Good evening!
Today felt never-ending even though it was pretty much a typical day in the bakery.
My muscles felt progressively stiff as the day went on and I had lots of Glo Bars to make.
If yesterday was the running half marathon, today felt like the baking marathon.
I got it done, thankfully! I knew I had today to get caught up on all my orders today because tomorrow is a very special day in the bakery– (Gluten-free + Raw Glo Bars for sale at 9pm EST).
Around 7:30pm, I thought of you all.
I think of you a lot. Did you know that?
I think about what kinds of foods I can come up with to interest you. I was soooooo tempted to throw a stinkin’ veggie burger on the skillet and call it a night, but I wanted to create. I think if it wasn’t for this blog I would eat the same 3 meals everyday! :lol: Actually, I know I would because I totally used to.
I opened the fridge and I realized we had no vegetables to speak of except for 2 lone red peppers.
It was a sign.
This dinner was inspired by my wedding dinner on Saturday night which was a gorgeous curried rice stuffed pepper:
I love stuffed peppers.
It’s like Christmas morning when you cut one open. As Forest Gump said, You never know what you’re gonna get.’
Well, technically I knew, because I made this one, but we can pretend…
Easy & Delicious Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients:
- 2 red peppers
- 1.5 cups uncooked lentils (estimate only!)
- 1 cup pasta sauce
- 3-4 tbsp sweet BBQ sauce
- Sea salt, pepper to taste
Directions: Cook lentils according to package directions. While the lentils are cooking, preheat the oven to 350F. Cut top top of the peppers off and carefully remove the inner seeds to your liking. Pop the peppers onto a baking sheet and into the oven to pre-cook for about 20 minutes while the lentils are cooking. Remove the peppers from the oven and set aside. Rinse the lentils with a colander and rinse out the pot that you cooked the lentils in. Place the drained lentils back into the pot and add the pasta sauce, BBQ sauce, and seasonings. Stir well. Taste. Adjust sauce if necessary. Fill the two peppers with the lentil mixture and place them carefully onto the baking sheet. Place into the oven for another 15-30 minutes checking it every 10 minutes or so. Peppers are ready when they have some character to them.
Lentils are quite the superfood boasting approx. 19-25 grams of protein and 18-22 grams of fibre per cooked cup, depending on the type you use. They are also very high in folate, iron, Vitamin B1, copper, and tryptophan. Tryptophan is thought to enhance relaxation and sleep, soothes nerves and anxiety, and reduces carbohydrate cravings.
I was feeling mighty relaxed after this meal too!
Chef Eric prepared the side of raw carrots and hummus…(and they tasted better because he prepared them and not me). Score.
Christmas morning…!
Eric proclaimed this was the best stuffed pepper he has ever tasted! And then he said, ‘Well, I think I have only had two stuffed peppers in my life, but this one is good.’
I’ll take it. :lol:
Race Quirks
Do you ever wonder what I think about during my half marathons? No? Didn’t think so. I am going to tell you anyways.
Yesterday during my half, I thought about what my race quirks are and this is what I came up with…
1. I always have to scream ‘yawhoo’ when the gun/horn goes off at the start of the race. I’m a 10 yr old like that.
2. I have never used an on-course porta-potty, only before and after the race.
3. I play 3-5 ‘power songs’ over and over and over during the race. These power songs change each race. Ninety percent of the songs on my Shuffle are not worthy race songs, meaning that they don’t pump me up enough to even play. Apparently, I’m quite the race song connoisseur.
4. I always clap and yell ‘good job’ to the runners in the lead (that is, if the course is a loop or out-and-back and they pass by in the other direction). In yesterday’s race we saw the lead women heading back a couple times during the loops. I always cheered for them and I even gave one a ‘side-five’. In my defense, the girl ahead of me did it first.
5. I thank every single volunteer that cheers me on or hands me a cup of Gatorade. I also thank some of the spectators that cheer for me. Sometimes it is a thank-you or sometimes I am so tired I just mouth the words and crack a sad, sad smile, but either way I try my best to show my gratitude, especially in the last few km’s when I need those words of encouragement so badly. I also think that positivity breeds more energy. When I smile and say thank-you, a bit of my pain is taken away. I will never forget the elderly volunteer lady who told me I had a beautiful smile during my 10 mile race. It carried me several minutes to the finish.
6. If I see someone struggling on the course, I ask them if they are ok. I saw a girl yesterday who stopped to walk and looked like she may pass out. I stopped to see if she was ok. I would hope that others would do the same for me!
