Posting For the Both of Us

As might be expected with a Seester who is in graduate school...she's busy!  No posted recipes lately...although both of us have been cooking.  (I'm not posting the recipes I've been cooking because there's not much "healthy" about things like pulled pork and cheesy pasta casserole!  I did make an orange chicken/sweet potato concoction in the crock pot recently, but it was mediocre and not worth sharing.)  What has been happening is a LOT of running!  We've both been on the lookout for local 5/10 K races -- Seester finished a hilly one in the Arb (hilly as in, where we used to go for killer H.S. track practices!) in a respectable time, and then finished the Dexter Turkey Trot last Saturday in just over 30 minutes.  Jogged the whole thing -- no walking!!  And with her encouragement, Ronen and I were out on the roads as well, clocking a 1:04 for a 10K along a lovely stretch of San Vicente Blvd in Brentwood.  One of the fabulous things about LA -- it's always running weather!!

Baby Jogging!

It's been quite some time since I've posted...no sense in an update stating "uggh, I'm behind!"  Except, well, that's exactly why we started this blog in the first place.  It's just a chance for us Seesters to keep each other accountable for the mini-changes we pledged to make after spaaaahing together in August.  Here's my update...after several weeks of "making it a priority" to get Ronen in the baby jogger, I FINALLY did it!  Twice!!  Last Sunday, he was up unusually early on Sunday morning -- so as soon as it was light out, I loaded him in the BoB and we jogged to his favorite park.  He was a bit perturbed that I didn't let him out to play -- I had to finish my lap around the perimeter-- but after I'd gotten in a good jog I let him out to scramble around for a bit.  Sadly, I didn't get my Tuesday run in last week; I had a time crunch and succumbed to 20 minutes on the elliptical.  BUT...This past Sunday was the annual Pancreatic Cancer Challenge, which Ronen and I ran together.  A full 10 K!  I don't know my time, as the highlight of the race was jogging the last few hundred yards to cross the finish line with my momma.  Whoooooo-hooooooooo!  My shins are sore today, but it feels great to have finally worked in a way to run more than once a week.  Next up race-wise is the Christmas Run (Dec 10th), and then just a few more weeks 'til our 1/2 marathon.  It's gonna be awesome.

Recipe Six - Italian Turkey Loaves with Pasta Pesto

Italian Turkey Loaves
Servings 6
Calories per Serving 100

1 Cup Zuccini
3/4 Cup Carrots
1/2 Cup Celery
1/4 Cup Onion
1/2 Tbs Garlic
Step 1 Wash and Chop Veggies
Step 2 with FOOD PROCESSOR (yay) running drop in the garlic to minc and then add the other veggies to fine chop them

1 1/4 Ground Turkey (yes I chose this recipe cause I needed to use up my ground turkey :o])
3/4 tsp Marjoram
1 1/2 Tbs Browth Powder
1/4 tsp Thyme
3 Egg Whites
Step 3 Add to mixture in the food processor and process to mix
Step 4 Form 6 Individual loaves on a cookie sheet

Italian Sauce
3/4 Cup Tomatoe Sauce
1/4 tsp Oregano
1/4 tsp Basil
Step 5 Grind herbs and mix into the tomatoe sauce
Step 6 Top loaves with sauce and bake at 375 for one hour
Step 7 Serve topped with fresh parsley


Pasta Pesto
Servings 6
Calories per serving 170

12 oz Spinach fettucini or Spaghetti
Step 1 Cook and set aside

1/2 Cup Fresh Spinach
1/2 Cup Fresh Basil leaves chopped
1/2 Tbs Fresh pressed garlic
1 1/2 Tbs Water
Step 2 Place in blender and process to liquify
Step 3 Heat a large skillet then add spinach mixture bring to a simmer
Step 4 Add pasta and toss to heat through

