After work today I headed to Southpark Mall to pick up my race packet for tomorrow. It STILL hasn’t set in that I’m running an actual race tomorrow. While running the course as a preview was very much appreciated by my legs and mind, it has really made me not take the actual race day too seriously! I hope that doesn’t come back to haunt me. But the difference between this race and a 5K (the only other kind of race I’ve ran) is that I don’t have that "you gotta run so fast you’ll almost die" mentality. I just have to run 13 miles. FUN!
Once home, I discovered Matt had tapped into one of the coveted Naturally Nutty‘s – Vanilla Almond Butter. My second favorite to the Cinnamon Vanilla Sunflower Butter!
I had to have a taste – straight from the jar, yo!
After a bunch of emailing, it was cocktail hour!
I made a mocktail with diet tonic, a splash of POM, a splash of Simply Orange Mango, and 2 cherries. Who needs vodka!?
It was a BEARY exciting afternoon in our house!!!
The bears invited a Great Harvest Breadbear over to play!
I fear there was a little bullying…
He must have tasted great!
Dad stepped in to help
He heard my request for a breadbear!
Dinnertime
The Headless Horsebear.
Homph gomph!
On the menu: homemade lentil burgers!!
Whirl today in food processor (or chop VERY finely and mix by hand) =
- 1 cup cooked green lentils
- 2/3 cup chopped veggies (we used red pepper, carrot + celery but corn would have been nice too!)
- 3 tbsp whole wheat flour
- 3 tbsp pecans
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- "whole lotta pepper" – Matt
Form into patties. Makes 3 burgers.
Bake for about 15 minutes per side at 400*. Just judge for yourself when they’re done – they’ll get a nice brownish crust and will slide around in the pan.
Going in –>
Coming Out (note the brown) –>
My pre-race carb of choice was POTATO!! We cut up 2 small russets and a sweet and baked them at 400* for about 30-40 minutes.
They were seasoned with some of this Garlic Gold. Now I am NOT a big garlic fan and when this box arrived on my doorstep as an Open Sky sample delivery, I have to admit I was not very excited. [Good thing it wasn't onion oil!] However, I was REALLY pleasantly surprised after giving these a sniff test and actually allowed Matt to put them on the taters. Turns out, it was great!! The garlic must be lightly roasted because it doesn’t have that sharp raw taste/smell. We drizzled on a little oil and used the Italian Herb Nugget blend and I was really quite impressed!! Also comes in Parmesan and Sea Salt. Any interest in putting this in the Open Sky shop?? [It's also ORGANIC!]
The burgers turned out FAB.
Nice and gooey but also crispy on the outside and perfect chew. Yum!
Served with arugula, pickle, ketchup and mustard
"What’s taters, Precious?"
If only it were a bit warmer out today! Brrr!
I’m headed to BED now because I have to get up at 4:45 to start pre-race prep!!!
See you at the finish line!
[Knock on wood!]
{ 91 comments… read them below or add one }
haha omg I almost died laughing at the bears surrounding the baked bear. And then your bun…priceless!
Goodluck tomorrow…you are 100% ready and you are going to rock it. Just have fun like you said and you can’t go wrong. Remember that tomorrow is the celebration of your training!
BTW– Matt should start a whole LINE of different bread animals…
Poor old breadbear! However, I’ve forgiven Matt for nibbling on his head because of the pepper comment in your ingredients list. I firmly believe one can NEVER have too much pepper!
Poor bear! I guess he wasn’t that different than a gingerbread boy though, and at least the real bears had a good time playing with him for a while.
Good luck tomorrow, Kath!! When I first started reading your blog almost 2 years ago, I knew this day would come!! You’re gonna rock those 13.1 miles!!!!!
SO long ago!!
this is probably one of my favorite posts ever…the bears and the “precious” reference are awesome!!! can’t wait to hear about the race tomorrow…you’re gonna rock it!
Have a blast running..I’ll be sending you my energy : )
LOL funny bear bread
I was just thinking about how I’m going to need veggie burger recipes for the summer, and that looks great!
I’d like to try Garlic Gold, so if you put it on OpenSky, I might buy it
Good luck tomorrow! We’re all cheering for you and Emily!
haha that bear bread is adorable! I would feel guilty eating its head
Good luck in the race tomorrow!!
ooooh, those burger look scrumptious!
Good luck with the race!!!
The bears are TOO cute!!! Including the bread bear! Bless.
Have a great race and best of luck. Thanks for the great recipe. I’m always looking for good veggie burger recipe’s, and the lentils would pack some good protein. Poor bears head.
Nice looking burgers you guys made there! How long did you process the mixture? My burgers usuall come out overmixed and then there aren’t chunks of veggies or nuts, and they don’t hold together very well, I’ll have to try the olive oil.
