Running - Raining - Waving - Packing

Running - 3 miles yesterday at a quick pace going between 0.0-1.0 incline. I felt good and pushed pretty hard to run it faster than normal since it was a short run. Walked 1/4 mile after to cool down.



Just before my run in PT.



Raining - We've been praying for it like our lives depended on it and we finaly got rain. TONS of it last night and this morning. Hooray for Texas and a break in the effing drought of all droughts!

Packing - Mister's lunch this morning:



Chicken Salad, Oriental Salad, Pineapple Chobani w/ Granola

 Waving - We are going to be waving goodbye to my brother on Saturday.  He is going to be moving to Austin to start a new job there that he is very excited about.  He is going to be a personal trainer for a big gym down there and is super pumped about the whole thing. He is not only excited about his new job (which he will kick major ass at) but also about moving and trying something new in a big city.

So tonight we are having a cookout just the family and Darc to give him a proper send off. Its going to be a blast and I may tie one on with him!

A Recipe, Some lunches, and an Epic Fail

Last night I had to use the other half of a turkey sausage that was left over from our Red Bean and Rice the other night. So, to keep with the cajun theme, I decided to whip up some Jambalaya for me and Mister's supper and thought "why not share this shit show cooking experience and tasty recipe on the blog"

So here is kind of a recipe for jambalaya (I eyeball everything so these are just guesstimations):

Jambalaya:

Ingredients:
1 Chicken Breast (chopped)
1 or 1/2 Turkey Sausage (chopped)
1/2 cup Celery (diced)
1/2 cup Onion (minced)
2 cups Minute Rice
2-3 T Canola Oil
2 tsp Creole Seasoning
Dash Cayenne Pepper Powder
Dash Garlic Salt

Finely chop up the onion and celery. Add celery, onion, and canola oil to a large skillet and saute until softened. While that is cooking make the Minute Rice as specified on the box.

Then add chopped cooked chicken and sausage to the celery/onion pan. (I had a pice of chicken left from chicken salad and used it.) Add one tsp of the creole seasoning and mix well.

Next add the rice and the rest of the seasonings (creole, cayenne, garlic salt) to the skillet and mix well.

Side Note: I usually end up adding more creole seasoning. So give it a taste and add more if you want it spicier.

Finished Product.

Mister on his 3rd helping. No leftovers tonight! (We ate in front of the tv because the season finale of TopGear was on and we love us some TG!)

I thought that, since I am already reaching picture parade status, I might as well share Monday and Tuesday's lunches from Gma's this week!


Monday: Chicken Salad Wrap, Yellow Watermelon, Grapes, and 1/2 Pear




Tuesday: Gma's Goulache with plenty of cheese! First time I've ever had her goulache and it was fantastic and WAY different than my Nanny's, which, not unlike Lucky Charms, is magically delicious.

 Now I'm sure you are exicted to hear of my epic running fail yesterday.
I don't know what happened!
I felt super stoked about it going in. Then 10 minutes later I was walking out and getting in my car.
I was not feeling it yesterday. Once I got on the TM I started hating the fact that I was there. So I finished up a mile and threw in the towel.
I don't want to try and force myself to run when I don't want to because I'm worried that it will make me start to resent doing it all together.
Today I am feeling motivated again and am hoping for a much less lame workout this evening.

Projected Workout for Today:

1. Run - 4 Easy Miles

What are you planning for your workout today?

What is your favorite family recipe? Does it ever come out the way your Mom/Gma makes it?

New Ab Burner & WHHAA?!

I am planning on doing a shorter run today with a new Ab Burner either after or in between miles. Not sure which yet. Here is what I am thinking for my Massive Abs Monday - Ab Burner:

As for this weekend - My Nanny and Sheila came up from Austin for a visit this weekend and wanted to come see our rent house. They have not been able to see it since we moved into it about a year ago. Well, even though we have lived in it for a good while now, we still didn't have everything unpacked, put away, or hung on the walls yet. So when they call Saturday and were like "Hey we are going to come see your house this afternoon!" I was like:



WHHAA?!?!

So Mister and I got up and, while calmly freaking the eff out, got the house completely finished and pristine in only 6 hours!! We hung stuff all over the walls, unpacked what needed unpacking, stored what didn't, scrubbed the bathroom, did dishes, scrubbed the kitchen, did laundry, dusted EVERYTHING, made all the beds and turned on the Scentsy's. The only thing we couldn't do was vacuum because ours decided not to power on for some sassy reason.
It was the first time our house has looked emaculate since we moved in. I was SO PSYCHED!!
The fam came out (Nanny, two aunts, two cousins, and little BJ) and were super sweet and complimentary, and brought us awesome house-warming gifts! (that I forgot to photograph! Oops.) I will post a pic of them tomorrow.
It was a fantastic weekend!!

Projected Workout for Today:

1. Run - 3 Miles Quick Pace
2. Massive Abs Monday - Ab Burner

If you try the Ab Burner let me know what you think.

How long were you in your current residence before you were finished moving in?

Is it just me or do you always have to panic clean when people are coming over?? Or are you one of those super women who always have a clean home?

