I got in!

Friends, remember a couple weeks ago when I entered the drawing to be chosen to run in the Nike Women's half marathon in San Francisco on October 14th? Read about it here. Well, the results are in and my name was drawn! I actually entered as a team with two great running friends and we will be running together! Remember, this is the same annual race where I ran my first full marathon in 2009. I am excited to go back and quite relieved I will be running half the distance! It is a beautiful course with great views of the Golden Gate bridge and being an all women's race, lots of encouragement and exciting messages along the way. The best part? Besides completing 13.1 miles, each finisher receives a Tiffany's Necklace!

There I am above crossing the finish line (me in purple) after 4 hours and 27 minutes of running 26.2 miles! The theme of the race that year was "Run Like a Girl" and I still wear my Tiffany's necklace! I think the theme of this race is now "I Run to Be" and the necklaces are different each year so I can't wait to sport both. I might even put them on the same chain! 

Call me crazy but yes I am doing another half marathon! Look back through my running and racing history here:) 

Little Squirt and pasta bar

Shane's birthday was last week and we celebrated at the Reserve Vineyard restaurant, The Vintage Room. They were having a wine tasting and pasta bar event. We tasted as much wine as we wanted and then had our pasta dish's personalized by the chef's! It was awesome to be able to ask for whatever we wanted, and of course I asked for all the veggies in mine. I threw in some shimp and vodka sauce and it was delish!

My niece gets a little nervous around a lot of people...and this place was packed!

I tried wine from Napa and Italy, and enjoyed time with both my family and Shane's. He doesn't like to do a lot for his birthday but he invited a couple of his close friends and our family. We like to golf at this golf course so it was fun to try their restaurant and the pasta was awesome!

Yakuza Lounge--Japanese +best burger

Who would have thought the best burger in Portland would be found at a Japanese lounge off of NE Killingsworth? Check it out...

deliciousness with some goat cheese and crispy onions. So good!

But we didn't go there without trying some of the sushi rolls

On the left was the Really Spicy-- Ahi Tuna, Avocado, Cilantro, Spicy Sauce, Thai Chili. On the right was the Dungeness Crab--Dungeness Crab, Avocado, Crème Fraiche

obviously they were so good because we finished them in no time!

I really liked the lounge atmosphere with the dimmed lights, candles and almost a dive bar scene. The cocktails were pretty special too--pretty fancy combinations and a bar tender who really knew what he was doing. I would definitely go back here for the burger and to try a few other sushi rolls because the ones we had were excellent. I would also go back when cucumbers are in season because I have heard their cucumber salad is to die for. However, this winter they have replaced it with a jicima salad.

If you want to try the best burger in town (literally, it was voted this way by Portland Monthly in 2009) check out this place! It's good for dinner or late night cocktails.

Community Garden 2012

I once again will be gardening in my community garden plot this year! Check out my last year's garden here. I am so excited to plant my veggies and harvest them! I love being healthy and planting my own food is a great way to do it. Here is a snap so far--I've only planted Spinach and Kale since its still been cold and wet in Oregon. 

Here is a snap of my plot before anything has sprouted

I've also planted some starts indoors of eggplant, yellow squash and tomato. I am going to transplant them to the community garden plot once they are good and strong! I think I'll plant my tomato start in a hanging tomato basket that my sister gave me for my birthday.

The yellow one that is already sprouted is the tomatoes. On the right is the eggplant--no news yet. The left is the yellow squash and I have one little piece of green sticking up on the very right edge of the pot!

This year I have an amazing balcony with a beautiful view of downtown Portland. I am even more exited about the room for herbs and veggies than that view! Check out what I've got going so far:

 on the right---a blueberry plant! It's a pretty big pot and a small starter blueberry so I'm hoping this will work for a couple of years. I've already got small buds on it! In the middle I have planted some spinach. I know I already planted that in the community garden, but this will be easy access for salads at home and to plant in my lunch. On the right is a basil plant and I bought the start at Trader Joe's for only $2.99!

 My herbs! They are nicely labeled with wine corks (a Pinterest find!) as you can see. In the back I have mint, then Rosemary is front and center for you to see and on the right is Parsley. On the far right you can't really see it but I have Thyme.

 My lettuce pot! The front looks a little scarce because I've already made two salads with it! It grows back pretty quickly after you pick it so I will be making many salads with this! 

