Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Work It Out: AWESOME!

 

Workout: 4.13 mi treadmill run in 40 minutes.
Calories: 2200


Woo-hoo, this workout was TOUGH!

I had so much fun with it though, even when I was gasping for air towards the end.

Plus, my personal cheering section was at it again doing her thang!

I was going to post my time, but that was a big waste of time with that shine. Do you love my baby monitor on my treadmill, it’s a great motivation!

Looking at the graph, though makes me think I need to add more of a warm-up/cool down. I’ve never been good at that and now the problem is worse because I’d rather sleep than warm-up in the AM.

The worst thing is trying to get ready when you haven’t really cooled down. Don’t you hate that?

I also wanted to share this flavor combination:

caramelized brussel sprouts & onions + bacon = AWESOME

 

  1. Stir-fry the brussel sprouts & onions in olive oil until caramelized (~10 minutes)
  2. Add the bacon and cook until cooked to your liking (~10 min) and set aside
  3. In a separate pot, cook some pasta of your choice until al dente.
  4. Drain some of the pasta water, but leave enough to cover the pasta.
  5. Add some onion soup mix or chicken bouillon to your liking.
  6. Combine everything and let stand for 5-10 mins
  7. Enjoy

Seriously, the flavors work really really well together. I make another similar recipe with spinach & bacon but something about the combination and different textures puts this over the top!

On to some blogworld fun, this is my entry into the BIGGEST GIVEAWAY IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD compliments of the always awesome/hilarious SkinnyRunner!

I never ever ever win anything, but I'm always up for trying :) Go on over and enter for yourselves, she’s giving away some awesome loot!

It’s official, I think I’ve set the world record for the # of times the word AWESOME has been used in a blog post. Go me!

Off to watch AI :)

ADios!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Little Things: Badge of Soreness

Workout: 45 min Strong Legs Healthy Spine Yoga

Calories: 2100

Holy Guacamole – I’m mega sore! I don’t know if it was the weights yesterday or the yoga today, but it feels like every inch of my body is sore.

I don’t know about you guys, but there’s a difference in pain and being sore after a great workout. I almost wear it like a badge of honor. Every time I get up and walk around it’s a reminder that I did something good for my body, and I love it!

As you all may know, I’ve been dealing with lower back pain so I’ve been trying to work on my core strength. Yogaglo.com has a cool search feature that allows you to filter by teacher, style, level, duration and specific use. I searched for back pain and chose this level 2 class with the following description:

Sequence of standing poses, including backbends and twists, to learn how to use our legs optimally to create both stability and receptivity. When we create lower back stability, we are able to receive our gifts, act from our highest potential, and offer ourselves to serve in the world, whatever the context.

Just what the doctor ordered!

However, me + backbends => a hardy laugh!

I’m serious, I should video tape myself trying to do one just to make all the yogis out there cringe.

Can you guys do a backbend? Any tips?

It’d be cool to do one, I guess I’m going to have to try some of their tutorials.

Off to relax some before my scheduled run tomorrow – woohoo!

ADios!

Monday, March 28, 2011

The Case: I'm Walnut Golden

Workout: 20 min full-body workout
Calories: 2000

4 AM: Baby Brielle got up

4:30 AM: Baby Brielle went back to sleep

5 AM: The alarm rang, not sure what happened then.

5:35 AM: Woke up and had a tough choice to make, sleep in OR 20 min full-body workout?

Yay, I chose the mini-workout!

I decided on doing this 21 Day Total Body Makeover Workout. I didn’t have a medicine ball, but I modified it to work with my 8 1b dumbbells. It felt good to lift those weights and I got some bang for my 20 minutes.

I was originally planning on doing 5 minute jump-roping sessions between sets, but I had to cut those out.

It may not have been the hardest workout, but isn’t it still amazing how it can get your day started right?

On to other news: walnuts. According to this article I read, walnuts own all other nuts! They are the most nutritious and offer the most anti-oxidants. The bad, walnuts own me.

Seriously, I made walnut butter using my bullet this weekend and I’m in TROUBLE. Those walnuts never stood a chance.

I’m going to have to limit myself to a spoonful at night, cause a jar a day is just not going to cut it!

What is your favorite nut?

Off to hold myself back from grabbing that jar and watching some Pawn Stars!

