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Introducing the New Running With Cake!

August 16, 2009 by

As I’m sure you can tell, Running With Cake has a new look! My husband worked all day on setting up the new theme, graphics, colors, etc. and it looks fabulous. I do plan on adding a couple new features in the next week or so, including a few pics of me. Stay tuned for more health, fitness, and fun with RWC. In the meantime, let me know what you think of the new look.

Even though my husband was locked up on the basement for most of the day (don’t worry, we have a walk-out basement, so there is natural light) working on my new theme, he managed to help me make an awesome dinner.

8.16 dinner 3

Chicken soup? Yes, chicken soup even tastes great in the summer, especially when you’ve been sick. But, the biggest reason we decided to make this homemade specialty is the weather. Being from the Midwest, we know that the weather can change on a dime. But, I was so surprised today, when it went from 85 to 65 degrees in about 2 hours. Because of this drastic change, and the fact that we still had the central air on in the house, we were both freezing. Chicken soup sounded like a perfect meal to warm us up.

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My husband’s chicken soup includes all sorts of healthy goodies, not to mention it’s a very low-calorie dish.

Scott’s Chicken Noodle Soup

  • 2 chicken breast halves, thawed
  • 4-5 carrots, chopped in large chunks
  • 3-4 celery stalks, chopped in large chunks
  • 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 9-10 cups chicken broth/stock
  • 2-3 tbsp dried parsley
  • 3 cups wide no-yolk noodles, cooked and drained

Add all ingredients (except the noodles) into a large stock pot or soup pot. Bring to a boil over the stove burner, then let simmer on medium-low heat until the chicken is cooked all the way through. Carefully remove the cooked chicken from the soup and either shred or chop it. Return the chicken to the soup pot. Add cooked noodles. Ladle into bowls and serve with crusty bread.

Just as I mentioned in the recipe above, this soup is great alone or when paired with crusty bread for dipping. Tonight, we had our soup with a 1/2 loaf of multi-grain bread with oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping.

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I also add a little sprinkle of parmesan cheese to my soup. It’s just a habit after working at an Italian catering hall for 4 years in high school. It gives the soup a whole different flavor!

Well, after warming up a bit with our soup, my husband had to run out to get gas for one of the cars. It just so happens that one of our favorite ice cream parlors is right by the Costco gas station. So, not only did he get gas, but he came home with ice cream for both of us…

8.16 dessert

Scott had a huge chocolate malt, but I ended up with a mere kid’s scoop of chocolate peanut butter ice cream – hmmm, that’s doesn’t seem very fair to me. No, I’m just kidding of course. The ice cream was an awesome treat and a great way to end our day, and our weekend.

Now, I have to get ready for bed. Monday morning seems to be hitting me extra hard these days. Have a great night everyone!

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When you're sick, even pizza doesn't taste good

August 15, 2009 by

Hello All. I’m feeling better this evening, but still have a sore throat. When I have a sore throat or am just plain sick, nothing seems to taste as good as it usually does. Take dinner, for instance. My husband and I went out to our local Italian bistro and ordered a full pizza.

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My 1/3 of the pie (and I mean third, because my husband felt that I would not eat a 1/2 all by myself) included pepperoni, spinach, red peppers, and goat cheese. I’ve written about this pizza before and how much I love it. Well, tonight, it was just ok. In fact, when I think about it now as I type, I will likely not order that pizza for quite a while. It could be because I’m sick – and when you’re sick, even you’re favorite pizza doesn’t taste good. Or it just be that I need to try something different. Could be a bit of both.

After pizza, we tried to walk around for a bit, but I just wasn’t in the mood for mindless wandering. I really wanted to just sit down, or lay down, and relax.We headed home and a little while later, I decided to see how my taste buds would react to a little dessert…

8.15 dessert

Thankfully, my taste buds did not protest at these two little butter cream cookies with chocolate frosting and sprinkles. My in-laws brought these over today, along with the coffee cake. These cookies were seriously like butter – the cookie part just melted in my mouth. 

Now, I’m going to finish a few things on the computer and head to bed – 9:30 PM seems sooo early to go to bed on a Saturday night. Because I was sick yesterday and today, I really didn’t get a whole lot of work done – except for a little laundry. So tomorrow is a work day, or at least a partial work day. I’ve blocked out about three hours for me to review a bunch of work-related things in order to get a jump-start on this week.

Have a great night everyone.

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I hate being sick…

August 14, 2009 by

Ok, I’m officially sick. Headache. Body aches. Chills. I was so cold this evening, in fact, that it felt so much better outside on our deck in 85 degree weather than it did in our air conditioned house. I also sat wrapped in a blanket at dinner. Guess I won’t be going to yoga tomorrow – bummer, this will be my second week in a row missing yoga. I hope I don’t fall off the yoga wagon. I also won’t be shopping with my mother-in-law, which I had planned to do. 