3 Tbs Grated parmesan cheese
Step 5 Serve on ehated plate and top each serving with a GENEROUS sprinkle of cheese :o)

YUMM

It's a Process

First -- no, I did not get Ronen out on a run last week.  Bummer.  And yes, I'm weeks behind on cooking the meals.  (It's one meal a week -- good grief, you'd think I could do it!!)  However, I'm not going to beat myself up about it.  In fact, I will publically celebrate the small victories since my last post.  (1) I did a yoga DVD last Thursday morning.  It wasn't quite the same as getting to class, but hey, it was yoga.  At 6 AM.  Victory.  (2) The Bailey Family has not had leftovers for dinner for quite some time.  I didn't get to making the halibut, but I've roasted veggies, made crock pot soup, experimented with buttermilk in several favorite recipes (thumbs up in the shephard's pie, thumbs down in the pancakes), and sent Ronen with something different for lunch every day.  Victory. (3) I ran the 1.5 miles in my annual fitness test in just under 12 minutes, passing the (fighter pilot) boss in the final 100 yards.  Victory!
The cooking and running routines are part of a larger effort to feel like my life and my schedule are manageable and under control.  It's been satisfying to go to bed every night with the dishwasher loaded, a load of laundry running in the dryer, and a sense that I'll be well rested and ready to tackle the next day.  Getting in a run and having the night's dinner planned out are one small part of the routine -- some days are more on the ball than others -- but I'm giving myself full credit for taking lots of steps in the right direction.  And yes, it's still on the agenda to get Ronen into the BOB for a run!

Bonus Recipe - Alena's Charizo Pasta

Extra Virgin Olive Oli
Red Pepper Flakes
Step 1: Heat Oil with Red Pepper Flakes in skillet

Pasta (usually Penne) - Boil Pasta as other stuff is cooking!

Sweet Onion Sliced
Garlic (2 or so cloves)
Step 2: Add Onions and cook for about 2 minutes
Step 3: Add Garlic and cook for 30 seconds or so

Charizo (uncased and pulled apart)
Step 4: Add charizo

Red and Yellow Bell Pepper
Step 5: Cut peppers into thinish slices and add to the skillet - cook for a few minutes

Tomatoe
Step 6: Chop up the tomatoe and add to the skillet approximatedly 2 minutes before the pasta is cooked

Spinch
Step 7: Add spinich and pasta unitl spinach is wilted

Goat Cheese
Step 8: SERVE!! add goat cheese once in your bowl!!

Yum Yum!!

Recipe Five - Thai Coconut Curried Chicken with Potatoes

1 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 lb chicken breast (cut in strips)
Step 1: Wipe skillet with toasted sesame oil and heat
Step 2: Add chicken, cook then set to the side

1 large Red bell pepper
1 large Onion
1 Tbs Curry Powder
1 Tbs Soy Sauce
Step 3: Add Onion Bell Pepper, Curry Powder and Soy Sauce to a Skillet. Cook on High heat to soften onion.

1 3/4 Cup Water
2 tsp Coconut Extract
1 Tbs Arrowroot Powder
Step 4: Combine Water, Coconut Extract, and Arrowroot, add to skillet and bring to a simmer

3/4 lb Potatoes (cut in 1 inch cubes)

Step 5: Add potatoes and chicken and simmer until potatoes are tender

6 Cups Spinach Leaves
Step 6: Stir in Spinach to just wilt and serve

Overcoming Excuses

I'll admit it publicly: aside from teaching Core Fusion classes and going on my regularly scheduled Tuesday AM runs, I haven't exercised in weeks.  There are lots of reasons -- AFROTC classes have started and we're severely short manned, we're hosting a church-wide garage sale in our garage this weekend and I've been putting in an enormous amount of time and energy to get ready for it, Justin's grandma passed away and we travelled to her funeral, Ronen is at my favorite kid age I'm loathe to give up any of the few waking hours I get with him (does taking Ronen to Gymboree count as exercise???)...standard excuses.  I know better than to over-extend myself to the point where I'm not taking care of myself.  As I was running on Tuesday AM, I was thinking about ways to get Ronen time while I'm running -- I have a jogging stroller, so it's kind of a no-brainer.  Here's the problem: I don't like running in neighborhoods; I like paths.  So to include Ronen would mean either: (1) hauling him and the stroller to the beach path or (2) running closer to home.  One involves a lot of time, the other involves a lot of street crossings and traffic!  The rest of this week is a little insane with the garage sale, but my goal for next week is to take Ronen on a run -- some day other than Tuesday AM!