Back on the Running Wagon

Since I moved here, my running has been spotty, a few miles here, a few miles there. I had been training for the Twin Cities marathon and the Nike Women's Half Marathon in October, but due to lack of time to train during the move, and lack of time off to take from work having just started a new role, I had to defer on both races. I love to run, and had been really missing the miles I would put in.

Although, I had found a great running buddy in Lynne, who was training for the Marine Corp Marathon. She and I ran about once a week for a few miles and like with most running buddies, have become fast friends as we talk about anything and everything while the miles pass. She's now moving to North Carolina, but assures me she'll be back for races and runs frequently; I'll miss you Lynne!!

Anyway, after some hiatus, I did a few shorter distance races recently, including a five mile last month with my co-worker Christine in Chevy Chase. Her and I had a good time, despite some hills on the course.

Ok, we had a great time, at least when the race photographers caught us anyway

This past weekend, I ran a 10K in DC with my friend Kristin. Both races went well, felt good (despite the beginnings where I thought, "was this REALLY a good idea?") and have me jazzed up to keep running.

Kristin and I pre-race

Therefore, if you haven't looked to the right on my blog recently that shows what race I'm training for--check it out! I've signed up for the Rock and Roll National Half March 17th!! I am SO excited for this race. Lynne and Beth will also be running it, and my friend Katy from Denver (who I went to visit last January if you remember right) will be coming to run it as well.

I'm so excited to have this goal, as the last half I ran was the Fargo Half last May, and to enjoy the milder winter running weather out here.

I've also joined a distance running group to help hold me accountable, and to have a group to run so I won't be running alone in the dark on the shorter days.

Speaking of dark, I also invested in my first head lamp for this winter. The trails here aren't as well lit as the lakes in Minnesota, so I'll need the headlamp, even when running with the group.

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I'm also planning to do a small Turkey Trot 5K near our place for Thanksgiving this year, and can't wait!

What is your next race? Better yet, what's your next big goal, fitness related or not?

Easy, Mayo-less, Chicken Salad

There are few foods I really dislike, the first and foremost one being bananas (as I've explained before, I can't even stand the smell of them), another is mayonnaise. That's one reason why I've never enjoyed chicken or tuna salads.

Then, Jen showed me how she makes a mayo-less chicken salad awhile back, and I have since created my own version of it. It's high protein, lower carb, and I think goes great with these Blue Diamond Nut Thin Crackers (I prefer the Almond ones, or hint of Sea Salt ones). I take it to work as part of my main dish for lunch, and it fills me up easily.

Source

The recipes for this chicken salad is this simple:

• 1 Small Can White Meat Chicken
• 1/2 can of black beans
• Four wedges of Original or Blue Cheese Laughing Cow Cheese
• Three teaspoons Frank's Red Hot Sauce, Original Flavor (I just give about five or six good shakes of it in the mixture)

And here's how the final product looks:


Granted, I added extra black beans into this particular one because I had more than half a can left, and didn't want them to go to waste. Also, I'm a lover off all things beans! I also love when eating gluten free can be this easy.

Below you'll find the nutrition facts, as figured out by Spark Recipes, on half of the above recipe.

Nutrition Facts User Entered Recipe
2 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		206.4
Total Fat		8.8 g
	Saturated Fat	5.1 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.1 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	0.0 g
Cholesterol		35.0 mg
Sodium		930.6 mg
Potassium		201.5 mg
Total Carbohydrate		15.5 g
	Dietary Fiber	4.9 g
	Sugars	2.0 g
Protein		14.5 g

Happy Halloween with Pumpkin Love

Happy Halloween Friends! What a wonderful autumn it's been, besides unseasonably cold temperatures this week, I've been loving my first fall in the DC area. And honestly, the cold here doesn't phase me because of what I'm used to in Minnesota, it actually feels a bit refreshing (at times).

In typical fall fashion, I'm loving on pumpkin flavored anything. This fall I've fallen in love with Dunkin Donuts Pumpkin Spice Coffee. It's just as delicious as a pumpkin spice latte, but cheaper and fewer calories. Mix it with a little skim milk, and you'll swear it's a latte.


You can get it at any Dunkin store on drip (man, I LOVE living near these now!) or I've found the beans sold in bags at Target stores. Of course it tastes better fresh from Dunkin, but it's still delicious in your home coffee maker, and so much cheaper per serving. Oh, and Dunkin says it's Gluten Free to boot, yay!

I'm also in love with Trader Joe's pumpkin butter, delicious! At 40 calories per tablespoon, it goes pretty far too, as you only need a little bit to add flavor. I've been smothering it on my Blueberry Cottage Cheese Pancakes. I've also been adding a half carton of 0% Greek yogurt to this recipe to add a further protein punch, but be warned, if you do this, add a couple tablespoons of water too so the batter doesn't get too thick.


I also have a goal of making a gluten free version (basically subbing in gluten free graham crackers for the crust) of Eat, Live Run's Pumpkin Cheesecake bites. They look delicious!

I'm also going to try this Martha Stewart Pumpkin Pasta recipe, I think even Ben could like this one!

Although we didn't dress up this year, we dressed up Cooper of course (and by "we," I mean me, because Ben just sits and shakes his head at this).

