music, food trucks, and wine

I am going to have to break this past weekend up in a few parts. There is just too much goodness to share!

Our weekend started on Friday night, when Mike and I rushed home from work to change and head to Music on the Porch, an event that occurs twice a month during the summer in downtown Raleigh. I was pretty pumped about this event and knew it was considered family friendly, but boy were we surprised just how family friendly it really was! We were the ONLY people there without kids, which didn't really bother us, but it was kinda funny.

The sky was a little gnarly looking, but we actually didn't get any rain while we were out there. Here is the low-down... bring some chairs or a blanket, a bottle of wine or some beer, pack a picnic dinner (if you have time) or buy some food there, and relax while listening to some local music. Any event where I can bring my own wine and have an excuse to drink it out of a mason jar is a pure win in my book. :)

The event was close to a few restaurants, but they also had one food truck you could order from if you wanted. Mike and I definitely wanted to go that route, since I have an obsession with food trucks... and mason jars.

Klausie's Pizza

This isn't just regular pizza, either. It is deep dish, Chicago style pizza with some insane toppings and varieties. Of course I couldn't go with just a normal pepperoni pizza, I had to get something different, and I had to make Mike get something different too, 'cause that is how I roll.

The pizza on the left was called the Fire Belly, pineapple puree, ham, hot thai chili butter, sweet red onion, and sweet basil (grown on the dashboard of the truck). The pizza on the right had bbq sauce, red onion, and pulled pork. Both were amazeballs.

I think it is awesome that Raleigh has an event like this. It was cheap, it was fun, and it was really a great way to unwind after a long work week. I think we need to borrow some kids next time we go, but I would definitely go again.

Mike and I enjoyed the music for about 2 hours before heading out. The sky was freaking us out that we were going to get drenched.  Plus, we were out of wine. :)

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Saturday morning, we had planned on getting a long run in. Since we haven't been running much in the last few weeks, I don't know where we got the idea that we would be able to just get up and run 8-10 miles, but clearly we were mistaken. We didn't get started until almost 10 or 11 and it was pretty toasty out. I made it about 3 miles before I had to take a break. When Mike saw me walking, he decided he had had about enough as well, so we walked for 2 miles before calling it quits.

We did hit up a new trail, though, and I really liked it. This trail is actually part of the marathon that Mike will be running in November, so he wants to start running different pieces of it to get familiar with it. I loved all the rolling hills and pastures that we ran through, but boy was it hot out there.

Right when we got back to the car, Mike and I decided to do a sprint lap around a track that we came across.

Mike ran his lap in 1 minute and 30 seconds and I ran mine in 1 minute and 40 or 45 seconds, I can't remember. It was fun to end our work out with a sprint, but we were both about to die when we finished.

Sweaty, post run picture... check!

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We spent the rest of Saturday doing some things around the house and yard and making a ton of homemade foods for dinner and for the freezer. But, I will save that for the next post!

Before I forget, though, look what I saw on my run this morning!

Right as I turned a corner, I saw this guy just staring at me. He let me take a picture, but when I tried to get closer, he took off. I love seeing things like this while running! 

decisions, decisions...

This past weekend, Mike and I headed to Huntington, West Virginia to see my family. My family has a big reunion each year and we have had to miss for the last few years due to weddings and other obligations, so I was really excited to get to go this year.

It was a fairly quick trip, leaving on Friday after work and returning on Sunday, but it was well worth it. I didn't take too many pictures on my phone, since we really just spent the days and nights catching up with family and watching the kids play, but I snapped a few while on a run on Saturday morning. My sister, Mike, and I went out for a 3 mile run near my Aunt and Uncle's house and although humid, it was really pretty.

We started out at my Aunt and Uncles and ran along a trail that led to a park.

The park we ran around was really cute, so of course I had to take a few photos.

When we got back near my Aunt and Uncle's house, we were right at 3 miles, so we called it a day.

With the massive amount of eating that was consumed later that day, we needed to do a little calorie burn beforehand. After the run, we spent the day at my uncles. It was a great weekend full of family and fun. Of course there was plenty of time with this little gal... who happens to have turned 5 years old today! I can't even get over how big she is getting! Here she is, taking self photos on my iPhone, when I wasn't even paying attention and climbing a tree all by herself.

Happy Birthday, Lil Bug! Aunt Dee Dee loves you soooo much!

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A while ago, I talked about considering doing a half marathon this coming September. I thought I had my mind made up to go ahead and register, but now I am reconsidering. I really want to do it, but I have a few hesitations.

1. Timing - The half that I was considering doing was the Rock 'N' Roll Virginia Beach half marathon on September 2. I haven't started training for it, and although I think I could still get the training in, I am a little nervous about injury and trying to do too much, too fast.

2. Money - The cost is up to $100 to enter and is only getting more and more expensive as the time passes. $100 is a lot of money just to accomplish a goal. Plus, the plan was to run it with Mike, and now we are talking $200. If I wait until next week to decide, the price is even more expensive.

