A Little Yellow

I’ve been feeling like the weather.  Blah.  Since the marathon ended I haven’t had much motivation to be a master juggler.  The role every woman plays.  No need to set my alarm an hour+ earlier to squeeze in a run.  No motivation to be on top of the meal planning and grocery shopping.  No need to keep up with the family blog.  No desire to even wipe the massive amounts of pee that has amassed behind the toilet (if you have little boys, you know what I’m talking about).  I blame it on the weather.  Rainy and chilly just don’t do much to motivate me, but then again maybe God was just giving me a guilt free excuse to chill out.  Maybe a little break from reality is good for the soul.

This morning we woke up to some sunshine.  A little yellow.  After taking almost a month off I’m feeling ready to get back in the swing of things.

I love a recipe that I can make with ingredients I usually always have on hand.  Lemons are one of those things.  I always keep a bag around because a little citrus, a little yellow, can brighten up any marinade, side dish, or soup!

Simple Lemon Chicken with Broccoli

(recipe found via Katy Hayes on Pinterest… I made a few changes to speed up the process because I didn’t get my act together early enough in the day)

5 Drumsticks or Thighs (any cut of chicken is fine, but I wanted to try Drumsticks to see if Superman would think they were cool… he didn’t.  But the rest of the little people did.  To follow recipes directions, marinate the chicken for 2 hours in the next three ingredients)

2 tablespoons melted butter

Rosemary, Thyme, salt and pepper, and fresh garlic

2 lemons, zested as well as their juice

1 head of broccoli

Arrange the drumsticks in a baking dish and preheat the oven to 425.

Zest both lemons onto the chicken.  Contrary to the picture’s depiction, I actually do not have even a little bit of a green thumb.

Squeeze the juice from both lemons all over

Sprinkle with a dash of rosemary and thyme.  Enough to cover the top… it’s not a science.  You can’t really have too much.

Crush and chop three cloves of garlic

Sprinkle on top of the chicken.

Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl.

Drizzle over the chicken.  This will help to get the skin browned and golden and yummy.

In the oven she goes for 50 minutes.

Halfway through, at the 25 minute mark, I added a bag of broccoli.  I tossed it around in the lemony buttery sauce and let it roast under the chicken.

25 minutes and 165 F later and the chicken was goldeny crisp.  A simple but satisfying end to the day, just no picture to prove it.

HungrySister Presents: Cream Scones

I, like HungryMom, am NOT a baker. I don't like to measure, I don't own an electric mixer, and I have a really hard time being tied down to a recipe…not to mention every time I try to bake something it either collapses, explodes, or doesn't look anything close to what it is supposed to. For this reason I have let my much more baking-inclined roommate take over all baking activities in our kitchen. 

Don't get me wrong, I love love love desserts, sweets, baked goods, you name it. Love to the point where I give them up for Lent every year (and fail every year).

I was recently discussing fairs with my boyfriend and talking about how I can't wait until I can get my hands on some "fair food." His response was something like "I LOVE fair food! Elephant ears? SCONES!?" Now, I don't know about you, but in my mind fair food is funnel cakes, boardwalk fries, deep fried oreos, and smoked bbq sandwiches…I guess they do things a little differently in the Pacific Northwest! I have never in my life seen a scone served at a fair, but I get the idea of enjoying a handheld, flaky, buttery baked good while strolling around the fairgrounds.

I decided to make cream scones for breakfast and was a little apprehensive about successfully executing the recipe, but it worked! Even I, a baking disappointment, could master these little guys. The scones were delicious and really easy!

You'll need: 

2 cups all-purpose flour
3T sugar
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 C heavy cream
Milk for brushing
Decorative, or sparkling sugar (I used regular)

 

Heat oven to 400. Place rack in the middle position.

Line a baking sheet w. parchment paper, or spray with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, thoroughly whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the cream. Stir until everything is moistened and a soft dough is formed.

 

Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured counter and knead a few times, shaping it into a log about 8 inches long. 

  

Cut in two, then gently shape each half into a smooth disc about l inch thick.

 

With a sharp knife cut each disc into four pieces.

 

Arrange the 8 scones on the prepared baking sheet, leaving as much room as possible between them. Brush with milk, then sprinkle with sugar. Place in the oven and bake for 7 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake 15 minutes longer.

  

 Voila! Finished product. These are delicious with marmalade, raspberry jam, or any other filling of your choice!

