Just A (Not So) Short Run Race Recap and Sunday Plans

    This one will be short and sweet.  Yesterday the hubs and I did the Just a Short Run. There is a 5k, 8.1 mile, 1/2 marathon, and  a 30k for this race.  I did the 8.1 mile and the hubs did the 30k and it is one of his fave distances to run.  The weather was freeeezingggggggg and I swear even with gloves on I was going to have frostbitten fingers. We were both intersted to see how we would run being that we just did the half on Sunday.  It actually turned out well for both of us! I knocked 6 minutes off my time from last year and finished in 1:40:40 and the hubs knocked about 4 mins off his time from last year and finished in 1:59:37 and came in 5th place OVERALL! This was his first overall placement so I am super proud of him :)
    The race ended kind of rough for him though. I was cheering him on about 100 yards from the finish like "Good job babe- bring it home" ( anyone else feel really lame cheering for people? I always feel like i say dumb stuff lol). He crosses the finish line and I run over to him continuing to embarass cheer for him. Then I see him bend over (maybe he just cant breathe- oh no this is taking a bad turn). "Good job babe-oh... let me know when your done puking!"  He felt better after that and we stuck around for the awards- he won a whole 15 bucks ha. I told now he just needs to get 5th in a big race and win like 10 grand kthanks. 
    Our race bibs have a 10 bucks off any Asics purchasae of 100 bucks or more coupon on them and I spotted these shoes at the Houston Expo and I still want them very badlllllyyyyyyy. So I'm hoping I can get these soon even though they are technically for triathletes. I am a triathlete- I try LOL.

    Anyway I'm off to a Pilates class and I am making Chicken and Biscuits in the crockpot for Dan and my parents tonight. My parents finally got a new end table so they are bringing us their old one that matches our coffee table so my family room will almost be complete soon! Oh and I can't wait to see what happens on Army Wives tonight! eek!   Hope everyone has nice relaxing Sunday!

Crock Pot Week: Day 7

Ok day 7 is finally here! This recipe is once again simple and only has three ingredients.

1 pot roast
1 can of beef broth
1 package of italian dressing mix


Pour the italian dressing mix on the pot roast and pat until evenly. Pour the beef stock into the crock pot and place the seasoned roast in afterward. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

If you want more delish recipes, head on over to my friend and moh's blog Fooding with Emily

Crock Pot Week: Day 6

My latest crock pot adventure was a success! Last night I made Chili and 5 Minute Microwave Corn Bread.

Ya! Microwave Corn Bread! and it was pretty tasty too!

Crock Pot Turkey Chili

1 pound ground turkey
2 cans of black beans drained
2 cans Busch's chili beans drained
2 cans of diced tomatoes with green chillies with juice
1 8oz can of tomato sauce
chili powder
cinnamon

Brown the ground turkey. While the turkey is cooking, dump the remaining ingredients into the crock pot. Dump the turkey in and stir. Near the end of cooking season with chili powder and cinnamon to taste :). I cooked this on high for 3 hours but you could cook it on low and let it simmer all day.

5 Minute Microwave Cornbread

I saw this recipe as I was hunting for a corn bread recipe last night and didn't feel like letting one cook for 40 mins. So I was decided to try it and figured if it sucked, I'd only be 5 mins behind.

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

In a small microwave safe pan (I used a glass pan), mix together all of the ingredients.
Microwave on high for 3 minutes.
That's it! It cant get much simpler than this.


Above is the original recipe but I thought it needed adjusting because everyone likes their cornbread a certain way. I thought I liked mine sweeter so I added 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 tablespoon of oil because I read in the reviews that the original recipe could be dry. I microwaved this an additional 30 seconds due to the added moisture. In the end I ended up thinking it needed more salt so I just sprinkled it with salt and it was good!

Overall the cornbread was good. I think with a few more trys at it it will be perfect. Definitely not as good as oven cornbread but really great to have on hand when you don't have a lot of time or simply just don't feel like it :P.

