Month: July 2017

Friday Five 2.0-Thoughts on Blue Apron Meals (not sponsored)

Please note that these meals were provided for free by a Oiselle friend.  

I’ve always been curious about Blue Apron but did not want to pay for it.  So, when a friend offered to sign me up to get 3 free meals, I couldn’t say no.  

I received a box with ingredients for the following meals:

  • Seared Steak and Fingerling Potatoes
  • Shrimp and Fresh Fusilli Pasta
  • Cajun-Spiced Chicken

Everything came neatly packed in a refrigerated box.  

Any extra (small) ingredients was packed separately.

Blue Apron 5

I decided to first make the Shrimp and Fresh Fusilli Pasta.  Spoiler: It was delicious.

Blue Apron 12

I did not follow the steps exactly as was listed in the sheet (I cooked the squash in my toaster oven instead of the oven and I used minced garlic from a jar instead of the garlic that was sent to me).  I did not add the olives because I do not like olives at all.

I love shrimp!  I wished more was included in the box but I guess I could have added some that I had in my house.

It was a very simple and fast recipe.  I was worried about overcooking the shrimp as well as making sure they were properly cooked.  I like the taste of the tomato sauce and tomato paste.  <<So much tastier than spaghetti sauce.

The second meal I made was Seared Steak and Fingerling Potatoes.  It was another delicious meal.

I cooked the potatoes and onion in my toaster oven and I did not use all of the knick knacks for the salad.  The butter lettuce was crispy and tasty.  

Blue Apron 13

I’ve never heard of crème fraîche or verjus rouge.  I do not like mustard so I didn’t use it either.  Those ingredients were to be used for the dressing but instead I used my own.

Blue Apron 14

I am not a big fan of onion either but these were pretty good. 

Blue Apron 15

Finally the last meal was Cajun-Spiced Chicken.  

Blue Apron 16

This one took the longest to prepare.  The instructions indicated that it was 15 minutes of prep time.  Wrong.  I think it took me about 20 minutes just to chop the pepper, celery, onion, potatoes, and cabbage.  That was a bit frustrating.

I ended up cutting the chicken breast into pieces.  I think that they cook better and faster this way.  The cajun spice blend was not spicy at all but it was flavorful.

Blue Apron 19

The potatoes and salad were very good.  I went back for seconds and got these two items to eat.

Looks good, right?

Blue Apron 20

Thoughts:

  • I like how everything you need comes in a box.  No need to go to the grocery store for one pepper or 3 potatoes.  Plus, the ingredients are pre measured.
  • Instructions are easy to follow.  The pictures help in case you need to know if you’re doing it correctly.
  • The meals are yummy.  There are two meal plans to choose from: 2-person or family. Also, you can choose from meat, fish, or vegetarian meals.
  • The following week’s menu are posted on the website a week in advance.  This is good to know in case you want to skip a week or two.  You can also cancel at any time.
  • Not cheap.  It is $59.94 for 3 meals for 2 people, $71.92 for 2 meals for 4 people, or $$143.84 for 4 meals for 4 people.  <<Yes, per week. 

Have you tried Blue Apron?  Thoughts?

I’m linking up with Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness for Friday 2.0.

fridayfive

 

Elmhurst Running Club 4 on the 4th

This morning I ran the Elmhurst Running Club 4 on the 4th.  This was my 5th year running it.  It is also one of my favorite races.

Elmhurst Running Club 4 on the 4th 1
Source:  www.athlinks.com

I woke up early, made coffee and ate a Clif Bar and left my house around 6am.  The race started at 7:15.  I like to get there early so I can find parking.  So far I’ve been able to park in the same spot/area as in previous years.  I got my bib and tshirt.  The shirt is actually nice!

Elmhurst Running Club 4 on the 4th 2

I met up with a few of the Oiselle crew for a picture.  

Elmhurst Running Club 4 on the 4th 3

Finally it was time to run.  The course is not flat.  It isn’t horrible but any little incline tires me out.  🙂

Elmhurst Running Club 4 on the 4th 4

As usual, I started too fast.  When will I ever learn?  My first mile was my fastest and then it went downhill.  However, I surprised myself because my last mile was my second fastest.  

