Category Archives: monday things

Monday Things {11-05-2012}

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1. On Friday evening my mom drove in to Chicago from Michigan. Even though Ian and I were home not too long ago, I was really excited to see her, I love spending time with my mom! We decided to go to one of Ian and my favorite restaurants for dinner, The Publican. Ian and I have been twice before and unfortunately the experience was much better then than it was Friday night. We ordered some oysters (amazing), I had the apples salad without cheese, my mom and Ian split the frites with eggs, I had the fish stew, and my mom and Ian split the blood sausage and the porchetta. While nothing was bad per say everything was just okay.

2. On Saturday morning I woke up early and went for a 5 mile run. I switched things up and headed south along the lakeshore trail and ran through one of my favorite spots in the city, the path around the aquarium. I don’t run there often but the view of the city is always breathtaking and I just had to stop and take a picture.

Booping idea courtesy of Sierra.

3. Back at the apartment, my mom and I each had a small breakfast and some coffee before heading out to enjoy the overcast city. Our first stop was Fleetfeet where I finally replaced my FuelBelt. I decided on something similar to my previous one that carried two 7 oz bottles and had a little pouch to store gels, cash, a credit card, etc.

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I also picked up enough gels to last me about a month. Besides Fleetfeet I haven’t found a store in Chicago that carries a decent amount of flavors and kinds of gels. As it takes me 30 mins to get there and it’s out of my way, I don’t want to be running over there every week. I’d be so tempted to buy everything in the store!

4. We also stopped in a Starbucks so I could use the restroom and my mom could get a latte. She ended up buying Ian and me some Starbucks Thanksgiving Blend too! Yum, thanks Mom!

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5. After shopping, my mom and I met up with Ian (who slept in and then avoided a trip to Fleetfeet) at Frontera Grill for a late brunch. Over a year ago we all went to Frontera for dinner and loved it and I knew we’d have to go back for brunch eventually. After my mom told me which weekend she planned on coming to Chicago, I made sure to make a reservation ASAP.

We all started with the guacamole which was absolutely amazing and so simple. I could have just eaten chips and guac and been content.

Ian ordered the sapitos (A trio of Xalapa-style gorditas (corn masa cakes) in chipotle-black bean sauce each with its own topping: scrambled eggs, grilled chicken, chorizo, plantains; homemade crema & queso fresco)

My mom had the enchiladas de mole poblano (Homemade tortillas rolled around Gunthorp free-range chicken, doused with Mexicos most famous mole. Black beans)

And I had the vegetables in oaxacan green mole (Corn masa tamales, vegetables from local farms, Oaxacan green mole, crispy epazote).

Everything was amazing and we all left the restaurant in foodie heaven.

6. After lunch we walked around the city some more. We went to the Anti-Cruelty Society to look at puppies and kitties and then walked over to my new office so my mom could see where it was. It was starting to get cold and we were starting to get tired, so we headed back to the apartment to veg on the couch and watch Arrested Development :) .

7. Lunch was pretty filling and had it been a normal evening I probably would have made a salad for dinner and called it a night. However, I had 20 miles on my schedule for Sunday morning and I knew I needed to eat something more substantial. We kept things simple and headed over to Amarit, a thai restaurant near our apartment.

I started with one of my favorite lighter thai dishes, green papaya salad.

And then ordered their mixed vegetables over rice.

It was good and safe for my stomach but nothing fabulous. I kept eyeing my mom’s pad thai and Ian’s pad see eiw ;) .

8. We debated going to see a movie but we were all pretty tired and decided to watch a movie on Netflix instead. Has anyone else noticed how bad the streaming movie options are? Every time I want to watch a movie on Netflix it takes me like 30 minutes to find one that I remotely want to watch. Ugh. Anyway, we finally decided to watch I Love You Phillip Morris and while it wasn’t my favorite it was interesting.

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9. Sunday morning I got up super early and headed out for a long run (you can read more about my training last week here). The extra hour was greatly appreciated and it got light during my first miles (yes!). I also finally think I’m figuring out how to fuel during my runs. Yesterday I took 1.5 gels, 1/4 of a gel every two miles starting at mile 8. It was kind of annoying to remember to fuel every two miles but I didn’t have any stomach issues which is more important. I have also been paying with GUs vs. Clif Shots and caffeinated vs. non-caffeinated gels. So far I seem to prefer the caffeinated Clif Shots.

