I love quinoa. I love Kale. Why not put them together?

I only started eating kale in the past couple of years when I read they were not as bitter as turnip greens. I love them mixed in just about anything because they wilt down and have a mild flavor. Better yet, they are a seriously nutritious green food. 

Quinoa and greens

• 2 cups of broth, choose your favorite flavor.
• 1 cup of quinoa, RINSED
• 3 cups washed, trimmed, chopped kale
• 1 cup chopped ham or chicken, cooked. I used smoked ham.

1. Boil broth.
2. Add quinoa. Reduce heat to simmer, UNCOVERED. Cook 10 minutes.
3. Add kale and ham. Cover. Cook 7-10 more minutes until kale is fully wilted.
4. Fluff with fork.

Today was our first training climb at the highest point in Alabama. Mt. Cheaha is around 2400’ high and they put a nice little state park all around it so flatlanders like us can experience some views and hiking. We are training to hike Pike’s Peak in June which will start around 6000’ and climb 13 miles to 14,110’. How does a person from Alabama train for something like that? A lot of hiking, treadmill incline training, and tons of cardio training. We are not worried as much about physical strength. Cardio strength in elevation is the main obstacle.

We got up early Monday and threw lunch together. After spending some time checking out other trail reports, I knew the Lake Trail would be the most challenging. It’s a 1000’ drop in the first half mile. It’s rocky. It’s technical. We wanted to carry our packs and trekking poles and get in some good hiking. We planned to hike down to 1,000’ to the valley lake, eat lunch, then hike up.

The hardest part about this trail is finding it. The trail head is about .2 of mile down a hill from the parking for another shorter trail head. We didn’t realize this since the map said “parking available at every trail head”. The Lake Trail head is between cabins 8 and 9. We had to circle back around the whole park so we could use the legal trail head parking and walk down to the cabins.

This is where I say, wow.

All of those are from the top. These boulders are the only things we climbed down for about .4 of a mile. It was treacherous and very slow. I remember thinking “climbing this back up is going to be….tough”.

Valley lake

Lunch!

The look back up to what we must now climb.

The look down. The bottom of the picture shows the trail. It’s a definite “single track”.

Almost to the top. We were now scrambling. Using hands and legs to pull/propel.

Done! Back at the top.

Random waterfall.

The next time we travel to hike, we are going to check out parts of the Pinoti trail which is part of the Appalachian Trail. Many sections of it begin in the Talladega Forest, close to Cheaha. Next weekend, we are going to tackle the 18 miles of a lake trail in Tuscaloosa. Not much elevation, just long intense cardio training and time on our feet. June will be here before we know it!

It’s no secret that Olive Garden is one of my favorite places to eat. I remember my first taste of the breadsticks, the Zuppa Toscana, the Alfredo. I have many memories from college days when we would drive an hour into Memphis just to eat at Olive Garden. Stephen and I had our first date there. He ordered a cappuccino for me and I haven’t looked at coffee the same. While I always ordered the rich potato sausage soup, he liked the tomato based pasta e fagioli. I remember sneaking a spoonful while slowly falling for him on a hot summer night in Memphis.

I’ve made this several times and it’s an absolute favorite. It’s a copy cat recipe similar to Olive Garden’s Pasta e Fagioli soup. It’s hearty, healthy, and delicious. I found the recipe and changed a couple of things. The original recipe is at Top Secret Recipes. 

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 small onion, diced (1 cup)
• 1 large carrot, sliced (1 cup)
• 3 stalks celery, chopped (1 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
• 1 15-ounce can red kidney beans (with liquid)
• 1 15-ounce can great northern beans (with liquid)
• 1 15-ounce can of tomato sauce
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 pound (1/2 pkg.) ditali pasta
• 1 Tablespoon chopped parsley

1. Brown the ground beef in a large saucepan or pot over medium heat.
2. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and saute for 10 minutes.
3. Add remaining ingredients, except pasta, and simmer for 1 hour.
4. About 40 minutes into the simmering, add the dry pasta and let simmer.
5. Serve, top with parsley

The weather is terrible this morning. Cold and rainy. Staying in and staying warm is on the agenda. One thing about going home is I can usually count on some of my favorite things. Seeing my Grandma and Grandpa are high on that list.

What is it about the older I get, the more I love talking to them?

Is it the wisdom? Is it knowing the stories I hear now are the ones I will pass down? Or is it just because the more I hear, the more I realize how alike we are?

Maybe it’s just because of how much we laugh when we get together. Whether it’s local gossip, articles in the paper, or those frazzling commercials that we try to understand, we laugh a lot.

And why are things better at Momma’s house and Grandma’s house? Even the dog likes the water better at Grandmas. The pillows are fluffier. The same Diet Coke has an extra zing in the jelly jars and insulated cups.

The hot chicken dip will taste better in Momma’s Corning Ware than anything I can make at home….in her handed down Corning Ware.  The soup is amazing and I’ve never been able to make it just like Grandma. She even has the same soup mug as I do. But mine won’t be as good. Not yet, anyway.

