If you live in the Boston area, odds are you know someone who has run the Boston Marathon or have run it yourself. Or you may know someone who has watched it or volunteered at it or done so yourself.

If you’re a runner, there’s a chance that the Boston Marathon (or any marathon) is on your list of goals.

If you’re a human being, you probably find comfort in familiar places and spaces and feel connected with them and the memories you have there.

If you fall into any of the above categories, you felt some emotion on Monday. Personally, I initially felt what my cousin was able to put into words: I felt like someone attacked my friends and people I want to emulate. It made me sad and mad and confused. My first thoughts immediately went to the race (where I have volunteered) and what its like to be there and what its like to run a race and finish and all the emotions that are already there. And my heart broke for all the runners who were there and everyone else who was in that area.

And since then I, like many others, have been watching the news, my Twitter feed, and anything I see that has to do with it. I’ve had trouble pulling myself away. Its everywhere and it has made me feel for people who live in areas where major tragedies like this happen. I’m thinking of victims and their families and their road ahead as multiple funds are being created for them. And at various points in the coverage, I still feel sad, mad and confused. We all want answers and we’re expecting people to act a certain way. In person and in social media, some people talk about it nonstop, some people are still somber and some people are pretending like it never happened. People are all dealing with it differently, and some people are choosing not to deal with it publicly and that’s okay. Some people have chosen to not have it on their TV at all times, possibly because they have small children at home or are ready to go back to normal life and that’s okay. Some people jump on every small bit of verified or unverified information and share it as quickly as possible, (the blessing and curse of social media) and that’s okay. 

I’m reminding myself of what I tell kids that I work with: You cannot control the actions of others. You can only control yourself and your reactions. I will continue dealing with it in my way, just like everyone else. I love hearing stories of the first responders, runners who finished and kept running to help, and bystanders who stepped in and did more than they probably thought they could. I will keep waving and smiling and tearing up at runners I see this week, processing information, and watching and reflecting, because those are my reactions. I love Boston, I love running, and I love the good in people.

Boston Harbor, early morning, taken in March.

If you are looking to help financially, check out The One Fund. If you are looking to be with other runners, look to Facebook, Twitter and the internet for a group run in your area. If you need someone to talk to, there are multiple resources set up to help.

Take care of yourself, everyone.

Just kidding. Maybe.

In my eternal quest for recipes that use just one overripe banana, I found a recipe and tweaked it. And it turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself. They have less of a banana bread taste than most banana muffins. I added flax & chia seeds, oats, cinnamon and coconut and left out the butter and a lot of the sugar and threw in some applesauce. The result was a dense, hearty muffin that makes a great snack, or a good part of breakfast. They really taste best with a little bit of butter.

Hearty Banana Muffins adapted from this recipe

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons flax seed
• 1 teaspoon chia seed
• 1/4 cup oats
• 1/4 cup coconut
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 banana, mashed
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare muffin pan with liners. Mix together flour, powder, soda, salt, flax & chia seeds, oats, coconut and cinnamon. Set aside.
2. Combine banana, sugar, applesauce and egg in a large bowl. Add flour mixture, mixing just until combined. Scoop into muffin tin.
3. Bake for 20 minutes, until tops are browned and a tester comes out clean. Cool on rack. Serve warm or room temperature with butter.

1. Pick a color

I’ve read fashion blogs, lots of them. I know about remixing. And while I’m not a clothes horse, I do like all different kinds of clothes. I didn’t want to spend a lot on maternity clothes (that’s where they get you!) so I focused on two colors. Easy picks for me were grey and black, naturally.

This was seriously my uniform this winter. Add a scarf, switch the shoes, wear a different color shirt under the sweater… it all works. Maybe in the fall I’ll build around camel and red and get really crazy, who knows. The point is, I saved a lot of money by wearing the same clothes and just mixing them up differently week after week, and I think I’m going to start building my whole wardrobe like this. Along with saving money, it really took the guesswork out of getting ready in the morning.

