Officially summer

Okay so not reeeeally officially summer because that's technicaaaaaally June 21st, but BRING IT ON.

We had a great Memorial weekend. Kicked it off with a schlep to Fleet Farm to get a billion bags of mulch and annuals to plant.

Every year I vow to just get the pre-made planters that are so pretty and chock full of blooms, but then without fail also every year I think Heck no, I'm not spending $30 per planter! I'll do my own! And then I proceed to spend $28  per planter plus hours of manual labor.

Then after the kids went to bed, we opened up the ol' firepit. And bottle of wine. And popcorn...with chocolate chips.

Saturday was filled with playing vehicles outside and a nature walk.

On Sunday we headed out to the lake for some family time and fishing.

If you don't eat some sort of red white and blue dessert, are you even an American?

Monday was pretty much a washout weather-wise but we still saw friends most of the day. That brings us to...Wednesday night!

So I made a recipe that I am DYING to share because hoooooooly buckets it's GOOD. And EASY. And filled with protein and veggies. Can I get you to commit to making it now? Do it do it do it do it.

Chicken Parm Burgers
-2 lbs ground chicken
-1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
-1 tablespoon dried parsley
-1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
-1 24 ounce jar marinara sauce
-8 slices mozzarella cheese
-1 cup fresh baby spinach (optional)
-8 whole grain/whole wheat sandwich thins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large griddle to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine chicken and seasonings. Form into 8 patties. Spray griddle with nonstick cooking spray. Cook burgers about 5 minutes, then flip. They should be nice and golden brown on both sides.

Pour 1/4 of the marinara sauce in a large oven proof skillet (or you could also use a 9x13ish baking dish). Arrange the patties, then pour over remaining marinara sauce. Bake for 30 minutes, or until internal temperature reads at least 165 degrees. Place a slice of cheese over each marinara-covered patty. Crank oven up to broil. Put the burgers under the broiler and watch closely- the cheese will start melting and bubbling in just a few minutes. Remove from oven.

Serve on a sandwich thin along with some fresh spinach.

Holy wow. Sloppy and juicy and all the flavors of chicken parm, minus the calorie bomb factor of all the breading and gobloads of cheese.

Per burger: 430 calories, 33 grams carbs, 9 grams fiber, 21 grams fat, 34 grams protein

Are these on your not-technically-officially-summer to-make list yet? I sure hope so!

Summer-ish

Never mind that today is 45 degrees, rainy, windy, and all around horrible. It's been a bea-u-tiful week around here.

The half marathon! It went well! I mean, not time-wise, 'cause it was my slowest race ever, buuuut I felt pretty good running and it was an enjoyable time. I do question the actual distance because my GPS reported 13.9 miles...hmm...

He picked me some weed-flowers while I was being a total post-race couch potato.

My parents treated us to Mother's Day Brunch. This was the best photo of us all. I don't care if you're not going to be looking at the camera, but for Pete's sake, stop adjusting yourself down there.

I thrifted a cuuuute Patagonia pullover for $6. And yeah, I need to clean my room.

Drinking the Golden Goose sneaker kool-aid and it's pretty good.

Turns out I DID get some tulips popping up in the front yard! That my boys just *had* to pick to give to me! Ugggggh.

You know how something looks really nice and pleasant in the moment and then you look back in a photo and realize that it looks like we have 27 chairs strewn about our patio?

Nice weather and flowers and summery stuff aside, I made a new recipe this week! Er, kind of! My husband and I love Asian food, but traditional take-out is a total calorie/fat/salt bomb, and we feel sick to our stomachs after we eat it. Enter homemade chicken lo mein. It's easy (of course), veggie-packed (of course), and the whole family ate it up (of course).

I posted the video tutorial on Instagram and Facebook, so check out the how-to in action. Here's the written recipe.

Easy Chicken Lo Mein
1 box lo mein noodles (14 oz) or thin whole wheat spaghetti
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to about 1" thick
4 tablespoons sesame oil (can sub vegetable or olive oil)1 bunch bok choy, most of the leaves discarded and roughly chopped
1 bunch green onions, thinly chopped
1 bell pepper, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
~2 cups frozen or fresh broccoli
2 cups matchstick carrots
(Feel free to add additional veggies!)
2/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1-2 tablespoons white sesame seeds

In a large pot over high heat, boil water and cook noodles according to package directions. Drain in a colander and let sit in the sink. Replace large pot over hot burner, turn to medium high, and add 1 tablespoon sesame oil and add chicken breasts. Sprinkle with a dash of salt and pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes, turning occasionally to evenly brown. Remove and place on a cutting board.

Add another tablespoon of sesame oil, put pot back on hot burner, add veggies. Stir occasionally until crisp-tender. While the veggies are cooking, give your chicken a quick dice.

Add noodles and chicken back to the veggie pot. In a pourable measuring cup, whisk together soy sauce, remaining 2 tablespoons sesame oil, brown sugar, ground ginger, and sesame seeds. Pour over noodles/veggie mix. Stir to evenly combine. Serve!

Makes six heaping servings. Per serving: 440 calories, 74 grams carbohydrates, 11 grams fat, 17 grams protein. If you're aiming for fewer carbs, you could halve the noodles and increase veggie content by 3 cups worth.

A great healthy meal that's a total dupe for takeout food- perfect for a post-race dinner or any dinner!

Race Day!

In less than 48 hours I will voluntarily be running 13.1 miles all across the suburb of Maple Grove.

