Once upon a time, there was a girl who moved to Georgia from Hong Kong, lived in a motel and missed all her friends and family. She started reading blogs about what she loved - eating, cooking, health and running. She decided to start her own blog, and thought she was very clever with blog title - The Gourmet Runner.
But then she started to venture off a little. Days went by without mention of running OR food. And hey, the food that was mentioned? Far from gourmet. Sometimes, it was something healthy. Sometimes it was not. But it was rarely something to write home about, let's be honest.
Is the jig up? You guys know I'm talking about me, right? Otherwise this is probably making SO little sense. Anyway, I was realizing today that I have gotten away from the original idea of my blog - which is to talk about food and running. So here's a recap of both from the last few days:
NO MORE DINNER RUTS! I've been trying something new the last few days. The successes:
-Barbecued Tilapia Tacos
-Baked Cheesy Pasta (Using Quinoa pasta-delicious!)
But then she started to venture off a little. Days went by without mention of running OR food. And hey, the food that was mentioned? Far from gourmet. Sometimes, it was something healthy. Sometimes it was not. But it was rarely something to write home about, let's be honest.
Is the jig up? You guys know I'm talking about me, right? Otherwise this is probably making SO little sense. Anyway, I was realizing today that I have gotten away from the original idea of my blog - which is to talk about food and running. So here's a recap of both from the last few days:
NO MORE DINNER RUTS! I've been trying something new the last few days. The successes:
-Barbecued Tilapia Tacos
-Baked Cheesy Pasta (Using Quinoa pasta-delicious!)
-Pumpkin Muffins with a Brown Sugar Glaze (Most for the recipient of Kari's bake sale, but a few just for me!)
-Chocolate Protein Pancakes - my new favorite snack, dessert, meal, whatever!
The failures:
THIS SOUP. Aka, "the gruel".
I've eaten it twice now. It stares at me from the fridge every time I opened the door. When I cover it in black pepper and parmesan cheese...well, it still tastes bad. But there are starving children in Africa, and unless I can figure out how to airmail them this crap then I'll keep eating it. UGH.
THE RUNS (Not those runs, the good kind)
Monday: I did a Virtual 5k and felt like the pace was easy to maintain. Hooray!
Tuesday: Um....I "ran" to the store to get more candy. In a car. And then I ate said candy.
Wednesday: 5 miles, with 3 at a tempo pace of 8:42. BOOM!
Thursday: 5 miles, nice and easy.
As you can see, keeping them nice and short this week. 10 miles this weekend, and then it's a week until the big day!
What is your go-to weeknight meal?
Pasta, definitely. Or easy chicken wraps - just cooked chicken with some cheese, veggies and salsa.
If you have a blog, have you stuck to your original idea of what it would include?
Yes and no. Initially, I started out documenting most of my meals...which got old fast. Now you all just get the highlights! I think I am focused more on running now than I was a few months ago as well.
this week my go-to meal has been soup...i made the biggest thing of soup ever in my crock pot last weekend and have been eating it ever since. but i also like to make salads. with lots of craisins. anyway i can find to incorporate pb and/or craisins into a meal makes me happy!
ReplyDeletegetting SO close!!!!!!!!! to the big dayyyy!
this week my go to meal was a batch of quinoa w/ black beans and crock pot bbq chicken... chicken was dry so it was miserable to eat every day :(
ReplyDeletewell my blog name is ambiguous... "because i can"- so then I added the subtitle "finding myself and adventure through racing"- I try to write out things I'm learning about me, but also things I'm wanting to figure out. I think I do a decent job of also documenting races and such. I know i'm really bad about just talking about every runs or what my workouts have been.
My go to meal often involves pasta and whatever is in the fridge! Tonight it was cherry tomatoes, onions, red peppers, garlic, white kidney beans, crumbled bacon, Laughing Cow cheese and lite shredded parmesan... lots of herbs.
ReplyDeleteI have started 2 blogs as I really didn't want my food/recipe blog to get too personal... it has pretty much kept its original theme.
My other blog, eatrunsail, has had no sailing posts alrhough I do talk write a little about life on the boat, some running and other workouts, and lots of food. It is pretty much what I expected it to be.
Quinoa pasta sounds amazing! I can't get it here in Australia so I put up with brown rice pasta or just quinoa itself.
