I pulled this recipe from Rachel Ray’s Magazine as noted above. When I was flipping through this issues, this recipe popped at me. It sort of reminded of a combination of menudo and pozole, both popular mexican soups that I love. I was pleasantly surprised by this soup.

I’m completely biased when it comes to trying mexican recipes I find online or in magazines. Sometimes I can’t help but feel like no one can make the dishes as well as my mom, nana or aunt.  But this soup was good, and don’t be scared of the jalepenos! It wasn’t spicy.   If  I was to make this soup again, I would just change one thing – I would take the skin off the chicken before cooking it.

Ingredients
2 TBS of olive oil
3 lbs of chicken thighs, bone in
1 onion, chopped
2 jalepeno chiles, stemmed seeded and thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic,  smashed and peeled
1 tbsp of chile powder
1 1/2 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of canned hominy, drained
1 small bunch of cilantro, stems discarded
1 lime

Directions
1. In a large pot, or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over high heat. Season the chicken pieces salt and pepper. Working in batches if necessary, add the chicken pieces to the pot in a single layer. Cook, turning once, until browned on both sides about 8 minutes.  Transfer to a plate.

2. Lower the heat to medium and discard all but 1 tbsp. of fat from the pot. Add the onion, half of the jalepenos and the garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the chili poweder, then stir in the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

3. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot. Add the hominy and enough water  to just cover (about 2 cups). Bring to a simmer over medium low heat, cover and cook for 40 minutes. Remove the chicken pieces and let cool slightly. Shred the meat and return it to the pot. (discard the skin and bones)

4.  Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the remaining jalepenos and the cilantro. Serve with the lime wedges, sour cream and an extra sprinlling of coarse salt and pepper.

Using my basic banana muffin recipe, I added some cocoa and voila! Chocolate Banana bread was born. It’s perfect to mix up your morning toast with this bread, or to have as a special guest for brunch. The bread is very good straight out of the oven, and even better toasted with yummies on top. I tried it with butter, nutella, and cream cheese. Strawberries are the perfect topping as well.   I hope you like this recipe.

Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup of ground oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking power
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-3 large ripe bananas
1 large egg
1/3 cup applesauce
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1/3 cup of cocoa powder

Pre-heat oven to 375.

Directions:
1. Mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  (Flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa)
2. In a separate bowl mash up the bananas. Add brown sugar, egg and applesauce, and mix until well blended.
3.  Add the banana mixture into the dry ingredient mixture. Mix it up.
4.  Pour the mixture into a bread/loaf pan.
5.  Bake for 40 minutes.  Do the toothpick test to ensure done-ness.

Eat this bread warm with dab of butter, or dress it up. Toast it, add some cream cheese and strawberries.
Unlike regular banana bread, I found this chocolate banana bread looses its effect on the taste buds when you eat it cold. So, it’s best warm or toasted. But if you like cold, that’s fine too.

I hope you enjoy this bread. Be sure to let me know how you dress it up.

That breaks down to about 10 miles a week, give or take. I’m pretty sure to some this is an easy feat, but to others it’s not. This is a milestone, and I plan to reach it by the end of the 2013. Who’s coming with me?!

Who’s in?!  I’ll post updates here and there on where I’m at with mileage, and just about my running progress in general.

To keep track and stay on-point, I’ve downloaded a couple apps on my phone. I received recommendations from friends and other folks online but I couldn’t decide which one to go with, so I’m starting with two and we’ll see how they work out.  Both apps are free and available for both Android and iPhones. In addition both apps can be used to track and map mileage, set, track and achieve fitness goals and to connect with  friends via the applications with sharing capabilities to social network sites like Facebook and Twitter. So, the apps I got are

• MapMyRun – http://www.mapmyrun.com
• Run Keeper – http://www.runkeeper.com

Both are very similar and so far there are things I like and dislike about each of them. In my Running Goal Updates you’ll also hear I’m liking/disliking the apps.

Need motivation? A while back I had a blog post with a bunch of running quotes. You can find them HERE.
And my favorite running quote is:

Ingredients
1 lb of carrots
1 TBS of canola oil
2 large potatoes
1/2 of a yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves
4 TBS of minced ginger
3 stalks of bok choy
1 Yellow hot pepper
2 bay leaves
green onions
2 cups of broth (chicken or vegetable)

Peel and carrots and potatoes. Cut the potatoes in to 2-3 inch pieces and cut the potatoes in half. Mince the ginger and three garlic cloves.

