I Play Sports Now!

Hi Everyone!  Hope you had a great weekend! I needed to unplug this weekend, although I miss not posting when I do! 

But, I had a fun time hanging out with the husband and daughters and the weather was beautiful so we got in a lot of outdoor activity.  I was able to get in both my runs – Saturday was 2 miles and Sunday was 3 miles.  After my runs, I joined the hubs and daughters for soccer drills and basketball. SO FUN!!! 

The best line of the weekend comes from the husband:  I can’t believe you play sports now;  this is great!!!

Yes, it’s true.  And I can’t believe it either!  I have never been one for playing sports.  Throughout my entire childhood, I hated sports.  With a capital H.   I especially hated gym class.  I always felt like the biggest, clumsiest and most uncoordinated girl in the class.  I felt embarassed and often feigned illness so I could sit on the sidelines.  It makes me sad to think that I may have missed out on so many good times, but I can’t get those years back.  Now, there will be no more sitting on the sidelines for me!  I’m not saying I will try out for some women’s sport team (I’m still laughably uncoordinated!), but I can run around with my family;  up and down the basketball court, back and forth on the soccer field and not feel like I’m going to die of a heart attack.  Being healthy and fit feels fantastic!

Before all of this outdoor fun, I started off with some tasty eats.  I have not been feeling breakfast at all lately.  Nothing seems to excite me and I'd happily eat a Chobani every morning, but I know that gets boring after a while.  I rummaged around and found this box of Triple Berry Bran Muffin Mix from Trader Joe’s and thought it would be a nice change…

These guys are hi –test!  One little muffin packs some serious fiber…

They contain a blend of whole wheat flour, wheat and oat bran, rolled oats, ground flaxseed, cranberries, blueberries, raspberries and some spices.  You need only add eggs and water and bake…

Perfect with coffee…

After church, we stopped home for lunch.  I was getting pretty hungry, but didn’t want to overdo it before my run.  I settled on a Health is Wealth Chicken Free Patty on an Ezekiel Hamburger Bun with a slice of asiago and spinach and a sweet Gala…

I let that digest a bit, then it was off to the trail/park.  The training schedule called for 3 miles and part way into the first mile, I was wondering if I was going to make it!  My legs felt weak and sluggish, but as soon as I hit the end of the first mile, I talked myself into the rest and finished stronger and faster than how I started out.  Why is that first 10 minutes so rough sometimes?!

We came home near dinner time and we were all starving from our outdoor fun.  Pasta was on my brain!  I made Angel hair with Ricotta, Zucchini and Asparagus.  My serving was huge…

Trust me, there was a ton of angel hair under those veggies!

I was full, but couldn’t help snagging a few more forkfuls while clearing the table because it’s pasta and I have a hard time with a “normal” serving of that!

Before I go, I wanted to share a few things with you all.  First, this coming week marks my One Year Blogiversary!!!  Wow, I can’t believe it’s  been a year!  I have a special GIVEAWAY planned of lots of goodies from my favorite place/home away from home (can you guess?), so stay tuned for that!  Also, I have some changes to the blog in the works.  It’s been a long time coming and I’m so excited about it!  There is so much more I would like to do here and I’m looking forward to being able to add more of my personal touches(recipes pages, FAQ’s, etc.) to the blog.  I am humbled by the fact that you all come here to read and as much as I blog for myself, I also try to provide information that you would be interested in hearing about or seeing.  As I’ve said before, I am always open to suggestions, so if there is anything that you would like to see more of (or less of – like my dopey attempt at trying to be funny!), please feel free to let me know!

Have a great day, everyone!

Starvin’ Marvin

I am starving upon waking up in the morning!   Well, in the afternoon, too, but let’s just stick with the morning for now ;P 

I had planned on running at the gym, so I didn’t want too much in my stomach.  I decided these were perfect to tide me over…

They were just enough to quiet my stomach and give me a pop of energy for my 3 mile run. 

