Recent Eats: Thanksgiving

Every Thanksgiving, there is nothing that I am more thankful than my mom's cooking. Coming home from college makes this even more special. My mom always makes whatever I want when I come home, and this year she put in extra work to make sure that my first gluten free thanksgiving was all I wanted it to be. I ate a lot of really good food last weekend, but these were my favorites. 

Thanksgiving dinner of course was great. I don't love turkey, but I am all about the sides. I had sweet-potato apple puree, kale salad with apples and dried cranberries, cranberry sauce and a mix of roasted veggies. It was so nice to have a full, delicious plate of food. I loved how it had so many colors and flavors. 

I ate a lot of kale salad when I am home, but that is because it is one of my favorite foods. I made sure to change it up every time because I had so many options. The first salad had avocado, honey crisp apple, pumpkin seeds and pomegranate seeds. The second salad also had avocado and pomegranate seeds, and I also added leftover roasted veggies and cauliflower rice. If I always had my way in life, I would be eating big fancy salads like this almost everyday. 

I never get pancakes anymore, so my mom made these yummy oatmeal-based pumpkin pancakes. Even though I eat a lot of oatmeal, these really hit the spot and were one of my favorite parts of the weekend. I ate these pancakes with local maple syrup and local pears. Putting maple syrup on fresh fruit is always so good, and is one of my favorite parts of eating pancakes, well and the pancakes of course.

 

 

My mom and I wanted to make a fun but simple appetizer one night, so we made these brie apple bites. We used almond flour based crackers, sliced brie and then topped each cracker with sautéed apple. After the picture, I decided they all needed cracked pepper as well. This made them so good. I love cooking like this where it is't a recipe but instead going by what might taste good. 

 My roommate at school is also gluten free, and she had been telling me about a certain gluten free pizza at Costco that has a cauliflower crust. I decided to try it out last weekend, and let me tell you, it was so good. I have been craving pizza for so long and this hit the spot perfectly.

Now for my favorite thing I ate all weekend, over and over again- pumpkin bread pudding. I have always loved bread pudding and since it is so easy to make gluten free (just substitute the bread), my mom made sure we had it as the gluten free dessert for thanksgiving. This bread pudding has a really good caramel sauce that goes on top, and is actually the best fall dessert. I ate this every night and it was disappointing to not have a yummy dessert being back at school. 

I was not let down this Thanksgiving. I was surrounded by the people I love, eating amazing good food and having a great time. This year really showed me how much I have to be thankful for, even if I did have to spend of a lot of the weekend studying for a chemistry exam. 

xoxo,

Maddie 

Madison Marathon in Review

      I have officially finished with my 4 months of marathon training! (Well, I finished it a couple weeks ago, but better late than never) I had previously posted (here) my game plan for training along with possible set backs I might comes across, and of course my goals. Training started off really well, but didn't continue that way. My training pretty much had two phases, marked by everything going well and then getting hurt. 

      To start, everything was going perfectly. I had no problem making long run routes and finishing them fairly quickly. No matter how far I was running, my pace was typically around an 8:30 mile. I easily found gels that I liked for mid-run fuel, which are Stinger. Fun enough, the first brand I tried was GU since that is was is given during most races and I couldn't stand it. I actually had to spit it out in the middle of a park (oops). Now the idea of those gels makes me nauseous but the Stinger Gels did the trick. I was really enjoying my runs and not having any problems with motivation. This was all happening through my 16 mile long run... and then I raced a half marathon. 

     The week before the half, my hip had been starting to bother me so I took a day or two off to see if that helped. I was feeling alright for the half marathon, so I decided to go for it. My mom and I had been planning on running it together, but since my pace was getting faster, we decided to do it separately. Within a couple miles my hip flared up again, but being the super competitive person that I am, I kept running. I ended up doing really well with a PR of 8 minutes and finishing second in my age group. 

      After the half my hip kept getting worse and worse, until it came to the point where I couldn't finish my long runs, let alone the short ones. I went to a physical therapist through my school to see if I could figure out what was wrong, but nothing seemed to be an exact problem. I was told by the doctor that I shouldn't continue training for the marathon, and that instead I need to take a month off of running. Well, I am not the person who is going to give up on a goal, especially one that I have been looking forward to for almost a year. I ended up taking a little over a week off, stretching a lot and resuming hip exercises. The problem never went away, but it was minimized enough I could handle running.  

