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Time Saver!

I have been absolutely swamped this week and my workout schedule has switched from early morning to late evening unintentionally. I blaming it on the time change, but regardless I needed to fit in a workout tonight and an easy dinner.  First I did Jillian's Last Chance Workout on Exercise TV.

I liked this was because it had last season's contestants on it. They are my favorite! I burned 302 calories and 27% fat in 31 minutes. Not too bad. I also noticed that Exercise TV added one of the Yoga Meltdown workouts if you want to try it. I really like it!

This workout is hard. I should know by now that all of Jillian's are, but I used 8lb weights this time instead of 5lbs and it made a big difference. Not to mention the mountain climbers and push ups get me everytime. I am wondering if those will ever get easier.

Has anyone else tried this workout? What do you think?


After the workout it was on to dinner. Thankfully I had planned on Burtolli Whole Wheat Pasta. All I needed was a quick sauce.I combined olive oil and red wine vinegar, plum tomatoes, red pepper, garlic, green beans, sea salt and pepper. I am guessing it was about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of red wine vingegar. I just went with what looked right.

The result was pretty good. I think I may have gone a little overboard with the red pepper because the fam's mouth's were burning but I would definitely make it again. It took me about 20 minutes to make!

Overall, working out and dinner prep took me 55 minutes. Not too bad!Now its off to watch some basketball (Go Bobcats!) and plan our meals for next week! TGIF!

Sunglasses, Tank Top and a little Buffett!

...yes, I am still in Ohio, but it is 65 and sunny, and I had Jimmy Buffett and the Zac Brown Band on my iPod. ! I decided to leave work and head to my favorite running spots which one of my girlfriends introduced me to a few years ago. It consists of 8 hills and is conveniently on the way home. Here is a breakdown of the run...

- Approximately 4.7 miles
- 8 hills with the longest hill averaging approximately 3 minutes. (Some are so steep you are starring at your feet as you make your way up!)
- Great interval training

I walk for about a minute at the top of each hill, give or take a few. The longest hill is at the beginning and end of the workout and is followed by about a 5 minute run back to the start. (You repeat 4 hills twice.) Its a tough workout. No matter how many times I run it, it always kicks my butt! Its in a great city neighborhood so there are lots of runners outside and lots of fun restaurants and shops to look at.

I haven't done this run in about 6 months because of the weather and I was reminded of how great interval training is. Overall I burned 586 calories in 52 minutes with a maximum heart rate of 182 and a minimum of 112. Not too bad!  

How do you get your interval training in? Do you think its beneficial? 

I am hoping that it helps me up my mileage past my 6 mile comfort zone. I plan on having a date with the hills next week too! Now its time for a few green beers (or maybe just a glass of wine!)

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Weekly Favorites #5 - Eating, Scrapbooking, Running

Here are my newest favorites sites for eating, scrapbooking, and running...


Eating:
WebMD Superfoods

These superfoods on WebMD help you lower your cholesterol, reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer, and, for an added bonus, put you in a better mood. 

Scrapbooking:
Scotch Tape Runner

These tape runners are great for all kinds of crafts.  It's so nice to not have to worry about glue showing through the paper when I use too much. 

Running
http://www.cityrunningtours.com/

I stumbled onto this site last week and I think these running tours look like so much fun!  What a great way to see and learn about a new city while getting some exercise.  I can't wait to try this next time I am visit one of the cities with the running tour: NYC, Chicago, Charleston, DC, and Austin. 


Happy St. Patrick's Day


Are you wearning green today? I didn't wear green to work today, but I did pack a green tank top to wear to yoga after work :)

How Much is Too Much?

I have planned out my workouts for the rest of week.  It's "crunch time" now that I know I have only 41 days until the triathlon.   I am going to wait and see how this week goes before planning out the rest of my training.  I don't know how much is too much, and I don't want to get burnt out.

This week will be:

• Monday:  Swim 1 mile (done!)
• Tuesday: Run 4 miles
• Wednesday: Yoga and/or Cardio Tennis after work
• Thursday: Rest
• Friday: Swim 1 mile
• Saturday: Run 5 miles (still working towards the 15K on April 10)
• Sunday: Bike 15 miles

This puts me at two days of swimming, two days of running, and one day of biking for the week.  Plus Wednesday will be a cross training day.  I really want to run 3 days a week, but I will proceed with caution this week and see how it goes. 

Because I do my hardest training on the weekends, I would prefer that Friday be my rest day.  But, Thursdays are notoriously bad days for me, when I tend to skip workouts, so I am making Thursday my rest day.  At least I know myself well enough to plan accordingly :)

It's almost time to leave work and go for my run! 

Modifications

As promised, here is how I modified Rachely Ray's Tortilla Bread Pudding recipe.

First, I browned the onions in Flax Seed Oil. I have been trying to use this in recipes where I don't think you will notice the taste. I also preheated the oven and greased the 8x8 baking dish. I substituted Lean Turkey Italian Sausage in place of Chorizo.

I then took all the remaining ingredients (corn, tortillas, milk, eggs) and threw them in the food processor. I used egg beaters instead of eggs, skim milk and whole wheat tortillas. I only used 1 cup of skim milk given its a lot less thick than whole milk.

I combined everything in the sauce pan, stirred and then baked for 25 minutes. The end results was delicious! We ate 1/2 of it last night and the other half for dinner tonight. 

This is the picture from the Rachel Ray magazine, mine was pretty close!

This week I am back on track from my sickness last week. I cannot tell you how much better I feel. Like a new person! According to the 15K schedule I am supposed to run 6 miles tomorrow. I am pretty sure that is not going to happen so I am aiming for 4 and a quick 20 minute Jillian workout on Exercise TV. My goal is to run 7 this weekend to get back on the schedule. 

Here's to a good week!

The Fast ApproachingTriathlon

I woke up on Sunday morning excited to read Caitlin's blog about her triathlon that was happening on Sunday.  It's weird to feel like I know someone who I have never even met, but after following her triathlon training on her blog for the past few months, I was really excited to her how her race went.   I am happy to report that she did GREAT!

