Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall!

Today was definitely a little mix of saying goodbye to summer and hello to fall! There were warm delicious oats for the fall, and there was a great game of Cubs baseball to send-off the summer! 

This morning I woke up and headed straight to the farmers market. I ended up getting a TON of apples, some bell peppers, sweet potatoes, and plenty of peaches!

When I got home, I decided to make some peach oatmeal:

Ingredients: 

1 peach (cubed)

1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup almond milk

1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp vanilla

1 tsp crumbled walnuts

cinnamon to taste

To make my oats, I started with just the oats, milk and water on the stove top. I added in half the cubed peaches and tried to squish them up a bit. Then I added the cinnamon and vanilla to the oats. While they were cooking, I whisked around the peaches so they broke down and mixed in with the oats. 

Once enough liquid had evaporated, I poured the oats into a bowl and added the walnuts and the second half of the peach to the top! Mixing in the peach definitely added a great texture and taste to the oats! Perfect for a chilly fall morning. 

After my delicious breakfast, I got a little schoolwork done and then headed out to meet my brother and sister-in-law to head up to Wrigleyville for the Cubs game! 

We went to a bar that was supposed to be called Harry Caray's, however, it had apparently been purchased and was re-named Club 162. Either way, it was right next to Wrigley Field and was a bar so it worked for us! Harry Caray was a famous sports broadcaster that covered several teams during his career, but his last two were the White Sox and then the Cubs. He was well known for singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the 7th inning stretch. Thus, we had wanted to go to the Harry Caray bar, since it was a landmark... haha or not. Although there is still another Harry Caray bar further downtown. 

After the bar, we headed over to the field to watch the game! It was a lot colder out than I expected and almost the whole stadium, including us, was in the shade. I'm sure during the summer that's a blessing, but today it made the game freezing!

We had a great view though, thanks Harrison for the tickets! I ended up getting a Vienna hot dog, which is apparently famous here in Chicago. I'm not much into eating hot dogs since I know what's in them... but since it was a Chicago classic I had to have one - and it was great! I was also sure to get it "Chicago Style" with mustard, relish and onions. NO ketchup!

The Cubs ended up beating the Houston Astros, so it was a good game to watch! Although I must say, some members of the crowd near us had a few too many beers and were a bit more entertaining than the game to watch. 

My first Cubs game was the perfect way to send off the summer! Although, my brother argued that September is still a summer month to him, but I feel like with school starting, cool temperatures, and all the great fall produce that it's already fall. 

When do you think Fall starts? Do you stick with the calendar, or go with the weather and the overall feeling of the season? 

Food for Knee Pain??

Happy Friday everyone!! Last night and Tuesday night, I had another great PB Fingers recipe for dinner: Sausage-Stuffed Acorn Squash!

I didn't have sausage, so I used ground turkey instead. Started off by browning by ground turkey:

Then I added in mushrooms, onions, and some kale along with a little olive oil and chopped garlic. 

While that was going, I used the microwave method to cook my acorn squash. I usually cook it in the oven, so I was a bit skeptical. It took mine a lot longer than the 5 minutes that Julie suggested, but it turned out well! I microwaved it for 4 minutes whole, and then flipped it over and did another 4. When I cut it open, I saw it needed a little more time, so I put it back in for another 3 minutes.

I put it all in the fridge (I did this all Tuesday morning when I had some time) and then when it was dinner time I added some cheese to the top and baked it for 8 minutes, per Julie's instructions. However, since mine had been in the fridge for so long, I ended up just sticking it in the microwave for about 3 minutes... Haha you've got to adapt! It was delicious! Perfect for a Fall evening.

Not the best photo - but it was really good! 

This morning was the first morning all week that I didn't have to be up and exercising right away. I decided to make myself some pumpkin oats!

In the mix: 1/3 cup oats, 2/3 cup water (I was out of milk...), 1/3 cup pumpkin (added in at the last min on the stove), cinnamon, and then topped off with some raisins, walnuts and a bit of PB! Perfect for a chilly morning!

I didn't workout right away because I had an 11 o'clock session with my new trainer! My old trainer left a couple weeks ago, so I started training with a new one today. I've always trained with guys so I was interested to see how it would go with a female trainer. I actually really enjoyed working out with her because she also ran and had a lot of great advice for weights that helped with running.

Honestly, I had seen her around the gym and was a little intimidated to workout with her. I thought to myself why and realized that I tend to be intimidated by athletic girls because back when I was younger I was... haha, not so athletic. When playing sports, the girls who were actually good weren't so kind to me. But she really surprised me! Remember, don't judge a book by it's cover! I also find it a little funny because I forget that when people see me now, they probably wouldn't believe that I was the awkward chubby girl growing up! Ok, well the awkward part still stands.

