A Bunch of Randoms

There were a bunch of things I wanted to mention over the past week, but none of them were long enough for a post, so now I'm going to hit you with a bunch of randoms.  Enjoy!

1.  I just finished reading this book, that I picked up at the book exchange on vacation: 

Apparently, I have the literature interests of a 75 year old man.

 

Truthfully, I didn't know much about Jerry Lewis going into this book, other than that he was the MDA telethon guy.  I picked it up because I'm a big Dean Martin and Rat Pack fan and I must say, I quite enjoyed the book. The insights into what these men and showbiz was like in the 40's and 50's was kind of eye opening.  If you are naïve enough to think that most entertainers and actors in those days didn't have Mob connections and girlfriends on the side (like I was), well, then this will shatter those notions.  But, the relationship between Martin and Lewis, which is the heart of this story, is also incredibly touching and unique. 

 

2.  I baked muffins last week.  By myself.  From scratch.  With real blueberries.  I don't even know who I am anymore:

 

I am becoming a domestic goddess.  Watch out world.

 

3.  I recently bought these running shorts at Forever 21 on a whim (I know, I'm like 10 years past the age limit for that store) and they are probably my favorite running shorts ever right now:

 

 

I don't shop that much for myself but I had just given away a bunch of old, ill-fitting running shorts last month during my Minimalist Game and I had to replenish!  Plus, these were less than $16.  They are incredibly comfortable, loose, breathable and feel way more high end than $16!  I honestly think these are on par with shorts I have from Nike, UA, and Reebok.  And they even have a zip pocket in the back for keys!  If you are not ashamed to walk into your local Forever 21, then I think you owe it to yourself to go check out a pair of these bad boys for yourself.   

 



4.  I won a bunch of coconut water from Walgreens through Twitter a couple weeks ago and have been enjoying it ever since:

 

 



I already enjoy coconut water immensely and drink it pretty often (usually Zico), but I didn't even know Walgreens had their own brand.  I'm guessing maybe this is new and that's why they were hosting a giveaway, but I must say it is indeed Delish.  Yesterday I was out running errands and was so thirsty I actually popped into a Walgreens and bought one of these (yes, I realize I had them at home but that was doing me no good on the other side of town) so that's how much I actually love this stuff.

 

5.  I was introduced to a new blog last week via a guy from Tinder, and I really like it.  It's called People Passionate, and I'd encourage you to give a quick read.  It's not a running blog but it's authored by a guy who left his corporate job to pursue his passion (it's a theme with me lately, what can I say) and he publishes a lot of really positive content.  Soooooo, Tinder hasn't been great for my dating life but I'm getting new blogs out of it so not a total loss, right?!

 

6.  We all know I am addicted to Buzzfeed quizzes.  Sooooo, I took this quiz, and they guessed I am a TEENAGE BOY?!?!  I'm not even going to attempt to analyze that.

 

Quiz/Playbuzz

 

And finally,

 

6.  Last week while on a walk (with a baby in a stroller, mind you) I witnessed an older gentleman gardening IN A SPEEDO.  I can't make this up.  The human race continues to befuddle me on a daily basis.  Ahh well, to each his own!

 

Source

 

 

Here's to another week of exciting adventures ahead!!  Happy Monday y'all.

 

 



What are you reading right now?

Any good running clothing/equipment finds lately?

Seen anything bizarre on a run or walk lately?!

Super Simple Summer Salads

Say that 5 times fast...

Now don't you worry, this is not turning into a recipe blog.  Let's be real, I have 0 recipes in my possession, and calling me a novice in the kitchen is being overly kind.  However, it's summer and around this time of year I start really craving fresh produce and cold foods.  So I made a couple fresh salads this week and thought I'd share them with you.  They're so easy a Jill can do it, which means YOU can definitely do it.

Salad #1
First up is this lovely, festive black bean and corn salad:

Instagram

The credit for this one goes to my much more domestic sister.  She brought this salad to our family BBQ a couple weeks ago for Memorial Day.  I loved it so much and asked her if she thought this was something someone of my 'ability' could prepare.  She assured me I could, so I decided to give it a whirl.  This salad is SO good; it is definitely going to be a summer staple for me.  You can eat it alone, or as a side, or mix another protein in there for a complete meal.  I actually mixed ground turkey in this salad a few nights and it was delicious!  It tasted like a homemade Chipotle burrito bowl just without the rice.  [*Yes, I'm eating meat again, this is a subject for another post entirely.  I feel much stronger eating it, but also a lot like a murderer :( ]

There's no measuring and no cooking and I promise it tastes really, REALLY good!  It also makes a lot so you can eat it all week.

Recipe/Ingredients:
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 fresh bell pepper, any color (I used orange)
Handful of cilantro, chopped
Juice of 2 limes
Olive oil, salt & pepper to taste

Optional:
1 can chopped green chiles - (I had NO idea what these were, so I had to text my sis to send me a pic of what the can looked like, haha. I dumped them in and thought their consistency looked 'weird' so I immediately scooped most of them back out again!)
1 pint of grape tomatoes (I left these out)


Salad #2
I wanted to make another bean-based salad for protein, and this time I wanted to use chickpeas.  I love them on salads and as hummus and was looking for another way to eat them.  I clicked around on Pinterest for awhile until I came across a recipe that looked simple and fresh - and settled on this one. (Original source here.)

I changed the recipe a little bit to suit my own tastes and I definitely did not measure anything out.  Who spends time doing that?!  My mom is Italian and has never measured an ingredient in her life.  It works and I'm sticking to it.

Check out this beauty:

Instagram

This one has a completely different taste than salad #1.  You could eat this stand-alone or as a side, but I don't know that mixing meat in with this one would fare as well.  The flavor from the raw garlic and fresh basil is also pretty strong, so it's definitely not for mild taste buds.  I love garlic in all things Italian, but I don't think I've ever eaten it raw.  It doesn't have the sweet flavor it has when cooked so just be aware of that.  But overall it's unique and I liked it.

Recipe/Ingredients:
1 can garbanzo beans
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved or whole
1/2 large English cucumber (*I added this, not in original Pinterest recipe)
Handful of fresh basil, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Olive oil, red wine vinegar & salt to taste


So there's my first non-cooking cooking post.  Never thought that would happen.

If you decide to try either of these, let me know how you like them!



What have you been eating lately?

Do you find you crave different foods when summer weather is here?