Where's the Beach?

Today - well this week - I've had a lot on my mind. Too much really. Too many worries, frustrations, upsets. But I've also had things to be thankful for of course. I thought I'd do a little Things I'm Thinking and Thankful For post today. Just sort of random, bear with me. I'm thankful that I prepped the tofu for the Pho Jason made last night so that I could spend the needed time studying for my ISSA Personal Trainer Certification.   My head is going to explode from all the new information I'm having to learn with the personal trainer cert. I should have paid more attention during biology. I've passed the first 2 quizzes, but I'm not sure how well I'll do with more written and detailed questions - insert one of the worries that's crept in. I'm thankful that my boss is letting me work from home 2 days a week right now. It's helping me not feel so entirely fatigued - which is good since I've not been sleeping this week. It...

Work it Out Wednesday Ok, so I didn't do this particular work out today, but I thought I'd share today just the same. I actually opted for a yoga workout during lunch today for an active recovery day. Plus, the yoga helped to quieten my mind so a win-win for me. On Sunday, Jason and I ran 3.5 miles together. While he went on for another 4 miles, I went inside and hopped on my bike trainer. I didn't want anything really hard like the previous Quad Killer workout though. I decided to do a Chase and Race sequence to help me practice with my turnover pedaling. Just because it wasn't all about hills didn't make it any easier mind you. You do still need a certain amount of tension on your bike so that you're not just free spinning. For the Chase part (first half), I used slight inclines (tension increases) to add a level of difficulty so that you know you're working but you can still keep a pretty swift turnover, then you you plane out, ease off the tensio...

Yesterday I spent the majority of the day studying for the ISSA personal trainer exam as well as meal-prepping. I definitely don't do that enough. While it was time-consuming and messy, I know it'll be worth it throughout the week. I made spaghetti sauce for 2 dishes. Last night I used part of it for Eggplant Lasagna. Later in the week I'll use the rest with "meatballs" over spaghetti squash, which I already baked off and have waiting for me. For the eggplant lasagna, it was basically layers of thinly sliced eggplants, spinach, TVP and sauce. Topped the last layer off with Daiya and baked it low and slow to allow the eggplants to really soften up. I pressed 2 packages of tofu then baked one for Pho and started marinating the other block for stir fry. While the tofu was pressing, the sauce simmering, and the squash baking, I also made some homemade ciabatta bread that we had with the eggplant lasagna and will enjoy again with a vegetable soup. Do you take...

Cold Running Yesterday, my running partner and I had planned a rundate after work. Let me preface this story with the fact that it was sunny and 60 degrees on Wednesday, a day I did not run. Thursday was the opposite. It was overcast, gusting winds, and wind chills at 30 all day, dropping by the time we ran into the 20's. I know 20's aren't that cold for a lot of you, but in the South...brrrr I won't lie, I was dreading that initial sting of the cold. You know that one when you first step outside and think, "What the hell am I doing?" It's that moment where you fight with your brain about the temperature. You're cold at first and you instinctively feel the need to rush back in and put on more layers. Posted on Instagram: This is my what am I doing it's too cold to run outside look But your rational side sometimes prevails and forces you to just step away from the door and get moving. Thankfully I listened because I did almost end up hot, a...

Working it Out Yesterday I ended up going for a run after work. I wasn't feeling the best. Not sure how to explain it, almost nauseous but not quite, upper tummy area hurting. I was going to just play any workout by ear (or tummy as the case was). My plan was just to see what I could do. I thought the fresh air might help make me feel better. And it actually did. It was a little chilly at the start, my thumbs were frozen, but the air felt great on my face. I did right at 3 miles. I was feeling so much better after the run, endorphins I'm sure, so I decided to take a little spin on my bike (on the trainer mind you). I cranked up the music and got to it. I wasn't sure what my plan was going to be, just spin and play around with the gears or try out a trainer workout from Angela at Happy Fit Mama . I didn't write it down though, and ended up sort of making up my own workout. I think it was a pretty darn good one too and was happy to have her inspiration to make up my ...

