Cod & Mussels!

I love planning out my meals in advance. The truth is that planning ahead saves you money.  I always check out the circulars before making my list or before perusing recipes online and in magazines.  This week I noticed Wild Caught Cod was on Sale at Shaws so I based my grocery list on that ingredient and planned meals using Cod.  Because I'm looking to make more healthful recipes in 2011 but I also want them to taste delicious, I turned first to Cara's blog at Cara's Cravings.  I went straight to her Seafood list on her recipe index and found a recipe I was excited to try: Avocado Baked Mahi.  Only I substituted Cod instead.

I can't say enough about this dish... combining avocado, Worcestershire sauce, ginger and Greek yogurt for the base and then adding diced tomatoes and onions on top made this meal really stand out.  Doubling the greens with Kale Chips and Salad made it even more delicious.

Avocado Baked Cod
Adapted from Caribbean Light and Cara's Cravings
1 avocado, pureed
3 tbsp plain nonfat Greek yogurt 
1 tbsp minced scallion, green part only
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp ground ginger
dash of freshly ground salt
3 Cod filets
1/2 of a medium tomato, diced
1/2 of a red onion, diced
coarsely ground black pepper
Instructions:
Blend together in your food processor the avocado, yogurt, scallion, garlic, Worcestershire, ginger, and salt. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray an oven-safe skillet or baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place the fish in the pan, and spread about half of the avocado mixture on top of each. 

 

Bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork. 

 

Warm the remaining avocado mixture gently in the microwave. When ready to serve the fish, top with the diced tomatoes and red onions and drizzle the warm avocado mixture over. Sprinkle with black pepper.

As I mentioned, I made a salad to go along side.  And for dressing, I made my favorite- Honey Mustard Lemon Vinagrette. So simple!

All you need is:

3 Lemons Squeezed using my handy Citrus Press (thanks Gretchen), 1 spoonful of honey mustard (or one tablespoon of Dijon with a squeeze of honey), 2 tablespoons of Red Wine Vinegar, 1/4-1/2 Cup of EVOO, Salt and Pepper.

Then Squeeze your lemons, like below

 and add the rest of ingredients (except the EVOO).  Slowly wisk in in the oil and thats it.  Dressing done in a flash : )

 Easy peasy delicious dressing!

Sunday, I got to work on two dishes simultaneously: Thai Bouillabase and Mussels Marinara.  But first, I had to debeard the mussels... have you done this before?  I usually leave this to the hubby, but since he was at the gym, I had to do it.  It wasn't hard and most of the mussels didn't have the "beard".  All you do is find where the two shells meet and you'll see a little 'tag' of what looks like threads of brown seaweed. This is the mussel's "beard".

 

"The beards on some of the mussels may have been removed during processing, so it's ok if you don't find one on every mussel. Pinch the beard between your thumb and first finger. Use a side to side motion and firmly tug the beard out. 

 

This can feel a bit like a game of tug-of-war between you and the mussel! The beard isn't harmful or inedible (just not particularly desirable to our taste buds), so don't fret if there are a few little threads left that you can't grasp. With a bit of practice, cleaning and debearding a few pounds of mussels should only take about 15 minutes of your prep time." (source)
After you have your debearded mussles, it's time to get cooking!! I made two dishes mainly because I had so many mussels!  First up Thai Bouillaibaise.

 For the Thai Bouillabaisse, I combined two recipes I liked- one from Eating Well and another from Cooking Light.
Ingredients:
1  cup  chopped celery, divided
1  cup  chopped onion, divided
1  cup  chopped green bell pepper
1-2 small chile peppers, such as serranos or jalapeños, seeded and thinly sliced
1  tablespoon  minced fresh garlic
2  teaspoon  red curry paste
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1  (13.5-ounce) can light coconut milk
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (I used College Inns White Wine and Herb- wanted to use Thai Coconut Curry Broth but couldn't find it)
 1  (6-ounce) skinned cod fillet, cut into 1-inch pieces

8 ounces dry sea scallops (I used small ones)
12  mussels, scrubbed and debearded
10 large shiitake mushrooms caps, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 Cup of parsley (optional) 
Instructions:

Heat oil in a large heavy stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, celery, garlic, ginger, bell pepper and jalapeno pepper and cook, stirring, until very soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Add flour; stir well to combine. Add chicken broth and coconut milk and red curry paste (I love the heat of curry paste so I always add more). Bring to a simmer; reduce heat and gently simmer for 15 minutes-20 minutes. Carefully submerge fish, scallops, mussels and mushrooms in the broth. Return to a gentle simmer and cook until just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes or until the mussels open up. Remove the pot from the heat and add in parsley.

