A Tale of Two Night Racers

October 29, 2013 by beewhobabbles

We’re talking about one of our favorite subjects today- food! How to eat before running a night race, to be exact.

VIC:

It took me years to figure out the best way to fuel for a morning race or long run. So when I signed up for runDisney’s Tower of Terror 10-miler, I knew I was wading into uncharted territory.

Sure, I’d be running in the dark. But I’ve done that before as I tackled many pre-dawn runs. Plus I knew the course would be well-lit and filled with Disney characters, so that wasn’t too much of a concern.

But how was I going to fuel? I was used to resting, waking and eating something small and settling – a bagel flat with peanut butter, a banana or a granola bar. So with a 10 p.m. race start, snacking the day away wasn’t really an option. Hydrating like crazy wasn’t a great strategy either, unless I wanted to spend my hours before the start repeatedly racing to a toilet.

I decided to eat a large lunch around 1 p.m. My meal consisted of a delicious mozzarella and tomato sandwich on foccacia bread, a light vegetable orzo salad and plenty of water. I also inhaled a bunch of bread. I nearly ordered a grilled chicken sandwich, but decided on the meatless option since I knew it would sit better in my stomach. Another option I would consider would be a very light pasta entrée (no gnocci, ravioli or alfredo sauce here!)

My theory on fueling with a meal on race day: the blander the better. Fewer frills on my plate means there’s less of a chance for an upset stomach.

(For the record, I ate an egg, cheese and turkey sausage biscuit and some fruit for breakfast that morning.)

I dined with friends at an eatery at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort and we all consumed gallons of water. I hydrated well into the afternoon, but stopped cold around 6 p.m. I didn’t want to keep heading to the toilet.

Hydrating from the rocker

I attempted to nap around 4. That lasted all of 45 minutes. My roommate and friend Jen managed a two hour nap while I hydrated and chatted with friends in cozy rocking chair at our resort, Disney’s Boardwalk. I don’t think napping is vital, but laying down to rest, even just for a bit helped ease my brain about staying up until the wee hours of the morning!

Around 6:30, Jen and I each ate a bowl of instant oatmeal. I’ve eaten this in the past before many a long run and knew It would supply me with some much-needed energy in the coming hours. Jen and I also split a banana around 8:30 p.m.

When I head back to Florida next month for my next night race, I plan to utilize this strategy again. I’ll eat a large midday meal, the blander the better. I’ll nap – or try to nap the afternoon before the race. And I will eat some oatmeal 3.5 to 4 hours before the race is set to start. It worked for me in October! Fingers crossed that it will go smoothly too!

And this? I’ll be enjoying it after my run!

BROOKE:

Disney’s Wine and Dine half marathon was my first half-marathon back in 2011. It’s easy to find advice about fueling for a race online…but for a night race, specifically? Not so much. I remember googling different phrases to see if I could find anything on the subject and coming up empty.

Unlike Victoria, I still hadn’t figured out exactly what race day nutrition would work best for me, and I was extremely nervous about getting a belly ache during the race.

I’m an over-thinker. I love to ponder something for days. Weeks, even. Discuss pros and cons with my husband. Make a list or ten. I’m true to my Libra ways in this respect. After googling and discussing and writing it all down, I decided to treat this race like I would a morning run. I’d eat a large lunch, then not have anything but water for about six or seven hours before the race. At that time, I’d have my small breakfast-y type that I was already accustomed to eating before a long run.

I had an early lunch- around 11:30 or 12 (I can’t recall the exact time)- a simple pasta with red sauce and bread. Then water, water, water. At dinner time, I had my toast (and coffee, which was part of my “morning” ritual) and I brought my banana with me to the race start.

This nutrition strategy worked well for me, so I plan to do the same thing in a few weeks. I have the fuel figured out, we’re working on costumes and I already have dates set with my girls. The countdown is on!

Have you run a night race? Did you take a pre-race nap? How did you fuel? Roll call! Who is coming to Florida in two weeks?

Recipe Box: Gingery Butternut Squash Soup

October 7, 2013 by vfreile

Autumn is my favorite season.

I love the cooler, crisp weather, the vibrant hue of fall leaves, my birthday and pumpkin everything.

But it also means some of my favorite fresh veggies are in season. It’s time to pick apples fresh off the tree at your local apple orchard. And to rejoice the return of the butternut squash.

