Preacher's Chocolate Cake

Family:
My nephew Zach stayed with us a few days last week. It was my brother's 44th birthday (on the 15th) and I made a delicious chocolate cake for him. He ate a ton of it and took home more, so I know it was good. I usually buy birthday cakes from Concord Teacakes in West Concord, MA (not to be confused with Concord, NH -- where I grew up), but while on vacation, I read the March/April issue of Yankee Magazine and there was an article about a cake lady from Madison, NH (she's 81). Her story was great and the article included a recipe to one of her favorite cakes, Preacher's Chocolate Cake. I had to make it; I will be making it again. I made a tasty cream cheese frosting to go with it.

Fun:
One of our super-nice neighbors lent us their giant bouncy waterslide while they were away on vacation this summer. We used this twice this week. Water + bouncing = LOTS of fun. We also went to Davis Farmland -- one of my favorite places to take our kids too, they've got a bit of everything (endangered animals, play villages, playgrounds, bouncy hut, face painting, spray park, hayrides, and did I mention animals). Zach loves this place! We also went blueberry picking -- our 3rd time this summer, and of course, to Sandy Pond.

Fitness:
I only have one Garmin link to my run as the watchband to my GPS broke and I need to replace it. At first I was a bit sad, but now I'm feeling okay about it as I am less focused on the clock/my time and more focused on the run itself.

Ayer/Groton 7.8 by mappy17 at Garmin Connect - Details
I ran this run twice. Saturday I didn't want to run as Chris and I went out to celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary (it was in July) and I passed up on dessert to try my first-ever chocolate martini. The martini was delicious and combined with the wine and pre-dinner cocktail...let's just say there was no way I was going to do the Ayer/Groton loop again. 


I ended up running three days: Sunday (7.8), Thursday (7.8) and Saturday (2.8) and a weights workout on Monday. Chris left for San Francisco on Sunday. More on that in another blog update. For now, I'll leave you with more pictures from our fun week with Zachary.

Sturbridge Village -- what a riot!

Davis Farmland

Squannacook River Runners Track & Field Camp

Here are a few more from Sturbridge Village

Post Vacation Roundup

This post is long overdue. No witty stories, but I will include a few pictures, my top 10 favorite (and silly) things about our trip, and links to my runs.




Highlights from the trip

1. Isabella's giggle when picking up hermit crabs
2. Ben learning to boogie board and wave board
3. Watching Chris boogie board
4. Delicious cupcakes and ice cream from Emack and Bolio's
5. Palomas and Toasted Head
6. Running 4 out of the 7 days to counteract all the calories from the food I ate!
7. The outside shower
8. Getting up at 6 to go to the laundromat 
9. Catching crabs in Mill Pond with baloney
10. Seeing a seal bobbing past us in the water on the first and last day of our trip

My Runs...
Nauset Heights/Beach and East Orleans 6.55 miles by mappy17 at Garmin Connect - Details
Nauset Heights/Beach and East Orleans 5 miles by mappy17 at Garmin Connect - Details

Nauset Heights/Beach and East Orleans 6.26 miles by mappy17 at Garmin Connect - DetailsNauset Heights and East Orleans 4.74 by mappy17 at Garmin Connect - Details

Weekly Roundup

Fitness
The stars were definitely aligned this week for running. Kids were in camp from 9-12, the humidity was all but gone, and temps were mostly in the low 80's.  According to my "DailyMile" stats, I've run 14 miles this week. I've got one more day to bang out a long run (8+), but we are leaving for the Cape and I hope I want to get up at 6AM to do the run (although Chris says "you are going to get your run in -- otherwise you'll go crazy stuck in traffic.") Thanks honey.

Here's the breakdown of my mileage...

Sunday --   0

Monday --  4.2, plus a 60 minute weights workout at the gym

Tuesday --  2.8

Wednesday -- 2.8, plus a 60 minute weights workout at the gym

Thursday -- 0

Friday -- 4.3

Saturday -- ???

Monday and Friday, I ran to the Hospital and back -- I'm digging this run! and Tuesday/Wednesday I ran the pond.

I felt good most of the week, except for Thursday I felt a little sore in the hips/legs. Thankfully, it was gone by this morning. The reason for not running on Thursday? I decided to pack while the kids weren't home. It made for a nice and quiet morning. Here are the links to my runs.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/41920530
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/42026923
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/42179737
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/42418044

Food

This week I made some delicious Banana Muffins. They were really good; so good that Ben ate one and liked it (He's not a muffin man...). The recipe made 12 muffins. To prove just how good they were, I just finished baking another batch to take down to the Cape (we still have three left over from the first batch). I like to store my muffins in a ziploc bag in the freezer so I don't eat them all; this time I left them in the fridge. Either way -- they are delicious!

