Whoa, I have no idea where this weekend went!!  It was a whirlwind of shopping, activities, parties, late nights and craziness!  All fun, though

I want to thank you guys so much for your support with my last post.  You always help me realize that I’m not alone in this journey and that we share so many of the same struggles.  Life isn’t perfect, but we want to always strive to be better.  The older I get, the more I am looking at the small, positive changes as being a success rather than the big, “end result.”  If we’re doing this for a lifetime, I think it’s the way to go!

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Although I didn’t get to bed until waaaaaaay past my bedtime, I got up early with the husband and headed out for a run.  It was freezing, but felt so good to be out there!  I missed running this week!  I’m easing my way back into some mileage and my knee/IT band is feeling fine so far.  I finished up 3.22 miles using 5:1 intervals on the GYMBOSS (my BFF )…

The chilly weather stoked my appetite!  Oddly, I was craving a cold breakfast, too…

Mmmm… a compact yogurt bowl!  Packed full of goodness…plain non-fat Chobani, 3 drops liquid vanilla NuStevia, banana and a sprinkle of Grape-Nuts…

Dig in…

My mini-bowl held me over well enough that I had a late lunch.  I picked up a new find at Trader Joe’s – Udi’s Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread …

Even though I’m no longer doing the Gluten-Free Experiment, I am still intrigued by some of the gluten-free food items and recipes out there!  One of the hardest things when I tried being gluten-free was not being able to have a good ready-made bread available.  I eyed this up very carefully in TJ’s and thought it looked promising…

It did not disappoint!  I used it to make a grilled cheese and turkey sandwich…

The bread was light, airy and almost rustic tasting.  There was also no “off” taste and texture that is often found in gluten-free breads.  At least the ones I’ve tried!  It’s a  nice find (although pricey – $4.69 for a small loaf)  if you’re gluten-free!

Served with bean chips and an apple…

Delish

Dinner was inspired by Cabot’s website again.  Their Macaroni and Cabot Cheese  looked like the perfect “comfort food” weekend meal.  I decided to change it up a little.  The star (and sneaky) ingredient was beans!

Star due to the protein and fiber;  sneaky because I pureed it so none of the haters would know!  Cannellini beans are a great choice for this since they are a neutral tasting bean.

Here’s my version…

Baked Macaroni and Cheese
adapted from Cabot

4 cups cooked whole grain elbow macaroni (about 2 cups uncooked)
8 ounces Cabot Sharp Cheddar, grated (about 2 cups)
15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup skim milk
3/4 cup light sour cream
1 large egg, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons grated fresh onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
2 tsp.  melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In a food processor, puree beans with milk until mixture is smooth.
3.  In large bowl, stir together macaroni, cheddar cheese, bean puree, sour cream, egg, onion, salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish.
3. In small bowl, combine butter with breadcrumbs. Sprinkle mixture over macaroni. Cover with lid or foil and bake for 30 minutes.
4. Uncover and broil until golden.

Sneak a bite from the corner…

Served with a simple side salad…

No beans to be seen…

And the family was none the wiser! 

Uh……..oops.

The husband just sat next to me and saw me write this.

He’s going into beanaphylactic shock.

Busted.  

Have a great day, everyone!

Do you find a way to “hide” healthy foods into a dish?  Do you tell??

I thought long and hard and decided I needed to run today.  My brain needed to know that my knee would be okay for the half.  I knew if I didn’t at least try it, I would be mentally screwed on Sunday.

Breakfast first!  Cinnamon raisin GF bread with cinnamon vanilla almond butter…

This gluten-free bread is one that I actually really like!  One of the few GF bread-type products that I would make again! 

The cinnamon vanilla almond butter was an experiment that surprisingly worked out!  I added cinnamon and vanilla extract to a store-bought jar of almond butter and stirred well.  YUM!

Okay legs… ya ready???

And we’re off!  I started off gingerly for fear of twinges.  I tried to not focus on my knee and just enjoy the beautiful day…

It really was a magnificent day and I was basically obsessed with the sky the whole morning.  The clouds were so bright and defined!

