Crisco vs. Applesauce

What a busy week it has been!! Finally yesterday afternoon the hubby and I had some time to do something fun. We enjoy cooking together and we were craving cookies so we decided to compare recipes.

Choices were to use Mom's recipe with crisco and quite a bit of sugar or to use a new recipe with applesauce and limited sugar.

Taking photos of everything we do is something quite foreign  to my poor hubby. But he has been a very good sport! 

I however, am not so good at taking timer shots... I'll work on that.

    Both of our recipes, called for white flour but we substituted and used whole wheat instead. Even using the wheat flour (which usually makes recipes drier) the consistency of my batter looked a bit runny but I trusted the recipe and I'm glad I did.

     Both cookies turned out great! Corey actually thought

the healthy cookies looked better. He decided he wanted 

try each cookie with a blind-fold. After tasting each, he 

decided that although the could tell which was which, the 

healthy cookie actually tasted better. 

Much moister (yuck I hate that word!)

    Would we always make the healthier version?? No probably not. But it's good to know there are options out there to make our cookies much healthier.

    Today I think we are going shopping. My sexy hubby got very muscly while he was deployed and none of his clothes fit.

I mean look at him.... okay, okay that's not him. But you get my point.

I might have to buy myself something too. I'll be sure to share the goods with you guys.

O, what's that you ask, "aren't you going to workout?" Yes, my friends, I intend to run today. We might head to the beach and take our new puppy. If we do, then I hope to get in a beach run.

It's quite the adjustment having the hubby home. A good one of course, but I keep forgetting to blog. I have run twice this week and have a long run planned for tomorrow morning.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

What is your workout plan for today? Do you find healthier ways to bake? 

Alive and AWESOME

     It's been a busy couple of days. With my wonderful hubby arriving safely back to me tomorrow, I have gone a bit OCD with my cleaning. I honestly have felt like a mother nesting in preparation for his return. I have cleaned absurd things, okay maybe important, but not important to his return. Windows, baseboards, weird stuff.

  Anyways, the cleaning definitely cut into my workouts. Today was my first run since Thursday, BUT it was awesome. Talking to my Dad last night we were talking about the feeling I had when I ran for 6 miles the first time and it got me excited to prove to myself that I could do it again. 

 

AND I DID.

AND I sped up my pace, reducing my time by seven minutes.

     Needless to say, it was an awesome day. So awesome I may attempt 7 miles at the end of the week. BRING IT ON! I am so fired up about running right now that I am slightly tempted to go run again. But it's dark and there are really scary animals out there (not awesome).

     After my run I rewarded myself with a much-earned bath and read the latest copy of RW. Yes, I realize it came out like a month ago but I just bought it. It was the first time I read the magazine and I loved it. So inspiring and awesome that I signed up for a 2 year subscription.

 Random, random post. I'm sorry. I just had to vomit my awesome (Okay enough with that word jeez!!) thoughts.

 


    I hope you all had an awesome great Easter. It felt good to eat healthy and knock out a good run instead of over-indulging myself on home-made rolls.... man they are good. I can't promise the same tomorrow though. I will probably spoil myself at dinner with the hubby. And I also cant promise a post. I  suppose I should show my hubby the same love as my trusty Nike's.

Tell me about your most awesome run... what made it so special??

What's More Important?

     Yesterday as I finished my 4 mile run, I realized how slow my run time is. No, this is not the first time I realized it, I just assumed it would improve.

     A month ago when I began this blog, I couldn't run further than 2 miles without stopping. Now I can consistently run 4 miles several days a week plus one 5-6 mile run. My distance has improved, so yay me. However, my speed (or lack there of) is sooo slow. My average pace is 11:20/mile. It is fairly consistent and my miles are around the same every time every run.

I'm curious, what's more important, speed or distance?

     I don't have an upcoming race so I'm not too worried about my speed, but I am worried that if I ALWAYS run the same pace, will my body become used to it? 

     Yesterday I was amazed that I accomplished all of my goal workouts. I had a tough time getting out the door as I watched the trees blow to and fro. I am getting so tired of the wind. 20 mph+ almost every day, ugh!!!

 Yesterday's Workouts:

4.11 mile run

P90X ab ripper

Walk the Dog

Taking pictures with her isn't easy, she 's wiggly!

In the spirit of Eater, she found a plastic egg

 

He's so good at catching all the bugs!

