Good evening! The weekend rounded out on Saturday evening and Sunday with some tasty meals and a short run on Sunday afternoon.
Meal #1:
Saturday evening, Noah grilled sweet potato planks to go with turkey burgers. The sweet potato planks are delicious – the charred, grilled flavor really imparts such a different taste than the usual baked sweet potato flavor. We just toss the slices of sweet potato with a little olive oil, paprika, season salt, and pepper. I had my burger with olive sauce, mustard, cheddar cheese, pickle and a slice of tomato. Hold the bun. please. It was oh so tasty. We also had corn on the cob which was actually really good considering how early in the season it is.
After dinner on Saturday we headed to Barnes and Noble to use a 15% off coupon I got in my email – Noah purchased Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. He seems to be liking it so far. I can’t wait to read this book – it seems like it will be a really inspirational story: about the life of Louis Zamperini – an Olympic runner, WWII airman and POW – and all he had to overcome in some truly trying situations.
We also stopped by a local ice cream shop to celebrate National Chocolate Ice Cream Day – I got this delicious little sundae made with chocolate soft serve, hot fudge, and Oreos. Yum, yum!
Run #1:
On Sunday we headed to our local running store so Noah could pick up a new pair of running shoes. We then made our way to Hawk Island Park on the south end of Lansing to run 2.3 miles on the trail loop in the park. I guess you could call that our marathon-training warm-up run as Sunday morning I input all of our training runs into the calendar for our 19 week marathon training plan. We’re planning to do the Detroit Free Press/Talmer Bank Marathon in October. This will be my first marathon and Noah’s 3rd. He’s done the Detroit marathon 2 other times – in 2006 and 2010. He’s said that he should run it every 4 years, so 2014 here we come!
I will admit, the sunny afternoon run on Sunday was a tough one for me. It is going to take some real getting used to running in the heat. I’ve read that it takes about 2 weeks to get acclimated. We’ll see.
Meal #2:
Sunday for dinner we had these delicious steak tacos. We started off with all of these delicious toppings on the tacos, but then decided that it was best to keep it simple. The delicious steak was getting lost within all the avocado, cheese, peppers and tomatoes.
The last taco was the best – simple and delicous with just steak, cilantro, fresh onion, homemade salsa, and some hot sauce. So, so good!
We also decided Sunday evening was a good time for a cocktail – I opted for pineapple rum, a Mang-O-Rita, and some pineapple coconut water. It was tasty.
Run #2:
This morning we got up early – only 15 minutes early for me at 5:15, but about an hour early for Noah – to officially start our marathon training. We ran 2.9 miles – Noah blew me out of the water as I struggled again this morning. I was not properly attired – it’s amazing what a difference the right undergarments and pants make! – and just was not feeling it. Oh well, I’ve still got 3 months or so until the marathon, right? I’m sure I’ll be ready for it, right?
Meal #3:
Tonight for dinner I threw together this tasty salad – made up of Earthbound Farm Organics Power Greens topped with just about every veggie in our fridge: carrots, celery, mini sweet peppers, black olives, cucumbers, and sugar snap peas. I also threw on some Roasted Garlic Pumpkin Seeds for a little salty crunch! Yum, yum, yum!
And last but not least the 2 domestic items:
#1: Iced Coffee Concentrate – I loosely followed Pioneer Woman’s method by placing 1/2 lb. ground coffee and 3 qts. of water in a pitcher. I let that “brew” at room temperature for about 24 hrs. Tonight I strained it into another pitcher. We’ll see how it turns out tomorrow morning when I mix it with some coffee ice cubes, and a little half & half. I just LOVE iced coffee, but cannot justify spending $2+ a day on one from a coffee shop. So homemade it is!
After it was all strained I think I ended up with about 2 qts. or so of coffee – that oughta get me through the week 🙂
#2: Homemade Dryer Sheets – I originally saw this on Pinterest (what doesn’t come from Pinterest these days?) and tried it about a year ago. I will never go back to store bought dryer sheets again. They just seem to clog up the lint filter in the dryer and I feel like these homemade dryer sheets are so much more economical as well. I can use one “sheet” for about 20-30 dryer loads (at least). I usually re-soak the cloth in fabric softener about 3 or 4 times before washing it and starting over.
I simply take a large plastic storage container and pour fabric softener on an old washcloth until the entire cloth is saturated with the liquid. Then I hang it up with a clip pant hanger until it’s completely dry – this takes about 24 hours or so. Then just throw it in the dryer to soften and scent your fresh, clean clothes. 
Tomorrow will be a busy, busy day – work, then a doctor’s appointment, then I’m trying out a new fitness center (circuit training centered group fitness class), then team trivia. Phew!
Enjoy what’s left of your evening! Good night!
Live Well with Alison 