Where's the Beach?

We do stir fry fairly frequently. I try to press several packages of tofu on the weekend and start to marinade at least one for a stir fry dish. I tend to make a similar sauce each time (orange juice, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, peanut flour). I know there is so much more to stir fry than what I tend to do though. I decided I wanted to do something a little different, something with more flavor. We had a few oranges on hand and a large knob of ginger. You see orange and ginger used fairly frequently in Asian cooking - or I've noticed it on menus at least. So, here's my take on a Ginger Orange Tofu Stir Fry . Ginger Orange Tofu Stir Fry Ingredients: 1 package tofu, pressed Soy sauce, to taste and consistency (can also use Bragg's Amino Acids or a combo of the two) Orange juice, to taste and consistency (I probably used about 3/8 cup) 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar 2-3 tbsp agave nectar (could also use honey or brown sugar) Crushed pepper flakes, to taste 1/4 tsp s...

Green and White Chili Monday night I made my White Tempeh Chili. Since it's technically more green I suppose I'll stop calling it white, how about Green and White Tempeh Chili ? I also made more of Sarena's chickpea oat flatbread with green chile and jalapeno peppers (sorry for the terrible pictures) Green & White Tempeh Chili Ingredients: 1/2 white onion, diced 1 green bell pepper, diced 2 poblano peppers, diced 2-3 jalapenos, minced 2 tbsp minced garlic 1 package tempeh, crumbled 32 oz low-sodium vegetable stock  2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained To taste: salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, red pepper, cilantro Directions: In large sauce pot, saute onions, peppers, jalapenos, tempeh, and garlic until begins to soften. Add in the stock, beans, and spices. Let simmer for about 45 minutes or longer to allow the liquid to cook down and chili to thicken. I promise it tastes way better than it looks! Running Time Change & Fast Sti...

Bis/Tris Today was a gym day for me. I actually wasn't dreading it. I think part of it was that I only did weights at the gym twice last week. Other workouts were done outside or at home. So it was a nice break. Since my injuries, I feel like I was spending all my time inside the gym. So cutting back the gym time (not necessarily lifting time mind you) is a nice, refreshing change of pace. I mean, I do have a pretty decent set up at home that I can take advantage of. I was kind of looking forward to biceps today. I had originally thought I'd switch up my splits this week, but I think I'll do that after vacation, which will give me a week off from lifting as well. So I went with biceps/triceps and did 3 sets of 8 reps as supersets. SS#1 Alternating curls Double-arm triceps overhead press SS#2 Hammer curls Triceps pushdowns SS#3 Cross-body curls Lying triceps extensions It was a pretty decent workout. I felt strong with the exercises and can definitely feel...

Weight Day I won't lie and say I was just super excited about hitting the gym today. But I did it, and I felt better after. Sometimes you gotta just get moving and tell your brain to be quiet for a bit. It was sunny out, and the thought of being in a steamy gym was not exactly appealing. Gyms on the 29th floor, with all windows are a good idea in theory. Heat rises and the windows seem to just draw in the radiant heat. At least when it's that warm outside, you have a breeze. Anyway, I got my rear in gear and started with 20 minutes on the elliptical before moving on to back and shoulders. I went with 3 sets of 8 reps done as supersets unless noted. For some exercises I am trying to increase my weights so I have been doing as many reps as possible with the heavier weight then dropping down for the remainder of the reps. It seems to be helping me push past some plateaus. SS#1 Assisted wide grip chinups Cuban press SS#2 Pullovers Lateral raise SS#3 Double-arm rows ...

Leg Day Today has been nothing but rain, rain, more rain and gray skies. Definitely one of those days when you'd prefer to stay inside and veg out on the couch. Thankfully my workout motivation wasn't as drab as the day. Oddly enough, I was looking forward to getting my leg workout done. I started with 20 minutes on the elliptical then went with supersets of 3x8 unless noted. Barbell squats - warmup set of 10 reps SS#1 Barbell squats Plie squats SS#2 Steps ups Stiff-legged deadlifts SS#3 Bulgarian split squat (though I think of these as a split lunge...) Hamstring rollins on stability ball - 12 reps SS#4 Narrow stance squats with dumbbells Calf raises with toes turned out - 20 reps I also did some ab work. Overall, a pretty good workout. I did lower the weights for squats by 5 lb because I felt like last week my form was a little off. It might be that I'm subconsciously trying to avoid putting weight on my right heel, so something I really need to p...

