Zucchini Boat of Yum

As always, I went to the farmer's market after my Saturday run.  I stopped at a vendor that had beautiful, vibrantly colored vegetables.  I knew that I couldn't pass up this stand without buying something.  Lucky for me, this vendor had huge, bright green zucchinis for only 50 cents each.  let me just clarify, that when I say huge...I mean HUGE!  It was bigger than the size of my foot and about the size of my forearm.  I would say that 50 cents for the absurdly large zucchini was a steal!

Ok...mine wasn't THAT big.  But it was still pretty big.

I had seen a couple different recipes for zucchini boats and decided to give it a try.  There are many different recipes for zucchini boats, but it essentially has 4 steps: cut the zucchini in half, hollow it out, stuff in with your ingredients, and bake.  Even with the large zucchini that I bought, not a lot of filling was needed (or really fit) into the zucchini.  Actually, I was a little over ambitious with my filling and had some leftover and ate it on the side.

My recipe is using rough estimates because I did not truly measure everything.  It is not a recipe that you will mess up by adding too much of one thing or not enough of another.  It's all about you taste and how you like it!

Zucchini Boat (2 servings per zucchini)
Ingredients:
1 large zucchini
6 bella mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
basil and garlic salt seasonings
handful of cherry tomatoes (about 8)
3 tbl tomato sauce
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Cut zucchini in half the long way.

3. Scoop insides out of zucchini.  Some people save the insides to use in their mix. I thought it was zucchini overload, so I tossed them out.  Place zucchini on baking sheet lined with foil.

4. Saute mushrooms and onions with spices for 5 minutes.  Place into bowl.
5. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and cheese to bowl.  Mix.
6. Put mixture into zucchini.

7. Bake for 20-30 minutes.

Yummy, cheesy perfection!  I will admit that as good as it was,  I thought that it would be more filling than it turned out to be.  I didn't make anything else to go with it, so I finished my dinner off with some popcorn.  I definitely recommend making something to go with your zucchini.

There are so many different types of zucchini boats. Here are some other great websites that have different flavors/types of zucchini boats incase you want to try something else:

http://www.recipegirl.com/2012/02/13/stuffed-zucchini-boats/

http://www.adashofsass.com/2010/06/22/italian-and-southwestern-zucchini-boats/

http://inthelittleredhouse.blogspot.com/2012/07/how-to-eat-zucchini.html

Weekend Running

Saturdays are my long run days and this past Saturday I had 7 miles on my training schedule.  After forcing myself to get up at 5:45, I head out for my run.  As much as I hate waking up at the crack of dawn (literally) on Saturday, I love the feel of running early in the morning.  Walking to the lake and seeing Michigan Ave almost completely empty is such a cool feeling.  It's a nice change from the typical city craziness.  

Almost car-less Michigan Ave

I am always surprised how many runners are out early Saturday morning.  However, it's a lot of people in a good way.  It's not so many that I feel like I'm weaving in and out between people but enough to create a feeling of comfort and camaraderie (yes....it's corny, I know).  When I started my run, it was in the mid 70s and a little humid.  Definitely run-able weather!  It was also a beautiful morning.

Start of my run

I had a great run this weekend for a couple reasons:

1. The past few weeks, my Run Keeper app (see this link for a summary from an older post) hadn't been accurately tracing my distance and therefore messing up my pace/time.  I was so happy that it miraculously started working again on my run!  Having the app helps me pace myself throughout my run...HUGE relief!

2. I saw some friends while I was running.  Seeing people I know always adds a little excitement to my run especially when they are unexpected.  One friend is running the Chicago Rock and Roll Half Marathon next weekend.  The other, is a new blog friend named Katie who is training for the Chicago Marathon.  Her blog is Peace, Love, and Oats, definitely worth checking out!

3. My final average pace was about 30 seconds faster than my 7 mile run at this time last year.  Seeing improvements always makes a run feel like a good one!

