Dreams Don't Always Come True...

The night before the B.A.A. 5k, I dreamt that I ran the race in 16 minutes...and then my alarm went off, and I realized it was only dream.  Imagine my disappointment!

I hopped out of bed, skipped the shower (what's the point?) and made some coffee.  I have been cutting back on my coffee consumption lately, so I only had half a cup.

On my way out the door, I toasted a sesame bagel and smeared it with whipped cream cheese.  I don't know if it was my nerves, the coffee, or the food, but my stomach wasn't very happy with me.  I'm still trying to perfect my "race day" routine. 

I met up with my friend Stacey (who kicked my butt in the Black cat Race) and her friend Sydney. They also brought along a personal coat rack, Stacey's boyfriend, Alex. He was such a champ to wake up that early on a Sunday just to hold our stuff, cheer us on, and take our picture.

This race had 6000 participants, so it was really crowded.  We made the mistake of getting into the line up pretty late, so we were at the end of the pack.  I lost Stacey and Sydney almost right away.  I spent the rest of the race weaving in and out of people, and trying not to trample all the 10 year olds.

My goal was to PR and finish in 26 minutes.  Sadly, It didn't happen! :(

Official time: 27:17
Nike+ Pace: 8:23

I liked this race a lot, and I plan to do it again next year.  They gave out sweet medals (Yay for Unicorns!), nice tech shirts, and little food bags with bagels, Gatorade, a cup of fruit, sparkling grape juice(?), and a Powerbar. 

Another awesome thing about this race is that the finish line is the same for the Boston Marathon, so when you cross the finish line, you can pretend you ran the marathon instead of the 5k, which is exactly what I did. :)

My Trusty Taste-Tester

Hope you all had a nice Saturday! (I almost just typed "Ya'll" ...ew)

The weather has been crazy, 70 degrees yesterday and 75 degrees today, and 88 degrees on Monday.  I hope all the people running the Boston Marathon tomorrow can handle the heat!

Today, I ran the B.A.A 5k, and since it started at 8 am, I wasn't too hot yet.  More on that later though...

My training for this week has consisted of 3 runs: 2 tabata runs, and a 3 mile run, and Saturday morning I took the "Pump" class at my gym again to get some strength training in.  In retrospect, not sure if this was a good idea the day before a race....my legs were super sore!

I wish my gym offered this class more than once a week! I stayed with the same amount of weight as last class, I'm still trying to figure out how much I can handle.


Now let's talk about my favorite thing: Food!

Friday night's dinner wasn't the healthiest, but it was one of the tastiest I've had in a while.  CJ and I made chicken parm.

We dipped the chicken breasts in an egg and milk mixture, then rolled them in bread crumbs.  Then we fried them in olive oil. 

Once the chicken was cooked through, we baked it in the oven with low-fat mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, we were boiling the whole wheat linguini.  Since I am the Queen of under cooking things (I'm very impatient),  I had my trusty taste-tester make sure the pasta was done.

<3 him

After taking the chicken out of the oven, the pasta was ready too, so we layered the chicken breasts on the pasta.  Voila!

It was delicious! Comfort food is always worth the calories.

(B.A.A 5k race recap and review to come! still waiting for my official results)

My Fi(r)st Pump Class

Hey everyone!  Did you notice anything new about my blog? Look up!
Do you see the new logo? What do you think about it? 
Personally, I love it :)

Hope you had a great Easter!
Mine was filled with family, food, and egg-hiding fun.

But, I did more than egg hunt this weekend, I tried a new workout!

I took my first "Pump" class at the gym.  "Body Pump" is a trademarked Les Mills group fitness class, but my gym does a generic copycat version.  It was just the kind of workout I've been wanting to try.  Like a lot of girls, strength training intimidates me, and I feel uncomfortable in the free weight section of my gym.  I took this class because I wanted to learn some basic strength training moves.

I loved the class so much, I can't wait to go again this weekend.  The class is done with a weight bar, and adjustable weights.  I took 2.5 lb weights and 5 lb weights, so my bar never held more than 15lbs for any exercise.  Since It was my first class, I didn't want to over do it.

We started with a warm-up that went through all the moves we would be doing throughout the class.  After the warm-up, each song focused on a different part of the body.  There was a squat song, a biceps song, and so on.  Before each song, there is a short break so you can change the amount of weights on your bar.  By the end of the class, I felt like I had worked most major muscles in my body.  I'm excited to add this class to my workout schedule.

The B.A.A 5k is this Sunday, so I've been doing some Tabata runs to try to improve my speed.  Tonight after work, I hopped on the treadmill and did one.  I love them because they only take 17-18 minutes, but they are super effective.

