July 4th in Texas, Running in Texas, Spicy Peanut Sauce Noodle Bowl

OMG. I thought the humidity in MN was bad but running in TX….whew?. Big shout out to everyone who runs in this heat every day.

Whew…it is hot in Texas!

This was my first trip to Texas in early July and from what I understand, still cooler than mid July or early August. WOWZER! I can’t imagine and personally I prefer Texas in the middle of our Minnesota winters. Friday the heat index at 7 am was 80 degrees F. I did a short 5 miles with a few strides mid run. Turns out a few hot and humid days in MN before we left was good to prep me for running in even more humid conditions in Texas. This certainly brought back a few memories of our Mexico trip.

Yes our bodies adjust over time to summer-time conditions, but it’s never easy! Saturday morning I started my run earlier since it was predicted to be even hotter. Do you know what the temp was at 5:30 am?? 84.6 degrees F. Do you think it was the .6 degrees that made all the difference? ?!!

I was half asleep ? when I started my run but certainly a different kind of ? tired when I finished my run….a badass one☝️ .

Seriously my friends, how can it possibly be almost 85 degrees before 6 am? At least here in MN it cools off at night and most often the early mornings are quite comfortable. In any case, I successfully completed my long run in Texas at the crack of dawn…..Check out my Training Peaks Graph?.

Each spike in the graph represents the pick up at the end of each mile at 10K pace.

I ran by effort and did a one pick-up at 10K pace at the end of each mile. The pick-ups did get harder as the sun came up and the temperature climbed upwards, but overall it went well.

I was so ready for a jump in the pool after a delicious smoothie! My grandkids couldn’t get enough of playing with us in the pool.

The Grandkids and Grandpa Rob

And I had some fun with the girls later on that afternoon at the nail salon. Grandpa took Colton to the Movie…A Dog’s Journey. Guess it’s a tear jerker.

It was a treat to have nails done with Grandma!
Nora showing off her sparky nails with Grandma

Cooking for kids is a bit of a challenge for me but over all, I managed to get it right for everyone occasionally. I think everyone had their faves…but personally I loved making smoothies with Adelyn.

This Girl…LVOE

The peanut sauce for our bowls was a huge hit on Friday night.

Saturday evening I used the left over sauce to make this delicious noodle bowl.

This is Gluten Free, Vegan, and Delicious!

This Spicy Peanut Noodle Bowl was probably my favorite but to be perfectly honest, Rob’s 3-2-1 ribs won most of the votes. No feelings hurt what- so -ever. Rob does make a mean rack of ribs.

It is SOOOO much easier to get up early to run verses catching an early morning flight!

Spicy Peanut Sauce Noodle Bowl

INGREDIENTS:

SAUCE ~ Click HERE

NOODLES

  • 4 oz brown rice noodles
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

VEGETABLES

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 to 6 scallions (diced)
  • 4 cups assorted vegetables (summer squash, cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, and/or spinach.)

TOPPINGS

  • Extra scallion greens
  • Cilantro
  • Crispy Seeds or Nuts
  • Bean Sprouts

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Make your sauce…. I used this recipe. Set Aside.
  2. Cook rice noodles according to the package. Drain, rinse, and toss with sesame oil. Set aside.
  3. Heat a wok or skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil followed by the scallions. Cook for a couple minutes, just until they start to soften. Add the heartier vegetables, like cauliflower, broccoli, summer squash, etc, cook until tender. If using greens, add towards the end of cooking. 
  4. Place noodles in a bowl and add the cooked vegetables followed by the sauce. Alternatively, you can add the sauce to the pan with the vegetables to heat the sauce. Top with cilantro, crispy seeds or nuts, and scallion greens if desired. 

Tips & Tricks: This recipe is very forgiving. Use what you have on hand whether that means swapping out ingredients in the sauce, noodles, or vegetables.


How did you spend your 4th? Anyone race?

Do you have any tips for getting kids to eat more veggies? Kid friendly veggies your kids love? This grandma finds cooking for kids challenging!

Did you order any patriotic running shoes for July 4th?

Have you seen THE DOG’S JOURNEY? Did you cry?

Does anyone else dislike early morning flights? YUCK!



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