Ultra Overload?

I've posted for the Trail Runner Magazine Blog Symposium before- you can see it here.  This month's topic is much different- 

August Topic: Is there too much emphasis in the (trail-running) media on ultra distances?

I've been running for over 3 years- I've run road and trail races, varying from 1 mile to ultra distances.  Both trail and road have their upsides and I enjoy each race I run for whatever it happens to be. When it comes to trail racing, I love technical trails.  I'm terribly slow and time cut-offs make me nervous, but I am at least partly goat.  

At some point, I no longer felt like small distances were enough.  A half-marathon or 10K trail run paled in comparison to reports of the Ultras being run simultaneously across the nation.  I decided to run a 50K so I could be a member of the Elite, despite the fact that I had never done a marathon.  "Marathons are for wussies" I reasoned, buying into a lot of the hype that continues to build around Ultra runners.  I didn't need to run a marathon- Oprah ran a marathon.  I needed a 50K.  That's what the real runners were doing.

And......after months of training......I DNF'd.  Cut off for being too slow.  The report is here, written months later after a very bruised ego and spirit started to mend.  I will attempt another 50K, but not this year.  Maybe next year.

Back to the question at hand: Is there too much emphasis in the media on ultra distances?

The short answer is yes.

 Trail racing is an art form, at any distance.  You go against natural elements- movable and immovable forces of nature- Mother Nature herself can laugh in your face at any moment.  Road races are much more predictable- it's unlikely you will have to ford a river or dodge a wild animal during a marathon in the city.  I can't think of any road races where you start out in warm weather and end up in snow at some point along the route.  Trail racing is, in itself, a bad ass sport.

Notice I said trail racing- not just ultras.

But Ultras are where the spotlight is pointed- it is the current (forgive me) running fad.  We live in a world of extremes and ultra distance races (road or trail) fall neatly into that category.  There is a certain enjoyment in telling people you run 50K or 100K or whatever for fun.  Their expressions can be priceless at times.  The idea of running further than most of them drive, through the mountains, baffles them.  It puts you on a similar plane as Achilles or Odysseus- those demi-gods of old, who couldn't be stopped.  Never mind that Pheidippes ran the original marathon in sandals through the country and dropped dead at the end of it.  The world is full of Pheidippes.  Just look at any Rock 'n Roll Marathon- there are thousands of Pheidippes out there.  Your neighbor or coworker may be one.

But at an Ultra, there are fewer Achilles', fewer Odysseus' to watch; to envy.

Local "short" trail races are fine for the mundane- the casual runner.  The ambitious runner may take on a trail series, collecting points as the year wanes on, maybe hoping to place among the local leaders.

True Runners seek the Pinnacle of endurance, of strength- the Ultra.

We no longer satisfy ourselves with mediocre.  We live for extreme.  Extreme Home Makeover, Biggest Loser, the new reality survival show currently on network TV.  Vegan diets, Paleo diets, no-carb diets...........We want faster results, faster phones, faster cars, faster finish times.  Winning an Ultra is EPIC.  Breaking a record at an Ultra- you are an Immortal.

Where does that leave us mere mortals?  Lost in the shadow of the Ultra where we plod along on our 10K trail race, meeting up with old and new friends as we progress through our local series.  Aspiring to run an Ultra one day, not just to finish it, but to set a personal best and become an Immortal in your own life?  Perhaps.  To those runners of lightning speed and unceasing endurance, our races are mere stepping stones to greatness- things long conquered and forgotten in the dust of longer races.

Ultras have their place in the runner's universe, and they do demand respect.  But I don't think that they deserve the hype.  One day they too will pass into the shadow of something newer and better.  In the meantime, I would rather run a challenging single track 10K through the woods than a 50K run around and around the same loop.

All or Nothing

My cell phone contract is about to expire.  I am finally free to choose the best company and plan currently on the market.  (and subsequently get locked into another contract.......but that's another problem altogether.)

As I peruse the available phones and plans, I don't know which phone to get.  The plans are pretty much all alike, with the exception of who actually offers even the smallest tidbit of service away out here in the sticks.  I just can't decide which phone to pick.  I love my smartphone.  I can do all manner of things with it, whenever I want.  I especially love that I can text and chat via wifi, which is a huge bonus out here where there is no cell phone service available on my sofa.  I consider myself a chronic "over-sharer" although I do make an effort not to.  There are days when I share everything though!  (appropriate things anyway.......) 

