Domestic and Wild

It has been a hard couple of weeks.

The day of the race, I got a sore throat - it has all been downhill from there. My birthday came and went with severe congestion - not being able to taste French Onion Soup for my birthday dinner was heart-breaking. The Lucky Run Half Marathon came and went - with me not running it, due to feeling like death. Last Monday, I felt like I was on the mend - then I came down with a fever on Tuesday. Go figure. I've felt the best today, though I don't feel out of the woods just yet. Tea, save me.

But... I've been complaining and moping about this whateverI'vegotthatwon'tgoaway way too much. So lets get this post rollin' for you gals (and maybe guys?).

For my birthday - yes it happened. Yes I am now an 'adult'. Yes I can get married. Yes I can get a tattoo. Yes I can buy tabacco - Rite-Aid watch out. ( *I kid. None of those things will be happening soon/or ever)

What did happen was this: I received a Grow Your Own Mushroom Kit! (As well as 4 jars of Barny Butter <3, an impending trip to both SF with my best friend, and Chez Panisse with my best Mum. I'm spoiled, but grateful.)

In it's entirety. 

So the shrooms, after being soaked in a bucket for 24 hours, are growing (quite well) in my basement.

This was day 1. It's day 7 and little dark oyster caps are a-sproutin'!

The bag contents are coffee grounds and other goodies.

They should be ready for their first harvest on Wednesday. So excited... but I feel like such a (happy) hippy.

Today I was actually in the field (woods would be better term I think) with real deal. Fungi straight from Mother Earth herself... not UPS. I was fortunate enough to go on a beginners foraging walk with local food blogger/hunter/angler/gardener/cook Mr. Hank Shaw. Heard of him? If you haven't, you can access his website at Hunter Angler Gardener Cook.

This guy is awesome. Super friendly, informative, and humble - which is a nice quality (especially for someone who forages for mushrooms). He showed us some of his spots for finding edibles, which is crazy nice since normally it's a private thing for foragers. And it's understandable as to why.

It was a great (but cold!) walk. And we found many plants and mushrooms!

Edible

Edible Amanita

... and nonedible

And we all got a signed copy of his book (so excited to read it) and lunch.

Just what a sniffling cold girl needed!

He made a cozy bowl of green minestrone - which had pesto in it!? I would have never thought to put pesto (with pine nuts he harvested from Nevada) in soup. It hit the spot.

I really enjoyed the walk, but my constant sniffling and coughing did put a damper on my friendliness - I think some people avoided me because they thought I had the plague - and I don't blame them!

In other news:

• Today was also my very first time driving on the freeway solo. (Yes!)
• Got new running shoes. Brooks Defiance 5. Ready to test 'em out tomorrow am.
• I had a Ginger Elizabeth Tropical Coconut Dessert Macaron tonight. It was incredible.
• ... I have another Macaron (Yuzu Chocolate) in the fridge for tomorrow! 

Things are lookin' good. :)

Do you have any news to share? Have you ever gone/wanted to go foraging?


Have a wonderful Sunday!

Rock'n the Race

I think it is safe to say that: tiz no sham that Zoe and I rocked our (her first half!) race :)

Shamrock'n Half Marathon March 2012: A Recap

I went to bed at 9:30 (actually 10:30 with the time change!) but had a terrible night sleep. I blame it on pre race jitters! My cell phone went off at 1:30am and I answered it from some strange reason (thinking maybe it was Zoe calling?). I proceded to have an unusual - slightly creepy - hello? moment with some inebriated person for about 10 seconds. Then I hung up and went to sleep. 

Then I had a nightmare at 3:00am that Zoe and I had missed the beginning of the race. I woke up sweating and having to pee!

I almost sprang out of my bed at 5:30am when my alarm finally went off. 

Breakfast was an english muffin with plenty of peanut butter, chia seeds, and some honey. And a small cup of coffee with some soy milk. I timed my eating and drinking perfectly; my belly was all set to run by the time I left the house with Zoe at 6:40am. 

We got to Raley Field at 7:00am; the race started at 7:45am. It was cold, but not freezing. The weather predicted rain, but we raced it :D And there was virtually zero wind. Score! 

