Meal planning - week of August 26th

I'm loving these cooler temps in the morning...it sure is helping my half marathon training!  

This is going to be an easy week of cooking...

Monday

Meatless Monday - Roasted Sweet Potato/Black Bean Burrito

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/special-dietary-needs/vegetarian/roasted-veggie-and-black-bean-burritos/

Tuesday

Baked Whole Chicken & Roasted New Potatoes and Asparagus

Baked Whole Chicken

 3-5 lb. whole organic chicken
4 sprigs of a fresh herb (thyme, rosemary, sage or oregano)
6 garlic cloves, peeled and squashed
1/2 lemon
Olive oil
kosher or sea salt
freshly ground pepper

http://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/roasted-new-potatoes-and-asparagus/

Wednesday

Leftovers

Thursday

Dinner with friend

Hope you all have a GREAT week!  Looking forward to this weekend & the Color Vibe 5K!

Meal planning for week of August 19th

Hope all of you had a great weekend:)  We had a GREAT time in Waynesville, NC - such a great town.  Delicious food & tons of antiques.  I've already told Trey that we had to go back without our bikes next time so I can bring home some treasures.  We both had great rides...sometimes it pays to be a little slower - the guys got soaked on their ride, they were so fast they rode right into the rain...we were much slower and just stayed behind the rain the whole time.

My plan is to be home all week so that means we will be eating at home (hopefully).  We are at the cabin today and had breakfast for dinner - spinach, tomato & homemade pork sausage (made in Brevard) omelets.  I LOVE having breakfast for dinner.

Last week was a little crazy for us (shocker, I know) so we ended up eating out a few times so I'm doing a repeat on two of the meals for last week.  So here is my plan for this week:

Monday

Meatless Monday - Roasted Vegetable Casserole

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/07/18/recipe-roasted-summer-vegetable-pasta/

Tuesday

Chicken Fajitas with Quinoa Mexi Lime Salad

http://www.skinnymom.com/2013/08/05/quinoa-mexi-lime-salad/

Wednesday

Salmon recipe from last week

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/03/grilled-garlic-dijon-herb-salmon.html

Thursday

Grilled pork chops, oven-roasted sweet potato fries & either salad or green veggie

http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2013/05/simple-garlic-honey-pork-chops.html

http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/oven-roasted-sweet-potato-fries/

Friday

Not sure yet:)

Hope all of you have a GREAT week...I know it is "back to school" for most of you!

Meals for week of August 12th

Well...I'm happy to report that training is going as planned & I must brag for just a minute and share with you (which most of you already know) but I pedaled ALL the way to the top of Mt. Mitchell this weekend!!  It was hard of course but going downhill in a rainstorm with limited visibility was scary!!!  I would much rather just climb in the sunshine:)

I'm home now from the weekend and have started "meal planning" for the week.

Monday

Meatless Monday - Southwestern Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

http://bevcooks.com/2011/10/southwestern-stuffed-spaghetti-squash

Tuesday

Crock pot - Pork Roast with Apples & Sweet Potatoes

http://www.amyscookingadventures.com/2011/11/crockpot-pork-roast-with-apples-sweet.html

Wednesday

Chicken - Chicken Fajitas w/homemade tortillas & Refried Beans

Here is a fajita seasoning recipe - be sure to make your own

http://slmpetersen.blogspot.com/2012/08/food-friday-fajitas-with-homemade.html

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/05/26/recipe-whole-wheat-tortillas

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/08/29/recipe-easy-slow-cooker-refried-beans
I will probably half this recipe - 2 cups of beans is alot.  They say you can freeze the leftovers but I've never tried it.

Thursday

Fish - Grilled Garlic Dijon Herb Salmon, Roasted Cauliflower & Salad

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/03/grilled-garlic-dijon-herb-salmon.html

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/roasted-cauliflower-chickpea-toss-120744.aspx
Going to modify the cauliflower recipe a little, just one head of cauliflower & cut down on the cheese.

On Friday we will be hitting the road again to Waynesville, NC.  Doing the Blue Ridge Breakaway metric century ride on Saturday.

