Comments (5)

By Liz, January 6, 2010 10:25 pm

Hello hello!! So it’s been a little while since I’ve posted and checked in with y’all. Truthfully, I just have not felt like I’ve had anything worthwhile or meaningful to say. But low and behold, I eventually got some nice ideas running through by ol’ noggin. It’s funny how sometimes you just have loads of ideas and interesting thoughts, and then sometimes you’re just blank. Writing is an art for sure!

So, first off, I saw I got tagged by the lovely Jen from Eat Move Love for a “10 Things that Make Me Smile” thing. Thanks!! And it’s actually really convenient, because I was already thinking of doing a “Things I’m Loving Right Now” kinda post….soooo it worked out perfectly! Now let’s get to it….

1) I’m completely and utterly in love with the french press my absolutely amazing boyfriend got me for Christmas.

I wake up every morning now craving the robust flavor of my french pressed coffee with a little half and half with cinnamon. Heaven!!

2) Roasted brussel sprouts!!!!

I have never been a big brussel sprouts gal. I actually never have eaten them much at all. But oooooh lordie! These roasted brussel sprouts rocked my world! The salmon and quinoa that accompanied them was good, but those little mini cabbages were sooo the star of the show. What is it about roasting food tossed in olive oil and spices that makes it taste so good?? It must be magic.

3) Running always makes me smile . I just started track practice again this week and I have to say, it feels so good to be back with my teammates and have that energy that accompanies it again.

4) Averie’s Creamy “Cesar” Tahini dressing. Seriously guys, this stuff is good. Today, I was on the elliptical at the gym right before dinner time and I was just dreaming about a huge salad tossed with this dressing. So, what did I do? Ate a huge salad tossed in the tahini dressing…of course! And, just gotta say, I didn’t eat all that…I shared it with my roomies. Which brings me to number 5…

5) Roommates who can cook (and are nice enough to share)!

My roommate Justin made pizza tonight. The crust was perfect, nice and crispy on the outside and doughy on the inside. He topped his crust with tomato sauce, mozzarella, chicken, olives, onions and artichoke hearts. Oh, and he stuffed the crust with cheese. Can you say amazing? Well I can…A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! With this amazing pizza and my yummy salad, tonight’s dinner pretty much completely rocked.

6) Wine always makes me smile!

Especially when it’s wine as good as this one! I wine tasted with my friend Kailee today and we went to this winery called Lone Madrone. The whites were eh, but OMG, the reds were amazing. So amazing I had to buy my fave one I tried, which was their ‘o7 Barbera (and I don’t usually buy pricier wine). TO DIE FOR. Now, Dad…I’m sure you’re reading this, so I gotta say, you must go to Lone Madrone and taste this. You will love it! Promise! It’s right next to Hunt Cellars.

Well, even though I was supposed to say 10 things that make me smile, I’m just going to stop at 6, because these are the best 6 things that have recently made me smile.

It’s about that time now for me to hit the sack. I have a gnarly hill workout with the team tomorrow morning. My coach sure is working us hard to the first week back. It’s a love/hate thing…I love the accomplishment of a hard workout but gosh darn I hate it at the same time. I am looking forward to it nonetheless.

Adios amigos! Halfway there to the end of the first week of 2010! Crazy!

Comments (3)

By Liz, December 26, 2009 9:52 pm

Hey all!! First off, I need to send out a serious apology for the lack of posting for over a week. I can promise you guys though, that I have thoroughly been enjoying my first week out of school. This will be a picture filled post, as I have been up to some fun stuff, which of course involves food and activity!! What else?

First off…the sandwich I had at New Frontiers after Bikram last Friday.This was a turkey sandwich with cuke, spinach, red onion, artichoke hearts, provolone, red pepper aioli all sandwiched between rosemary focaccia bread. I am not lying when I say this was heaven in a sandwich. And, I had some fresh veggie/fruit juice called the Perfect Blend.Next up is the glorious and truly epic hike Jacob and I did on Tuesday. We ventured to my favorite place on earth, aka Montana de Oro, and hiked 9 miles. This hike took up across ocean bluffs, riparian forests, brush, up a huge mountain and down through meadows. It was a challenge, but oh so worth it. Here is the hike in pictures:

After the epic hike, I was quite famished. I brought a homemade Larabar, and apple, carrot and some chicken to munch on during the hike, but that food energy was long gone by the time I got home. Lucky me, one of my roommates made homemade chili. It was her first time making chili and it turned out absolutely fabulous. I assisted my making some whole-wheat corn muffins to go along. Yum!

