Day: July 29, 2023

Smoothie Recipe #2

lpaulriddle

I decided to try a different smoothie recipe yesterday:

  • Around 10 ounces almond milk (a little more than the recipe calls for, but I wanted to use up the carton)
  • 2 red apples of some sort (probably Fuji or Gala), cored and quartered
  • A bunch of spinach (recipe calls for 3 cups, but I didn’t measure)
  • 1 avocado, peeled and pitted
  • Some honey (recipe calls for 2 tsp; again, I didn’t measure)
  • 1-inch knob of ginger, peeled and chopped
  • Juice of one lemon
  • Several ice cubes

This recipe makes 2 smoothies, and I had to use the full-size Ninja blender to fit all of the ingredients. Prep time was longer than my usual go-to recipe, because the apples needed to be cored, avocado peeled/pitted, ginger peeled/chopped, and lemon squeezed.

I did not like this at all initially. It was way too lemony, and lacked any hint of sweetness. However, I liked it a lot better when I drank the second half the next day, I think partially because I wasn’t expecting it to taste sweet, and the lemony sourness had mellowed out somewhat. If I make this again, I’ll cut back on the lemon, and maybe add some cayenne pepper to give it a little kick. The recipe does lack a good source of protein, so I may try substituting Greek yogurt for some of the Almond milk, and/or adding protein powder.

I found another recipe that is very similar to this one, but adds a banana and omits the lemon juice. It might be worth trying that as well.

Hot Day Hybrid

lpaulriddle

Day 3 of the heat wave: after skipping Thursday’s run in favor of the pool, I wanted to run today, even if it was only a short one. I hit the road at 8:15am, when it was still below 80°, and although it was plenty humid, it did feel slightly less oppressive out than it did yesterday or Thursday. It might just be that I’m getting acclimated to it. Whatever the case, I ran 4 miles at 10:00/mile, and felt pretty good. When I was finished, I put on my swim gear and ran for 30 more minutes in the pool. It was the first time I have done regular running and pool running in the same session, and I think it worked out well. Four miles is long enough that I felt like I got a decent run in, but short enough that I didn’t overheat and lose a ton of fluids, and the pool was a great way to cool off afterwards. Ideally, I’d like to get out about an hour earlier, but I didn’t wake up until close to 7 today. I must have needed the sleep.

My experiences with running in the heat and humidity this summer have convinced me that I’d like to pick up a running-specific hydration vest, but there is a mind-numbing variety of them to choose from, so I’m going to have to do a little bit of research. I’ll probably hold off on buying anything until REI has their next sale and 20% off coupon (maybe around Labor Day).

Here’s something that has never happened to me in 22 years of pool ownership: I walked outside earlier and saw that the Polaris tail sweep hose had come disconnected from the main unit. I retrieved both of them, and nothing looked broken. I was able to easily push the tail back onto the ferrule, but it was kind of obvious that whatever secured it there was missing. I found a parts diagram and saw that there’s a plastic clamp that’s supposed to go there, but it was nowhere to be found. I’m guessing it just broke. A new one costs about $3.50, but I jury-rigged it with a zip tie for now, which seems to be working. I don’t expect it to last too long, but who knows.. maybe it will surprise me.

Update (9/13/23): The zip tie fix lasted until today, or just over 6 weeks. I just put a new one on, and will add the $3.50 clamp to my list of items to buy for next season (it might be cheaper over time to just keep sacrificing zip ties, but it would be much more annoying 😀).