My stomach woke me up yesterday morning. It was growling like crazy. I’m always extra hungry the day after a long run and yesterday was no exception.
While Brad and my house guest Candace slept, I made baked pear oatmeal with two very brown pears sitting in my fridge. I cooked both pears, but then only used 3/4 of them and adapted the recipe for three people.
Instead of topping it with just Greek yogurt like I did last time, this time I mixed a dollop of Tofutti with Greek Yogurt, then topped it with cinnamon. YUM.
Side note: In case you haven’t noticed, dairy is back in my life in full force, although I’m sticking to almond milk in my coffee. I saw really no change in my skin when I avoided dairy. It’s possible that avoidance for a few weeks isn’t enough to see a real difference, but I just love dairy products so much. I don’t think I can go through life without them.
I spent Sunday morning catching up on blogs and being kind to my sore legs. After my 16 mile run on Saturday, my right knee wasn’t feeling so hot. Wanna know something weird? My left knee was the one that was bothering me during the run. Weird, I know.
Lunch was leftovers from yesterday. Since we were out of broccoli, I used mixed leftover cinnamon brussel sprouts into my macaroni and cheese. This went surprisingly well together.
Around 12:30, I set off to do some shopping and to go by the new house where Brad was working to take him lunch.
On the menu: a BBQ sandwich on a sandwich thin, a baggie of mostly potato chip crumbs, two carrots, and apple, and a chocolate Builder’s bar for a snack.
He returned the lunch bag to me with 1/2 a carrot and the apple. Brad just doesn’t love fruit like I do.
I had a successful day at the mall. I did a bunch of post wedding exchanges that I really needed to do. We have no extra space to spare. I also got a security tag removed from a shirt Brad bought last weekend after convincing Banana Republic that no, we did not steal the shirt, with my receipt. I also picked up a Christmas gift from the one person in my family who has told me what they want, which is why I’m often a last minute shopper.
Lastly, I bought a cocktail dress for Brad’ company Christmas party. I was leaning toward a blue or green dress and picked out a bunch of preliminary choices online. But when I got to Nordstrom and saw this dress and then tried it on, I decided to go with something completely different.
I’ll keep you guessing until the big reveal. 😉
After all that shopping and exchanging, I was famished when I got home later afternoon. I broke out an old favorite I haven’t eaten in forever: cinnamon sprinkled apple + almond butter. An oldie, but a goodie.
I snuck in 30 minutes on the elliptical. I thought it would be good to move my legs a bit after my long run the day before. Feeling stiff is the worst! Towards the end of my workout I got a call from Brad. The electricians have turned off our power at the new house, and since it was almost 5:30 pm, Brad was left completely in the dark.
We’re operating with one car right now so I rushed off to pick him up then make this delicious dinner.
Herb rubbed chicken drumsticks, balsamic green beans and shallots, and sweet potatoes.
BUT you must know the truth. I almost fed raw chicken to Brad and myself for dinner. See, I’ve never actually cooked meat before that still had a bone in it. Shocking, I know. For some reason I just assumed that I could put the drumsticks in a pan and sautee them until they looked like they were cooked thoroughly. Not so. I even put them in the oven with the green beans for about 10 minutes after cooking them in the pan.
One bite in, Brad found that his chicken was not cooked through. Yikes. I put them back in the oven on 400 degrees for about 15 more minutes and then used a meat thermometer to check that the insides registered 160 degrees F, after referencing what the temperature should be online. The chicken turned out delicious, really delicious. But I still felt bad that Brad had to wait so long on dinner AND that I almost gave us salmonella. 🙁
Anyway, here are the recipes in case you want to take my blunder and make it into something delicious:
Herb Rubbed Chicken Drumsticks:
6 chicken drumsticks
1/2 tsp. rubbed sage
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. parsely
1/4 tsp. onion powder
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
Sprinkle drumsticks generously with salt and pepper. Mix herbs and spices together. Use your hand to press the herb mixture into the skin of the chicken, until all six are evenly coated. Sautee in a bit of olive oil (I used my Misto) turning drumsticks until they are very brown on all sides. Place in a baking dish and cook on 400 degrees until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.
Balsamic Green Beans and Shallots (serves 2)
2 cups green beans
1 large shallot, sliced thinly
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
Spread green beans evenly on a large baking sheet and sprinkle shallots on top. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees F for ~ 20 minutes. Meanwhile, bring balsamic vinegar to boil in a small pot. Allow the vinegar to cook down until it is reduced by half (don’t let it cook too long or it will turn into a sticky caramel-like substance). Plate green beans and shallots and pour balsamic glaze evenly over both servings.
Sometimes, when I try new things in the kitchen, sometimes I fail miserably. Sometimes I have a great success. This dinner was somewhere in the middle.
On the bright side of things, the end results were awesome and I learned an important lesson.