Here’s my favorite fall soup recipe, adapted from my favorite cookbook Simply in Season. It’s beyond simple and absolutely delicious.

What you will need:

2 medium onions (chopped)

2 Tbsp. fresh ginger (peeled and minced)

2-3 apples (peeled, seeded and chopped)

1 butternut squash (peeled, seeded and cut into cubes)

4 cups vegetable broth

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

parsley

Chopping the onions

Sauté onions in a large pot with in 1 Tbsp. of olive oil. Sprinkle in a little salt and pepper. (cook until onion is translucent.)

All of the butternut and apple!

Add apple, butternut squash and veggie broth to pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until squash and apples are tender. (It takes about 25 minutes on my stove.)

Mash, mash, mash!

If you like chunky soup, use a potato masher to mash the apples and squash (like me!) OR you can purée in blender until smooth.

Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley. Enjoy!

Mmm, dinner!

What’s your favorite harvest meal? Are you a butternut squash fan like the chicks? Tell us about your fave fall recipes in the comments!

Recipe Box: Lemon Buttermilk Loaf Cake

September 20, 2013 by bec2point0

When we first started talking about coordinating posts for the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Million Mile Run (check out the Scoot a Doot page, if you’d like) and there was mention of recipes with lemon, I knew exactly what my contribution would be. Maybe it should have been harder to choose, since I love lemon, and cook with it often, but this was a no-brainer for me.

Cake. (See. Total no-brainer). Cake is almost always the answer. And sometimes the question. (Cake? Cake. CAKE!) So, without further waxing poetic about my love of cake, let’s get cooking!

This is adapted from an old Weight Watchers recipe, from the Takeout Tonight cookbook. Long before Points Plus, so I don’t know those values. And I played with it a little. Because I’ve never met a recipe I didn’t think I could make better. I love baking, love the way it makes the house smell, and clearly, love the finished, baked product. But baking is like science. All the measuring and precision. I’m a ‘throw some in there’ kind of girl. But for the purposes of this recipe, I kept that in check. Mostly.

Lemon Buttermilk Loaf Cake

Ingredients:

1-2/3 cup all purpose flour (mod: the recipe calls for 1-1/3 cups all purpose and 1/3 cup whole wheat flour. If you do this, you’ll want to use whole wheat pastry flour. I skipped the wheat because I just had regular and I don’t like eating bricks).
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
5 TBSP butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 TBSP lemon zest (basically, the zest of one good sized lemon).
1 tsp vanilla (mod: I just threw some in. It’s vanilla. I was feeling whacky.)
3/4 cup buttermilk (mod: I hate buying buttermilk for recipes because it only comes in quarts. I use a buttermilk powder that gets reconstituted, or you can make your own buttermilk).
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice (I just juice the whole lemon I just zested and use that)

Preheat oven to 350 and spray an 8×4″ loaf pan with cooking spray. I like the cooking spray with flour built in to avoid sticking. The actual recipe calls for cutting out wax paper and putting it in the loaf pan, but I’ve never bothered and I’ve always had perfect cake. Plus, I’m super lazy.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.

With an electric mixer on medium, beat the butter, granulated sugar ,egg/egg whites, lemon zest and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended.

With mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk until just combined.

Pour the mixture into the loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes or until done. Place pan on wire rack.

Before

And after!

Mix powdered sugar and lemon juice ( you may have to add additional juice). Spread over hot bread. Let cool for 20 minutes. Carefully remove bread from pan to a serving plate.

Let cool completely.

EAT.

Now, I forgot that the glazing gets done when the bread is hot, so I went to bed. And now it’s morning and I’m debating whether I should glaze or not. Probably no. The glaze is delicious and makes the cake more lemon-y, but I promise, it’s good without it.

If you’re thinking you can skip your trip to Starbucks for a slice of lemon cake…well, you can, but this cake isn’t the same. It’s not overly sweet and it’s not light or fluffy. This is a dense cake, but delicious, and not terribly bad for you, so all in all, it’s a winner in my book!

Hope you guys enjoy!

Road Tested: PocketFuel Whole Food Fuel

September 19, 2013 by scootadoot

I’ve always loved peanut butter, but my nut butter obsession reached new heights when I first visited Meri for the Rothman 8k two years ago. Meri made us whipped oatmeal for breakfast, along with a mini buffet of topping options (she’s an excellent hostess), including different nut butters. Who knew there was more out there than plain old peanut butter? Not me, that’s who.

