Dessert Series, Part 1 - No-Cook Peanut Butter Bars

The weather has been cold and snowy. And on the rare day that it's not either of those things, it's slushy and/or raining. This winter is quickly moving towards the snowiest on record for Philadelphia. We all have our habits during the winter. Some people cook comfort foods like stew and chili. Some people get caught up on all of that reading that never happens when you're busy. Me?  I bake. Cooking has never been for me (I'm not THAT grown up yet!) I don't like raw food or the cleanup that is required after conjuring up a delicious meal. However, I do love chocolate, confectioners sugar, sugar cookies and sprinkles. Therefore, I'm going to dedicate the next few blogs to the chronicles of my baking adventure.  I've even changed my blog "theme" to something that more reminds me of a bakery!

Today: No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

A few weeks ago in my perusal of Pinterest (hello, obsession!!) I came across this recipe from Bakerlady (www.mybakerlady.com).

Side note:  I'm pretty excited to have come across this blog for a few reasons:  A) the recipes look amazing and B) She's quite hilarious. If she ever reads this blog, she should know that I'd like to erect a monument of her in the town square. 

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen...

This recipe looks amazing (see picture below) and fits all of my criteria for baking - minimal, easy to find ingredients, minimal prep time and little to no cooking time. 

Don't they look amazing??!!  I think that it's important to see what the dessert is actually supposed to look like just in case you decide to attempt any of these things at home. Nothing that I make ever looks exactly like it is supposed to, usually because I change 

ingredients based on what's currently in my kitchen. 

So the first step in this recipe (credit to Let's Dish) is graham cracker crumbs. Now, living in the city doesn't easily allow for a quick trip to the supermarket for a box of graham cracker crumbs. Enter the basic blender and a new box of Honey Maid graham crackers. Things I learned: 

1. Using both the 'crumb' function and the 'purée' function will break down the graham crackers into the perfect crumbs for this recipe.
2. It's better to add a few crackers at a time than to put the entire sleeve in at once.
3. Two full sleeves of graham crackers equals two cups of crumbed crackers - exactly 
4. what the recipe calls for. 
5. You'll need to break up a few lingering pieces with your fingers once you pour the crumbs out of the blender. Using a quart sized zip-lock bag as a mitten of sorts, you can crush those few last pieces. 

To the graham cracker crumbs you'll need to add a cup of melted butter (easily achieved by a few seconds in the microwave), a cup of creamy peanut butter and two cups of confectioners sugar. Whew. Sugar, sugar and more sugar. Usually I try to find healthier substitutes for these items but with this recipe I needed the binding agents that these ingredients provide. It takes a little bit of time to mix everything into the foundation for the cookie bars BUT once this is finished, you're more than halfway done!  This recipe is super simple. Take the graham cracker mixture and press it into a 13x9" pan. An 11x7" pan will work as well; as expected the smaller the pan, the thicker the bars will be. 

The final steps include mixing 11/2 cups of chocolate chips with four tablespoons of peanut butter and melting the combination. Again, a few seconds and constant stirring will result in a delectable "frosting" to be spread on top of the crackers. My chocolate chips of choice are actually 365 from Whole Foods, but certainly anything will work. In full disclosure, last night's mixture included the aforementioned, Nestle chocolate chips and some miniature Hershey's chocolate bars. It was a matter of supply versus demand but worked out perfectly fine. I like to consider it a chocolate salad!  

Once you spread the chocolate sauce onto the top of the cracker mixture, you're done!  An hour in the refrigerator and it's ready to eat!  And just in case you didn't already think that is would be the best thing to ever touch your taste buds, let me be the first to confirm that it is heavenly.  Below is the photo of my finished product. While I'm not exactly the best at cutting straight lines, and hence a few jagged edges, I must say that things don't look all that bad!!  Yay me!!

I must say again just how easy this recipe was to make. It's a perfect rainy day activity with kids and, in my case, a wonderful way to delight the man-friend. It's perfect for parties, easy to transport and likely would have some staying power in the heat of a summer picnic. I can say that I've found a new recipe to add to my regular baking rotation. I can't wait to hear what you think!!

Training Day

I'm officially eight weeks into training. The weather is 28' and, sadly, almost feels balmy as the snow falls for yet another day. I haven't been able to piece together a full week of outdoor training in a month. Yet, somehow, I felt like a feel into a groove this past week. My stride evened out a bit and my body didn't resist all mid-week runs over five miles. With four weeks until race day, I couldn't be happier with the way my runs have been going, despite feeling the belt upon a treadmill under my feet more often than I would prefer. 

