T’was the Night Before Peachtree…

T’was the night before Peachtree
And all through the state
Runners were anxiously
Awaiting their fate
 
With rain in the forecast
And dark clouds of gloom
Lurking overhead
Would PR’s meet their doom?
 
The outfits were laid out
By the runners with care
In hopes that the rain
Would no longer be there
 
The runners get nestled
All snug in their beds
While visions of spectators
Danced in their heads

                                      (Source)
And some of the runners said
As they drifted to sleep
”Here’s to a great race to all
Hope the water’s not deep!”

                     (Source)

So there’s my cheesy attempt at writing a clever little poem about the race tomorrow!

I hope everyone running a race on the 4th has a fantastic one!  It will be wet here in Atlanta, but I’m looking forward to making my first Peachtree Road Race experience a memorable one.  Recap will come soon!

Until next time,

LiveJournal Tags: Peachtree Road Race,Atlanta Track Club,10k

Foodie Friday – Chocolate Chip Brownies

When I was in middle school, my family hosted an exchange student from Thailand for a couple of weeks through the Friendship Force.  One of her favorite things that my mom made was her chocolate chip cookie brownies.

A few weeks ago, I remembered these and made them for the hubster.  He loves a soft chocolate chip cookie and I can never seem to get the cookies to be soft…but the brownies?  I actually got an “Mmmm” from him, and he’s my worse critic! :)

And here’s the recipe, courtesy of Nestle!

Ingredients
2 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 c granulated sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12 oz package) chocolate morsels
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a 15x10 inch jelly roll pan or casserole dish.

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

Beat the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a large mixer bowl.

  

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  I crack the eggs into a small ramekin to ensure no shells make it into the batch!

Gradually beat in the flour mixture, adding a small amount at a time.  Stir in morsels and nuts.

   

Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.  Let the brownies cool in the dish, then cut into bars.

   

I like these because they are soooooo much faster to make than cookies.  :)   In this recipe I didn’t add any pecans as these are for my coworkers and I’m not sure of any nut allergies.  You could easily substitute walnuts in the recipe as well.  I bought a bag of toffee bits to add into my next batch!

These would be a great dessert to take to a cookout or summer get together.  Enjoy!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.  I’m going to do a make up back to back run since I didn’t get it in last weekend due to my mom’s visit. 

Until next time,

LiveJournal Tags: recipe,chocolate chip cookie,brownies,Nestle,Foodie Friday

Weekend Recap!

I had such a great weekend.  The hubster was out of town in California for a work event, and I had an event on Saturday night, so I invited my mom to come stay with me for the weekend.

She came up Friday night and brought us Chick-Fil-A salads for dinner…I had the Asian and Mom had the Cobb (if you haven’t tried the new salads they have, I highly recommend them!)

Saturday morning I woke up at around 7:15 to get a one mile run in.  After I finished I showered and we went out to run some errands.  First on the list was breakfast.  I’ve turned my mom onto BB’s bagels, an amazing local NY bagel place.  I know most of the time bagel places that advertise NY bagels aren’t as good as the real thing, but trust me…these are amazing.  They make their own cream cheeses and bagels fresh every day.  The owners are from New York/New Jersey and really take pride in their restaurant.  Their food is really good, too!

We ran a few more errands, then went back home to change, grab our clothes, and head to Rock Eagle 4-H Center for the Master 4-H banquet.  Last year I was asked by the former Georgia 4-H state leader if I would serve on the board, and I agreed.  This is our yearly banquet to recognize new Master 4-H’ers and visit with old friends.  I was so excited to see some friends that I hadn’t seen in a LONG time!

 

We drove around a bit when we got to Rock Eagle as it had been a few years since we’d been there.  I had a board meeting so Mom did some exploring on her own.  After the meeting I changed into my banquet attire, helped out with sign-ins, and headed inside.  Dinner was tasty, and the banquet went well.  I led the 4-H pledge at the end and then visited with some friends.

 
             Summer Camp Counselor friends                                2012-2013 Master 4-H Board

Georgia 4-H has a phenomenal performing arts group called Clovers & Company.  Each year they hold auditions and travel all over the United States performing at events.  We headed to the auditorium to watch the show and I saw another old camp counselor friend!

The show was amazing, and I sat in the lobby and chatted with A for awhile.  Once the show was over, we looked for some other friends.  As I headed toward the stage, I was so surprised and excited to see two more friends, T and K!

 

It was sooooo good to see all these old 4-H friends!

We finally headed home and got back to my house at around midnight.  I was exhausted and went to bed.

Sunday morning I was supposed to do a 5 mile run, but sleeping until 10 won.  Then Mom and I spent 6 hours shopping.  We got home in time to make dinner and clean up before she headed home.  We had a great time together and I hope we can do it more often.

Tonight I got a 3 mile run in.  I’ve started increasing my run/walk to 1:30/1:00.  While I did have to take a couple of walk breaks during the run interval, I was overall pleased with my time as I took off 2 minutes from my last 3 mile time.  I can only go up from here, right? :)

I am LOVING heading to the freezer and grabbing a PowerICE after my runs this summer.  It gets so hot and humid in Georgia that these are a great treat!  Tonight was also the first time I wore my BAMRband, and I love it!  It stayed put the entire time, and it’s super cute.  I am digging chevron prints right now.

Today I’m gonna take Guinness for a nice walk after work, run another 3 miles on Thursday and meet some friends for dinner, and get back on track with my back to back running this weekend.

Were you involved in 4-H growing up?  What’s your favorite post-run treat?

Until next time,

  

LiveJournal Tags: Rock Eagle,4-H,Master 4-H,Clovers & Company,BBs Bagels,PowerICE,BAMRbands

 

 

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Esprit de She Ambassador

About a month ago (yes…I’m a little behind) I was accepted to be an ambassador for the Esprit de She race here in Atlanta!

