Week 110 Menu

Sunday: Shredded beef wraps, roasted cauliflower and mixed fruit smoothies
Monday: Chicken and roasted vegetable couscous
Tuesday: Kale and Sweet Potato Salad (inspiration from Just the Tip)
Wednesday: Dinner at church.
Thursday: Steak from freezer (Omaha Steak gift!) and edamame salad
Friday: Garlic, roasted red pepper linguine
Saturday: Out.

Kale Chips

In our CSA basket, we've been getting a lot of greens and kale this winter. Lucky for us in Florida, there's still some good produce being harvested locally! I've found some good recipes for preparing greens, but am always looking for more variety! One sure-fire way to eat up a bunch of kale that is extra tasty is kale chips! It's incredible how easy they are to make and how good they are! One friend said, "they're awesome!...just don't eat them next to potato chips." Very true. They are a great snack, but for professional snackers, you won't be fooled. :)

The same friend cooked up several baking sheets worth of kale chips to bring to a party. Her 3 and; 5-year old girls demolished the heaping bowl of kale chips on the way over to the party! I told Shelby to try a chip before she could have dessert. She grabbed one and, with a big smile on her face, took a big bite. After 3 chews, the smile disappeared, she declared she didn't like it, and "returned' the chip to her plate. Oh well. Must be an acquired taste. Her loss.....more for us!

photo courtesy of Smitten Kitchen

Kale Chips 

1 bunch of kale

1 T olive oil

salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Wash and dry kale. Remove the thick stems/ribs and tear into large pieces.

3. Toss kale in olive oil.

4. Spread out in a single layer on two baking sheets.

5. Sprinkle salt on top.

6. Bake for 15 minutes until crispy.

Enjoy!!

Week 109 Menu

Sunday: game day decision.....out for pizza!
Monday: Yorkshire pudding with cranberry sauce
Tuesday: Balsamic and Onion Pot Roast in slow cooker with kale chips
Wednesday: Dinner at church.
Thursday: Shredded beef sandwiches (leftover pot roast) with homemade buns and roasted cauliflower
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Out.

Week 108 Menu

Sunday: Beef & vegetable soup (mother in law making it....yum!!)
Monday: Mini Italian meatloaves (some to eat tonight, most to freeze)
Tuesday: Mac and Cheese Panera-style
Wednesday: Dinner at church
Thursday: Shredded buffalo chicken wraps
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Out.

Week 107 Menu

Sunday: My birthday!
Monday: Sweet potato vegetable lasagna from freezer (Engine 2 diet)
Tuesday: Red Velvet Crepes (from Duh-licious)
Wednesday: Dinner at church
Thursday: Veggie, pesto rice with garlicky bok choy
Friday-Saturday: Family in town. So, play it by ear

Marathon

This morning I couldn't hear the traffic sound of JTB from my house. Why? Because 9,000 people were running on the highway for the 26.2 with Donna breast cancer marathon.

Last night I was looking to see how pinned in to the house I would be due to the race, and I found out the course comes within a mile of my house! So, I decided to walk a mile to A1A to cheer on the runners. If I couldn't run with them, at least I could cheer them on (one of my 2011 New Year's resolutions was to run a half marathon...didn't plan on being 8 months pregnant at the time of the race)!

Great idea - except it was 28 degrees when the race started this morning! I got up early and layered up with knee-high socks, lined track pants, hand-knit gloves, headband, long sleeve t-shirt, hoodie, and I even broke out my winter coat (it was a little dusty!). I took along a travel mug of coffee and hiked the 1.1 miles to Mile 4 (A1A and 37th Street South).

This was about an hour into the race. Soon after, the lead 1/2 marathoner was police-escorted back the opposite way toward the finish line. There were pink shirts everywhere. I saw a lot of runners holding pictures in celebration and memorium of family members and friends. People were also dressed up in costume. I saw guys and girls alike rocking pick tutus, skirts/kilts, and wearing decorated bras over their running clothes (yikes!)! There were shirts with slogans like "Save the tatas," "I support second base," and "Boobs for President 2012." It was hilarious!

I cheered for about an hour, then I decided it was time to make the trip home. I had two motivational factors propelling me toward home quickly: the stinging wind and the mug of coffee that my body had processed. There were some port-a-potties by Mile 4, but it was too cold to expose anything outside!! I believe I set some land speed records getting home. 

Week 106 Menu

Sunday: Pork chops & tempura-fried green beans; then, tto a Super Bowl party! I saw this recipe yesterday and absolutely needed to bring it: Cheddar, Beer and Mustard Pull Apart Bread
Monday: Pork chops a different way: Spicy, dry rub & baked potatoes
Tuesday: Burgers on the grill with homemade buns
Wednesday: Dinner at church
Thursday: Stuffed Shells from the freezer
Friday - Saturday: Scott/Shelby are flying to visit family. At 33 weeks pregnant, I'm grounded and home alone. :(