Porky dinner

Pork tenderloin brussels sprouts and sweet potato

I’ve officially started my winter training plan. Given that I don’t actually train during race season, I was surprised that I even had the initiative to consider a training plan as the weather is getting cold. This year I dabbled in triathlon and marathon running, but next year I’d like to do better! I’m sure I’m going to dread getting out in the cold (and will have to spend a good amount of training in the gym), but it always feels good to have a plan! I got in a great baseline workout on the trainer tonight, wearing a heartrate monitor for the first time in forever. After cycling 300 miles in September, I clearly haven’t spent enough time on the bike since. It was a serious sweat session.

I got home late, and was thankful that my meal planning had taken all the stress out of what I was going to eat – all I had to do was execute. In the pan went my pork tenderloin from my Walden Local Meat share, seasoned with salt, pepper, and allspice. I stuck a few sweet potatoes in the microwave, and when the pork was almost done, tossed some shredded Brussels sprouts into the pan to steam and soak up all the pan drippings.

New Balance Girls Night Out

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A few weeks ago, I managed to snag one of the coveted (free!) spots at this month’s New Balance Girls Night Out! The last few events were sold out before I could get on the list, so as soon as this one was posted I acted quickly to get in on the action. The events, hosted by (Boston based!) New Balance are billed as a healthy alternative to a night out on the town, and I always love getting my sweat on with a group. This time around you could choose to head out for a run, take an Equinox class (on the roof!), or a hardcore Flywheel sweat session right in the middle of Copley.

When I arrived at the New Balance Experience store on Boylston, I realized there was a bit of a mix-up – the event confirmation email said 6:30, but the event actually started at 6! The Flywheel and Equinox classes were already booked up and started, but fortunately I was there for the run, which hadn’t yet gone on it’s way! (I’ve just started a half marathon training plan to work my way up to a decent – ie: non brutal – B.A.A. Half.) Tonight I skipped out on track workout to participate, but I made sure to choose the event closest to my goal workout!

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The two folks leading the run were Joel (the experience store manager), and Kate*. We ended up just shy of a three mile loop down the Charles and around the Common, and interspersed were push ups, burpees, lunges, and other calisthenics that truthfully I wasn’t 100% up to after my race weekend. (This is a few miles less than I would have run with our office track workout today, but based on my fatigue after the first mile, that’s probably a-ok.)

After our run, we came back to the store where the party was happening – cocktails, hydration, mini burgers, and other delicious looking snacks. You could get custom t-shirts at a discount, and there were also cute swag bags, filled with a handy towel (which I needed, because I was sweaty!), some stickers, magnets, coupons, temporary tattoos, lip gloss, a usb stick with a running mix on it, and a little headband! I stuck around just long enough to say a very quick hello to some fellow bloggers, and then headed home to make dinner. I think the key to these events is going with friends – I’m so bad at making a game plan in advance, and then get totally overwhelmed and awkward trying to say hello to people without a wing-person! Yep, even if I know them.

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On the table tonight: ground beef with cumin and garlic powder, pinto beans, and a Popeye-worthy amount of spinach. And a huge scoop of guacamole, as you do.

Which activity floats your boat? Running, an Equinox Bootcamp, or FlyWheel?

*A quick aside: tonight I was wearing my much-loved Glen Doherty Cup shirt (my kayak + running race I participated in a few weeks ago.) The event was part of the Cambridge Freedom Run, and in honor of Navy Seal Glen Doherty, who was killed in action in Benghazi. This was a particularly moving race to me, and I was truly humbled to be a part of it in his honor. It turns out that Kate, leading our run, is his sister, and it took everything in my power not to cry right there in the store. Just feeling thankful tonight for meeting her.

Beef and Cabbage “Taco” Salad

Beef and cabbage taco salad

Let me just say, thank goodness for Trader Joe’s. When I’m running late, and haven’t meal planned, I tend to stop by Trader Joe’s to purchase protein and a vegetable, and go from there.

Tonight I did a “double” at the gym – the WOD (workout of the day), followed by the Olympic Lifting Clinic (where we practiced snatches). The main workout was AMRAP 20: Run 400 meters, then three rounds of {5 pullups, 10 pushups, 15 squats}. Feeling sluggish from a track workout yesterday, I managed through only two full rounds (two runs and two sets of three rounds) before calling it. After two hours in the gym, I went for a long walk with my friend AA to make our respective Jawbone/Fitbit step goals. I headed home feeling very accomplished, and decided to support my fitness behavior with a home cooked meal instead of takeout.

Tonight’s dinner – a twist on one of my favorite dinners: taco salad. While I’m not competing in my gym’s nutritional challenge this time around, I’ve been feeling inspiration to eat delicious home cooked meals and share ideas with friends. This dinner takes about 8 minutes to put together if you buy the salsa and guac pre-made. (I like Trader Joe’s Avocado’s Number guacamole, or sometimes if I’m feeling spend-y, the freshly made guac at Whole Foods.)

