Author: The Celiathlete

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Marathon Training Week #17 – The heart of the matter

Marathon Training Week #17
Marathon Training Week #17

Taper madness continues.  Along with a lot of outside stress…inner doubt…and really learning to rest this body.  It’s not easy.  I love my runs, especially my long runs.  And having my mileage cut back hasn’t been easy for me.  Neither has this entire week for that matter.  Never before have I felt like the weight of the world was pushing on my shoulders.  And, honestly, my week had gotten off to a good start.  I was feeling good.  I was making good decisions.  I was training right.

But all it takes is one thing to throw everything out of whack.  That’s what happened this week and it lead to stress…stress…stress eating…difficult runs…lots of crying…and more stress.

You see, on Monday morning, my roommate, Cathy, woke up and came out of her room looking panicked.  She said she had a bad dream and now her heart was racing.  Sort of like a panic attack.  She went to the doctor that morning and was tentatively diagnosed with Atrial fibrillation (A Fib), which is an irregular and often rapid heart rate that causes poor blood flow to the body.  During A fib, the heart’s upper two chambers beat chaotically and irregularly, out of coordination with the two lower chambers.  She was admitted to Floyd Memorial Hospital…and that was her home until Thursday afternoon.  And I was bouncing back and forth between being at the hospital with her, work, training, and working at home.  There wasn’t any downtime this week.  The good news is…her heart eased back into its natural rhythm on its own.  She had been taken to have a procedure done on Wednesday morning that would involve giving her heart a shock to put it back into its natural rhythm, but her heart had already managed to do that.  So, she’s on a blood thinner and a medication to slow down the beating of her heart.  Yeah…it’s pretty scary stuff.  But, I’m happy to report that she is recovering well, taking her medications, and getting back to normal.

All that being said…training seemed impossible…and impossibly hard this week.  Somehow…somehow I managed to get it all in, visit the hospital twice a day, work at the office my normal hours, and work at home after leaving the hospital at the end of visiting hours (8:30 p.m.).  This meant there were a lot of very late nights and early mornings.  It was a hard week and I would be lying if I said that I didn’t sit down at the office and cry a few times at my desk…or cry in the car…or call my mom and cry…or just have a hard cry while out on my run.  It didn’t always make me feel better…sometimes it made me feel worse…but…things happen for a reason.  And I know if I can make it through this…I can make it through 26.2 miles in Chicago.

While the week started off great…it took a steep downturn starting Monday after my first run.  Let’s take a look at how stress and restlessness turned me into one exhausted runner.  I have never felt so physically and mentally wiped in my life.  This week…felt harder than any other before it.

Sunday is my other day of rest, which I often use to take a second long run.  This run is always shorter than the previous day’s run.  And, I also had to meet with Donna, my sports nutritionist, that morning.  So, I was out early and getting that run in.  I had decided I would go either 8 or 9 miles, whatever I was feeling, really.  I wasn’t feeling too good about things.  Water retention was becoming an issue and each morning I was waking up feeling bloated and just…fat.  Honestly.  Turns out, after meeting with Donna, water retention happens during the taper.  I should not panic over it or fuss over it.  It’s natural.  Whew.  Because, honestly…I was starting to wonder what was happening.  Apparently being very tired and sluggish is another side effect of the taper.  Good to know these things.  I am so blessed to have Donna seeing me through my training and giving me advice and information I wouldn’t have thought of before.  Anyway, I ended up rocking out 9 miles Sunday morning before the sun came up.  I kept the pace easy and slower, wanting to keep it challenging, but not push too much.  And that’s what I did.  I felt really good at the end of it.  The run felt good.  And in the end…that’s the important thing.

Monday started off great.  I was scheduled to do 6 miles easy that morning.  And when I set out in the dark, I did just that.  I just pressed on.  No need to stop for anything.  Even on the hills I randomly chose to throw in there, my legs felt good and strong and I was having a very, very good start to the day.  Came home to make breakfast and that was when the shit hit the fan.  Cathy woke up with the heart arrhythmia, which stressed her out…which stressed me out…which just spiraled into one of the worst mornings ever.  The gorgeous and nutritious breakfast I made (veggie egg white scramble with homemade breakfast potatoes and a caramelized apple and Greek yogurt parfait) was thrown away.  A doctors appointment was scheduled…then a trip to the hospital…which lead to a hospital stay.  I briefly ducked back into the office when Cathy’s mom came to relieve me at the hospital and grabbed some work to do from home that night.  I came home and had to go run some of this pressure off.  So, I laced up my Newtons and went for a soul cleansing 3 mile run.  I didn’t want to be gone too long…just needed to do something to take the some stress off my shoulders and try to ease my own  heart.  The run was cleansing…but it was soon back to reality.  I headed back to the hospital and stayed with Cathy, meeting her doctor, hearing what he was recommending (lots of tests in the morning!), and staying until the last possible moment I could.  Cathy had never stayed overnight in the hospital…and as much as I didn’t want to leave her there because of how stressed out she was…I had to go home.  Came home, ate a dinner consisting of Greek yogurt and red grapes, then worked until the wee hours of the night before calling it quits.

Tuesday is normally my cross-training day.  But I changed it up.  Tuesday, I decided I needed to do my speed work.  It was the day I was dreading most…and that morning I just needed to feel my heart beat fast and hard and have my legs and body pushed beyond limits.  I hadn’t slept well the night before, having only managed about 3 hours of sleep if that.  But speed work was happening.  I did a 1 mile warm up, then hit the paces with 8 x 800 meters with a 2 minute recovery, then a 1 mile cool down.  8 miles total.  I needed that run to battle exhausting, battle my inner demons, battle my emotions.  I needed it that morning.  Not Wednesday…but Tuesday.  Afterwards, I returned to the apartment and showered, then packed up some fruit to have for breakfast (banana, apple with almond butter, grapes), grabbed my lunch for work and headed out the door to the hospital to visit with Cathy.  She had her EKG early in the morning.  But that morning they were going to take her down for her Echocardiogram.  I was there and talking to her (she hadn’t slept much either) until they arrived to take her down for her test.  I told her I’d be back after work, and headed into the office.  Back to the hospital I went, as promised, immediately following work.  We were going to get test results that evening, but her doctor didn’t show up until very late, again.  The news was that her tests were fine.  There was no serious cause to her A fib.  It was brought on by outside factors…stress, anxiety, etc.  So, he gave her two treatment options…medicine…or the shock.  To my surprise…she chose the shock to the heart.  So…they went ahead and had that scheduled for Wednesday morning.  It was after visiting hours when I left…got home…had another dinner of Greek yogurt and red grapes, and worked from home until late again.

Wednesday was another early morning.  It was also cross-training day.  I went to the gym right when it opened at 5 a.m.  And I decided to change things up.  I did my strength training first.  Which felt good.  Then, I hit up the Cardio Wave machine.  I rocked that one out, despite an exhausted body and tired legs from speed work and late nights…and a not so good dinner the past two nights.  After that, I got on the Arc Trainer for 45 minutes and rocked out an amazing 2.75 miles with challenging resistances, inclines, and intervals.  I felt good at the end of the morning.  I came home, quickly showered, packed up an apple and some grapes to eat at the office and headed back to the hospital.  I met up with Cathy’s mom and sister in the elevator and the three of us went to Cathy’s room.  She was asleep, but her mom woke her up.  We chatted until they came to get her for her procedure.  Lots of hugs and well wishes happened outside the cardio unit.  I left after they took her back, having a good cry on the way to work.  Good news came though when her mom texted and said Cathy was doing fine and that nothing had to be done…she naturally went back to her normal rhythm.  It was a relief to be sure.  I stopped by after work and stayed with her until her doctor came in.  He told her she had to stay overnight, which bummed her out beyond belief, and he was putting her on a blood thinner and a medicine for her heart…but that she could go home on Thursday.  I asked if it would be in the morning, and he said it would.  So…I left and went to get some work done, once again making a late dinner out of Greek yogurt and grapes, and managed to do as much as I could before fatigue hit me hard.  I called it a night and tried to get some sleep.

Thursday morning greeted me and I had an easy 3 mile run to do.  I managed that, cursing the taper the entire time.  But I did rock the run, and that was the important thing.  I felt solid and strong logging those short miles.  Then, I hit up the gym.  I did just the elliptical machine, keeping the setting at Level 7, but dialing back on intensity.  Too close to the marathon to do something stupid, and my body was fighting me.  It was just done with everything.  Tired doesn’t even begin to describe how I was feeling at that point.  I was just…dead on my feet.  So, listening to my body, I skipped the other cardio machine and did some easy strength training downstairs before hitting up the apartment again, showering, and getting to the hospital at 7 a.m.  Cathy was supposed to be released that morning.  She was starving, mind you, when I was there and after she woke up…so I gave her the grapes I had brought with me.  Which is good because the breakfast they brought her was not what she ordered the night before.  She picked at it.  Around 10:00, her mom showed up and I left to do some work from home, assuming that despite the promise that she would be released in the morning, it might be an all day thing.  I was wrong.  45 minutes later, I was texted saying they were doing Cathy’s release papers.  So, I booked it over to the hospital to retrieve her.  Hurry up and wait.  Trust me.  It took another 2 hours to get her out of there.  And from there…a trip to the pharmacy for her prescriptions.  She finally settled in at home just before 1:30 p.m.  It made for a long morning.  I was working from home to keep an eye on her, and made her some lunch.  Then later…at her request…I made a baked mushroom and Parmesan risotto for dinner.  All while doing my work and trying to keep up with things at the office from home.

Friday is my day of rest.  And I am doing my best to keep it holy and respect it.  I admit…I did go out on a 5 mile walk.  I KNOW!!  BAD!!  But I just needed to be moving.  I knew I was working from home and that would mean little movement that day because I had work that needed to get done.  So, I did this thing where I would walk/jog for a mile…then walk a mile…then repeat.  For 5 miles…because it felt so good to just be moving.  I didn’t push for speed or anything…I just needed to be active.  I needed to be doing something that didn’t involve sitting at home in front of my computer.  I ducked over to the office to drop off work, pick up new work, then headed home.  I made breakfast for Cathy and I and then spent the rest of the day working while she watched movies and Star Trek.  I ducked back to the office to sort and open mail and pick up more work.  All the hours I had put in at home added up…and I was actually right at my 40 hour week.  So, I was sent home for the rest of the day.  And I vegged.  Dinner was leftover risotto, so that was easy.  And Cathy said she was feeling 70% normal that day.  Getting there.

Saturday is my long run day.  And, sadly, these long runs as of late have had to be done solo for the pacing requirements of my training program.  Today…only 8 miles…but these were paced.  My first 2 miles were to be at my long slow distance pace.  Miles 3-7 were to be at my marathon pace.  Mile 8…back into long slow distance.  I wasn’t really feeling this.  I miss running with my Saturday group something fierce.  Honestly.  But, I got out at 5 a.m. and turned out my 8 miles.  All 8 miles were actually at my marathon pace, which is good because I didn’t always feel like I was pushing or running hard.  This means my legs are stronger than my body and mind think they are.  I pressed on all 8 miles and felt really good when the run came to an end.  I had only wished it had been a longer run.  Aside from that…Chicago is 8 days away and I’m getting really nervous and trying hard not to put too much pressure on myself.  I want to enjoy my first marathon and I’m feeling as ready as I can be.  The taper edges into almost nothing this week…and my body will take time to repair itself and get strong.  Because next Sunday…I go the distance.

It’s been a very trying, very difficult, very stressful week.  But I feel if I could maintain my training and battle through this load of stress, doubt, fear, and anxiety and come out strong on the other end (which I feel is what happened)…then I can do battle with the streets of Chicago and prove to myself I have it in me to be a marathoner!!  I am really giving myself a pep talk.  I did a lot…and I mean…a lot of stress eating this past week.  Being this close to my marathon, I don’t want anything to derail the hard work I have put into training for this.  This means controlling all stress, anxiety, and every other emotion not through stress eating but through healthier outlets.  I think that’s doable.

With Cathy on the mend, the taper coming to an end, and my marathon looming RIGHT THERE on the horizon…I have a feeling I’ll be a basket case this entire week.  But, as my friend Dawn told me, now is the time to trust my training and know that when I get to that starting line in Chicago…all this hard work I’ve put into these past few months will have paid off.  I can only hope.