When I got back, it was time for a protein smoothie, and today I tried out a new recipe: my Super Green Protein Smoothie!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup milk
1 frozen banana
huge handfuls of spinach and kale!
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 packet truvia
1/4 tsp coconut extract (I could really taste it! delicious!)
1 tbsp Chia Seeds

I was going through some old articles that I had saved to read a couple weeks ago, and I came across one that I thought might be helpful to all of you runners out there! I used to have a lot of knee pain, and still have a little, so I was intrigued when I saw that there are certain foods you can eat to help reduce knee pain. Everydayhealth.com had an article called "What To Eat to Beat Knee Pain" (creative title, I know) written by Jan Sheehan, a Denver based freelance writer and editor specializing in health, fitness, nutrition and wellness.

So what foods did she suggest?

Fish: because of their omega-3 fatty acids, fish are a natural inflammatory, which will help calm knee soreness.
Orange Juice: orange juice is such a good source of vitamin C, which guards against knee osteoarthritis (other good sources of vitamin C: green peppers (!! had no idea!), grapefruit, and strawberries).
Spinach: researchers found that getting high amounts of the antioxidants in spinach can help relieve the knee pain caused by osteoarthritis.
Onions: onions are a good source of quercetin, which also has strong anti-inflammatory properties (other good sources of quercetin: apples, red grapes and tea).
Curry: tumeric, a spice used in curry, contains curcumin which is also a powerful anti-inflammatory
Ginger: again, a good anti-inflammatory. also good for relieving an upset stomach! Or just eating plain... Yes, I'm odd, I bought pickled ginger like they have at sushi restaurants at World Market...
Avoid Refined Carbohydrates: we all know to avoid them because they are mostly sugar and empty calories, but research has found diets high in refined carbs can increase inflammation

One of my goals is to eat more fish! Especially salmon since omega-3s are so good for you in so many ways! I should put that on the lunch or dinner list soon...

Questions for YOU!

Sorry for the absence yesterday, it was a long day at school and I had to choose getting reading done over blogging! Haha - School first!

So the past couple days it's started to get chilly, and last night when I was heading home from school, this had to happen:

The gloves have officially come out! It's just too cold!!!

For yesterday's workout, I took a break from running and headed to the gym! I did a lower body strength training workout, with cardio switched in. This is where I do 10 minutes on the elliptical, 15-20 min strength, 10 min elliptical 15-20 min strength, and then end with 10 minutes of cardio. I love these workouts because it makes the time pass quickly and jumping back and forth keeps my heart rate going!

When I'm doing the weight machines, I usually pick two machines that work different parts of my legs and switch back and forth with no break in between, doing 3 sets on each machine, 15 reps each set. For example, I would switch back and forth between hamstring curls and leg extensions.

When I got back it was time for a shower and then a smoothie! It was a little cold for a smoothie - but I was DYING for one! I guess I want to fit them in before it gets too cold! So I made a delicious Berry Protein Smoothie!

This morning I was awake pretty early... Ok so I was laying there since about 3am. So finally at 5:15 I got up and decided to do my run before yoga (I had planned on doing it after since I was going to a 6:30 class rather than an 8:00 class). However, my garmin foiled my plans! I had intended to run 3 miles but I had to stand there waiting for it to "find" a satellite and it took over 8 minutes! It was ridiculous! I could only fit in 2.41 miles and that was running straight back to my front door!

It was about 50 degrees when I headed out and I sure wish I brought gloves. At least I had the good sense not to head down to the lake front - it was pretty windy! I couldn't read my garmin well when I was running since it was so dark, but I felt like I was flying! Perhaps because I was so numb I couldn't feel a thing! However, I was pretty disappointed and confused to get back and see that my pace was 9.02 min/mile. I was pretty confused because I felt like I'd been really moving!

However, I then plugged in my time and my mileage online, and it told me my pace was 8:45 min/mile! I think I must have done something weird with my Garmin because I looked at it again and it told me I had taken 27 minutes... which I know isn't true because I would have been really late then! Frustrating morning!

But I made it to yoga, and back home, and now it's time for breakfast! I decided I wanted a smoothie, but I was out of bananas, so I came up with a new concoction: Creamy Strawberry Milkshake Smoothie! (lol, I already have a strawberry milkshake smoothie - but this one is better!)

Ingredients
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese
approx 1 and 1/2 cups frozen strawberries
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder (I have a big scooper...)
1 tbsp Chia seeds
1/4 tsp xantham gum
1 packet truvia

It really was like a strawberry milkshake! I think the cottage cheese helped with that - and I didn't add spinach so it had such a pretty pink color!

Okay everyone. Brace yourselves. Now I have some questions for you! Clearly I had a somewhat confusing and frustrating morning, so I would LOVE your comments to help me out!

