in which I sign up for a triathlon, whoa.

in which I sign up for a triathlon, whoa.

3.27.2012

I did something crazy. It might be a bad idea. I might not be able to accomplish it. I’m scared, nervous, excited, overwhelmed…but encouraged. I know that I have lots of people to support me…I think. With their help, I hope I can do it.





I did it. I registered for a Sprint Triathlon. Well, I registered for the training program. Did you get that? A triathlon. 500m swim. Oh and then just a 12 mile bike…and wait, yes, a 5k. Individually, I’m confident that I could complete all those things. String them together…that’s a whole other story. On April 9th training with Playtri’s Group Training Program starts. I’ll have some kind of workout 6 days a week…usually 2-3 coached workouts a week. They are promising success…but they haven’t seen me run yet.

Everybody has goals. They aren’t supposed to be easy. For once, just once, I would actually like to finish something I start. I have a great network of encouraging friends (and a supportive boyfriend) who have been in my position at some point. I just need to finish the race. That’s it. Cross the line and try not to die. That’s going to be a pretty sweet feeling. Even better, both C and his dad will be participating in this triathlon on June 3rd! So fun! Hopefully we’ll all get a little time to watch each other in action.

And so, training begins. 10 weeks of discipline. Eating right. Drinking water. Building endurance. Perfecting my freestyle. Climbing hills on my bike. Finding strength for the run (the hardest part in my opinion). Making friends. Getting in shape. Accomplishing a goal. Crossing the 1st item off my bucket list.

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We love San Diego

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monday musings.

monday musings.

3.26.2012

1. WE’RE SEEING HUNGER GAMES TONIGHT!!! Please make this day hurry by!

2. I typically have a 15-20 minute commute to work. Today it took me an hour and a half. I wonder if the people who get in accidents on the highway feel bad about backing up 10 miles of traffic. My guess is they are more worried about their cars…but sometimes I do wish they felt a little bit bad. #toocynical?

3. C and I cheated and went out for pizza at Coal Vines last night. It was worth it though, we dined next to Troy Aikman and we saw Mavs Coach Carlisle.

4. Thursday night consisted of half price glasses of wine, pizza from across the street, and lots of yelling excited talking with two of my very close friends. It was some much needed girl time. Funny how we all stress over the same things….

5. Friday night we surprised another friend for his 24th birthday. He’d never had a surprise party before and it was a HUGE success!

6. That same night, 3 high school students pulled a friend’s car from a ditch in their Jeep Wrangler. Then all of us girls pulled out what little cash we had and stashed it in their pockets. I hope they had a DD…

7. The weather is warming up here and I got sunburned timing C’s lacrosse game yesterday. Summer is coming too soon…I’m not ready for 100 degrees yet!

8. Mad Men last night…there were some funny parts involving the New Mrs. Draper…but overall, it was a total mash-up of too many different story lines. What is going on with Lane Pryce and that Dolores girl? So strange…

9. I did something a little crazy this weekend…totally out of my comfort zone. I’m going to tell you all about it tomorrow so check back!

10. For now…I’m just trying to play catch up since I got in to work so freaking late…

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3.22.2012

This is me orange Le Creuset and all... except blonde - Inslee

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3.21.2012

Hunger Games

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{recipe} maple mustard buttermilk crusted chicken tenders

{recipe} maple mustard buttermilk crusted chicken tenders

3.20.2012

I made these last night and they turned out GREAT! They were super easy to make and very flavorful. I had some leftover buttermilk from making How Sweet’s Cocoa Buttermilk Biscuits so this was the perfect thing to make to use some of that up. I was sort of surprised to see that the recipe called for these tenders to be baked at 450 degrees but it really worked. Made the outside super crispy while the chicken was moist and tender. All around, amazing.




Maple Mustard Buttermilk Crusted Chicken Tenders
lovingly adapted from this amazing recipe
serves 2-3

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenders
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup dijon mustard
• 4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 2 cups panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup regular seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard

In a bowl, whisk together buttermilk, maple syrup, mustard and garlic. Add chicken to a zip-top bag and pour buttermilk mixture over top to coat. Seal bag getting all of the air out. Let soak for 4-6 hours, or overnight…in the refrigerator people!

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top. Spray the rack with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, combine panko, bread crumbs, flour, salt (lots of salt!), pepper and ground mustard.

Remove each chicken tender from the buttermilk and dip in breadcrumbs, gently pressing to adhere. Place on the wire rack. Spray each with a mist of olive oil or nonstick spray. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from over, gently flip and mist with spray, then bake for 10-12 minutes more. Eat!

Maple Honey Mustard

• 1/3 cup dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons honey

Whisk ingredients together and serve.

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monday musings.

monday musings.

