We’ve been having trouble getting Rosie to eat her food on her own, so we either throw it to her piece by piece, or use this ball that she knocks around to get the food out. It seems that eating needs to be a game for her lately.

(Channeling her inner puppy).

Rosie gets more funny with age. And very skilled at manipulation. If she doesn’t get what she wants, she will pout.

And pout some more.

Later on yesterday, we went to pick out our Christmas tree (while me, the brother and sister were all home)!

A serious activity for us – can’t be too skinny, because we have tons of ornaments!

We found just the right one.

It was cold, but the place had a fire going to keep us warm

Before the tree-decorating commenced (to be another post – I took too many pictures with my new camera!), I was in a baking mood. In anticipation of my arrival, my mom bought me a few cans of pumpkin (because she’s great like that) and I put one of them to good use yesterday!

Pumpkin Walnut Biscotti

Made using this recipe with minor substitutions.

Ingredients

• 1 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. nutmeg
• shake of ginger
• pinch salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c. pure pumpkin
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Directions

Mix the dry together (except walnuts) in a large bowl.

Mix the wet in a smaller bowl.

Combine the bowls and knead with floured hands.

Fold in walnuts.

Spread the dough into about a 1/2 inch thick mound, on a greased baking stone/sheet.

Bake at 350 for 22-30 minutes, until the center is firm to the touch.

Allow to cool (for 15 minutes) before cutting into 1 inch thick pieces.

I also cute mine in half length wise for smaller pieces.

Lower the oven temperature to 300. Turn the pieces on their sides and bake at 300 for an additional 15-20 minutes, to let them crisp up. Cool completely and allow to dry overnight if still a little moist.

I’ve been meaning to make biscotti for a while now, and this was a great basic recipe that made for tasty, crunchy, perfect-with-coffee-kind-of-sweet cookies.

The pumpkin is subtle and definitely does not dominate. The original recipe called for all regular flour – I found the 1.5 cup white and 1 cup whole wheat worked great. The biscotti didn’t fall apart at all and had no “gritty” taste.

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Day 28 – The November Gratitude Project

Today I’m grateful for the pictures I’m able to take with my new camera – it’s so much fun!

What are you thankful for? Tell me for a chance to win a Runners Cookie baked good!

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Being home to spend time with the family was wonderful as always – celebrating my birthday, running a Turkey Trot, doing the Black Friday thing, eating SO much good food, picking out our Christmas tree, and just relaxing.

Back in Boston and back to work tomorrow. Hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend as well!

Mainly my family (note that I am still at the kids table at 23 ).

We had lots of traditional Thanksgiving food.

And dessert.

(Creative dessert award: apple slices covered in caramel and topped with: nestle crunch bar, peppermint and chocolate, peanut butter and chocolate, and chocolate with sprinkles. SO good! I had at least 3).

My favorite pie of the night was lemon meringue.

Afterward we all felt like this.

After birthday cake, Thanksgiving, and a post-birthday dinner at an Italian restaurant last night (with SO much pasta), my stomach is very happy!

*******

Because no Thanksgiving weekend would be the same without it, yesterday my sister, my mom and I did the Black Friday thing — we go nearly every year and go EARLY. This year we got to the mall at 5:30 and were home by 8 am! Waking up at 4:45 isn’t the worst thing in the world – nothing a little coffee and napping can’t fix.

Our Black Friday experiences are NOTHING like this…

(source)

Or this.

(source)

Black Friday shoppers are often thought of as crazy (and I admit, my mom, sister and I are at least a little crazy for going), but I think the really crazy people are the ones who go in the afternoon/evening (when the malls are PACKED), and of course the one’s who wait outside all night and do this kind of stampede thing…

(source)

When we go (at 5 am), it is not crowded at all, and totally stress-free. We go for clothes, shoes, and maybe a couple of other things. Almost never electronics (I think that’s where it gets really insane).

Black Friday is when my sister and I pick out a lot of our Christmas presents from our parents and our grandma — she likes us to really love the stuff we open on Christmas morning, and this way we know everything will fit

We did well at Macy’s and Gap (which was 50% off the entire store until 10 am yesterday).

Did you partake in Black Friday? What did you get?

To continue the holiday spirit, we are getting our Christmas tree today!! I’m excited – I love the decorating process!