Jar O' Salad

Just had a righteous jar o' salad for lunch! It was all the leftover oriental salad we had left from Wednesday and I was more than happy to polish it off. I'm starting to think that this intense obsession with O.S. is never going to wear off...

Jars of salad are where it's at. Especially if that salad is Oriental in nature.

Now on to running! Yesterday I had a great workout. I ran 2 miles at a mid pace and 1.0 incline. Then I jumped off the tredmill and onto a mat for my 10 minute Ab Burner. Then got back on the tredmill for 2 miles at a fast pace goes up and down from a 0 to a 2.0 incline. It was a sweaty nasty FANTASTIC workout. I felt amazing after I finished, was drenched in perspiration, and smelled like sweaty camel balls. It. Was. Glorious.




Right before the gloriousness ensued.




I am hoping my run today goes as well! I am hoping to get in at least 3 miles today but if I am feeling strong and my muscles don't feel to strained from the run yesterday I wouldn't mind going as far as 5 miles. We shall see....

Projected Run for Today

1. Run - 3-5 Miles Mid Pace
2. Possibly an Arm Burner

Yesterday's Actual Workout

1. 2 Mile Run - 1.0 Incline Mid Pace
2. 10 Minute Ab Burner
3. 2 Mile Run - Fast Pace 0-2.0 Incline Changes

Can anyone recommend a really good supportive sports bra that can cut down on post run tender tits?!?

What is your favorite salad of all time?? Homemade or from a restaurant??

What is your favorite cold snack??



Running Play List - "POPsicle"

First a picture of lunch:




P.C. Sandwich 1/2, Oriental Salad, Cantaloupe. It was so good I almost had to change my pants.


I have put together a badass running playlist for this afternoon's long run. I have named it "POPsicle" due to the fact that it is overrun with bubblegum pop music (I did throw in some country to stay true to my roots). All the songs have a great tempo for running to and are super upbeat and fizzy.

"POPsicle" Playlist:

1. Wanted - Hunter Hayes
2. Give Your Heart A Break - Demi Lovato
3. Ready or Not - Bridgit Mendler
4. Brokenhearted - Karmin
5. Blown Away - Carrie Underwood
6. I Need a Dollar - Aloe Blacc
7. One Thing - One Direction
8. Dark Side - Kelly Clarkson
9. Pontoon - Little Big Town
10. Electric Twist - A Fine Frenzy
11. Cowboys and Angels - Dustin Lynch
12. Lights - Ellie Goulding
13. Titanium - David Guetta/SIA
14. Good Time - Owl City/Carly Rae Jepsen

So there it is. My Bubblegum "POPsicle" playlist. I think it is going to be great for keeping my pace up because all the songs have a pretty fast tempo.

On a very sweet and awesome side note, my Nanny is here for a visit!! She lives in a small town near Austin and I haven't seen her in probably 5 months or something. She lived here until last year and I am not used to seeing her so little. It is craptastic :( but she is very happy being down there with some of her other grandkids, great grandkids, and her own kids.

Anyway, she came to the office to see me today and visit a friend who was admitted and she gave me some change and said "Flowerpot (her pet name for me), I just got a coke and here's some money for you to get yourself one too cause you're working so hard you need to have a coke." How sweet is she. So after my run today I am going to break my "no diet cokes" rule because of my sweet, tender Nanny.




My Nanny quarters. I could just squeeze the bajeezus out of that sweet lady!

 Meeting up with her and the rest of my mom's family for chicken noodle soup and a good visit this evening after my run.  Hopefully they won't mind my runners stench.

Please take the opportunity below to brag on your Nannies, Grammies, Mamaw's etc because they deserve to be bragged on for being so damn sweet!!

A Weigh In, A Run, and Sore Boobs

Sorry I forgot to weigh in yesterday but I remember this morning. So here are my stats:
Current Weight: 168.8
Start Weight: 194
Goal Weight: 150
Height: 5'7"
Week's Loss: .8

So there was a loss! Nothing crazy significant, but I'll take this small victory and run with it.

Yesterday's Run
Yesterday I went for a run.  I was hoping for at least 4 miles but after mile 1 I knew I wasn't feelin it so instead of getting in 4 miles I decided to just run a really hard 3 and call it a day.  I kept uping my elevation and pace every 1/2 mile for 2 miles.
The last half mile was pretty rough but it felt great to have done it once it was over. I had to go ahead and walk about a quarter mile to cool down because I got my heart rate up so damn high but it was nice to do some leasurely strolling to round out the run. The run burned about 400 calories. Score!
Today, though, I am hoping for a 5 miler or more if I am feeling good and running strong.

After the run last night I got home and the Mister had grilled us up some hamburgers and they were SO effin good! I made some oriental salad to go with them because I had gone DAYS without any and was starting to suffer withdrawls. It was perfection.

Unfortunately when I took a shower before bed I took my sports bra off not thinking anything of it and cussed like a sailor cause my boobs were so damn sore!! I am guessing that I just don't have high caliber enough sports bras for running any more than 4 miles or something. I mean they were tender to the slightest touch. So in the comments if you know of any amazing sports bras, tips, tricks or secrets to avoiding sore tits PLEASE share!!

