Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

1 large butternut squash
5 large red potatoes, peeled and chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 small to medium onion, chopped
2 tbs of curry powder
1 dollop of sour cream
a few chopped chives or green onions for garnish (optional)
1 carton of veggie or chicken low sodium stock
2 cups of water
1 cup of fat free milk
salt and pepper
1 tbs of Smart Balance butter or your butter choice

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the butternut squash in half. BE CAREFUL. Use a large chef knife. Place it face down in a nonstick pan after you salt it a bit. You may need to add a little oil or oil spray to your pan when placing it down on the pan so that it doesn't stick.

In a large pot, add butter, onions, celery, and carrots. Slightly cover and simmer on low until soft (ten minutes). Add stock, potatoes, and curry powder. Bring to high heat. Once potatoes are fairly soft,  add the butternut squash. Scoop it out. It's a little messy but get all the good stuff out. Discard of all seeds. They don't go in the soup.

Bring to a boil and then down to low-medium heat.  Once everything is very soft, use an immersion blender to puree the soup. You can use a blender but make sure the soup has cooled somewhat and you place it in the blender in batches. It doesn't need to be finely pureed.

Once blended, place back on simmer and add milk, water, and salt and pepper to taste.  Let simmer for at least 10 minutes.

*Optional- serve with a dollop of sour cream (low fat or fat-free) and chopped chives or green onions (scallions).


Serve the soup with a side salad or a big sandwich-although it is filling by itself. Enjoy!

Chewy Low Fat Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I found this recipe from one of my favorite blogs, skinnytaste.com. Not only are her recipes healthy and fairly simple to make, her talent as a professional photographer draws me in.

I'm not big into baking and never have been. My mother, AKA Martha Stewart,  keeps telling me that I will eventually love it and want to bake everyday like her. The truth is: I hate measuring and my husband does not want unlimited access to baked goodies in the house which could translate into some serious weight gain.

When I made these cookies, I figured I could hide them in the freezer. The great thing about homemade cookies is you can freeze them for up to 2 weeks. Marty was pleasantly surprised to find out that these cookies didn't taste as bad or sinful as he thought they would.

As a runner and someone who is constantly conscientious of my food intake, having a limited amount of treats, as long as they are not processed, is not a bad thing. Everything in moderation is the key. My good friend Ami Roach, will agree with me. She has lost 137 lbs and qualified for the Boston Marathon.

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups quick oats
• 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°; line two baking sheets with parchment paper or use a silpat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a large bowl, with a mixer, cream together the butter and the sugars on medium speed.  

Add the egg, followed by the applesauce and vanilla extract.

Working by hand, stir in the flour mixture and the oats until just combined and no streaks of flour remain; stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop heaping tablespoonfuls (approx 1 tbsp each) of the dough onto prepared baking sheets, flattening each cookie slightly (I forgot to do this). Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until cookies become light brown at the edges.

Let cool on baking sheet for 3 or 4 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container so you don't eat them all in one sitting! 

Makes about 30 cookies roughly 1 tbsp each.

Splenda Lovers: Substitute all the brown sugar with 1/4 cup Splenda brown sugar blend, and all the white sugar for 1/4 cup Splenda sugar blend. Points remain the same.

Mac-N-Cheese with Caramelized Onions

I love improv night.  Sometimes experimenting is not only  fun but can also result in a delicious meal that could end up becoming a family favorite. Caramelized onions are scrumptious to me so anytime I can incorporate them into a meal, I'm happy.


This recipe is not low fat. But, as I always say, if you are cooking from scratch and staying away from processed foods, a little fat is okay. Feel free to use whole wheat pasta instead. It would work just as well.


