Salsa Chicken & Coconut Tortillas

I'm so glad I have friends who told me about the Paleo Comfort Foods cookbook, every single recipe in it makes my mouth water. I've been eating tortilla-less Mexican food since the beginning of the year nd I'm so excited to be able to have tortillas again!!!

Batter after whisking ingredients

These tortillas made from coconut flower were the very first thing that caught my eye. It's a super easy recipe that would allow me to have tacos again!! What's not to love?? You can find this recipe on page 118 of the cookbook.

Here's what you'll need to make them:

1/4 cup of coconut flour

8 large egg whites

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup of water

Tortilla cooking

Here's what you do:

~Whish all ingredients together in a bowl, making sure there are no lumps (this took a little bit). If you want thinner tortillas, you can add 1-2 more teaspoons of water (I opted for extra water).

~Preheat a small skillet over medium heat. Place about 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in the pan. Allow it to melt and coat the pan.

~Pour about 3 tablespoons of batter into the pan, tipping the pan from side to side while you pour the batter (this is super important - didn't do it on the first one and it was a major fail!). Don't attempt to flip the tortilla until you are sure the first side is golden brown so the tortilla doesn't rip.

~Once golden brown, flip the tortilla over and brown on opposite side. Remove to plate and repeat the process (adding coconut oil as needed).

This recipe should produce about 8-10 tortillas (it made 8 tortillas for me).

Plate of finished yumminess!

To go with the tortillas I made shredded salsa chicken in the crockpot.

Here's how I made that:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

One large container of organic salsa (I got mine from Trader Joe's)

Toss the chicken and the salsa in the crockpot with just a little bit of water. Cook on low for about 8 hours. When finished the chicken should shred easily, I just pulled it apart with a fork.

Finished product

I had planned on making chicken tacos, but the tortillas didn't cooperate, so I just put some chicken on top of the tortillas and ate it that way. It worked just fine and tasted awesome, but I think next time I may add even bit more water to make the tortillas a little thinner.

A few other notes - I think these tortillas would be awesome with some cumin, chili powder or ancho chili powder in them. Also, if you're not a fan of coconut, you may want to use a bit of olive oil in the pan instead of coconut oil, because these definitely have a coconut-y taste. On that note, if you're looking for something sweet, I think these tortillas would be amazing with some cinnamon, nutmeg and/or coconut sugar (of course using the coconut oil to cook them). I think they'd be nice with a little bit of coconut milk ice cream on top!

Paleo Chili and Crackers

I have found so many awesome recipes on Christina's blog! Here's one of my favorites:

Bison beanless chili

1 lb bison, ground1 14oz can of tomatoes, diced 1 package of sliced mushrooms 1 onion, chopped 1 green bell pepper diced 2 tbsp tomato paste 1 container of mushrooms, chopped small 2 tbsp regular chili powder 1 tsp chipotle chili powder 1 tsp ancho chili powder 1 tsp garlic powder 1.5 tsp salt (or to your liking) 1 tbsp cumin

Cook bison until no longer pink – add in mushroom, onion, and bell pepper and saute until tender. add in 1 full can of diced tomatoes and enough water to cover all the meat/veg. Add tomato paste and all spices and simmer for 2 hours on low heat.

I've made this a few times now and I love it. Here are the few things that I change. I always use ground turkey breast instead of bison, I generally skip the green pepper, double the amount of garlic powder, and I also add a bit of fresh garlic.

When I make the chili, I always make these awesome basil crackers!

• 1 ¾ cups almond flour
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon basil olive oil
• 1 egg
• 1. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt and basil
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil and egg
  3. Stir wet ingredients into almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined
  4. Roll the dough into a ball and press between 2 sheets of parchment paper to ⅛ inch thickness
  5. Remove top piece of parchment paper
  6. Transfer the bottom piece with rolled out dough onto baking sheet
  7. Cut dough into 2-inch squares with a knife or pizza cutter (I've found a pizza cutter works best)
  8. Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden
  9. Let crackers cool on baking sheet for 30 minutes, then serve

The cracker recipe is from elana's pantry - another great resource for recipes. I follow her recipe exactly, except that I don't care for rosemary so I sub in basil and basil flavored olive oil for the rosemary and regular EVOO.