All for a stinkin' t shirt.

Ooooh or maybe we'll get socks this year.

I'm looking forward to it...I think...though I could use a change in the forecast (rain!).

I'm no stranger to half marathons and by now I feel like I'm pretty savvy about how to prepare for the big race. I've said before how much I love Hal Higdon's training plans. I've put in the training miles, so now what?

Here are a few tips for race day- some of them just might be lessons I've learned the hard way.

1. NO NEW CLOTHES, UNDERWEAR, SOCKS, OR SHOES. All caps. Yes. Now is not the time to find out that your leggings don't quite stay up, or your shorts still give you thigh chafing, or your undies are in a bunch, or your socks slide down your ankles. Even worse would be to wear a pair of shoes you didn't actually train in, unless you like sprouting bloody blisters. Make sure to stick with items you've done long runs in!

Must. Resist. Urge. To. Wear. New. Asics. 

2. Clip your toenails. Kind of gross to mention? Maybe. But again, you don't want to be on mile 5 and realize that your pinky toenail is painfully digging into its neighbor. Get 'em trimmed up.

3. NO NEW GEAR ON RACE DAY. Think headphones, sunglasses, cell phone cases, water bottles, etc. You should have full confidence that everything works, and is comfortable. When I was training for my first full marathon, I bought a water bottle belt- the kind that holds like four water bottles. I then set out for a 15 mile training run. Never have I ever felt so weighed down! I realized that I'm just not comfortable with a water bottle belt- to each their own!

4. Don't forget sunscreen. Even two hours on a mildly cloudy day can lead to a sunburn.

5. Stick to the fluids that you trained with. What do I mean by this? I can't tell you which race it was, but I stopped at waaaaay too many fluid stations and drank waaaaay too much Gatorade and water. During my training I hadn't had that volume of fluids, so the result was that my stomach felt all nauseous and sloshy. I pretty much spent the last 8 miles running from garbage can to garbage can trying to make myself barf.

Now is a nice time to reinforce that running overall is a good time! Really!

6. Use the porta potty before the race starts. Don't rush yourself. Fun fact: my first marathon was in Detroit. I was so nervous! I hit the porta potty one final time...and the shotgun started and everyone started off and I was still shorts-around-the-ankles in a dark biffy. Eh, it doesn't matter! That's why the race chip was invented. If you miss the start time, don't worry.

7. Pack a few tissues with you if you can. Does anyone else experience running-induced drippy nose? No? The tissues might also come in handy if you accidentally hit a porta potty that's out of TP.

8. Bring sweats and an icy Gatorade for the car ride home. You might be a sweaty mess under your running clothes when you finish, but no matter what temperature it is outside, I always get chilly about 20 minutes after the race. If I remember, I also try to keep a pack of face wipes too- it's pretty gross but a sweaty face collects dirt and dust and to be able to wipe off that layer of grime feels pretty darn good.

9. Remember to have fun? I write a question mark here because when you're at the end, or sometimes midst of a race it can seem silly to be doing what you're doing. Like, why am I running THIS MANY MILES? When I used to jog along the Mississippi River in Minneapolis there was one particular hill that just always felt like my nemesis. I made up a mantra of "I eat hills for breakfast!" because 1. it's ridiculous and makes me smile, and 2. it reminds me of my favorite line from "Happy Gilmore."

 If you're in a tough spot mentally or physically, instead of cursing yourself or boo-hooing yourself, think of a motivational mantra.

10. Enjoy a post race treat! Just not immediately post race. After I finished Grandma's Marathon in Duluth I grabbed some mint chocolate chip ice cream a vendor was handing out. I learned quickly that dairy and sugar and fat immediately after 26.2 is nooooooo good. Go home, take a shower, stretch it out, then enjoy a treat. I have a Little Debbie oatmeal cream pie and diet Coke with  my name on it. My husband's set on a Whopper. To each their own!

I hope you've found this list helpful! Now is the time to sign up for and start training for whatever race piques your interest this summer!

Caffeine FAQs

Never ever was I a coffee drinker.

Tea? Sure, but even then I tend to choose decaf.

Thennnnnn I had twins and became a stay at home mom to four kids age four and under.

Caffeine became desirable.

Caffeine became necessary.

Caffeine became my friend.

I'm no Lorelei Gilmore by any means...

...but that morning cup is a BIG DEAL.

When I was a clinical dietitian I would frequently get asked "Is coffee okay for me?"

Now. There is a big difference between one cup (we're talking 8 ounces) of black coffee, and a venti (24 ounce) iced white chocolate latte with whip. 560-calories-kind-of-big-difference.

Coffee itself has zero calories, so in that aspect it doesn't promote weight gain (or weight loss really). Many people are curious about the caffeine aspect of coffee, tea, and energy drinks. Dietitians tend to preach that caffeine has a dehydrating effect and that is why it should be limited (ahem, and I do too). So what does the research say?

Scientists have determined that generally 6 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight is considered to not have a negative effect on hydration. I'll do the math for you here- a 150 pound person could have 408 milligrams per day before having to compensate with water. That 8 oz cup of coffee I keep referencing has about 95 milligrams.

That's good news for people like me who like a tall Yeti of coffee each morning! Unless you're drinking 4+ cups (or 36 ounces), you are not at risk for the dehydrating effect of caffeine.

Of course continue to steer clear of the added sugar and calories that come with coffee shop drinks. I give you a free pass on caffeine, but not on sugar!