Yesterday was one of those ridiculously beautiful autumn days, and I decided to skipped my morning run in favor of an afternoon run by the river near my office.
As you can see from the photos, it ended up being a fantastic decision. 😀 I love the soft trails with the crunch of the fallen leaves underfoot, the sights, the tranquility, and (near) solitude. I paid no attention to speed or distance, but rather just ran because it felt good. It was an awesome way to break up the work day.
<Sigh>
On a completely different subject, we made Vietnamese Pho in our Crock-Pot Sunday, and I am really excited about having the leftovers tonight for Stewsday! The food I desire most when it’s cold and I am lazy/tired/sick/(or not) is noodles and broth. Not chicken noodle soup, not vegetable noodle soup–noodles + broth. I love it. When Andrew suggested making a large batch of noodles and broth, I simply couldn’t say no. (Yeah, there’s some chicken and vegetables in there too, and I muscled them down for good measure. ;-))
The recipe was easy and probably didn’t actually require the Crock-Pot. We put 2 quarts of chicken broth + a pound(ish) of cooked, shredded chicken in the pot on high. After a few hours, when we were close to being ready to eat, we added a box of brown rice noodles, bean sprouts, a sliced jalepeno, sliced mushrooms, chopped basil, cilantro, and lime juice. As soon as the noodles are soft, the pho is ready. It was, pho real, a delicious batch of soup. 😉
Enjoy the lovely fall weather and all the delicious foods that go with it today!
Do you prefer running on trails or on the road?
Have you ever tried and/or made pho?
A Two Storey Home 
Crockpot pho is genius!! ahh, love it. Your run looks absolutely beautiful! I love running and not focusing on time, distance, or anything but the beauty of the scenery and the run itself! Wahoo!
Thanks! Yeah, it was so nice… I don’t do that often enough, but I think it helps to remind me why I love running!
So happy I just found your blog- love it!
I’ve been seeing pho around the blogosphere often lately and have never tried it. Need to get on this!
Thank you so much! Definitely give pho a try… it’s pretty delicious 🙂
That trail run looks amazing and you have now encouraged me to figure out a place where I can do the same thing. Sometimes all you need is a run just like that to make everything in your life seem wonderful. 🙂 Plus those fall leaves underneath your feet were probably super exciting if you’re a fall lover like everyone else. #bloggersLOVEfall haha.
Dude. Ok. I have been craving pho for the past two weeks and wouldn’t you know? I have a crock pot that I have yet to use this year… or ever… This sounds delish. How spicy did the fresh jalapeno make it? I love spicy but not like, over the top…
Hahaha, it’s so true that bloggers love fall! I haven’t seen anyone write, “Gosh, I can’t wait to get past all this beautiful stuff and get to winter…”
The pho was so delicious and so easy in the crockpot. I was hoping the jalepeno would make it spicier than it did…it gave it good flavor, but the soup was far from spicy. You’ll definitely be fine!
This is my version of pho – you reminded me that I need to make this again soon!!
http://mybizzykitchen.com/2010/02/24/good-news-and-bad-news/
Love the running scenery!
Your version looks awesome! Mmm…It’s just tough to beat a bowl of soup on a cold day. 🙂
Ohh trail running is so lovely, and I’m especially loving the autumnal colours coming out at the moment! But, because the days are getting dark so early I’m having to do some road runs but it’s with other people so it’s motivating (wouldn’t otherwise like running alongside cars!) and I feel safe in the dark 🙂 I LOVE pho! So aromatic and scrummy 🙂 !
Thank you! And yes, the darkness coming earlier can make running more challenging. I am thankful to have enough flexibility in my schedule that I can run while it’s still light outside. Are you still running with that group you found?
I have never heard of crockpot pho, but I must say… brilliant!! That seems like something I could do too 😉 AND something I know Adam would love. Yum!