Fit Healthy Fun

Moving to Wordpress

2010-02-15T14:27:00.002-05:00

I've decided to make the move to Wordpress. If anyone out there still has me in their Google Readers, please make the appropriate change!

http://fithealthyfun.wordpress.com/

Itching to Blog

2010-02-11T19:03:00.008-05:00

Maybe it's the two days I've spent snowed in at home and the cabin fever I've developed, but I really have been thinking a lot about getting back into the blog. I really do enjoy blogging and think it keeps me accountable for my diet and exercise. I think, when I first started the blog (over the summer when I was off from work) I had some unrealistic expectations for myself. I'm not a writer, I work full time and I'm just not an established blogger. Posting all of my meals and exercise is just NOT a format that works for me. It's too much pressure and makes having a blog seem like work. While that is awesome for some bloggers (and I'm grateful because it keeps my Google reader pumped up with awesomeness), it's just not for me.

So new format. I will post food. But I will only post new and interesting or delicious things that I eat and feel I must share.

I will post exercise. But this is not my workout log.

On to regularly scheduled blogging...

I am glad to say that I've just begun training for my first half marathon. I'm almost done with week one!

I hopped on the treadmill this afternoon to complete my scheduled three miles, but had a lot of pain in my back. I'm not sure if it's from trying to pick up the pace in yesterday's 2 miles, tons of snow shoveling or a combination of both, but I couldn't make it happen. I did some yoga download "Yoga for Backs" (30 minutes) to ease the pain and plan on making up the run tomorrow or Saturday. You can take a peek of my plan below:

It just so happens that I also had some pretty epic eats today.

I nuked a small golden delicious apple with cinnamon and brown sugar and topped it with whipped banana oats with flax and more cinnamon.

Dinner was also a new and tasty creation:

Tilapia dredged in almond meal with chu chu cheetahs and baby arugula and tomato drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil. The tilapia went a little like this:

TJ's ground almond meal

Egg whites

Dredging

I heated 1 1/2 tablespoons of canola oil in a nonstick pan and let it do its thing.

Delish.

Well there we go. Don't know when you'll hear from me next and I like it that way! ;)

Back on Track

2009-12-03T07:30:00.002-05:00

It’s been almost a month since my last post! I can’t believe it!

I’ve been a little busy with my friend’s wedding

and planning my high school reunion,

which are both now over and were successes – hooray! In the time period of November 10 – December 2 there was also a race run by yours truly. It was a 5 mile turkey trot on Thanksgiving day.

Now it’s on to Christmas hustle and bustle. Before that, though, it’s time to get back on track. Last night I finally felt better after battling a disgusting cold and cough. I decided to lace up the sneaks and get moving. I did the ab exercises from Angela’s Whittle My Middle challenge. I did not get on board with this challenge right away, but I’m LOVING these moves. My abs are nice and sore this morning. Just how I like it.

I also hopped on the treadmill and did 5 minute alternating intervals of walking at 4.0 at a 12% incline (my treadmill’s max) and jogging at 6.0 at 2%. I did about 30 minutes…not wanting to over-do it since there’s still a trace of icky cough down in my lungs. It did feel GREAT to break a sweat and get moving though!

Here is how I am getting back on track with food:

Dinner: Meet Hugh (middle name Jass, last name salad). I mixed up some organic herb greens, baby spinach, a chopped carrot, baby heirloom tomatoes, crumbled goat cheese, sliced almonds, a sesame flatbread and some Annie’s balsamic. YUM!

I reunited with an old friend for breakfast:

There’s nothing like it…

tons of organic baby spinach
1 cup almond milk
1 frozen banana
1 T Amazing Meal
1 T almond butter
1 T ground flax

My body is saying thank you. Then I packed my lunch for today:

Homemade lentil soup (organic pink lentils, carrot, onion, celery, garlic, diced tomatoes, organic chicken broth and water) – I made a Hugh Jass pot of this on Monday night when I felt like death. I also packed a stoneground whole wheat dinner roll and an apple. I also plan on snacking on some baby carrots and hummus in my fridge at work.

I shall throw in a CLIF Zbar for good measure as a morning snack as well.

Well that is it, ladies and gentlemen! I’m on my way back to my healthy self!

Hiatus Complete

2009-11-10T07:21:00.001-05:00

Last week I was feeling sleepy, grumpy and quite frankly, a little dopey. Hence the appearance of those midgets.

I don’t know if it was the time change, the late night stop at White Castle (first time in my 28 years) on Halloween, or disgusting germs circulating my school…perhaps a combo platter of all three. I was toast. But now I’m back and ready to go!

I won’t bore you by catching you up to last week. It involved lots of food, one run, three yoga sessions and lots of early nights to bed.

Monday:

Breakfast:

AB+J Oats – In the mix:

1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup each water and almond milk
1/2 mashed banana
pumpkin pie spice
topped with raspberry fruit spread and almond butter

Snack: Mini CLIF bar- PB crunch

Lunch:

Morningstar Farms vegan griller burger on a Pepperidge Farm whole wheat Deli Thin (I like these better than Arnold’s Sandwich Thins) with some TJ’s organic ketchup, carrot sticks and hummus and an orange. Why did I never think to bring a veggie burger to work? It was awesome!

Snack:

Cinnamon Puffins with almond milk

Dinner:

Oven baked chicken parm and salad.

Last night (I say night because it' was 5 pm, but dark as midnight) was a brisk run.

Distance: 3.3 miles
Time: 30:27
Avg. Pace: 9:17/mile

I was quite pleased, especially since I walked a few times. And hooray for a new route.

Speaking of new…

Have you used Gmap Pedometer? It is fab! I am usually a big fan of mapmyrun.com, but this is even better! Check it out!

Have a great Tuesday. Hooray for Veteran’s Day tomorrow!

Opinions Needed!

2009-10-29T07:37:00.001-04:00

If you don’t care what I ate yesterday and just want to know why I need your help, scroll down.

Breakfast:

Pumpkin pie oats – In the mix:

1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup each water and almond milk
1/2 mashed nana
vanilla extract
pumpkin pie spice
pumpkin butter
topped with cinnamon raisin swirl PB

Snack: Chocolate brownie CLIF Zbar

Lunch:

This is a pic from the other day, but my lunch was exactly the same. I added 1/2 cup strawberries today because I am obsessed with vitamin C.

Dinner:

I ate in two shifts because I was hungry and didn’t want to wait to eat my salad! I had organic baby spinach with sliced grape tomatoes drizzled with Annie’s balsamic vinaigrette.

The main event was shrimp and quinoa…totally lacking color without that salad!

I marinated the shrimp in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and red pepper flakes and served it with quinoa cooked in organic, low sodium chicken broth.

I was a bottomless pit last night and ate some “Fig Newmans” and then stole some of Hubber’s Starbursts.

For a little exercise last night, I did about 20-25 minutes of P90X Yoga X dvd. I remembered that Hubbers had this when I saw it on Angela’s blog yesterday. I dug it out and popped that bad boy in. It was definitely challenging. I really enjoyed it and will be doing it again in the near future.

I think that my running sneakers (purchased the other day – find out about them here) might be too big. I did the stupid thing and went online to read reviews and many of the reviews said that the toe box was too wide, especially for narrow feet. Well my feet are quite narrow and now I’m feeling like they’re no good. I’m going to try to run in them again today and see what I think. I can exchange this weekend if I’m not happy, which is great.

Ok…now I need some help.

I have a friend’s bachelorette party coming up. I bought a skirt last weekend and have the top, shoes and accessories all picked out. I’m just having trouble with the tights situation.

Option 1: no tights…just legs Option 2: Zig Zag tights Close-up. I know they’re crooked on my right leg…I didn’t care enough to fix them. Option 3: Opaque tights

I would NOT wear these stirrup tights. These are just an example of black opaque. I look enough like a ballerina without stirrups. These tights are a little infamous…holla if you know them!

So that’s all blog readers. I know you’re out there (my sitemeter tells me so) so it’s time to come out of the wood work and help a sista out. Which do you like best? Leave a comment and let me know!

On the Edge

2009-10-28T07:31:00.001-04:00

Good morning! I have to say that I think I’ve been on the edge of a really nasty cold for a few days, but have been successfully fighting it off with this little cocktail:

A multi-vitamin and Emergen-C. Is 1200 mg in supplemental vitamin C too much? I think I’m od-ing a little bit. The other pill is grapeseed extract, which has nothing to do with colds, but does have to do with a beautiful complexion ;)

I just googled too much vitamin C and read an article from the Mayo clinic. I am definitely od-ing. Especially since I get a good amount of vitamin C from my diet. Oh well…a few more days won’t hurt I guess. I’ll just have Emergen-pee (no?)

Monday was hot yoga day. I think it was hotter than usual though. I definitely felt like I might puke once or twice. A few others in the class said the same. I took Tuesday off due to aforementioned “almost-cold.”

Here’s a peek at some eaties:

Sunday Dinner:

At Momma’s house… roasted chicken (no skin), green beans, mashed taters, butternut squash, stuffing and cranberry sauce. It was a veritable feast and I was STUFFED!

Monday:

Breakfast:

Oats in a jar…a jar that really had a little too much left to be used for this purpose! My oats contained:

1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup almond milk/water
cinnamon
mashed naner

Snack: CLIF ZBar

Lunch:

Lentil vegetable soup, whole wheat pita and an apple.

Snack:

Peach-flavored Chobani

Dinner:

We ordered takeout since my yoga class started and ended a little later than usual and I didn’t get home until 7. I picked up this beauty on the way:

tomato, mozzarella, basil and balsamic panini. Heaven.

Tuesday:

Breakfast:

Cranberry apple oats – In the mix;

1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup almond milk/water
mashed nana
cranberry apple butter
craisins
topped with Mighty Maple PB

Snack: CLIF ZBar

Lunch:

Black bean soup, a grapefruit and…

oh former students and your birthdays…you will be the end of me! I couldn’t resist this donut. I was hangry. It was tasty. I was good and didn’t eat my whole wheat pita with my soup. That’s a good substitution, right?

Snack:

Honeycrisp with PB

Dinner: Penne with turkey meat sauce and roasted Brussels sprouts

Well it’s class trip day to the news studio. It’s rainy and gross. Lucky us…

A Beautiful, Happy Sunday

2009-10-25T15:33:00.002-04:00

Before departing on our little journey, I snacked on a honeycrisp apple with cinnamon raisin swirl PB. The jar is almost empty and is screaming to be used for oats in a jar!

Hubbers, poochie and I headed into the city for a little shoe shopping. The girl who helped me at Jack Rabbit told me I needed a neutral shoe. I wound up with some Saucony’s. As I dreaded, they are a size 10. Just call me big foot :( They’re muy comfy though!

The weather was beautiful! We hung out in Union Square for a bit. Hubbers took a pic of me with my new kicks, but I deleted it by mistake on the way home.

Two little stud muffins

We perused some art,

watched this guy do a little sand art,

grabbed a Starbies soy chai latte and hit up this joint…

mmmmm hmmmmm…

Feast your eyes!

When I got home, I immediately laced up my new kicks and took them for a spin!

Comfy and cute!

And which PB did I choose? How could a girl go home with only one?

So many possibilities! Oats better watch out!

I took my new sneakies for a 5K spin.

Distance: 3.10
Time: 27:35
Avg. Pace: 8:53/mile

Thanks, new shoes! Also, I am happy to say that I’m groin pain free! My shoe consultant said it was most likely just from worn out shoes. Hip-hip-hooray! (pun intended)

I just ate a warm little bowl of chili and now am off to clean this casa.

The Yankees and the Giants are playing tonight. This requires us going to a bar to watch because we require more than one television. We’re meeting up with friends for sports and brewskis! Mom offered to have us over for dinner, so I’m good to go for the night.

I leave you with this because it is making me giddy. Yes, I am 28 years old.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

So Much to Say

2009-10-25T09:46:00.002-04:00

???I guess??? We went to see Paranormal Activity last night. For most of the movie I felt ok about the insanity I was watching. For the rest I was completely horrified.

This chick popped into my head several times during the night. I was not happy about it. She is a freak.

There was a group of teenage girls (probably more like tweenage honestly) who belonged in the Hannah Montana movie (if she has one out right now) rather than this movie. Their screaming and giggling kind of ruined it for me. We definitely told them to shut it a few times during the movie. If you can’t take the scary, go see a G movie homegirls.

In other news, I got a little hair upgrade today:

Don’t mine my unmade bed and clothes strewn over my dressing table bench. Also don’t mind that blurrified pic. It was the best I could do with my ‘berry.

And the best news yet… I’m going here today:

Jack Rabbit

Jack Rabbit is a running/yoga/swimming/biking store in NYC where they custom fit shoes for you after running on a treadmill and analyzing your “biomechanics.” Sweet. Maybe this will ease my groin pain? I’ll be back later with an update. I have a sick feeling in my stomach that I’m going to wind up with shoes sized in the double digits. Gross.

