Such a Happy Day

I'm completely thrilled for two reason.

1. I GOT A JOB!!!!!

And with this new job comes the title of Executive Director. I couldn't be more excited about it. I can't wait to get started because I see so much potential for this organization. This vision and opportunity are great, and it's up to me to make it happen.

2. I RAN 8 MILES.

Here are my stats:
Time: 1:41:13
Distance: 8 miles
Best Pace: 10:10
Average Pace: 12:39
Calories: 846

The majority of this run was terrible like the lone three-miler I ran on Thursday (more on that later). I haven't been feeling well, and I ran fever a couple of days this week. Such a bummer. And it threw my running off.

I set out to do four miles of speedwork on Thursday, but I cut it to three miles because I couldn't breathe and my whole body felt like it was break into a thousand pieces.

Here are my terrible stats from Thursday:
Time: 36:22
Distance: 3 miles
Best Pace: 10:21
Average Pace: 12:08
Calories: 345

I have no idea what was up with me this week. I just couldn't get in a groove.

The 8th mile of my long run felt the best, and you know I have to be crazy to say that. But I finally worked through my side cramps and stomach pains and leg tightness by the 8th mile. So I can only hope that this week of running will be forgiving, however, I fear it won't.

This is the week before my next recovery week. And it's going to be tough. I have a five mile HILL workout and a 4 to 5 miles of repeats at race pace with a half mile warm up and cool down. And did I mention the nine mile long run???

Typing that just made me realize how crazy I must sound when I say it out loud. Looking at an 18-19 mile week. Sweet. And I'm starting to develop a nice toe callus, a runner's mark that I wear with pride and sometimes pain.

Just in case you're curious about what my day looks like, here is a look at my to do list.

And I got this book on sale at Kroger the other day.

Looks like my spare time is pretty wrapped up.

Tell me something that made you happy today.

Stuffed Poblano Peppers

First thing first, I have a recipe to share with you. But not before I tell you some things I've learned this past week.

Gatorade comes in a can. And it will change your life. So cold. Where did I discover such greatness you might ask? Arkansas Children's Hospital has refrigerators full of this stuff. Like hospital gold. Since the mindblowing discovery, I have googled canned Gatorade upteen times with no luck as to how to get it. Any ideas? Please comment below if you know of how to get your hands on this.

Kind bars. Almond and coconut Kind bars. So freaking good. And there is only 10 grams of sugar per bar. A-mazing! There are lots of flavors. I will be trying them all. Not even kidding. Go. Get. Some. Today. I got mine at Kroger in the Natural Foods section.

The guy who wrote this book is a journalist. I am digging this book, even though it's from a guy's perspective. Not all things apply to me, but it's been very interesting. If I could go back in time and tell my 18-year-old self to double major in Journalism and Nutrition, I totally would. I could write a book like this. Maybe I will...Would you read it?

Now on to the main event. The recipe you've been waiting patiently for...or you skipped the beginning of this to get here. Whatever. Just make it. And love it.

Stuffed Poblano Peppers

What you will need:
1 lb (or package) of ground chicken (you can use beef or pork or whatever)
3 poblano peppers (also known as passilla peppers)
1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1/2 uncooked brown rice
1 15 oz. can of pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 package of taco seasoning (I made up my own taco seasoning to cut out some of the sodium.)

Put the rice in a pot with one cup of water, a sprinkle of salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Cook 35-40 minutes. Brown rice takes longer to cook, but you can get other stuff ready while it does its thing.

Cut the peppers in half, vertically. Scoop out the insides. Open the can of diced tomatoes and pour into the bottom of a 9x13 pan. You might not have to use the whole can, but if you like it more juicy go for it.

In a saute pan, brown the ground chicken with half the pouch of taco seasoning. By then, the rice should get close to done. Add the cooked rice, rinsed and drained pinto beans and half of the can of tomato sauce. Stir in the rest of the taco seasoning. Things should be smelling good.

Fill the pepper halves and place them in the pan with the diced tomatoes. Just put any remaining filling on top of the peppers. It doesn't have to look fancy.

I forgot to tell you to pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees....So do that before so you don't have to wait around for it. Put the peppers in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Make sure to cover the peppers with some foil.

At the 45 minute mark, remove the foil and cover the peppers with your favorite cheese. I used cheddar cheese. Bake for 15 minutes uncovered so the cheese will melt and the pepper will continue to soften.

Remove from oven. Put on a plate. Savor the smell. And try not to burn the roof of your mouth. These peppers are seriously delicious. And you can stuff them however you want.

Feel free to modify this recipe to make it your own. But promise me you will try the poblanos. There is something about them that just kick regular bell peppers to the curb.

Summer's Coming

Finals week is approaching, and lack of motivation is setting in to its fullest for me. I have never been so unmotivated in my life. With summer a mere 10 days away, I can't help but think about all the wonderful things that I will get to do this summer.

