My Favorite Blogs

As I sit here thinking about my dinner plans and the fact that today is my 1 day weekend, I got to thinking about some of my favorite blogs.

You can see my blog list on the right. That's not all the blogs that I read, but some of them. The blogs that I enjoy are a reflection of me. So here goes, in no particular order.

Joanne at Eats Well With Others - Joanne is intelligent and FUNNY (my goodness, she's a great writer...runner, cook, writer, and medical student? She's got it all.) She ALWAYS makes me smile, sometimes laugh right out loud. She's also fearless. She takes on quite the complicated recipes...if only I could have cooked like that in my 20's...

Kath at KERF - Kath has an all-around great blog with a love for nutrition and good healthy food. She's also got a thing for oatmeal. Her whipped banana oats are the best. Her upbeat attitude is an absolute joy. And she's training for a half marathon (I love reading about her progress).

Jenna at Eat Live Run - Jenna has a ZEST for life that cannot be matched. Her love for Paris and good food and good wine is a joy to read. She grabs life head on, from moving cross country to California, to partying with the boys from Top Chef, to writing a book, to planning a summer in France.

Kalli at Fit and Fortysomething - Kalli has an all-around GREAT site about health and fitness in your 40's (a topic soon to be very near and dear to my heart). I *love* reading about her exercise endeavors and seeing her meals. She can combine veggies like nobody's business and I mean - she puts hummus on almost everything. My kinda girl.

The ladies at Cheap Healthy Good (Kris and Leigh) - This blog introduced me to blogging. It was the first that I ever read, and inspired me to start my own blog. Their blog is chock-full of helpful information on how to cook meals at home, and on the cheap. I wait patiently each week for their Friday Links...best link list out there if you are interested in food.

Daniel at Casual Kitchen - This guy will get you INTO the kitchen. Great instruction, simple recipes. And he really makes you THINK about food, what it means to you, how you eat, what you eat, how much you eat. Good stuff.

Gena at Choosing Raw - I cannot even remember how I came to discover this blog. So many of my discoveries come from reading a comment that someone left on another blog. I really like her philosophy of eating. She's mostly raw, not all raw. She encourages people to eat more raw food, without being in your face about it. And her recipes look lovely.

Sheri at Green and Crunchy - A family full of high-raw vegan kiddos. A love of section plates and smoothies. Delicious vegan and raw foods. So colorful, so yummy looking, I adore this blog. Absolutely adore it.

Vegan Dad - delicious recipes. 'Nuff said.

Rebecca at Less is Enough - This wonderful woman did an experiment in 2009, to eat for 30 days on $30. She did an amazing job. She's still blogging (though she's increased her budget), and her posts are very informative. She shows her receipts, total amount spent eat week, and details some of her meals. She is self-defined as a NON-foodie. Her philosophy on eating for cheap is to buy only what you need this week. This is mostly the opposite of what I do for staples, but I do use this method to eat down the pantry...buy only fresh fruits and veggies each week. This brings me to ...

Tina and Phil at 30 bucks a week - These two are feeding themselves in Brooklyn, NY for $30 a week (yes, that's $15 per person). This does not include eating out on occasion (I mean, they do live in New York). I am constantly impressed at what they can get at the Park Slope Coop (oh, if our coop prices were only so low) and what they are able to make with what they buy. Always an inspiration. And their shopping philosophy is similar to Rebecca's, above.

Angela at Oh She Glows - Angela had a vision. A vision of leaving her job and owning her own vegan bakery. And she has realized her vision. She also has a really good handle on how to eat healthfully and exercise FOR THE RIGHT REASONS. Angela has struggled with disordered eating, and her posts are very sensitive to the millions out there who also have (been there, done that). Every once in awhile, I'll read a blog from someone who gained 20-30 lbs in college. And now they are blogging about health, because "look I lost 20-30 lbs after college". I would scoff. I mean, really, big deal, losing 20 lbs in your 20s. Try losing >50 lbs in your 30s.

But then, I have to smack myself. What a bad attitude. Sure, these young'uns might not understand where I've been, but by the same token - I don't know what it's like to lose (and keep off) 100 lbs when you are in your 40s. I have to remind myself to appreciate that it's difficult for ANYONE to lose weight and keep it off in the food minefield we live in today. Any inspiration and help we can get, we should take.

