Caprese Salad

I have a cheese problem.  I suppose it is not really a problem, it's more of a nourishment issue.  Maybe I'm not getting enough calcium.  My doctor says I need to start taking calcium, so I purhased a bottle of vitamins.  It's been unopened for a year.  But I own vitamins.  This proves that I indeed want more calcium in my life.  Enter cheese.  Cheese is yummy and creamy or sharp and melty.  I have five flavors of olive oil and four flavors of balsamic vinegar right now.  Also Sam's club had two huge balls of fresh mozzerella cheese for $6.  That is amazing.  After my run this week, I had tomatoes, cheese, basil, basil infused olive oil and blackberry ginger balsamic.  I can't think of a single other thing I may need.

hamburger wraps

My life of elaborate bathtub eating continues.  Sometimes I must have red meat.  I really, really like hamburgers with peanut butter on them but there is no peanut butter in my house.  Almond butter - yes.  The consistency just does not work.

Please note the sliced tomatoes in a nice ramekin.  That is pure blogging brilliance and presentation.  This night, I cut all of my brussel sprouts and tomatoes in little halves.  Someday when I can no longer safely use a knife, I hope there is someone in my life who will do this for me.  It is nice.  Sometimes, perfect half circles are the pinnacle of happy.

I don't own hamburger buns.  I do own cabbage.  Cabbage makes excellent hamburger buns.  They are messy though and drip.  I recently had a friend tell me "outside of work, I always see you with stuff dripped on your shirt".  Um, yeah.  Thus, commencement of more bathtub eating. 

In Iowa, our last winter was very mild.  This gave me two seasons of brussel sprouts from one package of seed and in addition a random beet.  I am relishing in the surprised abundance as I did not plant any of my own vegetables this spring. 

Cheers - to small abundance, excellent presentation and this kooky life we lead. 

pizza and beer. . . timeless

One of my favorite runs is on the greenbelt trail near ames.  Natalie took me to run an all new section of the trail that she knew about but I have never been on.  It was a beautiful, secluded run and gives me many more plans for country, trail running. 

Upon returning home, I didn't feel like cooking.  I started heating leftovers and then spied a left over slice of Black Market Pizza in my fridge.  I must drink a beer when I eat pizza, which is not always good when I'm dehydrated.  It takes 45 seconds to microwave pizza so that's how long I gave myself to chug a glass of water.  I finished the water in 22 seconds and spent the next 27 seconds watching the microwave count down and opening this beer. 

Ironically, the friend who gave me the Shock Top also has a similar hairstyle.  This makes me giggle.  At this point, I'm pretty chilled from being sweaty and also smell ridiculously. . . well, like a runner.  I am absolutely capable of shaving my left leg with my left hand and eating my pizza slice with my right hand.  I do know this as a fact. 

New dining table

I bought a new dining room table.  I love it.  it makes me happy. 

Last week I purchased a bag of pears and waited for them to ripen.  I checked them every day.  Not ripe.  On thursday, boom, all the pears were ripe. . . for about 15 minutes. . . .and then they started to go all squishy and bruised.  There are only so many pears a person can eat in 15 minutes.

This week, I bought avocados.  They were getting squishy on the edges and needed to be eaten.  Based on the experience from the previous week, I decided that I would eat all of them at once just for me. 

An entire avocado contains 320 calories due to the high fat content, which is a lot for such a small amount of food. Enjoy them in moderation, and use them to replace foods containing saturated or trans fats, not in addition to these foods

I did not look that fact up until today.  I may have eaten four avocados.  Now, you ask me, you have a new dining room table?  Did you eat your avocados at your dining room table? 

Nah, I've been in the habit of having no dining room table and plunking myself about the house to eat.  The perfect place to eat FOUR avocados?  Of course, you must drizzle them with lime infused olive oil and sprinkle them with black sea salt and then they must be eaten in the bathtub.

Oh my goodness golly.  Is this pure joy or what?

Cranberry Vodka

This past fall, a month after running the chicago marathon, Jamile, Adam and I went to run a small little marathon in Wisconsin.  The allure was that the entire marathon was on an old railbed trail and had a mile long train tunnel  that you got to go through twice.  I think everyone in this tiny town turned out to help with the marathon and we were served fresh grilled chicken upon finishing.  It was fall and cranberry harvest time and Adams' super significant other, Melissa is the best cook in the world.  We picked up a 5 lb bag of cranberries knowing that if someone could do something fabulous with them, it would be Melissa.