In utter contrast, part of me craves the simple life, without all the (literal) bells and whistles.  A life where I can just go out and be.  A life that was once the norm, is now considered weird and difficult.  I shock enough people when I tell them that we don't have cable television at our house and mostly watch PBS.  Imagine the looks of horror I would get if I pulled out a flip phone!  It would probably make the 6 o'clock news.  (Although most people would read about it on their Facebook newsfeed........)

Is it possible to live simply while being completely connected?  We read about air pollution affecting our environment every day.  But what about social pollution- can't that be just as toxic? 

I feel extremely hypocritical sitting here writing an online blog about the simple life, social pollution, and questioning my capacity to over-share.  But, then comes the question- if I don't put it out there, who will?  I once wrote a blog entry (elsewhere) about the merits about physical books versus e-books.  A "friend" read it and proceeded to mock me viciously about my use of electronic media to talk about why e-books will never replace real books.  He remarked that I should have "just written the blog entry into a notebook and stuck it on a shelf in the hopes that someone might read it" because that was essentially what I was arguing for. 

I see commercials urging people to get outside and "unplug" at the same time that I see commercials about a new camera that you can snap a picture with and it INSTANTLY uploads it to your Facebook feed where your friends can comment, like, and share.  I think my favorite is a commercial where two people are hiking in the mountains when suddenly the trees and landscape morph into a casino.  Instantly the hikers are jubilant and their hiking garb is swapped for casino swag. 

So what can I do?  It seems to be an all or nothing proposition.  Either embrace the social media world and succumb to social pollution (if there isn't a pic, it didn't happen!) and essentially become one of those people who drive through the mountains and stop only to snap a picture of the black bear on the side of the road while the Rangers try to keep people away..............OR..............become some sort of crazy person who eschews social media and is seen as elitist or reclusive, depending on who is doing the viewing. 

Is it possible to have the best of both worlds? 

Mountain Mornings

"The mountains are calling and I must go."
-John Muir-

It's been unusually cool in my part of the world for the past few days.  Cool enough to have all the windows open to let the cool air in, pretty much unheard of in late July.  Late July and then into August typically leave us in the throes of what I call "suppression heat" where it is so hot and humid that you just lay there, trying not to sweat.  I love the lush green that comes along with that humidity and heat, but I love it from the confines of the air conditioned living room.  So, to be able to keep the windows open for three days and nights straight.............amazingly wonderful.

Yesterday, I woke up in the chilly air buried under my quilts and blankets in a warm little cocoon of perfect snugness, whacked the snooze button on my alarm (it was 0430!!) and gave myself 5 (or 15) minutes to enjoy the cold outside and warm inside.  I love that feeling- when I was a kid, I grew up in a house that didn't have a lot of heating in the back where the bedrooms were.  It would be around 40 degrees in our rooms most mornings, so you learned early that you leapt from bed and hustled down to the kitchen or living room where the woodstove was.  I grew up in the "frozen north" where I once saw the thermometer reach 56 below zero.  Not counting the windchill.  Living in the south doesn't often provide those cool mornings to enjoy.

Once, I spent a significant amount of time in the mountains not far from here.  (Not the Smokies.)  I had the opportunity to spend weekends up on the top of a mountain in a little house and I was able to wake up to mountain mornings that are cool and beautiful, where you can see the steam coming off your coffee and you need a hoodie to ward off the chill.  While I no longer go to that house, I have held onto that feeling of peace and contentment that I would always feel up there.  The last three mornings have reminded me of that feeling and how much I miss it.

The above quote from John Muir keeps cycling through my mind and makes me "itchy" which is to say, makes me want to run away from home and live in the mountains (with my family, of course).  This isn't logistically possible, since I just got a new job in the city, kiddo is in school, and a host of other things that make me a grown-up and limit my ability to simply drop everything and run off into the sunset with abandon. 

But at least I know what I want, so that someday, when the timing is right, I will be able to point my compass in that direction and drink my coffee every morning on my mountain porch, where the sun is crisper, the birds sing sweeter, and all the world is in harmony.

Photo Credit

AuntaLee's Sugar Cookies

My sister, now known as AuntaLee by all the assorted nieces and nephews, found this absolutely amazing sugar cookie recipe a few years ago when my son was little.  We grew up on our Gramma's sugar cookies, but the recipe she found........soooo good.  It's probably got something to do with the 1.5 cups of butter.

