Beans for Breakfast

I’m not usually a sweets person in the morning. Cereal, oatmeal, donuts–those starches just don’t always appeal to me first thing after waking up. Although I do eat oatmeal for breakfast most days, lately I’ve been craving something a little more, um, delicious. I also want to keep it pretty healthy, so here is my new breakfast:

Pinto bean burrito!

My coworkers look at me like I’m eating a live animal (because eating a donut is so much healthier), but seriously, it’s really not that weird. And it’s full of carbs, protein, and fiber. Beans are awesome! Sometimes I get a little crazy and use black beans instead of pinto beans.

I just mash up some pinto beans, throw them onto a tortilla, and then add a little cheese (because a burrito without cheese is just weird). Microwave for one minute and you have yourself a hot, portable, filling Breakfast of Champions. Add a little Frank’s Red Hot or Sriracha for bonus points.

This compact comestible is about 250-300 calories with lots of protein, fiber, and potassium. And, well, that’s more than I can say for boring ol’ cereal.

Cake Pops are all the rage!

Ever since one of my favorite coworkers bought me a cake pop from Starbucks, I crave one of these sweet morsels every other day. I did a little research and found lots of videos and recipes for making cake pops. This is my modified, condensed version of everything I found. I wanted to make these cake pops before the Super Bowl to give you a chance to make them for your party. If you’ve never had a cake pop, you’re in for a real treat. And if you have, you know how addictive they are.

You need:

• A 9″x13″ cake (any flavor)
• One can of ready-made frosting
• Bag of chocolate chips or candy melts (available at craft/hobby stores)
• Lollipop or candy sticks
• White decorating gel or candy pen

The fun thing about cake pops is you can make them into any shape, size, or color you want. If you want to make simple cake pops in red, white, and blue for this year’s Super Bowl, do it!

By the way, when I was at the craft store looking for candy melts, I saw these:

(Please don’t buy these for your Super Bowl party.)

1. Bake a cake in a 9″x13″ pan. Make it easy for yourself and purchase a cake mix. Or if you’re fancy, make one from scratch. But seriously, there’s so much sugar in these cake pops, nobody will know if you made the cake from scratch or not. Let the cake cool.

2. Get a large bowl. Crumble to cake in the bowl and don’t leave any big chunks. The cake should be crumbs.

3. Add 3/4 can of frosting, or until the cake has the consistency of cookie dough.

4. Take a small amount of “dough” and shape it into a football shape or a ball. Repeat to create the remaining footballs/cake balls, and then set the sheet tray in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

TIP: Don’t make the cake footballs/balls too big. They are very heavy when they are finally coated in chocolate or candy coating. And they’re so sweet that a little goes a long way.

Shaping cake balls is kind of like making meatballs, except you get to lick the spoon afterward. Best spoon-lickable food ever.

5. Create a double boiler by filling a small pot with about 1 to 2 inches of water. Set a glass bowl over the pot of water. Fill the bowl with either chocolate chips or candy chips. Set the burner to medium-low heat, constantly stirring the chips until they melt. If you’re using more than one kind/color of chips, melt them in a separate bowl. (I melted both chocolate chips and white candy chips in separate bowls). Don’t leave the chocolate unattended! And don’t thin it out with water. If you must thin it out, use shortening (yeah, the super healthy stuff).

6. Dip one candy stick into the melted chocolate or candy chips, and then insert the stick into one end of the cake pop. Repeat for the remaining cake pops. Stick the cake pops back into the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

7. Dip each cake pop into the melted chocolate or candy chips (re-melt if necessary). Allow the excess to drip into the bowl, and then prop each cake pop in Styrofoam. Or lay them on aluminum foil. Stick the cake pops into the refrigerator for another 30 minutes. Follow the directions on the decorating gel or candy pens to add white “laces” to the footballs. Decorate the cake balls as desired. I just drizzled chocolate over the white candy.

Side note: Decorating gel doesn’t harden, so it’s great to use if you’re just serving these at home; however, if you’d like to wrap each cake pop individually, or if you want to transport them, use the candy pen, as the candy pen solidifies and won’t smudge.

8. Eat. Enter sugar coma.

Enjoy! And have fun cheering for your favorite team in the Super Bowl!

Kari

P.S. Like what you see here? Check out this book. Angie Dudley is a cake-pop genius.

