I'm not neurotic

Weeks 1 And 3 Complete Including The Maiden Voyage

2012-01-29T18:09:00.013-06:00

This week I finished Week 1 of the weight loss challenge where I work, and I finished Week 3 of the Pull Up Challenge Workout. I only lost about a pound, but I'm OK with that. :)

On Tuesday morning, I got to the gym a little later then I had hoped, and then realized I had forgotten my tennis shoes at home. Since I couldn't workout in my boots, I went home. I realized I didn't have enough time to drive back to the gym, so I completed the workout at home. Although I did skip the deadlifts. I was running short on time and I couldn't think of a good substitute, so I just skipped it.

Yesterday I finally got my new swimsuit into the pool and completed its Maiden Voyage! The sprint triathlon I am thinking about doing has a 1/2 mile swim, which is about 16.5 laps in the pool. I swam 16 laps in about 20 minutes and I was pretty happy with that considering I haven't swam that far in quite some time.

Today I did another Pull Up Test and improved from last week. From a full hang, I did 1/2 of a pull up, but starting with my toes touching, I got 1 full pull up! For chin ups, I got 1/2 from a full hang, and 3 when I started from my toes (I made sure this week!) I don't think I will make my goal of 5 pull ups from a full hang after the first 4 weeks, but I do feel like I am getting better. Next week I am going to try pull ups from a jumping start. Before I started this program, I could do 2 and I am curious to see if I have improved using that method.

Have a great day!

Please see my Disclaimer/Disclosure Statement.

Leg Warmers Done And The Challenge Begins

2012-01-23T18:35:00.011-06:00

TA-DA! Finished the leg warmers for my daughter. She confided that they turned out better than she expected. Now she wants a matching scarf. :)

Today was Day 1 of the Weight Loss Challenge I joined at work. I've been ignoring the scale and going by how my pants are fitting, so this morning I was up a few pounds higher than I would like to be. My pants are still fitting OK, but I really think my goal is going to be to lose 5 pounds during this 6 week Challenge. This should work well with the Pull Up Challenge Workout I have been using because that will be 5 less pounds I have to pull up!!

This past Sunday was another Pull Up Test. From a full hang, I got 1/4 of a pull up and 1/2 of a chin up. Beginning with my toes touching, I got 1/2 a pull up and 1 full chin up. I feel like I should be able to do more chin ups. I think I complete the 1 and then decide that's it. Next week I am going to make sure I can't do another.

Have a great day!

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Crazy Idea of the Year

2012-01-17T18:30:00.006-06:00

Whew! Today I woke up pretty sore. I'm still sore from Sunday's workout! Workout 4 was exhausting and really worked my upper body. Workout 5 this morning wasn't as tiring. :)

So last year I ran a marathon. This year's crazy idea is....[drum roll, please]...sprint distance triathlon!

A friend at work asked me if I would be interested in trying one later this year. After thinking about it for a while, I bought a new swimsuit. Because nothing says getting ready to swim serious laps like a new racerback swimsuit. :) Later this week I plan to take said swimsuit on its maiden voyage and see if I can still stay afloat for any length of time. I haven't swam competitively since high school. I am hoping it's like riding a bike. I'll let you know how it goes!!

In other crazy ideas, I'm going to try and knit my daughter a pair of leg warmers. The most difficult thing I have ever knit is a scarf. If the leg warmers don't work out, I'm knitting her a blanket for her dolls. :)

Have a great day!

Support And Motivation for Weight Loss

2012-01-12T19:24:00.016-06:00

Today I finished the first week of Shawna K's Pull Up Challenge Workout. I've been trying to think of a shortened name, but PUC isn't working for me. :)

Workout 2 on Tuesday was similar to Workout 1 in structure - 13 exercises done in straight sets. Workout 3 was a little different; it was straight sets with a few supersets thrown in - 16 exercises total! Which sounds like a lot, but many of them were only 2 sets with short rest periods. I finished in about 35 minutes. No workout on Friday and Saturday, then I start Week 2 on Sunday.

In other local news, I joined a weight loss challenge at work. Not because I need to lose weight, but mostly to support my friends who have joined, and for motivation. And if I happen to lose a few pounds, then it will help the team! :)

And speaking of motivation and support, Friday, January 13 is the last day to join the 13th TT Transformation Contest! If your lucky number is 13, then this is your lucky day! :)

Social support is one of the keys to successful weight loss. So tomorrow morning, get up, put on some workout wear or a bathing suit, grab your local newspaper, and take a picture or two. You don't have to get your support from the TT Forums like I do, you can have a buddy take their Before pictures as well! Read the rules for the contest here: TT Contest Rules

Then, all you have left is to choose which TT workout to use. Complete the first workout, see how it feels. After a couple workouts, you may start thinking, "Hmmm, if I tweaked my diet, I would have better results." And before you know it, the 12 weeks are done and you are taking your After pictures. For inspiration, check out recent winners: TT Contest Winners

Have a great day and Good Luck!

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Beginning the Pull Up Challenge

2012-01-09T17:24:00.008-06:00

I thought I was recovering from my cold, and then it took a turn for the worst. I ended up missing 2 workouts last week. I thought about doing 1 of them on Saturday, but just decided to take that last day of rest before I began my new program on Sunday.

So on Sunday I began Shawna K's Pull Up Challenge Workout. The first thing on the list is to measure how many pull ups you can do from a full hang. My score? Zero, none, zilch. When I reach up to the pull up bar, from floor to bar, I am at full extension, so I tried to do a pull up beginning with my toes only touching the floor, but no pushing off. My score? 1/4 of a pull up. :) I repeated this for chin ups (just for my own curiosity) and got a score of zero at a full hang, and a score of 1 full chin up with just my toes starting on the ground. Hmm....I've got a lot of work to do.

The workout was straight sets of DB rows, incline presses, push ups, squats, etc - 11 exercises in all. It's been a while since I have done straight sets so this is a change of pace for me. The workout went pretty fast - it took me about 35 minutes. Today I'm pretty sore in my triceps, lats and chest. Tomorrow is workout 2. There are 3 workouts per week, and from what I can tell after looking ahead a bit, it looks like Phase 1 has 12 unique workouts. It will be kind of cool to do a different workout every time I go to the gym!

Have a great day!

Please see my Disclaimer/Disclosure Statement.

Goals For 2012

2012-01-03T18:57:00.016-06:00

Now that I have had some time to reflect (and to recover from the cold/plague that my children so generously shared with me), I have thought about my goals for 2012. But first, I wanted to recap my 2011 Goals:

2011 Goals

1. Post on blog more often. Hmmm, not so successful on this one.
2. Run a marathon. Check.
3. Be more personable. I think I accomplished this, more so in the latter part of the year.
4. Spend more time with my family. Double check. (Also more so in the latter part of the year.)

Here are my goals for 2012. I came up with a few more this year....

2012 Goals

1. Eat a healthy, balanced diet. I recently read Craig Ballantyne's 14-Day Fast Fat Loss Guide where he gives a complete 14-day Fast-Track guide to fat loss using the exact plan he gave to a college buddy who had gained 25 pounds since the birth of his baby. Lots of great advice in that article. This would be a great kick-start for 2012, even for me. I gained a couple pounds over the holidays and would like to quickly lose them (see Goal #2).

2. Maintain my weight. After losing those couple "holiday pounds", I'd like to maintain my weight. At the end of TT Contest #12, I felt like I was at a good weight. I'd like to stay around 145 lbs.

3. Be present and focused in every workout. No more listening to October Project during my workouts. I need more girl-power, butt-kicking music. :)

4. Increase number of pull ups I can do. I am beginning Shawna Kaminski's Pull Up Challenge Workout next week and I would like to increase the number of pull ups I can do in a row to 10. Mini goal: 5 pull ups after 4 weeks of the program. I haven't been able to do that many in a row for a while now. I am looking forward to working toward this goal.

5. Get my chin ups count back to over 10. I used to be able to do that many, then I stopped working on it.

6. Hug my children more often. :)

7. Post on my blog 2-3 times a week. I plan to post my progress with my workouts, and am hoping to start posting recipes again.

8. Keep up with the housecleaning. I am a horrible housewife. ;)

That's about it. Hope everyone is having a great New Year!

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Happity Holidays

2011-12-31T14:35:00.022-06:00

Happy Holidays Everyone! :)

Hope your holiday season has been going well. A very big Thank You to everyone who voted for me for the 12th Turbulence Training Contest - I got Second Place! There is a new rule now that once you place, you are ineligible to win again, so no more TT Contest finals for me. But I still may join a contest in the future, just for the accountability and camaraderie.

If you are thinking about getting into shape in the new year, I do recommend a contest to increase accountability and motivation. The 13th TT Contest has recently begun - you can read the rules here: TT Contest Rules

I typically like to start on a Sunday or Monday so that I finish on a weekend. This Sunday (tomorrow!) is January 1st - what a perfect day to start! If you start on January 1, the end of the 12 weeks (Day 84) would then be Saturday, March 24.

If you interested in checking out Turbulence Training without joining the contest, you can do so here: Turbulence Training Trial

It's amazing to see how different people look in their Before and After pictures. For a little inspiration, here are some of the past winners: TT Contest Winners

Don't forget you can win up to $1000! But the real prize is the Platinum TT Membership.

It seems like it wasn't that long ago that I was debating about joining the 1st TT Contest, but it was 4 whole years ago! That has turned out to be one great decision. I have remained a member of the TT forums and have access to tons of different TT workouts. In addition, the Forums provide answers to questions and a place to "meet" with other like-minded TT lovers. And with a new workout coming out every month, it's like the gift that keeps on giving. :)

This year has been up and down for me (or should I say down and then up?) and I am looking forward to hippity hopping into the new year.

Happy New Year and here's to a Happy New You! :)

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TT Voting And New Pull Up Goals

2011-12-19T17:02:00.009-06:00

Hello! Seems like so many things have been going on that I don't know where to begin! I'll start with an update on the current TT Contest (#12). Finalists have been announced for the 12-week contest and you can vote here: TT Contest #12 Voting

Thank you to everyone who voted for me during the 6 week mini-contest. It was super exciting to win First Place! The next TT Contest will start December 26. You can read all the rules here: TT Contest Rules

Currently I am using the TT Metabolic Resistance Training Finishers workout. I like the first 2 workouts, but am a bit ambivalent about the 3rd. It's a good workout, but the exercises are by time instead of reps. I typically don't like doing workouts by time. I'm usually not standing near a clock with a second hand, and looking at my watch mid-exercise is annoying. So I counted the number of reps I did in the allotted time, and will just count reps in future workouts.

In a few weeks, after I finish that workout, I am going to start a new Pull Up Challenge Workout that I just bought. I was drawn to it 1) because it is a female trainer 2) with a program to improve pull ups. Her name is Shawna Kaminski and she can do more than 25 pull ups and 100 pushups straight. I am pretty impressed by that! So I am excited to start this workout in early January. Currently, I can do a couple pull ups in a row with a jumping start, but I would love to be able to do a lot more from a full hang. New Goal = 5 perfect pull ups after the first 4 weeks.

I typically don't buy other programs because historically, they haven't worked as well for me. TT always seems to work the best so I am hesitant to start something new. But, I feel like I am in a good place physically and mentally. I don't plan on entering TT Contest #13 because I don't think I have big changes to make. So this seems like a good time to embark on a new 4-week Pull Up Adventure. If it goes well, I'll move on to Phase 2 of the Challenge Workout; if not, I'll be back with a good TT Workout. I'll keep you updated!

Now go vote!! TT Contest #12 Voting

:)

Have a great day and Happy Holidays!!

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End of Week 8 and Mini Contest Voting

2011-11-07T21:45:00.007-06:00

Weeelllllll, I meant to post more often!

I just finished Week 8 and am feeling pretty good, although my nutrition has begun to wander and I need to reign it back in a bit. I just began a new workout - TT for Buff Guys and Hot Gals. :) I used TT for Buff Dudes and Hot Chicks a few years ago and really liked it so I think I will like this newer workout. I've done 2 of the 4 days so far - Day 1 left me pretty exhausted and Day 2 really worked my arms.

Also, the finalists have just been announced for the 6-Week TT Mini Contest! Congratulations to all the finalists!

If you would like to vote, here's where to go: TT Mini Contest Voting

Here's my 6-Week Mini Contest Photos and Essay:

After gaining a lot of weight during my depression this past year, I knew I needed to do something to get back into shape. I finally decided to join TTC12, and for the last 6 weeks, I have felt fantastic! I love the 2 workouts I have used: TT Metabolic Resistance Training and TT for Hard Core Fat Loss. My nutrition has been pretty straightforward: eat well 85-90% of the time.

One of the best benefits is that my energy has skyrocketed! I've finally gotten to projects that have been sitting around for months. And I'm a better mom and wife. Unfortunately, my family had been on the receiving end of my grouchy side for quite some time, but now I feel like a better person. I nearly cried when my daughter gave me a picture she drew with the words "I love you very much" written on it. Then, I really felt like I was "back".

During the past 6 weeks I lost 10.2 lbs and a total of 11.5", including 3" off of my abdomen. My bodyfat dropped 2.3% and I just FEEL better physically, mentally and emotionally. I lost more weight in the past 6 weeks than I did while I was training to run a marathon!

I knew joining this contest would be good for me, but it really has exceeded my expectations. Thank you to all my TT friends for your support! I look forward to the next 6 weeks and seeing everyone's continued success!

Have a great day!!

Please see my Disclaimer/Disclosure Statement.

End of Week 2 Update

2011-09-24T13:03:00.005-05:00

Week 2 is in the books!

This week has gone well. I've really been liking my workout, TT Metabolic Resistance Training. I'm down 5 lbs and about 1% bodyfat since Day 1 of the contest. Whoo-hoo!!

The best part is that I feel like I've been eating "real food". What I mean by that is I've been eating yummy, healthy food (a lot of recipes from Clean Eating magazine), and not, for example, carrot sticks wrapped in a lettuce leaf. Because that would make me cranky. :)

Here's my workout week in a nutshell:

Sunday: TT Metabolic Resistance Training, Workout A (about 30 minutes)
Monday: 25 minutes Warrior Yoga
Tuesday: OFF
Wednesday: TT Metabolic Resistance Training, Workout B (about 20 minutes)
Thursday: OFF
Friday: TT Metabolic Resistance Training, Workout C (about 35 minutes)
Saturday: TT Metabolic Resistance Training, Workout D (about 20 minutes)

Have a great day!

Please see my Disclaimer/Disclosure Statement.

New TT Contest and Jedi Mind Tricks

2011-09-19T18:49:00.005-05:00

Well, I did it. I signed up for TT Transformation Contest #12. My start date was Sunday, September 11 and my son took my Before pictures. As a photographer, he's as good as (if not better than) his father! Haha. :)

I meant to post this earlier because the last day to enter for a full 12 week transformation was September 17. You can still enter, but you won't get the full 12 weeks because you have to submit your final pictures and essay by Saturday, December 10.

The first week went pretty well for me. One of my first tasks was to remove alcohol from my diet. For the past several months I've been through a bit of a depression and I became best friends with a certain boozy pirate. This contest has been a great way for me to "get my act together". Being back on the forums and seeing old friends really has given me a boost.

The workout that I chose to start with is TT Metabolic Resistance Training. It's 4 days a week, but I really needed something that was going to help me get back on track. This workout has been perfect for me. There are 2 days that are strength training in supersets and 2 days that are more of a circuit. So it's been a nice variety.

Yesterday my daughter attempted to use her Jedi Mind Tricks on me. Instead of asking for a yellow straw for her glass of milk, she said to me, "You will give me a yellow straw." Maybe she's the one who finally made me commit to the TT Contest, "You will join the TT Contest." ;) Now I just need to get my mindset focused - Get into shape, we will!!

Have a great day!

Please see my Disclaimer/Disclosure Statement.

Summer Vacation

2011-08-23T18:47:00.010-05:00

That's what I've been up to! After the spring marathon, I took some time off, caught some fish

and then trained for a half marathon. Did OK - finished 4 minutes slower than last year. But I will confess to not training as hard as I should have.

I chose that picture to show off my husband's amazing picture-taking skills. :)

You may notice that I have a poncho tucked into the back of my belt. Because I had to run another race in the rain! For the first 3 or so miles of the half marathon it was pouring rain. Then the sun came out and it was beautiful for the rest of the race.

There's a 5K race coming up that I want to run, and then another half marathon around Halloween, but I'm going to hold off on signing up until I am absolutely sure that I want to commit to the training.

I should be posting more often later this summer or early fall. Hope you are enjoying your summer!

I Am A Marathon Runner

2011-06-02T18:39:00.007-05:00

A slow marathon runner, but I finished! And it was a PR! ;)

The first 15 miles went great. This picture was taken just after the 15 mile mark. Still smiling! I was right on pace, averaging a little over 12:00 per mile.

Then it started to rain. And it rained for the next couple hours, during which I finished the remaining 11 miles. I'm not going to lie, I was feeling pretty miserable. I would run a bit, then walk. And when I would walk, my left knee would pop with each step, so I would run. Repeat.

And then it started to lightening and thunder. I had about a mile to go when a woman walked by and said, "You better hurry, they are thinking about closing the course."

Hurry?!?

Well, I decided I wasn't going to get that near to the finish and have the course close on me! I gave that last mile everything that I had left (uphill!)

I felt so proud crossing the finish line, even though my time was 5:43:22. (Thanks to everyone who stood in the rain to cheer for me!!)

A co-worker (who is a marathon runner) hinted to me that since I am a beginner, the next marathon I run will undoubtedly be faster.

NEXT MARATHON?!?!

20 Miles Or Bust

2011-05-09T18:17:00.012-05:00

I did it! I ran 20 miles! For the first time ever. I was determined to complete it even if I had to crawl the last mile. I was a little worried because my feet started hurting earlier in the run than I anticipated, but after a while I think I got used to it (or maybe my feet just went numb, lol). The temperature was 38 degrees when I started and 68 degrees (F) when I finished! The only major problem was that I wore new shorts (stupid! stupid! stupid!) These shorts rubbed me the wrong way for nearly all 20 miles. I was sure I would be bleeding at the end but it ended up looking not nearly as bad as it felt (I guess I was hoping for a bigger battle scar!) Nice Mothers' Day gift to myself, right? ;)

At the end of the run, "Everybody Hurts" by Avril Lavigne started playing on my mp3 player. I recently bought the Goodbye Lullaby album so I hadn't listened to it a lot yet, but all I heard as I was finishing my last mile was "Everybody hurts some days, it's okay to be afraid, everybody hurts, everybody screams, everybody feels this way, and it's okay..." and it just seem to fit. Because I hurt. And I'm terrified of running the marathon.

Today I am happy to report that I am sore, but walking upright. :)

Here's my training for the rest of the week:

Week 15
Monday: TT 2K3, workout A (upper body workout)
Tuesday: 2.22 miles, 27:00
Wednesday: pace workout, 3.83 miles, 45:00
Thursday: 3.28 miles, 40:00
Friday: stride workout, 2.41 miles, 30:00
Saturday: OFF
Sunday: 20 miles, 4:19:12 (12:58/mile average)

Totals: 31.74 miles, TT 2k3 workout A

Have a great week!
(And Belated Happy Mothers' Day!)

Squirrels Do Not Like Jelly Beans

2011-05-03T17:25:00.010-05:00

OK, I'm a little late, but I have a cute Easter story. Early on Easter morning, the (ahem) Easter Bunny left a number of candy-filled plastic eggs in our backyard. I went out for a long run while the kids were still sleeping. A couple of hours later I called home to see if the kids had collected the eggs. They hadn't, so I asked my husband if he could hold them off a little longer since I was 2 miles from home. When I got home, the kids started putting the eggs in their bags and my husband and I noticed that we seemed to be missing a quite few! We had 2 neighbors report that they saw squirrels with Easter eggs. We also found stray eggs under the neighbor's car, behind the neighbor's garage, in their flower bed, in their window well, half buried in my flowerbed, behind our shed and under our garbage cart. I think there ended being about 20 or so that just disappeared. Although I have found 3 empty ones since then. But apparently squirrels don't like jelly beans because we found several opened eggs with the jelly beans lying there next to the egg. :)

So anyway, here's my training for the past 2 weeks. I can't remember if I mentioned this before or not, but most of my treadmill workouts include 3-5 minutes of walking at the end.

