Mission 24: 24 New Recipes for 2014 AND the First Day of Training for Marathon #10!

I have really enjoyed trying new recipes out this past month, especially since discovering that cauliflower, quinoa, lentils, sweet potato, spaghetti squash and other beans/grains can be substituted for almost any pasta/bread based item or meat. Now that I have a base of foods I can eat that do not make me violently ill the next day, I am excited about experimenting with them in new recipes.

With that being said, I am embarking on a mission to expand my recipe repertoire in 2014 by trying out (at least) two new recipes a month. By the end of the year, I am hoping to have at least 24 new recipes I can whip out at a moment's notice that are healthy and yummy. I have already pulled a number of recipes to try this month, including spaghetti squash lasagna boats (thanks Lauren!), sweet potato pancakes and sweet potato burgers!

AND, since I got the a gift card to get the best present ever today, there are way more recipes that I am going to be able to make!

Thanks Katie and Joel! 

On another note, today started my eighteen week Hanson's Marathon Method training program for Providence on May 4th. Let me say, nothing pleases a runner with OCD more than having their marathon training cycle start on January 1st!

Todays run was a six miler at "easy A" pace (for my marathon goal this pace is 9:00-9:30minute/mile). I ended up with an 8:50 pace for my miles. From the people I've talked to who have done this plan...most say that it takes about a month to get used to the slower paces on "easy A" and "easy B" days...but then the plan hits you like a ton of bricks and the heavy mileage forces you to slow down on these days. I finished up my workout today by borrowing Nate's T-25 Ab Intervals DVD. LOVE THIS! Will definitely be adding T-25 into the mix a few times a week as the next step in my weight training in the next few months! Here's to 2014!