What's For Dinner Wednesday--Lasagna Cupcakes

Think portion control.

On my rotating menu schedule, I have a recipe that calls for wonton wrappers.  Each package comes with 50 wontons, and my recipe only uses 12 of them.  I will sometimes make cream cheese wontons, but more often than not, I put the wonton wrappers back in the refrigerator and forget about them until I notice that they've turned green.  (Surprisingly, they turn green really fast).

This time, I vowed to be different.  So I looked up different things you could make using the wonton wrappers and came across Lasagna Cupcakes.

Seriously, how did my grandmas and my mom cook without the internet?

Recipe
18 wonton wrappers (found in the produce section of the grocery store)
8 oz ground turkey (or beef, whatever you prefer)
Favorite pasta sauce
8 oz Mozzarella cheese
4 oz Ricotta Cheese
Parmesan Cheese

Brown your ground meat.  I added an onion and garlic to it.  Next, make your pasta sauce (if you're of the homemade pasta sauce persuasion).  I put two cans of diced tomatoes, a can of tomato sauce, oregano and basil into a pan and heated it up.  If you go the canned pasta sauce route, you're good to go.

Cut your wonton wrappers into circles by either tracing a cup with a sharp knife or using a round cookie cutter.

Spray a six-tin muffin pan with PAM.  Place one wonton circle in the bottom.  Layer in a pinch of mozzarella cheese, some ricotta cheese and parmesan cheese (You don't want too much in the first layer because there will be three layers all together).  Next, layer your ground meat followed by a dallop of sauce--about a spoonful.  I combined my meat and sauce before I started scooping it in.  Place another wonton circle on top of that layer and repeat the cheeses layer, the meat layer and the sauce layer.  Place one more wonton circle and repeat again.  Top the last layer of sauce with mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.

Cook at 375 for 20 minutes

Notes
I thought these were PERFECT.  For starters, it didn't take nearly as much time as making a full pan and we didn't have all those leftovers that would eventually be thrown away because everyone was tired of eating lasagna.  And, as it has been theorized before, anything in cupcake form is cuter than it's original counterpart.  Bonus was that it was built in portion control.  Served with a salad (didn't get that made before Wade had to leave for Scouts) and you have a nice, balanced dinner.

Wade hesitated when I asked if he liked it, which is a pretty clear sign that he wasn't thrilled.  I think it's because he's not a huge lasagna fan like I am.  A. couldn't get enough and that's a better indicator of dinner being a success or not.

For those keeping score, I had ALL the ingredients on hand this time, so no substitutions.

The remaining 20 wonton wrappers I had, I made into cinnamon crisps.  Lay the wrappers in a single layer on a cookie sheet.  Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with 1 tsp cinnamon sugar.  Bake in the oven for 5 minutes at 400 degrees.  An easy 30 calorie treat.

Nutrition Breakdown for the Lasagna Cupcakes

Serving Size: 1 Cupcake

Calories: 264
Total Fat: 8.7 g
   Saturated Fat: 6.0 g
   Polyunsaturated Fat: .3 g
   Monounsaturated Fat: 1.6 g
Cholesterol: 45.7 mg
Sodium: 815.8 mg
Potassium: 58.9 mg
Total Carbohydrates: 25.3 g
   Dietary Fiber: 3.5 g
   Sugars: 7.0 g
Protein: 26.8 g

Demons and Monsters Take Two

Last time we spoke, I was reveling in my new found freedom of waking up after the sun rose and running for fun.  Everything was hunky dory in my own little section of the world. 

And then...

My mom called with potentially devastating news:  She had cancer. 

Melanoma to be exact.

The funny thing about Melanoma is that it has a high survivability if it's caught early enough.  The other funny thing is that if it's not caught early enough, virtually no treatment options work.  Chemo and radiation are basically last ditch efforts.

Suddenly, I found myself in a whirlwind of internet searches and fielding phone calls from concerned family members.  I, myself, was pretty calm though.  "Just take it one day at a time" was my mantra.  Really, I had no other choice.  We  were finding out new things literally every day and nine days after receiving the news, my mom was on the operating table.

Nine days!! 

And I found myself discussing survival percentages with a doctor.  About my mom.

MY MOM!!!

