kbecker57

Boston Marathon training – Week 4

Home sweet NY!

This post is a day late because yesterday was my annual Christmas cookie baking marathon! I know, I know…Christmas is over. But my baking buddy moved to Pennsylvania this year so this was the only time we were able to get together. I guess you could call them post-Christmas cookies. This year we baked a total of five batches (M&M x2, sugar, molasses, and oatmeal chocolate chip with pecans)…quite an accomplishment with my small oven and a 9-month old who desperately wanted to “help”. We did have the help of the Ninja this year, which was a reasonable substitute for the KitchenAid.

Santa’s on a boat!

Anyway…week 4 brings me to the end of the first month of training. Only four more months to go!

I woke up on Christmas morning with a cold. Merry Christmas to me! It’s been annoying, but luckily not enough to sideline me from training. It was a successful week, with a couple of runs at home in NY and a long run on the river on Saturday. I was bummed that I conveniently ended my run at Starbucks, but I arrived with a dead phone and no money so I had to leave empty-handed. I don’t understand how my phone battery goes from 80% to dead within 90 minutes! I am an obsessive app closer so the only thing that was running was Endomondo and music.

Total distance covered
18 miles

Donors of the week

More boats on the Charles

Julie Roper
Kimberly Glassman
Kate Kunstel
Stephanie Williamson
Heidi & Darren Marani
Betty & Murlin Lough

Goals for next (this) week
Say hello to 2014!

Visit my web site for more information or if you’d like to make a donation!

Boston Marathon training – Week 3

Boston Common Christmas tree

This week marked the first days of winter and the first of many double digit training runs. The balmy 50-degree weather in New York meant I was out for my long run in shorts and a t-shirt (it was orange, of course).

Faneuil Hall Christmas tree
Photo credit: Mimi Sun

Earlier in the week I braved a record-breaking snowstorm (6.4″ = most amount of snow to fall on December 17th in Boston) to join a Christmas tree run. The weather seemed to be a deterrent for many people, since more than 100 people signed up but only about 20 people showed up. The roads were slippery, but I was pretty proud of not wiping out. We managed to hit up three different Christmas trees – Copley Square, Boston Common, and Faneuil Hall. And we even witnessed a couple get engaged at the Faneuil Hall tree.

Total distance covered

19 miles

Donors of the week (so many generous donors this week)!

Treat Rinear

Muriel Gunthorpe

Lynn and Bob Mason

Kate and Pete Eliot

Amy Fitzgibbons and Dennis Kane

Jean and Rob Andreassen

Amber Hargett

Chris and Bob Cafarelli

The Wallace Family

Mr. Bill and Terri Harris

Erin and Jon Monson

Goals for next week

Enjoy the Christmas holiday with my family

Visit my web site for more information or if you’d like to make a donation!

December RC – Greek Corner

This month’s RC was hosted by a very special alum, Paetra, who was in town from Vegas! She wanted to hit up her favorite Greek restaurant, Greek Corner. I missed most of dinner, but met up with the girls toward the end of the meal. They were getting ready to leave, but were convinced to stay for another bottle of wine so that I could have a chicken gyro. It was either that or a big bowl of tzatziki!

Thanks to Claire for the photos! It looks like they had dolmathes yalantzi (grape leaves stuffed with rice, onions, pine nuts, herbs and spices), Greek salad, tzatziki, and avgolemono soup (egg-lemon soup with rice and chicken) to start the meal off right.

The entrees included lamb chops, beef kebab with shrimp, and chicken gyro. Everyone seemed full and happy by the time I arrived, which is always a good sign.

We definitely closed the restaurant…in a chairs already stacked on the tables kind of way. To maximize our Paetra time, we headed next door to the Joe Sent Me pub for a post-dinner drink.

Joe Sent Me

Thanks to Paetra for a fun night and a great restaurant pick. And so we say goodbye to another year of RC, which marks the end of our eighth (yes 8!!!) year. Amazing. Looking forward to kicking off 2014 with our newest member, Sonia Shah.

The damage
$40ish???

