Got stuck at work last night and couldn’t the Wednesday night burrito ride but I made up for it by going out today.
It was a short ride but full of adventure! It was sunset, my light had low battery and it was thundering when I left. It started lightening about halfway through and the downpour started right as I looped around.
It was a warm(er) night so I rode through the rain. A bit sketchy for a bit but lots of fun. I passed a few other brave riders and we cheered each other on. By the time I made it home the rain had mostly stopped. My bike was muddy, I was soaked but smiling!
Another wonderful Wednesday night bike ride with the crew from George Garner Cyclery. A little cooler than in the past but great once you got going. Rode north on the DPR Trail for a change and stopped at Momcorn halfway for some delicious eats.
We did it! Brent and I rode in the Apple Cider Century ride and did 50 miles in a little over 4 hours. That’s an average speed of 12.5 miles and hour. It was a great ride – good pace, not too exhausting and only a little soreness in my neck and shoulders the next day. Whether was a bit cool and overcast but perfect for a ride.
My top speed was 29.2 MPH! I am not sure how that compares to normal but it sounds impressive! I had a lot of fun and am definitely looking forward to next time!
Before the race – nervous and excited…
During the ride, a bit of the nice scenery and my riding buddy
Some chickens I noticed while riding. Excuse my silliness, I think the exhaustion was taking over 🙂
Crossing the finish line!!!!!!
After the race – tired and sweaty but pretty proud of myself!
I participate in the RedditGifts Gift Exchange periodically. This time around I got matched with the most amazing “secret santa” who not only scoured this very blog for inspiration but then hand drew me a wonderful picture of all 5 of my cats!!
I think she did a great job of capturing their personalities, even including Brutus’ blep! They are surrounded by a purple blanket which happens to be my favorite color. It came all framed and matted so I could hang it right away!
She really went above and beyond to make this a great exchange and I am proud to display this work of art in my family room. If you want to check out more of her stuff, please check out her website!!
Just meh. The pork was pretty fatty so I had to trim a lot. It was also super messy to make but maybe that’s me. I also didn’t think the eggplant was as good as earlier dishes in the season so maybe its almost done. The rest was just ramen and broth and what could go wrong with that? I do like corn in everything though – that has been very pleasant lately.
Forgot my helmet tonight so had to get a loaner – don’t worry I still looked fabulous! Little cooler so got to try out my long sleeve jersey which worked great!!! Stoped again halfway for some delicious tacos at The Other Door.
This weekend is my Apple Cider Century ride – I’m hoping to do 50 miles. Wish me luck!!
Got this recipe from a YouTube channel we watch and The Other and I decided to try it. Our first attempt turned out really great (although you definitely need silicone molds). For the next batch we mixed in some addins – peanuts, marshmallows, cranberries, rice krispies, all in different combination and amounts.
The Other like the Marshmallow ones the best while I like the rice krispie ones. Next time I would like to try some peppermint extract added. You should definitely try this recipe!
1/2 cup coconut oil (cold press and virgin is healthiest)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup honey or agave or maple syrup
1/4 tsp sea salt
OPTIONAL:
1 cup or less of additional add ins
sea salt for sprinkling on top
INSTRUCTIONS:
Dump the coconut oil, cocoa powder, salt, and sweetener of choice into a non-stick pot.
2. Mix together on low-medium heat until the sweetener is blended in thoroughly. You don’t need to cook anything, you’re just trying to melt it all together. Turn off the heat.
3. If you are using a mould with details (like my Hello Kitty mould) chop the add-ins to make them finer so they don’t ruin the details of your mould. If you are using a generic shape mould, you can sprinkle in the add-ins without chopping them.
4. Pour the chocolate into the moulds and place in the freezer for 15-30 minutes. The deeper the mould the longer it will take to cool off.
5. Pop them out and enjoy! Keep all the chocolate in the fridge or else it will melt down. 😀
Wednesday night twilight ride is quickly turning into nighttime ride. Still lots of fun though and great exercise. Also, no threat of being caught by the zombies alone so there is that…
For the halfway mark on our ride tonight we stopped at a small restuarant in Lake Bluff called “The Other Door” You could start by saying its like Chipotle but its so much more. (and I love Chipotle) The atmostphere is great, the food is amazing, and the drinks are on point. I totally recommend this spot if you are looking for some great eats.
While everyone else is out looking for Pumpkin Spice Lattes, I am trying to find Starbucks that still have the peach syrup from summer so I can get Peach Green Tea Lemonades. Starbucks is discontinueing the flavor for the season so not only does this signal the end of PGTL but also summer! Noooo!
Also took a bike ride tonight but again the end of summer got me. Wanted to do 20 miles and left at about 6:15 pm. Thought I would have plenty of time but nope. Even though a few days ago the sun sets around 8pm now its down around 7pm. So I had probably my faster ride ever as I raced home in the dark trying not to assign evil monsters to every sound I heard in the forest.
There was one point where I was coming up to a bridge and thought to stop a rest a bit. When I reached the bridge though I saw a lone figure learning against the railing in the dark. They did not make any movement when I entered the bridge. I’ve seen enough movies to know not to stop and that was my fastest mile all night and I tried to ride away while keeping an eye behind me so I didn’t become a zombie.
So I did get out today per my promise from yesterday however I was still pretty lazy so decided to walk instead. And get pizza for dinner. Hey – still counts! Plus I brought The Other so I think that counts for something.
Saw this awesome landscaping on our walk. Totally want this for my house.
I haven’t biked in about 2 weeks due to being busy and also lazy. Really wanted to get back into it today and promised myself I’d go after lunch. However we went to a new BBQ place by our house which was delicious and when I came home I kinda just wanted to sleep
I forced myself to go, which I am pretty proud of but it was a more difficult than usual ride with a belly full of beef brisket.
It was a beautiful ride even if it was a bit slower than usual. I think I got over my block and hope to get out tomorrow as well.
Made Fresh Lemon Linguine with summer vegetable sauce and seasoned ricotta tonight. I think the most surprising thing was that there was no fresh lemon in it. It was actually lemon infused pasta.
Overall it was pretty good, even without the addition of fresh lemon but it is not my favorite lemon pasta dish I have made from Blue Apron. I think others have been better.
I did like the summer vegetable sauce as it taught me an easy way to make homemade tomatoe sauce. I didn’t realize it was so easy. (Basically garlic, red onion, and tomato then simmer until thick and saucy)
I also painted my nails with the “comic book” nails. I think it was OK for a first try, need to work on my lines. It’s hard to make a thin line on your nails with your good hand so your offhand is super tough. I’m liking the matte topcoat more than I expected!
A couple weeks ago Luna spent a wonderful Sunday out on the screen porch on a pillow with a heated cat bed on it in the sun. It was 94 degrees out. The next day Luna was very lethargic and spent most of the day inside on a heated pad. The day after that she stopped eating so we went to the vet. Turns out she had Heat Stroke.
Yes you heard that correctly – my cat spent too much time on a heated pad in the sun and didn’t get up or move all day so she got heat stroke. In my 36 years of living with and owning cats I have never heard of this happening before. The vet told us that she would just get better but that we should unplug all heated beds in the house so she wouldn’t be tempted to continue to lay on them. (we have a lot)
The other cats were not happy with this decision and Luna wasn’t a fan either – so enemy lines were crossed and Winzig agreed to snuggle with Luna. If only to keep warm in the frigid 80 degree weather.
Luna didn’t make the recovery we expected so she had to go back to the vet. This time she had a liver infection. The Vet speculates that the heat stroke lowered her immune system which allowed the infection to take hold so then she was on Clavamox. She wasn’t as terrible to dose as I had expected, better than most of the other cats. She finished her last dose a little over a week ago and since they has been back to her normal mischievous self.
I’m not a huge fan of dessert pies but I do love me some savory pie. Tonight’s Blue Apron was just such a treat.
Tomatoes, goat cheese and sweet peppers among other ingredients made this a delicious treat.
2 slight issues – the recipe had you cook the pie for 22 min at 425 degrees which would have charred the whole thing. Luckily I checked after 10 minutes and realized the issue with enough time to turn down the heat to finish it properly.
The second was that the chef of Blue Apron loves to use vinegar, especially on onions, which lead to this being a very acidic dish.
Overall pretty good, with a few adjustments I would make this again.
Blue Apron tonight and I wasn’t really looking forward to it as I didn’t think I would like catfish. It was much better than I thought which is why I love these Blue Apron meals – they allow me to try stuff outside my comfort zone.
Full meal was catfish, freekeh, and a corn-cherry tomato saute all garnished with marjoram. One serving is 650 calories.
Another Twilight ride, and this time Brent came along! We rode the North Shore Bike Path which I didn’t know existed. It took us all the way to the lake. I got a new light before this ride and it was amazing. So bright!!! There were 6 of us in total this time which made for a fun ride.
Last week after the Twilight Ride I left my bike at the shop for a tune up. Today The Other and I picked up our bikes and rode home. I am happy to have my bike back!! The ride home was hot but nice and surprisingly short. Google said it would be 8 miles but it was only about 6. I’m excited that maybe in the future I can ride to the Wednesday Twilight ride. Speaking of which, can’t wait for tomorrow!
The cycle shop I bought my bike from hosts a weekly Wednesday Twilight Ride. Thus week is the first week I went and I happened to be the only to show up!
No worries though. The employee who hosts finished closing up the shop and we headed out. It was great weather, a little chilly but perfect once you start pedaling.
We decided to head south since I have not been farther south than 137. Night came on quickly which my little light was totally unprepared to deal with. Luckily my riding partner noticed this before we even took off and leant me one from the shop. Even with that, it wood have been a dark ride without his super powerful lamp.
After the ride we decided to stop at Chipotle for some dinner. It was very well deserved! I had a ton of fun on the ride and can’t wait for next week!
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