My hanging strawberry plant! This was a gift from my mom for my birthday. She bought this bag somewhere which is meant for hanging plants and she transplanted some of her own strawberry plants from her garden into the bag. The vines are coming out quite nicely so I am hoping to get a few strawberries for my yogurt in the near future. I know it won't produce a ton but it will be nice to have a few!

I can't wait to show you all the product I grow as well as recipe's I make with it and the herbs. I also joined a CSA so I will be getting a half of bag of produce each week from Sun Gold Farms, as well as a honey share! I am super excited to eat local and healthy!

Super Sunny Weekend!

In an odd twist of events, Portland actually got some very decent sun this weekend! We hit the 70's! This rarely happens until deep into July if not August. So I was more than thrilled, and with the number of people I saw outside, so was everyone else! My family got together at Wallace Park in NW Portland on Saturday for a mini picnic and some good baby/puppy time.

my parents doggie, Bernard. LOVE weiner dogs.

Gramma with baby Natalie and Bernard

Natalie eating greek yogurt

My Sunday morning run was evident that the day would be great---it was already warm enough for shorts and a tee at 8am, and the waterfront was PACKED! It was gorgeous and I breezed through 5 miles like it was nothing---it's amazing how the sun can get me through a run. Then we went to 23 Hoyt for brunch, where we have gone before. Here is what we ordered this time:

Cranberry orange scones---so yummy

$2 Mimosa--can't be beat!

Eggs Benedict. We've had this before and the hollandaise is so yummy!

Breakfast sandwich. two fried eggs on ciabatta with arugula, avocado,  and pickled jalapenos with a side of potatoes. So delicious!

 I spent most of the afternoon laying in a lawn chair up on my roof reading The Paleo Solution, The Original Human Diet, which Jane from In the Pink and Green recommend on her blog. Lot's of learning that goes hand in hand with much of the other books I have read about the state of the American diet like Dangerous Grains, Master Your Metabolism and In Defense of Food. I'm into it because I feel like I'm leaning something, and have been trying to eliminate processed foods from my diet anyway.

The view from my place. We LOVE our view of Portland! It is especially beautiful in the morning when the sun rises.

What did you do this weekend? Did you have great weather if you aren't in Portland? Any good food or books?

Pinterest Pie

I made a "Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Pie" that I pinned on Pinterest! It was delicious! Shane asked for a peanut butter cheesecake for his birthday so I delivered. His favorite dessert that I make is normally blackberry cheesecake, so I was surprised he asked for anything else! I'm glad he did as this one is very decadent and a nice change, plus much easier than my cheesecake recipe!

Here is my pin above

and here is what I made!

so yum!

My secret for the caramel sauce is this: I didn't want to buy a huge bottle of caramel sauce because I would be using only a few tablespoons. I was also too lazy to go to another store when the first one I went to did not have any. My solution? I asked the barista at Starbucks if I could buy a serving of caramel sauce, and they let me! I paid 60 cents for a syrup and she poured as much as I needed into a to go cup. Starbucks caramel is amazingly yummy, so it was perfect! It was probably better quality caramel than I would have bought at the store anyway!

What desserts have you actually made that you  pinned on Pinterest? Anything turn out?

Spring Wedding snaps

Wedding number one of 2012.....and 5 more to go this summer! This took place at the Eola Vitaculture Center in Salem. It is a beautiful vineyard and the weather was amazing for April in Oregon. My friend Stephanie was the bride. We met in college because we were in the same sorority and we bonded over our love for the Oregon Ducks Basketball team. We loved all of the players during the era of Aaron Brooks and the team that made it to the Elite 8 during March Madness in 2006. Here are some snaps from her beautiful wedding!

beautiful bride

gorgeous view

first dance

all of the Alpha Chi Omega sisters that were in attendance

a much better photo due to the sun in the other one, but without the vineyard view

flashing the lyre! If you don't know what that means, you were not an AXO:)

the bride and I

my handsome boyfriend and I

outtakes!

my good friend Kate and I...she just got engaged this weekend so it was super special!

Dancing with my love

 Thanks to my dear friend Britta for snapping these dancing shots:) 

Slow dancing

us girls decorating the bride and groom's car with paint before they left!

How many weddings will you be attending this wedding season? Does it seem like this is a big year for your friend's to get married? It does to me!

