sidebar | life and training 3.2 – 3.8

YAY BIRTHDAY MAN YAY.

Friday I got to celebrate J and his Big Day! I wanted to do justice to his day as he did for me back in December, and I think we sorted out a nice little outing.

Originally, we planned to go hike at one of the big trails about an hour away, but Thursday’s storms derailed that idea since that area gets really mushy and unpleasant to trek after a good rain.

So, we pivoted and wound up passing a lovely afternoon in St. Petersburg. We stopped over at Uncle Funz for an early, luxurious lunch, and my oh MY was it perfect. The joint is only open short hours from Thursday to Sunday and features a rotating seasonal menu of sandwiches, salads, and various sides, as well as wine. It’s a tiny little storefront run by a husband and wife, the former of which is a prominent chef.

We sat outside and enjoyed a bowl of chips and homemade salsa first, then split an order of stone crab claws with two beautiful sauces – one a remoulade of sorts an the other some type of horseradish situation – and the mesquite turkey sandwich with tomatillo sauce and avocado spread. DIVINE. We both watch Funz’ menu every week and when it’s really good, like this week, we pounce.

After, we drove downtown to the James Museum to browse the Western and Native American art displays. This museum was surprisingly sprawling, very tranquil, and utterly fascinating. I love specialty exhibits like this one, which steer away from the classical Greek and Roman art fixtures and into subjects more culturally relevant and unique. There was some gorgeous nature and wildlife art mixed in. You can definitely pass a few good hours here!

When we got home we enjoyed cake, a halved version of my Classic Yellow Celebration Cake (seriously, my layer cake recipes halve beautifully!), and I cooked up a heart shaped margherita pizza and chopped Italian salad with chickpeas, artichokes, and sun dried tomatoes. Fabulous. We lounged on the couch nibbling and watching The Big Lebowski, which I’d never seen, because it was also National Dude Day!

A lovely 24 hours with my favorite person, indeed.

A pretty standard workweek otherwise! Monday I visited Willa’s for a sugar cookie latte, and had to order via notecard since I caught a nice little case of laryngitis after my cold last week. Joy. The barista was lovely and didn’t seem fussed at my lack of speaking, and the latte was pretty and tasty.

Saturday was National Cereal Day so J and I wandered to Chill Bros so I could enjoy a scoop of Lucky Charms ice cream! It did not disappoint. He got the Finnegan’s Cake, which was infused with Guinness and Jameson flavors, and was also pretty damn rad.

Meals I enjoyed this week: roasted peppers stuffed with lentils, marinara, and smothered in cheese; a Greek-style lentil salad with a bunch of shit in it and balsamic reduction atop; and a sausage, green beans, and potatoes sheetpan.

One more thing! I’m looking to revamp my weekly newsletter and would like your input as to what you enjoy reading in these types of blasts. I’m thinking seasonal recipes, a few favorite things, a book I read if I finished one, life updates…nothing too long or overblown, but a bit more personalized than just the lowdown on my recent posts (which will also be in the newsletter, don’t worry!) I welcome any and all feedback!

That’s it for today. Leaving you with this humorous image that popped up on my Facebook memories the other day.

Until next week, ya’ll!

The Fuck We Cooking This Week?

…A light and creamy springtime soup!

…A savory pie for Pi Day!

…A SUPER fun St. Patrick’s Day cocktail!

A Few Things I’m Digging

Omelet…My omelet combination of choice lately: sundried tomatoes, spinach, and turkey, served with avocado toast. SO good!

Protein yogurt…I accidentally bought the wrong yogurt last week – full fat Greek, which is yummy but not high enough in protein for me – and found that boosting it up in a breakfast bowl with 1/2 scoop of vanilla protein turned out great! I use this protein powder, which tastes good and doesn’t have a weird texture.

Sandwich shops…I’m not huge on going out to eat anymore, but I have been loving to visit local bakeries or lunch places for sandwich specials. Uncle Funz is one of the premium options around here (well, it’s an hour away, but so worth it): we visited on J’s birthday and got the most ridiculous stone crab claws and a mesquite turkey sandwich. UGH.

Notable Food Holidays

Monday, March 9: National Meatball Day (see below for 5 dope vegetarian meatball recipes!)

Tuesday, March 10: National Popcorn Lover’s Day (Movie Night Popcorn Chocolate Chip Cookies are a must!)

