Great Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

These sugar cookies came out great!  I used them to ask my bridesmaids/bridesman to be in our wedding.  Besides looking amazing, they also taste amazing.  So, here is how these came to be:

When I was in college, I met this girl in one of my dance groups who also had a food blog.  At the time, her specialty was making amazing looking cookies.  Now, she also blogs about clean eating and being gluten free.  Please go check her out at: A Dash Of Megnut.  

Of course, I looked to her when I decided that I wanted to bake these cookies.  I adapted her sugar cookie recipe a bit and then I used a different recipe for the royal icing based on the ingredients that I had at home.  Everything turned out amazing!  I mean, look how pretty those dresses are :)

Bridesmaid/Bridesman Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

Cookies:

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp almond extract

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp salt

1 egg

2 1/2 cups flour

Royal Icing:

2 egg whites

2 tsp lemon juice

3 cups powdered sugar

food coloring and sprinkles (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, beat the butter with the powdered sugar until well combined.  Beat in the almond, vanilla, egg, and salt until well combined.  Mix in the flour gradually until just combined.  Place bowl in the fridge for about 20 minutes to chill.

2. Once chilled, preheat oven to 375 and grease or parchment paper a cookie sheet.  

3. Take the dough out of the fridge and on a clean workspace, sprinkle some powdered sugar.  Place the dough on the powdered space and using a rolling pin, roll the dough out until it is about 1/4 inch in thickness.  Use more powdered sugar as needed so that the dough doesn't stick.  Cut cookies out using cookie cutters and place on prepared baking pan.  

4. Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until the cookies just start to turn light brown on the edges.  Remove from oven and cool.  

5.  For the icing, beat the egg whites with the lemon juice until they are light in color and then bean in the powdered sugar until well combined and the mixture looks smooth.  Divide the icing into however many bowls you need based on how many colors you are using to decorate.  I just did purple, black, and white.  Then frost and decorate as you want!

Enjoy :)

Marathon Training Monday

So I'm halfway through the base training portion.  This means that runs are getting longer, but they are not that long.  In about 1 month, I will be running at least 13 miles every weekend!  I guess I should enjoy this base training while I can!  I just got back from a 3 mile run.  The other midweek runs for this week are 4 miles and then 3 miles again.  On Saturday, I will be running 9.  Currently, I am icing my knee and doing some stretches because if you are keeping track, this week I will be running a combined total of 19 miles and that is more than I've done in a while!

This past Saturday was a taper long run.  I only had to run 5!  That is the shortest long run of the marathon training program and it was awesome.  It was also Pride Weekend, so I had a ton of things to do and I was grateful for the short run that started my morning off in a great way, but didn't take up too much time.

This past Saturday was also my buddy, Caryn's, going away party.  She is leaving for this incredible excursion to Asia and I am going to miss her a whole lot.  If anyone who reads this has any advice on traveling, Asia, or being away for 2 months, I will pass it along to her!

This week, besides running, I am also going to be getting ready for two of my best buds from college to come in town for the 4th of July! I can't wait!!!

Happy Pride Parade Day! Celebrate with Rainbow Cake

With all the great news regarding marriage equality and with the Chicago Pride Parade today, I felt like I just had to make this cake.  I am so excited that this country finally decided to make this happen because everyone should have the right to marry someone they love.

This rainbow cake was so much fun to make and I have give a shout out to my bestie, Katie, for helping me put it together.  The first few layers didn't come out of the pan so well, but we trouble-shooted and the rest were great.  The frosted was phenomenal as well!  This cake is delicious and a great way to celebrate pride!

Rainbow Cake
(adapted from Divas Can Cook)

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup lowfat buttermilk
3 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
food coloring: red, yellow, green, blue, and purple (I found these colored gels at the grocery store, but you can also mix colors to create your colors)
Frosting:
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
16 oz light cream cheese
4-5 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
2 tbsp heavy whipping cream

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Then, add in the eggs and cream until well combined and mixture lightens in color.  Add in the vanilla, cream, and buttermilk and mix until just combined.
2. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups of flour, the baking powder, and the salt over the mixture and mix until just combined.  Then, sprinkle another 1 1/2 cups of flour over the mixture and mix until just combined.
3. Preheat oven to 325 and prepare 6, 9 inch cake pans.  For the cake pans, grease them and cut a circular piece of parchment paper to line the bottom.