Back to Routine It can be so hard to get back to your "normal" routine after being off of it for a few days. Last night was very low-key, very quiet. I just used leftover spaghetti squash for our dinner, and we watched a few DVR'd shows. That was about it. This morning I absolutely had to peel myself out of the bed. It was a little gloomy out, so that didn't help matters. Plus I actually had to get up and go to work today rather than spend the day playing, shopping, eating. But, I suppose it's not realistic to think I could do that every day. I'd be fired and then broke for starters. I was not feeling up for a workout at all to be honest. I know it was just trying to get myself to work, back on schedule. Plus, it was 70 degrees outside today, so my running shoes were calling to me. Running outside sounded so much more appealing than having to go to the gym...one...more...time. But, I can't run. I can't even pretend to run. So, spin it was. For t...

Cardio Day Today started off not just cold, but snowy. It was pretty while it lasted, but by around noon it was turning over to sleet, which is just gross and dreary. Thankfully it's supposed to be back to 50 with sunshine tomorrow. One positive of the day was that my gym was actually open. There was no spin class sadly, but at least the gym doors were open. Since my original plan had been spin, I went with a cardio day similar to Saturday's workout . I did about 30 minutes on the elliptical then 4 rounds of tabata (20 minutes) for a pretty decent cardio session. I used the almost the same exercises as Saturday, I just re-ordered them a bit. Squat thrust Walking lunges w/ kettlebell Kettlebell swings Kettlebell squats with pull Kettlebell single-arm swings Kettlebell figure-8's Side shuffles Up/down planks Stir Fry Monday I was supposed to have physical therapy after work today, however, the appointment got canceled because of our weather. While the snow tu...

Sappy Friendship Monday Source: google.com via Happy HouseWife on Pinterest I saw this quote on pinterest, and it is so incredibly true for me. If someone doesn't know me, they tend to think I am very reserved (well, I kind of am) maybe even snobbish because I am so quiet. It's hard for me to put myself out there to start up a conversation. I always feel awkward, like I'm going to say something totally asinine (which does happen). So, I stand back, watch, listen. I try to figure out where I might fit into the conversation, into the group. Sometimes I never do. Maybe I miss out on friendships for not putting myself out there. I've always had just a small group of very close friends - the ones that love me because I am indeed a nutcase. I will say, however, that blogging has actually pushed me into new realms of friendship. I never thought you could be friends with someone you didn't know in person, that is, until blogging. Now I truly believe that you can in...

Treadmilling It Today I was still really stuffy, but I felt less like I had been run over by a truck at least. Just the stuffy then runny then stuffy nose with sinus headache to contend with. I had really planned to go run outside after work. It was supposed to be sunny and about 60 degrees. Then I got it in my head that I wanted to run at lunch, at which time the sun disappeared. I wasn't sure if it was really going to get sunny and warm again or not and was dead set on working out midday. So, I ended up running on the treadmill. I honestly didn't know how long I could go with this congestion going on. I figured it would be safer and smarter to just go up to the gym and if I could only do a mile, then it's not like I had wasted time driving to the river trails. Plus, if it's allergies, then maybe running outside isn't so smart either. The plan was to see what I could do with the goal of 4 miles doing some interval speed work, which I've been slacking on ...

Intervals, Legs, Triceps  Today I decided to do some intervals on the treadmill then hit legs and triceps. For the run, I started with two miles at a 9:13 min mile pace then I did a drop type of intervals (not sure what you'd call it exactly and not sure I'm going to make any sense explaining). I went with 8:34 min mile for the speed part and 9:31 min mile for recovery. I started with 2 minute intervals (2 fast, 2 recovery), then dropped in 30 second increments down to 30 second intervals. 2:00:2:00 1:30:1:30 1:00:1:00 .30:.30 So a total of 10 minutes worth of intervals. I went ahead and finished out the last .3 mile at an 8:57 pace to round out the mileage to 3.5. I thought this was a good interval run to do before legs because the amount and time of intervals was much shorter than what I did Tuesday or what I did last week. I wanted to get in speed work, but didn't want to completely fatigue my legs before weights. As I did  last week, I wanted to focus on t...