Here is a list of summer activities that need to happen/will happen:

• Dinners with friends
• Cooking new recipes from KevinandAmanda.com and pbfingers.com, my two most favorite recipe blogs.
• Climbing Pinnacle Mountain
• Running
• Horseback riding
• Wine tasting
• Dancing downtown
• Numerous pool days
• Reading books unrelated to school
• Writing summer blog posts with pictures of activities and recipes
• Attend Little's wedding, Carmen's wedding, and SK's wedding
• Work to earn that cash money
• Yoga classes
• Movie watching
• Flirting with cute Starbucks guy
• Laughing
• Numerous crafting projects
• Quality time with the family
• Baking sweets and treats

I'm sure there is a lot of other stuff I've left out. But you get the picture. I am so thrilled to have real FREE time that is not dedicated to school/homework. And I'm so looking forward to the time I get to read books I want to read. I have developed a long list of book as well.

• "Little Bee" by Chris Cleave: A book I started a while ago, yet never finished. :/
• "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" by Stieg Larsson: The final book in the Millennium Trilogy
• "Lover Unleased" by J.R. Ward: The next book in the Blackdagger Brotherhood series (a seriously steamy romance series that somehow I can't put down)
• "Heaven is For Real" by Todd Burpo
• "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
• "Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
• "Shit My Dad Says" by Justin Halpern
• "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

And I'm sure there will be more. Now not all of these books will be read, but I do plan to make a nice dent in this list.

If you have any suggested reading or summer activities, please share. I'm always looking for something to do. Hope you have a great day. Must get cracking at this Tuesday.

Until next time...

Bookstore Blues

In an earlier post, I talked about how I love the smell of Barnes and Nobel and how it feels to go in there with all those books. I can't say I feel the same about the University bookstore.

When I got into graduate school, I was pretty excited that the University had an online book checking thingy to tell you what books you would need before you got to class on the first day. I know...it is a pretty lame thing to be excited about, but I was so excited.

Funny story: Originally, I was only suppose to have one textbook for this semester (according to the book checking thingy). So I went before school started and bought the one book required for the semester. $145.00 for a brand new book.

I go to the first class, and she makes sure we know that there is a required book for the class...WAIT ONE MINUTE. So I had to go after that class to buy the second required book. $108.00 for a used book.

Today I open my e-mail and read a message from my professor. He says something to the effect of "The bookstore has your book in stock. It is not online so be sure you stop in and pick it up." WHAT?!?!

So I have to go today in this horrible, rainy, potentially snowy weather to get another book, which brings the total to three books (one for each class). $29.98 for the third and hopefully final book.

But I must say $29.98 sounds pretty cheap for a textbook. And with the way my bookstore luck is going, I will probably get in there and pay $100.00 or more. Hopefully, the price is right. Until next time...

Barnes and Nobel smells divine.

For those of you who don't know me, I am one of those bookish people. I should say I have turned into a bookish person since I started grad school. I have alway liked to read, but there is always a time in our lives where reading isn't "cool" so we pretend not to like it.

Well I am over that phase and have been for a while. Now I like reading history (U.S. History from FDR to the present), literature (but really only Jane Austen), fiction, non-fiction (biographies) and the occasional romance novel and classic children's books.

The history thing is a pretty recent development. Since I am working on a historical piece for my thesis, I feel like I need to be up on U.S. History and current affairs. Jane Austen has always been a favorite, but I really fell in love with her work during high school (and after the most recent Pride & Prejudice movie).

I love getting lost in the stories and getting to know the characters. Plus it can be relaxing.

I made a little trip to Barnes and Nobel yesterday after work. 1.) I had a gift card I wanted to look into using and 2.) I wanted to skip the horrid traffic that goes back to Conway every single day. Sidenote---I love the way that place smells. Coffee and books, two of my favorite things.

I didn't go with anything in mind, but I ran across a lot of books I am interested in reading.

Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert is the sequal to Eat, Pray, Love. I loved Eat, Pray, Love, and Committed picks up where it left off. Gilbert has a unique voice. It feels like she is talking to you when you read her work. I relate to that because that is how I like to write.

Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, & Know by Alexandra Horowitz almost came home in my B&N bag. Not sure why I backed out on it, but I will probably go back and get it. She writes about how dogs are. If you have a pet you probably spend at least a small amount of time wondering what they are thinking. I know I do.

I have a black lab named Kate. I wonder all the time what she thinks when we are doing something. She has these looks that I call her "Wow, they are so stupid" and "Really?!" and "Would you just leave me alone, dang!"

I would love to get Horowitz insight into a dog's mind. Maybe see if it is anything like what I have come up with over the years. I mean she is like trained in that field, whereas, I just like to wonder about it for fun.

But I ended up leaving with Little Bee by Chris Cleave and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. I have heard a lot about Larsson's series and absolutely nothing about Cleave's book.

I read the first chapters of each last night, and all I have thought about today was:

1. I can't wait to keep reading Larsson's book.
2. What has happened to Little Bee?

So we shall see. I will keep you posted on how I like the books. I feel like one will win out on the other. And to be honest, I feel like Larsson will win over Cleave...just because the main character is a journalist and there is some sort of mystery happening. Until next time...