• The Weekend of The Cheap Date x 2
• The Weekend Where I Embraced Bulleted Lists
• The Weekend Where I Got At Least Eight Hours of Sleep Two Nights in a Row
• The Weekend Where I Actioned a Massive To Do List-Worth of Activity in The Span of Two Hours

I finished my run this morning to find out that we would be attending an impromptu brunch to celebrate the engagement of some close friends.

So I ate a mini-breakfast (homegirl has to eat), patched together a celebratory offering and we were off.

Not bad for two hours notice in a state with Blue Laws, right?  We’ll subtitle this one, Why You Should Always Have Some Champagne And Curling Ribbon Hanging Around.

By the time we got home from the party and our weekly grocery shopping extravaganza (where I found grapefruits at ALDI for $0.25/each…ridiculous), I only had a few hours to tackle my To Do List before we headed out to the #MNRunnerds Tweet-Up that Courtenay organized.

So I hustled while Marcus used the treadmill and before we knew it, we were at El Rodeo in Maple Grove.

Because if constructing a taco that’s near exploding off of your fajita platter isn’t an icebreaker, I just don’t know what is.  We took advantage of the 2-for-1s on margaritas, which was kind of ironic because I just dumped the remainder of an ancient bottle of margarita mix down the sink today.  But who is keeping track, really?

Everyone laughed, tore into the baskets of chips with homemade salsa (it was that sort of place) and we agreed that we should gather again.

To round out the night, Billy and I exchanged pictures of The Tiny Fang.  Because exchanging pictures of your cat that permanently resides at your parents house at 8 PM on  Sunday night is the height of cool.  It’s all about honesty tonight, kittens.

We are not ashamed.

His.

Hers.

If you don’t get him while he’s down, he’s impossible.  In a The Camera Will Steal My Soul-sort of way.

What did you do to enjoy your lazy Sunday?

I know, I know.  How we came from the place where baking was anxiety-inducing to here and now, I will never understand.

I actioned the Chewy Chocolate-Raspberry Cookies from Veganomicon.  I was into the recipe for the following reasons:

• I LOVE the chocolate-raspberry combination.
• I’ve never attempted Vegan Baking.
• I’ve never baked a chocolate cookie.
• This recipe didn’t include any Faux-substitutes in the place of eggs/butter/milk.  Labeling something as Vegan doesn’t make it okay to bake with un-butter.

Most important order of business, does anyone else have a baking sheet that they would describe as being Seasoned?

Because obviously I do.  I think it can officially be classified as one of my Stalwarts.

I shouldn’t have been surprised about the fact that the Baking Cocoa that has been hanging out in my pantry for the last year still had the original seal on it.  But it did, so I got to deal with that.

It was just time, right?

The actual mixing and what-have-you was a relatively quick process.  I got to use the better part of a jar of Raspberry All-Fruit Spread that had been languishing in my fridge.  Which, retrospectively, I am beginning to suspect that this recipe would do just as well with Orange Marmalade.  You know, in the way that would evoke the Chocolate Oranges of Christmastime.

Let’s all remember that, no?

In addition I was directed to layer-in some vanilla and almond extracts as well.  Almond Extract: Also on the list of things in my pantry that still had the seal on it until this afternoon.

We were just breaking down barriers left and right in the kitchen today.

The finished product.  Look.

After eating one, I can completely see how having these with some ice cream would be completely delightful.  They’re very chewy and the combination of raspberry-vanilla-almond works together in a way that suggests all three of them and none of them at the same time.

Marcus?  Pronounced them very good for a Vegan cookie.

Amen.

Have you ever tried Vegan baking?

What’s hiding untouched in your pantry?

There were a few nights where I did a kind of solo act and chowed down on monster salads with sweet potato oven fries.  But we all know how that goes, really.

Sunday – Molly’s Artichoke Dip 

When you’re trying to have a zen day and your husband is hoping that you’ll action something for him to bring to the Superbowl party, this is your dish.  Because yes, making Buffalo Chicken Dip would be too much effort.  There are like seven ingredients in that stuff.  Unacceptable.

So do yourself a favor.  Open two cans, do some light chopping, toss in some cheese and mayonnaise.  Into the oven and YOU ARE DONE.  Anything else is too much work.

Plus, no one sees the green chiles coming.  No one else has ever brought it that way before.  So suddenly your artichoke dip goes from being bland and uninteresting to the most coveted dip on the table.

Tuesday – Korean Keema from Nigella Kitchen

Nigella is back.

