Simple Suppers

These

 

Go in here

After chopping up or crumbling your pre-cooked apple flavored chicken sausage, bring everything to a low boil (so the sausages and beans can heat through) then to a simmer for 20 minutes or so.

Then top with lots of cheese.  Preferably goat cheese if you have it.  But I know you already do.

Work It Out

My weekly workout report for the week of October 18th - 24th.

Monday, 18th
7 mile run

Tuesday, 19th
Barbell Front squat
1 x 6 x 65
1 x 6 x 75
1 x 6 x 85
1 x 4 x 85

barbell lunges
3 x 6 x 65

bench press
3 x 8 x 65

cable face pull
3 x 8 x 70

planks

4 x 400's, 2.5 miles total
60 min. walk with friend

Wednesday, 20th
6.25 mile run

Thursday, 21st
Barbell Bulgarian split squats
4 x 6 x 65

barbell hip thrust
3 x 10 x 65

one arm dumbbell shoulder press
3 x 8 x 20

leg assisted chin ups - Smith machine, feet on bench
3 x 6

Pallof press
3 x 10 x 60

2.5 mile run, 1.5 miles @ 7.0 on treadmill

Friday, 22nd
3.25 mile run

Saturday, 23rd
none

Sunday, 24th
4 mile run


For my own records I am going to start keeping track of total miles, mostly for shoe wear.
Total Miles: 25.5

{clever title}

This is one of those stream of consciousness posts.  Be warned.

- I still have 25% off for the rest of October in my Open Sky Shop.  Use the code BEES30PCT at checkout.  It's a great deal on a quality foam roller so if you need one or know someone who does, make sure to pass this on! Or if you have been wanting to try Artisana's almond butter but haven't taken the plunge because of cost, now is the time.

-I recently finished watching Generation Kill, upon strong coercing from a co-worker.  Let's just say it didn't disappoint.  I am going to be writing a Media Play post on it and some other stuff soon.  In the meantime, do yourself a favor and add it to your Netflix queue.

-I am volunteering this Saturday at the Team Ortho Monster Dash finish line.  If you are running it or are going to be around look for me and say hi.  I look like that picture on the right in the summer, but will probably have a lot more layers on for Saturday.

-I attended a gorgeous wedding this past weekend.  Congrats again Erik and Emily!  It was great having almost all of the family together again. Weddings are fun.

-College hockey has officially started! My brother's team has their first game on Friday. Can. Not. Wait.

-Below are a few recipes of note.  I didn't do anything to adapt them at all and figured posting the links to the recipes is a lot easier then writing them out. 

White chocolate pumpkin cookies
from All Recipes

Everyone in the office loved these, even though I was thinking at least someone wouldn't like pumpkin, but they did.  I say, what's not to like? I know you like my classy paper plate.  Don't lie.

Southwest Quinoa Salad
from Diana at The Chic Life

I have made this one in the past, and this time made it warm instead of cold as a great side to go with chicken fajitas. Thanks Diana!

Smoky Chicken Chili

I am writing to you from the comfort of my office chair during dinner time.  The reason being is my amazing husband is making dinner for the second night in a row.  This isn’t as amazing as it might be for some of you – he actually likes to cook and we usually cook together.  But I just have to take this opportunity to remind myself how lucky I am.  Don’t worry, this post is about a recipe.  A good one at that. 

If you ask me, chili is one of those things that goes hand in hand with fall.  I am a big fan of chili especially because it can be modified to be healthy but still flavorful and filling at the same time.  I have made this recipe with ground turkey and ground chicken in the past put stepped it up a notch and used ground chicken breast.  It’s not the cheapest thing you can buy for a pound, but it is nice for a change.
Don’t forget to top your chili with insane levels of cheese and have some dippers on hand. Anything will do really, but tortilla chips work pretty well with this one.

Smoky Chicken Chili
adapted from Rachel Ray’s Indian Summer Chili
Ingredients
-2 tablespoons olive oil 
-1 pound ground chicken breast
-4 tablespoons dark chili powder, 2 palm fulls
-2 tablespoons grill seasoning blend, any brand, 1 palm full
-1 tablespoon cumin, 1/2 palm full
-2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
-1 to 3 tablespoons taco sauce like Ortega
-1 to 3 tablespoons hot sauce like Cholula or Tabasco
-3 to 4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped, plus 1-2 tablespoons adobo sauce
-1 large onion, chopped
-2 large peppers, any color combination, red, yellow or orange, chopped
-1/2 bottle beer, about 1 cup (go ahead and drink the rest while you are cooking, you have my permission)
-1 14-oz can tomato sauce
-1/2 cup smoky barbecue sauce, like Famous Dave’s Chipotle BBQ sauce
-1  15 oz. can pinto beans
-2 cups frozen corn kernels optional

Directions
Heat a dutch oven over medium to medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and ground chicken breast. Season the meat with: chili powder, grill seasoning, cumin, Worcestershire and both hot sauces. Break up the meat with the back of a wooden spoon into small crumbles.
Add onion and red bell pepper. Brown meat 5 minutes, then add onions and chopped bell peppers and cook 10 minutes more. Add beer and deglaze the pan, scraping up the drippings and cooking off the alcohol. Add tomato sauce and barbecue sauce and bring to a bubble. Add corn kernels and beans. Let chili simmer 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings and heat level to your taste. Remove from heat and serve.