Truth be told, for those of us who've been obese...our bodies are simply DIFFERENT once we lose weight. For some people will never be able to hit a "goal weight" (defined by BMI) once they've been obese. The metabolism changes, sometimes forever. And then, there's the loose skin. Ah, the loose skin.

Lynn at Lynn's Weigh - Lynn is an absolute inspiration. Just check out her stats. She's lost the weight, kept it off, kept fit, and is a great place to go to talk about food and weight.

And last but not least:

The Dervaes Family at Path to Freedom: Homesteading. Living simply. Doing it yourself. Knitting, crocheting, canning, cooking, baking and - of course - growing your own food. Whenever I want to contemplate "unplugging" I look to them for inspiration. And they are a great place to buy seeds.

Tofu and a chard frittata

Boy, I've been hungry all day. Or am I really hungry? Or just stressed? Eh, probably PMS. At least most of the food I've eaten is healthy.

Today, I needed something easy for dinner. So I knew it was going to be brown rice (rice cooker) and tofu. But for the veggie, it was a mystery. For today is CSA pickup day. And the result? Well...we got a lot of fruit. Strawberries, mandarins, and oranges.

That left carrots, beets, and chard. My child has requested carrot soup for the weekend. So I decided on chard.

My friend Nellie made a chard tart the other day and posted the pic on facebook. So I decided to do something quicker and easier, a frittata.

Now, this whole dinner did take 1.5 hours to make. About 1 hr 15 mins of it active. Which is a lot, I know. And the only reason I attempted it is because I came home to an Easter package from my son's Farmor. So he was busy playing with a new toy.

Chard frittata:
3 stalks green garlic, chopped: 0.50
1 bunch chard: 2.00
1 T olive oil: 0.11
1 8 oz can sliced mushrooms (we had em): 1.00
6 eggs: 0.75
1/4 cup milk (eyeball it): 0.08
2 oz shredded cheddar: 0.50
zest of one lemon: free (that great boss of mine)
2 Tbsp parmesan: 0.21
1 tsp dijon: 0.10

Total: $5.25 for about 8 servings (as a side dish). $0.66 per serving.

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a small 7x9 ish glass pan.

Remove the chard greens from the stems. Slice the stems thinly. Saute the green garlic and chard stems in olive oil for 5 min. Add the drained mushrooms. Increase heat to high and cook until mushrooms start to brown and stems are fully cooked.

Meanwhile, thinly slice the chard then chop crosswise a bit. Add to pan and stir. Cook 2 min. Cover, reduce heat, and cook 5 min. Remove cover, cook 1 more minute.

Put veggies in bottom of glass dish. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Mix eggs, milk, and dijon in a bowl with salt and pepper to taste. You should probably mix the dijon with the milk first. I found a nice big blob later on.

Pour egg mixture over veggies. Stir if you find a nice big blob of mustard in the mix.

Bake 30 -40 mins, until brown on top. I increased the temp to 400F for the last 10 mins. Top with parmesan


Glazed Tofu

This glaze is based a bit on a recipe for glazed baby bok choy from Perfect Vegetables.

1 14-oz pkg firm tofu, pressed between two plates with a paper towel: 1.49
1 T canola oil: 0.03
1/2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger: 0.10
3 cloves pressed garlic: 0.15
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar: 0.10
2 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce: 0.16
1/2 Tbsp dark sesame oil: 0.10
1 Tbsp water
1 tsp sugar: 0.02
Total: $2.15 for about 3 servings. $0.72 per serving.

Slice tofu into thin slices and cut into desired shapes (triangles, rectangles, squares, stars...)

Heat oil in nonstick pan and fry tofu on one side until brown, about 5-10 min on high.

Flip, and fry on other side until brown.

Meanwhile, mix all other ingredients in a bowl to make the glaze. With the heat still on high, pour the glaze over the tofu and cook until it thickens. You can flip the tofu if you want to get it nice and coated.

Add some brown rice, which is about 0.10 per cup cooked, maybe a little less.

Dinner tonight: about $1.48 per person. A little more for the spouse, a little less for the kid, pretty good.

Beans and Greens, continued

And to make below's recipe even more laughably cheap (to steal a phrase from Casual Kitchen)...