Fast forward to today, when I currently have 5 different jars of nut butter in my pantry. I love it in oatmeal, on fruit, toast, pancakes, a spoon. So, when PocketFuel sent us their selection of nut butters, I elbowed my way to the front of the line for the opportunity to try them. I let Meri join me- because I’m such a good friend- and because she got me started on all this yumminess in the first place.

Nut butter heaven

PocketFuel Whole Food Fuel is made from 100% natural, whole food ingredients found in nuts, seeds and fruits. It provides a natural energy boost before or during your workout by delivering a balanced combination of simple and complex carbohydrates. It boosts blood sugar immediately but also helps to sustain energy for hours.

PocketFuel also works as a recovery fuel, as carbohydrates replace the energy lost and protein begins to repair and strengthen muscles.

PocketFuel is a natural powerhouse of electrolytes; it contains sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and chloride to refuel and rehydrate your body. But most importantly, how does it taste? Meri and I, along with our husbands, put these to the test this month.

Mer:

I’m a routine driven person. Especially when it’s five in the morning and my brain is struggling to catch up with my body. I lay my gym clothes out the night before (although there has been a time or two when something – usually my bra – winds up inside out). My keys, towel and wallet are always in the same spot but a few weeks ago, I also added a PocketFuel the night prior.

During the summer I joined up with the Rise and Run Club and although the sun is not rising nearly as early as it was over the summer, I’m still trying to tackle a couple of miles before my hour weight training session. (Or I was before I hurt my quad last week.) But as you know, working out for a couple of hours requires fuel! Vic had told me of her love for PocketFuel so I was really interested in giving it a try. Usually I grab a banana prior to my workout so I went with the Banana Blueberry PocketFuel to try first.

Squishing the almond butter around in the packet, I read over the nutrition label; since there were two servings I decided to have half prior to my run and then eat the rest in between the run and weights, during my stretch. I don’t usually bring “snacks” to the gym, but hey, why not?

The Banana Blueberry was delish! I love almond butter as is, but wasn’t sure what I’d think of the fruit taste. It was the perfect mix of the flavors, nothing was too overpowering and I LOVED the crunchy texture from the almonds. Additionally, I really liked that I was able to eat it in two servings – it was easy to recap and take along with me.

Since I devoured the Banana Blueberry, I decided to go the dilution route for the Chocolate Haze – hazelnut butter. After another training session, I headed home, ready to give the Chocolate Haze a whirl… with almond milk. The PocketFuel folks suggest a 1:1 ratio of liquid to PocketFuel. I had a bit of a heavy pour on the almond milk but the mix was tasty!

Of the two, well, I’m an almond butter girl, through and through. Hazelnut butter is delicious but I feel like the almond butter was more filling. As I said earlier, I’m a routine driven person, and I’m planning on adding PocketFuel to my routine.

Since sharing is caring, my husband, Jay got to try the Pineapple Coconut almond butter and Vanilla Haze hazelnut butter. Generally speaking, I don’t like coconut, so he said he’d take one for the team (because he doesn’t particularly like pineapple or coconut. That’s a good man right there).

Given that bit of information, it’s no surprise that he tried the Vanilla Haze first. He had it prior to a training session. After he returned home he reported back that his head was clearer and he was more awake during the session (he works out at 6am too).

Two days later, he tried the Pineapple Coconut. He was a bit hesitant, given the flavors, but he was pleasantly surprised with the almond butter. He said there were only mind hints of pineapple and coconut, they were not overpowering at all. He actually enjoyed that more than the Vanilla Haze!

Only downside? He could feel where pieces of coconut got stuck in the seams of the pocket and no amount of squishing he did could free them up.

Thanks for sharing with us, Brooke!

Brooke:

Josh and I are both working out several days per week. I’m in the middle of half-marathon training, and he’s just getting back in to running (and training for a 5 miler). I’m an early morning runner, so adding some nut butter to my oatmeal is the perfect breakfast because it gives me some extra protein and a big boost in flavor. I love that the fuel package is resealable; it’s incredibly convenient. Even better, the ingredients are all things I can pronounce. All things that occur in nature. My favorite flavor is the Coconut Cherry. I love coconut, and I could have squeezed it straight from the package into my mouth. (I totally did that. Sorry, not sorry.)

Breakfast of champions. Or busy parents. You know.