End of my run

One bad part of the run: I synced my Run Keeper with a playlist that was shorter than my run.  After mile 5, the music stopped.  For about half a mile, I ran without music.  I quickly realized that I would not last another 1.5 miles without it.  I had to stop and change the playlist so I could finish my run.  Note to self for future runs: always check the playlist length to make sure it will last the entire run!

Thought y'all might appreciate a little post run sweaty smile!

At the end of my run, I noticed a really cool thing that was by the lake path entrance:

You can rent bikes by the hour!  Such a great thing to keep in mind for visitors or for friends without bikes.  This bike rental was located at the Division St entrance.  I didn't see any others at other points during my run, but I am sure they are located at various spots.

It's That Time Again

Be sure to stop by Starbucks today from 12-3.  They are sampling their new Refreshers beverage.  And by sampling I mean GIVING AWAY a free small.  This is nation-wide, so be sure to take advantage! Today, I tried the lime flavor and it was great! They are caffeinated, refreshing and just enough flavor without being too overpowering.  These drinks are the perfect lunch break, mid-day pick me up!

Refreshers come in Cool Lime and Very Berry Hibiscus

It's that time again....Friday Funday!  I hope everyone looks forward to this as much as I do.  I have so much fun searching for and collecting awesome, funny, adorable, and tasty pictures throughout the week.  Enjoy!

A Spin On Dessert: or maybe even breakfast!

Balloon Festival: Never been on a hot air balloon before.  Looks like fun and so pretty!

Seasonal Salsa: I made a variation of this when grilling at a friend's apartment.  It uses seasonal ingredients, easy, to make, and tastes great!

Murphy's Law for Runners: So true!  Check out the link because the image wasn't working well.

I do this daily: If you say that you don't, I don't believe you.

This Makes Me Happy: Read this and it will automatically put you in a good mood.

White Wine Sangria: I love sangria! I usually prefer red, but this white one looks amazing!

One Word... YUM! And it looks so easy to do

Love This: I have no clue where I found this link but wish I could remember!  I love this water bottle and am on a mission to find it.

Have a fun weekend!

The Need for Speed

Tonight I met a some friends for after work happy hour.  We decided to meet in an area that was in between the three of us called Wicker Park.  Finally, after 4 years of living in Chicago, I went to Big Star.  I had heard about it many times and have been wanting to go for a while now.  Big Star is a great Mexican restaurant and bar. We got there at 6:00 hoping for a table on the enormous patio (another gorgeous Chicago night).  No such luck!  There was already an hour wait for patio seats, so we opted for the bar inside.  We all got margaritas, chips, and caught up.

Unfortunately for me, if I had looked at the beer menu I would have seen this:

Lonestar beer! I happened to see the guy next to me drinking a Lonestar beer and immediately got drink envy.  It's not every day that you see a Texas beer in Chicago.

Before meeting my friends at the bar, I went to the gym for my Wednesday training run.  For me, Wednesdays are speed work days.  I always look forward to these runs because they provide a much needed break and change from my typical distance runs.  Speed work days involve one of two types of runs: tempo or HIIT.  Both help increase overall speed, but in different ways.

This is how fast I feel like I am running when I do my speed work training.

Tempo: The purpose of tempo runs are to build your anaerobic threshold, which in turn helps to increase your speed.  Tempos start with a 5-10 minute easy paced warm-up.  You then run for about 20 minutes (varies depending on particular workout for the day) at a pace that is "comfortably challenging".  You then end with a 5-10 minute easy paced cool down.

HIIT: HIIT stands for high intensity interval training.  These runs alternate high intensity, fast paced bursts and short, slow cool downs.  Similar to tempos, HIITs have a 5-10 minute warm up and cool down.  In between the warm up and cool down, there are usually 6-10 repetitions.  For example, my interval this week included 5 minutes of fast paced running with a minute cool down afterwards.  I repeated this 6 times.

Try adding one of these runs into your weekly work out to change things up!  Not only do they help improve your speed.  They also keep you body guessing by stepping away from your typical workout and burn more calories.