Glorious eats from the past few days:

Friday:

Breakfast:

Brekkie a la Mama Pea. A honeycrisp apple cut into chunks and microwaved with cinnamon for a minute topped with plain Chobani and TJ’s pumpkin spice granola. Delightful, delicious, delovely.

Honestly, I don’t know where the rest of Friday’s eats have gone…or quite frankly what they were. I know I stopped at TJ’s after work and got these:

It just so happened I needed an afternoon snack, so I dug in right in the car! Delish!

I also know my morning snack was this:

New flavor for me. Deliciously exciting. Did not disappoint. You can get an exciting peek at school events via my desk calendar. Yep, we’re visiting a news studio next week on Wednesday. Get excited fourth grade! We will be standing in front of a fake weather map.

Saturday:

Breakfast:

Pumpkin pie oats:

1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup water and almond milk
1 mashed nana
pumpkin pie spice
pumpkin butter
topped with cinnamon raisin swirl PB

AM Snack:

Vanilla Chobani with Raspberries

Lunch:

When a Long Islander is near All American Drive In, a Long Islander must eat All American Drive In. It’s an icon. It’s delicious. I had a burger, a few fries and a big ole seltzer.

Needless to say, I skipped the pm snack.

Dinner:

My FAVORITE restaurant. We started with the baby arugula salad with shaved parmesan, tomatoes and lemon dressing and the baby beet salad with goat cheese and pistachio and split them up between three of us.

I went with the cilantro marinated grilled shrimp with vegetable cous cous and English pea puree. This picture doesn’t do it justice. The puree is 1,000 times greener and 1,000 times less Exorcist throw up color.

Oh Reagan, you will always scare the pants off me…

and apparently give me inspiration for hair cuts…

Sunday:

Breakfast:

Remember this?

I whipped it up for breakfast this morning:

Served it with some maple syrup and strawberries and bananas. These little babycakes were phenom. Light, fluffy, pumpkiny. What more could a girl ask for?

Random gross eat:

I ordered a chicken stir fry…Thursday I think? It came like this:

Would you like some stir-fry with your sauce? Why do people think this is a good idea? Who eats this? Apparently I do. I remove veggies and chicken strips from the saucy madness onto another plate and begrudgingly eat it. My fingers swell from sodium intake and I must drink mass amounts of water with lemon and then get up to pee all night. Never again. Next time it goes straight back.

We’re leaving for Jack Rabbit in about 45 minutes. Time to get out of my jammies and get this party started!!

Going for Speed

2009-10-22T07:26:00.001-04:00

I was going for speed….not distance. I can’t tell you how many times during a run this song pops into my head. I should probably stick it on my iPod.

Distance: 2.0 miles
Time: 17:58
Avg. Pace: 8:59/mile

I was going for a liiiittle faster, but at about 1.25 miles, my iPod lost its charge. Running without music is hard! I know I did mile 1 just about or even under 8:00, so mile 2 was definitely slower.

My groin is absolutely KILLING me today. And there’s no hot yoga class today and I can’t make tomorrow’s. What’s a girl to do? Methinks yoga download hip opening flow this evening.

AM Snack:

My first Vita-Top! I bought these this weekend. I got the banana nut flavor. It was delicious! I absolutely loved it and cannot wait to try other flavors!

Lunch:

Randomness: I had a bowl of leftover roasted broccoli and cauliflower from the previous night’s dinner and a grapefruit (which I ate orange style…never did this before). I was going to have the Chobani and granola, but I was too full. I wound up digging into the granola only and having just a bite or two of the yogurt.

That’s my green tea hiding in the background. My school only has styrofoam cups. BUMM-ER. It kills me a little inside every time I use one.

PM Snack:

I finished up the yogurt before I left school and then munched on these strawberries on the way home. They don’t look too appetizing in this picture, but they were tasty.

Dinner:

I made my three bean turkey chili. It was awesome as per usual. A little spicy this time – but that’s the way (uh huh uh huh) I like it.

Dessert:

I had a TJ’s soy creamy mini ice cream sandwich. See those ice crystals in the upper right hand corner? Yeah, I’ve had these since summer. It still tasted good!

Thursday:

Breakfast:

I had a bowl of oat bran. In the mix:

1/3 cup oat bran
1/3 cup each of water and almond milk
pinch of sea salt
splash of vanilla
cinnamon
mashed banana
spoonful of chocolate soynut butter (liked it much better as a mix-in than as a topping)
topped with plain Chobani

This was a tasty little bowl. Not my favorite, but how could one compete with pumpkin and apple pie oats? I mean, that’s just not fair.

It’s almost Friday! Hooray!

Favorite Running Weather

2009-10-21T07:21:00.001-04:00

Yesterday afternoon/evening, I had such a nice outdoor run. It was warmer than it has been, probably about 68, but with that nice fall crispness in the air. I wore shorts and a longsleeved shirt. It’s probably my favorite running apparel in my favorite running weather. I was aiming for 4 miles (still haven’t purchased a new Nike+…note to self…do that this weekend!), but wound up stopping at 3.6, not because I was tired, but because I was home.

Distance: 3.6 miles
Time: 33:40
Avg. Pace: 9:21/mile

AM Snack: CLIF Chocolate Chip Zbar

Lunch:

Amy’s black bean and vegetable burrito. This was SO delicious. I didn’t even want to eat that naner so I could savor the burrito flavor in my mouth. I’m getting more of these ASAP! I also made a blunder and ate that naner after lunch when I had brought it for PM snack. It was meant to be eaten slathered with PB. I was supposed to eat strawberries with lunch. Oh well. I ate some berries anyway.

PM Snack:

I had this lowfat French vanilla yogurt in my fridge, so I swirled in some PB and crumbled some pretzels on top for a tasty snack.

Dinner:

I made shrimp picatta over orzo and roasted broccoli and cauliflower. My mother-in-law made this while we were visiting last month and I loved it, so she photocopied the recipe. I think it’s from Family Circle. I made a few healthy substitutions like Earth Balance for butter and cut the olive oil from two tablespoons to one. I actually did the same with the Earth Balance. It was delicious! I have to say that roasting cruciferous veggies might be my new favorite thing. Jillian Michaels would be proud.

After dinner I had a Heiny Light while watching the Yankees game and listening to Hubbers scream/clap with his loud manly clap/jump around a little bit. He is a Yankee fan. Could you tell? I am NOT a Yankee fan. I am a MET FAN. But my team doesn’t make it to the playoffs, so I may as well root for NY!

Wednesday:

Breakfast:

Pumpkin Pie oats:

1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup each water and almond milk
mashed banana
pumpkin pie spice
spoonful of pumpkin butter
topped with PB&Co Cinnamon Raisin Swirl PB

I tried to get all Jenny-like with my PB drizzle, but I couldn’t be patient.

Have a Happy Humpday!

Spooky Weekend

2009-10-20T07:43:00.001-04:00

I had a very busy weekend and a very long Monday at work…hence the Tuesday post. This weekend, we went to the village of Sleepy Hollow for “Legend Weekend.” It’s a festival centered around Washington Irving’s book “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” It’s a spooky and fun little festival complete with headless horseman. I am so upset I forgot to bring my camera!

I baked these pumpkin cupcakes, which by the end of the night became known as simply “pumpcakes” to bring to Hubbers’s coworker’s house (the host).

They are FAR from healthy, but they were super tasty. You can find the recipe here. I highly recommend you do.

And now for some eats…

My previous favorite oats (see next bowl), cranberry apple butter oats. You should know the mix by now…but in case you don't:

1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup almond milk
1 mashed banana
handful craisins
1 spoonful cranberry apple butter
cinnamon
1 scoop almond butter
1 scoop plain Chobani

And now…my newest favorite oats:

Apple Pie OATS!!! In the mix:

1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup almond milk
lots of cinnamon
splash of vanilla extract
splash of maple syrup
1/2 chopped honeycrisp apple
topped with cinnamon raisin swirl pb (crust??) and plain Chobani (ala mode)

Heaven.ly. I am in love with this bowl!

I then went to a baby shower (again), had some brunch-y foods and came home for a food shop.

Feast your eyes on these goodies: Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, organic baby spinach, basil, organic carrots, Starbies coffee

Bananas, lemons, garlic, oats, seltzer, pasta, beans and tomatoes (someone’s making chili this week!)

Amy’s soups, Kashi cookies, Vitatops, Amy’s burrito (cannot wait to try), Zbars, coconut water, buttload of Chobani (they were 10 for $10…score!)

Large plain Chobani, soynut butter, Annie’s dressing, organic milk and Starburst (Hubs of course), chicken sausage, ground turkey

I’m most excited to try this little jar!

And now a peek inside my fridge (since I cleaned it)

Monday:

Breakfast:

Chocolate-covered strawberry oats:

1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup almond milk
1 mashed banana
cinnamon
vanilla
maple syrup
topped with sliced strawberries and chocolate soynut butter

The soynut butter is a little gritty. I was deciding between that and PB&Co Dark Chocolate Dreams. Next time I’ll go with DCD.

AM Snack: CLIF Zbar

Lunch:

Amy’s Lentil Vegetable soup, whole wheat pita, apple

PM Snack:

TJ’s organic vanilla Greek yogurt with Panda Puffs

Dinner:

Penne pesto with broccoli and asparagus – YUM!

I was totally vegetarian on Monday…three cheers for me!

Tuesday:

Breakfast:

Apple pie oats again. Seriously…make this. NOW!

Monday was hot yoga. Not as rigorous as my practices have been (it was a different teacher), but more focused on form…which is good.

Make it a good Tuesday everyone!

A Quickie

2009-10-16T07:10:00.001-04:00

This one’s going to be a quickie. I had an off day from exercise yesterday as I had my afterschool book club and then had a meeting with a financial planner at home at 7:00. It was kind of a hectic afternoon, but I wound up getting a lot accomplished.

Here’s some eats…

You know what my am snack was…CLIF Zbar

Lunch:

My homemade pasta e fagioli soup, a whole wheat pita and an apple. I may or may not have grabbed a TJ’s 100 calorie dark chocolate bar out of my fridge also.

PM Snack:

TJ’s organic honey flavored Greek yogurt with EnviroKids PB Panda Puffs

Dinner:

Mini turkey meatloaves (find the link to the recipe in this post) with BBQ sauce instead of the adobo glaze, roasted broccoli and the most mini baked potato ever

Friday:

Breakfast:

This was the coldest morning I’ve woken up to so far this fall, but I was dreaming of this yogurt bowl as I went to bed last night. (Yeah, I do that sometimes…it’s a problem). In the mix:

1/2 (give or take) plain Chobani
Handful of TJ’s Pumpkin Spice granola
A few scattered PB Puffins
TJ’s pumpkin butter
almond butter

I gave it a good mix and it was heavenly. I will definitely be having this combo again. Right now I’m enjoying a steamy cup of orange blossom yerba mate.

I’m so happy it’s Friday…again…gotta love a four day work week! I am going to hot yoga after work - something to look forward to all chilly day long!

Nothing Creative to Write Here.

2009-10-15T07:40:00.001-04:00

First, a little housekeeping:

Gina, the Fitnessista, is doing a great giveaway! You should check it out!!

Next on the agenda…food, glorious food!

Here is a collage of eats from the past few days:

Breakfasts:

Amazing cranberry apple butter oats from yesterday with a few tweaks:

1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup water
pinch of sea salt
dash of vanilla extract
craisins (phenom.)
mashed banana
cranberry apple butter
topped with almond butter

Mastered. Perfection!

I believe this was a yogurt bowl with vanilla chobani, pumpkin flax granola, H2H and PB Puffins.

Truth be told, I have no idea what this mix was. It was some oats, raisins, probably more of the usual suspects and then topped with unsweetened applesauce.

This was a tasty bowl that began the cranberry apple butter revolution.

1/3 cup oatbran
1/3 cup almond milk
1/3 cup water
pumpkin pie spice
vanilla
mashed banana

Topped with plain Chobani and cranberry apple butter

A simple bowl of PB puffins and almond milk.

Lunches:

…have included a LOT of this:

SOUP! I’m obsessed this fall. This is my homemade pasta e fagioli from the other night. Delish.

Vegan black bean soup from TJ’s. DELISH!

Side of grapefruit.

Hummus and veggies in a whole wheat pita

with an apple

and some pretzels.

Dinners:

I only have two photographed. I was eating out a lot while Hubbers was away.

Spinach, chicken, mushroom quesadillas were on the menu last night. I LOVE these. You can find the recipe here. I saw them on “Healthy Appetite” with Ellie Krieger on FoodNetwork a year or so ago and have made them several times. They never disappoint.

I also had Panera the other night after picking Hubbers up from the airport. I had a classic cafe salad and garden vegetable soup with whole grain baguette on the side.