ReplyDeleteI honestly had no idea what I wanted to include on my blog when I started, and even now I wonder what I should include sometimes :)
By the way those muffins look absolutely delicious!
My go to weeknight meal would be some chopped veggies, some tortellini or wontons and broth to make some bizarre version of wonton soup.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes stray from the original purpose of my blog but I always come back to it since I cook something for the dogs on a daily basis and I have yet to develop a sweet tooth:-)
The pumpkin muffin looks unbelievable: out of this world!
ReplyDeleteMargherita @TheIronYou
I plan all meals out over the weekend. It's the one organized thing I do. Now that the weather is collier we eat lots of roasted veggies.
ReplyDeleteI started my blogs with dreams of grandeur. Now I hardly ever post, but I plan to revamp it and start posting.
My original idea was strictly food. I've done some crafts and now I also blog about running. I think I should change the title of my blog to "The Undeclared Blogger" or something of that matter.
ReplyDeleteMy go to dinner if nothing is planned and kids are yelling at me is Spaghetti. So easy and I always have those ingredients on hand.
quinoa pasta? Sounds interesting, going to have to see if I can find that. I know what you mean about the blog purpose...I say, whatever works!
ReplyDeleteOur weeknight go-to meal is breakfast for dinner, pretty much anything with eggs. So easy and so delicious.
ReplyDeleteI've gone so far from my original blog idea that I changed the name and blogspot. Things evolve, it's natural.
I started blogging because I just like to write. I never thought "hmmm...i must have a theme to my blog" and you know what? I would probably have more of a "following" if I chose a theme and stuck to it but then I wouldn't have so much fun with it. I like posting about me and what makes me happy. I like food, I like wine, I like to be me...that's sort of what I post about.
ReplyDeleteMy go-to weekday meal usually involves some sort of sautéed green. Nutritious AND delicious :)
Cute little story. :)
ReplyDeleteGo-to for me during the week is salad & sandwiches... sometimes eggs!
I love your blog - just like it is. Your personality shines through. I love that it's primarily food and running, but that you share your thoughts and life too :)
ReplyDeleteMy go to meal during the week is usually grilling something. I have a quick chili recipe too that combined with grilled cheese sandwiches is also easy.
NOPE - my blog looks NOTHING like it did when I started. I actually started a blog without a real direction or point. Once I started training for half marathons (about 5 months after I started blogging) - my blog took on a whole different purpose.
I started blogging because I loved to write, and I had another co-authored blog at the time in which the other things that I wanted to write about didn't really fit. I think blogs evolve over time and that is completely natural and acceptable.
ReplyDeleteMy go-to meal is pasta and a roasted or steamed veggie.
My blog originally documented my travels in S. America...since I came back well over 4 years ago, I've had to change it up a bit :
ReplyDeletelove the post! but, whooooa...hang on. something caught my eye when I was looking at your race schedule to the right...your running the Miami half-marathon??? because if you are then you will be seeing me there. woohoo....how exciting. let me know if you will be there. we can do a meet up!
ReplyDeletemy go to quick easy meal would be cous cous that i fold in spinach, tomatoes, parm cheese, and any other veggies available in my house into. it's quick, and that's about the only good thing about it.
ReplyDeleteI think we all get away form our original intent but I think that's ok we are all human and multidimensional. Thanks for posting a "fail" pic I get so disappointed when I have one that fails but it is inevitable if you are trying to be creative!
ReplyDeleteAhhhh don't feel bad! Blogs evolve :-) Mine was exactly how I wanted to to be for the first 9 months because I was unemployed and had alllllllll the time in the world to cook random things and take 13,000 pictures all day long. Once I actually had things I needed to accomplish each day, it morphed into a "just trying to keep my head above water" kind of blog more often than not. I like to think I'll figure out a way to balance it soon!
ReplyDeleteI have an awesome healthy chicken soup recipe....I'll post it in the near future :D I love your blog and a name is only a name. It's your brand. SO if you LOVE your brand "gourmet runner" - which I think is awesome then who cares. I think you can blog about whatever you want.
ReplyDeleteI struggled /w my blog name b/c I had started talking more about my family and less of baking and running...but bottom line is I LOVE RwS and I love all the cool things I can do /w the name.
