WeekEnd Round-up 1/31

"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength."

- Arnold Schwarzenegger

This weeks workouts
Monday:Strength Training class (60 minutes) 4.2 miles run, 2.8 miles eliptical.

• I had a lot of stress to get out and I was determined to stay on a machine until I felt better, it worked

Tuesday: 1.5 mile walk

• It was such a nice day, that I decided to take the kids out and let them stretch their legs on their bikes while I pushed the jogging stroller.

Wednesday: Step and strength class (60 minutes)

• Woke up feeling bad full on sore throat and fatigued but I was determined to make it to class and it took every once of energy to finish but I did get through it.
  

Friday: 7.0 miles 4 treadmill and 3 eliptical

• I am thankful for the new RW magazine really good articles this month got me through my workout, physically I felt a lot better.
  

Total Miles:
week: 15.5
month: 50.9 miles
year: 50.9 miles

Overall: I was sick most of the week still trying to get past this sore throat but I feel good about finally getting 15 miles in a week. :)

So this month I read the book Twinkie, Deconstructed and it was a very informative read. The author Steve Ettlinger laid out the book so the chapters reflected the ingredient list in the order they are found in a twinkie, starting with wheat flour ending with FD&C Yellow No. 5, Red No. 40. I have never looked at a twinkie ingredient list, in fact I just recently started paying attention to food labels in general but after reading this book I realized I look at the label but really have no idea what I am reading. In this book the author takes you on a journey from each ingredients origins to how they came to be used in a Twinkie as well as other uses for the same ingredients which more times than not had nothing to do with food. It is a really enlightening view into the world of processed foods. Some chapters were a little slow for me but overall I do feel like it was a good read, eye opening in that it make me really want to find out and think about what I put into mine and my families bodies. Has anyone else read this? What did you think?


How'd I do this last Week
1.Take advantage of sunny days and get out and run I hear we have some more rain coming
~Fail: Even though the whole week was really nice and sunny, I only got outside once for a walk spent most of the week sick and so running inside was easier
2.Get 20 miles in.
~ Fail sort of cause I did not get in a full 20 but I finally got in 15 miles which I haven't done yet this year.
3.Go meatless one day
~Pass did it today oatmeal for brekkie, black bean and cheese burrito lunch and whole wheat pancakes and greek yogurt dinner.

Goals for this Week:

~Run 20 miles ( It will stay on my list until I actually do it)
~Start taking a multivitamin, I am so over being sick. (any suggestions???)
~Find a new book to read for February


Great things going on in the blogworld

*Race Reports (I love 'em how about you?? If you posted a race report and would like it linked let me know I would love to stop by and leave a comment)

Silly Lisa...
Team Giles
Runners Rambles
Single Track Junkie


It's For A Good Cause:

Katye over at Long Legs on the Loose has a couple big things going on:

~First check out the Raffle/Giveaway she is hosting to raise money for Team Fight
~You can also visit her and check out her Bondi Bands Fundraiser proceeds go to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Over at Our Love On The Run they are donating $1 for every new follower and $1 for every 5 comments they get on the "Followers and Comments For Haiti" post to Save the Children so stop by and follow/comment.

Giveaways!!!

Mission to a(nother) Marathon: Lift Your Sole 2/1
Endurance Isnt Only Physical: Nathan Fuel Belt 2/2
Team Giles: Road ID 2/3
Body-In-Progress: KettleWorx 2/2
Gathering My Roses: Vitalicious Sampler 2/7
Running Journal: Road ID 2/7
Endurance Isn't Only Physical: RunningSkirts 2/5

Last Day To Enter!!

Just wanted to do a quick reminder that today is the last day to enter my Omron GoSmart Pedometer Giveaway!!!

Feature Friday- Recovery Sock

After my first 5k it hurt to walk for 3 days after and when I say hurt I mean I contemplated crawling or knawing my legs off at the knee, hurt. The moral of the story is I learned the importance of taking the time to care for my legs after my workouts and runs, no longer do I take stretching or cool downs for granted, and now that I have made up my mind to participate in at least 1 1/2, I am very happy to be doing this week Feature Friday on The Recovery Sock. I have been wanting a pair of compression socks for awhile now and am excited to now be the proud owner of a pair and so far they have not disappointed they are really comfortable and snug ( I would wear them around every evening if I could). I wore them after my workout Monday and the next day I woke up sore everywhere but from my knees down. Was it the Recovery Sock?? In my opinion I believe if not fully responsible they played a part. Will I continue to use them?? most definitely. Would I recommend The Recovery Sock?? yes, without a doubt.