After bouncing around for 20 minutes trying to stay warm and contain our excitement, the blow horn went off and so did we!

I glanced at my garmin in the first few minutes of the race and saw we were going a 7:50 pace! We were both full of energy, but I was a little worried we would burn out too fast. However, I just went with it, figuring we would adjust to our normal 8:50 - 9:20 pace sooner or later...

 So much for that. Check out our awesome times! :

Mile 1: 8:16
Mile 2: 8:09
Mile 3: 8:03
Mile 4: 8:01
Mile 5: 8:09
Mile 6: 8:08
Mile 7: 8:15
Mile 8: 8:23
Mile 9: 8:25
Mile 10: 8:14
Mile 11: 8:27 (cramp!)
Mile 12: 8:33
Mile 13: 8:00
the .1(8): 6:25

Please ignore the fact that I look like a chicken in this photo

I was feeling a little tired at mile 7 (clearly) and we slowed down our pace a few notches. I still could not believe were were going so fast, being that our morning 3 mile training runs have a lap pace of 8:45-9:10. The farther we ran, the more tired I got, but I just couldn't imagine slowing down because I kept thinking, "You may never run this fast again. You can make it in under 2 hours. Make all that training count! You feel great, you have no reason not to totally kill this race."

And Zoe had so much energy. I was amazed at how she always had a (slight) lead on me, but it kept me pushing through the miles.

The crowds of people scattered throughout the race certainly helped too. Running through Old Sacramento filled me with so much energy! But by mile 11 I was getting starting to get whiped out. And then I got a cramp in my lower left side, which took a mile to work off. Boo! But it did subside thanks to some deep belly breathing.

Another thing that was unexpected was that we hardly talked the whole race. We always talk in our morning runs, yet the silence in this race was not weird at all. We were both in 'the zone'... and is it weird to say that we were almost mentally communicating? Like she always

At mile 12, all I wanted to do was take off my shoes and drink the mango synergy that was waiting for me at the finish line.

We picked up the pace at in that last mile, and at the corner before Raley Feild we sprinted into the stadium. I was breathing so hard; my legs didn't even feel connected to my body. We passed a few people (always empowering) and then, they called out our names, and just like that we were done! 13.1 miles literally flew by.

Our time was 1:48:16. Not really sure what that 1:33:35 is all about...

... and there was free water (which I had such a hard time opening!), and sweaty bodies, and smiles, and high fives, and hugs, and tired legs!

and men who felt like flaunting their bodies....

We placed 9th and 10th in our age group (0-18), out of 73 other awesome lady athletes!

Post race celebration consisted of some walking (to the car!), rolling, stretching, hydrating, and then a lovely bowl of cinnamon banana oatmeal with coconut and almond butter. <3 

~

I've gained so much from this race: 196 miles training. Stronger legs. Speed. A joy for running at 6am. And, most importantly, a new friend! Running with Zoe has allowed me to exceed my goals as a runner. I know this race would have not been nearly as much fun, nor as fast, if I had run it solo. We make such a great running team! Really, I am so grateful and happy to have had her to run with, and am so pumped for the races we will rock in the future!

CIM HERE WE COME ! :D

Chocolate Orange Beet Cake

Once upon a time these were ordinary, unwanted beets.

Until a recipe was sought.

And ingredients were added.

And some ingredients were forgotten... but then remembered!

And all these wonderful elements were united!

And were 'folded' together.

And transfered. 

 

And baked.

And transfered.

And decorated. 

And photographed. 

And eaten. 

And loved.

Chocolate Orange Beet Cake (from Sarah Raven's Fresh from the Garden)

Although this cake is in the 'Summer' section of the book, I think that late winter is the perfect time to make this. Beets are still in season and oranges are abundant. It's a fairly simple and quick cake to make, just plan ahead with the beets. 


Dense. Moist. Texturally appealing, due to the almonds and the beets. Delicious. Make it! 

Serves 8

• 1 medium beet (about 1/2 lb)
• 11 oz dark chocolate (at least 70%)
• Juice and zest from 1 orange
• 1/2 cup ground almonds
• 3 eggs, separated
• 2/3 cup superfine sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• Cream for serving 

Place the beet in a large pan of boiling water and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until soft. Peel and coarsely chop. 

