With everything you begin, it seems that there is an ending point to what you have been doing, and a starting point for what is to come. The tricky part is continuing on the path once you have set out, continuing to do what you have always thought is too hard for you to do.
Although I am continuing to run, although I didn't do so well last week. I am also starting to swim. Some of my friends have talked me into trying to complete a Sprint Triathlon, which consists of 400 meters swimming, 12.5 miles biking, and a 5k running. I have decided that I want to make it through my 5k before I officially sign up for it. I need to prove to myself that I can train for something and stick to it. I have always enjoyed swimming. When I was a kid, I spent most of my summers at the pool. In high school, I was on the swim team my senior year (the only year we had a swim team). Last week I went back to the pool for the first time, in what seems like forever. I was so sore the next day I felt like I could barely lift my arms. I went back today to swim again. It was so much easier. I mostly swam the breast stroke because it is the easiest to me and my favorite. However, I swam 400 yards in just under 11 minutes. This is my starting point, it can only get better from here.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
One Week Later
Since I started my New Years Resolutions one week ago, I have done relatively well.
Eat more fruits and vegetables- I have taken fruits and vegetables in my lunch basically everyday. I have also had some sort of fruit or vegetable for dinner. This week I made my own Pico de Galo, which was delicious. I also made a new meatball recipe, which included broccoli (the original recipe called for peppers, but I don't like peppers). I have also started tracking my food on Livestrong.com, that way I can clearly see what I am eating and work on portion control.
Run a 5k- This week I went running 3 times. I started the Couch to 5k program on week 3 of the program, since I had already been running some. Day 1 was really hard and my breathing was terrible. Day 2 was still really tough. Day 3 was much easier. I was able to breathe correctly and complete the whole run. This week looks complicated and long so I am a little nervous about starting. We have picked a 5k to run in March and I also have one in mind for April and May (possibly). We also started discussing completing a sprint triathlon, which seems exciting and scary at the same time. I want to see if I can make it through the 5k before I try to do the triathlon.
Write a budget- I wrote our budget for the month and it worked out pretty well. Hopefully it will be easier this month on a normal pay schedule.
Have a fabulous week!
Eat more fruits and vegetables- I have taken fruits and vegetables in my lunch basically everyday. I have also had some sort of fruit or vegetable for dinner. This week I made my own Pico de Galo, which was delicious. I also made a new meatball recipe, which included broccoli (the original recipe called for peppers, but I don't like peppers). I have also started tracking my food on Livestrong.com, that way I can clearly see what I am eating and work on portion control.
Run a 5k- This week I went running 3 times. I started the Couch to 5k program on week 3 of the program, since I had already been running some. Day 1 was really hard and my breathing was terrible. Day 2 was still really tough. Day 3 was much easier. I was able to breathe correctly and complete the whole run. This week looks complicated and long so I am a little nervous about starting. We have picked a 5k to run in March and I also have one in mind for April and May (possibly). We also started discussing completing a sprint triathlon, which seems exciting and scary at the same time. I want to see if I can make it through the 5k before I try to do the triathlon.
Write a budget- I wrote our budget for the month and it worked out pretty well. Hopefully it will be easier this month on a normal pay schedule.
Have a fabulous week!
Friday, December 31, 2010
New Years Resolutions
Although I have reservations about making New Years Resolutions, I am going to do it. There are some things that I would really love to accomplish this year, and I believe I have picked some resolutions that are attainable.
1. Eat more fruits and vegetables- By eating more fruits and vegetables, I hope that it would lead to a healthier way of eating and mindset about food. I would like to try new fruits and vegetables or try common fruits and vegetables in a different way. Lately, I have been attempting to only eat meat for one meal a day. Before the holidays, I was pretty successful, but learning new ways to eat and cook fruits and vegetables would really diversify my lunch menu from apples and egg salad sandwiches. Ultimately, I would also hope that eating this way would lead to snacking less on junk food and weight loss.
2. Run a 5k- Right now I have plans to run a 5k with a co-worker in March. I want to be able to run the whole thing, so between now and March I need to get busy.
3. Write a budget and stick to it- In the past, my husband and I have gotten lazy as the year goes on about writing a budget. Although even when we don't write a budget we do okay and don't overspend, we always save more money when we sit down and write out what we can spend.