Day 26 & 27 – The November Gratitude Project

Yesterday: I am thankful for the fun and delicious dinner with family + Ben! It’s my favorite way to celebrate my birthday.

Today: I am grateful for having my dog Rosie greet me in the morning…and for all the leftovers in our fridge

Tell me what you were most thankful for this Thanksgiving.

I spent a long time researching cameras and considering what my priorities were. I almost got a DSLR, but concluded that right now that doesn’t make as much sense for me as a compact, quick, easy-to-use camera does. Maybe someday though.

These animals are too much – I cannot say no to those eyes!

My mom made me special birthday carrot cake that we had last night- with extra carrots and a sugar/milk icing instead of cream cheese

Oh my goodness -she makes the BEST. With coconut and pineapple and walnuts.

This morning we got our turkey trot on in Troy, NY. There was a walk, 5k, kid’s fun run, and 10k – we went with the 10k (5k is too short for me – I don’t like running that fast! haha, sounds pathetic).

Official times aren’t posted yet, but I think my 10k was about 44:30 (7:10 or 7:11 pace). I was pretty surprised! My PR is around a 7:03 pace, and I didn’t think my running fitness was even close to where it usually is when I’m into a running routine.

This sort of makes me doubt my philosophy on running. I know that cross-training and yoga (which I’ve been doing a lot of lately) are very helpful for running, but I thought my lack of logging miles would have hurt me a little more in this race.

Perhaps I’ve kept my miles up just enough to be okay in that regard? And the stair-master, strength-training and yoga have helped me stay strong enough to run relatively fast for me?

What do you think? Have you ever thought you might bomb a race and then end up doing well?

I’m off to eat turkey and see family…HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Day 25 – The November Gratitude Project

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for family and good food

Going to the post office right at 8 am to send off these envelopes!!! (Cross your fingers that the grad schools like me!) It feels great to get them done and off of my desk. I consider this a big gift to myself!

Since I am 7 23, I obviously wanted a special birthday breakfast. Meet Caitlin’s Grilled Banana Sandwich.

Remember when I made her Pancake Truffles? (And loved them?) Well this is just as awesome! I added almond butter and vanilla greek yogurt to fill mine, and it lived up to the expectations – Caitlin’s a breakfast genius.

I can’t wait to use my new food processor that came in the mail yesterday! A birthday present to myself that I bought using a coupon from a giveaway I won on Erica and Mandi’s blog!

Also excited to try out these new farmer’s market-inspired recipe books from Ben’s mom that I opened this morning Each one features a different season, and they include information on specific healthy ingredients as well as simple ways of preparing them.

But my best present is definitely going to be going home to see the family today! Hitting the road soon – see you in NY!

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Day 23 & 24 – The November Gratitude Project

Yesterday: I am grateful for Ben’s very sweet early birthday gift and the amazing bread pudding I had at one of my favorite restaurants!

Today: I am thankful for being able to go home and celebrate Thanksgiving with the people I love!

What are you grateful for today? Every comment gets you an entry into a delicious Runner’s Cookie baked good at the end of November!

I’m not one to turn down an opportunity to do a fun race with my mom, so of course I said Yes!

(source)

Today, 3 days prior to the Turkey Trot, it hit me that I had not done a speed workout since September! Yikes. I wanted to do some sort of tempo or speed work today, but I also knew that after a 2 month break, it would be a poor choice to jump right into a bunch of mile repeats or full-speed intervals.

So as a good middle ground, I did a Basic Speed Workout

• 1 mile warm-up (at a pace in which it’s easy to hold a conversation; today this was a 9:00 pace for me)
• 0.25 miles at long-run pace (8:30 for me)
• 0.25 miles at marathon pace (8:00)
• 0.25 miles at half-marathon pace (7:30)
• 0.25 miles at 10k pace (7:05)
• REPEAT the previous four, 2-3 times
• 1 mile cool-down

I think I pushed enough but not too hard that I felt great after doing this! I know that one workout isn’t going to make a huge difference on Thursday, but I wanted to give my legs a little warm-up for the 10k

When I got home my stomach was ready for a big breakfast!

Remember when I first made Heather’s Flourless Egg Crepe? Well this morning I had a vision of the egg crepe being more of an egg tortilla…

Oatmeal Burrito

First I made an egg “tortilla” with 2 eggs + 1/3 tsp. baking powder, place onto a hot, greased skillet and cooked covered.

