Nourish: Winter salmon pesto sandwiches

Easy-as-peas late winter pesto. (Surprise ingredient? guess!)

Share: Positive renewal in progress

"Rest when you're weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work." - Ralph Marston

Image © Ilona Meagher | Snow flower karma - February 2012

Journey: Appreciating great places to run

My latest post in dailymile's Destination: Run series is up.

A lot of fun to work on, dailymission redux: destinations to run to answers last month's dailymission question, "What elements make your city, region of the country or world the best place for working out?"

Image © Ilona Meagher | Green Lake Park. Seattle, WA - January 2011

Nourish: Easy chicken sausage bruschetta

This time of year, tomatoes are ripening all around. In my veggie beds right now, there's a lot of basil to pick and share. Here's a quick, satisfying recipe that capitalizes on all of that summertime goodness.

Run: Signs of a good race

"In running, you're successful just by doing it. You learn how far you can take yourself and how to compete with yourself." -- Sue Stricklin

Image © Ilona Meagher | NITRO Trailblazer 5K - June 25, 2011

Journey: Minnesota's Afton State Park

Photos from my trip to the fascinating (but water-logged) little beaches and trails of Minnesota's Afton State Park. The first day it was officially open following the 3-week state budget impasse and government shutdown, it's good to have access to these places, again.

Nature: Metaphoric sky blue + pink

"There is a great sense of freedom in soaring through the sky. You get a different perspective up there, seeing things that aren't so apparent from the ground." - Sonny Perdue, pilot

Image © Ilona Meagher | Boone County, IL - July 2011.

Share: Independence Day 2011

Image © Ilona Meagher | Fireworks over Rusk County, WI - July 4, 2011

Nature: Daytime dragonflies, sunset daisy

Journey: Living life like an explorer

A new day brings with it endless possibilities. Commit to traveling an unknown pathway or opening a different gate every day.

Image © Ilona Meagher | Rusk County, WI - May 13, 2011.

Nourish: Apple walnut berry oatmeal

Dusted with freshly ground flaxseed and brimming with B vitamins, folate, iron, magnesium, fiber, selenium, vitamins C and E and K, along with flavanoids, reservatrol, omega 3 fatty acids and copper, Apple Walnut Berry Oatmeal is one of my favorites.

Make a big batch and freeze single-serving portions for later. That is, if you can keep everyone in the house from noshing it all down!

In extended, I share my easy-does-it recipe. You'll also learn a bit more about what makes this morning meal such a powerhouse.

Reflect: Embrace the journey of life

"Any road is bound to arrive somewhere if you follow it far enough." -- Patricia Wentworth

Image © Ilona Meagher | Rock Cut State Park, IL - February 7, 2011.

Connect: Bonds of trails, trials + triumphs

"Friendships born on the field of athletic strife are the real gold of competition. Awards become corroded, friends gather no dust." - Owens

Image © Ilona Meagher | DeKalb [IL] CornFest 10K - August 21, 2010.

Reflect: On flexibility and resilience

"In the face of strong winds, let me be a blade of grass. In the face of strong walls, let me be a gale of wind." -- Quaker saying

Image © Ilona Meagher | Blackhawk Springs Forest Preserve. Cherry Valley, IL - September 2010.

Share: Remembering those lost 2/14/08

Forward, Together Forward. But pausing to remember Gayle, Catalina, Julianna, Ryanne and Daniel today. I was a student at NIU when 5 were lost senselessly three years ago, on Valentine's Day.

A memorial service begins on campus at 2:30 p.m.

Reflect: Before us is only possibility

"We all stand on the edge of life, each moment comprising the edge. Before us is only possibility." -- Rollo May

Image © Ilona Meagher | Green Lake, 1/19/11 - Seattle, WA