Love, love, love coffee!  I can’t start my day until a few things have happened.  First, run or hit the gym.  Second, shower.  Third, coffee.  Even when I was drinking decaf, I still craved that warm, brown liquid in my cup daily.  

Peet’s Coffee has 2 new medium roast coffees – Café Domingo and Café Solano.  Sounds fancy, huh? 

(source)

I was so excited to try these new varieties out, as Peet’s has always been one of my favorite brands of coffee.  First up was the Café Domingo.  I loved it!  I like a stronger, more flavorful coffee and this was perfect!  I may have put more than the recommended 2T per each 6 oz. water in my coffeemaker, though.  I paired this coffee with a bowl of fruit & apple cinnamon rice cakes with almond & pumpkin butters.  More technical information about the Café Domingo:

Café Domingo medium roast is named after our third café on Domingo Avenue in Berkeley, California, opened by our founder, Alfred Peet in 1980. For decades, our regulars have gathered here for hand-crafted drinks and the camaraderie they conjure.

Our coffee experts carefully crafted this blend from three Latin America coffees and fine-tuned the roast for the perfect medium-bodied cup. We describe Café Domingo coffee as a smooth and balanced medium roast with hints of toffee sweetness and a clean, crisp finish.

Next up was the Café Solano.  This was my favorite of the 2, though I would buy them both on my own.  I am surprised that I liked this one better because I am more of a toffee girl, than floral, but that just goes to show you that you never know.  I purposely didn’t read the descriptions before I sampled so that I would be able to form my own opinion.   I paired this coffee with gluten-free waffles topped with hot cinnamon apples and almond butter.  It was the perfect fall breakfast!

Café Solano medium roast coffee is named after our beloved café established in 1990 on Solano Avenue in Berkeley, California. It’s a place where our regulars come for their morning ritual of coffee and conversation.

Our “Peetniks” expect the world from us, and with those high standards in mind, we created a world blend. We married vibrant and aromatic beans from Africa, the Americas and the Indo-Pacific in a medium roast for a lively yet perfectly rounded cup with floral notes and a subtle fruit essence.

Would you like to get a $3.00 coupon to try out the Café Domingo or Café Solano?  Just click here and share with 3 others to earn your coupon. 

This post is part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program with Peet’s Coffee.  The coffee reviewed here was sent to me free of charge.  The opinions stated here are mine and have not been influenced by anyone or anything.

I am sure that we all know someone who was fought breast cancer before.  Some of those people have won their battles & sadly some have not.  During the month of October, Panera Bread in Central Ohio is partnering with the Stefanie Spielman Fund to support breast cancer awareness month. 

Purchase a special Stefanie Spielman Coffee Mug for $10 and refills on free for the month of October.  I purchased my mug today.

I love coffee and will drink it anyway, so why not help support the fight against breast cancer in the process?  While the pink ribbon bagels are not gluten-free, they do have some gluten-free options. 

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Short side note – Giant Eagle is carrying Starburst Jelly Beans for under $3.00/bag.  They are now my go-to store.  Yes, I have a problem.  No, I don’t care to do anything about that.  Giant Eagle has made gluten-free shopping a little easier in their stores.  Instead of having a dedicated gluten-free section, they have gluten-free products labeled with a tag on the shelf.  I did see some that I know are gluten-free that weren’t labeled, but it is a start.  Gluten-free friendly & carries Starburst Jelly Beans?  Winning. 

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The lovely Shirley of Gluten-Free Easily has made a Chocolate Silk Pie that is not only gluten-free, but dairy-free & grain-free, too.  Check it out! 

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I have several reviews that I am in the middle of writing right now.  I can’t wait to share these with you guys! 

I know, I know, it is supposed to be wordless.  That is almost a joke with me.  How about we rename it to “Use as Few Words as Possible Wednesday”?  Here is my picture:

You know I can’t post that & not explain, or can I? Anyone care to try to explain for me? 

Race day is less than 2 weeks away.  It is more important now, than ever, to eat right, sleep right & stay away from sick people.  If you are sick & around me, please don’t be offended if I run the other way.  Eating right should be a no-brainer, but that isn’t always the case.  I know how to eat healthy, gluten-free, but knowing & doing aren’t always the same thing.