Josh is always on the go- he takes one of our girls to school, heads to the gym, and then he eats post workout. He tried the butters on toast and oatmeal, and he loved the Chia, Goji & Honey in his cold oats. He told me that he felt full and energized through lunch time, and for a guy who usually skips lunch in favor of work- well, that’s a great thing.

PocketFuel provided samples of their nut butters for free. All opinions expressed are our own.

PocketFuel wants to share their natural, whole food energy with you! One reader will receive a sample pack of nut butters. Please click the link below to enter. We will verify the winning entry via Rafflecopter. This giveaway runs from now until 9/25 at midnight.

Click the pic to enter!

Recipe Box: Tortellini Soup

September 10, 2013 by beewhobabbles

This meal is almost as easy to prepare as a PB&J. It’s definitely simpler than grilled cheese; a meal which I have my husband fix, because I always burn the sandwich. And I always feel a little smug when I make a soup that doesn’t come from a can.

This isn’t the best soup you will ever eat. (That would be my mama’s potato soup.) But it’s a cinch to cook, nutritious, and adaptable. I always have these ingredients on hand, and I end up eating this soup at least once per week. Sometimes I add sausage or chicken that we’ve grilled the night before, sometimes I add beans for extra protein. Sometimes- okay, most of the time, I skip the onion.(It isn’t easy to chop while babywearing, folks.) But it’s definitely better with onion. And crushed red pepper. And shallot pepper from Penzey’s. In my opinion. You can- and should- customize this soup to your liking. And soon it’ll be like we’re eating together once a week. Fun times!

photo(37)

Tortellini Soup
Serves 3-4 (or 2 plus lunch the next day!)

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp. olive oil
½ cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. dried oregano
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, with juices
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
9 oz. tortellini, any variety (fresh or frozen)
3 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed
Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions to the pan and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute. Stir in the oregano and diced tomatoes. Add the broth and bring the soup to a boil. Add the tortellini to the pot and cook according to the package directions. One minute before the tortellini is fully cooked, stir in the spinach. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Source: The Well-Fed Newlyweds via Annie’s Eats

Tomorrow, I’ll be volunteering (while wearing yellow, of course) for the local chapter of Queen For A Day, an organization that provides a special pick-me-up for pediatric cancer patients. By now, you all know that the Scoot chicks (and some awesome friends) are running with intention this month; to raise awareness for children’s cancer. Please sport some yellow, join our team and donate if you feel so moved. Thanks.

Recipe Box: Vic’s summer salad

August 19, 2013 by vfreile

I’m obsessed with avocado. And black beans. And salad. In the summer months, I often throw together a salad a-la-random-things-in-my-fridge.

But I often come back to one recipe, which started as a recommendation of salad ingredients from a friend and has been tweaked over recent years.

Nom Nom Nom

Here’s what you need:

Ingredients
Romaine lettuce – half a head, washed and chopped
Cherry tomatoes – halved
Red onion – chopped, maybe a 1/4 cup. A little goes a long way
Corn – one ear, cut off cob (frozen will work as well)
Peas – half package of frozen peas, cooked then rinsed
Avocado – chopped

Topped with lemon juice, salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste.

Hand mix it all. That’s right, get your hands in there and dirty.

My above list is really a basic starting point – delete an item you don’t like or don’t have on hand. Try a different kind of beans or add a cucumber. Last week I made this same salad minus the onion and beans and instead added chicken.

The idea is to keep it light and tasty with an avocado base.

Enjoy!

Are you a salad muncher? What ingredient must be included in your go-to summer salad? Tell us in the comments!

Recipe Box: Thai Peanut Chicken Salad

August 14, 2013 by beewhobabbles

Well friends, it’s been fun, but now it’s time to say goodbye. To summer, that is. My two girls went back to school this week and with that comes afternoons and evenings filled with activities, homework, and lunchbox prep. My days will be quieter (the little dude is napping next to me as I type), and lunch for me will be one big question mark, since I don’t have my girls eating with me (Which really means no more Chick-Fil-a, if we’re being honest). PB&J? Cereal? Leftovers? Soup? If I waited to decide at lunchtime, I’d probably end up eating something random and unsatisfying.

