Z-Bar Fairy!

on October 25, 2008

Before I left to run errands, I took a quick peak in my mailbox and discovered the Z-Bar Fairy had left me a BIG present:

THANK YOU, AMANDA! You win BEST blog reader of the month… no, year! I squealed in excitement when I opened the package and realized I now have approximately 20 Honey Graham, Spooky Smores, Chocolate Chip, and Blueberry Z-Bars!

Not only did Amanda feed me, but she also fed a random homeless man on Colonial Drive in Orlando. I was driving to the mall with this big box of Z-Bars on my passenger seat, when I pulled up at a stop light and noticed a man begging for money. I rolled down the window and handed him a bunch of bars. It was kind of like ‘Pass It On’ kindness… He was very pleased…. So here’s a big THANK YOU to Amanda from both me and the random homeless man.

I ended up spending 4 hours running wedding-related errands. I managed to accomplish very little but got the materials for the programs. I ate a Spooky Smores and a Honey Graham Z-Bar while shopping! 🙂

Vegetable Stir Fry

I was so thrilled to actually have a vegetable drawer full of… well, vegetables… that I made a massive chicken and veggie stir fry for dinner.

The stir fry contained:

Yellow Squash
‘Bella Shrooms
Brussel Sprouts
1/3 Breast of Chicken

The chicken went into the wok first, with a sauce of lemon juice, water, pepper, garlic, and a smidge of butter. The chicken cooked for about 5 minutes while I microwaved the Brussel Sprouts in a bowl of water. After about 6 minutes in the ‘nuke, I ran the sprouts under cool water and sliced them up.

The raw squash, raw mushrooms, and Brussel Sprouts rolled around with the chicken in the wok for another 15 minutes. Once everything started to brown, I knew it was done! Viola!

I also had about 1 cup of brown rice on the side.

Towers of Rice = So Much More Fun!

Plans, Plans

Future Husband and I are currently stuck at home, working on the holistic website….. tomorrow AM, I’m going to go for a LONG RUN (maybe double digits?! HOPEFULLY!!). Then, we need to do a massive house cleaning because his parents are coming over.

See you tomorrow with a report of my first LONG run in a LONG time. I can’t wait and sure hope my legs and knees cooperate!

{ 24 comments }

*Andrea* October 25, 2008, 6:05 pm
good luck tomorrow with your long run! you are so kind for helping out that man in need. i love hearing these sorts of stories! yesterday i was at starbucks and the man infront of me had extra money on his card he didn’t know about and bought my latte! people like you and him make this world a better place 🙂 enjoy the Z bars!!
Meghann October 25, 2008, 6:16 pm
Yay for Z-Bars. I may have to borrow/steal one of those. 😉

FSU won!!!! Check out my marathon post and I’m putting pics on Facebook!
jenngirl October 25, 2008, 6:24 pm
JEALOUS of your Z-bars!! I definitely cannot find all of those marvelous flavors around here, enjoy!! (And that was very philanthropic of you to pass them on to the homeless man)

Good luck on your run tomorrow!
Sharney October 25, 2008, 6:45 pm
Just wanted to echo what all the other readers are saying- you are SOOOOO kind helping out that homeless man by giving him some of your z-bars! So sweet! I bet you made his day and made him feel like a million bucks in the process! It always does my heart good to help out someone in need. I know when I am walking around downtown, it is so hard to see all the homeless people on the streets. It’s especially hard now that the cold weather is here and it makes me realize how fortunate I am to have a warm home and food to eat. I wish no one had to suffer…Also, Amanda was soooo nice to send you that box of z-bars! I finally was able to find all of the flavors except for the spooky s’mores.

Thanks so much for your support on my long run! I am so amazed that I was able to do it. My next long run is scheduled for next Saturday and I am shooting for 12 miles. I hope I have enough stamina to do it. I need to be more confident in myself because I didn’t think I could do 10 miles and I did! Good luck to you, Caitlin with your long run tomorrow. I KNOW you can do it! You are such an excellent runner. I bet you could run circles around me! Oh, I didn’t take anything to eat for my run- I didn’t even think about it because I wasn’t even sure I was going to be able to run the 10 miles. Once I got out there though, I felt strong and decided to go for it. I did okay hunger-wise although I was thirsty when I was done!

Your dinner looks delicious! I am also stuck at home- my hubby is sick. I guess he finally caught what I had. He’s feeling lousy, so tonight we are hanging out at home and I’m sure he will be turning in for the night shortly 🙁

Have a great night and get a good night’s sleep for your run tomorrow. Best wishes on a GREAT run!!! YOU CAN DO IT, CAITLIN!!!
Bridget October 25, 2008, 6:46 pm
LUCKY!!! I still have never seen the spooky s’mores Z-bars! That was so nice you gave one to the homeless guy. Love the veggie-ful stir fry…those are the best!
Caitlin (see bride run) October 25, 2008, 7:00 pm
it is kind of sad when you realize how little some people have… and how hard some people have it. but really, even if you can just do something small for someone, it helps. i know when people do something small for me, it makes a big difference in my life.

