Although summer may not officially be over until September 22nd, it has already come to an end for me. I know that many of you reading this are not teachers and probably feel no pity that I have to work again after having two and a half months off. I am not, however, going to turn this into a defensive piece about my job schedule (but seriously - spend a school year in my shoes and you'd need that break, too!).
No, I just want to let you know that after spending just two full days in my classroom, I am exhausted. Too exhausted to post a recipe, upload a picture, or reflect on yesterday's run. Getting ready to teach a new group of students each year is challenging enough but it's even more overwhelming when you've moved to a new classroom and will be teaching a new grade. One that you've only taught for half a year. The second half of the year. By that point those kids were teaching me!
Anyway, my point is that I'll be very busy with work now and when I'm not working, I'll be trying to squeeze in my runs, get to the gym, and make healthy dinners using the fresh produce from our CSA before it shrivels up in the vegetable drawer. These will all stay priorities for me but I will definitely have to do some picking and choosing. Like maybe I can't do a morning run AND an afternoon weight session AND cycle class all in the same day. (Hmmm, maybe having less time to work out will be good for me...)
I've had so much fun blogging on a regular basis this summer and I'm sad that I won't have as much time to work on it as I did then. But don't worry - I'm not going to stop completely! Hopefully I can still do a few posts a week. Once I get into the swing of things with work it will get easier to manage my time so be sure to keep checking in!
Thanks for reading!
Are any of you getting ready for a new school year (as a student, parent, teacher)?
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Breakfast for Dinner: Not Moby's Blueberry Pancakes
Did you see "The Limo" episode of How I Met Your Mother where the gang followed a random guy around New York because they thought he was Moby? It turned out he was not Moby so they referred to him as Not Moby for the rest of the episode.
Well, Moby has a recipe for blueberry pancakes that he shared "exclusively" with Epicurious (although you can find it on countless recipe sites). I made these a few years ago for a Sunday brunch and they were well-received by both vegans (me) and non-vegans (everyone else) alike. They are a decidedly healthy pancake - spelt flour, wheat bran, oat bran, and no added sweetener. While they aren't going to be mistaken for an IHOP pancake, we all thought they were very tasty.
Last Monday Brian and I decided to make breakfast for dinner. We usually make banana nut pancakes but since we just had banana bread, we thought we'd go for something different. I promised Brian the best blueberry pancakes he's ever eaten because we were making Moby's pancakes. (Good thing Brian had never had blueberry pancakes. If he had, these might not quite have lived up to his expectations.)
The pancakes were good but I don't think they were quite right. They were really dense - almost more like a muffin than a pancake - and kind of dry. Maybe I should have added a little more milk to the batter. Or maybe I should have followed Moby's recipe more closely and used soy or rice milk instead of almond. Precise measurements probably would have helped, too.
Because these ultra-dense pancakes weren't turning out quite right, Brian and I began to refer to them as Not Moby's pancakes. Moby seems like a great guy so I'm sure he would have overlooked the texture and still claimed the recipe as his own. But the kiss of death for Moby's pancakes, the element that made them cross over to the dark side and really become Not Moby's pancakes, was not their texture. No, what made these uber-healthy pancakes Not Moby's was the river of syrup I poured all over them. Not maple syrup. Not agave. Nope. It was good old-fashioned Mrs. Butterworth. I'm talking about the kind with high-fructose corn syrup (that I generally scour ingredient lists for so as to avoid it completely) as a top ingredient.
Yes, that kind of syrup.
Am I proud to admit this? No. No I'm not. Why admit it then, when I could tell you I ate the pancakes with just a light drizzle of pure maple syrup and a smattering of fresh berries? Because I'm not perfect and even the most health-conscious people have their moments. Life goes on and it's okay.
What would Moby say about me defiling his healthy blueberry pancakes with Mrs. Butterworth in all her high-fructose glory? It doesn't matter what Moby would say because these are Not Moby's pancakes.
You can find Moby's recipe here. I suggest you give it a try. If they don't turn out quite right, you've made Not Moby's pancakes. And then you can smother them with whatever kind of syrup - and however much of it - you want!
Well, Moby has a recipe for blueberry pancakes that he shared "exclusively" with Epicurious (although you can find it on countless recipe sites). I made these a few years ago for a Sunday brunch and they were well-received by both vegans (me) and non-vegans (everyone else) alike. They are a decidedly healthy pancake - spelt flour, wheat bran, oat bran, and no added sweetener. While they aren't going to be mistaken for an IHOP pancake, we all thought they were very tasty.
