Day 27 & 28: Uplifting Weekend

 General Conference Weekend is always refreshing and uplifting! 

I love to hear words from a living prophet. 

Even more amazing we were able to watching it from home broadcast live from Salt Lake City. 

Even more miraculous there are over 15,000,000 member! 142 temples operating, 14 more under construction and another 14 that have been announced. Over 80,000 missionaries serving around the world in 405 different missions. WOAH! 

What is even more AMAZING all of the talks are available online already! 

Click HERE

What did we eat? 

 Chicken Curry 

2 lbs chicken tenders 

1 yellow onion

2 sweet potatoes 

1 can coconut milk 

2 T curry powder 

4oz tomato paste 

2T butter

2T garlic 

cook the sweet potatoes and cut into chunks  

2 T butter in a medium heat pan. 

add curry into the pan and mix. 

after the butter is melted add the coconut milk and tomato paste- 

lower heat to simmer

in another pan sauté garlic and the onion

then add chicken and potatoes pieces and cook well

add chicken and onions into the sauce mixture 

Eat 

It seriously smelled so good that we went straight to eating and I totally forgot to take a picture of it! 

Before cooking I realized I needed an onion. Evan and I wanted to go for a run too, so in order to save time we decided to run to the store and buy the onion. Multi-tasking at its finest.  

Day 25: Run your guts out!

In 2009 I completely tore my left ACL, MLC, damaged my LCL, meniscus and patella playing a pickup game of soccer. The damage was so extensive the doctor said there was a chance I wouldn't be able to do everything again- unless I worked hard with Physical Therapy. Lots of pain, and a lot a tears but I was determined. In 2012 I ran 2 marathons and 2 half marathons and other races like 5K and 10Ks here and there. On average I ran 35 to 50 miles a week training (10+ miles a day), sometimes more, plus I did cross training (swimming, biking, insanity, and weight lifting). Running became an addiction. In fact when I played soccer in High School I hated running more than anything. I learned to love running...a lot!

I moved and worked a lot so my running was reduced to almost none. With a short 1 mile jog here and there, I'm now working my way back up and it feels good.

Cool, crisp mornings are perfect for runs. This morning I went for a 6.5 mile run unexpectedly. I just kept going!  I can't say there is a lot of fresh air, because there aren't parks or wide open spaces but I'll take what I can get.

Running Tips

1. Set a personal goal- what do you want to accomplish (time, distance, a race- you choose).
2. Download the Nike+ app. It's free and you can track your runs on your smart phone. I have the Nike+ gadget but it isn't as accurate as the app which uses GPS technology. 
3. Run Everyday (even if its short)
4. Plan your runs- Develop a schedule of what days you will train and how long (time/distance). 
5. Good music is a must! 
6. Eat. Eat healthy food. Just because you are working out doesn't mean you can load up on the cookies. 
7. Eat before you run: fruit, banana, protein shake... get something in your stomach. A car doesn't run on empty and neither should your body
8. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate. Water is good! You should drink more! 
9. Stretch. Enough said, a good stretch after your run is a must. 

Running is the best Anti-depressent. Get up. Get out. If you're looking for a good training schedule, 

Try this one FOR BEGINNERS

This is the Schedule I use. 

I love this schedule because it gives your body good rest, even though you're running everyday. Honestly in my head I feel like I should always be pushing hard. no need. 

I can't wait to get to Arizona and Race again. Evan has committed to a 5K with me. November I am doing the Ragnar Relay  in Las Vegas with some college friends! 

Every girl loves chocolate after a run. Here is an after run treat. 

Healthy Brownies... Really Healthy brownies. I may have eaten the whole pan. Evan made fun of me. I'm fat! but look at the ingredients. I couldn't help myself. 

Ingredients

3 small zucchini (run through the food processor)- 1 1/2 cups

2 eggs

1tsp cinnamon

1T vanilla

1/3 cup honey

1/2 cup dark chocolate morsels 

1T cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda 

run your zucchini through a food processor 

in a mixing bowl add eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, honey, cocoa power and baking soda. stir well

then add in your 1 1/2cups of zucchini

add chocolate chips

pour mixture into a 9x9 baking pan 

bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 35 minutes 

let cool and a few chocolate morsels to the top for fun. 

They are really gooey- 

I took a fork and just ate them out of the pan. 

ENJOY!