Maybe it’s knowing they make food just for us? Or they have secrets that we don’t have yet? Maybe it’s the love we know is attached to it. And they are just as excited to spend time with us.

We should stay in more often. Even on bright sunny days.

After making the 3 hour trip to MS, we were greeted by my Momma stirring around in the kitchen, some great friends talking in the living room, and the sight of a pie on the counter. Sometimes, life is too good.

She told me last week that she was inviting a couple from our home church over for dinner. We are all facebook friends and they often mentioned us getting together whenever we come back to town. Inviting them over for dinner is a very big deal because my parents’ house seems like it’s in Siberia. I grew up in a tiny town 8 miles from the closest form of civilization. I loved being away from a city, but it did limit the entertainment value in our house. We usually just had friends over for games and food who lived in our little postage stamp town .

After this night, we’ve all decided it’s a good thing to invite friends over. Especially when they bring pie.

This is called Depression Pie. Not because my calorie counter laughed at me when I tried to add this to the counter. Or because my pants won’t fit in the morning. Or because I figured up how many miles I need to run to counteract this pie.

It’s called Depression Pie because it is made without eggs. Back during the Great Depression, eggs were often sold for money. There are many families that survived on “egg money” alone. Many people learned to bake without using eggs. This recipe was handed down to Mr. Glenn from his family and he frequently graces the congregation with this chocolate glory. The meringue, affectionately called “calf slobber” in our family, wasn’t too thick and had a great flavor. 

Good food, good friends, and plenty of laughs in between. It’s a great weekend already.

Driving to Mississppi on the I-20. We’ve taken many road trips on this stretch of road. Some happy, like the week of Thanksgiving 2004. We had just found out that during the day on Wednesday, that Stephen made the final cut and was hired for the job. This was the job that required us to leave Memphis and me to leave a teaching job that I loved with every breath I took. I told him I didn’t want to move unless I could find a first grade job in a Title I (low income, low socioeconomic status school). That was a tall order. On one of his many trips to Tuscaloosa for many rounds of interviews and tests, he stopped by the county board system and got an application. A first grade principal from a Title I school called me two weeks later and I had the job by October 27th. All that was left was for Stephen to hear about his job. Thousands applied. 23 were accepted. We had families in 3 states praying for us and I firmly believe prayer works.

Many other trips have crossed the I-20. Many detailed here. The frantic trips in 2009. The trips to see a precious baby. The return from Colorado, hearts heavy because it would be another year before we saw those mountains again, but anxious to sleep in our own beds. The memorable trip in winter riding in a truck after eating an entire bag of sugar free chocolate. Family. Friends. Funerals. Weddings. Reunions. Anniversaries. While the scenery hasn’t changed much, we have. We’ve grown closer over the years. Not just me and Stephen. Me and my family. Mom and Dad. All of us for the better.

Some of my favorite parts of the I-20 road trip.

1. Singing some David Allen Coe.

2. Truck stop coffee and cappuccino.

3. The sunsets over the trees.

4. Hearing these words. “Year 10 is turning out to be the best year we’ve had”

5. Playing “remember when” with the gas prices.

6. Seeing the Mississippi state line.

I’m awake and ready to spread cheer and happiness to everyone in the lands. Why am I so bright eyed and bushy-tailed?

According to my Fitbit, I had a good nights’ sleep. I’ll gladly take 6.5 hours of actual sleep since the previous nights were around 4.5. And I don’t feel bad about not going to Crossfit. I did not set my alarm because I knew if I woke up at 4:30 (really woke up, not just turned and rolled over) then I didn’t need extra sleep. I’ve gone the past 4 mornings and yesterday I felt so drained. After the long intervals last night on the treadmill, I was done. I needed those extra 2 hours of sleep. I woke up on my own at 6:15.

Yesterday’s WOD

AMRAP in 20mins: (as many rounds as possible)
Teams of 3, 1 Person at each station

• 1 Min Double-Unders
• 1 Min Situps
• 1 Min Ball Slams (15#medicine ball. Raise above head, throw down, use proper squat to pick up.)

Score is total # of rep completed as a team. Rotate every min on the min for 20 mins from station to station.

This was brutal because there was no rest or water break. If I wanted water, I had to burn time and my team was counting on me to get in as many reps as I could. After this one, me and the floor became great friends.

This morning’s post is a random jump from subject to subject. I might actually be hyper this morning.

Another reason I’m ready to get this day going? Mississippi. We are leaving ASAP after work to go spend the weekend with my family. We’re having dinner with some good friends from my hometown church congregation. Many card games planned and I might play this time. I usually don’t because I’m way too competitive and I rarely play something I’m not good at. Cards and hedging the odds are not my forte’. I love to listen to the family playing, though. There won’t be an abundance of Jackson pictures because they aren’t going to be there. I guess I’ll have to wait until spring to see the little monkey. She did send me a picture with his sock monkey slippers

I smell coffee. Either Frankie grew thumbs and making coffee is high on his must-do list or someone is up early on his day off. Happy FRIDAY!

