Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Mommy Needs Coffee: Yes!

Workout: none in the AM, went back to bed instead. 30 min yoga flow in the PM

My back... it hurts!

I got up this morning and settled on yoga + a core burn workout, then... no internet. Feeling too tired to go reset it, I went back to bed. MISTAKE. I ended up with a double dose of cranky pants and I dare say, it lasted most of the day. 

I keep forgetting how important shoes are to my back's well-being. The last time my back was so bad, I went out and bought a pair of work Birki's. I've probably wore them a handful of times since then, my back is my own fault!

Needless to say, I desperately missed my afternoon k-cup coffee - but I powered through. Plus thinking of today's edition of Mommy Needs Coffee totally lifted my spirits!

You see, last night after supper I was carrying the BB as she was trying to tell me something. I asked if she wanted her cheerios and out of nowhere, she said "Ye-ss". As clear as a whistle, she said "Ye-ss"!!!

My first real baby natter! I hugged her and kissed her, she was all smiles. I can't even wipe the smile from my face as I type this, seriously!

I was all alone, so of course I got on the phone and shared it with my parents. RC was running an errand so I knew he'd be home in a couple of minutes and when he asked her if she wanted some cereal, she said "Ye-ss".

After that, when we tried to record her - all bets were off. Not even bribing her with a cookie worked. I’m sure she had enough of this whole talking thing, but I learned my lesson. You can’t rush my BB to do anything, she’ll do it when she’s ready!

Kids/no kids, what’s the cutest milestone you’ve witnessed someone achieve?

BB, Mama and Papa Dinner tonight: Broiled Salmon + Cheesy Broccoli Rice 

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Note to self: step away from the 5 lb bag of broccoli at Sam’s. There are only 2.5 of us, no need for so much of it. It’s lasted a week and a half, and I have one more serving to go!

Cheesy Broccoli Rice

  • 1 cup basmatti rice (currently obsessed with this stuff)
  • 3.5-4 cups water
  • 2 cups cooked broccoli (I microzapped it)
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • dash of half-n-half
  1. Cook the rice, 15-20 min
  2. Add the rest of ingredients, stir
  3. Enjoy!

What’s your favorite type of rice?

ADios!

Monday, February 27, 2012

The Salad Case: Spineless

Workout: 45 min yoga

My lower back felt like mush, thus – today’s blog post.

The lower back pain started in my 30s, a product of old age and genetics. It usually comes and goes, but this weekend it was here to stay.

I’ve been nursing it with my heat pack, a pair of birkenstocks (I suffer from really flat feet) and no high-impact exercises and I feel better. I also modified my workout plan this week by adding 3 longer yoga sessions and no running.

Sidenote: I got the results for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and I ran a 9.17/mi pace. Woo-hoo!!! Slow for most, fast for me. It was a great race!

Back to my back, I spoke to a friend who’s had back surgery before and she recommended I go to a chiropractor and get adjusted. Imma scared! Have you ever been to one?

On a good note, Monday was really nice in EP.

Nice enough to eat my lunch outside.

In the case today: a rice bowl!

  • Spinach
  • Roasted broccoli, brussel sprouts, carrots, cashes
  • Basmatti rice – in luv with it right now!
  • Goat cheese + honey

I’ve been a busy-bee - that's me! Work is kickin my bootay! For reals, yo! It was nice to take a couple of minutes outside and soak up that vitamin D :)

ADios!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

WIWW: Jeans + Boots

Workout: 30 min yoga + 12 min int run

No goofy photo today. I know, you’re crushed!

Work has been on overload for the last couple of weeks. I keep telling people I need to invest in a swatter to swat away as many things as I possibly can. Got a swatter I can borrow?

I have to say, the working out and healthy eating are definitely helping me with stress relief. Plus, I think of the trainers over at Youble.com as my friends – I love the variety.

When I can, I also manage to sneak in a couple of walking breaks during the work day. That usually helps me re-focus and definitely gives me some perspective.

During today’s AM walk, I realized it was Ash Wednesday. Excuse me, what? It kind of snuck up on me, but I think I’ve settled on what I’m giving up:

  • shopping for clothes (minus 2 pants from Express that I’m watching until they go on sale since I have a gift card)
  • the “afternoon k-cup coffee” that has become a staple for the last couple of weeks
  • a Rosary a day

What’s the weirdest things you’ve heard anyone give up for Lent? Do you practice Lent or do you have something similar to it in sentiment?

