Childhood Favorites

“Hot Jello Water” – the process of drinking the jello before you ever put it in the refrigerator to solidify. To be fair, as kids we called it Hot Jello, but mini coined it Hot Jello Water so here we are. HJW was a childhood staple/treat whenever we were sick. I think mom found a way to get calories and sugar inside our little bodies. Fun fact: my little human doesn’t like jello. Really, I didn’t know this was possible. But she loves some hot jello water!

I don’t have a photo for this next item. Even if I did, the photo would do it no justice. My mom’s famous – only to me – Mexican Casserole. Think layers of corn tortillas, cheese, and a ground beef/green chili mixture. I realize the simplicity of these ingredients, but for some reason whenever I try to recreate this dish it just isn’t “right”. Whenever I hear the words Mexican casserole, this meal immediately comes to mind but no one makes it like mom does.

Mini doesn’t know it yet but this final food will become a staple at all sleepovers and girls’ nights we ever host. The most clever name my sister and I ever came up with was “Frozen Banana Things”. To hear my mom tell the story, her mother would make these when she (my mom) and her siblings were young. Basically, you stab a single, sliced banana piece with a toothpick, top with a marashino cherry, (one banana slice, one cherry per toothpick) and assemble banana-down on a rimmed baking sheet. Then, you pour lemon juice in the baking dish until the banana slices are almost covered. Freeze the entire baking sheet until bananas are frozen. To eat, break apart (if necessary) each frozen banana thing.

According to my childhood friends, they’re addictive; a perfect sweet, sour treat. I haven’t had them in years, but I still remember the joy of making and sharing these late at night. Soon enough, the pitter patter of little feet sneaking them from the freezer will be heard. But first, rest!

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I ask you –

What childhood dishes did you enjoy?

Is there another name for the Mexican casserole I mentioned? It’s similar to King Ranch Chicken Casserole.

Share ideas for ingredients that don’t seem to go together but work well! Lemon juice and bananas!

RoF – Caffeine Injected!

Lately, I’ve had the privilege of exploring new (to me) coffee shops in the surrounding area. From South Padre Island (Cafe Karma) to my favorite food truck (Chicka D’s) to our local coffee house (Smash House), the best coffee can be found in locally-owned businesses. My goal is to make this a Friday special feature; please give me your feedback as we get started!

As part of my new series, Caffeine Injected, I’m paying homage to and featuring small coffee shops with the best customer service and coffee, of course!

217 Coffee

Meet Addie and Cailyn, the sweetest young women I met while passing through Nocona, TX. Both ladies provided conversation, excellent customer service, and barista knowledge in helping us order exactly what we wanted. Located at 217 Clay St in downtown Nocona, 217 Coffee opened in summer 2020 and I can’t imagine it was quiet for long! They are conveniently located near the Classic Car Museum, too!

Tons of seating

I ordered an Iced Latte made with heavy cream and sugar free brown sugar cinnamon syrup. Mini had a Iced Chai Latte and my other half ordered 2 fancy pigs in a blanket, which 217 Coffee calls “Pig Oh’s”. Every item had rave reviews, including mini who said it was the best chai latte she’d ever had. I was given the option of my iced latte being made with either cold brew coffee or shots of espresso, but I vetoed the latter in anticipation of cake later in the day.

You can find our more about 217 Coffee on Facebook or Instagram. If you’re ever in the area, please stop by and tell them Running on Fumes sent you!

Want to See More?

If you or someone you know owns or frequents a favorite coffee establishment and you’d like to be featured (or nominate them to be featured), please comment below!

Cheers to the Caffeine Injected series!

How to Vacation and Why People Suck at it

Alternative title option: How to try to vacation and why most people generally suck at it. But, I once read something about how concise titles draw more attention.

Briefly I considered the 1,000+ emails that were surely awaiting me upon return from my beach vacation. So I drowned out the thought with ice cream sandwiches and the like.

Circa 2020, when I took a similar beach vacation, I fielded no less than 4 phone calls and did some “telework”. I’d like to think it was because my job really needed me, but it was probably more like I didn’t set any boundaries. Lesson learned.

This year I ensured work was where I left it, approximately 12 hours away. With the instructions: don’t call me, I’ll call you. And I never called. If my coworker can go away for 2 weeks and leave incompetent me to hold down the fort, then she definitely doesn’t need me to help her. As my sister chatted away on another work call, I rolled my eyes and packed for another day oceanside.

(I’m only sort of sorry these posts sometimes seem out of order because I jump around a lot.) I write like I talk – with many ideas swirling around at once. You should see what I deal with at work. Geez.

Anyway…people suck. I mean…suck at vacationing, getting away, unplugging, being around people. I love to fly. Because airplane mode is expected. Turning my phone off was my favorite part of being out to sea. And the battery lasts forever when only used as an alarm clock! Occasionally we’d get computer access to check email but optimal hours were midnight to 2am so choices had to be made. Sleep / no sleep.

Focus, Kel. How many cups of coffee have I had today? I can’t remember. Must be the lack of blood in my sugar stream. We found the cutest coffee shop, Cafe Karma, on the island. Apparently they got the memo for a book nook meets ice cream shop meets coffee house. And the chai tea latte was amazing! Good thing my small, local town also has a great coffee shop. And they’re super inexpensive!

Really, I don’t know “how” to vacation; I just wing it. Eat all the food, drink all the drinks, and avoid any work-related thoughts. It can be tough to step away, but we all need time and space to recharge.

Next time, I’m leaving my phone at home.

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I ask you –

Do you think you know how to unplug?

On average, how much coffee do you drink daily?

Name one coffee shop requirement (not coffee)!

24 hrs Post-Island Life

Something about run streaking is so much fun to me. Maybe it’s the confidence builder qualities or the satisfaction of having a daily goal? Maybe all of it. I feel accomplished! Running is a huge leap of faith for me. Day 1 is tough – getting restarted, developing a habit, and believing somehow I’ll go from a nearly 12 min/mile to a 9:30 min/mile. This body is pretty amazing.

Photo credit: my sister

After my unscheduled running hiatus – thanks a lot – I’d only missed three weeks of the Garmin 10k training plan. So I’ve put it back on rotation and decided to start an August streak…which means I will (at the time of this posting) be running and “training” at the same time.

Granted it’s only a 10k but if you’ll recall there are hills in there. Cringe. Then I remembered the new DoD guidance concerning indoor mask wear and it’s still summer in Texas. Double cringe. You’d think after the super high humidity I’d be acclimated by now…alas, my trusty home treadmill is always available until it begins to cool down.

I did loosely plan to run while on the island. Instead I drank. And swam daily. Vacation, after all. Watched some Olympics, too, so that definitely counts as inspiration! Then I ate more fish, dessert, and attempted to sleep in. Damn internal alarm clock.

Back to work, I guess. And by work I really mean eating donuts with my office peoples.

dead battery = watch still on

Before I forget, I have a watch rave. The Garmin Forerunner battery life could be the best in its class: 8 days without charging. When I got home, it showed 0% but the watch face was still on. Check out my full review here.

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I ask you –

Am I the only one who keeps getting confused when I see Tokyo 2020? What year is this? Oh yeahhhhh.

How often do you take a vacation? Yearly? I would prefer quarterly!

Time to dust off my running shoes again!

Key Toe Lyfe Stile

Beyond every ad, article, self-promoting good doer, and television commercial is a person who wants to have the type of lifestyle that just “works” for them. Mine is keto. Before you go off on a tangent about high cholesterol and/or fat, bad genetics, or some version of the previous, I will disclaim I know only what works for me. Me. Ok? Yes, I cheat sometimes. Yes, I’ve fallen off the wagon and bounced awhile. But I keep coming back to it because it makes me feel my best.

Now that I’ve said all this – let me show you a little bit of what it looks like for me. There’s ice cream!

(L to R) raw cabbage, bacon, chicken thighs, salad stuff, and roasted cabbage

Because I promised ice cream –

one of my favorites

when ice cream for breakfast won’t do

Rebel brand – an expensive treat

I eat a lot of salad. Nearly every day actually. And eggs. Scrambled with as much butter as I desire. Never met a chicken I didn’t like either. Asparagus is always on the menu, along with deep fried Brussels or quick green beans. Truly, I don’t cut out any vegetables except potatoes and corn.

Yes, I eat bread. Yes, I know bread is mostly white flour. But there are several keto-friendly options and I’ve tried many until I found my favorite(s).

(L to R) Sola, Nature’s Own (sugar free), and Braum’s (carb watch)

Cost? I don’t think I spend any more money eating my way than I would if I ate out regularly. The real cost is time. Meal prep takes time. A lot of time. Purchase, thaw, prep vegetables, cook meats, assemble meals, etc etc etc. Eating out definitely has its merits. Steak and meat item prices have risen lately, but chicken is pretty stable for now. I can’t think of one thing that doesn’t have a suitable alternative for every price point. Frozen and canned vegetables are nearly as healthy as fresh ones. The above photo re: bread is comparable to other sliced bread – minus Sola; Sola is expensive for the very small loaf and small slices you get. The point is keto doesn’t have to be expensive.

I am not ever going to try to convince someone my way of life is for them. I know this. I’ve seen keto do amazing things for others (a friend of mine lost over 100 lbs), but please don’t be afraid to try something new if you’re looking for a change. All that’s required is for you to enjoy it, be able to live your life, and feel your best.

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I ask you –

Do you prefer Greek or other types of yogurt?

Have you ever tried a “lose weight quick” diet? How did it work out for you?

Tell me what foods you eat the most! (Yes, coffee does count!)

Outs / Abouts

Has anyone tried one of these? I NEED that pecan caramel cinnamon heavenly thing. Too bad for you other-than-Texas-and-Oklahoma people. Braum’s is ours!

I should just give in

Whilst on a leisurely downtown stroll, I came across this funniness. Red, preferably.

I do love me some wine

And, then, to complete the collection of owning nearly every type of Keurig created. Monopoly, much? I feel like once I’ve run out of these, I might be stuck. So far — Keurig: 3; Me: 1. Why don’t electronics love me like I love them?

Original to Supreme Plus to Elite

My colleagues know me well. I’ve been working very hard towards our new office mantra of “Be the best first impression!” Work early, stay late, big smile, lots of laughter. All the things! Granted, I think I’ve always had a great attitude and work ethic, but there were a few weeks where I was Negative Nancy, for sure. Have you met my friend, Crow? No amount of sugar can make crow taste good. So I got it together and got back to being cheerful.

coffee rewards

Sometimes it may take awhile, but remember there’s always someone else watching.

So laugh loudly and spell correctly!

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I ask you –

Have you been to a Braum’s? Tell me how much you love their ice cream!

What type of coffee maker do you use?

Name something you’re thankful for! Coffee, hugs, ice cream…shall I go on?

I’m a Pioneer!

I need friends. Running friends. Running friends who only run when it’s incredibly hot outside and I can’t go out there to run. Too much? So I joined Strava.

Find me on Strava!

Then I decided to channel my inner woman of the wild and become a canning master! Next up: living in a hut and churning my own butter. Right. I know.

Strawberry Jam!

Jam

As a writer, grammar and spelling are important to me, as well as consistent fonts across a document. It’s my job. I appreciate when someone’s email signature line is short, concise, and, most importantly, legible! You may be asking how an email could possibly be anything other than legible; rest assured, I’ve seen it all. It’s not pretty.

Full disclosure: I don’t believe everything I read on the internet. Tell me you don’t either. So I did my own research. Turns out it is true!

My dreamer mindset got a little excited, to tell the truth. But as for adding it to the bucket list? No thanks. The part that negated all my dreams was “The real-life walk would be grueling, filled with scary animals and diversely bad weather.” Nope, nope, and nope. Next, please.

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I ask you –

What’s your Strava information? Please comment below. I need friends!

Have you ever canned anything? What should I can next?

Tell me something on your bucket list!

Monday Mayhem

With the heat and humidity quickly rising to practically unfathomable degrees, I knew I wanted to spend my long holiday weekend resting and not doing anything to require copious amounts of thinking. Per the usual idea. But even as I write portions of this post on a Thursday afternoon feels-like-my-Friday, I’m struggling to take my mind off the big things.

Iced coffee afficionado

You know how sometimes you can feel change is coming…there’s something in the air, the anxious way you react, or where your mind drifts no matter what you’re engrossed in? Can’t be just me! Anyway – that’s where I’m at.

Today is Day 31 of my planned May Run Streak! Seeing as my personality is either all in or not at all, I kind of feel like I should just keep running, right? 90 days sounds good. It would get me right up to August then I can reevaluate. To race or not to race. That is the question. Hmmm. I could take a short break in August, pick up training in September, then finalize a race for either Nov or Dec. Got me thinking.

Or I could streak until Jan 2022. I could. But I probably won’t.

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I ask you –

Is it a full moon? Have the forces changed?

Should I keep streaking? Or train for a fall race?

Happy Memorial Day, fellow followers. Wars have been fought and won based on the sacrifice of many. Let us never forget.

Day in Photos, pt 17

Finally! With movie theaters beginning to reopen, there’s a possibility I might attempt to stay awake long enough to see something other than matinee.

my first choice!

I love coffee almost as much as I love running. Some days even more. But coffee is so expensive. Not that I mind paying for what I love and there’s several (one in particular) locally owned coffee shops I adore. However, I was pleasantly surprised at my ability to make decent iced coffee at home using my Keurig and some Green Mountain Vanilla Cream over ice coffee pods. It was soooo good!

brown, not black and not definitely not white

And, I have an ice cream addiction. A Halo Top addiction. Creamy, sweet, and keto-friendly?! Be still my heart. There’s 6 flavors of incredibleness. My boss saw me in the grocery store with a cart full of ice cream; he didn’t even blink. I pretended not to notice him. We have a mutual understanding.

Seeing as how I’ve never perfected any type of mechanic skills, my next trick is to convince you all I can restore an old truck. Ok, stop laughing. I feel the need to do this. No idea why. Something similar to the below photo. Nostalgia.

used with permission

I’m editing this post earlier than my usual, last minute, holy-crap-it’s-Sunday-afternoon time frame. Part of me self-congratulatory; the other part is fearful I’ll find other things to include over the weekend and will have to re-do the entire layout. Cheers to living dangerously!

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I ask you –

Any new movies you’re looking forward to seeing? Top Gun: Maverick. Fast & Furious 9. Hotel Transylvania 4.

What kind of tools are required to restore an old truck? And do you want to help me?

Tell me your favorite ice cream flavor!

Where the Lost Things Are

How often is it you do a double take at something you see (or think you’ve seen)? Imagine my surprise then.

Returning to a low carb lifestyle was in my summer plans, but when I nixed the races at the end of May, I knew I didn’t have a whole lot of wiggle room for the donut-and-ice-cream plan I’d been following. Lucky for me, there are alternatives everywhere if you know where to look. Or can cook.

And don’t think for a minute I gave up cookies! No, no, no. I make a keto-fied chocolate chip cookie dough eaten straight from the container in the refrigerator. Have you tried the espresso chocolate chips yet?! Trust me!

Lastly, I stayed out until 9:42pm recently. The mom voice inside me was practically tangible when it said ‘Kel, you can not be out this late again.’ Surely I’ve mentioned my lifelong 8:30pm bedtime? I was absolutely sloth-like the next morning. Pitiful. Sad, too.

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I ask you –

Have you ever painted rocks?

What time do you typically go to bed?

Name the weirdest thing you’ve ever seen outside!