Lazy W Marie

Carpeing all the diems in semi-rural Oklahoma...xoxo

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Archives for March 2014

Marathon Monday: Flourless Banana Oat Pancakes

Hello, and Happy Monday! Marathon training is still going really well at the Lazy W. I now have two longish paved tracks from which to choose for my boredom buster runs, and last week I divided my energy and miles between them and the elliptical machine. A 15 mile run this Saturday taught me how much better I feel being really well hydrated, a sharp contrast to that Lake Hefner run a few weeks ago when I suppressed violent thoughts toward strangers. So much better!

 

This track was technically closed. But I ran it anyway, along with about a million other runners and sun worshippers. No one arrested us or even openly ridiculed us for it. As I ran the closed section I imagined Mission Impossible music playing loud behind me.
This track was technically closed. But I braved it anyway, along with about a million other runners and sun worshippers. No one arrested us or even openly ridiculed us for it. As I traversed the closed section I imagined Mission Impossible music playing loud behind me. It was awesome.

 

This week’s training is starting strong, too, because the marathon is in less than a month and soon it will be tapering time. Soon my anxiety will start to rise in direct proportion to how low my mileage sinks. I’m enjoying these high-adrenaline weeks while I can.

But that’s not today. Today I have a quick and easy, delicious, healthy recipe to share. You’ve probably seen it on Pinterest; maybe you’ve already tried it. But just in case, here ya go… Plus I tweaked it a little. It’s so good!

Flourless Banana Oat Pancakes

1 ripe banana

2 whole eggs, beaten

1/4 cup quick oats

dash vanilla

dusting of cinnamon

All you do is mash the banana and combine it with the beaten whole eggs. Stir in the oats and some vanilla and cinnamon, then drop in thick puddles onto a hot skillet (I sprayed mine with cooking spray). Let them cook on both sides like regular pancakes, testing the edges for dryness. Mine didn’t bubble like regular pancakes, so don’t wait around for that to happen. They cook quickly!

flourless banana oat pancakes
flourless banana oat pancakes

 

These readily accessible ingredients made three hefty 4-inch pancakes. After eating them and some strawberries, I was nice and full but not all sugared up. Big score! It’s an easy meal that provides lots of nutrition and lasting energy, especially for runners. Don’t you ever get slightly bored of raw bananas and runny oatmeal? I do. This is a great new combo. And if you’re interested, here is the pancakes’ nutritional breakdown: calories 325, carbs 43 g, fat 12 g (the good fats), protein 16 g, fiber 5 g. Not too shabby.

I think most recipes like this are strictly banana and egg, but that mix looked too runny to me. Adding the quick oats made it the perfect amount of bulky. And the finished product is not fluffy but light. Fresh tasting and satisfying. Just sweet enough, even without syrup. I have made a new addition to my ever-growing list of favorite foods!

Okay, thanks for stopping in! I hope your week is happy and healthy. I hope your meals are delicious and nourishing. I hope if you run that you sweat out all those negative thoughts and worries, replacing them with dazzling new ideas and a brighter outlook! And remember to hydrate.

“Our minds are like our stomachs; they are whetted by the change of their food, and variety supplies both with fresh appetite.”

~Quintilian

XOXOXOXO

 

Pulling Magic

Happy Weekend!! We have been so busy this past week, as usual I suppose, and are once again landed safely and happily at a little break. This weekend the sun is shining aggressively in Oklahoma, warming up the well soaked soil and brightening all of our moods. This fine Saturday morning Handsome has volunteered to drive to the feed store and also do the chores so I can strike out for a long run, then together we have some fun Saturday outings planned. It’s already a good day.

Right now for book club I am reading something that just inspires deep conversation about every other page. I can’t wait to review the book for you, but in the mean time, a quote and a question…

 

pulling magic out of thin air... Quote from White Oleander by Janet Fitch
Pulling beauty out of thin air… Quote from White Oleander by Janet Fitch. What is your theater?

 

I am so enamored by this idea, of wanting magic and pulling beauty out of thin air. And of understanding the theater each of us chooses. And to me this is most satisfying kind of beauty, not what can be purchased or acquired… but rather… drawn out. Imagined and manifested. Beauty we interpret and make real by wanting and then enjoying it, that’s the best kind. This passage from White Oleander is actually talking about sex and how men and women relate to each other, but the premise still applies.

Here is some of the beauty we have been pulling out of thin air here lately… Our theaters are colorful and loving.

 

chalk doodles

Spontaneous pastels and pencil art with my friend Marci and her little beauty Juliana. I keep the ones they made with my name nearby and love these friends earnestly from a distance every time I glance at their art.

cookies granola

A really delicious cookie recipe that stuck to the pan and crumbled when I scraped them off. So it all became a really delicious granola recipe. Also, so many kale recipes lately…

painted mailbox art

We bought a new heavy rubber mailbox and Handsome surprised me by drenching it in color! Magic out of thin air for sure. Even with me squealing and laughing and kissing his face, he has no idea how happy this made me.

jax big boys

Jaxson, our great-nephew, asked to give the big boys some extra food the other evening. He worked so hard with his Kindergarten muscles and my full sized hay rake collecting two full green bucketfuls. He dumped it, laughed when the buff tried to steal the bucket again, then sat and watched them, talking to me forever about dental care.