          

           

Soon, my friends, I promise more pictures of people, ie the hubby and I. He'll be home soon. Waiting for him to get home is making me antsy. It takes sooo long for them to return from their deployment.

I hope everyone has a great Easter. I will be spending mine alone, so I'll have to live vicariously through your guys' lives. So tell me, what are you doing for Easter? Do you celebrate it in any way?

Today's workout Goals:

4 mile run

Walk Puppy

Study (it's a workout... for my mind)

In light of a conversation I had with Rose, I'm curious... For those of you who watch Biggest Loser, if you had a choice, would you choose Bob and Jillian or Cara and Brett?

Tara had a great 30 random facts post today, and in light of that, I want to know.... What would you like to know about me? Anything you're curious about?

"Look At Me Now".....

.... nope, I am not conceited, just loving that song right now! In my head, instead of "I'm getting paper", I hear "I'm getting thinner."

     No, I am not obsessed with my weight. For the first time in a VERY long time I am running for my health and because I want to, not with a weight goal in mind. It's just catchier with my lyrics. I don't work so I'm not getting "paper" (Mom- that's gangster for money)

    That being said, I bought a pair of Nike Tempo shorts last weekend. They fit and were really comfortable... in the dressing room. Went for a run in them yesterday and was very uncomfortable. Not because of how my legs looked, but for fear of what was showing. I really wished I had a rear-view mirror. I could see that they were riding up in the front but not enough so that anything inappropriate was showing. But I couldn't see the backside... I was afraid of this:

 Which I borrowed from RunningOffTheReese's

     I mean as long as this wasn't happening, I am A-OK with the thighs jiggling. I mean really, who cares?? I am out there being active! And curves are SEXY! Even Skinny Runner talked about it today, see here.

  My poor husband is sooo worried I am going to end up all skin and bones. Don't worry babe, not going to happen! I may lose a little weight but will never look like this.

     Now that was a kind of random tangent. Good news is I did work out yesterday. I put the poor puppy in her cage and left her :( 

     I got in several workouts:

* 2 mile run (I wasn't feeling it and was feeling a little dehydrated)

* 5 mile bike ride (to and from the gym- it is Earth Day week after all)

* AND a good weight-training workout (which I TOTALLY feel this morning)

     Notice I said I biked to and FROM the gym... Why do I keep thinking a bike ride after a hard workout is a good idea??

     Today's Goals:

4 mile Run

P90X Ab Ripper

Walks with Puppy :)

What are your goals for the day?

Why do you run?

Workout-0, Puppy-1

     I have been MIA for a few days and to be honest, it feels a bit weird not writing on here every day. But I did have good reasons I swear.

     I purposefully took Monday to try and get my blisters to heal. I keep getting them on the arches of my feet :( I'd like to try new socks first before having to switch shoes. I have been looking at all the specialty socks but just don't know what to choose. Any recommendations?

    Okay now yesterday I had every intention of working out, but I kind of got distracted. This is why:

Meet Lexie,

9 week old black lab.
















The Hubby and I have been wanting a puppy but have had a hard time finding one. They are either too old or cost WAY too much. But a friend saw the ad and yesterday I went to look. Long story short, she's ours!!

Now that she has a crate, I can get back to working out. We'll see how it goes today. Wish me luck. She is so cute and hard to leave.

Do you have pets?


Do you get blisters when you run? If so, what are your prevention tips?

First Race Completed, On To The Next One...

Pretty lake we ran past

     My race yesterday was AWESOME!! About a thousand times harder than I expected, but that was due to the fact that I had no idea what I had gotten into. But the unknowingness about the race made it so much more amazing when I crossed the finish line.

That mountain in the background was part of my race!

     

In case you haven't been following, the race's website had no information on the 5K I had signed up for. The only info given was that the 10K had 1000+ feet of elevation gain. I assumed (which is never good) that the 5K would be nothing like it. Boy was I wrong!

     For a mile straight we ran up and up and up a hill. By my best estimation it was about 700+ ft. of elevation gain. It was steep and rocky and the trail completed gutted out by years of rain. It was so steep that at one point EVERY person had to walk part of the hill. As if running up the hill wasn't hard, you should have seen the down hill. At that point I was feeling good and all I wanted to do was sprint it out. NOT POSSIBLE. I had to be very conscious of my footing and pay close attention to which rock I chose to step on.

Well hello, finish line!

     Finally at the bottom, I got to stretch out my legs and run for the finish line. Official time was 44:08, which sounds slow but remember I had to run straight up a hill. 

