{Friday Fab 5-Cross Country, Katy Perry, Chip Free Nachos, Shalane Flanagan…}

Posted in Friday Fab 5 by sneaksandstilettos

You all probably thought I disappeared on you. And, I guess I sort of did. With back to school and coaching high school cross country, these 60-65 hour weeks are leaving me with little time to blog or do much else. Add to it that my iPhone 4s is officially full on the memory front and will no longer take photos…as in ANY, and you don’ t have a good recipe for blogging. I’ve still been catching up on the blogs I read (drastically behind, but getting there) and today’s day off from school is giving me some time to finally update this here blog.

While I don’t plan to do a Friday Fab 5 every week as I’m just too busy, I do plan to pop in here or there with updates and of course will be posting race reports or anything I feel I want to write about.

So what have I been up to lately…

{#1-Cross Country}

At the end of August I was contacted by an organizer for David Kuhn to see if I or someone I knew would be able to help David out in reaching his goal or running 11,000 miles around the United States to raise awareness about Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic condition his granddaughter has. Why would David need people’s help? David is a blind. David was in an accident caused by a drunk driver that left him without his vision. David runs on city trails and tracks and relies on people in the communities he visits to guide him. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for our cross country team to learn some valuable lessons about perseverance, determination and overcoming challenges. The team also learned about Cystic Fibrosis.

One morning before practice I picked David up at his hotel, took him to get breakfast and brought him to join our cross country team. Members of the team took turns guiding David on our 5.5. mile run. We all ran one mile on the track and then 4.5 miles around our city trail. The kids had to hold a rope that David held and let him know when dips, bumps or curbs were coming and when upcoming stops were near. It was a great day for our entire team with many lessons being taken from the experience. You can learn more about David and his journey on his blog or in this Runner’s World article.

{#2-Kacey Musgraves and Katy Perry Concert}

Lets just say they were amazing. I’ve always liked them both, but after hearing them live I’m a much bigger fan!

{#3-Color Run Fun}

A full post is coming about the second Color Run I did a few weeks ago.

{#4-Shalane Flanagan and Sauvie Island}

I saw this advertisement in the August edition of Runner’s World and it instantly brought back memories of running the Foot Traffic Flat Marathon in Oregon this summer as one of my race all 50 states. I can’t believe Shalane (notice we are on a first name basis 😉 ) often trains on the same route as the marathon. So cool to think I ran in her training grounds. Little things like this remind me of how awesome running a marathon in all 50 states is. The places it takes me and the adventures I get to have!

{#5-Healthier Chip Free Nachos}

I made these for dinner for the husband and I a few nights ago. Football food made healthier. As I try to keep eating clean as much as possible, I’m on the lookout for new recipes all the time and ways to make foods I love healthier. This dish was perfect for that. My photos do not look near as good as the original recipe creator’s, but I made mine in a glass dish with the intention of eating mine with a fork so it was less messy. The bottom photo shows the bottom of the pan (zucchini alternating with red and yellow peppers.) Some recipe modification I made: I added green onions, onions and jalapenos, made a pound of turkey instead of 3/4 and used an entire zucchini instead of half. This was awesome and would be the perfect healthy take on tailgating food this football season.

Happy Friday!

Sarah

11Jul2014

{Friday Fab 5-Portland Edition}

Posted in Friday Fab 5, Travel by sneaksandstilettos

Currently in the land of no wifi or cell service, this post comes to you having been written last Sunday en route to the beautiful and so-worth-no-technology Glacier National Park. Being without technology has its perks and really makes you reevaluate it’s influence in your life.

But, who am I kidding? I’ll be back to my tech dependency in a matter of hours upon returning to civilization I’m sure! Seriously, how did people live without the internet?

Last weekend we spent the weekend in Portland after I finished state number 15 by running the Foot Traffic Flat Marathon. We had lots of time to walk around and explore and eat AMAZING food. I’m not one to totally love and enjoy meals I eat, but Portland made me realize how you could. Probably a good thing since my waist band would be tighter and my pockets significantly emptier if we had those kinds of delicious eats where I live.

So what did we do and what are these great places to eat that I speak of? Here’s a look at our Saturday!
{#1-Voodoo Doughnuts}

Voodoo has been mentioned on the Food Network and after tasting five of their flavors (Memphis Mafia, Miami Viceberry, Raspberry Romeo, Voodoo Doll and The Loop) it is easy to taste why. Their unique decor in pinks and purple (loved those colors my whole life) and their amazing flavor selection and taste make Voodoo a must stop if ever in Portland (or Denver.) We ate at the original and waited in line for 40 minutes. After we left the line was much longer so be prepared to be patient for your doughnuts. The wait is worth it though! No hexes needed!