Work It Out

My weekly workout report for the week of October 11th -17th:

Monday, 11th
3.?? mile run with Mr. BKL, about 28 min.

Tuesday, 12th
front squat
2 x 6 x 65
2 x 6 x 85
lunges (wow been a LONG time)
3 x 6 x 30's
push ups on Smith machine
3 x 10
cable face pull
10 x 60
2 x 8 x 70
planks
3 x 45sec

treadmill running
1 mile, 800m, 800m fast, 3 miles total

Wednesday, 13th
6 mile run just under 54:00

Thursday, 14th
deadlift
2 x 6 x 135
1 x 155
2 x 155
6 x 135
push press
3 x 5 x 65
underhand grip lat pulldown
3 x 8 x 85
Pallof press
3 x 10 x 60

2.5 mile run

Friday, 15th
30 minute run

Saturday, 16th
none

Sunday, 17th
6 mile run

Sausage and Peppers with Crispy Polenta

Great news!  I have coupons for my Open Sky shop again! For the rest of October, you can get 25% off anything in my store.  There are only 10 coupons, so make sure you get in on the action before they are gone! Use the code BEES30PCT at checkout. 

This recipe came out of necessity.  I have had a tube of pre-made polenta in the fridge for way too long.  Mr. BKL, being the organization and de-cluttering expert that he is was more then influential in deciding it was high time to use this polenta asap.

Enter: Real Simple.

This recipe was really good.  I of course lightened it up using mild Italian chicken sausage instead of Italian pork sausage.  Usually I go for spicy, but instead picked a more mild sweeter sausage from Target's natural Archer Farms brand. Other then that, the recipe was followed to a T. The only other thing I would do next time is make my own polenta from scratch.  Using the pre-made stuff was really easy and convenient for a week night dinner, but I have to imagine home made would make it all the better.

Enamled cast iron works wonders for this recipe.

The finished product.

Sausage and Peppers with Crispy Polenta
from Real Simple

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage (the package I used was only 12oz. and it was more then enough)
2 medium onions, cut into wedges
salt and pepper
2 small red bell peppers, seeded and sliced 1/4 inch thick
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (I used 2)
2/3 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
6 sprigs thyme
1 pound store-bought cooked polenta, sliced into thick rounds
crusty bread (optional)

Directions

-Heat oven to 400° F. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, turning once, until it starts to brown, 5 minutes.
-Add the onions and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes.
-Add the bell peppers and garlic and cook until just soft, about 4 minutes. Stir in the wine and thyme.
-Transfer the skillet to oven. Roast until the sausage is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
-Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the polenta in batches, turning once, until golden brown.
-Place the polenta on a platter. Spoon the sausage, vegetables, and pan juices over the top. Serve with the crusty bread, if desired.

Teknoledgy: I can haz it?

First of all, look what I found at Super Target last night:

You see, it was talking to me and I just had to bring it home.  It's the cutest thing.  In all seriousness, you guys know how much I love Greek yogurt.  I am so excited that Super Target started carrying the large containers of Chobani.  It's slightly cheaper then Fage and there are a ton of flavors.  Yesterday they announced 3 new ones; mango, lemon, and dark cherry.  I am intrigued by lemon.  I think I will like it.


Moving on...so yesterday I received my new Polar heart rate monitor chest strap.  I have had my watch and original chest strap for almost 2 years now (I think).  As luck would have it, the battery finally went dead on the chest strap transmitter about a week before the 10 mile race.  In a way, it was a good thing because I tend to become preoccupied by my heart rate and/or if the thing is giving me an accurate reading.  The last few months of it's life were pretty bleak and I found myself fidgeting and adjusting it constantly to get a reading. It would have been a distraction for the race to say the least. 

I had the new one shipped to my work (I do with most things so they aren't sitting on my front step outside my house all day either getting rained on, frozen, or stolen) and one of my co-workers asked: "Do you really need to know your heart rate when you are out for a jog?"

