Jogging My Memory

Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes! I had a really great day!

I ate half a Peanut Butter Cookie LaraBar and then set off from my apartment on a long run.

I went about 13.5 miles in 2:12:57. I wasn’t focused on speed on this run, and I took a lot of water breaks and got stopped at a few stoplights where I didn’t stop my watch, so the time is not very accurate.

I ate 3 Clif Blocks around mile 8. I’m really getting used to the stickiness of them, and I really appreciate that they don’t upset my stomach!

The last few miles was pretty hard, and made me glad I was just running to run and not for speed. My knees were hurting and I had to stop and stretch them a few times. When I got back I ate the other half of the LaraBar and drank some Vitamin Water while icing my knees. I also put a hot pack on them after a long shower.

Lunch was a salad that didn’t turn out quite like I was hoping. It had romaine, cucumbers, and red peppers with feta and the 365 Organic Peanut Sauce for dressing.

Can I just say that peanut sauce and feta do not mix – at least not in my book!

About an hour later I had this pita warmed up with 1 Tbs. of 365 Strawberry Spread. YUM!

In the afternoon I finally bit the bullet and went to Fleet Feet a local running store to get some new shoes! My parents offered to pay for a new pair of running shoes as a congratulations for kicking the half marathon’s butt! I tried on two pairs, the Brooks Adrenaline 9 (I’ve been wearing the old version) and the Saucony Omni. Both felt good, except that the Omni’s were a lot heavier than the Adrenalines.

In the end I chose the Brooks Adrenaline – my past two pairs have both been Brooks Adrenalines although they were the previous model, and I have been extremely happy with them! I can’t wait to break in this new pair! Aren’t they cute!

Thanks Mom and Dad!

I also picked up a pair of SmartWool running socks and a Breakfast cookie while I was there, hehe!

After shoe shopping I did some more shopping at Trader Joe’s and Target – look at these goodies!

I snacked on some Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies and an apple, and then had some Trader Joe’s Cat cookies a little later – Yum!

At 8 I headed over to Megan’s to celebrate my birthday! Megan put together a nice little spread for us:

We also opened a bottle of red table wine that was not too shabby!

Megan and Julia got me the sweetest birthday present ever!

It’s called Clean Eating and it’s full of healthy eating tips as well as tons of recipes organized by season! I can’t wait to try out the recipes in here and Megan and Julia volunteered to be guinea pigs!

After hanging out at Megan’s for a little while we drove downtown and parked. We were originally going to go to 58 Degrees, a wine bar, but on the way there we saw this cute little Spanish Restaurant called Aioli Bodega Restaurant and just couldn’t resist. We had a hard time choosing from such an extensive menu. In the end we decided to shared a pitcher of Sangria, two tapas, and some paella. We had a lot of leftovers.

And who needs birthday cake when you can have these!

The server even sang me Happy Birthday – it was very cute!

After dinner we drove back to Megan’s.

We couldn’t resist taking some more pictures : )

It was a great way to celebrate my birthday and I’m so glad that I got to spend it with Megan and Julia!

The only thing that could have made my birthday better would have been spending it with Tyler, but I get to see him on Friday for over two weeks, so I can’t complain!

Today has been a super low key Sunday. I didn’t get home until about 11am because we slept in. I made an awesome new dish for lunch, that was inspired by a recipe I saw in the Whole Foods monthly recipe booklet for October.

Mushroom, Walnut, and Parmesan Polenta

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1/2 cup dry polenta (I used Bob’s Red Mill Corn Grits aka Polenta)
• 1.5 cups water
• 6 oz mushrooms sliced (I used white mushrooms, but I bet creminis or portobellos would work well)
• 1/2 Tbs. EVOO
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 30 g Walnut pieces (about 1/4 cup)
• parmesan or parmigiana reggiano cheese
• sea salt or regular salt

Directions:

• Bring the 1.5 cups  water  with 1/2 tsp. salt to a boil .
• Stir in the dry polenta and cook until the water is absorbed stirring occassionally.
• In a pan, heat up the EVOO over medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms, garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp. salt, and cook for about 4 minutes until the mushrooms are tender.
• Once the polenta is cooked, divide it into 2 servings.
• Top the polenta with half the mushrooms, half of the walnuts, and some freshly grated parmesan cheese!

I’m so glad I made two servings, because this was absolutely delicious! The walnuts and mushrooms gave the dish a variety of textures, and parmesan is yummy on just about anything! Next time I make this I may try adding some spinach or another green vegetable in there…we shall see.

I had to run a few errands this afternoon, including another trip to Trader Joe’s because I forgot a few essentials when I was there yesterday. I came home with Lavash, parmesan cheese (not grated), cheddar cheese, and sea salt, I also got to try a few samples while I was there of some red pepper hummus, and sipping chocolate. Yum.

I snacked on a Chocolate Chip Clif Z Bar which I nuked for about 10 seconds.

I also cleaned the kitchen, nothing like a clean kitchen to start the week off right!

Now I’m working on homework, and will be for the rest of the evening, minus dinner time. I’m seeing some Annie’s Shells and Real Aged Cheddar in my future and maybe some pumpkin – I love fall!

Tags: Aioli Bodega Restaurant, birthday, Brooks Adrenaline 9, friends, Mushroom Walnut and Parmesan Polenta, recipe, running, shopping, Trader Joe's