Better than sliced bread

In our low-carb obsessed society, bread often gets a bad rap.  Although in many cases it's justified (due to it's enriched ingredients and surprising amounts of salt and sugar), it doesn't have to be that way.  Bread can be a healthy addition to your diet if you shop smart by reading the nutrition label.  Here are a few tips:  

• Choose whole wheat breads (the first ingredient should read: whole wheat, not enriched!) 
• Find breads that have 5% or less of the recommended daily value (DV) of sodium; avoid going over 170 mg per slice.  
• Check the sugar content.  A good rule of thumb is to find a 1:2 ratio of sugar to fiber.  For example, if there are 2 grams of sugar, there should be at least 4 grams of fiber.  
• As always, the fewer the ingredients, the better!

Too confusing?  Why not make your own!  It's inexpensive and simple to do, especially if you have a bread machine.  (If you don't have a bread machine, I found several on Amazon for well under $100.)

This homemade bread has only 6 ingredients and takes about 10 minutes to put together before the bread machine takes over.  It's perfect for sandwiches or delicious just by itself.  Click here to get the recipe.

Real Summer Treats

For the most part, we eat pretty well in our household.  But like most people, there are a few areas we could improve on (cereal, granola bars, etc).  Recently I was revisiting Lisa Leake's blog, 100 Days of Real Food (if you haven't already checked this out, do it!) and as careful as I am about reading ingredient labels, I let some things slip occasionally for the sake of convenience, but after reading a few of her posts I was re-inspired to be more careful.  More careful about looking where my food is coming from; about how many ingredients are listed and how many are unfamiliar; about whether or not my food comes from a bag, box, or can.

In my opinion, eating whole foods is the easiest "diet" out there because you don't have to count or keep track of anything.  You just eat real food.  A lot of people think that means giving up sweets, but they're sorely mistaken.  It might take a bit more effort, but your food (including treats) will taste that much better.  Not to mention, you'll crave more wholesome, nutritious food, and less of the junk.

Take popsicles for example.  A typical box will have a list of ingredients including things like artificial dyes, processed sugars and other unrecognizable ingredients.  Now take a look at this:

It only has three ingredients.  And you'd recognize all of them.  These Berry Yogurt Pops are easy to make and taste so fresh.  The hardest part is waiting for them to freeze.  All you need is a popsicle mold (I found this one at Bed Bath and Beyond) and a few simple ingredients.  Find the recipe here.

What's your favorite frozen treat to make at home?

Homemade > Store-bought

Just as the name says, I like things "Made from Scratch" better than things from a box or bag.  Even if it takes a little extra work.  I like to know where my food comes from and what's all in it.  I have been itching to make hummus from scratch for a while now (I've had a jar of tahini sitting in the pantry for months) and today, I finally did.  I only have regret: I didn't make it sooner!

The flavor isn't anything special, just your classic hummus, but sometimes simple is better.  Although, now that I know how well it turns out, I'm excited to try some different flavors - roasted red pepper, spicy, etc.

You can find the recipe here.  If you try this recipe or another flavor variation, please, share your ideas below!

Back in the game

I realize that when it comes to my blogging, it goes in spurts.  But for some reason, I decided to scroll through some old posts last night and it sparked something.  I miss writing here, I just wish I had more time... But don't we all?!

This past year I wrote a column in my university's student run newspaper which focused on all things food and nutrition.  I really liked the experience so I'd like to carry that idea over here,  but cover a broader range of topics for people of all ages, not just students.

Finals wrap up next week so soon I will have more time.  (Hooray!!)  I have lots of ideas, so stay tuned!!  And please, if you have any food- or nutrition-related comments or questions, feel free to leave them below, or send them in a message on Facebook.  Who knows, maybe your question will be the focus of a future post!?

Have a great weekend, everybody!

Happy Spring Break to Me!

Yes, spring break has finally arrived, although here in Wisconsin, it certainly does not feel like it.  I think Mother Nature forgot to change her calendar because it's nice and sunny, the birds are chirping, but it's only a chilly 29 degrees outside.  I need some warm weather soon or I might just go crazy!!

{Thinking warm thoughts.}

I found a recipe for sweet potato chips on Pinterest earlier this week and I've been dying to try them.  They are from Undressed Skeleton.  If you haven't checked out her blog yet, do so!  It's very inspiring; her transformation is incredible!  She also has several recipes to browse as well as healthy eating tips that she has learned along the way.  

