Training has officially begun!

This is the first official week of my training plan for the 2011 Bayshore Marathon. So far I feel like I'm a *little* ahead of the game (on purpose) because I never really quit training after my marathon in October. My weekend long runs have been 8, 10, or 12 miles, and my three midweek runs are usually 4-6 miles each. Once in awhile I will toss in another easy run of 3-6 miles. Hopefully with what I feel like is a stronger base going into this training schedule, I won't have to be as strict as I was last summer/fall.

I haven't quite decided if I will continue my "peanut butter cup before any 10+ mile run" regimen or not. It certainly didn't *hurt* my training last time; my weight hovered in the same 5lb range the whole time, but it wasn't exactly a clean fuel option. Of course, a splurge here and there is a solid part of my routine... so we'll see. I might wait until the weather gets a bit warmer to reinstate that; eating a giant cup of ice cream when 30* feels like a heat wave isn't all that appealing.

Are you planning for any big events this spring? Fitness-related or otherwise. :)

Mini meal plan

Monday - roasted chicken with spinach-barley risotto

Tuesday - chicken, leek, and white bean soup from The Eat-Clean Diet book, modified for the slow cooker, served with clean-eating Waldorf salad from the same book

Wednesday - adobo pork tenderloin with black bean pico de gallo (another ECD recipe)

Thursday - leftovers or breakfast-for-dinner

Friday - I think we are visiting family for the weekend... otherwise, back to Ken's Fruit Market I go!

New cookbooks!

Do you ever feel like you make the same foods again and again, and just get kind of tired of your "usuals"? I've been feeling that way lately, so I'm on the hunt for some new cookbooks and recipes to shake things up.

This past week I quit my part-time job (I had a choice between that and going back to the office full-time, which I couldn't do without some major family/home life upsets) so I will have a few more hours to myself starting this week. What better time to focus on cooking and blogging?

One of the books I'm looking forward to reading is Plan-D: The Amazing Anti-Diet That Will Change Your Life Forever by Dee McCaffrey. From what I gather by reading online reviews, McCaffrey's principles align with clean eating and avoiding processed foods--right up my alley! I look forward to posting a review of this book, as well as the Plan-D cookbook, sometime in the next few months.

Have any of you read these books?

U-G-L-Y this pie ain't got no alibi!

It's ugly (whoop whoop!) it's ugly! 

Told ya: 

Oh, and delicious.

This was our token slow-cooker meal for the week, assembled in the afternoon and eaten when we got home from running group. Topped with a little sour cream (Greek yogurt, if you have it, would be perfect) and Frank's RedHot, it was worthy of seconds--something I rarely opt for these days.

I'd never used foil "handles" in the CrockPot before, so I wasn't sure if I did them right, but it's pretty hard to do wrong. I think. :z The recipe never stated if the corn tortillas were supposed to be soft or hard, so I took a gamble that if they'd meant hard, they would've been listed as such. Perhaps I'll try hard ones next time. My softies kinda disintegrated on me, as you can see.

Mile High Enchilada Pie
from Incredibly Easy Gluten-Free Recipes
serves 4

8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 jar (12-16oz) salsa of choice
1 can (or homemade equivalent, about 1 2/3 cups) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup shredded cooked chicken (I used 2 pressure-cooked and shredded boneless breasts)
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheese
Fresh cilantro and sliced red pepper, optional


1. Prepare foil handles for 3-4qt slow cooker* and place into the crock.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together salsa, beans, chicken, and cheese.

3. Place a tortilla on top of the foil in the bottom of the crock. Top with a scoop of chicken mixture; spread almost to edges of tortilla. Continue alternating tortillas with chicken mixture until both are used up.

4. Cover, cook on low 6-8 hours (mine was in for about 6 hours before we ate, and I think it was too long--you can see how some of the beans burnt at the edges. I'd say 4hrs would be about right, since both chicken and beans are cooked through already) or on high 3-4 hours. Remove with foil handles. Garnish with optional pepper and cilantro, if using.

* Tear off two 18x2 strips of foil and fold lengthwise to double their thickness. Cross pieces in an "X" on the bottom of the slow cooker crock, bringing excess up the sides of the crock and out the top.

Yes, it's ugly. But it's good. So close your eyes if you have to, and go make one.

CHALLENGE update: Tortillas, chicken, beans, salsa, cheese, and sour cream were all purchased at Ken's Fruit Market. We did not use cilantro or bell pepper.

Rutabaga. It's just fun to say.

Ever had a rutabaga? On purpose? It's been years for me. My family used to participate in historical interpreting/re-enacting at Fort Michilimackinac when I was in high school, and I recall making a pot pie that included rutabagas during the "harvest" weekend--that's the last time I remember rutabaggin' it.