That being said…I have my bib number for Chicago…and the participant’s guide…and things are seeming very, very real to me now.  Almost there…so close…just trying not to cave under pressure or wear myself out getting there.  Yeah…the nerves have kicked in.  It’s very real now.


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Product Review: Nature’s Path Gluten Free Selections Summer Berries Granola

Nature's Path Gluten Free Selections Summer Berries Granola
Nature’s Path Gluten Free Selections Summer Berries Granola

Product: Nature’s Path Gluten Free Selections Summer Berries Granola – $5.99+

Gluten-free granola is a staple in my apartment and my pantry.  Honestly.  My roommate and I go through it each week, using it on the breakfast parfaits that are part of the morning rotation every other day.  It’s nice to change things up every now and again and have something other than cereal.  I often will pair Greek yogurt and granola with fresh berries…or caramelized apples or pears.  Sometimes even banana.  It just depends on what produce I happen to have in the house.

Recently, while scouting the grocery store for some granola, I had my roommate choose the one she’d like to have.  Now, she, like me, has her favorites.  But, she chose one we hadn’t tried before.  I was actually surprised.  Even more as this was actually a newer product from Nature’s Path.

Now, Nature’s Path has a few great gluten-free options.  I have eaten their EnviroKidz cereals (and still do!) and have even given some love to their regular cereals and one of their frozen waffle options.  So, Nature’s Path is rather consistent on quality products.  I don’t think I’ve had a product that I haven’t liked.  Which is why I am not ashamed of my EnviroKidz Koala Crisps in my pantry.

But…granola?  Why not?

My roomate chose the Gluten Free Selections Summer Berries Granola.  This granola is a blend of gluten-free rolled oats, yogurt chips, freeze-dried blueberries, freeze-dried strawberries, and freeze-dried strawberries.  Now, I’ve always been a fan of the dehydrated fruits in cereals because I find them to be so packed with flavor.  I was actually looking forward to sampling this one.

Well…Nature’s Path really nailed it.  The Gluten Free Selections Summer Berries Granola is amazing.  While the sweetened and seasoned gluten-free rolled oats make for a great base, and the intensity of the freeze-dried berries brought a great sweet tang to each bite.  But the star of this granola…far and away…was the yogurt chips.  They really won me over with each bite.

I always sample the granola on its own, and would have been happy eating just this, on its own, for breakfast.  But granola hits the Greek yogurt and the fruit in my kitchen, so I caramelized apples and served them up over the Greek yogurt, topping them off with this granola.  How would the berries blend with the sweet caramelized apples?  Perfectly.  Every bite of this granola, whether on its own or in my breakfast parfaits was a burst of flavor.  But should you get a bite with a yogurt chip…the magic happens.  I commend Nature’s Path for that decision!

Let’s dive deeper into this product, shall we?  Nature’s Path upholds its commitment to providing safe, gluten-free products.  The ingredients in this granola are organic, non-GMO, and free of synthetic preservatives and additives.  I love that.

A serving of this granola is 1/4 cup.  This serving will provide you with 140 calories and 4 grams of fat.  Impressive, yes?  Each serving only has 8 grams of sugar, 55 mg sodium, and is cholesterol free.  You also are provided with 2 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein.  Not bad at all.

Nature’s Path Gluten Free Selections Summer Berries Granola is sweet, savory, and so refreshing.  Start your day off right with a granola that sings across your taste buds and tastes like summer.  Even with fall creeping in, you can still enjoy that sweet taste of summer each morning.  And do seek out those yogurt chips…and see why I say they really make the mix.

Nature's Path Gluten Free Selections Summer Berries Granola over a Caramelized Apple and Greek Yogurt Breakfast Parfait
Nature’s Path Gluten Free Selections Summer Berries Granola over a Caramelized Apple and Greek Yogurt Breakfast Parfait
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Recipe: Gluten-Free and Vegan Cookies & Cream Ice Cream

I love ice cream.  The problem is…ice cream doesn’t always love me back.  And, more so, some of my favorite flavors from the “pre-gluten-free” days, I am no longer able to consume.  Totally bums me out on occasion.

But then…I haul out the ice cream maker and do something about it.  In this case…I make my own gluten-free and vegan ice cream.  This is actually very simple and uses basic ingredients.  Nothing too outlandish or crazy.  No dairy either.  The base is coconut milk.  Seriously.  Full fat coconut milk.  So good.

I used Glutino sandwich cookies for the “cookie” portion of this recipe and sweetened it with coconut palm sugar.  The recipe is super simple…and super good.  As my friend Greg said…”This is rich…and delicious!”

YAY!

So, the recipe is below, adapted from Food Babe so that it fit my dietary needs.

Recipe: Gluten-Free and Vegan Cookies & Cream Ice Cream

 

Gluten-Free and Vegan Cookies & Cream Ice Cream
Gluten-Free and Vegan Cookies & Cream Ice Cream


Ingredients:

Base:

  • 1 can of full fat coconut milk (13.5 ounces)
  • 1 tbsp arrowroot powder (optional thickener)
  • 3frozen bananas or ½ cup coconut palm sugar (I used the coconut palm sugar)
  • pinch of sea salt

For Cookies & Cream Flavor:

  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 10 Glutino Chocolate Vanilla Creme Sandwich Cookies broken into pieces (or cookie of your choice)

Instructions:

Combine base ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

Add vanilla into blender and blend again.

Pour mixture into ice cream machine and turn on.

Mix for at least 20 minutes or until ice cream is formed.

Stir in cookies.

Serve.

Store in an airtight container in the freezer.

~*~*~

Hello delicious ice cream that won’t upset my stomach.  Where have you been all my life?  I still have some Glutino cookies and just bought more coconut milk.  You know what’s going back in my freezer very soon?  Yep.  Because this recipe is SO easy to make and yes…it really does make a delicious, rich ice cream.  You don’t have to be gluten-free or a vegan to enjoy this.

Make some for yourself.  I promise…the real ingredients will change the way you think about ice cream.

Besides…I got to have cookies and cream ice cream again.  Pardon me while I sit down with a spoon and indulge a little…or a lot.

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Going local for a “Sweet” and a “Savory” birthday

September 19th.

It’s an important day.  And not just because it’s International Talk Like A Pirate Day.

It’s important…because it’s my birthday.

And this year I was turning the big double 3.  Yes.  I don’t mind my birthday or getting older.  It’s one of my favorite days…even though most of the time I do nothing really to commemorate it.  But this year…I decided to enjoy the delicious offerings of two of my favorite, local, gluten-free businesses, both of whom went above and beyond to make the occasion more than special.

It all started on the day before my birthday when my roommate and I took a longer lunch from the office and headed down to Frankfort Avenue in Louisville, Kentucky to pick up the birthday cake we ordered from Annie May’s Sweet Café.  Now…by now most of you know that my local running store nicknamed me Wonder Woman last year.  It’s stuck.  And I mean…stuck!  I get called Wonder Woman more than I care to admit.  It’s flattering.  I love it.  Wouldn’t change it for the world.

Well, back when Annie May’s Sweet Café started showing off some of their custom cakes they were making, I told them they were definitely doing a special cake for my birthday this year.  They replied on their Facebook page…”How about a Wonder Woman cake?” (See…my reputation precedes me).  I was totally all about it.  They actually made a simple birthday cake for me last year too (strawberry cake with a vegan chocolate ganache), which is how I found out about them…and how they won me over in the first place (that and the apple cider donuts we bought when we picked up the cake…just sayin’.).  The cake was amazing.  So, naturally, as it is my belief that no matter how much you love to cook and bake…you should never have to make your own birthday cake…we hit them up again this year.  And, per their suggestion via their Facebook page months and months ago…I thought…I think I should have a Wonder Woman cake.

As we are in Annie May’s Sweet Café every Saturday morning if we are in town for their delicious breakfast offerings…that Saturday we went ahead and placed the cake order (and a soft pretzel order for Soft Pretzel Wednesday) to pick up on Wednesday around lunch time.  My roommate asked what kind of cake I wanted.  I’m not big on cake…and I like simple.  So…this year I went with a vegan vanilla cake with vegan vanilla icing.  And yes…WONDER WOMAN!

On Wednesday, when we showed up to pick it up, I was blown away.  Kenna does the cake decorating and she did fantastic.  I made sure I told Annie May that whenever possible (and I told Kenna when I saw her the following Saturday morning!).  Seriously…I couldn’t have been happier with the way it turned out.  The Wonder Woman logo was PERFECTION!! I mean, Kenna nailed it!!  And the cake…SO delicious.  The flavors were vibrant.  The icing was sweet and meshed well with the vegan vanilla cake layers.  Four layers…of cake-y goodness.  And this from a girl who isn’t big on frosting or cake.  How about that?  I was SO happy with this cake.  It was a 6-inch round cake that we got 12 good-sized portions from.  I was in sugar-rush heaven.  And happy to devour it all.  Well, I had some help from Cathy (the roomie), Harry, and Laura.

But…here is the cake in all it’s gluten-free and vegan wonder (woman):

Wonder Woman Birthday Cake from Annie May's Sweet Cafe (vegan vanilla w/ vegan vanilla icing)
Wonder Woman Birthday Cake from Annie May’s Sweet Cafe (vegan vanilla w/ vegan vanilla icing)

Honestly…I have yet to have anything I didn’t like from Annie May’s Sweet Café.  So…even if you don’t have food allergies…get over there.  My friend Greg (not food allergic at all) would definitely direct you to their gluten-free Double Fudge Brownies.  Me?  I say…their allergen-free Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Or…honestly…EVERYTHING!!  Support local businesses!!  I will continue to support this one.

HUGE thanks going out to Annie May, Kenna, and the rest of the staff who continue to show the world (or at least the Louisville area) just how good and delicious gluten-free can be!!

But…the birthday celebrations didn’t stop with a cake.  Nope.  Not for 33.  Not ever.

Very randomly, about two weeks out from my birthday, I went over to the Facebook page of my favorite local (and gluten-free) food truck, Sweet ‘N’ Savory, and commented that I would love them forever if around my birthday, at one of their outings, if they could offer a Crepe Suzette, as it has always been one of my favorite types of crepes.  I was told that they would be happy to cater a private event for me, featuring a 3-course meal, for only $20/person.  I needed to make sure that I would have a decent enough crowd for them, and started asking my closest friends if anyone was interested.  Most everyone I knew was free on the Sunday, September 22, and said they would be happy to come and celebrate with good eats.  I was thrilled.  And I went ahead and set it up with Richard and Ashley, the fantastic owners of the food truck.

They found a location, at Louisville’s The Beer Store in NULU.  This turned out to be a perfect setting as they had a patio for seating and the side door was opened so we could trek out to the food truck to place our orders, return our plates, and all that good stuff.  Guests could also imbibe in beers of any kind (SO MANY) or sodas or water…or whatever else they could find inside.  It was a hit.  I ended up having 10 of the 12 guests show up to the shindig, so that wasn’t bad at all.  Very pleased.  Although totally missed the ones who were unable to make it.

It was a very diverse crowd, but they all came hungry and they all socialized and blended well.  YAY!!

So, what did Sweet ‘N’ Savory cook up for my special day?  An amazing menu that every guest raved about and devoured.  No one left hungry.  In fact, we were all completely stuffed.  But it was a good kind of stuffed.  Trust me.

The menu, as I mentioned, was 3 courses: appetizer, entree, dessert (like Chopped…but without the surprise basket of ingredients!).

For the appetizer round, Sweet ‘N’ Savory prepared two of my favorite gluten-free vegetarian crepes: Caprese and Veggie Caponata.  You could either get one large one of your choice, or one of each in a mini-crepe form.  I totally forgot to take a picture of mine, but I went with one of each in the mini-form.  What a way to start out.  Everyone raved about them…especially the Veggie Caponata.  That seemed to be the crowd favorite (and mine as well!!).  It was the perfect way to start off the feast that day.  We were given plates and a ticket and when we were done with the appetizer, all we needed to do was walk the plates and ticket back out to the truck, hand them over, and they would get to work on the entree.