Good luck on your race tomorrow, make it memorable!!! ^_^
I just pulsed for about a minute?
The bears crack me up!
Good luck tomorrow, you’re going to rock it!!
Love the pictures with the bears! A quick glance, and I didn’t even realize one of the bears was a bread bear.
Good luck tomorrow!
those lentil burgers look amazing kath…really.
the bears are so cute…i want the bears!…i want that nut butter…and i want a cute hubby…
i want your life
oh my lord that bear bread is cuuuute
I need to try some of this Naturally Nutty — it looks awesome!
The bear scenario was absolutely adorable! The recipe looks delicious, and we can’t wait to try it out!
Good luck on your race (even though you’ll do awesome). Have a great night’s sleep.
Haha! Loove the bear bread! Too cute!
Mmm, garlic oil is so good with roasted potatoes. Might you consider trying it in a salad dressing too?
GOOD LUCK! Kick some grass out there tomorrow. And ERF afterward!
I don’t know – that might be too intense!
This post is SO cute
Good luck tomorrow morning. Just focus on having fun and enjoying the run! You are going to do great. Your dinner sounds absolutely delicious. I love your sense of playfulness and fun. It makes me smile
Good luck, good luck, good luck!!! PS-Love the bread bear
Good luckkkkk!!
Cheering you on for tomorrow~!
So darn cute!!! I was laughing out loud. You seriously come up with the most fun posts to read and your pictures are always amazing! Thank you for brightening up my day, each and every day.
That bear bread is SO cute!! Good luck tomorrow!!
LOL, the bears are TOO cute! Love it
That burger DOES look fab. YUM
Good luck in the race!!!!
Jenn
Good luck and have a blast!
I applaud Matt for “stepping in”
That’s good active parenting . . . gotta be teachin’ them bears the right values
Oh my goodness, those bears are just out of control! Lol….really though, your post just made me so happy. From the bread bear drama to the Lord of the Rings quote to your pre-race meal….a very enjoyable post, Kath! Good luck with your race tomorrow. You’re going to rock it!
Good luck with the race! Finishing a half marathon is one of the best feelings in the world!
I’ve been following for a few months and just tried a SIAB for the first time tonight…delicious!
good luck tomorrow! can’t wait for the recap. I’m running a 1/2 on sunday, but it’s supposed to be stormy:( I hope you have great weather and great time running your 1st 1/2 marathon.
the bear family is precious! i love the breadbear! so cute!
Good luck, Kath! Can’t wait to hear about the race. Have fun!!!
Bread Bears should DEFINITELY be your Great Harvest specialty. I can absolutely see that catching on big time…. Don’t rule it out!! And that Garlic Gold looks *very* interesting.
Oh no, the Donbear Party got him.
Good luck at your race! You’ll be great. My ankle’s busted but otherwise I would have been right there with you in two weeks at the Nashville half.
LOL!
Good luck tomorrow!!! Glad you can eat lots of good food before you run…I was restricted to white bread, pnut butter and bananas…pretty delicious but not like YOUR dinner!!
WIsh I was going to be there..I loved that race last year. I’ll be thinkin about ya!!!!! xo
I love how your burger buns are made out of the bear! Too funny.
I’m wishing you an infinite amount of good luck for tomorrow!!! I will be thinking about you
Burgers look AWESOME! Good luck!
good luck with your race! i’m going for one half marathon (12 miles) in june and i’m scared! The furthest ive done is 10k and now i just do a daily 3 k and i feel like dying!!!
Good luck anyways!
Jac
Good luck tomorrow!!!!
You will be an amazing paretnt someday.
Laughing at the bear attack! Good luck on the Race tomorrow!
I love the bear!!! Animal shaped baking is the best!!
GOOD LUCK TODAY!!!
And thankyou for this post – you’ve just solveed the age old question of ‘what to cook for dinner tonight’
Those lentil burgers sound fabulous, must try them someday! And how cute is that bear bread!!
Oh my goodness that bread bear is too cute for words. I may even try making one despite NOT being a baker AT ALL.
Good luck on your race tomorrow!
Noooooo…. you definitely sacrificed that poor, defenceless bear at the Half Marathon God’s alter- I hope it worked! Somehow I don’t think Sam or Frodo would approve of your adventures this morning- especially without the aid of lembas bread… make sure you get your elevenses and Best of British Kath!
I hope your race goes well! Those lentil burgers look interesting.
Oh my, the breadbear is too cute!!!
You’re going to rock the race, Kath! I bet you’ll be surprised by how awesome you do
Good Luck Kath! I know you will finish with a great time. Remmeber you already did this once, it’s a piece O’ cake. And I know you like cake
I LOVE your little scenes with the bears. SO cute! They always make me smile =D
Good luck!!!
xo
K
Yum — those burgers look delish!