1. Has anyone else had trouble sleeping in the past? I fall asleep fine but then wake up practically every hour and by about 4 - that's it. I'm awake for good! I've been like this for a week and it's getting exhausting! Suggestions? I tried Melatonin one night but it didn't help at all! 


2. Have any of you had trouble getting your Garmin's GPS to work? Is this a city thing? I bought it because my iPhone's GPS wasn't working and now I'm frustrated that it's just as bad! 


3. How do you feel about blogger? I've been wanting to switch to wordpress because someone told me it's easier for people to comment. Any thoughts from other bloggers (or commenters) out there? Also, I tried switching with instructions to keep my permalinks - but couldn't figure it out! Help! 


4. What exciting plans do you all have for the weekend?!? I'm lucky enough to not have classes Friday, so mine starts tomorrow! 

Please leave comments - I would really appreciate your feedback!

Celebrity Sightings!

This morning, my weekly workout schedule said it was time for a 4 mile run and hot yoga! 

My run was gorgeous - I got out there bright and early and watched the sun rise over the lake! 

My run went pretty well. Since it was my third running day in a row, I decided to try and slow it down a bit. I ended up running 4 miles in just under 36 minutes for a 9:02 min/mile pace. I've decided that the Hal Higdon plan is just not going to work for me. He has me running 5 days a week and since my knees don't really handle that very well and I was recently out on an IT band injury, I've decided to follow the SmartCoach plan, which spreads out my runs better. 

Here is my plan for my 10 mile on November 12th:

Wk	Date	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun	Total
1	9/12 9/18	Rest / XT	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @10:13	Rest / XT	Tempo Run Dist: 5 mi, inc Warm; 3 mi @ 8:39; Cool	Rest / XT	Rest / XT	Long Run Dist: 6 mi @10:13	13 miles
2	9/19 9/25	Rest / XT	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @10:13	Rest / XT	Speedwork Dist: 5 mi, inc Warm; 2x1600 in 8:10 w/800 jogs; Cool	Rest / XT	Rest / XT	Long Run Dist: 6 mi @10:13	13 miles
3	9/26 10/2	Rest / XT	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @10:13	Rest / XT	Tempo Run Dist: 5 mi, inc Warm; 3 mi @ 8:39; Cool	Rest / XT	Rest / XT	Long Run Dist: 7 mi @10:13	14 miles
4	10/3 10/9	Rest / XT	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @10:13	Rest / XT	Tempo Run Dist: 6 mi, inc Warm; 4 mi @ 8:43; Cool	Rest / XT	Rest / XT	Long Run Dist: 7 mi @10:13	15 miles
5	10/10 10/16	Rest / XT	Easy Run Dist: 4 mi @10:06	Rest / XT	Easy Run Dist: 3 mi @10:06	Rest / XT	Rest / XT	Easy Run Dist: 4 mi @10:06	11 miles
6	10/17 10/23	Rest / XT	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @10:06	Rest / XT	Speedwork Dist: 7 mi, inc Warm; 3x1600 in 8:05 w/800 jogs; Cool	Rest / XT	Rest / XT	Long Run Dist: 8 mi @10:06	17 miles
7	10/24 10/30	Rest / XT	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @10:06	Rest / XT	Tempo Run Dist: 6 mi, inc Warm; 4 mi @ 8:38; Cool	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @10:06	Rest / XT	Long Run Dist: 8 mi @10:06	18 miles
8	10/31 11/6	Rest / XT	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @10:06	Rest / XT	Tempo Run Dist: 7 mi, inc Warm; 5 mi @ 8:43; Cool	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @10:06	Rest / XT	Long Run Dist: 9 mi @10:06	20 miles
9	11/7 11/13	Rest / XT	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @10:00	Rest / XT	Speedwork Dist: 8 mi, inc Warm; 4x1600 in 8:00 w/800 jogs; Cool	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @10:00	Rest / XT	Long Run Dist: 9 mi @10:00	21 miles
10	11/14 11/20	Rest / XT	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @10:13	Rest / XT	Tempo Run Dist: 5 mi, inc Warm; 3 mi @ 8:39; Cool	Rest / XT	Rest / XT	Race Day Dist: 10 Miles @8:30 Time: 1:25:08	17 miles

It seems to have a lot more cross training and less back-to-back running, which works better for me. After my run I headed to hot yoga, and then home for a smoothie! In the mix: 2 cups spinach, 1 cup frozen strawberries, 1/2 frozen banana, 1 tbsp Chia seeds, 1 truvia packet, 1 scoop vanilla protein powder and 1/2 cup almond milk. I always feel like I'm forgetting something when I list off the ingredients... 

So what about these celebrity sightings??

Yesterday, my law school hosted Justice Breyer from the United States Supreme Court!!! 

