Want to know my little secret? Make extras. The leftovers are just as tasty

Another secret? I make it into a salad of sorts – chopped up lettuce, some steamed rice, and the filling all drizzled with some of the dipping sauce. It’s a little less messy than eating it burrito-style.

Lettuce Wraps
serves 4

1 pound lean ground pork
1 large or 2 small heads Boston Bibb/butter lettuce
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons minced ginger root
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Sriracha or other Asian chile sauce
1 8 oz can water chestnuts, drained and minced
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons sesame oil

For dipping sauce:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon Sriracha or other Asian chile sauce

1.  Carefully remove leaves from lettuce head. Rinse and pat dry. Set aside.
2. In a non-stick skillet over high heat, brown ground pork. Stirring often. Drain and set aside.
3. Add onion to pan and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger vinegar, and Sriracha and stir, cooking for another minute. Stir in water chestnuts, green onions, sesame oil and cooked pork. Continue to cook for 2 more minutes.
4. Combine dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together.
5. To serve, spoon a portion of the meat onto a lettuce leaf, wrap up like a burrito and enjoy with the dipping sauce!

Favorite Fitness Must Have: Garmin Forerunner 910XT with HRM. Ok, calling this $450 fancy watch a “must have” is a bit of a stretch. Maybe I should say it’s a “Lust Have” instead. The watch is seriously awesome. The price is a little steep for a student budget, though. Eh, maybe when I get out of school and find a job I can reward myself with one of these babies with my first paycheck.

image from runningwarehouse.com

Favorite Cold Treat: Kemp’s Java Chip Ice Cream. Oh boy. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this stuff. A bowl full of this + some espresso chocolate chip cookies = the best dinner ever.

image from kemps.com

Favorite Make-Me-Smile Read: 10 Reasons Running Doesn’t Suck As Much As You Think on Hello Giggles. Part of me really wants to print this out and stick it on my fridge.

Favorite Restaurant Meal Copy Cat: Burrito Bowls! I made these on a night where I had a craving for burritos. They were so good that we made them again the next night with different toppings. The best part? They were SO easy to make! Seriously, we put them together in the time it would have taken us to drive across town, wait in line, and drive back home. It’s an added bonus that they were so cheap to make, too! Now that’s my kind of meal – delicious, quick, and cheap.

Copy Cat Burrito Bowl

3 cups brown rice
1 lime, zested and juiced
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped, divided
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 red onion, diced
salt and pepper, to taste
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded

Other optional toppings:
Sour cream
Jalapeños
Avocado
Queso
Hot sauce

1. Cook brown rice according to package directions. I use a rice cooker and use a 1 cup brown rice: 2 cups water ratio. When rice is cooked, mix with 1/4 cup cilantro, lime zest and lime juice.
2. Meanwhile, mix chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, and oregano together and sprinkle generously over chicken breasts.
3.  Heat olive oil in a medium-sized skillet over high heat. Cook chicken until cooked through. Remove to cutting board and chop.
4. In a separate bowl, make the pico de gallo. Combine tomatoes, 1/4 cup cilantro, red onion, salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
5. To assemble: place rice in bowl and top with black beans, chicken, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, and any other toppings you desire. Enjoy!

I woke up Saturday at 6:45 and checked the weather as I ate my pre-run Greek yogurt. Currently -6°F and 1°F at 8:00 am. I grumped around the house until 7:30 when I decided to just suck it up and at least try. Worst case scenario? I run the shortest loop with the running group (4 miles) and run the other 4 at the Y.

I quickly searched the world wide web for guidance on what to wear. I normally peek at the Runner’s World What to Wear Running App, but that never seems to work out for me. And guess what? There aren’t a whole lot of people out there talking about running in the cold. Some blogs talked about running in the “cold” where cold = 30°F. Pfft! To me, that’s nice running weather.

So, what did I end up wearing and how did it work?

There ya go. For my top, I wore my Under Armour ColdGear Mock as a base layer. I added my Zoot 1/2 Zip on top of that and ended with my super thin Hot Chocolate 15k jacket to block the wind. I decked out my bottom half with Reebok Cold Weather Compression Tights and some DryMax Socks. I wore a neck gaiter and a performance fleece hat and headband. I slipped on YakTrax Pro over my shoes and stuffed my hands into my Nike Thermal Fleece Gloves and put a pair of Wooly Mitts on top.

Basically, I looked ridiculous. It turns out that I dressed pretty darn well for the weather. I was cold at first, but warmed up after about 2 miles. I kept slipping the Wooly Mitts on and off. I think the only part of me that was a little too cold were my thighs. My shins were pretty well covered between the higher socks and my tights, but the tights alone were not enough for my legs! Maybe next time I’ll try compression shorts under the tights.

