caution tape and chicken with a kick

Recently, the Capital Area Greenway Trail has been extended to our neck of the woods, which is super exciting. Mike and I normally have to drive to an area where we can run since it gets pretty boring running through the neighborhood all the time. But now, we can get to an awesome trail from our front door!


Weeeeellllll, technically.... the trail hasn't opened yet. The access to the trail is still all muddy (remember my muddy Nikes?) and there is a lot of caution tape everywhere that has clearly been knocked down by others just like us. So far, we love the trail. It runs behind our house and right along the Neuse River. There are some parts where the water is very visible, but any type of running in nature makes me really happy.

We can get about 4 miles by going to each of the trails end points and back to our house, which is perfect for quick evening runs. There are lots of bridges, which are fun, and the trail is actually super wide. I can't wait until it is complete and we can actually get to other sections of the greenway from our house. I also think (hope) this is going to be a great selling point for our house, when the time comes. 

It is pretty amazing how quickly they are adding on to it. One day, we came to a bridge that literally just dropped off in the middle and now it is complete. I know we are kinda breaking the rules by going out on the trail before it has actually opened, but we have seen a lot of others back there, riding bikes and walking, so I think it is OK. :) We are really careful and don't go where it looks dangerous or unfinished.

I even got to see a beaver back there! I have never seen a beaver in real life before, so it was a pretty cool sight. You can't really tell in this picture, but he hiding up in the tree.

We haven't taken the dogs for a walk back there yet, but I am really looking forward to doing that this fall. I think it is a great thing that Raleigh is doing and I am really excited we are going to have such easy access to an amazing trail. I am sure once it is complete there will be many more miles to explore, so we are just enjoying it piece by piece.

I have another great, quick recipe for you!

Usually, by the time I get home, I am starving and that makes it hard to make decisions on the type of recipe I want to use. I told Mike we would need to use up the following items from our kitchen, before they went bad; green cabbage, butternut squash, an avocado, and chicken. He jokingly said, "avacodo-lime chicken with the cabbage and squash on the side." I kind of laughed, thinking that didn't really sound like a real recipe... but then I decided it was a pretty good idea. He gets one every once in a while. ;)

grilled chicken with a kick

boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (I made 3 so we had leftovers)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime Seasoning
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 avocado, sliced

Mix all of the seasonings into a small bowl and rub the mixture onto the chicken breasts. I barely coated each side of the chicken breasts. Pan fry the chicken in the olive oil until the chicken is cooked through (juices run clear). Once the chicken is cooked, serve with fresh avocado slices on top.

Seriously, that easy. And soooo delicious with just the right amount of kick! For the butternut squash, I always make it the same way. Cut vertically, clean out seeds, poke holes in the skin, brush with olive oil, place cut side down in a baking dish with just a little water at the bottom. Cook on 350 F for about 40 minutes until tender. For the cabbage, chop into bite size pieces, saute with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper until tender.

Have an awesome weekend everyone!

kale salad, chicken salad, and chopped salad

Let's jump past the hurdle of where I have been and just get into it, shall we? I won't waste your time with all of my boring runs and meals, I will just hit the highlights.

I have been doing really well with my weekday runs. The cooler weather has helped my motivation and gotten both Mike and I out for evening runs and out of bed for morning ones. My long runs are where I have suffered. Since I ran those 7 miles a few weeks ago, I haven't done another long one. I have been out of town or had people in town, so I just haven't had any interest in getting them done. I am getting back into it this weekend though, no excuses.

My half marathon training has me doing 3 miles on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 5 miles on Wednesdays. I usually play with my days a little bit and this week, I ran 3 miles on Wednesday and 5 miles this morning with the plan to run 3 miles tomorrow morning. But that will depend on which day this weekend that I plan on running 9 miles, because I definitely want a rest day before that. Either way, I am feeling pretty good about my runs and hoping that I can get back on track with the longer ones.

In some other fun running news, I have gotten a new pair of shoes! I loooved my Nike Relentless shoes and was really sad that it was time to let them go, but they were really worn out and actually started to give me major blisters from the worn material. I actually think that the blisters were the cause of my knee injury that I had talked about. I am pretty sure they made me shift my stride a bit, which misaligned my legs, so it was definitely time for a new pair of sneaks.

I took them out on a little mud trail for their last hoorah. :)

Mike and I decided to take advantage of a going out of business sale at one of the local running stores. They had running shoes for 50% off their original price, so we each got a pair for the price of one. I also scored a pair of thick running leggings for under $20, which will be perfect for winter running.

TWINSIES! :)

I am still getting used to my shoes since they are waaay more cushioned than my Nike's were. They are breaking in nicely, but I have noticed that the thick running socks that I needed to wear before, are almost too much for these shoes. Which is good since I have a ton of thin running socks that I couldn't wear before if I didn't want to get blisters.