Running Poll

Things I do while tapering

Mission Bay

Because the Surf City Marathon will be my first, this is also the first time I’ve had to taper for this long. My peak long run was about 2 weekends ago, and since then, I’ve sorta been going nuts. I cut back my running (this week I’m only running 19 miles, and that includes today’s half marathon), and I’ve had a lot more free time now than I did before tapering.

Here is a list of things I do while tapering:

1. I eat. A lot. I eat when I’m bored. I eat when I get the itch to run a 1,ooo-mile tempo run. Lately, I have had to fight the urge to do all of my runs as tempo runs. I’ve been quite speedy lately. Maybe due to my new Newtons? Or maybe because I’m trying to make up for the lack of mileage.
2. I think about running. All the time. Sometimes it’s nice to have a day or two off (I’m actually pretty lazy), but I find that tapering is like dieting: the more you tell yourself “no,” the more you want to do it! Mission Bay is my favorite place to run. I miss you, old friend! I will see you for another 3-hour long run again very soon.
3. I worry that I’m losing all of my fitness. I have to constantly check websites and talk to Ryan just to reassure myself that I am not, in fact, losing fitness. I know I’ll be fine, but I’m just antsy.
4. I gain weight. I feel puffy. Probably from all that eating instead of running!
5. I make a long list of things I need to do (but will probably never do). This list includes household chores, blogs I want to write, recipes I want to try, restaurants I want to visit, letters I need to send, things I need to buy, stuff I have to fix… The list is endless. I need more time. Wait a minute … I’m tapering–I have more time!
6. I get irritated easily. Or maybe I’m just always irritable. Ask Ryan, but don’t tell me what he says. 😉
7. I think about the race ahead and get super nervous. Also, excited. 🙂
8. I worry I will break a bone, pull a muscle, or hurt myself in some way. My biggest fear is tripping and [insert injury here].
9. I play with Cool Running’s Pace Calculator and dream of a super-fast marathon time (even though I really don’t have a time goal). I could be Kenyan if I wanted to be, right?
10. I make lists of things I do while tapering.

Tell me! What are your mental tricks for getting through tapering?

Tinker Bell Half Marathon

I finished! It was much, much slower than my ability, but I was smart and held back, and I’m proud of myself for that.

Is it seriously 3 am?

Ryan woke up at 2 a.m. to walk the dog, and I woke up at 2:30. I had a total of 4 hours of sleep. I tried so hard to fall asleep around 8, but I just couldn’t. We left the house by 3 a.m., jumped into the cold car, and I zoned in and out of consciousness for 1.5 hours. Thank goodness for Ryan, that’s all I have to say.

Yay! I love 3 am!

Parking in the Disneyland garage was easy and FREE, which was really nice (normally it’s $15). We walked to the start area, where runDisney impressed the crap outta me: Hundreds of Porta-Potties! There wasn’t a line for any of them! It was heavenly. I gobbled up my Chomps, hung around for a bit, then made my way to the starting line.

I fell back from Corral A to Corral C (there were only five corrals). I thought it would be wise to fall back and be around joggers/walkers. The National Anthem was pretty cool with some fireworks, and the singer was talented, and she didn’t mess up the lyrics (which seems to be a trend lately).

I maintained a very steady pace throughout. Every time I felt the urge to speed up, I checked my ego and walked. The race wound through the back of Disneyland (seriously, they needed more lights because it was reminiscent of my last horrible race). Now that I have an irrational fear of cones in the dark, I was taking my sweet time, refusing to weave in and out of people. There were cones in this race, but they were big neon green cones, and it wasn’t nearly as packed, although it was pretty crowded, especially in narrow areas. I think if I had been “racing” this race and stayed in the first corral, dodging walkers wouldn’t have been an issue.

It was sort of weird because all of the Disney characters were inside the park, and runners were actually stopping and waiting in lines to take pictures with them. Bizarre. I’m glad people were having fun with it, but I kind of wished I hadn’t moved back so far. I think the beginning of Corral B might have been perfect.

BTW, my racing pet peeve: When tutu-wearing chicks walk 4-people wide and block the entire way. I couldn’t get through them, I couldn’t go around them, I couldn’t go under them… it was a walking wall! I just slowed until the passage was wide enough to pass. I saw Ryan right after 5K. I stopped to chat (because seriously, I wasn’t gonna PR in this race even if I wanted to). Then I was off on my merry little way, winding through Disneyland. After mile 4, the race moved out of the park and onto the streets of Anaheim, where the race itself got significantly more pleasant. The streets were wide and I could finally pass some people.

