This Saturday, I participated in the Music City Ultra Trail 25(7)K. I wasn’t originally going to do this race, I had planned on venturing out on some new trails somewhere close to Nashville while my running group participated. I had heard rumors about the insane course this race offered and was trying to avoid running it. Not very courageous of me!! I LOVE exploring new running routes and I needed some time on quality hills to prepare for Gnaw Bone 50K in may. This race offers three things; 1) awesome climbs 2) great practice for technical skills 3) it helps SAVE THE EARTH!
Easy Vegetarian Pho Broth!
Our go to fast(er) food places are Chipotle and Vui's Kitchen. This summer while I was training for the Chicago Marathon, I had a slight case of food poisoning the night before and then again after my run. It was the only long run I did inside, you know, easy access to bathrooms... I needed something that would be easy on my stomach, and Vui's pho was just the remedy. I now associate it with magical healing powers. Making broth from scratch is something I have always wanted to do and was also a goal for this year in my life, this was a great starter recipe to fulfill my goal! (One more thing!! Hello to my precious friend Jess, from college, who requested this recipe!!)
Summer in a Bowl (BEST SALAD EVER)
This salad has a different name in our house, but it has a bad word in it, and I know there could be some of my GOTRs that read this, so I am keeping it out of this part. The first time I made this salad was on my birthday which is April 30th, and it was after my first bite that I gifted this salad its signature name. We had it every day that week, and since then we've had it every week.
Chasing Waterfalls #1: Harpeth River State Park - Hidden Lake
One of my goals for this year is to visit as many State Parks/Wilderness Areas/Waterfalls as possible. Tennessee is so beautiful and there are so many places within reasonable driving distance to explore! Harpeth River State Park was first on my list, I couldn't believe how close it was, only 15 minutes away! (Review includes a handy pros and cons list!)
Girls on the Run - Spring 2016 5K
Today we completed our season ending accomplishment of running the Girls on the Run 5K! But there is more magical goodness happening at Girls on the Run than just running! There is Girls on the Run spirit lining each and everyone of my favorite moments from today including, reaching new goals, doing the right thing, supporting our teammates, taking risks, going the extra mile (kind of literally).
IT BAND/BANNED FROM RUNNING (get it?)
There are 29 more days until I am supposed to be running the Rock n Roll Nashville marathon. Except for this IT band is not healing - and by that I mean, I have not allowed it to heal. My chances of running the marathon are not looking good. I refuse to throw in the towel at this point.
Blood Orange Kale Salad with Farro and Crispy Rice Clusters
One of the highlights of Citrus Season are Blood Oranges!!! They are so beautiful and happen to be one of the most nutrient dense citrus fruits out there! The next best thing about this salad aside from the blood oranges, are the crispy rice clusters. They are SUPER easy to make, delicious, and add a slightly spicy crunch to the salad. Who knew they would be so DARN good on a salad? They are also really good on their own. I've been eating these clusters by the handful....
GOTR Community Impact Project & #GIVINGTUESDAY
Anyone who spends at least a little bit of time with me, knows how much I love Girls on the Run. There are SO MANY things I love about GOTR (you can read them here, here, and here), but there is one part of the curriculum that is particularly perfect for #GivingTuesday. Part of the Girls on the Run curriculum focuses on empowering girls to share their strengths and use their unique gifts to positively impact those around them. At the end of the season, every Girls on the Run team creates their own Community Impact Project. The projects are driven by the girls, they are responsible for planning, collecting materials, etc, which gives them a strong sense of ownership and accomplishment. They walk away feeling empowered and realize that together they can have an impact on their communities or towards a cause they are passionate about.
Thanksgiving Leftover Sliders!!!
Obviously, breakfast on Friday is always BRÛLÉED MAPLE PUMPKIN PIE WITH GINGERSNAP CRUST and then for lunch you have leftovers, of course. Growing up, I loved leftovers on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Everyone loves the first round of leftovers.
Its day 4 of leftovers that I dread. The turkey is dry. The rolls are rather stale. Someone ate all the marshmallows off of the sweet potato casserole. And I wouldn't touch the green bean casserole with a ten foot pole, no matter how fresh they were.
Romaine Dream Boats with Toasted Pepitas
I've been roasting squash and sweet potatoes almost daily trying to perfect recipes for Thanksgiving sides, and after eating squash all day I wanted something opposite of roasted root vegetables.I turned around and looked at the groceries waiting to be put away. A head of romaine, some raw pepitas, and a bag of unsweetened cocoa. Romaine! Romaine is crunchy and crispy! So are pepitas! And then, Romaine Dream Boats with Toasted Pepitas were born.
This recipe is so easy to make, its not even funny. You don't even need utensils!! With the Holiday season quickly approaching, this is a great quick and healthy option! It is also really easy to make it look fancy...