Workout:
~3 mile run
I'm back! I got to run today and I could actually move! Granted, my breathing was atrocious and I had to stop a few times, but it was good to get out and run. It helped that the hubs was running with me and helped to push me. I tried to keep the bad thoughts out of my head, i.e. you have to do this 4 more times in 4 weeks. It's going to be a bit more trying than I had hoped, but I know I can do it. Plus, there will be lots of support, so I'm super pumped!
Today I did learn the importance of having a playlist. I just got sick of a few songs on Pandora. I happened to have already been stopped when I changed songs/stations. I need a playlist for this half or I think I might spend half my time changing stations when I get tired of stations.
We had a lovely Easter Sunday! I was on call for the weekend, but 2nd call today, thankfully! After my nice mid-day run with the hubs, we made Easter dinner. Our friends Megan and Nick came over for Easter dinner. We had a nice mint and rosemary rubbed lamb roast with cheesy potatoes, Turkish cucumber and tomato salad, and a nice tossed salad with walnuts, tomatoes, and goat cheese. For dessert, I made a key lime pie. This was my first ever and even though I wasn't so sure how it would turn out, it was phenomenal! Very tangy but delicious. In retrospect, I would have had the graham cracker crust go up higher. Otherwise, I wouldn't change a thing.
Hope you all had a Happy Easter with friends and/or family!
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
I'm back! Well, at least the top of me
Workout:
~Arms:
Bicep curls 15x3
Tricep kick-backs 15x3
Chair dips 15x3
Alternating shoulder press 15x3
Theraband rotator cuff exercises
~MORE back stretches
Ok, I couldn't take it any more today. I HAD to do SOMETHING. I was feeling like a blob. And today was a bummer; I somehow managed to lose my voice at work. Seriously, wtf? I'm sure my husband is happy, but it sure makes dictating notes difficult. So when I got home, I decided I would find something athletic to do that wouldn't kill my back. Thus, I did an arm circuit workout at home. I rearranged/cut some exercises that were more low-back involved so I wouldn't kill myself. And of course, I applied a gob of IcyHot. I think I'm becoming an addict. My arms will definitely be feeling it tomorrow, but that is a feeling I am welcoming with open arms (ha, I guess pun intended). Much happier Becky here now.
The back is feeling better again today, just not nearly 100%. Thanks to all my lovely friends who've checked in on me, you're the best! (And I would have called you back except for that whole voice issue). I am going to try for a run early tomorrow morning to test out how it feels on the ol' spine. With IcyHot, of course. I'm still not sure on the Lidoderm patch. I think I maybe needed a second one for the other side of my back. I just don't want to lose too many days of training for this half marathon. I realize I will not be setting any land speed records, but I'd like to do somewhat well. For me, given some of the setbacks, I'm hoping for about 2:20ish (maybe 2:25)? I will be very happy with something around that. Originally I had a goal of sub-2:15, but I don't think it's going to happen this time around.
With the warmer weather coming (50 here today!), I'm in the mood for some more spring/summer meals. I found a recipe for Shrimp Burgers with Coconut Peach Salsa on the blog How Sweet It Is. I have yet to be disappointed by any of her recipes. This was no exception. Fantastic! GW says "one of the best things you've ever made!!!" That's pretty high praise. The only swap I made was no-fat plain greek yogurt for the sour cream. I honestly couldn't tell you the last time I bought sour cream, we always swap. Oh and when she says it makes 6, she means it. I made 4 and they were GINORMOUS!
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Excuse the poor photography. I snapped this one before GW started to eat it!
~Arms:
Bicep curls 15x3
Tricep kick-backs 15x3
Chair dips 15x3
Alternating shoulder press 15x3
Theraband rotator cuff exercises
~MORE back stretches
Ok, I couldn't take it any more today. I HAD to do SOMETHING. I was feeling like a blob. And today was a bummer; I somehow managed to lose my voice at work. Seriously, wtf? I'm sure my husband is happy, but it sure makes dictating notes difficult. So when I got home, I decided I would find something athletic to do that wouldn't kill my back. Thus, I did an arm circuit workout at home. I rearranged/cut some exercises that were more low-back involved so I wouldn't kill myself. And of course, I applied a gob of IcyHot. I think I'm becoming an addict. My arms will definitely be feeling it tomorrow, but that is a feeling I am welcoming with open arms (ha, I guess pun intended). Much happier Becky here now.
The back is feeling better again today, just not nearly 100%. Thanks to all my lovely friends who've checked in on me, you're the best! (And I would have called you back except for that whole voice issue). I am going to try for a run early tomorrow morning to test out how it feels on the ol' spine. With IcyHot, of course. I'm still not sure on the Lidoderm patch. I think I maybe needed a second one for the other side of my back. I just don't want to lose too many days of training for this half marathon. I realize I will not be setting any land speed records, but I'd like to do somewhat well. For me, given some of the setbacks, I'm hoping for about 2:20ish (maybe 2:25)? I will be very happy with something around that. Originally I had a goal of sub-2:15, but I don't think it's going to happen this time around.
With the warmer weather coming (50 here today!), I'm in the mood for some more spring/summer meals. I found a recipe for Shrimp Burgers with Coconut Peach Salsa on the blog How Sweet It Is. I have yet to be disappointed by any of her recipes. This was no exception. Fantastic! GW says "one of the best things you've ever made!!!" That's pretty high praise. The only swap I made was no-fat plain greek yogurt for the sour cream. I honestly couldn't tell you the last time I bought sour cream, we always swap. Oh and when she says it makes 6, she means it. I made 4 and they were GINORMOUS!
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Monday, March 25, 2013
On the Bench
Workout:
None, under doctor's orders :(
So I'm on the bench again today. Apparently my hunched over walking and the cloud of IcyHot odor that was encircling me gave me away. That and me asking the anesthesiologist if she would give me a spinal. The doc I work with told me not to even think about running or anything else today. Except yoga. So I did some, but it was really more like lots of stretching. No vinyassa here. The back actually does feel better, but still not 100%. I have a little more appreciation for what some of my patients go through. And bonus of working in an ortho practice:
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Can't wait to try this out tomorrow! 12 hours of topical pain relief. I hope it works! I can't stand smelling any more IcyHot. The menthol smell is getting old.
One the bright side of today, I got out of work early (*gasp*) AND we had delicious steamed clams for dinner! Another benefit of living in Boston; fresh clams for wicked cheap. Nom nom nom. They were so good, I forgot to take a picture while we devoured them. Next time.
None, under doctor's orders :(
So I'm on the bench again today. Apparently my hunched over walking and the cloud of IcyHot odor that was encircling me gave me away. That and me asking the anesthesiologist if she would give me a spinal. The doc I work with told me not to even think about running or anything else today. Except yoga. So I did some, but it was really more like lots of stretching. No vinyassa here. The back actually does feel better, but still not 100%. I have a little more appreciation for what some of my patients go through. And bonus of working in an ortho practice:
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Can't wait to try this out tomorrow! 12 hours of topical pain relief. I hope it works! I can't stand smelling any more IcyHot. The menthol smell is getting old.
One the bright side of today, I got out of work early (*gasp*) AND we had delicious steamed clams for dinner! Another benefit of living in Boston; fresh clams for wicked cheap. Nom nom nom. They were so good, I forgot to take a picture while we devoured them. Next time.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Help, I've fallen and I can't get up
Workout:
~Gentle Flow Yoga
Apparently housework CAN kill you. Or at least jack up your back. BAD. I decided with the coming of this beautiful spring weather, I would do some spring cleaning. After being hunched over for 15 minutes cleaning out the bottom shelves of the fridge and trying valiantly to scrape off God-knows-what that was spilled God-knows-when how long ago, I stood up. And immediately almost sat down. Holy searing back pain. Like fireworks down both of my legs. NOT cool. I thought eating ibuprofen and using my back massager all night would help. It did but not enough. When I tried to run today with the hubs, I made it about 5 steps. Great run. Definitely didn't get tired! But instead of completely bailing, I threw back another 800mg of NSAIDs and did a yoga on-demand program. The stretching felt great and was just what I needed.
