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Tag: chard

Insect Crossing, Guitar Case Chard, and Sandra Oh

Day 19 of 28 Day Refocus

Jacksonville Arboretum and Botanical Gardens
Jacksonville, FL – August 20, 2021

It seems silly to drive for a walk, but the sun can be pretty relentless around here…when it’s not stormy…even in the morning. I suppose we could get going earlier, but we’re not that kind of team. As expected, the best place to find the shade is at the Arboretum, but even there we’re doing fairly short morning activities. As many times as I have been now, I still see something new and beautiful every time wander through their trails. We had kind of hit a stride when I took this photo and, full disclosure, the shot was for the flower, but I guess this guy was out for a stroll as well.

Jacksonville Arboretum and Botanical Gardens
Jacksonville, FL – August 20, 2021

In The Gardens:

Guitar Case Greens, The Condo
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 20, 2021

It got so much bigger than I expected! I love growing chard even if I don’t usually eat what I grow. I lose a lot to weather and I’m on borrowed time now, but I think it’s so pretty with the bright, contrasting stalks.

Honey Nut Squash, The Condo
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 20, 2021

On The Beach:

We’re deep into the rhythm of August with heavy mornings, afternoon thunderstorms, and clear perfect evenings, so I have been trying to make up for our lack of distance during our evening walks. I have varying success with the exercise part, but we have fun on the beach regardless of heart rate. It’s never a waste of time to come to the beach.

Atlantic Beach, FL – August 20, 2021

Sweating It Out:

My pace today varied from 4.2 to 6.0 with the majority of around 5.6 and I held 3lb dumb bells for 4 of the 5 miles. Nice and even…unlike the weather outside.

What I Watched:

I am loving all the female driven content! Especially, shows that are discussing some of the realities of breaking into a predominantly male environment when you are not one of them. Specifically, the emotional care that we are expected to present to our older male counter because they might get their feelings hurt when they realize they aren’t in charge anymore. This was a good watch and Sandra Oh delivers a great character. I hope they make Season 2.

On The Plates:

Today’s menu was all about the heat of summer. My standard green drink, raw veggie snacks, and a delicious blended frozen blueberry cashew banana jar (phew…I need a better name and not Nice Cream). Okay, that was my biggest calorie meal, but supper was the only one on a plate. The other day, I listened to a Leslie Jordan interview and he mentioned that he makes chicken salad a lot and now that I have made my own mayo, I’m all about it. I wish I had hard boiled eggs in the fridge like his mama used to use, but this version has capers, tons of sauteed leeks, and a touch of Dijon. Complimented by some veggies, it makes the perfect summer plate. Maybe I should have eaten those mushrooms a few days ago, but they were still tasty. It was just a snacky kind of day which isn’t terribly unusual for me. This is why logging is so important for me though, because if I’m not paying attention, the snacking can get out of hand…pun intended. 😉

Cronometer:

Garmin Says:

Keep calm and carry on or something like that… I know it’s redundant, but I’m feeling really proud of my consistency nearing the end of Week 3.

Stay safe and moving, y’all!!!

Beefy Greens & Chickpea Shells

Ingredients: Chickpea/Lentil Pasta Shells, Ground Beef, Rainbow Chard, Roasted Bell Peppers, Roasted Purple Onion, Saucy Saturday’s Roasted Pepper Sauce (roasted grape tomatoes, roasted orange pepper, sweet onion, garlic, parsley, basil, coconut oil, sea salt, pepper).

I had most of the components of this dish already ready to go. It took under 15 minutes to get all the bits together and the pasta cooked. The package directions stated 7-9 minutes, but with only one serving, they were a little overcooked at 7. I would check them at 5, if you aren’t making the entire box. The sauce was leftover in the fridge next to the roasted veggies and the sautéed/portioned ground beef that I prepped the day before. The chard was from the freezer, but…I forgot I was going to need some greens….so I used the heat of the pot lid while the pasta was cooking to defrost it just enough to get it out of the Ziploc (I’m working on getting them out of my life) and break it up. Once the pasta was cooked, I killed the heat on the stove, drained the pasta from the pot and then added everything back into the same pot. I put the whole thing back on the still warm, but off burner, took my quick post run shower and when I returned everything had come to a pretty even warm temp. I turned the heat back on for a minute because I am still luxuriating in hot meals and two minutes later…voila! a super quick and easy dinner.