Chicken Sausage Stuffed Portobellos over Baby Kale and Red Rice

In my last blog post, I talked about how I'm trying so hard to stay away from "bad carbs". I'll be honest, it hasn't been easy. I really love pasta and crusty french bread. I've often wondered if this love came from spending time in Italy when I was 20 years old. Probably not. I think I just love bad carbs. LOL.

So, I guess a good thing about not using spaghetti, linguini, ziti, polenta, white pizza crust, etc, etc, it forces me to think outside the box. I like being creative and have no problem trying things even if they don't really work out. Luckily, my husband is so grateful to be fed (wouldn't you be?) that he loves everything I make. My son, well, that's a different story. Lets just say that I'm still making pasta-just not for my husband and I to eat.

I spotted a week or two ago a pin on pinterest of a sausage stuffed portobello. I pretty much just glanced at it and probably made a mental note in my head because when I had some Costco chicken sausage in the fridge and some just bought portobellos, the mind started going...

This was really easy and took only about 30-40 minutes to make. You can vary up the ingredients if you like but this is what I did:

Ingredients:

5 or 6 portobello mushrooms cleaned well with a paper towel
olive oil spray
4-5 fully cooked links of chicken sausage, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
a pinch of fresh basil leaves
1 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
sliced tomatoes (any type, your choice)
shredded mozzarella cheese

Pre-heat oven to 450

In a large deep skillet, saute olive oil, garlic, onion, peppers, and chicken sausage until soft. It will take at least 10 minutes. Don't let it burn. Add dried basil, and salt and pepper. Be easy on the salt because the sausage can be salty.

Spray a cookie sheet with olive oil spray. Place mushrooms, stems up, and top the mixture in each mushroom. Fill them up pretty high. Add the tomatoes and mozzarella on top with a little more dried basil.

Place in the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until mushrooms are cooked and cheese is melted and browned.


***I placed the mushrooms on top of baby kale and red rice but feel free to do whatever you'd like. These stuffed mushrooms would go well with just about any starch of your choice. Or no starch at all.

Eating and Training to Run Fast for 24 Hours

People who know me pretty well are aware that I'm slow to change my ways. I listen very carefully to what others are doing and ask a lot of questions. In fact, I feel very grateful that I have such experienced ultra runners in my life and people that I can bounce things off of from time to time. But, I have trouble changing.

I'm also very slow to progress as an ultra runner. When I decided to run my first ultra which was a 50K, a 100 mile race was the farthest thing from my mind. After I finished my first 100 mile race three years later, I swore off 100s. They were too hard and I didn't want to beat my body into the ground. After my first 24 hour race, I thought that this was stupid and who would want to run around a circle for 24 hours. Now I LOVE 24 hour races and will pretty much do anything to see how much better that I can get at them.

After North Coast 24 hours last September (I can't believe it's been almost a year!) where I was able to get to 122.5 miles in poor weather conditions- rain for 18 out of 24 hours, I wanted to see if I could really have a chance of making the USA 24 hour team. I knew that because I don't have the natural leg speed, 130+ miles would not be easy and it would have to be a perfect day. Just a few months after North Coast, without really doing anything different training-wise, last minute I signed up for Shazam! 24hour which was a local track race. The idea of running around a 400 meter high school track was a little strange but I ended up liking it. Unfortunately, my body didn't like the 25 degree evening temperatures and I ended up pulling out of the race at 81 miles. This wasn't the race.

The next four months, I spent training for North Coast 24 hour  Spring Edition. I ran some decent 12 hour races and ramped up my mileage to 100 miles in a week.  I wanted it really bad and made sure to hit my higher mileage weeks. But, my speed was suffering because I felt like I couldn't handle the mileage load plus a lot of hill repeats and speed work. I still felt ready, mentally and physically.

My husband agreed to be my crew and I was very pleased to have him with me. We showed up to the race and I had no idea that conditions could be any worse. Snow blowing sideways along with sand (the race is on the Erie Canal), 50 mile an hour winds, and only 30 degrees. It was freezing. I knew that when I arrived, I wouldn't survive the evening and wouldn't be able to get near accomplishing my goal of 130+ miles. I only ended up with 48 miles and my husband stayed in the portapotty for the first 15 miles until I told him to go back to the hotel. Yah, it was that cold.

I was very disappointed after North Coast 24 hour but now I'm glad it happened the way it did. I think that everything happens for a reason.

Once I regrouped, I decided that I need to sign up for three 24 hour races to accomplish three goals: 1)Get some more experience. I'd only ran ONCE over 100 miles. That's not a lot of experience. 2)Finish the entire 24 hours. Don't go home early 3) Have fun. This is why we do this, right?

So, I've been definitely having fun. The first 24 hour race after North Coast was Black Mountain Monster 24 hour which is a trail with some hills and roots. I had a 4 hour nap and lots of little breaks.  I finished with 74 miles.

The 2nd 24 hour race was Merrill's Mile 24 hour on a finely packed gravel very flat course and I finished 104 miles and won 1st Female (and 2nd Overall). It rained almost the whole race so lots of puddle running but I had a blast.

My next 24 hour race is Hinson Lake 24 hour and again, the plan is to have fun and finish the entire 24 hours. I'd also like to actually stay on my feet the entire time with only a few five minute breaks. Can't wait for this race.

About a week ago, I decided to go ahead and ask to be invited to Desert Solstice 24 hour Invitational Track Meet in Pheonix, Arizona. The event is on a 400 meter high school track and there are pretty challenging qualifying standards. I was able to use my 122.5 North Coast 24 hour race as a qualifier. In December, I'll be trying for 130+ miles ONE LAST TIME.

