BlogHop spotlight and parmesan roasted chickpeas

Hello!  This is my day in the spotlight for Run Away Bridal Planner's blog hop.  I thought I'd start out with a little glimpse into my blog and what I'm about for those of you that may be new around here.

 

I'm in my late 30s and live in the Maryland suburbs of DC with my husband, Mike, and our 2 cats, Perry and Shelby.  Mike is super supportive of my running, though the cats couldn't care less :)

Mike cheering at my first 10k

I started blogging in 2014 and that's when I started running with intention as well.  What do I mean by running with intention?  Well, I had done a couple 5ks before that but I mostly walked them and my training pretty much just consisted of randomly hopping on the elliptical at times.  January of 2014 is the first time I joined a training group and began training for a 5k.

Goal race from that 5k training program

My main purpose in blogging was some accountability, and also to keep a record of my training.  A wonderful side benefit has been meeting so many other fitness bloggers and beginning to create a community where I can talk about running without boring people to death.  I tend to post about 2-3 times a week.  Monday I link up with the Weekly Wrap to review my week and my work outs, Friday I tend to link up for the Friday Five, and at some point in the middle of the week I try to have a post with a race review, vegetarian cooking experiments, travel adventures, or just random thoughts.

And cat photos.  Lots of cat photos.

Since January of 2014, I've run 2 half marathons (Richmond in 2014 and Rock and Roll DC in 2015) and my third (Rock and Roll DC again) is coming up in a month.  I've also done a bunch of shorter races.  Races keep me engaged and motivated so I try to have at least one on my schedule each month.  I posted my 2016 race plans last month.  I am slow and I use run/walk intervals but I'm happy with that!  While I'm always happy to see progress in my speed, my main goal with running is to keep enjoying it so that it is sustainable for the long haul.

Crossing the finish line at my first half marathon

I mentioned cooking above and I wanted to finish this post with sharing a recipe for the Parmesan Roasted Chickpeas I made to take to a super bowl party.

2 cans of chickpeas, drained, rinsed and dried

1 tablespoon of chopped rosemary
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

The key is rinsing the chickpeas and drying them really well.  If they're not dry, they'll steam instead of roast.  I drained the chickpeas in a colander and then lay them all out in a single layer on paper towels. I lay another paper towel on top to fully dry.

This next step is optional.  I skip it if I'm just making roasted chickpeas for myself but since I was taking these to a party, I removed the skins.  It isn't vital but I do like the texture better when I take the time to remove the skins.

Toss the chickpeas with all the rest of the ingredients into a mixing bowl.  Then place them on a baking sheet, making sure there is enough room that they're in a single layer.  Bake for 40 minutes, mixing them up at the halfway mark.  My oven isn't even so I also rotated the pan at the halfway mark.  Take them out, sprinkle a bit more salt if needed, and let them cool before eating.  I skipped the cooling step and burned my mouth, so learn from my mistakes.

They were salty, cheesy, smoky, crunchy, and so delicious!

So that's me in a nut shell.  If you're visiting for the first time, I'd love to keep in touch!  Here are some ways you can hear more from me. 

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