Friday reflections – my 2014 goals and how I’m doing

Hey there, hi there, ho there!!

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It’s Friday!!

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So, um, did you realize that it’s October already?

I mean, I knew it was October but I didn’t really comprehend that it’s OCTOBER already.

There are only 82 days until Christmas, which also means that there are only 89 days until it’s 2015.

What?!

In the middle of my mild panic attack, I remembered that I had set some goals for this year.

Let’s see how I’m doing.

1. Get a BQ at the Flying Pig Marathon

Well, that didn’t happen.  And, way back on January 16, I KNEW it wasn’t going to happen which is why I reevaluated my goal and edited it to breaking 4 hours.

Which didn’t happen either.

But, that’s okay. I had FUN and sometimes, that’s the most important part. 🙂

2. Run a 50k

Hmmm.  The 50k is in 8 days and you know I’m not running it. 😦

BUT, I’m not letting it get me down and I’ve already started thinking about next year now that I’m out of that stupid boot!

The time IN the boot, as much as I hated it, was really good for me to evaluate who I am, as well as helping to heal my injury.

I’ll be back to running soon and I CAN. NOT. WAIT. #patiencegrasshopper

3. Upgrading my pantry, cutting out processed foods, and recipe development

Well, I think I’ve done pretty well with upgrading my pantry and cutting out processed foods.

I didn’t really eat too many to begin with but I’ve definitely been more conscious about what I buy at the grocery store.

As for recipe development, I think I’ve been doing pretty well!

I’ve made

Triple Chocolate Avocado Brownies

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Brownie Cookies

Bacon Bourbon Blue Cheese Bison Burgers

Grilled Bacon Wrapped Salmon Fillets

Crockpot Tomatillo Salsa Chicken

Quick and Easy Crockpot Roast

Wow! I’ve been busy!!

And, there’s still 89 days left this year for me to come up with some more new stuff!

4. Have fun

I think I’ve aced this goal so far. 🙂

I went to my first FitBloggin‘ conference, got to hang out with my blogging buddy Lena, and met a whole bunch of  awesome new people – including Arian Foster!!

lemme take a selfie

We went to Colonial Williamsburg, I took Thing 2 to Busch Gardens, went to our first Navy Dining Out, my sailor got promoted to Master Chief!, we went hiking, I saw a bear, we went antiquing, got gussied up and rode a water taxi to the Navy Khaki Ball, etc, etc, etc.

Yeah, definitely hit the nail on the head with this goal. 🙂

So now, it’s time for me to start evaluating and thinking about goals for next year.

And, some short term goals for the rest of this year.

Like, finally trying my hand at some homemade barbecue sauce.

Or, power cleaning more than 95#.

Or improving my overhead squat.

And definitely – MOST definitely – having more fun. 🙂

Talk to me: Did you set goals for this year? How are you doing on them? Do you reevaluate your goals regularly or do you forget about them until faced with a new year?

Wine Wednesday – 2011 Napa Cellars Merlot

Hello, hello!

It’s time for another edition of Wine Wednesday!

I’ve really been wanting some Merlots lately. I can’t explain it.

Normally, I’m all about the big grape (Zinfandel or Syrah) or a blend but lately…….

So, when I saw this one – I was TOTALLY drawn in by the label, the fact that it was on sale happened to be a bonus! – I decided it was time to give it a taste. 🙂

I know nothing about Napa Cellars. In fact, I’d never heard of it before.

But, there are quite a few wineries in Napa that I don’t know of, so that shouldn’t come as a shock.

But, I’ve never even seen that label before. EVER. And, I’ve been in a lot of wine shops and looked at a lot of different wine labels.

Intriguing.

 Some of my favorite things about a Merlot are the fruit flavors and the soft tannins.

There’s something to be said about enjoying a glass of wine that almost seems to WANT to be savored. 🙂

On the nose, I got warm spice, vanilla, and fruit. Not too much berry – more of a deeper, denser fruit.

The tasting notes indicate that it was plum but I didn’t pick that up specifically. I’ll tell you what though, if it had been raspberry, I coulda told you in a heartbeat.  I am not friends with the raspberry.

When I tasted it, I knew I had selected well.

Luscious berry fruit, a hint of mocha, soft and silky, lightly spicy undertones.

You can pair this Merlot with many things (fish and spicy foods, not so much) or just enjoy it on its own.

Seriously, this wine wants to be savored. And shared.

We paired it with grilled chicken, veggies, corn, bread, and brie.

Would have shared it with you had you been our guest. 🙂

Talk to me: Have you ever been sucked in by a wine label and been pleasantly surprised? Disappointed? If you could, would you grill all the dinner all the time? (Um, my answer to that is YES!!!)

– jennifer

Sunday Food Prep – what went down in my kitchen (4)

Hello!!

Happy Labor Day!

Hope you’re enjoying your day off, if you got one today. 🙂

Pssst….it’s my birthday! It’s been a pretty good day so far. I’ve enjoyed some calico snuggles on the couch, had some waffles and bacon, got some beautiful roses, and we’re heading out to look for some olympic weights for my soon-to-be garage gym. Whoop!

Anyway, a little bit of food prep went down in my kitchen yesterday. Not too much because it’s a short week (thank goodness!) but I definitely wanted to get some stuff done.

So, one of the first things I made was a quinoa tabbouleh! Stay tuned for the recipe tomorrow!

Oh my goodness, I cannot wait for my lunches this week!!!

I absolutely love tabbouleh – the fresh flavors of tomato, lemon, onion are so delicious. YUM!

You know I had to throw some chicken in my crockpot.

And, you know I forgot to take a picture of the chicken while it was actually IN the crockpot. #fail

So, here’s a picture of the chicken in the container.

It’s definitely not as fancy or amazing looking but I promise you that it’s amazing tasting.

Did a new recipe this time – Lemon Garlic Crockpot Chicken from the Civilized Caveman.

I had to modify the recipe because Harris Teether only had organic whole cut-up chickens instead of a whole chicken.

The only thing I did differently was not put the lemon halves in the chicken cavity because, well, there wasn’t one. 🙂

Oh, wait, I also didn’t shred it because it’s often easier to just grab a piece and take it for lunch or just shred what we need. I did save some of the “gravy” for moistening if we shred up the chicken for sammies, etc.

And then, last night, we cooked ALL the dinner on the grill.

Made extra veggies and corn to round out lunches this week.

And yes, that IS brie on the grill. 🙂

It’s just like cooking it in the oven except it’s on the grill and your house isn’t all heated up. I soaked my cedar plank in cold water for about 30 minutes and the brie was on the grill for about 10 minutes. Eat it as is or top it with whatever strikes your fancy.

Talk to me: What did you prep this weekend? Have you ever cooked brie on the grill? Are you going to any barbecues today?

– jennifer