Conversation and Cuisine at Corner Table

Tonight I had a much-needed, therapeutic conversation with a good pal. What made it even better was that we dined at The Corner Table. This is one of my favorite restaurants in the area … and I hadn’t dined at its new location yet. So, I was excited to go there. It’s a small restaurant and one of the hottest places to eat right now, so securing a reservation is a must … unless you are okay sitting at the bar (where you get to watch the magic happen … so not a bad option) or want to sit outside … which tonight was hot as Hades … so probably not preferable.

The conversation was what I needed, with wise counsel on things I’m contemplating, good life lessons and just catching up. Since I can’t really share all the details here … what I can share are the details of the food.

I started with pork belly, chow chow, pepita oil.

The pork belly was cooked to perfection (how can pork belly not be cooked to perfection … it is truly the perfect food.) I loved the pickled chow chow (which was a cabbage) and the pepita was nice with a spicy kick. It was a good way to start the meal.

I followed up the first course with a wild Alaskan salmon, corn veloute, lime mayo and queso fresco:

The sauces were all great, the salmon was a tad dry, but since I could bury it in the sauce, it held its own. The portions were just right and I ate every bite.

Ending the meal is a must. Since I don’t eat gluten … the dessert menus at restaurants can sometimes be a big disappointment. Usually I have very few options … typically a custard or ice cream. The Corner Table was no exception, my choice was a panna cotta:

But it was a panna cotta with caramel corn and some marscapone … so I was more than happy to order it as my dessert.

The meal was fantastic, the company even better. Sometimes fine dining is just the cure the soul needs.

Race Recap: Lift Bridge Road Race

Today’s race was a total bruiser. D and I tried a new course today. In looking for July races, I had constantly been intrigued by the Stillwater road races. We knew Stillwater was hilly, so we always shrugged them off … but I decided this one we were going to tackle.

It was hot. Like, hot as hell, what was I thinking when I signed up? hot. Even with an 8:20 start time, it was already in the mid-80s. And last Saturday … I decided to finish my long run on the treadmill because the heat was too much. Lesson learned … I need to make myself train in the heat more. Suck it up, my friend, suck it up.

And yes, the course delivered on the hills. There were lots. And I mean lots … for the first two miles you were constantly moving on an incline. My hip is still giving me a little bit of an issue, but I told myself to persevere (and it actually didn’t hurt much while I was running). Of course, you know what they say about everything that goes up … it eventually comes down. And the downhill part of the race was a crazy steep decline. I was worried I was going to trip and fall on my face. I didn’t … but that’s more of a surprise than anything.

There was a woman who had a man pacing with her on a bicycle. I made her my mark. I had to beat her. In the end I did … but my time was by far the worst of the year (a good 3:30 minutes worst than my personal record.) I am hoping that it was just a fluke and that I can pick up my mojo before the next race which is in about a month … And per the norm, I have two races in September … both longer distances … so this girl needs to get her running grove back!

Here’s our super sweaty race selfie. I was glad even D said it was brutal … of course, his time was his best yet … seriously have race envy of my husband.

Running on the Sun

My hip has been bothering me, so I took a week off. (I did 1.5 miles on Monday on the ‘mill — but otherwise, embraced our busy schedule as a good reason to rest and heal.)

So, today on the training plan, I had 1:10 minute run. I still don’t know how I feel about the run/walk method. I don’t think I’ve embraced it, so, if I do a half next year, I think instead, I’ll tackle a Hal Higdon plan or something else comparable. Anyway, today I knew I needed to get out and do some mileage. I got out later than I wanted … closer to 10 … instead of the 8 I should’ve gone out at. And it was a scorcher. I decided I needed some flat terrain to be easy on my hip, so I went to a nearby park that has a level path and decided to do laps. It worked well, except for the beating heat … so with about 20 minutes left on the workout … I decided to finish my distance on the ‘mill. Which I did.

I’m proud that I finished and did the whole workout. The last 20 minutes were brutal, but I didn’t want to short myself of the physical challenge that my training plan is trying to offer me. In glancing a head, next week looks like a bit of a switch up to get me used to running longer and walking less (switching from 3:2 to 4:1 intervals). That is something I welcome. I know it won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.

