Sweet Potato Soup with all the fixin's

I love soup.  In the fall and winter I probably make soup at least three times a week.  In fact I have converted my husband a soup hater into a soup lover!  When the weather gets colder its one of my favourite meals to have after my Saturday morning run.  Of course when I sit around and have coffee for an hour after I run for an hour and a half, its almost lunch time.

There is a great shop next the the store I run from that makes the most amazing bread.  Check them out - http://www.frabertsfreshfood.com/  Sometimes I'm lucky and get to Fraebert's shortly after they have taken their bread out of the oven and bring it home when its still warm.  Its the perfect accompaniment to any type of homemade soup.

Here is the soup that I made this Saturday after my run.  It really doesn't take long to get this soup on the table.

Sweet Potato Soup

by Denise Boyd Dunlop

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Keywords: soup/stew vegetarian

Ingredients (serves 2)

For the Soup

• 1 small onion chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 sweet potato peeled and diced
• 1/2 can of black beans drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 3 cups vegetable soup stock
• 2 tsp Mexican seasoning
• salt & pepper to taste

For the Guacamole

• 1 avocado diced
• 1 tbsp olive olive
• 1tsp sea salt
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• juice from 1/2 lemon

Instructions

For the Soup

Heat oil in a pan. Saute onion until transparent. Add garlic and seasoning, continue cooking until fragrant. Add soup stock and sweet potato. Bring stock to a boil and cook until sweet potato is soft. Remove from heat. Puree soup with a hand blender. Stir in corn and black beans. Add salt and pepper to taste.

For the toppings

For this picture I topped this soup with plain Greek yogurt, chopped tomato and simple chunky guacamole (the recipe below). This soup is also good with shredded cheese.

For the guacamole

Toss the above ingredients in a bowl. Let sit for 15 minutes to allow flavours to combine

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Reflections on the Athens Marathon

Its been almost two weeks since I ran the Athens marathon.  I'm over the jet lag from being in Greece (which lasted much longer than I thought it would).  I'm still figuring out a running and workout schedule.  And  I still can't stop thinking and talking about the marathon.  Its is strange for me that the race was my slowest marathon and probably the slowest minute per kilometre pace I've ever ran in a race and yet I wouldn't change a thing about the way I ran it.

Almost everyone I talk to gets the sense of accomplishment as well.  For me this marathon wasn't about running it in a specific time or running the marathon distance or even establishing myself as a marathoner.  It was about running for the sheer enjoyment of it.  Very rarely does running for fun happen for me.  There is a point during a run when the pain or fatigue of running kicks in and I want to quit.  Most of the time I push through it or the discomfort fades and my endorphins kick in and I carry on.  On some runs and especially races, the duration of the pain lasts much longer and I give up.

I know the reason why the marathon in Greece felt so amazing was because it was in Greece.  I gave myself permission to rest when I needed.  I didn't look at my watch to check my progress.  I simply allowed myself to be present in the race.  As a result, I will always remember this marathon and have feeling of accopmlishment with me.  For the first time since I have started racing I finally get the fact that I don't have to prove myself to anyone but me.  It only took 3 marathons in just over a year and travelling across the world to find it... but I get it.

Does this mean I'll stop racing - hell no!  I've ran 9 races this year and I'm seriously contemplating running this one http://www.boxingdayrun.ca/.  To make it an even 10.  My competitive edge is always just under the surface and I want to be the front of the the pack in pretty much every run.  But I'm learning I don't have to be first in every single time and some days the best runs are when you can be with your girls and chat.

After all of these deep thoughts I'll share my finish line shots from Athens.  These are the pictures my husband took. The first shot, I am just coming into the Olympic Stadium.  I was 5 minutes faster than when I had told my husband I would be in, yet he was optimistic that I would finish faster than I had thought.  I was also running on my own.  I had lost Rick and Tracey and there should have been three of us coming in together.  So the fact that he saw me at this point is pretty amazing.

 Here I am running in on the Olympic track.  To me this was pretty phenomenal that I was running on the same surface world class runners had competed on.

