Caroline Dines

Last night, when I realized that we would officially be entering into a heat wave, (the forecast was calling for a record breaking 97 degrees) I devised a plan to escape the urban heat and still have a “productive” day. Since my summer classes officially ended, a “productive” day for me has meant exercise of some sort, reading for pleasure, and an errand or two. Of course my work day begins at 4:30 but up until that time I have been trying to fit in as many relaxing activities as I can since summer won’t last forever and my classes will start up again before I know it…

So, my alarm went off at 6:00 a.m., and by 6:04 I was out of bed. This is quite early for me but I knew that in order to completely avoid any traffic, I needed to get an early start.

Getting out of bed this early was made easier by the promise of a delicious breakfast that I had planned out the night before.

I toasted 2 English crumpets…and added a bit of butter to the tops…

Then sliced up a perfectly ripe peach and microwaved a TJ’s Mango Chicken Sausage (these are my favorite!). To wash it all down I had a frosty glass of Mango Iced Tea.  Absolutely delicious!

I was in the car by 6:30 and made great time thanks to my planning ahead. Check out the traffic going towards the city…good thing I am always doing the “reverse commute”

I made it to my “beat the heat” destination in great time (a little before 8:00 a.m.). Where did I decide to go? Well, with lots of fabulous water opportunities nearby it’s hard to pick but I had a bonus waiting for me in Little Compton R.I., my Grandmother! We spoke the night before and I realized that it would be the perfect day to go for a couple reasons:

1.) It’s going to be about 10-20 degrees hotter in the city than in Little C, so while still hot it’s will be a bit cooler and with the beach right there I can get some relief! 

2.) She was free!

3.) I was scheduled to do a 10 mile run and am always looking to change up my route.

Arriving earlier was also beneficial for my run because it was only about 80 at this point. Still hot for 8 a.m. though !!! I made sure to load up my fuel belt with cold H2O before leaving.

Setting out on this run, I felt pretty exhausted. My legs felt like bricks, my feet were sore (I need new running shoes again!) and I was psyching myself out about the heat and the distance I had planned. However, after the first mile which was a 8:56, I had a mental and physical switch. I am not entirely sure what triggered it but I started picking up the pace and it felt great. I think it may have had something to do with the new scenery, good music and the fact that my lungs felt strong. I guess all my marathon training is paying off!

I had planned a big loop but soon realized that I was feeling an “out and back” situation instead and so adjusted mid run. Around mile 2, I encountered a tiny turtle trying to cross the road. I almost stepped on him and was so thankful that I didn’t. I stopped for a second to help him find safety so that he did get squished in the road.  He was too cute not to take a picture of so I quickly squatted down to get his best angle.

After the turtle I just focused on keeping my legs moving as quickly as possible and was so surprised every mile that passed by with minimal effort. I don’t think I have ever run this kind of distance at this kind of speed and it gave me hope for my future goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon.

Here’s how my splits ended up:

Mile 1: 8:56

Mile 2: 8:39

Mile 3: 8:39

Mile 4: 8:33

Mile 5: 8:15 < cruising!!!

Mile 6: 8:43

Mile 7: 8:23

Mile 8: 8:47

Mile 9: 8:35

Mile 10: 8:31

At the halfway point I came to literally the end of the road, Sakonnet Point. I debated running my way out on the rocks to the real end of the road but quickly thought better once I realized my ankle might not make it!

I stopped for a brief minute to drink a sip or two of water and enjoy the view.

Then I set out again to finish this run up. I was so happy when I finally made it home and looked down at my Garmin to see these figures. My goal had been 1:30 for 10 miles and I beat it by 5 whole minutes!!!

Happy/Sweaty Face!

I showered briefly before throwing on my suit and grabbing my gear for the beach. Nana and I took a swim right off when we arrived and then many more! It was soo hot but the water was super refreshing at 69 degrees.

Having checked off one item on my “productivity” list, I started in on another: reading! I am loving this book that I borrowed from my other Grandmother and am trying to finish it before visiting her this coming weekend.

For lunch I had packed up some Hickory Smoked Blue Fish that I bought at the South End Open Market this past Sunday. I threw in some spinach, Grillo’s Pickled Tomato and Relish, a bit of feta, some TJ’s Light Parmesan Ranch dressing, and a few AkMak crackers on the side.

The highlight was a tie between the smoked fish and the Grillo’s Tomato. Just look at all that fresh dill on top!