I felt much stronger during my run today.  Less winded, less time-checking and less leg weakness.  I like that feeling!  Don’t know if it’s the increased run time and mileage or just a good day.  I may have a better idea after my outdoor runs this weekend – Sat. is 2 miles and Sun. is 3 miles.

I wanted to take a minute to thank you for your comments on my last post regarding the pre-5K training schedule.  I am always open your suggestions and recommendations.  Manderz and Amanda gave me some great food for thought – thanks, guys!  And as strongly that I feel about trying to improve my running skills, I also don’t want to injure myself.  So far, my hip has been cooperating, but I know that with overuse, the bursitis could majorly act up.  So, I’ll promise to respect my body and listen to how it is responding to the schedule.  I think what may work best is to follow the schedule for one week on/one week off.  By off, I mean my regular exercise –elliptical, weights, The Arc Trainer and save the running for the “on” weeks.    What do my running peeps think?

After my run, I was starving again.  I brought another dashboard breakfast that I grabbed from the freezer – mini Veggie Quiches…

I dug these out from the depths of the freezer and I wasn’t sure they would be good, but they were A-OK :)

But, not very long lasting.  I was starving about an hour later!  I tried to take my mind off it by doing some house chores, however, that didn’t work very long.  I decided to just listen to my body and EAT!!!  I made a wrap with turkey, bacon, baby spinach and salsa.  Along with it, went some cantaloupe, pineapple and POPchips…

Plus more POPchips.  Cuz, once you POP, you can’t stop! Hey, how’s that for a slogan?!  You heard it here first, POPchips peeps!

Later in the afternoon, the munchies came to visit.  I started off with some #@!$%^&* Cheez-its, then stopped the insanity with a healthier choice…

I was trying to eat a little lighter (don’t laugh) so I could indulge in pizza at dinner!  Pizza is so easy now that I use Biz ‘s no rise pizza dough.   I made a regular boring –old- sauce –and- cheese only pizza for the husband and daughters and  White Pizza with Zucchini and Broccoli for me.  So easy with having leftover zucchini and broccoli waiting in the fridge!

White Pizza with Zucchini and Broccoli

• 1 recipe No Rise Pizza Dough
• 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• leftover roasted zucchini
• leftover steamed broccoli
• 1 heaping cup part-skim mozzarella

Way delicious…

I couldn’t wait to dig in…

I think I could eat this everyday…

I did finish the night with a piece of dark chocolate that I didn’t take a picture of  because I sprinted up the steps and locked myself in my room so I wouldn’t eat any more!

Okay, I won’t torture you anymore with my punchy writing today …

ONE GOOD THING:  Locks on my bedroom door.  Better than what I used to use across the kitchen opening…

Have a great day, everybody!!

Run, Dine And Dash

No time for breakfast before the gym this morning.  I had a date with the treadmill for another 3 mile run.  I decided to try out the pre-5K training schedule from Cool Running in an effort to get my legs and body used to the mileage.  After replaying my race in my head, I realized that my legs weren’t quite ready.  I needed more training than I ended up doing.  So, basically, the schedule goes like this:

Monday –  Off
Tuesday –   3 M
Wednesday -3M
Thursday -   3M
Friday -   Off
Saturday – 2 M
Sunday - 3M

A total of 14 miles per week.  That’s a lot of running for me, but I’m looking forward to trying it out!

The date went well.  The treadmill and I hit it off right away!  I was able to get in a  groove right away and hammered out the 3 miles.  I decided that good tunes are a must for running;  it really spurs me on!

I was starved after the run and thankfully had remembered to bring my dashboard breakfast – Banana Walnut Breakfast Cookie(recipe to be featured in Jen’s e-cookbook for charity-details soon)…

As I was heading home, I veered off for another dashboard treat…

 

I think it’s official – I like DD’s Pumpkin Latte Lite better than the ‘Bucks!  Mainly because the small is only $.99!  I know!!!!