Last Monday Brian and I decided to make breakfast for dinner. We usually make banana nut pancakes but since we just had banana bread, we thought we'd go for something different. I promised Brian the best blueberry pancakes he's ever eaten because we were making Moby's pancakes. (Good thing Brian had never had blueberry pancakes. If he had, these might not quite have lived up to his expectations.)
The pancakes were good but I don't think they were quite right. They were really dense - almost more like a muffin than a pancake - and kind of dry. Maybe I should have added a little more milk to the batter. Or maybe I should have followed Moby's recipe more closely and used soy or rice milk instead of almond. Precise measurements probably would have helped, too.
Because these ultra-dense pancakes weren't turning out quite right, Brian and I began to refer to them as Not Moby's pancakes. Moby seems like a great guy so I'm sure he would have overlooked the texture and still claimed the recipe as his own. But the kiss of death for Moby's pancakes, the element that made them cross over to the dark side and really become Not Moby's pancakes, was not their texture. No, what made these uber-healthy pancakes Not Moby's was the river of syrup I poured all over them. Not maple syrup. Not agave. Nope. It was good old-fashioned Mrs. Butterworth. I'm talking about the kind with high-fructose corn syrup (that I generally scour ingredient lists for so as to avoid it completely) as a top ingredient.
Yes, that kind of syrup.
Am I proud to admit this? No. No I'm not. Why admit it then, when I could tell you I ate the pancakes with just a light drizzle of pure maple syrup and a smattering of fresh berries? Because I'm not perfect and even the most health-conscious people have their moments. Life goes on and it's okay.
What would Moby say about me defiling his healthy blueberry pancakes with Mrs. Butterworth in all her high-fructose glory? It doesn't matter what Moby would say because these are Not Moby's pancakes.
You can find Moby's recipe here. I suggest you give it a try. If they don't turn out quite right, you've made Not Moby's pancakes. And then you can smother them with whatever kind of syrup - and however much of it - you want!
 |
| As you can see, I cleverly hid the syrup in this fancy little pitcher! |
Friday, August 26, 2011
Farmer's Market Fridays - 8/26/11
Oh, Farmer's Market Fridays...I knew from the start that what we shared this summer had an expiration date; however, that didn't make our last day together any less difficult. Next Friday I'll be back at work and I don't have a Friday off until long after the market has ended for the year. (But sometimes I can only get doctor appointments on Friday mornings - cough! cough! - so we may meet again.)
It was sad to say my good-byes to all my Friday friends - Chuck at yoga (though I can see him other days during the school year), Mike from Avalon, Amy and Charlie from Living Stones, and Farmer Glen from Chelsea, MI. Of course either Katie or my mom will continue to pick up our CSA share, so I'll still get that each week. And if I want a date bar I know my mom would grab one for me. It just isn't the same as being there, though. And all the potatoes and carrots that my mom could get for me from Farmer Glen just won't cut it when I don't get to hear him say, "Take 'er easy!" when we say good-bye. sigh. The memories. I wore my sunglasses so no one could see my tears. (Just kidding - the real tears will come NEXT Friday when reality sets in.)
I'm thankful that it was a perfect summer day for my last one at the market. All the produce was bright and bountiful. I sort of wanted to buy everything but managed to exercise great restraint. (Our refrigerator only holds so much.) I bought a huge watermelon from Farmer Glen that I'll cut up for Brian's birthday dinner on Sunday. I also bought 2 quarts of the amazing peaches to share with Katie so I can make peach crisp. Mmmmm, I can't wait!
In the CSA share today we got the following:
By the time I had all that, plus the watermelon, peaches, a package of cookies for Brian, and 2 date bars*, I could barely carry everything back to the car! I definitely got in my strength workout for the day!
Since we've gone to Starbucks the past few weeks, my mom and I went to Panera Cares today for our coffee. Since they're non-profit, it's always nice to go there and give a little extra to help out those who don't have enough money for a good meal.
I'm going to head out now for my run and then cool off with a refreshing Banana Chamomile Smoothie. Maybe I'll sit out on the patio, sip that, and do the crossword puzzle. Yes, that sounds like a great thing to do on this gorgeous summer day.
Happy Friday!
*The 2nd date bar is for my friend Aaron, who has been dropping not-so-discreet hints about me bringing one to boot camp for him on Saturday. I thought he might need a little motivation to get out of bed in the morning! This is also a test to see if he actually reads my blog posts.
