Sunday food prep – what went down in my kitchen (8)

Hello!

I’d first like to thank you for being patient and understand while I took a little time away from my blog.

I needed the break to think and be in my own head for a little bit.

My grandma was a pretty amazing woman and it’s a little difficult to know that I’m not going to hear her laugh anymore.

Good thing I have it on the laugh track in my head. 🙂

Life won’t be the same without her but I can hear her telling me to stop moping around, get off my ass, and get back to it.

So, that’s what I’m doing. Cuz she’s the boss.

It was DARN cold this weekend. I heard it even snowed in some places!

And by some places, I don’t mean Alaska or Wisconsin or Minnesota. I mean, Tennessee. What the heck? November just started!

Anyway, as luck would have it, our heater is presently not working (service call  made, parts ordered, commence waiting game) but we do have a fireplace!

That we used all weekend.

And that Molly stayed in front of the whole time.

I woke up one morning to find her staring at it like she was waiting for the fire to start back up. Haha!

Because it was so cold, I really had no problems with food prep this weekend.

Oh, stand in front of a hot stove/oven all day? YES, PLEASE!!

The first thing I did was make some chili on Saturday night.

I decided I needed to try a new recipe from the new cookbook I picked up a few weeks ago. I love new cookbooks!! ❤

So, I made the chili con carne from The Ancestral Table by The Domestic Man because chili is practically necessary if it’s chilly outside. 😉

Holy. Amazeballs. This chili was delicious!

And, there’s plenty of leftovers for lunches during the week. And you KNOW that chili only gets more delicious after it sits for a day or so.

You’ll have to buy the cookbook to get the recipe, though. It’s totally worth it. 😉

(and no, I’m not getting anything from telling you to buy the cookbook except the knowledge that you might soon be eating some amazing new dishes!)

Then, Sunday morning, I got started early and made some cinnamon buns with buttermilk icing.

Yes, I’m aware that cinnamon rolls aren’t exactly food prep food but hey, I’m just trying to give you some ideas for what to bake in your oven, maybe next Sunday…. 😉

I also made some Pumpkin Bread.

Tis the season for pumpkin!

I kinda sorta followed this recipe out of my 1,001 LowFat Recipes cookbook except I used all King Arthur White Whole Wheat flour, subbed nonfat, plain Greek yogurt in place of the vegetable oil, and used 2 eggs instead of 1 egg and 1 egg white.

This bread is pretty yummy – especially if you slather it with nut butter. Who needs cream cheese when you have nut butter?! Om nom nom!!

Then, because I was craving it – yes, seriously, CRAVING – I made my favorite meat sauce.

I love this on top of roasted sweet potatoes, pasta, or even rice.

Hell, I’ve even eaten it straight out of the bowl.

Licked it clean, too.

I’m not proud. 😉

Talk to me: Was it cold in your neck of the woods? Do you have a fireplace? Did you food prep?

– jennifer

A caged kitty, do I need new shoes?, and the best meat sauce you’ll ever eat.

Hello, hello!

Another Tuesday, another caged kitty.

This time it’s Molly’s turn. She’s going in for her annual exam and teeth cleaning! She’s really not that excited about it. She pretty much cussed me out the whole way. She’s a potty mouth.

Breakfast this morning was the apple cinnamon version of overnight refrigerator oatmeal.

I add blueberries and some chopped walnuts to give it a little extra oomph. Oh, and fyi – frozen blueberries are still REALLY cold even after they’ve defrosted enough to eat. Just in case you didn’t already know.

So, last night, I noticed that the top of my right foot was a little swollen.  Yes, that’s the same foot with the plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, and ankle tendonitis.

I know.  I need a new foot.

You’ll be happy to know that my plantar fasciitis and heel spurs are no longer bothering my and I’m pretty certain my tendonitis flare-up is pretty much a flare-down at this point. But, what is up with the top of my foot?! I didn’t drop anything on it and I don’t remember banging it on anything.

Could it be my shoes?

