Hola!
Oh man, I had The. Worst. Run. this afternoon. I wasn’t terribly exciting about going running, but the weather was so gorgeous that I convinced myself I would enjoy it once I was out there. Not this time! First off, my dumb iPod headphones would NOT stay in!! They kept bouncing out all over the place. I am still not sure if it was the fleece I was wearing or more likely, the fact that was chilly outside and my ears weren’t sweaty to hold them in and/or they shrunk in the cold air! Whatever the case, I almost CRIED in the middle of it I was so mad. Then I was 2.5 miles out and my stomach felt like it had a rock in there. I just can’t run if I have any veggies at lunch. I finally just stopped and walked for about 10 minutes, and then I got COLD! The sun was setting and the earth was freezing over again. So I picked up the pace and trudged back home. I did about 5 miles, but only because I was 2.5 miles from home when I quit!
About an hour before I left I had this snack, which didn’t feel that heavy at the time, but probably didn’t contribute to my vegetable filled stomach. I was really, really hungry when I got home from class and wanted something filling.
Toast with PB + PB and an apple and tea.
When I walked through the door after my run the husband had cracked open a beer. I took a few glugs – how refreshing!
Dinner redeemed the evening! We made this recipe I stumbled upon a few weeks ago on Megan’s Munchies: Black Bean Pumpkin Polenta Chili.
Only we discovered we had no black beans!! So we used pinto instead. Here’s what went into our pot based on what we had in stock:
- Can diced tomatoes
- Can of pumpkin (the husband accidentally put the whole can instead of just half a cup!)
- 6 oz can of tomato paste (because we didn’t have sauce)
- Can pinto beans
- 1/2 tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 tbsp pumpkin pie spice (he doesn’t like spices so we went lighter on these)
- Few dashes cayenne (but he does like spicy spice!)
- About 1.5 cups veggie broth
- 1/2 cup quick cooking polenta, such as Bob’s Red Mill
It was awesommmmmmmmme! Nice and thick and perfectly tomato chili with just the essence and thickness of pumpkin. I topped mine with a little almonds –
On the side we had a mix of cheddar and sesame Kashis
And finally, the husband brought home a huuuuge cosmic brownie from Great Harvest and I had a piece of it while he chowed down on the rest.
I am stuffed with chili and ready to go read in bed.
Tomorrow’s FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!! We’ve got plans to pass out candy with our neighbors over some pizza, salad and beer. And I think we’re assembling a fire pit in their yard for s’mores!!!!!!!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE roasted marshmallows. Sounds like it’s going to be a sweet day!
Megan says
So sorry your run didn’t go so well, but I am glad that you enjoyed the chili. I will have to try it with pinto beans next time!
Your Halloween plans sound fun!
magpie says
Sounds like a redeeming dinner 🙂
Have a great evening and ENJOY tomorrow!!
Justy2003 says
S’mores are my favorite!!!! I LOVE the combination of the marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers. YUM!
VeggieGirl says
Ahh, so sorry about your run 🙁 But hooray for a delicious PB+B & apple snack, chili, and brownie!! 🙂
Ooooh, your day tomorrow is going to be FABULOUS.
Mariposa says
love the chili… I might be tempted to use that same recipe- thanks for sharing!!
I hate it when workouts stink! hope tomorrow is better!
Evey says
That brownie looks amazing! I love how you always seem to satisfy any craving you might have, but in a healthy and moderate manner.
You are a great model eater, for sure!
Have a good night!
Madison (FollowMyWeigh) says
sounds like a fun halloween =D. you have so much self-control with the brownie!!
gina (fitnessista) says
tomorrow sounds like it’s going to be a blasty 😀
what a great chili recipe– i’m always excited to come across ones that have a little more than just beans in them!
have a great night, kath!
Jenny says
Sorry for your rough run, I hate those, but sometimes you just have off days!
Sounds like tomorrow night will be tons of fun, yay for s’mores! 🙂
Laura says
Sounds like my kind of night! I love bonfires/fire pits in the fall.
Sorry to hear about your run! Tomorrow’s another day. 🙂
coco says
sorry about the run!
but I’m sure the polenta pumpkin chili made you smile, because I made it already last week and it’s awesome.
Foodie (Fab and Delicious Food) says
The chili sounds really good!
HangryPants says
I have not been feeling my runs lately either. I wonder what’s up with us?
emmy says
I loooooove ‘smores! Husband and I were just talking about the fact that we haven’t had real ‘smores in ages (one time in college we made them over a modified bic lighter but it was not quite the same!).
Lee (seelivelee) says
that soup looks really hearty and festive!! i really admire your palette it is quite exquisite! tomorrow sounds like a good day-keep that in mind!! sorry your run did not go as planned, but it seems as though your keeping your chin up which is important. goodnight!