Esprit de She is sponsored by Athleta and Lifetime Fitness.  It’s an event for women and they have a variety of different races – 5ks and 10k, cycling, and even duathlons and triathlons!  They host a fitness inspired “happy hour” that proves to be full of fun and maybe even a little competition.

The event in Atlanta is the 5k/10k.  I haven’t decided which one I’ll be running yet…any suggestions?  The night will start off with a run, and then move into a celebration, complete with vendors, drinks, and food.  It’ll be a lot of fun! 

The price increases on July 31st, so act fast!  I would love for some of my local running gals to join me for the race!  It could be part of their taper for the runDisney Wine & Dine half marathon, don’t ya think?

To read more about the Esprit de She events and check for an event near you, check out their website here.

Until next time,

LiveJournal Tags: Esprit de She,Athleta,Lifetime Fitness,5k,10k,duathlon,triathlon,cycling,happy hour,runDisney,Wine and Dine half

Dumbo Training Update

The hubster wasn't really home this week...he's had a lot of business travel, so I haven't cooked much, but Foodie Friday will be back next week!

So instead, I thought I would give you a little update on how my training for Dumbo is going.  I've been getting in at least 2 runs a week...I really should be doing more but some nights just haven't allowed for it.  I also spoke with a running friend about how my feet always start to kill me at around miles 9 and 10 when I've run in my half marathons.  Her hubby is working on becoming a coach and he believes that one reason my feet may react this way is that I'm not running enough.  So...I did a little rewriting of my training schedule and (hope) to run at least 4 times a week.

This week, we start our back to back run/walk days to get our body ready to do two races two days in a row.  A one mile walk is scheduled for tomorrow, and instead of an 8 mile run, I'm doing a 5 mile run on Sunday.  This weekend I'm also moving my run/walk intervals up from 1:00/1:00 to 1:30/1:00.  I've run at this pace before but it's been awhile, so hopefully I don't keel over from it!

Last weekend I tried on a new pair of running shoes - the Brooks Launch.  From what I can gather by doing a little research on the internet, these were a very popular neutral shoe that Brooks discontinued, but finally brought back by popular demand.

When I first got fitted for running shoes, I was back and forth between Mizuno and Brooks.  I do still love my Mizunos and will continue to wear them, but I'm hoping that the Brooks can keep my feet happy during my longer runs.  I can't wait to take them out for a test drive!

I also need to start getting serious about my costumes for Dumbo.  I know what I'm doing...I just need to put the pieces together.  I can't believe in just over 2 months I'll be in California for a fun-filled (and run-filled) weekend with some amazing people that I've met, and some that I'll be meeting for the first time!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.  My mom is coming to stay with me tonight and go to a 4-H banquet with me tomorrow night.  I'm looking forward to some girl time with her.

Do you use a pre-written running plan or write out your own?

Until next time,

Jen

Foodie Friday – Cajun Chicken Pasta

As I have mentioned before, I discovered the awesome website, Skinnytaste, early last year with the hubster and I wanted to start eating better.  While I don’t stick to it as strictly as I used to, we still have a few favorites that I sprinkle in from time to time, and this is definitely one of them. 

They always say we should eat the colors of the rainbow.  Well this dish definitely has a ton of color in it with the veggies and a great source of protein from the chicken.  I even added some shrimp to the hubster’s portion since we had some in the fridge that needed to be cooked.

Here is the recipe from Gina at Skinnytaste -

Ingredients

• 8 oz uncooked linguine (Dreamfields)
• 1 lb chicken breast, cut into strips
• 1-2 tsp Cajun seasoning (or to taste)
• 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup fat free low sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 1 tbsp flour
• 3 tbsp light cream cheese
• fresh cracked pepper
• 2 scallions, chopped
• salt to taste
• Smart Balance cooking spray

Directions

Prep all your vegetables.  In a small blender make a slurry by combining milk, flour, and cream cheese.  Set aside.  Season chicken generously with Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, and salt.

Prepare pasta in salted water according to package directions.

Heat a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Spray with cooking spray and add half of the chicken.  Sauté 5-6 minutes or until done.  Set aside on a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.  Set aside.

Add olive oil to the skillet and reduce to medium.  Add bell peppers, onions, and garlic to skillet.  Sauté for 3-4 minutes.

Add mushrooms and tomatoes and sauté 3-4 more minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Season with 1/4 tsp salt, garlic powder, and fresh cracked pepper to taste.

Reduce heat to medium low and add chicken brother and pour in slurry, stirring about 2 minutes.

Return chicken to skillet, adjust salt and Cajun seasoning to taste, cook another minute or two until hot, and then add the linguine – toss well to coat.

Top with chopped scallions before serving.

Silly me forgot to take a finished product photo, but it was very yummy.  We don’t like mushrooms so I always leave those out, and if I don’t already have scallions I usually won’t make a special trip just for the recipe, but I can assure you that it’s great without them!

Nutritional Information

Servings: 5  Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups  Points: 8  Calories: 323.8  Fat: 6.2 g  Protein:  25.9 g  Carbs:  44.1  Fiber:  6.3 g  Sugar:  3.2 g  Sodium:  126.5 mg (without salt)

If you try this recipe please let me know what you think!  I’ve used it to carb load before a race and it’s great for that!

What’s your favorite pasta dish?

I hope everyone has a great weekend!  I plan to do a little shopping, hang out with the hubster before he heads out of town again, hit up a local pet fair, and get a long run in for Dumbo training.  It’s going to be a warm one so stay hydrated and well fueled!

Until next time,

LiveJournal Tags: Skinnytaste,pasta,carb load,DumboDoubleDare