It was sad to say my good-byes to all my Friday friends - Chuck at yoga (though I can see him other days during the school year), Mike from Avalon, Amy and Charlie from Living Stones, and Farmer Glen from Chelsea, MI. Of course either Katie or my mom will continue to pick up our CSA share, so I'll still get that each week. And if I want a date bar I know my mom would grab one for me. It just isn't the same as being there, though. And all the potatoes and carrots that my mom could get for me from Farmer Glen just won't cut it when I don't get to hear him say, "Take 'er easy!" when we say good-bye. sigh. The memories. I wore my sunglasses so no one could see my tears. (Just kidding - the real tears will come NEXT Friday when reality sets in.)
I'm thankful that it was a perfect summer day for my last one at the market. All the produce was bright and bountiful. I sort of wanted to buy everything but managed to exercise great restraint. (Our refrigerator only holds so much.) I bought a huge watermelon from Farmer Glen that I'll cut up for Brian's birthday dinner on Sunday. I also bought 2 quarts of the amazing peaches to share with Katie so I can make peach crisp. Mmmmm, I can't wait!
 |
| Flaming Fury peaches from Kapnick Orchard |
 |
| A HUGE watermelon from Farmer Glen |
In the CSA share today we got the following:
- 2 bunches of beets (1 red, 1 golden)
- 2 bunches of kale (1 red curly, 1 dinosaur)
- 4 big tomatoes
- 3 jalapeno peppers
- 2 Thai peppers
- 1 cantaloupe
- 2 summer squash
- 2 patty pan squash
- 2 bell peppers
- 2 eggplants
 |
| CSA share |
Since we've gone to Starbucks the past few weeks, my mom and I went to Panera Cares today for our coffee. Since they're non-profit, it's always nice to go there and give a little extra to help out those who don't have enough money for a good meal.
I'm going to head out now for my run and then cool off with a refreshing Banana Chamomile Smoothie. Maybe I'll sit out on the patio, sip that, and do the crossword puzzle. Yes, that sounds like a great thing to do on this gorgeous summer day.
Happy Friday!
*The 2nd date bar is for my friend Aaron, who has been dropping not-so-discreet hints about me bringing one to boot camp for him on Saturday. I thought he might need a little motivation to get out of bed in the morning! This is also a test to see if he actually reads my blog posts.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Revisiting the Question - Can I Call Myself a Runner?
In July I wrote a post about whether or not I can call myself a runner. At the time I was doing very little running other than races. My in-between race runs were short as well as few and far between. And I didn't particularly enjoy them. In fact, I dreaded them so much that I talked myself out of running more times that I care to admit. I wasn't doing much to try and change how I felt. I accepted that I'm just not a runner. And you know what? I was okay with that.
Since then I've had a change of heart. I've been running 6 days a week and I've actually been (hold onto your hats here!) enjoying it. Almost every day I get up around 6:30 or 7:00, put on my running clothes, and head out for a short run. I have a few different routes in the same general area and each is between 2-3 miles. They're nice, short runs to give me a kick-start on my day. I'm usually stiff, tired, and a little crabby when I leave (I think Brian is glad to see me go!) but as I run my muscles loosen up and the grouchiness starts to melt away. Even though I'm only out for about 20 minutes, it's long enough to give me that exercise high and I come home much happier than when I left (for which Brian is quite thankful, I'm sure).
There are a couple of things that have helped me enjoy running more:
1. Routine - I got myself into a routine and stuck with it long enough to make it a habit. Now if I don't run I just don't feel right. Even if I have a class at the gym later in the day, I still go on my morning run because that's just how I start my day now. Once work starts I'll have to get up earlier but I'm still planning on a daily run. (I'll let you know how that goes!)
2. Distance - I've kept my runs short because, unless it's a race, I don't like long runs. 2-3 miles is not far and it's over before I know it. I used to think that it wasn't worth working up a sweat for only 20 minutes but now I know better. It's totally worth it. Then if I can work out later in the day, it's like a bonus. And if I can't work out later in the day? At least I did something.
3. Expectations - Although I still run with my Nike+, I haven't been pressuring myself to stick to a certain pace. I just get out there and go, running faster or slower depending on how I'm feeling. If I had boot camp or cycle the night before, or if it's especially hot or humid, I'm probably going to be running slower. If I rested the day before or if the temperature is cooler, I'll be running faster. I do what I can do and at the end when I see my average pace, I don't let a slower pace get to me. It is what it is.