The entree…is super special.  Awhile back, Sweet ‘N’ Savory took part in a food truck event called Cluster Trucked.  Each truck served up food that wasn’t their normal fare.  For the event, Sweet ‘N’ Savory did gluten-free ravioli.  And I fell in love with them all over again.  For my event, they were dishing up two different varieties of ravoili.  Once again, you could either get a full serving of one version, or split the difference and try both.  The options: Butternut Squash, Ricotta, and Sage Ravioli topped with a Brown-Butter Sage Sauce or Four-Cheese Ravioli topped with a Red-Pepper Cream Sauce.  When I was at Cluster Trucked, I had the Four-Cheese with Red Pepper Cream Sauce.  I am in LOVE with that red-pepper cream sauce.  I want to beg for the recipe.  Seriously.  But at my party, I was all about the Butternut Squash, Ricotta and Sage Ravioli with the Brown-Butter Sage Sauce.  They had told me all about this one prior to the event and that was all I wanted.  Observe:

Sweet 'N' Savory's Gluten-Free Butternut Squash, Ricotta and Sage Ravioli with a Brown Butter Sage Sauce
Sweet ‘N’ Savory’s Gluten-Free Butternut Squash, Ricotta and Sage Ravioli with a Brown Butter Sage Sauce

I made a fantastic choice.  The ravioli was so rich and creamy.  The pasta itself was melt-in-your-mouth good.  The sauce…so much flavor.  The filling…it doesn’t get better than butternut squash (a personal favorite) with ricotta and sage.  Honestly.  I fell in love with the way this entire dish just danced across my taste buds.  Savory.  Rich.  Delicious.  I was in food heaven.  I think I might have hoovered this up and licked the plate.  It’s possible.  For real.  For being a gluten-free crepe food truck, they totally rock the ravioli.  That is NO joke!

Following the dinner portion of the meal…naturally is something that hits that sweet tooth.  And, per my request, Sweet ‘N’ Savory offered up a Crepe Suzette.  What is a Crepe Suzette?  It’s a crepe with sugar that has Grand Marnier poured over it, and then is ignited.  Flaming food!  The alcohol in the liqueur evaporates and what emerges is a thick, caramelized sauce.  I first had a Crepe Suzette in Denver, Colorado a couple years back and I fell in love with it.  So it was nice that they took an extra step to provide this for me at my request.  Along with the crepe, they offered some of their famous and delicious gluten-free gelato…either (my personal favorite) Salted Caramel or Vanilla.

They attempted to light the crepes tableside, but the wind wasn’t cooperating.  Points for trying!!  That being said…CREPE SUZETTE FTW!!  There is a reason this is one of my favorite sweet crepes to devour…er…eat.  It’s sweet…it has brilliant flavor to it…and it’s still light.   So it isn’t too much.  I, naturally, paired mine with the Salted Caramel gelato.  Best choice ever!!  It paired so well with the Crepe Suzette.  So, while this is not something that usually graces their menu, I was so glad when they offered this just for my little event.  Heaven was in the form an amazing dessert crepe that day.  Topped off with delicious gelato.  YUM!

Sweet 'N' Savory's Gluten-Free Crepe Suzette
Sweet ‘N’ Savory’s Gluten-Free Crepe Suzette

I am eternally grateful for both Annie May’s Sweet Café and Sweet ‘N’ Savory Food Truck for helping to make my birthday so special this year.  Everything they gave me was awesome.  And no one would have guessed any of it was gluten-free.  Because these places make food that is just that amazing.  No one was disappointed and everyone commented on how good everything was.

Birthday win.  Done with a little local flair.

And check out these beautiful people who came out to celebrate and enjoy good food, good conversation, and good times.  I love them all!

Me & My Gang (from left and looping around to right): Kelsie, Cathy, Harry, Howard, Michael, Judi, Natalie, Me, Justin (Not pictured: Greg (he's taking the photo) and Maureen (who hid from the camera))
Me & My Gang (from left and looping around to right): Kelsie, Cathy, Harry, Harold, Michael, Judi, Natalie, Me, Justin (Not pictured: Greg (he’s taking the photo) and Maureen (who hid from the camera))
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Marathon Training Week #16 – Easing into the taper

Marathon Training Week #16
Marathon Training Week #16

Taper Madness.

It’s very real.  And I am trying very, very, very hard not to let it affect me.  In fact, Runner’s World couldn’t have been more timely when they published an article on Taper Madness and how to go into the taper and feel good as you go through it.  Some runners, honestly, look forward to the taper.  I am not one of those runners.  Cutting back on mileage is not easy for me.  I love my long distance runs.  I do them with people and I do them alone.  Either way, I enjoy them.  But cutting down has proven to be a bit of a challenge for me.

Thankfully, there wasn’t too much of a difference in this first week of the taper.  It was sort of like going into a cut-back week during normal training.  Maybe these marathon training planners do know what they are doing.  I promise…I am respecting my taper.  I swore I would and I intend to do so.

So, as my miles get shorter…let’s take a look at how I’m dealing this week.

Sunday was a busy day for me.  I was having my birthday get-together with some peeps.  Many of my friends made it out.  A couple ended up not being able to make it.  My roomie and I had our friend Greg in town…so…that being said…I knew I needed to get up and moving that morning if I was going to get my long run in.  Having run 24 miles the day before I had no plans for speed.  In fact, I wore my heavier shoes to keep my pace slow and steady.  I was aiming for 10 miles that morning, and I managed an easy (although at times it felt hard) 10 miles before heading back to the apartment and getting showered and making some gluten-free madeleines for breakfast.  The rest of the day we were out and about before my favorite local food truck, Sweet ‘N’ Savory catered my birthday party at The Beer Store in Louisville, Kentucky.  My roomie got me a gluten-free beer to try…blech…still not into beer.  Just not my thing.  I stuck mostly to the water and was served up one of the most amazing three course meals of my life.  FROM A FOOD TRUCK!!  Richard and Ashley do fantastic work, but they really did some amazing things.  I was the only gluten-free person at the get-together, but everyone enjoyed the appetizer gluten-free savory crepes, the gluten-free ravioli for the entree, and the gluten-free crepe suzette with their homemade gelato for dessert.  We were all very full at the end but everyone enjoyed the food.  I think it was one of my favorite get-togethers yet.  So many different personalities and people and yet…we all came together for good food and a good time.  It was a good Sunday.

And Monday definitely came around way too soon.  My training plan called for 6 easy miles, so I was up and at it early.  The darkness no longer slows me down…but what does slow me down is super tight hamstrings.  The morning air felt great, but my legs weren’t wanting to move as they normally would.  I foam rolled after I hit my mileage, slower than normal, but I was okay with that.  I was going the distance, not going for speed and I do not push when something is twinging.  After work and a quick dinner, I was back out for my Monday Daily Double…with my running group.  That night we were going to go a different route because a tree had gone down somewhere up the way and they were sculpting it into…something.  Laura had heard about it and was going to lead us that way.  She said that she was going to block me from running out ahead because I was in taper mode.  It actually worked and I loved her for this!  I have good friends in the running community.  As it turns out, they had finished the sculpture and the tree now was a castle with a dragon wrapped around it.  It was AWESOME.  We completed the run after stopping to marvel at the tree art.  Ellen and I stuck together, talked while we ran.  She said I pushed her at the end, and we finished up a full 3 miles together.  She said my easy pace was pushing it for her, but it felt great.  And we hit wicked negative splits.  Despite my tight hamstrings…we had a great run.  After a shower, foam rolling commenced once more.

Tuesday was my cross-training day.  So, no running.  These no running days are the most difficult part of training.  I just want to hop out of bed and put in some miles.  But…I behaved.  I hit up the gym and hopped on the Arc Trainer for 45 minutes, using Program 1 – Level 5 and managing 2.79 miles.  Not bad.  I love and hate that machine.  But it’s great for cross training.  After that, it was the rowing machine for 10 minutes.  The rowing machine is tedious…and boring.  But…it works so much of your body.  I always feel it after the workout.  After that, I went downstairs for some strength training before heading into the office.  But my day didn’t stop there.  After work, it was right into my circuit training.  This new routine kicks my butt every time.  Seriously.  But that’s good.  Honestly.

Wednesday morning I woke to the task of hitting 7 miles with Negative Splits in my marathon training.  Pacing and speed work days are my least favorite of the week.  But, they are necessary.  So, I started off slow and steady and picked it up with each mile.  I didn’t feel like I was actually doing the whole negative split thing, but when I hit 7 miles, I surprised myself.  I actually had managed those negative splits.  It felt good out there that morning.  I didn’t push too hard, because my legs were still feeling my runs from earlier in the week, but the hamstrings were feeling loose again and much better.  So, I kept it challenging…just didn’t push my luck.  Quite happy with it.

Thursday morning was another 7 mile run…this time at an easy pace.  I decided that I would take my Newtons out for a spin.  It would be the longest distance that I had run in them since I purchased them, usually keeping them on for my fun run Mondays or some light jogging on Friday.  But, I’m doing this whole shoe rotation thing and I figured…why not?  I love these shoes.  You either love or hate these shoes, but I love them.  My 7 easy miles were done, once again, with negative splits and I shaved a full minute off my time from the day before.  If I had gotten these shoes sooner, I would probably wear them in my marathon…but…that might have to wait for another time.

Friday is the dreaded day of rest…that I respect and keep holy.  Kind of.  I went out for a walk, because if I don’t, I sit at my desk all day on Friday working my ass off in front of the computer.  So, this was necessary.  I had on my walking shoes, so I kept a great pace, and did some light jogging on the straightaways.  I ended up doing this walk/jog thing for 4 miles that morning, which didn’t take me too long.  Still had plenty of time to make some coffee and get some breakfast ready before resting my legs for the remainder of the day.  I had a lot going on at the office, but at the back of my mind I kept thinking about my long run…

Saturday…the long run day.  Not as long a run for me this week.  Like I said…tapering.  BLECH.  Anyway, my training plan called for a paced…yes…a paced 12 mile long run.  What does this mean?  As laid out by the plan, I was to run certain miles at certain paces.  I wasn’t feeling too confident about it.  And…I was going this one alone.  Lots of things were now going on during the day Saturday, so meeting up with my peeps wasn’t going to happen.  BUMMER.  I was lacking motivation this morning.  I hit the snooze button on my alarm, goofed around online, but finally decided the miles and paces weren’t going to run themselves.  I made myself a deal…focus on the distance…I knew I could run the paces…so if I didn’t hit it…whatever.  The distance is what matters.  The training plan called for Miles 1-2 to be done at my Long Slow Distance pace; Miles 3-11 at Marathon Pace; Mile 12 at Long Slow Distance Pace.  I nailed it.  In fact, I once again ran most of the miles faster than necessary.  I am working on that because I don’t want to be burned out when I am in my marathon.  I want to feel strong and good at the end.  Anyway…I was pleased with the way this run turned out.  It wasn’t easy…but I pushed through and showed that I didn’t have to doubt myself.  I am quite capable of these paced long runs.  I just never feel like I’m strong enough or good enough.  And that’s something i need to get over.

Next week the taper gets very real.  I keep eying the training schedule and shaking my head.  It will be so hard to work around the cutback on the miles, but I will do it…and I will continue to respect the lower mileage because I know what it is doing is getting my body ready for the big day.  My muscles are healing, getting stronger, and getting prepared.  And because of that…I will work through the miles as laid out by my plan.  It’s not easy…but I’ll manage.

Taper Madness…I can get through this, right?


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What I Ate in Colorado

With our California girls needing to return to work…and since we were sort of already out that way…and sort of missed out on our usual journey to Denver, Colorado in April due to my roomie’s teammate…Cathy and I decided that we would take that journey to Colorado.  I admit, for much of the planning stages, tacking on the Denver portion was a nightmare…but we got it all worked out.  And with that, we got to spend Wednesday through Sunday in beautiful Colorado.

There is so much to do and see in Colorado…and we’ve been here enough times that we have our favorites that we wouldn’t miss out on…ever.  But, we also had our sights on some new adventures, both with friends and with food.

So…here’s how a gluten-free vegetarian eats while in Colorado!

