Maria Runs - parkrunning and touring since 2013!

Salad Sprinkles

On a side note, Andy’s old phone used to show the weather each day, and light rain was classed as “sprinkles”, which I think sounds so much nicer.

But this post is about a different type of sprinkle.

Sainsbury’s kindly sent me some salad sprinkles and I have been enjoying them on so many meals.

Salad 1:

Pea shoots, cherry tomatoes, avocado, tomato salsa, hummus and Italian sprinkles.

Salad 2: Sliced cos lettuce, cherry tomatoes, avocado, salsa (yes, bought salsa so had to use it on most salads!), hummus and oat cakes, pine nut sprinkles.

Salad 3: Roasted vegetable cous cous, mixed leaves, cherry tomatoes, salsa again, halloumi cheese (grilled for a few minutes), pine nut sprinkles.

Salad 4: Pea shoots, cherry tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, avocado, wenslydale+cranberries, sour dough with sundried tomato+basil hummus (which is my favourite hummus- I am always very happy when I manage to buy some), Italian sprinkles.

Salad 5: Caramelised onion and black bean dip + avocado on ryvita, spinach, tomatoes, pine nut sprinkles, balsamic dressing.

The toasted seed and pine nut one was my favourite- containing sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and pine nuts) as it was simple and added such a good crunch.

The Italian style sprinkle was lovely too, with mixed seeds as well as dried red onion and sundried tomatoes for more flavour. Each packet was listed as one serving, but I found them to be pretty generous (25g is a lot of seeds!) so I would say you could easily have them over 3 or 4 meals.

They also sent me a dried fruit & honey seed sprinkle but I keep forgetting to buy yoghurt to put it on, so I shall look forward to that another day.

Do you love a bit of crunch on your salad? If I go to a place with a salad bar I will always add something for crunch, but at home I don’t tend to. We have pine nuts which we have on pesto pasta, so I don’t like adding them to salads as then they get used up too quickly! I also like it when you can add a few dried cranberries or raisins, but again when I make salads at home I forget about add-ons like that.

* I was sent the salad sprinkles in exchange for a blog post, and was sent a voucher to purchase additional salad items with.

Epic afternoon tea

Last week I was off to London to see some friends. We try to meet up in the holidays, and recently have been going for afternoon tea as it means we are left to it and can spend hours catching up.

Andy dropped me off at the station on his way to work, so I had a bit of time in London to myself.

It was a lovely sunny day, so I headed to Trafalgar Square.

We live pretty close to London but don’t go in that often. According to my friend this giant chicken has been there for ages, but I had not seen it before.

I also popped to the Wholefoods in Piccadilly, for a cold drink but also a little browse.

Ocado now stock the kids ranges of these, so I had tried the chocolate and chocolate orange versions (they are coconut milk based drinks, and are delicious)- of course seeing the word “chai” I was sold straight away. I did buy a few bits in there too. Although I wish I had bought a few more of these chai drinks as they are so tasty.

Restrained purchases: Carrot, apple and cinnamon granola, cacao powder and some raw chocolates.

Then I walked to meet my friends. We went to the BB Bakery in Covent Garden (well really it is off The Strand and really near Trafalgar Square)-and it was amazing.

There was a tea menu, which I love, and the teapots were so pretty (and each one different) with little infuser balls hanging in them. We were also given some orange juice- this seems to be at a lot of afternoon tea menus now. All the crockery was pretty but mis-matched-I loved that to.

This was for 3 of us to share, and they had put all the vegetarian sandwiches together. It was a mountain of food! A little blini thing, cream cheese + cucumber sandwiches, ciabatta bread with tomato and mozzarella, a little quiche (I don’t really like them so didn’t have mine, but it is nice to have some variety). Also there were 3 of each cake- sometimes you have to bargain or cut them in half, but we all had the same. A lemon meringue tart, a ginger cake topped with custard and fresh berries, a strawberry cupcake with strawberry icing (this was really good- we all thought it would be a plain cupcake with pink icing, but it had fruit in the cake, and the icing tasted really fruity too), a macaroon, and the most amazing squidgy pecan brownie. The bakery also sell cupcakes and brownies, and I would say if you are nearby have a look and treat yourself because they were so good. (Also, we booked in advance so it was a little cheaper I think, although their website seems to have 2 different prices so I am not sure).

All the while they kept offering to top up our teapots with fresh water, and hours later when we had finished most of the tier, they brought out warm scones with home-made jam and cream. No photos of those though!

We ended up being there for about 4 hours I think! A good catch up! Then it was time to brave the rush hour tube and get the train home. I was planning on walking back from the station, but it was much later than I thought we would be, so Andy picked me up which meant I could get to body pump on time. It turns out that afternoon tea is pretty good fuel for pump!

I would not like to live in London, but I do like being close by and it is great to be able to pop in for the day. Do you enjoy being a tourist to places close to you?