 In this shot, I have just heard Dan yell my name.  It was the first time I had heard English spoken in quite a while and the first time I heard someone cheering my name.

 I really wanted a shot of me with my arms in the air.  I haven't had the best luck with race course photographers, so I turned around and ran backwards so Dan could get a picture of me.  After the shot, I danced my way to the finish.  This, my friends is what running should feel like.

Running for the Fun of It!

The hardest thing about finishing a training program is staying motivated.  For me, I usually make sure I have another race planned a few months after I race the one I'm training for.  I was too busy as the Road2Hope approached to get anxious about not having a race on the horizon after I finished the half and took off for Greece.  And for the most part I am still riding my post marathon high and have been able to fight off any urges to train for something "big".  I do get an addict-like feeing when I hear people talking about training for Around the Bay; knowing that I won't be running or training for the 30k race this year.  I have decided to run as a 3-person relay.  But it is hard to not have a plan in the works.

On Saturday I went out for a fun 7k girl power run with Gina and Katherine.  We ran and caught up.  I think I mostly talked about my trip and race.  I yesterday - just a quick 5k for no other reason than I wanted some fresh air.  Today I missed my planned gym workout so I went for a 7k run.  I will take tomorrow off from running.  I will be back to my intense yoga class so I will need all the energy my body can muster for the evening. 

Plus three days in a row of running is tiring even when you are not still recovering from a marathon.  But I think its like anything in life when you don't have to do it, whatever it is is that you don't have to do is that much more appealing.  Something great did happen during all of these non-required runs - and its something I'm rather embarassesd to admit to.  Here is a picture of my watch from today's run:

If you check out my best pace, you will notice that its in minutes per km.  No biggie you might think... well... I just figured out how to switch that from km/h to km/minute.  Duh - I am coming clean on the fact that I didn't know how to switch my watch to that setting.  I'll admit that I didn't read the instructions, but I work on a computer all day - I'm supposed to be technically savey.

Anyway this setting will hopefully help me run at the pace I need to in order to reach my goal times and help me stay on pace in races.  One of the things that the Road2Hope taught me was that I need to use this watch more than I have been.  I need to feel what running at a 5:14 minute/km pace is really like.  This also means something else, my husband was right about my training.  He kept asking when I was going to wear this watch and how was I planning to run a half marathon in a specific time if I didn't know what my pacing was in my training runs.  He was right.  Man that's almost as hard to type as it was seeing the clock at the finish lline reading 6 minutes more than my goal time.

High Tea at Langdon Hall

This afternoon my mother-in-law took my sister-in-laws and I to tea at Langdon Hall in Cambridge as an early Christmas present.  My mother-in-law's friend and her daughters and daughter-in-law were also there.  The ten of us were seated in a room by ourselves and served this menu...

We were served scones first... someone pinch me.  These were amazing. 

The scones were followed by this...

I loved the desserts on the top part of the tray.  It was perfect little bites of everything.

I owe a huge thanks to these two ladies...

My mother-in-law on the right and her friend arranged for this tea and it was a wonderful afternoon to sit around and visit with my sister-in-laws.



Soup for the Soul

It snowed today.  Not piles of snow, but thick flurries that made seeing a far distance difficult.  It was the type of snow that made you realize that winter is coming and there isn't anything you can do about it.  Luckily for me yesterday I had made soup, so today it was perfect.

I make soup a lot and a different kinds of it.  But the soup I had for dinner tonight I've named Soup for the Soul.  You can add whatever variations of beans, vegetables and grains you're in the mood for or have on hand.  The rice can be exchanged for barley or farrow.  The mung and adzuki beans can be exchanged for black beans... you get the idea.

The wonderful thing about this soup is it makes you feel nourished and cared for. 

Its the type of soup to eat when you are struggling to return to normal routines after a vacation. 

Its the type of soup to eat when you skip a run because its too cold outside.

Its the type of soup to eat when your mechanic tells you your vehicle still is not ready to be picked up.

Its the type of soup to eat when its cold outside and you need comfort food.

