Pecan Crusted Tilapia

I am not a big seafood person. I've never liked shellfish or sushi, but once in a while I will order fish at a restaurant, usually something mild like trout or tilapia.

A few weeks ago, my friends and had dinner at Nick and Sam's Grill and I ordered the pecan crusted trout. It was so delicious that I decided I was going to try a similar recipe at home.

I've only rarely cooked fish at home for a few reasons. Fish goes bad so quickly that I'm afraid if I don't use it immediately, it will go to waste. I also don't like the kitchen to smell like fish. Finally, Michael is not a fan of fish at all. But I found this recipe and decided to give it a try. It was super easy to put together and even made good leftovers. Mine didn't turn out nearly as pretty as the picture but I think that had more to do with my fish-handling skills than anything else. I served it with brown rice and steamed broccoli.

Ingredients

1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 (6-ounce) tilapia or snapper fillets
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
4 lemon wedges

Preparation

Combine first 5 ingredients in a shallow dish. Combine buttermilk and hot sauce in a medium bowl; place flour in a shallow dish. Dredge 1 fillet in flour. Dip in buttermilk mixture; dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining fillets, flour, buttermilk mixture, and breadcrumb mixture.
Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 fillets; cook 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and fillets. Serve with lemon wedges.
Cooking Light
JANUARY 2003

Dallas Rock & Roll Half Marathon Race Report

This year was the third year for Rock & Roll in Dallas and my second year running. Rock & Roll really puts on a good race, I have been impressed with the organization both times.

We left the house about 7:00 in order to make it to the runner drop-off area downtown by 7:30 for the 8:00 race start. The race started downtown near City Hall and finished at Fair Park. Runners could park at Fair Park and take a (free) shuttle to the start line but we decided to have friends drop us off. We used our extra time to wait in line for the Porta-Potties and then made our way to Corral 7. I was assigned to Corral 6 but we had decided to start together, so I went back one corral. Our wave started about 10 minutes after 8:00 and we were off!

The course was exactly the same as last year, which I loved. The beginning was crowded, as to be expected. I dodged and wove through the pack and lost Michael pretty quickly. Whoops! (He was fine with it, he told me later he decided to start out slower and save his energy. A good tactic!) The entire first half of the race was a gradual incline with a couple of pretty steep hills in Uptown. Dallas is not known for its hills, but we found them!

I really had trouble with my energy this race. My legs felt strong but the rest of me felt "off." I had a hard time keeping my breathing regular, probably because of allergy congestion. I usually breathe through my nose but I kept ending up mouth-breathing even though I knew I wasn't pushing that hard. I also kept feeling like I had side stitches, but on both sides of my waist. This was probably also due to breathing issues.

Finally around the 3.5-4 mile mark I settled into a pace that felt okay. By then, it was really warming up! The temperature had been pretty mild the last few days but Sunday it spiked up over 80 degrees. I took water or Gatorade at every station and by the last stations I was taking 2 cups. I knew I was getting overheated and was even getting chill bumps. I took a couple of walk breaks in shady areas and it seemed to help.

The support along the course was great! There were so many great volunteers and so many people came out to cheer. There were some really funny signs, my favorite was "Worst Parade Ever!" Runners Drink Beer was handing out little cups of beer on Swiss Avenue, I grabbed one and while I wish it had been colder, it really hit the spot! There was also someone with a sprinkler hose standing on a roof as we ran through Deep Ellum (near the finish line)-- needless to say, he was everybody's best friend!

When we entered Fair Park, there were lots more people there to cheer us into the finish. I tried to push myself, but I was spent! I finished in 2:10:30. Not my best time, but not my worst. Considering the heat, I'm happy with it! I am also happy when I compare it to the exact same course last year. The weather was perfect and I finished in 2:12 and some change, which was a PR at the time. So clearly I am getting faster!

Splits:
5K 27:36
10K 57:32
7 mi 1:06:22
10 mi 1:37:26
Finish 2:10:30
Avg pace 9:58 (Clearly I slowed down a lot the second half!)

