It’s a beautiful Tuesday here in L.A. I know most people are having less-than-stellar weather this week, so I’m definitely soaking this up and feeling thankful. I’ve been feeling really productive this week and I’m hoping to carry that on through the rest of the week and even month. I’ve got a lot of things to do, so the more motivated I am, the easier it will be to get done!

Fitness

Last night, I got done working around 6:30pm and headed straight to the rock climbing gym. Even though it was later than I’d planned, I wanted to get a run in and wasn’t going to let anything stop me. Since my mud run and 5k races, I’ve basically taken a long hiatus from running. While most of my fitness activities stay pretty constant year-round, running is the exception. I’ll run several times per week for months and then one day I’ll just stop and I won’t run for just as long. I am always curious to see how my stamina stays up when I don’t run for long periods of time. The conditioning and lifting that I do should technically keep my running shape decent, but you never know. 

I arrived at the gym around 7pm and decided to just run outside in the neighborhood around it. I used a new running app (RunKeeper) and have to say I like it much better than MapMyRun. I was noticing towards the end of my last running streak that the timing and distance seemed to be a bit off (i.e. I was running sluggishly and still hitting a good pace). RunTracker seems to be much more accurate, so we’ll see how it goes!

I’m happy to report that I felt REALLY good during my run. While I was just trying to take it easy since it had been so long, my body felt like it could have gone much faster and harder. I don’t feel like I’ve lost much stamina and that makes me a happy chica! Yay for running!(kinda.. ;-)) I ended up with just over 3 miles. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Afterwards, I headed into the rock climbing gym for a bouldering session. So much fun and such a great overall body workout. Can’t wait to do it again Thursday!

When I got home, my boyfriend and I made our signature dinner. By signature, I mean we make it like 3-4 times per week. We are a bit obsessed. I promise I will take photos of the process sometime, but here is a recipe for you!

Better Than Chipotle, Chipotle

Ingredients:

2 Organic Chicken Breasts

1 Red Bell Pepper

1 Green Bell Pepper

1/2 White Onion

Brown Rice (as much as you’d like)

Black Beans (as much as you’d like)

Spices: Pepper, Cayenne Pepper (optional), Paprika, Garlic Powder 

Hot Sauce (your preference, we use La Victoria)

Directions: Timing is EVERYTHING

-Preheat Oven to 325 degrees

-Place Chicken on a Cookie Sheet and add desired spices. Then bake for about 15 minutes – 20 minutes (until it’s done of course!)

-While chicken is baking, chop up bell peppers and onion.

-When the chicken has about 10 minutes left, boil water (2:1 ratio) and add brown rice. Cook until the water has evaporated and rice is soft.

-When the chicken has about 5 minutes left, spray a frying pan with the oil of your choice and add veggies and spices to the mix. Cook until they start to slightly brown. (Note: if you cook too long they get soggy, so make sure you watch them!)

-While veggies are cooking, heat up black beans (in microwave or pan)

-Finally: ASSEMBLE. Do this however you want, but we like to do: Brown rice, Black beans, Veggies, Chicken, Cheese, and Hot Sauce!!

This picture is not exactly appetizing, but I promise the meal is delicious!!! (This is also my boyfriend’s serving. It’s enough for at least two people, but he eats it all.) 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let me know if you try it!

Do you run? Do you like running?