Longest. Run. Ever.

I spent all day running around yesterday (literally) and was too pooped to blog last night. I got up early (for a Saturday) and went for a run. First I had a big ole Green Monster, of course. I added a tablespoon of hemp protein powder to this for a little extra boost.

I planned on doing a longer run today - I really wanted to up my mileage to prepare for my 8 mile race in July. I used MapMyRun.com to chart out a 6 mile loop around the river, that included running over the BU bridge. I started the run strong, and used my Run Keeper program to keep track of my mileage. But maybe because it was cloudy, it wasn't working properly. Then I got to the BU bridge and couldn't figure out how to get over it to run to the Cambridge side. So, I ended up sort of guessing on the mileage I was running. An hour and a half later, I was back to my apartment and my Run Keeper said I had only run 5.5 miles. I was keeping a pretty steady pace the whole time, so I knew that couldn't be right. I can walk faster than that. So, I mapped out the loop I had taken on Map My Run - and saw that I had run 8 miles! I couldn't believe it! I had no idea I could run that far, and I felt pretty good the whole time. This was a big confidence boost for me. Now I know I can do the race, and I can start focusing on increasing my speed.

Of course I was pretty hungry after this run, so I made myself our usual Saturday morning breakfast - pancakes! I made these super healthy.

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes

serves 2
½ cup oats
½ cup milk
½ cup whole-wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp toasted wheat germ

1 Tbsp hemp protein powder

½ tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
pinch of salt

1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 apple, grated
½ cup non-fat plain yogurt
1 egg white

• Soak oats in 1/2 cup milk 10 minutes.  Add grated apple.
  
• Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, wheat germ, protein powder, and salt in a large bowl.
• Stir egg, brown sugar, yogurt, and oat mixture into dry ingredients until just combined.
• Heat a griddle over medium heat until hot and lightly brush with oil. Working in batches, pour 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto griddle and cook until bubbles appear on surface and undersides are golden-brown, about 1 minute. Flip with a spatula and cook other side, about 1 minute more. (Lightly oil griddle between batches.)

I topped these with vanilla spice butter and maple syrup. Derek was out at his parent's today, so I had some extra batter after making 2 pancakes for myself. Instead of saving the batter for more pancakes, I decided to make muffins out of them.

I poured the batter into 3 muffin cups, and baked them in a 350º oven for about 20 minutes.

I saved them for breakfast this morning. After this late brunch, I worked on putting my closet back together. We had some plumbing work done this week that required us to empty out both our closets. It ended up being a good opportunity to re-organize and pack away my winter clothes. Then I headed out to shop for Mother's Day gifts and get myself some lunch. To reward myself for the long run, I got a special lunch from Flour Bakery.

Can you see me taking the picture in the window? Flour is one of the best bakeries in the city. They make amazing sandwiches and even more amazing desserts. I used to work right down the street, and would get lunch there all the time. I haven't been there in forever! I picked up my favorite sandwich and a special dessert and brought it back to the patio.

I enjoyed them while reading the new Food & Wine. The sandwich was a portobello, pesto, mozzarella, and tomato melt. Crisp, and gooey, and delicious. For dessert I had a chocolate chip macaroon.

Check out the chunks of dark chocolate! Amazing. I'd happily run 8 miles for one of these everyday. After lunch, I headed back out for more Mother's Day shopping and grocery shopping. Here are my supplies for the week.

I bought my grandmother some books, and of course I can't get out of Barnes & Noble without browsing the cookbook aisle. I came home with two vegan cookbooks.

Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan has been often mentioned by Jenna at Eat Live Run. And Babycakes is all vegan, gluten-free, and mostly sugar-free desserts. I can't wait to start using these!

After packing all the groceries away, I started my weekend cooking ritual. I was in charge of dessert for Mother's Day, and wanted to make something tasty and healthy, since both my mother and grandmother love desserts but try not to eat too much of them. I had another dessert in mind yesterday, but while cruising blogs found a lovely Yogurt Tart recipe on 101 Cookbooks.

Today I'm going to top it with blueberries and blackberries - stay tuned!

I also washed and chopped this big bunch of kale for a week of Green Monsters.

And I made a batch of sundried tomato hummus to use in wraps for lunches.

Sundried Tomato Hummus

1 14 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 clove garlic

juice of 1 lemon

3 Tbsp sesame tahini

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

2 Tbsp EVOO

1 cup sundried tomatoes (I used dried and soaked them in boiling water, but you can use oil-packed)

• Combine chickpeas, garlic, lemon, tahini, cumin, and red pepper in food processor and process until pureed and well combined.
• Slowly pour in EVOO
• Add tomatoes and pulse until combined, with some tomatoes still in chunks

I taste tested the hummus with some of these chips I bought at the store.  I was obviously hungry when I was shopping or else I never would have bought these!  

But they were really tasty, and I can pronounce everything in the ingredients list, so I don't feel too bad about them. Then, finally, I got around to making dinner. I cooked these Seared Scallops with Bok Choy and made fried rice with some cooked brown rice I had in the fridge. I fried the rice in a little EVOO, then added chopped green onions, toasted almonds, and 1 beaten egg.
For dessert I finished off the last of the frozen banana pudding.

For the first time in 6 days, I did not have a Green Monster this morning. So I had to get my kale in somehow! I added it to scrambled eggs, along with some halved grape tomatoes.

With one of the pancake muffins on the side. It was good - it tasted like pancakes!

Now I'm out at my parent's house, preparing to help my dad cook a big dinner. I just had a yogurt bowl for lunch.

Yogurt with blueberries, strawberries, banana, and some Great Grains cereal. Mother's Day feast coming soon!