veggies – Movin' it with Michelle

Tuesday Truths!

January 14, 2015January 14, 2015 Movin' it with Michelle

First off, I am so very pleased to have been asked by Christina @crazymamarunner to tell my story about why I chose to run a marathon. I was highlighted on her blog this week, and you can read the story HERE . I found my eyes welling with tears as I read what she wrote, and re-read what I submitted to her. Please take a moment to check it out!!

Secondly, as most of you know I have struggled with my running this ~~and last~~ winter. Initially due to the artic blast we received far too early this winter, and ultimately ending with a nasty cut on my thumb Christmas day…in case you missed it, the story is HERE . For the first couple weeks my thumb throbbed so terribly I could barely sleep, and hardly fathom running. Along with this lack of motivation came laziness and poor eating. Woops. I fell in to that trap. Darn it all to H E double hockey sticks. Yeah…I went there. LOL

But this weekend despite crazy work hours and schedule I decided since my hubby was leaving at O dark 30 to travel this morning, I would run on the dreadmill tonight after work. I told my family, and posted on my FB fan page to hold myself accountable. I NEEDED to run at least 2 miles.

In stepped my friend Maria from @Runningflaps FB fan page. We made a virtual date, and I was so giddy to have ‘someone’ to run with even if it was virtually. I picked up my youngest from after school care and headed home. And as I pulled on my shorts and tank that was just a bit too tight for my comfort I found myself cringing. I shook it off, and headed down stairs to the mill. I decided to take some of my followers advice and turned on Netflix, season one of Grey’s Anatomy. I started slow, and found myself wanting to give up. And this I received THIS text:

I made it two miles, and although they weren’t pretty miles, I didn’t give up. I feel like I am starting from square one, but I am at least starting. It’s truly amazing what a month+ can do for your endurance…or should I say how it KILLS your endurance.

Pretty much how I feel...LOL — Pretty much how I feel…LOL

So I ran 2 miles, and although it was tough I finished.

Day 13 of the AB challenge is done, and I am realizing quick I need to get myself in to gear for next month when my “real” training starts. Darn my passion and love for food at times like these. Give me ALL. The. Veggies and someone take away my quinoa chips…PLZ. #alwayshungry

So tonight’s Truth is this:

Don’t give up, no matter the obstacles, what the scale says, or how your clothes fit. Keep movin’ forward, and the pieces will fall in to place!

❤ Michelle

food

Shrimp spring rolls

September 30, 2014 Movin' it with Michelle

I had several people ask me for my spring roll recipe. I apologize for the double post but wanted to write it up before I forgot!
What you’ll need:
One bag of precooked shrimp, thawed and chopped.
One cucumber, chopped finely
Half of a red pepper, chopped finely
Two spring onions, chopped finely
One carrot, grated
One clove of garlic, minced
Crushed red pepper flakes to taste
2 teaspoons of gluten free Tamari soy sauce
A splash of sesame oil
Kosher salt, black pepper and five Chinese five spice to taste
I package of rice wrappers

Mix all ingredients well in a large bowl and let marinate for 15 minutes.
Soak wrappers according to package directions.
Place about a tablespoon of the mixture at the bottom end of the wrapper. Roll a quarter turn tightly, bringing in the edges and continuing to roll tight.
Set aside.
Dipping sauce:
Tamari gluten free soy sauce-about a quarter cup
Splash of rice wine vinegar
Crushed red pepper flakes
Pinch of freshly grated ginger
One teaspoon of spring onion
Pinch of brown sugar
Just a touch of sesame oil
Mix well and this makes for a tasty dipping sauce.

I served with basmati rice and edamame. Delish and healthy!!

💗Michelle

dedication, food, goals

Gosh has it really been a week?

