i run so i can eat

Tuesday Craziness

2016-02-02T13:57:00.001-05:00

So, I hope that your monday had went well yesterday. I had planned on doing an easy 3 miles yesterday however that did not happen. I did a 1.5 mile walk during work, but my legs were still feeling it I decided to take it easy and let them rest and do LOTS of stretching. Thats cross training right?

(this is not me - unknown source)

Man I hate mornings sometimes. I slept in a little bit and threw my whole schedule off. I had to clean dried poop off of Walter (#2), make breakfast (cereal) for the 2 oldest and make sure they eat it, feed and change the baby, shower, get dressed, make my lunch, put the kids lunches together, and get everyone in the car by 7:30. I had planned on making dinner in the morning so it would be cooking as I got home tonight but that just didn't happen. So dinner will be a little later than planned. Good thing is that at least I know what I have planned for dinner.

So, off to work I go...

Todays workout is a planned 3 mile run. Most likely on the treadmill after the kids are in bed.

Happy Running!

Happy February!

2016-02-01T12:27:00.000-05:00

Hey Y'all
We have made it through January which is typically a pretty cold and snowy month here in the Northeast. We actually haven't had much snow and it is warming up for the next week to come. Which means more runs outside, hopefully.

I wanted to give you an update on my running 2,016 miles in the year 2016 goal. I ran 138 miles in the month of January. Which at that pace I will fall a little short, however we are only one month into this challenge so there is still plenty of time to make up the difference.

Wally and I have also signed up for Providence Marathon on May 1st, which means long runs on the weekend. We have decided that one would do their long run on Saturday and the other on Sunday, because we do have 3 small children that need someone home with them while we are gone for 2-3 hours. This weekend had 14 miles on the schedule. Wally planned out a nice route and I copied it for my run. It has been a long time since I have run that many miles at once.

Well today is a cross training day. Which is a good thing because my legs are feeling yesterdays run.

Happy Running!!

New Year, New You 2016

2016-01-08T09:03:00.000-05:00

Heres to a New Year. There is something about the beginning of the year as a time to set new goals for yourself. New Years tends to be a time to declutter your life, try to eat healthier, and better manage your finances. Are you one of the millions of people that set goals for yourself at the beginning of the year? How are you at maintaining them.

Most years I set goals for myself, what I want personally and professionally. I am sure there are years that I didn't really have the forethought to sit down and actually write them out. This year I have some specific goals I would like to accomplish as well as some general life goals.

Before we get to that I would like to share what ABCnews said was the Top 5 Resolutions of 2016
1) Enjoy life to the fullest
2) Live a healthier lifestyle
3) Lose weight
4) Spend more time with friends and family
5) Save more, Spend less

I would have to say that this is pretty much encompasses everything that I would like in life. There are a few I would add, like do more marketing for Marsh Meadow Bison, to get that business off the ground and running. If I can get this business to bring more income I would consider taking time off of work to stay home with the kids. I don't know many people that would not want to live life to the fullest. Who is just happy sitting around in your normal daily routine.

My family and I already lead a pretty healthy lifestyle. This things that aren't healthy; cakes, cookies, ice cream. I am not willing to give up. Moderation is key with these treats. Sure, I do love my treats and so do my kids. They constantly ask for cookies for breakfast and I wouldn't mind some for myself, but that doesn't mean we have cookies for breakfast. Unless of course it is Christmas.

Losing weight is on my list as well. I gained more than I would care to admit when pregnant with my third baby. She is now 10 weeks old and cute as a button, but I am sick of wearing maternity pants to work because my other pants don't fit yet. I have lost 16 pounds since her birth and would like to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight by 6 months post partum. One major way I plan on doing this is running. I have challenged myself to run 2,016 miles in 2016. I have joined the Run the Year 2016 challenge to keep me accountable.

2,016 miles is quite the feat. It is an average of 5.5 miles a day, or 38.76 miles a week, or 168 miles a month. We are only 8 days into the year and I have 31.1 miles logged so far. I am a little behind with a few days of short runs and one rest day. I do plan on having longer runs on the weekend to make up for shorter weekday runs. Since I am planning on logging the miles I may find a marathon to train for this year.

I must say that I am pretty excited about the shoes I get to buy. I love running shoes. I typically stay with a certain type. Because they work for me and I haven't had any issues, but this might be the time to try out something new.

The next goal to spend more time with friends and family is an important one for me. Since starting my family, my children have really become my priority. Which I believe they should be, however I have neglected some of my girlfriends that either live further away or don't have kids. My goal this year is to make more of an effort to get together with them, and bonus if I can do it without kids around. That is not always possible because of Wally's schedule.

Save more, Spend Less!! - Budget - I still have a couple of student loans that I would like to pay off quickly. Luckily this year we really got our spending more under control and paid off credit cards. Since we are now paying for child care for 3 kids, I need to do more budgeting to make sure that we stay in an comfortable place financially. I read somewhere once that if things are tight in your budget you need to either spend less or make more money. Do you get a second job? sell some stuff? work over time if that is available to you? These are all things that have been coming across my mind, I would love to make a little more money - as most people would. But my goal is to pay off those student loans, then start to pay down the mortgage.

Do you make Goals or Resolutions for the New Year?

What are they?

Do you make a budget? How do you do it?

DIY Ruler Growth Chart

2015-10-01T15:40:00.002-04:00

Hey Y'all -
How is this week going. My allergies are going bonkers. Stuffy and runny nose that is worse at night and first thing in the morning. This happens every year at the change of seasons. I have to keep telling myself that I like this time of year. It is cooling down but still warm enough outside that you enjoy being outside without having 4 layers on underneath your coat.

My latest project was a DIY Ruler Growth Chart - thank you Back to Her Roots via Pinterest.