This weekend, I had a “Colossal” Honey crisp apple. It took me a good 15 minutes to eat. Dang.

I went to a beautiful baby shower and was proud of my gift wrapping skills.I bought new shoes.

I went to TJ’s and found some new (to me at least) products:

Had to try that one right away. The verdict? Out of this world!!

We all know how this one turned out!

Delicioso!

I’m back on the bandwagon! I went to a hot yoga class on Monday. It rocked my socks (or lack thereof) off! I sweat like a beast and definitely felt it the next day. I can’t wait to go back!

I ran a 5K on the treadmill on Tuesday: 27:30.

I ran 2.0 miles Wednesday: 18:30.

I am really missing the Nike+. I need a new one ASAP!!

Make it a great Thursday! The weekend’s almost here!

A Little Tease

2009-10-14T07:29:00.001-04:00

There is so much I have to write, but I woke up a little late today (aaahhh) and don’t have time for a full post. I will tell you that while typing this very post, I am eating one of the best bowls of oats I’ve had in a long time!

Featuring:

YUM!

Look at that little cloud of almond butter floating on top. If my belly wasn’t full of oats my mouth would totally be watering right now!

I have a dress fitting for a bridesmaid’s dress this afternoon, but as soon as I’m home, you get to see my glorious eats for the past few days and hear about my “back on the wagon” workouts!

Happy Wednesday! (Love when I think it’s Tuesday, but it’s really Wednesday!)

Off the Wagon

2009-10-09T07:28:00.001-04:00

I am so off the wagon with exercise this week. I can’t believe it! This afternoon, I have to be back! My running shoes are calling my name! I think I just needed a break this week. Oh well…life goes on…

Wednesday:

Snack/Lunch:

Snack was a mini CLIF bar (PB Crunch)

Lunch was leftover butternut squash soup and a whole wheat Arnold’s thin.

I also had an organic gala apple with peanut butter. This actually came first in my lunch.

I also made a lunch-time run to Trader Joe’s and, while waiting to check out, found a box of 100 calorie 70% dark chocolate bars. How fantastic! I had to bust into one in the car.

I skipped afternoon snack due to craziness at work.

Dinner:

My favorite pizza (you’ve seen this many a time before) – thin crust with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Some grapes for dessert

Thursday:

Breakfast:

A fantastical bowl of oats – in the mix:

1/2 cup Irish oats
1/2 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup water
cinnamon
mashed banana
spoonful of pumpkin butter
dollop of vanilla Chobani on top

Snack/Lunch:

Snack was a mini CLIF.

I was still hungry for some reason, so I busted into a Balance bar – ~~crack~~ cookie dough flavor.

Lunch was an AB&SFS (almond butter and superfruit spread) on a whole wheat Arnold’s thin along with…

a tasty grapefruit. I had also packed a yogurt, but wasn’t hungry due to my balance bar.

Snack:

I had my afterschool book-club with the kiddies yesterday. I did something I hadn’t done since elementary school. I brought a bowl of milk and dry cereal to snack on. It was fantastic. Let me just explain. When I was a child (and still a little bit) I was the pickiest eater on Earth. I, still after 28 years of life, have never eaten a sandwich with coldcuts. I know. Also, my first PB&J was in my twenties. I had something against sandwiches. My poor mother had to make me lunch every day, so I would bring milk in a bowl and dry cereal. Sometimes I would even get a little crazy and buy a milk at school. I was a weird kid. I know. Moving right along…

Dinner:

Tonight I was making spaghetti and turkey meatballs. I figured since I was in the kitchen and banging around pots and pans anyway, that I’d make a big ole batch of soup to last me through the long weekend and then some. I made pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans)

Basically, I sauteed some finely diced carrot, celery and onion in a little olive oil. I added some garlic, salt and pepper, two cans-o-beans, a quart of chicken broth, a touch of tomato sauce and 2 cups of water. When it came to a boil, I added 2 cups of ditalini pasta and let it cook in the broth.

Steamy goodness. I may or may not have scorched my tongue while sampling this bowl of wonder.

While all this was going on, I made some turkey meatballs and Ronzoni Smart Taste spaghetti.

Mama Mia! Talk about comfort food!

Friday (!!!)

Breakfast:

Since I was so low on the veggie count yesterday, I knew I needed some veggies for breakfast. I also wanted cereal. Enter “Green Monster Lite". I made a green monster with just spinach, almond milk, 1/2 frozen banana and a few frozen peach slices. It was more juicy than smoothie-ish. Not nearly as filling as a regular green monster…which left room for my PB Puffins :)

Well, I’m off to see what Friday has in store for me. Hubbers is going to visit a friend in Kentucky this weekend and is leaving today :( I will miss him for sure, but have a busy weekend ahead of me!

Emotionally Drained

2009-10-07T07:19:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was another emotionally draining day. Without going into too much detail and for privacy reasons, I will tell you that we had grief counselors available at school yesterday…for the children. I think you can probably figure out the tragedy that our school family has been dealing with the past two days.

Without saying much more, I came home from work yesterday, later than usual and caught up with some friends on the phone while I was supposed to be running. I just didn’t have the physical strength to lace up my running sneaks. After a dinner out with my mom, I crashed on the couch around 8. Hubbers woke me up at 8:30 and I went to bed. This morning I woke up early in the hopes of getting my run in since my afternoon and evening are jam-packed, but I couldn’t get myself out of bed. I think my body just needed rest. I think I’ll survive a few days without exercise.

On to my eats for yesterday:

Snack:

I busted into it in the car on the way to work. Clearly those Puffins didn’t do it for me!

Lunch:

I had a TJ’s vanilla Greek yogurt with pumpkin flax granola, two “Fig Newmans” and an organic gala apple.

Snack/Dinner:

PM snack was TJ’s “Tempting Trailmix.”

We went out for dinner to the ale house I’ve mentioned a few times. I had a Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale, the salad (3/4 eaten) above and 1/2 of the bowl of butternut squash soup below. I saved the other half of the soup for lunch today. I love having lunch figured out the night before!

Wednesday:

Breakfast:

I whipped up a green monster in the hopes it will give me the energy I need today! In the mix:

organic baby spinach
1 cup almond milk
1 T almond butter
1 T ground flax
1 T Amazing Meal
frozen peach slices
1/2 frozen banana

Well here’s to a new day. This afternoon I have to attend a service and have a doctor’s appointment at 6:00. It’s going to be a late night!

Rough Day at the Office

2009-10-06T07:20:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, our school’s faculty and staff learned some devastating news. I am not going to share for privacy reasons, but the entire staff was shaken to our cores. It was a very tough day for me especially since yesterday also marked the nine year anniversary of my dad’s passing due to lung cancer. I can’t believe it’s been nine years.

Yesterday was a totally appropriate day for some yoga. I did the yoga for runners that I did not get to do on Sunday since I decided to do a much more thorough cleaning than I anticipated. Cleaning counts as exercise, right? My yoga practice was totally restorative for my body and spirit. I wanted to go for a run, but my groin has been very tight since Saturday’s race. I think it’s finally time to bite the bullet and see a doctor.

Sunday Dinner:

We ordered takeout. Hubbers got pizza and I ordered a minestrone soup. I’m a little obsessed with soup these days. It’s just so comforting! I also had two garlic knots.

Monday:

Breakast:

I had a bowl of oats. In the mix:

1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup each water & almond milk
cinnamon
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon Raisin Swirl PB

Toppings:

1/2 chopped apple
plain Chobani

Snack/Lunch:

I didn’t take pics, but snack was a mini chocolate chip CLIF bar and for lunch we wound up going out when we heard the unexpected news I mentioned before. I had tortellini soup with spinach.

P.M. snack was two “Fig Newmans”

Dinner:

I made “Takeout Fake-out” Sesame Chicken that I found in this month’s Fitness magazine. You can find the recipe here and I highly recommend you do, because this was one delicious dish!

Tuesday:

Breakfast:

I wanted something easy this morning that required little effort. The answer: PB Puffins, sliced banana and almond milk. I’m also currently sipping about 1/4 cup of coffee that was left over from Hubbers’s pot this morning. And also I chugged a large glass of water of course.

I think I’m going to start blogging in the morning. I made my wake-up time a little earlier than last school year since I planned on doing my runs in the morning. It worked for about two weeks, but I am just not a morning exercise person. I try to make myself be, but I have to just embrace who I am and go for it in the afternoon after work. The problem is, I’m not a night person either. By about 9:45/10:00 each night, I start to doze while watching my prime time tv shows and then head to bed. So, blogging in the morning is the perfect solution! Expect to hear from me more often after my new epiphany!

Have a great Tuesday!

A New PR

2009-10-04T17:08:00.001-04:00

I’ll start with the most exciting news first, since it’s been a while and I’ve got a LOT of food pics to share. I ran a 5K on Saturday and set a new PR. The 5K was the “Tara Costa Run for Fitness and Education” in the town where I work. Tara was my favorite contestant on last season of the Biggest Loser. I loved her attitude and she did a great job in her weight loss. So when I heard about this race, I just had to do it!

Me with the host! We had a quick chat. Tara was very sweet and looks great!

Here are my race stats:

Distance: 5K
Official Time: 27:58
Avg. Pace: 9:01/mile
Division Place: 12th
Gender Place: 51st
Overall Place: 145/418

I was very pleased with this race. It was even better to see some of my students on the streets cheering me on!

My brother ran with me and also kicked some butt! He ran 26:26, placed 10th in his division and 113th overall.

I can only share my eats in detail from the last day or two, the others will be a collage of random eats. My memory is rusty.

Sunday:

My bro treated us to breakfast out. I had blueberry pancakes. YUM!

Lunch:

A new, delicious creation – Arnold’s thin (whole wheat) smeared with pesto and topped with fresh mozzarella and sliced grape tomatoes pressed in the panini press. Muy bueno.

Followed by some grapes.

Saturday:

Pre-Race Breakfast:

Ezekiel with peanut butter and sliced bananas.

Lunch was at a friend’s shower. I am in the bridal party and was WAY too busy for photos. I had one slider and pasta salad.

Dinner:

PB Puffins and almond milk. (I know it’s lame, we ate late at the shower).

…and a pear.

Here’s some other eats from this hectic week…

Green monster Pumpkin oats Shrimp with quinoa salad Kashi H2H

Cinnamon-raisin oatbran
Half a tomato, basil and mozzarella panini and pasta fagioli soup Twinnings Herbal Unwind tea and a “Fig Newman”

Waffle sandwich with almond butter and superfruit spread

Veggie and hummus wrap

Honeycrisp apple!!

The new limited edition most amazing ZBar ever! Amy’s Vegetable Lentil soup, Arnold’s thin and apple

Also, Hubbers brought home this new Via instant coffee from Starbucks. I decided to give it a try.

I did not hate it…I did not hate it at all!

Stay tuned for an upcoming review of Amazing Grass products and a giveaway!

Don’t Give Up on Me!

2009-09-29T21:59:00.002-04:00

I’m still here! I sneaked away for a little vacation down south, but I have returned. Hang in there with me! I’ll be back tomorrow. I will tell you that I left my ipod on the plane and just got my replacement in the mail... I'm secretly setting it up right now instead of blogging. I guess it's not a secret anymore. Feast your eyes:Until tomorrow, bloggies.

Oat-a-licious

2009-09-24T22:34:00.001-04:00

I enjoyed a fabulous hip-opening flow on Wednesday to sooth my achy legs. My groin was so tight. It felt so good when I got down in half pigeon.

{yoga journal}

Here are a collection of eats I photographed from Wednesday and today

Pumpkin oats for breakfast – In the mix:

1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup pumpkin
lots of cinnamon
dash of vanilla

Toppings: Cinnamon Raisin Swirl PB and plain Chobani

Honey Graham Z Bar for snack

Veggie wrap with hummus, spinach, carrots and red pepper

and a gorgeous, juicy pear.

For dinner, I made mini turkey meatloaves. They were chock full of veggies and had a spicy glaze on top. I will definitely make these again. They were in this month’s Self magazine and you can find the recipe here.

Today’s breakfast was beyond. Chocolate-peanut butter oat bran – In the mix:

1/3 cup of oat bran
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup water
1 mashed banana
1 Tablespoon chocolate/peanut butter chips mixed in

Toppings: 1 more Tablespoon of chips and plain Chobani

heaven-ly. Move over, pumpkin oats. There’s a new sheriff in town.

I also invented a new snack today. I put a big dollop of plain Chobani in a dish and crumbled some PB-filled pretzels in along with a tiny dab of TJ’s superfruit spread. Mixed it all together and voila! It was awesome.