Coconut Chicken Tenders and Sweet Potato Bites

For me the key to sticking to a strict paleo lifestyle is to plan, plan, plan my meals. This generally means I cook for most of the week on Sunday. This maybe the easiest "recipe" ever...but it's certainly one of my favorites!

Coconut Chicken Tenders:

Package of chicken tenders (or chicken breasts)

2 eggs

1 cup of coconut flour

Preheat the oven to 350 and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Then all you need to do is beat the eggs in a small bowl and put the coconut flour in another small bowl. Dip the chicken in the egg bath and then coat it in the flour. Place the chicken on the baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Sweet Potato Bites

2 small sweet potatoes, chopped, skin on

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder (could also use cinnamon or nutmeg)

Sea salt

Melt coconut oil over low heat, toss in ancho chili powder, and a bit of sea salt. Coat the sweet potatoes in the oil mixture and put them on a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes

This would be an awesome meal for a family with kiddos. Whip up some paleo ketchup or ranch as a dip and the kids likely won't even realize they're not eating traditional breaded chicken tenders or nuggets!

Almond Banana Muffins!

Ok, if the bacon wrapped sweet potatoes were the prom queen of my ladies night, the almond banana muffins were definitely first runner-up, ready to take the crown at a moments notice!

What you'll need:

1 cup almond butter

1 cup almond flour

4 medium ripe bananas, mashed

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (maybe even a little more if you like cinnamon)

1 tablespoon of vanilla

1/2 cup plus more for topping muffins Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips (Dairy-Free, Soy Free, Gluten-Free) – I find mine at Whole Foods

Here's how you make them:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease pan or use liners (I used liners - much easier!)

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except chocolate chips and mix everything is incorporated. *Side note - I used my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. You can definitely make these with a hand mixer, but with the stand mixer I was able to put the bananas in whole without having to mash them, made it much easier!* Now stir chocolate chips into batter. Pour batter into prepared muffin tin filling all 12 cups evenly. Top muffins with a few additional chocolate chips. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool and remove from pan.

I baked mine for exactly 20 minutes and they cam out perfectly! Next time I make them I won't use the chocolate chips (not a huge chocolate fan). I know Ginesa made these last night using diced apples, raisins and nutmeg. I think I'll steal her idea and use apples in mine next time around! Also, these these freeze really well! I wrapped the left-over muffins individually and popped them in the freezer. Just sit one on the counter to thaw and they're as good as fresh-out of the oven!

Bacon Wrapped Sweet Potatoes

Hey everyone! For those of you who don't know, I've started crossfit classes at Crossfit Gambit in Soulard and along with the new workouts I've also begun a strict paleo diet.

If you're unfamiliar with what paleo means, here's a quick summary from Wikipedia: the "contemporary" Paleolithic diet consists mainly of meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, roots, and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils. Today is my 22nd day of eating at least 80% paleo, and my 15th day of eating 100% paleo with zero cheats. It's been a challenge, but I have to say, I've never felt better! I've always had tummy problems, especially when running long(ish) miles and that has been completely eliminated. My plan was to eat 100% paleo for 30 days and going back to 80% after. Now I'm thinking I'm going to stay as close to 100% as possible from now on (with an occasional cheat for booze lol).

I'm planning to share a bunch of paleo recipes that I've tried here, partly because some people have asked for them and partly so that I have a place to find them all in one spot!

Last night I had a group of ladies over - it was the first time I was putting my paleo cooking to the test for other people. I think everything went really well. I think the big hit of the night was the bacon-wrapped sweet potatoes!

Here's what you'll need:

2 medium-small sweet potatoes
1 lb uncured bacon
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
1 Tbsp sea salt
4 Tbsp maple syrup — OPTIONAL

Preheat oven to 350F. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them lengthwise into quarters. Then cut each quarter in half, and then half again. You’ll wind up with 32 bites.

Melt butter over low-heat and stir in chipotle chili powder and sea salt. Toss the potatoes in the spiced, melted butter to coat.

Cut the bacon slices in half, so you have 32 mini-slices of bacon. Wrap each sweet potato bite with a half slice of bacon, and use a toothpick to hold the bacon in place. The toothpick doesn't have to go very far into the sweet potato, just far enough to hold the bacon in place.

