Wednesday’s Run and Honey Baked Chicken

I’ve had a lot of frustration with my computer today, having sat down several times to write this post but instead having ended up waiting on my photo program to upload photos.  Then for it to stop freezing up my computer.  Apparently my MacBook Air really doesn’t like Aperture, the super-awesome photo program we bought for it a while back.  So now it’s 9pm, and I’m just starting to write this and will hopefully finish before it’s time for me to go to bed 🙂  I started out with a pretty good run this morning, and Meriwether was able to sneak out (since John has been working late this week he has been able to go in a little later as well) to take a few pictures of me running in my 38th week so people could see what it looks like for a tummy to totally overtake a runner’s body.

Well, not my entire body has been taken over by my tummy.  I still have control over my legs – and my feet – and my choice and ability to lace up my Newtons and continue to put one of those feet in front of the other.  Today it was some lyrics from “Fighter” urging me on (I listen to the Glee Cast version): “I am a fighter and I ain’t gonna stop.  There is no turning back. I’ve had enough….makes me that much stronger, makes me work a little bit harder, it makes me that much wiser, so thanks for making me a fighter, made me learn a little bit faster, made my skin a little bit thicker, makes me that much smarter, so thanks for making me a fighter.”

Not sure if you can really tell how big my tummy is here, but I am just about 38 weeks along, so trust me, it’s big, and it feels big, too!!  It turned out to be a pretty good run, though – 3.36 miles at 11:42 min. pace.  A lot faster than my last two runs!  If you would have

told me back in December that I’d still be running the last week of June, I would have laughed and wondered why I would even want to be running this close to the end!  But now that I am here I am so thankful to have had the ability to keep going, and the support from everyone!

Why, yes, I do run through some amazing scenery!  These are the views down my “normal” roughly 3.2 mile round trip on the road behind our house.  I can add a little distance on better days by doubling back here and there, but it’s just about a perfect 5K 🙂  Since this was the only time I’ve had a camera down there, after the run I took a few more pictures to show you how nice the trail is – and Meriwether took a few before she spotted me 🙂

A very patriotic house I pass – more patriotic than usual because of the recent “Euros” Football Tournament.

This is the view I have as I start each run – I walk to a certain point because of a big downhill.

The big hill that starts – and ends – the run.  Running down it this pregnant is harder than running up, so I walk the few tenths of a mile til I am to a flatter spot 🙂

Approaching the gate to continue off the church path down through the fields.

After the run, I finished the other half of my chocolate-covered rice cake with peanut butter and bananas, then ate some leftover lasagna (baby was hungry!!)  Then Meriwether put our dinner into the crockpot (recipe to follow) and we all went out!  It’s her last day here, so we had to take advantage of the opportunity of having help on an outing 🙂  I had an appointment at the midwife’s at 12:15 about the low platelets – and apparently they’re still pretty low from yesterday’s blood test.  They’re concerned I may have trouble clotting after the delivery, so I’m going in for more bloodwork next Wednesday now (the only day they have the clinic for all this blood stuff – seems kind of too late to do anything about it since I’ll be due in one week at that point, but whatever!)  After the appointment we spent some time at the nearby park and then went for lunch at the Costa Coffee so I could get an iced slushie coffee drink (imitation frappucino.)

It was wonderful to smell our dinner cooking when we walked back in the door this afternoon, and even better that we only had to steam the broccoli, heat the leftover rice, and serve it up when dinnertime came (and Meriwether did all that for us! We sure are going to miss her!!)  So here’s the easy crockpot meal:

I always melt the butter in the microwave and then mix it together with the honey really well all in a glass measuring cup.  One cup of each butter and honey.

Here’s Meriwether pouring in the honey.

The honey and the butter before it’s mixed.

Then you stir in the curry powder, the salt, and the mustard, and that’s it!!  Put it all in the crockpot along with your chicken, turn the chicken to coat, and then cook on low 6-8 hours or high about 4 hours.  We use chicken thighs with the skin and bones still on/in so that the end product is more juicy.  Here it is, ready to start cooking:

During dinner, my five year old Liesl said this was the best dinner ever – the rice (which had sauce from the crockpot), the chicken, and the broccoli (she listed them all separately) were all great, she said 🙂  Every child ate every bite, and everyone who’s ever tried this at our house has asked for the recipe!  It is another winner from the More With Less Cookbook, but in the cookbook it uses much less of the sauce and then puts the chicken in the oven to be basted every 15 minutes.  Talk about the opposite of convenience.  So I triple the recipe (these tripled amounts are the ones I will give) and pop it all in the crockpot.

I have used a small crockpot as well and then halved the tripled amount — which will work well if you are just a family of a few.  Hope you enjoy it if you try it!  Here’s the full recipe:

Honey Baked Chicken

(to be served over hot rice)

Use whatever type of chicken – breast, thigh, etc – you prefer, but note that cooking time is reduced significantly if it is cut up (like breast filets) and if it is boneless and skinless, so you need to be sure to check it after a few hours.  I used 8 thighs for this recipe tonight but could have used twelve in this much sauce.

Combine well:

1 cup butter

1 cup honey

6 Tbsp mustard

3 tsp curry powder

3 tsp salt

Pour over chicken in crockpot.  Cook for 6-8 hours on Low or 4 hours on high.