The Runner's Kitchen

Getting up early to run on Wednesday morning = FAIL

Some days (i.e. when I have Alma to run with) I can get up and go without a problem. Other days, I sit drinking coffee and reading email for way too long and before I know it my time window for running has disappeared. Fortunately yesterday morning wasn’t completely unproductive – I was able to put the finishing touches on my tirade against running skirts and blog about crepes and cupcakes. I drank my coffee black yesterday morning because I was too lazy forgot to buy milk. Black coffee is growing on me.

Once I got to the office I was about ready to chew my arm off, so I picked up a protein-packed breakfast from the cafeteria: whole grain bread with pb & jam, mixed berries with cottage cheese, and egg whites with sriracha hot sauce. Except most of the egg whites were already eaten when I snapped this photo….

Hunger > Patience for food photography

With the first of two decaf cappuccinos. I can make them for free at work and they’re actually quite delicious.

Lunch contained the vegetables that were so elusive last week.

• romaine, mixed greens, carrots, onion, mushrooms
• 1/4 cup each of homemade guacamole, black beans, & corn
• feta cheese, whole grain croutons, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds
• Tbs balsamic vinaigrette

I really wanted something sweet for my afternoon snack, so I picked up some toppings from the frozen yogurt bar (crushed oreos, shredded coconut, granola crumbles) and mixed them into a plain Stoneyfield Farm yogurt. Sweet, but still mostly healthy!

Since my morning run didn’t happen, I headed to the gym post work. My motivation for running after a long day in the office (and sitting for 9 hours straight) is never super high, but I always feel better afterward. I ran 5 miles in about 43:30 – a nice and comfortable pace for me right now. My left hip/butt started acting up about 3 miles into the run, but I was able to finish without too much trouble. I think my lower back muscles are really knotted up and this is causing tightness and pain in my hips and butt. I spent a good 10 minutes foam rolling and stretching and I plan to switch to my new running shoes ASAP, so hopefully that will help things along.

The best part of my whole day was meeting Katie (check out her hilarious survival guide for New Year’s Resolution gym-goers) for dinner at a new vegan restaurant called PeaceFood Cafe. I first heard about this place in a Vital Juice newsletter back in October and it has been on my radar ever since!

I ordered the roasted japanese pumpkin sandwich and o.m.g. was it delicious. I was so busy chatting during my meal that I didn’t realize how good it was until it was almost gone, but I’d go back for this sammie in a heart beat! The pumpkin was mashed and seasoned with sea salt, black pepper, and olive oil and then sandwiched between two hearty slices of spelt bread, caramelized onions, ground walnuts, seasonal greens, and vegan goat cheese. The flavor and texture combinations in this sandwich worked really well together and it was filling, without being too heavy.

Alongside my sandwich I ordered the hangover cure juice (apple, orange, carrot, celery, and ginger root). I did not have a hangover, but I figured I might by tomorrow morning (New Year’s Day!), so why not get a headstart on curing it?

After some MUCH needed grocery shopping (my fridge has milk again, yay!) it was time for the other half of my Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup cupcake. I was too busy eating to take a photo, but the one from yesterday makes me want to lick the screen, so you should go look at that.

And then I had a few bites of Ben & Jerry’s light phish food, you know, as a palate cleanser… I was really excited to get this pint for FREE. I had a not great experience at a scoop shop this summer and after writing to Ben & Jerry’s headquarters about my complaint, they sent me a coupon for a free pint. The coupon expired today, so I redeemed it just in the nick of time

Question: When you are unhappy with a restaurant dish or purchased food product, do you complain or just let it slide?

ALSO – HAPPY NEW YEAR’S EVE!

It’s been a busy year -

• My first blog post of 2009 (why didn’t I include recipes???)
• Travelled to Mexico City
• Got picked up by a police car during a 20 mile run
• Explored the culinary offerings of Manhattan compliments of Foodbuzz’s 24,24,24 program
• I ran the Boston Marathon!
• Won 1st place in my age group in Central Park’s Annual Couple’s Relay Triathlon
• Spent the weekend in Montauk
• Discovered cross-training activities (spinning and yoga!) to keep me sane during time off from running
• Healthy Living Summit in Boston
• A trip to the beach and the Dogfish Head restaurant!
• A much-needed reunion with my college roommates
• My first post-injury 1/2 marathon
• A new writing gig with True/Slant
• A PR in the annual Thanksgiving Day Run for the Diamonds 9-miler
• Christmas with the fam – including my very own slanket!

