Runner With A Hunger

November 21, 2018

While blogging about the baby in my last post, I realized he was probably not properly introduced or formally announced to the blog world. 😚😜

This is Mr. Henry born October 23rd.

Posing with his medal from his first half marathon; hey, he was there! 😁 And dreaming sweet dreams of more races in his future. ❤🏃 We are totally in love! 😍

In addition to sharing our new addition, there’s something to satisfy the bakers here, too. I like to bake for people to thank them sometimes. For the OB doctor and nurses I made this Nutella cheesecake (my doctor had a bit of a love for Nutella…) I made it a week or two in advance and then put it in the freezer so I could take it out and take with me when the time came! I think it went over well; everyone seemed to enjoy it.

Ferrero Rocher Nutella Cheesecake: I can’t take credit for the recipe, but I did adapt it some from the original (found at bestcookingtime.com). I can tell you it’s super rich, for a good reason- it contains almost 3 whole jars of Nutella.

Ferrero Rocher Nutella Cheesecake
For a 10″ cheesecake:
Crust:
2 1/2 cups Graham cracker crumbs
1 cups rice krispies cereal, slightly crushed
1/2 cup roasted hazelnuts, finely chopped
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter (or margarine)
1/2 cup Nutella
Cheesecake:
4 (8 oz) blocks cream cheese
1 1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
6 eggs
4 tbsp corn starch
1 3/4 cups Nutella (15.9 oz container + 1/4 cup)
2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate, melted
Ganache topping:
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate (chips or finely chopped)
1/2 cup Nutella
1 cup whipping cream
2 Tbsp butter, room temperature
2/3 cup finely chopped roasted hazelnuts
*Reserve 1 cup of the ganache mixture to decorate the top

For the crust: Line the outside of a 10″ spring form pan with two layers of foil to protect from water seeping in while cooking in water bath.
Combine the dry ingredients. Then combine butter and Nutella and microwave 30-45 seconds until melted. Mix together with dry ingredients. Press in bottom and up sides of pan. Set aside.
For the cheesecake: Preheat oven to 350*.
Combine cream cheese, sore cream, sugar, whipping cream and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing just long enough incorporate.
Scrape sides of bowl and mix in corn starch. Add in the Nutella and melted chocolate, mix until combined. Do not over mix.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Place prepared pan/cheesecake in a roaster type pan that will hold water to bake cheesecake in a water bath. Fill with hot water around cheesecake, 3/4 up the side.
Bake on the middle rack at 350* for the first 30 minutes, then decrease temperature to 250* and bake for another 75 minutes. Then turn off oven and let sit for one hour with oven off. Remove from oven and allow for cool to room temperature before placing in refrigerator.

To make the ganache: Combine chopped chocolate, Nutella, whipping cream and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in 1 minute intervals until melted and without lumps. Reserve one cup for decorating the top. Then add the chopped nuts to what remains and pour over the top of the completely cooled cheesecake.

Chill and enjoy!

November 20, 2018

I’ve started to write a few different blog posts since the baby was born 4 weeks ago and none of them have made it past the ‘draft’ stage lol. Been a little busy…

But I did set a goal for myself to do a Thanksgiving run… because I always enjoy a nice early morning Thanksgiving run. It’s my second favorite holiday (second to 4th of July) and I always use my running time as time spent with God, time to reflect, think, be thankful…so Thanksgiving day is definitely a great time for all of that! And I’ve definitely been itching to get back out there!

Anyway, the baby has been a great sleeper at night for the most part and it just happened to work out that I was feeding him from 4:45- 5:45am and thought ‘hey I have time to squeeze a little run in.’ By the time I actually finished feeding him and got around and out the door, I only had 30 minutes before I had to be back to get the older two ready for school…so I did what I could. I was a bit slow but trying to cut myself some slack, right?

I was proud of myself for being out there 4 weeks post-baby. It wasn’t without some aches and pains but nothing to write home about. I’m sure each run will improve.

