The Healthy Slice

Make the most of every day

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November Recap and a Recipe

  • Miles Run: 62. This is fairly average for me this year without marathon training in the mix. A much-needed low pressure, run for fun kind of year.
  • Miles Biked: 0. We had a cold snap and I fell out of the habit, what can I say?
  • Strength/Plyo workouts: 2 weekly strength/core and 1 weekly plyo interval session.
  • Yoga: I’m back to hitting up a weekly class. Go me.
  • Books: Huh?
  • Movies: Catching Fire. I read the book so long ago, I barely remembered half of it.
  • Races: 3 5ks

november

Panting for Paws (paced Thing 1), The Chevy Chase, Long Grove Turkey Trot

  • Drink: Switched over to Christmas blend coffee a tad prematurely but is it ever good!
  • Food: I am obsessed with kale salads. The one I discovered on our Alaskan cruise and shook down the chef for the recipe changed my life. The key is to massage the kale with the dressing. Kale is pretty and frilly but tough. Like some people I know, the massage makes it so much more tender and agreeable.

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Here’s another salad I made yesterday as part of the Elf4health challenge. I adapted it from the Costco Cookbook I got last weekend: Enjoy Cooking the Costco Way. Love me some Costco!

Kale and Spinach Chopped Salad

  • Chopped fresh kale, ribs removed
  • Chopped baby spinach
  • 2 apples (I used a Honeycrisp) cored and cut into thin wedges
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Shredded carrots
  • Thinly sliced celery
  • Thinly sliced red onion
  • Chopped, dry roasted almonds
  • Dried cranberries

Vinaigrette

  • 1/4C white balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4C fresh squeezed orange juice
  • 2t apricot jam
  • 1/2t tamari
  • 2t honey
  • 1/4C EVOO

In a bowl whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients until combined. Set aside.

Place chopped kale in a large bowl. Add 2-4T of the vinaigrette and massage it into the greens with clean hands for 1 minute. Place sliced apples  in a small bowl and squeeze lemon juice over them. Toss to coat to keep them from becoming brown.

Add spinach, apples (drained), carrots, onions and celery. Lightly dress the salad and toss to fully coat. Add almonds and cranberries. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

  • Challenges: Elf4Health goes until 12/22. We just started the final month of OneSmallChange Challenge–plenty of time to jump in on the fun!
  • Going Forward: Now that I am in, IN, IN! for NYCM, the plan is to focus on weightloss and strength for the remainder of the year. I will begin to ramp up mileage in January, moving toward the Flying Pig Skyline Chili 3-way challenge followed by the Soldier Field 10-miler in May. Oh yeah, December is birthday month, how could I forget? Wheeeee!

How was your November? What are you looking forward to this month?

Comments

  3. The kale salad sounds really great! I just had some sautéed in garlic at lunch yesterday and loved it.

    I LOVED Catching Fire. Like you, I forgot much of it, but I thought they did a really great job. I hate having to wait for number three now.

  5. Finished this year on a high note by running 1:58 in the Schaumburg half last weekend. I signed up for this race the week before because my son was volunteering at it. I figured what the heck? I have been trying to break 2 hours for the last couple of years–age has not been my friend! Still feeling that runners’ high!

  7. My daughter and I want to see Catching Fire. Maybe after her finals are over and before her winter break class starts.

    I keep thinking about yoga, but not actually doing it. Yay you for getting a class in weekly

  10. I wish I were obsessed with kale salads! I can only really eat it if it’s sauteed in LOTS AND LOTS of coconut or olive oil! I must try your recipe, perhaps it will help me get it down more often!!! 🙂

  14. we were mileage twins last month! I LOVE kale salad, definitely tricky at first, but once you find out what works, its easy (and relatively CHEAP!) Congrats on NYCM- looks like there may be a huge blogger presence there this upcoming year!

  15. I’m thinking those monthly miles will be going up in 2014 now that you’re in to New York. It’s going to be a big year for you.

  16. I love massaging my kale! This month I’m looking forward to decreased hip pain, greater mobility, moving!, a Christmas tree, seeing my friends run at CIM and seeing my friends eat donuts at Jingle Bell Hell. I like friends 🙂

  19. That kale salad looks delicious!!!
    I think I ended up with my highest monthly mileage of the year in November – must be thanks to slowing down my runs and not focusing so much on speed.

  20. Yes, some people need a good message to bring them around!

    I have been wanting kale since the last time you mentioned it but since Walmart doesn’t sell it it’s still missing from my fridge. I guess I’ll have to go somewhere else.

    Great November!

  23. 62 miles is majorly impressive to me! I cannot wait to start logging those numbers again:)

    Kale is my absolute favorite. On one package, there was a recipe for kale, olive oil, tomatoes, onions, spicy mustard and cheese. I cooked it all in a pan for a few minutes – delish!

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