Chilllllllllli

AKA it’s chilly outside. For real. With no intent of getting warmer.

Amy told me that I should do some baking.  And I have been and will be.  But first I wanted to share a real meal that I did considering the last “I made something” post was apple cinnamon muffins. I have some recipes that I want to try out so all in good time my pretty, all in good time. I have lots of goodies to share!

Lindsay asked me “what’s up with you being in the kitchen all the time? sheesh. tryin’ to find a boyfriend or something?”. Hahahah. Ummmm I work at a clinic with volunteer med students and volunteer doctors.  What do you think? 😉

Therefore I combined both a warm meal with trying to land a date with a doctor in one night.  Multi-tasking at it’s finest? In any case the chili recipe that follows is a made-up recipe.   I just kind of realized that A LOT of the cooking and baking stuff I do is recipe free.  I suppose it’s because, if I fail miserably, then I have a reason: I didn’t have any directions to follow hahah!

Chili ( to be eaten with tortilla chips. Duh. And rice, although I just used Minute white rice so no picture or recipe of that because I’m sure y’all can read a box hahah!) This is veggie friendly but if you wanted to add meat you totally could.

And eh picture while it was simmering

Ingredients:

• 2 large peppers, one green and one red (*cough*christmasspirit*cough*) and one yellow because I needed more veggies
• 1 large onion
• 4 large celery stalks
• 1 large can of stewed tomatoes ~30 oz
• 2 cans of beans, one kidney and one black ~30 oz ( I threw out the can before I looked at the exact size and I used the jumbo sizes of cans to make up for the lack of meat and to balance out the large can of tomatoes)
• jalapenos
• brown sugar (unknown amount. I just threw it in until it tasted right)
• salt and peper
• water

Directions:

• Chop up the onions, celery, peppers and jalapenos (I chopped them up not-so-finely so they were big pieces.  There’s apparently a technique or method to chop onions so you don’t cry.  While I knew this at the time I couldn’t for the life of me remember so I was crying.)
• In a large pot add the stewed tomatoes and beans and water and bring to a boil

Large friggin pot

• Add the veggies and beans after the pot is boiling
• Add the brown sugar and salt and pepper and then turn the heat down to low or medium and let simmer for maybe 10-15 minutes
• Transfer to a crock pot to keep warm until you’re ready to eat it or eat it straight up
• ENJOY

I don’t actually know if this is really a chili because there’s no chili powder, although there is jalapeno in there.  I’m not a real foodie or anything so I don’t know if that counts.  And I know that picture doesn’t make it look too good. But it was. And it was hearty which is also good because I am still famished post-WR. That’s all that counts.

In terms of running / recovering I got a good 6 miler in.  I foam rolled the living bejeezus out of my legs last night after getting home from work (HELLO EARLY NIGHT!) and actually got to stretch as well.  And then lay in bed with a book in my hand but not reading because I was hungry (again) and didn’t want to get out from my warm covers to get something to eat.  I need a snack bag next to my bed.

The run itself was, well, cold but what else is new.  I’ve actually stopped looking at the predicted forecast because it’s just depressing. But I did check when I got back and it was 19* outside and it felt like 8*.  Needless to say I still was in shorts, as I keep resisting breaking out the winter gear because once I do that it’s really winter and I’m not cool with that. I did have on two tops, earmuffs and my snowplow gloves though. 

Jess, jokingly I think, suggested I go out for the Austin marathon in February and it’s very tempting to have another trip of getting out of here this winter.

But I digress.

Like I said the run was okay.  I’m keeping with my theme of basking in the glow and going easy. I got tired by the end but that’s sort of to be expected because today’s run was a bit overzealous! I tried to go further today because I woke up with NO SORENESS.  As soon as I tried to walk down the steps outside my quads let me know they were still there though. And all the mini downhills (I’m trying to stay on the flattest route I have) told me the same. As did the pace: slow and steady.  It was the exact same pace as the past two runs; nice because I increased my distance today.

I’m having some tightness in my right leg, right behind the kneecap (maybe my hammy? it’s the lower part of the kneecap though) that popped up during the last mile or so.  Likely from the cold but I’m going to have to stretch out all day today.

But I’m encouraged that I’m feeling on the way to recovered. So much so that I really want to think about what’s next hah! This is so weird because after my first two marathons I vowed “never again”

I also did pushups (20, 25, 15, 15, 26) and situps (30, 38, 23, 23, 40). If you noticed this is a step back from what I’ve done lately.  I decided to go back and re-do weeks 3 and 4 because, with the travel over the weekend, I didn’t get to finish week 4 and just felt like I needed an extra week of numero tres.  On Tuesday I did W3D1 and today was W3D2.

And SUAR posted this last night and I have to copy it because tears were steaming down my face while watching it.

It was 19* outside at 0800 and it felt like 8*.  Needless to say I still was in shorts as I keep resisting breaking out the winter gear because once I do that it’s really winter and I’m not cool with that. I did have on two tops, earmuffs and my snowplow gloves though.