Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad - Say Whaaaaaat?!

I found this "recipe" posted on Pinterest, but couldn't find the actual recipe link....ya gotta love when that happens.  Anyway, I was able to figure out what was in the recipe just based on the picture, so I went for it.  Here's my version....Oh & can I just say, I'm super excited at how it turned out, using 0% fat greek yogurt as the binding agent kinda freaked me out, but it was good!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sliced almonds (I bought the pre-sliced almonds) - I still gave them a rough chop
1/2 cup golden raisins - chopped (the original recipe called for craisins, but I already had the golden raisins so I figured I should just use those)
3/4 cup green grapes - quartered
3/4 cup green apple - cubed (chop them up as small as you like, they add a nice crunch!)
1/2 cup red onion - finely chopped (you want these pretty small, no one likes biting into a huge chunk of raw onion)
6 oz of Greek Yogurt (0%) - (depending on how creamy you like your salad, you can add more or less)
1 cup grilled chicken breast tenderloins - cubed or shredded depending on how you like the chicken in your chicken salad
Salt & Pepper to taste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil


Directions

In a medium bowl toss your chicken with EVOO (small drizzle - enough to sauté in a grill pan), salt & pepper to taste.  In a medium skillet, sauté your chicken tenderloins until cooked all the way through.  NO PINK in your chicken!

While your chicken is cooking, in a large bowl, mix together the first five ingredients (almonds, golden raisins, green grapes, green apples, red onions).  Lightly toss those together.

Add in half of your greek yogurt & mix gently.  See how you feel about the consistency on whether you want to add more.  Lightly salt & pepper your mixture.  Add in more of your greek yogurt if you'd like.

Once the chicken is done, toss it into your salad mix.  Gently toss together.  Place in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to let everything cool together.

TAAAAAA-DAAAAAAA

It's definitely a sweeter salad, but very yummy.  To lighten on the
sweetness I'd say don't use as many grapes

I used the extra part of the apple as a cracker, it all turned out great & perfect for lunch with left over for a few days.  This could probably even be a nice light appetizer for a brunch  :)

Half of my serving was on thinly sliced apples

Week 4 - Finish It Up in NYC

So this post is a little late, but in case you didn't know, I was able to complete my goal of running/walking 100 miles during the month of July!  And I finished 4 days early!

I didn't run too much the week of our trip, got a couple of runs in early on in the week, thanks Ariana for joining me on one of them, but I took it easy after Wednesday.

We flew into New York City on Friday, July 26th.  When we got to the hotel our room wasn't ready yet, so we walked around our neighborhood & then over to Central Park.  It was only a block away.  We were able to get an idea on where we'd be running the next morning, we'd mapped it out already & the plan was to start at the hotel, run to see lots of "sights" in the park during the first 1.5 miles, then finish out the last 1.5 & grab some breakfast at a crepe restaurant off of Columbus on the Upper West Side.

Saturday morning we woke up around 7:00am & we were ready to get running by 7:30, the weather was amazing!  Nice & cool, upper 60s, a little humid, but nothing compared to Texas.  We ran over to the entrance of Central Park at E 76th & we were off!  Our first stop was at the Alice in Wonderland bronze statue, then over to the Hans Christian Andersen statue.  Then to Bethesda Fountain & Strawberry Fields, up north to Belvedere Castle & then, just finishing out the run.  It was such a pretty run, so many people out, doing the same thing, playing with their kids, walking their dogs, running in a marathon!, just being active, it was awesome!  As we finished, we decided to walk along the outer part of the park & I looked up to see how much farther north we needed to go & much to my delight & TOTAL surprise, we had finished the run on W 100th Street!  Totally coincidence, didn't plan it that way, it just happened.  Complete serendipity!  ;)

So, that's it, goal accomplished!  Was it easy?  Well, it wasn't the hardest thing I've ever done, but it wasn't easy either.  Was it fun?  Ummmmm, the encouragement & the sheer look of bewilderment on people's faces when I would tell them what I'm doing was fun.  My knees & lower back didn't think it was so much fun.  Would I do it again?  Maybe not 100 miles, but maybe something smaller.  Like my good friend Ariana, she's running 60 miles this month, like that mileage much more.

Anyway, like with most "physical challenges" it all ends up being mainly a mental game with yourself. Making sure you follow through, doing it even when that's the last thing you want to do, and trust me, I had those moments plenty of times over the month.  Especially with the fact that it's the middle of summer!  So I did it!  #100JulyMiles, DONE!  :)

Thanks to everyone who ran with me or "liked" a run check-in, or status update, or picture or who left me an encouraging word here or there, I appreciate that so much!!  :)

I'll leave you with pics of our Central Park run!

