Highs, Lows, and the In Betweens of 2014

We bought and started restoring a boat, we raced, we sailed, I got my first passport, we traveled, I bought my first road bike, we rode, we went mountain biking, we went camping, we did some hiking, we traveled some more, we spent some time with friends and family, and we celebrated birthdays.

We had boat issues, we struggled with getting back into running, we had boat issues, we fought, we fought about the boat, we sometimes hated our jobs, we had boat issues, oh did we have boat issues, and we had friends and family issues.

The boat... We boat a Pearson Ensign and decided to make her seaworthy again. Not hire professionals to make her seaworthy but that WE would make her seaworthy. She was ugly, she had a blister in the keel, she didn't have sails, there was a broken bench, broken floor boards, and she might have had  a hole in her. To sum it up she was perfect. We spent our winter and spring fixing her up and our summer sailing and racing her. It was fun, I learned a lot, I did a lot, and I'm proud of the time, effort, and energy we put it to the project. We fought about the fact that she ate up every.single.weekend with much needed repairs. I cried when I had already spent over a hundred hours working on her and it looked like we hadn't done a thing. But sailing her this past summer was great. Day cruises, racing, regattas, sunset cruises, and dinner on the boat made it worth it. It felt defeating when the mast step started caving in and left us with only one good tack, or when someone hit the boat, or when one of the shrouds started letting go. I wouldn't change any of it though.

We traveled a lot this year. Not all big trips but some big and a lot of small ones. I have several stamps in my passport now and all are from this year, Canada, England, France, and Aruba. England and France were amazing. A trip I'll never forget. Aruba might have only been 3 days but it was 3 days in the high 80's in late December while it was in the 30's at home. We went to New Hampshire, camping and hiking in Maine, camping and hiking in Vermont, we spent a weekend in Baltimore to see friends and run a 5k, we went hiking in Connecticut, and did some sailing in Newport, Rhode Island. We didn't do everything we planned or wanted to do but we did a lot.

I love having a road bike and can't wait to put some real miles on it. I bought it in the fall and only
got a handful of rides in this year. Mountain biking was fun even if I did cut my ankle which did leave a scar. We celebrated my birthday weekend with dinner with friends and sailing/racing to Nantucket, Kai's birthday with rock climbing and dinner, one friend's birthday with a day at the beach paddle boarding and dinner, another one's with dinner at a local vineyard during a concert, and another friend's birthday with cake, ice cream, and drinks.

Running has still been a struggle for me but it's getting better. Their will always be boat issues and their will always be repairs that need to be done. I think it's normal to have days that you feel like your job sucks, it is what it is. I wish I saw certain people more than I did and I wish I didn't let other peoples stuff bother me as much as it did.

We had days and moments that we won't ever reflect on simply because we won't remember them. They were the days were nothing bad happened but nothing great did either, they were just okay. Those days we just kept pushing forward. Even my lows weren't really that low. Sometimes they felt rough when going through it but honestly none were life threatening, they were first world lows. But my highs, they were great. Simply amazing.

Oh the places we went... in France

We spent 8 days in France; 7 days in Paris and 1 day in Caen. The French culture is one I think all should experience. They love life, their heritage, relationships, food, and leisure time. There is even a different kind of respect for historical artifacts.  I know many statues and monuments have had graffiti on them or been damaged in the past but we did not see that during our time there.

First I will just say that eating was an activity all on it's own.  You sit for hours to have dinner, you sit and enjoy your breakfast, and you sit and relax in the park while having lunch.  Maybe after you've finished lunch you continue chatting with a friend, take a nap, or read a book but whatever it is you enjoy it. Lunch time is a nice little break from work, from the demands of the world.  Even dinner is a time that business and cell phones go away.  You reconnect with your friends and family after a day of work and break bread. 