It was also interesting to me because I have signed up for St. Anthony's Olympic Distance Triathlon, which takes place on April 25th in St. Petersburg, Florida (which is about 30 minutes from my house).  I signed up for this race back in December because it always sells out fast.  I knew the 0.9 mile swim would be challenging for me, but I like to push myself and have new challenges, so I decided to sign up. 

At the time, I was training for the Gasprilla Half Marathon, which was on February 28th (read about it here), and my theory was that I would already have the running endurance needed for the 10K during the triathlon, so I would just have to spend March and April focusing on the biking and swimming portions of the race.

I didn't do a very good job on allowing myself time to rest and recover from the half marathon, so here it is, mid-March, and I am trying to decide whether to do the race.  Decisions, decisions.  Really it's just the swim that scares me.  I know I can get through the bike and the run ok.

After reading Caitlin's post yesterday about her triathlon and facing her fears, I suddenly became super-motivated to start training for my triathlon!  I decided that the weather was nice and it was the perfect day to hop on the bike and go for a short ride.   My husband even came along for the fun.

Thanks to the Garmin Forerunner, I know that we did 11.57 miles in 1:02:53.   We went at a very leisurely pace, but it was still nice to get myself out on the bike.  The bike path near my house was packed with people today due to the nice weather and the start of "spring break season", so I know that slowed us down a bit too.

I was actually feeling really good during the ride, and I am looking forward to my next ride when it's less crowded to get a feel for what my race pace could be.

There was one last thing that I did this morning before making my final decision on whether to do the triathlon....I went to the pool to see how far I could swim doing breaststroke.  I am not very good at swimming freestyle, and I get tired really quickly.  I know breaststroke isn't as efficient, but I feel much more comfortable doing it, and I wanted to get a feel for what I could do currently, and if I thought I could work up to the 0.9 miles in time.

I am happy to report that I was able to swim one whole mile doing the breaststroke in about 45 or 50 minutes.  I definitely have some work to do because I did stop a few times, and I put my feet down on the bottom of the pool each time I turned, but overall I am very happy with my swim today. 

I came across this quote today, and find it to be the perfect for my current situation: 

It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.

-Theodore Roosevelt

Do you have a favorite quote or motivational saying to keep you motivated? 

Back to Healthy!

After 6 days of not working out (the longest I have gone in 3 years!), two ear infections and a sinus infection, I mustered up what strength I had left and convinced myself to run yesterday in Columbus's St Patricks Day 4 Mile Race. I was a little nervous about how the run would feel, not to mention it was pouring ran! As I was waiting in line to start, I just decided to just get it done! Apparently that was the best thing to do because I finished in my best time ever - 35 minutes and 49 seconds. That isn't the official time, but for me its a personal best.

I think these results just prove that if you continue to lead a healthy lifestyle and take care of yourself, its amazing what your body can do. I am pretty tired today and my hips are sore, so I am going to do some yoga and take it easy. Tomorrow its back on track for the 15K training.

In addition, I discovered a cool planning tool at Target.

I always plan our meals for the week but this lets you plan what days you are going to eat what for two meals a day. I used one column for breakfast and the other for dinner. I am hoping this will help me better manage the days I need to cook and the days we are eating leftovers. Today I am making Tortilla Bread Pudding.

This is a Rachel Ray $10 or less meal, and is pretty high in fat. I am not sure how I am going to modify it yet, but will post the modifications once I figure out what works!

I'm Bacckkk

I woke up this morning dehydrated and hungry.  That's never a good way to start the day.


My husband I had dinner at a bar last night, so I had a few nachos as an appetizer while we waited for our friends to arrive, and as a result of eating nachos, I ordered a salad (with no protein) for dinner because I felt guilty for eating nachos.  That was a bad decision.  Add to the fact that I had 4 beers throughout the night, I am pretty sure that explains how I felt the way that I did this morning :)

I decided a green monster would be the perfect way to start the day and get some healthy food into my system.  Today I used a whole banana, skim milk, vanilla yogurt, and approx two cups of spinach.  I really like having the yogurt added for some extra thickness.  I was still hungry later in the morning so I also made a bowl of oatmeal (just instant oats and water and a little sugar -- boring, I know).

Now on to the fun stuff...I ran 3 miles this afternoon and it felt great!  I missed you running, and I am happy to be back!

I was really surprised how "hard" the 3 miles felt today, but I am still happy with my run and I am pretty sure once I get back to running 3 days a week, that my endurance will come back to me quickly.

Remember that long list of things I wanted to get accomplished this weekend?  So far, so good.  Next up is grocery shopping and cooking!

What are your plans for the day?  

Weekend Plans

TGIF!

We didn't get many responses to our reader poll yesterday.  Please stop and say hello if you get a chance.  We received one suggestion to post on using the Garmin Forerunner, and I will post that very soon.  Thanks for the idea!

So the planner in me likes to look ahead to the weekend, and set some goals for myself in what I want to get accomplished over the weekend.  

This weekend's list is looking like this:

• Run at least 3 miles, depending on how I feel. I think I am finally recovered from the Gasparilla Half Marthon.
• Do at least one session of yoga, most likely at home with either Jillian Michaels:Yoga Meltdown DVD(read Holly's review here), or something on Exercise TV.
• Figure out a workout schedule for the upcoming weeks as I train for the Iron Girl 15K.  It's looking like I may not do the triathlon as originally planned on April 24th, but I really need to decide for sure this weekend.  I got a few workouts in this week with no set schedule, but it works better for me to know in advance what my workouts will be for the week. 
• Go through the huge pile of mail that has been gathering the past two weeks.
• Laundry (and lots of it)! 
• Grocery shopping, and some cooking.  I probably shouldn't have told my grandmother I was going to mail her cookies, because now I have to actually make them :)
• Have a "fun day" with my husband.  I think we may go back to Disney for the day like we did last weekend.
• See friends tonight and Saturday night in Dunedin :)

I am getting tired just looking at that list, but at least I have a goal for the weekend, and if it all doesn't get done, then that's ok too.

