humidity.

michael & went to the gym early this morning.  it was actually nice enough outside, but we wanted to do different things, so we decided to go to the gym and each go at our own pace & do our own thing.  it was such a hard run!!!  the gym was too warm and too humid!  you would think that an established, nationwide gym like gold’s would have it down to a science as to how to keep the humidity level perfect… or at least bearable!  i was completely drenched by the time that i left.  horrible.  does any one else have this same experience at your gym?  i actually think that a lot of people think that if you sweat more you’re working harder.  i prefer perfect climate and working as hard as i can on my own.

a half?

i’m thinking of trying to run a half marathon soon… like maybe in february.  originally i just started training to run the capitol 10k in austin.  and i’m already registered to run that race on march 29th!  but lately i’ve been thinking that i might like to challenge a half marathon sooner than later.  thoughts?  

my hubby found a website tonight that i think is going to be a new fave.  www.cookstr.com.  a feature that i love is that you can search for recipes by the chef!  i loooove nigella lawson and am really hoping to own her cookbook nigella express soon.  

we’ve had a pretty relaxing day today… helped with the 3-yr-old sunday school class at church for the 8:30 service, attended the 10:15 service, and then came home for some leftovers.  my sister bekah was still in town, so we enjoyed hanging out for a bit before she drove back to austin.  she gave me a tea bag of bigelowe’s eggnogg’n tea and i’m in love with it!  soooo sad that i haven’t been able to find it in waco.  i do have the pumpkin spice tea, but there’s just something about that eggnogg’n…

we’re getting ready to watch the 24 movie!  can’t wait!  it’s been a long two years since the last season of 24.

where to begin?

our trip to nyc/boston was awesome!!!  i truly am blessed with the sweetest husband on earth.  seriously. he planned this trip for my birthday weekend and it definitely was a memorable weekend!  there’s too much to say about our trip, so i’m going to recap the highlights.

 

• our hotel was 2 blocks off of times square.  a-mazing.  one of my favorite features of the hotel was coffee, hot chocolate, & hot tea available in the lobby 24 hours a day.  yes!
• levain bakery – THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE IN NYC… which may mean, the best chocolate chip cookie in the world!
• walking through central park.  i’m in love with central park.
• going to the Museum of Modern Art.  so many famous paintings… super cool museum… special van gogh exhibit… all for free because i work at a museum.  how awesome!
• going to rockefeller center and seeing the ice rink and the tree being assemble – there were guards surrounding the tree… pretty cool.
• mike’s pastries in boston… the best cannoli in the north end!
• wandering around harvard.
• having a whole foods connected to our hotel!
• going to flour bakery in boston and eating the most phenomenal sticky bun. ever.

 

 

going to flour bakery in boston.

 

today i went on the best run ever!  i couldn’t believe it.  all week i’ve been struggling to even go four miles, but my goal for my long run today was eight miles.  i’ve been intimidated at the thought of running eight miles.  and scared that i really was just going to hit a wall.  all day yesterday i focused on drinking tons of water.  this morning i woke up early and went to the gym, equipped with seven gummi bears and a big bottle of water.  i don’t know if it was the temperature of the room or the fact that i covered up my mileage/time with my towel or that i was not thirsty, but the time flew by and i was energetic the whole time!  i loved it.  i’m reminded again why i love running.

new york, here we come!

tonight we’re driving to dallas to spend the night with friends so that we don’t have to wake up too early to catch our 6:30am flight to New York City tomorrow!  i’m SOOOO excited about this trip!  a) it’s to celebrate my 27th birthday – and i love my birthday! and b) it’s going to be so fun to be on vacation with my hubby!  i haven’t been to nyc before, so i’m anticipating many new experiences, sights, and tastes.  on saturday we’ll be taking the train to boston and will be there for a couple of days.  i’ve been to boston before and can’t wait to show michael some of my favorite spots!

one thing that i’m really looking forward to is getting to go running in central park!  i’m planning on running once in nyc & once in boston… mainly just for the experience.   my dad gave me my birthday present last night – a new ipod nano to replace my old ipod mini!  look at the difference in size!

i used it this morning for my run and it was amazing.

get ready for great pictures from my trip when i get back!

best salad.

i made the best salad for dinner last night!  i only wish i had a picture.  i made our family’s standard dressing (crush a clove of garlic in the bottom of a wooden bowl, add some salt, pepper, & sugar and mash into garlic until it forms a paste.  add in some vinegar & olive oil.  yum) and then cut up the following:

• green bell pepper
• sugar snap peas
• celery
• purple onion
• fresh spinach
• baby greens

into fine strips and mixed in some angel hair cabbage.  i topped the salad with toasted sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, & cranberries and some sauteed shiitake mushrooms.  yum!  the flavor combination was great, but i think that all the ingredients being finely chopped also made a difference!

family + food (cake) = weekend.

so, this weekend i went marble falls to spend time with the fam to celebrate my birthday!!!  it was soooo fun.  and relaxing.  and just great to be together.  my birthday is not actually until friday, but michael & i are going to nyc & boston for a little (ok, BIG!) birthday get-away!!  michael was in a friend’s wedding this past weekend in seattle, so it was the perfect time for me to retreat to the hill country.  here are some highlights:

• mom’s chicken & dumplings for dinner… one of my MOST FAVORITE comfort foods!  it was divine.  i could’ve eaten 12 bowls.
• my amazing birthday cake – specially made by my talented mother – a chocolate guinness cake… yep, it had quite a bit of guinness stout in it.  i can’t describe how good it actually was.  imagine a dense cake – almost like a brownie – richly chocolate, and then an undertone of guinness.  the frosting was a whipped cream/cream cheese… almost marshmallowy… heaven in my mouth.
  

  chocolate guinness cake... irresistable.