Hope you all enjoy & have a GREAT week!

Meal Planning - week of August 5th

WOW...it's been a while:-).  I've kind of slacked off on staying in touch through my blog.   I have started training for the Spinx Half Marathon in October, along with a metric century bike ride in a couple of weeks.  I am now home for a while & focused on training and eating REAL food.  My goal is to "meal plan" for the week and share it with you.

Monday - Meatless Monday
Tuesday - Crock pot meal
Wednesday  - Chicken/Pork/Beef
Thursday - Fish
Friday - Pasta
Weekends - too hard to plan for

This week:

Monday

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers (I've posted these before)
http://simplylovefood.blog.com/2012/02/25/southwestern-stuffed-peppers/

Just omit the ground turkey.  Be sure to make your own taco seasoning...
http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/homemade-taco-seasoning-mix

Tuesday

Chicken Philly Sandwiches
http://foodfamilyfinds.com/slow-cooker-chicken-philly-sandwiches-recipe/

These are delicious - I did not use Dales seasoning though.  Dales is extremely salty for my taste.  I just used organic soy sauce.  If you are trying to eat REAL - watch your bread for this.  I'm just going to stuff mine in a Trader Joe's pita or maybe go without.

Make some baked sweet potato fries & a big green salad.  If you like honey mustard - here is a yummy quick REAL dressing...

1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. red or white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Wednesday

BBQ Pineapple Pork Kebobs
http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-bbq


Thursday - I'm out of town but try a fish recipe

Friday

Sun-dried Tomato Brocoli Pasta
http://cookieandkate.com/2012/spicy-sun-dried-tomato-and-broccoli-pasta/
Will probably grill a piece of chicken to go along with it.

Hope you all have a GREAT week!  Enjoy!

If any of you are interested in joining us for some training long runs, just let me know!

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

Wanted to share this yummy recipe that Macie and I made last night.

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

1/2 lb lean ground beef (we used grass-fed)
1 cup chopped onions
1 heaping Tbl. taco seasoning (we made homemade)
2 cups of cooked brown rice
3-4 bell peppers, halved & seeds removed (we used red & yellow)
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 jar (15-16oz) of salsa
Shredded cheese

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly coat peppers with olive oil and roast in baking dish for 20-25 minutes.  Remove & allow to cool.

Cook ground beef & sauté onions while peppers roast.

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl (except the cheese) and spoon the mixture into each pepper half and cook for another 15-20 minutes.  Top with cheese and put back in oven until it melts.

Hope you enjoy-super delicious!

Chef Macie

3 Seconds Too Slow:(

This weekend Trey & I ran the White Squirrel 10K in Brevard, NC for the 2nd year in a row - it will now be a Whitley tradition!

We decided not to run this one together...Mr. Whitley had a plan to try to place in his age group!  We ran together last year and our time was 56:06 & I had to walk up the last hill!  They changed the course this year - it was hilly but nothing like last year.  This race is put on by the Brevard Rotary Club and bless their hearts they were not very prepared on race day, but everything worked out fine!  The 5K seemed to be the race of choice.  There were only 84 runners in the 10K....the Start Line for our race was  a spray painted line on gravel!!!Ha!Ha!  It actually was a great course and it felt good to push myself - wasn't sure I still had it in me.

Trey getting his 2nd place age group award

43:16!

Trey was shocked when he looked up & saw me coming in @ 52:32!!  BUT, if I had been 3 seconds faster I would have gotten 3rd place in my age group (40-49)...ugh!!  Oh well, I'm still happy!

We "GOT NUTS"@ the White Squirrel Festival 10K
10th overall for Trey, 35th overall for me!

Then it was back to the cabin to shower and head back out to the Festival...we didn't see any white squirrels this year though.  But good music and tons of FUN!

Can't wait til next year - hopefully going to recruit some more people to join us:)

Creamy Avocado Pasta

I have had this recipe pinned for months and finally tried it tonight - it is delicious!  I'm hoping it will help me make it up the hills tomorrow at the White Squirrel Festival 10K.  I normally would not eat this much before a 10K but I was starving and have been wanting to try this one.  Here it is:

I served this with grilled chicken.