Despite being sick, I did manage to eat dinner…

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I had Polish sausage, steamed carrots, and orzo made with chicken broth and chopped grape tomatoes. I had one serving of each and ate it sooo slow. It was all I could do to get the fork to my mouth. 

Now, I’m watching a new episode of Psych – love that show! – and waiting for my Nyquil to kick in. All of a sudden, I’m burning up, what gives? I hate being sick. No time is a good time to be sick, but especially when I have a ton of work to do.

Well, hope your night is better than mine. Bye.

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That's what Julia would do…

August 13, 2009 by

Oh my, if you are at all a foodie or even like eating food (who doesn’t?) then I highly suggest you see the movie Julie & Julia. I saw it this afternoon with my husband and it was fabulous. I want to give you my thoughts on the movie, but I’ll get to that in a sec. 

After eating a decent size lunch (although it was mainly grilled veggies) I was still not hungry for dinner after the movie. And I had such a headache by the end of the movie – the second day in a row that I’ve had a headache. So, instead of a big dinner, I had an RWC kid’s meal:

8.13 dinner2

Yes, it’s just what it looks like – peanut butter and jelly. Now, I love high quality, gourmet food, but sometimes, you just need to eat peanut butter and jelly. I made my 1/2 sandwich with one piece of Brownberry Grains & More bread. I love it because it’s super high in fiber – 6 g per slice! On it, I spread about 1 tsp of all-natural raspberry preserves and 2 tbsp of all-natural creamy peanut butter.

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Not very glamourous, but adequate nonetheless. I also had a really juicy nectarine which was just delicious…

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Now, I’m sooo tired, I just want to go to bed. But first, Julie & Julia…

I don’t want to give away too many of the details but the movie chronicles a year in the life of an aspiring writer who cooks and blogs her way through, the now deceased, Julia Child’s book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The movie was quite funny at times and very heartwarming. Meryl Streep was amazing as Julia Child and Amy Adams was just as good playing her distant protege, Julie Powell. The movie really showed you a different side of Julia that most of the public never got to see. And, I absolutely loved all scenes of France – so charming and rustic!

Although I loved the movie, it also made me a little sad. I saw how each women used food/cooking to fill a void in her life, and I could definitely relate. Although I’ve been a health and fitness writer for many years, I’m a novice blogger. Sometimes, I don’t even know if it’s worth writing, because why write when no one is reading anything that I say, except for my dear husband – and like Julie Powell’s mother – he doesn’t count. 

So, if you’re out there and have any words of encouragement, I’d love to hear them. For now, I’ll keep on writing, even if it’s only to fill my own void – after all, that’s what Julia would do.

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Gourmet food on a plastic plate is still gourmet

August 12, 2009 by

Ahh, it’s nice to be home, winding down for the night. I was in joint business meeting today, which I was thrilled to be a part of. I was also thrilled that it ended at 1:30 PM instead of 4:30 PM – Yeah! Thankfully, during these long business meetings my company also springs for lunch and today it was semi-gourmet….

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Wow – get a load of this fancy food! There were so many choices from our lunch buffet that it was hard to decide. I went with bunless broasted chicken sandwich with tomatoes and a small slice of cheddar. Then I added about 2/3 of a plate of roasted veggies – mushrooms, carrots, asparagus, squash, and jicama, with a little roasted red pepper dip on the side.

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It was unbelievable, especially for a working lunch served on a plastic plate. But hey, it’s still gourmet. I didn’t stuff myself at all, but I was pleasingly full after lunch. However, since it was served at 11:15 AM – when I don’t usually eat until around 1 PM – I was a little hungry around 4 PM. Luckily, I snagged a snack from our “business” treats basket…

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A Quaker True Delights granola bar. It’s made with honey roasted cashews and mixed cherries and cranberries. It’s NOT as all-natural as I thought – the packaging is kind of deceiving. But, it was still a nice pick-me-up in the later afternoon.

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On my way home, I did a little summer clothes shopping. I must have been about 2 weeks too late because all of the sale summer clothes were picked over. Bummer, guess I’ll just have to wait until March for the new summer line – he he!

By the time I arrived home, my husband had dinner almost ready. I just love a man who can cook!

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He made mesquite chicken on the grill, homemade parmesan risotto, and green beans. It was ALL so yummy, especially the risotto – it had an awesome flavor. I really wanted to eat more, but I opted to save the leftovers for lunch on Friday (tomorrow I’m headed out for lunch!).

