7 miles @ 9:35 average and the temperatures were so cool that I passed by people in gloves and jackets! Their glove/jacket weather is my heavenly tank top weather.
PS I think I need to make a shirt that says this to wear while I run lately:
I was planning on running 5-6 miles but I was listening to Ali’s podcast with Mandi Woodruff (Personal Finance Expert) and the episode kept me so interested that I just kept running until I hit seven miles instead.
Megan D posted this so I need to remember to not be decieved… we still have second summer coming.
I got home from my run and then it was time to get Brooke’s schoolwork done. My mom has been teaching Brooke cursive and I am pretty sure she could do cursive practice all day long. We make sure to take breaks for cursive writing whenever I can tell she is needing a little time away from math and reading.
We decided that we needed to take a field trip yesterday and went to the perfect place for both a 3rd grader and pre-schooler.
Thanksgiving Point’s Museum of Natural Curiosity.
The museum is by appointment only right now and you have to buy your tickets in advance which meant we felt like we had the whole place to ourselves.
The girls were very excited to find a treadmill.
We found out quickly that Skye is not a fan of fish while we were there.
Then we came home and the girls had lunch via their favorite dish—> the muffin tin.
Canteloupe has taken a backseat to honeydew these days and I’m happy to report that it fits perfectly on my shelf.
Andrew had a shorter shift than normal yesterday so when he got home he took the girls on Brooke’s new personal distance record bike ride—> TEN MILES.
Random Skye fact… she loves feeding Beretta.
For dinner I made these Easy Southwest Tortilla Rollups. I am pretty sure I have cooked more meals for Andrew over the last few weeks than our entire marriage combined ha. Hopefully this cooking habit sticks after we have the baby too… Which reminds me, I’ve been wondering if you guys have any good freezer meal ideas that I can make in advance of having the baby that we can use once he (okay, we do not know if it is a he or she BUT I had a very convincing dream the other night that the baby is a he ha;) arrives?!
PS did you see this story about the female college runner that spent an entire night (standing!) up in a tree to stay alive because a bear was after her! I cannot even imagine how terrifying this experience would be.
You can read the full article here.
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When you pass by another runner do you usually smile or wave or nod or does it depend on if you are doing a workout or not?
What season is your area currently in?
Any good ideas/links to meals I can freeze in advance of having this baby?
What are your thoughts on dreams? Ever had one that predicted something or do you feel like they are pretty random?
40 comments
Mollie
Chili! Great freezer meal and you can do chili on baked potatoes, chili dogs, bowls of chili, sloppy joes (kind of). Another one of my favorite freezer meals are stuffed shells. I put it all together, including the sauce on top, then freeze in a baking dish. That story about the bear is INSANE. I can’t even imagine how scary that was.
We are also kind of in false fall, at least for the past couple of days. It’s only gotten up to the mid 80s here lol. And my windows are covered in dew in the morning (which is a big sign of temperature changes!!). BUT, I think another heat wave is coming haha.
The Hungry Runner Girl
Let’s whip out the hot chocolate for you… mid 80s is pretty much winter after the summer you have had. LOVE those ideas, thank you thank you Mollie. But now I want those stuffed shells for breakfast ha. Have a fabulous Wednesday friend!
Haley
I listened to Ali’s podcast with Mandi Woodruff on my run this morning too – such a good one! I started listening to Ali’s podcast after seeing you mention it, and now it’s my absolute favorite so thank you! :)
The Hungry Runner Girl
“One day or day one?” Wasn’t that just so good and so true for everything in life?! So glad you are loving her too… she is the best. Have a beautiful day Haley!
Erica
I had to two dreams while pregnant that Hope was a girl. One I was actually giving birth, like super dooper real.
I always always always give the side wave, that really is the peace sign.
The Hungry Runner Girl
Oh I love that you had dreams about Hope being a girl while you were pregnant… so maybe my dream is correct too!? I’m going to start doing the peace sign too, I love that. Have a great day sweet friend.