Continued Love for Peanut Butter

Last night, I played beach volleyball with a group of friends.  It's a fun way to break up the week and get together with friends.  Plus, the weather was great last night so it was fun to be outside by the lake.  We've won a couple of games, but last night was not our night.  You win some, you lose some!

My friend Lindsey recently moved into a new apartment and did a Target run.  Living in the city without a car, Target is a little difficult to get to.  So, I asked her a HUGE favor.  I have fallen in love with a new cereal that I have only found at Target (I think people are hoarding boxes of it at the grocery store by me).   This cereal combines one of my favorite cereals, Cheerios, and my favorite flavor, peanut butter.  That's right...Peanut Butter Cheerios!  I recommend that everyone try them.  An enormous thank you to Lindsey and her mom Cindy for picking them up for me!

It was either a post volleyball or post shower picture. I opted for the cleanliness of post shower picture.

This week, I tried making a new and different dinner.  I love Indian food and have eaten it out several times.  I don't usually think to make it at home for 2 main reasons:

1. Indian food uses a lot of spices that I don't tend to have on hand.

2. It is known to smell.  Living in a small studio apartment, I don't have the luxury of containing smelly dishes (even if those dishes are tasty too).

The other day, I saw a pre-made Indian sauce at Whole Foods.  Having a pre-made sauce took away reason 1 for not cooking Indian food at home.  I decided to take a chance with reason number 2.

Maya Kaimal makes several different types of sauces.  I chose the vindaloo sauce, which is a coconut and chili flavored sauce. I had tried a vindaloo sauce at my favorite Indian restaurant in Chicago and liked it.  Also, it said that it was spicy and I tend to opt for spicier flavors.

I decided to go vegetarian and roasted a zucchini, mushrooms, onion, and a mixed bag of cauliflower and broccoli.  I set the oven to 420, coated the vegetables in olive oil, and put them in the oven for 20 minutes.  

Toward the end of the 20 minutes I started to simmer the sauce.  I then added the vegetables to the sauce and continued to simmer together for 5 minutes.

This recipe can easily be made using a pound of meat and/or chick peas and whatever vegetables you enjoy.  Be sure to buy naan to make your Indian meal complete!

It might not look pretty, but it was delicious!  And not to mention...smell free (an added perk)!

Breckenridge Fun

I didn't post at all last week because I was on vacation in Breckenridge with my family.  My family met up in Breckenridge on a Sunday and stayed through the Friday after the 4th of July.  It was an incredibly fun trip filled with lots of family time, activity, and food!

Breckenridge is a gorgeous city with unbelievable weather.  It was in the 70s during the day and cool at night.  The perfect weather for a mountain vacation.  Each morning we woke up bright and early with my wonderful, energetic nephew Nathan.

Some mornings we even had a fox come visit us on our front porch.

After eating breakfast at the condo, we would set out and start our days.  Some days we had planned morning activities like white water rafting, massages, or fly fishing.  There were a pool and hot tub next to our condo that we went to a couple times.  Also, each day we went a long walk (usually several) either on trails or around the downtown area.

We also ate some amazing food!  My favorite places by far were Mary's Mountain Cookies and Park and Main (does not have a website set up yet).  Mary's Mountain Cookies has some of the best cookies  that I have had in a long time and they are probably the size of half of your face.  I got a cookies with COW (craisins, oatmeal, and white chocolate chips).  I also tried the chocolate chip and Scotchie cookies.  All were amazing and I'm hungry just thinking about them.  Park and Main is a great sandwich place that has unusual, gourmet sandwiches.

We were there for the 4th of July, which was a lot of fun!  In the morning there was a parade.  Tons of people on bikes, horses, and trucks drove down the main road.  The wrestlers on top of a school bus and people blowing bubble were some of my favorite parade participants (can't really call them floats). They all threw candy to the kids as they passed by (clearly I was disappointed they were not throwing candy to me too).