I love whipped butter and sugar......so fluffy, so sinful.....

Last month, when Little Man turned 7, he got a giant duck cookie cutter for his birthday.  Let me back up a minute and explain that he loves ducks.  LOVES.  I don't know where it came from, but there it is.  He has been chomping at the bit to make some duck cookies, but everytime he's asked about it, the timing is off.  It's late Sunday afternoon, or I just made banana bread, or we didn't have butter.

On Saturday, the stars aligned.  He went to run errands with Grammy-Gram, and I cleaned the kitchen.  In the process, I realized that if I made the cookie dough while he was gone, it would have time to chill, and we could have the cookies finished before church Saturday night.  Imagine his glee when he came home to discover that I had sugar cookie dough chilling in the fridge.

Cookie Dough...........

Be liberal with your flour- this stuff gets sticky once it warms up a bit.

He was very patient in waiting for the dough to be ready (I let it chill about 2 hours.  Overnight makes it too stiff to really roll out.)  Then began the fun of rolling and cutting.  We had our giant duck cookie cutter, as well as a little duck cookie cutter.  We alternated filling pans of BIG Quacks and little Quacks.

Ducks in a row.......

One note- These cookies do not brown on top.  They stay very pale and soft.  The first time I made them, I overbaked them waiting for them to turn brown on top.  Check the bottom instead.

These guys are baked......see how pale they are?

But their bottoms are perfect!

Once they were baked and cooled, we had just enough time to ice them with "ducky yellow" lemon icing, which is fairly easy to create, and extremely delicious on these cookies.  For the smaller cookies, the dipping method was the easiest way to ice them.  For the big ducks, I used a spoon to dump some icing on the cookies and then spread it out.  Kiddo added yellow sprinkles to some, but we made sure to ice ALL the cookies.  Otherwise, I end up with a container of unadorned, uneaten, stale sugar cookies.  And that's just sad.

I think he ate as much icing as he used.......

Without further ado, I give you.......AuntaLee's Sugar Cookie Recipe, as well as a quick primer in how to make lemon icing.

AuntaLee's Sugar Cookies

 1 1/2 Cups (3 sticks) Butter, softened
2 Cups white sugar

4 Eggs
1 Tsp Vanilla

5 cups flour (I use 2 cups white whole wheat and 3 cups all purpose)
2 Tsp Baking Powder (Rumford or Trader Joe's are the best ones)
1 Tsp Salt

1) Beat butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy

2) Add eggs and vanilla, beat until combined and fluffy

3) Add flour, baking powder, and salt  (I use my dough hook for this part)

4) Cover and chills dough for at least 1 hour.

5) Preheat oven to 400 degrees

6) Roll out dough- about 1/4-1/2 inch thick

7) Cut into shapes and place on ungreased cookies sheet.

8) Bake 6-8 minutes (look at the bottoms, not at the tops!)

9)  Cool completely, ice with lemon icing, and ENJOY!

Mama's Lemon Icing

Take about 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix in straight lemon juice to desired consistency.  It makes a lemonade type icing that is so good on these cookies!  We also added yellow food coloring so our ducks would be yellow. 

Here's how I dip them:

Holding the cookie upside down, touch the face of the cookie to the icing.  Don't push it down into it or you will end up with WAY too much icing.  

When you pull it back up, let the extra drizzle off for a few seconds and then turn the cookie over and let it dry on a wire rack.  Some may run off the sides on the first few while you get the hang of it.  Don't worry- they are still delicious. 

Questions, comments, concerns- let me know below.  I would really love to hear about your Hippie adventures. 

Peace & Love Y'all- Hippie Mama

Choosy Moms Choose..........Hippie

My son hated peanut butter.  Hated.  Jif, Trader Joe's, Peter Pan, Creamy, Crunchy................nothing worked.

So I gave up.

Until.......I tried Hippie.

Oh Yeah.  Hippie Peanut Butter hits the spot.  He LOVES my Hippie peanut butter.  And who can blame him?  It's fresh and he watches it go from peanuts to peanut butter before his big brown eyes.

There is something magical about watching something morph or grow or change.  As soon as we get home from school/work every day, he is in the garden, checking to see what's grown, what's changed.  When I make bread, he likes to watch me work with the dough and then watches it bake through the little window on the oven door.  He is learning to make his own cookies, and prefers to test the dough before they are baked and then eat them hot immediately after, complete with dramatics of "MAMA!  These are TOO good!  MAMA!" 

This kid is the kid that steals cooling pies off windowsills and eats them in the hayloft. 

My favorite part of making Hippie Peanut Butter is how easy it is.  And I know what's in it.

Here's what's in Jif Creamy Peanut Butter:
MADE FROM ROASTED PEANUTS AND SUGAR, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: MOLASSES, FULLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OILS (RAPESEED AND SOYBEAN), MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, SALT.

Uh-huh.  Rapeseed?  What is that?  Mono and diglycerides?  Ew.

Here's what's in Hippie Peanut Butter:
Peanuts, Salt.

Uh-huh.  See what I'm saying?

So let's get down to business, shall we?

First things first- peanuts.  I go to (surprise surprise) Trader Joe's and get my peanuts there.  I use one bag Honey Roasted (so obviously more than just peanuts- I know) and one bag 50% less salted.  The combination is ideal for my family, who prefers their peanut butter be a little sweeter than just straight peanuts, and the 50% less salt helps keep the saltiness and sodium in check. 

You may use whatever peanuts you prefer.  And if you feel a little "yeah, right Hippie Mom, homemade peanut butter.  Psh."  Then make a small batch first to try it. 

Here's what you do:

Dump the peanuts in the food processor. Press go.

If you have a teeny tiny food processor, please be aware that you may have to give the little motor cooling breaks so you don't fry it.  Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything.  Let's just say that after I made my first batch, I received a new GIANT food processor that can handle the load and doesn't smoke when I use it.  

At first, the peanuts look like pebbly dirt. 

Peanut Pebbles..........

Then they start to clump. 

It's hard to get a good picture of peanuts in the processor........

Then they do what I call the Peanut Tsunami where this giant peanut wave works its way around the processor bowl, devouring all the other peanut pieces. 

Eventually it starts to smoooooth out. 

Smooooooth

When it hits smooth and creamy, without any weird lumps or bumps twirling around in there, it's done.  (If you like crunchy, toss in some more peanuts and run the processor again just to break them up into smaller pieces.)  

Refilling the Hippie jar.

Go ahead and taste test it- it will be a little soft and warm.  Grinding peanuts causes friction, which causes heat.  It's all good, because warm, soft peanut butter pours so much easier into a jar.  (I use an old Jif jar, or a glass Mason jar- whatever is handy.)  Once you pop it in the fridge for a few hours, it will stiffen up to a firmer consistency, or you can leave it out and it will stay soft.

Deliciousness......

Once you realize how easy homemade Peanut Butter really is, you can make it and give it to your friends and family.  Introduce them to the wonder that is Hippie living.  A fresh loaf of bread, a jar of Hippie peanut butter, and a jar of local Honey would make an excellent housewarming or hostess gift. 


Questions, comments, concerns- let me know below.  I would really love to hear about your Hippie adventures. 

Peace & Love Y'all- Hippie Mama

Thirty-One

Let's take a moment and talk about 31.

Not the company, but the age.

I've never considered 31 to be "old," probably because as the [much] youngest of 4 girls, considering any of my sisters old was asking for it, plain and simple.  I always thought of it as grown-up.  I don't know what I thought the 20's were- probably cool.  My sisters seemed very cool in their 20's, although realistically they were more than likely Hot Messes, just like I was.

Turning 30 didn't phase me.  I ran a half-marathon (and blew out my IT Band) the day before my 30th birthday.  It was awesome.  I was wheeled off the finish line in a wheelchair after finishing with a limp, while crying, but still running, DANG IT!!  I wanted that finish so bad I could taste it.  The race nearly did me in the previous year.  One day, I will go back and beat it.  Believe me you.

ANYWAY.........31.

31 has been fairly liberating thus far.  I've finally managed to begin the arduous journey of moving past what "they" think of me, whoever "they" may be.  I've also begun to forgive myself for past transgressions which make me cringe just to think of them.  I wish clarity came at 21, but alas it did not.  I've learned the power of the word NO and that sticking to it won't cause the world to implode.  I've learned that information is in fact power, but sometimes too much information can lead to overload and make you want to move to Canada and build a self-sustainable bunker in the northern territories where nobody will ever find you.  (But I don't think I could give up Pinterest........)  I've learned that family is family, no matter what and that You Do For Family.  No questions asked.  And I've learned that there is no such thing as a perfect mom-- except to your child.

31 is pretty awesome.  And terrifying.  I know that there are still life lessons I have yet to learn and I'm certain that they are, even as I type, building speed as they snowball down a massive hill in my future, ready to smack me backwards and lay me out cold for awhile.

Fall down 7 times, stand up 8.

31 isn't old.  31 is ideal.  You have some wisdom without wrinkles and grey hair, and enough energy to chase your kids around while they are little before you have to start imparting (read: hammering mercilessly) your wisdom to them as they absorb every bit of it where it will stay stored until they too turn 31.  (God willing they make it that far.  There are days...........)  ;)

So, here's to 31!  Here's to being an adult and accepting life as it comes without any expectation that Karma will pay you back, or that Karma will take out your worst enemy and move on.  Forgive them, move on, take a breath, and just enjoy what you've got while you've got it.

Okay?

Okay.

Short, Long, Straight, Curly.......I've got it all.

I've been growing my hair out forever.  Okay- not really.  It just feels that way.  I've been growing it out since February 2012.  A couple of disastrous haircuts have extended the process.  So life goes.  But it's finally getting some length to it.  *Phew*

February 2012-April 2013

I've scoured the internet (read: pinterest and google) for tips on growing hair out and any ancient Mayan secrets.  One of the best things I've ever read about this is by Maybe Matilda when she was growing out her pixie cut.  It really comes down to two things---> patience (ugh) and taking extremely good care of your hair.  And being pretty flexible and creative with your hairstyling.  I am not a talented hair person by any stretch of the imagination, so trust me when I say these are easy to pull off.  :)

You have to embrace bobby pins & bandanas, learn to mini-braid, and steal your man's hat.

One of the biggest challenges is not being able to use heat.  My hair does this flippy wave thing that can only be tamed by my blow dryer and a flat iron.  But.....if I want happy, healthy, long Rapunzel hair, I have to save the heat for special occasions.

Now that I've got a little length, I'd like to try some new styles.  But............There's that pesky rule- No heat.  That means no curling irons.  Not a big deal- I kind of suck with curling irons.  But I do like curls and curly hair.  I've done the perm things and NO- NEVER AGAIN.  One of my sisters rocks out with a curling iron and makes me look fabulous.  She's not nearly close enough to be able to run over and curl my hair whenever I want curls, so I did what I always do.

I searched Pinterest!!

I may have a slight pinning problem.

Another thing I love- vintage/retro anything.  I'm not sure why I never put two and two together, but I have (re)discovered.........RAG CURLS!  

Here's why you should try them:

1. They are soooo easy once you get the hang of it.
2. They last forever (until you wash your hair.)
3. You will get tons of compliments.
4. You will feel like a vintage vixen.

I went to Va-Voom Vintage to get an easy peasy rag curl tutorial.  I chose her because I like her technique and because she and I have similar hair lengths.   (And she has a pretty sweet blog and truly embraces the vintage life.)

The process........tied up, let down, pinned back.

I have started working on my nearby sister (I have 3 sisters total) to get her to try these rag curls too.  Her first question was "Don't you have to sleep in them?!"  Yes, yes you do.  But- they aren't poky, or hard, or stiff.  Your hair is tied up in rags, so it's really not that bad.  I had no trouble, and I can be fussy about sleeping comfort.  Maybe she will let me do a feature blog on her so I can get pictures of the whole process and not just a bunch of selfies.

I'm not going to get into the whole blow by blow of how to do this- go to Va-Voom and see what she does.  She does it way better than I can at this moment.  I will point out that with my shorter hair, the curls were initially kind of tight, mainly because they don't have the weight to pull them down.  I ended up using some bobby pins and pinning them up in a messy coif.  It was pretty cute, although it doesn't show up well in the photo.  After awhile, I pulled out the pins and let it relax. 

Curly Girly

I love my curls.  I was really sad when I had to finally wash my hair and go back to my straight, vaguely wavy hair.  It almost made me think about the perm road, but........the chemicals...........*shudders*.  I ended up with poodle head the last time and it took forever and days to grow out all the sad damaged hair.  

I will stick with my occasional rag curls and I am really going to enjoy seeing what they do as the hair gets longer.  I am also really looking forward to trying out some other vintage styles as I get more length to mess around with.  I can't wait! 

Doughnut Muffins

Yeah, you heard me.

Doughnut Muffins.

And they are good too.

