food, goals, moving forward, running

Finding my peace…again.

Movin' it with Michelle

As most of you, it has been a rough time for me lately. I tell myself over, and over, and over again that it WILL get better, and life will sort itself out. It always does, when we keep the faith….right? Sometimes these conversations with myself can get a little heated. But I just can’t give up at this point in my life…

So Friday night I texted Andrea to see if she could run with me on Sunday. She too works crazy hours, but quickly said, “I hate you.” Followed by a reminder that she did heart me…lol

So it went like this…
We met up at Fabyan Windmill in Batavia for our scheduled 6 miler. I am semi-training for my half marathon in May by easing my mileage up, slowly…

1-IMG_5764
The trails were covered with snow, but the beauty of the river brought me immediate peace.

A mile and a half in, Andrea got a bloody nose…seems all of our runs have some sort of tragedy that we overcome…asthma attacks, falls, and now blood. This run has been named #bloodrun2014 lovingly.

Doh!
Doh!

We did learn that snow makes for a great packing material to get the bleeding to stop…#whoknew

bloody snot rockets...never a dull moment in a dedicated runner's life!
bloody snot rockets…never a dull moment in a dedicated runner’s life!

I offered to turn around, but she was determined to keep going…we got the bleeding to stop, and kept going.
1-IMG_5747

Of course no run is complete without cartwheels, yet mine was a bit scary…

And handstands...
And handstands…

While heading back into downtown Batavia, we ran into Karen from Trading in my heels. How awesome it was to see her lovely smile.
1-IMG_5769

And why is it, I ALWAYS choose the toughest path on the trails…this was about 4-5 inches of snow…whoops…I called it #crosstraining lol
1-IMG_5768

We had about a mile to go, and I am so glad I took the time to look around and enjoy the beauty of the Fox River trails….looks like we had a visitor! I was so excited to capture this picture!
1-IMG_5759

We finished strong, and my heart and soul felt a peaceful easy feeling of release…

1-IMG_5760

I came home happy, and finished some housework, and allowed myself an hour to lay on the couch and relax.

Dinner consisted of Mediterranean inspired stuffed pork chops and sautéed veggies. Super easy, and healthy…

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
Season your (thick cut) pork chops with salt and pepper, and butterfly them down the middle. Set aside
For the stuffing:
In a sauté pan heat 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil, and lightly brown 6 mushrooms and 2 cloves of garlic. Season with Mediterranean oregano.
Drain the excess oil and place in a bowl. Add in one container of fat free Mediterranean feta cheese and a handful of green olives, chopped. Stir together, and stuff your pork chops, leaving some of the mixture to sprinkle on the top.
Sear each side until golden brown in a cast iron skillet, and transfer to your oven to finish cooking-about 35-40 minutes.

1-IMG_5779

Serve with your favorite veggies, and ENJOY!

This weekend did my heart wonders, and although my alarm will be going off at 3 a.m. tomorrow, I will do my best to hold this joy in my heart this week!

dedication, goals, moving forward

And sometimes, well, we wonder…

Movin' it with Michelle

Why didn’t they call me?
Why am I still searching for my place in life?
Why do I find myself reaching out to people who don’t reciprocate the love?
Why, do I care about said listed people above?
Why I have I worked so darn hard my ENTIRE life, just continue to struggle?
Why is it so hard to see people go on trips, vacations, shopping, and living care free?
Why can’t I look in the mirror and just be happy?

Wait. Stop. KNOCK IT OFF!

LIFE. Is a blessing. It’s hard, and we all tend to wonder at times….

but we find our joys, and we keep moving forward.

WE let go of what ails us, when we can, and we make the most of each and every day.

We text our friends at 10 p.m. on Valentines day to ask for a run date….well…because we know the person on the other end of the text needs that run just as much as we do….

pic from last summer!
pic from last summer!

We hang ON to what matters most…friends, family, relationships and passions, and we find forward movement.

We take those 2 “I’m sorry the position has been filled” emails with a grain of salt, and realize that our dream passion is out there….somewhere….these rejections are simply openings to more opportunities in the future.

This weekend I am looking forward to family time, cleaning, and running a few miles with a friend who’s been there for me through a lot…a person who takes the time to text me on her worst day. Yeah…I am lucky to have such amazing people in my life.

So with that, I lay my wonders to rest. Tomorrow is a new day.
#keepmovinforward

food

BBQ chicken #whatsfordinner

Movin' it with Michelle

My husband and I LOVE to watch cooking shows…it’s pretty much the only television I watch anymore. Last night we watched, “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” as they featured a place we used to eat when we lived in San Antonio, Texas.

This immediately made us hungry for good BBQ. Sadly you can’t find a lot of good BBQ up here in Chiberia, so you know what that meant, right?

Right…I decided to tackle making homemade BBQ sauce-something I’ve never attempted. As always, I don’t ‘measure’ exactly, more so I use my pallet to judge how much of each ingredient I need. So take these ‘measurements’ with a grain of salt. lol, no pun intended.

