Playing catch up

I'm a bit behind in my posts. It was a crazy work week so I didn't have a chance to chat about last weekend. As for THIS weekend I had a lovely trip to the Berkshires with my bestest lady friends. It was filled with beautiful weather, yummy meals, wine and cheese cocktail hour, and lots of time to catch up.

But let's back up to last week. As far as exercise it was a tough week to get motivated. The cold weather last week made it difficult to get motivated to get out of bed early or go to the gym after work. Now that it gets dark early, I just want to go home and relax after work. I've realized I need to exercise in the morning or it just won't happen.

I got in a few runs last weekend, but I am having some shin splint issues, which is new for me. I then  rested all week from running to try and recover from them. We'll see how they feel tomorrow when I attempt another run. All I know is shin splints are quite uncomfortable and frustrating.

Last weekend was my fiance's bday, so we did lots of good eating. Not the healthiest weekend of food, but birthdays are all about indulgence and celebration. Saturday we went to a cozy local Italian restaurant for a delicious meal. We had a yummy antipasto to start which included cheese, bread, olives, and prosciutto and salamis. I got a pasta dish that had a creamy(but no dairy) tomato/white wine sauce and chunks of cod. It was really well seasoned and the fish was light and tender. He got a gnocchi with a meat ragu. All around delicious.

For the actual bday, we did some lunch at a sports bar, and then I made a birthday din. His favorite food is lasagna, but since I'm lactose intolerant we don't ever eat it. But, I love making lasagna and thought this would be a great chance to do it. Here is the lasagna recipe I used. It was easy and delicious.

Lots and lots of cheese

For sauce I used Prego brand Fresh Mushroom. I also added in some chicken sausage to the sauce. Since I can't have dairy, I made myself some penne with the lasagna sauce, spinach, and parmesan cheese. So good! I can have parmesan because it's aged and the lactose sugars break down in the process.

Pasta for the non lactose lady

For dessert I made apple crumble. Always a favorite. I don't have a specific recipe, but here is my approximate recipe:

Filling:

5 Macoun apples

Juice of half a lemon

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Topping:

1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

pinch of allspice

4 Tbsp Earth Balance(or whatever butter you use)

1. Mix together filling and cook in a greased pan for 30 mins at 350 degrees. Have it covered with tin foil while cooking.

2.  Mix topping ingredients with a fork until it has an even crumbly texture. Pour over filling after it has cooked for 30 mins.

3. Cook for another 30 mins uncovered, or until top is lighted toasted, and filling is bubbling.

Enjoy!!