Place on a stainless steel baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, turning once about halfway through. I thought about baking these on parchment paper, but I'm really glad I didn't. I think the bacon grease would have made that a disaster.

These are done when the bacon is crispy and the sweet potatoes are fork-tender. You could also drizzle these with a bit of maple syrup when finished, but I choose not to.

These were the last thing I made because I thought they may get soggy when reheated. There were a few leftover, so I'll report back on how well they do when reheated.

Well...hello there!

I've been meaning to get back to blogging for a while now, but something happened tonight that set me off.

It all started by a seemingly innocent tweet.

Everyone that knows me knows I enjoy shopping. That's certainly no secret. It's also no secret that I'm not a fan of shopping alone. I'm awful about making decisions and prefer having someone else to give me their opinions of what I try on. As a result, when I'm alone and am thinking of buying something I often turn to Twitter. Tonight was no different. I have several holiday parties to attend and wanted a new dress. Could I wear something in my closet? Probably. But in the last year I've lost a significant amount of weight which means a lot of things in my closet no longer fit me and frankly, I simply wanted something new. No crime there.

What happened next really surprised me. I got a bunch of tweets from my "internet friends" telling me things they liked and disliked about the dress. Then all of the sudden, I saw this:

I was instantly taken back. I instantly replied "whoa - so not true! I have numerous Christmas parties to attend - mostly the same people at all of them." Then I looked at her timeline and what I saw really surprised me.

I'm not really sure what I've done to bring on this sort of exchange about me. For all anyone knows I was at a discount department store trying on a clearance dress or at a store shopping with a gift card that I had been given. I never mentioned where I was. I never ever would have mentioned the price of this dress. Also, not everything that gets tweeted ends up in my closet. That's the whole point of tweeting the pic, to weed out the uglies!

There are so many other things I have to say about what happened tonight, but I'll just end with this:

Before you judge someone, take a second to learn a little bit about them and spend some time walking in their shoes. You may just be surprised by what you find out.

A Little Bit Stronger

This morning I woke up and set off to run 10-12 miles. It was a gorgeous morning and lots of other runners were on the street. I was cruising along listening to my music but my legs felt heavy and my body was tired. I called it a day after just under 9 miles. I got home and still had plenty of time for a kettlebell workout before I needed to get ready for church. I popped in my Jillian Michaels DVD and gave it all I had.

Much to my surprise, I still had tons of time to kill before getting ready. I started a pot of coffee and hopped in the shower. After my shower, I made breakfast and watched some tv before deciding it was time to get moving. Before getting up, I changed the channel to U-Verse's new Today's Country station. The first song that came on was Sara Evans's A Little Bit Stronger. I tweeted part of the lyrics:

Doesn't happen overnight, but you turn around and a month's gone by,

And you realize you haven't cried.

I'm not giving you an hour or a second or another minute longer.

I'm busy getting stronger.

I didn't think anything about tweeting it. I love the song, love the lyrics, nothing more. It wasn't until I was about half-way finished doing my hair that it hit me. Today is May 8th. To most people May 8, 2011 meant that today is Mother's Day. To me, it meant so much more.

May 8, 2008 was the day that I ended my marriage. It was the day that I decided that I'd finally had enough. It was the day that would change my life forever. I didn't know it at the time, but I was close to hitting rock bottom, which meant that I was close to picking myself up and putting my life back together again.

As I sit here three years later, I amazed at just how different my life is. My relationship with my family is stronger now than it's ever been. My friendships with those that were around three years ago are also stronger. I've formed new friendships with so many wonderful people and I am ridiculously happy to have them my life. I've become a runner - a marathoner! I've traveled to so many parts of the country that I wouldn't have seen if it wasn't for running and I'm looking forward to exploring even more cities by foot in the years to come. I feel more alive today than I ever have.

None of these things would have been possible if it weren't for the events that lead up to May 8, 2008.

Things aren't perfect, and they never will be. May 8th still triggered tears, but not as many tears as it did last year or the year before. One of these days, May 8th will just be another day. Until then I'm going to do my best to spend everyday getting a little bit stronger.

Long time no blog!