             

   

On This Day....10 Years Ago

So today I turn 31, THIRTY-ONE!  I'm officially in my 30s now, being 30 isn't "in your 30s" it's just 30.....so another milestone reached I suppose.

But this post is more just a quick funny story from my 21st birthday (too long to post as a status update on FB)

10 Year Ago today, I turned that magical age of 21....oh, the big time.  I could now legally drink...that's pretty much it, of course at time, it was a huge deal.  Especially since my birthday is in the summer & I was always the youngest out of my group of friends to turn those big birthday numbers (13, 15, 16, 18, 21...).  I used to be a little jealous of that, now, not so much.

Anyway, I was in Orlando, with my parents for a Disneyworld trip, yup, step off, I know how cool that sounds!  We were at Downtown Disney & for some odd reason, I really wanted to have dinner at Rainforest Cafe, maybe because I'd never been & it looked like fun??  I have no idea but that was my bday dinner choice.  As we sat down to eat, after waiting for almost 3 hours for our table I made the decision to order an "adult beverage"...in front of my parents, woah!  I got some fruity/tropical concoction of some sort, took about 3 or 4 sips, it was good, very sweet, but good...and my mom stops me & with all the seriousness in the world says....."How do you feel?  Are you a little dizzy, light headed?  It's called a "buzz", I think."  I just laughed, said absolutely nothing else & laughed, it was cute & innocent & so my mom, I couldn't help but do anything else.

So 10 years later, hard to believe that 10 years have passed.  10 years ago all I had to worry about were my classes & if I could work during the week at A&F, seriously, those were my concerns.  It's amazing how much you change in 10 years, but not in the obvious ways you change from 0 to 10 years old, or even from 10 - 20 years old.  You mature, you grow up & really do realize that stupid annoying stuff that's bothering you now, probably won't matter to you in 10 years.  That's what I always tell my students....this huge "crisis" that you're dealing with right now, will it really matter in 10 years?  Will you even know some of these people in 10 years?  Normally they roll their eyes because I'm old & I don't get it, but I hope one day, they'll completely understand what I mean.....

So...I've heard lots of people say that your 30s are the best!  So far, I can agree with that.  It's nice to be an age where everything isn't a full blow crisis, though I still tend to freak out often...  ;)

Week 3 - San Antonio & Its Running Trails

So over the course of this "adventure" of running 100 miles, I've had my share of running routes.  I think picking a place to run is half of the battle.  Running the same route over & over again is incredibly boring & that's why I hate running at the gym.  Nothing to look at & you don't change your scenery.

It wasn't until I started running 4 years ago, that I found out just how many running trails San Antonio has to offer.  And even if you run them over & over again, you can still add in slight variations here & there, start at a different trail head, run the other way, etc.  The people running said trails are always entertaining as well.  A good friend of mine have a "weirdest thing I saw on my run today...." ongoing text conversation.  These usually vary from seeing animals, to interesting fashion choices, to used....well, things along a run.  I definitely don't always see "weird" things, but when I do, she's the first one to know about it!  I also appreciate running trails because even though you're in the middle of the city, you always have some major highway just blocks away from you, you still feel like you're secluded, just you & the pavement.  It's relaxing & even therapeutic at times.

So what's my favorite trail?  Well, that's hard to say, but after logging all these miles recently, I'd have to say my favorite place to run is on the Riverwalk.  You can't beat the scenery, the people watching is fabulous & it's just a pretty run!  The only problem is the section between the Houston Street Bridge & Nueva Street Bridge, lots of stairs & more people, but other than that, it's great!  Bravo San Antonio, you definitely keep it interesting!

Now for the weekly numbers.  I completed Day 18 today with a 4 mile walk/run with Lake.  That places me at 80 miles total, so slowly but surely I'm getting there!  Now, according to my math, I should be at 67 miles, so I'm definitely way ahead of schedule.  I won't be running on Friday though & the plan is to run my last 3 miles in Central Park in New York City on Saturday.  We fly out Friday morning on my birthday!  We'll be there until the 30th.  I'm really excited about the route that we're going to run while we're there, should be a great way to finish this all out.  :)

Thanks to everyone for the supportive comments & "likes" on FB, Twitter & Instagram!  Thanks also to Lake & Kristen for helping me get through my miles this week, y'all are the best!  Until next week, when hopefully I'll be typing that I've successfully run 100 miles during the month of July!

