Mother Nature's son

Howdy, y'all!

Last night, after spending an arm and both legs @ Whole Foods to support my LaraBar and Fuji apple habit, I enjoyed a homemade stir fry.  It was vewwy tasty.  I didn't realize what an appetite I had worked up after walking around all evening until I tucked into this delicious dish.

Rhea's Easy Shrimp Stir Fry

1/4 lb. shrimp (fresh or frozen)

1 crown broccoli or 1 cup broccoli florets

1 big carrot

1 small zucchini

1 ear corn or 1/2 cup corn kernels

1 clove garlic or 1/2 tsp. powdered garlic

1/4 hot pepper or 1/4 tsp. chili flakes

1/2" fresh grated ginger or 1/2 tsp. powdered ginger

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. peanut butter

1 serving whole wheat udon noodles

Spritz of olive oil or 1 tsp. olive oil

1. Chop all them veggies.
2. Spray a skillet with oil and put it over medium-high heat.
3. Quickly cook the veggies - the faster you cook them, the more nutrients they will retain. I like everything pretty al dente, but just use your judgment!  I cooked them for about 5 minutes.
4. Pile veggies on a plate over the udon.
5. Put the shrimp, ginger, soy sauce and peanut butter in the skillet.  Cook quickly, or until the shrimp is opaque.
6. Slide the shrimp on top of the veggies and udon.  
7. Feast!

Whole to chopped.

Just like real life, huh? ;)

Cooking the shrimp.

The noodles were a birthday gift from mama.

Yummy and quick!  I love the peanutty shrimps.  Mmm.  This would make a great after-work dinner, as it came together quickly.  Lots of room for experimentation, here, too!

----------------------------------------

Roommate L came home today with a beautiful gift from her parents.  Well, her father, her mother and mother nature...

A MONSTER!!!! of a zucchini.  I have very fond memories of my parents' garden bearing huge beast fruits like this at the end of the summer.  It was always a fun surprise to check the garden after we spent a week after our cottage.  I grew up in Maine, there wasn't a lot of excitement, ok?

Size comparison of a CSA cutie zucchini...

And the home-grown behemoth:

It dwarfs the cutting board!!  Guess I'm gonna have to lurk on some zuke recipes.  I wonder if it will taste good or be really tough...

----------------------------------------

Today I ran in the early afternoon, when the sun was at its peak, which was poor planning on my part.  I typically run in the evenings between 6:00 and 7:00, once it's cooled off a bit.  Today, that wasn't an option, since I have a Pig Roast to attend!  With that in mind, I showed this run who is boss.

3.9 miles

33:51 minutes

6.9 mph

8:34 minutes/mile

I am proud of this run.  It's not my fastest, but the stats are great for me, considering how very hot and hilly the run was.  

During the run, I rocked out to the new (to me) Lily Allen album.  Alright, Still blew up when I was in London, and rightfully so; Alright, Still is a great album with lots of catch tracks.  I love Lily's sweet voice, but her lyrics and rhymes can get a bit forced, especially on the newest record.  I'm hoping It's Not Me... is a grower, since I found it rather middling today.  There were some good tracks, though (I Could Say and The Fear are my favorites so far).  Lily is such a fantastic, pissed off storyteller.  Great fun.

When I got home after running, I realized I ran right out of my headband- I must have been going really fast!  Yeah, I ain't kidding nobody, I'm just a profuse sweat-er.

Good thing it wasn't a Bondi, huh?

The CamelBak was a lifesaver today.  Mostly when I kicked it in bed after the run, sipping from the 'Pak on my back.  

----------------------------------------

Question of the Day: What should I do with that zucchini!?  Anybody have a good bread/pancake/muffin recipe?  It also makes a good baseball bat.