How do you feel about running skirts? I have some pretty strong (and maybe controversial) opinions about them. Head on over to the Running Shorts column on True/Slant for the full story.

Yikes, Tuesday was a cold one in NYC! With the windchill, the temperature neared the 0 degree mark. On days like this, I’m happy to have a gym membership and to the gym I went! On my way, I stopped for a Starbucks misto with a pump of gingerbread syrup. I’m going to miss the holiday flavors when they’re gone!

Since my hips have been tight (and I haven’t been so good about taking days off from running) I decided to cross-train on the elliptical. I had the latest issue of SELF magazine and the 3rd hour of the Today Show to entertain me for 90 minutes on the elliptical. The first and last 30 minutes were nice and easy, but I threw in some intervals in the middle to keep things interesting. Post sweat session, I grabbed a banana and a luna bar and then headed to the showers.

I loved being able to go to the gym mid-morning! Unfortunately, it’s back to work today…

Around lunchtime I finally got to visit a place that’s been on my to-go list for ages – Crepes on Columbus! The service was slow (we waited over 30 minutes for our crepes….), but I was happy with my order. I happily chowed down on a buckwheat crepe filled with goat cheese, mushrooms, and caramelized onion.

Remember when I said I was going to cool it with the holiday treats and cookies? Umm, well I’ve decided to make an exception for cupcakes. I had half (portion control!) of a delicious Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup cupcake from Crumbs Bakery.

And a decaf cappuccino. Starbucks twice in one day? That’s what Christmas gift cards are for

I call this photo “pensive cupcake”.

Later on in the evening as I watched Mad Men diligently crossed things off my to-do list, I heated up some Amy’s Tomato Bisque and melted some cheese on toast. With some baby carrots for crunch. Gourmet this was not, but it served its purpose.

Before I left Pennsylvania, I used a few very ripe bananas to make a loaf of banana bread. I followed my tried and true chocolate chip banana bread recipe, but used all white flour (Mom didn’t have whole wheat), cut the butter to 2 Tbs, and upped the greek yogurt to 1/2 cup. I’m not the biggest fan of measuring ingredients (I know, I know – it’s important in baking…), so I was really happy with how well this turned out. It’s a good recipe – try it, you’ll like it!

In attempts to warm up, I had multiple cups of tea last night (my favs are Yogi detox and Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride) and a thick slice of banana bread with a dollop of crunchy peanut butter.

Andddd maybe a few Jacques Torres chocolate crunch puffs. Apparently I’m not as tired of sweets as I thought I was

Whole foods to ditch the chocolate, go back to its healthy roots.

Think winter is a lame time for fruits and veggies? Mix things up with this super food!

Home-brewed kombucha? Icing shots? Yes, please! Vital Juice rounds up NYC’s tastiest offerings of 2009.

Question: What was the BEST thing you ate in 2009? It’s a tough call, but I’m pretty sure the Cuban sandwich I had at Gus & Gabriel’s topped my list.

I think I may actually be getting a little tired of Christmas cookies and holidays sweets. My long weekend in Pennsylvania has been fun, but cheesecake and pie and cookies – oh my! I’m ready to return to the city and start eating some simpler fare (i.e. fruit, veggies, and whole grains!).

I started my Sunday with banana oatmeal for a crowd (or…me, mom, and grandma). I cooked up 1.5 cups of oatmeal, 2 cups of water, 1 cup of 2% milk, a dash of salt, and 2 very ripe bananas. Yum! Cooking the banana in the oatmeal makes it incredibly creamy. I added a teaspoon of brown sugar and a few dark chocolate chips. My mom was a big fan, too!

After breakfast, I ran a few errands. After putting 600+ miles on my running shoes, it was time for a new pair. I alternate between the Asics Nimbus and the Asics 2100 series. The Nimbus provides more cushioning, but since I’m a fairly light runner,  I might not need all that bulk. I’m starting to think that when it comes to running shoes, less is more. My new pair is the Asics 2150 style – excited!

I also picked up a little holiday gift for myself. Hey, I had to take advantage of the post-Christmas sales…

My new bag feels so buttery soft!