From the Company:

Technical Features
Unlike other compression socks, The Recovery Sock® utilizes a Patented GCT ( Patent # 6,092,397). GCT means tighter compression in the foot and ankle area and a gradual decrease in compression as it travels up the leg over the calf. GCT causes an upward flow of blood helping to get un-oxygenated blood out of the leg, replacing it with fresh oxygenated blood. This is not only speeds recovery after workouts, hence The Recovery Sock®, but also enhances workout and race performance. Athletes in long distance competitions, especially marathons, have found them particularly beneficial.

Cold Weather
The Recovery Sock® can also be worn during races and workouts. Thanks to GCT the upward blood flow is constantly functioning and blood circulation enhanced in the lower extremities. They can be worn in cold weather conditions beneath tights or in combination with compression shorts.

- Worldwide Patent
- Exclusive wicking and antibacterial fiber
- Improves oxygen delivery to muscles
- Lactic acid production reduced
- Proven cramp relief
- Tested and used by World Class athletes

For more information about The Recovery Sock check at their website www.recoverysock.com or you can find them on Facebook.

Have a Wonderful Weekend!!!

Three Things Thursday

Okay well actually 7 Things Thursday I am a little late to the party but last Thursday both Let's Roll Mama and Springs. Steel Springs passed some bloggie love my way, thank you ladies. So along with this award I have the honor of sharing 7 random facts about my self and passing it along to 7 others. So here goes

1. I ran track in high school, only short distances though 100, 200,400, 4x100 and 4x400 and used to complain about running the 400 if someone would have told me back then that one day I would decided to run a 1/2 marathon I probably would have rolled over laughing

2. I can not sleep with socks on, it drives me crazy

3. Me and all 4 of my daughters were all born in the same hospital.

4. In high school I fractured the ring finger on my right hand playing touch football and it didn't heal right (totally my fault because i didn't wear my brace like I was supposed to because it kept me from playing softball) so my finger won't fully straighten (you can't tell though unless your all up on my finger like that)

5. I collect salt and pepper shakers

6. I also collect and am mildly obsessed with snowmen decorations

7. I am left handed and "If being left handed is wrong, I don't want to be right" I just found that little ditty on a site for being left handed.. I love google.

okay so now I will pass the baton to these wonderful bloggers:

..and so I ran
Cherry Blossoms Run
TX Runner Mom
It's Just One Foot in Front of the Other
I am a runner.
Gotta Run Now
Fit this, girl

One last thing there is only a couple days left to enter my Omron Giveaway!!!

Taste Test Tuesday (Stuffed Bell Peppers)

Stuffed Bell Peppers

( I adapted my usual bell pepper recipe that called for ground beef and white rice and swapped them out for ground turkey and brown rice.)

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey
2 tbs. olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 c. chopped onion
2 tsp. chili powder
8 oz. tomato sauce
1 tsp salt
8 oz. tomato soup
8 bell peppers, tops cut of and seeded
1 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 cooked rice
1/2 c. shredded cheese

Directions

1. Cook meat, onion and garlic until meat is done.

2. Add seasonings, tomato soup and tomato sauce , simmer covered 10 mins. stir in rice, cool.

3. Cook peppers in boiling, salted water and 1 tsp. sugar until they are slightly tender about 3-5 mins. Drain.
4. Add cheese to meat and rice mixture, stuff and bake just until bubbly in 350 degree oven (approx. 15 mins)

It is basically a complete meal but a little broccoli on the side never hurt anyone. :)

The Verdict: I really like them and my husband said he prefers the these over the original recipe.


Product I tried this week:

Bigelow Teas: I tried the Vanilla Caramel and Spiced Chai teas, I really like tea and both of these were good, well actually the spiced chai was great and the vanilla caramel was okay. I would in all likelyhood buy them both again. What is your favorite tea???











Taste Test Tips (Healthier food substitutions)

if it calls for :: try using

All Purpose Flour :: 1/2 all purpose flour & 1/2 whole wheat flour

Dried bread crumb :: Rolled Oats ( I blend them up in my magic bullet)

Butter or shortening in :: Applesauce for half of the called for butter or shortening
baked goods



Foodie Giveaways!!!

