Food War - Husband VS Wife

I'm not sure how other families operate, but in our household, I do the weekday cooking and my husband takes over the kitchen on weekends. As a stay-at-home-mom, I don't think this is a bad setup. Unfortunately, we (my husband and I), don't exactly share the same ideas of what "good, healthy" dinners are. When Jason is deployed and it's just me and the Weasel, we probably eat meat once or twice a week. In Jason's mind, a meal is NOT a meal unless it contains meat as a protein source!  


I love adding new grains and veggies to my existing cache of recipes. Jason would be happy if I added sausage to everything. So in our house, it's:

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Versus

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So how do those of you in a similar situation make it work? How do you have happy meal times where both parties are happy? I tried to sneak zucchini into our spaghetti with meatballs and sausage the other night. That resulted in a happy me and a pile of zucchini on my husband's plate. I'm running out of ideas. My garden is in full bloom, so it's easier to convince him that we HAVE to eat salad as our side dish or the lettuce/radishes would go to waste, but I'm struggling. 

Making two separate entrees is not an option because our food budget is already too high in my opinion - particularly when we factor in that we don't always feed Weasel what we're eating (i.e. if we eat a spicy meal, she gets something different). So I'm open to ideas...

Salads are the Perfect Summer Food

Yes, I know it's only April, so technically not yet summer, but it sure feels like it down here in Eastern NC (and I'm sure it felt like that for all the Boston Marathon finishers!). I recently harvested a bunch of lettuce from my garden and we made huge salads for dinner. I thought I'd share mine with you:

Homegrown Lettuce & Spinach

Grape Tomatoes

Frozen Corn (cooked)

Black Beans (from a can)

Green Peppers

Cucumbers

Southwest Style Chicken (Deli Section)

Red Quinoa (leftovers from a previous meal)

Sliced Oven Roasted Almonds

I think I'd eat this every night if my husband was on board. Delicious, filling, and super easy! 

SW Take On The SemperFit 5k

Living near a military base definitely has it's perks. One of those is frequent free 5ks to participate in. These are just small races organized by SemperFit to promote different causes. On Friday, they held a 5k to support awareness of sexual assault prevention and discussion. So that day, instead of our usual workout, the Stroller Warriors decided to participate. There were over 100 Marines and family members present! The SemperFit crew came out with their van and did a short warmup with the participants and handed out tons of raffle prizes to include shirts, bags, and Timex watches! 


The race was scheduled to start at 11:30, so at about 11:15, I took off down the trail for a short warmup jog. After that, we did our best to gather the SWs for a photo op. The club has gotten so big, that we had to take two pictures to get everyone in:

As the coordinators indicated the start was looming, I headed to the front of the pack. Typically, stroller runners start in the back, but on that day, I didn't feel like having to weave around a bunch of people, so I took my chances at the start. I was standing next to these amazing women pushing TRIPLES, so I didn't feel too bad:

The one with the red stroller is on of our club members and she's amazing! She finished third for the women in 22:10!

The start was signaled and we took off at a good pace. I did my best to hang with Jane (the one with the red stroller). She's pushing well over 100 pounds, so as I only had the Weasel weighing in a 27.2 pounds, I decided to try my hand at picking up the pace as we headed towards our second incline (we don't have actual hills in Eastern NC). It worked and soon I was the lead female. We hit the first mile marker at just over 7 minutes and I started to worry. I don't run this fast! Instead of stressing over it, I just kept pushing the pace and trying to pass Marines. I got to the turn around and started to head back to the start. It was great motivation to see my fellow Stroller Warriors and cheer for one another!

I came across the finish line at 21:20, by far my fastest 5k with the stroller and I was thrilled! The Weasel was passed out, so I stationed her along the side of the path and cheered my fellow runners in. The 5k ended with on of our SW's husbands who suffered several serious injuries in Afghanistan about 9 months ago walking in with the assistance of a cane. It was inspiring to say the least, particularly, because doctors told him they weren't sure he would ever walk again. He's come so far in his recovery, and were were thrilled to be a part of this big day in his life!

So while I just blogged about not having time to write posts, I really wanted to recap this day! It was a good one and an inspiring one to say the least!

Priorities

In the last year, I've found a love for running that I never thought possible. While my priorities are, first and foremost, my husband and the Weasel, followed closely by other family and friends, running nears the top of the list for me. I've skipped playgroups or other functions to get my run in for the day. I've deserted my husband on Saturday mornings to do long runs with my Stroller Warriors. 

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Blogging falls somewhere in the middle of the pack. While I love meeting new virtual friends and following their blogs, I typically only write when I have something to say. I write to keep a journal of sorts about what running means to me. Sure, I've fallen victim to the "I must post every week day or people will stop following me!" mentality, but overall, I try to keep it real. No one will think differently of me if I can't write a post once in a while. 


Well, Jessica is super busy in Afghanistan and not really able to contribute right now. And we are in the midst of fixing up our house to either put on the market for sale or for rent, so blogging will be taking a back seat for the rest of this month. Yesterday was focused on taking down personal stuff around the house in an effort to start the "staging" process. Today I spent the morning split between playing with Weasel and stripping/priming a section of our front porch. Needless to say, we're super busy. And while I could keep up the writing and skip the running, I'm not about to do that:) 

So for now, thanks for keeping up with our blog. Hope you'll visit again soon when we get back to posting. And for anyone who has tips about prepping a house for sale, please share them!! Or, if you'd like to have us post one of your blogs to promote you, email me at jennifer.ryu@gmail.com!