Creamy Avocado Pasta
12 oz. whole wheat pasta (I used fettuccine)
2 ripe avocados, pitted & chopped
1 lemon, juiced
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1 handful basil leaves
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Cook pasta as directed.

Put all other ingredients in food processor, blend until smooth and creamy.  Set aside in large pasta bowl.

Drain cooked pasta and add to bowl.  Toss with avocado mixture.

Add freshly grated parmesan & red pepper flakes.  I think I may even add some sun dried tomatoes next time.

Enjoy:)

Looking forward to hopefully chasing down some white squirrels tomorrow and enjoying the festival.

I definitely did not PR in PR

The inaugural Puerto Rico Half Marathon and of course the Whitleys had to be a part of it!  This was one of the hardest races I've ever done...I've got plenty of excuses to throw out there-hot, humid, hilly, I was on vacation, walked about 10 miles the day before, etc...  We had already planned to not set a time goal (I thought for sure we would break 2:00 regardless), take pics along the way & just enjoy the race!  WELL....please follow along as the race unfolds.

Wake up call @ 3:00 a.m., race started at 5:00 & now I know why now!!!

 Look at the view from the hotel.

We walked about a mile to the Start line...please check out me already glistening from the walk over. The race started at the convention center.

Here we are in the corral for 9:00 minute milers...we are packed in like sardines and I'm dripping sweat and I know then this is not going to be good:-(. And we are off!!!!

It is SO DARK out and people are yelling "hoya" and I'm thinking that these people are so nice greeting everyone...then Trey informs me that hoya means hole & I thought they were saying hola...LOL!  That helped the first mile pass by-9:20-uh oh, I sure thought we were moving faster than that.  By mile 2 I'm drenched & hoping I even make it to the finish line!

Miles 3-4 ran up the main drag in front of our hotel...it was crazy because people were still in the bars partying...by this time many runners had started walking.  Oh, did I mention this course was HILLY!!!  I took a potty break at mile 6 to try to regroup and cool down a little.  Look at this red face.

That 2 minute stop helped so much.  I poured water down the back of my neck and headed out again.  Feeling much better around mile 7...everyone on the course was super nice and complaining about the heat as well, so that made me feel a little less like a wimp.  One runner from Puerto Rico thanked us for coming as he ran by...there were so many spectators along the course, more than I've ever seen at a race.

Around mile 10 we stopped and took this pic with this awesome view behind us...it was BEAUTIFUL!

It seems like we were out there forever!  Poor Trey hung in there with me the whole time.  He even said it was a hard run.  With about 1/2 mile to go we ran up on a girl that looked like she was struggling as well and started talking to her.  It turns out she lives in Madison, MS (where Trey's mom lives).  She said this was her worst half ever...such a small world.  Well 2:07 minutes later we made it!!!

First time doing a race with this at the Finish Line!!

 And then on to pig out at breakfast with another beautiful view!

Even though this one was a struggle for me...it's always a good time!!!  I would DEFINITELY do it again because it's the perfect excuse to go back to Puerto Rico:)

Run for the Roses!!

So awesome to be able to come back to my hometown and run a race with Macie & Amy! This day was one of those "Proud Aunt" moments for me!  One of their Christmas presents from me was a training plan for this event, so as you can tell we've had this planned for a while!  I had no idea that I would have this much FUN!!!  Haydyn and Nana registered for the 1 mile run!

At the Start getting ready to RUN!!!

Macie ran the entire time...our official time was 34:23!!  I had to speed up to catch her at the end when she saw the Finish Line in sight!!  So proud of her!!!  Even though we dusted her mom she came in shortly after us...LOL!!

Then it was time for Haydyn & Nana's 1 mile run-Haydyn was READY TO GO!!!

Pre-race

Lined up & READY!!

Well, he was definitely ready - he got 2nd place in his age group - 7:16 min. mile

And here's styling Nana making her 1 mile walk.