The fish and the creamy dressing were the perfect compliment to each other as well. Nothing better than eating locally caught fish while staring out at the bright blue ocean. The Grillo’s Relish was hard to beat too, it was dill flavored and so fresh and crunchy; like adding vegetables to the salad with some extra salt. Lucky for me I needed the salt since my run was super hot and quite long.

I also could handle a few extra calories today so I was pleased when my grandmother brought out not 1 but 2 soft and chewy, oatmeal raisin cookies! These totally hit my sweet tooth after all that vinegar and dill. I am definitely a good mix of my parents, my Dad can’t get enough of salty things and my Mom would eat dessert after breakfast if it was socially accepted.

After lunch, more swimming and reading commenced. I also may have managed a few zzzzz’s in there (waking up at 6 and running my little heart out takes it out of me!) I woke up,  broke for a little snack before heading home. This was my second peach of the day, which I am not complaining about at all, just check out the juice factor on this guy!

It was so hard to pack up and go but I knew I had to leave more time to get home since traffic would be piling up by the afternoon. I took an ice cold shower and dressed for work. Then I hopped in my car and on my way out of town decided to check the last thing off my list: an errand. I needed some fresh produce so stopping in at Walker’s Roadside Stand was the perfect solution!

I picked out four ears of corn, four peaches, a box of crackers, a head of lettuce and some of these golden grape tomatoes. How enticing does this display look? It made me want to buy some mozzarella and call it a day.

While snapping this shot, I noticed something in the distance. Upon closer inspection it turned out to be just what I suspected…A Del’s Lemonade sign!

Now, at this point it’s 90 some degrees (still cooler than the city) and I’m working with a 900 calorie deficit for the day. A sweet, frosty, iced lemonade was just what the body ordered.

I did exercise a bit of restraint and ordered the small which ended up being smaller than I wanted but still made my mouth happy! This little guy was probably about 8 ounces. Soooo cool and refreshing….I am talking about the Del’s, not me with my wet hair and shades trying to look cool while taking a self portrait at a stop light.

After a longer ride back (traffic!) I was horrified to see that the temperature had crept from 87 when I left Little Compton to an unbelievable high of 102 in Boston! Gotta love the city!

For dinner I threw together a quick salad using some more Mango Sausage, fresh lettuce, fresh tomatos, the last of my feta, more TJ’s parmesan ranch dressing, raisins, and sliced almonds. On the side I had the tastiest ear of corn I’ve had this summer.  Oh and I threw in a pickle for good measure to my salad. In case you’ve been counting I am up to 3 different Grillo’s Pickle products for the day. Too much sodium? Probably, but I like to think it’s ok because of the amount I sweat during my runs. I really crave it after hard work outs.

Fresh corn is the best.

I know I have been neglecting my blog for the past three days but I have some good excuses. First of all, I think it’s sometimes important to just forget about photographing your food and completely focus on life. Secondly, some of the food I have been eating hasn’t been all that exciting and hasn’t inspired me to photograph it. And weekend of eating out at restaurants with poor lighting (The Publick House and Zaftigs) means that I have no pictures to show you! Here is an assortment of the things I have been munching on for the past three days and some random thoughts that come to mind.

Mom’s Famous Christmas Cookies

Receiving a package full of soft, frosted Christmas cookies on a Friday afternoon can totally re-energize you after an all out shopping spree.

Clementine and Cottage Cheese Combo

This is particularly delightful when eaten in the glow of the morning sun. Even better when it is used as fuel for the sweatiest, most intense yoga session in weeks!

Scrambled Eggs with Apricot Stilton

When you are completely out of food and need a satisfying pick me up on the weekend, turn to eggs, cheese and a whole wheat wrap. I am telling you, you will not be disappointed. If your feeling particularly daring go ahead and smear a little butter and jam on the wrap just before adding the cheesy eggs. Oh yea.

Eggnog Latte minus the $5.00 price tag

Surprisingly Rice Nog doesn’t seem to curdle when added to hot coffee. Good to know.

On the Road Grilled Salmon Sushi

Attempting to go grocery shopping on an empty stomach after a 7 mile run will leave you $75.00 poorer, disoriented, and scarfing down an entire tray of sushi in the parking lot.

Israeli Cous Cous Salad

Left over salad works especially well on nights when you have no desire to cook. It’s also easier to take pretty pictures when your not in a dimly lit restaurant.

Honey Mustard and Wisconsin Cheddar Grilled Cheese

A quick, simple, and comforting meal or snack. Also a great thing to hand your boyfriend when he returns home soaking wet from parking the car.