Zamparelli’s Italian Bistro – Lafayette, Colorado

Zamparelli's Italian Bistro, Lafayette, Colorado
Zamparelli’s Italian Bistro, Lafayette, Colorado

It was our first day in Colorado.  After landing at the Denver airport and getting our rental car (free upgrade to the Toyota Prius), we hit the road for our drive up to the Boulder, Colorado area.  We were staying at the Boulder Twin Lake Inn, where many a famous runner has spent the night.  I was thrilled.  I was hoping maybe I was in the room Shalane Flanagan stayed in so that I could channel some of her speed.  The inn is actually owned by runners, which is why it is popular with runners.  Well, after getting checked in, we were starving…so Cathy and I made a short little drive to Lafayette, Colorado.  Our Find Me Gluten-Free app had directed us toward a place called Zaparelli’s Italian Bistro…and it had many gluten-free options.  Including…gluten-free pizza.  Which, mind you, I was thrilled about, as I was doing my long run the following morning around the area the inn was located in…a full 12.5 mile run.  Pizza was just the thing I needed.

Wanting to try something we couldn’t get anywhere else, we decided to get a Gluten-Free Johnny V’s Vegan Pie ($15.00).  It just sounded intriguing…and, as I said, the toppings were different from anything we’d been able to get out anywhere else.  Order in.  At Zamparelli’s…the gluten-free crust is a $2.00 upcharge, but when you have to eat gluten-free, what are you going to do?  The gluten-free pizza is a 12-inch pizza crust…and in this case…it is topped off with a garlicky white bean spread, roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, sauteed spinach, roasted mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and a spicy salsa rosa.  Is your mouth watering yet?  Mine was just reading the description.  I liked that it was vegan…no cheese to upset my delicate stomach as it sometimes does.  Also important with that long run looming.

The pizza was delivered and boy…did it look and smell amazing.  It tasted just as good as it looked too.  The white bean spread acted as the base, instead of a tomato sauce.  The roasted red peppers elevated a lot of the flavor, especially when paired with the caramelized onion.  Sweet and savory.  Very delicious.  But the star, believe it or not, were the artichoke hearts.  That just brought all the other toppings together.  Fantastic.  The crust was really good.  Not undercooked, but done to perfection.  It was a thin crust without being a cracker crust, which I appreciated.  I was quite happy with this meal and my roommate and I walked out of there satisfied, full, and quite happy.

The Buff Restaurant – Boulder, Colorado

The Buff Restaurant, Boulder, Colorado
The Buff Restaurant, Boulder, Colorado

I first heard about The Buff Restaurant on Man vs. Food.  They are best known for their “Saddlebags” which are pancakes that are stuffed with either bacon, sausage or ham, and then topped off with two eggs.  They are massive, mind you.  Like…steering wheel size.  So much more of the menu now has a gluten-free option available (including the Saddlebags…except being vegetarian…not for me)…but I had just done a 12.5 mile run and I was wanting some protein.

I ended up getting one of the omelettes.  In fact, I went with the Veggie Omelette ($9.50).  This thing is, honestly, the size of my head.  But…full of delicious veggie goodness.  This particular omelette comes packed with broccoli, mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach and onions, with a touch of blended cheddar.  Along with this massive egg-splosion of goodness (see what I did there?), you get a side of their potatoes…or you can upgrade to the fruit for just $1.00 more.  I wanted my carbs…so I stuck with the potatoes.  And, with it came a slice of gluten-free toast.  YUM!  As I was in need of some caffeine, I ordered a Café Au Lait with almond milk ($3.50).  It was just the hit I needed, especially since the cup it came out in was, again, the size of my head.  I think I was wired for much the rest of the day.  But it was good.

So was the food for that matter, but I already knew that.  I’ve been eating at The Buff for three years now.  I make a trip to Boulder specifically to eat there and go to the Celestial Seasonings factory.  Honestly.  I do.  It’s the truth.  The eggs are always done to perfection.  The toast is crispy and never burned.  I love it with their homemade jam.  SO delicious.  And the potatoes…they are my favorite way to consume carbs.  Seasoned to perfection.  Done with that bit of crisp on the outside and that soft center.  I ate mine with hot sauce.  The omelette too.  HEAVEN…on a plate.  Which I demolished, mind you.  I ate every last piece.  I was full for the rest of the day.

St. Bon’s Café – Highlands Ranch, Colorado

St. Bon's Café, Highlands Ranch, Colorado
St. Bon’s Café, Highlands Ranch, Colorado

Around 5 p.m. after my massive breakfast, however, the tummy was starting to get a case of the rumblies.  And my roommate had researched the perfect solution for said problem.  We were now down in Denver for the remainder of our stay and it just so happened that Denver is the home of a 100% gluten-free deli and bakery.  Seriously.

St. Bon’s Café was an absolute nightmare to get to.  And we were getting hungry and cranky as we made our way through rush hour traffic on a Thursday night.  Our GPS got us down to the right area, but had so much trouble actually getting us to the store.  I finally looked it up on my iPhone and managed to get us there.  But it was about 30 minutes before they were going to close.  It was a good thing we already had an idea of what we wanted to eat…because we were cutting it close.

That being said, the owner, Kurt Fulwider, was behind the counter and ready to take our orders.  He told us not to worry about it.  He had a meeting he needed to get to across town and already called to say it wasn’t happening and that he would be late.  So…we ordered…not just dinner…but a dessert to split.  More on that after I tell you about our sandwiches.

For me…I wanted The 3 Wisemen Panini on the house made Rosemary Thyme Focaccia ($7.99).  The 3 Wisemen is a basic caprese sandwich.  It’s freshly sliced tomatoes, basil leaves and mozzarella.  Cathy went with her favorite…something cheesy…opting for The Trinity Panini on the house made Basil Garlic Focaccia ($7.99).  This sandwich is stuffed full of three different cheeses…creamy havarti, sharp white cheddar, and smooth meunster.  We decided we could split a dessert and I had my heart already set on the Blasphemous Bread Pudding ($3.99), which was a gluten-free bread putting with a delicious custard and dark chocolate.  With our orders now paid for, we settled at a table until they were ready.

Let me tell you…the wait wasn’t bad…and the food was fantastic.  Absolutely FANTASTIC!  I fell in love with the rosemary thyme focaccia.  The flavors meshed so well with the fixings in my sandwich.  The basil was so fresh and so fragrant.  The mozarella was melt-in-your sammie good.  And the tomatoes were ripe, and didn’t bleed juice all over my bread.  The focaccia was toasted in the panini press to perfection, giving that nice golden crispiness to each bite.  I was in love with this sandwich.  Cathy tried a piece and said while she loved hers…she really loved the bread on mine.

As for that sinful dessert…oh…yeah.  It was rich…creamy…and beyond blasphemous.  This was a sin to eat.  The custard was rich and creamy, but not overly heavy.  The dark chocolate…melt my heart to pieces…so good.  It paired so well with the custard.  I was so happy when eating this.  So very happy.  I sort of want to recreate it for myself.  If possible.  It’s worth a try.  Yep…that good.  Mouth watering…sinfully…satisfyingly…perfect for when you are PMS-ing or any other time because you just need some chocolate dammit…good!!  I hope I can get back here when I’m in Denver in May.  It must happen.

Coquette’s Bistro and Bakery – Colorado Springs, Colorado

Coquette's Bistro & Bakery, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Coquette’s Bistro & Bakery, Colorado Springs, Colorado

I love crepes.  LOVE them.  With the exception of my local food truck, I normally can’t have them.  I don’t have a good crepe pan to do them myself…nor would they come close to what Sweet ‘N’ Savory can cook up for me in their food truck.  Normally when I am in Colorado, I would go to La Creperie Cafe in Denver.  But…they closed.  THEY CLOSED!!  I was saddened by this, but started doing some research.  What I did run across though was a little cafe that does only 100% gluten-free food.  The catch was…it was in Colorado Springs.  The best thing is…that doesn’t phase Cathy.  We hopped in the car on Friday morning and took a little drive down to Colorado Springs.

Nestled at the foot of Pike’s Peak, Coquette’s Bistro and Bakery has the perfect location to entertain visitors and locals alike.  The place and the food has won numerous awards over the four years it has been open.  And it claims that the food is so amazing, you’d never guess it was gluten-free.  This little restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts, espresso, and cocktails.  There is a little bit for everyone.

But Cathy and I made the journey for…yep…crepes.  None of their savory crepes are vegetarian.  That was fine for Cathy, and she ended up ordering the Rise and Dine ($11.00), which is a crepe that is stuffed full (and I mean full) with two scrambled eggs, ham, red onions, tomatoes, and cheddar cheese. The crepe is then topped off with hollandaise.  It came with a side of fruit or their truffled potatoes.  She went potatoes.  I swiped one.  OMG.  Amazing.  I swiped more than one after that.  I think she welcomed the help as her crepe was HUGE.  I would have gone savory had there been a vegetarian option…but I was okay going sweet.  Most of the offerings were what I could get from my local gluten-free crepe food truck…so I went with the one that I hadn’t been served by my local go-to gluten-free crepe place.  And that was the Bananas Fosters Crepe ($8.50).  This dessert crepe (hey…dessert for breakfast is allowed on vacation!) is a delicious crepe that is topped off with banana and a rum brown sugar flambé.  The crepe is served with some house made whipped cream on the side.  My crepe was definitely the size of my plate, but being a dessert crepe, it is usually dusted with cinnamon and sugar on the inside and then topped off with the goodness on the outside.  Much less to navigate through.  But…let me tell you…this was one fantastic crepe.  I loved the rum brown sugar sauce.  The whipped cream was a nice touch.  And the banana, being one of my favorite fruits in this world, made it all taste a little like heaven.  I devoured it.  Like…completely.  Cathy had a good portion of her crepe remaining.  Not me.  I went all vegetarian piggy on that plate.  Worth it.  YUM!  I am making this a required stop from now on.  It must happen.  It is that good.  And I feel safe eating there.

Baker Street Pub & Grill – Denver, Colorado

Baker Street Pub & Grill, Denver, Colorado
Baker Street Pub & Grill, Denver, Colorado

It’s no secret…my roommate and I are completely obsessed with Sherlock Holmes.  For real.  No…seriously.  And when we discovered that just a short walk from our hotel room at the Denver DTC was one of Colorado’s four Baker Street Pub & Grill locations, well, you better believe we knew what we were doing for dinner after hiking around Colorado Springs and the Garden of the Gods.  Hey…you work up an appetite doing that.

We walked over to Baker Street Pub & Grill from the hotel on Friday evening.  I loved how you got to seat yourself.  Our server, a bubbly and enthusiastic woman came over to see about drinks.  I was sticking with water.  But Cathy decided to take in Happy Hour and went with a Baker Street Brown Ale ($4.25).  And with that…her usual pub fare…a half portion of the Fish & Chips ($7.99).  As for me…I went with the Baby Spinach and Feta Cheese Salad ($9.99), which I added avocado slices to ($1.49) with a side of the Serrano Coleslaw ($1.99).  Our waitress put in our order and we sort of geeked out over Sherlock Holmes until it arrived.

My salad was MASSIVE!!  And it looked absolutely amazing to top it off.  This salad was a blend of baby spinach, feta cheese, gala apples, red onions, candied pecans (they didn’t candy mine), and red grapes.  All of this was tossed in a fantastic raspberry vinaigrette dressing.  And let’s not forget my deep love of avocado…which topped off my salad nicely and gave it this rich creaminess that I truly love in a salad.  The flavors really, really worked together.  I loved the way the fruit played well with the vegetables and how the sweet, yet savory vinaigrette just brought it all together.  The avocado…if you order a salad…always top it with avocado…trust me!!  As for the coleslaw…eh…it was coleslaw.  With the wording of Serrano Coleslaw, I expected something with some heat behind it…but it just tasted like your run-of-the-mill coleslaw.  Probably my only disappointment.  The rest…so good!

Cathy was very impressed with her fish.  In fact, we both enjoyed our food so much we came back on Saturday night, our last night in town.  The manager on duty rustled up some can coozies for us and let us get in the big phone booth outside and took a picture.  It was epic.  We ordered the same thing…minus the coleslaw and rounded out the perfect stay in Colorado at one of our new favorite places in Denver…just a short walk from our hotel.  Perfection.

Udi’s Café and Bar – Denver Airport – Denver, Colorado

Udi's Café & Bar, Denver Airport, Denver, Colorado
Udi’s Café & Bar, Denver Airport, Denver, Colorado

I had every intention of making it out of Denver without eating at the airport.  I figured Cathy and I would grab something in Atlanta.  It’s a good thing she talked me out of that because we had no time for food in Atlanta as it turned out.  So, her plan to eat something in Denver before heading to our gate for the first leg of our journey back to Louisville was a stroke of sheer genius.