I ended up making a couple of batches recently for my grandparents' birthdays - I added half a cup of mini chocolate chips to one batch and a tbsp or 2 of cinnamon to the other. Both turned out well!

You Can’t Always Get What You Want

These are the things I wanted.

I wanted to BQ.  I made that no secret.  I wanted to prove to myself that I could run in the 3:30’s.  I’ve been dreaming of finally putting a marathon time to my name after giving up my MCM bib 2 years ago when we were pregnant with Sage.  I wanted to feel strong miles 20 to 26.  I wanted to sprint in to the finish, fall to my knees, and weep with joy at achieving what I had worked so hard for.  Getting to Boston.

Marathons are humbling.  By mile 22, I was at rock bottom.  I never thought 4 short miles could seem so long and impossible after the hundreds I’ve logged on the road to get to that moment.  Never in my life had I ever felt so incredibly exhausted.  Every fiber of my being wanted to stop, quit, give up, sit down.  My tank was absolutely depleted.  Mile by mile I slowly shed every ounce of pride and self righteousness left in this body until what was left was a very exposed and humbled soul.

The night before the marathon I decided to take a page from Kristin Armstrong and write prayer requests on my pace band.  Every mile had a prayer assigned to it.  Some miles were requests and some were praises.  These prayers literally carried me through the hard miles.  The air was certainly thick with patriotism the morning of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and the victims and their families weighed heavy on my heart for many quiet miles through the woods.  When I started to feel tapped out at mile 15, I remembered Brayden on my prayer list and I thought about his mother and her daily courage and trust in God’s plan for her family.  Surely I could survive another mile of hardship.  I prayed for my kids, Kevin, my sisters, my mom.  Neighbors, close friends going through hard times and even some strangers. I gave thanks over and over again for all the love and support I got from so many friends before the race.  I thought of them when I wanted to slow down.  They believed in me, I needed to believe in me!

I thanked God repeatedly for my friend Meredith who made the 4 hour trip with me to Allentown.  She’s the kind of friend who would run the last 14 miles of the marathon with you.  The kind of friend who, if in sheer exhaustion you rudely barked “water!!” would sprint up to the next water stop, fill your water, and run it back with a big smile and an encouraging word.  Do you have a friend who wants the absolute best for you? So much so that at the base of a towering, steep hill at Mile 24, at your weakest and most defeated moment, she would literally put her hand on your back and PUSH you up the hill?  I do, and I’m brought to tears all over again thinking how blessed I am for that!

Somewhere between miles 24 and 25 I realized that my all-important BQ had slipped out of my hands.  I would be mere minutes from qualifying.  But by that point I was completely okay with it. I never once, in 3 hours, 43 minutes and 3 seconds, gave up the fight.  I felt humbled and closer to God and my true self than I ever have. I learned so much about the beast of the marathon and the things I would do differently next time.  It was not at all what I went into this race wanting, but I left Allentown with the realization that every minute of the weekend was exactly what I needed.

You can’t always get what you want,
You can’t always get what you want,
And if you try sometimes, you find,
You Get What You Need.  

Taper Time

It’s here, it’s here!  Tapering is both the best and worst time of training.  Half of me is PUMPED about getting a break from intense long runs and workouts.. conveniently, right in time for out first week of school!  The other half of me is wondering if I did all that I could.  Wondering if I gave it my all on every single run that led up to this time.

At the current moment, I’m feeling grateful for the running reprieve this week.  My number one focus is going to be all about sending my first baby boy on a big yellow school bus for the very first time. Tomorrow morning we enter the next chapter of our parenting lives.  The backpack is packed, the camera battery charged, the clothes laid out, forms filled, supplies bought, and (a little regretfully) PTA dues are paid.

Just with marathon tapering, I’m having mixed emotions about this transition onto the next chapter.  Half of me is bursting with excitement for him. The other half has doubts.  Did I do all I could to prepare him for this next phase?  Am I going to be the mom he needs me to be in the coming years when we face bullies, and girlfriends, and being picked last at recess?  Did I savor each and every minute I was blessed to be at home with him?

Time is up on both accounts.  Now its time to sit back, trust in the “training,” and watch the fruits of my labor come to be.

So yes, I’m thankful for the running break this week so I can focus all my energy on my baby.  Here’s to keeping it simple this week.

