FEELINGS and Brownies

Today I woke up feeling really crummy. My stomach was in knots and my head was pounding. I lumbered down to the couch in my comforter and made a little home for myself for the day. A bowl of broth, some saltine crackers, a big mug of peppermint tea and some day time TV were in order today. I intended to go for a run today and to my usual Tuesday and Thursday Pilates class, that obviously did not happen.

This was the best I could come up with for an outfit today. An over sized sweater and a scarf. When you're sick it doesn't matter if your patterns match. It's like a get out of jail free pass.

I did have a bunch of great runs before today though! Sunday, my sister gave me a new running top which inspired me to stop pouting and get back on the treadmill. Eight miles of inspiration. Monday I woke up feeling great! I made a "healthy" version of brownies and Eggplant Parmesan for dinner. The eggplant was seriously good! I went to the gym hopped on the treadmill and was going to run eight miles. My usual run. Halfway though I was bored or tired or both, either way I turned down my speed to an eight minute. Boom, I cranked out another eight miles, for a total of twelve miles. I felt really good. My legs could have gone a few more miles but I had other things to get done and couldn't spend the whole day on the treadmill. This pace is my threshold pace. I am very comfortable running at this pace. Most days I feel like I could run endlessly at this pace. Just GREAT! 

Tuesday, my legs were feeling really good again! I had another killer run. Another day I was planning on running eight miles. I didn't quite run 12 this time but I did sneak an extra mile in and finished nine before heading up to my Pilates class. At that same pace of eight minute miles. When I am treadmilling, I'm just going to declare that a word, I try to set my pace a little faster and end up running about seven minute 35 second miles. This has been working for me for a while and I like this pace. It's challenging but manageable. On days when I am feeling up for it, I will turn up my speed halfway through my run, and finish the run with the last two minutes of sprinting so that when I am done with my miles I am completely spent.

Writing this blog has made me realize how much I base my running and training on how I am "feeling" that day. SO MANY FEELINGS. But listen to what your body is telling you. Today mine said don't leave the couch. Seriously though, your body is designed to tell you what it needs. If your body needs what, it tells you by feeling thirsty. If your body needs fuel, it tells you by feeling hungry. You need to get in tune with your feelings. Oh and listen to them too. Chances are if you ignore them and do the opposite, you're going to wind up hurt. So just listen to your feeeeeeeeelings. Ok that's all for now.

These are my healthy brownies! A revised version of avocado brownies! They were really good after they had cooled!

Ingredients

1 medium avocado, 3 medium eggs, 1 c. flour, 1/2 c. unsweetened coca power, 1/3 c. hot water, 1 T. vanilla extract, 1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce, 1/2 medium banana, 5 Splenda packets, 3 T. dark chocolate chips, 3 T. honey.

 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Mix together the eggs, avocado, banana and applesauce in a mixing bowl until combined.

I actually thought it looked pretty gross before any of the cocoa was put in. I kept thinking how in the world is this green goo going to taste like a brownie?

In a seperate bowl, mix together coca powder and water. The consistency should be like icing. Add more water by the tablespoon to reach this consistency. Then mix in with the rest of the brownie mix.

 Lastly add the flour to the mixing bown and combine. Then pour into greases baking pan. I used a 10 by 7.5 deep dish. Then sprinkle chocolate chips onto the top of the mix and bake 30-35 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Refrigerate to cool then cut to enjoy!

Run with your Head

Obviously I don't mean that literally but you have to be your own advocate when you're running outside!

Let me back up. We are getting more snow today, because we don't have enough already... I have shoveled the driveway twice before noon today and will definitely need to shovel again. I filled up my car with gas this morning and saw someone running outside. Good for him I thought! I wouldn't be running in all of this snow. As I came up closer to him I realized he was wearing a white sweatshirt. That would have been fine only his top half completely blended in with the snowy landscape. This had me thinking about all the different safety things I have learned over my years running.  Some of them are rather obvious but others you might not have thought about.

First things first run on the "right" side of the road. This means face oncoming traffic. As one of my running buddies says "I'd rather see my death than just get hit by it." Ok maybe a little morbid but a good point and I haven't ever forgotten which side of the road to run on since then. 