I stopped for a Starbucks gingerbread misto and snacked on a Nature’s Path peanut butter granola bar as I finished up my shopping. I love these granola bars! They’re nice and big and have a great peanut flavor. My only gripe is that they could use a little more fiber (2g) and protein (4g). Oh well.

And maybe a few un-pictured Christmas cookies hopped into my mouth. Just maybe. Those gingerbread men don’t take no for an answer!

I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather (sunny and high 30’s) and run outside. I’ve been in a little bit of a funk lately and my motivation has been lagging. I considered skipping my long run this week, but I knew I would feel much better if I got a few miles in. The run was rather uneventful, I ran 10 miles in about 1 hours, 26 minutes. The pace felt nice and easy throughout and I was able to do a lot of thinking and reflection. However, both of my hips were feeling quite tight and ache-y by the final miles. This is what happens when I skip yoga for 2 weeks in a row! Also, I haven’t taken a day off of running since December 4th (bad Megan…), so I think a few rest days/cross-training days might be in order.

Immediately post-run I snacked on an apple.

And then enjoyed some leftovers for dinner. My mom fried up some homemade potato pierogis with butter and onions and I had a slice of leftover Christmas ham and green beans on the side. I love homemade pierogis!

The evening hours were occupied by the movie Nine with friends and a few candy cane sticks. I really enjoyed this movie! It made me miss Italy SO much.

By the time the movie ended, it was late, but I was hungry! I had a slice (ok, maybe two) of pumpkin pie. At least pumpkin is a vegetable, right?

Now that the holidays are (almost) over, I’m looking forward to 2010. I’m still formulating my Resolutions, but beginning today I’m going to aim for a little bit less wine and cookies and little more whole foods. Who’s with me?

Web sites to inspire your New Year’s Resolutions:

• Get your finances in order with Mint
• Track your miles with my favorite online running log
• Research some healthy recipes
• Make a difference and donate to your favorite cause

Question: Do you make New Year’s Resolutions? If so, what are they?

Merry Holidays! Happy Christmas! I’m currently spending the last few days of December with my family in Pennsylvania, so please excuse the irregular blogging schedule. I’ve been enjoying some much needed rest and relaxation….

I was able to leave the city around 1:30pm on Christmas Eve and arrived home in time to help prepare dinner with my family. Vegetable Lasagna was on the menu!

Ingredients:

• large onion, chopped
• 1 bag of fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 egg
• 15 oz part-skim ricotta cheese
• 2 cups peeled, diced butternut squash
• 24 oz. jar of marinara sauce (~3 cups)
• 9 oven ready lasagna noodles
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly oil a 9″ x 9″ square baking dish
• Spray a pan with cooking spray and saute onions about 4 minutes or until tender
• Add spinach to onions and cook until wilted down
• In a large bowl combine shredded mozzarella, salt, pepper, egg, and ricotta cheese
• Place squash in a microwave safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, cook for 5 minutes on high
• Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce on the bottom of the pan, arrange 3 noodles over the sauce
• Spread 1 cup of cheese mixture over the noodles, arrange squash over the cheese, spread 3/4 cup sauce over the squash
• Arrange 3 more noodles over the sauce, spread the rest of the cheese mixture over the noodles
• Arrange spinach-onion mixture over the cheese layer, add another 3/4 cup of sauce
• Add another layer of noodles, the remainder of the sauce, and sprinkle the Parmesan on top
• Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes, uncover and cook for another 30 minutes
• Allow to sit for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving

With Junior’s Strawberry Swirl cheesecake for dessert. ‘Tis the season!

Christmas Morning started off with coffee (of course!), a very ripe banana, and a smidge of peanut butter. At Thanksgiving time there was probably about 1 Tbs of pb left in this jar and I thought for sure it would have been eaten by Christmas. Nope, apparently I am the ONLY person in my family who eats peanut butter. That’s ok, I love peanut butter enough for all of them

Christmas morning tradition called for secret family recipe cinnamon rolls. YUM.

With OJ! I only drink orange juice when I’m visiting my fam, so it always makes things seem like a holiday or vacation.

And then the present opening began! Rachel and I took the requisite “matching pj’s” photo. This photo was taken with my old camera (a little blurry, eh?). Luckily I just received a brand NEW Cannon powershot camera. Thanks Mom Santa!

Kiwi likes wrapping paper.

The camera was much-needed, but the best gift award goes to the slankets sent by my Nana. The slanket is the snuggie’s much cooler cousin. Obvi.

