Race Recap

I forgot to mention that our bridge (the only way to drive onto our island) was closed last Tuesday. It was deemed unsafe- it's 50 years old and severe erosion has taken place, which has caused the sand around the support structures to be scoured away.

 

This meant that I had two choices. #1: I could stay home and the money I spent on a hotel and the race would be wasted (not to mention 2 months of training)... or #2: I could suck it up and take the emergency ferry.

 

I decided to go with the later, and planned on taking the 12:00 ferry so that I could at least teach two fitness classes before leaving the island. I arrived in line at 11:20, thinking that I arrived with plenty of time to spare, but I was so wrong... I did catch the 3:00 ferry and after a 2+ hour ride and a 30 minute drive to where I would have otherwise ended up on the other side of the bridge, I was on my way to Virginia Beach. I made it to packet pick-up with 15 minutes to spare!!! So, what would have been a 3 hour drive turned into an 8.5 hour event...

 

But, on the bright side, local restaurants were quick to take advantage of a bad situation- they had employees walk from car to car, passing out take-out menus and delivering the food to your car while you waited in line! It was so nice to get a mocha delivered to my car :) 

 

Life on an island...

 

The start of the race- a rainy and windy morning.



Despite running most of 6 miles in the rain and about 4 miles of running into 18-20 mph wind on the boardwalk, I finished! 

And a cup of beer never tasted so good!



 

Post-race party

 

I am so glad I decided to run the race. I felt so much happiness after crossing that finish line and getting a hot shower (conveniently located next to the finish of the race), knowing that despite a few obstacles with training and traveling, I did my best and I'm so proud of myself. I'm still not a very fast runner, but my time has greatly improved since my races over the last few years and running is beginning to be more of a "love" thing instead of a "love-hate" thing.

 

 

Any big race plans in your future?

I think I'm ready to sign up for a February race already!

 



Ham and Cheese Lasagna

Do you ever get tired of cooking the same thing over and over again? I do. Chicken seems to be a protein staple in my house, but sometimes, I just need a break from it. This Ham and Cheese Lasagna recipe is perfect when you're looking for something different to cook or when you have leftover ham.

Ham leftovers from your Christmas or Easter dinners will never be the same!

Adapted from The Kitchen is My Playground.

Ingredients:

9-12 lasagna noodles, cooked

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups milk (I used fat-free)

1 cup cottage cheese (I used fat-free)

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided

2 cups finely chopped cooked ham

1/2 package mushroom slices

1 tablespoon dried parsley

Directions:

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add the mushroom slices about halfway through.

Blend in the flour until the onions are well coated. Add the milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and just beginning to bubble, about 5-7 minutes.

Add the cottage cheese and 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Stir until melted. Stir in the ham and parsley. Remove from the heat.

In a 13" x 9" baking dish (sprayed with non-stick spray), arrange three to four lasagna noodles and top with 1/4 of the ham mixture. Repeat to create three more layers of noodles and sauce. Sprinkle the remaining cup of cheese on top.

Bake at 350*F for 40 minutes. Remove lasagna from the oven and let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy! 


I hope you all have a great weekend! Any big plans?

I'll be heading to Virginia Beach this evening for my 10-mile race tomorrow... I'm so excited and nervous at the same time. I hope the training has paid off :)

Easy Dinner Idea + Candy Cane Christmas Ornament

Hey guys! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

After so many festivities lately, I wanted to make a super simple dinner the other night. I began by boiling some whole wheat pasta and cooking some Italian turkey sausage. While they were cooking, I prepped some tomatoes and spinach.

Once the pasta and turkey sausage were cooked, I combined everything in a skillet and added some light Alfredo sauce. I cooked the mixture on medium-low until the spinach began to wilt and the sauce was heated through. This dinner came together in no time at all! Though it definitely satisfied me, I'm not sure how I felt about the tomatoes- maybe next time I'd add mushrooms instead.

And now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, I feel that it is totally appropriate to share a super easy holiday craft with you- Candy Cane Christmas Ornaments! These ornaments are so easy to make and they're super inexpensive.

These would make a cute holiday gift for teachers, co-workers, friends, and family. And of course, they would look great on your own tree. These Candy Cane Ornaments would be great to hand out to your neighbors with a plate of holiday cookies and would make a great addition to your holiday gift-wrapping! The possibilities are endless!

You only need a few supplies: red beads, white/clear beads, a pipe cleaner, and a pair of scissors.

Start by cutting the pipe cleaner in half and folding over one end of the pipe cleaner.

Next, start threading beads onto the pipe cleaner. My pattern was two red and two clear.

Once you are finished beading the pipe cleaner, fold over the other end of the pipe cleaner. Bend one end of the pipe cleaner to make a cane. You now have a candy cane ornament- easy peasy! 

When do you usually begin to decorate for Christmas?

We usually put up our tree on Thanksgiving, right after we've had our big meal  and cleaned up all of the mess. I'm a slacker this year, so the tree is still not up and decorated, but... it will get done this week for sure!



Cheddar Biscuits (Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits Copycat Recipe)

I think that I'm the only one out there that has never been to a Red Lobster. In my defense, I live on a tiny island that doesn't even have a Walmart- I'm not even sure where the closest Red Lobster is. Besides, I have amazing fresh local seafood all around me. Why would I even want to go to a chain restaurant for seafood?

Well, apparently they have these amazing cheddar biscuits. Babe even says they are amazing, so I really want to try them. And, as I previously mentioned- no Red Lobster in site. My solution? Scour the Internet for a copycat recipe... This recipe comes from Top Secret Recipes.

These biscuits are incredible. So, so, so incredible. They were inhaled at the dinner table so quickly! Trust me, you need to try these ASAP.

You could even bake up a batch of these to serve with your Turkey Day dinner!

Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits Copycat Recipe

(Makes 12 biscuits)
 

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix*

4 Tablespoons cold butter
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
3/4 cup cold whole milk
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
 
Brush on top:
 
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
Pinch of salt
 
Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  In a medium mixing bowl, combine Bisquick and cold butter using a fork or pastry cutter.  Don't combine too thoroughly.  There should be small chunks of butter in your mixture. 

Mix in cheese, milk and garlic powder by hand, only until combined.  Drop 1/4 cup portions onto an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown.

 

 

After they finish baking, remove the biscuits from the oven.

In a small bowl, combine melted butter, garlic powder, parsley and salt.  Brush all of the garlic butter on top of the biscuits- you don't want to skimp on this.

 

Notes:

*Don't have any baking mix on hand? Make your own!

1 cup of Baking Mix can be made by combining 1 cup four, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon shortening.

This recipe can also be made with whole wheat flour- it has a different flavor (obviously), but it still tastes great.

What's on the menu for your Thanksgiving?

 

We typically have turkey, mashed potatoes, a sweet potato bake, veggies, and cranberry sauce (for the color, of course). I'm also going to be making some sweet potato biscuits- they're delicious!