Could ALL of the problems I’ve had of late be a result of my running shoes?

I used to wear the Saucony ProGrid Ride 5 and then I started to go to a more minimal shoe. There was nothing wrong with the Rides, btw. I just wanted to try to get away from a heel strike – seemingly for the benefit of my running! I first bought the Skechers GoRun to alternate with my Rides to slowly work my way into more of a mid-foot strike. That seemed to go well so I decided to get the Skechers Go Run 2 and I changed my Rides to the Saucony Kinvara 3.

I should say that I LOVE both pairs of those shoes. They are SO COMFORTABLE and I don’t have any toe box issues. I apparently spread my piggies a LOT when I run and if there isn’t enough room, I get toe cramps. Not. Fun. Both the Go Run 2s and the Kinvaras have PLENTY of room in the toe box. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that they both just look awesome, too.

Hmmm…clearly I prefer to take pictures of the Skechers while they are on my feet

But, was I ready for a drop from 8mm to 4mm? It doesn’t seem like much. I mean, a 4 mm difference is about the width of a CD case. Really? It’s a little mind-boggling to think that something so small could cause problems so huge.

I had various issues before. I’m a marathon runner – I’m DESTINED to have issues. But, they’ve really cropped up since I made the switch. And honestly, I never would have even considered it if my running buddy wasn’t also having issues and she recently bought a pair of slightly minimal shoes and she actually wondered aloud if it was the shoes. Now, the question is, do I press on with the shoes that I have and hope that my body “falls into proper form” or do I go back to the Rides?

Oh, so I made the most AMAZING meat sauce last night. I found the recipe over at PaleOMG. Let me tell you something.

O. M. G.

Stop licking the screen. This is mine. Make your own. (click the photo for the recipe)

This is now my go-to meat sauce. Thank you, Juli!

I put it over sweet potato waffle fries.

Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful

I know. Strange. Don’t judge me.

So. Flippin. Good.

You can put it on what you want.

I didn’t change a single thing about the recipe.

Juli wins.

Questions

1. Does your cat like going to the vet?

2. Have you made the switch to a more minimal running shoe? Did you have any issues or injuries as a result?

3. Why are you not already shopping for the ingredients for that meat sauce?

– jennifer

Fiesta 10k and Crockpot Jambalaya

Race day! Thank goodness the rain left before the race started but it left behind cooler temps. It was downright chilly and a little windy! Brrr! But, really, perfect weather for a race.

My first 10k race since high school. No, really! Obviously, anything I did was going to be a PR. But, I was actually a little surprised to do this:

Finished 2nd in my age group!! Woot!!

Here’s a little song to get you in the mood for dinner. 🙂

I love jambalaya. Such a perfect dish! Kind of spicy (depending on your tastes) and definitely delicious. This recipe calls for the rice to cook all day which kind of makes the rice break down and gives the dish a slightly mushiet look but doesn’t affect the taste at all. If you don’t prefer that, you can certainly add the rice with the shrimp (which I left out – still delicious). Or, cook it separately and serve the jambalaya over it; if you do this, make sure you adjust the liquid in your crockpot … unless you want jambalaya soup. It’s a free country – eat jambalaya soup if you want. Either way, eat! You’re hungry. 🙂

Crockpot Jambalaya

1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained
1 pound cooked andouille sausage, sliced*
2 cups boiled ham, diced
2 cups water
1 cup uncooked rice
2 onions, chopped
2 celery stalks, sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon freshly minced parsley
1 to 2 teaspoons hot sauce, to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 whole cloves
1 pound medium to large shrimp, peeled, deveined and cleaned

*or substitute 1 pound cooked smoked sausage or kielbasa

1. Place all ingredients except shrimp in crockpot. Stir well to combine. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or HIGH for 4 to 6 hours.

2. 30 minutes before serving, turn crockpot to HIGH. Add shrimp and continue cooking until shrimp are done. Adjust seasonings, if necessary.

3. Put it in a bowl. Om nom nom!