After yesterday's way-to-deep-for-a-Monday post, I thought I'd make today's post much lighter and simpler, kind of light this recipe. I'm rather liking Tasty Tuesdays actually. Kind of keeps me inspired to be creative in the kitchen again. We haven't been to the grocery store in a little over a week now. That means fresh veggies are pretty low and the pantry is starting to get a little more bare than usual too. Jason has this thing for casseroles and baked dishes. I decided to just work with that as a starting point for dinner. I had rotini, frozen spinach, some tomato sauce and silken tofu. I thought I'd make a fast, creamy pasta sauce with the tofu. Love using silken tofu to make a "cream" style sauce. It works so well plus it's an added boost of protein. Now, if you can't do soy, you can always use a cashew cream, coconut or almond milk instead. It'll just make for a slightly looser sauce, but shouldn't affect flavors much. Fe...

Dismal Run but Wonderful Family Time This weekend ended up being far better than I had expected. Initially, Jason and I had no plans. I was supposed to have lunch with my mom and sister next weekend to celebrate my mom's birthday, which was the 18th. Things changed and mom and sis ended up coming up on Saturday. Saturday started off with one of those dig-deep-to-finish runs. I had set out to do 4 easy miles. I wanted it to be slower, easier, just enjoying being outside. I ended up over-dressing. It was 32 degrees when I started the run, but it warmed up faster than I expected. I also encountered far more creepers (aka vagrants and un-savory characters) than usual, so that meant I instinctively ran faster, faster than intended, and faster than my body needed. I never got my breathing on track so I felt like I struggled the entire run to breathe easily and to even hit a nice rhythm. I had to stop at mile 2 to take off my gloves then I had to stop each mile after to try to reco...

This isn't super fun for Fun for Friday , but I do still get questions about the blood clot situation. I had another follow-up appointment yesterday, so I thought I'd share about that. Source: katelynapplegate.com via Janessa on Pinterest My appointment was at 11:30. I got there at 11:25 and was promptly taken back to do lab work and vitals. Unfortunately the guy who did the blood draw this time was not nearly as gentle as the previous lady. It hurt like heck and is all bruised up. Have I mentioned how much I hate needles, shots, blood draws? After that I was sent back to the waiting room. It was packed just as it was the last time. It looked like the majority of people were there for chemo. But apparently that didn't mean I'd get in to see the doctor any quicker. After 2 1/2 hours, all patience was gone. Jason had taken time off work to be there with me, so he was getting really antsy too. At 3 hours into the wait (no lunch yet by the way), I finally go...

Post-Run Soup Yesterday ended up being another weird weather day for us. Saturday was 70+ degrees. Yesterday it was in the upper 20's with freezing rain/sleet/snow. That meant slippery streets, not conducive to a run with my running buddy. I ended up hitting up our work gym's treadmill. I normally hate the treadmill. Once upon a time, I actually liked it though. But there's just something stagnant to me about running on the mill. Also, my former gym didn't allow you to change the TV stations so you had ESPN or CNN. Oooohhh exciting right? Not. Anyway, no one was there (most people left work early because of the road conditions), so I changed the TV channel to the Food Network. Something about running and watching cooking shows that just works for me. Not being sarcastic either. I kept it fairly slow and steady. I ended up hitting 4 miles and made a deal with myself to go to 5 then I could rest and see how I felt from there. At 5 miles, I walked, drank water, towe...