Beef and Cabbage “Taco” Salad 

beef, cabbage, pico de gallo, guacamole

Sauté a pound of ground beef (I use organic, free range when possible) with a large pinch of salt and a heaping teaspoon or so of cumin. When the beef is cooked, add a few large handfuls of shredded green cabbage (about 5 ounces), and another large pinch of salt. Let the cabbage cook for about 4 minutes, until slightly softened but still toothsome. You want the cabbage to still have a little bit of crunch. Once cooked, assemble your salad – the beef and cabbage as the base, and then spoon on pico de gallo and guacamole on each plate.  For some added vegetable, add a few chopped cherry tomatoes. Nice with a little squeeze of lime. Serves 2, generously.

Weekly Meal Plan

Asparagus

Oh, for shame! All I can say is that not-quite-in-season, imported produce is a temptress, and I am weak. WEAK! When I lived in San Francisco, it was a whole lot easier to turn down the stuff, but here, in this freezing grey northeast, I must admit that I succumbed to the $2.99 bunch of non-organic-flew-thousands-of-miles-to-get-to-my-plate-asparagus that was on sale today. They were thin, crunchy, and flavorful, and in my fantasy, I pretended that spring has sprung.

Week of Saturday, March 1st

Saturday: Leftover cumin braised chicken thighs, steamed asparagus, and Annie’s mac & cheese. I left the store tonight with part of my cart looking like an eight year old had picked out the contents. There’s also a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ‘Cinnamon Buns’ in the freezer now. (Do not head to the store hungry.)

Sunday: Pork tenderloin with sweet potato wedges, avocado, and roasted brussels sprouts. This doesn’t feel very Oscar worthy, but I’ll probably be reading an excellent book tomorrow during dinner (I’m captivated by the early review copy of Delancey that I’m reading right now!), and so it seems like a suitable enough meal.

Monday: Shakshuka (eggs simmered in a tomato sauce), and salad. This is perpetually my favorite quick meal to put together. Sometimes I’ll add roasted red peppers, other times, a little feta. It’s light, it’s vegetarian, and it’s terribly satisfying.  

Tuesday: Thai chicken curry legs. I have a little container of Mae Ploy Thai yellow curry paste that I picked up at H-Mart a few weeks ago, and a few spoonfuls go into the pot with some chicken and a little bit of stock. I’ll likely add a few cups of roasted carrots, and a can of full fat coconut milk.

Wednesday: Turkish spinach and ground beef. This dish is really more spinach than anything else, served with a little bit of garlicky yogurt sauce. 

Thursday: Wing it. By wing it, I’d love to make some Greek shrimp (or fish) with tomato and feta, but it’ll depend on what I can find fresh on Thursday evening. I’ll swing by the store to pick it up after work, instead of making my purchase on the weekend. 

Friday: Out. 

What’s on your table this week?

–– Sam

Puppy O’Clock.

Today’s Happiness Booster: Photography Practice. This afternoon I was talking to my good friend Sondy about my desire to improve my photography. I have this phenomenal camera that I don’t know how to use, and find myself frustrated when photos turn out better on my phone than they do on the Nikon. I know that there are a few things that I really need to do – read my manual, take a class, but most importantly, spend more time shooting. So she sent me on assignment to Fresh Pond, in Cambridge. It’s one of my absolute favorite places in the city.

Here are a few of my shots from the evening.

I have to do more of that.

As for today, I started out with a very small cup of coffee. And a few spoonfuls of unsweetened Sunbutter. I don’t think I like it very much, it’s a little bit bitter, but I’ll see how it works for cooking.

After my snack, I headed out on my run. This was my last planned run before my race on Sunday! I walked the mile down to the Charles to do this loop – it’s a nice 5k, but not my favorite in the neighborhood, because the paths aren’t as kept as other parts of the river, and you really need to watch out for tripping hazards.

After my run, I hit up Starbucks for some iced tea. I took a picture of myself sweaty, with tea, but decided I’d spare you for this blog.

I was starving by the time I returned, so I put together this big plate – leftover roast beef, roasted eggplant with parsley, a chopped orange bell pepper and a dollop of homemade mayo to dip. My lunches tend to be simple, but I try for lots of colors and textures. This was so good!

In the early evening, I went to Fresh Pond to take photos at sunset, and ate my snack – an apple and a handful of almonds.

I came back to start dinner. My plan was to roast a spaghetti squash, and serve it with a quick meat sauce – the pork I had cooked a few days ago with Italian seasoning, and some Rao’s Marinara.

And then I realized that the spaghetti squash that I was so excited about… was a butternut squash. This almost caused a meltdown, but I was determined to be positive about the mix-up. So I renamed it “butternut squash “faux-cchi”, topped with meat sauce”. And you know what? It was surprisingly good! I cooked the squash in the microwave for 10 minutes (gasp!), put together the meat and sauce and simmered it, and cooked Devon a little pot of farfalle. I then spooned out the squash in gnocchi size, and ladled on my sauce. Here was my dinner.