Here is a random picture of lunch from yesterday and Tuesday at Gma's house. Late, yes, but they were too pretty and delicious not to share. Healthy too.

Yesterday: Salami wrap w/ cottage cheese, chipotle mayo, and baby spinach. (Done judge it is ass kickin good) Mango, Yellow watermelon, and Israely Melon.



Tuesday: 1/2 Pimento Cheese Sandwich thin (Gma's homemade P.C.), 1/2 Peach, Yellow watermelon, Grapes.

Projected Workout for Today:

1. Run 5 Miles - Keep pace up 15 seconds from last week
2. 10 minutes Ab Burner 

Ab Burner + Arm Burner Workout

Just wanted to pop in and post up the Arm Burner and Ab Burner workouts that I am f'in dreading made up to do after my run today.  I am planning to do the Ab routine through twice.  For the Arm Burner I am going to go with low weights and do each set of 20 twice with only a 30 second rest in between. This is because I want to sculpt my arms rather than beef up to hulk status.

If you tried it tell me what you thought and/or what you would change.

Good Weather. Good FroYo. Good Fun.

This was a Bud weekend! So, it goes without saying that it was a great weekend.
Let me just start by saying I. Was. Terrible. On the way up there with my snacking. Terrible. It all started with this little circle of heaven. The Biti Cake.




Yum.

The weather on the way up was awesome. It was a little misty and dreary but the temperature was fantastic and everything was SO green from the rain we'd gotten the last couple of days.



Then I got very bored at a long light and took a quick snap of my very best facebook self-portrait face.




Nice right?! I feel like I definitely nailed it.

I took my mom's car up there because mine is like 3000 miles overdue for an oil change and I was scared it would impload if I drove it 400 miles. Two things about mom's car: 1.) Honda Pilot = SO COMFY 2.) She sets her car clock 20 minutes early.
Not realizing that her clock is so ahead I reach the school parking lot 25 minutes before school lets out and am thinking "Geez parents around here really wait until crunch time to pick their kids up from school." Then once I walk into the school and see that the clock is 20 minutes behind mine everything makes sense. So I got to sit and wait for about 15 minutes to get Bud out of class. His fantasmic teacher let him out a few minutes early since I was there already. Thanks Mrs. B!!

So...what to do after school and before a long drive....




Cherry Berry!! We love us some self serve frozen yogurt.

  

Buds: Birthday Cake FroYo w/chocolate chips, blackberries, whipped cream and a cherry on top.



Mine: Pumpkin and Cheesecake FroYo w/CTC, strawberries, almonds, whipped cream.

 It was fantastic and I was Super Mom

We went to my parents when we got back from picking him up and ate some of my mom's delicious potato soup and played a few hands of Nertz. (We Won!)

Then Bud begged to stay the night with Shug and Pop (that's what he calls my parents) and of course we said yes. My parents hadn't seen him in a month because they were gone on his last weekend here. They played war (the card game) and had milk shakes in their pj's. That's why grandparents rule.

I ran 3 miles on Saturday. Every second of it sucked. Don't ask me why. It just did.

I was ready to quit after mile one....but then I thought "You ate a biti cake, some Taco Mayo, and drank beer yesterday. Run it off you fat ass." That got me to mile 3 pretty quick.

Projected workout for today:

1. 4 Miles - Up the pace 15 secs per mile from last week.
2. 10 Minute Arm Burners
3. 10 Minute Ab Burner

I will get back on in a bit and post the Arm and Ab burners that I am going to put together for today's workout if anyone wants to join in the fun!

Do you find it hard to run on the weekends?

Do you live in the same town as your parents or siblings?

What is your favorite Frozen Yogurt mix?

Fist Pumpin' Good

Yesterday after work I went on a run with my brother for the second time.  This time it didn't suck! To the contrary it was actually fan-fuckin-tastic!! I am still pumped from that run 15 hours later! Fist Pumpin' Pumped!!

The first time I went on a run with my brother...well, the word aweful  doesn't seem to cover it. We ran 4 miles at my slow ass pace and I started the death run at mile 2 and barely made it to mile 4. It was a running shitpocolypse. Not only was it my first outside run (in 90+ heat), but it was also my first time to run with my big brother, who is my running role model. I was hot, it was hilly, and I was tense and nervous to be running with him.

So after that first horrible run I decided that I had to redeem myself.  I started lengthening all my runs and speeding up my mile time by 15 seconds per week. I would not let myself look like a whiny weakling in front of my brother again.

Then yesterday he asked me to run 4 miles with him after work. I instantly accepted.
I knew that this time I was way better prepared and luck was on my side because a cold front had come in and it was cool outside for the first time since May.

We set out at my Gmas house and ran south through town going up hill most of the way with the wind at our backs. We headed back down and stopped at Gmas at mile 2 so bub could pee and I got a quick drink then we headed back out going north through town this time which put us downhill for about 1 mile. Our last mile was probably 80% uphill. Didn't even phase me!! We hit 4miles about .2 miles from Gmas and I told him to keep running cause I was still feeling great. So we upped the pace and really ran it out for that short distance.

When we got done I was so damn pumped I could have slapped someone!! But I didn't because slapping your Gma is frowned upon.