Sunday was rainy and cold for most of the day (cold all day, rainy half the day). I decided to take advantage of being holed up in the house and prepped my lunch for Monday and Tuesday. I also made some homemade ciabatta bread to have with soups for dinner. I love zucchini, and I love using them in lieu of pasta sheets. I thought I'd try something new, so I came up with a Zucchini, Tomato Tofu Bake . I just used half a block of tofu, so this made two portions. I probably should have just used the whole block for four lunches, but wasn't sure how it was going to turn out. Saving the other half for later. Zucchini, Tomato, Tofu Bake Ingredients: 1 large zucchini, cut in half then thin slices lengthwise 4-5 garlic cloves, minced Approximately 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, thin sliced 2-3 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes 3-4 artichoke hearts, small dice (not in oil) To taste: parsley, salt 1/2 block tofu (thin sliced for 4 slices), pressed then pan seared Directions: Prehea...

Gotta Love Cathe Well, I haven't really been talking much about workouts lately. I'm trying to get back to running. It's still really hard right now. I go back to the doctor on Thursday and plan on having him try to text my iron levels as well as whatever else they'll be testing. I just feel wiped out and need to figure out the cause. Is it the clot, the medication or perhaps iron levels. This weekend we had crazy weather. It was in the 70's on Saturday with bouts of rain. By Sunday it was barely 40 degrees with even more rain. I had hoped it'd clear up long enough to get in a run, but that wasn't going to happen. I ended up testing out 2 of Cathe Friedrich's DVDs from her Low Impact Series. My sister has been holding these DVDs hostage for quite some time. I finally got them back from her on Saturday and was eager to test some out. Unfortunately for me right now, they pretty much all use weights. However, I was able to modify enough and still ge...

Since I worked from home all of December, I got to see some really interesting tv commercials. I'll agree that some commercials can be cute or funny. But, I typically dislike commercials, and these take the cake. It's not that the product is necessarily bad, it's the commercial. And with these, it's typically making it sound like you cannot possible function without them. I mean, how on earth have people been flipping pancakes or eggs all this time without this gadget?  Here's my list of least favorite commercials ( disclaimer, if you click on the links they often try to not let you close out. Hit the X button rather than hitting ok or anything like that please ): WaxVac - I mean really, who on earth puts a cotton swab in their ear and yells "Ouch!" that loudly? Forever Lazy - These are like those PJs we wore as kids, the one-piece have to zip out to potty. Only these are more like Snuggies AND they proclaim easy access when you gotta go. Now, I m...

This might be a complete and total ramble, so feel free to skip unless you're bored ;-) Recently I've been noticing a lot of pins all about the hatred of running. Honestly, it really ticks me off. No one is saying you have to run, that you have to love it. I've never dismissed someone because they didn't run, and I don't bash workouts I don't care for. So it got me to thinking, why is it that if someone doesn't like to run, they feel like they must go out of their way to proclaim it to the wold? To call all of us runners crazy, nuts, insane, etc.? To swear up and down how much it sucks, how much they hate it. It flies all over me when someone asks me about my workouts. I say I run and the first words are, "Oh god, I HATE to run." "Running just sucks." Um. Ok. Well, I don't really like just walking but I don't get all worked up about it. I don't get all fanatical if you tell me you're a swimmer and I'm not. So w...

This is something I've never really done before. I mean, I've talked about my workouts here and there, listed out the weight workout and miles run. But I've never really dedicated an entire post to a specific workout and the reasoning behind that workout. I thought I might start doing a Work it Out Wednesday when I come up with a new workout for myself. I am NOT a certified personal trainer or group instructor. I read a lot, I've done endless hours of DVD workouts, I gather inspiration, and I try to learn from all of it. I don't put together workouts for others, just for myself. But I thought I might share this one and my reasons for it. Right now my only cardio option is really being allowed to run. I'm not supposed to be doing weights because heavy lifting causes micro tears that, if were too bad and in or near a joint, could bleed out, causing permanent joint damage due to the Xarelto. I've been trying to come up with workouts that I could do that w...

