Bring it On! Run Swim Bike Cook 2014

February is here!  And thank goodness.  January was a tough month for our family.  Without getting into too many details, the month was filled with tremendous house-hunting drama, ultimately resulting in our sticking with this house, not so much because we wanted to, but because we had no other ethical options.  In the end, I pray that even though this home may not have been our first choice, it will be a happy one.

So even though the weather may be lousy, I am delighted to put January behind us.  Sub-zero weather, freezing rain, and blowing snow--bring it on.  I'm so tired of listening to myself whine that I've committed to buck up and deal with it.  February is not for wimps, I am stronger than I think, and so are you!  Welcome to Run Swim Bike Cook 2014, the seventh annual Ironman meets Ironchef.  I am thrilled that Christy and Lizzie are hosting RSBC again, where each week you cook a super food while completing a full (or half) Ironman.

This month's challenge:  Beet Greens and eggs.  Yesterday morning I made a beet green frittata and actually felt great about sending my kids off to school with something more nutritious than cold cereal in their bellies.

We sauteed beet greens with onion, garlic, and olive oil...

...added eggs beaten with a touch of buttermilk, covered the pan with a lid and let it simmer on low.  Feta cheese was sprinkled on right towards the end.  (Well, at least it was sprinkled on half.  My kids aren't feta lovers, but for me the salty cheese totally made the meal.)

Talia selected and prepared all of the sides for our breakfast, including ants on a log.  She couldn't find craisins for her ants and had to use raisins instead, but decided it was okay since she likes black ants better than the biting red ones.

Once Annika figured out how to actually put food on her fork, she thought the frittata was quite yummy.

Definitely tastier than baby food!

 So in Christy's RSBC post, she talked about focusing less on the foods we shouldn't eat and more on the foods we should.  And she's totally onto something.  Just saying.  Once I bought the beet greens, I needed to use up the beets.  So I cooked up some vegetable soup--an unusual combination of minestrone and borscht, by the time you blend the orzo and zucchini with cabbage and beets.  Of course, now I needed to make some salad with my leftover cabbage, plus I want to try some actual borscht, which means I need to buy more beets.  If you give a mouse a cookie, he'll crave more and more sugar.  But give a mouse a beet, and she just might learn to love veggies!

Fueled with all of the extra healthy energy from my beet green  frittata, I headed to the gym to tackle a goal that I've had for two years: a sprint triathlon.  I dropped the kids off at childcare, jumped into my swimsuit, swam 750m, biked 20K, ran 5K, and sprinted back up the stairs to pick up my kids before the workers thought they'd been abandoned.  It was tough, but I did it, and that feels great.

Other news: as part of my complete February makeover, I chopped my hair.  Here's me trying to pull off a selfie.  (With arms as short as mine, it really doesn't work.)

A little better.  This picture was taken first thing in the morning before I even brushed my hair, but it gives the basic idea.  Ten inches gone, and I love it.  Totally liberating.

Jason has a new look too.  (And yes, this picture was taken straight out of the shower with my hubby wearing nothing but a purple towel.  Scandalous!)

Of course, this man can do no wrong.  Ever.  He is the love of my life and the hero who will forever hold my undying gratitude.  (You can add in your own romantic mush here and I will emphatically nod and nod again.)  You see, yesterday tragedy struck.  While dropping the girls off for a Chinese dance rehearsal at a local middle school, I noticed the solitaire from my wedding ring was missing.  GONE!  Not only was this diamond valuable in the way all precious stones are valuable, it was the diamond purchased with the solitaire from my grandmother's wedding ring.  As the only grandchild who can really remember my Grandma Helen, this gem is a family heirloom with tremendous sentimental value. 

Needless to say, I was devastated.  Throughout the day, I'd traveled the entire city.  It was hard to know where to even begin looking. 

With the photo as a clue, this story obviously has a happy ending.  Jason found the diamond while sweeping the kitchen floor.  I am so grateful.   Our family has offered an awful lot of prayers over the last month; most of the answers have come slowly, even a bit painfully.  When I discovered my diamond was gone, I once again started praying--hard.  I told Jason that if we ever found the stone at all, it would be a miracle.  How lovely that a miracle not only happened, but that this time our prayers were answered both quickly and easily.

Life is Good, and February is Great!

Weekly RSBC Totals:
Run:  5.3 miles
Swim:  750 meters
Bike:  48.5 miles