Playlist Wednesday!

First Playlist Wednesday, yesssss!  I'm really excited to share what I've been listening too as I train for my 5th half marathon! I'm looking to change some things up (I have a mix of anywhere from the 80s, 90s, and current Top 40) for this race too so give me any suggestions yall have too!

Soo, here is this week's edition of my top 5 running songs of the week:

• Sweet Nothing (feat. Florence Welch)-Calvin Harris
• I.LOVE.THIS. That Calvin Harris, he knows what he's doing! I love the upbeat tempo of this song and the lyrics are so catchy I find myself literally singing out loud while I run!
• Forever- Drake, Kanye West, Lil Wayne & Eminem
• OK, so I know this song is forever old (um.. 4yrs?) but I just love the rap beat and always keeps me going when I want to stop.  I especially love Eminem's rap at the end, I always rap it out loud while I run and sprint during that part of the song!
• Here's a fun fact= this was my first favorite Drake song that I first heard on that silly Sprite commercial back in 2010 hahahha
• Bulletproof- La Roux
• I love this song.  I originally added it to my playlist back in 2010 after a nasty breakup and the beat and lyrics were perfect for my emotions at the time and putting that all into my running.  Sometimes when certain songs have connotations with memories I'd like to forget, I usually never voluntarily listen to it ever again (i.e. jason mraz& colbie callait's lucky or colbie callait's bubbly) but this one, I love it for running!
• I Wanna Dance With Somebody- Whitney Houston
• I think this is my favorite song for running, hands down.  It always gets me going at the beginning of my runs and even if I'm in the middle of a boring treadmill run, it's perfect.  This was the very first song I added to my very first running playlist back in 2009.
• Don't Stop Believing- Journey
• Does this one really need an explanation? This is the best for all those double digit long runs (10+ miles) and for all my race playlists!

OK so I clearly enjoy a wide range of musical stylings for my running playlist! Do you like any of these songs? Which are your favorites for running or working out?

Sunday Recipe! (on Monday..)

SO.  I got so caught up yesterday with working on my day 2 recap of Princess Half Marathon, I already  fell down on my commitment for my new Sunday recipe post haha!

ANYways, here you go! My #1 favorite recipe from the past 6 months- South Indian Rasam! Rasam is a South Indian spicy&sour soup.  The spiciness comes from the indian red chilli pepper and the sour comes from tamarind.  Just a quick rundown of Indian food-- each state/region of India has it's own distinct style of food, kind of similar to the US (southern food, southwestern food, etc) but there isnt as much variation in the US like in India.  My family is from the state of Gujarat and our Gujatrati food has some unique dishes (rotli, dhar, khadhi, etc).  South Indian food is one of my absolute favorites, which includes- rasam, sambhar, dosas, idli, uppatham, etc).  One thing I love about South Indian food is that the vast majority of it is VEGETARIAN.

In college, I used to just get the soup mix from the Indian grocery store (the kind where you add water to the mix and boil then add the tomatoes and cilantro) but now that I'm a serious adult, I felt like it was time to learn how to make this from scratch.  This is my favorite Indian soup and I pretty much judge all Indian restaurants based on the quality of their rasam (and if they don't have it at that restaurant, then I judge them for not having it and rarely return there..).  SO, I am pretty serious about my rasam haha :)

The one thing I still do purchase from the Indian grocery store is the rasam spice powder.  Making it at home is without a doubt the best option but the spice powder you can purchase are just so good and cuts out some of the cooking time (lets be real, my mouth is watering just thinking about having some rasam).  My favorite 2 brands are the MTR Rasam Powder.  You can buy this on Amazon as well! My second favorite brand is Badshah Masala Rasam Powder.  You can buy this on Amazon also!  My mom swears by the Badshah Masala brand for all her masala mixes (for Pav Bahji, Sambhar, Chole Masala, Chat Masala, Channa Masala, etc.) so I know that if my mom endorses it, then its the best!!