And after weeks of too much delicious cookies and wine, the “Clean Eating” book I received from my mom was very much appreciated! The cookbook focuses on seasonal ingredients and farmer’s market produce. I’m very excited to try some of the recipes – tempeh veggie quesadillas, anyone?

After the gifties were un-wrapped, I headed out the door for a 3-mile run. As I was lacing up my shoes, my Grandma said “It’s Christmas Day, do you have to go running?” I thought about it for a minute and replied “Nope, I don’t have to go running, but I want to. It makes me happy!” Those 26 1/2 minutes on the road were a Christmas present to myself

Much snackage occurred throughout the day (cheese! crackers! cookies!), so I was more than ready to eat some vegetables for dinner.

From Left to Right: homemade low-fat potato salad, vegetarian baked butter beans, potato roll with buttah, green beans, and ham with pineapple (yup, I had some meat – it’s a special occasion!). I’m not sure why we have baked beans and potato salad with our ham, but it’s an annual Christmas tradition!

After din-din, sissy and I went to see Avatar. I’m not usually a fan of fantasy/sci-fi or animated films, but this movie held my attention for nearly 3 hours! We watched the 3-D version of the movie – very cool.

When we got back home, I was hungry! Obviously I needed to try a small-ish piece of both the chocolate cream and pumpkin pies. Delicious.

Question: What’s best present you’ve received (or given to yourself)?

Andddd check out my latest Running Shorts post – Will run for coffee!

Maybe someday I will wake up in a cheerful mood and ready to run lots of miles sans coffee. Wednesday was not one of those days. When my alarm went off, I couldn’t help pondering – “Megan, why did you ever think it was a good idea to plan an interval workout for 7am??” But alas, early morning was the only time I had to get my run in. I poured a cup of coffee to go and fueled up with 1/2 clif bar.

Work/holiday parties precluded me from attending any CPTC practices this week, so I did a modified version of the Tuesday night workout.

1 mile warm-up
4 x 800m @ 10K pace (3:29, 3:29, 3:26, 3:24)
800m easy running between each faster interval
1 mile cool-down

Felt kind of groggy at the outset and wasn’t exactly excited about running fast at 7am, but as always I’m glad I did it. Hamstring and IT band felt GOOD! A few episodes of Saved by the Bell entertained me during this run. Love those shoulder pads and tube socks, Kelly Kapowski.

I haven’t been as good about packing my breakfast and lunches, so I hit up the cafeteria on my way into work.

Scrambled egg whites with sriracha sauce, mixed berries, and whole grain bread with pb & raspberry jam. Yum.

Plus a cappuccino! Not decaf today. I was le tired.

Lunch was delayed (I thought Christmas week was supposed to be quiet? I am so busy, gah!), so I snacked on some prunes around 1pm.

And then finally, some vegetables. I forgot my camera and didn’t snap a photo of my actual salad, but this photo is a good stand in

• romaine lettuce, sliced onions, shredded carrots, mushrooms, olives
• beans, blue cheese, whole grain croutons, balsamic vinaigrette

And BBQ pop chips! Love, love, love.

I had long meeting that didn’t end until 4:30pm and by this point I was in need of a snack. Thankfully, I had a vitabrownie in my desk drawer. I also sipped on some un-pictured hot cocoa.

Later on in the evening, I met a friend for dinner at Djerdan, a restaurant that specializes in Balkan cuisine. It’s cozy inside and never super crowded – a nice respite from the crowds of Penn Station.

The vegetarian options were not abundant, but I managed to find something. I ordered the vegetarian Sarma – cabbage leaves stuffed with rice and vegetables with a side of steamed vegetables. This dish certainly was packed with fiber and antioxidants, but it was a little lacking on the protein front. I was hungry again a few hours later!

I was kind of jealous of my dining companion’s cevapi sandwich - mini sausages tucked inside pita bread and topped with onions and red pepper sauce.

Once I got home I attempted to make chocolate dipped pretzels using candy cane hershey’s kisses. Hmm. This did not work so well. I think that the peppermint oil in the kisses made for a weird texture (sort of lumpy?) when I tried to melt the chocolate. The pretzel creations were not exactly blog-worthy, so I just snacked on some (un-melted) candy cane kisses and pretzels separately. Eh, you win some, you lose some. Anyone have tips on melting hershey’s kisses in the microwave? Does it ever work?