What you need:
1 - 8 inch x 6 ft pine board
sand paper - fine grit (~220)
small container of Minwax wood stain and/or polyurethane
pencil
black acrylic paint
paintbrush

1. I started with gently standing the board down my hand and smooth all the edges. The board I got at Home Depot. I looked at a few pieces to choose one that I liked how the grain and knots were. Also be sure the check out the edges of the board.
2. 2 coats of wood stain on all sides. Follow directions on the can.
3. 1 coat of polyurethane and allow to dry.

I was able to do all 3 of these steps in one day. I let it dry for 24 hrs before adding my ruler lines.

4. Marked out every 1 inch on the board. 1 inch marks for the 1/8 inch marks, 2 inch marks for the 1/4 inch marks.

- I marked the board in pencil first then went back with the paintbrush.

- looking back I shoulder have used a straight edge for the painting aspect.

5. I then printed numbers 1-6 in a font that I liked. Traced the outline with pencil to make a depression into the wood. Using that depression, I painted the numbers.

6. I Then did 2 more coats of polyurethane after the acrylic had dried.

To hand this beauty, I bought picture hangers from Joann's that was simple to hammer right onto the board. I just did my best to make sure it was center to hang evenly.

Finished Product hung on the wall. I hung it 6 inches of the ground because the "ruler" starts at 6 inches. The lines are pretty close to accurate but not perfect. If I was selling this I wouldn't sell this one, but I like the way it turned out so I'll keep it up. I wrote in the actual measurement when I measured the kids along with the date.

Hope this inspires you to get crafty.

source

Apples Galore!!

2015-09-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Almost Fall!!

source

Well in the Northeast, Fall is pretty much equivalent to apples, pumpkins, and hay bales. We recently were able to go apple picking at a friends house who has a great abundance of apples and was not stingy with sharing with us. So now that you go apple picking and get a little carried away and fill a reusable shopping bag full what are you going to do with them. Thats when I started going through pinterest for ideas. I mean you can only eat so many apples right...

So here is what we came up with...

1) Apple Butter in the crockpot (x2 batches)

2) Apple Sauce

3) Apple pies

4) Apple pie filling - canned

5) Apple fritter bread (x2)

Now don't go thinking that I am some sore of super woman in the kitchen. This was over the course of a few weeks. The apple butter was made from a different batch of apples.

Apple Butter in the Crockpot -

Recipe adapted from Simply Canning

Fill crockpot full with apples sliced and cored - I did not peel them.
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 tsp of nutmeg
1/4 tsp of salt

I sliced and cored apples by hand because the apples were drops and not the greatest looking and cut out the bad parts. It did not affect the fast. I let the crockpot sit on high overnight. Then used the immersion blender to get a good consistency and break up the peels. I have a kitchen aid one that I use all the time.

After blending, I wanted it thicker so let it sit on low for another 10-12 hours when went to work.

It will be a nice brown color. You can let it cook and thicken to your liking. Next, just fill your jars with a 1/4 inch of space from the top, wipe the rims, place the lids, and water bath can for 5 minutes.

For canning I place my jars and rims in the dishwasher and run a sanitize cycle. Put the lids in a small sauce pan with water to let those heat up. Then follow these instructions.

I made 2 batches of this it was So easy. I have a half full jar that I didn't can in the fridge for immediate use. Which is excellent on fresh bread.

Apple Sauce -

I did this stove top because I knew that it wouldn't take long. Again, I peeled and cored apples by hand because they had some bad spots, but it didn't take too long to fill my big 8 quart "spaghetti" pot from All Clad.

I added 1-2 cups of homemade apple cider that we had made and canned last year. Side note - I need to use that up, so if you have any ideas please let me know.

Heat it up - medium heat and stir. The apples break down pretty nicely on their own, just stir so it doesn't burn on the bottom. Sterilize canning jars, fill, and water bath can as you did above but for 20 minutes. I am never sure how long to water bath can so I am usually looking how to see what is recommended. If you are not sure then I would advise you to do that as well. You don't want to do the hard work of making and canning all of this for it not to seal properly.

Apple Pies - I made 3!!

I cooked one to eat now and it was delicious. I don't use some secret recipe either. Just the one in the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. The recipes are tried and true. I use this book for most of my breads as well; zucchini, banana,....

I knew that I had a lot of apples and we are hosting Thanksgiving at our house, so I like to pre-make my pies. I used pillsbury pre made crust to make it easier on me. Then we got to peeling and slicing.

This Apple Peeler is one of the greatest inventions. It is so easy to use even my 3 year old can do it. If you don't have one I would highly recommend it. It also makes eating the apples fun, she calls it a slinky.

We filled this bowl fairly quickly using our fun gadget. Then followed the recipe for the pies. I froze 2 of the pies, unbaked. When it is time to eat them, I just thaw them and bake as I normally would. It really can't get any easier than that. I have been trying to do a lot of prep work, and pre making meals for when I have this baby (due Oct. 20th)

Canned Apple Pie Filling -
I do love apple pie but I didn't want to fill my freezer with pies. I found this recipe for canned apple pie filling. Best of all you can use it for anything. Adding to oatmeal, on top of pancakes or waffles, or just on top of ice cream. This was also fairly easy to make.

Disclaimer; there is some controversy whether you can can cornstarch or need to use Ultra Gel as the thickener. I decided to just use cornstarch and take my chances. I looked for the Ultra Gel and couldn't find it and didn't want to postpone my plans of making this on Sunday.

I filled my jars about 3/4 full with apple slices. Made my syrup (below), filled the jars with syrup to cover the apples, then added more apples to fill the jar. Some needed a little more syrup on top. I filled 6 quart size jars.

I had a little extra syrup left over and dipped some apples, it was tasty. Can't wait to break one of the babies open. The blog states that you should be able to fill a pie or 9x9 pan (for apple crisp) with 1 quart size jar.

The last thing that I did with these apples was also the first thing - Apple Fritter Bread - thank you Pinterest. I have seen this on pinterest and couldn't wait to try it out. It did not disappoint.

I don't know where it originated from but I used The Baking Chocola Tess Recipe. No need to change a thing. The kids and I ate the first bread I made in less than 24 hours. I made another one this past Sunday.

