February 01, 2012

Real Foods Challenge: Day 1

The verdict on the kale chips is.... gross. I liked the texture--super light and airy and crispy--but the taste was JUST like raw broccoli. I like raw broccoli when it's dipped in something fattening, but otherwise, I'm not a big fan. I'm willing to try kale in other ways, though--thanks for all the suggestions! I think I might like it better as a hot side dish (like broccoli).

The tea I bought, on the other hand, was amazing! I was kind of hoping I wouldn't like it, because it's super expensive. But I think I still like the Celestial Seasonings Sweet Coconut Thai better. I can't believe I didn't think to look online for it! I will be ordering some for sure.

This morning, I met Jessica at the YMCA parking lot so that we could run intervals and then she could go in and do her step class after. I actually really like doing intervals because of how fast the whole run goes by.  These are our 1/4 mile splits...
 On our "fast" parts, we were averaging an 8:57/mi pace--and it felt pretty HARD. I just kept thinking about how I ran a 10k race in October at an 8:50/mi pace, and I don't know how I managed to do it! I honestly don't care much about my pace (especially for the marathon); but it's kind of frustrating that I seem to be getting slower rather than faster. My next run is a 4-miler on Friday.

After our run, I hurried home to shower and get Eli (Jerry was home with him) and take Eli to the doctor. The doctor drew blood again and said that the flu is still prevalent. Eli was coughing this morning when he woke up, but he actually started walking a little last night. The doctor said the earliest he'll be able to go back to school is Tuesday, and that's only if everything goes well from here on out.

My "real foods" challenge started today, and it went very well (so far, anyway). Here is my food log:

Breakfast-- oats cooked in milk with dates, walnuts, and pure maple syrup
Lunch-- salad with chicken breast, homemade balsamic vinaigrette, walnuts, and avocado
Dinner-- homemade fried brown rice with tons of veggies and scrambled egg

Snacks-- pistachios, kale chips (just a couple), tea, air-popped popcorn, fudge (just combine cocoa powder, honey, a little water, and vanilla extract and form a "dough" with it)

So far, I haven't noticed a change mentally or physically--but I didn't really expect to notice a difference this quickly. I feel kind of anxious and crabby right now, probably from not having any sugar today (I haven't had the fudge yet, but I'm going to make it soon).

Oh! I was a little surprised and excited to see this when I logged into Blogger today...
Sometime this morning, my blog reached a million pageviews. That blows my mind!! I wish I had seen that coming, because I feel like I should have planned a giveaway or something fun to celebrate.



Some of you have seen this on Facebook already, but I registered for the Tennessee Ragnar Relay in November of this year!  I'm a little nervous, because I don't know the team at ALL--Jessica was invited to join the team by her friend, and she asked if I could do it too. So Jessica is the only person I know on the team. But that's actually part of what is so FUN about a Ragnar--you get to meet some really cool people, and get to know them pretty well after spending 30ish hours in a van together :)


33 comments:

  1. That fried rice looks delicious! Do you have a special recipe you use, and would you be willing to share it? :)

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  2. Of course! The recipe can be found here: http://runsforcookiesrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/08/vegetarian-fried-rice.html

    Today I also added shredded cabbage and bean sprouts to it. So good!

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    Replies
    1. Could you use quinoa instead of the brown rice? I bought some to try and haven't known what to do with it...lol.

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    2. I use quinoa in place of brown rice all the time! It's a little more delicate, so it may turn a little mushy when you mix it in with the veggies--but let me know how it works if you try it.

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  3. Awesome on the Ragnar, I think I'd like to do it one year, lived here my whole life never knew about it! But the $$ and the needing a huge team is a problem for me.. Maybe next year.

    -Beverlee

    Also, thanks for the Kale chip thing, I like Kale in my smoothie and raw, but if it taste like broccoli in a chip.. I'm not gonna try it, thanks for sparing me the pain lol.

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    Replies
    1. I also love Kale in smoothies. My favorite is kale, pear, and raspberries.

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    2. There are always teams looking for people! I think there is even a spot on Facebook dedicated to that purpose. So if you're feeling brave and want to do the race with a bunch of strangers, that's always an option :)

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  4. I moved from Livonia to the Netherlands.. never heard of Kale until I moved here. Now we eat it all the time in a dish called Boerenkool stampot. It's basically mashed Potatoes and Kale.. and it's served with a sausage and cocktail onions! Sounds kind of weird.. but it's so good.

    http://www.food.com/recipe/boerenkool-stamppot-kale-hash-33269

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  5. Do you have a recipe for your fudge? It sounds really easy & yummy!

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  6. wow, over a million! Amazing!

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  7. Oh yes, I'm going to try that fudge. Sounds delicious! Not so sure about kale though! I've never tried it and I'm such a little kid about trying new veggies... haha! Great job signing up for the Ragnar, hope it's fun and you make new friends! :D

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  8. LoveAnAnimalFebruary 01, 2012

    Congrats on registering for the Tennessee Ragnar Relay! That's really cool! And glad that Eli is showing some improvement. Poor little fella.

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  9. Wow a million views!! Congratulations! Where did you buy that tea? I'd really like to try it! Also, did you even find a use for that stevia fiberblend stuff?

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    Replies
    1. I just bought it at Kroger in the health food section. I'm clueless as to what to do with the stevia stuff! I use the liquid drops or packets in my tea, but the rest of it? I guess I'll need to go through all the recipes they sent me!