ADios!

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Sunday Setup!

Workout: 40 min walk with the doggies

Calories: 2300

Reunion 056

So this is us, partying up this weekend, don’t ask me what’s going on with my hair cause your guess is as good as mine.

We’ve gone to three different dinners/parties since Friday. I could say I’m exhausted, but I’m not. I think I took a sort of mini-vacation from the whole exercise thing and chose to sleep-in since Thursday so I’m feeling pretty rested.

I think sometimes everything just builds up and it’s good to step away and let your mind/body rest. Plus, I had been having bad lower back pain again and I wanted to take it easy. It was just what I needed :)

Do you guys take exercise vacations? Aren’t they great?

I think they totally are, plus they get me all ready to jump back on to that exercise wagon!

As we were walking today, I started talking to Richard about my exercise schedule. I was all confused about whether I should run three times, how do I get two yoga sessions in, how do I get 2 weight sessions in? Yada, yada, yada… All these thoughts going through my mind.

I’ve bee known to do this, then I realized “you know, I’m not planning the workouts for the rest of my life!” I need to learn how to edit myself, after all, these are just workouts for this week. I can choose to mix it up as much as I want and just set up a plan every week. Hence, Sunday Setup. Clever, huh?

So here is the plan for this week:

Day Plan
Monday 45 min circuit weights
Tuesday Yoga
Wednesday 40 min run (intervals)
Thursday 45 min circuit weights
Friday Yoga
Saturday 50 min run
Sunday 40 min walk doggies

I know it’s low on the running, but I think I really need to focus on strength training & stretching right now. My lower back really needs it.

I plan on posting the actual workouts on the workout log to hold myself accountable each week. It’s a good start, I think.

How about you bloggies, how do you setup your workout routines? Any tips?

Also, I just had to post this pic we took at out at dinner #2, I caught my baby laughing with her Great-Granmommy!

Reunion 069

Doesn’t she look adorable? My mom actually made that little headband too, so talented!

Here’s to hopin’ you have a wonderful week!

ADios!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Work It Out: Boar’s Head!

Workout: Core Strengthening Yoga Practice

Calories: 2200

Did you hear that? The Angels were singing this morning! I got 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep, yipeeee!

I also got to do about 45 minutes of this practice, which rocked my abs. A great start to this morning.

Check out the personalized studio:

Along with my own cheering section, who somehow was otherwise distracted.

However, the real rock star in the AM was this baby:

That would be 2 boiled eggs, chorizo & cheese on a whole-wheat sandwich thin.

Boar’s Head Chorizo Panino Pepperoncini, a splurge worth all it’s $$$. This is GOOD! Seriously, some of the cheese melted off on to the paper towel and I contemplated eating that too. No worries, I managed to contain myself :)

How was your workout?

Was your breakfast as good as mine? Doesn’t a good breakfast just set the tone for the whole day. I have no clue how people can skip it. None whatsoever.

Off to watch some AI!

ADios!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Little Things: Conan or My Bullet?

Workout: 2.25 miles in 20:30 (I think)
Calories: 2000

I almost slept in again, almost. I was so close, it was 5:30 and I was going to hit snooze for the 3rd time. I decided to just get up and run what I could in the 20 minutes or so I had.

Running was glorious!

I went fast (for me) again and even managed to run a 9 minute mile. Where did that come from? It was fun :)

So on to my little thing for today: Conan vs. My Bullet? I couldn’t decide so I’m writing about both.

On one hand, I’ve been Team Coco. How can you not be for a man who can rock jeggings like no other!



Conan Rocks!

On the other hand, it’s my blender: The Bullet! It’s magic :)


It is AWESOME and easily my best small kitchen appliance. Wait, might be a toss up with my coffee maker.

Still, I use it for practically everything:

  • pureeing baby food
  • blending rice/oatmeal for my Bebe’s cereal
  • grinding coffee beans
  • making serious smoothies
  • making flavored water (bananas, watermelon, cucumber)
  • last but not least: making nut butter!!!

After reading different blogs on the ease of making nut butter, I contemplated getting a new food processor. I’m so glad I gave the Bullet a try, cause it did not disappoint!

A simple mix of pecans & coconut and I was speechless. This  could get dangerous up in here, up in here!