So instead I did my customary happy dance where Austin wouldn't see me and then ran up beside him to high five it out!! Woot!

Seriously yesterday was epic for me. I asked Austin about our pace and found out that I had brought my snails pace up by another 15 seconds per mile. Color me Stoked!

Anyway, yesterday was great and now I get to go get my little man for the weekend. Life is good.

Who is your running role model?

Anyone else at a snails pace?

Do you prefer running inside or outside?

My Gma Kicks Tush

Here is just one platefulla reason why my Gmas kicks tush.

Everything but the grapes is from our local farmers market. Those were the best green beans I have EVER had. Way to Gma!! It was frackin deliciousness.
There were also ribs involved but I didn't partake in those because I thought they would weigh heavy when I run later with Austin. And you definitely don't want to be sluggish when running with him.  He already has to slow up to snails pace to run with me.

Here he is enjoying his yellow watermelon and talking to Gma.

Ha! He was somewhat annoyed real excited to hear that I was posting this!
Thanks for being a good sport bub.

Anyway just a pointless post about my lunch with my brother and Gma at Gma's house.

Any other big kids out there eat lunch at their Gramma's house a few days a week??

Brought to You by the Letter R

It is a fact that Sesame Street is awesome. Otherwise it would not have made it to a 43rd season/year. This is why on FFF today is going to be brought to you by the letter R!

R is for RAIN!
  Here in the Texas Panhandle we have been dealing with some major drought issues...But today God looked down upon us and smout the drought. It has been raining here for HOURS and is supposed to continue ALL-DAY-LONG! If you tried to measure my elation in waffles .... you would have SO many waffles. It would result in a waffle feast of epic proportions.

R is for Rad
   Which is what my Hubs is. Yesterday I was in a righteous funk. Just woke up on the wrong side of the bed and felt blah and grr all f'ing day. It was craptastic. When I got home (to our a/c-less house) he did everything in his power to make me feel happy. He fixed the tv, fed the animals, and told me how great I am. He is just Rad.

R is for Running (Of Course)
   Today I am totally feeling like a good run. I feel motivated, excited, and my body is feeling good. I think I run 4-5 miles depending on my time constraints. I am also looking forward to better runs outside now.  This rain and lower temperature makes me feel like it is finaly going to cool off outside so that I can run outside on a regular basis.




This is the old ass tredmill I run on at work. It doesn't look like much but it is actually fantastic. I like runningon it a whole lot more than mine at home. Don't know exactly why...It's just more comfortable and less bulky.


R is for Relatives & Rolling Rock
   We are cooking out with the fam tonight at my parents house. Me & Hubs, Austin & Darc, Mom & Dad. Best set of six there is. Grillin' food, havin' a good visit, drinking a Rolling Rock, and playin' some Nertz! So pumped. The guys are making Kabobs. Yum.




Austin and Darc


R is for the Little Rascal
   This is a Bud weekend. I pick him up from school Friday at 3:00!! This is my first time to pick him up from school this year. He is in 2nd grade. Last time he was out of school on Friday so I just got him from his Momma's. I am really excited though cause I LOVE picking him up at school and him telling me all about his day and showing me all of his papers from the week. It just gives me the warm fuzzies Every time.




This is Bud at the lake a few weeks ago with the pups. Mona is the Basset and Zoe is the Spaniel.


What part of your day is brought to you by the letter R?

Do you love the way it smells just before it rains?

Aside from recess do you kids tell you much about their school day?

Weigh In Wednesday - And a PDR

This morning I weighed in at 169.5. So unfortunately that is a gain from last week of .8 pounds. However, I don't really feel discouraged for two reasons.
1.) I weighed on an unfamiliar scale....that can go screw itself. So, for all I know, it may weigh different than mine does. I am going to weigh again tomorrow morning to see if their is any difference. (Please God let there be a difference.)
2.) I ran just under 15 miles last week, which for me is pretty darn good, with 2 rest days. 
At least I stayed under 170! Silver lining.

Some Stats:
Start Weight: 194
Current Weight: 169.5
Goal Weight: 150
Height: 5'7"

Second big thing - I hit a PDR yesterday and ran just over 5 miles!! JAZZ HANDS!!
The longest I had run up until yesterday was 4.5 miles, which I had done on several occassions.
So yesterday I was feeling good and had a lot of motivation and decided it would be a great day to set a PDR.

During the run I had a few twinges in my back but nothing major and my knees were a little tense but other than that it was a fantastic run. I really think I could have done 6 were it not for me already running 15 minutes late to meet our friends for dinner at their house. These friends are great and don't ever give me shit for tardiness or for smelling like sweat camel nuts. Thanks Purcells. You're the business!

Projected Workout for Today:

1. 30-45 Minutes Bike
2. 10 Minutes Arm Burner
3. 10 Minutes Ab Burner

Anyone want to join in the weigh in Wednesday?? We want to hear about your victory and or weight loss journey!!

Priorities and Peanut Butter

Yesterday I had to prioritize and change my workout plan. I hated it and I really tried not to but in the end my conscience won out and I did what I needed to do, which was cut my run very short.

I set out to run 5 miles yesterday and ended up only running 2.
Why would you do that?!