Week 13
Monday: off
Tuesday: TT 12 Minute Workouts (x2), Intervals - 1.22 miles, 15:00
Wednesday: TT 12 Minute Workouts (x2)
Thursday: pace workout: 3.46 miles, 41:00
Friday: tempo workout, 2.51 miles, 30:00
Saturday: off
Sunday: 12 miles, 2:25:04 (this run went really well!)

Total: 19.19 miles, TT 12 Minute Workouts
(This week got a little messed up because I woke up late on Wednesday. I didn't actually plan to do TT workouts 2 days in a row.)

Week 14
Monday: 10 Minutes Yoga Solution
Tuesday: TT 12 Minute Workouts (x2), Intervals - 1.53 miles, 20:00
Wednesday: tempo workout, 2.54 miles, 30:00
Thursday: TT 12 Minute Workouts (x2)
Friday: pace workout, 5.05 miles, 60:00
Saturday: off
Sunday: 15.31 miles, 3:07:57 (windy day!)

Total: 24.43 miles, TT 12 Minute Workouts, 10 minutes yoga

And finally, TT Transformation Contest #11 has begun! If you are interested, you can check it out here ==> TT Transformation Contest

I've been thinking about joining this one, but not until later this month. You have until Memorial Day to sign up.

Have a great day!

Please see my Disclaimer/Disclosure Statement.

Week 12 Workouts

2011-04-18T16:57:00.010-05:00

This week's training went pretty well. Here's a brief run down (no pun intended):

Monday: OFF

Tuesday: TT for Amazing Lower Abs, Workout A, with Intervals

Wednesday: Tempo run, 45 minutes total, 3.76 miles

Thursday: TT for Amazing Lower Abs, Workout B, no intervals

Friday: Pace workout, 40 minutes total, 3.4 miles

Saturday: 20 minutes AM Yoga, hip focus

Sunday: 17.75 miles, 3:45:16

Total: 26.24 miles, TT for Amazing Lower Abs - Workouts A & B, 20 minutes Yoga

I felt pretty good during Sunday's run. Much better than last week! During the last 2 miles I started to feel like I was running on bone. I mean, it felt like my feet had zero padding. Do I just have to run through this until my feet get used to the miles, or is there something I can do now? I just got new shoes - Brooks Ghost 3. (The store didn't have the Saucony style I was looking for in stock, so they talked me into the Brooks.) I just started taking a new Glucosamine/Chondroitin supplement so I'm hoping that will help. I've been taking it for about a week. Usually my feet hurt earlier in the run so either my feet ARE getting used to the miles, or the supplement did help a little this week.

Also, after my long runs, I feel like I have the flu for the rest of the day. I get the chills and feel achy and generally icky. I assume it's from the exertion and maybe from a bit of dehydration, although this week I took extra water with me. Does this happen to anyone else??

Aside from that, the long run felt pretty good. Maybe it was the yoga, or the massive amount of carbs I had on Saturday, or maybe it was the "perfect" weather (mid-30's and mostly sunny), but my overall average per mile was much faster than my usual long runs. Even the last couple miles were faster even though my feet really hurt. So, I'm pretty happy about that! We'll see how things go next week...

Have a great week!

Playing Catch Up

2011-04-13T17:33:00.011-05:00

First, if you haven't voted for your favorite finalists in the 10th Turbulence Training Contest, you can do so here ==> TT Contest Voting Go on, vote and come back, we'll wait. :) Voting ends on Friday.

OK, apparently I don't write on my blog very often, according to an old friend who ran into my sister at the bank and said "Abby hasn't written on her blog in over a month!" LOL - I know you're out there HT! ;)

So here I am to say "I'm Here!" and I've been training for the marathon, although I've been a bit frustrated. I feel like I'm not at the level I should be by now. I don't necessarily feel like I should be really fast, I just feel like I shouldn't be really slow. And right now, I'm feeling really slow!

This weekend is scheduled to be one of my longest runs ever, 18-20 miles. Luckily, it is not supposed to be HOT like it was last Sunday. It was a fluke hot spring day and I had to quit 2 miles too soon because I was overheating and out of water.

So here's a brief look at what I've been doing the past few weeks. The miles listed are a mix of long runs, intervals, pace and tempo workouts. It's been a real slow process. It's only been the last few weeks that I have started feeling less tired and more like myself!

Week 7: 6.13 miles, 10 minutes yoga (ran a 5K race instead of a long run)
Week 8: 15.96 miles, 60 minutes P90X Stretch
Week 9: 15.33 miles, TT 2K3 Workouts A & B (I have been missing TT!)
Week 10: 17.24 miles, TT 2K3 Workouts A & B
Week 11: 20.18 miles, TT Amazing Abs Workout B

Now I am in Week 12 and I'll post more details on that soon.

That's about it! I promise to be back sooner next time! :)

Please see my Disclaimer/Disclosure Statement.

So...I Took Some Time Off...But Now I'm Back!

2011-03-07T16:54:00.005-06:00

So...OK...I took a little time off from marathon training. I'm not sure what happened. I was sick, and then I had lingering fatigue, and never did find out what was wrong. I've only been running here and there for the last few weeks. But now I have been feeling better and will begin training more consistently. Yesterday I ran about 10 miles, and I am definitely feeling sore today! :)

I'll be back with more training updates, but I wanted to point you to the winners of the 6 Week Turbulence Training Mini Contest. (You may recall I didn't join the 10th TT Contest because I wanted to focus on running.) But here's the winners of the Mini Contest: TT 6 Week Mini Contest

Very impressive 6 week transformations!! Congratulations!

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Week 2: Feeling Like A Wimp

2011-02-07T17:15:00.003-06:00

During week 2 I was still feeling pretty tired. I went to see the doctor and I had a mono test done. The results came back inconclusive; the nurse basically told me that I might have mono, but I might not. I had mono years and years ago and that was much worse than this. But it would explain why I am so tired.

Monday was the day that I forgot my running shoes when I went to the gym and so I only ran about 2 miles.

Tuesday was a 30 minute tempo run.

Wednesday was a snow day! It was a blizzard outside and I wasn't going anywhere.

Thursday and Friday just didn't happen. I didn't work out at all - too tired. I know, I sound like such a wimp!

Saturday I was feeling a little more energetic. I was supposed to run 5 miles - I ran only 3.

Sunday I was supposed to run 11 miles (according to my master plan) but I'm just not ready for that so I planned to run 8 miles. The first 4 felt pretty good, but during the 5th mile I got really tired. I decided to take a short cut home and ended up running about 7.5 miles. My pace was super slow, but I didn't care. I think I would have been able to run 8 (or even more) if it hadn't been snowing for the entire run. I had to run in about 1/2" to 1" of snow and it was a little bit like running in sand. I was absolutely exhausted when I got home.

So, 3 days off this week, but not quite a total bust.

Week 2 totals: 15.3 miles
Week 1 totals: 11.6 miles, 25 minutes Warrior Yoga

Days 4-8: A Recap

2011-01-31T17:13:00.009-06:00

Thursday morning I was supposed to run 2 miles, but I woke up too late to get to the gym. I might have been able to run outside, but it's still pretty dark at that time of the morning, and on top of that, it was snowing pretty good. So I decided to throw in a 20 minute yoga DVD. I turned on the TV and DVD player and put in the DVD. Then I proceeded to putz around the house doing "this and that". If I don't take care of "this and that" before the workout, then I will think about it during the whole workout (see previous post RE: brain chatter). So by the time I got done with "this and that" it was too late for yoga because I had to go to work.

By Thursday afternoon, my "sniffle" had become a full blown cold. I didn't work out on Friday, and I stayed home from work. I ended up sleeping most of the day - I hadn't realized how exhausted I was! By Friday night, aside from some sneezing, a runny nose, and a few lingering body aches, I was feeling a bit better.

On Saturday morning I decided to give running a try. I was supposed to run 10 miles, but I just didn't see that happening. I started out slowly, and the first mile felt pretty good. The second mile was mostly uphill, so it was a bit slower. The third mile was mostly downhill, and it was a bit faster. :) During the fourth mile, I was still feeling good, so I decided to turn away from home instead of toward home. I finished with 5.84 miles at about an average 12:00/mile pace. And I was pretty tired.

Sunday was a day off.

Which brings us to today. I was going to run 3 miles this morning. And so I drove to the gym. And then realized I forgot my tennis shoes. Grrrrrr. So I went back home and got my shoes and went back to the gym and ran 2 miles.

After my workouts I've been drinking the Lemon-Lime Recovery Drink from Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life. It looks like the "sludge test" from freshman year science class, but actually tastes great. Although I don't think my husband would try it in a million years. :)

Week 1 totals: 11.6 miles, 25 minutes Warrior Yoga

Days 2 and 3: Yoga and Pacing

2011-01-26T18:41:00.010-06:00

Yesterday morning I did a 25 minute yoga workout (told you I was starting slow).

Recently, I've been doing yoga a lot more often. I used to be very anti-yoga, but by forcing myself to do it, I've found that it's made me much more flexible. Sometimes I struggle with getting rid of the chatter in my head. You would think that yoga would help clear the noise, but it doesn't work that way for me. If I don't start with a clear head, I have a lot of trouble finishing the workout.

Today's workout was a 40 minute pace workout. A pretty slow pace, but a pace workout nonetheless. After a mile warm up, I did 2x400, and then 2x800, followed by a half mile cool down. I haven't been running a lot recently and just feel like I need to start slowly to build up my "running confidence". On top of that, I've got a little sniffle, so my breathing isn't quite at 100% capacity. :)

I recently read an article about age, sex and finish time compared to pacing in a marathon. The authors found that older, female and faster runners were better at pacing than younger, male and slower runners, respectively. (March DS, et al, J Strength Cond Res 25(2): 386-391, 2011) So I have the female going for me, but the younger and slower I think is going to trump that! I'm really going to have to learn to concentrate on pacing in my long runs so that I don't burn out.

Have a great day!

Marathon Training, Day One

2011-01-24T18:49:00.007-06:00

I ran 2 miles.

I'm starting slowly. ;)

And I still got a blister. I just got my running shoes not that long ago so I'm not sure it's my shoes.

Also, I bought one of those braces for plantar fasciitis that you put on your foot while you are sleeping. It basically holds your foot so that it is flexed. I'm still not sure that's what is wrong with my foot, but this morning my foot pain was diminished. However, my calf was sore. I was not amused. I'll give the brace a week or two at the most before I make my final decision on whether or not it's working.

Finally, rest in peace Jack LaLanne. What a guy! The fitness icon died yesterday at 96 years old from respiratory failure due to pneumonia. I have his Juicer collecting dust in my basement. I bought it from my sister at her moving sale years ago. I should get that out and take it for a spin!

Have a great day!

My Vegan Challenge

2011-01-14T18:32:00.006-06:00

All this week I've had "We've got the power, so can yoooooooooooouuuuuuu" stuck in my head. My husband got me She-Ra, Season 1, Volume 1 for Christmas. The kids are loving it, especially my daughter. She is totally into "Princess" and go-go Girl Power! :)

This week I've been undergoing a "vegan challenge". I had joined the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart (free to join), which began on January 3, but I didn't follow a vegan plan for the entire first week. Then I learned about a "vegan challenge" where I work. They were doing a 7-day challenge, and I was determined to give it a try. (A vegan diet contains no animal products - so no meat, dairy, eggs, honey.)

The majority of my meals this week came from Brendan Brazier's Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life and from Robin Robertson's Vegan Planet. In some ways, it was nice (lots of fruits and veggies, new recipes to try), but my food processor definitely got a workout, and so did my digestive tract. Let's just say I had a lot of fiber and flax. :)

Here's my menu so far this week (in somewhat random order, not necessarily by meal):

*Denotes Thrive Diet recipe, or at least derived from a Thrive Diet recipe ;)

Monday:
Quinoa and Sweet Potato Pancakes*
Salad with cukes, tomatoes, nutritional yeast, sesame seeds*
Dressing made with tomatoes, oil, vinegar, and agave nectar*
Homemade vegetable crackers*
Clementine, banana
Energy bar*
Tofu & Kale Spanakopita (Vegan Planet recipe)

Tuesday:
almonds, date, flax, carob powder, Vega powder, almond milk*
Tofu & Kale Spanakopita leftovers
pear, apple
Energy bar*
potatoes/onion
Boca burger
applesauce
prunes, peanut butter, almonds
popcorn with nutritional yeast

Wednesday:
Quinoa and Sweet Potato Pancakes*
lentil soup with quinoa
clementines, banana, pineapple
Energy bar*
Polenta Chili Casserole (Vegan Planet recipe)
almonds, raisins, peanut butter

Thursday:
Oatmeal with pumpkin, walnuts, almond milk
Salad with cukes, tomatoes, nutritional yeast, sesame seeds*
Dressing made with tomatoes, oil, vinegar, and agave nectar*
Clementines, pear, almonds
Homemade vegetable crackers*
Energy bar*
Mac and "Cheese" (Vegan Planet recipe - pictured below)
Chocolatey Peanut Butter Brownie (Vegan Planet recipe - pictured below)

Friday:
Tortilla with peanut butter, banana and strawberries
Mac and "Cheese" leftovers (lunch and dinner)
Homemade vegetable crackers*
almonds, pineapple, carrots
Chocolatey Peanut Butter Brownie

Quite frankly, I miss eggs. I don't really miss meat, but I miss eggs. Thursday night I had a dream that I ate something with egg in it and after I ate it I thought, "Wait, eggs aren't vegan!" and then I woke up. One of my son's favorite meals is "eggs and toast" and we usually have that for dinner a few times a month, so I think those dinners will stay. :)

Energy-wise, for the first 3 days I was kind of tired (probably sugar withdrawal) but by Thursday, I had tons of energy. Basement painting here I come! We are turning part of the basement into a playroom for the kids. I let the kids choose the colors - one wall will be pink, and the other will be green.

Have a great weekend!

New Year, New Goals

2011-01-12T17:22:00.006-06:00

This year has gotten off to a pretty good start, and I wanted to share a few goals/resolutions that I have for the year. You are already familiar with some of these. :)

1. Post on the blog more often.
I've been a little neglectful.

2. Run a marathon.
Or even jog one. :) I haven't been running as much as I would like to be. I confess, I've been a bit of a wimp. The weather has been really cold, and even though I bought some cold weather running gear, I haven't run outside. I also have a nagging pain in my foot. It actually started around the time I ran the half marathon. I thought it might be plantar fasciitis, but I don't have any heel pain, which seems to be a common symptom. It's more in the ball of my foot. I feel it in the morning when I first wake up, and also after sitting for a while, like when I'm in a meeting and then stand up afterward. I'm concerned because I haven't even started training yet!

3. Be more personable.
I am horrible at small talk. I've been accused of not being "effusive". So this year, I will "effuse". :)

4. Spend more time with my husband and kids, separately and together.
I always feel like I'm telling my kids, "In a minute." I want to spend more quality time with my kids. And a "date night" with my husband every once in a while wouldn't hurt either. :)

And, of course, eat right, exercise, and get more sleep. All of which will help me achieve my goals!

Happy New Year everyone!

Back In Action

2010-12-27T17:28:00.009-06:00

Ahem, so, well, it's been awhile since I've posted. :)

New Year's Resolution #1:
Post on Blog more frequently.

I have 2 big announcements!

First, I got second place in the Women under 40 Category in the last TT Contest (Contest #9). Very excited about that! The 10th TT Contest has already begun - you can read the rules HERE. Start your year on the right foot! :)

Second big announcement: I have signed up to run a full marathon. Not EXACTLY sure what I was thinking! But I do plan to post more about training, nutrition, etc. I think it will help keep me in line! :)

My "official" training will start near the end of January, so I might not post too much before then, but I'm going to try!

Happy New Year!

Please see my Disclaimer/Disclosure Statement.

TT Contest Week 4 - Update and Really Exciting News

2010-09-29T18:36:00.002-05:00

My Goodness, has it really been nearly 4 weeks since I posted?

[Hangs head in shame.]

Where to begin?

Well....on Sunday I will have completed the first 4 weeks of the TT Contest. I'm just finishing up TT for Meatheads V and loving it! Next week I will begin TT for Jacked and Lean Meatheads. I'm a little scared - one of the guys on the TT Forums has been saying it's a tough workout!

Speaking of the TT Forums, I've been really good about posting my workouts and nutrition in my contest thread, something that I didn't do in the last contest. I'd forgotten how much fun it can be to interact with all of the other contest participants.

Nutrition has been pretty solid. Only a few little glitches here and there. One of my goals for this contest is to eat vegetarian at least 2 full days per week. So far that has been going well. I got tons of yummy-looking recipes courtesy of the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart. I've made some of those and am looking forward to trying a lot more! Tonight for dinner I made a pizza using a crust recipe from Vegetarian Times, homemade meatless sausage, and Daiya vegan cheese. It was, in a word, AWESOME!

In minor news, I got a new haircut. It looks like a cross between Joan Jett and Jon Bon Jovi, lol.

And finally, in the Really Exciting News department, it's time once again for Tattoo Watch!! I got a laser treatment earlier today and I am hoping it works well. The place where I used to go doesn't do tattoo removal any longer so I had to find a new doctor and a new clinic. The laser they used today was a little different so I am excited to see the results! Hopefully I'll have weekly pictures as I have done in the past.

Have a great day!

Please see my Disclaimer/Disclosure Statement.

Believe In Yourself - Be Your Own Audience

2010-09-05T06:12:00.009-05:00

I will be one of the first people to champion social support. I have seen the benefits for myself and for many others (in TT Contests, for example). But even with social support, you first need to believe in yourself. I’ll demonstrate with 2 stories about my father (I’ll bet he doesn’t realize how philosophical he is!)

You have to want it.

My father smokes. Not as much as he used to, but he still smokes. Years ago, I asked him, “If you know smoking is bad for you, why don’t you quit?” His answer? “I don’t want to.” He knew smoking was bad for him, but he still smoked.

It’s exactly the same if you want to transform your body. “Why don’t you quit eating doughnuts/French fries/insert-vice-food-here when you know it’s bad for you?” Or, a more difficult question, “Why don’t you exercise when you know it’s good for you?” Is your answer “I don’t want to”? Probably not. It’s probably “I don’t have time” or “I don’t know what to do.” Stop making excuses. If you want it, go for it!

This is a perfect time to start the next TT Contest. Workouts are short, intense and laid out for you. Read the Rules here ==> TT Contest Rules

Be your own audience.

When I was in college, I interviewed my father for a paper I wrote while in a class about gender. He gave me his opinion on the differences in working with men vs. women. He said that you could tell a man to do something, and he would go and do it. If you tell a woman to do something, it will take longer because she’ll need to ask “How’s this” and then she’ll go check in with someone else “How am I doing?” The needing of constant reassurance was something my father saw as distracting and not a direct way to accomplish the task.

I think this can apply to lots of situations. I find that women in general do seek more approval, and their self-esteem relies on this approval. First, you need to be your own audience – make your own applause. If you don’t have the support you need externally, you need to be your own cheerleader. Don’t wait for external approval to begin your journey, start right now!

So join me in the next Turbulence Training Contest. Be your own advocate and start your journey! My start date is Monday, September 6th. When's yours? :)

(Note that you don’t have to actually buy anything to join the contest.)

Have a great week!!

Please see my Disclaimer/Disclosure Statement.

Lots of Randomness

2010-09-01T18:40:00.013-05:00

It always seems like there is so much going on around here, and then when I sit down to type I can't remember anything, lol.