Anyway, I was finally able to make them for lunch today since my last class of the day was cancelled (surprise!).  I followed one of her recipe suggestions but then made another flavor of  my own.  Click here to check it out.

Is anyone doing anything fun over the weekend?  David and I are joining a group of friends for a day full of brewery (and even a distillery!) tour-hopping.  We are starting out with New Glarus followed by Minhas Brewery and finally their distillery.  I'm not a big drinker so I'm a little nervous, but regardless, it's bound to be fun!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

"Hungry for Change"

A couple of months ago, David and I made the brave decision to get rid of cable.  I decided to sign up for Netflix though because sometimes you just need to veg out.  Plus, I love all of the documentaries they have to offer, especially the food-related ones.

Last night I had the house to myself so I decided to watch one of the many options I have saved on my "Instant Queue."  Hungry For Change was the winner.  Every now and then I am going to give a movie review for some of these documentaries.  Here is the first:

Overall, I enjoyed the film.  It got me thinking and it inspired me to make some small changes in my own routine (like juicing one day a week).  What I didn't like was that they kept comparing sugar to dangerous drugs like cocaine and heroine.  I understand, and for the most part agree, that sugar can be addictive for many of us.  However, I don't think it's comparable to drugs such as those previously mentioned.  Life is short, and sometimes you just need something sweet (but please don't do drugs).

Several of the interviewees seemed to suggest also cutting grains out because carbohydrates are broken down into sugar during digestion.  I also disagree with this.  First of all, we need carbohydrates and the right grains (whole grains) can be good for you.  Whole wheat bread, brown rice, quinoa, etc.-- they have fiber to fill us up and improve our colon health.  Second of all, I don't like restrictive diets because when people restrict things, especially food, it tends to only make them crave it more.  After all, you want what you can't have.  I believe that people can maintain a healthy lifestyle by consuming just about everything in moderation, hence, "My moderation & me."  

As always, these are my own opinions.  If you haven't seen Hungry for Change, I encourage you to watch it and decide for yourself.  If you have seen it, what did you think?  

For more information go to HungryForChange.tv.

Shopping by season

I know some people hate it, but I love grocery shopping.  I really do.  I could wander around in there for hours.  Going up and down the aisles, looking at all different varieties of the same product.  It's kind of is fascinating... but maybe it's just me. 

Recently, I made a new goal of trying to stick to recipes using in-season produce.  Tonight was the first recipe I made with that goal in mind.  The dish: Green Pizza.  Test it out for yourself and let me know what you think!  

I also decided to make a chart so I can easily check which fruits and vegetables are in season during which month.  I wanted to share it here to help anyone else with the same goal.  I apologize for the tiny font (and the fact that December is cut off) but I wanted to get it posted.  I will try to make some adjustments soon to make it easier to read. 

Tomorrow is Wednesday, that means we are halfway to the weekend!  I hope everyone is having a great week!!

Love Yourself

This was too good not to share...

Why I'm doing what I'm doing

Photo credit: Food Inc.

There are plenty of kids who grow up knowing exactly what they want to be when they get older.  Perhaps a teacher, a lawyer or maybe a nurse.  I was never one of those kids.  Now that's not to say I didn't have dreams when I was little; I had always wanted to be an artist and when I graduated high school that dream wasn't entirely lost.  At that point I wanted to be a photographer, but after taking some photography classes post-high school, I soon realized I'm not the type of person who can make a career out of a hobby.  As soon as I do, it just isn't fun.  

Fast forward a few years, I thought I wanted to go into nursing.  I had become a licensed esthetician and wanted to take it one step further by getting my nursing degree in order to pursue the dermatology field.  Then one day I was sitting in my Anatomy and Physiology 2 class while we were discussing nutrition and digestion.  All of a sudden, it hit me.  I didn't want to be a nurse.  It just wasn't meant for me.

Afterwards, I did my research and eventually came across dietetics.  How I never knew of it's existence beforehand, I still don't know.  But I do know I have never been more excited to be in school because my heart is finally in it.  I truly believe that the health problems we do or don't have, are strongly associated with the foods we eat and unfortunately not enough people take it seriously.  I want to change that.  I want to change the way people look at food.  I want to help them learn to enjoy it the right way.  I want to help kids grow up making healthy choices.  Mostly, I want to make a difference.

So enough about me, what about you.  What do you want to do?   

Gone Vegetarian

Another lapse in blogging.  I really need to get a routine down because I truly enjoy creating this, even if I'm lacking in the audience department.

Since my last post, I have made a big change and decided to adopt a vegetarian diet.  I don't even remember what made me make the switch, I think I was curious and just started researching it.  I'll be honest, though--  at first it wasn't even for the animals.  It was for me.  (And that's okay.)  I don't want to be one of those types of people who sits and preaches, telling everyone else they should become a vegetarian too.  Instead I will be happy to answer any questions and of course, share recipes!  If you are curious, I can point you in the direction of some helpful resources -->  Look {here} and {here}.

In other news, David and I went to see Nick Offerman last weekend.  As in thee Ron Swanson.  (Parks and Recreation, anyone?)  His whole act was based on his "10 Tips for a Prosperous Life."  It was a great show and one of his tips really got me thinking.  The tip was to get a hobby.  Pretty simple, right?  But as he pointed out, we are so wrapped up in our busy lives and especially our technological devices, that many of us forget to do the things we love.  He really said it best, "If you play 'Draw Something,' f*!#ing draw something."  Pardon his French.  One of my biggest hobbies, that too often gets put on the back burner, is art.  Art of all kinds, but mainly photography and a little painting.  A few years ago I bought a really nice digital SLR camera, or as I like to call it, my "big" camera.  It takes great photos but unfortunately, most of the time it sits in it's carrying case collecting dust.  But when I heard Offerman poking fun at the fact that so many of us live our lives through our Smartphones I decided I really want to change that.  So stay tuned because I will be sharing some photos!

What kinds of hobbies do you have?  Do you "practice" them frequently or do they often get pushed aside?

Have a great week everybody!!

Bran Bars and Brewers

Well, hello strangers!  I didn't think it would be this long until my next post, but it's been a little hectic since the half marathon.  Let's catch-up, shall we?

The race was almost two weeks ago now and it couldn't have gone much better!  We did wake up to thunderstorms and hail, but by race time we were just about good to go.  Our start time was delayed by about fifteen minutes because of some lightening, but it was worth the wait since it stayed clear and dry from then on.  I started out strong and maintained a steady pace throughout.  I cut off eight minutes from my last race and finished at 2:09, only seven minutes behind David!  I was thrilled... and very cold!  But it was such a fun day I didn't care.  Plus we got these sweet medals!

Other than that I have just been staying busy with school... tests and quizzes galore!!  I did manage to get my UW application sent in which was a huge weight off my shoulders.

Speaking of school-- Lately my mornings have been so chaotic I've been having a hard time managing to get a good breakfast in.  I'm one of those people who has to eat in the morning (although really everyone should!).  I searched the internet high and low for a good breakfast bar but nothing really grabbed me.  I've always wanted to create my own recipe so I figured this was the perfect opportunity!  I found a recipe guideline for cookies {here} and used that as my starting point.  I'm a little biased but I think what I came up with was pretty tasty.  It's nothing too crazy but I was excited that they turned out.  I might tweak them a bit, but it's definitely a good start.  I like alliteration so for now they are Banana Bran Bars.  If you want to get real crazy you could call them Banana Bran Breakfast Bars. :)

I think for breakfast tomorrow I might crumble one over some Greek yogurt... mmm.  {Here} is the recipe for those of you who are interested.  Make a batch of them and let me know what you think.  Any feedback would be great!

Happy Hump Day!

T.G.I.F.

Photo credit: Dear Musketeer

Happy Friday!  Any fun plans for the weekend?

I will be participating in my second half marathon, the Brewers Mini, on Saturday.  I'm excited, but of course nervous.  No matter how many races I do, I still get the pre-race jitters.  I'll be sure to post pics!

Enjoy the weekend everyone :)

Words of encouragement

It's been a stressful week so far to say the least.  But that's what happens in college, right?  Even though I hardly feel like the typical college student.

Stress factor #1: This nasty cold/sinus infection I've been fighting knowing that my half marathon is in three short days.  In cold, possibly rainy, weather.  And the fact that, because I've been sick, I have done zero workouts this week.
Stress factor #2:  A pharmaceutical drug presentation in Chemistry, but as of today, that is DONE!  Hooray!
Stress factor #3:  My first Microboiology exam of the semester coming up tomorrow.