Maureen
For freezer meals you can freeze nearly anything! Those tortilla rollups would be a great option. Just make them and freeze without baking them in the oven. Soups are good (maybe leave out noodles though since those could get funky), chili is a good one, chicken pot pie. Lasagna can be assembled and frozen. One idea is to walk down the frozen meal section at the grocery store and see what options there are. Then make something similar at home and freeze! You could even make a double batch of recipes you’re cooking now and freeze half of it
Clearly I enjoy having meals in my freezer for crazy days or when I’m lazy and don’t want to cook lol.
The Hungry Runner Girl
That is so true… THANK YOU for the ideas and that is brilliant to go down the frozen meal aisle at the store too to get ideas along with the double batch. I really appreciate your help Maureen. Have a fabulous Wednesday!
Andrea
Pinch of Yum has some amazing freezer meal posts, and I have really enjoyed all of the meals. Try the African peanut stew – it’s so unique and delicious!!
Hahaha those seasons are 100% true where I live!! Currently in pretend fall…
The Hungry Runner Girl
I LOVE her meals, thanks for letting me know she has freezer meal posts. I can’t wait for that African peanut stew. Thanks Andrea!
Emily
I second Pinch of Yum! Also a lot of recipes from Run Fast Cook Fast Eat Slow (like the turkey meatballs and the baked fried chicken). also a tip I learned after my baby was precooking beef (like taco meat, sloppy joes, etc) and freezing it that was so all you have to do is warm it up. I found myself going to soup a lot because I could easily add veggies. And finally I wish I would have made so many super hero muffins to have in my freezer as they were a great breakfast or snack for me during maternity leave!
I always wave to other runners/ walkers because it makes me feel good when they wave to me. :)
The Hungry Runner Girl
I didn’t even think about the Run Fast Cook Fast Eat Slow meals and how they could be frozen, thank you so much. I will definitely be making a ton of the muffins, thank you. Great tip about precooking beef too. A simple wave/smile/nod always picks me up too:) Have a fabulous day Emily!
Corey
That bear story is so scary!! I’m so glad she’s (mostly) OK.
I give a wave when I see other runners; the smile depends on how hard I’m working ;)
We’re somewhere around false fall, I guess. We get rain/thunderstorms often in the early evenings and temps around 80-85. I’m seriously bumming about the later sunrises and earlier sunsets. Summer is my jam, so I’m sad to see it going.
I had a *very* vivid dream that correctly predicted my first baby was a girl–I delivered the baby in the hospital, but with no family around & the nurses told me it was a boy. Then I had to go searching for the baby because I didn’t know who was babysitting, and when I got there, I said, “this isn’t a boy baby, it’s a girl baby!” I believe in mama intuition :)
The Hungry Runner Girl
I’m right there with you on the always wave or nod and the smile depending on the pace ha. I am sorry the days are getting shorter, it really is a hard adjustment back. I’ll believe it then! And that dream sounded quite stressful… searching for her! Have a wonderful day, Corey!
Kristin
I’m pretty sure we just had false fall (for like 3 days) and are on second summer. It was HOT yesterday!
I love that Brooke is learning cursive! It’s my favorite way to write, and I also find it very calming and artistic. And fun.
Ooh, I think our dreams are indicative of our deeper feelings and thoughts that we might not even be aware of. Sometimes they’re random, but I think they’re worth paying attention to!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Second summer already?! The weather just loves to keep us guessing! I totally agree with you, I’ve probably been thinking a lot that this little one is a boy and so it’s coming out in my dreams too. I hope your Wednesday is a beautiful one Kristin!
Wendy
That bear story… Yikes!
I think the first commenter and I live in the same place. I was just thinking this morning how the last 5 days have felt so heavenly only reaching 82°, and the mornings have been in the low 60’s. So yep, we’re in false fall… It’s supposed to be back over 100 this weekend.