Make your presence known on the road. What I mean by this is don't just assume that drivers are paying attention to you and know you're there. On multiple occasions I have had to hurdle out of the way of an oncoming car that came just a little too close. One time in particular, on a flat wide open road in the middle of the afternoon, I had to dive into a ditch because a distracted driver was veering off the road and onto the shoulder coming at me head on. I had quite a few choice words for this driver as I climbed out of the ditch but the point is had I assumed that she saw me and was going to move over, well I probably wouldn't be writing this today. What I do now is make eye contact with the driver, this way I can tell if they're paying attention. 

Coming back to my friend running this morning, be smart and intentional with your clothing. This can go so many directions so i'll try to be brief. If it's dark out, don't wear black. If it's sunny and snowy, don't wear white. This also means that if it's going to be a really hot run, during the summer, don't wear long pants or clothes that won't breathe or allow for sweating.. If you're running in the cold make sure you have enough clothes to keep you warm. Make layers your best friend. This seems pretty elementary but a friendly reminder never hurt anyone! :)

Switch up your routes and the times you're running. Not only will this keep your running interesting but it will help keep you safe. I am very guilty of this. I find a route at a distance that I like and I will run it over and over. I like the routine of it and not having to think about where I am going. Running on auto pilot. This is simply for your personal safety. You never know whose watching. But really... 

Another little safety precaution is to let someone know the "details" of your run. When I lived at school, I would let one of my roommates know when I was going and about how long I would be gone for. I would tell them a time "jokingly" when to be worried. I say jokingly only because I never needed anyone to come out and look for me. Let whoever you're telling know the details of your route, or at least the general area where you're planning on running. Whenever I would use mapmyrun.com to log a route, I would leave it up on my computer. "Just in case."

I love to run with music! There are some songs, when they came on, I am basically jazzer-running. It's embarrassing to admit and probably more embarrassing to actually witness. There are certain places when I would turn my music way down though. I love running on trails and through parks, but these are not high traffic areas and make me nervous when I am running alone. These are the times when you HAVE to be aware of your surroundings. So turn down the music if you're going in alone.
LOVE this new song by Katy Perry. Whenever Dark Horse comes on I can't help but run a little faster or work a little harder.

My last bit of advice that I have just started following myself is running with my phone. I am all about pandora! Each day is a different station and I have found there are way less ads on the mobile app than there are from the website. When I had my bike crash.... another blow to the good ole' ego... it was totally by chance that I was carrying my phone. I fell right in front of a gas station so I would have been able to call from there if I had needed to but that's so not the point. There are so many times when I am running or biking that I am no where near a phone. It gives me a piece of mind having it with me, if not for me for someone else who may be hurt or find themselves in a pickle like I was. Find an arm band that fits your phone or just carry it but bring that bad boy on your run with you. There are a number of different apps that allow you to track your run, just an added incentive.

One of the many trails I discovered while running. This is one of the places where I will turn down my music and am grateful to have my phone with me. While I feel safe running here I am always more aware of what's going on around me when I am running on my own.

Lastly to go along with taking your phone with you. Put an ICE into your contacts. Your "in case of emergency" A friend of mine passed this information along to me that if something seriously unfortunate happens and you are found unconscious without ID first responders will look for this in your phone. Luckily I have never had to find out if this is actually true but it only takes a few seconds to put in into your contacts, so why not?

Don't run late at night, alone through an unlit area... Thank you common sense. Trust your instincts, and just be aware and you will be golden! 

The beautiful things that can come from exploring trails! Out in Pennsylvania this summer, I had to chance to explore some near the camp that I worked at. Talk about a view!

Love this Calvin and Hobbs quote and it stands very true to running. "We're so busy watching out for what's just ahead of us that we don't take time to enjoy where we are." Enjoy where you are right now!! Cheers!

My new "warmth" for the evening! We are going to get hit hard again from the polar vortex. I'll be wishing for snow instead of the cold coming our way very very soon! Stay warm and keep running :)

50 Shades of Crazy

I've caught the mid winter, too much tread-milling, post-outside run sadness. It's a real life thing. And I have it. After the heat wave last weekend that melted the snow covered roads that let me run outside, I have been pouting, fiending for another fix. AKA a run outside. See here is the thing about living in Wicso' one day it can 30 degrees, sunny with no wind, and the next it's 25 mph winds, whipping snow with a temperature that feels like 40 degrees below zero. It is just great! If you like your weather 50 shades of crazy, Wisconsin is just for you! Back to the point. I have been refusing to run on the treadmill at all this week. And I just do not do track runs, unless it's a specific track workout. So I have taken the week off because the temperatures outside are completely, wonderful, if you are an icicle. Which I am not....