Friday, thanks to many prayers and good wishes and divine intervention, my mom was declared cancer-free.  The surgery was a success and the cancer hadn't spread.  The only reminder she would have of two weeks of hell would be a surgery scar on her ankle and a picture she won't let me post of quite possibly the coolest thing I've ever seen on the human body.

(Hint: I could see the ankle bone.  The actual bone, plus a host of other things I couldn't really identify.)

I know that a lot of people dealt the diagnosis of cancer aren't this lucky.  They have to endure months and months of treatments.  We got let off easy this go-round.  I'm grateful for friends and in-laws who stepped up to help with the kids so I could be with my mom, but I'm certainly not itching to repeat the ordeal any time soon.

One more surgery--a skin graft for the site of the melanoma--and we are in the clear.

Whew!

Demons and Monsters

There's a lot going on right now, and hopefully I can write about it soon.  But, dreams of stress-free days following the marathon have remained only that--dreams.  You'll be returned to your regularly scheduled programming hopefully by Friday.

What's For Dinner Wednesday--Pork Chops with Peppers and Onions

Confession:  I'm sorta obsessed with Rachael Ray right now.  Hence why the third meal in a row is from her.  But...she makes everything look SO good and SO easy that I can't help it.  I actually DVR her show and then fast forward to the end so I can write down the recipe while she's cooking it.  I know.  I know.  I could just go to her website and get it, but it's not the same.  There's something...magical...about actually watching her cook the meal.

So this week, I tried her Pork Chops with Peppers and Onions.  As always, I didn't have all the ingredients, so I had to improvise a little bit, but I think it turned out good anyways.  And bonus, I typed everything into this cool nutritional counter (who knew I'd have to diet AFTER the marathon, but say hello to seven (7!!!!) extra pounds put on during the training.  Including the two I put on immediately after running the marathon.  Life is so unfair.  And a burning question that I was contemplating in the dentist office this morning...why did God give us a vessel that requires so much upkeep?  But that's for another day...I digress...) that will calculate all the nutrition for each serving of the meal.  YAY for me and my cleverness.

Without further ado...

Source: Rachael Ray
Prep: <10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes

4 pork chops, bone-in
2 tsp fennel seeds (I didn't have these, so I did some research and swapped in Tarragon in their place.  Tasted alright to me.)
1 tsp crushed red pepper flake (I missed this in my notes, so I didn't put any in.  If you like heat, then add this.)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp paprika
Salt and Pepper

Salt and pepper both sides of the pork chops.  Combine the remaining seasonings and rub the pork chops with it.  Cook in 4 T olive oil on the stove.

2 Cubanelle Peppers, seeded and thinly sliced.  (I didn't have these either.  They're red peppers that I believe have some heat to them.  Wade's not big on spicy foods, so I just omitted these.  If you do use them, make sure you seed them because that's where the heat is).
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
2 onions, quartered lengthwise then thinly sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, grated
2 T tomato paste
1 C Chicken Stock

In another pan, cook the peppers, onions, garlic, and tomato paste in the chicken stock until the peppers are soft and the onions are browned. 

Deglaze (fancy word that I'm not sure what means.  Rachael Ray just put some white wine in the pork chop pan and swished it around.  I used chicken stock because I didn't have any white wine handy (the cooking stuff for those about to make a comment)) the pork chop pan.  Put the peppers and onions mixture on the plate and lay a pork chop on top and Voila!  You have dinner.

So, sometimes I wonder if Wade just says he likes it because it's easier than saying he doesn't, but tonight he actually asked me what was in the sauce because he liked it.  So I'll take it as a thumbs up.  I liked it too.  I think if I would've put in the hot things, it would've tasted more like what Rachael Ray was aiming for--an alternative to sausage and peppers and onions, an apparently popular meal on the east coast that I don't think I've ever seen here on a menu.  However, my alterations made it tasty and I was happy with it.

Nutritional Breakdown

Serving Size: 1 pork chop

Calories: 168.8
Total Fat: 6.2 g
   Saturated Fat: 2.2 g
   Polyunsaturated Fat: .9 g
   Monounsaturated Fat: 2.9 g
Cholesterol: 49.6 mg
Sodium: 324.3 mg
Potassium: 687.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 7.4 g
    Dietary Fiber: 1.8 g
    Sugars: 3.1 g
Protein: 21.0 g

2010 St George Marathon in Pictures

Disposable CameraThis race, I carried a disposable camera in my pocket instead of my digital one.  This made it a little easier because the camera is lighter and I didn't have to carry it in a camera case.  Of course, the downside was that I didn't know what kind of shots I had until I developed the film.  But, the anticipation was like Christmas.