Well, first of all I am not a jogger I am a runner...right?  Just kidding, I do plenty of jogging.  But, he brought up a good point.  Why do we really need all this technology?  Do we NEED to know the exact distance we have run, our current pace, our heart rate, our body temperature, our distance to the nearest Dairy Queen, if we have a headache or not, etc.?  Nope.  Not really.  Same could be said about a lot of things though.  Do I really NEED to buy $5.99 containers of the aforementioned Greek yogurt?  No.  Do I really NEED to be using a computer right now?  Maybe? Do I really NEED central air in my house?  Of course not.  But it sure is nice!

I have really been wanting a newfangled shiny Garmin Forerunner GPS device for a while now.  Do I need one?  Most definitely not.  I was still able to run without my Polar for the past 2 weeks and somehow I managed with only knowing my time.  And even that wasn't completely necessary.  But knowing the technology exists and knowing that life can be slightly easier with it is appealing.  I am going to start saving my pennies for the Garmin Forerunner and maybe someday I too, can have a ridiculous watch on my wrist and a giant tan line to go with it.

For those of you who have a Garmin, which model do you recommend?  The 305 is gargantuan but seems to be the most liked and reasonably priced.

Pasta Fresca

I did something crazy.  I made a pasta dish with white pasta.  And I liked it. I usually cook with whole wheat pasta and have grown quite fond of it’s taste and texture, but sometimes it can be a little hard on the tummy.  Not something you want the night before your first ever race, which was the occasion for this dish.

Another thing I like?  Noodles and Company.  Mmmm carby.  My favorites there are the Pasta Fresca and Bangkok Curry.  Pasta Fresca seemed more appropriate and simple for this occasion. I searched a few recipes online and settled on one that seemed just right.  And it was.  Cutting back on the olive oil and using whole wheat pasta will make this a healthy addition to your carb-lovers collection.  Oh and you could also use shrimp instead of chicken (or use both!).  I usually order shrimp as my protein when I get this from Noodles and Co.

 

Pasta Fresca
from Ali at Gimme Some Oven

Ingredients
-12 oz. pasta (I used fettucine)
-2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
-4 cloves garlic (I used 2)
-3-4 roma tomatoes, diced (I used 3/4 of a can of Roma tomatoes instead)
-half a red onion, diced
-1 lb. chicken breast, cooked
-1 oz. baby fresh spinach
-freshly grated parmesan

for the Viniagrette:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. white wine
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together vinaigrette ingredients. Meanwhile, in a large pot, boil (well-salted) water, and cook pasta al dente according to package instructions.  Drain.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tsp. olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add garlic, and sauté for one minute.  Then add in the tomatoes, onion, cooked pasta and chicken. Continue sautéing for 5 minutes until the pasta just slightly begins to brown.

Then add in the spinach and vinaigrette, and continue stirring and sautéing for another 3-5 minutes, until the spinach begins to wilt.

Remove from heat and serve, garnished with Parmesan or feta cheese.

Work It Out

Apparently I was too busy last night cleaning my house and watching the Vikings lose to remember to blog.

Nothing too exciting to report.  It's a little weird not having a plan right now after sort of following a plan for the 10 miler.  I am just trying to run as much as possible before the days get short and the snow flies.  The shorter days bother me way more then the snow, by the way. Oh, it's dark when you drive to work?  And when you get home from work?  AWESOME.  I am debating getting back into a program from New Rules of Lifting.  I am craving some squat and deadlift PR's.  We shall see.

My weekly workout report for the week of October 4th-10th:

Monday, 4th
3.25 mile run with Mr. BKL. Perhaps a little too speedy for the slow easy run I had planned after the race. Legs were heavy.

Tuesday, 5th

6 mile run
push ups on smith machine
cable face pulls
roman chair abz

Wednesday, 6th
4ish mile run, 37 minutes

Thursday, 7th
Bulgarian Split Squats
3 x 6 x 65
push press
3 x 6 x 65
lat pulldown (mix of u/h and wide)
3 x 8 x 85
Pallof press
3 x 10 x 60

-4x400's

Friday, 8th
3.25 mile run, 26:something

Saturday, 9th
none

Sunday, 10th
4 mile run

Wordless Wednesday

TCM 10 Mile race recap

Note: I am awaiting some race day photos, but wanted to post this anyway. I will post the pictures when I get them!

First of all, thanks to all the people who have supported me. On race day and throughout my training – whether I know you or not!  There were a lot of amazing spectators along the course who really made a difference. 

The morning started early – but not bright because the sun was far from up.  I had set my alarm for 4:40, but was wide awake at 4:15 and figured there was no way I would be able to get back to sleep.  The sleep I did get wasn’t great, but it was nothing new for me since I have trouble sleeping anytime something exciting is happening the next day. 

After putting on some coffee, I did what I would do any other weekend morning before Mr. BKL is up - spending time on the interwebz with my google reader, facebook, twitter, et al. It was hard to keep my mind of the general nervousness brewing in my stomach.  I had two cups of coffee and toast with peanut butter and honey, got dressed, and by the time I knew it we were seeing our breath outside as we got into the car in the 38 degree morning.

