Cookies

Disclaimer: this post does not include anything healthy…but the cookies might be good for mental health! 😛

I was in the mood to bake something this afternoon…preferrably something involving chocolate and I came up with the perfect recipe. A few months ago I saw a recipe for chocolate chip cookies on a fellow blogger’s site and I baked a batch for myself. The memory of those mouth-watering cookies made this decision really easy. I must bake them again! I’m definitely not going to take credit for this recipe, but I will show you a pic of the results. You should really check out Megan’s website, www.runnerskitchen.com. I have been reading it for over a year and she’s been such an inspiration for my running and healthy lifestyle. I would love to run or eat at a New York restaurant with her sometime!

Here’s the recipe, but you can also see it on her blog. It’s a modified version from the famous Levain Bakery’s chocolate chip cookie recipe. I added a little bit of vanilla to the recipe and cut the salt in half.

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup bread flour
• 1 tsp corn starch
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup chocolate chips, I used semi-sweet chips with a handful of milk chocolate chips

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the butter and sugar til light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until well combined. In a seperate bowl, combine the salt, flours, leaveners, and corn starch. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. The dough will be stiff! Stir in the chocolate chips by hand. Take a golf ball size amount of dough, roll it into a round ball, and place it on the baking sheet. Do not flatten. Bake for about 12 minutes until just slightly golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.  Makes about 18 cookies

These cookies are so delicious. I highly recommend them!

Workouts!

I finally started doing workouts last week. Last Wednesday afterwork M and I hit the gym for a tempo run on the treadmill. The weather was kind of cold, rainy and icky outside so it was just easier to do a workout indoors. My workout was 3 miles at 8 min/mile with a one mile warmup and a one mile cooldown. It was a pretty ambitious goal but I did alright. I was tired after a mile, but hung in there until 2.4 miles when I had to slow it down a bit, but I picked it back up for the last two tenths of a mile and my overall time was 24:02 so I averaged the right pace. This was the first workout I have run in months so it was hard to determine what pace I should run. It was probably a little too fast for me, but not too far off.

On Friday I ran the 5-4-3-2-1 workout with a one mile warmup and one mile cooldown. It was challenging but I felt good. I like running fast in small bursts like that rather than the uncomfortablely fast pace of a tempo run. I ran the workout at the Apple Creek Trail because it’s a long stretch of pretty flat trail that isn’t interrupted by traffic, except for three street crossings. I had to veer off of the trail at one of the stoplights so I wouldn’t have to stop and wait to cross in the middle of one of my intervals. I ran on a sidewalk that intersects the trail. In total the workout was slightly more than 5 miles. I much prefer to run outside than to run inside. I think it helps keep me going. I get distracted by all the things around me so I don’t focus on how long I have to keep running.

Today I plan to run 1000 meter repeats. M is going to supervise this workout and guide me along. I have never run a workout on the track so it should be interesting. I think it’s good to do many different kinds of workouts to develop speed, strength, endurance and mental toughness. While I don’t typically look forward to workouts, I generally feel good after they are done. When I look back at how far and fast I’ve run I usually feel like I accomplished something and can definitely see an improvement in my running ability after a few workouts.

My total weekly mileage last week was 18. Not 30 like I was supposed to do, but not too bad. I am shooting for more miles this week. I ran 5 easy miles yesterday after work so I’m off to a good start. I worked a half shift today and I’m ready for the workout this afternoon!

In other news, last weekend was father’s day and I spent the weekend with my family at a fish fry at my uncle Jim’s house and for a steak dinner at my parents’ house. My uncle goes to Canada several times a year to fish and every year he always brings back fresh walleye to fry up for our anual father’s day party with my grandpa. It’s really the most fresh, delicious fish I’ve ever had, just lightly fried and dipped in his special homemade tartar sauce. Not exactly healthy, but sooo good!