The rundown
Greek Corner
2366 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge

Peach blueberry smoothie

I needed something quick and easy (and easy on my GI tract) for a pre-run breakfast last weekend. Since I had yogurt and some frozen blueberries and peaches on hand, I decided to break out the trusty Ninja and make a smoothie. I can’t lie, the peaches were from my 2012 CSA and the blueberries had to be rescued from tons of ice (and a little bit of freezer burn)…but desperate times call for desperate measures, especially at 6 AM on a Saturday morning.

I am happy to report that the smoothie tasted great and it made me want to stock up on some non-freezer-burned fruits. I’m thinking pineapple and mango would be great. What are your favorite smoothie ingredients?

Single serve smoothie

Peach blueberry smoothie

Serves: 1

Ingredients

1/4 cup frozen blueberries

1 cup frozen peach slices (6 slices)

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 Tbsp peanut or almond butter

1 tsp honey

1/2 cup water (adjust to desired smoothie consistency)

Directions

Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Boston Marathon training – Week 2

Mid-week run in Ipswich

Another week in the books. We had our first snow of the season, though I got out of running in it times two.

Staying inside the Equinox for as long as possible

Saturday’s long run was my first with the team. I woke up to a 9-degree morning (brrrr!) so it was nice to have some camaraderie and motivation to get out there. It warmed up a *bit*, but the wind chill kept it below 10. It’s been awhile since I have been out in that kind of weather and had a hard time figuring out what to wear…settled on double layers, my warmest running shirt and my fleece-lined running jacket, which just happens to be orange (my team color). I debuted a new Run for Research hat (swag from the American Liver Foundation) and a new running belt I picked up at REI last weekend. I had gotten used to running with my phone, and am excited to be hands-free!

After the run, I got to enjoy some leftovers from earlier in the week: sweet potato chana masala. It was a warm, hearty, and yummy recovery meal. I got to be a bump on a log for a little bit (caught up on The Voice and Top Chef, wrapped some Christmas presents), then headed out to watch UNC beat Kentucky. Congrats to my Tar Heels!

I also discovered the Pocket yoga app ($2.99) which I have really enjoyed using on cross-training days.

Total distance covered

18 miles

Donors of the week!

Gina Colombo

Steve Paoletti

Regina Watkins

Goals for next week

Have fun on the Christmas tree run

Visit my web site for more information or if you’d like to make a donation!

Roasted sweet potato chana masala

Last Sunday I was out with a friend watching the Patriots play the Browns, and I “helped” her make a grocery list. She was planning to make this recipe and I decided to borrow that idea! While I got a great meal idea, we did leave the bar with about 2 minutes left in the game…and missed that crazy onside kick that led to the “W”.

I tripled the amount of sweet potatoes and decided to roast them instead of cooking them in the microwave. I also added some oil to facilitate the roasting and used 2% yogurt instead of the full fat stuff. The original recipe calls for “1 pint of crushed tomatoes”, which I didn’t realize and I used petite diced tomatoes instead…which seemed to work with the addition of a little water, which is noted in my version of the recipe below.

I was told that this recipe tastes even better the second day. Since I didn’t start cooking this until after dinner one night, I have no idea how it tasted on the first day. I can attest to its yumminess on day 2, especially with a side of garlic naan from Trader Joe’s.

Medium-sized?

Roasted sweet potato chana masala
Source: adapted from Food52
Serves: 4-5

Ingredients
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (3 cups)
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp butter or grapeseed oil
1 tsp coriander seed
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cardamom
1 1/2 tsp garam masala

The finished product

1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 serrano chile, seeded and minced (adjust to taste)
1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss diced sweet potato with olive oil and spread on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake about 15 minutes, tossing once about halfway through.

Dinner with a side of garlic naan

2. Heat the butter in a large stockpot or saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until soft.

3. Add the coriander, cumin, cardamom, garam masala, and ginger and toast in the butter and onions for 1-2 minutes. Add the serrano chile and cook for 2 minutes.