I made these (semi) cute signs for my training buddies.  Then at midnight Thursday night, I went and put them in their lawns so everyone would know their plans for the weekend.  Unfortunately, Christina's sprinklers tore hers in half.  But, she said she was able to repair it enough to get a picture of it.  Anyways, I thought it was a nice touch to the end of 18 months of training.

This is Hillary, Christina and me at the top, waiting to pee start. Those shiny things you see in the background are people covered in foil.

 This is the elite starting corral.  These would be your fast runners.

 This is Christina and me after they started the race.  We were waiting to get to the starting line.  Hillary had started a few pace groups ahead of us.
Sidenote:  The marathon has these pace groups that are headed by pacers.  They carry balloons on a stick that say what their finished time will be and if you're aiming for a particular time, you just run with them.  I would think this would be a lot of pressure for one person to carry.  What if you were having a bad day?  We laughed about what if you had to ditch into the trees (sagebrush?) to pee and you had 100 people following you?

 We came up to these two ladies that were wearing matching outfits down to the hairbows and shoes.  I was a little weirded out by it.  I'm not sure why I thought it was so strange.  Just that it was weird on a lot of levels.

 This is me at the halfway mark (13.1 miles).  I felt really good, though I had lost Christina at mile 9.  I had stopped to grab some vaseline for my arm that was chaffing, and by the time I got going again, she was long gone.  I felt a stab of panic realizing that I was going to have to do 17 miles of this by myself.  But, once I had my music in, I started cruising again.

 This race is known for it's beauty.  It's a gorgeous course.  Note the blue skies.  This will play prominently into the end of the story.

 I saw a few of these UHP runners.  They were all wearing matching cotton t-shirts that were probably issued to them from the boss who thought that it would be a good idea for some of his guys to run a marathon.  This guy was hurting.  Cotton t-shirts, for those uninitiated, are not a runner's best friend.  Especially for 26.2 miles in the heat.

 This guy was my favorite.  I wish I would have asked him the circumstances behind the skirt.  I overheard him say that it was quite comfortable, but he does not look like the type of guy who wears skirts as (a) a fashion statement or (b) a political statement.  My bets are on that he either lost a bet or took someone up on a dare.  In any case, I did beat him in the end.

This guy was running for his son who had died earlier this year.  There are quite a few runners who run in memorial of someone and that's pretty cool.

 This was coming down the final stretch.  I spotted Wade and J.  A. was playing in the driveway.  I had given J a disposable camera of his own so he's taking a picture of me, while Wade's getting one of me on the digital. 

 This is just one side of the street of spectators.  It's amazing that people come out and wait 5+ hours to cheer everyone on.  The balloon arch is where I'm headed.

 This is me crossing the finish line.  I look ridiculously happy for someone who had just finished 26.2 miles.  I felt pretty good too.  Much better than I did in 2007.

Digital Camera

 That's me coming down the last stretch

 I'm getting ready to snap their pictures

 I've finished.  I'm hot.  And A. stole my medal.

 Ah.  Aren't we a cute looking bunch

THAT was MY popsicle.  I'm still a little upset about it.  I mean, I had run for nearly 5 HOURS.  But, J ended up with the popsicle.  And from the looks of it, it was mighty tasty.

 Group shot

Munchkins.

 Christina, Hillary and me at the finish line.  Hillary even bought us flowers.  We're a good looking group.  And we were all pretty close in time.  In hindsight we should have just stayed together and had fun.  Oh well.  Now we know for the next one.

Professional Race Photogs

 Hey open your eyes!

 Get down with it hommies!

 Peace!

 Camera ahead.  Camera ahead.  Look like you're running.

 Crap.  Look like you're running LONGER

 Get jiggy wit it.

 I'm a rock star baby!

 YES!  Both feet off the ground.  I don't even think I saw this photog.  Which means that I must have been smiling like an idiot for no apparent reason.

 If I was going to buy a picture, this one would be it.  I'm surrounded by shufflers, and yet both feet are off the ground and I look FIERCE.