I know for a fact that I am not the only one who is restless to get back outside. Each of the different cycling instructors this week have all talked about biking outside, or getting back on the road when it's warmer out. Last night when I had a conversation with a man at the gym about how cut throat it has been to get a treadmill. Which it really has been!! There are over 20 treadmills at my gym and most of the time they are completely full or only a handful are open. This is all coming back to the "polar vortex" that has been tearing across the country. We both talked about how great it will be to get back outside and how much easier it is to run outside. Now, I am trying to be grateful that I am able to run at all, reminding myself about the 5 months of injuries and the running hiatus. Still I find myself just dreaming of all the long runs I'll get to do once it is nice outside again!

Cross training is a great thing though. It is necessary to prevent injuries, trust me on that one. As much as I love running, it really takes a toll on your body. Regardless of the shoes you wear (or don't, I'm talking about those funny five finger barefoot shoes, if you will) your joints and muscles need time to recoup. Running is a lifetime sport and I going to make sure that my knees, feet and hips are healthy enough to last me that long!

In spirit of missing summer and needing a little warm weather pick me up, I bought little primrose plants. I don't have a very good track record for keeping plants alive. They are WAY harder to keep alive than an animal! Hello! Animals will let you know when they need something. They will bark or meow or make some sort of signal that they need something. Plants are silent and unfortunately easily forgotten. Not to mention different kinds need different things. One needs sun while the other can't be in the sun. Seriously plants are hard!

Good luck little primrose plants, and may be EVER in your favor!

Hello desserts, Chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter cookie dough frosting and Moscato cupcakes with Moscato frosting. I love it when my sister comes home! YUM!

There were some difficulties with Moscato frosting at first but it turned out just fine and tastes delicious!

We are always spoiled when my sister comes home. Cauliflower "pizzas" with baby peppers, avacado and tomato slices. Delicious and a healthy take on a classic. This meal couldn't have been possible without the help of my NINJA blender! :) That was my contribution to this meal ;)

 I just had to throw this in here. This came on a sweater I got this week. Too funny and applicable to more than just the sweater ;)

First Outdoor Run of 2014!!!!

Yesterday, it was a blamy 30 something degrees and get this SUNNY! What? What is that  bright fire-y ball just hanging out in the sky? Kidding, but as a summer baby I am having serious warm weather withdrawals. I am missing the hot summer weather and the beautiful sun. It was so great to have the sun out yesterday. Naturally to take full advantage of the beautiful weather, I took a nap! Oops. hahah But after my very nice little nap full of very strange dreams, I've been having a lot of really weird and VIVID dreams, I went for a run, outside.

Glorious.

I love the website mapmyrun.com. It lets you log a run, street by street and has a lot of helpful tools when planning. It's kind of funny but whenever I plan a run I really to make the routes as simple as I can. Thus, a lot of my runs are out a back runs, simply running out one way, turning around and running the same route back. This might sound boring but it allows me to somewhat zone out on my run. Running is one why I deal with stress or if I have something on my mind I'll go for a long run to clear my head. The more I can think distract my brain from my actual run the better I feel after a run. You would think using this logic I would be able to zone out on a treadmill like nobody's business. Unfortunately it's the exact opposite, it's really hard for me to clear my head when I am on a treadmill run.

Either way, my outdoor run yesterday was the first outdoor run of 2014! Whoo hoo! The first few miles of my run it was really sunny and warm. I intentionally planned to run on more side roads than busy roads so I wouldn't have to fight with cars to have the clear parts of the road. I only had to run on the sidewalk once thankfully because it was unshoveled and had about 4 inches of snow with some foot prints making it killer on my calves. The second half of my run was COLD! The sun disappeared behind the clouds and I was running into the wind. Not to mention the I was warm from the first half of the run and a little sweaty. I always say that cold runs are my fastest runs, because I absolutely hate being cold so I just want to get done and warm faster.