Tonight when I made this frittata for dinner, I was excited to use one again. Not because I remember being over the moon for the lumpy brown veggie, but because I couldn't remember what it was like, and I felt like I was trying it for the first time. I like trying new things--food things, that is. I'm a creature of habit everywhere else. ;)

Here's a play-by-play.

It was ugly.

With the ends sliced off and this rocklike veggie in half, it was time to peel.
  
It was easier to peel than the butternut squash I prepped next. (Love that Rosle peeler! You can find it on Amazon; it's also in the Kitchen Gadgets section of my aStore, which is linked to the right).

Because of the way I wanted to use it, cubed was the best shape.

I was surprised to see that my "rutabaggy" (as I called it at the Fort) turned a lovely golden color.

 

It was a fantastic addition to this frittata; I told The H that one day I'd like to eat just the filling, sans eggs--though the whole thing was really, really good.















Rutabagas are similar to potatoes in texture (the website I referenced for cooking tips likened the flavor to a turnip, but really, how many people would be like, "Oh yeah, I know exactly how a turnip tastes; good comparison!"?) but with more flavor, almost a touch of sweetness.

Oh, and this was my first experience with collard greens, too. Thanks for posting and blogging this great recipe, Local Cook!

I'm going to crack open my copy of History from the Hearth, a cookbook that the lead interpreter wrote (for which my sisters, friends, and I modeled*), and see what other uses I can find for this surprisingly tasty root veggie. I think it would be fantastic mixed into homemade mashed potatoes or sliced into a casserole of scalloped taters.  

*Yep indeed, pics of an awkward tween Clean Eating Machine have been published for the world (ok fine, "the few random people who've ever seen this book") to see. And that's how I rock it, rutabaggy style.

Initiate!

Part of my occasional hangup with clean eating is that too often snacks and meals are not so easy to grab. So many other things "sound" better because those are the things that are faster to open, easier to access. You know, like opening a bag of potato chips and mindlessly munching a handful or six instead of boiling some edamame to have alongside your sandwich at lunch, or cracking into a package of cookies instead of taking the time to make your own. You've been there. Me, too.

I realized today as I prepared lunch--using some leftovers and other odds-and-ends that would otherwise have been overlooked as we opted for another restaurant meal--that I have control over this. (I know, right?) It's my choice to buy the chips, which then makes it an easier choice to open and EAT the chips. (Brain surgery here, folks.) I need to take the initiative to buy and prepare healthy foods for myself and my family. INITIATE the action you want to see in your own life.

As inspiration struck, I grabbed three clementines, zipped their skins off in a flash, and plunked the ready-to-eat sections into a bowl to go with lunch. The little guy nommed half of a kiwano that we bought earlier this week. All three of us enjoyed our Dr. Praeger's patties, and that bowl of oranges was *gone* before the chips (what, you thought they were fictional?) were even mentioned.

And then I went and boiled some edamame. The little guy saw them in the pot and said to me, "HEY, dat's you! You are my edda-mommy!" :) Happy, healthy Sunday, everyone!

Here it is! My CHALLENGE meal plan.

Monday - stroganoff beef and mushrooms with brown rice risotto and green beans (this one isn't entirely Ken's-bought, since I had intended it for Sunday night before we went shopping, but I did check that stew beef, brown rice, and fresh green beans are indeed available there, so it is *possible* to create this meal within the parameters of my challenge; I'm just not--though the mushrooms and sour cream are applicable)

Tuesday - Mile High Enchilada Pie in the slow cooker, from the Incredibly Easy Gluten-Free cookbook (corn tortillas, kidney beans, shredded cheddar, chicken from Ken's, seasoning from my own spices). This is the same cookbook that my spaghetti squash with black beans comes from.

Wednesday - Rutabaga and Greens Frittata from the Local Cook (eggs, rutabaga, collards, bacon, onion from Ken's)

Thursday - Quinoa stuffed peppers (quinoa, diced tomatoes, bell peppers, green onion, kidney beans, and cheese from Ken's, taco seasoning from my spice cupboard)

Friday - gluten-free pizza (Bob's Red Mill GF crust mix that we already use is available at Ken's, although mine came from a Subscribe & Save order on Amazon. The portobellos, tomato sauce, provolone, and bell peppers are from Ken's)

Saturday - roast chicken (yes, the same one that has been listed on my plan before... call me lazy) with red potatoes, carrots, brown rice, and roasted butternut squash (the chicken is a co-op acquisition, but Ken's does indeed carry whole chickens; the other veggies and rice are from Ken's). I plan to make chicken stock with the carcass and some parsnips that I'm picking up as part of my co-op order on Wednesday.