 The spicyness of the curry paste balanced with the coconut milk and the wine broth is amazing.  I cannot say enough about this soup.  Plus I love mussels, scallops and cod and I felt like every mouthful was a taste of something better than the last!!  Loved this soup!!

And because we had SO many mussels, I also made my husbands favorite- Mussels Marinara.

Mussels Marinara
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small white onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
1 cup white wine
1 can of Fire-Roasted Tomatoes
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley leaves
20 fresh mussels, debearded, scrubbed and rinsed
Salt and pepper
Instructions:

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until cooked. Add the wine and reduce it by half, then add the tomatoes, and parsley. Add the mussels to the pan...

 and allow to cook for about 10 minutes until all the mussels are open. Transfer mussels to a platter. (Discard any mussels that do not open.)

Hope you enjoy these fun, easy, flavorful recipes!

Have you debearded mussels before?  Made them at home?

Planning for a Healthy Week...

This morning I met up with my friend Nancy at her gym to run ten miles.  Unfortunately, this was REALLY difficult for me and while Nancy ran 10 miles in 1:22, I ran 9 miles. So needless to say I struggled a lot.  I got through it, but it was definitely one of those runs where from mile 1 I was having difficulty. It was fun to run next to my buddy though.  Although, I do wish we ran outside because on my drive home, I saw tons of runners training for Boston.  There were groups and groups of them!

 But let's see how I did this week with workouts...

Week of 1/3/10-1/9/10

Date: Monday January 3
Route/Workout:  Physical Therapy
Total Time: 1.5 hours... cross training, lifting legs, electric stim, ice

Date: Tuesday January 4
Route/Workout:  Speed Tuesday, outside on the Charles, 1 mile warmup, 4X800 with 400 meter rest, 1.25 mile run
Mileage: 5.25 mile run
Total Time: 51:40 minutes

Workout: 1 Mile Slow Warm Up, 800 at 3:59 (7:59 pace), .25 mile slow jog, 800 at 3:52 (7:46 pace), .25 mile slow jog, 800 at 3:51 (7:44 pace), .25 mile slow jog, 800 at 3:49 (7:40 pace)
1.25 Mile Slow Cooldown

Date: Wednesday January 4
Route/Workout:  Physical Therapy
Total Time: 1.5 hours... cross training, lifting legs, electric stim, ice

Date: Friday January 6
Route/Workout: Treadmill Run 3.1 miles
Total Time: 28 minutes, went during lunch, struggled.

Date: Sunday January 8
Route/Workout:  Treadmill at the Gym
Total Time: 1:22
Mileage: 9 miles
Pace: 9:06 

Totals: 3 Days of Running, 2 Days of Cross Training/Lifting, 2 Days of Rest=  17.35 miles 

In addition this week, we had our first weigh in for Biggest Loser.  I weighed in pretty heavy and I'm ready to shed some lbs! The interesting thing is we also got measured for Body Fat Percentage using this handy tool.

 
My body weight percentage was 28% which is out of the normal range.  I did some research and "For women between age 20 and 40, 19% to 26% body fat is generally good to excellent." (Source) 
According to another site 14-24% is for Athletes/Fitness. Source

So, I am currently in the "Acceptable Range."  I need to change that.  I would like to get in the fitness category while also losing weight.  How I plan to do that is to change my workout and eating habits.  For workouts, I KNOW I HAVE TO SWITCH IT UP!  I get way too used to going to the gym and just RUNNING. Our competition is linked with Equinox gym (only the nicest gym in Boston) so I will start to take more classes there- cycling, yoga, pilates, treadmill classes, muscle conditioning.  This is the key to my body fat and body weight loss.  I know it and I need to stick with it!