In order to increase my chances of accomplishing this goal, I need to do everything possible leading up to this race. Yah, I've trained hard before but am I doing everything? I don't think so.

I'm really lucky because I love training and am very goal driven. But, I don't listen very well to what people are telling me around me and so I'm really trying to change things up and tweak what I've been doing regarding both training and diet. Maybe these things won't help but they will help my confidence and the truly special people in this sport like Joe Fejes and Ray K. will tell you that 90% of this is mental.

Here we go:

1) Eat less carbs and sweets. I've always felt like I didn't need to alter my diet because I cook and my weight is fine. Truth is: I eat a ton of carbs and 4-500 calories of dessert EVERY NIGHT. I can get away with it but if I want to do well in this race, I need to eat less sugar.

2) More strength training-Including the legs. My excuse was that I already beat my legs into the ground, I don't need to do leg extensions or squats or whatever. More leg strength will help. More all over strength will help.

3)Get my speed back. Run races. My last 2 weekends have been racing a 5K and 10K. Wow, that crap hurts! I need to learn how to deal with pain in the shorter stuff. It will help me when I'm finishing the last 7 hours of the 24 hours when I feel like I can't keep going. I also need to FEEL like I can run a 10 minute pace like it's nothing.

4)Hill work. I run on a lot of hills so I use that as an excuse. I'm getting weaker on hills and so I'm back to doing hill repeats. We've got this awesome (torturous) 0.6 mile steep incline that is perfect for this.

5)Continue doing what I normally do. Don't drink alcohol (In my case, no chardonnay), sleep well, stretch, and keep the mileage up. In a few months, I'll jack the miles up to near 100 as Desert Solstice gets closer.

I'm excited about the next four months. It will take a perfect day for me to get 130+ miles at Desert Solstice but I'm ready for the challenge :-)

Tri-Color Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Yes, I do still have a blog and I do still cook all the time. Blogging isn't something that I'm very good at. I enjoy writing but would rather be creating or cooking.

I was watching Rachel Ray on Sunday morning before my 8 mile treadmill run and saw her making a risotto stuffed pepper and zucchini. One of the challenges that I enjoy is using what I have in the fridge and pantry and seeing what I can create that is similar. I would have been perfectly happy making Rachel's recipe, it looked delicious-but I didn't have any arborio rice. hmmm....

I started going through my pantry and came across some Trader Joe's organic tri-color quinoa. I pulled it out along with some petite diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and a carton of chicken stock. I had green, red, orange, and yellow bell peppers that needed to be used except the red peppers were moldy. Eww....so they were tossed.

Then, I started thinking about how I could prepare most of this ahead of time in order to make it to my 2nd evening run at 5pm with Anita. Oh, how I love coming home from a run and having most of my dinner READY. And my husband loves it too.

So here you go...

6 cloves of garlic, minced
one small sweet onion, minced
a pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil, divided
a pinch of dried basil
1 carton of good quality chicken or veggie stock
1 small can of tomato paste
1 can of petite diced tomatoes
2 cups of quinoa (I used tri-color quinoa but any type will work)
1 cup of panko crumbs
a small handful of shredded parmesan cheese
6 bell peppers (any color) washed and cleaned out inside, cut the top off
olive oil spray
1/2 cup of parsley, chopped (mint and parsley or basil would work)
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400.

In a medium sized pot on low to medium, saute garlic, onion, and red pepper flakes with 1 tbs of olive oil. Once the onion is translucent in 5-7 minutes, add the dried basil. Then add the chicken stock and petite diced tomatoes and turn the heat up on high. Once it starts to boil, add the quinoa (rinse the quinoa if the package tells you too) and turn down the heat to low. It will take about 10-15 minutes but don't overcook the quinoa. Don't let it get mushy! Add the tomato paste and if it's a little watery still, don't worry about it.

Prepare the bell peppers by spraying a casserole dish (or 2 depending on the size) with olive oil spray. Cut the tops off the bell peppers and dig out everything inside. Place them ready to go in the casserole dish.

Then, prepare the crumb mixture in a small bowl by adding crumbs, cheese, and 1 tbs olive oil (or a little more). Feel free to use whole wheat crumbs.

When the quinoa is ready to go, spoon the mixture into each pepper. Once all six peppers are filled, add the crumb mixture on top.

Place in the oven lightly covered with tin foil for about 10-15 minutes. Then, for the remaining 5-10 minutes, take the tin foil off. The idea is to have the peppers gently cooked (soft) and the crumb mixture gently browned. Be careful not to burn the crumb mixture. I almost did, so watch the oven carefully.

Serve with lots of fresh parsley on top and it would be lovely with a side salad.

Quinoa has lots of protein in it so don't feel like you are missing it!

These stuffed peppers are great leftover too so make sure you make six of them! Your friends at work will be jealous of your lunch.

About carton chicken/veggie stocks: Don't buy Trader Joe's brand. It's pretty much the ONLY thing that I don't like at Trader Joe's. It is too thick and nasty, in my opinion. 

No Average Joe

While recipes are usually what I write about in my blog, I felt the urge to write about running only-no recipes today.

I've been running races since 1995 starting with the 10K. Over a long period of time, my running has evolved into something far beyond what I thought was possible. It's been a long progression with many ups and downs. It's been an adventure. And, even though I'm quite fulfilled in many other areas of my life, ultra running has become my passion.

I have never felt as if I had any talent as a runner. I guess if one were to find something defined as talent in me, it would be lack of injury proneness and having better than average endurance. Otherwise, even though I do pretty well in ultra events as a recreational runner, without the speed, I'm limited.