My goal for this 5k is to beat my previous time of 26:34.  I'd love to get a PR.

Spelt Pancakes with Carmelized Bananas

Sometimes breakfast for dinner just feels right, and when it does, I make pancakes!

Last night, when I got home from work, I was craving something sweet and filling.  I found a bag of spelt flour in my kitchen and decided to look up a recipe for spelt pancakes.  I halved that recipe since we only needed enough pancakes for two.

Adapted from Whole grain council recipe:

1 cup whole spelt flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups 1% milk(we added a little more milk than the recipe called for)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

What is so special about Spelt?
Spelt is an ancient grain with a nut-like and slightly sweet flavor.  Spelt is popular due to it's high protein and nutrient composition.  Spelt is a good source of calcium, magnesium, selenium, zinc, iron, and manganese. It also has vitamin E and B-complex vitamins, especially niacin.
Spelt can be used in place of whole wheat flour in most recipes.


As I made the pancake batter, CJ looked up a simple carmelized banana recipe, and whipped those up too.

Once the pancakes were done, we topped them with the bananas and a sprinkle of cinnamon.  They really hit the spot!

Not Inclined to Incline

Today after work, I had planned to go take a class at my gym.  Instead, I decided to stay home and go for a run on my treadmill.  Even though it was sunny outside, I whimped out and went for a run on the old hamster wheel.  After a long winter of many outdoor runs, I just can't handle any more.  Where is the warm spring weather?  I'm getting impatient!

I ran 3 miles, 5 min warm-up, usual pace(9:30-9:03), and 1.0 incline.

I haven't been running much lately so this was tougher than I expected, especially since you know I never do an incline.  I got to get back into the swing of things!

This is my scenery while running.  What, you didn't think people my age read Woman's Day?  It has good recipes, and I like to read about Valerie Bertinelli's attempts to stay relevant, and how she named her son Wolfie.  Poor Kid.

After my run, I cooled down, stretched, did a few planks, and headed upstairs for dinner.

On the menu:  Chicken Caesar Salads:

Weekly Workouts:
Mon- 3 mile run (Check!)
Tuesday:  Pump or Cardio Kick Boxing
Wednesday:  Yoga or possibly off
Thursday: 3 mile run
Friday: Off
Sat: Pump
Sunday:  Elliptical Workout + Abs

In Other News....
A friend of mine is designing a logo for Mac&Cheese&Peas, so you can expect to see that soon! I'm really excited about it.

As promised, here are some photos of the completed table.  I love how it came out.  I picked up the hardware from Anthropologie for $6, making the total cost of this project only $6.  I used leftover paint and brushes.  How's that for design on a dime??

 Are you working on any DIY projects at home? I'd love to hear!

A Baking Story in Photos

All photos taken by CJ, who really missed his calling as a food photographer. :)

Quiche- It's What's for Dinner

Quiche (or "egg pie" as I sometimes like to call it) is simple to make.  It takes about 15 min to prep and 30 min to bake.  It's filling, savory, and perfect for breakfast the next day!

Over time, I've been gradually attempting to make my quiches "healthier."

The first quiche I ever made was jam packed with cheddar, bacon, and heavy cream. It was scrumptious.

The second quiche I made was loaded with veggies and light cream, and still very delicious.

The third quiche I made was jam packed to the brim with all things green and earthy.  I sauteed some kale, steamed some broccoli, and fried up some mushrooms.
I mixed half 1%  milk and half light cream into the eggs.
It was satisfying and slightly healthier than the last.

The next quiche I make will have torillas for crust to eliminate the store bought pie crust, which contains partially hydrogenated lard (scary!) and is very high in saturated fat (yikes).

Step one: Prepare veggies.  I steamed the broccoli in the microwave, then chopped into small pieces.

I sauteed the kale in a little bit of olive oil, until wilted.

I chopped and sauteed the mushrooms in olive oil as well.

Lay out pie crust in pie dish.  I sprayed Pam cooking spray in mine to prevent it from sticking.

Start layering your veggies!  I also sprinkled in some reduced fat cheddar in between the broccoli and the kale.

In a medium bowl, whip up 6 eggs, and add 1/2 cup light cream and 1/2 cup 1% milk. Pour into pie dish over veggies.  Top with cheddar cheese and you're ready to bake.

When done, the quiche should look puffy, it will deflated when taken out of oven.  Use a toothpick to make sure it's cooked all the way through.  Let the quiche sit for about 10 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!