Back To School

It’s been a good break from classes.

I read a few books that were not at all school related. It was glorious.

The Fault In Our Stars– Quick, good read. Lots of tears. I recommend you read it alone, without your fiancé staring at you judging-ly from the other side of the couch.

Me Before You- A lot of people told me this book was incredible. To be honest, I just didn’t see it. It was an alright, quick read. Wasn’t crazy about it.

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius– My all-time favorite book, re-read for the 30th time since I was 17. Still love it.

Monuments Men– I’m 10 pages in. So far so good.

Aside from reading, I also watched more daytime TV than I probably should have. Kathy Lee and Hoda is my new favorite show because they make it acceptable to drink wine at 11am with your girlfriends. I now DVR Friends because I forgot how much I love it. And, alas; that one chick on Maury still hasn’t found out who her baby daddy is after 7 appearances. So while I feel like there is unfinished business, I’m happy that I’ll be heading back to class this week.

Last semester was busy but I felt like I balanced everything pretty well. Clearly seeking out some sort of mental break, Jim and I had to add a few extra major life components into this mix for this semester.  On top of work, classes, substitute teaching, home life and those friends rumor has it I’d like to keep around; I’m not also in the midst of wedding planning, marathon training and puppy raising.

Awesome.

Really, I don’t even mean that sarcastically. My life is awesome. Every morning I wake up and know just how lucky I really am to live my life. Yes, it gets stressful. But would I trade any aspect of it for a little more free time? Never.

Buster is going to have more of an adjustment period than I am. His beloved ottoman is going to be taken over again.

During the semester, this is my life

One of the keys to surviving busy weeks is meal prep. Last night I made this amazing (and SUPER healthy) crock-pot jambalaya that just gets better throughout the week.

Photo and recipe curtsey of http://www.preventionrd.com/ Some of my favorite recipes are from her!

Dinner is taken care of, house is cleaned, Buster is happy and I’m ready to face the first day of classes on Wednesday. Except for that whole blizzard thing. Which likely means classes start Thursday.

A snow day isn’t the worst thing, I guess.

 

What are your secrets to balancing the rest of your life during marathon training? Is there something I could be doing to make life way easier? Let me know!

Scary Spicy Chicken Chili

Sometimes we make life decisions our parents do not agree with.

Dating the Bad Boy in high school? Check.

The pierced lip for 4 days in college? I’m still thankful that fell out on its own and therefore saved me from my own pride refusing to admit how stupid/slutty it looked.

My mom still disagrees with the whole “running too far for no reason” thing. But that’s not her biggest gripe. No, not by a long shot.

“If it’s not killing you why would you stop eating it. Gluten is delicious and that’s all there is to it.”

I love my mom dearly, but she certainly is not one for denying yourself anything delicious. Of course, she’s 50 now and only 5lbs heavier than she was in high school having never worked out a day in her life. Nor does she intend to. She eats what she wants, when she wants and however much she wants. She’s the foodie of all foodies in my life, and the thought that her daughter would have food allergies that meant she could not indulge herself in delicious meals of all kinds… Well.. she’s pretty much still in denial.

When I explained to her that my doctor suggested I’m gluten sensitive and not allergic she went off about how this is another fad diet and in ten years we’ll find out gluten is the cure for cancer. A bit overdramatic, yes, but that’s how she is with food. Go big or go home.

So when Sunday rolled around and I wanted to make Jim a nice “Welcome Home” meal my mothers food genes kicked in. I wanted the flavor to be undeniable. I also wanted to be able to eat it with him and truly enjoy the meal. Don’t get me wrong- I’ve found some amazing gluten-free options. But when you spend the better part of 25 years loving every carb known to man, giving them up is a bit of a buzz-kill.

I flipped through my Pinterest boards looking for something delicious to make him on a perfect autumn Sunday. Football came on and suddenly it hit me… Chili. But not any Chili. Ghost Chili.

If you’ve never heard of it, ghost chiles are one of the spiciest chiles on the planet. They are burn-your-face-off-sweat -in-the-middle-of-winter-type-of-hot. In the good way.

A few weeks ago when I’d gone apple picking at a local farm with a few of my girlfriends I came across this gem at the farm stand.

When there’s a warning you know it’s good.

Knowing this was still in the cabinet I knew exactly what to do. Here’s what you’re going to need.

Ingredients

• 2-TBS Chili Powder
• 1-TBS Ground Cumin
• 1/2 TBS Red Cayenne Pepper
• 2lbs Chicken Breast
• 3- 10.5oz cans of diced tomatoes with chili peppers
• 2- 15oz cans dark red kidney beans
• 1 Large Green Bell Pepper
• 1/2 Large White Onion
• 2- 6oz cans of Tomato Paste
• Half a jar of Ghost-Chili Salsa

First, dice the bell pepper and onion. Add those to the slow cooker and let them sweat on low for 15-20min. Just enough so the juices start to run from them, but they’re still nice and crisp.

I like my veggies to still have a little firmness to them in my chili. Otherwise, what’s the point of dicing?

