Let the Carbo-loading begin: Chicken Tetrazini

Whenever I hear the words, I can't help but think of The Soup!  Have you ever watched it?  Have you seen the Chicken Tetrazini zingers Joel McHale so lovingly repeats?  It's hilarious!

Anywho...growing up, my mom served us her version of Chicken Tetrazini on a semi-regular basis and it became one of my faves.  I decided to tweak the recipe and make it South Beach style.  Please note that I don't really measure stuff, so it's usually a little bit of this and that and you kind of have to do whatever works for you, but if you do decide to make it, I do guarantee deliciousness!

Here is what you need:

Chicken - I used whatever size package that had 3 large chicken breasts
2 cans of 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
1 container of plain Greek yogurt OR 1 container of low fat or no fat sour cream
Whole wheat pasta - 1 box whatever kind floats your boat - I used linguini
Parmesan cheese
Seasonings - whatever strikes your fancy - I used Adobo, Italian Seasoning, and Rosemary

In the past, I have marinated (in fat free Italian dressing) and grilled the chicken.  This time, I decided to shred it in the crock pot.  It tastes great either way - depends on what flavor you are going for.

Boil your pasta.  I always toss in a wee bit of olive oil into my water and add a pinch of salt.  With whole wheat, it is always important to make sure you cook it thoroughly.  I think that is why people have a tendency to complain about whole wheat pasta - they don't like the texture because they don't cook it enough.

While the pasta is a'boilin', you need to prepare the "goop" (as my mom calls it) by pouring the 2 cans of soup into a bowl and mixing it with the yogurt or the sour cream.  This was the first time I ever used Greek yogurt.  I was inspired by Lindsay (check out her blog:  Pancakes N Pajamas) as she uses Greek yogurt in a lot of her cooking and I was encouraged by older sister Cathy who swears by Greek yogurt because she is big on the incorporation of nutritional protein into one's diet.

So, after mixing the soup and creamy textured substance of your choice together, season it accordingly.  As I mentioned above, I threw in some Rosemary, Adobo (pretty much a staple in all my cooking), and Italian seasoning.  Then I set the bowl to the side.

Once the pasta was done, I drained it, rinsed it, and drained it again and put it into the bottom of one of my favorite Pampered Chef Stonewear casserole dishes.

Next, I put down the layer of my shredded chicken.  

Finally, I poured the "goop" over all of it. I then sprinkled the casserole with Parmesan cheese. You bake it for 45 minutes to an hour on 350 degrees.  (um...looks like the flash didn't "flash" for this pic - sorry!).

Then voila - serve it and enjoy it!  I have made other "versions" of this dish in the past.  For example, I have used lemon pepper and lemon zest in the  "goop" for a different flavor and even added some lemon juice to the pasta.  I have also sprinkled sundried tomatoes throughout the chicken layer and some sundried tomato pesto to the pasta for another kind of kick .  Get creative to give it a twist!  Add veggies like broccoli in lieu of serving veggies on the side (isn't that the beauty of a casserole?). 

What's one of your childhood favorites?

***Don't forget to enter my Bobo's Oat Bar giveaway.  It ends TONIGHT at 9pm CST. 

And it's official...

I signed up for marathon training!

On Sunday, I went to a Weenie Roast for Team Nam - this is the running group I have decided to train with for the Chevron Houston Marathon.  I met a lot of my fellow run-mates and ate a hot dog, some fruit, and cheese (no bun for me because whole wheat buns weren't offered and I didn't bring my own).  I'm one of the younger ones on the team, but everyone was so friendly and encouraging that I'm really excited to be a part of this team! 

I'm sad that I will miss my first group run - this coming Saturday, but it's for a good cause since I will be in Chicago preparing to do my first half marathon.