Stress factor #4:  The fast-approaching deadline for my UW application.

For some, this might not seem like a lot.  But when it comes to schoolwork, I get anxious quite easily.  I'm truly afraid of giving myself an ulcer.  I know I need to relax some, so in times of need, I give myself little pep talks.  Normally, just little phrases to keep myself going and ensure myself that I will make it through!  

Some of my favorites...

• Take it one step at a time.  Or one day.  Or one assignment.  Or one class.  You get the gist.
• Just keep swimming, Just keep swimming. :)
• I also like to remind myself that I'm not the only one in this boat.  And actually, compared to some others, my boat is pretty darn awesome.  So many other students are working three jobs, plus going to school full time.  Or have kids at home to take care of.  I have me.  (And David, but he's pretty self-reliant.)  If those people can do it, I can do it.

It's kind of nice seeing my personal "cheers" written down, I recommend making a list of your own for when things get hectic.

My favorite blue tang, Dory.

One thing helping me out this week, besides my Chem-class friend, are big, make-ahead meals.  I stayed home from class on Monday in case my face exploded from the sinus pressure, and I was surprisingly productive.  I made a big batch of this veggie quinoa salad I found in my Women's Health magazine.  They used wheat berries but I couldn't find them at the grocery store.  So instead, I substituted quinoa because I've cooked with it before and like the taste.  It says it makes four servings, but those would be some big servings.  I figure I can get about seven out of it.  I brought this salad with an apple for lunch yesterday and was plenty full!

The other life-saving recipe I made this week was found over at Taste of Home.  It's a Greek pasta bake and is full of vegetables!  Plus they are huge portions so you definitely won't go hungry.  David really liked it too, it was hard to keep him away from it even after we were finished eating.

If you have a favorite (healthy) casserole dish, crock-pot recipe or other make-ahead meal I'd love to hear it!  I only have time for cooking about two nights a week so I need all the help I can get.

Back to the homework I go!

Boot camp ain't for babies.

It's Thursday-- the weekend is almost here!  I must say it's been a pretty good week, especially work-out-wise.

It started with a long run on Sunday.  I had to make up for last week's long run because my running buddy and I didn't make it as far as we had planned.  So Sunday rolled around and I told myself I would do 11 miles.  I was dreading it.  Big time.  But I knew I'd feel better once I did it, so I forced myself out the door.  I  had a nice walking warm-up to get to my starting point and off I went.  And I kept going, and going, and going.  And I felt good.  Really good.  I think it's safe to say that that was one of my best runs ever.  The weather was gorgeous and I stayed steady at a 10 minute/mile pace.  You hear people talk about "runner's high" and even though I've been running for several years now, I think that was the first time I actually experienced.  I know why they call it a high!

Monday I gave myself the day off because for one, I had to work, and two, I wanted to rest my legs after that run.  Oh yea, and boot camp was coming up on Tuesday.  I don't really know what I was expecting it to be like, but whatever it was, I had it wrong.  By the end, I was dripping, and I mean dripping, sweat.  We did burpees (yuck), blast-offs (ouch), lunges (ehh) and much, much more.  Needless to say, my legs were a'burning!

I think I was surprised because of the fact that I'm training for a half marathon.  I thought I'd be good to go.  Definitely not the case.  Lesson learned though, just because you can run, doesn't mean you're in shape.  But I'm excited to keep going and keep improving.

I'm still sore today but I'm going to Zumba tonight in hopes of loosening up my muscles again.  Isn't it odd how you can overcome the soreness by doing another workout?  The human body sure is fascinating.

I must say that with the balanced eating and consistent workouts lately, I've been feeling really good.  I feel strong.  I feel lean.  I feel like I can keep going.  I'm really showing myself that when you eat with a purpose (to fuel, nourish, etc.) your body will operate so much more efficiently.  Now that  might sound like common sense, but as I sit in the school common's writing this, I see a lot of mindless eating.  I could go on and on about this, I guess it's the (future) dietician in me, but I'll stop here.  Instead I'd like to know what are your favorite foods to fuel with?  Lately, one of mine is trail mix.  Nuts for protein to keep me full, raisins for energy and the chocolate for my sweet tooth.  :)

I suppose I better get back to work.  Unfortunately, chemistry homework does not do itself.
Until next time!