Before I go into pecan-butter induced comma, I thought I’d share this little gem:

Salmon, Sausage & Brussels Sprouts Stir-Fry

  • 1 purple onion
  • Roasted brussel sprouts tossed in olive oil in oven (35-40min in convection oven)
  • 1/2 Jimmy Dean Maple Sausage loaf
  • 1 can salmon
  1. Stir-fry a purple onion
  2. Add 1/2 bar of a Jimmy Dean Maple Sausage loaf
  3. Cook until onion has caramelized and sausage is fully cooked
  4. Add the can of salmon
  5. Serve over brown rice and brussel sprouts
  6. Enjoy :)

I came across a salmon & sausage patty recipe, I think it may be in the Rachel Ray magazine but I can’t recall so I thought I’d experiment a little.

I was pretty surprised, it was so yummy and easy to make. Score!

What did you guys have for dinner? Any crazy combos out there?

Any Team Coco fans out there?

Is there a kitchen appliance that you can’t live without?

ADios!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Case of the Mondays: Goals

Workout: 20 minute walk – weak to the max!

Calories: 2000

To goal or not to goal?

That is the million dollar question.

You see, I’m kind of in my own definition of a stalemate. When I started off on my post-baby weight-loss journey, I didn’t want to make it too much about the actual weight. I wanted to be healthy, active and get down to my “weight” before I even got pregnant. Well, I’m there :)

I know I’m no Giselle, but I’m pretty happy where I am right now. My old clothes are fitting me pretty well, I almost can’t believe it. Sure, I could try to loose those elusive 5 pounds but the question is do I really want to?

Exercise-wise, I also managed to run the half. Terrible time, but I finished. I’m as slow as molasses in general, but I’m pretty happy with running 10-11 minute miles. Lately, I’ve been trying to see if I could work on getting faster but I haven’t committed to anything yet.

Can I use the power of the force to win this?

I need to figure out where I go from here. I do know the following:

  • I want to live a healthy lifestyle
  • I want to keep running (a smile on my face as I write this – I love it)
  • I want to focus on good nutrition for me and my family
  • I want to maintain my current weight
  • I want to get more toned
  • I want to be a good fitness example for my daughter so I can keep up with her in t-? days when she’ll be giving me a whirlwind of a workout!

I don’t know if I really want to sign-up for the following:

  • Loose those previously ELUSIVE 5 lbs
  • Set a specific goal for the next race I sign up for, which may be as early as next Sunday. (We’re thinking about running the ‘Defy the Ban’ World’s fastest 10K)
  • Actually follow a training plan for above-mentioned goal.

I’ll be thinking this over during the week, taking my time since there’s no real big rush.

How do you all handle goal-setting?

Is it better to make more general over-arching goals or more defined ones?

What are some goals you’re working on?

Off to relax :)

ADios!

Saturday, March 19, 2011

No Snapshot Saturday

Workout: “The Hill” 3.5 mile run in 34 min + 2.5 mile walk with the doggies.

Calories: ?

This will be short and sweet, almost like my Saturday. For a day with no big plans, I don’t know how the time went by so fast.

I do know, my run was tough and awesome all at the same time. There’s a hill about a mile from my house that is tough. Richard ran it last week and suggested I do it today. I obliged and I’m glad I did.

I’ve been running flat trails for 2+ years with the only hills done on the treadmill. I think this messed me up a little during my last half-marathon so I think I may have to incorporate “The Hill” workout more often.

How was your day? BTW, ‘twas beautiful over here :)

ADios!

Friday, March 18, 2011

Foodie Friday: Turtle Power!

Workout: None
Calories:2000

Wah-wah! Another day, another missed yoga session :(

I had hoped to do two this week, wah, wah, wah!

Today's miss was compliments of somehow placing my phone under the pillow after Brielle woke up around 3:30 in the am. Who knows, maybe I have a dual Team Sleep personality that sabotages my workout goals every single week. Let's blame her, shall we?


Why can't she be like this AWESOME turtle that manages to keep going when others would just crawl into their shell and wither away? Literally!



Must channel Turtle Power so I can make it to FitBloggin'! This would be my entry to try and win an entry to what sounds like an AMAZING conference! I would love to learn more about how to make this site more interesting and learn from all the other amazing bloggers out there!