Simple Grilled Chicken Pesto Packets

Chicken breasts (one per person)
1 tablespoon of pesto per chicken breast
olive oil
any veggies… I chose spinach, onion, and roasted red and yellow pepper from a jar
Aluminum foil
salt and pepper

pour about a tablespoon of olive oil onto a sheet of foil

Add the chicken breast

Take one tablespoon of the pesto

Spread it all over

Top with spinach

The roasted peppers

And the onion

Then wrap it up in the foil loosely so there’s room to steam in there

Grill for about 15 minutes.  

Simple and perfect.

Bring it On, Fall.

A few months ago, signing up for a marathon on September 11th seemed like a genius idea.  Two things appealed to me most.  First off, the Allentown marathon is exactly one day before registration opens for Boston.  One. Day.  This is completely reflective of my procrastinating nature.  I like a deadline to really get me working hard (read: stressing out). 

Second, I liked the idea of being done with marathon training in the very early fall.  In years past, I have a memory of being OVER trying to squeeze in long runs into an already jam-packed fall calendar. 

Well, all of that made sense on paper, but the reality of the situation is that the September 11 deadline is quickly barreling toward me and doubt is creeping in.  Am I a crazy person?  Can I qualify for Boston?  Did I train hard enough?  Is it going to be way too hot out?  

I have one 20 miler left on the schedule and then it’s taper time.  I’ve pretty much done as much as I can up until this point, so all I can do now is pray for confidence, and for cooler fall temps in the next two weeks!  

Although it may have been 90 degrees last week, I was willing in fall with this quick and easy stew.  Loved that there was something that everyone in my family would eat out of this meal!  You could EASILY adapt this to crock pot, just throw it all in and let it simmer all day long.

Pintos and Kielbasa

1 package of kielbasa (I used the whole package, but use as much as you want!  I’d double in the crockpot)

1 can of Pinto Beans

1 can of Northern Beans

1 can of Rotel (tomatoes and green chiles)

1 can of tomato sauce

1 can of stewed tomatoes, chopped up

1 green pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

couple cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon of chili powder

Optional (and recommended) 2 tablespoons of curry powder

Add some olive oil to a skillet and saute the veggies (green pep, onion, garlic)

While that is sauteeing, slice the kielbasa.  My kids LOVE kielbasa (cause its basically a glorified hot dog) so I knew this meal would be a winner.

Stir in all the cans of tomatoey things

Wash and drain the beans

Add them in, bring to a slow boil, then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes or so to let flavors meld.

Season with salt, pepper, and chili powder.

I served it with some bread.  Pretty easy!

After I served the kids their portions I added curry powder because I can’t leave well enough alone, and it was SUCH a crucial addition.  It’s fine without it, if you’re not down with those flavors, but if you want more of a kick try that out!

Holy Guacamole

My first-born baby starts kindergarten in exactly two weeks

Less than one month to go until my Allentown, PA marathon

HOLY GUACAMOLE where has the summer gone?  

I’ve been making guacamole since I was a kid.  Salads and guacamole were always delegated as my job for dinner.  Much preferred over the kid chosen to set the table or do the dishes.  I have very poignant memories of my dad teaching me how to make the perfect guacamole in the summer.  It’s a simple recipe but tried and true.  Only a few weeks left until we bid ado to this summer staple...

2 ripe avocados

half of a small white onion, chopped finely

4 roma tomatoes (I like mine more tomatoey)

1 jalapeno, seeds removed (or not, if you like more heat)

lime juice (crucial)

handful of cilantro

garlic powder and salt

First thing I do is add the lime juice to the bowl.  Half a lime is just the right amount.

Then I cut around the pit of the avocado

Loosen the pit by kind of whacking your knife into it.  Once its firmly in there, twist gently to remove

Like so… then I basically just bang that on the counter top til so it falls off.  I’m sure there’s a better way but I’m a creature of habit.

Scoop put the flesh with a spoon

Dice and add to lime juice

Mash well with a fork or a mix and chop

Add the tomatoes, diced finely

Remove the seeds from the jalapeno and dice finely

Add to guac

Chop the onion finely

Add to guac with chopped cilantro.  Season generously with garlic powder and salt.  I actually prefer garlic powder over fresh garlic for this.  I’m a salt addict so I usually add quite a bit of salt as well. :)

Love these chips from Trader Joes

The most heavenly summer bite