The last time I tried to run more than 2 miles at one time, I passed out on the track in high school. Ha! No really...but the last 2 months, I've coached a "Girls on the Run" team at the school. If you don't know what GOTR is, you've GOT to check it out. In short, it is a program created by Molly Barker to educate girls in grades 3-8 on healthy living and self respect. 

Our group met every Tuesday and Thursday each week, learning great life-lessons specifically for girls... like how to stand up for yourself, how to see and respect the beauty of every girl, to not gossip, etc...each lesson involves running and training for the big end-of-the-season 5k race. 

Our race was this past Saturday and here is my lovely 5th grade running partner, Genna. We finished our 3.1 miles in 36 minutes. We had beautiful weather and my hula skirt didn't slow me down one bit...long story:)

Maybe I'll run another...soon!

It all started at a little whole in the wall Chinese restaurant in Atlanta with a crazy group of friends. The menu...in Chinese. Luckily, our friend, Stephanie, was able to translate for us and we decided the best way to eat was to order 11 plates of different things and taste them all. Perfect plan! They had a HUGE lazy susan on the table, so the plates were set and feasting began on the turntables.

Out of the 11 plates, there was one in particular that was the overall favorite...Honey Walnut Shrimp.

That night of feasting-fun was a couple of months ago, but the dish remained in my mind. This week I decided to journey through the web to find a recipe that could give me that dish. I think I found one yesterday, so I made it last night for dinner. See below.

Here is the recipe (via allrecipes.com):

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup water
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 4 egg whites
• 2/3 cup mochiko (glutinous rice flour)
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon canned sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup vegetable oil for frying

DIRECTIONS

1. Stir together the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and add the walnuts. Boil for 2 minutes, then drain and place walnuts on a cookie sheet to dry.

2. Whip egg whites in a medium bowl until foamy. Stir in the mochiko until it has a pasty consistency. Heat the oil in a heavy deep skillet over medium-high heat. Dip shrimp into the mochiko batter, and then fry in the hot oil until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

3. In a medium serving bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, honey and sweetened condensed milk. Add shrimp and toss to coat with the sauce. Sprinkle the candied walnuts on top and serve.

Honey Walnut Green Beans and Fried Rice (compliments of Trader Joes) complimented the shrimp deliciously. I'll definitely add this recipe to my collection. I loved it! Let me know if you do too:)

One of my favorite days to celebrate! In the spirit of Cinco De Mayo, we will celebrate with margaritas and mexican tonight with friends...but in the meantime, here are two of my favorite things for today. 

Spent the morning perusing the web for margarita drink recipes...here is one that caught my eye and tickled my taste buds...Blackberry-Thyme Margaritas (pictured above via well fed) look amazing!! Click the images to learn how to make this recipe!

I was introduced to Tres Leches (three milks) a couple years back and have loved it ever since. The idea of "wet cake" really freaked me out, but I made it for my husband's birthday fiesta one year and have never been the same. The moistness (I know, I hate the word moist too) of the cake is so good and topped with the whipped cream icing and strawberries...it is perfection. Find the recipe I usually use at allrecipes.com.

¡Asga un margarita y tenga una ráfaga!