I had a come-to-Jesus meeting with myself yesterday about training and weight loss and basically life in general. I have found that even if it's hard, don't throw in the towel. Even if I fall off the wagon, I need to get back on. Throw in whichever cliche necessary, but I the only one who can do this is me. So after perusing many blogs by people who have already accomplished what I'm trying to do, I came up with some basic things I need to do. Maybe this will help any of you who need a little help too.
1. PLAN. I should be good at this. I'm the queen of list-making. I made a sheet with every day of the week. For each day there is a corresponding box for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and workout. This way, I can plan it all out. Obviously sometimes something will change, but I find I stick to it if it's already been decided much easier than going willy-nilly.
2. BE POSITIVE. Unfortunately, I have a tendency to get down on myself for one little mistake. And then beat it to death. I can't do this. It's going to totally undermine me and everything I'm trying to do. So...SMILE. DEEP BREATH. I CAN DO THIS.
3. PUT YOURSELF FIRST. I am very bad at this. GW can tell you that. I'm not saying I have to be selfish, but I do need to get my workouts in and if that means leaving work without everything done or not making an extravagant dinner, then so be it.
Yes, none of this is probably earth-shattering, especially to those of you who are already good at these things. But if it helps anyone else who is struggling, then that's all I can hope for.
Happy Sunday to everyone! Go Gators!
~Gentle Flow Yoga
Apparently housework CAN kill you. Or at least jack up your back. BAD. I decided with the coming of this beautiful spring weather, I would do some spring cleaning. After being hunched over for 15 minutes cleaning out the bottom shelves of the fridge and trying valiantly to scrape off God-knows-what that was spilled God-knows-when how long ago, I stood up. And immediately almost sat down. Holy searing back pain. Like fireworks down both of my legs. NOT cool. I thought eating ibuprofen and using my back massager all night would help. It did but not enough. When I tried to run today with the hubs, I made it about 5 steps. Great run. Definitely didn't get tired! But instead of completely bailing, I threw back another 800mg of NSAIDs and did a yoga on-demand program. The stretching felt great and was just what I needed.
I had a come-to-Jesus meeting with myself yesterday about training and weight loss and basically life in general. I have found that even if it's hard, don't throw in the towel. Even if I fall off the wagon, I need to get back on. Throw in whichever cliche necessary, but I the only one who can do this is me. So after perusing many blogs by people who have already accomplished what I'm trying to do, I came up with some basic things I need to do. Maybe this will help any of you who need a little help too.
1. PLAN. I should be good at this. I'm the queen of list-making. I made a sheet with every day of the week. For each day there is a corresponding box for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and workout. This way, I can plan it all out. Obviously sometimes something will change, but I find I stick to it if it's already been decided much easier than going willy-nilly.
2. BE POSITIVE. Unfortunately, I have a tendency to get down on myself for one little mistake. And then beat it to death. I can't do this. It's going to totally undermine me and everything I'm trying to do. So...SMILE. DEEP BREATH. I CAN DO THIS.
3. PUT YOURSELF FIRST. I am very bad at this. GW can tell you that. I'm not saying I have to be selfish, but I do need to get my workouts in and if that means leaving work without everything done or not making an extravagant dinner, then so be it.
Yes, none of this is probably earth-shattering, especially to those of you who are already good at these things. But if it helps anyone else who is struggling, then that's all I can hope for.
Happy Sunday to everyone! Go Gators!
Friday, March 22, 2013
Peeps Madness
Workout
Rest Day
Thank God it's Friday. I feel myself saying that a lot these days. I don't know about the rest of you, but by Friday, I'm dying. Very happy today was a rest day. (Yes, I will be better at blogging on non-rest days; I realize this is not really exciting or helpful if it's supposed to a blog that also is discussing workouts/running. But hang on, because that's ALL it will be about this summer thanks to the crazy marathon training. Back to our story...). This week was an especially long week. I don't know, I think a majority of my patients and others I interacted with must have drank some crazy juice, because holy cow, was it nuts. And life-sucking. With that in mind, I will blame all of them for my Peeps binge today. Yes, Peeps. I love me some Peeps.
I know they are pure sugar. Yes, PURE sugar. But they are tasty. So tasty that I had 3 in the car on the way home from the store (I told you it was a bad day). There is a precise way to eating them: begin with the little blips of hard sugar coating, aka the eyes. Then the tail. Then the front. Then the head. Finally, finish off the little blob that's left. I'm pretty sure I have a little undiagnosed OCD. Oh, and they must be the chicks, preferably yellow. I'm not a huge fan of the bunnies. They seem a little sketchy to me, but to each his own. While searching for my Peeps picture, I found if you ever are having a bad day, just google Peeps images. There are some far more warped people than me out there making some hilarious set-ups with Peeps. Just trust me on that one.
I hope you all have filled out your March Madness brackets and are realizing that none of your picks are working out, as mine aren't. What a crazy tournament! This is why I love March Madness! GO GATORS! (And I'm writing this as I watch their game...get it together!) And a shout-out to my Iowa Hawkeyes who are killing in the NIT right now!
I PROMISE tomorrow will include an actual workout. Run and arms perhaps? I think it's a good plan...don't need no turkey arms up in here.
Rest Day
Thank God it's Friday. I feel myself saying that a lot these days. I don't know about the rest of you, but by Friday, I'm dying. Very happy today was a rest day. (Yes, I will be better at blogging on non-rest days; I realize this is not really exciting or helpful if it's supposed to a blog that also is discussing workouts/running. But hang on, because that's ALL it will be about this summer thanks to the crazy marathon training. Back to our story...). This week was an especially long week. I don't know, I think a majority of my patients and others I interacted with must have drank some crazy juice, because holy cow, was it nuts. And life-sucking. With that in mind, I will blame all of them for my Peeps binge today. Yes, Peeps. I love me some Peeps.
 | ||||||
| Peeps |
I hope you all have filled out your March Madness brackets and are realizing that none of your picks are working out, as mine aren't. What a crazy tournament! This is why I love March Madness! GO GATORS! (And I'm writing this as I watch their game...get it together!) And a shout-out to my Iowa Hawkeyes who are killing in the NIT right now!
I PROMISE tomorrow will include an actual workout. Run and arms perhaps? I think it's a good plan...don't need no turkey arms up in here.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
No creative title today
Workout
~2.5 miles treadmill, varying speeds
I had a quick treadmill workout today. I had to be to work somewhat early today and thanks to the crazy wintery mess Mother Nature dumped on us. It wasn't the greatest workout of my life, but at least I did something right. I'm trying a new ab workout this evening. If it isn't too weird, I'll put it upon a later post. I don't want to condone a crummy workout without trying it first!
Yes, I have been a blog slacker. Fail. Times infinity. I have got to get on here more regularly. I realize I keep track of myself a bit better when I do, not only exercise but food-wise as well. I guess it's my way of staying accountable, which God knows I need to keep on this healthy life train.
This is the lamest blog post of life today, but just not feeling the blogginess, but as I stated, I need to be regular to get the habit going. I think it's the crappy weather. Sad face. So I will leave you with a mini photo collage of the weekend:
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~2.5 miles treadmill, varying speeds
I had a quick treadmill workout today. I had to be to work somewhat early today and thanks to the crazy wintery mess Mother Nature dumped on us. It wasn't the greatest workout of my life, but at least I did something right. I'm trying a new ab workout this evening. If it isn't too weird, I'll put it upon a later post. I don't want to condone a crummy workout without trying it first!
Yes, I have been a blog slacker. Fail. Times infinity. I have got to get on here more regularly. I realize I keep track of myself a bit better when I do, not only exercise but food-wise as well. I guess it's my way of staying accountable, which God knows I need to keep on this healthy life train.
