Sacramento Calorie Counts

I'm sitting in Sacramento Airport right now....I spent the weekend with Anthony's family which was pretty cool (Which is why I haven't commented on your blog this weekend!..or run much).  His mom is the most ridiculously good cook ever although I have to be careful because anytime I enter her kitchen she's got something delicious up her sleeve.  I've actually got a giant pan dulce she packed for me in my bag right now, just in case I have a craving for a giant pastry.  That pastry's days are numbered....

If you've never had one, run to your closest Mexican bakery and get one fresh.   

Besides the half pig in forms of bacon, ham, and carnitas I consumed this weekend, we also went wine tasting in Placerville.  It's weird I keep going wine tasting since I still haven't learned anything about wine.  We ordered a Pinot Gris (doesn't that mean grey?) and I had no idea what color wine was going to come out.  (WHITE!)  

A's Bro and Girl

A and Me

We so classsyyyyy:

It was a beautiful day!  I'm pretty sure the Sacramento - Tahoe - Yosemite corner of California is my favorite.  Beautiful and a little less crazy.  =).  San Francisco, I'm lookin' right at you when I think crazay

Since I've been in Sac Airport for the last couple hours, I did a little nutrition fact research:

In California (and I believe New York....dunno where else), they've started printing calories of menu items for chain restaurants.   

The first time I saw this reporting I was a little confused and thought for a second it was the price.  But hey, I'm not the most observant crayon in the box.  =).  

However, in general, I love this.  This way I won't get the snack size Rolo McFlurry with 510 calories when a cone would have done just as well.  Yeah yeah... I guess the real good alternative would be an apple.

The sweet tea's got like 320!  

I've definitely found myself shocked at the calorie content of some items, like random California Pizza Kitchen Salads.  The one thing I don't like about this Fast Food reporting is that it sort of oversimplifies nutrition facts..as though calories are the only thing that matter.  Well ok...and I also don't like that I'll never be able to enjoy a Rolo McFlurry or a Giant Chocolate muffin without guilt again.  Darn you FDA.

How much do you change what you order when you go out to eat based on nutrition facts?  

Are these lists up where you live?  

Annnnnd Rolo McFlurry...is it WORTH IT?  

=)

Luckily the pastry I've got in my bag is nutrition fact free....

New Goal: Runnin' the majors.

Before I get into the running talk, I wanna talk about a snack I had:








I was eating some grapes yesterday and ran into this freak of nature-------------------------------------------------->

What's going on here?  A twin?  The King Grape?

And while we're talking about fruit, do you think kids growing up today will know that watermelon used to have seeds in it?
I am going to make sure my future kids know.  And tell them that if they swallow a seed, it will grow a tree in their stomach.

Anywayssszzz....onto the running talk....

Each time I've run a marathon I've figured it would be my last.  

Marathon 1:
I ran the Austin marathon 2004 on a whim when I was a junior in college.  I think I registered about a week before, and ran it with a friend who didn't even register.  Yes, she ran 26 miles with no record to it.
Untrained, and uninformed, it was one of the most physically painful experiences of my life.  Also, true to form, I went out hilariously fast and remember being in front of the 3:30 pace group for some time.

I swore I'd never do one of those again....

Marathon 2:
It took like six years to do one again...
The next marathon, my same friend (do we see a pattern?  Hi Hilary!), decided we should meet up for Chicago and run it.  Being the sucker that I am, I agreed and signed up.  I remembered the pain of Austin, so I semi trained.  Long runs just ain't my thing.  This was my BQ, a 21 minute PR, and my first time in the beautiful city of Chicago, so the Chicago Marathon has a special place in my heart.  I remember the pure elation I felt as I realized around mile 24, that I was going to qualify for Boston (a dream of mine for years).  

As much as I wanted that to be my last marathon, I knew I had to take the opportunity to run Boston.  This would be my last marathon ever. 

Marathon 3
This spring, I bucked up and ran Boston.  It was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had.  Maybe that statement means I haven't experienced a lot of cool stuff in my life, but I think it more means I just love the sport of long distance running.