I didn’t make it to Church :(, but I did manage to get in my weekly shopping spree during my lunch hour. One less thing I have to worry about during the weekend. Plus, I got to pick up some focaccia bread and tomatoes to feed my grilled cheese obession.

Grilled cheese + tomato + pesto panini

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Kimberly, thank you for clueing me into this yummy combination! The BB was definitely a fan!

What was the last recipe you were glad you tried?

ADios!

Thursday, February 16, 2012

A Natter: Youble?

Workout: 25 min Power Body + 25 Body Pump

Me: I am soooooo in luv with
Me: wait
Me: how do you spell it again?
Me: Yea, I am so in luv with Youble.com right now!


That's right, I am going to sign up for the plan as soon as I finish writing this post because my 2-week free trial is kaputz.

The classes really are super FUNtastic and I'm feeling stronger; and by stronger I'm meaning sore. Seriously.

Plus, I luv luv luv that each day I can pick what I want to target or try something new. I think it's helping me stay motivated.

I do think the yogaglo offers a wider variety of yoga and the quality of the video is a bit better. I just think the variety helps me stay motivated, plus - it's half the price. Can't argue with that, right?

Have you tried yogaglo.com or yufit? Know of any other internet gyms?

Today was a beast, now it's time to sit and just sit!

ADios!

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

WorkItWedge: Fab Four!

Workout: 20 min interval run

Soooo.... there's too much going on. I feel like I'm a week late, seriously!

Work is puffs, as in coo-coo for cocoa puffs. Where are my puffs???

Home is all sorts of crazy and wonderful hectic thrown in with an abundance of chocolate that is a bit intimidating. Needless to say, my No-Sugar Added days have been full of sugar this week!

I'm also having problems sleeping, I blame mahjong and my inability to shut off my PC before 10:30. Really, I blame me!

On a good note, I have done some form of exercise each day - go me!

M: 30 min Youble Yoga (They changed their name from yufit.com)

T: 30 min Youble Power Body (luv this class)

W: 10 min Youble Kickboxing + 20 min interval run

After deciding to sleep in then actually waking up to try the kickboxing class (#doublescore for me), I ditched the class because I thought I'd get a better cardio workout running. So glad I did! The run was funtastic and totally helped release some stress.

Plus, it totally puts a pep in my step the rest of the day. Not even the baby puke that I had to clear from the car seat (which also made me late for work) could dampen my mood.

What's the weirdest reason you love to run/workout?

Oh yea, time for proof that I’m still semi-dressing up for work.

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Cause nothing says “work” like a Fab Four tee + khakis + wedges!

ADios!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Mommy Needs Coffee: Gentle!

Workout: 30 min power body + 20 min body sculpt from yufit.com

Ok, I gotta say - I'm loving yufit today. Both classes were challenging, plus I really liked the instructors. I felt the workout burn and I didn't get bored - they both kept it interesting. Yufit is definately growing on me :)

Me Vs the sugar yesterday was a success, day 2 is always not so good. I can get through this :) In the meantime, let's have some coffee :)


This week I was set to write a cute story about my doggies, but then yesterday happened. I picked up my BB at daycare only to find out she needs a crash course on how to be "gentle".

Apparently, she kept pulling hair, fighting for toys, pushing a kid out of a chair and yes - biting. The caretakers had no clue where it came from - I was flabbergasted. I felt like I was "that mom," then one that lets their kids get away with everything.

The thing is, she's soon to be 18 months so we're in a very grey area of parenting. As I drove home, I kept thinking it was the first 48 hours of a crime scene. It feels like how I handle things now, today, will begin to lay down the groundwork for what's to come in the next couple of years. Ever feel that way?

I also think part of the problem is that we're not around other kids the majority of the time. It's hard to teach her how to behave if there are no kids in sight and I doubt anyone would volunteer their kids for her to learn.

I had recently noticed that she had started chasing the doggies and pulling their ears or hair. We've been trying to address that this is not appropriate behavior, but something tells me that teaching "gentle" is not an overnight thing.

Yee-haw, me thinks the Terrible Twos have started and it's going to be a bumpy ride. Buckle-up!

How do you handle disciplining toddlers? Any tips on how to help them learn "gentle"?

In the meantime, I just had to share this video.



I've totally caught myself saying "only $20, that's a steal!" How about you?

ADios!

Monday, February 6, 2012

The Salad Case: Case-less

Workout: 20 min run + 25 min Yufit yoga flow

I got myself to sleep early, but then the BB started crying in these weird outbursts. When I went to check on her, my poor munchkin's arm was hanging through the slots of her crib. She couldn't turn herself around and kept waking herself up. She looked too cute and the problem was quickly remedied!