You are great and your food usually looks pretty "pro" and gourmet to me! lol
I feel like I have done the exact same thing as you, but I have been hurt and running around, so very little cooking and very little (to no) running since the marathon.
ReplyDeleteCan we have the recipe for the creamy polenta because it looks phenom?!
Yum the pasta and muffins look so so good! Nice job with the tapering. I seriously cannot believe you will be running your first marathon so soon. I am so excited for you!!
ReplyDeleteWell, I love your blog- doesn't matter what you write about :).
ReplyDeleteWe have a few go-to meals at our house that my kids get when mom forgets to think about dinner ahead of time! Pasta, quesadillas, taco soup or some sort of chicken.
My blog was originally just for me to keep myself accountable while training for my first marathon this year. Now I just ramble a lot :).
I love your posts, even when they're not about food or running!
ReplyDeleteI talk a lot about running, but I also like to talk about other fun activities that I do around town because it's fun for me to document, and it's nice to give people a more rounded idea of who I am :)
you read my mind. i was thinking the other day about how i posted 90% of what I eat and then I realized noone cares bc i dont even care....that plus a new job/less time=posting if i make something new and then my runs
ReplyDeleteWhat is your go-to weeknight meal?
ReplyDeleteWe end up with pasta quite a bit, or breakfast.
If you have a blog, have you stuck to your original idea of what it would include?
My blog is too new to say, but I think so.
I love your blog even if it's off topic Vanessa!
I started blogging to write about running and pretty sure I don't talk about much else about 90% of the time. I am obsessed ;)
ReplyDeleteOne week to go?!! So excited for you!
Those pumpkin muffins call my name every time I see them....
ReplyDeleteI started blogging a year before I ever dreamed about running. And it was full-blown running-speak-vomit for months. Now it's a mix of running, random weird stuff my kids do, Gabby leukemia updates, and whatever miscellaneous (misspelled) pictures I find on my phone. Lame. I'm in a blogging rut.
It's so easy to fall into a rut and hard to pull yourself out of it.
ReplyDeletePasta is always our go-to for dinner too! Is that pasta you used made from quinoa?
My go to weeknight dinner is usually baked chicken. I have this awesome lemon olive oil that I use. I rub the chicken with that, garlic salt, black pepper, and then some herbs (usually Rosemary, sometimes Basil and Thyme, depending on what's in the kitchen). Cook some brown rice and have a spinach salad on the side.
ReplyDeleteI struggled with my blog identity too and changed it from Island Style Running to Isle Style Living- since there was no more running going on and it was mostly about my life in Hawaii.
When I pick up running again after baby is born, I won't change it back since now I feel my blog identity is more in tune with everything I do.
But I don't think you necessarily have to change your blog identity. I love your blog- even if the food isn't gourmet or the running isn't as often. You're still talking about food and running and life in general.
Now if you started blogging about, oh I don't know- botany maybe? Then you might want to change to Gourmet Planter...
Nessa's comment cracks me up. I think your blog title is you. When I hear Vanessa I assume "Gourmet Runner Vanessa" just like Christina is "The Athletarian". I love your blog title and it's yours to write whatever. I love reading it all!
ReplyDeleteI guess I stuck to my original plan of talking about running. I'm boring like that. Although sometimes I talk about random stuff like drinking sangria. I thought your blog did a good job of talking about running! My easy go to meal is pasta, for sure!
ReplyDeleteAhhh I can't believe your race is so close!! So exciting!! I think my blog is pretty much the same as when I started. It's really random - races, very little food talk, lots of life ramblings... We'll see where it goes!
ReplyDeleteMy go-to meal during the week is either tofu, tempeh, or lentils (sauteed) with veggies or a sweet potato! So easy to make and I am really lazy. I have never tried quiona pasta but I am going to keep my eyes peeled for it! I try to stay away from too much "real" pasta - only eat it about once a week or so!
I have actually been straying away from my original blog content quite a bit! I used to do a "what I did today" post every day and now I'm just not into that. I just post the good stuff :)
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean...my blog is supposed to be centered on my running and mostly it is..but then there are days that I definitely venture off to other things lol But it is a personal thing too...so I guess that's what happens!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to blog about my twins and running... but then I found I don't really like talking about my kids on the internets all the time because it feels inappropriate. So I made it a running blog. And then I broke my damn femur, so now I just rant a lot I guess. :)
ReplyDelete