Hahaha, okay, I'm sure most of you have never even heard of the man. But when you're a law student and you hear about his opinions, see films of his debates in class and read his written opinions (from trials) in your book, you think this is pretty darn cool.

view from the over flow room...

He gave a great talk (which I had to watch in an "over-flow" room) and there was a reception afterwards! I had two classes cancelled just because of his visit! Granted, this left me with an awkward 5 hour break in the middle of the day... 

My second celebrity sighting was Cate from Good For You! It turns out her sister is my sorority sister! Once I figured out the connection, I had to try and meet up with her! She had recently moved here to Chicago and has loved the city!

We met up at Sultan's Market, which is really close to my apartment, but I'd never been! It's a middle eastern restaurant with very authentic food, and other products that they sell. Honestly, I was a bit scared. I wasn't sure if it was somewhere I could just walk in and pick up, or if it was a sit-down place... But I mentioned it to Cate and we decided to go!

We went to the Lincoln Park location, but their original location is in Wicker Park and, according to Cate, much larger. They are a family-owned restaurant that opened in Chicago past twelve years ago. I decided to get the falafel sandwich. I forgot to take a picture (per usual...) but it was absolutely delicious! I gobbled that thing right up!

Haha, mine didn't look quite this pretty, or big, but you get the idea. Cate also got the falafel sandwich - she'd tried it before and loved it! I had a great time chatting with Cate. It was so nice to get to hang out with someone who has a lot of the same interests and we have a mutual friend/sister! Cate and I are hoping to meet up again to try out some other great places to eat around Chicago - I'm hoping to find a fun food tour, so look forward to that! 

I managed to get one iPhone selfie of us... lol but clearly my eyes were a bit squinty! That's what I get for a photo looking into the sun... I try. 

Have you met or seen any new or interesting people lately? Or tried any new foods? What I love about blogging is that it's a great way to connect with people and meet new friends! 

This Week's Food!

Happy Monday! Okay, okay, that's a bit of an oxymoron. I hope you all are having a good start to the week! 


This morning, according to my weekly workout schedule, I had a 3 mile run plus strength training! I jogged to the gym and got going on the treadmill! I switched back and forth between 7.0 and 8.0 every half mile and ended up running 3 miles in 24:38, which is an 8:12 min/mile pace. Again, always faster on the treadmill! After running, I spent another 30 minutes doing some ab work and then upper body weights. I finished off with 10 minutes on the elliptical.


Once I got back from my workout, I showered and headed to the kitchen, because I was starving! While I thought over my options, I ate a fig with a bit of Greek yogurt... And then I decided to make myself a Berry Protein Smoothie! The smoothie's sweetness hit the spot, and it was perfect for one of our last hot days of the year! 

Since I eat at least 3 lunches and 2 dinners at school every week, I have to plan ahead and make them all on Sunday! For lunch this week, I decided to try Kath's Tuna Salad Recipe from Kath Eats Real Food!


I tripled her ingredients so it would work for three lunches, and used low fat Greek yogurt:


Mix together:

• 9 oz of pink salmon (or tuna)
• 3 tsp curry powder
• 3 tbsp low fat plain Greek yogurt
• 3 tsp dijon mustard
• 3 large celery stalks, diced
• 3 large carrots, diced

In addition to the "Tuna" (aka salmon) Salad, I made Smoke Salmon Omelet Muffins, also by Kath! I made these true to the recipe, except I didn't have any parmesan cheese so I didn't add that in... obviously.

I also used chia seeds instead of flax since I didn't have any flax... winning. 

  

They smelled so good!!!

So here's my lunch for Monday, and an example of what I'll also bring Wednesday and Thursday:

For Monday, I have to stay at school until 7:30 and then I don't get home until 8:30, so I bring "dinner" to eat during my last class. Last week, my teacher called on me while I was eating my Wheatberry Navy Salad, and said he was so sorry to interrupt my dinner. Got it, Professor. Less obvious food. 

So for dinner this week, I packed a PB&J sandwich (with blackberry jam!), sliced apples, and some multi-grain Trader Joe's O's. I also planned to buy a small salad and some yogurt for an afternoon snack from the cafeteria. I like having a little bit of flexibility when I'm bringing an entire day of food - I hate eating only what I pack if I'm not in the mood for it. 

How do you deal with packing meals for the day? Does anyone have to pack two meals, or just lunch? Any good ideas for what to bring? Remember, I've got to be sure to incorporate proteins, carbs and healthy fats! 


Update on the Hermit Crabs: molting crab is still alive! I saw him moving this morning. He immediately hid in his shell when I walked past... I don't think they like me. Names to come soon - keep the Harry Potter name suggestions coming! P.S. whoever named their cat Luna - I laughed out loud at that one. Great name.