Wheat Berry Salad

Hello.

I have a fantastic salad for you.

But before that – don’t you want to know about my first 10K race?

Wholesome Husband came with me – as always a big supporter even though I know he’d rather be sleeping. That man loves his sleep.

The course was through a forest preserve so I thought it would be nice a shady – but it was mostly prairies. So the sun was beating down a lot of the time – especially brutal on the last 2 miles when the sun was right in our face. That was pretty hellish – not gonna lie.

Here are the hardcore runners. They finished in like 33 minutes. Crazy people.

Can you find me in this picture? I was comfortably at the back of the pack. The race didn’t have a time chip, which was kind of annoying so the time that they had me at was probably about a minute off. But I did bring my Garmin with me for my “official” results.

I was trying to pass this runner in the straight away at the end – I was so tired…

Got her!

I look miserable and pretty bad at this point – I was definitely ready to be done. I felt good until the 5 mile mark and then running straight into the sun took its toll on me.

First 10K: 6.24 miles at 01:08:06 for a 10:54 min/mile pace.

Slower than I wanted but I’ll take it. Speed is not my thing but I am hoping to work on that this Fall.

As soon as I saw Wholesome Husband, I felt better. Please excuse the sweaty mess.

He also made me take silly pictures. What a meany.

So next up is the Hot Chocolate 15K in Chicago. Training starts this week! I hope to really improve my pace and feel really comfortable. Autumn is obviously the best time of the year to run so I’m all in!

Ok – so on to that salad that I teased you before with pictures!

Wheat Berry Salad  
Adapted from Eat Live Run

1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 cup wheat berries
2 ears corn, shucked
1/2 cup red onion, minced
2 cups sliced grape tomatoes
1 avocado, diced
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 oz smoked mozzarella, cubed
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions:
1. Soak the wheat berries in cold water overnight. In the morning, drain, replace with fresh water and simmer for 20 minutes, until tender. Drain and set aside.
2. Simmer the quinoa in 1 1/2 cups water for 15 minutes until all the water has been absorbed. Fluff and add to the cooked wheat berries in a large bowl.

3. Add the corn kernels, red onion, avocado, mozzarella cubes and grape tomatoes to the grain mixture and toss well. Then drizzle in the olive oil, vinegar and salt. Mix well. Serves 4.

Nutrition Notes: Wheat berries are entire wheat kernel (except for the hull), comprising the bran, germ, and endosperm. Wheat berries contain about 6 grams of fiber and protein per one-fourth cup (uncooked) and about 150 calories. They also contain about 8 percent of the daily value for iron, per 1/4 cup.

Taste Test: I love love LOVE the chewy texture of the wheat berries! It reminds me of the texture of Farro. The combo of wheat berries and quinoa was so delicious! The raw corn was a delicious addition as well. This would be a perfect side salad for a party. With lots of fiber and protein this also makes for a perfect main dish!

Hello. I have a fantastic salad for you. But before that – don’t you want to know about my first 10K race? Wholesome Husband came with me – as always...