Birthday Weekend, Last Week’s Runs + Peach Blueberry Cobbler

Thank you for all the birthday wishes! I was lucky to celebrate both in both Los Angeles and in Michigan. 28 was a great year!

This year’s highlights:

• Lucille’s wedding in Puerto Rico
• Brent’s 30th birthday celebration in Vegas
• Finishing my Masters at Columbia
• Traveling to Alaska
• Running the LA Marathon with Brianna and Ellen
• Coaching a Girls on the Run team
• Becoming an administrator at KIPP
• Finding out I was going to be an Aunt again!
• Getting involved with Back on My Feet
• Sri’s Wedding in West Palm Beach

This is a running blog. I should probably mention something about running. This week’s runs:

Monday: 3 Miles with Back on My Feet
Tuesday: 6 Miles with 4 at Tempo in Playa del Rey
Wednesday: 3 Miles with Back on my Feet and Yoga with Tamal and The Green Yogi
Friday: 6 Miles in Santa Monica with Ellen followed by Yoga with Rudy at Santa Monica Power Yoga
Saturday: 6 Miles in Playa del Rey with Brent before flying to Michigan
Sunday: 12 Miles in Michigan with Brent

I also wanted to add a recipe this week. We had a late lunch in Port Huron yesterday. When we got home we were in the mood for dessert and made brownies and whipped up this delicious cobbler (aka lazy pie). It was SO easy to make and delicious! You likely have all the ingredients at home right now, and you can also sub any fruit you have lying around. 

Peach Blueberry Cobbler

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups sliced fresh peaches (3ish medium)

2 cups blueberries

1 teaspoon lemon juice

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

Directions: 

Heat oven to 400º.

Mix 1/2 cup sugar, the cornstarch and cinnamon in 2-quart saucepan. Stir in peaches and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Add and stir blueberries at the end. Pour into ungreased 2-quart casserole.

Cut shortening into flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, the baking powder and salt in medium bowl, using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, until mixture look like fine crumbs. Stir in milk. Drop dough by 6 spoonfuls onto fruit mixture.

Bake 25 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Serve warm.

Have a Happy Labor Day!

A Runner’s Birthday Party

Today we celebrated Lululemon Run Club leader Kathy Adwar’s birthday.  Kathy has a huge heart and inspires us all to be better runners. Kathy lives a life of balance, always putting family and friends first. I’ve never met someone so welcoming and kind-hearted. It’s no surprise our run club quadrupled in size when she took over.

For her birthday we asked her to be ready at 8 AM, dressed to workout with a change of clothes. We planned a full day of surprises, starting with a run in Beverly Hills. We had a relaxing 45 minute run. No watch, no route. We just explored. We then took her to the Super Soul Cycle class in Brentwood with her favorite instructor Angela Davis, former member of the USA Track and Field team.  The class is SO much fun! It’s a sweaty dance party on a bike. I almost fell over at one point while trying to ride and dance to “Lamborghini Mercy.” After our two workouts we had a beautiful outdoor lunch and indulged in Susie’s Cakes. The celebration cake is a fancy version of funfetti. SO GOOD!

Kathy hails from Long Island and started running in her twenties. She’d run early in the morning, and was back in time to wake her kids up for school. She never wanted running to interfere with her role as a mom. She was a local champion, racing on weekends. She consistently placed in 10Ks, halfs and fulls. Kathy never travelled for races because spending time with her kids the rest of the weekend was far more important.

Kathy has the perfect running philosophy. Just run. Don’t over think it.  Who cares if you don’t PR. Just RUN. She has helped me relax and worry less about time. She always tells me my Garmin is slowing me down, limiting what I am physically capable of. I’ve been doing a better job of not looking at my Garmin while I run, and I’d eventually love to race watch free. It’s still my security blanket (mostly because I fear starting too fast like I did in Santa Clarita).

I’m lucky to spend my Sunday mornings with Kathy and the Lululemon Run Club. I get my dose of Kathy wisdom and inspiration before starting the work week. I’ve had many happy Kathy moments over the past year and a half, but my favorite was at the LA Marathon when she met me at mile 16. She ran me down Rodeo Drive. While we were running she turned to me, looked at me and sincerely said, “Cristina, you KNOW you’re a good runner.” Her words carried me through the final ten, and her phrase has become my running mantra. I repeat it to myself every time I race. We had so much fun celebrating Kathy’s birthday. We’re so lucky to have her as a mentor and friend!

Kathy and I at the LA Marathon

Cashew Cookie Dough Balls

Who doesn’t love chocolate chip cookie dough? Last week I bought a tub of Eat Pastry cookie dough and had the bad habit of half baking a big spoonful of dough in a small ramekin dish and eating it with a spoon. Brent joined in on the fun, and when we finished the tub we decided we needed to find a healthier way to enjoy cookie dough. With a little bit of googling, I found this delicious recipe! Cashews and oats give you protein and energy, but the sweetener and chocolate chips make it feel like an indulgence. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup cashews
2/3 cup oats
2 Tbsp Agave
2 Tbsps Maple Syrup
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup Mini Chocolate Chips

Directions:
1. In a food processor, blend cashews and oats until they become a powder.
2. Add the agave, maple, vanilla and blend until incorporated.
3. Stir in chocolate chips by hand.
4. Form into small balls by rolling between your palms. Keep in the fridge or freezer.