Healing with (Raw) Juices: Oh! Nuts Raw Macadamia Nuts 1/31
fit bottomed girls: Vega Vibrancy Bars

Weekend Round-Up 1/24

"The unselfish effort to bring cheer to others will be the beginning of a happier life for ourselves."
~Helen Keller

This weeks workouts
Monday: KettleWorx (Arms & Shoulders) DVD
Tuesday: 3.3 miles eliptical
Wednesday: 3.1 miles
Sunday: 4.5 miles

Total Miles:
week: 10.9 miles
month: 35.4 miles
year: 35.4 miles

After days of non stop rain the weekend gave way to clear skies.

How'd I do this last Week
~Run/walk/elipitical 20 miles: Fail ( I am going to blame it on the rain yeah, yeah, gotta blame it on something) not really though it was just one of those weeks.
~Drink at least 48 oz water a day: Pass ( a few days I didn't really pay attention, but I did make it a point to just get water with the couple of meals we ate out, which is something I never do.)
~No coffee or soda: Pass (not really a problem a couple of times I do remember thinking to myself man I really want a soda but without having any in the house the thought quickly passed.)

Goals for this Week:
~Take advantage of sunny days and get out and run I hear we have some more rain coming
~Get 20 miles in.
~Go meatless one day

Great things going on in the blogworld

*Race Reports (I love 'em how about you?? If you posted a race report and would like it linked let me know I would love to stop by and leave a comment)

From 0 to Runner
See Jess Run
Skinny Runner

Recipes/Foods I wanna try:

Artichoke Hummus

*GiveAways!!!

Endurance Isn't Only Physical: Road I.D 1/26
Fit Bottomed Girls: Gymboss
Rookie on the Run: Favorite Things Giveaway 1/31
JewliaGoulia: Sensory Overload Giveaway 1/30
What's For Dinner?: IHerb.com $50 gift certificate 1/31

and if you haven't entered yet check out my GoSmart Giveaway 1/29

FF-Omron Gosmart Pocket Pedometer Review & GiveAway

I received a nifty pedometer like the one pictured above from the amazing people at Omron to use and review last week, and I must say it has been a humbling experience. I wore it for 4 days last week (the days I didn't actually workout to see how much activity I get on my down days. I read somewhere that you should try to get in at least 10,000 steps a day and I just knew being a mother of 4 young children I must be getting that or somewhere close no problem ( in my mind I feel like I am always moving) nope, not even close for all four days that I wore it I got 14982 steps yep that's it. The closest I got was 6392 on the 2nd day. I am really glad I had the opportunity to review this product it has given me just one more way to challenge myself and work on increasing my activity. I has some really great features like:

From the Website:

* Tri-axis acceleration sensor counts steps when used flat, horizontally and vertically
* Counts every step quietly and accurately
* Measures steps, moderate steps and minutes, distance
* Calculates calories burned
* Stores 7 days of information in memory
* Resets automatically at midnight so it's ready to go every morning

"The GOsmart™ Tri-Axis Pocket Pedometer (HJ-303) is simple to use and easy to set-up. Best of all, it works in any position. It’s the first GOsmart™ pedometer that accurately measures straight up and down, at an angle, on its side, and even completely flat."


When your trying to life a healthier and more active lifestyle great little gadgets like this add another way to broaden your range of information about yourself to help you achieve that. I am super impressed with the GoSmart HJ-303 Pedometer, I really like the amount of information it keeps and gives it is good to be able to see how many calories and miles I get in just going through my normal daily routine and adds some extra motivation to do a little more.

Buy It: You can purchase a GoSmart HJ-303 Pedometer online at omronwebstore.com or amazon.com

WIN IT!!!!

Thanks to the wonderful people at Omron one lucky reader will be able to win their own Gosmart HJ-303 pedometer of their own

Mandatory Entry: ( Must be done to be entered in contest)

~ Leave me a comment letting me know why you would like to win this contest, its that simple.

Extra Entries: (Please Leave a separate comment for each)

~Follow Omron on twitter
~ Become a fan of Omron on Facebook
~Become a follower of this blog, or let me know you already are
~Link back to this contest

Contest open to U.S residents only. Ends 01/29/10. Winner will be chosen using random.org and will be announced in my Sunday Weekend Report post and emailed.

I received a GoSmart Pedometer to review, the opinions expressed are my own.

Taste Test Tuesday (Fish Fingers)

Fish Fingers
(I was looking for a fish recipe my kids would eat that didn't involve frying and that weren't store bought fish sticks and found this breaded, baked fish recipe I followed the recipe almost exactly and they were a hit you can see the original recipe here...)

