Happy holidays!

I know it's been awhile since I last posted, but I've been having some technical difficulties with my blogger app, so I had to wait till I could sit down at my laptop and update that way. It's amazing what we do on smartphones these days! I could go a month without ever using my laptop. Anyway...

How was everyone's Thanksgiving? Mine was pretty great (for the most part)! Me and the hubs hopped in the car and drove for 11 hours to visit with his family. Now, I've gotten pretty spoiled by the warm weather of the South, but Pittsburgh knocked me right into reality with 18° and snow. That definitely made for an interesting run!

After we got back home, hubs left for a military training so I've been trying to focus on my health - lots of fruit and veg and upping the workouts. I've been doing my half marathon training program still, as well as including a core class after my Tuesday night training run. It's not much and he's only gone for 3 weeks, but it just feels good to focus on myself for a bit.

Most of my recipe ideas have been inspired by the amazing Backyard Produce that I get each week, including kale-pesto salmon, carrot and potato soup, and kale and cabbage coleslaw.

Kale-pesto Salmon

Needed:
-2 salmon filets
-1/2 cup pine nuts
-2 cups kale, packed
-1 tbsp olive oil

1. Blend the pine nuts, kale and olive oil till it makes a paste.

2. Smear it on the top of the filets and let it marinate for 15 minutes.

3. Bake the marinated filets at 425° for 12 minutes.

4. Remove from the oven, seal in foil and let it sit in its foil packet for 10 minutes, then serve.

We had ours with twice-baked sweet potatoes and a veggie mix. I am obsessed with the sweet potatoes cooked this way, it's like dessert with your dinner!

Carrot Potato Soup

Needed:
-a pound of carrots, chopped
-2 potatoes, skinned and chopped
-1/2 cup rice
-onion, chopped
-32 ounces vegetable broth
-sour cream, optional

1. Simmer the carrots and potatoes in the broth for 20 minutes.

2. Add the rice and cook for an additional 18-20 minutes. The carrots/potatoes should be nice and soft.

3. Add everything to a food processor and process till the consistency you want. Serve and top with a dollop of sour cream.

This makes a pretty big portion and since it was just me, I ate on it for four days. You could probably freeze a couple portions if you get tired of eating carrots. Luckily, I thought it was pretty tasty and definitely hearty.

Kale-cabbage Coleslaw

Needed:
-2 cups kale, chopped to bite size
-1/2 head cabbage, chopped
-2 tbsp mayo
-2 tbsp Dijon mustard
-1 tbsp olive oil

1. Mix the greens together in a bowl.

2. Whisk the oil, mayo and mustard together.

3. Pour the oil mixture over the greens and mix until covered. Enjoy!

With the New Year coming up, have you started thinking about resolutions? I typically don't buy into it, because why should you only start being a better person in January? You can start any day. But me and the hubs have talked about really focusing on our relationship in the New Year - communicating more and fighting less and just trying to be more understanding of each other. After being married for 6 years, we're about due for a reminder on why we fell in love in the first place and 2014 is the year!