Let's move on to the good stuff.... FOOD! Last weekend we spent our time with my favorite family, my sister and her hubby and kids. We had a great weekend just hanging out and playing with the kiddos and were sad to leave on Sunday. Before we left, my sister talked about prepping all of her lunches and dinners for the week to make life a little easier. When I got home, I decided to do the same by prepping a kale salad and some chicken salad for quick and easy lunches. I am so happy that I did!

Here are the recipes along with an extra recipe that I made a few weeks ago.


First up...  

 
Massaged Kale Salad! Seriously, I love kale. And I am not just saying that because it is really, really good for you, I loooove this stuff. The flavor is unlike any other lettuce and it is sooo filling!

Clean the kale using a salad spinner or paper towels
Cut off any bulky stems
Massage for a few minutes with just a little bit of olive oil. Start off with just a tablespoon and then add more as needed. You want the leaves to soften up, but not become soggy (which is what happened to mine).
Add a little bit of lime or orange juice to give it a citrus-y taste
Add in a handful of dried cranberries and shaved carrots
Top it off with just a sprinkle of sea salt and you are ready to go!

Health(ier) Chicken Salad

Buy a rotisserie chicken (like I did) or cook 2 large chicken breasts until fully cooked
Chop the chicken and add to a large bowl, then add:
1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
1/3 cup mayonnaise made with olive oil
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 apple, cleaned and chopped
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix together and enjoy! We have been using whole wheat pitas and it has been fantastic!

Chopped Salad 

Mike wanted a chopped salad recently, so instead of buying all the ingredients separately, I just went to Harris Teeter and grabbed a few things from their salad bar. It made this meal super easy to make and saved me a lot of money by only getting what I needed for a few salads.

1 head of romaine lettuce, cleaned and chopped


1 tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons blue cheese crumbles
2 tablespoons real bacon crumbles
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
2 tablespoons honey dijon mustard dressing
2 thinly sliced steaks (1 extra for the pups)
Sea Salt and Pepper

Season your steaks with a little sea salt and pepper. Grill in a pan until desired temperature (I tried to do medium rare, but it was pretty difficult with these thin steaks). I added my romaine to a bowl and tossed with the dressing before adding the rest of the ingredients. Then just pile everything on top of your lettuce, leaving the steaks for last.

Since the steak was cheap and they boys were good, I made them their own steak to share. It is amazing how they just seemed to know that I had made them one.

Well, I hope this was a nice long post to catch you up on things. I hope to be able to post again tomorrow! Have a great end of your week!

i cooked!

Things are kind of hectic around here again, which leaves little time for blogging. :(

I ran 4 miles yesterday and felt great all the way until about the 3.3 mile mark and then my knee started hurting again. I was able to make it to 4, but my knee was definitely flaring up and feeling pretty uncomfortable. I am going to keep icing it and I had planned on taking it easy this morning so I would be ready for a long run this weekend. I am really hoping this doesn't cause any real problems.

I didn't want to skip my run this morning, even though I probably should have just rested my knee, so I went for a quick 2 mile run. I tried to just jog comfortably and get in a good stretch run, which actually felt really great. My knee didn't hurt at all and I felt pretty awesome the entire run. The weather lately has been really wonderful for morning runs, I hope it stays this way.

I am going to ice my knee today, as well as maybe a little tomorrow, before trying to run 7 miles on Sunday. I have offered to help out with some things this weekend which are putting me in the office for a few hours on Saturday and Sunday, so I will plan to do my icing then. I guess Sunday will be the test. If I can't do it, then I need to start looking at some other options for treatment, but I am pretty optimistic that I will be able to get through this.

So, yeah, I cooked this week! We will get to that in just a second, since I did anything but cook last night. I am feeling stuffy and allergyish this week, and feel like I am coming down with some type of cold. I have been going to bed pretty early, which I think has helped a lot, but I still feel pretty crummy. I guess that is what 6 airports, 6 airplanes, 2 train stations, 1 train, 3 hotel rooms, and being around 6 children with runny noses will do to you. That, on top of not eating my best and slacking on the exercise has landed me with a run down feeling and a perfect host for sickness. No worries, I am taking zinc (yuck) like a champ with vitamin c and drinking lots of fluids. Because I wasn't feeling great, I was really craving some soup for lunch on Wednesday. Soup in August? Sometimes you just want what you want.

Last night's dinner came in a box...

For some reason, cereal sounded like the perfect dinner last night, so that is what I had. I walked in the house with a box of cereal and told Mike dinner was ready. He is such a trooper. :)

But, on Wednesday night, I actually did cook, and it turned out really tasty. It has inspired me to make a similar type meal but more of the Mexican variety... stay tuned for that.

