Pie!

For those of you who keep reading, I did not eat pizza last night however did have two skinny girl margaritas... After two of those I decided I wanted pie for dinner tonight....not your normal dessert pie, but some sort of pot pie. I decided on a Rachel Ray recipe. I love Rachel Ray but there are two things you should know when you start making her recipes.

1. They are not healthy (most of the time) and you need to modify
2. The average time to bake/make them is 45 minutes. (At least for me.)

The recipe is called Beef Cheddar and Potato Pie. I am hoping with my modifications its enough for 2-3 meals and is a "healthier" version.


The ingredients are listed below.

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 2 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1 large onion, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 2 stalks celery, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 large baking potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup dark beer
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• Salt and pepper
• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed but cold
• 1 large egg yolk, beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Modifications:

• 2.5 lbs of 92% low fat beef.
  
• Bud light instead of dark beer
• 1 sheet of puff pastry (I used Pillsbury crescent rolls, which now conveniently are sold in a flat dough sheet)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a skillet, combine the beef, carrots, onion, celery, garlic and potato and cook, breaking up the meat, over medium-high heat until the beef is cooked through and some liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Lower the heat to medium, add the beer and cook for 10 minutes. Add the cheese, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Let cool.
   

2. On a floured surface, roll 1 puff pastry sheet into a 12-inch round. Place in a 10-inch skillet or deep pie dish. Roll the remaining puff pastry sheet into an 11-inch round. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat mixture to the skillet. Lightly brush the edge of the crust with some of the egg wash, then place the second sheet on top. Press the edges to seal, then trim to a 1/2-inch edge.
   

3. Place the pie on a baking sheet. Brush the top with more of the egg wash and cut an "X" into the pastry. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bake for 45 minutes, tenting with foil if the crust darkens too quickly. Transfer to a rack to cool for 15 minutes.

Modifications:
I am making a bottomless pot pie and only putting one sheet of puff pastry on the top. I also used a casserole dish instead of a pie dish so that the overall portion sizes were easier to figure out. Since I used more meat, I also needed more room.

I am guessing this is about 8 servings at 320 - 350 calories a piece. Modifications are hard to measure so I am counting 400 calories for my portion tonight.

Week Ahead...
My weekend has been filled with eating new recipes and catching up around the house. My double workout yesterday has left me pretty sore so I am switching my days off so they are further apart. This week I am taking Sunday and Wednesday off. My workout today consisted of walking around the outlet malls! :) Tomorrow is back to the kick-butt Jillian Metabolism Boost. Stay tuned for the weekly workouts. So far the challenge is on track!!

Clean Eating?

Over the past year or so I have been trying to adjust my diet to be more "clean." I recently read Jillian's (yes I know, I am a semi-stalker) Master Your Metabolism book and part of it talks about the effect of fake ingredients on your body and how it makes your body respond. I know this is the "trendy" diet these days, but it does make a lot sense.

For example, when you eat something like is sugar-free or fat-free, not only are non-natural ingredients added in the product to make it that way but your body focuses on the fact that there is sugar in those products and craves more, especially if the product is low calorie. So you really are getting nothing out of your low calorie snack.

For the most part I have tried to cut these type of snacks out, however there are a few that I can't cut the habit on...

1. Diet Coke
2. Sugar Free Pudding
3. Cool Whip

Last year I gave up Diet Coke for 3 mos and then just couldn't take it anymore. I am like the old Diet Coke commercial when the woman watch the construction workers. Everyday at 1pm I need my break. I stick to one a day and in the summer I try to substitute iced tea or green tea. This is something I need to work on...

I have cut out all other snack bars, processed foods etc. with the exception of Kashi bars, Luna Bars and my Lara bars which are at least 80% organic. Now critics would say that this isn't really "clean" but its a start I guess. The biggest change for me was breakfast and bread.

For breakfast I almost always eat granola, oatmeal or greek yogurt. I cut out all light/fat free yogurt and make sure that the granola is organic (thanks to Trader Joes). For lunch I take Dietson Watson lunch meat, which is the healthiest, most natural I can find and Pepperidge Farm Whole Wheat bread. I only take one slice of bread since its not low calorie, but is made out of real ingredients. Sometimes I skip the bread and just make a wrap with low moisture swiss cheese.

For a snack its usually Wasa Crackers and peanut butter or my Lara Bars. Lately I have switched it up with some trail mix too.

Switching to a "clean" diet wasn't a big weight loss tool for me, however I will say my cravings are much less. I still need to work on the sugar free products and Diet Coke but I would like to think that I am working towards living a healither life!

With all that said, I am looking for ways to spice up the daily eating. My sister-in-law who follows a similiar eating style recently sent me this Oatmeal Custard Recipe. Its delicious and super easy to make. I am still trying to figure out how I can eat this in the car on the way to work in the morning, but if not its a great weekend treat!

Oatmeal Custard (A Weight Watcher Recipe)

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.


I used organic frozen rasberries and Truvia, which is supposed to be a "natural" sugar substitue. The picture above shows the pre-cooked custard in the "hot water bath."