Week 3 runs...all sorts of weather fun!

Week 2 - So Why Are You Running 100 Miles in July?...and other questions...

So week 2 is over & done with, I finished the week at 56 miles.  Math calculations show that I should be at 45 miles, so to be 11 miles ahead at this point is awesome!  :)  I am starting to feel slightly "over" running....I'm just kind of in a rut now.  But I'm too close to not finish, so I'm sure I'll get over that...especially as the miles continue to add up!

The popular question to me this week has been...."are you really trying to run 100 miles this month?"  the next has been, "why?"  OH & "are you crazy?"....that one makes me chuckle.

Well boys & girls, my answer is pretty simple....I'm running 100 miles during the month of July because I want to see if I can, I just decided to set a goal & stick to it, plain & simple, no hidden anything.  I thought it would be a good challenge.  I picked this month because it has 31 days & it's completely untouched by work.  I know myself well enough to know that I CANNOT wake up before work & run in the mornings & there's no way that I'll have the energy to run 6 out of 7 days of the week once the school year gets started, that just won't happen.  So, like it or not, that's my answer.  I have been running with my "Charity Miles" app which logs your miles & donates money to that specific charity.  You can pick through several charities, so whatever your "cause", there's an option from you to choose from.  :)

Well, that's my story for the week.  Logged in 27 for Week 2.  I'd like to thank Lake, Leah, Ismelda (my dad's hygienist) & Ariana for the miles this week!  Thank you for the support!!  The goal is to finish my 100 miles in New York City when Lake & I are there the 26th - 30th.  With my calculations, I should have 3 miles left to run the day we leave, so we're planning on running in Central Park either Sunday or Monday morning, I cannot wait!!!!

Week 2 Runs were fun & varied!  :)

Week 1 - The Wildlife is Crazy Out There!

Well, Week 1 of my 100 Mile Challenge for the month of July is now over.  I'm currently sitting at 29 miles for the month, so 79 more to go.

According to my math I should be at 22.5 miles for 7 days in, so I'm ahead of schedule, which is great!

This week hasn't been too bad, I did "two a days" on Monday & Tuesday running 7 miles &  6 miles....the rest of the week was just one run a day & I took a break on Saturday to give my legs a rest.  Today I logged in another 4 miles, which wasn't the easiest run ever, but I could definitely appreciate the break I took yesterday.

During my "nature" runs I've seen 3 roadrunners, 4 bunnies, like 8 or 9 deer (thanks to the Salado Greenway), & a SNAKE!  A really really really scary snake!  It was black, red & yellow, I don't know if it was poisonous or not, I really don't think it mattered, I was scared & I ran really really really fast!  I will definitely avoid that part of the greenway for a while, who knows how many of those crazy snakes are just chillin' in the brush.

Thanks to my very special guests who pushed me this week (Lake, Leah & Ariana), I appreciate you logging in some miles with me!  I'm always open to running with anyone, so let me know if you want to join in on a walk or run.  :)

Other than trying to stay hydrated, this week I need to stretch more & probably ice my knees, they're getting old!  I also have the challenge of running in the Valley, where the wind is crazy, the humidity is ridiculous & the temperatures are relentless, wish me luck!  ;)

Until next week!  #100JulyMiles

25 Miles Worth of Runs - Week 1

#100JulyMiles

Well, I figure if I put in writing (typing) then I have to do it....

So I made the decision last week, for no real reason, other than to just see if I can do it & because I have time...I'm going to run/walk 100 miles during the month of July.

Mathematically, I have to run just over a 5K everyday for the 31 days, I don't plan on running every single day, I'll need to run more than 3 miles on some days because obviously I need days off, so I'm looking at 3, 4, & even 5 mile runs at times, but it's nothing incredibly insane & nothing I haven't done before.

I just figure, if I can train for a full marathon for 6 months, I can run 100 miles in one month.  I'm sure I'll be Facebooking, FourSquaring, & Tweeting about it all.  I'm hoping to also blog about it at least once a week & keep the update of how my mileage is coming along during the month.

If you want to run with me, let me know!  I plan on running in my neighborhood, Leon Creek Greenway, Hardberger Park, Eisenhower Park, & maybe even on the river.  Just email me or text me if you want to run with!  :)

Wish me luck.....#100JulyMiles

Oh & just an update...I'm still running a race a month.  June race:  10K on Saturday!