Although the name of this recipe is not so appealing, this Pea Soup & Homemade Croutons is extremely easy to make and so delicious! The soup is filled with fiber to fill you up and the croutons make it feel a little fancy without the fuss. It's still hot here in Philadelphia, and I made this soup right after I was DRENCHED in sweat from a humid run on Sunday morning, so I have really no clue what urged me to make soup, but I was flipping through a cookbook and came across a pea soup recipe and it just called to me. Of all things? Like usual, I didn't follow the recipe. I don't like following recipes, I just like creating them and hoping they come out great - it keeps it fun.

Here's what you'll need:

For the croutons: 

• 2 slices of cubed wheat bread
• Olive oil or olive oil spray
• Kosher salt & pepper

What to do:

• Preheat your oven (or toaster oven) to 300 degrees
• Lay out the cubed bread on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil/spray with olive oil spray
• Sprinkle salt and pepper
• Bake for 25 minutes

For the Soup: 

• 2 bags of frozen peas (told you I like to keep things simple.) I used 2 10 oz bags.
• 1 white or yellow onion
• 6-7 cloves of garlic (you can tone this down, I just REALLY love garlic.)
• 5 cups of low sodium chicken broth (or veggie broth if you are not a carnivore.)
• Salt, pepper, paprika to taste
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 3 tablespoons butter

What to do: 

• Melt the butter in a big dutch oven pan
• Add the chopped onions and garlic (rough chop)
• Saute until the onions become slightly transparent
• Add in the broth
• Let it come to a boil
• Add in both bags of peas and lower heat to simmer, covered, for 10 minutes
• Season to taste
• Turn off the heat and let everything cool
• Once cooled a bit, add to a big blender or food processor to puree
• Lastly, add in the sour cream and blend

That's it! Told you it was easy. I can't wait until the weather cools down a bit so I can try out new soup and crockpot recipes.

I ventured out for a 3 mile run this morning and it was HUMID. The humidity really affects how I run. My legs feel like cement pillars and my lungs feel like they can't hold enough air. Does anyone else feel this way or do you like running in the humidity? I stopped to walk a bit. It's crazy to me how our bodies respond differently to different times and temperatures. I don't get how I can run a nice 8 miles one day and then 3 miles another day feels like crap. OY.

But I guess that's life, sometimes we win and sometimes we don't :)

Alright I need to go make breakfast and get myself together! I hope everyone has a great Tuesday.

XO - Rach

What's everyone got planned for the long weekend?

Happy Monday all! Can you guys believe that tomorrow is September? Ugh. Time goes too fast. Way too fast. I hope everyone had an awesome weekend. Mine was great, filled with a lot of my favorite things.

On Friday night Michael and I headed into Center City to go out for a birthday celebration. It was lots of fun and a great start to the weekend. On Saturday morning, being the crazy people that we are, we decided to wake up at 5:30 a.m. to drive to the beach. We wanted to spend ALL day there and had to be early just in case we hit traffic, you know? Rest assured, there is zero traffic from Philadelphia to Atlantic City, NJ on a Saturday morning at 5:30 a.m. We got to Brigantine Beach around 7:30, waited for the CVS to open at 8 to get sunscreen, and we were on the beach by 8:15 and stayed until 6. It was PERFECT. Not a cloud in the sky :)

Brigantine Beach is an awesome location if you're anywhere near the Jersey area. It doesn't get too crowded, the sand is super soft, it really looks like a Florida beach AND there's a bar right on the beach. It's pretty perfect!

The full day of sun knocked me out and I got a solid 10 hours of sleep on Saturday night. Woke up Sunday morning ready to tackle my 8 mile run!

My run on Sunday was definitely harder than my 7 miler last weekend, but I keep surprising myself. I seriously thought when I started training for this half marathon that anything more than 5 miles is just going to feel like death, but to be honest, the long runs are my favorite. I think it's mostly because I can sleep in, eat a good breakfast and enjoy the morning. The slow and steady pace is leisurely and although I sweat like a pig, it's just refreshing to run along the river and zone out in my music. I think I'm starting to experience these runner highs.

Next weekend I am going to taper off and do either a 6 or 7 mile run and then the week after I will do 9. I still have a solid 8 weeks before the race, but I am glad I started training earlier because it's giving me confidence that I'll be able to finish the race without dying. Typing about it also helps :)

Now I'm off to work (currently on the train)! I was quite absent from the blog last week so this week I plan to come back strong - I've got a couple recipes on the menu, a workout and ooohh a video! Stay tuned...

XO Rach

What would you like to see more of on this blog? I'm all ears (eyes)!

Happy Monday! I got a jolt of inspiration this weekend so I wanted to start off the week on a motivational note and talk about my journey to a half marathon.

Practice does not make perfect. What even is perfect? No one is perfect. But practice certainly makes for a lot more ease and ability, and it's truly all about progress. That's how I feel about running. I'm a terrible runner! I've got short legs, a short stride and I'm all around SLOW. Running has always been a challenge for me but this year I decided to finally take on the challenge and register for the Philly Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon. It's also a fun way to explore my new home, right?

Last year I really wanted to run a half and I jumped into running way too quickly, didn't stretch enough, etc. I ended up with AWFUL shin splints that forced me to just stop. It was incredibly discouraging, and I just kind of decided that running wasn't my thing. When I moved to Philadelphia, however, I got back into going on short runs around the city and realized how much I actually enjoy running.

The half marathon I signed up for this time is on Oct. 31. I've started training, but I'm not too hard on myself this time because my goal for this race is to simply finish without stopping to walk, even if it takes me three hours! Hopefully it won't, but you get the idea. I will say, a few weeks ago when my long run was a five-miler, I felt like there was NO way I could do anymore. Five felt like forever.

However, yesterday morning I ran seven miles and it was honestly one of the best runs I've ever had! It really gave me the push I needed to help me realize that I really can run a half marathon. I guess it's true what they say - if you put your mind to it, you can make it happen!

I've been trying to be a lot better about stretching before and after and foam rolling. Any running tips are much appreciated from any runners out there!

A few things I've discovered from changing up my routine to add in more running:

• I LOVE being outside. Unless I have to teach, I've been aiming to get outside for my workouts, not just running.
• Running is an amazing stress reliever. More-so than a strength training workouts or yoga for me, I think because I can listen to my favorite music and enjoy the scenery - it's simple, it's a great workout and I feel good after. The perfect weather here in Philly has also been helping...
• I love where I live. Seriously, I've discovered so many awesome streets and places that I want to eat. And homes that I want to live in. Philadelphia is a beautiful place!
• Shoes and compressions socks are everything. Running in Asics and wearing compression socks this time around has made all the difference. Although my shins act up sometimes, my hips and my knees never bother me.

I'll keep the updates coming about my running adventures.

Running - love or hate it?

Do you have any half marathon training tips?