4. Divide the cake batter into 6 bowls.  Start with about 1 cup per bowl and then divide the rest up as evenly as you can.  Use your food coloring to dye each bowl of batter for the colors of the rainbow.

5. Spread each bowl into a prepared cake pan.  I only had 2 so I had to do 3 batches.  Bake for about 12 minutes so that the center of the cake sets.  Let cool in the fridge.  Continue this with all the layers.
6.  While baking, make the frosting:  Beat the butter with the cream cheese until well combined.  Beat in the whipping cream and vanilla.  Add in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until you have a desired taste and consistency.
7.  Place your first layer on a plate and spread a thin layer of frosting on top.  Place the second layer on top and repeat with the remaining layers and frosting.  Cover the whole cake with a thin layer of frosting and serve!

Enjoy :)

Spinach Pesto Eggplant Burger with Mozzarella

So camp has started, but there has been a ton of rain this week.  This means that camp doesn't really feel like camp yet.  We had a nice day yesterday at a water park, but today it is all rainy again!  I am running out of ideas for fun/interesting indoor games!  At least the kids are having fun since it is the first week and therefore exciting/new.  I just hope that this soggy summer gets a little more sunny! 

Camp means that I have a ton more time to cook!  I love this! I came up with this fun Veggie Burger recipe after making some Spinach Pesto.  Bri is a vegetarian and we just went out to dinner at Smoque so I felt like I had to make it up to him with this amazing veggie sandwich! 

Spinach Pesto Eggplant Burger with Mozzarella

Ingredients:

4-5 pretzel buns

1 medium eggplant

8-10 tbsp spinach pesto

fresh mozzarella, sliced

salt and pepper

olive oil

Directions:

1. Heat a pan over medium heat and add 1 tbsp of olive oil.  Place eggplant slice in the pan and cook for about 3-4 minutes on one side.  Flip, pour a little more olive oil in the pan and season with salt and pepper.  Continue to cook for another 3-4 minutes.  If you need to, continue to cook both sides until eggplant starts to soften.  

2. Toast the bun in the toaster and then place on a place.  Spread 1-2 tbsp of the pesto on one side and place mozzarella slices on the other.  Place eggplant slice on top of mozzarella and then put the side with the pesto on top.  

Enjoy :)

Spinach Pesto with a Twist

I love pesto.  Like I have a serious obsession.  If I am at a restaurant and they have anything on the menu that has some sort of pesto in it, I am all in!  So, I decided to make some to have in my fridge to incorporate into recipes.

This spinach pesto came to me after I ended up with a ton of extra spinach.  I didn't have all the typical pesto ingredients on hand, so I played around with some other options and the end result was amazing!  I have been making things like Spinach Pesto Stuffed Avocados and Spinach Pesto Eggplant Burgers.  I want to make some Spinach Pesto Broiled Salmon.  I mean, the options are endless and all delicious.

I just ran 3 miles at 5 in the morning, so now I am making my lunch and just drooling over this spinach pesto!  I might have to incorporate it into my breakfast!

Spinach Pesto

Ingredients:
2 cups baby spinach
1/4 cup basil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup crumbled bleu cheese
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice
extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
1. Place everything except for the olive oil in a food processor and pulse to combined.
2. While the food processor this pulsing, slowly add in olive oil, 1 tbsp at a time, until you have a desired consistency.

Enjoy :)

Marathon Training Monday

Today is the start of Week 3 already!  Last week the mileage was 3, 3, 3, 7 and the 7 mile felt great.  I ran with my CARA group again and it was perfect weather on Saturday in the morning.  I just got back from another 3 mile run and it went pretty well.  I've been doing some strength training for my arms, legs, and abs and I'm feeling a little sore, but I think that this will eventually help me stay strong and avoid injuries.

