Just an Update...

What a week.  I can't believe it's almost time to start another one already!

I've gotten all of the boy's college paperwork done and it just seems so final.  He's going to go away in a few months.  The time just goes so quickly.  He turns 18 next month and I don't think it seems possible that he was just my little boy, coming to cuddle up on my lap dressed like Steve from Blue's Clues, or a Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtle, or whatever was his favorite that week.  All those years can't possibly have flown by already.  But, indeed, they have.  Now I have a boy that towers about 6 inches above me and I barely know when he'll be here next between work and basketball.  In spite of my fears of how much I'll miss him, I am excited for him and all of the changes that lie ahead in his life.  So much excitement and he's so much better prepared for it all.  I hope that he knows so much more than I did when I left my parent's house!

Last week, I made a big decision not to run the Hashawa Hills 50k.  It was the right choice.  I felt a bit like I was wimping out but at the same time, I am trying to listen to my body more and to know what it needs above all else.  And I needed some rest.  My knees just healed up from all of my falls leading up to and during the Squirrely Tail Twail Half Marathon.  Add that to the cold forecast for next weekend and I just had to rethink it.  And, by withdrawing early, I gave someone a shot at moving up from the waiting list, so the decision had to be made.  It's funny that as I get older I become so sure of myself in some areas of my life, but in others I am just the same me I've always been...second guessing, wondering if this was the right choice, etc, etc and I have to admit that I feel pressure looking at the people around me and what I feel like their expectations of me are.  But, I am trying to keep in tune with the changes I wanted to keep in 2013.  Being more concerned about enjoying each run, and living through the life I want to be living are more important than what anyone else may think of me dropping out of the ultra, or even if I decide not to run one.  Ever.  I love running, I love working out and I love my life as is.  So I'm going to go with that for awhile and let everything else sort itself out.  Other people come and go, but I'm stuck with me.  :)

I did however sign up to do a color run with my friend, Michele, in May.  This is an untimed 5k run that seems to revolve around getting as covered in colored powder as possible.  Not my usual type of event but I'm in.  I am looking forward to it a lot!  I am so thankful for all of my wonderful running friends.  They have been the most awesome listeners, cheerleaders, therapists and coaches I could ever, ever ask for.  Running with my friends makes everything better!!  I do more than I think I can do, push my pace harder than I do alone and just all around am better at being me when I have time with them.  So thank you to all of you.  Big hugs.

Next week I am doing something extra super special and I cannot wait at all!!  It's my 41st birthday and I am going to Hershey Spa with my friends Lisa and Jess.  It has been years since I've been there and I am so excited that I've been counting the days since we made the appointments in January.  Being pampered and spending time with them will be an amazing way to spend a day.  Then I'm off for a long weekend with the hubby and we aren't sure what we're doing yet, but it will be nice to have a long weekend with him.  :)

Today we spent a few chilly hours out hiking with the dogs.  It was so cold my water bottle froze up!  But it was still a fun way to spend a few hours and it gave his knee a bit of a rest.  He's been on a running hiatus since Thursday and I don't know how much longer I can hold him off.  I took this weekend off of running and instead have been enjoying some yoga and some nice relaxation.  Yesterday was spent fighting a migraine most of the evening so rest was necessary.

And I've been cooking, cooking and even more cooking.  But I've not been taking pictures.  Hmm.  I'm sorry.  I do try and snap a shot with my phone and send to the facebook page as much as I can.  We had bananas foster type french toast this morning, followed by a pretzel stromboli for lunch/dinner.  I have to admit that's one of my new favorite meals.  I think this week is going to warm meals and soups because it has been so cold!  I can't wait for spring and all of the spring thaw and lettuces and early veggies that will soon be here.  I'm not sure how much planting I'll do beyond that since we won't be home so much of July.  I know that we'd lose a lot of things to weeds and dry conditions if we weren't here to manage them.  But we'll see.  I just hope we can get blueberries still.

So, what does your week look like...any new updates with any of you?  I'm off to make a chocolate cupcake with peanut butter filling for the hubby while he's napping before work.  Just for him.  Not me.  At all.  If you believe that... ;-)

Sheri

 

Veggie Barley Stew

We're expecting more snow this weekend.  I have to say,  I usually don't mind the snow but this winter it just seems like it's always there.  I look out the window and there are usually a few flakes blowing around.  That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it sure feels like it!  Luckily, I really do like running in the cold and at least the snow looks pretty while you're running.  Sucking a snowflake down your throat is surprisingly NOT a fun thing though.  It sort of catches there and it makes you cough.  Funny the things you find out being out there all the time.  :)