ROCK IT OUT today!!
You are going to ROCK that half marathon. The most important thing? HAVE FUN!
I do enjoy reading about your experience through the process of becoming an RD. However, you honestly don’t eat any normal food, or at least that I have really seen on this blog. I’m not criticizing you for being healthy I think that it’s a wonderful thing, but you never chose steaks, hamburgers, fries, candy, fish, white bread, pizza, potatoes, chips, chicken? It seems like your indulgences are a little bite of chocolate after dinner. You strive for perfection in your diet. What happens when you go to other people’s houses and there’s absolutely no healthy options? Do you bring your own snack? It just doesn’t set a good example for people who want balance and moderation in their diet. It looks like you care about the nutrition in your food more than enjoying the taste of it. Not trying to be rude at all, this is just my perspective of the blog.
Candace,
Who’s to say what “normal” is!? Normal in this country is not healthy. That’s why 66% of us are overweight. If you’ve ever enjoyed a meal with me, you’d know that I absolutely love the taste of so many foods. After several years of eating foods that make me feel good, I really have no desire to eat candy or junk food. And I DO eat steaks, fish, chicken, potatoes (which are in this post!?), burgers, fries – all of that stuff. I just try to eat meals that were raised ethically, which unfortunately rules out a lot of commercial foods.
I think you need to read some more of my blog before making these assumptions..
I know you’ll do great! I love all the bear pictures, hilarious.
Good luck! I’m thinkin of you and wishing you the best race possible!!
Love the bread bear! That is so adorable…good luck on the race, you’ll rock it!
I estimate you are at about mile 10 right now…go go go!!!
HAHA love the bear pics, too cute!
Making veggie/lentil burgers homemade is the only way to do it–I’m very choosy. Those look ah-maze-ing.
Laura,
I didn’t know the expression “Best of British.” Fun!
Your lentil burgers look wonderful!! Thanks for the recipe.
Good luck at the race! You will do great!
Totally just saw a videocast about you on Current TV this morning. What an unexpected surprise! I hope your race went well!
Welcome!
Congratulations on the half marathon! I’m sure you did wonderfully and beat last week’s time! The lentil burgers look delicious!
Good luck today! You can DO it! I would def be interested in the nuggets not the oil though…
Good luck at your race!! I had lentil burgers last night too! I used oats instead of flour and couldn’t get them to stick together very well. I’ll have to try your way!! And I’d love to see that garlic oil in Open Sky – you had me at “organic”
Good luck with the race today!
That bear bread is so cute I could just eat him up… pun intended!
I just tried making homemade black bean burgers the other day and they were delicious! I will definitely have to try them using lentils next time. I hope your race went well today, can’t wait to hear about it!
Good luck on the race!!! I’m sure you’ll do fabulously. Looking forward to hearing all about it laterrrss
good luck in your race! looks like a perfect pre-race meal. and i loved the bear pictures! hahahaa.
What a fun post! I’d love to try the garlic stuff… and all the best on your race, you’re probably into recovery mode now, looking forward to the debrief.
Best!
Good luck today at the race! You’ll do wonderfully
Love that Matt makes you bread bears, that is so funny and sweet 
~Maggie
Haha, love the latest bear adventures! Those burger look SO good!
Haha, love the latest bear adventures! Those burgers look SO good!
Thank you so much for the lentil burger recipe – I am having girlfriends over for dinner and I am excited to make them. My burgers have been falling apart lately and these look superb!
Congrats on your race
I can’t believe I am such a big fan of your blog (and you…your energy, spirit, drive, and dedication inspire me and amaze me daily) and yet, I am going to use my very first comment post to correct you on something. Please know, that as rude as it is to correct someone in a public forum, I am only doing so because I can sense that you are a bit of a perfectionist and would welcome the tip if only I knew you personally and had the opportunity to gently mention it one-on-one. Since I don’t, as an English major and former editor, I just cannot help myself. Also, if you weren’t a runner (so that this has come up more than once in the past and likely will in the future too) I would probably refrain. Okay, enough lead-up — here are the proper tenses of the verb “run”: Yesterday I RAN. Today I will RUN. I HAVE RUN (not ran–it is NEVER “have ran”) many times in the past. Alright, lesson over. I know… you are really good at math (NOT ME!) and science. I’m a grammar geek.
Please forgive me. And also, I have not ever run a half anything…so more kudos to you there!!!
Thanks for the lesson, Eva
Hi Kath,
I recently started reading your blog and love it. I tried making your lentil burgers today, since they looked so yummy, but mine came out terrible. They were really soggy, and when I went to flip them in the oven, they were so mushy in the middle that they just fell apart. Any suggestions? Thanks!
It sounds like you had too much liquid