Even though we only spent a day in Caen I will start there.  Since we only spent a day and not even a whole day (major disappointment) we only went to the Memorial de Caen. However, the memorial was worth spending the day indoors for, worth the train ride, and even worth the taxi and later bus ride. We started our tour off chatting a bit between exhibits and plaques but quickly fell silent while trying to take it all in.  We both have studied World War II in school and independently but seeing the information shared form a different country's and different culture's point of view is fascinating and overwhelming all at the same time.  The memorial is organized chronologically and starts with a little bit of WWI information and continues with a little post WWI information before moving on to the events leading up to WWII. While I have read many books on the subject matter and a few even first hand accounts it was different to hear, read, and see first hand accounts of civilians and soldiers who were experiencing this war on their own soil.  

A framed newspaper announcing Oahu being bombed.

The top of the US garden at the WW2 Memorial. 

In Paris we did a lot of the typical touristy things.  We went to the Louvre, sat on the steps in front of Sacre Coeur, saw the Eiffel Tower, walked along Champs Elysees,   saw the Arc de Triomphe, walked along the River Seine, visited Versailles and the gardens, saw Notre Dame, walked through the Catacombs, saw Moulin Rouge light up at night, put a lock on the love bridge, and walked through many public gardens.  The gardens were my absolute favorite, I completely forgot I was in a city once I walked through the gates.

Sacre Coeur

     

Looking down over Paris from Sacre Coeur

Us, the River Seine, and the Eiffel Tower

Arc de Triomphe

Tomb of the unknown soldier 

View of Versailles from the Grand Canal 

The Grand Canal 

Notre Dame

One of the front doors of Notre Dame

The Rose Window at Notre Dame

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The Catacombs where I freaked out thinking about just how far underground we really were.

Moulin Rouge

I loved this style of sign for the Metro

One of the two Love Lock Bridges

Dairy Free Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala was the first curry I ever tried, loved, or cooked.  It might truly be a British dish instead of an authentic Indian curry but even with it's cloudy origins it holds a special place in my heart.  There are bottles of masala sauce at the grocery stores and it always tempts me, because it's slightly better than getting it from a restaurant, right?  I decided I would rather try making the sauce on my own, how hard could it be?  Well, when I started searching cooking books and the internet I discovered that there are hundreds of recipes, all with a decent amount of good reviews, and all with different ingredients.  I picked a few that I thought had some great reviews and decided to try a blend of the different recipes.

The first time I made the recipe it tasted good but not quite what I had in mind.  So the next time I tweaked the recipe a bit more, and this last time was my favorite. Last night I made it with coconut milk instead of milk/cream and yogurt.  We are trying to limit our dairy and I thought coconut milk might just do the trick, plus I enjoy coconut milk in other curries so why not try it.

I like having a little more sauce in my curry so if you prefer less sauce just add more chicken to it or freeze the extra sauce for a later date!

Ingredients: 

• 2 chicken breasts (cut into chunks)
• 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled
• 1 clove of garlic, minced or pressed
• 1/3 cup of cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 lemon
• 1/3 of a large red onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons garam masala
• 2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 (13 oz) can of coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• ground black pepper
• olive oil

Directions:

1. In a bowl place the cut up chicken, grate 1/2 of the ginger and zest the lemon.  Then add the pressed or minced garlic, the chopped cilantro, juice from 1/2 the lemon, a bit of ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon of coconut milk, and a tablespoon of olive oil. Set that aside and let it marinade. 
   
2. In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.  While heating the skillet and oil, chop the remaining ginger.  Add the ginger and onion to the skillet once heated.  Continue cooking the onion and ginger over medium heat for about 10 minutes.  Then add in all spices and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Remove the onion mixture from the skillet and set aside in a bowl. 
   
3. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the chicken and marinade to the skillet.  Cook the chicken until browned but still tender. 
   
4. Once the chicken is cooked return the onion mixture to the skillet.  Then add the rest of the coconut milk and the tomato paste. Mix and simmer for 5-10 minutes.  Add salt or additional lemon juice if desired and then serve over rice. 
   
   
   
   

You can't eat it or travel to it... but it does make exploring the outdoors a bit better!