And its perfect for toady.



Soup for the Soul

Ingredients

1/2 cup of mung beans picked through and soaked for 2 hours and drained
1/2 cup of adzuki beans picked through and soaked for 2 hours and drained
1/2 cup brown rice
1 onion chopped
3 stalks of celery chopped
3 carrots peeled and chopped
1/2 turnip peeled and chopped
1 cup of frozen peas
3 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon oregano
salt & pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups soup stock
water as needed

Directions
Heat oil in large pot.  Saute onions for about 2 minutes.  Add celery and carrots and continue cooking for about 2 more minutes.  Add garlic and saute for another minute until garlic becomes translucent.  Add tomato paste, stock, beans, rice and turnip and bay leaves.  Allow soup to simmer.  Cook for about 1 hour until beans and rice are cooked adding more water if needed. Stir in peas and oregano.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Note: I served this with garlic toast, but its good on its own and even better the next day after the flavours have blended a bit more.  Like I said earlier you can use what ever combination of vegetables, grains and bean you have on hand.  I usually add spinach to this soup, but I didn't have any in the fridge tonight.

Post Athens Marathon wrap up

To celebrate our run last night Dan, Rick and Tracey and another couple who joined us in Athens to watch the marathon - Brad and Carey went out for dinner. Dan and Brad had found a restaurant that played live Greek music earlier in the day.

We enjoyed ouzo before our meal and an interesting combination of Greek liqueurs after. A table of twenty something's were also at the restaurant. They danced to several of the Greek songs. They invited us to join them. Despite finishing her first marathon, Tracey was the only one who had the nerve to join them. And wow - that girl can dance!

Needless to say, it was a, rather slow morning for everyone. Tracey had found a vegetarian restaurant on line before we left Canada that we hadn't tried called Avocado. So we headed out to it for lunch. This is what I had with my lunch




Ginger beet juice - exactly what my liver needed today!

This restaurant was the perfect follow up to a week of eating Greek food in restaurants. I had read online before the trip that there were a lot a vegetarian options in Greek restaurants, but what I found was there were no "meals" and I ended up eating appetizers as my main dish. The only problem with ordering food that way was it tended to come out before everyone else's food. But I do have to say the Greek salads here were amazing.

This was our last day in Greece and the weather was very cold. We bundled up and walked around a bit, packed and now it's early to bed. Our wake up call is 4 am tomorrow before 12 hours worth of flying. It will be good to be home and see my girls.

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My Big Fat Greek Marathon - the Athens Marathon

We rose very earlier this morning and headed out in what the locals are referring to as January weather.




There were several buses waiting. They were warm and they had very cushy seats. The ride took about an hour to the stadium in Marathon. Once we arrived, we were able to wait inside the change rooms at the stadium. While we waited we were able to watch runners go through all of their pre race rituals. Interesting....

We lined up at the start line and I have to say that this start was the most organized start I've been in. Based on everyone's estimated finish time all runners were assigned a rank which was also printed on your bib. There were stern warnings of disqualification is runners went into the wrong rank. Each rank was divided by tape and runners were moved to the start in one minute intervals after the elites. This was awesome because it meant that there was no weaving around people who put themselves too close to the start.

This race was huge, but not congested. I did loose Rick and Tracey before 5k and didn't find them until the end of the race. I walked through every other water station but couldn't find them for all of the crowds. After 20k I stopped looking for them and settled into the race. I wasn't able to talk to too many other runners because not very many people spoke English. But I did focus on the scenery and the fact that I was runner somewhere close to the original marathon route.

The crowds were pretty sparse until 18k but then there were groups of people yelling "Bravo!". It was amazing. I had my usual adrenal rush as I ran the last kilometer into the stadium. As I ran onto the track I heard Dan yell my name. It was music to my ears. It was the first time I had heard a familiar voice in hours. I turned and ran backwards waving at him. Then I danced across the finish line! Thank god I didn't faceplant.

I think this is the way to run a marathon. It was my slowest time, but I feel amazing and it was the most fun I've had in s msrsthon. We're heading out for dinner soon. I hope the rolling streets go Athens are kind to my tired legs. Now for a few pics....