Dinner was out. Hubbers and I tried a new restaurant. We split a mixed green salad to start – my blackberry was NOT taking good pics for some reason. The salad was good. My wine was good. My entree was vegetable risotto…should be a grand slam for me. It sucked. The rice wasn’t even risotto rice. It looked like plain white rice in some weird oily reddish sauce. It was full of huge slices of pepper and zucchini. NOT what I had in mind. Worst part was no one came over to see what the dealio was when I ate three bites of my meal and then wasn’t touching it. When the waiter came to clear our plates he apologized and offered me a meal to take out. I was done at that point and politely declined. I felt badly sending the food back. I’ve NEVER done this before, but I could not justify paying $17 for something I didn’t and wouldn’t eat. So they removed it from the check and I came home and had this:

Ezekiel with cinnamon raisin swirl PB. It hit the spot. I just gave myself a mani/pedi and did a pretty fantastic job if I do say so myself. Now it’s time to let these babies dry and hop into bed!

Just Short

2009-09-22T21:59:00.001-04:00

So I’ve mentioned a few times that my Nike+ iPod has been cutting me a little short on my mileage. I sat down today at Map My Run and meticulously planned my route for my 5K run. My Nike+ clocked me in at 2.98 miles. I ran 3.10. The good news was that my pace of 9:19/mile turned out to be 8:58/mile when I calculated it using Cool Running’s pace calculator. Too bad it doesn’t count toward this month’s speed goal :(Distance: 3.10 miles
Time: 27:49
Avg. Paee: 8:58/mile
** I’ve decided to take a brief hiatus from my HR monitor. I’m finding that I’m too concerned with keeping my bpm in the “right range.” I’m just concentrating on running and listening to my body for a while. Never fear, my Polar will return.

Breakfast:

Breakfast cookie!

In the mix:

1/3 cup oats
1/8 cup almond milk
1 T cinnamon raisin swirl PB
cinnamon
vanilla
1/2 cup pumpkin (WAY too much!)

I topped it with plain Chobani and sliced banana. I used WAY too much pumpkin in this little puppy. It was mushy as all get out and I wound up only eating half. I’m thinking 1/4 cup of pumpkies next time.

Snack/Lunch:

I didn’t photograph, but snack was a mini PB CLIF bar. Lunch was exactly like yesterday’s but with vanilla Chobani and a pear instead of an apple. I was running late this morning and this required almost zero thought.

PM Snack:

CLIF ZBar and sliced strawberries (I was HANGRY)

Dinner:

Whole wheat pasta, broccoli and asparagus in a quick homemade pesto.

In the pesto mix: (all measurements are guesstimates since I dumped handfuls of everything in the food processor and called it a day)

1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt + pepper
1/2 cup basil
1 1/2 cups spinach
1 1/2 cups arugula
1/4 cup olive oil

I had an arugula and tomato salad on the side with balsamic vinaigrette. It was muy delicioso.

Since I went MIA for two days, I wanted to share some fabu eats with you.

First off…

Yup. You’ve heard me talk about it. It.is.ah.ma.zing.

I slathered some on a naner as soon as I got that sucker home. Magnifique.

I finally found the elusive pineapple Chobani. Heavenly.

Finally, I made some chili and cornbread for NY Giants football on Sunday. It’s three-bean turkey chili. It was purely divine. The cornbread mix was from TJ’s and was the perfect compliment. It was just missing a frothy beverage that rhymes with fear.

Ok…I hear the Biggest Loser scale beeping away in the other room. I have to go find out what’s going on!

Back in the Groove

2009-09-21T22:07:00.001-04:00

It’s been a minute, but I’m getting back into my groove! I was going to play catch up, but I think I’ll just take it from today.

Today was an off day from running, so I did Jillian’s No More Trouble Zones video from start to finish. I love this workout! My legs felt like jello afterward and I worked up quite a sweat!

Breakfast:

Cinnamon Raisin Oats

In the mix:

1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup water
cinnamon
vanilla
raisins
cinnamon raisin swirl PB
dollop of plain Chobani

Delightful.

Snack/Lunch:

Chocolate chip Z bar

Pomegranate Chobani, pumpkin flax granola, PB-filled pretzels and an apple

*There was a pm snack in here somewhere.

Dinner

Chicken parmigana and arugula and tomato salad

Carvel PUMPKIN SPICE ice cream! I’m not even a fan of ice cream. Hubbers could live on the stuff. He asked if I wanted to accompany him and I realized that this jammie would be in stock. It was fantastic!

Back in August, I won a KOR One Hydration Vessel from Joanna’s blog. I was super excited when I heard the UPS truck pull up today while I was doing my Jillian workout. Hubbers brought in the package and opened it and flashed this bright new baby:

I love the quote inside!

I cannot wait to use this water bottle! Thanks again, Joanna for a great giveaway!

Green Oats (no ham)

2009-09-19T21:23:00.001-04:00

This one’s going to be a quickie. I have a party to attend and will be leaving shortly. We had a very busy day today. Tomorrow will be slower and I’ll catch up with ya then.

I just had to share what I made for breakie today.

I give you…

Green Oats!

Here’s how I did it:

Pureed a handful of spinach with 1/4 cup of water in the magic bullet.
Added the liquefied spinach to my saucepan with 1/2 cup of almond milk and waited for it to simmah.
Mashed my banana while I waited using my new Pampered Chef mix n’ chop. Unfortch, my camera thought I was trying to take a pic of my hand. It’s mashing that naner right up!
Mixed in 1/2 cup of oats
Mixed in my naner along with some cinnamon and vanilla.
Plopped my green creation in a bowl and drizzled raw almond butter on top.

Nutritious and delicious! I was so craving some Chobani for the top, but I was all out.

I wanted to share the mock-up I made for our annual Halloween party. I’m a fan of send in the mail invitations in this day in age of evites and facebook invitations. I’m old fashioned that way I guess.

Here it is…

What do you think?

Have a rockin S-A-T-UR-DAY NIGHT!

Love My Green!

2009-09-16T21:53:00.001-04:00

Today was a very GREEN day. I started the day with a green monster and broke into my Amazing Grass samples and tried a Green SuperFood Chocolate Energy Bar:

As you’ll see below, I had half for an a.m. snack and half for a p.m. snack. This bar was awesome! It was chewy, but hearty with a chocolatey coating that was very satisfying. Only half of this baby kept me satiated until lunch time. I LOVE that it’s all-natural source of energy as opposed to some other bars out there on the market. Two-thumbs up for this one, Amazing Grass!

Hubs also wanted to get in on the taste-testing. He asked if he could sample a bar and share his thoughts. He tried the chocolate peanut butter protein bar.

{picture courtesy of Amazing Grass}

He’s a lot more skeptical of products like this, so I was interested in his feedback. When I called him on my way home from work, he was glad to tell me that he loved the bar. He thought it tasted great!

Now if you’re like me and hear great reviews about healthy products and you want some Amazing Grass right now (if you haven’t tried it already), today is your lucky day! Amazing Grass is offering Fit Healthy Fun readers a 15% discount on their products. Just type in HEALTHY09 at checkout to receive your 15% discount! I can’t wait to share more reviews with you. Also, keep your eyes peeled, because you just might be able to win some grass of your very own!

Today was an off/cross-training day from my running schedule. Feeling inspired by watching the Biggest Loser last night (how good was it??), I popped in No More Trouble Zones and did the first 5 circuits.

Breakfast:

Green monster:

In the mix:

organic baby spinach
1 cup almond milk
1 frozen banana
1 T organic peanut butter
1 T ground flax
1 T Amazing Meal

Snack/Lunch:

I had half of a Chocolate Superfood bar

My mini-ninis (that’s my new name for them) that I made last night. Ciabatta, fresh mozzarella, roma tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper

Grapes from my classroom fridge stash

Snack/Dinner:

Snack was the other half of my bar.

Dinner was sushi

Salad and miso soup

vegetarian gyoza (x4)

shrimp tempura roll…delicious!

Also, “Healthy” related, I went for my annual body check today at the dermatologist. Do you get an annual check? If not, you should. I schedule mine for September since summer is over and I’m not in the sun anymore. I got a clean bill of health :) I’m diligent about doing this, so is Hubs. He’s had several basal cell carcinomas removed, so we’re super careful!

My derm also recommended a new face wash.

For 40 beans per bottle, this stuff better get my already good skin looking like a work of art by Michelangelo or something! I’ll keep you posted!

Cramping My Style

2009-09-15T20:50:00.002-04:00

This post is going to be quite the mother-load. First off, I have to say that I totally identified with Hangry Heather’s post the other day. It’s always hard getting back into the swing of things for a new school year. Throw in hosting a party over the weekend and a long run and football on Sunday and I was toast Monday. So let’s catch up.

Since we chatted last, I had a long run Sunday, biked on Monday and a three-miler today.

Sunday:

Distance: 7.01 miles
Time: 1:31:42
Avg. Pace: 10:30/mile
(I’m too lazy to fetch my HR monitor and get you those stats…be honest, you don’t care)

Monday: 45 minute bike ride with Hubbers

Tuesday:

Distance: 2.86 miles
Time: 25:06
Avg. Pace: 8:44/mile

(My Nike+ was acting up again…I paced a 9:22 on it for some reason. So mad I didn’t get credit to make this month’s speed goal!)

I also had some MAJOR cramping in my stomach during this run. It was really painful and caused me to walk a few times. It was not a fun run.

Since my groin has been bothering me lately, I decided to ice, ice baby after my run:

Then Hubbers was a doll and stretched it out for me. I sat in that exact position and he sat next to me and just pulled my leg to make an L with the other leg. It felt reeeeeally good!

SUNDAY:

Breakfast:

Kashi H2H, Nature’s Path pumpkin flax granola, almond milk, strawberries

Lunch:

Leftover pasta salad from Saturday’s block party

Dinner:

was at our neighbor’s house for the Giants/Redskins game. Hubbers and I are Giants fans, they’re Redskins fans. We watch the games they play each other together and take turns hosting. I was so glad it wasn’t my turn. I was beat from Saturday and the 7 mile run!

MONDAY:

Breakfast:

Pumpkin oats…see what’s in the mix here.

Lunch/Snack:

A.M. snack was a mini CLIF bar.

Veggie/hummus wrap on lavash bread with spinach, tomato and carrots

and a kiwi

Dinner: was out – I was craving a burger and forgot to photograph. Sometimes a girl just needs a burger. It was awesome.

TUESDAY:

Breakfast:

Creamy Oatbran

In the mix:

1/3 cup oatbran
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup water
cinnamon
vanilla
1 mashed banana

Topped with plain Chobani and strawberries…delightful!

My throat was feeling a little sore, so I slammed back some “EmergenC” on the way out the door.

Lunch/Snack:

Snack was a mini CLIF…I know, shocking.

Amy’s Light in Sodium Minestrone and a mini ciabatta roll with some…

grapes!

Snack: One of my former students came by with a birthday treat of a Carvel flying saucer. I don’t know what possessed me to do it, but I ate it. It was delish.

Dinner:

Wild Sockeye Salmon broiled with salt, pepper, fresh garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, red pepper flakes and oregano and spinach salad with carrots and tomatoes and balsamic vinaigrette. This piece of salmon was HUGE. I couldn’t finish it, but it was really good.

Then I put together some mini caprese paninis for tomorrow’s lunch. While the press was heating, I finished my bottle of Sauv. B. I’m still savoring this glass.

I know I said I’d take pics on Saturday, but honestly I was running around so much I completely forgot! Here are the appetizers and dessert. I showed you the pasta salad earlier. I also made teriyaki chicken, BBQ shrimp and chicken sausage – all which Hubbers grilled to perfection and served a green salad.

Beer bread with spinach dip (I got a million compliments on the dip…thanks, Joe ;) Trader Joe that is!)

Potato chips and fake pirate’s booty from TJ’s

Chips and salsa

Veggies and dip

Pina Colada cupcakes

The party was a success. I had one too many vodka and pink sparkling lemonades for the day. Running on Sunday was painful. Everyone had a great time, though!

In other news, I’m super excited that Antonio won HGTV’s Design Star!

I’m a big fan!

Also, as we speak, my DVR is recording…

I’m beyond excited! I LOOOOOOOOOOVE me some BL. Can’t wait to see what’s in store this season!

AND, if you thought all that was good…look what was on my doorstep when I arrived home…

The AMAZING folks at Amazing Grass sent me some products to test out and review for the blog. I’m super excited and can’t wait to start taste-testing! Thanks again, Teri! I smell an “amazing” giveaway in your future, readers! Time to come out of the woodwork and make yourselves known!

Have a great night!

Tough Day in NY

2009-09-12T09:18:00.001-04:00

September 11 will forever be a difficult day to be a New Yorker. Eight years ago, I spent the day mostly in tears. I was scared and horrified, but also touched by the showing of humanity by so many New Yorkers and Americans in general. I won’t ramble on because I could talk about this day for hours, but just wanted to mention that I’m grateful for people who are so giving of themselves and help others in time of need. I’m grateful for those who put their lives on the line every day to protect others (especially the NYPD and FDNY). I’m grateful for troops serving overseas who allow us to live our lives like nothing is wrong in the world hear at home.

I like to spend time each year in my classroom talking about the day. Each year the students are further removed from this tragic day. This year, my students were only 1 year old. Next year some of them might not have even been born yet. But, it is part of the fabric of our country, so I feel it is my job to talk to them about that day and how it has impacted our lives today. Each year, the teachers and students dress in red white and blue on September 11.

Anyone else do this?

I’m wondering if it’s a New York thing, or if people all over the country show some patriotism on 9/11.

Showing some love for the USA with my Twin Towers pin!

Breakfast

Green Monster…it’s been waaaaay too long since I’ve had one of these babies.

In the mix:

organic baby spinach
almond milk
frozen banana
1 T almond butter
1 T ground flax
1 T Amazing Meal

Lunch/Snacks

Leftovers from last night’s dinner…angel hair primavera. It’s my favorite restaurant dish in the world. It’s in a creamy garlic sauce which is to die for. I also had an apple with lunch. Snack was a mini CLIF bar and the grapes were munched throughout the morning.

Here’s a close-up of my favorite dinner:

Dinner

was a good ole slice of pizza.

Breakfast (Sat.)

Pumpkin oats! So good!

In the mix:

1/2 cup of oats
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of almond milk
cinnamon
1 spoonful pumpkin butter
3/4 mashed banana

Topped with plain Chobani and Nature’s Path pumpkin flax granola. Heaven-ly with the yogurt on top.

Friday morning’s 2 miles went off without a hitch. It was raining, so I did it on the treadmill with a 1.0 incline.

Distance: 2.01 miles
Time: 17:32
Avg. Pace: 8:41/mile
Max HR: 183 bpm
Avg. HR: 171 bpm
Calories: 176 (25% fat)

Today (Saturday) is our Block Party. I’m not sure if this is a regional thing or what, but basically, you block off the street for the day, bring your backyard into the street and party the day away. It’s kind of gloomy out, but no rain. So I think we’re going to go for it! I have a lot of preparation to do. I’ll be back tomorrow with lots of pics! It’s a good thing today is a rest day from my training program because I’ll be a busy little bee! Time to get moving!

Just Call Me Baking Gal!

2009-09-10T21:17:00.001-04:00

Operation Baking GALS is an organization I got involved with when my friend April asked me to join her team. Basically, you join a team, bake some goodies, and send them to troops serving overseas. It’s a great way to feel like I’m helping out and doing a good deed :)

Here are the goodies I sent:

Chocolate chip cookies

Pumpkin Bread (for a taste of Fall from back home)

I also baked Truffle brownies. There’s the goods all ready to go on their voyage.

Breakfast:

I had a yogurt bowl with plain Chobani, Kashi H2H, Nature’s Path Pumpkin flax granola, sliced bananas and organic raspberries. Yummilicious.

Snack/Lunch:

Trail mix pack for snack; baby arugula, tomatoes, red onion salad; mini ciabatta roll; organic strawberries for lunch

Dinner

I went out to eat with my mom and brother since Hubbers went out to dinner in the city. You’ll see pics tomorrow as lunch.

This morning I woke up bright and early to run my 5 miles. It was very dark and I felt a little nervous about running in the dark for some reason. After debating back and forth, I decided to run on the treadmill in the basement. I think all that delay threw me off because my body was just NOT feeling it. I did 2 miles and called it a day. I think my body is still getting used to waking up early and getting moving right away. Tomorrow I have another 2 miles in my training schedule so I’ll be sure to get that done in the a.m!

Off to get myself back in the early to bed mode to get my 8 hours of shut-eye.

One Day Down…181 to go?

2009-09-09T21:07:00.001-04:00

I keeed, I keeed. I would never count down the days left of school ;) I treasure every moment! I really do.

There’s teach all ready to go on her first day! Seriously…a child. I have to say, I had a good first day. My students were excited to be there and so was I. It was great seeing my students from last year as big fifth graders! This morning I woke up early for some yoga. I did YD Power Yoga. It was a nice wakeup and a great way to start the day.

Breakfast:

I had some pumpkin-y oats. In the mix:

1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 mashed banana
1 spoonful pumpkin butter
cinnamon
splash of vanilla

AM Snack:

CLIF mini bar – PB crunch

Lunch:

I made two mini caprese paninis on mini ciabatta rolls last night. They had fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. I also had grapes. I was full afterward, so I saved my apple for an after school snack.

Dinner:

I whipped up some free-range chicken marinated in balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning, olive oil and one crushed garlic clove. I also threw together some Annie’s Alfredo shells. I made the “tangy” version with yogurt instead of milk. It was totally tangy. I think I’ll do half and half next time. I also had a salad of the usual: organic baby arugula, tomatoes, red onion and balsamic vinaigrette. Dessert was two TJ’s dark chocolate almond cookies. Oh and there may or may not have been a glass of Sauv. B. in there while cooking ;)

Tomorrow I’m going to try to do 5 miles before work. I’m not sure if I can do it! We shall see!

Back to School!

2009-09-08T20:57:00.001-04:00

That’s right, boys and girls…it’s time! Today was my first official day back. We had no students today, just meetings, unpacking new materials and setting up classrooms for tomorrow.

Today was also my first day of pre-work running. My legs were a little confused, but it wound up turning out ok!

I began a new training program for a 10K (I’m most likely doing the Nike Human Race on 10/24 in NYC). The program is through Runner’s World’s Smart Coach. Today was a two-miler. Perfect for breaking into a pre-work running routine.

Distance: 2.01 miles
Time: 18:09
Avg. Pace: 9:00/mile
Max HR: 182 bpm
Avg HR: 171 bpm
Calories: 211 (25% fat)

Not too shabby. While on the topic of running, I have to tell you all about the coolest thing I learned about today at my professional development session. Tara Costa from The Biggest Loser is an alumni of the school district where I work. She has set up a foundation for education and fitness and their first event is a 5K on October 3! I am totally doing it! I have my friend’s bridal shower that day, but I surely can squeeze both into one day. It’s such a great cause and I was always a fan of Tara’s. Several of my coworkers are doing it also. It’s going to be fun!

and

Breakfast:

I was wanting something simple and also was out of many groceries, so I had some Kashi H2H, almond milk and sliced banana after my run with a tall glass of water.

Snack/Lunch:

Snack was a CLIF mini chocolate chip bar and lunch was pizza with the ladies. I had a thin crust slice with chopped eggplant on top.

After work, I went to TJ’s for a shop. Look what wound up in my cart and became my afternoon snack:

It’s ba-ack! So good!

After unpacking groceries, I poured myself a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Cheers to me for first day of school!

Speaking of cheers…my hubby cheered me with these:

He always gets me roses on my first day and last day. Isn’t he the sweetest! They were beautiful and so fragrant!

Not a bad combo at the end of a long day, huh?

I also got these pumpkin goodies from TJ’s, which are making me giddy with anticipation.

Joe also helped with dinner:

Yup, lobster ravs and vodka sauce. Easy peasy lemon squeezie!

Served with some fresh parmesan cheese and baby arugula salad with tomatoes and red onion and a splash of balsamic vinaigrette. Perfection. Oh and maybe a second glass of wine…with seltzer in it. Can’t go too crazy now!

Dessert:

Mango tangerine sorbet. Delish!

So tomorrow is my real first day. I’ve already made my lunch and planned my outfit. I’m like a seven year old. I can’t wait to meet my students and get this party started!

It’s early to bed tonight for another early morning! Night!

Wedding Season…done!

2009-09-07T21:51:00.001-04:00

Last night we went to a wedding of one of Hubber’s co-workers and friends. It was a fun night. I wanted to show you my new dress: My handsome Hub. Yes his tie matched my dress. Having some fun!

Our busy summer of weddings has come to a close! (We had 4 this summer). One more in the fall (in which I’m a bridesmaid) and then we’re clear for a while!

Lunch:

After my manicure (didn’t have time for the pedi – the place was packed!) I made a quick salad of baby arugula, tomatoes and balsamic vinaigrette.

Dinner…

…was at the wedding. I had mixed steamed veggies, candied yams, rice and salad. (It was buffet style). Of course I also had wedding cake – it had mango and pineapple fillings…heavenly!

Breakfast:

Today I had some Kashi H2H with almond milk and strawberries. I’m in need of a grocery shop big time!

Lunch/Snacks:

Hubbers made mini pizza bagel bites and I had a few of those…the horror, I know. I also had a vegetable soup from Panera.

Dinner:

My mom made us dinner. She made salad:

baked ziti (actually baked rotini),

and I had the rare scoop of ice cream – it was mint chocolate chip though…how could a girl resist?

I just did some strength moves and abs while watching tv. Now I’ve finished my tea and off to bed. Tomorrow’s an early morning for my first pre-work run! Allow me to go set my alarm…yeesh.

Project Day

2009-09-06T11:44:00.002-04:00

Saturday was project day for Hubbers and me. We had a bunch of stuff to do around the house and decided we were going to tackle it all on Saturday so the rest of our weekend was free.

AND

Here was my pre-project fuel:

Breakfast:

a bowl of creamy oatbran.

In the mix:

1/3 cup oatbran
1 cup almond milk
1 pinch sea salt
1 mashed banana
buttload of cinnamon
drip drop of vanilla
topped with raw almond butter and freeze dried blueberries

So creamy and delicious!

Then it was time to start the projects.

Observe the happy couple on the day they closed on their home:

Observe the beautifully crafted custom front door in the hideous wood finish that blends in with the house. No pop. We are pop people. Something had to be done. Also, observe the nasty trim on the outside of the door. Peeling and yucky.

So, I taped that sucker up.

This scary guy started scraping and sanding the trim.

Primed and ready for some pop

Lunch Break: Multi-grain wrap stuffed with hummus, organic baby arugula, shredded carrots, cukes and tomatoes with a side of sliced kiwi.

While waiting for the primer to dry, I soaked up some sun on the deck, read Fitness and then did another quick thing:

This curtain rod was hanging on for dear life so I popped some anchors in the wall and re-hung it. Much better!

Now for some glossiness:

Let’s re-visit the boring before:

and the glossy glamorous after:

While I was at it, I spray painted the mailbox black to match:

Someone was trying to get in on the action all day. Look at that nice smooth and consistently white trim! The paper was still on because I had to give it another coat this morning. I can’t close the door yet because it’s not completely dry, so you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see the final product.

Other projects that were completed on this day-o-projects were Hubbers recaulking the tub and fixing a few loose cabinet doors. We were busy little homeowners.

Dinner was at my mom’s for a BBQ with aunts and uncles. I had a piece of grilled chicken, salad and corn on the cob. Also a slice of chocolate chip loaf cake for dessert.

Breakfast: I decided to try the famous Breakfast Cookie a la Fitnessista Gina. In honor of the aforementioned genius, I will say it “rocked my face off.” Yesterday I combined:

1/3 cup of oats
1 T raw almond butter
1/8 cup almond milk
1 smashed banana
buttload of cinnamon
squirt of agave
drip of vanilla

Spread it all on a plate and set in the fridge overnight. This morning I topped it with some plain Chobani yogurt and sliced strawberries.

How cute is that mini berry on top of the yogurt?

So, so good. Hubbers was even jealous. He was sad that I didn’t ask him if he wanted one yesterday. He tasted mine and wants one next time I make it. He requests cocoa powder. Yum.

Snack:

I had the rest of my plain Chobani from this morning with some TJ’s superfruit spread mixed in. Divine.

I also had this fruit strip.

Hubbers had a snack of pb toast and finished his pb. Some people would save this for oat-making. I gave it to someone special:

He went to town. I had to snatch it away and save some for another day. He was a happy boy.

I am off to get a mani/pedi because we have a wedding later today. I am wearing a super-cute new dress. I’ll be sure to take pics! Enjoy your Sunday!

One High-Maintenance Latte Please

2009-09-04T21:14:00.001-04:00

Today was my last official weekday of the “Back to School Wake-up Warm-up Week".” I forget if we’ve chatted about this or not. Well, if not, let me bring you up to speed. Each August/September, one week before school begins, I start going to bed early and waking up progressively earlier. I do this so that on the first week of school, I don’t wind up looking like this:

That would be bad for business. So today was 6:30 am and… great success! I should be perfectly ready come next Tuesday.

In keeping with National Yoga Month (thanks for the idea, Jenny), I did my daily yoga. Today was Morning Flow 1 from Yoga Download, obvs. Morning flow sounds a little like “Aunt Flow” to me, but I ignored it and back-bended my little heart-center out.

And now for today’s eats.

Breakfast:

Kiwi-strawberry green monster (inspired by the Snapple I drank at least once weekly as a teenager)

In the mix:

organic baby spinach
1 cup almond milk
2 small pieces of frozen naner
1/2 kiwi
5 strawberries
1 T almond butter
1 T Amazing Meal
1 T ground flax

Honestly, it wasn’t as wonderful as I imagined. My camera was low on battery, by the way, hence the half-drank smoothie.

