Vegetable-alohic

Good morning! I hope you had a wonderful weekend.

I defnitely did, even though I skipped out on some runs.

Friday was one of those work days where you leave thinking, "I need a drink!"  But instead of hitting up happy hour, I hit up the CrossFit box and gave this WOD a shot.  Holy quadraceps! I didn't even finish the wall balls (I got to 145). 

Being the happening, 20-something single socialite that I am, I went to bed at 9:30.

Saturday morning, my alarm went off at 4:45 because I was supposed to get up for a 6 mile run and had to be at my sister's house at 7:30 to head to the lake.  Snooze was hit repeatedly until 6:00, then I foam rolled and stretched my very, very sore quads, calling that my workout of the day.

We spent the day at the lake enjoying the sunshine and doing a little fishing.  The wharf/lake front is down a hill and everytime I went up or down, my quads burned!  I was hoping the hill would work out the soreness, but come Sunday, DOMS was still hanging out.

This is actually an old picture of Lola at the lake.  I failed at taking any pics this weekend.

My fridge was missing anything green, so after sleeping late and more torture foam rolling Sunday morning, I went shopping for a birthday gift, a baby gift, and groceries.  (I swear they make cuter little girl clothes than adult clothes.  I saw about 5 toddler dresses and thought, "That would be the perfect Easter dress....for me!") 

The weather was warm and nice, so my best friend and her 3 week old baby (my godchild!) came over for a late afternoon walk with me and Lola. We covered about 2 miles, chatting the whole time.

I still planned on a 6 miler, but realized it was already 6:00 PM (The time change is wonderful, but manipulative.) and I hadn't cooked dinner!  A pork roast had been defrosted and I knew it would take at least 2 hours to cook, so my run was canceled.  Along with the pork roast, I oven roasted cabbage slices (inspired by this recipe).  This meal was epic.  Probably the best thing I have ever cooked in my entire life.  

source - See those little crispy bits? They are the best part!

I was starving (it was after 8:00).  The pork wasn't cooked through yet, but the cabbage was done.  So, I fixed myself a little cabbage as an appetizer.  Then, I went back for more. (I've professed my love of cabbage before.) The pork was finally cooked, so I cut it up, added more cabbage to my bowl and topped it with some pork.  Next thing I knew, the entire head of cabbage was gone!  I ate it all. An entire head of cabbage into my belly in less than an hour.

Asparagus last week, now cabbage?!?  I'm out of control. I need to go to Vegetable Addiction Anonymous. Seriously.


What did you cook/eat/do this weekend?  Please, ease my mind and tell me you over indulged in something and also that you skipped your runs!

I'm a Little Worried

Tomorrow is the most important eating day of the year...

and I don't know if I'll be able to lift a fork.

My chest, shoulders, and arms are already sore from the 135 push ups completed during last night's CrossFit WOD.  (I finished exactly 9 rounds with a 14# wall ball and "girl" push ups.  I ambitiously started with "real" push ups, and modified after 2 very taxing rounds.)

I think this was the coaches' diabolical plan to keep me from eating too much pie.

What the Weekend Taught Me

- Boxes bite.  Okay, I already knew this, but I was rudely reminded Tuesday.  As the weekend progressed, so did my heinous bruises.

- 300 squats on Friday + 8 mile run on Sunday=misery

Saturday morning I was super sore, so I decided to put off my run until Sunday.  Stupid move...I know that DOMS gets worse from hours 24 to 48, and should have considered that fact. 




- Even though one day you can run 10 miles easily, it doesn't mean 8 miles will necessarily be easy.

Worst.8 miles.ever.  I'm going to blame the sudden onset of humidity, the crap I ate on Saturday, and Friday's evil CrossFit WOD that left my quads useless.

I kept telling myself that come race day, it may be hot, I may feel like crap, and it may not be a good run.  I have to train through the agony, because it will make me that much more prepared.




- Ice baths are marvelous and unpleasant.

my ice bath buddy, hot apple cider in my mug Alli gave me

I was so desperate for relief after my atrocious run, that I resorted to an ice bath.  Those of you who know me know this is huge because I absolutely hate being cold.  But desperate times call for desperate measures. 

Miraculous.  Words cannot describe how much better I felt.  I think it will be a new post long run ritual. 




- Crepe myrtles come in yellow.

A house along my running route had two in their front yard.  The blooms were bright yellow and beautiful.  I attempted to find an internet picture to share with y'all, but I can't find one!  Trust me.  They exist and they are gorgeous.




-  Camellias are blooming and I am obsessed with them.  Again, not so much something I learned this weekend, but something I was reminded.

source

source

These pictures do not even begin to do justice to the lush, beautiful camellias I saw during my run.

They are big, feminine, and southern, three qualities I value most when it comes to flowers. 

My favorite flowers are as follows: 1. magnolias (of course!) 2. hydrangeas 3. peonies 4. camellias.



-Starbucks now has a skinny peppermint mocha!