I can’t believe it’s Christmas Eve morning already! I just ran a lovely (but chilly) 7+ miles in Central Park with Alma and am finishing up some work before I head to Pennsylvania. Safe travels and Happy Holidays!

Live in the Boston area? Check out the upcoming  “Food for Thought” lecture series offered by the Harvard Museum of Natural History.

Are you a runner? If so, I bet you’ll get a kick out of the Running Doc’s 12 Days of Christmas. Thanks for sharing Katherine!

Interested in Christmas Eve dishes eaten around the world? Check out this article on the healthiest global specialities!

Question: What do you typically eat on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day?

I love how packed my social calendar gets during the holiday season, but lately I feel like I’ve been burning the candle at both ends. For the past month I’ve been running 50+ mile weeks, averaging only 6 1/2 hours of sleep per night, and consuming way more than my fair share of red wine and holiday cookies. I could really use a few days of R&R before Christmas arrives, but I don’t see that happenin’.  Guess I’ll just have to be a little more diligent about an early bedtime (or brew that second third cup of coffee)….

When my alarm went off before sunrise on Monday, I was a seriously cranky girl, meh. Coffee with Frida and 1/2 peppermint stick luna bar helped me to become functional. After a little time for digestion, Alma and I headed out the door for a morning run. My IT band and hamstring felt good for the 6.5 miles through Central Park, but I was feelin’ pretty sleepy and tired. Post-run I hydrated with a big glass of water and an apple and then got ready for work.

Arrival at the office signaled time for coffee #2 (well, a cappuccino to be exact) and a bowl of apple-cinnamon steel cut oats from Jamba Juice. Ah! I love these oats. They’re not on special for $1 anymore, but they’re totally worth the full price. The oats contain 290 calories, 60 grams of carbs (energy!), 8 grams of protein, and 5 grams of fiber. Plus they taste great – I love the layer of cooked apples, cinnamon, and brown sugar that comes on top.

After a morning full of work, I paused for lunch. There’s not really any way to make black bean & pumpkin soup in a take out container look appetizing, but I promise it was delicious! 

Plus a salad because…vegetables are good for you!

• romaine, shredded carrots, mushrooms, onions
• spoonfuls of fruit salad, orzo salad, and cottage cheese
• sunflower seeds, craisins, balsamic vinaigrette

I had a serious chocolate craving around 4pm, so I snacked on a baggie of Cocoa Roast almonds – delicious! And then I wanted more chocolate, so I had two Adora calcium supplements. In a row. Eh, I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to do that. “Do as I say, not as I do.”

I attended a holiday party in the evening and some more red wine was consumed (at least it’s good for my heart, right?).

And now for some blurry awesome cell phone photos. Yay!

I had about 3 small plates throughout the evening – I tried to include some healthier fare like cucumber-feta salad, raspberries, olives, tabbouleh-tomato salad, and hummus, but plenty of Humboldt-Fog goat cheese and pita crisps were also enjoyed. I really love Mediterranean style tapas – I could eat like this every day!

After my soiree, I headed home and got a little gift-wrapping out of the way. About an hour for bed, my tum started growling. I’ve been holding off on buying groceries this week since I have so many after-work committments, but I managed to scrounge together a fairly decent snack. I mixed a Tbs of peanut butter into a container of Chobani (peanut butter flavored yogurt!) and a 1/2 cup of Kashi Go Lean.

I didn’t make it to bed as early as I planned, but at least it was before midnight!

Today was another early morning. Pre-gym snack involved coffee and 1/2 peppermint stick luna bar. No photo, too early. After a few weeks hiatus, I made it back to my favorite 7am spin class. Today’s theme: Angels, Demons, Heaven, and Hell. The instructor got very creative with the music including such classics as: “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”, “Losing my Religion”, and “Halo”. Interesting…

I followed up 40 minutes of spinning with 3 miles on the treadmill in 24:45. A year ago, my usual “easy” run pace was around 8:00-8:30 per mile and that speed is finally feeling normal again. Yay! I foam rolled and stretched afterwards and then hit the showers!

Breakfast was healthy, but a little boring (I want $3 jamba juice oatmeal everyday!). Grapefruit and orange segments and a cup of Oikos non-fat greek yogurt.

And a decaf cappuccino. Hey, at least it was decaf!