     The week before the marathon I was a mess. I was so nervous that there were moments I would be getting nothing done as I scoured the Internet for advice on marathon recovery, what to wear and almost anything you could think of. Let's just say I am sure Runner's World saw a massive spike in viewership. What got me through the week was how so many people kept telling me how excited they were for me and were wishing me luck. I couldn't have gotten through the last four months without the amazing support system that I have.

      The marathon itself was hard, there is no better way to put it. My knee and hips flared up by mile 6 and got worse as the run progressed. By the end of the run, I could barely lift up my right leg which made going up hills difficult. This proved to be a large annoyance as the second half of the race primarily consisted of hills. Throughout the run I just kept reminding myself of how hard I trained and how long I have wanted to do this. I made sure to enjoy the pretty views and take in the fact that I was finally running a marathon. I was able to finish the marathon, get third place in my age group, and even though it involved walking, I am so happy that I was able to complete it.
      Now after the marathon, I have my 26.2 sticker on my laptop, my medal hanging on my wall and am going to end up taking a long break from running for my hip. It will be weird not running all of the time after running almost everyday for several months, but I am hoping to find fun, new ways to workout and have my hip heal quickly so I can get back to running. 

Four Days of Pumpkin Breakfasts

The minute the weather started getting cold (so mid-september) I began to want to pumpkin in every meal. All of my craving revolved around pumpkin, but I managed to push it off until October. Though once we hit October, I picked up a can of pumpkin puree and then it was pumpkin everything. 

I figured I would start of the pumpkin season slowly with pumpkin cheerios. I hadn't had them before this year, but this year I figured they would be an easy snack or breakfast. I love the pumpkin cheerios with blueberries, banana and almond milk. We have a choice of almond milk or regular milk in my sorority house, and they definitely taste the best with almond milk. These cheerios are surprising flavorful and have become my favorite kind. 

The next pumpkin based breakfast was pumpkin-peanut butter toast. I put a nice layer of peanut butter on freshly toasted bread (it gets so creamy) and then added a layer of pumpkin puree. I then added a small drizzle of maple syrup, and chia seeds. This made for an amazing toast. It was creamy and full of flavor. I always want more fruit with my meals, and surprisingly the plums and grapes tasted really good with the pumpkin toast. 

Back at it with the pumpkin cheerios, but this time I needed more protein in my breakfast since I knew I wouldn't have time to eat lunch until really late. This time I had plain greek yogurt, blueberries, chia seeds and of course the cheerios. This was a great parfait to start a long day. All I need is something tasty and flavorful, and then I am happy. 

You can't have pumpkin breakfasts without pumpkin oatmeal. I made both overnight oat pumpkin oatmeal and microwave oatmeal with pumpkin thrown in. I liked the overnight oats better because the pumpkin had more time to meld flavors so it was a stronger flavor. I sweetened the oatmeal with maple syrup, and then topped the oatmeal with blueberries and banana. I also stirred in cinnamon to add some spice. This was 

I learned a couple things about making the best pumpkin breakfasts. One, blueberries and banana taste so good with pumpkin. Two, maple syrup is the best sweetener for anything pumpkin related. I have such a sweet tooth so I though the maple flavor added a lot. Finally, I found that there might be a things as too much pumpkin a week. I had these breakfasts on top of other pumpkin treats and the end I needed a break.... but only for a day until it was time to have my pumpkin cheerios again. 

What is your favorite fall food?

xoxo,

Maddie 

Thursday Three

School has been getting crazy. I have barely had time to do anything other than homework, which explains why I haven't been able to get anything posted here. My classes are really time consuming this year, especially since I am taking both chemistry and biology for the first time in year. I wouldn't say anything I have to do right now is super hard, but it has been so much information for all of my classes that there is no time for anything in my life. With that being said, here is what I have been able to fit into my schedule: 

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My marathon training has been kicking into high gear and I've been running farther than I have before. This past weekend I had a 16 mile run which is now my all-time high. I am pleasantly surprised with how well my training has been going, and that I am still able to be motivated enough to do all of my early morning runs. Views like this sunrise always make it worth it. 