And then my day just kept getting better when I got to see my other cutie pies - Mary Kate & Emma G!!

We ended this fun filled day with a little yard work @ Amys.

These two are my heart and I strive to be an inspiration to them.  So thankful to be able to spend the week with them and finally see them in their day to day activities.  I saw Macie play softball twice & go to her bible drills, and watch Haydyn play baseball.  And finished up by helping my mom & dad work in their yard and I'm pretty sure I now have a good case of MS poison ivy:(  

It was just a GREAT week.  Now hanging with Trey's mom in Jackson and headed to New Orleans tomorrow to cheer Trey on @ Ironman 70.3 New Orleans on Sunday morning!

Have a GREAT weekend!

REAL life is just so hard at times

WOW!  What a week it has been - both training wise & emotionally.

I have started training for Rock & Rollman Half Ironman Duathlon on June 1st in Macon, GA.  This includes a 3.1 mile run/56 mile bike/13.1 mile run-YIKES!!!  This is one of the last long distance duathlons around.   I have not officially signed up yet, but I'm going all out in training.  I'm the girl that LOVES the training & could never do the event & be fine with it-well that is not true for Coach Trey.  I have a training schedule just to be healthy, Trey has to be signed up for something to train.  He says I'm a rarity-not real sure what he means by that.  He's threatened to resign as my coach if I don't sign up...LOL!  Not many people do the duathlon, in fact when I checked no one had signed up yet.  The triathlon is also that day - you know that event that starts with that dang swim that I just can't get myself to even try!

You can tell by the mileage that this is a lot on the legs!!!  Trey and I did the 22 mile Michelin loop out at Donaldson last Saturday & for the first time I did a few hard efforts on the bike.  I tend to not push myself on the bike, so someone has to "order" me what to do or I'll just look at the beautiful scenery & take in the views.  I was pretty whipped when we got finished.

Late Saturday afternoon we received word that my great friend's, Lisa Payne, son Cory had been killed in an automobile accident.  What?  This can't be true, this couldn't have happened to one of the sweetest people I know.   You hear about this happening, but man it really hits home when it happens to someone you are so close to.  My heart hurt it ached so bad for this family.  I never personally met Cory, but I've watched him grow up by the pictures Lisa has on her counter at work that I would see every 6 weeks.  Lisa is my awesome beautician, she'd have to be awesome to tame this curly fro I have.  It never failed we would start our conversation on my hair cut day all about me & Trey, my niece & nephew, running, training, etc, and then toward the end I would get the update on Cory.  Her eyes just sparkle at the mention of his name.  He was her world, her life, her son.

Cory's funeral was on Wednesday and I searched my heart for comforting words to help ease Lisa and Walter's pain and realized that there are just no words.  In the receiving line I hugged Lisa so tight and just couldn't let go-I hope my heart spoke the words that I couldn't find.

I've just been a little "blah" all week, but training went pretty good.

Mon - 8 miles
Tues- 4 miles
Wed - Reformer
Thurs - 1 hour trainer ride/2 mile run
Fri - Weights

Today I'm so excited to be running a 5K with my niece and sister!

Please keep Lisa's family in your prayers.

Lesson learned-NEVER leave a knife in the sink!

LOVE "The Box" from Marvin's Produce.  REAL food for $15!!  Check this out www.marvinsproduce.com....look at all this yummy goodness & everything I've tasted so far has been great!

BUT-be sure to wash your knife & put it back in its place when you are finished chopping your veggies or you just might find yourself on a cot @ MD360 or the nearest urgent care facility near you!  I still cringe when I think about it-the knife was in soapy water in the bottom of the sink...

Little shot of lidocaine in the tip of my finger, 3 stitches & tetanus shot!
GREAT DAY!

Getting bandaged up!

BUT my day ended with Trey making me chicken fajitas and I already had these delicious refried  beans in the crockpot.  You have got to try these!!

Crock-pot Refried Beans

2 lbs. dried pinto beans
1 large onion, chopped
4 Tbl. fresh garlic, minced
1 Tbl. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. cumin
10 cups hot water

* You can add more salt if you would like

Rinse the beans in a colander.  Combine all ingredients in the crockpot.  Cover and cook on high for 4 hours and on low for 2 hours.

