Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Toe the line

Pre-workout fuel: Slice of whole-wheat toast with apple butter
Workout: Ran 4.29 miles in 38 minutes, 19 seconds; average pace, 8:56.

When it comes to running, sometimes the most important things are not the things you do on the road. It's the things you do before the run.

Like wash your Nike Tempo shorts.

And eat right.

Drink enough water.

Charge your Garmin.

Cut your toenails.

Yeah, I said it. Cut your toenails. If you think I'm joking, you can ask my third toe, which has a nice little cut on the right side from the nail of the fourth toe digging in.

I kind of felt like something was up with my right foot today and tried to lift my toes as I was running because, yeah, that's comfortable and going to make it better. I just figured something was stuck in the wrong spot. When I got home and took off my sock, it wasn't something "in the wrong spot." It was a straight up injury (or something a bit less melodramatic).

I tended to my wound, stretched, drank some DECAF coffee and got to trimming before hopping in the shower. I probably should have spent more time this morning doing all of the above but I needed to give my hair time to dry as we're going to a reception and speech-y thing with Sean Astin. You know the actor from "Lord of The Rings," "Rudy" and only my favoritest movie ever, "The Goonies." Gotta look good for Mikey! Good thing he won't be able to see my toes :)

Monday, September 13, 2010

Another Meatless Monday success

Pumpkin enchiladas.

They just sound weird. Really weird. Pumpkin is for pies and cookies -- not for Mexican dishes. Yet when I saw the recipe over at Peanut Butter Fingers, I couldn't help but be intrigued ... and tempted.

Just one problem: Pumpkin is still nearly impossible to find. However, I did have half of a butternut squash in the fridge and have found the gourd to be a good sub for my fall favorite.

So yeah ... Butternut Squash Enchiladas ... yeah.

Hmmm .... hmmm ... mmm ... MMM ... GOOD!

While I don't have any photos to whet your palate, I can tell you that these were so good. Smoky, spicy and just the hint of sweetness from the squash ... very balanced Hearty, too.

Butternut Squash Enchiladas
Adapted from Peanut Butter Fingers

Small onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce
15 ounces roasted butternut squash, pureed
1 (15-ounce) can light red kidney beans
Handful cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
4 Smart & Delicious tortillas (La Tortilla Factory)
1/2 cup 2% cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a fairly decent-sized skillet, use either a drizzle of canola oil or a few sprays of non-stick spray to coat the pan. Add onions and garlic and saute until soft. Add enchilada sauce, then squash and stir until well combined. Add cilantro, cumin and chili powder; mix well. Add a thin layer of sauce to a 9x13 baking pan. Take a tortilla and add even amounts of kidney beans and the sauce mixture. Roll into a burrito and put it into the pan. Repeat with other tortillas. Top with the remainder of sauce and cheese. Bake for 10 minutes or so until the cheese is melted. Serve with 0% Greek yogurt or sour cream.

By the way, these reheat beautifully. I made them Sunday night to eat for lunch today -- and several other days this week -- and just microwaved one enchilada for about 1 minute, 30 seconds. (I often make a healthy batch-type recipe on Sundays to enjoy for lunch throughout the week. Just a Healthy Strides tip, from me to you.)