With both my boys, I had a couple of dreams that hinted they were boys, but I knew both times, in my gut, they were boys. Mother’s intuition!!
Your field trip sounds so fun! And awesome job Brooke!! 10 miles is amazing!
Have a great Wednesday Janae ?
The Hungry Runner Girl
Low 60’s in the mornings… you guys deserve that after your August weather. I hope that they are wrong about this weekend. Okay, I’m going to run with this dream thing then and prepare for a boy! I love that you knew. Thanks Wendy, you too!
Lee
I’m thinking about freezing meals ….
Cheesecake can be frozen. Brooke’s just racking up all kinds of things: apple pie, bike distance; and if she can take in a little video, here’s a short(er) one on cheesecake:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuvT9lfkbYM
Ok, for freezing meals I would start with what you like to eat + what you will really need and usually crave post-partum. Fortunately, you are experienced in this area. I don’t recall if you do macros. The reason this comes to mind is you will likely increase protein and carbs, and maybe fat, too. Then again, you seem less structured in this area based on the blog. It’s not to say you’re never structured. You will definitely benefit from leafy greens, like 12 oz every day, amiright? (Do people still say that?) You were blogging about frozen spinach earlier this year, so you might already have this built in to your current plan.
Since you’re eating more meat/ Boar’s Head, charcuterie it up! Grapes and all. You freeze grapes, right? Now I’m thinking about freezing bananas – you really like those, even with milk.
The Hungry Runner Girl
Thanks for the help Lee! Hope you have the best day!
michelle
Sally’s Baking Addiction has some good freezer meal ideas here https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/freezer-meals-snacks/ and I second the Pinch of Yum freezer meals too.
I’ve had a few dreams about friends going into labor and sure enough, they call with beautiful news the next day.
And Megan’s season chart is soooo true ;) Enjoy false fall while it’s here!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Michelle, thank you for sharing that link with me because I love that not only does she include the recipes but also a lot of great tips for freezing the meals correctly (which I need because I’ve never done this before). THANK YOU! Just in case you have a dream about me going into labor I’m going to need you to write to me first time so I can be prepared! Thanks Michelle and you too!
Caitlin
I’m due in October, and so far all I’ve managed to make are pans of cinnamon rolls and enchiladas. I’m really looking forward to the cinnamon rolls. The recipe is from the Bravetart cookbook, everything in it is sooo good.
The Hungry Runner Girl
Ahhhh you are due next month! I’m thrilled for you and I’ll copy you with the cinnamon roles. Thanks for sharing and I can’t wait to check out Bravetart. Have an awesome day and I hope you are feeling well!
Annie R
This story about the bear is CRAZY. That poor girl, but man is she tough and so so smart!
We’re also enjoying fake fall here in Colorado and it’s confirming that I am really ready for real fall. We’ve had such a hot summer with so many wildfires and smoke in the air, it’s made being outside really tough. So excited for the crunch of leaves under my feet and pumpkin candles :)
Laura
That bear story was crazy!!! I am running a marathon on those same snowmobile trails next weekend – hopefully the bear and her cubs are long gone!
Kelley
A bear treed a man near where I live in British Columbia. So scary!
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/francis-levasseur-black-bear-attack-hills-1.5587546#:~:text=Francis%20Levasseur%20is%20happy%20to,the%20West%20Kootenay's%20Slocan%20Valley.
Amy S
Hi Janae! What a fun field trip for the girls! I love freezer meals too. When I was in college my mom used to make me potstickers and soups she would freeze in yogurt containers. I loved it! That season chart made me chuckle. Have a great day!
