Author Archives: kaprise

Day 7 – One Week!

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Hello hello my friends!!

Today has been amazing so far!! I did wake up later than I normally do, but I made it to the lake at 10:30 and bopped through my 3 miles. It was raining pretty hard, but like I promised “RAIN OR SHINE” so I ran. I was the only person at the park, but I loved every single minute of it. I saw an adorable duck with her adorable ducklings crossing my path, I saw some deer grazing in the woods, a beautiful swan fishing, and a bunch of these beautifully colored birds flitting through the air. It was amazing to just get out and run on my own, without anyone else on the path.

I always thought that running with other people made me faster, and that I enjoyed the competition of spotting a person and passing them… but I think I actually prefer today. It was quiet and beautiful and I could really focus on my running and just enjoying the absolutely gorgeous nature happening around me. I even danced a little at the end!

After my run, I ate a little and headed to run errands before hitting the library. I picked up a couple treats for myself to reward myself for the 7th day of my challenge. I just got here (the library) and the rain doesn’t look like it is going to let up, so I’m actually kind of excited to run again tomorrow in the absolutely quiet park in the rain.

Oh… and today, I wore spandex shorts, running tank, and hat from Nike. I topped off with a new rain jacket from GAP, which I am absolutely in love with. I found a similar one online in case you want one… go HERE. I bought it in an XL (I know… I’m a little nuts) but I like my running gear to be long and the hoods to be big, so I usually buy the biggest size. This one has scrunchy pulls so I can make it work.

What have you gotten into today? Did you see anything amazing? Do you like running in the rain??

Day 6 and Pumpkin Scones

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Hello hello!

I ran 3 miles today. I kept a little bit of a faster pace and got a good work out in. I was actually pretty tired after this run, which is atypical. I sat on the dock in the lake where I ran and chatted with my new found friend while I stretched before heading home.

I didn’t feel like making anything so I picked up a salad and headed to the library. I don’t know what was up with that salad, but I felt terrible afterwards. I drank nearly a gallon of water trying to get rid of that dry, weird taste in my mouth before I gave up and came home. I ate some carrots and downed an electrolyte drink before taking nap… apparently that did the trick because I feel better. Anyway, lesson learned. No more store bought salads.

I also just noticed that I gave myself a good sunburn on my shoulders from sitting out on the dock… so sunblock for tomorrow for sure. Though, I’m told it will be raining so we’ll see how my run shakes out tomorrow.

In the mean time, I want to share a new scone recipe that I tried out. I know… I know… I have so many of these types of recipes on my blog, but since I do spend a rather large portion of my day sitting in the library, I like to have good food that is portable. I’ll do a separate blog post on what I take to the library, but that’ll have to be another day.

So… these are almond flour scones (again) but sweetened with a bit of maple syrup and fluffy from the delicious pumpkin puree. I used this recipe from The Spinach Spot. I just found her blog today, and it’s totally awesome!

I tweaked (as always) and swapped the baking soda for baking powder, added a palm full of hazelnut flour, and skipped on the frosting. They turned out fluffy, moist, and absolutely delicious. I do have quite a sweet tooth, so next time I’ll add a little more maple syrup… maybe chocolate chips or some dried fruit…..

So… what did you all do today? Any weird food experiences like mine? What do you like to avoid??

 

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(Sorry for the crap photos, I have terrible lighting in my kitchen and I didn’t try…. O.o)

 

One Thing At A Time (+Day 5)

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At the beginning on the month, I challenged myself to run at least 2 miles every single day. So far, so good!! (Well… yesterday I only ran 1.5, but I made up for it by running 3 today).

Anyway, today I decided to do a little cleaning to get my closet in order to reflect my *new* healthy lifestyle of exercise every day. Man. I have to tell you… I have a problem. I know that I LOVE clothing, but I didn’t realize how much. Every single corner of my room is packed with clothing, shoes, and accessories. While I do wear and utilize almost every single thing I own, I also acknowledge that the sheer number of things I own is bordering on a “problem.” You know… the kind where someone sits you down and says “you have an addiction.”

I lived in a beautiful apartment with HUGE closets for the last three years, so it was easy to organize and hoard away… but now that I am living in a much smaller space, I have to manage my things much more carefully. I have to rotate out winter items and with this “rotating,” I’ve come to see that I have LOADS too many things. I’m getting together a huge box of things, and I’m going to donate them all to the Salvation Army. Someone out there will actually “need” some of these things and I certainly do not.