4. Spend more time with family and friends
I think all of these goals can be reached. In the New Year, I pray that those I love will be healthy and happy.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
1. Eat more fruits and vegetables- By eating more fruits and vegetables, I hope that it would lead to a healthier way of eating and mindset about food. I would like to try new fruits and vegetables or try common fruits and vegetables in a different way. Lately, I have been attempting to only eat meat for one meal a day. Before the holidays, I was pretty successful, but learning new ways to eat and cook fruits and vegetables would really diversify my lunch menu from apples and egg salad sandwiches. Ultimately, I would also hope that eating this way would lead to snacking less on junk food and weight loss.
2. Run a 5k- Right now I have plans to run a 5k with a co-worker in March. I want to be able to run the whole thing, so between now and March I need to get busy.
3. Write a budget and stick to it- In the past, my husband and I have gotten lazy as the year goes on about writing a budget. Although even when we don't write a budget we do okay and don't overspend, we always save more money when we sit down and write out what we can spend.
4. Spend more time with family and friends
I think all of these goals can be reached. In the New Year, I pray that those I love will be healthy and happy.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Soups Galore
Since it has been awhile, I figured that I would give you a few of my favorite soup recipes. As I mentioned in the previous post, I love fall, partly because I get to make soup again. I have made 7 weeks of soup so far: Chicken Noodle, Potato, Chili, Zuppa Tuscano, Chili Corn Chowder, Chicken Tortilla, and this week I made Vegetable Beef. I loved all of them except for the Chili Corn Chowder, which was way too spicy for me.
Brown beef. Put the rest of the ingredients in the pot. Cook until vegetables are tender.
Have a great day!
(With all of these recipes, I estimate the ingredients. Below are close estimates, sometimes I use more or less liquid.)
Zuppa Tuscano
Ingredients
2 1/2 Spicy Italian Sausage Links
5 Potatoes Sliced
1 1/2-2 Boxes of Chicken Stock
3 cups Kale
1/3 cup Heavy Cream
1 tsp to 1 tbsp Red Pepper flakes
Brown sausage in a pot and drain away the grease. Add stock, potatoes, and red pepper flakes to the pot. Boil until potatoes are tender. Add kale. Once the kale cooks down, add the heavy cream.
It is delicious and tastes like the soup at Olive Garden
Chicken Tortilla
Ingredients
1lb Chicken
1 Can of diced tomatoes with Jalepenos
Chicken Stock
1 Can of Black Beans drained ( I use the seasoned kind)
1/2 bag frozen corn
Salsa
Optional Toppings: Tortillas, Green Onions, Sour Cream, Cheese
Brown the chicken. Add the other ingredients. Bring to a boil. Top as you wish and serve.
Vegetable Beef
Ingredients
Stew Beef
5 Potatoes (mine were from the garden :))
1/2 cup Green Beans (garden also :))
1/2 Bag of frozen corn
1/2 cup carrots
1/2 cup celery
1 can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
Beef stock
Dried Italian Seasoning
Brown beef. Put the rest of the ingredients in the pot. Cook until vegetables are tender.
Enjoy! I love soup. If you have any good soup recipes, feel free to share.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Fall
I love fall. I love when the weather cools off a little, but not too much, to what I would call, jeans and long-sleeved shirt weather. Even jeans and sweatshirt weather is okay with me. The leaves, of course, are beautiful. The sky's colors seem even more brighter than in summer.
Another wonderful part of fall is Pumpkin puree. There is so much you can do with it: pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin dump cake (I had that this weekend and can't wait to make it, it was wonderful), and plenty more I imagine.
Hands down, one of my favorite things about fall is that I can start making soup again. I tried PW's Corn Chowder with Chilies this week. The chilies I used were way too spicy for me. I couldn't handle it, but Joey's work friends seemed to enjoy it. Next week, I plan on making a version of Olive Garden's Zuppa Tuscano, one of my favorites. You name it, Potato soup, chili, Chicken Noodle, Chicken Tortilla, I make it when fall starts. It is my fall comfort food. I will post pictures and recipes soon.
I also love Thanksgiving. A time to get together with family, relax and hang out with friends, without the rush of Christmas, yet. I do not like Halloween, but I blame that on having to be an Angel every Halloween of my childhood because that was the role I played in the Christmas play and I always had the costume. Dealing with children hyped up on sugar isn't my thing either.
Not saying that I favor one season over another, because they all have their advantages; however, fall has some awesome qualities that I am loving right now.
Another wonderful part of fall is Pumpkin puree. There is so much you can do with it: pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin dump cake (I had that this weekend and can't wait to make it, it was wonderful), and plenty more I imagine.
