Where's the Beach?

It's hard to believe that tomorrow is already Thanksgiving. That means Christmas is just around the corner. Wasn't it just summer? It seems that Thanksgiving has become more about the food than the actual giving of thanks. I can understand the food part to an extent. It's tradition. It's what we grew up having each holiday. It's the time when families actually take the time to gather around a table, together. But, it shouldn't be a total free-for-all to eat like it's our last meal. When did a holiday become a free pass for all things unhealthy? Don't get me wrong, I'll have my dad's manicotti or a holiday cookie in absolute moderation. But the rest of my meals for the day are very typical of how I eat day-to-day. My tummy usually thanks me too. I mean, admit it. How many times have you over done it and your tummy rumbles around the rest of the day? Yep, not fun. Don't worry, I'm not going to preach about not gorging ourselves on ...

I don't know what the weather is like where you live, but it certainly got cold here fast. Last week I was still running in shorts. By the weekend, it was all about the layers. On top of it being cold, we had gray skies and rain/freezing rain/sleet to contend with. Not exactly an ideal way to kick of the week. That kind of weather absolutely screams, no it demands soup for dinner. I had several veggies on hand that needed to be used up pretty quickly. So I came up with a Tempeh Vegetable Soup . The great thing is that it's souper (teehee) simple to put together, and you can use up any veggies you have on hand. I also like that it's high in protein thanks to the tempeh. Of course, you could use beans, tofu, TVP or meat if you're not vegetarian or vegan. Tempeh Vegetable Soup Ingredients: 1/2 yellow onion, diced 2 tbsp minced garlice 3-4 carrots (depending on size), diced 1 cup no salt vegetable broth 4 cups water 1 not-beef bouillon cube 1 can no salt added...

To say that it was a busy, hectic weekend is kind of an understatement. But, we've had lots of very low-key weekends recently, so I can't really complain. Plus, we did have lots of fun. Friday night we had a party to go to. It was on the other side of town, and one of my more favorite restaurants - Ya Ya's Bistro - happened to be on the way. I think that was just fate saying we needed to stop in for a happy hour drink. So we did. Our friends met up with us as well since they were going to the same shindig. Ya Ya's had an amazing Pumpkin Pie Martini, very similar to one my sister and I concocted a few years back that I called Pumpkin Pie Bliss . I figured since I was still celebrating my Birthday Week, I could splurge. Saturday morning I got up to get in my long run for the week. It was cold, windy and rather dreary. Amy and I ran for about 2.5 miles together so that helped. She had started her run much earlier, so I finished the rest of my miles solo. I know it...

Happy Happy Friday! You know this also means Fun for Friday . Angela at Happy Fit Mama did another edition of  Old School Blogging today. I decided to "borrow" the idea. It's fun. It's easy. It's Friday. Where is your cell phone? In my purse, which is on the floor nearby Your significant other? Jason. We've been married for a whopping 13 years now and together 18.5 <---WHAT? Your hair? Freshly cut as of yesterday but of course it's a crazy windy, rainy day today. Go figure. Your mother?  Has a beautiful smile Your father? Makes me smile Your favorite thing?  Time with my sister. Plain and simple. Your dream last night? I actually remember it ... I had on flip flops and they were filled with dirt as if they could have been full shoes (I'm sure that makes zero sense) and a huge worm was crawling out of the side. YUCK. Your favorite drink? Wine but I drink water like it's my job. Your dream/goal? Honestly, to help others ach...

It might be my birthday, but I'm giving a gift to someone else today. The winner of the thinkThin protein bar giveaway is: Congrats Heather!! And thank you so much to those who entered, tweeted, shared and liked my Facebook page. I wish I could give everyone a box! So today is my birthday. As I get older, I find myself often down on and around my birthday. I don't want to get older. And now that I'm hedging 40, I want to recognize my birthday even less. I know, it's silly. Age really is just a number. This year, however, I'm actually not freaked out that I'm a year older. I'm not depressed. But, I've just not let myself worry over aging. I mean, I can't stop it right? Rather than wallowing in the fact that I'm no longer 29, far from it, I'll just embrace it (for now). In fact, I'm having one fantastic week. Nothing crazy exciting is happening. Well, the Pink concert perhaps. I don't have any exciting plans for tonight. I a...

Happy Hump Day! Hope the week is treating you well so far. Today I wanted to share something I've been reading lately - we can call it What I'm Reading Wednesday just for fun. For five years, I worked in a bookstore to pay my way through college, pay the bills basically. While the retail aspect wasn't glamorous by any means, it was a book lovers paradise. To say that I read a lot is an understatement. I read pretty much every evening before bed. I typically read fiction. It helps me decompress. Let's me think less. But, I do have my stacks of non-fiction books as well. Sometimes I'll read a few chapters of a fiction novel then switch to something else, something more educational. Lately, that has been  Tom Venuto's latest book: Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle: Transform Your Body Forever Using the Secrets of the Leanest People in the World. I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy to review (the book will be released in December ). I was extremely ex...

I know most people start the week on a Monday. I tend to start my week on Sundays. It's my workout week really, but I see it as the real week now too. I don't even know why I started my workouts on Sundays vs Monday. Sometimes it's best not to think too hard about stuff like that. All that was said just to say that I kicked off my Birthday Week on Sunday in style. Saturday I had gotten in a really great 12 mile run. So, Sunday needed to be a slower, recovery run. I convinced Jason that he wanted to run 6 miles with me. He really didn't. It was crazy warm, humid and windy. It was 73 degrees when we started the run just to give you an idea of how crazy our weather has been. The wind was straight from the south and brutal. For me, it wasn't a horrible run. I rather enjoyed it. Mostly the company I suppose. Jason would probably disagree about enjoying the run though. He was fairly miserable. After the run, we cleaned up and had errands to run and he needed a hair...