After a speedy yoga session, I returned home with plans to bake. I have tons of this Almond Flour in my fridge and thought that making a good “healthy” dessert for myself was in order since I more likely to eat that instead of the  junk around here. Plus this Chips Ahoy package has been catching my attention for the past few nights (I haven’t had any). For some reason Chips Ahoy will always have a special place in my heart. As a kid we never had junk around (which I thank my Mom for now) and it was always exciting when there was a school party or something that had all the “good stuff” like chips ahoy. Now I know better and can appreciate a good cookie but every now and then I still find myself wanting a taste. Therefore I decided to bake chocolate chip cookies, the Almond Flour way, loaded with protein and good fat!

• 2 1/2 c. Almond Flour
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1 T. vanilla
• 1/4 c. grape seed oil
• 1/4 c. agave nectar
  
• 1 egg
• 1/3 c. unsweetened coconut
• 1/3 c. semi sweet chocolate chips

This recipe made approx. 21 cookies (I made them pretty small). Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until they are golden on the top and bottom. Use parchment paper to prevent burning and so you don’t need cooking spray.

So I ask you: would you rather eat this?

Or that?

That’s what I thought!

I ate 2 cookies warm out of the oven (the best way) and the rest are in tupperwear containers where I will be less likely to just grab one. I do feel better about eating these cookies though because of the good ingredients. Perfect energy for pre or post run in my opinion.

Dinner was Breakfast tonight. We haven’t done this in awhile and I had a craving for eggs so I went with it. These eggs made the meal. I purchased them at the Farmer’s Market last week for 2 bucks! Just a little comparison I was shopping for our house dinner tonight and picked up some cage free organic eggs that were 4 dollars. This is an area where you totally can save a ton of money if you have access to local eggs.

I used spinach and feta in the omelets to bulk them up. What a great combo. It would have been better with fresh tomato but still the flavor was there. We also had real bacon (no nitrites, natural, all that jazz…) and Eziekeil Bread toast on the side. I slathered mine up with some Apple Butter (sadly this is almost gone!).

I had two more mini cookies with a nice cold glass of milk….ahhhhhh… Did I mention it’s hard taking pretty pictures at work when it’s completely pitch black outside and there is always a bunch of stuff in the background! Oh well at least my job allows me to TAKE pictures.

For your viewing pleasure: here’s a taste of what the end of my night looked like…read on to find out how it all came about.

After another non-stop day (full of awesomeness but none the less busy) I am taking a break from a hectic night of baking here at the house. First I’ll recap my day through my eats! Yoga was yummy and by that I mean I left feeling powerful, full of good thoughts, and with freshly loosened muscles. Ahhhhhhh…I scarfed an apple and Amazing Grass Chocolate covered bar on my way to Coolidge Corner to do errands.

I successfully picked up supplies for tonight’s Halloween Cookie Fest, picked up my newly hemmed jeans (oh the joys of being 5′ 2″), retrieved my newly cobbled boots (needed a replacement heel, $10.00 later I have brand new boots!) and went to the holy land (Trader Joe’s) for some supplies for the upcoming weekend. My cousin Meg was kind enough to meet me at TJ’s and drive me home with all my loot. We hung out for a bit before I had to go to work and she had to go to class. I did munch on some brocoli and cauliflower with bean dip during our rendezvous (sorry no picture!). Then it was time to get geared up in my best halloween inspired, work appropriate outfit (thanks Mom for the Pumpkin necklace).

Tonight was all about getting the house decorated for Halloween. I love Halloween and growing up my Mom did a fantastic job of decorating the house. I brought a few of the homemade pieces that were handmade by my Great Aunt. This pumpkin head witch is sitting on our microwave…

…and this witch  is currently flying on our door (she was made for me when I was a baby, 25 years old and it still looks great!)

Of course some of these items one might find “tacky” or “over the top”. To that I say, have a little fun! I use any holiday as an excuse to decorate in a fun way and usually stray from my more simple and classical tastes. The more outrageous the better! Speaking of outrageous, Darin’s contribution to our Halloween decor are the following two Pumpkin heads. He seriously loves these guys and woud probably keep them up all year if I let him (one thing I don’t abide by is keeping holiday decorations up past the actual holiday!). This year we spruced them up with a wig and a cowboy hat. They crack us up!

On to the house now. My co-worker picked up some awesome pumpkin garland, spider rings, halloween themed boxes of crayons, and festive plates, cups and napkins. We had a great time decorating!