Uncover and remove any extra liquid.  Leave enough liquid for desired consistency.  Mash beans with potato masher.  Serve warm.

I actually halved this recipe but used the same amount of spices.


SO YUMMY!  Enjoy!

Meatless Monday

Every Monday is not always meatless, but usually at least once a week we try to!  Here's our "go to" recipe:

Roasted Veggie & Black Bean Burritos

2 whole sweet potatoes, peeled & cubed small
2 whole jalapeños, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced small
1 onion, diced small
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 pinch of salt & pepper
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
2 tsp fresh lime juice
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Whole Wheat Tortillas (homemade - recipe previously posted)

In a bowl, toss the raw veggies in olive oil and season with spices.  Line baking sheet with foil and roast veggies in 425 degree oven for 25 minutes.  Let cool.  Then mix veggies, beans and lime juice gently.

Put bean mixture in center of tortilla and top with cheese.  Fold over and place seam side down in baking dish - bake @ 375 degrees for 15 minutes or golden brown.

NOTE:  I do not bake mine since I made the tortillas, I put the burritos back on the cast iron skillet that I used to make the tortillas, and just brown for about a minute...put another pot on top (panini style) to make it a little crunchy.

Serve with your favorite salsa!

SUPER yummy!  Enjoy!

REAL fun

I am back from my cruise and it was REAL fun!!!  It is impossible to keep it REAL on a cruise ship-I'm pretty sure that I did not eat one thing that wasn't processed - except the fruit - & my fitness level was at a minimum but not bad for vacation - dreadmill running (holding on tight at times due to a rocking ship), stationary bike & rock wall climbing!!!

Here's my view from the dreadmill-not too bad!!

It's good to be home!  

Here's a quick simple REAL side dish:

Sweet Potato Fries

2 sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into fries

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/8 tsp cumin

Olive oil

Toss fries with olive oil.  Mix spices together then toss with fries.  Bake on foiled lined pan @425 for 30 minutes.  I cook mine until they start to crisp.

These are super good!!

Enjoy!

Crock-pot Whole Chicken

I love the convenience of a crock-pot, but I just never really seem to LOVE the meals prepared in one.  I was surprised that this turned out as good as it did & you can use the leftover chicken for later on during the week.

The Best Whole Chicken in a Crock-Pot

2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 onion
1 whole chicken

Combine spices.  Loosely chop onion and put in the bottom of crock-pot.  Remove giblets from the chicken & then rub the spice mixture on chicken-put some under the skin also.  Put chicken on top of the onions, cover it, and turn it on high.  No need to add any liquid.  Cook 4-5 hours on high (for a 3-4 lb chicken).

Use the leftover bones, skin and cooking juices to make stock in the crock-pot.  Add carrots, bay leaf, fresh thyme and celery (just use whatever you have)...fill water to the top, cover with a lid & cook on low for 8-10 hours.   This can be frozen for later use.


Hope you enjoy:-)

I LOVE TO RUN!!!

This morning was my first Reedy River 10K in many years...WOW!  I've missed it!  When we woke up it was cold, sprinkling/sleeting, and chance of snow...not your ideal weather to lace up and head out for a run, but my thought was how awesome if it started snowing on us during the race.  Sad to say it did not snow, but ended up being PERFECT running weather.

Before the race.  Trey decided he was going to take it
easy today and run with us!

Lisa Payne - cute as always

Ready to RUN!!

Love this course...if you run downtown Greenville there is going to be some HILLS!  This is a challenging 10K.  I must admit it was nice just running 6.2 miles (I hate to say "just") but after half marathon training this was a PERFECT race.  

Trey sped up in front of me to take an action shot!

It was great seeing so many people this morning!  I LOVE TO RUN...

When in doubt - just GO!  What a great day!

"I really regret that workout" - said No One Ever.

Looking forward to my next race which is a 5K in Prentiss, MS - Run for the Roses.  Running with my sister & niece.