The Treadmill (and a really good lunch)

I'd put money on the fact that hardly a single soul actually likes to run on a treadmill. We all do it, mostly because we sometimes have to, but that doesn't mean we actually WANT to run on a machine versus the open road. Let's face it, the sights and sounds of the open road are way more engaging than another 45 minutes or so of CNN, ESPN or so-and-so's talk show. Am I right? Give me birds and bees and annoying drivers who don't scoot over. That's real running. The kind that actively engages you. But again, the treadmill is a part of almost every runner's life, whether we runners like it or not. So we're forced to find ways to entertain ourselves, repetitive television stations be damned.

Maybe you like to keep track of how fast the person next to you is running.

Yeah, you've been there and done that. Don't lie.

Lucky for me, the lady next to me today was walking while I was running. No competition. Besides, it's not like I really care.

Sort of.

I do care, however, about the lunch I ate today.
It was pretty friggen' good.

But I expect nothing less from Ashley, she who writes The Edible Perspective.

Ashley is among a big handful of food bloggers that I follow, and they all pretty much amaze me with their ability to come up with...literally create from nothing but scratch...such awesome recipes not formerly found anywhere else. I could never be so talented. I definitely prefer to follow a recipe, or even tweak a recipe to fit my individual tastes. Rare is the recipe I create on my own. It's just not my thing, despite my greatest efforts otherwise. And so today for lunch, I tested out her recipe for apple sage chickpea burgers.

But I turned them into waffles (and used almonds instead of sunflower seeds):

Seriously, they were so good. Even the husband liked them, and he's hard to please when it comes foods like this. They were oddly reminiscent of my dad's stuffing. Perhaps it was the sage. I think next time I make these bad boys, I'm going to add wild rice and water chestnuts to see if I can really match the flavor. I just love that stuffing, but I only get it once a year. Sad face.

Oh, and I'll definitely break out the waffle maker. So much easier than making patties and timing the flip so as not to completely destroy said patties.

PS: I also ate half of a grapefruit. I'm seriously addicted right now.

Question: How would you define your relationship with the treadmill? Do you like it? Force yourself to like it? Maybe you prefer it to the open road, which is totally acceptable.