Beginning the following Saturday, I will meet up with them at the crack of dawn every Saturday to run, run, run!  I asked one of the guys how many miles the full marathoners will train up to and he said in the years past, it's 22, but that my mentor (one of the trainers) was commissioning for the group to push it to 30.  I am so not an over-achiever - the 22 will be just fine for me and then the 26.2 come marathon day.  There will be no need for 30, thank you very much.  I'm starting to get the idea that my mentor is a bit hard core!

Speaking of the Chevron Houston Marathon...registration is tomorrow!  Of course, as I have previously mentioned the powers that be decided to make it a lottery system this year, so I won't find out if I actually "won the lottery" so to speak until August 17th.  Yes, that's 3 whole weeks of waiting!  I will continue with the marathon training regardless of whether I make it into the Houston Marathon or not because my goal is to run a marathon (Houston would just have been ideal).  If I don't make Houston, I will seek out another one to run in the early part of next year.

***Don't forget to enter my Bobo's Oat bar giveaway that ends tomorrow at 9pm CST! 

Work Foils Running, Read All About It!

Set out to do my last "big" run before my very first half marathon.  I decided to do 6.55 miles - in other words, for all you non-math wizards, 1/2 of a half mary.  Kinda made my little plan for the ol' neighborhood run and headed out - hoped that my plan was 1/2 of the 1/2 of the 1/2 (or...um roughly 3 1/4 miles) so that when I swung by the mailbox for a swig of my Powerade Zero (in Mixed Berry this time), I'd be half way done.  After completion of the swig - which turned out to be half the bottle (I really gotta watch that), I positioned myself to start running again and then thought better of it figuring I should probably bathroom break first.  I headed inside, took care of business, was opening up the front door when "Little Boxes" comes blaring from my cell (the theme song to the tv show Weeds).  NOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooo!  I figured it was probably a work call....AND....I was right.

Turns out my one crew that had a delivery today locally in Houston did not have their paperwork.  This was an oversight belonging to my warehouse manager.  This meant I would have to go up to work to get it to them or else they would have no clue where they were going - no paperwork = no delivery address, etc.  It just sucks royally when yet again work foils my plans and it wasn't even my fault!!!  I do have to say that I think the timing of my driver's call was pretty wild, though.  Had he called 2 minutes earlier or later, he would have missed me and my dad is out on the golf course, so highly doubtful he would have been able to reach him and that could have meant disaster (at least until after I finished my run).

Was I annoyed?  You betcha!  Did I get over it?  Yeah.  What would be the point of harping on it?  I will go out and do my 6.55 tomorrow and at least I had the benefit of getting an extra 3.15 in today (guess my calculations in my head were off by 1/10th of a mile - not too shabby).

On a happy note - my double cousins, Nicole (18) and Danielle (16) are coming into town this morning - part of the reason why I can't continue my run since I'm picking them up from the airport with my mom.  I haven't seen them since Christmas which is far too long to go without seeing your double cousins, wouldn't you agree?!  Did you know that (and this is according to Wikipedia) double cousins have the same genetic make-up as half siblings and share 25% of their DNA?  Weird, huh?

So, Nicole and Danielle know all about our family lunches and wanted to make sure that they were able to participate in one so today is the day.  I think my family should sit in stoic silence during the whole meal just to be funny, what do you think?  =P

If you haven't done so already, don't forget to check out my first giveaway here (it expires on Tuesday, 7/27 @ 9pm CST).

Alright, that's all I have for you (for now).  I hope work doesn't foil any of your weekend plans!  Happy Trails to you runners and bike riders out there - be safe and stay hydrated!

Bobo's Oat Bars Giveaway!

This is kinda exciting.  I really do love me some Bobo's Oat Bars.  I may just be a little bit obsessed with them.  In case you don't know much about them, they are an all natural, wheat free, and vegan.  I blogged about Bobo's back in June and my post is linked below if you didn't catch it before.  So earlier today, I was curious if they had a Twitter account, but I didn't find them.  I went onto their Facebook page and noticed they newly opened up a Review Section, so I gave them 5 stars and wrote this:

I love a Bobo Oat Bar for breakfast - I have one practically every morning! Apricot is my fave flavor so far! I even blogged about them: http://kimpossible1977.blogspot.com/2010/06/oh-little-bit-of-this-and-that.html.