I'm okay with being limited because as I said earlier, my running has evolved into something far beyond what I thought was possible. I never thought I'd be able to run 100 mile races or 24 hour events and survive. I never knew that I had something in me deep down that wanted to do this-even though I fought it. I still fight it.

Along the way throughout my running, I've had influences-so many of them. I could probably list 10 people since 1995 who have encouraged and supported me such as my dad, Al. I did my first long run with dad- ran half marathon and 10ks with him, and he now comes out and supports/crews many of my ultra events. He's 77 years old and still running half marathons. RUNNING, not walking half marathons. I feel so blessed to have this bond with him. I know it's special.

My first 100 mile race was KEYS 100 in 2010. It took me over 3 years after my first ultra to run a 100 mile race. It was a big deal and I finished the darn thing. I told myself, and everyone else, that I'd never do another one again. 100 mile races are really crazy and one was enough.

Six months after KEYS 100,  while I was running the Peachtree City 50K and on my last 5ish mile loop (I'd run a marathon the day before so I was shuffling very slow), Joe Fejes came running up beside me. He was at the race running the 25K only because he'd finished Pinhoti 100 mile race just the weekend before. We were facebook friends and had mutual friends because we lived close to each other, but we had never actually met. He came up beside me to run with me so that he could ask me about KEYS 100. I told him not to do it. Just kidding....

So, after meeting him and adding him to the Hamilton Mill running club email list, he fit in very well with our club and ended up running with us on a regular basis. While many of his miles run with me were "junk" miles because he is quite a bit faster than me, he still saw value in it.  In fact, he played a huge role in helping Ami Roach get faster. When he first met Ami, she couldn't break 4 hours in the marathon. He encouraged her and pushed her. Ami's marathon PR is 3:21 now. Joe has helped her do this. He helped her because he truly likes helping people improve and excel in running. You can read about her here and here.   I think he enjoys helping others as much as fulfilling his own dreams as a runner.

Hinson Lake 24hr was my first actual 24 hour race and it was Joe's second.  We'd done some 100 mile races but when you finish under 24 hours as a 100 mile runner, a 24 hour race can seem daunting. I stopped at 100 miles in a little over 21 hours and Joe kept going. He kept going and finished in the low 130s. After the race, Vikena Yutz suggested to Joe that he try qualifying for the USATF 24 Hour Team. He had just finished the 24 hour- dehydrated, out of it, chafed, hungry, thirsty, not hungry, tired....but still,  when he listened very carefully to Vikena and her suggestion, he lit up. He wanted it.

Even though I love ultra running-just love it, the 24 hour race seems insane. And though I'm a decent ultra runner, running for 24 hours is just so hard. It hurts and honestly, I still don't know why I love it. How can someone love something so much that brings on so much pain?

Over a period of time as Joe improved his 24 hour event by completing 142 miles and qualifying for the USATF 24 Hour World Championships in Poland, I started to think that I wanted to try this. The idea of competing overseas with 35 other countries was intriguing. I wasn't sure I had a chance but with Joe's training guidance, I decided to start taking training even more seriously.

You can read about my race at North Coast 24 hour (September 2012)here.  I fell short of my goal of over 125 miles but decided that I have a chance at improvement. I may not be fast but I don't take breaks and know how to shuffle. So, in 2013, I'll be giving a 130+ mile in the 24 hour a shot again.

Joe went on to Poland to compete in the 24 hour USA World Championships, as the sixth male to qualify in 2012 completing 147 miles and was the 3rd American male finisher. Since then, he ran 156 miles at Desert Solstice 24 hour to qualify him again to compete in Worlds, and this was two weeks prior to his new world record in the 72 hour at Across the Years. He ran 329.6 miles in 72 hours this past weekend. Averaging 110 miles a day for three days is hard for even most ultra runners to fathom.

Joe Fejes isn't an average Joe at all. He is a coach, a mentor, and now a world record holder in ultra running. The Hamilton Mill Running Club is so glad to know Joe and have him a part of our group. He inspires us all to never stop pushing hard for our dreams and believe in things that seem out of reach, to not settle for something that we think is what we deserve, and to do what we love because this is our one shot at life.

Congratulations Joe. We are all proud of you.

"What Katie Ate" Cookbook Review

I got an email by the publishers of "What Katie Ate", which is for sale starting today, to write a cookbook review for my blog. I received this absolutely gorgeous cookbook in the mail, written by Katie Quinn Davies, a native of Dublin, Ireland who currently resides in Australia, and I just couldn't put the book down. Not only was it incredibly beautiful, between the amazing photographs (Katie is a food stylist and photographer) but I was really drawn to the eclectic fonts and page designs, almost like a scrapbook. I really enjoyed reading Katie's story that lead to her career and now the publishing of her first cookbook. 

Trying to figure out what to make was a challenge. So many recipes looked appealing to me, however since I don't eat pork or beef, I was able to narrow it down a little. 

My decision was to try out two recipes:

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tartlets with Balsamic Syrup

Baby Potatoes with Asparagus and Caper Dressing

The tartlet was going to be served as an appetizer and the potatoes and asparagus was a side dish to go along with grilled rosemary and lemon chicken breasts

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tartlets with Balsamic Syrup

1 large sheet good quality puff pastry

1 large free range egg yolk, mixed with a splash of milk

5 heaped tbs of caramelized onion jam (see recipe below)

6 oz good quality goat cheese, cut into thick rounds

3-4 sprigs thyme, leaves picked, plus extra sprigs to garnish

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup of balsamic vinegar (use the best you can get)

4 tbs of light brown sugar

Serves 4

Preheat the oven to 425* F.