This is the lamest blog post of life today, but just not feeling the blogginess, but as I stated, I need to be regular to get the habit going. I think it's the crappy weather. Sad face. So I will leave you with a mini photo collage of the weekend:
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Dropkick Murphy's Concert at the Garden! 3/15/13
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Another amazing recipe from How Sweet It Is!
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The famous South Boston St. Patrick's Day Parade with St. Patrick himself!
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And to top off the weekend...mini Guinness cupcakes! Thank you Evi for the fab recipe!
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
It's Official!!!
No, I'm not pregnant. I AM RUNNING THE CHICAGO MARATHON 2013! After all of the spazzing...ok, well, really just one day of it...but after all of the anticipation, I got my lottery entry and signed up today! So did the hubster! So freaking excited it's unreal! Please remind me to come back to this entry when it is the middle of the summer and I'm logging 15 and 20 mile runs about how enthusiastic I was about this. But for now, I will stay on the chipper side of life!
We've been some busy folks the last few weeks. I went home for a long weekend for my dad's birthday, the big 6-0! Had a great time celebrating with the family. We went to an AMAZING Persian restaurant in Grand Rapids, MI, called Shiraz. Truly delicious food. I've eaten at several Persian restaurants here in Boston and this is on par. My parents, brother, and I shared a wonderful sampler of their appetizers. You got to choose 4 of the many they had and we ended up agreeing on the baba ghannouj (roasted eggplant blended with herbs and olive oil), hummus, dolmeh (stuffed grape leaves), and maust khiar (yogurt with cucumbers and walnuts). I think we went through two baskets of pitas to get all the goodness out of that sampler! For dinner I had gheymeh bodemjon, which was braised beef with yellow split peas, and eggplant in a cinnamon-tomato sauce with Persian sun-dried limes. I chose to substitute in the zereshk polo, which is a saffron rice with barberries and sweet butter. I am obsessed with barberries! They give a great tartness to offset the savoriness of the meal. This was my dinner:
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While I was home, I also got the privilege of meeting my brand new baby niece, Shelby! Isn't she the cutest freaking thing on the planet?
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Her mama and I have been best friends since playing travel softball together in high school. So glad she's here to spoil!
This past weekend we finally were able to go skiing in Sunday River, Maine! And I did not die (again)! The weather was absolutely amazing with temps in the 40's and bluebird skies. I forgot how much of a workout skiing is, let alone 2 full days in a row. 2 days later, I am still sore...everywhere. But this was totally worth it:
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I have had yesterday and today off to recuperate. Tomorrow it's back to the running. Might have a date with my treadmill friend if the rain continues. But knowing Nashville is in about 6 weeks is some wonderful motivation!!!
We've been some busy folks the last few weeks. I went home for a long weekend for my dad's birthday, the big 6-0! Had a great time celebrating with the family. We went to an AMAZING Persian restaurant in Grand Rapids, MI, called Shiraz. Truly delicious food. I've eaten at several Persian restaurants here in Boston and this is on par. My parents, brother, and I shared a wonderful sampler of their appetizers. You got to choose 4 of the many they had and we ended up agreeing on the baba ghannouj (roasted eggplant blended with herbs and olive oil), hummus, dolmeh (stuffed grape leaves), and maust khiar (yogurt with cucumbers and walnuts). I think we went through two baskets of pitas to get all the goodness out of that sampler! For dinner I had gheymeh bodemjon, which was braised beef with yellow split peas, and eggplant in a cinnamon-tomato sauce with Persian sun-dried limes. I chose to substitute in the zereshk polo, which is a saffron rice with barberries and sweet butter. I am obsessed with barberries! They give a great tartness to offset the savoriness of the meal. This was my dinner:
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While I was home, I also got the privilege of meeting my brand new baby niece, Shelby! Isn't she the cutest freaking thing on the planet?
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This past weekend we finally were able to go skiing in Sunday River, Maine! And I did not die (again)! The weather was absolutely amazing with temps in the 40's and bluebird skies. I forgot how much of a workout skiing is, let alone 2 full days in a row. 2 days later, I am still sore...everywhere. But this was totally worth it:
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I have had yesterday and today off to recuperate. Tomorrow it's back to the running. Might have a date with my treadmill friend if the rain continues. But knowing Nashville is in about 6 weeks is some wonderful motivation!!!
Monday, February 25, 2013
I can't feel my butt!
Workout:
~ P90-X leg workout, 55 minutes
Yes, I really cannot feel my butt. Thank you P90-X. I forgot what a biznatch of a workout you were, but it was wonderful. My thighs were on fire. I think I did more lunges in that 55 minutes than I have in the last year, which is both great and pathetic at the same time. I'll be taking some ibuprofen before bed tonight so my legs will actually move on my run tomorrow morning.
Deliciousness was had at our house tonight. And the best part was, it took about 25 minutes to make total. Drum roll please...Brussels Sprout Slaw and Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken. Amazing! The slaw had a great crunch from the hazelnuts, sweetness from the pomegranate, and a slight saltiness from the paramsean/romano/asiago cheese (thanks Trader Joe's!). We altered the dressing a bit; less vinegar and we didn't have hazelnut oil, so we just omitted. And it paired well with the chicken. I found the chicken recipe by googling "chicken thigh recipes"; so high-tech, I know, but SO worth it to find this recipe! Using the broiler cuts down the cooking time. And now, after 2-1/2 years in our apartment, I have finally realized we have a broiler. Oh how much time and tin foil I have wasted.
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~ P90-X leg workout, 55 minutes
Yes, I really cannot feel my butt. Thank you P90-X. I forgot what a biznatch of a workout you were, but it was wonderful. My thighs were on fire. I think I did more lunges in that 55 minutes than I have in the last year, which is both great and pathetic at the same time. I'll be taking some ibuprofen before bed tonight so my legs will actually move on my run tomorrow morning.
Deliciousness was had at our house tonight. And the best part was, it took about 25 minutes to make total. Drum roll please...Brussels Sprout Slaw and Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken. Amazing! The slaw had a great crunch from the hazelnuts, sweetness from the pomegranate, and a slight saltiness from the paramsean/romano/asiago cheese (thanks Trader Joe's!). We altered the dressing a bit; less vinegar and we didn't have hazelnut oil, so we just omitted. And it paired well with the chicken. I found the chicken recipe by googling "chicken thigh recipes"; so high-tech, I know, but SO worth it to find this recipe! Using the broiler cuts down the cooking time. And now, after 2-1/2 years in our apartment, I have finally realized we have a broiler. Oh how much time and tin foil I have wasted.
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Isn't it so pretty and colorful?
Our Saturday was spent helping our friends Lindsay and Rob move into their new house. Again, lots of leg work going up and down the world's most narrow stairs. Between that and the upper body lifting, I'd say an 8 hour day of moving constitutes a good day of working out. And made the tasty beverages afterward in celebration totally worth it! Sunday was a lazy day with napping and cooking since the snow kept falling. A nice way to end the weekend.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Finally Friday!
Workout:
~5k, 33minutes - this was probably another quarter mile longer run, but Garmin couldn't "locate" me for a little while
Another day, another run. Pretty excited about this and excited that I made myself go after I got home from work! That's 3 days in a row. Again, a bit chilly, but not as cold as yesterday. I pretended to be a real runner and wore my Boston Marathon Adidas jacket from volunteering last year. It's actually a great coat to layer on over my compression/heat gear and it's white and reflective so people can see me. Plus, if you didn't know better, you'd have no idea I was in the medical tent and did not actually run the race (unless, of course, you DID run it, and then you would know your coat had different colors from mine, but I digress). I am not above tricking myself into believing I am a great runner with cool accessories to get my butt out the door!