In order to de-spice the soup, I took:

6 cups of soup: $2.28
1/4 lb of macaroni: 0.25
4 cups of water: 0
1 tsp of oregano: 0.05
1 bouillon cube: 0.38

This resulted in 11 cups of soup

So, $2.96 for 11 cups or $0.27 per cup (we eat about 3 cups in one meal for the three of us).

Of course, first bite that my son took his eyes went wide and he tried to wipe off his tongue. A glass of milk fixed that. He ate most of his (1/2 cup) bowl.

Beans and Greens Soup

The weeks of the birthday parties continue...we had birthday parties to attend on Thursday, Saturday, and 2 on Sunday.

On Sunday, I didn't know if there would be much food at the second. I suspected. But I also knew we needed food for the week, and we'd not cooked on Saturday (birthday party, homemade tortillas...oh my goodness I WANT a tortilla press for my birthday).

So, what's a mom to do when she'll be out all day. Well, while my spouse did yoga for the first time (I dropped him off and introduced him), I did a little grocery shopping. Then I started some bread in the bread machine and cooked up some soup. In the crockpot. Yum. I was a little bit worried. I wanted it to have flavor. I decided to use Trader Joe's fire roasted tomatoes with green chiles. But that's a little tricky with my child. Even the slightest hint of hot pepper is too spicy. It's getting very hard for me to use up the chiles from the farm last summer. I will have to work on how to make that for me only.

My hubby and I had this for lunch. I thought it was great, not too spicy. Said hubby thought it was a bit too hot for our child. So, for dinner the second night (tonight), I diluted 6 cups of soup with 4 cups of water, a bouillon cube, and some pasta. We'll see how it goes. I did think that it was quite tasty. I added some salt when I served it but not during the cooking time.

Beans and Greens Soup

1 Tbsp canola oil: 0.04
1 can cannellini beans: 0.89
2 cups cooked small red beans: 0.33
4 c. homemade chicken stock: 0
2 c. water: 0
1/2 c. pearl barley: 0.50
1 bunch collard greens: 1.50
3 cloves garlic, pressed: 0.15
2 small onions, diced: 0.40
1 can diced fire roasted tomatoes with green chiles: 1.09
2 Tbsp tomato paste: 0.05
3 carrots, sliced/diced: 0.25
1 tsp thyme: 0.05
1 tsp oregano: 0.05
Total: $5.30 for about 14 cups, or about $0.38 per cup

Saute the onion and garlic in the oil until the onion softened. Add the diced carrots and cook until they begin to soften.

In the meantime, wash collard greens and remove from stems. Cut into 4 slices lengthwise, then slice crosswise into thin strips. Add these to the veggies in the pan and cook until wilted.

Add veggies and remaining ingredients to crockpot. Cook on low all day. The veggies do get a bit washed out this way, but you know, when you're a busy mom...it tastes good anyway.

This was the very very best when scooped up with sourdough bread. Oh, the sourdough bread...

This week's meals

Saturday
Breakfast: Gu and toast. But not together.
Lunch: Sandwiches, edamame, chips, salsa, strawberries, cake (my son's birthday party)
Dinner: leftover sandwiches

Sunday:
Breakfast: leftover sandwich
Lunch: leftover sandwiches (see a trend?)
Dinner: Red Bean Chili, cornbread, avocado, chips

Monday:
Breakfast: smoothie (chard, blueberries, banana, soy milk, flax seed, grape juice, ice), toast with sunflower seed butter. Hubby and child: yogurt and homemade granola and smoothie.
Lunch: Leftover noodles from last week. Mom also had edamame. And a lot of fruit. Child: PB sandwich, strawberries, edamame.
Dinner: Leftover chili and cornbread, salad.

Tuesday:
Breakfast: smoothie (same as before), toast with sunflower seed butter. Hubby and child: yogurt and homemade granola, and smoothie.
Lunch: Mom: pizza (work lunch) and salad. Dad: leftover chili and cornbread. Child: PB sandwich, applesauce, cheese.
Dinner: veggie burgers (child had grilled cheese), green beans

Wednesday:
Breakfast: smoothie, toast with sunflower seed butter.
Lunch: Mom and dad: leftover chili and cornbread. Child: PB&J and an apple.
Dinner: whole wheat spaghetti with diced tomatoes and bacon, roasted beets and onions

Thursday:
Breakfast: toast
Lunch: leftover spaghetti
Dinner: Pizza out (party)

Friday:
Breakfast: toast
Lunch: boys: out. Mom: salad
Dinner: Leftover spaghetti and a big salad

I have to say the good thing about being on Weight Watchers again (bad thing being the hunger from 5 to 6 pm) is that I am eating 10-12 servings of fruits and veggies a day, up from my normal 7-8. Well, that and I've lost 4 lbs. Just 3 more to go.