Onto the cooking tips! This recipe is pretty good for 2 servings but if I want leftover soup, I'd just double up on the ingredients!  I follow this recipe pretty closely but I use my MTR or Badshah masala powder.    Also, I cook the toor dal in a pressure cooker (my mom got for me from India, it's so cute!).  It is such a time saver, seriously.

this is my pressure cooker (3L) , except from 2001 (You can find it HERE)

This is my mom's main one and I also have this one too but it's way too big for just me (5L). You can find it HERE. 

Also, I use a vagharie (aka tadka pan) for the seasoning part and then add it into my soup pot.  I love this pan I got from my local Indian grocery store.

This is not the exact same one I have but it's very similar! Found HERE

I usually double the recipe and it's great re-heated! I also LOVE to add a ton of tomatoes and chopped cilantro.  I usually add the chopped tomatoes (about 1 large or 3 romas) and let it boil for 8 minutes and then I add the chopped cilantro at the very end and then boil for 2-4 minutes.  This way, the flavor infuses from both but the tomatoes still maintain their shape/ dont dissolve and the cilantro keeps it's bright green color!

South Indian Rasam Recipe

Ingredients For Rasam Powder

Coriander seeds - 1 tea spoon
Cumin seeds - 1 tea spoon
Asafetida - ¼ tea spoon (also known as Hing--one of my all time favorite spices, smells&tastes amazing)
Red chillis - 2-3, according to taste
Black pepper - 1/4 tea spoon
Mustard seeds - ¼ tea spoon

Ingredients for Rasam:

Toor dal - 1 small cup
Tamarind - a lime sized ball (see note below)
Curry leaves - a sprig
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp chopped
Salt - 1 tea spoon or to taste
Water - 3-4 cups.

Ingredients for seasoning:

Oil/ghee - 1 tsp (I use canola oil)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon.

Preparation:

Roast all the rasam powder ingredients on low flame. Grind to fine powder.
Soak tamarind in warm water for 15 minutes. Get pulp using 1 cup of water. (I skip this step all together because I use tamarind paste I get from the Indian grocery store)

Cooking Method:

1.             Cook Toor dal in 2 cups of water till it is soft.

2.            In a deep pan add 1 cup water. Add ground rasam powder, tamarind pulp. Boil.

3.            Mash the cooked dal. Add to the mixture.

4.            Boil for 5 minutes. Add salt. Add more water if needed. Boil for 5 minutes.

5.             Add chopped coriander leaves.

Prepare Seasoning

1.             In a sauce pan, heat oil/ghee.

2.            Add mustard and cumin seeds. When they stop crackling, add asafetida and turmeric powder, curry leaves.

3.            Add to the ready rasam and cover the rasam pot.

Rasam is ready. Serve hot as a soup or with plain steamed rice.

Finished product! ENJOY!

Have you ever had rasam before? If you try this recipe, let me know how you like rasam!

Disney Princess Half Marathon 2013 Recap (Day 2)

OK. so DAY 2! Lets do this.

Maggie and I ended up staying up late catching up and talking the night before so we decided to sleep in a bit to 6/630am so we could catch the shuttle to the Royal Family 5K that my sister and her friend Sara were running.  I told them to enjoy it and stop for pictures and just have fun running in an empty Epcot (they ran through the world showcase!!!)! Well, we ended up at epcot around 730 and they already finished! Apparently they didnt stop at all for any pictures and 'ran' in the crowd of 8000 other 5K runners.  Well, ok then. I was so proud of them though for finishing the 5K! They had a good time and they finished so thats all that really matters.

I love this place!

So proud of them!

After their 5K, they were exhausted so we headed right back to the Coronado Springs after taking some pictures and then while they got cleaned up/rested, Maggie and I hit up the expo to get taped by the KT tape people and get her bib/race stuff! We walked around a bit so Maggie could see all the fun booths.

Before I get onto the rest of the day, let me get on my soapbox about this stuff called KT Tape.  First off, I am in no way being paid or compensated for my comments and shameless promotion of KT Tape but I just think anyone who is active in any sport, not just running, and has soreness in joints and muscles should try it!