BBQ Sauce-what you’ll need:
2 cups of ketchup
1/2 cup of brown sugar
a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce
a few splashes of apple cider vinegar
Dash of cayenne pepper
kosher salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
Mix together in a bowl, transfer into a sauce pan, and simmer on low heat for about 25 minutes.

Chicken prep:
Pre-heat oven to 275 degrees
Pat chicken dry, and season with salt and pepper
Heat extra virgin olive oil in a sauté pan to medium/high heat
Seer both sides for 3 minutes or so until golden brown (do not cook through)
Place chicken in a casserole dish (I line mine with aluminum foil for easy clean-up) and liberally cover with the BBQ sauce you’ve prepared.
Cover with foil, and bake for about 90 minutes to 2 hours.

1-2014-02-13

Serve with your favorite sides! I sautéed veggies, and made homemade chips! Although I did fry the chips, I used peanut oil which is a little better for you? I only had a few!! LOL!

Enjoy!

food, moving forward, running

Meatball and veggie soup recipe and running

Movin' it with Michelle

I spent the weekend with my two daughters, embracing fun, shopping, errands, and even housecleaning (to include laundry, ACK). But even though the hubby had reserve duty, I am proud to say my girls were troopers and pitched in with helping around the house.
Both Saturday and Sunday were filled with errands and chores, but we managed to make it fun.
Today, I decided to make a simple soup for dinner, and I am so glad I did after running a very tough and frigid almost 4 miler. I set out today to go for 5 miles, as I did 4 for my longish run last weekend, but the bitter winds slapping me in the face caused me to cut it short….3.8 miles in 37:15. Not my best, but not my worst either.
During this run, I tried….tried so hard to lose myself in the run. But I just couldn’t settle in. I couldn’t lose myself in nature, or my music. So I trucked along, did a second loop in my neighborhood, and finished strong at an average 9:46 pace. I need to get my pace back to under 9:15 or so if I want to run a strong half marathon in May.
frozen4miler

For the soup-here is what you’ll need…First, preheat oven to 450, and get your crock pot out and ready.
Meatballs:
1 lb lean ground beef
1 lb lean pork sausage
2 eggs
1 handful of panko bread crumbs (can omit if preferred)
kosher salt and pepper to taste
pinch of parsley
pinch of cumin
pinch of cayenne pepper

Mix well, and form meatballs. Bake at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside to rest.

Soup:
1 box of sodium free vegetable stock
Additional 4-6 cups of water
1 medium red onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
4-6 ribs of celery, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
pinch of sage, thyme, cumin, and season with kosher salt and pepper to taste
4-6 splashes of hot sauce
2-3 splashes of liquid smoke

Combine all soup ingredients in your crock pot and cook on high for about 2.5-3 hours, allowing your veggies to still have some crunch. In the last 30 minutes before serving, add your meatballs, and let warm through.

Easy peasy and warms the soul! Enjoy!
1-IMG_5624

food

Shrimp salad with chopped veggies

Movin' it with Michelle

Do you need a great, quick, and easy ‘go-to’ meal for those nights you don’t feel like slaving over the stove after a long day? This recipe will surely make your palate dance, and your belly full.

What you’ll need:
One bag of large, precooked shrimp. (I prefer tail on, as they seem larger and you get more bang for your buck-simply thaw and remove the tail)
1 red pepper, sliced in strips
1/2 of a red onion, thinly sliced (place slices in a bowl of water for 10 minutes to remove some of the ‘bite’)
1 cup of chopped broccoli
10-12 cherry tomatoes, sliced
1 head of romaine lettuce torn/chopped

Chop/prepare all of your veggies and lettuce, and set aside. Don’t forget to also season lightly with a sprinkle of kosher salt and pepper! I like to serve my shrimp lightly sautéed over my salad, so I season it with kosher salt and pepper, and sear quickly over high heat in a pan drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. Drain on a paper towel, and serve atop your salad.

Serve with your favorite dressing (mine is in the pic-YUM) and enjoy!

Prep time is only 10-15 minutes, so this is a win win on a week night!
1-IMG_5559

