Back on the Running Bandwagon?

Sure am!  I mean, I never really left the bandwagon.  I was just giving my legs an extended break....right?  Anyway, I went out this weekend and ran six miles with my dad up and down Dale Boulevard.  At first, I was really irritated that I didn't charge my the Garmin but then I realized how slowly I was running and decided that I was probably better off not knowing my splits.

On Sunday evening, I ran another three (slow) miles on the treadmill.  I was lounging on the couch, pinning thousands of things I will never do on Pinterest, and watching smut TV, when I decided I should go run instead.  WHAT?!?  I have no idea who has taken over my body but I hope she stays for a while ;)  On top of all that, I got up this morning and ran two miles.  I have plans to workout with my friend Jess this evening so I didn't want to over do it.

This return to my beloved past time has also motivated me to finally put on these stickers that I purchased at the Hot Chocolate Fiasco a mere three months ago.

Running makes me want to catch up
on other things I'm slacking on in life

:)

I have also renewed my efforts in healthy eating.  This past week I decided that I should prepare all my vegetable and fixings for my salads ahead of time and that would encourage me to eat them more often.  In my brilliant brainstorming I decided to hard boil some eggs.  Since I wanted them to be ready for tossing in the salad, I had to peel all of them.

This is not one of my God-given talents.  I'm actually concerned with what to do with the Easter eggs after we are done coloring them because there is no way I will sit there and peel them and be left with pock-marked eggs.

Do you have a secret for perfectly shelled hard boiled eggs?

Do you have bursts of motivation?

11-11-11

So this morning I tried something new and I really, really liked it.  Some of you may recall the dinner in a pumpkin that I made the other night.  I scraped the remainder of the pumpkin and saved it for future meals.  This morning I decided to try the pumpkin in my eggs.  I had some sage sausage that I cooked up with the pumpkin, spinach and eggs.  It was pretty phenomenal.  The sweetness of the pumpkin was a great contrast to the savory sausage.

Julia even ate them up....actually to really impress you, I should let you know that even ALEX went back for seconds!  To round out the meal, Julia and I made some cloud biscuits.  These are the biscuits that my mother made when I was a little girl.  It's a pretty solid recipe.

Cloud Biscuits

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 beaten egg
2/3 cup milk

Combine ingredients and roll dough 3/4 inches thick.  Cut into desired shape.  Bake at 450 degrees on an ungreased pan for 10 to 14 minutes.

Really, really delicious.  I'm a carbohydrate addict.  I could live on biscuits and jam alone.  There has been more than one occasion when I have gone to Bob Evans with friends and family and cleaned up every one's biscuits.  They love me :)

I'm not great at transitions but I would now like to take a moment now to say what I am thankful for with a little more seriousness than usual.  I have always been in awe of military families and the sacrifices they endure so that we can enjoy our lives here in this great country.  I'm not great at expressing my feelings and gratitude so I will simply say, thank you!

Refocused

Good Saturday morning!  I hope everyone is enjoying this amazing weather :)  My morning got off to a wonderful start with some delicious veggie sausage and scrambled eggs with onions, peppers and topped with chipotle goat cheese.

Paper plates are a busy mom's best friend

After breakfast, I went to the gym and had an amazing workout with Patrice.  She attacked my legs pretty hard.  The last set I did on the leg press was 240lbs and of course, that was followed but four-step lunges with 15lb weights in each hand.  We shall see if I can walk tomorrow!

My mommy can lift more than your mommy ;)

Originally, I had a 7-mile run scheduled for today and 60-minutes of cross-training tomorrow but I am going to put off the run until tomorrow.  I'm going to try to catch up with the Lake Ridge Runners, which is always a lot of fun. 

So, I have been getting down about myself and my progress and I think that I have lost sight of the purpose of this blog and my real goal.  I want to be a better role model for my daughter and I want to show her how to be fit, strong, and happy.  I don't want to constantly worry about being a certain weight or dress size because that's not a healthy way to live.  I need to refocus on the right decisions that I am making, instead of beating myself up over the poor choices. 

Remember, positive affirmations?

I also think that I have  been focusing on my running more than I should be too.  Don't get me wrong, I love running and what it does for me mentally and physically.  It was just devastating when I had to stop running last year and then gained 35lbs.  Now, I am trying to cross-train more and discover more ways of being fit rather than just running.  This also reminds me of the goals that I set for myself when I began working out with Patrice.  I only have three sessions left with her!  It's probably a good idea to do a test-run of these to see how I am progressing before the second assessment.

How do you refocus on your goals?

Sandy Feet

Hello from Myrtle Beach!  This morning my loved ones are still in bed snoozing away so I thought I would take this opportunity to check in and say hello!

Yesterday was pretty relaxing.  We joined my parents at Denny's for some breakfast and then hung out by the pool all afternoon.  Later, we went to Broadway on the beach and went to Wonder Works.

