A Classico Easy Dinner

 

Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone had a great day. I can’t complain about my work schedule this week since I’m not traveling. But, I do find that every other thought leads back to the marathon.

My manager: “Are you working from home on Friday Ashley?”

Me: “Well, working from home on Friday allows me to elevate my feet all day, foam roll every hour, go to the expo on my lunch break, and stay out of heels. So, yes, I think I’ll definitely take advantage of that perk on Friday!”

This morning my taper schedule called for a rest day. Since Bo woke up at 5:30 I figured I might as well wake up and do some gentle yoga and stretching.  You may have noticed that I didn’t go to any more yoga classes last week even though I originally intended to fit at least two classes in last week. I found myself pretty sore after the class last Sunday and both my running coach and personal trainer advised against yoga classes until after the marathon. It’s easy to stretch too far in a group class that isn’t designed for marathon runners. One stretch beyond my limit could result in a tweaked muscle.

Therefore, I’ve snuck in a couple of online yoga sessions in the comfort of my living room. This morning’s yoga session was compliments of Runner’s World and exactly what I wanted.

My breakfast was inspired by another Runner’s World article which professed the wonders of chia seeds. After some digging I found my bag of chia seeds, purchased from GNC two months ago, hiding in the back of our pantry. When mixed with the oats, banana, cinnamon, and water the chia seeds added wonderful bulk to my oats and a new texture.

It’s amazing that 1 serving of these little seeds can help with inflammation, pack in tons of fiber, and provide calcium! If you’ve never given chia seeds a chance I highly recommend adding them to your yogurt, shakes, or oats.

All the marathon thoughts left me craving carbs for dinner this evening. I knew we had pasta in the pantry but was racking my brain trying to remember whether we had any frozen sauce. Luckily, Foodbuzz and Classico came to the rescue this evening!

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, Classico sent me a complimentary jar of their new Light Creamy Alfredo sauce to sample.

I added peas and tomatoes to a serving size of the sauce, simmered on the stove for 10 minutes, and then tossed it with my al dente penne.

The alfredo sauce is definitely tasty but it does not have the same thick consistency you expect from an alfredo. While I really liked the taste, and would most likely purchase this sauce, I wish they could make it a bit thicker. If I hadn’t measured the sauce portion I think I would have used more by accident due to the sauce’s thinness. But, for 60 calories per 1/4 cup serving, you can’t beat it!

After dinner, while going through today’s mail, I came across an especially exciting treat: my marathon outfit!

As you may recall, Choose Cherries is sponsoring me and a few other runners for the New York City Marathon. As part of this partnership I’ve had the opportunity to incorporate cherries into my recovery and training plan, interview their dietician who is also a marathon runner, and partner with a great company!

Seeing my outfit, branded and decked out with my name, put me in the best mood! I’m ready to enjoy the next few days of taper and honor the rest period so I can run a fabulous 26.2 miles on Sunday!

Oh, in case you’re interested in tracking me, the links to the tracking tools can be found here and on this page as well. My information is below:

Bib #57106

Start Time: 10:40

I’m off to spend time with my compression socks! Have a great evening!

Question: What is your favorite song right now that I should add to my marathon mix?