A few weeks ago, one of my friends posted some beautiful jarred salads on Instagram (Are you following us?) and I knew it was something I wanted to try once school began. I bookmarked some tips and recipes, and then another friend gave me a recipe for a Thai peanut chicken salad in a jar. Peanuts, spinach, edamame? Definitely my kind of salad!

photo(33)

Last Sunday, my husband grilled some extra chicken with dinner so I could prepare these. I know jarred salads aren’t a new thing, but they’re new to me, and planning something healthy-and delicious- ahead of time is the perfect solution for this mama.

photo(34)

Thai Peanut Chicken Salad
Serves 3

INGREDIENTS

6 Tbsp. sesame-ginger dressing*
1 ½ cups cooked whole wheat spaghetti
3/4 cup shelled edamame beans
thawed from frozen
1 cup julienned carrots
6 Tbsp. chopped red onions
1 ½ tsp. chopped cilantro
1 ½ tsp. diced jalapeno
1 ½ tsp. chopped basil
1 cup chopped chicken breast,
pre-cooked
3 cups chopped fresh spinach
3 Tbsp. peanuts

DIRECTIONS

To prepare, divide ingredients among three 2-cup capacity glass canning jars in this order: 1/ 2 cup spaghetti, ¼ cup edamame beans, 1/3 cup carrots, 2 tablespoons onion, 1/2 teaspoon cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon jalapeno, 1/2 teaspoon basil, 1/3 cup chicken, 1 cup spinach and 1 tablespoon peanuts.
To serve, remove lid, invert jar and dump onto plate or eat straight from the jar. May be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

*The original recipe called for Lifehouse Thai Peanut dressing, but my grocery store didn’t carry it. I used Newman’s Own Sesame Ginger dressing instead, and it was delicious (though I wish I could find the peanut dressing, because peanuts! Yum.)

Recipe from Living Lighthouse Blog

What make-ahead salads have you tried? Any tips? Please let me know in the comments.

Nuun – flavored hydration

August 13, 2013 by vfreile

I guzzle at least a gallon of water daily. Crisp, cold, refreshing — and oh so necessary in the summer months.

So when I heard other runners rave about Nuun, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I loved my water. And really, I didn’t see the need to replace it.

Last spring, I first sampled Nuun at my local running store. Employees put it out instead of water after a Saturday morning group run. It quenched my thirst, but I wasn’t used to flavor as I usually just drink plain, old water. I liked it, but promptly forgot all about it.

Months passed, and a few friends mentioned Nuun. They loved it, they raved about it, they wanted more. I knew I had tried it, and didn’t hate it, but remembered little else.

So in June, I ordered a variety pack of Nuun tablets. I’ve been sampling ever since.

A few of the chicks decided to test it out with me. Here’s what the chicks had to say about our taste test experiment.

Brooke

Hydration is important for any athlete, especially one who lives and in Florida. As my daughter would say, “It’s soaking hot,” even when one runs in the early morning.

I used to use Nuun regularly after my long runs. My favorite flavor is the Tropical Fruit, which I actually purchased because I liked the color of the tube. I’m a big water drinker, but sometimes, it’s nice to have something with a bit of flavor.

I hate to admit this, but I’ve also found that Nuun can help a hangover. We used to host a fiesta on Christmas Eve, with tacos, my mom’s fabulous enchiladas and margaritas, natch. Well…tequila and Santa do not mix, friends. My husband and I were exhausted. Lucky for us, the kids were a little too young for Christmas Morning Excitement and Nuun helped us feel much more festive. (And we’ve since moved the party to a couple of days before Christmas, haha!)

Meri

Nuun chatter is everywhere! I first heard rumblings about it on Twitter and it quickly spread to blogs that I enjoy reading. Now personally, I’m a water drinking gal, but curiosity got the best of me and I had to give it a go. The kiddo and I made our way over to the local running store (you know the cartoon characters that have dollar signs in their eyes? That’s what happens when I walk through the door) and checked out the flavors they had to offer. After chatting with the employee, I settled on tri-berry and lemon-lime.

Meri’s Nuun stash

I’m a big fan of the tri-berry and will be picking more of it up soon. You’ll notice in my picture that the tube’s gone. Yeah, used that all. Lemon-lime is decent but not my favorite. The watermelon was a gift from Victoria. Who gives tubes of Nuun as gifts? These running nerds, that’s who!

And friends, the watermelon is my favorite favorite (so good that it deserves two favorites)! Since my running store doesn’t have it in stock, I’m going to have to order more. I’m heading south to Florida soon and plan to use my Amphipod handheld bottle with Nuun during my runs down there. I’ll admit, I’m a bit nervous about hitting the pavement down there but I think that the Nuun will help keep me hydrated and balanced.