     Needless to say I am proud of my time. And lets be honest here, my next 5k will look like a major PR!

I'm a finisher!!!

I look exhausted.

   

     After finishing I was famished and all I could think about was eating something juicy and fattening. So a burger piled with jalapenos and bacon it was. Hello Chili's!

    

     I had every intention of eating the entire thing. But after half of it I felt sooo sick from all the fat as I haven't really been eating a lot of fat. But it was still worth it.

     Yes it was only a 5k. But I am a firm believer of rewarding myself for every accomplishment. After eating I even went to the Nike outlet store and indulged myself by buying a new outfit!

     

     Tomorrow I will post about the lessons I learned from my experience. One little tidbit: If the race is featured in a trail run magazine, expect it to be a tough trail run.

     Now, don't forget about my giveaway, see here.

  

Randomness and a giveaway

     Hope everyone is having a great weekend. I know I am. Such a great weekend that I have decided to do a giveaway...more on that later!

     Had a great run today. Hills and trails again in preparation for my race tomorrow. I'm still a bit apprehensive. I know that mileage wont be a problem, but the possible elevation scares me. The race's website only has the course info up for the 10k (I'm only doing the 5k).  And it looks a bit daunting...

Yikes!!

     After the run, I decided I needed to mix in some cross training but I didn't want to go to the gym. My workout video selection is kind of lame and I have grown bored of them. Lately the hubby has been talking about the Ab Ripper X video from P90x and to be honest he is looking soooo amazing. So I decided to try it out. I own the whole P90x video system and have for like two years, but to be honest I have never done one of the workouts. Well I did it and let me tell you, it's 20 minutes of torture. But totally awesome!

  
I did have a little complication though.... Being on the floor doing exercise meant I was fair game for a play toy for the baby boy.

     In case you haven't sensed it yet, little furry Henry is my child. You will see a lot of him on here.








      I got my highlights touched up on Thursday and I love it! Probably one of the reasons I am in a good mood. As a blonde, getting just the right color is sooo hard. And trusting a new stylist is very scary. But it's the life of a blonde. Even Skinny Runner blogged about it the other day, see here.

     So... happy hair, a good run, and an ab workout meant I totally deserved a glass of yummy wine.

  

Which led to another picture with the furry child. He gets jealous when he's not in the picture. Although he doesn't look happy in the picture.

     So now that I blabbered on and on about nothing in particular, you're wondering, "Didn't she mention a giveaway?" I did didn't I?

    I'm not sure yet what I am going to offer in my giveaway (other than a Target gift card) but here are the details:

Simply put, the person that leads the most new followers my way will win. When I hit 50 followers, whoever is responsible for sending the most followers to my blog, will be the winner. Sooo....

• Follow me, and post a comment letting me know you follow.
• Blog about me and make sure to tell YOUR followers to mention that YOU sent them when they become MY new follower.

     Since I only have a few followers, your chances of winning are very high!! Yay for you.

Why should you send me more followers? Because every time I gain a new follower, I get really excited and it makes me remember that all these people depend (okay a bit over zealous of me) on my daily blog post. Really, knowing that people are reading about my journey really inspires me. Especially on cruddy days, like this one.

    

     Have a great weekend everyone! I'll be sure to blog about my race tomorrow. I know some of you are really excited for me. So thanks!!!

I love food!

Today is a non-running day and instead of not posting, I have some recipes for you of my favorite snack foods. And pictures of course.

Because of this amazing woman, my momma, I LOVE to cook.

None of these snacks came from her recipe book (her food is way better), but I felt it necessary to prelude my introductory food post by attributing my love of cooking to her.


In the future I will post real recipes, I promise!

First up is a breakfast smoothie. Loaded with protein and deliciousness. If you don't know why protein is important check out Munch and Crunch's protein 101 here. NOTE: It's not low calorie (approx. 400 calories) and is meant to be a meal or a mid-morning snack.


Recipe:
1/4 c. Oats, uncooked
4 oz. Greek Yogurt
1 scoop (29 g.) protein powder - I use vanilla
1 Tbs. Ground Flaxseed
1/2 c. Light Soy Milk
1 c. frozen fruit


Mix in blender adjusting liquids and fruit for desired consistency.

Then enjoy! Yes, kitty got some yogurt. He LOVES it!

Next up: Hummus.
Delicious with pita chips or better yet veggies.