The calories are as follows:
156 calories ( if using sugar), 2 g. fat, 7g protein, 30g carbs, 3 g. fiber

Tonight is pizza night in my house because my step-daughter is having a sleep-over. My goal is to a eat a Kashi Frozen meal and have a "skinny margarita" as my treat. (For those of you reality TV fans out there this is Bethany Frankel's recipe from The Real Housewives. The goal is NO pizza! I have worked too hard this week with my Jillian Challenge to blow it. My husband and I are on season 3 of Entourage so I am pretty excited to watch it tonight and relax! Today I did a Jillian workout and 60 min of yoga. I am ready to sit!

Let me know if anyone tries this oatmeal custard recipe....I am interested to see if others like it!

Thankful

Today I am thankful for many things...

My wonderful husband who is so supportive of me, and always willling to try any new recipe that I make (and sometimes they are really bad!) 

My wonderful friends and family!! 

(too many of them to add pictures!)

My wonderful cats...and the fact that Timmy and Max are both so excited when I fill the food bowl that they share and eat at the same time...

And I can't forget about Chandler and Ross, because they are wonderful too...

I am also thankful that I live in such a beautiful place that feels like vacation every weekend!! 

Why all the sappiness today?  Well, I found out today that I am being laid off from my job, and my last day of work is in May.  I am not surprised by this, but it's still strange to actually have this in writing.  I am not happy with my job right now anyway, so I am looking at this as a positive thing in my life, and I really hope that something better is waiting for me down the road. 

Due to the news that we got at work today, we were told to go home and take the rest of the day off.  So I headed straight for the beach!!  It seemed like a perfect way to relax and let the news settle in. 

It was kind of chilly, but still nice to be outside and get some fresh air.  I kept busy reading Runners World, which happen to come in the mail today.  Talk about perfect timing.

I even had a few annoying seagulls to keep me company.

Now it's time to continue on with weekend and prepare myself for my 8 mile run in the morning!

Chocolate Cherry Goodness

Last night I decided to de-stress by baking. I tend to do this when I am super busy because it makes me feel like I can still fit everything in. I made Cooking Light's Heart Smart Chocolate Cherry Cookies. (Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Melanie J. Clarke )

The recipe makes 30 cookies and as of 8am this morning, there were only about 15 left. They were AWESOME! I did go over my calories by 200 yesterday however, the cookies were well worth it and so far my only splurge of the week. Here is the nutritional breakdown which makes them even more worth while.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 94
Fat: 3.2g (sat 1.6g,mono 0.6g,poly 0.2g)
Protein: 1.5g
Carbohydrate: 15.7g
Fiber: 1.3g
Cholesterol: 10mg
Iron: 0.6mg
Sodium: 88mg
Calcium: 15mg

The other thing that amazed me about this recipe was it had very little sugar. It only called for brown sugar and a very minimal amount. I made these and cleaned up in less than an hour. I even had my laptop out and worked while they were baking! How's that for mult-tasking!

Try these out this weekend!

Yoga Meltdown

How ironic that after Megan made her post today I get an email at lunch announcing Jillian's new yoga dvd! Its called Yoga Meltdown. I am interested to try it! My guess is its HARD and will burn more than 130 calories! :)

It doesn't come out until March, but look forward to a post of me trying it! I guess it is coninciding with the Biggest Loser episode of course. They always have to get their marketing plugs in these days!

I Survived Yoga Class

You may have seen in my previous post that I was going to my first yoga class last night.  I am happy to report that the class was great ,and I felt very comfortable the whole time.    Here is the description of the class: 

The instructor was great, and talked through every movement for the full hour.  I was expecting the instructor to just call out names of poses, but this really helped me since I didn't know what I was doing. 

The other funny part is that I didn't even consider that I live in "land of the retirees" down here in Florida, and that there would be old people at the class - but they were there in full force!   That made it easier for me to feel relaxed too because I knew they were not going to do everything perfectly.  The class was a mix of beginners and experienced people, and there were even 3 men in the class which surprised me.  Although I am pretty sure one of them was just there to flirt!

Overall it was a really good class, and I quickly learned that I have a lot of work to do on my core - I was so wobbly on some of the positions.  It's very hard for me to leave a one hour exercise class and only burn 130 calories, but I also have to remember that there are other benefits such as the core work and stretching.  I was jealous of the women who could do downward dog with their feet flat on the ground. I guess that gives me something to work towards!

I will go back to this class, but I would also like to try the yoga class at my gym, to see if there is a little more of a calorie burn combined with the yoga.   I can see how this is a great supplement to running.

And speaking of running....

I was scheduled to do 4.5 miles this morning, but ended up only doing 3.5 miles.  I had to get into work a little early and ran out of time to do the extra mile.  I decided to mix it up this morning and see if I could go back to my 12 min/mile pace and run the whole time without my usual walking breaks. 

The good news is that I was able to run without stopping, and it felt like such an easy run because I kept my heart rate lower the whole time.   It's hard to see my pace on the Garmin when it's dark in the morning, but I stayed right around my 12 minutes/mile pace because the total run took me 42 minutes.  I still feel like I am "cheating" when I do my 4 minute run/1 min walk intervals, but it's good to know that overall my endurance is still getting stronger.

It was chilly out this morning, which worked out well because I got my new Old Navy Yoga Pants in the mail last night and I wanted to try them out.  The length is great (I am 5'10" and ordered the tall) and they have a comfortable waistband that stayed in the place the whole time I was running.   I may have to order a few more pairs the next time they have a sale!!

Zen

Yoga
In celebration of Megan's first yoga class, I decided to do a little research on the overall benefits of yoga and how it can help aid in weight loss given its my current goal to shed a few pounds. I have practiced yoga for many years, although not an expert, I truly enjoy the practice.