Using a 5 inch round pastry cutter or a small bowl as a template, cut four rounds of pastry and place on a large nonstick or lined baking sheet. Score a 1 inch border around the edges of the rounds, being careful not to cut all the way through. Avoiding the border, prick the bases all over with a fork. Brush the borders with egg wash, taking care not to let the egg to run down the sides or the pastry will rise unevenly.

Again avoiding the border, divide the caramelized onion jam among the bases, spreading it out evenly. Place the round of goat cheese on top, then scatter with the thyme leaves and season with pepper.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the puff pastry borders are golden and risen and the bases of the tartlets are cooked.

Meanwhile, place the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, the reduce the heat and simmer until reduced by half. Add the brown sugar and simmer until the mixture becomes syrupy-it should coat the back of the spoon when it's ready. Set aside to cool and thicken.

Serve the tartlets drizzled with the balsamic syrup and scattered with thyme sprigs.

Caramelized Onion Jam 

4 large onions, peeled and finely sliced

2 tbs olive oil

sea salt flakes

3 tbs balsamic vinegar (plus a bit extra if required)

1 1/2 tbs light brown sugar

Makes 1 1/2 cups

Place the onions in a large, deep heavy-bottomed saucepan and drizzle with olive oil. Using a wooden spoon, stir the onions to coat throughly with the oil, then season with a pinch of salt. Cook over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes or until softened. Turn the heat down to low and continue cooking for a further 30 minutes, stirring frequently to scrape any sticky bits from the bottom of the pan. 

Add the vinegar and sugar and stir to coat well. Continue to cook over low heat for another 30-45 minutes, again scraping all the sticky bits from the bottom of the pan. Add a splash more vinegar if the jam becomes too sticky-the consistency should be that of a thick, luscious marmalade. Set aside to cool.

What did I think?

I thoroughly enjoyed these little tartlets. Goat cheese and caramelized onions? What's not to like? I think that if I made them for company, I'd definitely have the jam made ahead of time. My husband wasn't super excited about them, although he will eat anything I put in front of him. His response was, "You know I'm not a pastry guy, dear". My son? Well, no my son wouldn't try them. He doesn't like onions, among many other things these days. I bet his friends would have gobbled them up.

Baby Potatoes with Asparagus and Caper Dressing

Terrible iphone photo but I was too busy cooking and am not the best multi-tasker!

I love my lemon squeezer!!!

The caper dressing. Using recycled jars is the best way to mix dressings together

10 small-medium sized baby potatoes

1 tsp fine salt

1 large bunch thin asparagus (about 10 spears), woody ends removed, spears cut into 3/4 inch pieces

handful of watercress leaves, washed and torn

Caper Dressing

6 tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 tbs lemon juice

1/4 cup salted capers, rinsed and finely chopped

handful dill fronds, chopped

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Half-fill a large saucepan with cold water and add the potatoes and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are just cooked through. Drain and leave to cool completely before cutting into halves or quarters (depending on their size-you want bite-sized pieces).

Meanwhile, half-fill a medium-sized saucepan with water, bring to a boil and add the asparagus. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then drain and plunge immediately into a bowl of ice water.

To make the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Place the potatoes and asparagus in a large bowl, then coat with half the dressing. Turn out on a large, flat, serving platter. Dress with the torn watercress leaves, drizzle the remaining dressing, and serve.

Serve 4 as a side

What did I think?

I loved this side dish. It was simple and very tasty. To cut down on pots, I rinsed out the potato saucepan to be used again with the asparagus. Also, I forgot to buy fresh dill! I had to use dried, unfortunately. Fresh dill would have been better. My husband liked the dish a lot and my son Grant did as well-of course he picked out the capers.

Grant and I split the grilled chicken breast which is why it's cut in half

I also made a quick low fat dark chocolate raspberry loaf for dessert.

Final Review

It was my pleasure to review this beautiful book and I will treasure the copy that the publishers gave me. I think Katie is very talented, not only in her gorgeous photographs but her tasty recipes.

PROS 

1) Beautiful book that could be used as a coffee table book.

2) Eclectic design of different fonts, photographs, and images.

3)Very detailed instructions in her recipes. Newer cooks will appreciate this.

4) Interesting and informative section on "Tricks and Tips".

CONS

1) Small font-hard to read. I like the "typewriter" font style but that along with the smaller size, makes it difficult to read. Once I got used to it, it didn't bother me. For the cook who is vision challenged, this may be frustrating.

Running, Eating, Sleeping, Repeat

Running Stuff

It's been awhile since I updated my blog but I'm still cooking most evenings. Sometimes I could just kick myself for not pulling out my fancy camera to take shots of some delicious dishes that I've concocted. Usually I just take quick shots and post them on Instagram but I guess it's better than nothing.

A lot of you know that I've been training. Oh yes...really training. Now, most people think that when the mileage goes up high, in my case to 90 mile weeks, it takes up all my time. This is not true at all. If I have to do something early in the day, like work, but I still need a 10-12 mile run, I simply wake up even earlier.

Along with intense training means that I need to take care of myself. No drinking alcohol, eating very healthy, and being disciplined enough to go to bed at the same time my son goes to bed (or earlier) which is at about 9:30p.m. High mileage training is all about always having a mindset that is committed to my goal.  Otherwise, what's the point.

Oh, and by the way, if you haven't read my race report, written by the awesome Ashley Walsh who was my crew at North Coast 24 hour, please take a few minutes to read it. Ashley is one amazing runner and writer: Click- ASHLEY, to get to her report.

North Coast 24hr Pre-Race dinner- Mac-n-Cheese with truffle mushrooms, Yum!