My friend and running buddy had been really sick Friday with a stomach flu going around. I know she's sick when she told me she wouldn't be getting in her long Saturday run. Somehow we ended up chatting about pumpkin, pumpkin bread, muffins...that sort of thing. I think she was hungry, what do you think? I started looking around on Pinterest and shared several recipes with her. Then I found one I had pinned a while back and decided I would make that for her. You know, a get well gift. Plus all the recipe searching had gotten me in the mood to bake. So, Saturday morning I made this High Protein Pumpkin Bread by The Iron You . I did make a few substitutions and additions. Coconut Oil: The recipe called for vegetable oil, which I did not have. So I used coconut oil instead.  Baking Stevia + Molasses: It also called for brown sugar, again, out of. So I tried making my own using the NuNatural Stevia Baking Blend along with a drizzle of organic molasses.  Vanilla Stevi...

This weekend I completed my first 5 by the 5th run. I think that might trump just about everything else that happened over the weekend. Though I did enjoy a nice lunch with Jason on Saturday then a girls' afternoon of shopping and eating with my bestie. AND I got to run again with my running buddy. It was a pretty good weekend ;-) Before I found out I had this blood clot, I signed up for the 5 by 5th Virtual Run Series that Laura from Mommy Run Fast has put together. I was worried I wouldn't be able to participate (at least in January), but luckily I got the ok to run, and now I have a goal to work for each month. Basically, the “5 by the 5th” – a virtual race series in which we run (or race!) a 5k or 5 mile run by the 5th of each month, from January to June, 2013. I've never done a virtual race before, so I thought this would be fun to be a part of. I barely made my 5 by the 5th this month. But am so thankful that I was able to do it! It was hard . I had ...

How about a Food Friday post today? Kind of switch things up a bit. I'm feeling sassy like that - or really it's just a lack of creativity if I'm honest. And I'm honest like that. Last night I felt completely and totally wiped out. I don't know if it was from the amount of blood they had drawn or just the day itself dealing with the hematology appointment overload. Either way, I was pooped. I really could have gone to bed at 7 and skipped dinner all together. And I am not one to skip any meal at all, ever! Jason did me a big favor and made dinner. We had picked up some Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage "Sausage" Links from Whole Foods recently, and he had been wanting to use those for several days. Since he was cooking, I told him to go for it. He ended up putting together a really amazing, richly flavorful soup. I thought I'd share one of his recipes for a change. He really is a good cook I must say. Of course, he did spend five years in the ki...

Eat Your Veggies Salad I'll start with something lighter before moving on to the nitty gritty. Last night I decided to roast up the beets and butternut squash I had on hand. I had originally wanted to use the beets to try to recreate a salad I had out, but decided I wanted to do more of a roasted veggie salad. What ended up happening was a concoction of roasted beets and butternut squash with wheat berries (was going to us quinoa but was out), chickpeas, spinach, Honeycrisp apple, feta, and an orange vinaigrette. The vinaigrette started off with orange juice, rice wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, agave, salt, pepper, olive oil. Jason took over and added in minced shallots, Dijon mustard, garlic powder. The apples did take it more towards a warmer weather dish, but the veggies were still warm as were the wheat berries. I did like how the apples added both crunch and a hint of sweetness to help offset the earthiness of the beets. I am glad I went with the wheat berries. ...

As I promised yesterday , I have a new recipe to share. The inspiration for this recipe came from a recent lunch at a place called Ya Ya's Euro Bistro . Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately because I'd be there way too often otherwise), the restaurant is clear across town. It wouldn't be quite as bad to get there if there wasn't major construction going on that direction. In other words, traffic stinks and it takes a good 20-25 minutes to get there. But once you do go, it's worth it. I've eaten their twice. Jason has never actually eaten there, but he's been wanting to for quite some time. We had some dear friends in town with their newborn. They were able to meet us on Christmas Eve day. Not many places were open around town though. However, Ya Ya's is in a shopping complex, so I knew they'd be open. Our friend "B" is someone who really appreciates good food. He used to have us over for dinner when he lived here. Long story short (too...