I’m proud to say that I made it the entire 8 miles in the cold. I might even dare to say that I was enjoying the cold by the end. Moral of the story? Get outside and just run; you will end up loving it

The best bet after a nice, cold run? A warm bowl of soup and a long, hot shower. Sick of the soup you’ve been slurping down? Try this Chinese Noodle Soup!

Noodle soup, or as my family calls it – noup. Inspired by a Kung Fu Panda viewing with my lovely family last Christmas.

Every bite of this put the biggest, goofiest smile on my face. It’s so hard to get us all together  now that we’re growing up. It’s little things like this that bring joy into my life (and my stomach). It’s just a bonus that this is soup-er (har har) easy to throw together!

I entered this into  fellow blogger Branny Boils Over‘s Souper Bowl, Round 2 fundraiser. For every entry she receives, she will donate $1.00 to the ASPCA. As a dog owner (and lover) I couldn’t resist.

Chinese Noodle Soup
serves 6 

8 ounces dried Chinese noodles
1 pound lean ground turkey
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon hot chile sauce, such as Sriracha
1 bunch green onions, sliced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger root
6 cups chicken broth
4 cups thinly sliced bok choy
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 cucumber, cut into matchsticks, for garnish

1. Cook noodles according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey, scallions, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring frequently, breaking up the turkey. Cook until turkey is no longer pink. Transfer to a plate.
3. Add broth, bok choy, soy sauce, vinegar, 1 tablespoon sesame oil and chile sauce to pot. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until bok choy is tender.
4. Return turkey to pot and stir to combine.
5. To serve, place noodles in bowl and top with broth. Garnish with cucumber and serve.

Favorite blast from the past: school lunch. Yup, that’s right. I started my 1 month school food service rotation this week and they are feeding me lunch!  This is my first rotation to offer me food, so I’m pretty psyched. Some menu items that brought me back to my elementary and middle school days? Pizza dipper, mini corn dogs, and the good ol’ chicken nuggets. Don’t worry, they’ve got some amazing fruit and veggie spreads along with some other healthier options. Also, for the first time in a loooong time (quite possibly years) I’ve had a cup of skim milk every. single. day. My favorite part of eating school lunch? The spork.

image from newsone.com

Favorite  can’t-live-without-it workout equipment: Foam Roller. Best $20 I spent. You can find me rolling around on it for a good half hour after all my runs and cycling workouts.

 image from synergy-athletics.com

Favorite breakfast inspiration: overnight steel cut oatmeal. I’ve been eating old fashioned oatmeal for breakfast day-after-day. I love it, but it’s getting a little… boring. I finally went out last night and bought some steel cut oats and I can’t wait to give this recipe a try!

photo from thebittenword.com

 Favorite kitchen find: olive wood salt keeper. I’m drooling over this. I’ve seen so many salt keepers and I still haven’t snatched one up. Someday…

image from williams-sonoma.com

Favorite jewelry find: “asymmetry” earrings from Paon Blanc. I love big, dangly earrings. I love sparkly things. Check and check. These earrings are perfect.

image from etsy.com/shop/paonblanc

 and finally, my Favorite new holiday: National Granola Bar Day. There will never be a shortage of bizarre “holidays”. Celebrate National Granola Bar Day with me on January 21, 2012 with these delicious, no-added-sugar granola bars!! These granola bars are chock full of goodness – cranberries, bananas, pecans, oats, and flax. They were so easy to whip up and they taste a-maaaaazing.

Low Fat Granola Bars with Bananas, Cranberries, and Pecans
recipe from Cookin Canuk via Prevention RD 

3 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped
3 large, ripe bananas
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup dried cranberries
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons ground flax seed (or flax meal)
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Line a 9×13 baking sheet with parchment paper, with about 1 inch of parchment paper overlapping the sides.
3. Spread out the oats and chopped pecans on a baking sheet. Place in the oven until they are lightly toasted, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
4. In a medium bowl, mash the bananas with the back of a fork. Stir in applesauce until combined.
5. Transfer the oats and pecans to a large bowl and stir in dried cranberries, ground flax seed (flax meal), cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
6. Stir the banana mixture into the oat mixture until well combined and starting to clump together. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and press down evenly.
7. Bake until the bars are golden brown and starting to separate from sides of the pan, about 30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
8. Use the parchment paper to lift the bars out of the pan. Let cool to room temperature, then cut into 15 bars. Serve or store in an airtight container.

