Rants, Recipes, and Running

When people ask me about my pregnancy, once of the questions I often receive is "What are you craving?"  Unfortunately, despite how much of a foodie I am, my answer is "a day where I don't vomit?".   I am very grateful that last week, mid-week 16, nausea seemed to lift. I still have my ugly moments (like this morning) - but they are few and far between. Thank you, Baby Namaste!!  During my 1st trimester, I ate probably the most unhealthy I've ever eaten in my life. I lived on bread, crackers, tortilla chips, french fries, potatoes, and more toast. I could hardly stomach a salad or roasted vegetables, and that worried me that 1) Baby Namaste was not getting the right nutrients and 2) This is the moment I return to my old childhood nickname of "Flabby Abby".  But I was assured on more than 1 occasion that prenatal vitamins are good coverage. And you just need to eat what you can. Carbs are good for a growing fetus!  Finally...as I am starting to feel...

It is no surprise to anyone that is friends with me on Social Media...I have been busy in the kitchen this month!! It has been so nice to have a spacious kitchen again. We also made a pledge to do no restaurants all month of July to help save money for house furnishings, etc. (Restaurants are SUCH budget-suckers!!! Good Lord!) Ryan has been working a ton lately - and weird hours +  it's his "finals week" w/ grad school. - so had lots of "me time" to spend in the kitchen and wanted to spoil him with good food. I like to send him with baked goods to bring to his squadron on the weekend's he works. And his request was White Chocolate Macadamia Nut cookies . I went to make them Friday night, and realized I didn't have any Macadamia nuts. So I improvised: and crushed up almonds, and used a little pure almond extract. They turned out SO GOOD!!! I got the recipe from The Pioneer Woman . Definitely a keeper of a recipe!! Saturday I wanted to send h...

Finally, the temperatures in the Sonoran Desert have dropped below 90 degrees Fahrenheit! Excuse me while I break into a fit of dance and attempts at cartwheels. (I never figured out how to do a cartwheel) My girlfriends Michelle, Heather, and I decided to co-host a fall-themed party. We co-hosted the "White Party" right before Labor day, and loved entertaining together so much - that we decided to do it again. All 3 of us love parties, love cooking, and we just work together so well. Menu theme: Chili bar. Heather made a traditional chili with ground beef and beans. Michelle made a chili with beef tenderloin . And Ryan and I made a Green Pork Chili with tomatillo and roasted chiles. (I have to give Ryan credit since we came up with the recipe together) We had a bar of various "chili toppings" (chives, black olives, cheese, tomatoes) For the desert we had s'mores. There was a bon fire, and Michelle made miniature mason jars filled with s'more f...

Well, Hello September 8. The rest of the country is sipping Pumpkin Spice Latte's, pulling out their jeans and sweaters, and enjoy the crisp change of seasons. Over here in Arizona, we are sweltering in the heat. 100 degree days continue to persist. This morning at 4:50 am as I drove to swim practice, it was 80 degrees with 68% humidity (according to my weather app). All I could say to that is " wtf ". This is the time of the year where I start looking at Zillow for houses in Grand Forks, ND. Or Fairbanks, Alaska. Or perhaps Antarctica. Which I fantasized about on my run yesterday where even my teeth were sweating, I believe.   Okay, okay, enough of my ranting about Arizona. Don't worry, in 3 months I will be all "high on love" for the Sonoran Desert.   I chose to boycott summer yesterday. I even went as far as closing the blinds, so I could think it was cold and cloudy outside. My husband had 2 long days of work this weekend where was fl...

If there's one thing I've learned since we moved to the Sonoran Desert, it's that you can garden and eat things from the ground. It just takes some serious labor and love. I cannot just plant tomatoes, water them every other day, and expect fruit. That's just silly and naïve . One must do extensive research! In  fact, I am currently starting my seeds for next years garden. As it takes much love and transitioning to get them ready for Arizona's awful, relentless heat! One thing we've really embraced this year - is making use out of our cacti. We have a beautiful prickly pear cactus in the corner of our yard that bears wonderful fruit! What does prickly pear look like again?   There are 2 distinct parts to the prickly pear. The green paddles (nopales) and the purple prickly pears.   Harvesting these isn't always fun. You will get hairs and thorns impaled into your skin. Unless you were smart and perhaps wore gloves?   The nopales pa...