5-6 medium Vidalia (sweet) onions, thinly sliced
1 tbs of extra virgin olive oil
a splash of red wine vinegar
1 lb of any short pasta of choice (elbow macaroni, ziti)
4 tbs flour
4 tbs Smart Balance butter (or your own butter of choice)
6 cups of Hood Simply Smart fat free milk (or your own choice of milk)
3 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese (eyeball this)
a splash of hot sauce (I use Chalula)
2 cups of baby spinach leaves
2 large sliced tomatoes (I used homegrown green tomatoes-orange tomatoes would be fun too)
Parmesan Cheese
salt and pepper to taste.




In a medium nonstick pan, add oil and onions on medium to high heat. Saute for 15-25 minutes until golden brown and very soft. Add vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

After about 10 minutes

After about 25 minutes

While onions are sauteing(turn off the stove once they are finished caramelizing) pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees and boil water for the pasta. Once pasta is almost al dente (don't fully cook it because it will be cooking some more in the oven), drain. In the same pot on medium heat, add butter and flour. Whisk it into a roux (nice and thick and make sure the flour is cooked for a few minutes with the butter). Add milk and continue whisking until it starts to thicken. Add hot sauce, cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Blend in the cheese so that the it's fairly thick but not too thick but because it needs to continue to cook in the oven.

Fold in the cooked pasta and spinach leaves and spread into a large casserole pan. On top, layer tomatoes, caramelized onions, and sprinkle some shredded parmesan cheese on top. 

Bake in the oven until bubbly. About 10-15 minutes.

What is Your Fueling Strategy

Check out my article about fueling strategies at RUN IT FAST.

A Runner's Favorite, Spaghetti

make a huge pot and freeze the leftovers

Making a big pot of spaghetti sauce makes me happy. I love the aroma of the sauce as it simmers and I can decide on the ingredients depending on what I'm in the mood for and what I have on hand.

Even though Hinson Lake 24hr was tough this past weekend, I'm recovering exceptionally well. I believe that cooking healthy and substantial meals is what contributes to my recovery going so well in addition to listening to what my body wants. Yesterday as I was grocery shopping, I was really craving homemade spaghetti sauce with ground turkey breast.

I have a few requirements for my spaghetti sauce and this never changes: Vidalia Onion, 1 bulb of garlic, fresh basil and oregano (sometimes add dried basil and oregano if I don't have enough fresh), red pepper flakes, and good quality canned tomatoes.  Otherwise, pretty much anything goes: ground turkey breast or meatless, carrots, portobello mushrooms, green or red bell pepper.

Red Risotto

Beth's Shrimp with Risotto and Red Peppers

My mom's write-up on my recipe that I "invented" many years ago. 

                 Despite the no-cheese-with-fish-or-seafood dictum of  the Chopped demagoguery, I love this dish devised by my daughter, Beth. Anyway, would those arrogant experts chop such a delicious dish as this even though its two components, one with shrimp and one with Romano cheese,  are prepared separately then only served together? They have done that. But I’ve decided they’re hypocrites. Watching a Chopped episode today, I saw one of the judges heap praise on a contestant who used the sardines from her food basket for a different spin on Caesar salad. And I thought, Wait a minute. Classic Caesar salad successfully combines – and I mean, really combines – anchovies and Parmesan cheese. Is that a culinary heresy?

                But I digress. Beth’s lively Red Risotto never fails to awaken my jaded old taste buds when the other members of my kitchen repertoire seem boring and bland (maybe I’ve gotten too accustomed to Mexican and Indian food to enjoy humdrum dishes anymore). Dried red pepper flakes perk up the the thawed-out Costco shrimp that have to stand in for the fresh-caught kind. And they do double duty in the sauté for the risotto. More red comes in to the rice mixture to as a counterpoint to the heat, in the form of  fresh tomatoes,  plus a handful of refreshing shredded basil, both of which are tossed in after the risotto has cooked to -- quoting the inimitable Rachael  Ray -- “hang out” for five minutes while the shrimp is grilled.