3.19.2012

1. St. Patrick’s Day was a “success”…some of us might have out done ourselves. I made a brunch spread complete with pomegranate mimosas, toads in a hole, cocoa buttermilk biscuits, and super easy sticky buns. Delicious! 

2. Week 1 of the new job has been wonderful. My head is spinning with all the stuff I have to learn but at least I think it’s fascinating! Did I mention we have casual fridays? AMAZING!

3. The downside? I’m going to spend $80 a month on tolls. Ugh.

4. I went for a nice bike ride friday afternoon and finished my lap around the lake 8 minutes faster. Yay!

5. I’m obsessed with this t-shirt. The BEST fit. I bought 3 different colors on Friday.

6. I’m currently in the market for a new hair dryer. Everyone raves about the RUSK Speed Freak. Thoughts?

7. I also need to get my hands on the KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment because my sweet friend gave me this awesome cookbook.

8. Single serve coffee makers are the BEST invention ever. So glad my new job has one.

9. Another great thing about my new job…we get to leave at 3:30pm on Fridays.

10. Are you jealous of my new job yet?

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{recipe} spicy peanut sesame noodles

{recipe} spicy peanut sesame noodles

3.14.2012

We’re still committed to eating in for the month of march and choosing new recipes to try has been fun! I have lots of recipes stocked up.

I started my new job on Monday so we made this meal that night (and had a bottle of cab) to celebrate. It turned out really great and was even better the next day, cold, straight from the fridge for lunch! Go figure, I ate leftovers!

Spicy Peanut Sesame Noodles
adapted from this recipe

• 3/4 lb dried linguine fini or spaghetti
• 1 cup steamed broccoli
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots 
• 3/4 cup shelled, cooked edamame beans
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts
• 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

For peanut dressing:

• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger (I didn’t have any so I used 1 tablespoon ground ginger)
• 1 medium garlic clove, chopped
• 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes (I used asian sriracha sauce, add to taste)

Make dressing: Purée dressing ingredients in a blender until smooth, about 1 minutes, then transfer to a large bowl.

Cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until tender. Drain in a colander.

Add pasta, broccoli, edamame, carrots, peanuts and sesame seeds to dressing, tossing to combine, and serve immediately. Could always add some grilled chicken.

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monday musings.

monday musings.

3.12.2012

1. I started my new job today! So far so good.

2. One of my dearest friends got married this weekend and it was amazing! Pictures to come. So glad I got to watch two amazing people commit their lives to each other.

3. We’re still obsessed with Mad Men. We average 2-3 episodes a night!

4. Hunger Games is coming!!

5. My week off was great and very productive. It would have been even better if it hadn’t rained most of the week.

6. Daylight savings is fantastic! More time for bike riding!

7. We have lots of trips on the books! Boston in May for my sweet sisters graduation, Austin/San Antonio with C’s best friend from home and his wife for 4th of July, another wedding in MD for C’s best friend Maria! Lots of exciting travels.

8. Hoping to find some time to make some Irish Soda Bread this weekend in honor of St. Patrick’s Day!

Sorry for the delay in getting these posted. They would be funnier if I wasn’t so distracted with starting a new job. Come back tomorrow for my post on tonight’s dinner.

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{recipe} easy weeknight meal ideas

{recipe} easy weeknight meal ideas

3.09.2012

So I think we’ve been doing pretty well with our commitment to not eat out in March. Here is what we’ve been having this week:

Burgers and Steak Fries

Ground beef, onion powder, egg, worcestershire sauce. Combine and form into patties. Grill. Top with lettuce, cheese, bacon, jalapenos, tomatoes, onion…

For the fries, use Russet potatoes or sweet potatoes. Cut into uniform slices. Toss in oil, salt, pepper and any of your favorite spices (C likes Old Bay on his fries). Bake at 400-425 degrees turning every15-20 minutes until cooked through and golden brown.

Turkey Tacos

Brown ground turkey with your favorite taco seasoning. Prepare toppings. We made spanish rice from the box and I heated up some black beans for C. He made his into a burrito bowl (like from Chipotle) and I ate mine with some delicious homemade tortillas from Central Market.

Shrimp Scampi

Heat 3 tbsp olive oil and 3 tbsp butter in a large skillet. Add chopped garlic and red pepper flakes to taste. Add 3/4 lb shrimp. Cook until just pink. Add 1/2 cup lemon juice and maybe a splash of dry white wine. Reduce as the shrimp finish cooking. Toss with linguine and parsley.



Between these three meals, we had some leftovers so we ate off those (well C ate those) for the most of the rest of the week. I think there was a turkey sandwich and some plain pasta tossed in there. But all in all, we’ve lasted over about 10 days without eating a meal out!

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new gig!

new gig!