Flash forward to me drinking cranberry infused vodka in the bathtub.  While vodka purists may comment on the ice cubes in the glass, upon receiving the bottle, I couldn't wait for it to chill and immedicately poured some over ice to drink straight.  I must say that the tartness of the cranberry really offset the vodka flavor.  This is a life I can get used to.

For the fabulous recipes, check out http://midwesternexposure.wordpress.com/2011/12/18/cranberry-vodka-candied-vodka-cranberries/

I truly know the best people in the world.

Garlic Love

I am getting a divorce.  The details are not relevent to this post.  BECAUSE. . ..this post is about eating in the bathtub and everything wonderful, crazy and full of joy.  You need to know this because my "bathtub food delivery system" is no longer in my house.  It has always been me that gets back from a run smelly and hungry and can't decide what to do first.  My ex hated it when I ate garlic.  I have to give him credit.  It does somehow infiltrate my system and come out of my pores for a few days after I eat it.  That may be because of the quantity with which I eat garlic. 

Luckily, as my life changed, The Cafe in Ames started carrying a garlic appetizer.  Bread, cheese, garlic, some sort of tomato/pepper yumminess and bread!  What better way to enjoy then to have a mini buffet of options in the tub. . . with wine.

This is perhaps the most elaborate in the bathtub eating that I have done and I must admit that I lost one garlic clove into the bath water.  I am not sure I'll attempt something this complex in the future, but for one, short 30 minutes, this was heaven!

Chocolate Malty Balls

Yeah - I went there with this title.  I have discovered my new favorite bathtub luxury items and they are triple chocolate malted milk balls.  I think the only way to improve them would be to sprinkle them with seasalt and then this title would be Chocolate Salty Malty Balls.  Brilliant.

When I go to Okoboji, I pick up these homemade malted milk balls.  They are like the malted milk balls you can buy at the store . . . only multiply the goodness times 17.  They come in dark and milk chocolate.  While normally, I'm an interesting dark chocolate kinda girl, these are irresistable and both must be consumed in equal quantities. 

OOOOOOOH, look at the goodness all tied up in a water proof bag.  These are not bath beads people, these are not to be wasted!

I'm sorry you can see my legs from the knee down in this photo.  Same as wearing shorts.  I almost didn't post the photo, but hey, it's my legs and I'm too lazy to crop the photo.  Plus, you can see that I could not wait until the tub was full to start eating them.

Every person in the world should have this experience.  Next time I drive to Okoboji, I offer free delivery!

does anyone know where to buy a switchblade?

I've had a glass of wine. 

Ok, two glasses of wine, and one of those I refilled a little part way through.

So, I'm feeling a bit like chatting.  My wine glass miraculously appeared on the bathtub ledge tonight.  I think it's because I can now levitate objects and float them to me.  My husband also appeared in the bathroom at my bidding.  NASA may want to study me.

I had a nice chat while in the tub about my run tonight.  It may have gone something like this:

Me:  I was running at McFarland Park tonight.

Him:  hmmmmm

Me:  I had this great mix of Josh Groban and Bob Marley on my ipod and I was running through the woods and it was wonderful.  I thought someone may have been sneaking up on me so I looked behind me but I was alone.  Well, except for a man walking two golden retreivers.

I bet he wanted to kill me. 

Him:  Or perhaps he was walking his dogs.

Me:  I am still alive.  That proves that not only is he a rabid murderer, but he is very thoughtful and is thoughtfully planning my long, painful demise.  Maybe I should run with a knife.

Him:  You would accidentally stab yourself in the leg and then he would catch you.

Me:  You know me too well.  I should run with mace.  I will mace that golden retreiver walking maniac next time I see him.

HUP8H5QNKXRB

delivery

I ran 19 miles.  That is not the point of this blog.  You just need to understand that when I am done running 19 miles that I am very, very tired.  And I don't smell good.  I think if you stood beside me after that it would make you throw up a little.  Bathing becomes very important.  The first thing I do when I get home besides drink water is to wash the sweat off of me.  I had an experience with my husband this weekend that went a little like this.

Me: (set the scene:  in my basement bathtub) (picked up cell phone - call husband):  I'd like to order a pizza for delivery.

Husband:  You just ran 19 miles and you can't slow down to walk past the fridge and grab the left over pizza on your way downstairs?

Me:  The plate would be too heavy.  I am very tired.

Him:  You can run for over three hours and you can't carry a plate?

Me:  Yes, I am not worthy of you.  Could you deliver a pizza to me?

Him:  Yes.

Me:  Is it too much to ask if you would warm it up.  Not in the microwave, but in the oven, so it will taste yummy.