No flipping necessary, and it slides right out of the pan! So easy.

In the meantime, I made my burrito (oatmeal) filling with:

• 1/2 c. oats
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 small banana
• splash vanilla
• cinnamon
• pinch salt

Waited until it was extra thick!

Then I poured the filling in the middle of the tortilla, topped it with Almond Butter and Strawberry Jam, and closed the “burrito.”

Even though my burrito didn’t close, it was still delicious! If you want it to close and look more like a real burrito, I’d suggest using 1/3 c. oats, milk and water instead of 1/2. Mine is more like a burrito bowl

If you’re not sure about the egg/sweet combo, give it a try! I thought it would be weird too, but I loved it.

Day 22 – The November Gratitude Project

Today  I am grateful for the support of my friends and family through my application process (as well as my career/soul-searching process). They have listened to me go back and forth and try to make sense of things. I couldn’t have done this without them!

What are you grateful for today? Every comment gets you an entry into a delicious Runner’s Cookie baked good at the end of November!

My favorite running visualizations:

From my Sport Psychology classes, I learned that in order for visualization to be successful, you need to imagine the scenarios in as much detail as possible and really try to bring out the emotions you want to evoke in yourself from the scenario.

I visualize…

• Myself running a race where I PRed or felt awesome.
• Myself crossing the finish line of the race I’m currently training for.
• How hard I pushed through certain training runs (maybe a 20-miler, a speed workout in the rain – anything that’s going to remind me how tough I am ).
• A runner that inspires me – could be Kara Goucher, my mom, my brother Zak, Joan Benoit Samuelson…
• My family and friends – it sounds corny, but sometimes it helps me to think about the support I have while I’m running.
• Being at an event I’m really looking forward to. (Usually has nothing to do with running but I think it gives me an adrenaline rush that seems to help – could be something as small as getting coffee with a friend or going home for the holidays.)

My favorite running mantras:

At first this idea might seem silly, but find something that has meaning for you and give it a try for a few weeks – you might find that after you say it to yourself enough times, it starts to resonate with you and feel genuine.

I say to myself…

• I am strong.
• I can do this.
• I WILL finish and it WILL feel incredible.
• I’m a fighter and this hill will not get the best of me.
• I’m doing my best, and even if this isn’t my fastest run ever, it will be awesome because I am giving 100%.
• If I don’t give everything I have right now, what am I going to think when I get home?
• Soon I’ll be done and taking a hot shower and having a good meal! Let’s get through this.

It’s great to remind myself of what works for me when I need a boost, especially when I’m in a bit of a running rut.

I’m also kind of in a food rut in that I went out for dinner Friday (pizza) and Saturday (Cheesecake factory – complete with Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake which was delicious obviously), and I haven’t made anything all that “interesting” lately. Grad school has been taking a lot of time, but in December, I plan to do a whole lot of cookie baking

Here is a small sample of what I’ve been eating…

Post-Run Meal

Mexican Omelet (my first post-run meal yesterday, with a whole grain bagel)

Sprayed a skillet with olive oil, browned some diced peppers and onions, sprayed the skillet again and poured in 2 eggs mixed with a splash of half & half, salt and pepper, waited for the egg to form and added cheese and tomato. Served with sour cream and salsa.

Post-Yoga Refuel

Grilled Almond Butter Banana Sandwich.

A slice of whole wheat bread spread with 2 Tbsp. raw almond butter and topped with thick banana slices, then another slice of bread on top. Heated on a lightly buttered skillet, a couple of minutes per side. SO good.

Before I actually tried yoga I never imagined it could be a “real” workout. Boy was I wrong! Yoga definitely makes me sweat and makes my muscles scream. I loved going to class today to stretch out. When I get home from yoga I’m always craving something substantial like this sandwich.

Football Watching Snack

Healthier Nachos

Organic blue corn chips, shredded BBQ chicken breast, diced tomato, onion, cumin, chili powder and cheese baked and served with salsa and a little sour cream.

*****

Do you find visualization and/or mantras helping when you’re running or exercising? If so, what are they?

Day 21 The November Gratitude Project

Today I am thankful for the beauty of fall in New England. Even though today was cold, it was sunny and the leaves were crinkling while we walked around – I love that!

What are you thankful for today?

I’ve been working on accepting my lack of desire to run, yet I  know I need to do at least a little running each week to maintain a base. This is important, as I don’t want to be starting from scratch when I begin my training program.