Hi Friends! It's been a while since I've sat down and blogged, but I've got so many things to update about that I thought I'd just to a quick recap to get up-to-date...so here it goes, Jenn's life in bullet points:

• If you follow me on twitter, you've probably already seen me mention this, but my Etsy store is back up and running...and it's in full swing! I've started making non-slip headbands similar to those you find at running stores, race expos, and the interwebs for $15-18. I'm charging $10 each or $25 for a set of three. All proceeds benefit my Girls on the Run SoleMates fundraising campaign. If you check it out and don't see a pattern you're looking for, shoot me a message! I'm in the process of making a bunch more.
• Chocolate pasta sucks. I bought some at Soulard Market last Friday with plans to make it as a dessert for Easter dinner. I told my mom about it and she immediately thought I was crazy and requested that I do a test run. Well...she was right it.was.awful! I boiled the noodles, chilled them, tossed them with whipped cream and strawberries and topped it with chocolate sauce. Sounds great, right?? WRONG! After tweeting that this was an epic fail Lauren told me her boyfriend has made chocolate pasta as a savory dish with butter and parm...I may try that with the rest of the noodles (if I'm not too traumatized to try them again).
• Speaking of the fabulous Lauren...I AM GOING TO CALIFORNIA to visit her in September to visit her!!!!! We were originally planning a long-ish weekend, then she mentioned that she was road-tripping to Vegas the week I was planning on leaving. This lead to me popping into my boss's office and asking if I can take 12 days off (well, 12 days total, not 12 work days) and she said YES!!! So...LA and Vegas in less than 5 months?? Time to get my ass in shape!
• If you're in St. Louis and you haven't been to Sanctuaria yet, you need to go. NOW! I'd be lying if I said I remember a lot about last Friday, but what I do remember is amazingly yummy drinks (with pretty flowers), a cool crowd, and a very hip vibe. I can't wait to go back.
• If you have a second check out the Girls Guide to the Galaxy's StL 2011 Sexiest CyberGeek contest. They posted it last night, and I've found some cool new local people to follow! I'd love to opportunity to meet all of the other nominees sometime soon.
• Our Ragnar Chicago team is finally coming together! After having a full team of 12 set late last year, the team kind of fell apart this spring. Work, school, and babies caused some girls to have to drop, but we're now back up to a team of 11 and we already have 2 out of the 3 volunteers that we need. We are still looking for one female runner and 1 volunteer in or near Madison or Chicago...if you know of someone PLEASE let me know!

Ok..I think that's enough for now. I promise I'm really going to try to be better about updating. I've got way to many races and new shoes to tell you about to not blog.

Happy Almost-Thursday!!!

Back to the basics

It's been a while since I've posted about shoes, so I decided to share a couple of pairs that arrived yesterday. If you follow me on Twitter, you've probably heard me talking about Sole Society. It's a new shoe club that just launced this year. I didn't hear about SS until last month and signed up right away. I ended up ordering two pairs of summer heels, the Anouk and Analisa.

Here's what SS has to say about the Anouks: This fashion forward yet timeless platform is a fun, sexy addition to your shoe collection. With peep-toe, cutouts and a Tstrap, it's equally sleek and fierce.

• Heel Height: 5 1/2"


• Platform Height: 1 1/4"


• Runs true to size


• Material: Microsuede

Anouk in coral

I ordered them in coral and am in love. They're so cute and comfortable that I've decided to order the blue as well!

Isn't the blue pretty, too??

Next up is Analisa:

Take your look to the next level with these gorgeous ruffle heels. The adjustable ankle strap provides a secure fit while the stiletto adds femininity and glamour.

• Heel Height: 4 3/4"


• Platform Height: 1"


• Runs true to size


• Material: Satin

L.O.V.E.

Analisa may not be the most practical shoe ever, but 4" heel, platform, ruffles AND pink meant that I had to have them. Their not as comfortable as Anouk, but they're certainly not uncomfortable and I think they'll look super cute with dark jeans and a white top.

Have you guys found any cute new shoes lately?

