With winter still persisting, it’s hard to think about anything but warmer days and summer nights. I would give up coffee for a week to be able to wear flip flops and dresses again! We just have to hang in there for a few more weeks. In the mean time, you can get cozy in the kitchen and cook up something new….. and healthy.

Comfort foods, from traditional Mac n’ Cheese to creamy pot pies – why are they all so fatty? Warm and delicious, yes. Nutritious, heck no. A generous helping of mashed potatoes and gravy would leave me anything but “comfortable”; I hate meals that leave you wanting to change into sweatpants. It would be amazing if we craved broccolini and brussel sprouts as much as we crave chocolate and sweets, but most of us don’t. Fortunately we can take a lot of the unhealthy JUNK out of traditional recipes and combine comfort with health. ;)

Turkey Sloppy Joes

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 1/4 lb. lean ground turkey (150 calories per 4 ounce serving)
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¾ Tbsp. McCormick spicy Montreal steak seasoning
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped sweet onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 Tbs red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• Dash of peppercorn pepper
• 15 ounce can tomato sauce
• 4 ounces tomato paste

1. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and steak seasoning.
2. In a large skillet, add olive oil and ground turkey; once meat is broken apart, add the brown sugar seasoning and mix well. Add in carrots, red bell pepper, onion and celery and combine well.
3. Add the Worcestershire sauce and red wine vinegar.
4. Reduce heat to medium and allow to cook for about 10 more minutes. Add in tomato sauce and paste and simmer for another 10 minutes.
5. Serve over warm (whole wheat!) buns; makes 8-10

They look a lot more appealing than the “Manwich” stuff I picture in my head when I hear Sloppy Joes. These are definitely beyond comparision! I just think it’s best to add vegetables into anything you can.

Alright, time to get back to some running articles for me. I’ve been scouring pages on Runner’s World website looking at different 5k/10k training plans. Sometimes I feel like my schedule could use a little “oomph”…..we have 10 runs a week, 8 of which are “comfortable” paced runs. But I know the importance of quality over quantity and like to see some other perspectives on training plans. Interesting stuff out there!

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