After having a rough couple of days, I was glad to have a more “normal” feeling day today.  Aside from one extra phone call to the rental car company and another trip to the chiropractor, it was blissfully ordinary.  I welcomed the return to normalcy!  (<—look at me with the historical reference!  I am such a nerd!)

Good call on the part of the original Warren G.

The good news on the neck and back soreness is that I have gentle sprains and strains and with a few adjustments and some exercises, I should be back in working order!  The only thing that’s a bummer is that the chiropractor’s office is at least 20-25 minutes from my apartment, so I’m going to be spending a good amount of time running back and forth there in the next few weeks.  Even though it’s eating up a lot of my afternoon, it will be worth it in the long run so I’m trying not to be too frustrated about that.

The doc adjusted  my neck and hips this afternoon, and I went ahead with my 5 mile training run as scheduled.  Since it was 97* outside (97* on May 26??? Sheesh!), I opted for the treadmill again today.  My stride felt a little off after the adjustment, but things seemed to even out after a mile or so.  Thank goodness for that!  I would NOT have been pleased if this accident prevented me from running my race next weekend, especially after all the training I’ve put in!  Otherwise, somebody’s head would need to roll!

I checked my mailbox on my way home and found this inside!

From Mom & Dad!  The funny thing is, my mom sent this before the accident!  Proof, my friends, that mom’s have a sixth sense or something . . . I needed these cheery thoughts and they brightened my day in a big way!  Thanks Mommy & Daddy! 

I was also finally excited to cook again, which really shows me that I’m back to normal!  A while back, the gorgeous Andie of Can You Stay for Dinner? posted a crave-inducing recipe for Lemon Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki and Feta that I have been dreaming about ever since!  With a couple quick changes, I turned it into a Party of One meal just for me!

Lemony Chicken Gyro

Inspired by Andie

Serves 1

For the marinade:

1/2 tsp. dried oregano, crushed

1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

1 clove garlic, minced

2 grinds black pepper

pinch of salt

juice from 1/4 of a lemon

1/2 T. olive oil

For the sauce:

2 T. plain Greek yogurt

1 T. crumbled feta

1 T. finely diced cucumber

S&P, to taste

For the rest:

3 chicken tenders

1 whole pita or flatbread

1/2 tomato, diced

sliced onions, lightly grilled (optional)

How to:

Combine all marinade ingredients and add chicken tenders.  Toss to coat.  Ideally, you would let these marinate for at least an hour, but my hungry self was not feeling patient this evening, so I just grilled ‘em up right away for about 5 minutes on each side.  The flavor was still fantastic—lemony and herbaceous!  So if you can’t wait, just forge on ahead!

While the chicken cooked up on the grill, I cut up the veggies and prepped the sauce.  The sauce on this is really the key, but it’s the easiest thing in the world.  You just mix everything up in a small bowl and you’re done!  Love that.

When I flipped the chicken tenders, I put my pitas on the grill to warm up for a few minutes as well as my onions so they could get a little color on them.  Then, I just layered the chicken inside the pitas along with the sauce, tomatoes, and onions.

Start to finish?  15 minutes.  Perfection.

My photos may not be as lovely as Andie’s, but my gyro is pretty stinkin’ good!

This meal WILL BE a repeater around here.  I’m kinda crazy about it.  I’m also crazy about how quickly it came together.

Scrumptious, I tell ya!  (Yes, I went there, but it was!)

I’m going to continue my return to normalcy this evening by forcing myself to do some strength training while baking up a batch of muffins!  My Blueberry Coconut Muffins are all gone!

Hope you’ve had a blissfully ordinary day!