Tired

Well, we have a tired little household this morning. Yesterday was our little boy's 4th birthday. We had about 37 people here (17 kids, 20 adults) for the festivities. We like to keep them small, but the kids all have siblings now...and my son is in preschool.

In any event, it was very much fun, lots of sandwiches and cake and strawberries. Last year, I baked some of the bread and made the sandwiches and salads.

This year, I ordered the sandwiches (not terribly frugal). But there was very little cleanup required and the sammies were wonderful. We sent some home with people, had sandwiches for dinner last night, and there's more for lunch today. And I think I'll have one for breakfast too.

It turns out one of the moms of my kid's classmates is really getting into raw foods. She's not a raw foodist, but a vegetarian who is incorporating a lot of raw foods into her diet. We didn't get to talk about it much, more than to say that raw foods are awesome. It started because she was admiring my blender (a Blendtec).

Exercise today...do I run (only did 4 miles yesterday), do yoga, or walk? Today I think I feel like walking with my friends (4 miles for me, 8 for them) when my hubby is done with tennis. I've got red beans soaking for Cook for Good's Red Bean Chili and we'll be mixing up some cornbread too.

This week's meals

Saturday:
Breakfast: mom: toast with sunflower seed butter. Dad: toast. Child: cereal.
Lunch: mom: tortilla with cheese, avo, salsa, sour cream (actually, this was the post run snack), chickpeas and rice. Dad and child: PB&J, apple.
Dinner: lemon-pea-mushroom risotto, kale chips, eggs

Sunday:
Breakfast: mom and dad: yogurt, fruit, granola (dad also had toast with cheese). Child: cereal
Lunch: pizza at the local joint (good!)
Dinner: pumpkin soup, bean sliders, chips and guacamole

Monday:
Breakfast: mom and dad: yogurt, fruit, granola. Child: cereal
Lunch: child: leftover pizza and applesauce. Mom and dad: leftover risotto
Dinner: leftover pumpkin soup and bean sliders. Asparagus

Tuesday:
Breakfast: mom: yogurt, fruit, granola. Child: cereal. Dad: toast
Lunch: child: leftover pizza and apple. Mom: leftover risotto, beets with hummus, avocado. Dad: sandwich and an egg.
Dinner: leftover split pea soup from freezer, green beans, grilled cheese

Wednesday:
Breakfast: homemade bread
Lunch: child: PB&J, applesauce. Mom and dad: hummus and veggie wraps
Dinner: leftover pumpkin soup, veggie burgers, salad

Thursday:
Breakfast: homemade bread
Lunch: child: PB&J, banana. Mom and dad: Hummus and veggies wraps
Dinner: egg noodles with green garlic, peas, soy meatballs, and cheese-y white sauce. Topped with toasted buttered breadcrumbs. And a salad.

Friday:
Breakfast: grape juice, chard, mango, banana, strawberry, blueberry, soy milk, flax smoothies. Homemade bread.
Lunch: mom: leftover noodles, green beans, last of the pumpkin soup. Boys: out
Dinner: leftover noodles, collard chips.

Egg noodles with a variety of things

I had this mostly full bag of egg noodles taking up space in the pantry, so I decided to use it. I also have been on a mission to empty the freezer. You see, my freezer - it accumulates, well, stuff. What kind of stuff? All kinds of stuff in plastic baggies and yogurt containers.

And the yogurt containers don't contain yogurt. They contain roasted pumpkin, whole tomatoes, chicken or vegetable stock, and bread crumbs.

The bags contain homemade pesto, frozen bananas, frozen roasted poblano peppers, bread heels.

Then there's the purchased food items that are always there. There comes a time when my freezer is just a sea of plastic bags and a "hmmm...is that lemon juice? is that chipotle?"

That will explain some of my recent recipes.