Do you know there are different types of yoga? My favorite type of yoga is Power Yoga. The class I do is very modern (www.vpoweryoga.com) and you actually practice yoga to music. I also have tried it at home with Brian Gest's Power Yoga series. I like to burn the maximum amount of calories I can at each workout and to me, power yoga does the trick. According to a Livestrong Article yoga can not only be used as weight loss tool but an overall way to de-stress and build strength. These are a few types of the more intense methods of practicing yoga.

1) Vinyasa-Style Yoga: Vinyasa is a flowing style of yoga based on the performance of a series of poses called Sun Salutations. Vinyasa includes many popular, athletic, sweat-drenched yoga styles. You can find Vinyasa yoga classes at your local gym and studios. It is the most popular of yoga practices.

2) Power Yoga: Power yoga is extremely popular, and one of the reasons is that it provides a very vigorous cardiovascular workout. You will walk out of a class drenched and feeling light and strong.

3) Ashtanga: Ashtanga yoga is a very vigorous style of practice with a few distinct advantages for those who want to lose weight. Most Ashtanga classes attract a very dedicated group. Many of these styles of classes are held early in the morning, and this is a great way to start your day and rev up your metabolism. Another advantage is that Ashtanga yoga is ideal for the home practitioners, and can be easily done on the road. The result is that many practitioners become very religious in their practice. Becoming routine or religious about any type of physical practice results in losing weight and leaning out your body.

I will say I have done less strenous types of yoga and the overall affects are still the same. The calorie burn is just less. I guess it just depends on your personal preference and overall goal. In the end any yoga practice will leave you feeling fresh and revived. There are many other benefits including flexiblity, core strength, overall toning and overall detoxification of the muscles.

What is your favorite yoga pose? Have you tried different styles?

Zen
My little piece of "zen" tonight is my dinner. I ordered Chinese last night because our left overs did not hold up so well in the fridge. I ordered steamed shrimp and broccoli with no sauce and brown rice. I then add a serving of low sodium soy sauce. I split the order into two servings.


I also made myself a little brownie treat. I took a 100 calorie VitaBrownie and added a side of 15 calorie cool whip.
On a side note I have to comment on the Biggest Loser. I am a huge fan however cannot get into it this season. Last night I ended up just fast forwarding to the end. Am I missing something? I love Jillian and Bob (as you can tell from my slight Jillian obession), but I am just not getting as much out of it this season...

Random Thoughts

Running for the Week
I completed my 4.5 mile run Monday before work, and will do another 4.5 miles on Thursday morning.  Saturday morning I am planning to run 8 miles.  That sounds long, but I know my training will pay off and I will be able to do it.  I stocked up on Luna Moons for my next few runs.  I love the pomegraante flavor  - Yum!

Lately I have been thinking about buying a running water back pack, but I really don't know anything about them.  On my morning runs, I have to stick to a certain area that has water fountains, but I often wish I didn't have to worry about that.  I do have a Nike water bottle waist pack, but I have to wear it on my actual waist, which feels really high up and uncomfortable, and the single bottle is heavy on my back when it's full.   I am hoping to do some research this week and try to learn more about them and see if it will fit what I need.


Triathlon Training
I have not done well with using my cross training days for biking and swimming, but I am not stressed about the triathlon training (yet).  I have been thinking about buying a wetsuit since the water temperature will still be chilly in April.  It's another thing on my list to research since there seem like so many options.


Yoga
Tomorrow I am going to my first ever yoga class!  I am really uncoordinated and so not flexible, but I feel like I can try anything at least once.  I am going with my friend Jessica, so at least I will have some moral support while I am there.   Thanks Jessica!! :)  


My Reality TV Addiction
Tonight I watched last night's episode of the Bachelor and today's The Biggest Loser.  Whew - that is a lot of really bad reality tv, but I am hooked!    I can't believe Jake is sending home so many women - he must have really strong feelings for one or a few of the women that still remain.  So far I really like Ali, she is my favorite.

The Biggest Loser has always been on of my favorite shows because I find it so motivating (even though I know some of their tactics are not the healthiest) but there seems to be a lot of fighting this season.  I hope as the group gets smaller, people start to focus more on their weight loss and less on the drama.    And the product placement ads are really starting to get to me, but I still watch so I guess it's not that bad. 


Do you watch any reality shows?  What is your favorite one?

To Run or Not To Run....

The past two weeks I have been focused on by 31 day challenge to lose a few pounds and increase my weight/circuit training. I have tried two workouts so far the Metabolism Boost and the 30 Day Shed. The 30 Day Shed on Exercise TV is only 25 minutes (they have multiple versions), but let me tell you, its just as hard. I had no idea you could sweat that much in such a short amount of time.

I have a long term goal to run a 1/2 marathon each year as a way to maintain my fitness level, however I can't decide when to sign-up for one! I have really been enjoying the flexiblity of changing my workouts around and not being tied to a training schedule. Plus my work schedule has been a little demanding. There is a 1/2 marathon in May and October in Columbus.

Should I sign-up for one in May or wait until October? My training would begin next week if I choose the one in May, although I am a little ahead of the Beginner schedule because of my current challenge.

The last 1/2 I ran I did the intermediate schedule and hated it. I loved the interval training but missed my cross-training days. Does anyone have any schedules that include more cross-training?