• talking at starbucks (which overlooks the lake… best starbucks!).
  

  starbucks by the lake!

• delicious pumpkin spice americano… that barista knew what she was doing!
• shopping on main in marble falls.  i particularly loved the kitchen store!!!  so inspiring.
  

  making a decision on where to go next.

  

  bekah eating a rose! just kidding. note the gorgeous weather!

• super taco!  great hole-in-the-wall mexican place.  they are generous with their portions, their corn tortillas are homemade, their salsa – whoa!  so good, and their fajita meat is super good.  i will be going back to super taco at the earliest available opportunity.
• watching chick flicks with my mom & sister in the afternoon… being together, laughing, relaxing.
• round 2 of soup night: more chicken & dumplings and then an improvised potato soup – my mom added a little guinness stout to it!  what an amazing addition!!!  you could taste it, but it wasn’t overwhelming.  i definitely will be trying that at home!
• more cake.
• opening presents!  beautiful, so-special silver bracelets from my mom, stuff (cool christmas cookie sprinkles, phenomenal dish towels, and a gigantic snowflake cookie cutter) from the kitchen store i love from boone, and a “my favorite things” package from my sister… Sun Butter!, homemade pumpkin butter, a sports bra, sweet leaf diet iced tea, 3 clifbars (pumpkin spice, iced gingerbread, & pear apple strudel), a klean kanteen sports cap, and scharffen berger chocolate.  i’m loaded.
• celebrating with my brother when he shot a huge deer!  yeah for organic, lean, (free) venison roast!
• going to church with my family.
• turkey sausage at inman’s bbq – why don’t more bbq places have turkey sausage!
• family photo shoot:
  

  by the creek.

  

  on the front porch at mom

  

  mom is beautiful.

it was such a good weekend.  i loved every minute.

corn soup recipe.

i made corn soup the other night… in the colder months it can be somewhat of a staple at our house!  there are so many ways you can simplify it or dress it up.  i really love to serve it with a good big salad on the side.  this recipe definitely makes enough for 6 large servings.  enjoy!

corn soup

• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 medium onion
• 1 stalk of celery, thinly sliced
• 1 green (or red) bell pepper, de-seeded & chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 can sliced mild green chilies, drained
• 2 pkgs. frozen yellow corn (i buy the super sweet)
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 1.5 cups milk
• 2 T. flour
• salt & pepper to taste
• bacon, cooked & crumbled
• shredded cheese
• tortilla chips

heat oil in a large pan.  add in onion, celery, bell pepper, & garlic.  saute over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes.  add in green chilies and saute for additional 2-3 minutes.  defrost corn in microwave and add to veggie mixture; saute until heated through (about 5 minutes).  put half of the corn mixture in the blender or food processer (be very careful because it will be hot!!!).  add in part of the chicken broth and blend until pureed (you may need to do this in 2-3 batches because when the mixture is hot it has more of a chance of exploding).  add back to whole corn mixture.  pour in the rest of the chicken broth.  in a small bowl combine flour & milk, stirring until flour is thoroughly incorporated; add to corn mixture.  turn the heat down to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes or so, until fully heated.   top individual servings with bacon, cheese, & tortilla chips!

quote.

i read this quote today and was impacted by it in light of so many of the issues we are facing in our culture today.

We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion.  Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break our strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net.  Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.  It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.

- John Adams, 2nd President of the United States

bison… a new love.

last night we had such an unexpectedly great dinner!  after i got off work i came home and prepped some bison hamburger patties.  i just chopped some purple onion, a couple of garlic cloves, and added in some worcestershire sauce & some steak season.  i combined it with the bison, formed patties, & stuck them in the fridge.  then i cubed 2 small new potatoes & seasoned them with a bit of olive oil & herbes de provence.  i put those in the fridge too and headed to the gym for a quick 2-mile run & my favorite class of the week – BodyFlow (mixture of yoga, pilates, and tai chi).  when i got home, the potatoes were almost through roasting because sweet michael had put them in the oven about 30 minutes before i got home!  i grilled the patties on our grill pan, and then made a quick salad of spinach, mixed greens, sauteed shiitake mushrooms, and toasted cranberry trail mix.  yum!!!  this dinner was SO GOOD… and it did not feel heavy at all.  to me, that is the notable difference between beef & bison – the bison didn’t have that sit-in-the-bottom-of-your-stomach feel at all!  love it.  try some!

blue bell.

as most of you know, i am passionate about healthy living… nutritious food, working out, running, rest…

i am also passionate about ice cream.  sometimes i wonder if i run so that i can eat ice cream!  ha!  i love many different flavors & brands… i even subscribe to blue bell’s newsletter.  which brings me to the substance of this post.  i just got their latest newsletter and guess what their new flavor is?  butter crunch.

vanilla ice cream with butterfinger bits mixed in.

i can’t wait to try it!  other november flavors that i want to try: white chocolate almond, cherry amaretto cordial, hot fudge sundae, & peppermint (the flavor that i always have on my birthday – nov. 14th).  of course, i will most likely not try all these flavors.  in fact, you may be interested to know that at the beginning of october i bought a pint of ice cream to indulge my weakness… i’m just now getting to the bottom of it!