2. Just say no

My schedule is just about always jam packed. Before I got pregnant, I would run myself around until I was so tired I could barely move and then I’d crash. With a little person depending on my energy level, I just can’t do this any more. And I know that’s all I’ll be doing this summer. Saying no to appointments, not taking cookie orders at Christmas, and letting the tidying up go every now and then around the house have helped me make time to put my feet up every now and then and get some extra rest.

3. Just say yes

I have a hard time accepting help. Whether its lifting a heavy box at home or at work, hosting a holiday, or any other help with projects, I like to do it all myself. Being told that I physically cannot do these things was expected, but still tough to adjust to. It has helped me get more rest and make the things that I do more worthwhile. Hosting Easter was a group effort that paid off with a wonderful holiday.

Along with the rest, conditioning myself to do this is going to be helpful once the baby comes, since everyone keeps telling me that I should take advantage of help from family and friends then, too.

4. Its your thing

When I tell people I am taking hypnobirthing classes, they look at me the same way as when I say I am going to be cloth diapering. “I’m not going to say anything, but you are insane.” And if I didn’t truly believe that both of these decisions were right for me and my family, I would probably let those looks and questions get to me. (You’re going to put poop in your washing machine? Why would you do all that work? You’re not going to follow through with that. You’ll want an epidural when you get there.) This is the beginning of a lifetime of questions and odd looks from people when it comes to choices I make, but I know that if I research what I’m doing and make informed choices that I believe in, I really won’t care about other people’s opinions. I wish this confidence in my choices had come earlier in life, but am glad I’m learning it now.

5. Slow down and smell… everything

Seriously, I smell everything. I feel like I’ve acquired a superpower and I wish I could actually use it for something. Instead, I had to practice quashing it so I didn’t fall over when I walked into the Aquarium a couple weeks ago. (Pregnant women, beware the smells of the Aquarium.) While this supersmell is going to be going away, I’m hoping that I still am able to slow down and appreciate things and people as much when I become a mom. This time has been spent trying to spend as much time with myself, doing things I want to do, and with Erm as possible, because I know time is very soon going to be a valuable commodity. I’ve jumped at chances to do things alone, like going to see Stephen King speak, checked things off of my to do list with friends (tea with Elizabeth) and taken little getaways and dates with my better half. While I am jumping out of my skin with excitement to have this baby, I am also going to try to make time for me and those I love and make that time count.

These things are all no-brainers, but things I needed to experience to remind myself how important they are. Reflecting has been so good for me.

Happy Friday everyone!

And I must warn you, this week’s sweets are all the same color. I was on a kick. And no macarons!

I had a hankering for blondies so I made these. I used walnuts instead of pecans. I’m a sucker for walnuts. Also, Erm finds my glass domed dessert plate hysterical and laughs at me every time I put something under there. But there always seems to be missing baked goods from under there, so I guess it’s not THAT funny.

I’m not even going to put what this next thing is because I’m going to make it again, but I wanted to point out that not everything comes out pretty, and that’s okay. Its not all pretty things around here, I keep it real. And this cake actually ridiculously good. I’ll be making it again and it will hopefully look as good as it tastes.

And I just pulled a batch of snickerdoodles out of the oven. In my mind, the perfect cookie. I use the Betty Crocker recipe, BUT, I substitute the baking soda with 2 tsp baking powder. I know, crazy. It results in a taller and rounder cookie and doesn’t affect the taste. I also use all butter (no shortening), but I’m not sure what kind of difference that makes.

See? All brown everything! Maybe I should do a different color each week. Bake the rainbow…

What’s your favorite cookie?

This week I made:

These banana bars, BUT, I only had one banana so I halved the recipe AND I made a whipped peanut butter frosting instead of cream cheese. I’ll be doing a whole post on these, they were so good. (And a perfect use for that overripe banana).

This vanilla pudding, because I had a couple of leftover yolks and someone bought me some lovely vanilla beans in Boston. This recipe actually got doubled, because I had two egg yolks. Tip: One teaspoon of vanilla extract is the same as the seeds of one vanilla bean.