A little over a month ago I was asked if I would test out calf sleeves with reflective strips on them for Tagline Sports (their facebook page).  I figured why not, I love to run, cycle, hike, and mountain bike and I do a lot of these things during dawn or dusk but I was skeptical.  Seriously, would some compression sleeves on my calves really help how tight my calves always get?  I stretch and do yoga after every run, hike, mountain bike trip, hike, and cycling trip and my calves always get tight and a little uncomfortable.  At least I would have something else reflective on me though, right?

Well let's fast forward a month and I'm in love with these things, in LOVE! When I first got them I noticed how soft they were and the fact that they were fitted but didn't feel very tight.  I started by wearing them after my short runs for 30-60 minutes and noticed that my calves weren't feeling tight the day after my run. Also, I didn't need to stop and stretch my calves out a half mile into my run like normal. OMG, am I going to be able to build my mileage without my calves being an issue this time?

I even started wearing them after I went bike riding or hiking because they really were helping my calves.  I noticed my recovery time (for my calves anyways) decreased.  Why had I been a non-believer for so long?  When Kai, Kona, and I went on a 17.5 mile hike recently I had my calve sleeves with me and put them on as soon as we got to the car.  The next day, calves felt great, my hamstrings and quads were a different story.
While I don't think the reflective strip is enough to wear nothing else reflective I like the added detail.  I feel like it's something else to help a driver see you, keeps you a little safer.  I plan on wearing them on my long runs, multi-day hikes, and multi-day bike rides once the temps drop a bit (I get way too hot already) and will keep wearing them for recovery after my runs, hikes, and rides.  Looks like I will be visiting Tagline Sports to order some custom order calf sleeves as soon as their Amazon store launches!

Bear Mountin, the Appalachian Trail, and an awesomely yummy deli

So Saturday started off with this crazy idea of mine. I wanted to drive to Rhode Island, "hike" (read: walk) the extremely short distance to the top of Jerimoth Hill (highest peak in RI), get back in the car and drive to Bear Mountain.  From there we were going to hike to the top of Bear Mountain, Connecticut's highest summit, then find this not well marked trail that would bring us out to the Mount Frissell Trail.  The summit of Mount Frissell is actually in Massachusetts but the trail has CT's highest point AND a tri-state marker (MA, CT, NY) and I thought that would be pretty cool.  Needless to say we decided to do Jerimoth Hill on the way home but didn't feel like doing the extra 1 1/2 hours of driving and we never found that not so well marked trail to bring us to the Mount Frissell Trail.  We did however hike the very well marked trail to the summit of Bear Mountain and then followed the Appalachian Trail for several miles into MA before heading back.
Trying to find online information or trail maps for Bear Mountain was difficult.  There wasn't even a decent map posted at the trail head but the Undermountain Trail, Paradise Lane Trail, and the Appalachian Trail were all very well marked.  We parked in the Route 41 parking lot in Salisbury, CT and started up the Undermountain Trail. This trail is listed as strenuous. I guess I can understand that rating but I would say it's more moderate to moderately strenuous. Yes, there were some steep climbs and some rocks to scramble up but it wasn't undo able.   I found it work but fun to hike to the summit.  We stayed left on the Undermountain Trail when we arrived at the Undermountain Trail and Paradise Lane Trail junction.  Shortly after passing that junction we came to the Undermountain Trail and the AT junction.  We turned north to continue to the summit.  There were several people at the summit.  There were a couple through hikers and several day hikers.  There is a tower of rocks at the summit and there were many people sitting up there but we managed to find a spot to stand to take a pic of us there.
From here we continued over the summit and down the other side. We again came to a junction for Paradise Lane Trail but we weren't ready to head back to the car.  We were still thinking about trying to find that not well marked trail that would bring us to Mt. Frissell. Climbing down from the summit was fun.  There were a lot of rocks to scramble down and it was a little slow moving through that section.  We soon realized it might be hard to find that trail and we decided that if we couldn't find it we would just continue on the AT until we decided to turn around.
While I liked hiking to the summit of Bear Mountain the AT was my favorite part of that afternoon hike.  It was simply gorgeous.  There was a small but very pretty waterfall, several stream crossings, some with log bridges and some without, and a few sections were rocks became staircases.  Kona loved that the trail followed the stream and that there were many opportunities for him to go for a swim.  Not only does he love to swim but we took his backpack off when he went in, although he didn't seem to mind that he was made to carry his own food and water.
On the way back we simply back tracked along the AT until we came to the junction for the summit and Paradise Lane Trail.  We took Paradise Lane Trail which was a little narrow and over grown but pretty flat and easy.  We were able to move quickly even running for a while on that trail before joining back up with the Undermountain Trail to return to the car. On our drive back home we stopped at a little sandwich shop called Marty and Jim's in Great Barrington before getting on the highway.  It was sooo good! They make the soups, salads, and even meats for the sandwiches.  We had their beef and barley soup which was super tasty as well as two sandwiches.  One was turkey, cheese, bacon, garlic aioli, lettuce, onion, and tomato on a tomato wrap (this one was my favorite), the other was chicken breast (not sliced but a large piece of chicken cut into strips) with cheese, lettuce, onion, tomato, and a chipotle type sauce.  Both were good and left my belly very happy. It was a great day, 17.5 miles in 6 1/4-1/2 hours, yummy food, and a very sleepy puppy.