I love the feeling when you work so hard towards a goal, plus I have some cute running clothes that are waiting for me to run outside in...is that motivation enough? I guess I will have to decide soon!!

Water Consumption

This morning started off with an unevenful 4.5 mile run.  It's still hard to believe that I am doing such a "long run" before work, but I love the feeling of starting off my day on a healthy note.

One of my goals for the 31 Day Challenge is to drink at least 48 oz of water each day.  I know that water is important, especially on days with an intense workout, but I never really took the time to understand why water was important for my body. 

So I decided to look it up online and now I will share with you what I found:

According to the Mayo Clinic Website,  "Water is your body's principal chemical component, making up, on average, 60 percent of your body weight. Every system in your body depends on water. For example, water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues.  Lack of water can lead to dehydration, a condition that occurs when you don't have enough water in your body to carry out normal functions. Even mild dehydration can drain your energy and make you tired."

When I first read this, it really caught my attention that mild dehydration can drain your energy and make you tired.  Maybe this is why I always get tired around 3pm at work! 

I am one of the few people that I know that has no problem drinking tap water.  I even know people that will only drink certain types of bottled water!  I don't understand it at all.  What about you?  Will you drink tap water?

Productive Day - Part 2

This weekend was one of those weekends where I just needed to push through to fit everything in. My work schedule has been a little demanding lately so most of this weekend was spent catching up unfortunately with work.

Yesterday I did manage to fit in my Jillian workout. The 3rd one of the week so I met my goal this week! This is the third time I have done the Metabolism Boost workout on Exercise TV. I made myself do every move at the level they showed it this time and while I almost passed out (I say that every time), I got through it. I am still amazed how hard and challenging a 55 minute workout in your living room can be without weights. Maybe after 3 more times this week I will be a pro!

I also made a trip to my favorite store, Trader Joes. I picked up some new versions of my favorites. This weekend was about efficiency so I just stuck to what I have used/made before.



1. Clementines - A great snack!
2. Baby Broccoli - Eating for dinner tonight)
3. My staple breakfast - Greek Yogurt
4. Lara Bars - Trying a new flavor, Cashew Cookie!
5. Monterey Jack Cheese Sticks - I usually get swiss but thought for 80 calories I couldn't pass this up...
6. Lowfat Granola - Another breakfast staple, this time berry instead of pumpkin.
7. Green Protein - This is a new version of my "green juice" with extra protein. We'll see how it goes.

Of course today for my planned run it rained, so it was the treadmill and yoga for me. I ran 3 miles in 30 minutes with a 5 minute warm-up and then a 25 minute yoga routine on Exercise TV again. This one was my favorite. It was called yoga.sunset (I couldn't find the link online). It was a great after run stretch. I highly recommend it. It actually takes place on the beach so the woman teaching it is a silhouette, but if you know the basic poses you can follow.

Tomorrow its back to Jillian and back to work. I tried some of Megan's recipes this weekend so we will be eating those all week. We made both the Laughing Cow Chicken and the Potato Soup!

Productive Day

I woke up this morning with the urge to bake, so I made two loaves of Poppy Seed Bread.  There is nothing healthy about this recipe, but I knew I could take the leftovers to work tomorrow to get them out of the house.  

Poppy Seed Bread
3 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp poppy seeds
1 1/2 tsp almond flavoring
1 1/2 tsp vanilla flavoring
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/3 c canola or vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 c milk

Spray Pam in loaf pans and cover with a small amount of flour.  Mix the above ingredients and pour into the pans.  Cook at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.  Let cool in pans.

Once cooled, melt 2 tbsp of butter, and then add 3/4 c sugar, 1/2 tsp almond flavoring and 1/4 c orange juice.  Poor over top of loaves while still in the pan. 

While I was making the bread I realized that I didn't have any orange juice for the top.  And then it hit me - I have orange tress in my backyard!!    So I went out back and picked an orange. 

Our tress are not in good shape and you can see there are not many oranges growing, but I did manage to find a good one.

My friend Ines came over with her baby, Emily, this afternoon and we went for a walk along the water. It was windy, but really sunny and warm.

We walked for about 45 minutes. It felt good to get out and stretch my legs after my 7 mile run yesterday. Surprisingly I am not sure from my run yesterday.

I knew after Ines left that I wanted to do some cooking.  Pork was on sale at Costco a few days ago, so I ended up buying a 6.16 pound package. My husband likes pork tenderloin made with EVOO and garlic and BBQ pulled pork in the crockpot, but I really don't eat a lot of pork, or crave it any way.

I searched online for recipes so I could try something new. I found a Sweet and Sour Pork recipe that looked easy, only had 8 ingredients, and had good reviews, so I decided to try it.

After reading the reviews, I decided to add red pepper and pineapples to the pork.  It was so good, I had some for lunch!    I will definitely make this again.   It's a good thing I have 5 more pounds of pork in the freezer :) 

The rest of my day will be spent during laundry and picking up things around the house.  I am hoping to get to the gym this evening for a swim, but my husband is fixing something on my car, so it depends on what time he is done.    It will be a light workout regardless, as I have a  4.5 mile run planned for the morning. 

Seven Miles Isn't So Bad

Last night's low-key dinner out with friends turned into multiple beer pong games at the bar continuing way past midnight.  I was so determined to do my run this morning, I stuck to my original plan of one glass of wine with dinner, and I sat and drank water while watching all my friends play beer pong.  This was especially hard for me to do because I love beer pong!   How's the for willpower?  I was quite pleased with myself.


I was hungry when I woke up this morning, so I had a piece of toast with peanut butter, and a few extra tastes of peanut butter while the bread was toasting.  I have learned to keep fiber intake to a minimum before running :) 
The weather this morning was perfect for a run: 60 degrees, partly cloudy and a little wind.  I felt like an ad for Nike today.  Can you spot the 5 Nike swoosh symbols on me? 

My 7 mile run took me 12:24:52.  I did my 4 minute run/1 min walk interval for the full 7 miles.   There were a lot of people and cars around today so I had to stop running few extra times due to traffic or blocked sidewalks. 

I took my phone on my run today so I took a few pictures.  This is my favorite path to run on.  I run 1.5 miles down this stretch of road, and then turn around and come back for a total of 3 miles.  There is so much to look at while running, it helps to distract me.   Sometimes I see dolphins right along the edge of the water, but none today.

Here is a view of the water along the same road.  That's the north end of Clearwater Beach in the background.

My snack when I got home was 3 clementines.   They are not as juicy as I would have hoped, but considering the huge box of them cost me $7, I am going to eat them all! 

What are your go-to foods before and after workouts?  I also like to eat bananas after a hard workout when I know I need to get in some calories for a quick recovery.

Get up Early This Saturday!

That is my goal anyways...here are a few motivational videos.

I am a Runner

I can do this!

Good luck reaching your goals this weekend!

TGIF!

I worked from home today, so I was able to cook myself a healthy lunch.  I wanted to try a new recipe - a chicken breast cooked in lemon juice and EVOO and stuffed with vegetables.

.This recipe called for shredded carrots and onions, so I decided to use the shredding disc on my food processor.  It actually worked really well, except for the few pieces of carrots that didn't get shredded all the way.

Here is the final outcome..  I actually wasn't very impressed with it, so I am glad I only cooked one piece of chicken as a trial run.   It tasted ok but I just didn't care for the carrot and chicken combination.  I also added mozzarella cheese to the top, instead of the feta that was in the recipe.   I liked the cheese part :)

I hoped to get some organizing done around the house after I was finished working, but I ended up working late and now it's time to shower (yes, I am still in my pj's!) and get ready to go out to dinner tonight.   My house is pretty well organized but I have one room where all the junk ends up, and it's starting to get to me.   It will be a low key night so I am rested for my 7 mile run in the morning! 

If you try a new recipe that you don't end up liking, do you force yourself to eat the leftovers?    I do, unless it's really really bad or burnt.  But otherwise I usually suffer through eat it because I feel guilty throwing it away.

Unplanned Rest Day

Today was an unplanned rest day. I had intentions of doing another Jillian workout because I had an early morning meeting, however I slept right through it. I started to feel guilty and then I reminded myself that I still had a rest day to take this week and I needed to move on! The positive side is I hope is that I will feel better tomorrow and its going to be warm enough this weekend to run outside!

Challenge Update
I have one more Jillian workout this week...I did one Sunday, Wednesday and will do one tomorrow. I plan to run on Sunday as its going to be 40 degrees outside! Whoo hooo!

How do you plan your workouts? I usually take 1-2 days off a week depending on my schedule.

Motivation
For all you runner's out there, I get the daily "Runner's World Quote." Here is one of my favorites from this week.

"At first an ordeal and then an accomplishment, the daily run becomes a staple, like bread, or wine, a fine marriage or air. It is also a free pass to a friendship."

I remind myself that I choose to run and it is my friend because it takes me to another place to make me focus on whats important.

TGIF!

Laundry and Dishes

I can always tell when my husband and I are eating healthy meals at home and exercising, because I can't keep up with the amount of laundry and dishes!  Has anyone else noticed this?  By cooking meals at home, and eating them at home, and packing lunches, the amount of dishes is so much more than when we are eating out a lot or eating frozen meals at home.  With each of us working out 5 to 6 days a week, the laundry is piling up quicker than ever. 

It's been a busy few days of workouts.  Yesterday I ran 4 miles before work, and it was only 48 degrees.  That is cold for a Florida wimp like me.

I did get to wear my new Nike jacket that I bought at Kohl's last week.  It doesn't have fleece lining like the one I returned from Zappos, but this was perfect weight for this temperature.  The best thing about this jacket is the pockets.   It's kind of hard to see in this picture, but there are inside pockets where I can keep my gloves and not worry about them falling out. I think this will also be the perfect spot for my cell phone while riding my bike.

And check out the built-in strap for my iPod, to keep it snug in my front pocket. This is so much better than having the iPod on the arm band I usually wear, which gets bulky when wearing it over a jacket.

I was happy to have a lazy Ross waiting on the sofa for me when I got home.

My husband has been requesting Bean Kielbasa Soup, so last night I made it for dinner.  Normally I make this in the crockpot, but since we wanted to eat it for dinner I made it on the stove and let it simmer on low heat for about an hour.   I also added cauliflower to the soup. 