Me with my medal.



Panoramic view of the stadium.



Three happy runners!



Race shirt and medal. Oh look it's a white shirt.

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Pre marathon prep!

Well t minus 14 hours before the start of the race. My outfit is ready, my chip is on my shoe and my bib is pinned to my shirt. The weather is unseasonably cold today and will be tomorrow. I ended up returning to the expo and buying a long sleeve shirt to wear tomorrow. I hate being too cold.
After a much later and relaxed start to our day Dan and I headed out to the ancient agora. As I looked at the exhibits in the museum, I realized what a small piece of civilization we really are. I know this sounds so cliche, but I really feel as though that is the only way to describe what I have seen over the past few days. Here are a few pictures from today.




Coffee in thisso this morning.





Lunch in monastriraki

I did do more than eat today - here are some shots from the expo

















Until tomorrow!

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Bringing you up to speed in Greece

I haven't been able to post for a few days because of a hiccup with my blogging app, but everything seems to be ok for now.

On Tuesday we didn't go to Hydra as we had originally planned due to a later start than we had expected and a change in the ferry schedule. We ended up walking around Athens and went to the acropolis to see the Parthenon and the ruins of various temples. There is also a stunning view of the city of Athens from the top. We toured around the Plaka district and ate lunch on a great patio that had an amazing view





Not just the cute elderly couple, but this...









And of course We needed to rehydrate - there is water on the table too.

On Wednesday we did get up early. The owner of the hotel we're staying at - Hotel Tony arranged for a friend of his to take us to Piarrius to catch the hydrafolye to Hydra. The boat ride was about an hour and a half. When we got to the island, we just walked around. Athens and the islands in Greece have stray dogs that are taken care of by everyone.
Dan and I were adopted by a dog named Troufa. She gave us a wonderful tour of the village leading us through the winding pathways to an amazing view. When we found ourselve as far as we could walk,just sat and took the whole thing in. We wound our way back down to the water and I dipped my toes in the agean sea. Rick actually swam. Here's some shots from the harbor.











After we got back from Hydra, we went straight to the expo to pick up our race kits. The expo was very well organized, but there weren't very many deal on gear and their souvenir shirts seemed pretty pricey. So I didn't buy anything extra.

Today we went to Delphi which was a very long day, but again filled with amazing sights. I didn't bring my iPad so I won't have pictures to post until next week... but you won't be disappointed.

After two and a half days a hustle we are going to slow down and just tour around. Not too much though I need to rest up for something I have going on on Sunday.

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Live From Athens - its Tuesday night!

After 14 hours of travel we arrived at our hotel in Athens around 2pm. We freshened up and skyped the girls before heading out to see some of the sites in the city. We were also trying to not fall asleep after being up for over 24 hours. It's my goal to stay awake until 8 pm tonight ( I have 45 minutes to go). Then I will go to bed and hopefully reset my body clock.

We're staying at a newly boutique hotel that we booked months ago for an awesome price. It is prett basic but it has a fridge and kettle so I can keep my water cold and have tea. Whoever said Europeans are more laid back than North Americans has never experienced a cab ride in Athens - wow! Stop signs are merely a suggestion. Despite the crazy driving which is really no secret, this city has a funky vibe. My blogging was interrupted earlier to listen to some guy playing an accordion down the street and playing it well I might add.

Here are a few shots from my balcony this afternoon. There will be much better pictures next week.
















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Flying out to Rome then onto Athens

We are just about the board the plane to head out across the Atlantic. It's funny the whole switching time zones and how we basically lose a day. It's one of those thought things that makes my head feel spiny.

We've been at the airport for almost four hours now and will be on the plane for 8 then switching planes and another 2 hours to Athens. When we land in Athens it will be 12 noon on Tuesday. So far everything has gone smoothly the only bummer I didn't preorder my vegetarian meal soon enough so I'll have to cross my fingers and hope for the best.




Dan was the professional photographer for this shot. We all had posed three times for this shot.