This coffee chocolate chip ice cream (I used mini chocolate chips instead of the cocoa nibs in the recipe). I had a bunch of leftover coffee and hated to throw it away. This ice cream (more of a cross between ice cream and ice milk as far as consistency goes) is insane and worth saving your leftover coffee to make.

And the gratuitous weekly batch of macarons. These ones are filled with my mother-in-law’s peach amaretto jam and the flavors all came together quite nicely.

There is a pattern here, and its called I-am-having-trouble-throwing-things-away. Which is not a bad thing! I usually hate waste, but right now, I’m manic about not throwing anything (egg yolks, leftover coffee, half my Pad Thai from the other night…) away. You’d be amazed what you can find on the ol’ internets for uses for all kinds of things to avoid waste.

What’s your favorite use for leftover egg yolks? I always have some leftover from my macarons!

I’m not a vegetarian every day, just 5 nights a week. (And right now, not even that much). After eating this way for a couple years, I’ve figured out some dishes that I can make for both of us and tweak a little and sometimes just dirty one more dish.

The easiest and quickest is our old standby: tacos. Erm gets ground turkey, I get black beans with a scoop or two of salsa. Add seasonings (onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, Adobo, salt/pepper) and that’s it.

Other recipes I’ve had luck with:

• No Meat Athlete’s Corn Cakes with Black Beans – This is also my favorite pre-race meal. If we have leftover ham or pork, I’ll put it in Erm’s portion (and sometimes mine)
• Biochemista’s Mexican Style Quinoa stuffed acorn squash – Ground turkey can go in this one.
• Peas and Thank You’s Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna – This is another one where I put cooked ground turkey in half and just put more quinoa in the other half. BUT I would suggest trying this meatless first, its so good.
• Another standby: Brown pork chops in a pan, then add a can of black beans and a cup of salsa and some cliantro and let it simmer for 25 minutes or so. You can serve this with rice or couscous or any grain and its easy and lovely.

These are good options if  you don’t mind your food touching meat. Although, you could definitely split up the vegetarian components and keep them separate if that’s more your style. And they’re great options without the meat, too.

Do you tweak meals for different diets?

Is there a word for insane baking? Because that is how this nesting thing is going. Less cleaning, all baking. I wake up thinking about what I can bake next.

These banana bread donuts which I made with walnuts instead of cinnamon chips (they were GOOD)

And more often than not… I’m thinking about or making macarons. I can’t stop making them.

Now, macarons use egg whites, and I hate wasting, so I need something to do with the yolks. Luckily, this lady is craving ice cream like nobody’s business.

Like MJ said. Don’t stop til you get enough.

Any baking recipe suggestions? I’m looking for bundt cakes, tarts, and breads, in particular.

Jill is my talented photographer friend and owner of Jill DiChiara Photography. When we moved, I decided that I wanted some pictures of us for the house. I love our wedding photos, but I really wanted new pictures that represented us. I told Erm I really wanted a big black and white picture of us for the living room, like Mitch and Cam on Modern Family.

Jill does pictures of couples, pregnancy shoots, and lots of family photos. She loves hanging out with people and capturing them when they are acting most natural. This really shows in her pictures of families with small children. But even for Erm and I, the focus was on us acting like us, in our home. I love our posed photos, and I really love the ones she caught of us when we didn’t know she was shooting.

My favorite, which is being turned into a canvas as we speak. And you thought I was joking about the Mitch and Cam thing.

Along with being easy to be around, she had some fun ideas for us for gender reveal pictures! I wouldn’t have thought of these myself and I’m so glad that she did. The cupcakes could not be more perfect.

Oh, did I not mention yet! Its a girl! And we are so excited.

That rocking horse was mine when I was little. My grandpa made it for me, and I’ve kept it my whole life, waiting for this time.

If you want pictures of yourself, you and someone special, you and your family… check out Jill’s website. She’s fun, she’s talented, and she’s easy to work with. What else would you want from a photographer?