I felt great the entire race. I didn’t hit a wall at all. It helped that I was jogging the entire thing, but I felt and finished strong. At the end, I actually felt like I could run the whole thing again… which is exactly what I’m going to be doing next Sunday–so good thing, I guess! I would say I’m in the best shape of my life. And I can’t wait to show my speed at an upcoming half marathon!

RACE SUMMARY
Name: Tinker Bell Half Marathon
Distance: 13.1 miles
Course: Flat, fast (one very small hill around mile 4 or 5)
Participants: 12,000 (11,020 women; 980 men)
Weather: About 50 degrees F/clear at the start; 70 degrees F/sunny at the finish
Swag: Long-sleeve technical T-shirt. Large, heavy finisher medal.
Race Support: A; tons of volunteers and workers. Lots of water, electrolyte drinks.
Fuel: Powerade at every water stop; ClifShots at mile 9
Entertainment: B; high school bands and cheerleaders along the course, strong spectator participation, bands and DJs
Scenery: Not really much to look at between Disneyland and California Adventure Park. The race wound through the city of Anaheim, which isn’t terribly exciting.
Overall: A-. The race itself was well thought-out, except for the first 4 miles; however, I believe the crowding problems are due to the lower corral letter, and this could be avoided by simply starting in a higher corral. Wonderful staff and volunteers. Exciting scenery at Disneyland and California Adventure Park; boring in between. Well organized. Perfect first-timer race.

Tinker Bell Half Marathon Expo

Packet pick-up is usually one of my favorite things. It always gets me excited for the race the next day, and I love getting my new T-shirt and bib. This shirt is nice and simple, but it’s that cheap “technical” fabric. Sometimes I think it would be nicer to just get a cotton T-shirt because I’m more likely to wear those. I almost never wear the technical shirts from races.

The only problem with today’s packet pick-up was that it was 1.5 hours away. We left the house around 8:30 a.m., got to Disneyland Hotel around 10:15 (some traffic, of course, on I-5), picked up my stuff, and then headed back for another 1.5 hour drive. And we get to do it all again tomorrow morning!

The expo wasn’t anything too exciting. Some better signage would have helped. Runners had to pick up their bib first in the lower garage, and the proceed to the expo itself. Overall, it wasn’t nearly as crowded as I anticipated. We got a parking spot right away, and the bib line was super short. I wish there would have been more samples to take home, though. I’m sort of a sample hoarder.

Woo hoo! Short line!

Ryan and I walked around for about 15 minutes. I bought a new pair of sunglasses! Then we left to get ready to turn around and come back in only a few short hours.

In the car, I was trying to negotiate with Ryan: “What if I PR, but only by one minute? Then it’s not so bad.” “Don’t do it,” Ryan said. I know he’s right. It sorta sucks though because I haven’t really had a chance to shine in speed, and I feel like I could. But I need to hold back. This race tomorrow is just an easy jog/walk to warm up for the big race next Sunday! I want to go into it with no regrets.

See you bright dark and early tomorrow, Anaheim.

Fun run, here I come!

 

Tinker Bell Half Marathon this Sunday

I’m tapering right now… and pretty much going crazy. Between not being on Facebook and reducing my miles, I feel like I have nothing to do. Yesterday, I ran 3.1 miles at an easy pace and thought about my marathon. Actually, I thought about the fact that this Sunday, I am running the Tinker Bell Half Marathon in Anaheim, CA. I signed up for this race last July, anticipating running a marathon in October. When I got injured in August, I had to postpone my marathon goal to January. Then, when I fell in December, I had to postpone my marathon to February. Well, I couldn’t sell my Tinker Bell bib and I didn’t want to lose my one-hundred-something dollars, so I’m doing it… a week before my marathon… Stupid? Maybe.

Because of marathon training, I’m in pretty good shape, and I really want to RACE this race just to see what I’m capable of. I know I haven’t been able to run to my full potential yet (thanks to tripping in December). Ryan told me he will yell at me if I race this Half Marathon. And he’s right. I don’t want to regret going all out for this race, and crapping out during my marathon. But I reeeaaaallly wanna RACE this race!