Feeling the parkrun love!

(But, no pancakes…..)

So after getting back from holiday I had a bit of trouble getting back into a running routine- going away for the weekend didn’t help things. But on Monday morning I headed out on a gentle 3 miles to try and help re-set my body clock. I had stiff calves, probably from the long car journey the day before, but it was good.

I was so nervous before Sweatshop- each week different people come so I never know if I will be on my own or with someone, and missing a few weeks meant I would struggle with the speed. I ran with other people for about half of it, then I got caught when crossing a road (the others managed it, and I had to wait a bit) so was a bit behind. But all good. The hip (which was niggly after a long bus journey, flight and car rides) had been behaving. Body Pump went well- I was careful during squats and lunges, but I think in a way it helped.

When Saturday rolled around it was time for parkrun- hooray!

Photo: <3 parkrun and now we have a sign !

I was so excited about the flag that once I had finished and queued up to have my barcode scanned, I went back to the car, got my phone and went back to take a picture.

I was so excited to see that we have a flag! It makes it seem official. Plus it marks the start properly- usually at just before 9 most people have to shuffle back as they are all too far forwards. I wanted to keep under 10 minute miles. I knew I was not in speedy form, but also knew that I could go faster than my Monday shuffle. But I didn’t want to get a sore hip again, so that felt sensible but also challenging.

I was really pleased with how I managed- I kept glancing at my watch to check my pace. The course is along a path, 3 laps of the lake, and back along the path.. During the second lap of the lake the wind really picked up, and at that time I was creeping towards 9.55 min miles, but of course on the other part of the lake the wind was behind me. For ages I was behind a tall man pushing a buggy, but he seemed to be going a fraction too slowly so at the start of the final I overtook him. I was then regretting it- he was a good windbreaker so I should have waited!

It was my lungs that were struggling more than my legs though! My time was 29.34, so under the 10 min miles I wanted to do. All good.

I had promised Andy I would make us French toast if he waited for me to get home. Yummy. We bought some brioche, so for two of us I whisked up 2 eggs, a little almond milk (maybe 50ml) and some vanilla extract. and soaked the bread for a bit. I put a little coconut oil in the pan and then cooked them one slice at a time, although I am not sure if the coconut oil was actually needed.

Served with fruit, maple syrup and even a little maple butter (my word this is heavenly stuff).

Andy started his while my final one was cooking.

On Sunday I went out for a long run. I could not decide and initially thought I would do about 6, but the weather was cool so I took advantage and did 8.2 miles (but with a lot of stopping, sorting out the podcasts to listen to, and getting some cash out). I went for French toast again after- it’s the new pancakes.

One with nutella (covered up the burnt bit, shhh), one with maple butter

On Monday I went out for breakfast with some friends, and this morphed into brunch and the lunch time! I had to pop to town on the way home so had a nice wander around town in the sunshine, and then after dinner we had a walk- my legs needed something gentle after the weekend.

This Tuesday I did a 5 mile run first thing- I found a new part of the fields to run on, although one part was not really path so I had to slow right down for fear of twisting my ankle! I had a lot of work to do, but again managed to have a walk before dinner for a little extra bit of fresh air.

On Wednesday I was working at home, I walked up to the shops before lunch, did a massive house clean (how does everything get so dusty so quickly? ) and also started doing the Kinetic Revolution 30 day challenge. I have set up a page for me to track how I get on, so pop there if you fancy finding out what I am going on about (this post is already pretty long!). Sweatshop was good- we did the longer fields route that I found on Tuesday, and all my Sweatshop miles began with a 9, which I was pleased with. The lungs are getting it back! Although on a side note my Garmin has been playing up again- those were identical routes but it took so long to find a satellite signal that one run was 5.15 miles, the other 4.65! Quite a difference!

I am really looking forward to parkrun again this Saturday- I am aiming to get half way to 50 (so 25) before the end of the year, which I think should be achievable although we do have a few weekend away/ races, so we shall see. I want to beat my time from last week too- here’s hoping for cool weather but not too much wind.

For more parkrun love, last Saturday I came across this video: which made me more excited too! I think parkrun suits the autumn- the weather is cooler and the air is crisp, so getting out for a brisk 5k is just perfect before heading home to warm up again.

Have you ever had maple butter before? I saw it on Oh She Glows, but have not tried making it myself yet, although after buying some this summer and seeing how wonderful it actually is, I might have to give it a go…

Living by the sea

I love to visit the seaside. Brighton is one of my favourite places to visit, and I love pretty much anywhere along the south coast too. Where I live is pretty built up- not much green space between towns at all. It is great living so close to London, and within reach of several towns and cities, but I do love it when we get away for the weekend and get to see the sea.

A few years ago I had a trip to Devon with some of my friends. Luckily we didn’t actually see any sharks. We did have fun walking by the sea, playing mini golf and getting a “ferry” (turned out to be the size of a rowing boat) to another part of the coast.

Andy and I like our weekends away as well, and Dorset is one of our favourite places to visit.

A walk along the beach is just amazing for blowing away the cobwebs- relaxing and recharging at the same time. And who would not want to see a view like this?

Wherever we go (this country or abroad), Andy will always look in the estate agents windows to see what property costs there. Where we live prices are rather inflated as we are so close to London, so sometimes it is a bit annoying to see how little a 3 bedroom house would cost if we lived further away from London. But then we had a look at properties for sale in Devon and realised that perhaps living by the sea is a bit more expensive!

Would you like to live by the sea?

Do you like looking in estate agents windows?

*I was sent a voucher in exchange for writing this post, all opinions are my own.

Acadia National Park

So after waking up to beautiful sunshine we headed out on the drive to Acadia National Park, which is on the Atlantic coast. We arrived to early to check in to our hotel, so went to the visitors centre to find out what to do. After looking around and buying a pass (this was different to every other National Park we had been to, in that there were no entrance gates, you just bought the ticket at the centre) we headed to the Lake House.

We were going to have lunch (what? On holiday?) but the queue was huge, so we opted to walk around the lake first. It was a 3 mile loop and was just beautiful.

I saw a few red squirrels too, but of course they hid when I took a photo!

Such a wonderful place for a walk.

By the time we got back the queue was gone so we opted for food. They did a hummus and veggie wrap (hooray) and proper fresh lemonade- I had blueberry lemonade (I wanted blueberry iced tea but they had run out).

They also sold these things called “popovers”- they would have them warmed with jam and tea as a sort of afternoon tea. Well, we had to try them- they turned out to be like yorkshire puddings! A bit strange, but nice to try. After checking in to our hotel we drove back to the park to watch the sunset.

Perfect.

The next day we drove to the coastal section of the park- it was always really misty by the sea. This was Thunder Hole- the sea crashes in and out and makes a loud booming sound. The path was closed off for safety reasons but of course there are always some people who feel it does not apply to them…

Then we headed inland for some hikes. We picked up a little hiking book in the shop, as at the other National Parks we were always given a free newspaper that had maps of walks, but this one didn’t. We wanted them more for the rating (one walk contained a section of vertical rock where you pulled yourself up iron rungs drilled into the cliff- no thanks!). In the end we combined a few walks as the trails met in different places.

We were up high at this point but could see the clouds covering the sea below.

We saw loads of blueberries growing.

And ended up walking to another lake, where the mist came in pretty quickly. We sat for a bit and had a banana (holiday lunch).

Then we walked/hiked back (we don’t go on the extreme hikes, but the terrain was steep and involved a lot of climbing over boulders and things) and walked along the sea shore for a bit.

In the evening we walked to the town (Bar Harbor) for a wander around- it was so pretty.

We found an amazing place to eat- the Side Street Cafe. I had so much choice, it was amazing! And the best part of the menu was that they did a build your own sandwich (and offered gluten free bread) so pretty much any diet would be catered for. We shared guacamole and corn chips to start, and then I had a sandwich with hummus, tomato, spinach and avocado. The best combination!

To top it off we found a great bakery, The Pink Pastry Shop. It was a bit chilly that evening (the mist came in to the town while we were eating) and this place did a chai latte and offered almond milk! I was very excited. Of course I was also swayed by the baked goods, so I got a pumpkin whoopie pie, and Andy had a peanut butter cupcake. The drink kept me warm on the walk back, and we had the desserts a little later.

The next day we went to a different part of the park to see another lighthouse. Again, nice but not really what I was expecting. Then we drove along the coast for another walk to see the pink granite “cliffs”- really the part of the beach you walk on.

The mist was really rolling in, and although we had planned a walk on this side, we headed back to the other part as we didn’t think there was much point in walking up for ages if we couldn’t see anything.

So we walked up to the top of this hill to look down on the lake (the first one we walked around)- stunning views.

We saw Bubble Rock, which is a huge boulder that was deposited during the ice age. It looks as if it will roll off the edge.

Then we saw some of the sea in the sunlight! Very pretty indeed.

For dinner we walked back to the Sidestreet Cafe- I had a black bean wrap (again, delicious) and we were persuaded by the waitress to share a dessert.

This was a Fluffernutter sundae. Basically a grilled peanut butter and fluff sandwich, topped with ice cream and chocolate sauce. It had to be tried!

The weather was lovely that evening so we spent some more time wandering around the town and enjoying the views.

Acadia National Park was a lovely place to visit. It had a different feel to the other National Parks we had been to- it was much smaller, and being so close to a town meant it had a relaxed vibe about it. It did have plenty of hardcore day hikers, but it also had people who were there to sit on a boat all day and go out for ice cream in the evening.

Do you like trying new foods on holiday?