And the winners are... (plus tutu instructions)

Thanks to everyone for the super sweet comments about Rock n Roll Dallas - Barbie from barbie runs for fun and Jacob (aka @Wirelessjake on twitter) are the lucky winners of theHoneyMilk! I'll be putting both of you in contact with them very shortly. For everyone that didn't win and would like to try HoneyMilk, here's a coupon code I found online for you - SMP63032 - using this code will save you 33% on your entire order of Athletes HoneyMilk (up to 6 cases of each flavor per order), plus the shipping is ALWAYS on them!

Miss Alayna sporting her halloween tutu and her PunkRockRacing tee!

Also - I owe Fran overdue instructions on how to make tutus so here it goes:

You'll need:

2 spools of 6" tulle (I like to use more than one color - so get one of each)

Spool of grosgrain ribbon, preferably something about an inch thick

Scissors

I start by cutting the tulle into strips approx. 24" long (this will give you a tutu that's about 12" long). I find it easier to go ahead and cut off of the tulle at one time, but feel free to just cut it as you go. Then I tie the ribbon around the back of a chair making sure that it's tied tightly enough that it isn't going to move too much. Then all you do is fold the tulle in half and tie a slip knot around the ribbon, making sure the knot is at the bottom of the ribbon. If you don't want to use slip knots, you can simply make a double knot - easy peasy! If you're using multiple colors, just alternate the tulle as you go and continue that pattern until it's long enough. When it's the length you need simply cut the ribbon, allowing enough room to tie a bow, and you're all done!

This is how I've made all of mine - if you're wanting to use elastic instead of ribbon, here's a great tutorial from Plumtickled - just remember she's showing you how to make them for a kiddo, so you'll want to make sure you get the proper waist measurement.

I hope all of that makes sense - if anyone wants to make a tutu and doesn't understand anything I just said, shoot me an email and I'll do my best to help.

Hope y'all had an awesome Monday!

Rock 'n' Roll Dallas...and a giveaway!

This past weekend I headed to the greatest state in the Union for Rock 'n' Roll Dallas. My love affair with everything Texas, and more specifically DFW, isn't a secret so it should come as no surprise that I loved this race.

When I arrived in Texas I was greeted by The Running Couple, who arranged for absolutely perfect weather. It was so sweet of them to make sure that the highs were in the mid-80s and the sun was shining. Friday I had a bit of time to myself and it was so nice to walk around Fort Worth, there were blooming flowers and beautiful green trees everywhere!

Beautiful scenery during a long walk Friday afternoon

The weather played a trick on me though, because by Sunday morning it was FAH-REEZING! Ok, technically it wasn't 32 degrees, but it was darn close, especially considering it was in the 80s Friday and Saturday. Normally temps in the 40s & low 50s wouldn't have been so bad, but I had no cool weather running clothes with me. My tank, shorts and HoneyMilk tutu would have to do!

Nothing says Texas like the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders!

Lee and Isis were so wonderful to wake up super early just to to drive me to the start. They even braved the cold to cheer runners on during the race. This worked fabulous for me because they were able to drop me off about 2 blocks from the start. From there I quickly made my way to the VIP tent. Brian (@TriBoomer on twitter) generously gave me a pass into the VIP tent where I was able to chat with him and where I finally met Sarah Stanley.

Just one of the beautiful homes we saw along the way

Before the race, Brian introduced me to Miss Texas USA, Ana Rodriguez. She had never run a race before and asked if I minded running with her. I can't begin to describe how friendly she was, and I'm not talking that fake beauty pageant niceness. She was genuine. It was great to have a buddy for a little while but she was too fast for me so I told her to go ahead after a couple of miles. Luckily I was outfitted in my HoneyMilk honeybee costume so I had tons of people cheering me on, I had forgotten how many cheers tutus earn on a race course!

I couldn't believe how many people asked me about HoneyMilk while on the course. Several people saw my post about the tutu on the RnRDallas FB wall and many more commented that they saw the tutus floating around the race expo. This made me SUPER happy. I was able to spread the word about a product that I truly love to those that had never tried it and I told those that were already faithful HoneyMilk customers about Team HoneyMilk.