What Now?

And now...I think I want to do more.  I've decided I want to complete the majors (that are accessible to lay-women like me):  New York, Berlin, London.  What motivated this decision is that I've done 40% of them...why not keep goin'. =)

I wanna hear people cheer and say stuff like "Gute Arbeit" (just found that in google translator), "BMW", "The Gap",  "Bumbershoot", and "Sod Off!".  
"If you can make it here you can make it anywhere" would be cool too.  

Anyone know what my odds are of getting into London if I apply every year from now until 2050?

Have you done (or are planning to do) Chicago, Boston, NYC, London, or Berlin?  Any other lofty and expensive plans ?   

Oh yeah...and I wanna do Athens too!!  The first marathon!  I'll play this on my ipod during the race:

....Ooo and it's alright and it's comin' 'long
We got to get right back to where we started from....

Road Trip Eats + My Love Affair With McDonald's

I'm not sure what is causing me to write this post...I didn't just go on a road trip or anything.

Maybe it's the Texan in me (adopted...lived there 7 years), but to me there's almost nothing more fun than hopping in the car and driving ridiculous distances.  This love is incompatible with my need to run and feeble attempts to eat healthy.

HOWEVER....it is SUPER compatible with my love for McDonald's Ice Cream Cones!!!

Late night indulgence from trip last year -------->

Sorry for nearly flashing you guys in this picture...it was Vegas...ok?

I digress.....

My road trip eating usually goes in three sections...



Part 1 - Ecstasy
The idea of eating all this fast food sounds like an amazing fantasy.  I survey the truck stop to see where I should eat first.
Inevitably, I land on McDonald's.

 IT'S SO FREAKING DELICIOUS!!!


Time to get 10 diet cokes, 4 icecream cones, and 20 McNuggets!!!!

Also time to stop to pee every two hours due to insane Diet Coke consumption.
On a side note, Mcdonald's claims their icecream cones contain 150 calories.  I am 100% sure that is a lie.  Nothing this good has 150 calories in it.  

Part 2 - Exploration

Ummm...maybe we should try a different place to eat?  Wendy's anyone?
Is Subway healthy or do they just say so in those commercials? 


Maybe it won't hurt to stop by McDonalds for a cone afterwards...




Part 3 - Stomach Ache
Did I swallow a rock?
I would kill for a cup of fruit or some freaking lentil soup.

Maybe I will spend $6 for one of those way overpriced mini food packs at Starbucks...





Running While Traveling

I also love to run when on road trips, but unless I'm traveling with another OCD runner, it's hard to pull off, given that we have places to get to and stuff.

To me, there is a special joy in exploring a new place on foot, even if it's just for a half hour.

Some of my best run travel memories:
1) Running in Memphis right along the Mississippi at sunset (LOVE Memphis!)
2) The sheer pain of "running" in Vegas in 110 weather when everyone else is drinking up a storm.
3) Driving out to Olympic National Park in Western Washington and running on the trails while the rest of the tourists looked at me like I was crazy.

Neon Blonde Runner just wrote a cool post about her running with a local running club while traveling.

Do you run when you're traveling?  


What is your travel food weakness?  (for me it is the cone ALL THE WAY!!) 


This Blog Entry Made Me Hungry.  

Seattle the Bipolar

Good news and bad news:  

Bad News:  This weekend I ran a total of about 6 miles so I don't have much to talk about in that area.  My lack of running is mainly due to the fact that I want to really give my body a break, but I also prefer cuddling to running and I had the opportunity to do so this weekend so....heck yeah!

Good news is that I have cool travel pics from Seattle AND I think this week, I might actually run a track workout.  Imagine....=).  

Here's the deal with Seattle:  I've been going up there on a regular basis for the last 9 months or so bc the BF lives up there.  And until we invent the teleporter or cloning machine (let me know if you have one I can borrow), the regular visiting and plane flights are the best way I know how to keep up a romantic relationship.  