But one of the most important things is that I *might* have talked my husband into joining me in the next TT Contest. ;)

The half marathon went really well! It was a warm, humid morning. By 6:00am, it was 70 degrees. Not the most ideal running weather, but at least it was overcast so the sun was not beating down on us. I felt really good while I was running. I drank a ton of water in the days before the race, and had lots of carbs. :) My first mile was my fastest - about 10:45 - and my overall pace was about 11:15/mile. Total time was just under 2 hours and 28 minutes. So...not blazing fast, but I am proud to have finished! The first female finished about an hour ahead of me. She was racing. I was running, but she was racing. I'll do better next time! ;)

Last year I joined the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart. I didn't really take advantage of it last year, so I signed up again this year. If you are interested, you can sign up here ==> 21-Day Vegan Kickstart Starting September 6, you receive a daily email with tips and a vegan meal plan. I don't typically eat vegan, but I like to look at the meal plans for ideas. (The plans are posted for the week so you can shop and prepare ahead of time.) I have been trying to eat vegetarian a day or two per week.

This weekend we are finally going to start repainting the kitchen. We've had the paint for a while, lol. Speaking of painting, I think I remember typing here that my daughter picked out a color for her room that looked like a strawberry milkshake. Well, I decided I couldn't live with it anymore and we repainted her room a nice neutral color. :)

Have a great week!!

TT Contest Winners!

2010-08-26T07:59:00.008-05:00

Congratulations to all the winners!! You can check them out here:

TT Contest Winners

And the next contest starts September 5th. (There is also a Bonus 6 Week Mini Contest!) You can read the rules here:

TT Contest Rules

I am pretty sure I am going to join. I plan to start with TT for Meatheads V. Whoo-hoo! I usually prefer the "meathead" style workouts, and this one has 2 days with optional interval training. Come on and join me in the next contest! :)

Please see my Disclaimer/Disclosure Statement.

TT Contest Voting

2010-08-24T11:27:00.006-05:00

The TT Finalists have been announced and I absolutely cannot believe I made it to the finals ! If you would like to vote, here is the link:

TT Contest Voting

There are 4 categories to vote for:

1) Women Under 40
2) Women Over 40
3) Men Under 40
4) Men Over 40

(I'm number 7 in the Under 40 category) ;)

Be sure to check them all out! There were a lot of amazing transformations! The voting ends Wednesday at Midnight (ET) so hurry and vote, vote, vote!

Please see my Disclaimer/Disclosure Statement.

TT Contest Final Results: Continuing To Learn

2010-08-22T16:21:00.008-05:00

Well, this is a little late, but better late than never, right? :)

There are two main reasons I decided to join this TT Contest:

1) Over the past winter and early spring, I started trying new (non-TT) programs. In the past, I would have put them off and just continued using TT, but instead I decided to give them a try. While they were OK, they weren't nearly as fun, and my results weren't as great as when I have used TT. I knew going back to TT workouts was the right choice.

2) I knew that joining a TT contest would help me to focus my training as I prepared to run my first half marathon. And the training part did go off without a hitch (I ran my first half marathon in just under 2 hours and 28 minutes) but the nutrition aspect did not fare as well as I had hoped.

I decided from the beginning that I was not going to count calories. In the past, this has made me terribly neurotic. I wanted to achieve a more "natural" diet; not one that has been over-calculated. I concentrated on following Craig's Simple Nutrition for Fat Loss, but did not have quite the level of compliance I should have. However, I know I am making a difference in how my family eats. My kids are always asking whether or not a food is healthy, or if it is a treat. I learned that my actions speak to my kids, and they watch what I eat, and they, in turn, make decisions about foods. (Sometimes they decide they just don't like spinach.)

During these 12 weeks, I lost 10.2 pounds and 2.6% bodyfat. I went on vacation for a week and didn't gain any weight! Using my TT workout on vacation was fantastic - I even brought along my weights even though my husband gave me an odd look when he had to load them into the trunk of the car. I got to workout outside at sunrise, overlooking a beautiful lake. I learned that a week of no stress is good for the soul.

My results during these 12 weeks were not exactly what I had hoped, but don't count me out for future contests - I'm still working on fitness as a lifestyle and not a 12-week event. I love how the contests keep me motivated, and each one brings me closer to my goals. It may seem counter-intuitive to continue 12-week contests when I am working on long-range goals, but in every contest I learn something new, and I look forward to learning each time.

Workouts used:
TT Hotzone for Fat Loss
TT AAA for Abs
TT for Abs (original)

I have a "Back" picture as well, but didn't post it because I didn't realize that I must have sat in something. My rear end has a mysterious spot on it in my After picture. LOL

The half marathon actually went really well. It was warm and humid that day, but at least it was overcast. I'll have to post more another time!

TT Contest Week 10: Enjoying Summer

2010-07-21T18:09:00.016-05:00

Wow, look at all the cobwebs around here. I've been a little neglectful. :) We've just been enjoying the summer, being outside, taking the kids on vacation, etc.

Workouts have been going well. I've decided to use the original TT for Abs for my last 4 weeks. (I only have 2 weeks left!) I'm not expecting a super dramatic transformation. I didn't gain any weight while on vacation, but I didn't lose any weight either. ;) Though I did complete all my workouts, so that probably helped. It was actually really cool. I was able to workout outside every day, just after sunrise. We were staying in a cabin that overlooked a lake and it was just beautiful to workout in that area. I even brought up my PowerBlocks (even though my husband gave me a weird look when he had to load them into the trunk) so I was able to complete my TT workouts.

One recent major achievement was my first 13 mile run. I actually had my husband follow me on a bike since it was my first time running that far. He would go ahead, and then drop behind, and then take a break, haha. I think he was more sore the next day than I was! My time was 2:22:27 (average pace: 10:58 per mile). I was very happy with that because a) I finished it without stopping; and b) I thought it was a good pace for me.

Finally, here are the promised patio pictures!

Here's the Before....

Looking one way:

And then the other way:

And here's the After (before the grass grew):

And another After (after the grass grew - the patio really isn't slanted, just took the picture at a funny angle):

Have a great week!

TT Contest Week 6: Something In The Water?

2010-06-23T19:32:00.010-05:00

Half way done already! This week's workouts went well, but nutrition was sub-par. I was really busy with work and was off-site so I couldn't bring my lunch the way I normally do. I did bring some almonds for a snack, but there were a few things I just couldn't control. Workouts looked like this:

Sunday - 3.37 miles (34:20)
Monday - TT AAA, Workout A
Tuesday - Pace workout 6x400, totals: 4.3 miles (50:00)
Wednesday - TT AAA, Workout B
Thursday - 3 mile easy run (30:14)Friday - TT AAA, Workout C
Saturday - warm up, 5K "pseudo race" (29:25), cool down, totals: 4.29 miles (44:59)

RABBITS, SQUIRRELS AND FISH - OH MY!
As I was out running on Saturday, I noticed how many rabbits were in the neighborhood. They were all over! Usually it's the squirrels I see all over, but this spring it's been bunny rabbits. On the subject of squirrels, however, I have been seeing a number of blonde squirrels. Usually they are gray around here, but I've seen 3 or 4 blondies - and in different places in the neighborhood. So either there is something in the water, or somebody is spreading around the gene pool, if you know what I mean (wink, wink).

And speaking of something in the water, on last Wednesday my husband took the kids to the pet store for a new fish to replace Lily who passed away last week. Before they even went to the pet store, my son decided the fish should be named "Lily" and my daughter wanted to name it "Spots". So they went to the pet store and a picked out a silvery fish with one orange spot on it's head. And so "Lily Spots" was brought home and placed in the fish tank with Dorothy. On Saturday when I went to feed them, they were both dead. I was absolutely devastated. Even more than the kids, I think. Dorothy was a very hearty goldfish. Yes, she was 3 years old, but she was perfectly healthy! I have 2 theories:

1. Lily Spots brought home something from the pet store
2. We didn't have the air conditioning on, so maybe it got too hot and there wasn't enough oxygen in the water?

It's just very odd that they both died at the same time. I feel horrible about it!!

Finally, another water-related item. We got out the slip-n-slide this weekend and my husband had such fine form, I had to share a picture. Enjoy!

TT Contest Weeks 4 and 5: A Moment of Silence

2010-06-12T05:11:00.012-05:00

This past week we laid to rest our pet, Lily. She was 3 years old and really had become part of the family. My husband gave the ceremony with a tear in his eye, and as he laid her in her final resting place, my son asked, "Does she teleport to fish heaven?" After which my daughter asked, "Now she's swimming in pee-pee?"

You see, Lily is our pet goldfish. :)

She was named "Lily" because my son had trouble saying the "L" sound. Our other fish is named Dorothy. We got them both at a county fair 3 years ago. That's a really long time for a "fair fish" to live! I think we will need to buy another fish now. Dorothy is looking a little lonely.

The past 2 weeks have really gone fast. I began my half marathon training and Week 4 looked like this:

Monday: TT Hotzone Workout A, 2.3 mile easy run
Tuesday: OFF
Wednesday: TT Hotzone Workout B, short 2 mile pace workout
Thursday: 3 mile easy run
Friday: TT Hotzone Workout, 20 minute "High Intensity" run
Saturday: 5 mile long run
Sunday: 3 mile easy run

And that was the end of the TT Hotzone Fat Loss workout. During Week 5 I began TT AAA Abs workout (AAA stands for Awesome, Amazing, Axcellent) and I really like it so far. I chose it because there aren't any of the more formal intervals and so I thought it would be easier to fit in pace and stride workouts. Instead of treadmill/bike intervals there are a mix of bodyweight intervals, extra supersets and circuit training. And even though it's an ab workout, there are no crunches! So Week 5 looked like this:

Monday: TT AAA Workout A
Tuesday: 30 minute tempo run, total time - 45:00, 4.15 miles
Wednesday: TT AAA Workout B
Thursday: 3 mile stride workout
Friday: TT AAA Workout C
Saturday (today): 6 mile long run
Sunday (tomorrow): 3.5 mile run

Have a great week!

Please see my Disclaimer/Disclosure Statement.

TT Contest Week 3: It's Tough Being An Ant

2010-06-02T06:33:00.001-05:00

Week 3 ended for me on last Sunday. I'm a little late with this post; time seems to be moving in fast forward!

Week 3 went pretty well overall. Nutrition was decent, and workouts went well. I got a little off track over Memorial Day Weekend, but overall things went well. So far, I am down about 3 lbs and 1% bodyfat. I have made a few changes in the past couple weeks. First, I started eating lunch later. Then I started moving back my afternoon snack. Finally, we started eating dinner later. We used to eat dinner around 5-5:30; now it's closer to 7:00pm. This has really helped me cut down on my evening snacking.

This past Monday we grilled on our new (nearly finished!) patio. The grill actually came with the house but we never used it because it was filthy dirty. When we built the patio, we decided to clean up the grill and put it to use. I'm happy to report that the maiden voyage was a complete success! [Hopefully I'll have patio pictures soon - just waiting for the new grass to grow! :) ]

As we were finishing lunch, we noticed an ant making off with a crumb of hamburger bun that was at least the same size as he was. I was quite impressed with his tenacity. He headed off the patio due south and dragged this crumb off the patio, through the dirt, and finally all the way across the lawn to the other side of the yard. It took him 30 minutes of pretty hard work. (Yes, I watched the entire time.) At one point another ant came along and I thought I may have to help the ant fend off the intruder, but the other ant went away. I actually began to cheer for the ant to make it to his destination. And then when he got there, I promptly sprinkled Ortho Home Defense Max all over the ginormous anthill in the yard. Some days it's tough being an ant.

Have a great week!

TT Contest Week 2: Burning Down The House

2010-05-25T18:09:00.008-05:00

Week 2 is complete! Once again I skipped my Monday workout because I was so sore from all the work on the patio over the weekend! :) I did the workout on Tuesday instead. Overall, my nutrition has been kind of a mess this week. Some days good, some days...not as good. But my weight did go down just a bit. I think it must be all the extra work I've been doing on the weekends. lol

I've been using the TT Hot Zone Fat Loss Workout. It's one that I've never used before. One of the reasons I chose it is because on Fridays you do a 20 minute "high intensity" cardio instead of the intervals that you do on Monday and Wednesday. I thought this would help me gear up for all the running I will be doing this summer. I officially kick off my half marathon training on May 31.

The last day to enter the Turbulence Training Transformation contest and still have the full 12 weeks is May 31. Come and join me this summer in the contest! (To my sister-in-law, if you're reading this, This Means You! lol) You can read the all the rules here ==> TT Contest Rules

On Saturday night I made a pizza using the pizza crust recipe from a recent issue of Cooking Light magazine (except I used whole wheat flour). The crust was a lot of work, but on the other hand, not a lot of work. Let me explain. ;)

First, the crust had to be made 24 hours in advance so it could sit in the fridge. However, the only ingredients in the crust were flour, water, yeast and oil so it was easy to throw together.

Second, the recipe made the pizza more of a "Neapolitan" style - cooked at a high temperature (550 degrees F) on a pizza stone. My pizza stone hasn't seen the light of day in a while so it probably should have been cleaned a little better, but I popped it in the oven anyway. Soon thereafter, smoke started pouring out of my oven! With 5 minutes left of a 30 minute preheat, I made a last minute decision to ditch the pizza stone. By now, the smoke was getting pretty thick. So instead, I popped in my perforated pizza pan. Well, that started smoking too! lol

I put the pizza on the perforated pan, threw it in the oven, and lowered the temperature to 440 degrees F. Finally, the smoking stopped! I had to open all the windows and turn on fans to get all the smoke out of the house.

So after all that work, how did the pizza taste? My kids deemed it "super-duper-licious" and we ate the whole thing. I'll make this crust again for sure, but next time I'm going to follow the recipe for Chicago deep dish. Same crust recipe, but you cook it in a baking pan at a lower temperature. :)

Have a great week!

Please see my Disclaimer/Disclosure Statement.

TT Contest Week 1: Insomnia

2010-05-18T04:47:00.006-05:00

TT Contest Week 1 is in the books and for some reason this week I have had trouble sleeping. This is totally unlike me. Usually I am out like a light and I don't wake up at all. A few nights during this past week I was awake every hour. As a consequence, I've been feeling exhausted all week.

Part of the reason may be that last weekend we started building a brick paver patio. It's a lot of work! Lots of heavy lifting. Both last Monday and yesterday I did not workout because my back was really sore. Instead, I did my Monday workout on Tuesday. (That's my plan for today as well. My back still feels tweaky, so I am going to try to take it easy.) Anyway, the patio still isn't finished. We didn't finish it the first weekend - let's just say someone (who shall remain nameless) miscalculated the number of bricks we needed. ;) Then it rained for much of the week so we couldn't work on it. Then this past weekend, we had all the bricks in place and realized it wasn't really level. (Bob Villa would not approve!) So it was back to the store for more paver base! We had to make 2 trips because the guy at the store feared our car would bottom out if we piled it all in. But we ran out of time again so the saga will continue this week. I'll post pictures when we are finally done!

Have a great day! :)

Love, Death And The Bike Anti-Theft

2010-05-03T18:21:00.024-05:00

Wow, time flies, doesn't it? This weekend I finished up the Bikini Ready workout I had been using. My weight didn't change all that much, but my bodyfat dropped about 1% according to my Omron.

The workouts were starting to wear on me a little bit because they were big circuits and I always felt like I was hogging equipment at the gym. So I am taking this week off from workouts - except I am running a 5K on Thursday. LOL This particular race is the same race that was my very first 5K a year ago (and I ran it in 40:59). I haven't been training per se for a 5K, but I'm pretty sure I should be able to improve on that time! :)

....BIG ANNOUNCEMENT....

The 8th Turbulence Training Transformation Contest started this week...and I think I am going to join this one! (You can read the rules HERE.) My sister-in-law might join as well, so give it up for T.! [Hurray! :)] I'm going to use this contest to really focus on my training and nutrition as I prepare for the half marathon I am running late this summer. I plan to start Monday, May 10! :) I decided not to join the M&F Hers contest. I checked out the rules online, and just decided it wasn't for me.

...OTHER SILLY RANDOMNESS...

The past couple of weeks my back has been feeling tweaky. (That's a technical term, by the way; my chiropractor used it.) I made an appointment with said chiropractor and decided to ride my bike over after work. When I went to unlock my bike, I discovered that someone had locked up their bike next to mine, and had put their lock through a part of my back tire. It's a little hard to explain, but there's a straight piece that comes down from the "basket holder" and hooks into the pin that holds on the back tire. Luckily, 2 girls walked by and helped me remove my back tire so I could remove the idiot's bike lock. I was not amused.

A couple weeks ago I was on a Saturday run and I nearly witnessed death. Some poor squirrel was in the middle of the road and a truck was speeding toward him. I started yelling at the squirrel, but I don't think he could hear me. Or understand me. Or know why the heck I was yelling at him. I think the truck actually ran over his tail. Then the squirrel staggered over to the curb. He jumped up once and missed the curb, then jumped up again and made it. He limped over to his tree with kind of a dazed look. There was squirrel tail fluff blowing across the road, but I think the little guy made it.

Finally, on my Saturday runs, without fail, the song "Your Love" by the Outfield comes on. (You know the song - "I just wanna use your love, tonight") The first line of the song is "Josie's on a vacation far away" so we already know he's cheating on her, but I always thought it was with some underage girl. There's a line where he says "You know I like my girls a little bit older" which I always interpreted as him meaning "I usually like my girls older, but you'll do". After listening to the song so many times, however, I've decided that the woman he's talking to is actually "older". So now instead of being a pervert, he's chasing a cougar. Which makes me feel only slightly better. After all, he's still cheating on poor Josie.

Have a great week!!

Please see my Disclaimer/Disclosure Statement.

Talking 'Bout Mo-Motivation

2010-04-25T07:48:00.007-05:00

So, my diet of the past couple weeks has been pretty bad. I'll have a couple good days, and then I'll eat a big brownie. I'm not trying to follow any weird or complex plan, just trying to simply eat healthy foods. So I was considering entering the next Turbulence Training contest for motivation, which I think begins in a week or so. That was until....I opened the current issue of Muscle & Fitness Hers magazine and saw that they were having an 8-week transformation contest! I began weighing the pros and cons of this new contest:

Cons
1. Had been looking at joining next TT contest (more workout flexibility)
2. M&F Hers workout is 4 days/week (5 days/week during weeks 5-8)
3. Want to begin half marathon training at end of May
4. Contest ends in mid-July, which leaves a little over a month to complete half marathon training
5. Probably more contestants than the TT contest
6. Last day of contest is during my planned vacation, but....

Pros
1. ...I would look great on vacation! Great Motivation! :)
2. M&F Hers contest is only 8 weeks long
3. No essay ;)
4. Could potential work in my half marathon training as the workouts don't seem too long
5. Prize is a trip to California for a M&F Hers photo shoot

So I am quite torn at what to do. Any thoughts/advice would be appreciated! :) I have a couple weeks to make a final decision.

Have a great day!

TT Contest Voting And Other Random Stuff

2010-04-15T06:42:00.006-05:00

TT Contest Voting is up and ready - if you haven't voted yet, check it out here ==> Turbulence Training Contest Voting

Lots of great transformations!

In other news, if you can call it news (haha), I have a funny story. One of my new favorite workout songs is Lady Gaga's "Telephone". I have no idea why. It's about dancing in a club, and I have never been dancing in a club in my life. Wait, there was that one time - it was '80's night! (And I use the term "dancing" loosely. LOL) Anyway, I bought the CD and was listening to it in the car. I guess there's one too many "telephones" at the end of the song because all the sudden from the backseat my daughter asks, "Is this song over yet?" :)

One of my other current favorite songs is 10 Years' "Through the Iris". Why this band isn't huge I will never know. They are fantastic! In addition to the lyrics, I love the rhyming scheme - the way the song flows. One of my favorite lines is, "Please understand me, that now where you're standing, is closer than I'd hoped."

And in book reading news, I finished Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Good book! I recommend it if you are already familiar with the story. The language can be a little tough to read at times and you can get lost if you don't already know what's going on. There were a couple parts that were a little gory, but overall there wasn't nearly as much "zombie mayhem" as I expected.

Then I was shopping last weekend and saw Christopher Pike's Thirst 2: Phantom, Evil Thirst, Creatures of Forever. The first 2 parts were excellent. I liked them better than Thirst 1. But the last part got a little too supernatural at times. And I was devastated by the ending - I did NOT like it at all! I noticed there was a Thirst 3 coming out next fall so I am curious to see what it will be about. :)

Have a great day!

Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase the product, I will receive a small portion. I don't get paid for reviews, and I only review items that I actually own.

Bikini Workout - End of Week One

2010-04-12T04:56:00.004-05:00

I have been sore all week. I love new workouts! :)

One particular exercise that made me really sore was in Thursday's workout. I had never done it before so that probably was part of the reason it made me so sore. Basically, you lay on a bench and then hold a stability ball between your feet. You raise your feet until your legs are perpendicular to your body and then you lower until your legs are about parallel with the floor. Not only were my abs really sore, but my legs were sore as well!

I forgot to weigh myself when I started this program on Monday, but I'm down a little over a pound since Wednesday. Of course, that could just be natural fluctuation, so I'm not reading too much into that.

On another note, there is a new Turbulence Training special that begins today. It's a brand new follow-along-at-home DVD set so you can actually "work out with" Craig Ballantyne. You get 12 TT for Abs workouts, plus 9 bonus workouts, and a Nutrition DVD. I used TT for Abs during my third TT contest and thought it worked great! You can check out the details here: TT for Abs DVD

The special price runs until midnight on Wednesday, April 14. I probably will not be buying the DVDs, mostly because I already own the TT for Abs program, and have completed it, so I don't feel that I need to watch the DVDs. But if you are someone that likes to "follow along" to DVDs, you may want to check them out and see if they are right for you.

Have a great week! :)

Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase the product, I will receive a small portion. I don't get paid for reviews, and I only review items that I actually own.

End of Week 13 And Other Updates

2010-03-28T14:40:00.007-05:00

It seems like forever since I have posted a weekly update. Between home and work, it's been so busy. I get home from work and don't even want to look at a computer. And the past few weekends have been packed.

One weekend we painted both kids' bedrooms - I let the kids pick what colors they wanted. My son wanted black, but I talked him into gray. He ended up choosing a color called "Platinum". It actually turned out really nice. It's a gray with a bluish undertone. My daughter, on the other hand, chose a color called "Rosy Cheeks". It really should have been called "Strawberry Milkshake" because that's exactly what it looks like. I don't know if I could sleep in her room, but she really seems to like it. :)

Then another weekend I ran in a St. Patty's Day 5K. I'm a little out of practice, but I came in a fairly respectable 88th out of 327 in my age division. I was hoping to make it under 30 minutes, but there were 3 pretty big hills I had not anticipated, and ended up with a time of 30:43.

I've also been reading like crazy, which cuts down on my computer time. I recently read all 5 of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books (loved them), then I read Christopher Pikes' Thirst No. 1: The Last Vampire, Black Blood, Red Dice (just OK, will probably read Thirst No. 2 eventually), and I just started Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith (and Jane Austen). So far it seems pretty funny. Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite books so I am getting a kick out of reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

Today is the last day of Week 13 in the program I am using (the one from the Precision Nutrition forums). I am in Phase 4, which is supposed to be more of a fat burning phase. The problem is, the strength training part of the workouts takes me so long, I don't have time to do the recommended cardio. I recently began to look over my Turbulence Training workouts because I have an event I would like to attend in about 5 weeks and really need to lose a little fat! :)

However, when I went to the grocery store yesterday, I picked up the March/April issue of Muscle and Fitness Hers magazine and there on the cover was "Bikini Ready in Just 4 Weeks!" So I looked it over and it looks like a solid workout. It's circuit training 4 days a week, with other cardio on the remaining days. I plan to complete Week 14 to end Phase 4, and then I think I am going to start the "Bikini Ready" program. I'll let you know how it goes!

If you're still with me here after all my rambling (thanks!), I wanted to let you know I may not be posting very much in the near future. Things have been pretty busy, and will remain that way for the next few months. I hope to pop in when I can! :)

Have a great week!

Tasty Tuesday - French/Catalina Dressing

2010-03-23T18:40:00.009-05:00

I really like French/Catalina Dressing, but it's often filled with sugar. This recipe is adapted from Dana Carpender's 500 More Low Carb Recipes. I took out the Splenda, which I don't use so much anymore, and used an organic agave-sweetened ketchup and a few packets of Stevia. This dressing is quite flavorful, thick and rich. I only use about a tablespoon at a time and that's enough for 2-3 cups of salad greens. If you want a thinner dressing, you could add more vinegar or lemon juice.

French/Catalina Dressing

2 Tablespoons minced red onion or shallot
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons ketchup (preferably low sugar)
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
4-5 packets Stevia
dash sea salt (please don't leave this out)

1. Blend everything in a food processor until mixed. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge.

Sorry for the bad picture. Dressing isn't very photogenic. ;)

This will make about 1 and 1/2 cups (24 Tablespoons). Each Tablespoon will have approximately:

60 calories
0g protein
5.8g fat
2.2g carbs
0.2g fiber

Enjoy! (Sparingly!) :)

Tasty Tuesday - Chocolate Tofu Mousse

2010-03-16T05:11:00.003-05:00

This recipe was created when the kids were asking for chocolate pudding and I looked around the kitchen to see what I had on hand. It makes a nice and light chocolate dessert. Plus, it's super easy to make!

Chocolate Tofu Mousse

12 oz package lite silken tofu
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk
2 packets Stevia
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Blend all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor for several minutes until light and fluffy, stopping and scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary. Just when you think it's done, let it blend a little longer. :)

2. Pour into 4 pudding dishes. Each serving will be about 1/2 cup.

Each 1/2 cup serving will have approximately:

66 calories
8.5g protein
1.8g fat
4.0g carbs
2.1g fiber

Enjoy!

Almost Forgot!

2010-03-09T18:49:00.005-06:00

I almost forgot to mention that through this Thursday, you can get a free 21 day Easy Veggie Meal Plans Detox Diet when you purchase the Easy Veggie Meal Plans System here ==> Easy Veggie Meal Plans

I am considering giving it a try. I don't normally go for "detox" diets because I like to think I can just eat healthy. But too many of those candy-coated-chocolate-peanut candies have been sneaking their way into my diet. LOL So we'll see. Maybe I'll just try to stop eating the candy. ;)

Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase the product, I will receive a small portion. I don't get paid for reviews, and I only review items that I actually own.

Tasty Tuesday - Buckwheat Pancakes

2010-03-09T18:07:00.002-06:00

We eat pancakes for dinner quite often, and there are many different kinds I like to make. These have a really nice texture and flavor. And, the kids love them! :)

This recipe is adapted from The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook.

Buckwheat Pancakes

dry ingredients:
1 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

wet ingredients:
1 + 1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk (plain or vanilla)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 Tablespoon extra virgin coconut oil, melted
1 Tablespoon pancake syrup (I used sugar free)

Optional:
1/2 cup blueberries
extra cinnamon

1. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl. Place almond milk and lemon juice in a small bowl. Add the remaining wet ingredients.

2. Pour wet ingredients into dry, and blend. Let sit for a few minutes while you heat up your griddle. Spray a little nonstick spray on the griddle, or grease with coconut oil.

3. Drop batter onto griddle with a tablespoon (one tablespoon per pancake). The batter will spread out. Place a few blueberries on the pancake at this time (if using).

4. When edges are dry and the pancake is bubbly, flip and cook on the other side. Sprinkle with extra cinnamon, if desired.

I made 16 pancakes. Without the blueberries, each has approximately:

47 calories
1.5g protein
1.6g fat
7.1g carbs
1.1g fiber

An "Udderly" Random Post

2010-02-28T13:39:00.007-06:00

See the end of this post for the "udders". :)

So this is totally random. I was riding into work earlier this week and Cyndi Lauper's "She Bop" started player on my mp3 player. When it got to the part when she whistles, for some reason I was reminded of some VH1 special that I had watched (either I Love the 80s, or Best Songs of the 80s, or something like that) and it had said that the Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian" was the only song with a whistling solo. I'm sure VH1 said that as a joke, but every time I hear "She Bop" I always think, "So there, VH1! The Bangles don't have a monopoly on whistling solos!" (I warned you that this was totally random.)

On that musical note, I saw this cool video the other day on YouTube and wanted to share it with any of you who are Michael Jackson fans. I think this guy was on Oprah recently.

And now the udders...My kids and I set out to build a snow horse yesterday, and well, it ended up looking like a snow cow. LOL

Also, my daughter kept sticking her hand in the snow about every foot. I asked her what she was making, and she said, "Mitten prints." :)

For Christmas she got a little toy baking set with an apron as a gift. One day she couldn't remember what the apron was called so she started calling it her "baking suit". I thought that was pretty cute, and the name stuck. We still call it her baking suit. :)

Have a great day!

Tasty Tuesday - Hamantaschen

2010-02-23T19:15:00.009-06:00

As I mentioned in the Comments of my last post, I'm not Catholic. I'm not Jewish either, but a gal I work with is, and today she brought in cookies to celebrate Purim (which begins this weekend). The cookies were traditional Hamantsachen, named after Haman, minister to the Persian King from whom the Jews fled persecution in the fifth century BCE. You can read more about Purim here: Purim History. The gal I work with said that the cookies are made in the shape of Haman's hat.

I found a recipe online and naturally I had to tinker with it. I'm sure these aren't completely traditional, but they got 2 thumbs up from both kids, even from my son, who says he doesn't like prunes. :)

Hamantaschen

dough:
1 and 1/4 cups brown rice flour
1/4 cup almond flour/meal
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking powder

3 Tablespoons very hot water
1 Tablespoon flax, ground
1 egg white
1/4 cup buttery spread, softened (such as Earth Balance)
1 Tablespoon coconut oil, softened
2 Tablespoons pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup powdered Stevia (such as Stevia in the Raw)

filling:
1 cup pitted prunes (about 24)
2 Tablespoons water
2 teaspoons agave nectar

1. Mix the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Mix the hot water and flax. Blend in the buttery spread, coconut oil, pumpkin, egg white, lemon zest, vanilla and Stevia.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and blend well. Place in the fridge for about 15 minutes or so.

4. While dough is chilling, preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare filling by placing all ingredients in a food processor until it's a paste.

5. Roll out dough between 2 pieces of parchment or waxed paper until it is about 1/4" thick. You will have to do this in several batches. Return dough to fridge for a bit if it gets too soft.

6. Cut dough into 3" circles with a biscuit cutter or even a drinking glass. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Place a teaspoon or so of filling in the middle of the dough and fold sides to make a triangle. Pinch corners of triangle together.

7. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

I made 28, each with approximately:

72 calories
1.2g protein
2.9g fat
10.7g carbs
1.1g fiber

What I'm Giving Up For Lent...

2010-02-17T21:08:00.003-06:00

Peanut M&M's.

I said it, I meant it.

'Nuff said.

On a side note, I asked my husband what he was going to give up and without missing a beat he said, "Veggies." :)

Tasty Tuesday - Black Bean Burgers

2010-02-16T18:27:00.010-06:00

These were awesome! My son plowed through his burger and I don't think it ever occurred to him that it wasn't made out of ground beef. This recipe is adapted from Tosca Reno's new Eat Clean Cookbook.

Black Bean Burgers

15oz can black beans
1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 small carrot, grated
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
2 egg whites
1/2 cup wheat bran
2 Tablespoons cashew butter
2 Tablespoons pumpkin puree
2 Tablespoons ground flax
2 Tablespoons sunflower seeds, ground
dash Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Place everything into a food processor and blend until smooth.

3. Spoon mixture onto parchment paper. I made 9 burgers.

4. Bake for about 20 minutes.

Sorry about the small picture. If I make it bigger it looks all fuzzy. I used a sprouted grain bun and topped mine with a little agave-sweetened ketchup, mustard, pickles, tomato, leaf lettuce, and half a wedge of laughing cow light cheese. :)

If you make 9 like I did, just the patty will have approximately:

109 calories
5.8g protein
4.7g fat
13.0g carbs
4.0g fiber

These freeze really well - so put your leftovers in the freezer and enjoy when you need a quick meal.

Cat Scratch Fever

2010-02-12T18:18:00.010-06:00

OK, so I won't show any more cuts...after I show these. :)

First, there was the immersion blender of death, then the butternut squash incident, and now there's the musk melon mishap:

All of those cuts were on my left index finger. Anyone care to guess which is my dominant hand?

And not to be outdone, I woke up the other morning with this:

The only thing I can think of is that my cat must have walked on my head while I was sleeping. :)

OK, enough of that!

This morning I did my workout (last workout of Phase 2) and afterward I decided to hop on the elliptical for a bit since I had a little extra time. I started my watch about 5 seconds after I started the elliptical (due to technical difficulties), but by the time I finished 25 minutes later, my watch had caught up! Which leaves me to wonder, is my watch fast, or was the elliptical slow? And if my watch is fast, how fast is it? Are all the times I got on my runs wrong? Am I worrying too much about this? Maybe I just need a new watch. :)

If I don't post again before Sunday, hope you have a...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Tasty Tuesday - Sweet Potato Pancakes

2010-02-09T05:18:00.008-06:00

Make these for your sweetie for Valentine's Day. :)

These got 2 thumbs up from the kids. Even my daughter, who can be picky, ate these and asked for more!

Sweet Potato Pancakes

small sweet potato (about 5oz)
3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons brown rice flour
2 Tablespoons sorghum flour
1.5 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 Tablespoon ground flax
3 Tablespoons boiling water
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
1 Tablespoon pancake syrup (I used sugar free)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1. Cook the sweet potato and mash. I usually poke a few holes through the skin with a knife and microwave for a few minutes.

2. Bring 3 tablespoons of water to a boil in a small bowl (I use the microwave). Add the flax and stir. To this, add the coconut oil, almond milk, pancake syrup and sweet potato.

3. In a large bowl, blend together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, cinnamon and sea salt. Add the sweet potato mixture and mix until just blended.

4. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, drop batter onto a hot griddle. Cook until the edges look dry and flip. Cook a few minutes more. Sprinkle with a little extra cinnamon, if desired.

This will make about a dozen pancakes, each with approximately:

75 calories
1.5g protein
2.4g fat
12.4g carbs
1.3g fiber

I think these might be gluten free, but I'm not an expert in gluten free, so please don't take my word for it! :)

Are You Teff Enough?

2010-02-04T18:36:00.011-06:00

This week I have been experimenting with teff for breakfast. Teff is an Ethiopian grain that is high in fiber and also has a good amount of protein. The package says that 1/4 cup is a serving, but every recipe I've seen uses at least 1/2 a cup. I decided to go down the middle. :) I made 3/4 cup and then divided it into two servings.

The downside to making it for breakfast is that it needs to cook on the stove for 15-20 minutes. I was hesitant to make it in the microwave at work like I do with oatmeal, so I made it the night before and portioned it into two bowls. Here's what it looks like right out of the pan, with nothing extra added to it:

The thing is, when you let it cool, it becomes a little bit more solid, and so when I got to work the next day, it was like a brown hockey puck. I microwaved it at work, and added a little extra water to break it up and smooth it out. On Monday and Tuesday, I added blueberries, Stevia and cinnamon. Today I added 1/4 cup pumpkin, Stevia and cinnamon. Tomorrow I think I am going to add applesauce, Stevia and cinnamon.

The teff itself seems to have a pretty bland/neutral taste so what you add to it will make all the difference! The texture after reheating looked weird. It looked like wet sand held together by wet lint. LOL But that wasn't the actual texture at all. It was actually pretty good. Here's what it looked like this morning with the pumpkin added:

I tried to get a good picture of the texture, but my camera wouldn't cooperate. I think this might also be good for lunch or dinner as another rice/quinoa substitute. It's pretty filling, so I probably would make 1/4 cup or less if I was eating it with other things for dinner.

If you looking for something new to try, get teff!

I promised myself I wouldn't start singing "Hanging Teff". ;) LOL

Tasty Tuesday - Kale Chips

2010-02-02T06:28:00.004-06:00

I've seen similar recipes online, but I never made these until I saw them in Tosca Reno's new Eat Clean Cookbook. This recipe is adapted from the one in her book. You will NOT believe how great these taste. I almost think that I could blindfold my husband and he would believe that he was eating potato chips. They're that good.

Kale Chips

Per serving, you will need:

1 cup (about 40g) of chopped kale, bigger stems removed
about 1/2 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
sprinkle each of sea salt and garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. Toss all ingredients in a bowl until kale is evenly coated. Place on baking sheet.

4. Bake for about 25 minutes, until crisp. Watch carefully so that it doesn't burn.

Eat and be amazed! Each serving has approximately:

80 calories
1.5g protein
7g fat
4g carbs
1g fiber

The Butternut Squash Incident and Other New Things

2010-02-01T18:14:00.019-06:00

So I may have hinted previously that I can be accident prone (immersion blender, anyone?). Last Thursday night I decided to make a new recipe. It was the "Baked Deep-Dish Butternut Squash with Pears" from Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Cookbook. The dish was tasty. My finger was bloody. I managed to cut it...twice. It took a little while to get it to stop bleeding the second time. The recipe called for raw butternut squash cut into cubes. Do you know how hard it is to take the thick skin off of a butternut squash?! Next time I am just going to cut the squash in half and bake it first. It just gets pureed anyway. :) I took a picture of my finger today. I'm afraid it's not very exciting. It's healed up quite a bit.

We've been trying lots of new recipes this week. My husband got me a great cookbook called The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook. Today for lunch I had the Luscious Lentil and Brown Rice Casserole. It rocked. My husband scored a home run with this book. As for the other book he bought me recently, Peter Walsh's Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat ... not so much. LOL To be honest, I probably would have bought that book myself. But from my husband? What's he trying to say? ;) The best advice I've heard in a while came from that book, though. It says that whenever you feel like raiding the fridge, get naked in front of a mirror and do jumping jacks. Heheh.

And finally, Turbulence Training is having a "4 for 1" sale - you get the TT Beginner Total Torso Training program, TT 2K10, TT Transformation, and as a bonus - the new Turbulence Training Adrenaline Circuit Workout (this one looks pretty crazy!). And you get 30 days free in the TT Member's area where you can ask Craig all of your training and nutrition questions. This "4 for 1" offer ends on Wednesday, February 3rd. You can check it out here: Complete TT 2K10 Package

Have a great night!

Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase the product, I will receive a small portion. I don't get paid for reviews, and I only review items that I actually own.

Another Random Mom Thought

2010-01-28T16:54:00.001-06:00

So back to the toothbrushes - If there are 4 of us in the house, and there are 7 toothbrushes on the bathroom sink, and only 1 of them is mine, then why did mine taste like "Sparkle Fun" toothpaste this morning?

Tasty Tuesday - Beef Cauliflower Casserole

2010-01-26T18:10:00.007-06:00

This recipe was pretty much made up on the spot, but it tasted really good. When I was a kid, my favorite dish was tater tot casserole. For some reason, this reminded me of that - it was just a big plate of comfort food. I didn't know what to call it, hence the really generic name! Anyone have any better ideas?

Beef Cauliflower Casserole

4 oz lean ground beef
1/4 cup (dry) long grain brown rice
1 + 1/3 cup (170g) frozen cauliflower
1/4 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup + about 3/4 cup water, divided
salt and pepper
garam masala (optional)
cinnamon (optional)

1. In a sauce pan with a lid, place rice and 1/2 cup water. As the water level decreases, add up to 3/4 cup more water to the pan about 1/4 cup at a time.

2. In a skillet, place the 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add the onions and cook for a couple minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a minute more. Add the ground beef and cook until no pink remains.

3. During the last 10 minutes of the rice cooking, add the cauliflower to the saucepan. Add a little more water if the rice is dry.

4. To the skillet, add a little water to deglaze the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Also consider adding a sprinkle each of cinnamon and garam masala. Cook until the water is gone.

5. When the rice/cauliflower is done, add the beef mixture to the pan. Mix and serve. Or just put the rice/cauliflower on your plate and put the meat on top.

Sorry about the bad picture. I think it looks a little foggy because it was still steaming hot when I took the picture!

As one serving, this has approximately:

406 calories
29.6g protein
13.7g fat
43.6g carbs
5.4g fiber

Week 4 In Review - Oh. My. Goodness.