I recently read a great blog about the phases of training. It is a nice representation of what your body goes through as you make your way through an endurance running training plan: base phase, build phase, peak phase, speed phase, taper phase and recovery phase.   I couldn't help but laugh however at the phases of my training plan that sit much more prevalently in my mind:

The Frustration Phase:  The first three weeks of every training plan when everything feels hard again. You remember how good things felt during the high times of your last plan and it is evident that those days are long gone. 

The Exhaustion Phase:  This typically lasts from week four through week six or seven. Mileage has ramped up, you're pushing harder due to the previous three weeks of frustration and every long run is promptly followed by a nap. You think about sleep while on runs, you struggle to get out of bed for early morning jaunts and you even dream about sleep while you're asleep. 

The Starvation Phase:  This is hands down the worst four weeks of training. SO. MANY. CALORIES. You feel like a bottomless pit; you're eating twice as much as normal. Two morning bagels, about $37.00 at the Whole Foods hot bar, and dinner for two becomes just enough for one. You often feel like you've finally settled into a running groove while you wear a different kind of groove in your wallet. 

Sigh o' Relief Phase:  Finally. Let me repeat, FINALLY. Taper. It's the most conflicted one to two weeks of training. You've been focused on daily workouts for ten weeks and now you have to be content working out less while battling the anxiety of the upcoming race day.   The combination is enough to drive any sane person batty. (I'm not terrible sane, so it's even worse over here!!). 

Race Day:  Do. Your. Thang!  Everyone has their own race style. I stick with a goal of negative splitting the second half. I have a friend who just takes off with the intent of going full force for as many miles as possible (I do not endorse this method). It's all about your race plan at this point.  

Normalization Phase:  it's a harsh realization that you're no longer running max miles in a week, cross training your booty off and burning calories like some sort of training oven. It's an adjustment to your entire life. The calories must reduce despite the comfort level of consuming more pasta than the entire US Olympic team. The workouts should focus on muscle recovery rather than endurance and strength. Saturday afternoon two hour naps are longer as justifiable.  You briefly remember why you train in the first place, but don't have a ton of desire to get back to it right away. It's pretty hard to re-adjust to a non-
training life, which I'm pretty sure is one of the reasons that we all sign up for the next one!  

I've run 16 half marathons in fifteen states and still let myself lapse into the frustration phase every time. I consume too many carbs during the starvation phase and I fail to recognize the appropriate time to cut those carbs outThere are many ups and downs to all 
training plans. Some days feel great and some days feel like your first day all over again.  Despite it all, they are days in which you've gotten out there and given it your all.  Every phase will end and another one will begin, all the while you're working towards the best running version of yourself that you can be. Keep it up, ya'll. You're doing amazing!!

How to Run with Confidence

Just over eighteen months ago a very good friend and running buddy of my cousin was killed while cycling on a Sunday morning. Heather Boyum was following all of the written and unwritten rules of the road and yet left her family and friends far too soon when a drunk driver irresponsibly and recklessly hit her from behind near Rochester, New York. I read every article that was released as those responsible we're given their sentencing and Heather's family tried to find a way to grieve the mother, wife, teacher, friend, and triathlete passing. It broke my heart that the extended running community had experienced this senseless tragedy. 

Fast forward. 

Last week the world learned of Meg Menzies death. Meg was an avid runner training for the Boston marathon, a wife and a mother to three young children. She was out for a morning run when she was hit and killed by a drunk driver. 

I did not know Meg or Heather however they both seem to have very similar qualities as I'm once again reading all there is to know about Meg's death. Friends and family describe them both as the 'nicest person I've ever met'. They rave about their love for their children, their spouses, their friends and their communities. I'm sure that you can think of others that may not have received as much press but have had the same impact on their loved ones. 