As a recovering anorexic I have to be careful with any changes that I make to my diet and/or exercise plan.  There have been times that I find myself rationalizing that something I am doing is okay, when in actuality, it isn’t.  I have a habit of weighing myself daily.  Some people think this is a bad idea, my therapist and I felt it was a good thing for me.  By weighing myself daily I was learning to trust myself & my eating patterns again.  That was all well & good up until the past few weeks. 

Half marathon training & strength training can cause weight gain.  This isn’t a bad thing – this means that I am getting stronger.  However, my brain sees it differently.  In order to thwart any action (conscious or subconscious) on my part, I have asked Aaron to hide our scale.  He giggled at first, and then I asked him to trust me.  When I weighed myself yesterday I was up 4-5 pounds total over the past few weeks.  I know that rationally there are all kinds of reasons for this, hence the reason I asked Aaron to hide our scale.  If I don’t know, I can’t obsess.  If I don’t know, I can’t act.  Restricting food intake or calories at this point in my training would be detrimental to my body.  Tapering is the point in training where your body repairs itself in preparation for race day and I need to let my body do what it needs to do.  I need to trust. 

I am focusing on whole, gluten-free foods.  Lean proteins, brown rice, quinoa, veggies & fruits.  For bread-y carbs – brown rice tortillas, Food for Life English Muffins or Udi’s gluten-free millet chia bread.  Oh, can’t forget the chocolate & jelly beans (I really need to hit up Jelly Beans Anonymous). 

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Thanks to all who entered the Rice Select giveaway!  To see if you won, head over here! 

Last spring I bought some CW-X compression capri pants.  At the time I was having some IT band & hip flexor issues and I figured they couldn’t hurt. 

The idea of behind compression pants for running is as follows:

Extensive studies show that wearing CW-X tights results in 26% less energy expenditure than running in regular tights and 36% less energy than running in shorts. CW-X’s patented Support Web brings the hips, knees and ankles into proper alignment, reducing impact and load to the legs. The Support Web™ also provides a suspension system for the hamstrings and quadriceps, reducing workload in both the pull and push phase of the running motion. With more efficient strides, your muscles don’t have to work as hard over time and your legs will feel fresher.

WOMEN’S 3/4 STABILYX TIGHT – BLACK/RASPBERRY(actual capri pants that I purchased)

The Stabilyx tights provide optimum targeted support to the core and knees. They’re ideal for activities with lateral motion such as skiing and snowboarding and for athletes seeking our best form of knee support. The patented CW-X Support Web™ bands together the muscles and ligaments of the lower leg to stabilize the knee and reduce vibration for increased efficiency. The CW-X Support Web™ also harnesses the midsection, supporting the lower abdominals, hips and back to channel power through the core. Variable compression facilitates circulation during and after activity, minimizing lactic acid build-up so that you can be active longer and recover faster.

(source)

I am not sure I noticed if I wasn’t working as hard, but I did feel like I has some additional strength & support in the areas were injured, which was nice.  The downfall of these pants are that they are hard to get on.  Imagine putting on a pair of super-thick hose.  I have to admit that I felt a bit like a stuffed sausage and was not quite sure why there is a drawstring on these puppies, because I can assure you that they weren’t budging!  I did also purchase the ventilator pants, but have only worn them once.  I am partial to my Zensah compression socks & don’t want to change anything right now.  After my half in 2 weeks, I am looking to experiment with the pants and possibly the CW-X compression socks.  I am a bit scared, though, as these go over your feet and my feet are very picky about socks and shoes. 

Runners…..have you tried any of the CW-X products?  If so, which ones? 

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Don’t forget to enter the Rice Select giveaway! The contest is open until TONIGHT ,October 3,2011 at midnight EST.

Kim

Today is the second day of the 10th month of 2011.  I saw Christmas trees in Kohl’s and we haven’t even hit Halloween.  Time to hunker down & get with the program!  I have not forgotten to share my results of my office cleaning.  See, I can’t share if I am not done yet.  LOL!  No laughing!  I got slightly off track when Hannah had her appendectomy & subsequent recovery.  Then I had to catch up on my sleep.  Now, I think I am sufficiently caught up.   For now.  Good news is she is almost back to normal and should be cleared for all activity on the 10th.  Her arm therapy has been going well, too and she has regained most of her ROM there. 