Now, on to productivity! Enjoy your Tuesday

Do you love Trader Joe’s as much as I do? Check out their list of most favorite products of 2009. I just about swoon everytime I think of their economically priced nut butters….

Kelly Rutherfood a.k.a. Lily from the hit TV show gossip girl is actually an UES mom in real life. Check out her tips for staying healthy during the holidays in NYC.

Question: What’s the first thing you slack on when you’ve got too much to do? Exercise? Healthy Eating? Sleep? Time with friends? For me, it’s sleep! I need to start making it a priority…

Despite a blowing wind and the first heavy snowfall of the season, Alma and Megan’s 1st Annual Holiday Party was a success. I went to bed a little tipsy with a belly full of cookies, so it’s a winner in my book!

Check out our beauteous spread of food! Homemade oreos, chocolate chip candy cane cookies, baby carrots, spiced almonds, crackers, feta-stuffed piquillo peppers, olives, brie (!!), iberico cheese, and pistachios. Yum.

I made spiced almonds for our house-warming party back in October, but this time I decided to go in a slightly different direction. These almonds were more sweet than savory – similar to the candied nuts you can buy on the street corners of NYC. Just as delicious, but much less sketchy.

Sugar & Spice Almonds

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of raw almonds
• 1/2 cup of pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp each of nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and cardamom

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 35o degrees, cover a baking sheet with several pieces of aluminum foil.
• Mix the almonds and maple syrup in a large bowl
• Mix the spices together in a small bowl and then add the spices to the almond-syrup mixture. Stir well to combine.
• Bake almonds for 10-15 minutes (stirring after 5 minutes) or until toasted and golden brown.
• Allow nuts to cool briefly and then immediately transfer them to a large bowl (work fast or they’ll stick to the foil!). Once completely cool, store in an air-tight container.

Chocolate Chip Candy Cane Cookies (makes about 20 cookies)

Ingredients:

• 6 Tbs firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 3 crushed candy canes

Directions:

• Heat oven to 375 F. In a large bowl combine sugar and butter, beat until light and fluffy.
• Add vanilla and egg until blended.
• Add flour, baking soda, and salt – mix well.
• Stir in chocolate chips and crushed candy canes.
• On an ungreased cookie sheet, bake heaping teaspoonfuls of dough for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 1 minute on the pan and then transfer to a wire rack.

Alma’s festive feta stuffed piquillo peppers!

My plate – had a couple of these throughout the night, plus lots of red wine and cookies

The best part of hosting a party at your own apartment? Not having to brave the cold and snow. However, we MUCH appreciated the wintry trek our party guests made Thanks friends!

Red wine!

Darien & Megan

Megan & Alma

College Roommates unite! Missed you Anj and Hannah

Cute couple

These brave souls sampled our eggnog & triple sec mixed drink.

?? glasses of wine + pop music = Megan pretends to be in an itunes commercial. Or at least I think that’s what was going in here…

After running 12 miles in the morning and partying until after 1am, I was wiped out. I’m pretty sure I fell asleep the minute my head hit the pillow. Visions of sugar plums (and homemade oreos) danced in my head!

Check out my latest post on True/Slant: Have your cookies and eat them too! My thoughts on how to enjoy the holiday season without sacrificing your running fitness.

Question: What’s your favorite party food? I love brie, but for some reason I only buy it/eat it during the holidays.

Whenever my alarm goes off in the weekend pre-dawn darkness, I always question my sanity. Did I actually pay $17 to go run 9.3 miles in the freezing cold? Yup. Luckily once I toss the comforter aside and the smell of coffee starts wafting through the apartment, I start to feel a little better about my running decisions. The Ted Corbitt 15K was on the calendar this morning and at 8am I was happy to see that the snow hadn’t yet begun to fall.

I started off with a strong cup of Frida:

And then fueled up with a banana and a spoonful of nutzo:

After a 1 mile + warm-up to the start, Alma and I were ready to run! I planned on running the 15K as a hard workout, but not racing all out. I feel like I’m still building up confidence when it comes to racing fast and of course, I want to be careful about the ‘ol hamstring and IT band. Alma agreed to be my pacer/workout buddy and the plan was to start out slow and run negative splits. We went through the first mile nice and easy (chatting about our party plans for tonight!) and then started to drop the pace.