Do you make lists for the weekend like I do, or do you take a "spur of the moment" approach? 

Reader Poll

Happy Thursday everyone!!  Are you as ready as I am for the weekend?  I feel like this week has been dragging on way too long!

Holly and I would love to meet our blog readers and learn a little more about your interests.  Please post in the comments section with the answers to the following questions if you want to join in...

1.  Where do you live.  Do you like it there?  

2.  What are your hobbies?

3.  What posts do you like to see the most - eating, scrapbooking, or running/workout posts?

4.  Is there anything else you would like to see us post about?



We look forward to "meeting" all you!

Doctor, Recipes and Wednesday Links!

Doctor
Random title I know, but its been a random week. I am still sick, actually waiting to go to the doctor as we speak and haven't worked out since Sunday! I am a little freaked out by that but given I attempted to make it around the block yesterday and had to sit down after a dizzy spell, I decided my body was telling me to rest! So I am listening for once. So we'll see what the doctor says, hopefully I can at least work in some end of the week workouts!

Recipes
Before the sickness struck I made a really good chicken recipe that we have been eating this week. Thankfully I still have a little bit of an appetite.

The recipe called for 4 pieces of chicken but since these were big pieces I only used 3. The Cooking Light recipe is as follows:

Ingredients

• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) crumbled blue cheese
• 1  tablespoon  reduced-fat sour cream
• 1  teaspoon  fresh lemon juice
• 1/8  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 4  (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/4  cup  all-purpose flour
• 2  tablespoons  2% reduced-fat milk
• 1  large egg, lightly beaten
• 1  cup  panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  butter, divided
• 6  tablespoons  finely chopped drained bottled roasted red bell peppers
• 2  teaspoons  water
• 1  teaspoon  Worcestershire sauce
• 1  teaspoon  minced fresh garlic
• 1/2  teaspoon  hot sauce

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each chicken breast half to form a pocket. Stuff cheese mixture evenly into pockets.
3. Place flour in a shallow dish. Combine milk and egg in a shallow dish, stirring well with a whisk. Place panko in a shallow dish. Working with 1 chicken breast half at a time, dredge chicken in flour, then dip in egg mixture; dredge in panko. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken, flour, egg mixture, and panko.
4. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter to pan; swirl until butter melts. Arrange chicken in pan; cook 4 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken over; place skillet in oven. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until done.
5. While chicken bakes, combine remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons butter, bell peppers, water, Worcestershire, and garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer; cook until butter melts. Remove from heat, and stir in hot sauce. Serve sauce with chicken.

Mark Scarbrough, Cooking Light, MARCH 2010

 

 

Instead of the bell peppers, I used a mix from Trader Joes called "Harvest Hodgepodge" get more veggies per serving. I also eliminated the butter all together and used a tablespoon of flax seed oil. I would definitely make this again!

Wednesday Links
Each week we have been featuring our favorite websites on Wednesday. Here is what I have been reading this week...

Eat
"My Recipes" includes recipes from Cooking Light, Sunset, Southern Living, All You, Real Simple and Health Magazines. They have a Dinner Tonight section which has some great ideas!

My Recipes - Dinner Tonight

Scrap
Scrapbooking has really taken a backseat lately. I have made a goal to finish my 2009 scrapbook by the end of the month. I am so close to being caught up! I started to look for some inspriration online and found the following site. I have never seen this magazine before but they have some really cute spring layouts!

Scrapbooking and Beyond Spring Layouts

Run
I am getting creative on this one. I have really changed my skin care since I have been running outside more as the seasons change. My skin gets really dry and red in the winter and then breaks out in the summer from the humidity. I have found that the Clinique SPF 25 Superdefense does the trick and helps with the dryness but doesn't over do it in the summer. Its expensive but usually lasts me about 6 months if I use it once a day. In the winter I combine it with the Pore Minimizer Refining Lotion which helps my pores stay tight. I love that this combo has sunscreen, anti-anging and a moisturizer all in one. On the weekends I usually just wear this but its light enough that you can wear both under your everday makeup.

Green Monster + Raspberries = Brown Monster

Snack Time

I normally do most of my grocery shopping on the weekend, but somehow this weekend I never made it to the store.  As a result, I have very limited food in the house and I had to improvise to make a Green Monster.

See that huge bag of spinach?  I bought that at Costco last Thursday, and I am disappointed that it's already starting to get slimy.  This weekend I did take a lot of the spinach and wash it and freeze it, so I am hoping I can use that for my Green Monsters for the rest of the week.  Even if I have to throw away the remains of this bag, it was still way cheaper than buying the spinach at the regular grocery.   Next time I will be more proactive about freezing the spinach before it goes bad so I don't have to throw any away!

Tonight I decided to chance it and use the slimy spinach since I can't really taste it anyway.  Plus work kind of sucks right now so I wouldn't mind if I had to take a sick day tomorrow :)

I only had 1/2 of a small banana, so I decided to add some raspberries that I had in the freezer, along with 1 cup of milk.

The result...a Brown Monster instead of a Green Monster!  

It wasn't even worthy of a picture :)

The raspberries tasted ok, but I probably won't add them again.  Next time I buy bananas, I will cut up a few and put them in the freezer so they are ready for my next Green Monster.  I also like having something from the freezer to make them cold like a smoothie.

Workout Update
I still have not had a good run since the half marathon that was now 9 days ago.   My only attempt at running was this past Saturday, and my knee still hurt so I came back home.  I really miss running, and I still want to do the Iron Girl 15K with Holly in April, so I am going to give it another try tomorrow morning and see how it goes.   The plan is to run 1 mile and see how I feel afterward.    Keep your fingers crossed that it goes well!!!

