Cooking: Lentil Soup w/ Italian Sausage.

Today's post is about the third easy, tasty, and freezer-ready meals I made at the beginning of August. It may not look like much, but man is it tasty and it packs a great nutritional punch! In January when I was trying to cook healthy meals in order to both lose the weight I gained and the "bleh" feeling I had after a fall of eating out, I stumbled upon an article in Women's Running regarding super foods you should eat every day. One of the foods was lentils, which I had never had before. Lentils are full of iron and protein, which as a female endurance athlete I really need. I particularly feel a drop in energy/mood when I am low on iron.

Since I was unfamiliar with lentils but willing to give them a try, I did some googling and found this Alton Brown's lentil soup recipe. When I saw an average 5 star rating over 250+ reviews, I knew I had a winner. I have adapted the recipe based on personal preference and reading the reviews -  I don't know about you, but I have NO idea where to find the "grains of paradise" the recipe calls for. Luckily one reviewer noted that ginger/black pepper serve as a good substitute. And of course, I had to add Italian sausage! I usually get about 8 servings out of a batch which means it is perfect for stocking the freezer

Lentil soup has become one of my go-tos this year since it is so simple and satisfying. The recipe is really easy to adapt and a great way to experiment in the kitchen for novice cooks. Lentil soups start with the same base (onion, celery, carrot, lentils, and broth/stock), and then can be varied in so many different ways based on added spices and ingredients. I try to always keep the base items in my pantry for nights when I don't feel like eating out or spending much time in the kitchen. Another favorite of mine simply involves adding curry powder and cumin to the base.

Let's get cooking!

Non-cooking: Glacier National Park

Back in January I was thinking about my vacations for the year. Last year I was 100% focused on the Ironman through September, and with only 10 days of vacation I didn't really get one. (Yes, I spent 3 months in Europe but with work I was a. stressed and b. limited to weekend trips w/ no hiking/biking to be had). This year, I have 25 days of vacation and with only one race on the schedule in November, I had plenty more wiggle room. 

When I did Bike and Build, one of the other trips biked through Glacier National Park. Our trip had crossed below the Rockies, so we never really got the experience of the big mountains (but we did get desert!). After seeing and hearing the stories, Glacier has been the #1 place on my bucket list of places to visit. I particularly wanted to bike up the "Going to the Sun" road, which snakes up the side of the mountain to the continental divide. For awhile, I was considering trying to do another Bike and Build trip, mainly so that  I could bike that part of the country. 

While I love my friends dearly, most of them would not be interested in a vacation that involves both hiking and biking. In May, I traveled with three of them to Puerto Rico, which was fantastic and full of amazing food and memories. However, I was left alone to go on my hiking/rappelling/zip-lining adventure (which was the highlight of my trip!). I knew if I wanted to do my dream vacation, I would have to look for a group to do it with or go alone (which as a young female, is not really a viable option). As I was researching ways to make my long-desired trip to Glacier happen, I stumbled upon the Backroads website, which offered a biking/hiking/whitewater rafting trip for solo travelers. It was perfect! The trip description was exactly what I was looking for, and after some talking with my friend Amanda, I decided to splurge and sign up as a reward for all my hard work last year. Considering I was planning on doing another IM next year, I knew this was the year I would have a bit of extra money (before the whole wrecking my car/buying a new one thing).

Boy am I glad I did! I got back on Friday, after the best vacation I have ever taken in my life! There were 16 of us on the trip, and we had three amazing guides/support. Other than a wonderful 21 year old on the trip with her father, I was the youngest person by a good amount which I am actually quite used to and love (triathlon tends to skew a bit older, at least at my speed). I really lucked out - everyone was really fun to hang out with and get to know. I was especially impressed with all the ones that are only recreational bikers who were able to make it up the climbs (aka most of the trip!). The Rockies are no joke! I spent most of my biking/hiking time with Joanie and Marty, a brother/sister duo who both have running backgrounds and who I am hoping I convinced to try triathlons (hint, hint). In the evenings, I had a chance to get to know everyone else. I also had a fantastic roommate (save $$), Julie, that just made the trip even more special thanks to our daily debriefs. My roommate situation could not have been any better!

Every day when I thought the scenery couldn't get any better, it did. And whenever I thought a view couldn't get better, the light would change and it would. The trip was also so well organized & I didn't have to worry about a thing. The leaders even set out a spread in the morning so we could pack our lunches/snacks for the day!  I had really high expectations for this trip and they were exceeded at every single level.

As an aside, this trip also made me grateful for all of the time I have spent training. I love not having to worry about whether or not I am physically capable of an 11 mile hike. If I want to do it, I can! If I want to stay at the lodge and drink beer, I can do that as well. My biggest worry was whether I could bike immediately after eating huckleberry pie/ice cream/soft serve or if I needed wait a few minutes. This was such a change from my bike and build experience! I still remember ending up in tears in the parking lot on the first day because I was so uncomfortable on my bike, and the words "potosi, missouri" still send me back to (one of) the day(s) I ended up in tears on the side of the road because I just. could. not. bike. any. further. 

When I got back from the trip at 1am on Saturday morning, I signed up for my next Ironman August 2014 (Mont Tremblant). This trip reinvigorated my love of biking and made me really excited for the coming year. I have missed the training process and I am happy to report a lot of my old Wisconsin crew is getting back together for another round - I can't wait! 

Fair warning: The rest of this post is going to be long as I took a bunch of pictures I want to share (with captions/context). The crazy thing is this is about 1/8 of the pictures I actually took! Thank you in advance for indulging me as I want to make sure I have the memories and hey, this is my blog. 