And once I did get out, I had a beautiful sunset run around the frozen reservoir (that is ice Florida friends!):
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Hard not to get pumped up for runs with scenery like that! My time was a bit slow, but I'm still recovering from my wicked cold and really getting used to this running thing again, so I'm ok with that. Plus, parts of the reservoir path weren't totally cleared, so I was running over the snow/ice/mud. Maybe I can consider that cross-training too?
I don't know about the rest of you, but Friday could not come soon enough! This week was just bizarre and threw me off my game. Happy for the weekend, not happy for the next set of snow that is coming our way. Thankfully, no Nemo proportions. Maybe we'll actually get to go skiing Sunday after all (fingers crossed!). But tonight, I am watching "Argo" at home and am enjoying a glass of wine with some lovely blackberries and a square of Intense Dark Chocolate Cabernet Matinee from Ghirardelli. Heaven. Really.
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~5k, 33minutes - this was probably another quarter mile longer run, but Garmin couldn't "locate" me for a little while
Another day, another run. Pretty excited about this and excited that I made myself go after I got home from work! That's 3 days in a row. Again, a bit chilly, but not as cold as yesterday. I pretended to be a real runner and wore my Boston Marathon Adidas jacket from volunteering last year. It's actually a great coat to layer on over my compression/heat gear and it's white and reflective so people can see me. Plus, if you didn't know better, you'd have no idea I was in the medical tent and did not actually run the race (unless, of course, you DID run it, and then you would know your coat had different colors from mine, but I digress). I am not above tricking myself into believing I am a great runner with cool accessories to get my butt out the door!
And once I did get out, I had a beautiful sunset run around the frozen reservoir (that is ice Florida friends!):
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Hard not to get pumped up for runs with scenery like that! My time was a bit slow, but I'm still recovering from my wicked cold and really getting used to this running thing again, so I'm ok with that. Plus, parts of the reservoir path weren't totally cleared, so I was running over the snow/ice/mud. Maybe I can consider that cross-training too?
I don't know about the rest of you, but Friday could not come soon enough! This week was just bizarre and threw me off my game. Happy for the weekend, not happy for the next set of snow that is coming our way. Thankfully, no Nemo proportions. Maybe we'll actually get to go skiing Sunday after all (fingers crossed!). But tonight, I am watching "Argo" at home and am enjoying a glass of wine with some lovely blackberries and a square of Intense Dark Chocolate Cabernet Matinee from Ghirardelli. Heaven. Really.
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Cheers to the weekend!
Thursday, February 21, 2013
No freezing weather gonna keep me down
Workout:
~3 miles, unknown time
Today I ran in this weather:
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Check out the "Feels Like" temp! Truthfully, as awful as it looks, it wasn't too bad. I wore UnderArmour Heat Gear compression shirt with a breathable North Face shirt on top, some running tights, hat, and running gloves. Really, wasn't bad. I know my Florida friends are probably falling out of their chairs right now after that statement. The bad thing was the stuff draining out of my face! Every 2 minutes it was wipe the nose, spit, repeat. I guess it cleared out my sinuses. However, I learned a valuable lesson: be certain the wind isn't going to shift before you spit.
Ok, enough of the grossness. I will try to refrain from this except in very small doses. Sorry, I'm in healthcare, these things don't phase me. But really, the run felt good. It was nice to be outside and doing it again. And I noticed how much my mood improved and how much happier I was all day at work. Added bonus! I'm beginning to have faith in doing well at the Nashville Half again.
In continuing with the healthy trend, tonight I made blackbean burgers from the blog Eat, Live, Run. So yummy and pretty easy to make, especially if you have a food processor. I don't change the recipe much except an extra jalapeno and extra garlic. (I love garlic. Vampires won't get within a continent of me. One less thing to worry about I suppose). I served the burgers on a bed of mixed greens (instead of a bun), topped with avocado, along with baked sweet potato fries and siracha ketchup. Very filling and veggie-friendly.
And after a nice chat today: shout out to one of my best friends and bloggers for the pep talk after the Marathon Registration Massacre. You are amazing!!! :)
Happy almost-weekend friends!
~3 miles, unknown time
Today I ran in this weather:
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Check out the "Feels Like" temp! Truthfully, as awful as it looks, it wasn't too bad. I wore UnderArmour Heat Gear compression shirt with a breathable North Face shirt on top, some running tights, hat, and running gloves. Really, wasn't bad. I know my Florida friends are probably falling out of their chairs right now after that statement. The bad thing was the stuff draining out of my face! Every 2 minutes it was wipe the nose, spit, repeat. I guess it cleared out my sinuses. However, I learned a valuable lesson: be certain the wind isn't going to shift before you spit.
Ok, enough of the grossness. I will try to refrain from this except in very small doses. Sorry, I'm in healthcare, these things don't phase me. But really, the run felt good. It was nice to be outside and doing it again. And I noticed how much my mood improved and how much happier I was all day at work. Added bonus! I'm beginning to have faith in doing well at the Nashville Half again.
In continuing with the healthy trend, tonight I made blackbean burgers from the blog Eat, Live, Run. So yummy and pretty easy to make, especially if you have a food processor. I don't change the recipe much except an extra jalapeno and extra garlic. (I love garlic. Vampires won't get within a continent of me. One less thing to worry about I suppose). I served the burgers on a bed of mixed greens (instead of a bun), topped with avocado, along with baked sweet potato fries and siracha ketchup. Very filling and veggie-friendly.
And after a nice chat today: shout out to one of my best friends and bloggers for the pep talk after the Marathon Registration Massacre. You are amazing!!! :)
Happy almost-weekend friends!
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Chicago 2013!...oh, wait...
Workout
~1 mile run. SLOWLY. With snot dripping down my face.
Sorry for the gross description here, but it was true. I'm also trying to show my commitment to running by posting this. Or something to that effect. I tried really hard, that's what counts right? Planning on 3 snot-dripping miles tomorrow. Get excited.
Yesterday was the first day of Chicago Marathon sign ups. I was so pumped! I was home sick from work (legit sick, crappy upper respiratory grossness) and sitting at my computer at 1pm (12pm CST). As soon as it was open I started clicking away and...denied. "Server error", "Come back later", etc, etc. I tried for about an hour and a half both with the MacBook and iPhone and even the super Apple powers that be could not get me in. I got through once to get all of my info in, but still was stone-walled. I figured I would try again in a few hours. Yea, that didn't work out so well. I found out they shut down registration. Apparently Active.com, the company/server in charge of registration, had a huge glitch. Ha, ya think?! Now, I know things happen and it's not a conspiracy, but definitely bumming about this, especially after they announced there's only 15,000 spots left. Seriously, 30,000 people miraculously entered during a 4 hour technological nightmare? I'm praying that about 10,000 of those spots are people who were double registered. Whatever the case, I have to wait until tomorrow to find out when we can register. I'm being melodramatic, but I will absolutely DIE if I don't get to run Chicago this year. I have already psyched myself up in my head and convinced myself to run THIS marathon. (And I got the time off from work!). I must, I must!
~1 mile run. SLOWLY. With snot dripping down my face.
Sorry for the gross description here, but it was true. I'm also trying to show my commitment to running by posting this. Or something to that effect. I tried really hard, that's what counts right? Planning on 3 snot-dripping miles tomorrow. Get excited.
Yesterday was the first day of Chicago Marathon sign ups. I was so pumped! I was home sick from work (legit sick, crappy upper respiratory grossness) and sitting at my computer at 1pm (12pm CST). As soon as it was open I started clicking away and...denied. "Server error", "Come back later", etc, etc. I tried for about an hour and a half both with the MacBook and iPhone and even the super Apple powers that be could not get me in. I got through once to get all of my info in, but still was stone-walled. I figured I would try again in a few hours. Yea, that didn't work out so well. I found out they shut down registration. Apparently Active.com, the company/server in charge of registration, had a huge glitch. Ha, ya think?! Now, I know things happen and it's not a conspiracy, but definitely bumming about this, especially after they announced there's only 15,000 spots left. Seriously, 30,000 people miraculously entered during a 4 hour technological nightmare? I'm praying that about 10,000 of those spots are people who were double registered. Whatever the case, I have to wait until tomorrow to find out when we can register. I'm being melodramatic, but I will absolutely DIE if I don't get to run Chicago this year. I have already psyched myself up in my head and convinced myself to run THIS marathon. (And I got the time off from work!). I must, I must!
