Will Run For T-Shirt

race swag

I'll run for a t-shirt.  I'll even swim, bike and then run for a t-shirt.  

I'll swim, bike and run for bagels and oranges

I'll even swim, bike and run for apples

note to self: there is no second chance if you pass up the donuts.

Lots of people will swim, bike, and run for donuts.

St. Joseph Coffee Roasters I love you!

Or even better they'll swim, bike, and run for coffee & donuts

It's interesting how chunks of fruit & pieces of bread become so much more exciting when you've survived lakeweed ( a.k.a seaweed), peddled your bike up hill for 10K and then death gripped your handle bars as you barrelled down hill for another 10K and ran 5K for good measure (and that's the sprint distance).

I recently decided to step WAY outside of my comfort zone and compete in the St. Joseph Triathlon.  It seems that I'm afraid of fish, snakes, weeds, drowning, road rash, flat tires, and the list goes on.  There were many nightmares about showing up for the triathlon without a shirt, not being able to get to the water, being late, etc.  My goal was survival to finish the race smiling (up until the race began I  wasn't entirely convinced that I wasn't going to drown or be run over by my own bike).

It turns out that I had TONNES of fun!  Surprisingly the swim was my favourite part.  I kept thinking as I was swimming "this is so awesome", "Oh, my goodness this is so awesome", "I love this" (I'm sure that's what everyone else was thinking).   I was even able to laugh my way through the seaweed that was plastered to my goggles at one point.

See the person in the lead?  That's not me.

My goal for the bike portion of the event was to just get through it without falling off or getting a flat tire.  It seemed the first 10K of the race was up hill.  At one point I was even convinced that there had to be something wrong with the bike because I was moving so slowly (nope, turns out it was just another hill).  There were a few sketchy corners and a little bit of wobbling but the bike ride wasn't as awful as I had imagined (did I mention that the only person that I biked faster than was approximately 25 years older than me?).

Finally, there was the run.  I have never been so happy to run. 

I look forward to my next finish line.   Ottawa here I come!  I'm keeping my fingers crossed for oatmeal cookies, bananas and chocolate soy milk.

Will Run For Summer Squash

mini zucchini pizza

Are you currently trying to remember the date for International Put a Zucchini (or any other summer squash for that matter) in Your Neighbour's mailbox day?  Or maybe trying to pay your monthly gym membership with bags of summer squash?  Better yet, are you offering 2 for 1 or rather 15 for 1 squash deals (sure you can have a zucchini but you need to take 15 pattypan squash with it). 

Farmer did an amazing job of growing summer squash this year: yellow zucchini, green zucchini & pattypan squash the size of flying saucers.  While it's fabulous to be able to eat locally and ecologically grown food there are only so many ways that a girl can eat a summer squash.

Here are just a few of the ways that we've tried as of late.

zucchini, tomato sauce, feta

Mini Zucchini Pizza

(serves 2-4 or 1 zucchini lover)

I am not a huge fan of zucchini that doesn't come in a cake but these are delicious and so easy to make!

ingredients

1 small zucchini cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds 

1/2 C of your favourite tomato sauce or pesto

1/4 C feta (mozzarella, swiss and cheddar work as well)

optional ingredients

sun dried tomatoes

fresh basil

fresh cherry tomatoes

mushrooms

finely chopped onions

Preheat broiler to low.  Slice zucchini into rounds and place on baking stone.  Top each round with tomato sauce, your favourite toppings (mine were sun dried tomatoes and basil) and feta.  Broil on low for approximately 5 minutes and then on high until cheese begins to melt.

Eat as soon as possible!

pizza with grated yellow zucchini

If you are like Farmer and are thinking that this pizza will turn out to be a soggy mess think again.  The zucchini turns out rather crispy.  It's important to remember to squeeze the water out of the zucchini before placing it on the pizza.  Left over tomato sauce, frozen pizza dough from Eat Local Sudbury and some vegetables meant supper was ready in less than 25 minutes.

tomato sauce with grated zucchini & kale

If you still have summer squash left over try throwing it in your favourite tomato sauce and pulsing the sauce with your hand blender.  You won't even know it's there.  While you're at it sneak in some kale as well.

I have a feeling that I'm not finished with summer squash quite yet.

Will Run For Apple Sauce

Yesterday was an applesauce kind of day.  It was cool and rainy and I needed something warm and delicious after surviving (no weeds, fish, snakes, geese) a swim in the lake just after the sun came up.   Applesauce isn't something that I usually get too excited about especially when most of the applesauce that I see is smeared on students' desks or has exploded in their schoolbags. 

This applesauce however reminds me more of apple pie (a good excuse to make crumble).  Not to mention that all of the apples came from my mother's apple tree. 

Applesauce

(approximately 3 cups)

*2 LBS apples (peeled, cored, sliced)
1 tsp vanilla bean paste 
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 C apple juice concentrate

Place apple slices in a large heavy bottomed pot.  Add apple juice concentrate, vanilla bean paste, cinnamon and cloves.

Bring liquid to a boil and then simmer on low for approximately 15 minutes stirring occasionally.  The less you stir the more chunky and delicious it will be.

* I weighed the apples after they had been peeled, cored, and sliced.

Will Run For Harvest Cake

It's my birthday and I can eat cake for breakfast (and lunch and supper) if I want to!

happy birthday breakfast

In preparation of a day of cake eating I started my day at the gym (narrowly escaping the birthday tiara).

Next was a tea party with the beautiful creamer set that Farmer bought me while visiting Prince Edward Island.

sugar lumps from Magog

After that Pace Bunny promised me the workout of my choice for my birthday.  I was really hoping for matching running themed jewellery or dirt in a jar from our favourite running route (please note sarcastic undertones) but the workout of my choice didn't turn out to be so bad.  Six kilometres + a 1 K walk.  There isn't any walking in running with PB and I so this was all kinds of awesome.  I might take up mall walking.   

Finally,I was lucky enough to get to have dinner with Granny & my favourite great aunt (all while watching Y&R).

While a birthday is a great excuse to eat cake any excuse will do.  With more zucchinis, carrots & beets on their way from Spill The Beans Farm I hope to see more cake in my future.

Harvest Cake

1 C wholewheat pastry flour
1 C unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 C buckwheat honey
1/2 C soymilk + 2 tsp lemon juice (stir and allow to sit until thickened)
2 flax eggs (2 T ground flax + 6 T warm water)
1/4 C olive oil
1 T vanilla bean paste
1 C grated carrot
3/4 C grated zucchini
1/4 C grated beet 

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Grease 9 inch square baking pan with olive oil.  Set aside.  I decided that I would cut the cake in 1/2 and make a 1/2 cake instead.  It wasn't my best idea.

half cake

Grate 1 C carrots, 3/4 C zucchini, & 1/4 C carrot.  Set aside.

glorious garden vegetables

In a medium bowl combine dry ingredients.

In a large bowl combine honey, soy milk + lemon juice, flax eggs and vanilla.  Stir vigorously or drag out the electric mixture until everything is well combined.  Add grated vegetables and continue to stir.  Slowly add dry ingredients.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.

In desperate need of icing

Icing

For the icing I used My New Roots recipe for honey coconut icing.  This recipe calls for only a few simple ingredients: coconut milk, honey, coconut oil, cornstarch, water and a pinch of sea salt.  I would recommend doubling or even tripling the recipe if you are a lover of all things coconut, honey and/or icing.

I need to eat cake more often