Wednesday, January 4, 2012

My Quads Need A Sedative

I am not sure why, but my run on Monday has made me very sore.  Perhaps it was the wind, or just the added distance running outside, but I have run over 5 miles before on the treadmill and do not remember being hobbled.

Having to wear high heel shoes to work doesn't help.  I could barely walk out of the gym today, make the 20 feet trek to my office, and throw myself in my chair.  I thought someone would find me, laying in the parking lot, hugging my gym bag and whimpering.

We were supposed to do bootcamp this morning, which is a torturous 45 minutes cardio/ab thing Heather designed to break up the monotony of circuit....but no one showed up so I just ran on the treadmill.  Did I say this the other day?  Who knows.  I find the lack of the soda hooch is sucking my brain power...but the number one reason running outside is better than running on the treadmill?  You can't just stop when you are running outside.  I mean you can STOP, but you have to run back...or else make a phone call for a pick up.  But when you run outside, you have to run back.  On the treadmill, when you want to quit...you can just hop off.

So I did.  After 36 minutes and 2.72 miles.  Damn...I should have just made it to 3 miles.  But I did burn 400 calories.  So score! 

Tonight for dinner I will be trying a new vegetable called brussels sprouts.  I am scared.  They look very vegetable like.  But last year I fell in love with broccoli, so anything is possible.  I believe I will roast them the oven with salt, pepper, and olive oil.  Any suggestions are welcome.  Remember, the goal is to get me to like them.

Happy Wednesday my friends!  Go forth and conquer!

12 comments:

  1. Running outside sucks... I can run 8.5k on the treadmill, but last time I tried outside 3k I ended up not being able to walk for two days afterwards (I did my back in, or out...) My knowledgeable running workmates tell me that it's the impact on the sidewalk/track which makes it so much more damaging to the body then treadmill. I'm sure they know, they run marathons, frequently... Silly buggers.

    On the Brussels sprout question: did you know you are only allowed to live in England if you confess your love towards the green little devils? So I live here on account of my husband being English (and a Brussels sprout fan), as I cannot stand the smell of it! Honestly: on your way home get to the greengrocer and buy some other veg - these are AWFUL! They smell like dirty socks when you cook them. Roasting them might make them better, but my hubby only likes them boiled in salted water within an inch of their lives, and that is NOT appetising... So consider yourself warned! But good luck as well - you might find a way to cook them decently and come up with an enjoyable way to have them... I would definitely pre-boil them before roasting, and consider adding some salty bits like crispy bacon bits... Oh, and you supposed to cut little crosses on the stalks so they cook/roast evenly.
    (I might be beheaded here, if you have many other followers from across the Pond... they all LOVE bs here... they would go to war for them!)

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  2. My husband said he hated them. I made them anyway, 'cause that's how I roll and he sucked it up and admitted that he really liked them. Here's the recipe I use:

    Brussels sprouts
    Garlic powder (optional)
    Sea Salt
    Olive oil

    Preheat oven to 400. Clean up Brussels. Cut off bottom and may not need anything else. Hopefully they are about the same size, larger ones cut in half. Put in big bowl. Sprinkle around 1 tbls of olive oil and shake them all around. Add more olive oil if needed to get a light coating. I used roughly 1 tsp salt, again sprinkle and mix. Throw on a foil lined sheet pan - use one with edges for shaking. Then sprinkle with garlic powder if you want. Throw in oven. Cook for about 40 mins shaking pan around every 15 or so. They should get brown on outside, yet be soft on inside (not squishy!). Best served hot, but they are super lava balls at first so be careful!

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  3. I saute in olive oil/butter with Tastefully Simple's Simply Salsa - mmmm. I rediscovered brussel sprouts about 3 months ago, they were delicious with a pork loin in the crockpot with sundried tomato vinegrette. Once we get daycare registration done, I'll be on the treadmill. once the weather breaks I'll be pushing the double stroller around the neighborhood and all its inclines :)

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  4. I can't stand Brussel Sprouts!! My mom made us eat them when we were growing up.. if you find a way to make them more palatable.. let me know!!

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  5. The look of those little boogers just terrifies me for some reason.

    Only way to shove them down my gullet is to smother them with a dump truck of velveeta. Because velveeta makes everything taste better. but that just goes straight to your ass. So really I have no advice for you. You're welcome.

    BTW, my running starts back up next week. Kinda dreading it. (A LOT!)

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  6. You make your workouts sound so traumatic. Definately think the outside with uneven ground, obsticles and the wind is harder. I did a cross country walk in the summer and tried to give up in the middle of a field. I stood there for 20 minutes before I realised I wasn't going to get home without at least walking to the next road. Then I managed another mile and a half back to the car.

    As for sprouts, cut them into quarters, par boil them and then saute them with some onion and lean bacon bits. Yummy. Krisz, have to agree that boiled to that extent is really foul. They are far better when they are still a little crunchy.

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  7. Alright - you have balls of steel. Brussel sprouts? I mean wow. Keep me posted.

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  8. Rachel Ray has a great recipe for brussel sprouts that I find pretty fool proof. Here's the link!

    http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/brussels-sprouts-with-bacon-recipe/index.html

    (i omit the bacon)

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  9. I love brussel sprouts, they are like little mini cabbage. I do agree with Laurabelle about the cheese addition but again that kind or ruins the point. I put them in the crock pot with my meat and let them stew away. My daughter hates them, she dislikes cabbage also (weirdo) except sauerkraut.

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  10. I'm late to the party but I LOVE brussels sprouts!!! They're one of my favorite foods. I can easily eat a big bowl of them as a snack while I watch TV. I usually make them one of two ways...for both, start by washing and cutting them in half. Then...

    Method 1: Preheat oven to 400. Dry sprouts VERY well. Toss with olive oil, garlic salt and pepper. Roast until brown and crunchy (nearly burned), stirring every 10 minutes or so. It will take about 40 minutes to come out perfect. They're crunchy, salty, almost nutty.

    Method 2: Steam in the microwave with a little water for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, saute 1/4 pound of pancetta (chopped), 1 leek (washed well and chopped, just the white and light green part - don't be intimidated if you've never cooked a leek, they're similar to onions but even better - or you could use a small onion), and 2 cloves of garlic, minced, in about a tablespoon of olive oil. Once the pancetta is cooked and the leek is soft, toss the brussels sprouts into the pan and saute until everything is cooked together, about 3 minutes.

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