Tag Archives: food

Lessons From A Streaker

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I’m almost 30 miles into this running streak and not quite halfway through. As someone who typically runs four times a week, this has been a challenging exercise. Here’s what I’ve learned so far:

Running every day means not waiting until Christmas to buy new running attire. (Side note- did you know that Anthro carries activewear now? Shame on you for not telling me. I’ll take one of everything, s’il vous plait.) New shorts, new socks, new long-sleeved shirts- thanks, Vic, for introducing me to Oiselle– you name it, I’ve bought it. If I’m going to live in my running clothes this month, I’m going to do so in style.

These pants! Had to have 'em.

These pants! Had to have ’em.

I’m so glad that messy buns are still a thing. (If they aren’t, don’t tell me.) Who wants to blow out their hair only to throw it up again the next morning for a run? Not this girl. I’m rocking a bun and headband all over town. Stylish and a time saver= winning combination.

Does that "Messy Hair, Don't Care" shirt come in my size?

Does that “Messy Hair, Don’t Care” shirt come in my size?

If I know you’re a runner, I’ll invite you to run with me. On Thanksgiving morning, I looked at my husband and said, “You know what would be fun? If we all went on a run together. Doesn’t that sound like fun?” Never mind that it was the coldest day we’ve had here all winter (like 40 degrees. Typically it’s 85. Yes, right now.). We bundled up the children and took everyone out for a quick run around our neighborhood. Last week, my oldest girl rode her scooter while I jogged next to her. This morning, I took my friend out for a birthday brunch and when I invited her, I totally gave her the same spiel I’d given J on Turkey Day. “You know what would be fun?…” Running play dates are the next big thing.

Post-run on Thanksgiving morning.

Post-run on Thanksgiving morning.

Running every day means more holiday cookies, right? Because I’m using this streak as an excuse to eat all the candy cane-flavored things (except the peppermint yogurt raisins I saw at Target because that just sounds gross. And maybe a little too healthy anyway.)

These or the candy cane Oreos? Kidding, you know I got both.

These or the candy cane Oreos? Kidding, you know I got both.

All in all, I’m having fun streaking. It’s been good for me to switch up my routine a bit and run with different friends and in new locations. Some days are a challenge- I had to squeeze a mile in on a full stomach right before I left for carline one afternoon last week and I thought I was going to be sick. I’m also already planning my rest days. But there are plenty of proud moments too- that I’m pushing myself, that I’m making it work during a busy time of year, and that I’m taking time for me.

Roll call, Streakers! How’s it going? Favorite holiday cookie?

Happy Fatsgiving

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Thanksgiving is far and away my favorite holiday. It includes some of my favorite things; food, time with family and friends, food, watching the parade in my jammies, food.

Did I mention food? I like food.

While I love to cook, Thanksgiving is the one day of the year that I go full out. Calories be damned. While I think it’s important to be conscious of what you eat, and to try and make healthy modifications, there’s no health in my Thankgiving dojo. None.

*flings sticks of butter around the kitchen*

My guest list this year stands at twelve. Every year, I worry that everyone else will have made other plans and it will just be the four of us. Which, while it’s lovely to spend time with my husband and kids, I prefer Thanksgiving to be a full house. This year was no exception, but four quickly turned into six, which turned into nine, which turned into twelve. My little house will be packed full of family and I couldn’t be happier. (I also couldn’t be more worried that we won’t have enough pie.)

So what to feed all these people? This is my menu.

Do you think it's enough???

Do you think it’s enough???

Want to come over? We can totally make room.

The meal is always a blend of scratch-made (almost everything) and no so scratch-made (the crescent rolls). I like a LOT of sides. This is not the most over-the-top year, I promise. I’m considering adding more (something squash-y). But the star?

My bird. Twenty-five pounds of turkey that I will love up on in ways that are almost obscene. I make a fresh herb and citrus compound butter and I give that baby a full body massage, including getting up under the skin. And that’s it. I don’t brine. I don’t baste. I don’t fuss. I don’t need to.

I’ve perfected the art of making sure everything is ready at the same time. The key? Don’t drink until your dinner is served. I kid you not, there was an incident with me, a glass of spiked eggnog, my hand and a burner coil. I care to not repeated this experience.

