South of the Border Hashbrown Bake

This recipe can be found on the All Whites website.
I find all kinds of tasty things that I want to make when I am looking through Runner's World magazines!  This casserole was on a page advertising All Whites egg whites.  I used it for breakfast sometimes and for snacks and even sides for dinners.  It has egg whites, potatoes, beans, corn, cheese, and peppers, topped with cilantro.  I added some chopped jalapenos and black pepper also to give it a little more kick.  Next time I think it needs some onion, too.  Any recipe can be altered to what you are liking!

Who doesn't love a cookout style dinner?

I had been looking forward to these burgers all week!  (in the background is my casserole I will share about in another post)  Burgers are a great way to fuel up on some protein and can also be made even more satisfying with the toppings added.  This burger I fixed the other night was one of the best I have ever had!  It is on a wheat bun with spinach, mustard, black pepper, goat cheese, tomato, pickle, onion, and roasted red pepper hummus.  I couldn't have chosen a more tasty combination!

Powerful Recovery Pancakes

Pancakes are one of my absolute favorite foods to make for after I run, especially during the summer when I have more time after our morning practices.  They are easy to make and can be dressed up any way to fit your taste bud or energy needs.  This morning I was in need of some extra fat and protein, so I decided to add some peanut butter.  Here are the ingredients I used: (I blended them to make the batter smoother) -Planters cinnamon raisin granola nut peanut butter
-peanuts
-raisins
-a banana
-oatmeal
-whole wheat pancake mix
Once they were done cooking, I sprinkled cinnamon on top, spread blackberry preserves on some, and drizzled honey.  Pancakes like this are great for those long, tough days to keep you going!
As this is one of my favorite healthy foods to make, I'll share more creations in the future!

Great Recovery Meal/Snack

I come home from team cross country camp every year with new food ideas I want to have again.  This is a great source of grains, protein, and some fruit.  First I scrambled two slices of wheat bread in egg whites for French toast.  Then I topped it with almond butter, banana slices, cinnamon, and honey.  Last, I stacked it into a sandwich!  This has become one of my new favorites! 

Buckeye Cupcake From Friends

I would like to post this today to give two of my best friends Chantal and Cherie some props!  They always home-make the best and most decorative cupcakes and are so willing to share!  I must say, I have never had such yummy cupcakes.  We have always joked about them opening a cupcake store one day (and me having the food part of the restaurant), but I really think that anyone would love to have them make some desserts for any occasion!  The one they gave me today (pictured above) is a white cake with a buckeye in the center filling, topped with a little chocolate peanut butter ganache and then frosting. 

True Team

“I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”  Ephesians 3:16-19

This is what I love about my team.  We focus on putting Christ at the center, even when others oppose that.  We know that it makes an impact in the world when people see young athletes putting their faith before their performance.  This picture was taken last Saturday as we got ready to pray around the entire team for safety of our trip to camp in the mountains of Gatlinburg.  The main purpose of this camp is, yes running, but growing as a team.  We spent literally all hours of the days and nights together.  Each morning and some days more often, we did Bible studies together.  We discussed during activities how we want to incorporate Christ into our team.  Finding a group of girls like this is one of the biggest blessings I have ever received.  It is so important to have a close group that you can work together with to learn and encourage others with.  I ask that anyone who reads this, please pray for our team this season, as many people here believe that God is already working to do mighty things this year!  Please pray that we stay focused on His purposes and joyful through all the victories and defeats we may face, and that we show His love through all and to all.

Team Verse

This is the verse that my team puts on our tshirts and some of our gear. Hebrews 12:1-2 "Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..."

It is hard in this life when people discourage us and things go wrong. We just have to put that aside and run the lifelong race for Jesus because unlike and cross country race we participate in, running the race for Jesus will always have a lasting reward.