Nick says
Smores are the absolute best. That’s an excellent Halloween idea, one I intend to copy if the situation arises!
Amy says
Sorry about the run, but at least you tried your best and made it home without being too discouraged. Lovely looking dinner, dessert, and snacks! Have fun tomorrow.
kwaze says
Help please! I am making a sick friend dinner next week. She is on a low sodium diet. I have looked at Cookinglight.com and haven’t really seen anything that looks very appealing. Does anyone have any suggestions or recipe ideas? She is trying to avoid all canned food…so there goes my idea for making stuffed shells! I am not about to cut up 12 pounds of tomatoes:)
Gliding Calm says
Sorry about the poopy run. That’s frustrating. And I totally know what you mean about the ipod headphones…sometimes they seem to never fall out, and other times it’s like every 2 steps I am fumbling to adjust them again!
The dinner looks amazing though! Black beans & pumpkin sound like a wonderful combo!
Have a great Halloween Friday Kath!! Are you dressing up and just keeping us in suspense of your costume? Hopefully you’ll have some fun pictures to share!
Take care!
loveitorleaveit says
Removed for moderation
Juliet says
Oh it is such a bummer when your mind says yes and your body says no. You just have to remember that there will be plenty more days to run when they are in sync… 🙂
Lee says
The best thing I ever did was buy a normal cheap set of headphones for my ipod. works so much better than the buds that come with it.
Jules27 says
This may be a little gross but whenever my earphones start to fall out on cold days because theres no sweat to keep them stuck in my ear I just lick my finger and rub it on the earphone and it seems to always work.
Katie R says
I used to have the same problem with my headphones falling out of my ears when running–it drove me batty! Last spring I bought a simple pair of behind the ear headphones, and they are amazing! They have good sound quality and I no longer am adjusting my earbuds every other minute. I think I have gotten faster since purchasing them 🙂 If you’re interested, I bought Sennheiser PMX70 Sport ones, but there are a variety of similar styles / brands available.
caitlin says
aaaaaaaaaw i hate that feeling! i hope your next run is more fun! 🙂
sirenjess says
Sorry about your run. I know how you feel about having a bad run. I’ve been training for the San Antonio rnr marathon and there have been days when I run and they suck. Have you tried to run without your ipod? I use to run with it but now I’ve been doing all my running without it and I actually enjoy it more. Gives me time to think.
I have a question for anyone. How many calories are in acorn squash? I bought one already halved at my grocery store and I was wondering is the cal count for a cup or the half of an acorn squash?
LT says
Oh, my, it’s only 6:30 here, and my mouth is watering…because I love Black Beans, and I love Pumpkin, and I love Polenta, and I love Chili. So I just know that I would love Black Bean Pumpkin Polenta Chili!!! Can’t wait to try it. Have fun tonight, Spooky McSpookerson!
jayne says
my ipod headphones play the same little annoying game when it dips below 50 or so. It seems the cord gets “crispier” (taut is maybe a better word…stiffer? I’ll stop) and hits against my fleece or whatever. I found that tying a little knot in the cord below my chin and giving the cord less slack helps them stay in in the cold.
that was probably WAY too much analysis for headphones 🙂
Holly says
That chili looks AMAZing. I hope your next run goes better! 🙂
Katie says
I haaaaate runs like that. 🙁 So sorry. I hope your next run is awesome to make up for it. 🙂
Cat says
Katie R – I got the same Sennheiser PMX70 Sport headphones and am so in love with them!! I git them under the suggestion of a work colleague who has run marathons with his and had no problems. And so far, neither have I!
Moran says
Sorry about the run Kath…I HATE when my headphones don’t stay in place!
Happy Halloween!!
Joanne says
I’ve had mornings like that where just trying to get out the door seems like there is something saying “Don’t do it …not a good day to run today” and what normally takes about 10 minutes to get going, ends up taking 20 or more! The best part is when you get done you can say “AH! at least I did it and didn’t quit!”. Bet your next run goes great!
Kath says
kwaze ,
There are lots of low-sodium canned foods available – tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, beans, veggies, etc. I would look into those. Or maybe you could do some soups that you use low-sod. chicken stock as a base and fresh things like butternut squash and sweet potato, kale, low-sod. beans (or dried beans) to mix in.
Gliding Calm,
We are dressing up! You’ll see 🙂
Jules27 ,
Gross, but great suggestion!
sirenjess ,
I don’t always run with it and now seems like a good time to ditch it 👿
Check CalorieKing.com for squash info. I know they have it.
Kath
runjess says
They can’t all be good, right? At least your food looks great!