Today was cool – finally!  Sixty two degrees felt amazing.  Instead of slugging it away at the gym, I went for a run outside – it felt great

Eat

Breakfast – Fiber One Shredded Wheat, 1% milk

Snack – banana

Lunch – 1/2 homemade whole wheat sandwich, rare roast beef & provolone with horseradish, organic carrots, local cantaloupe, juice

Snack – one Girl Scout Cookie – I have a weakness for thin mints!

Dinner – Cumin rice with CSA eggplant, peppers, onions, and frozen peas

Pray

Today was a VERY full day with multiple errands and appointments.  I’m hoping to get some time to read and pray after dinner tonight

Run

Like I said, beautiful outdoor run.  About 2.5 miles and pretty easy pace of 11 min/mile.  I still would really like to up my pace, but my legs are also still QUITE sore from my strength training workout a few days ago.  Who knew?

Sorry to be a day late, but I’ve been a bit busy  You’re only getting a partial week since we’re receiving our CSA share early next week, so I only planned until then.

Wednesday:  leftover mac ‘n cheese CSA corn bake, leftover CSA cabbage Asian slaw, CSA cucumber salad, and yummy mushroom-rice-CSA cabbage-cannelini bean soup!

Thursday:  Cumin rice with CSA eggplant and peas

Friday: CSA potato and CSA leek soup with CSA greens for a salad

Saturday: we’re headed to a wedding reception, so I’m sure there will be some yummy goodness there!

Sunday:  Smoked pork on the Big Green Egg, roasted CSA potatoes

Here’s a picture of the mushroom cabbage bean soup from the website – I used brown rice instead of barley, and it was absolutely DELISH.  We’ll definitely make this again!

Yesterdays EPR was pretty good.  I think I’m faltering a bit on remaining disciplined in each of the 3 areas.  It seems that one day I eat well, next day not so much.  And then I’ll flup flop with running or prayer too.  Ack!  Oh well – I guess I’ll keep trying!

Eat

Breakfast – Fiber One Shredded Wheat and 1% milk

Snack – two trefoil girl scout cookies

Lunch – leftover mac ‘n cheese corn casserole, sauted mushrooms, juice

snack – 2 Graham crackers

Dinner – CSA cucumber salad, CSA corn on the cob with herbed beni sauce, lemon peanut grilled beef

Dinner was a bit European style last night – long and drawn out!  We had a tough time getting the grill up to temp since we’re running low on charcoal, so it took about 2 hours just to do that.  In the mean time, we had our veggies in “stages”.  Perhaps the one advantage is that we ate slow and enjoyed our evening!

Pray

Continuing to read through John – slowly, but surely.  I’ll make it to the end someday – I have to!  ;-)

Run

It was an “rest” day after my long run.  I spent some time stretching and doing weights – and boy, am I sore!  Squats, lunges, and stair step-ups is like the equivalent of buns of steel!  I also did arms and abs, using weights and stretchy bands at home with my ball.

Today is gross and hot and I’m really not in the mood for a run – at all.  We’ll see what happens…

A lot planned for this week!  We have a crazy huge CSA share to work through, including 12 ears of corn! We’re eating a ton of veggies this week.

Wednesday – Baked Spinach Dumplings, CSA cucumber Raita, Papad, and leftover CSA smothered cabbage  (we already ate this, and the dumplings were AMAZING!  A bit of work, but totally worth it)

Thursday – CSA corn mac ‘n cheese casserole, CSA salad, left over bratwurst

Friday – CSA Ratatouille – using eggplant, zucchini, and green pepper; Pasta

Saturday – Baked Spring Rolls with CSA cabbage and tofu, Lo mein with red peppers and mushrooms, spicy peanut sauce

Sunday – Grilled lemongrass beef with peanuts, grilled spicy CSA corn

Monday – We’re going to a local foods cooking class, but we’ll likely eat some corn on the cob ahead of time

Tuesday – Leftovers (if we have them, if not, I’ll probably make CSA potato leek soup)

Day 2!  It’s been a hot week, and then today, I woke up to cloudy threatening skies.  Unfortunately, the heat has yet to break.  *sigh*  I’m looking forward to September, what can I say!

Eat

Breakfast:  Bowl of Fiber One Frosted Wheats, small glass of 1% milk

Lunch: White bread sandwich with spinach, sundried tomatoes, feta, pesto, and smoked pepper turkey.  Carrot sticks and apple, plus a glass of ice water

Dinner: We’re planning on some German CSA cabbage, bratwurst, and perhaps some leftover CSA potatoes.  Definitely not the healthiest of meals, but we have a lot of CSA stuff to get used up, and I wanted to try something different

Pray

Reading through the Psalms – today was Psalm 10.  I also read some of Jeremiah.  Jeremiah is one sad and depressing man!  Seriously, it’s sometimes a bit of a downer, though very convicting.  I also finished up John 4.  On my mind for prayers – receiving peace about various blessing God has given me, being thankful, praying for my husband, and…for patience, as always.  Oh, to be more patient

Run

Because of the crummy weather, I ran at the gym today.  And unfortunately, my ipod died halfway through.  Gr!  I’m guessing it was about 2.5 miles total.  Cooled down with a little bit of recumbent bike, and then some seated rows on the weights, and squats.  Tomorrow, I have to work up the motivation to do my 9.2 mile run.  Honestly, I’m dreading it.  With the humidity and heat, running is fast becoming NOT fun.  Plus, as the distances get longer and longer each week, even though my body is adjusting and my endurance is increasing, I can also feel the toll it’s taking on my joints.  I think after this half marathon in August, I’ll be scaling back my mileage a bit, and focus my long runs more on a 10K distance.  But we’ll see.  I get my GU packs in the mail soon, and I’m curious to see how that will impact my stamina and energy when I start to get tired around 75 mins.

