Yesterday turned out to be a lot warmer than it looked! 

 

I am so glad I got my run in then becasue it is COLD and windy today.

The run:

• Distance: 6.15 miles
• Time: 52:03

 

I’m pretty happy with that!    The ING Half-Marathon this spring is seeming like a better idea…

After that run, I deserved a good meal.  🙂

Last night I went to one of my favorite restaurants, Top Flr, with one of my favorite people.

Added bonus: I only paid $35 + tip for a $80 meal thanks to The Green Half.

 

Here’s what we ate with some notes:

Pan Roasted Chicken, Brussel Kim Chi, Soy Reduction – The brussels were great – just right right amount of heat.  The chicken was ok… I would have liked a little more meat and less bone.

Garlicky Chinese Long Beans in a Oyster Mushroom and Miso sauce – Long beans may be my new favorite veggie.  They retained a nice, crispy bites after being cooked lightly and coated in the mushroom sauce.

New Zealand Lamb Chops, Minted Syrup – I love good lamb, and this was perfect.  The outside was encrusted in salt and pepper, giving it a good crunch.  They were not overdone (lamb is best on the rare side of medium-rare).  The minted syrup was a little too sweet for me, but I really liked that they left the mint nearly raw.

Night & Day Quinoa, Tomato, Curried Onion & Raisin Chutney – This black and white quinoa mix was served cold, but I think they could have gotten a better “pop” from the flavor if it had been warmed.  I barely got any curry flavor and the chutney was non-existent.  Should have gotten the kale.

I enjoyed a 2006 Burgundy (forgot to write down the name = fail), and my dining partner-in-crime had my favorite cocktail: Yellow Roses.  Yellow roses is a martini made up of Top Flr’s house-made lavender-infused vodka, honey, and a fresh lemon juice. 

Dessert: we split a chocolate peanut butter bar with strawberry jam.  It was okay… there are better choices there.  The jam made the dessert, but there wasn’t enough of it.  They should have given it its own layer in the bar.  That would have given the dessert the sweetness needed to make it the jam.

The sad thing about Top Flr is the lighting – it is impossible to take a good picture in there.  Sorry. 🙁

We were going to a movie, but after an eventful dinner (our whole corner of the restaurant ended up becoming dining BFFs and sharing tastes) we felt like keeping the energy level up.  So we went country dancing.

Confession: I love to two-step.

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This morning I had time to make one of my favorite breakfasts.  The good way.

Oatmeal on the stove top.

I shared this pot with a friend before testing out Jackie Warner’s new workout DVD.

Our topping selection:

 

• Blue Diamond Crunchy Almond Butter
• TJ’s Valencia Peanut Butter
• MaraNatha Cashew Butter
• Merrilly Pumpkin Butter
• Almonds
• Pecans
• Pumpkin Seeds

 

 

In my oatmeal (makes 2):

• 1/2 C Multi-grain Oats
• 1/2 C McCann’s Irish Oatmeal
• 2 C Water
• 1 Banana
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Ginger
• 1/2 tsp Nutmeg

I topped mine with almond butter, pumpkin butter, pumpkin seeds, and pecans.  Delish and filling!

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The Jackie Warner Xtreme Timesaver DVD was a good one.  Definitely a go-to full-body quickie workout when I don’t have to hit the gym.

 

It was only 30 minutes (with a warm up and stretch!) and I worked up a little sweat.  Lots of full-body moves so you are getting the most bang for your buck.

It was pretty quad and shoulder intense, but hit all the high points.

It would have been harder if I had heavier weights… since I was in my living room, I was using soup cans.

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Bet I looked really hard core with my chicken noodle!  🙂