Here is the strength training that I have been following:

Today is also the first day of camp! I am really excited to meet all the campers and get this summer going.  Wish me luck with all those crazy kiddos!

Southwest Salad

Camp training is off to a great start.  We got to move into the schools yesterday and start decorating.  I'm really excited to see what this summer has in store!  

In general, this week has been really great.  Bri and I were in the Wicker Park area a few days ago and we decided to check out Mindy's Hot Chocolate for a special dessert.  Now, I know I'm trying to avoid desserts, but we had a special occasion to celebrate so I figured it didn't really count...that works right?  This place is super cute.  The atmosphere is great and although we didn't eat dinner there, the food that came out of that kitchen looked fantastic.  And then the desserts, wow.  I mean, we split a Chocolate Chip Cookie Tart and a Chai Hot Chocolate and both were just fantastic.  They even have these amazing homemade marshmallows!  If you are ever in the area, you gotta stop by.  

Chai Hot Chocolate 

I'm pretty excited to eat this for lunch today.  I have this goal of eating healthier this summer by watching my portions and avoiding desserts.  This salad was the springboard for the whole plan.  This salad is super delicious, full of nutrients, and it fills me up.  I found some Chili Spiced Chicken Breast at the grocery store which really inspired me to make a southwest style salad.  So here you go! 

Southwest Salad with Skinny Buttermilk Avocado Dressing

Southwest Salad

Ingredients:

2 cups baby spinach

1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup whole kernel corn

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1 Chili Chicken Breast, chopped

2 tbsp Skinny Buttermilk Avocado Dressing

Directions:

Toss all ingredients together and then toss with the dressing.  You can use any kind of chicken that you want and any kind of dressing, but this combination is really great! 

Wedding Planning Wednesday Part 6

The wedding party! Yep, that is what this is all about.  I have bridesmaids and Bri has groomsmen!  We are both so excited.  I had about a thousand ideas of how I wanted to ask my bridesmaids and so I came up with this cute box idea so that I could combine some of my ideas into one.  I went to Michael's Craft store to buy these boxes and then I decorated them.  Inside, I placed a homemade Bridesmaid Dress Cookie, nail polish, bridesmaid/maid of honor socks, champagne, a Team Bride pin, and dark/milk Hershey kisses.  This combined a ton of ideas that I had into one and I think it made for a very cute and personal gift for my girls!  

Will you be my bridesmaid?

Now, I also have a bridesMAN in my party.  My super, amazing friend, Michael, who was also my prom date back in the day is going to be part of my party too!  I couldn't do the same thing for him, so here I came up with:  

I placed this awesome personalized flask that I found on Amazon in the same sort of box along with the champagne, a homemade tuxedo cookie, the Team Bride pin, and the chocolates.  He loved it!  

I am so excited to finally have my bridal party put together and now we can all start planning and getting ready together! 

Cinnamon Bars with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup!!!!! Oh my gosh, last night was so exciting! My buddy, Lauren, is also a huge hawks fan so she came over to watch the game with us.  We debated going out somewhere to be part of the festivities, but the weather was super horrible (like tornado warning, horrible) so we ended up staying in.  I think this was a good choice because we were able to see the game better and I got to wear comfy clothes :).  

After some sleep, I am ready to start CAMP TRAINING! Woo! Summer job officially starts today and I am pretty pumped.  

To celebrate, I have a yummy recipe for delicious cinnamon bars.  Plus, these cinnamon bars are topped with an amazing cream cheese frosting.  I adore a good cream cheese frosting, and this one has extra cinnamon in it to complement those bars.  Yum! 

Cinnamon Bars with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

(adapted from Something Swanky)

Cinnamon Bars

Ingredients:
Bars:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
Frosting:
16 oz light cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a 13 by 9 inch baking pan with foil.  Grease the foil.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the flour with the baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar together until well combined.  Beat in the egg and the molasses until well combined.  Beat in the flour mixture until just combined.
4. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and back for about 18 minutes.  Let cool for about 15 and then use the foil to remove the bars from the pan.  Let cool completely.
5. To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese with the powdered sugar and cinnamon until well combined.  Spread over the cooled bars.

