Hands Down, Best Grilled Cheese

I always make a lot of my recipes from Food Network and this one is going to be an all-time repeat offender in my kitchen. I made some tweaks as always.

The original recipe can be found at Food Network, but this was my take. Since Mr. X is a big wuss, he had a normal BLT so I made this recipe for one, easy enough.

Needs:

2 slices of Ezekiel bread (my fave!)

2 slices of garden tomato

1 big piece of kale

3 strips of bacon

1 T of mayo

1 T Franks Redhot

1 oz crumbled blue cheese

1. Cook bacon and pat dry

2. Toast bread

3. Mix mayo, bc, and hot sauce, spread on toast and assemble

This was so yummy that I actually thought about it for days and wanted it constantly. The FN chef suggested avocado, but I kept it off (sadly) because I didn't have any. There you go, dinner cooked in between commercials :)

Dorothy and Toto

I can't help but think of my all-time favorite movie,Wizard of Oz. Picture this: hail balls the size of quarters at times ( picture does not prove this) and....

Wind that blew our giant birch tree sideways. Also, there was sideways rain and thunder and lightning.

 

Now as any caring and loving mother of a fur baby would do, she lets her darling cat meander around town in the summer to play with neighborhood friends and other prey. Until the storm rolls in. Now my little Leonard is no tough guy so I ran out into this storm like Aunty Em searching for Dorothy, afraid he may get sucked into a cyclone. And all I could think was that the neighbors can safely claim I am insane. 

Thank Bob, because Leonard was fine ( just in need of a blow dryer) and I wasn't struck down by Zeus's lightning bolt.

Chicken and Sun-dried Tomato Penne

A woman at work raved about her friend's pasta dish so I attempted and made a bunch of changes, so I'm not really sure what the original is. However, whatever came it was delicious and flavorful. 

8 oz. cubed, cooked chicken

1 onion chopped

2 garlic cloves chopped 

2-3 c. Spinach leaves 

1 T each: parsley, basil, oregano, marjoram

2 T butter

1 T flour

1/2 c. Sun-dried tomatoes

10 oz. chicken broth

8 oz. penne

1/2 c shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Melt butter and add flour and cook one minute

2. Add 3-4 oz broth and cook garlic & onion

3. Add dried herbs, tomatoes, spinach, and chicken

4. Cook pasta to al dente

5. Add broth little by little as sauce thickens

6. Add pasta to sauce and cook another 2 minutes until done. Melt cheese

This was very yummy and something quite simple that I would do again for sure. Plus, it looks like the Italian flag.

Cold Summer Hot Soup

Since this has been an overall cold summer, I've been craving fall dishes in July. I had a lot vegetables that needed to be used before they were on the verge of rot and fruit flies, so I made this veggie soup. 

Also all you savers, I throw my veggies in the freezer for soups and stirfrys. Anyone else do this? 

Needed foods:

5 c beef broth (5 c water & 5 t. better than beef bouillon base)

1/2 c red wine

1/2 white onion

3 cloves of garlic

1 c broccoli

2 c. Kale 

1c mushrooms

3/4 c carrots

1 T olive oil

1 1/2 c. cooked orzo

Spices ( s&p, garlic powder, celery salt-- already so much flavor from the foods in this)

 

1.Chop all veggies 

2.Heat oil and sauté onion and garlic until soft. When oil is soaked up, deglaze with wine.

3. Add mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, and kale. Heat through

4. Add orzo

I have never used orzo before and it was a nice addition to the soup to bulk it up since it is meat free. This can easily be made vegetarian (sub vegetable broth), paleo friendly and add chicken or beef and get rid of the pasta.. The possibilities are endless when you're cooking by cleaning out your fridge.

Running For A Reason 5K

I'm not sure why Mother Nature hates me, but every race I run, the weather is terrible. This race was no different: 45 degrees and raining in July!!

However, it was a great cause, raising money for Alyssa Paro and her incredible fight against breast cancer. The weather may have been bad, but it was still a lot of fun with family and friends.

My goal for this race was to hit under 30 minutes and I snuck in at 29:56, taking 29 seconds off my last 5K time.

My broham and his gf, who I trailed the whole time. Thanks Anna for setting a good pace. 

And, I present... The Ruppes (and Paul)

Tutu Much Fun

One of my favorite things about my weight loss progress is the different activities I've been able to or willing to participate in. I was either too lazy, self-conscious, or too out of shape to do anything like this. However, my brother's girlfriend invited me on the Tour Da Lake event. This is a bike ride around Lake Gogebic which is 38 miles including five total stops at bars/restaurants. I was surprised about how I was able to do it considering I didn't even have a bike until I signed up. 