Cooking: Meaty Lasagna

In my BBQ chili post, I mentioned that I had spent that weekend making three good-to-freeze meals. Boy am I glad I did! I got back from an awesome adventure vacation this weekend (blog post to come) and just was not in the mood to cook this weekend (shocking!). This week, I have dipped into my reserves in order to avoid having to eat out for a second week in a row to supplement what cooking I have been able to do mid-week. This is the second of the three meals I made: A delicious meaty lasagna!

Since I was trying to make three big meals in one weekend, simple was the name of the game. This recipe is also really cheap per serving, which I also appreciate. And what I saved in money and time, I did not sacrifice in flavor! Last night as I was stuck late at work, I was extremely grateful to have such a delicious home cooked meal while everyone else was eating their unhealthy take out food (especially after a week of indulging on all things huckleberry!). 

Let's get cooking!

Cooking: Blueberry Crumb Bars

I have not traditionally been a baker - I  have too little self control to have baked goods in the house. However, in the past 5 or 6 weeks since I broke down and bought a kitchenaid stand mixer, I have managed to bake at least once a week to make the investment worth it. It has been life changing! I love baking, and I found that I love sharing my baked goods with others (primarily my coworkers) more than eating them myself. A week ago, I saw this recipe on my favorite baking blog and just had to try it! Luckily blueberries were on sale.

A lot of what I have made has been very rich (start strong!). I couldn't tell from the blog, but this recipe is actually much lighter than what I have been making (less than 200 calories if you cut it into 20 servings!) and is quite delicious. It feels more like a coffee cake/breakfast dessert. I am not a huge blueberry fan but this recipe won me over. Also, while this recipe is lighter, it was still just as big a hit with my coworkers!

Cooking: Slow Cooked BBQ Chicken Chili

Looking ahead to the next month, I realized I am going to be super busy with work, weekend/vacation! travel, and marathon training. In order to avoid having to eat out/eat unhealthy, I spent last weekend stocking my freezer with delicious meals in case I don't have a chance to cook. I think I ended up making 24 servings of three of my favorite meals (all blog posts to come). When thinking about what to make, I immediately thought of my go to meal - BBQ Chicken Chili:

It is super easy (a theme to a lot of my weeknight cooking). I usually make it for the winter, but with how cold my office is these days it constantly feels like winter. If you don't have a slow cooker, get one! I spent 15 minutes putting this together Monday morning (10 minutes worth of can opening - or at least it felt like that) and when I came home after a long day of work I had a delicious, hearty meal prepared and a house that smelled like BBQ. Win! 

I can't even count the number of times I have made this over the years - I discovered it in high school when I joined Weight Watchers and began my love affair with cooking. They have some awesome cookbooks! I have always gotten rave reviews of this one and people would never think the recipe came from them. As a note, I have discovered I definitely prefer my chili with ground chicken versus beef thanks to this and another recipe I make, but you could easily substitute ground beef

Let's get cooking!

Cooking: Maple Sausage Sweet Potato Hash

Prior to March, I would have said I wasn't a big brunch person. One of my lasting memories of the Ironman training is talking to my teammate about how her immediate plan for the weekend after the Ironman was to go to brunch for six hours - that thought had never even crossed my mind!

This changed when back in March, I was really enjoying cooking and really wanted to try a cooking class. I saw a brunch cooking class with Chef Egg offered @ Living Social's 918 F Street location for that weekend and while I thought I wasn't a big brunch person, the desire to take a class won out. This class changed my mind about brunch - I loved everything we made! My poor friends - after the class I promised to make them brunch (and raved about the food) but it took me 4 months to actually get around to it! It turns out I really just don't usually have time for brunch.

The best part about the class was that the Chef had a healthy focus, and the dishes are all super simple to recreate. This one is my favorite and I have made it several times since the class - just usually for lunch or dinner. The prep is really simple, but it does take awhile to cook because the sweet potatoes need time to soften and everything needs to caramelize. Have patience because the end result is worth it!

Cooking: Lemon Curd Pie w/ Graham Cracker Crust

Two weeks ago, the awesome admin at work (hi May!) had shoulder surgery. The recovery process has not been so much fun. Whenever I see someone sad/upset, I respond either with humor or food. Given we both love sarcasm, I have given her enough sass (and still continue to). For once, I decided to also go the food route. A few days after surgery, I asked her to send me a recipe & I would bake her something. The next day, she sent me a message "how about something with lemon curd, it's my favorite!" I had never even heard of lemon curd before, so I though "Challenge Accepted!"

Once I looked it up, I realized it sounded like something that would be really good as a pie filling (or on scones). My favorite crust by far is a graham cracker crust, so I thought this recipe would be a great way to try both at one time. My other coworker (who May affectionately calls Hoover for his healthy appetite) has requested next time I make a giant graham cracker block. I kind of agree with him. Graham Cracker crust is amazing pretty much just on its own. I am also itching to make a key lime pie with this crust.

I made a major mistake when I first attempted this recipe and I had to start from scratch. The lemon curd recipe called for you to heat the lemon curd filling until it thickened over the stove but it didn't have any images to go along with the description. I did not 1) look up a picture of what it should look like before cooking, and 2) read the reviews to learn useful tips. Both horrible, horrible mistakes I will never make again. Especially if I want to save my Sunday nights for relaxing.

My first attempt, I only cooked the lemon curd to this consistency:

When I read the reviews & realized it should be thicker, I attempted to pour the filling back into the pan and ended up with this result:

Please don't make the same mistake! Follow the recipe below & look at the pictures as a guide. Also, click the links to the original recipes & peruse the comments. There are also interesting tips for different use of the lemon curd (like on scones!). 

Warning: this is a RICH pie. Small pieces are recommended. Also, the pie is addictive. So you might need more than one small piece. This was a BIG hit at work.

Alright, let's begin!