Enjoy :)

Marathon Monday: The Color Run

For the past few years, my bestie, Tamara, and I have run the Color Run 5K.  She is also a teacher and works up in Wisconsin.  It is a really fun race and it always puts a huge smile on my face.   I know that there are quite a few people out there who are not a huge fan of running, but this is a race that everyone loves.  You can walk or run, you get sprayed with color, and you even get a medal!  Plus, this year, they added glitter!  It is the color run "shine" tour so you get shiny too! I had a blast running this thing and it was awesome to spend some time with Tamara.  

Pre-color run

The color run we did was up in Madison so of course it was amazing to visit some of my favorite college spots and hang out in that amazing city.  However, the color run goes EVERYWHERE.  So, if you've never really done a run before and I want to get into it, I highly recommend this one! 

Post-color run!

I also started training for the marathon this past week!  The mileage for last week was 3, 3, 3, 6.  I did all the 3 mile runs on my own at about a 9:30 pace and then I ran the 6 mile run with CARA (Chicago Area Runners Association) at a 10 minute per mile pace.  It was so awesome to be back with a training group and I hardly noticed that I even ran 6 miles.  I met some new people, saw some faces from last year, and chatted with people as I ran.  It really helps takes the focus off of your legs and it is fun!  I am also working in cross-training this year by doing some arm, leg, and ab workouts.  I love running, but I also want to make sure that I don't get injured!  So far, we are off to a great start! 

Lake Geneva

My buds

I can't believe I haven't told you about this yet! I had the most amazing weekend with friends up in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.  We ate great food, found tons of fun activities, and had a generally relaxing vacation.  I consider myself incredibly lucky to have found these guys my freshman year of college and to still be so close with all of them today.  So here is what we did:

We stayed in this great cottage near downtown and that meant we were able to walk almost everywhere.  We went on a pontoon and walked around the lake.  I got to go for a few good runs while I was up there as well!  In the downtown area, we went to places like Kilwin's and Popeye's.  Kilwin's was perfect for a sweet treat in the middle of the day and Popeye's was our big dinner out that we enjoyed. 

Our other dinner was a homemade BBQ.  We made a great strawberry poppyseed salad and grilled up some hot dogs.  

We also went to a brewery and a winery while we were in town.  Both places were a drive, but totally worth it.  We went to the Gevena Lake Brewery which was super cute and had tastings of everything they had on tap.  Then, we went to Staller Estate for wine tasting and, of course, I bought a bottle to bring home.  I am suddenly super interested in reds.  I'm not sure if I just suddenly grew up or something, but I love red wine!  I am still a white fan, but all the wine tasting I have done over the past few months have showed me that I actually have quite the taste for a good red wine! 

The IPA at Geneva Lake

It was a great weekend and I can't wait to see what we come up with for next year's reunion!

New and Improved Cookie Dough Frosted Brownies

Happy Friday! Today I have a really fun recipe to share!  I made Cookie Dough Frosted Brownies a while back, but I changed up the recipe a bit this time and they came out even better than before! Last time, I had way too much cookie dough.  Now, I know that typically doesn't sound like a problem, but it actually overpowered the brownies and I love my brownies.  So this time, I cut the recipe in half and cut out a few other things and it was awesome.  I still had plenty cookie dough frosting to cover those brownies, but you got a good balance of brownie and cookie dough in every bite.  

In other news, I have also been having one great food week.  Last night, I went with my family and Bri to the Little Goat Diner.  This place is so good! If you are ever in Chicago and looking for a casual meal that is also incredibly delicious, this is a great place to go.  My mom and I split their Springy Veggie Quesidillas and the Chinese Chicken Sandwich.  Both items were great and it was one amazing meal.  Today, (after a much needed workout and zumba class) I am going to Budacki's Drive-In where I actually LOVE the veggie dogs.  Plus, if you really want to splurge, get cheese fries, do it.  And then, I am headed to Lizzie McNeill's for some drinks with a few of my teaching buddies.  School hasn't even been out for a week and I already miss them like crazy.  It should be a great day! 

Cookie Dough Frosted Brownies

Cookie Dough Frosted Brownies

Ingredients:

1 batch of Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownies

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup powdered sugar

6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

3 tbsp light cream cheese

2 tsp vanilla

skim milk, as needed

pinch of salt

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Make the brownies according to directions and let cool.

2. Make the frosting by beating the melted butter, brown sugar, and powdered sugar together in a bowl.  Beat in the cream cheese and vanilla.  Add in 1 tbsp of milk if the mixture is too thick.  Mix in the salt and the chocolate chips.

3. Frost the cooled brownies with the cookie dough mixture.  Let set in the fridge.  When ready, cut into pieces and serve. 

Enjoy :)

Veggie and Black Bean Enchiladas

I just love enchiladas.  They are a great way to get a ton of veggies into your dinner and they are so tasty! I am trying to be a little healthier now that it is summer and I am beginning to really focus on my wedding.  I want to get in shape and lose a few pounds, but I don't want to go crazy since I still have more than a year!  So, my plan is to incorporate veggies into all my meals, portion control, and stay away from all those delicious desserts (which is going to be the biggest challenge!).  This meal was a great way to kick of my healthy-eating plan and I am definitely going to be making these again soon! 

Veggie and Black Bean Enchiladas

Ingredients:

8 whole wheat tortillas or gluten-free

1 can red enchilada sauce

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

extra virgin olive oil

1 eggplant, peeled and diced

1 zucchini, quartered

1 squash, quartered

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

pinch of cayenne

1/2 red onion, chopped

your favorite salsa

your favorite shredded cheese, I used a blend

3 green onions, chopped (optional)

1 avocado, sliced (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large pan, pour 1 tbsp of olive oil and heat over medium.  Add in the eggplant, zucchini, and squash.  Season with cumin, salt, pepper, and cayenne.  Toss to combine and cook until veggies start to soften.  Add in olive oil as needed.  Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and pour a little enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch pan.  

3. In each tortilla, place a couple spoonfuls of the veggie mixture, a spoonful of salsa, some black beans, shredded cheese, and chopped red onion.  Roll the tortilla and place seam down in the prepared pan.  

4. Once all the tortillas are done, pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the tops and sprinkle with some more cheese.  Cover in tinfoil and place in oven for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted.

5. Top with some green onion and avocado slices.

Enjoy :)

Skinny Buttermilk Avocado Dressing

So I took a little vacation...but I'm back! School is out and for the past few days I have just been enjoying myself!  I am also getting ready for camp to start next week! So, I have exactly one week of summer vacation :) Today, I wanted to tell you about my latest developments in the wedding planning extravaganza that is my life, but I have to wait a week....be patient.  

I also started marathon training this week! So far, I have gone for two 3 mile runs and this weekend is the first long run, 6 miles.  I am pretty pumped!

Today I decided to make my own salad dressing because I want to start getting ready to have healthy lunches lined up for camp.  I made this Skinny Buttermilk Avocado Dressing after adapting a similar recipe over at Skinny Taste.  It is really creamy, super tasty, just a little spicy, and tastes a little sweet from the buttermilk.  I am excited to tell you all about the salads I come up with! I also think that this dressing would be great over a burrito bowl or some sort of spicy chicken.  It is really great and versatile!

Skinny Buttermilk Avocado Dressing

Skinny Buttermilk Avocado Dressing

Ingredients:

3/4 cup light buttermilk

1 medium avocado, peeled and sliced

1 shallot, chopped

1 jalapeno, without the seeds and chopped

1 tbsp lime juice

pinch of cumin

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Place everything into a food processor and pulse until you have a creamy mixture.  

