It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time

It's probably one of the most basic and well known combinations.  Sure there are other incredible foods to pair with peanut butter, but you have to love a classic.  I mean, who didn't have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in their lunch bag every couple of days.  Weird fact about me...I loved when sandwich got squished.  I thought it tasted better after being stuffed into my backpack and shoved into my locker.

Every family had their peanut butter preference.  My family was a JIF family.  We always had crunchy (for my dad) and creamy (for my sister and I).  For jelly, it was hands down Smuckers grape.  Now, I would never think to choose grape but for some reason I would only eat my PBJ sandwiches with grape jelly.

It was time to re-create this classic combination.  Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins.  Originally, I thought these would turn out to be a great snack....wrong!  These muffins turned to be huge, dense (in a very good way), and filling.  They are definitely meant for breakfast and not just a post work nibble.  The peanut butter flavor stood out without being too overpowering.  Warning...you will be tempted to eat these straight out of the oven.  The warm peanut butter and gooey jelly will be calling you name.  Resist the temptation!  You will burn your tongue and make a huge sticky mess all over your kitchen counter.  I promise that they are just good when they have warmed a couple hours later.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tbl baking powder
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup crunchy peanut butter
3/4 cup skim milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 jar jelly or preserves

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400.  Spray or line muffin tin.
2. In large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add peanut butter.  Mix until it resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Add milk, oil, and eggs.  Stir.
5. Spoon muffin cups half full with batter.  Top each with 1 tbl of jelly.  Distribute remaining batter over the jelly.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Runner's High

The elusive runner's high.  I've heard people talk about it but what exactly is it?  And does it actually exist?  Supposedly, there are reports of people who admit to experiencing it.  But let's be honest...have you or anyone you know personally felt it?  It's like hearing about someone who knew someone whose cousin's friend met Brad Pitt.  Did it actually happen?

I know one things for sure: this dog is definitely feeling the runner's high.

Endocannabinoids are brain chemicals that indicate increased pleasure.  Several studies have linked an increase in the level of endocannabinoids after prolonged running.  One study from the Georgia Institute of Technology (2003) found that 50 minutes of hard running on a treadmill or biking on a stationary bike significantly increased the levels of endocannabinoids in college students.

Another study from the University of Arizona measured these chemicals in people before and after running on the treadmill.  The results showed that humans showed a significant increase in endocannabinoids after high-intensity endurance workouts.  These researchers concluded that the neurobiological "reward" people get from endurance exercise is what drives people to continue to run.

Researchers say that here are two factors that influence the release of endocannabinoids: duration and intensity.  If you are increasing and changing one of these factors, but still do not experience that high, try adjusting the other.

So there's hope!

Have I ever gotten the runner's high? Nope.  Do I think that I will?  Who knows.  However, running does put me in a good mood.  It also gives me goals to work towards and accomplish.  That sense of accomplishment or the good mood I experience when my run or race is done is enough for me.

Question: Have you ever experienced a runner's high? If so...tell me about it!

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)!