Balsamic Ginger Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I used the Crockpot for this recipe that I found in Women's Day in the March 2012 issue

Recipe

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 to 1/2 tsp crushed pepper

1 1/2 lb boneless, skinnless chicken thighs

3/4 cup long-grain white rice

1 orange

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1 small head Boston lettuce, leaves separated

In a slow cooker, combine the sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and red pepper. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cook, covered, until the chicken is cooked through and tender, 6-7 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high.

25 minutes before serving, cook the rice

Meanwhile, cut away the peel and white pith or the orange. Cut into thin half-moons and place in medium bowl, fold in the scallions

Using two forks, gently shred the chicken into medium pieces and stir into cooking liquid. Fill the lettuce leaves with the rice and top with the chicken and the orange mixture.

438 calories, 7 g fat, 28 g protein, 2 g fiber.

This dish was so yummy that when I came home from work I ate just one....normally I would wait until I get back from Pilates to eat dinner but it smelled so good that I had to try one. Shane wasn't really paying attention and thought that I had actually eaten dinner and was all done. So, when I got back from teaching Pilates, he had eaten the entire slow cooker of chicken wraps as well as all of the rice and orange salsa! They were that good......well, and Shane is 6 foot 7 so he is a big boy and putting that away wasn't such a big deal as if say, I had done that. I was sooooo looking forward to eating a few more when I got home, so when I heard the news they were gone I was a little pissed. Shane felt bad because he didn't really know I had only tried one. We laugh about it now but that night I was so disappointed!

Healthy Cooking Event with Whole Food

I was fortunate enough to be invited to a Healthy Cooking Event at Whole Foods in the Pearl. When I got the email from one of WF PR people, I was super excited. A healthy foods event? A swag bag? Duh, count me in!

Whole Foods has started these events and monthly dinners to bring awareness to their consumers. The idea is based off of the four pillars which are the principles they designed to help consumers eat a healthier diet. Below is what I gathered from the event as well as the handout they gave me.

The Whole Foods Four Pillars
1.) Whole Food--whole, fresh, unprocessed state
2.) Healthy Fats--Choose leaner meats or get them from plant sources like nuts & avocados
3.) Nutrient Dense--foods that are rich in nutrients per calorie
4.) Plant Strong--eat more plants!

The evening started out with drinks and appetizers.....SO delicious! There were lots of yummy appetizers to choose from including roasted beats with walnuts, twice baked fingerling potatoes, cashew herb cream cheese with balsamic fig, teriyaki skewers and polenta cakes. Then the featured chef, Chad Sarno, began a cooking demonstration.

Chad Sarno, Whole Foods chef from Austin, TX

I think the main thing that Shane and I took away from the event was how to saute or caramelize onions without oil. Chad showed us how to do this right off the bat. The key is to start with a really hot pan so they don't burn! Interesting, and definitely something I will try at home. He then made a delicious fennel salad with a homemade dressing. While he was shaving the fennel, he mentioned that he likes to juice so I asked him what his favorite juice recipe was. He responded that he liked fennel, apple, kale, lemon, mint and celery juice. I will for sure by trying that one with my new juicer!

Fennel salad, with apples, macho (a type of lettuce) mint, parsley and chives with homemade dressing

For the main course, he made a simple 8 minute risotto. The key was using pre cooked rice from the freezer section at Whole Foods. I think I will try that recipe at home, although the white sauce he made seemed a little bit different than anything I would have used.

The basic white sauce he showed us how to make was out of cashews or white beans. It was non dairy and surprisingly good. I am for sure going to try making this white sauce! Here are the ingredients:

Dairy free, Gluten-free, vegetarian white sauce

1 c raw cashews, soaked OR 1 1/2 c cooked white beans

1 1/2 onion diced and steam fried in veg stock

4 garlic cloves

2 C unsweetened nondairy milk

2 C vegetable stock

3 T nutritional yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt

Saute onions and garlic with stock and steam fry until onions are translucent. Add to blender with soaked cashews or beans, soy/nut milk and rest of ingredients and blend. Adjust thickness to desired consistancy, add fresh herbs to finish (he used mint & chives). The sauce will reduce and will continue to thicken with time on its own. It may be frozen.

Here are some snaps from the evening!

appetizers--beats! yum. on the right are twice baked fingerling potatoes

the bar

I am inspired to eat more whole, unprocessed foods after this event. Yes, I already do that but I could do it more. It's so tough to find unprocessed foods these days! And eating organic and local can be very expensive. But I know it is worth it. One of the Whole Foods employees at the event let us know that they do monthly dinners that stand by the four pillars mentioned above. I am thinking about going to the next one!