As I was returning my camera battery to the charger and about to flip the DVR back to play just in time to hear Tim Gunn say “Designers, now I’m giving you twenty minutes to caucus” (seriously, I LOVE when he says caucus…it seems ridiculously inappropriate and unnecessary), I knocked my little monster on the floor.

Slime central…(You Can’t Do that on Television anyone??)

It was really hard to clean. I sopped up the wet stuff and doused my carpet and ottoman with wet paper towels. It was soaked. Then I remembered I had this:

Yeah, that’s a sham-wow. And WOW, look at those green handprints. Really soaked up that liquid.

Bailey was confused.

Anyhoo…after Morning Flow, I was hungry (I wonder why…didn’t I drink a monster?), so I had a mini CLIF

More Snacks:

Grapes and water to bring to the beach. I also ate a pack of chocolate bunny grahams.

Lunch:

was a waffle sandwich with almond butter and TJ’s superfruit spread. Delish! (didn't snap it though)

Snack:

Dinner:

was at my favorite ale house I talked about a few weeks ago. I had salad:

and some grilled veggie/chicken quesadilla.

I touched none of those fixins…what a waste of guac and sour cream.

And for dessert:

Read that high maintenance cup…that’s a decaf two pump soy no whip pumpkin spice latte. boy do I love my PSL! I also had a few bites of pumpkin muffin. I was feeling pumpkin-y clearly.

Today could potentially have been my last beach day of the season. I leave you with this picture of the insane and raging seagulls of Long Island…

Can you see those suckers? It was like an Alfred Hitchcock movie out there…

Thank goodness they stayed on the other side of the beach! That would not have been cute.

I Pampered Myself

2009-09-03T23:06:00.001-04:00

I am glad to say that today’s 4 miles were faster than Tuesday’s. Even though I was struggling to breathe through a stuffy nose!

Distance: 4.02 miles
Time: 37:42
Avg. Pace: 9:21/mile
Max HR: 184 bpm
Avg. HR: 171 bpm
Calories: 425 (25% fat)

I was quite pleased with this run. It was a hilly route, so that made me extra proud!

When I got home, I was feeling yoga-y so I did some Yoga Download – Gentle Hatha. It was just what my body needed. So relaxing and rejuvenating.

I love Jenny’s idea of dedicating 10 minutes a day to yoga during the month of September since it is National Yoga Month. It’s especially good for all of us teachers going back to work this month ;)

Today was a day of well-photographed eats. Let’s begin.

Breakfast:

Green Monster

In the mix:

organic baby spinach
last of the light chocolate soy milk
1 frozen ‘nana
1 T almond butter
1 T Amazing Meal
1 T ground flax

Oh Amazing Grass, please cure me of my cold!

Snack:

Green grapes right out of the container because I’m Klassy like that. (Yes, the K is on purpose…classy with a k takes on a whole new meaning!)

Lunch:

Leftover whole wheat rotini from the other night’s dinner with some organic tomato sauce.

and an apple.

Snack:

Two TJ’s dark chocolate almond cookies

Dinner:

A slice of my favorite pizza…thin crust with fresh mozz, tomato and basil drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

Tonight I went to a Pampered Chef party at a friend/coworker’s house. Another friend/coworker just became a consultant, so we all wanted to get her off on the right foot by buying lots of kitchen shizz.

Here’s the loot I bought:

A paring knife

a mini spatula (I like mini things)

“Mix & Chop” – will come in handy when breaking up ground turkey for chili!

and some saute tongs because they were fun to play with.

All of these fancies are available on Pampered Chef’s website. They do make great products! I’m excited to get all of my goodies!

My bed is screaming my name, so it’s time. Hubbers has a job interview tomorrow…wish him good luck!

Night!

Slow Day

2009-09-02T22:08:00.001-04:00

Today was a slow day. I woke up feeling cold-ish, so I skipped my run in favor of a sweatshirt, oats and a blankie on the couch. This was the only photographed food of the day!

These oats were tasty and warmed my sickly self right up.

In the mix:

1/2 cup organic oats
1 cup almond milk
1 pinch sea salt
1 smashed ‘naner

Toppings:

sliced strawberries
little spoon of PB

I watched Top Chef on DVR and wound up falling back to sleep. When I woke up, I felt better and decided to hit up the beach for some sea air…always does a body good.

I packed a lunch (honey Chobani, trail mix and hummus and crackers), some water and The Time Traveler’s Wife and I was a happy camper. I finished the book (total tear-jerker, but fabulous) and soaked up some sun.

After coming home, I did some work for school, took a shower and went out for dinner. I had salad and Chilean sea bass and shrimp francese. It wad delish.

Came home, snuggled with Hubbers on the couch. Watched last night’s Rescue Me season finale (oh-ma-gah) and now am preparing for bed. I’m about to swig down some airborne to chase away this cold.

No fitness today. My body needs a rest. I’m thinking about a run tomorrow and some more beach. But for now? B-E-D is calling my name!

Later ‘taters.

Back in the Groove

2009-09-01T21:21:00.001-04:00

This morning I hit the pavement for my scheduled 4 miles after a three day hiatus from exercising. The air was cool and crisp and I was ready to go. I was a little chilly right before I started running – fall is a comin!

Distance: 4.02 miles
Time: 38:14
Avg. Pace: 9:30/mile
Max HR: 177 bpm
Avg. HR: 152 bpm
Calories: 402 (30% fat)

Pre-Run Snack:

Mini Clif bar

Breakfast:

Green Monster

In the mix:

organic baby spinach
1 cup chocolate light soy milk
1 frozen banana
1 T ground flax
1 T Amazing Meal

Lunch: (Packed)

Peach Chobani, Kashi H2H, trail mix and water – Lunch was packed since I was working in my classroom today.

Do you know what today is??? Read ‘em and squeal… P.S.L. Pumpkin Spice Latte! Mine was soy and it was tasty.

It matched perfectly with this crisp temperature!

Snacks:

On the way home from school, I stopped at Joe’s to get some fruit. I decided to be renegade style and bite into this kiwi hardcore. I did not enjoy. Fuzz in my mouth = no bueno. I will stick to cutting and spooning my kiwis. Thanks.

Second was a toasted piece of Ezekiel with TJ’s superfruit spread. This stuff is ah-maz-ing!

Dinner

I breaded and lightly fried some organic chicken cutlets and topped with bruschetta. I as craving this dish since the weekend when it came up in conversation. It did not disappoint! I served it with some whole wheat rotini and tomato sauce and organic baby arugula, shaved parmesan, balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Om Sweet Om/Off to the Races

2009-08-31T22:39:00.002-04:00

Sorry for my going AWOL. I mentioned on Thursday that we’d be going out of town, but never got back to it. We left Friday afternoon and I had all intentions of posting, but never got to it. We’ll recap in a bit. Let’s get some housekeeping out of the way, shall we?

Thursday night I did some Yoga Download – Power Yoga donation class, which was 50 glorious minutes.

Did you know I have my own in-home yoga studio? Never mind the computer desk. I have to say though, a cool late-summer breeze coming through those sliding doors while squatting in eagle pose for a few breaths too many does a body good.

My instructor is available whenever I’m in the mood…

My private studio also asked me to model for them…I was flattered of course.

On Friday, some inklings of Hurricane Danny hit us and it rained all day. I was forced inside on the treadmill. This was a blessing in disguise, though, because I worked in some speed to my scheduled five mile run and ran it a helluva lot faster than I would have outside. Check these glamorous stats:

Distance: 5.01 miles
Time: 43:50
Avg. Pace: 8:44/mile
Max HR: 186 bpm
Avg. HR: 167 bpm
Calories: 552 (25% fat)

I was pretty pleased. I also worked on my breathing and was maintaining a pretty low heart rate for a lot of my run. Spiking to 186 bpm during a sprint will throw your average though.

I haven’t worked out since Friday. I helped a friend set up her classroom today and that was probably enough workout for a week or so. However, I have a run scheduled tomorrow.

Here are some sporadic eats from Friday and Monday. I didn’t take any pics over the weekend. Quite frankly, some eats were fantastic, but some…well let’s just say I’m glad I wasn’t with people I felt comfy photographing in front of. Some of that food got ugly.

FRIDAY

Breakfast:

Kashi H2H with strawberries, blueberries, half a banana and almond milk

Lunch:

Leftover quinoa salad with lemon, olive oil, zucchini and tomato

Snack:

Organic fugi apple

Dinner-ish…

Starbucks grande soy earl grey latte

AB&J on Ezekiel with a grapefruit

Blue Moon and Time Traveler’s Wife

WEEKEND

Lots of crazy stuff…

MONDAY

Breakfast

Green Monster

In the Mix:

Chocolate light soy milk
organic baby spinach
1 frozen banana
1 T peanut butter
1 T Amazing Meal
1 T ground flax

Lunch & Snack

Not pictured…CLIF Zbar and panini with fresh mozzarella, balsamic, roasted red peppers and basil.

Dinner

Amy’s low in sodium Minestrone soup (the whole can) and a slice of Ezekiel

So for the weekend we went to Saratoga Springs, NY. It was the big horse-racing weekend there and our neighbor is a horse trainer. Therefore, they hike up to ‘toga each summer and we go spend a weekend with them. We bet on some ponies. We lost all of our bets. It rained. We ate a lot of food. I drank a good amount of wine. We had one fabulous dinner out and an even more fabulous Sunday brunch. I was a loser and took zero pictures. I’ll get better at this…give me time. We took Amtrak back and forth from Penn Station in NYC. Hence the weird dark dinner pics.

Now it’s back to the grind and it’s back to school wake-up practice week for me. It’s the week when I start waking up earlier and earlier day by day to adjust my body so it doesn’t freak out next Tuesday when I start work. Today was 7:00 am. I did it, but didn’t get out of bed until 7:30 am. Tomorrow’s goal is 7:00 am with a run in the morning. Fingers crossed. I’m exhausted beyond words at this moment, so I bid you adieu.

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like September…

2009-08-27T19:56:00.002-04:00

Everywhere you go… (cue Bing Crosby).

I am a nerd when it comes to back to school time. I am aware of this. Going back to school early and setting up my classroom has always been fun for me. Again…nerd. That being said, I spent practically the whole day in my room setting up. Here are some pics:

From the front door looking back. The banner above the closets says “Shoot for the moon – even if you fall, you’ll land among the stars.” It’s probably one of my favorite things on earth. That’s from the back looking toward the windows. Another inspirational quote on my desk: “Your teacher’s goal is simple – to help you reach yours!”

From the back corner where my desk is, looking toward the front. My fave Vera Bradley lunch bag on my desk makes me happy. I'm not gonna lie, I would be a pretty happy camper if I was a kid and this was my classroom. Don' t you agree?

Breakfast

This morning I made a green monster. I’m making an effort to get rid of all of the produce in my fridge as we’re going away this weekend. More on that tomorrow.

In the mix:

organic baby spinach
1 cup almond milk
5 sliced strawberries
1 frozen banana
1 T almond butter
1 T Amazing Meal
1 T ground flax

Morning Snack/Lunch

I packed a snack and lunch to have in my classroom. Snack was a CLIF Zbar (honey graham…yum). Lunch was a TJ’s organic Greek yogurt (vanilla), blueberries and strawberries and Nature’s Path hemp granola and a ruby red grapefruit.

Afternoon Snack

Small piece of a blueberry crisp (new flavor to me…and YUM) CLIF bar. I bought it while picking up shampoo, lotion, etc. and got HANGRY in the car on the way home, so I dove in.

Dinner

I had every intention of making shrimp for dinner tonight. As you can see, that did not happen. I stopped in a few stores on my way home from school, then met my friend at a local country club for a meeting about our high school reunion. We loved the place and put a hold on it, which is really great news! But, by the time I got home, it was 6:30 and I was not in a cooking mood. My shrimpies are frozen so they’ll wait for me to use them another day. Hubbers was a doll and offered to go out and pick up pizza. I had this slice of thin crust with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil and I added some balsamic. I ate it with a tall glass of refreshing seltzer. I was going to make a spinach salad to go alongside, but after eating the slice, I wasn’t hungry any more.

I’m going to do some Yoga Download power yoga tonight. I need some yoga in my life big time! Namaste!

Burn the Floor

2009-08-26T20:46:00.002-04:00

This morning’s workout was Jillian’s No More Trouble Zones DVD. It felt good to lift weights as I’ve been focusing a lot on cardio lately. Jillian is still a beast, but I love her.

Allow me to preface this section by saying, this was NOT my healthiest of days. I didn’t eat anything necessarily “bad” for me, but I certainly did not eat enough or the best foods. You’ll see what I mean…

Breakfast

Green monster
In the mix:

organic baby spinach
1 cup almond milk
1 small organic peach
1/2 frozen banana
1 T almond butter
1 T Amazing Meal
1 T ground flax

“Lunch”

Original tart yogurt from Red Mango with mangoes, kiwi and organic granola.