This honeybee is done with half-marathon #4 for 2011

I cannot express how much I love this course. Say what you want about the Competitor Group and Rock 'n' Roll races, but they sure did a great job mapping out a beautiful 13.1 miles through Dallas. I loved the race last year, but this year was even better. The course was exactly the same, but I think the volunteers were even better this year and there was definitely a lot more crowd support this time around. For me, this race was over far too quickly - if they ever offer a full at this event, I'm jumping on it. I was having so much fun out there that I could have kept going! My one major complaint about the event was the lack of mylar blankets at the finish line. I was a tad cold while running, thanks to the temps and a little drizzle, but once I quit moving I was miserably cold. Mylar to wrap up in would have helped a lot.

So thanks to Texas for another wonderful race - I can't wait to come back again!!!

My reward for the race!

Now onto the fun stuff...the giveaway! As you can tell, I'm a big fan of HoneyMilk and a member of Team HoneyMilk. They've been generous enough to give me two cases to giveaway to my readers. Entry is simple - just leave me a comment letting me know which flavor of HoneyMilk you'd love to try. My personal favorite is vanilla, but there's not a flavor I don't like (that's why I'm a big fan of ordering their variety pack). So that's it, just leave me a comment (and be sure to give me your contact info so I can let you know if you win!) by Monday, April 4th - easy peasy! Good luck!!!!

Cowtown Challenge Weekend

This post-race margarita that's big as my head proves that everything is bigger in Texas

It seems like it’s been a while since I’ve written a race report. I guess that’s because it’s been a while since I last ran a race. Luckily my schedule is about to kick into high gear – hopefully that means that I’ll be a bit more motivated to train properly...fingers crossed!

Last Friday Ashley and I hopped on a plane headed to Fort Worth. The flight was great, thanks to an awesome Southwest flight attendant who kept the vodka coming, even though we didn’t ask for more than the first round. I swear I could feel my mood improve as soon as the plane touched down, there’s just something about being in Texas that truly makes me happy. Shortly after we grabbed our luggage Lee & Isis were there to pick us up. It was absolutely amazing to see them again! Once we got back to their place we chatted for a bit but headed to bed relatively quickly since we had to get up bright and early Saturday.

Lee, two fine ladies whose names are escaping me, Isis (and her baby bump), me, and Ashley after the 5k.

On Saturday morning we got to the expo by 7am so that Ashley & I could pick up our packets. I was surprised by how big the expo was, it was big enough to feel like a “big race” but no so big that it was overwhelming. Ashley & I grabbed our 5k and half/marathon bibs, the special Cowtown Challenge bib and our t-shirts. Pretty soon it was time to stash our bags at the HoneyMilk booth and head to the start line for the 5k. This was a mistake – we should have headed to the start much sooner. I’ve never seen a crowd like this for a 5k! We ended up getting there in plenty of time, but were kind of stuck at the back of the pack. We tried to run for what I would guess was about ¾ of a mile but finally gave up because it was so crowded. We ended up saying screw it and just had fun while covering the remaining distance. It was awesome to be with Lee, Isis & Ashley and I cannot wait to see the photos – they’re sure to be hilarious!

See HoneyMilk makes people happy – we’re proof of that!

After the above photo was snapped, we headed back to the expo and poured some HoneyMilk for everyone to enjoy. We couldn’t stay behind the booth for too long because we had to get to the meet-up sponsored by HoneyMilk. The meet-up was at Magnolia’s Motor Lounge. None of us had been there before so we were excited to try it out. The food was excellent, as was the beer, and I heard the garage fries topped with country fried bacon were especially yummy. It was so great to see all of my Texas buddies again and to meet some for the first time. I wish I would have been smart enough to snap some photos of everyone!

Meet-up at Magnolia Motor Lounge

After the meet-up Ashley hung out with some family, Isis had to go to work. Lee was super productive and I took a nap. When I finally woke up Lee & I headed to the best place in the whole world, a/k/a Central Market, to pick up supplies for a fabulous dinner and then we were off to pick Isis up from work. She and I relaxed and caught up some more while Lee slaved in the kitchen. After dinner Ashley joined us again and another DFW buddy, Mike, came over. Lee & Isis were smart and went to bed early…Mike, Ashley & I stayed up watching some silly stuff on tv.