For food, I am going to decrease meat and cheese in my diet.  At the grocery store yesterday, I stocked up on fish, veggies and tofu.  I'm ready for a successful week of eating.. want to know the plan for the week?? Cannot wait to post about these meals-

Saturday: Avocado Baked Cod (inspired by Cara) - Already made this- it rocked!
Sunday: Thai Bouillabaise (Eating Well)
Monday: Southwestern Pizza (Lauren)
Tuesday: Tofu Nuggets (Bianca)
Wednesday: Spicy Kale + Tofu (Cara)
Thursday: Cioppini (Eating Well)

The main ingredients: fish, avocado, tofu and kale.

So that's my plan: Eat healthier and switch up workouts while also continuing to try to get fast.

How are your New Years goals going?

Quick Easy Delicious Meals + Marathon Cookies!

I swear I've cooked in the last few weeks, I just haven't blogged much about it.  I have made some gems so here's the highlights.  I made these before the New Year so they are not exactly healthy.  I will tell you that my recipes in 2011 will focus on more healthful, less fattening ingredients.  As I mentioned before, I have joined my companies Biggest Loser competition and I am determined to lose at least 10 pounds. The competition is based on both your body weight loss percentage and body fat percentage.  Which I think is pretty cool because if you lose body fat, you are getting in shape and getting healthy for the long run not just for a couple months to win a competition. 

Back to food, Kimmy asked me to post about Healthy Recipes and I will create a page of my most healthful recipes I've made, but most of these recipes will not be included.  So enjoy something different in January: Tasty recipes that are probably not the healthiest.

  First I made Chicken with Boursin Mushroom Broccoli Cream Sauce inspired by Baked Bree. I saw this recipe and I couldn't wait to try it.  And let me tell you, it was delicious and super easy.  And utilized my favorite food: cheese.  I know I just told you I was going to cut back on my cheese intake and I will, but not until January! (I made this dish before the first of the year!) I mean boursin cheese sauce with mushrooms and brocolli? What could be better.  Super simple weeknight meal.
(PS- I can NEVER spell brocolli right, seriously two c's, one l, are we sure? )

Chicken with Boursin Mushroom Broccoli Cream Sauce

inspired by Baked Bree

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used Chicken Tenders)

salt and pepper

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 cup cremini mushrooms

1 Tablespoon butter

1 minced shallot

1/2 cup white wine

1/4 cup crumbled Boursin cheese (Garlic and Fine Herbs)

2 Tablespoons chopped parsley

1/2 cup chicken broth

couple splashes of milk

1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese

1 package of brown rice (I use Uncle Ben's 90 second microwavable rice)

Instructions:

Pretend this a picture of chicken cooking in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook until brown and turn over, about 5 minutes.  

 

Flip over and reduce heat to medium and cover.  Cook about 8 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and cover with tin foil to keep warm.    Add the mushrooms and butter to the pan. Add the shallot and cook until it begins to soften, about a minute. 

 

Add the wine to the pan and scrape up all of the bits from the bottom of the pan.  Cook until the wine cooks almost all of the way out. Then add in the broccoli and cook for 5 minutes more. Take the pan off of the heat and whisk in the Boursin cheese and parsley. If the sauce is too thick add in some milk and stock.  Mix together.  Season with salt and pepper. Add back in the chicken.  Microwave the :90 second brown rice and place a 1/2 cup on both plates.  Add the chicken and broccoli and mushrooms and serve.

 This was the easiest, most delicious meal I've created in awhile.

For Christmas, my MIL bought me a Rachael Ray Cookbook  When I first started cooking 6 years ago, RR was my-go-to-cook.  Now I can barely stand her, but she does still have some interesting twists on dishes. 

So I made Rachael Ray's Shrimp Scampi.  This was soo flavorful and pretty easy!  And it utilized one of my favorite ingredients: anchovies. Have you tried anchovies?  If you like salt, don't be scared!  They are just salt nuggets!  And if the fishy thing scares you, they melt into the oil and you can no longer tell what they were... I'm telling you, don't be scared!

Shrimp Super Scampi

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 anchovies

6 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 stems oregano, leaves stripped and finely chopped

A generous handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

1 cup dry white wine

3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

2 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used medium pre-cooked)

1 pound linguini

1 lemon

1 cup basil leaves, about 20, torn

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Crusty bread, torn into pieces ( I used bagel thins)

Instructions:

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add anchovies, garlic and crushed pepper to the pan and cook until anchovies melt into oil, a couple of minutes. 

 

Add herbs and wine and reduce for 1 minute then melt butter into sauce.

 

Meanwhile, boil water and cook pasta according to package directions.  Add shrimp to sauce and cook for a few minutes then add in the pasta. Add in zest and juice of 1 lemon and basil, season with salt and pepper to your taste.

 

Serve directly from pan with hot, crusty bread or whatever you got.

 Loved this dish!  Mainly because I love salt and the salt intake with the anchovies makes it pretty amazing!

In the book was another funky RR recipe:  Fajita Chilaquiles Casserole. It's like eating all the fun of a fajita in a casserole.  And bonus- I didn't have to buy any of the ingredients! This was a fun dish to make and eat.

Fajita Chilaquiles Casserole

Ingredients:

4 flour tortillas, cut into thick strips

cooking spray

1 tablespoon (a palmful) onion powder 

 1 tablespoon (a palmful) garlic powder 

1 tablespoon (a palmful) ground cumin 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1 tablespoon (a palmful) chili powder 

1 teaspoon dried oregano 

Salt and ground black pepper 

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons oil, divided 

1/2 bottle Mexican beer 

1 red bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced  (I used yellow)

1 red onions, thinly sliced 

3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated  

2 limes 

1/4 cup chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley 

1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese 

Instructions:

On a baking sheet, toss tortilla strips with some cooking spray and bake in the oven until golden brown, about 7-8 minutes. 

 

Toss halfway through the cooking time so they get brown on all sides. When you remove the tortilla strips, switch on broiler and place rack in middle of the oven.

In a small bowl, combine the onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, cinnamon, chili powder, oregano. Season meat with salt and pepper then toss with spice rub to coat evenly. Place a large skillet over high heat with 2 turns of the pan of oil, about 2 tablespoons. Add the meat to the pan and sear until golden brown and cooked through, for a few minutes. 
 
Add the bottle of beer to the pan and cook to reduce, 2 minutes. 

While the meat is cooking, place a second large skillet over high heat with 2 turns of the pan of oil, about 2 tablespoons. Add the peppers, onions and garlic to the pan, and cook until brown around the edges and tender, 3-4 minutes. 

Add the zest and juice of 1 lime, chopped herbs, salt and pepper to the pan, toss to combine and reserve.When everything is ready, toss the meat, pepper and onions, and toasted tortilla strips together into a casserole dish. Top with the cheese and melt under the broiler.

I kept going back for more, it was so good!

And finally, I BAKED!  Yep, I made cookies and I didn't mess them up!!  About a month ago, my bloggie friend Liz at Little Bitty Bakes sent me the most amazing cookies I've ever had: Marathon Cookies.  What is a marathon cookie you ask?  A Cookie with 26 ingredients!  Oh yes.  It was good timing to make them since I just got my official Marathon Certificate!

I switched out some of Liz's ingredients for what I had and what I liked but I did use 26 ingredients.  Look below.  Wet ingredients, dry and an entire tupperware container full of goodies!

Marathon Cookies
Makes about 18 large cookies

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup butter, softened
2. 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
3. 1 cup sugar
4. 3/4 cup light brown sugar
5. 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
6. 3 eggs
7. Two ripe bananas, mashed
8. 1 cup all-purpose flour
9. 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
10. 1 cup quick oats
11. 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
12. 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
13. 1 1/2 tsp. salt
14. 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
15. 1/4 cup white chocolate chips
16. 1/4 cup mint chocolate chips
17. 1/4 cup peanut butter chips
18. 1/4 cup almonds
19. 1/4 cup chopped pretzels
20. 1/4 cup chopped fruit trail mix
21. 1/4 cup chopped dried apple rings
22. 1/4 cup reeses pieces
23. 1/4 cup dried cranberries
24. 1/4 cup chopped dates
25. 1/4 cup chopped peanuts
26. 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Instructions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat butter, peanut butter, and sugars until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, and vanilla; mix until creamy.  In separate bowl, stir flour, graham cracker crumbs, oats, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.  Gradually add dry ingredients into wet ingredients, mixing until combined.  Fold remaining ingredients into cookie dough.  For large cookies, use a 2 1/2-inch cookie scoop to drop dough onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake about 12 to 14 minutes, until deep golden brown and cooked through.

