Thanksgiving Vegetarian Loco Moco

This morning, Raquel and I woke up completely sore and beat up from our Thanksgiving workouts. Apparently, Raquel biked 18 miles and I hiked a collective 12 miles over the weekend. So we were looking for a little treat for breakfast, when Raquel had an ingenious idea to make a unique loco moco. She suggested that we use the Mashed Potato Polpetti and gravy from the Thanksgiving leftovers. Then, fry up some sunny-side up eggs to assemble the loco moco. I'm sure that meal completely negated our workouts, but it was sooo worth it.

Thanksgiving Leftovers

I watch, by far, way too much Food Network. If I'm sitting at home and fiddling with my computer, Food Network will always be on in the background. But, I think it's totally worth it and came in handy today. One of my favorite Food Network Chefs is Michael Chiarello, who specializes in Napa style cooking. So tonight's dinner was inspired by Michael Chiarello and last night's recycled dinner.

Turkey Soup

Mashed Potato Polpetti

(this was similar to croquettes)

I think it came out great, and completely trumps turkey sandwiches. It's also very nutritious and low in fat, so it's perfect for training. Here's to a low in guilt Thanksgiving.

The Day after Thanksgiving

This morning I woke up completely bleary-eyed and still tired, it was almost like being hungover. But, last night I only had 2 glasses of wine. So now I'm convinced that I was suffering from a turkey hangover; way too much of a good thing. I have to admit that a full Thanksgiving dinner somewhat deters me from recovering my old running skill. Thus, it's double workout day. At least Thanksgiving dinner is nutritous and as I have said before, I can still use it as a starting block for a run.

I set out for a 5 mile hike after a meager breakfast of warm pita bread, cucumber salad, yogurt sauce, and coffee. There is a wildlife preserve nearby that I was itching to explore. And as an added bonus, today was perfect autumn hiking weather. But, as I started hiking I realized that I forgot to charge my trusty iPod, which forced me to hike the old-fashioned way (sans music).

So what did I notice? I felt the cold, crisp, blustery fall wind. I heard my labored breathing, random forest noises, and other people's conversations about their crazy cousins stealing their best Thanksgiving dinner recipes. I smelled the rich, earthy, bruised vegetation that got even stronger when I crushed leaves with each step (Raquel likes to refer to that scent as the natural Pottery Barn). It literally felt like I was a living, breathing Nature Valley commercial.

And while that felt amazing, I somehow managed to freak myself out around mile 3, because I was hiking alone in the wilderness. "What if I get lost?" "Have I watched enough survival shows to survive on my own if I get hurt?" "What do I do if a mountain lion attacks me?" "It feels like I might stumble upon the 'Pit of Despair' (7:18) from Princess Bride". Therefore, the next time I decide to go hiking, I think I'll take a buddy.

Thankfully, I made it home safely with just enough time to eat a hearty, yet sensible supper of leftover turkey soup, before I headed back out to the gym. My guilt meter has definitely been lowered after today's hike, treadmill run, and strength training. But, I'm sure that my body will still hate me tomorrow morning.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Last night was the first time I've ever cooked the entire Thanksgiving meal. Lordie, that was a lot of hard work. I actually ended up cooking part of the "Thanksgiving with a twist" menu from Food Network. Thankfully, it turned out great and my friends were really happy and well fed. In the end, that's all I really want. Here's a glimpse of the menu.

Turkey with Herbs de Provence and Citrus

Spice Parmesan Green Beans and Kale

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Maple Cinnamon Sage Brown Butter

(I have to say that making all the gnocchi from scratch took FOREVER)

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Chocolate Hazelnut Pie w/ Coffee Ice Cream

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Blackened Tilapia, Sauteed Baby Spinach, Blanched Broccoli, and Wasabi Mashed Potatoes

I'm seriously getting excited about Thanksgiving, especially since I'm hosting it this year and am planning a fancy menu. But, I wanted to eat lighter and healthier to balance out Turkey Day dinner. So last night, I ended up cooking Blackened Tilapia, Sauteed Baby Spinach, Blanched Broccoli, and Wasabi Mashed Potatoes. I must say that this meal was perfect for a light bite.