Running & Triceps Last night I set my alarm for an early morning run, however, I wasn't so sure I'd really get up and get the run in. I had my gym bag packed as a backup plan or Plan C was rest day. The alarm went off at 5:15 am. And you know what? I was wide awake. I knew Jason wasn't going with me, so the dilemma became: to run in the dark alone or just be up an hour early. I went for the run. I got to the Big Dam Bridge earlier than when Jason goes with me (sorry dear, but you can be slow going). The bad part about that was that it was going to be even longer before the sun started to rise. It was fairly empty, emptier than usual for 5:50 am I should say. I ran sans music so that I could be very very aware of my surroundings and hear anyone approaching. I didn't see anyone for almost a mile, then I passed the guy who tilts his head to the right listening to his music. I waved, I think he waved (hard to say because it was really that dark). A bit down the...

Holy Hell - A Miracle Happened Well I finally did it! I finally got my rear out of bed for an early morning run. It was a bit by mistake I'll admit. At about 4-ish, I rolled over and reset my alarm for my regular wake-up call...or so I thought. At 5:20, the alarm went off. Not sure what I switched, but it wasn't my alarm time apparently. I will admit to resetting, thinking I could just doze for an hour. But I was awake and knew there was no way I'd go back to sleep. I took it as a sign and got up and got ready. It was so hot and humid already. The minute I stepped out of the car, I knew it was going to be a tough run. There was not a bit of breeze to be had. It was already 80 degrees with 80% humidity. Thankfully the sun wasn't out yet at least. I started my run just a little before 6. I promised myself 4 miles because I was sort of struggling at the beginning. Apparently leg day topped off with 3 days of spin equals sort, tired, heavy legs. Who knew? Luckily, my...

More Spinning Today ended up being another spin day for me. It was super windy and muggy out (we have a major storm system heading in the evening), so it worked out nicely that I wasn't planning to run. Though, I was sort of putting off weights today. It was a good class today, same old track, but good sweatfest nonetheless. Of course, the extreme humidity might have something to do with the excess sweat too ;-) I was planning on getting up and running with my friend again in the morning. Really looking forward to it even though it meant getting up before sunlight. But, he had to back out (sigh). He ran today and is planning on doing an 8K Saturday morning (woohoo!!), so he needs to rest more than he needs to run. I am absolutely ok with missing out on the run if it's for a good cause. Unfortunately, we'll be on the road Saturday morning so we can't be there to cheer him on (or run ourselves). Storms & Stir Fry It looks like we're in for a really bumpy...

Another Gym Day (thanks weather) Seriously, if we don't get one storm-free night soon, we're going to need three padded cells: 1 for me, 1 for Jason, and 1 for the Heath Man. Around 3:30 am, Jason ended up sleeping on the couch with Heath downstairs. When I got up, I turned off both alarms, just not thinking. Jason went up when I came downstairs and he crashed out. Thankfully, I remembered what I had done at 8 and called to wake him up. I think he probably needed the uninterrupted sleep though. Tomorrow I can catch up as I'm off work for Good Friday (TGIT). So, it was rainy this morning and rain chances all day. This meant gym workout. I really would have liked one more day between the upper body weights, but sometimes you just go with it. Today was short, it was just one exercise per muscle group. I did the exercises as supersets of 3x8 starting with 10 minutes on the treadmill. SS#1 Cross-body curls Rear-delt flye SS#2 Lying triceps extensions Standing later...

Windy Wednesday = Treadmill  So today I had these grandiose plans for a fabulous 6-mile run after work. It was supposed to be partly cloudy and around 59. Um, apparently the weather folks forgot to check outside today. It was more like no sun (at all), gusting 25 mph winds, 48 with wind chill of 41. So off the mark on that one guys. I really had no other back up workout plans I did weights yesterday. I really didn't want to wait around until 5:30 for spin, step was out of the question as calves are still too tight for that. So, I decided to hit the gym and split up cardio time between the treadmill and the elliptical. I started with the treadmill for 2 miles then did 6 1-minute athletic intervals then ran to round out to 4 miles before heading over to the elliptical to finish out another 10 minutes. I really would have preferred that my first run post half marathon be outside, but this worked. I was a sweaty mess once done. I got home and hit the yoga mat for stretching and ...