We just found out our flight has been delayed by 20 minutes. Looks like we'll get a speed workout in Rome! See you on the other side!

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Location:Pearson Airport

Road 2 Hope

So I'm sure you're all wondering how did it go?  Well there's good news and bad news.  I'll give you the good news first since I consider myself an optimist.  The first - I set a 10k p.b. with a time of 50:33.  The bad news... I couldn't keep that pace... no where near it. 

My overall time was 1:55.  I flew down the parkway at the start of the race, then when I went over the overpass pain, pessimism and negative self talk ran with me for the next 8k.  No matter what I did, I couldn't shake them.  I have no excuses for not running my goal time.  The weather was perfect, the course was fast and I was trained out the wazoo.  This time was a result of not flowing with the race.

But I have no time for regrets or anything of the sort.  Tomorrow morning we head out for Greece.  I'm going to try to post throughout the trip with a photo extravaganza once I return.

Now back to the Road 2 Hope -

Despite not reaching my time goal I really did enjoy this race.  The volunteers were great.  My bus had a chaperon explaining the charities the race benefited and how many kids in Hamilton are helped through the organizations receiving funds from this race. 

The course is flat with a huge downhill.  If I run this race again, I am going to train more for the downhill run.  Like I said, I flew down that portion of the race, when we got off the parkway, and went over the overpass, my legs turned into jello.  The only real complaint was parking. The marathon start was delayed for 10 minutes because there was a backlog of traffic and buses getting people to the start.  But there was a warm school to wait in.  The half start was not delayed.  So really no big deal.

Here is the shirt and medal.  I was a bit disappointed in the plain white t-shirt.  Last year they had red shirts which I really like.  But the medal is one of the nicest ones I've received for a half and the swag in the race kit was great - all those samples went straight in my carry on - yes I'm that cheap.



I would run this race again in a heartbeat... and hopefully do better.  I do want to congratulate people in my clinic. Shelley finished in under 2 hours!  Gina took 7 minutes off her time from the Niagara Falls half 2 weeks ago.  John finished in 1:44 and Larry took 5 minutes off his time from the Collingwood half 3 weeks ago blazing in at 1:36! You guys rock!

Getting Ready for Greece

So to clarify for anyone who cares - my racing schedule over the next couple of weekends is...

Sunday November 6th - Road 2 Hope half

Monday - leave for Greece

Sunday November 13th - Athens Classic Marathon full

When I first mentioned these plans to people the usual reactions I got was "Wow - you're crazy"  or "You're insane".  I believe I was even called an animal...  I'm sure he was referring to this image

This is, by the way, my race face.

I really didn't think twice about leaving for a foreign country the day after running a half marathon let alone following it up the weekend after with a full.  I though of the back to back races as a challenge and I decided would just roll with it.  Several times throughout this training program I have questioned my sanity, but I persevered thanks to the help of my family and friends.

Tonight I have finally cleared off my work to do list.  If I've missed anything - oops.

My vacation to-do list looks like this

Not too bad.  My clothes are all picked out and neatly folded and ready to pack.  My goal is to have everything ready to by tomorrow.  I am considering Sunday the start of my vacation.

Speaking of vacations - we needed to buy a new suitcase.  This is the lock it came with

Who is this supposed to stop?  We did replace it with a much brighter lock that looks a little more resilient.

This lock is going to be like my racing mentality on Sunday. Tough and green?  Maybe not.

Pre-Race - nothingness

I ran 6k last night.  It was my first run in 6 days.  I felt pretty good, my back only had a few twinges.  I wasn't as fast as I would have liked to have been, but I finished strong.  I'll run another 5k tonight and then rest until the race on Sunday.

At my half marathon clinic last night, we had a talk about prepping for the race - packing your bag, having your departure time figured out, arranging for kit pick up - stuff like that.  This race hadn't made me really nervous until the talk - suddenly I major jitters.  I think it was because I realized how unprepared mentally I was for everything I am about to do.  Oh - and I also thought the race was at 9 am, but its at 8:30.  At least I found out now.