I was skeptical at first when my sorority sis told me about the wonders of this KT Tape when I was complaining about my shin splints last November at the beginning of my PHM training.  But one day I got curious, and then I did my research and thought it just might help but everything I read online said they recommend having a trained professional to apply it.  Well, that was confusing because they have these great instructional videos on their website for any bodily ailment you may have so WHY were there these videos if Im supposed to have a trained professional apply it instead?? WELL. The fabulous KT Tape people were at the PHM expo and I purchased 2 rolls of pink and purple pre-cut Pro tape and brought it with me to FL (but I forgot to bring it to the expo!!!).  I talked to the lady applying it and she explained how I need to apply it to my leg for shin splints (she could only do one leg unless I purchased a roll and clearly that wasnt happening b/c I had 2 in my luggage haha!). I was nervous about trying something new for such a big race but I was like 'what the hey!" The tape application was pretty simple (I do a new application every week because my "short runs" are about 5 miles 2x a wk and a long run ranging from 5-12 miles on the wkend) and straightforward. Here is their Website and their facebook page and twitter page if you want to learn more.  They are great about responding quickly to their FB and twitter posts if you do have questions.  And good news, they are now selling the regular and Pro KT tape at CVS!

I applied the KT tape for my other leg while we waited for the bus to the parks. We decided on Animal Kingdom and MGM Studios (ugh disney, I know it's Hollywood Studios now but I refuse to call it that!) in the evening. Before we got the bus to AK, Maggie and I checked out of our room and left our bags to be sent over to the Art of Animation for the next few nights! I was a bit worried about changing resorts for such a short trip but Disney made everything easy and straightforward for switching resorts and our bags were already in our room when we checked in (more on that later) at the Art of Animation.

Onto the parks!! Let me start by saying, I love Animal Kingdom!

ready for AK fun! ps you can see my KT tape here and my black sparkleskirt!

walking towards the Tree of Life!

We went all over Animal Kingdom but without an organized plan so that was a bit hectic.  We got fact passes for the Kilimanjaro Safaris and had virtually no wait. I love riding the safari, so much fun seeing all the animals up close! Especially the African Elephants and the ostriches! We ended up having lunch at Yak and Yeti for their counter service.  I was a bit nervous because I didn't really see any vegetarian options but I learned through research on the amazing Disney Food Blog that if you just ask the counter person for veg options, they will gladly tell  you some items that weren't on the menu board.  My sis and I ended up getting the sweet and sour veggies with steamed rice and I got a basket of fries to share with the table.  Everything was so delicious and so filling! We were definitely fueled for a long day ahead for visiting the parks! Again, I fell down on my usual photog tendencies and failed to take pictures of our yummy lunch!

After lunch, we walked around the Asia area more and rode on my favorite attraction at Animal Kingdom-- Kali River Rapids! We had fast-passes we picked up before lunch and were right on time for the fast past line! This ride is way too short but so much fun!! A much needed cool-down from the hot and sticky/humid morning. We moseyed around Animal Kingdom, saw the live Finding Nemo show (so much fun!) and ventured into DinoLand, USA before we headed over to MGM.

By the time we got to MGM, we were so tired! We decided to definitely do the Great Movie Ride and the Muppets show.  Both were just as much fun as I remembered.  I loved being here at night! Seriously, Disney World is magical at night!!!

We had dinner at the ABC Commissary counter service at MGM.  Again, no veg options but we asked the castmember at the counter and he gave us some great options.  My sis had the veg Asian Salad and I had the veg Quinoa salad.  I had a taste of my sis' and she had some of mine and both were delicious but way to much salad for me to have in one sitting.  We had a fun convo during dinner about our respective college experiences and sorority happenings.  I think my sis was a little bored during that part of the conversation because she wasn't in a sorority during her time at uva haha but just the thought of my sis in a sorority at uva makes me giggle a bit. It definitely would not have been a good fit for her!!

