Friday, July 30, 2010

Marathon Training Begins

So now comes the time of year that I both love and hate - marathon training season. I have decided that marathons have perfected their timing when it comes to opening up their registration. Marathon registration opens up after several months after the marathon is over, so it is just enough time for you to forget the numerous hours you spent running, the Friday summer night parties that you had to forgo, and the pain after running the marathon.

Then six months later, when you realize you have to begin training, all of a sudden you remember how time consuming it is, and during the long runs, you start to think why did I sign for this again?

With that said, this will be my fifth marathon this year, so I guess as much as I dread the start of training season, I also know I love it and have caught the marathon fever.

So my BF and I are doing the Marine Corps marathon in DC this fall. We did our first long run last Saturday. I have realized that your first long run and your last long run (which would be the marathon) will be the hardest run in the whole training season. The first run, because it has been a while since your body has adjusted to the mileage, and the last run, well for the obvious reason that it is the actual marathon.

Here are some reminders I would like to pass on about long runs in the summers.

1) Even though it seems like the weather is not that hot, (about low 80, high 70's), if you go in the middle of the afternoon, and are planning on running more than 6 miles, it is going to be HOT. So if you are planning for a long run, aim for early morning or early evening. Running in the middle of the afternoon is a BAD idea. I mean unless you love to be overheated ;)

2) Don't forget your glide. Especially in hot weather, put extra glide on, you will thank me later for this reminder.

3) Take your time, the heat really takes a lot out of you, so in the heat, it is the mileage that counts, not the amount of time it takes you to finish.

Next long run, ten miles!

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Sprinkles!!


So I live in Chicago...and the cupcakes places here well.....they are just ok. I had the pleasure of having experienced Sprinkles cupcakes while I was in LA last year and I thought their cupcakes were very yummy. And yes I don't even dare to think these cupcakes are in any way low fat but they sure are delicious! When I heard Sprinkles was coming to Chicago, I was super excited! So of course I went on opening day! I got two red velvets (one for my roommate) and carrot and vanilla cupcake. I normally don't get red velvet but apparently they are known for their red velvet. It was just as amazing as I remember! The cake was moist and not overly dense, yet maintained some fluffiness. The icing, while definitely tasted decadent and rich, was not overwhelming nor did it just taste like pure sugar...you know how some cupcake icing tastes like chalk? I think I went into sugar shock though after eating one of these cupcakes, but I was definitely eying at my second cupcake and was wondering if I should go ahead and eat that one right away. Luckily my will power was able to make it until the next morning, when I ate my carrot cupcake as my mid-morning snack.
Sorry no healthiness here, except I would like to think that excellent cupcakes are good for the soul!













I drink German Beer out of a Stein


Hey I am a Runner, not a Saint. So let's be honest, not only am a foodie, I am also a connoisseur of wine and cocktails. (Some could say that I can be a lush at times ;) )
However, every since dating my BF, I have been drinking more beer and have been more adventurous in my beer choices. Being from STL where I thought Bud Light was the only beer for a while, this is a big thing for me.
This past Saturday night, we went to this little hole in the wall German restaurant by my BF's apartment. It was called Resi's Bierstude Restaurant and Tavern. It looks like a little diner when you walk in but once you sit down and glance over their menu, you will see that this place is the real deal. They don't mess around when it comes to anything German. They have an amazing selection of german beers on tap and their menu of various German sausages made my mouth water. I was regretting that we had eaten a huge dinner before coming to this place.

A Pork Tenderloin Dinner For Four










My BF and I had two of my friends, Val and Kevin, over for dinner (who are also a couple) and it has been a while since we had both seen them. My friend Val makes awesome dinners so I wanted to ensure that our dinner was a big hit. So on the menu, we had cheese and crackers to start. Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Mustard Barbecue Sauce, Tangy Mustard Coleslaw, Corn bread for our entree and topped of our dinner with homemade strawberry shortcakes.
I got all my recipes from cooking light - my favorite recipe source! It always makes me feel better about cooking since I assume they try to make it a lighter and healthier recipe.

Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Mustard Barbecue Sauce

** Fairly healthy, especially if you don't make the sauce with the pork. It is a dry rub that goes onto the pork and the smoked paprika gives is a nice smokey flavor. The sauce is super mustardy! I added more ketchup and honey so the sauce did not taste like straight mustard! The bacon (even though I don't like bacon) is a must with the sauce. I tried to make it the following day without bacon and it just didn't taste the same) The recipe calls for a grill but I don't have on so I just put it in the oven for 25 minutes at 400 degrees. It came out a bit on the medium rare side which I thought was perfect since I hate it when meat is overcooked.

Tangy Mustard Coleslaw

** Awesome coleslaw recipe! I am not a big fan of mayo, plus it is really not good for you so I try to avoid mayo when possible. With this recipe, I bought the smallest container of mayo I could find..which meant it was straight up Hellmanns mayo so I used half of what the recipe called for and added another TBSP of plain non fat yogurt instead. I ended up doubling the amount of sauce for the coleslaw so I ended up using 2 TBSP mayo and 2 TBSP non-fat plain yogurt. Sounds like a lot but considering how much slaw this recipes makes, 2 TBSP of mayo does not seem bad at all. I will definitely be making this coleslaw again!

Cornbread

This is my go to corn bread recipe. I also always add in a half can of corn, I love when corn bread had real corn! I usually bake this in a a bread pan for about 35-40 minutes.

Strawberry Short Cakes

The cakes turned out a little dry, perhaps I kneaded it too much because the dough was not as sticky as I had hoped and I actually added a little more buttermilk than it called for. Next time I will just add enough so the dough is pretty sticky, turn it out so that I can separate it into four biscuits and throw it on the cookie sheet. I loved the lemon zest in this recipe. I am usually weary of lemon zest since a little zest goes a long way and it can overpower your recipe but I really loved the hint of lemon in these shortcakes. Sorry guys, I didn't get a chance to take a pic of this dessert since there were no leftovers!



Friday, July 23, 2010

Korean Dukbuki




Tonight I made Korean Dukbuki for my best friend Risa. Dukduki consists mainly of rice cakes, thinly sliced fish cakes and this Korean red sauce called kochujang. Have I lost most of you already? It is really delicious and I am hoping it's also good for you as well. I got the rice cakes, fish cakes, and kochujang at H-mart, this Korean market, but you may be able to find these items in a general asian market. There are many versions of Dukbuki but here is what I did...
**In order to make it healthier, I used wheat rice cakes instead of the white rice cakes. Next time I think I would add more carrots and onions as the package of rice cakes cooked up more than I thought it would. You can also try using other veggies in this as well.

Ingredients:

1 package of wheat Rice Cakes
1 package of thinly sliced fish cakes
Kochujang (I used about 1/2 cup)
2 large carrots
1 large onion
2 bunches of scallions
3 cloves garlic (minced)
Sprinkle of sugar

I used a pretty deep skillet and heated up olive oil. Threw in the minced garlic and let it cook for about 30 seconds, then added the onions. I let that cook for about a minute and then added the carrots and the fish cakes. Then I added the koschujang and added the rice cakes and let that all cook for a couple of minutes. Add sprinkle of sugar. Cook until the rice cakes are soft and chewy. If you buy larger rice cakes or the longer stick kind, they will take longer to cook. If you buy them frozen make sure to defrost them, or if you don't have time to defrost them, you can soak them in a hot water bath for a hour or you can boil them separately. Just make sure not to overcook the rice cakes because they will start to get really soft and sticky and will fall apart.
After the rice cakes are at al dente consistency, throw in the scallions, mix it all up and then serve!

On the side I served a quick cucumber salad. Slice up one cucumber, mix with spicy chili oil, soy sauce and sesame oil. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes, add seasame seeds and serve! (I didn't have seasame seeds so I went without them and they still tasted great!)

Dear Diary - My First Entry

Dear Diary,

For those who know me, they know that food is always the first thought on my mind. I am always thinking what my next meal is going to be and when that meal is going to be. I always thought that everyone's mind operated like that. Turns out...I am one of the few that is always thinking about her next meal. I guess that is one of the criteria of being a cerified foodie. However, not only am I am foodie, I also love to run. And being a runner, I know I need to be somewhat healthy in what I am eating. So I thought I would write about my food experiences. I love going out to eat, trying new food, but I also love to cook and I LOVE LOVE dessert. A meal is not complete without dessert. So what is a semi health conscious foodie to do? Read my diary and see :)