Slow Cooker Bean Kielbasa Soup
58 oz fat-free chicken broth, four 14.5 oz cans
16 oz low-fat sausage, smoked, or reduced-fat kielbasa, cut in half lengthwise and then sliced
15 oz canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
4 medium carrot(s), chopped
3 medium celery, stalks, chopped
1 large onion(s), chopped
1 tsp thyme
14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes, undrained

Instructions

Mix all ingredients, except tomatoes, in a 5 to 6-quart slow cooker (crockpot). Cover and cook on low-heat setting at least 6 hours or until vegetables are tender.  Stir in tomatoes; cover and cook on high-heat setting until heated through, about 15 minutes more.
 
Today is strength training day, and I decided to try a workout from Women's Running Magazine called "Building a Strong Core".   The exercises were demonstrated with a medicine ball, but I used a 3 lb weight instead.  Exercises included:

Single-leg balance with medicine ball
Wood Chop
Rotational walking lunge
Torso rotation
Abdominal crunch with a twist
Lateral lunge with rotation
Knee kick with rotation
Stationary lunge with overhead ball
Hip twister

The focus was on core training, but it also included lunges and squats, and my shoulders felt it too.  It took about 20-25 minutes, and I burned around 100 calories.  I may supplement this with some yoga on the Wii Fit Plus tonight if I am feeling ambitious.    

Have you seen the Women's Running Magazine?  I get excited every time it comes in the mail.  I just saw on their website that they have a newsletter which features health and fitness tips, nutrition education and profiles of real women runners. Sounds good to me - I just signed up for it!

One final note, a friend sent me this video this morning called "The Day after the Marathon".  For those runners out there, you will appreciate this video.

Quick, Easy, Dinner!

This is going to be a quick post as I have been swamped this week but thankfully coming home tonight to a pre-made dinner. I made Cooking Light's Spicy Turkey Meatloaf on Sunday and froze it to eat later in the week. Tonights the night!

The calorie content is pretty low so I may splurge and have one and half servings given my appetite today!

Here is the recipe...Have a good night!

Spicy Turkey Meat Loaf with Ketchup Topping
from Cooking Light, October 2009

1 tablespoon butter
2 cups chopped onion
1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon Sriracha (hot chile sauce, such as Huy Fong)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey breast
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, mushrooms, and garlic to pan; cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool 5 minutes.

Combine mushroom mixture, panko, and next 8 ingredients (through egg) in a large bowl; stir well to combine.

Shape turkey mixture into a 9 x 5–inch rectangle on a pan coated with cooking spray. Combine ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and nutmeg in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Spread ketchup mixture evenly over top of meat loaf.

Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 8.

What Challenges You?

Today I did the Jillian Beatdown as I call it again, which is really one of her Metabolism Boost workouts on Exercise TV. I had a meeting at 8am today so I woke up at 5, skipped the mile run this time and went right into her workout. I managed to burn 533 calories in about 50 minutes. Not bad for quick workout...and it was HARD!

31 Challenge
Jillian's workout has insprired me to re-think what my goals are and how in shape I really am. I can run 5 miles no problem, but am about to pass out during her circuit training workouts. I am convinced my body is used to my program and its time to change it up! So in celebration of turning 31, its almost 31 days away, I have decided to create my own 31 Challenge!

The program will consist of the following:
1. Eating 1,357 calories a day (calculated by Livestrong to lose 2lbs a week) plus additonal calories if I work out. I usually add 1/2 of my workout calories. So today for example I would add 250 calories additional to the 1,357.

2. Completing 3 of Jillian's workouts a week for at least an hour at a time. Some of the workouts are only 30 minutes so I would need to do two programs to complete my 60 minute circuit training goal.

3. Maintain a 10 minute mile, 5 mile run pace. My running is spurratic these days but training for the Columbus 1/2 Marathon on May 1st would begin after this challenge if I offically sign-up! I need to be comfortable at 5 miles to jump right into the training.

Goal
I am hoping this program allows me to be flexible enough to fit some spinning in there sometime because I really do love it and work around my work schedule. My focus is going to be core circuit training to see how it improves my overall fitness level. I also want to lose a few pounds before the 1/2 marathon training to help with speed.

Next Steps
I'll have to figure out where to track this on the blog this weekend. I took pre-measurements of my body to compare after the challenge is over as well as pictures. Not sure the pictures will ever make it to the internet but we'll see.

What challenges you? Anyone want to join me? Create your own challenge!

A Planner at Heart

For those of you that don't know me, I am a planner at heart.  So it shouldn't be surprising that every Sunday I sit down and plan my workouts for the week based on my work schedule and other commitments that I have during the week.  Here is my plan for this week:



Monday:  Run 4 miles, volleyball league after work
Tuesday: Cardio for at least 30 minutes
Wednesday: Run 4 miles
Thursday: Strength Training
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Run 7 miles
Sunday: Cardio for at least 30 minutes



I started off the morning with a 4 mile run outside.  I didn't leave the house until 6:30 am, and it was still dark outside, but luckily I live near a hospital where there is a lot of activity early in the morning with people changing shifts, so I feel safe running outside.  My run stats were:

Distance: 4 miles
Time:  45:20
Average pace: 11:20/mile

This is right on track with my goal pace of 11:30 for the half marathon.  I used the Galloway method again this morning, running for 4 minutes and walking for 1 minute.  After 3 miles I was getting cold from being sweaty and running in the wind, and I considered stopping, but I knew I only had to run for 11 more minutes, and I made myself continue.  Of course afterward, I was happy that I did my full distance and didn't cut out early.  I still need to work on those negative thoughts I get while running!

