Sunday Scenes + Emotional Eating

I've always had difficulty when attempting to change my definition of "comfort food." And only recently did I start to understand or, rather, accept that the reason has nothing to do with self control or inability to truly enjoy "good," healthy foods. I fill my belly with plenty of kale, carrots, and other nutrient-dense produce. Comfort food is what it is because it serves an emotional purpose. Even the act of baking itself feeds my soul.

I've read of different methods + tricks to change out of eating my feelings in books + magazines, and, of course, on blogs. Paint your nails (I bite mine). Take a luxurious bath (I hate baths). Walk around the block (I get more than enough exercise). Drink a glass of water (my bladder is already bursting as it is). Eat celery instead (which gets my in the kitchen anyway). Basically, indulge in some other way that doesn't involve food.

And yet . . .

Doughnuts are sort of the ultimate for me when it comes to emotional eating. So, I made them yesterday. And not the healthier baked variety either. I tried replicating the same yeasted fry cakes we get at local farms in autumn. Except I didn't have any cider to go with them, so my experience was somewhat limited.

I guess what this divulges to you all is that it was a rough weekend in many respects. (And, if I'm being totally honest, the rough continues.) Between Ada's impending MRI appointment and all the worry that goes along with it, Stephen's dwindling summer vacation (which ends today), deadlines, a wildly messy house I just can't seem to tame, and a list of other stresses that seems to build . . . because I let them.

Anyway, these doughnuts were good, but not good enough for a recipe feature on the blog. So, I'm making them again soon -- happily. I'll be using pumpkin puree and a bit more sugar next time around. (Yes, even though I bake and indulge in a solid share of comfort food, I do make an effort to use healthy substitutions when they make sense. It's give/take.)

My thoughts toward emotional eating have changed a lot over the years. I can recognize when I'm doing it now, whether it's to mark a dark point in my day/week/month/life or to celebrate some momentous occasion. (Yup! I don't eat just for upset – I eat for joy as well.) But I've started shedding the guilt I used to associate with it which, in turn, has lessened the quantity of food I consume. In some blissful compromise, it seems.

I'm trying in this decade to enjoy food versus battling it. To give myself freedom from guilt and negativity where it's just not necessary to inject. What I'm finding already is that letting go in this way has extended beyond the food to other areas of my life. A "don't sweat the small stuff" reaction, if you will. So, if you're finding yourself in a bad loop, give it a try. I'm still very much in process, but the internal progress is compelling.

Those of you off on holiday today, enjoy! I have some fun stuff in the queue for this week, including more about my month's worth of shopping at the grocery store yesterday. I could hardly turn my cart down the aisles it was so heavy!

Time to cook 24 more meals to accompany all that tangy BBQ sauce. Go!

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Superbowl Sunday

I mean that title in the most literal way possible. I have used almost all our mixing bowls today. Thank goodness Stephen doesn't mind washing dishes, because I sure do. But seriously: What time does the game start? 6-ish, right?

I hope to finish my long run around then; I delayed it considerably to make all of this + more.

I'm planning to write yet another grocery budget related post this week. It will be about how we've been sticking to our $50 budget. Scratch that. $65 budget, which -- though it isn't our ideal dollar amount -- is pretty great considering Ada's eating us out of house and home these days.

OK. Every other day she is.
Then she won't eat anything.
Then everything again.
Then even less than before.

It's hard to keep up with fickle toddler habits.

Today I've sliced, baked, roasted, or mixed together a ton. Stove-Top Applesauce + Beautiful Sourdough Bread + Rosemary Salt Biscuits + Crock Pot Veggie Soup + Russet Potato Fries + Deep Dish Chocolate Chippers. And we'll be making some veggie burgers (probably these and these) in bulk later.

Lots of stuff to post about. But I definitely need a break now. Drink a nice, tall glass of water and try to get pumped to run in the chilly February air. It's not too bad, actually. I think it's around 25 degrees.

I finally know who's in the big game tonight. I'm cheering on the 49ers. Why? My third grade teacher Mrs. Hall was obsessed with them + taught us all how to multiply 7x7 by saying: "SEVEN TIMES SEVEN IS THE FOURTY-NINERS!" That was way back in the days of Joe Montana, by the way. 

Good enough reason for me!

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More Weekend Happenings

I don't usually write posts only about what I'm doing. Because if I did that, it could be rather boring! No. I try to keep the content running/recipe/motivation-related. But I'm enjoying writing weekend recaps. And there's a recipe at the end of this post -- so, if you'd rather just skip to that, feel free!

This weekend went just as fast as usual, unfortunately. Stephen planned to visit his family down in Philadelphia . . . and I stayed behind because with all the working, blogging, and marathon training, I simply have no energy to go anywhere right now. Friday, we made the most of our time together by ordering Indian takeout (like last weekend, if you'll remember) and watching the final episodes of Nip/Tuck. We're so sad to be done with this show!


Thanks to my mother-in-law, Kathy, we each got new phones Friday night. Somehow I lost mine at our weekly trivia match. As a result, I lost my entire contact list, too. Very frustrating. But it's worth it for the better text-ing keyboard! (And -- no. No fancy phones -- I refuse to pay $30 per month for internet!)