Next thing I know, I received an email notification that Bobo's Oat Bars was now following me on Twitter.  Well that made me happy, so I logged onto Twitter and decided to stalk...er...follow them, too.  Then they sent me a tweet that said this:

@Kimpossible1977 Thanks for the wonderful review on our Facebook. We are so happy that Bobo's are helping you fufil your goal! Keep it up!


Then they sent me a private tweet asking me for my mailing address so they could send me a few free bars in whatever flavors I so desired.  I picked out a few flavors I haven't tried yet and now I'm anxiously awaiting their arrival.

In honor of Bobo's Oat Bars generosity to me, I would like to have my first giveaway.  It's not much, but hey - it's a start!  If you would like to try Bobo's Oat Bars, I will send the lucky winner 3 bars (in one flavor) to enjoy.  Here's how you enter (note there are 5 different opportunities):

1 - Go to the Bobo's Oat Bar website and let me know what flavor sounds the yummiest to you.
2 - "Like" Bobo's Oat Bars on Facebook
3 - Become a Follower of this blog
4 - Tweet about this giveaway
5 - Blog about this giveaway

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each as the more ways you enter (up to 5), the greater chance you have of winning.

I will choose a random winner on Tuesday, 7/27, at 9pm CST.  Ready, set, and GO!

***Update:  I had some incorrect nutritional information on my blog post listed above - the information I provided was for 1/2 a Bobo's Oat Bar and not the full bar.  I apologize for the confusion - apparently I need to learn to read the food labels more carefully.

Worry Wart Part 2: Pain & Suffering

For the past few months, I've had a HUGE problem with killer knots developing in my upper back, shoulders, and neck.  I'm certain there is a direct correlation of this increasingly obnoxious issue and my stress/anxiety level (with regard to work, mostly, but yes...this race, too).  My mom told me I don't have to go through with it and I was like, "Are you kidding me?!"  Yes, I do!  I want to.  I need to.  I can do this!  I am just very nervous/anxious about the whole thing.  Anyway...back to business...I've been getting massages courtesy of Sarah every 2 to 3 weeks, but it seems all her hard work (and torture) is gone (but never ever forgotten, Sarah) by 2 days post massage.

I have been using my foam roller every morning and every evening.

I have been using my Trigger Point Massage Baller at least once a day, too.

I have been taking Epsom Salt Baths.

On Saturday, when I did my 10-miler, I felt this horrible knot develop in my upper back around mile 8.  I used my walking interval to try to rub it out.

I've been using the foam roller on my IT-band area on my right leg, as well.  That Pink Girl is wonderful and sent me some stretches, so I've been working them, too.  The area is tight, but not as bad as it has been, so that is a blessing.  Truthfully, post run on Saturday, the area right around the patellar tendon was sore upon initial completion but ice and an Epsom Salt bath helped that, so as the day progressed, that pain faded.  I'm guessing this is normal - I mean it's non-stop movement for a long period of time (and for me...trust me it's longer than for others cuz I'm slooowww).

I guess I'm just worried about bits and pieces of me acting up while running, but let's face it...my worrying is causing me undue stress and no doubt additional knots. It's the circle of my life. =/   Meliska told me I can always pull over to the side (similar to a car) and do some stretches before continuing on my jaunt.

Again...I apologize for sounding like a whiner...just kinda talking myself through  my anxiety and you all get to be along for the ride.  Think of how much more "mature" I'll be for the next half marathon.

Always be Prepared

Always be prepared, just like a Girl Scout, that's my theory.  I was one, you know?!  Many, many moons ago in a galaxy far, far away known as Aurora, CO.  I wore a green that is flattering on nobody other than the leprechauns and went door to door selling cookies once called Samoas but now referred to as Caramel DeLites.   We had year round school in this strange galaxy, but alas...in typical me fashion, I digress.