Alarms went off bright and early Sunday morning. Mike, Ashley & I got ready for the half, Lee got ready for the 50k and Isis got ready to be an awesome wife & friend (she wasn’t running but got up and drove us to the start!). The start was gain pretty crowded, but seemed like it moved a little more smoothly than the previous day. Ashley started off with her cousin and they quickly pulled in front of me. While I was in line for the porta potty Ashley called – at first I was worried about her but then she told me that her cousin sped off and she was going to hold up and wait for me. I told her I was moving slowly but she said she didn’t care.

Ashley & her medals representin’ Big River and HoneyMilk

Having Ashley by my side for the last 11ish miles of this race made the day for me. We chatted, laughed, took pictures with real-life cowboys and their horse and popped into a Starbucks to use a real bathroom. We weren’t moving fast, but we were having fun and for me, that’s what this race was all about – I needed to just have fun again. I cannot thank Ashley enough for sacrificing her race to stay with me.

The course was ok - we ran through some questionable neighborhoods, but we also got to run past the Stockyard, which was a highlight for me, and all around downtown Fort Worth. There were some killer hills (Hello mile 9!) but other than those I'd say it was a reasonably flat course. There wasn't a ton of course support, but I'd say that the police we some of the nicest I've ever seen on a race course. Oh, and this was the first race I've done that gave out finisher's shirt - that was a nice touch! All in all I'd probably give this race a 7 out of 10. Since it's in Fort Worth, there's a high likely hood that I'll be back in 2012.

HoneyMilk and Punk Rock Racing gear, plus two medals = a great day

So there you have it, half marathon #13 is in the books...next up is Rock 'n' Roll Dallas. See you soon, Texas!!!

Wordless Wednesday

To.
Die.

For.

Jimmy Choo Marine Crystal Collection

Wordless Wednesday

I-Lyddia

These will be mine...hopefully by tomorrow if the UPS man cooperates!

Just when I say I'm gonna be better...

I need to just stop saying I'm going to take it easy with my shoe purchases because it seems every.single.time. I say that I end up buying more! But this time it wasn't my fault. Allow me to explain:

Every so often ShoeDazzle emails me with a dazzle deal, and I almost always ignore the email. This morning I opened up the email and for some reason decided to check it out. Today's deal was 5 different styles of Velvet Angel shoes for $39.95. These aren't ShoeDazzle brand shoes - they are shoes that retail at anywhere from $150 on up, most being in the $300 range. SHUT.THE.FRONT.DOOR. Designer shoes for almost 90% off??? Yes, please.

How in the world was I supposed to pass this up?? I wasn't. So you see, that's how this wasn't my fault at all.

I frantically began looking at the options and figuring which ones were available in my size (aka giant) and kept trying to add them to my cart, but the site wasn't allowing me to shop (blasphemy!). Luckily, I was thinking clearly enough to try to call their customer service line and after being on hold for a few minutes a lovely lady picked up the phone and became my shoe savior for the day. She quickly told me which shoes were available in my size and I was able to get 2 pairs ordered with ease.


On to the good stuff...what I ordered!

I'll start with these - the Zoo Bar in black:

Here's what ShoeDazzle had to say about them: ‘Zoo Bar’ platform pump by Velvet Angels is pristine, with a beveled platform that commands attention and reflects the light. The genuine leather upper is stitched at the towering heel, with seductive cutouts that showcase every curve. This versatile side-zip beauty has oodles of sex appeal and will shine a spotlight on your stems.

With a 5" heel and a 1" platform these babies are sure to make my legs look nice and long!

And now I present to you the Infinity in mauve:

ShoeDazzle says: The gorgeous ‘Infinity’ shoe by Velvet Angels shows off a seemingly infinite number of criss-crossing straps that glide up to the ankles. With a fierce metallic beveled platform and sky-high heel, these shoes have a commanding ‘come hither’ vibe. Anchored by grommets that lend Infinity urban sophistication, the straps playfully showcase hints of skin while retaining some mystery. A genuine leather upper and sole distinguish this zip-back stunner.

And I couldn't agree more! These puppies are perfect for summer! They also have a killer 5" heel and a 1" platform.

I'll close with this:

Dear Mother Nature -

Can you please speed the end of winter up a bit so I can wear my new shoes?

Love, Me

**WTF is up with blogger lately? Is anyone else having a really hard time getting photos to go in the right place? Sorry for the ridiculous formatting!