I started Saturday off early. 5:15 AM kind of early. With an excellent 8-miler after Stephen departed for PA (and on his trek send me photos of Lululemon, IKEA, and a display of Vibrams that made my heart skip and beat!). Didn't time the run, but it was speedy -- that's for sure. This is the point in marathon training when the 8 mile runs are my favorite. The 5-milers just feel like busy work, but the 8s make me feel powerful, strong. I'd love to see how I could perform in a 15K right now. I wonder if I could beat my Boilermaker PR?

My parents were up for the rest of the day. We drove through the country and enjoyed the gorgeous weather. We even took a nice 30 minute stroll through a nearby park. I wore my Vibrams, of course.


Saturday night was relatively uneventful. I watched The September Issue and ate tomato/mozzarella/basil sandwiches with some ginger brew. I went to bed as early as I woke: 9:30 PM (I'm a total rock star!).


Sunday was another early day -- but I slept in until 5:30 AM. Hah. Right? Anyway, I wanted to get a start on my long run before the sun came out. I'm so glad I did, too. I got out the door at around quarter to 7 (had to eat and wake up a bit before I laced up my shoes). But around three hours (and 20.2 miles at 9:03 pace) later, I finished my second of three super long runs for the marathon.

Only.
One.
More.
20.
Mile.
Run.
To.
Go!

Thankfully, after two weeks of soggy (worse than soggy -- these runs were more like swimming than running) long runs, it didn't rain one drop! Still, I'm dedicated. There's no question after the horror-movie-esque scene that greeted me when I took off my right shoe after the run. (There's blood -- so, you may want to avert your eyes!)


If this isn't TMI. I don't know WHAT is. Anyway, I'm still not really sure how I got the cut on my toe. I felt some discomfort at the beginning of the run. After a while, it just got better. Needless to say, these socks are in the garbage. Ugh. Less than 35 days until the marathon!

Sunday was really a blur. A tired, in-bed . . . yet cleaning the house from top-to-bottom while doing loads-upon-loads of laundry blur. Stephen drove home and ran his long run in the heatwave. (Remember last week when I mentioned how excited we are for fall? The weather gods are definitely saying PSYCHE! right now.) When I have a particularly steamy run, I usually crave juice. Water. Coconut water. Fruit. More juice. Gatorade. Juice. Did I mention a cold cup of juice with lots of ice? Limes?

OK. I sound like a crazy person, but this is how my mind gets in the last mile. When I'm almost home. Almost close enough to my blender to blend together a post-long run slurpee:


What you'll need . . .

• 1/2 cup sorbet (I used hibiscus-coconut water kind -- delish!)
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 cup coconut water
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds

Method . . .

1. Just put everything in a blender and blend.
2. Adjust content to reach your desired consistency. I liked mine just like this -- not too thick. Very slurp-able.

The chia seeds, coconut water, and blueberries make this slurpee a perfect recovery drink. When it's especially hot, I don't like to eat much after a run. I usually feel sick. But it's important to get some calories and water into your system. So, always be sure to at least sip on something -- even if it's only a glass of water or chocolate milk. Then eat as soon as you're able -- preferably some protein.


We've had many questions now about how we change our caloric intake during heavy training times. The quick answer is that we don't really count or "take a look" at how much we're eating, necessarily. We let our bodies be our guide. If we're hungry, we eat. We try to eat the "best" foods. Whole foods. Healthy foods. But that's not always easy. Tomorrow we'll post more info on this topic -- as well as back briefly to that mystical marathon weight gain. So, stay tuned!

What did you do this weekend? Are you experiencing the same heatwave in your neck of the woods? We're definitely not enjoying this last burst of summer. Bring on the sweaters and cider . . . the crunchy leaves and pumpkin pies, please! Well, at least for now we have pumpkin macaroni and cheese!

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Challah French Toast

Among many other things you can do with the challah bread recipe I posted yesterday, you can make this immensely decedent challah French toast. (Please note that this recipe isn't vegan, but it's definitely possible to make it so -- just follow these steps -- I have successfully made some amazing vegan French toast in my 26 years on this planet.) But what's interesting about me is that prior to this past Sunday, I had never, ever made "regular" French toast.

Basically: I wanted to give it a try. With eggs.

What you'll need . . . (to make four heaping helpings)

• Challah bread (recipe here)
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk or soy milk
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Butter or Earth Balance

Method . . .

1. Slice challah into eight thick pieces. Set aside. Save the rest for other delicious creations (stay tuned for super easy grilled peanut butter and honey sandwich recipe).
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Pour into a shallow container.
3. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, drop a teaspoon or so amount of butter and heat until it sizzles.
4. Place three or four slices of challah bread in the egg mixture and let sit for about 1 minute. Then flip over a repeat on the other side.
5. Transfer gooey bread slices to pan and cook on each side for 2-3 minutes, until lightly browned & cooked through.
6. Repeat with remaining slices. You may need to add more butter to the pan between batches.
7. Top with maple syrup, confectioners' sugar, and walnuts. Or anything, really.

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