What we love about this dish: It’s a cheap meal.  Ground turkey, frozen peas, scallions, cilantro.  It’s a total flavor-bomb: Marinated with rice wine, honey, soy sauce and Sriracha.  Over rice.  Amen.

The rice is the most time-consuming, the actual preparing of the meat mixture is the most time intensive.

We doubled the recipe since the original only requested 8 oz of meat.  And as y’all know, leftovers are a non-negotiable in this house.

It smelled so good reheated that my cubicle-neighbors informed me that it can be my contribution to our lunch club.   Considering how much easier it is to make even than say, enchiladas, I’ll take it.

What are your feasting fall-backs during busy weeks?

It’s never a straight answer.

Kittens, it’s February.

Like, when did that happen?

I mean, yes, I wholeheartedly embrace the natural movement of time and get that it should be February.  I just don’t understand how we went from waking up on New Year’s Day to finding ourselves in this place.

That it’s February leaves me cringing at the fact that all of the house projects I wanted to accomplish after the wedding?  Have been at a standstill in every sense of the word.

We’ve been living without nightstands for four months.  The second bedroom (AKA Marcus’ Closet That Should Be An Office) is still wholly unorganized in a way that things shouldn’t be when Adults Are Present.

I mean, we’ve had the better part of two years to get things fixed up.  There is the small fact that with our old bed, we didn’t need nightstands, but that’s missing the point.

So this week, I put those things on my To Do list.  The nightstands and the second bedroom.

Because it would be nice to have somewhere to rest my cell phone as it charges at night.  To have a place to plant some extra lights in the room.  Not just to brighten things up, but to add some sort of aesthetic touch.  Hell, we even have the lamps and shades.

Because the Too Big For The Room desk in our office has never been used for its intended purpose.  It just stands there as a holding pen for clutter that we don’t need in our lives.  And as a result, half of the room goes unused.  Which is comical when you only have two bedrooms to begin with.

Because it’s officially That Boring Part of winter where it’s Not Spring Yet, but we’re still along for the ride.   By the time that the leaves are on the trees, we will have nightstands and we will have reclaimed our second bedroom.

What projects do you need to cross off of your long-term To Do List?

SO.  In order to participate, you’re meant to share 11 things about yourself, and then answer the 11 questions that the blogger wants to know about YOU!

Since I’m answering 22 separate questions, I think we’re going to forego the whole 11 Things About Myself and just cut to the chase and answer the questions.  33 things seems a little bit excessive, no?

And just in-case 22 facts isn’t personal enough, a post-run snap of me (I brush my hair out when it’s sweaty so that it stays straight!) that showcases my little vanity-area in the bathroom.

This is where I live my 6 AM.  How revealing, right?

Now we begin.

1. What is your favorite book?  Oh God, that’s like the most terrible question to ask someone who reads everything, constantly.  I’d have to go with The Red Tent.
2. If you could meet one historical figure, who would it be?  Elizabeth I
   
3. What is (or was) your favorite subject in school? Band.  With History being a close second.
4. Have you ever thought about what you want your future kids’ names to be if you have children?  One of them appeared to me in a dream when I started dating Marcus and I still remember it.  I rarely dream and I told myself that if it stuck with me, then it could be in the running.  So one name is (maybe) chosen.
5. If you could live in one city for the rest of your life, what city would you pick?  Minneapolis.  That’s why we’re still here.
   
6. If you had the ability and time to learn one language, what would it be?  Latin.
7. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Yes.
8. What’s your favorite genre of music and why?  Dance/Pop.  It’s good for dancing to, it’s good for singing to and it’s great for running to.
   
9. Would you rather be able to fly or freeze time?  Fly.  There’s a reason that the Time Turner was like a heavily regulated substance in Harry Potter.
10. What’s something weird about you that no one would ever know just by looking at you?  That I can do a mean Dolphin Vocalization-impression.
11. What’s your favorite season?  Even though I despise winter, I really do love all of them.  That’s the point of living in a state that actually expresses all four seasons.
12. What was the first concert you ever went to?  N’SYNC
13. If you were on Death Row, what would you choose for your last meal?  Crusty bread and good wine.
14. What was the your favorite Halloween Costume of all-time?  Probably the Dorothy costume that my grandmother stitched by-hand for me in like…4th grade.  It is absolutely the most elaborate costume I have ever worn.
15. Which actress would you like to star as you if you had a movie made about your life?  Whitney Cummings.  I already feel like her show moonlights as my biopic.
    