Once we’ve fully glutted ourselves on dinner, the women folk clean up and the men folk watch football. It’s all very 1952. But honestly, I don’t mind at all. As much as the kitchen is my domain on most days, on Thanksgiving, don’t even step in there without an invite. I’ve got this thing wired, baby.

And then dessert. And coffee. With booze in it. I have a semi-illicit affair with a slice of Butterscotch Pecan Pie and then start scooting people’s doots right out the door.

I kid. If you want to hang around, it’s cool by me, but I’m changing into my sweaterpants and snuggling up on the couch. You’re welcome to snuggle next to me.

All in all, I expect it to be a great day. It always is. Food and family and fabulous food. What more could I ask for? I have a lot to be thankful for, Thanksgiving day and every day.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

How do you celebrate Thanksgiving? Do you host, or go visiting? What’s your ‘it’s not Thanksgiving without it’ dish? Tell us all about how you give thanks!

A Tale of Two Night Racers

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We’re talking about one of our favorite subjects today- food! How to eat before running a night race, to be exact.

VIC:

It took me years to figure out the best way to fuel for a morning race or long run. So when I signed up for runDisney’s Tower of Terror 10-miler, I knew I was wading into uncharted territory.

Sure, I’d be running in the dark. But I’ve done that before as I tackled many pre-dawn runs. Plus I knew the course would be well-lit and filled with Disney characters, so that wasn’t too much of a concern.

But how was I going to fuel? I was used to resting, waking and eating something small and settling – a bagel flat with peanut butter, a banana or a granola bar. So with a 10 p.m. race start, snacking the day away wasn’t really an option. Hydrating like crazy wasn’t a great strategy either, unless I wanted to spend my hours before the start repeatedly racing to a toilet.

I decided to eat a large lunch around 1 p.m. My meal consisted of a delicious mozzarella and tomato sandwich on foccacia bread, a light vegetable orzo salad and plenty of water. I also inhaled a bunch of bread. I nearly ordered a grilled chicken sandwich, but decided on the meatless option since I knew it would sit better in my stomach. Another option I would consider would be a very light pasta entrée (no gnocci, ravioli or alfredo sauce here!)

My theory on fueling with a meal on race day: the blander the better. Fewer frills on my plate means there’s less of a chance for an upset stomach.

(For the record, I ate an egg, cheese and turkey sausage biscuit and some fruit for breakfast that morning.)

I dined with friends at an eatery at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort and we all consumed gallons of water. I hydrated well into the afternoon, but stopped cold around 6 p.m. I didn’t want to keep heading to the toilet.

20131029-084955.jpgHydrating from the rocker

I attempted to nap around 4. That lasted all of 45 minutes. My roommate and friend Jen managed a two hour nap while I hydrated and chatted with friends in cozy rocking chair at our resort, Disney’s Boardwalk. I don’t think napping is vital, but laying down to rest, even just for a bit helped ease my brain about staying up until the wee hours of the morning!

Around 6:30, Jen and I each ate a bowl of instant oatmeal. I’ve eaten this in the past before many a long run and knew It would supply me with some much-needed energy in the coming hours. Jen and I also split a banana around 8:30 p.m.

When I head back to Florida next month for my next night race, I plan to utilize this strategy again. I’ll eat a large midday meal, the blander the better. I’ll nap – or try to nap the afternoon before the race. And I will eat some oatmeal 3.5 to 4 hours before the race is set to start. It worked for me in October! Fingers crossed that it will go smoothly too!

20131029-085714.jpgAnd this? I’ll be enjoying it after my run!

BROOKE:

Disney’s Wine and Dine half marathon was my first half-marathon back in 2011. It’s easy to find advice about fueling for a race online…but for a night race, specifically? Not so much. I remember googling different phrases to see if I could find anything on the subject and coming up empty.

Unlike Victoria, I still hadn’t figured out exactly what race day nutrition would work best for me, and I was extremely nervous about getting a belly ache during the race.