andrea- AWESOME! that was so nice of that man to do that for you! now you must repay the favor to a stranger.

sharon – maybe one day you should hit up starbucks, grab a few plain coffees, and randomly give it to a few people who look like they need a little warmth? it will warm you up, too… i promise. man, you’re KILLING me with your awesome run recaps! i’m super impressed. 10 miles is hard for anyone! def take some candy or a goo shot with you on your 12.0 miler…. and remember to EAT all day long. you’re burning loads of cals!
Justine October 25, 2008, 7:02 pm
Wow, the Z bar fairy did leave you a nice gift! And how nice to pass it along! And I’m sure the homeless man appreciated the food more than money anyways! And it was nutritious! 🙂
Good luck on your long run tomorrow! This is the 2nd week I’m missing my long run 🙁 So sad. I hate not being able to run without pain right now. My short 2.5 miler was okay, but not as good as I was hoping. I’m wondering if I need a little more time off. I think it’s just shin splints, so I could maybe run through them, but I don’t wanna hurt myself! And I didn’t even up my mileage or anything before I got them. Boo. Any ideas for shin splints? I also was wondering if you knew of any supplements that may help? Right now I only take a multivitamin, but I see that you (and other runners) take additional supplements. Not sure if any of those pertain to whatever causes these damn shin splints though!
Anyway, again, good luck with your long run tomorrow…I am jealous!!!
Meg October 25, 2008, 7:05 pm
You hit the z-bar motherload! Nice of you to share!
Caitlin (see bride run) October 25, 2008, 7:07 pm
justine – i think calcium is suppose to help for shin splits, but if you are taking a multivitamin, you’re prob getting enough.

for shin splits, just ice, elevate, and rest. and try not to run downhill. if its truly a shin split (and god forbid, not a stress fracture), you can run through the pain if you feel up to it as long as there is no bruising or swelling.
just me October 25, 2008, 7:21 pm
Dannngggg…you hit the Zbar JACKPOT!!! I need to find me a fairy like that! the only one i have is the one that brings me bills…bOOO! haha!

Good luck tomorrow with your long run! i’m keeping my fingers crossed for you that your knees don’t hurt! i’m hoping my calves don’t hurt during my 5k tomorrow! i’ll def be thinking of you!
HangryPants October 25, 2008, 7:42 pm
Aw that was so nice of Amanda and so nice of you!
Justine October 25, 2008, 7:43 pm
Thanks for the advice, Caitlin! I’m guessing my calcium’s covered…between the multi and the cheese/milk/yogurt I eat! Guess I’ll try to run through the shin splint this week…but gently and not too much mileage. I’ve been icing and I’ve rested (well…cross-trained) this whole last week. And as far as hills go, there aren’t any in Houston, so I don’t hafta worry about that!
Thought it’d be better by now 🙁 It’s just an annoyance now that I want to go away! I can work through it though…and seeing you deal with your injuries helps out!
Laurie October 25, 2008, 8:10 pm
I love it that you gave some Z-Bars to the homeless man! Stories like that make me smile. Great blog!
Balance, Joy and Delicias! October 25, 2008, 8:12 pm
I’m so jealous of you!!! I want to those Z-bars too!
And good luck tomorroW!
Claire October 25, 2008, 8:14 pm
Oh, fun! I SO want to try the blueberry version but most I can’t find them here. Most places have chocolate versions and one place has the graham but no blueberry. SOunds like you had a fun day today.
Fitnessista October 25, 2008, 8:30 pm
yeahhhh for the z-bar fairy! so sweet of her to send those!
good luck on your run tomorrow!!! i hope it’s 100% painless!
Simple and Divine October 25, 2008, 9:01 pm
CHECK OUT MY BLOG POST! I LEFT YOU A LITTLE SOMETHIN SPECIAL! XO <3
Olga October 25, 2008, 9:31 pm
Your veggie stir fry looks so delish!

And I’ve been dying to try the s’mores flavor of those bars. Must find it!
amy. October 26, 2008, 7:00 am
good luck with your run tomorrow–i’m sure you’ll do great. awesome looking stir fry too!
jenngirl October 26, 2008, 7:21 am
THERE’S SOMETHING WAITING FOR YOU ON MY BLOG! 🙂
BOBBI McCORMICK October 26, 2008, 9:01 am
hey I went to this Halloween party and they had a CANDY bar it was so cute I wanted to share this for ideas in your Wedding Planning:) How sweet is Amanda, and you for sharing with someone else:)
Marathon Maritza October 26, 2008, 9:10 am
Oh man, I heart Zbars and I’ve never even SEEN those flavors!

I’m running to the store today for sure to try to find them!
Caitlin (see bride run) October 26, 2008, 10:22 am
bobbi – candy bars are sooooooooooo cool but my mother hates so them we decided to forgo it. i love them, though!
Heather May 13, 2010, 1:59 pm
sharing your Z-bar bounty with the needy?

you are my hero.

Previous post: Freak Out

Next post: Florida Fall and a 7.0-Mile Run