Today's foodie Friday is not fit for Catholics to see, so if you're Catholic – you must look away!

It started with a trip to McDonalds where I learned you must specify the Maple & Fruit oatmeal WITHOUT sugar. They assume you want cream & sugar.
I gave up sugar for Lent, but I couldn’t throw it away and it was all I had at the office.
It was good, but I definitely like the Starbucks version better. Oatmeal usually keeps me full longer, but this one felt tiny and I was left feeling hungry.
Luckily, some friends came to the rescue at work by making some pancakes.
No syrup for me!
Plus, I got a Via Italian Roast packet to try. Score! ‘Twas like freshly brewed minus the brew. I’m going to have to stockpile them to have as a backup for all those times that coffee roasting leads to burning down the house!
Then came lunch.
That would be turkey in the mix :( I know, bad me! I had packed this on Wed. but ended up going to lunch on Thursday. I knew I wouldn’t eat this on the weekend and I don’t like to throw away good food so I went ahead and at it and thanked God for all that he provides.
After work, we headed to use a Groupon for Salma Farrah. I would totally recommend this place to anyone who is interested.
That would be an eggplant extravaganza dish to the MAX. LOVED IT!
The little munchkin even got to try some lentil soup. Just a taste, but she liked it!
She’s trying to learn how to crawl right now, and she’s trying so hard she even tries to do it in her sleep.
You can’t tell by the pic, but that little tukas is raised up in the air. She’s a little angel :)
Planning on a run tomorrow, can’t wait!!!
Anything fun on the horizon for you guys?
ADios!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Natter: Smokin’

Workout: 3.25 mi run in 30:30 on treadmill

Calories: 2100

Guess what?

Work It Wednesdays – Workout = Just a regular Wednesday!

However, it was no regular Wednesday because of the events that transpired last night.

Richard: What is that?

Me: What?

Richard: What is that smell?

Me: What smell?

Me: Wait?

Me: Oh no.

Me: Richard, what do I do.

[Fire coming out of the oven]

Me: Oh crap!

So yes, that would be me trying to burn my house down! Smoke went EVERYWHERE! So I did the smart thing, closed that oven door and turned the oven off. You see, I was roasting my coffee beans on a new setting: the maxi broil. To say it was a mistake is an understatement!

Seriously, a day later and we’re still airing out the entire house. I got home and it had that lovely bar-type smell mixed with some vanilla & cinnamon scents, with some cucumber coconut thrown in. We’ve tried everything to to get the smell out, we have bowls of vinegar and others of vanilla all over the house.

We’re planning on steam cleaning our couches this weekend so here’s to hoping something works!

Do you guys know of any ways to get the stinky smoke out?

Anyone? Anyone? Buehler? Anyone?

On a good note, I love, love, loved my workout this morning! I’m trying to work on shaving some time off my miles and I shaved 2 whole minutes off this workout if I had run my pretty usual 10 minute pace. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be and I felt Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat afterward!

Here’s to hopin you all had a great workout too :)

ADios:)

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Little Things: Freaks & Geeks

Workout: 2 mile run on treadmill in 18:28

Calories: 2100

Where Are They Now? Do you know? They’re everywhere I tell ya! Who knew they were such a talented cast?

I did, I loved that show! I still can’t believe they only made one season but 1 > 0.

Just like 2mi > 0.

I got up at 5, but so did my bebe. While I was waiting for her to go back to sleep, I too went back to sleep. Fist pump! I did get up 45 minutes later and decided to jump on that treadmill anyways. It’d been way, way too long! It was worth being 15 minutes late.

It was glorious! Since I only had 20 minutes, I figured I’d turn up the speed. Before I knew it, time was up and I felt a billion times better!

Off to chillax and watch me some Glee :)

ADios!

Monday, March 14, 2011

Case of the Mondays: MIA

Workout: Does a brisk 15 min walk count?
Calories: 2100

See, big girl shoes!



Go and enter Kimberly's giveaway by commenting on something you did good today.

Mine was wearing "big-girl" shoes on the first day of spring break. Ignore the jeans, please.

"Big-girl" shoes=professional

It's a fact!

As you may have guessed, I've been MIA. The culprit: my bebe's first ear infection!

