Apple Sliced Tenderloin and Sweet Potato Casserole

These recipes are full of yummy flavor and lots of good nutrients!..and did I mention 100 % clean?!

Apple Sliced Tenderloin

Ingredients:1 Pork Tenderloin (excess fat trimmed)
Raw Honey
Cinnamon
3 Red Delicious Apples

Instructions:

1. Poke a few holes in your tenderloin. Put in a gallon freezer bag. Pour about 2 tbsp of honey into the bag and dash with some cinnamon. Zip the bag closed, then shake and rug the pork until honey and cinnamon are combined and covering the pork. Refridgerate overnight.

2. Slice one apple and put in the bottom of a sprayed crockpot.

3. Cut slits in your pork about a 1/2 to 1 in apart. Drizzle some raw honey in the slits.Thinly slice another apple. Put one thin slice in each slit.

3. Put the remaining apple on top of the pork and spinkle cinnamon over the top (but don't overdo it)

4 (optional) I thought about this after the fact, but you could also add 8-12 oz of spiked (or unspiked) apple cider.....yummmy

Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

6 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks;
1 cup pecans, chopped
½ cup full-fat coconut milk
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
(optional) for that fall pumpkin fetish, add 1 tsp of pumpkin spice
2 tbsp Coconut Oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste;

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and start by filling a large sauce pot with water and place all the chopped sweet potatoes in it. Place the saucepan over a high-heat on the stove top and bring the water to a boil. Continue cooking the potatoes for anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes. You want them to be tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from heat and strain the excess water.

2. Return the sweet potatoes to the pot and drizzle 1 tablespoon of coconut oil on top of them. Stir until the oil is melted and coated the potato chunks. Using a masher or hand-mixer, mash the potatoes until smooth. I used my cuisinart hand mixer, which left a few chunks...I don't like potatoes to be completely mushy. As you continue to mash, slowly pour the coconut milk in, followed by the vanilla extract, and nutmeg (and if desired, your pumpkin spice). Once it has been mixed well, give it a taste to see if it requires any salt and pepper. I like things on the sweet side, so I didn't add any, but to each his own! Transfer the mashed mix into a casserole dish and set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, toss the walnuts in a little bit of melted coconut oil. Sprinkle with the cinnamon and cocoa powder  and then give it another good mixing. Spread the nut mixture evenly over the sweet potatoes, and cook for about 20 minutes.

4. ENJOY!

Pitiful Phalanges

Obviously, when training for an IronMan, your body undergoes changes and adaptations to the extremely high amounts of milage and multi-sport transitions.

*Please not that if you DO NOT LIKE FEET, it would behoove you to not read any further...

When we trained for our marathon back in 2008, Josh began to notice a change in the color of his toenails--and no, it was not due to a sudden experiment with nail polish. The second toe on his foot is longer than this big toe, so naturally, after much contact with his shoe and the pavement, the poor little thing turned black, and partially fell off.

The other night, Josh said, "I have something to show you." Now, most times when Josh says this phrase, the "thing" he wishes to put on display is usually either a) gross, b) goofy, or c) a random accomplishment. I squeamishly asked, "yeah, what?" He responds by saying, "Well, the other night I think I jammed my toe on the stairs," and wiggles his toes. Immediately I notice that one of his big toes is TWICE the size of the other normal sized big toe. (Mind you, all of this took place AFTER we ran 4+ miles, without him saying a word!--that'll teach me to complain).

Most wives would respond sympathically and offer to get their injured husband an ice pack, beer, and pizza. I, on the otherhand, burst into laughter (some great mom I'll be!). Then, I pulled off my shoe. You can see for yourself....
*For my vanity, I must claim my toes as the smaller, less hairy, less colored ones :)

When you have cracked, bruised, and disappearing toe nails, it's too late to turn back...so let the training continue!

Single Training Playlist

We can't train together every time (boo!). Sometimes it's me (Jessi) finishing school stuff, our work schedules, and then there are some times when sleep is just more appealing.

This past weekend was one of those times we just could not get on the same page to do a long run and long bike together.

So, I devised the following playlist to get me through:

Geek in the Pink--Jason Mraz
Send My Love to the Dance Floor--Cobra Starship
Gangnam Style--Gangnam (there's nothing like "Hey sexy lady" to get you up an intense hill!)
Stone in my Heart--Graffiti6
3 Pears--Dwight Yoakam
Feud--Band of Horses
Too Close--Alex Clare
Smile--Avril Lavigne
Stop Mary--Graffiti6
Rooftop--DMB
Southern Comfort Zone--Brad Paisley
Clarity--Zedd
Go Hard (clean)--Kraeyshawn
Hard to Love--Lee Brice
Hall of Fame--The Script (feat. Will.I.Am)
Just Say Yes--Snow Patrol
The Night Out--Martin Solveig
Gold on the Ceiling--The Black Keys
Push--Madonna

The wind was horrible and it was one of those freezing to burning weather days. Nonetheless, I finished my 20 mile bike ride in 1 hour 12 minutes, and my six mile run in 50 minutes...and then ate whatever I wanted...which consisted of 2 beers and a basket of Okra from Silver Dollar all in good company.

Meet the IronCouple

After much talk and debate about being an IronCouple, we pulled the trigger!

 After much talk and debate about getting Josh a bike, well, we pulled yet another trigger...which was crucial to the previous trigger...

 After much talk and debate about creating a blog to document and share this journey...well...you get the idea.

 So here we are! We have begun our 4th week of training in Louisville, KY, just before the winter season creeps into town. We are averaging 19 miles a week of running, and 1 hr and 45 minutes a week of swimming. The only component remaining was the biking. Now, after today, we can FINALLY begin that phase of the triathlon training!

 Training for the Ironman, is no doubt, a rigorous schedule of training and planning for training, which is why we decided it would be a good "together" activity. We have gone down to the Waterfront Park the past 2 years to watch as triathletes race through the transition points, and cross into victory after 12 1/2 hours of pushing their bodies to a new level of extreme. You see sweat (and lots of it), blood, and tears as people who have devoted years and hours of training complete an unbelievable task. So, you're probably wondering why on earth would we be crazy enough to spend such an insane amount of time and energy pursuing such a goal? Well...we are Gillis'...(insert "We are Sparta" voice) and we really want Ironman tattoos :)

 All joking aside, we are excited to begin this adventure together! It has given us a way to spend intentional time together, encourage one another, and work on communication :) The Ironman is also one thing we have both secretly (one more blatantly than the other) have aspired to cross off our Bucket List.

 This blog serves as a place to share with our friends and family this journey on a weekly basis, sharing with you our training progress, hold ups, and PRs. We appreciate all the encouragement we can get! We already know we are crazy, so don't worry about reminding us :) And, if you're in Louisville on August 25, 2013, we would definitely welcome your cheers along the side line as we seek to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run 26.2 miles. 

 Let the training continue...