 This was about a half mile from the finish line.  I remember that because, unlike the lady beside me, I figured I would run across the little mat thingey for the benefit of the cameras.  It looks like I'm walking, but I really am running.  I think.

This is the finish line.  It's a little anticlimatic and what may look like sweat is actually because just off the right side of the shot was a mister that was a God send.  But it does look a little gross doesn't it?  And if you look closely enough you can see the beginnings of my worse injury sustained during the marathon--a sunburn.  At about 6:55 am, when the sun was starting to peak over the cliffs, I turned to Christina and said, "I didn't put on sunblock."  I knew a good 5 hours beforehand what was in store for me.  As a reminder, I bought a rash guard (a swim shirt the surfers use) this summer to avoid sunburns that might derail my training.  I lathered up on sunblock like it was body lotion.  And then on October 2, I incurred the WORST sunburn that I not only had this year, but I've had in YEARS.  It's been MISERABLE.  Much worse than the bruised toenail and the sore legs.

St. George marathon is in the books.  I feel good about my time.  I feel like I've redeemed myself from 2007.  And I'm ready to move on to the next course.  I will contend that if you're only going to run one marathon in your life, you should do the St. George marathon.  It's a gorgeous course that is consistently ranked in the top ten marathons to do in the country.  However, I've come, I've conquered and now I'm ready to move on to greener pastures.  Logan is next on my list and then Ogden.  I'll probably do the two in Salt Lake at some point.  I've heard scary things about Park City, but it's on there as well.  And they've just opened a new one in Layton that's suppose to be pretty cool too. 

So in answer to your next question, yes, I guess I will be doing another one.

What's For Dinner Wednesday--Muffin Tin Pop Pies

Source: Rachael Ray
Prep: about 30 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes

(put out one sheet of puff pastry to defrost)

1.  Poach chicken
I wasn't exactly sure what this meant, so I just boiled two chicken breasts in water with half of an onion and a bay leaf.
2.  Sautee mushrooms, other half of onion, chopped and celery in olive oil.  Brown the mushrooms first
I don't like mushrooms so I omitted those. 
3.  Put in frozen peas and carrots.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook
I don't think I cooked these long enough
4.  Use forks to shred chicken
I tried to shred the chicken, but I ended up just putting it in the food chopper
5.  Add dill and thyme to vegetables and then add vegetables to the chicken
I needed more dill and thyme for seasoning

Gravy
Combine butter and flour in the pan you cooked the vegetables in.  I didn't have any exact amounts, so I just guestimated on 3 T butter and 1/4 C flour.

Add chicken stock.  I used about 2 cups.

Season with salt and pepper and put a splash of half and half in.

A squirt of dijon mustard (I would omit this next time because I don't like mustard and the taste was pretty prominent)

Pour gravy into chicken/vegetable mixture

Pot Pies
Cut one puff pastry sheet into sixths.  Put each sixth into a muffin tin (in a six-muffin tin).  Fill with mixture.  Pinch all four corners and brush with an egg wash.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

These were really good, but made A LOT of filling.  I ended up freezing the rest of the filling to use next time I make them.  Wade even thought they were good and he's not a pot pie fan.

Yay for another success.

2010 St George Marathon By the Numbers

Length of marathon according to my Garmin (GPS) watch: 26.28 miles

Miles ran in training: 291

My finishing time: 4:55:28

Overall winner's finishing time: 2:22:08  (5:25/MILE)

Overall female's finishing time: 2:45:15  (6:18/MILE)

Time taken off from 2007: 42:50

Number of finishers: 5702

My overall placing: 4260

Time it took to get to the starting line after race started: 5:55

Cups of Gatorade drank: 12

Cups of water drank: 23

Times peed during the race: 0

Temperature at the finishing line: 84 degrees

Amount of sunblock applied: 0

Number of ambulances seen carting people off the course: 3

Number of skirted men seen: 1

Number of barefoot runners seen: 1

Number of toenails lost: Maybe 1

Number of blisters: 0!

Minutes sat in an ice bath in hotel: 4

Length of nap following race: 10 minutes

Number of pizza slices ate for dinner: 1

Number of times peed after the race: 1

Number of stairs had to hobble down to escape hotel before they arrested us: 50

Miles I enjoyed: 26

Next marathon:  Top of Utah 2012