We went from warm to cold overnight.  Literally.  Temperature Saturday morning was 42 when I headed out to run.  Weather man said it felt like 31.  Gee, thanks for that.  He also mentioned that there had been a rain-snow mix overnight.  WHAT?!  I am SO not ready for that! 

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Speaking of fall…I have been enjoying my favorite apples – Honeycrisp!  I forgot how much I love them!  I was able to try a new apple this week, too – SweeTango.  The SweeTango is a cross between the Honeycrisp and a Zestar! apples.  Read on….

The name SweeTango reflects the harmonious flavor combination you experience upon first bite.

Flavor – Juicy and sweet with hints of fall spices, SweeTango®’s flavor, balanced by vibrant acidity, dances to a long and satisfying finish on the palate. It also features the satisfying “crunch” of a Honeycrisp.

Origin – SweeTango is the brand name for apples produced by Minneiska trees, a cultivar developed at the University of Minnesota. Breeders spent more than a decade developing this distinct variety of apple. SweeTango is grown and marketed by Next Big Thing, A Growers’ Cooperative – a unique partnership of some of the most respected family-owned orchards in North America.

Appearance – SweeTango is a blush apple with deep red coloration over a yellow breaking background.

Availability – SweeTango is an early-season apple, harvested in late August and early September. The apples appeared in limited quantities in select markets in 2009 and 2010. Stores and markets across the nation will carry the apples in 2011. For the latest on availability, follow SweeTango on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

I really enjoyed the SweeTango apples, but my heart still lies with the Honeycrisp.  I did like that the SweeTango apples were smaller than most of the Honeycrisps that I find; most of them are the size of a softball or larger!

**These apples were sent to me free of charge for review purposes.  The opinions stated here are mine and have not been influenced by anyone or anything. 

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Menu Plan

Sunday –Chipotle or Rotisserie chicken with salad

Monday – KC Masterpiece BBQ chicken breasts, coconut baked brown rice, steamed broccoli & salad

Tuesday – Easy Enchilada Bake, corn & salad

Wednesday – Baked Ziti, steamed green beans & salad

Thursday – Marinated spicy pork chops,  mashed sweet potatoes, roasted asparagus & salad

Friday – MYOP (Udi’s gluten-free crust) and salad

Saturday – Leftovers or breakfast for dinner

Baking

Pumpkin brownies

Cookies for Jon

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Don’t forget to enter the Rice Select giveaway!  The contest is open until Monday,October 3,2011 at midnight EST.

Kim

Welcome to October!  Are you ready for fall?  Leaves are changing & the holiday decorations are out at Kohl’s.  Good times!

Do you like peanut butter?  I do!  I eat some kind of nut butter daily and more than 50% of the time, it is peanut butter.  Not only does peanut butter give me a boost in protein, it tastes good, too!  One of my favorite ways to eat peanut butter for breakfast or for a snack is to spread it on rice cakes.  Sometimes I’ll top that with jelly, but my all-time favorite is pumpkin butter.

Quick Peanut Butter & Pumpkin Rice Cakes

• 2 rice cakes
• 1-2 TBSP Planter’s peanut butter
• 1-2 TBSP pumpkin butter
• 1-2 TBSP raisins

Assemble the rice cakes and toppings in the order listed.  Enjoy!

Can’t go wrong with this combination!

Some other peanut butter snack ideas:

• spread on apples
• cut a banana in half lengthwise, spread with PB and make a banana sandwich
• spread on celery & top with raisins (also called “Ants on a Log”)
• spread on gluten-free crackers

Planter’s peanut butter is new to the market.  I was excited to get the new peanut butter & try it.  I have to be honest, though, I was a little disappointed in the ingredients.

Roasted peanuts, sugar, hydrogenated vegetable oil (rapeseed, cottenseed, and soybean oils), salt

I am sad to see hydrogenated oils in peanut butter.  I understand that companies tend to use it to make the nut butter creamier, but why not use something else, like palm oil?  The peanut butter does taste good, but it is a little sweet for my taste.  I prefer my nut butters without added sugar or oils, though I can see where this product might appeal to kids.

Planter’s peanut butter can be found in grocery stores around the country and on Amazon.com.

This post is part of a Foodbuzz Tastemaker program with National Peanut Board.  The peanut butter reviewed & used in the recipe was sent to me free of charge.  My opinion has not been influenced by anyone or anything.