Stephanie
Not a freezer MEAL per se, but I love batch-cooking a bunch of pulled pork and freezing enough for me and Tom to have 2 meals, so it becomes an easy part of our food prep on weeks when we don’t have time to really think about it. Essentially, if you take a big ol’ boston butt or other big chunky pork roast, put it in a crock pot fat side up (spray oil on the crock pot before putting the pork in. And optional: thinly sliced big white onions on the bottom of the crock pot before you put the pork roast in…). Give MANY VERY GENEROUS SHAKES of very good sea salt over top, and then give a few shakes of liquid smoke and JUST a few shakes of your favorite hot sauce. Cook slow and low anywhere from 8-12 hours, depending on the size of your roast (AND depending on whether or not it has a bone). Shred it, freeze it, and pull it out when you want to mix it up with BBQ sauce for BBQ Pork stuffed baked (sweet) potatoes, or when you want pulled pork taco bar night.
Another good one: pizza stuffed peppers! Scoop out all the innards from multi-colored bell peppers, and put them in a baking dish. Then take a bunch of “favorite” pizza toppings–I always do a combo of finely chopped red bell pepper, diced onion, minced garlic, diced mushroom (if the mushroom is diced finely enough, Tom won’t tell it’s in there *winkwink*), and fresh chopped basil and rosemary–and saute them with crumbled mild italian turkey sausage. In a big bowl, mix up the sauteed veggies/turkey sausage with no-sugar-added pizza sauce (the consistency is always thicker than pasta sauce) and a few tablespoons of tomato paste, some chopped up fresh mozzarella, and grated parmesan. (At this point, I sometimes do a smaller bowl on the side and put some of the stuffing with chopped up little pepperonis so Tom has some peppers just to himself with the ‘roni, which he loves and I hate) Stuff the peppers. At this point you can freeze them! When you’re ready to eat them, take the tray of peppers out of the freezer, heat the oven to somewhere between 375-400, sprinkle grated parm over top (also yummy: put a slice of deli provolone on top of each pepper), and bake them for about 20-30 minutes until all the flavors are married together, the cheese is all bubbly-melted, and your kitchen smells like a fantastic pizzeria!
Another suggestion is to put big gallon freezer bags together of sheet pan dinners so you can thaw them in the fridge, spread them across the pan, and shove them in the oven. I’ll never hide that anything remotely texmex is one of my most absolute favorites, and this recipe is a good one that’s always in budget: https://nomnompaleo.com/20170613sheet-pan-chicken-fajitas-avocado-crema
I hope all is well out there. I can’t wait to see more of Brooke’s cursive practice. I remember those days VERY WELL–I wanted to be a “cool kid” like my older brother so much that I didn’t wait until I was in the second grade to learn cursive–I forced my brother to teach me how to do it when he learned. ;)
That looks like a REALLY FUN field trip!!!
Kathy McElhaney
I always try to smile/wave/say good morning when I see other runners/walkers/cyclists out.
So Cal has four seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fire. We’re still in Summer, looking at extreme heat (106!) this weekend.
I rarely remember my dreams. Tim Hawkins does one of my favorite bits about dreams: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkRNSg0MY04
Erika
The seasons are so true! I feel like we are coming out of our fake fall right now and things are warming up again.
It was really helpful to just have ground beef browned and frozen on hand to use. Scalloped potatoes and ham was another favorite to have in the freezer, lasagna (froze those in single servings), and most importantly… cookies!
kelly
That bear story made me sweaty nervous. What a brave and strong girl! So level headed when it came to bear-time.
Dreams fascinate me, especially vivid ones or repeat ones.
On the rare occasion I pass another runner I do the short, small, fast wave (basically flick my wrist and lift my hand up.) or I nod. Germans are polite so if pass walkers or people out and about I say “morgen” because it’s polite to acknowledge. I have to remember to not say that when I go to the states because people look at me weird. There is this family at one of the turns on my town route that has a glass enclosed room that they are often in for breakfast or hanging out. We always wave at each other. During the lock down it was fun to go by every single day and “check in.” I’ve never met them, we just wave.