Did someone say salmon?

One of our local grocery store's had 5 oz salmon fillets on sale this week that I just couldn't pass up.  I picked them up today and  began contemplating what exactly I'd do with them.  Leave it plain and pair it with spicy broccoli?  Maybe some red potatoes?  Nah.  Add it to some left over pasta?  Boring.  Give it some Asian flavor and saute some veggies?  Yes, please!

I don't know about you, but I love Eating Well.  I really should subscribe to their magazine.  After doing a few Google searches, I was led to a "Honey-Soy Broiled Salmon" dish.  This summer I've been on somewhat of a (reduced sodium) soy sauce kick so this totally tripped my trigger.  Like the website suggested, I cooked up some zucchini and red bell peppers as a side.  Delish!

I followed the recipe almost exactly, but I did improvise for a few things.

I started with two, 5 oz salmon fillets.  I love getting individual portions because then I don't have to worry about over-doing it. 

Next I mixed up the marinade.  I used:

• 1 Tbs reduced sodium soy sauce  
• 1/2 Tbs honey 
• 1/2 Tbs white wine vinegar
• a fresh garlic clove, minced
• a few shakes of ground ginger  

I mixed up the marinade and put everything in a big ziploc bag then let it sit for about 15 minutes.  In the meantime I cut up the veggies.  Love the colors!

The salmon is ready to broil.  Not the prettiest fish to photograph, but it sure is tasty!

While the salmon was in the oven (smelled delicious, by the way), I finished up the veggies.  I didn't want to use any oil so I started with just the zucchini in a hot pan.  After a few minutes I gave one half of a lemon a good squeeze and continuously moved the zucchini around in the pan.  Once I could tell it was softened up some, I added the red pepper and a bit more lemon juice.  I kept stirring and let them cook a few more minutes.  I never really looked at the clock, just eye-balled everything.  I thought about adding seasoning but I just wanted to enjoy them as they are.  The seasoning possibilities are endless...

And dinner is served.  I scarfed that down like nobody's business.

Overall, it was a really easy dinner.  I will definitely be saving this recipe for one of the next time salmon goes on sale.  Hopefully soon!  (You can find the exact recipe here.)

I'm glad I was finally able to include some pictures in a post.  I really love using my camera so I hope to do that more often :)  Perhaps tomorrow?  I'm meeting up with a friend for breakfast for her birthday and then we're heading off to the city's farmer's market.  Can't wait to see what goodies we will find!

Hooray for the weekend!

School is in session!

I'm only a week in and I'm already exhausted!  This blog is all about balance though, so I will find a way to make everything work :)

I only have one class tomorrow so I just have one tiny piece of homework to worry about.  Which means I had time to cook!  David even got home in time to help.  It's always fun to cook together, the extra set of hands makes it seem like less of a chore.  We had extremely ripe tomatoes so we made some spaghetti with homemade meatballs and homemade sauce.  

yum. yUM.  YUM!


I had read over some old blog posts and found a cookie recipe I made back in April.  (You can find that post here.)  We have strong sweet "tooths" in this house so I decided to make them tonight for dessert.  Glad I did!  Except now they won't stop calling my name...Just say no, Ellen.  Just say no.

Earlier this week I decided to embark on a "veggie project" and so far it's going quite well.  We finally got our new batch of CSA vegetables so we're all stocked up.  In the meantime though, I had to get creative.  I've had fresh pumpkin in the freezer for almost a year now so I think it's about time that gets used up, huh?  Yesterday I had pumpkin oatmeal, which needs to be tweaked, it turned out pretty bland.  And today I made a pumpkin pie protein shake- which had a little too much flavor (I got a little cinnamon-happy).  So once I get those fixed I'll be sure to share recipes. :)

My second half marathon is coming up in just two short weeks!  I was feeling really confident up until last night when a friend and I tried an eleven mile run.  My stomach was upset and her knee was crippled.  We still made it a little over nine, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed.  Training is just so time consuming it can be hard to manage everything AND stay motivated.  That's why I have to just take one day at a time.
I realize this isn't the most exciting post, but as I've mentioned, I want to keep up with this blog.  Even if it means boring posts once in a while.  I promise, they won't always be like this.

Happy Friday Eve!

Back in the game

Apparently I'm a terrible blogger.  I've gone months without a word but it's time to get back at it! 

