Bike ride to recenter

I did my bike commute today, 14 miles, and it definitely helped me recenter. The last couple of weeks were crazy, with daytime and evening events, deadlines, and culmination in our baby-announcement party this past weekend. Today, at first, I didn't feel like biking, but I decided to get off my lazy ass and hop back on the bike. I have to admit - it really paid off. My bike commute allows me to gear up for my day at the beginning of the day without the white-knuckle stress during rush hour; clear up my mind at the end of the day; and I don't have to worry about parking during the day. And with the earlier sunset, the ride home is beautiful, with the ducks and geese gathering at the side of the Potomac for their evening swims and dinners.

This morning's ride was not terribly eventful - well, that is, until I tried to walk backwards with my bike to scan my access card to open the office building's entry door. What to my surprise, I tripped over the pedal, and down I went. Luckily, I had some insulation (i.e., my growing ass) to buffer the fall, and outside of a scrape from the gear plate on my leg, I was pretty much OK. So apparently, I can bike on 2 wheels all just fine; but get me on that left-foot-right-foot walking thing, and I'm just a mess. Get me my skateboard already!


This evening, with Hubby at a crit at University of Maryland, I was left to my own devices for dinner. The weather is beginning to cool, so I decided to make some chicken pot pies, modified.


Chicken Pot Puff Pastries

• Puff Pastry shells
• Chicken breast, defrosted, cubed, and seasoned
• Variety of vegetables, diced (I used sugar snap peas, celery, and carrots)
• Salt
  
• Thyme
• Oregano
  
• Majoram
  
• Tarragon
• Cream
• slurry of corn starch and water
  

I tossed the puff pastry shells into the toaster oven, and baked per package instructions. While the shells baked, I cubed the chicken breasts and diced the vegetables. In a pan, I heated up some oil, sauteed the chicken, and once the chicken was opaque, I added the vegetables, the seasoning, and some water to simmer the mixture. I also added cream and the slurry to thicken.

Both parts, the chicken/vegetable mixture and the puff pastry shells, finished cooking at about the same time. I filled the shells with the mixture, and poured some of the sauce on top. This I had with some steamed carrots. Tasty, buttery, and almost all home-made - and on top of all that, this dinner didn't take longer than 1/2 hour to make. That's a winner in my book!