Have you ever had one? Not to be confused with Popples. And if you know what a Popple is, there’s a good chance you know what a Snork is… but I digress.  They are fluffy and chewy and the perfect vessel for butter or jam (popovers, not Snorks). They are a welcome change to the dinner roll at a dinner party or something different for breakfast. Its probably not the healthiest thing you could indulge in, so I sway toward jam. To even things out.

Or apple butter… what have you.

The real trick to popovers is having the right pan. The deep, narrow cups push the steam to rise and pop over the top, and kind of blow out the inside of the popover. I just looked on Amazon and there are several options under $20. And once you get the pan, the hard part is over!

Popover batter is easy to make and uses ingredients that you probably have. I’ve lost the recipe that came with the pan, but I made some using Martha’s recipe from the baking handbook last weekend and they came out delicious. They did stick to the pan more than the original Williams Sonoma recipe I was using before. I just decided to use the internet for its purpose and look it up, and there it was… fancy that.

Hot tip: I used half the batter right after making it to go with dinner, and put the rest in the fridge and used it the next morning. Letting the batter sit made them even better.

In looking for recipes I’m finding ones with cheese, and herbs, and other variations. I may be persuaded to try some of these someday… but they’re so great in their simplicity as is, that I don’t think they need much in the way of tweaking. They’re a great little something extra to add to your next gathering, or even just to enjoy on a quiet morning. And I bet with enough practice, could be one of those recipes that gets stuck in your head so when you lose it, (the recipe, that is), its no big deal.

Some recipes (I can vouch for the first and third!):

• From Williams Sonoma
• From Martha Stewart Online
• Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook
• Cheddar Rosemary Popovers

Now go get yourself a popover pan!

Do you like popovers? Do you/would you buy single-use kitchen tools like a popover pan?

Now that the holidays are over, its time to get down to business. I’m noticing that a lot of people are not making resolutions, which is just great by me. I haven’t made resolutions in years, I usually make goals, because they’re more open ended and attainable for me. I have no idea what this year is going to bring, so I’m just working on preparation. This involves working on the house, getting ready for the baby, working on making my next few months as least stressful as possible. I’ve been getting up earlier than necessary so I’m not rushing around before work… although this could have to do with the fact that I’m up anyway…

Some questions I’ve been getting a lot:

Are you guys all settled in?

Are we back in a daily routine? Yes. Am I able to cook and bake and know where my kitchen stuff is? Yes. We still have no curtains, rugs, or anything hanging on the walls. The nester in me is going crazy, so that’s now my focus. In addition to other things.

How is Joey doing in the new house?

You would be shocked how many people ask us this, which is actually kind of cute. Honestly, we don’t know that he’s realized we moved. After about 12 hours he was back to his comfortable self around here.

“I didn’t say it was bedtime yet”

Have you been running?

No, I have not. I was advised against that by my doctor and she knows better than I. This running hiatus has coincided nicely with the snow and cold temps! I have done some walking and am picking up prenatal yoga. With my hip problems, its probably better for me to take a running break, anyway. Don’t need to add that pain right now!

Do you miss drinking?

I honestly don’t even think about it 99% of the time, unless someone asks me that question. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss the occasional glass of wine when we’re out at dinner or an amaretto when we go to the North End. Truth be told, I miss the variety more than anything. There aren’t many options when you go out and aren’t having cocktails, especially if you’re a non-soda drinker like me. I have found some fun mocktails and alternatives, though!

How are you feeling?

Fantastic. My first trimester was a killer with the fatigue and some lower back pain, but that was it. Now that I’m in my second trimester, my energy is back and everything seems to have settled down in there so the aches and pains are at a minimum. My only issue is that I’m now having trouble sleeping for more than an hour or two at a time, which is more aggravating than anything. But, if that’s my only problem, I’ll take it! At the halfway point, I really don’t have anything to complain about, and I’m completely enjoying being pregnant. I am so blessed, and looking forward to what this year is going to bring for us all.

20 weeks on New Year’s Eve!

What are you most excited about this year?