomorrow I’ll run 8-10 miles depending on how I’m feeling/how early I hit the pavement. I am so excited about the earlier sunrise, I just want to get out there and run and run and run. It’s making me so happy, I am speechless.

The lesson: to up your happiness factor, make these almond bar things and run your butt off.

May 12, 2013
by knitrunbake 3 Comments

What the weekend looked like: fiber fest, bunnies and new shoes (and food)

On Mother’s Day weekend every year, the New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Growers Association holds its Fiber Festival. And that means one thing: YARN!

It also means 4H club, bunnies, roving, spinning wheels, my favorite hand cream, kettle corn and just about the most fun ever. I absolutely love going, being outside in the fresh air all afternoon, and walking around to see so many talented people.

It was a little rainy, but thankfully we don’t melt! Here’s what it looked like:

And here’s my haul:

Isn’t that sticker hilarious? I’m going to put it on my pinboard at work.

I got yarn from a company called Decadent Fibers, and this yarn is called Marshmallow, in the colorway Tequila Sunrise. It smells so sheepy and delicious. I keep inhaling it. We each got a soap (pine tar for him, lilac for me) and my favorite hand cream in the world from a little company that has no website, so I have to buy it every year in person. These two jars will last me the year. It’s amazing stuff. I got one plain (beeswax scent) and one in vanilla.

And in other news, I ran 20 miles this weekend (10 on Saturday, 10 on Sunday). And during this morning’s run, I was just really thinking about making a smoothie with these Bad Larrys:

Do any of you use a green powder in your smoothies? This is my newest obsession. A smoothie using these ingredients only is 180 calories and 22 grams of protein. And full of healthy antioxidants.

I came home, and mixed this up with 1/2 of a banana, frozen raspberries and 2 cups of baby spinach. So. Delicious.

And in other news, I bought these silver crochet TOMS shoes and I am undecided on the sizing.

I know, I have a lot of visible veins!

So I have heard you’re supposed to size down, but with my black glitter TOMS, I did just that and they were so painful for about 6 months. With these, I went with my regular size and now I’m wondering if they’re too big? Will they stretch out like crazy? Also are they un-cute? I’m wondering if these look too big. Hmmm.

Last year I wanted these so badly and they were sold out of everywhere.

Tomorrow I’m doing plyometrics and HIIT. Should be a good time!

May 8, 2013
by knitrunbake Leave a comment

Community Cooks, Creativity and Chakras (Awesome Alliteration)

Recently I joined up with Community Cooks, which is an organization that helps to feed hungry people in our communities. With the help of volunteer cooks, they offer free home cooked meals to those in need in the greater Boston area.

When I contacted them, I was asked a few questions (such as “Are you willing to cook meat?” and my availability for drop off times) and then I was joined up with a team at Bread of Life. Our team has a rotating schedule for items, and we are all assigned one item per month. This month I was tasked with making meatloaf. I think I’ve made it once before, but not in many years. So I looked at a few recipes and got started. I did let my contacts know that I have a gluten free kitchen and they said that’s fine!

So we were off and running.

One of the reasons I decided to contact Community Cooks was because I know just how many people are hungry, right in our own area. And to be honest, we are so blessed. We have so much, and we should do as much outreach as we can.

So here is what I dropped off! On the top there is a little brown sugar. I made this with quinoa instead of breadcrumbs.

And while that was cooking, I made us a super quick dinner:

A very quick quinoa veggie soup and some kale chips on the side.

Quick Quinoa Soup

chopped onion, carrots and celery (I bought these at Trader Joe’s as a soup starter, which made my life easy)
1 cup cooked quinoa
3 cups broth (veggie, chicken, etc)
1 14oz can chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup frozen peas
salt, pepper, thyme

Saute veggies until they’re soft. Add quinoa, tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil. Adjust seasonings. Add the peas and remove from heat.

Kale Chips

I know there are a zillion recipes on this, and so because the oven was already on 425* for the meatloaf, I went with that.

Spread kale on baking sheet. With a little brush, dust the kale with olive oil, and sprinkle some salt. Bake 9 minutes or so. Check for doneness. They go from crispy to burnt really quick.

**************************

How do you feel about chakras? I’m a bit of a hippie and I do like the idea of the body being balanced, the symbolism….pretty much all of it. I have done some chakra balancing in the past with my crainosacral therapist. I liked it a lot!

Anyway, in the book Women’s Bodies Women’s Wisdom (if you don’t have a copy, I urge you to get one right this minute! It’s great reading.), the author discusses chakras and offers that creativity is the cure/help for depression and anxiety. Thought provoking, I figured. I have had some ups and downs lately, mainly because I’m feeling a little stressed out. And I sure do love crafts.