Ingredients
1 pound frozen cod fillets -- partially thawed
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic pepper
1/2 cup butter milk ( I substituted with 1/2 c. milk & 1/2 tbs. lemon juice )

1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons all purpose flour

Directions

1. Cut fillets into 3/4 in. strips; set aside.

2. In a shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley, lemon peel, paprika, and garlic pepper. Place buttermilk in another shallow bowl and flour in a third bowl.

3. Coat fish strips with flour; dip into buttermilk, then coat with crumb mixture. Place on a baking sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

4. Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Let stand for 2 minutes before removing from baking sheets.

The Verdict: I forgot to get a picture the finished product that is how quickly my family at them up

Morning Pre-Workout Bar
( I was inspired by Kristin's recipe and just mixed in stuff I like)

Ingredients:

1 c. oatmeal
2 tbs. peanut butter
2 tbs. pumpkin
2 tbs. mini chocolate chips (I wish I had dark chocolate chips)
1 tbs. ground flax
1 tbs. wheat germ
1/4 c. almonds
1 tbs. agave

Directions

1. Mix together all ingredients

2. Place all ingredients in plastic wrap and press out to desired thickness. Refrigerate at least 30 mins.
3. Cut in to desired portion size. Bake in 350 degrees oven for 15 mins.
4. Cool completely and enjoy. :)

The Verdict: They were good a little dry so next time I might add a little more agave and almond powder instead of slivered almonds, I am already thinking of new things I can add to them for my next batch.

Products I've tried this week:

Trader Ming's Stir-Fry Sauce: I picked this up at Trader Joe's and tried it with some chicken and broccoli, it is okay but a tad to sweet for my taste.

Vacuum Fried Pineapple Chips: I don't know what to say about 'em. They are crispy fried sweet pineapple. It's odd..oddly delicious. I only eat a couple pieces at a time but I like 'em I do. :)

Foodie Giveaways!!!

Danica's Daily: Annie's Fruit Snacks 1/20

Audrey's Give Away Blog: DaysAgo Magnet 2/5

Healthy Living, One Day at a Time: Barney Butter 1/21

To The Max: Amy's Natural Foods 1/26

WeekEnd Round-Up 1/17

“The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.”
~Oliver Wendell

This weeks workouts
Monday: 4 miles; Kettleworx wk1 Resistance
Wednesday: 3 miles eliptical, 2 miles treadmill; Sculpt and weights (60 min. class)
Thursday: 4.4 miles

Total Miles:
week: 13.4miles
month: 24.5 miles
year: 24.5 miles


How'd I do this last Week

~Run at least 15 miles: Fail: close but not quite
~No chocolate or coffee: Pass/Fail I got through with no coffee but the chocolate was a fail.
~Restart the Kettleworx 6 week program: Pass: did 2 classes might end up taking me eight weeks but I did start. :)

Goals for this Week:

~Run/walk/eliptical 20 miles
~Drink at least 48 oz water a day
~No Coffee or Soda

Great things going on in the blogworld

*Race Reports (I love 'em how about you?? If you posted a race report and would like it linked let me know I would love to stop by and leave a comment)

Lauri Love You
Gotta Run Now
Slow is the New Fast
Her Name is Rio & She Runs


Recipes/Foods I wanna try:

Peanut Butter Brownie Cookies

*GiveAways!!!

Running Off at the Mouth: I Declare Charms 1/22
An Apple A Day: Oikos 1/21
An Apple A Day: Chobani 1/22
For the Love of the Run: Workout DVD's 1/24
I'm a Sleeper Baker: Sweet Riot Dark Chocolate Cocoa Nibs 1/22
Live, Love, Run, Pray: Raffle w/ a ton of great stuff, raising money for a great cause The Ulman Cancer Fund.

Last but certainly not least the winner of the FitDeck Giveaway is...

First time for everything this is the first time that random.org picked the first entry :) the winner is...

Comment #1: Nutritious is Delicious

Congratulations!!! Thank you to everyone who stopped by and entered.

Not a Feature but a Revelation

Next week I will be back with a product to feature I have a couple I really need to test out and this week just ran away from me.

So now that that is out of the way my revelation yesterday in the shower, which seeems to where some of my clearest and deepest thinking takes place ( probably because most of the time it is the quietest part of my day.) Anywho, my biggest goal this year was to run a 1/2 marathon. I was planning on running the the RnR Las Vegas in Dec. I figured since it was my birthday weekend it was a sign.

