Celebrating 1 year of Dad's New Heart -- with a little help from ENELL

Walking at 5am... I never thought this would be something I'd enjoy!

Today marks 10 days that I've gotten up super duper early (well at least for ME... I know other people do this all the time! God Bless You!) and spent 45 minutes - an hour or more taking a daily walk.

I've been doing this mainly to practice for a 5K that I'm walking this upcoming Sunday, September 14th in honor of my Dad. It will mark 1 full year since my Dad received his "new" heart. Dad has had a lot of ups & downs since receiving his heart.

His body has had to readjust to life with new medications, recovering from bouts of illness (due to taking immuno-suppressants, etc..), and now recovering from a broken ankle with more major surgery. My Dad is truly a miracle man. He's survived more than most people could and I'm so proud of him these past few months as he's managed to maintain a positive attitude despite having to live in a rehab facility and learn how to walk again... on TOP of all the health/suppressed immune system challenges of having a new heart.

Dad you're amazing! 

I hope you realize what a miracle you are and how inspiring you are to me 

(and SO many others)! 

I wrote a post a few weeks ago about being a new ENELL Ambassador. ENELL is a sports apparel company for well-endowed women. Their goal is to help women of ALL sizes to have sports bras & t-shirts that are made just for them to help them feel both supported and comfortable in their health & wellness journeys.  When I was chosen as an Ambassador (rather shockingly to me!) I decided that if I truly wanted to represent this company I needed to faithfully use the equipment and seriously get started on my journey to health.

So I've started a daily practice of walking. My general goal every day before work is to walk two miles. I live in a small neighborhood in a rural area in eastern NC. I'm surrounded by tobacco fields, cotton fields, sweet potato fields, cantaloupe and watermelon fields (all depending on the seasons!) horse & cattle farms, etc...

This week when my first package of ENELL sports gear came in, I was honestly too excited to wear it. The new sports bra is part of their seasonal limited edition color series and it is shiny teal SCUBA BLUE! Along with it came a black warm up jacket (wayyyy too warm for that yet!), a super breathable hat, and the coolest work-out t-shirt I've ever seen! "I'm kind of a BIG DEAL!" ENELL you are so awesome!

By day 4 of my morning walks, I had to try out the new sports bra & t-shirt. Let me tell you, this is the MOST comfortable sports bra & t-shirt I have ever worn when working out. ENELL's products are such high quality that they actually help you WANT to go out and take a walk! I love not only the chest support that the bra provides, but it's really awesome back & core support as well!

And on my walks I try to get at least one picture of the morning sky... here are a few of my favorites over the past 10 days...

So far in 10 days I've walked 27 miles, more than I've done in the past 2 years! :-) I've been able to stick to it (probably more because I HAVE to get up early since my work schedule has changed... so we'll say that's a POSITIVE outcome of having to open the library every day! lol)... and Michael has even joined me on several mornings.

Next Monday I'll recap the 5K that we're walking in celebration of my Dad's first year with his new heart and share more about my daily walking practice and future 5K's we plan on participating in!

Do you have a daily practice? 

GLG Disclosure: 

This post is part of a new series sponsored by ENELL. The ENELL Ambassador program provides fitness apparel and pays for fitness event registration fees in exchange for blog posts shared about the blogger's  fitness experience. The opinions in this post are completely my own. I , and other bloggers in the Enell Ambassador Program are not monetarily compensated for any blog posts written for/or about ENELL products. 

Favorite Recipes from My Dad

That's my Dad and my Step-Mom. Today's a very special day. It's my Dad's birthday. I love you Dad!

You may not be aware, but my Dad is a huge inspiration behind most of my creativity in cooking. He's the foodie in our family. He's the one who first made chocolate chip cookies, omelets on Sundays, beef stews in the winter, and rare steaks with Caesar salad all summer long.

When I was little he made most of our breakfasts: usually grits, bagels, or oatmeal. On the weekends it was his famous omelets, fried liver mush (that's some good eating!), country ham cooked in cola, or fried eggs & bacon. One of my favorite cookbooks is his old copy of "The Joy of Cooking" by Irma Rombauer. That's the cookbook that taught me dozens of different ways to make cookies and cakes.

I remember old copies of Gourmet magazine always lying around the living room. I think that's where I get my love of actually reading cookbooks. While I may not try many of the recipes in a cookbook -- I think simply by reading how others make food will broaden your palate. It will give you ideas of new spices to try. Which foods work best together and will help you learn new cooking and baking techniques.

My Dad's also a writer. And while he doesn't always realize it, he's a very, very GOOD writer. He's spent nearly his entire adult career as a journalist and columnist and I know one day I'll see his name on a book. And trust me, no matter the subject... you'll want to read it. You'll be better for it. 

Today for his birthday I thought I'd share five recipes from the blog that have been most inspired by my Dad. Many are actually recipes that he used to make quite often that I converted to be gluten-free. You have to cook what you know best. Don't let being gluten-free stop that for you. Because family recipes are important. They carry on traditions, bring back beautiful memories, and make you feel like you're feeding people well. Food with a story is the very best kind of food. 

Well of course, The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies!!! 
They have to come from somewhere right? While this recipe isn't actually based on my Dad's recipe, it's special to me because my Dad made a LOT of chocolate chip cookies growing up. You knew it would be a good day if Dad decided to make cookies! And this recipes happens to be one of HIS favorites on my blog... which is a very cool thing!

Pancakes. 
My Dad made a lot of pancakes on Saturday mornings too. We loved his pancakes. Again... a recipe with a story! Read how my Dad learned to make them.

Caesar Salad. 
The ultimate "family" recipe in our clan! This one isn't just made in my immediate family it's shared by my aunt & uncle and their children... every kid in our family loves homemade Caesar salad from a very early age. It's good stuff and there's a good reason why!

Grits Bowls. 
Because I can't tell you how many school day's began with grits at our house. My dad loved to make us grits!

GLUTEN-FREE PIZZA!! 
Okay, so my Dad didn't make gluten-free pizza when I was growing up... but HE LOVED making us pizza with Chef Boy-R-Dee's Cheese Pizza Kits. By the time he was finished with them, they were full-blown supreme pizzas with green peppers, onions, pepperoni, ground beef, mushrooms, and tons of cheese. It's honestly why I love pizza so much. My Dad loved making those pizzas and the best part was we got to make them with him. He let us add the toppings, shred the cheese, watch the oven, taste the first bite. My Dad knows a thing or two about pizza and while this is a homemade recipe, it's JUST as easy as the Chef Boy-R-Dee version!! Want to buy a gluten free pizza kit that's way healthier than Chef Boy-R Dee? Check out Gallo Lea Organics GF Pizza Kits of Asheville, NC ! 

And Dad, when I see you later this month, I'm making you this... my favorite chocolate cake (or maybe a vanilla version since Chris doesn't like chocolate!) I also hope you know how great a Dad you are! Never forget that! I'm blessed outa my socks to have you for a Dad and I love for you for way more than all the amazing food you made for us growing up!

Happy Birthday Dad!!