Category: dedication

dedication, food, goals

Throw in the towel, or run/cook? I choose to Move

Movin' it with Michelle

There are some days in our lives, where we just want to throw in the towel and hide under the covers. Today…was one of those days of me. My 3 a.m. alarm seemed to be a little louder than normal, and my covers seemed to have an extra tug to them, enticing me to hit the snooze button just one more time.
Subzero temps called for a 3rd day in a row of long johns, and as I pulled them on accompanying them with scrubs, I struggled getting myself movin’.
Yet I made it through the work day successfully, and after picking up my youngest Mover I did dinner prep, and hit the treadmill for a couple much needed miles.
Dreadmill miles, are NEVER easy for me….just sayin’….
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Great part of the dinner recipe, is that I used left over chicken. Score! I hate wasting food!
So for the chili, I use Sawyer’s Gluten free mix, but any will do.
Sautee 2 cloves of garlic, 1 small onion, and one bell pepper for about 3-4 minutes. Add in 4 cups of water, and season with kosher salt, pepper. Bring to a boil and add in your chili mix. I added dried cilantro as well. Simmer for about 25 minutes, and drop in about 2-3 cups of cooked chicken (breasts or thighs). Cook another 10 minutes, and serve!
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I made my own “tortilla chips” by taking spinach tortillas, cutting in strips, and drizzling with extra virgin olive oil, and seasoning with kosher salt and pepper. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes!
Dinner was a success, and I spent the last the last 3 hours applying for jobs. Win/win!

dedication, food, goals

Tonight’s Mystery Box Challenge

Movin' it with Michelle

My husband came home from the store with the following “mystery box” ingredients:

Pork crown roast
Oyster Mushrooms
Mango

For those of you that have been following me for a while, you know one of my dreams is to be a Chef, and own my own restaurant. My husband and I fell in love with the show, “Master Chef” when it first came out, and although he swears I was ready to try out this year, I decided I needed a year to practice, perfect, and hone my skills as a ‘home cook’ that has had NO professional training.
Every couple weeks after our bi-monthly trip to the grocery store, he chooses several ingredients for me to create a dish with for our family.
I try to cook within an hour time limit, but am not always successful yet in that aspect of my goals.
So here is what I did…
I immediately preheated the oven to 375 degrees, and drizzled the pork with good extra virgin olive oil, and seasoned liberally with salt and pepper. I seared all sides of the roast, and popped it in the oven to roast. (Takes about 45 minutes, and I pull it out about 10 degrees early-150 degrees, as letting it rest at least 10 minutes will bring the temp up to the required 160 degrees).

While the roast was cooking, I knew I wanted to make a puree’ with the mango to set off the pork nicely. I chopped 2 mangos and put them in my food processor. I added a splash of chicken stock, drizzled with EVOO, and seasoned with salt, pepper, cilantro, jalapeno flakes, ginger and lemon juice and gave it a few pulses until it was pureed. Set this aside for plating.

Next, I thought since we had 45 minutes for the roast to cook, I’d make an appetizer with the oyster mushrooms. I cleaned several caps for the appetizer, and also sautéed half the mushrooms with garlic to serve in my brown rice-and the appetizer filling.

Stuffed Oyster Mushrooms
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I added 1 dollop of low-fat cream cheese and light sour cream into a bowl. Chop 2 tablespoons of the sautéed mushrooms, a handful of green olives, 1 teaspoon of capers, and 1 chopped green onion and add them to the mixture. Mix well, and spoon onto the caps. Bake for 10 minutes and serve!

Prepare brown rice according to the package directions, and add in dry cilantro, salt, pepper, and the remainder of the Oyster Mushrooms.
Next, sauté your favorite veggie to serve along with the roast once you pull it out to rest for 10 minutes. I chose Asparagus and button mushrooms, tying the dish together.

Plate, and serve!
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This delicious dinner can be prepared and served in just about an hour! Enjoy!!!

❤ Michelle

dedication, moving forward, running, Uncategorized

Polar Dash Recap, and more!

Movin' it with Michelle

Today was my first race in over 3 months since I tore my Achilles tendon. Yet when my friends asked if I wanted to sign up for the Polar Dash race series, I was excited to have a race to look forward to again.
We headed out early, despite the challenges of slippery roads, time set backs, and yes, me forgetting my trail shoes and having to run home to get them.
We got to the starting point literally less than 10 minutes before the 14 mile start. I missed meeting up with some amazing women, but did catch Penny from 26.Yikes and SarahJeanne from In Mid Stride.
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Lots of laughter, hugs, and chatting and we were FREEZING, but happy.
We headed to the start corral, and I realized WOW…I am doing this. BRRRR….
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Not a 1/4 mile in, and we were faced with standing water, ice, and detours through snow banks. But we were HAVING FUN. Crazy right? I mean, really, who signs up for any sort of distance in JANUARY, in CHICAGO? Yup…we did.
So we took a lot of pictures. Stopped to walk the icy parts, and the best part? I didn’t look at my Garmin, at all.
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Several comment were made about our attire…and the best being named the “Polar Princess’s” and the “Tutu crew.”
We stayed together.
No runner left behind.
We finished happy.
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And afterwards we all met up for lunch, and of course the traditional Bloody Mary. Yup. I drank that.
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And in the end, people can question our pace time, our finish time, or how we placed….

But guess what. For THIS race, NO ONE cared. It was about being together as friends, laughing, talking, reconnecting, and just RUNNING to be free.
While eating lunch and shortly there after, I found myself laughing…laughing, and smiling so hard I had tears streaming down my face.
THIS is something I don’t do often enough…

But I did it today. And I’m better for it. I thank all of my friends and family, both near and far, for giving me a reason to smile, laugh, live, and run.

dedication, goals

A new year….

Movin' it with Michelle

I don’t like to look back, too much…yet sometimes I find it soothing to look back on where I once was, and find where I now am is pretty darn incredible.

Today is the first day of 2014, and sadly I woke up to a completely stuffed up nose, and foggy head. I could say it was due to too many drinks last night, but I partied “smart” drinking water in between each of my four cocktails.
But sometimes, working too hard and sleeping too little tends to catch up with the body and eventually that strong body, breaks down. I missed my group run this morning, even after waking up on time as I knew I needed some extra rest.
But the missed run won’t take away from my goals this year.
I don’t ‘do’ resolutions, more so I focus on goals.
So for this year…my goals are as follows.

I will WRITE, daily, if not weekly as time permits.

I will run, 3 times per week, regardless of snow, rain, or inclement weather.

I will start my half marathon training, THIS WEEKEND, and not look back.

I will run for FUN, with friends, and as often as possible.

I will focus on what I HAVE, not what I want…

I will learn more about photography and cooking, which are my two ‘other’ passions besides running.

I will sleep more. Drink more water. Smile more. And eat better.

I will lose 10 lbs, come hell or high water.

I will work on my e-book. Will it be a cook book, motivational book, or inspirational story? I’m not sure yet. But I won’t put it off another year.

Bring on 2014…I have big plans, to build my page, my passions, and my happiness. All of which will benefit my family.

And I’ll stick to this Ab challenge, DAILY!
#keepmovinforward