Wednesday night, all us roomies plus Justin’s girlfriend got together for a roomie Christmas night. All of us were parting ways on actual Christmas so we celebrated early.I made hawaiian pizza for the entree and one of the roomies made a fabulous salad for the side dish. A fabulous way to start the Christmas-y evening.And I finally got the lighting right for the tree!! It looked so cute with all our little gifts underneath. We did a secret Santa gift exchange. I got one of the boys, who is a real gadget-y guy, so I bought him a mini maglite flashlight. He really really liked it! I received a bottle of Pinot Grigio wine by Robert Hall (I think?) winery. It was a roommate Christmas success!

Christmas Eve was spend doing last minute errands and a bit of relaxing. I also wrapped presents and make Christmas cookies for Jacob’s family. No interesting eats were eaten that day as it was an “eat up the leftovers” kinda day.

And now, to the main event…..DUN DUN DUN DUNNNNN….CHRISTMAS!!!!

Jacob and I began the day opening presents. I got him a new pair of running shoes (Pearl Izumi Synchropace III’s, to be exact). Jacob got me a FRENCH PRESS….plus coffee, a coffee grinder and some Bailey’s! It was a really thoughtful gift, as I have been wanting a French press for a while now. I will share pic of the new French press soon!

Next on the agenda for Christmas morning was a quick sweat sesh. My legs still weren’t completely recovered from the hike, so I opted for a bike ride around town. I biked about 11 miles in 1 hour. It wasn’t the most intense workout ever, but it was something.

After shower and such it was breakfast time!

I made sticky buns, completely from scratch thank you very much, along with bacon and eggs. And you can’t forget the coffee!! I was so excited to make some french pressed coffee!Starbucks Christmas Blend with Bailey’s Irish Cream. A heavenly concoction!

All together now…After breakfast, it was rush rush out the door to enjoy some quality time with Jacob’s family.

A little hunting was had, squirrel hunting to be exact.

After hunting it was back to Jacob’s sister’s house for more quality time. It was so wonderful. I love his family and am so happy to be a part of it!

Off to my parent’s house we went, to what is most defenilty the best meal I have had all year.A nitrate-free ham without any “liquid” enhancement (sodium or sugar water solution companies inject into most turkey, chicken and hams).

Gravy made with ham juices, mushrooms and Madeira wine.

Organic green beans steamed and topped with buttered almonds.

Red potatoes sauteed in olive oil and butter and tossed with fresh parsley.

My dad sure knows how to cook, and this meal did not disappoint.

Some vino was enjoyed throughout the night: 1 glass Bianchi Pinot Grigio, 2 glasses Bianchi Trevino and 1 small glass Bianchi Late Harvest Sauvingo Blanc with dessert. What was dessert you ask? Apple tart topped with fresh whipped cream. Ah-mazing!

I left this dinner thoroughly stuffed and super satisfied. Thanks Mom and Dad for the amazing dinner and a wonderful Christmas evening!

So, Christmas is now over and it is back to reality. However, yesterday was an amazing day that I will remember forever. I spent time with the people I love and enjoyed their presence throughly. I feel so blessed to have these people in my life!

I hope all of you, my few,yet dear blog readers enjoyed your Christmas (if you celebrate) also.

Much love!

-Liz

Comments (4)

By Liz, November 15, 2009 9:31 pm

I absolutely loved having the day off today. I feel (mostly) recharged and (sorta) ready for the weeks ahead.

I slept into almost 10 o’clock this morning! Ack, it felt good, but I usually like to be up by 8 at the latest. I sure felt rested though!

While laying in bed, I made a game plan for how I wanted to spend my day. Jacob and I had thrown around a couple ideas last night, like maybe hiking. But, this morning we decided on making a relaxing breakfast, hanging out a bit, then going for a long run at Montana de Oro (my favorite place ever!), window shopping in downtown SLO and going to New Frontiers (my 2nd favorite place ever).

First things first…

I made waffles using whole wheat flour, oat bran and ground flax. I reduced the butter in the recipe (from Joy of Cooking) from 2 sticks to 3/4 of a stick. They sure were tasty. For some protein power, I made a 2 egg omelet stuffed with spinach and a thin slice of sharp cheddar cheese. And, of course, there was some maple syrup on the side for dipping the waffles in. Yum!