Happy first day of Fall!!

~ Katie

Summer catch up!

2015-09-21T09:46:00.001-04:00

Hey guys,

Well it has been an incredibly busy summer. I am sure that everyone has enjoyed the warmth and sunshine that we have had lately. We have spent lots of time at the park and working on outdoor projects. The kids have figured out how to work water guns.

In the background you can see the bison fence. That was quite the project here. It is finally done and the bison should be showing up sometime in the next month or so.

Just like any little boy - Walter loves his trucks. He will push this up and down the hill for an hour. Put things in it and dump it out.

This is a great picture of all the cousins. They range from 7 years old to 1 year old. This is at Granny's house. It is quite the chore to get all of them to sit still to take the picture, never mind trying to get them all to smile. Yay for popsicles.

As a child I used to love going to the beach and playing in the water. I am still searching for places to bring the kids that is close by. I could drive to Hampton beach, but that it about an hour away, and I just can't guarantee that the kids will want to play for long enough to justify sticking them in the car for that long. So this is a near by place on the river with a little sandy strip. They seemed to really enjoy playing with the sand.

Well we hope that you all had a great summer. We sure have. We have lots more to share soon. Be on the look out for my apple post, I was given lots of apples and have been busy in the kitchen.

~ Katie

Sick Kids on a Monday

2015-06-22T21:29:00.002-04:00

My oldest was up at 2:30 am throwing up. I am thankful that she has been through this fairly recently and remembered to throw up in the garbage can, at least once she got into my room. She had decided to sleep in her castle last night, so it was fairly easy clean up of her pillow and blanket. She crawled in bed with me, which would not have happened if Wally was around (he is away for work). She threw up 4 or 5 more times until 6 o'clock.

Once Walter woke up, he looked like he had spit up on his pj's so I decided to give him juice instead of milk first thing. Good thing I did, not long after he was throwing up in my bed. It's harder with him, he just doesn't get what is going on. Thankfully I had towels in the bed from overnight with Faelyn and that caught most of the mess. We had a quiet morning of hanging out in Mommy and Daddy's bed and watching cartoons.

Neither of them ate very much, but they did eat and we held off on all dairy. Which I have learned is key when there is vomitting involved.

Once they were feeling a little better we played outside for a little while and ate lunch.

She is starting to refuse to nap, however she fell asleep while watching Princess and the Frog.

After dinner we decided to work on our Father's Day project. Better late than never right. I decided to have the kids make a stepping stone. We have one area that is shady and won't be a great place for flowers and I like the idea of having this keepsake. This is probably more for me than for Daddy.

This kids had a great time doing it and needed a little help to make sure MOST of the stones are right side up. Walter also refused to put his hand in so there is only one.

On Sunday, my sister, mom, and I ran the RibFest 5 miler. It was RAINY, but warm, so it wasn't too bad to run in. It was not our best time, however we were just out there to have fun. My mom, however was only 40 seconds behind us. Man her speed sure has picked up. She recently has taken up cycling after doing the 5 bough bike tour of NYC. Which is also a fun event, not competitive at all. She has completed a duathalon and signed up for her first tri. I am so proud of her, at 61 years old she is still running marathons and now doing triathlons.

On saturday, we took a trip to the dump, the recycling was overflowing in the garage. Typically Wally makes the dump runs however since he gone for the next few weeks I NEEDED to go. At the dump we have a "Treasure Shack" where people bring things that are still good to use. I found this lovely item, for my little boy that loves tractors it was a win. and FREE. This drives my husband crazy that I do this, but I love it, and also return the favor.

So there was my last few days in a glance, a little backwards but thats ok.

I also had to do some meal planning - just for my sanity as a single mom this week. However things are always subject to change.

Monday: Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas

Tuesday: Eggplant Parm

Wednesday: Curry Chickpeas with Rice (from Pioneer Woman)

Thursday: Mac and Cheese (may also use the Pioneer Woman recipe)

Friday: Leftovers

Question of the Day:

What is on your menu this week?

Do you every pick things up at the dump or off the side of the road?

Love Summer!

2015-06-19T13:32:00.000-04:00

Hello All -
It has been a while since i have been back on here. Have you all survived the winter. It is springtime in New England and getting warm, only a few more days until summer officially hits.

This week was the first week of our CSA (http://localharvestnh.com) which I love. It is all locally grown and organic. This was this weeks pick up. Spinach, Lettuce, garlic and onion scallions, basil, radishes, swiss chard, and rhubarb. I don't know what I am going to do with the garlic and onion scallions at this time. So if you have any suggestions I am open to them. Just leave me a comment at the bottom. The rhubarb will most likely go into a pie with some strawberries. Strawberry picking started this week in New Hampshire.

In addition to the CSA we also have a garden of our own. I am doing things a little different this year. We have expanded the garden to 20' x 20'. I am also using soaker hoses for the first time instead of a sprinkler. The past few years I have had issues with my tomato plant leaves yellowing and dying therefore not producing a lot of fruit. I will keep you updated on how it works. I am also putting the weed blocker fabric down to cut down on weeding. Trying to keep things as simple as possible for myself this year.

This week was this little dude's birthday! He is 2! I can't believe that the time has flown by. He is such a little boy. Loves wearing his boots, riding his bike, trying to ride daddy's, playing in the dirt, climbing rocks, playing the the dogs ... and of course he loves his Mommy.

Bison Lasagna -

This is a basic lasagna recipe just using ground bison instead of beef.

Relaxing after our run - I love sitting on the porch, in the shade to rehydrate and stretch after running. The pups still do some short runs with me. My little black dog has a bum knee or 2. Depending on the day so he doesn't go with me much any more. Forest (here) goes every once in a while. He doesn't do longer than 3 miles on a leash very well.

Any good plans for Father's Day? I am running a 5 mile race on Sunday with my mom and sister. My dad will watch the kids then RibFest afterwards. Wally is away for work, so we will celebrate with him later. I also have a little craft to do with kids for him.