MUST. RUN. HERE.
(and don't worry, photo courtesy of me)
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Sicky Sunday
When I have a cold, I like to eat spicy food to try to clear out those sinuses. I've also been feeling a bit deprived on the vegetable front the last day or two, so I made something that would give me both: Thai Turkey Stir Fry with Asian Greens. I found this recipe in a Runner's World issue from late last year. Gary and I made it last week and loved it! It's got a nice kick from the red pepper paste, some protein from the meat, and a crap ton of veggies. Just what I wanted! We had enough of the ingredients lying around that I was able to make it. You could definitely substitute other veggies or meats in as well (for instance, tonight I used elk meat, because that's what we had in the freezer. Yes elk. I realize this is not a staple of most people's freezers. But you can use ground turkey, chicken, beef, or buffalo as the original recipe suggests).
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Thai Turkey Stir Fry with Asian Greens
adapted from Runner's World
Thai Buffalo Stir-Fry
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons roasted chili paste, divided
1 pound ground turkey
1 pound ground turkey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
1 package fresh basil, chopped
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
1 package fresh basil, chopped
Red pepper flakes (optional)
—In a wok over high heat, heat olive oil. Add garlic and 1 tablespoon of the roasted red chili paste. Cook garlic for 30 seconds, add meat, and break up using a wooden spoon, cooking until beginning to brown. Add another tablespoon roasted chili paste, soy sauce, and dark brown sugar. Cook another minute. Add final 2 tablespoons of roasted chili paste. Add chopped basil and toss together. Remove from heat.
Quick-Cooked Asian Greens
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 large bok choy, chopped
1 head napa cabbage, chopped
2 cups red cabbage, shredded
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cups red cabbage, shredded
2 tablespoons soy sauce
—In a hot wok, heat the coconut oil. Toss the bok choy, napa cabbage, and red cabbage into the wok and stir to coat with oil. Cook for two minutes. Add in soy sauce and cook one more minute. Greens should be crisp but still tender.
Hoping tomorrow and this week are better than last week! And for those of you who don't have to work tomorrow, enjoy!
And we're back!
I have been the most slacking blogger of all time. Life got rolling around me and I didn't take the time to stop and write it down. So this post will be a mini-photo collage/update of the last 2 weeks.
February 2 - celebrated my friend Megan's birthday. We had dinner at Eastern Standard in Kenmore Square. They have delicious food and fun, old-school 20's style drinks (read lots of gin and bitters - yum!). We then headed out to miniBar and CityBar for more drinks and fun. A great night overall!
February 3 - Superbowl! What a crazy game, right? Glad the Ravens one, but truthfully, I wasn't that invested in the game. The hubster made his amazing gumbo - chicken, andouille sausage, dirty rice, peppers, beans, tomatoes...delicious! And he made so much we ate for days.
February 5 - Mumford and Sons concert! Seriously, one of the best concerts I have been to. These guys are amazing musicians and singers. Even though I didn't know every single song (I do now!), I still found myself singing along. They came out at the end and sang a cappella in front of us...blew my mind! Go see them if you get the chance!
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February 6 - the packing party that didn't happen. Our friends Lindsay and Rob just bought a house. We planned on going over to help pack, with a little dinner and wine. The dinner and wine happened, but no packing...oops! But we had Rob's famous guacamole and it lived up to its billing. However, the recipe's a secret, so I can only give out the picture:
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February 8-10 - NEMO! We were supposed to go skiing in Maine that weekend, but Winter Storm Nemo had other plans. 24 inches fell in Boston in 24 hours. Shut down the T, parking ban and travel bans were in effect. It was wild!
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Since we were literally snowed in on Friday night, I thought it was fitting to make a nice winter veggie chili for dinner. I found it in one of the Food&Wine Daily emails. It was a filling, hearty chili with a nice little kick of spice. We topped it with a dollop of Greek yogurt and cilantro. You can serve with rice, but we omitted that; it was filling enough without the extra carbs! Gary actually liked it better than regular stew. A healthy, do-again recipe!
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February 2 - celebrated my friend Megan's birthday. We had dinner at Eastern Standard in Kenmore Square. They have delicious food and fun, old-school 20's style drinks (read lots of gin and bitters - yum!). We then headed out to miniBar and CityBar for more drinks and fun. A great night overall!
February 3 - Superbowl! What a crazy game, right? Glad the Ravens one, but truthfully, I wasn't that invested in the game. The hubster made his amazing gumbo - chicken, andouille sausage, dirty rice, peppers, beans, tomatoes...delicious! And he made so much we ate for days.
February 5 - Mumford and Sons concert! Seriously, one of the best concerts I have been to. These guys are amazing musicians and singers. Even though I didn't know every single song (I do now!), I still found myself singing along. They came out at the end and sang a cappella in front of us...blew my mind! Go see them if you get the chance!
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February 6 - the packing party that didn't happen. Our friends Lindsay and Rob just bought a house. We planned on going over to help pack, with a little dinner and wine. The dinner and wine happened, but no packing...oops! But we had Rob's famous guacamole and it lived up to its billing. However, the recipe's a secret, so I can only give out the picture:
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February 8-10 - NEMO! We were supposed to go skiing in Maine that weekend, but Winter Storm Nemo had other plans. 24 inches fell in Boston in 24 hours. Shut down the T, parking ban and travel bans were in effect. It was wild!
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Since we were literally snowed in on Friday night, I thought it was fitting to make a nice winter veggie chili for dinner. I found it in one of the Food&Wine Daily emails. It was a filling, hearty chili with a nice little kick of spice. We topped it with a dollop of Greek yogurt and cilantro. You can serve with rice, but we omitted that; it was filling enough without the extra carbs! Gary actually liked it better than regular stew. A healthy, do-again recipe!
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February 13 - welcome to the world Shelby Marie! One of my best friends in the entire world, Sarah, had her beautiful baby girl at 9:37pm on this night. Could not be more excited or happy! Can't wait to see them in 2 weeks!
February 14 - Happy Valentine's Day! Gary and I went to Island Creek Oyster Bar for a very late dinner. ICOB is one of the sister restaurants of Eastern Standard and is also in Kenmore Square. The vibe there was very chill, a little less formal than ES, which was great, especially since I had come straight from work and looked kind of a hot mess. We had a dozen local oysters: Island Creek oysters from Duxbury, MA, Icabod Flat oysters from Plymouth, MA, and Big Rock oysters from E. Dennis, MA. So fresh! The oysters and the oyster sliders were our favorite parts of the meal. I'm still trying to figure out how to recreate the sliders. They were served on a brioche roll with lime chili aioli. The best sliders of any kind I've ever had. Gary got the Rhode Island Fluke, white fish on a bed of risotto. I had the scallops with broccoli rabe and red-eye gravy. We felt like the entrees were ok, but nothing overly spectacular. I ordered the lemon tart for dessert. Nice and light, tart, and light crisp crust. Overall, we will definitely be back, particularly for the fresh oysters and sliders!