Eating Well and Living Life

So, Tuesday marked the end of my Whole30 adventure. Now I’m into the reintroduction phase. The timing of eating this way couldn’t have come better considering the health issues. I do feel better. The scale dipped a mere six pounds, so definitely not something to rave about as a weightloss victory. But, I do feel better, my skin looks great, and I have actually lost the craving for sweet. Which, in the end was probably the biggest goal … to break my sugar addiction … which was oh, so very strong. Of course I’m not reintroducing dairy until Monday … and I’m really, really hoping that it goes smoothly and I can keep it as part of my regular diet. I love cheese and yogurt just a little too much

In other news this week, it’s been so very, very busy. The USA cup has brought many activities to our family and I am truly grateful. It’s “forced” a lot of family togetherness, but in such a good way. The opening ceremony gave K a chance of a lifetime to be a parade of athletes and on Wednesday we enjoyed watching a MN United FC game together. It was really a lovely evening. It made me reflect on all that is important and spending the quality time with all of my three boys definitely ranks as top of the list.

My hip was giving me some trouble, so I have only done some light running this week, but I’m hoping to put in some good mileage tomorrow (morning, early … it’s hot and humid here right now, so I definitely have to get myself up and go out early tomorrow.)

Our next race is next Saturday … looking forward to it, it’s a new venue for us, so we’ll either love or hate it. Hoping it’s the former!

Here’s to our first weekend in a long while without a formal agenda. We’ll see where the wind takes us!

Soccer Days, Summer Haze

This weekend we were crazy busy living, eating, breathing, dreaming soccer. It was the beginning of the USA cup and K’s team was playing the weekend jamboree. That’s 4 games in 3 days. It’s always crazy busy in town this week. In fact, before we had kids who played soccer, D and I would often try to plan things around this time to be out-of-town as much as possible. Of course now, we are very much entrenched in all of it. All of it.

The boys had a rough tournament, playing teams from out-of-state who were very, very good. K did an amazing job playing goalkeeper during the second game. The opposing team made lots of attempts at goal but K only had one go in. Some of his moves even surprised him (his animated face made that obvious.) I was so proud of him and it was such a good confidence booster (the team tied that game, thanks to K’s awesome goalkeeping skills.)

The team did win the last game. Which was a good way for them to end their season. It was a good team, they definitely had a lot of opportunities to learn to play more like a team, but alas, they’ll learn. The parents were nice and low-key. All of us very different, but rooting for our kids on the sidelines. I enjoyed it. I can’t believe that I enjoy being a soccer mom. There, I said it.

And while K’s done playing for the season and has about a month off before the next season, we still have lots of soccer in front of us for the week ahead. There’s the big opening ceremony, the United game that we’ll go watch as a team and then on Friday, we’ll go catch one of his friends game. His friend came and watched him, so I thought K should definitely return the cordial favor.

One thing I’ve definitely decided is that K gets excited when he watches the games, so we need to look for more opportunities for him to watch. O’s undecided if he wants to play O this fall, so we’ll see if it’s soccer for him or if he’ll try to dabble in something different.

Lovin’ summer!

Getting Away From Civilization

Every Fourth of July we head “up north.” That is 3.5 hours north of home to hang out with my parents at a camping resort. My parents have a camping at the resort and keeping it up there all year-long. This spring, the upgraded to a larger camper, and I am so happy for them, because they spend a lot of their summer up there. So, I’m glad they were able to get a larger space to enjoy themselves in.

The last two years, we’ve rented a cabin at the resort. It’s still “rustic” for the most part, but we have running water, appliances and beds. So, I guess it’s as rustic as we get. The boys love that there is a pool and they spend as much time as possible there.

It’s a break from the crazy busy of our summer. I get a couple of good runs in (albeit, they are hilly runs and I was definitely sore without space to do my post-yoga stretches.) I always spend one day out on the lake fishing with my dad. We caught about 7 fish, but were only able to keep one. The rest were just a little too big (or in the case of on, 1/8 inch too small.) My dad is a very loyal-to-the-law sportsmen.

My first catch was … no kidding … a clam!

I did eventually catch a fish … and my dad made me hold it.

I was amazed with how close the loons came to the boat.

My dad also took all of us hiking in The Lost Forty point of interest in the National Forest. K loved it. He said it was the highlight of his trip. I love that my little guy has found this love of hiking, and I need to find us more paths and trails to explore. We also made it over to my grandparents. With both of my grandparents in the nursing home, the house had a very somber feel to it. Lots of memories in the log cabin, so I’ll cherish it always. And I was glad I was able to bring both boys at an age where hopefully they may remember it.

Hiking on The Lost Forty

The big trees in the forest.

The house my grandfather built with his own hands.

All in all a good trip. I got two 4+ mile runs in (but again, so sore), I was able to stick to my Whole30 plan (10 more days!) and I even got in some decent reading.

Cheers to summer and vacation time!