3.05.2012

I’m interrupting my normally scheduled Monday Musings to finally deliver some exciting news!!

A few weeks ago, my dear friend Julia over at The Urban Slant posted about her leap of faith in taking a new job! Confession: I was jealous!!

At that point, I had secretly been looking for a new job since January and I was desperately ready for a change. I was so excited for Julia and immediately started fantasizing about what it would be like when I could finally share the good news that I’d landed a new job on my blog!

Just 1 short week later, and I get to write that post! I officially put in my 2 weeks on the 24th (my birthday, no less!) and accepted an offer at a new firm in Addison. I could not be more thrilled to share this news with you.

Many of you know that I was thrilled to have landed what seemed like an amazing job straight out of college. I started even before graduation! I remember wanting to show everyone my sweet, very grown up business cards.

I heard from great advice shortly after starting my new job…they said “Look at the person in the highest position on your team, if you don’t wait their job, you’re in the wrong place to begin with”. That never rang more true for me.

And so, after faithfully putting in two years, I started what seemed like the relentless, joyless search for a new job. After countless interviews and phone calls and emails and resumes, I was getting somewhat discouraged. I was applying for ANYTHING! But in one week and two interviews later, I managed to score an offer for a pretty awesome job.

Those of you who already know that struggles of the past two years, thank you for your encouragement and support. I’m thankful for that. I’m ready to move on to the next chapter!

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hair happiness.

hair happiness.

3.02.2012

I love recommendations. I love getting a great referral. I love it even more when someone trusts my recommendation. So listen up, readers, I’m about to enlighten you.

Let’s start at the beginning…

Most of you probably have a favorite hair stylist/cutter (whatever you want to call her/him). I’ve moved a lot. I never really stuck with one person mainly because my hair is pretty simple to cut. I just couldn’t justify paying $60, $70, $80, $90 for a haircut! I would hop from place to place, using coupons etc. Once Dallas became a more permanent home, I decided it was time to commit. I mean, I’d already found a dentist I loved, a doctor I loved…you get the gist. So I settled on Lure Salon. That’s where I found Hilary and that is where this story begins.

I love Hilary. People always say that their hair stylist is like their therapist, for 1 hour they chat, gossip, catch-up…that is exactly what Hilary and I do. We had a connection right from the beginning (I should have known I’d love her since she also cuts my other friend Hilary’s hair).

So my first recommendation to you is to go see Hilary at Lure. You won’t regret it (and I’ll get a free conditioning treatment!)

Hilary is a hair-god and when she says I need to own this product, I do not hesitate. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll go buy these two products:


Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray - $39

Part dry shampoo, part amazing texture, this stuff works wonders on second day hair. It’s also gives amazing hold for updos. I can’t live without it. The large bottle should last you about 2-3 months depending on how often you use it. It also smells INSANELY amazing.

Oribe Maximista Thickening Spray - $26

I have “thick” hair, meaning my hair is very fine but I have lots of strands. Because of this, my hair often looks limp and has no shape. This stuff is really good. Most thickening sprays make my hair feel waxy and greasy, but this gives me the perfect amount of body without being heavy. Apply to towel dried hair before blow drying.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve already placed an order for these products and if you’re looking to sample more, sign up for Birchbox! $10 a month gets you a whole pack of samples mailed to you!

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no meals out in march!

no meals out in march!

3.01.2012

Friends, here’s the deal - today marks the first day of our attempt to avoid eating out for the month of March. The ONLY exceptions were allowing are birthday dinners because well, our friends are dear and we want to celebrate them. It wouldn’t be very fair of us to postpone a March birthday dinner to April…so Marmie, you are in the clear, we’ll see you tomorrow!

I’ve already pinned tons of recipes that are great for the freezer and we’ve pledged to be better about going to the grocery store and actually buying groceries for more than one meal. In fact, I spent a good hour yesterday reorganizing my pins…#ineedalife.

One small, tiny problem is that is REALLY don’t like leftovers. Pizza and pasta without sauce are pretty much the only leftovers I like. Thank goodness C likes leftovers because our dinners turn into lunch the next day for him. Lunch for me will still primarily consist of peanut butter and honey sandwiches and maybe some greek yogurt.

I’m planning to purchase some of these so that I can make eggplant lasanga and butternut squash stuffed shells and mac & cheese and have an easy way to freeze and reheat them. The plan is to spend some time cooking on Sunday and then freeze the meals. I’ve done this with butternut squash soup, turkey chili and my meat sauce and it’s worked really well. If you freeze that kind of stuff in freezer baggies and lay them flat, they are SUPER quick and easy to defrost with some hot water. I freeze mine in quart bags which is about 1 - 1.5 servings — just the right amount for us!

Cooking would be so much easier and fun if my kitchen looked like this…and if I had a personal dishwasher….

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