Anyway, tonight was a beautiful night for running.  Some sun to start would have been appreciated but I took a flashlight just to be sure the cars saw me against the gray sky backdrop of late afternoon.  I decided on a new loop because I was really tired of running the same loops I always run.  Plus, this loop was on roads that are a little more traveled than some of the neighborhoods I run in.  Once it gets dark you feel a bit exposed as a runner because it's just you out there and you always want to be aware of where you are and make sure that other people are nearby if possible.  Last year, I read the story of Sherry Arnold, a runner who was murdered while out on a regular run she did all the time.  It hit home with me and I find that I think of her often while I'm out running alone.  Not in a terrified, scared of the world way but instead in a way that reminds me that I do need to be aware;  I do need to be responsible for being as safe as possible but still be fearless enough to run.  So, I watch my routes.  If something doesn't feel right, I do a different route or run a different direction or even call the hubby for a pick up.  Awareness of your surroundings is so, so important.  It's a big reason of why I broke the habit of headphones while I run.  There is just no way to be as aware as you need to be while the sounds around you are muffled out.  Now I can't even imagine running with music.  So, the 2nd Virtual Run for Sherry is being held this Saturday by her cousin who writes the blog, Shut Up and Run.   I have my bib printed out and am ready to go!  I'm hoping that the hubby and I are doing 20-25 on the Appalachian Trail and it will be my last long run before I stand at the start line for Hashawa 50k.

I made it home, a little chilly but feeling good.  My left knee is still pretty sore from being whacked on the ice two weeks in a row but it held up.  And all I wanted was to EAT.  I was starving!!!  Luckily, I had made Veggie Barley Stew and Biscuits before leaving on my run.  The hubby did 17 this afternoon and I made sure it was ready for him.  I should have made more biscuits though because there only three left when I got home and the boy took one of those.  Okay, so I only made 6 but maybe I should have made more because those biscuits are awesome!!!  If you missed my biscuit recipe (it's not really mine, it really is one I found from a google search and have fallen in recipe love with it) here's my post with the link in it.   I halved the recipe for tonight's dinner.   The stew would have been good without the biscuit but I'll take any excuse to add a biscuit to a meal.  :)



So, by now you know that I am a terrible recipe creator.  I'm not even sure that I make anything of my own creation the same way twice in a row.  Soups and stews are especially tricky because I'm tossing a little of this, a little of that into a pot and I'll check on it and tweak it the whole time I cook it.  But I will try very hard to recreate this for all of you.

 

Veggie Barley Stew

• 2 cups pearled barley


• 1 32 oz container vegetable broth


• 2 cups of water


• 2 organic vegetable bouillon cubes


• 2 -4 cups of vegetables - whatever you have on hand.  I had carrots, parsnips and green beans.  Next time I'm sure it will be different.


• 2 cups of chopped and peeled tomatoes, or you could use canned or sauce even.  Whatever you have.  I had frozen peeled and blanched tomatoes from last summer's garden.

Directions

1. Bring broth and water to a boil and add bouillon and barley.


2. Boil uncovered for about 15 minutes and then turn the heat down to a simmer.


3. Add all remaining vegetables and let simmer at very low heat for about 45 minutes.  Sometimes I even turn my pot off after 25 minutes or so and just let the heat keep it cooking.

Easy but hearty.  I love meals and soups that remind me of my grandmother and this one does that.  Not only the aroma of the parsnips that she loved but the barley soup.  She made that pretty frequently with whatever she had on hand.  I love that I am able to continue some of her traditions and I feel so close to her when those memories are all around me.

I said that the soup was my reward and maybe I should have reserved that for dessert.  I have been wanting brownies so, so badly lately and I refuse to buy mixes.  All of the brownie recipes I've tried all come out cakey but I keep trying.  And I think I finally found a recipe that lives up to it's name.  The Best Brownies.

And they are pretty close to being the best.  I am going to experiment on replacing the oil with melted butter or at least half butter/half oil, but other than that, definitely my new go-to recipe.  Top it off with some red raspberry jam and...heavenly!!  That's a reward!



Now, while hubby's still sleeping before work maybe I should head to the kitchen and grab one more brownie.  Sssshhhh!  Don't tell!  :)

Have a great evening!

Sheri

Lazy Monday Night Ramblings

First off...yes, this is still a food blog at heart and I did cook tonight.  Well, I cook every night, just sometimes I don't take pictures because

a. it's boring and I've made it a zillion times before

b. I was actually too lazy to actually cook dinner and take pictures of it

c. I was so hungry I ate it before I could even take a picture

Yep, those are my reasons for why so many meals never even get photographed.  I'm loving that I can share photos from my phone right to my page on facebook.  At least I feel like I'm contributing a bit more that way.  Nice feature!