2010-01-23T16:08:00.002-06:00

I have sore muscles that I didn't even know existed! One of the reasons is certainly from doing exercises that I've never done before and using machines that I've never used before. For example, this week I used the rear delt machine, which I've never used. I tend to stay away from machines, but this program uses just a couple. I decided that if I was going to use this program, I would use the machines. The only exception is the lying leg curl. The last time I used that machine (years ago), I threw out my back. So I won't use that one again.

Workouts went really well. I began Phase 2, which is made up of supersets. The supersets use the same muscle groups, with lower weight/higher reps for the first exercise and higher weight/lower reps for the second exercise. I can tell that I have gained muscle, which is pretty cool. Even though I have gained some fat as well.

Today I ran for 7.25 miles. I didn't try to break any records; I just picked a pace that felt good and stuck with it for most of the run. The first mile went well, but at the end of the second mile it started to mist and I was running against the wind. After I turned around, the wind was behind me and it stopped misting. Around the fourth mile, I turned a corner (literally, not figuratively) and the wind was coming at me from the side. I got a little chilly because the wind was blowing right across all my sweat and was making me cold. During the fifth mile it started to mist again and during the sixth mile I turned back into the wind. Between the wind and the rain and me being warm, my glasses were so foggy and water-spotted that I could hardly see through them. The start of the last mile was tough because it felt like I was in a wind tunnel. I finished in 1:19:42 (about an 11:00 pace).

Nutrition this week was hit and miss. I would do really well, and then fall off the wagon. One day I ate an entire bag of trail mix, another day I reacquainted myself with the peanut butter jar.

I saw a really great bumper sticker this week - If you believe you can tell me what to think, then I believe I can tell you where to go. :)

Next week will be similar to this week workout-wise; I will be adding another set to each superset and the reps will be slightly less, so I should be able to raise the weight on some of the exercises.

Have a great week!

Random Mom Thought

2010-01-21T06:07:00.002-06:00

If there are only FOUR of us living in this house, why are there SEVEN toothbrushes on the bathroom sink? Only ONE of them is mine. :)

Tasty Tuesday - Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2010-01-19T06:28:00.004-06:00

The other day the kids were asking for cookies and I thought oatmeal raisin sounded good. I checked out the recipe that comes on the canister of oatmeal and the first ingredient was 2 sticks of butter. I decided I was going to try something different. I based my recipe off of a couple different recipes. Here's what I came up with - the kids gave them 2 thumbs up! :)

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Dry Ingredients
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1.25 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup raisins (I used 4 "fun size" boxes)

Wet Ingredients
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup egg whites (about 1-2 egg whites)
1/4 cup pancake syrup (I used sugar free)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Except for the raisins, mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl, and mix the wet ingredients in another bowl.

3. Pour the wet into the dry and mix until just blended. Stir in the raisins.

4. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. I used a small scoop.

5. Bake for 10 minutes.

I made 21 small cookies, each with approximately:

46 calories
2g protein
0.4g fat
8.7g carbs
1.3g fiber

End of Week 3 - Phase One Complete!

2010-01-17T07:05:00.011-06:00

Phase 1 of my new workout program finished this week. It was fun! It had different techniques that I have never done before (like peak double contractions). Phase 2 starts this week and it's more standard supersets, but they are "pre-fatigue" supersets - I will be doing more reps of the first exercise with lower weights and fewer reps of the second exercise with heavier weights.

Overall, workouts this week went well. The reps were low for most exercises so I added more weight. I was still sore a few days after the workouts, so I was happy because I knew I was working hard and my muscles were not adapting to the workout.

Yesterday, I ran 6.5 miles outside. Whoo-hoo! Because of the really cold weather I had been running at the gym, so that was a nice change. It was icy in a number of places so I had to slow down, but the run felt really good. My time was 1:07:40 (about a 10:25 pace) and I was thrilled with that. It was still pretty cold out, though. When I got home, my legs were numb. When I took off my hat, I discovered there was "snow" on it. It wasn't snowing so I couldn't figure out how snow got on my hat until I realized that it was sweat that had frozen! :) Today I am going to go out and run an easy 2 mile recovery run. Yesterday my hips really started hurting during the 5th mile, so I want to try and run a little more during the week, instead of just one day.

My big change this past week with nutrition was to eat breakfast immediately post-workout (about 6:30am), and then have a snack at work around 9:15am. Prior to last week, I would eat a snack post-workout and then eat breakfast at work at about 8:30am. I'm not so sure I liked the larger post-workout meal - time is short in the morning and a quick snack is easier.

This week I will be back to more of a snack post-workout (e.g., a scoop of whey and a banana) and then I plan to eat about every 2 hours, consuming between 200-250 calories each meal. Even during my most zealous calorie-counting days, I never counted calories for individual meals, only for the entire day. However, I don't plan on using fitday for my counting; I'm just going to estimate calories for the most part. So my day will look like this:

6:30am - meal one
8:30am - meal two
10:30am - meal three
12:30pm - meal four
2:30pm - meal five
5:30pm - meal six
7:30pm - meal seven

If I stay between 200 and 250 calories per meal on average, my calorie range should be between 1400 and 1750, which is just right for me for fat loss. I've gained about 10 lbs since I finished my last TT contest. Since I was using a muscle-building program, I hadn't been counting calories at all, just trying to eat clean foods. However, even though phases 2 and 3 are still considered muscle-building, I'm going to start watching calories so I don't gain too much more weight. I'm hoping some of this is muscle! :)

If you are interested, here's the link to this week's TT Call -> Weekly Fat Loss Call. A few of the things Craig talks about this week are his Transformation Tip of the Week, updates to the TT2K4 workout, and the Bodyweight 200.

Have a great week!

Disclosure: This post does not contain an affiliate link. I just think the calls are fun to listen to. :)

A Random Thursday

2010-01-14T19:14:00.006-06:00

Heheh....so Recipe day was supposed to move to Tuesday this week. But that was before I had to call the vet to come out and visit my sick kitty. He's having some thyroid problems and potentially some liver trouble. My kitty that is, not the vet. :) The vet has to come back in about a week so we'll find out more then. The vet coming to the house prompted a giant house cleaning party on Tuesday night. :)

Also, I just bought a new book, The Coupon Mom's Guide to Cutting Your Grocery Bills in Half, and I had to share my shopping success this week! I went to a local drugstore and by combining all the deals and coupons I had, I saved $32.95! My total before tax was $54.39 and after deals and coupons my subtotal was $21.44. I thought I was pretty good with coupons, but I did learn a few tricks from this book.

And, in my last post, I mentioned that I like to air drum while running at the gym. :) Out of curiosity, I went to YouTube to see if my favorite song to listen to was there, and it was! It's the song d_letion by Abigail's Ghost. The whole album is awesome, but d_letion is my favorite song, particularly while running. The movie goes for about 8 minutes, but the song is only 5 minutes. There's a few minutes of blank space after the song ends. The movie is just a picture of the album cover while the song plays. Enjoy! And don't forget to drum along. ;)

Week 2 Review - Manic Monday

2010-01-11T19:28:00.001-06:00

I really wanted to post my Week-In-Review this weekend, but it seemed like it was so busy. And then when I did have a little time, I felt guilty turning my back to the kids while I typed on the computer. So...I decided to spend some time with the kids. :)

BUT.....I also felt like I should be posting something. It made me a little stressed and I think that's why my eating this weekend wasn't the best it could be. Blogging should be fun; it shouldn't cause anxiety!

Otherwise my nutrition during Week 2 was great! I felt awesome all week. I tried something new this week - a "Greens" supplement. It doesn't taste fantastic, but my energy was really UP all week. However, it might just be because I was eating well, and not from the Greens supplement at all. But I'll keep trying it for now.

Workouts this week went great. Saturday I ran about 5 miles on the treadmill and my hips were so sore later that night! I hadn't run much during the previous week and I was surprised at how much my hips hurt. By Sunday they felt much better.

After Monday's leg workout, I wasn't quite as sore as last week, although I could still feel it on Wednesday!

All the rest of the workouts this week went well. I raised the weight on a lot of exercises (lower reps) and wasn't as sore as last week, but definitely still felt it in my triceps and biceps over the weekend.

This past Saturday I ran a little over 4 miles and my hips didn't hurt at all, so that was great. If you're ever at my gym, I'm the one air drumming on the treadmill. The time goes so fast while you're listening to good music! :)

Have a great week!

Recipe Wednesday - Vegetarian Taco Filling

2010-01-06T18:39:00.002-06:00

Today is the last Recipe Wednesday...because next week it's moving to Tuesday!! :)

This recipe was adapted from the Meatless Chili Recipe in the Incredibly Easy Vegetarian cookbook. I added green chilies and more spices to make a taco filling. It turned out really well! The book also recommends using this on pizza, or over spaghetti, rice or chips.

1 cup dry red lentils, rinsed
2 cups water
1/2 packet dry onion soup mix
1 cup (8oz can) tomato sauce
2 T chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a saucepan, bring the lentils and water to a boil. Add the soup mix and simmer for about 10 minutes.

2. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for about 10-15 minutes longer.

This will fill about 12 tacos or so. I crisped a couple corn tortillas in the oven and piled on salsa, leaf lettuce, tomatoes and a little cheese. My tacos didn't all look this neat. LOL (I ate 3 tacos.)

If you assume 12, the filling per taco would have approximately:

58 calories
3.8g protein
0g fat
10.9g carbs
2.3g fiber

So if you ate 1/2 the recipe as a chili instead, it would have approximately:

348 calories
22.8g protein
0g fat
65.4g carbs
13.8g fiber

End Of Week 1 - Maybe I Overdid It :)

2010-01-01T09:44:00.001-06:00

Or maybe not. But I did have trouble walking a couple days this week. ;)

My first week with my new program is pretty much in the books. (Except for my planned 5 mile run tomorrow.) It was a really nice change. I'm trying to think of what to call the workout. I don't want to call it my Precision Nutrition workout, because it's not really a PN workout, just a PN-approved workout that I got from the forums. Hmmm...I'll think a little more about this.

Speaking of Precision Nutrition, I was reminded on Wednesday that they are going to be signing up another round for their Lean Eating Coaching Program on January 4th. Since I am using PN now, I am kind of thinking about signing up. But I'm not sure yet. Still thinking about it. There's a $10,000 prize for the best transformation - you can learn more about it by clicking here: PN Lean Eating Coaching Program

Here's how my week went:

Monday: Lower body workout with quad focus. I thought I took this workout easy, because I hadn't used the squat rack in a while, but as I was walking down the stairs on the way out of the gym, my legs felt like jelly. Later Monday night, I really was starting to feel it.

Tuesday: Upper body workout. I forgot my mp3 player at work on Monday, so I had to use my husband's this morning. That was kind of fun because I got to listen to different music. The next song is always a surprise - especially when the Iron Maiden plays! :) This was a good workout - lat pulldowns, presses, tricep extensions, curls and shrugs. I didn't think I would be too sore because my arms were used to working out, but Tuesday night I started feeling it in my triceps. My leg workout caught up to me too - I was having trouble walking! LOL

Wednesday: OFF. And a good thing too. I still had trouble walking. When I was planning my workouts, I had considered a 2 mile run on Wednesdays, but I really needed the whole day off. My legs started to feel better in the afternoon.

Thursday: Lower body workout with hamstring focus. Good workout, not too sore afterward, but definitely felt it on Friday morning. Also got a good upper body workout chipping the ice off of our driveway. :)

Friday: Upper body workout. This one was tough. Lots of rows, presses, flyes, and curls. I'm pretty sure I will be feeling this one later.

That's all for this week. I will be in Phase 1 of the workout for 2 more weeks, and then I move on to Phase 2.

Also - just a quick reminder that the Turbulence Training half off sale ends tonight at 9:00pm ET. You can check that out here: TT Half Off Sale

Happy New Year!!

Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase the product, I will receive a small portion.

And Now For Something Completely Different

2009-12-28T04:40:00.015-06:00

Many of you know that I have used Turbulence Training for most of the past 2 years and love it. For the past year, I also have been a member of the Precision Nutrition forums. When I was looking for a new workout to use after my current TT workout, I stumbled onto the workouts section on the PN forums. One of them really caught my eye and I have decided to give it a try! It's a bit different from what I have been doing, and there are lots of techniques that I've never done before. So I'm pretty excited to get started!

Overall, it's a 22 week program, broken into 7 phases. Each phase is only 3 or 4 weeks long. The 7th phase is just the last week; I don't think I will actually be doing that phase because it's supposed to be a final "peak" week prior to a competition. And as I don't plan to compete anytime soon, I'm probably going to just take that week off before I begin my....[fanfare]...12 week half marathon training!

Yes, you read that right. I've signed up to run a half marathon at the end of this summer! That's 13.1 miles - Yikes!

I'm going to concentrate on this other workout program first. The first 10 weeks is focused on building muscle (but I'm going to continue to run on only Saturdays during this time).

Since I am using a workout from the PN forums, I've decided to more closely follow the 10 principles or "habits" of PN. I've been a little lax with a couple of the principles. I also am going to aim to get more sleep, which means going to bed about 30 minutes earlier than I am now.

My new program kicks off this morning! I'm looking forward to the first workout. I have my new hot pink training journal and am ready to go! :)

If you are looking for a new training program, don't forget the next TT contest has just begun. Nothing like a competition to motivate! And currently Turbulence Training is selling for 50% off until Friday, January 1st, at 9:00pm ET. (Comes with 5 bonus workouts and 30 days of access to the TT Members website.)

Have a great day!!

Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase the product, I will receive a small portion.

Recipe Wednesday - Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-12-23T06:09:00.007-06:00

My mom makes the best chocolate chip cookies. They are basically the Original Toll House Recipe with just a little tweak. But instead of giving away her secret, I'm going to share my adapted, slightly healthier version. After all, a cookie is still a cookie. :)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1.5 cups spelt or whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) butter, softened
2 Tablespoons coconut oil
2 Tablespoons pumpkin puree
1/2 cup powdered Stevia (I used "Stevia in the Raw")
3/4 cup Sucanat
1 Tablespoon unsulphured molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 (10 oz) package of grain-sweetened chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a small bowl, blend flours, baking soda and salt.

3. With a mixer, beat butter, Stevia, Sucanat, molasses and vanilla extract until smooth. Add the coconut oil and pumpkin. Then add the eggs one at a time, blending well after each one.

4. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.

5. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet. (I used a small scoop and used parchment paper on my cookie sheet.)

6. Bake for 8-9 minutes. Do not overbake.

According to the Toll House website, their recipe makes 60 cookies at 110 calories each. I made 49 cookies at about 92 calories each.

Sorry for the bad picture. Maybe Santa will bring me a new camera. :)

Happy Holidays!!!

OK, So I'm Feeling Like A Wimp

2009-12-20T07:48:00.002-06:00

I was all fired up yesterday because I was going to run outside. I got up, ate a banana, and then decided to go grocery shopping first to let the banana digest. When I left the grocery store, it felt cold, windy, and was starting to snow, so I...went to the gym and ran on the treadmill. Argh!

So I felt a little wimpy about that. :)

But I did have a good workout at the gym. Here's my treadmill workout:

Time - Speed
0-6:00 (5.0mph)
6-6:30 (8.0mph)
6:30-8 (5.0mph)
8-8:30 (8.1mph)
8:30-10 (5.0mph)
10-10:30 (8.2mph)
10:30-12 (5.0mph)
12-12:30 (8.2mph)
12:30-14 (5.0mph)
14-14:30 (8.1mph)
14:30-16 (5.0mph)
16-16:30 (8.0mph)
16:30-18 (5.0mph)
18-23:30 (5.5mph)
23:30-43:30 (6.0mph)
43:30-49 (5.5mph)
46-55:00 (5.0mph)
55-60:00 walking cooldown

Totals: 60 minutes, 5.42 miles

While I was working out, I realized I listened to two songs with the title of "Halo" - one by Depeche Mode, and one by Porcupine Tree. Which do I like better? Hmmm...It's close. I really like both bands, but I think I like the Depeche Mode "Halo" more. :)

And here's the link to this week's TT Fat Loss Call: Weekly TT Call This week Craig talks about how many calories you burn during different activities (including Wii games), mindless eating and the TT Fusion 2K6 Workout.

Have a great day!!

Disclosure: This post does not contain an affiliate link. I just think the calls are fun to listen to. :)

Recipe Wednesday - Dutch Speculaas Cookies

2009-12-16T18:22:00.010-06:00

Some of you may know I have a lot of Dutch in my background, so when I saw a recipe for Dutch Speculaas cookies in a recent issue of Vegetarian Times, I wanted to give it a try. If you've ever had a "Dutch Windmill Cookie", those are kind of like a Speculaas.

When I started making the recipe, I was thinking, "did I even read this recipe before starting?" because I kept running out of ingredients and had to improvise on the spot! The cookies turned out great, though, so I wanted to share my adapted recipe. Don't be afraid of the number of ingredients - these go together pretty quickly.

Dutch Speculaas Cookies

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup spelt flour
3/4 cup sorghum flour
3/4 cup almond meal/flour
4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teapoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 cups sucanat
2 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons unsulfured molasses
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 egg
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted (optional)

1. Blend together flours, spices, baking soda, salt and pepper.

2. With an electric mixer, cream butter, coconut oil and pumpkin until smooth. Add sucanat, honey and molasses and beat until smooth. Add egg and blend until smooth.

3. Mix in flour mixture by hand, using a large spoon or your hands. Fold in almonds, if using. (To toast the almonds, place in a skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.) I only had about 1/3 cup on hand, so that's all I used. Cover dough and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove about 1/4 of the dough from the bowl. Roll dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper until 1/4 inch thick. (I highly recommend using the parchment paper here.)

5. Cut with cookie cutters and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 9-10 minutes. Continue with remainder of dough, placing the dough back in the fridge briefly if it gets too sticky.

6. These can be decorated with icing, but the plain ones were "kid approved" so I didn't bother putting any icing on them.

I don't have nutritional info for this recipe simply because the number of cookies will vary. The recipe said it would make 48 cookies, but I made about 70! I know I was rolling the dough a bit thinner near the end, and my cookie cutters might have been smaller than what they used.

Enjoy! :)

TT Contest Voting

2009-12-15T16:20:00.002-06:00

The Turbulence Training Transformation Contest Finalists have been chosen! (I'm not a finalist.) This time there are 3 categories: Men, Women, and Advanced. The voting is open to everyone, so if you would like to vote, here is the link:

Turbulence Training Contest Voting

You have until Friday, December 18, at 9:00pm ET to cast your vote. The next contest starts December 27th! Go vote and be inspired by the results these finalists achieved in 12 weeks!

Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase the product, I will receive a small portion. I don't get paid for reviews, and I only review items that I actually own.

Falling Off the Wagon, Rolling Downhill, Getting Trampled by the Horse...

2009-12-12T15:34:00.015-06:00

So the past 2 days have been pretty awful nutrition-wise.

I had been doing so well and then one little sugar craving and it all goes south. It started Thursday with a stressful afternoon at work. Then when my husband picked me up from work, the roads were so icy and horrible, it took us 2.5 hours to make a trip that should have taken 15-20 minutes. Since it was close to 7:00 and we were not at home, and the kids were hungry and cranky, we ended up having pizza for dinner. The pizza itself wasn't too bad, it was the chocolate chip cookie chasers that did me in.

So Friday I woke up craving more sugar and I gave in all day. The roads were still bad Friday evening, and we went and got family pictures taken. The photography studio was busy and noisy, which makes it more stressful, and my willpower was already toast.

This morning I had a slightly running nose and a sore throat. That almost always happens if I eat too much junk. Either my body must be allergic, or the sugar suppresses my immune system, or a little bit of both. I think I read somewhere how sugar can affect the immune system. Does this happen to anyone else? It's like a junk food hangover. Blech. Update: So 5 minutes after posting this, I was catching up on some of the blogs in my blog list and someone else had posted about this very topic! You can read that post HERE if you are interested.

