Roasted Veggie & Chicken Stew

Hello, hello!

Can you believe that Christmas is right around the corner?!

I was out doing some last minute Christmas shopping and I came across this.

I just had to have it!

So, I bought it. 🙂

Hey, surely I’m not the only person in the world who’s done that?

I am?

Oh.  Well. Don’t judge me.

Anywho, it’s been a super busy physical week for me.

Raked 28 bags of leaves on Monday, smashed my fingers for good measure, 5 1/4 mile tempo/hill run on Tuesday, 9 miles on Thursday + a 3 mile walk through the park with Thing 2, and another 3 mile walk in the park with my sailor yesterday.

I was supposed to do 20 miles this morning.

Um, no.

I twisted my foot a little on Thursday and, after yesterday’s walk, there was no way my foot was going to hold up. It’s not swollen but it’s definitely stiff. It’s been healing pretty well since I did whatever to it back a few months ago but I don’t want to take any chances.

So, I’m resting it and I’ll jump back on the mileage on Monday.

I’m feeling more confident about being able to finish the marathon but I certainly can’t go into it with a hurt foot.

I’ve been so hungry this week!

And, really tired. Holy cow, am I getting a ton of sleep!

And totally craving veggies!

So, I made up a dish with some yummy roasted veggies, rotisserie chicken, and black beans.

Om nom nom!

Roasted Veggie & Chicken Stew

1 rotisserie chicken, pulled apart and bones discarded (or, roast your own chicken and shred that bad boy up)
1 sweet potato, cut into wedges
2 red bell peppers, cut into chunks
handful of baby carrots (as many as you want)
1 small red onion, cut into quarters
1 small yellow onion, cut into quarters
5-10 garlic cloves, NOT peeled (I love garlic so I used 10. You may not love garlic as much as me. Fine. Remove the papery coating but don’t peel the cloves)
Olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup chicken broth
fresh rosemary, thyme and sage (aka the poultry blend)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place sweet potato, bell peppers, carrots, onions, and garlic on large, rimmed baking sheet. Toss with olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes. Let cool slightly.

2. Shred rotisserie chicken into a large Dutch oven and add black beans.

3. Toss with roasted veggies and chopped herbs. Add broth (up to a cup) and heat over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes, until heated through and seasonings mesh. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.

4. EAT!

Question: Sweet potatoes – yum or yuck?

Cindy, some Paleo grub, and moving stress

Hello!

Happy Tuesday!

So, yesterday was my first day of “unemployment.”

I was busier at home than I probably would have been had I gone into the office!

We’ve got a move prep list that is a mile long.

source

Okay, maybe not really, but there’s definitely a lot of stuff on there!

We actually managed to get a fair amount accomplished – including setting up the house cleaning and carpet cleaning companies.  What a stress relief that was!

We can certainly clean the house ourselves but the prices that were quoted were just too awesome to pass up and, BONUS, now we don’t have to scrub the baseboards!

My least favorite part of cleaning.

Palpable relief. 🙂

This is my last week of CrossFit at Alpha Omega.

source

I’m such a nerd that, even though I’m just coming home afterwards now, I’m still getting up at 3:30 to make the 5am class.

(I live like 35-40 minutes from the box.)

The 5am class is my family.

I’ve planned out my “going away” WOD for Friday.

It’s going to be a good one. 🙂

Today, we did Cindy.

I actually LOVE Cindy!

I really liked that we worked on kipping pull-ups before the WOD.

Helped me focus my kip before the WOD.

I knocked out 14 rounds + 6 reps – all Rx!

WHOOP!

After a while, it was difficult to string together more than 2-3 kipping pull-ups at a time but I kept on.

I’m hopeful that the next time I do it, my kip will be that much more efficient and I’ll be able to get more rounds done.

So, I’ve tried some new Paleo meals the past few nights.

Sunday was Bacon Beef Butternut Squash from the Civilized Caveman.

Om nom nom!

The balsamic onions really make this dish something special so don’t skip that part.

Trust me.

*Note: 30 minutes may not be long enough for the initial cooking time for the butternut squash.  If the flesh doesn’t come out easily, put that baby back in the oven. You definitely want it tender.

Last night, was Bacon Chicken Bowl from Juli at PaleOMG.

Let me tell you something.

O. M. G.

This dish was the bomb x 12!

And, so stinkin’ easy!

And, I made some extra chicken and there’s a whole sweet potato left – JACKPOT!

I already claimed the leftovers for lunch.

Nope.  Not sharing.

#sorrynotsorry

Question: How many times have you moved in your life?

I was a Navy brat, an active duty Sailor, and am a Navy spouse, so I’ve moved a lot my whole life.  This will actually be my 26th move.

!!!!

Pumpkin Gingerbread cupcakes with Maple Greek Yogurt icing

Hello!

Happy weekend!

In case you’re wondering, Karen was all talk.  She fell apart out in the Gulf on Friday afternoon. It is raining today but it’s definitely not Tropical Storm rain or Hurricane rain.

Phew!

Yesterday was brutal though.  And I’m not talking about rain.

Pretty sure the humidity was at 100%.

It was disgusting.

I had a 13-miler on my schedule.

I called it quits at 11.

I had to take walk breaks, my feet were cramping up, and I was miserable.

NOT a good run.  But, it’s okay.  It’s only week 2.

Knocked out my burpees after I cooled down.

100 day burpee challenge – Saturday was day 5.

Saw stars after I finished them.

Oof.

Check out this crazy spider that has taken up residence in the palm tree in my front yard.

This is about as close as I wanted to get.

Ew. Creepy. And apparently they jump. YIKES!

So, I made some Paleo/not Paleo cupcakes.

Yes, I’m a little confused. 😉

There’s a recipe for Sweet Potato Gingerbread Cupcakes with Maple Frosting in my Paleo Diet for Athletes cookbook.

Well, I didn’t have sweet potato but I did have pumpkin.

So, I made Paleo Pumpkin Gingerbread Cupcakes with non-Paleo Maple Greek Yogurt icing (I didn’t have any coconut butter for the frosting so I had to change it up. Cuz that’s what I do.) 🙂

They turned out pretty well!

The Greek Yogurt icing is pretty thin but you can add a couple tablespoons of cream cheese if you want it to be a thicker frosting.

Or, you could make the Maple Frosting that the recipe actually calls for.

I’ll give you the ingredients for both.

Cuz I’m cool like that. 🙂

Sweet Potato (or Pumpkin) Gingerbread Cupcakes with Maple Frosting (or Maple Greek Yogurt Icing)

Makes 12 cupcakes

1 cup sweet potato, pureed (or 1 cup pumpkin)
2 whole eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup almond butter
1 cup almond flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
Maple Frosting
1/2 cup Organic coconut butter
1/2 cup Organic coconut oil
3 tablespoons medium to dark maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Maple Greek Yogurt icing
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon maple syrup
2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened (if desired)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pan with cupcake liners.

2. Mix sweet potato puree (or pumpkin), eggs, vanilla, and almond butter in a medium bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients and add to sweet potato mixture. Blend well for about 2 minutes, then fill cupcake papers 2/3 full.

4. Bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

5. Place on cooling rack and make your icing. When cupcakes are cool, ice and enjoy.

6. Om nom nom!

Question: How do you deal with a tough or disappointing run/workout?

– jennifer