Looking Forward to Class

I find it amusing how much I look forward to my half marathon class every Wednesday. I always loved school when I was younger, I occasionally mention to anyone who will listen that I miss college. I miss learning something new, but just as importantly - I miss the social aspect of it. As a stay at home mom I don't get out a whole lot. I had a small group of mommy friends that I used to get together with a lot, we used to do playdates and get the kids together. As heartbreaking as it is, when I started running and training that pretty much stopped. Not sure if its one of those "different seasons of life" type of situations or just scheduling, but I sure do miss having friends. I am so grateful for the new friends I am making in my running class and I hope that I continue to meet new people and potentially running partners, because I am not looking forward to all the long runs alone.

Sorry for the lack of post yesterday, it was a scheduled rest day from running. As I mentioned Monday, I was pretty sick. I had a bad sore throat, earache, and stiff/painful neck to go along with my pink eye from last week. I am feeling much better since they called in a stronger antibiotic for me and feel confident that I have kicked the worst of it. I am still however taking the week off from swimming (well, all except Friday) to allow my body to fully recover. I can't really afford to get sick again between now and the half marathon.

I did get out there this morning and get my required mileage in for today. I was relieved when I walked out the door and wasn't immediately struggling to breath - the humidity was only 77%. And, there was even a bit of a chill in the air at only 67ish degrees (probably mostly due to my choice of clothing - a short running skirt and a tank top). It was SO refreshing to be able to run more than a mile before getting gross and sweaty. This was also the first run in almost a week that I haven't had to interrupt to take a potty break - which was nice. The things they don't tell you about running before you get involved - I am not sure my body will ever adjust to the "trauma" of running. Not much to say about this run except that I got it done and it didn't feel like a struggle. That is a huge accomplishment lately - so YAY. I will probably do a few laps tonight with "L" - really looking forward to that. I am hoping she can introduce me to interval training to help me develop my running skills further.

Tomorrow is my weekly weigh-in so watch for a post tomorrow. But, in the mean time I thought I would share a few meal ideas. On Monday we made what we call "foil packet chicken" - its an idea we borrowed from my Mom and it works out perfectly for us. (We make the kids something a bit more kid friendly because they apparently won't eat any meat thats not highly processed right now - UGH!). The concept is simple - put chicken plus any ingredients you like in foil and then grill or throw in the oven until cooked. What's great about this is you can make it anything you want - I make my low sodium variety and hubby can make his with a mexican, indian, or asian flair! I wish I had taken a picture, it was delicious! And again, the great thing is how flexible this meal can be. Its such a simple idea that I hadn't even thought of until my Mom suggested it - so THANKS MOM!

Here's what I used on Monday: (just under 400 cals, 320 mg sodium, and 4g of fat without the peppers/onions)
- diced chicken 6 oz raw
- diced potato 4 oz raw
- diced sweet potato 3 oz raw
- snow peas and green beans about 1 oz of each, raw
- McCormick Perfect Pinch Garlic Pepper (Salt Free - HURRAY!)
- 2 tbsp white wine
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- some chopped red bell pepper and onion for flavor (I don't like the texture so I don't eat them)

Last night I made a recipe that I found at the beginning of my dieting and I still to this day love it - Hungry Girl Chicken Tenders. We paired it with cauliflower macaroni and cheese. I do make a few adjustments to the chicken recipe to make it more friendly to my sodium restrictions - I DO NOT use garlic salt - instead I use garlic and salt substitute. I also add a bit more spice to taste - sometimes onion, ancho chili powder, paprika, or dry mustard - basically whatever you are in the mood for. As a note, I haven't found a super efficient way to grind up the cereal as I only have a small food processor and I find the blender to not be effective. However, its well worth the work! Again, sorry for no picture - I will try to do better in the future!

Question time: What is your favorite healthy/low calorie recipe? I am always looking to branch out!

And just a reminder, Daniel would appreciate your vote in WMEE's Most Beautiful Baby Contest. You can find the link at the top right hand side of my blog. Thank you in advance to any of you who take the time to vote and/or pass the link along.