~ I went down the toy aisle at Walmart and almost had a heart attack. Why do they set up those motion detector toys that speak when you walk by? It seriously creeped me out. Buying Play Doh used to be so much easier.

~ Valentine’s Day. Who chose this to be the mascot?? I read the wiki article but again…creeped out by this picture.

~ Who decided that cow liver, which filters waste from the cow body, would be a tasty treat? Probably the same people who thought the lining of a pig stomach could be cured and turned into the best thing ever in the free world and would revolutionize breakfast and cheeseburgers.

~ Could my legs be any more sore? Probably but who wants to think about that?

~ Any chance that a week will go buy when I won’t dream about the  first 5 days after April 27th tornadoes? I should be thankful they’re now down to once a week, average. Maybe I should face the fact that I’m dealing with some post traumatic stress and deal with it instead of shoving it deeper and eating my way out of the frustration, anger, and fear?

~ Which came first? Silly string or Easy Cheese in a can?

They both make the same noise. They’re both fun to play with. They both could entertain small children for hours…or until the can is empty.

~ Who hired this guy? I bet he’s having a bad day after the backlash has hit the news.

A North Carolina preschooler came to school with a turkey and cheese sandwich, a banana, apple juice and potato chips – and her lunch was promptly replaced with chicken nuggets from the cafeteria. 

According to reports, a state agent who was inspecting lunch boxes that day decided the girl’s packed lunch did not have enough nutritional value.  A regulation put into place by the Division of Child Development and Early Education at the Department of Health and Human Services requires that all lunches served in pre-kindergarten programs meet federal nutritional guidelines.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/02/15/preschool-replaces-students-turkey-sandwich-with-chicken-nuggets-due-to/#ixzz1mWFO16ol

~ How soon will Friday get here?

This week, I’ve made it to 3 Crossfit workouts and 2 training runs. No wonder I’m sleeping a lot.

Membership has been on the rise since the first of year. The rise in popularity can be attributed to several reasons including commercials, Biggest Loser Bob, Crossfit games televised, rise in blogs and magazine articles, etc. In fact, Bob Harper is on the cover of Men’s Fitness magazine and he proudly gives credit to Crossfit for increasing the intensity of his workouts. I give credit to CF for making me feel invincible. Now all I have to do is get my nutrition under control.

Monday’s WOD:

1. Press  (strict press up from shoulders. No use of legs)
5 x 1    (22#, 27#, 32#, 37#, 42#)
2. Push Press (slight bend at knees, minimal use of legs)
5 x 1    (47#, 52#, 57#, 62#, 67#)
3. Push Jerk (dip, drive through hips, full use of legs/hips)
5 x 1    (72#, 77#, 82#, 87#, 92#Failure, Max)
Must increase weight every set. For example: If your last weight for press if 95 then start push press at 100.

I actually did this workout as prescribed. Apparently, according to my trainers, I have fairly good form on my lifts and because I had good mobility in my shoulders, I was able to increase the weight all the way with each set.

Tuesday’s WOD

WOD:
3 Rounds for time of:

• 50 Air Squats 
• 400m Run

It was a terrible workout. I got the running rounds, but a cold achy quad turned into an entire cramped up leg so the air squats turned into situps. It was pitiful. The rest of the tuesday…yes tuesday wasn’t much better. They should know better than to put Valentine’s Day on a tuesday.

Wednesday’s WOD

• 60 Cal. Row
• 50 Hand Release Push-ups
• 40 Box Jumps(16in)
• 30 KB Swings(25#)
• 20 Front Squats(62#)
• 10 Muscle-ups *Sub for muscle-ups is 3 pull-ups, and 3 Paralette dips for every 1 muscle-up. (And sub for me is to do ring rows instead of pull ups….stupid rhabdo)

Time today: 19:00 even. This one knocked me on my butt. I’m feeling those squats and Kettlebell swings.

Tomorrow is a team workout. I had better get some sleep if I’m going to make it to class.

No, they aren’t hanging but it’s so cold outside I feel like one. Believe it or not, this is our first taste of winter. For weeks, we’ve had very mild weather that required little more than a long sleeved shirt or sweatshirt. My coat is still hanging in the other closet. My intense winter running clothes are still in their labeled box. I haven’t seen gloves since last summer’s trip to Colorado. I assume they are in the pockets of the coat. All I need now is snow. But I’m not holding my breath.

A cold morning needs breakfast. Blueberry maple pancakes and bacon. I used my spelt blueberry recipe.

There is not much on the agenda for today. It’s cold and I want to hibernate. I do have a special run, although short, planned for today and then Stephen wants to continue his Extreme Grilling streak. Last week, he grilled in torrential rain. Today, in freezing temps and 35mph winds. Next week, it might be snow. All that will be left is heat and gloom of night.

Happy freezing Saturday.