So yeah, they're cookies, but they do have some healthy ingredients right?

I had a bunch of people tell me these cookies rocked... so... maybe I can bake?? Maybe.

Got any delicious healthy recipes for me to jump start my healthy cooking in 2011?  Link them in the comments!

Speed Tuesday - 4X800

Good morning everyone!!! Who am I? Three posts in three days! Woah! I woke up bright and early to run 4X800s (half mile) with  my friend Meg (@MegaMega714) around the Charles.  I was planning to do my speed on the treadmill like I usually do but when Meg asked to run I thought it wouldn't be too hard to do the workout outside.

Meg is also the brains and designer behind my A-MAZING new header!! Do you love it??? I think it suits me pretty well.  I had the idea that I wanted an animated Lizzy cooking while also running through the window and Meg put the idea to life.  She is amazingly creative and talented and I am pretty psyched with the design.  Check out her design website- amazing stuff!  She also gave me one of her awesome kitchen towels that she designed... how cute is this?!?  I'm thinking I want a Food to Run For one...Meg, what do you think? Click on the towels below to go to Meg's blog! How cool!

In addition to her amazing illustrating skills, she also is a pretty sick runner and I'm convinced running with Meg will help me get faster! 

As I've mentioned the last couple weeks, I get my speed workouts from a local running club and I try to base my times on my fastest 5K/10K.  Meaning I try to do my speed somewhere in the 7:20-8:20 minute range.

Planned Workout:
1 Mile Slow Warm Up
.50 Mile at 7:50 Pace
2 minutes walking or .25 mile rest
.50 Mile at 7:45 Pace
2 minutes walking or .25 mile rest
.50 Mile at 7:40 Pace
2 minutes walking or .25 mile rest
.50 Mile at 7:35
1 Mile Slow Cooldown

 As I thought, this was a little aggressive for where I'm at in my training.  Also with the cold, wind and some hills (we ran up the ramps on the river) this was a bit challenging.  I think I mayyyybe could have hit these times on the treadmill but its better I did this outside because who knows what conditions I will have in Feb. And honestly, we weren't THAT far off.. check it out.

Actual Workout: 
 1 Mile Slow Warm Up
800 at 3:59 (7:59 pace)
.25 mile slow jog
800 at 3:52 (7:46 pace)
.25 mile slow jog
800 at 3:51 (7:44 pace)
.25 mile slow jog
800 at 3:49 (7:40 pace)
1.25 Mile Slow Cooldown

5.25 Miles, 51 minutes

So how did I calculate distance, time and pace?  I calculated distance on my Garmin 305, Meg calculated time on her sports watch and I calculated our pace when I got on the computer on Cool Running's website using the Pace Calculator.   

You should do this workout, it's a good one! And surprisingly, I actually enjoyed doing speed outside... maybe my days on the treadmill are numbered...

(I picked a good time since I probably wouldn't be able to get a treadmill at the gym this week anyway)

PS- Meg and I are going to run the Super Sunday 10K.  If you live in Boston, you should sign up!  It's flat and fast and there is a 5K option... do it! February 6th! Kimmy, Corey?

http://runagainstcancer.org/supersunday/

Celebrating the New Year!

Welcome to 2011!  
PS- Check out my new header! What do you think?!?!

(Warning- this will be a long post.  I'm already breaking my resolutions!)

11 is my favorite number so I'm VERY excited what this year has in store.  To celebrate, Dave and I along with our friends Ally and John headed to our friend Stephanie and Mike's brand new Cape House.  I decided I was going to try to make New Years Eve dinner as good as 2010 when Stef, Mike, Dave and I went to Capital Grille (Recap here).  I made Smitten Kitchen's Braised Short Ribs with Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Onion and Swiss Chard.  I made most of the meal in my own kitchen and finished everything off on the Cape. 

When we arrived, the table was set for six.

And Shakey was ready to hang out!

We started with Baked Brie with a Cherry Chutney sauce which was awesome!

For the people (ahem Steph) who don't enjoy red meat, I made Maple Salmon from Closet Kitchen.  I marinated the salmon in Maple Syrup and Soy Sauce overnight and then baked it for 15-20 minutes and added salt and pepper.  Easy peasy and tons of flavor.