I’m already very aware that it’s going to be more of a challenge to get out running. If it were the time of year where the weather was nice, I could pick up and go with the baby jogging stroller, but I don’t want to take him out in the too awful cold.

For any other new moms or moms-to-be that run and are reading this, I’ve done some reading about nursing and running also. I wasn’t as big into running back when my other two were born, so this is new to me and I had some questions/concerns!

Some of the articles I found helpful:

https://www.lllusa.org/running-and-breastfeeding/

https://www.todaysparent.com/family/6-things-i-wish-i-knew-about-breastfeeding-and-exercise/

https://www.womensrunning.com/2016/01/training/tips-breastfeeding-runners_53288

Hopefully if someone like myself is looking for input, they will find this helpful!

Looking forward to more runs in the near future!

October 21, 2018

What do you do when you’re waiting for a baby to arrive? I powerwalk and cook/bake apparently…but it hasn’t helped yet lol. 😜

Anyway, spent some time in the kitchen today, making lots of yummy fall favorites! This is something different for the pumpkin lovers…Pumpkin Chili. Don’t knock it ’til you try it! It’s not much different from traditional chili, but has obviously a subtle pumpkin flavor with a warm cinnamon under toan as well.

We used to have an annual Halloween party and I always made this pumpkin chili, even some of the pickiest eaters loved it and looked forward to it at our gathering each year.

When I make it for our family, I can’t serve it without delicious sweet homemade cornbread and honey pecan butter…but you’ll have to check back again in the near future for those recipes. For now, give the pumpkin chili a try… 😉

Pumpkin Chili
2 lbs of ground meat (beef/turkey/venison)
1 medium onion
1 can (15 oz) chili beans, undrained
1 large can (40 oz) kidney beans, undrained
1 bottle (12 oz) chili sauce
1 can condensed tomato soup, undiluted
1 cup pumpkin
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp chili powder

In dutch oven, brown ground meat and onion until no longer pink, then drain. Stir in remaining ingredients, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

(I typically use half ground beef, half ground turkey.)

Enjoy!

October 14, 2018

First off for those wondering if your baby guess was correct…that’s still to be determined- no baby yet.

I’m here to share my favorite pie. I LOVE rhubarb and thankfully had some in the freezer to make this yummy fall pie: Rhubarb Apple! Trust me it’s a perfect combination! Growing up, strawberry rhubarb was my favorite pie, which is undoubtedly delicious, but I promise this combination will not let you down!

This is the perfect taste of fall and a fairly easy pie. For starters it has a crumb topping, so only requires you to make one pie crust! This crumb topping isn’t just taking the easy way out, the walnuts add a crunch that truly complete this pie!

You don’t have to take my word for it, try it for yourself:

Rhubarb Apple Pie
4 Tbsp butter- divided
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar- divided
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp flour
Approximately 3-4 cups rhubarb
4 apples, peeled and sliced (I use McIntosh)
1/4 cup cider
Pinch of nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup crushed walnuts
1 single pie crust/shell, bottom crust only

In a large saute pan, melt 2 Tbsp of butter. Add white sugar and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar, lemon juice, and 1 Tbsp flour. Stir one minute until sugars are disolved.
Add rhubarb, cook 4-6 minutes (little longer if using frozen rhubarb).
Add apples and cook another 3 minutes.
Add cider, cook 1 minute and then add spices. Remove from heat.
(May add approximately 2 Tbsp tapioca if needed. I always do.) Let cool while you make the crumb topping.
Combine 2 Tbsp butter, brown sugar, flour and walnuts. Mix with fork until crumbly.
Pour fruit pie filling into pastry shell, top with crumb topping.
Bake at 350* for 45 minutes. Best to cover edge of crust until the last 15 minutes of baking.
Enjoy!

October 7, 2018

Now that October is here, I’m ready to jump on the ‘everything pumpkin’ bandwagon; September is just too early for me. One of our favorite fall breakfasts is Pumpkin Pancakes! These are the most pillowy soft, fluffy pancakes I’ve ever had.

