14 Days of Frugality- DAY ELEVEN

Another day another run. This morning was a little cooler and was a welcomed relief. We grabbed the BOB and zig zagged in and out of the little streets that make up Evergreen Cemetery. The running is still not as easy as it should be, which is why we are running so much. We were both at a good place before the move to Maine. Jeremy, having run a marathon, could easily out run me. I was training for a 10k and set my sights on finishing a 1/2 this fall. The move knocked everything off kilter and sent us both into a downward spiral of comfort food and relaxation. The worst part was, we both stopped running. Moves are stressful, no doubt, but I think we took it especially hard. In the past 5 years I have moved 4 times (Jeremy has moved 3). And I was tired. We were tired. This may not sound like a very good excuse to throw your health out the window, but we didn't care. We were owed this down time. Well... now we are paying for it. It feels so much harder to start running again than it was to learn to run the first place. We keep thinking that we should be able to run the way we could 3 months ago, and when we can't run as far or as fast we start doubting that we ever will. Well... that thinking needs to stop now.

Ever heard of a thing called the locus of control? Basically it goes something like this, Your brain doesn't know the difference between knowing you can do something and believing that you can do something. So, If you think you can't... you can't. But if you tell yourself you can, you have the best shot at succeeding. (No guarantees though... this isn't The Secret). So when Jeremy and I are running and we say to each other, "oh man, this is hard" or "I don't know if I can do all 3 miles" it is over. Right then and there we destroyed our run. We are our own worst enemies. And it must stop. I am the girl who chants "I love this hill, I love this hill" as I climb a horrible hill, I'm not the girl who says, "I can't, I can't".

Today I tackled some of the zucchini from my CSA by making zucchini bread. Here is the recipe. It was really easy and I don't bake.

Zucchini Bread: 2 loaves or approximately 24 muffins

3 eggs
1 cup olive or vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1 cup dried cranberries, raisins or chocolate chips or a combination thereof (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Grease and flour two 8×4 inch loaf pans, liberally. Alternately, line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Mix in oil and sugar, then zucchini and vanilla.
Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt, as well as nuts, chocolate chips and/or dried fruit, if using.
Stir this into the egg mixture. Divide the batter into prepared pans.
Bake loaves for 60 minutes, plus or minus ten, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Muffins will bake far more quickly, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.

I made a visit to Harbor Fish Market and picked up some cod for $5.99. Then, with a suggestion from a friend, I made this...

Baked Cod with Tomato Olive Caper Salsa over Cous Cous with Green Beans

There really isn't a recipe for this one, I just made it off the top of my head. The salsa has cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, capers, olive oil and parsley. I baked the cod in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes. Delish!