SPROUTS

My herb garden is slowly greening up with sprouts and seedlings. Last year’s bail, oregano, and morning glories seem to have reseeded themselves. Maybe even more than that. Snow peas are up. Bulbs are up. Transplanted shrubs are sturdier than ever. This is my chosen theater, my personal space form which to pull magic from thin air, And I love it. It feeds me in every way.

milani red shoes chickie

Milanni, our great-niece, reluctantly touching a baby chick. I have no words for her preciousness.

Every single days offers us hundreds, maybe thousands, of opportunities to pull magic from thin air. It’s all about what are hearts and minds are set to receive, what we look for and are willing to create in our lives.

I gotta run now, literally. But I already feel more magic thrumming its way to our home and to yours. Expect amazing things. Look for the bright moments. Be ready for miracles big and small, because life is teeming with them.

 

Beauty awakens the soul to act.

~Dante Alighieri

XOXOXOXO

 

 

To me, the best

visit me at lifeingrace

Hello, hello! Today I am 100% giddy to be a guest writer over at Edie’s beautiful, uplifting, challenging, mouthwatering blog, life(in)grace. I have been reading her luscious words and following her quest for life, truth, and beauty now for several years, drawing pretty constantly from her deep well of inspiration. I mean, just the life(in)grace Pinterest boards are enough to give a person emotional, nest-feathering diabetes!

 

Books, humor, bright colors, art, and more books. Touchdown. xoxo
Books, humor, bright colors, art, monograms, and more books. Touchdown. xoxo

 

Gorgeous, gorgeous stuff, all of it. But Edie’s thinky, faith-filled ideas are just as dazzling.When she invited me to write for her while she and her two youngest girls are on Spring Break, I might have gasped. (I definitely did.)  Then I might have panicked. (I definitely did that, too.) What do I write about for the woman who has taught and guided me in so many things, from turquoise cabinets to Chesterton and summertime makeup? Only something really particular to life here at the Lazy W.

So if you click over to her site, you can read all about our macaw Bobby Pacino and his undying love for little spring chicks.

 

You will never see a gentler, more devoted surrogate mother who is a boy.
You will never see a gentler, more devoted surrogate mother who is a boy. Baby Chicks, Llamas, and One Cool Parrot 

 

 

Thanks so much for stopping in! Please hop over and say hello right here at Edie’s corner of digital paradise. I would be so happy to have my friends there with me, as it’s kind of intimidating! haha

 XOXOXOXO

Marathon Monday: Sing-a-Long Edition

Hello! Welcome to another gorgeous week in Oklahoma, the first FULL week of spring. Speaking of weeks, only five remain  between now and the Memorial Marathon, so how about a quick update?

Overall I’m doing just fine. My mileage is up to date, albeit it in slightly different configurations than Hal Higdon has prescribed in his Novice 1 Training Program. Last week I visited my doctor for the first time in a thousand years and spoke with him at length about the marathon and other good stuff. He gave me some smart pointers (he’s a runner too, doing his first half this April at the Oklahoma Redbud Classic). He also checked my heart thoroughly and gave me the green light for 26.2. “If I were taking you to Vegas I’d bet the house on you!” he said confidently of my health. So, I guess there’s no getting out of it now. LOL Just kidding, I am really excited! Miles good, health great, attitude through the roof!

I have experienced one strange obstacle to logging those long runs, the ones greater than about 10 miles: It’s needing  to tackle them somewhere other than the sandy back pasture of our farm. NOT finding a solution was beginning to feel like a reason to only run the half. And that would be a big disappointment for me, because I have been determined to run my first full marathon in my fortieth year. Personal goal.

So I’ve been looking for…

  • a track longer than 1/4 mile.
  • and if that track could please be paved, bonus points! Because the race will be on city streets.
  • a running buddy for safety, but preferably someone close to my pace so neither of us is held back.
  • Local running clubs are awesome! But so far my schedule has conflicted with every scheduled event.

Well, just yesterday Handsome found a park about fifteen minutes east of the farm that seems perfect. It is public but not too crowded; it is encircled by a paved one-mile track with some incline here and there; and most days a police officer watches nearby. So the problem has been solved, at least temporarily. To commemorate this happy turn of events I’d like to offer you this story song. Please sing it aloud to the tune of “If You Like Pina Coladas…” You don’t know that song? You are probably too young to read this blog.

Rupert Holmes likes Pina Coladas. Do you? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugdF4vWn3I4&list=PLD230AECEC6B12FA6
Rupert Holmes likes Pina Coladas. Do you? Click here for the song

 

All together now!

