Happy Hump Day all!
This week, I picked up another two readers for this little newsletter. Pretty soon, I am not going to be able to call it little anymore. Seems to have taken on a life of its own! LOL…
This really has been a fantastic week all the way around. Brenda and I did the “Bold in the Cold” 5K, and it did live up to its name. It was something like 37°F the morning of the race, and my wimpy “glubs”, as Adam likes to call them, did little to dispel the cold of the morning. We did some light jogging and walking for the 5K and managed to take 6 minutes off of our Jingle Bell Run time. My new running suit and Under Armour worked out well, and kept me quite warm. Still learning about running fashion…lol…people—bear with me. ANYHOOOO…we met a woman named Stacy on this race, and she had her pug doing the race with her. His name was Jager (think: Jagermeister)…he was adorable, and can sprint quite well; definitely better than I can. She lives in Flower Mound and will be joining us on Saturday mornings. Love that the group is growing!
I did muster enough energy to sprint across the finish line, but was sort of bummed because there was no chip time for this race. Just the gun time was recorded…what this means is that if you weren’t at the very front of the pack when the start gun went off, you automatically lost time. They only had the electronic timer mat at the end of the race. Although the chip time said we did it in 53 minutes, we actually came in at 51. This was a nice improvement over December’s race.
Coach Dwayne sent me a copy of “Couch to 5K” and this is the plan I will be using to train for my April 30 Thrill of the Grill Run. Even though I have been doing 5K races for the last couple of years, I have committed to myself that this is the race that I am going to actually RUN. If any of you local D/FW peeps out there would like to join us, registration is officially open and you can go to: http://www.thrillofthegrill5k.
In other news, my team for the “Maintain Campaign” tied for first place! I won one of those folding umbrella-type chairs that have its own case. Pretty happy with my loot. I found out this morning before my Bollywood Dance class. Still loving the Bollywood Dance class. It’s slow enough where I can follow, but you still manage to work up a sweat. You also use many of the large muscle groups, so I am sure I’ll be feeling it tomorrow. I just was hoping that it would be held on a more permanent basis. Think it’s just through the end of the month
I have an update on my New Year’s Resolution list. I promised myself that I was going to do at least one 5K or 10K each month of 2011. Here is what we have lined up or completed so far (thanks to Brenda for helping keep me straight on these)…Anyone who is around during these times is more than welcome to join us. I am still entertaining the idea of doing the Chupacabra 10K again…any takers there? Still no date/time for that one yet.
| DATE: | RACE: | TIME: |
| January 8, 2011 | LGRAW – Bold in the Cold | 51 minutes |
| February 20, 2011 | FWRC – Demery 500 5K | |
| March 5, 2011 | Boopa’s Family Fun Run 10K | |
| March 20, 2011 | FWRC – March Madness 5K | |
| April 17, 2011 | Hound Hustle 5K – Forth Worth Stockyards | |
| April 30, 2011 | Central Market Thrill of the Grill – Plano (my one to RUN!!!) | |
| May 1, 2011 | Heels and Hills 10K – Williams Square, Irving | |
| May 30, 2011 | FWRC – Memorial 3 mile | |
| June 26, 2011 | FWRC – Three Amigos 4 mile | |
| July 17, 2011 | FWRC – High Noon 1.2 mile – picnic after that one! | |
| August 14, 2011 | FWRC – Watermelon 5K | |
| September 2011 (Date TBA) | Heroes for Children – Plano | |
| September 25, 2011 | Heels and Hills 10K – Williams Square, Irving | |
| October 16, 2011 | FWRC – Mercury 10K | |
| November 20, 2011 | FWRC – Mote in Motion ½ marathon…wait…BRENDA…what are you doing to me…or after all of these races will we even BE ready??? | |
| December 11, 2011 | Tropical 10 Mile or Hawaiian 5K | |
| December 2011 (TBA) | Jingle Bell Run… | |
So, needless to say, I am going to be busy this year. Whodathunk that I may have to schedule vacations AROUND my races? That’s a new one for me!!!