It was only 10 miles but it felt like 20 – I hardly ever actually want to stop during my runs, but today it was a constant mental battle to keep going.

The good part was that I kept running, the not-so-good part was that I was slow, really slow for me. The first 5 miles were at a 9:00 minute pace, and the last 5 miles were at a 9:30 pace.

I thought my muscles would feel a little more fresh and ready to run fast, but…

• maybe all the stairmaster, fitness classes and yoga take more of a toll on my body  than I realize?
• maybe I didn’t fuel properly? I did actually feel hungry in the last couple of miles.
• maybe I’m a little more out-of-running shape than I thought?

I know I’m strong and fit and in shape right now, but being in running shape is so different for me. I believe that for my body, running involves

• a certain set of muscles that don’t really get worked any other way
• my joints being used to the pounding
• and getting into my groove mentally.

There’s only one way to find out if I am out of running shape and fit it. In the next couple of weeks, I’m going to start running more (at least 4 days a week for 3-10 miles each time), see what happens, then probably increase to 5 days per week and more miles, and build up that way until training starts in mid-December.

I think (or hope) I am just a little mentally and physically “out of it” with running, and hopefully I get get back into it before I start training for Boston. I don’t want the training to be a complete shock for my body.

Here are some pictures that might help get me excited about running…

2007 Peachtree Road Race in Georgia (largest 10k in the US)

A really fun race to run, always on July 4th!

Hugging Ben during my very first marathon in Boston 2008

Probably the best race of my life – HMRM 2009, where I qualified for Boston…

and won my age group.

Boston 2010 – my 3rd, but 1st as a qualifier. (With my best cheerleader & biggest fan).

(With one of my custom made Snoopy posters from my other cheerleader, Katrina!)

2010 Wicked Half Marathon

Where I got another age group prize

Gotta keep my mind on this…

And how amazing it feels to turn onto this street after running 26 miles.

I will get there. Have to start somewhere!

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Day 19 & 20 The November Gratitude Project

Yesterday:I am grateful for being able to work with very smart, motivated individuals – it has given me a lot of valuable experience.

Today: I am grateful for coffee, bagels, and pumpkin bread. (This gives you an idea of the kind of day I’m having ).

What are you grateful for today? Every comment means an entry for a sweet giveaway!

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I was going to bake something today, but for some reason I am so tired. Gotta keep working on applications – Ben and I are going on a dinner date so that I have something to look forward to

I hope you are having a great weekend!

I am semi-incapable of editing solely on the computer. Maybe it’s because this is what I did in high school, but there is only so much I can do scrolling up and down on a computer screen. At some point I need to print out what I have, cross things out and draw arrows. I swear it helps me! Am I the only one?

Even though I am applying to grad school and that is a pretty consuming task, I have made the effort to maintain balance in my life.

I mentioned that running has been less interesting to me lately, but thanks to the support from you guys and my family, I’m going with it, and doing more yoga and other kinds of cardio and not feeling discouraged about it.

Running will come back into my life in December, and I hope to be ready to embrace it then

The funny thing is, I’ve also noticed that in general, my workouts have been shorter (I think because I’m budgeting my time to lots of other things), and focusing more on the quality of them, rather than quantity.

Get ready for a minor tangent…

I admit that in the past (read: college) I had a really rigid mindset about the gym. I used to set weird rules for myself, like “I’m going to stay at the gym for 1.5 hours” – if I couldn’t stick to the time constraint that I set, sometimes I’d go back at night, out of feelings of obligation, not enjoyment. It did not necessarily matter what I was doing during that time, as long as I was moving and I could tell myself “I worked out for x number of hours.”

I pretty much disregarded how I felt or the importance of having a good balance between strength and cardio (I used to do about 90% cardio, 10% other stuff). I knew this was very much not healthy, and even made efforts to hide my mentality from family and friends, but for a long time I couldn’t let it go.

Now I realize the importance of rest days, strength training, and above all, listening to my body and enjoying exercise. Adjusting from a rigid, self-deprecating attitude toward exercise to an open, accepting and happiness-oriented mindset does not happen overnight, but it does happen with some time, effort, and support from people you love.

