Where's the Beach?

Do you ever make dishes that sound like they're meant for one season, but actually can be good in another season? Last week I did just that. I had a butternut squash that needed to be used, but I really wasn't sure how I wanted to use it. I also had some red quinoa stashed in the freezer, so I started to think about ways to incorporate the quinoa with the squash. I decided that a salad sounded good. I know that it's spring, but it sure isn't feeling much like spring around here. So the comforting flavors of fall actually sounded appealing. I love the sweetness of butternut squash pared with the tartness of dried cranberries. But I also really like some spice to my food. I ended up trying out a new marinade/dressing for tofu using maple syrup, something I almost never use unless a specific recipe calls for it. But maple syrup, butternut squash and cranberries sounded more like a desert. This is where the chipotle peppers come into play. The smoky heat helps offset ...

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. ...

Spinning Again Days like this make me wish I could work outside somehow. It was another gorgeous, sunny, warm day. So hard to be inside when the weather is so unseasonably nice. I think companies should provide laptops and wifi so we can all sit outside. Anyone else with me on that? While I couldn't be working outside or running outside, I at least got to enjoy the scenery during spin class. I am definitely spoiled by the views from my gym - 29th floor, all windows, looking out over the city, the river, Pinnacle Mountain. I can even see my running trail from the gym. So I often sort of day dream during class, pretend I'm riding that trail rather than spinning in place. I was really feeling sluggish today to be honest. But I got in there and got it done at least. Pat on the back for that on a Monday right? Too Warm for Winter Meals With the temperatures being so much warmer than typical for this time of year (hello 70 degrees), the usual winter meals like chili, soup, ...

Spin In Lieu of Running I'm going to try to set up the workout in the most positive manner as I can. Today was sunny and mid-60's. It seems that almost everyone is experiencing some incredible late-January weather. It would have been ideal for a run. In fact, I had my running clothes packed. I was determined to get in a run today. However, my foot and sciatica are really causing me some serious pain. So much so, that I skipped the run and hit up spin instead. This about killed me (ok, a bit dramatic, but you get the picture). Ideal weather for running in January (so rare) and I can't run? It just doesn't seem very fair at all. While spin was a great workout, it was not at all what I wanted to be doing. All I could do was stare out the windows and dream of what it feels like to be out there running, and running pain-free. So, I did something I've been putting off...I made a doctor's appointment for Thursday. While I have an idea what's going on, at thi...

Spin on Soggy Monday Today the rain continued into the early afternoon. Definitely no outdoor running. My plan was to hit up spin class as long as my hamstrings and rear end weren't too sore after yesterday's workout. Not gonna lie, my butt is sore. But(t) I figured spin was still doable. I kind of had to talk myself into going today. This gray, dreary, cold weather is just not putting any pep in my step. Definitely not making me feel energized to get in a workout at all. Makes me sort of mopey feeling really. Of course, I knew spin would give me an energy boost if I could just get myself there and get going. I did it, but it wasn't pretty today. Apparently you do actually use your hamstrings during spin. Who knew ;-) Double Recipe Special Tonight will be a double recipe kind of post. I wanted to post the recipe for dinner last night ( Butternut Squash, Kale Barley ) as it turned out so good. I think it'd be a great side dish for a holiday meal. And, because of ...

Mid-Week Rest Day Today we had lots of rain and storms in the forecast. I was supposed to do a 6-mile speed workout. But you know what? I didn't want to. I didn't want to run; I didn't want to spin; I didn't want to lift. Period. Several restless nights, two days of spin plus run has just left me worn out. My legs feel heavy and I had no energy to attempt speed work. So I declared today an unplanned rest day. Of course this wasn't done without lots of thinking, planning, strategizing on when and how to reschedule planned runs. Today was supposed to be my speed work, tomorrow an easy 3-miles then 12 on Saturday. We'll be out of town Saturday and while I found a 12-mile route, I am absolutely not familiar with the area. Don't have a clue if there are water fountains or anything along the way. I had hoped to do legs tomorrow along with my 3-mile run. So much to think about and rearrange. So, here's the new plan: Thurs: 12-miles Fri: Gym (doing w...

