Saturday, May 21, 2011

Pro Active For Life 5K

Well, the whole family ran in our first 5K of the year last night. It was a doozy too! The same old Frankfort route around the Capitol building with that slow steady crazy hard hill. And it was warm last night too...like 80....which won't feel so warm in a month or two, but it made things harder than usual last night.

As usual, Michael ran with Shelby and I had the stroller. Michael did pretty good for not running pretty much since last October...33ish. I did one of my worst times ever at 38:30. But I still finished middle of the pack and middle of my age range. I started feeling nauseous during my 3rd mile (didn't eat enough carbs yesterday) and I just can't run or even speed walk while nauseous. Joseph did really good though...he didn't fuss at all until that last mile when he turned around a looked at me and started crying...probably because momma looked freaky.

It was a fun evening though. Joseph walked all over the place and then we grabbed a chocolate milk and sat on the lawn of the old capitol and shared our tasty beverage and some snacks I had packed while listening to the band.

I've already registered both of us for the Beef Festival 5K in a couple of weeks. Michael actually didn't want to do it, but I misunderstood him and registered him anyway. OOPS! It's the hardest course we've done to date...constant hills. Up...down...up..down...turn around...do it again.

Anyway, here's some pics from last night:

Joseph playing in Shelby's water.



Joseph was trucking on down the road to visit with people.



I think he was wondering if he could make it over the tracks.

On a different note...Joseph had my camera in the car this morning and took this picture:

Not bad.

Hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend! I got up and went to bootcamp class and then did yoga. I'm about beat! Time for some rest....if Joseph will allow it. :)

Friday, May 13, 2011

Urge to Bake!

We had plans this weekend to go to Tennessee to visit my parents. We were excited for my parents to get to see Joseph walk and it was the only weekend we had free for a month. Michael even took off work so that we could leave at a decent hour. I got everything packed Thursday and was ready to roll.....until....

I called Michael when I was on my way home from the gym yesterday evening. He said that Joseph was really sleepy and had been laying on him for like 30 minutes. I knew something was up...that child never sits still that long. When I got home I took his temp and it was 102. UGH. He didn't touch his supper either, but he still drank his milk. I hoped against hope that this was just some weird "kid" bug that just pops up and goes away.

He didn't sleep that well, and was burning up when I got up with him at 3. His fever was down this morning (probably due to the ibuprofen) but he wouldn't touch his breakfast or drink milk or anything. So off to the doctor we went...and it's strep throat. Poor guy. No one understands strep like me...I got it all the time in college....and I had it not long ago.

So, no trip for us. :(

Well, I don't know if any of you just get the urge to bake, but I sure do. It really hit me today. I don't know if it's because I've been pretty good on my diet or if it's because I knew that I wouldn't be having any of my mom's yummy sweet treats this weekend. But whatever it was, I got the baking bug...not just the baking bug, but also the cooking bug. I decided to combine the urge with cleaning out the freezer, fridge, and pantry and coming up with dishes based on what needs to be used up quickly.

Here's what I made for dessert tonight:

I had some apples that weren't getting any better as well as some oats that had been around a little too long and some ice cream that needed using.

Here's the recipe (slightly modified from Pillsbury Annual Recipes 2008..my favorite cookbook):
Caramel Apple Crisp
Fruit mixture:
2 apples, peeled, cored, sliced
1 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp allspice
1/4 c caramel topping

Topping:
1/4 c oats (quick cooking)
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c chopped pecans
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter
caramel topping

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine apple slices, sugar, allspice, and caramel. Pour into a lightly greased 8x8 casserole.

In a seperate bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, pecans, and flour.

Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Sprinkle over fruit. Press lightly.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Serve warm with ice cream and caramel sauce.

YUM!

I don't know what my plans are for the weekend...I'm going to keep my schedule pretty clear since I don't know how much cuddling the munchkin is going to need. I would like to run in a 5K in Bagdad tomorrow morning, but I'm going to play it by ear...one this is for certain...I will be doing more baking and eating. I've already made Banana Oatmeal Muffins for tomorrow morning. They smell delightful! You will see them on here if they taste as delightful!

Have a fantastic evening!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Garden

My "hired" help

After a few years of thinking about putting a garden in the backyard and coming up with reasons not to...we finally did it this year!!

We built a 6' x 8' raised bed. I was a little late getting my cool crops in and a little early on some of my warmer ones, but I'm hoping that it does ok. I'm hoping I get something out of it! I'm also hoping that Joseph doesn't pull everything up. We've been working on not doing that. I've got it all planted except for my peppers...I'm just waiting on it to warm up a bit...well, warm up a little more consistently. I was freaking out one of the nights it got down to 35 recently...I kept asking Michael if he was SURE he didn't have anything I could throw over my tomatoes. I was so worried about the cold killing them. They are such nice tomatoes. They didn't enjoy the cold, I'm sure, but I think they will survive. They have little blooms on them so that's a good sign!!

Garden after 2 weeks!
The planters at the end have onions that I couldn't fit in the garden and some basil...I want to make pesto so I need quite a bit of basil.


Potato


Broccoli


Onions

Lettuce

Carrots

Green Beans


My pitiful 4 spinach plants that sprouted


Shallots
They were my splurge...but did you know they won't be ready until probably fall?! Shallots are slooooooow!

Radishes


Tomatoes
My Roma is not very happy...

Herbs
I have chives sprouting in the open space between the rest of the herbs and the tomatoes.


Flowers

You want to know something funny? Green onions are just white onions dug up before they are ready. I looked and looked for green onion sets and/or seeds. I soooo wanted green onions...I love them. But alas, none were to be found. So I finally googled it the other day. Yep, just immature onions. Also, it said just to plant them really close together so that they can't form a big bulb. I will be trying that in the fall. For now, I may just dig up a few of my white onions early if I get a hankering for green onions.

In detox news, I made it through week one....I wouldn't say it was all that hard...but I also cheated. I feel really good though....I can't imagine how good I would have felt if I had done it correctly. :) But after a year with the munchkin, I know never to expect things to go as planned. I had to break the caffiene hiatus yesterday after Joseph decided to stay up all Monday night. I wasn't functional and I had to have some coffee....being a mom requires some degree of functionality. Last night was better and I am much more human today.

Hope you all have a good one!

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Happy Mother's Day!!

Mom and I at my wedding (I suppose you guessed that much)

I hope all of you mommys out there had a fantastic Mother's Day! I know I did. "Joseph" got me two new charms for my Pandora bracelet. I also got to go out for lunch (where I cheated on my detox...but hey...it's Mother's day). The waiter even brought me a choco-taco for dessert. I don't know if they did this for all the moms or if it was just because we are regulars at this mexican restaurant.

This afternoon I took advantage of the sunshine and took nice ride on Spice. It was a glorious day!! So blessed to be a mom to my baby J.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Good Things


You know, I sometimes wonder why I do these detox things (this isn't my first time doing a diet detox of some sort). People usually think I'm insane. Usually, I think I'm insane. However, some good comes out of cutting the crap out of your diet. I am feeling better already....a little bloaty (I know...TMI) but feeling pretty good. Now, I have cheated a few times...small cheats...every day. I don't think (with the exception of peanuts, soy and eggs) that I technically have gone without the things I was supposed to cut out completely.

Some other good things have come out of this. I discovered that I like pearled barley. It was in a frozen meal that I had for lunch the other day and I didn't think it was too bad. I saw it at Kroger for 75 cents a bag and thought, "What the heck...I'll give it a try." I cooked it up tonight and put a dab of olive oil and some garlic and salt and it was not bad at all. Very filling.

Also, I LOVE sweet potatoes....I love them baked, mashed, roasted, fried, with marshmallows, without marshmallows, sweet, salty...you get the picture...

I'm starting to sound a bit like Bubba from Forrest Gump..."I know all they is to know about the shrimping business..."

Anyway...Michael does not share my love of the sweet potato. So, I rarely cook them....because that just means I have to fix another side to appease my hubby. Well, since they are one of the things that I am allowed to have while detoxing, I started cooking them and decided to heck with Michael (love you, honey). I knew that he would eat them somewhat if I roasted them. I was in a hurry one evening and didn't have time to roast them in the chunks I usually cut them into. So, I decided to slice them thin. They turned out AWESOME! And...guess what? Michael LOVED them!! Well, "LOVE" may be a bit strong, but he liked them a lot. He actually requested them last night. Here's what you do:

1 largish sweet potato will serve 2 people comfortably. I peeled it and sliced it thin (1/8 to 1/4"). I then tossed the slices in olive oil. I placed them in a single layer on a baking sheet, dusted them with cajun seasoning and roasted them at 425 for 8 minutes, flipped them, and roasted for another 5-10 minutes. Keep an eye on them...they go from golden goodness to charred mess pretty quickly when they are that thin.

I picked up some chocolate covered craisins at the store the other day. They were $1 a bag and I LOVE craisins....add chocolate and I know I will DOUBLE LOVE them. I started envisioning cookies made with them. I came home and told Michael that I was having a vision of cookies that I wanted to make to blog about. He said that I could make them but not eat them....party pooper. Give me another 10 days or so and I will be making some chocolate covered craisin cookies....you can bet on it. :)

Friday, May 6, 2011

Still hanging in there

Michael was off work today (he has been working major overtime lately) and I got to go ride Spice during Joseph's morning nap!! It was a gorgeous morning for a ride. She had already been turned out so I pretty much ruined her morning. She was very spooky...jumping sideways at the silliest things. She was too worried about what her buddies were doing and not paying attention. It was still good to be in the saddle and I like rides like that to keep me on my toes.

