Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Back to Morning Running

For most of my decade of running, I have run in the morning. At first it was simply the most convenient time, but eventually, it became part of the pattern of my life. Running happens in the morning. There have been exceptions to that rule, however, including this past winter. I was under employed for a few months, giving me extra time in the afternoons to run. I was able to completely change my schedule and run during the warmest part of the day.

It was a shock to my system when I switched back to morning runs at the end of March. It had not crossed my mind that I would need to adjust to my old (now new) schedule. Well I did. But the change could not come at a better time. With the humidity settling in, 6 am is becoming the best part of the day for running after all.

The tail end of sunrise this morning on my run

I also forgot how much I like running early in the morning. I love the atmosphere and community in the morning. I get to see the sunrise and the mist rising off the fields. The air feels crisp and fresh and I come across a lot more wildlife than in other parts of the day. I even saw a beaver! There is also a whole community of people out early, even more so than in the afternoon when most people are at work. I see the same neighbors each morning walking their dogs or jogging. We smile at each other, say hello, and encourage each other. I didn't realize how much I missed being part of that community. Not only is it nice to see them, but I feel safe knowing that friendly people are around. While I miss the flexibility of open afternoons, I am glad to be back in the swing of my morning runs.

REPOSTED: The Crafty Runner goes to Craft Shows

So, this post was deleted when Blogger.com had a glitchy day. I am attempting to rewrite it:

One of my favorite sources of inspiration is the handy work or others. I love going to craft shows and art galleries where the artist is there to talk about their work. In the past couple months I went to two great shows. The Smithsonian National Craft Show and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Both were a lot of fun and had beautiful and inspiring works.

After having taken the pottery class, I found the craft fairs to be much more educational than ever before. I had a great time talking with artists about types of clay, firing heat, and chemical reactions in glazes. There was one artist who made the same sculpture out of different clays and fired them at different temperatures. She took me through each one explaining how the piece acted differently. It was great!

As a closing note, what would a crafts blog post be without a picture. Here is one of my favorites from the New Orleans Jazzfest. It's by A.me and Mitch Alamag:

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Gluten Free Rice Flour Waffles

I did it! At last I made a rice flour waffle that tastes like a waffle and doesn't totally crumble! The secret ingredient? Apple Sauce! I have been working on this recipe for months, so I hope you like it. It is not the healthiest recipe out there, but the extra egg and the oil help keep the waffles moist and cakey.

For those of you who are not bound to a gluten free diet, use whatever flour you want, half the apple sauce, one egg, and no oil. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Rice Flour Waffles

1 3/4 cups rice flour (I use a combination of white and brown rice flours)
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 cup apple sauce
water, added 1/4 cup at a time
cinnamon, honey, vanilla, or almond extract

Preheat your waffle maker to your favorite setting.

Mix the rice flour, baking powders, salt, and cinnamon if using it. Add in the apple sauce, egg, and oil. At this time, add any honey or extracts you want. Mix thoroughly, adding a 1/4 cup of water at a time until the batter is smooth and the consistency of pancake batter.

Pour the batter 2 cups and a time into the waffle iron, cook, and enjoy!



Serving: 1 waffle, 1/4 cup of batter
227 Calories, 8g fat, 1g dietary fiber, 3g sugar, 3g protein