In addition, I made a wicked flavorable Winter Panzanella, inspired by Smitten Kitchen. I'm sad I don't have a better picture of this, because it was awesome!

Winter Panzanella

Adapted from Michael Chiarello

and Smitten Kitchen

For the croutons:

1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
6 cups day-old bread, crust removed, cubed
6 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:

1 small red onion, sliced thinly lengthwise
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon of honey mustard
4 cups peeled, seeded, and diced butternut squash (1/2-inch dice)
1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed, then quartered
1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves 

1/2 cup Pomegranate seeds

2 cups of bagged romaine lettuce

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over moderate heat and cook until it foams. Add the garlic and thyme, and immediately add the bread cubes. Toss to coat well. Add most of the grated cheese and stir. Transfer bread to a baking sheet and sprinkle with the remaining cheese and salt and pepper and gently toss again while still warm to melt the cheese. Bake stirring once or twice, until the croutons are crisp and lightly colored on the outside but still soft within, about 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside and let cool. Soak the sliced onion in the sherry vinegar and a pinch of salt for about 15 minutes. Set aside.
Toss the squash  and brussel sprouts with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until the squash is tender and lightly caramelized, about 15 to minutes. Let cool. Into the reserved red onions and vinegar, whisk in remaining 1/2 cup olive oil and mustard. Season with pepper. In a large bowl combine the roasted squash, croutons, and Brussels sprouts. Add the vinaigrette and toss. Add the parsley and lettuce and toss again. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Garnish with grated Parmesan and serve immediately. 

Mmm, I could make variations on this panzanella salad all winter long.  I loved it! And for the main course, Smitten Kitchens Braised Short Ribs!

Ingredients:

6 beef short ribs, about 14 to 16 ounces each (ask for 3 bone center-cut)

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon thyme leaves, and 4 whole sprigs thyme

1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper

3 dozen small pearl onions

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup diced onion

1/3 cup diced carrot

1/3 cup diced celery

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 cups port

2 1/2 cups hearty red wine

6 cups beef or veal stock

4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley

2 bunches Swiss chard, cleaned, center ribs removed

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Now go to Smitten's site for the recipe- it's too long to post plus I didn't change too much because it's pretty perfect!

And yep, I forgot to add the horseradish cream.  I made it but forgot to serve it! Oops.  It was just a half cup of creme fraiche, horseradish and salt and pepper. The potato puree was your typical mashed potatoes- 2lbs of Yukons, 1 stick of butter melted, 1 cup of half and half, and lots of salt and pepper. This dish is really impressive and not that hard.  And its sooo amazing!  I never thought I would love short ribs this much!

After dinner it was time to get our drink on. Ally created this amazing Christmas Cookie shot which was made with equal amounts of baileys, kahlua and peppermint schnapps. Then we played several games... A@#hole and later an intense game of Hungry Hippo (best idea EVER by the way! Drunken Hungry Hippo- A-Mazing!)

 Drinking continued until it was midnight! Cheers to 2011!

The next morning, Stephanie made an amazing breakfast spread of French Toast, fresh fruit, scrambled eggs and bacon.

 

And then we went to the beach, walked around and played soccer.  Yep, it was 55 degrees and sunny on January 1st in Massachusetts.  That sounds so wrong!

 In the afternoon a few of us headed to Brewster Inn and Chowder House for some soup! I got the Chowder and Dave got the Shrimp Bisque.  Both hit the spot!

 We relaxed for awhile while John smoked some BBQ Chicken.  The smoker is the coolest thing ever!!! I want one!  John marinated the chicken in BBQ sauce, sprinkled some spices and smoked them for close to an hour and a half. The chicken had sooo much flavor!

For dinner we ate leftover mashies and panzanella, biscuits and BBQ Chicken.

Stephanie also made toasted bread with goat cheese and cherry chutney.  YUM!

Saturday night was spent watching Inception (although I mainly played Angry Birds on my phone instead since I've already seen it- great movie for those who haven't) and Sunday us girls ran 12 miles!

How did you spend your New Years?

Accomplishments in 2010 & Goals in 2011

I left off saying I would get you this post before the New Year, but I wanted to really think about this and didn't want to rush it.  Plus I had an amazing New Years celebrating at my friend Stephanie's new Cape house (recap to come this week).

