Limeade and Sweaty Runs

My students at the Brooklyn Apple Academy organized a Limeade Sale yesterday in Prospect Park to benefit relief efforts in Nepal. 

They also accepted tips for the ice fund (which fund them getting ices from the park vendor). We had an intricate discussion about full disclosure of funds and how important it is that customers can decide where their money goes. 

I did 5.18 miles in 52 minutes yesterday (including cool-down)- this brings me up to about 10.25 miles for the week plus a spinning class.

Sweat makes me proud.

Dinners have been sweet & simple lately- myself and the fella both get home so late that we usually toss a protein into a skillet, some couscous into the microwave on carb-loading days (Far East 5 minute mixes, you complete me) and serve with some raw greens. 

 Above: a pan-seared pork chop with coconut-oil caramelized onions and a mixed green salad- so easy to make and so, so satisfying.

On mornings like this one when I don't have to teach until the afternoon, I've been whipping up some single skillet meals, like this one- Al Fresco Sundried Tomato Chicken Sausage, red peppers, bok choy, an egg (over easy) and some avocado. Veg and protein and happy fat heaven.

While catching up on computer work, I'm sniffing this intoxicating branch my fella brought me last night. We had a lilac tree in the backyard of one of the houses I lived in growing up- it was perpetually trapped in the shade of this giant pine so it grew almost parallel to the ground desperately seeking sun. Every spring and summer our house would be filled with snips and snaps from that magical little tree. It's the simple things...

I'm currently DEEEEEP into post-production for my film directing debut- Father's Day. I'll write about the process some day, but my spare time is currently gobbled up by Adobe Premiere- I've learned by watching my fellow editors and now I'm wading into the water on my own to try to speed up our post-process. I'm hoping to submit to a few festivals this fall. Fingers crossed.  

Today I'll be swinging around some kettlebells before going to teach and then meeting up with some fellow Mitchell Scholars for a drink and a bite this evening.

How have you been sweating this week?
What's your favorite lazy morning breakfast?
Have you ever taught yourself a program/ software?

Sweat & Fuel- Sweet & Simple

Hey Pals! I hope your weekend is going well!

Yesterday I met up with a classmate to go over scholarship material and summer job opportunities- it was nice to get my head back into the game!

I also hit up the college's gym for a 5.25 mile run. It felt great!

Dinner was some leftover millet topped with TJ's Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup. Holy. Yum.

Along with some fruit/ veggies in Trader Ming's Sesame Ginger Dressing!

I'm getting ready to head out for an acting workshop with the Magis Theatre Company. I'm really excited about the work they do! Stay tuned for a recipe later tonight!

What's on the docket for your Sunday?

Homemade Noodles and a Fun Run!

Another quick recap of my fun but brief visit with my family.

My mom picked up this granola pie crust for a pumpkin cream pie at the grocery store. I LOVE the idea and want to come up with my own granola pie crust recipe now... I'm going to experiment tonight so look for it soon! :)

For my entire life, I've been spoiled with really freaking delicious homemade noodles. My mom = kitchen queen. I keep trying to get her to write a blog... maybe one day...

The master at work...

Small batches...

Rolled through the press, gradually thinning...

After it's been rolled to the perfect consistency, then it's cut!

Things made in small batches simply taste better...

Holy carby happytime. 

My mom's chicken noodle soup is... the best. Seriously. I'm sure your mom makes great chicken noodle soup too, but your girl ain't playin'. This. Stuff. Is. Perfect. She does everything the labor-intensive way (which is NOT how I cook), but it definitely pays off. 

Enjoying her masterpiece!

After gorging myself on soup and bread, I laced up for a run... There's a beautiful track near my mom's house that I really enjoy running on and getting there involves 1.5 miles of INTENSE hills. 

 No sooner had I laced up then it started raining. Hard, cold, slushy rain. I got in just over 3 miles before I became concerned for the safety of my iPod (and my rapidly numbing hands) and came in. 