ANYways.  Maggie and I decided we wanted to leave earlier than later because we would be up at 2am to get ready for our race on Sunday so we needed to get at least a few hours of sleep! We knew walking around all the parks and being on our feet all day before we were going to run 13.1 miles was dumb but it's Disney World so what are you going to do?!!

 We split from my sis and Sara as they took the bus back to the Coronado and we took the Art of Animation bus.  The ride was longer than expected but I was SO excited to stay at the newest Disney resort! (You can read more about how the resort started and was built over 7 years HERE.) Let me tell you, driving into here, I fell in love.  They had 4 themed areas based on popular Disney animated movies- Cars, Finding Nemo, The Lion King (my abs favorite disney movie!!!), and The Little Mermaid. We stayed in the standard rooms (the Little Mermaid area) which was a good 7-9 min walk from the lobby and bus stop/pick-up but I think it was worth it! Also something interesting I noticed was one of the only interior room buildings in the Disney resorts (the Lion King family suites).

I definitely want to stay in there one time!!  Here are some pictures of our super cute room.  I loved how everything was so perfect and in theme with The Little Mermaid.  To be honest, I've never seen this particular classic but it was Maggie's favorite disney movie so I'm glad she was able to stay here! The room was pretty clean and there was still a ton of counter space in the bathroom. One thing I loved about this room (and disney in general) is how they had a divider to close off the sink/closet area from the rest of the room.  I explained how I like to have my space when I get dressed and out of the steamy shower so this just make me even happier when I got to this so-called "value" resort to see this in our room!

We still had a ton of space even though it was a smaller room and it surprisingly fit all my luggage and Maggie's on either side of the room. Love these cute little shell chairs and our table with Ariel's sheet music!

 Look how cute the beds were, with my very own pearl light at the head of the bed!

OH HEY Flounder and Sebastian!

Look at all that counter-space! I love how the theme is prevalent even in the mirror and lights!!

Well, that was the end of Day 2! Get ready because Day 3 includes the RACE! YAY! The very reason we went to Disney World was for the Princess Half Marathon! 

Changes.

OK, so there are some changes coming on this blog... they've been a long time coming but I'm getting to it slowly so I'll definitely update you all as they happen!

First, in efforts to move the direction of this blog to more of a healthy living perspective through my eyes, (and added accountability), I added my past races and upcoming races as new tabs at the top! As I add more races to my calendar, I will try my best to keep that tab up-to-date as well!

Second, look out for a new layout and more of my personality here! We all know I'm a Hokie and that pink/orange is one of my favorite color combos but it has definitely run it's course (haha no pun intended).  Time for something new and fresh:)

Third, I'm looking for help. Help in this redesign and ways to make this blog a better source and outlet for people to enjoy.  If anyone (of my 4 readers haha) can help or point me in the right direction, LET ME KNOW.

Fourth, I'll be starting some regular posts every week! Get excited for Playlist Wednesdays where I will share my top 5 running songs of the week! On Sundays, I'll share one of my favorite recipes from the week (or in life b/c lets be honest, I have the hardest time cooking for one so I might just share a favorite recipe if I don't have a favorite from the week).  For now, those will be the new weekly posts (dont want to get too much on my plate and then not keep up).  

Fifth and finally, I'm going to start doing race re-caps and linking them to my Past Race tab! Hopefully this will be a great way for me to hold onto my memories from all these great races I have participated in and will participate in the future! I'll have to do a little work for all my past races but I kept a good timeline so hopefully I can backtrack and get it all updated soon!!!

Hope yall are excited for these changes because I totally am! YAY!

Disney Princess Half Marathon 2013 Recap (Day 1)

So.. I'm 2 wks behind on blogging but I'm planning to make a lot of changes on here in the coming month so look out for some new exciting things! (New things so far: new tabs with all my past races and upcoming/planned races)

ANYways, back to our originally scheduled program!

