Sunday May 26th: Running and Eating

I really didn't want to, but I ran 5 miles this morning. My training plan had me running 5 miles slow today, and I definitely made sure I went slowly. This was especially necessary because there was a long slow uphill between miles 2 and 3. I remember the first time I ran this route, I couldn't even tell exactly that I was going uphill, but I knew that everything hurt and it was really hard! I ended up going at just about a 10min/mile pace, which was exactly what I wanted.

While I was out running, Joey was amazing and got so much done for me. He did two loads of laundry, washed the dishes, made granola; then once I got back and showered, cooked breakfast for me. Best boyfriend ever! And the best motivation to go running, if I know I'm coming back to that :)

Breakfast was amazing. He made breakfast sandwiches of a fried egg + cheese + tomato on a whole wheat english muffin. Then with the granola, we made yogurt parfaits.

Here are the breakfast recipes:

Applesauce Granola
From: Baking Bites
Yield: 24 servings (1/3 cup each)

Note: We only had 1 1/2 cups rice krispies, so we added an extra 1/2 cup rolled oats. Also, we just made up our own spices and didn't really measure.

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups rolled oats
2 cups puffed rice cereal
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
pinch ground cardamom
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup applesauce (unsweetened)
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups rough chopped almonds
1 cup raisins

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 F and line two baking sheets with foil or parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine oats, cereal and spices. In a medium bowl, whisk together applesauce, sugar, honey and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients along with almonds, and stir to combine. Spread on baking sheets in an even layer.
Bake for 30 minutes, then carefully turn over the granola carefully using a wide spatula. Bake for an additional 15 minutes, until crisp and golden.
Let cool, then enjoy!

Pictured on top of yogurt and fresh fruit

Nutrition (per 1/3 cup serving)
166.5 calories
5.4 g fat
30 carbs
2.8 g fiber
3.9 g protein

Yogurt Parfait:
From: Me
Yield: 1 serving

This isn't really an exact recipe, you just combine what you like! Here are the components I like having
* Good greek yogurt (I like Fage)
* Fresh fruit - strawberries, bananas, blueberries, mango, raspberries, blackberries
* Sweetener - honey, jam, sugar
* Topping - granola, sliced/slivered almonds, chopped pecans, toasted wheat bran

What I made today:
7oz 2% Fage
~1/4 cup chopped mango
~1/2 cup chopped strawberries
1/3 cup homemade granola
~1 tbsp homemade peach jam

Nutrition (estimated):
398 calories
9.8 g fat
63.9 carbs
5.5 g fiber
21.6 g protein

We ran a bunch of errands today, and I got some more packing done. Joey cooked a whole turkey, one that has been in his freezer since the post-Thanksgiving sales! I made another fish sandwich like I made the other day, and a delicious salad with our fresh picked strawberries.

Spinach and Strawberry Salad:
From: Critzer Family Farm
Yield: 2 large servings

Ingredients:
3 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup sliced strawberries
2 mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp honey
fresh ground black pepper

Directions:
Put the spinach, strawberries, mushrooms and almonds in a large salad bowl. Whisk together the vinegar, honey and pepper. Pour desired amount of dressing over the salad, mix well.

Nutrition (using all of the dressing):
176 calories
6.9 g fat
27 carbs
4.4 g fiber
5.4 g protein