And to our delight, Terminal B at the Denver Airport has an Udi’s Café and Bar.  Udi’s is one of the major names in gluten-free breads and other products on the market.  And…they are based in Denver.  So the fact that the airport has one of these cafés shouldn’t be a surprise.  I was so happy they did.

We settled in at a table and a waitress came over to give us menus and let us look them over.  We had a vague idea of what we wanted to eat…sandwiches…with fries.  Filling.  Which is exactly what we needed, honestly.

Cathy went with the BLTA ($9.35), which is a bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado sandwich with chipotle aioli and served on ciabatta bread.  She got hers with the standard fries that come with the sandwich.  As for me…I went with the Gluten-Free Caprese Sandwich ($9.95) and substituted the regular fries for Sweet Potato Fries ($2.00).  Gluten-free sweet potato fries.  Pardon my dance of joy and glee.  This was the second time this trip I was getting sweet potato fries.  This is me…being happy.

It was a little bit of a wait, but Cathy and I soon received our plates full of food.  The sandwiches were huge. The fries…a big portion.  But this was our meal for the day…so while we weren’t starving…we dove in.

My fries were FANTASTIC!  Better than the ones I waited forever for at Disneyland.  They were crispy, fried to perfection.  I was in love with them.  In fact, I saved them for the last bite because I wanted to remember those fries.  As for the sandwich…epic win.  Served on Udi’s bread (of course), this sandwich was stuffed with mozzarella cheese, fresh tomatoes, and a pesto aioli.  And the flavors just popped.  I have been eating a lot of caprese things since going gluten-free and this was one of the best sandwiches put together.  Simple flavors…executed perfectly.  And served with SWEET POTATO FRIES!!  I was thrilled to actually be able to eat something other than a fruit cup, a salad, or some unhealthy snack at the airport.  Seriously.  This was my happy that day.

~*~*~

So…there you have it.  I find eating gluten-free in Colorado to be so easy.  Both Rudi’s Gluten-Free and Udi’s Gluten-Free are based out of Colorado (one in Boulder…the other in Denver).  Granted, on Saturday when we went up into the mountains to Rocky Mountain State Park…my lunch was a banana, some yogurt, and some Boulder chips…but…I’m in the mountains.  I will cut them some slack.

This was one of my best foodie trips to date.  Both California and Colorado offered me so many options and such delicious food.  I wasn’t really disappointed with any of the restaurants that we chose to dine in.  And that…is amazing!!

Colorado…see you in May.  I hope my favorite places to eat will be ready for me again!

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What I Ate in California – Part 2

I dedicate this entry to, honestly, the best meal I have ever consumed in my life.  No joke.  Sorry mom…but it’s true.  Never before have I been treated to such an exciting and taste-defying tasting menu, all of it done by the chef’s whim.  And yes…all of it done to suit any food allergies at the table.  For me…being a gluten-free vegetarian.  For my friend Tawn…no shrimp.

What am I talking about?

Disneyland.

Napa Rose.

Chef’s Table.

OMGTHEFOODWASAWESOME!

Okay…now that I got that out of my system…kind of…let me explain…

You see, Disneyland has a lot of nice treasures inside its gates.  And, after running the Disneyland Half Marathon, Indy wanted to treat all of us, plus her hubby and her dad, to a nice meal out…which would be our Christmas and Birthday gifts.  She chose Napa Rose at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa as the scene of this adventure.  After a long day, the four ladies got all dressed up and met up with Evan (Indy’s hubby) for a ride over to the restaurant.  Her dad was staying there so he’d meet us there.

A few drinks in the lounge and two Joey Fatone (from *NSYNC) sightings later, we were making our way to the Dessert Counter and being seated, napkins placed on our laps, and about to be treated to one of the finest, most epic, amazing meals of our lives…complete with wine tasting.  All of this…completely at the whim of the chef.

So…let’s get started:

Amuse-Bouche: Plum with Grape Relish and Gluten-Free Flatbread

Amuse-Bouche: Plum with Grape Relish and Vegan & Gluten-Free Flatbread
Amuse-Bouche: Plum with Grape Relish and Vegan & Gluten-Free Flatbread

The rest of the counter was treated to a Panna Cotta with Great Relish…but not this girl.  The chef kept is simple, elegant, and instead of the panna cotta, served me up an amazing warm Plum with Grape Relish on top.  The plum was sweet, pairing beautifully with the slightly sour tones of the chopped grapes.  It was the perfect way to wake up the palate and prepare it for the rest of what was to come that night.

In addition, while the rest of the counter got to share this large basket of various breads, a basket of vegan and gluten-free flatbread was delivered to me.  This bread had a fresh herbiness to it.  It was crispy, yet still soft.  And when it was fresh and warm…there was nothing like it in the world.  It was a nice change from the gluten-free rolls I am so used to getting.  It’s not everyday this girl gets to indulge in flatbread.  And indulge I did.  Because I just couldn’t stop eating it!!

First Course: Cauliflower Tower

Cauliflower Tower
Cauliflower Tower

What…you may ask…is a Cauliflower Tower.  Simply what it sounds like.  Cauliflower…in a tower.  But…it is really so much more than that.  In fact, while the base of this dish was, in fact, a cauliflower mash, it was blended with couscous, raisins, pistachios, and was drizzled with a blood orange sauce.  I love cauliflower, so using it as a base for this meal was sheer brilliance.  The couscous gave it a bit more body.  Toss in the sweet raisins with the salty nature and crunch of the pistachios and you have a meal made in heaven.  Seriously.  Angels eat this when they picnic on the clouds.  I swear.  The blood orange sauce just sealed the deal.  It gave this savory dish a little zing.  It was fantastic.  Down to the very last bite.  If this was any indication of what was left to come, I was all in.  I didn’t record the type of wine any of my meals were paired with…but I loved them.  All of them.

Second Course: Grilled Peach Salad with Green Beans and a Peach Yogurt Sauce

Grilled Peach Salad with Green Beans and a Peach Yogurt Sauce
Grilled Peach Salad with Green Beans and a Peach Yogurt Sauce

 The usual version of this dish is served with roasted duck.  But, being that I was the sole vegetarian at the table, the chef made one with duck, which Indy received, and made mine without it.  But this made me want to grill peaches ALL the time.  ALL the peaches.  And then consume ALL the peaches with ALL the food that I could think would pair well with them.  I will say this…I never would have paired peaches with green beans.  But…this worked.  This worked remarkably well.  The peaches had this rich sweetness to them, the green beans were cooked perfectly, so they had that crispiness to them.  And that yogurt sauce just tied everything together.  This was fantastic.  I could have eaten plate after plate of this and been one happy girl.  But more goodness was still ahead.

Third Course: Heirloom Tomatoes with Golden Tomato Essence with Fava Beans and Parmesan

Heirloom Tomatoes with Golden Tomato Essence with Fava Beans and Parmesan
Heirloom Tomatoes with Golden Tomato Essence with Fava Beans and Parmesan

 I do believe either Tawn or Cathy made the Silence of the Lambs reference when I was served this beautiful, rainbow dish.  I mean, the colors on this dish just popped.  The sweet tomato essence was what really made this dish so savory.  The beautiful heirloom tomatoes were ripe, gorgeous, juicy and the flavors danced across my taste buds with the first bite.  The fava beans added a little body…and some texture.  And to top it all off…shaved Parmesan cheese, which gave the dish that big of salty seasoning that just brought it all together in the end.  Rich, succulent…and fantastic.  Each dish was topping the last…

Fourth Course: Chef’s Creation – Vegetarian Mushroom and Tomato Plate

Chef's Creation - Vegetarian Mushroom and Tomato Plate
Chef’s Creation – Vegetarian Mushroom and Tomato Plate

 Be jealous.  Because the chef made this one specifically for me.  His gluten-free, vegetarian diner.  What exactly was it?  Savory goodness, that’s what it was.  Honestly…this was fantastic.  From the first bite he reigned me in with perfectly cooked mushrooms, beautifully seasoned and topped with gorgeous heirloom tomatoes and greens.  I wanted to hoover this dish so much, but I sat there like the lady I am and ate it like the sophisticated foodie I see on television and dream about becoming.  No…really.  I savored this dish.  Every bite of it.  And I never wanted it to end.  But…my fork fell onto the last slice and soon it too was gone.

Dessert: Meyer Lemon Crème Brûlée with Blueberries and Mint

Meyer Lemon Crème Brûlée with Blueberries and Mint
Meyer Lemon Crème Brûlée with Blueberries and Mint

 Without even knowing anything about me save for my food allergies and preferences, the chef sent out the most perfect dessert for me.  It involved lemon and blueberries…and that pairing is, by far, one of my absolute favorites.  So, without even knowing it…the chef capped off the perfect evening with the perfect dessert.  His Meyer Lemon Crème Brûlée with Blueberries and Mint was a stunning plate to start with.  The crust on the crème brûlée was brilliant.  And that lemon flavor was just enough without overpowering the entire dessert.  Toss in the blueberries (one of my favorite berries) and the hint of mint and I was in a delicious, tasty food coma.  Seriously.  I dug right into this dessert and savored it as long as I could.  I even ate the drizzle of chocolate letters around the plate wishing me an early happy birthday.  Yes…I enjoyed it…for real…down to the very last bit.  But, I’m a dessert girl…and this was one hell of a dessert.

My hat is off to Indy, for this fantastic food experience.  If I were to choose my last meal on Earth…it would be this.  I would want to be at Napa Rose…at the Chef’s Counter…once again receiving the dishes of his choosing for me.  I loved being surprised and not knowing what to expect when my plate was carried out and placed in front of me.  The company was the best I could ever be with at this venue.  The food was outstanding.  I’ve been spoiled.  No other meal has come close to equaling this one…and I am starting to wonder if one ever will.

My food hat is off to the chef of Napa Rose…the food that is served there…the wine it is paired with (SO GOOD!)…and the good friends I shared the experience with.  If any of you find yourself at Disneyland…do try to experience this for yourself.  It isn’t cheap…I can tell you that…but the food and the experience is worth every dollar you put towards this meal.  I promise.

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Marathon Training Week #15 – Climbing one last mountain before the taper

Marathon Training Week #15
Marathon Training Week #15

Oy!  What a week this has been.  I’ve certainly been keeping myself busy, not just with a new position at work (and getting settled into that…which hasn’t been too difficult, but I had to move my desk and get comfortable in a new area with different people around and new stresses), turning 33, and maintaining my training schedule through a very tiring, very trying week.

When I say tiring…I do mean that I am physically tired.  Perhaps it is a good thing that after my run on Saturday morning the official taper begins.  I said perhaps…because while a lot of runners I know love and truly enjoy their tapers…I get taper madness.  I do not taper well.  At all.  Cutting back on mileage will be a relief to some, but I love being out on those roads.  I know that the taper is an important step to arriving to my race recharged and ready…so I will abide by it.  But I might not be the most pleasant person to be around.

Fair warning.

That being said…with the taper on the horizon this week ushered in my last 20 mile run in my program (which I technically did last week…but I have a pace one in my schedule that I didn’t abide by…meaning I ran the mileage but not at the paces suggested…) so I figured I would at least attempt it.  I might fail.  I might fail hard.  But I’m going to at least make the effort.  If I fail, I dust myself off and try again another time.  Pacing is not my strong point.  I tend to run hard most of the time and have to remind myself to take an easier effort.  This is why running with groups is good for me.  But with the pace requirements on Saturday…I chose to go solo.