So. In addition to my 30 days of running/biking every day, I’m putting myself on a 100% clothing spending freeze and I am also taking the liberty of limiting my credit card access for food only. It might be a bit drastic, but having seen the sheer number of unnecessary and frivolous items I’ve accumulated over the years, I think it’s fair that I do without for quite some time.

What goals are you setting for yourself?

 

Day One of the Kaprise Active 30 Day Challenge

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Today was Day 1 of my challenge. I managed to get a 2 mile run in around 8:00pm… which was nice but kinda buggy out. I know for sure I swallowed a bug or two on this run. I think I will try to run in the mornings so I get it done and I can focus on the rest of my day. Today, I woke up thinking about my run and then wasted the entire day thinking about it instead of just getting it done.

I also dropped my athletic-wear drawer on my foot so that kinda dampened my run… combined with the bruised toes I have from wearing uncomfortable teetery heels for a wedding last weekend.

Basically… it was good to get back out there, but I think I need to be less clumsy and do my runs earlier.

What did you do today??

Smoked Gouda Almond Flour Scones with Tarragon and Thyme (Paleo/Primal)

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Hello hello my friends! Today was Day 1 of the 30 Day Fitness Challenge. I’ll post about that shortly in a separate post.

But, before we get into the running, I wanted to share this quick little recipe. It’s a riff off of the Nom Nom Paleo Scones which I made a while back with a couple tweaks. Those scones are sweet, but these are savory and stuffed with smokey gouda cheese.

Smoked Gouda Almond Flour Scones with Tarragon and Thyme (Paleo)

  • 3 cups of blanched almond flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons of fresh tarragon, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons of fresh thyme, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon of cracked black pepper
  • 1/4 cup – 1/2 cup of smoked gouda, chopped into small cubes (add more cheese as you see fit)
  • 1 teaspoon of black truffle oil, or truffled cheese
  • 4 tablespoons of butter
  • 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons of honey
  • 2 eggs, whisked
  1. In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, baking powder, chopped herbs and cracked pepper
  2. Grate the butter into the almond flour mixture, until the butter is evenly distributed in the mixture
  3. Stir in the cheese
  4. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, honey and vinegar
  5. Stir the wet mixture into the almond flour until just combined
  6. Divide and shape into scones
  7. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. You should have about 6 to 8 good sized scones
  8. Bake at 335F for 25 minutes, or until golden brown
  9. Store left overs in the refrigerator, and bake for a few minutes to reheat and re-crisp when desired.

Enjoy!!!

The Cold Brew Cacophony

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For the past few years I’ve seen an increasingly large number of food posts harking the benefits of cold brewed coffee. The smoothness, the ease, the deliciousness… and you what to know what?

I DISAGREE.

I don’t drink coffee much. In fact, I made it through 3 years of boring, coma-inducing law lectures and I didn’t drink more than half a dozen cups. However, I can tell you what delicious coffee tastes like and it is NOT cold brewed.

Still, as a child of science (so many, many scientists in my family) I went about a quest for cold brew coffee this week. My kitchen counter was scattered with pitchers to soak ground coffee, coffee grounds, bags of good coffee, and filters. I made 3 batches of cold brew. Each, less satisfying than the last. I even froze coffee ice cubes to stir in so that no extra water would dilute my brew… and still. Nothing that knocked my socks off. The rich notes of caramel, dark chocolate, and that distinctly coffee flavor were just not present in my cold brews. I ended up with weak representations of coffee and  nearly an entire bag of coffee gone for a few tepid sips of light caramel coffee. And… before you tell me I need to use more beans,  I will tell you I did my research and I went about my cold brew in a methodical manner, and I am just not impressed.

So. This is my little discordant shout about cold brewed coffee… It’s just not all it’s cracked out to be.

I will tell you that my favorite method for good, strong, and delicious cold coffee is to French Press your favorite darkly roasted beans. Put it in a glass pitcher and chill it overnight. In the morning, pour out the amount you desire and shake it with cream (or milk, or condensed milk!) and enjoy. It’s the best way to get the darkly caramel-y coffee that is chilled and delicious. Throw some ice cubes in there on truly hot days.