4. Add the garbanzo beans, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes.

5. Stir in the yogurt and cilantro and cook, uncovered, for 5 more minutes, or until hot.

Meatloaf

I recently had a little craving for meatloaf…and I found this recipe for “classic meatloaf” in an old Everyday Food. While I had the oven on, I roasted up the last of my CSA potatoes, carrots, and turnips. It made perfect little lunches for the week, though I ran out of veggies before I finished the meatloaf.

Lunch box

The original recipe, for “classic meatloaf”, called for white bread (to make fresh bread crumbs) and milk. I decided to take the easy way out and used dried bread crumbs instead. I also used ground turkey instead of ground pork.

Meatloaf prep

Meatloaf
Source: Everyday Food, October 2007
Serves: 6

Ingredients
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork or turkey
1/2 cup bread crumbs (panko or regular)
1 small onion, grated
2 garlic cloves, minced

Ready for the oven

1 large egg
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.

2. In a small bowl, mix together ketchup and barbecue sauce and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine beef, pork (or turkey), bread crumbs, onion, garlic, egg, 1/4 cup ketchup mixture, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix gently with your hands or a fork; do not overmix.

The final product

4. Place meat mixture on prepared baking sheet, and form into a loaf about 9 inches long and 4-5 inches wide.

5. Bake, brushing twice with remaining 1/4 cup ketchup mixture during baking, 45-55 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees F. Let meatloaf rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Boston Marathon training – Week 1

Perhaps I should rename this blog, Kara cooks and eats…and runs! I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to run the Boston marathon again on April 21, 2014. I’ve joined the Run for Research team and will be running to support life saving research on liver disease. I will rack up more than 500 miles during the 20 weeks of training, and every step I take and every dollar I raise will make a difference in the lives of more than 30 million Americans living with liver disease.

From the Mass Ave bridge

Did you know:

Liver cancer is one of the few primary cancers on the rise in the United States.
Approximately 5.4 million Americans are chronically infected with hepatitis B or hepatitis C. About 65% and 75%, respectively, are unaware that they are infected.
It is estimated that up to 25% of the U.S. population could have Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, a condition that can lead to life-threatening damage.

Storrow Drive, by the Hatch Shell

View of the BU bridge

My training started on Monday, and my schedule this week included a few fartleks, a bit of cross-training, and a long run of 8 miles. I opted to skip the team training run on Saturday for a few reasons. I wanted to save one last week of not having to set my alarm on Saturday morning (and I may have had a couple of margaritas on Friday night before going to see the Nutcracker). I wanted to figure out what my comfortable long run pace is, since it can be tempting to run too fast in a group setting – and speed is not the goal of the long run. It was also a shiny day and I wanted to get out on the river (though when I crossed the river and headed westbound, the wind reminded me that it definitely is December). I know I will super appreciate the group runs as the days get colder and the miles get longer – I am looking forward to them!

I’ll be out there for the next 19 weeks, working on getting myself to the start line ready…both mentally and physically. There will be good days and bad days. There will be unpleasant ice baths. Sometimes I’ll have to miss a run or shorten the distance. Sometimes I’ll feel great and have to force myself to stick to the training plan. Sometimes I will stop to take photos.

And I know all of that is ok.

Total distance covered

16 miles

Donors of the week!

Kelly Blake

Susie and Robby Snode

Bob Sullivan

Goals for next week

More stretching!

Visit my web site for more information or if you’d like to make a donation!

Broccoli cranberry salad

Day after Thanksgiving holiday table

Believe it or not, this was the only “cooking” I did over the holiday weekend. For Thanksgiving I had a yummy turkey dinner at the Bird Key Yacht Club in Sarasota, which required no prep and no clean-up!

The only shopping I really did on Black Friday was at the grocery store – to pick up the ingredients for this salad. I found this recipe on Facebook, one of my amazing and fantastic friends “shared” it, I just can’t remember exactly to whom to give the credit. I took a screen shot of the recipe from my phone so that I wouldn’t forget it.

The finished product

Broccoli cranberry salad
Source: someone shared it on Facebook!
Serves: 6

Ingredients
4 cups broccoli florets, chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup cooked bacon, crumbled
3/4 cup dried cranberries
6 ounces plain, nonfat Greek yogurt

Pork chops and applesauce!

