Happy Thanksgiving!

I wanted to put this out early in case my Turkey Trot and/or tomorrow's dinner for the masses does me in. Hah! Fat chance! Here in no particular order, some of the many things I am thankful for:

My two wonderful girls who today are going between helping (licking mixers mostly), playing and fighting, what else is new? I can only hope I am as much of a positive role model for you as you are an inspiration to me. I waited a long time for you and I may need one of those walkers with wheels to get down the aisle at your weddings but you know what? It was infinitely worth it!

My hubby, modern caveman himself. Thank you for your quiet support, your "low-maintenance" demeanor and for hauling up the countless chairs we're going to need to seat everyone tomorrow. You haven't done it yet, but thanks in advance in case I forget.

My extended family, many of whom will be here tomorrow, yay! To my sister, thanks for the help with the mashed potatoes, you will help right? You know how I loathe making those suckas. And to my other sis, I'm looking forward to that spinach dip. Seriously, I am.

My health, without which I could not do any of the crazy stuff I do.

Running, which is my sanity, the catalyst that pushes me out of my comfort zone and makes me a better person all around. My cup runneth over with the whole Boston experience this year and the thought that I'm booked for an encore trip to the line in Hopkinton in 2010 will truly make me verklempt if I contemplate this any further.

This amazing country we live in and the men and women who put themselves on the line everyday to keep us safe.

My friends, real and virtual. Thanks for hanging with me thru thick and thin. To all of you I've met here in the blogosphere, thanks for stopping by and letting me prattle on about this and that. I've enjoyed your comments, appreciate all who have who've hopped aboard the followers wagon luxury yacht and am grateful for my bashful yet loyal lurkers too!

Be sure to stop by Tall Mom's site for her latest giveaway!
Safe travels to all who are on the move!
Good luck to everyone racing tomorrow!
Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving!

In the Kitchen with Agave Sweetener

November is flying by and in my pre-Thanksgiving panic I haven't yet shared any recipes. That will change right here, right now. I've been experimenting with Agave Sweetner as a sugar sub and I have 2 recipes I think you'll like: Agave nectar has a lower glycemic load, meaning it doesn't give your body as much of an insulin spike as sugar would. And it's sweeter, so you use about 25% less than you would use of table sugar.

¾ cup of agave nectar = 1 cup sugar.

When substituting this sweetener in recipes, reduce your liquid slightly, sometimes as much as 1/3 less.
Also reduce your oven temperature by 25 degrees.

Cranberry/Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

This has been this season's go-to cookie for me. I've sent them to school, brought them to parties and they'll be among my Thanksgiving sweets as well. I left in the brown sugar because I didn't want to compromise the cookies' texture. Nobody was able to detect a difference with the Agave Sweetener.
1C White Whole Wheat Flour
1/2t Baking Soda
1/2t Cinnamon
1/8t Salt
10T Softened Butter
1/3C Agave Sweetener
1/3C Packed Brown sugar
1 Large Egg
1t Vanilla Extract
1C Old-Fashioned Oats
1C Semisweet Chocolate Chips
1/2C Dried Cranberries

Preheat oven to 325F.
Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in bowl. Beat butter, agave sweetener and brown sugar in large bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture and oats; stir until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and cranberries.
Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls 2" apart onto cookie sheets lined with parchment or Silpat. Bake until edges are light brown, about 15 minutes. Cool completely and enjoy. Makes about 30 cookies.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Bacon

2 Acorn Squash, halved
Butter
2T Agave Sweetener
2 Slices Bacon, cut in half (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 F.
This recipe could not be easier. Simply dot squash with butter, cover with foil and roast them approx. 40 minutes in a pan with  1/4C water in the bottom. Drizzle approx. 1/2T agave sweetener in each one along with a 1/2 slice of bacon. Return to the oven and roast until golden and bacon is cooked, about 20 minutes longer. Serves 4.

This would be a great addition to the Thanksgiving table, although in my case with the guest list at 26 and counting the last thing I need are 20+ 1/2 squashes rolling around the cuisine KWIM?

Miscellaneous Monday

Look Who's Running Now?
Yep it's none other than 30-Minute Meal maven Rachel Ray! And she's down 2 dress sizes as a result! Welcome to the awesome world of running Rachel--and be sure to look me up when you're in Chi-Town!

PTSD= Pre-Thanksgiving Stress Disorder
I'm having Thanksgiving this year. Don't get me wrong I love to cook. But for some reason I'm stressing more than usual. So much to do but so little I can do ahead. I've got "the bird" thawing and more baking on the docket for today. I'm sure it'll be fine, even though the guest list is 20+ and growing...so many brines, so little time...

Whole Foods Initiative Week 3 Recap
Can you believe I've been at this for 3 whole weeks? Crazy! The original plan was to do it for 2 weeks but then I got to thinking about the 21 day rule--and if I can make eating whole foods a habit all the better right? So I stuck it out for another week. The findings:


My complexion remains clearer 

My strong sugar cravings are gone for the most part. BUT, most likely out of habit, my brain sometimes still tells me "go ahead and have a treat, you've been so good". Although if I do have something and really listen to my body, those treats are frequently not as enjoyable as they once were.

