Fabulous Friday - 09/20/19

Happy Friday, peeps! It's been a wonderful week. I've completed all my scheduled workouts, and we had run club on Wednesday. Florida is starting to see some fallish weather in the morning so it's been a lot cooler and less humid. How was your week?

Tasteful Thursday - Firecracker Chicken Meal Prep Bowls

Healthier Firecracker Chicken Meal Prep Bowls

Healthier firecracker chicken meal prep bowls bring the spice to your lunch! Lightened up, but still super flavorful. Gluten-free and ready in 35 minutes.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time35 mins

Course: Lunch

Cuisine: Meal Prep

Keyword: chicken, meal prep

Servings: 4

Calories: 484kcal

Ingredients

Healthier Firecracker Chicken

• 2 large chicken breasts cut into cubes (roughly 14 oz)
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons Frank's red hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Meal Prep Bowls

• 3/4 cup basmati rice uncooked
• 1 medium zucchini spiralized
• 2 cups edamame thawed
• red pepper flakes optional; for extra heat

Instructions

• Cook rice according to package directions, and portion out into four 2-cup capacity storage containers.

Healthier Firecracker Chicken

• Toss the chicken in the cornstarch. Use tongs to mix all the chicken cubes up and make sure they are all coated.
• Heat olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add the chicken/cornstarch and season with salt & pepper.  Cook for 5-7 minutes, until the chicken is golden and cooked through.
• While chicken is cooking, shake together the honey, hot sauce and apple cider vinegar.
• When chicken is cooked through, pour the honey/hot sauce/cider vinegar mixture over everything and toss chicken to coat. Remove from heat when sauce has thickened slightly.

Assemble Lunch Bowls

• Divide all ingredients between the storage containers. 
• Drizzle chicken with any extra sauce from the pan, and sprinkle with red pepper flakes if desired (for extra heat).

Storage & Re-heating

• Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
• To serve, heat until piping hot, then enjoy!

Notes

Lighten up this recipe by using cauliflower rice and/or replacing the edamame with more zucchini noodles.

Nutrition

Calories: 484kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 440mg | Potassium: 140mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 130IU | Vitamin C: 14.9mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 2.7mg

recipe taken from https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/healthier-firecracker-chicken-meal-prep-bowls/

Inspiration Wednesday 9/18/19

Recap Monday

It's been a while since I've devoted time to consistently blogging, and I've decided (yes, again LOL) that I want to get back to it. I need to make time for the things that I love. So (hopefully) I will do my daily posts throughout the week. So here is what you get to look forward to -

Wrap Up Monday - Here is where I will wrap up my training from the previous week, and talk about how I am feeling about it. I would love for you all to share how you did the previous week with your training

Inspiration Wednesday - Kind of self -explanatory, I will post a quote or meme for inspiration

Tasteful Thursday - I will post a healthy recipe... let me know if you've tried it or are going to try it.

Fantastic Friday - I will post about my successes for the week and invite you to share yours. Let's end our week on a positive note.

I can't wait to dig right in and share my life with you all again.

Wrap up for last week was null. I was sick all week and barely left the couch :( Looking forward to jumping into my training again this week as my 50K is next month.

Tell me how your training went last week? Do you have any specific races you are training for?

Dosha Mat Review

Recently I was approached by the creators of the Dosha Mat to see if I would be interested in trying their accupressure mat. Anyone who knows me knows that I am always interested in trying new things, so I jumped at the opportunity. I will have to say I was a bit nervous about how it would feel, would it hurt? When I received my mat, I made my hubby try it first. If it hurt him, then I would know I shouldn't try it LOL. Hubby thought it felt great, so I decided I would give it a shot, and I am so glad I did. 

As a runner who prefers long distances, I have many areas that are constantly sore. Since the mat is versatile,  I have been able to lay flat on the mat, sit on the mat, put my feet on the mat, etc and every time it provides a perfect amount of pressure on my sore areas.  After I am done using it I feel a huge sense of relief in my sore muscles. I have used it after my 30K trail run, and my 28 mile 12 hr run and it definitely helped me recover faster. That is the main reason I have used the mat, but on their website it lists many other issues that it is beneficial for:

1. Reduction of pain and soreness

2. Deep calm and relaxation

3. Reduction of stress and anxiety

4. Improved sleep

5. Weight-loss

6. Increased circulation

7. Rejuvenation of the skin

8. Improved digestion

9. Increased energy levels

10. Reduction of cellulite

11. Alleviates arthritis

12. Alleviates fibromyalgia

13. Aids myofascial pain syndrome

14. Alleviates sciatica pain

15. Faster recovery after workouts

16. Lower cortisol levels

I definitely plan on adding using my mat on a more daily basis so that I can take advantage of the other benefits it provides. 

I got to spend some time on the phone talking with Jessica, one of the owners of this small business and enjoyed the passion she had for her accupressure mat. The mats are 100% eco-friendly, handmade using the highest-quality, hypoallergenic natural linen. Each mat also contains a removable cushion made of 100% natural coconut fibre. The mats are very pretty, and contain more than 4,500 high-quality acupressure points in the beautiful shape of lotus flowers. Another great benefit of this brand is that they donate 15% of their profit to several non-profit organizations that work to provide exercise programs like yoga to youth in need.