My brother-in-law Kevin works at the ropes course/zip line so admission was gratis!  It was a really fun place.  Alex and I went on the design-your-own roller coaster, which was pretty awesome.  The best part about that ride was the music:  Beastie Boys "Intergalactic". 

We also did the zip line and the ropes course.  These were both firsts for me :)  I really loved the zip line.  The ropes course was very stressful for me.  It was too high and I felt like I was in a constant "fight or flight" state.  My pillow never felt as good as it did last night!

This morning me and my favorite running partner went for a run on the beach.  He is struggling with an injury so we warmed up with a walk together and then I went out on my own.  In total, I ran five miles in 47 minutes!  I was very pleased with my run. 

I have decided while the idea of running on the beach seems peaceful and beautiful, it is in reality very boring and frustrating.  The scenery is great but it doesn't change and I lose interest very quickly.  I also am a huge fan of picking markers in the distance as my short-term goal while running.  On the flat beach, the markers that I picked weren't as close as I thought they were because it was so flat and things felt closer than they actually were. 

When I got back to the apartment, it was breakfast time!

Yeah, I'm on vacation and my idea of a good time is trying steel cut oats :)  I was actually shocked that the Piggly Wiggly had these so I had to buy them.  They are chewier than rolled oats but I liked them.  There is a recipe for oatmeal cookies on the box that I think I will try when I get back home.

My goal for this vacation is to not gain any weight.  I feel like attempting to lose weight on vacation is a very lofty goal.  So far, I am doing very good :) 

What's your favorite thing to do while on vacation?

~Andrea

Breakfast Feast

Good Saturday Evening!  My morning was amazing.  I absolutely love the weekends that my daughter Julia spends with me :)  I always take the opportunity to make delicious breakfasts.  Here is a shot of this mornings yummies:

I served up the usual eggs, spinach, onion and flax seed scramble along with southwestern hashrowns (cooked in coconut oil) and extra-lean turkey bacon.  Mmmmm!  The beautiful Asiatic Lillie's were a surprise from Alex.  I sent him out to get some eggs and he came back with those too.  I'm a lucky lady :)

Of course, I topped my eggs off with some of my chipotle goat cheese.  I love that stuff and will be making another trip tomorrow to try another flavor. 

After breakfast, we spent some time watching some classic Saturday morning cartoons.  Remember this one?

It was a great and lazy morning, for sure.  At around one o'clock, I finally got the motivation to get off the couch and go out for a run.  It was raining when I first headed out, which was actually very nice.  After about five minutes, the rain stopped and small slivers of sun started to peak through the clouds.  It was sooo muggy.  It was not fun.

I kept the run to three miles today.  I am planning on going to Burke Lake Park with the Lake Ridge Runners tomorrow morning so that will be a four and a half mile run.  I need to find a training plan for the Maymont 8-miler so I can be sure that I will be ready for the race!

Any suggestions for a training plan? 

What are you training for?

~Andrea

Goat Cheese!

Hello :)  This morning I made the most delightful and quick breakfast.  I purchased some grilled zucchini and egg souffles from Costco.  Just heat up in the microwave and eat!  I topped it off with some delicious chipotle and green onion goat cheese...mmmm.....  I got the cheese from the farmer's market and I will definitely be going back for more!

So it's been a miserable fail on the ten o'clock bedtime.  In an attempt to get some extra sleep under my belt, I have been sleeping in until *gasp* five o'clock!  So needless to say, I'm still very tired.  I did not help this situation by jumping on the treadmill at quarter-after nine tonight.  The good thing is that I ran five miles!  It was miserable and boring, but I did it :)

I'm hoping the weather stays cooler for the weekend so I can get out and run outside.  I definitely prefer pounding the pavement rather than the rubber belt.  Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday!!

What are your plans for the weekend?

~Andrea

What in the Rooster???

Good Saturday Morning!  I hope your day has been going well.  I had quite the surprise this morning:

Mr. Rooster was in my neighbor's yard across the street!  What?!  I have always been able to hear the  and the rooster in the distance but he has always sounded further away.  This morning, Alex went out to take some recycling out and the cock-a-doodle-doo was much louder.  He started looking around and there the rooster was in the neighbor's yard.  You can't just have a rooster running around on the loose, right????  I called animal control but apparently they don't work on the weekends.  I was told I could capture the rooster myself and they would send someone to pick him up.  No, thanks.

Instead of catching myself a rooster, I made myself some breakfast instead.

It was time to clean out the veggie drawer so it was a veggie loaded omlet.  I put in spinach (of course), mushrooms, peppers, onions, parsley, and tomatoes.  I mixed in a slice of ham plus flax seed and topped it all off with some goat cheese.  It was perfection!

I received something else that was very exciting today:

I bought these with my workout reward money :)  I bought the original Biggest Loser cookbook many years ago and I have always loved their recipes.  They are always really flavorful and different from what I usually imagine healthy food to be. 