BBQ Chicken Roll Ups

olive oil spray
2 chicken breasts, sliced thin (I bought our chicken already sliced very thin)
1/4 cup BBQ sauce of your choice
1/4 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 F and spray a baking dish with olive oil spray.  Lay chicken pieces flat and add a pinch of cheese to the center along with a small amount of BBQ sauce. Roll the chicken up, top with remaining BBQ sauce and cheese. Bake for 30-35 minutes covered.

I also roasted some broccoli and made a baked potato for Mike and I to share. It was a great dinner.

Doesn't the chicken look like a mini enchilada? I think I will try to make it with enchilada sauce and beans next time.

This weekend, besides working, we don't have too much planned. Tonight I think we will get a movie and some take out Thai for dinner, for a night on the couch. Tomorrow I have a bridal shower to go to and then a few hours at work if I am feeling better. Sunday we have church, more work, and then some more couch time. It is not going to be a productive weekend for the Blacks.... but I am perfectly fine with that.

Have a great weekend!

i heart food

Getting called off from the hospital when I am supposed to work is like winning the lottery for about 5 minutes. I spend all day trying to get my mind in "hospital mode," dreading it because I have 800 other things to be doing at home, and then I get the call. As soon as I see who is calling, I start smiling from ear to ear. I imagine an evening filled with relaxation, accomplishment, and an early bedtime. Then, I end up going home and cramming 900 things into an evening that I didn't even know I had a few hours earlier, going to bed later than if I had worked at the hospital... it's funny how that happens.

Either way, I was really glad to not have to work last night. After Mike and I ran a few errands, we headed home and I made dinner. I am sure all of you are readers of SkinnyTaste, Gina's Skinny Recipes. If you aren't, you should be. She always has wonderful recipes that are simple and health(ier) than most other recipes. A few days ago, I saw her post about Zucchini Tots and wanted to make them immediately. I already had the ingredients (win), but didn't have the time (boo). Last night was the perfect opportunity.

It was a fairly simple recipe to follow and they took no time at all. I roasted some broccoli and grilled some chicken with bbq sauce to go along with them, and dinner was ready in under an hour.

Mike was a big fan of the tots as well, and I can definitely see making these for a party or a cook out in the future.



For lunch yesterday (and today), I made a hummus and veggie sandwich, oh. my. yum. Garlic hummus, sliced cucumbers, red peppers, and tomatoes on toasted bread with a side of cherries.  I haven't had hummus in a while, and you can tell because we bought the container on Sunday and it only has 1 serving left. That will be tomorrow's lunch. :)

Breakfast this week has also been extra special. I have been adding sliced peaches, blueberries, and strawberries to my overnight oats with greek yogurt. The peaches add such flavor to my otherwise regular breakfast and I just can't seem to get enough.

Reading back through this post, I pose the following question; Should I get this excited over my last 3 meals? Am I normal? Don't answer that...



That is about all I have for you today. I ran again yesterday morning, another so-so run that didn't feel great, but at least I got it in. I didn't have enough time to run this morning and planned on going to the gym to get my push ups and abs in, but didn't even have enough time for that. Gotta love it when I walk into the gym, go straight to the locker room to get ready without doing a single work out... What that means is I will have to squeeze my push ups and abs in tonight before I go to bed. It is looking like it is going to be
another late night in the Black household!

We have a wedding this weekend for one of my close friends in Virginia, so we are packing up tonight so that we can leave straight from work tomorrow.

If I don't post tomorrow, have a great weekend everyone!

brunch, garden, and muffin makin'

Read part 1 here, and part 2 here!

I told you all that last weekend was full! I feel like when we actually have the opportunity to stay home and don't have plans, we cram as much as possible into those few days to accomplish everything that we can.

After going to church on Sunday morning, we went to brunch at Beasley's Chicken and Honey in downtown Raleigh with a few friends. Oh my yummness. It was amazing.

We each started with a drink, because that is what you do at brunch. I went with a cucumber, mint, and moonshine combo which was fabulous. I can't remember the name of it and it isn't on their website, but I am sure if you can remember cucumber, you can find it there.

It was extremely refreshing and I loved the cucumber flavor. Plus, it came in a mini mason jar... enough said.

Mike ordered the Reunion, chicken, egg, and cheese on a biscuit, which I had a little bite of. It was really good.

I ordered the Red Beans Rancheros, which was beyond delicious. I love Mexican inspired breakfast... eggs, beans, tortilla, guac... yum.

Adding yet another place to my list of fave brunch spots in Raleigh.

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Garden Update!!!

This go-round of veggies has been way more beneficial to us than the last. We have already harvested several things from this garden and the boxes are so full! Below is our squash and zucchini box.

Our brussel sprouts, which are from our first round of planting, are still hanging on. They are finally starting to look like sprouts and the buds just keep getting bigger and bigger.