 Have you hiked the AT or part of it before? What's been your favorite hike?

Because some days we all need a little reminder...


To travel... even if it is just down the road, to a near by park, or just slightly outside one's comfort zone...

And to enjoy food, truly enjoy it for what it is.  It fuels your body but first the flavors should dance across your tongue.  So let's try to focus on healthy relationships with food, think about what foods make your body feel good and which ones don't. 

Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend Recap... Late Is Better Than Never... Right?

Recently I've been seeing a lot of friends post pictures of their summer trips to Disney and posts about registering for one Disney race or another.  It made me think of Disney's Wine and Dine half marathon and the Mickey's Jingle Jungle 5k I did in November with my mom. It was a blast.  I know I didn't seem like it then but it was an awesome trip.  I wish I could have let go of all the stuff going on in my head that weekend.  I was really stressing out about having to run not just 13.1 miles but 13.1 miles at night.  It's a distance I had covered numerous times before but never on so little and I mean soo little training.  I completely let it get the best of me. I developed a new found respect for the distance, my mom, and myself that weekend though. I might not have known it then but in the months after I started thinking about that race, the distance, the fact that I used to think 13 miles was nothing, and about the fact that not everyone can say, "My Mom runs half marathons for fun." That is pretty cool.

Okay, so rewind to why we did the race if I wasn't training... In February and March of 2013 I was running a lot, training for a half marathon PR and getting ready to start marathon training.  My mom had the most awesome idea, since I LOVE Disney and we both love running, to do Disney's Wine and Dine Half Marathon for my 30th Birthday.  She registered us for the race as well as Mickey's Jingle Jungle 5k that weekend, booked the flights and hotels, and bought tickets for the parks.  I was excited.  While we took a lot of family vacations growing up this was going to be the second trip I took with just my mom, our first was the week I turned 20.  My mom might not have realized that the trips were going to be for 2 milestone birthdays but I loved the idea.

We flew out on a rainy, cold day in November and arrived in Orlando to nice warm weather.  I was happy to be getting a few days of sunshine in the middle of November. I felt like a little kid when we landed and were getting ready to board the Disney's Magical Express to our Disney accommodations.

On our way to the expo

The next day we went to the race expo to pick up our packets and check the expo out.  First, I have to say I've never been to such a large expo. Second, wow were they organized! Packet pick up for both races didn't take too long and then off to some shopping! I didn't love the race shirt I got for the HM because it was way too big.  They had x-small's but didn't offer them when we registered and we could exchange them but they were out of that size already.  So we went shopping for a race shirt of our own.  I wanted an ornament too.  On every vacation that's what I bring back as a souvenir.