Vic

As I’m sure you already guessed, I’m a watermelon Nuun girl. I’m actually drinking a glass as I write this.

I first tried a few flavors from a mix pack. I expected to love the fruit punch flavor…you know, because I love fruit punch. Yeah. Not so much. I enjoyed the grape (it’s not purple, folks!) and was surprisingly wooed by tropical fruit. I don’t like tropical fruits, how can this be? The only thing I like about pineapples is chopping them up!

I was thrilled to find tubes of watermelon at my local running store. It was love at first sip.

You want to know more about Nuun? So did I.

According to the product info on the Nuun website, Nuun is packed with electrolytes, light flavor, no sugars or carbs, and is portable.

Nuun comes in tubes, 12 tabs are inside each tube. You drop one tab into a pint glass of cold water and watch it dance!!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOhR9p5Cq3k&w=480&h=360]

We three chicks are sold! And there are many more flavors to try. (But not lemon-lime. Thanks for taking that one for the team, Meri.)

But don’t worry, we still love our good, old water. It’s not going anywhere.

Have you tried Nuun? What flavor are you obsessed with? What flavors do you want to try? How do you hydrate?

Recipe Box: Roast Chicken and Veggies

August 8, 2013 by Meridith

For a long time, I was not the “cook” in our house. Originally when we first bought our house, the cooking responsibilities fell on to Jay because he knew how. I didn’t. We were both fine with this.

However, when I became a stay at home mom, and he started working longer hours the responsibility shifted more to me. It was terrifying and awesome simultaneously. When we got married a dear friend gave us the Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook, which is where I originally got this recipe. I’ve tried my hand at all sorts of recipes and this one has stuck around for quite some time!

It is more time intensive than labor intensive. You can prep the veggies before preheating the oven and there’s no rushing around with this recipe (unlike others, in which you have five things going on at the same time and need to get them all done in a particular order. You know the type!). What I particularly like about this recipe is that I usually have most of the ingredients in my house – I only need to pick up the chicken on shopping day.

Ingredients

3 carrots, cut into thirds
6 small red new potatoes, quartered if large
1 medium yellow onion, cut into 6 wedges (we love the veggies so I usually up this to 2 onions – if you have the room in your pan, do it up!)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, or olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 chicken (3 to 4 pounds)
1 lemon, quartered
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Put the carrots, potatoes, and onion in a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. Toss the vegetables with 1 tablespoon of melted butter or olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the vegetables to the edges of the baking dish so the chicken may rest in the middle.

Remove the neck and giblets from the cavity of the chicken and discard. Rinse the bird under cold running water and pat dry. Put the chicken, breast-side up, in the center of the baking dish. Brush the chicken with the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter or oil. Season generously salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the lemon quarters and rosemary sprigs. Put the garlic cloves under the chicken to prevent them from burning.

Roast for 45 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven. Using tongs, tilt the chicken, pouring the juices from the cavity onto the vegetables, and shake to coat. Your house will be smelling absolutely amazing at this point.

Baste the chicken with the pan juices. If the bird is browning too quickly, cover with aluminum foil. Continue roasting until the chicken is a deep golden brown and the juices run clear when the tip of a knife is inserted into the thigh joint, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh, away from the bone, registers 170 to 175 degrees F, 30-45 minutes more, depending on your oven.

Transfer the chicken to a platter and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes before carving. Using the back of a spoon, mash the garlic and squeeze some lemon into the pan juices. Toss the juices with the vegetables. Carve the chicken (okay, I’m not at this point in my life yet. Jay still carves the bird) and serve the vegetables alongside.

The recipe says that it serves two but if you’re liberal with the veggies, the chicken meat can easily feed at least four. Bon appetit!

Guest Post: Kimberly and Kyle take on the Philadelphia Chocolate Tour

July 30, 2013 by scootadoot

Scoot a Doot note: Hey gang! Meet Kimberly and Kyle.

Kimberly was the winner of our Philadelphia Chocolate Tour giveaway and chose Kyle to join her on the excursion. We asked if they’d like to blog their experience and Kyle jumped on the task. (And now I’m singing Sugarhill Gang.)

Last weekend, before we joined Team Scoot a Doot for Jog ‘n Hog shenanigans, Kimberly and I embarked upon a voyage of gastronomic delight throughout the streets of Philadelphia (quiet, Springsteen). That’s right, folks, we jumped on the chocolate bandwagon!