dedication, food, goals, moving forward, running, strength

Monday Musings

Movin' it with Michelle

Monday musings
A forewarning, this post will be all over the place, and probably not full of unicorns, glitter, or butterflies. I caveat that, with the fact that I am FORCING myself to keep moving forward, regardless of the current situation.
I find it almost ironic that just a few weeks ago I posted about the fact that while although I am thankful I have a job, I don’t love my current career. My career was chosen for me by the Air Force, 23 years ago, and during my 20 year career serving in the military I was at least able to delve into so many other areas of the Air Force, which made actual career as a histology technician tolerable.
I was blessed to march in the Korean War Memorial dedication parade. I was a part of many organizations, and served under the Commander and Chief as an executive assistant for almost a year. I was a fitness instructor. I served on many service member of the quarter/year award boards. I was a training instructor. I even did other aspects of the lab such as Point of Care testing. I led training runs, memorial runs, and more ceremonies than I can count on one hand.
91bad-5-25stone
Yet for the last 2 ½ years…I’ve simply gone to work, punched in, did my job, and came home each night. While completely thankful to HAVE a job, this JOB no longer brings me joy.
And now, knowing my job is being eliminated, I have been on the job hunt for nearly 3 weeks without a single bite.
I’ve remained faithful, with constant forward movement and self-talk that involves a lot of yelling, crying, and begging for God to show me where the heck I am supposed to be in life at the ripe age of 41.
I thought by now I’d have it figured out. But nope…
I do know these few things.
I love to run, and running with friends makes me even happier when the mileage increases.
1-026
I love to cook, invent, and inspire others with the foods I prepare.
133ce-xmas2012b
I love to take pictures, and although I’d never call myself a photographer, I love being behind the lens.
1-IMG_3446-001
I love inspiring and helping others. It not only makes my crap, well, less craptastic, but it brings me such joy to help someone through a difficult time in their life.
a7790-11-12-13sign
I love to write. I have been writing since the age of 12, and although I am just an amateur, I truly love the written word.
Yet, none of these passions will provide for my family currently…yet…

With that, I have to keep plugging along, searching for a new job at least 2-3 hours each night, praying that right fit will come along. My family needs my financial, and happy mental support.

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’….
1-1-22running

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!
1-1-22-015
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!

food, Uncategorized

Bacon wrapped chicken thighs, served with steamed asparagus

Movin' it with Michelle

I was admittedly feeling a little low after work today. Not knowing the future can be tough, and although my mantra is to keep movin’ forward, it can be a challenge when you are unsure of how you will provide for your family in a monetary sense.

So what do I do when I’m feeling low besides go for a run? I cook.
There was no running outdoors today with negative wind chills, and the dreadmill, well, just looked dreadful. I did a circuit work out, my AB challenge, and hunkered down in the kitchen.
1-1-21-14baconwrappedchicken

I seasoned 4 chicken thighs simply with kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper and a dash of garlic powder. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and set aside.
Cut 4 thin pieces of Pepperjack cheese. I normally avoid dairy, but this is one of the few cheeses I can stand.
Take 4 pieces of nitrate free/low sodium back and separate.
Put one piece of cheese inside each chicken thigh, and wrap tightly, then seal by wrapping tightly with the bacon, securing with toothpicks. Repeat the process, and place in a 9×11 pyrex baking dish. Drizzle lightly with evoo, and back at 375 for 35-40 minutes until golden brown.
Steam your asparagus lightly so that it still has a crunch, and season with kosher salt, and pepper. I topped with a little parmesan cheese, to entice my kiddos to eat it, 🙂

goals, moving forward, running, strength

Why I run…

Movin' it with Michelle

For more than 2 1/2 decades, I’ve used running as a source of therapy. I started running in junior high school as a way of trying to find my place in a time where I felt very OUT of place (who didn’t as a young teen, right?).
From a young age, I never felt like I really ‘belonged’ anywhere, and for most of my teen and adult life I suffered from sometimes, quite severe depression.

In 2007 I hit my WALL in life. That moment where in a marathon you feel you just CAN’T take another step, where it hurts to breathe, and even blinking seems painful….Yes…I was there…and it was scary to say the least.

Yet the love I have for my family came bounding to the forefront, and I knew I had to change, to lift myself up, and to start moving forward.

So I signed up for my first half marathon in September of 2007, with only 8 weeks to train. The San Antonio Rock and Roll half marathon will always hold a special place in my heart.

I could barely run ONE mile without walking, but I was moving…My training brought me a new found respect for running, and re-ignited a fire that had been lying dormant for many years. I would work all day, come home to make dinner and feed my then 8 and 1 year old daughters. As soon as my husband got home from work, I’d pass off the kids, and head out the door to run. And after 8 weeks of hard and grueling training, I completed my first half marathon in 2 hours and 19 minutes. Just typing this recap brings tears to my eyes. THIS choice, to train for a half marathon despite my hardships that I was going through, was life saving.

Since then after retiring from the Air Force in 2011, I have completed several more half marathons (Half Fanatic #3915), and 2 full marathons, with my PR’s being 2:02/4:25 respectively. My favorite race of all time, is the Fox Valley Marathon. The Fox River trails are my home away from home, and also volunteering for this race has made it near and dear to my heart.

My goals for this year are to focus on my half marathon speed, but regardless of the race, you’ll be sure to see me smiling.

Why?

Some say running has saved their lives, and I piggy back that sentiment, partially.

Partially?

Yes. Because for me, MAKING THE CHOICE to run, to train, to race, THAT has saved my life. And this ongoing choice, has made me both stronger, and happier all around.

I don’t run to win races. I run, to keep movin’ forward. #pacesetter @womenraces #keepmovinforward