Veggies, summer long runs and Monday’s with the tribe

I don’t know about you, but I have a really hard time getting back into the swing of things after vacation. This past week was especially bad. The hubs was out-of-town for work, I got a cold/cough on Tuesday and my workout regime went right down the toilet! Not to mention that I didn’t get a chance to make a menu or go grocery shopping. Throwing together last-minute dinners is so NOT my thing!! Luckily Farmer Dave delivered my veggies on Wednesday so I was able to throw together a quick, healthy stir fry to last for a few meals. It still amazes me how different food tastes when its fresh from the farm.

When I signed up for Marine Corps., I somehow managed to block out the memory of what it’s like to train for a marathon in the summer. As if long runs aren’t bad enough, now I have to get up before the sun ON A SATURDAY just to beat the heat! This Saturday I woke up at 6:30AM planning on meeting my Boston Marathon team for a run along the river. I woke up still feeling like crap and almost went back to bed, but the Hubs was up and at’em getting ready for his 14 miler. I couldn’t let him show me up, even if I was coughing up a lung! I didn’t exactly make it to the group run, but I did get in my 11 miles.

In addition to running I also managed to use some of the extra CSA zucchini for some homemade zucchini pineapple bread.  It’s one of my favorite recipes. I’ve tweaked it a little to find the perfect balance of deliciousness and healthiness. I don’t make it as often as I’d like because I could literally eat a whole loaf myself in one sitting. The original recipe is from Brown Eyed Baker.

 

Zucchini Pineapple Bread

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• ¾ cup apple sauce
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups shredded zucchini, drained and water squeezed out
• One 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, well-drained
• 1 cup chopped walnuts 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9×5-inch loaf pans; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and baking powder; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, oil, apple sauce, eggs and vanilla extract until thick and combined. Add the flour mixture and mix on low until combined – the batter will be very thick. Using a spoon, gently stir in the zucchini and pineapple until evenly distributed. Lastly, stir in the chopped walnuts.
4. Divide the batter between the two loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour, or until the tops are golden brown and a thin knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto cooling racks to finish cooling completely.

Yield: Two loaves

Let’s be real, Monday’s almost always suck. Whether you had a good weekend or bad (whether you ate a whole loaf of zucchini bread or stored the rest in the freezer for later) the beginning of the work week is never fun. Monday’s however tend to suck a little less when you join a few hundred of your closest friends at City Hall to try to get Mayor Walsh to come out and play. Ultimately he didn’t join us (his loss) but we got a great workout none-the-less. Hopefully one of these days Marty will #JustShowUp at Harvard Stadium and prove that he’s just as awesome as Menino…