I grew up on freshly made doughnuts.  My Dad would pull out the Fry Daddy, mix up a batch of Hazel's Donuts, and fry up some hot, fresh, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness.  Hazel was a family friend of ours and I am not about to give up her donut recipe.  My Gramma would invite us kids over, set us up on the screened in porch and deliver hot, fresh, deep-fried baking powder donuts, which we would immediately slather with orange flavored cream cheese frosting (which melted into ooey goodness all over our fingers, hands, and faces- hence the reason we ate them outside on the porch).  We would eat until we had to lay next to our bellies groaning with agony and delight.  They were that good. 

When I came across a doughnut muffin recipe at King Arthur Flour, I thought- yeah, right.  It can't possibly be as good as the real thing.  And I was right!  It was a little bland.  (HA- sorry King Arthur!)  Lucky for you though, I am willing to dink around with my recipes until they are just perfect and this one finally hit it's perfection level last week.  The sad part is that I have almost no pictures of the process because I didn't know it was going to turn out so well.

Still dubious about them?  My son ate 3 in one sitting (unheard of), and rather than tossing stale muffins to the chickens 3 days later- there were none to be found.  NONE.  They were gone- toasted, buttered, and devoured. 

Before you start, you should know that this is not your average muffin batter.  It is thick, it requires a good beating, and it's more cakey than muffiny. 

The one and only (crummy) photo of my successful muffins.  (AHAHA- see what I did there?)

DOUGHNUT MUFFINS

Batter:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup COCONUT oil  (Yes, it must be coconut oil- it gives them an amazing flavor- it doesn't taste like coconut though, so don't worry if you hate coconut.  It just adds a nice depth to them.)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder  (I use Rumford or Trader Joe's Baking Powder.)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg (I tend to add a little more)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 2/3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 cup milk

Topping:

•  1 1/4 cups All-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1) Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin. Or line with 12 paper or silicone muffin cups, and grease the cups with non-stick vegetable oil spray; this will ensure that they peel off the muffins nicely. 

2) In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, coconut oil, and sugars till smooth.

3) Add the eggs, beating to combine.

4) Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla. 

5) Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined. 

6) Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan, filling the cups nearly full. 

7) Make topping by combing all the ingredients and mashing and mixing with a fork.  It will start to clump up a little (that's good- those are the tasty crumbs!)

Sprinkle the tops generously with the topping, patting it ever so slightly to ensure that it sticks.

8) Bake the muffins for 15 to 17 minutes, or until they're a pale golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean.  (I've had them bake as long as 20 minutes, depending on the weather, etc.)

9)  EAT!  NOM NOM NOM................this recipe makes about 12 regular size muffins.  You can also make them in one of those doughnut pans they sell, but I've never had much luck with that.  

Trail Mama, Trail Kiddo

Trail Runner Magazine throws a topic at its readers every month via their Blog Symposium. 

June's topic is........

Tell us about someone awesome you've met through trail running.

I've met a lot of awesome people through trail running.  The women I attempted my first 50K with, the guy who talked me into signing up for my second 50K, Diane van Deren, the amazing married couple who wake up on a Tuesday and decide that they will run that 50 miler on Saturday just because they want to.  I wasn't sure who to write about.  I could not decide.

So I went for a run.  And I found my answer chasing me.

Future Ultra Champ :)

I'm a single mom and that means I get to balance work, mama-hood, school, running, fun, sleep, laundry, etc, etc, etc.  A lot of the moments I wish I could have with my kiddo are missed out on because I have to get one more thing done.  Sometimes my running makes me feel a little guilty- all the time spent training could be spent with my kiddo instead.  But then days like today happen- the two loves of my life unite and magic happens.

Last year, I ran the Knoxville half-marathon.  My kiddo had run the kid's run the night before and was with my sister waiting to cheer me on at mile marker 8, which also happened to be the start of the Greenway stretch.  As I ran past them, he started running and caught up with me asking if he could run with me.  My sister agreed to meet us at mile 10 at the end of the Greenway, so off we went.  I wasn't out to break any records, so I wasn't worried about having to walk.  He surprised me- he ran nearly the entire 2 miles with me- we PASSED people!  He gave a boost to everyone we passed and those who passed us.  At one of the water stops, a guy with a megaphone was cheering on the runners when he spotted the Kiddo and started yelling "GO LITTLE MAN GO!!"  He was exhausted by the time we hit mile 10, but still going.  He was 5 3/4 years old.  (The 3/4 is very important.......)