Anyway, we had a wonderful trip and even though I missed my goal of 125+ (really wanted 127 or so) miles in order to have a chance to get on the USA 24 hour team to go to the Netherlands next Spring to compete, I still got 122.5 and have one more chance. Yep, back to training. I'm using Freedom Park 24 Hour on New Years Eve as my last shot. I will train the same but bump it up a little more. And, I have my awesome husband, Marty coming with me to Freedom Park so I'm excited about that. What a great way to celebrate the New Year!  Nope, he won't really be crewing me. I don't mind him at the race during the day but in the evening hours, it's best that he gets some sleep in the hotel. I will do better with him not around. If you read Ashley's race report, you will understand why. Or if you are an ultra runner, you will understand why. Sometimes it's best not to have the loved ones around in those later miles. 

So, right now, I'm just trying to get back into training after a few low weeks following North Coast. Recovery to me is very important and I take it seriously-especially the older I get. I have to really listen to my body which can be hard at times. The only other ultra race that I have is the Nashville 50 miler on November 3rd which will be like a training run for Freedom Park 24hr, except I'm going to race it and shoot for a Nashville PR. This will be my fourth year and with my best time being last year with a 7:51, I think I can do a little better. I'm looking forward to that race because I just love Nashville so much.

Non-running Stuff

As far as my real estate career goes, I've switched gears a little. I was working as a buyer's agent for a very successful agent on a team and decided to go out on my own. I'm hoping to get a listing on my neighbors house this Friday! Yay!

In the next day or two, I will be doing my first cookbook review on this blog for http://whatkatieate.blogspot.com and am excited about that. Her cookbook is gorgeous and the recipes look delicious. I will have a difficult time choosing one of the recipes to make first! Once I do, I will add pics and the review with the recipe. Can't wait.

I love this photo at North Coast because my expression describes exactly how I felt- DRIVEN

Kale and Spinach Ravioli Casserole

On a regular basis, I whip up this fast casserole and can usually do it with minimal brain power and not a ton to wash afterwards which is always a plus-especially when I end up having to do the dishes. Costco has this awesome ravioli for sale. I've been buying it regularly and we just love it. (Um, me and my husband-not my picky 11 year old son) It can also be frozen which is an added plus but it usually stays fresh in the fridge for a month.

I use both packages in this recipe (leftovers!) and other than the great taste, I like that the ravioli is bite size. Of course, other ravioli will work in this recipe but lately, this is my fav.

1 tbs of extra virgin olive oil
a pinch of dried red pepper flakes (to taste)
1 large onion, sliced
4-5 large garlic cloves, minced (don't skimp on the garlic!)
1 red bell pepper , sliced
2 tbs of flour
1/2 cup of dry white wine
3 cups of low fat or fat free milk (eye ball-more on this later)
a handful of spinach leaves
a handful of fresh basil leaves (don't chop-keep it whole)
salt and pepper to taste (do make sure it's salted properly)
1 pinch of dried basil (for on top)
1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
one tomato, sliced and cut in half

For this recipe, you will need a large nonstick skillet and a large lasagna pan (shown in photo)

Preheat oven to 425

In a large skillet on low to medium heat, saute onions, garlic, and red peppers in olive oil and red pepper flakes. Make sure you don't burn the garlic. Turn down the heat if you need to. Saute for 5-7 minutes or until the red pepper and onion are soft. Add in the flour. Whisk it in to break it up. The mixture will get kind of gooey. Add the wine and whisk again. Then add the milk and keep whisking. Make sure the flour is broken up and combined. Also, be sure to add some salt and pepper. At this point, it should start to thicken but don't let it get too thick. Add in the spinach leaves and basil leaves.

In lasagna pan, add all the spinach and kale ravioli. Then, pour the entire mixture on top of the ravioli. Make sure that the ravioli is under the cream sauce. If not, add a little more milk. It won't hurt it. Then, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and place the tomatoes on top. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and dried basil.

Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbly. The cream sauce will begin to bubble up and the cheese will slightly brown.

Let cool (if you have patience) for five minutes. It will help to continue to thicken up the sauce, especially if you added more milk.

Serve with crusty bread and a salad or just by itself. I hope you like it and remember, you can be as creative as you want with this one.

Kay's Crab Cakes, Healthy Version

I've really missed food blogging. And I still really want to publish a cookbook, although I will need to change the title since Scott Jurek stole my title. Ha! Not really. His book is called "Eat & Run" and mine was to be called Eat to Run but I will find a different title.

Starting a real estate business has not been easy. In fact, it's been really hard. At almost 43 years old, I've been an "expert" in different areas of my life including my former career and now I'm a total newbie who doesn't know squat. Hopefully, my "ultra running toughness" will help me stay tough and hang in there....

So, here we go. I've been eating my mom's crab cakes for years, "Kay's Crab Cakes". I changed them ever so slightly just to make them a little less fattening. Do I prefer my mom's version? Yes. But, I try to avoid frying food.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1 whole egg
3 tbs of KRAFT olive oil mayonnaise
3 tbs of Dijon mustard
Worcestershire to taste
the juice of  one lemon
16 ounce container of fresh lump crab meat (I get mine from Costco)
1 cup of panko crumbs
1/2 cup of minced onion (I used red onion but Vidalia would be nice too)
1 red bell pepper (I used red and green homegrown bell pepper)
salt and pepper to taste

(Mom adds parsley which I left out so that Grant wouldn't make an issue out of it. She also adds Tabasco sauce but again, I made these kid friendly. She also uses crushed saltine crackers instead of Panko crumbs)

Mix in a large bowl and form patties. Spray a large cookie sheet with olive oil. Place the patties on the cookie sheet and spray the patties on top. Make sure that each patty is coated with olive oil spray.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until the other side is brown. Then, flip and brown the other side. Simply check them to make sure they are fully cooked through and browned. Total time should be between 25-30 minutes.