Perks of Fall - Running at Lunch The temperatures really dropped last night. It was 51 degrees when I headed into work this morning. I am so not happy to have to wear sleeved shirts I must add. I will try to find the positives out of cooler weather though. One is being able to run at lunch again without dying of a heat stroke. So, that leads me to my first workout of the day - a lunchtime run with Jason. We managed to squeeze in 3.8 miles in 31 minutes. Not too shabby. It was gorgeous out, but the breeze was strong at times. It felt good, but not when we were running into it of course. I will say that I am sad about the fall foliage this year. Because the summer was so hot and so dry, the leaves are mostly just dying and falling to the ground. We sometimes have just spectacular colors, but not this year. After work, I hit the weights. I was itching to get biceps and abs done. I love working biceps. I decided to go with straight sets of 3x8 trying to increase the weight if possib...

Back & Chest (no cardio) Today has been beyond hectic for me at work. I have a mandated deadline for a site to be updated and live Friday morning. Tons of last minute changes and corrections. I didn't get a break until 1 pm (got to work at 7 am). I went home and hit the weights to sort of decompress. I did back and biceps today using the pyramid method for a super set of of back and super set of biceps then a super set of 3x8 for back and biceps. For the pyramids you start with your lightest weight at 12 reps, increase weight and decrease reps to 10, increase weight, decrease reps to 8, then move back up by decreasing weight and increasing reps to 10, decrease weight and increase reps to 12. Pyramid SS#1 Pullovers into Double-arm rows Pyramid SS#2 Biceps curls into Hammer curls SS#3 Underhand rows Alternating biceps curls SS#4 2x16 Lat band pull downs Lower back extensions on stability ball Happy For Fast Dinner I had thought we would be going to spin class ...

Wet Wednesday = Indoor Workouts It was another dreary day here. Where was this rain when we really needed it most? It's kind of hard to be chipper when it's gray out. It certainly makes for a bad hair day too, which most certainly does not help with the mood (right ladies?). I decided I would actually do my biceps workout at the gym for a change. Jason and I had planned on Group Ride after work. I needed to make up a bit of time from leaving early yesterday, so I thought I'd just take my gym bag with me, stay a little bit later, and walk over to the gym with time to get weights done before spin, which starts at 5:30. I feel like I've been in a bit of a rut with biceps, doing the low reps, higher weights. I decided to change it up just a bit and do a mix that included changing up rep patterns. I started with 10 minutes on the treadmill to warm up before hitting the weights. Alternating biceps curls - 3x8 Cross-body curls - 3x12 (didn't have weighted gloves, s...

Spinning on Wednesday This morning Jason was getting up at 5 am to go to his swim class. I thought I was going to get up and do Step Blast and abs. Thought is the key word friends. I rolled over and went right back to sleep. I was not going to force the workout this morning. I was even prepared to proclaim today my rest day if need be. The weather is cooling down nicely finally. So I thought I'd be up and out for morning runs, but I just haven't felt up for a run the past few days. I think the temps are supposed to remain just at 90 through the weekend (into the upper 60's at night) so maybe we can get in a longer run this weekend finally. Before I went up to bed last night, Jason had mentioned wanting to go to spin again today. So instead of step or running or weights after work (or a rest day), I decided to go with Jason and try out the the new spin class at our gym: Group Ride. He's been twice and enjoyed it. Since I've been doing legs twice a week, they...

Rewind to Tuesday - Taco Bowls I made a big oops in my dinner post last night. I apologize because I was rushing through and failed to explain the "bowl" part. I actually started making them after reading about how easy they were to make on many other blogs. They are super simple to make and a fun alternative to a burrito or quesadilla. How to make a Taco Salad Bowl : Preheat oven to 425 degrees F Prepare a pyrex bowl (or other oven-safe baking bowl) with a non-stick spray. Insert your favorite flour tortilla  (I use a whole-wheat variety) and shape - you will have some fluted edges. Bake for approximately 15 minutes until golden and crispy. No Whimpy Wednesday Well, I must admit to having very little sleep yet again. One of our sweet furbabies is about to start sleeping downstairs. I love her dearly, but the girl doesn't stop moving...ever. She wakes up frequently throughout the night to itch, lick, move about her kennel, causing general raucous. She seems to...