 

I was tired of the back field… I had been runnin’ there too long.

Like a quarter mile of torture! Stickers, sand, deer and rocks.

So between a few shorter miles (the marathon was closin’ in)

in the Hal Higdon forums… they said with long runs I could win.

*******

If you like runnin’ on pavement! Gettin’ faster every day!

If you’re just gettin’ into yoga, and you’ve never had a sprain!

If you must always run with mu-u-sic, ’cause your mind plays some games!

I’m the trail that you’ve dreamed of. Run on me and celebrate!

*******

I didn’t think about the llamas; they always watch me when I run.

I simply laced up my Brooks shoes, and in a minute I was gone.

Just fifteen minutes to the new track. I felt suspense and energy.

Could this really be the answer? I thought, we’ll have to wait and see.

*******

If you need to run on pavement, even though it hurts your shins!

If you’re not afraid of wild geese, or the occasional fisherman!

Then this track could be just perfect… It’s a full mile around!

Jut make sure you bring some water, but never pee on the ground!

*******

Now there’s a big world of difference… between a trail run and a track…

Between a private back pasture and a park where 

YOU

MIGHT GET

AT-TACKED.

But run a quarter mile at at time? I mean, you just have no idea…

That is far too many tiny laps!

This girl was wearing pretty thin…

*******

If you like runnin’ on pavement! Spending hours all alone!

If it makes you really happy, to see your pace grow less slow!

If a single digit mile is a goal that you have… 

Plus a 20-mile afternoon,

Meet me here I’m your track!

 

Aaaaand… I am out of words that barely rhyme. Did you totally jam that out with me? So three cheers for Handsome for locating a suitable running track! And best wishes to you in all of your goals and endeavors. Try setting them to this tune. It’s way more fun.

If you need me, I’ll be at a bar called O’Malley’s.

But not really.

XOXOXOXO

Friday 5 at the Farm: Cats & Llamas

Happy Friday!! Whew. I have to say, this has been a drop dead gorgeous week here at the Lazy W. The weather has been amazing. We have  been cleaning forgotten closets and burning off piles of fallen limbs. Running some, reading some, visiting with friends and loved ones, gardening, romancing… This first week of spring has been divine. And to cap it off I’d like to offer an installment of “Friday 5 at the Farm: Cats & Llamas.”

********************

Have you ever found yourself wondering what llamas and cats have in common? I’m here to help. We happen to have four cats and three llamas, and we study them with great acuity. By that I mean we sometimes notice stuff. And let me tell you, cats and llamas are basically the same animal.

 

Save the drama for your llama. Or your cat. I don't want it.
Save the drama for your llama. Or your cat. I don’t want it.

 

Proof That Cats & Llamas are the Same Animal

  1. Both are extremely territorial. You have no idea. They know who belongs in the area and who doesn’t, and they are not bashful about dividing the two. While a cat may hiss at an intruder, a llama will spit. Neither is happy about sharing her territory with an intruder, especially if said intruder is a chihuahua. (This happens here at the W much more than I have shared with you guys.)
  2. You can only touch them on their terms, and this includes leashes. Only very special llamas will be led on a halter (Dulcinea and Seraphine recently joined this club, but they only attend the meetings sometimes), and I dare you to put your cat on a leash and take him for a walk. Even short of that, though, both cats and llamas are extra fussy about when and how they are petted. Usually they prefer to do the petting themselves, against you, instead of the other way around. Usually. Again, this is not your call. Your wishes are not part of this equation.
  3. They are oddly discreet about their bathroom business. They only “go” in certain areas, making manure collection a breeze. I only collect llama manure, to be clear. To my knowledge cats still bury theirs. Though I would LOVE to see a llama do this. Anyway, discreet. Fussy. Both llamas and cats are these things.
  4. They fight with their front hands. You’ve seen a cat get into a vicious slap fight, right? Well, llamas do this, too, but instead of stiletto claws they use their giant, butcher knife-sharp hooves. It. Is. Terrifying. Also, both creatures pin their ears back and bulge out their eyes when they fight. Not pretty.
  5. You will never touch anything softer than a cat belly or a llama neck. Period. And amen. Of course, refer to #2 to get an idea of how special it is to touch either, right? So when it happens, soak it up. You’re cuddling a four-legged angel.

 

******************** 

Now you know!* Llamas are basically taller, more stretched out cats, with short, fluffy tails and slightly more astonishment in their faces than arrogance. Or perhaps cats are just more petite, shorter necked llamas with far less social awareness. Exactly the same animal, really.

Now on to a glorious weekend. I hope yours is filled with some of your favorite things plus at least one fantastic surprise! I am about to go run my heart out into the cotton candy sunrise, giving thanks for so many blessings this week and so much renewed energy. Life is just too beautiful sometimes.

*And knowing is half the battle.

XOXOXOXO