Expo goodies

My mom and I with a few of
 the characters during the 5k

Our first race was the Mickey's Jingle Jungle 5k.  We woke up hours before the sun did, got ready, boarded a bus, and got in our corrals to wait for the race to start.  Did I mention it was super early?  Disney made up for it by having it snow while we were waiting to start.  Yup, Disney made it snow for us! There were tons of characters along the 5k course that started in a parking lot, went through Animal Kingdom, and finished in Animal Kingdom's parking lot.  The race was more of a fun run.  You could look at the clock for your finish time but it wasn't chip timed so we stopped to take pictures with all of the characters. The 5k was a lot of fun.  If you are heading to Disney to do one of their races I recommend signing up for their race weekend 5k too.  It was a great shake out run.  

The half marathon ::insert scary music:: had me worried.  I was really stuck in my own head during this race.  I felt bad that I had to take so many walk breaks, my poor mom but she stayed with me the whole race.  The race was really cool and there was such great energy there.  The have a million corrals (okay really 15 or so) and before we have to get in our corrals you can take pictures with characters, dance, eat, or just hand out around this large field.  They had the characters set up in one area to the side of the stage where they had people entertaining us.  Once in our corrals we waited for the race to start.  Each corral started 2 minutes after the previous corral, they pushed us up to the start line, and off we went when the fireworks went off.  There were TONS of characters during the 13.1 miles! We ran on the resorts roads, up overpasses, through parking lots, over Disney's Boardwalk, through Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and finally Epcot where we ran to the finish line in Epcot's parking lot.  I loved running through the parks and back lots at night.  We had already run through Animal Kingdom during the 5k so I enjoyed Hollywood Studios and Epcot the most.  My favorite part to run through was The Osborn Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights in Hollywood Studios. 

After the race we went into Epcot for the Wine and Dine Festival and ate and drank our way around the world.  It was fun but we were tired after a little bit.  In the days before and after the race we went to Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and the Magic Kingdom.  We rode as many rides as we could and even took pictures with a few characters.  I even got my mom to go on Aerosmith's Rocking Roller Coaster.  I forgot it went upside down so I told her it was a lot like Space Mountain, oops! 

If you are debating about whether or not to do a Disney race I say do it! It might not be a super serious racing experience but its a super fun running experience that also happens to be a chip timed race. I know I will be doing another one!

Have you done a Disney race before? If so, what one has been your favorite? Are you planning a Disney race, which one?

Lentil Mushroom Meatballs and Easy Peasy Marinara Sauce

Some kitchen experiments turn out okay, some good, some total fails, and some turn out great with not only me loving the new recipe but Kai loving it as well.  While he will eat almost anything he doesn't love all food.  I like to limit my red meat intake and he, well, he could eat steak and ground beef daily.  We both were really craving spaghetti and meatballs but I wasn't really feeling beef so off to the test kitchen I went.

I scroll through Pinterest, blogs, and cook shows websites frequently looking for new recipes to try and most end up just being a starting point for me.  I had been seeing many different recipes for a mushroom with lentils or beans meatball but no one recipe really jumped out at me.

First I tried playing around with different types of lentils and honestly I wasn't loving the texture until I came across French Lentils.  I really liked the way they tasted with the mushrooms and the texture they provided.  As for the mushrooms I played around with those a bit too and I enjoy the flavor of the baby bellas more than button or white mushrooms which most recipes called for.  Then you have to form the lentil balls and honestly it felt like a lot of work.  I have a couple cookies scoops and I used one of those to scoop the mixture and put it on the stone to be baked.  You could shape them if you want or maybe drop them by the spoonful like you would cookie batter if the shape isn't important to you.