A few weeks ago I ordered a new bathing suit to begin training for the swim portion of my triathlon that's at the end of April.  At 5 '10", it's very hard to find a one piece suit that actually fits right.  After reading a ton of reviews on Zappos, I finally found a suit that fits really well - the TYR Diamondback.

I would like to start using my cardio days for either biking, spinning, or swimming, but I also want to be careful not to push my self too hard with my training, as my running is really my focus right now.  The problem is that I get bored with swimming very quickly, so I don't really look forward to a swim workout.   My goal this week will to be get in one day of swimming, either Tuesday or Sunday. 

Do you plan your workouts in advance?  Do you find that it helps you to stick with a schedule?

The D-Factor

Run
Today I woke up at 7:45 on a Sunday to make sure I made up for my "rest" day yesterday. A little crazy I know, but I had a scrapbooking date at 10 so I needed to get my run in. I started out around 8:15 hoping to run 1-2 miles and then do a Jillian Michaels workout on Exercise TV. For those of you that live in Ohio, it was a balmy 36 degrees which was great because it allowed me to run outside. I was motivated already this morning because I had a busy day but about 1/2 way into my run it started to rain/sprinkle and I was ready to stop. That is when the D-Factor as I call it set in.

I call it the D-Factor but it is really short for Dad. My dad passed away 6 years ago this week and I have been internally processing it a little more than usual. Sometimes when I run I remember when he first got sick he would always tell me, "Holly, do what I can't do." I don't think about this often but it hits me every once in a while when I am in a quiet zone, which is usually when I am running. One of the great benefits I think of longer runs. I call it the D-Factor because after I get to this internal place which is sometimes uncomfortable, I get this unbelievable push of motivation. Today I ran 3.5 miles on a drizzly day and felt like it was perfect out. I followed it up by a 22 minute Jillian Michaels workout and the enthusiasm from my great run this morning has lasted me all day.

Biggest Loser Power Sculpt
The workout I did today was the "Biggest Loser Power Sculpt workout on Exercise TV. It was 22 minutes led by Jillian and much easier than the last one I tried. My heart rate stayed up because of my run however you focused more on actual weight lifting mixed in with a few vinyasas which was a nice surprise. I think I will go back to the longer "beatdown" the next time. In my mind its more bang for your buck.


Scrap Date
After my run, I continued my scrapbooking mission to finish 2009 in January when its cold outside. I am close but have a few more pages to do. I posted the two pages I did today along with an additional Christmas one from Megan's visit. I used the Celebrations Crickett cartridge which I think I could do a lot more with. Thankfully I have one more birthday to scrapbook this year so I can play with it some more. The cupcakes were so cute! The other letters were done with the Lyrical Letter cartridge. Also on of my favorites because you get 4 fonts in one cartridge.

These pages show us in Tampa at the U2 concert :)

Dinner
Tonight for dinner we are having leftovers. Last night I continued with the planning for the week and made a Cooking Light Chicken and Dumplings Recipe. I am posting an easier recipe because the one last night took me two plus hours (you had to back the broth from scratch) and was WAY too time consuming. I will be using this recipe next time. The dumplings in the end were very good and worth the wait, but if there is an easier way, I will take it!

Quick Chicken and Dumplings

I also made turkey meat loaf which we'll eat later this week when our schedules get crazy again. It has a little spice to it so I am excited to try it. For now its in the freezer waiting for the stress of the week to kick in.

Its back to work now this afternoon for me, but the D-Factor definitely led me to an insprirational today. Thanks Dad :) I hope you enjoy the recipes and the scrabook layouts.

Hungry Girl Recipes

Today I tried out two Hungry Girl recipes from my "200 under 200" cookbook that Megan got me for Christmas.


I made Gooey Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing and Freezy Cool Whoopie Pie. The cinnamon roll recipe is attached below. They were so good they tasted like Cinnabon's and were only 126 calories. They are smaller than a Cinnabon, but amazing. They are for breakfast tomorrow but my husband and I split one. They also have 3g of protein so you are getting a little nutrition. The hardest part was rolling out the dough. When they say to press hard, they really mean it. I almost gave up!

Cinnamon Roll Recipe

The Whoopie Pie's were made out of cool whip and Vitamuffins. You can buy these at most health food stores now, however I order them online in bulk and eat them for a snack every once in a while. The chocolate ones are my favorite. The whoopie pie is simply a 100 calorie Vita-top (the top of the muffin only) sliced in half with two tablespoons of fat free coolwhip. You then make a sandwhich and put them in the freezer for an hour. Super simple! Its a 110 calorie delicious chocolate dessert.

My soreness got the best of me today so my husband and I went to see "Its Complicated" and did a lot of chores around the house. I am jealous of Megan's Twilight viewing today. LOVE that movie. Tomorrow I'll tackle my postponed run/Jillian workout Part 2 followed by some morning scrapbooking. Stay tuned for the results.

Any Hungry Girl readers out there?

Saturday Morning 6 Miles

Yesterday I opened my new Kitchenaid Artisan Mixer which arrived in the mail earlier this week.

Even Timmy and Max were excited:

And here she is....

Yes, I got white which is so boring, I know!  But I didn't want some color that didn't match my kitchen, and I heard these last forever, so who knows what my kitchen will look like in 20 years!    I can't believe how heavy this mixer is. 