Speaking of unhealthy food, M and I had a splurge breakfast the other day. We decided to take the morning off from workouts (well, he does morning workouts!) and bake some delicious cinnamon rolls and drink coffee! The perfect way to start the day…

LUSH products have arrived!

My LUSH cosmetics package arrived today! I saw the box at my apartment when I got home from work and immediately tore into it. I ordered two bars of soap – the Rockstar soap, and the Honey I washed the kids soap. I also ordered two bubblebars – the Ma Bar bubblebar and the Creamy candy bubblebar. I’ve never used any of the LUSH products but I’ve heard rave reviews online and I wanted to treat myself with some sweet smelling soaps! I will post a full review once I’ve had a chance to use them. I can already tell I’m going to like them. They are super cute and girly looking, and smell fantastic! I was worried the Rockstar soap would smell a little too much like bubblegum like the description said but it doesn’t. It’s just a great sweet smell. They also put a copy of the LUSH times catalog/newsletter in my package and two samples! I can’t wait to try them out 🙂

I just got home from work and I’m about ready to head out the door for a tempo run at the gym. It’s been rainy and cold today so I think running indoors sounds more appealing than getting soaked and freezing outside, despite the fact that I hate the treadmill. I’m doing a 3 mile tempo run at 8 min/mile pace with a one mile warm-up and one mile cool-down. Then I get to go home and use my new LUSH products in the shower! It will be a wonderful reward after the workout.

Tomorrow will be a long day at work so I won’t be running. Hopefully I can pick back up on Friday and run another workout!

Busy bee

After my 10 mile run on Thursday I didn’t run anymore for the week. I had every intention to run when I got out of work on Friday, Saturday and Sunday but things came up and I didn’t make time to run. So my weekly mileage was 18. I’m encouraged by the fact that I can run 10 miles but I would like to step-up my total weekly mileage a little. M worked on my training plan for the next few weeks and it’s quite aggressive. He wants me to aim for 30 miles this week! And start workouts. I will have to plan well if I want to fit it all in. I ran 5 miles this morning and I would like to run another 4-5 tomorrow when I get out of work. On Thursday I work a 12 hour day so I know I won’t be running. Then that leaves the weekend to sqeeze in 20-21 miles. Realistically that probably won’t happen. But I can at least get close to that.

Things have been busy lately. I’ve been picking up a lot of shifts at work and I started working a small part-time job at a retail store at the mall. And I’m trying to get enough paintings ready for Art in the Park. I think I’ve bitten off more than I can chew! If this other little part-time job doesn’t work out I probably will have to quit. The discount is nice, and a little extra cash is good, but I’ve already spent what I earned so far on their clothes, haha!

I didn’t have to work today at either of my jobs, so I ran 5 miles in the morning, had some lunch then went home and took a 3 mile walk with my mom. She is training to walk the half marathon in September. My sister and her did it last year and had a really great experience so they want to do it again this year. Maybe they will beat last year’s time!

Since I’ve been working so much I rewarded myself with a little “treat” from LUSH cosmetics. I ordered two soaps and two bubblebars and I’m very excitedly awaiting their arrival. They should be here tomorrow! I heard of LUSH on the recommendation of some of the beauty gurus on youtube. If you haven’t checked out their products you really should – they have all natural products with no artificial chemicals or preservatives. None of their products – or even any of the ingredients in their products – are tested on animals. They use fresh produce that was purchased in a fair trade manner to make their wonderful bath and body products. I can’t wait to try them out! A review will be posted after I’ve used them.

30 degree temperature change???

It has been a very strange few days as far as weather goes. The first few days of the week were so hot it was unbearable. Really, I shouldn’t have even ran outside but I chanced it. I think I already said this, but I ran 5 miles on Tuesday and 3 yesterday in the insane heat. I was drained after those two runs. But today the high was 62 degrees, although I’m not sure it even got that high. 30+ degrees less than the past few days! Seriously, I ran in pants and a long sleeve shirt. I went out to the Apple Creek trail and ran 10 miles again! This time it was harder than the first 10 miler I ran a few weeks ago, but I still got through it. I bribed myself with McDonald’s if I could complete 10 miles. So, for the last 5 miles all I could think about was hot, salty fries…mmmm…. As soon as I finished my run and stretched I drove straight to the Mickey D’s drive-thru and scarfed down a cheeseburger and fries. I know fast-food isn’t good for you, but you know what? After running 10 miles it tasted extremely satisfying and I forgot all about the high fat-content, haha!

