The Mix: spiced apples, pumpkin puree, and toasted nuts

The Story: This holiday weekend is one of the busiest apple picking weekends of the year in the Hudson Valley. Some of the local orchards attract busloads, but my favorite is a small, off-the-beaten-path orchard that doesn't advertise or have a corn maze or hayrides, just acres of apples and a small roadside stand. They grow older varieties of apples not sold in stores. Yesterday I picked golden russets, which are brown like a pear on the outside and, on the inside, as tart and crisp as a honey crisp.

Oct 4
Oct 4 Veggie Chili with Butternut Squash

Bec

Dinner, Recipe

"Make this Tonight" suggestions seem to pop up in my inbox often enough to make me feel guilty that I never go home and...make that tonight. Some of the ideas look delicious, sure, but, ever focused, I usually let a hankering for one thing or another determine dinner.

Oct 4
Oct 4 New Nikes!

Laurel

Seems like just every other person in the city is walking or running around in day-glo kicks. I am not sure about everywhere else in the world, but they are HOT here in NYC. I have been hit with a slight pang of jealousy every time I see them. So, I was very happy when these appeared on my doorstep yesterday.

Oct 3
Oct 3 Staying in Shape While Pregnant

Bec

The first 3 months…sucked. Almost immediately, I stopped feeling like myself in workouts. Keeping pace with my training partners ended after warm up. Since I wasn’t ready to tell people my news, making up fake excuses for my “lack of fitness“ became the norm. I’m lucky that I never had to deal with morning sickness or nausea. But I did get hit with fatigue. Since training full time makes you feel tired all the time, it wasn’t too much of an adjustment, but it was frustrating. At the end of each day, I’d think, how come I feel like I can’t make it to 8 o’clock and I’ve done “nothing” all day. Of course, nothing wasn’t nothing, but when you are used to pushing yourself in workouts, an easy swim , ride or run feels like nothing.