La Hacienda!
Carrying the same name as the restaurant next door. This little place is like a small grocery store with a ton of baked goods.

Everything is homemade and delicious! This is one place I like to spoil myself sometimes when I want sweets but not the normal.

They Also have this amazing baked chicken that I love.

$2.99 for a huge leg and thigh quater. Huge! The flavor and spices are amazing. The chicken is moist and tender. I love it! I can’t go without getting one!

Check this place out today. It’s worth it!
-Sonny-
#KitchenSex #UrbanKitchen #EatFood

These are all places i just stumbled in because I’m the type to see a new place and go in. The funny thing is I don’t even know the name of the places. So pictures, names, and info coming soon! -Sonny-

Chicken noodle soup/shredded chicken

I recently had a sick friend who told me she’s never had homemade chicken noodle soup. So I had to make her some for 2 reasons. 1 to help her get better and 2 everybody should have some homemade chicken noodle soup. So now here I am to share it with you. Whether your sick or just want some good soup. Enjoy!

Ingredients Shredded chicken:
2lbs. Boneless chicken
2 heaping tablespoons of seasoning salt 1 tablespoon of red pepper flake
2 heaping tablespoons of cumin
2 heaping tablespoons of onion powder
1 tablespoon of black pepper
2 minced garlic cloves

Cooking:
In large pot cover chicken with water. Put burner on high. Add all other ingredients and cook until easily shredded with forks. Approximately 30 to 40 minutes. Drain.

Ingredients Soup:
3 large celery stalks
1/4 of a medium white onion
3 small scallions
3 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons of EVOO
64oz. of chicken broth
Pepper
Salt
Cumin
Egg noodles

Cooking:

Put burner on medium high. Add EVOO and saute carrots and celery till soft. Chop and add the other veggies. Pour in chicken broth. Add a tablespoon of each spice. Stir well. Add shredded chicken and pasta. Let cook until pasta is al-dente. Serve.

Hope you love it.
-Sonny-

I love to just look in the refrigerator and cabinets and just start to create! Last night I was trying to surprise this very special girl that I’ve been seeing. So I started to look around found some pasta, two chicken breast, a jalapeno, and some chorizo. I thought quickly and this is what I made her.

-Sonny-
#KitchenSex #EatFood #UrbanKitchen

When I was younger my mom didn’t have a lot of money, but she could make amazing tasting food on a budget. One of my favorites was Johnny Marzetti! It’s kind of like cheeseburger macaroni.
So this one is for you mom! R.I.P.

1lbs. Of ground beef
1 cup of shredded cheddar
1 16oz. can of tomato sauce
1 cup of shredded mozzarella
Fresh sliced munster (enough to cover your baking dish)
1 cup of ritz cracker crumbs
6oz. Of your favorite pasta

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. On stove top brown the ground beef.
3. Cook pasta al-dente.
4. In baking dish combine beef, pasta, tomato sauce cheddar and mozzarella.
5. Season with fresh cracked black pepper and seasoning salt.
6. Cover with munster slices.
7. Sprinkle cracker crumbs on top and bake for 20 to 30 mins. Until it’s gooey and golden brown!

Enjoy from #KitchenSex #EatFood
-Sonny-

January was one of my best and most consistent months since I started keeping track of things.  Every aspect of training has been going well.  My legs are tired, but seem to be adjusting well to added volume.

I ran 111.5 miles for the month (to reach my goal of 1000 miles in 2012, I only need to run 83 miles/month).  I did not take more than 1 consecutive day off.  My pace is moving in the right direction.  So yes, I’m encouraged! And excited!

I’ve also been asking myself what can I do to be a better runner?  My aforementioned new running partner will help – she’ll push me and not let me dog it on our runs together.  I am also trying to be more conscience of what I eat.  With 3 kids, meal times can be crazy and I often don’t get a good breakfast or lunch myself while feeding them.  I then tank in the mid afternoon and make poor decisions on what I do eat.  I am working on eating a solid breakfast and lunch, to get the good calories, and to feel better as the afternoon progresses.  Other thoughts are swarming through my head, but let’s take it 1 step at a time.  January was good.  Here’s to February being even better!  

1. Full fat cheese can help you lose weight because of its linoleic acid content that helps give a boost to the metabolism.

2. Almonds may be high in fat but they are good fats that help burn fat. Additional almonds are a great source of Vitamin E and help shore up the immune system.

3. Coffee helps to up the body’s metabolic rate by as much as 15% but remember black coffee sans milk and sugar is what will offer benefits.

4. 3 cups of green tea a day can also help boost the metabolism and burn 30 calories extra per day.

5. Chili peppers have long been touted as fat burners because of the chemicals they contain that help burn fat in the body. Even less hot poblanos can help.

6. Eggs, long blamed for causing weight gain can actually help you lose weight because of the amino acid content that helps build lean muscle which will in turn help you lose weight all day long.

7. Portobello mushrooms contain copper and pantothenic acid potassium, all of which can help with weight loss.

Several thoughts …

Looking at my running log, I’ve had 4 great weeks since 2 weeks off from my ankle sprain.  There’s a lot of wisdom in every few weeks, backing off a bit.  Maybe my body is telling me I need a lower mileage week.

I’ve also realized over the past few weeks how I need to pay careful attention to what I eat during the day. My tendency is to not eat enough during the day (unintentionally as I get busy with the girls, etc) and then be very hungry post-run and eat a huge dinner.  Not good!  I’ve been working to make sure I stop to eat a good breakfast (such as eggs and toast or homemade granola with added flaxmeal) and a substantial lunch.  That makes a big difference in how I feel during my afternoon runs.

I think the combo of those 2 things is why I’ve felt sluggish this week.  My brother talks about this on his blog as well – how some days you just don’t have it and that’s okay.  It’s part of running!  But I will say, I’d take his sluggish days ANY day!!! :)

I’m leaving tomorrow night for a quick overnight cross-country trip to Atlanta.  Thus, I won’t be able to run tomorrow unless I go early and Saturday’s running won’t add up to much as I dash around the race course.  So now, at 10:20pm I’m debating if I’ll wake up at 5am, pump (joys of nursing a baby), and run with some guys that always push me and make me laugh, or if I’ll sleep in.  I need the run.  Do I need the rest?  I think I’ll feel better if I run.  Hope I don’t regret it!

Fast forward to now.

I totally forgot I had taken this Shaklee glucosamine supplement until the other day when someone asked me if I had ever taken glucosamine.  DUH!  I had definitely wondered why my knees had felt so achy lately after long runs.  I haven’t been taking glucosamine this time around!  So, I plan to call mom in just a bit and order some (mom is a Shaklee distributor) and hopefully it will make a difference.  I’m pretty confident it will.  In 2 places above I have a hyper-link to the glucosamine I have taken.  Here’s a Wikipedia article if you want to read more.  You can also buy various glucosamine supplements at the grocery store or health food store.  I’m biased to Shaklee due to their commitment to high quality.