But today is a new day. I had a good workout this morning and am feeling good. I did my TT intervals, and then did some running at the end in order to complete my 4-6 mile longish run for the week. The whole run felt really good and I actually ran faster and farther than I had planned. Maybe it's from all the extra carbs I ate last night, or maybe it's the new shoes....

Finally decided I needed new running shoes! These are the Saucony Triumph 7; I previously had the Triumph 6, but when I went to get new ones, they didn't have the 6 in my size.

After stretching, I walked by the chin up bar and jumped up to see how many I could do. I still felt really good and managed 7 full chin ups...while listening to Tiffany. (Yes, I have Tiffany on my mp3 player.) For some reason I found the juxtaposition of listening to girly, pop Tiffany and doing full chin ups amusing. :)

So today will be a good day because I will make it a good day. Time to kick the sugar cravings to the curb.

Have a great day everyone!!

PS. If my brother is reading this, I need your wife's Christmas list ASAP, or else she's just getting pajamas this year. :)

Results from TT Contest....

2009-12-06T18:27:00.003-06:00

Here goes nothing! Here are my final results. As I mentioned, not as dramatic as past contests, but I am happy with where I am. That was part of this contest - losing the "contest mentality". This was about lifestyle goals. I just wanted to work out hard, eat healthfully and mindfully, and not neurotically count every calorie.

When I used to look in the mirror, what I saw was never quite right. On the one hand, I was "too fat" and all I saw was loose skin and stretch marks from my pregnancies, then I would lose weight and become "too skinny" and would set out to gain weight.

After the last contest I entered, I decided I needed to gain 5-10 lbs. In the process, I gained some very bad eating habits (like late night snacking and large portions), along with about 20 lbs. This contest was for losing that excess 5-10 lbs, but in a healthy way.

During this contest, I had an epiphany while I was at the gym. A “skinny” girl got on the treadmill next to me and entered her weight into the machine. I was surprised that she weighed EXACTLY the same as I did. My brain really thought about that one…If I think she looks good…and she’s the same weight as me…hmmm….maybe I really look OK!

I learned many other things during this contest as well, such as:

…there’s more to post-workout nutrition than whey protein powder.
…take a day off from training…and mean it!
…it’s OK to feel a little hungry every once in a while. I don’t have to snack at night.
…I like asparagus…I mean, I really like it!

I am happy with my results and am exactly where I want to be. I lost the weight safely, over a reasonable amount of time, in a healthy way. My clothes fit better and I feel great!

Here are the TT workouts I used:

TT for Athletes (phase 1)
TT for Mass @ Home
Original TT for Abs

So that's it! Right now I'm using Original Turbulence Training. I can't remember if I've used it before or not - I've done so many different TT workouts over the past 2 years! But I like it so far. And it's been even more fun because my husband has been doing the weights part with me at home. (Then I've been going to the gym for intervals on the following day.)

I'm also committed to maintaining my running endurance that I've gained, so I am trying to get in a 4-6 mile run at least once a week. I had a nice 4 mile run this morning. It was 25 degrees (F) out, but the sun was shining and I was nice and warm after the first mile.

Before I forget, here is the link to the Weekly TT fat loss call. This week covers the TT Fusion 2K9 workout, the next TT Contest (starts right after Christmas), and how to calculate your calorie needs.

Have a great week!

Disclosure: This post does not contain an affiliate link. I just think the calls are fun to listen to. :)

Race Results and Other Updates

2009-11-30T19:13:00.004-06:00

Oh boy, has it been a busy weekend!

The 10K race on Thanksgiving went great! It was a 9:00am start, so I had a bowl of oatmeal at about 6:15am. We got to the race site at about 7:45am and it was cold, windy and rainy - yuck! We sat in the car to keep warm. I started to jog and warm up at about 8:20am, and then looked for my teammates. It was a big race though, and I couldn't find them! I decided I needed to use the porta-potty "one more time" and was still in line as they were singing the Star Spangled Banner! I got to the start line with just a couple minutes to spare.

There were 1544 runners for the 10K (and I think about 2500 for the 5K run/walk). I went into the race with the mentality that it was just another 6 mile training run. No pressure - just find a good pace and stick with it. I was recovering from the stomach flu as well (of all the rotten timing) so I wasn't looking to break any records - I just wanted to finish!

My first mile was a little over 9:00, my second mile was closer to 10:00. I just kept that pace as best as I could. My 5K split time was 29:38 so I knew I was on pace to make my goal of less than an hour. I felt really good the last half, especially the 5th mile for some reason. I ended up finishing with a time of 59:18. I was really happy with my time, and I could really tell that all of that training paid off. My overall pace was 9:33 and I placed 1151/1544. In my age division I placed 62/113 and out of 688 females, I was 412. My husband took a picture at the finish line, but I can't find the cord that connects the camera to the computer. I'll try to post the picture when I find it. LOL

I was so proud of our team as well! We all finished strong and came in 24th out of 28 teams. Over half of us on the team had never run a 10K race before, so we certainly weren't in it for the glory; just for challenge and to say we did it!

After the race, we went home and I started Thanksgiving dinner. I made healthier versions of just about everything. We had a ton of turkey left over! I made a big pot of turkey soup with the leftovers. Friday I hit the local bargains and almost finished all of my holiday shopping.

Saturday morning I went for a short run at the gym. True to form, 2 guys on the stationary bikes behind me were comparing how big their turkeys were. :) Then we traveled to another wedding in Iowa. (How many people do I know in Iowa, and why are they all getting married?) Needless to say, Hubby and I overindulged a bit at the reception.

Sunday morning I went for a run outside. It was a beautiful morning and a good way to start the day. I would guess it was between 2 and 2.5 miles. On the drive home, Hubby wasn't feeling well (gee, I wonder why) and so when we stopped for lunch, he decided to order...wait for it...just an order of onion rings! I had a salad and a cup of soup (thankfully no turkey!)

This morning I started the original Turbulence Training Workout. I had a week off from TT last week, and this week I will take off from running, which means I will probably do my TT intervals on the stationary bike.

Whew! I think I am caught up! Final contest pics coming soon!!

Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase the product, I will receive a small portion. I don't get paid for reviews, and I only review items that I actually own.

Recipe Wednesday - Apple Quinoa Salad

2009-11-25T05:04:00.000-06:00

I thought this recipe would make a good Thanksgiving side dish, or you could do what I did and have it for breakfast instead of oatmeal! I just threw this together one day because I thought it sounded good...and it was!

Apple Quinoa Salad

1/4 cup dry quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 Tablespoons red lentils, rinsed and drained
1 small to medium apple, cored and chopped
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
dash salt
1-2 packets sweetener, to taste
3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons water

1. Into a saucepan, add the quinoa, lentils, apple, salt, cinnamon and water. Place a lid on the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer (covered) for about 15 minutes, until all of the water is absorbed.

2. Remove from heat and add sweetener to taste. I ate this warm, but it probably would be good at room temperature or even cold.

This makes one bowlful. You'd probably want to double or triple the recipe for a crowd.

This entire recipe has approximately:

267 calories
10.4g protein
2.1g fat
56.1g carbs
10.1g fiber

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Week In Review - Week 12!!

2009-11-22T20:40:00.004-06:00

This is it, the end of Turbulence Training Transformation Contest #6. (Well, the 5th that I've participated in since I sat out Contest #5.) Pictures have been taken, but I'm not going to post them right away; I want to work on my essay first. But I'll post them here very soon! :)

I'm pretty happy with how things turned out. Not as dramatic as past contests, but that wasn't my ultimate goal.

Today also was my last long(ish) run before my first 10K race on Thursday. I ran 4.33 miles at a pace of 9:34 (41:27 total). Monday and Tuesday are days off, then I'll run a mile or two on Wednesday. For dinner Wednesday night, I'm making sweet potato gnocchi. A very yummy recipe from Clean Eating magazine. :)

Thursday I'll be cooking Thanksgiving dinner and I have a pretty healthy recipe for just about everything. I'm pretty excited to try out a couple new recipes I found!

I should be back for Recipe Wednesday, but if for some reason life gets too busy, have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Recipe Wednesday - Peanut Butter Cups, Revisited

2009-11-18T17:52:00.007-06:00

Sorry I haven't posted much recently. Things have been so busy!

Recently I gave the peanut butter cups another try, changing it up a little bit. These turned out awesome! I made mini peanut butter cups, which don't take as long in the freezer. :)

Mini Peanut Butter Cups

For the outside:
1 T whipped butter, softened (not melted)
1 T pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon coconut oil, softened (not melted)
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1 packet Splenda
1 packet Stevia

For the inside:
1 T natural peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon honey (I used sugar free)
1/2 teaspoon coconut oil

1. Mix all of the "outside" ingredients. It will seem like there is too much powder, but give it a minute.

2. In another bowl, mix all of the "inside" ingredients. I warmed this mixture slightly to make the next step easier.

3. Divide the peanut butter mixture into 4 parts. Place each part in a mini muffin paper, placed in an ice cube tray.

4. Divide the chocolate mixture over the 4 parts. Place in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.

How you want to share is up to you. :)

The entire recipe has approximately:

235 calories
5.3g protein
19.7g fat
11.6g carbs
6.6g fiber

Recipe Wednesday - Thin Crust Pizza, Part II

2009-11-11T18:11:00.002-06:00

You probably haven't put this all on a pizza before. (I could be wrong, just taking a guess.) I made this one night and it was really good. If I would have had a jalapeno, I would have thrown that on as well. :) I really like the Boca Grilled Veggie Patties in this because they have green peppers in them - it's like a little flavor bonus!

Thin Crust Pizza

2 small tortillas (I used La Tortilla Factory Original Smart & Delicious)
1 Boca Grilled Vegetable Patty
2 Tablespoons salsa
3 spears asparagus
4 oz can pineapple tidbits in juice, or 1/4 cup fresh chopped pineapple
1 small Roma tomato
1 green onion
3/8 cup reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Turn the broil on. Lightly spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray and set aside.

2. Place an inch of water in a saucepan with a lid. Steam the asparagus in a steamer insert over boiling water for about 6 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium heat. Spray with nonstick spray. When hot, place a tortilla in the skillet and brown on both sides (about 2 minutes or so for each side). Place the tortilla on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the second tortilla.

4. Respray the skillet and place the Boca patty in the pan. Cook for about 6 minutes, then flip and cook a few minutes more. Break the Boca patty apart and add 2T of salsa.

5. Meanwhile, chop the tomato, green onion, and the asparagus when it is done cooking.

6. When the Boca patty is done, add the chopped tomato, green onion and asparagus to the pan. Cook for a minute or two, then add the pineapple.

7. Divide the Boca mixture between the 2 tortillas. Divide the cheese over each and place under the broiler for about 3 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the tortilla begins to crisp along the edges.

You *could* share this with a friend, or you could be like me and eat both pizzas. :)

The entire recipe has approximately:

395 calories
35.9g protein
13.0g fat
50.2g carbs
20.7g fiber

The Immersion Blender...Of Death!

2009-11-07T13:51:00.010-06:00

As some of you may remember, a few months ago my beloved immersion blender went to the great kitchen in the sky. My very thoughtful, well-meaning husband bought me a new one...for our wedding anniversary. But I'm not bitter.

Needless to say, my husband is a man who can't cook. (Not that men can't cook; just stating the facts that my husband is a man who can't cook.) My husband, a man who has probably never used an immersion blender in his life, bought me one that, well, I probably wouldn't have picked out for myself.

It lacks a few qualities that I really loved about my old one. For example, my old one was cordless. This one is tethered to an outlet. Also, my old one had a safety lock. This one does not. As evidenced by my new battle wound. Apparently, I have an itchy trigger finger.

Not a great picture. I tried to show the left, center and right of my finger because I managed to hit all 3 sides. It looks much better (read: uglier) in person. I am now much more careful when I try to clean off the blade while it's plugged in. :)

Recipe Wednesday - Seafood Cakes

2009-11-04T18:01:00.002-06:00

I usually don't like seafood. I like tuna, I like tilapia; salmon is OK. However, these seafood cakes ROCK! I adapted these from a recent issue of Cooking Light magazine.

Seafood Cakes

3 teaspoons canola oil, divided
1/4 small onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
4 oz peeled and deveined shrimp (I used precooked, frozen)
4 oz tilapia
2 Tablespoons (1/2 oz) fresh grated Parmesan cheese
dash sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup packaged egg whites, or 1 large egg white
2 Wasa Crispbreads

1. I used frozen shrimp, so make sure they are defrosted. :) Mine also had tails that I removed.

2. In a large bowl, place the shrimp. With an immersion blender, finely chop the shrimp. (Don't puree.) You could pulse them in a food processor, or just chop very fine.

3. Spray a skillet generously with nonstick spray. Place the tilapia in the pan and cook until it flakes easily, about 5 minutes per side. When it is done, flake apart in the pan and then add to the shrimp.

4. Respray the skillet and add 1 teaspoon of the oil. Add the onion and celery and cook for about 5 minutes (until tender), stirring occasionally. When done, add to the bowl with the shrimp and tilapia.

5. To the bowl, now add the salt, pepper, Parmesan, and egg whites. Gently stir. I gave it a little whirl with the immersion blender at this point, but it probably wasn't necessary.

6. In a plastic baggie, crush the Wasa crackers. Add these to the bowl and blend.

7. Divide the mixture into how many patties you want. This will make 4 good sized patties (2 per serving), or 6 smaller ones (3 per serving).

8. Add all remaining oil to pan if you can make all the patties in one batch. I divided it into 2 batches in my small skillet. Cook patties for about 3 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. I sprinkled with a little extra salt and pepper before serving.

Assuming 2 servings, each serving would have approximately:

221 calories
25.8g protein
9.6g fat
9.7g carbs
2.3g fiber

Death By Chocolate (Happy Halloween!)

2009-10-31T14:15:00.013-05:00

OK, Death By Chocolate isn't really what this post is about. I just thought that it was cute that Death by Chocolate was the flavor of the day at the Frozen Custard Shoppe I passed this morning. (It was all fun and games until they brought out...the chocolate....mwah, ha, ha.)

If I haven't mentioned yet, I've been using a running training program from The Complete Book of Running for Women by Claire Kowalchik. Today, on Halloween, was my first 12 MILE RUN. [Insert "Psycho Screeching Violin" here]

And it was COLD and WINDY.

I mapped out a 6 mile loop that started and ended at my house. Then I could run in and get a drink, go to the bathroom, etc after the first 6 miles.

The first mile was cold! The second mile was awful. It's always awful because I run the first mile too fast, because it's cold!

The third mile is usually better, but today it wasn't because the wind was blowing right at me and I was still cold! The fourth mile took me by the lake, where the wind was blowing right off the lake, and it was cold.

The fifth mile was much better. The wind was behind me. The sixth was OK too. It was still windy, but not as bad. Then I got home. The first 6 miles took me 1:08:41. (11:27 pace)

I got inside the house and it felt so toasty warm. I got a quick drink, used the bathroom, and ran out again before I could talk myself into staying inside!

I ran the loop in reverse this time. The seventh mile went OK. The eighth was WINDY. The ninth was back by lake - COLD!

The tenth mile was tough. It was a long gradual incline and I was getting exhausted. I got a second wind on the eleventh mile. I hit a turn around spot, so it was a long gradual decline. :)

The last part of the eleventh was flat, however, and very windy. The twelfth mile turned a corner, and then went slightly uphill. The wind was blowing sideways, so it wasn't as bad as head on, but I was pretty tired by that point.

I ran the second loop in 1:07:01 (11:10 pace) for a total 12 mile time of 2:15:42 (11:19 average pace). I am so proud of running the whole way. 12 MILES people! That's one mile less than a half marathon. I am stoked. Exhausted, but stoked. My hands were so numb afterward I could hardly make my son's breakfast. I wore thin knit gloves while running, but I think the wind went right through them.

My heart rate monitor says I burned 1841 calories...sooooo.....can I have a Snickers bar now? :)

Happy Halloween!!

Recipe Wednesday - Turkey Zucchini Casserole

2009-10-28T18:18:00.004-05:00

As some of you may know, I love casseroles. I adapted this from a recipe in the original Gourmet Nutrition recipe book (part of the Precision Nutrition package). As a quick side note, Gourmet Nutrition V2 would make a lovely Holiday gift for the fit food lover on your list (wink, wink).

Turkey Zucchini Casserole

8 oz extra lean ground turkey breast
2 Tablespoons salsa
1/4 to 1/2 of a small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 small to medium zucchini
1 cup fat free or low fat cottage cheese (I used low fat)
1 egg
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 1.5 quart baking dish with nonstick spray.

2. Roughly chop the zucchini and then pulse in a food processor. Just pulse, don't puree.

3. Lightly spray a large skillet with nonstick spray and cook the turkey until no pink remains. Stir in the 2T of salsa and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Remove from the pan and place in the prepared casserole dish.

4. Respray the skillet with a somewhat heavier layer of nonstick spray. Add the onions to the pan and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Next stir in the zucchini and cook for 2-3 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, in the food processor, blend the cottage cheese and egg until smooth. Don't worry if there is still zucchini in the processor's bowl, it's all going to the same place. :)

6. Next place the zucchini mixture on top of the turkey in the casserole dish, then top with the cottage cheese mixture.

7. Bake for 25 minutes. Top with the mozzarella cheese and bake for 5 minutes more.

Makes 2 servings, each with approximately:

345 calories
51.0g protein
9.1g fat
11.5g carbs
1.8g fiber

Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase the product, I will receive a small portion. I don't get paid for reviews, and I only review items that I actually own.

Week In Review - Week 8

2009-10-25T17:40:00.003-05:00

Only 4 more weeks to go! This week went sooo much better than last week. Nutrition was much better. Only a few stray tablespoons of peanut butter! The trick, I find, is to not open the jar of peanut butter. ;)

Workouts were pretty good. Toward the end of the week, I was feeling a little tired and I couldn't figure out why. My son just had the flu, so maybe I had a very, very mild version?

This week I started thinking about when I began really running (just a few months ago, ahh, the good old days...) and I was looking at my first long run that I did on August 1st. On that day, I ran my first 6 miles (all in a row!) at a pace of 13:46. (Total distance: 5.8 miles, Total time: 1:19:49) I also went back and looked at my first "Endurance Test" that I did in April of 2008. I had set the speed on the treadmill at 5.0 mph...and made it 10:18 before I had to stop. I was proud of that at the time, and I'm even more proud of the improvements I've made since then.

I also began a new workout today! I went back to a workout I used waaaaaayy back during the first TT contest in the winter of 2008 - the Original TT for Abs. I got great results using this program in the past and am excited to see how it goes this time around.

Here's how the week went:

Monday: OFF

Tuesday: Stride workout - 4.38 miles/50:00; TT Mass @ Home, Workout B; TT 3 Minute Arms

Wednesday: 2.93 miles, easy pace/29:44; TT 6 Minute Abs

Thursday: Pace Workout - 5.31 Miles/60:00

Friday: TT Mass @ Home, Workout C; TT 6 Minute Abs

Saturday: Felt tired today. Took about 3 miles to feel warmed up. It was cold and windy and it seemed like I was running into the wind for a lot of the run. 8.05 miles/1:25:41

Sunday: Today I felt much better. TT for Abs has an extra interval workout with push ups and other exercises built in that I wanted to fit into my week, but I wasn't sure where it could fit. I decided to shorten my Sunday run by a mile, and then do the interval workout right afterward. From my driveway, I quickly ran down to the corner and back, which took me about 30 seconds, and then did the exercises. I went through the 3 intervals twice, figuring my neighbors had enough of a show watching me do the push ups, etc, on my driveway. Then I went to the gym and did Workout A. Total: 2.05 miles/19:28/TT for Abs, Workout A

Weekly Total: 23.14 miles

Primary Contest Goals
Eat healthfully and mindfully, with foods more in their natural state: Much better this week!

To NOT use Fitday: Did OK.

Complete every TT workout to the best of my ability: Yes.

Run 15-20 miles (at minimum) per week: Completed this week.

Complete two 5K races, with at least one of them under 30 minutes: Complete! Ran two 5K races, both at 28:32.

Secondary Contest Goals
Lose 5 pounds of fat (mostly from abs and thighs): N/A this week.

