And I just can't hide it

I ended up having a little zucchini bread/ yogurt snack last night and watched 2 Days In Paris with Jalene. Maybe I'll just go to France for Fall Break instead of deciding between staying here or going back to New York.


This morning and I did not meet as friends. I pressed snooze for over an hour, but finally got up because..... drumroll.... Ari got his ticket to come visit! It's not for a week, but it was incentive enough to get me out of bed. I'm so excited! He'll be here for my birthday, although I have to be at the 5k at 8:15 the next morning. Woohoo! Anyway, I had half a Clif bar and then headed to the gym for what turned out to be a very unsatisfying workout:

1.6 miles elliptical
.6 miles bike

3 x 10 @ 45 and 40 lbs, crunch machine

I can't wait to be able to start running again. Please explain how those two machines took me THIRTY-FIVE minutes?! I didn't feel like I was going slowly, either. Bah. I know I need to wait, though, because my pelvic joint has really been bothering me today and I don't want to cause more damage. But it's frustrating.

I made my last Red Arrow mix last night: 10 grain bread.


This took a lot longer than all the others, because it had to rise 3 times. It turned out pretty well, although it didn't bake up too high in the oven and is instead a dense, short loaf.


I had a slice for breakfast today in an open-face egg white (2) sandwich with cheddar cheese. The one thing I miss about living on campus is getting eggs cooked to order for breakfast in the cafeteria.


I also had a yogurt, Emergen-C, and some "gourmet blend" gas station coffee. Gotta take a quick shower and run to class! (One day I won't be in a rush in the morning....)

Stretch and yawn

That's pretty much all I feel like doing... I am so tired! I think it's because I've worked out 8 straight days without a rest day. I'm trying to power through until Sunday or Monday, when I have a designated day off. I can't seem to find out the exact date for the 2009 NYC marathon, so I'm just going to chose a day to take off and then adjust it if necessary. In other news, boy am I sore! Pilates was great today; I felt a lot stronger. I need to find a tennis ball or something to roll out the knots in my back until I can get a massage... I signed up at the health center today for one on the morning of my birthday (October 3), but that seems like a very long time for now! But we get a whole hour for only $20... Hard to beat! In the meanwhile, I'll just try to knead them out myself. Before class, I had a piece of zucchini bread. I brought a bag of baby carrots with me, but they were horrible! Bitter and prematurely slimy (I just opened the bag yesterday!). I only ate one and saved the rest for later in case I'm desperate. I've been drinking so much water today. I feel really dehydrated, which might have to do with the muscle soreness.


There was a potlock at the French House tonight; all the food was brought and prepared by the professors. I had a small cup of apple juice, two vegetarian cannelonis, greek salad, cheese a piece of baguette. (It's sitting on my dress, although it looks like a tablecloth!)



I went back for a couple more nibbles of cheese. For dessert I had some pineapple and watermelon, two coconut macaroons and a raspberry fig newton.


I started falling asleep in the campus center so I biked home, got in my PJs, and am going to settle down into the cozy nook with some reading and a cup of chamomile tea. It may be only 9 PM, but I'm a sleepy old gal!

Zucchini Bread Recipe

Nonstick cooking spray

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 large eggs

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup light brown sugar

4 tablespoons butter, melted

4 tablespoons apple sauce

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 zucchinis, grated (I used one yellow and one green to be more fun)

1 cup chopped pecans

Heat oven to 350, spray large bread pan with cooking spray and lightly dust with some of the flour. Beat eggs until foamy, 2- 3 minutes. Mix in both sugars, butter, apple sauce, baking soda, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and remaining flour. Mix just until blended. Stir in zucchini and pecans.

Pour batter into pan and cook until fork comes out clean, about an hour. Enjoy!

Ain't No Sunshine

It's been yet another cold and rainy day. It feels great to bike in a light drizzle after a workout though, so I can't complain too much.

I had a very short run today. I ran a mile at 5.4 mph, walked at 4.0 mph for .25 miles, started running again, and got off the treadmill at 1.36. If I had just run straight without stopping I probably would have been fine, but after the brisk walk my calves were sore. Before my run I did a bunch of stretches and squats. The trainer at the gym said the most important muscles to train are in the core, but also to work with my own body weight. Hello, Pilates!

Since I slept so late (noon!) I didn't really feel like going to campus for a while so I relaxed around the house in my PJs. I've been craving zucchini bread for a few weeks, ever since we got some in Amish country on the way from New York. I adapted a recipe in last week's Dining Out section, and it turned out very nicely.


The finished product:

Jalene made me a 3 minute egg while I was mixing. I probably shouldn't be writing this, but I cannot make hard-boiled eggs. They never turn out! They're always too hard and the yolk is disgusting, mostly because I get nervous that it won't be cooked all the way through. I'm also not very good about peeling them... Does anyone know a better way? I read something about plunging them into cold water to loosen the shell. My sad little egg:


I mushed it up with yogurt, salt and pepper. Next time I'll try paprika or something. I've been craving spices recently for some reason... Good thing we have a well-stocked pantry!


I had leftovers from last night (sweet potato/ bean patty and asparagus) and a slice of zucchini bread, and the vitamins I was too tired to take this morning with a glass of Emergen-C.


I brought a Balance Pure bar to the concert as a snack. I 'm glad I did; it was pretty much a big dance party for two hours (or bop/bounce party for me; I'm not winning a dancing award anytime soon). So much fun!


I came back and ate some pickles. Perfect end to the evening.... Unfortunately it's not quite over as I have a bunch of work to do!