16. If you could open any type of business, what would it be?  A food shelf.
17. You have a free plane ticket to go anywhere in the world, but you can only stay there for 24 hours.  Where are you going?  The Wadi Hitan desert in Egypt to see the whale fossils.
18. What is your favorite TV series, past or present?  The first season of The O.C. was pretty spectacular.  Hell, the second wasn’t too shabby either.
    
19. When did you first feel like a runner? When my more athletic cousins started asking me questions about the races I was training for.  I felt like I really made it when I crossed the finish line of the Monster Dash Half a month after the Twin Cities Marathon with a sub-2:00 PR.  I think of that as Coronation Day.
    
20. What is the last thing that you splurged on?  Lilly Pulitzer clobber.  Resort wear is Our Anthem.
21. Night owl or early bird?  Early bird.  It’s not even a competition.
22. What is one thing that you wished you would have learned to do?  Play the piano.  I like to think that it’s something I’ll learn once we have kids that are also playing the piano.

And now…The questions I would like to have answered…

1. Are you a shoe person or a purse person?
2. What’s your favorite scent?
3. Cloth napkins or paper towels?
4. Your house is burning down.  What three non-living things do you grab and why?
5. Would you ever admit to having road rage?
6. Have you ever purchased something off of Etsy?  If so, what?  And was it fabulous?  Or was it a Regretsy?
7. If you could take one news station off of the air, what would it be?
8. How would you rate yourself on a scale of one to crafty?  We assume that rickrack is somewhere in the middle.
9. What’s your standard drink order at a restaurant?
10. Share your definition of the perfect home-cooked meal.  Bonus points if you share recipes too.
11. Plaid: Do you wear it ironically, because it’s comfortable or never?

Last but not least, the 11 people I am tagging!

Foodalyst

Twelve in Twelve

Lauren Chelcie

Sunny Side Up

I Read It In A Book Somewhere

Comfortably Domestic

These Are a Few of my Favorite Things

Climbing Grier Mountain

Minne-Makeover

The Skinny Chronicles

In Need of a Compass

And finally, the most important question of all: Chocolate, Vanilla or Twist?

So we begin.

1. I am CRAVING sweet potatoes and citrus fruit.  First it was blood oranges and now it’s grapefruits.  Despite my fear of biting into something overly-tart, I’ve found that they’re actually sweet enough without any sugar sprinkled on top.  Which either means that I need more Vitamin C and Fiber or the light is changing.  I’m choosing to believe that it has to do with the light.

2. Last weekend at Winterfest, Kari taught me this elaborate new way to wrap my pashmina.

It looks quite lovely without involving any fear of strangulation.  Don’t lie, we’ve all been there.  I’ve also witnessed it done with a two-color scarf and the effect was quite pleasing.  I like to think that it gives the effect that I’m trying.  I’ll be keeping this one in my rotation forever, probably.

Apparently this thing is all over The Pinterest (which we all know I do not do), so if you’ve seen it somewhere else on The Internets that actually shares how to tie the damn thing, please do the rest of the group a favor and share it in the comments.

3. I was digging through the baking section of Veganomicon and found a recipe for Chewy Chocolate-Raspberry Cookies that is calling my name.  Yes, we’re taking a foray into Vegan baking.  And why? Because I love the combination of chocolate and raspberry (it is my all-time favorite) and it doesn’t involve substitutions for things like milk, eggs, or butter.  They just aren’t part of The equation.

4. I got an award last week at our company party, and today one of my co-workers gave me an excessively nice (and extremely lengthy) compliment in front of our boss.  It’s nice to know that people recognize what I do.

5. Still reading The China Study.  Still not giving up meat.  Still holding firm on drastically reducing the amount of it in our diet.

6. Valentine’s Day.  It’s coming.  And for us, it’s a two-day celebration.  This weekend we’ll be dive bar dating.  The rules for this go-round being: The establishment must have a “chalkboard” AKA wall-mounted menu AND/OR we have to have a really good coupon or gift certificate to use there.

On actual Valentine’s Day, I’ll be cooking for Marcus (translation: we’ll be doing what we always do).  But since it’s a holiday, we’ll make something fun/special/bizarrely time-intensive.  Considering how many ideas I have for two days of low-key celebration, I guess it’s good that we’re not limiting ourselves to one, right?

7. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reunion continues.  That it is a three-part extravaganza is something I’ll be forever-thankful for.  If you’re a fan and want to laugh so hard that you cry (seriously – I was literally in silent cubicle hysterics), check out these recaps from the VULTURE.

Yes, they’re absolutely worth reading from the very beginning.  And then you’ll wonder where they’ve been all your life.  You’re welcome.

Have you started making Valentine’s Day plans yet?

What are you craving right now?

Today?  #5 Run more.

Last year I raced three times.  Two races were planned, and one race was a last-minute decision.

I know that compared to Earth’s population, that’s a lot of racing.  But when I compare that number to other runners, it doesn’t seem like very much racing.

Actually?  It looks kind of skimpy.

I don’t regret holding back last year.  I was getting married and I wanted to focus very literally ALL of my efforts on training for my first marathon.  I would do it again that way in a heartbeat.

This year, I’m not training for my first marathon.  I’m not getting married.  It’s very simple: I want to race more.

To that end, I’m registered for two half-marathons and two-marathons.  Because I want to cross more finish lines and because I want to test the limits of what this body of mine can do.  I want to know exactly what is possible.  I want to know what I can write into my reality.

But it’s not just about the racing.  Running More has numbers to back it up.

In January, I logged 171 miles.

171 miles is absolutely insane when you take a moment to consider the fact that the highest mileage I’ve EVER logged in a month is 178.  That was last August, at the peak of my training, before the sturm und drang-situation with my right leg.

Only this time, I’m still up and running.

See also: Train to Minimize Injury

January’s miles have a lot to do with the fact that I made the decision to run on vacation.  That for a brief period of time, it looked like I would be going down to Texas at the end of March to run between17-25 miles in the Texas Independence Relay.  That I decided to take the first four weeks of my marathon training plan for a test-run before I actually have to start it For Real on February 13th.

I was sort-of training.

Did I mention that I’m still Run Streaking?  Because there’s that too.  I’ve run at least a mile every day since November 22nd.  No one is more surprised than I am that I’ve stuck with that one for as long as I have.

And, I’m running with people.  My friends know that I’m a notorious cat runner (solo artist).  I like being able to put on my shoes and just…go.  To walk out the front door and just go.

But I feel like if you don’t actually run with people, then you’re missing out on a huge part (and the part that many love the most!) of the running community.

So I’ve gone from running with no people at all to running with all of the people I can find.  I run with my Clinic Participants.  I run with my runner friends.  I run with complete strangers who show up at our Run Club meetings.

I would be lying if I said it wasn’t strange to make the transition from Ke$ha belting in my ear while I haul tail, to discussing waterskiing (which I know nothing about) and self-soothing newborns with a girl I had only met five minutes earlier.  Did I mention that I was desperately trying to keep up with her?  Because there was that too.

But that’s just part and parcel of the experience.

I think it’s safe to say that I am, in every sense of the word, running more.

Are you involved in any recreational sports/clubs?

Have you ever participated in a run streak?

Are you a cat runner or a dog runner?

How out of the ordinary, I know.

But that’s all I really wanted on my schedule, and that’s all I really thought I was in the mood to handle.

If the answer to a week of vacation is a manic, seven-day race to the bottom, then I thought that I owed it to myself to enjoy a day where I had literally no expectations for myself or the world.

So I ran.  With lots of people, actually.  Which was different since if I’ve run with others before it has been one other.  Not many others.  But that was good.  Because running with lots of people is an effective way to kill off whatever expectations you attempted to set for yourself.

As it turns out, expectations were exactly what I was trying to kill off.

After returning home to enjoy my favorite weekend ritual of a long, post-run shower with a deep conditioning treatment, homegirl needed to eat.

Where eating at home is concerned, Sunday lunch is ALWAYS a challenge in our house.

Usually we’ve managed to eat all of our leftovers, and I haven’t started cooking anything for the new week.  Like, say, dinner.  Some days we’re in the mood to forage (he usually ends up eating soup, I usually end up eating a second breakfast) and other days, it’s just easier/more relaxing to grab something.

Because some days you just don’t want to be The Decider.

Today, the fridge was empty and I had a non-specific craving for…food.  So after I downed a grapefruit (this has replaced Blood Oranges as my latest love), I suggested that we head out to the Midtown Global Market.

It’s a favorite weekend lunch spot because we can eat in the same place without having to commit to eating the same thing.  Today was no different.

We found a Camel Burger for him.

Do you love the plating?  Because I almost died of laughter when he lifted up the top of the bun like so.  For the record, it was meant to showcase the surprise slice of pineapple within.