But…before I get into that…let’s take a look at this past week’s training…

Sunday morning meant another very early morning for me.  I was meeting with the running group my friend Kelsie runs with on weekends for their long run.  They were doing 18 today.  And after doing 20 on Saturday, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep up.  I also had gotten to bed a lot later than planned because I was watching Star Trek: Into Darkness, which was important, you see.  So, the original plan had been to watch the movie and get to bed on time…but…yeah…not so much.  I got up at 3:30 a.m. to lather on the sunscreen (for another dark run!) and eat before hopping in my car and meeting up with the Indiana contingent of the running group at the designated meeting spot.  We all car pooled over to the Kroger near Papa John’s Stadium in Louisville where we met up with the rest of the group.  One runner was only doing half the mileage, so we started out in Iroquois Park.  We ran from the Kroger through the darkness, giving fair warning to the other runners in the group when poles in the running/bike lane cropped up.  No need to have someone collide with that.  YIKES!  We entered the park and started on our way.  Let me tell you…Iroquois Park isn’t really in the best part of Louisville…and it is really creepy in the darkness.  We heard strange noises in the woods, which urged quite a few of us to pick up our pace in the end.  Not being able to see the looming hills of Iroquois, for me, definitely made navigating them easier.  I ran for most of these 18 miles with Lori, who is really great and pushing the pace in the difficult parts.  We left the park and the hills behind and went on to the flatter roads of the city.  Here, we simply ran 4.5 miles straight down a road, then turned around and headed back.  The problem was, we had to change up the route due to one of the roads being one way, so when we got back to Kroger, we still had just under a mile to go.  So, Lori and I decided we would run up the street until we hit 17.5 and then turn around and run back, and when we hit 18…we’d cool down with a walk back to the cars in the parking lot at Kroger.  Alicia, one of the other ladies in the group, is nursing a foot injury of some sort.  She was not looking good at the end of the race, but it seems like taking time off to heal isn’t part of her plan.  YIKES!  I hope she can at least let it heal up so that it won’t be as painful or that she puts herself out of commission.  We runners do some really stupid and silly things in the name of our training…but with me being so close to my race…I err on the side of caution.  Anyway…it was a cool and crisp morning that led into a really great run.  I had a great time.

Monday…always comes too soon.  Another later than usual bed time for me.  This time because I was watching Dr. Who (the Ninth Doctor…in case you were wondering) when my phone rang.  It was my mom…and sometimes we just get to talking and talking and talking…and before I knew it, an entire hour had passed.  And it was beyond my bed time.  SO…my roomie and I shut off the television and I went and crashed out.  Because Monday morning had a 6 mile easy run on the schedule.  I woke up feeling less than refreshed.  On top of that…the 70° weather in the morning returned.  I really had to push myself on this run.  Not only was I tired…but my legs were tired too.  Somehow…and I still don’t know how…I managed some negative splits.  Not bad for running through exhaustion.  And…as we all know by now…Monday is also my Daily Double.  My fun run group meets on Monday…so after having a really easy dinner of grilled cheese…I was out the door and heading to Louisville.  My roomie was driving, thank goodness, because I was falling asleep on the way over.  This is so out of character for me, but I just couldn’t keep my eyes open.  We got to the running store and my friend, Natalie, was talking about how tired she was too.  I told her we could run easy and be the tail end of the group today…which sounded like a plan.  But then, as we ran into Cherokee Park, our Ironman, Patrick, called out…”Hey…let’s do hill repeats!”  Mind you, I have been pushing for hill repeat sessions with the fun run group for awhile and kept getting vetoed.  He said we’d run each hill three times…which meant the hill going up to Hogan’s Fountain and Dog Hill were going to be our hill repeaters.  At first I thought he was kidding, but he said we should do it.  So…about 6 of us started off doing it…while the rest of the group ran on to just do the Scenic Loop.  These are not easy hills to run, and I was wearing my Newtons, wanting to break them in on an easy run.  HA!  Well, no time like the present.  The six of us regrouped at the top, just past Hogan’s Fountain when our first three hill repeats were done.  From there, we took an easy pace through the park on the Scenic Loop, making jokes about running every incline, even the small ones, three times.  We didn’t…but I imagine that would make one really amusing YouTube video.  We grabbed some water at the water fountain and we were already 3 miles in.  I’d be finishing up if I was just doing the loop, but I was only halfway there.  And Dog Hill was, literally, right around the corner.  There were times I felt like bailing, but I never quit on a challenge.  So three times up and down Dog Hill…and I was suddenly feeling very bad ass.  Honestly, these were hard…but I pushed myself through them.  With tired legs and a tired body…I gave it all I had and in the end…I felt like I conquered the world.  It was a light run back to the store, except we only needed .25 more of a mile to hit 6 miles, and I like round numbers.  So…the four of us that remained (the other two bailed on Dog Hill) rounded the corner and ran down an alley until we could turn around and head back to the store.  Another 6 miles on Monday for me.  12 in one day.  Whew.

Tuesday is the Cross Training Day.  And with my marathon coming up, I have been taking it a little easier on the machines.  After all, I refuse to do something stupid that will cost me valuable training time or knock me out of commission for my race.  It is not happening.  So, my early morning at the gym meant that I hit up the Arc Trainer.  Because it’s Arc Trainer Tuesday.  For me, anyway.  This time I set it for Program 8, which is the Cardio program, and kept it at Level 5, which gave me a bunch of different inclines and resistances to work with.  I ended up managing 2.18 miles with the various hills and resistances in 45 minutes.  Not bad.  From there…my least favorite machine…the stationary bike…was next.  I don’t know what it is about the stationary bike, but I hate it.  It bores me.  I think it’s that I’m putting in so much effort and not actually getting anywhere.  The same reason I hate the treadmill (dreadmill).  But I powered through 10 minutes on that bike, which is really all I could stand to be honest, and got in 3.84 miles.  Not bad considering how dead-to-the-world my legs felt.  Went downstairs to do some strength training and then went into work.

Wednesday is my pacing/speed work day.  This one called for an 8 mile tempo run.  I am awful at pacing.  And doing it in the dark when I really can’t make sure I am on pace makes it even more difficult.  I had this inner voice in my head for much of the way telling me that I can’t do it.  I can’t maintain the pace I was holding.  But…I shut them up and pushed through those doubts and proved that I could.  In fact, I ended up doing more negative splits than tempo pace.  Whoops.  But that last mile…I pushed out a sub-7 minute mile and that felt amazing.  It was something I really needed.  So, pacing needs some work…but damn…that felt good.  Later that night, after work, I started a new circuit training routine.  Holy crap…this one had me sweating from the start.  Not easy.  Nice to change it up, but damn.  I knew I’d be feeling that one in the morning.

Thursday was more than just my second easy run of the week.  September 19 also marked my birthday.  This year…I was turning 33.  Ironically, my training plan had a second cross training day in…which I would be doing.  No run was actually scheduled, probably in preparation for the upcoming long run (20 miler) on Saturday.  But…I had to run on my birthday.  Ever since I started running, I’ve run on my birthday.  Since I turned 33, and there was no way I would be running 33 miles and running 33 kilometers would be 20 miles…I didn’t have time for that either.  So…I figured another 6 miles would be perfect…since 3+3=6.  It seemed perfect.  It was 70° that morning, but I didn’t let that get to me.  I refused.  I pushed through and turned out the most beautiful and perfect negative splits.  A great birthday gift to myself, for sure.  After that, I headed to the gym for the cross training.  I ended up on the broken elliptical that day…which doesn’t configure the stride right.  So, while I was probably using more effort trying to match my normal mileage, it wasn’t happening.  In 49 minutes, I managed 8.57 miles.  Ugh.  After that, I moved on to 10 minutes on the Cardio Wave machine…and rocked out 4.14 miles.  I alternated between two of the higher levels.  Then it was downstairs to hit the weights for a bit of strength training before heading to the office for a long day at work.  Trust me though…my Wonder Woman cake that my local allergen-free bakery made for me was consumed greedily that evening after a dinner of gluten-free and vegan grilled cheese (stuffed with kale and tomato, YUM!).

Friday is the rest day.  Ah…the rest day.  The rest day that I said I would respect and keep holy.  I normally go for a walk…but I have these great Newtons I’m working on breaking in and getting used to how they feel…I decided I would, for the second week in a row, take them out for an easy jog.  Nothing hard.  No pushing.  Easy does it.  Just as what happened last year when I wore the Newtons…I actually turned out fantastic mileage.  In fact, I ran a rather quick 2 miles in them, without feeling like I was running.  I decided to cool down then with really easy running…and that actually turned out a faster 2 miles (total of 4 that morning), and it felt like a walk in the park.  In fact, my last mile was, for the second time this week…a sub-7.  I was shocked.  It just didn’t even feel like I was working hard.  But…I ended that session there, despite feeling like I could go on.  I’m easing into the mileage in these because it is working my legs differently and my muscles feel it.  Besides…my last (and third) 20 mile run of my training program.

Me after my epic 24 mile long run!
Me after my epic 24 mile long run!

Saturday morning.  This was it.  The last 20 mile run of my training plan.  After this…the taper would start.  I had skipped the 20 mile intervals in my previous 20 mile run, opting instead to run it with people.  But I know how important pacing and intervals are and I really, really didn’t want to ignore that run.  So…as I was going on my own for my run today…I figured this last 20 miler would be the perfect opportunity to work through it.  I also decided that I needed to simulate race day as much as possible…and that meant running a relatively flat course.  Chicago, after all, is flat.  As much as I didn’t want to do it…I chose to do my run in the flattest area I could think of in Louisville.  Seneca Park.  I also knew that this was going to test me mentally as well as physically.  Why?  First of all, the morning greeted me with rain.  I figured what better way to wrap up my last long run than in the rain.  This meant that I wore my old, heavy, to-big-for-me shoes instead of the ones I am wearing for the marathon.  That sucked…but I figured I wouldn’t let it get me down.  I’d attempt to do the training intervals, but the important thing, mainly, was to get the mileage done.  But…there was more.  You see, the “track” at Seneca Park is basically a 1.2 mile loop.  Yes…I looped the park until I hit my mileage.  My intervals as laid out by my training plan was specific.  I was to run miles 1-8 at my long slow distance pace.  So, I got to the park, walked a little while my Garmin found its satellites, and then was high-fived by Cathy and wished luck.  My long slow distance pace when I am on my own is much quicker than my long slow distance pace when I run with a group.  It’s faster.  And I kept needing to remind myself to ease up and slow down.  The most challenging part was to come.  Before I hit mile 3, Cathy was off to run some errands and head home to get the house prepped for our friend Greg, who was visiting this weekend.  I was on my own in the light rain, in the still-dark morning.  There were large puddles that would cross the track, so I’d have to duck off the pavement and into the muddy grass.  But, hey…I needed to do this.  For the sake of my training.  At mile 8, I turned around and ran the other way on the track.  Miles 9-17 were to be run at marathon pace.  So I picked up my pace for these 9 miles, pushing it more and keeping it as steady as I dared.  My legs were tired from the first 8 miles, which should have been done slower than I ran them.  But I pressed on, and I pushed.  The rain stopped, but I now had some wind to deal with.  And at some points it was me running right into it.  I did my best not to let it phase me, but I was so happy when mile 17 hit.  I once again turned around to run the other way, now in a mind to start the cool down.  Miles 18-20 were to be done again at my long slow distance pace.  What I ended up running was miles 8-24 at my long slow distance pace.  I got so much encouragement from the runners at the park.  They kept saying I was strong.  That I looked good.  I love the running community around here.  You might not even know someone, but you still just give them a thumbs up, a smile, a compliment.  It’s awesome.  I polished up my run, having completed a full 24 miles.  And my time…was fantastic.  I couldn’t believe it when I paused my Garmin at the end of the run.  And I still felt great.  Which was good, because Greg was on his way.  I went home to shower after grabbing some coffee and a snack (I was run-gry) and prepare for his arrival.  And then…after he arrived, we were off for a day in Louisville, starting with gluten-free vegan pizza at Annie May’s Sweet Café, and then shopping.  I ended up buying some DVDs at Half Price Books, but passed on the dress I was going to purchase for my birthday get-together tomorrow.  Priorities…right?  Right.  Anyway…it was a good day.  Here I am over 12 hours later…no ice bath necessary…still feeling amazing.  And badass.

So…there it is.  Now…three weeks until my first marathon…the taper begins.  And I do intend to abide closely to my schedule for the taper because I want my legs to feel strong and rested when I get to Chicago.  I don’t want any doubts in my head on marathon morning. I want all my hard work and effort to pay off in the end, which is why, while I’m sure I will become a raving maniac due to the cut-back on the mileage, I will follow my program as it is laid out.  Because…I feel ready for this.  I am ready for this.  I can’t believe I am saying that.