Reduce consumption of diet soda: Decreased soda this week to a more normal level. No more, no less. So that's good, I guess. Hey, that rhymed! :)

Have a great week!!

Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase the product, I will receive a small portion. I don't get paid for reviews, and I only review items that I actually own.

Recipe Wednesday - Chocolate Doughnuts!!

2009-10-21T18:33:00.004-05:00

Yes, really, chocolate doughnuts. This recipe is adapted from Missy Chase Lapin's The Sneaky Chef. It's a good book if your kids (or husband) don't like to eat vegetables or fruits. My kids (and husband) will eat some, but this is a good book to sneak in a few more on the side. :)

Chocolate Doughnuts

1 cup blueberries
2 cups spinach leaves
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 Tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 cup grain sweetened chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup granulated Splenda
3 packets Stevia
3/4 cup spelt flour
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray your doughnut pan with nonstick spray, or if you don't have a doughnut pan, you could make cupcakes with this recipe.

2. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips with the coconut oil. Or, in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips (15 seconds at a time) and then add the coconut oil to the melted chips. Set aside.

3. In a food processor, combine the blueberries, spinach leaves and lemon juice until blended. Add in the pumpkin puree, egg and vanilla and pulse to blend.

4. In a large bowl, combine the chocolate chip mixture, the blueberry mixture, and the sweeteners.

5. In a small bowl, combine the flours, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Add this mixture to the wet mixture and blend until just combined.

6. I placed this mixture into a large baggie, snipped the tip, and piped it into my doughnut pan. Bake doughnuts for 10 minutes.

This made 18 doughnuts, using the pan I own.

I topped them with a quick blend of cottage cheese, whipped cream cheese, nonfat milk powder and PB2, but they were just as good plain. And I probably could have used just a little cream cheese - I was experimenting with a new frosting recipe.

Assuming 18 plain doughnuts, each one has approximately:

59 calories
1.5g protein
2.5g fat
7.9g carbs
1.7g fiber

Betcha can't eat just one! :)

Week In Review - End of Week 7

2009-10-19T20:24:00.001-05:00

I wanted to post this yesterday, but my weekend was so busy, and then my son was sick with the flu and time just flew by. I'm feeling a little tired myself. Hoping I didn't catch the flu as well. Today was my day off from workouts, so I got a little more sleep and my muscles got a rest.

This week did not go as well as last week. My eating was all over the place. I had some good days, some OK days and 2 terrible days. I think it's stress-related. I'm definitely an emotional eater. I was really proud of myself today. I stayed late at work, and it was just me and the peanut m&m's. I was ---->thisclose<----- to having one (who am I kidding? I wouldn't have stopped at one), but then I remembered I had a jar of unsalted, dry roasted peanuts in my desk for just such an emergency. They hit the spot and I didn't eat a single m&m. Workouts went well, though. TT for Mass @ Home has been a great workout. I don't know why I've never used it before!

Here's how the week went:

Monday: Hill workout. This was a really tough workout. I know that I need to do more hill workouts to improve my running. 1 mile warm up, 2x200m hill (8% incline)/400 m recovery, 2x400 hill (6% incline)/400m recovery, 2x200 hill (8% incline)/400m recovery, 1/2 mile cool down, 8 minutes walking - 4.36 miles/50:00

Tuesday: OFF

Wednesday: 2.10 miles easy (25:00)/TT Mass @ Home, workout B/TT 3 Minute Arms

Thursday: 5 mile pace workout - 1 mile warm up, 1x400m/200m recovery, 1x1600/400m recovery, 1x400m/200m recovery, 1x1200/400m recovery, 1x400m, 1 mile cool down, 6 minutes walking - 5.30 miles/60:00

Friday: TT Mass @ Home, workout C

Saturday: Today was my first run in the double digits. It was a beautiful morning - 33 degrees (F) and sunny. A little chilly for the first mile, but then I felt great. Had a short break (5 minutes at most) at 5 miles while I ran inside my work to retrieve an item I had forgotten on Friday. 10 miles/1:42:19 (10:14 pace)

Weekly Total: 21.76 miles

Primary Contest Goals
Eat healthfully and mindfully, with foods more in their natural state: Not good. Not good at all. Need to pull myself together here. :)

To NOT use Fitday: Checked in again a couple times this week. With those stressed eating days, I wanted to see how I was doing. Not using Fitday is only going to work as long as I only eat healthfully.

Complete every TT workout to the best of my ability: Yes

Run 15-20 miles (at minimum) per week: This week I ran 21.76 miles. The program I am following for running increases the miles a little at a time, so I think next week I am running about 24 miles.

Complete two 5K races, with at least one of them under 30 minutes: Complete! Ran two 5K races, both at 28:32.

Secondary Contest Goals
Lose 5 pounds of fat (mostly from abs and thighs): N/A this week.

Reduce consumption of diet soda: This week I drank more than usual, which I think is one of the reasons I didn't eat well. It seems that when I drink more diet soda, my eating gets...less than stellar. I read that artificial sweeteners can bring on cravings, so maybe that is what happens.

That's it for this week. Gotta get up early tomorrow morning, so I'm going to go to bed early and see if I feel better in the morning.

Have a good night!

Recipe Wednesday - Cauliflower Pizza Crust

2009-10-14T19:04:00.001-05:00

This is another recipe I've adapted from Eat Oxygen. This is sooooooo good. I like cauliflower, but I don't think you can even taste that it is in here. If you think you don't like cauliflower, give this a try!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

For the crust:
1 cup cauliflower, cooked
1/4 cup of packaged egg whites, or 1 large egg
1/4 cup reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese
2 T fresh grated Parmesan cheese (off a block of Parmesan, not the dry grated stuff)
pinch each of dried basil, oregano, garlic powder and salt

My (optional) Toppings:
1/4 cup pizza sauce (I use canned with no sugar in it)
1/4 cup reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese
1 Boca Grilled Vegetable Patty
1 thin slice of onion, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.

2. Place the cooked cauliflower in a food processor. Pulse until about the size of rice.

3. Add everything else to the food processor and pulse to blend.

4. I like to put the cauliflower mixture into a shallow dish to form it into a large circle and then flip it onto the cookie sheet. Then spread the mixture thinly.

5. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven. I usually like to flip the crust at this point. Add your sauce, toppings, and cheese. I cook the Boca patty in a skillet first, crumble it into pieces, and then add the onion to the pan to let it cook a little before adding it to the crust.

6. Return to the oven and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. I like to turn the broiler on right at the end to crisp up the crust.

7. Cut into quarters and enjoy!

Just the crust alone has approximately:

182 calories
20.8g protein
7.2g fat
7.8g carbs
3.0g fiber

With my toppings above, this has approximately:

382 calories
42.8g protein
13.7g fat
21.3g carbs
9.0g fiber

Week In Review - Lost Again

2009-10-12T18:07:00.010-05:00

Except this time I'm not lost in Twilight. I've been reading Dan Brown's new book, The Lost Symbol. I'm only on Chapter 19, so a short week in review. ;)

Week 6 ended yesterday. I am HALF WAY through my 12 week transformation, and frankly, I'm slightly disappointed. But, on the upside, I've started seeing progress and I am greatly encouraged. I always say the best motivation is seeing results!

Here's how my workouts went this week:

Monday - OFF

Tuesday - TT Mass @ Home, workout B; TT 3 Minute Arms

Wednesday - 2.19 miles (22:11); TT 6 Minute Abs

Thursday - 5 mile pace workout (1 mile warm up, 1 x 400, 1 x 800, 1 x 1200, 1 x 800, 1 x 400, 1 mile cool down) Total: 5.02 miles, 57:00. My legs were toast after this workout. Between this run and the ab circuit I did Wednesday, I was pretty sore from my navel to my toes. :)

Friday - TT Mass @ Home, workout C; TT 6 Minute Abs

Saturday - 7.05 miles (1:14:48). Really nice run this morning. 32 degrees (F), but sunny, so it didn't feel too cold.

Sunday - 3.06 miles (29:08); TT Mass @ Home, workout A; TT 6 Minute Abs. Workout A is TOUGH. I've failed my drop set 2 weeks in a row. I got an extra rep today though, so I feel like I'm gonna get it next week.

Weekly Total: 17.32 miles

Primary Contest Goals
Eat healthfully and mindfully, with foods more in their natural state: Did good this week, and even managed to stay out of the peanut butter (on some nights).

To NOT use Fitday: I popped in this week just to do a check on where I was calorie-wise on a typical day.

Complete every TT workout to the best of my ability: Yes

Run 15-20 miles (at minimum) per week: 17.32 miles this week. So I did make my goal. Whoo-hoo! Wasn't sure I was going to because this was a race recovery week.

Complete two 5K races, with at least one of them under 30 minutes: Complete!

Secondary Contest Goals
Lose 5 pounds of fat (mostly from abs and thighs): I am down a few pounds and my thighs are fitting into a certain pair of jeans again!

Reduce consumption of diet soda: Did better this week. I even had tea for dinner one night instead of a diet soda. That's HUGE for me.

It's half over, time to really focus on eating well, and working hard. My ultimate goal is to keep this lifestyle and not be "in a contest" or "not in a contest". So far things have been going well. No neurotic calorie counting, no carb cycling, etc. I'm feeling really good about this! OK, I've rambled on longer than I thought. Now, back to my book! :)

Recipe Wednesday - Chicken Barley Stew

2009-10-07T18:28:00.001-05:00

This recipe is adapted from a somewhat recent issue of Clean Eating magazine. This stew is so yummy! It's great to throw it all in the slow cooker and come home to nice warm bowl.

Chicken Barley Stew

20 oz chicken broth
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2t garlic powder
1/2t sea salt
1/4t fresh ground pepper
1t dried basil
1 bay leaf
6 oz boneless chicken breast
1/4 cup black eyed peas (dry)
1/4 cup barley (dry)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 can whole potatoes (I think it's 15 oz)
2 medium carrots, cut into "coins"

1. Cut the chicken and potatoes into bite-sized pieces. I use canned potatoes because they hold up better to hours in a slow cooker.

2. Into a slow cooker, place the broth, then the garlic and the seasonings.

3. Add the chicken, black eyed peas, barley, onion, potatoes and carrots. Add a little water if the liquid doesn't come up to the top of the vegetables.

4. Simmer on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for about 8 hours. Remove the bay leaf before serving.

Sorry this isn't a great picture. It's in a plastic bowl that I took to work. This reheats great.

Assuming 4 servings, each one has approximately:

191 calories
17g protein
0.9g fat
31.3g carbs
7.4g fiber

Week In Review - Week 5 (Including Race Results)

2009-10-04T18:51:00.005-05:00

Can you believe Week 5 is over? YIKES! I think this week went just OK. I didn't have any ice cream, which is good, but I only replaced it with something WORSE. I have rediscovered my love of eating peanut butter out of the jar. Bad, bad, BAD! In the evening, I've been craving smooth, rich foods. Peanut butter, ice cream, cream cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, etc. Does this mean I'm lacking something in my diet? Maybe I need to eat more rich foods earlier in the day. I will NOT eat peanut butter out of the jar anymore!!

This week I started the TT for Mass at Home workout and it's been great. Workout A makes my arms feel like jelly all day. :) Workout B is lower body, and I took it real easy this past week since I had a race yesterday (more on that in a minute). Workout C is total body, but more focused on the upper body than the lower body. Since it's a mass-building workout, there are no intervals. So this workout is perfect as I continue my running. I can't remember if I mentioned this already or not, but I've signed up to run a 10K race in November!

So here's how the past week went:

Sunday: Ran 2 miles, easy pace; TT Mass @ Home, workout A; TT 6 Minute Abs (This was technically the last day of Week 4, but it was my first day of TT Mass @ Home.)

Monday: OFF

Tuesday: 3 Mile Stride Workout (38:00); TT Mass @ Home, workout B; TT 3 Minute Arms

Wednesday: OFF

Thursday: TT Mass @ Home, workout C

Friday: Ran 1.74 miles, easy pace

Saturday: 5K race, 28:32. My time was EXACTLY the same as my time from the race 2 weeks ago. Except this race was better because I didn't feel like I was going to puke on the finish line! :) There were only about 125 people, and for many of them, I think it was their first 5K. I placed 10th overall, and 2nd in my age group.

Sunday: Ran 2 miles, easy pace; TT Mass @ Home, workout A; TT 6 Minute Abs

Primary Contest Goals
Eat healthfully and mindfully, with foods more in their natural state: Healthfully, I did good. Mindfully, not as good. That peanut butter isn't jumping out of the jar by itself.

To NOT use Fitday: Still going well.

Complete every TT workout to the best of my ability: Yes

Run 15-20 miles (at minimum) per week: Week 5 - only a little over 10 miles, because of the race on Saturday.

Complete two 5K races, with at least one of them under 30 minutes: Complete! Ran two 5K races, both at 28:32.

Secondary Contest Goals
Lose 5 pounds of fat (mostly from abs and thighs): N/A this week.

Reduce consumption of diet soda: This week I bought some decaf tea so that I could make iced tea instead of drink soda at dinner time. We'll see how it goes!

Before I forget, here's the link to the TT Weekly Call: TT Fat Loss Coaching Call

This week, Craig talks about the TT program he used to help an actress do her first chin up (TT for Female Strength). He also talks about sticking to your plan, the best lower ab exercise, and the "300 Workout" from Men's Health Magazine.

Have a great week!

Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase the product, I will receive a small portion. I don't get paid for reviews, and I only review items that I actually own.

Recipe Wednesday - Quinoa Sweet Potato Quesadillas

2009-09-30T18:29:00.003-05:00

OK, stay with me on this one. It might sound gross to some of you, but this is actually really, really good! I adapted it from a recipe I found on the website 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet!

Quinoa Sweet Potato Quesadillas

1 sweet potato (about 6 oz)
1/3 cup quinoa (dry)
1/4 of a large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
7 oz crushed tomatoes (canned)
1/2 cup black beans (canned)
2T green chilies (diced)
shredded cheddar
salsa
4 small tortillas

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place aluminum foil on a baking sheet and spray with nonstick spray.

2. Peel and cube the sweet potato. Place on the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

3. While the potato is baking, place the quinoa and 2/3 cup water in a sauce pan with a lid. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

4. While those are cooking, place black beans in a bowl and mash with an immersion blender (or put in a food processor). I don't like beans, so I do this to hide them. If you like them, you can skip the mashing step. :)

5. When the sweet potato is done, place pieces in a bowl and mash with the immersion blender until smooth. When the quinoa is done, just set aside for now.

6. In a medium skillet, either spray heavily with nonstick spray, or add a couple teaspoons of olive oil. Add the onions to the pan and let cook for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and let cook 1 minute more.

7. Add the beans, green chilies, and tomatoes. Stir together, then add the quinoa and sweet potato. Stir until blended and then let cook for a few minutes. Remove from heat.

8. Next preheat a large skillet or a griddle. Spray with nonstick spray.

9. Place 2 tortillas on the griddle. Flip after a few minutes, when they start to puff up.

10. After you flip, place half the sweet potato mixture on each of the tortillas. It's a lot of filling. Place 2-3 Tablespoons of shredded cheese on top.

11. Place the remaining tortillas on top. Using a large turner, carefully flip the quesadillas over to cook the second tortilla.

12. When cooked, cut into quarters and serve with 2 Tablespoons of salsa. YUM!

Sorry for the not-so-great picture!

Assuming this serves 2 (although you probably could use half the filling and serve 4 if you wanted), each one has approximately:

420 calories
25.1g protein
11.7g fat
69.7g carbs
21.4g fiber

Wow, that's a lot of fiber! :) The fiber will depend on your tortillas. I used the small La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious Low Carb/High Fiber tortillas. They have 7g of fiber each.

Lost In Twilight

2009-09-28T09:36:00.011-05:00

I'd like to say I have a really great Week in Review ready to post, but I don't. Instead, I've been sucked into the Twilight series. (I know, I'm a little late with the Twilight phenomenon. I was late reading the Harry Potter books as well.)

I finished the first book within 24 hours this weekend. If I can finish the second book by dinner tonight, I'll have finished it within 24 hours as well. I'm half way done now... Then I will be back and ready to post all about my week. Unless I can get to a bookstore tonight....I think I'm going to need to buy the third and fourth books as well. LOL

I promise I'll finish soon! Being up late at night isn't good for me. I need my beauty sleep! :)

Be back for Recipe Wednesday (I hope)!

A Beautiful Morning

2009-09-26T10:11:00.003-05:00

This morning's run was fantastic. Not time-wise necessarily, but just in the sense of feeling good and enjoying the run. It's officially autumn here and the leaves are changing colors and falling off the trees. And there is a crispness in the air that's refreshing. While I was running this morning, I listened to this song by Marillion (one of my favorite bands) and it just seemed so appropriate. It's from the album, Afraid of Sunlight. The sun was just starting to rise and it was a beautiful morning (even if it was a bit cloudy). Just as I got home, it started to mist, but it was so fine, that even though I could see it in the air, I couldn't feel it on my skin.

Recipe Wednesday - Peanut Butter Cups!!

2009-09-23T18:42:00.000-05:00

This recipe is adapted from a recipe on the Eat Oxygen blog.

If you have not visited Kristin at Eat Oxygen, then get over there and check it out! But be ready to be over there for a loooooooong time. I sat for over an hour one night checking out all of her recipes! :)

The secret to this recipe, I think, is the coconut oil. It gives the peanut butter cup that satisfying "mouth feel" of a rich, peanut butter cup. It's actually pretty filling to just have one!

Peanut Butter Cups

4 Tablespoons whipped butter, preferably unsalted (50 cal per T)
1/2 Tablespoon coconut oil
3T agave nectar
1/4 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

filling:
1 Tablespoon creamy natural peanut butter
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon agave nectar

1. Sift the cocoa powder into a small bowl. I like to sift it to get all the lumps out.

2. In a small microwave safe bowl, warm the butter slightly, until soft, but not melted (about 20 seconds in the microwave).

3. To the butter, blend in the 1/2T coconut oil, 3T agave nectar, and cocoa powder. Add the vanilla, if using. I accidentally left it out, and they still tasted great.

4. In a separate bowl, blend together the filling ingredients.

5. Line a muffin tin with 4 muffin/cupcake papers.

6. Divide the filling into the 4 cups. Place it in a dollop in the center of the cup.

7. Divide the chocolate mixture over the 4 cups.

8. Freeze for an hour. (Yes, a whole hour!)

9. Remove from the papers and eat! You have to eat them fast, or they melt.

Please only eat one! :)

Each one has approximately:

162 calories
1.5g protein
11.4g fat
15.4g carbs
3.0g fiber

Just as a comparison, according the Reese's website, 1 Reese's Big Cup has:

200 calories
5g protein
12g fat
22g carbs
1g fiber

The nutritional info wasn't available on the website for the smaller pb cup, and I when I looked around online, I couldn't find a consistent answer. (And I don't have one on hand to look at!) :)

Why You're Not Losing Weight

2009-09-23T09:23:00.009-05:00

I just wanted to post about this new Precision Nutrition article about Clean Eating Gone Wrong because I am sooooooo guilty. Here is the link to the article: This Meal Plan Could Make You Fat

The article discusses how even though your meal plan looks great on paper, it's all of the little extras throughout the day that we "forget about" that make a difference. I am totally guilty of this.

I often finish my kids' leftovers.
I am guilty of eating things while standing in front of the pantry/kitchen cupboard.
I am guilty of eating ice cream from the carton in front of the refrigerator.
I've been better about hitting the office candy bowl. (Record 33 days so far!)