Do you buy Father's Day Gifts or make them? I like to make them, a little more personal, and the kids are small. I will buy my father something and we got him a card at the store.

Hope you have a great weekend!

~ Katie

Meal Planning on a Tuesday

2015-03-31T13:19:00.000-04:00

Sunday was a busy day therefore meal planning for the week was not done. I did however have dinner for monday night at least accounted for. Mondays are especially important to have done and/or planned because Wally picks the kids up from daycare and I have some me time.

Right now my "me" is going through a discipleship program with my pastor's wife. I am loving the program and the time that I get to spend with her. Even though most days I am exhausted from work. It is a good time to recharge my batteries. And it is just what I need.

So, Monday - Wally and the Kids had frozen tortilla and peas. It is quick and easy for him to make. Just boil some water.

Tuesday- Orange chicken, broccoli, and quinoa

Wednesday - Venison steaks, sweet potato, and a veggie (of course)

I didn't plan any further because I really have no idea what I want to make. The plan is to go grocery shopping on Wednesday, so I will go downstairs through the freezer and see what kind of meats we have and plan for Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

Sunday - EASTER - we are having Ham, scalloped potatoes, 2 different veggies, salad, and rolls. The veggies and salad my mother and mother in law are bringing. My mother is also bringing a dessert; most likely carrot cake cupcakes.

I am in a cooking rut and really am lacking the motivation to try new things. I do enjoy pinterest for that reason, gives me a good visual or different dishes. They it is deciding whether it is kid friendly enough. Luckily my kids are pretty easy going and will eat a variety of dishes.

So what are your easter plans? My in-laws are coming up on Saturday. So we will be around doing some sort of activity I assume. My mother in law wants to plant seedlings with the kids. She asked if we were going to decorate eggs. I wasn't going to, but I know that she always does so I feel that I should do it. We don't eat a ton of hard-boiled eggs, but I guess I can make a point to eat them for that week. And I am sure that the kids will enjoy it.

Do you have any old standbys that you always fall back on?

Do you have any easter traditions? Do you decorate eggs?

Sunday Recap

2015-03-30T12:29:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday! How was your weekend? The weekends seem to go by so quickly lately.

Saturday we had some snow, and I honestly can't remember what we did or ate during the day.

Sunday, started off with Wally getting up with the kids, so I slept in a little bit. Wally and Faelyn made some eggs for breakfast, then they headed to church in the morning. I did not go in the morning because I had a race at 11:15. I was able to clean the house and do some more laundry while the house was quiet and the kids weren't making messes at the same time.

I headed to Manchester for the Shamrock Shuffle.

It was a quick 2 mile race. There was a TON of people there. They announced that it was the largest race in Millennium Running history. I finished in 18:05. Which I was very pleased. I am getting closer to the 9:00 min/mile mark and can't want to make it into the 8's. The training is starting to pay off, it is too bad that kids were sick this week. It should be a good summer with some of the races that I have planned if this keeps up.

After the race, I headed home. The kids were already down for their afternoon naps. I decided that morning I wanted BLT's for lunch. So with the extra bacon I made baked potato soup with this recipe.

The only minor change I made was instead of 6 c. of low fat milk, I used 2 c. half and half and 4 c. of 1% milk. I think there is something to having a little bit more fat with the creamy soups.

Started with cut bacon into strips and fried that. Leave the bacon drippings for the next step.

Add flour to bacon drippings.

Bake potatoes. I used red potatoes because that is what I had. I had already peeled and cut them before realizing the recipe said to bake them then soup out the insides.

6 c. of milk

Finished Product! Looks and Tastes Delicious.

Walter ate 2 bowls! He loved it. Faelyn ate hers with a little convincing.

Happy Cooking!

Stomach Virus and Essential Oils

2015-03-24T22:07:00.002-04:00

Good Evening every one! We have had a rough couple of days in our house hold. The stomach virus hit both my kids. It started Saturday very early morning (2 AM) with my daughter. Then 7-8 am for my son. Both my kids go to the same in-home daycare, which is mostly likely where they were exposed to the virus as the other boy that the daycare provider watches was sick Tuesday-Thursday.

Since my daughter recovered fairly quickly, her symptoms only lasted about 12 hours, I spent the majority of my day cuddling with son.

Around noon time, I was able to put him down for a nap, and I immediately went for my diffuser and essential oils. I knew I needed to do what I could to minimize this virus and avoid my husband and I getting sick as well.

THIEVES - is my weapon of choice with sickness. It is a blend of Clove, Cinnamon, Lemon, Eucalyptus, and Rosemary. Because of the nature of the blend of these oils there is an anti-bacterial, anti-microbial property.

I also added PURIFICATION oil to the mixture to help purify and cleanse the air more. It also helps neutralize odors. This is an oil that I love the smell of and have actually worn it as a perfume.

During the height of the winter season I was putting a drop of Thieve oil on both feet of our whole family to help keep us healthy. And for the most part it helped. I have to admit that I got out of the habit and wasn't doing it. Although the essential oils are wonderful and I have had a great exerpience with them they will only do so much. They may not keep you perfectly healthy but it can help recover from illnesses quicker and lessen the intensity of them.

Now everyone in our house is feeling 100% better. We are running, playing, and jumping all over the place.

It's not that I don't love Faelyn, she has just decided not to sit still for pictures. Or continue to read books while saying "cheese" and not actually look at the camera. Oh well. I love the two of them sitting and reading books together.

Since Walter was sick he couldn't go to daycare which meant that I was home for the day. I don't mind that one bit. I took advantage of the sunshine, even though it was windy and cold and went for a run with the 2 furry babies and 2 littles in the stroller.

Before kids I would run with the dogs. I always thought that made me run faster. But they stop and sniff and pee. I have to make sure they don't get dehydrated so I would plan certain routes I knew they could get water. And I did get faster... a little. But since having the second child I have cut even more time off my pace. Who would have thought. I have less time to run. I run more on the treadmill than I would like just to get a workout in. But I also get these stroller runs in.