I’m an over-thinker. I love to ponder something for days. Weeks, even. Discuss pros and cons with my husband. Make a list or ten. I’m true to my Libra ways in this respect. After googling and discussing and writing it all down, I decided to treat this race like I would a morning run. I’d eat a large lunch, then not have anything but water for about six or seven hours before the race. At that time, I’d have my small breakfast-y type that I was already accustomed to eating before a long run.

I had an early lunch- around 11:30 or 12 (I can’t recall the exact time)- a simple pasta with red sauce and bread. Then water, water, water. At dinner time, I had my toast (and coffee, which was part of my “morning” ritual) and I brought my banana with me to the race start.

This nutrition strategy worked well for me, so I plan to do the same thing in a few weeks. I have the fuel figured out, we’re working on costumes and I already have dates set with my girls. The countdown is on!

Have you run a night race? Did you take a pre-race nap? How did you fuel? Roll call! Who is coming to Florida in two weeks?

 

Road Tested: PocketFuel Whole Food Fuel

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I’ve always loved peanut butter, but my nut butter obsession reached new heights when I first visited Meri for the Rothman 8k two years ago. Meri made us whipped oatmeal for breakfast, along with a mini buffet of topping options (she’s an excellent hostess), including different nut butters. Who knew there was more out there than plain old peanut butter? Not me, that’s who.

Fast forward to today, when I currently have 5 different jars of nut butter in my pantry. I love it in oatmeal, on fruit, toast, pancakes, a spoon. So, when PocketFuel sent us their selection of nut butters, I elbowed my way to the front of the line for the opportunity to try them. I let Meri join me- because I’m such a good friend- and because she got me started on all this yumminess in the first place.

Nut butter heaven

Nut butter heaven

PocketFuel Whole Food Fuel is made from 100% natural, whole food ingredients found in nuts, seeds and fruits. It provides a natural energy boost before or during your workout by delivering a balanced combination of simple and complex carbohydrates. It boosts blood sugar immediately but also helps to sustain energy for hours.

PocketFuel also works as a recovery fuel, as carbohydrates replace the energy lost and protein begins to repair and strengthen muscles.

PocketFuel is a natural powerhouse of electrolytes; it contains sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and chloride to refuel and rehydrate your body. But most importantly, how does it taste? Meri and I, along with our husbands, put these to the test this month.


Mer:

pocketfuel

I’m a routine driven person. Especially when it’s five in the morning and my brain is struggling to catch up with my body. I lay my gym clothes out the night before (although there has been a time or two when something – usually my bra – winds up inside out). My keys, towel and wallet are always in the same spot but a few weeks ago, I also added a PocketFuel the night prior.

During the summer I joined up with the Rise and Run Club and although the sun is not rising nearly as early as it was over the summer, I’m still trying to tackle a couple of miles before my hour weight training session. (Or I was before I hurt my quad last week.) But as you know, working out for a couple of hours requires fuel! Vic had told me of her love for PocketFuel so I was really interested in giving it a try. Usually I grab a banana prior to my workout so I went with the Banana Blueberry PocketFuel to try first.

Squishing the almond butter around in the packet, I read over the nutrition label; since there were two servings I decided to have half prior to my run and then eat the rest in between the run and weights, during my stretch. I don’t usually bring “snacks” to the gym, but hey, why not?

The Banana Blueberry was delish! I love almond butter as is, but wasn’t sure what I’d think of the fruit taste. It was the perfect mix of the flavors, nothing was too overpowering and I LOVED the crunchy texture from the almonds. Additionally, I really liked that I was able to eat it in two servings – it was easy to recap and take along with me.

Since I devoured the Banana Blueberry, I decided to go the dilution route for the Chocolate Haze – hazelnut butter. After another training session, I headed home, ready to give the Chocolate Haze a whirl… with almond milk. The PocketFuel folks suggest a 1:1 ratio of liquid to PocketFuel. I had a bit of a heavy pour on the almond milk but the mix was tasty!

Of the two, well, I’m an almond butter girl, through and through. Hazelnut butter is delicious but I feel like the almond butter was more filling. As I said earlier, I’m a routine driven person, and I’m planning on adding PocketFuel to my routine.

Since sharing is caring, my husband, Jay got to try the Pineapple Coconut almond butter and Vanilla Haze hazelnut butter. Generally speaking, I don’t like coconut, so he said he’d take one for the team (because he doesn’t particularly like pineapple or coconut. That’s a good man right there).