10. After my run, I iced, stretched, snacked, showered, and then my mom, Ian, and I walked over to Hackney’s for brunch. I ordered the tilapia tacos that normally come with black beans and quinoa but shortly after telling our waitress that I was allergic to dairy, she told me both the black beans and quinoa are cooked in bulk in butter. Boo. We talked through my other options and I ended up with tacos, broccoli, and fries. Random but delicious. Plus, I was too hungry to care at this point!

11. My mom left shortly after brunch (:() and Ian and I vegged on the couch, watched some tv, and eventually did our grocery shopping. I also had about 30 minutes of work that I wanted to get done before going in on Monday so I did that too. Why do weekends have to end?

12. For dinner last night (and for lunches this week) I decided to make my favorite chili recipe and one of my favorite cornbread recipes.

I followed the recipes but swapped the bell pepper in the chili for a sweet potato and really liked it. It gave the chili a heartier texture.

I had the chili with a little veganaise and some daiya shreds. Delish!

13. Ian and I spent the rest of the night catching up on our DVR, watching Walking Dead (ummm what happened?), and then doing some reading. I definitely crashed early, I was a tired lady.

14. This morning I whipped up some delicious chocolate pomegranate protein oats but cooking my usual protein oats base, stirring in some pomegranate seeds, and then topping the oatmeal with more pomegranates, enjoy your life chocolate chips, and sunflower butter. Chocolate for breakfast is totally acceptable on Mondays.

How was your weekend? What did you do?

Monday Things {10-29-2012}

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1. After an incredibly chaotic week at work, Ian and I went out to sushi on Friday evening. We decided to try sushi x in River West [again] because neither of us could remember if we really liked it the first time we went (over a year ago and I think pre-blog).

We both really enjoyed it! To start I had their salad with ginger dressing and Ian had hot spinach with peanut sauce and then for our actual sushi, we split a caterpillar roll and an order of white tuna and hamachi nigiri, I had an avocado roll, and Ian had their omega roll. It was delicious!

2. Saturday morning I woke up super early and got my long run on. Before I headed out I had a rice cake with sunflower butter, raisins, and chia seeds and then during my run I had a mocha clif gu shot (1/4 at mile 10, 12, 14, & 16). This way of fueling really seemed to work for me and I could see the difference in my mile splits! Most importantly, it was absolutely gorgeous out and I had a wonderful run. I can’t wait to get out there next Sunday!

3. When I got back from my run, I refueled with an amazing smoothie. I blended 1 frozen banana with 1 scoop protein powder, 1 cup almond milk, 1 big spoonful of chocolate peanut butter, and maybe 2 T oats to thicken everything up. It was awesome!

I also made a veggie hash to hold me over until book club at 2:30. I pan-fried a sweet potato, onion, and mushrooms and then added lots of spices and tomato paste. I topped the hash with TJ’s fat free black bean dip.

4. We had our book club meet-up on Saturday afternoon and Diana was sweet enough to host this month. We feasted on lots of fall dishes: maple butternut squash casserole, apple butter, hot cider, and pumpkin hummus [...to name a few] and attempted to actually discuss last month’s book Dark Places by Gillian Flynn (author of Gone Girl). We all really liked it and some of us liked it even more than Gone Girl. It’s definitely worth reading!

5. After book club, I met Ian at Hackney’s to watch the Michigan-Nebraska game. I don’t have much to say about the game but we did enjoy a nice, light dinner.

I wasn’t too hungry after book club but I figured I should eat something to help my muscles recover so I ordered a glass of wine and a garden salad. Ian also ordered a wedge and some fries for us to split. Fries covered in ketchup seriously have to be my favorite “junk” food. Yum!

6. Sunday morning I woke up early to eat breakfast before heading over to the Thriller in Schiller. I had two buckwheat & chia waffles topped with sun butter, pumpkin mixed with pb2 and pumpkin pie spice, and a drizzle of maple syrup. This hit the spot and was easily digested before the 5k (10 am).

7. The Thriller in Schiller was an absolute blast! Our costumes were silly (Kelsey, Emily, and I dressed as coneheads) and the course had just enough obstacles to make it challenging but not too intense. I’m going to do a race review/recap tomorrow but all I can say is that I had so much fun and I am seriously considering running the Schiller Chiller 10k on December 1st. Hey, maybe I’ll even wear a costume to that :) .

8. I didn’t have coffee before the race and I felt awful/tired/sick afterwards. I went home, ate some soup, and parked my butt on the couch for a few hours. Much needed!

9. After running some errands (including grocery shopping!), I made this awesome salad for dinner.

I’ll admit it would have been better had I made the tofu included in the recipe but as I don’t do soy I skipped it. Next time I’d make the tofu glaze and use it on salmon or something else to add another flavor/texture to the dish.

10. Ian and I spent our Sunday night catching up on our DVR. It was just what I needed!

11. My appetite has been off the past few days (and my throat hurts so I hope I’m not getting sick!) so I decided to keep breakfast light today and have some cereal. I mixed 1 cup puffed millet, 1 T walnuts, 1 T pepitas, and 1 T raisins and topped it with about 1 cup almond milk, 1 small banana, a sunflower seed butter spoon, and a little honey.

Delicious!

12. Ian just told me the market is closed today because of Hurricane Sandy and he has the day off. Everybody on the East Coast keep safe!

What did you do this weekend?

Monday Things {10-22-2012}

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1. Today is [kind of] my first blogiversary. I actually started blogging in early October on a tumblr site but after realizing tumblr didn’t have everything that I wanted, I switched over to WordPress and my first post was up on October 22, 2011. Crazy how time flies.

2. Last Friday night was spent driving. Ian and I left Chicago around 5:15 and arrived home in Michigan at about midnight (Michigan time). It was exhausting and I wasn’t even driving. I packed a sunflower seed butter, banana, & fig jam sandwich on brown rice bread for dinner and it managed to hold me over pretty well for the ride.

3. Even though Sonic kept us up all night Friday night, on Saturday I got up early to get in a quick run before heading up to Ann Arbor. I ran one of my favorite 4 mile routes and even stopped to take a few pictures. The last few years I’ve really missed running with all the pretty colors and hearing leaves crunching under my feet.

4. After my run, I ran over to my favorite market, Westbourne and picked up a muffin for Ian, some supplies to make pumpkin oatmeal, and my favorite nut butter of all time: Naturally Nutty Pepita Butter!

I also grabbed the Mocha Peanut Butter at Arbor Farms (health food store in AA).

5. After a shower and a huge bowl of pumpkin oats, Ian and I were off to AA to tailgate and go to the Michigan vs. Michigan State football game. Unfortunately both of us forgot how difficult it is to get into the city on football Saturdays (even 5 hours before!), find parking, and make your way down to the golf course (common tailgate location) and so our planned 11 a.m. arrival turned into 12:15. Oh well, at least we brought booze.

6. We met my friend from college Maria at one of her friend’s tailgates and ended up playing a few games of flip cup and chatting with some new faces. It was so much fun and reminded me how much I miss Ann Arbor.

7. After an hour or two, we walked over to a tailgate at my college friend Kris’s house. It was a wonderful surprise that two other girls I went to college with were there! Working on my MPH had pretty much overwhelmed my life the past two years so we had a lot to catch up on. It was nice but cut short when we realized that we had about 15 minutes to get to the stadium before kick-off.

8. We had some trouble with tickets (apparently they reprinted a bunch of season tickets this year and someone had sold us an old, invalid ticket) but eventually we all got into the stadium with our original tickets, found each other, and settled in to the student section. Unfortunately this is where my phone dies and I can’t take any more pictures. Bummer.

9. The game was incredibly low-scoring but exciting. It went down to the last few seconds and Michigan beat MSU for the first time in 5 years! Woohoo!! It was also the 900th win for Michigan football making our program the first football program to have that many wins. It was so exciting, I didn’t even know the 900 wins was up for contention! In typical Michigan fashion, the students stormed the field (this is reserved for games against OSU and MSU otherwise it’s not allowed) and everyone was celebrating. It was awesome :) .

10. We hadn’t eaten since breakfast so Ian, Maria, and I were starving and decided to head over to Sidetrack’s in Ypsilanti for some food. Sidetrack’s is one of Ian’s favorite places in the AA-Ypsi area and we used to go there a lot when I still lived in Ann Arbor. I ordered a salad with asparagus, mushrooms, tomatoes, and a black bean burger and a side of sweet potato fries. Food has never tasted so good.

11. Ian and I were supposed to meet my friend Brian afterwards to grab a drink but after driving half way to Detroit we decided we were just too tired and headed back to my mom’s house. I’m pretty sure I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

12. Despite not sleeping as much as I would have liked, I woke up on Sunday prepared to get in my 12 mile run. Can I just say how happy I am that the weekend we went home coincided with a cutback week for Goofy training? My 12 miler wasn’thardbut my legs were definitely more tired than usual. I stopped a few times to stretch and to take pictures of cute pumpkin patches and I believe I averaged about a 7:45 min/mile?

13. After my run, I showered, snacked on some pumpkin pudding and then headed out to Fish Bone in Detroit to meet Brian for an early lunch. I ordered a cup of seafood gumbo that was to-die-for and a Greek salad without feta. Unfortunately, only my gumbo got caught on camera.

I always love seeing Brian (we’ve known each other since we were 3 years old!) and I’m so glad we were able to meet up while I was home! Also, we saw a bunch of Detroit Marathoners while we were eating lunch and it occurred to me that it’s been 3 years since my first marathon!

14. I also stopped over at my grandma’s house as well as my dad and step-mom’s to say hi. By the time I was back at my mom’s it was almost time to go. I felt like the worst daughter for not spending a lot of time with my mom but I am looking forward to her coming to Chicago in a few weeks!

15. Speaking of my mom, remember that cute little ball of puppy fluff she got over the summer? Well now that puppy is almost 50 pounds. Insane!

16. I also managed to finish reading Dark Places on our drive back. I’m not sure I can really compare it to Gone Girl but I do know that Gillian Flynn is a talented author who really knows how to hook her readers. I can’t wait to read her other book!

17. Ian and I hit some bad traffic on the highway last night and didn’t get home until almost 10. Yikes. We unpacked, watched an episode of Friends, and then went to bed exhausted– I’m sure coffee will be my best friend today

What did you do this past weekend?

Monday Things {10-01-2012}

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1. After a good but busy week, all I wanted to do Friday night was relax. I went for a run after work, watched Arrested Development with Ian, and I cooked for the first time all week.

And yes, if you’re wondering OhSheGlows’ Cozy Millet Bowl with Mushroom Gravy and Kale is every bit as good as it sounds.

2. On Saturday I was pretty excited for sleep in until 7:30. My life is sad. Getting back from my run at 8:45 felt really really wrong. How did I used to sleep in so late?

3. I tried something different for breakfast this weekend. On Friday I mixed 1/2 cup oats with 1 cup almond milk and set it in the fridge overnight. On Saturday morning, I took it out, gave it a stir, and added some salted pecans, banana slices, and then a blob of fig jam. It was a nice alternative to overnight oats (inspiration here).

4. After breakfast, Ian and I headed over to Green City Market. I picked up some swiss chard and cucumbers and Ian got some cheese curds and apple cider. On our way out we passed a stand that was selling dead sunflowers, any idea what you do with these?

5. For lunch on Saturday I sauteed a bunch of veggies (cauliflower, japanese eggplant, and peas) in TJs curry simmer sauce. It was super easy and really tasty, I definitely recommend the curry simmer sauce for when you want a quick but tasty meal!

6. Saturday evening I went into full on baking mode. I made the treat that I brought to book club on Sunday (more on that in a bit), Katie’s No-Bake Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies, and Starbucks Clone Pumpkin Scones for Ian.

The cookies were really good and will make perfect snacks to take with me to work this week.

The scones became a huge mess- the dough was sticky and it got everywhere! Luckily, Ian says they taste good even though they don’t look too pretty.

7. I’ve started buying TJ’s chocolate almond milk to use in smoothies. One of my favorite creations is frozen banana, peanut flour (or PB2), and chocolate almond milk. So simply but so delicious!

8. Speaking of smoothies, they have become my recovery beverage of choice. On Sunday after my 14 miler, I tried this hot apple pie smoothie and it was so good!

9. Has anyone else seen My Cat from Hell on the Animal Planet? I was watching it when I was home alone Saturday night and wanted some background noise and I saw the most disturbing episode. This lady had two small dogs that were supposedly being attacked by the cat. However, when the cat guru shows up at her house, he finds out that the lady puts clothes and diapers on the dogs, paints their toenails, feeds them out of a bottle, etc. It was sooo creepy (the casting video is here). You know it’s bad when you’re uncomfortable watching it from home!

10. I started reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn Saturday night and I can’t put it down! I’m so intrigued and want to find out what happened to the girl so badly that I do not want to stop reading. If you haven’t read it, I recommend you check it out!

11.. On Sunday, the Chicago HLB had our monthly book club meeting. This past month we read MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend. The book was good and not something that I’d normally seek out. The content also rang true for many of us who are newish to the Chicago area and finding out how much harder it is to make friends post-college. It was so nice to see everyone, meet some new bloggers, and try all the delicious food.