Elmhurst Running Club 4 on the 4th 6

It wasn’t too hot but it was very sunny.  I remember at one point I just got very hot and had to stop for a bit. There was plenty of water stations and I drank water at every single one.  There weren’t too many people out there but those that were there were WONDERFUL.    They cheered and encouraged us throughout the way.

With less than a quarter mile to go I could see the finish line.  However, there was an incline. I did my best to run instead of walk.  Nothing wrong with that but I wanted to see if I could do it.  And I did!  I was running next to a woman and I somehow got a burst of energy and ended up passing her up.

My official time is 42:37.  I knew I was not going to PR and I did have fun running this race.

Elmhurst Running Club 4 on the 4th 5

I was looking at my pictures from previous races and I have worn the same socks.  Also, I have worn running clothes in the same colors to go with the 4th of July theme.

This day is extra special to me.  It was in 1978 that my mother along with my siblings arrived here from Mexico.  I’ve been living in this country for 39 years.

How will you be celebrating today?  My two sisters and I will be heading over to my cousin’s house to eat, laugh, and have a great time.

I am linking up with Marcia, Erika, and Patti for today’s Tuesdays on the Run.

TuesdaysOnTheRun

Road to BQ Week #14

As mentioned in this post, I’m attempting to get my own BQ.  I am excited to be training using again the Hansons Method.  In a nutshell, this training is based on the concept of cumulative fatigue.  You train your body to run often so that you are frequently running on tired legs.  The idea is to run this way so that during the last miles of a race you are prepared to push through the final miles.  I purchased a new Hansons Method Marathon Plan and now will be running 5 days (instead of 6) a week. 

Week #14, June 26-July 2

M Ran 5.02 Miles
T Ran 7.02 Miles
W OFF
TH Ran 7.02 Miles
F OFF
S Ran 4.02 Miles
S Ran 16.02 Miles

My legs recovered pretty good after Sunday’s long run.  I took a swimming class in the morning and then ran 5 miles in the afternoon.  I did struggle a little but overall enjoyed my run.

Tuesday’s workout was tough.  I had to do 4 x 1 mile with 400/jog recovery along with 1 mile warmup and cooldown.  I was able to hit the required pace for each mile except for the 2nd mile. Overall, I did pretty good!

RoadtoBQ88

Later in the afternoon I spent a few hours at National Tire and Battery.  My car needed a new catalytic converter and oxygen sensors.  The catalytic converter was stolen from my car in November 2015 and my neighbor, who is a mechanic, put in a new one for me.  I’ve had my car since June 2006 and I love it.  I have no plans to get a new one anytime soon. My car even has a cassette and CD player but does not have any of the fancy gadgets new cars have these days.

Thursday was one of those days in which I could run and keep on running.  I was not exactly looking forward to it because I dislike tempo runs.  I mean, I know the benefits of them but still do not like them.  Well, I impressed myself because I felt great!  I think what might have helped was my large DD coffee and QuestBar that I ate before my run. Or maybe I am getting faster and stronger?  Who knows?  But it was a great feeling!

And that was my last run for June!

June 2017 Miles

Today’s run was tough.  I was ready to run 16 miles.  I fueled with Generation UCAN in the morning and also filled up my hydration vest with water and UCAN Hydrate.  I even made my own gel version with the sports drink mix and water.  I took half of it around mile 9 and the rest around mile 13.  I don’t know what happened but I was hurting and almost started to cry towards the end.  It did not go as I thought it was going to and I know every runner has days like those.

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway to win a $10 Starbucks gift card and a pair of Lock Laces!

Starbucks and Lock Laces

Total mileage for the week: 38.10 miles
Total mileage for this training cycle:  344.52 miles
Total mileage for the year: 392.71 miles

I’m linking up with Holly and Tricia for their Weekly Wrap.  This week’s host is Kim at Running on the Fly.  Please stop by her blog and show her some love!   I am also linking up with Courtney for her Training Recap Link Up!

Hoping everyone had a good week!