And a plate of tacos for her.

They were disappointing shadows of the glory we tasted out in California.  Not that I was really surprised by that.

What is love?  Ordering the combination platter so that your husband can eat your rice and beans instead of the crappy fries that came with his sandwich.

Once we got back home, the rest of the day was dedicated to drinking tea, reading The China Study and watching Valentine’s Day.  And Marcus headed off to a Superbowl Party on the other side of the city.

Yes, I realize that of all of the things in the world I could have picked to entertain myself with, I chose two things that rest at polar-opposite ends of the scale.

Who says you have to choose between Hollywood and legitimate research?

To that end, I’m comfortable saying that even though Valentine’s Day is ridiculously cheesy, it might be one of my favorite chick flicks.  No, I don’t have a favorite part.  But I think they did an 11/10 job of creating loveable characters.

On the other hand, The China Study is mind-blowing (in a preach it to the choir-sort of way) and will probably get a post all its own when I’m done with it.  I’m so glad I finally got it from the Library.  I can’t even remember when I put my name on the Holds List for it, to be totally honest.

Football was just not part of the Superbowl Sunday equation for me this year.

What’s one cheesy movie you’re embarrassed to admit you love?

How often do you look at your refrigerator and find that there’s tons of food in there but nothing “to eat?”

Have you ever eaten Camel?  What’s the most exotic meat you’ve tried?

I’m praying desperately that when I wake up tomorrow morning, that choking haze will have lifted. 

That I will feel renewed.  Life will have a semblance of order. That I will once again have a sliver of control.

What do you do to be gentle to yourself?

Absolutely not.

Sunday – Vegetable Curry with Roasted Broccoli and Trader Joe’s Garlic Naan

Things I needed when I got home: Spicy Food, Vegetables, Things That Would Ward-Off Post-Vacation Illness.

Translation: Anything involving a vegetarian base and the following cast of characters: Garlic, Tumeric, Ginger, Cayenne.

That we got to use our chutneys and break out the naan was just a wonderful little side-perk.

The best part?  I finally posted a recipe for this!

Monday – Simple, Perfect Chili from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Has anyone else noticed that half of the recipes in this cookbook include the name “Simple” or “Perfect?”  So it only makes sense that this chili is both Simple and Perfect.

Whenever we make this, we add in the kidney and pinto beans that Ree suggests along with that can of tomatoes with diced chiles.  It adds cheap (tasty!) bulk and the tomatoes give the whole thing a little more moisture.

Even though this recipe calls for two pounds of ground beef, we substitute one pound of ground turkey so that we can enjoy all of the fixins that come with the operation.  Mostly because I can’t fathom eating a bowl of chili without cheddar cheese and sour cream dancing on top.  And also because between the addition of the beans (hooray protein!), cutting the meat in half and lightening it up a bit drastically lowers the caloric punch.

And, Marcus will tell you with a clear heart that the turkey version does not taste any different from the beef.  He does not mourn the missing pound of meat that just isn’t there.  There’s a beast of a seasoning/sauce base in there.

If you don’t have a go-to chili recipe yet, this should really, really be it.

Tuesday – Melissa D’Arabian’s Easy Chicken Curry with Vegetables

After discovering it in the grocery store last year, we’ve been hoarding these tiny cans of red curry paste like they’re going out of style.  I don’t know about you, but the only other choice at our local market is an extremely overpriced THAI-brand jar that looks like it only has one or two meals in it.  So I feel much less guilty cracking open a mini-tin and using it all when they’re less than $1 a pop.

This could best be described as Clear Your Sinuses-spicy, but that’s kind of been the point of this week.  But it was fun and different because we never make red curry.  And coconut milk is at best an occasional interloper in our kitchen.

Modifications: We used two onions instead of one (they were tiny!) and tossed in the last bell pepper from our three pack.  Since Trader Joe’s only ever sells reduced-fat coconut milk, we use that instead of the big guns.  Just for kicks, I used one of our cans of stewed tomatoes  instead of the regular diced.

Next time?  I would steam the broccoli and serve the broccoli on the side, because simmering overcooks it and suddenly it’s retaining prolific amounts of molten-hot sauce.  Scalding your mouth = not so fun.

IMPORTANT: This curry makes a TON of food for two people.  Like it was easily a dinner and two lunches (for each person).  So make it for a week when you’re planning on being busy!

Are you a spicy person?  A savory person?

What’s your favorite comfort food?