So, anyway, today was one of those days where sitting still for more than 1 minute was a rarity and my kitchen sink was filled with dishes well after naptime. Scary, isn't it?  Anyway, I was never without an awake child today all day and that means that nothing else can really get done like I would normally do at naptime.  So by the time pick up time came, my house was a wreck and I was hungry.  I knew soup was on the menu and I was glad because not only is soup healthy and delicious, it also requires next to no effort or time to get ready.  Soup in the winter is my favorite go to because it can be anything.  Tonight's soup?  Kale with Wheat Sweet Potato Gnocchi.  Mmmmmm....that was so good!

I also made a sourdough loaf to go with it. and I will admit that I smeared some brie on my slice before eating it.  After having a brie and cranberry grilled cheese this afternoon, I felt just a teensy bit guilty eating more brie but not enough to stop myself.  Knowing I wasn't running tonight held me to one slice.  Otherwise, I know I would have eaten more!

But I did do yoga and that felt great.  My muscles needed that.  And while I did yoga, I started watching Downton Abbey since I missed the first show last night while I was watching Biggest Loser.  I love Downton Abbey and that show did not disappoint!  Biggest Loser I'm not so sure about.  The inspirational stories are great but the game play aspect of it just turns me off to it.

So, that was my evening...a little soup, some brie on bread, yoga while catching up my shows and just some relaxation.  And don't we all need more laziness in our life!?!

Chard-Potato Soup and Cheddar Scones

Fall is here!  Well, not here here but it feels like it!  I'll take that.  My long run yesterday was cool, breezy and comfortable.  I haven't been able to say those words for a long, long time - or at least three months or so.  Our weekend wrapped up one of the craziest weeks we have had around my house - my running schedule suffered, the housework suffered and, needless to say, I'm glad I'm looking at a few empty spots on the calendar over the next two weeks.  In order to properly celebrate the change in the air, I felt soup was the most appropriate meal.  Our weekly menu said fajitas but that can be any night.  On the first weeknight with air this cool it had to be soup!  And my CSA had a huge bunch of chard in it this week.  Not much else but I won't complain.  This chard was beautiful...it had to be about 2 feet long per leaf and at least 20 leaves in the bunch.  I meant it when I said huge!

I am sorry that there's not really a recipe to share with you here.  It's a taste and adapt kind of recipe and I am so frequently putting a dash of this or that in it, I lose track.  But I can share a picture...



It was super easy - veggie broth and cubed potatoes simmered with some savory herbs and spices and onion and then sliced carrots and heaps of chard added to it.  It was thick, hearty and still healthy.  That is until I added a cheddar scone to go with it.  Not nearly as healthy, but what a complement!



I used my basic scone recipe and used less sugar, more salt and no vanilla.  I added in cheddar to the mix and then added a bit on top.  Perfect!

Cheddar Scones

Ingredients:

• 1 c flour


• 3/4 c whole wheat flour


• 2 1/2 t baking powder


• 1 1/2 t salt


• 1 T sugar


• 5-6 T milk or cream


• 1 egg


• 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese plus a bit more for garnishing if desired


• 1/3 c butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400


2. Mix all dry ingredients into bowl


3. Cut butter in until mixture looks like crumbs


4. Add egg, cheese and milk and either use hands or sturdy spoon to mix well.  Add milk in until mixture comes clean away from bowl sides, but isn't sticky.


5. Form dough into a round and cut into wedges.


6. Put wedges on baking sheet and add cheddar cheese on top if desired


7. Bake for about 12 -14 minutes in preheated oven.


8. Let cool and serve.

Hope you're enjoying beautiful weather wherever you are.  I am going to be thankful for today and the time my hubby and I got to spend enjoying our dinner with the cool breezes blowing.

Enjoy,
Sheri

Italian Winter Soup

I made up the name.  I'm so bad at naming my creations.  I apologize for those of you subjected to my awful naming skills.  But this soup was not awful.  It was so wonderful, especially since the temps had dipped to a balmy 13 the day I made it.  Sure was a welcome dinner after a cold, windy day.

My crock pot is a favorite cold weather cooking appliance.  I'm not sure why I don't use it as much in the warm weather but I just don't seem to.  But the versatility of it really can't be beat.  At my house, we are big fans of Olive Garden soups.  Chicken Gnocchi, Zuppa Di Toscana.  Love them!!  So, this soup was inspired by those soups.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey, browned and seasoned with sea salt and Italian seasoning blend (I used Tastefully Simple)
4 cups of vegetable broth
6 cups of chopped kale & chard blend
1 can Cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
5 large potatoes cut into small cubes
1 clove of minced garlic

Directions, Combine all ingredients in the crock pot and cook until potatoes are tender and greens are wilted.

The greens will fill the crockpot at first but they cook down quickly.

I don't tend to season the broth because I really heavily season the meat and allow it to seep the flavor into the rest of the soup.  It's a personal preference so feel free to adjust.

Soups ready!