February 15 - Baby Shower for Baby D! My friend Lindsey is due in May, so our coworkers decided to throw her a baby shower. There were about a dozen of us and a night full of good food, drinks (except the expectant mother of course!) and lots of laughs. Our guest of honor made cute little glass jars of homemade granola as thank you gifts. Delicious! Cranberries, nuts, and orange zest. She was kind enough to share the recipe with me, which I'll hopefully get to play with soon and have a post later :)
Unfortunately, there were lot of things going on, but not a lot of gym time. It's been a frustrating 2 weeks in that respect. But I realize I have to keep pressing forward and start each day with a positive attitude. There's 10 weeks till Nashville and I can do this! Also, sign up for the Chicago Marathon is Tuesday!!! That will make it even more real and make me know it's time to get to work. I'm not sure if other people have so much difficulty with getting into habits, but if you do, please tell me how you've beaten it!
Happy Sunday! Will try to get another post up later tonight :)
Friday, February 1, 2013
Deep Thoughts
With the start of a brand new month today, I've decided to take a few minutes to look inward. Ironically, this was a fortune cookie I got a week or two ago and was very fitting for this post:
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Leave it to the Chinese fortune cookie makers to make you have deep thoughts. But so it goes.
First, I'm so very thankful for friends, family, and an amazing husband. After last weekend in Stowe with new and old friends and the hubs, and getting to catch up with a lot of dear friends throughout this week, I realize how lucky I am. Even with miles between many of us, I still feel the love and support. It's a great thing and it makes life so much richer.
Now that it's February, it has also allowed me to feel like I'm starting fresh. January did not go quite the way I had planned with regards to my workouts. I realized I've really let me work get in the way of me focusing on myself, and I don't want to continue to let that happen. As I've pointed out in several posts, I also feel so much better about myself and life in general when I am working out regularly. So, with this new month, I will make getting to the gym my main goal. Workouts with no excuses. If that means some of the work doesn't get done, then so be it. Dictations can wait; my life and well-being cannot. I think making some small goals each month will help me to get to my big pictures goals.
To celebrate this new month, GW and I had dinner at Brookline Family Restaurant. It's a wonderful Turkish restaurant in Brookline, a few minutes away from our house. Since Gary is studying Turkish and studied there last summer, he has a good idea of what good Turkish food is, and this is it! I had the musaka:
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If you haven't had it before, it's a wonderful dish of seasoned ground lamb with eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes. Hearty and delicious! We have a few Turkish cookbooks and I'm looking forward to trying to make this at home.
Happy Weekend!
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Leave it to the Chinese fortune cookie makers to make you have deep thoughts. But so it goes.
First, I'm so very thankful for friends, family, and an amazing husband. After last weekend in Stowe with new and old friends and the hubs, and getting to catch up with a lot of dear friends throughout this week, I realize how lucky I am. Even with miles between many of us, I still feel the love and support. It's a great thing and it makes life so much richer.
Now that it's February, it has also allowed me to feel like I'm starting fresh. January did not go quite the way I had planned with regards to my workouts. I realized I've really let me work get in the way of me focusing on myself, and I don't want to continue to let that happen. As I've pointed out in several posts, I also feel so much better about myself and life in general when I am working out regularly. So, with this new month, I will make getting to the gym my main goal. Workouts with no excuses. If that means some of the work doesn't get done, then so be it. Dictations can wait; my life and well-being cannot. I think making some small goals each month will help me to get to my big pictures goals.
To celebrate this new month, GW and I had dinner at Brookline Family Restaurant. It's a wonderful Turkish restaurant in Brookline, a few minutes away from our house. Since Gary is studying Turkish and studied there last summer, he has a good idea of what good Turkish food is, and this is it! I had the musaka:
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If you haven't had it before, it's a wonderful dish of seasoned ground lamb with eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes. Hearty and delicious! We have a few Turkish cookbooks and I'm looking forward to trying to make this at home.
Happy Weekend!
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Skiing (and freezing) at Stowe!
We were gone all weekend skiing at Stowe. I had an orthopaedic work conference there. Yes, I realize the irony of a bunch of orthopaedic doctors and PA's discussing cases in which people fell down the mountain skiing and broke various bones or blew out ACL's. Yet, being the weirdo's we all are, we still headed out every day to ski! With specials on lift tickets and a beautiful stay at the Stowe Mountain Lodge, how could you not? One of the best weekends I've had in a while. Gorgeous place, ridiculously fun people, and built-in workouts! Ah yes, and some shots on ice luges and giant margarita ice sculptures full of margarita! Is it me, or is it getting crazy up in here? But really, here is some photog evidence of pretty, winter Vermont and the resort:
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Workout 1/25, 1/26, 1/27:
~ Skiing - 3-4 hours/day
I think that constitutes about 4 million calories burned. And did I mention it was barely above zero degrees? I think I get double points for all of the calories burned that my body spent trying to keep me warm on the lift. Good news: I did not die. I only fell once. I was quite excited about this. I'm working very hard on improving my skiing, and since this is my first time out this year, I have nowhere to go but up!
You don't realize how much you use your hips/quads/ankle/arms/and essentially whole body skiing. I'm still sore, but in a good-I-worked-out-I-am-strong kind of way. Looking forward to next weekend when we head up to Maine with our friends for another weekend of skiing! Guess I'd better look up some ski-focused workouts for strength in addition to the running. If anyone knows of any good ones, please let me know!
I would also like to take the time to introduce you to my little friend...the NuGo bar! My little travel pack of crack. Nom nom nom! Delicious, protein-filled, and gluten-free. I eat them before workouts, for breakfast, pretty much whenever. My favorite is the Dark Chocolate Pretzel with Sea Salt. A close second is the Dark Chocolate Mint. No one paid me for this endorsement (although I wish they did with boxes of NuGo's!).
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Workout 1/25, 1/26, 1/27:
~ Skiing - 3-4 hours/day
I think that constitutes about 4 million calories burned. And did I mention it was barely above zero degrees? I think I get double points for all of the calories burned that my body spent trying to keep me warm on the lift. Good news: I did not die. I only fell once. I was quite excited about this. I'm working very hard on improving my skiing, and since this is my first time out this year, I have nowhere to go but up!
You don't realize how much you use your hips/quads/ankle/arms/and essentially whole body skiing. I'm still sore, but in a good-I-worked-out-I-am-strong kind of way. Looking forward to next weekend when we head up to Maine with our friends for another weekend of skiing! Guess I'd better look up some ski-focused workouts for strength in addition to the running. If anyone knows of any good ones, please let me know!
I would also like to take the time to introduce you to my little friend...the NuGo bar! My little travel pack of crack. Nom nom nom! Delicious, protein-filled, and gluten-free. I eat them before workouts, for breakfast, pretty much whenever. My favorite is the Dark Chocolate Pretzel with Sea Salt. A close second is the Dark Chocolate Mint. No one paid me for this endorsement (although I wish they did with boxes of NuGo's!).
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Monday, January 21, 2013
Off Day, Good Day!
Happy Inauguration Day/MLK Day! I know our DC friends are enjoying the festivities. What a historical moment to get to see in person. I've been watching on TV...almost as good...but not really.
Since I technically have the day off today (although I'm 2nd call), I got to sleep in, which in Becky world equates to 9am. I decided to try this French Toast Breakfast Scramble I had seen on the blog Carrots 'n' Cakes. I wasn't sure about mashed bananas in my eggs, but what the heck. Plus, I always seem to have about 4 of them overripe in my fridge or freezer, so I thought I would put them to good use. After this recipe, I think I have found my new breakfast crack. Seriously. It was so good, healthy (only 330 calories per MyFitnessPal calculations) and full of protein. And it took less than 10 minutes to make, which is perfect for my crazy morning rush to get to work.
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Mash the banana. Add to eggs, spices, and flavoring. Heat coconut oil in pan. Scramble mixture. Top with a smidge less than 1 tbsp SunButter. Have foodgasm. (Yes, I told you it's that good. Sorry the picture doesn't make it look super appetizing. Not the most photogenic food ever).
She also has some with variations with pumpkin, squash, and others. Great way to use up the leftovers from the night before.
Workout:
- Racquetball - 75 minutes
I cannot express how great it felt to be working out today. My mood was sooooo much better. And 75 minutes of nonstop racquetball with sprinting, swinging, and crashing into walls was just what I needed! Great cardio workout and my butt and arms will be feeling it tomorrow.