As for the marinara sauce I like things to be simple.  I have been loving cooking it in the crockpot.  I can add in all the ingredients and walk away.  Plus, it adds no heat to my house which is already warm enough right now! While I want to experiment more with this recipe so I don't need to use any canned products it is my go to sauce.  It's truly simple. I add 3 large cans of crushed tomatoes, 2 cans of tomato paste, 5 cloves of garlic  (through my garlic press), a half cup of red onions diced, and 1-2 carrots sliced.  After it cooks on low for 6-8 hours I take the immersion blender and blend it all up.The red onions and carrots add a little sweetness without adding processed sugar and add a little extra vegetables. Sometimes I add a little red wine or chicken stock at this point if I want to thin it out or slightly change the taste.

Easy Peasy Marinara Sauce

3 large cans of crushed tomatoes

2 cans of tomato paste

1/2 cup red onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

5 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed

Red wine or chicken stock (to taste and optional) 

Put all ingredients except the red wine or chicken stock in the crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  When finished blend with an immersion blender and add red wine or chicken stock if desired.  

**Freezes well.

Lentil Mushroom Meatballs

1/2 c. dried French lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 c. water
8 oz. baby bellas
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. red wine
1/2 c. vegetable or mushroom broth
1/2 c. old-fashioned oats
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
salt + pepper to taste
olive oil for pan


Combine the French lentils and water in a small sauce pan, bring to a bowl, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.  This isn't the instructions on the lentil packaging but they need to be under-cooked for the best consistency for the meatballs. Remove from heat and drain. 
Put lentils and mushrooms in the food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.  I sliced the mushrooms first only because I found it didn't mush the lentils up as much this way.  
Heat olive oil in a large skillet, cook garlic, then add the lentil mushroom mixture.  Brown the ingredients while stirring frequently. 
Stir in red wine and cook until evaporated.  Add in stock, oats, and seasonings and cook until all liquid has been absorbed.  Remove from heat and scoop or shape and place on to a sheet to be baked on.  I prefer a stone.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.  

Bon Appétit

I know I wrote a post about the two restaurants I didn't like while in London and Paris as well as the bakeries and street vendors I did like but I think the restaurants we liked and loved deserve a post.  How I didn't gain a pound while on vacation I'm not sure because I ate and I mean ATE!

While we did go to three different French restaurants Le Bistro du Perigord was the first. The restaurant was very unassuming but the food was delectable.  We started with escargot and onion soup.  Both were amazing! I have never liked French onion soup before but this we delicious. For dinner I had duck confit and was pleasantly surprised by how good it was.  Dessert might have just been my favorite though.  While it doesn't look like much it was a to die for caramel covered dessert.  There were was puffy pastry, baked apples, and vanilla ice cream, does dessert get much better than that?

My favorite French restaurant that we went to was La Bulle.  Anyone that knows me knows that I'm not a fan of meat based meals.  Actually, I can go weeks without eating meat and won't miss it.  I'm not a fan of the taste or texture of meat, especially red meat.  La Bulle is a traditional French restaurant and meat is the star of the plate.  When we walked in I fell in love with the feel of the restaurant.  It is on a corner and there are large glass windows overlooking both streets, a people watchers dream.  There was exposed brick, glassware stored in a decorative way, and lots of little lights.  There was a modern but comfortable feel to the place.  The waitress and waiter were both very polite.  While not overly warm they were friendly and even politely provided a menu with descriptions in English after hearing our poor French accents. The menu changes frequently based on what is in season which also means we didn't get to look at the menu before hand.  My heart quickly sank while reading the menu.  Nothing sounded appealing to me.  I ended up ordering a cut of beef served over mashed parsnips and potatoes. When it came out it was presented beautifully but there was so much meat.  I feared I would need 2 or maybe 3 crepes to fill me up that night but I was quickly proven wrong after just one bite.  I cut off a piece of beef and scooped up a little of the mashed parsnip and potato and the flavors instantly danced across my tongue. It was like the scene from Disney's Ratatouille when Remy closes his eyes while trying different foods and there are colors swirling around.  Each item on my plate tasted wonderful but together it was a unique flavor that even this non-meat lover loved! I wish I had brought the camera because the food was plated beautifully.

I think I will leave our favorite restaurant in Paris for another time...