In a medium sauce pan, add four cups of water and add the carrots and potatoes. Cook until tender. Remove the carrots and potatoes from saucepan and add to a blender, along with 1/2 cup of the water.  Blend until you have a nice puree.

In the same sauce pan, add the canola oil. Once heated, add the onion, minced garlic and ginger, and sautee for 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and add to the puree  along with the last garlic cloves. Pulse in the blender for about 30 seconds. In same saucepan, cook the bok choy for 2-3 minutes, then remove from the pan. Pour half of the puree back into the sauce pan, add the broth. Keep on a medium heat.

With the remaining half of the puree in the blender, add the bok choy and pulse until blended. Then add it to the sauce pan. Add the hot yellow pepper into the sauce pan. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes.  Remove the hot pepper before serving.

Serve with green onions on top.
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This recipes serves 4.

Warm up: Treadmill – walk for 3 minutes, run at a moderate pace for  3 minutes then walk at and incline of 4 or higher for 3 minutes

50 Kettle Bell Swings
Sprint 3o seconds
50 Push Ups
Sprint 20 seconds
50 Jump Squats
Sprint 20 Seconds
50 Burpees
Sprint 15 Seconds
50 Jumping Jacks
Sprint 10 Seconds

Do it one more time.

Cool off on the Elliptical for 10 minutes.

Happy Day.

This recipe is modeled after the Hershey’s  ”Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake recipe with a just a few modifications. And I just winged it with the ganache! I hope you like this cake. It’s quite delicious and taste best warm.

Ingredients
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup Stevia
3/4 cup Hershey’s Cocoa
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour
2 eggs
2 tsp of vanilla extract
1 cup of vanilla soy milk
1/2 cup of  unsweetened applesauce
1 cup of fresh brewed coffee

Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease two 9 inch round cake pans.

1. Stir together sugar, stevia,  flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.

2. Add the eggs, milk, applesauce and vanilla to the flour mixture and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in fresh brewed coffee (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

2. Bake 30 to 35 minutes and do the Toothpick Test.  Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

Chocolate Ganache
2 TBS of butter
7 squares of the Baker’s Chocolate
1/4 cup of vanilla soy milk

1. In a medium saucepan, fill with 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Sit an aluminum mixing bowl over the boiling water.

2. Add the butter to the mixing bowl as it sits over the water. As it melts add the chocolate squares and the soy milk.  Keep stirring until smooth, about 3-5 minutes.

3. Get your cakes ready.  On one cake, add two spoonfuls of ganache and spread evenly. Keep the ganache warm and smooth by keeping the chocolate in the bowl and back into the saucepan while your spreading.  Add the second cake on top of the first cake. Pour the ganache over the cake spreading it along the top of the cake and letting it drip off the sides.

The Honey Lemon Drop Cookies were my chosen recipe for The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap.

The way it works is, you sign up and are matched up with three food bloggers. You send them each 1 dozen of the same cookie, and you in turn receive 1 dozen cookies from three additional food bloggers. It’s cool! This is my second year participating.  Here goes the recipe.

Honey Lemon Drop Cookies

Ingredients 
1/2 cup STEVIA
7 tablespoons butter, softened
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1/3 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt
Cooking spray
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Beat first 3 ingredients with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add honey, extract, and egg; beat until well-blended. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with yogurt, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Drop by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until lightly browned.
3. Combine powdered sugar and juice in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Brush powdered sugar mixture evenly over hot cookies. Sprinkle evenly with 2 teaspoons rind. Remove cookies from pan; cool on wire racks.

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So back to The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. I shipped out a dozen of these bad boys in a snowman treat baggie, then wrapped in tissue paper with ribbon, and off to the post office.  Here they are before they went into the boxes.

I sent one dozen of these cookies to the following food bloggers:

• The Nonpareil Baker  
• Sensibly Sara
• The Slender  Kitchen 

In return I received one dozen cookies from:

• Strudel and Streusel - Granola Cookies
• Juanita’s Cocina – Hot Cocoa Cookies
• I Can Cook That – Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

Food Blogger Cookie Swap! Yay.  Thank you Love and Olive Oil and Little Kitchen for coordinating once again.
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I had some green chili enchilada sauce left over from a previous meal and while gathering items from the refrigerator to make an omelette I got the fine idea to create an enchilada omelette. Ooooh weeee, I was not disappointed. Here goes the recipe. Hope you like it.