I woke up somewhat refreshed and ready to start my new February 2012 Challenge!

I think the new challenge will help fight off the boredom *I hope* because if you can’t tell from that last week of my January one, I was getting a bit bored!

I'm also hoping taking different yufit classes will help fight off the boredom. Today's Yufit yoga was good. Again, definitely not as "yogi" as yogaglo, but still a good workout. I enjoyed that the instructor kept bringing me back to one flow, then she'd branch off to separate poses. It made me feel strong!

I did notice that the streaming of the video was a bit blockier than yogaglo, but it didn't impact my workout at all so it won't be a deciding factor on which site I choose to stay with.

Back  to my February Challenge, you may notice I also added a fourth no-sugar added day. I had to. The weekends have been all-out sugar consumption and yesterday was no exception.

That Sugar is a tricky little one and last week I was ok, but then started having some graham crackers each night. Then added some chocolate on my "no-sugar" days, then a second coffee on those same days, then... See a pattern?

Today, I'm making another stand and am going to really focus. How do you deal with sugar?

The salad cases help me some, but today's salad case was a no-show. I had leftovers from last Friday and still have one case left from last week, so I won't be making any more cases until Wednesday.

Tonight’s dinner was another one-pot wonder, luv those!

Potatoes + Chorizo + Avocado Creme Sauce

IMG_0565

  • 3 russet potatoes
  • 1 onion
  • 3 chorizo links
  • 1 avocado
  • 1/4 c table cream
  1. Stir-fry the potatoes and onion with a bit of oil, until potatoes are cooked (~15-20 min)
  2. Add chorizo and stir until fully cooked
  3. Mix avocado, table cream, salt + pepper
  4. Top potatoes with creme sauce
  5. Enjoy!

Are you a chorizo fan?

Oh, before I forget, let me share how wonderful it is every time you realize that you are, indeed - old!

Yikes!

ADios!

Friday, February 3, 2012

Hey Dude: Superbowl



Workout: 30 minutes yoga from Yufit.com

Let's take a trip down memory lane, "super bowl commercials featuring animals" edition!

I think that list did get #1 right,


but this one is such a close tie:


I wish I could be a fly on the wall when they're thinking up these commercials! Which one is your favorite?

I actually don't remember when the EDS one came out, but I was working for EDS in 2007 when I heard of it. Hilarious! In a way, they are right - that is what we did. I'm just glad I didn't work for them in the 80s - think of the strictest wardrobe guidelines ever. You couldn't even go to the bathroom without your coat on! I would cry.

Just like I almost did this morning. I did not want to workout. After the 5th time hitting the snooze, I did get up and practice a 30 min yoga flow from yufit.com. I heard about this site recently and am taking the 2-week trial period to compare it to yogaglo.com, who's a bit more expensive and only offers yoga classes.


yufit.com offers classes for strength/flexibility/cardio 30-1hr in length. The classes are always changing and only available for a certain time.

My first impression on the yoga was good, I think. It was a good workout, but it seemed like an "at-home yoga workout." Yogaglo gives you the "in the studio" feeling - it's hard to describe. I hope I'm not being a yogi-snob, believe me - I have no right to be one of those!

Have you tried these sites? Are there any other ones that you've heard of or luv?

Off to do some of this:




Have a great weekend!

ADios :)

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

WorkItWedge: Jury Duty

Workout: Plyometrics Insanity Video - 40 min

Twas Jury Duty day, which means -> no dressing up for the office day, which also means -> no geeky picture to post. You are welcome!

I'm glad I got the workout in, I felt energized but my lower back is acting up again. I made my exercise modifications and I moved on. Isn’t back pain the worst?

I'm not sure if it's related to the massage I got on Tuesday, but I've been sore since then. Is that supposed to happen? I've never gotten a professional massage and I LUV LUV LUVd it!

I got the massage through a groupon for a chiropractor's office. I was offered an alignment too, but I was scared and said no. Have you ever gotten one?

I also sat around a lot today, it could have contributed to my soreness. There was so much waiting around, just sitting waiting to hear if we were going to be called. Then, after some hours all the cases were settled out of court and we were free to go.

I’m glad I did my civic duty, but I wish it came with walking breaks. Does your workplace allow them?

All that waiting wore me out and the sugar monster was unleashed tonight. Golden grahams and chocolate are my friends. I tried to balance out the sugar with some good food:

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I’m still making tomorrow a mandatory No SUGAR day, it must be done! What are your fitness goals tomorrow?