Well I will tell you. Just before my run I got a call from Hubs asking what plans for dinner were because he hadn't had a chance to eat ALL DAY! How the hell does one go without eating for 10 hours?? I said lets just whip up something at home. 

That's when I realized we were pretty much tapped out food-wise at the Henderson residence. I knew that Hubs was starving but wouldn't ask me to cut my run short so that I could hit up the grocery store before I came home. (We live 30 miles out of town so he wasn't about to drive all the way back in when he had just gotten out there and I don't blame him.) Let me just slip in here and say that Hubs has been so supportive of my running. If I have to run after work and am not going to get home til 7:00 he will cook supper for us and not even think twice about it. He's great.

So yesterday I felt like I needed to show him that I love him enough to cut my run short so that he wouldn't have to go any longer in his starved state. He was super pumped when I got home not only with a bunch of groceries but a Tombstone pizza (his favorite) for supper.  I thought that would be the quickest way for him to get food in his belly before he died a slow and hungry death. Call me Super Wife.

There aren't many instances when I would say that you should put other things before running. Like my brother always tells me you have to make it happen.  If it is important to you, you will no matter what.  BUT every once in a while it's okay to run less or maybe even not run for a VERY GOOD reason. Just make sure that you keep it to a minimum and make up for it the next day. Which is my plan.

Projected Workout for Today:

1. 5 Miles
2. Arms 10 minutes - High Reps/Low Weight

Also just for pictures sake here is what I am having for lunch today. 



PB&B sushi (I LOVE peanut butter!), carrots, hummus.


For Breakfast I am eating a trailish mix I threw together of Crasins, Vanilla Almond Granola, and Pecans with a cup of coffee. A big cup of coffee.

Is anyone else obsessed with hummus?

If you have a Garmin, what kind? Do you love it and why? (I am mulling over what to ask for, for Christmas from the hubs and need some input from those in the know.)

One Step Forward and Twenty Seven Steps Back

Welp, I had a nice little victory moment on Friday. Ran 4.5 Hard miles and uped my pace by 24 secs per mile. It was great. I had some mega perma-grin goin on for several hours afterwards.

Then I decended into an epic fail weekend of massive proportions.
Friday Night = Had a huge delicious fatty meal, drank lots of alcohol and stayed up til 5:00 am playing cards with our favorite couple friends and



These are fantastic! Arbor Mist white zinfandel strawberry frozen wine cocktail. There are two full glasses in each one.



The Nertz Championship of the World didn't end until 5:02 AM! We teamed up with each other's spouses. Mr. Purcell and I kicked the sheep dip out of Hubs and Mrs. Kate.  They get an E for inebriated effort though!

Saturday = Watched TV until 3:00, ate like it was going out of style, had an allergy induced asthma attack throughout most of the day and was unable to run. This hasn't happened in a very long time and I no longer have a nebulizer so the best I could do was use my inhaler when it would peak.
Sunday = Could have run but didn't due to sheer laziness, laid in bed or one the couch with Hubs 90% of the day. Only got 2 loads of laundry and a load of dishes done. Lame sauce on a loser bun.

Time to get back on track!
So today I am going to get back to eating like a sane person, do a longer run, and go buy a new nebulizer so I don't have to spend a whole day in the clutches of an asthma attack again any time soon.

Projected Workout for Today:

1. 5 Miles
2. 10 Minute Ab Burner

Goals of the Week:

1. Up my pace by another 15 secs per mile from last week.
2. Run a minimum of 15 miles.
3. Run during the weekend.
4. Purchase a nebulizer.

Anyone else lucky enough to have asthma??

How did you do this weekend on a scale of 1 - Craptastic? 1 being super badass and dedicated.

Raise your hand if you know someone who makes a stellar meatloaf.

Hubs Makes an Appearance and A Tasty Mouthgasm

I ended up taking yesterday as my rest day for this week. My body was telling me that it was time to take a day off.  I was pretty bummed about prospect of not running at first but I knew that if I did I would hate it the whole time I was running and I would be injured or in pain today. So I got over it...with the aid of good friends, tasty food and some cold beer.

So, Hubs called up our favorite couple (The Purcells) and made a stop by the beer store on his way home. We grilled-out some pork chops, made ranch style beans, and I threw together some oriental salad. ORIENTAL SALAD!! It's my hard core food love.

I realized as I was making it that I couldn't keep something so wonderfully delicious and semi-healthy to myself. So....prepare yourself for the mouthgasm that is oriental salad.



First: Make the dressing (2 T Sugar, Juice of 1 Lemon, 1 tsp. Sesame Seed Oil, 1/3 cup Canola Oil, 1 Oriental Ramen Seasoning Packet) Add all ingredients and mix well.



This is what a tastestravaganza explosion looks like when put in a measuring cup.

Hubs as "Sexy Kitchen Man" He can toss my salad any time. Rraarr.

Toast 3/4 cup sliced almonds at 450 for 10ish minutes while you chop up all the veggies.



In a large serving bowl combine: 1/2 head of chopped cabbage, 1 bunch of green onion chopped, 1/2 cup shredded carrots, 1 bag crunched ramen noodles, 3/4 cup toasted almonds, and the dressing. (The cabbage is underneath everything in the pic)



Here is the finished product. Get me a freakin fork.