Are you currently training for any races or events?  What keeps you motivated?

When to Rest?

So the past two days I have come down with some sort of cold/sinus infection which has really brought me down. I knew I was fighting something but usually I can fight it off. This time however my sore throat has now become a full fledged cold with body aches and pains.

I get so frustrated when I am sick because I want to do everything at a normal pace. I know a cold is your bodies way of telling you to get rest, but when is the right time to rest? For me, there is really no time!

I took yesterday off from working out and made sure I ate healthy and went to bed early. Today I slept in as well. The weather is actually nice in Ohio this week (almost 60 degrees yesterday) so I am going to try to get a quick run in this afternoon after work. Sometimes just being outside makes me feel better.

If you are sick, how do you determine if you should workout? I am on my second green monster for the week so I am also hoping that spinach power kicks in! If you haven't tried Catlin's recipe you should...its great!

My adjusted weekly workout is as follows:
Mon: Rest
Tues: Run 2 miles/Jillian
Wed: Metabolism Boost
Thursday: Run 5 miles
Friday: Run 3 miles/Jillian
Saturday: 4 Mile St. Patricks Day Race
Sunday: Spinning (A two hour class this week! Hopefully I am up for it!)

I am supposed to be up to 7 miles for my 15K training but given I have been sick I am cutting back this week with the hope that next week I can catch up. I am starting to love the 15K mileage, its just past my comfort zone (5-6 miles) but enough of  a challenge that I have to plan my workouts. Whats your favorite race?

Healthy Eats at Disney World

Yesterday my husband and I spent the afternoon at the Magic Kingdom.  We have annual passes, so we can make the 90 minute drive, park for free, spend a few hours in the park and come home.  It feels "free" but really we already paid for the annual pass.  It still makes for a nice afternoon!

The entrance to the Magic Kingdom...

 
Cinderella's Castle while walking up Main Street USA...

Since moving to Florida and having our Disney annual passes, Space Mountain has always been closed any other time we were at the Magic Kingdom.  So today that was our first stop.

Recently it was refurbished, and all I  knew is that it was supposed to be darker inside now while on the ride.  I remember riding Space Mountain in the 90's and being able to see the track the whole time.  

Here we are, ready to start.  They still have the single seat cars that they used to have. 

I am happy to report that the ride was much darker this time!  It was fun to be in the dark and not know where we were going.  A few times I stuck my hand up to take pictures, and I would get nervous since I didn't know if there was anything above me or not.

This is the picture they took of us on the ride...

The girl in the front looks bored, I am taking a video of the ride, and my husband looks like he is screaming, and I can attest to the fact that he was.  Well, more of a laugh/scream, but it was funny whatever it was.

Next up was the Buzz Lightyear ride.  We had a bet on who could get the highest score (you are shooting at targets the whole ride) so we were both concentrating...

I lost big time, so I think I had a defective shooter gun on my side.  LOL

After a few rides we stopped for our healthy lunch that I packed. 

It was so nice to have food from home, plus we didn't have to spend $20 on lunch.   For lunch I had a sandwich on whole wheat bread with turkey, cucumbers, and spinach, and a side of grapes and the remaining cucumbers.  Dessert was one cookie :) 

We didn't even get to most of the grapes, so they became our afternoon snack while we were still in the park. 

We ended the day with a ride of the Riverboat, which was actually pretty boring.  But at least now we know not to do it again! 

Tomorrow I will be planning my workout schedule for the week.  I am still nervous to run, but I will find some other ways to get in my cardio.  I also have the St. Anthony's Triathlon coming up at the end of April, and I was planning to start my training this week.  I am not sure that's going to happen, as I am still waiting for my knee to heal.   

Only time will tell what's in store for the next few months.  I just need to stay flexible and stay positive, and I am sure everything will work itself out. 

Yoga Meltdown

This weekend we are dog sitting which meant we had a wake-up call at about 7:00am this morning. I decided since I ran 5.5 miles yesterday outside that today I was going to wrap up my weekend with some yoga because I am a little sore and coming down with a cold. I have been waiting to try the Jillian "Yoga Meltdown" all week!

First let me say that this yoga DVD is not traditional yoga. While you do do a few sun salutations and you basic poses, Jillian works in her cardio by adding movements to the poses. I did not wear my heart rate monitor, but my guess is in 30 minutes you can burn about 200 calories. Here are a few few things I enjoyed.

1. The workout is tough. There is a lot of core work and just enough movement to break a sweat. This is not as hard as her other DVD's, especially the Metabolism Boost, but its not easy. Lots of planks and side planks for you yoga followers.

2. The DVD comes with 2 workouts, easy and intermediate. I did the easy one and there are still ways I could make it more difficult which is nice when you want to change it up.

3. You don't have to be super flexible to do this. They show different varations for all levels.

4. The penguin is my FAVORITE running pose and she does a great stretch at the end that incoprorates this along with some other basic stretches. This is great to stretch out your hips.

5. I learned a new move, the Dolphin. It was actually fun! You go from an ab hold on your elbows to a downward dog, keeping your elbows in the same place. So it really works your entire core.

Overall, I will definitely do this again and start incorporating it into my "3" Jillian workouts a week. I am a little bummed because Exercise TV took away some of her workouts this month, but hopefully they will post some new ones! The other workouts that I have done of hers are the following:

Metabolism Boost - Bought the DVD
No More Trouble Zones - Exercise TV
30 Day Shred - #1 and #2, Exercise TV

My running increases this week for the 15k in April so I am still trying to figure out how to fit everything in. I'll post my workout later this week. Enjoy your Sunday!

If you have tried the new Yoga Dvd, let me know what you think!

Trial Run

I woke up this morning, excited for my first run since the half marathon last week.

Unfortunately my knee that I injured during the race last weekend started to hurt right away.  I decided there was no reason to push myself, so I came back home and will give it a few more days rest.  I am also trying to decide whether to break down and go to the doctor next week so I can get a real diagnosis. 