Just in time for pumpkin cream pie. Oh. Yeah.

Eat, Run, Eat.

I took a brief detour upstate to visit my family before settling back into real life. I arrived at 1:20a on Friday, so I crashed at my sister's pad in Albany. We were STARVING when I woke up, so she suggested heading to Uncommon Grounds on Western Ave. for some caffeine and breakfasty goodness.

If God made a breakfast sandwich, (s)he would make this ham, egg and swiss on a pesto bagel (unless God is Muslim, Jewish or some other belief system that's not down with the pig/ dairy consumption thing, but even then...). This is planted firmly in the top 5 breakfast sandwiches I've ever, ever had.  

 Paired perfectly with my signature drink- iced coffee with soy. 

 You KNOW I'm a sucker for funky abstract shenanigans...

 We returned to Kieren's apt and suited up for some sweat time.  

 You should probably take her seriously... I mean look at that face, and her Sporran-esque purse (KUDOS to anyone who gets this reference...).

My sister just joined a large chain gym that shall not be named but is famous for its super cheap memberships and exclusion of people who work out "too" hard (ahem, cough... cough...) and charges $20 for a guest pass if your friend doesn't have the upgraded membership. UHM- WHAAAA?

Hater, PLEASE. I'll go run on the sidewalk for FREE.  So that's what I did. 3.25 miles in the chilly December air, punctuated by a visit to the Steamer 10 Theatre- I worked there years back and poked my head in to say hi to some old friends!

We headed to my mom's house for a delicious night in!

 Oh yeah- it's veggie time...

Certain individuals in my family who I will not single out on my blog because they'd smack me have an aversion to a significant amount of vegetables and nutrient-packed foods... Much to their chagrin, I've made it my mission in life to force-feed them as many plant-based foods as I can. It's all out of love. 

I was feeling creative, so I improvised a squash soup recipe, mashed together appx 10 Maple-Roasted Brussel Sprout recipes and doctored Kate's recipe for Brown Rice Risotto.

 My mildly reluctant but excessively helpful kitchen slave sous chef.

 Scallions, anyone?

Maple Roasted Brussel Sprouts

1lb brussel sprouts, rinsed and halved 

3 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp (or 2-3 cloves) minced garlic

-Preheat oven to 400 F. 

-Mix last 5 ingredients in a bowl.

-Add brussel sprouts, toss to coat.

-Lay brussel sprouts on a foil-covered cookie sheet or roasting pan.

-Top with left-over mixture.

-Roast in oven for 20-25 minutes until brown, sugary edges appear. 

Sweet Potato, Acorn and Buttercup Squash Soup

1 large sweet potato

1 acorn squash (appx 2 lbs)

1 buttercup squash (appx 2 lbs)

16 oz reduced sodium stock (chicken or veggie)

1 c water

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp minced garlic (appx 2-3 cloves)

1/3 c soy milk 

-Rinse, halve and scoop both squash. One at a time, place halves face down in a microwave safe dish with 1/2 inch water, microwave on high for 10 mins. 

-Rinse, peel and cube sweet potato. Place in a large saucepan on medium heat with the stock and water, cover and bring to a boil. 

-After squash has been microwaved, scoop flesh and add to the cooking sweet potatoes.

-Add garlic and cinnamon.

-Let entire mixture cook, covered, until sweet potatoes are soft (appx 20 mins).

-Add soymilk after heat has been turned off- blend in food processor.

I followed the risotto recipe above almost exactly, my only tweaks were halving the regular onion quantity and adding a bunch of scallions (which I sauteed first) and shrimp (at the very end).

Food! 

This was probably one of my most impressive meals to date. Call me proud. 

Back on track (er... treadmill)...

I walked out the door yesterday AM to this. 

Intense, right? It's like nature's version of mood lighting... I actually really LOVE fog- probably because I don't usually have to drive in it... But walking/ running through it is both soothing and exciting for me... 

