Tu: rest; W: ???
Didn't row or run. Ran out of time. I'll run and bathe the dog today.

I want to train to run my 6 minute mile but I'm still afraid of reinjuring my foot while it is healing. It feels much better but once in a while I feel the pain in my toes or ball of my foot that tells me it hasn't completely healed. I'm running a little because I simply don't have the time every day to take the dog out for half an hour AND row. So I have to either skip rowing or combine taking the dog out with my exercise (i.e., run with the dog). I'm not able to regularly do interval training and it makes me nervous about being able to achieve my goal. Less than a month left before I make my effort. I've lost at least 5 lbs. so that's a good thing. I'm sticking with it despite the obstacles. I want to do this so badly that I can taste it.

Tried a new recipe yesterday in the hopes that T and R would love chicken prepared with this recipe. The genesis of the idea occurred as I was running the other day.  I was reflecting that chicken satay with peanut sauce is very tasty. I thought about it and concluded that I might be able to create a recipe using peanut butter that would have a similar effect. On an offchance that someone else had a similar idea I looked online and found a couple of recipes involving chicken and peanut butter. I modified a couple of them to create the following dish:

Chicken with Peanut Butter Crust
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 c. chunk style peanut butter
1/2 t salt
1/8 t pepper
1/4 c. milk
1/8 c. flour
4 chicken breasts (we used boneless, skinless)
1 c. plain dry bread crumbs
1/8 c. canola or corn oil or equivalent

Mix egg, peanut butter, salt, pepper. Add milk slowly while blending. Dry chicken and roll in flour to completely dry surface. Dip chicken in peanut butter mixture. Roll and thoroughly coat in bread crumbs. Place on baking sheet or baking pan and lightly sprinkle oil over chicken. Place in 375 degree oven for 35 minutes or until chicken is done (depending on thickness and whether or not boneless).

It was a decent dish, crunchy on the outside with the flavor of peanuts and chicken blending nicely. The crust tended to fall off so I might have to modify how I apply or create the peanut butter mixture. T liked it okay but R loved it. J and I liked it but it was improved 10 fold by sprinkling with cayenne pepper flakes and dipping in some spicy sauce (we were using Tiger Sauce). With the additional spices it was delicious. Otherwise, mediocre.

Dinner was pretty good overall. Chicken prepped as above. Tomato, basil, mozzarella with lemon thyme and ex. virgin olive oil. Hard crust bread with creamy interior. Asparagus. Carrots with dill.

Here’s another poem I wrote some time ago:

The Hunger

The restless hunger returns
Gnawing at my soul.
Just when I feel comfortable,
Or full, it returns.
A feeling like a weakness,
Is overcoming my soul,
Unless I can nourish it.
Feeding on itself,
It is a hollow satisfaction.
The real joy would be found,
In a moment's embrace with you.