              For me, the dish is perfection as is. But last night, needing to use up some of the gorgeous red peppers I’d roasted, I added half of one to add a little sweetness. Next time, for a fifth red element, I may get carried away and add some chopped sun-dried tomato to the mix. Maybe I’m watching too much Chopped.

Beth’s Shrimp with Risotto and Red Peppers

½ lb. shrimp

juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 or 5 cloves of minced garlic

red pepper flakes to taste

1 medium onion, chopped

3 or 4 garlic cloves, chopped fine

1 red bell pepper, chopped

red pepper flakes, to taste

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup Arborio rice

¼ cup dry white wine

3-1/2 cups vegetable broth

½ cup grated Romano cheese

3 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped

handful of basil leaves, sliced

sprigs of basil for garnish

salt and pepper 

Marinate shrimp in lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and red pepper while preparing risotto.

Put broth in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. In a large skillet, saute onion, garlic, and red pepper with red pepper flakes in butter and olive oil in large skillet until onion is translucent. Add wine and cook until almost evaporated. Stir in rice. Add broth, about ¼ cup at a time, stirring constantly, over medium to medium-high heat. When broth is absorbed and rice is al dente, stir in cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Turn off heat, stir in tomatoes and shredded basil, cover, and let it sit for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat lightly oiled ridged grill pan and grill the shrimp until done and slightly browned. 

Plate the risotto, top with shrimp, and garnish with sprigs of basil.

I Love Colorful Food

On a regular basis, I feel extremely fortunate. Not only do I have a wonderful husband and 10 year old son, I have a great mom and dad. I can talk to my dad on the phone for an hour straight about running and I can talk to my mom for an hour straight about cooking and decorating.  In fact, we do this quite often. I will admit, however, that the content of the conversation with one parent rarely crosses over to the other parent!

My mom spent the first 10 years of life in South America (Peru and Venezuela). She loves Latin food. She has been making "Yellow Rice with Peas and More" for many years and it's a favorite of mine. One of the ingredients, achiote seed, is widely used in Latin America. It's readily available in the Latin America section of the supermarket and very inexpensive. My mother told me that in South America, cooks make a batch of achiote oil with the seeds and use as needed.


I added shrimp to my mom's recipe and it turned out quite well. If you need a "meat" in your meal and don't care for shrimp,  grilled chicken on the side or even in the rice, would be tasty too. 


Yellow Rice with Peas and More


3 tbs olive oil
1 tbs achiote seed
1 medium onion, minced
3 garlic cloves
2 cups basmati or other long grain rice (I used brown basmati but allow for more time to cook)
3 1/4 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
2 cans Rotele chopped tomatoes with peppers
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 to 3/4 cup ripe olives, sliced
1/2 to 3/4 cup stuffed Spanish olives, sliced
2-3 tbs capers
2 carrots, peeled and sliced.

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add achiote seeds and cook until seeds are sizzling and oil is a rich gold color, about a minute. Remove from the heat. With a spoon, scoop up and discard seeds, leaving oil in pan.

Return pan to medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and carrots. Cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, 1 minute, or until grains begin to look a little opaque. Stir in Rotele and cook 1 minute. Stir in broth, salt and pepper. Bring rice to a vigorous boil, then turn heat to low, cover pan, and cook about 15-18 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Gently add peas, olives, and capers. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.

*For adding shrimp: When rice is nearly cooked through and the liquid not completely absorbed, add the peas, olives, capers, and the shrimp. I placed the pot covered in a 400 degree preheated oven to continue to cook for about 5-10 minutes (until the shrimp is cooked through and the rice cooked) or you could do the same thing on the stove.

 Mango, Red Pepper, and Black Bean Salad

2 red peppers, chopped

2 mangos, chopped

handful of cilantro, chopped

1 stalk of green onions (scallions) chopped

1 jalapeno, finely chopped (2 jalapenos are okay, too)

the juice of 2 limes

1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained well

1 medium onion, chopped

salt to taste

Combine in a bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Mango, Red Pepper and Black Bean Salad