We usually have Monday AMs free, but yesterday Heidi Griffiths from The Public came to run a workshop for the second year actors on cold readings and some of the first years (like myself) got to assist as readers. 

I chowed down on my quick breakfast-to-go before the workshop.

After a short break, it was on to Improv, and today we began our exploration of mask work. I. am. in. love. We each selected a mask to work with for the class and explored the physicality, emotion and sound that the mask inspired, interacting with the space and then other characters.

The masks were all hand-made and decorated (we each brought one in to contribute, and our professor had some to share) and they were all stunning. 

After improv I grabbed a quick dinner with one of my classmates and then headed to my Shakespeare rehearsal for a directing student. We're doing our final presentation of our scene from Richard III on Monday- I will be very sad to leave Elizabeth (my character) behind, but I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to work on this piece with a fabulous director and an awesome scene partner.

I was emotionally and physically spent after rehearsal, but I was DESPERATE to break in my new Brooks Ghost 3's. As I walked across campus I told myself I didn't have to decide until I was standing in front of the gym door (which is on my way to the train) if I would go in or not...

I'm very pleased with my decision!

It was a very rocky 30 mins (I have NOT been training... at all...) but these shoes run like a dream, and I'm so excited to get back into the swing over the winter break. My body misses running like a fish misses water. Fo realz, yo.

Not too bad for a Monday- how was yours?

HLS Goodies, Long(ish) Runs and New Ingredients!

Back to the real world! School starts in three short days, so I'm rapidly trying to get myself organized and re-establish my routine! 

Breakfast yesterday was delicious- simple, clean and wholesome! 

I added the Love Grown Cocoa Goodness Granola from my HLS Swag Bag to some greek yogurt and topped with frozen berries. 

Uh-mazing. The granola is everything I want and more- sweet (but not too sweet), sort of chewy, sort of crunchy with the perfect ratio of oats to mix-ins. I'm in love. And lusting over their 4 other flavors. Oyyy....

I did A LOT of blog and computer catching up after breakfast... It's funny how my weekend at a blogging conference was the most disconnected I've been from a computer in a long time- it was a nice break, though! :)

I had a late lunch, mostly because I wasn't paying attention to the time... I dug through my HLS Swag Bag again to see if I could find something savory and came across these gems (well... nuggets, technically). 

Garlic Gold WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE?

These nuggets come in other flavors, and oils, and vinaigrettes. I. DIE. Perfection. I think I've found my new obsession. Has anyone tried any of their other products?

I threw the Garlic Gold (love) Nuggets into a pot with a large frozen chicken breast, a can of kidney beans (rinsed), 2 cups of water and a 1/4 cup bulgur wheat and let the flavors dance. The result was a mix between chili and stew- SO filling and satisfying. I will definitely be making this more when it gets colder. 

After my late lunch it was off for a run! I decided to rock the Healthy Living Summit T-Shirt from Five Bamboo. This is quite literally the most comfortable piece of clothing I own. So soft and durable. 

I was a little worried about taking my poor bamboo t-shirt on an 8.5 mile run, convinced that it'd be soaked within the first mile, but this baby did a great job of keeping my cool and dry (for the most part- I sweat like a beast, but this shirt was significantly less drenched when I finished my workout). I'm sold! I love it so much that I just ordered one in black for school! 

The run itself was a bit slow, but I've fallen out of my training schedule, and it's been a while since I've done anything this long, so I didn't push it. Either tomorrow or Thursday AM will be my beast run, and then my 1/2 is on Sunday! Oyyy!

For dinner I made cauliflower and cheddar pizza with an almond-meal crust. I haven't quite perfected the crust recipe yet, but it has the potential to be EPIC- I will share as soon as I get it down...

What have you been chomping on? How have your workouts been going? Training for anything?

Happy Sweating! :)