Once back home, I decided to do a little cooking.  I bought a bag of peppers at the grocery on Thursday, and I know they usually don't last very long, so I decided to make stuffed peppers.

First, I cut the tops off and boiled them for about 5 minutes.

While the peppers were boiling, I browned 1/2 pound of lean ground beef, and added the following:

• the tops of the peppers, chopped
• 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
• 1/4 box of frozen spinach
• scallions (since they are now free since they are growing on the windowsill)
• three cloves of garlic, chopped
• tomato and basil pasta sauce

I put a little pasta sauce on the bottom of the pan, and then stuffed each pepper with the filling, and cooked 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

I always cook in individual containers, so I can freeze the leftovers.  That way I don't have to eat the same thing for 4 days straight :)    I had one of these for lunch, and they were good, but next time I need to add some more spices.   I don't usually cook without a recipe, so considering I was just throwing together what I had, they didn't turn out too bad.


Tomorrow I am going to Disney World for the day with my husband.  I have already packed our lunches (sandwiches on whole wheat bread, grapes, and pretzels) and will also bring carrots, grapes, and popcorn in the car for snacks.   It's about 90 minutes each way from our house, so it's not too far of a drive, but it's still nice to have a few snacks. 

Tomorrow also happens to the be the Princess Half Marathon at Disney, so I am excited to see all the finishers at the parks with their medals!  

Power Breakfast

I have been getting a lot of articles/emails about breakfast lately. I pretty much stick to 3/4 cup of granola and 1/2 cup of greek yogurt with flax seed everyday but have been feeling the need to change it up. Here are a few recipes I have found and am trying. Whats in your breakfast? I feel like a good breakfast alone will motivate me to get up and get going!

Green Monster (from Healthy Tipping Point)
1 cup of Rice Milk
2 cups of raw spinach
1/2 banana
- I am excited to try this one because I keep reading about how great spinach is for you! Plus I have a ton of frozen bananas I need to use!


Breakfast Sundae (I got this from a Runner's World Article)
Slice a banana over eight ounces fat-free vanilla yogurt. Mix with two tablespoons peanut butter and 1/4 cup high-protein, high-fiber cereal with at least five grams of protein and fiber per serving, such as Kashi Go Lean Crisp. Sprinkle with two teaspoons cinnamon.

Protein Shake Recipes
Sometimes I make these ahead of time and put them in the freezer. Then in the morning when I work out I let them defrost! These are from my favorite Biggest Loser - Tara Costa.

Protein Shake Recipes


Oatmeal Custard
I have posted this one before but its REALLY good and super easy to make. I make it on the weekends and then eat up single servings when I am ready to eat it.

2 3/4 c. water

1 cup uncooked rolled oats ( not quick cook or instant)

1/2 c egg substitute (or 2 eggs)

1/4 c. sugar or sugar substitute

1 1/3 c. skim or fat free milk

1/2 t. vanilla

1/8 t. salt

1/3 c. dried, fresh or frozen fruit ( I have used fresh and frozen peaches and berries)

1/2 t. cinnamon

Boil 2 3/4 c. water and stir in oats. Return to boil, reduce heat and continue to boil. Cook uncovered about 1 minute, stirring. Remove from heat, cover and set aside.

In large bowl mix, egg, sugar, milk, vanilla and salt. Add the cooked oatmeal, fruit and cinnamon. Pour into 8 inch square pan coated with cooking spray. Place pan in larger pan of hot water ( this is what makes the custard consistency). Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until set.

Exercise and Stress

For those new readers, you may not know that I was recently laid off from my job, and my last day of work will be May 14th.  The past few weeks I have had my hopes set on a new job at my same company, but I found out today that it isn't going to work out and I am back to job searching. 


Did I mention that I hate looking for a new job?  Even the thought of it stresses me out.  At least in the past when I have been looking for a new job it was my decision, which made the process at least a little more bearable.  But now I am forced to find a new job and it's stressing me out - big time! 


Now that I am almost fully recovered from my half marathon, I am hoping to get back into a regular exercise routine next week, and I am hoping that it helps with my stress levels. 

According to the Mayo Clinic website, Exercise Reduces Stresss in the following ways:

• It pumps up your endorphins. Physical activity helps to bump up the production of your brain's feel-good neurotransmitters, called endorphins. Although this function is often referred to as a runner's high, a rousing game of tennis or a nature hike also can contribute to this same feeling.
• It's meditation in movement. After a fast-paced game of racquetball or several laps in the pool, you'll often find that you've forgotten the day's dilemmas and irritations and concentrated only on your body's movements. As you begin to regularly shed your daily tensions through movement and physical activity, you may find that this focus on a single task, and the resulting energy and optimism, can help you remain calm and clear in everything that you do.
• It improves your mood. Regular exercise can increase self-confidence and lower the symptoms associated with mild depression and anxiety. This can ease your stress levels and give you a sense of command over your body and your life.

 I will start by going to the gym on the way home from work tonight and try to start the weekend off with a stress-free outlook!   My plan is to run a few miles in the morning and see how my leg is feeling.  I am getting antsy after doing no workouts all week! 


How do you handle your stress?  Are you able to stop stress before it happens, or do you have ways in which you deal with your stress once it starts to set in? 

How much is a gym membership worth?

So I offically have quite the the gym! I am not really sure how I feel about this yet, but we'll see how it goes. Lately my schedule demands have really changed my workout times so I have been doing more at home than usual. Given the high monthly fee, we decided that one class every week wasn't worth the monthly family membership. Plus, I hoping the weather gets warmer and I can do a lot more outside!! My at home workout plan now includes the following:

- Jillian Metabolism Boost DVD (They took it off Exercise TV!)
- Jillian Yoga (Still waiting on the DVD to be delivered)
- Running
- Exercise TV/Random Workout DVD's
- Spinning (At the rec center, you don't have to be a member!)