Kimberly had the good fortune to win the Philadelphia Chocolate Tours giveaway a few months back, and we decided that since we were already planning to head up to Philly for some ice cream-fueled nonsense, we might as well make a weekend of it.

Things kicked off at the Reading Terminal Market. Our tour guide, Jeffery, lead us inside the Terminal to the Famous 4^th Street Cookie Company.

Of course the first thing we sampled was the classic chocolate chip cookie. What else would you expect? And you know what? It was delightful.

You simply cannot go wrong with a chocolate chip cookie. It can’t be done.

From the terminal, we hauled our cookies (pun intended) over to Verde, a small boutique that houses Marcie Blaine Artisanal Chocolates. Literally. In the back of the shop, amongst all of the way-too-cute purses, and jewelry, and dresses, is a small kitchen where the confections are made.

This shop features a ton of great flavors and uses organic, locally-sourced cream and butter, as well as honey and produce, to create their confections.

There was even a bacon-flavored truffle. Bacon. Amazing.

We sampled two kinds of chocolate bark: Pub Crawl (with pretzels, smoked almonds and cashews) and Cherry Ginger. Both were very good, but my penchant for anything ginger made the latter my fave.

It’s a good thing the samples were small, because I’m about 98% sure I could have eaten A LOT more of that noise.

After evading the temptations of the chocolate and the absolutely adorable merchandise throughout the store, we continued on our trek. The next stop? Teuscher Chocolates of Switzerland. Yup. That’s right kids. Fancy European chocolate.

All of the fancy chocolate.

Our sample? Heaven. Wait. I mean, the Dom Perignon Gold Crème Champagne Truffle.

Yeah, like I said. Heaven.

Basically, that little ball of chocolate was probably the most decadent thing I’ve had. Ever. In my life. I don’t know what that says about my life… except that it’s pretty awesome.

Leaving Teuscher was tough, because basically, I wanted to eat everything in that store. So much delicious chocolate. But, we had to make our way to the next stop. A stop I was most intrigued by. A stop where we would sample chocolate hummus.

Before you get all weird and freaked out about it, let’s preface this by saying that Kimberly, who has a strong dislike for traditional hummus, loved this stop. It’s fair to say that I did, too.

FreshaPeel Hummus creates a number of sweet and savory hummus flavors, from lemon kale to pumpkin (which legitimately tasted like pumpkin pie). We sampled all of these, but the best, the best, flavor was Chocolate Cherry. The proprietor mentioned that you could enjoy this hummus on a cracker or on fruit… I immediately jumped in and said “also on a spoon.” Because, quite frankly, that’s all I’d need. It was that good. Trust me.

You could even feel good about pigging out on this particular chocolate treat, because it’s hummus and it’s generally pretty healthy. Or at least that’s how I rationalize it. I have no qualms about this.

Following the hummus magic, we stopped at John & Kira’s, a small, innovative company that combines delicious treats with promoting positive social change. Their French-style chocolates are created with ingredients from family farms and urban gardens. Which I think is pretty cool.

We were fortunate enough to sample quite a few confections at this stop, but my favorite was probably the Mighty Urban Garden Mint bar. Mint and chocolate is always a favorite flavor combination, but this sort of transcended all other mint-chocolate situations. This was aromatic and the mint was really, really fresh. I wanted more of it. That small little chunk was not nearly enough.

Our last stop was probably the perfect way to end the tour. It was a hot day and we’d been walking a lot, so gelato? Yeah. Perfect.

Capogiro is home to the number 1 gelato in the world. According to some (probably) arbitrary contest, but I digress. Regardless, this gelato is the best I’ve ever had, so the title is relevant.

We sampled four flavors of chocolate gelato: Moka, Cioccolato Scuro (rich, dark and serious), Ciaccolato con Caramello (chocolate with caramel), and Cioccolato.

Of the four flavors we sampled, my favorite was probably the Cioccolato Scuro, because in my book, the darker, the better.

Basically, there are few things better in life than frozen chocolate treats. Gelato is no exception. Especially not this stuff. Out. Of. Control.

All in all? The tour was a delight. Kimberly and I were so happy to have been afforded the opportunity to indulge in such a tasty treat thanks to the benevolence of our favorite Scoot chicks. We second the motion: if you’re ever in Philadelphia, do a chocolate tour. Do it! You won’t be sorry.

Scootadoot

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Category Archives: Food