Dinner tonight involved another new recipe: Thai Turkey Burgers. Thanks again to How Sweet It Is for another homerun of a meal (she had the Brussel Sprout Grilled Cheese we made a while back)! The burgers incorporated green onions, carrots, and some amazing Thai sauce. I was licking the bowl. Peanuty and sweet. I made a few variations to the sauce: more soy sauce, less sugar, SunButter for peanut butter (purely because we ran out). I also added some cayenne for some kick, before I realized I had Siracha in the fridge. Will have to try next time. The burgers were topped with a slaw of cabbage, carrots, cilantro, and peanuts, and again, THE SAUCE. It was so good we ate all of the slaw and I made a second batch for tomorrow. Thank God it's all veggies, or I would really feel ridiculous.
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Yes, I still suck at iPhone food pics. Even with Instagram. Sue me. It still taste phenom. Happy Monday!
Since I technically have the day off today (although I'm 2nd call), I got to sleep in, which in Becky world equates to 9am. I decided to try this French Toast Breakfast Scramble I had seen on the blog Carrots 'n' Cakes. I wasn't sure about mashed bananas in my eggs, but what the heck. Plus, I always seem to have about 4 of them overripe in my fridge or freezer, so I thought I would put them to good use. After this recipe, I think I have found my new breakfast crack. Seriously. It was so good, healthy (only 330 calories per MyFitnessPal calculations) and full of protein. And it took less than 10 minutes to make, which is perfect for my crazy morning rush to get to work.
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French Toast Breakfast Scramble
adapted from Carrots 'N' Cakes
1 banana mashed
1 egg + 2 egg whites
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp organic honey
organic coconut oil
Mash the banana. Add to eggs, spices, and flavoring. Heat coconut oil in pan. Scramble mixture. Top with a smidge less than 1 tbsp SunButter. Have foodgasm. (Yes, I told you it's that good. Sorry the picture doesn't make it look super appetizing. Not the most photogenic food ever).
She also has some with variations with pumpkin, squash, and others. Great way to use up the leftovers from the night before.
Workout:
- Racquetball - 75 minutes
I cannot express how great it felt to be working out today. My mood was sooooo much better. And 75 minutes of nonstop racquetball with sprinting, swinging, and crashing into walls was just what I needed! Great cardio workout and my butt and arms will be feeling it tomorrow.
Dinner tonight involved another new recipe: Thai Turkey Burgers. Thanks again to How Sweet It Is for another homerun of a meal (she had the Brussel Sprout Grilled Cheese we made a while back)! The burgers incorporated green onions, carrots, and some amazing Thai sauce. I was licking the bowl. Peanuty and sweet. I made a few variations to the sauce: more soy sauce, less sugar, SunButter for peanut butter (purely because we ran out). I also added some cayenne for some kick, before I realized I had Siracha in the fridge. Will have to try next time. The burgers were topped with a slaw of cabbage, carrots, cilantro, and peanuts, and again, THE SAUCE. It was so good we ate all of the slaw and I made a second batch for tomorrow. Thank God it's all veggies, or I would really feel ridiculous.
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Sunday, January 20, 2013
Fresh Start
Sorry for my lack of posting. This week has been difficult, to put it mildly. It's been very trying and I've stayed away to keep most of the negativity off of this blog. Unfortunately, I've strayed from my workouts too, which probably has compounded the problem. But, in an effort to get myself back on track, here I am. Ready to forget last week and move forward.
Today, the NFL division championships are being played. The 49er's are moving on to the Super Bowl. I'm currently watching the Pats and Ravens. Kind of having mixed emotions about who to root for. Gotta root for the hometown team the Pats and Tom Brady, but would love for Ray Lewis of the Ravens to finish out his career with a Super Bowl win. Decisions, decisions.
One thing I did decide was to make some delicious Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites. I came across the recipe while on Pinterest the other day. I love spicy buffalo wings, but definitely do not love all of the calories. I'd like to save my calories for my beverages (i.e. beer) thank you! The recipe was from the blog skinnytaste. Gina has healthy versions of tons of popular foods. I've made a few things off of her site, so I was excited to try these. They were awesome and simple to make with few ingredients. GW loved them so much, he declined dinner. I 2/3rd the recipe, since 6 cups of cauliflower seemed a bit much. In retrospect, I probably would use slightly less flour in the coating too, since we use whole wheat flour and it was a little more dense coating than I would have liked.
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In between trips to the hospital for work this weekend, I also completed a nice little Pinterest project: Date Night Jar. We usually find fun things to do for our date nights, but we always feel like we are forgetting things we wanted to do or places we wanted to go. So, with some Pinterest inspiration, we created this Date Night Jar:
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It was easy: Mason Jar, popsicle sticks, some ribbon and sticky letters. The fun part has been coming up with ideas to put in. I took half the sticks and GW took the other half. That way we both came up with things and it will be a surprise (1/2 the time!) about what we'll be doing.
Hoping to get in a good workout to help my body and mind tomorrow! Happy for a new week and a new start. Hope those of you who have off tomorrow enjoy! And those of you who don't, I'm very sorry :(
Today, the NFL division championships are being played. The 49er's are moving on to the Super Bowl. I'm currently watching the Pats and Ravens. Kind of having mixed emotions about who to root for. Gotta root for the hometown team the Pats and Tom Brady, but would love for Ray Lewis of the Ravens to finish out his career with a Super Bowl win. Decisions, decisions.
One thing I did decide was to make some delicious Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites. I came across the recipe while on Pinterest the other day. I love spicy buffalo wings, but definitely do not love all of the calories. I'd like to save my calories for my beverages (i.e. beer) thank you! The recipe was from the blog skinnytaste. Gina has healthy versions of tons of popular foods. I've made a few things off of her site, so I was excited to try these. They were awesome and simple to make with few ingredients. GW loved them so much, he declined dinner. I 2/3rd the recipe, since 6 cups of cauliflower seemed a bit much. In retrospect, I probably would use slightly less flour in the coating too, since we use whole wheat flour and it was a little more dense coating than I would have liked.
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Who says bar food can't be healthy?
In between trips to the hospital for work this weekend, I also completed a nice little Pinterest project: Date Night Jar. We usually find fun things to do for our date nights, but we always feel like we are forgetting things we wanted to do or places we wanted to go. So, with some Pinterest inspiration, we created this Date Night Jar:
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Hoping to get in a good workout to help my body and mind tomorrow! Happy for a new week and a new start. Hope those of you who have off tomorrow enjoy! And those of you who don't, I'm very sorry :(
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Hump Day Blues
Workout:
- Rest
Today was one of those days...as in, make it end already. The day started off with everyone forgetting how to drive in the snow. And we only got 3-4 inches. It's not new people, this is Boston! Snow happens! And then there was work...I don't even know where to begin, so I won't. Let's just say it was insanity at its finest and I'm now having a nice, big glass of red wine to forget it.
Since I have nothing nice to say about today, let's recall a delicious meal from the other night. Balsamic Brussels Sprouts Grilled Cheese. Yes, sounds strange, but is insanely good! My friend Lianne tried it a few weeks ago from the blog "How Sweet It Is" and was raving, so I decided we had to try it. It was as good as promised, probably even better.
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Doesn't it look amazing?! My iPhone photography does not do this justice. If only you could taste it! There should be an app for that. But seriously, this was awesome. We bought the brussels sprouts in a pre-shredded bag at Trader Joe's. So much easier than hand shredding or dirtying up your food processor! We got a loaf of delicious, local (Concord, MA represent!) whole grain bread at Whole Foods. Sauteing the brussel sprouts first makes them softer, but still leaves enough crunch. We used regular Havarti cheese, but I think a dill havarti would be interesting to try too. We used the Trader Joe's balsamic glaze to drizzle inside. This is definitely going into the recipe vault!
