Running Tips and a Gooooooood Recipe!

I just feel the need to say that I love this blog. I love it because a.) it gives me somthing to do when I'm bored, b.) I have made some new friends and I LOVE IT! So nerdy but I feel like we are friends in real life even if I have never seen your purdy face, and c.) it broadens my circle beyond the tiny town of Tunica. I love Tunica, but it is tiny. And having this blog kind of gives me an outlet to the World Beyond Tunica....

That being said, I have never given a shout-out to the man that made this blog a reality! Y'all might remember little 'ole Caitlin, who started blogging with me but had to bow out gracefully due to scheduling conflicts. She is busy, living the city life of a student, girlfriend, and part-time Banana Republic employee.

But back in August, when we started to officially train for the half-marathon, I had mentioned in passing (in passing, mind you) that it would be cool if Caitlin and I had a blog to keep up with each other's progress. Well, the next thing I know...literally like ten minutes later...., her boyfriend Ben had just whipped one up for us!

Thus, a new blog was born. I love it that we just mentioned it one time and --- VOILA --- Ben to the rescue. Isn't it nice to have a man around who listens to what you say?!?! Lovely! So thank you, Ben for being a sweetcutenerdy IT guy who made this blog for me. :)

Speaking of Ben....he sent me this great link. It's got "101 greatest tips of all time for beginners, vetrans, marathoners, and everyone in between." You can check it out by Clicking Here.

My favorite is #23 from Bob Greene, Oprah's trainer:
"I believe in using races as motivators. It's hard to keep on an exercise program if you don't have a significant goal in sight"

Good stuff. Thanks, Ben!

*****

I also wanted to share the AWESOME recipe my WW team leader sent me. I made it last night and it is delish. You would never know that one serving is only 5 Weight Watchers Points! Make it tonight and your husband will love you extra.

Chicken Spaghetti

Ingredients:

• 2 cooked chicken breasts, chopped
• 2 cups cooked whole wheat spaghetti
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 packet of Turkey Gravy mix
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 4-oz can sliced button mushrooms
• 1 15-oz can Rotel
• 4 oz Light Velveeta cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400. Cook chicken and cut into cubes or shred it. Set aside. Reserve broth for a future recipe if you want.
2. While spaghetti is cooking, saute garlic, celery, onion, and bell pepper in olive oil until vegetables and fragrant and tender.
3. Put 1 cup of water in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for about 3 minutes or until water is bubbling. Whisk in Turkey Gravy mix until lumps are gone. Add to onion mixture.
4. Add musrooms, Rotel, cheese, and chicken to onion mixture and stir well. Heat through until cheese is melted.
5. In an 8x8 greased dish, layer cooked spaghetti on the bottom, then top with chicken mixture (I guess you could do it the other way around...it really doesn't matter). Cook at 400 for 25 minutes.

One extra note I'd like to make....

It always bugs me when a recipe calls for 1/4 cup chopped onion. What are you supposed to do with the rest of that big 'ole onion? Put it in the frige and let it dry up and go to waste? Well, on Amanda's recipe blog, she offers a solution to this problem:

No matter what quantity a recipe calls for, she chopps up the entire vegetable (onion, celery, pepper, whatever it may be), uses what the recipe calls for, and freezes the rest in a ZipLoc bag. That way she's not wasteful and she always has some extra chopped vegetables on hand for her next recipe. Is this something everyone has been doing for a long time and I am just now catching on? Such a simple tip I can't believe I had never heard of it or thought of it myself...