I know what you're thinking about Seattle....rain and 40 degree weather, right?  Well....kinda....

I have found that Seattle is the picture of misery from about November to early March.  Mid 40s, rain, and about 2 hours that are not pitch black.  But here's Seattle's bipolar secret.  From about May to August, it's freaking GLOORRIOUSSSS!    

Seriously.  This weekend, it was so sunny and full of spring flowers, I could have sworn I heard angels singing and kittens purring all weekend. 

Fremont Troll

We started out with brunch at Roxy's in Fremont.  Fremont is a neighborhood close to downtown Seattle that is famous for the Fremont Troll and has plenty of restaurants and bars to hang out in.   Roxy's is a delicious New York type deli that we go to bc it's easy to walk to and has food like this:

I forget what this was actually called on the menu, but essentially, it's a baklava pancake.  Filo, Walnuts, Pistachios,  Honey....really really good.  Anthony ordered them, but of course everything he orders is fair game, so I made short work of them =).  

We then went Seattle wine tasting.  While the ridiculously cold / rainy weather of western Washington isn't exactly conducive to grape growing apparently the weather of Eastern Washington is.  So they set up places just outside Seattle so that we can booze without driving across the state!  

Don't we look classy?  

Girly Girl Wines!

I pretty much let Anthony take the lead, since I really don't know the difference between a box of Franzia and something uhhh....better....

At one of the wineries, there was some club called the "girly girl" to encourage women to come with their girlfriends.  Since I like all things pink and targeted at women, I was super excited about by this and wished I had Seattle girlfriends to join with!  

The next day we went to the Fremont farmers market and saw this...

WHERE DO I SIGN UP??????

I also saw some really cute plant Brontosauruses:

  

So that's the story of the weekend, Morning Glories!  

And here's the Q and A portion where I try to elicit comments and make friends!    

Are any of you in Long Distance Relationships too (or ever were in one)?  

(if so comment with "heeellll yaaaaa!").  

Can you tell the difference between good and bad wine?  (I sure can't)

Also, if you had any amazing workouts or races, LET ME KNOW - I want to hear about it =).  

Happy Monday!  

Turkey Lasagna with No Boil Noodles

Recipe:

So this recipe is a lot like the one on the Barilla no boil noodles box, with a few healthier twists.  I also half the recipe because I don't need as much at once (Still makes 6 decent size servings) !  

You'll Need:

Half Box No Boil Noodles (Barilla works fine for me)

8 oz Low Fat Ricotta Cheese  (Full fat is fine, but I totally didn't notice the difference between low fat)

1 egg

2 Cups Part Skim Mozzarella (shredded)

Quarter Cup Parmesan Cheese

2 oz Goat Cheese (optional...I just like it so I added it in)

1/2 pound Ground Turkey (cooked and crumbled)

1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce (I used Classico with Olives and Mushrooms bc it's delicious...anything you like will do!). 

A Small Lasagna Pan.  

(9x9x2in or 3in should be a fine size - Barilla recipe calls for 13 x 9 x 3, but I'm am halving it).  

Foil

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Directions: 

Brown Ground Turkey In Pan

Preheat Oven to 375 F

Mix together Ricotta, Egg, Parmesan Cheese, Goat Cheese (Opt) and 1 Cup Mozzarella

Put a little bit of olive oil in the pan to avoid sticking 

Layer ingredients in pan alternating sauce, noodles, cheese mixture, and meat.  Really you can layer it however you'd like just make sure you have something with liquid near the noodles (so they aren't dry)!  The top layer should have sauce and then cheese on top.  

Bake for 45 - 60 minutes covered with foil.  Take off the foil when it's almost done (5 minutes) so that the top cheese cooks a bit.  

This is a super easy and delicious recipe that is easy to modify to be how you like it.  I think the only two keys are:

1) Don't overfill the pan so the lasagna doesn't boil over

2) Make sure you have the top layer of noodles covered so they don't dry out!  

Here's the no boil box!....And here's the food!  (I cooked it a little too much but still good :)  ).