I also found out that (and this is probably the BEST news of the week) that Verizon is taking over the gym here in Irving. This completes the whole “maybe-the-move-wasn’t-a-bad-
Finally, in the good news department, I wanted to give a shoutout to my little brother, Kevin. He proposed to his girlfriend on Wednesday, and she accepted. What a way to close out the newsletter!
This week’s meeting focused on ways to get the Power Foods into your daily routine. There is an article on http://www.weightwatchers.com that talks to this, and offers up some good ways to help you achieve that. It is an important part of the new plan, so I highly recommend that you do what you can to work with these foods. In addition to all fresh fruits and MOST vegetables having zero PointsPlus values, fruits and veggies offer the following benefits:
- They make you feel fuller.
- They're rich sources of disease-fighting antioxidants.
- They reduce the risk of heart disease.
- They provide folic acid, vitamins and minerals.
- They increase energy, fight infection, improve regularity, keep skin healthy, promote normal blood clotting and build bones!
Please give it a shot!
For the closing quote du jour, I found this one online today. I loved it and wanted to share it with you!
"I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands;
you need to be able to throw something back.”
-Maya Angelou
RECIPES
Chicken with Balsamic Vinegar, Sweet Onions and Thyme
The sweet onions deliciously balance the acidity of the vinegar sauce. Sautéed or steamed spinach would be great on the side!
PointsPlus™ Value: 5
Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 20 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp table salt, divided
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, divided
1 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4 oz pieces
2 tsp olive oil
1 small vidalia onion(s), cut in half lengthwise, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
1 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp thyme, fresh, chopped, or less to taste
2 tsp butter
Instructions:* On a plate, combine flour, 1⁄2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Dredge chicken in flour mixture and turn to coat; shake off any excess.
* Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, flipping once, until golden and cooked through, about 7 minutes; remove to a serving plate and cover to keep warm.
* Add onion to skillet; sauté over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add broth, vinegar, thyme and remaining 1⁄4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook, stirring often, until onions are tender, about 5 minutes.
* Remove skillet from heat and stir in butter until melted; spoon sauce over chicken. Yields 1 chicken breast and about 1/4 cup onion sauce per serving.
Notes: Don’t have fresh thyme in the house? Use ½ teaspoon of dried thyme instead!
Elissa’s Awesome Turkey Chili
I may have posted this in a prior issuance, but I thought it deserved to be placed into the spotlight this afternoon!
This is a perfect chili for North Texas’ weather situation lately. This was based on a recipe I found on http://www.epicurious.com/ a couple of years back. As per usual, I lightened up the recipe and made it my own. This chili is great over whole-wheat elbows, making a nice hearty dish for the cold weather! This chili can be prepared up to three days ahead. Refrigerate until cold, then cover. Reheat over low heat before serving. Enjoy.
PointPlus® Value: 6 per 1 cup serving. If you use less turkey or less beans, adjust PointsPlus Values® accordingly!
Servings: Makes an 8 quart pot of chili…approximately 12-16 cups of chili
Preparation Time: 15 min
Cooking Time: 90 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cup(s) onion(s), chopped
8 clove(s) garlic clove(s), chopped
5 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground basil
1/2 tsp ground oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
14 1/2 oz fat-free chicken broth
1 can(s) or bottle(s) light beer
6 oz canned tomato paste
3 (15-0z) cans kidney beans, Use mixed --- light, dark, white or black!
1 can (s) Bush's Chili Starter - Mild (or a can of seasoned chili beans)
2 pounds lean ground beef (at least 90/10) or 2 pounds lean ground turkey (93/7)
Instructions:
Heat oil in heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic. Saute until onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Add ground turkey and saute until brown, breaking up meat with back of spoon, about 5 minutes