About 2,000 calories burned later and one sore bum, we finished. Did I mention we had costumes?

The costumes are of course optional, but ReRe and I dress up whenever we get the chance. We were the fourth of July Fairies. And we were joined by other super heroes:

If you would like to make a tutu, it's quite simple, but a bit tedious (just the cutting). From other sites, they suggested 10 yards of fabric for an adult tutu. It was a bit too much, but it's better to have more. I bought 25 total yards, mixing between red, white, and blue. First, you cut the strips to be 6 inches wide (this was an adventure as I didn't buy 6" tulle). The length is up to you. I chose 28 inches, making the tutu 14 inches long. After all the strips are cut, the simple part begins.

Cut elastic to your waist and subtract 2-3 inches, so it fits snugly. I tied the elastic around a chair to work easier. Fold your tulle in half so the length is half of what you started with (so I went from 28" to 14"). Place this folded piece behind the elastic. Pull both ends of the tulle up through the loop that is at the top. Continue moving around the elastic alternating colors. The knot should look like above. In the end, I fastened a cute bow!

Girls Gone Fishing

Each year Saxon Harbor holds a fishing tournament and a Powderpuff day for the ladies. My dear friend "Mom" and her generous father have allowed me on their boat for two years now. This year was a great time, even though Mother Nature kicked us off Giche Gumee an hour early because of a hail storm. 

I want to say that we caught 9 salmon, but I'm not really sure. We certainly had a blast. Until next year Tracy Lee.

Brian Nasi 5K

When it's not winter, I try to run a race of some sort each month and May's was The Brian Nasi, which I walked last year. It was a lot of fun this year, aside from the snow on the ground when we woke up. My bestie, ReRe came up. She finished much faster than me, but it was my best 5K at 30:25.

Brrrr... It's cold out here ( rhythm from Bring It On)

The of course, a fun day can never be had without food and family. It may not have been my family, they are definitely next in line: the Res and the Gregases.

Crazy Legs 8K

This year my buddies from "The Pond City" kindly invited me with them to a race called "Crazy Legs" in Madison, WI. This was sooo much fun. We got up early, had our peanut butter toast and oranges and walked a mile to the start. We lined with 17,000 other runners. What a way to start the day!  I finished with Jetski and KJ just under 55 minutes, which for me is fast. E$ and Malls were ahead by 5 minutes or so. We of course celebrated with giant burgers and pitchers of beer. Otherwise it was a calm, relaxing weekend full of talking and dinner. Great company ;)

Did I mention I got to high five handsome quarterback, Joel Stave at the beginning? That kept me going through the 3rd mile until I realized he's probably about 19 years old. This made 27 feel old.

Copyright from Sports Illustrated

Feeling young again

One of my coworkers is quite intense and since I've become friends with her, I find myself injured quite frequently and this weekend in April was no different. We entered into the Spring Thaw basketball tourney at the college-- it's a nice time for old  people to feel young again. She talked me into joining last year and she blew out her ankle and couldn't play so we decided to enter this year and compete with a bunch of our girls from Hurley last year. Well with a minute left in the game, this happened:

Then this happened:

Champs champs champs! I guess I wasn't MVP but probably most memorable for crying on the floor like a small child. I guess my ankles didn't exactly get stronger with age. So this happened:

Talk about mind-numbingly cold. I don't know how real athletes sit in those tubs. This was bad enough.

Bored of Potatoes?

I've found that since Mr. X really digs his meat and potatoes, I get very bored of eating mashed and baked potatoes each week. So, I was quite happy when I found this recipe in Food Network. I needed something new and it was absolutely yummy: Irish Potato Cakes

This may be a more appropriate post for those T-give leftovers, but these are scrumptious and easy any time of the year.

Makes four servings (one cake per person)

Recipe:

2 cups of mashed potatoes (leftover)

1/3 c. flour

2 T milk

1 T mixed herbs

Salt

Pepper

1.5 T. butter

Mix potatoes, flour, milk s&p, and herbs. Knead until smooth. Divid into four balls and flatten to three-inch patties. Melt the butter and cook patties over medium heat, cooking 4-5 minutes per side. Add more butter if needed. 

These are quite tasty; however, I never, ever have leftover mashed potatoes because my family is always carbing up, never for a run, just for extra bulk, I guess.

Not the nicest of pics, mostly because I had already devoured mine and half of Mr. X's... sorry diet.