Given that bit of information, it’s no surprise that he tried the Vanilla Haze first. He had it prior to a training session. After he returned home he reported back that his head was clearer and he was more awake during the session (he works out at 6am too).

Two days later, he tried the Pineapple Coconut. He was a bit hesitant, given the flavors, but he was pleasantly surprised with the almond butter. He said there were only mind hints of pineapple and coconut, they were not overpowering at all. He actually enjoyed that more than the Vanilla Haze!

Only downside? He could feel where pieces of coconut got stuck in the seams of the pocket and no amount of squishing he did could free them up.

Thanks for sharing with us, Brooke!

Brooke:

Josh and I are both working out several days per week. I’m in the middle of half-marathon training, and he’s just getting back in to running (and training for a 5 miler). I’m an early morning runner, so adding some nut butter to my oatmeal is the perfect breakfast because it gives me some extra protein and a big boost in flavor. I love that the fuel package is resealable; it’s incredibly convenient. Even better, the ingredients are all things I can pronounce. All things that occur in nature. My favorite flavor is the Coconut Cherry. I love coconut, and I could have squeezed it straight from the package into my mouth. (I totally did that. Sorry, not sorry.)

Breakfast of champions. Or busy parents. You know.

Breakfast of champions. Or busy parents. You know.

Josh is always on the go- he takes one of our girls to school, heads to the gym, and then he eats post workout. He tried the butters on toast and oatmeal, and he loved the Chia, Goji & Honey in his cold oats. He told me that he felt full and energized through lunch time, and for a guy who usually skips lunch in favor of work- well, that’s a great thing.

PocketFuel provided samples of their nut butters for free. All opinions expressed are our own.

PocketFuel wants to share their natural, whole food energy with you! One reader will receive a sample pack of nut butters. Please click the link below to enter. We will verify the winning entry via Rafflecopter. This giveaway runs from now until 9/25 at midnight.

rafflecopterpocketfuel

Click the pic to enter!

Recipe Box: Tortellini Soup

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This meal is almost as easy to prepare as a PB&J. It’s definitely simpler than grilled cheese; a meal which I have my husband fix, because I always burn the sandwich. And I always feel a little smug when I make a soup that doesn’t come from a can.

This isn’t the best soup you will ever eat. (That would be my mama’s potato soup.) But it’s a cinch to cook, nutritious, and adaptable. I always have these ingredients on hand, and I end up eating this soup at least once per week. Sometimes I add sausage or chicken that we’ve grilled the night before, sometimes I add beans for extra protein. Sometimes- okay, most of the time, I skip the onion.(It isn’t easy to chop while babywearing, folks.) But it’s definitely better with onion. And crushed red pepper. And shallot pepper from Penzey’s. In my opinion. You can- and should- customize this soup to your liking. And soon it’ll be like we’re eating together once a week. Fun times!

photo(37)

Tortellini Soup
Serves 3-4 (or 2 plus lunch the next day!)

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp. olive oil
½ cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. dried oregano
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, with juices
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
9 oz. tortellini, any variety (fresh or frozen)
3 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed
Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions to the pan and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute. Stir in the oregano and diced tomatoes. Add the broth and bring the soup to a boil. Add the tortellini to the pot and cook according to the package directions. One minute before the tortellini is fully cooked, stir in the spinach. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Source: The Well-Fed Newlyweds via Annie’s Eats

Tomorrow, I’ll be volunteering (while wearing yellow, of course) for the local chapter of Queen For A Day, an organization that provides a special pick-me-up for pediatric cancer patients. By now, you all know that the Scoot chicks (and some awesome friends) are running with intention this month; to raise awareness for children’s cancer. Please sport some yellow, join our team and donate if you feel so moved. Thanks.

Recipe Box: Vic’s summer salad

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I’m obsessed with avocado. And black beans. And salad. In the summer months, I often throw together a salad a-la-random-things-in-my-fridge.

But I often come back to one recipe, which started as a recommendation of salad ingredients from a friend and has been tweaked over recent years.