After dinner and cleaning up, we headed out to do a little more shopping. My husband was VERY tempted to stop and get a custard at Culver’s but I talked him out of it. Instead, he made a homemade strawberry shake and I had…

8.12 dessert

A watermelon and vanilla ice cream parfait! I used about 2/3 cup of Breyer’s all-natural vanilla bean ice cream, about a 1/2 cup of watermelon chunks, and 1 tpsp of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Outstanding, once again!

Tomorrow’s a running day so I need to hit the sack. I’m still debating on whether or not to leave work early to take in the new Julie & Julia movie. Any thoughts – is it worth taking a 1/2 vacation day to see it?

Take care everyone and have a great night.

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Meetings, Meetings, and Food

August 11, 2009 by

What a long day! I worked for 11 hours today and spent most of the time in meetings.  Now I’m soooo tired. 

Before all of the craziness started at 1 PM, I had a little lunch…

8.11 lunch

I had a salami and Swiss cheese sandwich on whole-grain bread. I also had a big handful of super bright red grape tomatoes.

8.11 tomatoes

Just look at how bright they are!

During my very long meeting, I desperately needed a pick-me-up to stop from falling asleep. I snagged a big chocolate chip cookie from the back of the room.

8.11 treat

Holy cookie! It tasted so good, although after I ate it I felt cookie remorse. We continued with the meeting until about 5 PM. The group wasn’t meeting at the restaurant until 6:30 PM so I just hung around the office and worked until it was time to leave.

As I mentioned earlier today, I was not able to take pictures of my dinner for fear of the strange looks I might get from my dinner companions. I will try to describe it in as much detail as possible though.

Dinner was held at a local and very trendy winery. When I arrived about 15 minutes early, there were already a few of my colleagues and business associates enjoying drinks in the lounge. I had a beautiful glass of chardonnay. It had hints of melon, apple, lime, and butterscotch, which made for a mighty taste drink!

For my entree, I enjoyed the linguini pasta tossed in a parmesan broth and mixed with chicken breast, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, and cream. Amazing! I ate about 3/4 of the dish and now I’m so stuffed and it’s been nearly 3 hours since I’m eaten! I am very glad that I do not go to these “business” dinner very often or else I would weigh a ton. But then again, business dinners are typically free so they are had to pass up.

I think I will pass on dessert tonight, especially because I have a full-day meeting tomorrow with a catered breakfast and lunch! 

Stay tuned to see if I can sneak a few food pics in tomorrow.

Take care everyone!

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Tired of Dining Out

August 9, 2009 by

Well, if you all didn’t realize it before, my husband and I were out of town all weekend for a big family food and fun fest. We stayed at a Ritz Carlton which was fantastic. Now, after driving nearly 8 hours home, we are totally exhausted. Although the RC is a very comfortable option when you’re on the road, there’s nothing like your own bed!

During our drive home, we contemplated dinner. Neither of us wanted anything major to eat and we wanted to get home as quickly as possible. We opted for dinner at Panera right off the highway. Panera is usually a great option for a quick and healthy meal. They’ve got all of the healthy staples, like salads, sandwiches, and soups. So, what did I get?

8.9 dinner

I ordered the NEW Chicken Cobb Salad with peppered chicken, bacon, and feta (in place of gorgonzola). I was really looking forward to a nice crisp salad but was quickly disappointed with this one. Not only was there WAY too much dressing, but the chicken tasted “funny” – as in on the verge of going bad. I’ve had two bad experiences with chicken, one at home and one at a restaurant. Now I’m very particular about my chicken, if it even tastes slightly weird I will not eat it. It also has to be cooked to the point where it’s nearly over done. Well, when I took the first bite of chicken, something just didn’t seem right and my chicken senses kicked in. I ended up not eating any more of the chicken and just eating a few bites more of the salad/veggies. Blah..

I was so hungry by the time I returned home I ate a huge bowl of Cheerios! We haven’t been grocery shopping in about 10 days so it was all we had in the house. I was really ok with it though, because I am so tired of going out to eat. 

Now I’m headed to bed. I need to start the week off right because I have 2 very important meetings this week. Wish me luck!

Night all!

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BBQ Birthday Bash

August 8, 2009 by

Hello All. Hope you had a great day. My afternoon went very well. Although it rained for most of the day, the clouds broke and the sun came out around 4 PM. What started as a chilly day turned out to be rather warm and muggy. But, no worries, we all had a great time celebrating my 2-year old nephew’s birthday.

The party was a BBQ style dinner with all of the fixins’, like hot dogs/hamburgers, relishes, fruit, and pasta salad. Oh, and there was a random feta and kalamata olive salad too.

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I had an all beef hot dog with a little mustard and relish with some chopped watermelon, cantelope, and pineapple on the side.

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I also munched on a few very plump baby carrots (more like toddler carrots!) with some low-cal veggie dip. And, I just had to throw in a few chips and salsa, because who doesn’t love this low-calorie appetizer?

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I didn’t finish my hot dog, or the chips and salsa, so overall, it was a pretty light dinner for me. But, that’s what I like to do on days where I’ve overindulged the day prior. 

I did, however, have some fabulous birthday cake. Well, it wasn’t really a full cake, it was an Elmo cake face, made up of all cupcakes. I had a chocolate cupcake with yellow frosting with some Heath bar ice cream (sorry, no pictures). It was awesome! It’s been so long since I’ve had a cupcake that I’ve forgotten how much I love them. That’s why I don’t keep them in the house – ha!

After the party, we headed back to my parents for a little night cap, which was mainly bottled water sipped while sitting on their huge porch. 

Tomorrow, the whole family (including cousins, aunts/uncles) are having a picnic/bbq for lunch. It’s been such a long time since we’ve had everyone together. It’s supposed to be 92 degrees tomorrow. Yikes! That’s the hottest it’s been in a long time…hope we all survive the heat!

Alright, off to bed for me. I’m going to try to get up early to run a 5-miler before we head out for the picnic. Have a great night and see you in the AM.

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A Good Start, But Then…

August 7, 2009 by

I had a good start to the day with a brisk 4-mile run, followed by a hearty and healthy breakfast. But it was all downhill from there!

After my run, my awesome husband made me a yummy omelette for breakfast:

8.7 breakfast

The omelette was made with 1 egg and 1 egg white, with a little cheddar cheese, mushrooms, broccoli, and pieces of all-natural (nitrate-free) bacon. It was so tasty and such a change from what I usually eat in the morning.

He also made me my favorite morning tea…

8.7 tea

Tazo Awake tea! He’s so thoughtful.

The rest of our day was spent running errands, visiting family, and getting ready for the big day tomorrow. There will actually be three events taking place tomorrow – a huge family portrait at a studio, a lunch with the family, and a birthday party for my nephew/anniversary party for my parents. Whew, that’s a lot to do in one day!

I actually started feeling a little sick in the car, so I munched on an emergency snack:

8.7 crackers

That’s right, goldfish crackers. I seriously do NOT eat these crackers on a regular basis – maybe twice a year. But today, I am so glad they were in the car.

Our errands took us all over the place so we weren’t near our house around lunchtime. So, we headed to Chili’s:

8.7 lunch

I had a bowl of potato soup and it was very tasty. I do prefer Corner Bakery’s baked potato soup over all others, but Chili’s has a nice recipe as well.

After more running around, we dropped into Panera very quickly to pick up an ice tea (for my hubby) and 2 giant cookies -1 double chocolate and a new kind – toffee. 8.7 snack

Here’s what’s left of my cookie after about 2 minutes! I told you it was going downhill…

We headed over to my sister’s house late in the day to discuss plans for tomorrow. She was nice enough to order pizza and salad for us, knowing how tired we were from running around all day.

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I had one piece of pepperoni pizza, a little antipasto salad, a roll, and a piece of cheesy bread (not pictured). I was pretty full after that, but couldn’t resist a little moose-tracks ice cream, because I very rarely eat that flavor.

8.7 dessert

I honestly only had one small scoop, and that was enough for me.

So, as you can see, today was a complete eating fest for me. Although I try to make healthy choices when I’m out and about, sometimes my hunger and my stomach take over and get the better of me.

I plan to eat lighter tomorrow, without a doubt. Now, I’m off to bed to, hopefully, get a good night’s sleep before the big day!

Night all!

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Gearing up for the weekend…

August 6, 2009 by

Finally! And what I mean by that is finally I get to sit down and write my post. My afternoon was just as busy as the morning and it flew by. Luckily, I’m off tomorrow so it will be nice to relax a little – if I can!

For dinner, my husband made the basil chicken stir-fry that we were supposed to have last night.

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He made the dish around lunch time, before heading for work, and then left my portion in the fridge to warm up. I usually love this dish but tonight, it was just ok, probably because it wasn’t fresh off the stove. I don’t have time to write a full recipe right now, but the stir-fry included:

Basil Chicken Stir Fry

  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 5 green onions
  • 1 jalapeno pepper
  • 1-2 chicken breasts cut into short strips
  • brown rice
  • soy sauce
  • brown sugar
  • Chicken stock

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This weekend my whole family is taking one huge family portrait at a studio. We haven’t done that since my sister got married so I’m so excited. The picture will include my parents, brothers/sisters, spouses, and children – 17 people in all. The studio only booked us for a 20 minute photo shoot – I hope that’s enough to corral all of us!

Have a great night everyone!

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