David's a teacher and last night a bunch of his colleages and several of their spouses got together for Labor Day, one last summer hoorah!  It was actually one of the wives there that I was talking to that "re-inspired" me to get back to this blog.  I'm hoping to really stick to it this time. 

Overall, David and I had a really nice summer.  I can't say that it was necessarily a quiet, relaxing one, but it was fun.  I started out with two weeks of break while he finished his last two weeks of his school year.  Once he was done, I started my summer Chemistry class.  That certainly kept me busy!  But we found time for a trip to St. Louis, a couple camping trips and a few baseball games.  We stayed active with an Ultimate Frisbee team and rewarded ourselves with free pitchers of beer. 

It was a hot summer too!  Wisconsin had record temps and weeks without rain.  Our usual green grass was was crisp and brown.  It was not a pretty sight, but slowly things have turned around!

Anyways, that was our summer in a nutshell.  Now I'm already back in school and we have our second half marathon coming up in three short weeks!  I haven't been as good about training, I think because now that I've done one I know what to expect and I'm not as worried.  As long as I beat my time I'll be happy :)

I've mentioned before how healthy living has become such a big priority of my life.  It's not that I want to be the skinniest (hate that word) person out there, I just want to feel good.  I want to wake up with energy and have it last throughout the day so I'm able to get the things done I not only need to, but want to accomplish.  Now, Rome wasn't built in a day, so I have to look at the changes I want to make as baby steps. 

Back before my hiatus, I wrote how I went without added sugar for two weeks.  I'd like to work on that again at some point but I first I think I want to work on my veggie intake.  I was never a veggie lover growing up.  But slowly, I'm finding more and more that I really do like.  Over the summer we participated in a CSA which forced me to find new recipes for these vegetables that I had never tried, sometimes never even heard of.  One of my favorites was kohlrabi.  I made the most delicious vegetarian stir-fry... sooo good!!  So now that I have more ways to incorporate vegetables I want to work on the regular intake of them.  My challenge for the next month is to get the recommended 4 1/2 cups of fruits and vegetables (2 cups fruit, 2 1/2 cups veggies) for women my age.  Every day.  Feel free to take the challenge with me, or just cheer me on!

Well I think this post is long enough...Until next time!

Overdue.

It's been a busy time of year obviously, since I haven't posted in a few weeks.  I thought about just forgetting about my blog but I feel like I do that with a lot of things I set out to do so I'm posting again because I want to stick with this.  So here I am :)  I just finished with finals and have started my summer.  I'd say it's already off to a great start!

Our big race day has come and gone!  Yesterday David and I ran our very first half marathon up in Green Bay, Wisconsin.  It went well for the most part, except one minor detail-- yesterday was a scorcher!!  It started at 7 AM but it quickly warmed up and I was tiring out at mile four.  That's not good when you have nine more to go!  But I pulled through and I crossed the finish line with a race time of 2 hours 17 minutes.  I'm happy with it considering the conditions we ran in.  In fact, about ten minutes after I crossed the finish line they shut the course down because it was getting too dangerous for the runners (there was also a full marathon so several runners were still out there).

Here we are, post marathon, just glistening away!

David and I had separated early on in the race, as he has much longer legs and therefore faster than I am, so afterwards I looked for him.  And looked some more.  And some more.  Until finally, I found him- about an hour afterwards.  Just what you want to do after you run 13.1 miles, wander around in a hot parking lot full of other sweaty runners in search of someone.  Not so much.  We grabbed our running bags, found some strangers to snap a victory photo and headed out.  We were tired and sore along with post-running stomachaches.  We drove back to his parents house where we stayed for the weekend, showered off and went to lunch.  He mowed down half a pizza while I devoured a burger.  We took a nice nap and headed home.

Even though we didn't run as fast as we'd have liked to, we're happy with our first half marathon experience.  Now we have times to beat!  I'm mostly proud that I set a goal, stuck with it and reached it.  And I'm happy we did it together :)  We actually signed up for another half marathon tonight coming up in September.  Hopefully we'll have some cooler weather!

Enough about running, how about food??  Lately I've been trying to work on my sugar intake. We had a container of cookies in the house a while ago and when I was home during the day I was finding it hard to control myself.  I decided to quit cold turkey.  Temporarily, that is.  This Thursday I'll have gone two weeks without added sugar (with the exception of yesterday, the race day, I treated myself to not one, but two cookies on a job well done- or should I say run?).  But now it's back to reality.  It really hasn't been as bad as I thought.  I use my fruit as dessert and have been making more smoothies as a treat.

Sugar isn't the only thing I'm trying to cut out.  I'm trying to eat less red meat (so yes, that burger yesterday was a nice treat as well!) and follow more of the "Mediterranean" diet.  I hate using the term diet though.  I just like to watch what I eat.  I like to know what my food is made of and where it comes from.  I like to know that it's nourishing my body and not just tasting good.

My goal is to eat well most of the time and indulge less of the time.  I want to enjoy treats as they are meant to be enjoyed, once in a while.  As a...wait for it... treat!

One other thing that has been occupying my time lately is the four-part documentary that aired on HBO last week, "The Weight of the Nation."  All four parts are online so PLEASE go watch!  People don't realize how much damage we really are doing to ourselves.  It's scary.

Now I'm looking forward to a relaxing rest of the week.  I'm actually flying down to Georgia on Thursday to visit one of my best friends for a mini vacay.  I'm pretty excited to be laying on the beach!  We plan on doing some baking so I will have to update again soon with some photos from our adventures.

Until next time!

Feelin' worn out.

The title says it all!  And it is making training very difficult.  I unfortunately ended up not going to Zumba last night, I just had too much homework to work on.  I was bummed about it but I knew I had a good reason to miss.  So today I did a four mile run with some weights and stretching afterwards.  I think tomorrow I will do some yoga and Friday will be my long run.  It's my weekend to work so I won't be getting in any major work outs. :(

My half is in about two and a half weeks so I'm getting down to crunch time!  Anyone have any tips and tricks to keep myself motivated??  I think right now it's mostly mental.  My body feels mostly capable, although today's run did feel a little odd.  Any runners out there ever run your routes backwards?  Try saying that five times fast!  That's a mouth full.  Anyways, I reversed my normal route and for majority of my run I just felt unbalanced or something.  I'm not sure?  It is much warmer today than it has been so maybe it's the weather.  Or me just being so tired.  Who knows, but I hope it passes.  And soon!

Another short post for today.  The homework just doesn't quit!  But first I must shower and enjoy some of my left over homemade chicken fried rice.  I must say, it turned out pretty well for just throwing a bunch of stuff together!  We had left over quinoa, some grilled up chicken breasts and spinach and mushrooms that needed to be used.  So yesterday I cooked up some eggs (like an omelette, but not folded), then sauteed the mushrooms and spinach, added the chicken, threw in the quinoa with some soy sauce and last but not least stirred in the egg.  A protein packed lunch perfect for after a run!

Happy Wednesday!

Long time, no type.

It has been a busy past few days.  This past Saturday I ran a very popular race in Madison, the annual Crazy Legs!!  It's an 8K, so 5 miles, and this year was the first year I was actually ready.  I ran it with a friend, which always helps, but unfortunately it was COLD, RAINY, and WINDY.  But once we got running I was okay and I finished just over 47 minutes-- not bad!  Afterwards we snagged our free beers and headed to lunch.

That evening I had a little girls night because David was gone.  We feasted on bacon-wrapped shrimp, turkey meatballs in a cranberry chili sauce, twice baked potatoes (made with Greek yogurt instead of sour cream), stuffed crescent rolls, veggies and dip, fruit salad, angel food cupcakes AND, the mother load of all mother loads.... Twix brownies.  Oh. My. Gosh... they were deadly, but a very nice treat after a cold race. :)  Gotta treat yourself once in a while, right?

The rest of the weekend, and yesterday, I spent helping my parents move.  After thirty years of living in the house I grew up in, they moved to Madison.  It's bittersweet for me.  I'm happy for them, but I'll miss having that as "my home."

With all the moving (and my giant to-do list lurking in the back of my head, it is the end of the semester after all) I wasn't being very careful with what I put into my mouth.  I treated myself a little bit more than once in a while, so now today I am trying to get back on track!  Starting the morning off with coffee and a smoothie to follow.  Tonight I'll go to Zumba for a cross-training session and I think tomorrow I'll run.  I am still feeling a bit sore since I didn't stretch as much as I should have after Crazy Legs.  Naughty, naughty!

Alright, enough rambling.  I have a pile of homework to work on, so I better get going!

Happy May Day!!