Getting adjusted

So far, there has been nothing fun about our move to Virginia. We’ve been running around trying to get all of the necessary moving things taken care of, i.e. DMV, meeting with realtor people, signing papers, buying storage units, unpacking…we’ve really been all work and no play since we got here and I’ll be honest, I can’t wait for this week to end.

But I’ve had the opportunity to go on two really nice runs around my neighborhood. Tuesday I ran about 5 miles and today I ran about the same, maybe a little less. (I set out to run 3 at a quick pace but on the way back I missed my turn and ended up a mile out of the way.) Everything kind of looks the same here so I just have to pay a little more attention to where I’m going. Good thing I had my phone with me! I was able to call Dennis and ask him how the heck to get back home!
I will have to say that I really do enjoy running here. In Boston, I never really felt safe enough where we lived to go outside and go for a run. If I did, it was a really quick and not so enjoyable run. I usually had to go to the gym or drive to the Charles River or one of the state parks/reservations to run which was always pretty and pleasant, but very inconvenient.
Also, my neighborhood was NOT runner friendly. I barely ever saw anyone else run, and when I would go running it was like a fiesta for all the men who hooted and hollered as I ran by. Here it seems like EVERYONE runs (and they all have dogs too, but that’s a different post. Is having a dog a trendy thing or what? I mean I love dogs but I think we’re the only ones in our development that doesn’t have one!!) 

OK—so I want to back up a little to last week. While picking up a few things at the grocery store for my mom I found some Hodgson Mill Oat Bran and decided to give it a try. I didn’t have any oatmeal and since HEAB raves about oat bran all the time, I figured I’d try something different. (It’s always nice to break away from the same ol’ same ol’.) 

Rather than using the microwave, I decided to cook it on the stove. While fumbling through my mom’s pots and pans, I found her old school set of CorningWare and decided to use that as my cooking/eating contraption. She has had this set since WAY before I was born and was nice enough to let me sneak some of them to VA with me!

These things rock. You can put them in the microwave, in the oven, and in the dishwasher as well. They’re awesome!

Here is my “bowl” of oat bran, topped with my usual flax, PB and banana. My oh my were they yummy. It actually reminded me of Farina, which we grew up on in our house.  Have you guys ever tried Wheatena? I love that stuff. I think that will be on my list of things to purchase soon.

Back to the bananas…since I was at my mom’s house, I used what she had on hand. This meant 2% milk instead of soy, and these:

These are tiny bananas. I mean, tiny.

I ended up using two of these little guys in my bowl of oat bran. They were a little less sweet than regular bananas and had a much darker flesh compared to your normal banana flesh.

 
The looks and texture kind of reminded me of a not yet ripened plantain. My mom said she let them ripen a little more and they tasted much better. I’ll have to give them another shot.

Oh, and I took a picture of my coffee mug since I thought it was cute.

I think it’s my grandmother’s! She loves Raggedy Ann and Andy.

OK back to the oat bran. I’ll definitely keep it in my pantry. I’m not ready to replace my oatmeal yet but it’s good to switch things up. It’s a lot quicker to make the oat bran so if I’m in a hurry I know this can be a quick go-to hot and filling breakfast. And there’s a recipe on the box for oat bran muffins that might be calling my name!

Tomorrow is another day filled with car inspections and waiting at the DMV. YAY! I really hope we can have some fun this weekend…