Weekend Wrap up-Marathon training week 2 complete!

First off, I finished my second week of marathon training strong!  My first 20 miler week is complete and I am quite pleased.  A couple of the miles were walked, but the majority were spent running and I even finished my first double digit run of TEN miles on the indoor track in a neighboring suburb on Saturday.  8 laps equaled ONE mile, so yeah…you can imagine how this MIGHT have felt.  But it went surprisingly fast mostly due to my awesome friend Janel providing me with great conversation as well as keeping track of the miles with a clicker.  I set out for 8 miles, but felt so good I did an even 10 miles for the day.  I don’t do a mid week long run, so often times add a mile or two to my weekend long run. All in all-WINNING.  (My only set back for the week was missing my yoga work out, but I made sure to foam roll and stretch today to help with the soreness.  I also took a 25 minute Epsom salt bath tonight to help ease my sore muscles).

I came home to be informed that although my hubby had returned from his 3 weeks of travels just this past Friday, that he would be leaving again on Wednesday and suddenly my runners high was deflated. First I got mad, then I cried, and then I decided to just take a hot shower and try to move forward with my weekend.

As you all know, his travels are a bitter chip that resides more times than not on my shoulder.  I wish I could kick this chip’s butt, but darn it the anger sure seems to win most times as I tackle the single parenting gig.  Keep in mind I have a job too, kids that are in school/have activities to be taken too and a house that needs tending to…after a while, any normal person would break, right?  Please say this is normal…lol

So this morning I awoke after FINALLY sleeping most of the night for almost 9 hours and I felt…better.  It’s Sunday, and with Sundays in our house comes Sunday Supper.  We decided to have a chopped challenge as well, and my 5 ingredients were:

Beef round roast

Tomatillos

Beets

Mangos

Mussels

So here’s what I came up with:

Appetizer

Mussels steamed in white wine, garlic and saffron with red pepper flakes served with a salad over tomatillo dressing.

For the tomatillo dressing, preheat your oven to 350 degrees, husk and rinse your tomatillos and quarter.  Dice 1/4 onion, 2 cloves of garlic and add in the tomatillos.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, season with salt and pepper and spread evenly on a baking sheet.  Roast for about 45 minutes.  Transfer to your food processor or blender, and liquefy the mixture.  Strain for seeds, and set aside.

For the mussels, in a stock pot melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter and extra virgin olive oil, and add in 3 cloves of minced garlic, a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes and a pinch of saffron.  Sauté for 2-3 minutes, and add in 3/4 cup of white wine, and a splash of water.  Bring to a boil.  Add in your previously cleaned mussels and cover the pot, shaking every minute or so.  Cook for 4-6 minutes or until the mussels open. Pardon my spelling error…

Main course

Beet and chipotle pepper soup serve with braised beef.

First, season your roast with your favorite Mexican spices.  I used cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Sear on all sides, and transfer to a crock pot or dutch oven.  Add 2 cups of beef broth (unsalted), 1 cup of red wine, and a large onion that has been sliced.  Let simmer for 2 hours.

Secondly, for your soup…

In a soup pot that has been preheated to medium high heat with extra virgin olive oil add:

1 onion-diced

3 cloves of garlic-minced

4 large beets, peeled and chopped

1 chipotle pepper with adobo sauce

Sauté for about 5-6 minutes until just tender

Add in 3-4 cups of unsalted beef stock and bring to a boil.  In a separate cup, add a teaspoon of corn starch to cold water.  Mix well, and keep the soup at a boil for a couple of minutes.  Reduce to a simmer for about an hour.

Puree the soup, and just before serving add a couple of tablespoons of greek yogurt. Mix well, and serve!  Don’t forget to check for seasoning!  I sliced the beef thinly, and served with the soup!

Desert

First off.  I don’t bake.  I hate to measure, and baking makes my crazy. But I decided to use the mangos in a desert type style, trying to keep with my Mexican type theme of cooking.
I peeled and chopped the mangos, and added them to my food processor.  I added in brown sugar, cinnamon, and a splash of water and mixed well.  Set aside.

Take 2 sheets of puff pastry dough and roll out.  Cut 8 circles out, spoon in the mixture, and pinch the edges tight.  Crimp each tart with a fork, brush each tart with a fork and sprinkle some more brown sugar over the top.  Back at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.

So at the end of the day, I’ve trained, I’ve cooked, and I’ve shed a few tears.  But I’ve kept moving forward.

How was your weekend?  Did you cook?  Are you training for any races?  How do YOU deal with stress?

Thanks, y’all!

❤ Michelle