Meal Prep 2/25/19

Pot Roast : (It's actually a london broil because it was cheaper...) 2.5 lbs of beef, place in bottom of crock pot, season with garlic powder and salt to taste.  Add 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, and one can full of water.  Cook on low for about 6-7 hours.  This one cooked until the power went out due to high winds...I think it was right around 6 hours.  Might have been a little less. Use forks to shred the meat. 

Risotto : Chop 1/2 onion and saute til starting to brown.  Add 1 lb arborio rice, stir to coat with oil, then add enough chicken stock to cover the rice.  Cook slowly, adding chicken stock or water as needed, until the rice is creamy and not crunchy.  Season to taste.  You know what I used...garlic powder and more garlic powder.

Carrots : Chop 2 lbs of carrots and saute. 


The vegetables came up a bit short on this one, I ended up supplementing two of the meals with other veggies I had leftover in the fridge.

Meal Prep 2/18/19

Pork Tenderloin : Cover with garlic powder and bake in the oven at 400 for 60 minutes (until internal temp reaches above 140)

Sweet Potatoes : Peel 3 small-medium sweet potatoes and cut in half.  Place in a pot, cover with water, boil until soft enough to mash.  Mash with milk, salt, and garlic powder.

Purple Potatoes : Peel 6 purple potatoes.  Place in a pot, cover with water, boil until soft enough to mash.  (The water turned turquoise while they were boiling...so weird!) Mash with milk, salt, and garlic powder.

Green Beans : 2lbs fresh green beans. Check through the beans and remove stems.  Spread out on a large baking sheet, coat with olive oil, garlic powder, and a bit of salt.  Bake for 12-15 minutes. Stir about halfway through.

Meal Prep 2/11/19

Chicken : Boneless/skinless thighs, 2 packs (6-8 per pack).  Season with garlic powder and bake in the oven at 425 for 35 minutes.  (Use a thermometer to check for thorough cooking - I stuck the thermometer in several different pieces to be sure they had all reached an internal temperature of 165.)

Brussels Sprouts : 2 lbs of sprouts, cut into bite-sized pieces.  Tossed with bacon grease and seasoned with garlic powder.  Roasted at 425 for 12-15 minutes. 

Pasta : 1.5 lbs of tri-color rotini, cooked according to instructions on the box.  Tossed with Classico Sundried Tomato Alfredo sauce.

Makes 11 meals.

Meal Prep 2/4/19

Pork-Turkey meatballs

Risotto

Broccoli

Meatballs : 1 lb ground pork, 2 lbs ground turkey, 1 egg, garlic powder.  Shape into 30 balls, place them in a single layer in a large skillet, cover, cook on medium heat.  Stir occasionally.  Add some soy sauce and mustard to the liquid that gathers in the skillet.  

Risotto : Chop some onion, brown in a saucepan with olive oil.  Add 1 lb arborio rice, stir to coat with oil.  Add enough chicken broth to cover, cook on low, adding more broth or water as it is absorbed by the rice, until the rice is done.  

Broccoli : Coat with olive oil and garlic powder, roast in the oven at 450 for 10 minutes.  

Strawberry Plains 1/2

Enjoying the run at mile 7!

I've been looking forward to this race for weeks.  Ever since the Haunted Half, I've been itching to race a half marathon.  I've learned over the years that my running plans rarely work out out the way I want them to however...I managed to end up with a nasty cough over the last week or two that I wasn't able to get rid of in time for this race.  I debated going at all, as I really really wanted to run it, but also really didn't want to risk making my cough any worse.  The temperature was forecasted to be in the low 40s, which is much better for my lungs than the 20s and lower we've had for the last week or so, so I decided to go for it and hope for the best.  I had to abandon my hope of racing, and just run it as a faster long run.  I started in the middle of the pack to help keep myself slow for the first mile, and then tried to gradually pick up the pace until holding a pace that felt the fastest I could maintain without putting a strain on my lungs.

My legs were a bit heavy and tired feeling after the hill workout I put them through on Monday, but they were able to maintain the pace that felt ok for my lungs.  The course was nice and rolling, just how I like them...just enough hill without having too much.  I was able to enjoy the run, and I was happy with my time.  It was actually over a minute faster than my time at the Haunted Half in October (which I only just now realized when I looked up that time...I was thinking for sure I would have been faster at Haunted).  That means I can run faster while sick now, then I could while healthy in October... I'm excited to see what I can do in a half marathon when I am healthy and in race-shape, but I will have to wait awhile to find out!  I'm hoping to be smart about my recovery from Boston so that I can pick training back up over the summer and see what I can do at the half marathon distance in the fall.

Coby snapped this photo of me on my way to the finish line.  

Apparently my braid fell out at some point...I had no idea until after the race when I took my hat off. 

1:36:26

81/420 runners

17th female

5th in age group 30-34

For now, first up on the agenda is getting rid of this stupid cough.  Second on the agenda is getting a long run of 22+ miles ( long run so far is 18).  The countdown to Boston is on and as long as I can get rid of this cough, training is going super well!

Meal Prep 1/28/19

This week I roasted everything in the oven!  Temperatures are approximate, because my oven is temperamental and I am fairly positive that it always runs hotter than I set it to.  When in doubt, set your oven to 400 and check every ten minutes for done-ness...

Pork Tenderloin : Sprinkle garlic powder and oregano over a 2.5 pound pork tenderloin, then bake at 400 for 45 minutes.

Brussels Sprouts : Chop 2 lbs of sprouts, coat with olive oil and garlic powder, and roast at 425 for 10 minutes.

Sweet Potatoes : Peel and chop 3 potatoes, coat with olive oil and garlic powder, and roast at 450 for 20-30 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Petite Tri-Color potatoes : Chop 20 potatoes, coat with olive oil and garlic powder, and roast at 425 for 10-20 minutes.  Stir halfway through.

I ended up with about 1 extra serving of potatoes and 2-3 extra servings of brussels sprouts. 

Meal Prep Monday 1/21/19

PB Beef Stir Fry

makes 8 servings

Rice : Cook 1.5 cups brown rice according to directions on package.  

Broccoli : Spread 2 lbs fresh broccoli on a baking sheet.  Coat with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic powder, and roast at 400 for 12 minutes.  

Marinade : Mix 1/2 c chicken stock, 1/4 c soy sauce, 2 tbsp minced garlic, 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp wasabi paste, and 1 tbsp ginger powder.  

Beef : Toss 3 packages of stir fry beef with the marinade, let sit while you heat olive oil in a large skillet.  When oil is hot, add beef and marinade.  Stir in a heaping 1/4 cup of peanut butter.  Stir frequently, remove beef and liquid from the skillet to a large bowl when the beef is done. 

Cabbage : Chop a small head of cabbage, and cook in the beef drippings after beer and marinade have been removed.  Once cabbage is cooked, add it to the bowl with the beef and mix well.  

I had about 1 serving of beef and cabbage left, but the rice and broccoli came out to 8 servings each.