Recipe:
1 can garbanzo beans (AKA chickpeas), drained - save liquid
1/3 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)

• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cloves garlic (more if you love garlic like me!)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pinch paprika
• 
  

Pulse all ingredients in blender or food processor. If mixture is too thick, add reserved bean liquid. 

*I prefer a little less Tahini, I find it to be kind of strong tasting.

** Add roasted red pepper for variety and a wonderful color as 

     seen in my picture.

Last but not least: Crispy Edamame.

Recipe:


1 bag shelled edamame
1 tsp. olive oil
1/4-1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (more or less to suit your spicy desire)
1/4 shredded parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Pre-heat oven to 400. Mix all ingredients in bowl until edamame are coated. Place a layer of foil on baking sheet to help with crisping. Spread edamame mixture in a single layer. Bake until crispy, stirring once. About 30 min.

If you have any questions, let me know!


Do you like to cook? What are your favorite healthy and delicious snack foods?

It's Spring Break!!! Let's Run!

     With my first race just a mere 3 days away, I found out that it is a trail run with elevation. First thought: hmm.. maybe I'll just not do it. Ya right, I have been sooo excited to get my first race behind me, I want to do it! So then I got totally excited and a little freaked out because I hadn't done any hill training. I always run on the road, and my runs always seem to be perfect little rectangles. No winding, no gravel or sand, nothing; just pure flat road. So today's goal was to find a trail with hills.

 First,  I had to ditch my favorite shoes, because, let's just be honest here: they are way too cute to risk getting muddy. Vain, I know! But really, I love them, they have my initials and everything! So I switched it up and found my old running shoes... well look at that they are pink too!

Next up, I found a trail. It was perfect! Sand, gravel, hills, o and a pretty little lake to look at. Sadly, I had forgotten I switched shoes and no longer had my nike+ chip, so I really have no idea how far I ran. And since it's not a real road, I couldn't map it online. Boo! I REALLY need a Garmin. I think I shall convince the hubby when he gets back from his deployment (did I mention that's next week!!)

It was a great run though! Despite the bugs that flew into my mouth. Dang! Lap one went great and I was debating if I should run a second when I remembered that I hadn't taken pictures. So lap two it was!

   Now, if you're tired of seeing my face, you might 

want to stop now. Picture overload is coming!!

Taking pictures of my run was fun, not something I usually do, but something I think I will now try to do more often. It was really fun! And I mean this blog is all about ME, so I guess I can add butt-load of picture of ME. SWEET!

At this point, I was a little tired. I found these boats and thought about how nice it would be to row back to the other side. But alas, there were no oars AND that would be weak-sauce!















Then I found a puddle. Thought about running through it, but it was nothing compared to Rose's legendary mud-run pictures!

Then I found my way back to the hill. Mind you, this was lap two. I had already run the hill once. But I did it again! By the time I made it to the top, I felt AWESOME. I thought about the grit that Tara had when she completed her first half last weekend and I channeled her desire and I ran it again!!

Three times I ran that hill. Pretty sure I'm going to feel it in the morning. I love sore muscles, so I find that to be pretty stellar.

I know think I can complete my run on Sunday. I can't wait! I don't think I'm going to set a goal time. What so you guys think? This is my first race ever and there is no information about the trail I'm running so I really have no idea what to expect. I think I'll just be excited to finish it. I'll be praying it's not like the sand dune they had to run up on Biggest Loser this week! I mean that thing looked horrible!

Have any tips for my first race? Should I set a goal?          

To Run or not to Run???

     Remember all week how I kept mentioned all the studying I was doing? Well that test I had to study for, was today.

IT

DID

NOT

GO

WELL!!

     So I came home and REALLY struggled with deciding whether or not to go for a run. I mean I really pondered it. I mean I pondered it so much, I took pictures....

     Yes, I'm aware how pathetic these look. I had a bad day remember!! So after taking them, I realized the question really was: To run or to binge eat??? 

     

     Then I thought about all the progress I have made and I finally dragged myself out for a run. The first two miles were awesome. I took out all my aggression from my day on the road. My speed was awesome.... Then I lost all momentum. I had vivid flashbacks of when I was young and irresponsible and neglected to fill my car's gas tank. The poor car sputtered to a stop as I pulled into the gas station parking lot. Once I lost my energy my form started to seriously suck, so in an effort to prevent injury I had to walk home.

     Looking back, all I can say is that at least I got out for a run. Here's to better days. At least I have Biggest Loser! And I might have to make some of this amazing peanut butter bread!

What do you do to find motivation after a lack-luster day?