A meal for both meat and veggie eaters

I saw the "Rachael Ray Show" a couple of weeks ago and one of her recipes caught my eye.  I knew I could make it a veggie version or at least a half veggie version. 

This is my take on the Rachael Ray's Roasted Sausage, Pumpkin Apples and Onions with Maple and Beer Pan Gravy:

Ingredients

• 1/2 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into bite pieces (don't worry I will show you what to do with the other half)
• 1 medium red onion, peeled and cut into wedges with root ends attached
• 1 Gala apple, quartered, core trimmed away
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• Salt and pepper
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• 4 links bratwurst or other sausage of choice (I did 2 veggie and 2 chicken sausage links)
• Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for liberal drizzling
• 1.5 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 cup beer
• 3/4 cups veggie stock
• 1/8 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 425°F.

In a large bowl, combine squash, onions and apples with lemon juice, salt, pepper, and a little freshly grated nutmeg.

Add sausages and dress everything with a layer of EVOO, about 3 tablespoons to coat. Arrange on large baking sheet and roast 30-40 minutes.

Heat butter in small pan over medium heat. Whisk in flour for 1 minute then add beer and reduce half a minute more. Whisk in stock, syrup and soy sauce, add some coarse black pepper and let thicken a few minutes more to coat spoon.

Serve roasted sausages and squash doused with gravy.

This is before going into the oven.  ***Note:  I took the other half of the butternut squash and put some maple syrup, EVOO, and salt on it and roasted it as well.  I made 2 butternut squash salads during the week that were very yummy (spinach, roasted butternut squash, goat cheese, dried cranberries, bell pepper, and a light poppyseed dressing).

My sauce reducing.  If you really want a lot of sauce, consider doubling the recipe.  We did not have enough to "douse" our meal with this gravy.

After coming out of the oven, and ready to be plated.

I paired this dinner with a nice side spinach salad.  It was a pretty well received meal by everyone, although I was not a huge fan of the veggie sausage I had.  I think I will try a different brand next time. 

Weekly Running Report - 1/23/11

Well not much to report.  I had planned to run on Saturday, but Friday afternoon, I strained my knee a little squatting down to pick something up, so I rested on Saturday and my knee was feeling better on Sunday.  I am hoping my groin will hold up for tomorrow's run.  I didn't hurt today but it hurt afterwards.  I think the "strain" was just my body "loosening up" from the pregnancy.  Luckily by Saturday evening, it felt much better.  The weekend was pretty low key, and tonight we are moving Hope to her "big girl bed."  Should be interesting.  Here is how the 7 month pregnant lady worked out this week:

Monday - Ran on the mill since it was MLK and I had the little one with me, 3 miles - easy, walked 0.3 afterwards
Tuesday - 15 minutes of yoga, 20 minutes of weights
Wednesday - Easy 3 miles on the mill
Thursday - Rest
Friday - 3 miles on the mill - incline 5%, ran at 6.2 for 3 minutes, then walked (4.0) for one minute, repeated until I ran 3 miles, walked 0.35 afterwards
Saturday - Rest
Sunday - Ran 3.11 miles outside, hilly neighborhood route

Total running - 12.76 miles

I do have a running log book that I have been logging all my miles in.  I think it will be fun to look back at it when I am not pregnant and compare. 

Have a good evening!

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Weekly Running Report

Well the snow and ice kept me inside most of the week last week.  I was able to get out yesterday late morning, but there was still ice out there, especially on the sidewalks on the busier streets, so that made it interesting.  I had to make yesterday's run a little short because of the ice.  I knew if I fell, the hubs would have my head.  Here is how it broke down last week:

Monday - Ran 3 easy miles on the treadmill, 0% incline, walked 0.32 afterwards to help work out my groin
Tuesday - 35 minutes of yoga, that was all I could get in with the little one
Wednesday - Ran 3 miles again on the mill, 0% inclinie, groin started bothering me so I had to walk for 0.2 miles in the middle of the run, and then ran at the end.
Thursday - REST - Actually I went into the office that day and all the stress of driving around on ice, that was all I could do that day.  If I wasn't pregnant, my dinner would have been red wine.
Friday - Ran 3 miles on the mill again, with a 0.35 walk afterwards, did some push-ups and sit-ups afterwards
Saturday - REST, we hit the mall to get some shopping done for the new baby and a few accessories for our living room
Sunday - Ran 2.5 miles outside - supposed to be 3.1 miles, but the ice cut that short.  I was going to run the rest on the mill when I got home, but figured I would try to run on Monday (today, and I did), so I thought it was ok to make it short, if I was going to run 2 days in a row with stretching ligaments.

According to the mill and the garmin I ran 12.43 miles.  Not too bad considering most was done on the mill with as much snow as we got. 

Today I took Hope out on the jogging stroller since we were up early and no work today.  There is still a good bit of ice on the sidewalks, but it was probably good because it made me slow down and walk.  No real groin problems today.  And having the jogging stroller gave me some stability over the ice.  :)

Snow Days 2 & 3

Well Tuesday and Wednesday were more snow days for us, so I decided to get creative with dinner on Tuesday.  I had some puff pastry left over from a veggie pot pie that I hadn't used up yet, so I did some searching on the internet to give me some ideas.  I saw a recipe for Taco Pockets.  The original recipe had ground beef in it so I decided to revamp the recipe to make it vegetarian and what was in our fridge and pantry. 