I am happy that I was able to sneak this outdoor run in before we get hit with another really cold spell again. So GROSS!

Such a great run! I love when the trees are covered in snow. It all looks so clean and peaceful.

My FAVORITE and depressingly discontinued running shoes. Asics GT 2170. I have an online order put in for two more pairs of them. Trying to stock up before they're all gone and I have to find a new go-to running shoe.

Obviously not the most ideal road conditions to run in...

 The final stretch of my run. Love the pine trees and snow on the ground. Wisconsin is so pretty every season!

All bundled up. Layers are the KEY to staying warm while running. That and fleece lined everything!

A well deserved class of my favorite Cupcake wine, a bag of kettle corn and Grey's anatomy. No better way to end my night. 

THE most delicious Banana "ice cream" of your life!

I have a new OBSESSION. A completely healthy new obsession. For Christmas my sister and her fiance gave me a NINJA! A little sword wielding body guard dressed all in black. Just for me! ....OR the coolest blender set ever! Not just one little blender. This bad boy has THREE different contraptions. A mini chopping set. A regular sized processor and a jumbo pitcher. I am ashamed to say that it took me nearly a month to open it... I'm not proud of that. But I feel that I have made up for it in the past two days I have used it four times. Making the most delicious and healthy dessert each time NOT the point though! This frozen banana "ice cream" like treat. I have made four different variations. Each one different and each one sooooooo good! Here is the basic recipe:

3/4 of a frozen banana, sliced thinly

3/4 c. of ice cubes (I use 8 cubes)

1/4 c. milk

1/2 t. vanilla extract

1 Splenda packet

Blend everything in a blender or a magical NINJA! Place blended ingredients into a bowl or mug and freeze for 5 minutes. 

That's it! So easy it should be illegal. That is the first recipe I tried and then I got a little creative each of the next three times I made this delicious treat!

Variation 1

Substitute 1/4 c. of black coffee for the milk and skip the vanilla.

Variation 2

Add  1 1/2 T. PB2 or 1 T. regular peanut butter.

Variation 3

Add 1 1/2 T. pumpkin puree and 1/2 t. cinnamon

Literally the best most satisfying dessert I've ever made! It's healthy and filling! I have been having so much fun making different flavors and using different ingredients. I have so many different ideas of flavors and toppings to use. Including but not limited to: Nutella, mint chocolate chip, butterscotch, almond, chocolate, and all those delicious fruit flavors! I just don't have enough time in the day to eat all of my new creations! 

THANKS for the blender sis! There's never any sibling rivalry right? ;)

I've seriously been meaning to take picture of the "process" of making this but I forget each time. I WILL take pictures.... next time. 

But for now this is how I spent my Saturday. After the 90 minute spinning class this morning and then some lifting, I got started working on this stack of books! 

My current read is: "Man Up! Tales of my Delusional Self-Confidence" by Ross Matthews 

I'm already a quarter of the way through and it is HILARIOUS! 

Ice Ice Baby

Saturday morning, my workout plan for the day was to go to the 90 minute spinning class early in the morning. This did not happen. Not because I slept through it! Let's back up to Friday night.

I spent the afternoon working on my computer at Starbucks. I knew I would be able to get a lot done there, plus I would indulge in my favorite beverage, coffee. About 5:30 I decided to call it a day and head home to have dinner with my parents. It was raining when I was walking out to my car and it was a little slick. I drove home very carefully and parked in my driveway. My driveway has a bit of an incline. I'm sure you can see where this is going. I gingerly stepped out of my car door with one foot and it was glare ice. SUPER! Laptop, purse and my coffee in hand, I put the other foot out and started to make my way to the door. I made it about two feet before I started to sliiiiiiide back down. In a panic I grabbed for the only thing in reach, my car door. Here I am hanging onto my car door trying not to fall and I have no idea how I am going to make it up the rest of my driveway. I tried a second time to wiggle my way up the driveway. This time I slid all the way down to the street and landed smack on my bum. I managed to save my coffee and laptop though! Again, I picked my self up, now with wet jeans, and tried to skate my way back up the driveway. I made it just up to the front of my car before I started to slide backwards and AGAIN landed on my back side. Never fear coffee and laptop are still intact. Now I know there is no way I am going to make it up my driveway just sliding up the middle, but if I can make it to the snow on the far side of the driveway I should be ok. This means crossing 10 feet of driveway covered in ice and on an incline. great! I push off my car just a little bit and start to slide over to the snow bank when I feel my feet go out from under me again! This time I know I am going to land face first! I save my laptop from landing under me but my Starbucks goes flying into the dead center of the driveway where it sits, helpless. After nearly 10 minutes of sliding, falling and wiggling around on the icy rink of my driveway, I made it inside! Wet and a little sore but happy that it didn't come down to me crawling on my hands and knees to make it inside!