We also have some mini cucumbers poking through,

Some itty bitty green peppers starting to bloom,

and a huge mess of melon vines...

If only someone would have listened to his wife when she warned him of this... Oh well. We will see if we get anything from it!

--

After brunch and an extended nap on the couch, I decided to make some blueberry muffins. We have quite a bit of blueberries from our produce deliveries lately, so I wanted to do something to use them up.

I found this recipe on a blog and followed it exactly... I don't mess around with baking, way too easy to ruin things that way. I loved the addition of lemon zest, it makes them so tasty!

So good! I had one for breakfast this morning with a little butter and it was a great way to start the day. The greek yogurt and whole wheat flour keeps them relatively healthy, which makes them even more awesome.

I think I will make another batch this weekend, because Mike loves them too and they are great to have in the mornings and easy to grab for work.

I have already gotten in 3 runs this week, which is pretty exciting. I am going to do another on Saturday morning, but will have to wake up pretty early so that we can beat the heat. Even my 830AM runs this week have been HOT! 

homemade weekend

Back with part 2 of this past weekend. To see part 1, click here!

After running on Saturday, Mike and I spent the day around the house. He did some yard work, I did some house work, and then I got serious about some cooking. I have been wanting to make my own pasta sauce for a while now, since everything that is store bought is full of sodium. I had done a little research, so I knew how to get things started, then I just started adding ingredients until it tasted the way I wanted it.

Not only did I have some homemade pasta sauce to make dinner on Saturday night, but I also have leftovers to make something else this week, plus 3 bags of pasta sauce for the freezer. It will be so nice knowing those are there to pull out and use whenever we want.

We happened to have had a bunch of tomatoes on hand from my mom's garden, the produce delivery box, and even a few from our garden, so I just used everything we had. As soon as I finished making the sauce, our delivery arrived with 3 more tomatoes... perfect! 

Carolyn's Homemade Pasta Sauce
makes: A TON!

10 cups of chopped tomatoes
4-5 yellow onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Italian spices
1 cup sugar


I made mine in a crock pot, which made things really easy. I started by adding the olive oil, onions and garlic to the crock pot, setting on high for about an hour. I stirred it frequently and turned it down once the onions were translucent. Then I added everything else. Left the sauce on low for about 2-3 hours.

After everything was cooked, I put the sauce into the blender and blended for a quick 5 seconds to puree the veggies a little more. I like my sauce kinda chunky, so you can do whatever you like.

Place in freezer safe containers (which apparently mason jars are not) and freeze or use immediately.

It just looks so cute in mason jars! But after a quick freezing lesson from Mike, I moved them into quart sized bags, which makes a lot more sense for defrosting and using. I can simply cut these bags open and throw the frozen sauce in a pan if I really wanted to. That Mike... so smart.

--

Mike and I were out running errands while the sauce was cooking in the crock pot, so when we got home, I got started on dinner. GoLocal had sent a spaghetti squash in our produce box last week, so I decided to make a spaghetti squash spaghetti casserole. The sauce was already piping hot, so all I had to do was cook the squash, the meat, and then put it all together. Are you sure you can handle this? 2 recipes, 1 post!?!

 
Spaghetti Squash Casserole

1 spaghetti squash, seeds and guts removed
1.5 cups of pasta sauce (I used my freshly homemade sauce)
0.5 lb ground turkey (optional)
4 oz. cream cheese (I accidentally bought fat free, yuck, but you couldn't tell in the casserole)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

To cook the spaghetti squash, cut it in half lengthwise and place it face down in a microwave safe dish after smearing with olive oil. Be sure to use a dish with a lid. Place covered in the microwave for 10-12 minutes, until you can easily insert a fork through the skin of the squash.

While that is cooking, brown the ground turkey in some olive oil until cooked through. When the spaghetti squash is done, use a fork to scrape the inside of the squash. You will see how easily this just comes out in strands to look like pasta. Place the squash "pasta" in the bottom of a 9x9 oven safe pan, preheat oven to 375F.

Add the sauce to the cooked ground turkey and allow to heat up. Once hot, add in the cream cheese and parmesan cheese and stir until melted. Pour the sauce mixture over the squash and then top with mozzarella cheese. Bake for 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted and dish is warm.

This was AWESOME! Mike and I really, really liked it and plan on making it again. I love the spaghetti squash and helped me not to feel guilty about having a piece of real italian bread with garlic butter!

Along with our dinner, we each had one of Mike's home-brewed beers.

Finally, for dessert... homemade ice cream. Homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream to be exact... I know. You are jealous. ;)

Mike put together a batch after we ran out to get some peppermint extract and saw these were on sale.

The ice cream turned out fantastic. We have so much leftover and we just keep going in for spoonfuls here and there.

Yum!

Part 3 will include updates to our garden and some yummy blueberry lemon muffins that I made on Sunday. Stay tuned!