What a workout man. I live on a dirt road with a gravel driveway. Only about 1/2 mile of my run was on pavement. Todays run was not very long. Mostly because I was being a baby about the cold. But it made for some serious weight training pushing this stroller with 50+ pounds of little children in it. But it is worth it. They love the ride. They sing songs. Talk to each other. And sometimes nap.

If anyone is interesting in essential oils and what they are all about feel free to email me katherine.hampton.5@gmail.com. I will answer and questions the best I can.

Have you used essential oils? What is your favorite and why?

Do you push a running stroller? Do you run with your dogs?

Hope you all have a great week!!

Meal Planning - a day late...

2015-03-10T11:18:00.001-04:00

I have been trying to doing the meal planning posts on Monday. It's a good way to start your week. I actually do my planning on Saturday or Sunday.

This week is a short week for us because the whole family is going to Harrisburg, PA for the Eastern Bison Association Conference.

Monday:
Honey Mustard Chicken and steamed peas

Tuesday:
Flouder (baked with some seasoning and probably some lemon), sweet potatoes and frozen veggies or salad

Wednesday:
Either - BBQ chicken drumsticks or clean out the fridge.

Thursday:
We leave for Harrisburg in the morning. Dinner at the Conference. I am hoping to make it to this place this weekend!!

Our family uses a food service, which I have a food delivery every 5 months of frozen meats and veggies and some dried or canned goods. I love that some of my planning is done for me at this time. I am able to choose what I want. I can get foods that are pre-marinated as well, such as the Honey Mustard Chicken.

Meal Plan Monday - week of 2/22

2015-02-23T11:06:00.002-05:00

Whats on the Menu this week? A couple of new recipes. I must say that I love having my meals planned out. I don't necessarily like having to come up with different ideas. However this makes my life so much less stressful thanks to a little planning.

My week at a glance:

The chicken tetrazzini was supposed to have mushrooms in it, which i didn't have and didn't feel like going to the grocery store so I cooked up some asparagus on the side for the veggie portion of the dish. The only thing I would change is that the recipe called for baking it for 30 minutes after putting the sauce and pasta together, I would probably only broil it for 5 or so minutes to toast it up a little.

Today's dish is another new recipe: Balsamic Chicken. I found this on the internet somewhere. 6 chicken breasts, 3/4 c. of balsamic vinegar, 1 can of crushed tomatoes, 4 cloves of garlic, salt, pepper, and 2 tbsp of oil. Mixed all together in the crockpot and ready for Daddy and the kids for dinner. I have plans tonight.

Tuesday: Bison Chili - luckily I have a freezer FULL of bison. If you would like some check out Marsh Meadow Bison.

Wednesday - Leftovers

Thursday - Cilantro Lime Chicken - I have made this in the past and it was delicious. You can pre-make this as a freezer meal or just fresh. You can bake it or grill it in the summer, or those places that it is warmer than 10 degrees outside.

Friday - Its just me and the kids so probably more leftovers or pizza!!

Saturday - We have big plans to go into Boston and check out the Children's Museum. We got a Family Membership so we will hopefully get some good use out of it.

Fitness Update:

I managed to make it on the treadmill 1 time last week. I don't know what was wrong with me, just busy and super tired. Hopefully this week is better. I have already managed a 20 minute walk today!!

What is on your menu this week? Do you try new recipes? What are your tried and true crockpot recipes?

Inspirational Quotes

2015-02-19T14:45:00.000-05:00

Inspirational Quotes (via Pinterest)

I hope that all of these quotes help to inspire you all a little bit today. These are things that I found inspiring today as I am trying to build my business and the farm.

One of my favorites is - "when it rains look for rainbows, when its dark look for stars"

This reminds me of my daughter. When we drive at night so is constantly looking for the moon and stars.

Once again it is snowing in NH! Most people as sick of it, however I love it.

What is the weather like in your area?

What are some of your favorite inspiring quotes?

Meal Plan Monday - Week of 2/16

2015-02-16T10:36:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday! Hope you all are staying warm wherever you are. It was -6 degrees this morning. I must say I love having the wood stove as supplemental heat. Definitely helps keep the house nice and toasty warm.

So over the weekend I planned out the meals for the week to help ease some of the stress of deciding what is for dinner and what we need. This is our weekly menu board that I have in our kitchen so that everyone knows what is on the menu.

Saturday - Valentine's Day - we had cheese fondue with Swiss and Gruyere cheese.

I used this recipe from Tyler Florence. It was OK. Very stringy which is to be expected with the Swiss cheese. We had carrots, peppers, broccoli, and tastefully simple beer bread for dippers.

Sunday - French Onion and Asparagus Pasta from www.halfhourmeals.com

This was delicious. Everyone loved it. Served it with the leftover bread from Saturday.

Monday - Lasagna

Tuesday - Tacos

This may be taco salad because one of the dogs ate the tortilla shells off the counter while I was down stairs on the treadmill. Thats probably better because we have a lot of pasta on the menu this week.

Wednesday - BBQ Chicken, probably with sweet potatoes and a vegetable of some sort.

Thursday - Mac and Cheese.

Friday - ?? Leftovers or Pizza

On Saturday, I had some free time so I pre made the lasagna and mac and cheese and froze them. I will also use the delay start on the oven to help with the meals. I set it to start so the meal finishes around the time that I plan to be home. To be safe I usually set it a little later so it doesn't over cook, but there is also a timer so it will stop cooking at the appropriate time. This feature is AMAZING. If your oven has it you should definitely use it.

Well, its going to be another cold week here in New Hampshire and we have lots of comfort food on the menu. What is on you menu for this week?

Snow Day Crafts

2015-02-13T13:40:00.002-05:00

We have had a few snow days this winter already.

So during those snow days I stay busy making crafts, coloring with the kids, or just plain playing. One of my most recent crafts was making this Pain Cream from Young Living Essential Oils for a friend. I actually ended up making 2 of them because someone else wanted to try it as well.

It was super was to make. I took 1/2 cup of coconut oil. I heated it up for about 30 seconds in the microwave to make it soft and added 5 drops of each oil including; Valor, Lemongrass, Peppermint, and PanAway. It smells wonderful. I am sending them out in the mail the next day or too. I went to the post office today but the computers were down so they couldn't go out. Sorry.

Crafts - we have done some Valentine's Day inspired crafts courtesy of Pinterest.

Coloring Pages -

Butterfly

and Dinosaur

We also made this project.

Disclaimer: this is the picture from pinterest.

Both my little ones 18 months and almost 3 did great with putting the pieces of ripped up paper onto the glue in the middle of the heart.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. There is more snow in the forecast for NH/New England.

Super Saturday

2015-01-31T21:45:00.000-05:00

Well I hope you all had a great Saturday. We had planned to go to a birthday party for one of Faelyn's friends, but since both kids are sick and coughing we decided it was best to not go. The morning consisted of folding 4 loads of laundry that has been sitting in our bedroom.

And PLAYING...

I did have to go to the grocery store, which was the worst idea on Saturday especially before the Super Bowl.

During the kids nap is when I took some time to run. I went down stairs and ran on the treadmill for 60 minutes. When looking back at the past couple weeks I have realized that I have only run about 10 miles the last few weeks. Basically, I did a short warm up, then 4 minute interval moderate then 4 minutes moderate-heavy intensity.

Dinner was delicious - Portland Pie Co. Gluten free crust with pepperoni and cheese. I have found that it is easier to roll out the gluten free crust if it is room temperature. And follow the directions, this crust you pre-bake with a light coating of olive oil.

We have really come to like portland pie co pizza dough. It is a nice, quick, easy meal and it is fairly local. Portland Pie Co. started in Maine and has a couple of restaurants in NH and Mass.

How cute is this little dude? He loves his underwear; over or under his pants. We haven't really tried potty training with him yet because we are still working on his older sister. She is getting closer, only a few accidents this past week.

Last week we got hit with a little snow storm, it was estimated 18-30 inches. I know... thats a big range, but that it what the news station was reporting. My kids love playing in the snow. What really amazed me was that Faelyn instinctively knew how to make a snow angel.

On the same snow day we did a little bit of baking. We made these Pretzel Rolls and Banana Muffins. I love making mini muffins. They are the perfect size for them to eat in the morning. The pretzel rolls were definitely a winner. I used this recipe and everything worked perfectly. If you are going to make this and plan to use them for sandwiches then I would make them bigger. These were the perfect size to serve with soup.

I hope you guys have had a great weekend. Tomorrow is the super bowl and we have buffalo chicken strips and nachos on the menu.

My goals for next week:

1) increase running to 20 miles.

2) write reference letter for a friend for grad school

What a great Monday!

2015-01-19T23:50:00.003-05:00

Well that might be a little bit of an exaggeration. I survived the drive home from CT to NH in the rain/freezing rain yesterday with a little praying to keep me safe as I watched other cars spin around in front of me or see them on the side of the road getting loaded onto a flat-bed. There was one car that spun around and stopped in the lane that I was traveling in. Thankfully I was driving slowly and there were not many cars around so I was able to come almost to a complete stop and go around him. Luckily he had not hit anything and was able to keep driving. There were many parts of the road that were closed down throughout the day due to accidents. I truly believed that God was looking after me and my children as we made our way home on those roads yesterday. So there was no surprise when my driveway was glare ice when I got home. I immediately called Wally, who is out of town, to call the guys that sand to see if they could come today. I was happy to see them coming up the driveway at 7:45. Typically I am leaving the house at 7:30, I am glad that I was running late today.

Work was non-eventful. Which is good. Busy, which makes the day go by faster. Came home. 5:30 made dinner. Played a little with the kids. Tubby at 7 pm. Story time and in bed by 7:45. Whew...

8:00 pm - My pastor's wife, Hayley, had planned to come over to start my Daily in the Word Discipleship program. I am super excited to dig a little deeper into the Bible and get a little more understanding of it. The program is designed to meet one on one for about 1 hour and go through planned lessons. Well, she was here for easily 2 hours and we only got through one section of the first lesson; there are two sections. My husband has previously gone through this program and had a similar experience. It took a long time.

10:30 - I made myself another cup of coffee; half decaf half regular, and started listening to my assignments for my Young Living Essential Oils bootcamp. Not anything really new, but some good information. It was mostly about the Essential rewards program and the benefits of participating to get points to redeem for YL products, flat rate shipping, and other rewards.

Now it is bedtime, going to make sure the wood stove is full to keep up warm through the night and do it all over again tomorrow.

First Week of the New Year

2015-01-12T21:41:00.001-05:00

So the first full week of the New Year is officially over and we are still working on keeping those resolutions.

1) 52 week/26 bi-weekly savings plan. I printed up both and since I get paid bi-weekly I thought for my own budget that one would work better for me.

2) Speed up my running. I have been working out 3-5 days a week, depending on how I feel. My son gave me his cold so I am feeling a little run down and skipped my workout yesterday. I am hoping to get on the treadmill this evening. Last week I tried some Yasso 800's on the treadmill. I actually enjoyed this workout because it gave me something to do instead of just staring that the TV.

3) Organizing - I have cleaned out A LOT of clothes from my dresser and closet. I have a couple of bags in the back of my car to donate. I have also cleaned off the countertops and kept them from collecting clutter (so far). This especially makes me really happy.

4) Photography - well nothing new to report here.

5) Essential Oil b usiness - This week I have started a bootcamp called Operation Silver. It is a daily bootcamp that you listen to speakers, read, and set goals. They give you support and materials to help you grow your business.

6) Blogging - Well... I am here now. I am planning on getting onto a schedule of blogging, whether it be daily or every other day. I honestly don't know how others are able to put out blog posts multiple times a day and have another job and/or children. So honestly, in order to keep myself sane and to be able to spend quality time with my family, my goal is to blog every other day.

That being said, I am off to listen to a webinar on Everyday essential oils!! I love learning more about these oils and hope to give my own class soon.

~ K

Saturday decluttering and cooking Split Pea Soup

2015-01-03T19:47:00.003-05:00

Good Evening everybody. Today was a day that I worked on some of my new years resolutions. I worked on our upstairs desk, putting papers away, and filing them. Cleaned the sheets on the guest bed in that same room. I however did not touch any of the toys in that room. The guest bedroom serves as a playroom and office as well so it has A LOT of stuff in there.

After I went through the papers on the desk I moved on to our desk that is downstairs. This seems to be a dumping ground for our mail, magazines, kids pictures, and barn plans. I don't have a picture of that desk but it is getting cleaner. I have also de-cluttered a full trash bag of clothes and pjs that I just don't wear any more. Every year I get a pair of pjs, so i figured that I should go through my drawers and get rid of the ones that I don't wear or just don't love. The rest of my clothes was a little harder to get rid of stuff. I always feel as though I might want that shirt, pants, or sweatshirt later. So that will be another time. I have been searching pinterest for ideas to help with pairing things down.

As I mentioned earlier I recently got introduced and involved with Young Living essential oils. I am using them for pretty much anything I can think of. I have a jar of coconut oil with lemon, lavender, and peppermint oil for "allergy relief". I have been using that on the kids (back of the necks and down the spine) for runny nose and when Walter had a fever a few weeks ago. They seem to really like the oils. I have been using Thieves oil on our feet, to help boost immunity, as well as in the diffuser (pictured below). With all of the cleaning I have been doing and taking down christmas decorations it has been dusty and I have been sneezing. This helps!

Wally and I ran a 1 mile race on New Years Day. I ran it in 7:50. I think I probably could have been a little faster but oh well. After that mile I ran 2 more miles while Wally walked back to the start with the kids. In regards to running I have always focused on miles and not so much time. I think this year I will start trying to push myself and get faster. I will be focusing on shorter races 5K, 5 Mile, and 10 mile. I have signed up for a race series through Millennium Running, where you get a Series Jacket when you complete 26.2 miles in races.

While I was registering for my races we were also cooking some Split Pea Soup with leftover hambone from Christmas dinner. I started soaking the dried split peas in 8 cups of water this morning and let them soak 6-8 hours. After I drained them, I put the hambone, 1 diced onion, 2 diced carrots, the peas, and 8 cups of water in a medium-large pot and brought it to a boil. I let it boil for about 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally so it didn't burn to the bottom. I served it with grilled cheese made with provolone cheese. yum.

Everyone enjoyed some pea soup. Even the kids.

Now it is almost bedtime and I will be heading downstairs to hit the treadmill after putting the kids to sleep.

Hope you have a great rest of the weekend! Enjoy the snow, if you are getting some tonight.

New Year's Eve Plans

2014-12-30T12:56:00.003-05:00

What are your plans for New Years Eve? It was a common question asked while visiting with family. To be completely honest, I hadn't even thought about it. I don't work on wednesdays, so that is not a factor. Faelyn keeps asking to go ice skating, so that was a thought. But as far as adult time, dinner, or going out, I hadn't made any plans, and I don't think Wally thought twice about it either. We do typically go to Church service wednesday evening, that might keep us busy until 8ish. The other thing to consider now is the 2 young children.

What prompted this post was this post via email http://daringtolivefully.com/ideas-for-the-new-year. She has some good ideas...

I have already talked with you guys about my goals/resolutions for the new year. I will keep adding to the Bucket List. I like the idea of the Chinese Zodiac as well. I am not sure if I really believe in it but I do find it interesting.

L - Launch a 365 Day Project. I have tried and tried to do monthly ones and have not succeeded. But we will keep trying.

M - I think movies might be the only way that I stay awake until midnight. Wally and I both enjoy movies and I think something that has New Years Eve scenes might be an appropriate end to the year.

In addition to that I would like to make one of those money saving jars via pinterest. My plan is to use this for fun money and maybe a vacation.

I am also starting a discipleship program with my pastor's wife that my husband went through last year. We will meet weekly and have assignments to complete.

As well as learning about my Young Living essential oils and maybe trying to get that going into a business. We have started using the essential oils over the past 3-4 weeks of having them and love them. I will post more about it later, but if you are interested let me know and I will get your more information about what I use and how to get a wholesale membership.

So, all that and work and have 2 kids, 2 dogs, and keep the house clean.

What are your New Years Plans? Do you set goals or resolutions for yourself? How do you keep track of how you are doing?

Thinking about the New Year and Resolutions

2014-12-20T21:41:00.000-05:00

As I sit here and make a list of the things that still need to be done for Christmas, just 1 or 2 more gifts to get, I have been thinking about my goals for the new year. What do I want to accomplish? What are my goals and aspirations? There is tons going on in my life right now so I can chose any one thing and run with it.

My husband and I are starting a bison farm, so that is one thing that I would love to put more time into the marketing aspect. The majority of the project his has under control. The fence contractors started pounding posts into the ground this week. As well as plans for a new barn to house the tractor, hay, equipment, and eventually be the home of the farm stand.

Photography - I have a Nikon D3200 and have not explored the full potential of the camera. I am working on taking it out of auto mode and figuring out the other setting. Over the course of the next year I hope to have a better idea of what I am doing.

Running goals - I would love to just say "Run more". But that is just too vague. I am working on a list of races for the upcoming year. My biggest overall goal is a sub 2 hr half.

Organization - I need to find a way to organize papers and stuff on our desk and countertops. Both, Wally and I, keep everything, so the papers pile up quickly.

Other business - I have recently started using essential oils and am starting to love them. They have helped me get over a cold extremely quickly, help my kids sleep and stay healthy, and treating skin irritation behind Walter's knees. So there will be more on this especially as I start learning more and using them more.