The majority of this garland went around our picture boards and message boards which contain pictures of the children here so I can’t share them but you get the idea!

The best part of the evening was the baking project that I decided to tackle. Our normal Thursday night volunteer is away this week so I figured people would be disappointed without a homemade dessert to finish of their pizza with I decided to make my Mom’s Halloween Cookies that I have eaten every October I can remember. They’re simple to make and sinfully good. My mom normally only bakes healthy treats, and is famous for her biscotti which are virutally fat free, but these cookies do contain butter and lots of sugar (once a year wont kill anybody!)

Mom’s Chocolate Halloween Cookies

1 stick of butter (I used Smart Balance stick)

1 cup of sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups of flour

1/3 cup of cocoa

Combine ingredients (creaming the butter, sugar and eggs first)

Roll dough into ball and place on baking sheet. Take a glass that has been dusted in flour (you may need to do this repeatedly) and flatten the balls out so that they cook evenly.

and bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes.  Allow the cookies to set up a bit on the baking sheet (5 minutes) then transfer them to a wire rack to completely cool before frosting.

I tripled the batch and easily had about 60 cookies. Thank goodness I had a tri-level cooling rack  Making this many cookies was a lot of work but totally worth it!

While they are baking away you can mix up a quick frosting using butter, confectioners sugar, milk and vanilla.

Make sure you have some fun toppings on hand too. Traditionally these were made with one simple candy corn placed on each cookie. Tonight because sprinkles are my favorite we jazzed things up a bit but I made sure to find room on each cookie for a corn as well!

We added wacky sprinkles and placed the “corn” in haphazard positions.

While arranging them, there was one casuality. Oh darn, I guess I had to eat it! O.k. I promise I am not exagerrating at all. These cookies were phenomenal! They tasted like a cookie/brownie, soft yet a little crisp on the edges, chewy in the middle and the toppings just made them fun to look at and added that extra flavor dimension that only sprinkles can bring. Mmmmmmmm…..I had a total of 3 this evening and am very proud that I held myself to that!

I worked up quite the appetite making these cookies and when the pizza delivery was made I wanted to stop but I knew I needed to hammer these out so they would be ready for more guests. I didn’t break until 7:30 and by that time I was starving. I added some broccoli and cauliflower for more staying power and since my mouth was craving veggies.

I am happy to report that the house is completely covered for this holiday and I am retiring as baker of the evening. I am totally in the Halloween spirit now and have gone crazy thinking about what I am going to be this year. Any good ideas out there?

Good Morning! For breakfast I was craving something other than yogurt. While it might not be the most conventional of breakfast choices the left over spinach pie was a perfect, no muss, no fuss option. I plated with some sliced banana and juicy plum. This breakfast was simply delicious and made me feel like I had “cooked” something when I really just reheated in the micro. I ate this later than normal and it was definitely more of a brunch, very filling!

Given my free time today, I threw in two loads of laundry and while I was waiting for those to be done, I whipped up a batch of Elana’s Gluten Free Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies.

One of my favorite Food Blogs is Elana’s Pantry which is completely gluten free, mostly paleo, sometimes raw, and most often vegan. Darin first discovered the Paleo style through his gym.  When he came home saying that we could no longer eat carbs, beans or starchy vegetables, I knew I had to do some research. I happened upon Elana’s blog and was thrilled with what I found. She bakes and cooks gluten free for her own health and uses agave nectar as a sweetener in her desserts. I immediately tried a number of her cakes and cookies and found that my body responded well to eating this way.

While I do not believe in everything the paleo diet prescribes, I find that focusing more on protein, vegetables, fruit and nuts has helped increase my energy level.

Elana bakes with Blanched Almond Flour which is chock full of protein and is virtually free of carbohydrates. Combining the almond flour with agave nectar, grapeseed oil and the other typical ingredients for chocolate chip cookies, creates a surprisingly light and satisfying treat! I really enjoy cooking with the almond flour and agave nectar because I don’t get that sugar high and the protein in the almond flour gives the cookie more nutritional value.

I adjusted Elana’s recipe only slightly. I only used 1/4 cup of oil and 1/4 of agave and 2 1/3 cups of Almond flour. I find this an easy way to reduce the calories and still keep the batter moist enough to form the cookies. I also used a mix of chocolate (dark, milk and white) because that is just what I had on hand.

This batch turned out perfect! I was actually surprised at how moist they came out. Now the only problem is once Darin discovers them they will be gone in no time!