I didn’t find a natural groove for this run until the very end.  Trying to keep my striking impact light was throwing off my rhythm.  It was getting on my nerves! LOL!  Finally, I just said “screw it” and ran my normal run.  I figured it is what it is and if my knee/IT band flares up, then I would stop.  Thankfully, I made it through the 2 miles without any major issue.  I didn’t feel quite 100%, but I didn’t feel completely injured.  My mind needed to know that. Like I said, running is more mental than physical for me.  Now I can rest, stretch, foam roll and ice until Sunday with my mind at ease. 

No turning back now! I’m ready…

For botox.  Holy frowning craters.

I ran a few errands in my stankiness, then rushed home for lunch.  I was starvin’ marvin’!  Leftover taco fixings were calling my name.  This time with a twist…

Served on grilled polenta rounds!  I used a pre-made roll of polenta, sliced it into rounds and grilled them on the George Foreman until heated through and slightly crisp.  You can do this in a skillet also.

Once done, I topped each round with fat-free refried beans, seasoned ground beef, shredded cheddar, salsa and Wholly Guacamole.

Devoured these…

See, leftovers can be kind of exciting, right?

The munchies made a minor appearance this afternoon.  I squashed them with some popcorn that I shared with the daughters…

Dinner was a family favorite that everyone eats without complaint which is refreshing   Breaded parmesan chicken, roasted red potatoes and green salad…

I roasted up the whole bag of potatoes, so expect to see lots of potato dishes in the next couple of days!

Fun

Have a great day, everyone!

What’s your favorite potato dish?  Mine is scalloped potatoes!  My MIL has been asking me for months to make it (she likes my recipe), but I’ve been avoiding it.  Heavy cream…lots of gruyere…butter = instant thigh puffing.  Yeah, who needs it

Well, the run didn’t go as planned.  A major part of the problem was that my head was not right.  I was worried.  Worried about my knee, worried about every twinge I felt, worried how this would affect the half marathon.  I have said this before and I know more than ever that it is true:  Running isn’t just about the body;  it’s about the mind.  Your body can do it.  It was designed to move.  It’s your mind that says you can’t.  No matter how much training you do or don’t do, if you think you can’t run, then you’re absolutely right!

It was hard to get my mind straight on this run.  My thoughts were all over the place and I never fully got into the groove of the run.  I was constantly “assessing” how my knee felt.  It really dragged me down.  Finally around 4.75 miles, I stopped and just walked.  My knee started throbbing and I worried about doing damage, so I took it to a stroll.

I stretched a little before getting in the car; sighing a big huffy breath and may have screamed an expletive or two.  In the car.  I don’t think anyone heard my potty mouth.

I came home, a little deflated, did some foam rolling and icing …

while eating a bowl of cheesy egg whites – egg whites, Cooper sharp cheese and scallion…

Both of them made me feel better

So did the suggestions from my Twitter and Daily Mile friends.  All helped me realize that I should probably back off and rest.  With the half marathon being only 10 days away, I don’t want to do more damage.  Special thanks to Brad…

His statement, “Your fitness is locked in” made me feel 100% better.  Having these setbacks, whether small or large,  can damage your psyche.  What he wrote helped me understand that I am prepared for this race.  My “fitness” is locked in.  There isn’t much more I can gain from another week of running.  I can do this!  I know I can.  If my mind stays strong then I’ll get my body through it!

With a newfound confidence, I headed to the kitchen for some lunch.  This looked good…

Until I opened it…

Kinda looks like dog food, huh?

Thankfully, it doesn’t taste like it!  I spread about 1/2 cup onto 2 corn tortillas, added Cabot’s reduced fat pepperjack, heated it in a skillet and called it quesadillas…

Served with carrots and crunchy green beans…

Wait, that’s not right.  Quesadillas need guacamole…

Wholly guacamole!

That’s way better.  

The crunchy green beans, however…

Weird.  Kinda sweet and I don’t know…just wrong.

Although, they were a good way to shovel in more guacamole…

Like shoes, one can never have too much guacamole.

Dinner was the least exciting meal of the day.  We came in late from religion class, so the family got breakfast for dinner and I got rice and beans – brown rice topped with Trader Joe’s Giant White Beans…

and an equally giant pear…

Now I’m off to sanitize the house and hook myself up to intervenous Lysol disinfectant as the husband just informed me he is getting sick with a cold. 

I’m not worried…

Have a great day, everyone!