mystery solved

For the most part, I remember birthdays, anniversaries, phone numbers, etc.  (especially now that facebook tells me when everything is). However, I never send cards. Ever.   Sometimes I'll even manage to buy a gift, yet still no card.  Not really sure why.. just never do.

This is totally random, I know, but I have a point.     There are a number of occasions coming up that should be recognized. So in my neverending mission to be a "real adult", I wander into CVS yesterday to pick up cards for: 

1. Dad's birthday.  
2. Mother's day
3. couple of baby showers
4. sister & bro-in-law anniversary

I'm feeling pretty great about being prepared until...  I start to tear up. YUP.  Ok.. I can handle this. I'm not that ridiculous, I can read a stupid hallmark card, so  I'm stealthily dabbing at my eyes while trying to pick out these cards.  The CVS guy stocking the wrapping paper at the end of the aisle gives me a weird look.  I pick up another one, blink a few extra times, tell myself there is no way he can tell I'm a lil extra watery, though maybe I've been standing here for 10 minutes.  CVS guy now appears at the other end of the aisle & seems to be deciding if I'm ok.  I flash back to this.

where there were no words. just tears.  great toast except no one heard it.

Somehow I manage to pick up a few decent cards, scowl at CVS guy & decide cards are dumb anyway.

once again - can not control my tearducts. FAIL.  
no one is ever getting cards again.   now we all know why.

back to the kitchen

I have officially eaten my way through all my delicious freezer concoctions.   So back to the kitchen I go, in smaller portions, of course.  One of the things I've learned by cooking & buying lots of freshness is that I have to plan if I don't want to let things go to waste.
Flashback to Friday - Jackie came to play and we had goat cheese & pearl onion risotto with spinach salad on the side. What this means I have almost an entire container each of baby spinach & grape tomatoes in the fridge. Being that those are two of my fave veggies - I need to use them and now.

Recipe: (adapted from a WW recipe)  4 servings
8 oz whole wheat penne
1/4 cup chicken broth
the rest of the container baby spinach  - probably about 3.5 oz
the rest of the container grape tomatoes - probably about 6 oz., halved
2 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 oz goat cheese
salt
pepper
crushed red pepper

Cook penne in boiling salted water according to package directions. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking liquid before draining pasta.

Meanwhile, heat broth in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add spinach, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach is tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Add cooked penne, reserved cooking liquid and tomatoes to skillet. Increase heat to medium-high and cook until tomatoes are slightly pulpy, stirring occasionally, about 2 to 3 minutes; add cheese and heat through

notes for next time: more cheese (used all I had, definitely not enough), maybe even ricotta. add splash of olive oil, more veggies.
but overall - delicious.

 love affair with garlic

 lots of spinach

 shrinks veryyy quickly

:)

In other news, I bought myself a present!!  how excited was I when it came in the mail yesterday. eee!

brand new 8 cup food processor. what to make first!?

the weather just won't cut me a break - today was 50 and windy- ugh, so back to the treadmill. It was brutal since I haven't run since thurs and I was stuck between two smelly guys. (and by smelly guys, I mean the older Indian gentleman who runs in a polo shirt & the jibberish speaking guy in the daisy duke running shorts - awesome) as much as that shouldn't affect me, it does. i want to run... AWAY.

But I powered through and got in some decent mileage at a decent pace.

please please please be nice out tomorrow.

happy birthday j.britz. miss your face! 

(which obviously I tried to put here, but my computer is not cooperating, booo)

don't wait

every once in a while you get a wake up call.  today was one of those days.

(via gorgeousxskies)

easter

hope everyone had a fantastic easter.
I completely failed at taking pictures of all the deliciousness. oops.
but I did manage to capture the ahh-mazing breakfast my fabulous mother came up with!

how gorgeous are those strawberries?!

dannon light n fit vanilla.

special K low fat granola.

strawberries.

heavenly.

I also failed to get that run in, but I did manage to spend some quality time on the elliptical. so all was not lost. and tonight, I dusted off that yoga dvd I bought last year & only used once. surprisingly enjoyable.

2.5 weeks til the first 5K of the year. eeeekkk. must run tomorrow.

is it spring?! not quite but momma w. is doing an excellent job pretending.
how pretty are these. must get flowers for my apt.



is it summer yet?

I'm ready for some warmth.  49° isn't cutting it. 
I want sunglasses & flip flops & this..

and summer fridays..

I want to run today but will play instead. :) 
and tomorrow, of course, is supposed to be disgusting & I'll be at the parents, which is less conducive to running.  so I mapped out a few different runs and will make it happen sometime between now & easter festivities on sunday.

happpy fridayyy!



I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.   — Albert Einstein      (via justbesplendid)


ps.  must be acknowledged that this is post 22 of 2011 on April 22.  :)

one thing at a time

I get excited & want to do everything all at once, right now. 
I want to be a runner and I want it to happen overnight.
I want to be someone who cooks, so I make every good recipe I can get my hands on.
I want to eat healthy, so I buy every good-for-you food that whole foods has to offer.
well... thats all fine and dandy but  I need to remember - one thing at a time. lets not get carried away. one recipe, one run, one day at a time.   

today I ran a little bit faster and on a steeper incline than ever before. only a few miles but a few great ones. tomorrow I run outside when its not freezing & crazy windy. 
I'm slowly eating through all the food in my freezer, more fun stuff soon tho.