Knowing this, Chelsea signed up for an embroidery class at Gather Here in Cambridge, which I’ve been wanting to take. She instantly urged me to do the same with “There’s only one spot left!! Sign up!”. So, I did. Kim also took this class and I’d been really interested ever since I saw her embroidery.

We went last night and had a really fun time! And in happy news, I have a boatload of embroidery floss ever since I went through the friendship bracelet craze of 2011. I just need some hoops and fabric now. I have since discovered Sublime Stitching and I have about a million project ideas.

Balanced? I would say so. One day at a time, we are getting a little bit better.

(Oh and in running news, just did an easy 5 miler this morning. It felt delicious.)

May 6, 2013
by knitrunbake 8 Comments

Twin Lights Half Marathon Recap (and some runner’s fuel)

Oh hi! What do we do when we arrive extra early for parking, but have an hour until gun time?

This:

Yes, I totally photobomb my sweet sleeping husband. And then Instagram it.

A few details about this race. Hilliest.Crap.Ever. I think it’s so gorgeous, but dear Lord in heaven. Up and down and up and down and up and up and up. My goal was just to get over the crests. Eyes on the crests, dig in, dig deep and climb, baby.

I’ve been doing plyometrics for 3 months and I feel it’s helped my stamina. Hello, box jumps. You’re coming in mighty handy now.

I passed mile 13 with 1:45:50 on my watch and I knew I wasn’t going to make the 1:45 timeframe. Not the end of the world, I pulled off a PR with 1:46:13 (8:06/mile average), placing 10th in my age group. I ran the first 3 miles without music, just to get a feeling for the pace, and to settle in. I usually don’t settle in until about mile 4-5.

I decided to go out with my goal being as many miles under 8:10 as possible, while running my last mile as the fastest mile, which was something I’d practiced during my long runs recently. I wanted to give the same effort up the hills as I was down. I forgot to turn my Garmin on right away (but I ran the tangents, FINALLY).

They clocked me at 1:46:13 and here are my splits:

Mile 1: 8:06
Mile 2: 8:10
Mile 3: 8:05
Mile 4: 8:03
Mile 5: 8:16
Mile 6: 8:17
Mile 7: 8:27
Mile 8: 8:12
Mile 9: 8:06
Mile 10: 8:33
Mile 11: 8:04
Mile 12: 8:07
Mile 13: 7:45
.01: 6:35

Here is some of the scenery:

Michael took these while I was running, but we took a walk to the beach after to check it out. Really just stunning.

There were a few pics of me crossing the finish line but they are so terrible! I couldn’t bear to add them. You can use your imagination. Just imagine me making all kinds of weird faces and leaning too far back when I see Michael and try to wave at him.

I felt really good about this race. And I’m super happy I’m not sore. Successful day.

After that, we came home, I showered up and we went to Blue Stove at Nordstrom for lunch. And it was stinking delicious. I did some kitchen prep after and I made this baked oatmeal dish:

When I up my mileage, I want one food: OATS.

Nicole’s Gluten Free Baked Oatmeal:

2 cups gluten free oats
2/3 cup egg whites
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 mashed banana
1 tbsp cake spice or apple pie spice
1/4 cup raisins
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp maple syrup or honey
small amount coconut oil

Preheat oven to 350*. In an 8×8″ glass baking dish, spread a little coconut oil around with a paper towel. Right in the dish, toss oats, raisins, baking soda and spices. In a bowl, combine egg whites, almond milk and banana. Whisk together until smooth-ish. The banana will be lumpy. It’s fine.

Pour the mixture over oats, and use a fork to combine. Drizzle the maple syrup over. Bake for 50 minutes.

I topped mine with a sliced Turkish apricot and some banana pieces. It’s delicious. Makes 6 good sized servings.

May 3, 2013
by knitrunbake 5 Comments

What do you do? Wanna do a Skill Swap?

I am organizing a Skill Swap! What is that? It’s loosely organized with the idea that everyone has something to teach, and everyone has something they’d like to learn. You teach, we learn. We teach, you learn. Simple as that!

I’ll be hosting (though depending on how much turn out we get, we’ll see what we need for space!) and if you want to tell me what you’d like to teach or learn more about, let’s see if we can make a match! It’s social, it’s fun, it’s for your brain. And what could be better than that?

Things you could teach or learn:

knit/crochet
sew
tie a perfect bow
apply winged eyeliner
make jam
dehydrate fruit in your oven
juggle
apply nail polish with your non-dominant hand
choose a wine to go with a dinner you’re cooking
stock a baking cabinet
change a tire
plant a garden
run

If you’re in, let me know and we’ll organize it up. I already have a few folks offline signed up. We are going to have a party!