The Ingredients

2 teaspoons EVOO
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup frozen corn
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoon chipotle in adobe sauce
1/2 cup reduced fat cheddar, shredded
1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed for about 30 minutes
Flour for dusting

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Heat oil over a medium heat in a skillet.
Add beans and salsa.  Heat up.
Add seasonings and water and mix.  Once the water has been soaked up, add the frozen corn and chipotle in adobe sauce. 
Combine and heat for another 5 minutes.
Roll out the puff pastry on a dusted surface until it's a square (14 x 14 inches).
Cut into 4 equal parts.
Spoon 1/4 of the bean mixture into each square. 
Add cheese to the top of each one. 
Pull one corner over to make a triangle and pinch down all of the sides. 
Spray a little olive oil spray over the top of each one.
Place in the oven for 20 minutes.
Serve warm with some sour cream or avocado slices.

The bean mixture with salsa, spices and water.

The mixture on the puff pastry squares.

The end result.  Yum!  Had I had onions and bell peppers, I would have sauteed them up first and probably omitted the corn, but we are out of a lot of produce right now with all the snow. 

Day 3 of snow meant another day on the treadmill for me.  Another 3 miles.  I finished it, but it was harder than Mondays.  Since Adam was home too, I had take a picture of what Hope usually does when I am on the treadmill - runs beside me.  It's so cute!

And another day of playing in the snow. 

We have definitely enjoyed these snow days.  It has been so nice to have the family together and have less distractions.  I think I am on the only one who doesn't have cabin fever.  I am just enjoying this time. 

Snow Jam 2011

For the past few days, the news has been warning us about "The Storm" that was coming.  Well last night before we went to bed, it had already started snowing and we had about 2 inches already.  Well this morning, snow has covered everything.  We have about 5-6 inches which is a lot for us southerners.  We made it out late this morning.  Hope seemed to enjoy it, mostly because she sat in her comfy sled which was her dad's, aka 30+ years old. 

With mom getting ready to go sledding in the front yard. 

On her sled and ready to go for a walk.

Now it's daddy's turn to push. 

All smiles!

It is supposed to stay below freezing all day so we are not expecting it to get any better for another couple of days.  I was able to get my 3 mile run in today, but it was on the treadmill before heading out for snow walk. 

Update: Back from the OB, re: running

Well I had my regularly scheduled OB appointment today so I wanted to bring up my groin pain with her.  She asked a few questions about it and when I mentioned that it lasted the rest of the day and sometimes into the next day, she thought it probably wasn't just round ligament pain, but the stretching of the ligaments down there.  She suggested cutting back on my miles (NOOOOOOO) and listening to my body.  She is afraid that the stretching might cause contractions and then lead to bedrest (NOOOOOOO).  So I didn't run on Wednesday at all.  I actually took the day off because I had a terrible headache (probably just hormone related).  On Thursday, I did 40 minutes of yoga.  So today, I was feeling pretty good, so I took the jogging stroller, loaded Hope up (all bundled of course), and decided to hit the road.  I was running at a easy pace and listening to my body.  I was able to get most of the 3 miles before I really felt anything on the groin area.  After I finished, my groin felt better.  I haven't had any groin pain the rest of the afternoon, which is good.  I think I am going to slow down my pace and see if that helps.  I was doing some intervals on the treadmill for about a month now, but I think those days are over until after the baby comes.  I am happy that my pain was much less today and hoping I can continue to run for a little longer.  Of course, there is no way I will be posting any of my times.  They are awful and are about to get even worse, but hey, at least I am still running.

New shoes and new pain

But they are not related.  My shoes were on sale back in early November so I had the hubs order them for me for Christmas.  They are the Wave Creation 11's but I got such a good deal, and I am not one who wants the newest shoe anyway.  Well I broke them out yesterday for me 1st road run of 2011, a hilly 5k in the neighborhood. 

The shoes felt great.  I love them!!!  See how white they are!

Unfortunately, have developed some groin pain during and after runs in the past week and a half.  I am not sure exactly what is causing it (other than a growing baby), but I have a doctor's appointment this week, so I plan to ask.  Please pray she doesn't tell me to stop running!

I have inquired on the internet and have found it to be 2 possible things:

1.  More round ligament pain
2.  Pubic Symphysis Diastasis (PSD)

If it's the later, I am not sure I can run anymore.  If it's the former, I might be able to continue to run at least some.  We will see what the doctor says. 

I have been running with a "maternity belt" since I was about 4 months pregnant, but my kind of "belt" (aka cut off panty hose) isn't doing much for my groin area I guess. 

Have you experienced this?  If so, any advice would be greatly appreciated. 

Menu Planning - 1/3/11

Happy New Year everyone!!!  Well Adam has expressed the need to lose a few lbs (while I continue to gain, good luck hubby), so I thought I would start figuring out some meals for the week and why not post them as well.  This is what I am thinking for this week.

Monday - Wild rice pub burgers, homemade baked sweet potato fries, and roasted broccoli
Tuesday - Leftover butternut squash soup (from Vegetarian Times magazine), grilled cheese sandwiches
Wednesday - Cottage cheese and noodles (BTW, we have switched to using elbow macaroni)
Thursday - Trader Toe's simmer sauce with chicken and tofu (and veggies) with brown rice
Friday - Smoky Bean Burritos or homemade pizza

Hope everyone has a great week!