Thirty Day Challenges – My ACTIVE 30 Day Challenge

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I’ve been reading a lot of these “Thirty Day” challenges online… or thirty day diets or thirty day somethings. For those of you who know me, you know I don’t proscribe to any type of dieting regimen, and my philosophy about running is quite simliar.

That being said, I think it is important to challenge yourself mentally and physically when possible so that you maintain a healthy soul and body. So, I’ve come up with my own little thirty day challenge. I’m calling it the Kaprise Active 30 Day Challenge. I’ve never been one to run every day, so I’m challenging myself to a run or bike ride every single day for 30 days. My rules are these:

  1. Run or Bike every day from June 1-June 30
  2. No less than 2 miles a day
  3. No more than 10 miles in a singe day
  4. Varying length runs and bike rides
  5. Try ONE new route a week (for a total of at least 4 new routes during the 30 days)
  6. Run smart – in reflective gear, sunblock, etc.
  7. Don’t let anyone or anything distract from the Challenge!

I’m not going to impose any other restrictions on my running/biking, but only to remember to enjoy every single day and be happy! Endorphins!

I’ll document my runs and bike rides in pictures on Instagram, and I’ll keep you all posted on my blog. I haven’t decide how I’ll post, but maybe we’ll just let the blog posts happen organically.

What are your challenges for the summer?? Will you do the 30 day run/bike challenge with me?

 

 

Summer Ribs and Avocados

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This morning, I woke up, ran through my chores at the speed of light before bolting out the door. I have been getting a little stir crazy, so I went to the mall and tried on a number of fun little outfits. I love shopping, and today I had a blast trying on some really fun little summer outfits. I decided after trying on a candy-colored striped dress that it was time for guacamole and some summer barbecue. Nothing says “summer” like a pile of perfectly caramelized ribs and a whole  bunch of zesty guacamole and chips.

So I went to the store… they were having a sale on avocados. 10 for $10!!! So I gathered 10… that is I think I gathered 10! Because when I got home I realized I miscounted and had 11… I think I “stole” and avocado!

Anyway… Today I tried a different method of cooking my ribs. I alternate between the dry rub I wrote about HERE and wet barbecue sauce where I cut up the racks into segments. Anyway… the point is today, the ribs came out absolutely tender and succulent with just the right amount of crisped fat and bubbly barbecue sauce so I thought I would share! The method is easy peasy, but remember to crack a window or run a fan because the heat from the oven definitely makes the kitchen quite warm!

Easy Peasy Oven Baked Pork Ribs 

  • Baby Back Pork Ribs
  • 2 tablespoons of salt
  • 1 tablespoon of cracked black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon of paprika
  • 1 teaspoon of chili powder
  • Barbecue sauce (any variety!)
  1. Preheat the oven to 400F
  2. Rinse and pat the ribs dry
  3. Mix together the salt, pepper, paprika, and chili together.
  4. Sprinkle on both sides of the ribs
  5. Lay ribs on rimmed baking sheets, meat side down.
  6. Cover the entire sheet tightly with foil
  7. Bake ribs in foil wrapped baking sheets for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until ribs are tender
  8. Drain fat
  9. Return ribs, meat side up, to pans
  10. Brush with barbecue sauce and bake at 375F for 30 minutes, until bubbly and delicious
  11. Serve!

I didn’t take pictures, because I’m a bum these days… but there is a picture of the finished ribs on my instagram… so check that out HERE

Gingery Grilled Avocado and Steak Salad

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I’m sure you guys have gathered that I LOVE steak, avocado, and ginger… so naturally I put them all together in this salad for lunch. With ice cold tea, this was the perfect springy lunch. I splurged and bought an organic, grass fed Australian steak.

  • 8 ounces of good steak
  • 1 avocado
  • 3 slices of ginger
  • 1 bunch of arugula (or other lettuce)
  •  1 bunch of sugar snap peas
  • Salad dressing of your choice
  1. Sprinkle steak with good salt and grill. I like mine rare, so I grilled accordingly.
  2. Once your steak has been grilled, let it rest
  3. While the steak is resting, brush the avocado and ginger with a little olive oil. Grill for just a few minutes
  4. Arrange the salad in your favorite bowl and sprinkle with your favorite salad dressing.

*The grilled ginger is rather bitter, but tossed with the salad it imparts a light gingery flavor.

🙂 Enjoy!

 

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