Fabulous Friday - 10/30/20

 

Today has been a pretty good week. I had a great race on Sunday, got a few runs in over the week and went to body pump with a friend. Tomorrow I'm planning on my favorite spin class and a Halloween party at night. 

How about you? Tell me something fabulous that happened to you this week. 

Tasteful Thursday - Taco Tomatoes

 Taco Tomatoes

YIELDS:

4 SERVINGS

PREP TIME:0 HOURS 5 MINS

COOK TIME:0 HOURS 20 MINS

TOTAL TIME:0 HOURS 25 MINS

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp. 

extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 lb. 

ground beef

1 

medium onion, chopped

1 

(1-oz.) packet taco seasoning

4 

large, ripe beefsteak tomatoes

1/2 c. 

shredded Mexican cheese blend

1/2 c. 

shredded iceberg lettuce

1/4 c. 

sour cream

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DIRECTIONS

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and cook, stirring, until soft, 5 minutes. Add ground beef and taco seasoning. Cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 8 minutes. Drain fat. 
2. Flip over tomatoes so they’re stem-side down and slice to make 6 wedges, being careful not to cut all the way through. Carefully spread open wedges. 
3. Divide taco meat among tomatoes, then top each with cheese, lettuce, and sour cream before serving.

Stuff these LASAGNA-STYLE: Top with a little ricotta, mozzarella, and basil and bake for 15 minutes at 350°.

Taken from https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a54559/taco-tomatoes-recipe/

Inspiration Wednesday - 10/28/20

 

12th Annual Jacks 12k/24k/50k Trail Race

 

So those of you who have  been around the past 3 years know that this is my love to hate race. It has defeated me in some shape or form every year, and this year was no different. There was a small difference, though, it hit me before I arrived at the race, so I was able to plan for it. I initially signed up for the 50k, but lack of training early on so I downgraded to the 24k. I thought that would be much more manageable and the pressure of 30 miles would be off.... well I thought wrong and the training continued to be miniscule and unmotivated. I decided to be smart about it and downgrade to the 12k. And since I was no longer doing my goal distance, I decided to just take it easy, have fun and enjoy the beautiful trail. 

I made sure to prep myself with my awesome My Soxy Feet catitude attitude socks. I knew that I might have to dig deep to finish due to the lack of training, and these socks gave me the perfect attitude to go with :) 

The morning started out wonderfully as I arrived to greet old friends that I hadn't seen since last year. I absolutely love seeing my race peeps from Dawn's races. She has the best racers and volunteers involved in her races. I did miss seeing one smiling face.... Michael Dale Davis. He volunteers at every race she holds, so he was definitely missed today. 

Katy and me

Melissa and me

The best race director ever, Dawn

And as always, Jack's did not disappoint with it's beautiful scenery and challenging course.  We started out just before the sunrise, and it was gorgeous weather. Cool but a little muggy.  It ended up sunny, warm and still muggy but luckily 90% of the trail is shaded so it kept us a little cooler. As always, the course really can be identified in three sections. You start out going over 2 wood bridges and then you twist and turn with a nice flat couple of miles, then you hit the black diamond part of the trail which is about a mile of ups and downs, and turns on a very narrow portion trail as you pass even harder bike obstacles, and lastly you leave the black diamond to more of flat trail and you finish exactly how you started. 

 

 

I decided to start slow and not push myself too much, so I did 1min run/1 min walk intervals, knowing when I got to the black diamond section there would be more walking than running up those hills. That plan worked perfectly and I was able to keep my plan for most of the race. Towards the very end, I did switch up to a couple 1 min run/3 min walk intervals, but was able to finish strong and with a time that I was proud of...... 2:07:13  Oh, I forgot to mention, clumsy me did take a tumble about mile 5, but it didn't affect my psyche or my physical health and I was able to continue on like planned. 

So I guess I could decide that Jack's  defeated me again because everything didn't go as planned, but I'd rather think that I defeated Jack's this year and really enjoyed it. There's always next year for the 50k... or maybe not, but that 50K will be mine at some point!! 

Fell off the wagon again

 

As much as I love blogging, I'm not sure why I fall off the wagon so often. I'm going to give it a go again... let's hope it lasts longer than last time :D Here's to a new beginning in my blog world. 

Cacao Tea Co. Review

You all know that I love to try new things, so when I was contacted to try this new tea I jumped at the chance. Then she told me it was a chocolate tea, and of course it became a no-brainer.  Cacao tea is an all natural tea that is brewed from cacao husks/shells. It contains no sugar and is gluten and dairy free, so it's great for almost everyone.  The cacao husks are rich in antioxidants and flavonoids, and are rich in the compound theobromine, which is a mild, naturally occurring stimulant similar to caffeine with a gentle, slow-release effect. Check out here for more information on the amazing benefits. 

Cacao has a really neat history It's been brewed for thousands of years beginning with the Mayan and Aztec, and was a favorite for Martha Washington. How cool is that? 

Because cacao tea is a loose tea, it's best brewed either in a french press or with a tea ball strainer or infuser. And to get the full flavor it's recommended that you brew it with boiling hot water for at least 6-8 minutes. For more detailed instructions on how to obtain the best results from cacao tea go here. While you can definitely drink cacao tea black, if you feel that it needs just a little more they recommend coconut sugar and almond milk to complement it the best. 

I know all that info is great, but what you really want to know is how it tastes. On word is all that takes, amazing. I drank it straight with no milk or sweetener. It didn't need it. It had a nice, rich chocolate taste to it. I don't have a french press, so I used a tea ball strainer, put in 2 teaspoons and brewed it for about 7 minutes. I don't like my tea too strong, but I definitely don't want it weak. For me that was the perfect amount of tea and time.  

Ok, I've got you sold on how amazing this tea is. Let me tell you, it's also pretty inexpensive. You get a 4 oz bag for $17.50, and that bag will last you for quite a while. They also offer discounts for the more bags you buy. Ready to order..... go here. 


I received a bag of cacao tea in return for my honest review. 

Inspiration Wednesday 03/18/20