Hopefully I will get a chance to use the mixer this weekend.  Yesterday I also made Wild Rice Turkey Bake to take to a friend's house.  They just had a baby, so I figured they could use some extra food in the freezer :) 

And on to today's run...

This morning I woke up 9:30am, and I could have fallen back asleep, but I knew I had to get up and do my 6 mile run. I ate a few almonds and checked the radar, and there was a lot of rain headed this way. I knew I had to get dressed and get out the door fast!


The run was good. I haven't run outside in almost a month, so I didn't even mind the wind and chance of rain. I did get lucky and I didn't even get rained on! My time was 1:12:30, which included a few walking breaks to drink water, and I also had one Gu packet around 3.5 miles.

I often find myself thinking negative thoughts while running, such as I can't do the whole distance, or getting frustrated that I am tired or out of breath.  Today I really tried to focus on the positive things, such as being excited that I was running outside and I am lucky to live in such a great place like Florida where I can be outside in the winters.  I also have to keep reminding myself that I chose to sign up for this half marathon, and I should be excited about my runs to prepare for it.

Now I am watching Twilight and going through weeks of mail while relaxing on the sofa.   Tomorrow I am going to see New Moon with my friend Shelley :) 

Are you a fan of Twilight?  Have you read the books and seen the movies?

Jillian's Beatdown

Part 2 -
I woke up this morning thankful that it was my last 5am wake-up call for the week and that I wasn't sore! I cannot believe I am not sore from the workout yesterday however I did fall asleep on the couch at 8:45. The workout really did kick my butt!

The idea of Jillian's workout and the same concept she uses in her 30 Day Shred book is circuit training. You confuse the muscles by switching between groups quickly. We started with a warm-up and then did 6-8 circuits (I lost count at the end) two times each. There were NO breaks between the circuits. Some of the moves included...

- Jumping Jacks
- Kickboxing
- Burbees
- Mountain Climbers
- Planks
- Lunges

Individually these moves can be challenging (Burbees get me every time), but when you heart rate is already up it is even more difficult. You didn't need any weights or equipment. Just your body.

Since I am feeling good today after running 2 miles and doing an arms/abs/glutes class at the gym, my goal tomorrow is to run outside (a nice 42 degrees hopefully) and take another challenge with Jillian. I am still bothered that the gym is SO crowded. Sunday is rest and scrapbook day so you can look for some more layouts!

Still working on my next challenge....What are your goals for the weekend?
TGIF!!

Part 1
For all of you Biggest Loser fans out there, I did Jillian Michael's Metabolism Boost on Exercise TV this morning, aka the morning beatdown.

Let me leave with a few highlights...
- 705 calories in 58 minutes (I added a mile run to the beginning thinking it wouldn't be hard enough...bad idea there.)
- I no longer think I am in shape. I could barely keep up.
- If you had Jillian at your side for the duration of the Biggest Loser, you to would lose 100 lbs. I am amazed how motivated she was through the TV!
- I am not sure I will be able to walk tomorrow we did so many squats and pliometrics. Not to mention two rounds of kickboxing!

Has anyone tried one of her workouts? I have her 30 day Shred book. Perhaps I should finishing reading it!! I will post a full review later today.

Breakfast of Champions (and a good dinner recipe!)

Breakfast
This week I have continued with my pre-packing on Sunday and modified my breakfast to include more protein and fiber to keep me full. I do not eat anything after breakfast until lunch which is usually around 12:00 or 12:30. Breakfast is usually around 8:00 am on my way to work after the gym.


The breakfast includes the following:

1 tablespoon of roasted flax seeds (1/2 a serving)
1/2 serving of Oikos Vanilla Greek Yogurt
1 serving of Trader Joes Country Pumpkin Granola

I pre-measured the flax seed and granola in 5 containers on Sunday and then add the yogurt in the morning before I leave for the gym. If I am hungry when I wake up and need something to get me through the workout I either have 1/2 a serving of the Trader Joes Very Green Juice or lowfat chocolate milk. Its enough to give me a few calories but not upset my stomach.

Dinner
For dinner tonight I modified a chicken noodle soup recipe from the January/February 2010 issue of Cooking Light. I made it in the crock pot and plugged it in on low this morning. I am eating it as I write this and it is yummy! Here is what I did...

Add the following ingredients to the crock pot the night before.

4 chicken breasts (mine were frozen)
2 cups of water
32 ounce carton of chicken broth
1/2 cup of onion (I just cut 1/2 of an onion)
salt and pepper as desired
One large bag of mixed vegetables. I used the Traders Joes Organic Foursome mix and 1/2 a bag of lima beans. In my mind you can never add too many veggies!
2 tablespoons of flat leaf parsley

In the morning plug the crockpot in. 45 minutes prior to eating, shred the chicken if it does not already fall apart and add 6 ounces of whole wheat pasta.

The meal according to Cooking Light has the following nutrional information for approximately 1 cup.

Calories: 237
Fat: 4.8g
Protein: 22g
Carb: 239g
Fiber: 1.7g
Chol: 50mg
Iron: 1.8mg
Calc: 28mg

More to Come...
Megan is training for an upcoming 1/2 marathon in February. It has gotten me thinking about my next race goal and how important nutrition and meal planning is while training. Stay tuned for more details about my new challenge!

How to you prepare your meals ahead of time? What goals do you have this race season?