SO, I am hoping that my $16 DVD purchases will be worth it now that we are saving our monthly gym fee. I unpacked my gym bag for the first time in two years! Actually getting ready at home in the morning is a big change, but so far I am embracing it and really enjoy it.

Change is good, we'll see how long I last! I am still trying to figure out how much is a gym membership really worth?

Weekly Favorites #3 - Eating, Scrapbooking, Running

How does Wednesday always come so fast!?!

Here is the latest edition of our Weekly Favorites List...


EAT

http://www.weightwatchers.com/community/mbd/index.aspx 

The Weight Watchers website has message boards that are full of valuable advice, motivation, and recipes.  The message boards are free for anyone to use, even if they are not a paying member of Weight Watchers.  It's a great place to get new ideas for a meals if you are stuck in the same routine and looking for something new and healthy. 

SCRAP
http://inchmark.squarespace.com/

This is not a strictly scrapbooking website but it is my new favorite craft website.    The creator of this site, Brooke Reynolds, is so talented and I am inspired every time I read her blog.  I can't even remember how I found it now, but I was searching something on Google and happened to find it.   Lucky me! 


RUN
http://www.nike.com/

As you have probably seen from my other posts, I am obsessed with Nike clothing.  I can't get enough of their clothes and I feel like they were made perfectly to fit my body.   Every time I am within a 30 mile radius of a Nike outlet, I feel the pull and I have to get there! 

For my half marathon this past weekend I was wearing a Nike Livestrong tank top, a Nike jacket, Nike capri pants, Nike socks, and a Nike headband!   Obsessed, I tell you!   I almost feel bad for wearing my Saucony shoes, but I love them too much to give them up :)

My Own Indoor Garden

Hello!  

I am happy to report that I am now only minimally sore after running the half marathon on Sunday.  I think by tomorrow I might even be ready for a short run to see how it feels.

In my latest edition of Cuisine at Home magazine, I found a very useful tip about scallions - you can grow them yourself!

I don't have a green thumb, so I never really thought about this, but when I buy scallions at the grocery, they have the roots on the end of the bunch. 

According to the magazine, after you cut the roots off the scallions, you just place them in a glass of water and they grow back.  I had some at home so I decided to experiment.  I only cut half the bunch, and I put them all in a glass.  Here is what they looked like after only 36 hours...

Can you see how the shorter ones are growing from the inside layers?  I can't believe how fast they are growing!!  

I always hate spending money on scallions because I never use the whole bunch, but now I know I can keep a growing supply at home.  The only other advice was to change the water quite often in order to keep it fresh. 

Do you have a garden or grow any of your own food? 

15K Training

Last night I realized that not only was it March 1st, but also a mere 6 weeks away until the 15k. So I put together a new training schedule. I love the first of the month because to me it represents a new start. Each month I print out a new calendar with my workout goals. Sometimes its blank and I fill it in as I go, othertimes it has a specific training regime. This time I filled it in with the 15K training I plan to accomplish. There were a few things I want to incorporate in my training...

1. 3 Core Jillian Workouts (including one Metabolism Boost - the hard 47 minute one)
2. Spinning once a week
3. Yoga

I had a hard time fitting the yoga in but am going to count it as a Jillian workout once my new Jillian Hot Yoga DVD gets here in the mail. (Yes, I know, I am still obsessed with her workouts, but they work!!)

This week my workout looks like this...

Monday - Rest
Tuesday - Metabolism Boost (Jillian)
Wednesday - Run 4 miles
Thursday - Run 2 miles/Jillian
Friday - Jillian
Saturday - Run 4 miles
Sunday - Spinning

I took my running days from the Hal Higdon Intermediate schedule. It really jumps around a lot which I like. Some weeks are much harder than others. Next week is brutal, but at least I am easing my way into things.

http://www.halhigdon.com/15Ktraining/15Kintsch.htm

I am excited the Biggest Loser is back on tonight as well. This is when it starts to get exciting (at least I hope so!)

Recovery Day

I took the day off work because I thought it would be nice to have a recovery day after the half marathon yesterday.

I slept until 9:30am this morning, so I must have needed the sleep.  I guess it's a good thing  I didn't have to drag myself out of bed this morning to go to work.

I literally had nothing planned for today, but I realized I was in desperate need of a haircut and it was a good day to suck it up and go get my hair cut.  For some reason, I hate getting my hair cut.  I think it's because I am forced to sit in the chair and just do nothing while making small talk with someone I don't know.  

Here is the before picture:

 

And after (ignore my weird smile, I am still perfecting the self portraits LOL)

I also stopped at the grocery on the way home since I needed food to pack for my lunches this week.  While at the grocery, I decided to buy spinach so I could try the "Green Monster" that I have seen all over the blogging world lately. 

My Green Monster contained two cups of packed in spinach, half a banana, and one cup of 1% milk, all mixed together in the blender.  The outcome...

It was actually surprisingly good!  It really tasted like banana, and I could barely taste the milk or the spinach.  I know others make this with vanilla flavored rice milk, so next time I will try adding a little vanilla flavoring to the mix to give it a little more flavor.  I wouldn't say "I love the taste" but it's a great way to eat a lot of spinach and there will definitely be more Green Monsters in my future!

For anyone who does not have pets this may seem gross, but I let my cat Max lick the jar that I use to make smoothies.  He loves yogurt, which is what I usually use to make smoothies, so he knows the sound of the blender and knows he is going to get some yogurt.  Well, today I thought I would test out his kitty taste buds with the Green Monster.

I couldn't believe it, but he liked it too!  Such a well rounded kitty.


I am about as sore today as I expected to be, with the exception of my right knee/leg that was bothering me during the race, which is still pretty sore.  I have been trying to walk a lot today, and I am planning to do yoga this afternoon for a good stretch. 

I also have a volleyball game tonight, which sounds painful right now, but I know from past experience that it's actually a great way to force myself to move and stretch my muscles, and once I start playing, my soreness usually goes away.