And blogging - I tend to keep coming back here. I feel as though I should change the name though. As the years go by the focus of the blog is changing. I still love baking and cooking and exercising/running but it isn't the primary focus of my life since having kids. Most of my pictures are of my kids and dogs. So even though the name of the blog is "i run so i can eat" there will be a family focus as well.

Every other year we are host Christmas at our house, so there will be a lot of cleaning and cooking at our home the next 5 days. I am excited to have a few days off after christmas and have lots of family time.

Hope you guys have a great rest of the weekend!

~ Katie

Funny encounters while driving

2014-11-15T20:38:00.000-05:00

Wednesday is a busy day in our household. I work outside of the home 4 days a week with wednesday off. We either stay home and play, go to music class, the park, or a friends house to play. This week we stayed home and played outside even though I had so much cleaning to do inside. It will get done eventually. Then Lunch and nap. After a short nap for the little one we went into Concord to pick up our CSA veggies.

Now I must say that these are some of the best veggies I've had. I also like that it introduces me to new vegetables; like delicate squash and parsnips. I have an abundance of garlic, potatoes, and onions to store for the winter. You can also buy in bulk to can/freeze/or do whatever you do with lots of extra. We also get at least one type of greens a week.

Back to the story - on my way to get the veggies I packed everyone up; 2 dogs and 2 kids. I got coffee for me and a Chai for Wally. On my way down the hill sitting at a stop light holding my red cup, I looked over to my right. The guy in the car just kind of smiled at me and held up his cup as well. The 2 dogs were also sitting on the front seat looking out the window right at him. He just kept looking, which was a little weird, but whatever. At the next stop light I drove past a lady with bleach blond hair and smoking a cigarette. I look over at her as I was going past. When the light turned green she hurried past me and gave me a sneer. I am not sure what the sneer was for. Was it the 2 dogs in my front seat? did I make a funny face? or was is something completely unrelated. I have learned over the years that you can't judge a person and their comments they make because you don't know what else is going on in their life. Maybe they just had a fight with their spouse/friend, maybe they found out a loved on died, maybe she was just hungry. In any case, I just smile and keep going about my business.

Hope you guys have a great rest of the weekend. Tomorrow in another busy day on the farm. Literally. We are getting the area ready for a barn. YAY!

Hood to Coast 2014

2014-08-31T20:17:00.002-04:00

I'm back. At least for tonight. It is 7:30 and both the kids are in bed early so I have some time to my self. I have about 3 different craft projects going that I should probably be working on but instead I am sitting here writing and watching Charlie St. Cloud. I know...i know... probably not a "great" movie but I don't have to think which is what I need right now.

So last weekend was the Hood to Coast Relay. It was an amazing experience. You are pretty much up for 36 hours (our team was slow) not including the travel across the country and back. Our team captain was a friend of mine. We had 2 people drop out the week of the race and had to get replacements. Our main goal was to just finish the race. We are not competitive runners so time was not a goal. We did finish in under 36 hours - well before the 9 pm cut off.

We had 3 legs reach to run. My first and third legs were about 6 miles with half of that uphill with 500 feet of elevation gain. The first run wasn't too bad, difficulty - yes, but I finished feeling good and keeping my pace. My second run was 11 o'clock at night and 8 miles - fairly flat with some mild up and down hills. It was a nice peaceful run. I was mostly by myself and occasionally got passed by faster runners. I could always see a pack of headlamps ahead of me. Amazingly you are running along a highway, in the dark, and not afraid of something happening. Beside a random guy running up to me about 1/2 mile in giving me his number. The third leg was by far the hardest run of the entire race. It was 3-3.5 miles ~~uphill~~ a mountain then 3 miles down. Luckily as my team van passed me they also passed off some much needed water. I finished somewhere around noon time, we went to pick up out last runner (in our van) then headed to the beach to wait for the 2nd van to finish. That last run was incredibly tough but all the support from other teams and runner (as they passed me) were encouraging.

Overall I am So glad I had the opportunity to do this. It was a great experience and I had a ton of fun with friends I haven't seen in years. However, I would probably NOT do this again.

I am glad that I was able to see Portland a little the day before. We got some lunch, went to the rose garden and did some shopping. The roses were in full bloom and beautiful. I forgot how nice they were. When we lived there I only went a couple of times, now I wish I had taken advantage of this and all the things Portland had to offer.

So now, I am trying to keep miles up for my next race, which is a half the end of September. Luckily it is local and hopefully my husband will be home to watch the children, otherwise my father will have his hands full, because Mom is running it with me.

I guess it is time to get back to all the things waiting for me here.

Post #101

2014-05-14T15:19:00.002-04:00

So i just realized that my last post was #100. Yay for me :)

So if you don't know me, I am a physical therapist. I see lots of interesting patients on a daily basis and get told all sorts of stories, which I always said that I need to write down because this is stuff you just can't make up. But this isn't about that.

I had a patient the other day whom I am seeing for low back pain from a sledding accident. I saw him a few times and he would get a little better but not completely. He was getting discouraged, I am trying to figure out why my usual course of action wasn't making a much progress as I expected. Then he came in yesterday and said, "I have something to confess, I didn't tell you everything." AHA! I knew there had to be something else. Well turns out he moved furniture last weekend and was significantly worse, but with the exercises I prescribed and ice the pain level decreased. The weekend before he sat in a camping chair while watching his son play baseball (not the best posture for prolonged periods of time). So we did more education on postures to avoid and how to modify what he is doing and he left with NO pain. We also tweaked the exercises a little.

I love these days when I feel that I can really help someone and I can say "I was a good therapist today." I must admit that there are some days that my heart just isn't in it. Tired. Burnt out. Not enough exercise. Hungry. But yesterday was a GOOD day.

PS. I ran 3 miles today while both kids were sleeping. It is gorgeous outside so I just ran up and down my driveway a few times. Yes, it is a long driveway.

~Katie