Serve with lemon wedges and cocktail sauce. I like Trader Joe's cocktail sauce.

I served the cakes with jalapeno polenta (quick cooking polenta, finely chopped jalapeno, and a little butter). The polenta complimented the cakes quite well. The green beans are from my mother in law's garden and were steamed.

**Note: Lump crab meat is expensive. However, if you follow this recipe, you should be able to get 7-9 crab cakes out of it. Depending on the size of your family, leftovers are a definite possibility. If you are single and make these for yourself, they can be taken to work for lunch for 3 days and I can guarantee your co-workers will be drooling.

Creamy Pasta with Shrimp

I've done a dozen different variations of shrimp with pasta but this one was really tasty tonight. I've been really trying to focus on "clean eating" lately. Before Umstead, I focused on "the good carbs"and have continued that as a part of my recovery from the 100. However, Once or twice a week, I gotta have me something cheesy and high in carbs. Maybe your weakness is deep fried food, or ribs, or cake and cookies...Mine is my desire for a lot of "bad"carbs such as pasta or french baguette, number one, and heavy on the cheese, number two.  Well, I have one more weakness-ANYTHING CHOCOLATE.

1 1/2 lbs of shrimp, peeled and tails removed
1 lb of spaghetti
1/2 cup of heavy cream
the juice of one lemon (I used a Meyer lemon because I had it on hand)
1/4 cup of crumbled goat cheese and more for garnish
3/4 cup of dry white wine
1 cup of ricotta cheese (I used part-skim)
3 tbs of olive oil, divided
1 full garlic bulb,peeled and thinly sliced (I like A LOT of garlic, feel free to use a little less)
pinch of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
a few tbs of flat leaf parsley, chopped

Get a large pot of water ready on the stove for the pasta. Try and time it where the pasta is finished when the sauce/shrimp is finished.

In a very large saute pan with 1 tbs of olive oil on high heat, saute the shrimp. Do not over cook. In fact, under cook in order to prevent dryness/rubberiness. Should take 2 minutes or less on each side. Remove the shrimp and place it on a plate. Cover the plate.

Turn the skillet down low, add 2 tbs olive oil, a few pepper flakes (to taste, I didn't use very much because of my son) and the garlic. Saute for about 4-5 minutes. Do not brown the garlic! Turn heat up and add the wine. The heat should be on medium or medium high in order to cook the alcohol out of it. After about 5 or so minutes, add the heavy cream, lemon juice, goat cheese, and ricotta cheese, Mix and lower the heat to low. Add back the shrimp.

When the pasta is al dente, add it in the pan and toss. Add the parsley and cover with tin foil for about 5 minutes with the heat on low.

Garnish with more goat cheese.

Feel free to use half and half or whole milk instead of heavy cream. I had heavy cream on hand because I was trying to make homemade ice cream this past week (disaster!). Also, whole wheat pasta would work just fine as well, although it may not look as pretty with a white sauce, LOL.

I used a little of the garlic and sauted some fresh spinach with some olive oil as a vegetable side dish. A salad was be a nice accompaniment as well.


***Message to my blog fans. Ha Ha. No seriously, I wanted to mention that my blog posts will be limited for awhile while I finish up my online real estate course. However,  if I make something absolutely delicious that I must share, I will certainly post it! Happy Cooking!

Quinoa Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Sometimes I feel like I deprive my son and husband of beef and pork so I made the suggestion that Marty grill some steaks for dinner last night. He seemed pretty receptive to that idea-I wonder why- and so I went ahead with making a vegetarian cold dish in the afternoon to compliment the steak- 0r should I say, to give me something to eat since I will not eat steak. I've never understood the appeal-sorry meat eaters!

I've made something similar that I really love called Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad (scroll down) and decided to change up the ingredients just a little bit. It was quite tasty with a good bit of protein in the quinoa and the black beans. Lately, I've been keeping sweet potatoes on hand all the time. They are super cheap (I think I got some from Kroger for 37 cents a pound recently) and filled with so much goodness! Not to mention, the sweetness makes them extra special. Oh, and they are paleo friendly, right, Dena and Jason?

1 large sweet potato or 2 small potatoes, diced to about one inch with skin on

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

2 large tomatoes or 4 small tomatoes, diced

1 cucumber, peeled and diced (unless it's an English cucumber, than only dice it)

a handful of chives, chopped

a handful of  fresh citrus mint (or regular mint), chopped

3 tsp of balsamic vinegar

the juice of one lime

3 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 tbs of olive oil, divided

salt and pepper to taste

green leaf lettuce and more lime juice on the lettuce 

1cup dried quinoa (follow directions on box)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Meanwhile, follow directions to cook the quinoa (should be 1 cup to 2 cups of water). 

On a cookie sheet, spread sweet potatoes out and toss in 1 tbs of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Place in the oven for 10 minutes. Toss and flip them, and continue cooking for 5 or so more minutes. Watch carefully. Because they are diced small and have natural sugar in them, they could burn. Make sure they are cooked all the way through and taste really yummy before removing them from the oven. Let cool.

Once quinoa is finished, spread it out on a platter or some tin foil in order to allow it too cool before adding it to the salad. Don't use parchment paper (I've done that before-big mistake).

Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and toss. Then, add the quinoa and sweet potatoes once they are fairly cool. Cover and place in the fridge for about an hour. Serve on a platter of green leaf lettuce, arugula, or any other lettuce of your choice. I added some lime juice to the lettuce as well.