Melissa
I always say “good morning” when I pass a runner…even if it is 8:00 at night. It just feels natural- lol
Anna @ Adventures En Route
So funnily enough, the past couple of blog posts, I keep thinking to myself that I think you’re having a boy :) Not sure what it is, but just a feeling!
Damarys
I’m glad your Mom is teaching her cursive…I was so surprised when my son’s 3rd grade teacher said it wasn’t part of the curriculum anymore. My son is 20 now and his handwriting is atrocious!!
Dreams have a way of telling us stuff–subliminally so I would’t minimize your dream. I have a lot of dreams and sometimes they’ve meant something and sometimes they’ve been just dreams. It’s just hard remembering all the details sometimes and I’m lazy about writing them upon waking them up.
Enjoy the cooler weather–my runs have been nicer since it’s cooler but I’m not looking forward to colder weather :-(
Lauren
Regarding pre-making freezer meals…you need to think about breakfast too!
I am so happy that I thought to pre-make and freeze 24 breakfast sandwiches for myself. I set up a whole assembly line on my kitchen island where I laid out 24 pieces of foil and put an open English muffin on each. I then baked 24 scrambled eggs on two sheet pans along with sautéed spinach and cut up pre cooked sausage links mixed in and once they were baked I cut them into squares. I put a square of the scrambled egg/spinach/sausage on each English muffin and topped it with a slice of cheese and added the top of the English muffin and wrapped each one in the foil and threw them in the freezer.
These were an absolute life saver in the early days of breastfeeding when I needed lots of calories FAST and only had one arm while holding a fussy baby in the other. To reheat I would open the English muffin and microwave it on a plate for 30 seconds (to get the inside warm) and then transfer it back to the foil it had been wrapped in and toast it (still open faced) in the toaster oven for 5 minutes to get it crispy. Then once it was done I would put the sandwich back together and wrap it in the foil so I could eat it one handed without dripping stuff!
I ended up making another 24 sandwiches about a month into postpartum life and am so happy I did!
I also pre made a batch of these skinny banana muffins (https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/skinny-banana-bread-muffins/) and skinny pumpkin muffins (https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/skinny-pumpkin-chocolate-chip-muffins/) as treats and more extra calories for myself.
So excited for Baby Baron to arrive!
Lee
Hi, I’m celebrating this detailed and helpful reply!
Kim
On freezing meals I just wanted to mention breakfast and lunch burritos! I used to make them per Smitten Kitchen’s directions but they’re a project if, like me, you’d rather make a couple dozen in one go. Now I do a bake along these lines, just with lots more vegetables (baked separately on a sheet then added), and bacon or black beans instead of sausage and my own roasted potatoes or no tater tots but it’s obviously flexible https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/tater-tot-breakfast-casserole-4607655. I actually make this as written for Christmas morning when my parents and brothers come by on the way to grandmas and it is BELOVED.
Then it’s easy to scoop it into tortillas with salsa and/or crema, roll, and then roll tightly in plastic wrap. You can put them in the fridge the night before or defrost from frozen in the microwave, and for bonus points crisp up two sides in a pan. While I’m at it, I also like to bake a second sheet of peppers and veg, and make black bean and rice burritos for lunches. So good and easy! What a lifesaver these days. Just had to share my favorite “meal prep” (usually I find those so unappealing!) trick with you in a super long comment ha, since I’ve been finding reading your blog so motivational as I get back into running after a few years away.
To answer your soup question from today, I’m a big soup fan and share it a lot, and the Cajun corn chowder from gimme some oven is hands down my favorite recipe. I’ve made it so many ways and it’s great with dairy cream too instead of coconut.
Sheri
Make the meal you posted here for the freezer. Those are perfect to heat up for lunch or dinner.
Liz
You should check out Molly Yeh’s blog – she had a baby in the last year or so and blogged about the freezer meals she cooked ahead of time, and they looked amazing!! I remember some sort of burrito!