I made some modifications to the recipe; here it is. 

One-Bowl Banana Muffins

Recipe adapted from herbivoracious.com

• 2 large ripe bananas, peeled
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter -- I used 3 tablespoons of butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup milk -- I used about a 1/2 cup of plain non-fat yogurt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour -- I used King Arthur 100% whole wheat
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

I also added the following to the top of the muffins before baking

• 1/8 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 tablespoon of Turbinado sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Line 10 muffins tins with muffin/cupcake liners. (I made a full dozen; no liners)
2. Put the bananas in a large, microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Add the butter and microwave 20 seconds at a time until the butter is softened but not melted. (It is fine if a little bit of it melts).
3. Mash the bananas and butter together until there isn't a lot of lumpiness left.
4. Thoroughly stir in the sugar, beaten egg, milk, vanilla extract, and salt.
5. Place a sieve over the bowl and fill it with the flour, baking power and baking soda. Sift the contents into the wet ingredients, trying to stir the sieve as you go to distribute the leaveners. I did not do this step; I read on Simply Recipes (for banana bread) to sprinkle the leaveners directly into the wet ingredients and mix gently; then I folded in the flour (see next step).
6. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet. Stop when they are just moistened. We'd rather have a couple lumps than risk overbeating it and having tough muffins.
7. Distribute the batter into the tins. Sprinkle oats and sugar on top. Bake about 25 minutes.

Family Fun
My parents came down from NH for supper and a visit with the kids on Sunday and my dad brought down some fishing poles. Chris and the gang went down to Sandy Pond to fish and swim...and for the first time ever -- the kids ended up with baby leaches on them! We were surprised to say the least. They swam on a part of the pond that we'd never swam at and either a). there are leaches in part of the pond or b). babies just happened to hatch at the same time the kids were swimming. No harm done and the kids are still talking about them today! Here are some pics from that great adventure.

We are headed down to the Cape tomorrow -- our first trip there! Staying in Orleans, within walking distance of Nauset beach. I won't be posting anything until we get back. Be prepared for lots of pictures and silly stories about all the fun, food, and fitness the week brings.


Adios!

Saturday Long(ish) Run through Groton

I haven't run since Tuesday. Wednesday was a gym day and I did my normal 60 minute workout with a mixture of free and circuit weights. I try and get a full body workout each time, instead of focusing on just upper or lower body. Thursday, as I mentioned in my last post, I wasn't able to get a morning run in as Chris took the train to Boston. Thursday night (even though we were all tired from a busy week) we ended up going to the Fruitlands band concert and met up with a bunch of friends. I'm so glad we did even if it meant I wasn't going to get a run in. We enjoyed a bottle of Toasted Head Chardonnay and the kids ran around and had fun. By the time we got home, the bats were out and the kids were asleep by 9:15 -- so unbelievably late! Chris and I settled in for some reading (my latest book is Case Histories by Kate Atkinson), and then off to bed ourselves. No run on Friday morning -- we all slept in.


So here we are on Saturday morning after taking three days off and I need a long run. My plan (however unscientific it is) is to bring my overall mileage up to 25 miles/week and my long run up to 10 miles by the time I return from vacation on the 7th. That meant another run through Groton because there are no shortcuts -- making sure I get the mileage in.


I ran down Oakridge to Groton Harvard and turned right. Two smallish hills in the first mile and then downhill past Washington St (part of the HS loop) and then back uphill towards the hospital on Old Ayer Road. Two miles in and I cross the border to Groton,farmland, and the most wonderful blackberries I've ever tasted. I ran down the hill and turned left onto Smith, taking me through a nice residential neighborhood and past the rail trail over to Route 111/Farmer's Row. I ran up to the Groton School and it was here where I debated where to go next. My choice was to keep going straight to Higley or turn onto Peabody. I knew Higley would ensure that I got to nine miles, but I didn't bring any water and so opted for what I hoped to be an eight mile loop, and turned right onto Peabody. I crossed back over the rail trail and then back onto Old Ayer Road, past the defunct orchard/meadow, Regal Horse farm, and the "woolies" (Scottish Highland cattle). At this point I completed my loop at Smith (about five and a half miles) and started the climb back up toward the hospital (and those delicious blackberries!), toward home. Had I brought water/energy beans, I might have been inclined to go the long way around Flanagan Pond for an extra two miles, but I had enough. Back down Oakridge and ended at the house with 7.81 miles in eight seconds less than 1:15. Not too bad. I kept a pretty consistent pace throughout the run, with mile seven being the slowest.