My Other Hobby (besides running of course)

From a very young age, my father had Jessica and I out in the garden helping him tend to the vegetables. This instilled in me a passion for fresh produce - from the garden to the table. We are lucky enough to have quite a decent sized yard, so I took advantage of that a few years ago and put in three raised beds to grow a variety of plants. This year, I've already harvested enough lettuce for 5 or 6 GIANT salads, about 40 large radishes, and my new favorite: Spinach:

For the past couple weeks, every morning, I wake up, water the garden while the Weasel eats her breakfast, and return with a large handful of spinach leaves for my smoothie. My husband refuses to even taste it, but I think it's quite possibly the best masked way to get your veggies early in the day:)

I use a cup of frozen berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, cherries), 1 or 2 kiwi, a Yoplait blueberry/pomegranate flavored yogurt, and the spinach. I top this with a little apple/carrot juice and some water and some chia seeds. It's a quick process and a delicious treat!

Note: If you add chia seeds, DO NOT let the smoothie sit unattended. It swells up into a fruity sludge of sorts and is a bit more difficult to stomach:)

5 5Ks in 5 Hours Wearing Bib #555 (that's a LOT of 5s!)

Jessica's husband, Sean, recently participated in the Carlsbad 5000 All Day 25k! This is incredible for 2 reasons. Number 1, he's a die-hard CrossFit junkie who doesn't really like to run that much. Number 2, because it's 25k in one day!! I took the opportunity to interview Sean about his recent accomplishment. Here are the details:

Q. Why did you decide to tackle the All Day 25k Challenge?


A. Last year, I ran my first Carlsbad 5000. During the event, I learned about their All Day 25k and thought it would be an interesting challenge. Plus they have a special area for the 25kers to hang out in and a finishing medal that is actually useful - it is a bottle opener shaped like a surfboard. 

Q. What was the most difficult part of this challenge?


A. Races 4 and 5 is where it really started getting difficult. I'm not much of a long distance runner because I get bored with it quickly and thus, don't train to prepare myself for much more than a 10k. During race 4, my legs started to hurt and then we had about a 90 minute wait between races 4 and 5 so it was hard to stay warm and not tighten up for the final race.


Q. What did you eat/drink to fuel yourself during these 5 hours?


A. I just stayed as hydrated as possible throughout the morning, occasionally snacking on fruit or almonds between races. (Sean follows a fairly strict Paleo diet and always eats well.) Of course afterwards I celebrated with some beer and pizza.


Q. How were the logistics of this super popular race? Was it professionally run?


A. The Carlsbad 5000 is one of the best races I have participated in. The course is laid out well, the races begin on time, and you get to see some of the world's fastest 5k runners in the invitational divisions.

Q. (Because I must have an odd number of questions...yes I'm strange) Will you do it again next year?


A. As long as I'm not out of town, I will probably do it again next year. Even though I was pretty sore for a few das, it was a great accomplishment for me. It's a pretty great feeling when you're on your 4th 5k of the day and passing folks who are on their first and only 5k that day.

Congratulations Sean! What an awesome accomplishment! You inspire us to push through the pain and achieve our goals! Oh, and it doesn't hurt that you send me CF workouts whenever I ask:)

Healthy Benefits of Social Media

While I was pregnant with the Weasel, my husband was deployed and I didn't have too many friends in the local area. (This is not a pity party, I promise:) I decided to start a blog to just keep our family and friends throughout the country up-to-date on what was happening. After Weasel was born, I continued that blog, to somewhat chronicle her life, and eventually, I'd like to make it into a book for her. Occasionally I'd write about local 5ks on there, but to be honest, no one in that "audience" really cares much about my running. Don't get me wrong, they are supportive, but they don't really want to read about how I nearly pooped myself on a run, or an impromptu half marathon with my girl friends. 

So in October 2011, I started this blog with my sister. We added a Twitter account (@irunthere4iam) and a Facebook page to launch ourselves into the world of social media. At the beginning, adding those things were Jessica's idea. I wasn't all that keen on it because it just seemed like extra work. I didn't really feel a connection to anything but the blog. But my perspective has completely shifted in the last few months. We've made virtual friends like Heidi at Banana Buzzbomb. We regularly tweet with Betsy at The Everyday Warrior and Robin at Westford Mommy. And most recently, we became FitFluential Ambassadors where we've been "introduced" to a host of amazing individuals who place fitness among their highest priorities. 

Now we don't have the largest following on our blog, twitter account, or FB page, but we do have some loyal readers who constantly provide comments, replies, and motivation whenever we post and for them, we are grateful. While I realize that no one is out there in Twitterland waiting to read what my workout of the day was, or what I've been eating, I feel a need desire to share these things with my "friends" to hold myself accountable. I've gotten workout ideas, inspiration for healthy meals, and just an outlet for my (as my husband would say) cultish addiction to running through social media. 

I know that the dedicated few who do follow us expect a certain level of dedication; therefore, when I am not feeling a run or want to indulge in that extra piece of candy, I can log on to one of these outlets and find the motivation I need to stay the course. 

Thank you Suz and Allan at Cows and Lasers and Everything In Between, Jess and Katie at The Mommy Miles, Carla at MizFit Online, Christine at Oatmeal In My Bowl, and anyone else who has commented, tweeted, or just connected with us in this social media craze. You do make a difference in our fitness level and our approach to healthy living! (In fact, the only sweet thing I've had since posting about my addiction was a "healthy" chocolate chip cookie I made from a recipe I got from Ashley at My Food N' Fitness Diaries, and I've completed my speed workout for the week!) 

P.S. The speed workout was on the dreadmill, but it's the best alternative to laps of the track with a stroller since the gym has a daycare. I did 1 mile warm-up at a 9:04 pace. Then 1/4 mile intervals at above pace (7:30), pace (8:00) and sprint (7:03) for 2 miles. Cooled down with a 1/2 mile at 8:34.