I felt her warm chubby cheeks against mine on Saturday, and I knew something was up. I probably overreacted by calling the doctor, but to me it's better to be safe than sorry in those situations. Since then, I've probably taken her temperature 50+ times and no, I don't consider that neurotic at all. After all, my hubby is following close behind at 40+.

Once again, no sleep = no workouts and really I'm ok with that. I much rather preferred being close to Brielle and making sure all her needs were met. Thank goodness she is doing much, much better. I can almost relax, almost!

You know, it’s funny how much I use sugar as a crutch. All weekend long all I wanted (when I wasn’t checking her temperature) was some nice, sugary comfort food. It was hard not diving in to the remaining bag of chocolate chips, but I just had to buckle down, breathe and say a little prayer that everything would be alright.

You see, the problem wasn’t the sugar, the problem is me and how I use it to deal with any stressful situations. This weekend was uncomfortable in so many ways, but we managed to get through it. We are truly blessed and sugar need not be involved, I say!

Be gone, sugar! You’re nothing but a frenemie!!

On the other front, it is time to get back on that exercise wagon. This week I’m planning two runs & two yoga sessions. Let’s see how it goes :)

How do you all handle stressful situations?

Here’s to hopin’ you have a wonderful week :)

ADios!

Friday, March 11, 2011

Foodie Friday

Workout: None :(

Calories: 2000

I was too tired to work out yesterday so I chose not to. Rest, it’s where it’s at!

Plus, I got to sleep in a little later because the Hubster was dropping us off at work so I didn’t have to rush, rush, rush.

We even had time to grab coffee at Einsteins, plus one of these Green Chile Asiago cheese bites of total yummy goodness:

I actually bought it for Richard, but he passed on it. His loss = my gain!

For lunch I had my microwave version of Veggie Lasagna.

I tried to capture the layers: eggplant, spinach, ricotta cheese, spinach, ricotta cheese, stewed tomatoes, swiss cheese.

It was a last minute thing and I’m definitely going to have to play around with this idea. 2 minutes in the microwave and gooey-goodness came out, magic!

I paired it with an orange and a scoop of seed butter.

We went to Pei Wei for dinner and they probably saved themselves a bag of fortune cookies because of Lent. It was so tough seeing those babies and not being able to have one!

So I came home and used the left-over rice from my Sesame Shrimp(delish) and made my new favorite: sautéed rice, apples & cashews with milk.

We sat down and saw the Social Network, an overall pretty good night :)

Have a great weekend!

ADios :)

Natter Natter Natter

Workout:30 min. Hatha Core Strengthening Yoga
Calories: 2000


Hubster:Why are you defending him?
Me: I'm not defending him, I just don't think he [Diddy] is the worst role model out there.
Hubster: Just look at his "friends".
Me: Hey man, for not being one of the most talented rappers he's built his own little empire pretty well.
...
...
lots of relationship talk that needed to be said
...
...
so nice we had this talk
...
...
txt msg from him: Rude. Discourteous or impolite in a deliberate way.
txt msg from me: Merriam-Webster. Lacking refinement or delicacy.

To say it was an interesting chat session would be an understatement! I just think it's funny how we can start having a conversation about a rapper and then end with our different definitions of what rude is. Go figure?

Yes, he is from Mars and I am from the lovely Venus. We're just two aliens trying to make it work and having these natter sessions (specially after having a baby) is very much required, IMO. We need a translator app, or something.

For the most part, we've noticed that our disagreements really boil down to having two different definitions or views of the subject and we somehow need to make the other see our side of it. Sometimes easy, sometimes we should get a Nobel peace price for our efforts!

How do you all handle disagreements?

For days like this, I'm so glad I at least got those 30 minutes of yoga in the AM! Brielle woke up during the middle of the session so I didn't get to finish, but I'll take 30 minutes over nothin!

I also took Kimberly's recommendation and made a grilled banana/wild rice mash-up for my "dessert". I took pics, but they're on my other PC so you'll just have to imagine the yummy goodness in all it's glory.

On a serious note, my thoughts and prayers go out to all those in Japan & Hawaii.

Off to work!

ADios!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Work It Out: Sugar Fix

Workout: 3.1 miles i 30 minutes on the treadmill

Calories: 1900

Gimme some sugar, STAT!

Poor little guy, he looks like I feel! What can I say, I love me some sugar!