***One more comment about sweet potatoes. Roasting sweet potatoes this way, with some chopped fresh rosemary, is delicious. They can be eaten cold this way as well and easy to transport to work. A great little treat to snack on any time of the day!

Enjoy!

Orechiette and Citrus Mint Salad with Asparagus Melts

It's been too long. Way too long. And I really have no excuse other than the fact that I jump from one interest to the next on a whim. Not a great trait but it's who I am and my son's the same way. Running and cooking are always going on in my life but the blogging...well...the blogging  definitely fell by the waist side.

I would love to say that this is my excuse:

A 100 mile race I have coming up this weekend (EEK!). But, truth be told, I just get bored with blogging sometimes. And, if I don't feel like doing something, a lot of times I won't do it. I guess I'm sounding pretty spoiled. Since blogging is a choice and I don't get paid to do it, I have to be in the mood or I simply won't do it.

I'm still cooking away though, and cooking extra-healthy since Marty and I got back from Costa Rica. I ate lighter carbs than usual in Costa Rica-lots of fruit, veggies, and fish. Oh, and the best guacamole at lunch and dinner time. Since then, I've been really trying to focus on lower carbs or eating the good carbs. Now that Umstead is almost here (EEK! again), I'm definitely incorporating more carbs back into the mix. Also, lots of eggs. I just hard boiled a dozen of them and my son takes a few with him to lunch everyday as well. I figure if Ami Roach eats eggs everyday, then I need to do the same.

So, here's a light vegetarian dish that I made last night. Pretty simple but tasty. And if you're wondering, I did have plenty of protein sources earlier in the day. Protein is a very important component as an extreme endurance freak. 

Orechiette and Citrus Mint Salad

juice of one lemon
a pound of orechiette or any short pasta
15-20 kalamata olives, chopped
one container of cherry tomatoes, chopped in half
a small handful of citrus mint or feel free to use mint or even basil. Just as long as it's fresh, chopped
a small handful of chives, chopped
2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil
a dash of red wine vinegar (a tbs)
freshly ground pepper, to taste
one small container of reduced fat feta cheese (about a cup or so)

Boil the water for the pasta. Follow the directions on the package and cook al dente. Drain and spread out on tin foil on a cookie sheet to cool.

Add all ingredients in a large bowl. Toss and chill for at least an hour.

Asparagus Melts


Sliced whole wheat bread (I used whole wheat Tuscan Pane from Trader Joe's)
asparagus, chopped in half and ends trimmed
thinly sliced red onion (sweet onion is okay)
mayo
dijon mustard
havarti cheese (I used dill havarti)
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat Broiler

Steam asparagus for 3 minutes in a steamer. Remove immediately and place in a bath of ice water to stop the cooking and keep the asparagus bright green.

On tin foil on a cookie sheet (or two, depending on how many you are making) Toast the bread on each side in the broiler. Remove the pan and thinly spread mayo and mustard. Then, add the asparagus, thinly sliced onion, and cheese. Place back in the oven for a few minutes. The cheese should be melted and the bread should be toasted.

I used very little cheese but use more if you'd like. And, feel free to use other types of cheese such as cheddar, swiss, gruyere...

Enjoy!

Fast and Healthy Mahi Mahi dish

On this night, I had good intentions. I was going to create a pretty fancy dinner with the fresh mahi mahi fish that I bought from Whole Foods. I must admit, it was a little pricey-more than what I normally like to spend. Unfortunately, I just didn’t have the time to execute my fancy dinner. That happens.

This meal couldn’t have been easier and was tasty. The whole thing took no time at all. 

I preheated the oven to 450. Tossed the asparagus and baby yukon gold potatoes in a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Placed them in the oven and turned them once. They took about 15 minutes. On one side of the sheet pan, I had the asparagus. On the other side, I had the potatoes. It worked out nicely. I was worried the asparagus would get mushy but it didn’t. I think it’s very important for the potatoes to be really small or cut in half or quartered.

I preheated the grill pan and rubbed the mahi mahi with minced garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, and a little bit of lemon juice. Grilled each side, about 5 minutes, and then covered with tin foil until ready to eat.

Then, I tossed some arugula with lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Served the meal with lemon wedges for the mahi mahi. 

Easy and quick. And definitely healthy. Feel free to add tartar sauce, sour cream, or any other condiment that you'd like. But, for me, simple sometimes is just what I need. 

Mushroom Strogabeth

I had a lot of fun making this healthy and easy dish.  Sorry for the silly name. Couldn't help myself.  I looked at a lot of different recipes and decided on this combination. Definitely excited to use some of my dried shittake mushrooms. 

1 small package of portabello mushrooms, sliced

2 cups of dried shittake mushrooms 

reserved water from dried mushrooms

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 sweet onion, diced

1 package of wide egg noodles

1/2 cup of dry white wine

1 cup of low fat sour cream

2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil

a pinch of dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste

2 tbs of Worcestershire sauce

1 cup of fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

In a bowl, add dried mushrooms, fill to the top with hot water. Let sit for at least 10 minutes. 

Start boiling the water for the egg noodles.

In a large deep skillet, saute onion, garlic, and thyme on low/medium heat with oil until soft. Add the shittake and portabello mushrooms. Continue to saute for about 10 minutes. Add wine, water from the shittake mushrooms, Add Worcestershire sauce and sour cream. Mix and lower heat to low. Salt and pepper to taste. Be careful to not add too much salt. Worcestershire sauce is salty.

Add the noodles and parsley and toss. Cover with tin foil on the stove with the heat on low or off.

Serve with a side dish of sauted spinach or a salad. Feel free to use organic egg noodles. 