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This year I finally got season tickets for football and I have been loving going to the games. This past weekend it was crazy hot so I wasn't there too long though. Going to the games are really the only break I have in my week from studying so that makes me like them even more. 

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There was a first two weekends ago... I actually missed a farmers market. Granted it was for a run, but still, I haven't miss going to a farmers market in a long time. I normally try to go every week to stock up on some produce and find a sweet treat. The market is still one of my favorite parts of Madison, so you know I am going to make sure that I don't miss anymore. 

How was your week?

xoxo,

Maddie 

What I Ate Wednesday

      Welcome to What I Ate Wednesday! I love seeing what people are eating. I say its because I like to find different ideas for myself, but really its just because I am nosy. I love looking around at restaurants to see what other people order, and seeing what people pack for lunch at the library.I never care about if people are being healthy or anything like that, just what they happen to enjoy.  I figured I would start my own what I ate Wednesday because I'm sure I'm not the only one who enjoys these. 

    Ideally I would do a Why I Ate Wednesday, but to be realistic, I live in a sorority house where I really only choose what I eat for breakfast and snacks unless I want to go out for meals. Eating based on what I really want to eat doesn't always work out, but thankfully we at least always have fruit and veggies, and anything else I can typically find around campus. I won't lie and say I always love what the chef makes, but I also understand that he is doing the best he can with accommodating dietary restrictions while still cooking for 50 girls. 

Breakfast

Breakfast will forever be my favorite meal of the day. Today I had Siggi's blackberry yogurt with Purely Elizabeth Granola and blackberries. I always have a cup (or three) of coffee in the mornings and today was no exception. Parfaits are a great way to start the day, especially when it is skyr because it is so filling and keeps me happy until it is time for lunch. 

Lunch 

Lunch today was BLAT's (BLTs with avocado), side salads and a fruit salad. I made a side salad before I had the rest of my meal because for lunches, our chef makes the gluten free versions to order.  This sandwich hit the spot. I love avocado and tomatoes, and the sandwich was toasted which made it perfect. I will never turn down a fruit salad, so this one of blackberries (they must have been on sale), grapes and pineapple was eaten quickly. This is definitely one of my favorite lunches so far. 

Dinner

This is our chefs most popular dinner, but for me it is just good, not anything amazing. I don't love how much garlic he uses and this dinner had garlic in everything, even the asparagus. Dinner was wild rice, garlic asparagus and lemon-garlic chicken. The chicken was well cooked which makes the dish a nice, simple dinner but our chef didn't think as many people would be at dinner so he didn't really make enough food. Anyone that came more than 5-10 minutes late had no chicken left, and barely any rice. That being said,  I am excited to see what else he makes this year. 

Dessert

I don't typically have dessert because I already ate all of my dark chocolate bars I brought to school, and if the chef makes dessert, it is never gluten free. But I really wanted something sweet after dinner, so I found leftover fruit in the fridge and combined them to make for a sweet snack. I was pleasantly surprised by how good mandarine oranges and blackberries taste together and it made for a great night time sweet. 

Who knows what this school year will bring in terms of food. So far its been a lot of salads and toast but I am trying to get creative with food ideas when I only have access to a microwave. I am planning on trying sweet potato with peanut butter and banana for breakfast this week, but if anyone has any tips for easy, cheap meals, let me know! 

What is your favorite thing you've eat so far?

xoxo,

Maddie 

Thursday Three

My first full week in Madison has officially been completed and I can already tell that this year will be so much better. I mainly spent time with my sorority, but I did manage to fit a couple other things into my days. Here is what happened: 

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Of course I had to go to the farmers market. I actually got there twice, once on Saturday and once on Wednesday. We all know how much I love the market, and I like the Madison one even more these days since there are a lot of gluten free baked goods! I miss going with my family, but it was so much fun to randomly bump into a bunch of my friends there.

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I have been running in a lot of new places due to my marathon training. This has had some good and bad results. The bad being running around flooded areas and up crazy hills. The good has been seeing a bunch of cool looking houses. I got super lost one day and came across this house. I love that you can see how beautiful it must have been in its prime.