After my run I met up with my lifelong friend Marie for and we talked about the upcoming race and my trip and what an adventure everything was going to be over the next couple of weeks.  I realized again how silly my pre-race nerves are.  SO I've decided to feel nothing about the race.

When I got home, I packed my race day bag and picked up my running outfit and put the thought of the preparing part of the race out of my head.... until I went to sleep.  Last night I dreamed I ran the race, but it started in the middle of nowhere.  AND I was an hour late.  When I got to the start line though it didn't matter, because the clocks had gone back so I was actually on time.  They were even serving coffee at the start line so I had one.  Then the race went great and I finished in my goal time.  Weird or a good omen?

Halloween Leftover Cookies

I've been dealing with the mountain of candy from my kids trick or treating escapades on Monday night.  After our initial pig out, I sorted through it and let the girls keep their favourite treats and brought the rest into work.  My co-workers were happy and I was glad to not have the temptation of looking at the candy at home.  There still does seem to be a lot sitting on my counter though.

I also took yesterday off from running or working out as another complete rest day.  This forced rest has been difficult for me to accept.  I haven't missed this many days running in a very long time and I miss it.  I keep telling myself really its only been two runs on my training schedule and I'm actually ahead in my mileage.  But this training schedule was perfectly executed until now.  I know in the long run - an extra rest should be better for me and I don't want to risk injuring my back again.  I'll be going out tonight and play it by ear.

So what to do when you have extra energy from not displacing it with exercise and a giant bowl full of candy sitting on your kitchen counter.... what any normal person would do... bake.  My five year old and I made what I have decided to call Halloween Leftover cookies.  Using diary milk chocolate bars and plain M&Ms in place of chocolate chips in a cookie.  To increase the "nutritional" value of these cookies I did use a pumpkin and oatmeal cookie rather than the straight up chocolate chip, but really I'm not fooling anyone - there is a ton of sugar in these cookies... don't think... just eat preferably warm from the oven.

  Leftover Halloween Cookies

Ingredients 


1 cup  butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 1/3 cups quick cooking oatmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup of Halloween candy (if using chocolate bars chop them into small pieces)

Directions

Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add egg, vanilla and pumpkin beating until smooth.  Combine flour, oats, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and whisk together.  Add dry mixture to butter mixture stirring until well combined.  Stir in candy.

Bake in 350 degree oven and bake for 13 minutes on parchment lined cookie sheets.  Allow to cool completely and store on in a single layer separated by parchment or waxed paper as these cookies have a tendency to stick together. 

Halloween Hangover

If you're like most families with young kids this was probably the scene at your kitchen table last night..

 And maybe today you're not feeling so hot because you helped your kids get rid of some of that candy.  Or maybe I'm just lacking will power and its just me.  I really should be making sure I don't have anymore treats before the race... but those peanut M&M's are calling my name.  They can't be that bad... peanuts are nuts and nuts are good for you - right? 

Speaking of my training - I did have a bit of a scare over the weekend.  On Saturday night I woke up with major back pain and spasms.  All is well now, nothing a massage and ice - heat therapy can't take care of, but I have missed two runs in an otherwise perfectly executed training schedule.  I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that the extra time off allows me to be fully rested before my half in Hamilton this weekend and my marathon in Athens the following weekend.  I do hate missing my runs though. I just keep reminding myself that I'm actually ahead in my total mileage and there is nothing I can do now that will improve my ability to run next Sunday.  And in fact I could end up hurting myself more if I push it at this point. But man - it says to run 5k today.

Before my back started acting up I did go to the Twilight Zoo in Elora.  I ended up not going at night which would have been really cool as the figures are lit up, but it still looks amazing during the day.

Here are some pictures.

Dancing Devils... I think?

A witch caught in a spider web

Another spider

Guitar playing skeleton

 

A shark eating my oldest child

Tim Murton has worked really hard to put together an amazing display at the Elora Centre for the Arts.  There are also some of these characters in some stores throughout Elora. Its a lot of fun to just walk through the school yard and enjoy late fall sunshine with the kids.