Last night was my youngest sister’s high school graduation. I wore the new dress I bought and it looked pretty cute if I do say so myself. My dad even complimented me, which is a pretty rare occurance for my dad to notice anything fashion related. I think it was a good splurge.

Graduate and proud older sister!

Today I ran a bunch of errands and painted a little. And baked.  I really hate turning the oven on when it’s hot outside so we’ve held off on baking anything for the past few days. After running 10 miles earlier today I was ravenous (even after my McDonald’s splurge!). I felt like eating chocolate and decided to bake brownies. I grabbed a mix from the cupboard and assembled the ingredients – eggs, water and…canola oil. Crap, we ran out of oil! And I didn’t have any applesauce to substitute for the canola oil. And I didn’t feel like driving to the grocery store. I grabbed the bottle of olive oil and considered using it despite it’s olive-y taste (it wasn’t even light tasting olive oil). I decided to use a combination of half olive oil and half skim milk, and an extra few tablespoons of water. Then I threw in a few white and milk chocolate chips to cut any olive taste. I cooked it for the normal amount of time, let it cool and tested one. They tasted pretty decent!

Hmm...this looks like it's about to fall off the edge of the counter...

 A few days ago I got a catalog from Penzey’s Spices which included a coupon for a free Northwoods Seasoning. Score! I love Penzey’s because they send you their catalog every few months and it always has a coupon for a free jar of spices. It costs absolutely nothing. No purchase necessary and no cost to signing up for their mailing list. I highly suggest it if you have a Penzey’s Spices near you! While I was picking up my free jar of Northwoods Seasoning I also grabbed a bottle of Mexican Vanilla Extract. It smelled so delicious that I had to get it. You always need high quality vanilla, right?

As I was putting my new spices away, I noticed that I don’t have much room for anymore! My sister and I have accumulated quite a few spices over the course of the year we have lived in our apartment. We might need to think of a new storage solution for them. Any ideas?

This isn’t even all of them!

 

Have a great day everyone! Thanks for reading! 🙂

Great news!

Hello blog friends! I have some wonderful news, but it has nothing to do with running. As you know by now, I’m an artist (among many other things). About 7 years ago when I was a freshman in college I answered an ad on our school’s job webpage. The ad was looking for an artist to do illustrations for a local author’s childrens book. I submitted my portfolio, had an interview and was chosen for the job. Over the course of several years I worked on the artwork for the book – colored pencil drawings. Today the book is finally completed and in my hand! The book will be sold around the Fox Valley in bookstores and through word of mouth.

One of the pages of the book!

Today was insanely hot. The heat index was over 100. I knew I had to get my butt out the door early in the day lest I turn into jerky. I went for a 5 mile run at 9am. I have no idea how fast I was going, but I know it wasn’t fast. My watch crapped out (<— technical term! :P) on me so I don’t know my pace. It’s not surprising because it’s three years old and it’s from Wal-mart. I suppose it’s time to replace it. It was just an easy run so I don’t really care how fast I was running anyway. I have to consult “coach” (a.k.a. M) to see what my workouts will be. If the weather keeps up like this I’m not sure I will be doing too many workouts outside. Or else I will have to wake up early and run before breakfast! I hate doing that…

Tomorrow I picked up a shift at work and then I’m going to my sister’s high school graduation. I got a gift for her today and I found a new dress to wear for her graduation. What do you think? I got it at Francesca’s Collections in the mall. I will take a few pics at the graduation.

 

Have a wonderful day and stay cool!