Coming off the Greenway

Everyone was cheering for him, especially me :)

That brings me to today- we went to our local nature preserve just to kill some time and we decided to take the trail that led by the river.  Our trail rule is that you can wander, but you must stay within sight.  All of a sudden he says, ON YOUR MARK_GET SET_GO and takes off.  My sister and I didn't have much of a choice- we took off after him.  And ended up running the entire time; passing, tagging, chasing, laughing.  We'd come to a screeching halt to check out something cool looking and then take off again, calling out the occasional reminder that there were other people out there and not to slam into anyone.  (He didn't.) 

Sheer Joy

I don't know if I can actually say that I met my son on the trail- obviously, I met him way before then.  I can say that when we hit the trail and run together, I am able to push away all the rest of the worldly garbage and worries and focus wholly on my kiddo.  I can give him the uncomplicated time of just rolling with it- stop-go fast-go slow-dodge the pedestrian-holler a quick "excuse us!" over my shoulder- and just keep going.  It's summertime- school's out and the trails are calling.  With any luck, most of our free days will end exactly like this one........happy, a little sunburned, and tuckered out.

Tuckered out

The Lull

I've finished my Certified Nurse Assistant training class and I am now a CNA, pending my state license exam which will be in 2 weeks.  I've had a very promising set of interviews at the local children's hospital and am waiting (fingers crossed) to hear back from them.  Kiddo's school is out, but summer camp has started 3 days a week.  So, today I find myself at the start of the Lull time where I have a whole great list of things that need to be taken care, but am stuck between the end of one thing and the beginning of another.

Plow garden....check!!  The box contains a sunflower and two Cosmos that randomly sprouted from last year's garden.

Today, I don't have to go anywhere.  It's kind of nice.  I woke up early, stained one side of our workshop, went for a run, made some of my mad crazy good Hippie Runner Granola, made a batch of my friend Sami's Granola Crack Bars, and am now contemplating cleaning the porch, putting away laundry and generally straightening out my craft/ office area upstairs. 

Granola Crack Bars.........you can see where I taste tested.....

But all I want to do is lay on the porch swing and read the book that my awesome Fella got me last week.   (Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind)

This is my Fella....... he's pretty awesome.  :)

I will clean of course, because that's what responisble grown-ups do.  But when I was a kid, summer days were spent on the back porch reading and rereading Trixie Belden mysteries, Saddle Club books, and the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C Wrede.  Those were the good days of The Lull between school ending and school starting again. 

Summer.......the ultimate Lull.  I will enjoy my unexpected summer Lull while I have it because soon I will be a working stiff again and wishing for days of nothing but time to put away laundry in.   

"Vegetarians can't grill..........."

.......or so they say..........

No, really- they do.  It's summertime- I talk about how much I love to grill.  Most people who actually know me are a little ........whaaa???.........you?  grill?........but aren't you mostly vegetarian?  What can you possibly GRILL?!  Grills are for MEAT!  Grills are for MEN!  ((insert man grunts))

Um....no.  My ex-husband actually set the grill on fire and made the worst hamburgers EVERY single time he started the grill. (*snickers*)

I'm a bit more gifted with the flames of wonder and might.

And I do it with veggies.

RAAAAH!

But seriously.........it's easy.  Vidalia sweet onions, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini......whatever you have on hand.  I toss it in olive oil, sprinkle it with a little salt, a little pepper, maybe a dash of cajun seasoning for a little kick and toss it on a hot grill.   Be careful- the potatoes will try to fall between the slats of the grill. 

SHAZAM!!

And then........I drizzle it with some Balsamic Vinegar Reduction.  It's like a magic potion.  It's easy.  Take about a cup of balsamic vinegar, pour it into a saucepan and bring it to a low boil- add about 1 tsp of sugar (raw if you have it) and let it simmer until it reduces by about half.  It's so good- you've got to make some.  You will be drizzling it on salad, raw veggies, grilled veggies, pizza, bread.....pretty much anything.

But wait.......I also make the bread on the grill.  Yeah- grilled bread.  Trust me. 

You make a pretty basic ball of dough, divide it, flatten it, cover it with olive oil and grill it.............

Oooooooo........yeah.

Take 1/2 tsp of Active Dry yeast and add it to 1/2 cup of really warm water- mix it in until it dissolves and let it sit for 5 minutes.