Once home, I showered and headed out to Gram’s apartment.  We had a nice lunch together and did lots of chatting.  Gram’s fridge is always stocked, so I was able to put together a  great ham and swiss sandwich on whole wheat with lettuce and fat-free ranch dressing.  I was happy to see Gram had my frequent lunch side of carrots!  She also had some leftover squash, so I snuck a bit of that, too…

Before I left, we went for a long walk throughout her complex.  I was so confused and had no idea where I was within that building, but Gram knew the lay of the land well!  Not too shabby for an 81 year old!

Later, I was ready for a snack.  I got this free sample in the mail and thought it would make a great topping for yogurt…

I liked the banana chips!

The dinner plan was Philly cheesesteaks (Go Phillies!) and sweet potato fries.  I wasn’t feeling the cheesesteaks, so I decided on some baked bbq tofu for myself.  Weird, right?  Who swaps out cheesesteaks for tofu?!!!  I’m glad I did, though;  it was just what I wanted! I rounded out the meal with some roasted zucchini…

Very Philling! <------corny.

Gotta dash!  The “to-do” list is back!!!!

Have a great day everyone:)

ONE GOOD THING:  Enjoying my coffee again without heartburn!  I am so old :]

Questions of the Day:  Have you ever tried tofu?  If so, what did you think of it?

Up And Moving: No Candy Required

It’s so nice to get up with the sun!  Love the time change for the morning, although getting dark by 5:30 p.m. kinda stinks.  Oh well, can’t win ‘em all!

The daughters were off from school today, so it was a nice relaxing morning in the pj’s for us.  I took advantage of the extra time to make a bowl of Pumpkin Oat Bran…

• 1/2 cup oat bran
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
• splash of Silk Heart Health Vanilla Soymilk
• 2 tbsp. walnuts
• 1 tbsp. homemade almond butter

Delicious and very filling.  The addition of almond butter made it!

After breakfast, I got in a good amount of organizing and decluttering in various rooms.  It all accumulates so fast!  Especially books and magazines!

Lunch happened earlier than I thought.  The oat bran was filling, but didn’t hold me over as long as it has before.  Oh well, I ran with it and fixed up a leftover turkey sandwich on an Ezekiel Hamburger Bun with spinach.  The star of the sammie was this awesome mustard…

 

It wasn’t as zesty as Zesty!  But, it was the perfect compliment to the turkey sandwich, as were the POPchips and crunchy Gala…

Later, while I was packing up the mounds of Halloween candy, I had a little treat…

Then carried on along my merry way, pinching my nose so as to not be enticed by the smell of this…

or this…

Yes, you can smell it through the wrapper.  Uh huh.  Have I mentioned that I hate Halloween?  Yes?  Okay, moving on…

While little daughter was at dance, I decided to hit the gym for a quick run.  I wanted to do 3 miles today, but knew I probably wouldn’t be able to fit it into my 30 minute time frame.  I tried pumping up my speed, but it left me a little too winded, so I  resigned myself to the 2 miles and walked the rest at a 10% mountain climbing incline.  It felt great!

Dinner was prepped (me) and in the oven while I was gone (thanks, big daughter!), so a yummy cheesy Lasagna was waiting when we came home.  I wasn’t in the mood for it , though, plus I made it extra cheesy for the family and I didn’t think it was worth the splurge.  I decided on a Salmon Roulette with a drizzle of pesto, leftover roasted potatoes and veggies…

I’m turning into the Leftover Queen!  It’s my secret way of cleaning out the fridge :)

I ended the night with a decaf soy latte:  decaf coffee and Silk Heart Health Vanilla Soymilk…

Candy?  What candy?  Yep, I can say that now.  I am so over it.  Who needs it?  Nope, not me!  Whew!  Now to brace myself for Christmas cookies!!!  Aaaaah!!!!

ONE GOOD THING:  I’m back to running again and I love it!  So far, so dizziness and no major hip issues.  I’m going to try out a pre-5K training schedule which I’ll post about tomorrow.  I like pushing my body a little to see what it can do!

Have a great day all!

Ready For The World

I felt great this morning!  The fresh start of a new month coupled with a little extra sleep had me ready for the world.  The first thing on my mind was GET TO THE GYM.  Just ditching exercise for a few days had made me so unhappy!

