You Call This Spring

Seriously, Alaska! This is what you call spring?

It started snowing Saturday night and didn’t stop until Monday evening—accumulating over a foot of fresh snow. Ugh! And would anyone like to take a guess at the temperature this morning? Let’s just say it was not above zero. . . . . -3*F. Yes, that would be NEGATIVE three. Yes, it is almost April. Although I won’t forget my winter here (2007-2008) when it dumped snow on us the last weekend in April. Geesh!

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I was not expecting such frigid temperatures this morning, but luckily I was mostly prepared with my hat and neck warmer. It was not a speedy run by any means.

Distance: 5 miles

Time: 44:24

Average pace: 8:52 minutes/mile

Weather: cold, -3*

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On a more positive note, I received some race information in the mail for Boston. It is getting more real all the time as the day approaches!

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I rarely go to the grocery store without putting something new in my cart. Here are a few things I’ve tried recently that I thought I’d give a brief review on.

Winner! Definitely a good find. Mostly peanut butter-flavored with a hint of coconut. Even my husband, who is not a fan of peanut butter, digs this creamy spread.

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Also another good find. These crackers are loaded with flavor! They have a chili/smoky flavor to them that would go great with a variety of cheeses.

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Eh—take ’em or leave ’em.  I love the crunch factor but the after-taste seems kind of odd to me. Nut Thins are still some of my favorite gluten-free crackers.

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Definitely not a winner. I love my pretzels, but these definitely did not do it for me. There was not much flavor to them—very bland.

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I like buying vegan butter every once in a while to change things up. I’ve tried the Earth Balance soy-based version, but I much prefer this soy free version. It tastes much more like real butter.

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I picked up this gluten-free bread at Costco the other week. It definitely is not my favorite. Instead of a yeast-based texture, it has a denser texture like quick-breads do. I thought it was kind of odd.

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Udi’s and Rudi’s are still my favorite gluten-free breads. Each brand tastes different, but I like both. I usually end up buying Udi’s since it is about $2 cheaper a loaf. I do not eat a gluten-free diet, but I like to have this bread because it is something different than traditional wheat-based bread, and the size of each slice is the prefect size for my sandwiches. A regular-sized slice of bread is too big for me. DSC_0004

Questions

What is the weather like where you live?

What new food item have you tried?

Hi, I'm Michelle

I love running around the lakes of Minnesota, running after my two boys, and racing anything from the 5K to the marathon. I have been blogging here since 2010 when I ran my first marathon. I finally secured my sub-3 hour marathon after trying for 8 years.

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13 Comments

  1. 3.27.13
    Karen said:

    I remember the spring of 08 snowstorm. I think we got three of them in Fairbanks. One in March, April and the last one the first week of May. Then breakup and poof, all gone. Winter is almost over, hang in there!

    • 3.29.13
      Michelle said:

      You are a trooper for surviving the winters in Fairbanks!

  2. 3.28.13
    bybreenah said:

    We’re FINALLY getting nice weather. I actually was able to take my daughter on my run with me yesterday because I’ll run in colder weather (hate it under 40* though) but won’t take her out because she won’t let me know she’s getting cold. And it’s only supposed to rain Saturday and be nice all the rest of the time. I’m kind of excited that we might actually get a nice Easter.

    Have you tried the salsa Wheat Thins? I LOVE them. I don’t buy them often though because, while I can control myself with Oreos I can’t with Wheat Thins apparently.

    • 3.29.13
      Michelle said:

      I don’t believe I have tried the salsa Wheat Thins. They sound delicious though!

  3. 3.28.13
    Leah said:

    I also bought those crackers from Costco and I totally agree, they have a funky aftertaste. The worst part is I always feel compelled to keep eating them to get rid of the aftertaste, so I end up od’ing on food I don’t even like. I feel like Costco keeps getting rid of products I like and replacing them with ones I don’t.

    • 3.29.13
      Michelle said:

      I find myself doing the same thing–being compelled to eat a bunch of them even though they aren’t that great!

  4. 3.28.13
    Sarah said:

    oh gosh, winter is so dumb! impressive run though! i’m glad to hear that the brown rice triscuits are good. i was wondering but don’t buy crackers very often so i haven’t tried them yet. by the way, have you ever thought of being a bzzagent? i know it totally sounds like i’m trying to market to you but i don’t get anything for referrals so its nothing like that- you just talk about new products here so it seems like something you’d like. you just get free product samples and coupons, then write reviews and tell people about them. i joined a few months ago and have gotten into a few campaigns. it’s pretty fun!

    • 3.29.13
      Michelle said:

      I agree! Winter is dumb when it involves snow and cold temperatures. I’ve never heard of this bzzagent thing before. I’ll have to Google it.

  5. 3.29.13
    Lauren said:

    The weather is ALL over the place here! It snowed Monday and then it was all gone by the next day, and it was warm and sunny! It keeps going back and forth, and man- I hope it just STAYS warm. People keep getting sick around here too because of the bipolar weather.
    I loooove that coconut peanut butter spread. And Earth Balance does make some darn good “butter.”
    Boston is so close!!

  6. 4.5.13
    Jordan said:

    I love your blog! I hope you’ll check mine out! I’m still a newbie..

  7. 4.6.13
    caraberg44 said:

    Okay, Spring Break here might make you greener with envy than your smoothie: Easter weekend was a lovely 72* and that included Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. It was great and it motivated me to be outside! I even went fishing for Spring Chinook with Peter.

    • 4.6.13
      Michelle said:

      I’m glad you are able to enjoy some nice weather. I’ll have to live vicariously through you for the time being. :/