I ran, went to Whole Foods (fully addicted), talked to the fam, made some dinner, painted my nails, & even made breakfast for tomorrow.  productive night :)
who makes breakfast the night before? aggressive. but all my new fave bloggers are raving about overnight oats. what the heck are overnight oats?! who knows.   apparently no cook oatmeal, mix the night before. add all kinds of yummy stuff and thats it.  supposedly they're delicious, easy & healthy. cant beat it. we'll see.

happy thursday!

i wish i was here. vacation? yes please.

blah tuesday

its dreary and gross outside. and only tuesday.  blah.
this makes me smile

warning

Warning! hanging out with these two may lead to ridiculousness. 

I have neighbors!!!! hurrah.
Sara & Eric moved into my apt complex yesterday, so obviously I stroll over there at 9:30pm on a Sunday fully believing I'll be reasonable and be home at 11.  who was I kidding?!
fast forward to 1am, sitting at the kitchen table, & sara is now pouring me more wine. because obviouslyyy we need to finish the bottle. 
Then its 2am & I realize I need to go home nowww if I can even think about being a functional person tomorrow. (am I functional? debatable)  who stays out til 2am on a sunday?!
So I stroll home listening to my "inspired" playlist.  (yes - i actually have a playlist titled inspired. ridic I'm aware)   I probably looked insane bopping down the path, grinning like an idiot & possibly singing to myself, but really - I can't help it :)   
loveburst.

super excited that they're sooo close!

damn wind

Given my impending weekend in NY and the excessive amounts of food and beverage that are about to be had, I decided back-to-back days of running was necessary.   Worst run ever!
Apparently the wind was not pleased with my analysis of Monday's run, so it was aggressive & crazy and somehow managed to lodge my contact up in my head around mile two.  Which means that: 
1. I can't see.
2. it hurts.  
3. the wind ->  watery eyes + lost contact + sweaty hands = BURNING
...and I'm two miles from home. awful.

but regardless, I got moving, so I guess all was not lost.  
note to self:   buy sunglasses to run with.

exactly 24 hours from right now, I will be in NYC!!  cant wait to see you all!!

love. love. love.

oh Marilyn.

"We should all start to live before we get too old. Fear is stupid. So are regrets."    - Marilyn Monroe

 

smart woman.

 

today I decided not to focus on distance. So I ran a little bit faster and on a slight incline.  I only got through 3 miles but damn, it felt awesome.  followed up by some elliptical just to add time.  best workout in a loong time.

and then I continued my new love affair with refried beans, because obviously.. I need to finish the can. cant let those go to waste.   delic.

 

 

mobility!!!

I had to go to a fairly boring compensation seminar all day in burlington today. not ideal.
BUT lack of car means I had to get a Zipcar to get myself there. oh hello mobility.   Of course, I needed to take full advantage of having a car for the day. SO I trekked it out to TraderJoe's in Cambridge.  Obviously, the closest one with the wine shop.

I got sooo much good food & 6 bottles of wine for a ridiculous $83 dollars. AMAZING.
though I will say Cambridge TJ's has nothingggg on NYC TJ's (both of them).  i was not impressed, but did still manage to make it worth the trip.   veryy excited.  

could my freezer be any fuller - I don't think so. must stop buying/making food. must eat lots before I cook more.

i've always been a less than adventurous eater - we're all aware. i've insisted for as long as I can remember that I HATE all types of beans. who knows what possessed me to make cheese enchiladas.. but refried beans are pretty much the key ingredient. I bought them and made this thinking it sounded amazing (completely ignoring the fact that I won't touch beans).
and boyyy, that was a great call.   tonight & last night:

and surprisingly not terrible for you. even though it looks like a pound of delicious, melty cheese - its really not that much. mmmmmm

good morning

blame it on the wind

i've been hanging out in slacker city lately. ooopss.
no blogging for 9 days. eekk
and only ran once in the last week.  (i blame it on some minor knee pain, but really.. thats laaame)

today was GORGEOUS. Delightful 70 degrees, so perfect for running outside.  I've been fully committed to the treadmill til now, telling myself its too cold to run outside. So today I get excited to get my ass in gear, mapmyrun, & take off to the Esplanade for a breezy 4 miles.
its amazing, picture perfect Boston, crew teams on the Charles, sun setting..  and then I realize its soooo much harder. Maybe its the wind!? we'll blame it on the wind. with a twist of the fact that its not flat.  i dont know, but it hurt & i even had to walk a lil in the middle.
so moral of the story - I got my ass kicked, but kind of loved it.

in other news -
Lots more cooking.. BEST casserole ever. & healthy-ish too.
recipe courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats & found here:  Chicken, spinach, artichoke casserole  

looks amazing. tastes pretty fantastic too.

make it. you know you want to.

great work lunch & makes my coworkers jealous. ha. score.

Progress!

oh hello Saturday.
since my last post.. I've made some significant progress. well.. significant for 3 days..
I ran 4.5 miles for the second time. Goal for the day was 4, but I was feeling extra good & motivated. Afterwards, I did some serious grocery shopping. Whole Foods & Peapod.  Stocked up on everything I need to make all kinds of wonderfulness.

First, of course, my new favorite, courtesy of Shape.com via Breen. Recipe found here: Mozzarella Turkey Meatloaf   I made this once before and fell in love.  This time I added some extra onion, a clove of garlic & mixed the mozzarella right in. The layer in the middle wasn't as awesome as it sounded.

lots of good stuff

mmm. delic. happy friday

gorgeous. & delicious if I do say so myself.

my favorite part - 6 equal slices, 1 for now. 5 for later & perfect for work lunch.

that was my friday night. facial. wine. meatloaf. & thurs night tv on dvr.

this morning - peapod delivered. & then 5 miles!!    very proud of myself.

and soo excited for margs & guac with lauren & erin tonight.