Tonight is Tuesday and this means I went over to Meliska and Greggy-D's house.  It's pretty much a weekly thing that started with watching LoSt on whatever night it came on since it kept switching and then because LoSt had a cRaZy schedule of being on and off hiatus during weird intervals, we decided to keep our little weekly thing going because it's awesome to hang with friends and good friends are hard to come by these days, wouldn't you agree?

Lately, we've been watching movies - some good, some bad, but regardless...the company is always the selling point!  Sometimes it's just me that can make it and other times we have additional friends that can partake in our weekly fun.  Tonight, we had Heather and Todd - yay!!!

Greggy-D makes the most amazing food - anything and everything you could possibly imagine like homemade bread, pies, pizza, ravioli, and even his famous popcorn.  Since starting my diet plan just over a year ago, one of the changes I had to make in my life was to learn how to just say "No."  Another change I had to make was to bring a substitution so that I would not feel deprived.

South Beach does allow popcorn in Phase 2, but sadly not the kind Greggy-D makes (homemade kettle corn) - though it sure does look and smell amazing.  I bring my own popcorn.  I enjoy the Jolly Time 100 Calorie Healthy Pop variety.  For those of you doing Weight Watchers, it's only 1 point!  It sure is delicious, somewhat nutritious, and definitely hits the spot when you want to participate in the whole movie viewing experience without the guilt or the cheat.

We watched "The Book of Eli".  Have you seen it yet?  I remember watching the preview in the theater and having no desire to see it because it seemed like such a dark film.  It was actually a really amazing movie and I completely recommend it!

Seen any good movies lately?  Made any good choices/substitutions lately?  Are you prepared???

Worry Wart Part 1: Race Hydration

I don't drink sugar.  I don't drink calories.  Well...I do drink milk, but that's cuz it does a body good.  ;)  AND...every blue moon I partake in the enjoyment of an adult beverage (South Beach does allow certain varieties).  I rarely even drink soda, but when I do you bet your bottom dollar it's a nice cold can of diet cream soda, diet root beer, or maybe diet orange something or another.  What do I drink?  I mostly drink water.  I also drink iced tea - that's what I always order in restaurants.  I love me some SoBe lifewater (in the 0 calorie variety).  I also enjoy the 0 calorie Vitamin waters from time to time.  When I'm running, I consume Powerade Zero (mostly in grape or orange) as I've also blogged about.  It's the only thing I've ever trained with and it provides me with electrolytes and it helps to replenish my sodium (which is one of my main concerns because I sweat like no other, I'm convinced).

Here's my issue...the little races I've participated in were no big deal with regard to hydration.  I can do a 5K or a 10K with just drinking water.  Yes, I bypassed the Gatorade filled cups.  I'm not so convinced I can do a half marathon with just drinking water.  I think I will need my electrolytes and sodium replenished.  The Rock 'n' Roll series offers up Cytomax (nutritional info to the left (source here)).  Everyone always says not to experiment with such things during a race because it could have a negative effect on your system.  I would be definitely fearful of it having one on mine considering it's a sports drink with sugar (as most are) and I'm not used to consuming sugar.  Now I don't know what to do.  I think I will have some cousins cheering me on, so I could have them pass me some Powerade Zero, but what if I never actually see them?!

Oh and in case you are thinking I should just carry the Powerade Zero with me in a fuel belt, I can't.  I haven't trained wearing one and I think it would just cause me grief.  I plan on just wearing my Spibelt for little necessities like my Clif's Shot Blok, gum, chapstick, and maybe my phone in a plastic bag (if I decide having the phone/camera is worth the extra weight).

I know, I know...I'm being a total whiner.

Yes, let the worrying begin.  This is only one of many things starting to cause me stress/anxiety for "the big race" which is in 12 MORE DAYS!  EEEEEEEEK!