June 25, 2014March 3, 2015 Movin' it with Michelle

Last week I logged 3 runs, and kept my eating on par…well, until the weekend where I chowed down on chicken wings while watching the World Cup soccer game…ooooooops…

I started my week strong with my hubby, running a very humid and hot 5k to get us moving. It was hard, admittedly. There were plenty of swear words and more sweat then we could even quantify, but we kept moving…

Back to work today, and let’s just say at 9 pm I have finally finished my work day. Talk about exhausted…who wants to lift weights for me?

BUT…I’ve missed cooking. With the hubby gone last week our meals here were pretty simple…

Yet the best part of tonight was creating a yummy and healthy dinner and in less than 30 minutes. Now…what to name this dish, LOL.

Braised chicken thighs

Here is what you’ll need:

4 chicken thighs, bone in, patted dry.
1 small white onion diced
1 pepper diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can of diced tomatoes, drained
2 teaspoons of capers, diced
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 cup of Sauvignon blanc (Fiddlehead cellar is my all time favorite)
Seasonings:
Pinch of Rosemary, sage, thyme, kosher salt, black pepper and roasted red pepper flakes

Here’s what you’ll do:
Season your chicken with salt and pepper and sear on both sides in a pan coated with extra virgin olive oil, until they are golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside. (Do NOT cook through). In the same pan, add your onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, tomato paste, capers, wine, and seasoning and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add back your chicken, coating them in the sauce, and cover. Let simmer for 15 minutes until cooked through.

Instead of serving over traditional pasta, I served over yellow zucchini noodles. What a hit!

How did I make these cool veggie noodles? My new favorite kitchen gadget!

Vegettie...don't laugh. — The Vegettie…don’t laugh.

Tonight’s work out? Arms…

Back at it with running tomorrow!

What is your favorite kitchen gadget?

❤ Michelle

dedication, food, goals

Monday Motivation and things…

April 8, 2014 Movin' it with Michelle

After getting on the dreaded scale this past weekend, I decided it was time to, well, quit being lazy. I have kept a pretty clean eating plan, but whoever said it’s 80 percent what you eat, and 20 percent workouts, well, LIED to my 41 year old body. I don’t drink soda, don’t eat fast food more that 2 or 3 times per YEAR, and cook extremely healthy meals.
Yet here I sit…with 7-8 lbs of unneeded weight that simply hurts my knees. I am a smallish type person, so gaining 5-10 lbs for me, is HUGE. Don’t judge…
Our Chiberia winter killed me, and nearly all of my motivation to work out. I ran occasionally, worked out a few times per week, but nothing very serious. Getting ready this last weekend to go out with my girlfriends, I realized, ack…my pants don’t fit. My muffin top has it’s own zip code. And I nearly, cried. Ok…maybe a tear or two was shed…but I moved on.
I need to work out, doing a run/cardio work out every other day, mixed with 2-3 strength work outs, and 2-3 days of P90X yoga. I need. To shed. This winter weight.
So today, my first full Monday of work, I picked up my youngest from her first day of after school care, and rushed home to run. Just 2 miles, but miles I needed.

For dinner, I prepared fish, brown rice with scallions and garlic, and steamed green beans.

I used Swai fish, but any white fish will do…
Pat dry your fillets, and season with kosher salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and a sprinkle of “fish fry” which is essentially well ground, seasoned bread crumbs. Spray a non-stick pan with olive oil, and sear on each side at medium-high heat for 6-7 minutes on each side until cooked through.
For the brown rice, I took the help from the quick cooking rice, and melted one pat of unslated butter with a clove of garlic and added the rice. Finish off with a couple tablespoons of chopped scallions, salt, pepper, and serve!
I often steam my veggies in the microwave when time is an issue, so I steamed my green beans via microwave for a couple minutes and YUM! Season lightly with salt and pepper.

We can always start over, be stronger, and keep Movin’ forward…but we have to CHOOSE to do so…what is your choice?

food, goals, moving forward, running

Finding my peace…again.

February 17, 2014 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…

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.

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.

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

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

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

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!

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

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.

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!

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