Summer salad

Even though it isn't even close to becoming summer, I've started eating like it is. I made this salad tonight and it was so awesome!

1 Granny Smith apple
3 c. Spinach ( I was hungry)
1 oz. blue cheese crumbles
1 oz. walnuts
A few slices of red onion
2 T. of light strawberry vinaigrette (I used Paul Newmans only 70 cals)

Chop, combine, and enjoy

Grilled cheese

I see grilled cheese recipes in Food Network all the time. I never follow them but I steal ideas all the time. As I'm sure everyone does. This delight was made with American cheese, avocado, apple, and fresh mozzarella. It's strange; I couldn't really taste the apple at all. It just added a little crunch and texture-- yummy though.

Book Club, Baby

I wish I would have got the whole spread in there, but this was my contribution as I am host this time and must whip up a dessert. Originally I made protein cake batter bars but they didn't turn out as planned so I made Rice Krispies as a back up with apples and caramel dip. This one is based around the book Lone Wolf. If you find yourself with some extra time and want to read something quick and entertaining-- do NOT read this one. We all are a little apprehensive for E$'s next choice :)

This was a great get together to swap books, eat treats, and talk girl talk without men

Wisconsin Vs. Michigan

Mr. X and I always plan a weekend in Madison to watch the Badgers play. This year was so much fun. We got to see a huge upset and watch the fans storm the court. Our seats were only 15 rows up from the floor!

Turbo Fire

I must admit that I've been "losing" weight for about five years now. I'd lose up to 10-15 pounds and then gain it back and lose it again. I've been dying to enter onederland for years and finally did-- all thanks to turbo fire. Below is everything that you'll find in the package: literature, resistance and stretch bands, as well as the DVDs.

I'm so apprehensive to believe in any gimmicks or programs, but this isn't for sure. I love it so much. Chalene has kept me motivated and her music and routines are a blast. I managed to work 40 hours a week, coach, and workout this year. I had games two nights a week and practice every day. I always managed to get in my workouts-- it just takes some planning and dedication. And let me tell you, it takes a lot to keep me going at 5 a.m. Below are my before and after pics... It may be hard to see because of the clothing I'm wearing but I lost 16.5 inches and 17 pounds, but I gained a lot of muscle and self-confidence.

So if you want something fun and challenging, order turbo fire the next chance you get.

Sausage and quinoa stuffed squash

It's been quite some time since my last post. Basketball took up a lot of my time. We ended with a successful season 16-3 and the varsity ended with only four losses.

Tonight I made this stuffed squash from Fitness Magazine. Normally prep time is 25 minutes but I'm having dizzy spells and vertigo so it took a really long time.

I cut the recipe in half as Mr. X is not a fan of squash.

2 squash
1 c. Chicken broth
1/3 c. Quinoa
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
4 oz chicken sausage (only had pork)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c red onion ( only had green)
1/2 c red pepper
3 garlic cloves minced
2 1/2 tablespoons minced ginger
3 oz Gouda ( I used fresh mozzarella)
I added some diced broccoli, mushrooms, and spinach.

1. Preheat to 375
2. Cut squash in half place in dish with one inch water and bake for 45 min
3. Bring broth to a boil and cook quinoa according to package.
4. Heat oil over medium
5. Add sausage, cumin, and salt
6 Add pepper, garlic, and ginger. I added some mushroom, spinach, and broccoli-- add quinoa
7. Stuff squash, add cheese and bake for 30 minutes

Only 309 calories and could easily be vegetarian
(16 protein, 36 carb, 12 fat, 5 fiber, 631 sodium)
4 servings

Not the cutest pic

A Year in Review

Ok-- beware of the bragging alert. One great aspect of the new year is for the time of reflection and look back on what one has accomplished in a year's time as well as setting goals for the next year.

In review, I've managed to do a lot more than I thought when I actually sat down and wrote a list of great accomplishments. And let the conceited air thicken:

A trip to a foreign country: Costa Rica

Drive across the country: to Washington (and managed to NOT kill my mom)

Ran a half marathon, even with an injury

Ran 3 5ks

And because I don't have pictures of everything else, the rest is a list:

Lost 20 pounds
Started this blog (that I'm not sure if anyone reads)
Worked out consistently when school started instead of quitting like usual
Coached a team to only lose one game
Wrote a book
Read 32 books including some from my "the classics" stack on my bookshelf :)

When I think about it and look back, 2012 was a great year with a ton of accomplishments. I hope 2013 brings about some more great outcomes. Happy New Year and good luck with the resolutions!