Michelle's Popcorn Cauliflower

When I was on Facebook recently, I saw the most lovely looking cauliflower dish made by Michelle Frank. Michelle is like me. She loves to cook. She loves to share her recipes with others. And more than anything, she loves really good healthy food. She’s a marathon runner and a busy working mom of two young girls. If she can make the time to cook wonderful meals for her family, than no one has any excuses. Well, I don’t mean to sound like such a hard a$$, but, you get my drift.

Now, the photo of her popcorn cauliflower dish was what drew me in. Cauliflower is wonderful for you but can be oh so boring. This didn’t look boring at all. In fact it looked just darn right delicious. The shocker was that it WAS absolutely delicious. I have never seen my husband get so excited about cauliflower and even go back for a second helping. He said, “This is a keeper!”  and “I can’t believe I’m going back for seconds of cauliflower!”. 

And, I do want to mention how easy it is to prepare this side dish. It takes two seconds to mix a few spices together, cut up some cauliflower, mix it together and toss it in the oven. Fast, delicious, healthy....what more could you want?

1 head cauliflower, cut head into medium sized florets, discard stems;

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

4 tablespoons olive oil

1. Preheat Oven to 450

2. Line a jelly roll pan or baking sheet with parchment paper (DO NOT try to just spray aluminum foil with Pam or the like). 

3. In a large bowl, combine all of the above ingredients except the cauliflower and shake vigorously until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cauliflower florets to evenly coat.

3. Place in a single layer on the prepared sheet.

4. Roast uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes, until the largest pieces can be pierced with a fork.

Michelle’s notes: I roast this for a lot longer than 30 to 35 minutes because we like it really browned. You can see the difference between the picture in the recipe book in the picture and what mine looks like when it's roasted for a longer period of time. I also set a timer for 20 minutes when it first goes in, and then I move it around every so often so that it roasts (eh, burns) evenly. 

Also, as a major side note, don't ever make just one serving at a time. If you only make 1 head there will not be any left by the time your family is ready to sit down and eat because you will have eaten all yourself to the point of scraping every last burned morsel off the tray.

If you have Pampered Chef Stoneware, this does wonderfully on a very seasoned tray, but if not DO NOT forget the parchment paper!

Michelle and her family after finishing the Atlanta Marathon 2011

Michele's Crock-Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

The other day while on Facebook, I saw the most wonderful looking soup made by Michele Hartwig, an awesome ultra runner. I noticed that she not only used her crock-pot, which I haven’t used in years, but she also used a whole chicken. I’ve made a quick stove top version of chicken noodle soup using chicken breasts on the rib and store bought stock, but never completely homemade stock. 

I was a little nervous pulling out the crock-pot. In fact, I had to get Marty to reach up high, way in the back of the cabinet, to pull it out. I wasn’t sure it even still worked. I figured that if it didn’t work, I could run out to Bed Bath & Beyond or somewhere like that and buy a new one really quick. I got lucky and it seemed to work but it just wasn’t getting very hot. I understand it’s a “slow” cooker but even still, it just didn’t seem to be getting as warm as it should- even on the high setting.

After a little over four hours, I pulled the chicken out, strained the stock, cut up the chicken and continued to keep it on high. My next concern was to get the egg noodles cooked soon enough- it was almost time to eat! 

Another problem was that the stock just wasn’t flavorful and rich enough. No matter how much salt I added, it still didn’t have enough richness. The cause may very well be the crock-pot not getting hot enough. So I had to add some ingredients to give the stock some more richness.

If your crock-pot is working well, unlike mine, feel free to omit the carton of chicken stock. It was actually a little painful to add the store bought stock. I really didn’t want to do this. But, the truth is: THIS WAS THE BEST CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP I HAVE EVER HAD!

Okay, here is the recipe:

1 whole chicken (I used a free range organic chicken)

7-10 garlic cloves

bunch of fresh thyme

5 carrots, roughly chopped

1 onion, roughly chopped

3 stalks of celery, roughly chopped

generous amount of salt

freshly ground pepper

water

1 carton of organic chicken broth

1/2 cup of regular cream

1 tablespoon of flour

a dash of hot sauce

1 bag of dried egg noodles (Michele uses noodles made with free range eggs)

1 handful of chopped flat leaf parsley or to taste

Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Stuff the cavity with garlic and thyme and place in the crock-pot. Add carrots, celery, onion and salt and pepper to the pot. Add water to the pot so that it's the chicken and veggies by at least an inch or two. Keep on high for 4 hours. You don’t need to check it unless you are obsessive-compulsive like me! 

After 4 hours, remove the chicken from the crock-pot, let slightly cool, and debone. Then, cut into bite size pieces. Remove contents from the crock-pot and use a strainer to separate the liquid. Pour liquid back into the pot. Add back the chicken. 

Michele adds more sliced carrots (not the original carrots from the stock) but I forgot to do this. 

Even with added salt and some hot sauce, I still couldn’t get enough flavor in the stock so I added a carton of chicken stock. I also added flour and regular cream to make it a little creamy. Feel free to omit this, depending on how you prefer your chicken noodle soup.

Michele says to add the noodles to the stock pot and let cook for 12 to 15 minutes. Again, because of the time, a crock-pot not getting warm enough, and adding room temperature store bought stock, I ended up throwing everything in a large pot and bringing it all to a boil on the stove. Then, I turned it on low for about 5 minutes until the noodles were cooked and added the chopped parsley.

So, a crock-pot chicken soup that was supposed to be easy, ended up being a lot of work including another pot to wash. But, I must say that after all, the soup was absolutely delicious. I guess it’s time to shop for a new crock-pot because I’m determined to make the next recipe EASY and delicious. Thank you Michele for the recipe!