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil an 8" spring form cake pan and line bottom with parchment paper. 

Melt about half of the chocolate in a double broiler. 

Put cooked beet in the food processor and whizz briefly, keeping some texture to it. Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the orange juice and zest. Now add the almonds, egg yolks, sugarm baking powder and melted chocolate. Mix thoroughly.

In another bowl, beat eg whites until firm but not dry, and fold them into the chocolate mixture.

Spoon into the lined pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, then allow to cool in the pan.

Melt the remaining chocolate in a double broiler. To serve, pour melted chocolate and cream over the individual slices. 

Breakfast at the Co Op

I had every intention to go for an a.m. jog with my Mom and her running pal, Tracy, this morning. Really I did... but that just didn't happen this morning. 

What did happen, however, was this... 

Breakfast at the Sac Natural Food's Co Op

Note Mom in big cozy exercise sweatshirt. someone ran 3 miles this am :)

On the first Friday of every month, my local Co Op has a 10% off entire purchase. My Mom and I have flip-flopped on whether we really want to become members since we don't shop here too often (or as often as I would like... Trader Joe's is only less half a mile from our house!). So instead of getting a membership, we just go about once a month and totally splurge. 

A similar thing happens at Whole Foods. 

Anyway.... I have been experiencing intense scone cravings for weeks and weeks, and I keep telling myself, "I'll go to Tupelos and get a scone...." That, too, just hasn't happened. 

Well last night I decided that, tomorrow "I would get that scone!"

seeking some sunlight 

Planning ahead, like always, I made up tasty green smoothies to take with us. I figured if I was going to have a buttery, sugary scone, I would need some protein (and vitamins!) to keep me from totally crashing in AP Bio in the hours to come.

Craving Satisfied

Though my scone was good, and I loved the crumb from the brown sugar, my Mom got the cranberry orange scone and it was much better. The citrus flavor was so pronounced! But, c'est la vie!

It was fun to have our little breakfast before hitting the aisles. And what wonderful things on those aisles!

Most exciting purchase: beets (for an upcoming recipe!).  

Exercise did not happen this morning, but a pleasent breakfast did. Tomorrow I'm going to make both happen in one morning!

Can you guess what I'm making with them beets? (Hint: not a scone)

Happy Friday!

March, I am so glad you are here!

My month started off with a lovely 4 mile run at 6 am. Somehow my running pal, Zoe, and I managed to miss the rain showers - though I wore a my wind/rain breaker anyway! I never want to run when my alarm goes off at 5:40, but by 6:30 I am oh so glad I got up. And it is so great to have speedy company!

A great run was followed by a warm shower, which was followed by a cold breakfast! Oats in a Jar - so worth the chill.

Kettle Cashew Butter is my favorite store bought nut butter. Not too drippy, not too dry; just incredibly thick and rich and wonderful. I've been saving the jar a few days just so that I could make overnight oats in it for this glorious March morning :)

The mix: a blend of plain greek and regular yogurt. rolled oats. flax meal. chia. vanilla. cashew butter! 

The Best Part!

And notice my favorite spoon!? I got these in Europe last summer. They are spoons for eating ice cream but I think they are perfect for eating almost anything! I had used one at an Eis Cafe in Langen, Germany (where I ate this incredible dish for a early lunch!)...

Eis Truffle. Hazelnut ice cream rolled in cocoa goodness.

... and was so lucky enough to find a set (of 6) shopping later that day!! 


Okay I will tone down the !!! now. I'm just really excited for all the fun stuff coming up this month. Here's some of the major ones: 

• Shamrock'n Half Marathon
• 18th Birthday
• Working at my new job
• Day trip to SF with a best friend (Tartine is the agenda)

My mind was so distracted today with everything thats coming up that I had to make myself a serious snack. Yes I made a bomb quesadilla. Yes it was already 3:30. Yes I had a hefty lunch.

Lunch twice in one day! #ohthelifeofarunner

spinach. hummus. mozzarella. whole wheat toe tortilla

And would you guys like to know what I think I am most excited for this month? Here's a hint... and basically a give away

:)