Here is the recipe:

Oriental Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 head of cabbage (chopped)
1/2 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup toasted almonds
1 bunch green onions (chopped)
1 bag Oriental Ramen Noodles (crunched)

Dressing:
1 oriental seasoning packet (from the bag of ramen noodles)
Juice of 1 lemon
2 T sugar (you could try stevia or truvia)
1 tsp sesame seed oil
1/3 cup canola or veg oil

Wisk together all dressing indredients in a small bowl and set aside. Toast almonds at 450 for 10ish minutes. (Let the almonds cool before adding them into the salad or they will wilt the cabbage). Combine cabbage, carrots, almonds, green onions, and ramen into a large serving bowl. Pour dressing over the salad and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Observe minds being blown.

Projected Workout for Today:

1. 4-5 Miles (Feeling optimistic)
2. 15 Minutes - Arms (Depending on exhaustion level from run)

_____________________________
Please let me know what you think about the salad if you make it!!

Have any suggestions of making it more healthy? Please share!

If you are interested in following this site just click the join button on the right or entering you email address to follow that way.





ABSolutely Painful - Tasty Supper = Tasty Lunch

Laughing is killing me.

Did an AB burner workout for 15 minutes after my 1.5 mile run yesterday and now even a light chuckle is uncomfortable. Craptastic! My abs are as sore as a one legged man in an ass kickin contest. Bad. I am going to take this as a good sign that some ab shredding took place yesterday.




Sweaty victory shot.


Happy Happening - After my workout last night I shelled blackeyed peas with my Mom and Darc for supper. While Darc entertained us with some of her PreK Teacher horror stories. (Epic female bonding moment = making fun of other peoples badly behaved kids) We made baked squash and zucchini, blackeyed peas, fried okra, corn muffins (Jiffy of course), and cut up a watermelon and cantaloupe all from the farmers market yesterday. Everything was INCREDIBLE!

I am actually having some of the okra and watermelon that were left with my lunch.

Tasty Lunch: Watermelon, Fried Okra, Honey Greek Yogurt w/ Pineapple

For breakfast I just had a small banana and some coffee.

Projected Workout for Today:

1. 3-4 Miles Run - Uping pace by 15 sec from last weeks pace
2. 15 Minutes - Arms

_________________________________

Who else loves a good farmers market?

If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Does anyone know a magical exercise that will get rid of my "arms wings"??

Weigh In Wednesday - Kick the Plateau

There is no possible way I can eliquently express the amount of stoked that I am after this morning's weigh in. So, I am just going to go with a few onomatopoeias (that's right I used a huge word...10 Vocab Points!),
Anyway I feel like WOOOT! BLAM!! And some jazz hands.

Weight this week: 168.7
Weight last week: 171.0

For anyone with poor math skills that is a 2.3 pound loss for the week... Holy Crap is right!!
I am so pumped to see the results of my hard work FINALY pay off again.  I had hit a plateau and have been between 173 and 171 for weeks now.
I haven't weighed under 170 in 5 years!!

So if you have been getting discouraged because you have plateaued, do not give up! You just need to change things up a bit. Here are some things I changed last week that finally helped me get over that 170lb hump:

1. Up your running pace by 15 seconds per mile. This is what my brother, the marathoner/trainer, told me would be a safe amount to speed up without it causing any injury (shin splints, achilles tendinitis, etc.). It wasn't too hard at all and it feels great to see your pace getting faster!
2. Up your distance by 1/2 a mile to 1 miles per run. I went from running 3-3.5 miles to running 4-4.5 miles per run. I could tell after my first 4 miler that I should have up my mileage earlier because it wasn't much of a strain. Just listen to your body if a full mile seem extremely difficult and you feel like you are going to hurt yourself just do a 1/2 mile extra. Your body will let you know what it can handle.
3. Take a vitamin. I am taking Prenatal Vitamins, B12, and Biotin. Prenatal vitamins are a great multivitamin even if you aren't pregnant or trying to get that way. B12 is good for metabolism and biotin is for skin, hair, and nails.
4. Drink at least 2 liters of cold water every day. Don't you have to pee constantly? Yes, I pee at least once if not twice every hour. So what! If it would help me lose a few pounds I would pee every 10 minutes in a port-a-john! Also, I know some of you may not like water. If not, use the crystal light sticks or some MIO in your water and it will be like drinking Kool-Aid!!
5. Do some form of exercise at least 4 days a week. Never Less!

That's it. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

You can do it! Kick that plateau's ass!




Banana for breakfast. Apple w/ PB for midmorning snack.

Projected Workout for Today:

1. Run 1-2 Miles - Up pace by another 15 secs per mile (Haha secs - sex)
2. 15 Minutes - Core
3. 15 Minutes - Arms

If you have had a weigh in victory recently tell me about it!

Do you like using free weights or machines??

Hubs Lunches and A New Training Plan

I know this is 2012 and this may seem very Mayberry but I still pack Hubs a lunch almost every morning. It saves us money and keeps him from eating fried food from the Chuck Wagon (Allsups reference for the Texans). I'll admit that I also like the feeling of doing something sweet for the Hubs first thing int he morning.  It starts our day off right. Especially when I leave sweet and/or scandalous messages in with his goodies. What husband wouldn't like a side of sexy with their sandwich??