In 2010, two big things happened.  I ran two marathons.  I never dreamed I would run one never mind two!  Theo recently wrote about what it means to be a runner.  And I gotta tell you, I never ever considered myself a runner.  For many many years I was a sprinter (for those newbies, I ran track in HS and college- 400, 800).  I ran a half hour or less in my training.  I ran under 2.5 minutes of running for my races.  But I've changed.  In 2010, I became a runner.  And I hope to stay one for many years to come.

I've never really set resolutions before but I do set goals.  One of my goals in 2010 was to complete those two marathons as well as run 1000 miles. But I didn't want to kill myself trying to run those miles.  I knew I was in the high 900s after I ran NY but I didn't calculate my mileage until Friday and how lucky am I?! I actually completed 1009.86 miles in 2010!

The breakdown:

January: 56.50 

(Start of training for the Providence Marathon, took 1 week off due to rolling ankle)

Febuary: 104.08 

(Ran two races, Foxboro 10 Miler, Hyannis Half)

March: 136.10 

(Ran two races, Ras 5K and Eastern States 20 Miler - my first 20!)

April: 94.75 

(Ran my second 20 miler, tapered for Providence)

May: 41.20 

(Ran my first marathon on May 2nd! And not a lot else apparently)

June: 59.70 

(Went to Europe for two weeks, Ran 1 race- JP Morgan Challenge, began training for Marathon #2: New York)

July: 106.10

August: 121.18

September: 81.5 

(got injured again and had to cross train more than expected- ran my first 20 miler of the training season in lots of pain and then ran my second a few weeks later)

October: 112.20 

(ran my last 20 miler by running most of the Boston Marathon route backwards)

November: 46.30 

(Ran my second marathon: NY in a new PR)

December: 50.25

I'm taking time off from the marathon distance in 2011 but I do have some goals!

Running Goals in 2011

1. Beat my PR in the Half Marathon

2. If that goes well, I want to run sub 1:50

(I'm giving myself two chances, Hyannis Half in Feb, National Half in March)

3. Run a Blogger Relay

(Cape Relay in May!)

4. Concentrate on getting faster while running more short races

5. Switch it up, spin more, do more classes, lift more, cross train more

(It's really easy when you are training for marathons to beat yourself up about not hitting a certain amount of mileage each week but I am proof you can run a marathon on 3 days of running! This year I want to get back into other forms of cardio and lifting)

6. Lose 10+ pounds in my companies Biggest Loser Competition

I wasn't sure if I should write the last one because I am proud of everything I've accomplished in the last year at the weight I'm at.  And I am not unhappy with my body.  But I'm not sure I'm exactly happy with it either.  For a long time I've been eating whatever I want whenever I want it and not fueling my body properly.  Plus Runner's World says for every pound you lose, you'll run about two seconds faster per mile. And I want to get faster! 

Today, Stephanie, my friend Alli and I ran 12 miles on the Cape this morning.  

Both girls are training for Boston; their first marathon.  Can I just tell you the Cape is HILL-Y! Wow! I really struggled on this run.  I couldn't help but feel that if I was a bit thinner this wouldn't be as hard.  I know thats a little ridiculous but I also know, I need to break my bad eating habits lately!

12 Miles: 1:53:38/9:28 pace

Mile 1: 8:54, Mile 2: 9:10, Mile 3: 9:13, Mile 4: 9:20, Mile 5: 9:28, Mile 6: 9:42, Mile 7: 9:36, Mile 8: 9:47, Mile 9: 9:40, Mile 10: 9:48, Mile 11: 9:35, Mile 12: 9:25

Eating Goals in 2011

1. Eat Slower

(I eat so fast - I want to learn to enjoy food more and not stuff it in my face)

2. Eat more vegetarian meals (without the cheese)

3. Limit my eating while cooking

4. Limit my cheese intake

(Lord knows I couldn't give it up completely!)

5. Eat more fruit

Blog Goals in 2011

1. Update my header

(my friend Meg who is amazing Graphic Designer is 90% Done)

2. Write Shorter Posts 

(this is not a good example of that)

3. Have more of a focus in Blog Posting- either about food or running

4.  Meet more blogger buddies... YES, you!

So there you have it folks. Have you accomplished your 2010 goals?  What are your 2011 goals?