Egg Noodle Dish:
3/4 of a bag of egg noodles, cooked: 1.50
1/2 bag frozen meatless meatballs: 1.50
1/2 bag frozen peas: 0.60
3 pieces green garlic, sliced: 0.40
2 T olive oil: 0.22
2 T flour
2 cups milk: 0.35
2 Tbsp parmesan: 0.31
2 oz shredded cheddar: 0.25
1 cube frozen homemade pesto: 0.25
salt and pepper
1/2 cup homemade breadcrumbs: 0 (these are bread heels)
2 Tbsp butter: 0.13

Total: $5.51 for 7 or 8 1-cup servings. About $0.78 per serving.

Cook noodles according to package directions.

Saute the green garlic in a large skillet in the olive oil until softened (you can use onion instead). Add the flour and cook a couple of minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk and heat to a boil until it starts to thicken. Reduce heat, and stir in cheeses. And hope your sauce doesn't seize up like mine did when I added the cheddar (what am I doing WRONG?? gotta google that).

Add the pesto, peas, meatballs, and salt and pepper. Stir, and cook covered on low until everything is defrosted and warmed. Add noodles and stir gently, because at this point your pan is overflowing.

Meanwhile, melt the butter and toss with breadcrumbs. Toast in the oven or toaster oven for about 5 mins at 300F.

Stir the breadcrumbs in and enjoy!

Lemon-Mushroom-Pea Risotto

I was a little hesitant about the risotto tonight. Almost ordered pizza. I had to work, and cooking when I'm starving when I get home is not a good idea.

But I forgot how fast and great risotto is.

I got home at 5:00. And dinner was ready at 5:40. I kid you not. Saute an onion, add mushrooms and cook down. Add rice and saute. Add remaining ingredients. Put lid on pressure cooker. Cook 5 min. Use fast release. Add the "extras". Dinner done, and time in there to make kale chips too.

The only thing that bugs me about risotto is the white rice. But I recently borrowed Bittman's book from the library: "Food Matters". And he had a rice dish with short grain brown rice. Hmm...so I bought some. I bet that will work just as well in the pressure cooker for risotto, but for a bit longer cook time. I'll let you know when I run out of regular Arborio.

Lemon-Mushroom-Pea Risotto:
1 small onion, diced: 0.20
1 Tbsp olive oil: 0.11
10 oz sliced/chopped mushrooms: 2.29
1 large clove garlic: 0.05
1.5 cup arborio rice: 1.96
1/2 cup white wine: 0.90
3 cups water
1 vegetable bouillon cube: 0.35
pinch basil: 0.05


add ins:
1 cube homemade pesto from the freezer: 0.25
1 oz goat cheese: 0.37
juice and zest of one lemon: 0.39
1 cup frozen peas: 0.50
2 Tbsp parmesan cheese: 0.16
salt and pepper

Total: $7.58 for 8 cups, or about $0.95 per cup. And this is SOOOO good.

Saute the onion in the oil until soft. Add mushrooms and cook until they have given up most of their liquid. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add rice and stir to coat with oil. Try not to get distracted by cooking the side dish so that the rice doesn't burn. :)

Add the wine and cook one minute. Add the bouillon cube and water and basil. Put lid on pressure cooker and bring to high pressure.

Cook 5 min. Reduce pressure using the quick release method (under cold water). Remove lid carefully. Add peas, pesto, lemon juice and zest, salt, pepper, and goat cheese. Stir. Serve. Try not to eat it all at once. Though truly, leftovers tend to turn to glue. But they taste good anyway.

Plate shots

Child's dinner last night (he ate ALLL of it):

strawberries, avocado, chickpeas and rice, steamed beets, hummus.


Mom's post 10-mile run snack



whole wheat tortilla, melted cheddar, small avocado, salsa, and a bit of light sour cream. And some strawberries.

This week's meals

I was thinking that posting my week's meals will be a good way to remember how to use various CSA items later on.

Saturday
Breakfast: purple smoothies (grape juice, strawberries, frozen banana, frozen blueberries, flax, yogurt, tangelo), plus 1/2 slice homemade bread with sunbutter (mom), homemade bread (dad), and half bar (child)
Lunch: Costco: Mom: chicken salad wrap. Dad: pizza and hot dog. Child: pizza.
Dinner: whole wheat pasta with green sauce (cilantro, garlic, chard, lemon, and pesto from the freezer), roast chicken from Costco, asparagus, chips with hummus, guac, and salsa (friends over for dinner), Trader Joe's vanilla cake for dessert.

