Recipe 16: Spanish shrimp and chorizo over rice

As per usual, I never follow a recipe completely. So here is my version of this gem found in the Big Orange Cookbook

Ingredients:

14 oz chorizo

16 jumbo shrimp

Handful of fresh parsley

Juice of one orange

2T olive oil

2 cloves garlic minced

2 t smoked paprika

Salt to taste 

1 c brown rice

2t turmeric 

2 c chicken broth 

1/2 c white wine

1 c peas

1/4 c green olives

1/4 c yellow onion

Hot sauce to taste

Combine garlic, salt, paprika, hot sauce, orange, parsley and marinate shrimp. While marinating, cook rice in wine and broth. Add peas, turmeric, and onion to sweat while cooking. When done, combine and add olives and almonds. 

*** funny note. I have a very small and naughty kitten. I measured out my couscous and left it on the counter. When I returned, she had climbed the counter and was digging like a sandbox so I had to get out the water bottle for discipline and start all over with non-contaminated ingredients. 

Downhill Skiing for the first time (almost)

I once upon a time went skiing at Mt. Zion during a free trial day while attending Gogebic Community College.  It was a good time, yet I haven't gone back to downhill since-- 12 years ago. So, to satisfy my husband and my bestie, I agreed to a day of downhill skiing. This is me "catching air" and "shredding the gnar." There happened to be a professional photographer as I came down Powderhorn Mountain's bunny hill.



In all actuality, this is how my day went:

I did the splits, a trick where each of my legs faced a different direction, a yard sale, among other tricks like smashing my forehead off the ground and bruising every extremity. However, the day was awesome because I did something out of my comfort zone with my bestie, her guy, and my guy. A Christmas Miracle!

Candlelit Skiing at Miners Trails

A last minute Sunday event for a great cause. I went xc skiing with my brother and soon-to-be SISTER. Any time we have something going on locally and outdoors, it's a great chance for some exercise and a reason to get out of the house. For those of you who don't xc ski, you must! People were also out snowshoeing. A great community event!

I tried to get a candlelit photo, but my sweaty hands were giving off too much steam 

21 Day Fix Extreme Review

Yesterday marks my completion of the 21 day fix and I'd like to give you a run down on how it went, if any of you are interested in the program.

Photo from Beachbody.com

I recently became a beach body coach and I really love their workouts and figured, why not get a discount?! So, the last challenge I was a part of was the 21 day fix (or extreme). Now, I never tried the 21 day fix so I can't compare the original workouts to the extreme version.

I wasn't 100% excited because I thought this was mostly a crash diet with some lame workouts. However, the extreme version has some difficult ones like plyometrics involving jumping with weights and a couple others that are pretty difficult.

I was also skeptical of the diet because I remember an acquaintance of mine say, "I know it's working because I'm hungry at the end of the day." I thought...hungry at the end of the day? That sounds miserable and unhealthy. The exact opposite was true for me. I had a hard time eating that much and that often. So the diet was great and the workouts were even better. I've been a cardio junkie and it was nice to put some weights into the mixture. So, if you want some quick results and something new to try, give it a whirl.

This is my little workouts space. All you need for this program is a resistance band, a yoga mat, and a set of light and heavy dumbbells (I used 5 and 10). I needed up weighing the same in the end and lost five inches which shows the scale is only one form of measurement. Without it being holiday season, I probably would've been a bit better, but that's better than gaining though Thanksgiving and pre-Christmas. Is that a things? Pre-Christmas? And if any of you are interested in the next challenge, a Hammer and Chisel accountability group starts on Jan. 4. Free shipping and guaranteed delivery happen if you order by the end of the day today. You can still be a part of if ordered after, but your shakeology may not be here in time.

I'm Bringing Blogging Back, Yeah!

It's been ages. Well years, really, and the other day I missed blogging and wanted to start back up. My most recent news and excitement is that...drumroll....I got married? Who would've thought? I never thought it would happen, so from now on, I never say never. Wait, don't say never. Since my Mr. X hates social media (grandpa), I'm posting an individual photo. This day was memorable because it was a mess :) I had fallen over (surprise) during a softball game and had some nasty road rash. Well, that got infected so my short dress showed off my sweet Badgley Mischka heels, thank you eBay, and my ace bandaged leg.

Of course, the wedding was outside and rain is a must. So, it cleared enough for our 2.5 minute ceremony only to be poured on the whole time during pictures. We had so many laughs and I'm glad it didn't turn out cookie cutter. It was a mess, just like life :)

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!