Friday Foodspiration

Maybe my body is just craving veggies to counteract all of the birthday week junk I've been eating non-stop, but I just can't quit with the salads.

Zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, feta cheese and TJ's cilantro lime dressing, over baby greens.

Left over fajita chicken, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, cucumber, tomatoes, TJ's cilantro lime dressing over baby greens.

 

Black beans, Costco's fresh salsa, avocado, cucumber over baby greens.

 

Costco's chicken meat balls, peppers, red onion, feta cheese over greens...No dressing needed!

Some days I just need some comforting carbs, so I made this Wow Butter and banana sandwich more than once.

Breakfast casserole:
I made it up so there's not an exact recipe, but here's the gist.

1. Layer diced potatoes (I steamed my potatoes in the microwave for 3 minutes before I put them in the dish. If you used hash-browns you wouldn't have to add that step.), peppers, onion and ham in a casserole dish.

 2. Blend eggs (I used 5), white whole wheat flour (1/4 cup), and milk (about a cup).

 3. Sprinkle some cheese (about half a cup) on your casserole and then pour egg mixture over evenly

4. Bake for about 45 min at 350 or until potatoes are tender.

 

We made it to Friday! What are your weekend plans?

Anyone running any races or doing a long run this weekend? 

Breakfast for dinner - yes or no?

I got mail!

What a dandy of a day this turned out to be. I got a special package from Active Bands! I won a set of their headbands in a giveaway on the Run Your Race Pacers blog, and they finally came. I'm pretty much obsessed with them. If you have problems with your headbands slipping while you run, these will change your life.

 I made my main men model them for me. Don't they look thrilled.

We spent the afternoon doing yard work. All 4 of us absolutely love being outside. It was such a beautiful evening!

I made up this recipe for dinner, and it was a hit with 3 of the 4 of us. Cory decided he only wanted cheese and juice for dinner. Some days I am just done fighting by dinner time. :)

Mexican Casserole
Ingredients:
1 lb of ground turkey
1/2 c chopped peppers (I used red and green bell peppers)
1/4 cup chopped onion (I used a red onion)
2 T cumin
1 T Mojito Lime seasoning
1 t chili powder
1 can of rinsed black beans
1 cup of water
3 diced roma tomatoes
1 can crushed tomatoes
2 c of shredded cheese (less if you want to cut cost/fat)
Optional- Fresh salsa

Brown 1lb of ground turkey (I already had this cooked and frozen in my freezer)
Saute peppers and onion for about 5 minutes, add ground turkey, cumin, Mojito Lime, chili powder, beans water, roma tomatoes and crushed tomatoes. Simmer for 10-15 minutes to combine flavors.

In a sprayed casserole dish, layer corn tortillas, meat mixture, cheese (I did 2 layers, but I think 3 layers would have been even better!) I dropped about six spoonfuls of fresh salsa on top before I put it in the oven.

 Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes and Voila!

Do you wear headbands when you work out?

Do you ever make-up recipes or do you always stick to the "known"?

What's your favorite flower?

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Recipe

I'm usually a Clorox Wipe kind of a girl when it comes to regular bathroom cleaning, but we all know you've got to bust out the bleach and really give the bathroom a good deep clean every once in a while. About an hour after I sacrificed my morning (and a small piece of my soul) cleaning our bathroom like my mama was about to come into town, I found this..... 

I adore my children, but I will never understand how someone can make such a big mess with toothpaste every. single. day.
Moving on.

I eat oatmeal most mornings, and I was craving this recipe this morning.

Pumpkin spice oatmeal recipe (single serving):
1/2 c dry old fashioned oats
1 1/2 c water
1 T chia seeds
1/4 t cinnimon
1/4 t pumpkin pie spice
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of salt
Microwave for 2 1/2 minutes
I add half a banana, 2 T of ground flax seed and a 1/2 cup of plain non-fat Greek yogurt to mine.

Here's a little Thursday motivation for you. 

Today's workout:
30 minutes on the spin bike as a warm-up (The PT recommends I do this before I run)

5 miles on the treadmill

Came home and did some of the upper body and ab sections of this workout video:

 Upper Body
Chest press
Reverse fly
Alternate press
Wide bent over row
Renegade row
DB  pullover
Close grip hammer curl
Straight arm kick back
Arnold press

Abs
Straight leg crunch
Legs up crunch
Tall sit up
Reverse crunch
Tummy tuck
Single leg jack
Sumo side squat
Windshield wiper
Pulsing side planks

Do you have a hard time eating foods (like pumpkin) that are associated with seasons or holidays in the "off season"? 

What's your favorite at home workout video?

What spice do you use the most?