At the parade

Cool chalk art for the kids on the 4th

After the parade, we went for an All American lunch of hot dogs at Sloppy Dog.  My dad and brother in law were extremely excited for this place! They have crazy hot dogs like the Fuego (hot pepper relish, Frito crunchies, and yellow mustard) and the Picnic (coleslaw, kettle chips, pickle, spicy brown mustard, and American cheese).

In addition to it being the 4th of July, my dad's birthday was the next day.  Instead of our usual cereal and bum bums (that's what my nephew calls berries) at the condo, we went into town for brunch.  Later  my dad, sister, and I went on a long hike.  At night, we went to a special dinner at Hearthstone.  While dinner was obviously amazing, I want to talk about dessert.  My dad can't have milk and does not get to usually enjoy dessert at restaurants.  My mom called the restaurant ahead of time and told them about my dad's dietary restrictions.  The restaurant went above and beyond!  At dessert, they came out with a 3 tier chocolate cake.  We were a little suspicious of the cake at first because it definitely did not look (or taste) dairy free.  However, we were told that it was in fact dairy free.  It was delicious! We later met this incredible chef and thanked him.

During vacation, it can be easy to overdue it with food and skimp on exercise.  While we ate lots of amazing food, we also were extremely active.  It's okay to indulge when you are on vacation!  Vacation is a break from your day to day life and that includes your regular eating routine.  However, remember to make choices and not overdo it too much (for example: I would have loved to go to Mary's Mountain Cookies every day, but I restrained myself).  Also, stay active!  Vacations are the perfect time to go on walks and explore different areas and cities you wouldn't otherwise.  Colorado is the perfect place for exploring and walking around, but are other places too!  Also, even with all of our walking and hiking around, my sister and I even went to the gym one day.

Have fun on vacation and don't get down on yourself just because you broke your diet or didn't get that full training run in.  You can always get back on track!  I had an incredible vacation with my family and loved the time that I spent with them.

My nephew on his first horseback ride

I'm Back (and Happy Sugar Cookie Day)!

After a week of vacation with my family in Colorado, I'm back! I had an amazing vacation with lots of food, family, outdoor adventures, and fun!  More details to come on that tomorrow.

This past week, temperatures in Chicago have been extremely high, like in the 100s.  Not your typical Chicago weather!  The day after I got back from Colorado, I woke up for my Saturday morning long run.  When I started my run at 6:45, the temperature was already at 85 degrees and humid.  Needless to say, the weather (and my week of vacation) did not make for a good run.  I was hot, tired, and dehydrated from the start.  I could barely finish and had to walk for a little.  I was obviously disappointed in my run.  It's hard not to get discouraged after a bad run. Instead of focusing on how disappointed I was after my run, I tried to refocus on the week ahead and doing better the next week.  It's important to remember that not every run will be your best (and this one was definitely not mine).  Also on those bad runs remember...

and...

Today is National Sugar Cookie Day!  It is also some of my students' last week of summer school.  I wanted to make the students a special treat for finishing summer school, so I used the holiday as inspiration and made Rainbow Pinwheel Cookies.  

How they looked pre-cooked (kind of looks like Play Doh)

I found the recipe here.  This recipe is ridiculously easy, especially because I used pre-made sugar cookie dough.  Let's be honest...the pre-made dough is so good why bother trying to re-create what is already so yummy?!  I loved how the neon food dye looked in the original recipe, but couldn't find it. So sad!  However, I think mine looked just as pretty and I'm sure turned out just as tasty.

Ready for the oven

I was very happy that I read the comments below the recipe.  People had said that after adding the food coloring, the dough became sticky and difficult to handle or roll.  I definitely ran into this problem!  It was a goopy mess and my hands were becoming covered in dough.  To solve the problem, put colored dough into the refrigerate for about 20 minutes before handling it.  This helps the dough harden and makes it easier to work with.

Finished product!

Ricky's verdict: "Looks and tastes great! My kids would love these."  Let's hope the kids in summer school enjoy them too!