Sunday:
Breakfast: mom and dad: homemade bread. Child: cereal bar.
Lunch: mom: chicken salad wrap and last of the vegetable creole (I was hungry, ran 8 miles). Dad: chicken salad wrap and PB&J and chips. Child: PB&J, chips, edamame, grapes.
Dinner: roast beets, potatoes, and onions. Red bean and wheatberry salad with roasted peppers, olives, feta, salsa, and celery.

Monday:
Breakfast: homemade bread.
Lunch: leftover green pasta with chicken (all), and fruit (grapes, apples, oranges, bananas), and edamame
Dinner: Leftover red bean and wheatberry salad, avocado, kale chips, chicken

Tuesday:
Breakfast: homemade bread (new)
Lunch: mom: green pasta (L), edamame, apple. Child: green pasta, chicken, grapes. Spouse: free work lunch.
Dinner: veggie burgers, asparagus

Wednesday:
Breakfast: homemade bread (parents), half cereal bar (child)
Lunch: mom: big salad with few cups romaine, 1/2 cup of red bean and wheatberry salad, a couple pieces of leftover asparagus, one small avocado, and a small corn tortilla. Dad: last of the chicken and green pasta. Child: PB&J and applesauce.
Dinner: lentil and artichoke stew (L from freezer), celery with hummus, chips and salsa. Dad will get free pizza for donating blood (pizza night is Weds night at Tri counties blood bank).

Thursday:
Breakfast: homemade bread
Lunch: mom: leftover stew, dad: last of the wheatberry and bean salad, child: school lunch ravioli (out of bread). Plus edamame
Dinner: Mediterranean chickpeas and rice, and whatever veggie from the CSA is the easiest.

Friday:
Breakfast: bread with sunflower seed butter, strawberries
Lunch: Mom: egg sandwich, broccoli, orange. Dad: Friday lunch out. Child: school lunch - pizza
Dinner: Leftover chickpeas and rice, salad with romaine, goat cheese, toasted walnuts, steamed beets, strawberries, avocado (oh my goodness was this GOOD). Steamed beets are yummy.

This week CSA

Strawberries - TWO PINTS!! TWO PINTS!! The best strawberries ever.
1 bunch kale (need I say it? Kale chips)
1 lb broccoli: steamed. I dipped in hummus. It was good.
romaine: salad
beets: steamed in the salad, and the rest for snacking
lemons: dunno yet
1 lb oranges: ate one already

I should probably start listing all the free stuff I get from my boss, like a bunch of oranges and avocados this week. Pretty much you can assume that any avocado that I've eaten since January was free.

Which is why I started counting points a'la weight watchers again this week. Pants a little tight. need to drop about 5 lbs.

Training

I haven't talked about running lately. I'm still running. Here's my training schedule.

I've registered for a 10-miler in April (The Chardonnay run) and my 2nd half marathon in May (the Wine Country Half)...hm...seems to be a wine theme, even though I don't plan on drinking. I LOVE wine, but not after running 10-13 miles.

I'm all geared up with new running shoes, my new Garmin 305 (great for tracking mileage) and a case of Gu (thanks to Monica and Pete). My 8-mile pace has been around 10:15 to 10:20/mile. My best pace at this distance was the 8.3 mile leg I ran in the marathon, at 9:50.

My goal for these two races is to finish one of them on an average 10:00/mile or better. Really, my primary goal is to finish and not be in severe pain, and not to injure myself. It may sound silly, but I am turning 40 this year, and I don't have a runner's build. For me to do that I have to work pretty hard at training, stretching, yoga. I have to be careful about my hips and my hamstrings. Despite running regularly since this time last year, and being at a long run of 8 miles/ week for months, I still have issues with my heart rate. My resting heart rate is the lowest its ever been, at 59 bpm. But when I run, my heart rate gets to be 190+ pretty easily when I aim for 10:00 miles or better.

But if I could do that AND beat 10:00, that would be great. So I am incorporating more pace runs (intervals) and tempo runs (race pace) into my week. I am still sticking to 3 runs/week.