20130818-190203.jpgNom Nom Nom

Here’s what you need:

Ingredients
Romaine lettuce – half a head, washed and chopped
Cherry tomatoes – halved
Red onion – chopped, maybe a 1/4 cup. A little goes a long way
Corn – one ear, cut off cob (frozen will work as well)
Peas – half package of frozen peas, cooked then rinsed
Avocado – chopped

Topped with lemon juice, salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste.

Hand mix it all. That’s right, get your hands in there and dirty.

My above list is really a basic starting point – delete an item you don’t like or don’t have on hand. Try a different kind of beans or add a cucumber. Last week I made this same salad minus the onion and beans and instead added chicken.

The idea is to keep it light and tasty with an avocado base.

Enjoy!

Are you a salad muncher? What ingredient must be included in your go-to summer salad? Tell us in the comments!

Recipe Box: Thai Peanut Chicken Salad

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Well friends, it’s been fun, but now it’s time to say goodbye. To summer, that is. My two girls went back to school this week and with that comes afternoons and evenings filled with activities, homework, and lunchbox prep. My days will be quieter (the little dude is napping next to me as I type), and lunch for me will be one big question mark, since I don’t have my girls eating with me (Which really means no more Chick-Fil-a, if we’re being honest). PB&J? Cereal? Leftovers? Soup? If I waited to decide at lunchtime, I’d probably end up eating something random and unsatisfying.

A few weeks ago, one of my friends posted some beautiful jarred salads on Instagram (Are you following us?) and I knew it was something I wanted to try once school began. I bookmarked some tips and recipes, and then another friend gave me a recipe for a Thai peanut chicken salad in a jar. Peanuts, spinach, edamame? Definitely my kind of salad!

photo(33)

Last Sunday, my husband grilled some extra chicken with dinner so I could prepare these. I know jarred salads aren’t a new thing, but they’re new to me, and planning something healthy-and delicious- ahead of time is the perfect solution for this mama.

photo(34)

Thai Peanut Chicken Salad
Serves 3

INGREDIENTS

6 Tbsp. sesame-ginger dressing*
1 ½ cups cooked whole wheat spaghetti
3/4 cup shelled edamame beans
thawed from frozen
1 cup julienned carrots
6 Tbsp. chopped red onions
1 ½ tsp. chopped cilantro
1 ½ tsp. diced jalapeno
1 ½ tsp. chopped basil
1 cup chopped chicken breast,
pre-cooked
3 cups chopped fresh spinach
3 Tbsp. peanuts

DIRECTIONS

To prepare, divide ingredients among three 2-cup capacity glass canning jars in this order: 1/ 2 cup spaghetti, ¼ cup edamame beans, 1/3 cup carrots, 2 tablespoons onion, 1/2 teaspoon cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon jalapeno, 1/2 teaspoon basil, 1/3 cup chicken, 1 cup spinach and 1 tablespoon peanuts.
To serve, remove lid, invert jar and dump onto plate or eat straight from the jar. May be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

*The original recipe called for Lifehouse Thai Peanut dressing, but my grocery store didn’t carry it. I used Newman’s Own Sesame Ginger dressing instead, and it was delicious (though I wish I could find the peanut dressing, because peanuts! Yum.)

Recipe from Living Lighthouse Blog

What make-ahead salads have you tried? Any tips? Please let me know in the comments.

A little ‘Chick on Chick’ action- Part 2

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We told you last week that we’d be conducting Chick-on-Chick interviews on Fridays, so that you could get to know us better. Here’s our second installment!

Brooke on Bec

becabout

Bec and I have known each other for about two years and while we haven’t met in person- YET- we’ve read books together (she was “with” me when I finished The Fault in Our Stars and had to hide in the pantry for a cry), planned Thanksgiving desserts together and encouraged one another in reaching our fitness goals. I think she’s pretty rad, and I know you will too.

Brooke: I know you enjoy shaking it at a good zumba class. Do you prefer group fitness or solo exercise?

Bec: Definitely not solo! I don’t need a big group, although for Zumba, a large enthusiastic group makes for an awesome class. But I don’t like to be alone, especially when I’m running. It allows me to be in my own head too much. I find it much more enjoyable with someone to chat with (especially my running partner, Sara) and the time/miles fly by so much faster. 