Hands down, one of my favorite things about fall is that I can start making soup again. I tried PW's Corn Chowder with Chilies this week. The chilies I used were way too spicy for me. I couldn't handle it, but Joey's work friends seemed to enjoy it. Next week, I plan on making a version of Olive Garden's Zuppa Tuscano, one of my favorites. You name it, Potato soup, chili, Chicken Noodle, Chicken Tortilla, I make it when fall starts. It is my fall comfort food. I will post pictures and recipes soon.
I also love Thanksgiving. A time to get together with family, relax and hang out with friends, without the rush of Christmas, yet. I do not like Halloween, but I blame that on having to be an Angel every Halloween of my childhood because that was the role I played in the Christmas play and I always had the costume. Dealing with children hyped up on sugar isn't my thing either.
Not saying that I favor one season over another, because they all have their advantages; however, fall has some awesome qualities that I am loving right now.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Muffins
One thing that makes me really excited about fall is that canned pumpkin is readily available. It is such a great ingredient and can be hard to find the rest of the year. Over the past few weeks, I have used it several times for several different recipes. I tried Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins and pumpkin pancakes.
For my first attempt at Pumpkin Chocolate Chip muffins, I made them with dark chocolate chips. I found that the dark chocolate chips overpowered the delicious taste of the pumpkin spice. Joey suggested that I try White Chocolate Chips instead of dark chocolate chips. What a fabulous idea!! I also made it healthier by substituting the butter for applesauce.
Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Muffins
1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Apple Sauce
1 Cup White Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 Cup Solid packed canned pumpkin
3/4 Cup White Chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350.
In a bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Set aside.
Beat together apple sauce and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each. Beat in Vanilla extract. With the blender on low, alternate adding the flour mixture and canned pumpkin, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Fold in the White Chocolate Chips.
Fill muffin tins. (My mix filled 16 tins, but I make rather small muffins.) Bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Enjoy! Yummy, the taste of fall!!
For my first attempt at Pumpkin Chocolate Chip muffins, I made them with dark chocolate chips. I found that the dark chocolate chips overpowered the delicious taste of the pumpkin spice. Joey suggested that I try White Chocolate Chips instead of dark chocolate chips. What a fabulous idea!! I also made it healthier by substituting the butter for applesauce.
1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Apple Sauce
1 Cup White Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 Cup Solid packed canned pumpkin
3/4 Cup White Chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350.
In a bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Set aside.
Beat together apple sauce and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each. Beat in Vanilla extract. With the blender on low, alternate adding the flour mixture and canned pumpkin, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Fold in the White Chocolate Chips.
Fill muffin tins. (My mix filled 16 tins, but I make rather small muffins.) Bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Enjoy! Yummy, the taste of fall!!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Joey's Dinner
Joey lost a bet a few weeks ago. When he lost, I won him cooking me dinner one night. Since I do all of the cooking, I thought it would be nice to have him cook for me for one night. When I cook, I tend to cook pretty healthy foods. I try to turn full fat comfort foods into delicious, less-fat, less-calories ,less fake food, comfort foods.
Joey often asks me when I am going to cook "normal food". He is very much a meat and potatoes kind of guy. I like to experiment with new recipes, new foods, and old recipes that I can re-vamp. For Joey's meal, I let him plan the entire menu. This is what he came up with:
The first dish is meatballs. They were delicious. I believe they had a ketchup and Worcestershire sauce on them.The second dish was a potato casserole. It had hash browns, sour cream, condensed milk, and 2 packages of cheese. I gave him a really hard time because it is not exactly my idea of healthy food. But he did a good job.
I really enjoyed having him cook for me and taking the night off. I am thankful to have such a wonderful husband.
Also, on the running front, I ran a whole mile without stopping today. It took me about 11 minutes, but I did not stop running. No walking for me today. :)
Joey often asks me when I am going to cook "normal food". He is very much a meat and potatoes kind of guy. I like to experiment with new recipes, new foods, and old recipes that I can re-vamp. For Joey's meal, I let him plan the entire menu. This is what he came up with:
The first dish is meatballs. They were delicious. I believe they had a ketchup and Worcestershire sauce on them.The second dish was a potato casserole. It had hash browns, sour cream, condensed milk, and 2 packages of cheese. I gave him a really hard time because it is not exactly my idea of healthy food. But he did a good job.
I really enjoyed having him cook for me and taking the night off. I am thankful to have such a wonderful husband.
Also, on the running front, I ran a whole mile without stopping today. It took me about 11 minutes, but I did not stop running. No walking for me today. :)
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