Friday, August 20, 2010

Lighter Panzanella Salad

Happy Friday! How was your week? The second half of mine has been pretty relaxing & wonderful. I have gotten a lot done around the house, spent some time in the sun and even went for a nice run today. Lindsay and I were going to run the bridge tonight, but she developed a terrible cold (send her some loving!). So instead, I ran 5.75 miles outside this morning. It was hot, but glorious. The best form of stress relief (in my opinion).

 friday 005 When I first moved to South Carolina, I couldn’t run for very long/at all in the heat. I have adapted, but advise that if you plan to run in heat you follow a few simple guidelines:

1. Run in the morning or later at night. In the South, its usually cooler in the mornings.

2. Hydrate well before and after (and during if its a longer run)

3. Listen to your body, if you don’t feel good…STOP and walk!

4. Build up. Start by running shorter distances or just walking. Then, slowly increase your distance.

5. Pick a shady path. The sun can be a killer- so pick a path with more shade.

For more tips, check out Active.com and Runner’s World.

A few weeks ago, I had amazing panzanella salad at Evo and I have dreaming about it ever since. I decided to try my hand at a homemade version tonight and added in some sweetness with cantaloupe.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1/2 cucumber, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1/8-1/4 a cantaloupe- cut into bite sized pieces or balled
  • 3 oz fresh mozzarella (part skim) or goat cheese
  • bread (I used Arnold's thins)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • spice mixture (I used TJs 21 salute seasoning)

Directions:

Mix together all ingredients except bread and place in fridge for 1-2 hours.

Preheat broiler and toast bread on both sides.

Tear bread into pieces and mix in with other ingredients, serve.

Simple & delicious.  Makes 2 larger servings.

friday 003

What are you up to for the rest of the weekend? I am teaching Step tomorrow morning and my Mama is coming down to take class. After, we are planning on lunch and shopping. Other than that??? Hopefully relaxing with Josh and this guy:

friday 001

34 comments:

Sarah Hope said...

SO glad you posted tips on running in the SC heat! I just posted today that I needed help with working on that. Also, your salad looks delish!

Jessica @ How Sweet said...

That salad looks delicious! I can do salads with bread in them. :)

Sarah said...

Mmm, panzanella salad looks delicious. Heavy on the tomatoes, I love salad that way ;)

There is a restaurant near us that we love where I sometimes order the panzanella salad- it has tuna in it! It's a really nice combination with greens, roasted bell peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes. The tuna is sort of mushed into the bread which benefits both. It's a little unorthodox but delicious. The tuna adds good protein.
I don't believe you eat tuna, but I have thought that the squished bread method would be great with chickpeas.

Have a nice weekend!

Esi said...

Love panzanella. Have a great weekend!

tam said...

I tried my first power step class before starting my course and loved it I can't wait to try it again! Have a fun weekend x x

homecookedem said...

I don't think I've ever had panzanella salad. Your recipe looks awesome!! I'll have to give it a try, for sure!! :)

Have a wonderful weekend!! :)

Julie said...

we're chatting right now. and it's so much better then commenting hahaha even though i heart your comments like no other.

you better get fresh berry tonight or josh is in trouble with me

and wow that salad looks AMAZING. seriously i love the addition of cantaloupe and you know i would be ALL about the goat cheesiness

Leianna said...

That salad looks delicious, never seen anything like it!

Tiffany @ The Chi-Athlete said...

Great running tips! Thanks for the recipe; I'm definitely giving it a try this weekend.

Long run and helping a friend move tomorrow. Perhaps a swim and Yoga on Sunday. Other than that, complete relaxation! :D Happy weekend, hon!

vanillasugarblog said...

panzanella salad has become my go-to this summer. the heat is unreal. i make a bunch of this and mix it up with some hummus in a rollup.
can i also add runners shouldd not run without a shirt on? it's really bad for you if you run in the sun' you need protection fom the sun & to stay cool too (a shirt drenched in sweat will keep you cool when it's really hot out).
i'll get off my soapbox now. lol
FRANK!!!!

Unknown said...

looks great! i should really get on this panzanella idea, it's a fabulous summer dish :) enjoy mom's visit tomorrow!

Monique@She's Going The Distance said...

great heat running tips!! :)

Heather said...

Mmmmm.....looks delicious!

I'm teaching Power in the morning and then spending the day with Jay. Sunday we're headed to my parents for dinner - I love when my mom cooks! :)

stephanie @cookinfanatic said...

i adore panzanella salad! what a fun addition w/ the canteloupe too, so refreshing :)

lee said...

I have not yet adapted to running in the southern heat. And I've lived in GA for 8 years!

Averie @ Averie Cooks said...

girl when we lived in NC and SC we ran tons! we were part of the local roadrunners clubs and were doing a 5 or 10k probably like 3x/month. Almost every weekend. Between the tourists that almost ran us down, the bugs, the humidity and people down there not really being too fond of runners (generalization) but we were always getting honked at to get off the road...i hear you about it being hard times! espi in the heat. We trained for a marathon all summer one summer as it was in sept. so in the height of summer, we were running. not the best planning.

hit me up on email anytime :)

Christina said...

oh NICE salad!! sorry i didn't get your gchat earlier. i was babysitting and didn't hear it over screaming children. email me if you haven't decided on a place!! :)

Priyanka said...

I am trying to refresh this page but the pics are just not loading..Oh well!By the ingredients I can say that the salad sounds great!

Corey @ The Runner's Cookie said...

Panzanella looks like a perfect summer meal - light and fresh. Have a great weekend!

Lauren said...

I find that I have to take it slow every summer to get my body adapted with running in hot temps. I can't imagine how hot it must get in SC though. PA is super hot enough but down in the dirty south must be unbearable some days!!

Mmmm, I adore Panzenella. Your recipe sounds perfect!

Have a wonderful week girl!

Deirdre said...

I'm always to amazed by runners who can run in the heat! You rock! The most I do in the heat is power walk. Give me my treadmills with fans and the AC at the gym.

madeleine said...

Hey Girl! We love EVO. Have been going there so much we know both of our servers by name & have tried almost everything on the menu-- salad looks delicious btw! Great running tips. I have a 7 mile adventure ahead of me tomorrow but my northern blood just can't handle these hot running temps- treadmill's been my best friend;-) XOXO

Krista said...

Great tips for running in the heat, Erica!!!

This weekend....going to the movies with the kids later (hubby's at hockey), groceries and a soccer game tomorrow morn. Hopefully some R&R, too! :)

Nicci said...

The weather is too hot in Texas, I have been trying to get outside runs in around 8:30pm or early before 6am. I can't want for Fall.

Heather @ Get Healthy with Heather said...

We had hot weather here for maybe a week and now we're back to AM clouds and cool weather :(

Your panzanella salad looks awesome. I've never actually made one but know it's in my near future.

Natalie said...

mmm adding cantaloupe was a brilliant addition!!

Naomi(Onefitfoodie) said...

awesome run!! i love your tips esp LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! some people can run for hours in the heat, while others cannot last 5 minutes! everyone is different and the best advice is listen to YOUR body!

i LOVE panzanella salads! there is this place in cape cod that I go that has the most amazing one! the bread is rustic and cubed and delicious and soaks up all the delicious dressing!!

Melissa said...

You are so fast!! It's so hard to run in the heat, and I definitely agree that it's a good idea to go out early in the morning!! I did go to Penn State!! When did you graduate?? I graduated in 2006.

SheFit said...

Great tips for running in the heat. I definitely try to beat the heat when I workout outside. My friends on the other hand went running yesterday at noon... in the desert! Who does that?!?!

Lindsay @ http://pancakesnpajamas.blogspot.com/ said...

Look at that face. I <3 Frank! Thanks for the love on this darn cold. P took me for a parfait at the cafe this morning. That's my kind of medicine. Can't wait to hear where you took your mom for lunch. We're off to a wedding at Alhambra Hall..red nose and all! :)

Kerr said...

I love EVO!

teresa said...

great running tips! i love that panzanella, the canteloupe is a great sweet touch.

Paige (Running Around Normal) said...

Nice run! Great tips too - the humidity can definitely be a beast.
Salad looks delicious!

CaSaundraLeigh said...

Love, love, love the addition of fruit to this--it sounds so refreshing, and of course the fact that it's lighter is a plus!!