Three Things Thursday
1. I had a fantastic race on Sunday. It was a PR for me, but the best part was how good I felt throughout the entire race. With all the exciting things going on this week, I haven’t been able to finish writing my race report yet but I will soon !
2. I accepted an offer today and will probably start working again in a few weeks. I will be managing web applications for a huge Fortune 500 company with over 19,000 employees which is definitely a first for me. The benefits alone are amazing and it will provide stability during these bad economic times. More details next week.
3. Coincidentally, there is a wine tasting event at Sublime tonight. I have to sub a Spinning class, but will fly over there as soon as I’m done with it and showered. We’re also staying for a celebratory dinner with our lovely friend Bee who is in town. Can’t wait !
1.24 – 1.30
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| 1.24 | 1.25 | 1.26 | 1.27 | 1.28 | 1.29 | 1.30 |
| run 2h 45m |
spin 45m |
run 29m |
spin 45m |
run 36m |
rest | Half Marathon - – - spin 45m |
Three Things Thursday
1. I had two technical interviews today which went so well I can hardly contain my excitement. I was so nervous about them and fearing the worst, but in the end, everything worked out. I heart one company more than the other, but both positions would be challenging in their own way. One was a second interview while the other called me back for a personal interview on Monday. Next week is shaping up to be very exciting !
2. I miss celebrating good times with Geoffrey. It’s not the same when he’s a million miles away. On the plus side, I’m having a great time with the pets ! Also, my lovely friend Bee is in town and we’re going to dinner and a movie (Blue Valentine) tomorrow night. It’s like a girl’s night, though, as she well put it, we won’t be “braiding each other’s hair and doing manicures.”
3. One of the instructors at the gym is away on vacation for a month, so I’ve taken on all of his classes. The downside is I have to teach the day after my Half Marathon this Sunday and the day after my Full Marathon in February. I’m wishfully thinking it will be OK. The upside, apart from all the exercise, is the extra ca$h. Oh, by the way, I’m running the ING Miami Half Marathon this weekend and hoping for a PR. So exciting !
1.17 – 1.23
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| 1.17 | 1.18 | 1.19 | 1.20 | 1.21 | 1.22 | 1.23 |
| run 58m |
run 36m - – - spin 45m |
strength 1h |
run 40m |
rest | run 37m |
spin 45m |
1.10 – 1.16
I was still feeling like utter crap on Tuesday so I had to get someone to sub my Spinning class. It felt great to finally be able to run again on Wednesday and Saturday’s run was fantastic ! I am looking forward to my upcoming Half Marathon at the end of the month !
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| 1.10 | 1.11 | 1.12 | 1.13 | 1.14 | 1.15 | 1.16 |
| rest | rest | run 38m |
run 36m |
rest | run 48 |
rest |
Three Things Thursday
1. I’m feeling better ! I still sound like someone who needs to quit smoking, but the worst has passed. My head is clear and I can finally breath again ! I even went for a short run last night. It was painfully exhilarating.
2. Although the cold delayed my job search a bit, I still have a few things lined up for next week. It’s exciting and scary all at once.
3. I’m so happy for all the people I worked closely with who were laid off with me. It sounds like they’ll have new awesome jobs very soon.
1.3 – 1.9
This was an interesting week. I was laid off on Tuesday and quickly started to feel a bit under the weather. By the end of the week, I was barely able to function. I am on the mend now and looking forward to getting back into training mode tomorrow !
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.9 |
| strength 20m |
spin 45m |
spin 45m |
spin 45m |
rest | rest | rest |
Three Things Thursday
1. I was laid off yesterday. It wasn’t a surprise. I’ve been prepping for this day, realistically, for a year now. Unfortunately, the severance situation has been deteriorating with each round of layoffs over the past two years. During this particular round, we were given nothing, not even a penny for good luck. There was one guy in the group who had been with the company for 10 years. Loyalty means nothing. Know that, kids.
2. I already have more leads than I have time to chase and support from friends has been outstanding. It’s times like this that separate true friends from people who just linger around your life. Real friends rock. Know that too.
3. Just when I was starting to feel better, Geoff’s throat started hurting. Now I have a sore throat and a foggy head again. On the plus side, I don’t have to go to work. Unfortunately, I can’t meet with potential future employers either. Bummer.
White Chocolate Bread Pudding with Sautéed Berries
This is a recipe many years in the making. I’ve stalled on making it for many reasons, the most notable being lack of confidence. Through the years, I’ve made many modifications to it while in draft mode. I always felt there was something missing. Then, while in NZ, Geoffrey and I spotted vegan white chocolate bars at a local supermarket chain. It was like spotting an endangered bird for me. Suddenly I knew just what was missing from my dream dessert. We brought back many of these white chocolate bars with us and I’ve been keeping a stash for the day I decided to take on this challenge. Well, this weekend, I finally slapped on the apron of courage and created it. The results were extraordinary, which is just what I’d hoped for. It’s a dessert worthy of bringing in a New Year with, which we did, delightfully. If you’re looking to serve a spectacular dessert at your next special occasion or vegan dinner party that doesn’t just look amazing, but tastes so as well, I have your winning recipe right here.
1 qt coconut milk, divided
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 loaf stale bread, cut into cubes
1/2 pkg firm aseptic silken tofu
1/2 cup sugar
1 bar vegan white chocolate, finely chopped
Sautéed Berries
2 cups frozen berries
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup non-hydrogenated vegan margarine
1 tbsp cognac (optional)
White Chocolate Sauce
1 bar vegan white chocolate, roughly chopped
3/4 cup coconut milk creamer
2 tbsp non-hydrogenated vegan margarine
1 tbsp cognac (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly oil an 8×8 baking dish. Set aside. I realize this may seem like too small a baking dish for this recipe. The bread cubes might actually poke out of the top a bit. That is totally fine. The bread pudding will recess a bit after it is out of the oven. You want the end result to be tall (and proud) and a small baking dish will make that happen !
2. In a large bowl, whisk together 3/4 quart coconut milk, vanilla and almond extracts, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir in bread cubes until well coated. Set aside for 15 minutes or until all liquid has been absorbed. Fold in the finely chopped white chocolate bar. Transfer to baking dish.
3. In a blender, combine the remaining coconut milk, tofu, and sugar. Blend until smooth. Pour over bread cubes in baking dish.
4. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until firm and golden brown.
5. To make the sautéed berries, place berries, lemon juice, sugar and cognac, if using, in medium bowl. Toss to coat. Melt margarine in large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add berry mixture. Cook for about 5 minutes or until juices thicken slightly, stirring gently.
6. In a double broiler, stir remaining vegan white chocolate bar and coconut milk creamer until melted. Once smooth, add the margarine and cognac, if using.
7. Re-heat the large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat, melt a dab of margarine and pan-fry a serving of bread pudding until outside is crispy. Transfer to serving plate. Scoop sautéed berries on and around the bread pudding. Drizzle with white chocolate sauce. Repeat for each serving. Serve warm.
Yields 4 large or 9 small servings
12.31 – 1.2
Like I said, I’m switching to a Monday-Sunday Trailing Log cycle this year so here are the last 3 days of 2010.
| Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| 12.31 | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| run 37m |
rest | run 2h 20m |