Paella Follow Up As I mentioned yesterday, we had a birthday party to attend. The theme was being a paella party, so I volunteered to bring a vegetarian version. However, I've never had paella before and had no idea if I'd even like it. I'm really not much of a rice eater either, so anyone who really knows me would think it an odd choice. But, I'm always up for trying a new recipe, so why not. Vegetarian Paella Notes, I believe that I added in the peas too soon so they turned brown. So if you aren't using quick-cooking brown rice, then don't pay attention to the cooking times shown in the original recipe. You'll also need more liquid as well. As for the flavor, I thought it was a little bland. Again, no idea what to expect. It wasn't bad by any means, but maybe my feeling towards rice skews my judgment a bit. Jason said it was really good, as did anyone who tried it. I do think that I could try adding flavors used in chorizo, like paprika, to give it m...

I feel like I am so far behind with my blog. My Valentine's present to Jason was to make dinner and stay off the computer. And today I've been super busy trying to run errands that I'm just now even getting to sit down and start my blog about last night's dinner and catch up on reading everyone's posts. This morning I did the warm up from Shock Cardio Athletic Step then hit the weights, and finished with Athletic Step. Today was the first workout for week 7 of the Total-Body Training rotation. I can't believe it's been 7 weeks! This one was a toughie, 3 sets of 18 reps. Yikes. Chest - Dumbbell bench press Back - Double arm rows Quads - Squats Shoulders - Lateral raises Biceps - Dumbbell Curls Triceps - Double arm kickbacks This was very tiring with the high number of reps. Ouch. Once I started going with Athletic Step, I quickly realized that I should have opted for a slightly easier cardio. My quads were screaming at me. I also did one of my favorite ab...

Thursday Workout Came Early So I managed another four-day morning workout week. This morning I did the warm-up from Shock Cardio HiiT Pyramid , then ran upstairs to do weights, then back down to finish HiiT Pyramid , which I did twice through, then stretched. My weights were 2 sets of 12 reps, supersetting the following exercises: SS#1 Shoulders - DB Upright Rows Quads - Step ups (12" step) SS#2 Chest - Decline DB Press Back - Underhand DB Rows SS#3 Triceps - Overhead Triceps Extension Calves - DB Calf Raises It was easy enough to do the warm-up from HiiT Pyramid then do weights because there is no equipment (Step) needed for this workout. I don't have a weight bench yet, so I have to use my step as the bench. I have incline risers for it as well. The problem this creates is that if I do a workout that requires a step, I have to have the step downstairs (where I have enough space for cardio) then move it up to do weights, then back down for cardio. Oh so complicated. I do ...

So I feel like a total slug after the past two days of over-eating and, yes, over-drinking. I got up this morning and had no desire to cook anything. Breakfast was Kashi Island Vanilla . After breakfast, I made my way to the mall. It was totally over hyped (I hyped it up myself of course). I found a few things at The Limited, but other than that, wasted gas. I was not to be deterred, so I made my way to Barnes & Noble to pick up the January issue of Oxygen Magazine. Then it was on to Michael's Crafts to find holiday decorations for next year. My kitchen is a deep blue with toile accents. So next year I believe the color scheme will be silver and blue (Jason actually requested this; he's a decorator at heart). So I scouted out some blue and silver bulbs, blue lights, and hurricane vases with silver bottoms. Can't wait to put it all together next year. In fact, it was all I could do not to pull it all out to give it a test run! After Michael's, I thought I might str...

My workouts this week have been highly leg focused thus far. Sunday was legs and then I did a spin class on Monday. I thought I might take today as a rest day, but I went ahead and did a step workout and abs from my library of Cathe Friedrich workouts - Step Jump and Pump/Step Blast . The next part of the evening involved refueling! After unseasonal upper 60's this weekend, the temperatures are finally starting to drop. Today we didn't reach 50 and tomorrow is supposed to be 45. Needless to say, I was thinking along the lines of something warm and cozy for dinner tonight. I had half of a butternut squash that needed to be used and a couple of different recipes for a Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chili. I didn't have all the ingredients to fulfill one recipe or the other, so I'm melding them together and creating my own. Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chile Ingredients : 1 tsp (or less) Olive oil  1 small yellow onion, diced 1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced ...