2 more weeks to go – wow, its coming fast, but its really dragging!! My fridge is getting more bare – but I’m working better at my freezer!
Here we go:
Monday – can’t eat anything early for breakfast because I’m having my cholesterol and sugar checked. Asahi for lunch with Kathy. Dinner will be balsamic roasted onions and chicken (WW recipe)
Tuesday – oatmeal with fresh fruit (cleaning out freezer), turkey salad on a arthurs thin, dinner will be a salad and egg white probably
Wednesday – Going to do a dreen smoothie in honor of St. Patty’s Day! Cheesecake Factory’s chopped veggie salad with chicken (390 cal, 6 fat) – an SIMPLY AMAZING – dinner is salad and pizza with the Weldys.
Thursday – Probably very much like Tuesday
Friday – Lunch at Havana Rumba with my professors as a send-off for me. I love the place and my last dish I’ll try there is their signature dish – the grouper – oh, can’t wait.
Saturday – lunch with going to be FABD bbq sandwiches and then a wonderful going away massage by my good friend Sarah.
Sunday – I’m heading to E-town to hand with the Nelsons for church and lunch (probably Mexican)
It’ll be good – I gotta get some running in!
Recipe of the week: Lemon Cheesecake Bars with Berries
Me? A Beautiful Blogger Award Winner!
Thanks to Sarah at River City Fitness – I am now a Beautiful Blogger. Sarah – thank you for the award and the friendship we’ve come to have!
Here is how it works:
1. Thank the person who gave you the award. – Thanks Sarah!
1. Thank the person who gave you the award. – Thanks Sarah!
2. Paste the award on your blog.
3. Link back to the person who gave you the award.
4. Share seven interesting things about yourself.
5. Nominate up to 7 more beautiful bloggers.
6. Link the bloggers you nominate.
Here’s 7 “interesting” things about myself.
1. I started cooking for my family in the 3rd grade – including grocery shopping at Publix
2. One of my fave meals is baked mac and cheese
3. I started running in January 2009
4. I actually am loving the single life right now!
5. I’m about to move to a beautiful state!
6. I love to enjoy fresh picked produce – like Florida Strawberries!
7. I have lost 55 lbs since April 2008. I’ve kept it off since August 2009 and still want to lose more!
Here are the 7 Beautiful Blogger awards I’m giving out!
1. Beth @ Bethabee
2. Brandi @ Bites
3. Elise @ Simply Recipes
4. Kevin @ Closet Cooking
5. Laura @ In Definition
6. Kari @ Fam
7. Hannah @ Honey & Jam
Thank you all for your inspiration! 🙂
Lumberjack Hash – 2010.10
I had everything I needed for this in my fridge/freezer – which is good because I’m trying to clean it out (it is slowly working, I promise)
This was good, I changed it a little bit – but it still needed more salt I think (I didn’t put in extra in b/c of the saltiness of the ham). This is a Cooking Light recipe (best of 2004) and is 6 WW points as directed (mine probably evened out)
2 T evoo
1 medium onion, chopped
1 orange pepper, seeded and chopped
24 oz shredded hash brown potatoes, frozen
pepper to taste (salt if you want more)
2 2 oz ham steaks, chopped
1 cup 2% sharp cheddar
Saute onion for about 4 minutes, add pepper. Add in rest (not cheese). Cook until slightly browned and potatoes are done.
Smooth out in large frying pan – top with cheese. Let cheese melt. Divide by 4 and plate up. Becca brought some Plant City strawberries and a banana. And I have 2 servings leftover for Sunday and Tuesday!
Half Marathon – Downhill at Dawn
This is so pretty – I can’t pass it up.
Ridgecrest is one of the prettier places in NC. It is so quiet and it will be great to run on. I’m looking forward to the challenge of the hills and different terrains. Also, good training will come on Lake Lynn and Umstead in Raleigh.
And – that means I’ll pay less than 100$ for both of my halfs this year. That is definitely a great bonus – and both of them are on Saturdays!
Anyone in TN or NC or SC or VA wanna do it with me? I’d love a running buddy? Or KY – wanna make the drive?
Turkey Trot Half Marathon – Thanksgiving Day
Why are so many of the races on Sundays?
This does me no good. So…
I won’t be doing the Half at Virginia Beach over Labor Day because its on Sunday. I won’t be doing the Raleigh City of Oaks Half in November because its on a Sunday.
So…when is the next race I will run (at least big one) at this moment – the Lake Norman Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day – that’s right. I’m going to run – then eat! 🙂
Looking forward to it – and a good cause. If you are in the NC area – I would love a training buddy for this – and if you wanna give up your Thanksgiving Day morning (of watching the parade) – come run it with me!
Update: I’ve talked my parents into coming and having Thanksgiving in Raleigh – so hopefully, I can talk to my Dad and he can run one of the smaller races…
Taste of Nashville: Pfunky Griddle
What a neat place in a very popular and cool city.
A new friend took me here and I loved it. Walked in the door, the iCarly co-star was there (I didn’t know it was her till I asked), they invited me to just help myself to the coffee.
This place was very interactive. You got to make your own food! Now, most people would not want to pay to make their own food, but I thoroughly loved it.
They had an organic 5 grain and a homestyle white pancake batter, we got mashed potatoes (for fried cakes), and I got some bacon. Vermon syrup was on the table and I got crunchy peanut butter as my topping.
Let’s just say Amy and I ate our fair share of pancakes and potatoes (and bacon).
If you are ever in the Nashville/Brentwood area – off 65 at exit 81 – you must go. Fabulous prices, vegetarian options for lunch, and great staff!
Mexican Salad
My best friend from high school, most times when I visit her in TN, makes this wonderful salad that I LOVE! This time we didn’t have it, but I did at least walk away with the recipe. Enjoy!
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup ranch dressing
1/4 cup salsa
cheese to your liking
tortilla chips to your liking
2 heads romaine lettuce
grilled chicken
Mix ranch dressing and salsa. Toss the corn, beans, cheese, and lettuce.
Grill chicken (or you can leave this out to have a vegetarian salad).
Add broken tortilla chips right before you serve it.
Toss salad with dressing and chips. Cut up grilled chicken on top of the salad. Serve with more tortilla chips, avocado, and more salsa (or ranch) if desired.
THIS IS SO GOOD!
Anthem 5k
There are many things I would love to say about this race:
1. It was cold. I had 4 layers on top on. Then knee length running capris – very comfortable Nike! And fingertip-less gloves. I couldn’t feel my thumbs about halfway through mile 1. Then you just press on. It was a good amount – I didn’t feel bulky and I didn’t get too hot. It was about 32 degrees, though sunny and windless. That was a blessing!
2. Run with friends! I had my friend Sarah and then her two friends. Sarah kept up with her friend for about the first mile, but then her other friend stayed with me the whole time and we pushed each other.
3. Again, didn’t run with an iPod. I think I run better when concentrating on running and not on the music. And I can talk to people and be more aware of my surroundings.
4. New Shoes. All last week my left ankle was killing me. On Wednesday I couldn’t even put my food straight – it would only go sideways. With tennis shoes on. My old running shoes have bit the dust. I went to Kohls on Friday night after picking up my bib and shirt at Louisville Slugger Field and bought new Nike socks and shoes. They were so comfortable! I walked around in them at dinner and really felt like I owned them forever!
5. Train. I hadn’t trained at all for this race. Ok – 3 runs earlier in the week, but not like I should have. I had hopes and plans for the first 2 months of the year, but the weather in the Ville got the best of those. I don’t know what would happen if I actually trained for a race now and if I actually pushed myself!
6. Time: 36.03 – I was only 14 seconds off my PR. I am quite happy with that given the above circumstances.
Now, onto the next one. I may do a smaller one but the next one I am doing is the Virginia Beach Rock N Roll Half over Labor Day. I need to get signed up for that!
Go Run!
Double Chocolate Ghirardelli Cookies (2010.9)
These are a wonderful bite of chocolate-y goodness! 🙂 I made them before my 5k on Saturday, baked some afterwards and baked the rest this morning for the office. YUM!
This recipe of the week was definitely a winner and I think you can find the recipe virtually in every cooking magazine at some point – just as an advertisement for the BEST chocolate!
1 bag dark chocolate chips – Ghirardelli 60%
6 T unsalted butter
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 bag semi sweet – ghirardelli
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Melt dark chocolate and butter – let cool a bit.
Mix eggs and sugar till thick and creamy. Add in chocolate. Mix well. Add in dry ingredients. Fold in chips and nuts.
Put in seran wrap in 2 separate piles and chill for at least an hour.
Cut, roll, and bake for 11 minutes at 375.
Cool.
Best way to enjoy: warm with a tall glass of milk!
Menu Week: March 8
My kitchen is getting more bare along with my fridge and freezer. My shopping lists are getting shorter – and my grocery budget is doing well!
Here we go:
Turkey, turkey orzo soup, turkey salad with celery and craisins. Those are the bulk of the main dishes. Have to use up my turkey (yum)!
New dish this week: lumberjack hash for Friday’s breakfast with Becca. Topped with an egg white – can’t wait to try it! Its from a Cooking Light magazine.
Eats with people this week: lunch with my friends Bonnie and Laura tomorrow, dinner with a prof and his family, Wed is dinner with another prof and his family, Thursday is lunch at Founders with a co-worker, Saturday is brunch with some girls at Toast on Market downtown Ville, and coffee at Java with a friend. Sunday is shopping with my friend Sarah at Amazing Grace and Whole Foods. Fun times!
So – gotta eat less this week. This past wknd was rough on the waistline and the scale! But, oh so yummy!