• Mile 1 – 8:30
• Mile 2 – 7:55
• Mile 3 – 7:40
• Mile 4 – 8:00 (uphill?)
• Mile 5 – 7:30
• Mile 6 – 7:30
• Mile 7 – 7:35
• Mile 8 – 7:30
• Mile 9 – 7:10
• Last .3 – FAST!
• Total finish time: 15K (9.3 miles) in 1 hour, 11 minutes, 35 seconds for an average of 7:41 pace.

Hooray! I was definitely feeling fatigued (umm, 5.5 hours of sleep last night, bleh), but If I were actually racing this I think I could have gone faster. Next up: Manhattan 1/2 marathon on January 24th!

After a 1.5 mile cool-down, we found ourselves in Starbucks where I ordered my favorite drink: decaf misto with one-pump of gingerbread syrup. And then…I picked up a special package that was waiting for me at the post office!

All bundled up…those giant green mittens are the best!

Melissa from Trying to Heal was my Blogger Secret Santa – and I am one lucky girl! My box was packed with peanut butter clif and odwalla bars, Qbel pb-chocolate wafers, and a whole plate of homemade goodness! Of course, I had to sample some of the sweets right away. I tried a piece of the Oatmeal M&M snack bar and a chocolate-covered graham cracker. Yum. Thanks, Melissa!

And then I was ready for some more food. 12 miles of running = HUNGRY. I mixed a Tbs of peanut butter with a container of Chobani non-fat greek yogurt and added it to a chopped pear. With a cup of sugar cookie sleigh ride herbal tea to warm up!

After showering and some emailing, I was ready for another snack. This was kind of an odd combo and not all that photogenic, but it did taste pretty good. I melted a string cheese on a whole wheat tortilla added some chipotle hummus and salsa and rolled it up like a burrito.

With carrot sticks and more hummus on the side.

Just finished a little bit of writing (check out Running Shorts later today – Matt and I will have something fresh and new posted shortly!) and now I’m off to prepare for the holiday party Alma and I are hosting tonight. Excited!

We’re supposed to get A LOT of snow this evening, what’s your favorite snow day activity? I have big plans for a mug of hot chocolate and a good book tomorrow….

I’ve been so busy making latkes and baking cookies that I haven’t mentioned running much this week. Never fear, I’ve been soldiering on in the cold! I had grand plans to do a tempo run on Thursday morning, but after I hit the snooze button a few times, it just didn’t happen. Instead I spent a few extra minutes in bed (with coffee!) while catching up on emails. The new plan: attend the Central Park Track Club’s weekly Thursday night workout. Around 4pm, my office had a small holiday get-together that featured lots of COOKIES! Does a white chocolate macademia nut cookie + 7-layer magic bar + bite size cupcake = good running fuel? Well, it did last night! Stu Mittleman probably wouldn’t approve, but the sweet stuff seemed to work out pretty well. After about 2 hours of digestion and a few glasses of water, I felt ready to run.

I met my friend Ani for about 2 miles warm-up and immediately my face, lips, and hands were frozen. The temperature was about 25 last night and windy. Brrrr….My numb facial muscles made conversation a tad difficult. Luckily, once we began the actual workout I started to generate some body heat. We did a basic 4-mile tempo run in Central Park last night with the goal being half-marathon pace. I ended up finishing the 4.05 (Garmin measured!) loop in 28:58 or about ~7:09 per mile pace. Maybe my legs were just frozen, but this felt surprisingly good. I picked up the pace for the last 1/2 mile or so, but other than that I felt very comfortable throughout the entire run. I did this same workout about a month ago and ran ~7:53 per mile pace. Today’s pace was over 40 seconds faster. Hooray! The best part of recovering from injury is regaining fitness levels

I wore the Nike lunaracers for the workout and have mixed feelings about them. They were super light, so I felt fast, but my toes were cold and I got a small blister on my right heel.

I cooled down for about 2.5 miles and then headed back to my gym. After some stretching, foam rolling, core work, and push-ups, it was time to call it a day.

My cookies ended up working out fine (no tummy troubles at all), but I was pretty hungry by I got back to my place a little after 9pm.

I made a comforting bowl of oatmeal to re-fuel:

• 1/2 cup oats, milk, water
• chopped pear
• spoonful of Nutzo
• a few white chocolate chips

Anddddd I was still hungry so I had some more nutzo with a banana. And hot tea to warm up!

