Good things always come in three's, right? Little pigs, billy goats gruff, stooges, blind mice, ...miles? That's right, at a manageable 3.1 miles, the 5k race has become an increasingly popular event. With Mother's Day less than two weeks away, you might consider honoring your mom with a Mother's Day weekend 5k. Here are three you can run to show your mom how much you appreciate all the running around she has done for you since Day One. Honor her with one of these three nearby, upcoming Mother's Day weekend races.
Nags Head Woods 5k Run
May 10, 2014 8:30 AM
Kill Devil Hills, NC
*Features a "Fastest Mom on the Beach" trophy!
Click here for more details!
Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5k
May 10, 2014 9:00 AM
Richmond, VA
Click here for more details!
Mother's Day 5k
May 11, 2014 9:00 AM
Fredericksburg, VA
Click here for more details!
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Friday, April 18, 2014
Seventeen Ways to Celebrate Earth Day
Earth Day is right around the corner--Tuesday, April 22, to be exact. Unfortunately, it's a holiday not many people celebrate--at least not actively, not the way many of us celebrate say, Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Halloween. There are, however, lots of ways to actively celebrate Earth Day--on the day itself, and throughout the year. Here are seventeen ways to celebrate. The first five apply to you only if you live in the Richmond area, or have plans to travel here, but the other twelve can be done anywhere. (Actually, the voting portion of #4 can be done anywhere.)
If you live in the RVA...
1. Attend the Enrichmond Earth Day Festival from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Saturday, April 26. The event features live music, local food and drink, a vendor marketplace, and more, some of which is mentioned below. Learn more at http://www.earthdayrichmond.org/.http://www.earthdayrichmond.org/.
2. As part of the Earth Day Festival, tour the heron rookery . The heron rookery walk begins at 3:00 PM and runs until 5:00 PM. A $5 participation fee benefits the Virginia Audubon Council and the Richmond Audubon.
3. Run the Race Without a Trace 5k at 10:00 AM on Saturday, April 26. The finish line is at the Enrichmond Earth Day Festival, which begins at 11:00 AM.
4. Vote for your favorite rain barrel in three different categories at http://cordpurainbarrels.wordpress.com/. These rain barrels were decorated by local elementary school students and will be on display at the Earth Day Festival, after which they will be put into use around the city. Voting ends on Friday, April 25.
5. Volunteer for local, environmentally-minded organizations, such as Friends of Pocahontas State Park, which is currently seeking new volunteers, or the James River Advisory Council, which hosts an annual clean-up of the James River.
No matter where you live...
1. Recycle any used materials you can, such as paper, plastic, aluminum, and glass.
2. Wash clothes in cold water.
3. Don't run the dishwasher until it is full.
4. Walk, bike, carpool, or use public transportation whenever you can.
5. Buy locally grown produce--or grow your own!
6. Pull through the space at the parking lot. Doing so can save gas, as your car uses more gasoline when in reverse than it does when moving forward.
7. Pick up after your pets. Doing so helps prevent waste from ending up in local waterways.
8. Turn the heat down (or the AC up) when you go to bed or leave the house.
9. Pick up litter.
10. Hang laundry dry.
11. To save both time and gas, run all your errands in one trip.
12. Turn the water off when you brush your teeth.
If you live in the RVA...
1. Attend the Enrichmond Earth Day Festival from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Saturday, April 26. The event features live music, local food and drink, a vendor marketplace, and more, some of which is mentioned below. Learn more at http://www.earthdayrichmond.org/.http://www.earthdayrichmond.org/.
2. As part of the Earth Day Festival, tour the heron rookery . The heron rookery walk begins at 3:00 PM and runs until 5:00 PM. A $5 participation fee benefits the Virginia Audubon Council and the Richmond Audubon.
3. Run the Race Without a Trace 5k at 10:00 AM on Saturday, April 26. The finish line is at the Enrichmond Earth Day Festival, which begins at 11:00 AM.
4. Vote for your favorite rain barrel in three different categories at http://cordpurainbarrels.wordpress.com/. These rain barrels were decorated by local elementary school students and will be on display at the Earth Day Festival, after which they will be put into use around the city. Voting ends on Friday, April 25.
 |
| Above is just one of the many rain barrels decorated by local elementary school students. Visit http://cordpurainbarrels.wordpress.com to vote for your favorite by Friday, April 25. The rain barrels will eventually be placed around the city. |
5. Volunteer for local, environmentally-minded organizations, such as Friends of Pocahontas State Park, which is currently seeking new volunteers, or the James River Advisory Council, which hosts an annual clean-up of the James River.
No matter where you live...
1. Recycle any used materials you can, such as paper, plastic, aluminum, and glass.
2. Wash clothes in cold water.
3. Don't run the dishwasher until it is full.
4. Walk, bike, carpool, or use public transportation whenever you can.
5. Buy locally grown produce--or grow your own!
6. Pull through the space at the parking lot. Doing so can save gas, as your car uses more gasoline when in reverse than it does when moving forward.
7. Pick up after your pets. Doing so helps prevent waste from ending up in local waterways.
8. Turn the heat down (or the AC up) when you go to bed or leave the house.
9. Pick up litter.
10. Hang laundry dry.
11. To save both time and gas, run all your errands in one trip.
12. Turn the water off when you brush your teeth.
Happy Earth Day!
Thursday, April 17, 2014
A New Twist on Tuna
When I was growing up, I always ate tuna salad the way my mom made it. Hers is a simple, easy, and delicious recipe that includes all-white meat tuna in water, mayonnaise, and sweet relish. In my adulthood, I continued to make tuna salad that way.
Until about a week ago.
I had a craving for tuna salad, but to my dismay, opened the fridge to discover we had no mayonnaise. How was I going to make tuna salad without mayonnaise? After I spent a few minutes lamenting my lack of mayonnaise, an idea occurred to me: Why not use ranch dressing? I admit that at first, my idea repulsed me, but as I warmed to it, I decided to try it, and in the spirit of my culinary adventure, I decided to add celery and pine nuts, as well. The result was quite delicious, so I decided I'd share it with you.
What You'll Need...
all-white meat tuna in water, drained
sweet relish
ranch dressing
pine nuts
celery, chopped into small pieces
What You'll Do...
Just mix all the ingredients together in any ratio that pleases you. Serve with crackers or on bread in a sandwich.
Until about a week ago.
I had a craving for tuna salad, but to my dismay, opened the fridge to discover we had no mayonnaise. How was I going to make tuna salad without mayonnaise? After I spent a few minutes lamenting my lack of mayonnaise, an idea occurred to me: Why not use ranch dressing? I admit that at first, my idea repulsed me, but as I warmed to it, I decided to try it, and in the spirit of my culinary adventure, I decided to add celery and pine nuts, as well. The result was quite delicious, so I decided I'd share it with you.
 |
| Celery and pine nuts add a crispy crunch to this tuna salad, while ranch dressing and sweet relish add tang. |
all-white meat tuna in water, drained
sweet relish
ranch dressing
pine nuts
celery, chopped into small pieces
What You'll Do...
Just mix all the ingredients together in any ratio that pleases you. Serve with crackers or on bread in a sandwich.
 |
| Serve this crunchy, tangy tuna salad on crackers or whole wheat bread. |
Thursday, April 10, 2014
FroYo for Fido!
You might remember a post I shared back in January about "Frozen Pumpkin Treat," one of my dogs' favorite (healthy!) indulgences. I started making frozen pumpkin treats after discovering, while baking my first-ever from-scratch pumpkin pie, that my dogs find pumpkin rather tasty. Well, more recently, I discovered that one of my dogs is equally enthusiastic about cantaloupe, so I have created a "springier" version of Frozen Pumpkin Treat--Cantaloupe Frozen Yogurt. As with Spring Pizza, there are no real measurements here, I just kind of mix everything up and freeze it.
What You'll Need...
plain yogurt
cantaloupe, chopped into small chunks
Jiffy whipped peanut butter (you will want to use the whipped peanut butter because it is easier to mix)
What To Do...
1. Mash the cantaloupe chunks into a juicy, lumpy pulp.
2. Add yogurt; mix cantaloupe pulp and yogurt until well combined (See Figure A below).
3. Add a little bit (maybe a spoonful or two) of whipped peanut butter.
4. Stir together until evenly mixed.
5. Dish into individual, freezer-safe plastic containers (such as Gladware, Rubbermaid containers, etc., as shown in Figure B).
6. Freeze.
*Note: It is very important to supervise your dog while he or she enjoys this froyo in order to ensure that he or she does not choke on anything, or chew the plastic container. Do not leave your dog unattended while he or she enjoys any treat.
plain yogurt
cantaloupe, chopped into small chunks
Jiffy whipped peanut butter (you will want to use the whipped peanut butter because it is easier to mix)
 |
| Using whipped peanut butter in these frozen treats makes the stirring easier and the treat smoother. |
1. Mash the cantaloupe chunks into a juicy, lumpy pulp.
2. Add yogurt; mix cantaloupe pulp and yogurt until well combined (See Figure A below).
3. Add a little bit (maybe a spoonful or two) of whipped peanut butter.
4. Stir together until evenly mixed.
5. Dish into individual, freezer-safe plastic containers (such as Gladware, Rubbermaid containers, etc., as shown in Figure B).
6. Freeze.
 |
| Above: Figure A. Mix cantaloupe pulp with plain yogurt until combined evenly. |
 |
| Above: Figure B. Spoon mixture evenly into durable, plastic, freezer-safe containers. Be sure to supervisor dogs as they enjoy this treat to prevent them from consuming any plastic. Dogs should always be supervised when enjoying any treat. |
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Spring Pizza
Maybe you're wondering why so much time has gone by between my last post and this one. Truth be told, now that the weather seems finally to have broken, I've had a hard time making myself stay inside to do, well, anything--from cleaning to cooking to blogging.
In the spirit of spring, though, I did muster up enough will power to stay inside for a few minutes and compose this post to share one of my favorite sping-time recipes, Spring Pizza (which I ate alfresco last night). It's my own original recipe, so pardon the fact that there are no exact measurements. I just kind of wing it every time. Because of that fact, the final result is always a little different--but every time it's been good!
Enjoy!
You will need...
refrigerated pizza crust
Alfredo sauce
prepared pesto
fresh asparagus, chopped into small pieces
corn (drained if it's canned)
pine nuts
crumbled goat cheese
shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
What to do...
1. Spread pizza crust out on greased cookie sheet.
2. Spread dough with as much or as little Alfredo sauce as desired.
3. Spread Alfredo sauce with as much or as little pesto as desired.
4. Top with asparagus, corn, pine nuts, crumbled goat cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake according to directions provided on pizza crust package.
Serving Suggestions
Last night, I served this pizza with salad, quinoa, and cantaloupe with orange slices.
In the spirit of spring, though, I did muster up enough will power to stay inside for a few minutes and compose this post to share one of my favorite sping-time recipes, Spring Pizza (which I ate alfresco last night). It's my own original recipe, so pardon the fact that there are no exact measurements. I just kind of wing it every time. Because of that fact, the final result is always a little different--but every time it's been good!
Enjoy!
 | |
|
refrigerated pizza crust
Alfredo sauce
prepared pesto
fresh asparagus, chopped into small pieces
corn (drained if it's canned)
pine nuts
crumbled goat cheese
shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
What to do...
1. Spread pizza crust out on greased cookie sheet.
2. Spread dough with as much or as little Alfredo sauce as desired.
3. Spread Alfredo sauce with as much or as little pesto as desired.
4. Top with asparagus, corn, pine nuts, crumbled goat cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake according to directions provided on pizza crust package.
Serving Suggestions
Last night, I served this pizza with salad, quinoa, and cantaloupe with orange slices.
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