Then yesterday it hit me what I am waiting for if it's something I really want to do why wait 12 months so I decided I am going to set my sites on the RnR San Diego 1/2 Marathon in June and after I came to that conclusion everything else just clicked into place I have my mom and friends I haven't seen in a few years who live in San Diego so in the matter of a 6 min. shower I planned out the whole weekend. :) I am a little excited and scared, nothing set in stone hopefully by the end of this month/early next month I will be able to register. And who knows I might just love it so much I make it to Vegas too.


Anyone running the Rock n' Roll San Diego? Rock n' Roll Marathons how are they? Are the worth the register fee?

There were a lot of great race reports and giveaways that didn't make my WeekEnd Round-Up so I decided to do another midweek post.

Race Reports:

Running in Hawaii
Planet Ynnep Running
Alicia Runs
A Case of the Runs
Westford Mommy


Giveaways:

Eri-thon 0-26.2: Infinity Scarf 1/17
Slow is the New Fast: Running Hat Lamp
Oh She Glows: Chia Seed Direct 1/15
Love Veggies and Yoga: Chia Seed Direct 1/17
Live, Love, Run, Pray: Raffle w/ a ton of great stuff, raising money for a great cause The Ulman Cancer Fund.

I Run Because... I Can: FitDeck 1/15 (of course I had to put mine on here in case you haven't entered yet)

Taste Test Tuesday 1/12

Turkey Burgers

Ingredients

* 3 pounds ground turkey
* 1/4 cup bread crumbs ( I used equally parts rolled oats and wheat germ blended in the magic bullet)
* 1/8 cup finely diced onion
*1/8 cup diced bell peppers
* 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
* 2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
* 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/4 c. feta cheese, optional

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix ground turkey, bread crumbs, onion, bell pepper, egg whites, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper and feta. Form into 12 patties2. Grill or cook the patties in a medium skillet over medium heat, turning onceI am not really sure what your supposed to put on a turkey burger I felt like I was supposed to put cranberry sauce or something on it, however I decided on avocado, spinach, mustard and havarti cheese on an orowheat thin. What would/do you put on a turkey burger???Really good I will be making these again for sure

Product I tried this week:

Ronzoni Whole Wheat Pasta: I found this at Costco where not really big pasta eaters but these worked in the couple of pasta recipes I do make and the family couldn't tell the difference.

MaraNatha Peanut Butter: last year was all about Almond Butter but in 2010 I am going back to my first love Peanut Butter and this is one of the best Organic PB's I've tasted. :)

WeekEnd Round-Up 1/10

If there is no struggle, there is no progress.

-Frederick Douglass

This weeks workouts
Monday: Step Class
Tuesday: 6.1 miles (most miles I have ever finished at one time )
Wednesday: Sculpt and weight training (60 minute class)

Total Miles:
week: 6.1 miles
month:11.1 miles
year: 11.1 miles

My thoughts: I would have liked get in at least one more running day but my scheduling got messed up, so the lesson learned this week is everytime I have the opportunity to workout I need to do it.

How'd I do this last Week

~Run at least 15 miles.: only managed to do 6 :(
~ attend two aerobics classes: done!
~No soda: I was good on this until this weekend sitting at a soccer field watching my oldest play for 8 hrs two days in a row trust me soda was necessary.

Goals for this Week:

~Run at least 15 miles:
~No chocolate or coffee:
~Restart the Kettleworx 6 week program

What I am reading this month:

From The Website:

"An insightful, entertaining exploration of modern food industry, if you’ve ever wondered what you’re eating when you consume foods containing mono and diglycerides or calcium sulfate (the latter, a food-grade equivalent of plaster of Paris), this book is for you."

I just started this book but I plan to give a review once I'm done.

Great things going on in the blogworld

*Race Reports (I love 'em how about you?? If you posted a race report and would like it linked let me know I would love to stop by and leave a comment)

Inner Workings of a College Graduate
Live, Love, Run, Pray


Recipes/Foods I wanna try:

Pumpkin-Almond Butter Bars


*GiveAways!!!

Gathering My Roses: Pirate's Booty 1/11
Endurance Isn't Only Physical: iFitness 1/18

Don't forget to stop by and enter my FitDeck Giveaway Ends 1/16


Last but certainly not least the winner of the KettleWorx Giveaway is...

#20 Marcia from Running off at the Mouth
Congratulations!!!!!!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and entered. :)

Feature Friday-FitDeck Review and Giveaway

From The Website:

"FitDeck is a unique deck of 56 playing cards containing illustrations and instructions describing over 50 different exercises, stretches, and movements.
These ‘no-equipment’ FitDecks contain exercises that require only your bodyweight to perform. ‘FitDeck Bodyweight’ is our flagship product in this popular series of ‘no-equipment’ FitDecks.
These FitDecks can be used on their own -- or they can be mixed into other FitDecks or FitDeck Boosters to create hundreds of interesting cross-training opportunities."