I grabbed a bag of pretzels, a Gatorade and a bottle of water as soon as I got through the finish chute. I wanted an ice towel, but it was too crowded for me to get over to them, so I just skipped it. The finish chute was super crowded and the family reunion area was even worse! Instead of waiting by the correct letter, everyone just crowded around the finish chute exit. One of the volunteers was on a bullhorn and was trying to get people through. He finally said, "These runners are thirsty and need beer! You are keeping them from beer!" HA!

Michael did great for his first half with a finish of 2:28! Awesome job!

I hope to be able to update with some pictures soon! I think this will be my last "long" race until the weather starts cooling off. It's going to be a hot summer!

Rock & Roll Half Marathon Training: Race Week!

Last week's plans:
Mon 3/12: Yoga for Runners podcast, 25 min
Tues 3/13: 2.5 mi run + upper body strength training
Wed 3/14: 5 4.2 mi social run
Thurs 3/15: Rest or easy yoga
Fri 3/16: 3 mi run
Sat 3/17: Yoga class
Sun 3/18: 6-7 mi run

Not bad, considering that work has been crazy. My boss asked us to all come in early and stay late, so I've been doing 11 hour days and it's going to be the same way this week, too! Add in the time change and it was a challenging week.

Tuesday I got up extra early to do my run and came across a fox in the neighborhood! So strange, I have never seen one in person before. It looked like a cat at first-- it was running several yards in front of me and keep in mind it was still dark out. It wasn't until I saw its head that I realized it was no cat! It was so odd to see a fox in our neighborhood which is so urban. He must have been looking for bunnies!

I did manage to make it to the social run on Wednesday night, it was great to run in the evening while it was still light out! We tried out a new route and then Michael, our friend Brandon and I decided to go a little further. We thought we would end up at 5 miles but not quite.

Saturday's yoga class was different than usual. I am used to a fast flow style of class. Our substitute instructor had us use straps to get really deep into our poses. It didn't feel difficult at the time, but I was super sore Sunday morning. Our run was really difficult, I was sore all over (my back especially) and it was very humid out. It was not a pretty run, but we did 7 miles as our last long-ish run before the race.

Whew! That was my exciting week!

This week's plans:
Mon 3/19: Yoga for Runners, 25 min
Tues 3/20: 3 mi run + strength training
Wed 3/21: 3 mi run
Thurs 3/22: Rest or easy yoga
Fri 3/23: 3 mi run
Sat 3/24: Rest or yoga
Sun 3/25: Race day! 13.1 miles!

Rock & Roll Half Marathon Training: Week 4 complete

Last week's workouts:
Mon 3/5: Power yoga class
Tues 3/6: 3 mi run + strength training
Wed 3/7: Strength training + 5 3 mi social run
Thurs 3/8: Rest
Fri 3/9: 2-3 mi run
Sat 3/10: Yoga class podcast, 40 min
Sun 3/11: 12 mile run

Sunday's run was tough, it was raining and Michael's knee hurt so he stopped after 10 miles. I kept going (someone had to get back to the car!) and I actually felt really strong.

This week's plans:
Mon 3/12: Yoga for Runners podcast, 25 min
Tues 3/13: 2.5 mi run + upper body strength training
Wed 3/14: 5 mi social run
Thurs 3/15: Rest or easy yoga
Fri 3/16: 3 mi run
Sat 3/17: Yoga class
Sun 3/18: 6-7 mi run

This week is crazy busy at work, so I hope I can get it all in!

Rock & Roll Half Marathon Training: Week 3 complete

Last week's workouts:
Mon 2/27: Power Yoga class
Tues 2/28: 3 mi run + strength training
Wed 2/29: 3 5 mi social run
Thurs 3/1: Rest
Fri 3/2: 3 2.5 mi run
Sat 3/3: Yoga class
Sun 3/4: 11 mi run

The weather has been beautiful this week! And it has started to stay light for longer, so getting my evening run in on Friday was no problem.