Do you force yourself to workout even when you are sore, or do you take it as a sign that your body needs rest?  I think it's ok to workout when I am a little bit sore, but I don't feel bad about taking a few days off after running 13.1 miles yesterday.   I was hoping to start the swimming portion of my triathlon training plan tomorrow, but I am going to wait until Wednesday and see how I feel.

Oh the Samoa

So the girl scout cookies have arrived and I have had more than my fair share today. This year we limited ourselves to Thin Mints and Somoas, however since my step-daughter sells them we have quite a few boxes!! I am a sucker for goals!

Anyways, I decided to let myself enjoy them today after an intense spinning class and after a few Thin Mints decided that Sunday's were going to be my "Cookie" day at least until they were gone. So the Thin Mints are back in the garage freezer until next week, but boy are they good!

What is your favorite cookie? How do you balance too much of a good thing?

While I was searching for the calorie content of the Samoas I had eaten this afternoon, I came across these Samoa Bars. Boy do those look good!!

Gasparilla Half Marathon Race Recap

I did it!!!!   I completed my second half marathon!  

I had two goals for myself for this race:

• Beat my time from my last half marathon, which was 2:38:49
• Feel strong at the end of the race, since I didn't have Holly there to carry me across the finish line like last time :)

I am happy to report that I met both of my goals, but only barely...My chip finish time was 2:38:20.  So technically I beat my time, but I was really hoping for a finish time of around 2:30.  More importantly though, I felt strong at the end of the race, and I feel great about that. 

Here are my splits for the race:

• Mile 1: 12:34 (too many people, we had to stop and walk when the road narrowed at 0.6 miles)
• Mile 2: 12:02
• Mile 3: 11:44
• Mile 4: 11:48
• Mile 5: 11:38
• Mile 6: 11:51
• Mile 7: 11:58
• Mile 8: 11:46
• Mile 9: 11:48
• Mile 10: 12:49
• Mile 11: 11:57
• Mile 12: 12:23
• Mile 13: 11:01
• Remaining 0.28 miles(race course was long): 2:56
• Total: 2:38:22

Mile 13 was my fatest mile, and that feels great! 

Here is a quick chronological recap of the morning:

• 5:10am: exit of the interstate into downtown Tampa
• 5:45am: we sat in traffic for 30 minutes and moved about 0.2 miles that whole time!  Found parking about 3/4 mile from the start line and ran to the start line!
• 5:55am: I got out of the port-a-potty while the national anthem was playing
• 6am: race starts.  I made it to the start line, but never found the pace groups
• The first few miles were good, but I noticed early on that my right leg was really tight on the outside of my knee.  I experienced this during a few training runs early on, and it isn't painful, just annoying.  I suspect that the sprint to the start line is what caused this, but I really don't know.
• Somewhere around mile 5 I started stretching at almost every water station.  It helped my knee/leg to stretch, and then I could run a little easier. 
• I also stopped to walk a few times later in the race to try to try to stretch out my legs.

Overall, it was a good race, and although I wish my leg would not have been bothering me, I still I feel had a good race.

I had planned to take a few picutres at the car once we were parked, but due to the traffic and almost missing the start, that didn't happen.

I did take a few pictures in the car while we were stuck in traffic:

I was prepared for the cold weather with my big gray hoodie. 

My husband was looking ready for his first half marathon with no training!!!

There were a lot of professional cameras on the race course, so I am hoping that I can buy a few pictures of the actual race and finish since I didn't get any others.

The plan for the rest of the day is to lay around and be lazy and I am getting ready to order us some pizza.  We are hungry!!!

Ready to Go

 

I have everything laid out for the race tomorrow and I am ready to go!  Luckily Ross is sleeping on my pants from the goodwill that will only be worn to keep me warm at the beginning of the race :)  He was so happy I decided to let him stay.  

Look into the mirror and you can get a glimpse of Max.  I didn't even know he was behind me.  

The most exciting news of the day is that my husband decided today to sign up for the half marathon tomorrow!  He was a runner in high school, and was able to run half of a half marathon (on a relay team) with no training last summer, so he has decided to try for the full 13.1 tomorrow.  I am excited to have him on the race course with me, although I doubt we will actually run together.

Time to get ready for bed.  We are leaving the house at 4:30am!

Half Marathon Weekend is Here

Race Expo

Yesterday was the official start of the Half Marathon weekend because I told the day off work to volunteer at the race expo.  I am excited that race weekend is finally here!

Tampa loves pirates, and has pirate themed events during January and February called Gasparilla.  There is a Gasparilla parade, a Gasparilla children's parade, a Gasparilla night parade, a Gasparilla art show, and this weekend, the Gasparilla 5K, 15K, Marathon, and Half Marathon. 

They even had pirate decorations are the expo yesterday:

So cute! 

At the expo, I worked at packet pickup from 10am - 1pm.  It was so much fun to talk with all the race participants and wish them luck in the races this weekend.   The time flew by because it was so busy and my legs were tired afterwards.  It makes me appreciate my boring job where I can sit all day.


The expo is huge.  This is just one aisle and there were probably 6 full isles of vendors in the convention center.

There are a lot of good deals on clothing and shoes, along with a lot of overpriced runners gadgets.  One vendor was selling no slip headbands that were $16 each.  No thanks!

I did spend some time at a booth full of running clothes that were $9.99 each.  Who can pass that up?!?!   I told myself I could buy one thing, and ended up with a Moving Comfort Long Sleeve Shirt.   There is a tag on the shirt that says regular price $55.99, our price $9.99.  While I wasn't going to fall for that, I did still feel like it was a good shirt for the price.  Plus the sleeves are extra long and there are thumb holes at the end of the sleeves.  I felt good when I came home and found the same shirt for $40 online.  I love a good deal!

Usually I don't get excited about race shirts because they never seem to fit right and look good.  But I think the Gasparilla Half Marathon shirt is the exception. 

It's long sleeve, Nike, Drifit, and it actually fits!  Plus I like the green color.  I tend to buy everything in blue so it's nice to have some other colors.