I bought these from half.com and didn't pay much.  In total, I paid $30 for all three, including shipping!  I'm most excited for the flavors of the world book.  I'm so excited to plan my meals this week using these cookbooks :)  As always, I'll let you know what I make and how it tastes!

Do you have a favorite cookbook?

~Andrea

Pay Day

Good Evening!  I hope you had a great day!  I had the day off of work and it was sooo enjoyable :)  I started the morning off with breakfast with Julia, which I feel like I haven't done in forever.  She had some light vanilla yogurt with strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and cherries topped with some whole grain granola.  I made one of my favorites:

Spinach, tomatoes, ground flax seed, one egg and two egg whites topped with hot sauce.  So delicious.  I have renewed my love of cherry tomatoes this summer.  They were my favorite veggie (ok, ok fruit) growing up because they taste like sunshine.  There is just something about having the tomato explode in your mouth that makes me happy :)

Lunch wasn't anything too exciting.  I sampled some potato salad and had a veggie burger.  Like I said, not very exciting. 

Dinner was much more satisfying.  We had our friends Jess and Mike and their son James over for dinner so we tried to make some tasty stuff.  With tasty comes calories.  We had bacon-wrapped fillet mignons, potato and ham salad, green salad and lemon cheesecake with fresh summer berries.  Mmmmmm.  So I didn't eat much of the bacon and only had half of my fillet so that I could indulge in the cheesecake.  I'm pretty sure the meal was far from healthy still but I felt good cutting back on part of the meal so that I could have my dessert.

In other news, I'm not sure if you guys remember or not, but I have been paying myself to workout.  I give myself one dollar for every fifteen minutes and then use that money to reward myself with nonfood items.  I used some of my money!

Workout Clothes!  Dick's Sporting Goods was having a clearance sale and I snagged both of these shorts for ten dollars a piece.  Score :)  The picture is a little dark but the pair on the right are yellow and purple.....Go Dukes!  I wore the light blue ones to work out with Patrice and they were wonderful.  They have a four inch inseam so I could check out my massive leg muscles while I did my lunges (haha) but long enough to not worry about tugging them down all the time.  I'm very happy with my purchase.

How do you reward yourself?

~Andrea

Veg Out :)

So this morning, four o'clock came and went and somehow I was still in bed.  I remained in bed until six o'clock!!!  I have no idea when I turned off my alarm or why I miraculously woke up.  I usually go to the bus stop between six-thirty and six-forty so it was a race against the clock to get ready for work.

Needless to say, there was no workout this morning.  I felt amazingly rested and refreshed though!  Oh well, I have been working out with Patrice, going for walks with Jess and climbing stairs on my fifteen minute breaks so I think a rest day was needed. 

That was dinner :)  It was a "clean out the veggie drawer" dinner.  It was a mix of sweet peppers, spinach, mushrooms, onions, green beans and chicken.  I sauteed it with a little Worcestershire sauce and garlic.  It was pretty tasty!  I have become very bored with my raw veggies so it was really refreshing to eat them cooked.

Tomorrow for breakfast, I'm going to make this delicious meal:

Mmmm, eggs with ground flax seed, spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms and onions.  I really love breakfast foods and the weekends are my favorite because I actually have time to sit down and make a decent breakfast.

Tomorrow Alex and I are off to Melissa and Jake's wedding up in PA.  I will need to make sure that I pack lots of healthy snacks for the ride up there.  The rumor is that the drive is about four hours :( 

Have a great weekend!

~Andrea



Sad Saturday!

So I got a text from Patrice yesterday saying that she has training today so she had to cancel our session for today :(  I'm pretty sad about that.  I was looking forward to getting my butt kicked!

So last night, I did a quick dinner.

I cooked up some chicken breasts with some baby spinach.  Then I tossed in some pre-made butter chicken sauce...mmmm, butter chicken....Warmed up some 90-second jasmine rice and dinner was served!  It wasn't the most healthy meal ever but it was quick and tasty.

I did my 4am workout yesterday morning :)  I did a hill program on my treadmill, which definitely got me sweating!  That's the number one way I feel successful with my workout Haha!  I even felt ambitious enough to climb stairs on one of my breaks.  I climbed ten flights and then came back (it was only a fifteen minute break). 

I didn't wake up early today to get a workout in before everyone else got up but I am planning on mowing the yard later today.  Not the most grueling exercise but it counts for something.  Alex and I are taking Julia to the water park today :)  That will be great exercise for her for sure.

For breakfast, I tried to be creative with the eggs....I made Philly cheese steak eggs.  I cooked some onion slivers, sweet peppers, and mushrooms with a little Worcestershire sauce.  Added eggs and for Alex, I served it on flat bread with Morning Star breakfast sausage and cheese.  I had the same but without the bread or cheese.  YUM!

What's your favorite way to make eggs?