It's Beginning To Feel A Lot Like...

WINTER!!!!!

I woke up to the first snowfall of the season this morning! 33 degrees and dumping snow...the wet, mushy kind. In this type of weather the number of activities you can do are fairly limited, meaning you can't roller ski because conditions are treacherous and you cant ski because there isn't enough snow. The options are 1) run 2) spin (indoors) or 3) swim . I was quite antsy this morning and felt the urge to be outside in the fresh air, so I chose option 1. The higher I ran, the more snow there was, surprise surprise:) It was such a peaceful and quite run in the snow. I would much rather run in snowfall rather than rainfall! Tomorrow, I quite possibly will get the boards out and head up north to check out the skiing. I'll let you know how it is.

A look outside the window this morning!

On the running side of things, I have some exciting news...both Cutthroat girls and boys teams qualified for state!!! whahoo! It was definitely a close call, but they did it! Congratulations to all twelve runners on the team. We head to state, which are in Soda Springs Idaho (yes, that's where Napoleon Dynamite takes place) on Friday. We compete on Saturday, so please send some positive thoughts our way.

The girls at the start-line with their "fighting faces"

Running is Underway!

The cross-country running season is well underway! Once again, I have the privilege of helping with the Community School cross-country running team this fall. We have a very talented team whom has a very good chance of winning districts and qualifying for state! We've had three meets thus far, and have produced some great results!

The start of the girls varsity race

All smiles after placing 3rd, 1st & 6th

The boys team proves to be quite strong as well. We are short one guy to race as a team. Five runners are needed to rank the team as a team. We are in search of a fifth guy before the district meet in a 1 1/2 weeks! Luckily we have our eye on a soccer player whom we hope to recruit:)

Max finishing strong, ended up winning!

Eric getting psyched and ready for the race

This week our team is a bit disjointed...we have several runners who are skiers as well, so five of our runners are in Lake Placid, New York for a ski camp. Once they return, we are headed to districts. Wish us luck as we head into some big races these next couple weeks!

Smells like Fall

Today officially feels like fall! The leaves have reached their prime for changing colors, the rain is drizzling, and warm, yummy, comfort foods are stewing on the stove. I found this great recipe, thanks to Fine Cooking, that is perfect for the changing seasons! It is an easy one-pot meal, filled with many wonderful spices!

South Indian-Style Vegetable Curry

2 Tbs. canola oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 Tbs. ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
3/4 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1 Tbs. tomato paste
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup light coconut milk
1 3-in cinnamon stick
4 cups cauliflower, broken into 1 1/2-inch florets
3 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups tomatoes, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped
1 cup carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
1 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 oz. baby spinach (about 4 lightly packed cups)
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. finely grated lime zest
2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

In a 5-6 quart Dutch oven or other heavy-duty pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium (or medium-low if necessary) and cook until the onion is richly browned, 5 to 7 minutes more. Add the garlic and ginger, cook, stirring, for 1 minute to blend the flavors. Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne; stir for 30 seconds to toast the spices. Add the tomato paste and stir until well blended with the aromatics, about 1 minute.

Add broth, coconut milk, cinnamon stick, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low or low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the cauliflower, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and carrots. Raise the heat to medium-high and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick.

Stir in the chickpeas, spinach, lime juice, and zest; cook until the spinach has wilted, about 3 minutes more. Season to taste with salt. Serve garnished with cilantro.

Yum, yum! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Happy Fall!