Crock Pot Week: Day 5

Day five can be summed up in one word, FAIL. I tried to make another dessert in it but it burnt on the outside and was raw on the inside. I tried a piece in middle and it tasted baaaaaad. I'll have 2 more crock pot posts this week to complete the series. Any other recipe series you would like to see? Don't worry I have more things common up besides food!

Crock Pot Week: Day 4

Day 4 was another hit! This one is called Autumn Delight- not sure why, but it was tasty.

What you need:
4-6 cube steaks
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (I used low fat)
1 cup water
1 package french onion soup mix
olive oil


Brown the steaks in the olive oil, then place them in the crock pot.
Combine water, canned soup, and soup mix in a bowl and mix well. Pour the mixture over the steaks and cook on LOW 4-6 hours.

I made baked potatoes in the microwave when I got home and VOILA!


Not exactly "food porn" but you get the idea!

Crock Pot Week: Day 3

Today I was ambitious and made dinner and dessert in the crock pot!
First up, dinner was a spicy chicken breast. This recipe has been one of my favorites so far and I will definitely make it again.

Chicken and spicy black bean tacos

1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained (15 oz)
1 can of tomatoes with green chillis such as RoTel, (10oz)
1 1/2 teaspoons chilli powder
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1 package chicken
Olive oil
Tortillas and taco toppings of your liking

Drain and rinse the black beans, drain the can of RoTel and pour into the crock pot.
In a bowl toss chicken in spices and small amount of olive oil until the chicken is coated. Place on top of beans and tomatoes in crock pot.
Set the crock pot on high for 1 3/4 hours.
Once cooked remove from crock pot and enjoy with tortillas and taco toppings!



Now for Dessert!

Chocolate Pudding Cake

1 large sized box instant chocolate pudding
3 cups of milk
1 box of chocolate cake mix and the ingredients to prepare it

Whisk together the pudding mix and the milk in the crockpot. Prepared the cake mix according to the box instructions and CAREFULLY pour on top of the pudding mixture. Cook on high for 1 1/2 hours. Mine actually took about 2 hours to cook all the way through.

This was kinda like a cheap imitator of one of those molten chocolate cakes.
The cake overall was pretty good, I definitely enjoyed the cake/ pudding combo in my mouth.

Crock Pot Week: Day 2

Ok so this next recipe was good but nothing amazing. I actually got home from work a little early and just made this knowing we would eat a late dinner. Its good for one of those "let's see what the pantry has" nights.
This kinda reminds me of a super easy Chicken Parmesan.

Here it goes:
1 package of chicken boobies
1 box of penne pasta (uncooked)
1/2 of a larger jar of pasta or enough to cover

I placed the chicken boobies in the crock pot and covered them with some sauce. I place the noodles uncooked on top and then covered them in some sauce. I let it go on high for about 4 hours. If you are looking for a faster cook time the chicken should be done in approx 1.5 hours. The pasta was definitely mushy much like it would be in pasta bake of some sorts but it wasn't bad, so if you don't like mushy pasta, cook it separately :) I just served this with some Parmesan cheese, a salad and some garlic bread.

Day 3: dinner AND dessert!

Crock Pot Week: Day 1

Ok so I've decided that I'm going to use my crock pot for a week straight! Today is day 1. I have made a pot roast with carrots and roasted red skinned potatoes. You can put the potatoes in with the recipe also if you'd like.
1 pot roast about 3 pounds
1 small bag of baby carrots
1/2 bag red skinned potatoes or whatever potatoes you may like
1 packet of French onion soup mix
1/2 cup water

Place the pot roast in the crock pot and pour the French onion soup mix on top. Place the carrots and potatoes on top and pour the 1/2 cup of water on top. Set the crock pot on low for 7 to 9 hours, come home from work and dinner's ready!

I usually throw the potatoes in with the pot roast, but today I made them a different way.
I cut up the potatoes and coated them in olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. I put the oven on 425 degrees for 25 minutes. This temperature cooked the potatoes and left them nice and crispy!

Hope you all enjoy!