finding a place.

Lately I've been pretty lucky.

I have been in Colorado for nearly three years now, which sometimes feels like a lifetime and sometimes feels like a minute. I never knew that moving far away (1,300 miles) from my friends and family would feel OK. I miss them, and sometimes it's hard. But I've been able to make some new friends and discover that I can feed my interest in some great hobbies.

I am running. I know, this is not news. You know I'm running. But I ran a race and it was 3.1 miles (5k) and it was hard. I ran almost the entire thing and finished in 39:36.59. I have another race in less than two months, and I am hoping to improve my time even though that 5k is in Garden of the Gods and that means there are a lot more hills.

I do, however, think it was quite fitting that my first official 5k was for St. Patricks Day and my bib number was 317. Ironic, maybe? I like to think so.

I also have found some great local folks through Twitter. Yes, Twitter. I've met some great people through that site and I use it to connect with people that I need to connect with for work, but it's really been helpful in finding people that live in my area that have similar interests to mine.

Today I had the opportunity to attend the local "trading post" - you bring goodies and other people bring goodies and then you trade! Leave your money at home and still walk away with some excellent treats from people who are wonderful and skilled at making things at home. I got homemade butter and homemade chips and salsa and homemade chocolate sauce. Canned peaches. Wheat flour. Seeds! (That's actually another post for another time.) And maybe best of all for me, a Star Wars t-shirt bag. Win!

It's inspiring to see people are living on items they make themselves. Of course, I don't know how to make butter and I don't have chickens here (oh, Michigan), but I can meet up with people who do and are willing to share in exchange for some chocolate chip bars, or zucchini bread, or muffins. 

My zucchini bread. Great with honey!

Maybe it's more fun to know that you can be sustainable for yourself. Many people feel they are so "modern" that they can't be bothered to grow a garden or make something themselves. Funnily enough, these are where our roots are. People used to make their own lives because they had no other option. As a girl who loved the Laura Ingalls Wilder "Little House on the Prairie" series, I have always been intrigued by the ability to make your own way. I want to say thank you to the Front Range Trading Post crowd for showing me what possibilities there are!

Let me tell you: it's great to have a cozy apartment and a job you adore, but it's the people you meet that really shape your life.

If you have any ideas for items I could tackle for the next trading post, I'd be happy to hear them! I am thinking of making jam but I'm not sure how many people would want something like that. 

I won't lie... jam makes me think of this song:

Have a great week, everyone!

black beans, beans

I mentioned yesterday that March is National Nutrition Month, so I figured why not kick it off in style?

According to the website:

National Nutrition Month® is a nutrition education and information campaign sponsored annually by the American Dietetic Association. The campaign is designed to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. NNM also promotes ADA and its members to the public and the media as the most valuable and credible source of timely, scientifically based food and nutrition information. 

My job makes me very aware of nutrition, since I'm reading and publishing a new nutrition article each week. I admire the Registered Dietitians that write for us, and the foodies who publish blogs that I love to read (with pictures of delicious-looking recipes). I often tell those that will listen that if I didn't have to work at my job to make money, I would love to just cook - create masterpieces, experiment with flavors, use new foods I've never had the guts to try before. Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of time or training, so I stick with the bags of Brussels sprouts I can steam in the microwave when I'm short on time.

However, this doesn't mean that I won't try a new recipe from time to time. Here's one that I made last week.

Mexican Black Bean Casserole

•     1/2 onion, chopped
•     1 orange pepper (or any color), chopped
•     1 cup favorite salsa (I used green chili salsa)
•     1 teaspoon garlic powder
•     2 tablespoons cumin
•     2 (15 ounce) cans seasoned black beans
•     1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes

How it's done:

Drain the beans, but do not rinse them. In a large bowl combine beans, onion, peppers, tomatoes, salsa, and other seasonings. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30-35 minutes.  Let cool for a minute before serving.


Degree of difficulty: EASY!
Servings: 5
Source.

The peppers, tomatoes, onion and green chili salsa add a pop of color!

This seems really simple, and that's because it is. You can eat this in a lot of different ways. Heat it up and throw it on top of some spinach and other fresh veggies - it makes a great salad! You can add a little cheese, but if you don't, it's actually a vegan dish. Either way, it's really good and pretty healthy (only 4 Points+ if you follow Weight Watchers).


What recipe is your favorite? (Will you share it with me?)
What is a recipe you want to try? What's stopping you from taking the leap?