A Good Day

Jesse got in late from his trip to D.C. last night and it's so nice to have him back at home. Aside from the fact that I genuinely enjoy his company, he also makes me coffee in the morning. It was rough not having him around for a few days and I had to (gasp!) brew it myself. Also, when he's not around, I kind of eat like a bachelor -- not necessarily bad food, just quick food. I found myself scrounging for leftovers and making a meal out of just about anything that would reasonably sandwich itself in a corn tortilla.

Wednesday evening, I made Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting to celebrate his arrival. Instead of Guiness (as indicated in the recipe), I used a good stiff porter. The cupcakes are nice because the cake itself is rich, but not terribly sweet and the frosting is decadent -- a perfect combo.

I was thankful that the sun was out this morning. It gave me the initiative to get out early and tackle my scheduled one mile run. Unlike Tuesday when I got to the one mile point and nearly died, today I didn't really feel bad at all. So, I decided to go for a few more blocks. Then, I went a few more after that. Before I knew it, I was back at home and had run 1.5 miles. I was sweaty and a little out of breath, but in a good way. I'm not sure if I had a mental block on Tuesday about running 1.5 miles (a distance that I haven't conquered since we moved to Portland) or that banana and giant glass of water that I consumed before heading out the door this morning was just the right amount of fuel. Regardless, the stars aligned and I finished the 1.5 mile loop without stopping. I have to admit, I forgot how good I feel after a morning run. Endorphins rock.

I ate breakfast, showered, and was ready to get started on a new task for the day -- pickled beets. I purchased a bunch of red and golden beets over the weekend to make a salad for dinner sometime this week. However, as I was roasting the beets I remembered how much Jesse likes pickled veggies as a snack or over greens. My Mom used to pickle beets quite a bit; she'd just leave a giant bowl in the fridge that we would pick from here and there. So, I thought I'd give it a try. I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out (I think the golden ones are particularly beautiful). Unfortunately, they're supposed to sit in the refrigerator for at least three days, so I'll have to try and restrain myself until then.

My true goal for the day though, was to break my streak of not-so-interesting food. I walked over to Whole Foods and picked up some fish and fresh veggies. I initially planned on having baked fish with lima beans and greens, but the limas weren't anywhere near ready by dinner time. So, plan B was to whip up something else delicious. Since I had a nice bunch of parsley and cilantro, we settled on fish tacos with a chimichurri sauce (I know, I know, dinner involved corn tortillas, but this meal was infinitely more sophisticated than my fare earlier in the week). In addition to the fish, we stuffed our tacos with a cabbage slaw, pan seared potatoes and onions, fresh tomatoes, and doused it with the incredible green sauce.

Today was a good day.