2 Tbsp mayonnaise
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup sunflower seeds

Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine broccoli, onion, cheese, bacon, and cranberries.
2. To make dressing, mix together yogurt, mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, and sugar in a small bowl. Add to broccoli mixture and stir until thoroughly combined.
3. Just before serving, mix in sunflower seeds and enjoy!

November RC – Beat Hotel

First dance

November was a big month for Claire Blay. She picked our restaurant for November and then four days later she got married. Congratulations Claire and Keith!

Musicians

This month we went to the Beat Hotel which recently opened in Harvard Square, which is a little confusing because it’s not actually a hotel. Opened by the same folks who are behind the Beehive in the South End, it’s actually in the space where the old (and kind of shady) Tannery was on Brattleboro Street. Most of us had memories of the Tannery, but they really re-created the garden-level space and it does not resemble its predecessor at all. It feels just like the kind of place where you’d want to go for a good meal, a few cocktails, and some live music…good thing that’s what they’re serving up! During the meal we were trying to figure out how to “classify” the type of food, and all we could come up with was “New American”. I think the description from their web site fits quite well: “Our regularly changing menu of American and international-inspired dishes will please carnivores and vegetarians alike!” Another bonus, all of their wines are on tap.

There is live music every night…the only downside to that was that it was difficult to carry on a conversation when the musicians were playing. Though I think this was mainly because our table was right next to the stage.

For appetizers we tried the lamb nachos, spare ribs, and the grilled octopus. We had one non-rib eater and two non-octopus eaters so it was a pretty balanced selection. Everyone loved the lamb nachos, though I wish the chips were smaller in size (easier for sharing). Dave, a special guest, also ordered the wedge salad, which did not look like a traditional wedge.

Pulled lamb nachos with apple salsa
Grilled octopus & baby artichoke with parsley sauce
Smokey chipotle BBQ spare ribs
Little gem wedge salad with bacon, blue cheese vinaigrette

Grilled octopus

Lamb nachos

BBQ Spare ribs

Little gem wedge salad

I had a very difficult time deciding what I wanted for my entrée, mostly because I tend to be swayed by the side accompaniments. The braised beef brisket was on my short list because of the sweet potatoes and sprouts, and the Earth bowl was interesting because of the pumpkin tahini sauce. The Earth bowl is a “super natural selection of vegetables, 5-grain pilaf, and pumpkin tahini sauce”. Our server recommended anything with the frites…which is one of the four options to accompany any of the “Steak, chops, birds” and “Sea and fresh water” proteins. After much deliberation, I went with one of the server’s recommendations, the blackened shrimp with frites. It was a good decision.

Blackened shrimp

And luckily my fellow RC’ers are good sharers, so I also got to try the braised beef brisket with sweet potatoes and petite Brussel sprouts (which was pretty fatty), the skirt steak with frites, the “Earth bowl” with skirt steak, and the gnocchi that came with the organic chicken piccata. I did not try the mussels frites, but I will take Kendrin’s clean plate as a good sign.

Braised beef brisket

Skirt steak

Earth bowl

Chicken piccata

Mussels frites

For dessert there we tried two of the three options. I can’t remember what the third option was, but we went with the banana crème brûlée bread pudding and the chocolate peanut butter devil’s food cake with salted caramel and espresso. They both seemed to have a lot going on…but the bread pudding was the clear winner. Someone named Jerel might have said that it was the best dessert he’s ever had.

Bread pudding

Chocolate peanut butter cake

There are probably many more sophisticated ways to judge, but at the end of the day, I like to judge a restaurant by whether I’d be excited to go back. And I’d definitely like to go back, sit at the bar, and order the lamb nachos, the Earth bowl, and the bread pudding. Not to mention all of the other menu items I didn’t even get to try…I might need to go back more than once. Great pick Claire, perfect for a fourth choice!

The damage

I can’t remember! I think it was in the 50 dollar range.

The rundown
Beat Hotel
13 Brattle Street, Cambridge