Sounds awesome, doesn't it? Well here's where you can get your own, and Jessica has been kind enough to let me offer a discount if you purchase a mat within the next 2 weeks. Head on over to https://www.doshamat.com/ and put in this code PAMDEMONIUM15 before August 28th. Let me know when you get yours, I'd love to hear how much you love it!! 

I received a Dosha Mat in return for my honest review. 

Summer 2019 Blogging Challenge Week 2 - What is my attraction to trail running?

When I first started running many years ago, I stuck to the treadmill, running only on my lunch hour. It was basically a way to lose weight and become more fit, I hadn't yet found the correlation to my mental fitness. As the years went on I started running outside, on the streets, on a path during my son's soccer practice, whenever I had time, knowing that my sanity almost depended on it.... and then I started running on trails in the woodsy atmosphere of nature.

I first started running on trails just as something to change the monotony of road running, but it didn't take long to realize that running on trails is nothing like running on roads. First off, there is a physical difference. It's softer on the knees, but a little rougher on the ankles and you definitely need to be more aware of the path you are running so you don't trip or roll your ankles. On top of the physical difference, I noticed a definite sense of calmness when I was done running that I didn't always get during my road runs.

I'm not sure what causes my mentality to benefit so much more from a trail run over a road runs as they both provide me with the "runner's high" that keeps me sane. Maybe it's the peacefulness and beauty of nature that helps calm my mind and allow all my troubles to almost wash away for those few quiet hours that I spend on that trail.

 Unfortunately time does not allow me to do all my runs on trails but I try to take advantage of the beautiful trails central Florida has to offer as much as possible, including adding many trail races to my race calendar. I definitely recommend spending some time on the trails, whether it be running or hiking.

Summer 2019 Blogging Challenge Week 1 - Let's Talk About My Furbabies

I've been really slacking with my blogging, and I wanted to find a way to get re-motivated to blog more. An awesome friend of mine decided to start a summer blogging challenge and I decided that was the perfect opportunity to get me back on the wagon. One of the first choices of topics that were provided to us was talking about our furry friends and anyone who knows me knows how much my furbabies mean to me, so of course I chose to talk about them. My life would be empty without having a furbaby to share it with.

I currently have 4 furbabies, 2 dogs and 2 cats and everyone of them is a rescue animal. Adopting a pet is so much better than buying one at a pet store or through a breeder. You get the most appreciative, sweetest animals that will devote their loyalty to you for the rest of their lives.

Out of our current furbabies, Bandit was our first. We found him as a baby on craigslist and were afraid he would be chosen for dog fighting based on the possibility of the breeds he was mixed with.  We got him at 8 weeks old, and he was the best puppy and continues to be the best dog I have ever owned. He is sweet, well-behaved and so tolerant of other animals. He has loved every animal he has ever been in contact with and tries to be their best friend immediately. Bandit wants to be loved constantly. He is always happy to see us, and always has a smile on his face.... yes, he actually smiles, but beware of his tail, it is like a whip when it hits you. Bandit's favorite place to go is our local brewery. We will take him around the park for a walk, but he doesn't completely relax until he hits the brewery's front door. It's his Cheers.  At 6, he's starting to calm down and mature a bit, but he still goes crazy when he meets new people. If you ever have the opportunity to encounter this awesome lovebug, you will fall in love with him immediately.

 
 The cute little pup in this picture is Bandit's true best friend, Tucker, who was killed by another dog last October :*(


The way Evee found us is a pretty interesting story.  One of my officers was inventorying some property from an arrest the night before and a tiny kitten came scurrying out in our evidence barn. He was tiny and full of fleas and at that point, we thought he was a she. We bathed her/him with Dawn soap and I was going to temporarily foster her/him until another foster was available. That thought lasted all of one night and we fell in love with this 3 week old wild child. She was donned the name Princess Dawn Evee Mcgee.... dawn for the dish detergent, evee for evidence barn and mcgee for the officer that found her/him. By the time he was going to get spayed/neutered it was realized that Evee was a boy not a girl. At 2, Evee is still quite the wild child, but he is also a huge cuddler. He loves to crawl up on your chest when you're lying down and get some petting from you; but don't pet him for too long because within a few minutes he will grab your hand and start attacking you.



Vader and Jasper are our newer rescues. We've had Vader for about 6 months, and Jasper less than a week. Vader is a sweet older cat, 6 years old, with a pretty sad story. His owner died and he was surrendered to a kill shelter. Luckily, our local humane society pulled him from the shelter and we adopted him. Within a week, he had been living in four different places. He took quite a few weeks to become comfortable in our household, but once he did he quickly established the dominant role. He can be quite crotchety with the other animals and smacks them if they get in his way (luckily he has no front claws, so he doesn't hurt them LOL). Most of his time he spends meowing to either be pet or to get a treat. He's a very vocal cat :)

And of course, our newest rescue is 2 year old Jasper. As we've only just got Jasper, we are just learning his quirky personality. He's a very playful pup, and is a bundle of energy. He loves Bandit, and really couldn't care less about the cats. He's very quickly falling into our typical routine and is a very likable boy. He can't stand to be alone and will follow us everywhere around the house. He's just as much of a lovebug as Bandit is and loves to meet and kiss everyone.

This probably my longest blog post ever, LOL, but I absolutely love my furbabies. They are like kids to me, especially as my human kids are almost all grown. I couldn't imagine my life without these cute babies to share my love.