Winter has arrived...

On Wednesday night, I made a dish that I saw on Annie-Eats that looked good. Black Beans, Rice, Chicken and spice, what could be bad? I used the ingredients above to make the dish below. :90 microwaveable rice, black beans, chicken broth and spicy tomatos with jalepeno.
Jalepeno Chicken and Rice with Black Beans
Adapted from Elly Says Opa, originally from Mexican Everyday by Rick
Bayless

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. canola oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied into halves (4 halves
total)
2.5 tbsp. chili powder, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
1 package microwavable rice
1 can of tomatoes with jalepeno
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1Ž4 cup green onions, chopped (or 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro)
1Ž2-1 cup salsa, for serving

Instructions:
Heat the oil in large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Season both sides of
the chicken breast halves with salt and sprinkle with half of the chili powder. Place the chicken in the hot oil and brown on each side, 2-3 minutes. Remove to a plate, leaving behind as much oil as possible. Add the onion and rice to the pot. Stir for several minutes, until the rice turns from translucent to opaque. Add the garlic and the remaining chili powder to the pot. Cook for 1 minute, stirring, then add the chicken broth and salt to taste. Stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to
a simmer on medium-low heat. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces and add them to the pot along with the beans. Recover the pot and allow to cook 12 minutes longer. Sprinkle the green onions on top of the chicken, beans and rice.

I also made a cake with chocolate chips and oatmeal. These were tasty.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cake
Adapted from I'm Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas by Marcel Desaulniers, Dinner and Dessert @ wordpress

8 tablespoons (1 stick) plus ½ tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 ¾ cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup quick oats
1 ¾ cups boiling water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup tightly packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs, whisked together
1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup of coconut

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 13×9x2-inch nonstick baking pan with ½ tablespoon of the melted butter (I just used PAM). Dust the pan with the tablespoon of flour and shake out any excess. In a sifter, combine the remaining 1 ¾ cups flour, the cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Sift onto a large piece of parchment or wax paper. Place the oats in a large heatproof bowl. Pour the boiling water over the oats and let stand for 10 minutes before adding the sugars, eggs, and remaining 8 tablespoons melted butter. Stir with a rubber spatula until combined. Add the dry ingredients, and use a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients until combined. Fold in 1 cup of the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Combine the remaining ½ cup chocolate chips and the walnuts in a small bowl. Evenly sprinkle the chocolate chips and walnuts over the top of the batter.Bake on the center rack of the oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees halfway through the baking time. Remove the cake from the oven and cool in the pan for 20 minutes at room temperature. Gently turn the cake out onto a cutting board, then turn the cake chocolate chip-nut topping side up (this is easier if you use a utility turner or wide spatula). Cool for an additional 10 minutes before serving.
Friday night I made vegetable quesidillas with pretty much whatever vegetable I had left in the fridge. I sauteed onions, red pepper, green onions, tomatoes and brocollini. Then I took that off the heat and threw in my flour tortillas into the hot skillet. I put a handful of the veggies on one side, added some shredded monterey jack cheese, and folder the empty half over the full half. After a few minutes I flipped. I repeated this process 4 times. I also made Kale Chips and roasted Brocollini. I also heated up some Organic Tomato Soup I got at Whole Foods.
close up look- mmm cheesy! Great quick meal!

Last night was also the first night of Hanukkah and we actually remembered to light the candles!HAPPY HANUKKAH!!!

I started off today with a nice run with Nancy. We ran just short of 6 miles and I felt great. No real pain at all. We finished the run at 9:05 pace which is perfect-- I'm getting faster. It was FREEZING this morning though!
Here's the workouts I did so far this week:
Monday: Physical Therapy
Tuesday: Ran 4 miles, lifted legs
Wednesday: Ran 3 miles
Thursday: Muscle Conditioning
Friday: off
Saturday: 5.75 miles outside
Sunday: (Hopeful to run 5 miles with a new Running Club)
Possible Mileage for the week: 17.75 (baby steps)

Just got back from grocery shopping too.
Here is the menu for the week:
Sunday: Chinese Chicken and Brocolli (didn't make this last week)
Monday: Grilled Portobellos Stuffed with Turkey Sausage, Spinach and Mozzerela & Sausage Spinach Shells
Tuesday: Pork Tenderloin with Parsnips/Potato Puree
Wed: Meatless Meatloaf (from Peas and Thank you)
Thurs: Work Holliday Party
Fri: Leftovers

I also plan on making lasagna for my department Christmas party on Monday. Lot of cooking on the plan for tomorrow!

We are going to leave in a minute and head up to the North End. My BFF is moving into a new apartment so we are going to get dinner and visit. Can't wait!