Simple, Scrumptious, Healthy

One of the downfalls of living in my otherwise delightfully quirky apartment is the lack of sunny outdoor space. I would LOVE to have space for a garden, so I could grow all the healthy veggies I try to cook with. The good news is, both Paula and my Mom have fabulous gardens -and are willing to share!!

Yesterday while visiting in Murrieta, my Mom taught me how to make another one of her scrumptious dishes: simple roasted tomatoes over pasta. I loved it so much, I decided to take advantage of the homegrown Romas Paula gave me, and make up a batch for lunch today...

The "before"... Roma tomatoes sliced in half, some salt and pepper, fresh dried oregano from Mom's garden, sprinkled breadcrumbs, drizzled with olive oil, and garnished with sliced garlic.

The "after"... roasted goodness with yummy burned bits.

Added on top of brown rice pasta with a little extra olive oil, salt and pepper.

It's good to be the daughter of a talented Italian ;)

Hitting the Wall

Last Saturday we upped the mileage again...to 16!! I actually felt fairly good until about mile 15, where I completely hit the wall. My knees were in bad shape, and I could not conceive of continuing uphill for another mile. I ran-walked my way through, and managed to run continuously for the last quarter mile. I still feel great when I think about how much terrain we covered. I will be on a mission this week to investigate additional knee support options, before the 17 miles slated for our next long run.

Tonight I eeked out 2 miles; my chest still feeling tight after a week of illness. Tomorrow I need to get 6 miles on the books, followed by 3 more and cross-training on Thursday.

In an effort to relax after a day of work, and recover from a disappointing workout, I decided to cook a new healthy post-run meal: Peruvian turkey breast cutlets, mini zucchini, and sweet potato with agave nectar and cinnamon. The marinade was super easy to make...


2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crumbled (had some of Mom's garden bounty handy!)
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch ground pepper
Pinch salt

Food for Thought

Inspired by my long run on Saturday, I decided to cook a healthy dinner. Nothing fancy...just grilled salmon, steamed asparagus, butternut squash, and brown rice.

Our weekend team run took place in Torrance...a 3.5 mile loop around the airport. Other than my left foot going numb around mile 2, it was great. I was also told about a VERY useful website, http://www.mapmyrun.com/, that has come in particularly handy when I find myself traveling. You can search for (user-rated) routes by location, mileage, etc...



This coming Saturday, we kick the training up a notch to 6 miles at Malaga Cove in Palos Verdes.

Pacific Northwest

It has been a wonderful few days in the Bellingham area. Despite the VERY cool temps, the winter scenery is beautiful...definitely worthwhile to venture out. I stocked up on some cold-weather running gear, which was necessary for my 3 miler this morning.

We also discovered an awesome new whole-foods-like grocery store (but much cheaper). It has a huge selection of bulk grains, legumes, spices and specialty health foods. I wish we had this in So Cal! Made some great turkey chili tonight with supplies from the new find.