This picture does NOT do it justice but you can see the little white Starbucks cup in the middle of the driveway and the length that I had to scurry up on a sheet of perfectly smooth ice. Brutal I tell you!!

The "ice-capade" of my Friday night led to waiting for the weather to warm up a bit before trying to venture out to the gym. Now that I wasn't going to go spinning I decided that I would hit the treadmill for maybe an hour. I thought I would probably run about eight. When the first eight rolled around I was feeling good, and on one of the long distance treadmills! Whooooo hoooo! So I thought "ok i'll just run 12" that would take me about 90 minutes, just another half an hour. I can do that. Those next four came and went and there was only nine minutes left on my treadmill why not just finish those too? This day that I hadn't even planned to run at all I ended up running 13.2 miles. Just over half of a marathon! It was just one of those days that felt right. I also happened to be watching the figure skating that was on TV. Those girls and couples are amazing. I was completely in awe of them which is probably why I basically forgot that I was running. I can't wait for the Olympics to start! Who knows how far I'll run when those are on ;)

I don't know what was on the screen of the treadmill but I swear that wasn't me! I had a book covering the screen! Pretty speedy 13.2 miles though! A run I am definitely proud of.

Every holiday season, my neighborhood puts together an "adopt a family". For those of you who don't know it's sponsoring a local family who might be facing a tough time financially or for some other circumstance isn't able to provide for their family's Christmas. The families in my neighborhood, for the past eight years, will all pool together donations, shop for the specific family, or families, then wrap the gifts and deliver them to the families. Very cool! There is always a holiday get together at some point in January for everyone to reconnect after the holidays. I spent my Saturday night there, eating delicious food, and having a "dirty snowball" and a glass of wine or two!

Sunday morning, there was another spinning class that I was planning on going to. To work the little bit of soreness out of my legs. Normally my Mom and I go together, but her room was still dark when I was about to head out the door so I got into my car to meet her there. I backed out of my de-iced, scraped driveway and was barely going 10 mph turning off of my street when I lost all traction and slid right into the ditch. FANTASTIC. I called my mom to tell her about my "situation" then stepped out of my car and AGAIN fell flat on my face. The whole ice-y road slipperiness really just isn't my thing. After some help from my Dad, and four neighbors, running to rescue my poor little car stuck in the snow, my car was tucked back safely in it's spot on the driveway. I may not have been able to offer my brute strength, but I like to think that without my brilliant idea to use carpet squares under the wheels, it may still be stuck in the ditch! Needless to say I did NOT make it to the spinning class, or the gym for that matter. I did spend a nice afternoon snuggled up on the couch watching football with my Dad. It was quite the lazy Sunday. A well deserved one, too!

My poor little vehicle just stuck in the snow :( Look how icy the road is! Another truck got stuck trying to navigate around us while we were extracting my car from the snow bank! I am so lucky that so many people stopped to make sure everyone was alright and to offer a hand! Definitely the Wisconsin "nice-ness"!

This is just the finished product of my Brussels sprouts dish! Sooooo tastsy :)

Brussels Sprouts

Good runs, bad runs. Good days, bad days. We have them all. It's the spice of life and it keeps things interesting! How boring would life be if every day were perfect? We would not be able to appreciate the great days without a few days that leave you down in the dumps. It's all about perspective. The way we look at life is what is so important. Today I had a really lousy run. It seemed like there was nothing that I could do to get "in the groove." I took a break halfway through. I stretched nearly every five minutes towards the end. I ended a mile earlier than I had planned. Now comparing that to my run yesterday that was awesome it looks even worse. My run yesterday was fantastic. It just flew by! I kept cranking up the speed, nothing could slow me down. It was so great!!! I got off the treadmill feeling better than when I started. But here is how I am choosing to look at it. A few years ago I would not have been able to finish seven miles period. I definitely would not have been able to do it sub-eight minute miles. So who cares if this run wasn't as good as yesterday's?  I have come so far from where I started that I can be proud of my run today even if it was not the best run. I have come a long way, literally and figuratively ;)

Enough with the preachy stuff though! Tonight I am took on a dish that I NEVER thought I would make. Brussels sprouts.... What? During a trip to the grocery store today I picked up a bag of them on a whim. I don't really know what intrigued me so much about them but I just HAD to have them. I looked up a bunch of different recipes on how to prepare them and decided on roasting them! Did you know you can make chips out of Brussels sprouts? Mind blown! Apparently there are a lot of ways to cook them. Maybe next time I'll give that one a shot! But for tonight I roasted them, and they were delicious!!

This is the recipe I followed to make my delicious Brussels sprouts:

• 1 1/2 lb halved Brussels sprouts
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• red pepper flakes

Toss Brussels sprouts with olive oil and a pinch of each red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Roast cut side down on a baking sheet at 450 degrees until caramelized, 25 to 30 minutes.

Here is my funny side story to go along with the Brussels sprouts. While I was in college, I was a part time nanny. The family has three beautiful young children. I got to spend a lot of time with their six year old daughter and their three year old son over the past two years. On days that I would watch the kids, I was in charge of making them lunch. When it came close to lunch time I would always ask them what they wanted to have! They would tell me that they didn't know, or the little boy would tell me he wanted "doo doo" just to be a goof! So I would ramble off the list of some silly things for them to have for lunch. Like dog chow or a bowl of puzzle pieces or a basketball pizza. Obviously things people do not eat, just to clarify! They would giggle and tell me no that was not what they wanted for lunch. The last suggestion I would make for them (before a list of real suggestions) was Brussels sprouts. They thought it was the FUNNIEST thing! They would just crack up and be in a fit of giggles! Which made me laugh because of how funny they though that was! It was the cutest thing! It's not like the kids didn't eat vegetables either. They were some of the healthiest eaters around. I like to think I am a healthy eater too but these kids gave me a run for my money! Needless to say I never made them Brussels sprouts for lunch. Being a nanny was one of the most fun, rewarding jobs I have ever had. It was always such a refreshing break from the crazy stressful college life, full of lab report deadlines and exams. If my hardest decision all day was what book to read for story time, or what song to turn on for a dance party, that's ok. Watching those kids grow up over the past two years has melted my heart over and over. They are the goofiest, kindest, sweetest kids around and I know they are going to grow up into wonderful people! So my dinner of Brussels sprouts is dedicated to Mr. Mac and Cheese and Ms. Giggles! Sending them and extra big hug today!

Foodie on the Loose

My inner foodie has been running rampant these last two days! Probably because the weather has been brutally cold! The thermometer that hangs on the outside of my kitchen window actually read -22* yesterday. Insane! My hair froze as I was running in from my car parked in the driveway to the front door when I was done at the gym. People have been posting videos throwing boiling water into the air outside and it turns to steam/snow before it hits the ground. It is nasty outside. The area schools have been closed for the past two days and some even closed tomorrow for a third day. I have ventured out each day to make necessary trips, aka the gym and the grocery store :) two of my favorite places. I have been reading a lot of cooking blogs online and wanted to try a few recipes of my own. Or at the very least put my spin on them! Instead of the normal training entry or post about my workouts this one is going to be all about delicious food! mmmmmm!

The first item on my "menu" was dinner for my family Monday night, since they were all coming in from the cold what better way to warm up than with a nice hot bowl of chili? A vegetarian chili of course and I absolutely LOVE spicy food! I mean bring on the heat! For those of you who know me well know how much I love Sriracha hot chili sauce! It is a staple of my diet, I think I can but it on just about everything I eat. Take that as a warning that this chili is spicy, delicious of course but HOTTTT! but delicious... but spicy. OK you get the point, that its hot!