Jacob and I hung out in our pjs watching some Spongebob Squarepants. I swear I’m still a little kid! I mean…my comforter on my bed is Pooh bear and I have 2 Spongebob pillow cases. Real mature

After digesting breakkie, it was off to Montana de Oro. I ran 7 miles in 64 minutes. I ran in my regular Mizuno trainers, no Vibrams for longs runs yet. I felt amazing…like I was gliding along. The weather was gorgeous, too. A light breeze, just enough warmth, the rustling of leaves…perfect.

After-run refueling was chicken sandwiches I made before we left for the run.

I was afraid all the fillings would fall out if I took a picture of it after I unwrapped it, so a saran wrapped picture it was. I made the sandwiches with 2 slices Ezekiel bread, 1/4 avocado, 1 tbsp. TJs tuscan dressing, shredded carrot, roasted chicken, red pepper slices, radishes and spinach. On the side, I had 1/2 and orange and a homemade peanut butter chocolate chip cookie.

After lunching, we drove into SLO-town and hit up a couple stores downtown. I made some serious hints to Jacob of possible Christmas presents. I also used a gift card that I had from my birthday last January, and bought a pair of running shorts with it. A little Starbucks was had, too.I got my recent addiction of a cafe americano with 2 pumps pumpkin spice with a splash of half and half. Too good!

Of course, our New Frontiers stop was wonderful. This health food store is quite expensive, but aren’t they all? I limited myself to 4 small items, and somehow walked out only spending 12 bucks. I am proud of my smart spending. I made my selections carefully…

Annie’s woodstock dressing (aka my favorite salad dressing), 2 bars of Green and Blacks chocolate (also my favorite dark chocolate in the world) and a package of coconut water. I’ve heard that coconut water is a good natural sports drink, so I’ll test it out one of these days soon.

When we got home, we were both pretty famished! I whipped up some quick dinner.

All pretty:

All messed up:

This dish was inspired from a similar dinner Christina made a while back. I’ve had it in the back of my mind ever since I saw it, and tonight was the night to try it out. I didn’t use the ricotta though, and I’m a bit sad I didn’t. It really would have added something too the dish…next time though. I also added in some green beans for some more veggie action. I loved the green beans in it, too! This dish was fabulous, even without the ricotta and Jacob and I both went back for seconds. Lucky me, there are some leftovers for my lunch tomorrow!

Dinner was accompanied my a beverage…

This was better than the Blue Moon pumpkin ale, more spice to it. However, I was still a bit disappointed in how it almost tasted like regular ol’ beer. Anyone have some recommendations for a really good pumpkin brew?

Dessert was obvious…

This was the first time I tried this variety and I was seriously impressed. I had to hold myself back from eating the whole bar! I will admit I went back for a couple more little squares. Too good, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from G&Bs.

Just enjoying the rest of my night before I have to go back to the daily grind. Nighty night.

Comments (5)

By Liz, September 20, 2009 7:31 pm

How’s it going? It’s been a really relaxing and fun Sunday for moi.

Just after I finished posting earlier today, Jacob and I headed out to Montana de Oro…again! Haha, I’ve been there a lot this week! I haven’t gotten sick of that place yet, though. For my long run, I ran 8 miles in 1hr 20 min. It was super slow. But, I just enjoyed the experience of being out there in the forest, enjoying nature and my “me” time. So, all in all, it was a good run. When I finished the run Jacob and I walked around on one of the trails and found a fun spot to have lunch.

For lunch I had a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with lettuce, tomato and swiss cheese. I split that pickle with Jacob. I had about 1 serving of those guacachips. And I split the chocolate bar with Jacob, too. The sandwich wasn’t anything special, but it wasn’t bad either. The chips were actually pretty good, but they were seasoned with MSG, so I wouldn’t get these on a regular basis. And, well the chocolate was chocolate

And so concluded another fun jaunt at Montana de Oro. On the way home, we stopped at Starbucks.

I totally got a Pumpkin Spice Latte! It was everything I imagined and more. I got mine with nonfat milk and no whip. I can definitely see why a lot of you guys are in love with this drink. I’m in love now, too!

So, I did plan on making stirfry for dinner tonight, but I’ve been really full from my sandwich and latte. So, I’ll probably just munch on some sort of veggies if I do get hungry. One thing I know for sure is that I’m spending the rest of the night in bed totally vegging out.

Nighty night!