I made them as-is the first two times and then mixed in a cup of toffee pieces the third time I made them. The verdict? One of my favorite cookies ever.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into chunks

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Cream together butter and sugars until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and blend in.
3. Stir in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chunks.
4. Drop by tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet and bake for 8 – 10 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.
5. Let cool slightly and enjoy.

from Food Network Canada

• I tried boxing for the first time. Loved it! What a great stress reliever. I thought I was in shape since I work out 6 days a week between running, biking, strength, and Pilates, but I was not prepared for the oh-man-kill-me-now feeling I got during the boxing workout with Mike. Bring on the pain!
• I did my first speedwork run. I ditched the half marathon training schedule I painstakingly wrote for myself and decided to try the FIRST program instead. I re-wrote my runs and incorporated my data from the McMillan Running Calculator to give me a training plan that spells out my training paces.
• I drove in snow for the first time this winter. Ok, maybe it wasn’t the first time, but the other snowfalls didn’t count because they didn’t even stick for longer than a day. What’s up with that, WI?
• I watched my first episode of Dance Moms: Season 2. I love bad TV.
• My last “first”? I participated in my first recipe swap! Read on for more info about it…

Usually the participants just gets another blogger’s recipe, but they shook it up a little this week: we each got a blog and had the freedom to make whatever we wanted from that blog! I got Fried Ice and Donut Holes and she has so many great recipes to choose from!! I spent over an hour looking at her blog before finally deciding on the dish I wanted to try. The luck recipe? Shrimp fra diavolo! It’s been on my “must cook” list for a while and I figured this was the perfect time to try it.

The dish turned out pretty darn good. Mike loved it; I think it could have been a little (ok, a lot) spicier. But hey, I’m weird and I love major heat in my food. Next time I’ll be crankin’ up the spiciness by adding a few more sprinkles of red pepper flakes to my portion!

Shrimp Fra Diavolo
recipe slightly modified from Fried Ice and Donut Holes

1 pound whole wheat pasta
1 pound large, uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup dry white wine
1-28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Fresh basil, for garnish
Grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive on in a large skillet over medium heat.
3. Season shrimp with  salt and pepper. Add to skillet and saute for 1 minute. Turn shrimp and saute the other side until shrimp are cooked through and no longer translucent. Transfer shrimp to a separate plate.
4. Add onions to pan and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for an additional minute. Add wine to pan to deglaze and allow to simmer for 1 minute.
5. Add tomatoes, red pepper, and oregano. Reduce heat to medium-low and let sauce simmer for 10 – 15 minutes, until reduced to your desired consistency.
6. Return shrimp to sauce and stir to coat.
7. Toss cooked pasta with sauce and shrimp. Garnish with basil and Parmesan cheese, if desired.

I was scarred for life when I played soccer in elementary school. Tennis lessons in middle school? Horrifying. To this day, I stay away from soccer, volleyball, tennis, kickball and any other sport that involves a fast-flying ball.

I started to run my junior year in college to prepare for a family vacation to the Boundary Waters. I decided to use the ever so popular Couch to 5K program as my training guide. I’m not going to lie, doing day 1 of week 1 was almost too much for me and I wanted to quit halfway through.  But, I pushed through it. Two days later, I pushed through another workout. Rinse and repeat until I could (gasp!) run for 30 minutes straight. Boundary Waters went off without a hitch. Unfortunately, having nothing to work towards after the trip, I stopped running.

I didn’t start running again until my younger sister talked me into running a 15K with her. I have no idea how she convinced me, but it turns out that my promise would change my life.  I spent that winter painfully, slooooowly running (a more accurate word would probably be shuffling) that winter, gradually working my way up to 1 mile, then 2, 3… when I finally hit 5 miles, I felt like I had conquered the world.

I trained as hard as I could and in November of 2011, I ran my very first race at the age of 24. Completing the 15k was probably one of the most proudest moments of my life. I had done what I thought was impossible: I was a runner. I ran a 5 mile Turkey Trot a few weeks later and knew I was hooked.

My sister (R) and me after the Hot Chocolate 15K in Chicago

Mike and me after the 5 mile Turkey Trot

I am now looking forward to another 15K in February and then a half marathon in May. I may not be fast, graceful, or have an athlete’s body, but I am a runner.

The best part? Running fueled a new interest in nutrition. I had a degree in dietetics, but never knew what I wanted to do with it until I started running. I realized how I felt after I ate certain foods. I found out my perfect pre-run (Greek yogurt and a small banana) and post-run (most recently cranberry orange bread) foods. Running urged me to continue my schooling, and that’s where I am now – working through a dietetic internship with a new passion for nutrition!