Lately my workouts rarely last more than an hour, with the exception of yoga classes, which go a bit longer. And I really don’t think my body (or weight) has suffered. In fact, I think I am stronger than I ever was, because I am putting more effort into having a shorter, more intense workouts that combine different types of cardio (again, at the moment not very much running – more stairmaster, the crazy elliptical, uphill walking, and jumping/floor exercises) along with strength training both with weights and body weight alone (like push-ups).

I’ve also been putting more effort into eating intuitively, which I’m sure has also helped me stay in my healthy, happy place. Going with my hunger cues and eating slowly (without distractions) are key for me.

Obviously when I start to train for Boston, this will change. When I’m training for a marathon, that takes precedent and I immerse myself in the running routine and I love it, BUT I plan to keep up the strength and the yoga where I can. There is no doubt that they both help me run faster. I don’t believe in putting in a lot of “junk miles” and neglecting strength training. Quality over quantity definitely applies to marathon training as well!

Because I know that in reality there will be less time for yoga and weights when the miles start revving up…

I’m going to remind myself of Little Things I can do to improve my strength (without going to the gym):

• When I feel tired at work, shut my door and do 10 push-ups and 20 squats. If I do this every hour or two, that adds up! And it keeps my energy up.
• Do crunches on the ball when I catch up with my DVR. The distraction of TV can be a beautiful thing!
• Stretch my hamstrings and quads while I’m waiting for my oatmeal to cook (I do not stretch enough).
• Do chair dips for the triceps:

Do you have any quick exercises that can be done without going to the gym?

Day 17 & 18 The November Gratitude Project

Yesterday:I am grateful for living in Boston, which is the perfect amount of “city” for me!

Today: I am grateful for having a wonderful and experienced yoga instructor at my gym.

What are you grateful for today? Every comment means an entry for a sweet giveaway!

Where, in my dreams, I would do all of my grocery shopping. Somehow I limit myself to once per month.

Usually I get a few “special” things and also some staples that are actually more expensive at our regular grocery store (Shaw’s).

This past Sunday, in addition to a coffee and a vegan oatmeal date scone (holy amazing, by the way) I got:

a box of tea – Orange Vanilla Creme Rooibos sounded too good to pass up, especially for $3.99

2 cans of organic pumpkin, because 2 for $5 was also too good to pass up

2 boxes of Peanut Butter Puffins, because peanut butter cereal is heavenly AND 2 for $6 was again too good to pass up (are you catching on that I’m a sucker for a sale?)

and Almond Milk (because it’s cheaper than at Shaw’s).

This morning for breakfast, I put some of the pumpkin to good use and made Chocolate Pumpkin Oats. SO good after a workout.

• 1/2 c. rolled oats
• 1/4 c. milk
• 1 c. water
• 1 small banana
• 1 Tbsp. flaxseed meal
• pinch salt
• vanilla
• pumpkin pie spice
• 1/3 c. pumpkin, stirred in at the end
• 1/4 c. greek yogurt, stirred in at the end
• toppings: chopped walnuts & 1 Tbsp. dark choc. chips

And tonight, putting that new tea to good use, I made some of Julie’s scones that I fell in love with in this post (the chai tea version), except I used the Orange Vanilla tea I bought at WF.

I love this scone recipe because it is super easy (only uses one bowl and a total of 8 ingredients I usually have in my kitchen) and makes really great, fluffy scones that I love having for breakfast (probably paired with nut butter and yogurt), as an oat topping, or even for a snack.

Want to see how easy it is to make delicious scones in 20 minutes?

Mix all 5 dry ingredients (minus the tea) in a bowl.

Add the oil and knead with hands.

Add the milk in 3 parts, continuing to knead as you go.

Fold in the tea.

Make into 2 balls, flatten on a greased baking sheet, cut into 12 slices, then separate.

Bake for about 10 minutes…and you have beautiful, puffy scones!

I left the dough a bit thicker than 1/2″ as Julie suggests – I wanted them to be a little more plump this time

I’d say I succeeded.

And, if you are like me in that cutting things into uniform shapes and sizes is not your strongest asset, you will have some that will be great for a small snack or crumbling on top of oats, and others that will be perfect for breakfast

My trip to Whole Foods turned into many treats for myself How do you treat yourself?

*****

Day 16 The November Gratitude Project

Today I am thankful for my health – nothing could be more precious.

Please tell me what you are thankful for today. When you write something, your name will go into an entry for a tasty homemade fall treat at the end of the month!