Ingredients
2 eggs
1/4 cup white onion, chopped
1 cup of baby spinach
1 corn tortilla (yellow or white corn), cut into strips
3 TBS of Monterrey Jack Cheese
1 TBS Canola Oil
1/4 cup of enchilada sauce

1. Heat a small pan over medium-high heat with the canola oil.  Add the spinach, onion, and strips of the corn tortillas.  Saute for 2-3 minutes.

Remove the items from the pan and set aside in a small bowl.
Crack your two eggs into a bowl and scramble them up really good. Drop the heat to medium.

2.  Pour the scrambled eggs to the same pan. Using the handle the on the pan, tip the pan back n forth and around to make sure the eggs are spread around evenly. Don’t stir it.  Let it set/cook for about 45 seconds. Using a rubber spatula gently push one edge of the egg towards the center of the pan, while tilting the pan to allow the still liquid egg to flow in underneath. Repeat with the other edges, until there’s no liquid left. Let the egg set, and it slide around the pan. If not, loosen with the spatula.  *using a rubber spatula is key.  Gently flip the egg over. On one half of the egg, add the sautee’d items, and cheese, then fold the egg in half covering the sauteed items. Let cook for about 30 seconds, then flip and let cook for another 30 seconds.  Remove your omelette from the pan and onto your plate.

Warm up the enchilada sauce in a microwave safe bowl.

3. Pour the enchilada  sauce over the omelette, and sprinkle a tad bit of cheese. Now it’s ready to eat.

Yum!
–

Ways to mix this recipe up:
- add chicken or turkey
- add jalepenos or serrano pepper to make it spicy
- use a red chili sauce instead

Directions

1. In a large pot, add 1/2 TBS of canola oil and set over medium-high heat.  Add the turkey and cook for 4-5 minutes until browned all over. Remove from the pot.

2. In the same pot, add the other 1/2 TBS of canola oil, and the onion and cook for 7-8 minutes until it it golden. Add the chili powder,  garlic, cumin and dried oregano. Mix around evenly.   Add two cans of the beans (drained). Stir around and add the chicken both.  Let it get to a boil and drop to a simmer. Add the turkey and diced tomatoes and let it sit simmer for 25 mins.

3. In a food processor, puree the last can of the beans. Add the puree’d beans to the pot and stir around. Squeeze the lime juice in and add 1/4 tsp of salt and pepper each, along with the chopped cilantro. Let it simmer for an additional 5 minutes before serving.

Ready to serve.  This would be great with a roll, or cheesy bread. I only had Saltine crackers and it was sufficient, but I think bread would be better.
Hope  you like it.

Changes you can make:
Use turkey breast rather than ground turkey,
Use a whole fresh tomato
Cook your own beans
Make your own broth

Related articles

• White Bean Chicken Chili (thoughtsalonglifeshighway.com)

Pumpkin Granola

Ingredients
4 cups of rolled oats
1 cup of puffed red wheat cereal
1/2 cup pepitas
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups of walnuts, chopped
1 can pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 TBS Cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
3 TBS of brown sugar
3 stevia packets
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup dried apricots, chopped

Pre heat oven to 325.

1.  In a mixing bowl, stir together oats, red wheat cereal, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pepitas.

2. In a separate bowl, add the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ground cloves, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar and stevia. Mix it up really good. Then pour into the bowl with the oats and nuts. Mix it around until it looks as if the puree has been spread evenly.

3. Pour your mixture onto a parchment or foil lined cookie sheet. Using as spatula even it out, but do not press onto the sheet.

4.  Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, and flip over the granola. Put back into the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and repeat the process two more times, baking for a total of  60 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let it cool down, then add the dried cranberries and apricots and stir around before storing.

This granola recipe isn’t crunchy. It’s more of a soft crunch.  Hope you like it! Eat over yogurt, with milk or snack on it.

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Other granola recipes:
Cranberry Almond Granola
Apple Cinnamon Granola

20 Push ups
20 Burpees
Up and Down bleachers 5 times
30 Mountain Climbers (15 each leg)
Run 1 time around the track

Repeat the sequence 4 times.

Then I ran around the track 4 more times just for fun. 

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