Dinner

Dinner was at a Vietnamese restaurant near the theater (I’ll get to that in a minute).

Crystal veggie dumpling x2

Saigon vegetarian noodles. YUM!

Dessert when I got home was a dark chocolate almond cookie and 3 mini pb cups.

I ate no snacks today. Bad.

Mom and I had a “girls day” and went into the city to see a Broadway show. We saw “Burn the Floor.” It’s all ballroom dancing. We loved it!!

Click the link for info. If you’re in the NYC area, I HIGHLY recommend seeing this show! We were dancing in our seats! Really made me want to take a ballroom dancing class! Maybe I will…

A Personal Record…I think

2009-08-25T23:50:00.002-04:00

The other day, I noticed that my Nike+ iPod was acting up and cheated me out of some mileage. Well the same thing happened tonight. Hubbers joined me for my routine 3 miles. I like running with him because I tend to push myself a little bit more than when I’m alone. We were running at a quick, but comfortable pace. Close to the end of our route, my Nike+ registered at 2.77 miles. I decided to make the route longer to clock a full 3.0 miles. This was not the smartest idea. I slowed my average pace and cheated myself out of a run that would make my 3 week speed goal of 9:00/miles or less. I ran a 9:03 according to my Nike+. I came home, though and used map my run. (Stats below) I think I need to go to the track and recalibrate my sensor. Maybe it’s because I’ve been picking up my pace lately?

Feast your eyes on this personal record!!!!

Distance: 3.25 miles
Time: 27:29
Avg. Pace: 8:27/mile (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Max HR: 184 bpm
Avg. HR: 169 bpm
Calories: 343 (25% fat)
Power Through Song: “When Love Takes Over” David Guetta (I listened to it 3 times during this run!)

I have to say, I felt awesome after this run. I wish it could count toward my Nike+ speed goal, but that will come in time.

Hubbers did notice my erratic breathing. My brother also noticed it last week. I sound like I’m working much harder than I am and I know if I could get my breathing under control, I’d perform way better.

Any tips out there for improving breathing while running?

And check out my new Nike+ box in the sidebar!

Here are the eats from last night/today:

MONDAY (Dinner)

Wild Sockeye salmon with lemon, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil and oregano and spinach salad with avocado, tomatoes and lemon vinaigrette.

After dinner, I settled down with some mango-tangerine sorbet and the new Pottery Barn catalog. I was swooning over the catalog.

TUESDAY

Breakfast:

I wanted some cold crunchiness, so I poured a bowl of Kashi H2H with almond milk, blueberries and strawberries.

Snack

A chocolate chip Zbar while getting my hair cut and colored.

Lunch

Lunch was out on the deck with my new issue of Fitness magazine and a tall glass of seltzer.

Lavash wrap with hummus, shredded carrot, broccoli slaw and red peppers and…

a juicy peach.

Afternoon Snacks

I was feeling snack-y this afternoon while working on high school reunion stuff. I had a few mini pb cups from TJ’s the other day and some Tempting Trail mix (also from TJ’s).

Dinner

Hubbers has been requesting steak. I bought his favorite (skirt steak) and made the traditional Brazilian topping called molinha. It’s basically bruschetta – tomatoes, onions, parsley, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.

The carnivore’s plate:

I made him a cucumber and tomato salad along side.

Not-so-carnivore’s plate – see a difference? Just a little bit. I had quinoa salad with zucchini, red onion, garlic, tomatoes, lemon juice and olive oil.

Reuniting and it Feels So Good

2009-08-24T14:52:00.001-04:00

This morning my Nike+ iPod totally cheated me out of 0.3 miles on my run. I was feeling totally annoyed and defeated when I heard my stats at the end of the run. It said I hadn’t even completed 3 miles. I took my usual route and knew it was wrong, so I went to www.mapmyrun.com to double check. My iPod told me I ran 2.92 miles in 28:59 which would put me at a 9:55/mile pace. Map My Run told me I ran 3.2 miles in the same time.

Distance: 3.2 miles
Time: 29:58
Avg. Pace: 9:21/mile
Max HR: 180 bpm
Avg. HR: 168 bpm
Calories: 318 (25% fat)

During the first half mile or so, I was thinking about Angela’s post on the Galloway method. I decided to try it out. I walked every four minutes or so for about 30 – 45 seconds. I liked it. My max pace got pretty fast. I think I would definitely try this out in a race!

Also, last night I tried out Kelly’s Tone Up Challenge moves. I didn’t participate in the tone up challenge, but what a great idea! I did the moves while watching tv. It was a quick and easy workout. Thanks for the moves, Kelly!

Last night’s dinner was at Mom’s. We had grilled chicken, veggies and baked potatoes. Hubbers has the pic on his Blackberry.

After dinner, I had some mango-tangerine sorbet. It was delish!

This morning’s pre-run fuel was half a small banana with some peanut butter.

Post-run was a whole new kind of green monster. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the tropical green monster:

In the mix:

1 cup coconut water
organic baby spinach
about 5-7 papaya chunks
1 T ground flax
1 small frozen banana

oh-mah-gah…this was the most delicious monster ever. I probably will make them only as a treat since coconut water is so darn expensive, but boy was this a treat!

I didn’t have a snack since I was meeting some friends from high school for a reunion planning lunch. I cannot believe it’s been over 10 years since I graduated high school. One of the girls brought her yearbook along. It was fun to catch up and reminisce. I’m excited to be in on the planning. It’s going to be fun!

I had pasta e fagioli soup with a slice of crusty bread. When I came home, I sank my teeth into this peach:

Delicious and juicy. I’m off to get some school work done and finally watch Project Runway from last week!

My Friend Joe

2009-08-23T18:09:00.002-04:00

By now you should know that I have a fondness for Joe, Trader Joe that is. I usually go to spend some time with Joe by myself, but today Hubbers got in on the action. We browsed the aisles sans grocery list and just picked up what looked good. My favorite kind of shop!

First a quick pit stop to Starbucks. I got a venti unsweetened passion tea. It’s my summer drink of choice.

Here are the goodies:

Ice cream and 2% milk for Hubbers, Mango Tangerine sorbet for me, organic yogurt, string cheese, Almond Breeze, organic eggs

Organic broccoli florets; a papaya; organic fugi apples; grapefruit, organic strawberries, peaches and blueberries; organic baby spinach x2; trail mix; bananas

Organic chocolate syrup (for Hubbers), hummus, sparkling pomegranate juice (cocktails??), freeze dried strawberries (Hubs), dark chocolate almond cookies, mini peanut butter cups, Kashi H2H, Clif and Zbar, Fiberful fruit strips, brownie mix (Hubs requested)

I sampled some mini pb cups…dear me.

Overflowing fruit bowls make me giddy.

I also got these tea tree oil cleansing pads to use as a toner after washing my face.

That’s all she wrote! I’m off to read some of The Time Traveler’s Wife and we’re heading over to Mumsy’s for dinner tonight!

Hot town, Summer in the City

2009-08-23T14:10:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I took my bike out for my first official spin. I biked 10.5 miles and loved every second of it!

Distance: 10.5 miles
Time: 51:16
Max HR: 158
Avg. HR: 138
Calories: 379 (50% fat)

LUNCH (Saturday)

Yesterday’s lunch was thrown together completely off the cuff. I had some leftover whole wheat spaghetti from dinner the other night. I decided to whip up a quick peanut sauce and add some veggies for a tasty lunch. For the sauce, I whisked together a little less than a tablespoon of peanut butter, some soy sauce, a splash of water and a squirt of agave. Then I tossed the noodles with the sauce and some shredded carrots, broccoli slaw and thinly sliced red peppers. It was yum!

“Dessert” was bunny grahams.

Post-bike snack was a cookie. Mumsy and Bro called to see if we wanted to grab a quick bite with them, so I didn’t really eat a big snack.

DINNER (Saturday)

We went to a great ale house for a quick dinner. They are well-known for their wings, so we got a plate to share as an appetizer.

Apparently I couldn’t wait to eat them!

My dinner was a salad with blackened chicken. It was a beast. I ate about half.

BREAKFAST (Sunday)

I made some French toast using egg whites, almond milk, vanilla and cinnamon. I dunked two slices of Ezekiel raisin bread for me and plain for Hubbers. I had mine with some sliced strawberries and cantaloupe. It was the perfect Sunday breakfast.

MORNING SNACK (Sunday)

We don’t need to go there with a pic…it was about 7 or 8 TJ’s PB-filled pretzels.

LUNCH (Sunday)

My leftover salad from yesterday. I had to have some ranch dressing. Theirs is delicious. I know it’s not my healthiest choice, but oh well.

I also had a piece of Mumsy’s leftover quesadilla. It was filled with grilled veggies. It’s another of my favorite dishes from that restaurant.

Look at those delicious veggies! I peeled some of the cheese out due to my lactose intolerance. I didn’t want to take a lactaid as this was not enough to warrant a whole pill and I would wind up getting a stomach ache.

Last night we went into the city (NYC) for a friend’s birthday party. I was a little slow and didn’t check my camera battery before going out. I’ll have to wait for my friends to post some pics to share. The party was at a rooftop bar and it was so humid and sticky. We had fun, but wound up catching the earlier train option since it was so hot. Early meaning 12:40 am…I guess not so early. I had 3 cocktails – vodka sodas with splash of cranberry. My fave. These pics are from when we got home…explains the shininess.

There’s the outfit…it’s kind of bad light, but you get the idea. It was past 1:30 am and I was self-timing.

Hubbers and I are heading to TJ’s in a bit. Woo HOOO!

Hey baby, What’s your arch?

2009-08-22T12:57:00.001-04:00

I had to share this informative video I found today at Runner’s World.

How serious is that guy when he is analyzing his imprint on the bag? I had to laugh. Luckily, hubbers went out this morning to the deli to get himself a breakfast sandwich. SCORE! Paper bag!

I did the “Wet Test” and here is my result…

Upon first glance, I thought…normal.

I decided to go kindergarten on it and trace it.

How cute…maybe I’ll hang it on the fridge.

Normal it is! It’s open for interpretation though – what do you think? Come on, I know you guys are out there…comment and tell me!

I still think I either over or under pronate. It’s hard to tell myself. Since I’m not ready for running shoes until October, I’ll have to wait to find out!

I might as well hit you up with my breakfast while I’m here.

I had TJ’s organic plain nonfat yogurt with some Kashi H2H, Nature’s Path Hemp granola and sliced strawberries. To drink, I had half a glass of light chocolate soy milk.

I don’t usually do soy milk, as my friend Jillian Michaels told me that excess isoflavones from soy mimic estrogen in the body prompting your body to store fat. No bueno. Upon sharing this information with my little bro, he had a quick fit and had just bought a container of chocolate soy. He pawned it off on me and said I could afford to have more estrogen than he could. He doesn’t want to start growing man boobs. I’m not a proponent of wasting food, so I’ll take one for the team. It is pretty darn tasty.

As we speak, I’m snack-a-roo-ing on TJ’s PB-filled pretzies. I can’t deal with how good they are and how I forgot about their existence. God bless those Healthy Living Summit girls for reminding me!

I just ate 5, but I’m going back for another little handful. Seriously. Get them.

Oh yeah, and dip your foot in a pan of water and step on a bag. It’s enlightening.

Playing Catch up

2009-08-21T20:02:00.002-04:00

It's been a few crazy days. Without boring you with all the gory details, I’ll tell you that my car has been in the shop since Wednesday, someone who is not me or my husband bought a computer with his debit card for over $1,000 and a pair of sandals that I ordered in May never arrived because they never processed the order, yet charged aforementioned debit card. I’ve been on the phone…a lot. But I’ve also had some great workouts and good eats, so pull up a chair and let’s catch up, shall we?

Let’s start with workouts:

WEDNESDAY

I was stresssssssssssed out dealing with fraudulent charges and incompetent service people all day. Yoga was in order. I did the 20 minute detox yoga from Yoga Download and felt really great afterward.

THURSDAY

I decided I wanted to be speedy and it was too hot for words, so I did a quick two miles on the treadmill. Here’s what I pounded out:

Distance: 2 miles
Time: 18:00
Avg. Pace: 8:58/mile
Max HR: 184 bpm
Avg. HR: 164 bpm
Calories: 213 (30 % fat)
Power Through Song: “Good Girls Go Bad” Cobra Starship

FRIDAY

Today was my long run day. After fighting with nike+ online (I still love you, don’t worry), my run finally posted. Stats I’m proud of (unlike last week’s long run):

Distance: 6.76 miles
Time: 1:09:40
Avg. Pace: 10:18/mile
Max HR: 178 bpm
Avg. HR: 170 bpm
Calories: 745 (!!) (25% fat)
Power Through Song: “Sweetness” Jimmy Eat World / “Get Up” James Brown

I had a little accomplice on this run:

yeah, that’s blue Gatorade watered down. I had no choice. It rocked my socks and really helped on this hot and humid day. I am aware it is chemical. Don’t judge.