I was a little panicked as we drove along Washington Ave. in Minneapolis because we hit each red light, and there were plenty of them.  Fortunately, my panic was abated as we found a parking spot easily and were walking towards the start right at 6:30.  The first corral was set to start at 7:09, and each of the following 3 corrals at 3 minute intervals after.  I knew I had to find a port-a-pottie before the start, and stupidly walked past two of them without a line thinking there would be an abundance of plastic loo’s closer to the start.  Silly me!  What I did find were 4 more with a line about 40 deep.  Insta nerves set in.  I wanted to jog a few blocks to warm up because of the cold, but that wasn’t going to happen.  After discarding my sweats with my ever so amazing husband, I waited in the corral and watched as the first two were underway. 

It felt great to cross the starting line and get racing. I was definitely taking it too easy when I looked down at my watch at the first mile and saw a discouraging 9:17.  Time to pick up the pace.  Around mile two I could feel my toes again and slowly started to bob and weave my way around and past people.  I hit a comfortable pace and just kept truckin’. Mile 3 was about 26 minutes, so I knew I had already gained some ground.  I took advantage of all the declines and worked hard on the hills.  I saw my family just before mile 6 and couldn’t have been more excited.  I have to admit I might have missed them but of course my Dad had made a giant neon yellow sign that said: GO BREE.  After that, I realized I didn’t have much race left and decided to give it my all and to leave as much as I could on the course.  Miles 9 and 10 were pretty much a blur and I am pretty confident in saying I couldn’t have gone much faster the last 1/2 mile or so. 

Overall, I am really happy with my time.  My chip time was 1:23:39 (average pace of 8:21), I placed 1557 out of 7017 overall, 516 out of 4311 females, and 136 out of 1029 in the female 22-29 age group. My secret goal was to finish in 1:25:00, and I am really excited that I achieved better then that.

Lots of people told me how fun this race was and I would have never thought I would be saying that running 10 miles in the time I did would be fun, but it was. Looking back I know why some of my training runs were so difficult: because I wasn’t fueling properly for them.  For this race I had eaten an ample amount of carbs and food in general and actually rested the day before, and was well hydrated.  It didn’t hurt that it was maybe 40 degrees at the start, either.

Thanks again to everyone who came out to run and cheer on the racers.  My Mom, Dad, and sister made an hour drive early this morning, and my college age brother and his girlfriend got up on a Sunday way before any of their friends to cheer me on. Seeing their proud, smiling faces at the finish was priceless.  I am so thankful to have a family that is so supportive of each other in all our athletic (or otherwise) endeavors.

And a special Bees Knees Life warm fuzzy award to my husband.  He is my #1 fan supports me no matter what.  He didn’t only whined a little complain when I told him what time we had to be up in the morning, drove me to the start, held my sweats, and generally put up with my special brand of crazy. Well, that’s everyday actually.  But I digress.  And since I can’t write a post without a picture, I am including what might be the worst picture of me since it’s all I got right now.  Mr. BKL took this blurry picture of me looking less then stellar a few hours after the race sporting my new shirt. (And no, that puff of hair is in fact not a side mullet I am sporting. Yet.)  Hooray for sweet race shirts!

Work It Out

My weekly workout report for the week of September 27th – October 3rd:

Monday, 27th
12 mile run (tied the furthest distance I have run)

Tuesday, 28th
Push ups on Smith machine
3 x 10 
Cable face pull
3 x 10 x 60
goblet squat
3 x 10 x 30
roman chair abz
2 x 10
seated cable row
3 x 8 x 65

3 mile run

Wednesday, 29th
4+ mile run (40 minutes, not sure on the distance)

Thursday, 30th
RDL
3 x 6 x 95
Hang Clean
3 x 5 x 45
Arnold press
3 x 8 x 20’s
inverted row, smith machine
3 x 6

4x400 striders, 2 miles total

Friday, 1st
e-z 30 minute jog

Saturday, 2nd
rest day

Sunday, 3rd
10 mile race! 1:23:39

Hyped up: Fall edition

Overhyped: Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks

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Worth the hype: Whole Foods hot/salad bar

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Overhyped: canned pumpkin

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Worth the hype: pumpkin beer

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Overhyped: The Hold Steady and the terrible new song by lead singer Craig Finn about the Minnesota Twins.  Didn't we learn our lesson from Prince's terrible song about the Vikings?

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Worth the hype/underhyped: This song and video.

Overhyped: Fall weather

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Worth the hype: that it's acceptable to make lots of soup and chili

Worth the hype or overhyped?  Racing.  To be determined after the Twin Cities 10 mile this weekend.  My bib # is 14215 for anyone who wants to cheer me on.  Good luck fellow racers!