Pre-Race Day Plans

The plan for today is to eat nice, healthy meals full of fruits, vegetables, and healthy carbs.  Plus I will make sure to drink plenty of water today and stay hydrated.

The half marathon starts at 6am tomorrow, which means I need to leave my house around 4:30am.  I made myself get out of bed at 9am today even though I was tired, because I know I will need to go to bed early tonight.  There will be no napping today!

The weather is going to be in the mid-40's tomorrow morning, which is cold for me, but it's similar to the temperature for all my training runs the past two months.  The good news is that there is no rain in the forecast for race time, and less than 10 mph winds.   A lot of the race course is along the water, so it will be nice to have minimal winds.

Look for my post tomorrow afternoon with a race racap!!

What's your ideal running temperature?  Mine is 60s and sunny, with no wind! :)

Schedule, Snow and Good Cookin!

I cannot believe it keeps snowing here. I don't think I can remember what it was like without snow on the ground. Yesterday skiing was a success however and I am not sore! Tired, but not sore which is a good sign. I had mastered the mountain by the time we left. Time to plan a trip out west!!



Today I am making one of my favorite recipes....Pot Roast! Its 426 calories a serving and and a super easy recipe in the crock pot.

Ingredients

• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 5 1/2 pounds pot roast
• Bag of baby carrots
• One onion, chopped
• 3 large potatoes, chopped
  

Its super easy and usually lasts us a few days. Its one pot of goodness! I am looking for a healthy dessert to make too. Any ideas? I might just have to modify a few recipes I already have.

I also decided today that I am not going to run the 1/2 marathon here in May. Last week was the first week that I didn't do the Jillian workouts 3 days a week and I really missed it. So I am going to pursue that goal again and run in the Aflac Iron Girl 15K race with Megan in April. That way I am enjoying my workouts and still challenging myself to run. I ran two 1/2's last year and hope to run the Columbus 1/2 in the Fall.

Happy Saturday!

Hitting the Slopes!

I took the day off to go skiing with my mom today. I haven't been skiing in about 9 years, but used to be pretty good at it. As luck would have it it snowed again last night so hopefully we will have good conditions! My husband is betting me that I will not be able to move tomorrow so we'll see how in shape I really am. My plan was do run my 5 miles early on Saturday instead of Sunday. Wish me luck!

I ate a BIG breakfast today of greek yogurt and Frosted Mini Wheats. I am taking a Mojo Bar with me to snack on. Hopefully all my healthy eating and workouts will pay off!

Cookie Willpower

Tonight I decided to bake Snickerdoodles to welcome my husband home from a business trip, and also so I can send a few to my grandma in the mail. 

I have a really hard time with baking and eating way too many cookies and dough in the process.  But tonight, I only had one bite of the first cookie I gave to my husband, and I didn't touch them again.

Yea for me!

I did put the remaining cookies in a tupperware container and told him to put them somewhere in the house where I don't have to look at them.   I know if they are sitting around in plain view I will end up eating way too many of them.   At least I know my limitations, right? 

After the cookies where done I treated myself to an orange that I bought it the grocery today.  It was actually so good that I am glad I didn't fill up on cookies, or else I would have missed out on the orange! 

The Great Recipe Binder

Remember a few days ago when I said my fridge was empty? Well, it's still empty!

I have started my grocery list and I have a lot of cooking planned for the next few days. I needed some ideas for new meals, so I consulted my recipe binder:

I subscribe to a lot of magazines, and instead of keeping the magazines so I can refer back to them, I tear out the pages that I want to keep, and get rid of the magazine.  I keep the recipes in this binder, and I have another folder for any exercise or home decorating items that I want to keep. 
I started the binder with empty page protectors, and I can slide in any recipe that I tear out from a magazine or print from a website.  If I try a recipe from a website without printing it, I try to hand write or print it and add it to my binder so I have everything in one place.   I am normally not a "paper person" and I like to keep everything electronically, but I make an exception for my recipes. 


My binder is currently organized into the following categories:

Salads
Appetizers
Chicken
Entrees ( everything with the exception of chicken)
Bread
Breakfast
Side Dishes
Dessert
Drinks
Tips (includes recipe substitutions, cooking times, grains 101)

Eventually I would like to further separate the Entree section into Pork, Beef, Non-Meat, etc, but I just haven't ever done it. 

I decided to try two new recipes from my binder:

Dry-Rubbed Baby Back Ribs ( I have had this in my binder since July 2008!)
Crustless Spinach Quiche (this will be for my husband, too many eggs for me)

I will post reviews of the recipes in the next few days once we actually get to eat them.

How do you organize your recipes? 

First Triathlon Club Meeting

Tonight I attended my first meeting of the Palm Harbor Tri-Warriors Triathlon Club. 

I have been on their email list for over a year, and there is so much knowledge amongst their members, I was excited to finally make it to a meeting!

The meeting was very informal, as there was no speaker for the meeting this month, but it was so much fun to interact with a group of people with similiar interests to mine. 

I did a few sprint triathlons last summer, but my decision to sign up for St. Anthony's Olympic Triathlon on April 25th has me a little scared.  I felt much better after tonight's meeting because: 

• Their knowledge about the sport of triathlons is priceless to someone like me who is relatively new to the sport.   They answered so many of my questions and I learned so much in just one hour.   I learned valuable information on buying a wetsuit, and what I should keep on my bike in case of a flat tire (a spare tube, a patch kit, and a pump). Good information to get me ready for all those long bike rides!

• They do a lot of training together.  Every weekend there are bike rides, open water swims, group runs, and even mock triathlons.  I was always nervous to join them in training because I am not very fast on my bike or running.  The members assured me today that people of all abilities are welcome and now I am excited to start training with them. 

I am so glad that I found this group of people and can't wait to get to know them better!  Do you below to any clubs or organizations?  It's been a long time since I have been part of club like this that isn't related to work or school.  It's exciting!