I am down one pound below marathon weight. Not a ton of weightloss but I can assure you I'm getting plenty to eat. I haven't been counting calories, maybe I should, but I am making better food choices.
Surely I haven't been perfect: there were a few mint M&Ms, more chocolate-covered cranberries, chips and salsa, but since treats are no longer shouting for me from the pantry, they are no longer a daily ocurrance and so far, knock wood, I've managed not to overindulge.

and last but certainly not least:

(Cue your favorite choir music or Beethovens' New World Symphony, your choice)

My belly fat is noticeably less pronounced. You won't find me on the cover of SI Swimsuit edition anytime soon and apparently I wasn't in line when they were handing out genetically fabulous abs so this is huge for me. Wonders never cease!

Thinking vs. Feeling

As a fairly very Type A runner, during training cycles I find myself scheduling the pace of each mile, the buildup, the taper, seemingly every inhale, morsel of food and so on. As a runner currently NOT in the throes of a training cycle (WOOT!) I've made a concerted effort to NOT schedule every footfall. I know, what a concept.

Yesterday, for the second consecutive Saturday I actually ran simply because I felt like it. During training you'd never catch me out running on a Saturday unless I was changing up my long run to that day. But the weather in these parts lately has been nothing short of sublime and just too good to pass up. I refer to times like these as running on borrowed time. I was treated to a firey red sunrise shrouded by ribbons of mist--more beautiful than anything I could have conjured in a dream had I chosen to stay in bed.

Today I got out for a leaden but equally joyful 10. Perfect weather yet again. It was apparent that my body is not accustomed to running two days in a row but so what? I have no pace goals to meet, no mileage requirement, no pressure. For now I'm running for the pure joy of it. Because I FEEL like it. 

Our New Addition

Last weekend, I hopped out of our car, (the beloved Estrogen Express) and popped into a craft store in search of some bling for Thing 2 to decorate her feather for the preschool turkey. Hubby and the kids drove down to the pet store for some fun of their own.  Nextdoor is a Bath and Body Works. Now I love me a good perfumy lotion now and again. And I can think of few better ways to immerse myself in some holiday spirit than sampling the festively scented sprays, candles and whathaveyou. So after enjoying a luxurious 10 minutes or so of "me" time I emerged from B&BW, slathered in "holiday spirit" ie: vanilla bean noel, something pomegranate, vanilla bean noir, and anything else I could smear on my hands/wrists/arms. I reboarded the Estrogen Express to this:
Thing 1 and 2 in chorus: We got a FISH!!! Hey you smell good mommy!
Me: Wha?
Chorus: It's a Betta! Daddy wanted to get one for each of us but the lady said one would eat the other!
Me: Is there a bowl?
Chorus: YES! And we got rainbow rocks and water conditioner and food and decorations!
Me: I am NOT cleaning the bowl.
Hubby: Really? Why not?
Me: Did you get one of those skimmer things to get the fish out when you clean the bowl?
Silence.

So that's how "Fishy" (uber creative name I know) joined our clan. I guess it's the price I pay for indulging in some "me" time during waking hours. It's been a whole 5 days now since Fishy joined us. He was a bit sluggish to begin with but seems more normal now. And taking turns with feeding gives the kids something new to fight about.
Maybe I'll warm up to this whole fish story. We'll see. And I am NOT cleaning the bowl. Not.
As for running: I managed my first apres marathon speedwork the other day. 2x800 and 2x400...I know, setting the world on fire right? It's amazing how quickly the body adapts to not doing any speedwork--these hurt! I figured maybe a few peppy spurts would possibly help me not be a total slug at the Turkey Trot next week. Although the trot is on trails and for now they're forecasting rain/snow mix...good times.
Have a great weekend!

Take It and Run Thursday: Unconventional Races

This week's question comes from Kate at 00Kate. She asks:
What's the most unconventional race you've ever run? Have you run a race like North Carolina's "Take Pride in your Hide" naked race? Does your local running group have "prediction runs" where everyone guesses their finish time, and the winner is the person who has the closest guess? How about a Mud Run? If you could make up a wacky race, what would the twist be?

Um no...there will be no "Pride in your Hide" race for me...not that there's anything wrong with that. I just wanted to make that clear up front. As for other unconventional races, my track record (pardon the pun) is not so great. I signed up for the Las Vegas Marathon back in 2007 as a rebound effort after the heatfest that was Chicago that year. The Vegas race was to be an attempt at the Guinness Book record for most running Elvis' (Elvi?) As bad luck would have it, I had to bow out due to ITBS.

The second unconventional run I planned to do was a Jingle Bell 5k where participants ran in Santa suits. Alas I ended up not running in this either-can't even remember why. Maybe I'll revisit that one this year. . .although I can think of few things less appealing than breathing hard thru a synthetic beard.

As for the wacky race I'd concoct, I'd do a take off on the Ride & Tie where you, a partner and a horse trade off running and riding. Although my twist would include something else I love: dogs. You'd ride the horse while the other person ran with a dog. Then you'd switch. I'd call it the Woof-Whinney-Run! Lot's of potential for chaos...and fun too!

In the Market For a Treadmill?

With daylight hours waning and temperatures dropping, chances are good your time spent on the treadmill is increasing. If you're looking to get a new treadmill, or if you simply like keeping up to date on the technology that's available these days, let's face it, comparing the features and benefits of each model can be daunting. Here's a website that does a great job of reviewing lots of the major brands as well as providing helpful information so you can get the most from your treadmill workout.
www.runreviews.com
Warning: shameless plug coming: Yours truly is featured in a guest post that I'm sure you don't want to miss. Stop on by and say hey!