7. While I consider myself a ‘happy runner’ in races, internally, I swear and curse like a truck driver. If you were to hear some of my inner dialogue while running a half, it would be similar to the Jerry Springer show or a Pussycat Dolls video. I curse, I get angry, and I do the MAD FACE when I see a hill approaching. It ain’t pretty. Note- mad face –> :angry: I also made this face upon seeing creeper on bike.
8. However, I always ham it up for the on-course photographer. The on-course photographer serves one purpose- a few seconds of sheer entertainment where I am not thinking about how tired I am. I give a thumbs up and a smile. I realize this looks extremely nerdy, but I get stage fright and can’t come up with anything else. The thumbs up works, and I use it. During my first 10k race, I threw my arms over my head and cheered for the photographer, but this used up way too many energy reserves. Rookie mistake. A thumbs up is energy efficient and practical. I highly recommend it. However… my right arm is oddly sore today….
9. I slow down going downhill and speed up going uphill. I don’t understand it, so I don’t expect you to either.
10. I do not run and drink at the same time. Much like I do not run while carrying scissors, I don’t expect to drink fluids while gasping for air and running and survive. I tried it once and I almost coughed up a lung. [However, I highly recommend drinking while running if you are using a Camelbak!]
11. I wear the same OLD ‘lucky’ white Nike hat for each training run and race. I wash it occasionally and the dirt doesn’t come off. I wear it anyways. I got it 9 or 10 years ago. I have perfectly good hats sitting in my closet, but for some strange reason I do not wear them.
12. I sing. Out loud. If you ever see me on a race course and you see me singing to myself, you know I am in a very bad, bad place. I did this around mile 11 yesterday. It wasn’t pretty.
13. I talk to myself out loud. I repeat my mantra. I say random things like ‘strong, strong, strong, strong, strong’ and adopt obnoxious breathing patterns similar to those annoying guys in gym weight rooms.
Do you have race quirks or just exercise quirks in general? Do you have any systematic ways of doing things or superstitious beliefs?
Good Morning Angela!
Drinking my tea + Reading your quirky post = Great start to my day! :)
I run 5k 3x per week with a group, but not a 5k race yet. It’s a beautiful trail where I run, so I can distract myself with that. But on the days it’s stinkin’ hot, I think I need to borrow your mantra!! Sometimes if I’m struggling I play a mental trick on myself. I imagine I have to run all the way home (another 5 minutes) instead of to the end of the trail. Then when I do make it to the end of the trail it seems not so far! Haha, tricky, eh??
I would love to hear what your playlist is of your 5 power songs. I need to add a few more!
And if any of your readers have suggestions, I would like to hear those too!
My best song is this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJpirySSKHA
It’s an amazing dance song by George Michael with motivational lyrics that make you feel great! and energized! (Except there are a few bad words in there…!) I think it has a great running beat.
He has a few other songs too, that I love running to.
Those red peppers look delish!! I have a couple in the crisper right now and might whip up something similar for dinner tonight!
Ciao for now – Enjoy your day!! :)
I love those mind tricks! They seem to silly but they do work most of the time.
Love stuffed bell peppers, that was one of my favorites growing up cooked by mom.
I usually talk to myself or sing to myself, but I try to keep all upbeat songs on my Nano for long training runs or big races. I have a special playlist made up for that. When I ran my first marathon, I made bracelet, handwritten with all of my favorite motivational sayings typed on it from over the years and I had it laminated.
Can’t wait to try the GF Raw Glo Bars…gotta order running bars….gotta order running bars….gotta order running bars. I start with my new running group this Sat. coming up! Woohoo!
BTW, it’s going to be 102 degrees this Sat. in good ol’ Texas! Ahhhhh! Thank God for early morning runs!
wow that is craaaazy hot!
I haven’t done any racing, but I do have some workout quirks. All of the songs on my iPod are super upbeat, and many of them are kind of sexy too. Because when I do my cardio I like to imagine myself at a club dancing in a super hot dress. The energy I put into dancing is always just as intense as the energy I use when I’m doing cardio, so it’s no stretch to imagine I’m dancing instead of running/elipticking. Plus, I find visualinzing myself in a hot outfit, approaching a good looking man gives me the added motivation to push through those last few minutes working out. No funny weight-lifting quirks to speak of, except that my music changes to angry rock/punk/hip hop and I walk around the gym with determination and laser-beam focus haha. Scary.
Lol…I love your race quirks!!!