I typically lead a pretty non-indulgent, healthy lifestyle. 3 meals a day usually include leafy greens. I don't eat fast food, no processed food, and minimal carbs. Keeping fruits and vegetables in my house is a challenge, because they are eaten so fast! So I work out hard 6 days a week, eat fairly clean, but what I see in the mirror just doesn't add up. I don't look like someone who (on average) runs 25 miles/week, bikes 30-60 miles, and lifts 3 days. Well, I've found the culprit. It's called the candy jar full of chocolate covered coffee beans , and dark chocolate kisses , and red vines at work. It's the M & M's I "treat" myself with after dinner at night. Every now and then these "cheats" are okay, but it's more of a daily thing than a "cheat". So myself and 2 other girlfriends (and training buddies) are challenging each other to a week of only putting "good" and nourishing food in our bodies! I...

This is my "weekend", as I worked through the weekend - so got Monday & Tuesday off! Day 1 was glorious. I started it off at 7 am @ Starbucks, and then a 5 mile walk with a dear friend. Our tradition for "catching up" is to bring our coffee dates "on the go". It was such a beautiful morning in Tucson...about 50 degrees with a gorgeous sunrise. Then I got home, and decided to take advantage of this day. As I am well aware that everywhere in the Lower 48, except the SW(?!), are dealing with seriously insane weather!! So I opened all the windows, and spent my day cleaning, doing yard work, and meal prepping for the week. And here is what I came up with!: 1. Kale Salad. I told you guys I'm obsessed! Except this time I chopped up my kale, and dressed with w/ 2 fresh lemons, 1/4 cup balsalmic vinegar, 3 Tbsp olive oil, garlic, S & P. For dinner, I enjoyed with a grilled chicken breast! 2. Anti-inflammatory butternut squash . Ew, th...

I haven't done any recipe posts lately. Well, I haven't done much posting lately...period. I thought I'd share a few of the things that have been created in our kitchen lately! I've definitely been changing things up lately. #1 Whole Chickens..... I am temporarily boycotting buying chicken breasts! $2.99/lb is assinine for chicken, in my opinion. Especially since Ryan and I eat so much chicken . (Probably 4 nights a week). One Saturday night to impress Ryan, I roasted a chicken...and realized it's not that intimidating! Now we buy whole chickens, butcher them up during the weekend, wrap them in plastic bags, and cook them. Does it take more work? Yes . But $0.99/lb compared to $2.99/lb? Makes a difference. I'll take a little dark meat for that price comparison! #2 I've been NUTs for butterNUT Squash! I've been making tons of butternut squash soup. So hearty and good for you! Apples, onions, squash, cider, and broth all pureed together is quite th...

One thing cooking trick that's become a ritual in our Hotel Habitat is shredded chicken. In fact, this is my favorite way to eat chicken! Have you ever made a bomb-tastastic chicken soup/stew, but been disappointed that it was a tad too dry? SHRED IT! More surface area to marry the juices and herbs = more flavor! A few variations of shredded chicken I've made over the past few weeks: Hot-wing style shredded chicken (hot wing sauce + shredded chicken + salad = serious party in your mouth) Shredded chicken tacos BBQ shredded chicken wraps (shredded chicken + BBQ sauce + honey, wrap in tortilla with spinach and jack cheese -- delicious!) Shredded chicken with carrots, celery, and chicken broth for a noodle-less chicken soup You get the point. But my most winning recipe is my Chicken Tortilla Soup. It is hands-down Ryan's favorite thing I make. (It's probably my favorite thing I make, too). It is our favorite comfort food. Also, a staple on camping trips! Th...

