300 Days of Sunshine

Chile relleno is a popular Mexican and New Mexican dish consisting of stuffed, roasted peppers, typically fresh Poblano peppers.  The peppers are filled with beans or some type of ground meat, as well as cheese, but can also be made vegetarian style.  Chile relleno is a common option on many Santa Fe restaurants menus, often in combination with enchiladas or tacos.  This unique recipe from the Santa Fe School of Cooking uses dried peppers, called Ancho peppers, stuffed with chorizo and refried beans, with a really delicious tomato-oregano sauce.  I served it with Mexican rice, green chile corn bread, and tortilla chips with guacamole.  This was definitely the best New Mexican dish I've made at home!  Hope you enjoy it as much as we did! All the delicious ingredients!  The Ancho chiles are in the bottom right, prior to soaking in the liquid. I'm always impressed with myself when I have all four burners going... Soaking the dried chiles. ...

A few updates on life lately... The Flat White:  I have a new favorite afternoon treat from Starbucks... The Flat White!  Dumb name, I agree, but this latte-like deliciousness is made from ristretto shots (bolder and more concentrated than typical espresso shots) and smoothly-folded "microfoam" steamed milk for a velvety yet light treat.  It contains only 130 calories for a grande size (with skim milk), and with 12 grams of protein it's also a great post-workout treat!  Cheers! Vivofit:   I got a Garmin Vivofit watch for Christmas and I am absolutely in love with it.  It tracks the number of steps I take each day, calories burned, miles walked, and how close I am to my goal for the day.  I can then sync it with my iPhone app and track my progress.  My favorite feature is that it tells me when I have been sitting (or standing) in one place for over an hour, so it's time to go for a walk!  I already walk a lot ...

January is generally a pretty lazy month for me.  I completed my Holiday Running Streak on the 1st, then proceeded to lay on the couch for three days nursing a cold with antioxidant tea and homemade soups.  It's too early to start training for spring races, plus I have no reason to be in a bikini any time soon, so I don't have a lot going for me in terms of motivation.  Other than Boot Camp two or three days a week and the occasional short run, I haven't been very athletic lately!  I don't think it's totally a bad thing to take a month of relaxation, though, before I start my Century Training Program and more consistent running next month. Along with January laziness, I've been such a carb-aholic!  I've just been craving pasta, bread, and comfort food in general.  Jaycob and I were both off work all weekend, so we had a relaxing Sunday morning and I tried out a new French toast recipe.  It was seriously delicious!  I hope you enjoy it as much as...

2014 was a really fun and memorable year!  I read more, traveled more, ran more, blogged more, saved more money, stayed healthy, practiced yoga more consistently, managed stress more effectively, and spent quality time with friends.  I added another continent to my list of places traveled and we had an incredible honeymoon in Ecuador.  I competed in more races than ever before, including two half marathons and a really tough off-road triathlon.  I became involved in the Girls on the Run nonprofit organization and took on more leadership opportunities at work.  I watched several good friends marry the loves of their lives.  I got to know my niece, Rielle, and celebrated the birth of my cousin's son, Oliver.  I ran with my dad in his first 5K in Minnesota, paddle boarded with my mom in Virginia Beach, had sisters' weekend in Nashville, and spent an amazing weekend in Chicago with my brother.   I celebrated my first anniversary ...

This year was a big year for reading!  I had a goal of reading a book per week, and was able to surpass that and read 56 books altogether.  There was a great variety -- from novels, mysteries and thrillers, to biographies, nonfiction and travel books.  I love to read because it gives me the chance to escape into unexplored territory, to view ideas from a new perspective, and to broaden my own views and beliefs.  Here were my favorite 10 books of the year: The Books that Changed Me in 2014: (including a few re-reads) Cutting for Stone, by Abraham Verghese The Signature of All Things, by Elizabeth Gilbert The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, by Laura  Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know, by Alexandra Horowitz The Giver, by Lois Lowry Beach Music, by Pat Conr...

I was introduced to Ricotta Cheese cookies in college and they have become my favorite holiday cookie.  Whenever I bake them I am reminded of the wonderful Christmas seasons I spent in my sorority house, where the only way to survive Gen Chem and Histology finals was to play holiday music over the intercom system, drag the Christmas trees and ornaments down from the (haunted) attic, and procrastinate on Sunday afternoons by baking cookies and lounging around the kitchen. I am making a bunch of these to bring home to Minnesota next week, and since the recipe yields a large batch I'm sure I'll be bring a few plates to work as well!  The ricotta cheese keeps these cookies moist and fluffy, so they almost have a cake-like consistency, and the glaze is absolutely the best part.  They stay fresh for several days and are a huge hit at every gathering.  Enjoy! RICOTTA CHEESE COOKIES Modified from Allrecipes.com INGREDIENTS: 2 cups granulated sugar 2 sticks butter, ...

Today is Day 18 out of 36 of my second annual Holiday Running Streak!  The  HRS is a nation-wide challenge from Runner's World to run at least one mile each day between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.  This is often the most difficult time of the year to maintain fitness, with countless commitments, errands to run, food to prepare, gifts to wrap, parties to attend, traveling, etc.  However, it's also the most important time to make exercise a priority as we are constantly tempted by cookies, large buffets, grande peppermint mochas, food-centered work functions, calorie-filled cocktails, and general laziness as we watch Elf for the eighth time and watch the snow fall.  (Confession: Even my breakfasts involve dessert during the holidays.  I supplemented my oatmeal with a Ferrero Rocher candy and white chocolate covered Oreo this morning.  Oops!)   For me, the HRS isn't about training (I don't have any races in the near future), and it's n...