So we decided to spend a 4 day weekend in Disney World for the Princess Half Marathon (aka PHM) so we got the first flight out of CLT on Friday, Feb 22 and the last flight back to CLT from Orlando on Monday, Feb 25.  WELL. the night before we left, I headed over to my sister's house and her friend Sara was going to be dropped off at her house around 4am so we could get to CLT in time (abt 1.5hr from my sis' house).  The weather was NOT on our side because it was supposed to be freezing rain, black ice, and snow happening all morning/day on the 22nd so we all naturally panicked! We debated going to CLT that night and staying at one of the airport hotels but I convinced them to just leave an hour earlier so 3am it was! When my sis' friend got there, I was still getting ready (I only slept like 1.5 hrs, too excited to sleep) but it didnt matter bc she was blow drying her hair hahaha!

ANYways.  We finally make our way to CLT and get to our gate with minimal wait in the security line and had some yummy bfast (sbarro for sis and sara, starbucks for me) before getting on the plane.  The flight was innappropriately uncomfortable. Let me preface this by saying I've had my fair share of long flights (to and from India, direct to Mumbai, direct to Honolulu, to Maui, etc) and this flight was hands down the worst (well, I guess until our return flight).  So much turbulence, seats that wouldnt recline, and the flight attendants were crabby and rude the entire time.

We eventually get to Florida and everything is happy again.  We easily made it to the Disney Magical Express (DME) and got to the appropriate line to take us to the Coronado Springs Resort where my sister and Sara were staying the entire trip and my sorority sis Maggie and I were spending our first night (we were at the new Art of Animation for the rest of the trip).  Let me tell you, this place was gorgeous.  The ride to the resorts was fun but since we were going to the same resort where runDisney was holding the Fit for a Princess Race Expo, traffic to get in/out was beyond chaotic so our driver went to the All-Stars resorts first.  Soo we finally get to the Coronado.

This place is amazing.  the lobby was so intricately decorated (that's one thing Disney is perfect, the themes of the different resorts).

I wish we could've stayed here longer.  The rooms were so beautiful and some of the best I've heard from all of the Disney resorts (yay duvet covers, no nasty beadspreads!).

amazing pillows! I loved the decor here!

The bathroom area was so beautiful.  I loved that there were sliding doors to close off that area because I hate having to get dressed in a hot&steamy little room after drying off.  AND another major plus was having all that counter space because I for one am high maintenance and have a ton of toiletries.












So after checking in and dropping our luggage off, I met back up with my sister and Sara to head over to the Expo.  Maggie wasn't getting to the resort for hours later so we decided we'd hit up the expo, get our bibs and race bags, and do some shopping at the Official Merchandise area and then some of our favorite booths.

There were no lines for my bib but the tshirt/swag bag was inappropriately long.  I don't know why people don't realize that they should just go to the relevant shirt line instead of one huge long line and then filtering out. SUCH A WASTE OF TIME. Another waste of time was the ridiculous line for the Official Race Merchandise area.  The line zigzagged and we stood there for 1hr+ before even being able to enter inside!











We did our shopping at the official merch area and I had some amazing finds-- the special edition of Disney PHM Sweaty Bands, a cute long-sleeve black tee that says "Sorry Charming, Gotta Run" with a princess running shoe, the car magnet I missed 2 yrs ago, and the PHM wine glass and coffee mug!
My older sister spoils me all the time and this was no exception- see, runDisney and Dooney&Bourke team up for all of their major race weekends and create a special edition bag set.  My sister got the small crossbody one and got me this beauty:

special edition wristlet- front

special edition wristlet- back

After getting through the Official Race Merch area, we walked through each of the aisles (so crowded in a tiny space).  The expo usually is held in the ESPN Wide World of Sports but since the Braves have their spring training/games there, they held it at the Coronado Springs, which was a MUCH smaller space and not as many vendors as in 2011.  Not only that, each of the booths were super tiny and for a person who is claustrophobic like me, it was an anxiety ridden afternoon :( We swung by the SpiBelt/iFitness belt booths, the Luna Bar station for an afternoon snack of all their samples, sweaty bands, and sparkle skirts! My new love= Sparkle Skirts.  I ordered the minnie mouse sparkle light one to wear with my compression capris but when I got to the expo I tried on the sparkletech ones (they have little shorts inside and a guarantee no-ride up!) I got the Red foil/metallic one to wear for the race and my sis got me the black sparkle one! I love them! They are great for wearing in the parks (um.. which I did on Saturday) and travel (um.. flying back to NC), etc. As soon as I can save up more I am totally investing in more because these are the best running skirts ever! So many pockets and space that if I didn't even want to wear my Nathan 5K Runner's Waist Pack but of course I do because that is like my security blanket for running haha :)

OK so after hitting up Sparkle Skirts, I wanted to try out the KT Tape booth because so many people recommended it to me for my incredibly painful shin splints.  I stood in the line but it was painfully slow (my sis and Sara went through the entire rest of the expo while I waited in line...) so I jumped back out and figured when Maggie and I went the next morning after my sister and Sara's 5K to get her bib, we'd get in line right when the Expo opened in hopes of the line moving quicker! After getting out of the KT Tape line, my last goal was to find the commemorative items line to get my princess necklace and special pin.

Well, long story short, I got lost.  I finally found my way to the runDisney booth near the stage area at the expo and went to ask someone where I needed to go...little did I know that I walked RIGHT IN FRONT OF JEFF GALLOWAY. YES> THE JEFF GALLOWAY.  If you aren't familiar with who he is, he is an Olympian who helped make the Peachtree Road Race in ATL a really big deal in the running world, writes a monthly column for one of my favorite magazines--Runner's World, and a consultant for runDisney.  I started running and training for my first half marathon using his training plans and his run/walk interval method and used his book for half marathon training.  SO. I spot him taking pictures with other runners at the runDisney booth so after, I go up to him and blab on and on about how amazing his book and training plans helped me get ready for my half marathons and got me into running and asked for a picture.  He couldnt have been nicer to me, a grown adult being all fan-girl at that moment haha!

After getting my necklace and pin, my sister, sara and I were famished so we saw people walking around with chiquita bananas (my abs favorite) and apple slices sooo we stood in line at the chiquita booth to take a picture with the creepy chiquita lady in order to get the "free" banana and apple slices. Was it worth it? YES.

creepy chiquita lady

SO. we finally left the expo on Friday evening.  After, maggie finally arrived and we decided to head to  Epcot to get dinner and walk around! I love Epcot at night!!! We ended up going to my pick for dinner,  La Hacienda de San Angel.  I read on the Disney Food Blog after thorough research, that they had a special vegetarian menu so we were all starved and all ended up choosing our dinner from the vegetarian menu! It was hands down some of the best mexican food I've ever had.  Like serious authentic mexican food, not that fake texmex we have in NC (which I still lvoe).  I had the veggie tacos (as did Maggie) and my sis and Sara had the veggie enchiladas. I srsly wish I took pictures of the food :( --Our tacos had a delicious spicy corn salsa that even brought tears to my indian eyes.  I can handle my spices but this was so intense and amazing. My mouth is watering just thinking about that meal. And I havent even mentioned the chips and salsa they gave us when we sat down!! SRSLY IF YOU ARE EVER IN EPCOT, GO HERE. EVEN IF IT'S FOR LUNCH COUNTER SERVICE.

We walked around the rest of the night in Epcot and tried out some of the rides and the new Test Track.  I really enjoyed the rides we went on since it had been FOREVER since we actually rode the rides in Disney World!

hahaha 4 scared adults and 1 excited child...

We eventually headed back to the Coronado because Sara and my sis had to be up early for the Royal Family 5K the next morning! 

Look out for my day 2 recap post tomorrow! I swear, it is totally happening! I have no other plans but to work on this blog re-design/update and snuggle with my pup Rusty:)