Since big daughter was feeling better (still kept her home for one more day), I was able to slip out for a quick stint at the gym.  I jumped right on the elliptical and cranked it out for 45 minutes.  It felt great!  My whole mood changed and I felt ready to be back on track!  On a side note, my dizziness has gotten a lot better, so I’m going to get back to my regular exercise routines (including running – I can’t wait! <------still can’t believe I say that!) and see what happens.  I can always scale back if it acts up again.

I wasn’t very hungry this morning.  It makes me wonder if it’s my body’s way of getting me back to a normal eating pattern.  Funny, if we listen, I guess the body does it’s job! 

I grabbed a Chobani yogurt before I left and ate it in the car after my workout…before driving, Mom …

I had planned on eating something else a little later in the morning, but it got close to lunch time , so I just went right to it.  I went with a simple turkey wrap with dijon mustard and a good handful of broccoli slaw for a little different twist.  POPchips and apple on the side made this a super crunchy lunch…

 

The afternoon was a bit of a challenge.  Bowls of candy seemed to  beckon to me (I am packing them up now!), but I planned a big snack to combat the evil sugar soldiers…

It kept me busy for a while, so I was able to pretend I didn’t see forget about the candy:)

Dinner was a precursor to Thanksgiving.  Roasted turkey breast, mushroom gravy, roasted potatoes and green beans…

So delicious!

Okay, it’s a complete MIRACLE that I was even able to post this as I have been extremely distracted by little daughter who has basically been doing a three act play in front of me, jumping around like a crazy person, grilling me with a hundred and fifty-two questions about where stuff is and pretty much torturing our dog by dressing him up in random things found in my closet.  Time to go!!!

Have a great day, everyone!  Oh, and THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of your supportive comments on yesterday’s post!  We can ALL do this together!

Off to get the duct tape…kidding…kidding :)

A Do Over

So glad that’s over!  Anyone else feel that way about Halloween?  The influx of candy had been building all week, then big daughter got sick with the flu and my stress/emotional eating spell began.  Friday and Saturday were a blur of chocolate, sugar, cheese, bread, pizza and chips.  There was no semblance of health involved in any of the choices I made.  Actually, there were a few meals that I attempted to pull together something healthy, but ended up eating other things because eating something healthy didn’t even taste good.  I even ditched the exercise.  I have to say that I was scared for a minute.  I thought that I had gone completely off the deep end;  you know, that slippery slope that sends you back to old eating habits and 70 pounds heavier in no time flat.  *insert horror movie scream*.  Terrifying.

Saturday afternoon, I was doing some cleaning of clutter and came across a few pictures of myself.  There aren’t very many of me during the “fat years” which was a span of 10 years.  I was the one usually behind the camera.  I often joke to the husband that he could easily “off me” and there would be no evidence that I existed because most of the pictures of our family vacations and outings with the daughters are just of him and the girls!  I did happen to come across a few while cleaning out a bookcase and I was stunned to see the pictures of myself.  In the pictures, I had a smile on my face, but I knew that I hated the way that I looked…

  I realize while looking at these, that there is no going back for me.  I cannot be that person again.  I won’t do it.  But, when I have gone this far off the deep end this weekend, it is so hard to get back on track.  How do I go back to trying to eat intuitively when I dropped it like a hot potato?  A fried one?  There was only one answer…

Nike knows their stuff :)

That brings me to today.  I am stoked for a new month!  It’s gonna be a busy one and I’m going to think long and hard about how I will manage the eating season.  I know the issue is not the food, it’s how I react to the emotions and stress in my daily life.  I haven’t quite figured that part out yet, but I will keep on keepin’ on:)

First thing on the agenda was to fill up this guy…

I’ve been really slacking on my water which is weird since I’ve always been a huge chugger.

Then, I tackled the first meal of the day –breakfast.  Nothing was appealing to me.  I still had sugar coursing through my veins!  I was going to skip it altogether, but know that usually comes back to haunt me!