Brooke: I’m going through a phase where I haaaaate to run alone. And my running partner is named Sara too.

Brooke: We’ve chatted a lot about our mutual love of baking- especially pies! What is your best pie? And what’s your favorite to eat?

Bec: I love that you are my baking buddy! Can we open a bake shop? Call it B&B? Pie is a personal favorite of mine. To make, I’m a traditionalist. Apple. It tastes like fall, and I love that whether you tweak it with funky ingredients (ginger, cranberries, etc) or go strictly traditional, it always turns out wonderfully. To eat, definitely my great aunt’s Walnut Pie. Think Pecan, but darker and richer in the filling. It’s absolutely sinful. Every year, that and a big cup of coffee are my day-after-Thanksgiving breakfast. 

Brooke: I would like to try Walnut Pie. We’d definitely serve it at B&B!

Brooke: You and I read books in a similar fashion, in that we like to be completely consumed by them or it almost isn’t worth it. What makes a book good, in that can’t-do-anything-until-I-finish-this way, in your view?

Bec: This is such a hard question, seriously. Sometimes, I read a book and it’s fine and good and whatever. And then I read a book and it’s MAGIC and I’m ruined for other books for a while. What makes that magic? I wish I knew. Because then I’d only read books that have it. Or write my own. But, what it comes down to, is I want a book that will make me – make me cry, make me laugh, make me think, make me feel. Those things can’t be optional for me to consider a book great. I don’t want to feel like I might cry. I want to cry because I can’t stop myself. I want the characters to feel like my friends, my family. And I want to be left wanting more, without there actually being more coming. Does any of that make sense? Probably not, but I think you know what I mean. Also, kissing. Lots of kissing. 

Brooke: I know exactly what you mean. It’s weird because you crave that experience with every book and it doesn’t always happen. Which doesn’t mean you wouldn’t enjoy it anyway, but for me, it’s hard to keep reading. And kissing! I know I’ve sent you texts complaining about the lack of kissing in a book, haha. It’s a dealbreaker for me!

Brooke: What did you do for your birthday last year?

Bec: We usually keep my birthday pretty low key. It’s three weeks before Christmas so everyone is always super busy. This past year, I took the day off, went and had a facial, bummed around the house for a while, went and grabbed lunch and an AMAZING coconut cupcake with my mom and then had dinner with my family. It was pretty awesome. 

Brooke: That sounds like a perfect day.

Brooke: You’re an accessories girl, like me. Tell me about your current handbag.

Bec: OH. It’s so pretty. It’s the Coach that I hardly ever use, because the colors don’t go with that much. But I switched to it a few weeks ago and I don’t want to switch back because I’m loving the pink! My standby is my pewter Kate Spade. I love bags. And shoes. This is just one of the many reasons we’re friends. 

Brooke: You’re an awesome mom to an elementary age kid and a teenager. How do you find time for yourself between their activities? (Help me, please!)

Bec: It ain’t easy, I can tell you that much. I thought once they were older, time would be easier to come by, but with my teenage daughter being a three season high school athlete who also takes modeling classes and my son’s swimming lessons and homework and doctors and dentist and time with friends, I’m in my car a lot. What helps? I’ve got an amazing husband who helps me a lot. If they’ve both got an activity, we can split the difference, and I’ve come to love the hour we spend sitting together on a soccer field watching a game together. When I want truly ‘alone’ time, I usually take a weekday off from work and just chill or spend it with my bffl. 

Brooke: I’m tired just hearing about it. Yay for amazing husbands and best friends!

Brooke: What’s your favorite thing to do on a Friday night?

Bec: Takeout and movie night. It’s almost every Friday and it’s the perfect way to end a week. 

Brooke: If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? (yes, I stole your question to Meri. It’s a good one!)

Bec: It’s funny, when Meri said ice cream, I was like YES. But then I thought about it some more, and while I love ice cream, that’s not my pick. Cheese. Definitely cheese. 

Brooke: I totally thought you would say cheese! My husband would pick cheese too.

Brooke: Who is your book boyfriend and why?

