Wind, Snow & Chili Spaghetti

I can't seem to unglue myself from NPR and news updates on Frankenstorm Sandy!  My thoughts are with everyone on the coast and in New York who are dealing with major flooding and power outages.  We weren't sure what the effects would be here in southwest Virginia, but we knew there was a chance of heavy wind and snow(!).  So, I didn't go crazy, but I wanted to be prepared.  After the derecho a couple of months ago, some people in the area were without power for over a week.  So I made sure I had plenty of candles and flashlights.  And of course I made sure I had plenty of food :)

I bought some fuel for our alcohol stove and lots of rice and oats.  I think I'd be happy living off oatmeal for the next week (did I mention I have a new obsession with oatmeal?!)

I also filled every vessel I could find in our apartment with water.... you never know, right?!

There's something kind of fun about preparing to be without power for a few days.  I didn't know what to expect, but could hear heavy winds outside my window all night.  I woke up this morning to about a 1/2 inch of snow, light winds and electricity still working!  I guess a few hundred people in the area did lose power, but overall we didn't get hit hard at all.

So, I finally made myself roll out of bed (it was COLD!) and I made my typical morning oatmeal.  This is my new favorite - pumpkin oatmeal with pumpkin flax granola and sunbutter - YUM! :)

Although we didn't get much snow, our office was closed today.  So I got to work from home, which is always kind of nice, but not so great when it's 52 degrees inside! (Yes, we do have heat, but we refuse to use it most of the time because it's ridiculously expensive and we have NO insulation in our apartment, so it doesn't stay warm long anyways)  So I spent the day wrapped in a blanket with a little space heater by my side.   I was dreaming of chili all day, and decided to make some for dinner.  Shane and I used to love getting veggie Skyline Chili when we were in Ohio.  There's something about chili over spaghetti that's so delicious!  Once we moved to Virginia, we decided to try to make our own (healthier version).  So, we started using a can of veggie chili, but more recently started making our own.  This is so quick and easy and can be eaten on it's own or poured over spaghetti.

Ingredients:
1 Tbs olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 can diced tomatoes (I use Fire Roasted for an extra kick)
2 cans of beans of your choice, drained (I use one can black beans and one can of tri-color)
1/2 cup of vegetable broth
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Optional:
1 box whole wheat pasta (cook according to box directions)
Sprinkle of cheddar cheese
Oyster crackers (sometimes I can't resist!)

Directions:

1.  Heat up the olive oil on medium in a saucepan.  Add the diced onion and pepper and saute for about 2-3 minutes until the onions are golden.

2. Add in the tomatoes, vegetable broth and spices.  Stir and let simmer for about 2 minutes.

3. Add in the beans (I usually drain at least one can - depends on how thick or thin you like your chili) and cook until heated through.

4. Serve over pasta or by itself :)

Save some for lunch the next day - chili always seems to taste better later! 

I'm hoping to end this day of good food with a nice cup of hot chocolate.  Looking forward to the 70 degree weather expected for this weekend!

Yard Sale Treasure

We went yard sale hopping several months ago - one of my favorite things to do - and found the most beautiful old trunk!  I've always wanted a big wooden trunk to put at the end of our bed for extra blankets and things, and this one looked perfect for the job!  Of course it was a a little beaten up and smelled horribly like moth balls - ew!  The man selling it told me his great grandparents had their luggage in this trunk when they traveled overseas on their journey to America --- cool!

After a few months of letting it sit (empty because of the moth ball smell), I finally got around to fixing it up recently!

I sanded it down....

And then put on a fresh new coat of stain.

 With Juno's help of course :)

Then, I spent a few days getting rid of the smell.  From airing it out in the sun, to letting a bowl of vinegar and baking soda sit inside for a day, to finally putting in a few fabric softeners.  But... I think it's gone! Yay for fun projects :)

Running & Oatmeal :)

So, I mentioned a while ago that I signed up for a second half marathon, but I haven't talked about it since, mostly because I've not been doing much training....

After my first race, I really wanted to prove to myself that I could RUN a half marathon.  So, I signed up for the flattest, paved run I could find -- the Richmond Half Marathon.  It was also handy that Shane has been training for the Richmond Marathon and doing a much better job than me! --> maybe it's his awesome running motivation board on Pinterest ... filled with things like this :)

So, I took about 2 weeks off from any serious running after the trail race, and have slowly been getting back into it.  But as I look at the calendar, I realize I only have 3 more weekends before the race --- yikes! Where does time go?  I have been running at least 2-3 times a week and feel pretty good about it, but haven't done a long run yet. 

I am excited that Juno is finally running with me on and off leash!  Yesterday we did 4 miles together -- it really helps time fly :) 

 
We've had some nasty weekend weather, I've worked quite a few Saturdays, and I always play soccer on Sundays (so I don't want to run 6-8 miles before a game).  Beautiful place to spend a Sunday, huh?

And with the cold weather I find myself doing more of this...