I’m also a fan of the pumpkin and chocolate combo…if you are as well, feel free to sprinkle these babies with some chocolate chips once they’re on the griddle; I don’t think you’ll regret it. 😉

Getting straight to the recipe today:

Pumpkin Pancakes
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin (*not pumpkin pie filling)
1 egg
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp vinegar
2 cups flour (can substitute half whole wheat flour)
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp all spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt

Mix the dry ingredients and set aside. Mix wet ingredients and add to the dry ingredients.
I add chocolate chips sparingly once they are on the griddle.
I heat my griddle to 300*.
Enjoy!

September 22, 2018

Just a little blurb to let ya know I’m still doing what I love!

When you love running as much as I do it’s hard to think about giving it up for the next 2+ months…so I’m just not ready yet 😁🏃❤
I may be slow and have to walk at times but #35.5 weeks and I’m still plugging away …and loving it!

Still baking too…my obgyn has a love of Nutella I guess. So I baked him some Nutella Blondie’s this week for my appointment. Kind of used them as a bribe to get out of some tests I felt were unnecessary. (Yes nurses make the worst patients!) But hey it worked! He told the secretary when she took the bars back that he knew exactly who they were from and I could have anything I wanted! 😂

I’m guessing within the next month we’ll have a baby….boy or girl? Take a friendly guess on the date and gender and we’ll see who wins! Maybe I’ll even do some sort of give away for the one who is correct! 😍 Comment here or on my Facebook page: Runner with a hunger .

September 19, 2018

Sitting here, in one of my favorite places, relaxing and reflecting on my day. I had a close call that really shook me up. While on my lunch break I was nearly in a car accident that would not have been good- 35 weeks pregnant or not.

It was not my fault; long story short an (oblivious) elderly man wearing the big cataract shades, who probably couldn’t see completely around a tree cutting truck on the corner, did not see me and left his stop sign as I was going through (without a stop sign). All I could think was ‘oh my word he’s going to hit me!’ Had I not pressed on the gas and veered to the far right and edge of the grass/street facing the wrong direction, he would have surly hit me in my driver’s side door.

Anyway it was scary and I was quite shaken but it didn’t take more than a second to thank God that I was completely ok.

The coolest part, or probably the only cool part about this story is that after I told my friend Rachel (and personal OB nurse 😉) what had happened she said for whatever reason she felt the need to pray protection over me and the baby this morning! 😇 So cool. I love God things…no such thing as coincidence! Thankful for praying friends and God’s protection today! ❤

August 25, 2018

I already posted about my run and how I’m so thankful I can stay active, but I didn’t really share what was on my heart during my beautiful early morning run today.

I only listen to music while running if it’s light out; I just don’t feel safe doing so in the dark. It seems like 80% of my runs are in the dark, early mornings, so it’s rare that I listen to music. When I do, my playlist is a mix of things, probably 70% Christian music.

Today, one of the first songs that came on was a favorite of mine…my all-time favorite this time last year. Tauren Well’s Hills and Valleys . If you’ve never heard it, I suggest you take a quick listen (and if you’ve never heard this acoustic version, it’s worth your time too)! Love this song.

But I realized while running this morning…as different words spoke to me…or maybe I should say as God opened my ears to different parts of the song and struck a cord in my heart differently from all the other times I listened to it, it took on a whole new meaning.

I’m not one to really replay songs while I run, I just let the random list play…but I must have listened to this song over and over for at least 2/3 of my run this morning.

Here are the lyrics and I’ve highlighted the words that kept jumping out at me, replaying in head, as if God was saying…let this sink in.

I’ve walked among the shadows
You wiped my tears away
And I’ve felt the pain of heartbreak
And I’ve seen the brighter days
And I’ve prayed prayers to heaven from my lowestplace
And I have held the blessings
God, you give and take away

No matter what I have, Your grace is enough
No matter where I am, I’m standing in Your love

On the mountains, I will bow my life
To the one who set me there
In the valley, I will lift my eyes to the one who sees me there
When I’m standing on the mountain aft, didn’t get there on my own
When I’m walking through the valley end, no I am not alone!
You’re God of the hills and valleys!
Hills and Valleys!
God of the hills and valleys
And I am not alone!