Blackened Tilapia
Ingredients:
-1/2 tsp chili powder
-1/2 tsp paprika
-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
-1/2 tsp. white pepper
-2 pinches of Hawaiian Sea Salt
-2 Tilapia filets

Mix the top 5 ingredients together to create a dry rub. Season both sides of the Tilapia filets and pan fry the fish on medium high in extra virgin olive oil for 3-4 minutes per side.

Wasabi Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
-3 Tbsp. wasabi
-2 lbs. new white potatoes (peeled and quartered)
-a splash of buttermilk
-2 Tbsp. sour cream
-1 Tbsp. "I can't believe it's not Butter"
-Hawaiian Sea Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes for 10-15 minutes. Drain. Mash with the rest of the ingredients.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of dinner. But don't worry, I won't forget to take a picture of Thanksgiving Dinner.

The First Step

As I mentioned in my last post, I've been taking an extended running break. And I still stand by the viewpoint, that every runner needs to take a break once in a while between training. But, that doesn't mean a break comes without a price. If you don't maintain some level of fitness during the break, you can't expect to jump back to the same level of running easily. In fact, that could be downright painful and you'd have to start all over again. So, did all of the surfing, hiking, and climbing during my break help with the maintenance? Sort of...

Last night was my first training run for the winter. I can honestly say that it wasn't as painful as it could have been, but my body was dreading it with all the recalcitrance it could muster. For some reason, my feet felt like 10 pound lead weights for the first mile. That's when you supposedly have to buckle down and focus on your motivation points. But really, I tried my best to zone out and get through it, kind of like giving blood or getting an immunization. On the other hand, while I may not have had a great run, my body did feel amazing afterwards. My skin was tingling, my heart was racing, and I was completely out of breath. And it felt like my body had gone through some sort of awakening from hibernation.

No matter what, starting over at the beginning is going to be hard for anything, especially when I've already reached a certain level. But, I'm going to have to start somewhere and the sooner I take that first step, the sooner I can get back to where I want to be. It's just a good thing my lazy ass has a backup plan, aka...Raquel nagging me every 10 minutes to go for a run that I said I'd do, but would allow myself to get deterred by a House marathon.

I'm back!

Apologies all around for my absence, folks. It's been a very busy couple of weeks: finishing one of my projects at work, moving offices, and taking a nice long vacation with Raquel. But, don't think that I've been lazing around and giving up on workouts just because life is busy. While home in Hawaii, I did manage to either do a hike, snorkel, or surf every day. Sadly, none of those workouts involved running unless you count running through the mall to buy macadamia nut chocolates. Thus, I've luxuriated in a three-week vacation from running.

Now, I wish I could say that I've enjoyed this vacation without any regrets or guilt. But this vacation included my mom, and she has a knack for guilting me into feeling that I'm not living up to my potential. I am, by no means, criticizing my mom for being overly critical of me. Because I know that there is no one else in this world who can push me beyond my limits (in a good way) like her, except for myself. However, her delivery could use some work. Telling me that I've gained all my weight back, and that my fashion style has become masculine due to that weight gain is not very nice, although effective. Incidentally folks, taking a break between races is ok. It gives your body a chance for some well-deserved, much-needed rest.

Anyway, it's back to training for me, especially to counteract the holiday meal effects. Now, I know that I've explained my motivation to run before. But, I think it's a good exercise to revisit and expand on those reasons. I'm running because I want to live long enough to enjoy life with my future wife and kids. I'm running because I want to one day inspire my kids to try hard to accomplish their goals. I'm running because after a good workout, life magically becomes more manageable. But most of all, I'm running for myself; not to please other people, like my mom. To me, running is a sport that is just between you and the road. And the only thing that should ever be between you and the road is a pair of socks and running shoes.