There was a time when I was out for Mexican food with some girl friends and had asked the waiter for some really spicy salsa. He asked me how spicy? and I replied the spicier the better. He brought me back a dish of salsa and warned me to be cautious. While he was standing there I took a chip and a big scoop and dug in. He asked how it was. It was quite wimpy salsa so I told him just that. He laughed and said alright I'll be right back. He returned with another bowl of and a glass of milk. This time though I think half the wait staff was watching our table and laughing to themselves waiting for me to try this next salsa. This along with the milk was kind of intimidating. There was no backing down now, so once again I grabbed a chip and dug into the salsa expecting not to be able to taste the rest of my meal. The looks on their faces when I grabbed the bowl and dumped the rest onto my meal was priceless. They had been expecting tears or something! It ended up being the perfect amount of kick that I needed! I'm not looking to do any Man vs. Food spicy challenges anytime soon but I can handle a lot of the hot stuff!

"Meatless" Chili

• 1 c. onions finely chopped
• 1/2 c. green pepper finely chopped
• 1 fresh jalapeno seeded and finely chopped
• 1 12oz. package meatless "crumbles"- I used Morning Star Grillers Recipe Starter Crumbles
• 1 can whole kernel corn
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can tomato paste
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 1 T. oregno
• 1 T. basil
• 1 T. garlic powder
• 1 T. cayenne pepper
• 3 T. chili powder
• 1 T. Sriracha hot sauce
• 1 T. cumin
• 1 T. unsweetened cocoa powder

In a large pot heat onions, green peppers, jalapeno and crumbles, just until onions begin turning clear. Drain corn, then add to pot. Drain and rinse beans, then add. Add tomatoes and tomato pasta but do NOT drain tomatoes. Add in spices. Heat through and serve.

I served ours with a cheddar cheese, sour cream and more chopped onions. I had a beer bread mix that I made to serve on the side of the chili that was a hearty bread with it's baked edges and soft middle. SOOOO good! This was my first time making chili solo and my own recipe!  Judging from the reactions and the number of second helpings it's safe to say it was a success!

I have totally been on a tea kick lately so at one of my necessary stops to the grocery store today I had to pick up some tea. I bought a herbal tea sampler box for my night time tea cravings and I picked up a box of double spice chai black tea! Yum! 

My breakfast for lunch! Scotheroo Oatmeal with some added banana slices, a recipe I found on http://undressedskeleton.tumblr.com/  I cannot get enough of her blog! She has the best recipes. I will definitely be trying some more of her meals in the future!

I couldn't wait to try this skinny version of a creamy spinach "dip" on a piece of toast. It's really really simple but totally hits the spot. One Laughing Cow cheese triangle mixed with 1/4 c. steamed spinach on a piece of light whole wheat toast. Sometimes the best things in life really are that simple!

That's all for tonight BUT I am in the works of perfecting my own skinny version of brownie in a mug so with these next few days looking to be below zero still stay tuned for something equally delicious!!

Love.Hate

Spinning. 

The most love. hate relationship in my life. The first spinning class I went to I left halfway though. To this date that is the ONLY workout class I have ever left because it was too hard. I love to hate it. I hate to love it. Any way you slice it, it's a killer workout. This morning, like I set my alarm clock for the unnaturally early hour of, wait for it.... 6:30am. ON A SATURDAY! Ugh! Nearly too early to function on a weekend. My beautiful gym offers a double spinning class Saturday mornings from 7-8:30. Yes NINTEY minutes of grueling, sweaty, exhausting pedaling. Love to hate it! Love it before and after but during those 90 minutes of class I would rather be basically anywhere else in the whole world. 

Today's class included long and short intervals, hill climbing, super heavy loads, sprints, time trials and for the first time ever, cycling with one foot at a time. That was a little bizarre for me and I had to make sure my leg that wasn't pedaling was out of the way or it would be creamed by the empty pedal. All in all a serious workout, leaving me breathless and my legs completely fatigued, not to mention my bum was a little sore as well. Back on that pillow...