Now......add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tsp of salt, and 1 1/3 cups of flour.  Mix it up into a dough ball and knead on a floured surface for about 2 minutes.  Let it rise for 30 minutes.  (Turn on the grill- let it get hot- grill veggies- by then, you will be ready for the bread.)

Take your dough ball and divide it into 4 hunks and flatten them out into discs (or roll them out- your choice).  They will look like little naked pizzas.  Brush them with olive oil and toss them on the hot grill.  See what they look like in the picture above?  Yup- that's the goal.  It doesn't take long.  Maybe 3-5 minutes per side, depending on how well done you like your bread.  Be sure to shut the lid and hold all the heat in to bake them.  Be sure to brush them with olive oil before you flip them.  You can also sprinkle them with Italian seasoning, or whatever you like.  (Again- they are good with a little balsamic reduction........)

There you go- how to be a Bad Mother Griller......without meat (or any animal anything.)

Yeah- I don't post often enough, but when I do- it's totally worth it.  :)

Hippie Runner Granola

Granola.  Gotta love it, right?

But not the store bought kind.  They put stuff in there.  Preservatives and junk, you know?

Blech.

Let me tell you about homemade granola and how easy it is.  My Gramma always made us homemade granola bars.  I like to make homemade loose granola cereal.  I do a cinnamon chocolate pecan almond granola.  That's what I'm about to show you how to make.  BUT, it is really simple to play around with this recipe.  I did- that's how I came up with this variation.  I looked on Pinterest for granola recipes, tried one, and then dinked with it until I created my perfect granola.  (Which is absolutely delicious mixed in with some vanilla yogurt!)

My *very* official recipe  (Vegans can substitute coconut oil for the butter!)

Here's my very secret and official recipe.  Intense, right?  First things first- gather your stuff!!

The line up.

I'm not fancy, as you can see by my containers.  I use local raw honey.  The bag in the middle contains the raw pecans that I picked up at Kroger.  The bag on the right has Trader Joe's Cinnamon Almonds in it.  They are so good.........so I use those instead of raw almonds.  But raw almonds are awesome too!  The bottom right is coconut- it's totally optional.  If you look back up at the post-it, there is nary a shred of coconut listed, but I threw it in to see what would happen.  Not much- the cocoa and cinnamon over-ruled it.  Oh well.

Everyone needs a good heavy-duty spatula!!

You know what you DON'T see?  Raisins!

I love raisins.  My first batch of granola had raisins in it.  But.........put raisins in the oven for 30 minutes and they actually turn into little pieces of gravel and you will end up picking them ALL out of your granola.  Trust me.

Cinnamon Almonds--Chop 'em up!

Now- chop up them nuts!  You don't want big old hunks of nuts in your granola, so chop them up.  They don't have to be chopped into oblivion, just chunked up so they can mix with the oats, etc.

Raw Pecans--Chop some more!

Nuts actually chop up really easily and nicely.  Even the roasted cinnamon almonds.  And if you like walnuts, add those too.  I don't like walnuts and my sister is allergic, so I don't like to run the risk of setting her into anaphylatic shock.  I keep a walnut free house.

Mix the dry.

Once you've mixed all the dry stuff together so that everything is coated and the cinnamon and cocoa smell is making you hungry, add the honey and melted butter!  (Vegan??  Use coconut oil instead!)

Add the honey and mix some more

Really mix the honey in, so that it coats everything!  Add a little extra if you want to.  This isn't an exact science.  Recipes are like the Pirate Code- they're really just guidelines.  You can taste it too.  It's nummy.  You could probably add chocolate chips to this shindig too.  Or maybe cinnamon chips.

Put it on a baking sheet

Now that you have a gooey mass of deliciousness, dump it all on a baking sheet.  Then throw it in the oven at 315 degrees for about 25-30 minutes.  Be sure you reach in a stir it around every 8 minutes or so.  It ensures that everything will brown nice and evenly. 

NOM NOM NOM

When it's done, pull it out, and try it.  It should be wonderfully crunchy and tasty.  Once it cools off completely, put it in an airtight canister or container.  I don't know how long it keeps because we never have it around that long.  I've put it in yogurt (sometimes with bananas), mixed it into my oatmeal, had it straight with milk, eaten it dry for a snack, sprinkled it on ice cream.......the possibilities are endless.

If you try it and like it, let me know.  If you try it and add something new, let me know.  If you try it and it comes out wonky, tell me that too.   But don't say I didn't warn you about the raisins!!!