I ended up making OhSheGlows’ Peanut Butter, Jam, & Banana Breakfast Pizza. It was good but very sweet, I’m glad I made it for a crowd and not just for Ian and myself!

12. After another hour or so of reading, I decided I should probably make dinner. I made a big pot of sweet vegetarian chili and my new go-to cornbread recipe (in case you’re not vegan/gf my old go-to cornbread recipe is Daily Garnish’s White Cheddar Yogurt Cornbread and it’s soooo good).

13. The highlight of dinner was this hot sauce Ian picked up. For being Tabasco this stuff is soo good and we haven’t been able to find it anywhere. Turns out the little convenience store down the street carries it :) .

14. Ian and I have almost finished season 1 of Arrested Development. Whoever originally recommended the show to me, thank you. We are both hooked!

15. Today is my first day off from exercising in 2 weeks and I celebrated by sleeping in (a little) and making some cinnamon raisin oats.

That little pat on top that kinda looks like butter is actually cashew butter ha.

16. I’m off to try to squeeze in a chapter of Gone Girl before I head off to work! Have a good one!

What did you do this weekend?

Monday Things {09-24-2012}

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1. On Friday night Ian and I had a date night and went to The Bad Apple. We’ve been there before but it’s easily one of my favorite bar/restaurants in the city. When we arrived, there was a 30 minute wait so we each ordered a drink and plopped down at the bar. I had an amazing ginger peach cider (left) and Ian ordered an oktoberfest.

For dinner, Ian had the most non-vegetarian burger ever –> the jersey turnpike. It was a burger topped with a pork roll and a fried egg. Crazy.

I ordered their quinoa salad without the cheese and a side of Bad Apple’s famous fries!

The quinoa was just okay and I ended up devoting most of my energy to eating the fries and then I brought more than half of the salad home.

2. After dinner, we wanted something sweet and stopped in Forever Yogurt. Unfortunately, I didn’t really like either of their sorbets (pink lemonade and fruit bowl– wtf?) so I got a little pink lemonade and just loaded up on the fruit. At least my cup was healthy…?

3. On Saturday morning I headed out for a nice and easy 5 miler. The sun was shining and it was nice and chilly. I love running in the fall (how many times have you heard me say that??).

4. After my cold run, I made a nice and warm Saturday breakfast: blueberry buckwheat pancakes!

5. A little bit later, I met up with Kelsey at one of Chicago’s many farmer’s markets. We walked around, chatted, and saw the largest sweet potatoes known to man!

6. I didn’t end up buying one of the huuge sweet potatoes (imagine how long it would take to cook one of those babies?) but I did come home with fresh dill & cilantro, rainbow chard, Japanese eggplant, apple cider, and a mango melon that the man at the melon stand gave me for free.

7. Kelsey and I also did some shopping at DSW, Nordstrom Rack, and TJ Maxx. I came home with a scarf, a pair of running crops, and the fall boots I’ve been looking for!

8. I had a late lunch after shopping and tried the Japanese eggplant. It was good but I don’t think it tasted any different than normal eggplant.

9. The Michigan and Notre Dame game is always a big one but after Notre Dame beat MSU last weekend, the game seemed even bigger. Ian and I ended up meeting some friends at Bar Louie to watch. Unfortunately, Michigan lost but I did enjoy the company, a glass of wine, and a garbage salad (recycled photo but you’ve seen this before).

10. Sunday morning was my long run of the week. I had a 13 miler with 8 miles at race pace on the schedule and despite being nervous about it, I had a wonderful run!

11. I’ve found that my stomach handles smoothies post-run much better than food so I’ve been trying to refuel first with a smoothie. Yesterday, I tried this Cocoa-Bean smoothie, I liked it!

12. Ian Sonic had waffles for breakfast yesterday.

13. Ian and I spent most of yesterday in a small town on the border of Michigan and Indiana visiting with Ian’s family. It was little too cold to play on the beach (ha) but we caught up with everyone, relaxed, and then helped prep a late lunch of salad, quinoa with veggies (for me), and pizza for everyone else.

14. We didn’t get back into the city until around 8 but by then I was starving. I made the quickest thing that I could think of, a quesadilla of some sort.

I spread kalamata olive hummus on half and then topped it with spring lettuce and a little veganaise, folded the tortilla over, and popped it on the Foreman. It hit the spot!

15. Ian and I ended our night starting Arrested Development on Netflix. I really like it so far!

16. Time to go get ready for work- Happy Monday!