Prefontaine classic!

Today was the Prefontaine Classic track and field meet. I’m not going to pretend to know much about track or even much about the runners in the event, but M loves this stuff. He and I watched the meet on both Friday night and today. He had a blast explaining everything to me and rattling off statistics about the runners and their times. I think he could have a career as a track comentator! One of our friends lives in Eugene, Oregon where the meet takes place and was actually attending this event. M was on the phone with him discussing the results of the races. We are planning to visit him in August, so I’m sure we will visit the famous Hayward field. I’m really looking forward to seeing the Pacific Northwest!

In regards to my own running, I really haven’t been doing much. I just ran those 3 miles on Monday, and 4 on Tuesday. That’s it for the week. There are a few reasons for that. I had a bad stomachache Thursday night which left me a little hesitant to run the next day and rest of the weekend. I think it was probably just the pizza I ate that night, but who knows.  And I picked up a lot of work towards the end of the week and I’m just not the kind of person who can run after working a 12 hour day when I’ve got to be back in the next morning. Unfortunately as a nurse I’m on my feet for almost the entire day. That drains enough energy out of me, and causes my feet to be so sore by the end of the day that I’m just not going to be able to run after a 12 hour day. It’s definitely going to be a limitation to my training, especially because the nursing home is in need of nurses for the next month or so…and I have a hard time saying no…and I need the money.

Yesterday afternoon M and I went out to the Wiouwash trail for an 8 mile run/bike ride. I bike, he runs. It was quite warm so I wore a backpack with waterbottles inside. It was a beautiful day aside from the heat. I want to start exploring other parts of the trail. It’s one of the longest trails in Wisconsin and happens to be only a 20 minute drive from where we live so it’s great place to run away from the traffic and business of the city.

This morning, before watching the Pre classic, I made blueberry pancakes! We had fresh blueberries left over from the Memorial Day cookout and I decided to throw a few of those into the pancakes to make a tasty breakfast.

After breakfast, we headed out for our weekly shopping trip that usually includes a stop at the mall and then to the grocery store. We hit up Scheel’s first and I bought a running visor since it’s getting so hot and I’d like to protect the skin on my face from the dangerous rays. I also spotted a waterbottle holder that I can attach to my bike so I won’t have to wear the backpack in the future!

We are heading back out to the trails for another run/bike ride this afternoon. Have a great day!

Memorial Day!

As you already know, Monday was Memorial Day. I was lucky enough to have the day off of work so I celebrated by going to a local parade with my mom. We got coffee and a cinnamon roll as a snack to have during the parade. It’s a tradition to go to the parade on Memorial day and it’s fun to see people from the community in the parade. The weather was amazing! Beautifully sunny, but it got pretty warm. I ran 3 miles when I got home from the parade and came back absolutely drenched in sweat and a little sunburned actually! Just a little pink.

Later on the afternoon my mom, dad, sister and her boyfriend, my other sister and M all got together at my apartment for a cookout. We grilled hamburgers and hotdogs, had corn on the cob, fruit salad, chips and salsa and cheese and crackers. Oh yeah, and beer can margaritas! If you’ve never had them, beer can margaritas sound a little weird. Beer in a margarita? But trust me, they are so good! They are very simple to make as well. Just mix one can of limeade concentrate, one beer, and as much tequilla as you like in a big pitcher. Fill the rest with a sour soda, add ice and enjoy!

This is a pic from another beer can margarita night, but it works with this post too!

Everything was delicious, but I was too busy eating to remember to snap many pics!

I ran 4 miles down the ‘exhaust pipe’ yesterday. I got an early start (9am) so the temperature wasn’t too bad. It was pretty windy, but a little cooler than on Monday. When I got home I worked on a painting for Art in the Park. Did you know that donuts are the hottest thing in fashionable bakery? Last year it was cupcakes, but I guess this year it’s donuts. I don’t know who decides that sort of thing, but I went with the trend and made a painting of donuts. That might be my next collection! What do you think? I think it needs something, but I haven’t decided what else to add.

