I have been reading Runners World Magazine for years...love the articles about the latest running shoes, how to train and amazing athletes. I find the magazine to be inspirational and it always gives me good ideas on ways to change my training and how to stay motivated especially in those last few weeks before a 1/2 marathon when you feel like you spend every waking moment running and the sight of your running shoes makes you want to cry. I love to read the stories about the athletes as they are a constant reminder to me that even though I am pretty decent shape there are people out there who are in way better shape...cut and defined legs, abs of steel and drive of titanium.

However, during the last week I have also discovered that this magazine has some great recipes. I am the queen of cutting out recipes and I hide them all over the house...not in a creepy hoarders way just in a I have a file folder in the hall closet, drawer in the kitchen and box in the office kind of way. So this week I came across 2 recipes from Runners World that I decided to try...Tortilla Soup with Avocado and Naan Pizza with Asparagus.

The tortilla soup recipe was made for me after a long day at work and not only was I impressed to have dinner on the table when I came home...complete with a glass of chardonnay...I was also impressed by how flavorful it was. It was filling but not overwhelming like some soups can be so it was perfect for a summer soup.

Tortilla Soup with Avocado

1 1/2 corn tortillas
2/3 cup low fat low sodium chicken broth
1 cup canned diced fire roasted tomatoes
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped fine (since there weren't any in the cupboard we used chopped chiles and they worked great)
2/3 cup store bough hot fresh salsa
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 cup cooked skinless chicken breast
salt and pepper
1/3 ripe hass avocado, sliced
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat the oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the tortillas into 1/4 inch wide strips. Place in a single layer on the baking sheet; bake until golden and crisp, about 9 minutes. Combine the chicken broth, tomatoes, chiles, salsa and corn in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn to heat to medium low and simmer for 8 minutes. Shred the chicken and stir into the soup. Season with salt and pepper. Top with avocado slices, cilantro and tortilla strips. Serves 4. The recipe also says that it can be served cold but we had it hot. Calories 142

The second recipe I tried from Runners World was like individual pizzas. The recipe calls for canadian bacon however I couldn't find it at Fresh and Easy so I bought some chicken sausage and used that instead and worked well but I think the canadian bacon probably would have been a little bit better to be honest. But it was still really good and it was great leftover for lunch throughout the week.