Valentine's Day Breakfasts: Banana Pecan Buttermilk Pancakes, Blueberry Strawberry Scones

I was trying my best to figure out two good breakfasts to cook for our Valentine's Day Weekend. And I came up with Banana Pecan Buttermilk Pancakes for one day, and Blueberry Strawberry Scones for the second day. They were both a hit! Especially topped with fresh strawberries and blueberries. I can't say they were the most healthy recipes, considering we could have probably had fruits and oatmeal. But, it was our Valentine's Day celebration and I wanted to splurge a little. Plus, Raquel completely loved it, so it was worth it. Hopefully, we worked it off with the hike we took afterwards.

Chocolate Haupia Pie

At the moment, this is what love looks like for us. Sure, it may not be Ted's Chocolate Haupia Pie. But, it was made with love for a very specific person. Raquel and I decided not to celebrate Valentine's Day on the actual day, because it would be impossible to go anywhere and do something fun with the crowds. So, we're celebrating this weekend and this was my first gift to her: my own home-made Chocolate Haupia Pie. And, the huge smile that she gave me when she first saw the pie in the fridge is worth every calorie that we're going to consume. Happy Valentine's Day everybody!

Mac and Cheese with Bacon

You gotta love home-made Mac and Cheese. Lately, I've been on this kick to cook unhealthy, all-american, comfort food. And after last week's jalapeno burgers, I was in the mood for something warm and satisfying. So, I tried out Tyler Florence's Mac and Cheese with Bacon. Now, I'm actually a huge fan of Tyler Florence, because I just love his style. He lives in Nor-Cal and it shows in his cooking. Plus, you can never go wrong with bacon. But, it's me folks... I needed balance it out somehow. So, I substituted turkey bacon for the real bacon, and added in two diced red bell peppers. Also, I left out 1.5 cups of cheese and used skim milk. But, it still hit the spot! It's great training fuel and carb-a-rific.

Rosemary Chicken, Roasted Rosemary Potatoes, and Wilted Spinach Salad

So, what do you do when you have a surplus in herbs? Well, for me it becomes Iron Chef time! And the secret ingredient for this meal was rosemary. But, honestly I didn't feel very creative, so I got some inspiration from Rachel Ray with her Rosemary Chicken and Wilted Spinach Salad. I also added some Rosemary Roasted Potatoes for some good carbs. I've got to say that's a killer chicken recipe, it was so moist! Give it a try folks.

Roast Beef Tenderloin and Roasted Vegetables

Raquel and I have moved to a new place! So, I wanted our first meal in our new place to be special and healthy. I finally narrowed the menu down to Roast Beef Tenderloin in a Chocolate Red Wine Sauce, Roasted Vegetables, and Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Orange Essence. Thanks Ellie Krieger. I love how she puts all of her nutritional information alongside all of her recipes. The down-side to this meal was that I got the stomach flu after it. And let me just say that I probably won't ever cook this again after that experience.

Thanks Nike....

So, as you may have seen, my spiffy new mini-me on the side of my page has been harrassing me for the last couple of weeks. And every time I log onto my page, I can't help but be amused at her comments. Nike really didn't hold back when they programmed the mini-me's to kick people into gear. Here are some of my favorite comments from Mini-Surfrunner:
"I'm stuck in a rut! What I wouldn't give for a run!"
"I've turned into a couch potato. I need to run."
and my all-time favorite:
"This ball is getting more exercise than I am", whilst playing with a paddleboard ball. This particular comment is even enhanced, because Mini-Surfrunner is wearing a loose-fitting shirt and is slightly sticking her tummy out. So, she looks fatter. Good Job Nike, that's pretty effective.

The funniest part of this situation is that I've been running like a madwoman with a vengeance. I've started hard-core training for the winter since before Christmas. I'm just too lazy to plug my iPod into my laptop to upload all my runs to the server. Thus, poor Mini-Surfrunner is stuck in limbo. If I were to give Nike any kind of technical recommendation, it would be that runs were automatically uploaded to the server wirelessly after every run. We're tired enough already from the run, you can't ask us to fiddle with our equipment when all we want to do is fuel up with chocolate milk and food, then sleep after a run.

But, since they haven't made that particular technological enhancement yet, I promise to upload my runs tonight. Mini-Surfrunner is probably hoarse from the whining.

Happy New Year!

Raquel and I ended up celebrating our New Year's by throwing a party. Well, that and of course going for some runs and climbs. But, for this post I don't have any fun photos to go along with the runs or the climbs, so you're going to get pics of the party food instead. Happy New Year!!

This has got to be one of my favorite xmas gifts: a brand new chocolate fountain.

Steamed Mussels in White Wine

Grilled Habanero Shrimp in Cilantro Sauce

Goat Cheese and Asparagus Tarts

Paella