Tomorrow I will be more positive. Or at the very least, I will be so tired from my run and the OR, I will be too tired to be cranky :) Happy Hump Day!
- Rest
Today was one of those days...as in, make it end already. The day started off with everyone forgetting how to drive in the snow. And we only got 3-4 inches. It's not new people, this is Boston! Snow happens! And then there was work...I don't even know where to begin, so I won't. Let's just say it was insanity at its finest and I'm now having a nice, big glass of red wine to forget it.
Since I have nothing nice to say about today, let's recall a delicious meal from the other night. Balsamic Brussels Sprouts Grilled Cheese. Yes, sounds strange, but is insanely good! My friend Lianne tried it a few weeks ago from the blog "How Sweet It Is" and was raving, so I decided we had to try it. It was as good as promised, probably even better.
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Doesn't it look amazing?! My iPhone photography does not do this justice. If only you could taste it! There should be an app for that. But seriously, this was awesome. We bought the brussels sprouts in a pre-shredded bag at Trader Joe's. So much easier than hand shredding or dirtying up your food processor! We got a loaf of delicious, local (Concord, MA represent!) whole grain bread at Whole Foods. Sauteing the brussel sprouts first makes them softer, but still leaves enough crunch. We used regular Havarti cheese, but I think a dill havarti would be interesting to try too. We used the Trader Joe's balsamic glaze to drizzle inside. This is definitely going into the recipe vault!
Tomorrow I will be more positive. Or at the very least, I will be so tired from my run and the OR, I will be too tired to be cranky :) Happy Hump Day!
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Wardrobe malfunction
Workout:
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That's my workout, right there on my wrist! I finally got to use the Garmin ForeRunner watch GW got me for Christmas. Love it so far! Super light and easy to use. It was a good run tonight but my time is definitely not accurate in the amount of time I actually spent running. I spent about 6 minutes dealing with wardrobe malfunctions. Don't worry, no Janet Jackson boob-showing moment, but perhaps it could have been? My UnderArmour cold gear decided to ride up. As in, it turned into a nice little belly shirt/long-sleeve sports bra. Thank God I had a tech tee over top or I would have been showing all of Beacon Street my not-so-well defined abs. Once I got that under control, it wasn't too shabby. The route tonight has some pretty steady, steep inclines, which was a good change from the flat runs around the res and on the treadmill. I also learned tonight that I definitely need to invest in a headlamp. A few of my runner friends suggested this before, but I figured if I'm running on the city sidewalks, I wouldn't need one. Alas, another novice runner mistake (aside from thinking I can run faster than I can)! My route tonight, although on some main roads and through residential areas was poorly lit and covered in leaves. And don't forget those invisible branches that hit me in the face. It was a full out obstacle course!
I tried a new smoothie today: Blueberry Banana Grapefruit Smoothie from "quinoa, kale & exhale." Sounded good and different from most smoothie recipes I see with the addition of the fresh grapefruit juice. I think in theory this would be a wonderful smoothie and Lisa's pictures sure looked pretty. I really liked the flavors with the grapefruit and blueberry together. 1 cup of kale adds a nice serving of veggies snuck in at the beginning of the day, which I love. However, I made a fatal error; I didn't blend the smoothie long enough and ended up drinking a kale salad on the way to work. Bleck. Lots of bitter from the kale and then a nice sweet finish at the end. Will be trying that again with more blend-age next time!
Lots of great recipes this week; I'll have to catch up over the coming days. I'm dead and the gym is calling at 6am! As is the rumor of an inch or two of snow overnight. Guess the 50 degree weather couldn't last forever.
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I tried a new smoothie today: Blueberry Banana Grapefruit Smoothie from "quinoa, kale & exhale." Sounded good and different from most smoothie recipes I see with the addition of the fresh grapefruit juice. I think in theory this would be a wonderful smoothie and Lisa's pictures sure looked pretty. I really liked the flavors with the grapefruit and blueberry together. 1 cup of kale adds a nice serving of veggies snuck in at the beginning of the day, which I love. However, I made a fatal error; I didn't blend the smoothie long enough and ended up drinking a kale salad on the way to work. Bleck. Lots of bitter from the kale and then a nice sweet finish at the end. Will be trying that again with more blend-age next time!
Lots of great recipes this week; I'll have to catch up over the coming days. I'm dead and the gym is calling at 6am! As is the rumor of an inch or two of snow overnight. Guess the 50 degree weather couldn't last forever.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
A lil salsa in my step
Workout:
- 4 mile run (~40 minutes)
My illness is over! Thank goodness! I am not a fun sick person and quite frankly, too busy to be sick. I had a nice 4 mile twilight run tonight. Perfect weather too: a light breeze, 45 degrees. Yes, 45 degrees, in January, in Boston. AWESOME! Now that I'm coming back to running on a regular basis, I'm beginning to notice things I had forgotten about or perhaps hadn't noticed at all. I don't know if other runners are like this, but I find the first 2 miles of my run, no matter how far, are the hardest. Once I'm past it, I feel like I could go forever (well, at least 3-5 more at this point), but I usually spend the first 2 miles questioning my mental status. It helps when I have people to watch to take my mind off of it. Tonight I spent part of my run going the 1.8 miles around the reservoir by our house and there are always people around. Unfortunately no one super interesting to pay attention to this evening and even the geese are gone, so I have nothing to run away from. I did get to dodge some of the BC students dragging their luggage down the sidewalk from the T and bus stops as they make their way back to campus for spring semester. This means the screaming drunks are back, joy. Regardless, it was a great run and felt good to be out there!
With the warm weather, my menu plan was altered a bit. When it's this warm out, I don't want soup or heavy wintry meals. We had a few mangoes in our fridge that needed to be eaten and salmon in the freezer, so I decided to make mango salsa and top the salmon with it. Turned out better than I expected! As in, we ate about 3/4 of all of the salsa. Oops. At least it's fresh and all fruits/veggies???
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- 4 mile run (~40 minutes)
My illness is over! Thank goodness! I am not a fun sick person and quite frankly, too busy to be sick. I had a nice 4 mile twilight run tonight. Perfect weather too: a light breeze, 45 degrees. Yes, 45 degrees, in January, in Boston. AWESOME! Now that I'm coming back to running on a regular basis, I'm beginning to notice things I had forgotten about or perhaps hadn't noticed at all. I don't know if other runners are like this, but I find the first 2 miles of my run, no matter how far, are the hardest. Once I'm past it, I feel like I could go forever (well, at least 3-5 more at this point), but I usually spend the first 2 miles questioning my mental status. It helps when I have people to watch to take my mind off of it. Tonight I spent part of my run going the 1.8 miles around the reservoir by our house and there are always people around. Unfortunately no one super interesting to pay attention to this evening and even the geese are gone, so I have nothing to run away from. I did get to dodge some of the BC students dragging their luggage down the sidewalk from the T and bus stops as they make their way back to campus for spring semester. This means the screaming drunks are back, joy. Regardless, it was a great run and felt good to be out there!
With the warm weather, my menu plan was altered a bit. When it's this warm out, I don't want soup or heavy wintry meals. We had a few mangoes in our fridge that needed to be eaten and salmon in the freezer, so I decided to make mango salsa and top the salmon with it. Turned out better than I expected! As in, we ate about 3/4 of all of the salsa. Oops. At least it's fresh and all fruits/veggies???
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Mango Salsa
by Me!
2 mangoes, diced
1 medium green pepper, diced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
2-3 Roma tomatoes diced
2-3 Jalapeno peppers, diced
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
A few pinches of crushed sea salt
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Eat with chips, top salmon, or eat by the spoonful - we did all 3!
The salmon was just broiled in the oven with some olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder. I didn't want it to overpower the salsa. Paired with a few spoonfuls of black beans, and a very filling an protein-filled meal!
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