Him:  Sure thing.

This is what he delivered to me.

Me:  um, peaches and fruit dip?

Him:  yogurt, not fruit dip.

Me:  I ordered a pizza.

Him:  This is better for you.

Me:  I thought about pizza the entire last hour of my run.

Him:  I don't want you to be crabby today so I thought you should eat something good for you.

Me:  I am crabby because I didn't get a pizza.

Him:  I'll bring you pizza.

Me:  Do you mind warming it up in the oven.

Him:  Sure thing.

15 minutes later.

Me:  um, this is not pizza.  WHAT is it?

Him:  It's a brei burrito.

Me:  A what?

Him:  A brei burrito.

Me:  I can hear.  I don't understand.

Him:  A log of brei, rolled in croissant dough, with raspberry chipotle sauce.

Me:  Wouldn't it have been less work to heat up my pizza?  Didn't you say you'd get me pizza?

Him:  Well I want you to be happy.

Me:  Pizza makes me happy.

Him:  Brei is good.  If you are still hungry after you eat it, you can have pizza.  Plus, cheese has calcium.

Me:  There is cheese on pizza.

Him:  Here, I'll cut it in half.  You can eat your half?

Me:  Now, I get half a brei?

Him:  I like to share with you.

Noosa

Do you ever have one of those mail days when the box won't shut?  Do you know what's great about catalogs?  Taking them to the bathtub of course.  Yesterday I had this day that was so busy at work that I barely ate anything and then I went out on a run.  Three hours later when I got home, I was starving and there was no blood in my brain.  I scooped up all my mail and decided to multitask - I was going to read my mail, bathe and eat dinner all at the same time because honestly, it was 9:37 p.m. and past my bedtime.  I started running the water while holding the mail under one arm and then decided it would be a good idea to remove my shirt at which point I dropped an armload of paper into the bathtub.  I bent over to take a picture of the mail in the tub to show you and promptly dropped my phone into the water.  I scooped up the phone and dried it off.  Don't tell verizon, but it's completely ok.  Perhaps all of this clumsiness was due to low blood sugar.  I ran down the hall naked (sorry neighbors) to grab some yogurt to eat.  Thank goodness golly I didn't drop the yogurt.  I love this yogurt.  HyVee runs out of it regularly so we actually have discovered their shipment schedule and organize our grocery shopping according to the stocking of one item.  Well, this and the fish counter.  I decided it would be a very bad day to shave my legs given the talent with which I accomplished everything else, I'm just lucky to be alive!  Hopefully I didn't lose any missed bills or checks in that bathtub.

food fight becomes food festival

So, last night, I took the opportunity to poke fun of one of my friends and you should know what ensued.

She who was previously unnamed, got a picture of the food she served her husband in the bathtub.  Thank you brave husband for sharing this feast with us!  However, upon bringing food to the bathroom, this is the look that was received for having the food at nose level.

Is this not the cutest face you have ever seen?  Yes, yes it is. Lucky me, received each of these photos in this order.  What happened next is my favorite. . . .it was time for the children to bathe.  Apparently this is the bathroom of my dreams.  It is a bathroom with a built in TV for watching movies, a mom who delivers food to the bathtub and a cute puppy.  It may be the most heavily travelled bathroom in the area, but I am convinced that I know why.  It is obviously a very fun place to be or visit. 

After changing the expectations that the bathroom is a place for fun and food, the children got in on the frivolity.  By the way, this makes me want a movie and popcorn in the tub.  I need a water proof television.
But back to my friends, popsicle was the winning food of the evening.

I love love love how this post evolved.  Thank you MB for opening your family up to the fun of bathtub eating and going with it.  I am making you an honorary poster on this blog.  Which means. . .today, in the battle of family vs.  food. . . food won!!!

Food Fight

Today I received a message from a friend.  I have promised to call her, "she who shall not be named".  She handed her husband a plate of pork roast, mashed potatoes & corn to eat while in the tub.  She offered to take a picture and post it for me.  He declined. 

So, this is the thing about marriage.  Sometimes you have to do things for the good of both of you.  Sometimes you have to do things because it's good for the world.  I think sharing this laugh together is good for the world.  That was my argument.

I think he still declined.

I wonder if he knows how lucky he is to have a wife who delivers food to the tub.  I know how rare a luxury that is.  I also think he needed to know that I don't require a photo of any parts, just a photo of the food, with say, a faucet or some bubbles in the background. 

He still declined.

