I haven’t written a post in a few months (sorry!).  I got busy with summer classes and working way too much (promotions and on my house).

Since my last post I completed 3 summer classes: Organic Chemistry, Food and Cultures, and Lifetime Health.  I sprained my ankle and was out of running for 8 whole weeks!  Now I am back at it and training for a half marathon. I also filmed a commercial in July and another one will be filmed tomorrow!

In the meantime, I have been collecting and perfecting healthy and delicious recipes for YOU!! The first one, Redskin Pickle Potato Mash, swhich ounds a little strange.  After testing it out, I am in love!  The second recipe I have is a Mexi- Macaroni casserole.  I have already eaten 3 bowls of each 🙂

Redskin Pickle Potato Mash

1.5 pounds small redskin potatoes
½ cup dill pickle juice
2/3 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
½ cup finely chopped dill pickles
*Salt and pepper to taste

1. Scrub all dirt off of the potatoes
2. Boil potatoes with skins on them until tender.
3. Cool potatoes and cut into ¾” pieces
4. Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mash until you have a slightly creamy texture that still have some “lumps”.
5. Salt and pepper to taste.

I made-up the Mexi- Macaroni casserole last night and I love it!  This recipe is very in expensive to make; I found most of my ingredients on-sale.  This casserole would make 8-10 servings.  The price per serving is about $1.66-$1.33 depending on how large your portions are.  I also use all organic ingredients.  If you used items that were not organic, your cost would be much lower as well.

Mexi-Macaroni

3 cups cooked macaroni pasta al dente
1 pounds extra lean ground turkey
2 cups salsa (I used one that was not chunky)
1 15oz can tomato sauce
½ small Finley chopped onion
1 bell pepper chopped into small pieces
2 cups frozen corn
1 can black beans
2 cups shredded 2% cheddar cheese

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 °F
2. Cook pasta according to directions while you are browning the turkey meat.
3. Chop onion and bell pepper while you wait for the noodles and turkey to be cooked.
4. Mix pasta, ground turkey, salsa, tomato sauce, onion, bell pepper, corn, and beans together in a large mixing bowl.
5. Transfer to a 13” x 9” glass baking dish and cover with tinfoil.
6. Bake covered for 35-40 minutes, or union peppers and onions are soft.
7. Uncover, top with cheese, and bake an additional 10 minutes until cheese is melted and golden.

*pretty much any type of noodle would work.

Weekly Work-out
I am trying to train for a half marathon and get great definition for a few photo-shoots I have coming up.  This is what my work-out looks like from last week:
Monday- 5 mile run at a 7:33″ pace
Tuesday– ins and outs on the treadmill mile 1 was completed in 6:20″.  Then I did arm weights, weighted squats, and abs. I ran another mile of ins and outs and it was completed in 6:12″.
Wednesday– REST
Thursday– I ran 8 miles at a pace of 7:55/ mile.  It was very hot and my asthma was horrible this day!
Friday– REST
Saturday– easy 3 mile run
Sunday– 6 mile run

I am trying to mix up my distances and work-outs.  I am short on time lately so my long runs are incorporated only on the days I have time.

Next week I’ll be posting a recipe for healthier cinnamon nutmeg doughnut muffins!