I felt surprisingly good when I woke up on Friday (7 hours of sleep, success!), so I headed out into the 16 degree morning for an easy 3.5 miler.

I wanted something hot for breakfast, so I hit up the cafeteria for a little variety: banana, scrambled egg whites with sriracha hot sauce, and a slice of  7-grain toast with peanut butter and raspberry jam.

Lunch was one of my usual salads:

• romaine lettuce, mushrooms, onions, shredded carrots
• beans, feta cheese, balsamic vinaigrette, whole grain croutons
• spoonful of wheatberry salad, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds

And two single-serving bags of salt & pepper popchips. Love these!!! But one little bag is never enough

I have fun plans this evening (WELCOME HOME JESS!!), so it’s work, work, work for the rest of the day. TGIF!

Question for runners: Do you ever do tempo runs or interval workouts? Have you read about the athlete who ran 60 (!!) 400 meter repeats? That’s 15 miles of sprints. I think I would die…

Question for eaters (that’s everyone!): What’s your favorite “healthy-ish” holiday treat? I’m loving herbal gingerbread tea at the moment! For more ideas, check out this list of holiday favorites that won’t weigh you down.

Yikes, this is a busy time of year. I’m really feeling the effects of less sleep – goal for tonight: 7 hours or more!

Wednesday started off with a cup of coffee and a freezing cold enjoyable 8 mile run with Alma. Note to self: if my hands start to go numb, shaking them vigorously brings back feeling. Good to know, even though it makes me look like a crazy person.

Moving on to breakfast: I heart winter citrus fruits. Especially grapefruit & orange!

And a hearty slice of Eli Zabar’s bread topped with pb & j.

Plus a little more (decaf) coffee:

Day was hectic, so lunch was eaten at my desk. But at least it was a fabulous salad!

• romaine, mixed greens, shredded carrots, mushrooms, onions
• roasted brussels sprouts, sample of roasted parsnip
• chickpeas & kidney beans (~1/3 cup)
• sprinkle of feta cheese, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, whole grain croutons
• balsamic vinaigrette
• Yum!

Afternoon snackeroos were a few strawberries/piece of pound cake dipped in chocolate sauce.

and an oikos greek yogurt for protein!

I finally got out of the office a little after 7pm and made my way uptown. Fun evening plans: Laundry! Hah. I actually really, really dislike doing laundry. I try to put it off as long as possible….

Once I made the initial trek to the laundromat, I dug into a special treat. Awhile back, Kath’s blog was offering up a very special deal: $25 gift certificate for anything at her Open Sky store. I jumped on the bandwagon and snapped up 2 jars of organic nutzo for myself. This stuff is amazingly crunchy! In addition to peanuts, it also contains: sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, almonds, cashews, and flax seeds. Holy, legume.

I really only wanted to have nut butter for dinner, but in attempts to make it a little more balanced I made a snacking plate: sliced apple, carrot sticks, and triscuits. With lots of nutzo!

I ended my night very sweetly – with a few of the homemade oreos I made on Tuesday! Homemade oreos? Can it be true? YES. Apparently, I don’t have enough on my plate, so I’ve started re-creating the products of huge corporations. Twinkie, you’re next….

Just kidding.

Anyway, I based these cookies on a recipe by Joanne Chang of Flour Bakery (must.go.there.soon). My recipe came out of a book called Baking from the Heart, but the Boston Globe published a similar homemade oreos recipe this summer.

Mix the melted chocolate, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla with the dry ingredients. Use quality chocolate and cocoa powder – you’ll taste the difference in these cookies.

The trickiest part of the process: shaping the cookie dough into logs, chilling it (preferably overnight), and slicing it into thin disks.

The cookie wafers baked up nice and crispy!

And then I made the filling and shaped that into a log. You don’t even want to know how much butter and confectioner’s sugar I used. The oreo filling was sliced and sandwiched between two chocolate cookies.

Ta-da! This recipe made a lot of cookies – approximately 50 – so I’m going to be nice and share them with my co-workers and friends. However, I might stash away a few for myself. I have a feeling they won’t last long!

New articles from Running Shorts:

The Atkins Diet for runners? Matt explores low-carb running.

And I recently reviewed John L. Parker’s cult classic, Once A Runner. FYI – It’s no longer out of print!

Question: What “commercial” food product would you like to try re-creating at home? My oreos aren’t exactly healthy, but at least I can pronounce every ingredient in them