The plan this week: 3-5 miles tomorrow (Sunday) and then run Tuesday-Friday, while the kids are at  ACS Summer Camp (Under the Sea!) from 9-12. That should help push those miles back up and perhaps get to 10 on my long run next weekend.


Here's a link to my run...
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/41619558

Today's Run: Six miles via Sandy Pond/Washington St and a Trip Down Memory Lane

The storm last night made for a cool, breezy, yet still humid run. I definitely enjoy running early in the morning better than any other time of day. Lately, though, I've been sleeping in and haven't been challenging myself to get the miles in. Especially when it's hot...and humid. Today was one of those mornings that I debated with myself how long I was going to run, while running. I almost settled on three when I remembered that Chris was heading into Boston early on Thursday and I would most likely have to run in the evening and only do three, so I went for it. I'm glad I did. Overall it was a good run, with a decent pace and not a lot of traffic.

Today, Chris and I are celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary. We got married at the Dockside in York Harbor, Maine and that morning the weather started off about the same as today (I didn't run back then, so not quite the same). We didn't have a back up plan and our wedding and cocktail hour were going to be outside. But just as today's haze is burning off, the day turned out to be beautiful and we have fond memories of our wedding with friends and family who traveled from all over to be with us. Now eight years later, we are so thankful to be together and we have two beautiful children and a happy life. It can't get much better than this.

Tonight, we are taking the kids out for $1 ice cream cones at Baskin-Robbins and will save our dinner out in Boston for after our vacation to the Cape in August.

Life is Good.

Ayer 6 miles via Sandy Pond/Washington St by mappy17 at Garmin Connect - Details

Ayer/Groton 7 Miles on a Sunny Sunday morning!

Today's run: seven miles through Ayer and Groton. I knew I had to run today. I was supposed to do today's run yesterday -- even said I was doing it. Then I didn't. Chris and the gang left for Boston to take his mom to the airport and I just couldn't help myself. I sat in the house in complete silence for an hour. Bliss, I tell you. And before you knew it, it was just too hot and sunny to pound out seven miles. So I didn't, and felt guilty about it all day. Well, not all day, but for at least 15 minutes.


I chose today's route because it has no shortcuts, no cut offs that I could turn down and say to myself, "it's too hot to run today." I took water and some energy beans and headed out at...quarter to 11! Quarter to 11?! Was I nuts to think I'd do seven at mid-day sun and heat? Thankfully, today was less hot, humid and even had a breeze now and again while I ran. It was a good run. And I'm glad I did it.




Untitled by mappy17 at Garmin Connect - Details

Silly Saturdays

Last year Chris and I started a new tradition...Silly Saturdays. We picked a couple of Saturdays in the summer to eat outside and let the kids stay up later than usual and do silly things (like paint their feet and the deck!). It was a hit. During the winter, Silly Saturdays morphed into Family Movie Night and we'd watch a kid-friendly movie Ben and Izzy picked from the library. We don't do it every Saturday, mostly because the kids are tired (hockey/skating in the winter = early bedtime), but as the kids are getting older we've been able to manage a few later nights this summer without too much trouble.

Last night was a Silly Saturday. Grammy Jan left earlier this morning for Edmonton and we were all a bit lazy. Chris took the kids down to the pond, giving me a much needed day off from the sun, and I went to the store, and puttered around the house. I decided to make a tortellini salad with some wonderful colorful veggies--shredded carrots, yellow pepper, peas, and grape tomatoes--and used a yogurt based-ranch dressing. While at the store I picked up some wild sockeye salmon for myself as Chris and the kids had already decided they were having cheeseburgers (good for them; bad for me!) Isabella, who doesn't eat either burgers or salmon had a dilemma; she needed to pick one. She ended up eating a half of a cheeseburger -- her first and she LOVED it. She has officially joined the adventurer club! The only criteria to being a member is the willingness to try new things (food, activities, etc.).

We ended up with a lovely dinner on the deck, complete with Palomas, my new favorite drink. I had never grilled salmon before (I know, I must live under a rock...) but it came out perfect. I sprinkled some cumin, salt, southwest season from Penzey's spices, and some sugar, with a squeeze of lime and just let is cook for about 12-15 minutes. Then served it with another squeeze of lime. Quite tasty!


This morning I'm off for a long run; trying to find the motivation to train for my half marathon in September. Then it's off to Sandy Pond for a family swim. and steak tacos for tonight -- perhaps another Silly Saturday on Sunday?