Caaaabs (as they say in Boston)

I spent the weekend with my parents in Boston and got to run with my dad (who has run several marathons) around a beautiful resevoir yesterday. High 60s and sunny, but the wind off the water kept it from being a tad too warm. I used his GPS watch to see whether it felt to clunky. I felt like Lindsay Lohan escaping home confinement with a monitoring bracelet. I'll have to find a smaller model.

We stopped at a running store and I (read: parents) bought Sports Beans to try out as pre or during run boost. They're made by Jelly Belly and appear to be regular jelly beans, just bigger and with electrolytes and vitamins. I accidentally left them in my purse, which I took to work this morning, and have been snacking on a pack all morning.

I've also been experimenting with real food. I've been on a cooking kick and have gotten into finding new healthy recipes featuring whole grains. Since I don't eat meat and have been living soy-free for a year, filling myself with nutritious satisfying food is a challenge. Running is also a nice excuse and a good reason to explore the world of carbs.

I'm loving quinoa. My current favorite lunch/dinner/snack is a caprese quinoa salad of red quinoa (cooked and chilled), chopped fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, and little cubes or balls of fresh mozzarella. I drizzle olive oil and add salt and pepper.

Quinoa is a complete protein, a good source of magnesium (which in addition to being important for muscles and blood vessels, is good for warding off migraines), and is a great source of fiber. Plus it cooks in 15 minutes!

I also made granola last night, which turned out a little too sweet, but is very satisfying as cereal or a Greek yogurt topping. You just mix all dry ingredients together in one bowl and all wet ingredients in another. Then pour the wet over the dry, stir it up, and place on a baking sheet for an hour and ten minutes in a 300 degree oven, stirring up every 20 minutes. It becomes crispier as it cools and stores in a zip lock. I'm planning to play with the mix of things a bit, but this is a good base.

dry:
4 cups of oats
3/4 cup or each: flax meal, wheat germ
1/2 cup of each: chopped pecans, sliced almonds
one teaspoon of each: salt, cinnamon

wet:
1/4-1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup of water

Looking forward to getting my own (smaller) GPS watch, a couple good runs this week, and more carbs than Lindsay Lohan has consumed in the last decade.