After the veggies have had their alone time, add in the chicken breasts. You’re going to add them in by hand and make sure they are tossed with the veggies. It’s important for the chicken to be very close to the bottom of the cooker so it cooks through in time. Nothing worse than pink chicken. No no no no no. No.

Like they’re best friends.

Once the chicken and veggies are cozy, add in the rest of the ingredients. Any order you like. We won’t get picky.

Mmmmm…. 4 hours from Chili…

Now here is the tough part: Turn the slow cooker to low, and wait FOUR HOURS.

I know, smelling this throughout the house for four hours is cruel and unusual. Just trust me. It will be so worth it.

After the four hours have passed and you’re appropriately salivating, pick the out the chicken breasts with a pair of tongs. Shred the chicken with two forks, which won’t take you long since it will be basically falling apart at that point anyways.

Add the shredded chicken back into the pot, mix and wait another 15 minutes with the cooker on warm. You don’t want to cook it anymore at this point- just let the shredded chicken absorb a little more moisture and flavor.

Now you’re going to take one whiff of this when it’s ready and think “This is going to be too hot, I’ve made a terrible mistake. What was I thinking, adding ghost chiles? That stupid girl on the internet led me down a dangerous road! She was the type of girl I was warned about at school!”

Rest assured, I would not steer you wrong. Yes, this chili is spicy. But it is not overwhelmingly spicy. The great thing about this chili is you still taste all of the different flavors without the spice overwhelming it.

Add a little cheese to the top, let it melt then see for yourself.

See.

I’ll forget all about this little lapse of trust you just had.

You’re welcome.

xoxo,

Brittany

Addicted To “Stuf”

That 3:00am craving for an Oreo may not be just a craving after all. According to scientists at Connecticut College, it’s actually more like an illicit drug withdrawl. A recent study with lab rats has proved that given the choice, we would rather eat Oreos than snort cocaine. Neurologically speaking that is.

Here are the basics: Lab rats were placed in a maze with rice cakes and Oreos. Not surprisingly, the rats went to the Oreos instead of the rice cakes. Side note- they couldn’t have picked a tastier healthy food than rice cakes? Even with seasoning added, they still taste like styrofoam. Next, they placed the lab rats in the same maze only this time they substituted the rice cakes with cocaine. Why cocaine? Physically speaking,  your body cannot be addicted to cocaine. You can be mentally addicted but your body will never need to physically ween off of cocaine. Addicts cannot be admitted to a detox for cocaine abuse because they do not have to physically detox from it. Therefore it’s perfect testing substance for want vs. need.

The lab rats sampled both and what would you know- the rats kept going back to the Oreos instead of the cocaine. There are some important takeaways from this.

• The pleasure receptors in the brain that recognize cocaine are the same that recognize Oreos.
• The rats seemingly felt more pleasure from the Oreos than from the cocaine based on their repeated return to the cookie rather than the drug.
• Rats are used in these studies because Neurologically they are incredibly similar to humans.

Now, a few things to be wary of

• Despite what some articles are saying- this study does not suggest that Oreos are as dangerous for humans as cocaine.
• The reasons for cocaine use and Oreo consumption are inherently different. So yes, consumption of each set off the same pleasure receptor, but the mental impacts which play a role in addiction are very different.

This study just further proves that consumers need to be educated and aware of what they are putting into their bodies and the effects the ingredients have. One of the scientists who conducted this study has been widely quoted saying he has not eaten an Oreo since the experiment was conducted, nor does he plan to. My non-professional advice to you- Eat an Oreo. But if you find yourself unable to say no to the second, third and tenth, consider an intervention for your snack cabinet.

 

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Man Pleasing Turkey Meatballs

I may have mentioned this from time to time, but Jim is from the Mid-West. Occasionally this causes us to run into culture shock moments as a couple. Most of them revolve around food. Quality, quantity and food group. For instance, the first time I met his family and he told them I didn’t eat red meat. They stared at me like Jim had said I’m a cannibal. “But… why?” his mother said, truly concerned this dietary choice was masking some sort of underlying medical condition or psychological disorder.Turns out in the Mid-West they eat meat at every meal. All 7 of them each day from what I’ve seen.

Trying to cook clean, healthy meals can be a little difficult with a man who wants meat, potatoes and POSSIBLY a vegetable, depending on if it can be sneaked in without him noticing. So last week when I made turkey meatballs I knew I’d never hear the end of it if I had told him in advance, so I casually omitted the word turkey when I said “We’re having meatballs for dinner!” He was so happy I didn’t want to crush his dreams.

I found this great recipe on Pinterest a couple weeks ago and had been dying to try it. It seemed so warm and cozy I knew I had to wait until one of the first cool Fall days to actually try it. The second the forecast called for a high below 70 I was at the grocery store stocking up.

The players. Minus the Febreeze and Smart Water hiding in the background. Please do not add those.

Making meatballs is an intimate experience. If you’re not the type of person who likes to get dirty when you cook or don’t like to really get your hands working into your food, home made meatballs are not for you. It’s about the feel and the sound the meatballs make when they’re coming together that lets you know what needs to be done.