Our friend Brandon joined us for the Run On! social run on Wednesday night, it was nice to have some more company so we did a 5 mile route. We couldn't quite keep up with the faster pace group, but we let them know before we left that we were following them (the store didn't have any maps for us) so they knew to make sure they were in our sight.

Sunday's long run was tough, my legs were sore from yoga class and just did not want to go very fast. We also started out later than I like (after 9:00am) so it warmed up quickly. But we finished!

This week's plan:
Mon 3/5: Power yoga class
Tues 3/6: 3 mi run + strength training
Wed 3/7: 5 mi social run
Thurs 3/8: Rest
Fri 3/9: 2-3 mi run
Sat 3/10: Yoga class
Sun 3/11: 12 mile run

This is the first time in half marathon training that I have gone over 10 miles for a training run. I have never thought it was necessary, but we'll see if this helps me finish a little stronger this time! I can't remember if I have already shared this or not, but Michael decided to run Rock & Roll with me, his first half marathon! It has been great to have a training and racing buddy. I'm glad this is something we can do together!

Have a happy and healthy week!

Tomato Chickpea Pesto Soup

Another great soup recipe from Runner's World!

Mmm, I love chickpeas! From the article:

"According to a study published in 2010 in the journal Appetite, participants who added half a cup of chickpeas to their daily diet ate less junk food and felt fuller compared with days they didn't eat chickpeas. Researchers credit the bean's fiber (11 grams per cup) for the healthy results. Cooked tomatoes provide the antioxidant lycopene, which studies show can protect skin from UV rays. Pesto adds a rich flavor, while basil contains anti-inflammatory antioxidants, says Dorfman. She also notes it's packed with magnesium, a mineral that regulates blood sugar."

This was super easy to put together. Michael's not a big soup person but he went back for seconds.

Ingredients:

1/2 onion, diced (I used yellow)
1 T olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes (I couldn't find fire-roasted, I just used regular crushed tomatoes)
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup water
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt (I left this out, I normally leave out added salt when using canned goods as I don't ever think the recipe needs it)
1/2 tsp black pepper
Prepared pesto (I used Buitoni reduced fat)

Directions:

In a pot, saute 1/2 a diced medium onion in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat till soft. Add 1 minced garlic clove; cook 30 seconds. Add one 28-ounce can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes and 1/3 cup water; bring to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. If you like a smooth soup, puree mixture in a blender. Transfer back to pot. Add one 15-ounce can drained, rinsed chickpeas. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Top each serving with a dollop of jarred basil pesto.

Rock & Roll Half Marathon Training: Week 2 complete

Last week's workouts:

Monday 2/20: Walk to/from work, power yoga class podcast (45 min)
Tues 2/21: 3 mi run + upper body strength training
Wed 2/22: Walked to work + 3 mi social run
Thurs 2/23: Rest
Fri 2/24: 3 mi run + walked home from work
Sat 2/25: Yoga class Rest, I had a horrible migraine/sinus headache
Sun 2/26: 10 mi run

Michael and I were sharing a car while his was in the shop, so I got some extra miles in the form of walking! Luckily the weather was really beautiful, perfect for being outside even though my allergies did not agree. (See Saturday's unplanned rest day.)

Sunday's run was tough, I wasn't feeling very motivated and it was super windy when we started. Michael had taken time off running since the Hot Chocolate race and this was the farthest he had run since high school. He was really struggling the last couple of miles. But we finished and managed to average a 10 minute pace.

This week's plans:
Mon 2/27: Power Yoga class
Tues 2/28: 3 mi run + strength training
Wed 2/29: 3-5 mi social run
Thurs 3/1: Rest
Fri 3/2: 3 mi run (I'll have to get motivated to do it after work, I have a dentist appointment before work)
Sat 3/3: Yoga class
Sun 3/4: 11 mi run