If you made it through this long-winded post (quite possibly my longest ever), I am amazed. As a thank you, I will offer you the recipe to my new favorite post-workout food – cranberry orange bread!

I have made the bread two ways now – one as written on allrecipes.com and the other with the changes published below. I prefer the recipe below – it’s a bit denser and not-so-sweet. Adding in whole wheat flour and reducing the amount of butter and sugar are an added health benefit, too!

Cranberry Orange Bread

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large orange, zested (about 1 heaping tablespoon)
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup orange juice

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9×5 loaf pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange zest. Stir in cranberries and walnuts. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream together butter, applesauce, and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and orange juice. Stir in flour mixture, mixing until just moistened.
4. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 55 – 65 minutes, or until bread is golden brown and springs back when lightly touched. Let stand 15 minutes and then turn out onto cooling rack to cool completely.

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

So, start 2012 out right with some of these biscotti. Share the love and send some to friends and family

Mocha Almond Biscotti

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons instant coffee
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped almonds
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a large baking sheet and set aside.
2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In separate bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and instant coffee. Add eggs and vanilla until butter mixture and beat until well combined.
5. Stir in flour mixture and mix until a stiff dough forms. Stir in almonds and chocolate chips.
6. On prepared baking sheet with floured hands form dough into 2 slightly flattened logs, each about 12 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide.
7. Bake for 35 minutes and remove from oven. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes.  Transfer biscotti to cutting board.
8. Using a very sharp knife, cut biscotti diagonally into 3/4 inch slices. Arrange cut slices onto baking sheet cut-side down. Bake 5 minutes and flip biscotti to other side. Bake for another 5 minutes or until biscotti are crisp.
9. Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

It’s been a long, crazy year. Even though I didn’t quite make it through my 11 in ’11 list (oops), I managed to accomplish a lot of things that I am very proud of. Mike and I bought our first house; I got accepted in the dietetic internship program of my dreams; I ran my very first race, the Hot Chocolate 15K in Chicago; signed up for my first half marathon; and celebrated one year of marriage with Mike.

Maybe 12 in ’12 will be a little more successful. I actually made most of the items on  my 11 in ’11, but I never found the time to write about them. I think once I graduate in May my life will become much more manageable and DSD will once again be updated regularly. So, keep an eye out in 2012 for my 2011 must-cook dishes!! Until then, stir up some of these delicious caramels – the perfect balance of sweet and salty goodness.

Microwave Sea Salt Caramels

1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
coarse sea salt

1. Line a 9×13 pan with aluminum foil. Coat inside with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large microwave safe bowl combine butter, white sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Stir together and place in microwave.
3. Cook on full power for 6 minutes, stopping to stir thoroughly twice during the cooking time (every 2 minutes).
4. Remove from microwave and stir until well mixed. Pour into prepared pan. Place in fridge until firm, about 45 minutes.
5. Remove whole slab of caramel at one time by pulling up on aluminum foil. Place slab on cutting board covered with parchment and peel off foil.
6. If caramels are oily from the cooking spray, blot them off with a paper towel. Sprinkle coarse sea salt directly on top of caramels.
7. Cut caramels into desired size and wrap with parchment paper.

So, if I can’t share it with the staff, patients, and visitors of the hospital, I will share it with the rest of the world! I hope you love it as much as I do.

Wok-Stirred Curry-Ginger Chicken with Zucchini
serves 4 

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1-inch dice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly minced ginger, divided
2 teaspoons Madras curry powder, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 medium onions, chopped
2 small zucchini, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1. In a medium bowl, toss chicken with cornstarch. Mix to coat chicken completely. Set aside.
2. Heat a wok or large pan over medium heat, combine 2 tablespoons oil and 1/4 teaspoon ginger. Cook until ginger is fragrant. Add in 1 teaspoons curry powder and stir to combine. Increase heat to high and swirl oil in wok to coat the sides.
3. Add chicken and stir-fry until just cooked through, about 3 – 5 minutes.Season with salt and pepper. Remove chicken to a plate.
4. Repeat step 2 with remaining oil, ginger, and curry powder. Add onions and stir-fry until soft, about 2 minutes.
5. Add zucchini, season with salt and pepper, and stir-fry until the zucchini is tender, about 4 – 5 minutes.
6. Return chicken to wok, add broth, and bring to a boil, about 30 seconds. Stir, remove from heat and taste. Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.
7. Serve immediate with rice.

adapted from the Simply Ming cookbook