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    2. I know me too, there are just so many recipes haha! I love the liquid stevia, I put it in my iced coffee :)

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  10. Do you have a recipe for the fried rice? It looks absolutely delicious!

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  11. I'd love to know the Recipe for the fudge :) I love fudge and totally miss it! Since the one my grandmother makes is FULL Of sugar lol

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  12. Hey! I live in TN! Whereabouts is the Ragnar Relay? Will you be near Nashville?? I'd LOVE to meet you!!

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    Replies
    1. The after-party is in Nashville, and I'd love to meet up! :)

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  13. Congratulations on reaching over one million views!!! Just a suggestion since you seemed a little bummed that you didn't plan something for it, like a giveaway, you could do that when you reach 1,000 followers! I don't think it'll be too long before that happens. : ) Have a good day...I bet your enjoying this unseasonably warm weather we've been having.

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  14. I believe my nephew did the ragner last year- Enjoy!

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  15. I second you on the kale chips! Blech! BUT....sauteed in a pan with a little olive oil, garlic and onion! Yummo!

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  16. CONGRATULATIONS!! That's amazing! I'm right on your tail- NOT! Maybe you can write a post about what a Ragnar Relay entails- commitment, funds, planning. You know, in case any of us are thinking about it, like Shannon.

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  17. TENNESSEE!!! That's my home Katie! You have to tell me when the race is and where so I can cheer you on. I'm thrilled to know you will be coming to my part of the country. YAY!!!

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  18. As for the kale chips the recipe I found called for light EVOO and salt. I followed it and they were so salty gross. The second batch I did EVOO only and no salt and I baked them a little longer until the edges turned a little brown and they were crisp and just had a spinach flavor. I think kale has a little bit of a bitter taste but the chips were really good. Also I stored them in Tupperware...BAD mistake they got soggy. I like kale cooked on the stove top with onions, pepper, and a little red wine vinegar. So good.

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  19. Congrats on the million page views. Isn't that amazing? Here you started this little blog and now it's been viewed 1,000,000 times! You deserve to be very proud.

    Glad to hear Eli is improving, sounds like it's slow going though. Hope the rest of you don't catch it--sounds like a mean virus and if it takes a young one that long to get over it, it would take an adult twice that long.

    I tried Kale chips a year or so ago and hated them. I don't remember the stink as they were cooking, but I've probably just forgotten. (I forget a lot of stuff anymore!) But I do remember not liking the taste. Hard to find a substitute for one of those fattening Dorito or potato chips, isn't it? I don't know about you, but carrots and celery just aren't quite the same. LOVE my chips!

    That rice you made looks delicious. Now I know what we're going to have for at least one meal this weekend--fried rice! YUM! I might add some chicken to mine. I'm going to be so interested to hear what this natural food diet does to your weight. I know you're not supposed to lose any more, but it sure seems like you would.

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  20. I think I am probably 1% of your million, no lie.

    I got so excited about kale chips last night that I made them and they were utterly disgusting. My house smelled like a giant fart for an hour and they tasted terrible. It is very likely that it was my lack of culinary skills that made them bad but I probably won't even try them again.

    We had swine flu a few years ago and it was a long recovery. Hope you guys bounce back quickly!

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  21. Your homemade fried rice recipe looks yummy! Do you have the recipe posted on your recipe site?

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  22. Sorry your son is still not feeling well. Hoping he is feeling better soon!

    About the fudge.... Katie, you know we need specifics. You can't come here and say things like, "A little of this and some of that..." We need details! SPECIFIC DETAILS! :)

    Kale chips...I love them and I do not eat broccoli in any form because of the smell and texture so I don't compare it to that at all. What I do is remove the leaves from the stem and tear into chip size pieces. Spread the kale in a flat layer onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spray lightly with olive oil flavored Pam. Sprinkle lightly with seasoned salt (I prefer Tastefully Simple's seasoned salt that store brands; the Tastefully Simple is a little more coarse than other brands.) Bake at 275 for 15-20 minutes. I let it get very crispy; just like a potato chip.

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  23. That brown rice looks delish, I love making fried rice. A million page views is crazy - you should get used to your own awesomeness. None of us are surprised any more, you're such an inspiration! :)

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  24. I bought silicone potato chip makers from Pampered Chef just before Christmas. I saw a similar product demonstrated on QVC by another manufacturer and was intrigued by it. You slice a potato or a sweet potato very thin (using a PC mandolin or another brand would do) and then microwave them for about 4 minutes. Sprinkle salt on them when they come out and they're supposedly delicious. I haven't used mine yet! Maybe I'll bring it with me on Superbowl Sunday and let you know how it is. That follows the clean eating plan!

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  25. Oh NO! I am sad you didn't like the kale chips since they're something I discovered in the past year and now LOVE. I make them in the oven (and have not noticed a bad smell!) at 375 for ~15 minutes. Prior to baking I toss them in a little olive oil and some seasoning - recently I've been using a paprika-like BBQ mix (which includes a little salt) from a local seasoning store!

    TRY TRY TRY AGAIN! Good luck ;)

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  26. Katie, I just wanted to say congratulations on reaching a million views! That is INCREDIBLE--but not really, because you're certainly a million times awesome. ;)

    I *heart* Runs for Cookies! :D

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I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)

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