On a positive note, the workout in the AM was really good. I wasn’t sore or anything, I’m kind of surprised I recovered this fast. Yay!

The day was actually a pretty good one. I knew I was going to make salmon for dinner, but didn’t know what to do without the honey or brown-sugar soy glaze.  Luckily, I picked up some Black Truffle Oil at Marshall’s and went a searching on the internet.

I got some ideas and went to work. The result: A+. A totally unbiased grade of course!

Black Truffle Salmon

  • 2 salmon steaks
  • 1 small onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • butter, I used smart balance
  • 1/4 c half-n-half
  1. Coat a pan with canola oil and sautee a small onion and two cloves garlic.
  2. Add the salmon (skin down), season with salt & pepper and cook for about 3 minutes, then flip and cook until done.
  3. Remove the salmon and set the onions aside
  4. Remove most of the remaining oil from the pan
  5. Melt some butter (I used smart balance) in the same pan
  6. Add the onions back to the pan
  7. Add some half-n-half to coat
  8. Add 1/2 T of black truffle oil
  9. Pour sauce over salmon
  10. Enjoy!

I served it over a bed of wild rice along with some broccoli, delish!

To tell you the truth, I don’t really know what truffles are. Do you? I think they may be some sort of really expensive mushroom but I’m too lazy to look it up.

To satisfy my sweet tooth, I’ve resorted to fruit and strong fruity herbal teas. No sugar added :(

Today’s “dessert” was some leftover brown rice sautéed in some smart balance with some apples and some cashews. I served it in bowl with some cereal and asked “where have you been all my life?”

I don’t know if it was the lack of sugar, but the apple tasted phenomenal!!! Plus the rice and the cashews added some really fun texture.

I foresee a lot of these dishes in the next 40 days!

How do you get your sugar fix – minus the sugar, of course?

ADios!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Little Things Tuesday: My Chippies

Workout: 45 min Vigorous Morning Routine

Calories: 2200

I slept around 5 hours straight last night, it was glorious! It would have been +6 but I had trouble dozing off, don’t you hate it when that happens?

I got to do some yoga in the AM and it set things off right. Here’s the description:

A short and vigorous routine to help you start your morning with vigor. Includes Breath of Fire, Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar A and B), Warrior II(Virabhadrasana II), Triangle Pose (Trikonasana), Upward Facing Bow (Urdhva Danurasana), and a short meditation

The Breath of Fire stuff was tough, I’d never tried that before and I basically sounded like I was dry-heaving. No bueno!

Nutritionally, things went downhill FAST! I am officially addicted to sunflower seed butter, sugar, and some coffee with my cream.

Oh yea, and this:

So Fat Tuesday, literally ended up being MY Fat Tuesday!

Crazy is as crazy does, and the next 40 days I’ll probably be a little crazy. I’ve decided to do a little sugar cleanse for Lent. That’s right, CRAZY!

For the next 40 days I will be refraining from:

  • added sugar – won’t be adding it to anything
  • candy, including chocolate
  • sugary drinks – bye bye my sweet chai(crack) tea
  • baked goodies, including cookies & biscottis
  • half & half – no more than 3 T a day

I’ll still have natural sugar from fruits, Chobani yogurt (of course), one biscotti and one cheat-treat a week!

It’s going to be tough, I ain’t gonna lie – but I’m kind of looking forward to it. Sometimes a “cleanse” does a body good!

On the spiritual side, I’m also planning on going to Church every week of Lent; as well as alternating each day between the Chaplet of Divine Mercy & the Holy Rosary. I’m hoping the extra time of reflection does my spirit good as well:)

Lofty, lofty goals so my plan is to take it one day at a time! I know I’ve kind of intertwined the spiritual with the nutritional this season of Lent. Do you guys think there is a spiritual connection to the whole “healthy living” idea?

Hoping your Fat Tuesday wasn’t as FATTY as mine :)

ADios!

Monday, March 7, 2011

Case of the Mondays: A good one!

Workout: None

Calories: 2000

Yayy, we made it. Finished the half and not as sore as I thought I’d be. I don’t know my exact time, but somewhere in the 2:30ish area. The website results are missing our times, boo! I’ve already contacted them, but no news yet.