Get everything into the bowl. Then get dirty.

There are no photos from this point until the meatballs are formed because I was home alone while cooking. Apologies if you needed instruction regarding the process. Google Paula Deen. I’m sure she’s done it at some point and she’ll have adorable catch phrases to guide you through.

For the sauce, I slightly modified the recipe that was provided.

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 (15oz) can plain no-salt-added tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon red chile flakes. Note- I like things spicy. Feel free to reduce if this is a little much for your palate of if you have little ones. 
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Sea salt if needed. Some people like things a little saltier, I’m not one of them. 
• 6 ounces fresh mozzarella, cubed
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chiffonade. Always fresh basil. I don’t believe in jarred. It has no taste, smell or comforting abilities. 

On medium heat, add the oil and once it has had a chance to heat up throw the garlic on top. Let that simmer for a few minutes until the smell is all around you. Then add the tomato sauce, combine well, followed by the sugar and salt if needed.

Once the sauce is together, add in the meatballs. It will look like this.

This is when the urge to start eating while cooking is it’s most intense. The smell is incredible.

Let everything simmer together for a few minutes so the flavors meld together. Meld is a strange word. Just now, even though I knew it was correct, I had to google it to be sure. Who comes up with these words? And why do I feel the need to complain about them when I’m clearly OK using them? Moving on now. 

Turn off the heat and add the mozzarella and basil. Cover the pan and, this is the hardest part- WAIT. Wait for a full 5 minutes. Because after you do, your creation will look like this.

This is my happy place.

Jim got home a few minutes later and devoured 80% of this pan. He kept saying I could make this again, which in his world translates to “This is amazing and I could eat this forever”. I told him when he was done that they were turkey meatballs and he said “Well what did you use for meat?”. Turkey, sweetheart. All turkey. It took a few minutes, but he eventually warmed to the idea and realized that if they were healthier for him that meant he could eat them more often.

These are now a staple in our house. Over pasta, on french bread, on garlic bread, just by themselves. You can’t go wrong. It’s a perfect pre-long run meal for Friday nights. My advice is to make the meatballs in mass quantities and freeze a few servings of them if you have room in  your freezer. If they make it that far…

Enjoy!

xoxo,

Brittany

Lightened Pumpkin Cake!

Fall has arrived my friends. The glory of crisp mornings, hoodies, football games, backyard fires, perfect running weather at all times of day and pumpkin flavored everything. Maybe it’s because I’m a Fall baby, but Summer has nothing on Fall. You could call me obsessed. I wouldn’t stop you.

A few days ago I found myself with an extra two hours before I had to be at work. I spent most of the day thinking I needed to be at the bar at 4pm. Turns out, not until 6. So, what to do with an extra two hours in my day? I’d already gone to Tone Up class with Ida, which is quickly replacing Group Power as my favorite weight training class. Picture Zumba, weight training and aerobics combined into one hour of butt-kicking cross training. Obsessed.

Since the workout was done, baking won the extra time. Not homework. Not reading. Not networking. Baking. Sound thinking. I browsed my Pinterest boards to find something fall-like and delicious to embrace my love of the season that is so close to being in full bloom. Or various states of death. However you choose to look at the situation.

I came across this great recipe from Whipped and decided with a few changes, this could defi

nitely work.

Since I’m not a vegan the original recipe certainly wasn’t going to work. I also like to add a few subtle flavors in where I can so I changed up a couple of the plain-er ingredients for even yummier versions. Here’s what you’ll need:

Our cast of characters.

Cake Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup smashed banana
• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 8oz Vanilla Non-Fat Chobani
• 1 (15oz) can Libby’s pumpkin (store brand never tastes right)
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

With an electric mixer, combine eggs, banana, sugar, oil, Chobani and pumpkin until it is smooth. In a separate bowl combine all the dry ingredients and then sift them slowly into the wet ingredients, continuously mixing on low. Continue mixing until the mixture is smooth and there are no lumps of flour.

Pour mixture into a greased 9×13 pan and bake for 40 minutes at 350.

While the cake is baking, you can start on the icing. Here’s what you’ll need.

• 8-ounce softened cream cheese. I used regular Philadelphia brand, but I think the whipped version may work better for a lighter, fluffier frosting
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon pre-mixed cinnamon/sugar spice

Add butter and cream cheese together and blend with an electric mixer. Once they are fully combined, add sugar slowly, continuously mixing on low. When the mixture is light and fluffy add the vanilla followed by the cinnamon/sugar. I noticed the little bit of spice in the frosting gave it a whole new, even more fall-like flavor.

The cake cooled, the icing sat and a very impatient half hour later I frosted. And then I ate. Ohhh, I ate.

Pumkin-y Perfection.

Let me clarify- this is not LIGHT. It is LIGHTENED up. I don’t believe in using fake sugar, chemicals and other grossness to lower a calorie count. Eat real food. Do real workouts. It all balances out.

To run this baby off I’ll be running the Rock and Roll Providence Half Marathon on Sunday. I can’t wait.

Have a great weekend everyone!

xoxo,

Brittany