The article hits on exactly what I am trying to achieve:
"avoiding self-imposed eating restrictions, meal plan rules, and cheat foods"
and
"eating a reasonable amount of quality food each day, forever"

It's a great article to read if you, too, have these same issues. I still like to make a meal plan, because it helps me shop for the week, but I've become much more flexible on what I put on the meal plan. For example, I'll put "fruit" instead of "6oz watermelon". Then I have freedom to choose what fruits look good at the farmer's market. I don't think meal plans are inherently bad, I think being so strict you fall off the wagon is bad. But I really need to curb the extras. Since I am not counting calories now, all those little extras can add up, and if they go unchecked, then I know I won't make any progress. So keep an eye on all your "little extras" (I'll keep an eye on mine) and we'll all be that much closer to our goals! :)

Menu Monday

2009-09-21T19:04:00.003-05:00

Here's today's menu:

Post Workout
1 scoop whey
creatine
water

Ingredients:
whey (whey protein isolate, lecithin, natural flavor, whole oat flour, whey protein concentrate, guar gum, cellulose gum, salt, oat fiber, evaporated cane juice powder, honey powder)

creatine monohydrate

Breakfast
Oatmeal with pumpkin, almond milk, milk and egg protein, Stevia, walnuts and cinnamon
water

Ingredients:
oatmeal
pumpkin
cinnamon
walnuts
Stevia packet (inulin fiber, Stevia)

milk and egg protein (protein blend [calcium caseinate, egg white, whey protein isolate], vitamin and mineral blend [calcium phosphate, magnesium oxide, salt, potassium chloride, potassium citrate, ascorbic acid, ferric orthophosphate, dl-alpha tocopheryl acetate, niacinamide, zinc oxide, copper gluconate, vitamin A palmitate, d-calcium pantothenate, ergocalciferol, folic acid, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamin hydrochloride, riboflavin, biotin, potassium iodide, cyanocobalamin], natural and artificial flavor, soy lecithin, papain, bromelain, sucralose)

unsweetened vanilla almond milk (purified water, almonds, tapioca starch, natural vanilla flavor with other natural flavors, calcium carbonate, sea salt, potassium citrate, carrageenan, soy lecithin, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, D-alpha-tocopherol [natural vitamin E])

Lunch
Chicken Barley Stew, minneola, 2 small plums

Ingredients:
chicken breast
pearled barley
black eyed peas
potatoes
carrots
red onion
garlic powder
sea salt
black pepper
reduced sodium fat free chicken broth (chicken stock, salt, flavoring, dextrose, autolyzed yeast extract, celery juice concentrate, carrot juice concentrate, onion juice concentrate)

minneola
plums

Diet Pepsi (carbonated water, caramel color, aspartame, phosphoric acid, potassium benzoate, caffeine, citric acid, natural flavor)

Snack
yogurt with whey protein, strawberries, blueberries, walnuts, and Stevia
water

Ingredients:
plain nonfat yogurt (cultured grade A nonfat milk, pectin)
strawberries
blueberries
walnuts
Stevia packet (inulin fiber, Stevia)
whey protein powder (whey protein isolate, salt, lecithin, sucralose, natural and artificial flavor, carbogen, Enzyme Matrix™ [lactase, lipase, bromelain, glucoamylase, invertase, alpha-galactosidase, Protease 3.0, peptidase, amylase, Protease 4.5, Protease 6.0, Protease AM, CereCalase], aminogen [Patented Bioactive Polypeptide enzyme system])

Dinner
Pork loin with apple butter, broccoli, muskmelon, and fingerling potatoes baked with olive oil and spices

Pork loin* (Solution Ingredients: pork broth, potassium lactate, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, cornstarch, sodium phosphates, autolyzed yeast, salt, sodium diacetate)
broccoli
muskmelon
potatoes
olive oil
sea salt
garlic powder
onion powder
paprika
black pepper
apple butter (ground apples, white grape concentrate, lemon juice, cinnamon, allspice, salt)

Diet Pepsi (carbonated water, caramel color, aspartame, phosphoric acid, potassium benzoate, caffeine, citric acid, natural flavor)

*I rinse the pork loin and remove the visible fat, but I probably don't get all of this solution out of the pork loin, unfortunately. Need to start shopping around for a better pork loin. I don't remember seeing anyone with pork at the farmer's market, but then again, I haven't been looking specifically for pork.

Snack
Homemade peanut butter cup

Ingredients:
Recipe coming this Wednesday, but it's made with 6 ingredients. Four of them are Whole foods, one is On the Fence, and one is Other. Come back Wednesday for the recipe! :)

Whole foods (foods with ONLY 1 ingredient): 32
Other foods (foods with more than 1 ingredient): 5
On the fence foods (natural, but more than 1 ingredient): 9

Percentage of foods this week that are whole/natural foods is 80% on the dot! Whoo-hoo - I made my goal!!

Racing Results - Goal Achieved?

2009-09-20T14:44:00.009-05:00

Today was the first of two 5k races I will be running as part of my goals in the TT contest. I woke up this morning, and my quads were sore! I couldn't imagine what from. I did my TT workout on Friday, but with a lower intensity, and I wasn't sore yesterday. So if it was DOMS, they were really delayed!

I warmed up for about 10 minutes and my legs felt like lead. I was a little nervous about the race. I wasn't sure it was going to go well by how my legs were feeling.

The first mile consisted of trying to move up because we were still in a pack. I past the first mile marker at about 9:06, so I knew I was on pace. Then my shoe came untied so I had to stop and tie it! During the second mile, my heart burn started to get bad, and I vowed to take something for reflux before my next 5K race. My pace was still good and I past the second mile marker at about 18:30. The third mile felt better - the heart burn diminished, and my pace was steady, but I was getting doggone tired.

Final results
Time - 28:32
pace - 9:11
place - 231 out of 665
division place - 15 out of 81
gender place - 104 out of 438

And here's an action shot my husband took at the finish line...Yes, I am wearing tiger ears and a tail. It was a run to benefit a zoo!

All in all, I am very happy with the results. I made my goal of a 5K in under 30 minutes!!

Afterward, I splurged at lunch and had one of my favorite kinds of pizza. It's called the Border-to-Border. It's Canadian bacon, pineapple, tomatoes and jalapenos. Yum!

Week In Review And Contest Update

2009-09-18T16:07:00.001-05:00

OK, today is the LAST DAY to enter the Turbulence Training Transformation Contest and still have the full 12 weeks to transform. Remember, when you complete the 12 weeks, and submit your before pictures, after pictures and 300 word essay, you get 6 months free to the forums. Everyone who finishes gets that, not just the winners!! See the rules here:

Turbulence Training Contest Rules

You can still enter after today, you just don't get the full 12 weeks.

Week In Review - Week 3

How can it be the end of Week 3 already? This is going by fast!!

Sunday: OFF

Monday: (AM) Running: I warmed up for almost a mile, then ran my fastest 5K ever (28:23)! Cooled down for about 1/2 mile. Total 4.38 miles/42:41; (PM) TT for Athletes, workout A

Tuesday: Had to shorten today's workout because I got to the gym a little late. TT Intervals - warm up, followed by 2 minutes running and 2 minutes walking, repeat for total of 4 intervals (7.5 mph), cool down/2.45 miles/30:00

Wednesday: (AM) Running: 3.03 miles/30:43 followed by TT 6 minute abs; (PM) TT for Athletes, workout B

Thursday: OFF

Friday: TT for Athletes, workout C

Saturday (tomorrow): 1-2 easy miles planned in preparation for my 5K race on Sunday.

Primary Contest Goals
Eat healthfully and mindfully, with foods more in their natural state: I think this week went well!

To NOT use Fitday: Still going well.

Complete every TT workout to the best of my ability: Yes

Run 15-20 miles (at minimum) per week: Week 3 - about 11.86 miles, depending on the total tomorrow (reduced number because of upcoming race, but probably could have been higher).

Complete two 5K races, with at least one of them under 30 minutes: First one up is Sunday! Feeling really good about it!

Secondary Contest Goals
Lose 5 pounds of fat (mostly from abs and thighs): N/A this week.

Reduce consumption of diet soda: Still doing better. Had quite a bit on Thursday; I need to work on drinking less when I go out to eat. The free refills thing gets to me sometimes.

Overall, I think the week went pretty well. I'll be back to update you after the race - crossing my fingers that there is no puking! :)

Recipe Wednesday - Szechuan Chicken

2009-09-16T19:08:00.007-05:00

This recipe is adapted from Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Diet Cookbook, but I've adapted it so much, I wonder if Tosca herself would recognize it! :) I usually like my veggies cooked well, so that is why I microwave them for a little bit first; you can skip that step if you don't like your veggies that way.

Szechuan Chicken

6oz chicken breast
1 small zucchini
1 medium carrot
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup broccoli (frozen is fine)
1/4 of a fresh pineapple, cut in bite-sized pieces

For Sauce:
1 teaspoon quinoa flour
sea salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon unsulphured molasses
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons balsamic or rice vinegar
1/2 cup chicken broth

Rice:
1/2 cup brown rice
1 cup chicken broth

1. Place the 1/2 cup brown rice and 1 cup chicken broth in a sauce pan with a lid. Cook according to package directions. Mine takes 30-40 minutes to cook.

2. Cook the chicken breast by your favorite method. I like to use my GF grill and it takes about 6 minutes.

3. While the chicken is cooking, place the zucchini and carrot in a microwave safe dish. Add a tablespoon of water, cover and microwave for about 3-4 minutes.

4. While the zucchini and carrots are cooking, place the frozen broccoli in another microwave safe dish with a little water. When the zucchini and carrots are done, exchange them in the microwave with the broccoli. Cook the broccoli for about 3 minutes.

5. While the broccoli is cooking, slice the zucchini and carrots. When the chicken is done cooking, cut into bite-sized pieces.

6. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.

7. While the onions are cooking, prepare the sauce. Place the flour, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add the molasses, then the Worcestershire and vinegar, then the broth. Blend well with a fork.

8. To the skillet, add the zucchini, carrots and broccoli.

9. Stir in the sauce mixture. Bring to a boil and then add the chicken and pineapple.

10. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes, until everything is heated through. Serve over the brown rice.

Makes 2 servings, each with approximately:

(With Rice:)
424 calories
27.7g protein
10.8g fat
55.0g carbs
6.2g fiber

(Without Rice:)
256 calories
23.2g protein
9.3g fat
20.5g carbs
4.2g fiber

Menu Monday

2009-09-14T19:45:00.000-05:00

So what do we all think about Menu Monday? Thumbs up? Thumbs down? It's probably kind of boring to read, I confess. But, it's nice to see how things add up, you know? I think I will give it a couple more weeks...and then might give it a rest. :)

Today's Menu

Post Workout
Whey protein, creatine

Ingredients:
chocolate whey protein (whey protein isolate, salt, carbogen, lecithin, cocoa, natural and artificial flavor, sucralose, Enzyme Matrix™ [lactase, lipase, bromelain, glucoamylase, invertase, alpha-galactosidase, Protease 3.0, peptidase, amylase, Protease 4.5, Protease 6.0, Protease AM, CereCalase], Aminogen [patented bioactive polypeptide enzyme system])

creatine monohydrate

Breakfast
Ezekiel cereal with pumpkin, almond milk, milk and egg protein, Stevia, and cinnamon

Ingredients:
pumpkin
cinnamon
Stevia packet (inulin fiber, Stevia)

Ezekiel cereal (organic sprouted whole wheat, organic malted barley, organic golden flax seeds, organic sprouted whole barley, organic sprouted whole millet, organic sprouted whole lentils, organic sprouted whole soybeans, organic sprouted whole spelt, filtered water, sea salt)

milk and egg protein (Protein Blend [Calcium Caseinate, Egg White, Whey Protein Isolate], Vitamin and Mineral Blend [Calcium Phosphate, Magnesium Oxide, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Potassium Citrate, Ascorbic Acid, Ferric Orthophosphate, dl-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate, Niacinamide, Zinc Oxide, Copper Gluconate, Vitamin A Palmitate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Ergocalciferol, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamin Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Biotin, Potassium Iodide, Cyanocobalamin], Natural and Artificial Flavor, Soy Lecithin, Papain, Bromelain, Sucralose)

unsweetened vanilla almond milk (purified water, almonds, tapioca starch, natural vanilla flavor with other natural flavors, calcium carbonate, sea salt, potassium citrate, carrageenan, soy lecithin, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, D-alpha-tocopherol [natural vitamin E])

Lunch
Banana taco, salad

Ingredients:
banana
strawberries
peanut butter (peanuts, salt)
whole grain tortilla (whole wheat flour, water, oat fiber, soy bean flour, cold pressed canola oil and/or safflower oil, contains 2% or less of the following: baking powder [sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, corn starch, monocalcium phosphate], sea salt, yeast, xanthan gum, guar gum, citric acid, sorbic acid, calcium propionate [to maintain freshness])

mixed greens (I don't know what kind they are)
spinach
tomato
cucumber
egg
organic french dressing (canola oil, water, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, sugar, sea salt, xanthan gum, garlic powder)

Diet Pepsi (carbonated water, caramel color, aspartame, phosphoric acid, potassium benzoate, caffeine, citric acid, natural flavor)

Snack
yogurt with whey protein, strawberries, walnuts, and Stevia

Ingredients:
plain nonfat yogurt (cultured grade A nonfat milk, pectin)
strawberries
walnuts
Stevia packet (inulin fiber, Stevia)
chocolate whey protein (whey protein isolate, salt, carbogen, lecithin, cocoa, natural and artificial flavor, sucralose, Enzyme Matrix™ [lactase, lipase, bromelain, glucoamylase, invertase, alpha-galactosidase, Protease 3.0, peptidase, amylase, Protease 4.5, Protease 6.0, Protease AM, CereCalase], Aminogen [patented bioactive polypeptide enzyme system])

Dinner
Bhoona with brown rice and a plum

Ingredients:
bison stew meat
tomato
pineapple
garlic
onion
rice vinegar (water, rice)
olive oil
garam masala (salt, spices, autolyzed yeast extract, dehydrated garlic, dehydrated onion, red pepper)
chili powder (chili pepper, spices, salt, silicon dioxide [to make free flowing], garlic)
organic coconut milk (organic coconut, water, less than 1% guar gum)
brown rice
plum

Diet Pepsi (carbonated water, caramel color, aspartame, phosphoric acid, potassium benzoate, caffeine, citric acid, natural flavor)

Snack
I confess, I wanted something decadent tonight. This is what I came up with. It wasn't the best choice for "whole foods" but it hit the spot.

Banana Fudge Vitatop with peanut butter, cottage cheese and a sprinkle of cinnamon and almonds

Ingredients:

Vitatop (water, whole wheat flour, egg whites, chocolate chips [sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin as an emulsifier, vanilla], maltitol, organic evaporated cane juice, erythritol, cocoa [processed with alkali], soy protein isolate, soy fiber, oat fiber, inulin, banana puree [bananas, ascorbic acid], leavening [sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate], soy flour, lecithin, natural flavors, cinnamon, xanthan gum, sea salt, dried honey, fruit juice, natural grain dextrin, vitamin A, itamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, biotin, iron, zinc, pantothenic acid, vitamin B2, vitamin B1, vitamin B3, calcium, maltodextrin)

peanut butter (peanuts, salt)

cottage cheese (cultured pasteurized grade A skim milk, whey, contains less than 2% of modified food starch, salt, potato maltodextrin, calcium phosphate, artificial color, mono- and diglycerides, guar gum, xanthan gum, artificial flavor, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D3)

cinnamon
almonds

Whole foods (foods with ONLY 1 ingredient): 23
Other foods (foods with more than 1 ingredient): 16
On the fence foods (natural, but more than 1 ingredient): 7

Since my total number of food varies from week to week, I decided to look at percentages. The first Monday I counted foods, I ate:

65.4% whole foods
11% on the fence foods
23.6% other foods

(76.4% whole/natural foods)

The second Monday I counted foods, I ate:

50% whole foods
15.2% on the fence foods
34.8% other foods

(65.2% whole/natural foods)

This week, I ate:

53.6% whole foods
17.1% on the fence foods
29.3% other foods

(70.7% whole/natural foods)

So I did the best during week one, and haven't improved much. LOL

Next week I am going to make an effort to have 80% whole/natural foods.

Week In Review - Week 2

2009-09-12T14:31:00.000-05:00

Wow, the leaves are starting to change color already. Autumn is my favorite season, but where did summer go?

I didn't get a chance to do a Week in Review last week, so here's a quick recap:

TT Contest Week 1

Monday: TT for Athletes, workout A/run: 1.12 miles/15:00

Tuesday: TT Intervals - warm up, followed by 2 minutes running and 2 minutes walking, repeat for total of 6 intervals (first 4 were at 6.7 mph, last 2 were at 7.5 mph), cool down/3.44 miles/45:00

Wednesday: TT for Athletes, workout B

Thursday: Running - 4 miles/39:25

Friday: TT for Athletes, workout C/run: 2.16 miles/25:00

Saturday: Running - 7.28 miles/1:19:42

Sunday: OFF

TT Contest Week 2

Monday: TT for Athletes, workout A/run: 4 miles/41:50

Tuesday: TT Intervals - warm up, followed by 2 minutes running and 2 minutes walking, repeat for total of 6 intervals (first 2 were at 6.7 mph, last 4 were at 7.5 mph), cool down/3.49 miles/45:00

Wednesday: TT for Athletes, workout B

Thursday: Running - 5.51 miles/57:28

Friday: TT for Athletes, workout C/TT 3 Minute Arms

Saturday: Running - 7.93 miles/1:31:56

Sunday: OFF

Primary Contest Goals
Eat healthfully and mindfully, with foods more in their natural state: getting better

To NOT use Fitday: Didn't use. :)

Complete every TT workout to the best of my ability: Yes

Run 15-20 miles (at minimum) per week: Week 1 - 18 miles, Week 2 - 20.93 miles

Complete two 5K races, with at least one of them under 30 minutes: First one up is September 20! :)

Secondary Contest Goals
Lose 5 pounds of fat (mostly from abs and thighs): Have to wait until the end for this one. But I am down about 2 pounds since Day 1.

Reduce consumption of diet soda: Yes. I started buying the cute little 8oz cans and have those with lunch instead of the regular cans. I also eliminated the afternoon soda on most days. I still have a 12oz can with dinner.

Summary
The past 2 weeks have gone fairly well. Labor Day weekend wasn't the best nutrition-wise. We went to a wedding and I overindulged on a few things. Like potato salad. And candy. And maybe one too many rum and diet cokes. :) But back on track now.

Running has been going well. I can tell I have improved my endurance, although I don't know if my speed is a lot faster. I might try to run a 5K on Monday at race pace. I'm still debating how I want to train this week since my race is next weekend. But if I'm going to run a race pace 5K, it would be Monday. Heck, why not? Let's give it a try! :)

Have a great week!

Recipe Wednesday - Oatmeal Carrot Raisin Cookies

2009-09-09T09:09:00.000-05:00

It's 9:09 on 09/09/09! How cool is that?

This recipe is adapted from the 101 Vegan Recipes as part of the Easy Veggie Meal Plans package. I've made it 3 times, and each time was a little bit different. This batch was the best by far. I double dog dare you to eat just one!

Oatmeal Carrot Raisin Cookies

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 large carrots
1/2 cup sugar free pancake syrup (or real maple syrup)
1 tsp fresh minced ginger
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil, slightly melted
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
6 fun size boxes of raisins (1/2 cup at most)
1/4 cup walnut pieces
1/4 cup Ezekiel cereal (I like Golden Flax)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray.

2. Cook the carrots by either steaming or microwaving.

3. While the carrots are cooking, grind the oatmeal in either a food processor or a coffee grinder. I use a coffee grinder and grind it in 4 quick batches.

4. Place the ground oatmeal in a bowl and mix with the flour, baking powder, salt, wheat germ, cinnamon, raisins, walnuts and Ezekiel cereal.

5. In another bowl, puree the carrots with an immersion blender, or use a food processor.

6. To the carrots, blend in the pancake syrup, coconut oil, ginger and pumpkin puree.

7. Pour the carrot mixture into the dry mixture and mix until just blended.

8. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto the prepared cookie sheet. I use a little scoop so they are all the same size. Press down on the cookies with a fork to flatten them a bit. They don't spread like cookies that use butter, so they will come out of the oven looking pretty much like they went into the oven.

9. Bake for 12 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack or place on a brown paper bag to cool.

I made 29 cookies (using sugar free pancake syrup), each with approximately:

68 calories
1.5g protein
3.0g fat
9.3g carbs
1.6g fiber