I’ve watched my dreams get broken
In you I hope again!
No matter what I know
Know I’m safe inside Your hand

(Chorus)

Father, you give and take away
Every joy and every pain
Through it all you will remain
Over it all!

Father, you give and take away
Every joy and every pain
Through it all you will remain
Over it all!

On the mountains, I will bow my life
To the one who set me there (to the one who set me there)
In the valley, I will lift my eyes to the one who sees me there
When I’m standing on the mountain aft, didn’t get there on my own
When I’m walking through the valley end, no I am not alone!
You’re God of the hills and valleys!
Hills and Valleys!
God of the hills and valleys
And I am not alone!
You’re God of the hills and valleys!
Hills and Valleys!
God of the hills and valleys
And I am not alone!

And I will choose to say “Blessed be Your name, yeah, yeah”

And I am not alone

Maybe this means nothing to you and that’s ok, God was speaking to my heart, not yours. But I hope you enjoyed the song!

I’m thankful anytime God speaks to my heart. I also feel a nudging to re-read Soul Care, which I’d highly recommend. (Link if interested.)

I’ve read it and ‘worked through junk in my soul’ once or twice before, but it’s funny how ‘new junk’ seems to acquire. (Just like all the junk I’ve been hoeing out of my house!) We all have our own junk, I guess it’s just a matter of how we deal with it. Some of my junk is really weighing me down and I know I’m not the light that God wants me to be when I’m being weighed down by ‘stuff.’

Ok I’ve shared a good song and a great book, food for thought, now I really do have to continue on with laundry and all that fun stuff! 😎 ✌

August 25, 2018

It was a beautiful morning for a run! I know I missed a beautiful sunrise because I saw it from the window while I was getting ready. It made me wish I had gotten my but out of bed 20 minutes earlier, but after a full week back to work, first week of school, I had no desire to get up before 6am. (I had two 4:30am mornings to get runs in before work, so 6 am was sleeping in!)

Because I’m a bit slower, I’ve only had time to do 3-3.5 miles the last couple weeks so I was thankful that I was able (capable and had time) to get 4 miles in today. And it felt good! If I could give one piece of advice, based on one thing I’ve taken away from this (third) pregnancy, is to stay active! If you’re able of course. I thank God every time I’m out running (or even mowing the lawn) that I’ve been able to remain active and healthy this pregnancy. I know some women are just not able to or are put on restrictions to maintain the health of the pregnancy, and I feel terrible for them…that would kill me!

This is the first pregnancy I’ve ran through and I’ve definitely seen the benefits. I mentioned last time the drastically awesome effect it had on my glucose scores and it’s also helped me maintain a healthy weight/not gain too much weight this pregnancy. I was actually a little paranoid before my appointment this past week as I hadn’t gained any weight in nearly 3 weeks. I was worried if I wasn’t gaining, maybe the baby wasn’t growing like it should. But a routine ultrasound confirmed baby is growing healthy and measuring right on target. So I’ll take it! August was a busy month of mowing, running, home projects, lots of activities, so I think all in all it contributed to my lack of weight gain; but baby is growing healthy.

I was so worried that I was going to gain a bunch of weight this pregnancy (I was a whale with #2) and not be able to lose it now that I’m at the ‘advanced maternal age’ of 35. 🙄 (I feel old everytime I go to the doctor.) Anyway I share this with you, in case you are in the same boat or curious about staying active in your pregnancy! Always check with your doctor first though! You also shouldn’t start anything new at this point; my body was very used to running so it was approved by my doctor to continue as tolerated.

Well, on to piles of laundry and more home projects that need done before the baby comes. 😉 I miss my free time all week to get this stuff done! Back to the real world, I know! Enjoy your day…