I know what you're thinking, if I hate it so much while I am doing it, why even bother going? First off, the word hate is much too strong. I don't hate anything! There are times in the workout when I strongly dislike it, but I would never say that I hate it. Secondly, I love the challenge that it brings. I know when I get on that bike, it is not going to be easy. I am really going to have to push myself to keep up and to get the best workout that I can. When it's getting hard I always tell myself "You can do anything for 30 seconds!" even if the interval is longer than that I make it through those next 30 seconds and I know that I can finish the set. It is so true that you mind will quit wayyyy before your body will. Running is something that comes very naturally to me. Biking I struggle with. Hello August 25th bike crash. For me, biking is HARD!!! I have a plate and 8 screws to back that up! Still, I know the rewards that it has. It is an excellent way to cross train. I have noticed that after beginning cycling classes, my running has gotten faster and feels easier. One of the things I like the most though it feeding off the energy of the class. When I am tired or don't want to push myself, all I have to do is look up and see the other people going all out an I am right back in the game! The workouts that challenge you the most are the ones that give you the most benefits in the end. So get out there and PUSH yourself! You are capable of so much more than you think!

Love the quote on my water bottle! "Life is short... Enjoy your ride!" 

After my heavy morning workout, I spent the afternoon with a few of my girlfriends at a local coffee shop working on our resumes and applying for jobs. We obviously spent some time gossiping and catching each other up on our lives, too! All in all it was the perfect foil to my intense morning, and my legs got a much needed break ;)

A productive afternoon spent with friends and a perfect little cup of coffee! Life is good!!!!

Hello 2014!

"A new year. A new me!!!" It sounds a bit cliche honestly. I think it's so great to set goals and what better time than the start of a new year? But a new me? What's wrong with the old me? 24 hours ago "old me" was just fine... So here's to keeping the old me and just building on that! Either way, new me or old me, I thought about some goals for this new year and they might be some big ones but here they go.

• Set a new marathon personal record
• Qualify for Boston again

Yikes. I am writing these so I can be held accountable for making these goals. Even though at this current moment they seem to be far away, I know that if I train right I can reach them. I'm not saying it's going to be a picnic either though, BUT I have 363 full days left to accomplish them and with some hard work anything is possible!

Today I had an eight mile run and a KILLER Pilates class. I am currently sitting on a pillow... Kudos to all of those leg and butt lifts we did today, tomorrow might be painful. My run was great today though. After having a really crummy run two days ago, I took yesterday off of running so my legs were extra fresh today. I just felt really light when I was running today. Maybe it was the six inches of hair I had cut off this morning... This sounds a little fishy like a "new me" but I swear that it's happenstance that I had an appointment the day after New Years. It was the first date my stylist could fit me in after Christmas, she is a busy lady! The funny thing is I really only went in for a trim. HA! Anyways, my run was great! It really is run's like today that remind me why I love running so much. It makes me feel refreshed and really calm. The crappy runs make the good runs seem so much more enjoyable! Not every day is going to be a great running day. The run that I took on New Year's Eve was awful. I started out running fine but I was so bored and tired that halfway through my run I decided that in order for me to log the next four miles I wanted to take a break. So I did, I walked and read my book for about ten minutes before ramping the speed back up and finishing those last four miles. You know what? My time running was so much more enjoyable after I took that little break. That is the beautiful thing about running and working out. You get to make it your own. I know that not every day is going to be a hard or heavy day. Some days I can barely drag my bum to the gym at all. On those days if all I want to do is a slow walk on the treadmill or a leisurely bike ride and then pack up and call it a day. That is exactly what I am going to do. This seriously helps me prevent injuries, and then when I come for those hard days I really push myself. Running and training are all about being flexible and making it your own! 

Take some time and reflect on this past year. This time last year I was in BEAUTIFUL Playa Del Carmen, Mexico brining in the new year with my family. Running on the sand, once barefoot, OUCH! 

After some my run barefoot on the sand left me with some serious blisters I was more inclined to run in the gym the resort had on site. What a view though?? I could run on that treadmill all day looking out at the ocean!! 

 After a morning yoga session in the lobby, my sister kicked my butt with some interval work on the beach.

Don't mess with me after that circuit workout! But I'm sooooo ready for those lounge chairs, working out on the sand it hard and messy too!

One of the most beautiful places I have ever been! I am missing those warm sandy beaches right now! What a great week in Mexico it was!!!

Think of some things that truly made you happy and continue with those. Then think of some areas that you maybe neglected or want to improve. But remember you don't need a "new me" the current you is just fine! I encourage you to build on that! Set realistic goals for yourself. Tell people your goals, this holds you accountable to actually accomplish them!