So…here’s to not giving in too much to taper madness.  This is recovery time.  And I can’t wait to see what I can do in three weeks.  Until then…hang with me…because I’m sure I’ll have some fun taper stories.

Three weeks.

*FLAIL*


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What I Ate in California – Part 1

Between Disneyland and the little out-of-the-way places that we ducked into for food and anything else…I was well-fed and felt very safe in my food choices while visiting friends in California.  In fact, Indy and her hubby, Evan, even went out to Whole Foods and picked up gluten-free cookies and some gluten-free crackers for me to have while staying with them.  They are, honestly, the best.  Nice to have people take my food allergies and everything else in stride and not totally panic.  Best hosts…EVER!

So, I spent a total of three days at Disneyland and then one full day seeing bits and pieces of California.  All the while…taking in food and enjoying every single bite.  I’m breaking this posting down into two separate posts because…well…the dinner I had at Napa Rose needs its own little post.  Honestly.  Because it was the best meal I have ever had.  (Sorry, Mom…but it’s true!).

So…I guess we’ll start at the very beginning…

Flo’s V8 Cafe – Cars Land – Disney California Adventure Park

Flo's V8 Café, Cars Land, Disney's California Adventure Park
Flo’s V8 Café, Cars Land, Disney’s California Adventure Park


You know…I give Disney props.  Both theme parks on each coast do their best to work with people with specific diets and specific food allergies.  And this was incredibly clear when I sat down to eat a “light” lunch (I was getting pizza later that evening) while out and about in California Adventure on Saturday.  I hadn’t yet made it to the race expo, but I knew I needed a small bite to get through until it was time to eat my required pre-race gluten-free pizza.  We were in Cars Land at the moment, so we stepped into Flo’s V8 Café and took a look at the menu board.  When we got up to the register, my traveling party (Cathy, Indy & Tawn) all decided they were going to eat elsewhere…which made me not want to eat here…but…I wasn’t sure what there would be outside that would be nutritious and still filling.  At the register, I mentioned that I was a gluten-free vegetarian so the cashier went to go and retrieve the chef.  The chef came out a couple of moments later and I reiterated that I was a gluten-free vegetarian.  She said it wasn’t a problem and mentioned the items I could get, including the Citrus Turkey Salad, sans turkey.  Actually, none of it sounded like anything I wanted…the side dishes were just…eh…meh.  And the salad was…well…a salad.  But, I needed something…so I said I would give the Citrus Turkey Salad ($11.49), no turkey, a go!

I paid the cashier and took the receipt up to the counter.  And my salad came up…gluten-free roll…but…UGH…the turkey had been placed on the salad.  I mentioned that my salad wasn’t supposed to have turkey on it, so the worker at the counter sent it back to the kitchen and spoke with the chef.  It took a few minutes, but my new salad came up, gluten-free roll, little dish of dressing, GODZILLA-sized salad, which was a basic mix of mixed greens, carrots, cucumbers, and yellow peppers.  It came with a citrus-tarragon dressing.  And trust me…this salad was HUGE.  I knew I wouldn’t be able to finish it.  But, if anything was certain, I was going to devour that roll.  The roll, by the way, looks like the Udi’s gluten-free rolls I can buy at specialty stores around here.  I think they were Udi’s.  I loved the roll.  I loved it to pieces…and pieces…and pieces until it was all gone.

The salad itself was fresh and crisp.  And the dressing made a nice flavor addition to the raw vegetables.  It was…a general salad, just taken to extreme proportion.  I ate about 3/4 of it before I called it quits.  It was just a lot of food.  The vegetables were fresh and crisp, the dressing was served on the side instead of just being poured over the salad, and perhaps drowning the vegetables.  It was good.  But…let’s face it…it’s a salad I could have made at home for a lot cheaper.

Redd Rocket’s Pizza Port – Tomorrowland – Disneyland Park

Redd Rocket's Pizza Port, Tomorrowland, Disneyland Park
Redd Rocket’s Pizza Port, Tomorrowland, Disneyland Park

 

It was the evening before the Disneyland Half Marathon, and Indy and I were in desperate need of some carbs.  And it is a requirement…I mean one of those dead-set superstitious athlete requirements for me to eat gluten-free pizza the night before a big race.  It has to happen.  If it doesn’t happen…I make it happen.  Somehow.

Indy knew that this was a must coming into the trip, so she asked around at Disneyland about good places to get a gluten-free pizza.  She was directed to Redd Rocket’s Pizza Port, which is a cafeteria-style, quick service joint in Tomorrowland.  We got there just before a flood of people and we spoke to one of the people manning the counters about gluten-free and vegetarian options.  She said she would go and fetch the chef.  I ended up standing there for around 10-15 minutes waiting on the chef, long enough for a couple of employees to ask if I needed help.  Indy and Tawn had already gotten their pastas and were now waiting with me.  Cathy was waiting because we weren’t sure if this was going to be a personal pizza or one we’d need to split.  You just never know.

After the wait continued, I told Indy and Tawn to go and pay and eat while their food was still hot.  I didn’t want them to settle in with cold pasta.  Gross!  So, they finally agreed, and just after they walked away…the chef finally emerged to talk to me.  I told him that I was a gluten-free vegetarian, and he said I had two options…a gluten-free personal cheese pizza…or gluten-free rice noodles with a tomato marinara.  Night before the race…it has to be pizza.  So, I put in my order for gluten-free cheese pizza ($8.99).  I was told it would take 10 minutes so to go ahead and pay and then come back to the counter in about 10 minutes.  I did just that, grabbed some plastic dinnerware, napkins, and some crushed red pepper packets and went to join my friends.  Cathy had gotten one of the pizza slices and some breadsticks and joined them in eating.  And I watched them eat for about 5 minutes as it took me awhile to pay.  When 10 minutes was up, I got up from my table and made my way back to the counter to, hopefully, get my food.  But my pizza wasn’t up yet.  There was a group of four ahead of me.  And that took about 5 minutes for them to get their gluten-free pizzas served to them.  Then…it took another 3-5 minutes waiting on mine.  By now Indy and Cathy were done eating.  When my pizza was sliced and finally put on a plate…I went to rejoin my friends and only Tawn was still nomming on her pasta.

The pizza was nothing to write home about.  It was the same gluten-free cheese pizza I ended up getting while at Disney World in February.  Just a small, personal-size pizza on a gluten-free crust (at least the crust was fluffy), with tomato sauce and cheese.  It was…okay.  I mean, I have definitely had worse…but I have most definitely had better.  I seasoned it with some red pepper flakes and just wolfed it down.  At that point I was starving and we had World of Color Fast Passes and the clock was ticking.  Nothing to write home about.  Just…pizza.  Eh.  Not impressed.

Hungry Bear Restaurant – Critter Country – Disneyland Park

Hungry Bear Restaurant, Critter Country, Disneyland Park
Hungry Bear Restaurant, Critter Country, Disneyland Park

 

It was the afternoon after I ran 13.1 miles through Disneyland and Anaheim, California.  It was just three of us.  Indy, who also ran, said she needed to rest and recover.  Poor thing.  So this meant our new guide for the day was the great, the epic, TAWN!!  And she knew all the places to hit.  We had a busy and very stressful morning…between race logistics, running, cheering, and finishing…then heading out to the park…

We rode rides and soon we knew we needed to eat something small before we hit the hotel early to rotate through showers and start getting ready for the most epic meal of our lives…courtesy of Indy.  But…that gets it’s own post.  For now…we focus on what I ate for “lunch” the day of the Disneyland Half Marathon.

I had heard tales and rumors that Hungry Bear Restaurant did gluten-free sweet potato fries.  Sweet potato fries are one of my most favorite things in the world.  Honestly.  Sure, fries probably aren’t the best recovery meal…but they were what I wanted.  That was it.  It was all I needed.  Tawn walked me over to Hungry Bear and I headed up to go place my order.  I reached the cashier and told her I heard they could do gluten-free sweet potato fries.  She confirmed this and said she’d go and get the chef.

The chef emerged a few minutes later and said that fries could certainly be done gluten-free.  I said that was all I wanted and went ahead and put in the order – gluten-free sweet potato fries ($3.99).  I was sent up to the counter and I passed off the receipt and was told it would be a few minutes.  I politely stepped aside, knowing this would be the case.  But a few minutes turned into 5.  Then 10.  Soon the staff was shouting back to the kitchen about the gluten-free sweet potato fries because it had been on order for 15 minutes.  The manager came out to apologize to me, saying that there had been a mix-up in the kitchen and it would be a few more minutes.  He offered me a free dessert, but none of their desserts were gluten-free so I passed.  After just over 20 minutes, my one little serving of sweet potato fries came up and I snagged them, went to grab some ketchup and finally went back down to meet Tawn.  She had been waiting a long time.  We had left Cathy at a table with her lunch, and it was long gone by the time we returned.  Tawn went off to find herself something to eat and I finally dug in.

To their credit…the sweet potato fries were perfect.  Crispy on the outside, soft in the center.  Warm.  Hot.  Seasoned well.  And just what I wanted.  They were phenomenal.  Definitely better than the oven baked ones that I make at home.  I mean, I love making my own, but there is something so fantastic about sweet potato strips that are literally fried to perfection, seasoned well, and served up piping hot and fresh.  So, while I think I aged a little standing in line waiting on an order the kitchen at Hungry Bear Restaurant forgot about…it was well worth the wait.

Tiki Juice Bar – Adventureland – Disneyland Park

The Tiki Hut, Adventureland, Disneyland Park
Tiki Juice Bar, Adventureland, Disneyland Park

 

DOLE. WHIP.  Need I say more?  Let me say it one more time.  DOLE WHIP!  I love Dole Whip and ended up coming to the Tiki Juice Bar twice during my 3-day stay in Disneyland.

The second time I contemplated getting a Dole Whip Float…but wasn’t sure I had enough money for one.  So, both times I ended up getting the standard Soft Serve Dole Whip ($3.69).  LOVE.

It’s pineapple goodness in a cup.  One that I will always take time to indulge in whenever I roam at Disney.  Yeah…Dole Whip is an experience.  One that shouldn’t be missed.  EVER!

Carnation Café – Main Street, U.S.A. – Disneyland Park

Carnation Café, Main Street, U.S.A., Disneyland Park
Carnation Café, Main Street, U.S.A., Disneyland Park

 

The only other request that I made for while the four of us were all at Disneyland was simple.  I needed gluten-free Mickey waffles in my life.  So, Indy, as always being the rockstar, sought out a place that served them.  She’s awesome like that.  So, after a late night and an early morning (for me…as I went running for 7 miles for my marathon training), we headed into Disneyland for our last meal together as a group of four.  Tawn was leaving that afternoon to head back to Fresno.

We arrived at Carnation Café just ahead of our reservation time.  We were asked if we wanted to sit outside or inside.  It was such a gorgeous morning that day that we chose to sit outside, as long as we were somewhere shady.  The hostess found us the perfect spot and we all settled in and started to look at the menu.

When our waitress came over to the table, she explained that we actually had a different server, but he was on his break so she’d be taking care of us until he returned.  We went ahead and told her that I couldn’t have gluten, something they were already aware of because Indy mentioned this when she made the reservation.  Of course none of this was an issue.  She said she’d go to get the chef and he would go over some options with me.  He did emerge a few minutes later and asked what I was interested in having for breakfast.  I gave him the hopeful eyes…Mickey waffles?  He said he wasn’t sure they could make gluten-free Mickey waffles due to the surface they were cooked on…but he might be able to do regular pancakes (not Mickey shaped).  But he said he’d go double check.  He returned after everyone else placed their orders and said that he could make me gluten-free mini Mickey waffles safely.  I was a happy girl, because I really, really wanted Mickey waffles while at Disneyland.  Dreams really do come true.

I went ahead and ordered gluten-free Mickey waffles ($10.49) with fresh fruit instead of the sausage or bacon side…since I am vegetarian.  They were happy to make that substitution for me.  I also had this with fresh brewed Joffrey’s Coffee ($2.99).

The coffee was really good.  Not too bitter.  I sweetened it with real sugar…as my coconut sugar was left back in Indiana.  After a short wait…out came our food.  Only Tawn and I kept with the plan to get waffles.  Indy ended up getting the Huevos Rancheros and Cathy got the All-American Breakfast.