Thanks to these changes I've made over the summer, I really do enjoy running now. It gets me moving, clears my head, and gives me a chance to think about and plan my day ahead. (Or when work starts again soon, a chance to blow off steam after stressful days teaching 1st graders!)
Will my 2-3 miles a day prepare me for the 1/2 marathon I'm running in October? Not likely. Will I up my mileage so I'm better prepared to run the 13.1 miles? Even less likely. Although yes, I do like running, I don't like it THAT much. I think a few 10Ks between now and then, along with race day adrenaline, will be enough to get me to the finish line. I just won't expect to set any records. But I'm okay with that.
So when I go back to my original question, "Can I call myself a runner?", I think that now I can say yes, I am a runner. Not because I run more often. Not because someone told me I'm a runner. And not because I have the gnarly toenails and calluses to prove it. No, I'm a runner because I feel like a runner and I want to be a runner. For now, at least. And you know what? I'm okay with that.
Since then I've had a change of heart. I've been running 6 days a week and I've actually been (hold onto your hats here!) enjoying it. Almost every day I get up around 6:30 or 7:00, put on my running clothes, and head out for a short run. I have a few different routes in the same general area and each is between 2-3 miles. They're nice, short runs to give me a kick-start on my day. I'm usually stiff, tired, and a little crabby when I leave (I think Brian is glad to see me go!) but as I run my muscles loosen up and the grouchiness starts to melt away. Even though I'm only out for about 20 minutes, it's long enough to give me that exercise high and I come home much happier than when I left (for which Brian is quite thankful, I'm sure).
There are a couple of things that have helped me enjoy running more:
1. Routine - I got myself into a routine and stuck with it long enough to make it a habit. Now if I don't run I just don't feel right. Even if I have a class at the gym later in the day, I still go on my morning run because that's just how I start my day now. Once work starts I'll have to get up earlier but I'm still planning on a daily run. (I'll let you know how that goes!)
2. Distance - I've kept my runs short because, unless it's a race, I don't like long runs. 2-3 miles is not far and it's over before I know it. I used to think that it wasn't worth working up a sweat for only 20 minutes but now I know better. It's totally worth it. Then if I can work out later in the day, it's like a bonus. And if I can't work out later in the day? At least I did something.
3. Expectations - Although I still run with my Nike+, I haven't been pressuring myself to stick to a certain pace. I just get out there and go, running faster or slower depending on how I'm feeling. If I had boot camp or cycle the night before, or if it's especially hot or humid, I'm probably going to be running slower. If I rested the day before or if the temperature is cooler, I'll be running faster. I do what I can do and at the end when I see my average pace, I don't let a slower pace get to me. It is what it is.
Thanks to these changes I've made over the summer, I really do enjoy running now. It gets me moving, clears my head, and gives me a chance to think about and plan my day ahead. (Or when work starts again soon, a chance to blow off steam after stressful days teaching 1st graders!)
Will my 2-3 miles a day prepare me for the 1/2 marathon I'm running in October? Not likely. Will I up my mileage so I'm better prepared to run the 13.1 miles? Even less likely. Although yes, I do like running, I don't like it THAT much. I think a few 10Ks between now and then, along with race day adrenaline, will be enough to get me to the finish line. I just won't expect to set any records. But I'm okay with that.
So when I go back to my original question, "Can I call myself a runner?", I think that now I can say yes, I am a runner. Not because I run more often. Not because someone told me I'm a runner. And not because I have the gnarly toenails and calluses to prove it. No, I'm a runner because I feel like a runner and I want to be a runner. For now, at least. And you know what? I'm okay with that.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
PB2 Smoothie
So the other day I made the smoothie. Wow! That's just about all I can say. Wow! It is so creamy and delicious. It has the taste and consistency of a milkshake. A healthy milkshake! It is going to join the regular rotation of my favorite dessert-like smoothies - Banana Chamomile, Oatmeal Raisin Cookie, and the latest - Carrot Cake. I already have plans for some variations so I'll call this the Basic PB2 Smoothie.
If you don't have any PB2, you can substitute regular peanut butter. (And then order yourself some PB2 today!)
Basic PB2 Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2 tbsp. PB2
Agave (to taste)
1/8 tsp. xanthan gum (optional - makes it even creamier)
1-2 frozen bananas (cut into chunks before freezing)
Small handful ice cubes
Directions:
1. Combine almond milk, PB2, agave, and xanthan gum (if using) in your blender.
2. Add frozen banana chunks and ice; blend until smooth.
Makes 1 serving.
Do you make peanut butter smoothies? What's your favorite recipe?
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