I decided on a tasting breakfast plate…

It got better from there!  Lunch was a bowl of black bean soup…

and a good hunk of cornbread…

The afternoon was long and filled with bowls of candy in every room!  I opted for some skim milk and a Ginger Apple Oat Breakfast Cookie…

Dinner was a family favorite – Chicken Cutlets and broccoli.  Instead of offering rustic Italian bread on the side, I decided to try out this Beer Bread mix from Trader Joe’s…

Just calls for a  bottle of this to make it…

I haven’t had much luck with Beer Bread before.  The husband and daughters have not been fans, so I held my beer breath on this one!  It baked up beautifully in only 45 minutes and I didn’t detect much of a beer smell or taste at all.  Everyone loved it!  It was a nice, dense and slightly chewy bread.  I think it would make for a great grilled cheese, too. 

I served myself  a small slice with dinner…

but dug into another slice before putting the remainder of the loaf away! 

JUST DO IT!!!

ONE GOOD THING:  I realized today that I can do this.  I can get back on track.  I can keep the weight off.  I can do it…for life :)

Home Cookin’

I’m homebound today with big daughter who is sick.  We are keeping our fingers crossed that it’s not Swine, but it’s likely since every kid in school is dropping like flies.  We were able to get her vaccinated early last week, so hopefully that will keep the worst of it at bay.  We’ll see…

So when I’m hanging around the house, I always get the urge to bake!  After yesterday’s wrestle with the bag of Halloween candy, I decided to bake something healthy.  I’ve been thinking of a new Breakfast Cookie idea and wanted to try it out.  I loved it!  This one is a keeper…

Ginger Apple Oat Breakfast Cookie

• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup oat bran
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, unpacked
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 egg white, beaten lightly
• 2 tbsp. molasses
• 1/2 cup applesauce

1. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients (flour through cinnamon).  In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients.  Add to oat mixture and mix until fully incorporated.
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Using a 1/3 measuring cup, scoop batter and place mounds on lined cookie sheet.
3. Bake 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Makes 5 BIG cookies.  Each cookie is 171 calories, 1 gram fat, 4 grams fiber (calculated using www.calorieking.com)

These were a cross between a soft oatmeal cookie and a gingersnap…

I had to have one right away.  It was soft and warm with a nice bit of spice.  Perfect with a cup of joe…

Yeah, I’ve fallen off the “no coffee” wagon.  I’m trying to keep it to a minimum though, and if my stomach or throat acts up, I’ll break up with it again.  But, for now, it’s making me happy.  Speaking of joe and happy, I got some fun mail that I won from my friend, Danica…

Looking forward to trying these :)  Thanks, Danica!

Since I was around the house, I had plenty of time to get creative for lunch.  This actually was a quick meal to put together.  It was another take on breakfast – Fried Egg with Polenta Toast over sauteed spinach…

I used some of the leftover Cheesy Polenta which I had spread in a baking dish and refrigerated until firm.  I cut the polenta into 2 triangles and broiled until “toasted” on each side.  Meanwhile, I sauteed a heaping bunch of baby spinach until wilted (down to nothing – how does that happen?).  I pan-fried the egg in nonstick spray and plated it all.  I garnished with 2 slices of crumbled center cut bacon cooked in the micro and a shaving of parmesan.  How fancy is that?

Later, I needed a hearty snack…

Kidding, kidding :)  A hearty, healthy snack…

Dinner was low-key.  The husband had to work late and the daughters were up for an easy meal (aka sandwiches).  I dug through the freezer and found some shrimp, so I decided on a quick Shrimp Fajita bowl – frozen shrimp(no need to thaw – they cook to perfection when cooked from frozen), sauteed red and green peppers, onions, taco seasoning and salsa…

Love easy and tasty dinners:)

Time to tend to the sick!  Hope you all are staying well!

ONE GOOD THING:  Ginger Apple Oat Breakfast Cookies!  Cookies for breakfast are a great way to start the day :)