Saturday, March 14: PI DAY! (I’m baking a pie this week so hopefully it won’t suck and I can share it before then!)

This Week’s Menu

National Meatball Day… Buffalo Ranch Chickpea Meatball Bowls

Tuesday…One Pot Parmesan “Bacon” and Asparagus Pasta

Wednesday…30 Minute Salmon Florentine

Thursday…Creamy Caesar Potato Salad

Friday Cozy Hour…Birthday Cake Batter Latte

Saturday Baking…No Churn Cinnamon Bun Ice Cream

Sunday Snack…Mango Serrano Shrimp Ceviche

Five Meatball Recipes for National Meatball Day

1. Leftover Stuffing Stuffed “Meatballs” and Gravy

2. Baked French Onion Chickpea Meatballs

3. 30 Minute Mongolian Meatballs

4. Spicy Pesto Chickpea Meatballs All’arrabbiata

5. Chickpea Meatballs Au Vin

Shops & Wish List

Fashion

Target…I adore this empire waist floral dress and this ruffled floral maxi dress, and I’m still thinking about this bow midi dress…

Week in Training

Monday, 3.2: 7 miles, 11:24 pace + 20 minute upper body & mobility

Moved up to a 4 minute run/30 second walk split. Felt okay until I was running on asphalt for a prolonged period. The flare up happened Saturday, too, around the same area, so I wonder if the slight give in asphalt or the road camber is disagreeable to my quad muscle and knee. When I hopped back onto the pavement my leg calmed down almost completely. Weird? Might have to stick to my paved route and see if that makes a difference.

Strength:

• 1 x 6/2 x 10 shoulder press 20/15#
• 3 x 8 row 30#
• 3 x 12 triceps extension 20#
• 2 x 20 ea. banded clamshell
• 2 x 15 ea. banded single leg squat
• 2 x 20 ea. banded standing hydrant
• 2 x 20 ea. banded knee thrusts

Tuesday, 3.3: 4.36 miles, 11:22 pace + 24 minute upper body & mobility

Okay run, had a little bump with my knee during mile 2ish but it dwindled after a bit which is a good sign! Lift after work felt really refreshing and I enjoyed the workout a lot.

Strength:

• 1 x 6/2 x 12 biceps curl 20/15#
• 3 x 12 chest press 20#
• 3 x 10 narrow press 15#
• 3 x 15 ea. banded lunge hydrants
• 3 x 5 ea. hip flexor lifts 5#
• 3 x 8 ea. leg extension 30#

Wednesday, 3.4: 6.28 miles, 11:22 pace + 13 minute mobility

Yay an ache-free run! Felt pretty good this morning, a little more tired than usual since I had a very disrupted Nyquil sleep and my legs were definitely wanting to stop by the end. Good thing tomorrow is a chill elliptical day.

Strength:

• 2 x 20 deadbug 20#
• 2 x 15 ea. banded standing hydrants
• 3 x 8 ea. hip flexor lifts 5#
• 3 x 20 hamstring frogs
• 50 crunches

Thursday, 3.5: 40 minute elliptical + 23 minute legs

Nice spin, nothing special, and a good leg day!

Strength:

• 3 x 12 ea. leg press 70#
• 3 x 12 plie squat 80#
• 2 x 8 ea. banded single leg squat 10#
• 4 x 6 deadlift 8#
• 2 x 15 ea. banded standing hydrants
• :30 ea. single leg wall sit

Friday, 3.6: 5.8 miles, 11:12 pace + 16 minute full body

No knee issues today! Maybe a little tight at first but no pain. 4 minute run/:30 walk, really excited to graduate to more running and less walking next week.

Strength:

• 3 x 8 thrusters 15#
• 3 x 12 front raise 20#
• 3 x 16 curtsy lunge press 5#
• 4 x 15 calf raise 60#
• :30 ea. Copenhagen plank

Saturday, 3.7: 9 miles, 11:24 pace

Yay long run! God, I feel so out of shape, though. It amazes me that I ran 18+ miles not even two months ago (and, you know, 26.2 miles a month ago) at the same perceived effort level as this damn 9 miler. I don’t think the onset of allergies is helping my case either. Nonetheless, a tired legged but mostly pain-free run: the knee got grumpy during the first mile but loosened up well and gave me no issues for the rest of the session.

Sunday, 3.18: 25 minute elliptical

Total running mileage: 32.4 (moving on up!)