3. Travel - We have been going non-stop this summer and won't be calming down until the end of August. I don't know if I want to throw yet another out of town trip onto our schedule, right when we thought we were done for a while.

So now, I am thinking I will look for some more challenging runs to do around here, that don't cost as much. Maybe even push back the half marathon to another time so that the weather is cooler and I will have plenty of time to train. There are a few options, including the Neuse River Bridge Run in New Bern, where my mom lives, the Just Think First Thanksgiving day half marathon here in Raleigh, or the City of Oaks half marathon, also in Raleigh. City of Oaks is the full marathon that Mike and his friends are planning to run in and I was hoping to be able to cheer him on along the sidelines, not running as well. I guess I am going to do a little more research and then decide.  Any suggestions for me?

fanny pack

Well, now that I have Lindsay's attention...

Hey everyone!

Let's just skip the uncomfortable discussion about where I have been and how sorry I am that I have been MIA. To be brief, my super awesome, easy job where I could play all day has sadly come to an end and I am forced to actually work for my money. I know... tragic.

After many conversations with my uber-supportive husband about maybe putting the blog away for now, he has encouraged me to just post when I can. We can all agree that it has helped me tremendously with sticking to my goals and you can be rest assured that I am still photographing my food and runs, even when I can't post about them. I guess just the thought of posting them, keeps me going.

So, let's just jump right in, shall we?

This morning I got up super early to be able to attend a staff meeting at the hospital. I work so infrequently there, I usually never make it to the meetings, but today I was already up and figured I would go. They gave me a super sweet new mug too, so it was definitely worth the trip.

I wore my running clothes so I could easily go for a run after the meeting. I went to one of my favorite trails, that is really close to the hospital and did 3 miles, which was a good run considering I haven't ran in about a week. I did get to use my new running belt that I purchased from TJ Maxx last week... aka... my running fanny pack, which was pretty awesome.

Super nerdy photo, and please don't mind my gross sweaty underarms... but instead, keep your eyes on the belt. You try taking a self photo of your mid-section... it isn't easy.

I love that this belt has a pocket that can hold my phone, my car key, and any other items that I may need during my run. I can tell that for longer runs, I will be so glad I can store my fuel and some chap stick in there as well. It also has a water bottle that goes with it, which fits into a carriage on the front of the belt. For my shorter runs, I won't need that, so I do wish there was a way to remove the carriage all together.  But, there isn't and the belt was only $12 so I will deal.

There is also a small ID pocket where you can write your name and any medical alerts that you may have. That way, if I am ever found face down after a run, they will know who I am and that I am allergic to penicillin. Good stuff. :)

What I don't love about this belt, besides the non-removable water carriage, is that it rides up throughout my entire run. Mike used this belt last week on his 20 mile run... yeah, we will get to that in a second... and he thought the belt was the bees knees. He raved about it non-stop. I think that for guys, their hips are smaller than their mid-section, which helps to keep the belt at their waist. Since I have a smaller mid-section than my hips, the belt rides up constantly. Definitely something I can deal with for $12, but I wanted give you my full review.

I had been wanting something like this for a while, so I am glad to finally have one. Plus, I am happy I didn't spend very much on it. It is a great thing to have, but since these things are normally in the $30 range, I would have been disappointed if I had spent that much.

Breakfast this morning was a return of an old favorite.... overnight oats, eaten COLD!

Nothing beats a cold bowl of oats after a sweaty run. All that fruit in there... all from my produce delivery box, which, by the way, is 10 times better in the spring and summer than in the winter. The fresh fruit is amazing!

This mornings oats were a combination of fresh, chopped peaches, fresh blueberries, fresh blackberries, old fashioned oats, chocolate protein powder, and skim milk. DELISH!

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Last night's dinner was stolen from another blog that I read. It is pretty rare that you open a food blog and the recipe that is featured that day includes ingredients that you already have on hand. Especially when the recipe includes peaches and blueberries.... who has that on hand? When I went to How Sweet's post yesterday, I knew what we were having for dinner.

Her photos are out of this world, but here is my rendition of her Sweet and Spicy Glazed Chicken, Corn and Avocado Tostadas, with Blueberry Peach Salsa. The only changes we made were adding black beans and using whole wheat flour tortillas, making them more into tacos than tostadas.

Then everything fell out of my first taco, so I piled the leftover toppings onto the 2nd tortilla, creating a monster pile.

I am getting full just looking at these photos. This recipe is for sure going to become a part of the rotation at our house. They were so awesome. Next time, I will take the time to make them into tostadas instead of tacos, since I think they would have been really good on a crispy tortilla.

I have to hand it to Mike, he assembled this entire meal, while talking to me on the phone giving him the instructions. He got home before I did yesterday, so he put everything together and it was ready to eat when I walked in the door.... love that guy.

Speaking of that guy.... um... when did my husband become a runner??? He ran 20 miles while I was in Vegas last weekend. I am beyond impressed with his dedication. He is weighing in at about as much as I did when I started this blog, a short 9 months ago... Way to go, babe! I am so proud of you!

Oh yeah... I also went to Vegas last weekend... so much to catch you up on!

Have a great weekend!