After visiting 4 different grocery stores in search for the Lady Fingers for Ryan's birthday Tiramissu....I posted a panic message on facebook. I had secretive hopes that maybe someone would have a wise last minute suggestion. I also was venting to the world about Texas grocery stores' lack of lady fingers. What does Texas have against Tiramissu? Yes, I continue to the thrive on being bitter towards Texas. Especially when today it's supposed to be a dangerous Heat Index of 105 -- and even the morning sucks because of the humidity. And our gym is just as hot, because apparently they don't believe in air conditioners or fans. I'm not sure, but it's horrendous. Even running on the tredmill is nearly out of the question! Anyways, back to ladyfingers. One of my facebook friends came on with an ingenius suggestion, "Here's the recipe for how to make lady fingers. It's really easy!" I could do nothing but smirk. Yes, Maybe I can put a paperbag o...

I've having an affair..........................................With a crock pot. Sorry stove, and grill. I'll use you more when we move to our new house. Or when life gets less crazy. :) And here's why I love the crockpot.... 1) The belt is being tightened financially. We are trying to cut unneccessary expenses as much as possible. Every time we think about going out to eat, the words out of my mouth are as follows.... "That plate of sushi and saki bombs could buy us some really nice sconces in the entry way...." I am the fun nazi. Crock pot meals are pretty cheap and delicious. 2) We are both working more than normal in order to bank up some $. I also feel like if I work a lot right now, and make my manager & co-workers happy.....they'll be more flexible with my schedule when we're closing/moving in! 3) Less spending of money + More time @ work = Less energy to cook after a long day at work 4) I'm cleaning out our excess of "sto...

Biggest Loser, Subway Fresh Fit Club, the Boot Camp Craze, The Caveman Diet, Coconut water craze, even McDonald's getting a healthier menu with options like salads and yogurt! The marketing for "wellness" has increased vastly over the past few years. Wow, America, are we moving into a trend away from the wrenches we were plummeting into? Finally the marketing is focusing on "pro-health"! Living well! Farmers markets are increasing! America's previous trend was getting sad.Not just America, but it's pretty much spread throughout the whole world. According to the CDC childhood obesity rose from 6.5% to 19.6 percent between 1980 and 2008!! That's not the children's fault. I completely put every once of blame on the parents. When I see a 4 year old at the playground who just can't quite run around like the other kids because his legs are too chubby -- my heart wants to cry. A 4 year old does not have an addiction to food. Mom &/or Dad...

It all began last week -- the day I wanted to eat my words. I said to Ryan, " For your birthday I will make you any cake you want! The options are limitless !" I should've known better. Ryan is always up for challenge. My original thoughts that his request would be something benign like chocolate cake, vanilla or marble cake , maybe ever carrot cake . He got a big grin on his face, and said " I would like  an Ice cream cake ." Simple enough, right? Oh no . This was different than the ice cream cake I've always known. I could just see the excitement building in his eyes. And he then goes on....:  "Not just any ice cream cake. I want the cake part to be white. No, I take that back - I want it to be marble. Not yellow and chocolate. White and chocolate. Then I went the ice cream to be............cookies & cream. Oo! And then garnished with hot fudge." I took the challenge head-on. I thought, "Hey I can do this!" Then he g...

Sometimes we have very stressful and mentally/emotinally-taxing moments in our lives. And sometimes those "moments" can last for weeks. I think we have all been there. A time in life where we feel like we're being pulled in 1000 different directions at once. Working out, getting good rest, coffee, good venting sessions, an occasional glass of wine - they can all get you through it. But there comes a time, where I think the best escape (aside from a get-away from St. Thomas.....or Hawaii.....) - is a visit to being a kid again! So yesterday, Ryan and I had a late-afternoon date. ....to a candy store. Our original intentions were to purchase some supplies for our Graduation party (cups, plates, plastic silverwear, etc....) Which we did accomplish. But we also found a candy store on our way. I let go of "health-nut Abby" for an hour, And I was brought down memory lane.... We each decided to pick out 5 different things, purchased our goodies, and headed ...