Bec: B, these book questions are HARD. I have a few. I read a lot of Young Adult fiction (although I’ve branched out into contemporary adult fiction some recently). There are a lot of swoony boys in YA. Four (Divergent trilogy) because he’s smart and strong and a badass who is also sensitive. Alex (Delirium trilogy) because he’s the kind of boy you fall in love with, even when love is forbidden. Adam Wilde (If I Stay/Where She Went) because “Please Mia, don’t make me write a song.” Adam (Shatter Me), Cricket (Lola and the Boy Next Door). And at the moment, I’m falling hard in love with Jase in My Life Next Door (which you should totally read with me, B!)

Brooke: Can Gayle Forman write an amazing guy, or what? And you know I love Four. And I’ve read My Life Next Door! Those characters are great.

See? I told you she was cool. Next week, we’ll have another interview. In the meantime, if you have any questions for Bec, or any of us, please let us know in the comments. We’re a chatty bunch.

Recipe Box: Roast Chicken and Veggies

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For a long time, I was not the “cook” in our house. Originally when we first bought our house, the cooking responsibilities fell on to Jay because he knew how. I didn’t. We were both fine with this.

However, when I became a stay at home mom, and he started working longer hours the responsibility shifted more to me. It was terrifying and awesome simultaneously. When we got married a dear friend gave us the Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook, which is where I originally got this recipe. I’ve tried my hand at all sorts of recipes and this one has stuck around for quite some time!

It is more time intensive than labor intensive. You can prep the veggies before preheating the oven and there’s no rushing around with this recipe (unlike others, in which you have five things going on at the same time and need to get them all done in a particular order. You know the type!). What I particularly like about this recipe is that I usually have most of the ingredients in my house – I only need to pick up the chicken on shopping day.

Ingredients

  • 3 carrots, cut into thirds
  • 6 small red new potatoes, quartered if large
  • 1 medium yellow onion, cut into 6 wedges (we love the veggies so I usually up this to 2 onions – if you have the room in your pan, do it up!)chickenveggies1
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, or olive oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 chicken (3 to 4 pounds)chickenveggies2
  • 1 lemon, quartered
  • 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Put the carrots, potatoes, and onion in a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. Toss the vegetables with 1 tablespoon of melted butter or olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.  Spread the vegetables to the edges of the baking dish so the chicken may rest in the middle.

Remove the neck and giblets from the cavity of the chicken and discard. Rinse the bird under cold running water and pat dry. Put the chicken, breast-side up, in the center of the baking dish. Brush the chicken with the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter or oil. Season generously salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the lemon quarters and rosemary sprigs. Put the garlic cloves under the chicken to prevent them from burning.

Roast for 45 minutes.  Remove the dish from the oven.  Using tongs, tilt the chicken, pouring the juices from the cavity onto the vegetables, and shake to coat. Your house will be smelling absolutely amazing at this point.

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Baste the chicken with the pan juices.  If the bird is browning too quickly, cover with aluminum foil.  Continue roasting until the chicken is a deep golden brown and the juices run clear when the tip of a knife is inserted into the thigh joint, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh, away from the bone, registers 170 to 175 degrees F, 30-45 minutes more, depending on your oven.

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Transfer the chicken to a platter and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes before carving. Using the back of a spoon, mash the garlic and squeeze some lemon into the pan juices. Toss the juices with the vegetables. Carve the chicken (okay, I’m not at this point in my life yet. Jay still carves the bird) and serve the vegetables alongside.

The recipe says that it serves two but if you’re liberal with the veggies, the chicken meat can easily feed at least four.  Bon appetit!

Time To Get Your Snack On- We Have Winners!

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snackwinnersLast week, the Chicks shared some of our favorite snacks with you. From almonds and yogurt, to granola and popcorn (and maybe the occasional bag of Fritos), we have strong opinions about what to eat between meal times. We were also inspired by your snack suggestions, so thank you!

Because sharing is caring, we offered the opportunity for two of you to nosh on our favorite tasty tidbits. Today, we have winners:

snackboxwinners

Congrats, Ray and Ben, you get to eat all the treats! Or at least, a box of delicious bites curated by the Scoot a Doot chicks. We salute you! If you haven’t heard from us already, please email us at scootadoot AT gmail.com and we’ll get you all set up to receive your prize.

More fun coming next week! Are you following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram?