Batten Down the Hatches!

For the last week, DC has been abuzz with news of Hurricane Sandy -- will it hit us, or go out to sea?  Ok, now that we know it's going to hit the East Coast, where's it going to go?  What should we expect?

Every time there's any sort of weather event in Washington, people go nuts: there's a run on batteries, water, sanity...everything.  I decided to start stocking up late last week, so as of Saturday morning we had plenty of non-perishable food, batteries, and agua.  We're all set!

I also picked up the most obvious necessity: fresh flowers.  FEMA's biggest problem in its short history wasn't its mismanagement of Hurricane Katrina -- rather, it's the fact that they consistently leave fresh flowers off their list of recommended emergency supplies.

Hurricane survival requires flowers, does it not?

Once we got all prepared, it was time for a run!  I got to run outside a bit yesterday while it was still nice out (it was sunny and in the upper 60s, which was freaking gorgeous), and it was fantastic.  Today, however, the wind is already starting to kick up.  With that in mind, I figured that it'd be a better time to hit the treadmill and leave the outdoor runs for once Sandy has done her biz-nass here -- after all, it'll be an obstacle-course adventure to hurdle over felled trees and whatnot, right?

Thar she blows! The outer bands of Sandy are on their way towards DC... [radar photo from Weather Underground]

I did 3 miles at an average 8 min/mile pace, and listening to one of my favorite NPR shows (Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me) made it feel a lot shorter.  I also did my plank-a-day for 60 seconds, plus 5 minutes of strength training on my arms and upper body.

I followed up my sweat session with a bowl of banana-blueberry-pecan oatmeal and some green tea, which was just what I needed as the bad weather started to blow in.

Now it's time to batten down the hatches, hunker down, and ride out the storm -- if you find yourself in the midst of meteorological grossness, this batch of oatmeal reminds me of blueberry muffins (which, in turn, remind me of late spring/early summer and generally glorious weather):

1/3 cup GF rolled oats
1/3 cup water
1 tsp chia seeds
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/4 cup almond milk
1 banana, smashed/mushed into a puree
1 tbsp pecan pieces (optional)
Honey or agave to taste

Pre-soak the oats and chia seeds in the water for 2-3 minutes.  (They absorb some of the water while pre-soaking, and this helps them cook faster and more thoroughly.)  Microwave on high for 2 minutes - although I should note that there tends to be a lot of variance among microwaves, so it might take more/less time for each person.

Once cooked, add the frozen blueberries, banana puree, almond milk, and agave.  Mix thoroughly, and top with pecans.