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We don't have food fed to us until classes start in the sorority house so this has lead to trying a lot of new places to eat. One night I was really craving kale and avocado, so I ended up making this salad at Salad's Up and it hit the spot. It might be a little ugly, but this was everything I need that night-- kale, grains, tomato, avocado, olives and more.

How was your week?

xoxo,

Maddie

Summer Favorites

Summer has officially ended for me since I am now back at school. Classes haven't started yet, but I am spending all of my time getting ready for sorority recruitment. This summer was one of my favorites. Between having a job I really liked, traveling a little bit and baking all of the time, I was able to really enjoy myself. Here are some of my favorite things that I have used, worn or eaten this summer! 

Peaches 

Since the peach truck first came this summer, I have eaten a peach every morning. Peaches have become one of my favorite foods. I love plain peaches in the morning, peaches on salads and grilled peaches with ice cream for dessert. The Peach Truck is now my favorite part of summer because it brings me my peaches. 

J. Crew Bikini Top 

I got this bikini top for this summer and it might just be my all time favorite. It is fantastic for girls with a smaller chest since it can fit flat on the chest. The quality of the suit is really nice, much better than anything you could get at Target. This suit is currently on sale so I recommend grabbing a swim suit for next summer! 

A Man Called Ove

If you've read this blog for the course of the summer, you will have known that I read a lot. Out of all of the books I've read, A Man Called Ove has been my favorite. I was hesitant about it at first, but Frederick Backman is such a fantastic author that I want to read all of his books. 

Madewell Tank Top

I got this tank early in the summer and it has been worn on repeat. I wear it at least once a week because it fits me so well. It is light enough for the super hot days so that I can still be comfortable. I already have another coming in the mail. This top will also be so nice during the fall and winter layered with sweaters. 

Secret Deodorant 

I have a major problem with standard deodorant because I always end up with white splotches all over my clothes. I tried this deodorant since it is a clear gel, and I have to say I'm impressed. I no longer worry about messing up all of my outfits due to white streaks! 

Lilly Pulitzer Skort

I needed to buy a white skirt for sorority recruitment and I was just planning on getting something cheap that I could wear once, but when I was in Florida I found this skort and fell in love with it. I have worn it several times this summer and it is turning me into a skirt/skort person. It looks so cute with a striped shirt or the tank mentioned above that I am so glad I bought it. 

Icelandic Provisions

I have always talked about how much I love Siggi's Skyr but now I'm converted. Icelandic provisions is creamier, less tart and has stronger flavors. I have tried all of the flavors this summer and I would recommend any of them. My favorites are coconut (with actual coconut flakes in it!), raspberry and cherry. 

Sunglasses

For the past year I have debated about getting Ray Bans, but never wanted to spend the money. I ended up finding this pair on Amazon and decided to go for it. They have become my summer staple this year and go with me everywhere. I love that they're polarized and came with a hard case. It is such a great deal for only $20. 

Grace and Frankie 

My mom and I wanted to start a new TV show together and we decided on Grace and Frankie. We aren't big TV watchers but we love sitting down at the end of the night to watch an episode before bed. It is such a funny and cute show that I would recommend that everyone should give it a shot. 

ATK How Can It Be Gluten-Free Cookbook

Finding out I needed to be gluten free was the hardest part about this summer. I couldn't eat most of my favorite foods or eat treats at the farmers market every week. Thankfully we bought this book early on and it has helped me so much. Only one or two recipes haven't worked out for me, but everything else has been great. I have made a lot of my favorite foods that help me adjust to eating gluten free. 

L'oreal Shampoo

I have always struggled with hair that got greasy really quickly after showering, but this new shampoo (at least new for me) has allowed me to be able to be able to avoid showering on days I don't workout. I am so glad I tried this shampoo since it just give me better looking hair for even a little longer. 

Purely Elizabeth Granola 

I want to find a new granola for me to eat since I couldn't eat my old favorites due to non-gluten free oats. I tried Purely Elizabeth Original since it is chunky and a basic flavor. I really hate granola that is just a couple flakes as opposed to chunks so this is what makes Purely Elizabeth amazing, you know, that and the flavor. 

What were some of your summer favorites? 

xoxo,

Maddie