But enough excuses, right?! I'm still determined to finish the race without walking!  I don't care how slow I run, I just want to have fun and cross that finish line :) So - here's to my first long(ish) run this weekend!!

How do you get motivated to run?!

In other news, I've recently become addicted to oatmeal.  Yup :)  I blame my friend (and running motivator!) Andrea.  She's been eating oatmeal for breakfast everyday for as long as I've known her and I always thought it'd be fun to try.  I never usually eat breakfast (horrible - I know!), but normally just grab a granola bar and banana to eat sometime before lunch.  Also, my only oatmeal experience in the past had been with instant oatmeal in little packets.  I knew eating real oatmeal would require me waking up at least 15 minutes earlier, and I love my sleep! But let me tell you, it's totally worth it!!! I've been on an oatmeal kick for at least 2 weeks now and already I can't imagine starting the day out any other way!  I really enjoy the cooking process and I feel like I have so much more energy throughout the morning.

One of the bloggers I follow has literally hundreds of delicious and fun oatmeal recipes.  I'd highly recommend the whipped banana oats.  I've been making this with 1/3 cup oats, water and almond milk.  Then adding in half the banana for whipping and the other half cut up fresh on top at the end, with a big glob of peanut butter, chia seeds and toasted walnuts.  I've also been putting in a big spoonful of pumpkin puree -- yum :)

So, wake up tomorrow and cook yourself some oats... and then go for a run! :)

Book Club & Apple Crisp with Pumpkin :)

This past week I had my first book club gathering!  There's this great group of women I've discovered in Blacksburg, who all got together for our friend Jess's bachelorette party a few months ago.  We had soooo much fun and decided we all needed to hang out more!  So, we tossed around ideas of a wine/knitting/book reading group and officially just got started on Thursday.  We're going with the book club idea (but of course wine drinking and knitting are welcome during meetings!).  We hosted the first one, really just as an excuse to get together and to decide what book we're going to read.

We chose Bitter Grounds by Sandra Benitez.  Here's the blurb from Amazon: "Spanning the years between 1932 and 1977, this beautifully told epic is set in the heart of El Salvador, where coffee plantations are the center of life for rich and poor alike. Following three generations of the Prieto Clan and the wealthy family they work for, this is the story of mothers and daughters who live, love, and die for their passions."  Sounds great, huh?!

I've always enjoyed reading, but don't get around to it very often.  I also have never really gotten into discussing or analyzing books (I was a total math & science girl in school), but I'm excited to be reading the same book with everyone, listen to their discussions and chime in when I can!  

Of course for our meetings, we thought it would be fun for a few people to bring along something to snack on.  So, I decided to try to make a healthier version of apple crisp that I love so much!  And I wanted to try adding in pumpkin since I've stocked up and am still excited about eating for every meal!  It was a little drier than I was expecting, but was a real hit at the meeting, especially served with some plain yogurt. 

Ingredients:
5 small apples, peeled & sliced
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 cup whole wheat flour 
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp applesauce
2 Tbsp pumpkin puree
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 tsp nutmeg 
2 tsp. cinnamon (divided)

Directions:
Peel apples and slice them into approximately one inch chunks.

Spread chopped apples into an oiled 9x13 baking pan.  Drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle 1 Tbsp cinnamon.  Toss apples with your hands to mix.  Preheat the oven to 350.

In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, sugar, applesauce, pumpkin, nutmeg and remaining cinnamon.  I use a fork to mix until all of the flour and oats are moist.

Spread topping evenly over apples.  Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes.  Serve with ice cream or yogurt! :)

Enjoy!

Fall is HERE! :)

Fall is my favorite time of year!!! (well, it's a toss up - I'll probably say the same thing in the spring!).  I love the chilly evenings and changing leaves!  I love cooking soup and drinking hot chocolate!  I love campfires and snuggling! I love sweet potatoes and all sorts of squash!  I love dressing up for Halloween and spending time with family over Thanksgiving!  I love putting on a long sleeve shirt to run and wearing slippers!  I love fall!

I've only just started to make some fun fall recipes.  Here's one (not really a recipe - just a fun thing to whip up for dessert) I made a few nights ago!  Thanks to Jess & Chris for sharing this fun treat!

Slice up a butternut squash into moons or chunks, drizzle with maple syrup and bake for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees.  YUM!  You can also get fancy and add a little cinnamon or nutmeg, too.

 I cut it long ways and scoop out all of the seeds (they're great for roasting too!).  Then slice into about 1/2 inch moons.

 Place on a cookie sheet or baking dish.  Drizzle with maple syrup and throw it in the oven!

 Yum!  I don't have any after pictures, because they didn't last long.  Seems to be a common theme with dessert around here... 

Another favorite thing about fall is an extra cuddly pup :)

I'm headed to the store tonight to stock up on pumpkin!! I'm going to try to make this spiced pumpkin cornbread recipe!  Any other fun pumpkin recipes I should try??

Happy Tuesday :)