The Little Devil

Cooper was supposed to be in a costume contest at a local park this weekend, but the weather was so bad (sleet, snow, ice) that I didn't take him. So, now he'll just get to show off his outfit for Trick or Treaters tonight.

This post is part of the "Boo in the Blogosphere" set up by Sellabitmum and Four Plus An Angel. If you're in the spirit and want to show off your (or your kids, or your pet's costumes) hook up your Halloween posts as well!

Would you run a marathon nine months pregnant?

So, to answer the question from the title of this post, let me tell you my answer straight off the bat, no, I would not run a marathon nine months pregnant. Why? Not because I think it's crazy, because I know I physically couldn't do it! I can barely run a marathon in my prime physical form.

Anyway, people are talking about this woman, Amber Miller, who ran/walked the Chicago marathon this past weekend at nine months pregnant, started contracting during the race, and gave birth later that day to a healthy child.

Amber Miller, post race and post baby birth

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Here is the Today Show's coverage on it, Matt Lauer ran his flapper during their morning show, and as a man who's never been pregnant, he should have just shut up. No one asks for journalists opinions, just the facts please!

Her doctor said she could run/walk it, to do half and half, and knew her exercise regimine, so I don't know what the big deal is?

What do you think? Was she putting she and her baby's health at risk? Would you ever run a marathon late in pregnancy if you could?

My "Green" Monster Smoothie

A lot of health bloggers show their recipes for protein smoothies, specifically, green monsters, so I thought I'd show mine. It's not very "green" looking, but it gets the job done.

I combine together the following in a blender:

• 1 cup frozen mixed berries
• 1 scoop of whey protein
• 1 Cup of Trop 50 Orange Juice
• A big handful of spinach (I would say it equals about 1.5-2 cups worth)

Turning it into the following delicious wonder:

Mmmmm!

According to Spark Recipes, the nutrition facts on this bad boy are the following:

Nutrition Facts
1 Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories		230.4
Total Fat		1.7 g
	Saturated Fat	0.5 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.1 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	0.0 g
Cholesterol		45.0 mg
Sodium		125.6 mg
Potassium		801.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate		37.6 g
	Dietary Fiber	10.0 g
	Sugars	21.2 g
Protein		19.3 g

So drink up and enjoy!

Now, I need to make this smoothie even better, by buying this blender from Crate and Barrel I've been dreaming about for oh, I don't know...two years!
I saw a demo of it's impeccable speeds at a wedding registry event there before Ben and I were married. I put it on our registry, and we never received it, and I've never been able to justify buying it, even though our blender takes about eight years to get something smooth. Maybe this new apartment is the perfect reason!

Do you have a favorite smoothie recipe that's great for a hearty snack or post workout?

Weekend Update

When was the last time I updated on a Saturday night? Not so sure, and don't judge me, I have a life!

Anyway, wanted to get out the winner of the Betty Crocker giveaway. Random.org helped me pick, and it came up with entry number two, so the winner is....

Cindy!

Cindy said,

"Can my sweet treat pleeeeease be Gummi Cubs? They are my go-to when I'm having a bad day."

Yes, that CAN be your sweet treat Cindy. =) Congratulations! E-mail me your mailing address by Monday night to: AlexaTaleof2Cities@gmail.com and My Blog Spark will get that great prize package sent your way.

Today Ben and I headed into DC and went to great restaurant called Matchbox that has a wonderful gluten free menu. I should have taken a picture of my pear walnut salad and bacon wrapped shrimp with cheesy grits, delicious!

We also went to the Newseum, as we're both huge news geeks, walked around Union Square, and then came back home to have our friend Kristin over for a nice dinner, what an awesome day!

Tomorrow, I'll finally be making that three bean chili I'd been dreaming of making when we got settled (we're almost there!) and trying out gluten free pumpkin and corn bread recipes. I'll let you all know how they go, and if they turn out well I'll post the recipes and pictures of the results (if they're a disaster I'll post pictures of results as well so I can at least have fun with my baking blunders).

Have a great rest of your weekend!

A Sweet Giveaway

As much as this is a blog about healthy living, it's also about REAL life. And, I my friends, have a sweet tooth.

So, when MyBlogSpark told me I could be involved in a Molasses Cookie giveaway, I jumped at the chance.

Sure, I can't eat these cookies because of my celiac, but my taste tester (i.e. husband) can, plus I knew you guys would all love the giveaway!

Also, the cooking and baking swag is great as well. An awesome apron, baking spoon and cookie sheet, what's not to love?!

The fabulous prize pack!

I prefer to make baked goods from scratch, but I'm not opposed to mixes, as honestly, in most cases where I need to make things on weeknights, or on a tight schedule, mixes save me!

One person will win the fabulous prize pack shown above. And there are two ways you can win:

1. Leave a comment telling me your favorite sweet treat
2. Tweet about the giveaway, saying @AlexaTC is sponsoring at great @BettyCrocker Giveaway through #MyBlogSpark!Check it out: http://tinyurl.com/65kn4an

Make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry. The giveaway is open to enter until Friday, September 23, 2011 at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

The randomly chosen winner must contact me at: AlexaTale2Cities@gmail.com by 11:00 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, September 26, or a new winner will be drawn.

Disclosure: The product, information and prize pack, was provided to me by Betty Crocker through MyBlogSpark.