Anyway....
Here is what his lunch looked like today:



Cajun Turkey Wrap, PB Crackers, 1/2 Corn Muffin (usually there is a snack bag of chex mix, pretzels or a protein bar but we were all tapped out)

 

I can always tell when I've done an especially good job on his lunch when I get a call from him really early to tell me he loves me or is thinking of me in the nude.

Who knew Sack Lunches = Happy Marriages?? Nice.

On the the new training program.
As I mentioned in an earlier post I am way past the 5K training program now and am going to move on to a 10K program. I like the one by Hal Higdon: Click to view and print!

It is a really good intermediate level training program.  There are also programs for Beginners, Advanced and people who want to Walk a 10K.

Projected Workout for Today:

1. Run 3-4 miles
2. 15 Minutes - Core

What are you training for right now?

Have you ever done a Hal Higdon training program before?

Running and Drinking

Yesterday I ran to drink.
Really . . . I had an anniversary party to go to and I knew I wanted to drink a few beers. So, I ran 4 miles so that I could drink them without feeling bad about the empty calories.
It was great!! We had a blast I got to drink 5 or 6 beers and I didn't go over my calories for the day. VICTORY!

I am wondering how it is going to affect my run today.  Hopefully it won't suck too bad. We will see.

Projected Run For Today:

1. 3 Miles - Up time by 15 sec. per mile

Actually Workout for Yesterday

1. 4 Miles - Uped time by 15 sec per mile

VICTORY!

So, yesterday's projected workout was 3-4 miles and some core work.
However, instead of just going with the plan I listed to what my body was telling me.
After 3 miles I still felt great so I kept going. After 4 still felt good so why not go some more...I made it to 4.5 miles (my personal best) before I stopped.  4.5 MILES! WOOT!

I was (and am) so super jazzed!
Happy dance? Check. Party Boying the Tredmill? Check. Call the hubs to tell him of my accomplishment? Double check.

I actually think I could have even run for another half mile.  I had to stop though because I was already running 20 minutes late meeting hubs and my family for the college football kickoff at 6:00.

I think I may still be glowing from my Thursday victory run. I am so pumped and proud that I have come this far.  I have now lost 23 pounds and am able to run 4.5 miles and in May I could barely run for 5 minutes without having to stop and walk. Just...awesome.

Today I am going to pick up Bud from his mom's for our weekend.  So, depending on what time I get back, here is the projected workout for today:

1. 30 Minutes - Cardio/Core Circuit

Please feel free to share one of your recent victories so that we can all bask in each other's victory glows!

My Food Obsession and Some Found Motivation

Had a tasty and healthylicious supper with the hubs last night.
Grilled Chicken, Oriental Salad, and Cons Mate Rice. AMAZING!

I have a deep, almost unhealthy, love of Oriental Salad. I will do a post on the recipe next time I make it. Let me tell you, it is a mouthgasm.

OOOoooooh did she say mouthgasm?! Yes. Yes she did. Mouthgasm. It's so nice I said it twice.

Moving on....

I also got super lucky and they had salad bar in the cafeteria at work today.  Let me tell you, the dietary staff here make a wicked salad bar.

Cottage cheese, grapes, carrot, avocado chicken salad, salad w/sunflower kernels-cheese and italian dressing.
It was great and healthy. Woot!

I woke up this morning and I instantly knew it was going to be one of those no-freakin-motivation type of days when it comes to working out. Then when I was checkin on some of my favorite blogs this morning it was as if the clouds opened up and a light from the heavens shone down upon this heavenly post from Hungry Runner Girl about finding and keeping motivation, that is definitely going to help me make it happen today with my run. Click the link and go check it out.

Projected workout for today:

1. 3-4 Miles - Up pace by 15 secs per mile
2. 15 Minutes Core Work

Anybody else out there have an unhealthy obsession with a particular food?
Hope I'm not alone in this.

Weigh in Wednesday - Yesterday's Run

Morning Weight: 171.0
Happy Dance?? Don't mind if I do... Beep boop beep bee boop boop boop beep beep and fist pump pump.
So I have lost the weight from the vacation plus a few more ounces. Woopie!

How was this accomplished you ask? Well as I said yesterday my brother asked me to run with him.  More like him running with me. He runs about a 7:00 - 8:00 pace and I run about a 12:00 pace. He runs outside in the heat, I run inside on the TM with the a/c. His short run is 4 miles, my long run is 4 miles. He was running at about 30% and I was running at about 90%.

My brother super pumped for one of his races.

Shirtless running = Digits from sexy spectators??

Long story short - Austin = Massively-dedicated-kickass-motivating brother

He ran at my pace and helped motivated me through the last mile when I was just praying for it to be over.

Even though he had to slow way down to run with me and never seemed to get the least bit winded, running with him made me feel like a mega champ. He is one of the big reasons I started running and it felt really good and definitely boosted by self esteem to run with him. It also go me super motivated to work on getting my time down to 10:00 and my long run up to 6 miles over the next 6 weeks.

It was an excruciating, hot (94), side-stitch-inducing, mind grapling, craptastic 4 miles... And I was STOKED after I did it. Perma grin all the way home. It was an awesome way to wrap up the work day.

Big thanks to my dedicated brother.  You're a beast.

Projected Exercise for Today:

1. 1-2 Miles - Easy Pace
2. 30 Minutes - Core & Abs Circuit Training

Mini Goals:

1. Keep it under 1,600 calories
2. Drink 2.5 liters of water
3. Bring my time down by 20 sec. per miles this week

Change of Plans: Level - Intimidating

Just got a call from my training-for-his-umpteenth-race brother.  He is really supportive and excited about my taking up running too and has asked me to go on his short run with him today. "I'm only doing four miles," he says, "We can go at your pace," he says, "No pressure," he says.... Well.... You are my big brother/running role model.... No pressure my less fat ass.

This guy usually runs at a 7:00 - 9:00 pace depending on the length of the run. Me?? Oh, I run at a 12:00 pace. So basically you could speed walk beside me. Great match we are huh?

So to this nonsense I of course responded, okay.

So now I am going on a 4 mile run (a distance I have only run once) with my big brother at 5:00pm today. I am, by no fault of his, intimidated and just a tidge petrified.

Never the less, I will run with him to prove to myself that I can do it and to kick start running outside. I have been talking about starting to run outside now that it is down in the 90's again.... so, what the crap, why not today?

Wish me luck and Pray for me.
Pray for me lots.

Yesterday's Run = Epic Fail. Will Do Better!

So...I did not do my run yesterday.  I went to the PT room but they were still working.  I came back later and, to their credit, they were still working. I decided to go home and take the chicken out of the freezer to dethaw and I would run while that was happening.  To my husband's credit he decided to start running yesterday. Thus, no tredmill action for me.

Here is why I didn't run outside...We live 30 miles away from the nearest hospital on a crazy-oilfield-truck-driver-infested dirt road.  So I am too scared to run on our road for fear of getting made into a Henderson pancake and being 30 minutes away from the nearest EMTs.

If I would have foreseen that my husband would start his journey into the world of running yesterday I would have just sucked it up and ran in town in the 104 degree heat... but I didn't. BTW the ass hasn't run in at least a year and he ran for 45 minutes straight at a 10:00 pace. Guys suck major sac sometimes.  Thank God he is gorgeous, funny, and able to put up with my weirdness or I'd give him a swift kick to the pills.

Small Tangent.

Anyway here I am, lazy and hefferier than yesterday, determined to run 3 miles today if it KILLS me!

Projected Exercise for Today:

1. Run at least 3 miles - Easy Pace

Mantra for today: I will do better damn it.

Vacation Done - Running On...

First of all, FANTASMIC vacation!! Had a great time with some of the most amazing people and got some very indulging down time.

Now, lets look at my very fun yet epic fail of a weekend.

1. Weighed in before departure at 171.6 lbs. Drove 12.5 hours to the Steelman's lake house in Mississippi. Packed smart snacks but undid all that by eating at Long John Silver's and Krystal's for meals. I must say though if you are going to go bad Krystal Burgers are definitely the way to go.  I get to eat them about once a year when I go to Mississippi and they are effing fabtastically delicious! Yum.

2. Got to the lake house at about 9:30 pm. Hubs and I were showered with gifts of flip flops, shades, MSU cups, and love. Gave lots of hugs and drank beers. Lots of beers. You can't get all caught up with your bestie and not have any beer involved. That would be rediculous.

3. Got up 8:30am ate breakfast, drank coffee. 12:00ish got ready and went to hang out on the pontoon . . . makin waves and catchin rays up on the roof (if that is lost on you download the song ASAP because you are missin out). Swam and floated in the water in excess of 4 hours. Burned some good calories . . . until I went mad crazy on the cheetos, pita chips, and hummus.

This is where we decided to float . . . and float we did.

4. Went back to the lake house. Ate a big steak dinner and drank diet cokes.

5. Next morning. Up at 8:00am did I run . . . no.  I ate a meal of breakfast cheetos and coffee.

6. Went to see the site of the battle of Shiloh. It was amazing. A historical mind blowing.



This is my bestie at the US National Cemetery at Shiloh.

7. My Sister and her man came for the day and we went back to the lake for MORE floating and swimming . . . . and drinking. It was an ass kickin' good time.



Me and my Keister




My sisters lifemate . . . he's special.




My sexy hubs drivin' the pontoon like a champ.


8. Back to the lake house. Pizza. Cream cheese sausage dip. More beer.

9. Got up 7:00am chicken salad sandwich for breakfast. I know.

10. Got packed, showered, helped tidy up.  Gave bestie a few hugs. Tears. Gave keister and Sam hugs. Tears.

11. Got in the car. More tears. Drove 12.5 hours back to Texas.

12. Awesome. Awesome. Weekend.

13. Weighed in Sunday morning at 173.6. No surprise there. Eat and drink like a mad woman = fatty-fatty-no-friends.  Please Lord give me the strength to make it through today's run without completely pussing out.

Projected exercise for Monday:

1. Run 2.5 Miles - Easy Pace