{#2-Forest Park}

After putting ourselves into a sugar-induced coma it was time to get moving! We headed to Forest Park where miles of trails awaited. We enjoyed the shade and scenery and were passes by many runners. Oh, how I’d love a place like this to run!

{#3-Grill Cheese Grill}

After hiking we were hungry again. The Grill Cheese Grill was a food truck that I’d heard great things about online. Grilled cheese seems to be one of those childhood favorites that can be made more adult yummy by what you add to it. This place had awesome food. I had the jalapeño grilled cheese which had jalapeños (duh!), cream cheese and cheddar cheese. It was delicious as was their tomato soup. The husband ordered The Cheesus, which was a hamburger that had a grill cheese on the top and bottom to replace a bun with your standard fixings. We shared half our sandwiches with each other. I’m now inspired to get a lot more creative with this childhood favorite when we get home.

{#4-Salt & Straw}

After walking around the Alberta neighborhood filled with unique and fun places to eat we worked up a hunger for a snack. When we saw Salt & Straw I knew I wanted to try it as I had read about it somewhere previously. They specialize in homemade ice cream using natural and organic local ingredients (ok, so who doesn’t in Portland, but…;). I had the strawberry with cilantro lime cheesecake and the husband had the summer cucumber and raspberry sorbet. Both were so yummy and refreshing. The best version of this iconic summer treat I’ve tasted.

{#5-The Red Tavern and Kell’s Irish Pub}

After strolling our way through the Alberta neighborhood we headed to downtown Portland. Our visit included Pioneer Square, drinks at The Red Tavern and dinner at Kell’s Irish Pub. At The Red Tavern I had their signature drink made with vanilla vodka, black raspberries and citrus. It was perfect. After drinks we headed to dinner at a place the husband’s aunt recommended. Here I crossed two new beer flavors off my 30 beers bucket list, and we enjoyed yummy Irish fare and music. What a fun place!

If ever in the Portland area all of these places were awesome! Anyone have other Portland area food recommendation?

Happy Weekend!

Sarah

27Jun2014

{Friday Fab 5-Sobelman’s, Girls’ Weekend, Summer Salads, Go West Itinerary, Mountains Are Calling}

Posted in Friday Fab 5 by sneaksandstilettos

{#1-Sobelman’s}

Earlier this spring the husband and I ate at AJ Bomber’s and Sobelman’s while in Milwaukee over two different weekends. We wanted to do our own little Food Wars competition. I wrote about AJ Bombers in a previous Friday Fab 5, but I realized I never mentioned we also ate at Sobelman’s several weeks ago. So here are our results: beer selection-AJ Bombers, bloody mary’s-Sobelman’s, atmosphere-can’t compare as they are totally different. Sobelman’s feels like your grandpa’s fun and friendly bar that serves awesome bloody mary’s while AJ Bombers has an urban and modern feel with great local beers. Now for the important part-the food. While AJ Bombers offers organic grass-fed burgers (yum!), Sobelman’s burgers were hand-down the best burgers we have eaten. Both were great places to eat and I encourage you to do your own version of the Food War’s whenever you have a chance.

{#2-Girls’ Weekend}

Last weekend the ladies in my husband’s family got together for a weekend of fun. Most of the guys were gone on a fishing trip. We enjoyed good food, drinks and fun. One of our stops was the River Walk Pub in Wisconsin Dells. It was a beautiful place with good food, too. Any girl traditions you have in your family?

{#3-Summer Salads}

Lately I’m obsessed with salads-specifically summery salads with fruit. The left was one I made at home, the middle from a local restaurant, Sprecher’s, and the last is the Strawberry Poppyseed Salad from Panera. Anyone have any must try salad recommendations?

{#4-Go West Itinerary}

Today we go west! Our trip will include the Badlands, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Portland, Oregon (run marathon-Foot Traffic Flat), Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Glacier National Park, Missoula, Montana (run marathon-Missoula Marathon), and Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I will be posting tons of photos on Instagram so follow me @sneaksandstilettos (http://instagram.com/sneaksandstilettos) to see some beautiful images of the US of A, two more states in my 50 in 50 journey and other road trip fun the husband and I embark on! Stay tuned for a post with tips about staying active while on vacation sometime next week!

{#5-The mountains are calling!}

Packing for a vacation that involves camping, backpacking in remote areas, running marathons, and wanting to dress cute on weekends is time intensive. Then do it alone. The husband has been on a fishing trip in Canada since last Monday and he gets back just in time for us to leave again. I can hear the mountains calling. I’m ready for a break!

Happy Weekend!

Sarah