All in all, it was a really fun run and very inspiring! Mostly because I ran close to a man on a mission. He was on a wheel-chair and was maneuvering around those hills like the true champion that he is. So awesome to see and it’ll make me think twice anytime I want to put off a workout, minus the times when I’m sleep deprived of course!

BTW, sorry if I’ve been a little like this lady:

I’m not talking about the hair either, just the ‘tude (wiener dude!)

The sleep thing really got to me last week, but it’s getting much better. I think switching from the crib to the play yard was the most helpful (knock on wood).

I had some errands to run and had to eat lunch in my car today. I always manage to spill stuff when I do this so check out my fool-proof setup. More like a fool, I guess!

All worth it to make it to my hair appointment!

Way, way, way overdue my friends! About 5 months overdue to be exact, but who’s counting?

Planning on some yoga in the AM and then back to the regular cardio routine on Wednesday. Let’s see how it goes.

I’m watching House right now, a little depressing to know so much is really out of your hands!

What show did you guys watch? Any recommendations?

ADios!

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Snapshot Saturday: The Expo

Workout: 45 minute walk with the doggies!

Calories: 2200

Yay, I felt refreshed this morning. We tried switching Brielle to her play yard instead of her crib and it went a little better. She still got up a couple of times, but at least she went back to sleep right away. That’s so much easier to handle!

Plus, I didn’t get up until 8 – it was GLORIOUS!

We headed out the door with the doggies, a bit windy but a great walk.

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We got ready and headed to pick up our packets.

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Looked at some fun gear and picked up a sweatyband along with one of those handheld water bottles.

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Look kiddos, I actually used a blow dryer today. It was that type of a day :)

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We signed up for the spaghetti dinner but that didn’t start until 5 so we went to a Home & Garden show right next door while they set up.

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The food was pretty good, the conversation – even better. One of the topics: bread vs breadstick? Team toasty bread – ALL THE WAY :)

Your thoughts?

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Live entertainment was a plus!

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Not to mention the all-star company at my table :)

I’m a little scared about tomorrow, I ain’t gonna lie. It’s been a while since I ran a half – I think my last one was 2005. I also ran a marathon in 2003. Wow, that was a long time ago!

Oh well, let’s just hope it goes well – it’s Richard’s first half so it should be an adventure!

Let’s hope that 70+ year old man doesn’t lap us, either!

Wish us luck :)

ADios!

Friday, March 4, 2011

Foodie Friday

Workout: None (4 days in a row – boo me)

Calories: 2000

Pure genius:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This way, you can grab your coffee, a donut then a second one with your spare hand. Again, pure genius :)

I know, I should just call this blog me vs. the sleep deprivation. It’s been that bad making this one of the longest weeks EVER. The sleep deprivation has hit a new low, I was up from 2:30-5:10 this morning. I gotta say, Brielle has an uncanny sense of timing, manages to fall asleep mere minutes from my alarm ringing. Pure talent!

The hardest part of this whole situation is learning to have patience. Yes, I may not be able to accomplish my workout goals like I planned but it won’t be forever. That’s a tough lesson to learn. Instead, I can focus my attention on the nutrition front and just be happy when I get the chance to work it out!

On a positive note, one of my friends at work complimented me today by telling me she could tell I lost some weight. God bless her! And no, I didn’t have to bribe her or anything.

 
At least, today is Friday :) I had a good chile relleno breakfast awaiting me at work – compliments of my Mama. Abacus, aka Pancho, aka the fastest mouth in the west managed to nab one a couple of days ago. Pure sneakiness, my Mama even had to question whether she had finished it or not.
 
 
Lunch was a simple romaine salad with broccoli slaw (awesome), tuna and red pears tossed with some rice vinegar. So good!
 
 
Picked up some ribs and mac ‘n cheese from Sam’s after work. I was seeking redemption after ruining the last batch of mac ‘n cheese. Yes, I managed to ruin mac ‘n cheese – no mocking allowed. Note to the wise: if you’re going for creaminess – don’t add ricotta cheese. Yuck!
 

For dessert, I made one of the “fancified breakfast bakes” in the microwave last night and had the leftovers with some PB on the side. This girl Ashley is pure genius! If you haven’t tried making one of these, get in that kitchen and start a bakin’. You’ll thank her later :)

I need some sleepies, stat!

A Dios and hope you have a wonderful weekend :)