The crappy thing about living in San Diego is that all of the races in SoCal are in and around LA. This race is in Anaheim (1.5 hours away), which means we will have to drive up there on Saturday to pick up my packet, and then drive home. The race starts at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday (I know, WTF?). The race instructions recommend getting there by 4:30 a.m., so that means we will have to leave our house at 3 a.m.! Ryan must really love me because that is just insane.

If I’m going to take it easy on this run, I might be able to bring my phone with me and take pictures for once during a race! Stay tuned for some fun pics at the expo…

Serenity Now!

Facebook is driving me nuts. So beginning tomorrow, I’m signing off for a week. It seems that Facebook has taken over my life, and I’d like to get that life back. It’ll be hard for this Facebook addict, but I’ll let you know how it goes. Stay tuned…

Serenity now! (Insanity later?)

Skinny(er) Broccoli Cheese Soup

Contrary to popular belief, San Diego does have cold days. Today is a dreary, rainy day with a high of 55. Now to those stuck in a blizzard, that might sound like a heatwave; however, to those of us in San Diego, today is not warm. I am glad San Diego has cold days. Before we moved here, I was sure we would never make chili or soup in a bread bowl again (my favorite wintertime comfort foods). I, just like everyone else in America, thought San Diego was a hot, humid city; really, it’s just constantly mild with some cold days in winter (definitely cold mornings and nights) and some hot days in summer.

In honor of today’s cold weather, I made a skinny version of a broccoli cheese soup recipe I made many years ago. Instead of heavy cream, whole milk, and a whole stick of butter, I reduced the calories and fat by using slimmer ingredients. If you want to make it even lower in fat, you can use light cheddar cheese. And yes, you can use Velveeta instead of cheddar.

(Bonus: It’s vegetarian!)

Skinny(er) Broccoli Cheese Soup

You need:

• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 4 tablespoon of butter or margarine
• 1/3 cup of flour
• Two 32-oz containers of vegetable broth or stock
• 4 small heads of broccoli
• 2 cups of skim milk
• 10 oz of cheddar cheese, grated or chopped

Equipment note: You’ll need a blender or an immersion blender for this recipe. Immersion blenders are awesome. My friend Paul gave us one for our wedding, and we use it all the time to make soups like this. Also, with an immersion blender, it’s a lot less likely that you’ll burn yourself. If you use a regular blender, I advise allowing the soup to cool slightly before blending it, and don’t fill the blender cup more than halfway full.

1. Measure out the milk, and set it aside on the counter while preparing the soup.
2. Melt the butter in a large stock pot on medium-high heat. Add the onions; cook until tender.

3. Add the flour to the onions and stir to cook, about 1 minute.

4. Slowly stir in the vegetable stock/broth.

5. Cut the broccoli tops, and then rinse under cold water.

6. Add the broccoli to the hot vegetable stock/broth.

7. Bring the soup to a boil, and then reduce the heat to simmer for 20 minutes, or until the broccoli is soft.
8. Remove the pot from the heat. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
9. Slowly add the milk to the hot soup, stirring constantly while adding.
10. Blend the soup on low for 5 minutes using an immersion blender or regular blender. Increase the speed to medium, and continue blending for another 2-3 minutes, or until the soup is smooth.

11. Place the pot back on low heat. Add the cheese, one handful at a time, stirring to melt. DO NOT set the heat any higher than low. The melting process is a slow one, and it’s a test of patience!
12. Once all the cheese is added, stir until it’s mostly melted. Use the immersion blender or regular blender on high to blend the soup again. This will help the cheese melt completely.

Top the soup with extra cheddar cheese, if desired. Serve this soup up on a cold winter day with warm crusty bread or cheesy focaccia!

Enjoy!

Kari

A zippy 6-miler in my new pink shoes

Newton Distance Performance Racer

Check out my rad new racers! They’re Newton Distance Neutral Racers. These babies helped me run one of my fastest 6 mile times in quite a while. They’re light and have virtually no heel drop, so they’re perfect for speed. The thing I love most about these shoes is the lugs aren’t tapered in the front like my Newton Lady Isaacs, so they force you up on your forefoot. They are a barely-there shoe; perfect for racing.

Although I would really like to use these for my marathon, I’m going to do my 12 miler this weekend in my old Newtons because I don’t want to hurt myself. After running in these, I can definitely tell I used some new muscles. I’m used to Newtons, though, so it’s nothing too alarming.