Tonight I cooked an inspired dinner! Last night I got out one of my favorite cookbooks, The SkinnyTaste Cookbook, and picked out a recipe that looked flavorful and fun. Last night I picked out Gina’s recipe for Chicken Pasta Caprese to make for dinner tonight. I loved the photo in the cookbook, and truly made me excited to try this recipe out.

I loved how simple and fresh the recipe was. It incorporated all of the major ingredients in the traditional caprese salad – basil, tomatoes, mozzarella and olive oil. I was really surprised by how quickly the dinner came together! The biggest wait time came from waiting for the pasta water to boil. If I had started it earlier the dinner would have come together in a matter of 20 minutes or less – a perfect amount of time for a work week dinner!

This is such a simple recipe! I started thinking about what I could add to it – more vegetables perhaps. Kale? Spinach? Zucchini? But at the same time, I don’t want to mess with the amazing simplicity that the flavors of caprese have when they come together.

My plate looked kind of beautiful once all was finished.

This dinner was so perfect for the down right summery day we had today in Boston. You heard me right summer like weather. If you aren’t from New England have you heard the saying, “If you don’t like the weather in New England just wait a minute and it will change??” Well, that about sums it up. On Saturday morning we started the day off in the thirties! Today we topped out at 82 degrees! Whatever happened to spring? It is sometimes the case (or often the case) that we go right from winter to summer in New England – and it certainly felt like that was the case today. Last week I was walking around in a quilted jacket and sometimes a wool hat. I was wearing my Ugg boots all day, even at work. Now I’m back to my Birkenstocks, tank tops and shorts.

On Sunday I went for a great run to start my training for the next couple of races I have on the docket. Last year marked the first year in a long time that I did not run a single road race. It was so sad when the calendar year went to 2015 and I realized that I had not run a race in all of 2014. So I am remedying that situation with a 10k next month.

Yesterday was my first run outside in a LONG time – and I ran almost four miles without any trouble. This made me so happy! Today I am definitely feeling some soreness in my legs and abs – but I figured that is a good sign, and shows I was working and pushing myself yesterday. After my run I was really excited to buy a frozen lemonade from the truck at the park I was running in. What a perfect recovery drink on a hot day! The lemonade along with my water was so refreshing.

After getting home from the run, I went right into the kitchen to start my lunch. I whipped up an egg and cheese sandwich on toasted bread and topped it with mixed greens, avocado, tomato and some hot sauce. It was the perfect post run lunch! I loved it.

It felt great to get out and go for a run. I know that last year I needed a break from running. I did not want to run at all. I am glad that I listened to my body and took a break when I needed it. I hope to return to running gradually, and I won’t be running every day like I used to. I hope that by doing this and stretching / foam rolling, I will remain injury free! Let’s hope so!

More soon, blog readers. Stay well and healthy – see you soon!