I discovered this exciting news via Katie's blog.  The low here is 37 Wednesday, so it will be the perfect day to try out this new hot drink of holiday cheer.



-Google has a blog search. 

I want to find the most random search that leads to my blog.  Which reminds me,



- Someone searched "drink cocktail" in google and my blog came up. 



This is what I saw in my stats section. 


I feel a little like a lush.  Maybe it was this, this, this, and this.  Maybe I am a little of a lush.



-Just because you gain an hour of sleep, doesn't mean you are fully rested. 

I took 2 naps Sunday, then went to bed at 9:30 PM.  My eyes just wouldn't stay open.



- Eating my favorite meal of pot roasted ducks with rice & gravy and Blue Bell for dessert never gets old.

I had it twice on Sunday.  I guess everyone is trying to make room in the freezer for all the ducks that are going to be shot next weekend when season opens back up.

First, lunch at my parent's house, with pumpkin pecan pie Bluebell (holy yum!)

Then, dinner at my house, prepared by my roommate/landlord Jeff, with homemade vanilla Bluebell sprinkled with peanut butter m&m's.

Even though I told myself, "no more sweets" after lunch, when I arrived home and saw Jeff bought a half gallon of Blue Bell, I couldn't ruin this day of food perfection.


What did you learn this weekend?

Do the Clearance Cauliflower Mash

I am sad to report that the DOMS has worsened.   Every move I make is painful. :(

No long walk yesterday and no run today. 

I did walk all the way to our tailgate from my car, even after a friend with a parking pass offered to pick me up. :)  Then I proceeded to sit on my butt for the next 4 hours, eating jambalaya.

It has been a very lazy weekend.

However, I finally used those clearance cauliflower I bought!

I decided to roast them, then I used the yellow ones to make

Roasted Garlic & Cauliflower Mash

ingredients:
-1 head of cauliflower (I roasted 2 heads because that is how much I bought on sale -2 is better than 1- but I only used one for the mash.)
-1 garlic pod
-non stick cooking spray
-salt & pepper to taste
-1/4 cup milk (I used almond milk)
-1/4 cup chicken stock

directions:

- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

- Chop cauliflower into florets and wash.

- Coat cauliflower florets in non stick cooking spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper.




Coincidence that it was game day and my cauliflower were purple & gold?!  I think not.


- Coat a baking pan in non stick cooking spray and spread the cauliflower florets evenly in the pan.

- Cut the top off of the garlic pod, spray with non stick cooking spray, and place in the middle of the cauliflower.

- Place in preheated oven for 40 minutes, stirring after 20 minutes.

- Remove from oven and place cauliflower in a big bowl.  Add milk, chicken stock, and 2 of the cloves of roasted garlic.

- Blend with immersion blender until smooth or the consistency of mashed potatoes. (If you don't have an immersion blender, you could use a food processor)

- Serve as you would mashed potatoes. 

I had leftover turkey, peppers, and mushrooms from a taco salad I made the night before, so I ate it over the cauliflower.  I added fat free sour cream, salsa, and jalepeno peppers.  Yum!

BTW, triple victory in the football department.  McNeese, LSU, and the Saints won!  It's a great weekend to be from southwest Louisiana!

I know some football obsessed folks whose wives would get a laugh out of this someecard.  All teams excelled this weekend, so prayers answered! 

Did you have a lazy weekend or were you productive?
Did your team win?

DOM-DOM-DOM-DOM----DOMS!

(The title for this post is meant to be sung in the TUMS theme song melody.)

This is a new term to me.  I have experinced sore muscles throughout my life but until recently, I had never known it had a scientific term - Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.

DOMS has paid me a visit this morning.  He is an unwelcome guest. 

Yesterday afternoon, I did this WOD at CrossFit.  It was one of those that doesn't look that bad on paper, but by my last round, I could barely pick up my legs to run. 

Last night, when I was walking like a cowboy who had been on a horse for 4 days, I knew DOMS would be dropping by this morning. 

I literally had to pick up my leg with my hands to get out of bed.  And it has only been 12 hours since my workout, so I know it will only get worse.

Being the science nerd that I am, I googled DOMS to learn about the physiology. (Physiology was my favorite college class EVER.) 

I found this article very intereseting, regarding the theories of the cause of DOMS.  I was taught in high school biology that muscle soreness was due to lactic acid build up, but now it is more widely accepted that muscle soreness is due to microscopic muscle tears.

All the articles I read agreed that DOMS' effects are minimized by stretching and more exercise with the affected muscle groups.

For me, that means foam rolling and a long walk with Lola.  Hopefully, my unwanted guest will leave sooner rather than later.

Are you ready for some football?

It's Saturday, which means college football!!!

It is beautiful outside and I can't wait to head out to Cowboy Stadium to do some tailgating.  As y'all know, I missed tailgating for the first homegame, but I will make up for it this week!


Go Pokes!!!

Go Tigers!

How are you spending your Saturday?