Enjoy :)

Wedding Planning Wednesday Part 5 and Inception Cookies

I do have some exciting developments to share in our wedding planning extravaganza.  But first:

Happy National Running Day!  I have some new shoes arriving today to help kick off my marathon training for the Chicago Marathon.  Plus, I decided to sign up for ANOTHER marathon.  Jana and I have been looking for a spring marathon so that we can have a "runcation."  We decided to sign up for the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in Nashville!  I am pretty excited about this.  This marathon is not until April 30 so I will have a ton of time after the Chicago one to rest up and train.  Yay running! I know many of you think I am insane, but I just love it :)

Also, it's finals week and you know what that means: COOKIES!!! I made a ton of Inception Cookies for all my kiddos to celebrate finishing the year on a good note.  Currently, I am sitting in my Algebra Advanced final and I am watching them work really hard.  I am pretty proud of these guys and they totally deserve some cookies.  Plus, I found Cookie Dough Oreos! I know, what? Yes, cookie dough! So really these Inception Cookies are like TRIPLE inception: A cookie, within a cookie, within a cookie!

Inception Cookies

And now, the wedding plans.  We (almost) have a DJ!!! I set up two meetings with Style Matters and Toast and Jam to talk about music.  So we have a place, a rabbi, a photographer, and a DJ!!! I am still working on my "ask the bridesmaids" project and I am going to get started on figuring out food and a wedding website as soon as school is out!  Things are getting pretty exciting!  If anyone has advice on DJ's or good recommendations, I would love to hear them!  We are pretty much decided on using a DJ over a band because of finances, but if you know of a great band that is reasonable, I would love to hear that as well!! Thanks for all the advice I have already been getting from you guys! 

Healthy Brownie Batter Dip

It's finals time again! I can't believe we are at this point in the year.  I have been so busy the past few weeks finishing everything up with school and helping my students prepare for finals.  And now, I just have to grade their tests and summer is here!  Currently, I am sitting in a study hall with my buddy, Ms. Keenan, and we are just waiting for the period to end so that our finals can finally start.

I am pretty pumped about summer and I am already getting ready by meeting with site directors, organizing camp groups, and writing parent letters.  Last night I "had" to go to Portillo's to have a camp dinner/meeting.  The food was delish and it was so fun to get to know the site directors better and hear about their ideas for the summer.  It made me feel so excited!  

I have also been cooking and baking more because of my super-positive attitude.  For example, I made this:

Brownie Batter

This is "healthy" brownie batter.  I have heard that black beans can be a substitute in brownies or other desserts and I must admit, I was pretty skeptical about if it would actually taste good.  I am here to attest that black beans totally work and this brownie batter was just amazing.  I was inspired by Sweet As Sugar Cookie's recipe and I adapted it a little based on what I wanted/had on hand.  This is a great treat to spread on fruit, eat with pretzels, or just dig into with a spoon!

Healthy Brownie Batter Dip

Ingredients:
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2-3 tsp vanilla
5 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter

Directions:
1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until mixture becomes completely smooth.  Add in toppings if you want.

Enjoy :)

New Running Shoes

Welcome back to another Marathon Monday!  This Monday is extra special because it is my last day teaching before finals!! I can't believe I am finishing up my second year and embarking on my third!  My second period class decided that since they all like each other a lot, we should have a little party.  I agreed with liking them all a lot and thought it was pretty cute that they decided to plan this.  Besides our little party, we are also spending the day going over reviews and making sure that everyone is ready for finals.  I am genuinely going to miss so many of my students from this year, but I am also so excited for summer and to see what next year brings.

This Marathon Monday, I am excited to talk about my brand new running shoes! When training for a marathon, the advice is to buy two pairs of shoes because you train in one pair until the 20 mile run, and then you switch to a fresh pair to get ready for race day.  I have been running in Aisecs for forever now, but since my GT 2002 2's are no longer produced, I switched to GT 2000 3.  They are supposed to be even better and I can't wait to see how they feel.  Plus they are adorable:

The first official day of training is June 7th!  I can't wait to bust these guys out and get my marathon training started! If you want to see more about my training you can check that out here: Jodie B - Team Have Dreams.