Sunday, November 23, 2008

Rutabagas and running

A few weeks ago I went on a fresh veggie binge. I bought all kinds of seasonal vegetables with the intention of enjoy the harvests of fall. Then, a friend brought me over a large box of, you guessed it, vegetables. I have been eating lots of veggies ever since.

But there was a bit of a problem. I'm getting down to the last of them and there remained two, now-forlorn-looking rutabaga turnips. Oh dear.

Truth be told, I'm not a big fan of rutabagas. I mean, I'll eat them if I'm at someone's house and they are served for dinner, but let's just say that they do not appear on my list of Top 100 favorite foods.

But I'm even less of a fan of throwing out perfectly good, healthy food.

So, I went on a quest to find creative rutabaga recipes.

The Ginger Rutabaga Muffins turned out pretty well. The ginger really makes them, I think.

The mixed, roasted seasonal veggies that I did with potatoes, carrots and rutabaga, all tossed in some olive oil, salt, pepper and chili-infused honey were great!

But the best, by far, has been the Silky Rutabaga Apple Soup. I absolutely love blended veggie soups and this one is deee-vine!

Now, all my turnip has been used up and I'm a happy camper.

Oh yeah, and I had a great 17.78 km (11.05 mi) training run yesterday. It was windy, but otherwise a nice day for a long run. I have noticed that the long runs are not taking as much out of me as they used to. Although I'm tired later in the day, I don't come home puking, crapping or basically passing out as soon as I see the couch. Now I get home, have a shower and carry on with the day. I never thought it could be like that. But I am sure glad it has become that way. :-)

I've been researching, reading and planning. But not for my thesis. I'm taking a bit of a break from that for now. I've been looking into running, of course. I have set up a training program for the Calgary Marathon next year. Training starts today. I have 27 weeks to get myself ready.

There. I've declared it. I have a plan. Here's hoping I make it.

9 comments:

Alexandra said...

There you go! My suggestion wins! Sleeping in your own bed and eating your own food the night before your very first marathon is a big plus! That is, if you are not working in the States by then and having to come back for the race!

Your turnip recipes sound delicious! I like them mixed with brown sugar and apple and baked in the oven.

Great work on getting a 17.78km run in and still having energy to carry on with your day!

Anonymous said...

Yay for plans!!

And chili-infused honey sounds amazing. I don't know if I could eat rutabagas at all, regardless of how they are cooked up...

Backofpack said...

Yay!! You are gonna run a marathon! You've got plenty of time and will do just great. Isn't it great once you become so fit that the long run doesn't kill you? I can carry on after a marathon now, never thought that would happen. Enjoy the training journey - it's half the fun!

Claire MW said...

I love rutabagas, although parsnips are definitely my fave. I will be trying those recipes! Thanks for the inspiration!

Legs and Wings said...

I don't think you need 27 weeks. I think you're ready now and it's just a matter of hanging in until the gun sounds. This will be fun.

I've got a 26 week plan...honestly, I do need all 26 weeks to prep. We'll compare notes.

Runner Leana said...

I'm not a huge fan of rutabagas either, but those recipes actually sound pretty good. Thanks for sharing.

And yay! You are going for your first marathon!!!

ipm said...

I ate a fair amount of turnips in the UK... yummy!

happy running... it's such a treat to read your running joys... :)))

Unknown said...

It's great that you have a plan to get you to Calgary. I know you will be successful. Enjoy the break from the thesis.

Anonymous said...

Great work!! I have been returning for two weeks from an injury and I have been started to run only about 3 miles and I am feeling horrible!! Just lie qhn I was starting to run

Great work!!

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