I can’t believe you only play 3-5 songs on repeat!!! I would get so bored of them I think! Although…maybe not, if they were good enough songs!
I sing when I run, but only when I trail run and I’m by myself, lol. It keeps the bears away, right?! :-)
That stuffed pepper looks great. Stuffed peppers was one of my favorite meals growing up, but I’ve never made them myself. Perhaps I will need to give it a try!
What a great idea- lentil stuffed peppers! SMART!!
I am the same way with my songs when I run. I take lots of time before the race to plan out my song choices. What are your songs of choice?
Mostly top 40 pop type stuff…Christina A’s new song is fun ‘not myself tonight’ and that wedding song I posted the other day I think it si called ‘do you remember’ (can’t remember it now!)
haha I could relate to a lot of yor running quirks. Especially the drinking while running one…how can people do that and not get stomach cramps?!
Because I don’t listen to music during my race, I rely on singing to myself in my head. The last two halfs that I ran, I hummed “just keep running….” in the same tune that Doris sings “just keep swimming” in Nemo. Strange, I know! Especially when that’s really the only line I remember from that song so it continuously loops in my head throughout most of the race! :D
I am definitely going to have to “program” new songs in my head when I run the marathon this fall – I can’t imagine chanting that in my head for 4+ hours!
-Alison
Hi Angela! I love your blog and reading it has inspired me start running, even though I always thought I could never be a runner! (It also inspired me to buy chia seeds :) ) I’m starting off with much more modest distances than a half marathon, but yesterday I made myself break my own record by thinking of you and your race that I had just read about! I also have a few great songs and like to repeat (in my head) that I’m strong, etc. and have realized that most of what was holding me back from running was psychological.
Now this might be weird and maybe not healthy, but when all positive reserves of energy have been exhausted, I sometimes channel a little anger by thinking of something past or present that really upset me. It relieves stress though!
I totally do #9 too! I just want to get the hills out of my way so I pound those bad boys out!! That’s kinda funny that you do it as well lol
So what songs were on your playlist this race?
I will try to post the songs at some point! :)
First, I want to say thanks for the dinner idea! I have a lot of black beans and lentils I need to use up right now. I also happen to have some bell peppers! I’m totally going to make stuffed peppers tonight!
Also, I too have a white Nike hat that goes with me on every single run and race even though I have other hats. My Nike sign is no longer black, the hat is not very white anymore either but its the one I always wear!
you are seriously too cute :) i don’t race, but i can imagine that if i did i would be pretty quirky too! i like that you thank people though…that kind of spirit is really hard to find in people these days (where did manners go?!) and i think it’s something to be celebrated!
I’ve just read the comments of this post and I understand why you keep on blogging. Those readers are all amazing! Positive, fun, all so nice.
Those red peppers look delish!! I’ll try your cheesy savoury oats tonight :)
Your race thoughts were hilarious!!! This post just made my day : )
I love reading your quirks!!! Back when I was running, I didn’t have quirks persay but I’d always repeat mantras to myself to keep me going. And I would always try to think about how far I’ve come instead of how far I had to go.. or break down long runs into smaller runs like if I had a 9 mile run, I would just think of it as 3 3 mile runs that I would do every day and seemed like nothing to me, it really helped!
Ha!! I do so many of these things!! Especially the breathing patterns (always!!!) and the singing when I am really dying. Yay for exercise quirks! lol :P
I give myself goofy pep talks. “This first part is going to hurt but after that you’ll be good.” “Time to get shit done!” “No worries, girlfriend, you’ll get there.” “Feeling good, just keep this pace.”
Whenever I start hurting, I try to figure out why. Am I low on fuel? Am I hurting in one particular area or just generally fatigued? I have had good experiences with brief walk breaks helping my legs feel better without hurting my time so I’ll stop and walk for 45 sec. or a minute and that usually helps me recharge.
I did a 10 miler with a 1-min. walk break after each mile. For most of the race I stayed neck-in-neck with several other racers who didn’t stop to walk. I’d catch up with them after each walk break. Around mile 7 or 8 I passed them and increased my lead, finishing several minutes ahead of them because I had that extra oomph left.
That happened to me too! I would pass walkers and then they would pass me, etc etc. It was kinda funny. You gotta do what works for you! after I walk I find it harder to get going again at times.
Those stuffed peppers look amazing! I’m actually thinking about making stuffed peppers tonight, so reading your post was meant to be!
I get so MAD when I’m running and approaching a hill. Like they designed the course just to annoy me, ha!