Hopefully this isn’t totally boring, but at the very least, it will be GREAT accountability!  Today was a good day – it was beautiful outside!

Eat

B: Small glass of OJ before hitting the gym, then bowl of cheerios and glass of milk afterwards

L: Glass of H20, fresh pineapple chunks, one carrot, and a spinach wrap with pesto, smoked pepper turkey, 1/2 slice of provolone cheese, lettuce, and slices of red pepper – toasted, and dipped in some balsamic vinegar

D: We’re going out to eat, so I’ll have to update tomorrow to let you know  Hopefully I can exercise good self-control, but since we’re celebrating our anniversary, I think it will be a special occasion with a “special” calorie count!

Pray

Read Psalm 9, part of Isaiah, and John 5.  No amazing revelations while reading, but as I was thinking about the fruits of the Spirit, I realize that I struggle with being at peace with things.  Or at the very least, feeling okay with the way things are.  There’s something slightly odd about always longing for more or wanting something to change – you’re never satisfied with how God has blessed you or transformed you.  I guess I realize there is always room for personal growth in faith, but I struggle with the “peace” aspect of it, and I think that influences how I see my surroundings as well.  It would be nice to be content, thankful, grateful, and yet aware that I’m “not there yet.”

Run

2.5 miles, mostly on the treadmill.  I tried to up the speed and incline since it was a shorter run – definitely a more interesting work out!  I will have to keep in mind in the future though that the gym doesn’t have good airflow, and therefore, I should NOT wear one of my new running tanks that’s a bit heavier with the fabric.  I got pretty toasty and sweaty.

My next real run won’t be until Monday – we’re going hiking this weekend, so that will make for a nice substitute and a good break from pounding the asphalt.  :-)

Recently, I’ve been trying to cook healthier food and more vegetables.  However, when I’m planning meals each week, I often find myself uninspired when it comes to veggies.  It’s easy for me to do something simple like a stir fry or curry, but other than that, I’m not very creative.  Without the internet, I think our meals would be completely boring!

This week for our Menu Monday, I’m sharing a simple roasted vegetable recipe.  This might be one of my new favorites!  You can find all of the ingredients in any well-stocked grocery store, and even though it takes a little bit more time to cook, it is WELL worth it.

Roasted Vegetables

Prep Time: 15 mins  Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 2 T olive oil
• 1 large yam, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 large parsnip, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1 inch pieces
• 1 zucchini, cut into 1 inch slices
• 1 turnip, peeled and cut into 1 in pieces
• 1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1 red pepper, or 1/2 cup prepared roasted red pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease 1 baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
2. Place the yams, parsnips, turnips, and carrots onto the baking sheets. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, then add the zucchini and asparagus, and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Turn over veggies, and continue baking until all of the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes more. Once tender, remove from the oven, and allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet.
3. Meanwhile, roast the red pepper in a toaster oven under the broiler, several minutes per side.  Keep close watch so the pepper doesn’t burn.  Remove red pepper from oven, and place in a sealed tupperware container for 4 minutes to steam.  Remove red pepper, and peel the skin carefully.  Slice pepper into 1 inch pieces.
4. Toss the roasted peppers together with the garlic, basil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until combined. Add the roasted vegetables, and toss to mix. Serve at room temperature or cold.

Feel free to substitute other vegetables or herbs you have on hand.  The basil was particularly wonderful combined with the sweetness of the yams.  It was very tasty!

A few weeks ago, red peppers were on sale at the grocery store, and I LOVE me some red peppers!  I also love international foods, and in particular, Caribbean dishes.  Ever since our honeymoon to Jamaica, I’m always trying to cook different dishes that remind me of the delicious stews we had during our trip.  This recipe probably isn’t 100% authentic, but it’s tasty and easy, and all of the ingredients can be found in at any grocery store.

I found this recipe here.

Overall, a delicious dish.  The lime was a bit strong when we made it, and I wish the onions were a bit more prominent, but overall a fun and unique meal.

This is all because of my sister…and Jerod’s love of sausage and peppers.

Ingredients:

2 c (8 0z) penne pasta

1 t extra virgin olive oil

4 links italian sausage (i mix sweet and hot)

1 onion

1 green pepper

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

1 can diced tomatoes (they can be stewed or italian style, just NOT mexican style)

2 T brown sugar

1 T balsamic vinegar

4 bay leaves

1/2 t basil

Directions:

1) Heat oil in large skillet over medium low heat.  Pierce sausages with fork and add to skillet.  Let cook for 10 mins. until sausages are browned.  Meanwhile, slice onion into rings, and seed the peppers and cut into thin strips.

2) Boil water and cook penne according to package directions.  Add onion to sausage and brown. (3 mins)

3) Add the peppers to the skillet. Stir and cover.  Raise heat to high.  Add tomatoes with juices, brown sugar and vinegar, bay leaves and basil – stir, and immediately cover and bring to a boil.

4) Lower heat and cook until sausages are done -  about 7 minutes.

5) Draine penne, season sausage mixture with salt and pepper.  Garnish with parmesan cheese.  Serve over pasta.

**The main trick with this dish is to make sure the sausage is cooked all the way through.  If it’s taking too long, feel free to slice up the sausages to speed things up a bit.