I work tonight and tomorrow morning, so I’m not going to get a run in today. Hopefully I can get enough energy to go for a run after work. So far my weekly mileage is at 7. I need to step it up a little! Maybe I will go for a long run this weekend? Thanks for reading, have a great day!

Lunch with the ladies

Thursday was a beautiful, but chilly day. I started out by running 4 miles down the exhaust pipe. It’s funny how I can run 10 miles no problem, but after 4 miles my legs can feel like lead. I really hope that doesn’t happen on race day! I will just have to make sure I taper enough so I can feel light and fast during the race.

I ran one more time this weekend, which made this week the highest mileage I’ve ever run – 23 miles! I need to continue with this momentum and keep increasing the mileage. I’m not sure if that will happen since I’m starting workouts next week, but we will see.

On Thursday I had lunch with my mom, cousin and aunt to celebrate my aunt’s birthday. We went to Uno Chicago Grill in Appleton. M and I have been to this restaurant a few times and sometimes we order take-out deep dish pizza to take home on the weekends. I ate a little healthier on Thursday. I had the Firecracker chicken sandwich, which was grilled chicken, spicy sauce, homemade guacamole, spicy cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatos and red onion. As a side, I ordered a salad of whole grain wheat (not sure what wheat, quinoa maybe?), diced tomatos and cucumbers and a balsamic vinagrette. It was delicious!

Sorry the pic is kind of out of focus, my camera is old...

 I worked all weekend, but managed to run and see friends in between shifts. I worked a few extra hours on Friday so I didn’t have time to run before meeting my friend Amy for dinner. I had a lot of Mexican food lately! We had enchiladas and margaritas at Senor Tequilla’s in downtown Appleton. Then I pretty much just crashed, woke up and did it all over again. I worked on Saturday, then went home, got ready and had dinner with my friend Janice at El Azteca. I didn’t plan on eating this much Mexican or having that many margaritas this weekend but my friends picked the restaurants, I swear! And how can you go to a Mexican restaurant without having a margarita? I mean, seriously??

But today I was a good girl, came straight home from work and immediately headed out the door for a 3 miler to wrap up the week. For dinner my sister and I had honey mustard baked chicken, sour cream and chive pastaroni and white wine. Not a vegetable in sight, but it was tasty and hit the spot after a long weekend of work.

Oh yeah, she made pink lemonade cupcakes this weekend, so a few of those may have snuck in my diet too! Mmm…they were delicious!!
 

Rain, rain go away…

Yesterday was a rainy day. I spent most of the day painting. I finished the painting I will be donating to the Make a Wish foundation. Its a restaurant scene with a bottle of wine, two wine glasses and some delicious bread, cheese and grapes. A romantic dinner for two! What do you think?

I think this subject will appeal to the restaurant owners who attend the Gourmet Wishes event. I hope they bid on my painting in the auction to help raise money for a good cause. If they like what they see they can always throw a little business my way too! 😛 Next I will be painting pieces for Art in the Park 2011. Any suggestions on what I should paint? I realized I never posted this painting that I finished a few weeks ago. So here it is…

I waited til later in the day to go for a run, hoping that the rain would have stopped, but no such luck. Despite being tired from the epic 10 mile run from Tuesday my legs weren’t in too bad of shape. In fact it was just my knees that were sore. So I dragged my butt out the door and ran three cold, rainy miles. I’m at 16 miles for the week so far. My goal is to make it past 20 miles for the week. I think I should be able to accomplish that.

On such a cold, rainy day, I thought baking another potpie would be a good idea. When I made the chicken potpie last week we only ate half of what the recipe makes and froze the other half. I pulled the leftovers out of the freezer, made some fresh crust, and baked another delicious potpie. As I type this I’m smelling the mouth-watering aroma of potpie. Can’t wait for M to get back from his own 10 miler so we can dig in!

Mmm...potpie!