Regroup and Re-energize!

I can't remember the last time I've had two Rest Days in a row (besides taking a full week) ... I could most definitely get used to this!! I could do without the reason for the shift (just sayin'), but I did like the break again this morning!

I guess my head has been enough off-game that, at one point today, I had to stop, figure out exactly what day it was and then recall the last time I ran! I know we've all been there with the absent-minded bouts! I finally landed on the right day and also the realization that I am not only running tomorrow, but that I also could use a good protein punch to get myself ready. Enter: Crock Pot Chicken!

Check this out, it's as simple as this: Get yourself a whole chicken (gotta love cheap chicken!). Take the innerds bag out of the cavity. Put the chicken in your crock pot on HIGH until it's done which, for our 5-pound bird, took 6 hours for the meat to just fall off the bone.

That's It. All kinds of internet recipes let you know what to add (spices) or what to not bother with (liquid ... can you believe it? I did add a half cup of water with a chicken bouillon cube and three cloves of garlic to mine. I just felt better with little liquid in there to start, but, honestly, now that I've done it, I will tell you I do not think it needed it.). So, a bit of surfing as well as appealing to your own taste will not only serve you well, but you'll end of with a winning dinner!

I had no idea how this was going to turn out, but I just had to give it a whirl! It was definitely a success as we had fork-tender chicken with some new potatoes that I added in the pot for the last two hours of cooking! Those were deeeee-lish. With garden salads on the side, this meal was a hit with four thumbs up! And -- the best part -- it was crazy easy! Effortless, yummy and good for you: I win!

While not invited to partake, Daphne found intrigue with the cooking of our dinner. She couldn't figure out why that very warm pot on the counter was also making weird gurgling noises:

"What ... was ... that?"

"Umm ... hell-oooooo in therrrrreeee ..."

Such a sweet kitty ... I'm pretty sure her
brain is in perpetual rest mode, but she's
so very sweet!

And, as a nod to yesterday's entry and theme, I wanted to share something I read on the "I Love To Run" Facebook page. It's a quote from someone named Dave Griffin, but I have no idea who that is. Anyway, one of the lines in the paragraph really struck a chord: "Running has taught me that adversity is better faced head-on than avoided." To be honest, I already knew this, or I never would have stuck with running in the first place. But, the point isn't what exactly taught you the lesson, it's that you learned it. And, more important, it's that you live it.

For as much as I enjoyed these two days, I'm diving right back in tomorrow as scheduled! I'll see you after!