I'm pretty sure that society's increased interest in fitness, especially endurance sports, contributes to the increased accidents involving vehicles and athletes.  I'm certain that this is a sad excuse.  I used to dread some runs due to feeling lazy, feeling sore, being uber busy at the office or at home, among a thousand other excuses, but today I can add the fear of drunk driving, the fear of abduction and/or rape, and the fear of texting while driving.  Its not enough to tell runners and cyclists to "be more aware" of their surroundings.  Being a city runner comes with a few hazards on a good day.  I've nearly jumped over the hood of a taxi who only looked one way; I've dodged the car that inches into the crosswalk while not paying attention; I've landed my fist on a hood or two for people who are simply disrespectful to runners.  In each of these situations, I've nearly been paralyzed, albeit for a simple second, by the thought of being hit by a car.  Now enter a drunk driver or an absent-minded texter.  You simply cannot dive out of the way fast enough to avoid these accidents.  

I can't say that I have the answer to ensuring the safety of runners and cyclists everywhere.  The death of Heather Boyum has sparked her friends and family to aggressively pursue changing the laws in the State of New York with regards to DUI punishments (Sign their Petition Here), but I know that this needs to be a bigger movement, a broader push in order to make a global impact.  How do I, how do WE, make a bigger impact to lessen the chances of this happening to someone else?  The city that I love has gotten drastically smaller in order for me to lessen the concerns while running alone.  How can I go back to the mere reasons that I started running the first place - solitude, mind-clearing, empowering and strength (and the ability to dance publicly to those amazing 80's tunes on my ipod)?  The answer can't simply be to run with a buddy at all times; it's not feasible and it doesn't fix the problem.  And frankly, with the accidents that we have seen lately, there isn't strength in numbers.  Education is part of the answer, but accountability is a larger part.  What I do know is that running shouldn't be accompanied by a constant nagging concern for what could happen each and every time you lace up your running shoes. So, the best that I can do at the very moment is to ask that you make wise decisions when you're starting your car.  Call a friend, call AAA or call a cab if you've had too many drinks or if you're simply too tired to get behind the wheel.  You could be saving a life with these simple decisions...and that life could be your own.  



If you're in the Rochester area, check out the memorial 5K that has been established in Heather's memory:  Iron Angel 5k

Continue to follow fundraising and remembrance events for Meg Menzies by visiting http://www.megsmiles.com/

Those Three Special Words

I know what you're immediately thinking. This post is another sappy tale about my love for the man-friend, or the post that I've been you I with writing about why in God's name we're not engaged yet. Alas, this post is about another three words: You're Being Promoted. 

I find myself learning new things everyday which constantly validates that I'm still in the right career. However, what is the line in which you've learned enough and done enough that someone thinks that you deserve a fancier title and more money?  I certainly do not have this answer. I think about the guidance that I give employees every day about their career path including technical skills and soft skills combined with experiences and accountabilities. It sounds good, right?  Coaching someone else's career is so much easier than finding a way to advance your own. Truthfully I think that as much as you need the pieces that I mentioned prior, you need the stars to align too. There has to be a need at the right time; there has to be someone who has noticed your rockstar work who has some influence; there needs to be a mere need to pay you more money and more work available. It does happen because I've seen it. Sometimes it's luck and sometimes it's persistence but it's never without timing. ...and boy do I pray for timing a lot!!  

This week we promoted a girl who applied for a role "on a whim". She isn't prepared for the role and not ready for the promotion but the hiring manager chose her. A move from manager to director, a $30k plus increase in base salary and tons of travel to great locations. All "on a whim". ::sigh::  The stars aligned and the timing worked and this girl will find herself in a new tax bracket by the end of the month. Am I happy for her?  Sure!  Am I baffled how people stumble into these ones despite spending almost ten years in a HR career?  Definitely. 

The working world seems so easy some days:  show up, work hard, go home.  Other days it feels like a course in Mandarin. The 40-hour work week has gotten fuzzy. Work/life balance is less of a balance and more like one of those crazy headstand poses in yoga. These things become the expectation and then the norm and then you're simply "achieving" until you step up your game again. The expectation is constantly on the rise. And while I believe that we should continue to raise the bar in order to stay ahead in business, when does the bar raising mean recognition for those who can follow it?  Is there ever a level in which people have delighted someone enough to be above the bar?  Or will we chase the bar forever?

I wish I knew the answers to these questions. I'd probably have gotten promoted and written a book long ago. I'm all ears though if someone has the answers, or a suggestion on a book that may hold them. There are A LOT of books out there. It's hard to find ones that are relevant and not hokey. I'm pretty confident that I'm doing good work, but am still waiting for that fancy chicken kitchen timer to ding with my time!