ashleyd /

It’s National Running Day!

Happy National Running Day!

I’m looking forward to a great fun run this evening with the wonderful Ashley from Culinary Wannabee. She invited Bo and I to join she and her friends in the NYRR Young Professional’s Committee and Team for Kids Fun Run and Happy Hour. This should be a great opportunity for us to meet some fellow runners and enjoy the park on a weeknight. It’s rare that either of us workout in the evening so tonight should be a nice change. In NYC alone, there are 8 different group runs today to honor National Running Day!

Today’s events have made me realize how much my life has changed over the last few years. I only started running four years ago. Four years ago I weighed 190 lbs and had never been able to run for more than a minute or two in my life. I was always that kid who avoided the mile run test like the plague and blamed my poor athletic endurance on exercise enduced asthma. Don’t get me wrong, i’m sure many people suffer from this, but I now know that I was not one of them. I was just lazy and overweight. The summer before my senior year of college I decided I wanted to change things. Per my mom’s suggestion, I left my ego at the door and joined my first WW meeting while I was an intern in Philadelphia. After my first meeting the leader suggested that I start by not only tracking my food but also moving more. I was in shock. Who was she to tell me I needed to move more? For over a year I had been waking up bright and early to workout at the gym. But, back then, workout meant 30 minutes on the elliptical and nothing else. Clearly that plan wasn’t working. I decided right then that I wanted to be a runner. I’d always envied my other friends who participated in 5k and then proceeded to sport their shirts around campus.

Coincidentally, as I look back at my WW book and journals, I realized that four years ago yesterday I stepped on the treadmill ready to run. I started by running for 30 seconds and walking for 30 minutes. The next day I ran for 1 minute and walked for 29. I kept with this until I could run at 5.0 for 30 minutes. I was so proud when that day came! I was finally becoming a runner, or maybe I should have more properly call myself a jogger. Regardless, I loved the feeling and the pride that accompanied my new found elliptical replacement.

Over the course of this week i’ll continue my running story and hopefully news about my next running goal. Bo and I have both signed up for the 2009 ING NYC Marathon lottery and find out TOMORROW if we received bib numbers! I’m so nervous and excited!

I hope you have a great day and use today as your inspiration to baby step your way to jogging. One minute of running is headway in the right direction. If you need, use Missy for inspiration as she is starting down the path of becoming a runner and is doing a great job!

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ashleyd /

A hummus so hot it makes you sweat

Good evening!

What a great evening it’s been! After a long day of meetings I was so excited to come home to not one but TWO packages! That amazing Danica sent us a wonderful Annie’s Natural sampler pack filled with Mac N Cheese, barbeque sauce, and dressings! We can’t wait to sample these over the next few days. The other package, was from my new best friends, Sonny and Joes! They sent us six different flavors and tonight Bo broke into the first hummus, Hot Enough Hummus.

A review from Bo: 
So after a long day, when I clearly didn’t eat enough, finding Sonny and Joe’s Hot Enough Hummus waiting for me at home was a welcome surprise.  I know its been a while since I’ve made an appearance (sorry about that) but this hummus was enough to draw me out of hibernation and back into the woods.  Now, I enjoy spicy food (I’m not a culinary masochist or anything but I think that spice adds flavor and plus it releases endorphins) and this hummus, with its layer of hot pepper tappenade, was seriously the best pureed chick pea that I’ve ever had.  The coolness of the hummus was perfectly balanced by the red pepper spice and it was only the fact that I had scallops on the stove to catch my attention that I didn’t eat the entire container (plus, that would have made me an unhealthy bear).  So, that leads me to the point of this whole diatribe: I rate Sonny and Joe’s as a definite bear.  Have a great night and I look forward to the next time I venture forth into the woods.

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ashleyd /

An amazing dinner experiment and picture update


I am so excited I could literally burst! Not only did I experiment with tonight’s side dish and SUCCEED but we’ve also made amazing headway on our apartment. For your your enjoyment i’ve included a few pics!

Tonight I decided to go out on
a limb and experiment with our side recipe! dish. We were

having chicken/mushroom/tomato/pepper kabobs and I knew I wanted something tasty and summery to accompany the dinner. Bo’s favorite vegetables are squash and zucchini and we both love anything with Mexican flavors. That is when my Mexican Stuffed Squash and Zucchinis were created!
Mexican Stuffed Squash and Zucchini
* 2 medium zucchini and 2 medium squash(about 8 ounces each), washed

* Salt and ground black pepper

* Olive Oil Pam spray

* 1 medium onion, chopped fine

* 1 large red pepper or 2 small peppers (red or yellow)

* 2 large garlic cloves, minced

* 1 Tbsp Mexican seasoning

*1 large bunch of cilantro
* 1/4 c salsa
* 1 can (15 ounce) black beans, drained well (about 1 1/2 cups)

* 6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups) (or other cheese)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Meanwhile, halve each zucchini lengthwise. With small grapefruit spoon, scoop out seeds and most of flesh so that walls of zucchini are 1/4 inch thick. Season cut sides of zucchini and squash with salt and pepper, and spraywith 1 Pam; set halves cut-side down on baking sheet. Roast until slightly softened and skins are wrinkled, about 10 minutes; Using tongs, flip zucchini halves over on baking sheet and set aside.

3. Heat approx tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes. Add onion, salt and pepper, spices, and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and salsa; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in black beans; cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 3 minutes. Turn off heat, stir in cilantro and taste to season.

4. Place filling in food processor and pulse for 2-3 seconds on low just to mix and smooth the ingredients. Divide filling evenly among squash halves on baking sheet, pack lightly; sprinkle with grated cheese. Return baking sheet to oven and bake zucchini until heated through and cheese is spotty brown, about 6 minutes. Serve immediately.

ENJOY! We loved it and enjoyed it with our salad and kabobs!

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