My mini waffles were…delicious.  Definitely not the golden crispy goodness that Tawn got out of her Mickey head waffle.  But…the miniature Mickey waffles tasted amazing.  I poured a little pure maple syrup over them and dug right in.  I was given four Mickey waffle heads and ate all four of them without any shame or guilt.  The fruit was gone in a flash.  I am a fruit monster.  They were able to accommodate me and get me the item on the menu that I truly wanted.  Carnation Café was made of win.

So were the waffles…for the record.  Epic…gluten-free…WIN!

Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar – Disneyland Resort Area – Disneyland Hotel

Trader Sam's Enchanted Bar, Disneyland Resort Area, Disneyland Hotel
Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar, Disneyland Resort Area, Disneyland Hotel

 

Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar is like no other bar you have ever experienced.  The food they serve is unique bar food.  The drinks they serve are fun.  The manner in which some drinks are served are SUPER fun and invoke chanting and lights flashing, ships going down, all of that.  It’s a place you have to go to grab a drink.  And, as this was our final day in Disneyland…we chose to do just that.

Food choices, for me, were rather limited.  But, Indy was telling me about this amazing Green Papaya Salad ($?.??) that they served.  We inquired with the bar tender about the ingredients and he went to check with the chef to see whether it was gluten-free and vegetarian.  Turns out…it was.  So, while Cathy and Indy split the Panko-Crusted Chinese Long Beans, I was served up a refreshing and quite delicious Green Papaya Salad.

No trip to Trader Sam’s is complete without having one of their famous drinks.  As I’m always iffy and careful with alcohol…I decided to go with one of the non-alcoholic beverage specials served at the bar.  My choice of Sam’s No Booze Brews was the Jungle River Sunset ($4.49) which is a mix of orange juice, falernum, and hibiscus grenadine, all topped off with soda water.  And, yes…I ate my garnish.

Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta – Paradise Pier – Disney California Adventure Park

Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta, Paradise Pier, Disney's California Adventure Park
Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta, Paradise Pier, Disney California Adventure Park

 

It was getting late and our plan to see Fantasmic that night was about to be put into action.  That being said, our appetizers from Trader Sam’s were long gone and we were definitely ready to eat some food.  We ended up coming to Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta…because we were just really wanting Italian or something.  Because originally I was going to get something else, but when they kept mentioning the pizza and pasta place…it just sounded better.

So, we entered Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta and it was another counter service sort of thing.  I went up and mentioned that I was a gluten-free vegetarian and they sent for the chef.  He was out in no time.  Honestly.  And when I told him I was a gluten-free vegetarian, he immediately mentioned the two standbys that the Italian restaurants have on hand at Disneyland…a personal-size gluten-free cheese pizza or rice noodles with a tomato marinara sauce.  I’ve done the pizza.  It’s the same as always…and not really worth the repeat.  So, I went with the Gluten-Free Rice Pasta with the Tomato Marinara ($9.49).  He said it would take about 10 minutes.  And when he went back behind the counter, he immediately changed his gloves to start preparing my food.  I breathed a sigh of relief.  Cathy ordered a regular Spaghetti With Meatballs and Indy went with the Five Cheese Ravioli.  They were both made to order, but Cathy’s came up way ahead of ours.  We sent her outside to get us a seat.  About 5 minutes later, my spaghetti arrived.  And this serving was HUGE.  We’re talking the King Kong of spaghetti dishes.  Holy crap!!  I figured I’d get maybe halfway through it and be done.  Indy’s was the last to come up…so she was the last to join us at the table.  Cathy had already started eating…I was just starting…so we had timing.  At least none of us were left without food when all was said and done.

The rice pasta was really al dente.  Not bad…but not as soft as normally rice pasta would be.  The tomato sauce was rich and delicious and really made the dish, in my opinion.  The spaghetti really would have been lackluster and disappointing without it.  I sprinkled a bit of crushed red pepper onto the pasta to give it that slight kick that I like.  Me and spicy food make for a loving relationship.  Honestly.  I like it hot.  So, the spaghetti, like the quick service pizza, was…just okay.  Nothing to really write home about…or go on any longer in this blog.

Indy’s Egg Scramble of Awesome

Indy's Egg Scramble of Awesome
Indy’s Egg Scramble of Awesome

 

When you have fresh ingredients in your garden…what happens?  You make your husband and your friends one of the most epic egg scrambles ever.  Honestly…this was amazing.  So delicious.  So yummy.  I still think about it.  That’s why a homemade dish is being put into my blog.  None of you, unless you also know Indy, will be able to taste this dish.  None of you will get to enjoy it for the low cost of FREE…at her kitchen table…while drinking fresh and really delicious coffee.  It’s just not going to happen.

She cooked and diced and sauteed potatoes in coconut oil, added fresh vegetables from her garden, and then scrambled up some eggs.  Simple…but highly, highly delicious.  One of my favorite breakfasts I’ve ever consumed.  And it was filling.  Perfect way to start off a day that took us to many glorious sandy locations!

The Local Peasant – Sherman Oaks, California

The Local Peasant, Sherman Oaks, California
The Local Peasant, Sherman Oaks, California

 

This gastropub has no sign hanging up outside.  There is no neon flashing the name of the pub.  This is one of those places that if you didn’t know it was there, you would walk right on past it.  Thankfully, it turned up on Find Me Gluten Free…and it just happens to be one of Indy and Evan’s favorite dining spots in their area.  And I picked it.  All by myself!

It was our last night in Los Angeles, and it was also Indy’s birthday.  So, we went out to eat…although she told me to find somewhere.  I was mainly focused on finding Cathy a place to have some fish and chips, so I focused on that first.  The menu for The Local Peasant had not only vegan options marked, but also gluten-free options marked.  And my requirement to eat something with avocado while in California would definitely be fulfilled.

It was a special night, so I went against my usual abstaining from alcohol for training purposes…mostly because it was Indy’s birthday and we were celebrating.  But, they also had Green’s Quest Gluten-Free Triple Ale ($15.00).  I’m not a beer drinker…at all…but it was a celebration.  And, besides, Micky Dolenz of The Monkees was at the table next to ours.  I needed something to take the fangirl edge off.

Where there is beer…there is also food.  Our waitress just happened to also be gluten-free (in fact, her entire family is)…so she was a huge help.  But…as I said…I had my heart set on something with avocado in it.  I had to eat avocado while in California.  It had to happen.  So, when it came to dinner, my choice was obvious…the Edamame Vegetable Salad ($11.00).  Why was that obvious?  Because this salad was composed of edamame, corn, jicama, green beans, roasted peppers, avocado, toasted pepitas, and cashews with a rosemary and ginger vinaigrette.

It sounded like no salad I have had anywhere else.  It had avocado on it, and really…it just sounded awesome.  When it arrived, it was in a huge bowl…and I happily dug in.  The vegetables were so fresh and awesome.  I loved the texture the cashews and pepitas gave the entire dish.  The green beans still had that nice, fresh crispness to them.  The edamame is always one of my favorite things…and it was super good.  Loved the depth the roasted peppers gave.  The avocado, however, gave it this amazing creaminess.  It was topped off with that really flavorful vinaigrette that really just brought everything together.  It was the meal I needed to have.  It was the last thing I would eat in California.  It was…fantastic.

I’d go back to this gastropub in a heartbeat.  And I hope to…the next time I find myself in California!

~*~*~

So…there it is.  What I ate in California.  I didn’t blog about the fries from In-N-Out Burger…because I did that back in 2011.  But I did go there…and their frier is dedicated to just potatoes and makes their fries completely safe for me to eat.  Part 2 will be all about the fantastic dinner that Indy treated our party to at Napa Rose.  Trust me…that was a dining experience I wish I could relive over and over again.  But you’ll read about that in the next blog…

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Product Review: Garden Lites Pizza Souffle

Garden Lites Pizza Souffle
Garden Lites Pizza Souffle

Product: Garden Lites Pizza Souffle – $3.49+

Can pizza be a vegetable?  I mean…it’s normally made with tomato sauce…but tomato is a fruit.  You can put vegetables on pizza (and I often do)…but it’s still…pizza right?  Probably.  In most cases.  But thanks to Garden Lites…pizza is now a vegetable.  For real.

Last year, I discovered and worked my way through the flavors of Garden Lites Souffles that were currently out on the market.  Since then, more have been added and a few of those new flavors have actually been sitting in my freezer since I finally spotted them at the grocery store…MONTHS ago.  Why hadn’t I pulled them out sooner?  No clue.  But that changed tonight.  And, given the expiration dates, the first souffle to get sampled by my roomie and I was…Pizza.

Yes.  Pizza Souffle.  Hey, there have been stranger things in life.  The “crust” isn’t a heavy dough like you would get in a normal pizza.  Remember…this is a souffle.  Therefore, cauliflower and brown rice make up the base, lending that crust-like flavor to the souffle itself.  So…that cauliflower crust pizza that keeps turning up on Pinterest isn’t so new after all, eh?  HA!  Anyway, bound together with egg whites and topped off with tomato sauce and melty, gooey Mozzarella cheese and you have quite an interesting take on a souffle.  And pizza for that matter.

Cooking this up is simple.  Three minutes with the plastic wrap still on.  Let it sit for a minute.  Then remove the plastic and heat on 50% power for another minute.  Enjoy.  My roommate and I actually had ice cream for lunch (HAHA!), so we split this for dinner.  But we both found that the smell and flavor was reminiscent of cafeteria pizza or pasta.  You know…it has that lingering sweetness in the sauce that you just breathe in and it takes you back to grade school or…in the case of my roommate…some mess hall with some army thing-a-ma-jig.  (Technical term!)

Garden Lites Pizza Souffle (cooked)
Garden Lites Pizza Souffle (cooked)

You know what?  The flavor and taste sort of reminded me of cafeteria spaghetti too.  Not saying that is a bad thing.  I mean, whenever spaghetti day at school (from 1st grade through 12th grade) rolled around, you better believe that was the tray I grabbed from the lunch lady.  Spaghetti was always my favorite thing to eat growing up (and still is now, although rice and corn noodles are now my noodle of choice due to the whole Celiac thing).  Cafeteria food isn’t always the best tasting…but it is decent.  It’s good.  And that’s how I felt about this.  It was like…eating a mix of my high school’s spaghetti and pizza.  The sauce was very sweet, seasoned well, but sweet.  More sweet than I usually like a tomato sauce.  The cheese was a gooey mass on top, which I’m okay with.  At least it was melty and gooey.  Most packaged items don’t get to that point.  Especially when nuked in the microwave.  I don’t mind the cauliflower and rice base at all.  It was actually a nice, crumbly texture that worked.  The sauce was just…okay though.  Thankfully the sauce and cheese weren’t heavy on the dish at all. In fact, there wasn’t too much of either of them.  A nice balance that worked.

Let’s talk ingredients and nutrition now…

The Garden Lites Pizza Souffle is made from cauliflower, pasteruized egg whites, onion, low-fat milk, brown rice, crushed tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, red pepper, green pepper, corn starch, tomato paste, a natural spice mix (dehydrated onion, spices, corn starch, natural flavors, tomato powder, potassium chloride, autolyzed yeast extract), evaporated cane juice, canola oil, sea salt, lemon juice, garlic, basil, oregano, pepper, and a blend of locust bean gum, gaur gum, and xanthan gum.  This souffle is gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free.

As for the nutritional aspect of the Pizza Souffle…one serving, which is the entire bowl, will provide you with 200 calories and 4 grams of fat.  That is AWESOME for a meal.  That is awesome for pizza!  That’s just awesome!  It does contain 650 mg of sodium and 6 sugars.  But you also do get 3 grams of fiber and a whopping 12 grams of protein.  So, you won’t feel like you need to eat more on top of this little souffle dish.  I mean, I filled up on ice cream and was only mildly hungry when I heated this up for my roomie and I…and I still felt full after eating just half of the dish.

It isn’t one of my favorites, but I would eat it again.  Honestly.  It wasn’t bad…but it wasn’t knock me off my seat delicious either.  I love the healthy take on the traditional pizza and the use of cauliflower and brown rice as the base.  It’s ingenious. And it works well.  If anything, I only wish the sauce tasted more fresh and less fake-sweet.  Aside from that…totally devourable in every way.

Half of the Garden Lites Pizza Souffle
Half of the Garden Lites Pizza Souffle