I hope the marriage tension this blog has caused eases and that perhaps a mutual appreciation can occur.  Unfortunately I have no yummy photo to share.  But,  it is enough to know I am not alone.  To know that other people are out there.  People secretly saving time or recharging with a long soak and some fine dining. 

Today. . . in the epic battle that is marriage vs. food in the tub. . . . this blog lost.

sweet sweet wine

Do you know what happens when you mow the lawn in flip flops?  Your feet turn green.  Not just I got a few flakes of grass on me green, but I decided to make grass flavored wine by crushing every last leaf with my feet green.  This calls for bathing.  At our house we have two bathtubs.  The basement bathtub is mine.  This is the bathroom where I can perfectly line up every cleaning product and shower gel with the labels facing forward in perfectly symmetrical rows.  It is the bathroom that is already remodeled and pretty. It is the bathroom with the good towels. Company towels.  So what do you do when your feet are dyed green by grass?  You bath in your husband's bathroom!  Oooh, are those smears of green on the bottom of the tub?  I didn't notice because I was drinking wine! 

thank god for food

On Thursday my workday started at 6:45 a.m. and I finished chatting with my last favorite customer at 5:15p.m.  I was running by 5:30 and finished at 8:45.  These are the days that invented eating in the bathtub!
You do not want to know what I smell like after running for three hours. 

Thank you great plains for making pizza with left overs!  I love you.  Your cheesy goodness and thick, filling crust.  Nothing goes better with great plains pizza than beer.

Unfortunately, putting alcohol in my post run body is usually grounds for disaster, so here is Nuun, a fun, electrolite recovery beverage.  It is not the perfect pairing for pizza.

In case there is any question, I ate that pizza in about 10 seconds in the tub.  In hindsight, if I would have taken the pizza, a nuun AND a beer to the tub, that would have been a brilliant move.  I need more hands and potentially more ledges in the bathtub. 

dates

It seemed like a good idea at the time.. . .going through the cupboards and getting rid of everything with processed sugar in it.  No cookies.  No candy.  Last night, my friend Natalie made me run and bike.  We got done around 7:30 and I walked in the door around 8:00.  This is WAY past dinner time.  My lovely husband brought me a burger and I ate it in 4 seconds.  Best burger. ever.  However, I needed, NEEDED! sugar.  This is the sweetest thing I could find in all of our cupboards.  They were delicious, but in a faceoff with a reeces peanut butter cup, they could lose.

My hotel accommodated coffee in the shower!

A built in cubby made especially for coffee in the shower. Could my vacation be more perfect?

in california it is illegal to eat an orange in the bathtub

On thursday I am heading to California to run the Avenue of the Giants marathon.  Do you know one of the best things about California?  The oranges!  Right?!?!?  The oranges!!!!  It has been many years since I have broken a law (oooh, never mind.  I may have been speeding by exactly 4 mph over the limit today).  Well, in my 4 mph over the speedlimit mood I will continue my life of crime by breaking this California law.  I will not tell you where I am staying to avoid the certain arrest and torture I would have to endure should the authorities be alerted.  shhhhhhhhh. . . . .keep my secret.

saturday lovely saturday

My husband actually saw that I had a blog.  This has been an interesting development as it has increased his buy in in the whole food in the tub thing.  For instance, saturday morning he delivered this coffee to me and asked if I was going to take a picture and then gave some unsolicited advice on the type of picture I could take.  I explained it's not that kind of a blog.  On saturday night, we had carmelized pears with blue cheese and black pepper carmel.  Husband was proud and wanted to know why I wasn't taking a photo of this brilliant dessert.  I explained that I wasn't actually eating it in the tub.  He asked me if I would go to the tub so that I may take a photo.  I explained that I was already sparkling clean.  He asked if I would just cheat and take a photo of the glorious dessert (and it was glorious) in the tub anyway so he could get a little exposure on his cullinary skills.  I declined.  He sulked.  Ah, so the integrity of this blog remains and I can sleep at night knowing that I have actually consumed each thing that I have photographed in the bathtub!

Coffee Makes Me Function, Coffee in the Shower Make Me Function Faster

So this morning was the perfect morning for a cuppa joe in the shower, as I had to peel myself out of bed and of course was running late. Today - Dunkin' Donuts French Vanilla brew with International Delights Chai Latte creamer. Gotta say...think chai needs to stick with its tea. Not so much lovin' the Chai Latte creamer, however, I am an Iowan, and I will use it til the last drop is gone. 

On another note, I got this new mug for my birthday from my friend MaryJane. It's a "contigo" mug...PERFECT for coffee in the shower. You have to push the cute little button to open the pour hole. Keeps the water right out!