Also…I have to say how much I LOVE MY POLAR BOTTLE. That blue madness stayed chilly the whole time – even in my hot little hand!

On to eats…

WEDNESDAY

Breakfast was a green monster.

In the mix:

1 cup almond milk
organic baby spinach
cantaloupe
1/4 avocado
1/2 frozen banana
1 T Amazing Meal
1 T ground flax

I had to take a shot of those pretty colors together.

MORNING SNACK

I had a Clif ZBar for snack-a-roo.

LUNCH

was pizza. I didn’t take a pic. I was with a friend and am still an incognito blogger. It had fresh mozz, tomato and balsamic.

DINNER

Mixed baby greens with red pears, pecans and goat cheese. Balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Yummalicious.

THURSDAY

BREAKFAST

green monster

In the mix:

organic baby spinach
1 cup almond milk
1/2 frozen banana
handful cantaloupe
1 T almond butter
1 T ground flax
1 T Amazing Meal

MORNING SNACK

This handful of TJ’s peanut butter-filled pretzels x2

LUNCH

Veggie wrap – lavash flatbread, hummus, avocado, red bell pepper, shredded carrot, broccoli slaw

DINNER

Salad of organic baby arugula, my friend’s grandma’s home grown tomatoes, red onion and shaved parmesan.

Plus organic whole wheat pasta with turkey meatballs.

FRIDAY

PRE-RUN

Kashi H2H with almond milk

POST-RUN

Smoothie of light chocolate soy milk, baby spinach, frozen banana and 1 T Amazing Meal. (Not naming this one a green monster…it’s just not monster-y enough for me). What color does that remind you of? Hmmmm… It did taste delish though.

LUNCH

Lunch was eaten at the beach today. Here’s what I packed along:

TJ’s Organic Greek yogurt – Honey flavor, cantaloupe and a chocolate chip ZBar.

AFTERNOON SNACK

More TJ’s PB-filled pretzel nuggets. I’m becoming obsessed…move over Tempting trail mix!

DINNER

We went to one of our favorite spots…Grimaldi’s for brick oven pizza. We invited my mom along. (Disclaimer...these shots were taken with hub's old Blackberry. I left mine at home and forgot the camera). I started with this salad, which I split with Mumsy.

It was baby spinach, walnuts and craisins with raspberry vinaigrette. It was a little dressing-y, but still good.

Then Mumsy and I split a personal pizza. This was my slice. It had fresh mozzarella, eggplant and spinach. I ate that slice and half of another. The spinach made it very filling!

In fun news, I picked up my bike yesterday! I’m going to have hubbers take a sweet pic of me with it tomorrow. I’ll def be rocking my totally cool pink helmet also! I took it out for a little 5-mile spin last night. I did my usual 3 mile running loop (13 mins on the bike compared with 28 or so running) and then came back home and rode along side hubbers for his 2 mile jog for some motivation.

I’m super excited to have my bike to exercise, but also to run quick errands. I hate starting the car, wasting gas and polluting the environment just to go to the post office or the library.

In other news, my friend loaned me her Twilight dvd. I have seen it, of course; but hubbers hasn’t, of course. I’m going to try to seduce him into watching it tonight. Hopefully it’ll work ;)

That was a lot to catch up on friends, let’s do this again real soon!

Virtual Hardware

2009-08-18T22:32:00.001-04:00

I made my goal today!

Those are my “virtual medals” for completing 2 goals for August (2 weeks ahead of time!!) – to run more often (11 runs in 4 weeks) and to run faster (5 runs under 9:33/mile).

So glad I did it! Tonight’s run was a good one!

Distance: 3.02 miles
Time: 28:02
Avg. Pace: 9:18/mile
Max HR: 181 bpm
Avg. HR: 173 bpm
Calories: 325 (25% fat)
Power Through Song: “Show Me What I’m Looking For” by Carolina Liar

I’ve set new goals for frequency of runs, pace and mileage. I am also part of two challenges – run a half marathon in a week (I’m .18 miles away from finishing…wish I knew that on tonight’s run!) and run 50 km in one month. I’m in 7th place for both right now out of 40 or so participants. I just L.O.V.E. Nike+!

I’ve got a swarm of food to update since I didn’t post yesterday. We’ll start with yesterday’s meals.

Breakfast 8/17 – Green Monster

organic baby spinach
chocolate lite soy milk
frozen banana
1 T peanut butter
1 T Amazing Meal
1 T ground flax

Mid-Morning Snack 8/17 – plum

Lunch 8/17 – Oikos honey Greek yogurt with Bear Naked Fit Triple Berry Crunch

AND

TJ’s Pita Bite crackers with hummus

Afternoon Snack 8/17 – TJ’s Fiberful mixed berry bar

Dinner 8/17 – Whole wheat organic pasta with…

zucchini
summer squash
asparagus
carrots
grape tomatoes
broccoli
red onion
garlic
balsamic vinaigrette
goat cheese

I have to just say, this was MUY BUENO!

Breakfast 8/18 – Oikos vanilla Greek yogurt, Kashi H2H, strawberries, blueberries, sprinkle of hemp granola and ground flax

Mid-Morning Snack 8/18 – Tazo Om tea and TJ’s peanut butter filled unsalted pretzels… a bunch of the girls from the Healthy Living Summit got these in Boston and reminded me that they existed. They are so yummy!

Lunch 8/18 – Leftover pasta from last night…the lunch pic just didn’t do it justice.

Afternoon Snack – 8/18 – Starbucks decaf iced coffee w/ soy milk and this apple.

Dinner 8/18 – SUSHI! We went out and I got miso soup, had 1 1/2 vegetarian gyoza, a salad with ginger dressing and a shrimp tempura roll with avocado. DELISH!

Now I’m all caught up. Aaaahhh. I can go bask in my medaled glory and start working on some new goals. I’m going to take a shower and read about some hormones with my pal Jillian.

Night!

Falling Short

2009-08-16T22:19:00.002-04:00

I think I’ve said before that I use the Nike+ iPod attachment for my iPod while running. It’s a great way to keep track of my mileage. Nikeplus.com has a setting to create personalized goals and participate in challenges. Tonight I beat one of my goals two weeks ahead of schedule:

There’s my medal for completing 30 miles in under 4 weeks (2 weeks to be exact).

I was excited about that. However, my pesky speed goal is still looming. I have until August 30th to complete 5 runs with an average pace of 9:33 or less. What was my pace tonight?

9:34

Seriously? I am not even going to make excuses. This was ridiculous.

Annoying Stats:
Distance: 3.02 miles
Time: 28:54
Avg. Pace: 9:34
Max HR: 185 bpm
Avg. HR: 171 bpm
Calories: 320 (25% fat)
Power Through Song: bah humbug

If at first you don’t succeed…

PS – I’m obsessed with Windows Live Writer!!!!

Spazz Moment

2009-08-16T19:45:00.001-04:00

Tonight I had a total spazz moment and forgot to take a pic of dinner before eating. Hubbers wanted something simple and I wanted to use the abundant cukes and tomatoes from my neighbor’s organic garden. So I knew cuke and tomato salad would make an appearance in tonight’s meal. I was flipping through my recipe book and found this one I downloaded last summer from Rachael Ray. I made just the chicken, no pasta.

image courtesy rachaelray.com

The chicken was crispy and tender and when some of the olive oil and red wine vinegar snuck over from the salad, it was a match made in heaven!

I’m going to head out for an evening run. Perhaps I’ll return later with stats.

Sassy Sushi

2009-08-16T14:09:00.001-04:00

Last night, we drove to Connecticut to have dinner with some friends. We went to a sushi place they’ve been telling us about for quite some time. I didn’t take any pics, but the food was awesome! We started by sharing a salad with rice wine vinaigrette and some vegetarian gyoza (dumplings). I ordered two rolls. One was tilapia tempura with goat cheese and African peppers. The other was broccoli and black beans in a whole grain wrap.

We went back to our friends’ place and played some cards and dice. We had a lot of laughs!

This morning my breakfast was not so healthy: a whole wheat bagel toasted with a little bit of butter. I haven’t had a bagel in ages! I had to make things a little more healthy when I got home for lunch. Look at hubbers peeking out on the mouse pad! I had a blueberry Chobani Greek yogurt with Nature’s Path Hemp granola, some sliced organic strawberries and rainier cherries and some ground flax sprinkled on top.

Followed by some bunny grahams.

I have to mention that this is my first post using Windows Live Writer and I’m LOVING IT! Thanks to the Healthy Living Summit presentation on Blogging 101 by Zesty Cook and Kath.

Today is a lazy day of some cleaning and a quick run to the grocery store. Enjoy the day!

I Want to Ride my Bicycle!

2009-08-15T15:07:00.008-04:00

And soon I can! Hubbers and I went bike shopping today. He wants a mountain bike. He used to trail ride in college and wants to get back into it. I wanted a bike also, but nothing too serious. Trail riding in the mountains scares me. My purpose for a bike is to ride around, run errands and do some exercise. I was looking at hybrids, but the helpful gent in the store introduced me to fitness bikes. I found my perfect match!

We got a great price ($70 off MSRP!!) and it was the last one in the store, so we put a $50 deposit down and next week, this baby will be mine! I'm super excited!

Onto food for the day.

Breakfast was a peach Chobani Greek yogurt with Nature's Path Hemp granola and a sliced banana.

After this little brekky at 8 am, my mom called to see if we wanted to go out around 10:30. Hubbers was thrilled because he LOVES going out to brekky. So we went. I had a coffee and 1.5 out of 3 slices of whole wheat french toast. I guess that was my snack?

Lunch was a Morningstar Farms vegan burger with a TJ's whole wheat (and HFCS-free) bun and TJ's organic kethcup with some watermelon:

And a soy creamy mini from TJ's.

We are heading up to Connecticuit to have dinner with friends of ours and will be spending the night. I'll see y'all tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have the guts to take pics of our food. Don't count on it though.

She's Going the Distance

2009-08-14T21:40:00.003-04:00

Not in the bloggiest of moods today. However, I increased my longest run, so I'll share.
Today's run was absolutely greuling. I set out at 5:00 pm, thinking it would be cool enough. It wasn't. I set out to do 6.3 miles. I did 6.8. It was crazy. I almost puked twice.
Here are the stataroos:

Distance: 6.78 miles
Time: 1:11:15
Avg. Pace: 10:30/mile
Max HR: 177 bpm
Avg. HR: 166 bpm
Calories: 728 (30% fat)
Power Through Song: n/a not throwing up was power enough

At the end, I was expecting to hear Lance come over my ipod and congratulate me on my longest workout, but instead Paula Radcliffe gave me props. I didn't get the warm fuzzy like last week's end of workout encouragement. Probably because I felt like I might collapse.

I'm off to stretch, ice my knees, and drink 400 gallons of water.

Peace out.

Much Ado About Everything

2009-08-13T11:41:00.004-04:00

Last night, my family went to see a Shakespeare in the park performance of "Much Ado about Nothing." It was a great idea. We were going to picnic on the grounds, enjoy some wine and then watch the show. What a disaster. It was pouring. It's a very long story, but I'll spare you the details. We wound up having a nice time and enjoying the show, despite the MANY bumps in the road to get there! We wound up going OUT to dinner instead of picnicking. I had: a piece of bruschetta, a mixed green salad, pan seared sea scallops over polenta and a mini cannoli. It was delish. Also enjoyed two glasses of pinot grigio. Now, let's go back to yesterday's meals.
Lunch was leftover pizza from the night before:

I removed the cheese from hubbers' leftover slice. His is the smaller one with less veggies. Then had some watermelon.

I also munched on a little Tempting trail mix in the afternoon.

This morning I had a craving for cold and crunchy. I had this deliciousness:

Kashi H2H, some Bear Naked Fit Triple Berry Crunch granola, blueberries, strawberries, and rainier cherries. All went for a swim in almond milk.

Today I did a new workout. A few months ago, I odered the "Bender Ball" from tv. Don't ask me why. I use it from time to time as it's more convenient than my huge stability ball which lives in the basement. I rarely use the video, just do my own thing.

Upon receiving this thing, the company sent me more videoes. I did not want them. I missed the deadline to return them and was forced to keep them and pay. I wasn't happy.

Today I tried the pilates video.

I have to say, it wasn't half bad. I definitely felt it in my abs and legs. It was about 40 mins long, so it was a decent workout for my core.

Post-pilates I had a naner with almond butter.

Yum. Haven't had one of these in a long time! I also had a little grab of tempting trail mix. I am seriously addicted. It is a problem.

I'm considering heading into my classroom today since it is yucky out. It is noon, so I should probably make the decision soon and get on my way!

Enjoy the afternoon!

Let's hear it for the new signature! woot!