Have you heard about these 'four pillars'? What do you think? 

I just couldn't resist....

In 2009 I ran the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco. Since then I have run several half marathons, Hood to Coast twice and several 5-15k races. After last year's back to back weekends of Hood to Coast followed by the Wine Country half marathon, I decided to take a break. My body was telling me it needed some recovery and I felt some tightness in my psoas and hips from running a straight downhill in Hood to Coast. After I ran the Wine Country half, I was complaining about my hips at the finish line. My dad looked at me and told me he didn't think I should do so much long distance running because of the way my body reacts. It wasn't what I wanted to hear but I actually agreed. The way my body felt after my first marathon was not great and I was injured for 8 months following. Then I felt pain in my psoas for months after last years intense back to back runs. Maybe long distance isn't for me? I took a good long healthy break and started running a few times a week 2-5 miles in November. Since then I've only run when I felt like it. I do a track workout about once a week and a couple of shorter runs. I ran get that feeling of 'free' that I love just as much from a 4 miles run. I ran the Shamrock 8K a few weeks ago and really did not see any races on the horizon for me this year at all. In fact I knew I wasn't even going to run Hood to Coast this year because it is my mom's 60th birthday. Recently I have told friends that I don't really feel the need to run any long distances and doubted that I would ever run anything more than a 10K again. I thought maybe a 15K or a half marathon would be something I'd do maybe one more time, for a milestone like a good goal after pregnancy to get in shape or for my 30th birthday or something. I just didn't feel the need!

Soooo........... I'm not sure how this happened but I did something crazy, on a whim and an impulse. Yesterday I got the email from the Nike Women's Marathon saying that the random drawing for an entry is now open. They have a 1/2 marathon option now, and I thought, hmmmm, that would be so much easier than what I ran 3 years ago! Half the distance! A few minutes later I noticed that two of my friends, sorority sisters and former Hood to Coast team mates had started a group ID. They posted it on facebook and what do you know.....a couple minutes later I had registered to be a part of their group! After all of those declarations to myself about not running long distances again....there is a chance I will be running a half in October. I feel good about it because:

a.) this is just an entrance to the drawing and we may not even get selected to participate

b.) I will not put any pressure on myself to run it in a certain time like I have done in the past

c.) I love these two girls and I know they are not pushy or competitive and we will just have a great time running it, enjoying the views of San Francisco, and having a great girls weekend at the same time!

d.) Again, I will re-state that I will not try to run this race fast at all. It could be a slow and leisurely pace!

This is the attitude I want to have if I run the race....just having fun! This is Shane and I before my race at the expo in 2009

Anyone else out there enter the drawing to run in the Nike Women's this year? Let me know!!

Cute duo

I got to baby-sit my niece a few weeks ago while my sister and her man went to see The Hunger Games. Natalie showed up wearing her "My Auntie Loves Me" shirt and scooted around our tiny apartment in her walker. She was super funny and would kind of freak if Shane and I weren't both in her line of view at all times! Our kitchen is sort of hidden from our living room and when I was cooking dinner Shane had to take her over to the kitchen and be near me so she could see both of us at the same time. I think was having a little bit of separation anxiety and nervousness at being in a new place! She is already 8 months but my sister hasn't really left her with me (or anyone) to go out like this yet so it was a new experience! I am so happy she loved Shane and had fun with us!

Easter Sunday

Here a couple of snaps from my Easter!

I made "eggs nests". Super easy! Mix 1/4 cup peanut butter, 1 cup dark chocolate chips & 1/2 one pouch of Fiber One cereal. Top with 2 or 3 mini cadbury eggs

so cute and festive!

brightly colored Easter eggs! I made egg salad sandwiches for lunch tomorrow with these. Tough to use them when they are so cute!

out in front of the cherry tree before church. My outfit was: Maxi skirt from Old Navy, Coral top by Nike, White denim jacket by Old Navy, Shoes by Cole Haan

Shane and I with his parents before church. Yep, no one else really knows why he is so tall either!

We went to church in the morning and then went to my parents for brunch. My mom still does Easter baskets and the young old ages of 26 and nearly 32. Then we went to Shane' grandmother's house for homemade chicken noodles....she actually makes the noodles and they are delish! It was a beautiful day in sunny Hillsboro out where our family lives.

What did you do for Easter?

Did you eat any super yummy things!? What?