I purchased my first set of FitDeck cards back when they only had 8 decks to choose from but now that have a ton of card decks to choose from. So I was excited to be able to try out a couple of their newer decks. I received their Speed, Agility and Quickness deck along with the Cones Booster card deck. Both of these were perfect for me for two reasons. First because while I am trying to build up my mileage to eventually run a 1/2 marathon I also have a goal to shave 5 minutes off my 5k this year so any help I can get with my speed and quickness is appreciated and 2nd my daughter is pretty heavy into soccer and plays on a year round club team so FitDeck cards are a wonderful way for my daughter to work on her foot speed and agility. I am a big fan of FitDeck because they are a simple way to get a nice workout in . Your workout is totally up to you, you choose the number of cards and sets you want to do, a lot of the decks require nothing more than your body weight but if you have a few pieces of equipment around dumbells, kettleball, resistance tube etc. they have FitDecks for that to.

WIN IT!!!!

Thanks to the wonderful people at FitDeck one lucky reader will be able to win a FitDeck set of their choice.

Mandatory Entry: ( Must be done to be entered in contest)

~ Head over to the FitDeck website and let me know which set you would choose if you won.

Extra Entries: (Please Leave a separate comment for each)

~Follow FitDeck on twitter
~ Become a fan of FitDeck on Facebook
~Become a follower of this blog, or let me know you already are
~Link back to this contest

Contest open to U.S residents only. Ends 01/15/10. Winner will be chosen using random.org and will be announced in my Sunday Weekend Report post and emailed.

I received products from FitDeck to review, the opinions expressed are my own.

Taste Test Tuesday 1/4

Turkey and Spinach Stir-fry

Adapted from Chili Chicken and Basil recipe I found in the December issue of Women's Health.

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 serrano chilies
1 tsp soy sauce
2 bag baby spinach
1 Tbsp oyster or fish sauce
4 cloves garlic
1/2 Tbsp peanut oil or canola oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp pepper

Directions

1. Chop the garlic and chilies finely. Then use the side of your knife to press them together into a rough paste. (Add a pinch of salt to make this process easier)





2. Preheat a wok or stainless-steel sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and the garlic-chili paste you just made, and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Chop the chicken into small pieces and add them to the pan, cooking them until they're lightly browned, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the soy sauce, fish sauce and sugar, and continue to cook until the chicken is done all the way through, another 3 to 4 minutes.



3. Add the pepper and spinach and cook until the spinach is just wilted, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately.





4. I served it 2 ways over rice and over udon noodles. Makes 4 servings.

Deep Dish Pumpkin and Apple Pancake

2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup pancake mix ( I used Trader Joes Mulitgrain Pancake Mix)
1 tsp sugar, +some for sprinkling
3 large cooking apples, peeled, sliced
2/4 c. pumpkin
1/2 tsp cinnamon +some for sprinkling
1/4 tsp nutmeg
dash of cloves

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl combine the eggs, milk, pancake mix, pumpkin, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Combine well until it forms a smooth batter. Set aside. In a small bowl mix together some sugar and the cinnamon (This is up to how sweet you would like it, I used less than a tsp of each ). Set aside.




Then, place all the sliced apples and a microwave dish. Cover with plastic wrap. Cook in the microwave for 4 to 6 minutes, or until apples are tender.







When apples are done cooking, pour into 9 inch round baking dish or pie pan. Then pour reserved batter over apples. Lightly sprinkle the top of the batter with the cinnamon and sugar.





Cover the pie plate with foil and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the pancake is set. Best served hot with your favorite syrup ( I need to work on my presentation but it was really good)

A few new products I tried this week:

Trader Joes Maple Agave Syrup: Super yummy, 3 ingredients, all organic.


Newman's Own Mango Salsa: I have been on a fruit salsa kick and thought I would really like this but not sure how I feel about it the flavor is good but if it was less sweet more heat it would be awesome. :)

Brown Cow Greek Yogurt: I don't usually like fruit yogurts I enjoy a simple plain or honey flavored greek yogurt but this one was good not to sweet and the thickness I have grown to love in greek yogurt.

Foodie Giveaways:

Eating Good Stuff 1/9

Missy Maintains 1/7

My Journey To Fit 1/7