I won't lie....I have cheated a couple of times on my detox. We had frozen pizza last night. I made up a fruit salad and ate it first so that I wouldn't gorge on pizza. But other than that, I'm doing ok. I was a little edgy today...I think lack of sugar maybe.

BIG NEWS!!! Joseph has taken a few steps here and there but never more than 2...until TODAY! He is still pretty wobbly and can't go far at a time, but he's making it 6+ steps at a time. I'm so proud. Also, if you have read any of my posts before when I was worrying about his weight...he has gained 2 lbs in the past 3 weeks!! He and I must be on the same diet plan...but I'm excited for his weight gain!

Well, that's it for today. I've got a big day tomorrow....working out and yoga in the morning and hopefully getting to ride again tomorrow afternoon!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Day one down


Day one of detox is done. Detox is always a lot easier before you actually start..if that makes sense. I mean, it always looks ok on paper and then you realize how hard it is. The no wheat thing isn't too bad because you can have things like oatmeal, rice, etc. But the no dairy thing....wow...that's hard. I love cheese and yogurt and cottage cheese. But I'm living with my coconut milk (which is actually pretty good...I snagged it at Kroger this week for 25 cents). I haven't felt TOO draggy yet. I have been wanting a coffee sooo bad today though.

The no TV thing and limited internet has made me be so much more productive and I read more yesterday than usual. I went to the library yesterday and came home with 5 more books so I should be good for a little bit. I cheated on the no TV last night. We got "The King's Speech" in the mail from Netflix yesterday and I so badly wanted to watch it. It was worth it. Such a good movie.

Well, I worried all last night about my garden. It got down to 35 last night. I'm sure my tomatoes didn't like it, but I don't think they will die. There was frost on the trashcans but I didn't see any on the plants. Come on weather, get warm already!!!! I was so excited for sunshine and drier weather yesterday, but it was COLD! And not very sunny either. Today looks like it's going to be better.

Have a fantastic day everyone! No more internet for me until tonight!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Detox


My weight has been a constant issue with me since I was...oh..12. That's 17 years of battling the bulge (which was non-existent at times...what was I so worried about?)...over half my life of worrying about what I eat. I would like to say times have changed...but they haven't.

I am about to end week 7 of an 8 week weight loss challenge at my gym. I have lost.....(drumroll...)

Nothing....

as far as weight goes. I have lost quite a few inches off my waist and I've been very excited about that. I dropped a couple of pounds those first 2 weeks. Then nothing. Then I decided to be really good and work really hard. And....

gained 2 pounds back.

What the heck?

I know...I should be happy with the inches lost. And when I look in the mirror, I don't see someone who weighs what I evidently weigh. I think I look and feel better than I have in a long while. But I'm not happy with that. I want to be back down to a healthy weight. I don't want my body to have to carry these extra pounds.

The plan that I am going on is not exactly a weight loss plan. I don't want a weight loss plan. I want to change how I eat and eat more fresh whole foods and less processed crap. I saw this 28 day challenge on Martha Stewart back in January. It is done by Whole Living Magazine. I was really intrigued but dismissed it because there was no way I was going on a detox style diet when I was still breastfeeding.

Well, I've almost got Joseph weaned (thank goodness!) and am ready for a change.

This plan starts with a 7 day detox. No sugar (except fruit), no caffiene, no processed food, no wheat, no dairy, no peanuts, no soy, no eggs. Basically, it cuts out all the common allergens. Then you can see if you feel better without certain foods. The wheat, eggs, dairy, peanuts, and soy get added in slowly after 7 days. What I really liked about this plan is that meat is ok. Of course they want it to be "steroid free, organic, antibiotic free" meat, but if you know how I feel about steroids and antibiotics....psssh....you know I know that it's all safe and I'm eating it without worry.

I actually started this yesterday...and was doing ok...a little tired from lack of sugar and caffeine but ok. Then I went to the grocery to get food that I could eat and realized I had forgotten my wallet after I had already checked out. So, Michael brought it to me and since it was already 7 and I hadn't gotten home to fix supper, we went out to eat at Longhorn...and I had bread.....and dairy.....

So welcome to day one again!

This week also includes a media fast. So no TV and limited internet (I'm blogging and checking my email twice a day and that's it). I am going to still let Joseph watch Sprout and Baby Einstein. He's not on a TV fast. He's just fast! :)

Anyway, I hope you all have a fantastic day! It's supposed to be dry and sunny here and I'm excited to get outside with the Munchkin later today!